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'Tintin' comic leads Spanish journalist to explore China's WWII history

People's Daily Online) 08:42, September 01, 2025

"The Blue Lotus," from the celebrated European comic series "The Adventures of Tintin," has long served as a window for Western readers to learn about Japan's invasion of China during World War II.

With the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japanese aggression approaching, Spanish reporter Alvaro from People's Daily Online took his childhood copy of the comic to Beijing. There, he visited the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression at Lugou Bridge to learn more about the history.

"In the West, people tend to highlight events like the Normandy landings and Dunkirk. But during World War II, as the main theater in the East, China tied down and fought against more than two-thirds of the Japanese Army, inflicting 70 percent of Japan's wartime military casualties," he said. "Through this visit, I have gained a deeper understanding of China's immense sacrifices and tremendous contributions as the main theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War."

Related Reading: China-EU friendship explained in gifts

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Wu Chengliang)
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the "Western Asset US Core Bond Fund" mutual fund classes  Class I (ticker: "WATFX"), Class A (ticker: "WABAX"), Class C (ticker: "WABCX"), Class FI (ticker: "WAPIX"), Class IS (ticker: "WACSX"), and Class R (ticker: "WABRX")  and the "Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund" mutual fund classes  Class A (ticker: "WAPAX"), Class C (ticker: "WAPCX"), Class C1 (ticker: "LWCPX"), Class FI (ticker: "WACIX"), Class R (ticker: "WAPRX"), Class I (ticker: "WACPX"), Class IS (ticker: "WAPSX") between January 1, 2021 and October 31, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important September 5, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.

So What: If you purchased Western Asset mutual funds during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

What to do next: To join the Western Asset class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31956 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 5, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Details of the case: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants failed to warn investors that: (1) Defendants favored certain WAMCO strategies, like Macro Opps, over other WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (2) Defendants disfavored certain WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (3) any "compliance policies and procedures" that WAMCO maintained "to result in fair allocations of investment opportunities to clients" were either insufficient to ensure that Leech and his WAMCO Team fairly allocated trades among the strategies they managed or were expressly disregarded by defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies; (3) any "oversight mechanisms" that WAMCO maintained were either insufficient to monitor Leech and his WAMCO Team or were expressly disregarded by Defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies. As a result, defendants' actions operated as a fraud or deceit on the Class, artificially reducing the price of the "Western Asset US Core strategy" mutual fund classes during the Class Period, damaging Class members.

To join the Western Asset class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31956 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for more information.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

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The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

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SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
The University of WisconsinWashington County campus, which closed in 2024. | Screenshot: Google Maps

A former University of Wisconsin campus is set to be sold for $3 million. The buyer will be a Christian school and a land conservation group, according to recent reports.

The Washington County Board decided this week to proceed with the sale after a closed session discussion. County officials, including County Executive Josh Schoemann and the county attorney, are now tasked with negotiating the terms.

The sale involves the shuttered UW-Milwaukee at Washington County campus, covering 80 acres, which will be divided between Ozaukee Christian School and the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.

If Ozaukee Christian School purchases the entire property, the price will be $3 million. However, if Cedar Lakes also buys part of the land, they will pay $300,000 for 60 acres of open space, which lowers the schools overall cost to $2.7 million.

Ozaukee Christian School currently serves nearly 100 students from pre-K through eighth grade. The school has plans to expand its offerings to include high school grades, according to Schoemann, who told the board about these intentions.

The campus was closed in June 2024 and was formerly one of six two-year colleges within the University of Wisconsin system that shut down due to low enrollment and financial problems. Ownership of the property is divided between the county and the city of West Bend, with the county holding 74% and the city owning the remaining 26%.

The board also instructed Schoemann to initiate discussions with the city regarding its stake in the property. Meanwhile, County Treasurer Scott Henke had previously estimated that annual maintenance costs for the 200,000-square-foot facility and surrounding land would reach $750,000. In addition, a $2 million expenditure is needed this year to upgrade the buildings electrical systems. The propertys assessed value stands at $5 million.

Following the campus closure, several alternative uses for the site were explored. These proposals included ideas from local school districts, an out-of-state charter school, and a daycare provider. However, none of these proposals moved beyond the initial planning stage.

The county did not list the property for public sale, which it was not legally required to do, spokesperson Fran McLaughlin was quoted as saying.

Schoemann assessed that the proposed sale is both the best and only viable option, citing a 2024 law that offers counties $2 million in redevelopment funds if they lose a two-year UW campus.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Sina drakhshani

Irans Ministry of Intelligence has recently accused 53 Christians on charges of espionage and anti-security activities. In their official report, they accused these individuals of receiving religious training abroad and being connected to a foreign intelligence-backed Evangelical network.

State media broadcasted footage showing some of the detainees alongside confiscated Christian literature, including Bibles, and alleged that these items had been smuggled into Iran. Screenshots from the video displayed copies of the New Testament, various Christian texts, and Alcoholics Anonymous handbooks. Officials claimed these materials were being circulated secretly among believers.

Mansour Borji, director of Article18, a London-based religious liberty watchdog group, criticized the accusations, describing them as a very clear example of hate speech. He argued they not only criminalize the arrested individuals but also target the broader Evangelical Christian community in Iran.

The clear suggestion being made here is that all Evangelical Christians are associates of Mossad, Borji stated. He emphasized that the accusations made on state television hadn't been proven in court and that such broadcasts violated the basic rights of the accused.

Borji also condemned the use of forced confessions in the broadcast, noting that such confessions are rarely shown on national television in Iran. He questioned why the Iranian government would broadcast unproven allegations when they could instead allow international representatives to speak directly with the detainees.

The director pointed out the peculiar situation of Persian-speaking Christians, referencing the lack of officially recognized churches for them in Iran. He said they are often forced to hold religious gatherings outside Iran.

In June, five Christians faced charges of gathering and collusion and propaganda against the Islamic Republic. The indictment accused them of activities like praying and baptizing, and referred to the Bible as a prohibited book. According to Article18, two Christian converts received 12-year prison sentences in April for possessing multiple copies of the Bible.

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence justified the recent arrests as part of a broader crackdown following the so-called 12-day war with Israel, as reported by ZENIT News. They falsely claimed that the detained Christians had been trained abroad by churches in the United States and Israel, allegedly acting under the guise of the Zionist Christian evangelical movement.

During the same period, police reported detaining over 21,000 suspects, according to official claims. Iran's estimated 800,000 Christians are largely converts without legal places of worship, forcing many to seek religious observance online or abroad.

Borji explained that many Iranian Christians rely on online resources or attend religious meetings abroad, since domestic gatherings are restricted. He also stated that some of the recently arrested individuals had attended a Christian event in a neighboring country, as such gatherings were unavailable to them at home, and they were arrested upon their return.

Currently, at least 11 of those detained have been released on bail, but more than 40 remain in custody. Over 60 others are already serving prison sentences related to their faith.
Home News Family of trans-identified church shooter held prayer meetings at home, neighbor says

Before his parents divorced when he was 9, the family of Robert "Robin" Westman, who carried out the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, last Wednesday, were known by neighbors as an odd, religious family who would hold prayer meetings in their home.

Despite identifying as transgender, the 23-year-old shooter had expressed regret about identifying as female and undergoing trans medicalization. He had also been using he/him pronouns and didn't appear to be identifying as female weeks before the shooting, multiple individuals told The Minnesota Star Tribune.

When she separated from Jim Westman, her husband of 25 years, some 14 years ago, Mary Westman insisted that he continue to take their children to "Sunday mass and Holy Day mass," to maintain their religious education, according to court documents cited by The Minnesota Star Tribune.

Westman, who legally changed his name from Robert to Robin in 2020, fired a barrage of bullets through the church's window before taking his own life. His actions left two Annunciation School students  Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10  dead, and 17 others injured. Three adults in their 80s were also injured at the church.

In writings published in videos posted online, the shooter, who appeared to have been struggling with identity issues, blamed the world for his confusion. He suggested that it could be that he was just "evil."

"I think I must be evil," he wrote. "That's the only explanation I can think of."

He further added to his parents: "Please do not think you have failed as parents. I was corrupted by this world."

Former neighbors of the family in the Maplewood neighborhood, where they lived until 2003, told The Minnesota Star Tribune that the Westmans homeschooled their children when they were young and would spend many Saturday mornings on religious education. His parents were so serious about their religion, according to neighbors, Westman and his siblings were not allowed to participate in Halloween.

"They were just kind of odd," Sandra Edward, who lived across the street from the Westmans' house, told the publication. "They kept to themselves. They used to have prayer meetings at their house and stuff like that."

Mary Westman held strong pro-life views and was recorded protesting Planned Parenthood.

While there weren't many apparent indicators to those who knew Westman that he would attack his alma mater the way he did, his journals revealed an obsession with school killings that began in the seventh grade. And while he took some time before finalizing a target for his attack, he decided to attack the students during mass because he believed there would be less security.

Court records show that Westman's mother sought to legally change her son's name to Robin M. Westman in 2020 because he "identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification."

An employee at the Rise medical cannabis dispensary in Eagan, where Westman worked from March to Aug. 16, confirmed with The Minnesota Star Tribune that his former colleague used he/him pronouns during his employment and didn't appear to identify as a woman.

Pat Kielty, who lived next door to Westman for nearly two years at an apartment complex in Richfield, also told the publication that they spent a lot of time talking together and he never objected to being referred to by male pronouns.

"We talked and we talked and we talked at different times," Kielty said, noting that he "never would have believed" his neighbor was capable of carrying out a massacre.
Home News Coordinated global media propaganda campaign accuses Israel of targeting journalists in Gaza

A global media campaign of over 150 outlets from more than 70 countries is targeting Israel over the killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip, coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), with stories, editorials and opinion pieces being published on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

While RSF claims that the effort is an attempt to open Gaza to journalists, while focusing attention on Israels supposed targeting of journalists, Jewish Onliner leaked a strategic document from RSF that showed that the campaign engages in several tactics, which appear to be diametrically opposed to journalistic standards, including the use of pre-written scripts, messaging, headline suggestions and even templates for the articles.

The campaign document, titled "Global Media Join Forces in a World-First for Press Freedom in Gaza, instructs participating outlets to use the unified message: At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed.

Central to the RSF campaign is the claim that "at least 210 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military during the ongoing Gaza war. However, a perusal of the provided campaign materials reveals that RSF refuses to engage with the claims and evidence presented by the IDF, indicating that many of those journalists have clear terror ties, or were in fact, listed on Hamas or other terror group rosters as active members.

The campaign, coming shortly after the IDF strike on al-Nasser Hospital, in which several journalists were killed, once again raises questions about the reliance of international media outlets on local Gazan journalists, many of whom have direct or indirect links to terror organizations.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing of the five journalists at al-Nasser a tragic mishap, the IDF released the names of six Hamas terrorists killed in the strike. Netanyahus comments appear to refer to the second strike on the hospital, which came as rescue teams and journalists were attempting to reach the scene of the first strike.

The IDF has released evidence that many journalists working in Gaza are active Hamas members or members of other Palestinian factions, including Anas al-Sharif, who was killed in a strike in early August.

Earlier this year, after the killing of Hossam Basel Abdul Karim Shabat, an Al Jazeera reporter, led to global media outrage, the IDF reposted information it had previously shared in 2024, showing that Shabat was an active member of Hamas military wing.

Former hostage Shlomo Ziz, who was freed during an Israeli rescue operation in June 2024, was held in the home of Abdullah al-Jamal, an Al Jazeera journalist, who was killed in the rescue.

Following the killing of al-Sharif, a Wall Street Journal report noted that out of 192 journalists listed on the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) database, 81 worked for media owned by or affiliated with terrorist organizations. That number did not include the journalists identified by the IDF as being active members of terror groups, such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The WSJ report further noted that of the 24 people listed as journalists murdered by the IDF, most were found on terror group membership roles released by the IDF.

Regarding the claim that Israels refusal to allow journalists into an active combat zone is unprecedented, Jewish Onliner noted that military leaders have restricted media access to many recent combat arenas, often only allowing journalists access to areas in which active combat operations had ceased. The article also noted that International Humanitarian Law grants military commanders legal authority to restrict media access when journalists' presence could compromise operational security, expose troop movements, or increase civilian harm.

Israel has previously detained or arrested journalists for providing information deemed a security risk to civilians and soldiers.

This article was originally published by All Israel News.
Home News House of David season 2 release date announced; Wonder Project subscription debuts on Prime Video

Amazons Prime Video has released first-look images from season two of House of David, and announced the premiere date as Oct. 5, coinciding with the launch of Wonder Project's subscription service on the platform.

The biblical drama, created by Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn, will debut its first two episodes exclusively on Wonder Project before rolling out later to all Prime Video subscribers on a date to be announced.

As a mom, Im always looking for great films and TV series to watch with the kids. Im always asking friends for recommendations  and so are they, said Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, CEO of Wonder Project, in a statement provided to The Christian Post. With this launch, were expanding our mission to include curating stories for our audience that restore faith in things worth believing in.

The Wonder Project subscription will be available in the U.S. for $8.99 a month or $89.99 annually. Along with House of David, the service will feature more than 125 licensed titles and over 1,000 hours of film and television programming.

Television series available at launch will include Mr. Bean," "Party of Five, Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock, The Conners and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Family-friendly films such as American Underdog, Dead Poets Society, Friday Night Lights, Jesus Revolution, Lincoln, My Girl, Rudy, The Sandlot, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Sound of Music will also be available.

Erwin, founder of Wonder Project, said launching the platform with the sophomore season of House of David was intentional.

The dream of the Wonder Project subscription on Prime Video is to make it easier than ever for families to decide what to watch together, Erwin said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. We are so excited to kick things off with the two-episode premiere of 'House of Davids second season. The reaction to the show has been extraordinary. The new season is epic and emotional, and I cant wait for Wonder subscribers to be the first to experience it.

"House of David," ranked No. 2 on Amazon Prime, dramatized the accounts of Saul and David in 1 Samuel. The series stars Michael Iskander, who recently converted to Catholicism, as David, along with Ali Suliman as King Saul, Ayelet Zurer as Saul's trusted wife, Queen Ahinoam, Stephen Lang as Samuel, Indy Lewis as Saul's daughter, Mychal, and Martyn Ford as the giant Goliath.

Erwin previously told The Christian Post that he and Gunn felt a tremendous responsibility to honor the source material: The Bible is a bestseller for a reason. Its one of the most-read books in the world, and we take that seriously. Our goal is not only to get it right but to deliver something that captures the spirit of the Bible while making the story come alive for a new generation.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Harvest Church Pastor Greg Laurie said the show serves as an opportunity for cultural renewal, biblical literacy and, perhaps, revival on a massive scale.

I think this is one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities in recent history, Laurie said. Millions of people through House of David and The Chosen are hearing Bible stories for the first time. No movie will ever take the place of the Gospel or the Bible, nor should it. But if it inspires people who've never read the Bible before or have no relationship with God to want to know more, then this is something we should be celebrating, not critiquing.
Home News How do pastors measure discipleship?

Many pastors in the United States say discipleship is essential in their churches, but most lack clear ways to measure it, according to the results of a study conducted by Lifeway Research.

The study, titled State of Discipleship, reveals that although 52% of Protestant pastors say they're satisfied with the discipleship and spiritual formation in their congregations, only 8% strongly agree with that statement.

The study found that 71% of pastors believe discipleship can be measured, yet just 30% say their churches have a system in place to do so. Of those, only 5% "strongly agree" that their churches use a defined system.

Half of the pastors surveyed said their churches have intentional plans for discipling individuals and promoting spiritual growth. However, the structure of those plans varies widely. Fifty percent of respondents said each ministry  such as youth, womens or mens  creates its own discipleship strategy, while 45% said their churches follow a single unified plan across all ministries, and 5% were unsure.

Churches also differ in how they prioritize spiritual development. When asked about the first priority in their discipleship activities, 46% of pastors pointed to biblical knowledge, while 38% prioritized "relationship and encouragement." Nine percent focused on practical equipping or how-to activities, and 5% prioritized "experience and service."

Weekly sermons are the most common tool to encourage adult discipleship, used by 89% of pastors, followed by Sunday School classes at 69%, and adult small group Bible studies at 62%.

Other methods include womens groups or classes (57%), pastor-led teaching times such as Sunday or Wednesday evenings (54%), and mens groups (45%). Some also cite study groups for all adults (42%), mentoring relationships (31%), and accountability groups (14%).

Despite the range of potential methods, pastors also acknowledge the wide variation in what discipleship means. When asked to define its components, the most common answers were spiritual growth or discipline (12%), Bible study or Scripture memorization (10%), mentoring or one-on-one meetings (7%), teaching or training (6%), prayer (6%), and making disciples (5%).

The variety of ways that pastors describe key elements of discipleship illustrates there are multiple paths but also highlights the need for a framework for thinking through how a church is approaching discipleship, said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, as quoted in the study.

The study drew its data from a survey of 2,620 Protestant pastors that was conducted from Sept. 10-30, 2024, with a margin of error of +/- 2.05 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
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Home News Judge sides with Babylon Bee, strikes down Newsoms anti-deepfake law

A federal judge has struck down a California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that prohibits the creation of deepfake images and videos of politicians after conservative Christian satire site Babylon Bee and others sued.

In a decision released Friday, U.S. District Judge John Mendez of the Eastern District of California ruled that the Assembly Bill 2839, which bans most deepfakes of political figures, "discriminates based on content, viewpoint, and speaker and targets constitutionally protected speech."

"Rather than targeting content that procures tangible harms or materially benefits a speaker, AB 2839 attempts to stifle speech before it occurs or actually harms anyone as long as it is 'reasonably likely' to do so and it allows almost anyone to act as a censorship czar," wrote Mendez, a George W. Bush appointee.

"The far-reaching prior restraints AB 2839 implements have not been recognized by First Amendment caselaw thus far and have no historically accepted analogs."

California could have tailored the law to "false speech that causes legally cognizable harms like false speech that actually causes voter interference, coercion, or intimidation," Mendez added.

"California could also limit the statute's reach to factual statements that are demonstrably false like the time, date, place, or manner of voting," he continued.

The Babylon Bee and other plaintiffs were represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a religious freedom legal organization that has won First Amendment cases at the Supreme Court level.

"Making fun of politicians and criticizing the government is a core First Amendment right. That includes using new technology to create parody campaign ads or satirical memes," ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, who argued the case before the court, said in a statement.

"The court was right to rein in California's blatant censorship. We can't trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates."

Last September, Newsom signed AB 2839 and Assembly Bill 2655, which both sought to limit the extent to which deepfake media of political figures could be made during election seasons.

The law prohibited the creation of deepfakes of politicians that negatively portrayed them, and also allowed for candidates to file civil lawsuits against the creators of such digital media.

California Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, sponsored AB 2839, stating in a 2022 statement that she believed the law was "a significant step in continuing to protect the integrity of our democratic process."

"With fewer than 50 days until the general election, there is an urgent need to protect against misleading, digitally-altered content that can interfere with the election," stated Pellerin. "California is taking a stand against the manipulative use of deepfake technology to deceive voters."

"I'm thankful that Governor Newsom signed this legislation to ensure that voters are equipped with the accurate information they need to make informed decisions this November."

The legislation was instigated by a highly publicized ad created last summer by political commentator Christopher Kohls, who was one of the plaintiffs in the litigation.

Kohls' ad used a narrator voice that was digitally altered to sound like then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as a way to make fun of the nominee.

The ad was then retweeted by X owner Elon Musk, prompting outrage from many, including Newsom, who vowed to sign legislation to prohibit such ads in California.
Home News Missionary taken hostage at Haitian orphanage released by captors 350 kidnappings, 3,141 murders reported in first half of 2025

A missionary taken hostage at an orphanage in Haiti has been released along with seven others, nearly a month after they were abducted. The group included a 3-year-old child and several Haitian nationals.

Gena Heraty, an Irish aid worker based in Haiti for over three decades, was kidnapped on Aug. 3 from the orphanage she oversaw in Kenscoff, a mountainous area outside Port-au-Prince, according to The Guardian. She was held along with seven Haitians, including the child, until their release was confirmed last Wednesday.

The group was reportedly taken when armed men broke through a wall around 3:30 a.m. local time and stormed the compound where the orphanage director and staff lived. The attackers moved directly to the building where Heraty was staying and left with nine hostages.

It remains unclear who was responsible for the kidnapping, though some reports linked the attack to Viv Ansanm, a criminal alliance active in the area since February last year. The group is part of a network of gangs that have seized control over large parts of the Haitian capital.

Irelands deputy prime minister, Simon Harris, welcomed the release in a public statement.

We warmly welcome the news that Gena and all of the Haitian nationals taken captive on August 3, including a small child, have been released and are reported to be safe and well, Harris stated.

Heraty, originally from Westport in County Mayo, has been a humanitarian worker with the organization Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, also known as Our Little Brothers and Sisters.

The orphanage in Kenscoff, where Heraty had been working, is home to about 270 children.

She had been living in Haiti for 32 years at the time of the kidnapping.

Gena is a respected humanitarian and deeply courageous person who has dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti, Harris said.

In a statement issued by Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs, Heratys family said they were relieved beyond words and expressed gratitude to those who had worked to secure the release. They thanked the deputy prime minister, the Irish foreign ministry, Irelands ambassador to the United States, and various officials who had supported the effort.

The family also asked for privacy and said their priority was Heratys health and the well-being of those in her care.

Irelands foreign ministry advises citizens not to travel to Haiti due to an extremely volatile security situation. Its website warns of kidnappings, frequent clashes between gangs and police and widespread violent crime.

The United Nations estimates that nearly 350 people were kidnapped in the first half of 2025 in Haiti. At least 3,141 people were killed in the same period, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office. The U.N. has said that 85% of Port-au-Prince is under gang control and that armed groups have created a humanitarian crisis, displacing 1.3 million people as of June, as noted by the BBC.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has warned that escalating gang activity is threatening to destabilize the country further. The U.N. has also reported that families forced into makeshift shelters are now facing increased health and protection risks.

In July, six UNICEF employees were kidnapped during an authorized mission in gang-controlled territory in Port-au-Prince. One was released the following day, while the remaining five were held for three weeks.

Efforts to bring stability to Haiti have included the deployment of foreign police and the use of armed drones by authorities. Still, criminal groups continue to hold vast power over urban neighborhoods, making the capital and its outskirts dangerous even for aid workers and local residents.
Home News Josh Sullivan, Tennessee missionary who was kidnapped in South Africa, returns to work

Tennessee missionary Josh Sullivan, who was kidnapped by armed men from his church in South Africa in April and held hostage for six days, briefly returned to ministry in that country last month in a test of what could be a permanent return to work.

Sullivan, 34, who was rescued by South African Police and miraculously unharmed following a high-intensity shootout that left three people dead, revealed in a ministry update that he and his family returned to South Africa as part of a pre-planned mission retreat in Thailand that they did not want to go to waste.

Our family has spent the last two months traveling. Before the kidnapping in April, we had planned a family trip to Thailand to attend a missions retreat. We decided not to let that trip go to waste. So at the beginning of July, we headed back to South Africa for a couple of weeks, and then on to Thailand, he revealed.



Our trip to South Africa was very healing. We spent time encouraging our people and being encouraged by their faithfulness. While we were there, our church was able to host its first funeral. This is obviously not a happy circumstance, but we rejoiced in the opportunity to share the Gospel with this lost family, Sullivan added.

In an earlier interview in May, the recovering missionary recalled how he was kidnapped by four armed men just as he began teaching about the fruits of the Spirit on April 10 at his Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near Gqeberha. His kidnappers demanded an undisclosed ransom for his release and held him captive with a hood over his head until he was rescued on April 15 by the South African Police.

A statement from the South African Police Service said the shootout on April 15 happened at a hideout in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha.

As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle, upon seeing law enforcement, allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded, the statement said.

Sullivan told WATE that even though he has been feeling a call to jump back right in to ministry, he and his wife decided to follow really good counselling to take things slow due to the emotional impact of what he experienced to determine if a long-term return to ministry in South Africa will work out.

Were praying about that. As far as it is for me and my family, all systems are go. We have felt great on this six-week trip. When we feel ready, probably toward the end of December, we will come back to South Africa, he said.

The missionary explained that he is still recovering from trauma and noted that: Every time you hear a loud noise, you kind of have an instant reaction to that. I think thats just natural for anyone with any kind of trauma theyve experienced.

To alleviate some of those concerns, they have invested in improving the security of the church in South Africa.

We do have gates and things on our door, but weve always left them open during church time to kind of have an open policy so people can come in or come in late, he said. Thats changed. We lock the gates during service time now.
Home News Pastor Art Lucier returns to church after stepping away amid sexual abuse allegations

The charismatic pastor of one of British Columbia's largest churches, who was accused of sexual assault and grooming foster children, returned to ministry after stepping away five months ago.

Kelowna Harvest Church in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, announced in a statement on Wednesday that its pastor, Art Lucier, is returning to ministry after voluntarily stepping away in April amid an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

After the conclusion of the investigation, the oversight committee tasked with reviewing the allegations against Lucier unanimously agreed to reinstate him in his leadership role effective Monday.

"This includes returning to public ministry such as preaching and teaching," the statement reads. "Art Lucier has accepted this invitation."

The decision comes as the church and Lucier face civillawsuits filed by two women who allege Lucier sexually abused them as children in foster care starting in 2001, when Lucier's ministry was based in Kitimat, over 800 miles away from it is based now in Kelowna. Lucier has denied the allegations. The lawsuits remain pending.

According to The Roys Report, which initially reported the lawsuits in May, one of the girls was 11 when the alleged abuse began, which continued for eight years. The other was 14 when the alleged abuse began and reportedly continued for 14 years.

In a statement at the time, the church said the lawsuit originated from "two women who have accused Art Lucier and Harvest Ministries International of alleged sexual assault, and consequent coverups which supposedly took place 15-20 years ago."

The church described the allegations as "slanderous" and "totally false," stating that it was "vigorously pursuing all legal remedies available, including suing for slander and libel."

A Change.org petition backed by over 1,100 people features a letter from alleged victims claiming that Lucier and Harvest Ministries International engaged in "grooming and sexual abuse of young girls, repeated and prolonged spiritual abuse, and the public shaming and silencing of survivors and whistleblowers." The letter urges the church to "cooperate with an agreed-upon third-party investigation into these allegations of abuse" and make the findings public.

Lucier, who gained some attention in 2021 by speaking out against COVID-19 restrictions, addressed the allegations against him in a video posted to Facebook Live on Wednesday, criticizing The Roys Report for reporting the allegations against him. He said he asked the church to investigate after he heard allegations were coming.

"This past year has been in some ways the hardest year of my life," he said. "In time here soon, I'm going to be telling our story about what's been going on without getting caught in the whole gross gossip trap, but actually coming with forgiveness towards people and the message of the cross."

On Thursday, one day after the Facebook Live video was published, The Roys Report published an article alleging that Lucier sent a picture of his naked behind to a woman anonymously referred to in the story as Jane Doe in one of many alleged instances where he allegedly sent her inappropriate material. The Roys Report shared the contents of a phone call the publication had with Lucier, where he characterized the picture as "a prank I did on somebody" that was "photoshopped."

"There's so much crap out there," he added. "It's hard to keep up with it, so I'm really going to not comment on it."

In May, Kelowna Harvest Church released a statement claiming that Harvest Ministries International had "become the target of malicious attacks involving the circulation of false narratives and fabricated visual content, including an AI-generated and digitally manipulated image purporting to represent a member of our pastoral team in a defamatory and indecent manner."

"We consider the publication or distribution of these materials to be an intentional act of defamation, and we will pursue all available legal remedies against any party  individual or organization  that chooses to participate in, propagate, or profit from these actions," the church vowed.
Home News Presbyterian pastor, 4 other Christians arrested in Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan  Police in North Khartoum arrested a Presbyterian Church pastor and four other South Sudanese Christians who had gathered for a funeral prayer, church leaders said.

Pastor Peter Perpeny of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan and four other Christians were arrested on Aug. 16 in the El-Haj Yousif area of East Nile District in North Khartoum, an area church leader said.

The Christians were arrested as foreigners allegedly in the country illegally, but they have not been charged or told they would be deported, he said. Authorities in pockets of the civil-war ravaged country began targeting foreigners for deportation or forced relocation earlier this month.

Church leaders in Sudan said many Christians are living in fear of being arrested at any moment, as police are reportedly going door to door, detaining South Sudanese and Ethiopian nationals.

In fact, there is a growing fear among the South Sudanese Christians, so they remain indoors in order to avoid being arrested, said the area church leader whose name is withheld for security reasons.

The arrested Christians were taken to Omdurman Prison. Police have told one female detainee she must pay 600,000 Sudanese Pounds ($995 USD) or risk remaining in jail for six months, a fine that appears to be a bribe, the church leader said.

Muslim extremists have also taken to social media to urge officials to arrest South Sudanese Christians.

The area where they were arrested has been a stronghold of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 15, 2023. Both the SAF and the RSF have attacked places of worship.

Conditions in Sudan have worsened after the civil war that broke out in April 2023 intensified. Sudan registered increases in the number of Christians killed and sexually assaulted and Christian homes and businesses attacked, according to Open Doors 2025 World Watch List report.

Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted and occupied by the warring parties, the report stated.

Both the RSF and the SAF are Islamist forces that have attacked displaced Christians and accused them of supporting the others combatants.

The conflict between the RSF and the SAF, which had shared military rule in Sudan following an October 2021 coup, has terrorized civilians in Khartoum and elsewhere, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 11.9 million people within and beyond Sudan borders, according to the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights.

The SAFs Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and his then-vice president, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were in power when civilian parties in March 2023 agreed on a framework to re-establish a democratic transition the next month, but disagreements over military structure torpedoed final approval.

Burhan sought to place the RSF  a paramilitary outfit with roots in the Janjaweed militias that had helped former strongman Omar Al-Bashir put down rebels  under the regular armys control within two years, while Dagolo would accept integration within nothing fewer than 10 years.

Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.

Sudan was ranked No. 5 among the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian in Open Doors 2025 World Watch List, down from No. 8 the prior year. Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 on the list for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in 2021.

Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021. After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government had managed to undo some Shariah (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of religious groups as infidels and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.

With the Oct. 25, 2021, coup, Christians in Sudan feared the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law.

The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom and upgraded it to a watch list. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.

In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.

The Christian population of Sudan is estimated to be 2 million, or 4.5% of the population of more than 43 million.

This article was originally published at Morning Star News
Home News Trump PAC uses controversial comment about Heaven to fundraise

President Donald Trump's political action committee is fundraising off of his recent comment that he hopes brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine will help him get to Heaven.

Trump's PAC, Never Surrender, Inc., formerly known as Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., sent an email to supporters last week that featured the statement "I want to try and get to Heaven" at the top, according to Mediaite.

"Last year I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin," the fundraising email was quoted as stating. "But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

"Just because I won in a HISTORIC landslide and have unleashed the Golden Age of America, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN TAKE OUR FOOT OFF THE GAS!"

The fundraiser email claimed that "I put my life on the line willingly because this is what I was made to do, but our movement, the beautiful MAGA movement, is powered by YOU."

"This is our moment to show the world that we will NEVER back down, NEVER give an inch, and NEVER SURRENDER in our fight to save this country," continued the message.

The email announced the launch of a one-day "fundraising blitz" that involved asking supporters "to chip in $15 to make it one for the record books!"

"So if you're with me all the way to the end, join with MILLIONS of your fellow PATRIOTS by chipping in $15 to keep the wins rolling in!" declared the email, concluding with Trump's signature.

Last month, Trump sparked theological debate when he told "Fox & Friends" in an interview that he believed his making peace between Ukraine and Russia could help him get to Heaven.

"I want to try and get to Heaven if possible," Trump said on the program during a phone interview. "I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole.  But if I can get to Heaven, this will be one of the reasons."

Evangelist Justin Peters denounced the comments, writing on his X account that it's "sad that after being exposed for many years to some of the most high-profile 'Christian' preachers in the country, Mr. Trump still does not understand the Gospel."

The Bible repeatedly states that good works alone are insufficient for eternal salvation, but rather that salvation comes through faith in Christ.

"All these 'prophets' like Paula White, Kenneth Copeland, [Jentezen Franklin], Che Ahn, etc. giddy over their access to the White House (and men who know these to be false prophets but choose to endorse them or at least turn a willful blind eye to them  I'm looking at you Robert Jeffress and Jack Graham and others) have done Mr. Trump no favors whatsoever," he tweeted.

William Wolfe, executive director at the Center for Baptist Leadership and former Trump administration official, pushed back against Christians criticizing Trump's comments.

"Trump is publicly voicing introspection about his soul, his eternal future, and his desire to go to Heaven," Wolfe wrote. "And Christians on here are dogpiling [on] him and counter-signaling it because he didn't get the 'theology right.' Why not just renew your prayers for him?"
Fairfax Schools Secret Abortions, AI Lawsuit After Teen's Suicide, American Poll On Gaza Famine

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 07:37 07:37

Top headlines for Monday, September 1, 2025

In this week's episode, we explore the tense school board meeting in Fairfax County, where officials sidestepped questions about alarming viral allegations related to abortion trafficking. Next, we discuss a California family's lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging their AI chatbot played a role in their son's tragic suicide. Finally, we turn our attention to the political arena as Vice President J.D. Vance issues a strong rebuke of MSNBC host Jen Psaki for her comments on Americans' reactions to a recent shooting.

00:11 School advocates want answers to Fairfax County abortion claims

01:07 AI chatbot told teen how to commit 'beautiful suicide': lawsuit

02:03 City Life Church removes Pastor Andy Adkison but wont say why

02:53 Most Americans accept Gaza famine label, blame Hamas: poll

03:54 Christian counselor axed for LGBT post defeats ethics complaints

04:44 Iran accuses 53 Christians of espionage after arrests

05:40 JD Vance denounces ex-Biden spox Jen Psaki for mocking prayers
Home Opinion An answer to why the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting happened

While training at the gym on Wednesday, I saw a news story on one of the TV monitors dealing with the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, which had the following headline:

Community searching for answers after shooting of praying children

A Wall Street Journal article on the story was penned the same day by their editorial board, part of which took a stab at an answer for the Minneapolis community: More aggressive identification and forced treatment, if need be, of the mentally ill. Most school shooters have been disturbed young men who also shouldnt have access to firearms. The mental-health lobby and gun-rights advocates may protest, but a society serious about protecting its most vulnerable needs to have this debate.

With all due respect to the WSJ editors and those like them who put forth the same two answers (mental health treatment and gun restrictions) when atrocities like this occur, they lack the recognition of the real issue and depth needed to make a meaningful change in our culture.

Lets start with the last recommendation first: more gun restrictions. Of course, we need to act prudently and do whats necessary to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, but history has shown that to be fairly impotent where stopping murder and crime are concerned.

The FBIs crime data repeatedly shows that the majority of gun crime occurs in urban cities with the strictest gun control laws on the books. Moreover, while many decry firearms like the AR-15, the FBIs historical homicide statistics show that year after year, over two to three times the number of people are murdered each year via a beating (unarmed or armed with a blunt object) than those killed with all rifles, of which the AR-15 is just one.

It's not gun violence we need to solve, but rather violence itself.

This leads to the first answer given by many for what happened in Minneapolis, which is that we have a mental health crisis and need expanded treatment for those afflicted.

Now, in the same way its smart to keep weapons out of dangerous peoples hands, of course, its wise to have compassion and get those struggling with mental issues the help they need. Heck, I battled depression some years back due to burning myself out at one point in my career and other ambitions, and know the benefit of getting the right medications, etc., on board to combat physical and emotional malfunctions in the body.

However, I believe theres a deeper issue that the media and others often overlook when it comes to tragedies like this.

Absent in the Wall Street Journal article and others Ive read on the Minneapolis shooting is any mention of the word evil. Although the shooters statements clearly showcase a tormented and hurting individual, his vile manifesto writings, videos, and messages found on his belongings at the scene tell a pretty clear story.

But our culture eschews the subject of people being evil at all costs and denies its even possible.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, As far as I know we just don't have any intrinsic instincts for evil, and his peer Carl Rogers asserted, I do not find that  evil is inherent in human nature.

Alfred Adler, the founder of Individual Psychology, wrote: Human beings are not driven by evil instincts but by the striving for significance. Frans de Waal, an evolutionary psychologist, stated: Far from being naturally evil, humans are naturally inclined toward goodness.

And at the end of the spectrum, we have the not-in-touch-with-reality-at-all people like Steven Pinker who say with a straight face: Humans are not by nature murderous or cruel. Violence has declined across history, showing that our default state is not one of evil but of potential for empathy, self-control, and cooperation.

Uh-huh.

This thinking produces the idea that people who commit acts like those in Minneapolis arent criminals, but rather victims themselves and patients needing to be cured of a material disease. Its reasoned that some abnormality in the brain is to blame (occasionally, this is the case), and once fixed, the individual will become someone like Stephen Pinker describes.

Thats what the family of John Wayne Gacy, the notorious serial killer, thought about him. But when his body was examined by doctors after his death, they admitted after the autopsy that Gacys brain was perfectly normal  no defects, no abnormalities, no excuses.

The same was true of Adolf Eichmann, the German Nazi officer who was one of the primary instigators and executioners of the Holocaust. Of Eichmann, Thomas Merton wrote, One of the most disturbing facts that came out in the Eichmann trial was that a psychiatrist examined him and pronounced him perfectly sane. We equate sanity with a sense of justice, with humaneness, with prudence, with the capacity to love and understand other people  And now it begins to dawn on us that it is precisely the sane ones who are the most dangerous.

Some mental professionals see this. For example, in his book, People of the Lie, The Hope for Healing Human Evil, the well-known psychiatrist M. Scott Peck says: If we seriously think about it, it probably makes more sense to assume this is a naturally evil world that has somehow been mysteriously contaminated by goodness, rather than the other way around.

That might be going a bit too far, but it sure seems that way most times. Jesus Himself explicitly pronounced humankind evil when He said, What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him (Matt. 7:9-11, emphasis mine).

Remember, thats the Son of God speaking.

This being the case, what is the recommended cure in Scripture for preventing acts like the one in Minneapolis? The term may strike many as odd today, but the Bible says its a circumcised heart.

The Bible uses the phrase circumcised heart as a metaphor for inner spiritual transformation, contrasting it with outward, physical circumcision. Instead of being about a physical act, it refers to removing hardness, sin, rebellion, and yes, evil, from the heart so that a person can love God and those around them.

In the Old Testament, we find God saying: And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live (Deut. 30:6). This is reflected in the New Testament and the new birth brought about by receiving Christ, which Paul puts like this: In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Col. 2:11).

The circumcised heart is something fulfilled in Christ, where believers experience a spiritual cutting away of sins power and evil in general. The best way I can think about the inward experience a person has with a circumcised heart is when the thing that a person ought to do is the same thing they most want to do.

Thats the needed cure and remedy for situations like what happened in Minneapolis. A stanza in John Newtons hymn, We Were Once as You Are, describes the end effects of the new birth and a circumcised heart in us well:

Our pleasure and our duty,

Though opposite before;

Since we have seen his beauty,

Are joined to part no more:

It is our highest pleasure,

No less than dutys call;

To love Him beyond measure,

And serve Him with our all.

Whether youre a Christian or not, think about that. If this were the case in all of us, would tragedies like the one in Minneapolis ever take place? That's a pretty easy question to answer if you ask me.
Home Opinion Blue states and illegal immigrants: Why we need a new census

President Trump is calling for a recount  a recount of the American people. And hes calling for something else: a rejection of the Lefts new math and a return to common sense.

The president has ordered the Commerce Department to begin preparing a new mid-decade census that would count only those who are legally present in the United States.

Why does that matter?

The Constitution requires that Congress establish the manner by which a census is conducted every 10 years. The results of the census determine how the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned among the 50 states. Census data also drives the allocation of hundreds of billions in federal funds to state and local governments. So its no surprise to hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth from Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is now threatening to dismantle Californias so-called independent redistricting commission and push through a Democrat-favoring election map.

President Trumps proposal  to count only those legally residing in the country  would force sanctuary cities and states to forfeit the political and financial benefits theyve gained through open-border policies. The estimated 10 to 11 million illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. during President Bidens term were not accidental. While illegal voting has occurred in isolated cases, the real impact is demographic: population growth in deep-blue states that translates into increased congressional representation and control over federal funding.

The 2020 Census, which preceded the current border crisis, already shifted the balance slightly: seven traditionally blue states each lost a congressional seat, giving Republicans a narrow advantage. But left unchanged, the next census could dramatically shift power back to blue states  thanks to the millions of undocumented immigrants now residing within their borders.

To be clear, there has never been a mid-decade census used for congressional apportionment. But there have been mid-decade counts for data collection and planning purposes. What President Trump proposes is not unconstitutional  its unprecedented. Congress should support this effort as a benchmark and standard for the 2030 Census, which could occur under a Democratic administration determined to inflate blue-state population numbers through illegal immigration, thereby regaining control of Congress and the federal purse.

Texas offers a case study. With 38 House seats and a red-leaning electorate, it has been a top destination for refugee resettlement under both the Obama and Biden administrations  second only to California. These refugees, lawfully admitted, were disproportionately settled in Houston, Dallas, and Austin  urban centers that have become Democratic strongholds.

The pattern is clear: Democrats have used both legal and illegal immigration to reshape the political landscape and redirect federal resources. Many of President Trumps early executive orders can be reversed by his successor. But this initiative  teaching the nation to count fairly and accurately  could set a lasting precedent.

And thats what makes this moment so critical.
Only 4 days left to earn your spot among the CIO100 ASEAN is more than a badge of honour  it is a testament to you and your teams ability to turn vision into value. The CIO100 ASEAN Awards are globally respected, celebrating not just individual leaders but the collective efforts of teams that drive transformation, operational efficiency, and sustained growth. Past winners have included some of the regions most influential organizations, and this year, you and your team could stand alongside them as a recognized force in the ASEAN technology landscape.

The CIO100 ASEAN Awards 2025 provides a unique platform for organizations to showcase their most impactful achievements, gain both regional and global visibility, and join a distinguished community of innovators who are redefining the role of technology in business:

CIO Award (Individual): Honors CIOs who have demonstrated innovation that has delivered real value, is changing the way their organization operates, and influencing people across their entire organization.

Next CIO Award (Individual): Celebrates emerging ICT leaders who are on the path to becoming the next CIO, driving innovation and technology leadership across their organization.

CIO Innovation (Team): Recognizes teams that are introducing innovative solutions to enhance business value and meet strategic business objectives, by transforming internal or external operations, or driving market growth with new digital products and services.

CIO Customer Value (Team): Honours teams that have elevated customer experience and value through new projects, solutions, and improvements in processes, business models, and operations.

CIO Talent (Team): Celebrates organizations fostering talent development and growth, building new capabilities, competencies, and impactful employee programs.

CIO Culture (Team): Recognizes teams that have developed internal cultural programs that are, promoting individual growth, team achievements, and inclusivity.

CIO Sustainability (Team): Honors initiatives that deliver sustainability benefits, especially those aimed at reducing environmental impact, carbon footprint, climate change, waste, and energy usage.

What Makes a Winning Nomination?
By sdecoret / Adobe

When I left university four decades ago, one of the inevitable interview questions from prospective employers was around the potential impact of technology on the workplace.

At that time, I can recall the general thrust being an expectation that we would see technology deliver radical changes in automation of routine work: in other words, not too different from previous types of technological revolution dating back generations. Two decades later, we were rethinking the role of technology, with a much greater emphasis on huge strides forward in analysis and insight.
Eighty years ago, the second world war came to an end after six years of fighting. The global conflict had a long-lasting impact on the world and on UK society.

As it drew to a close, Clement Attlee led a Labour landslide victory, ousting iconic wartime leader Winston Churchill. As is well known, this Labour government created the National Health Service and embarked on a programme of nationalisation of key national industries, such as the railways, electricity utilities and coal industry.

Its central principle was that the governments role was to manage the economy  something that became the post-war economic consensus among all the major parties, until Margaret Thatcher turned the tide after her own landslide victory. She introduced free market economics and oversaw a period of economic deregulation and privatisation.

Last year saw Labour once again win a landslide victory. It is fair to say that, unlike in Attlees day, Keir Starmers government was not voted in on a radical platform. There has not been (nor was there a promise of) a widespread undoing of the free market principles and major nationalisations.

However, there was some hope that Starmer would oversee a more stable period of government than the previous administration and many welcomed the new prime ministers warm words about the charity sector.

Fast forward one year, and we now have the Civil Society Covenant. This aims to reset the relationship between the charity sector and government. Time will tell how effectively this happens  as our cover theme explores not all the decisions taken by the government since taking power have been helpful to charities. Some have had a serious negative impact.

Despite this, many will still be hoping that a stable period is ahead, with charities concerns and problems being listened to by those in power. Perhaps one good sign is the governments plans to increase public sector procurement spending with the voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. The government said the move will open up more opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community, and social enterprises, which are vital for driving the UK economy.

Tristan Blythe is editor of Charity Finance

Charity Finance is packed with practical articles and analysis of the latest financial trends, as well as in-depth briefings on technical and legal changes, and benchmarking surveys to help busy finance teams get value for money. Find more information here and subscribe today! is packed with practical articles and analysis of the latest financial trends, as well as in-depth briefings on technical and legal changes, and benchmarking surveys to help busy finance teams get value for money.
NIKCOA / Adobe Stock

A further 10 charities are being investigated by the Charity Commission as part of its class inquiry into concerns about cheques being exchanged for cash.

HMRC recently made an unannounced visit to a company in Hackney, east London, in which 105 charities were found to have cashed cheques with it to a value of 22m between December 2021 and March 2023.

The commission initially added 10 charities to its class inquiry in May but has now doubled the number of those it is investigating.

It is now also investigating Ezer Viznitz Foundation, Satmar Nursery Trust, Lehachyos, Dover Sholem Community Trust, Friends of Yeshiva Daas Sholem Shotz, Vyoel Moshe Charitable Trust, the Z.S.V. Trust, United Talmudical Associates Ltd, Forty Limited and Bnois Jerusalem Schools.

The regulator has ordered all of the charities it is investigating, many of which have the advancement of the Orthodox Jewish faith among their objects, not to issue cheques without its prior consent.

It aims to determine how the charities transferred funds, whether trustees had oversight of what happened to the cash exchanged for the cheques, and if the money has been used properly to support what the charities were set up to do.

The commission will seek to establish how trustees determined that these financial transactions were in their charitys best interests.

A spokesperson for Friends of Yeshiva Daas Sholem Shotz said the charity had asked to be removed from the investigation as all of its trustees were appointed in August 2024, after the cheques had been cashed.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for United Talmudical Associates Ltd said the cheques being scrutinised had been cashed by beneficiaries in the charities names through the Hackney-based company.

They also claimed that the 105 charities had collectively distributed tens of thousands of pounds worth of cheques overall, rather than the 22m noted by the commission. However, the commission said it stood by the figure in its announcement.

All the other named charities with publicly available contact details have been asked for comment.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Teenage Cancer Trust

Supermarket Aldi has announced it will transfer 350,000 of its apprenticeship levy funds to Teenage Cancer Trust to help staff at the charitys head office develop further in their current roles.

Since the levy was introduced in 2017, all employers in the UK with an annual pay bill of more than 3m have been required to set aside 0.5% of their yearly wage costs to fund training for apprentices.

Under the scheme, employers can spend their levy funds on training their own staff or transfer up to 50% of it to other organisations.

Teenage Cancer Trust said it will use the money it has received from Aldi to enable its staff to gain industry-recognised qualifications relevant to their area of expertise and help them to build new skills in their roles.

Michelle Aucott, partnerships manager at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: This support from Aldi will help us invest in our team so they can be the best they can be.

That means we can continue giving the best possible care and support to young people facing cancer.

Aldis levy funds transfer forms part of its pledge to raise 20m for Teenage Cancer Trust by 2031, 12m of which has already been raised.

Lisa Murphy, training and development director at Aldi UK, said: Were proud to support Teenage Cancer Trust in helping its people grow and thrive.

By sharing our apprenticeship levy with organisations that share our values, we can create lasting opportunities and make a genuine difference in peoples lives.

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September 1, 2025: The German government is once again considering compulsory military servicea draft to address current recruitment shortfalls and anticipated military personnel needs over the next several years (three to five years is the likely planning range). The government has made it clear that providing Ukraine with security guarantees requires increasing military manpower. The conscription bill, approved by the German government in mid-August, would draft 110,000 men and assign them to Bundeswehr reserve units. The bill must still be approved by the German parliament. German media indicate that the government would prefer to rely on volunteers. However, it is clear that a draft will be politically unpopular among young Germans. Germany ended compulsory military conscription in 2011though suspended is how the government refers to the 2011 decision. Defense officials have concluded that voluntary recruitment will not meet Germanys current defense requirements and definitely doesnt meet NATO and EU defense requirements. In 1991, after the Cold War ended and West Germany absorbed East Germany, the reunited Bundeswehr had nearly half a million troops. Currently, Germany has about 175,000 to 180,000 active-duty military personnel, supported by 50,000 trained and qualified reservists (though one source estimates the number of trained and ready reservists at 30,000). Germany has the EUs largest economy and population. In an EU-led Ukraine Security Guarantee scenario, German military forces should reflect Germanys economic and demographic capabilities. They dont, and raw numbers matter. The German defense ministrys mobilization plan calls for 260,000 active-duty personnel and 200,000 to 250,000 reservists (who train annually to maintain military skills). The German government knew military expansion was necessary but, until this year, was slow to make the economic and military commitments. After Russias February 2022 all-out attack on Ukraine, then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would expand its military forces. Current Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Germany should have Europes largest conventional army. OK. The idea of a large German army may concern some Europeans, and Turkey may object, arguing that Merz means the largest conventional military in EU Europe. However, Europe is now 25 years into the 21st century. Sweden and Finland are NATO members, and Switzerland supports a Europe-wide air and space defense program. Since 1991, Germany has lagged in meeting NATO spending and modernization requirements. Europe now depends on collective defense. To protect Europe from Russian aggression, Germany must rearm. (AB)


We cant wait to return to India ???????? Indonesia ???????? Australia ???????? South Korea ???????? and Japan ???????? as part of our 40th Anniversary Tour in 2026! ????

Check out https://t.co/F0E31hwze6 for more info/ticket links! pic.twitter.com/e7vT9pHpvF



 Dream Theater (@dreamtheaternet) September 1, 2025

American progressive metal legends Dream Theater are set to return to India after nearly a decade, with two shows in January 2026 as part of their 40th Anniversary world tour.The Asia and Australia leg of the global tour includes performances in Bengaluru on January 30 at Phoenix Market City (back arena) and in Kolkata on February 1 at Aquatic Ground.The show titled 'An Evening With Dream Theater' takes place a week after the 4th edition of Lollapalooza India, which marks the much-awaited India debut of Linkin Park . The show is slated to be held on January 24-25 at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai and will see a diverse lineup of artists, including Playboi Carti, YUNGBLUD, Kehlani, LANY, Fujii Kaze, Sammy Virji, and Mother Mother."We cant wait to return to India," the band said in a social media post that also listed tour stops in Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.The tickets for Dream Theater's show will go live on Skillbox, and the pricing, categories, and other details are expected to be announced soon."For the first time ever in India, fans in Bengaluru and Kolkata will witness a truly monumental experience: three full hours of unadulterated live set - spanning their legendary discography, timeless classics, and deep cuts that have defined generations of progressive music lovers worldwide," said SkillBox on their website.Dream Theater first performed in India in October 2017, debuting in Mumbai during a storm while celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark album Images and Words, as reported by Rolling Stone India.The band's 16th studio album Parasomnia, was released on February 7, 2025, which was their first with founding drummer Mike Portnoy since Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009), marking his return after nearly 16 years. Portnoy had left he band in September 2010 and was replaced by Mike Mangini. He returned to the band in October 2023, completing the legendary lineup of Jordan Rudess, John Petrucci, John Myung, and James LaBrie.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit has been described as substantive but measured, with both sides signalling cautious progress while keeping the border issue at the core of their engagement.Jonathan Cheng, China Bureau Chief at The Wall Street Journal, said Xi is using the current global uncertainty to reposition China. Donald Trumps return to office has upended a lot of assumptions about the way the world works. Xi Jinping does see an opportunity here, he noted, adding that Beijing is projecting itself as a central power for neighbours like India and Russia to cluster around.Former Ambassador to China Ashok Kantha underlined that the ModiXi dialogue continues the process initiated in Kazan last year. What were looking at is a calibrated improvement of relations between India and China. It remains a cautious expansion of relationsstep-by-step improvementrather than any kind of reset in ties, he said.Kantha also clarified that Indias approach to China is independent of pressure from the United States, calling speculation about a shift due to US tariffs misplaced.For now, the India-China relationship appears set on a cautious pathmaintaining stability at the border while testing limited openings in economic and diplomatic engagement.Cheng: I think the message is pretty clear. This is a time of turmoil in the global environment. Of course, Donald Trump's return to office has upended a lot of assumptions about the way the world works and about foreign relations, and Xi Jinping does see an opportunity here. Certainly, we've just heard you talk a little bit about the tariffs that the US has imposed on India, and I think that came as a big shock. I don't know that this trip was planned after those tariffs. I think it must have come before, but nonetheless, you do see this reshaping of the global jigsaw puzzle here a little bit. And I think Xi Jinping has the wind at his back right now. I think the economy in China is not as strong as it could be, but it's strong enough. On AI, military, and other cutting-edge technologies, China is showing how central it is to the global economy, with semiconductors and everything else. And I think it's a good time to signal to neighbours like India, like Russia, that there is another power that they can cluster around. I think that's the message that is implicit there. Of course, Xi Jinping will not come out and say this explicitly, but you can see it in the imagery, the body language, and the words that he uses as well.Kantha: Well, this meeting was a substantive engagement between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi. Essentially, it has taken forward the process that commenced when the Prime Minister met with President Xi in Kazan, Russia, in October last year. What we're looking at is a calibrated improvement of relations between India and China. We are trying to frame this relationship more in a bilateral context, though turbulence in the geopolitical environment does impact the relationship. The Prime Minister was very clear that we are not looking at India-China relations through the prism of relations with a third country. I think that's the message he was conveyingthat speculation that India is moving towards China because its under pressure from the United States is misplaced. He wanted to allay such perceptions.Now, in terms of progress, yes, one can see greater momentum in economic contacts between India and China, apart from people-to-people engagement. But I think the Indian side has made it very clear that there are issues that need to be addressed, including those relating to the border. The Prime Minister reiterated that for the normal development of relations, you need peace and tranquillity to be maintained in border areas. The border issue is back at the center stage of the relationship, and there are a whole lot of other concerns which need to be addressed. So, I would say it remains a cautious expansion of relationsstep-by-step improvementrather than any kind of reset in ties between India and China at this stage.Sibal: I think that position remains, but there was no sense in putting this position straightforwardly in the exchanges that they had. This has already been conveyed at various levels in the past, and I'm sure it was conveyed to Wang Yi. They know what India's position is. The point the Prime Minister was trying to make is that we've had this disengagement, and currently the situation is peaceful, but there has been no de-escalation, and of course no question of any redeployment. On the contrary, China is building this railway now from Xinjiang to Tibet, which will give them greater possibilities of moving troops and material to the Tibet region to maintain pressure on India.I've always asked myself why China wants to militarise Tibet so much. There is no military threat from India. Our position is essentially defensive. But leave that aside. If you look at the joint statements that have been issued during high-level visits between China and India, they're always forward-looking. On the border issue, there is always an agreement to maintain peace and tranquillity. In fact, in the 2005 and 2006 visits of the Chinese Prime Minister and the Chinese President, it was agreed that the two sides would begin the process of clarifying the Line of Actual Control, which was agreed to in the 1993 and 1996 agreements. But it didnt move forward.As regards to this formulationthat the border issue should be resolved on the basis of political and strategic perspectivesthis was the reason why the Special Representative mechanism was set up: not to go into long-winded discussions on legalities and history, but to look at the political and strategic aspects and then take a decision. Now we've come back to the same formulation after, I dont know, 24 meetings of the special representatives that didnt produce any result. Whether theyll produce any result now remains to be seen. Especially as China is very rigid on territorial issues, and the gap between India and Chinaeconomic, military, and otherwisehas increased. Its not clear why China would make any major concessions to India on the border.From our point of view, if we can maintain peace and tranquillity on the border, then we can slowly open up other aspects of our ties in a limited way, so as to keep the relationship stable and also persuade Chinaand this has always been our case, though without resultsthat we must reduce the trade deficit between the two countries. We've always said it is unsustainable, but the deficit keeps expanding. Now, whether as a result of these soft noises that are being made, and the fact that Trump is throwing his weight aroundhes also targeted China, though with confused messagesChina may be willing to look for alternative markets because its market access to the United States has been affected. The export-import between the two countries has gone down pretty drastically this year. Whether that will bring them to a more balanced trade with India by opening up their market remains to be seen. In the past, they havent done that. It remains to be seen now. I would remain sceptical.
A devastating quake hit eastern Afghanistan  610 dead, 1,300+ injured. Villages flattened, many still trapped under rubble. UNs Guterres stands in full solidarity. Iran offers help. #AfghanistanEarthquake ????: SM pic.twitter.com/MoyH5WomLU  Hesamuddin (@hhesam_) September 1, 2025

Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives and the destruction caused by the earthquake in Kunar and Eastern Afghanistan. Condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. The scale of the devastation is shocking. Intl community has to provide support to Afghans. pic.twitter.com/my1MGYuXEj  Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) September 1, 2025

Up to a 1000 feared dead in devastating #Afghanistan quake.



Shallow #earthquake hit near Jalalabad severe damage in Kunar and Nangarhar.



Mud-and-rock homes destroyed; shocks felt in Pakistan



Rescue efforts ongoing amid broken systems of relief

pic.twitter.com/RQFIUOflIa  Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid) September 1, 2025

This is incredibly sad and Im so sorry to share it but I think everyone needs to see how deadly the earthquake in #Afghanistan has been.



Authorities say over 500 people have died in Koner and many people are still under the rubble. pic.twitter.com/3U5Uvrop4n  Aima Khan (@aima_kh) September 1, 2025

????BREAKING: 6.0 quake devastates Afghanistans Kunar Province, killing 250+, injuring 500+, with villages leveled and urgent aid appeals underway. pic.twitter.com/wGKFyxfiTB  The Daily CPEC (@TheDailyCPEC) September 1, 2025

A strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has killed hundreds of people and injured at least 1,000 others.



The 6.0-magnitude quake hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad



???? https://t.co/aAg4rS0h8u pic.twitter.com/vVpLhfy6ES  Sky News (@SkyNews) September 1, 2025

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan's east has killed at least 800 people, injured 1,300 and destroyed numerous villages. The quake on August 31 hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangahar province, causing extensive damage.The quake at 11:47 pm was centred 27 kilometres east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometres deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press.Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area.A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake. The UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
All to play for

With neither camp guaranteed the votes and much still to play for, the process to elect a prime minister could be protracted and there is no time limit on forming a new government.

The biggest party in Thailands parliament was due to meet on Monday, September 1, to decide whom it will back to form the next government, as two rival camps jostled for its votes following the sacking of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister last week.The opposition Peoples Party does not want to join any government but with control of nearly a third of the house seats, it has emerged as a potential kingmaker and its backing could be a game-changer in breaking the political deadlock.Parliament is due to hold a special session starting Wednesday (September 3) and the secretary-general of the house told Reuters it is on standby to hold a vote on a new prime minister this week, if parties were ready to nominate a candidate.Thailand was plunged into uncertainty on Friday (August 29) when the Constitutional Court dismissed Paetongtarn for an ethics violation after only a year in office.Her sacking triggered an instant political scramble, with her fragile coalition putting on a show of unity, as a renegade party that quit her alliance, mounted a challenge.In the latest upheaval in a turbulent, two-decade battle for power and patronage among Thailands rival elites, 39-year-old Paetongtarn was the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be ousted by the military or judiciary and the second in the space of a year.The once-dominant Pheu Thai party, founded by Paetongtarns deep-pocketed father Thaksin Shinawatra, faces a big task in shoring up a coalition that has haemorrhaged public support, opening the door to a spree of dealmaking by its former alliance partner Bhumjaithai and its ambitious leader Anutin Charnvirakul.With political interests shifting, bitter histories of betrayal and big war chests to work with, there is plenty of scope for switches in allegiance, bringing the prospect of deadlock at a time of weak growth and a dim outlook for Southeast Asias second-biggest economy.The spotlight is now on the progressive Peoples Party, a reincarnation of the party that won the 2023 election on an anti-establishment platform but was blocked from power by lawmakers allied with the royalist military.It has said it will back any party that can commit to hold a referendum on amending the constitution and dissolve parliament within four months. The party will meet its lawmakers later on Monday to decide which camp to back, if any.Bhumjaithais leader Anutin went to the Peoples Party on Friday and said he had agreed to its conditions, as did the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which met the Peoples Party leadership on Sunday."We are in a political crisis, and there is a need to find a common solution," said Pheu Thais Phumtham Wechayachai, the acting prime minister."We will leave it to the Peoples Party to decide."
Chief Minister speaks to UK Minister with responsibility for Gibraltar

The Chief Minister spoke on Friday to UK Minister with responsibility for Gibraltar Stephen Doughty MP

This catch-up comes in ahead of the meeting in London this week between the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Mr Picardo and Mr Doughty agreed that it was important to finalise the text of the UK-EU treaty about Gibraltar as soon as possible.

The Minister with responsibility for Gibraltar assured the Chief Minister that the UK Government will continue to abide by the principle of nothing about you without you which has been the practice during the treaty negotiations.
Improved Telephone System for Housing Department and Housing Works Agency

The Ministry for Housing is pleased to announce improvements to its telephone communications system for both the Housing Department and the Housing Works Agency.

Public feedback in recent years has highlighted a recurring issue: callers often believed their calls were not being answered, when in fact all lines were engaged. The previous system placed callers on a continuous ringing tone, causing frustration.

To address this, a new Call Centre system will be launched on 1st October 2025, featuring:

 A queue system that informs callers of their position in line

 Clearer call handling to ensure your query reaches the correct section

 A streamlined phone menu for a more efficient service

This upgrade is designed to improve communication and enhance the experience for all those seeking assistance from our Housing services, in an efficient manner.

New Contract Procedure - Housing Department

Central number: +350 20075603 General email: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Callers will be asked to select the relevant section for their query. All previous direct numbers will be replaced by this centralised system.

Press 1 for Applications & Tenancy Management Section

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Housing Application  Process, queries and position on waiting list.

 Government Tenancy Records  Queries, Inclusion, Exclusion, Change of Name and copy of contract.

 Queries in respect of Registration of Property Occupation for Government Flats only.

Press 2 for Housing Rent Section

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Housing Rental Bill queries

 Payment Option queries  Direct Debit, Standing Order, Deductions from Wages or Pensions

 Payment of Rent by card via telephone

 Rent Relief Queries

Press 3 for Housing Rent Arrears Section

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Payment of Arrears by card via telephone

 Discussion of entering a Payment Plan (Arrears Agreement)

 Government Sheds

 Anti-Social Behaviour Queries

Press 4 for Senior Management Support Team

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Housing Allocation Committee Secretary

 Government Parking Spaces

 Land and Works Panel

 Recent Property Allocations

New Contract Procedure  Housing Works Agency

Central number: +350 20048440 General email: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

After Hours Emergencies number: +350 20050129 or +350 58008258

During working hours, callers will be placed on a queue system that will inform the caller of their position in line. All previous direct numbers will be replaced by this centralised system.

The after-hours emergencies call system will remain as normal.
With only 4 days left to the nomination closing date of 12 September 2025, seize this opportunity to nominate yourself and your team for the prestigious CSO30 ASEAN Awards 2025-a global platform honouring the top 30 senior security executives who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and business value in todays rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Why Nominate for the CSO30 Awards?

The CSO30 Awards are a mark of excellence, recognizing CISOs and CSOs who have fundamentally changed the way their organizations are protected and operate, while driving positive business outcomes through effective risk mitigation strategies. Winners join an exclusive community of security leaders celebrated globally, with recognition spanning the U.S., Europe, ASEAN, Asia/Pacific, and now the Middle East. The awards ceremony is held at the regions premier security leadership events-offering unmatched networking, knowledge sharing, and industry celebration.

Award Categories Include:
State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code
Last Friday three senior judges in the Court of Appeal decided to put the interests of migrants living in the Bell Hotel, Epping, before the interests of local people living nearby.

The three judges set aside the ruling of a slightly less senior judge, Mr Justice Eyre, who ten days earlier had said that the 138 migrants housed in the Bell Hotel should leave it by September 12.

As the leading voice of the three Appeal Court judges, Lord Justice Bean accused Mr Justice Eyre of delivering a judgment that was seriously flawed. Many will think that this lofty dismissal could more justly be applied to him and his two fellow judges.

They stated that Mr Justice Eyre should not have given weight in his judgment to protests, including unlawful ones, taking place outside the hotel, as doing so could incentivise more protests and further lawlessness.

The judges claimed that the risk of this happening outweighed Epping residents fear of migrant crime, which sounds deeply subjective. They also emphasised that the Bell Hotel had been used to house asylum seekers since 2020 without the local council objecting. So what? Times change.

Is that it, then? Must protesters against migrants being housed in hotels in Epping and throughout the country meekly accept this ruling, at any rate until the matter comes back to court in October?

It transpires that the supercilious Lord Justice Bean was a Labour Party member for 28 years, and served as deputy chairman of the Society for Labour Lawyers.

As David Bean, he was briefly chairman of the Fabian Society, a socialist think tank that has advocated the cause of migrants.

Anti-immigration protests on Sunday near The Bell Hotel in Epping, which houses asylum seekers

Lord Justice Bean, the leading voice of the three Appeal Court judges, was a Labour Party member for 28 years and served as deputy chairman of the Society for Labour Lawyers

A prominent lawyer called Steven Barrett has submitted a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, arguing that Bean should not have heard the Bell Hotel appeal because of apparent conflicts of interest.

Before becoming a judge, Bean was also a founding member of Matrix Chambers which, Mr Barrett asserts, is firmly associated with advocacy in favour of allowing migrants to stay.

Others who have been involved with Matrix include our very Left-wing Attorney General Lord Hermer and Philippe Sands KC. Mr Sands fiercely opposes Britain leaving the European Court of Human Rights. He acted for Mauritius in its recent dispute with Britain over the Chagos Islands.

There is, of course, no reason why a sitting judge shouldnt have been a member of the Labour Party. The same might be said in relation to the Conservative Party, though in the progressive times in which we live there are precious few judges who have ever been members of that.

However, it so happens that the aforementioned Mr Justice Eyre was several times a Tory parliamentary candidate, the most recent occasion being in 2004.

Did his former political allegiances influence his interim judgment in favour of the people of Epping who wanted migrants to leave the Bell Hotel? I cant say.

Nor can I be sure that Lord Justice Beans former political affiliations and apparent predisposition in favour of migrants influenced last Fridays ruling. After all, there were two other judges sitting with him, and they presumably couldnt have been easily led by the nose.

But it would have been far better if he had recused himself from the case, given the apparent conflict of interest. As it is, the ruling seems almost to strain to find in favour of the migrants. Its arguments are not compelling.

Left-wing judges have infested the judiciary to an extent that would have seemed incredible 20 years ago. In cases involving migrants, the judges who display bias are usually further down the food chain than David Bean.

For example, an immigration judge called Hugo Norton-Taylor recently permitted a Palestinian family of six to settle in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Finding their case compelling and compassionate, he overruled a lower court and let the family to stay in this country based on their Article 8 right to a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

There have been other barmy judgments too numerous to mention. Earlier this year, an immigration tribunal allowed an Albanian criminal to stay here, partly because his son will not eat foreign chicken nuggets.

What do we do about Leftish (and sometimes bone-headed) activist judges who deliver eccentric rulings that defy common sense and go against the interests of ordinary law-abiding people?

As so often, the failings of the system can be traced back to Tony Blair. Until 2005, the appointment of judges effectively lay in the hands of the Lord Chancellor of the day, who was a politician.

Of course, he (it was then always a he) consulted widely, and was anxious to avoid imputations of bias.

Nowadays, thanks to Blair, the appointment of judges is largely determined by the supposedly independent, though untransparent, Judicial Appointments Commission. The proliferation of Left-wing judges can be partly blamed on this body.

A future centre-Right government should take a good look at the Judicial Appointments Commission, and ask itself whether the arrangements that existed before Blair decided to overhaul the constitution were much better.

There is another way of curbing the power of activist, Leftish judges  namely to withdraw from the ECHR, and to repeal Blairs Human Rights Act, which enshrined it in British law.

Again and again, activist judges cite one or other article of the Human Rights Act to pursue some Left-wing objective. Incidentally, they have more or less created a new privacy law under Article 8  the right to a private and family life  but that is another story.

In Fridays judgment on the Bell Hotel in Epping, Lord Justice Bean and his colleagues made only passing reference to Article 2 of the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to life. But it was mentioned in the submission by the Home Office, which opposed Mr Justice Eyres ruling.

As long as we are part of the ECHR, and the Human Rights Act remains on the statute book, judicial activism will make it impossible to solve the migrant crisis. Last week, Nigel Farage pledged both withdrawal and repeal, and Kemi Badenoch is very likely to do the same next month.

The great and the good are viscerally opposed to pulling out of the ECHR. Their main objection is that such a course of action would dismantle the Good Friday Agreement, which has brought peace to Northern Ireland. According to an authoritative report published today by the splendid think tank Policy Exchange, this is utterly erroneous.

The paper  one of whose authors is Richard Ekins KC, professor of law and constitutional government at Oxford  demonstrates that there is nothing in the Agreement that prevents the UK from leaving the ECHR.

Former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw endorses the report. Indeed, he, former Labour Cabinet minister David Blunkett and Tory grandee Malcolm Rifkind last week all advocated a temporary suspension of our membership of the ECHR.

Neither Sir Keir Starmer nor Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will do anything about the ECHR or the Judicial Appointments Commission.

Starmer is a human rights lawyer, and Ms Cooper a Blairite who doubtless approved of taking judicial appointments away from the Lord Chancellor.

But if activist judges continue to subvert the will of the people over immigration, and to show a lofty metropolitan detachment from everyday concerns, Im afraid there will be trouble ahead.
Justin Rollins for Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival 2025

Gibraltar Cultural Services and the Supported Employment Programme are delighted to confirm the participation of Justin Rollins at this years Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival 2025.

Justin Rollins is a critically acclaimed writer whose impactful work has garnered attention across the academic spectrum. His autobiographical book, The Lost Boyz, is currently incorporated into criminology curricula nationwide, reflecting its significance in understanding the complexities of youth culture and crime.

At just fourteen years old, Justin, known by the nickname Sevens, transitioned from being a victim of bullying to the leader of the Warriorz, a group of London Street kids known for graffiti-tagging and engaging in various criminal activities, including a series of violent confrontations. This tumultuous period in his life served as the backdrop for his later work and insights.

Determined to alter the course of his life, Justin explored various therapeutic approaches, ultimately finding a path to redemption and self-discovery. Today, he is unrecognizable from his past self. As a skilled speaker, Justin shares his lived experiences, lecturing at universities and prisons. He provides first-hand expertise and insights into the Criminal Justice System and explores the interconnected social factors that influence crime and rehabilitation. His journey offers not only a cautionary tale but also a message of hope and transformation.

Justin will be participating in the festivals school programme and will give a solo lecture on Friday 14th November. He will also work with the Supported Employment Programme Team and visit HMP Windmill Hill to deliver a talk to the inmates. His work offers inmates valuable insights into rehabilitation, with themes including building self-confidence, developing constructive routines, and preparing for employment after release. These align with wider prison objectives, set out by the Supported Employment Programme Team, of reducing reoffending, supporting reintegration into society, and fostering a sense of personal responsibility. In addition, Justin will also be involved in other, more artistic projects within the prison, which encourage creativity, selfexpression, and reflection.

Minister for Employment, Culture and Tourism, The Hon. Christian Santos GMD MP said:

Justin Rollins story is a powerful testament to the potential for change and personal growth. His story of transformation, and the work he does with inmates, highlights the power of literature and lived experience to inspire change, promote rehabilitation, and give hope to those looking to build a positive future. Initiatives like this demonstrate our commitment to supporting meaningfulpathways for reintegration and reducing reoffending, showing that with the right guidance, everyone can build a positive future.

The festival will be organised from the 10th to 16th November 2025. For further information please contact the Festival Director on telephone: 20047309 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
As Parliament resumes today, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle returns to a thorny issue in his inbox: should Jeremy Corbyn have special privileges at Prime Ministers Questions now he is launching his own party?

Yes, he and co-leader Zarah Sultana have yet to decide on a name for their hard-Left outfit  Your Party is a working title only  but they wont be short of MPs, as up to seven are expected to defect to their ranks.

Reform UK, by comparison, has just four MPs, and the Speaker gives its leader, Nigel Farage, the chance to put one question to Sir Keir Starmer about once every eight weeks. We shall see if Jezza fares any better.

Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is now launching his own party

In the meantime, one of the first events in the Commons today will be Sultanas ceremonial crossing of the floor, leaving the Labour benches to sit with fellow exile Corbyn as an Independent. Cue a dash for the exit by Starmerite MPs whose ears will be ringing with Sultanas stinging denunciation.

The Labour Party is dead, she has said, explaining her decision to jump ship.

It has destroyed its principles and its popularity. Some Labour MPs who consider themselves on the Left are still clinging to its corpse. Is she right?

Olympian Sharron Davies, set to be elevated to the Lords by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, gives an insight into what we can expect from her. You cannot have a British government saying illegal foreign immigrants are the first legal priority over tax-paying British people, she says. As a government you are now officially working against the electorate. More please, Baroness Davies.

Nigel Farages barn-storming speech last week, in which he pledged that all illegal migrants would be housed in internment camps, sounded familiar. Ann Widdecombe, as shadow home secretary in 1999, told the Tory conference: All asylum seekers will be housed in secure reception centres until their claims are processed. Widders was an early high-profile defection from the Tories to Reform. Give that woman a promotion, Nigel.

You would not know it was a barn-storming speech from the BBC iPlayer coverage. Nigel Farage was shown for just 40 seconds. Still, there were plenty of critics lined up to say why the policy would not work. Same old Lefty Auntie.

Things could get lively at the Hereford Military History Festival this month, held in hometown of the SAS. Speakers include Starmerite human-rights agitator Philippe Sands. Given the threat of prosecution to Northern Ireland veterans from Lefty lawyers of Sands ilk, organisers might want to conduct on-the-door checks for rotten eggs.

Now that is intrusive security...

Allegations of sexist behaviour are nothing new at Westminster, but this has to be a first. MPs are complaining that the latest security entrance and exit turnstiles in Parliaments New Palace Yard are behaving disrespectfully to female colleagues. The damn things revolve so quickly that women say they get a rude smack on the derriere as they go through, said one MP.
Tony Blair hailed the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into British law as his proudest moment in politics.

His serpentine sidekick Peter Mandelson boasted that New Labour would scour the world for immigrants to rub the Rights noses in diversity.

In 2004, Blair went far beyond what EU expansion required and opened the floodgates to millions of foreign nationals.

It was all part of the sinister project to transform Britain beyond recognition. Despite their 1997 landslide, Labour no longer trusted the British people, the traditional working class especially.

So they decided to import a whole new electorate from overseas who would return the favour by voting Labour in perpetuity.

Even if that didnt work out as planned, EU membership, a new breed of Left-wing judges in thrall to the ECHR, and activist lawyers at chambers like Matrix, founded by Blair's wife Cherie, would ensure that the revolution could not be overturned.

Those of us who warned back then (correctly as it has turned out) that the ECHR was a charter for criminals, terrorists and illegal immigrants, as well as a bonanza for Left-wing lawyers, were smeared as scaremongering far-Right racists.

By the time the Tories returned to power, they had accepted the New Labour settlement in full. Call Me Dave and Boy George Osborne even referred to Blair as The Master.

Protesters calling for the closure of The Bell Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, gather outside the council offices in Epping

Despite Brexit, which most of the political class saw as a disastrous aberration and - led by our current Prime Minister  spent four years trying to overturn, the direction of travel never deviated.

Boris, armed with an 80-seat majority, promised to take back control of our borders and then did the opposite, admitting record numbers of migrants. Successive Conservative governments have been complicit in furthering the Blair project.

The final straw came last week when three judges sitting in the Court of Appeal, including a Left-wing alumnus of Cherie Blairs Matrix Chambers, agreed with the Home Office that our duty to illegals and our obligation to comply with international laws meant the yuman rites of migrants were paramount over those of British citizens.

Thats how we ended up today with a population explosion far beyond anything we could reasonably be expected to absorb and widespread demonstrations on the streets against tens of thousands of illegal immigrants being billeted in four-star hotels around the country.

On Sunday afternoon, one of the ugliest clashes yet saw police pepper spraying women, pensioners and at least one child in an East London shopping centre.

What started as a peaceful protest against a migrant hotel at Canary Wharf was infiltrated by a gang of thugs wearing the kind of full-face skull masks usually associated with South American assassination squads. Shamefully, these masks were adorned with the Union flag.

As the crowd dispersed through the shopping precinct, one officer attempted to force a protester to comply with the law and remove his mask. Thats when the trouble kicked off and a copper was punched in the face.

Its difficult to know exactly what happened from video footage, just as it was in the notorious recent incident at Manchester airport.

A child is carried away after being caught in pepper spray as anti-migrant protesters clashed with police in Canary Wharf

But it appears one female officer feared for her safety and discharged a pepper spray. Instead of disabling her assailant, however, her aim went astray and hit non-combatants including a 70-year-old Pink Lady demonstrator and a 12-year-old boy.

The screaming child was carried away, shoulder high, by one of the masked goons. Was this his father? Who knows? If it was, taking a kid to a demo which could turn violent while wearing a Mexican-style Day Of The Dead mask is as irresponsible as people smugglers loading a child on to a rickety dinghy being launched from France into the Channel.

For the record, if the police had dragged the masked morons outside and clubbed them like baby seals before dragging them off to jail, there would have been no objection from me. Peaceful demos will always attract an extremist fringe hell-bent on violence.

But most of these protests have been peaceful, dominated by decent people disturbed at having unvetted foreign men of fighting age dumped on their doorstep and incensed at a government and judiciary which puts migrants before the safety of British citizens.

And while those taking to the streets to protest may be fairly small in numbers, back home there are millions quietly fuming with impotent rage.

Their far-Right smears having failed miserably to deter the demonstrations, ministers have now been spooked into action.

Home Secretary Pixie-Balls Cooper took to her hind legs in the Commons to promise new measures to tackle migration, both legal and illegal. About the only thing she got right was that the negligent Tories left behind a system in chaos.

What she didnt acknowledge was that under Labour the crisis has got ten times worse, especially after they scrapped the Rwanda deterrent on day one.

Pixie claims that Labour will stop migrants bringing their extended families with them. Try getting that past the yuman rights courts, let alone our unelected far-Left Attorney General Lord Hermer.

Stop the families will prove to be about as successful as Smash the gangs.

She said the asylum appeals backlog will be speeded up  which will simply mean that migrants are granted indefinite leave to remain more quickly by sympathetic activist judges.

Asylum hotels will close, but not until 2029. But be careful what you wish for. Migrants will not to be moved to detention centres or deported, they will be transferred to HMOs  houses in multiple occupation. In other words, to a residential street near you.

One minute youll be sitting in Mon Repose in Acacia Avenue, the next youll find yourself living next door to a dozen young Afghan, Iraqi or Somali men crammed into what used to be a three-bed semi. I bet youre feeling safer already.

Pixie also claims that the number of small-boat arrivals has fallen under Labour. Thats only because the people smugglers have taken their lead from Chief Brody in Jaws and concluded: Were gonna need a bigger boat.

Anyway, the small boats tag was never accurate, since most of the illegals arrive in a very big boat belonging to Border Force, which picks them up mid-Channel and ferries them here.

Starmers risible one in, one out deal with the French is actually 3,000 in, none out.

You couldnt make it up.

What Pixie didnt promise was any withdrawal or permanent derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights. Thats because it aint gonna happen, not under a Prime Minister and Attorney General who both place international yuman rites treaties above the British people they are paid to protect.

Nigel Farage was right to taunt Starmer, like a Brexity Billy Bragg: Which side are you on, boy? Illegals or the British taxpayer and the women and children of Epping and beyond?

Our survey said . . .

Starmers goal is to complete the Blair revolution before Labour is thrown out of office in 2029.

Meanwhile, immigration, legal and illegal, will continue unimpeded and there will be more ugly scenes on the streets.

The immediate cause of the violence on Sunday was the presence of masked agitators at a peaceful protest. But the root causes date back half a century.

As Britain festers with frustration over rampant, uncontrolled immigration, and the Government merely rearranges the lifejackets on the cross-Channel boats, the principal architects of this chaos have walked away from the wreckage and now enjoy lives of great wealth and luxury.

Therell be no houses in multiple occupation anywhere near Mandelsons London mansion  bought mysteriously for 8million 14 years ago and probably worth three times that now. Nor near his palatial ambassadors residence in Washington.

Neither will any illegals be billeted in close proximity to any of the Blair familys 40-strong portfolio of luxury properties, last valued conservatively at 35million.

As the country teeters on the brink of anarchy, with women and children pepper-sprayed in a shopping centre, does Blair still believe that the incorporation of the pernicious ECHR remains his proudest moment in politics?

Very probably, yes.
Yesterday, we learned that as a schoolgirl of 16 or 17, our future Queen was the victim of sexual assault while travelling alone on a train.

A fellow passenger was moving his hand further and further. Did she panic? Did she freeze? Did she hell!

She remembered her mother, Rosalinds advice, took off her shoe and whacked the man in the nuts with the heel.

The young Camilla Shand then alighted the train at Paddington, reported him to a member of staff and he was arrested.

We dont know if the miscreant was ever charged, but we can hope he found it painful to walk for a few hours at least  and thought twice about inflicting his vile behaviour on a woman ever again.

This story, revealed in a new book, Power And The Palace, confirms what many of us feel instinctively about Queen Camilla  that she is at her core the practical, no-nonsense type who refuses ever to be a victim.

For those who regard her actions as reckless, that the situation might have escalated, I would say that she obviously carried out her own risk assessment in the moment and decided otherwise. And Im sure she removed herself pronto to another carriage with more passengers afterwards.

I applaud her action and her response. She didnt brood on it  but nor did she forget it.

Brave Camilla, pictured around the time of the attack, with her mother Rosalind

Queen Camilla attends the Service of Remembrance to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas on August 15

While she has never spoken publicly about the incident, she has, over the years, shared it with friends on a one-to-one basis where appropriate and also with some of the relevant charities she works with.

Indeed, we only know about it now because she confided in Boris Johnson when, as Mayor of London, he was talking to her about his plans for three new rape crisis centres. (By the way, it wasnt Boris who spilled the beans, but his former head of communications when he was interviewed by the books author Valentine Low.)

That was the context in which Camilla shared her experience of sexual assault  and she went on to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape in her public work.

Ive met Queen Camilla several times. On one occasion, I was invited to a reception at Clarence House in aid of charities that support victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

No one there could doubt her genuine concern and compassion, or fail to be impressed by the ease with which she spoke to former victims.

One of her own initiatives in her work with Sexual Assault Referral Centres has been to provide rape victims, who must undergo intrusive physical examinations, with washbags of toiletries to use afterwards.

Its a small gesture of kindness at one of the worst times in a womans life, a message that there are people who care for you and who are with you in this hour of pain and shame.

To me, this is proof, if proof was needed, that Camilla is the very best of feminists. She has fully embraced feminism by supporting other women. Its not what you say that matters but what you do, and the Queen is leading by example.

So why hasnt she spoken out about her experience before, some may ask? Wouldnt it have explained her allegiance to these causes, made her somehow more relatable? The answer is simple: she has never wanted her experiences to divert attention away from those she believes to have suffered from serious abuse.

She has never wanted to be the story in a country where two to three women a week die at the hands of a man as a result of domestic violence. She has always believed that the spotlight should remain firmly on those who are the true victims.

This controversial cause is not one the Queen had to champion as a Royal. There are far less demanding charities vying for her patronage. But she feels passionately about this issue, speaking openly at events such as the one I attended at Clarence House about her friends who have been victims of domestic violence, helping to remove the stigma and the assumption that domestic violence and sexual abuse is confined to the disadvantaged and vulnerable. She has shown that, just as with child sexual abuse, perpetrators are from all backgrounds.

During her ordeal on the train, young Camilla got mad with her attacker. Her work on behalf of the victims of sexual and domestic abuse today is proof that now shes got even.
Love is in the air in the Danish royal household.

The latest reports out of Denmark suggest Queen Mary and King Frederik's eldest son, Crown Prince Christian, has fallen hard for girlfriend Emma Nygaard Fritzen.

And in a positive sign for the young lovebirds, Mary, 53, and Frederik, 57, are said to have already given the relationship their tick of approval.

The romance between Christian, 19, and Emma, 20, was under wraps until the couple were caught kissing while attending the Smukfest music festival in August.

We would have heard more about it had Christian's younger sister Princess Isabella not stolen the headlines by being photographed wearing a controversial T-shirt.

Nonetheless, a picture of Denmark's future king enjoying a passionate smooch with Emma was widely spread on social media and royal fan blogs.

And this wasn't simply a summer fling.

Rather, the photo captured an established relationship - arguably Christian's first serious girlfriend. Many in the Danish press were stunned it had flown under the radar for so long.

Crown Prince Christian was pictured kissing girlfriend Emma Nygaard at a music festival

After the photo of Emma and Christian kissing spread on social media, Emma (pictured) appears to be trying to maintain a low profile, with her social media accounts set to private

Sleuths have discovered several missed clues that showed Christian was in a relationship

While this may be mere coincidence, it's worth noting before I continue that there are already parallels in Christian and Emma's relationship to the early love story of William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Wills was 19 when he met Kate at the University of St Andrews. Kate happens to be a few months older than William, just like Emma is to Christian.

What's more, Emma's non-aristocratic but nonetheless firmly upper-middle-class upbringing also draws obvious comparisons to the Middletons.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks, royal sleuths have determined that Christian and Emma may have been an item for 'at least a year' - much longer than initially thought.

Their connection dates back to them graduating in the same year from Ordrup Gymnasium school.

Although the timeline of when they got together is unclear, there have been some subtle clues about the relationship status.

Perhaps the most telling clue, overlooked by many, was Emma's unexplained presence at the private 18th birthday party of Christian's younger sister, Isabella.

The exclusive guest list saw only the royal family's closest friends and family invited to Amalienborg Palace to celebrate the milestone birthday.

The entire Danish royal family attended Princess Isabella's 18th birthday at the Old Stage Theatre in Copenhagen - including Christian (far right). The royal family's private party event with friends and family at Amalienborg Palace was reportedly attended by Christian's girlfriend

Isabella and Emma are not believed to be friends - therefore the only explanation for her attendance was because she was Christian's girlfriend.

And with Mary and Frederik hosting the event, royal watchers are convinced they would have been formally introduced to Emma at the party - assuming they had not already met her.

Then, there was the prince's private getaway over the European summer to Ibiza with a group of friends. Yes, Emma was there too.

It's also apparently not the first time they have taken a trip abroad together, with royal sources telling SE and HR that Emma and Christian visited Cannes last year.

'This suggests that Emma has had a very special place in the young heir to the throne's heart for quite some time,' the Danish outlet reported.

The Royal House has always made a point of not commenting on personal matters.

It is therefore unsurprising that there has been no official confirmation or statement about the prince's new girlfriend.

Danish media outlets are reporting that Frederik and Mary have given the 'green light' to their son Crown Prince Christian's new relationship. He is pictured here with his parents in 2023

Queen Mary appeared to quietly reiterate this stance when she attended a royal engagement in mid-August as part of her work with the mental health organisation Headspace.

As she was leaving, a member of the press called out the question that everyone was secretly thinking. They asked: 'Your Majesty, what do you think of the Crown Prince's Emma?'

But the royal remained tight-lipped, offering nothing more than a smile and a wave before hopping into her waiting car.

Still, her attendance at Isabella's 18th said more than any statement could.

Although the royal family is unlikely to discuss the relationship publicly anytime soon - it could be years before she is mentioned in official communications - royal experts say that all signs point towards Mary and Fred having given Christian the 'green light'.

'Frederik and Mary have long since said yes to the Crown Prince's love,' trumpeted a SE og HR report.

Royal expert Lars Hovbakke Srensen told the outlet he is convinced Emma is well-acquainted with the prince's parents - a reflection of their more modern approach.

'It is a different ruler today than it was when King Frederik was young,' Srensen said.

'So one could imagine that she might be invited home sooner than was the case with Queen Margrethe,' he told the publication.

Mary and Frederik are understood to be far more progressive in both their parenting style and approach to how their royal children should live their lives.

Srensen suggested that young Christian would have no need to sneak around behind his parents' backs to enjoy a relationship.

'The main thing here is that the new royal couple are more willing to accept different lovers  and to accept that they come home with them,' Srensen said.

There are already parallels in Christian and Emma's relationship to the early love story of William and Kate (pictured left in March 2006, and right in July this year)

So, who is Emma Nygaard Fritzen?

She reportedly comes from a privileged family that is part of 'Denmark's upper elite'.

Her father is a well-known businessman who is a partner at McKinsey & Company, an influential strategic consulting firm.

And like Christian, Emma is also reported to be passionate about Africa, having previously spent time in Namibia and South Africa. Crown Prince Christian similarly spent part of his 2024 gap year doing volunteer work on farms in East Africa.

The young couple are also said to have a shared friendship group.

Despite the relationship suddenly making Emma a person of public interest, so far she appears intent on maintaining a low profile.

Her social media is set to private, though there were reports that she did initially share that picture of her and Christian kissing at Smukfest, before later deleting it.

Prince Christian has recently commenced a one-year lieutenant training course in Slagelse. For now, this is likely to mean his relationship with Emma will be a long-distance romance

But the burgeoning relationship is already facing its first big test.

Christian recently commenced a one-year lieutenant training program at Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse. That means that, for the time being, the relationship will be long-distance.

In the coming months, the couple will likely reunite only on weekends or during training breaks.

For the time being, royal experts believe the royal family will leave Christian to enjoy his first serious relationship privately.

However, Lars Hovbakke hinted to SE og HR that it will be obvious when things between the pair become serious because then the royal family will 'get involved'.

'When it starts to get serious like that  either with her or with someone later  the royal family will get involved in a completely different way,' Hovbakke explained.

'They will do that precisely because he is Crown Prince.'
They included, among others, King Clarence, Shalom and Billy's Bar Espresso

Manu Feildel has dished up his favourite places to go out and eat in his hometown of Sydney.

It comes as the popular TV chef celebrates a major milestone with his inner west venue Bistro Red Lion by Manu, recently celebrating one year since it opened its doors.

The French-inspired bistro, which is a hit with both locals and visitors, is located in the upstairs dining room of Rozelle's historic Red Lion Hotel.

Manu, 51, told Daily Mail that apart from his own restaurant, his hands-down favourite Sydney dining spot is a contemporary Asian restaurant in the heart of Sydney's CBD.

'Right now, apart from Bistro Red Lion by Manu, King Clarence is my favourite,' Manu revealed.

King Clarence is helmed by chef Khanh Nguyen, whom Manu praises as 'a genius when it comes to creating outside the box kind of dishes'.

The award-winning restaurant, which has been open since 2023, is renowned for its signature menu items like their moreish Fish Finger Bao and Grilled Rock Lobster with Longevity Noodles.

But the My Kitchen Rules judge said there are plenty of restaurant gems to be found off the beaten track - including one underrated favourite that he and his wife Clarissa frequent regularly.

Manu Feildel told Daily Mail about his favourite restaurants and dining spots around Sydney

The My Kitchen Rules judge spoke to Daily Mail shortly after his inner west venue Bistro Red Lion by Manu celebrated its one year anniversary

King Clarence in the Sydney CBD was one of Manu's favourite restaurants. The Fish Finger Bao (right) is one of their signature menu items

'My wife and I love to go to Shalom Indonesian restaurant in Mascot,' Manu spilled.

'It's very authentic and absolutely delicious.'

The Maroubra local also has some top food spots right in his own backyard for more casual fare.

In the southern Sydney beachside suburb, Manu highlighted Boulevard Bakery 'for their amazing croissants and delicious bread'.

He's also a fan of Billy's Bar Espresso, especially for 'their to die for crispy bacon rolls'.

When Manu is in need of a caffeine fix close to home, his local go-to is Maroubra's 'Eksentrik Cafe for their addictive coffee'.

Further beyond Sydney, Manu also spoke about a recent favourite family holiday meal he enjoyed during a trip to Port Douglas in Queensland.

'We've just been to Port Douglas and there is a beautiful Thai restaurant called Jungle Fowl,' the TV personality recommended.

'If you're in the area, it's a must.'

In his local Maroubra neighbourhood, Manu regularly stops by for pastries at Boulevard Bakery

Manu's other Maroubra favourites for casual fare and coffee were Billy's Bar Espresso and Eksentrik Cafe

Shalom Indonesian restaurant in Mascot was singled out by Manu as an 'underrated' gem

Naming his single favourite meal of the year proved impossible for Manu. 'That is a hard question to answer, there have been too many!' he laughed.

However, he did believe there were a few key attributes that any outstanding dining venue needed to have.

'For me, a fantastic restaurant in 2025 is back to basics,' Manu explained.

'Simple food, cooked well and with warm and professional service.'

These elements are exactly what the team strive for at Bistro Red Lion by Manu, which officially opened its doors in July 2024.

The venue marked Manu's return to the kitchen following a four-year hiatus, and has seen him curate a menu that blends refined French technique with a deep sense of nostalgia.

Signature dishes at the bistro take inspiration from Manu's family kitchen, such as his father's French Country-Style Terrine served with red onion jam and toasted sourdough.
This time four years ago, I was five months pregnant with my first child. I was also merrily sipping champagne in the Maldives as the waitress stood on the sidelines barely concealing her horror.

Now, at 38, I am pregnant again and, happily for all involved, completely sober.

Today, at four months gone  and obviously with a three-year-old in tow, too  Im successfully dodging the middle-class wine oclock mum cliche that had me in its grip for years.

But not thanks to willpower. Instead, my drinking problem has completely disappeared because of a chronically under-prescribed pill I took last year.

Yes, I drank during my first pregnancy  a taboo few will admit to. I didnt consume huge amounts, but enough to prove, in hindsight, that I was a problem drinker.

I quite liked sushi, too, but that was easy to eschew for nine months. Wine, on the other hand? Much trickier to abstain from. So Id have just a glass here and there. On special occasions. At social gatherings. While travelling...

When my husband Julius and I landed in the Maldives four years ago for me to review a resort for a newspaper, the manager congratulated me on my pregnancy, which the PR team had informed her about, and earnestly informed me that the restaurant would be ensuring there was no alcohol in any of my dishes, even the sauces.

Annabel Fenwick Elliott drank during her first pregnancy  a taboo few will admit to. She says she didnt consume huge amounts, but enough to prove that I was a problem drinker

Annabel with her German husband and son Jaspar

Considerate, I thought, but also absurd, as I ordered that glass of champagne to celebrate our arrival. I only drank one, but it was obvious I was being judged for it.

It wasnt my first pregnancy. Its possible that I miscarried my previous one because of my drinking. That baby was unplanned and conceived in the early stages of my relationship with my now husband.

I had no idea I was pregnant and I was drinking heavily back then  it was during Covid, I was home alone a lot, where I did most of my wine guzzling, and I was sinking a bottle a night after finishing work.

At the weekend, Id start in the afternoon and sometimes open a second bottle too. It was a pattern Id been falling in and out of since my early 20s.

A study published by Vanderbilt University Medical Centre right around the time I lost that baby, about eight weeks into the pregnancy, found an incremental 8 per cent increase in the risk of miscarriage week by week in women who consumed alcohol in those critical early stages.

Ill never know, of course, what caused me to miscarry, but I cant rule my drinking out as a cause and it weighed heavily on me.

As a result, when I was knowingly and joyfully pregnant the following year with my son Jasper, I took no risks in the first trimester and didnt drink a drop  despite the very real and persistent cravings.

I found social engagements particularly difficult, as a chronic introvert, and largely avoided them as a result.

Once wed cleared that initial three-month danger zone, however, I found reasons to partake in a periodic glass of my treasured wine again.

The first was that flute of champagne in the Maldives. I ignored the side glances, suppressed the guilt and enjoyed it thoroughly, though it was hard not to order another.

After all, with the express clearance of her doctor in the late 1980s, my mother had enjoyed her habit of two glasses of red wine with dinner in the evening, which was then the limit for pregnant women.

Her GP had told her it was more important to have a relaxed expectant mother than an anxious teetotal one.

My grandmother, in turn, had been prescribed Guinness for its high iron content when she was pregnant with my mother, as was customary at the time. I seldom take advice from my elders when its sensible, I should point out, but these particular anecdotes suited me and so I ran with them.

Id seen friends and acquaintances have a glass of wine here and there, too, while pregnant, albeit generally in a hush-hush manner.

Several celebrities have been busted for doing the same over the years, like Rachel Weisz, who once told fans it was fine to partake in a glass of wine after the first trimester. Even the pillar of health herself, Gwyneth Paltrow, was spotted sipping a Guinness while expecting in 2006.

Travelling long-haul was a particular weak spot for me. When I was younger, I had a horrible fear of flying and could only do it half-cut. I made a point of conquering the fear, but not the drinking at high altitude and  until I took my magic pill  very rarely flew sober.

While pregnant, as well as her Maldives jaunt, Annabel went on a vineyard tour in South Africa and a trip to visit her father in Australia, and she drank on the plane every time

While pregnant, as well as my Maldives jaunt, I went on a vineyard tour in South Africa  yes, I know  and a trip to visit my father in Australia. I drank on the plane every time.

It was especially hard to stay sober in Oz. My father and I have always bonded over copious amounts of wine and whisky, and while I dutifully stayed off the hard liquor during this stay, it was torturous to nurse that piddly single glass of merlot.

Incidentally, I doubt hed have flinched if Id consumed more alcohol than I did, on account of his very British roots.

According to the National Library of Medicine, the UK has one of the highest rates of drinking during pregnancy, with between 41 and 75 per cent of women thought to consume at least some alcohol while pregnant.

Ive lived both in England and the US and have definitely noticed the difference  in America even a sip of wine would be seriously frowned upon, but in my circles at home, not so much.

No one I knew so much as batted an eyelid, except my German husband, a very restrained drinker who raised concerns that I shrugged off.

Today, the NHS states that there is no safe amount of alcohol while pregnant and it should thus be avoided altogether. This brings it in line with most other governmental health bodies in the Western world, but its a recent change for Britons.

Only in 2016 did the UK chief medical officer revise its existing advice (until then, up to two units twice a week was the limit), and its a hard rule that has yet to be widely embraced here.

On one side of the debate, an oft-quoted study from Denmark published in the 2012 BJOG International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found that up to eight drinks per week had no effect on the intelligence, behaviour and attention scores in children.

And anecdotally, until very recently, moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been the norm, and most of us have turned out relatively normal.

However, according to biologist and author Rebecca Fett, who has extensively analysed all the latest data and whose book It Starts With The Egg I credit with helping me conceive my second baby, mums-to-be should avoid any alcohol consumption at all. Even one drink per week, she notes, has been associated with behavioural problems in later childhood.

My son, Jasper, was born healthy and has since hit all his milestones. And then, not long into motherhood, thank goodness, I found a drug  naltrexone  that brought my drinking problem under control for good.

I knew deep down, given my past, that while I had largely got away with the excessive amounts of alcohol I had knocked back throughout most of my adult life, I didnt want to keep flirting with disaster now I was responsible for another human.

Somewhat dangerously, pre-Jasper, I had always been very convincing at cosplaying a relatively sober person, even when blackout drunk. I didnt slur my words or wobble. I did most of my drinking alone.

Yet it was clear my tolerance was creeping ever upwards and I was beginning to depend on it, such that the itch to pop open the cork started around 4pm each day like clockwork.

Im proud to report that I didnt fall back into that pattern after Jasper was born  but I fantasised about it often and it would only have been a matter of time, Im sure. On the few occasions in the first few years of Jaspers life when I wasnt in charge of him  two solo work trips, for example  I guzzled wine with reckless abandon as soon as I was able to.

And so when I came across an article on naltrexone, the little-known medication that would change my life, I knew I had to try it. This pill has a lot in common with Ozempic-type drugs in that it erases cravings and cures overconsumption to a staggering extent in a very short timeframe. In a nutshell, it stops alcohol from being moreish.

When its taken according to the Sinclair Method  developed in the late 1980s by Dr John David Sinclair, an addiction specialist at the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies  an hour before drinking, the drug inhibits the dopamine produced by alcohol and kills off the reward loop that urges us to drink it.

In the simplest terms, it switches off the part of your brain that usually associates alcohol with that flood of warm euphoria that keeps you coming back for more.

Unlike abstinence-based models such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which require you to stop drinking altogether, the Sinclair Method actually needs you to keep consuming alcohol.

It just stops it from being pleasurable, meaning that very quickly your mind stops yearning for booze.

It must be prescribed, and obtained privately. Naltrexone is available on the NHS to treat alcoholism but for a variety of reasons isnt much used.

The drug has been out of patent worldwide since 1998, so theres no real money to be made by Big Pharma and little incentive for them to promote it to doctors.

It also falls outside typical GP budgets because it has to be prescribed off label  when a drug is issued for a condition it is not approved for.

I got mine from the Sinclair Method UK, a clinic where packages start at 449 for the phone consultation, prescriptions (the pills cost an extra 100 for 28 tablets) and three months of counselling.

For me, its effect was extraordinary, taking less than a week for results that have lasted permanently. From the very first time I took Naltrexone and then started on my favourite wine, nothing happened.

There were no unpleasant effects  the alcohol just failed to produce any response, and I swiftly gave up and tipped the rest of my second glass down the sink, a previously unthinkable feat.

I took the drug a few more times after that  popping a pill an hour before every occasion on which I might be tempted by booze  and then stopped because I no longer needed it. That length of time was enough, it seems, to completely rewire my brain.

To this day, the sight of a crisp glass of chardonnay no longer triggers longing. Its as if Ive been reset to those pre-teen years before alcohol meant so much to me. Even without the pill, its just a neutral, slightly bitter-tasting liquid now.

The clinical trials back up my own experience with Naltrexone. The Sinclair Method has close to an 80 per cent success rate at getting patients to drastically reduce or eliminate drinking altogether.

This pregnancy has therefore been very different, without that wretched monster on my back.

Ive been on holiday, at booze-filled social occasions and even around my father, and its been bafflingly easy simply to turn down the offer of drinking that one ceremonial glass I so coveted last time.

I feel infinitely calmer now, without so much mental energy going into managing cravings or rationalising an occasional slip-up.

For any pregnant or planning-to-conceive women who endure similar struggles to those I once had, Dr Janey Merron from Sinclair Method UK who prescribed me with naltrexone, says the drug can be taken in pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the risks.

For women who cant quit on their own or who are physically dependent on alcohol, Ill treat them with naltrexone, she tells me.

Of course, you should always see your own doctor if youre pregnant, or want to be, and think you have a drink problem.

Ill always feel a little guilty that I drank while I was expecting Jasper. Minimal though the amount was, its a reflection of just how overly precious alcohol was to me.

And I couldnt be more grateful to have found a solution to a nearly lifelong problem I simply hadnt been able to crack on my own. Jasper, and his soon to be sister, will no doubt have a better mother because of it.
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The saying too much of a good thing is never more true than when talking to a beauty editor.

Testing an abundance of free product samples, treatments and new wave facials for your job might sound like a dream but, in reality, it can lead to the skin condition perioral dermatitis, or what I call the beauty editors curse.

Perioral dermatitis (PD for short), according to consultant dermatologist Dr Ellie Rashid, is a common inflammatory skin condition that causes small red bumps and pustules, usually around the mouth, nose or eyes.

It can feel itchy and burn but you can also feel nothing at all. It typically affects adult women and, Dr Rashid adds, often looks like a cross between acne and rosacea. And its directly linked to using too much product.

Like many beauty editors, Id developed a habit of introducing new serums, actives, masks and cleansers into my routine, all in the name of research.

Its the real-life equivalent of the TikTok trend for displaying a nightly beauty regime using ten different products.

Id done this for years until, suddenly, in May, the skin by my mouth became angry, itchy and covered in red bumps.

Emma North suffered from the skin condition perioral dermatitis, or what she calls the beauty editors curse, due to testing an abundance of free product samples, treatments and new wave facials for her job

Assuming it was acne, I reached for the salicylic acid-based spot treatments and pimple patches Ive always relied on. But as the weeks passed, my skin got redder, more itchy, and the bumps spread across my mouth and around my eyes.

No woman would be thrilled, but for a beauty editor like me, it was difficult. I contacted Dr Rashid at OneWelbeck Clinic in London, who diagnosed me with a textbook case of perioral dermatitis.

Even though PD can be tricky to spot there are key differences between it and acne, says Dr Rashid.

PD doesnt typically have blackheads or deep cysts and the rash tends to spare the skin immediately around the lips and may be more inflamed or itchy than acne. It can also worsen with standard acne care.

Treatment here takes a less is more approach.

Switch to a gentle, basic skincare routine and avoid heavy or fragranced products, explains Dr Rashid. Topical anti-inflammatories such as metronidazole or azelaic acid may help but more persistent or inflammatory cases often require a course of prescribed oral antibiotics such as doxycycline or lymecycline.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Emma stripped back her skincare routine to its bare bones  just a plain cleanser and moisturiser

Avenes Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream Avenes Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream, 10  and pledged to give up testing new products

Following her advice, I stripped back my skincare routine to its bare bones  just a plain cleanser and moisturiser (Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, 11.50, and Avenes Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream, 10).

I pledged to give up testing new products and took a six-week course of antibiotics, plus a prescription-strength dose of azelaic acid cream twice a day. Within days, my skin began to improve.

Why people develop PD isnt fully understood but most experts believe a compromised skin barrier plays a key role.

Several triggers are known, says Dr Rashid. These can include topical steroid creams, steroid inhalers, heavy or occlusive skincare products [those that prevent moisture loss, such as beeswax], fluoride-containing toothpaste, hormonal fluctuations and preservatives in cosmetics. Barrier disruption and skin sensitivity are often part of the picture.

When I spoke to fellow beauty journalist Lauren Wigley, she shared her experience of the beauty editors curse.

I noticed spots on my skin so I attacked them with a mixture of acids and benzoyl peroxide, but the flare-ups kept coming. Eventually, I was offered a six-week course of oral antibiotics by my doctor. Fortunately, these worked.

I keep harsh actives away from the lower half of my face and stick to a simple, consistent skincare routine.

An after photo shows Emma with clear skin. She advises seeing a skin expert or dermatologist to identify the problem and treat it correctly

PD is common but appears to be on the rise. I see more people with it than I used to, says Dr Emma Craythorne, consultant dermatologist and founder of Klira skincare.

Even celebrities arent immune  Hailey Bieber and Amanda Seyfried have spoken about their struggles with it.

This rise may be linked to the amount of skincare were applying. Popular ten-step routines, viral products and increasingly strong actives mean overloading our skin.

Were seeing a lot of perioral dermatitis to do with the high number of products, says Dr Craythorne. This will affect the skin barrier and may cause a change in skin microbiome.

Once your PD clears up, how do you stop it from coming back? Avoid overloading your skin with multiple products or switching routines frequently, says Dr Rashid. Choose non-fragranced, non-occlusive skincare. Introduce new products one at a time.

Where many go wrong, myself included, is misdiagnosing symptoms.

My advice? See a skin expert or dermatologist to identify what youre dealing with and treat it correctly. Then you can pinpoint your triggers and, with a bit of luck, put PD behind you for good.
Parents are expected to spend over 300 per child on back-to-school items this year, according to new research.

With term time fast approaching, parents across the UK will now be preparing to take their young ones shopping to gather their term-time essentials before the start of the new academic year.

Though parents have always felt the financial burden of purchasing back-to-school items, children are reportedly now requesting more expensive products that surpass the essentials, such as Stanley Cups and bag charms.

Haul culture on social media is thought to be one of the biggest culprits behind the shift, as children watch others reel off their extravagant new items purchased for school on TikTok and wish to recreate them.

New research from Nationwide found that parents expect to spend a staggering 329 per child on their term-time needs, up 137 from the previous year.

Parents told the bank that they believe trends and influencer recommendations are shifting expectations and ramping up the pressure on them to spend more on the back-to-school shop.

In the study, which spoke to over 2,000 parents, over a third agreed that social media is to blame for influencing their child's list of 'must-haves'. There is currently 143,000 videos on TikTok under the hashtag #backtoschool shopping.

One user, Mya from the UK, shared her 'mini back to school haul' on TikTok, which included a 120 Longchamp bag, a 24 perfume from Sol de Janeiro, and a pair of running trainers.

Parents are expecting to spend more on their children's back-to-school shops as demands from their offspring grow. (Pictured: UK-based TikTok user @messyliplinerbabe, who went to Selfridges and Harrods for her haul)

Another user who goes by @messyliplinerbabe racked up over 180 thousand views on her haul, which she went to London to purchase, including items from Selfridges, Harrods, and makeup from Charlotte Tilbury.

Cosmetics were also a priority for Mads, who has over one million TikTok followers. The user went to Boots to buy lip liners, three lipsticks, an eyelash curler, three mascaras, plus more in preparation for school.

Meanwhile, TikTok user Diana said she's using the upcoming term as 'an excuse to shop', and visited celebrity-loved brands alo, Glossier, and Brandy Melville for the shopping spree.

She added in the caption that she was funding the trip, writing, 'Damaging my card right now.'

Elsewhere in the study, parents also reported that the focus is now less on notebooks, pencil cases, and highlighters because their young ones are focused on having the latest athleisure wear for their PE kit, bag charms, new phones, and new make-up.

Over half of the sample admitted to feeling pressure to spend beyond their means, while almost a third said that they are relying on saving throughout the year to fulfil their children's needs.

Personal financial expert, Sue Hayward, said, 'Back to school is an expensive time of year as research shows some parents spend over 300 kitting their children out for the new school term.

'Pester power caused by social media trends can bring an added financial headache for families, with one in three saying they feel under pressure to spend beyond their means.

A content creator called Mads (pictured), who has over one million followers, purchased new makeup for her haul

TikTok user @lifestyledailydiana said she was 'damaging' her card while shopping for 'back to school' items at shops like alo

'Cash-strapped parents can save by stocking up on basics like polo tops, jumpers, and stationery with supermarket deals, and it's also worth looking for 'nearly new' uniforms on sites such as Vinted and eBay.

'With branded uniform, buying 'outgrown' items through the school or your local Facebook group can also help save money. And local councils may offer financial help with school uniform costs, depending on where you live.'

Elsewhere, mother-of-one to a five-year-old Sophie Wilson told Nationwide how she will manage the costs of her child's back-to-school shop. 'This year we'll be spending around 200 on back-to-school items, with school trainers and shoes topping the list.

'We're very fortunate that our school has a great second-hand clothing shop, run by the Parents' Association, so I tend to buy all my daughter's school-branded items from there and then supplement them with additional t-shirts and tights bought during the high-street sales.

'I've also found reselling apps such as Vinted to be a way to save. I've often bought school shoes from Vinted because they tend to be hardly worn. Usually, a parent has just bought the wrong size or the child has suddenly had a growth spurt, and they come in at about 50 per cent of the cost.'

While Sophie is looking to spend 200 for her child, money saving expert at Money Wellness, Rebecca Routledge, predicted that the average parent might be spending up to 250 per child, even when saying no to luxury items.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Routledge said, 'Back-to-school shopping can quickly add up. The average parent might spend anywhere between 100 and 250 per child, depending on their age.

'For younger children, the main costs are usually uniform and shoes, while for older children, you may also need to budget for PE kits, scientific calculators, or even laptops.

TikTok user @thedonnellyedit (pictured) said she picked up extra work to meet the costs of the back-to-school shop

'The essentials really are quite simple: a school bag (around 1530), a pair of sturdy school shoes (4060), basic uniform (around 50100 depending on the school's requirements), PE kit (2040) and stationery (as little as 1015 if you shop smart).

'Anything beyond that, like branded water bottles, designer trainers or premium stationery, is a 'nice to have' rather than a 'need to have'.

'It's important parents don't feel pressured into stretching their budgets for items that are more about fashion than function. It's perfectly reasonable to say no to expensive extras and explain that sticking to essentials ensures there's enough money left for the household's priorities.'

Parents have vented about the rising costs of back-to-school items on TikTok, with UK-based mother Zoe Campbell, 35, calling the prices 'insane'.

She said she was 'absolutely shocked' at the cost of her son's back-to-school shop.

'It's absolutely insane when you think of the amount of money you need to spend on going back to school just to learn. Even unbranded clothes are expensive.'

Elsewhere, TikTok user Kate, who goes by @thedonellyedit, said the cost of her children's school shops led her to 'say yes to extra income'.

Kate explained that, even before a child's added luxuries, the basic uniforms can set a family back significantly.

She wrote, '47 for one school skirt. And that's before you even add in shirts, shoes, PE kits, and everything else that comes with back-to-school season.

'The reality is, these costs creep up quickly  and for so many families it's a real stress point.

'That's why I'm so thankful I said yes to starting my travel business. The commissions I earn mean that instead of worrying about where that extra 47 is coming from, I can let my side income cover it.'
A mother who catfished her daughter anonymously for over a year has revealed her motive for sending vitriolic harassment to the teenager and her boyfriend.

Kendra Licari from Michigan was exposed as the person behind an unknown number that plagued Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend Owen McKenny, who were both 13 at the time, with 'hundreds of thousands' of abusive and aggressive messages.

After it emerged that Kendra was responsible for stalking Lauryn and sending the awful messages, she was arrested and sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison after she pled guilty to two counts of assaulting a minor.

Speaking in Netflix's new documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, Kendra revealed some of the reasons that led to her behaviour.

The 44-year-old insisted that she did not send the first messages Lauryn had received from an unknown number that claimed Owen was going to break up with her - but admitted that she continued them.

Kendra said, 'The messages stopped for a little bit and then they picked back up. In my mind, I'm like, 'How long do we let this go on? What do I do as a parent?''

'Honestly, the best way would have been to stop it by shutting her cell phone down, right? But then I was like, 'Well, why should she have to do that?' You know? 'Why should I have to get her a new cell phone because of someone else's actions?'

'I really wanted to get to the bottom of who it was,' she claimed. 'And that's when I started sending the text messages to Lauryn and Owen.'

Kendra Licari (pictured), 44, from Michigan, confessed to sending her teenage daughter and her former boyfriend 'hundreds of thousands' of anonymous abusive messages between 2020 and 2021

Kendra continued to explain that she was messaging the teenagers 'in hopes that maybe they would send back, asking 'Is this somebody?' or 'Is this so-and-so?' to just kind of give me something'.

She claimed that she also hoped the teenagers would discuss the messages amongst their other friends and, as a result, 'something might come up that could help pinpoint where they were originating from'.

'I started in the thoughts of needing some answers, and then I just kept going, it was a spiral, kind of a snowball effect, I don't think I knew how to stop. I was somebody different in those moments. I was in an awful place mentally. It was like I had a mask on or something, I didn't even know who I was.'

Kendra had lost both her jobs during the period she had been sending Lauryn and Owen the messages, but told her family she was still working. It was only when she was caught by police that she admitted she had been let go.

She said she would spend anywhere between an hour to eight hours a day texting the children. 'I let it consume me,' she said.

'I think it was more of an escape. It took me kind of out of real life, in a sense, even though it was real life. So when I was doing that and I wasn't myself, it removed me from my everyday life. Just kept going and going.'

Kendra also addressed the messages where she referred to her daughter's body type and said, 'Lauryn knows she's skinny, she knows she's petite, she knows she's thin, so I might have kind of picked up on some of her insecurities.

'But honestly, the messages weren't really targeted at her insecurities,' she said. The director asked if she was actually sending the messages to herself, to which Kendra replied: 'That is very well possibly [sic] because I was way too thin. I was not eating. So you could put me in that anorexic category.'

Kendra would sometimes spend eight hours a day sending messages to her daughter and her former partner

Pictured: The moment that police came into the McKenny family home to confront Kendra about the messages (pictured Kendra and Lauryn)

Kendra admitted to sending the hateful messages (pictured: Shawn, Kendra, and Lauryn Mckenny)

Lauryn Licari and her former boyfriend, Owen McKenny (pictured together), became victims to a months-long cyberbullying attack at the hands of Lauryn's mother

Asked if she was afraid Lauryn would hurt herself, because some of the messages Kendra had sent told the young girl to 'kill herself', the former IT worker said: 'So, I can say I was not scared of her hurting herself.

'I know some people may question that or diminish that or whatever. But I know Lauryn and I know the conversations that her and I have. But if I didn't know her as well as I did, it might be different.'

Superintendent Bill Chillman told the documentary that he believed the whole incident was a 'cyber Munchausen's case'.

He explained: '[Kendra] wanted her daughter to need her in such a way that she was willing to hurt her, and this is the way she chose to do that, versus physically trying to make her ill, which is typical Munchausen's behaviour.'

Recalling the moment she was exposed as the perpetrator of the abusive messages, Kendra said: 'It was a very emotional day in our house.

'A day of confusion, unknown answers, shock, a day of not even knowing how we move forward to the next day, so it was a hard day, but at the same time, it was an end.'

She added: 'Every single one of us makes mistakes, not a single one of us has lived a perfect life, and realistically a lot of us have probably broken the law at some point or another and not gotten caught.'

Kendra is not currently allowed to see her daughter but hopes to have a relationship with her in the future.

Lauryn said that the messages changed the way she thought about herself and impacted her mental health

Owen McKenny (pictured) and his former girlfriend started receiving messages before Halloween in 2020

The mother pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a minor and was sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison

Lauryn's father Shawn Licari (pictured) was clueless to his wife's actions - and was devastated to discover the truth

Lauryn and Owen's lives were turned upside down when they became victims of Kendra's cyberbullying campaign - despite their relationship starting off like any other high school romance.

The pair first met in seventh grade, when Lauryn was 12. Thanks to their shared interests in sports, among other things, they hit it off.

Their families supported the relationship, and Kendra became close friends with Owen's mother, Jill McKenny. 'They were like a high school couple from a movie,' Jill said.

But just months into their relationship, the plot became something of a horror show when the students started to receive messages claiming that Owen was going to break up with his girlfriend and that he was enjoying an intimate relationship with an anonymous texter.

'Hi Lauryn, Owen is breaking up with you,' the text began, continuing, 'He no longer likes you and hasn't liked you for a while.

'It's obvious he wants me. He laughs, smiles, and touches my hair.' The text added, 'We are both down to f***. You are a sweet girl but I know I can give him what he wants, sorry not sorry.'

It marked the start of a harrowing two years for the children and their families, but after months of searching for the sender, matters only worsened for Lauryn when the FBI discovered her mother was behind the attacks.

Kendra spent months stalking and bullying her daughter, telling her to 'jump off a bridge', and the messages only worsened as time went on.

Owen's mother, Jill McKenny (pictured), said her son's relationship with Lauryn was like a film at first

Owen said that Kendra's behaviour towards him during his relationship with Lauryn wasn't normal

Superintendent Bill Chillman (pictured) branded the messages that the students received as 'vulgar'

In October 2020, Owen was invited to an annual Halloween party held by his friend and fellow Beal City student Khloe Wilson.

Owen wanted Lauryn to attend as his plus one, but she declined because, as Owen put it in Netflix's new documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, 'She wasn't a fan of the girls in our grade, she just wanted it to be me and her and no one else.'

It was then that Lauryn received the first text message, which included a line explaining that the texter was going to be at the Halloween party, and that they are 'down to f***'.

Recalling the moment she received the text, which was from an unknown number, Lauryn said, 'I was just really confused of who this could be'.

After the Halloween party, the texts stopped, and circumstances appeared to improve for Lauryn, but 11 months later, she received the following message from a different random number.

'How's the happy couple? Preparing for the end of a golden relationship? We hear about how you are the forever couple. Owen loves me, and I will always be the girl he loves. He will be with me while your lonely, ugly a** is alone.'

Discussing the messages, Lauryn said, 'It seemed like the text messages were trying to make me and Owen break up. I knew it wasn't somebody I knew because I would've had their phone number saved in my phone.'

Lauryn tried to call the number to figure out the person's identity, but her attempts failed. She couldn't block the number either because the sender was using a random number generator.

Police confronted Kendra about the messages after they traced the anonymous calls and texts to her phone number

'I was getting at least six text messages a day,' Lauryn said, which included the following, 'Trash b****, don't wear leggings ain't no one want to see your anorexic flat a**.'

'I would question what I'd wear to school,' Lauryn said of the message's impact, adding, 'It definitely affected how I thought about myself.'

Despite Lauryn and Owen being 13, the messages often included topics of a sexual nature.

Lauryn and Owen's friends and family banded together to try to figure out who was responsible for the messages, and due to the details included in the texts, they thought it must be someone in their circle.

Her parents reassured her that everything was fine, while Owen's parents took his phone away every night and read the messages, which sometimes totaled 50 per day.

One year after Lauryn and Owen received the first message, the four parents went into the school in the hopes that they might find the perpetrator.

Principal Dan Boyer recalled, 'When they showed me some of the text messages, I was astounded.'

At the same time, the police became involved in the case, including Superintendent Chillman.

Kendra claimed she initially started messaging Lauryn and Owen in search of 'answers' as she insisted she did not send the first messages and wanted to 'get to the bottom' of the issue

Recalling the moment she was exposed as the perpetrator of the abusive messages, Kendra said: 'It was a very emotional day in our house'

'They were vulgar and nasty enough to make a 53-yearold man blush,' Chillman said, adding, 'The evidence was extraordinary.'

The messages became the hot topic of the school, with Boyer and Chillman pulling students out of class and installing cameras in an attempt to get to the bottom of the problem, but after 13 months, they still couldn't locate the source.

Around the same time, the messages started to strain Lauryn and Owen's relationship, causing him to call off their two-year romance. The pair now no longer talk to one another.

He hoped that the decision would give the texter what they wanted and that they would stop the messages, but after the breakup, the messages worsened.

Lauryn received messages such as, 'He thinks you're ugly', 'He thinks you're trash', 'We won', and 'You're worthless.'

The texter also told Lauryn to kill herself, 'Finish yourself or we will #bang', among other vile messages regarding physical harm.

'When I first read that, I was totally in shock, it made me feel bad, I was in a bad mental state,' Lauryn said.

After 15 months since the first message, the state police got involved, including Sheriff Mike Main.

By the Spring of 2022, Owen's parents were sleepless while their son was receiving messages throughout the night.

At the same time, Lauryn's family was breaking down while also grappling with financial issues.

In April, Sheriff Main sought the help of the FBI in putting an end to the case, and presented the pages of messages to a liaison, which finally led the months-long search to Lauryn's mother, who has a background in IT.

FBI liaison Peter Bradley tracked down the IP addresses and linked it to Kendra's devices. 'I really didn't know what to say,' Bradley said.

22 months after Lauryn and Owen received the messages, police secured a search warrant and questioned Kendra, who admitted to sending the messages.

The admission caused shockwaves in Lauryn's family, including for her father, who had no idea about his wife's actions, as well as Owen's parents, who became close friends with Kendra.

Owen said, 'I was just speechless, I didn't know how to handle it. My head was spinning. How could a mum do such a thing? It's crazy that someone so close could do something like that to me, but also to her own daughter.'

Owen's mother added, 'I think she became obsessed with Owen, which is hard being a mum and that she's a grown woman but I think that there's some kind of relationship that she wanted to have with Owen that obviously is not acceptable at her age.'

'She would randomly just text him and try to keep a connection with him, she came to all of his sporting events even after him and Lauryn broke up. This is disgusting.'

Owen agreed, saying, 'It felt like she was attracted to me. She was super friendly.' He added, 'It wasn't like it was my girlfriend's mum, it felt like it was something more. She would do things for me, she would cut my own steak for me, it was too weird.'

Despite the findings, Lauryn, who is now in college studying criminology, still longs to have a relationship with her mother.

She said, 'Not having a relationship with my mum, I just don't feel like myself. I really need her in my life.'

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is available to watch on Netflix.
Aldi has launched the UK's first gender reveal caterpillar cake to cater to the millions of millennial Brits who now mark the moment with family and friends.

The budget supermarket known for its Specialbuys has made its chocolatey Cuthbert Cake available in two versions to provide parents-to-be with the perfect way to reveal whether they are having a boy or a girl.

Those expecting a girl can plump for a caterpillar cake filled with pink buttercream while those having a boy can opt for a version with blue buttercream.

To help build suspense in the moments prior to cutting the cake, both Cuthberts are decorated with blue and pink chocolate beans.

Aldi's new gender reveal cake, which has been created to celebrate babies being born in September, comes as research conducted by the supermarket revealed that 58 per cent of millennial Brits (those aged 29-44) have marked gender reveal moments.

In addition, 48 per cent of Gen Zs (those aged 13-28) have attended an average of three gender reveal parties in the last five years.

Aldi's limited-edition cake is available from today through an exclusive customer competition - and winners won't have to pay a penny for it.

Those hoping to get their hands on one of the gender reveal caterpillar cakes are required to send an email with their full name, why they or a loved one would be the ideal recipient of this cake, address of their closest Aldi store and the gender of their baby to GenderRevealCuthbert@aldi.co.uk.

Aldi has launched a limited-edition gender reveal caterpillar cake. Two versions are available, with one containing blue buttercream and the other filled with pink buttercream

The new Cuthbert cake is available via a competition running until September 14 and will be free of charge for all winners

The competition runs from September 2-September 14, closing at 11:59pm on that date.

Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: 'We know how special gender reveal moments can be for expectant parents, so we wanted to offer something fun for shoppers to help mark the occasion.

'And what better way to do it than by transforming our popular Cuthbert Cake!'

Aldi's Cuthbert cake, which first landed on shelves in 2019, was voted shoppers' favourite product in a nationwide survey last year.

In research carried out this August, the German-born supermarket also found that, with traditional baby names seeing a decline in popularity, 5 per cent of Brits would consider calling their child Cuthbert.

Yet, parents who want to see their children grow up to rival the world's richest men and women, might do well to return to more classic names, according to a new study.

Selecting a name for a baby can be one of the most agonising decisions new mothers and fathers have to make - but, for those focused on the financial success of their offspring, it may be simpler than people think.

For, while new parents increasingly plump for novel names - think Fox for a boy and River for a girl - they're missing a trick if research by gambling site Gamblizard, via The Sun, is anything to go by.

Researchers at the site set to work analysing Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires list to discover the 10 most common names among the globe's most wealthy people - and the results were revealing.

According to Aldi's research, 58 per cent of millennial Brits now mark gender reveals

It appears that classic names, including some which derive from the Bible, number most highly amongst today's 2,700 billionaires.

And, with 50 of those 2,700 called Michael (or versions of it), that was the moniker that came out on top.

Gamblizard noted: 'Accounting for one per cent of the world's richest people, prominent Michaels include tech tycoon Michael Dell and media mogul Michael Bloomberg - who have each amassed fortunes in excess of $100bn.'

According to the results of the site's analysis, parents who want to give their kids the best chance of financial success would also do well to choose the biblical name John.

Chocolatier John Mars, worth 30.7 billion, and founder of home improvement stores John Menard, worth 15.8 billion, are just two prominent Johns among the world's 46 billionaires with the name.

The third most common name in Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires list is Andrew, which appears 31 times, followed by David in fourth place and Marc/Mark in fifth place.

Next came George and Carl in joint sixth place while Eric and James were the just behind. And, in tenth place was Jeff tied with Jim and Li.

The world's fourth richest man is, of course, a Jeff. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has amassed a fortune of 179.8 billion.

A new study suggests parents who want to see their children succeed financially should choose traditional names (stock photo)

While women constitute only 13 per cent of global billionaires, the Gamblizard study still indicates that certain female names may increase girls' chances of achieving tremendous financial wealth.

And, as with the male names that appear to be linked with success, these tend to be traditional monikers, with Maria (and versions of it) taking the top spot.

Of the world's 369 female billionaires, 10 are called Maria, including Maria Bianchi, the fashion designer and businesswoman who heads Italian high-end labels Prada and Miu Miu.

Today known as Miuccia Prada, she is reportedly worth almost 3.9 billion.

After Maria came Catherine and Anna, including one of the Walmart heiresses, Ann Walton Kroenke, while there are also five Susans and five Elizabeths amongst the world's richest women.

Alexandra and Christine came in joint sixth place while Julia, Alice and Wu were next.

Notably, the richest woman on the planet is an Alice, specifically Alice Walton, who, as the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is worth 78.5 billion.

It appears that classic names, including some which derive from the Bible, number most highly amongst today's 2,700 billionaires (stock image)

TOP 10 BOYS' NAMES FOR SUCCESS 1. Michael 2. John 3. Andrew 4. David 5. Marc 6. George 7. Carl 8. Eric 9. James 10. Jeff Advertisement

TOP 10 GIRLS' NAMES FOR SUCCESS 1. Maria 2. Catherine 3. Anna 4. Susan 5. Elizabeth 6. Alexandra 7. Christine 8. Julia 9. Alice 10. Wu Advertisement

There are, of course, some obvious exceptions, most notably the world's richest man, Elon Musk, whose first name has both soared in popularity and suffered serious slumps in recent years.

Jamie Wall, a casino analyst and personal finance strategist at Gamblizard told the publication: 'Research shows 48 per cent of people believe luck and fate are key to success  so starting with a lucky name doesn't sound like a bad idea.

'It may just be a coincidence, but don't underestimate the power of belief. If a billionaire name inspires you to believe in your child's potential and support their journey, that alone can make all the difference.'
Chinese film on Nanjing Massacre highlights history, peace message in Tanzania

Xinhua) 09:14, September 01, 2025

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A newly released Chinese film titled "Dead to Rights," depicting the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, was screened on Saturday evening in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam, drawing strong reactions from audiences, including overseas Chinese, and underscoring the role of film in preserving history and promoting peace.

Drawing on verified photographic evidence of Japanese atrocities during World War II, the film tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who seek refuge in a photography studio during the brutal occupation of the Chinese city of Nanjing by Japanese aggressors in 1937.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian said the screening serves as a reminder of the atrocities of war and the importance of cherishing peace.

"After watching this film, no one can remain unmoved. It reminds us to learn from history, safeguard the outcomes of World War II, and uphold peace for all peoples," she said.

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The ambassador emphasized that Africa, including Tanzanian soldiers, also made sacrifices during the global conflict, which remains a shared history of all nations.

She also encouraged more exchanges in the film sector, including translating Chinese films into Kiswahili and showcasing Tanzanian productions in China. Kiswahili, also known as the Swahili language, is one of Africa's most widely spoken languages, serving as a lingua franca across East and Central Africa.

Gervas Kasiga, executive secretary of the Tanzania Film Board, echoed this sentiment, stressing that film plays a vital role in telling untold stories, fostering mutual understanding, and promoting people-to-people ties.

"Film allows us to confront the cruelty of history and inspires us to ensure such tragedies never happen again," said Kasiga. "Through culture, and especially film, we can deepen the long-standing friendship between Tanzania and China."

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
Global Suspension of Goods Mail to the USA Affects Gibraltar Post Office

The Royal Gibraltar Post Office (RGPO) wishes to inform the public that, in line with postal administrations worldwide, it has temporarily had to suspend the acceptance of postal items containing goods destined for the United States of America.

This measure follows the White House Executive Order of 30 July 2025, which introduced new requirements for the handling and customs processing of inbound goods mail. As a result, Royal Mail and other European and international postal operators have suspended the transit of parcels and goods to the USA. Gibraltar, as part of this global network, is equally affected.

This suspension applies only to postal items containing goods. Standard letters, documents, and correspondence not containing goods will continue to be processed and delivered to the USA as normal. The RGPO has already contacted regular service users affected by this measure. Importantly, there are currently no mail items stranded en route.

The RGPO is actively engaged with Royal Mail and international postal partners to restore services as soon as possible. Updates will be provided to the public as more information becomes available.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank the public for their understanding during this period of international disruption.

For further information or assistance, members of the public are encouraged to contact the RGPO Customer Service Centre at:

General Enquiries Tel: +350 200 75714

E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hollywood legend Kim Novak made a rare public appearance at the Venice Film Festival this week.

The Vertigo actress, 92, was there to accept a lifetime achievement award, but it was her age-defying appearance that had a lot of fans talking.

Novak, who has admitted to doing cosmetic work in the past, looked much younger than her 92 years.

Her skin was taught and smooth, and her cheeks were plump and youthful.

She looked every inch the glamorous movie star in a slinky black dress with a silk shawl wrapped around her shoulders to cover her decolletage.

Fans online were stunned by her timeless look, with one writing, 'She was such a beautiful and talented actress back in the day.'

Another commented, 'Why so much cosmetic surgery? She'd be better without it.'

'For someone who complained about being beautiful in her youth, she's clearly had a lot of surgery to avoid looking old,' wrote another.

Hollywood legend Kim Novak made a rare public appearance at the Venice Film Festival this week

The actress, now 92, was there to accept a lifetime achievement award

A fourth commented, 'She's one of the best actresses to ever grace the screen.'

Novak's appearance famously caused a stir back in 2014 when she attended the Oscars with a noticeably puffier face, which drew widespread criticism from viewers.

Even Donald Trump weighed in on her look, tweeting at the time, 'Kim should sue her plastic surgeon!'

Addressing the backlash in an open letter on Facebook, Novak wrote, 'After my appearance on the Oscars this year, I read all the jabs. I know what Donald Trump and others said, and I'm not going to deny that I had fat injections in my face.'

She continued, 'They seemed far less invasive than a facelift. It was done in 2012 for the TCM interview special. In my opinion, a person has a right to look as good as they can, and I feel better when I look better.'

Novak is currently promoting a documentary about her life called Kim Novak's Vertigo.

She addresses the ageing process in the film, saying at one point, 'It's not easy getting old. I'm feeling it's close to the end.'

Novak burst onto the scene in Hollywood in the early '50s, in films such as 1954's Phffft opposite Jack Lemmon, Picnic the following year with William Holden, and 1957's Pal Joey with Frank Sinatra.

Novak, who has admitted to doing cosmetic work in the past, looked much younger than her 92 years

Fans online were stunned by her timeless look, with one writing, 'She was such a beautiful and talented actress back in the day'

Another fan commented, 'Why so much cosmetic surgery? She'd be better without it'

But it was two films with Hollywood megastar Jimmy Stewart in 1958  Bell Book and Candle and especially Vertigo  that would make her a household name.

'There was constant pressure to be seen and not heard, especially if you had a pretty face,' she wrote in her 2021 book Kim Novak: Her Art and Life.

'In Hollywood a lot of people assume who you are, because of the character you play, but also just because of who they expect you to be, how they expect you to dress,' she said.

'I kept feeling like I was going deeper and deeper, lost in almost like a quicksand, where it's swallowing you up, your own personality, and I'd started to wonder who I am,' Novak explained. 'I realized needed to save myself.'

And that was why the actress famously left Tinseltown and drove north, eventually moving to the Pacific coast of Oregon.

'I needed the Pacific Ocean to inspire me, the animals, the beauty,' the Chicago native said. 'I wanted to live a normal life and a life with animals.'

Novak married her second husband Robert Malloy, an equine veterinarian whom she referred to as her 'soul mate', in 1976, and the pair remained together until his death in 2020.

'I don't feel 87,' she told People in 2021. 'I don't keep track of the time. If I did, I'd be an old lady and I'm not an old lady. I'm still riding my horse. I stay as healthy as I can.'
Anna Wintour has reportedly decided who will take the helm as the new head of editorial content at Vogue - and it's supposedly Chloe Malle.

According to a new report published Monday by Puck News, Wintour is set to make the announcement as early as Tuesday.

Currently, Malle, who is the daughter of Candice Bergen and the late director Louis Malle, is the head of Vogue.com.

A graduate of Brown University, she first joined Vogue in 2011 and has steadily risen through the ranks.

In 2023, she was named an editor at the magazine, and she also co-hosts The Run-Through with Vogue podcast.

Her editorial portfolio includes high-profile interviews with a range of public figures.

She spoke with Lauren Sanchez, 55, for the magazine's cover story earlier this year, having previously interviewed her in 2023.

She has also profiled Fran Lebowitz, Jenna Lyons, Fran Drescher, and Margot Robbie, among others.

Anna Wintour has reportedly decided who will take the helm as the new head of editorial content at Vogue - and it's supposedly Chloe Malle

According to a new report published Monday by Puck News, Wintour is set to make the announcement as early as Tuesday

In 2023, she was named an editor at the magazine, and she also co-hosts The Run-Through with Vogue podcast

However, according to Puck, Malle wasn't the only name that was being tossed out there.

Other potential candidates included W Magazine editor Sara Moonves, Stella Bugbee, editor of the Styles section at The New York Times, and Nicole Phelps, who runs both Vogue Business and Vogue Runway.

But per Puck, choosing Malle is 'the path of least resistance.'

In response to a request for comment from the Daily Mail, reps for Conde Nast declined to confirm or deny the reports about Malle.

The pick comes just a few months after Wintour announced in June that she would be stepping down from her longstanding role as head of editorial content at the famed fashion magazine.

Wintour will continue to hold her position as Conde Nast's global chief content officer and global editorial director at Vogue, and the new head of editorial content will report to her.

As chief content officer, Wintour oversees every brand globally, including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Conde Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appetit, Tatler, World of Interiors and Allure - among others.

Wintour first became editor in chief of Vogue in 1988 and is credited with completely transforming the famed fashion magazine.

The pick comes just a few months after Wintour announced in June that she would be stepping down from her longstanding role as head of editorial content at the famed fashion magazine

Wintour's first job was on the now defunct Harpers & Queen. Before Wintour took over at Vogue as the EIC she was its creative director in 1983

She is also behind making the Met Gala what it is today - a red carpet event attended by the fashion elite, as she handpicks the celebrities and makes sure to greet them personally.

Chief executive of Conde Nast, Roger Lynch, told Wall Street Journal at the time that it made sense for Wintour to step back from American Vogue so that she can focus on her other roles at the company, pointing out that she's been doing three jobs since 2020.

'This will enable her to make time for everyone who needs her,' he said.

Wintour's first job was on the now defunct Harpers & Queen. Before Wintour took over at Vogue as the EIC she was its creative director in 1983.

She then went back home to British Vogue, where she served as EIC from 1985 to 1987, before rejoining American Vogue.

Her famed covers included appearances from A-listers like Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Ivana Trump, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and more.

However, Wintour's time at Conde Nast has not been without controversy.

Most recently, she left Vanity Fair staff 'blindsided' over her surprising decision to appoint her daughter's friend to run the magazine.

She picked her daughter Bee Shaffer's close pal Mark Guiducci, 36, to run Vanity Fair following a high-profile search for the publication's next leader.
The unique plaques can be found at 272 London Underground stations

A tourist visiting London was left baffled over a strange symbol seen at an underground Tube station.

The curious visitor snapped a photo of a circular, black-and-white maze-like image on the wall at Piccadilly Circus station, and asked the Internet to explain what it meant.

In response, several people agreed they'd seen similar images during their own commutes - with some suggesting they were meaningless while others guessed they were maps of the station's passageways.

However, it was quickly revealed that the mazes were part of an art installation from 2013 to commemorate the London Underground's 150th anniversary.

Posting to Reddit, the tourist asked the meaning behind one of the artworks featured at 270 stations across the capital.

'What is this?' they simply asked, further explaining that they initially dismissed the artworks as advertisements.

'Then I noticed similar ones and started examining them out of aesthetic curiosity. Thats when I realised they were part of a series,' they said.

'But the seemingly random red cross at the bottom threw me off: if its a puzzle, it feels too simple for the effort and resources it must have taken to install; if its art, then whats the message?'

A curious London tourist snapped a photo of a circular, black-and-white maze-like image on the wall at Piccadilly Circus station, and appealed to the internet for answers

Many were familiar with the pictures, having seen them on their own commute. Some thought they were meaningless, while others guessed they were a map of the station's passageways (stock photo)

'It's a QR code from 1896,' one user joked, and another wrote: 'Pretty sure it is London Bank underground station map'. 'Doesnt look like anything to me,' a third added.

'A sign to advise not standing at the exit when you are leaving the station,' someone guessed. 'It's the fire escape route,' one user speculated.

Others cleared up the confusion and revealed that the images were part of a series of artworks called Labyrinth.

Designed by British artist Mark Wallinger, the works were created to commemorate 150 years of the London Underground in 2013 and have remained a permanent feature of stations since then.

Individual plaques were erected in 270 underground stations, one for each station of the world-famous transport network at the time of installation.

Ten years later, to mark the Underground's 160th anniversary, two more labyrinths were added in Battersea Power and Nine Elms stations, which had opened in 2021.

However, it was quickly revealed that the mazes were part of an art installation, called Labyrinth, from 2013 to commemorate the London Underground 's 150th anniversary (stock photo)

Each of the images follow the same pattern but have a slightly different geometric design and are placed in areas accessible to the public, like ticket halls, corridors and platforms.

They are typically a maze of pathways, which can be traced with a finger, leading from a circle in the middle to a red cross on the outer edge.

Each 60x60cm plaque is numbered in the order each station was visited during the Gusiness World Record Tube Challenge.

The challenge has been attempted numerous times since 1960 and sees participants try to ride the length of every Tube line, passing every station, in the quickest amount of time.

It comes after a Tube driver shared what it's really like to work on the London Underground.

Sarah Russell, 33, took to TikTok to share a day in the life working on the Bakerloo line - with Londoners hooked by her 'fascinating' insights.

The train driver explained that she has been doing the job for nearly eight years and 'absolutely loves it'.

Sarah says she prefers to work the late shift, which begins at 4.30pm and sees her drop off her final train at 1am.

Posting on TikTok under the username @tubedriversarah, she shared some surprising insights - including how many journeys she actually completes per shift to what drivers do if they need the toilet mid-journey.

Sarah explained that unlike office workers who can pop to the loo at their own discretion, drivers aren't allowed to stop unless in the case of an emergency - and must wait to relieve themselves.

'Hi, my name's Sarah and I've been Tube driver on the Bakerloo line for nearly eight years and I absolutely love it,' she said at the start of her video.

Sharing a glimpse into what the working day is like, Sarah revealed how she spends the day driving for the Bakerloo line, which is entirely driver-operated, while others are partially automated.

\While it may be a job many take for granted, Sarah explained that it is 'quite hard' to get into and requires a foot in the door with TfL and a clean bill of health.

Good concentration is also key, alongside an ability to keep calm in tricky situations. 'The minute the job goes up the wall, for example you get a defective train or other problems its very stressful,' she said.

And operating the tubes is no easy feat, as Sarah insisted that driving is a skill which must honed to manage 'the gradient, different weather types' as well as knowing 'your route knowledge well'.
Taking prebiotics and a protein powder at the same time could reduce your risk of dementia, a study suggests.

Scientists in the UK asked 36 twin pairs, all over 60 years old, to consume protein powder, and then gave only half a prebiotic, a supplement that can fuel the growth of good bacteria in the intestines.

After three months, scientists found that the twins who received both the powder and prebiotic scored better on cognitive tests than their counterparts.

They also made fewer mistakes on tasks designed to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cognitive disorder in old age that affects about 7million Americans.

Lead researcher Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn, a geriatrician at King's College London, said: 'We are excited to see these changes in just 12 weeks. This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our aging population.'

The team believes the prebiotic harnessed the gut-brain axis and promoted the growth of good bacteria in the intestines that reduced inflammation in the brain and improved cognition.

The 'gut-brain axis', a network linking the digestive tract and the nervous system and brain, has been thought to be a key link between digestion and mental health for years, with some scientists claiming that the trillions of microbes in the intestines may influence mood, behavior and cognition.

Conducting the study in twins reduced the chances the changes observed were because of genetics, but the study was small, and scientists said it needs to be repeated in a larger group in order to support its findings.

A study has found that two common supplements could help prevent dementia (stock image)

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Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say the gut-brain axis explains everyday sensations such as 'gut feelings' or 'butterflies' in the stomach, and others suggest a balanced microbiome, or community of bacteria in the intestines, can boost brain function.

There are even suggestions an unbalanced microbiome in the gut could be linked to a higher risk of autism in children, and a higher risk of depression, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Yet many experts caution that much of the research up to this point remains preliminary.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists gave all participants the protein powder BCAA, sold for about 70 cents a capsule and a common supplement used to boost muscle growth.

Half of the participants also received the prebiotic inulin, a type of fiber from roots, plus fructooligosaccharides, a type of carbohydrate found in plants and sometimes used as a low-calorie sweetener.

Prebiotic supplements are readily available online and in retailers and cost about $3 a pill.

Twins who received both the powder and prebiotic scored better on Paired Associates Learning (PAL) tests, or tests that involve matching similar images used to help recognize early signs of Alzheimer's.

Tests on stool samples revealed twins who received the prebiotic had higher levels of Bifidobacterium in their gut compared to those not taking the supplement.

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Bifidobacterium are healthy bacteria shown to boost the body's immune system, improve digestion and even potentially help those struggling with depression and anxiety.

The researchers wrote in their study: 'Our results demonstrate that cheap and readily available gut microbiome interventions may improve cognition in our ageing population.

'To confirm our findings, a larger study which includes a range of cognitive tests, alongside measures of effect and attention, and detailed microbiome measures is warranted.'

The researchers said their findings would only apply to healthy adults and not to those who had already developed dementia.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins say that there is a 'second brain' in the gut, or the enteric nervous system, formed of two thin layers of more than 100million nerve cells that line the gastrointestinal tract from the throat to the rectum.

The cells do not 'think' like in the brain, primarily being involved in digestion and the release of enzymes to break down food, but there is evidence that they send signals back to the brain that can trigger shifts in mood.

Some studies have already linked this to shifts in mood in those with irritable bowel disease, a chronic bowel pain disorder, and caused by constipation or diarrhea.

Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating condition that gradually robs sufferers of their abilities to take care of themselves, speak and remember events and people in their lives.

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The number of Americans suffering from the condition is expected to surge, according to some estimates, and jump to almost 13million by 2050, nearly double today's patient figure.

Warning signs of the disease include forgetting names or familiar objects, becoming lost in familiar places or unexplained changes in emotions.

There is no cure for the condition, but scientists have developed medications that may be able to slow the progression of the disease.

The cause of Alzheimer's is not clear, but studies suggest it may be linked to a build-up of proteins in the brain, or to damage to blood vessels in the organ.

As part of the study, researchers also investigated whether the supplements influenced muscle growth.

Some scientists suggest that the regulation of muscle growth may be controlled by key signals from the gut.

All participants were asked to also complete a weight-lifting session twice per week, and do exercises including squats, calf raises and bicep curls.

Results showed no difference in muscle mass or chair rise times, the time it takes someone to get up from a chair, at the end of the study.

Researchers suggested this may have been because the study was too short to show any shifts in muscle mass.
Bizarre cravings for the likes of chocolate, pizzas and even whole lemons, are often considered unique to pregnancy.

But a similar phenomenon may be a premonition of some cancers, doctors have reported.

Research has also suggested food cravings may be associated with certain cancers including breast, ovarian and endometrial.

Yet, just as cravings and aversions in pregnancy tend to vanish after the baby is born, so do these cancer-induced taste distortions following treatment.

In an Instagram video watched almost two million times, one influencer said: 'Many doctors are convinced: the body sends SIGNALS long before any diagnosis.

'One of the most unexpected is a sudden and almost obsessive craving for a certain type of food.

'Two to three months before a person is diagnosed with cancer, they may literally get hooked on a product they never cared about before.

'Its not just I want to treat myself, but as if the body is shouting: Give me this right now.'

In an Instagram video watched almost two million times, one influencer said: 'Many doctors are convinced: the body sends SIGNALS long before any diagnosis'

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They added: 'In one interview, a doctor said: In patients with gastrointestinal tumors, a few months before the diagnosis, a strong craving for sweets appears.

'"People eat ice cream by the kilo, even though they never cared for desserts before.

'The explanation is clear: tumor cells consume glucose faster than healthy ones, so the brain starts programming behavior to serve the disease.'

The influencer also revealed a woman who was later diagnosed with kidney cancer, had claimed she could drink 'pickle brine straight from the jar and eat it with crackers'.

Another suddenly got 'hooked' on dairy products. Relatives thought it was just 'a phase' or 'new tastes'.

'In reality, the body sends messages in advancemost just delete them without even opening,' they added.

Limited research has also suggested that changes in food behaviour could be a pre-cursor to cancer diagnoses.

In one 2022 review, analysing seven studies on the topic, Italian researchers noted that 'food cravings have been found to be associated with breast cancer, lymphoma, and ovarian or endometrial cancer'.

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Writing in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the researchers said: patients had higher cravings overall and for specific food subscales such as fast foods, sweets, carbohydratesstarchy foodand fats.

'We strongly recommend food behavior screening for cancer patients, both at the initial visit and during the follow-up period, in order to promptly detect any potential alteration in food behavior.'

However, they noted that given the limited research on the top, there is 'still a significant knowledge gap'.

'A better understanding of food behavior among cancer patients and survivors is of paramount importance to provide appropriate and multi-professional healthcare support,' they added.

Over 40 years ago, Dr Thurstan Brewin of the Glasgow Institute of Oncology reported that one in four of his patients described how months before being diagnosed, they had seemingly inexplicably lost their appetite for a previously favoured food or drink.

For one, tea became 'most unpleasant, another said cheese tasted 'like chewing gum, while a third reported that sausages became 'leathery.

But such cravings would disappear once treated for their cancer.

Writing in the journal Clinical Radiology, he said: 'Spontaneous return to normal is quite common in cases triggered by tumour treatment, but rare in cases starting before diagnosis.

Over 40 years ago, Dr Thurstan Brewin of the Glasgow Institute of Oncology reported that one in four of his patients described how months before being diagnosed, they had seemingly inexplicably lost their appetite for a previously favoured food or drink

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'The latter may cease when the tumour is treated.

The explanation for these highly selective and rapidly reversible aversions or cravings is totally obscure.'

In an interview with the American Medical Association, Dr Amar Kelkar, a stem cell transplanation physician at the the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said the sudden desire to eat ice, dirt, or other unconventional edibleor inedibleobject may be the body reacting urgently to a deficiency.

'Basically, you're having some urgency to replace an iron craving. But we don't have any way to manifest that,' he said.

A blood test will determine if patients are anemic, triggering further tests to determine the causeone of which could be colon or colorectal cancer.

Other experts, however, have noted that further research is first vital and the notion, for example, that sugar should be avoided to prevent cancer growth is unfounded.

There is no evidence to show that craving sugar is a symptom of cancer.

The alleged relationship between cancer and sugar is a long and complicated one.
E-cigarettes should be banned worldwide to protect children from irreversible harm, experts say.

Previous studies suggest vaping can increase the risk of stroke by a third and asthma and cardiovascular disease by a quarter.

But researchers speaking at the worlds largest heart conference warn the impact on developing brains and hearts is likely to be even greater.

Professor Maja-Lisa Lchen, a senior cardiologist at University Hospital of North Norway, said she fears vaping could become a new epidemic.

She said: There is an additional risk of vaping in children [compared to adults] when it comes to effects on the body.

Because we know that the nicotine and other elements in e-cigarettes have a very harmful effect on developing brains.

Not only in the foetus, but during childhood and into your 20s. So that is something we are extremely concerned about.

We also know that when children and young people start vaping, they may become dependent on the nicotine and it can become a gateway to smoking.

Previous studies suggest vaping can increase the risk of stroke by a third and asthma and cardiovascular disease by a quarter

Campaigners have long blamed manufacturers, claiming they are intentionally luring kids in with colourful packaging, compared to highlighter pens, and child-friendly flavours such as bubblegum and cotton candy

I think based on what we know now about the detrimental and harmful effects of e-cigarettes, I think there should be a ban on sales of e-cigarettes worldwide.

She added: These have been around for 15/20 years now, we have the data. We know they are not harmless.

I worry that vaping may be causing irreversible harm to children's brains and hearts.

Of course we have to wait for long-term data, but I am absolutely concerned.

It increases your blood pressure, your heart rate, and we know that the arteries become more stiff. It could be even more harmful in children [compared to adults].

I'm very worried - and convinced - that children and adolescents that are starting to vape now are at increased risk of irreversible harm to their health.

Professor Lochens presentation to leading cardiologists at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Madrid said there are 133 potentially harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes - of which 107 are known to cause cancer.

She referenced a University of California study published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine linking vaping to a 32 per cent increased risk of stroke compared with not smoking or vaping.

The NHS is still promoting e-cigarettes as a quitting tool

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The same paper also found vaping raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 per cent, asthma by 24 per cent, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 46 per cent and mouth diseases by 47 per cent.

The figures for smoking were 108 per cent, 64 per cent, 56 per cent, 199 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively.

The NHS is still promoting e-cigarettes as a quitting tool but there are growing concerns about youngsters who have never smoked taking up the habit.

A review of over 200 studies published earlier this year by University College London found vaping rates increased from 8.9 per cent to 13.5 per cent among adults between January 2022 and January 2024, with rates among young adults rising from 17 per cent to 26.5 per cent over the same period.

Professor Lchen told delegates: The most common reason for vaping in the young is not smoking cessation, because they dont smoke, its curiosity.

This is a largely unregulated global market, its heavily marketed on social media by industry-paid influencers and videos of e-cigarettes are seen by millions of young people.

Vaping appeals to adolescents because it is very cheap, it tastes and smells like candy, its sold without age control and perceived as harmless and fun.

Professor Susanna Price, consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, London, and chair of the European Society of Cardiologys Advocacy Committee, said: I am concerned that it is being dressed up as using vaping to get people off smoking but, actually, you're not using vaping to get somebody off smoking when they're that young.

We are seeing an increase in children vaping.'

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We are seeing an increase in children vaping but what we dont yet know is what that translates to in long-term cardiovascular risk because they havent been around long enough.

I think there is a push to suggest that vaping is safe but we dont know that.

It's my concern that we're going to replace one highly addictive substance with another one that may have a similar profile with respect to cardiovascular risk.

The UK Government has banned disposable vapes.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, includes powers to restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of vapes.

Responding to the comments, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: Vaping is not risk-free, and no child or teenager should be picking up an e-cigarette.

Making vaping less appealing to young people and creating a smokefree generation cannot come a moment too soon.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: Evidence consistently shows that while vaping is not risk-free, it is less harmful than smoking and a more recently published evidence review concluded there is lack of evidence to support an association of e-cigarette use with cardiovascular disease.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Our health advice is clear, whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for smokers, children and non-smokers should never vape.
An IVF laboratory mix-up after two men donated sperm on the same day led to an Aussie couple having a baby fathered by a different donor to the one they selected.

The couple went through Queensland Fertility Group (QFG), owned by Australian IVF giant Virtus Health, to have their baby in 2013, reported the ABC's 7.30.

For 11 years, the health company has allegedly worked to hide the mix-up between sperm donors that resulted from a lack of 'double witnessing', essentially double checking, at a partnered American lab, even though it was the standard in Australia.

The Brisbane mother had taken to an anonymous online group asking for advice when she noticed the child had a darker skin tone to both her and her partner.

They'd applied to receive sperm from a Caucasian man with similar features to the woman's husband.

While they both love the child all the same, they became worried if the unidentified donor had any health or genetic conditions they should know of.

After speaking with QFG, the couple signed a non-disclosure agreement forbidding them from making their situation public.

Both Queensland Fertility Group and the American lab, Seattle Sperm Bank, said they had changed their procedures since then to eliminate the risk of a similar mix up happening again.

Queensland Fertility Group and a partnered American lab allegedly mixed up the information of sperm donors, meaning a couple received sperm from a donor they hadn't chosen

A friend (pictured) of the couple who received the wrong sperm donation said they'd chosen a Caucasian donor, but the child was mixed race

A friend of the couple who knew about the lab's mistake, before the NDA was signed, has shared their story.

'The child is very much loved, there's no doubt of that whatsoever. The mother and father adore the child,' she told ABC's 7.30.

'That's not the issue, the issue was you put your faith and your trust in the clinic, that they're going to give you the right sperm.'

An internal investigation by QFG pinpointed the error to the Seattle Sperm Bank.

Two men had visited the clinic on the same day - one described as Caucasian and the other as African American Nigerian.

That clinic did not use double witnessing to ensure donors were correctly identified, as was the industry standard in Australia. It has since been introduced in the American lab.

The couple's friend said they were shocked after realising they'd allegedly been deceived by QFG.

'They chose a donor that obviously had all the attributes of the father. He's a tall, Caucasian male,' she said.

Several other couples were allegedly affected by similar mistakes, with an audit by QFG in 2023 finding 99 per cent of local sperm frozen before 2020 was at risk of being mislabelled

'Once the child was born, the child didn't really look Caucasian.'

QFG said it has changed its procedures and has since destroyed any donations at risk of being misidentified.

'We can confirm that the laboratory error of the wrong label being affixed to the donor specimen occurred in 2013,' a spokesperson for Seattle Sperm Bank said.

'Following this, Seattle Sperm Bank created a robust, seven-step double verification, with a computer-assisted automated witnessing system that prevents this type of error from occurring again.'

Daily Mail has contacted Queensland Fertility Group for further comment.
Couples all have their domestic routines and share of the chores. Who walks the dog, who puts the bin out?

But my partner and I have one thats a little unusual. Once a week - on a Wednesday - we inject each other with the weight-loss drug Mounjaro.

There is a ritual and strange solemnity to this: the needle and syringe need to be prepared before we sterilise a patch on our stomachs with a swab.

Then the quick jab and measured dose of Mounjaro for one of us, before the other uses the same jab for his dose.

The first time we did this felt, frankly, like we were breaking the law. It was like we were taking illegal drugs rather than a prescription remedy.

But this September will see a seismic shift for those taking the weight-loss jab, as the price is set to spiral.

A few weeks ago the manufacturer Eli Lilly announced it was upping its wholesale prices by more than 170 per cent, an enormous cost increase that looks set to be passed on to all those using the drug and buying it privately.

Nick Maes started taking Mounjaro in February after unexpectedly bumping into a friend at a party who had lost weight on the drug

Although its since been reported that the company is trying to reduce the increase, I will be paying more, like everyone else. But for the last six months Ive been paying, in effect, only half the recommended price for my jabs.

Let me explain.

I started taking Mounjaro in February after unexpectedly bumping into a once portly friend at a party.

He was quite dramatically transformed, but it was only after much quizzing that he reluctantly admitted his slimming secret to me. It was as if he were feeling guilty.

There is a widespread view that using the jabs is somehow cheating - as Professor Julian Savulescu of Oxford University noted in a recent paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics, no less. But I was intrigued.

It should be said, Im not the stereotypical weight-loss jab user; I wasnt clinically obese nor had any other pressing need for the medication, such as diabetes. I was, however, getting porky.

Like lots of middle-aged men Id quietly piled on the pounds over the years.

But I was in denial, Id managed to kid myself that the weight gain was normal, even though I was the largest Id ever been - barely fitting into a 34in waist trouser. Vanity got the better of me.

Getting the prescription was easily done: I claimed my weight was higher to the online pharmacy (I added a few kilos to ensure my BMI was well into the obese range), knocked a couple of inches off my height for good measure and took the most unflattering photo of myself slouching, piles of fat appearing to bulge over my waist band.

The initial 2.5mg dose of Mounjaro arrived a couple of days later - the first of my monthly subscription.

My jab journey has been no great secret hidden from my partner or my immediate friends.

And even though I had no qualms about cheating, those close to me questioned what they thought was a radical solution to a comparatively minor problem.

My plumpness was hardly a life-threatening condition; but to me it seemed insurmountable. I wanted to change it.

If fat jabs are the answer to the prayers of much larger people, then why shouldnt they be the same for me? Why shouldnt I get help to shed the excess pounds?

Within the first month of taking the medication, my weight began to drop and I became noticeably less jowly.

The effect was immediate, so much so that my partner decided he wanted to take it, too. Like me hed piled on the pounds over the last few years.

Nick and his partner, who have been married for five years, now share doses of the drug

My next monthly dose had been automatically upped to 5mg, as happens with everyone, so we decided to share it.

Rather than shell out for two individual 2.5mg doses we reasoned that sharing one 5mg dose would be considerably cheaper than each paying 190 for a single jab and have the same effect. Wed have two for the price of one.

When I spoke to Dr Kath McCullough, special adviser on obesity at the Royal College of Physicians, she warned: The issue here is that this is a medicine prescribed by a clinician based on the information supplied by a patient.

Important considerations such as past medical history, current medications, dose adjustments and side-effects are based on that one individual. We would strongly discourage sharing of any prescriptions or medication between people.

But there was one other consideration too; my partner and I would have to share the needle.

This is clearly a risky thing to do, and all the medical advice says not to share the needle with other people - but we have been married for five years and to the best of our knowledge neither of us has any latent disease that might be transferrable. We felt that as the jab doesnt go as deep as a vaccination but into your body fat that it was a risk we could take.

Unsurprisingly Dr McCullough strongly advises against the sharing of needles due to the risk of spreading infection. These are clearly single-use needles which come sterilised for this very reason.

And as my prescription went up each month - as is normal practice - from 5mg to 7.5mg and then 10mg, we continued sharing; each of us having only half the dosage prescribed.

The Mounjaro was having the desired effect.

The weight has fallen from us both, I have gone from 12st to 10st (Im 5ft 10in tall), and a 35in waist to 30in over the last six months; the weight and body size I was always happy with before my middle-aged spread.

My partner is very pleased that hes lost four inches from his waist and dropped well over a stone.

Fortunately taking this drug hasnt changed anything too much in the kitchen. Were both foodies and continue to enjoy our food, we just eat less of it. It might have been difficult had it just been me on the new regimen.

Experts warn of the dangers of sharing needles, but Nick says he has never felt better than while on the half dose

By sharing the dosage we have been, in effect, microdosing. Some people are actively seeking out pharmacists who will provide much smaller amounts of the drug - the idea is your appetite isnt quite as suppressed, but enough so you still lose weight.

But the medical establishment is yet to be convinced about taking smaller quantities of the drug.

Alexander Miras, a clinical professor of medicine at Ulster University, told me: Weight loss with all of these medications is dependent on the dose; the higher the dose the higher the weight loss.

He warns: If people reduce the dose they are taking by sharing it with someone else they are likely to regain some of the weight they have lost on the higher doses.

But in my experience, the half dose has worked wonders. My excess baggage has disappeared and Ive never felt better.

A spokesman for Eli Lilly told the Daily Mail: Patient safety is our top priority. Patients should consult with their doctor or other healthcare professional on use of any prescription-only medicine, and follow the patient information leaflet and instructions for use.

The instructions for use states: Do not share your Mounjaro KwikPen with other people, even if the pen needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection or get a serious infection from them.
Thousands of Americans will head to beaches for one last summer splash this Labor Day weekend, but officials are urging caution, warning coastal waters could be contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria.

States and local counties have been posting advisories all week about closures and more are still being added to the list.

At least 100 beaches across seven states, mostly on the East Coast, are now closed or have been put under advisories because of bacterial blooms.

The notices warn people to stay out of the water because swallowing it or getting it in an open cut could cause stomach illness, rashes or nausea, and in severe cases, life-threatening infections.

Some of the country's most popular beaches are affected, including Keyes Memorial Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Benjamin's Beach on Long Island, New York.

Many beaches around Los Angeles, California and one in Hawaii have also had warnings put in place because of the rapidly multiplying bacteria.

It is not clear why bacteria populations are surging at this time of year, but it may be linked to rainfall washing sewage or fertilizer from farms into waterways.

Affecting both fresh and saltwater beaches, the warnings have mostly been triggered by E. coli, which is found in feces and can infect people if they swallow contaminated water and it typically cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

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But officials warn deadly micro-organisms are also likely present in the water, including Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that can infect open wounds and kills one in five patients.

The pathogen Naegleria fowleri also lives in freshwater and can infect people if water enters their body through openings. The micro-organism attacks the brain and is nearly always fatal, killing about 97 percent of patients.

DailyMail.com pored through local news reports and state websites to establish which beaches had closures or advisories in place this weekend.

The seven states with shuttered beaches are: California, Delaware, Hawaii Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and North Carolina.

Massachusetts had the most closed beaches at 50, followed by Delaware with 28, while Michigan and California both had seven.

New York had closed four due to bacteria, while Hawaii had closed one.

Among the beaches shuttered over this weekend was Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, where people there told the Associated Press they were unconcerned about the warnings.

Yaromyr Oryshkevych, a retired dentist enjoying the Labor Day weekend, said: 'I really don't expect to be in any kind of danger of fecal contamination.'

Shown above are beachgoers at Kure Beach, North Carolina, on Labor Day last year. Kure Beach does not currently have a bacteria warning in place (file photo)

Beachgoers told reporters that they were unconcerned by the warnings. The above image is from Seal Beach, California, and was taken in 2022 (file photo)

He said that he felt the beach wasn't polluted enough for him to be worried, and he thought the current would wash the bacteria away.

Dana West, a federal worker also at the beach, said: 'Generally, I have no concerns about the level of fecal and bacterial matter.

'I assume the local authorities will tell us if there are higher levels than normal.'

West did recount an instance earlier this year in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where a dozen members of a vacationing party he was with experienced a gastrointestinal illness after going on a snorkeling excursion. It was suggested that this could have been linked to swimming in contaminated water.

Advisories are triggered if E.coli levels in water exceed 235 colonies per 100 milliliters.

About 265,000 people are sickened with E. coli every year, reports suggest, although these are normally linked to contaminated food.

Early warning signs of an infection include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, which may be bloody and nausea and vomiting. In serious cases, these can become severe and patients can become dehydrated, suffering from dizziness and decreased urination.

The infections are more dangerous in old people, those who have a weaker immune system, and young children, with about 100 people dying from E. coli in the US every year.

Experts warn that the fecal matter contaminating the water can cause a bloom in bacteria, which can then make beachgoers sick

Patients are treated for the infections using fluids to keep them hydrated and, in more severe cases, antibiotics to clear the bacteria.

When E. coli is present in water, however, experts say it is likely that other more dangerous micro-organisms are also multiplying in the water, including Naegleria fowleri and Vibrio vulnificus.

Only around five people have ever survived a Naegleria fowleri infection in the US, statistics suggest, out of about 164 infections.

It comes after Environment America, an environmental action group, released a report this summer that found nearly two-thirds of beaches nationwide had at least one day of unsafe fecal contamination in 2024.

The group reviewed beaches on the coasts and Great Lakes for its report.

Overall, the Gulf Coast was worst, with 84 percent of beaches reporting at least one day where the water was unsafe every year, they said.

On the West Coast, 79 percent of beaches had at least one closure a year, while on the Great Lakes it was 71 percent and on the East Coast it was 54 percent.

The report also said that 450 beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least 25 percent of the days tested.

John Rumpler, an attorney with environment action group Environment America, said: 'These beaches are a treasure for families across New England and across the country.'

'We need to make the investment to make sure that literally our own human waste doesnt wind up in the places where we are swimming.'
People who walk around naked at home might be showing off more than just their flesh.

Scientists believe the habit could be a sign of high intelligence.

A study by the University of Rochester in New York looked at how different everyday behaviors are linked to people who display high intellect.

They used data from more than 700 Americans who participated in a survey in the 1990s that reported day-to-day activities and personality traits.

Using the results, the researchers then looked at which specific sets of behaviors were most associated with different personality traits.

They found that people who said they lounged around their houses with no clothes on more than 15 times a year also displayed higher intelligence.

They did not get the participants to perform IQ tests, but their intelligence was assessed based on the personality traits they reported.

This included signs of being open to new experiences, intellectual curiosity, and creativity.

People who walk around naked at home might be exhibiting more than their flesh. Scientists believe that the habit could also be a sign of someone with a higher IQ (stock image)

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The researchers believe the habit of walking around naked at home is tied to a higher IQ because intellect is associated with nonconformity, as higher intelligence can lead to a decreased need to conform to societal norms and fit in.

The average IQ score in the US is 98, which falls within the 'average' category.

But instead of looking specifically at IQ scores, the researchers looked at 'behaviors [that] distinguish between high and low levels of intellect'.

They said some of the more obvious activities tied to high intellect included playing a musical instrument, producing artwork, going to the theater, and speaking multiple languages.

But then there were surprising activities linked to high intellect which demonstrate someone who is looking to 'defy convention or orthodoxy, possibly as a result of novelty seeking'.

Along with being naked at home, other acts associated high intellect included swearing around other people, smoking marijuana, and shooting a gun.

Shooting is a mentally stimulating activity that requires intense concentration, discipline, and emotional control, so this could be behind its link to intellect.

The researchers noted that a limitation of the study was that the data set they used was limited to individuals living in Oregon.

They said it would be interesting to expand the same study - which was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences - across different cultural groups, to see if the same results surfaced.

A separate study showed that being naked is also linked to increased happiness.

A group of researchers from Goldsmiths, University of London, looked into the links between people who practiced social nudity and how satisfied the participants felt with their bodies and their lives in general.

The study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, came to the conclusion that taking off your clothes around strangers is probably good for you.

'Body image dissatisfaction is a serious, global problem that negatively affects life satisfaction,' the authors wrote in the study.

'Several claims have been made about the possible psychological benefits of naturist activities, but very little empirical research has investigated these benefits or any plausible explanations for them.'

A map showing the average IQ by state in the US for 2025

Dr Keon West and colleagues asked 850 Brits to fill in an online survey, and found those who spend time naked were happier with their bodies, he explains in a video.

The longer they had been practicing naturism and the more frequently they did it, the happier they were, the researchers said.

But it is possible that people who were happier with their bodies were more likely to spend time naked, and not that being naked made them happier.

In two more experiments, the researchers went to two naturist events in the UK to explore the idea further.

At both events, participants were asked about their feelings just before getting naked and at the end of the event, before they put their clothes back on.

In both cases, participants experienced immediate and significant improvements in body image, self-esteem, and life satisfaction.

The researchers said the results show nudity can have a positive impact on our mental health, as positive self-regard helps individuals maintain a positive outlook.

'The naturists have been saying this for some time,' Dr West said.

'However, despite a lot of positive claims, little to no empirical research has investigated whether naturist activity (rather than attitude or beliefs) actually makes us happier or, just as importantly, why it makes us happier.'
by Ashutosh Jogalekar

The China Mirage: The Hidden History of American Disaster in Asia. By James Bradley

By the time Henry Luces LIFE magazine was churning out colorized visions of a democratic, Christian China under the steady hand of Chiang Kai-shek, the die had already been cast. Not in Beijing or Nanjing but in Washington and New Haven, where a potent combination of missionary fantasy, elite delusion, and diplomatic theater spun the most expensive fiction in American foreign policy. It might well turn out to be the most expensive misunderstanding in American history. James Bradleys fascinating The China Mirage tells that story in a way few books have. Its less a cautionary tale and more a generational hallucination, one whose ghosts are still rattling around the White House Situation Room today.

This is not a subtle book, and thats its strength. Bradley writes with the fervor and sardonic tone of a man watching a slow-motion car crash that everyone else mistook for a victory parade. The narrative he unspools is less about China itself and more about the American invention of China, an invention powered by an astonishingly small handful of men: Henry Stimson, Henry Morgenthau, and above all Henry Luce, whose boyhood in China as a missionarys son formed a kind of mythic cradle for the 20th-century China Lobby. Their China was a Christian China, a Westernized China, a China that never really existed.

This is the mirage of the books title, and Bradley makes clear that it has cost America dearly.

At the heart of The China Mirage is a claim that would sound like conspiracy if it werent so well-sourced: that Chiang Kai-shek, Madame Chiang, and her brother T. V. Soong orchestrated the most successful foreign public relations campaign in American history. Under the pretext of fighting Japan, they extracted huge sums of money and military hardware from FDR, which either went into their own pockets or flowed toward Chiangs guerilla war with Mao. With the Soongs impeccable English, Wellesley diplomas, and Methodist polish, they seduced a generation of American policymakers into believing that Chiangs faltering, corrupt regime spoke for China. Luce, with his vast media empire, did the rest, featuring Chiang and Madame Chiang on LIFEs cover more often than most American celebrities, opening womens clubs and Manhattan drawing rooms to China donations, and making millions of Americans believe they were elevating the noble Chinese peasant.

The result: billions in aid, doctored diplomatic cables, falsified briefings to the president, and a country misled into war.

Bradley reminds us that Americas misunderstanding of China didnt start in the 1930s. It goes back to the Opium Wars, where a shocking number of American fortunes were built not just adjacent to, but on the opium trade. One of the most successful American opium traders was Warren Delano, the grandfather of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. That tainted legacy  Warren Delano never publicly acknowledged that particular source of his great wealth  financed FDRs entry into elite American politics, and haunted his presidency in more ways than he may have realized.

This misunderstanding took root in the civilizing mission America inherited from Europe. It was missionary zeal, not geopolitical realism, that shaped early U.S. policy toward China. Americans who studied or traveled there did so in a cocoon of privilege, surrounded by English-speaking Chinese like Charlie Soong  Madame Chiangs father  educated in American seminaries and bearing a gospel of compatibility between East and West. But, living in pockets of little America where the Chinese spoke in Bostonian accents and ate with forks, they never saw the real China. They didnt try.

Meanwhile, if China was an object of fantasy, Japan was an object of admiration, at least to Theodore Roosevelt. His affinity for Japan was strategic, but also philosophical. Baron Kaneko, the Japanese emissary and Harvard Law School graduate, served as Roosevelts pipeline to Tokyo. Teddy did more than support Japans war with Russia; he envisioned a Japanese Monroe Doctrine for Asia. His words are as startling today as they were sincere then:

Japan is the only nation in Asia that understands the principles and methods of Western civilization A Japanese Monroe Doctrine in Asia will remove the temptation to European encroachment

Here was an American president openly encouraging Japanese imperialism as a civilizing force. In his eyes, Japan was what he hoped China could never be: Western in function, Eastern in soul. While hindsight is fraught with pitfalls, it is tempting to draw a direct, bright line between Teddys words and Pearl Harbor.

With Teddys cousin Franklin it was the opposite. That FDR was enthralled by China is not surprising given his familys financial and cultural entanglement with the East. What is surprising and maddening is how thoroughly he was manipulated by his advisors. While FDR often bypassed his own State Department, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau and Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles routinely bypassed FDR by altering presidential language in diplomatic dispatches to send money to Chiang Kai-shek. They even altered minute details of FDRs instructions for selling aviation fuel to Japan, changing language about limiting the fuel to above a certain octane number to restrictions on all aviation fuel. A billion dollars, an astonishing sum at the time, flowed in the 1930s from American coffers into the pockets of a government more interested in suppressing Mao than resisting Japan.

FDR knew denying oil to Japan was dangerous. He feared it would drive them to attack the Dutch East Indies. He was right. But the China Lobby, seduced by Madame Chiangs charm and Soongs cunning, overrode him. Their obsession with propping up Chiang at all costs set the stage for Pearl Harbor.

The tragedy, as Bradley sees it, was that there were Americans who saw through the mirage. Men like John Service and John Paton Davies, so-called China Hands, recognized that Mao, brutal though he was, represented the real face of China. Chiang was for warlords, the moneyed elite, and above all for himself. Mao had his finger on the pulse of the peasants and the masses. His forces had popularity and mass mobilization. Service urged FDR to treat Mao as a legitimate partner in fighting Japan. But history took the other fork. Chiang stole the gold, fled to Taiwan, and left Americans ignorant of the history wondering why on earth successive Chinese premiers all the way to Xi Jinping would have designs on the little island. By the time Harry Truman became president, Chiangs subterfuge had become clear. Truman immediately halted all aid and had harsh words for the small cabal of Chinese charmers who had been hoodwinking his predecessor for more than a decade.

Mao, for his part, won  without American help  and built a China fundamentally alienated from the West. Those who had tried to tell the truth were later purged from government in the McCarthyite hysteria of Who lost China?.

Bradleys answer is stark: America never had China. You cannot lose what you never understood.

If the book has a flaw, it lies in its idealization of Mao as a missed opportunity. Bradley occasionally veers toward the wistful, suggesting a fruitful U.S.Mao alliance that might have changed the Cold War. Perhaps. But the Soviet experience reminds us that wartime alliances with authoritarian revolutionaries rarely age well. A brief collaboration, yes. A lasting friendship? Unlikely. Bradley also drips with condescension toward the China Lobby. This is understandable given their appeasement of Chiang and instigation of conflict with Japan, but he uses the Chinese term barbarian to refer to Americans so many times that the reader starts suspecting whether he himself thinks of his countrymen that way.

Still, the power of Bradleys argument stands. The China Mirage is less about diplomacy and more about epistemology. It is a chronicle of how wishful thinking, cultural arrogance, and elite illusion can build a foreign policy more dangerous than simple ignorance.

Reading The China Mirage in 2025 feels like reading a classified memo too late. The names have changed: Chiang is Xi, Luce is the think tank circuit, and we have our own China hawks and Joe McCarthys, but the mirage persists. We are still searching for the China we want, not the China that is. We cycle between naive engagement and paranoid confrontation, still guided more by emotion than expertise. Bradley closes a century-long loop, showing how each misunderstanding builds atop the last. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan  each time we believe weve found a reliable, pliable partner or client state, only to discover we never understood the ground we were standing on. These are not foreign policy failures. They are failures of imagination, of empathy, of study.

We cannot afford another mirage. What we need now is not a doctrine but depth. A new generation of China hands, fluent not just in Mandarin, but in history, philosophy, bureaucracy, and myth need to be at the helm. People whove lived the language, traced the dynastic cycles, and can tell a court eunuch from a Red Guard. Not because we should flatter China, but because we should understand it. Robert McNamara who was one of the chief architects of the Vietnam War realized  much too late for his own and the countrys good  that our primary lacuna in fighting Vietnam was that, unlike Soviet experts such as George Kennan, George Ball and Llewelyn (Tommy) Thompson, we never had any experts on Vietnamese history, culture and language.

It is not dovish to appreciate your adversary. It is not hawkish to know their history. It is prudent. It is strategic. And it is, at this late hour, essential. The next crisis will not wait for us to figure it out. Either we invest in that understanding now, or we will, once again, pay for it later. In treasure. In credibility. In American lives. In The China Mirage, Bradley has handed us a mirror. What remains is whether we choose to look into it, or whether we look away.
A pair of seasoned White House correspondents with more than five decades of experience died within a day of each other last week.

Charles Bierbauer, a former CNN correspondent and a past president of the White House Correspondents Association, died at his home in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, Friday at age 83.

Mark Knoller, a longtime White House correspondent for CBS News, died in Washington, DC, the network said Saturday. He was 73.

Both men's tenures spanned several decades and presidents.

Bierbauer was CNN's senior White House correspondent during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He joined the network from ABC News in 1981. He was also formerly president of the White House Correspondents Association.

Bierbauer retired in 2001 and he became dean of the University of South Carolina's journalism program the following year. He died at the home where he had been living out his retirement, University spokesman Jeff Stensland said.

No direct cause was given, but the family's obituary said 'his generous heart gave out after a good, long life.'

Word of Knoller's death came the next day from CBS, where he worked for more than 30 years. He had diabetes and was known to be in poor health.

Tributes have since poured in for the two men journalists.

Charles Bierbauer, a former CNN correspondent and a past president of the White House Correspondents Association, died at his home in Spruce Pine, North Carolina , Friday at age 83

Mark Knoller, a longtime White House correspondent for CBS News, died in Washington, DC , the network said Saturday. He was 73

'Friends and colleagues remember Knoller as a legend,' a portion of CBS' statement read. 'For decades, everyone in the White House press corps knew him as the unofficial presidential historian and statistician.'

CBS News President Tom Cibrowski described Knoller - who covered the administrations of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump - as 'the hardest-working and most prolific White House correspondent of a generation.'

'Everyone in America knew his distinctive voice and his up-to-the-minute reporting across eight Presidential administrations.'

White House Correspondents Association President Weijia Jiang called Knoller 'not just one of the most trusted voices covering the presidency - he was also the colleague you could always count on for help, perspective, or a bit of good humor.'

Associated Press Executive Editor Julie Pace, who worked alongside Knoller as the AP's chief White House correspondent for several years said that 'Mark represented the best of the White House press corps.'

'He demanded the same level of accountability and transparency from every president he covered, regardless of party.'

She recalled how she 'took advantage of his record keeping numerous times as a reporter,' due to his practice of tracking sitting presidents' movements, speeches, travel and more.

Nancy Benac, the AP's former White House editor, recalled how 'you could go to Mark with any question, and he had the answer.'

'Friends and colleagues remember Knoller as a legend,' a portion of CBS' statement read. 'For decades, everyone in the White House press corps knew him as the unofficial presidential historian and statistician'

Pesident Barack Obama (L) smiles as he takes a question from Knoller in 2009

She also remembered Knoller for his 'amazing sense of humor' and as 'a wonderful person and a wonderful journalist.'

Ari Fleischer, who served as the George W. Bush's press secretary from 2001 to 2003, called Knoller 'one of the kindest, most courteous, modest people in the press corps.'

'Mark was a gem of a man and the definition of what a good reporter should be,' he said, adding that he 'never betrayed any bias, any personal views.'

'He was probably of the last generation of reporters who viewed their job as just telling the news with no inkling at all of their personal thoughts,' Fleischer said.

Similar praise was offered for Bierbauer, who hosted the weekly current events show 'Newsmaker Saturday' for a decade and regularly traveled with presidents across the country and to dozens of foreign nations.

He was once detained in Moscow's Red Square while filming an anti-Soviet demonstration in 1978 while working for ABC News.

'Charles inspired me and helped me throughout my assignments at the Pentagon and the White House,' CNN star Wolf Blitzer said in a statement. 'He was a good friend, colleague, and mentor, and I will certainly miss him.'

Jay Bender, a former attorney for the South Carolina Press Association and retired professor who served under Bierbauer, remembered the reporter-turned-academic as a distinguished broadcaster and educator.

Bierbauer - seen here with producer Matthew Byrne on the steps of the Supreme Court in in December of 2000 - joined CNN in 1981. He left for a career in academia in 2021

'Charles inspired me and helped me throughout my assignments at the Pentagon and the White House,' CNN's Wolf Blitzer said of Bierbauer (seen here as dean of the University of South Carolina's journalism program). 'He was a good friend, colleague, and mentor'

'His contributions to the USC Journalism School as dean were significant,' he said, after Bierbauer led a multimillion-dollar fundraising and renovation effor.

Tom Reichert, who succeeded Bierbauer as dean, praised his predecessor's 'profound impact on the program.'

'He is fondly remembered for many achievements, including fundraising and supporting students who went on to win Pulitzer Prizes. He will be deeply missed,' Reichert said.

In a statement, a CNN spokesperson remembered Bierbauer as 'a cherished member of the CNN family' and 'tireless reporter and wonderful colleague.'

'Charles will be remembered for his outstanding journalism and his willingness to help others,' the spokesperson said.
A self-professed anti-capitalist rejected an offer of a free one-way flight to a communist country of her choosing because she said nations like Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela do not truly follow the ideology.

Businessman Patrick Bet-David made the proposition during a debate, telling the woman he was thinking of throwing in an extra $20,000 if the woman accepted.

However, the anti-capitalist outright refused.

Bet-David presented the offer as his young opponent, named Allannah, argued that the only 'incentive' of capitalism was 'survival.'

'I got an offer for you before we move on,' he said, after taking in her argument.

'If I were to give you your $2,350, which is the cost to renunciate your citizenship, and I paid you your first-class, you know, flight to whatever communist country, and $20,000, would you give up your [American] citizenship?'

'Name me a communist country,' Allannah repeatedly replied.

'Whichever communist country you want to go to,' Bet-David said.

'Cuba, we can give you Venezuela, we [can] give you North Korea - any one of those you want to go to. Choose any one of them. I'll give you [a] one-way ticket, and I'll fund it for you,' he said.

A self-professed anti-capitalist rejected an offer of a free one-way flight to a communist country of her choosing during a debate that has gone viral

Businessman Patrick Bet-David made the proposition, telling the woman he was thinking of throwing in an extra $20,000 if the woman accepted the offer

While he was rattling off names, Allanah interrupted: 'Those aren't communist countries' - repeating the sentence several times as Bet-David listed countries governed by communist dictators.

At that point, time allotted for their back-and-forth expired, allowing Allannah to leave the debate table without providing an answer.

'I like to be free, but that's why I'm anti-capitalist - because capitalism removes that choice,' she had argued earlier on.

'There is no real incentive of capitalism because the incentive is survival,' she added. 'When you get into communism, the incentive is for the common.'

That led Bet-David to discuss the differences between communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea, telling Allannah, 'you wouldn't be able to do what you're doing right now' if she lived in North Korea.

Values like free speech are taken for granted by critics of capitalism who live in capitalist countries, Bet-David concluded.

He went on to clash with several other homegrown socialists frustrated with the status quo in American society.

Some viewers found the clash with Allannah particularly amusing, considering her stance.

As the time allotted for their back-and-forth expired, the woman left the debate table without providing an answer

Onlookers online found the clash particularly amusing

'How did we let our public schools and universities do this to our children?' one wrote in a reply to the clip on X, refencing how the countries Bet-David listed were all run by communist regimes.

'It's easy to be against making money when you aren't capable of making money,' another scathed.

'Under communism, you lose your right to speak. She might want to rethink her stand,' a third chimed in.

At another point in the video, Bet-David - who was a life insurance salesman before hitting it big with his Valuetainment channel on YouTube - offered a job to combative debater who claimed he had unsuccessfully applied to 477 jobs and had nothing to show for it.

'I would like to look into your company to see exactly what you guys do,' the man said after receiving the offer, causing Bet-David to rescind it as he tried to discern why he was having such difficulty.

The video series, Surrounded, from Jubilee Media pits figures like Bet-David against others with opposing viewpoints for a debate.

The series has also resulted in some other viral moments.

A few weeks back, a man openly identified as a 'fascist' during a political debate with ex-MSNBC star Mehdi Hasan. The admission led Hasan left the table, taking issue with the contestant's willingness to take up such a position.

The video series, Surrounded, from Jubilee Media pits figures like Bet-David against others with opposing viewpoints for a debate

A few weeks back, a man openly identified as a 'fascist' during a political debate with ex-MSNBC star Mehdi Hasan

Another episode saw conservative commentator Ben Shapiro debate 25 Kamala Harris supporters in the buildup to the 2024 election.

The videos count views well into the millions, with Jubilee boasting more than 10 million subscribers.

Bet-David has nearly 7 million subscribers himself.

He built his fortune via a marketing company that promotes personal branding, before launching his YouTube account in 2012.
The conventional wisdom is that among Labour's dullard front bench, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is the rising star. Yet it is hard to understand why.

On holiday in Cornwall last week, a family member with severe asthma needed immediate medical attention.

Our surgery in south-west London had shut up shop for the bank holiday weekend and advised callers to dial 111. Which we did. After a brief mid-morning wait, we were put through to a helpful person.

She listened patiently to our needs, recognised prescriptions would be required and promised to phone back 'within the hour'. Eventually, the callback came at 3am. The ring was missed, but a follow-up came at around 9am with apologies for the delay. So much for the improved appointments, one of Labour's familiar boasts, along with 'economic stability' and 'smashing the gangs'.

By the time the NHS finally contacted us, remedial action had been taken. A thorough consultation with a private online doctor service took place  at a cost of 53.

The clinician assessed the needs and emailed the nearest Boots (incidentally open until 9pm on a bank holiday Sunday) where the duty pharmacist could not have been more helpful.

Waging war: The conventional wisdom is that among Labour's dullard front bench, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is the rising star

A year might seem too soon for Labour to deliver on the NHS despite the lavish 29bn of extra cash tipped in by Rachel Reeves last October. Moreover, so far, the generous pay increases lobbed into the NHS less than a month after Labour took office has done nothing to calm the grasping demands of resident doctors or other NHS unions.

As disturbing is Streeting's clunky handling of Britain's trailblazing pharmaceutical sector.

Under the terms of the VPAG  the 'voluntary' scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth  Britain's drug companies return a proportion of their income from drugs supplied to the NHS. This funding is intended to support medical innovation within the UK's health system.

Streeting's department increased the levy  in effect a stealth tax on UK pharma  from 15 per cent to 22 per cent. The dispute has become an open sore, with Labour now at odds with one of Britain's most important economic sectors.

The Health Secretary is playing with fire. Big Pharma  namely AstraZeneca (AZ) and GSK, among the UK's most profitable companies  on paper at least has the capacity to pay more. But every pound extracted from them by a tax-and-spend government weakens the ties to the UK, where they earn a fraction of income.

Britain's largest listed firm, AZ, is already alienated from Labour.

It has not forgiven Sir Keir Starmer for declining to provide modest financial backing for a vaccine plant in Liverpool, which would strengthen the nation's health security.

Consequently, AZ has tilted research spending to the US and its chief executive Pascal Soriot privately let it be known that he may shift the group's listing to New York.

That would be a catastrophe for the London stock exchange. GSK also is doubling down on R&D and investment in the US.

Brexit offered Britain, in charge of its own fate when it comes to drug approvals, the chance to become a global medicine-discovery powerhouse.

The NHS would be its test bed. Instead, backdoor taxation, a refusal to back a UK vaccine facility and obstacles to the use of new drugs by NICE threatens the future of our life sciences.

That represents economic vandalism.
Knoops' boss has said Labour's workers' rights reforms 'will make it more difficult to find the right employees'.

William Gordon-Harris, whose hot chocolate business has 27 stores in the UK, said the package of employment legislation 'will definitely cause problems for firms'.

The proposals include plans to ban zero-hour contracts and introduce a guaranteed number of minimum weekly hours.

Gordon-Harris said: 'It will make it more difficult to find the right employees. For a lot of independents, it is a very alarming time.'

Going cold: Knoops' hot chocolate business has 27 stores in the UK

Despite gloom on the High Street, he said his business was benefiting from a 'lipstick effect'.

The 'lipstick effect' was a phrase coined by the founder of beauty empire Estee Lauder, which explains that even when the economy is in dire straits, women will fork out on affordable luxuries such as lipsticks and perfumes.
Rachel Reeves has been urged to fix the broken business rates system to give pubs 'breathing space' as they fight to stay afloat.

More than 600 landlords warned in a letter to the Chancellor that 'many pubs are struggling to make ends meet' with 'intense cost pressures making survival increasingly difficult'.

The letter calls for a lower business rates bill for pubs to be introduced in the Budget this autumn  saving each venue an average of 10,000 a year.

The landlords, who operate 613 pubs owned by Greene King, said this would 'recognise the unique economic and social value pubs bring to communities across the UK' and 'provide immediate relief' to their businesses.

'Business rates are one of the biggest barriers to growth in the pub sector, placing a disproportionate burden on businesses of all sizes,' said Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie, whose chain runs 2,700 pubs.

The hospitality industry was hit by a 500m increase in business rates in April alongside a barrage of other costs imposed by Labour.

Raising a glass: Chancellor Rachel Reeves pictured with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner

That included the national insurance hike and a sharp increase in the minimum wage.

Some 89,000 jobs have been axed in restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels since Reeves' Budget last October, according to analysis of official figures by trade body UK Hospitality.

And there are fears more tax rises would exacerbate worrying rates of venue closures and job losses.

The sector is also grappling with high energy bills, which landlords say have tripled since the pandemic, while food prices have also risen in recent months.

'With costs rising across the board, many pubs are struggling to make ends meet, leaving them less able to invest in staff, improve their spaces, or support local economic growth,' the letter warned.

'While pubs are well placed to support local growth, intense cost pressures are making survival increasingly difficult.'

Mackenzie said Labour must follow through on its pledge to reform business rates.

In its manifesto, the party promised to 'replace the business rates system, so we can raise the same revenue but in a fairer way'.

Mackenzie said Reeves could make an 'immediate, positive impact' by introducing a lower, permanent and universal rate, or 'multiplier', for pubs.
The 1.2billion tie-up of supermarket sandwich makers Greencore and Bakkavor will face a formal investigation by Britain's anti-trust watchdog.

FTSE 250-listed Greencore's acquisition of its rival, announced in early April, is set to create a UK food-to-go giant with a combined revenue of around 4billion.

But unions have warned the Greencore deal could result in up to 1,500 job losses as well as factory closures.

The Competition and Markets Authority, which launched an 'invitation to comment' on the Greencore-Bakkavor deal in July, said on Monday it now has sufficient informationto enable it to begin an investigation.

The regulator is concerned the deal could result in a 'substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services'.

Greencore is a prepared food specialist, which supplies all major supermarkets, including Marks & Spencer.

The deal is set to create a UK food-to-go giant with a combined revenue of around 4billion.

The group, which has its headquarters in Dublin, with a British head office in Worksop and 14 factories, supplies nearly 750million food-to-go items each year and employs around 13,300 staff.

London-based Bakkavor employs 17,200 staff across 41 locations in Britain, the US and China.

It makes around 3,500 different freshly prepared food products, including meals, salads, desserts, dips, sauces, sandwiches, and pizza and bread products.

The CMA has now launched a phase one investigation into the deal and will determine whether it must be referred for a more intense phase two probe by 27 October.

Greencore and Bakkavor have previously expressed confidence in a positive outcome from any phase one investigation.

They told shareholders earlier this year: [The deal] will drive significant benefits for their customers and consumers and make a significant continuing contribution to the UK economy.

[Greencore and Bakkavor] are confident in their approach to securing approval of the transaction by the CMA in a phase one investigation without undertaking any remedies that are material to the combined group.

The pair think the combination will be finalised early next year.

Bakkavor boss Mike Edwards said in a statement on Monday: 'Following a period of constructive engagement with the CMA, we are pleased that they have announced the commencement of a phase one review of the acquisition of Bakkavor by Greencore, as expected.

'We welcome moving forward to this next step in the process within our anticipated timeline and look forward to continuing to working closely with the CMA over the coming months as it carries out its review.'
Royal Mail has returned an underlying profit for the first time in three years as bosses hailed an 'important milestone in the company's turnaround'.

It follows the controversial 3.6billion takeover of parent group International Distribution Services earlier this year by energy tycoon Daniel Kretinsky, bringing Royal Mail under foreign ownership for the first time in its 509-year history.

The so-called 'Czech Sphinx', known for his inscrutable approach to business decisions, was named chairman of Royal Mail not long after the deal was approved by shareholders.

IDS said Royal Mail achieved an adjusted operating profit, excluding voluntary redundancy costs, of 12million for the 12 months to 30 March, compared to losses of 336million the previous year.

However, when redundancy costs are included, Royal Mail still suffered an underlying operating losses of 8million.

The group said the result had been achieved 'despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment'.

Royal Mail delivered more parcels over the last year, helping to drive its return to profit

It cited 'modernisation' efforts aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs, parcel volumes growth, and a rapid rollout of Royal Mail's 'out of home' delivery options.

IDS says Royal Mail now has over 2,000 lockers and 7,500 Collect+ stores, 11,500 Post Office branches, 1,200 customer service points and 1,400 parcel postboxes.

The group was also given the all clear to scrap second class post on Saturdays in July as part of reforms to Royal Mail's universal service obligations.

Overall, IDS revenues were up 4.8 per cent year-on-year at 13.1 billion, driving underlying earnings of 278million, against losses of 28million in the previous year.

That was despite package arm GLS seeing adjusted operating profits fall 34million year-on-year to 286million, which IDS blamed on a 'challenging macroeconomic and regulatory environment in Germany and Italy and foreign exchange movements'.

IDS boss Martin Seidenberg said: 'It has been a year of change for IDS.

'Royal Mail returned to profit for the first time in three years, marking an important milestone in the company's turnaround.

'With IDS's acquisition by EP Group complete and universal service reform decided now is the time for us to drive the business forward and capitalise on our momentum.

'Under the ownership of EP Group we will continue to invest in the rapid expansion of our out of home network across both businesses to meet the changing needs of our customers around the globe.'
Royal Mails parent company has demanded a level playing field on tax with parcel delivery rivals after taking a major hit from Labours National Insurance hike.

Michael Snape, finance director at International Distribution Services (IDS), lashed out at competitors who did not have to pay the tax because, in many cases, their workers are not directly employed.

And he said the company was in early talks with the Government over the issue. It has previously warned that it will take a 120million hit from Rachel Reeves Budget tax raid.

IDS last year refused to rule out job cuts due to the Chancellors National Insurance hike.

However, Snape yesterday said it did not believe there would be a direct association with job losses.

But he considered the levies to be an unfair tax on our business model versus our competitors, adding: We take pride in the fact that we employ people.

Talks: Royal Mail's parent company claims it is unfair its competitors avoid paying National Insurance because in many cases their workers are not directly employed

Our competitors operate in a very different way so we bear the brunt of that increase in National Insurance far more than they do.

Snape said conversations with the Government on the matter have started and are at very early stages.

He added: The point that we make, whether its in relation to National Insurance or just otherwise, is: there should be a level playing field.

Snape said of Royal Mails 130,000 employees: We give them a pension, we give them some security around work, we look after them  our business is a people-run business.

Our competitors is a very different approach which we dont think is fair on a commercial level or also how perhaps you should run a business in the UK.

If there are any further taxes to come on businesses, we think they should be fair and proportionate and not target people such as ourselves who operate what we think is the best way of doing business.

Snape did not name rivals, but DPD, Yodel and Evri treat many workers as self-employed rather than direct employees.

IDS published its first set of annual results since a 3.6billion takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky  known as the Czech Sphinx.

It revealed losses narrowed to 8million for the year to the end of March from 348million a year earlier.
A mother who died in a Swiss euthanasia clinic without telling her family spent her final hours confiding in a TikTok friend she had never met about the suffering she had kept hidden from her own children.

Maureen Slough, 58, of County Cavan, Ireland, sent a series of haunting messages from inside the controversial Pegasos facility in Basel, where she had quietly paid 13,000 to end her life.

In them, she spoke of 'living in hell' for the past year, waking up each day 'crying, shaking', and insisting she would not 'allow a dog to suffer' the way she had.

Her daughter Megan said she was devastated to learn the news by text - and horrified when her mother's remains arrived in a plain brown pot with a scuffed gold label.

When Ms Slough flew to Switzerland on July 8, her family believed she was travelling to Lithuania with a friend. Two days later she died at Pegasos, listening to Elvis Presley's gospel music.

On the morning of her death she told her online confidant: 'I'm not myself. I feel like I've been living in hell for the last year and it's not good. I wake up crying, shaking, everything, because I'm in fear all the time, and thats not the way I want to live.'

'God wouldn't want me dying alone,' she added. 'But I dont think God wants people to be suffering until the end like f**king dogs. I wouldn't even allow my dog to suffer, the way I've been allowed to.'

Days earlier, she had admitted to the same friend that she was in 'two minds' about going through with the procedure and feared going to 'hell'.

Maureen Slough, a 58-year-old mother from Cavan who took her own life at the Pegasos clinic, with her daughter Megan

Ms Slough travelled alone to Switzerland and paid 15,000 euros (13,000) to the Pegasos Swiss Association to facilitate her death two days later

When Ms Slough flew to Switzerland on July 8, her family believed she was travelling to Lithuania with a friend

'I know I'm loved by a lot of people. I'm not going to say I agree with suicide - but assisted suicide maybe, when people are really suffering.

'I'm in two minds at the moment, I'm going to hurt a lot of people and I dont like doing that. But I cant see a way out.'

Megan, who gave birth to her second child just weeks before her mothers death, said the family had no prior warning from Pegasos, which she claims relied on forged paperwork to verify relatives were aware of the procedure.

The clinic said it received a letter from Megan confirming she knew of her mother's decision, along with a follow-up email, but the family believe Ms Slough forged both.

Her online confidant questioned whether she had the mental capacity to make such a decision, telling the Daily Mail: 'I don't think Maureen was sound enough of mind to make the decision she did and I don't think the corporation she paid a large sum of money to kill her [checked] the authenticity of her daughter's letter and email [thoroughly enough].'

Ms Slough's family were also horrified by the way her ashes were returned by post. 'She was just in the back of a van somewhere, and I was following a tracking number like she was a parcel,' a grief-stricken Megan told the Irish Independent.

Swiss law requires anyone seeking assisted death to be of sound mind, though they do not need to be terminally ill or have a medical condition. Pegasos says it tests decision-making capacity with extensive psychiatric assessments before approving any procedure.

But the non-profit, run by activist Ruedi Habegger, has come under fire for its practices. In 2023 the family of teacher Alastair Hamilton, 47, condemned the clinic after he died there without their knowledge, despite having no diagnosed illness.

Chemistry teacher Alastair Hamilton told his parents he was visiting a friend in Paris when instead he was flying to Basel, Switzerland to end his life by lethal injection

Alastair's distraught mother Judith Hamilton warned that other families should be aware of the 'cowboy clinic' called Pegasos

Anne Canning, 51, from Wales, travelled to the Pegasos clinic in the Swiss city of Basel in January to end her life without informing her family

Pegasos vowed to begin contacting relatives before future procedures, but in January this year 51-year-old British mother Anne Canning - who was not terminally ill and was said to be grieving her son - also died there without her family being told.

As Pegasos faced mounting scrutiny, Ms Slough was retreating into an online world she increasingly saw as her safe space. On TikTok she struck up a friendship with a 43-year-old delivery driver from Devon after bonding over their shared Catholic faith.

Though they never met in person, they exchanged religious gifts, prayed together on livestreams and spoke long into the night. Over time she confided in him about the abuse and losses that had scarred her life - memories she found too painful to share in her everyday life.

She said she was abducted by her mother aged three and taken from England to Ireland without her father knowing - something she only discovered much later. In her final months she remained tormented by having blamed him for abandoning her and bitterly regretted not being at his bedside when he died.

As a child in Dublin, she claimed she ran away after being sexually abused by a friend of her mother. When the authorities found her, she said she was given a choice: either return home or be placed in one of the country's notorious Magdalene Laundries where women worked without pay and suffered mistreatment from the governing nuns.

About her five years spent in Dublin's An Grianan Training Centre, Ms Slough said: 'Do you think it was proper of a girl, my age, to be walking down the laundry, scrubbing f**king clothes and floors?

No freedom, bars on the windows, being forced to pray [and] bring slop buckets down to the f**king basement yard, that all went to the f**king pigs.

Describing the nuns who ran the place, she said: 'We were just scum to them.'

Some of the final messages Ms Slough's friend sent her before her death at Pegasos clinic in Switzerland

Ms Slough told her friend about her experience at Dublin's An Grianan Training Centre, a Catholic-run institution which had once been part of one of Ireland's notorious Magdalene Laundries

Messages sent by Ms Slough on July 5, just a few days before she travelled to Basel to die

This is not the first time the non-profit assisted dying clinic Pegasos in Switzerland has attracted controversy

The home attended by Ms Slough had been part of High Park Magdalene Laundry, where for more than a century young women had lived and worked without pay. The building is now the home of a housing association's offices

As she grew older, her life was marked by further tragedy, including the loss of her three siblings - Hazel, Wendy and Fred - for whom she kept an altar at home. She also struggled with depression, anxiety and allegedly fibromyalgia - a chronic condition that left her in constant pain and exhaustion.

In her final year she became convinced she had developed septic shock, but said she was 'fobbed off' by doctors and suffered 'medical negligence' from professionals who refused to take her symptoms seriously or provide proper pain relief.

A year ago, she attempted suicide by overdosing after what she described as the 'worst pain' in her back.

Following Ms Slough's death, the clinic said it has tightened its rules once again. It will no longer accept unaccompanied applicants with living relatives unless their next of kin provide passport copies and take part in a video call with staff.

In September 2024 the controversial euthanasia device known as the Sarco pod made headlines when a woman became the first person to end her life using the device.

Invented by Australia-born physician Philip Nitschke, the coffin-like machine purports to offer patients a way to die painlessly by depriving them of oxygen.

Pegasos, which has not implemented the device, said it finds the machine an interesting idea, but prefers assisted dying methods that allow patients to be closely accompanied by family and friends.

Patients enter the pod and push a button, causing nitrogen gas to flood the interior leading to loss of consciousness and death within 10 minutes.

In September 2024 the controversial euthanasia device known as the Sarco pod made headlines when a woman became the first person to end her life using the device

Dr Philip Nitschke created the coffin-like Sarco pod which is designed to offer patients a way to end their lives painlessly by depriving them of oxygen

After the 64-year-old American woman became the first to die in the pod in a woodland in northern Switzerland, police made multiple arrests.

The public prosecutor in the Schaffhausen canton said that Sarco's creators had been warned not to use the device in the region, but that the warning had not been heeded.

The inventor told the Daily Mail in May that he was developing a new device - a 'kill switch' implant which could allow dementia sufferers to seal the time of their death years in advance.

Alistair Thompson, a spokesperson for anti-euthanasia group Care Not Killing, condemned the development: 'This is yet another chilling development from Dr Death who brought us the personalised gas chamber, he said.

'Not content with advocating for killing vulnerable terminally ill adults, he has turned his attention to those with neurodegenerative conditions.

Across Europe, some form of assisted dying is legal in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Austria.

Some 314 MPs in the Commons chamber voted in favour of legalising assisted dying in England and Wales in a historic vote in June.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law.

A Pegasos spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We take great issue with any allegations that we are acting without regulation or unethically. Pegasos has always complied and will continue to comply with Swiss law without exception.

'We ask for medical or psychiatric reports from independent specialists and applicants are required to speak to a doctor or psychiatrist during the process. These confidential conversations determine whether voluntary assisted death is the only and last option - and some people reconsider.

'It is standard procedure for applicants to be interviewed again by a doctor the day before the death. Only if the doctor confirms they are capable of judgement can the procedure take place.'
Albania's 'most wanted pimp' is still freely walking the streets in Britain four years after losing his extradition battle, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Gezim Troka, 50, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2008 after an Albanian court found him guilty in absentia of forcing his partner into prostitution.

Despite being the subject of an international arrest warrant, he snuck into the UK on a fake passport and only came to the attention of the authorities when he was convicted of common assault ten years later.

When he was in an immigration detention pending deportation, British officials realised he was a wanted fugitive and granted Albania's extradition request.

Despite Troka's first appeal against his extradition being rejected, he was still able to take his case to the High Court, which finally threw it out in December 2021.

Sources have now confirmed to the Daily Mail that Troka still remains in the UK - nearly four years on.

And with nearly two decades having passed since his 2008 conviction for pimping, Albanian officials are now considering whether to withdraw their extradition request - raising the possibility he will remain in the UK permanently.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, said: 'This case shows how soft Britain's borders have become. This man is clearly not conducive to the public good, and his continued presence in our country is an insult.'

The Home Office has refused to say whether he will still be extradited.

A wanted poster issued by Albanian police for Gezim Troka, 50, who is now free in the UK

A judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court granted Troka unconditional bail last year

Troka last appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 2, 2024, where a judge granted his solicitor's request for unconditional bail - meaning he is free to do as he pleases without any restrictions.

He spent more than three years in custody between his initial detention on August 2, 2018 and the 2021 High Court judgment before being released on bail soon after.

According to court documents seen by the Daily Mail, Troka entered into a relationship with a woman in 1994 while he was living in the Albanian city of Fier.

They travelled illegally to Athens, where Troka used 'physical and psychological violence' to force her to work in a brothel before stealing her income.

The pair later moved to Rome, and then Padua, where Troka kept exploiting her.

He was finally arrested in Italy in May 27, 1995, and was sentenced to a year and four months in prison for 'exploitation and favouring prostitution'.

But he only served a partial sentence, and continued exploiting his partner in 2000.

By 2007, he was being hunted by the authorities in Albania, with an international arrest warrant issued in 2008 prior to his conviction in absentia.

In 2008, Albanian pimps were photographed selling a woman outside Selfridges on Oxford Street for 3,000

That same year, he was caught attempting to enter the UK using a fake Bulgarian passport, Essex News and Investigations reported at the time.

An Albanian organised crime expert said it was not unusual for criminals from the country to become involved in prostitution.

The expert, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail: 'In the late 1990s, Albanians in Italy learned how street prostitution was controlled by the Italian mafia, so they began smuggling Albanian girls to Italy and Greece under false pretenses and forcing them into sex work  as in Troka's case.

'By the 2000s, they expanded to the UK, dominating Soho's red-light district and opening their own brothels, often using Albanian and Eastern European victims.'

In 2008, Albanian pimps were photographed selling a woman outside Selfridges for 3,000.

Police surveillance footage shows a man handing over the cash to two of his countrymen outside the department store as shoppers passed by, unaware of what was happening.

The helpless woman - guarded by a thug - was forced to watch as the men discussed the deal.

She would have been expected to earn her new 'owner' 100,000 a year by having sex up to 25 times a day in a brothel.

In another rare prosecution this year, Albanian crime boss Roland Cankaj was found guilty of running a London brothel staffed by trafficked Brazilian women

On this occasion, the woman was lucky. Police swooped to free her and her traffickers - Agran Demarku, his brother Flamur, and a third man, Izzet Fejzullahu - were jailed for a total of 63 years.

In another rare prosecution this year, Albanian crime boss Roland Cankaj was found guilty of running a London brothel staffed by trafficked Brazilian women.

The 43-year-old, who forced women to have sex with up to 15 men a day, was convicted following a six-day trial at Croydon Crown Court.

The Met began investigating an organised crime group called the 'Cankaj Brotherhood' in 2022 and found it had been trafficking women into the UK to work in the sex trade.

While under police surveillance, Cankaj was seen moving the women between different addresses and taking provocative pictures of them outside London landmarks to use in adverts.

Police later raided the brothel he ran in Tower Hamlets and found a number of items associated with sex work.

Six victims were identified in total, including a Brazilian beautician who was lured to the UK by the offer of women before being made to have sex with between 10 and 15 men a day, with Cankaj taking half the money.

Troka's solicitors have been contacted for comment.
A mastermind Melbourne eshay ran a Fagin-like gang which recruited kids to steal more than $500,000 in loot peddled to suspected organised crime figures.

Tylah 'Melmzy' Malachowski, 20, has pleaded guilty to 61 charges including robbery and handling stolen goods at Melbourne County Court.

Malachowski and his crony Brodie Enever controlled a criminal gang of machete-wielding children which terrorised victims and looted various Melbourne businesses.

The court heard Malachowski, from Ferntree Gully in Melbourne's east, 'recruited and organised groups of youths to conduct robberies' at businesses across Melbourne.

The Malachowski gang targeted cigarettes, vapes, alcohol, and cash which they sold to tobacco store owners with suspected underworld links.

Investigators weren't able to 'fully determine the total loss caused to victims due to the large number of incidents linked to the accused', the court was told.

However, the cops estimated the Malachowski gang stole loot from almost 40 businesses which totalled about $597,185.

The court was told the total amount 'does not include repair costs for doors, windows, security screens and cash registers' and various other property damage.

Baby-faced crime boss Tylah 'Melmzy' Malachowski pleaded guilty to 61 charges including robbery and handling stolen goods

Malachowski's child crime gang in action

Police took down Malachowski and dismantled his gang in May 2024

Malachowski, who identifies as part-Indigenous, and Enever, 19, co-ordinated their child gang of about 30 members who were aged between 13 and 19.

The eshay ringleader gave direct orders on which stores to rob and when, and arranged for stolen cars to be provided to the gang members.

Malachowski also assigned a 'trusted driver to commit the offences' and 'provided direction' on how to commit the heists and 'avoid detection by police'.

Gang members were paid around $100-$200 to commit the violent and brazen offending which occurred between January and May 2024.

Malachowski and Enever remained insulated from their junior foot soldiers while pocketing thousands in illicit gains.

Malachowski haggled with dodgy store owners and suspected organised crime-linked figures over the price of stolen cigarettes and alcohol.

An exchange with a cigarette fence aired in court revealed a deal Malachowski was set to do for $40,000.

'1380 decks 25000, 430 vapes all different kinds 6.5k, 930 packets of imported smokes all different kinds 9k,' Malachowski texted the fence.

Multiple messages found on Malachowski's phone detailed how he recruited 'young offenders to commit burglaries'

Gang members were paid around $100-$200 to commit the violent and brazen offending which occurred between January and May 2024

'Yo bro, save them, dad will definitely take them, tell me what you get tonight and we'll see, we can pick them up tomorrow,' the fence replied.

'Yeah but that stocks only going for 49 grand, 40,' Malachowski said.

'Dad said he'll take them for 40k, and the ones you're getting tonight, let me know when we can pick up,' the fence replied.

Multiple messages found on Malachowski's phone detailed how he recruited 'young offenders to commit burglaries'.

Malachowski also 'scouted potential target locations' while his child gangsters waited nearby ready to raid the intended victim, the court was told.

The baby-faced boss also organised for fake number plates to be attached to the various heist cars, many of which were stolen with keys swiped from inside homes where families slept.

Malachowski also complained when new recruits weren't up to the jobs assigned because they were 'gooses' and 'kids have never done crime in their life'.

The criminal operation - which operated like the Fagin child pickpocket gang in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist - carried out robberies and burglaries often armed with knives, hammers and machetes.

The gang regularly hit multiple service stations and stores in a single day and robbed 17 separate victims during a spree between April 14 and April 17.

Malachowski admitted robbing the various service stations and supermarkets during that four-day blitz which netted the gang $142,350 in cash and cigarettes.

A grey BMW stolen from Footscray was used in most of the heists until police located it after a Coles Express robbery in Boronia in Melbourne's east on April 16.

Malachowski (pictured) also complained when new recruits weren't up to the jobs assigned because they were 'gooses' and 'kids have never done crime in their life'

The Malachowski gang targeted cigarettes, vapes, alcohol , and cash which they sold to tobacco store owners with suspected underworld links

Police chased the BMW, which collided with another car but then sped off at 180km/h towards the CBD, where officers managed to box it in.

Five of Malachowski's gang were arrested and police located machetes, two cash registers and stolen smokes in the car.

The next day the gang switched to using a stolen white Audi A3 with cloned number plates.

One of Malachowski's gang members assaulted a woman who witnessed the gang rob a Preston service station on April 17.

.the Malachowski gang member demanded she delete the footage, then punched her in the stomach when she refused

The thug then 'displayed a knife in his waistband' which caused the woman to flee the scene.

Malachowski, who ran his child gang with text messages and Snapchats, had a side hustle where he would attempt to sell his various stolen luxury cars for quick cash.

The ringleader attempted to sell a stolen black Mercedes via Facebook Marketplace for $3000 but was told by a criminal associate that he 'won't get more than 1k for it'.

Malachowski (pictured), who ran his child gang with text messages and Snapchats, had a side hustle where he would attempt to sell his various stolen luxury cars for quick cash

Police seize cigarettes stolen by Malachowski's gang

Malachowski was also twice caught driving cars at dangerous speeds including an escapade where he recorded himself driving a Volkswagen at 249km/h through Melbourne on May 27.

Malachowski was also clocked doing 180km/h through the Burnley Tunnel with 'one hand on the phone recording the speedometer' on March 10.

Police raided Malachowski's Ferntree Gully home on May 29 but no one was home.

Investigators seized drugs and clothing before arresting Malachowski at a nearby hospital just a hours later.

Police seized Malachowski's phone and a machete and stolen number plates from his car.

Malachowski made no admissions to police after his arrest and he was remanded in custody.

Despite the seriousness of his offending Malachowski was allowed to have a casual chat about his hardships while attending Koori Court sitting at the County Court.

Malachowski, who initially faced 180 charges, complained about his prison food and lack of things to do while he was locked up.

The serial offender had the casual roundtable court chat - which included a chuckle about how some of the jail food reminded him of McDonald's chicken and cheeseburgers - just moments after a robbery victim recalled how he was left 'deeply shaken'.

'The moment masked machete-wielding individuals stormed in I was overcome with terror, I genuinely feared for my life,' the victim said in a statement read to the court.

'I kept thinking about my family back home wondering if I would ever see them again, my whole life flashed back in my head, my parents, my siblings, my friends, it is extremely overwhelming and it is going to stay with me forever.

'I would wake up in panic reliving the trauma again and again, I still struggle with anxiety, especially when I'm alone at night.'

Malachowski said he 'obviously felt sorry for them'.

Police investigated the gang prior to making multiple arrests

'I didn't try to make them feel unsafe... you know what I mean,' Malachowski said.

'I don't organise to harm people or anything like that.'

An elder present at the court hearing said 'colonisation' was a factor the court should consider despite Malachowski only recently learning he was part-Indigenous after a stint in youth custody.

'It goes back to colonisation days, and that's still continuing today, the issues that were raised and people, what they did to our people,' the elder said.

'I was born a non-human being back in 1901, our people have been here for 120,000 years and we were born on 1901 non-citizens of this country that we lived on, cared for 120,000 years.

'And the stolen generations and we had the removal of 38 clans in Victoria... we're the victims of colonisation and it's followed through because the history and our culture is not taught... and I come to court and its not known because it's taken away.'

Malachowski, in custody at Metropolitan Remand Centre, also boasted about how he had obtained his stop/go traffic management card.

The ruthless criminal also plans to sell his artwork after he is released from jail.

Enever was jailed in June for 394 days reckoned as time served and is already back on the street after being handed a two-year community correction order for home invasion and other offences.

Malachowski, who also pleaded guilty to burglary, will return to court on September 23.
A pub named one of Britains roughest boozers has undergone a complete turnaround and become a favourite of locals and tourists after being taken over by an England rugby star.

The Swordfish in Newlyn, Cornwall used to be infamous for mass brawls involving drunken fishermen as well as the Newlyn Knockout - a potent cocktail of vodka, drambuie and absinthe.

The whitewashed harbourside venue featured on Sky TVs Roughest pubs in Britain where former landlord Pete Bell said: Its a good old pub. Its a rough pub. You have the odd instance where people throw glasses about or just break them on the floor for something to do.

Landing day is the most crucial day. Thats the first day they want to come in and they all want to get totally rat-arsed.

Mr Bell also fondly remembered ejecting French fishermen from the pub for speaking their own language. He said: The French - not a good one in my book.

Ive had to throw them out when they get out of order. I dont like them basically - I dont mind saying it.

They make everybody uneasy because they dont know whats going on and they arent speaking a word of English. I go no, Ive had enough, out you go.

The Swordfish in Newlyn, Cornwall used to be infamous for mass brawls involving drunken fishermen as well as the Newlyn Knockout. It is now owned by rugby player Jack Nowell

Former landlord Pete Bell had said: 'You have the odd instance where people throw glasses about or just break them on the floor for something to do'

Winger Jack, 32, is pictured in his element. He now plays his rugby for La Rochelle and he told the Daily Mail: 'That was the local pub when I was growing up'

But in 2018 with business at The Swordfish slowing down due to the shrinking fishing industry in Newlyn, England rugby star Jack Nowell - who grew up 100m from the bar - took over with business partners Nicholas George and Mark George.

Since then the pub - affectionately nicknamed The Swordie - has become a popular live music venue and B&B with customers praising its friendly atmosphere.

Winger Jack, 32, who now plays his rugby for La Rochelle, told the Daily Mail: That was the local pub when I was growing up. I lived just up the road in Newlyn and I remember being in there as a kid.

I remember going down there as a kid, Id help dad land the fish onto the lorries then youd go down to the pub and have a drink.

I remember The Swordfish being absolutely rammed - there were so many people it was packed and youd push through adults legs trying to get from one side to the other.

I always remember thinking I cant wait to be old enough to have a pint with my mates in here but when I got to 18 the pub was struggling and very empty - I was gutted.

But now on a Friday night with a live band and all the locals in there its back to how it used to be but it has changed a bit considering it was voted the third roughest pub in Britain.

The Cornwall boozer is pictured as it was in a Sky programme while it still had the reputation of one of Britain's roughest pubs

Mr Bell fondly remembered ejecting French fishermen from the pub for speaking their own language. He said: The French - not a good one in my book'

The programme also saw recollections of some of the more dangerous moments in the pub. A man was described as 'pulling a knife' before fortunately being passed on to the door to leave

In 2018 with business at The Swordfish slowing down due to the shrinking fishing industry in Newlyn, England rugby star Jack Nowell took over

Inside the Swordfish Inn which has become a popular live music venue and B&B with customers praising its friendly atmosphere

The whitewashed harbourside venue featured on Sky TVs Roughest pubs in Britain before the rugby star turned things around

Jack admitted: 'The only hands on I do is coming back, sitting in my chair and having a pint with my mates'

While Jacks may be the name above the door, dont expect to see him serving behind the bar anytime soon

The pub is affectionately known as The Swordie. Jack said he was gutted when he got to 18 to see the pub struggling and empty

I do remember it being rough and seeing fights but luckily my family is quite well known and I was the kid that got left alone. I remember bar fights with people having too many drinks and it spilling out into the street but the culture was different to now. Thats just what fishermen did in those days.

And while Jacks may be the name above the door, dont expect to see him serving behind the bar anytime soon.

He said: The only hands on I do is coming back, sitting in my chair and having a pint with my mates.

I try and get things across on my social media, I have occasionally worked the barbecue but when Im home its normally for a very short space of time and I want to make sure Im on the other side of the bar with my mates.

One very loyal regular is Jacks dad Michael Nowell, 55, who is still a fisherman - although these days owns a fishing business operating three beam trawlers from Newlyn.

He said: For some reason my old man goes through stages of thinking he owns the pub and refusing to buy a drink so when I come home Ive got a pretty hefty bar tab.
A remote West Virginia school known as the quietest in America has finally been granted access to Wi-Fi for the first time in its history.

Green Bank Elementary-Middle School is located within the National Radio Quiet Zone and has remained offline for decades.

Its isolation from the internet and essentially the rest of the world was enforced over 50 years ago to shield the groundbreaking scientific research taking place just next door.

But for the first time ever, the tiny school of just 100 students has received long-awaited permission to connect to Wi-Fi and officially step into the modern age once and for all.

'This is a big, positive change for us,' Principal Melissa Jordan told Green Bank Observatory.

'This conversation has been going on for a few years, and its finally happening,' she added.

'Our students now have the same equal opportunities as the others in the county. Were really excited to see the ways that this can positively impact student achievement.'

In 1956, the National Science Foundations National Radio Astronomy Observatory established the countrys first observatory in the heart of the secluded community of Pocahontas County.

Green Bank Elementary-Middle School (pictured), nestled beside the worlds largest fully steerable radio telescope located at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, has finally been granted access to Wi-Fi for the first time in its history

Its isolation from the internet - and essentially the rest of the world - was enforced over 50 years ago to shield the groundbreaking scientific research taking place just next door (pictured: NSF Green Bank Telescope)

Because Wi-Fi signals use the same radio frequencies as the cosmic waves the telescope listens for, having active Wi-Fi nearby creates interference that drowns out the faint signals from space - making it impossible for scientists to do their work (pictured: scientists at Observatory)

Residents of Green Bank rely on landlines and face-to-face communication, with the surrounding mountains providing natural isolation from the outside world.

Those who live in its secluded landscape often drive over an hour to reach a major grocery store - and even farther for a Walmart, the nearest of which is 50 miles away, turning each shopping trip into a 100-mile journey through rugged mountain terrain.

It was designed to serve as a home base for scientists from across the country, and the Observatory soon became the center of tightly enforced regulations.

Two designated 'quiet zones' were soon established, banning both Wi-Fi and cellphones use across vast stretches of surrounding land.

One of the 'quiet zones' is the sprawling 13,000-square-mile National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), which spans large portions of West Virginia and Virginia.

The other, far more restrictive, is the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zone (WVRAZ), enforcing strict guidelines within a 10-mile radius of the Observatory itself.

Green Bank Elementary-Middle School was founded in part by the Observatory, which also donated land to house the schools library and sits within the 10-mile zone.

But back then, nobody could have predicted a future where education would depend on invisible signals in the air.

For the first time ever, the tiny school of just 100 students received long-awaited permission to connect to Wi-Fi and officially step into the modern age once and for all

In 1956, the National Science Foundations National Radio Astronomy Observatory established the countrys first observatory (pictured) in the heart of the secluded community of Pocahontas County

'When these Quiet Zones were created in the late 1950s, by the Federal Communications Commission and the state of West Virginia, officials could not have predicted the technology using radio wavelengths that are almost an essential part of our daily lives,' Anthony Remijan, director of the NSF GBO, told the outlet.

The area became even more tightly protected with the construction of the Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope between 1990 and 2000.

Its construction cemented the site as an enormous scientific marvel, towering 485 at feet tall with a 100-meter dish to become the largest fully steerable radio telescope on Earth.

Built to study radio waves from deep space, the telescope played a crucial role in groundbreaking discoveries - including detecting low-frequency gravitational waves and unveiling other major astronomical phenomena.

But because Wi-Fi signals use the same radio frequencies as the cosmic waves the telescope listens for, having active Wi-Fi nearby creates interference that drowns out the faint signals from space - making it impossible for scientists to do their work.

Its critical role led the WVRAZ to ban devices that emit signals - like Wi-Fi routers - within the area.

Green Bank quickly became one of the few places on Earth where people werent constantly connected.

It evolved into a Mecca for people tired of the modern world and electrosensitive individuals who believe they suffer symptoms caused by internet.

Since then, the NSF GBT telescope has continued to operate around the clock, scanning the skies 24 hours a day.

Two designated 'quiet zones' were soon established around the Observatory, one of which being the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zone (WVRAZ), which banned Wi-Fi and cellphones within a 10-mile radius (pictured) of the observatory itself - Green Bank included

Observatory engineers and experts concluded that the best compromise - for the benefit of the local community - was to officially permit limited use of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, since the band was already compromised by some unregulated signals in the area (pictured: telescope operator in control room)

Regarding the decision, Principal Melissa Jordan (pictured) said: 'This conversation has been going on for a few years, and its finally happening. Our students now have the same equal opportunities as the others in the county'

Yet over time, engineers, scientists, town officials and residents alike came to recognize the need to catch up with the rest of the country.

'Today, were trying to balance our scientific operations with the reality of a world with Wi-Fi,' Remijan told the Green Bank Observatory.

For years, scientists have struggled against Wi-Fi signals operating at 2.4 GHz - the very same frequency they rely on to detect the faint whispers of the universe, as it's the most common and affordable band used by everyday routers.

'Many people who were doing the right thing by not using Wi-Fi were left without access, while others who were illegally using routers did whatever they wanted,' Remijan explained.

Observatory engineers and experts concluded that the best compromise - for the benefit of the local community - was to officially permit limited use of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, since the band was already compromised by some unregulated signals in the area.

'Now, the that benefits everyone and helps us better manage the situation,' Remijan added.

The decision has been welcomed by West Virginia officials, including Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who praised the Wi-Fi access as 'a gift of education, inspiration, and knowledge.'

'Enabling the students this tool to expand their universe is a fitting thing to receive from the Green Bank Observatory,' Senator Capito told Green Bank Observatory.

Those who live in Green Bank (school pictured) often drive over an hour to reach a major grocery store - and even farther for a Walmart, the nearest of which is 50 miles away, turning each shopping trip into a 100-mile journey through rugged mountain terrain

The decision has been welcomed by West Virginia officials, including Senator Shelley Moore Capito (pictured), who praised the Wi-Fi access as 'a gift of education, inspiration, and knowledge'

Built to study radio waves from deep space, the telescope (pictured) played a crucial role in groundbreaking discoveries - including detecting low-frequency gravitational waves and unveiling other major astronomical phenomena

'While GBO studies the stars, I applaud them for their commitment to the neighbors here on earth,' she added. 'I hope the students are excited to have the tools to help them become the scientists and explorers of tomorrow.'

Assistant Principal Chloe Shaffner also expressed her support, praising the Observatory as a strong partner that has opened up new experiences for students.

'Being so close to the Observatory, weve had a good partnership thats brought new opportunities for our students, from field trips, to student contact with the International Space Station, and student science with weather balloons,' Schaffner said.

'We have a good partnership, and its great that its led to this change.'

Principal Melissa Jordan, Assistant Principal Chloe Shaffner and Dr. Leatha Williams - the new superintendent of Pocahontas County Schools - did not immediately respond to Daily Mail for comment.
Just days after the birth of their second child, parents Petru and Natalia Obada broke down in tears.

Rather than celebrating the newest addition and sharing their bundle of joy with friends and family, the couple traipsed around hospitals and GP consultation rooms.

Within weeks of welcoming baby Sophia into the world, the family were told she was born with a rare disease and without surgery she could permanently lose her eyesight.

Now, the couple are hoping to take their nine-month-old to Spain for specialist eyelid surgery that will help her 'see the world she lights up'.

Working against the clock, Petru, 31, and Natalia, 32, are hoping the surgery will give Sophia her eyesight back, but without exposure to light, their daughter's chances are quickly deteriorating.

Now Petru and Natalia have launched a GoFundMe to raise money for the vital surgery and hope the money raised will help them cover the medical costs in Spain, travel and accommodation and medical support for their little one.

Petru, an HS2 engineer, and Natalia, a stay-at-home mother, were shocked to discover their daughter had a rare disease - especially after their son David, three, was born without any complications.

The couple, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, had a 'classic' pregnancy and everything seemed fine.

Petru and Natalia Obada were told their nine-month-old daughter Sophia was born with a rare disease and without surgery she could permanently lose her sight (Natalia and Sophia)

The couple were shocked by the news after their healthy first pregnancy and said not even the doctors had picked up on anything (Sophia pictured with her older brother David)

Petru told the Daily Mail: 'My wife's pregnancy was perfectly normal. All the tests came back clear and the delivery at 42 weeks was perfectly normal and natural.

'Our first child is perfectly healthy.'

So when Sophia arrived, the couple wasn't worried - and neither were the doctors.

'When Sophia was born, we had no reason to expect anything unusual,' he said.

But less than a week later, Sophia showed signs that not everything was as normal as it first appeared.

Most newborns are able to open their eyes within a few hours and while many suffer from puffy eyes, the swelling often resolves itself within a few days.

But for Sophia, this never occurred and a week after her birth, alarm bells started ringing.

'About a week after her birth we noticed something was wrong because Sophia wasn't opening her eyes properly.

Working against the clock, Petru and Natalia are hoping the surgery will give Sophia her eyesight back, but without exposure to light, their daughter's chances are deteriorating

After three or four days, Petru noticed Sophia had still not opened her eyes and took her along to the GP who referred them to a specialist

'Her eyelids looked much smaller compared to other babies,' Petru said.

'I remember how our son had opened his, big eyes right away. And, it was clear that something was different with Sophia.'

But the disease, which affects one in 50,000 babies, is so rare that even doctors didn't spot it and signed mother and baby off as safe to go home.

Petru said: 'Straight after delivery nobody said anything. Even the doctors didn't notice.'

Despite being signed off at the hospital, the worried family took Sophia along to the GP who referred them to a specialist immediately.

Petru said: 'After three or four days, I noticed, something wrong with her eyes, and we took her to GP. They referred us to a pediatrician.

'So the doctor confirmed there was a problem, but she admitted she had never seen anything like this before.'

Petru said it was 'scary' knowing even the doctors didn't know anything about the condition and confessed his wife Natalia 'cried a lot' following the heartbreaking news.

Sophia was diagnosed with Blepharophimosis Ptosis Epicanthus Inversus Syndrome which affects one in 50,000 babies

After several tests, including genetic blood tests for Petru, Natalia and Sophia, doctors concluded there were no issues with Sophia's parents but that the little girl had Blepharophimosis Ptosis Epicanthus Inversus Syndrome (BPES).

BPES is a group of syndromes that affect the eyelids or eye placement.

Sophia has Type 1 which has prevented her eyelids from fully opening, restricting her vision and potentially leading to permanent sight loss.

After their blood tests, the family were referred to specialists at Oxford University Hospital where genetic experts explained her condition in detail.

The family discussed treatments and discovered that without medical intervention, Sophia would permanently lose her sight.

The treatments include attaching a thread from her eyelids to her eyebrow so she can manually open and close her eyelids or a more advanced treatment offered in Spain.

This new operation would involve attaching little Sophia's eyelid muscles to her eyebrows allowing for a more natural and more permanent fix and meaning the nine-month-old would be able to see properly for the first time in her life.

But Petru told the Daily Mail that time is against the family.

The family were told without medical intervention, Sophia would permanently lose her sight (pictured with her mother)

Sophia's eyesight could deteriorate too much due to a lack of exposure to light meaning she could be left permanently blind.

Petru confessed they have an upcoming appointment where they will check to see whether his daughter's sight has got worse.

He added: 'They're going to check because if it has got worse we might need to do the surgery straight away.

'Otherwise they recommend doing it when she's three but the doctors in Spain say as soon as possible is the best option.'

But Petru is confident the surgery will change his daughter life, saying: 'We're sure about this. We've heard a lot of good stories and we're dedicated to go there.'

Despite their confidence, Petru and Natalia have been finding the whole process very worrying and isolating without a family support network.

He said: 'It's very difficult, especially because there's nobody here to support us. We only have each other, but we're going to do whatever we need to make sure she can see the world.'
'This person is a snake of the worst kind'.

Those were the chilling words of an American interrogator after spending four hours in the company of the slippery Nazi Friedrich Kadgien.

Now, nearly 50 years after his death, the misdeeds of the wartime SS officer and leading aide of the monstrous Hermann Goering are finally getting the attention they deserve.

As the Mail reported last week, the listing of a property owned by his daughter in Argentina - where he died in 1978 - sparked a police search for a painting allegedly stolen from a Jewish art dealer.

But when officers arrived at the home of Patricia Kadgien in the city of Mar del Plata, they found that Portrait of a Lady, by 18th century painter Fra Galgario, had been replaced with a tapestry depicting horses.

Now, amidst global interest and confusion about where the painting has ended up, the Mail can reveal the astonishing story of how Kadgien fled Allied clutches after the Nazis' defeat in the Second World War.

His escape was made possible in part by incompetence, but also a willingness by authorities in Switzerland in the immediate aftermath of the war issue Kadgien with a visa and to shield him from an American extradition request.

He was able to build a new life and career as a deal broker and arms dealer in Brazil and Argentina, the latter of which in particular became notorious for sheltering leading Nazis.

Nazi Friedrich Kadgien in Brail 1954 with Antoinette Imfeld, the wife of Swiss lawyer Ernst Imfeld. The lawyer helped Kadgien flee from Switzerland to South America

Last week, police raided the home of Kadgien's daughter after being alerted to the fact that a painting allegedly stolen from a Jewish art dealer was there. The work, Portrait of a Lady by 18th century painter Fra Galgario, was spotted by a Dutch journalist on an estate agent's website, where Ms Kadgien's property had been listed

War criminals Adolf Eichmann - the chief architect of the Holocaust - and Auschwitz death camp doctor Josef Mengele were among those who found a safe haven under the regime of Juan Peron.

Why Nazis fled to South America after WWII After Germany's defeat, a series of escape routes - known as 'ratlines' - were opened up to help Nazis flee Europe. While some went to the Middle East, many more went to South America, and in particular Argentina. Before the war, Argentina had been home to around 250,000 German speakers and so was a popular destination. Juan Peron, the country's leader from 1946 until 1955, made no secret of his admiration for European fascist regimes. A few months before his death in 1974, Peron revealed in secret tape recordings how he had actively decided to save as many Nazi officials as possible from what he said was the 'outrage' of the Nuremberg Trials. Among the most notorious war criminals who found refuge in Argentina were Adolf Eichmann - the chief architect of the Holocaust - and Auschwitz death camp doctor Josef Mengele. Eichmann was kidnapped from Buenos Aires by Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, in 1960. He was then put on trial and executed. But Mengele had a lucky escape. He died a free man in Brazil in 1979 after leaving Argentina, initially for Paraguay, in 1959. Many fugitive fascists brought plundered Jewish property with them, including gold, bank deposits, paintings, sculptures and furnishings. The fate of those items continues to make news as the painful process of restitution drags along in Argentina and beyond. Advertisement

Speaking of Kadgien's flight to safety, Argentine historian Julio Mutti told the Mail: 'The truth is that it doesn't surprise me at all.

'There are many stories of worse Nazi criminals, even with insistent extradition requests from Europe, who were able to do it without any problems.

'These Nazis were sheltered and protected by the Argentine government. How could Kadgien not have been able to do it, having had numerous financial resources?

'Besides, he only faced a weak extradition attempt by the Americans when he was in Switzerland.

'What does surprise me is that his long and prosperous presence in Argentina went unnoticed during the deep investigations that were carried out in the 1990s and 2000s in Argentina.'

Kadgien, who was born in Elberfeld, western Germany, in 1907, became a member of the Nazi party in late 1932, just weeks before Adolf Hitler was elected leader of Germany.

As the 1930s progressed and the Nazis' grip on power tightened, so did Kadgien's career.

The currency expert joined the feared SS in 1935, and by 1938 had become a key aide to Hitler's right-hand man, Hermann Goering.

Although Goering is perhaps best known as the drug-addled chief of the German air force, he was also - as 'commissioner for the four-year plan' - charged with growing the Nazi war economy.

According to the 2002 expert report of the Swiss Bergier Commission, titled 'Switzerland, National Socialism and the Second World War', Kadgien became 'heavily involved in criminal methods for acquiring currency, securities and diamonds stolen from Jewish victims'.

In other words, he used his guile to shamelessly plunder the assets of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr Mutti said: 'The speciality of the official department where Kadgien worked was converting the proceeds from looted Jewish property into foreign currency.

'For example, works of art, gold, and other valuable items. Goering, in turn, was the main organizer of the looting of all kinds of works of art in the occupied territories.'

Exactly how and when Kadgien came into possession of Portrait of a Lady remains a mystery.

A member of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) stands outside the house that was raided after a photo showing a 17th century masterwork allegedly stolen by the Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector appeared in an advertisement for the sale of the property, in Parque Luro neighbourhood, Mar del Plata

Investigators seized much from the home, but not the prized artwork they went in looking for

When police arrived, they found that the work was missing. On the wall instead was a tapestry depicting horses. Above: Investigators searching the home

But it is among at least 800 pieces owned by Dutchman Jacques Goudstikker that were seized or bought under duress by the Nazis.

He died in 1940 aged just 42 after falling into the hold of a ship and breaking his neck while fleeing the Nazis for England, where he was buried

In December 1944, with defeat at the hands of the Allies looking certain, Kadgien and two other Nazis - Ernst Fischer and Ludwig Haupt - planned their escape.

As detailed by the authors of the mentioned report and historians Regula Boschler and Mr Mutti, Kadgien and his fellow escapees enlisted the help of Swiss lawyer Ernst Imfeld.

Imfeld, an official at Swiss fuel firm Petrola, found a space for the Nazis on a Switzerland-bound train that was carrying fuel.

He also got them all visas. In late April 1945, Kadgien, Fischer and Haupt met in the relative safety of a Zurich hotel.

The trio were flush with money they had been withdrawing from Germany over the previous months.

Now though, British officials were on the hunt for Kadgien. Having learned he was in Switzerland, they tried to request his extradition.

Remarkably, a mistake in the spelling of his name helped him escape.

Kadgien (left) once served as a financial advisor to top Nazi Herman Goering (right)

Next, he ended up under the scrutiny of American officials, who ordered him to report to the US embassy in Bern.

It was there that Kadgien was subjected to four hours of interrogation. But the Nazi, having not confessed to anything, was released.

Attention then turned to plotting an escape to South America.

Imfeld was charged with getting the Nazis passports. He turned first to Paraguay, then Italy, but was unable to get the documents from either source.

Kadgien was then interrogated by Dutch investigators searching for diamonds he had transported from the Netherlands to Germany.

Again though, Kadgien's denials earned him his freedom.

By late 1946, Kadgien had learned that his phone was being tapped.

Now, the French were investigating his whereabouts, and the Americans had demanded to the Swiss authorities that he be extradited.

The Swiss police in Bern also received anonymous letters denouncing Kadgien and his fellow conspirators as Nazi fugitives.

A war-era photo showing a German officer examining paintings of the Goudstikker collection

But Kadgien is said to have bribed the authorities to ensure he remained free and that the American extradition request was refused.

Worse, the Nazis' visas were extended until 1948.

That same year, Kadgien, Imfeld and Haupt founded the firm Imhauka AG, which was named from an amalgamation of their initials.

Remarkably, the trio's first business deal was to broker the sale of Argentine meat to the Allied occupation zone in Germany.

By 1951, they had made it to South America. Exactly who provided their visas remains unclear.

Kadgien lived first in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, where he ran a branch of Imhuka with Haupt and Antoinette 'Tony' Imfeld, the wife Ernst.

According to the 2002 report's analysis of Kadgien's route to freedom, the Swiss authorities had 'protected him from the Allies' requests for extradition, and allowed him to leave for Latin America early in 1951 without batting an eyelid.'

A 1954 photo originally published by Swiss newspaper NZZ shows Kadgien and Imfeld posing in front of a plane on the huge cattle ranch they had bought that year.

By then, Kadgien had obtained Argentina citizenship and had founded a branch of Imhauka in Buenos Aires.

He would go on to marry a younger German woman, with whom he is believed to have had his two daughters.

Jacques Goudstikker (pictured) was a successful art dealer in Amsterdam who helped his fellow Jews flee the Nazis before he died at sea while trying to escape to Britain aboard a cargo ship

Kadgien reportedly bought a house in Buenos Aires' Vicente Lopez neighbourhood.

There he allegedly brokered deals between German companies and the Argentine government of Juan Peron.

He is said to have also sold millions of dollars' worth of weapons to the Brazilian military junta.

In 1978, the seemingly unrepentant Nazi died in Buenos Aires and was buried in the city's German cemetery.

Now, in death, the Nazi is under greater scrutiny than ever before.

The recent furore began after Patricia Kadgien's home in the city of Mar del Plata, near Buenos Aires, was marketed for sale on the website of estate agent Robles Casas & Campos.

A Dutch journalist investigating the disappearance of Portrait of a Lady spotted the work in the listing's photos.

It had pride of place in the family living room.

Police were alerted, but when they came to search the property, a hook and marks on the wall were the only evidence of the painting having been moved.

Portrait of a Lady is listed in Dutch archives as having passed to a man bearing Kadgien's surname.

An officer who took part in the search of Ms Kadgien's house said: 'It's clear that where we found a tapestry... not long ago, there was something else.'

Ms Kadgien, her lawyer and her partner watched the search.

Officers did seize cell phones and two unregistered firearms as well as drawings, engravings and documents from the 1940s that could advance the investigation

Marei von Saher, 81, Goudstikker's only surviving heir, said last week she now plans to file a claim and launch a legal action to have the painting returned to her family.

'My search for the artworks owned by my father-in-law Jacques Goudstikker started at the end of the 90s, and I won't give up,' von Saher told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

'My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques's collection and restore his legacy.'
Have YOU moved back to the UK from Dubai?

Dubai has long tempted sun-seeking Brits with the lure of high salaries, wealthy lifestyles and low taxes.

In recent years, an increasing number of professionals have been making the move to the glitzy city on the Persian Gulf in a bid to escape the daily grind of UK employment.

However, mounting living costs and increased competition for jobs is making the Dubai dream a more difficult reality for some.

And in some cases, the issues have become so bad that British expats have decided they have no other option but to pack up their bags and return home.

Meanwhile, residents have also complained their city is being overrun with people - with videos on social media showing crowded beaches, streets and shopping malls.

A new TikTok trend based on the phrase 'Habibi, don't come to Dubai' has gone viral on the platform.

Ross Irvine, the financial director of William Russell which specialises in insurance for expats, told the Daily Mail that Dubai is starting to 'lose its shine'.

He said: 'For many years, Dubai has been the jewel in the crown for British expats, offering tax-free salaries, year-round sunshine, and a fast-moving lifestyle.

One woman, who posts on TikTok under the username 'thesojournerstravel' revealed she was forced to leave Dubai because 'she couldn't afford it anymore'

A new TikTok trend based on the phrase 'Habibi, don't come to Dubai' has gone viral on the platform

Screengrab from a video on TikTok which shows huge numbers of people in a shopping centre in Dubai

'But recent reports indicate that for some, the shine is dimming slightly.

'The cost of living has risen sharply, housing rents are at record highs, schooling and healthcare are increasingly expensive, and everyday costs from groceries to leisure are far steeper than they once were.

'At the same time, the job market is becoming more competitive as the city matures and becomes a victim of its own success in attracting global talent.'

One British entrepreneur who was attracted to Dubai for its lucrative tax-free earnings and safety recently revealed that he has quit the city - despite making 30million there.

Charlie Morgan moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2023, as a 'business decision' more so than a personal one.

And in a video on his YouTube channel, he praised Dubai for promoting a healthy lifestyle, with its strict laws on heavy drinking.

However, after two years of living there he has now left - on the basis that the cons of the city outweigh its advantages.

Mr Morgan said: 'The issue with Dubai is everyone plans to leave. It's a revolving door of a city which means that people come and people leave.'

He also explained that despite many people assuming their earnings are tax free in the UAE, the rules are actually 'totally unclear'.

Elbi Henshaw, 23, (pictured) from north London, set off for Dubai in January after falling in love with the Arabian peninsula while on holiday there

One person shared a video of a packed beach on TikTok, with the caption: 'So crowded'

Charlie Morgan (pictured) moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2023, as a 'business decision' more so than a personal one, thanks to Dubai's lucrative tax-free earnings

Meanwhile one woman, who posts on TikTok under the username 'thesojournerstravel' revealed she was forced to leave Dubai because 'she couldn't afford it anymore'.

She said: 'We left Dubai because we just genuinely could not afford the cost of living anymore.

'But for us it was not because we could not afford the cost of living because we were paid a low salary, it was because things were changing and costs were rising at a rate that didn't make sense for the investments and savings we wanted to have.'

Another Brit, Aidan Doyle, who moved to Dubai three years ago, said things have drastically changed in the city. He explained there is an increased pressure to match the wealth of your neighbours.

He told The Times: 'When you get a little sniff of money, and the next thing you're spending 1,000 a day at a beach club.

'There's a lot of pressure to keep up with the Joneses.'

Moreover, a British woman who moved to Dubai to escape the 'miserable' UK lifestyle revealed that she has ending up working six days a week to afford living in the city.

Elbi Henshaw, 23, from north London, set off for Dubai in January after falling in love with the Arabian peninsula while on holiday there.

She had previously done a stint working in Saudi Arabia and believed she would score a better quality of life in Dubai - but soon found herself struggling to make ends meet.

With financial support from her parents, Elbi was able to afford the initial move earlier this year and quickly found herself a job in a gym full of 'high end clients'.

Elbi said she has now settled in the city, where influencers flock for VIP treatment, but admitted she misses British culture and pubs.

She has also struggled to fully immerse herself in the opulence touted by influencers online due to the high cost of living in the city.

One TikTokker, who specialises in opening up companies in the UAE, warned people who cannot guarantee a secure income against coming to Dubai

Elbi has been forced to pick up extra shifts at the gym and now works six days a week. Pictured: A beach in Dubai

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Luxury restaurants are a major draw in Dubai, including this one near Burj Khalifa Lake

And because of the exorbitant price of nearly everything - with even a pot of yoghurt costing 12 - she has been forced to pick up extra shifts at the gym and now works six days a week.

It comes as the influx of expats looking to cash in on Dubai's property market has increased the price of houses and rent.

Jobs are also in higher demand - with it becoming more and more difficult for Brits to find roles with competitive salaries.

One TikTokker, who specialises in opening up companies in the UAE, warned people who cannot guarantee a secure income against coming to Dubai.

Marium, who posts on the account 'yahesaaccounting', said: 'It [Dubai] is not what it is on social media.

'It might not necessarily be like that for you if you were to move out here.

'So bear that in mind and don't be disheartened if when you come here you are not driving around in Lamborghinis every day because that is not reality.

'And here are my dos and don'ts for moving to Dubai. The first thing is, I would get a legitimate job offer.

'I've heard of a lot of people where the employers would actually pull out last minute and they have made all their moves in the UK.

'They have their packing company sorted, they have told their employer they are moving etcetera.

'Also definitely consider income, the reason for this is that a lot of the jobs here are not paying what they used to pay anymore because there are just so many people coming here.

'You really need to stand out from the crowd now [on job applications] as there are just so many applicants.'

Vehicles are driven along a road with Dubai's iconic skyline in the background last December

Shannon Hynes, who runs TikTok account 'thesimplestep', explained the things in Dubai that were more expensive than in the UK

Mounting living costs and an increased competition for jobs is making the Dubai dream a more difficult reality for some (stock photo)

Dubai is currently the world's 15th most expensive city to live in, having climbed three places in Mercer's 2024 ranking.

It has the highest cost of living in the Middle East, caused by the 21 per cent jump in house prices.

It was exceeded by London, which increased nine places to 8th position. However, Dubai is still now more expensive than Tel Aviv, Miami, Chicago, Paris and Berlin.

In January this year, the Daily Mail reported on data from crowdsourced database Numbeo, which revealed an imported 330ml beer was half the price in London, at an average of 5.25 - compared to 10.93 in Dubai.

Meanwhile, a cappuccino was 3.74 in London against 4.67 in Dubai.

A McDonalds meal was roughly the same, at 8 in London compared to 7.65 in Dubai.

Cigarettes were 70 per cent cheaper with a 20 pack of Marlboro costing an average of 16.25 in London or 5.03 in Dubai.

An average basic utility bill for electricity, heating, cooling, water and garbage for an 85 sq metre apartment in London was 236.75 or 183.23 in Dubai.

But internet access was significantly more in the UAE, with a minimum 60 mbps connection with unlimited data costing 80.97 in Dubai or 31.53 in London.

As for clothes shopping, a pair of Levi 501 jeans was 77 in London or 60 in Dubai, while a pair of mid-range Nike running trainers was 90 in London or 84 in Dubai.

Shannon Hynes, who runs TikTok account 'thesimplestep' said: 'These are the things that are just so expensive in Dubai there is nothing you can do about it.

'Number one is gyms. You just have to accept that if you want to look you will have to pay for it.

'Clothes - the shops are quite considerably more expensive here. Your high street stores - H&M, Zara - however the collections are way better than at home.

'You pay about 25 per cent more. Everything is more expensive here. So when you can buy things pre-coming over here or when you fly elsewhere, try and do that.

'Random things like toiletries, shampoo, toiletries, body wash are just way more expensive.'
From a thrilling new Knives Out with Daniel Craig to the last screen role for Robert Redford, our TV critics have rounded up the 19 best shows and films to stream this weekend. What have you been watching? Let us know in the comments


Ever since three motorists were killed when an Indian immigrant truck driver made an illegal U-turn, one question has been on everyone's minds.

How was Harjinder Singh, an asylum-seeker with English so bad he couldn't read street signs, behind the wheel on the Florida Turnpike in the first place?

Seven years before Herby Dufresne, 30, Rodrigue Dor, 54, and Faniloa Joseph, 37, died on August 12, Singh, 28, crossed the border from Mexico.

In September 2018, he avoided deportation by claiming he was afraid to return to India.

His supposed fear was that he would be persecuted because he supported Khalistan - a proposed breakaway country for followers of the Sikh religion.

He was also a supporter of Sikhs for Justice, an organization banned and declared a terrorist organization by India and accused of hundreds of murders.

Claiming fear of persecution for supporting Khalistan is a common pipeline for young men from Punjab, a region in northwest India, to migrate to Western countries.

How was Harjinder Singh, an asylum-seeker with English so bad he couldn't read street signs, behind the wheel on the Florida Turnpike in the first place?

Harjinder Singh, pictured, right, killed three people after performing an illegal U-turn on Florida's Turnpike near Fort Pierce on August 12

Migrants can claim asylum under US law if returning home would result in 'persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution' due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin, among others.

Once their claim is accepted by immigration officials, and Singh's was, they are granted 'parole' and released into the US as legal asylum-seekers.

They must appear in an immigration court where their claims are tested, but the system is so overstretched this usually takes years.

Many of the Punjabi immigrants use supporting letters from community leaders to bolster both their initial claims and when they finally get to court.

Indian politician Simranjit Singh Mann bragged in 2022 that he provided 50,000 such letters in exchange for 35,000 rupees (US$400) each.

'Yes, I issue such letters. It is for the benefit of those who are seeking an opportunity to settle abroad. No, it is not for free. They spend around 30 lakhs to go to a foreign country for a better future,' he said at the time.

Mann's suspect letters came to light when an asylum-seeker racket was busted in the US and Canada earlier that year.

That Singh used the Khalistan persecution claim was confirmed at a SFJ rally outside the St Lucie County Jail on Tuesday.

Indian politician Simranjit Singh Mann bragged in 2022 that he provided 50,000 such letters in exchange for 35,000 rupees (US$400) each

All three occupants of this black minivan, Herby Dufresne, 30, Rodrigue Dor, 54, and Faniloa Joseph, 37, died after slamming into Singh's trailer

The group's general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said he visited Singh in jail and relayed his fears in a speech at the rally.

'The [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi government targeted me because of my religion and my political opinion  Khalistan,' he said on Singh's behalf.

'In India, I was a supporter of Khalistan and even in America, I have been supporting Khalistan by participating in Khalistan referendum events.'

Pannun claimed Singh came to the US to live 'free of fear from persecution and to work hard with dignity, not to cause harm, but to contribute to American society'.

Singh's TikTok account revealed his sympathies for both Khalistan and SFJ as he posted video of himself at a rally in January 2024.

The rally included hanging banners outside the San Francisco City hall supporting Talwinder Parmar, a Sikh militant and mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people.

Singh also made a post in 2022 in support of Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, another Sikh militant responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 people, who was killed in a shootout with police in 1993.

His TikTok handle, Tarn Taran, is a reference to the same area Manochahal was from.

Sikhs for Justice general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said he visited Singh in jail and relayed his fears in a speech at the rally, confirming the tactic he used to claim asylum

About 20 members from the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice held a prayer circle at the St. Lucie County Jail on Thursday

As he took up the entire highway, a minivan crashed directly into the side of the truck, unable to break quick enough to prevent the tragedy

Singh was also not fleeing extreme poverty - his family owns eight acres of farmland in Punjab, which is enough for a comfortable, even wealthy, life there.

'He did not go to the US out of necessity but, like many young men, to build a better life,' his friend Gursewak Singh told Indian media.

'When we last spoke, about 10 to 15 days before this incident, he told me he planned to return to India in around two years.'

Singh's family also explained he paid $25,000 to an agent who transported him to near the US border with Mexico so he could walk in.

His father died in 2020 and because his asylum claim was still pending, he wasn't able to leave the US to attend the funeral.

After he was released on parole in January 2019, Singh waited two years before he was granted a work visa in June 2021, after being denied in September 2020.

Some states allow asylum seekers with pending decisions, like Singh, to get a commercial driver's license if they have a work permit and social security number.

However, Singh instead got his in Washington state, which only issues CDLs to permanent residents, on July 15, 2023.

Singh's TikTok account revealed his sympathies for both Khalistan and SFJ as he posted video of himself at a rally in January 2024

Another view of the rally Singh posted to TikTok showing hundreds of people at the rally

Singh also made a post in 2022 in support of Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, another Sikh militant responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 people, who was killed in a shootout with police in 1993

Two days later, Singh posted a photo of himself holding his CDL to TikTok with a beaming, bearded man standing next to him.

That man was Brandon Tatro, who with his wife Crystal runs PNW CDL Training in Union Gap, Washington, and his logo appeared on trucks in the background.

'Our aim is to provide an efficient pathway to provide the tools needed to be safe, skilled, and successful in commercial driving,' its website reads.

Brandon Tatro hung up the phone when the Daily Mail asked about Singh's time as a student at his company.

All the firm's social media pages were also taken down.

How PNW CDL Training was able to have Singh issued a license when his immigration status didn't allow it and his English was so poor, is still unclear.

The Washington Department of Licensing confirmed Singh had no connection to a bribery scandal that allowed unqualified drivers to buy licences, revealed by The Oregonian.

Skyline CDL School, a training facility not related to PNW CDL Training, was suspended by Washington and Oregon regulators for its role in the scheme.

Singh posted a photo of himself holding his Washington commercial driver's license to TikTok with a beaming, bearded man standing next to him

That man was Brandon Tatro, who with his wife Crystal (pictured together) runs PNW CDL Training in Union Gap, Washington

Singh was later issued a non-domiciled CDL - a license granted to out-of-state drivers to operate in that state - by California on July 23, 2024.

California is one of several states that issue CDLs to asylum seekers before their claims are decided in court.

This canceled his Washington CDL and he was driving on the California one on the day of the fatal crash.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles insisted that it followed all state and federal laws in reviewing and granting Singh his CDL.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration investigators gave Singh an English Language Proficiency assessment after his arrest, which also tested his ability to read and understand road signs, and he badly failed.

He got just two of 12 verbal questions correct and only accurately identified one of four highway traffic signs, according to the investigation's preliminary findings.

The FMCSA preliminary findings also highlighted an alleged regulatory failure in New Mexico, after Singh was pulled over for speeding on July 3 this year.

Singh is being held in the St Lucie County Jail. A Florida judge on Saturday denied bond, ruling that he is a 'substantial flight risk'

Singh faced court in Florida for the first time on August 23 - using an interpreter

The police who pulled him over were supposed to assess his English proficiency during the traffic stop, and give him the same ELP as the FMCSA investigators did after his arrest.

'If the inspector's initial contact with the driver indicates that the driver may not understand the inspector's initial instructions, the inspector should conduct an ELP assessment,' the FMCSA said in its guidance.

Bodycam footage showed police didn't administer one, despite Singh struggling to explain himself so much that one officer said, 'I'm sorry, I guess I don't understand what you're saying.'

Singh faced court in Florida for the first time on August 23 - using an interpreter.
The pictures of dead chickens began to arrive in Lee Grants inbox two weeks ago, each of them dropping with an eerie ping.

One showed a twisted pile of a dozen birds on the floor of a barn, next to a heap of sawdust. Another depicted a feathery mound of corpses in the middle of a lawn.

Several photos of what are effectively avian mass graves included close-ups of heads, beaks and combs.

Theyd been deliberately arranged next to copies of the previous days newspaper in order to prove exactly when the images were taken.

The all-important date in question was August 15. And the birds in these grisly tableaux were victims of a mass cull that saw roughly a thousand pet chickens put to death at dozens of locations across England and Wales in the course of just a few hours. Most of these creatures were rare breeds, some critically endangered.

As for the circumstances that led to their necks being wrung? They are now the subject of an increasingly bitter controversy in which authoritarian Whitehall officials stand accused of driving traditional British varieties of poultry to the verge of extinction.

Its an act that typifies Labours enthusiasm for over-regulation and deafness to rural concerns, which is threatening our future food security.

To understand why, we must wind the clock back 24 hours earlier, to discussions between Lee Grant and senior officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Defra takes a more draconian approach to bird-flu regulation than almost any of its European counterparts and has imposed a poultry lockdown that has affected the Poultry Club charity

Adam Henson, the presenter of the BBCs Countryfile, says while he takes no strong view on government policy, bird-flu prevention measures have hit his Cotswold Farm Park

Grant is president of the Poultry Club, a venerable charity founded in 1877 that counts His Majesty the King as its official patron.

It represents hundreds of enthusiasts who breed pedigree chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to enter in competitive shows.

He was speaking to Defra about his clubs forthcoming National Poultry Show, the centrepiece of the amateur chicken-breeding calendar, scheduled to take place in Lincolnshire in November.

The event, staged since Victorian times, is the poultry worlds version of Crufts and, in a good year, attracts 8,000 birds and their owners. Yet, in recent times, its existence has faced severe bureaucratic threats.

In 2020, proceedings were called off due to Covid. Then the Government began to fret about the spread of avian influenza, the disease better known as bird flu. This saw ministers introduce a complete ban on poultry gatherings. The event was cancelled in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Last year, the show went off without a hitch and the nations chicken fanciers dared to dream of a return to normality.

But with a number of new cases detected on farms this summer, Defra, which takes a more draconian approach to bird-flu regulation than almost any of its European counterparts, decided to impose yet another poultry lockdown.

The upshot of all this is that, while there are no known instances of avian influenza being spread at a poultry show in Britain, enthusiasts have now been denied a chance to indulge in their hobby for five of the past six years.

Whats more, hobbyists have been left with large numbers of pure-bred birds  and nothing to do with them.

Such flocks cost significant amounts of time and money to maintain, yet in the absence of shows or trade serve no real purpose (you only need a handful to breed the following years stock).

So, in the days that followed the national shows cancellation, huge numbers of rare-breed birds, many of which would in a normal year be sold or given away to fellow attendees at such events, were instead disposed of.

As a direct result of Defras actions, there was a mass cull of pure breeds because they had nowhere to go, Grant tells me. I estimate there are now 1,000 fewer than the week before. An even bigger problem is that it has now got to the stage where many people have had enough.

Therein lies a problem. For even before last months cancellation, bird-flu lockdowns had been having a devastating impact on the number of active breeders.

Poultry Club membership has declined from 1,200 to 600 in the past five years, while the 2024 show attracted fewer than 2,000 birds, down from 7,000 in 2019.

Grant says many remaining breeders will simply quit. The latest Defra decision will be the final nail in the coffin for many of the last remaining keepers of native breeds of poultry in the UK. If so, the fallout could affect all of us.

Thats because modern farming is reliant on so-called hybrid chickens, created by cross-breeding ancient native varieties. These birds have been carefully bred to achieve characteristics from disease resistance to prolific egg production, which help producers keep supermarket shelves full.

To create the hybrids of the future, the agricultural industry needs rare breeds to survive.

If farmers start to get a problem with a hybrid strain or want to improve it to cope with different conditions caused by, for example, climate change, theyll need to go back to pure breeds, explains Grant. If we allow them to die out, we are endangering our food security. Its a serious problem Defra seems unable to grasp.

A database of rare chicken breeds compiled by the Poultry Club makes for sober reading. There are 52 breeds with fewer than 80 females in existence. Some, including the Brakel, Breda and Marsh Daisy, have fewer than 30 living specimens. Ancient bloodlines could be wiped out by a couple of hungry foxes in the wrong place.

If bird flu posed an immediate threat to human health, Defras draconian poultry lockdowns might, of course, be justified.

Yet the risk to people who come into contact with infected birds remains tiny. With the virus now endemic in wild bird populations, most breeders argue chickens play little role in spreading it.

Defra is so risk-averse its unreal, says John Messenger, a show judge who breeds Oxford Old English Game chickens. The idea that if we held a show it would endanger members of the public who came to look is quite absurd.

Jon Grubb, a Poultry Club trustee, points out that there has never been a recorded case of bird flu spreading at any poultry show in the UK. Meanwhile, millions of wild ducks and geese that migrate to the UK for the winter still fly in from countries where shows are currently allowed.

Asked to explain its position, Defra said in a statement: We are seeing increasing outbreaks of avian influenza, particularly in coastal counties like Lincolnshire, with infections recorded in over 69 premises in England so far. We will not take unnecessary risks when it comes to biosecurity.

Such risks seem not to concern the UK Health Security Agency. It says: Based on the latest evidence, the current risk to the UK human population from the avian influenza virus remains very low.

In America, where there have been 70 cases of bird flu in humans but only one death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is zero risk of person-to-person spread and the risk to public health is low.

Defras own 30-page risk assessment of the likelihood of bird flu spreading at poultry shows, which was carried out in July, also concluded the threat posed by such events was low.

Critics say this makes the ministrys decision to impose a ban anyway fatally flawed. I understand that, as a result, some breeders are seeking a judicial review, with a pre-action protocol letter set to drop through the Departments letterbox this week.

Adam Henson, the presenter of the BBCs Countryfile, says while he takes no strong view on government policy, bird-flu prevention measures have hit his Cotswold Farm Park, a visitor attraction.

Photograph of dead chickens sent to Lee Grant. Theyd been deliberately arranged next to copies of the previous days newspaper in order to prove exactly when the images were taken

Sign erected on UK farmland by the authorities in controlling the spread of an outbreak of avian flu in parts of southern England

We used to have 15 varieties of poultry, he says, but because we kept being told to shut them away indoors, which meant people couldnt actually see them, we have slimmed that down to just three breeds. Its sad.

Others are less diplomatic. Professor Angus Dalgleish, the prominent oncologist and expert in virology, tells me: The bottom line is that you cannot control this disease in chicken by lockdowns because bird flu is endemic, so its completely ridiculous to follow this policy. As for the effect on rare species, that is another disaster that will one day come back to haunt us.

Dr Richard North, a former environmental health officer, makes a similar case. Bird flu is impossible to contain, he says. But its also a virus. When you infect people or animals with a virus you will eventually get herd immunity. We need to learn to live with bird flu, but Defra is now doing the exact opposite in ways that are quite dangerous. My contempt for them is immeasurable.

Dr North argues governments have been crying wolf about bird flu since 2005, when an outbreak in Asia caused the World Health Organisation to predict it could kill between 2 million and 7.4 million people. Back then, the UK government stockpiled the Tamiflu vaccine at vast expense, with the then Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, saying a mutation that could kill tens of thousands was now a biological inevitability  no longer a matter of if but when.

Tony Blair believed him  a decision he came to regret. In his memoir, the former Prime Minister reflected on the fact that those astonishing headlines of impending doom never came to pass, saying, There is a whole PhD thesis to be written about the pandemics that never arise.

Two decades on, with a new bird-flu scare forcing them to kill their treasured rare-breed birds, the nations beleaguered poultry fanciers would doubtless agree.
Six years on, Shannon McKechnie can still vividly remember the gut punch of dialling her boyfriends number to find it out of service.

Its hard to describe how sick I felt, she says. I was panic-stricken.

Because the previous day, Shannon, a successful recruitment manager, had transferred the sum of 3,247 to his bank account  her contribution to the dream holiday the tousle-haired Chris Harkins had convinced her would set the seal on their burgeoning romance.

Now it appeared he had vanished  along with her money.

What Shannon, now 40, didnt know at the time was that she was just one of many victims of Harkins, who presented himself in online dating profiles as a jet-setting business owner but who in reality was both a prolific fraudster and sexual predator.

By the time she met 38-year-old Harkins, from Helensburgh, Scotland, in 2019, eight women had already independently reported him to the police, only to have their concerns dismissed.

In fact, at first, the same thing happened to Shannon, who contacted detectives in her native Glasgow to report the theft of her money, but was told it was a domestic matter. They basically said there wasnt much they could do if my boyfriend didnt want to take me on holiday, she recalls.

And that may have been the end of the matter  another sorry, but private, cautionary tale about the manipulative monsters who lurk on dating sites.

By the time recruitment manager Shannon McKechnie met conman Chris Harkins, eight women had already reported him to the police, only to have their concerns dismissed

Twenty women came forward to share their own experiences at Harkinss hands. He had not only defrauded them, but in some cases abused them sexually, physically and emotionally too

Except that a determined and furious Shannon didnt leave it there.

Instead, she contacted a journalist to share her story in a local newspaper. She intended it as a warning  only to learn in the wake of publication that up to 20 women had come forward to share their own experiences at Harkinss hands.

He had not only defrauded them, but in some cases abused them sexually, physically and emotionally too. Faced with such overwhelming evidence, this time police did investigate  and last July, after a two-week trial, Harkins was convicted of 19 offences including rape, assault, recording an intimate video without consent, threatening and abusive behaviour and four other sexual offences.

He had previously admitted defrauding nine women out of more than 214,000, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

It made me feel sick, says Shannon, describing the moment she learned the extent of Harkinss crimes. I feel it was a twist of fate that I didnt experience much worse abuse because our relationship ended so quickly.

Not everybody who came forward after I spoke out went to court, so I know that the scope and scale of what he did is much bigger even than what has been made public. I feel extremely lucky.

Now, a new documentary, Catching The Tinder Predator, lays bare the extent of Harkinss criminality alongside the devastating toll on his victims. Many are telling their stories for the first time.

I hope it ensures that Harkinss name and face are imprinted on everyones minds, says Shannon of her decision to take part. He may be in prison for a long time, but I have no doubt he will be up to his old tricks when he gets out.

Back in 2019, she had no notion that the man she had connected with on Tinder was a predator. Plunging back into the dating scene after an 18-month relationship had ended, she was drawn to Chris Harkinss cheerful profile, which showed a gym-honed man who professed to like country music and music festivals.

I remember thinking that his lifestyle seemed quite aligned to my own, Shannon says now of her decision to swipe right.

The pair exchanged messages before agreeing to meet for their first date. It was pretty casual, she says. We had a nice time, but he was more shy than I imagined, to the point that I was actually quite surprised when he asked to see me again.

The Scottish Tinder swindler's profile on Tinder

Chris told Shannon he was a railway engineer  a lie  and that he also had his own company through which he traded foreign currency. I did a bit of due diligence, and found he had a firm listed with Companies House. So that seemed to back up what he was saying, and there were no obvious red flags.

As she had to travel for work, the pair exchanged more phone calls and messages and Facetimed most nights until they were able to meet for their second date.

We had another few dates, she says. He also texted me all the time too. I remember wondering how he had the time when he had a full-time job but, of course, in reality he wasnt working. He was incredibly solicitous and interested in me. I remember a sense of excitement, that this really could be something. Looking back, I can now see that I was love bombed.

Then, a few weeks into seeing each other, Chris suggested they book a holiday.

The previous night hed asked what Id missed about being in a relationship and I said now that my girlfriends were getting married it was harder to find someone to go on holiday with, or it had to be booked months in advance when I tend to be quite spontaneous, she says. The next day he texted me to say he was looking at holidays and would I like to join him.

Initially taken aback, Shannon confesses to being gripped by excitement. Id seen this sort of thing happen to girlfriends, so it wasnt something entirely outrageous and I thought maybe this was my turn for the fairy tale, she says. We were both young, free, single, and had the financial means to do it  or so I thought.

Harkins had asked her budget and suggested they go halves, leading to Shannon transferring him more than 3,000  a work bonus.

He was insistent that he book the whole thing, which was very seductive, she says. He had already said that he liked the luxury experience  and then he was sending pictures of five-star hotels in Mykonos with swim-up bars. I was swept up in the whole thing.

Yet the day after Shannon had transferred the money to Harkinss account, she woke to butterflies in her stomach. I thought about the fact that hed refused to let me have any involvement with the actual booking side. I dont know why, but I suddenly felt a bit sick.

That sensation morphed into total panic when she rang Harkins for reassurance, only for the number to be unobtainable. I sent him a text which did go through saying youre giving me the fear that youve run off with my money.

Harkins responded, although not in the way Shannon thought he would. He was not remotely apologetic and actually quite aggressive, she says. He was also very quickly trying to get more money from me, saying he had other money worries.

What Harkins didnt know is that by then Shannon had already phoned the resort he claimed to have booked to find that there was no reservation in either of their names.

I felt like such a fool and my gut instinct was I wanted to have nothing more to do with him, but I knew I had to keep the conversation going if I was to have a chance of getting my money back, she says.

Reporting the theft to her bank and the police had gone nowhere. Her bank told Shannon that because she had authorised the transfer they were unable to retrieve it, while the police dismissed her complaint as a domestic matter. It was incredibly frustrating, she says.

Desperate to try to keep up a front, Shannon tried to remain cordial over their text exchanges, in which he alternated between excuses and pleas for help.

Yet when Harkins started to send abusive text messages, Shannon felt she had little option but to go to the police again. In one message he told me he had a criminal record for being violent to a police officer, which I felt was done purely to terrify me, she says. Then he sent a text threatening to burn the house down with me and my little dog in it. By this point I was incredibly frightened.

This time, police told Shannon they would put a marker on the house so if she called them again she would be prioritised. I still felt very vulnerable. It felt there was real intent behind the threat, she says.

In the event, Harkins seemed to vanish  until in October, around six weeks after he had last been in contact, he messaged Shannon a picture out of the blue showing him clutching a wad of money and informing her he was able to give her money back.

He was adamant that we meet at a kebab shop rather than somewhere more sensible, she says. My friends begged me not to go, convinced that he was just messing with me, but it was an itch I had to scratch.

When she arrived at the address he was nowhere to be seen, and his phone was switched off. I think he got a kick out of humiliating me, she says. And something in me flipped.

Frustrated and angry, Shannon contacted freelance journalist Catriona Stewart to ask for help in making her story public. I wanted to warn other women  it didnt occur to me that Harkins had done what hed done to me countless times before, she says.

In the documentary, Catriona describes how she tracked down Harkins, only for him to claim that Shannon was threatening him. He also telephoned Shannon in a call in which he switched from aggressive to apologetic and wheedling, promising to give the money back if she did not go public.

On this occasion, he directed me to a local chip shop, she says. And this time, the money was there, down to the last penny. It was all so weird. I had to ask for the owner, who then handed over an envelope.

Catriona went ahead with her story in the Glasgow Times, little knowing that it would open the floodgates to other victims.

Harkins was finally convicted and jailed for fraud in 2022

Like Shannon, they were largely in their mid-30s, attractive, professional and articulate. All had given Harkins money  some, like Shannon, to pay for non-existent holidays, others duped into taking out loans of up to 12,000 having been told his business bank account was frozen, and some handing over savings for him to invest.

But some had also been extorted, blackmailed, and physically and emotionally abused.

One woman was forced into bankruptcy while others spent years paying off debts, suffering mental health issues as a result.

Finally, in December 2019, Harkins was arrested. I breathed a sigh of relief, says Shannon.

But not for long: it emerged that Harkins, released on bail, had travelled to London, where he scammed another woman.

A previous attempt to scam yet another woman in a hotel had failed when the receptionist recognised him from internet pictures and warned his intended victim.

His subsequent victim reported him to the Metropolitan Police, who acted quickly, and Harkins was convicted and jailed for fraud in 2022.

As the English and Scottish justice system operate completely separately, it meant proceedings in Scotland were put on hold  and it was only in July last year that he finally went on trial at the High Court in Paisley.

As he admitted nine counts of fraud, it meant that Shannon did not have to appear as a witness for the prosecution for those offences.

In some ways, while I wanted to stand up and look him in the eye, Im glad I didnt have to, she says. She chose not to attend court for Harkinss subsequent trial for violent and sexual offences.

Found guilty on 19 counts, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Judge Alistair Watson, who said Harkins had left a trail of emotional devastation and financial distress in his wake.

Certainly, while Shannon considers herself lucky, she admits that, as with all his victims, the effects of his betrayal have been long-reaching.

Ive pretty much been single since what happened, she says. I would like to meet someone, but Im very cautious. He has inflicted a lot of damage.

The irony is that if he had put his efforts into being a genuine businessman he would in all likelihood have been very successful. Instead, he chose to go down this pathway and leave a trail of destruction in his wake.
Jacinta Price has praised the 'proud and decent Australians' who took to the streets on Sunday for anti-immigration rallies across the country.

March for Australia protests took place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, as well as some regional cities, to protest the country's record levels of immigration.

Anthony Albanese condemned the protests as seeking 'to divide and undermine' social cohesion.

However, Price, the Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory, praised those who marched on Sunday.

'Our national flag represents so much: our history, story, geography, resources, people, deeds, mateship, sacrifices, institutions, traditions, values, unity, loyalty and patriotism,' she wrote yesterday.

'Our national flag speaks to the Australian achievement: the weaving together of the Indigenous, British, and broader migrant threads of our story  each bestowing a proud inheritance.

'Our national flag inspires gratitude: to our forebears for all they did to protect this country and ensure it prospers.

'Our national flag reminds us of the duty of responsible citizenship: to hand over to the next generation a country better than the one we inherited.'

Jacinta Price praised the 'proud and decent Australians' who joined the anti-immigration March for Australia protests on Sunday

Thousands attended a March for Australia Rise Up Rally in Sydney on Sunday

There was a heavy police presence at the rally locations with several clashes taking place as marches were met with counter-demonstrations.

The government had also warned some protestors had far-right links and would be 'spreading hate'.

Price condemned 'neo-Nazis and racists' who planned to 'hijack' the marches, and said they 'reject what our flag represents'.

'That said, there will be many people carrying our national flag today who embody our national values and are proud and decent Australians,' she continued.

'And these Australians are marching because they have legitimate concerns about the impacts of unprecedented mass migration under the Albanese government and ruptures to our social cohesion.'

She also hit out at government warnings against participation in the rallies and questioned why similar statements had not been issued for the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that had taken place across the country in recent months.

'Protests must be peaceful,' she said. 'But where were their similar warnings for so many pro-Palestinian rallies that have occurred on our soil since the sordid scenes on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2023?

'Rallies where protesters have chanted genocidal slogans, displayed Hamas symbols and Nazi swastikas, waved flags of terrorist organisations, carried photographs of Irans oppressive dictator  and even burnt the Australian flag.'

The March for Australia rally in Sydney was largely peaceful and no arrests were made

Protestor holds up sign condemning Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong

'The double standards must stop,' Price stated.

'If we are to be a united Australia, then threats to our social cohesion must be called out wherever they are present at rallies  not selectively. Go Team Australia!'

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and federal MP Bob Katter were amongst several opposition politicians who joined the marches.

Police said six protestors were arrested and officers were injured following clashes in Melbourne with counter-protesters.

Three people were arrested in Adelaide as 15,000 attended the rally while in Brisbane Police estimated around 6,000 protestors were in attendance.

One man was arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting police, and another man was detained for the breach of the peace.

No arrests were made in Sydney or Hobart.
Rosie O'Donnell has apologized after she branded the Minneapolis school shooter who murdered two children a MAGA Republican.

The comedian, whose longtime hatred and rivalry with Donald Trump led her to flee to Ireland after he won the election, ranted to TikTok about Robin Westman on Friday.

'Saw about the Minnesota shooting, and it brought me right back to Columbine in 1999 when I just could not get it through my head that students in American were shooting each other in schools,' she said.

'This was a church inside a Catholic school. And what do you know? This was a white guy, Republican, MAGA person, what do you know? White supremacist.'

Despite her claims, Westman was a self-identified transgender woman who had a nihilistic viewpoint and an obsession with past mass shooters.

Notably she also he had the words 'kill Donald Trump' scrawled in white on one of the weapons she owned, as well as racist and anti-Semitic messages.

On Sunday, O'Donnell apologized for her comments saying: 'I know a lot of you were very upset about the video I made before I went away for a few days. You are right and I did not do my due diligence before I made that emotional statement.

'I said things about the shooter that were incorrect. I assumed, like most shooters, they followed a standard MO and had standard feelings of you know, NRA-loving kind of gun people.

Rosie O'Donnell apologized after calling the Minnesota school shooter who killed two people at a Catholic church a MAGA Republican

Westman, seen here, had the words 'kill Donald Trump' scrawled on one of the weapons she owned, as well as racist and anti-Semitic messages.

'The truth is, I messed up and when you mess up, you fess up. I'm sorry, this is my apology video and I hope it's enough,' O'Donnell finished.

Westman shot through stained glass windows at children sitting praying on the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School's church at about 8.30am local time Wednesday.

Westman, who changed her name from Robert in 2019, was armed with three guns - a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, police said. Westman fired all three weapons, which police said were purchased legally, during the attack.

Two children aged eight and 10 were killed and at least 17 other victims - 14 children and three 80-year-old parishioners - were injured.

The shooter then turned the gun on herself. Westman's body was found inside the church.

Westman, who was identified by police sources to multiple outlets, did not have a criminal history and the motive remains a mystery.

However, a chilling video shared on a now-deleted YouTube account appears to reveal the killer's sick manifesto.

In the 20-minute-long video, she showed off her kill kit of ammunition, magazines and firearms and revealed her twisted obsession with other school shooters, dislike of Trump and mockery of the church.

Westman, who changed her name from Robert in 2019, was armed with three guns - a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol , police said

A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis

Westman also showed the camera pages of handwritten notes in a final letter to her family and friends.

In the letter, Westman said she believed she had cancer caused by a vaping habit.

'I think I am dying of cancer. It's a tragic end as it's entirely self inflicted. I did this to myself as I cannot control myself and have been destroying my body through vaping and other means,' the shooter wrote.

Westman went on to write that she wanted 'to go out on my own means'.

'Unfortunately, due to my depression, anger and twisted mid, I want to fulfill a final act that has been in the back of my head for years,' Westman wrote.

The note was signed with the name 'Robin M Westman, 2002-2025' and what appeared to be a bird drawing.

As well as the warped letter, the video also showed a stash of gun cartridges, with white writing scrawled on them.

Several school shooters' names including 'Lanza' for Sandy Hook mass shooter Adam Lanza was seen on some of the cartridges.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck Afghanistan, with fears 100s have been killed and injured.

At least nine people were confirmed dead an more than 15 injured when the quake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night.

Tremors began at middle of the night local time, close to the border with Pakistan - leaving scenes of devastation in their wake.

The quake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan's capital Islamabad around 220miles away for several seconds.

Two children died when the roof of their home caved in during the natural disaster, according to initial reports from provincial authorities.

At least 15 other people were injured, officials said in a statement.

TRT World is now reporting more than 250 people had been killed and 500 injured.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was located 27 kilometres east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Victims of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan are treated for their wounds on Sunday evening

There was a second quake some 20 minutes later in the same province, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10 kilometers.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Nangarhar province was also hit by flooding overnight Friday to Saturday, which left five people dead and destroyed crops and property, authorities said.

Naqibullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, said 15 people were injured and taken to the local hospital for treatment.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people perished.

The U.N. gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500 - the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
Disturbing footage captured the moment a neo-Nazi leader and far-right demonstrators ambushed a First Nations protest camp over the weekend.

Between 20 and 30 men dressed in black clashed with demonstrators at the self-styled Camp Sovereignty in the King's Domain in Melbourne at 5pm on Sunday.

The footage showed several men verbally abusing those gathered at the makeshift camp, while some stomped on an Aboriginal flag.

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell, who is a member of the National Socialist Network, was seen among the group of men gatecrashing the camp.

Members of the group were heard chanting: 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi oi oi.'

'Please just leave,' a woman yelled.

'Stop fighting stop fighting, please.'

A Victoria Police spokesman said members of Camp Sovereignty were attacked with 'sticks and flagpoles'.

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell (circled on the right) is seen getting ready to throw a punch during violent scenes after members of the National Socialist Network stormed the First Nations protest group, Camp Sovereignty, at King's Domain in Melbourne

Sewell (pictured) as at the anti-immigration protest in Melbourne's CBD before clashing with demonstrators at Camp Sovereignty

The far-right demonstrators were dressed in all black as they ambushed the camp

Camp Sovereignty organisers said four people were injured in the incident.

Ambulance Victoria told the ABC a woman aged in her 30s was taken to hospital with upper body injuries.

The Victorian government has condemned the attack, which came after the violent March for Australia rally in the CBD.

Police minister Anthony Carbines branded the incident 'disgraceful'.

'Nobody's going to stand for that. People went there with an intent to cause trouble, police dealt with them, and we'll continue to call that out,' he said.

'Police will be investigating those matters and will also be in contact with members of Camp Sovereignty, as well as other First Nations people who are deeply upset and distressed with that activity yesterday.'

Camp Sovereignty organisers said the attack was unprovoked.

'They came armed with poles to attack a group of predominantly women at a peace camp,' said Keiran Stewart-Assheton, and organiser of the camp and founder of the Black People's Union.

Footage shows the group of neo-Nazis storming the First Nations protest group

Camp Sovereignty shared a statement from an unidentified woman who said she was attacked.

'I had what looked like a 15-year-old boy rip my hair, throw me to the ground and smash into my face with his fists,' the witness said.

'He did it with a smile on his face. I couldn't believe it.'

Thousands of Australians took part in anti-immigration rallies in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Melbourne on Sunday.

Police said six protesters were arrested and officers were injured following clashes in Melbourne with counter-protesters.

Three people were arrested in Adelaide as 15,000 attended the rally, while in Brisbane police estimated around 6,000 protestors were in attendance.

One man was arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting police, and another man was detained for breach of the peace.

No arrests were made in Sydney or Hobart.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the protests as seeking 'to divide and undermine' social cohesion.
A Walmart employee was savagely beaten by a group of women, with footage of the brutal brawl being shared online.

The horrifying clip was captured inside a store in Indianapolis on Friday afternoon by local man Kind Butler who couldn't believe his eyes.

The clip starts off with a woman dressed in black holding back a young man as two other woman beat an employee in a check-out aisle.

One of the woman, who is dressed in a pink shirt, could then be seen repeatedly hitting the employee, while the other woman appears to stomp on the victim behind her.

'Where he at b****?' someone could be heard yelling repeatedly in the background as two people try to lift the woman in the pink shirt off of the employee.

But as they are trying to separate the women, the young man could be seen coming closer and kicking the employee as she lay on the ground while another woman in a blue and white shirt continues to punch her.

Another Walmart employee was able to ultimately get the victim off the ground - at which point one of the women throws something as the employee.

The employee then appears to go after the woman in pink herself, prompting the woman in pink to grab her and drag her by her hair as she continued throwing punches.

Shocking video shared online shows the moment a group of women brutally attacked a Walmart employee in Indianapolis on Friday

It now appears the brawl on Friday started over a rape allegation, with police declining to arrest anyone in connection to the now-viral fight

The young man also tried to get involved again, but was thwarted by Walmart staffers, who ultimately separated the employee from the angry mob as they continued to hurl insults at the employee but were kept back by two good Samaritans at the store.

It now appears the brawl on Friday started over a rape allegation, with police declining to arrest anyone in connection to the now-viral fight.

Butler explained to Fox 59 how he heard the family of the alleged victim trying to find someone at the store who may have been involved in the assault in the moments before the attack began.

'There wasn't any questioning, no anything,' he recounted. 'Just as soon as they saw the girl, the whole family came over and started beating her up.'

Tikerra Hicks is named in the police report as the victim of the assault.

She told Fox 59 she had been getting calls about how her friend allegedly raped another friend before the attack occurred.

Hicks added that she had just come back from the bathroom when she said she was ambushed.

Tikerra Hicks (pictured) is named in the police report as the victim of the assault.

A spokesperson for Walmart said 'The violence that occurred at our store on Friday was unacceptable'

'I just hear, "There she go" and then boom on the side of my head, I feel somebody hitting me.'

The victim also said she has known the person accusing her friend of rape for years, but is unsure why she was the target of the family's ire.

'[The alleged rape] have nothing to do with me,' she insisted. 'I wasn't there, even if it did happen, to protect [him]. And I wasn't there to defend him either.'

She was named as an 'other person' in a Beech Grove, Indiana police report documenting the rape investigation, but she insists she was not involved.

'I haven't talked to any officers besides after the fight,' Hicks said. Still, she said she has been suspended from her job over the incident.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Walmart said: 'The violence that occurred at our store on Friday was unacceptable.

'We appreciate police for acting quickly,' a spokesperson for the chain added.
A suspect in the deadly shooting of top Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy has been arrested, the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The parliamentarian, 54, was gunned down on Saturday in the city's Sykhovsky district by a gunman disguised as a delivery driver, who later fled the scene on a bike.

Ukraine's interior minister Igor Klymenko said in a statement issued in the early hours of Monday morning that the suspect had been detained in the western Khmelnytskyi region.

Taking to X, Zelensky added: 'I spoke with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. He reported on the next procedural steps regarding the suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy.

'The suspect has given an initial testimony. Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder.

'The entire law enforcement team and the prosecutors are working around the clock. I thank everyone involved in this work. The National Police and Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor's Office  everyone is acting as efficiently as possible. Thank you!'

Klymenko said the preliminary investigation had found the killing had been 'carefully prepared' with Parubiy's travel schedule and route mapped out, as well as an escape plan.

He added that Ukraine's national police force would provide further details later.

Ukrainian politican Andriy Parubiy was murdered on Saturday in the city of Lviv

Sickening footage shows the killer waiting for the former parliamentary speaker partly concealed next to a car

The gunman was captured on video running away after shooting his victim

Sickening unverified footage showed the killer waiting for Parubiy behind a car.

When Parubiy passed him, the gunman followed him and began to fire bullets into his head and back before fleeing the scene.

At a news briefing on Saturday, Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said the gunman had 'fired about eight shots from a firearm'.

The 54-year-old's death was confirmed Saturday by the Ukrainian president.

'Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just reported on the first known circumstances of a horrific murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy has been killed,' he wrote.

'My condolences to the family and friends'.

Parubiy, 54, was a member of parliament, had been parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019, and was one of the leaders of protests in 2013 to 2014 calling for closer ties with the European Union.

He was also secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.

Officials gave no immediate indication whether the murder had any direct link to Russia's war in Ukraine.

In 2014, Parubiy was victim to an assassination attempt after an unknown attacker threw a grenade at his feet, but he was spared after the explosive device rolled under a car.

Tributes poured in from colleagues in parliament and the government, praising Parubiy's contribution to Ukraine's fight for sovereignty and independence as one of the leaders of what became known as the Euromaidan protests in 2013 to 2014.

The assassin fled the scene on a bike, according to local reports

A murder investigation has been launched following the shooting on Saturday

Parubiy pictured at the NATO Parliamentary spring session in the assembly hall of the House of Magnates in the Hungarian parliament building in Budapest on May 18, 2015

Former President Petro Poroshenko said on Telegram that the killing of Parubiy, who was a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defence and intelligence, was 'a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine.'

'Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take revenge, that is what they are afraid of,' he said, lauding Parubiy's contribution to building out the Ukrainian army.

Parubiy's murder comes after unidentified gunmen shot dead a former Ukrainian politician outside a school in a wealthy suburb of Madrid earlier this year.

Andriy Portnov, 51, was previously a senior aide to a pro-Russian former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovich, who was in a 2014 popular uprising.

Police reached the scene after receiving calls about a man with gunshot wounds on the street outside the American School of Madrid, in the Pozuelo de Alarcon suburb west of the capital.

'Several persons shot him in the back and the head and then fled towards a forested area,' an Interior Ministry source said.

When emergency services arrived they found Portnov dead with at least three gunshot wounds, a spokesperson said.

Portnov left for Russia in 2014 and faced investigations in Ukraine over accusations of treason and embezzlement.

He was targeted with European Union sanctions, although those and the charges were later dropped.
Angela Rayner has been warned that her plan to hand trade unions more power  which will also gift Labour millions of pounds extra a year  breaks human rights laws.

As part of her reforms to employment rights, the party's deputy leader is scrapping a Tory-era requirement for union members to opt in if they want to contribute towards political funds.

Under the plan, workers who join unions will once more be automatically signed up to pay a political levy from their subs.

There will be no refund mechanism if members choose to opt out, and they will have to be sent a reminder only once every ten years that they are paying into political funds.

The move in the Employment Rights Bill will massively benefit Labour as figures show that a decade ago, before the opt-in was introduced, 10million of the 22million raised by affiliated unions went to the party.

But Ms Rayner faces embarrassment over claims that the change  which was defeated in the House of Lords in July but which she will get MPs to vote for again next month  breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Ms Rayner has been told that because there is no refund mechanism, it mirrors previous 'closed shop' cases which led the Strasbourg court to rule that mandatory union membership interferes with the Article 11 right to freedom of association.

And she has been warned that if her law passes unamended, it will be challenged in the courts by union members who do not want part of their subs to go towards political causes.

Angela Rayner (pictured) has been warned that her plan to hand trade unions more power  which will also gift Labour millions of pounds extra a year  breaks human rights laws

The party's deputy leader is scrapping a Tory-era requirement for union members to opt in if they want to contribute towards political funds. Pictured: Refuse workers, trade union members and campaigners at a Birmingham bin workers protest in May

But last night Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith (pictured) told the Daily Mail: 'There we have it  Rayner's union charter may be in contravention of her beloved ECHR'

Tory peer and barrister Baroness Cash told Parliament: 'If the Labour Party or a political fund retains the subscription for even one second, it will have engaged unlawfully with Article 11.'

Last night Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith told the Daily Mail: 'There we have it  Rayner's union charter may be in contravention of her beloved ECHR.

'She ignored warnings from us about gifting unions the whip hand. She has ignored the outcry from working people about the impact on jobs.

'She has ignored the mayday from British businesses about the impact on growth. I bet she will ignore this too.

'If she continues to put her head in the sand while the warning lights are flashing red, it will show she will put the interests of the unions ahead of the national interest no matter what.'

But a government spokesman said: 'We are confident these changes, which revert to the long-standing previous arrangements, are compliant with the ECHR and members will be informed of their right to opt out of contributions on any form they complete to join a union.'
It is a summit designed to challenge the West's historical dominance of the world hosting the likes of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

On Sunday, China hosted the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a grand meeting of the leaders of 26 nations, many of them opposed to the US and Europe.

Putin and Chinese president Xi, who are closely allied under what they have termed a 'limitless' partnership, also held side talks to discuss the Russian leader's recent meeting with Donald Trump, a Kremlin official said.

Xi personally welcomed several leaders, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, before the delegates attended a formal reception.

Xi said China-India ties could be 'stable and far-reaching' if both sides focused on viewing each other as partners. 'China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals,' he said.

Russia's claims over Ukraine after its invasion in 2022, as well as China's over Taiwan and fears it will invade, have isolated both countries from Western and other democracies.

The SCO is a ten-member bloc of Eurasian nations, which includes Iran, India and Pakistan. The summit is also being attended by the leaders of 16 observer or 'dialogue partner' nations.

Like Xi and Putin, all of them have been accused of restricting free speech and political representation in their countries.

On Sunday, China hosted the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a grand meeting of the leaders of 26 nations, many of them opposed to the US and Europe

Xi told the reception that, in the past century, there had been a 'significant increase in instability, uncertainty and unpredictable factors' and the SCO had become an 'important force in promoting the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind'.

Putin and several other attendees are expected to stay on for a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which China refers to as the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is also expected to attend the military parade.

It is the largest summit to be held by the bloc since it was formed in 2001.

The SCO is a key part of Beijing's push for stronger multilateral alternatives to Western or US-led blocs such as Nato.

This goal appears to have been helped by the upheaval brought by the US President's global tariff regime.

The meeting took place five days after Washington imposed 50 per cent levies on Indian goods because of Delhi's purchases of Russian oil.

It is Mr Modi's first visit to China in seven years and comes after a period of simmering tensions over long-running Himalayan border disputes.

But the world's most populous nations on Sunday pointed to a new era of co-operation, pledging to resume suspended flights at an unspecified date.

Xi personally welcomed several leaders, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Alexander Lukashenko , the president of Belarus , before the delegates attended a formal reception

'We are committed to progressing our relations based on mutual respect, trust and sensitivities,' Modi said after meeting Xi.

He added: 'The interests of 2.8billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity.' Footage shown by Russian state media showed Xi and Putin warmly greeting each other before calling in an interpreter for a lengthy and animated conversation.

Lim Chuan-Tiong, a researcher with the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo, said: 'As long as the mutual opponent [US] has not been defeated, China and Russia's off-limits cooperation will remain.

'Their cooperation also serves to highlight a global order that exists beyond the United States.'
A top CDC official who quit his post this week issued a final message of defiance in his resignation letter by including his pronouns and the phrase 'pregnant people.'

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former chief of immunizations, was one of three top CDC officials to quit after President Donald Trump fired director Susan Monarez.

The former New York City monkeypox czar resigned with a letter that included pronouns in his signature, something that Trump banned federal employees from doing, and also used the term 'pregnant people' rather than women.

He said: 'The recent change in the adult and children's immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.'

At the end, he added a signature referring to himself as 'Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him).'

Speaking to CNN, he made it clear that he was doing this to rebel against his former bosses.

'I very specifically use the term pregnant people, and very specifically added my pronouns at the end of my resignation letter to make the point that I am defying this terrible strategy at trying to erase people and not allowing them to express their identities,' he said.

He then shot directly back at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said that his use of those terms meant that Daskalakis is 'not someone we want in this administration anyway.'

Top CDC and vaccine official Dr. Demetre Daskalakis (pictured) issued a final message of defiance in his resignation letter by including his pronouns and the phrase 'pregnant people'

The CDC has gone through an upheaval this week as Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have fired its top official

Daskalakis countered: 'So I accept the note from the press secretary and counter that with I don't care.'

Monarez had clashed with vaccine skeptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr over his vaccine policy overhaul.

According to the Washington Post, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services was pressing Monarez for days on whether she would support his efforts to rescind approvals for COVID vaccines.

But each time, Monarez declined to commit to supporting changes to the COVID vaccine guidelines without first consulting her advisors, one insider claimed.

That eventually prompted Kennedy to call for her resignation on Monday for 'not supporting President Trump's agenda.'

When Monarez then refused to leave her post, Kennedy reportedly demanded she fire some of the CDC's other top officials including Houry, Jernigan and Daskalakis.

At that point, Monarez decided to get Sen. Bill Casey, the Republican chairman of the Senate health committee, involved, administration officials say.

That seemed to just make Kennedy angrier, however, as he summoned the CDC director to a follow-up meeting on Tuesday in which he reportedly accused her of 'being a leaker.'

Monarez, an established federal government scientist, was confirmed in July by the Senate

Daskalakis, right, is seen here alongside Dr. Daniel Jernigan, left, and Dr. Debra Houry, who all departed in solidarity

Employees of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) line up to honor officials at its global headquarters in Atlanta

By Wednesday, the White House told Monarez that if she did not plan to resign by the end of the day, the president would fire her, the New York Times reports.

Monarez's firing led hundreds of CDC workers to walk out of the agency's Atlanta headquarters Thursday.

They not only honored Monarez, but lined the sidewalks and applauded as three other senior leaders who resigned in protest , including Daskalakis.

The turmoil spurred rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research.

Two Republican senators called for congressional oversight, independent Bernie Sanders demanded an investigation and some Democrats said Kennedy should be fired. He is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4.

Kennedy has not explained the decision to oust Monarez less than a month after she was sworn in, but he warned that more turnover may be ahead.

Monarez and Kennedy had been sparring for days before she was ultimately fired on Wednesday.

Speaking to CNN, Daskalakis made no bones about the fact that he was doing this to rebel against his former bosses

Monarez's attorneys claimed that Kennedy does not have the authority to fire her, as she was the first CDC director in American history to be confirmed by the Senate.

The lawyers then said Monarez 'has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.'

Attorneys Mark S. Zaid and Abbe Lowell also argued that Monarez's ousting was symbolic of larger issues within the federal government.

'It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts and the dangerous politicization of science,' the lawyers said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jennifer Layden, who led the office of public health data joined Jernigan, Daskalakis and Houry in quitting.

They cited an increasingly tense environment working with the Trump administration - and hit out at Kennedy in emails to their colleagues announcing their departure.

Monarez was chosen to replace Trump's first choice in the job, former Republican congressman Dave Weldon, who was criticized for his views on vaccines and autism.

At her confirmation hearing, Monarez positioned herself as an ardent supporter of vaccines - in contrast with Kennedy, who has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories that the jabs cause autism.

It was then thought that Monarez would help deter Kennedy from going after America's vaccine policy, but her short tenure was marred by low morale.
An Australian mother has gone viral for sharing her heartfelt thanks to the immigrants she said have changed her family's life including the doctor who saved her son's eyesight and a delivery driver who hides her parcels from her husband.

Tiktokker Ashy Anne said she owes a debt of gratitude to the skilled migrantsin her community.

'I'm a big fan of immigration,' she said in a video posted to social media.

'When my children are sick, I can go down the road and visit the bulk billing doctor.

'She's from Pakistan, and she's so wonderful with my children. She always makes time for us and actually listens to what they're saying.'

It was during a difficult flu season Ms Griffiths said immigration made the biggest impact on her family.

Her son developed a serious eye infection caused by influenza and was at risk of losing his sight.

'The ophthalmologist who figured out what was going on and helped us treat it was from Iraq,' she said.

Tiktok star Ashlee Griffiths (pictured) said she owes a debt of gratitude to skilled migrantsin her community

Protesters gather during a March for Australia anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on Sunday

'She was so wonderful. And the senior doctor for the opthamology clinic supervising her was from Sri Lanka. Between the two of them, I've never felt so supported in a medical setting.'

It wasn't just the medical field where she felt the benefits of Australia's multicultural population.

'My favourite university lecturer, who taught me about social policies..she was from England,' she said.

'And up the road from us, in a town Ingham there is a thriving Italian community, and the Italian festival has the best food you'll ever have.'

She also gave a special mention to a delivery driver from India who helps her hide her parcels from her husband.

'He knows exactly where to stash them,' she said.

Her video which has since been widely shared across social media, struck a chord with viewers praising the tribute to Australia's immigrant workforce particularly in the medical field.

One nurse said the system would 'collapse' without immigrants.

Many blame immigration for the nation's housing crisis

'Filipina nurses are some of the best nurses around,' she said.

Another said they would never forget the kindess of a hospital worker.

'The man who sat beside my hospital bed as child, washing out the fake skin they sprayed in my hair for my brain tumour surgery wore a turban,' they said.

'He had a bucket with soapy water, and a fine tooth comb, and sat there gently combing and washing my hair, I was 15 years old. I will never forget his kindness.'

One woman praised her British doctor for helping her through a miscarriage.

'I adore her,' she said.

'The nurse who sat beside my Nan when she died when we couldn't be there is from Sudan. Grateful for immigration.'

However other commenters pointed out the irony of anti-immigration sentiment in a country built by immigrants.

'Were a country of immigrants, said one.

'My family may have immigrated with the colonists but we still immigrated to this country that belongs to our First Nations people.

'We would be truely stuffed without immigration. They make us the beautiful, diverse country we are.'

Others agreed.

'The fact that the whole of Australia was built on people from somewhere else and now generations later they are complaining about immigrants.'

Another said her mother-in-law came over from England when she was a toddler and was anti-immigration.

'She talks about it all the times and posts all over Facebook constantly how much she hates it and how much she loves Australia,' she said.

'I always found it so ironic.. Then I realised shes against non-white immigration.'

Others shared shared emotional experiences involving immigrant workers and neighbours, those small moments of care that left lasting impressions.

'My fave Aus Post delivery driver is Indian and hes such a sweetheart,' said one.

'He learned quickly I had a newborn and a dog that would bark at the knock so he found the perfect place to hide my parcels and always makes sure hes a quiet as he can be to not wake my daughter.'

Another mother praised her Bhutanese neighbours for their it takes a village to raise a child attitude to life.

'I never have to worry about being alone in the house when my husband is away or worry about childcare because their culture is so deeply rooted in community that it makes me feel like were a big extended family living in one compound,' she said.

'I always have food coming in. Kids running around. My kids, their kids. I was so surprised with their hospitality at the beginning.

'Imagine your neighbours buying new toys for their kids but also getting yours a new one just because your kids play with their kids.'

Others didn't believe immigration should be stopped but slowed down while housing pressures eased.

'They can slow it down until housing is more abundant and rentals aren't sky rocketing,' said one.

'Yes I know billionaires are holding some housing hostage; but even then, a lot of houses were burnt in the wildfires. a lot are damaged by floods.

'The government needs to rush building more housing then this wouldn't be an issue. There needs to be balance.'
A woman has been branded 'evil' by a judge for keeping two Thai sex slaves in suburban Sydney - after a court heard disturbing details about how her captives were treated.

Rungnapha Kanbut, also known as Lisa Kanbut, forced the women to have sex with ten men a day, seven days a week in multiple brothels across the city in Homebush, Marrickville and Five Dock.

On Monday, NSW District Court Judge James Bennett sentenced Kanbut - who attended the court with her husband and son - to a jail term of six years and six months, with a non-parole period of four years and five months.

Judge Bennett said one victim impact statement by the slave, known by the court-appointed pseudonym of VP, gave insight into the 63-year-old woman's 'evil' complicity 'in this misconduct'.

VP can no longer walk properly after the 'extreme pain' of being forced to sexually service multiple customers to pay back the $45,000 debt to Kanbut they automatically incurred on their arrival in Australia from Thailand.

VP was aged 22 when arriving in Australia, and said she was often mistreated by clients, which included being spat on, bruised and suffering appalling acts not fit for newsprint.

If she earned less than $500 in one day, Kanbut - who provided her with lubricant, condoms and food - would arrange for her to be picked up and taken to another brothel to make up the extra money.

She was told she could not go out by herself, and was threatened with violence, Kanbut telling her 'dont think about running away because you really cant run away to anywhere anyway.

'Some girls have run away, do you know where they are? As I will get someone to harm them.'

Rungnapha Kanbut arrives at Darlinghurst court for her sentencing on Monday over keeping two Thai women as slaves

Ringnapha 'Lisa' Kanbut has been sentenced for keeping two Thai sex slaves in Sydney suburbia and 'abusing her power as a slave owner'

Kanbut required the young women to live with her at the slaver's Burwood flat or Strathfield home (above). The women worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week servicing up to 10 men daily

The girl was photographed naked and then warned that if anything happened the indecent photos of her would be sent to her parents and the people living in her village to shame her.

Kanbut would send money to the womens families back in Thailand, but those sums were added to their debts.

Judge Bennett said that it beggars belief that $45,000 reflected the cost to Kanbut of bringing the women out from Thailand and putting them up.

VP continued to work to pay off her debt. VP suffered an infection but Kanbut would not take her to a doctor.

She had been told by doctors that she needed surgery, but had not had the procedure because she did not have the funds.

At Kanbut's first trial, VP said she would have to live with the scar of this experience for the rest of her life.

The enslaved women lived at Kanbut's Burwood flat, or at the home she shared with her husband in Strathfield at different times in 2004 and 2005.

The second slave victim, RB, was told by Kanbut that it would take approximately four to five months to pay off her $45,000 debt.

Kanbut took RBs passport and told her she would receive it back only when she had paid off the debt in full.

Convicted slaver Rungnapha Kanbut (above attending her sentencing at Darlinghurst court on Monday with her husband and son) was branded evil by Judge James Bennett

Kanbut (right) threatened the women about running away, saying she would get someone to harm them if they took off

One of the women lived with Kanbut at her Burwood flat (above) to which she was not initially given a key

RB was required to live with the Kanbuts and was initially not given a key to the residence.

Kanbut sourced and secured work for RB as a sex worker. RB worked from 10am to midnight most days, and at the end of each shift gave Kanbut the money, which she kept in a notebook.

RB was able to keep her tips which were usually about $100 per week but she had no other money.

RB did not get a day off each week. She described Kanbut as 'Mother Tac' or 'Mama Tac' which means someone who is looking after working girls.

The term refers to the 'mother of the contract', the older female of the same nationality to whom the victims of human trafficking or sexual exploitation owe a debt.

21 days behind bars

Kanbut will only serve 21 more days behind bars for charges of intentionally possessing slaves and for 'abusing her power as a slave owner'.

This is, because of time served when she was previously convicted and jailed for the same offences.

Australian Federal Police first arrested Kanbut in 2017 and she first went to trial two years later.

Significant legal argument took place throughout the trial concerning the legal definition of slavery.

While the women were both Thai sex workers who voluntarily travelled to Australia to work in the profession, they had previously been free to live and work on their own terms.

Kanbut walked free after serving three years of a maximum eight-year sentence in December 2022, when the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal allowed an appeal, quashed her conviction and ordered a retrial.

Kanbut was found guilty again this year of two charges of intentionally detaining a person as a slave, two of abusing her power as a slave owner and two counts of financially profiting from crime against VP and RB.

The court heard that Kanbut continues to deny her involvement in sexual enslavement, and last time she was in jail she struggled to cope with custody and suffered a panic attack.

In imposing a lesser sentence than Kanbut had received after her first trial, Judge Bennett noted that the offender had an autistic son and that her husband, who is 79 years old, had physical challenges.

Kanbut, who is an Australian resident, will be eligible for release on September 22.
James Bulger's killer Jon Venables could be freed from prison again in just a matter of months after being reconsidered for parole.

James, two, was abducted, tortured and beaten to death by 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993 in a horrific crime which shocked the nation.

The pair became the youngest ever to be convicted of murder after James' body was found on a railway track two days later.

They were both convicted in 1993 and given life sentences, a source of controversy given their age.

Venables, now 43, was released in 2001 after eight years in youth custody but was caught with images of child sex abuse on his computer and twice recalled to prison, in 2010 and 2017.

He was last refused release in December 2023 when the independent board ruled that he remained a risk to the public.

Now, the child killer is set to be considered for possible freedom in a parole hearing that could be held as early as next month, The Sun reported.

James' parents, Denise Fergus and ex-husband Ralph Bulger, are said to have been left 'angry and anxious' at the controversial decision taken by the Parole Board, with the pair understood to be writing witness statements for the anticipated hearing.

James Bulger (pictured), aged two, was abducted, tortured and beaten to death by 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993 in a horrific crime which shocked the nation

Aged 11, Thompson and Venables (both pictured) became the youngest ever to be convicted of murder after James' body was found on a railway track two days later. They were both convicted in 1993 and given life sentences, a source of controversy given their age

Now, Venables is set to be considered for possible freedom in a parole hearing that could be held as early as next month. James' parents, Denise Fergus (pictured) and ex-husband Ralph Bulger, are said to have been left 'angry and anxious' at the controversial decision

A source told The Sun: 'It is outrageous he is getting another shot at freedom - how many chances does he need?

'The family have been assured he will be dealt with as a 'high-risk case and it will take a lot to see him freed. But it is still a huge concern that he is allowed to re-apply so quickly.'

The Parole Board said: 'We can confirm the parole review of Jon Venables has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes.'

It comes after Venables' last three failed parole bids. In December 2023, the independent board ruled that he remained a danger to children and could not be trusted outside of jail.

Parole Board members found that he had a 'continuing issues of sexual preoccupation' and were 'not satisfied' he was safe to be back on the streets.

James' mother Denise hailed the decision and said her child's killer should never 'see the light of day again' following the news he will be kept behind bars.

At the time, a source told The Sun that Venables had 'lost the plot' after being informed that his bid for freedom had been rejected.

It comes after Venables' last three failed parole bids. In December 2023, the independent board ruled that he remained a danger to children and could not be trusted outside of jail. Pictured: CCTV footage shows James Bulger being led out of the New Strand Shopping Centre

In December 2023, Parole Board members found that Venables had a 'continuing issues of sexual preoccupation' and were 'not satisfied' he was safe to be back on the streets. A source told The Sun that Venables had 'lost the plot' following the decision. Pictured: James Bulger

James' mother Denise (pictured with James) hailed the decision taken by the Parole Board in 2023 and said that her child's killer should never 'see the light of day again'. She told The Mirror: 'I have fought for justice for James and to keep his killer behind bars for years'

Ms Fergus told The Mirror: 'I have fought for justice for James and to keep his killer behind bars for years so the decision to not let him walk free is the best thing that has happened to me for 30 years.

'It's a huge day for us. I could barely sleep for the dread and fear, one of the most evil men on the planet could be back on our streets. I had braced myself for his release.'

She added: 'I don't think he should ever see the light of day again. I have never said that before but now I mean it. What he did to James and his reoffending actions after show he can't be rehabilitated.'

Just days prior, it had been reported that Venables had claimed he was 'reformed' and posed 'no danger' to the public.

He was granted a private two-day parole hearing after it was ruled it would 'harm his mental health' if it took place in public, but he did not attend to give evidence in person.

Kym Morris, spokeswoman and chairwoman of the James Bulger's Memorial Trust for James' mum Denise Fergus, said following Venables' last failed freedom bid: 'This is the day Denise has waited for years.

'The prospect of him coming out was terrifying as we knew he'd harm again. This is a day we celebrate and we thank the Parole Board for making the correct decision.'

James' father Ralph and his uncle Jimmy Bulger added in a joint statement they were 'relieved at the decision', and that Venables' continued offending after his release 'had a traumatic impact on us.'

Venables previously claimed he was 'reformed' and posed 'no danger' to the public. In December 2023, he was granted a private two-day parole hearing after it was ruled it would 'harm his mental health' if it took place in public. He did not attend to give evidence in person

Regarding Venables' upcoming parole hearing, the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm the parole review of Jon Venables has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes'. Pictured: Denise campaigning in 2001

Toddler James was murdered after being grabbed from a shopping centre by Venables and Thompson before they dragged him two miles to a rail line where they tortured and beat him to death.

He vanished on February 12, 1993, after his mother Denise Fergus briefly let go of his hand at the counter of A.R. Tyms' butchers in the Strand shopping centre.

CCTV footage later showed him being led away by Venables and Thompson, who took him more than two miles across Liverpool to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.

The boys were seen by 38 people during their walk across the city, but they claimed Bulger was their younger brother or that he was lost, and they were taking him to a police station.

A pathologist found he had 42 injuries, and that it was impossible to rule which one killed him.

A police officer remembered Venables being so small that his legs did not touch the floor as he sat in the custody office after his arrest.

The dock floor at Preston Crown Court where the boys stood trial had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it.

James was murdered after being grabbed from a shopping centre by Venables and Thompson before they dragged him two miles to a rail line where they tortured and beat him to death. Pictured: The Daily Mail revealed the full backgrounds of the young killers in November 1993

James Bulger's body was found on a railway track (pictured) some two days after his abduction. A pathologist found he had 42 injuries, and that it was impossible to rule which one killed him

The boys were ordered to be detained 'at her majesty's pleasure' after being found guilty of murder.

But a six-month review by the parole board in 2001 found they were no longer a threat to public safety and they were released on life licence after serving just eight years.

Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities, reportedly costing 1.5million.

Previous conditions placed on Venables included informing his parole officer if he ever got a job and getting their permission before leaving the UK.

He was also required to regularly see a forensic psychologist and was banned from contacting Robert Thompson or any member of James Bulger's family.

Venables had to seek permission from his parole officer to leave Merseyside, stay overnight in the same house as a child under 16 or spend time with anyone under 12.
An Indian migrant living in Melbourne has urged Australians to 'move forward with love' after violence broke out at anti-immigration rallies over the weekend.

Thousands of protesters took part in March for Australia rallies in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart, and regional cities on Sunday.

Victoria Police said six protesters were arrested and several officers were injured following clashes in Melbourne with counter-protesters.

Footage captured wild brawls breaking out, demonstrators being hit with flagpoles, and neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell joining far-right demonstrators to ambush an Aboriginal camp.

Personal trainer Lucky Singh urged Australians not to misdirect their rage at immigrants and to say 'no to racism'.

'I understand the cost of living has gone up, transport is overloaded, and house prices have gone up,' he said in a TikTok video.

Mr Singh said he has seen 'hate towards community' increase, before sharing his love for the country and the Australians who have made him feel welcome.

'We love Australia, you have given us an opportunity to live here,' he said.

Anti-immigration protesters carry flags and placards as they march towards Victoria Park, in Sydney on Sunday

'When you are drunk, we drive you home in our taxis. When you need food, we cook for you. When your loved ones get older, we take care of them.'

Mr Singh said he was worried about the children of immigrants being subjected to 'hate'.

'Please understand we are part of your community. We are Australian, we love Australia,' he said.

'Our kids play with your kids. If this hate keeps going forward, our kids are going to hate each other.'

Mr Singh concluded his plea by urging people to 'keep moving forward with love'.

Many rushed to support Mr Singh, as one commented: 'Australia is built on immigration - unless you're a first nations person you have an immigration story.

'Your family was given an opportunity, and others should be given the same opportunity.'

Another agreed: 'Mate, I am so sorry. You don't need to justify your existence. This is embarrassing to our country. You are welcome to me. You've made me proud.'

Lucky Singh shared his love for Australia and called on Aussies to spread love not hate

March for Australia protester carries a placard calling out the 'corrupt government'

Others insisted the anti-immigration protests were aimed at the government rather than individuals.

'It's not you!! It's not even the individuals. It's our government! Please don't mistake it. The government is the problem,' one wrote.

'It's not hate towards you, it's towards the government, the majority don't want immigration stopped they just want it slowed so the infrastructure can catch up,' another added.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the protests as seeking 'to divide and undermine' social cohesion.
A photo has emerged on social media showing March for Australia protesters tucking into yum cha after the rallies.

Many viewers piled on, accusing the protesters of hypocrisy.

'Ah yes. No better way to end a day spent protesting against immigrants than by checks notes enjoying some Yum Cha,' one person said.

'Chinese meal and his Chinese-made flag! My man is doing his part for the Chinese economy,' a second added.

'The irony is absolutely succulent today,' a third said.

'If I worked there, I'd just bring them a jar of Vegemite and a spoon,' another added.

'FARK OFF, WE'RE FULL Except you. Your food is nice. You can stay.'

But protesters hit back, saying the protests were not against immigration per se but the huge rise in numbers to record levels.

A photo has emerged on social media showing March for Australia protesters tucking into yum cha after the rallies

'No one was protesting immigrants. We were protesting the levels of immigration. Almost everyone there would be perfectly happy with 1990s levels of migration, as long as it's targeted to high-quality immigrants the country actually needs,' one supporter wrote.

Another argued: 'We're protesting mass migration. Mass migration is bad for everyone - even the migrants.'

A third added: 'Anti-immigration doesn't mean anti-immigrant. My cousin is from Taiwan and hates how much mass migration is happening right now.'
Finland has belatedly admitted its air force flags probably should not have a huge swastika in the middle.

The Nordic country is set to remove the symbol from the standard because its presence has created 'awkward situations with foreign visitors'.

The nation adopted the insignia as the emblem of its airborne military when it was founded in 1918.

This was years before Germany's Nazi Party chose the swastika as its crest and became primarily associated with the logo during its rise to power in the 1930s.

Finnish air force commanders removed the symbol from widespread usage in 2020 - but five years on, it remained on the flags of some units, the Telegraph reports.

Now, the swastika - which is illegal in many European nations, including Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic - will be banned across the entire fleet.

Colonel Tomi Bohm told Finland's public broadcaster YLE: 'We could have continued with this flag but sometimes awkward situations can arise with foreign visitors.

'It is wise to live with the times.'

Finland has belatedly admitted its air force flags (pictured last year) probably should not have a huge swastika in the middle

The Nordic country is set to remove the symbol from the standard (pictured in 2019) because its presence has created 'awkward situations with foreign visitors'

The nation adopted the insignia as the emblem of its airborne military when it was founded in 1918. Pictured: An air force flag in 2019

The new chief of peacetime unit Karelia Air Wing continued: 'The world has changed and we live according to the times. There has been no political pressure to do this.'

The commander added he hoped the change would happen during his time in post.

Flags will from now on bear a new emblem of a golden eagle in flight, over a blue circle, surrounded by white wings.

Plans to redo the unit flags were proposed in 2023, the year Finland joined Nato - but some kept using the swastika, raising eyebrows in the international community.

Finland's government noted it was seen as an 'embarrassing symbol in international contexts'.

It added it wishes to 'update the symbolism and emblems of the flags to better reflect the current identity of the air force'.

The country has seen public discourse about the use of the swastika on air force flags reawaken in recent times.

It comes after the publication of a book named History Of The Swastika by Dr Teivo Teivainen, a professor at the University of Helsinki.

Flags will from now on bear a new emblem of a golden eagle in flight, over a blue circle, surrounded by white wings (pictured)

He said Finland has always maintained its air force's use of the symbol has 'nothing to do with the Nazi swastika'.

This comes despite the country briefly allying with Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

A blue swastika on a white background was emblazoned on all Finnish planes as the national symbol from 1918 to 1945, during its intervention in the major global conflict.

After the war ended, the crest was taken off some flags - but many units, as well as the Air Force Academy, continued to use it on their standards and decorations.

But now Finland has joined Nato, the 32-state defensive alliance established in 1949, the government has changed tack, Dr Teivainen explained.

'There's now a need to get more integrated with the forces of countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and France - countries where the swastika is clearly a negative symbol,' he continued.

He recalled a notable moment in 2021, when German air force units withdrew from a ceremony at a base in Finland's Lapland region when they learnt swastikas would be displayed.

Before it became synonymous with fascism, the swastika was a widely used and innocuous motif.

A blue swastika on a white background was emblazoned on all Finnish planes as the national symbol from 1918 to 1945. Pictured: Historic Finnish airforce planes featuring the blue swastika

Meaning 'wellbeing' in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, it was even widely seen as a good luck symbol at the start of the 20th century.

This was how it found its way into the Finnish air force, the New York Times reports.

The country declared independence from Russia in 1918, after the Bolshevik Revolution.

An aircraft, bearing a swastika as a good luck symbol, was gifted to Finnish anti-communist forces in the civil war that ensued.

But, in a subject of controversy, Erik von Rosen, the Swedish aristocrat behind the present, was later close with Nazi figures.

The symbol was also previously widely used in advertising, including by Coca-Cola and on Carlsberg beer bottles, the BBC reports.

The sign was used by American military units during World War One and on RAF planes as late as 1939.

But most of these previously inoffensive uses stopped when the swastika began to be associated with Nazism.

The black swastika of Nazism (pictured, on the armband of far-right Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, in 1935), on a white circle and red background, has become one of the most despised symbols of the 20th century

The far-right party used it because of the work of 19th-century German scholars on translating ancient Indian texts, who noted similarities between Sanskrit and their language.

The thinkers felt this meant Indians and Germans had a shared ancestry and thought up a race of white godly warriors they dubbed Aryans.

This was taken to extremes by the Nazis who used the swastika as a sign of Aryanism as the ancient heritage of the German nation.

It means the black swastika, on a white circle and red background, has become one of the most despised symbols of the 20th century.

Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller previously said: 'For the Jewish people the swastika is a symbol of fear, of suppression, and of extermination.'

Germany banned the swastika at the end of World War Two, before attempting unsuccessfully in 2007 to prohibit it across the EU.

In certain cultures, the swastika is still considered a sacred symbol - which has caused widespread confusion and revision of positions.

Before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a Japanese mapmaker said it would stop using the manji - a swastika-type symbol - to mark temples, to avoid any such confusion.
Asylum seekers are being housed in 300,000 three-bedroom contemporary townhouses in a village in Suffolk - to the fury of local residents.

The four conjoined properties are furnished with en-suite bathrooms, sleek kitchens and state-of-the-art amenities including underfloor heating and electric vehicle charging points, The Sun reported.

According to promotional materials, the homes are 'nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village' and 'designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities'.

Representing 'a perfect blend of modern design, comfort, and sustainability' the houses are said to offer 'a serene living experience'.

The sales brochure concludes: 'With their eco-friendly features and thoughtful amenities, these properties are an ideal choice for those looking to embrace a green lifestyle in a peaceful, community-oriented location.'

Asylum seekers living in the properties are doing so rent-free - with expected rent in the area coming in at around 1,200 for a home of this size.

Instead the houses have been leased by public services firm Serco under a contract with the Home Office.

It is believed that only one family has moved into the townhouses so far, and that they arrived by a legal route, not on a small boat.

Asylum seekers are being housed in 300,000 three-bedroom contemporary townhouses (pictured) in a village in Suffolk - to the fury of local residents

According to promotional materials, the homes are 'nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village' and 'designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities'

While the decision to use the townhouses to accommodate migrants was hailed as a success by one local councillor, who claimed the community had responded 'very positively', the reaction of locals appears to tell another story.

'It's all just happened without us knowing about it. Our opinions don't seem to count,' Clive Bloomfield, 62, a lifelong resident of the village, told the newspaper.

He added that many people were struggling to get on the property ladder but were overlooked by the local authorities.

Indeed, many residents in the village questioned why the homes were not offered to locals on the housing list - although the government does have a legal requirement to accommodate asylum seekers while they have their claims processed.

According to the latest data from Suffolk County Council, there were nearly 800 people waiting to apply for council or housing association homes in 2024.

Susan, 64, said: 'We're paying for all of this. Why are we working hard for asylum seekers to just get everything for free?'

Mother-of-two Laura Garland, 40, added that there were many British-born taxpayers in the UK who were unable to get housing - adding that the local community had been 'kept in the dark'.

However, not all of the village's residents were against the use of the development to house asylum seekers.

The four conjoined properties are all furnished with sleek kitchens

Lizzie Simmonds said herself and her mother had been providing the village's new arrivals with basic supplies and said migrants deserved the opportunities the UK could offer.

The move comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029 in 'a controlled and orderly way'.

However, former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer this week warned that the issue will continue to be a vote-winner for Reform UK unless the government accelerates the speed with which asylum seekers are moved to alternative accommodation.

Labour has been accused of using the courts against the British people after a judge ruled asylum seekers can stay in a migrant hotel.

In a victory for the Home Office, the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction ordering the removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.

MPs and the local council reacted furiously, with Reform leader Nigel Farage saying illegal migrants now had more rights than Britons under Sir Keir Starmer.

The Home Office said: 'At its peak, less than two years ago, there were 400 asylum hotels in use at a cost of almost 9million a day.

'We have taken urgent action over the past year to fix that system, doubling the rate of asylum decision-making, and reducing the amount of money spent on asylum hotels by almost a billion pounds.'

Serco has been approached for comment.
Neo-nazi leader Thomas Sewell has fronted court accused of threatening a Victoria Police officer and his wife.

His court appearance came just a day after he and his followers joined the March for Australia rallies, before storming a First Nations protest camp in Melbourne and attacking people.

Sewell, already a convicted extremist, represented himself during a contested hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday.

He opened proceedings with the declaration: 'I am Thomas Sewell.'

Prosecutors allege Sewell used intimidation against the officer and his wife and published material about them online, including on the streaming platform Rumble and social media site X.

It is also alleged that he arranged for a podcast about the couple to be released.

The alleged victim, a senior constable with Victoria Police's Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team at the time, gave evidence at the hearing.

The officer, who cannot be named, told the court he had been patrolling Melbourne's CBD in October when he was called to Docklands to assist colleagues at a protest clash.

'[The two groups] they were very aggressive, yelling towards each other and quite hostile... I positioned myself in-between the groups and I drew my ASP baton and gave some directions to the Nationalist Socialist Network group.'

Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell (centre) leaves Melbourne Magistrates' Court after being charged with intimidation of a Victoria Police officer and his wife

Sewell appeared at the March for Australia protest in Melbourne on Sunday

Sewell was also charged with getting another person to publish a podcast about the Victoria Police officer and his wife

The police officer told the court he gave the NSN a direction to 'move away and walk the other direction' from the pro-refugee protestors.

'They didn't adhere to the direction and they continued to taunt the other group who is yelling,' the officer said.

'I heard a few members of the National Socialist group saying things like 'you're not welcome here', directing that towards the refugees, saying things like, excuse my language your honour, saying 'f** off, we're full'.*

'Because of what I heard, I formed the opinion they were committing an offence... offensive behaviour in public.'

The officer said he asked members of the NSN to remove their masks so he could 'identify them'.

'They didn't remove their masks or balaclavas so I pulled down their masks of approximately two to three National Socialist members in an effort to identify them,' the officer said.

The officer said the following day he learned Sewell had allegedly tried to identify him.

'I saw a live video where Mr Sewell said he had worked out who I was,' he said.

Sewell is a prolific neo-Nazi

'He described Instagram photos of my wife, our wedding, and a house we had bought. I felt highly anxious and believed my family's safety was under threat.'

He said he took time off work and arranged safety measures at relatives' homes.

The officer told the court he still feels dread and anxiety about the situation.

Representing himself, Sewell was allowed to cross-examine the alleged victim in court.

'First question I have for you is, do you have any publicly held political views,' Sewell asked the police officer.

Prosecutor Melissa Mahady and Magistrate Michelle Hodgson objected to the question based on relevance.

'That's not relevant to the charge that is before the court which are these criminal charges, it's just not relevant,' Magistrate Hodgson said.

'My argument is that it is relevant to my defence and it is very valuable to me,' Sewell responded.

'All the witnesses, and the brief of evidence, includes a description about my political views and I don't think that we can separate the political views of myself from the brief of evidence, that's what the prosecution's done.

'So why should the defence be treated separately.'

Riot squad police were ready for action at Melbourne's March for Australia protests

Victoria Police confirmed 12 people were arrested following the March for Australia protests in Melbourne

Sewell then complained his question should have been allowed, while alleging the police officer assaulted one of his 'members'.

Sewell became aggressive in court, demanding he be heard, before Magistrate Hodgson warned him not to yell at her.

Sewell's court appearance came just a day after disturbing footage showed him alongside other far-right demonstrators ambushing a First Nations protest camp.

On Sunday afternoon, between 20 and 30 black-clad men stormed Camp Sovereignty at King's Domain in Melbourne, clashing with demonstrators around 5pm.

Video from the scene showed men verbally abusing camp members, with some stomping on an Aboriginal flag and attacking people.

Sewell, a member of the National Socialist Network, was filmed among the group as they gatecrashed the First Nations camp.

A Victoria Police spokesman said members of Camp Sovereignty were attacked with 'sticks and flagpoles'

Sewell was allegedly at a protest area where police say 20 and 30 men dressed in black clashed with demonstrators at Camp Sovereignty at King's Domain

A Victoria Police spokesman said members of Camp Sovereignty were attacked with 'sticks and flagpoles'.

Camp Sovereignty organisers said four people were injured in the incident and the attack was unprovoked.

'They came armed with poles to attack a group of predominantly women at a peace camp,' co-founder Keiran Stewart-Assheton said.

Victoria police confirmed on Monday afternoon that Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit detectives are 'investigating the affray'.
Independent Senator David Pocock has claimed that the anti-immigration rallies across Australia were an expression of a fear that Labor has 'no plan' to deal with immigration.

The ACT Senator, who described himself as a 'first-generation migrant', said that some of the slogans and flashes of violence at the protests in every major capital city on Sunday were 'totally unacceptable'.

But the normally progressive Senator offered a surprising take on the driving impetus behind the rallies, claiming that most attendees were motivated by a concern that 'there is no plan' on immigration.

'One of my frustrations has been that there is a real lack of appetite from the parliament to actually have a debate about this in a sensible way, and then come up with a plan when it comes to migration and population that actually wards off some of the feelings of "well, there is no plan",' Pocock told ABC TV on Monday morning.

'I think there should be room for a sensible conversation amongst leaders so that, when people do raise these things, we can actually say, "yes, we have a plan that takes into account infrastructure, skills, and all these things". But currently, there really isn't one.

'We're not taking into account the required infrastructure, things like impacts on the environment, and when you don't have a plan, you open yourselves up to the kind of things we saw on the weekend.

'And for the government  rather than Treasury just setting some sort of arbitrary number every year  to actually say, "okay, this is how valuable migrants are to this country, these are the skill areas that we need, this is how we're going to do it over time, this is how we're going to ensure that we're building enough housing, schools, other infrastructure that is required for a growing population".'

Senator Pocock, a former professional rugby union player, was born in South Africa and raised in Zimbabwe.

The normally progressive Senator David Pocock (pictured) offered a surprising take on the driving impetus behind the rallies, claiming that most attendees were motivated by a concern that 'there is no plan' on immigration

The ACT Senator, who described himself as a 'first-generation migrant', said that some of the slogans and flashes of violence at the protests in every major capital city on Sunday were 'totally unacceptable'

He moved to Australia in 2002 as a teenager after his parents' farm was subject to a compulsory seizure order by the Mugabe government.

March for Australia protests took place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, as well as some regional cities, to protest the country's record levels of immigration.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the protests as seeking 'to divide and undermine' social cohesion.

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie also took aim at the protesters, claiming they were 'causing division'.

'I just think the other side of the anti-immigration is any an excuse to go out and cause division within the country,' the Tasmanian Senator told Sky News.

'They are doing everything that they don't want this country to be in, which is to be in division. Well, they are causing it and they are part of the problem.'

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson and federal MP Bob Katter were amongst several opposition politicians who joined the marches.

Police said six protesters were arrested and officers were injured following clashes in Melbourne with counter-protesters.

Police said six protesters were arrested and officers were injured following clashes in Melbourne with counter-protesters (pictured: protesters and counter-protesters scuffle in Melbourne)

Three people were arrested in Adelaide as 15,000 attended the rally while in Brisbane Police estimated around 6,000 protestors were in attendance.

One man was arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting police, and another man was detained for the breach of the peace.

No arrests were made in Sydney or Hobart.
A grandmother who allegedly stabbed her son's partner and a 10-year-old boy in a roadside rampage may have been suffering side effects from using the weight loss drug Ozempic, a court has heard.

Julie Ann Williams wept when her bail application was refused in Wollongong Local Court after a magistrate was told about the possibility she had experienced an Ozempic-induced rage.

Until her arrest, Williams, 60, had been living with her builder son Andrew Williams and his girlfriend Kellie Parkes in a house south of Sydney at Horsley.

Ms Parkes had been driving two boys aged 10 and three to judo on the evening of June 11 when Williams, who was in another vehicle, allegedly forced her to pull over on West Dapto Road at Wongawilli.

Williams allegedly got out of her car and pulled out a knife, then leaned through the front passenger window of Ms Parkes's car and stabbed the 10-year-old boy in the neck.

When 27-year-old Ms Parkes got out of her vehicle, Williams allegedly stabbed her in the abdomen.

Ms Parkes and the boy suffered serious wounds, while the three-year-old boy who was also in Ms Parkes's car escaped the incident unharmed.

The alleged attack took place just a three-minute drive from where Williams, her son and Ms Parkes lived together.

Police arrested Williams at the Horsley house about 6.30pm on June 11 and charged her with two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. She has been in custody since then.

A grandmother who allegedly stabbed her son's partner, Kellie Parkes (above), and a 10-year-old boy in a roadside rampage may have been suffering side effects from using the weight loss drug Ozempic, a court has heard

Williams made a bail application last Thursday when lawyer Laura Fennell submitted her client had suffered a major depressive disorder for 25 years and that condition was 'exacerbated by family matters'.

'What occurred that day suggests something completely out of character,' Ms Fennell told magistrate Geraldine Beattie, according to the ABC.

Ms Beattie described the prosecution case against Williams, who had no criminal record, as 'overwhelming'.

Ms Fennell said Williams had been using Ozempic at the time of the stabbings and her behaviour might be attributable to 'the side effects of the medication she was taking'.

The court heard a forensic psychiatrist had assessed Williams and determined her mental health problems could have made her 'more vulnerable to the side effects of the medication'.

Ms Beattie said: 'The expert doctor suggests the medication may have had a toxic effect on her metabolism and made her susceptible to violent behaviour.'

'They say the medication is commonly associated with some behaviours like suicide and erraticism.'

Ms Beattie also noted the psychiatrist had not referred to studies linking Ozempic to violence.

Julie Ann Williams lived with her builder son Andrew Williams (above) and his 27-year-old girlfriend Kellie Parkes in a house south of Sydney at Horsley, near Wollongong

'The Crown will need to get their own expert on this and that will take time,' Ms Beattie said.

Ms Beattie said Williams had told police in an electronically recorded interview she had 'no idea' why she allegedly committed the stabbings and 'something came over her to do it'.

Ms Parkes had spent four days in hospital and the 10-year-old boy was treated for two days.

Ms Fennell proposed a set of strict bail conditions for Williams which included her staying away from her relatives.

Williams wept when Ms Beattie found she might pose a risk to the community due to the nature of her alleged offending and refused bail.

If Williams is granted bail in future an interim apprehended violence order in place to protect Ms Parkes stipulates she cannot go within 500m of the family home.

Neighbours said Williams lived in a flat behind the Horsley house, while her son lived in the front and Ms Parkes spent most of her nights there.

'[Ms Parkes] is pretty much here all the time,' one neighbour told the Daily Mail.

The alleged attack took place just a three-minute drive from where Williams, her son and Ms Parkes lived together at his house in Horsley

'I always hear the son and his mum arguing a lot. Not really the girlfriend and the mum.'

Another neighbour said of Ms Parkes: 'She pretty much lives here.'

Of Williams, that neighbour said, 'I didn't have much to do with her. You wouldn't pick it.'

After the stabbings, Detective Chief Inspector Brad Ainsworth said the three-year-old boy was 'not injured, not touched and not approached'.

Detective Chief Inspector Ainsworth thanked members of the public who had rushed to help Ms Parkes and the boy and said it was not clear what sparked the alleged attack.

Williams will return to court on October 22.
A man has been arrested after a car crashed into the Russian consulate in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Footage showed a car with a smashed window abandoned next to a Russian flagpole at the government building on Fullerton Street, in Woollahra, at 8am on Monday

A NSW Police spokesman said officers had responded moments earlier to reports of an unauthorised vehicle parked in the driveway.

Officers attempted to speak to the driver before he drove into the gates of the property.

A 39-year-old man was arrested and a 24-year-old constable was injured on his hand.

A person answering a phone at the consulate declined to comment on the incident.

A witness claimed a police officer drew his gun.

'The car kept on driving, heading into the consulate grounds,' a neighbour told The Daily Telegraph.

A man has been arrested after a car crashed into the Russian consulate in Sydney 's eastern suburbs

A NSW Police spokesman said officers responded shortly after 8am after reports of an unauthorised vehicle parked in the driveway

Officers attempted to speak to the driver before he drove his vehicle into the gates of the property

'There was a policeman drawing his gun, asking him to get out of the car.

'It's hard to know the motivations, it could be anything.

'It was pretty dramatic. It's not something you see every day.'

Pro-Kremlin influencer Simeon Boikov, who goes by the moniker Aussie Cossack online, has been holed up at the consulate for 1000 days after he was charged with assaulting a pro-Ukraine protester in Sydney.

He was woken by the sound of police sirens about 8.30am and, after initially thinking there was a fire next door, emerged to find the Toyota parked on the consulate's lawn.
Domestic and family violence survivors will have social security debts incurred under abuse waived.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek announced on Sunday that Services Australia will be given extended powers to cancel debts which have resulted from coercive control or financial misconduct.

The agency will also be able to take into account circumstances such as mental capacity, the impact of natural disasters, and homelessness.

Under the current rules, a social security debt can be waived where there are 'special circumstances'.

But the special provisions do not apply when a person 'knowingly' makes a false statement or fails to comply with an obligation under social security law, even if that information was provided as the result of coercive control or violence.

Services Australia will now factor this in.

Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie said victim-survivors shouldn't be punished twice by being forced to repay debts that were never truly theirs.

'This reform will go a long way to limiting the harm caused,' she said.

'It is completely unacceptable that people living on the lowest incomes who are exposed to coercive control and abuse have been forced to carry debts that entrenched their hardship.'

Domestic and family violence survivors will have social security debts incurred under abuse waived, the Albanese government has announced

In Australia, one in four women and one in 14 men have experienced physical and or sexual violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15.

Economic Justice Australia has been advocating for the change for years and 'wholeheartedly' welcomed the reform.

'Debts are crippling at the best of times, but this has made an incredibly difficult situation, fleeing family violence, even more devastating,' chief executive Kate Allingham said.

Ms Allingham said people have had their 'measly' social security payments further reduced to repay these debts, which resulted in food being taken off the table.

In Australia, one in four women and one in 14 men have experienced physical and or sexual violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15.

Ms Plibersek said financial abuse was an 'insidious' form of violence and one of the reasons why women feel it is impossible to leave an abusive relationship.

'Every victim survivor who relies on our social security system should feel like they can trust that the system will keep them safe. It should be part of the solution, not part of the problem,' she said.

Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher said the changes will ensure the social security system works with victim-survivors, not against them.

'We've listened to the stories of women who've been trapped in dangerous relationships and then left with debts they didn't even know existed,' she said.

'That's unacceptable, and this reform will give Services Australia the power to take those circumstances into account and do the right thing.'

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
The family of suspected cop killer Dezi Freeman has warned 'he won't go to jail' if the alleged double cop killer is eventually tracked down by the 450-strong search team trying to find him.

Freeman, 56, disappeared into the bush last Tuesday after allegedly opening fire on police officers - killing two - when they went onto his Porepunkah property, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, to serve a warrant.

Police helicopters and drones have circled the skies for a week, scanning the rugged terrain in the hope of catching the slightest sign of the gunman's whereabouts.

Now a family member, speaking exclusively to Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, has revealed they fear what he is capable of if cornered.

'He won't go to jail. Never. Ever,' the family member said.

'He knows there is a life sentence waiting for him and he won't serve a single day of it.

'There are no good outcomes but he would rather live in the bush, take his own life or a possible shootout with the police - death by cop so to speak.'

Freeman's family rejects his extreme anti-authoritarian views, saying their 'hearts' are with the police and have come to accept they may never see the father-of-three again.

Dezi Freeman, 56, fled into the bush on Tuesday after a bloody ambush at his property in Porepunkah

Freeman was living in this bus when the ambush took place

'We are not defending him, simply providing some insight into the tortured soul that is Dezi Freeman,' the family member explained.

'Dezi doesn't have a job and he's grown distant from societal norms and expectations. But this led to the feeling police were out to get him at every turn.'

The family had watched him drift away from mainstream society, becoming a loner convinced the systems set up to protect him were doing the opposite.

'He's not technically a Sovereign Citizen, although the shoe fits,' they said.

'He sees the Australian government as a corporation rather than as per the constitution. The change of coat of arms etcetera.

'This is not the family's belief, we just want to explain it.'

The family has been assisting detectives in the investigation, and noted the police had been 'so kind to us' despite having lost two colleagues: Detective Neal Thompson, 49, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35.

Freeman, who has survival training and years of experience in the bush, was last seen wearing dark green tracksuit pants, a dark green rain jacket, Blundstone boots and reading glasses.

The Freeman family said they were grateful that the police have shown kindness during the investigation

Search efforts have been hampered by wintry conditions which Freeman's family said the fugitive would be embracing

Search efforts have been hampered by wintry conditions, with thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail battering the search area in northeast Victoria.

But Freeman's family member warned he will be relishing the conditions knowing they will aid his ability to remain at large, and noted he had been exploring the country around Mount Buffalo since the 1980s.

'He has been prepping for doomsday all his life. A comet, WW3, whatever that might be,' the relative said.

'And when that day was to come he would live in the mountains.

'He believes the police bully him and he just wants to be left alone.

'Of course the police are holding him accountable, however, he has a way of poking the bear unfortunately, and brings much of this on himself.

'He has always been more about ideals of living a natural life like American Indians. So I guess this all just evolved over time.'

On Monday afternoon Victoria Police Superintendent Brett Kahan said Freeman is being helped by people who know where he is, and are choosing not to speak up.

Freeman's wife Amalia

'Last time I spoke in front of you, I appealed directly to Dezi Freeman to ring triple-0,' Superintendent Kahan said.

'I'm going to change tack a little bit.

'I extend that to anyone who is harbouring Dezi Freeman.'

He said that a surrender plan is also available for anyone harbouring or assisting Mr Freeman.

'People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops,' he says.

'People have chosen for whatever reason, not to come forward.

'Take up that offer, by whichever means you like, whether it be triple-0 or otherwise.

'We will formulate a surrender plan.'

Superintendent Brett Kahan said people are helping Dezi Freeman evade capture

A police chopper searches for Freeman

Police remain in touch with Freeman's wife, Amalia, but Supt. Kahan said she was not necessarily helping with the inquiry.

'It's two different things to be speaking with police and co-operating with police,' he said.

When pressed, Supt. Kahan repeated 'it's two different things'.

His comments come after Amalia made a public appeal for her husband to surrender.

Through her lawyers on Sunday she begged him to lay down his weapons and offered her condolences to the families of the slain officers.

'We echo the requests of the Victoria Police for the swift and safe conclusion of this tragedy,' Ms Freeman said.

'I lend my full support to Victoria Police in their search for my husband and will co-operate with Victoria Police in any way that I can.

'Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call 000 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.'

On Saturday, Victoria Police confirmed they had moved their forward command post from Feathertop Winery outside Porepunkah to a government office in the town of Ovens, about 12km away.

'The new site is a fit-for-purpose facility and will best support Victoria Police's operational activity moving forward,' the statement said.

'We would like to reassure the community that police are not leaving the area.'

The two fallen officers will be farewelled with full police honours at Melbourne's Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley.

Senior Constable De Waart's service will be held on September 5. Detective Thompson will be laid to rest on September 8.

A third officer shot in the thigh remains in hospital.
An Australian mum has hit out at a women's fashion brand after being told to consider the environment when she asked how she could return an item.

Kelly Arvan submitted a complaint to Celina the Label after receiving a dress she ordered, which she argued looked completely different from the advertised item.

Ms Arvan first began to suspect something wasn't quite right when she received a notification informing her the dress would be shipped directly from the brand's warehouse in China.

The mum told Daily Mail she had never ordered from the brand previously but had been wowed by a luxury purple and yellow maxi dress, with glitzy beading down the centre of the bust.

She said she thought it was odd the brand didn't have any stock of the $253 dress, reduced to $127, in an Australian warehouse.

'I opened the package at home and I instantly knew something was wrong,' she said.

Ms Arvan claimed the 'dress is nothing like the photos' and requested a full refund and shipping costs.

She cited the poor quality of the dress material, 'horrible stitching' and noted the inside of the dress was a different colour compared to photos on the brand's website.

Kelly Arvan was warned to consider the environmental impact of returning a dress she claimed looked nothing like the photo on Celina the Label's website

Ms Arvan pointed out the dress did not contain a brand or care label

She also pointed out there is 'no brand labelling' on the dress or a care label.

The ACCC states 'all clothing and most textile items sold in Australia must have care labelling which details how to care for an item to prevent problems with your purchase'.

In the reply Ms Arvan received, a Celina the Label customer associate told the mum to consider the environmental impact of returning the item.

'As part of our commitment to reducing CO2 emissions, we kindly encourage customers to consider the environmental impact of returns,' the email read.

'We have introduced a more environmentally friendly returns process that involves returning the item directly to our warehouse.'

Ms Arvan was told to ship the item back to a warehouse in Zhejiang, China.

The Aussie mum refused to pay for return shipping costs because she claimed the brand had falsely advertised the dress in question.

Celina the Label then offered a 25 per cent partial refund and a 50 per cent gift card or a gift credit for the full amount she paid.

The brand subsequently offered to issue a 35 per cent partial refund.

Ms Arvan was told she would have to pay for shipping costs to send the dress to China or accept a 35 per cent refund

Ms Arvan continued to state she did not wish to keep the item, nor did she feel it was fair to be hit with the return shipping costs.

In further correspondence, the Aussie mum said the brand wasn't 'taking control for quality control, customer satisfaction or even reputation of the business'.

Ms Arvan concluded by stating she would be raising the matter further with the ACCC.

After sharing her experience on TikTok, she explained she received 'no further contact' from Celina the Label.

'I ended up disputing the charge with my bank and the bank gave me a refund,' she added.

'Celina the Label just blocked all comments and pretended it didn't happen.'

Daily Mail contacted Celina the Label for comment.
Senator Pauline Hanson has hit back at criticism of the March for Australia rallies, revealing police urged her not to attend - but she went anyway, claiming Asian migrants hugged and kissed her during the event.

Druing an interview with Sky News the One Nation leader said even her own staff warned her she 'better not go' for her own safety because the rally had been taken over by 'ratbags' including neo-Nazis.

'Anyway, I thought, no, I'm going. Then even the police rang me and said, "Look, we don't really want you going". And I said, I'm not there to cause any trouble.

'I said, if any trouble's going to be had, go and arrest the other protesters. Let Australians get out there, wave the Australian flag, and show pride.'

Hanson accused authorities of double standards, pointing to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

'Why should we be shut down and told we shouldn't attend these things, yet you allow the Palestinian marches every weekend for the last two years?

'They're destructive, they're vicious, flying Hamas flags and terrorist flags, and pushing that agenda.'

Albanese government Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said the protests were clearly targeted at migrants from 'countries that have brown people', not white Western countries.

Senator Pauline Hanson has hit back at criticism of the March for Australia rallies, revealing police urged her not to attend - but she went anyway, claiming Asian migrants hugged and kissed her during the event

Many protesters were critical of the Albanese government

'It's very clear from the conduct, that was observed at these marches, that these marches were a con by the far right neo-Nazis to prey on some legitimate concerns around housing and around cost of living in order to propagate their anti-immigration, racist agenda,' she told ABC radio on Monday.

'One of the very clear calls to action that was listed there was anti-Indian immigration, against people coming from India,' she added.

'Now that, to me, is clearly racist when you target a specific ethnicity, that is clearly racism.'

But Hanson claimed he rallies were not about race.

'It's got nothing to do with the culture or the migrants who have come here.

'It's about the numbers coming into Australia and the impact. We're fed up with mass migration and the effects it's having on ordinary Australians, on housing, health, infrastructure, and the cost of living.

'Australians have had enough. But the governments, and I include this present Labor government and the previous one, no one's interested.'

Hanson said she was embraced by new migrants at the rallies.

'It was wonderful to see. They're embracing me. You know, they think I'm racist against Asians? Who else am I getting hugs and kisses from? The Asian people. But they're Australians to me. They're proud to be Australians.'

She ended with a blunt message for migrants.

Pauline Hanson met with supporters at the March For Australia rallies, despite a warning from police

Hanson claimed he was embraced by new migrants at the rally inclduing Asian migrants who hugged her

'If you don't love this country, if you don't want a part of it, if you don't want to assimilate, then I'll be the one to take you to the airport and put you on a plane and wave you. Hooray.'

She said she wouldn't be surprised if more rallies took place over the coming months.

'Australians will want to get out there now that they know these peaceful rallies can be held around the country and feel that they show their support to be Australian be proud of it.

Tens of thousands of nationalists, dozens of dogs and at least one horse draped in Australian flags and paraphernalia joined the March For Australia rallies on Sunday in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Speakers and attendees were at pains to state they were not against immigrants and wanted the federal government to pause or slow the pace of immigration.

However, some of the rhetoric crossed into racism and xenophobia, with one speaker in Sydney spouting a theory about 'a clear global agenda to shame, beat down and replace people with Anglo-Celtic and European heritage'.
Meghan McCain launched a stinging attack on Greta Thunberg's appearance by comparing her to a character from the movie Shrek.

The political commentator left a snarky remark comparing the 22-year-old activist to Lord Farquaad in response to a video Thunber made defending Palestine.

'I refuse to take anyone talking about politics seriously with uneven bangs and this sh***y Lord Farquaad hair,' 40-year-old McCain wrote. The post has since been deleted.

Her comments sparked fierce backlash on X, with one critic questioning why she felt the need to resort to such a 'mean girl comment.'

'Surely, you must know what it feels like when someone criticizes your appearance. Do better!' the critic wrote.

'I refuse to take anyone talking about politics seriously when they have to use their last name to get them places,' another added, referring to McCain's late father, Arizona Senator John McCain.

'A person's appearance has zero to do with their integrity or passion about any cause. You should delete this. It's beneath even you,' a third chimed in.

Meghan McCain launched a stinging attack on Greta Thunberg 's appearance by comparing her to a character from the movie Shrek

The right-wing commentator left a snarky comment comparing 22-year-old Thunberg to Lord Farquaad, seen here, in response to a video she made in defense of Palestine

Others said it was 'never okay to talk about the looks of another woman' even if their views differed.

McCain previously made headlines herself in 2020 after an appearance on The View in which she hit out at people for criticizing her own looks.

She said: 'I would like to talk about politics and not have every comment be about the way I look and my weight. It makes you feel weird.

'Men just dont have that problem. Everyone talks about how we look on this show all the time. Cant you just hear what we have to say?'

McCain's comments come on the back of Thunberg's efforts to relaunch her Freedom Flotilla in an effort to deliver aid to war-torn Gaza.

She will travel from Barcelona alongside Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona, amongst others.

Her first attempt to reach Gaza in June after setting off from Italy was thwarted by Israeli forces, who boarded the vessel in international waters and detained her.

She and 11 passengers were taken to Israel, and given the choice to be deported or arrested.

Thunberg has been warned that activists could be detained in harsh 'terrorist-level' conditions in the Ktzi'ot and Damon detention centres if they choose to break the siege again.

McCain's comments sparked fierce backlash on X, with one critic questioning why she felt the need to resort to such a 'mean girl comment'

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg waves while departing on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza, at the port of Barcelona, Spain August 31, 2025

An image released in a press release by FFC shows an apparent storming of the ship by Israeli forces

The plan also includes seizing dozens of vessels and using them to establish a 'maritime force for police operations'.

Israel Hayom quoted individuals close to Ben-Gvir saying: 'Following several weeks at Ktzi'ot and Damon, they'll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.'

Thunberg said in a promotional video for her latest attempt to reach Gaza: 'It should not have to be up to us. A mission like this should not have to exist.

'It is the responsibility of countries, of our governments and elected officials to act to try to uphold international law, to prevent war crimes, to prevent genocide.

'That is their legal duty to do. And they are failing to do so, thereby betraying Palestinians but also all of humanity.'

Despite the dangers, Thunberg said she was more concerned by the 'silence of the world' about what is happening in the region.

She added: 'I'm terrified to see that we seem to have lost all the humanity that we have, and there seems to be no compassion left in the world amongst the vast majority of people who are able to sit on the couch and watch the genocide unfold that I am terrified for.'

Thunberg claimed Israel's continuation of the blockade was a violation of international law.
The family of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who led the Russia investigation into President Donald Trump, has revealed that he has Parkinson's Disease.

Mueller, 80, has been facing requests from the House Oversight Committee to testify regarding the government's investigations into pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoena has since been rescinded amid the diagnosis.

His family told The New York Times in a statement that he was no longer medically well enough to do so.

A statement said: 'Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the summer of 2021. He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year.

'He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.

Mueller served as the sixth director of the FBI from 2001 until 2013 and as special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's ties to the 2016 Trump campaign.

The probe found that neither Trump nor members of his campaign team coordinated with the Russians on their interference.

Mueller, 80, has been facing requests from the House Oversight Committee to testify regarding the government's investigations into pedophile Jeffrey Epstein

Mueller served as the sixth director of the FBI from 2001 until 2013 and as special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's ties to the 2016 Trump campaign

It did not conclude whether Trump obstructed the investigation, citing DOJ policy not to indict sitting presidents.

It was recently revealed that Mueller has lived in a memory-care unit for the last few years, sources familiar with the matter told Real Clear Investigations.

Mueller was scheduled to sit with the House Oversight Committee investigators regarding the FBI's work relating to Jeffrey Epstein next month.

The committee was seeking information Mueller may know about Epstein from overseeing the FBI during the pedophile's 2005 Florida prostitution case, a matter in which the FBI eventually intervened.

And one former lawmaker is now saying the signs of Mueller's decline have been evident for years.

'It was clear this is where things were heading when we questioned him before Congress,' ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., posted on social media.

'Mueller was used by some very vicious people,' Gaetz, now a conservative TV host, continued. 'I'm not sure he really ever knew what was happening in the investigation.'

Mueller was scheduled to sit with the House Oversight Committee investigators regarding the FBI's work relating to Jeffrey Epstein next month

The committee was seeking information Mueller may know about Epstein from overseeing the FBI during the pedophile's 2005 Florida prostitution case, a matter in which the FBI eventually intervened

Mueller's investigation dominated news coverage, and Trump frequently lashed out at the special counsel and his efforts, repeatedly labeling the effort as a 'witch hunt' and 'Russia hoax.'

Mueller testified before Congress about his report's findings in the summer of 2019.

During that hearing, the former special counsel struggled at times to remember the questions from lawmakers, often asking them to repeat their inquiries.

He also appeared flustered at times when trying to remember key portions of his probe.

Other top Trump and Obama administration officials will also testify in the committee's probe into Epstein.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are both scheduled to sit with the committee in October. Former Attorneys General Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Merrick Garland and Trump's former DOJ boss Bill Barr are also expected to talk to the lawmakers.

It's a spectacular move by Republicans to pressure Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi to put out more documents related to the disgraced financier while the administration has been embroiled in controversy over 'cover-up' claims.

Bondi has been blamed by both Democrats and Republicans for stalling the release of the files.

The Trump administration has since hurried to find out more about the Epstein scandal.
Barefoot Investor Scott Pape has spoken out about the stark divide he witnessed while taking his family on a road trip through central Australia.

The family spent a week at a local school in a remote Aboriginal community, where Papes children studied and played alongside Indigenous kids.

The visit came through his brother-in-law, who was on a teaching placement there.

'The kids went to the local school for the week. They made friends. My footy-mad son reckons he saw some of the best players of his life,' he wrote in his weekly newsletter.

'My daughter came home barefoot because thats what all the girls did. Kids are kids.

'Except these kids live in houses with up to twenty people. Often no beds. No fridge.'

'Sometimes no front door. A place where hardly any adults work, black-market bottles of rum go for a grand, and the only shop sells frozen bread for fifteen bucks and milk for ten.

'None of this is their fault. Like my kids, they were born in one of the richest countries on earth, but their futures will be shaped by forces they never chose.'

On paper, Australia is one of the richest nations in the world.

Credit Suisse ranks Australians as having the highest median household wealth per adult of any major economy, largely thanks to widespread home ownership and compulsory superannuation.

Barefoot Investor Scott Pape has spoken out about the stark divide he witnessed while taking his family on a road trip through central Australia

In the Northern Territory, more than half of Aboriginal people live in overcrowded housing, with as many as 20 people crammed into a single home

The United Nations' Human Development Index also places Australia consistently in the global top 10, ahead of countries like the UK, France and Japan.

But those statistics mask the reality in many remote Aboriginal communities.

In the Northern Territory, more than half of Aboriginal people live in overcrowded housing, with some homes in remote Aboriginal communities do house up to 20 people.

Many homes lack basics such as fridges, beds or even working doors.

Everyday essentials are also expensive and in some communities, milk sells for $10 a bottle and bread for $7 a loaf.

During the Wet Season, when roads are cut off, goods must be flown in, pushing prices even higher.

The health gap is just as stark and preventable diseases like diabetes are far more common, and life expectancy in remote Aboriginal communities can be up to a decade shorter than the national average.

In remote communities mik can cost $9.82 for 2litres
Pro-Palestine protesters have blocked trucks from accessing Port Melbourne.

Around 18 activists staged a blockade outside the gates on Monday afternoon.

The demonstration has caused a headache for motorists, with trucks blocked and traffic building up all the way to Todd Road.

Several protestors were seen sitting on camp chairs while others strapped themselves to barrels painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

Many were seen wearing shirts with the same slogan: 'We are all Palestine action.'

The demonstrators are understood to be from the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance.

The protestors are demanding Australia end all trade with Israel.

Demonstrators have claimed the government has 'failed to act in any meaningful way', arguing 'the majority of the Australian public' is in favour of sanctions.

Pro-Palestine protesters have blocked trucks from accessing Port Melbourne

Victoria Police are on the scene.
A young Australian has captured the world's attention after declaring himself the president of a country he created in Europe.

Daniel Jackson, 20, is now offering people citizenship to the Free Republic of Verdis, land that was previously unclaimed between Serbia and Croatia.

The self-declared micronation he founded in 2019 is a small strip of uninhabited forest along the Danube River, known on local maps as Pocket-3.

Accessible only by boat, the country's total area of 0.5sq kilometres makes it the second smallest country in the world behind Vatican City.

The parcel of land had not been claimed due to an existing border dispute between Croatia and Serbia following the Croatian War of Independence.

Mr Jackson claimed he governs the territory alongside the Verdis Government and addressed questions about obtaining citizenship in a TikTok video.

He said while full citizenship is currently limited due to the 'small land size', individuals can apply for e-residency as a digital pathway to eventual citizenship.

'At the moment, citizenship is, of course, very selective due to our small land size, but we are, of course, processing people,' he said.

Daniel Jackson (pictured) is living in exile after Croatia invaded his micronation

Daniel Jackson (pictured) holding the flag of Verdis on the land he has claimed

'The easiest way to become a citizen is through e-residency, which is this document below,' Mr Jackson added, holding up what appeared to be a passport.

Mr Jackson said after being an E-resident for a certain period of time, people were eligible for more permanent involvement in the micronation.

Its administration website claims more than 350 people are now citizens of Verdis.

The Verdisian Government is pushing for international recognition and the lifting of Croatias blockade.

It hopes to become increasingly involved in the international community and is actively working to gain recognition from UN member and observer states.

Verdis permanent settlement officially began in October 2023, however was quickly stopped by Croatian authorities with Mr Jackson exiled.

He claimed the country violated international law by entering its territory and detaining its settlers, including journalists and members of the government.

Mr Jackson said they were forcibly removed by the Croatian police and issued lifetime bans, posing a significant setback, given Verdis is difficult to access without entering Croatia.

People can apply for citizenship to the Free Republic of Verdis

Ahead of the two-year anniversary of the country being 'illegally invaded', the government will hold a protest in London on September 6.

The government hopes media attention will put pressure on Croatia to respect the Free Republic of Verdis territorial integrity and international law.

In May, celebrating foundation day, Mr Jackson said they continued to make significant progress in the countrys development, but it was not without hardship.

'Throughout the past year, we have continued to govern the country in exile due to the invasion of Verdis by Croatian authorities in October 2023 and the ongoing blockade that resulted,' he said.

'We have continued to work on building relations with the international community, especially with our neighbours.

'We have made significant progress with our e-residency program and spreading global awareness, and have also continuously pressured the Croatian Government to stop violating international law, respect Verdis territorial integrity, and let us back on our land.

'We believe there are many mutual benefits for Verdis-Croatia relations, especially surrounding economy, including a boost in tourism in Slavonia, the region neighbouring Verdis, the increase of the use of services in nearby towns such as Aljmas, and much more.'

Mr Jackson was 14 when he and his friends saw the strip of forest between Serbia and Croatia and decided to claim it.

He was born in Australia and attended Waverley Christian College in Melbourne until he was 17.

Now in exile from his own country, Mr Jackson is living in Dover working as a freelance game developer for the online platform Roblox.
An Indigenous man has lashed out at anti-immigration protesters during a heated confrontation at a rally on Sunday.

Footage shared on social media shows Kooma Elder Wayne 'Coco' Wharton shouting at a protester who had an Australian flag draped around his neck.

Several police officers stood between the pair.

'You invaded this country, you stole the land, you [inaudible] genocide. You are the one who is privileged from it, you are guilty,' Mr Wharton yelled.

The protester responded: 'My great-grandfather is Aboriginal.'

In separate footage, Mr Wharton is seen being escorted into a police van as a crowd gathered around.

It is understood he was later released, according to a social media post.

Tens of thousands of nationalists, dozens of dogs and at least one horse draped in Australian flags and paraphernalia joined the March For Australia rallies on Sunday in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Speakers and attendees were at pains to state they were not against immigrants and wanted the federal government to pause or slow the pace of immigration.

However, some of the rhetoric crossed into racism and xenophobia, with one speaker in Sydney spouting a theory about 'a clear global agenda to shame, beat down and replace people with Anglo-Celtic and European heritage'.

Federal Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said people had legitimate concerns around the strains immigration was placing on housing and infrastructure.

But she said protests were clearly targeted at migrants from 'countries that have brown people', not white Western countries.

An Indigenous man has lashed out at anti-immigration protesters during a heated confrontation at a rally on Sunday

'It's very clear from the conduct, that was observed at these marches, that these marches were a con by the far right neo-Nazis to prey on some legitimate concerns around housing and around cost of living in order to propagate their anti-immigration, racist agenda,' she told ABC radio on Monday.

'One of the very clear calls to action that was listed there was anti-Indian immigration, against people coming from India,' she added.

'Now that, to me, is clearly racist when you target a specific ethnicity, that is clearly racism.'
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking the fight to incumbent Gavin Newsom over his redistricting plan to protect his legacy, according to one strategist.

The movie star, 78, has recently bounced back on to the Golden State political scene after Newsom called a special election to ask voters to approve new House boundaries.

Most recently, the Republican shared an image of himself working out in a black t shirt with the words: 'F*** the politicians. Terminate gerrymandering', with a red and blue fist across it.

Newsoms plan, if approved, would involve the replacement of the current nonpartisan redistricting commission, which is responsible for drawing boundaries.

Schwarzenegger, one of the most notable champions of that commission, is taking the fight to Newsom in hopes of protecting his own legacy, according to former Republican strategist Dan Schnur.

He told The Hill: 'Schwarzenegger was and is a Republican, but there are certain issues that separate him pretty dramatically from the party mainstream.

One of those was his work on climate change legislation, but his reform legacy might be what makes him most proud. He sees it as under threat.

The Republican hasn't committed to any formal campaigns and isn't planning on setting up his own committee, his representative said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger sees his legacy as California governor under threat as prepares to do battle with Gavin Newsom's redistricting plan

Experts say he's set to fight Newsom's recently called special election to ask voters to approve new House district boundaries that shore up shaky Democratic districts and pick up as many as five GOP-held seats

The actor said told the Houston Chronicle earlier this month that both California and Texas are serving power over the public.

'It's not a battle between Democrats and Republicans. This is a battle between the politicians and the people. I go with the people.'

'I just say very simply, it is very wrong what they're doing to Texas and it is very wrong what they're trying to do in California. It is not at all serving the people. It is serving the party.'

Newsom's plans are a direct response to a similar Republican led motion in Texas, backed by Trump, which has since passed, as his party look to cling on to their slim House majority in the upcoming midterms.

The California Democrat - a vocal adversary of Donald Trump - introduced his 'Election Rigging Response Act' to Golden State voters at a campaign-style event.

The act, which will go before voters in November, would mean California would temporarily adopt new congressional districts through 2030 if other states - such as Texas - did the same.

'We're giving the people of this state the power to save democracy, not just in California, but all across the United States of America,' Newsom said.

Schwarzenegger, one of the most notable champions of that commission, will continue speaking out against Newsom's gerrymandering efforts. An expert says that Schwarzenegger is fighting for his political legacy

Democrats only need to flip three House seats to regain control of the chamber for the 2026 election.

Newsom encouraged Californians and residents of other blue states to 'stand up' against the efforts led by Texas, but are also being considered in other states.

'He's going to lose the midterms, he knows de facto his presidency ends in 17 months,' Newsom said. 'Why else would he try to rig the system?'

Newsom offered a compromise to Trump by promising to call off redistricting efforts in California if GOP-led states do the same.

But if the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will happily do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.

With the Trump-backed plot in Texas now passed, Governor Greg Abbott declared that it will create fairer representation in the state.

In a video to his social media, Abbott called the plan 'a big beautiful map' seemingly a reference to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'.

With the Trump-backed plot in Texas now passed, Governor Greg Abbott declared that it will create fairer representation in the state

Donald Trump is in full support of Abbott's plan and has asked other GOP-led states to do the same

If approved, a new California map would take effect only if a Republican state does its own redistricting. It would remain through the 2030 elections.

After that, Democrats say, they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission voters approved in 2008.

Trump has urged other Republican-run states to redraw maps, even sending Vice President JD Vance to Indiana to pressure officials there.

In Missouri, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press, the state Senate received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members.

Democratic state lawmakers fled from Texas to deny the GOP the quorum necessary to vote on legislation in the state capital.
A leading Sydney cardiologist has spread a bizarre conspiracy theory that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind two alleged antisemitic arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that ASIO had linked the Iranian government to the December 6 firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and the October 20 attack on Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Bondi Beach.

The announcement led to the expulsion of Iran's ambassador to Australia.

But Professor Peter Macdonald, a cardiologist at St Vincent's Hospital and world-renowned heart transplant pioneer, told a public forum he was deeply sceptical of the official account.

'I thought it was a no brainer that these were Mossad-engineered events,' Professor Macdonald said.

'Am I being totally naive, or has the lobby taken over ASIO as well?'

His remarks were met with applause from sections of the audience.

Professor Macdonald is one of Australia's most prominent cardiologists.

In 2014, Professor Macdonald lead a world-first breakthrough in heart transplantation, when his team revived and successfully transplanted a heart that had stopped beating for 20 minutes.

Peter Macdonald (pictured) said that it was a 'no brainer' that Mossad 'engineered' the attacks

ASIO claimed that Iran was behind the attack on the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne (pictured) and Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Bondi Beach

The comments were made during a panel event featuring journalists Wendy Bacon and Yaakov Aharon, former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas, and criminal lawyer and podcaster Nick Hanna.

Thomas made headlines in June after sustaining a serious eye injury during a scuffle with police at an anti-Israel demonstration in Belmore.

'I think the first thing we need to acknowledge is that we can't say with certainty who is behind these attacks,' Mr Hanna replied to Professor Macdonald.

'But there are very good reasons to doubt the official narrative. No evidence has been made public, we're simply being asked to trust Albanese, who is trusting ASIO. That's a problem.'

Mr Hanna also questioned the source of the intelligence, pointing out that ASIO chief Mike Burgess had hinted it came from a foreign partner.

'Israel has effectively taken credit for it. So we know the intel is coming from Israel, which has an obvious interest in blaming this on Iran.'

Mr Hanna also said that the claims by the Government about Iran were made to build 'manufactured consent' for Australia's decision last week to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Peter Macdonald was attending a panel critical of an upcoming Summit Against Antisemetism,

Mr Aharon meanwhile made the suggestion that the event was a false flag, saying there was 'significant precedent' to say that Israel targeted synagogues for 'their own political purposes.'

They were also critical of the upcoming 2025 Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, which begins Wednesday on the Gold Coast.

Hosted by the US-based Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the event is expected to draw more than 250 local government leaders and community advocates.

Critics of the conference, such as the Jewish Council of Australia have accused it of pushing a 'one-sided political agenda', as well as 'silencing legitimate criticism of Israel by conflating it with antisemitism'.

They also have concerns related to CAM, which they say is funded by 'Republican mega-donors and is well-known for smearing pro-Palestine academics.'

They also say CAM has links to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which they said is 'complicit in the starvation and murder of Palestinians.'

The Jewish Council of Australia has called on mayors and councillors to boycott the event, warning it aims to 'push pro-Israel propaganda under the guise of combating antisemitism and will stifle free speech.'

CAM meanwhile has rejected these claims, saying the event is necessary.

Peter Macdonald is a cardiologist based at the St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst in Sydney

'In the past year, more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents have been recorded across Australia. This unprecedented surge makes clear that the Jewish community is under increasing pressure,' a CAM spokesperson told Daily Mail.

'The recent arson attacks are a stark reminder that Jewish Australians are not being afforded the safety and security they deserve. This summit is about ensuring every Australian, regardless of faith or background, can live free from fear.' they said.

Daily Mail contacted Professor Macdonald for comment.
Some of Australia's most iconic community parks could soon no longer free, with groups of more than 20 people having to pay for the privilege.

North Sydney Council is considering a new fee system for its public parks after hearing commercial vendors - including fitness groups, schools and dog walkers - have been 'hogging' the spaces.

Several private schools in the area use the nearby public parks as an alternative recreational area during student lunchtimes and sport events.

One school, St Aloysius' College in Kirribilli, allows students to descend on Bradfield Park, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, during breaks.

Marist College similarly uses Ted Mack Civic Park during lunch breaks because their facilities are unavailable during its renovations.

The fee scheme would also affect private operators who use public areas for their business.

A report presented to North Sydney Council claimed businesses were 'hogging' parks, disturbing other users with loud music and blocking parking spaces, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The policy would also make the parks unavailable for weddings and other functions, in addition to the fee, with a blanket ban on marquees, tents, confetti, uncooked rice, synthetic flower petals and coloured powders.

North Sydney Council has proposed a fee for the use of its parks by groups of more than 20 people (pictured, Bradfield Park)

Several ratepayers have complained about local schools, including St Aloysius' College (pictured), and businesses 'hogging' public parks

Other councils already charge people for using public parks, in a concerning indication the practice could become common and spread to other cities.

To hire park for a function can cost $327 per hour in Woollahra and $483 per hour in the Northern Beaches. Lanbe Cove charges $30, while the fees can reach up to $1,019 in Mosman.

Some councils also charge a fee for businesses like personal trainers and commercial dog walkers for using public parks, which is up to $2,400 in Lane Cove and up to $2,100 in Ryde.

The fee proposal follows rumours the council is facing major financial troubles stemming from the redevelopment of its North Sydney Olympic Pool.

In May, the council unsuccessfully applied to increase residential rates by 87 per cent, which was rejected by the independent pricing regulator.

The council also asked private schools to voluntarily pay annual rates, which they're exempt from.

Most schools declined.

A spokesman from for Sydney Catholic Schools, on behalf of Marist College, said it already financially contributed to the community and was 'committed to working with the council and local businesses to share school resources'.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker claimed the new park fees weren't 'revenue raising' or 'budget repair' but would help promote 'fairness' and 'equity'.

The proposed fees would apply to commercial operators - including personal trainers and dog walkers

She added the fees would also address complaints from ratepayers that their public spaces were being turned into business hubs and 'student playgrounds'.

'These are public facilities, and it's only fair that schools and other operators using these facilities contribute to the community they're operating in,' Ms Baker said.

However, several vendors in the area insisted the introduction of fees would be a 'cash grab'.

'If fees are charged, I'll be telling my clients to get married somewhere else because these are public areas  they should be free for everyone,' local celebrant Orna Binder said.

Other business owners were 'not surprised' to hear of the proposed fees.

'Whenever I have a booking, I'm very mindful of noise and rubbish, but unfortunately, there are a handful of operators that are causing a lot of the issues, particularly around rubbish not being cleaned up. That's what's led to the frustration,' proposal organiser Aaron Hall said.

Community consultation on the fees is underway with the council to determine its final decision at a later date.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has strongly criticised Queensland MP Bob Katter over his stance on immigration, just a day after Katter attended the March for Australia rally in Townsville.

Members of Katter's Australian Party, including leader Robbie Katter, on Monday distanced themselves from suspected neo-Nazi figures who they were pictured with at the rally.

'There was a person there with a speakerphone, which we used because we didn't have one ourselves, so that's about the extent of the relationship,' Robbie Katter said.

During Question Time on Monday, Katter senior, the outspoken Member for Kennedy, challenged Albanese on what he described as the 'ballooning costs of immigration.'

He accused the government of turning a blind eye to Australians' concerns about migration and resource development.

Katter claimed that the intake of more than 400,000 migrants annually was placing unsustainable pressure on housing and infrastructure. '

In the last two years, our population has grown by around one million people,' he said.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that net overseas migration was 446,000 in 2024 down from 536,000 in 2023.

Bob Katter (centre) has criticised the Albanese government on immigration pictured at the Townsville March for Australia rally with Katter's Australian Party MP Nick Dametto (right)

Katter argued that the population surge was harming the economy and urged the government to instead prioritise gas reserve policies and a new coal project in the Galilee Basin.

'Shouldn't the government be about carrying out the will of the people and creating economic development?' he pressed.

Albanese fired back, defending the government's approach and Australia's democratic process.

'First, regarding the will of the people, that's called elections. And we have a proud democracy in this country, and I defend it,' the Prime Minister said.

He rejected Katter's figures outright, questioning their accuracy and pointing to migration data showing a 37 per cent drop in net overseas migration in 2024.

Albanese also framed Australia's diversity as a national strength, both economically and socially.

'People in this country voted for a government that would understand that modern Australia is a different nation than it was under the White Australia policy,' he said.

The tense exchange followed Katter's appearance at the March for Australia in Townsville, where individuals believed to have ties to neo-Nazi groups were present.

Albanese (pictured) criticised Katter over his immigration stance during Question Time

Similar groups were seen at related events in Sydney and Melbourne.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) has since distanced itself from those groups after one of its MPs was photographed with them at the rally.

The KAP do not stand for neo-Nazi values, and do not have any relationship with the men alluded to,' a party spokesperson told the Courier Mail.

'The KAP marched to oppose unchecked mass immigration and support Australian values. We support appropriate immigration with checks, and a multicultural Australia that assimilates to our Australian values, not tries to change them.'

The controversy deepened on the same day Katter doubled down on comments made to Nine reporter Josh Bavas in Brisbane last Thursday, after being asked about his Lebanese heritage.

'Don't say that!' Katter said to Mr Bavas.

'Because that irritates me, and I've punched blokes in the mouth for saying that. Don't you say that! My family has been here for 140 years.'

When another journalist asked what was wrong with the question, Katter responded, 'I'm an Australian. My family has been here for generations. That's the end of it.'

Katter doubled down after his spray against a journalist, over questions of his heritage

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, owned by Nine, on Monday, Katter doubled down, and said his only regret was not being more aggressive.

'I hope I don't run across him again. He better examine his conscience,' he said.

Katter also accused Mr Bavas of being 'a racist'.

Nine is understood to be considering defamation action against Katter over the incident.
Brittany Higgins ghostwrote tweets for her now-husband David Sharaz, including one where he described how he was in 'awe' of her graciousness, a scathing judgment has revealed.

The ex-Liberal staffer is now on the hook for a potential seven-figure bill after she lost a blockbuster defamation case brought by her former boss, then-Liberal senator Linda Reynolds.

Last Wednesday, Justice Paul Tottle handed down his long-awaited judgment in Western Australia's Supreme Court, finding that Ms Higgins had made three defamatory posts about Reynolds.

Only one of her defences was successful, with Justice Tottle awarding the former Defence Minister $315,000 in damages, plus an extra $26,000 in interest payments backdated to when the posts were made.

Ms Higgins will likely have to declare bankruptcy if she is ordered to pay for Reynolds' legal costs, which could stretch well beyond $1 million.

The 360-page judgment outlined in painstaking detail how Ms Higgins had 26 'false or misleading' claims in subsequent media interviews about her alleged rape by Bruce Lehrmann in Reynolds' ministerial office in March 2019.

But one overlooked revelation buried within the mammoth judgment sheds new light on how Ms Higgins controlled what her then partner posted on social media.

Justice Tottle revealed that the pair had been messaging in March 2021 about how to respond to radio presenter Jeremy Cordeaux's claim that Ms Higgins was a 'silly little girl who got drunk'.

Brittany Higgins ghostwrote tweets for her husband David Sharaz, including one where he described how he was in 'awe' of her graciousness, a scathing judgment has revealed

The multiple instances led Justice Tottle to conclude: 'Mr Sharaz did not tweet on issues concerning the defendant without her permission.'

'(Mr Sharaz) asked the defendant "how should a partner comment?",' Justice Tottle noted.

'Mr Sharaz stated he was happy for the defendant to draft something. The defendant (Ms Higgins) provided the following wording to Mr Sharaz, "Six weeks of unrelenting pressure and scrutiny, yet she still manages to be gracious. I'm in awe".'

Mr Sharaz posted the comment verbatim and it remains online.

Cordeaux was swiftly sacked from his FiveAA weekend radio program, but refused to apologise for his comments.

Justice Tottle's judgment revealed that Mr Sharaz regularly sought permission from Ms Higgins before posting on social media.

Indeed, he listed at least eight occasions where Mr Sharaz had either asked Ms Higgins for permission to tweet, she had told him to delete a post or she had told not to post anything.

For example, on March 24, 2021 Ms Higgins messaged Mr Sharaz to ask if he could delete two posts, adding: 'Let's just not tweet'.

Mr Sharaz responded: 'I shall never tweet...And go back to asking you if I ever do'.

'Mr Sharaz stated he was happy for the defendant to draft something. The defendant (Ms Higgins) provided the following wording to Mr Sharaz, "Six weeks of unrelenting pressure and scrutiny, yet she still manages to be gracious. I'm in awe".' Mr Sharaz posted the comment verbatim and it remains online (pictured)

Justice Tottle awarded former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds (pictured) $315,000 in damages, plus an extra $26,000 in interest payments backdated to when the defamatory posts were made

In May that year, he sought Ms Higgins 'permission to tweet about his perception that the Prime Minister's Office was attempting to discredit (her)'.

'The defendant (Ms Higgins) asked Mr Sharaz to "just hold" and commented, "Dignified silence until we can regroup and do it thoughtfully",' Justice Tottle noted.

'In a later message that I infer from the context was referring to the proposed tweet, the defendant said, "It's okay. I can draft something tonight for you to amend in the morning".'

The multiple instances led Justice Tottle to conclude: 'Mr Sharaz did not tweet on issues concerning the defendant without her permission.'

Justice Tottle also found that Ms Higgins was a 'publisher' of a tweet shared by Mr Sharaz's account on January 27, 2022 in which he claimed Reynolds was a hypocrite for having an 'empowering women' article on her website when she had supposedly pressured Ms Higgins into not proceeding with her rape complaint.

'I have found the defendant (Ms Higgins) encouraged Mr Sharaz to publish the tweet and assisted him by suggesting the inclusion of the words "feeling pressured by her office not to continue",' Justice Tottle ruled.

'I am satisfied that by those means the defendant conduced the publication of the tweet and was a publisher of it for the purposes of the law of defamation.'

Jutice Tottle awarded Reynolds $135,000 in damages for that post.

'(Ms HIggins) and Mr Sharaz took advantage of the plaintiff's "Empowering women" story to discredit her in a manner that was quite gratuitous,' Justice Tottle ruled.

'In effect, the publication of the tweet was actuated by malice. Second, the purpose of the tweet was to remind people of the defendant's untrue allegation the plaintiff had pressured the defendant not to proceed with a complaint to the police.'

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) has always denied the allegations but was found to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities by Justice Michael Lee in April last year - a decision he is currently appealing

A third post, where Ms Higgins conveyed the imputation that Reynolds wanted to silence the victims of sexual assault in posts published on 20 July 2023, was also found to be defamatory.

However, Justice Tottle said that in relation to that post, Ms Higgins was able to establish a successful defence of honest opinion, fair comment and qualified privilege.

Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz were forced to sell their chateau in France in June this year amid their mounting legal costs.

It had been purchased with the proceeds of a $2.4 million compensation payout Ms Higgins was awarded by the Commonwealth in December 2022 for alleged bullying and victimisation in the wake of her coming forward with her rape allegation.

In June, a preliminary report published by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found that there had been 'no corruption issue' with the compensation payment.

However, Justice Tottle found that 'it was legitimate for (Senator Reynolds) to question the process by which the settlement had been achieved'.

Senator Reynolds has also launched legal action against the Commonwealth over the compensation payment, alleging that government lawyers were 'hopelessly conflicted'.

The high-profile five-week defamation trial in the WA Supreme Court, which ended in September 2024, was just another twist in the never-ending saga which has engulfed the worlds of Australian politics, media and the law since a fateful night in March 2019.

It was then that Ms Higgins alleged she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann in the Reynolds' ministerial suite.

A Federal Court judge overseeing a defamation case launched by Lehrmann against Network Ten found Ms Higgins was, on the balance of probabilities, raped by Lehrmann in the office.

Lehrmann is currently in the process of appealing that finding.

He has always denied the rape allegation and his criminal trial was derailed by juror misconduct.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Europe is drawing up 'pretty precise' plans to deploy troops from across the continent to Ukraine as part of a US-backed security guarantee.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the FT that the deployment may see tens of thousands of European-led and American-backed troops sent to Ukraine.

The US is expected to assist with command and control systems and intelligence and surveillance assets, she said.

Von der Leyen told the FT: 'President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop. That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed.'

She added that the arrangement was made following a meeting between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders last month.

The European leader said that while European military assets may be deployed on the ground, they would be there to support the Ukrainian army's deterrence capabilities.

But she admitted that Europe would need to find new ways to pay for the 'sustainable financing of the Ukrainian armed forced as... a security guarantee'.

Kyiv would need 'quite a sizeable number of soldiers and they need good salaries and of course, modern equipment . . . it's for sure the EU that will have to chip in', she said.

A soldier carries a shell to fire towards positions of Russian troops near Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

In this photo provided by the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration on Jan. 8, 2025, cars burning after a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

A Russian soldier fires a 152 mm howitzer 2A65 Msta-B towards Ukrainian position in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

Von der Leyen added that existing funding streams for Ukraine would need to remain in peacetime, meaning that 'an extra payment... has to be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces'.

It comes just days ahead of a meeting of European leaders in Paris, which will include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and von der Leyen, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

They are expected to continue high-level discussions on Ukraine.

At the same time, Russian despot Vladimir Putin said following discussions with China and India that NATO's eastward enlargement would have to be addressed for there to be sustainable peace in Ukraine.

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tianjin, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said the West had tried to bring Ukraine into the West's orbit and then sought to entice the former Soviet republic into the US-led NATO military alliance.

'In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated,' Putin said.

'A fair balance in the security sphere' must be also restored, Putin said, shorthand for a series of Russian demands about NATO and European security.

At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would one day become members. Ukraine in 2019 amended its constitution committing to the path of full membership of NATO and the European Union.

Reuters reported in May that Putin's conditions for ending the war include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia.

Putin said that 'understandings' he reached with U.S. President Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska in August opened a way to peace in Ukraine, which he would discuss with leaders attending the regional summit in China.

Pictured: Flames are ignited as a Ukrainian strike hits the strategic Krasnodar Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region

A firefighter is seen trying to put out flames in the Dnipropetrovsk region after an attack from Russia damaged infrastructure and private housing

A local resident carries his pet after Russian air strike that destroyed residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025

'We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis,' Putin told the forum.

'The understandings reached at the recent RussiaU.S. meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal.'

He said he had detailed to Xi on Sunday the achievements of his talks with Trump and the work 'already underway' to resolve the conflict and would provide more detail in two-way meetings with the Chinese leader and others.
In a postwar vision for the Gaza Strip circulating within the Trump administration, the enclave will be transformed into a tourist resort with its entire two million population 'voluntarily' transferred to another country.

The Palestinian territory would turn into a trusteeship administered by the U.S. for the next 10 years, becoming a hub of high-tech manufacturing and technology.

It comes after the U.S. President held a White House meeting on Wednesday to discuss 'day after' plans for the Strip, after nearly two years of devastating war.

According to a 38-page prospectus seen by the Washington Post, Gaza's civilian population would be temporarily relocated - either through 'voluntary' transfers to another country or into restricted, secured zones within the Strip during reconstruction.

The proposal, though new, seems to be modelled on President Donald Trump's controversial plan to transform Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East', first touted in February.

The president released an AI-generated video depicting what a Gaza Strip resort town would look like - complete with ritzy hotels, beach parties and golden Trump statues - receiving widespread condemnation from European and Arab leaders.

The plan's fiercest critics said it amounted to 'ethnic cleansing', pointing to the likely displacement of some 2.1 million Gazans so the U.S. President can transform the rubble-strewn enclave into a billionaire's playground.

Despite global disapproval, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the proposal at the time.

According to a 38-page prospectus seen by the Washington Post , Gaza's civilian population would be temporarily relocated - either through 'voluntary' transfers to another country or into restricted, secured zones within the Strip during reconstruction

According to the plan, the Palestinian territory would turn into a trusteeship administered by the U.S. for the next 10 years, becoming a hub of high-tech manufacturing and technology

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It has been revealed that Sir Tony also informed Trump during their meeting that the people of Gaza desire new leadership and even have dreams of becoming the new Dubai

According to the administration's recent vision, Gazan residents who own land would be given a digital token by the trust in exchange for the right to develop their property.

Recipients can use this token to start a new life somewhere else or eventually redeem it for an apartment in one of six to eight new 'AI-powered, smart cities' to be built in Gaza, according to the plan.

Gazans who choose to leave the Strip would be offered a $5,000 cash payment as well as subsidies to cover four years of rent 'elsewhere', alongside a year of food.

The body that would administer Gaza under the plan now being considered would be called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust, said the Post.

The report added that the proposal was developed by some of the same Israelis who created the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distributing food inside the enclave amid much criticism from aid groups and the United Nations.

On July 22, the UN rights office said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF started operations, nearly three-quarters of them in the vicinity of GHF sites.

The plan estimates that $23,000 would be saved by the trust every time a Palestinian departed - compared with the costs associated with temporary housing and what it named 'life support' services in the secure zones of the Strip for those who choose to stay.

Real estate projects under consideration reportedly include high-rise apartments, data centres and electric vehicle factories.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump promoted a controversial vision for what his 'Riviera of the Middle East' plan for the Gaza Strip could look like when the war between Israel and Hamas ends

In a strange moment in the video, a group of bearded and long-haired belly dancers perform on the sand as a song made for the clip plays in the background

The artificially generated video at various points shows 'First Buddy' Elon Musk enjoying the sights and sounds, eating some food and tossing around cash to visitors and children

The president received widespread condemnation from European and Arab leaders following the controversial video

Residents leave their neighborhood with belongings in hand after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Al-Nazla area and Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on August 30, 2025

Smoke billowing during an Israeli strike on the besieged Palestinian territory, on August 29, 2025

Eight Israeli army vehicles on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, August 31 2025

People try to get rice from a charity kitchen providing food for free in the west of Gaza City, on August 28, 2025

A view of Gaza City as Israeli army is forcing Palestinians living in tents set up in the west of the city to evacuate after Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan on August 8 to occupy Gaza City

On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had begun the initial stages of its offensive on Gaza City with the IDF launching attacks on the outskirts of the region with 'great force'

The proposal estimates nearly a fourfold return on a $100 billion investment over the next decade with ongoing 'self-generating' revenue streams.

Trump chaired a meeting last week on postwar plans for Gaza but the White House did not release a read-out afterward or announce any decisions.

Those present included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.

On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had begun the initial stages of its offensive on Gaza City with the IDF launching attacks on the outskirts of the region with 'great force'.

The city was declared 'a dangerous combat zone' and its residents - which number roughly half of Gaza's two million population - were encouraged to relocate.

The IDF also announced that its 10-hour 'humanitarian pauses' in military activity to facilitate the safe distribution of aid would no longer apply to Gaza City as Israel prepares to take over the area.
Yvette Cooper will face MPs today as the government desperately tries to keep a lid on fury about Channel boats and asylum hotels.

The Home Secretary is set to make a statement as the Commons returns from a torrid summer dominated by protests over immigration.

Her Cabinet colleague Bridget Phillipson fuelled anger yesterday by defending deploying government lawyers to keep open an asylum hotel in Epping, saying the rights of arrivals trumped those of local residents.

Despite overseeing record numbers of crossings from France this year, Ms Cooper will claim this afternoon that Labour's plans are already working.

She will pledged to press ahead with a shake-up of the asylum appeals process, which currently takes an average of a year.

A new panel will prioritise cases involving foreign criminals and migrants living in hotels, with the aim of halving times to less than 24 weeks.

She is also expected to make it harder for refuges to bring family members to this country unless they meet basic standards like speaking English.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement as the Commons returns from a torrid summer dominated by questions over immigration

A protesters outside an asylum hotel in Newcastle last month

Ms Cooper will argue the changes are designed to bring 'greater fairness and balance' to a system that is struggling to maintain public confidence.

She will blame the last Conservative government for leaving the system in 'chaos and disarray', and warn that the government is facing 'complex challenges (which) require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can't be delivered.'

'Britain has a proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, including in recent years from Ukraine and Hong Kong and we must do more to help students from Gaza,' she will say. 'But the whole system needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments not criminal gangs decide who comes to the UK.'

There is speculation that Ms Cooper will also update MPs on her review of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - with Reform demanding the UK withdraws from the treaty so the asylum system can be toughened.

The Court of Appeal will hand down its full written judgment in the Bell Hotel case later today.

The Government and the hotel's owner last week succeeded in overturning an interim injunction which would have required asylum seekers to be removed from the site.

Epping Forest District Council, which applied for the injunction, is considering taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Protests continued in Epping last night, with police arresting three people.

Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the council building on Sunday evening, where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed plans to tighten rules on those granted asylum bringing family members to the UK as a 'tiny tweak'.

'I'm afraid the truth is this is a tiny tweak that will make very little difference,' shadow home secretary he told BBC Breakfast.

He said the Government was 'in complete denial' about the scale of the 'borders crisis'.

Despite overseeing record numbers of crossings from France this year, Ms Cooper will claim this afternoon that Labour's plans are already working

He said: 'To be quite honest, people who cross the channel illegally shouldn't be able to bring any family members over here at all.

'In fact, if the Government was serious about fixing this issue, what they would be doing is making sure that everybody who arrives illegally is immediately removed.'

Asked why the Conservatives did not restrict people's ability to bring family into the UK when in power, he pointed to the now-scrapped Rwanda plan, which he said would have seen 'every single illegal immigrant crossing the Channel immediately removed to Rwanda'.
A scandal-mired energy tycoon has put his 5million UK mansion up for sale and is believed to have left the country with debts worth 1.5billion trailing in his wake.

Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipillai, head of oil firm Prax, has faced demands from Government ministers to be questioned over the company's collapse.

Hundreds of workers face losing their jobs following the decline of the Lincolnshire refinery overseen by the businessman who is also known as Sanjeev Kumar.

He is listed as owning a five-bedroom home in affluent Weybridge in Surrey, according to Land Registry documents.

A shutdown was announced earlier this summer of the Lindsey oil refinery in North Killingholme in Lincolnshire, putting 420 roles in danger.

The base was taken over by liquidators in June after London-based owner Prax Group fell into administration.

Mr Soosaipillai's Weybridge property was advertised for rent on property website Rightmove not long before news of the move into administration was confirmed.

An online listing described it as a 'refurbished five-bedroom family home' comprising five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a swimming pool, a sauna and a steam room.

Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipillai (pictured), head of oil firm Prax, has faced demands from Government ministers to be questioned over the company's collapse

Mr Soosaipillai's Weybridge property was advertised for rent on property website Rightmove not long before news of the move into administration was confirmed

An online listing described it as a 'refurbished five-bedroom family home' comprising five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a swimming pool, a sauna and a steam room

Mr Soosaipillai has previously been criticised by the Government over the collapse of Prax, which he owned alongside his wife Arani.

Ministers accused him of leaving it in a 'poor state'.

The couple reportedly paid themselves a 3.65million dividend last year even though the firm had posted losses valued at almost 30million.

Administrators have since revealed there were debts and inter-company loans of more than 1.5billion.

And a High Court lawsuit was filed alleging 'misrepresentation' and 'deceit'.

It was revealed that a bank loan to the firm had been cancelled following concerns.

Five of Mr Soosaipillai's firms have since launched legal action, claiming breaches of duties as a director to promote their success and exercise skill, care and diligence.

Reports have suggested that employees are owed more than 4million, according to insolvency experts at Teneo, while His Majesty's Revenue and Customs is said to be due at least 70million and Shell 9.2million.

Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipilla is listed as owning a five-bedroom home in affluent Weybridge in Surrey, according to Land Registry documents

It is believed the companys overall tax bill could be up to 250million. Other creditors include Uber and Rentokil.

The Government's energy minister Michael Shanks has been quoted as saying Mr Soosaipillai should 'do the right thing and support the workers through this difficult period'.

The couple are reported to have left the country and not yet been contacted by investigators.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Prax Group for comment.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said today: 'Our thoughts are with the workers at Lindsey oil refinery, who have been let down by the owners, and the Energy Secretary asked the Insolvency Service to launch an immediate investigation into their conduct and the circumstances of the insolvency.

'The Official Receiver has received a range of bids and is considering if any are credible.

'We will also fund a Training Guarantee for refinery workers, to ensure they have the skills they need and are supported to find jobs in the growing clean energy workforce.'

Teneo are administrators for the Prax Group, via State Oil Ltd, while the Official Receiver is responsible for Lindsey Oil Refinery itself.
A 'pregnant' pickpocket was grabbed by the hair and prevented from running away by an irate husband as she tried to steal his wife's backpack in Italy.

The woman, who claimed to be pregnant after being caught, was held by the hair and arms and stopped from 'stealing' the tourist's bag at Piazza di San Lorenzo, a popular square in Florence.

Footage of the fracas shows two men, including the husband of the victim, keeping hold of the 'thief' as she tries to wriggle free.

One man clutched onto her hair, before she drops the backpack, while another gripped her left arm.

The woman appeared to shout 'I'm pregnant' in Spanish.

Another pickpocket then appeared demanding the woman should be released, while a tourist can be heard repeatedly shouting for the police as they recover the backpack.

Two thieves were reportedly later arrested.

The video, posted on Instagram by firenze_cronaca_pickpocket, is captioned 'this time it happened that two pickpockets, together, tried to steal a tourist's backpack.

A 'pregnant' pickpocket was grabbed by the hair and prevented from running away as she tried to steal a tourist's backpack in Italy

The woman, who claims to be pregnant after being caught, is held by the hair and arms and stopped from stealing the bag at Piazza di San Lorenzo, a square in Florence

The victim's husband and another man keep hold of the thief as she tries to wriggle away

'The husband, exasperated, intervened and reacted with force to defend his wife. In the end, luckily, the police also arrived who stopped and arrested them.'

Piazza di San Lorenzo is a popular spot for tourists and is the site of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the city's oldest cathedral.

The square also has a central market and souvenir stalls.

The thieves were hampered in the same week a US tourist grabbed the ponytail of a young pickpocket for 50 minutes as she tracked down the thief.

Footage of the incident, which took place earlier this month in the Santa Maria del Giglio area of Venice, shows a furious Christina Cadieu Greene gripping a 14-year-old's hair after spotting the teen sneaking her purse, which contained her money and passport, into her bag.

Viewers were left stunned and impressed at Greene's reaction and her daughter has since taken to TikTok to explain how her mother retrieved her belongings.

According to Karis McElroy, her mother and stepfather had been passing through Venice before setting off on a cruise across the Mediterranean Sea.

The daughter explained that three crowds of people had surrounded her mother while she was attempting to make her way to the Airbnb.

The thief is prevented from running away while another person repeatedly shouts for the police

The footage shows another pickpocket appearing and trying to argue the woman should be released

But once she had arrived, she noticed her bag had been left unzipped and her water bottle and purse - which contained her passport, credit cards, cash and a pair of AirPod Bluetooth headphones - were missing.

She then explained her mother's quick thinking which led her to be able to track down the young thief, even among the throngs of people.

'She was frantic trying to get this back. Her and my stepdad immediately started tracking her purse through her AirPods on Find My Friends and they were able to track it down back to those three girls because my mom already knew, like, these people must have been it,' she said.

Once Greene had located the three teenage girls, she grabbed one of them by the ponytail. The second girl stayed at the scene while the third girl ran off with McElroy's mom's purse, the daughter said.

But Greene remained determined to retrieve her belongings and in footage of the incident, the young girl can be seen struggling and screaming at the angry tourist, but she holds on tight telling her: 'You stole my purse with my passport in it.

'You are not getting away. I'm not stopping, kid. You are not getting away. I have eight kids, you don't get to me.'

McElroy said her stepfather was tasked with helping retrieve her mother's stolen goods while she waited for cops to arrive.

The thieves were hampered just days after a US tourist grabbed the ponytail of a young pickpocket for 50 minutes as she tracked down the thief

Footage of the incident, which took place earlier this month in the Santa Maria del Giglio area of Venice, shows a furious Christina Cadieu Greene gripping a 14-year-old's hair

In a message from Greene shared in a screenshot on McElroy's post, the mother admitted: 'Something just came over me and I was so angry, and I went after them and grabbed the youngest of the three by the ponytail and wrapped my hand around the ponytail and would not let go.

The two young suspects, who were both minors, were charged with theft before being released on bail.

The duo were reportedly spotted back on the streets among swathes of tourists just two days later, on Saturday, according to local reports.
This is the moment a charity rescue ship came under heavy machine gun fire from the Libyan coastguard in the Mediterranean as its crew raced to help a stricken migrant boat.

Britons were among the crew of the Ocean Viking, which had already rescued 87 people from two sinking boats when it turned towards a third distress signal on August 24.

The attack happened about 40 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast, outside Libyan territorial waters.

As the Norwegian-flagged ship changed course, a Libyan patrol boat closed in at high speed, and crew members said the officers were armed and opened fire without warning.

Crew members say the incident occurred despite the relevant authorities being informed about their mission.

Lucille Guenier, the ship's communications officer, said: 'We are used to this, we know they will intimidate us. I realised that now they're pointing arms at us - we didn't have a moment to do anything and they opened fire, shooting at the bridge.'

Angelo Selim, who was the search and rescue coordinator on board, said: 'In the beginning, I didn't understand the noise of the shots. But when the first windows exploded on my head, we all got on the floor.'

He said that the shots being fired appeared to be coming from automatic weapons. Selim says he also heard the coast guard threatening: 'If you don't leave the area, we will come and kill you all.'

This is the moment a charity rescue ship came under heavy machine gun fire from the Libyan coastguard in the Mediterranean as its crew raced to help a stricken migrant boat

The attack happened about 40 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast, outside Libyan territorial waters

The ship was rescuing a distressed migrant boat in the Mediterranean when it was attacked. Picture for illustrative purposes

The gunfire lasted for around 15 to 20 minutes, according to the crew, who described it as 'hundreds of shots'. Bullets smashed through the bridge windows as a translator tried to calm the situation.

'They started insulting him and his family,' Guenier said. 'This time the bullets were coming through the walls and windows of the bridge, the windows were exploding, glass was going everywhere.' In another interview, Guenier said she felt 'we are going to die.'

According to The Times, Patrick, a 29-year-old British crew member, said he was asleep when the shooting began. 'I didn't realise the gravity of the situation until I heard the rounds,' he said. 'I had to grab my boots and ran, carrying them in my arms.'

The crew gathered in the ship's citadel for safety. 'Some people were in shock and crying. We feared for our colleagues who were still on the bridge,' Patrick added.

The Ocean Viking abandoned its rescue attempt and asked Italian authorities for a safe port. It later sent distress calls to NATO and the Italian navy.

The Libyan vessel was a Corrubia-class patrol boat supplied by Italy in 2023 as part of an EU programme to strengthen Libya's border forces.

'The Libyan ship was faster than ours at 20 knots, our ship's top speed is 10 knots, so we couldn't race them, and there was a risk they'd board us,' Guenier said.

No one was injured, but the Ocean Viking suffered major damage to its bridge and three lifeboats, leaving key rescue equipment out of service.

The windows of the ship suffered damage as the coast guard fired in an attack that is said to have lasted around 15 to 20 minutes

Although no one was hurt in the attack, the ship suffered significant damage

Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation after SOS Mediterranee and the EU border agency Frontex filed complaints.

After disembarking survivors in Augusta, Sicily, the crew was held in quarantine for more than four days because one rescued migrant tested positive for tuberculosis. Patrick said it felt like 'being detained within a crime scene.'

Frontex called the incident 'deeply concerning' and said: 'No rescuer should ever be put in danger while carrying out life-saving work.'

SOS Mediterranee described the shooting as 'outrageous and unacceptable' and urged EU nations to take action over the attack.

The Libyan coastguard, which receives funding and training from the EU, has declined to comment. The UK Foreign Office said it was 'monitoring the situation.'

So far this year, 42,500 migrants have reached Italy by sea, and it has been reported that more than 700 have drowned in the central Mediterranean.
A supermarket security guard has revealed the grim reality of working on Britain's crime-ridden high streets.

Kane Manning, 27, described the UK's shoplifting problem as 'out of control', claiming he receives daily death threats from brazen gangs.

The guard explained these groups were targeting stores to steal vast quantities of luxury items, with 500 of goods nabbed every day from the supermarket he works at.

He claimed that the crisis has accelerated in the last year under the Labour government.

The shop staff member said: 'It's one hundred percent got worse since the new government came in.

'They're not doing anything at all. I get death threats on a daily basis when confronting people leaving the store with stolen goods.'

Mr Manning recalled one heist which saw thieves swipe 1,100 of Cadbury chocolate bars in a 'highly planned' operation at his store, which he would not name, in June 2025.

'There were five of them,' he said. 'It was pretty intimidating.

Supermarket security guard Kane Manning, pictured, has revealed the grim reality of working on Britain's crime-ridden high streets

Guards at Gregg's wrestle with a shoplifter as he looks to make off with items from the food chain

A prolific thief swipes luxury goods from Boots. Mr Manning argued that the crisis has accelerated in the last year under the Labour government

'They knew exactly where to go and headed straight to the highest value of chocolate on the aisle. Really fancy chocolate.

'They had a big trolley and four big bags and were just shoving bars and bars in.

'I was patrolling and caught them in the act and when they saw me they ran. I spooked them.

'We had reports and descriptions of these people. They'd been going to different stores and had stolen over 12,000 worth in one month. It was all related.'

The security guard put the surge in shoplifting down to rampant TikTok trends, which suggest fraudulent discount codes that thieves can use at self-checkouts to bag discounts of up to 90 per cent.

Mr Manning added: 'Pretty much every week I'll catch kids between 12 and 16. They steal a lot of sweets. They think because its on TikTok it's not illegal.

'Sometimes, they'll use fraudulent coupons from TikTok to get a discount. So for example, an item worth five pounds can then come up as 45p.

'It's basically a scam. I've seen that a lot lately.'

Mr Manning recalled one heist which saw thieves swipe 1,100 of Cadbury chocolate bars in a 'highly planned' operation at his store, which he would not name, in June 2025

Brazen thieves pictured stealing items from Waitrose. Security guard Mr Manning put the surge in shoplifting down to rampant TikTok trends

A man shoving luxury candles into an empty Waitrose bag in Hersham

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He said that the shoplifting epidemic was putting security guards like him in danger and called on the government to step in.

'Touch wood it never happens but as it is in security right now, you know something like that might happen,' Mr Manning added.

'I'm not sure what I'd do till the day it comes.

'Those situations are fight or flight so you only ever find out on the day how it will go down.'

Last month, a Labour minister admitted shoplifting had 'got out of hand' amid fury at advice telling shopkeepers to avoid sharing pictures of thieves.

A warning from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) that shaming suspects could 'breach data protection' has been seized upon as proof that red tape is holding back efforts to tackle the scourge of retail theft.

Asked if it was right to display images of thieves in shop windows, Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones told Radio 4's Today programme: 'What we do know is that shoplifting has got out of hand in the country.

'That is why we have taken the action that we have done in our Crime and Policing Bill.'

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In another piece of footage, this time from Oxted, a man can be seen squatting down and hurriedly shoving four candles into an open Sainsbury's bag

Asked again if it was right for shops to post photos of suspects, she responded: 'I think it is on all of us to be aware of what is going on in our local communities.'

Shoplifting figures released this week by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed just 2.5 per cent of offences were recorded by the police each year.

It said 50,000 shoplifting incidents go unreported every day as firms give up on the police.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: 'Many retailers do not see the point of reporting incidents to the police.'
Hosepipe bans could last up to winter as there is not enough rainfall to let 'everyone have the water they need' - despite heavy showers forecast over the next two weeks.

Yorkshire Water made the announcement to its more than five million customers last week.

It means residents are not allowed to use hosepipes for activities such as watering the garden, washing cars or filling paddling pools.

Director Dave Kaye said: 'We're expecting more welcome rainfall over the next few days. While welcome, it is likely to be taken up by plants and the parched ground and countryside with very little making its way into our reservoirs.

'Hosepipe restrictions will remain in place until reservoir stocks have recovered  this could extend into the winter  as we are planning for the short-term and to ensure we have adequate supplies heading into the spring and summer of 2026.

'The efforts of customers to reduce water usage, our work to reduce leakage and the drought orders and permits we have in place, as well as others we have applied for, are all helping to reduce demand and protect the water stocks so everyone will have the water they need.'

Yorkshire Water's stocks are currently at 35.8 per cent - with 73.4 per cent being the average for this time of year.

Thames Water and South East Water also have hosepipe bans in place in some areas following one of the driest springs on record and low reservoir levels.

Low water levels are pictured at Broomhead Reservoir, South Yorkshire. Yorkshire Water's stocks are currently at 35.8 per cent - with 73.4 per cent being the average for this time of year

The Met Office's forecast for September 3 to September 12 predicts 'changeable and unsettled weather conditions across the UK with low pressure systems tending to dominate the overall pattern'. Rain (pictured) has already hit parts of the UK in time for September

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Yorkshire Water has been condemned following the announcement amid Labour MP for York Outer, Luke Charters' claim it has been 'allowed to preside over one of the leakiest water networks in the country'.

A letter has also since been signed by numerous regional leaders including David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, hitting out at Nicola Shaw, the company's chief executive officer.

It came amid her receipt of payments of 1.3million from Kelda Holdings, the firm's parent company.

The joint letter to Vanda Murray, chairman of the board at Yorkshire Water, stated the payments ought to have been 'viewed against Yorkshire Water's consistent pattern of poor performance.'

Arrangements were criticised as 'wholly unacceptable' and coming 'at a time when Yorkshire Water customers are facing a 41 per cent alongside environmental failures and customer service shortcomings'.

Yorkshire Water say the payments were for work including 'investor engagement, financial oversight and management of the Kelda Group'.

It added the fee was paid by shareholders rather than bill-payers.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: 'We recognise the strength of feeling that the issue has generated. Whilst the existence of this fee was already noted in Yorkshire Waters annual reports, which are published on our website, we acknowledge that we shouldve been more transparent about these payments.

A letter has also since been signed by numerous regional leaders including David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire (pictured), hitting out at the company's CEO

'We have now committed to disclosing the value of any Kelda related payments for our CEO and CFO as part of Yorkshire Waters accounts in future.'

'Our focus remains on improving performance and delivering better outcomes for customers, communities and the environment.

'With Nicolas leadership and through her active shareholder engagement, investors have provided 500m of new investment to Yorkshire Water, with a further 600m committed by 31 March 2027, the largest single capital commitment in our history.'

The company added it was committed to 'modernising Yorkshire's water network' as well as 'aligning' its 'reporting approach on executive pay with standards currently required from FTSE100 companies and other UK-listed firms'.

The Met Office's forecast for September 3 to September 12 predicts 'changeable and unsettled weather conditions across the UK with low pressure systems tending to dominate the overall pattern'.

'This will mean showers or longer spells of rain will affect much of the UK at times. Some heavy rain or showers are expected in places, most often in the west,' a spokesman said.
The organiser of the Epping migrant hotel protests was arrested last night after flying a Union flag from a council building.

Footage shows a woman holding the flag above an entrance to Epping District Council's Civic Centre at 7.15pm yesterday.

She was then seized by police and taken away in a van - as fellow demonstrators standing nearby reacted with fury.

While the video prompted claims that the woman had been arrested for flying a Union flag, these were quickly rebutted by Essex Police.

'The arrest is on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 order,' a spokesman said - referring to legislation police chiefs can use to impose restrictions on protests they believe could result in 'serious public disorder'.

'That order set out specific areas where protest activity could take place, which did not include the Civic Centre.'

Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper added: 'To be very clear, despite suggestions we've seen on social media, she was not arrested for flying a Union Flag.

Around 200 demonstrators had gathered outside the council building yesterday evening before the woman unfurled the flag.

Footage shows a woman holding the flag above an entrance to Epping District Council's Civic Centre at 7.15pm yesterday.

She was then seized by police and taken away in a van - as fellow demonstrators standing nearby reacted with fury

Anti-migrant protesters scuffle with police near the Bell Hotel in Epping yesterday

A man was also arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after an emblem was reported to have been set alight.

Another man was arrested for breaching the Section 14 order after refusing to leave when the protest had ended.

All three remain in custody, police said yesterday.

Earlier in the evening, protesters stood behind metal barriers across the road from the Bell Hotel, waving at passing cars that sounded their horns.

Police officers watched on, with more waiting in vans in surrounding roads.

It comes after the Government won a court challenge last week that means 138 asylum seekers can continue to be housed at the local Bell Hotel.

The site became the epicentre of protests that swept the country last month after a migrant resident was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

He denies the charges.

Protests at the Bell began last month after an Ethiopian migrant was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl

The continued protests led the local council to obtain a landmark High Court injunction to block the Home Office from placing any more migrants at the hotel.

The ruling immediately led to dozens of councils across the country saying they too will launch similar High Court bids to stop the Home Office filling hotels in their areas with migrants.

But anti-migrant protesters received a crushing blow on Friday, when three High Court judges overturned the Bell Hotel injunction, meaning the 138 migrants staying there will no longer be removed by September 12.

This weekend, protesters told the Mail they planned to stop paying their council tax as a protest against the Home Office, even if it means receiving jail terms.

'Our children return to school tomorrow. What is the point of paying our council tax if it is being directly used to fund a place which houses alleged sex attackers?' one said.

'And it funds a place which is causing huge worry and anxiety to locals. Girls are being followed. It goes against everything which council tax is for. We know the consequences.'

Another resident, who did not want to be identified, added: 'The feeling is so strong that the threat of prison does not worry me. I will go to jail for this.'

Sarah Corner, 44, who has lived in Epping for 20 years, said: 'We need to take a stand. Enough is enough.

Crowds march towards the Civic Centre offices in Epping yesterday during the latest anti-migrant protest

Epping became an epicentre of protests that swept the country last month after a migrant resident was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl

'Our taxes are funding the hotel, the police and all the costs associated with it. That's not what it should be for.'

Tory councillor Holly Whitbread, who represents the ward the Bell Hotel is in, urged residents not stop paying their council tax, as the local authority is on their side.

Ms Whitbread said: 'The council tax is for important local services like waste collection and supporting the local community.

'At the end of the day, the council is fighting to get the hotel closed. They [residents] should be directing their frustration at the Government.

'The use of the Bell Hotel is completely untenable, and the council has long opposed the use of the hotel.'

Residents at the Bell have welcomed the Court of Appeal ruling.

Khadar Mohamed, 24, from Somalia, said: 'I want to say thank you Keir Starmer and his government. I am delighted with the news, wow. That is really amazing.'

He said those living at the hotel had been 'living in fear' from protesting locals.
Angela Rayner's constituency home was valued at the exact threshold required to avoid paying inheritance tax in what experts have said was a 'remarkable coincidence'.

The Deputy Prime Minister is embroiled in a deepening sleaze row over her tax affairs after it was revealed she bought an 800,000 second home on the south coast.

Critics have claimed Ms Rayner avoided 40,000 in stamp duty by telling the taxman that the luxury property in Hove is her main home, while telling the Cabinet Office that her primary residence is her former family home 260 miles away in Greater Manchester.

It has now emerged that her home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency - shared with her ex-husband - was valued at 650,000, the highest amount possible before becoming liable for IHT.

The Mail on Sunday revealed that Ms Rayner employed a firm specialising in 'wealth protection' to help dispose of her share of the property.

Heather Powell, a property specialist at Blick Rothenberg, told the Times: 'Valuing the property at 650,000 is a remarkable coincidence.

'It's the nil-rate band for two people for inheritance tax purposes so I'm sure that was a very comfortable number to go in at and would have maximised the benefit for Angela.'

At the same time, the Telegraph reported that Ms Rayner is registered to vote in person in Hove, near Brighton in East Sussex, while using a postal vote in her constituency and in Westminster, where she has a grace-and-favour apartment.

She has denied any wrong-doing and there is no suggestion the law has been broken.

It came as the Tories claimed the row was being fuelled by a Labour 'civil war' over who should succeed Keir Starmer.

The sleaze crisis engulfing Angela Rayner (pictured attending a weekly Cabinet meeting last month) is being fuelled by a Labour 'civil war' over who should succeed Keir Starmer, the Tories claimed yesterday

The Conservatives have lodged a formal demand for an investigation into whether the Deputy Prime Minister broke the Ministerial Code during the purchase of an 800,000 second home (pictured: residential buildings in Hove, East Sussex, where Ms Rayner's new home is)

The embattled Deputy Prime Minister split the ownership of her 650,000 constituency home (pictured) with a trust administered by blue-chip law firm Shoosmiths

Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart has said that senior Labour figures are more interested in jockeying to take over from the Prime Minister than in dealing with the problems facing the country.

Mr Burghart said it is 'very likely' that damaging information about Ms Rayner's personal life and tax affairs is being leaked by Labour rivals who believe Sir Keir will be forced out over his dire poll ratings.

'This is the sort of infighting we are going to see a lot more of in public as Labour politicians fear the collapse of Keir Starmer's regime and start briefing against each other,' he told the Daily Mail.

'The Prime Minister's popularity is at rock bottom and it is no surprise that the vultures are circling.

'Now they are starting to fight each other and while they are doing that they are not focused on the needs of the public, such as the crisis in the Channel or the problems in the economy. Their only concern is their own advancement.'

The Conservatives have lodged a formal demand for an investigation into whether the Deputy Prime Minister broke the Ministerial Code during the purchase of an 800,000 second home.

When Parliament is sitting Rayner is thought to live mainly in a third property - a lavish grace-and-favour apartment in central London, funded by the taxpayer.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday insisted Ms Rayner had done nothing wrong. But as the drip-drip of allegations continued:

It emerged that Ms Rayner's on-off boyfriend, former Labour MP Sam Tarry, has worked for a lobbying firm whose clients have received a 280,000 government grant;

Speculation mounted that Ms Rayner's move to Hove could be part of a 'chicken run' strategy to find a safe seat on the south coast and avoid being ejected from Parliament by Reform;

Labour MPs urged the Deputy PM to make a public statement setting out where she lives and how much stamp duty she paid in her recent property dealings.

Mr Burghart told Times Radio that the personal nature of the information leaked against Ms Rayner meant it was 'very likely that this sort of information was briefed by Angela Rayner's opponents in the Labour Party', adding: 'We know some people see her as the next Prime Minister if Keir Starmer was to fall.'

He noted that Ms Rayner's department is considering a change in the law to prevent elected mayors from standing as MPs - a move that would block potential rivals such as Andy Burnham and Sir Sadiq Khan from standing for the leadership.

Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart (pictured) has said that senior Labour figures are more interested in jockeying to take over from the Prime Minister than in dealing with the problems facing the country

Mr Burghart said it is 'very likely' that damaging information about Ms Rayner's personal life and tax affairs is being leaked by Labour rivals who believe Sir Keir Starmer (pictured earlier this month) will be forced out over his dire poll ratings

Mr Burghart noted Ms Rayner's department is considering a change in the law to prevent elected mayors from standing as MPs - a move that would block potential rivals such as Andy Burnham (pictured in January) and Sir Sadiq Khan from standing for the leadership

Sir Keir moved last week to remove a third senior aide, with MPs speculating that the PM's svengali-like Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney (pictured in February) is losing his grip

Labour MPs are dismayed by the lack of initiatives emerging from Downing Street during Parliament's summer recess - a vacuum which has allowed Reform leader Nigel Farage to dominate the national conversation.

Two opinion polls in the past week have put Labour support on a record low of 20 per cent.

Sir Keir moved last week to remove a third senior aide, with MPs speculating the PM's svengali-like Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney is losing his grip.

Allies of Ms Rayner insist she is the victim of a smear campaign.

Ms Phillipson said Ms Rayner had followed the rules: 'Angela Rayner is an adult, if she wants to buy a flat she can buy a flat.'

Ms Rayner faced damaging new leaks yesterday.

The Sun revealed that Mr Tarry has worked for the lobbying group Henham Strategy, which has several clients with interests that fall within the Deputy Prime Minister's brief.

There is no suggestion Mr Tarry has acted improperly, but Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Ms Rayner should 'come clean' about whether she has recused herself from any decisions relating to his commercial interests.

The Cabinet Office said she had followed the standard process for managing her interests.
It's the story of a 'stolen' painting that has taken the world by storm.

The 18th-century work 'Portrait of a Lady', allegedly stolen from a Jewish collector more than 80 years ago, was spotted in an estate agent photo hanging on the wall of a home owned by the daughter of Nazi Friedrich Kadgien.

Yet when police in the Argentine city of Mar del Plata searched the home, they found a tapestry in its place - with only a hook and marks on the wall signalling what had been there before.

It sparked an intense search for the missing work that is still ongoing, with Kadgien's daughter Patricia and other family members remaining silent amidst the hunt.

Now though, experts have spotted that the pattern on a table seen in the same bombshell photo bears a strong resemblance to a swastika, which was the symbol of the Nazi regime.

Respected historian Robin Schaefer told the Daily Mail: 'I find it very difficult to construct any case in which that isn't a swastika.

'There is no option in which that isn't an intentional design. Although maybe she [Patricia] acquired it.'

His comments came after the chief executive of expert body the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art said in a blog post that the coffee table pattern 'by mistake or design forms the shape of a swastika.'

The 18th-century work 'Portrait of a Lady', allegedly stolen from a Jewish collector more than 80 years ago, was spotted in an estate agent photo hanging on the wall of a home owned by the daughter of Nazi Friedrich Kadgien

Although an ancient religious symbol most strongly associated with Hinduism, the swastika is now synonymous with far-right hatred and mass murder after being co-opted by the Nazi Party.

It was the central part of Nazi Germany's national flag during Adolf Hitler's rule.

The Nazi swastika did not look exactly the same as the traditional religious symbol.

It was rotated to the right, with the four traditional dots removed.

Kadgien, who was described as a 'snake of the lowest sort' by American interrogators, had funded the Third Reich's war effort through the theft of art and diamonds from Jewish dealers in the Netherlands.

A senior aide to monstrous Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering during the Second World War, he fled to Switzerland after Germany's defeat and then moved to Argentina, where he became a successful businessman before his death in 1978.

He was one of hundreds of Nazis who found refuge in South America - in particular in Argentina - after the war.

Among the most notorious were war criminals Adolf Eichmann - the chief architect of the Holocaust - and Auschwitz death camp doctor Josef Mengele.

Kadgien's daughter's home, in the city of Mar del Plata, was marketed for sale on the website of estate agent Robles Casas & Campos.

A Dutch journalist investigating the disappearance of Portrait of a Lady spotted the work by painter Fra Galgario in the listing's photos.

Now though, experts have spotted that the pattern on a table seen in the same bombshell photo bears a strong resemblance to a Nazi swastika

Although an ancient religious symbol most strongly associated with Hinduism, the swastika is now synonymous with far-right hatred and mass murder after being co-opted by the Nazi Party. Above: A Nazi Party rally in 1933

It had pride of place in the family living room.

But when Argentine police stepped into Patricia Kadgien's house with a warrant in hand, they were met with disappointment.

The painting was no longer there. Instead, a tapestry depicting horses was in its place.

Ms Kadgien was present with her lawyer as police carried out the search.

She has not responded to requests for comment and no charges have been filed.

Officers did seize cell phones and two unregistered firearms as well as drawings, engravings and documents from the 1940s that could advance the investigation

Portrait of a Lady is among at least 800 pieces owned by Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacquest Goudstikker that were seized or bought under duress by the Nazis.

He died in 1940 aged just 42 after falling into the hold of a ship and breaking his neck while fleeing the Nazis for England, where he was buried.

Kadgien (left) once served as a financial advisor to top Nazi Herman Goering (right)

Nazi Friedrich Kadgien in Brail 1954 with Antoinette Imfeld, the wife of Swiss lawyer Ernst Imfeld. The lawyer helped Kadgien flee from Switzerland to South America

When police arrived, they found that the work was missing. On the wall instead was a tapestry depicting horses. Above: Investigators searching the home

Investigators seized much from the home, but not the prized artwork they went in looking for

A member of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) stands outside the house that was raided after a photo showing a 17th century masterwork allegedly stolen by the Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector appeared in an advertisement for the sale of the property, in Parque Luro neighbourhood, Mar del Plata

Investigators recovered more than 200 of the pieces in the early 2000s, but many - like Portrait of a Lady - remained missing and are included on the international and Dutch lists of lost art looted by the Nazis.

Before his own unsuccessful escape from Europe, Goudstikker helped fellow Jews flee the Nazis.

Marei von Saher, 81, Goudstikker's only surviving heir, said last week she now plans to file a claim and launch a legal action to have the painting returned to her family.

'My search for the artworks owned by my father-in-law Jacques Goudstikker started at the end of the 90s, and I won't give up,' von Saher told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

'My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques's collection and restore his legacy.'
Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the world's leading genocide scholar's association has said.

A resolution has been passed stating that the legal criteria has been met to establish that the country is committing genocide in Gaza, the president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars said on Monday.

Of those who voted among the 500-member association, 86 per cent supported the resolution which declared 'Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide according to Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)'.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli foreign ministry.

Israel has strongly denied that its military campaign in Gaza, launched after Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, amounts to genocide, claiming it is self defence.

The country is fighting an ongoing case initiated by South Africa in December 2023 at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that accuses it of genocide.

Israel has previously described the case as 'wholly unfounded' and 'morally repugnant'.

Meanwhile, Hamas welcomed the association's genocide declaration.

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza , the world's leading genocide scholar's association has said

The legal criteria of a genocide has been met to establish that the country is committing genocide in Gaza, the president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars said

Israel has strongly denied that its military campaign in Gaza, launched after Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, amounts to genocide

'This prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts,' said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.

The resolution 'places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable,' he added.

The three-page resolution adopted by the scholars calls on Israel to 'immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attacks against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population.'

The genocide scholars' association has passed nine resolutions recognising historic or ongoing episodes as genocides, since its founding in 1994.

The 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention was adopted in the wake of the mass murder of Jews by Nazi Germany.

It defines genocide as crimes committed 'with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such'.

It requires all countries to act to prevent and stop genocide.

Criminal acts comprising genocide include killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, creating conditions calculated to destroy them, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children to other groups.

Hamas welcomed the association's decision while Israel has yet to immediately respond to the findings

UN-backed body, which monitors hunger levels around the world, confirmed famine in Gaza for the first time last week

Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups

The resolution also states that the Hamas attack on Israel which began the war constituted international crimes.

'This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide,' the association's president, Melanie O'Brien, a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia who specialises in genocide, told Reuters.

Sergey Vasiliev, a professor of international law at the Open University in the Netherlands who is not a member of the association, said the resolution showed that 'this legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies.'

Several international rights groups and some Israeli NGOs have already accused Israel of committing genocide.

Last week hundreds of U.N. staff at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk wrote to ask him to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

A UN-backed body, which monitors hunger levels around the world, confirmed famine in Gaza for the first time last week. Israel denies that it starves the territory.

On Friday, the Israeli army announced it had begun the initial stages of its offensive on Gaza City with the IDF launching attacks on the outskirts of the region with 'great force'.

Displaced Palestinians travel on a cart loaded with belongings as they flee amid an Israeli military operation, in Gaza City

Reseel Abu Masoud, a two-month-old girl who is malnourished, according to doctors, lies at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip

Since the outbreak of war, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry

There are 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive

The city was declared 'a dangerous combat zone' and its residents - which number roughly half of Gaza's two million population - were encouraged to relocate.

The IDF also announced that its 10-hour 'humanitarian pauses' in military activity to facilitate the safe distribution of aid would no longer apply to Gaza City as Israel prepares to take over the area.

Israel launched its campaign on the Gaza Strip in October, 2023, after fighters from Hamas attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.

There are 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive

Since the outbreak of war, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.




Russian GPS jamming is suspected of sabotaging the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's jet on the way to Bulgaria.

The plane carrying the EU chief was forced to land at Plovdiv on Sunday using only paper maps, when a surprise interference attack suddenly disabled the GPS navigation system.

The incident was likely the result of a 'blatant' Russian sabotage operation, the Bulgarian authorities told the European Commission.

GPS 'jamming' or 'spoofing', which disrupts access to the satellite-based navigation system, is a tactic Russia has previously used to wreak havoc with civilian life.

The technique has historically been employed by military and intelligence services to protect sensitive locations.

'We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria,' European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said.

'We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.'

'The whole airport area GPS went dark,' an official brief on the incident told the Financial Times.

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President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda in Lithuania on Monday, September 1, 2025

GPS 'jamming' or 'spoofing', which disrupts access to the satellite-based navigation system, is a tactic Russia has previously used to wreak havoc with civilian life

The pilot was forced to circle the airport for an hour before finally making the decision to land the jet manually - using only analogue maps when electronic navigational aids were disabled.

'It was undeniable interference,' they added.

The Kremlin has been approached for comment.

In a statement following the suspected sabotage, the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority said that there had been a 'notable increase' in such incidents since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

'These interferences disrupt the accurate reception of [GPS] signals, leading to various operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems,' the authority said.

EU governments have raised the alarm that the suspected Russian attacks risk causing a major air disaster by essentially cutting pilots off from navigational aids mid-flight.

Planes and boats in the Baltic sea and eastern European states close to Moscow have experienced such interference in recent years - making their journeys perilous.

The EU chief was on her way from Warsaw to Plovdiv for talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov as part of her tour of the bloc's frontline states about defending Ukraine in its war against Russia.

People gather to look at the destroyed house during a funeral procession and service for 24-year-old Nadiia and her two-year-old daughter Angelina on August 31, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine

A view of damage of a damaged residential area following a Russian overnight combined attack with missiles and Shahed-type drones in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on August 30, 2025

The strike killed one woman, injured 30 people including three children, and caused severe destruction to homes and infrastructure

Russia struck the British Council building in Kyiv as Vladimir Putin blitzed the city with hypersonic missiles and drones in an attack that has killed at least 14 people

A furious Keir Starmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'sabotaging' any hopes of peace after the double strike

It comes days after Russia deliberately bombed the British Council and the EU's headquarters in a double strike, triggering furious condemnation from European leaders.

The strikes on Thursday morning were part of a major Russian onslaught on the Ukrainian capital that killed 23 in total, including four children.

A furious Keir Starmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of 'sabotaging' any hopes of peace while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed 'Russia still does not fear the consequences'.

Speaking at a trip to the Polish-Belarusian border on Sunday, von der Leyen said: 'Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator.'

The Russian leader will only 'be kept in check through strong deterrence,' she added.

This is a developing story. More to follow.
A love rival is said to have confessed to stabbing a British woman to death in a Cambodian park over an affair she was having with her boyfriend.

Jessica Cariad Hopkins, 34, is said to have died from multiple stab wounds in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district just before midnight on Friday.

Local cops arrested Congolese woman Kidikila Nganda Glodie and said they believed that Jessica's death was likely the result of a grisly love triangle.

The British woman, originally from Harpenden in Hertfordshire, was found lying in a pool of her own blood in the park.

Glodie was found in a nearby salon at 4.30pm local time on Saturday. Footage showed her being arrested by police at the salon.

Local cops revealed that Jessica and Glodie were living together in a rented property in the Chroy Changvar area of Phnom Penh at the time of the death.

On the night of Jessica's death, the pair rode on a motorbike to the park before getting into a fight.

Deputy Chief at the Criminal Investigations Office Em Vichetr said: 'According to witnesses, the suspect knocked the victim down and pushed her to the ground.'

He added: 'The suspect took a knife and stabbed the victim many times in the throat, causing her to die at the scene, before fleeing.'

Jessica Cariad Hopkins, 34, (pictured) is said to have died from multiple stab wounds in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district

Local cops arrested Congolese woman Kidikila Nganda Glodie (pictured, left) and said they believed that Jessica's death was likely the result of a grisly love triangle

Local police chief Bun Saty said his force believes Jessica was killed because she was romantically involved with Glodie's boyfriend.

He said: 'During the interrogation after her arrest, the suspect confessed that she had killed the victim because she was angry at her for having an affair with her Congolese boyfriend.'

Glodie is expected to be charged with murder, and faces between 10 and 15 years in prison.

Local media reported that police chastised two witnesses to the incident after they livestreamed it to social media.

The two eyewitnesses are said to have later cooperated and were allowed to leave after they were questioned.

The Daily Mail has contacted the UK's FCDO for comment.
Delivery drivers joined forces in a London street to slap down a man who 'tried to pinch' one of their bikes.

Footage shows a crowd of more than half a dozen workers encircle the alleged thief and give him a piece of their mind while still carrying their large orange rucksacks.

At one point one even takes out what appears to be a whip and deploys it on the 'culprit''s leg.

The excited cameraman shouts out and passersby scream, with one begging for the men to 'stop' as they nearly become embroiled in the carnage.

One Deliveroo driver also ends up on the floor. It comes as at least seven people are thought to have been involved in the fight which took place in Surrey Street, Croydon, south London last Thursday.

Locals have since weighed in on the row with their thoughts. Tony O'Connor said: 'Such a lovely community.'

Another person added: 'Unfortunately it's not only in Croydon.'

A third said: 'It's only going to get worse.'

Footage shows a crowd of more than half a dozen workers encircle the alleged thief and give him a piece of their mind while still carrying their large orange rucksacks

The excited cameraman shouts out and passersby scream, with one begging for the men to 'stop' as they nearly become embroiled in the carnage

At least seven people are thought to have been involved in the fight which took place in Surrey Street, Croydon, south London last Thursday

Mike joked: 'This explains why your McDonald's turned up cold.'

A Just Eat spokesman said: 'We're investigating this video as a matter of urgency. We have zero tolerance for violence and any courier acting inappropriately whilst completing a delivery for Just Eat will be suspended immediately.'

The Met Police were contacted for comment.

Only last week it emerged a brazen Just Eat driver in Belfast had been sacked after being filmed helping herself to a takeaways food twice in one night.

Andrew Girvin, the owner of Huckleberrys Pizza and Dessert Bar, checked CCTV when staff caught a driver taking a tub of their popcorn on August 11.

Footage shot at 8.55pm shows the woman, believed to be in her mid-30s, telling staff about an order she was due to collect before walking over to the snack counter.

She then quickly grabs a packet of sweets and slips it into her Deliveroo-branded delivery bag before she collects the hot food order and leaves.

The same woman returned to the takeaway in Belfast, Northern Ireland, an hour later and CCTV footage catches her swiping a tub of popcorn while waiting for her next order.

Luckily an eagle-eyed staff member asked if shed paid, so she was forced to hand it back when she and a man she was with said they didnt have the money.
Darren Jones has been promoted as part of Sir Keir Starmer's 'reset' of his top team - but No10 colleagues might be wary of the ex-Treasury minister entering a TV studio.

The 38-year-old has been handed the newly-created role of Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister as part of a slew of changes to Sir Keir's Downing Street operation.

Mr Jones, the MP for Bristol North West, was previously Chancellor Rachel Reeves' deputy in the role of Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

After overseeing Labour's spending review, he has now been tasked with driving progress in key policy areas and will work across Government and report directly to Sir Keir.

But it comes after Mr Jones twice recently sparked rows - over the small boats crisis and Labour's welfare cuts - with his comments on flagship BBC politics shows.

In June, Mr Jones prompted anger when he said the majority of people crossing the Channel in small boats that he had seen were 'children, babies and women'.

During a clash with Reform UK's Zia Yusuf on BBC Question Time over the migrant crisis, Mr Jones said: 'Let me tell you, when you're there on the site, seeing these dinghies put together by these organised criminal gangs, which are clearly not safe.

'And when you see that the majority of the people in these boats are children, babies and women you have got to take note.'

Darren Jones has been promoted as part of Sir Keir Starmer 's 'reset' of his top team - but No10 colleagues might be wary of the ex-Treasury minister entering a TV studio

In June, Mr Jones prompted anger when he said the majority of people crossing the Channel in small boats that he had seen were 'children, babies and women'

Mr Jones had previously been at the centre of a row when he compared Labour's welfare squeeze to cutting his children's pocket money by 10 per week

As he interrupted Mr Jones, Mr Yusuf claimed more than 90 per cent of those who cross the Channel in small boats are adult men.

Asked if he disputed the 90 per cent figure, Mr Jones said: 'I'm just saying it's not true.'

'When there are babies and children put into that position by human trafficking gangs who are coming across the Channel with skin burns from the oil in those boats, mixing with the salt sea water, I would ask any of you to look at those babies and children and say go back where you came from,' he added.

According to Home Office figures, in the first three months of 2025 there were 6,420 small boat arrivals where the age and sex of the person was recorded. Of these, 81 per cent (5,183) were adult men.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called on Mr Jones to apologise, while Reform UK's Nigel Farage branded him 'another clueless Labour minister'.

Mr Jones later sought to clarify his remarks, posting on social media: 'Of course the overall majority of people arriving illegally on small boats are men - but not 'north of 90 per cent' as Reform claimed.

'On Question Time, I shared a story from my visit to the Border Security Command about a dinghy that arrived mostly carrying women, children and babies who had suffered horrific burns.

'I'm happy to clarify this given how this is now being misrepresented.'

Mr Jones had previously been at the centre of a row when he compared Labour's welfare squeeze to cutting his children's pocket money by 10 per week.

As he attempted to defend the Government's benefits cuts, Mr Jones pointed to how an impact assessment of the measures did not consider other action being taken by ministers.

'My understanding is what the impact assessment doesn't account for is the benefit that you get from our additional money into support for training, skills or work,' he told BBC Politics Live.

'Take, for example, if I said to my kids: 'I'm going to cut your pocket money by 10 per week, but you have to go and get a Saturday job'.

'The impact assessment on that basis would say that my kids were down 10, irrespective of how much money they get from their Saturday job.'

Mr Jones' comments were swiftly branded 'offensive' and 'patronising' by critics.

He later apologised, telling ITV's Peston programme: 'I'm sorry about it. It was tactless and it wasn't well considered. I apologise if I've offended people.'

Mr Jones was first elected as MP for Bristol North West in 2017, having previously worked as a solicitor.

In 2016, he was chair of the Young Lawyers' Network who campaigned for Remain ahead of the EU referendum.

He also worked on Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful US presidential bid.
Fears are mounting that an uncontacted tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforest could be wiped out by something as simple as a common cold after members were spotted near a remote village in Peru.

Recently, members of the tribe have been seen near the Yine Indigenous community of Nueva Oceania in the Madre de Dios region, raising concerns that their survival is under threat.

The Mashco Piro people have lived in isolation for centuries to protect their culture and avoid deadly diseases, but their lack of immunity means even a minor infection could be deadly for the whole tribe.

Enrique Anez, president of the Yine community, said: 'It is very worrying; they are in danger. We can hear the engines. The isolated people are also hearing them.

'Heavy machinery is once again clearing paths, and crossing our river and cutting down our trees. Something bad could happen again.'

The sightings come as a logging company resumes operations in the area to build a bridge across the Tahuamanu River, opening up the forest to heavy trucks and bulldozers.

Activists warn this could bring disaster for one of the world's largest uncontacted groups.

Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer in Peru, said: 'These Indigenous peoples are exposed and vulnerable to any type of contact or disease, yet extractive activities continue despite all the evidence of the problems they cause in the territory.'

Fears are mounting that an uncontacted tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforest could be wiped out by something as simple as a common cold

In recent weeks, members of the tribe have been seen near the Yine Indigenous community of Nueva Oceania in the Madre de Dios region

The Mashco Piro fiercely protect their territory - in 2024, four loggers were killed in bow-and-arrow attacks after entering their land. There is no information about how many people in the tribe were killed or injured.

However, they have suffered devastating losses from diseases in the past when outsiders made contact.

Now, campaigners say history could repeat itself as roads and bridges make it easier for intruders to enter their ancestral home.

Teresa Mayo, a researcher at Survival International said: 'Exactly one year after the encounters and the deaths, nothing has changed in terms of land protection and the Yine are now reporting to have seen both the Mashco Piro and the loggers exactly in the same space almost at the same time. The clash could be imminent.'

Mayo's organisation warns that logging is destroying the Mashco Piro's territory and pushing them toward villages in search of food and resources. Any close contact could spark an epidemic.

The company at the centre of the controversy, Maderera Canales Tahuamanu (MCT), has denied wrongdoing in the past and continues to operate under a government license despite widespread criticism.

Mayo says the firm has a license from the government, which they use to justify their activities in the area.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies sustainable wood products, suspended its approval of MCT until November after complaints from Indigenous groups.

The boat built by the firm is inspected by a member of an indigenous group

Their lack of immunity means even a minor infection could be deadly for the whole tribe

However, advocates say the bridge and fresh machinery tracks are proof that logging is still happening.

The Peruvian government has insisted it is taking action to ensure the continued protection of the tribe.

But campaigners argue this is not enough, pointing out that the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve, set up in 2002 to protect uncontacted tribes, has failed to prevent logging in large areas of the forest.

MCT's concessions still overlap parts of the tribe's land, and efforts to expand the reserve since 2016 have stalled.

Experts warn that unless the government acts now, the Mashco Piro could face extinction.
Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would not jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, according to a major new report today.

Supporters of the Strasbourg court have long claimed that quitting the ECHR would undermine the landmark agreement that brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Last week, Downing Street said the potential threat to the Good Friday Agreement was so grave that it was 'not serious' to suggest leaving the ECHR.

But a new report today by the centre-right Policy Exchange think tank argues that the peace deal is not reliant on membership of the ECHR and could be kept in place by strengthening domestic law.

It says claims that quitting the Strasbourg court would wreck the Good Friday Agreement are 'entirely groundless'.

'Nothing in the UK's commitments to the peace process in Northern Ireland requires it to remain a part of the ECHR,' the report says.

The think tank says acknowledges that the agreement struck in Northern Ireland in 1998 contains several references to the ECHR.

But it says these are mainly designed to prevent abuses of majority power in the Province - and could be replaced by strengthening domestic law.

Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would not jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, according to a major new report today (Pictured: Keir Starmer)

An anti-immigrant protestor holds a Union Flag reading 'Stop The Boats' during a protest on August 23

Downing Street has said the potential threat to the Good Friday Agreement was so grave that it was 'not serious' to suggest leaving the ECHR (Pictured: The court's building in Strasbourg)

The findings will be seized on by supporters of quitting the ECHR. Reform has said it will leave the Convention to make it easier to deport illegal migrants and the Conservatives are set to follow suit.

The report was backed last night by former Labour home secretary Jack Straw, who last week said the UK should 'decouple' Britain's human rights laws from the ECHR.

Lord Straw said the 'thorough and forensic' study 'clears the ground' for the debate about Britain's future involvement in the ECHR.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday said ministers were examining the case for reforming the ECHR and limiting the ability of the courts to allow spurious challenges by people facing deportation.

But she said Labour did not support leaving, adding: 'Our responsibilities under international law matter too, and our standing in the world matters as well.'
A coroner has urged a review following the death of a young City finance worker of heart issues just days after his ADHD medication dosage was increased.

Coroner Sarah Bourke has called on the Government to launch an inquiry into Elvanse, which she described as 'increasingly being prescribed in the NHS'.

The new warning over the ADHD medication comes following the death of banker and musician Jacob Wooderson.

The 28-year-old collapsed and died at his London home having recently started taking Elvanse, the brand name for Lisdexamfetamine.

The financial analyst, who was educated at one of the UK's oldest private schools, had been diagnosed with ADHD six months before his death in August last year.

His Elvanse dosage was increased and he experienced 'exhaustion' before eventually dying.

Ms Bourke, coroner for London Inner North, told how Elvanse was an amphetamine-based medicine and could have 'fatal cardiac side effects'.

Patients such as Mr Wooderson can develop adverse side effects when their dosage is increased, Ms Bourke warned.

Banker and musician Jacob Wooderson (pictured), 28, died in August last year

The financial analyst, who was educated at one of the UK's oldest private schools, had been diagnosed with ADHD six months before his death

Coroner Sarah Bourke has called on the Government to launch an inquiry into Elvanse, which she described as 'increasingly being prescribed in the NHS'

Mr Wooderson died on August 23 last year, with his two causes of death listed as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and Elvanse treatment for ADHD.

His family, from Hereford, where he attended Hereford Cathedral School, said he was 'warm and caring' and 'made everyone feel special and seen'.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Ms Bourke said: 'He was diagnosed by a privately instructed Consultant Psychiatrist as having ADHD (inattentive subtype presentation) in February 2024.

'He subsequently commenced Elvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) 30 mg. The dosage was increased to 50mg in June 2024 after an ECG, blood pressure, heart rate and other investigations were undertaken in accordance with national guidelines.

'In August 2024, Jacob increased his Elvanse dosage to 70mg.

'The blood pressure and heart rate information considered by his psychiatrist prior to prescribing 70mg Elvanse was previously submitted in June 2024 when Jacob was taking a 30 mg dosage.

'Following the increase to 70mg, Jacob reported problems with poor sleep and exhaustion to his friends. He collapsed and died at his home on 23 August 2024.'

It is not clear whether the arrhythmia that Mr Wooderson experienced had a genetic cause or was solely due to the medication.

Mr Wooderson died on August 23 last year, with two causes of death listed as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and also Elvanse treatment for ADHD

Ms Bourke said there were failings due to 'missed opportunities'.

She added: 'Jacob Wooderson was not given any clear written advice from his psychiatrist regarding the side effects of Elvanse or the steps to be taken if any adverse side effects presented.

'This was a missed opportunity for Jacob to have information which may have led him to seek medical advice which could in turn have led to a different outcome.

'Toxicology evidence established that Elvanse (lisamphetamine) is a stimulant drug and that its use at any dose may result in cardiac effects including tachycardia, arrhythmias and potentially myocardial infarction.

'Increased heart rate and insomnia are consistent with the effects of amphetamine use even when taken therapeutically and particularly at the start of a new treatment (e.g. increased dosage) due to tolerance to that dose not being formed.

'Jacob's psychiatrist did not clearly document Jacob's baseline blood pressure and heart rate prior to starting Elvanse or after increasing the dosage to 50 mg.

'Similarly, the advice given to Jacob regarding adverse side effects of Elvanse was not recorded at any point.

'It also appears that Jacob was not sent any follow up letter after his Elvanse dosage increased to 70mg.

Patients such as Mr Wooderson (pictured) can develop adverse side effects when their ADHD dosage is increased, coroner Sarah Bourke has warned

'Jacob increased his Elvanse dosage from 50 mg to 70 mg around 6 August 2024.

'Following that increase, he disclosed to his partner and friends that the 70 mg dosage of Elvanse made him "feel weird", caused insomnia and led him to feel exhausted.

'The psychiatrist said that if they had known of Jacob's symptoms on increasing the dosage to 70mg, they would have advised him to stop taking Elvanse and reviewed his medication.'

Ms Bourke warned that more people with ADHD are at risk of dying, concluding: 'Elvanse is an amphetamine-based medication which can have fatal cardiac side effects.

'It is increasingly being prescribed in the NHS and in the private sector for ADHD symptoms.

'As the dosage of Elvanse may increase gradually over a period of months, there is the potential for a patient that has previously tolerated the medication to develop adverse side effects.

'Monitoring of heart rate and blood pressure may help identify serious side effects at an early stage.

'Symptoms of ADHD can include forgetfulness and problems with inattention.

Tributes have been shared online to Jacob Wooderson following his death aged 28 last year

'Consequently, there is a risk that patients may not recall verbal advice regarding the adverse side effects of Elvanse, particularly if it is only given at the outset of treatment or is not followed up in writing.

'The practice of remote consultations may mean that prescribers are reliant upon patients providing heart rate and blood pressure data outside of the consultation.

'Consequently, there is the potential for clinical decisions to be based on unreliable observations.'

Her report was issued to the Royal College of Psychiatrists and health secretary Wes Streeting.

Following Mr Wooderson's death, his family said on a tribute page: 'Jacob embraced life fully and unapologetically.

'He had so many people in his life that he left an impact on, who truly loved and valued him. To many of us, he was everything.

'He had this wonderful, goofy side, never afraid to be himself or to make those around him laugh.

'Whether he was cracking jokes or simply being his warm, caring self, Jacob made everyone feel special and seen.

He was described as someone who 'embraced life fully and unapologetically'

'Music was a huge part of Jacob's life, either playing his clarinet or piano, tapping his knee to some music blaring through his headphones, or dancing around at a concert.

'Jacob was completely authentic and true to himself in every aspect of his life, from his career, to relationships and his emotions.

'He had a natural way of making everyone feel heard and seen. He cared deeply about the happiness of others and always made sure he was putting his best self out into the world.

'As a son, brother, friend, and boyfriend, Jacob had a remarkable ability to make people feel at home.

'His presence was always a source of comfort, laughter, and support. Those who were lucky enough to know him will carry these memories with them always, in the music he loved, the laughter he sparked, and the fearless way he lived his life.'

A funeral notice said he left behind parents Roland and Marnie, brother Joshua and his partner Noemie.

A LinkedIn profile suggests he was an analyst in London who previously worked for JP Morgan.
They depict the same subject and are similarly easy on the eye.

But whilst one is definitely the work of Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, the other was decades ago concluded to be an inferior painter's copy.

Now, Vermeer's celebrated work, titled The Guitar Player, is being displayed alongside the alleged imitation for the first time in more than 300 years.

The other work is nearly identical to Vermeer's 1672 masterpiece, depicting the same scene of a young woman with her guitar sitting in front of a landscape painting.

But subtle differences include the absence of ringlets in the girl's hair in the lesser-known work, which unlike the original is not signed by Vermeer.

It was originally thought to also be by Vermeer but, with its origins mysterious, experts later concluded it was a copy.

Now, visitors to London's Kenwood House will be able to decide for themselves as the two works go on display side by side after extensive research was carried out into them by a transatlantic team of experts.

One reason why comparison of the two works was so difficult until now is that the other version has been significantly altered over the decades.

 Slide me  Johannes Vermeer's celebrated work The Guitar Player has gone on display alongside a very similar work by a mystery artist. The other work is nearly identical to Vermeer's 1672 masterpiece, but there are some differences

It is being displayed in its un-restored state. Visitors will be able to see an old tear and the effects of pre-20th century cleaning efforts that damaged the paint.

The Guitar Player has been on display at Kenwood House since the 1920s, whilst the other work is joining is from the John G. Johnson Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the United States.

Since 2023, hundreds of scientists, conservators, curators and art historians from the latter institution, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, have been carrying out research on the Philadelphia painting.

And experts from English Heritage and the National Gallery have carried out fresh research on Vermeer's Guitar Player.

The research found differences in what is known as the 'ground layers' of the respective paintings.

The term is used to describe the first layer of paint applied to a canvas to prepare it for painting.

Scientific analysis of minute paint samples found that the canvas of the Kenwood painting was prepared with a single pale grey-brown ground consisting of a mixture of lead white and chalk, toned with earth and black pigments.

This is similar to Vermeer's other late works.

Visitors to London's Kenwood House will be able to decide for themselves as the two works go on display side by side

The colour of the other work ground is dark brown, consisting mainly of burnt umber, as well as lead white, chalk, bone black, and clay.

Expensive ultramarine paint, favoured by Vermeer and used extensively in the Kenwood painting, is not found in the other one.

Instead, the mystery artist used indigo, a cheaper blue pigment.

The greens in the landscapes also differed. Where Vermeer used green earth in the Guitar Player, the landscape of the other work is painted with a mixture of indigo and yellow ochre creating the green

Wendy Monkhouse, English Heritage's senior curator at Kenwood, said: 'It is an arresting experience to come face to face with a masterpiece by Vermeer, let alone to see its near doppelganger beside it.

'We are extremely grateful to the Philadelphia Museum of Art who have lent their version of The Guitar Player so that visitors to Kenwood can see the two works up close for themselves.

The Guitar Player and the similar painting are on display at Kenwood House from today until January 11, 2026

'It is a remarkable painting with wonderful details, from the painting within a painting on the wall, the table laden with books and folds of luxurious blue fabric, to the translucent pearls around the sitter's neck which catch the light.

Since the 1920s scholars have puzzled over the relationship between these two paintings, but this display does not draw conclusions, instead inviting visitors to witness the prowess of one of the greatest artists of the 17th-century and respond to this question for themselves.'

Jennifer Thompson, curator at the John G Johnson Collection, added: 'Since 1927, when the Kenwood picture was given to the British nation, there has been steady scholarly debate over the two versions of The Guitar Player, paintings which are curiously linked in subject matter and technique.

'Double Vision provides a thrilling opportunity to place the two pictures side by side and to consider what science and connoisseurship offer to our understanding of Vermeer and 17th-century painting materials and techniques.'

Vermeer's best-known work is Girl with a Pearl Earring, which he produced in 1665.

The artist died aged 43 in 1675.

The Guitar Player and the similar painting are on display at Kenwood House in Hampstead, north London, from today until January 11, 2026.
Greta Thunberg's flotilla attempting to reach Gaza was forced to turn back within hours of its departure yesterday.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of around 20 vessels carrying tons of food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid, set sail from Barcelona on Sunday.

But after just a few hours in the Mediterranean, the expedition leaders decided to abandon the mission because of worsening weather conditions.

'Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass,' the group said in a statement on Monday.

'This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats.'

They said the mission was facing 'over 30-knot winds' and decided to turn back to 'prioritise the safety and wellbeing' of participants.

Among the boats forced to return were those carrying former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and Barcelona councillor Jordi Coronas, as well as Swedish activist Thunberg.

The captains of the boats are set to meet again on Monday to decide whether they will try to resume their journey later in the day.

Experts have described the mission as the most significant attempt yet to challenge Israels blockade of the Gaza Strip by reaching the area by sea.

Critics have said the blockade has contributed to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, with hundreds reportedly dying of starvation in recent weeks. Israel has strongly denied that it is using widespread starvation as a strategy in Gaza.

Greta Thunberg's flotilla attempting to reach Gaza has been forced to turn back within hours of its departure

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of around 20 vessels carrying tons of food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid, set sail from Barcelona at 4pm on Sunday

The captains of the boats are set to meet again on Monday to decide whether they will try to resume their journey later in the day

The flotilla aims not only to deliver food and medicine to civilians but also to pressure European governments to rethink their relationships with Israel

However, international organisations have said that Gaza has now been plunged into famine.

The flotilla aims not only to deliver food and medicine to civilians but also to pressure European governments to rethink their relationships with Israel.

This is the fourth attempt this year to bypass the blockade, following three previous missions that failed to reach Gaza.

In a statement, Global Sumud Flotilla said: 'Facing over 30-knot winds and the unpredictable nature of the Mediterranean, we made this decision to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all participants and to safeguard the success of our mission.'

Yesterday, it was reported that Israel was planning on throwing Thunberg in a terror cell. The planned sail comes just weeks after she was detained in international waters by the country.

According to new reports, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, was drawing up a plan to present to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would see the activist detained in a terrorist prison.

It was also claimed that as part of the plan, vessels would be seized and used to establish a 'maritime force for police operations'.

Before Thunberg departed, she said: 'This project is part of a global uprising of people standing up when our governments fail to step up, the people will take their place, and their atrocities and their complicity in the genocide in Gaza right now... is not something that we can stand for.'

Yesterday, it was reported that Israel was planning on throwing Thunberg in a terror cell

Supporters cheer as one of the vessel departs on the mission, which has now been called off

Thunberg and other activists on board their vessel in their attempt to reach Gaza in June

During that voyage, one of the activists on board, Thiago Avila posted a voice note on Telegram saying: 'We have been surrounded by many lights all at once;

The group reported that Israel used drones to spray an irritant on their flotilla before officials boarded and detained them during their mission in June

Her first attempt to go to Gaza in June was foiled by Israeli forces. Defence minister Israel Katz ordered the military to stop her from getting anywhere near Gaza.

He said at the time: 'I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act so that the hate flotilla  does not reach the shores of Gaza - and to take all necessary measures to that end.'

Katz added: 'To the antisemitic Greta [Thunberg] and her friends who echo Hamas propaganda, I say clearly: Youd better turn back - because you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or to assist terrorist organisations  by sea, by air, and by land.'

During that voyage, one of the activists on board, Thiago Avila, posted a voice note on Telegram saying: 'We have been surrounded by many lights all at once; they were circling our boat but in the end they kept going their own way.'

The group reported that Israel used drones to spray an irritant on their flotilla before officials boarded and detained them. They also said: 'Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio.'

She and 11 other passengers were taken to Israel and given an ultimatum - either agree to be deported or get arrested.

Thunberg agreed to be deported while some of the other passengers were held. Upon arrival at an airport in Paris, she hit out at Israel, accusing the nation of kidnapping her while she and her fellow passengers were in international waters.

In May, another boat sailing as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group that organised the June mission, caught on fire off Malta. The activists later said that the vessel was attacked by drones from Israel.
A Biden-appointed former US attorney who was found unresponsive in her Virginia home died from epilepsy, according to officials.

Jessica Aber, 43, died in March after suffering 'sudden unexpected death in epilepsy' as she slept in her Alexandria home.

Aber's manner of death was ruled as 'natural,' an official with the Medical Examiner's Office told The Virginian-Pilot.

The Alexandria Police Department said in March they had found 'no evidence suggesting that Aber's death was caused by anything other than natural causes.'

Authorities had noted that Aber had 'a longstanding medical issue, and Aber's family previously said she suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years.

'Jess suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years, and on Tuesday, March 25, Alexandria (Virginia) Police said in a statement that they believe her death was the result of natural causes,' the family said in a statement shortly after Aber's death.

'We expect more information from the medical examiner in the coming weeks. Our family is in shock and grieving deeply, and we respectfully request privacy as we attempt to navigate through our unspeakable loss.'

Fatal epileptic seizures, known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, are rare, but are considered a major risk for people who suffer from the disorder.

Jessica Aber's family members had previously revealed that she suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for years, and died in her sleep

Aber, 43, once the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia , was found unresponsive in her Washington DC home on March 22

Aber, once Virginia's top prosecutor, resigned from her post on the day that President Donald Trump began his second term in January.

She had risen through the ranks of the Justice Department before she was eventually appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, or EDVA, in 2021 - becoming one of the few women to ever lead the department.

The district encompasses Northern Virginia, the Pentagon, Langley, the Port of Norfolk and the corridors of federal power in Richmond.

It is also a nerve center of legal activity involving terrorism, espionage, public corruption, and corporate crime.

During her time in the post, Aber led a team of roughly 300 lawyers and staff, prosecuting some of the nation's most sensitive and consequential cases.

Aber worked in the investigation of former CIA analyst Asif Rahman, who pleaded guilty to leaking Israel's plan to strike Iran last year.

She was also part of several probes into illegal activities by Russia-tied individuals.

But when Trump re-entered the White House on January 20, Aber stepped down, saying she felt the incoming administration expected her to resign as a Biden appointee.

During her time in the post, Aber led a team of roughly 300 lawyers and staff, prosecuting some of the nation's most sensitive and consequential cases

'It's a political job,' she said during the Richmond Police Department's year-end crime briefing, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

'President Trump hasnt indicated explicitly how long, if it all, he would keep the Biden U.S. attorneys, but I decided that I would leave at the end of President Bidens time.'

In her resignation letter, Aber said working as a U.S. attorney was 'an honor beyond measure.'

'I am deeply grateful to senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and to President Biden for the opportunity to lead this office and to Attorney General Garland for his steadfast leadership,' Aber said in January.

'I am proud of the work we have done with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to enforce the law and build community trust.'
A masked man made horrific threats on YouTube to 'stab, cut and slice' every student at a college in a quiet Welsh town.

The 'disturbing' video was seen by police who arrested the suspect just hours before 2,200 students were due to start the new term today.

Worried parents had vowed to keep children home from Merthyr College in South Wales after the bizarre video was posted on social media.

In the 78-second video, which appears to have been filmed more than a week ago, the man states: 'In September, not this week, next week, I'm just going to kill every pupil in Merthyr College in South Wales.

The man, wearing a white Panama-style hat and a facemask showing the Merthyr Tydfil College logo, says the attacks will be carried out by God.

He points to himself while adding: 'Me the Welsh man.'

He then starts to ramble about someone with a social identity disorder, describing him as having 'taken over his body'.

The YouTube video, which has now been taken down, was seen by South Wales Police last night.

A masked man made horrific threats on YouTube to 'stab, cut and slice' every student at a college in a quiet Welsh town

Worried parents had vowed to keep children home from Merthyr College (pictured) in South Wales after the bizarre video was posted on social media

By that time it had been viewed thousands of times and many parents are said to have decided to keep their children at home on the first day of the autumn term.

One worried mother told the Daily Mail: 'What he's saying on the video is terrifying.

'It sounds as if he's speaking in a put-on foreign accent and is wearing a hat that nobody wears around here, but he describes himself as Welsh.

'He's wearing a college face mask in the video which makes me think he may be a former student.'

Another parent said: 'This is not a schoolboy prank - it comes over as a serious threat to lives of young people.'

It is understood the man is local and was arrested in the town of Tredegar, Gwent, eight miles from his intended target in Merthyr Tydfil.

In a statement, South Wales Police said: 'On Sunday evening (August 31), we were made aware of a YouTube video in which threats were made towards people attending Merthyr Tydfil college.

'We can confirm that a 21-year-old male from the Gwent area has been arrested and he is currently in police custody

It is understood the man is local and was arrested in the town of Tredegar, Gwent, eight miles from his intended target in Merthyr Tydfil

The man, wearing a white Panama-style hat and a facemask showing the Merthyr Tydfil College logo, was filmed saying the threatened attacks would be 'carried out by God'

'An investigation is now underway to establish the full circumstances.'

The new college building, which opened in 2013 in Merthyr Tydfil town centre, was going about its first day of term as usual today.

A spokesman said: 'South Wales Police have confirmed that they have now made an arrest in relation to the disturbing video posted earlier this evening.

'The college will therefore be open as normal, from 7.45am.'
Elon Musk has ridiculed Sir Keir Starmer's Britain after it emerged new-build homes are being reserved for migrants in a village where many locals struggle to get on the property ladder.

The decision to use four 300,000 three-bedroom houses in Suffolk as migrant accommodation has prompted fury at a time when Labour claims to be getting tough on immigration.

Tesla founder Mr Musk has now taken to X to share his view by posting a link to the Mail's coverage alongside the comment: 'This must stop now.'

It comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to face MPs today to give a statement on Labour's immigration policy as the government desperately tries to keep a lid on fury about Channel boats and asylum hotels.

Her Cabinet colleague Bridget Phillipson fuelled anger yesterday by defending deploying government lawyers to keep an asylum hotel in Epping open, saying the rights of arrivals trumped those of local residents.

Despite overseeing record numbers of crossings from France this year, Ms Cooper will claim this afternoon that Labour's plans are already working. She will pledge to press ahead with a shake-up of the asylum appeals process, which currently takes a year on average.

A new panel will prioritise cases involving foreign criminals and migrants living in hotels, with the aim of halving times to less than 24 weeks. She is also expected to make it harder for refugees to bring family members to this country.

However, shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has insisted the reforms merely 'tinker around the edges' and do not do enough to deter migrants from coming to Britain by illegal routes.

An aerial photo of the new development that has been allocated to migrants

Locals in the village have complained of struggling to get on the housing ladder

According to promotional materials, the homes are 'nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village' and 'designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities'

Elon Musk has now taken to X to share his view on the scandal by posting above a link to the Mail's coverage: 'This must stop now'

The Tesla CEO has repeatedly criticised the Labour government's immigration policies

The Suffolk homes that attracted the attention of Mr Musk are being leased by public services firm Serco under a contract with the Home Office.

The conjoined properties are furnished with en-suite bathrooms, sleek kitchens and state-of-the-art amenities including underfloor heating and electric vehicle charging points.

According to promotional materials, the homes are 'nestled in the tranquil and sought-after village' and 'designed for modern living and comfort, providing ample space and eco-friendly amenities'.

Representing 'a perfect blend of modern design, comfort, and sustainability', the houses are said to offer 'a serene living experience'.

The sales brochure concludes: 'With their eco-friendly features and thoughtful amenities, these properties are an ideal choice for those looking to embrace a green lifestyle in a peaceful, community-oriented location.'

Asylum seekers living in the properties are doing so rent-free - with expected rent in the area coming in at around 1,200 for a home of this size.

It is believed that only one family has moved into the townhouses so far, and that they arrived by a legal route, not on a small boat.

While the decision to use the townhouses to accommodate migrants was hailed as a success by one local councillor, who claimed the community had responded 'very positively', the reaction of locals appears to tell another story.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement as the Commons returns from a torrid summer dominated by questions over immigration

Anti-migrant protesters scuffle with police near the Bell Hotel in Epping yesterday

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One complained that many people were struggling to get on the property ladder but were overlooked by the local authorities.

Others questioned why the homes were not offered to locals on the housing list - although the government does have a legal requirement to accommodate asylum seekers while they have their claims processed.

According to the latest data from Suffolk County Council, there were nearly 800 people waiting to apply for council or housing association homes in 2024.

Today, Ms Cooper will seek to assuage anger over the use of hotels and private accommodation to house Channel migrants by unveiling changes designed to bring 'greater fairness and balance'.

She will blame the last Conservative Government for leaving the system in 'chaos and disarray', and warn that the current Government is facing 'complex challenges [which] require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can't be delivered'.

'Britain has a proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, including in recent years from Ukraine and Hong Kong, and we must do more to help students from Gaza,' she will say. 'But the whole system needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments, not criminal gangs, decide who comes to the UK.'

There is speculation that Ms Cooper will also update MPs on her review of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - with Reform demanding the UK withdraws from the treaty so the asylum system can be toughened.

The Court of Appeal will hand down its full written judgement in the Bell Hotel case later today.

The four conjoined properties are all furnished with sleek kitchens

Migrants clamber aboard a smuggler's boat off Gravelines in northern France last month

The Government and the hotel's owner last week succeeded in overturning an interim injunction which would have required asylum seekers to be removed from the site.

Epping Forest District Council, which applied for the injunction, is considering taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Protests continued in Epping last night, with police arresting three people.

Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the council building on Sunday evening, where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag.

Yesterday, Bridget Phillipson defended the claim that the rights of asylum seekers were more important than those of local families living near hotels.

She told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: 'I completely understand why many people in places like Epping, where hotels have opened up, feel incredibly frustrated about that.

'They have a right to demonstrate lawfully and peacefully. But it crosses a line that isn't consistent with our long-standing traditions in this country of respect for the rule of law, respect for the police and our responsibility to make sure that we have safe communities for everybody living there.'

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing intense pressure over his immigration and asylum policy

Asylum seekers are being housed in 300,000 three-bedroom contemporary townhouses (pictured) in a village in Suffolk - to the fury of local residents

Chris Philp dismissed plans to tighten rules on those granted asylum bringing family members to the UK as a 'tiny tweak'.

'I'm afraid the truth is this is a tiny tweak that will make very little difference,' the shadow Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast.

He said the Government was 'in complete denial' about the scale of the 'borders crisis'.

Serco has been approached for comment.
A father and his daughter died after eating a Thai curry made with deadly mushrooms in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Boonpan, 78, and his 40-year-old daughter, Wijitra, collapsed at home on August 22 after consuming the poisonous meal.

Relatives were horrified when Boonpan began foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.

They rushed to Wijitra's locked bedroom and found her unconscious. They were both taken to the hospital but were later pronounced dead.

Police Captain Boonchuay Kanthawong from Mae Chan Police Station went to Mae Chan Hospital to investigate.

He said: 'A preliminary examination revealed no external wounds from assault. Earlier, Mr Boonpan, the father of the deceased who showed the same symptoms, was transferred to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for further treatment.

'However, the hospital later contacted his relatives and informed them of the unfortunate news of his passing.'

Wijitra's elder sister, Thatsanee, 49, said the mushrooms had been gifted by a friend. Their mother cooked them into a large curry, unaware they were deadly.

Relatives were horrified when they saw Boonpan foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently

Wijitra was also found unconscious in her locked bedroom. They were rushed to the hospital but were pronounced dead

The pair died after eating a Thai curry made with deadly mushrooms in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Thatsanee said: 'My sister had never cooked with this type of mushroom before because she didn't usually like mushrooms.

'This was the first time. A friend gave her some, so she asked our mother to make them into a curry and even shared some with relatives, but they hadn't cooked theirs yet.

'I love mushrooms, but after what happened, I will never touch them again. It's difficult to tell which ones are poisonous.'

Authorities sent a sample of the mushrooms to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for analysis.

Last July, three relatives also died in Buriram, northeast Thailand, after eating a curry made with wild mushrooms.

Community leaders have urged villagers to be extremely careful when foraging for mushrooms.

Several mushrooms contain toxic substances that can kill. Symptoms often differ depending on the type of mushroom.

While some affect the liver, others lead to the loss of limbs and can cause cardiac arrest.

According to Wijitra's sister, a friend gave her the mushrooms

Some of the deadliest types can kill within hours, causing extreme pain in the hours before death.

However, in some cases, serious symptoms appear days or even weeks after the poison is eaten.

In July, in a case that garnered widespread attention, an Australian woman was found guilty of killing three relatives with mushrooms that were poisoned.
A woman said she woke up to a man trying to rape her in a Parisian hotel after an airline booked her a room with a stranger when her flight was cancelled.

The 30-year-old woman was intending to travel to Lisbon from the French capital when her TAP Air Portugal flight in the evening was cancelled.

The passengers, who were already seated on the plane, were reportedly told to exit the aircraft and make their way to the TAP kiosk where reservation vouchers for hotel rooms could be collected.

But single rooms were limited, and the woman claimed she was told by the airline that she would have to spend the night in the hotel with other passengers.

'I refused, demanding a room just for myself, but I was told that this was not an option: either I had to accept, or pay out of my own pocket, something that was unfeasible for me in Paris,' she told O Globo.

She said she was handed a voucher with the names of a German woman and a Brazilian man who she would be sharing the room with that night.

'During the night, the German woman left the room and I was woken up with the naked man on top of me, kissing my neck, holding me down, trying to rape me,' the woman, a consultant, said.

'Luckily, I managed to defend myself, screamed, and he left the room. Still, the scars of the episode remain.'

The Brazilian woman (left) and her German roommate (right). The man allegedly slept on the sofa

The 30-year-old woman was intending to travel to Lisbon from the French capital when her TAP Air Portugal flight in the evening was cancelled

A reproduction of the voucher for a triple room booked in Paris by TAP Air Portugal with the names of the guests covered

After the incident, she attempted to contact TAP for help, but claimed she received no response directly from the airline.

She did receive guidance on how to access the services of the Portuguese Victim Support Association (APAV), however.

The woman is of Brazilian descent and holds Italian citizenship.

She is seeking legal and psychological support in Brazil and has filed a lawsuit against the airline for 'moral harassment and negligence', O Globo reported.

She also filed a police report about the sexual harassment.

TAP allegedly proposed a settlement of R$3,000 (409) before raising the offer to R$5,000 (682), but has not yet apologised or acknowledged an error.

The other woman who was allocated to the room is understood to have written a note explaining that she left the hotel after being unable to sleep.

The next day, following the alleged attack, she said she saw the Brazilian woman look 'visibly emotionally shaken'.

The note from the German woman initially in the hotel room as well, letting her roommates know that she was leaving

TAP's lawyers initially offered R$3,000 to the victim before raising the amount to R$5,000

The Parisian hotel confirming that the woman's accommodation was covered by TAP

'The [assignment] of the room was imposed by the airline, without any possibility of refusal or individual choice, placing [passengers] in a situation of vulnerability,' she told the Portuguese publication.

The alleged victim decided to come forward with her experience to warn other passengers and seek accountability from the airline.

'How many other reports from women in vulnerable situations were silenced due to a lack of support or strength to continue? I had Brazil on my side. And what about the Portuguese women?' she said.

The legal case since the incident on May 31 is ongoing.

The woman is working with lawyer Nathalia Magalhaes, who said her client is seeking compensation of up to R$50,000 (6,825).

'Unfortunately, we were very disappointed to realise that, even with the lawsuit, the company did not send an apology or show concern,' she said.

'It's unacceptable that they could only offer accommodation at that hotel and in shared rooms. It's humiliating treatment.'

TAP Portugal could not be immediately reached for comment.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a Jewish boy was shot in the head with an air rifle.

The suspect is alleged to have shouted abuse at the teenager as he walked to a synagogue before firing the weapon.

The victim was struck in the forehead but suffered superficial injuries in the attack in the East Cliff area of Bournemouth.

The shooting happened on the same weekend that several homes owned by Jewish people in the same area were daubed in Nazi swastikas.

Police are treating both attacks as hate crime incidents and have arrested a man from Ferndown, Dorset, for the air rifle shooting.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.

He has since been released on police bail as an investigation continues.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Jenkins, of Dorset Police, said: 'We have been carrying out extensive enquiries as part of our investigation and have now made an arrest in connection with the incident.

The victim of the suspected air rifle attack was struck in the forehead but suffered superficial injuries in the attack in the East Cliff area of Bournemouth

Elsewhere in the same city, the homes of a number of prominent Jews were graffitied in the Nazi symbol - one of the properties being the home of Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz (pictured), who was not involved in the separate air rifle incident

'Enquiries are ongoing, and I would ask anyone who has not already spoken to police and has information that may assist our investigation to please come forward.

'We understand the concern that this incident has caused to members of the community and we are continuing to liaise with them to provide updates and reassurance.

'We are also continuing to support and update the victims with the progress of the investigation.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250125864.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online using its website or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.

Hours ahead of the air gun attack, nearby homes of a number of Bournemouth's prominent Jews were graffitied with Nazi swastikas in an overnight attack.

One of the properties was the home of Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz  who discovered that the emblem had been spray-painted on his house as he set off to the synagogue on Saturday morning with two of his five children, daughters aged ten and seven.

Rabbi Alperowitz said: 'As I walked out of my door with my children we discovered that some cowards had visited our home and decorated it.

Police have appealed for information following the incidents in Bournemouth's East Cliff area

'This is very upsetting and alarming and we have been in touch with the police and they are trying to track down the perpetrators who did this.

'We should be proud of who we are and never allow these forces of darkness and evil to instill fear in our hearts.'

Several other homes on Manor Road were also graffitied in the same manner.

Rabbi Alperowitz said: 'Jewish people should feel safe to walk around in Bournemouth. I was born and grew up here, and this is not the Bournemouth I know.

'We all together are responsible to bring back Bournemouth to what it truly is  a place of kindness, a place of unity, and everyone has a part in that.'

In a video to members to fellow Jews, Rabbi Alperowitz told them: 'Be proud to be Jewish and never allow these forces of darkness and forces of evil to instil fear into our hearts.'

Rabbi Alan Lewis of the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation, said the attacks had left the community shocked.

He noted that all the homes targeted with swastikas were houses which followed tradition by displaying the Jewish mezuzah scroll, sometimes seen as a protection against evil, beside their front doors.

A number of homes in Manor Road were targeted in the anti-Semitic attacks

Rabbi Lewis said: 'The young man who was shot is a religious Jew who was wearing a skull cap. It was very obvious he was Jewish.

'Then several people living on Manor Road woke up to find that Swastikas had been painted on their homes.

'The homes had a mezuzah outside so it was obvious that Jewish people lived there.

'We are well aware of what is going on in the world, but this is very shocking because the majority of the members of the Jewish community are retired people.'

The Board of Deputies of British Jews' vice president Andrew Gilbert said: 'These hateful attacks on people and property in Bournemouth are extremely concerning.

'We have been informed that the police are investigating and hope that the perpetrators will be arrested and face the full force of the law.'

The Jewish charity the Community Security Trust says there were 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents across Britain in the first half of the year, the second highest ever recorded.

A spokesman said: 'CST is appalled by a series of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Bournemouth over the weekend.

'These are abhorrent acts of racism that are deeply distressing for the Jewish community and should alarm everybody.'

A survey of Jewish teachers last month revealed more than half had suffered abuse - with swastikas and chants of 'Free Palestine' becoming more frequent.

A police spokesman said: 'Dorset Police takes hate crime extremely seriously and a full investigation is under way to identify those responsible.

'Enquiries are being carried out to establish whether the incidents are linked.'
A teen couple accused of torturing the girlfriend's little brother to death told police the child 'just fell a lot,' according to officials.

Kara Walker, 17, was arrested on Wednesday for the February death of her eight-year-old brother and charged with felony injury to a child.

Her boyfriend Nolan Stallings, 18, was arrested for the same charge in March.

Police have not released the little boy's identity.

Prosecutors said the couple tortured the boy 'over several days' at Stallings' home in Highlands, Texas, near Houston, before his death.

Officials said they are not ready to say why the 'most serious' charges have not been filed against Walker and Stallings, as reported by ABC13.

The little boy died at the Baytown Methodist Hospital five days after the couple brought him there and allegedly claimed he was unresponsive after a fall.

Kara Walker, 17, and her boyfriend were charged in connection to the death of her eight-year-old brother in the Houston, Texas, area

Her boyfriend Nolan Stallings, 18, was arrested for the same charge in March. He allegedly told police the boy was injured in a fall

The boy was in critical condition and had several injuries on his body consistent with abuse, according to police.

Stallings told police at the hospital the boy was injured in a fall and 'fell down a lot,' but doctors told detectives the story was unlikely, officials said.

An autopsy revealed the boy died from blunt force trauma, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said the boy was 'abused and tortured over several days' and that 'the injuries that resulted from abuse caused the complainant's death.'

Stallings was accused of beating the boy with his hands as well as with blunt objects before his death.

It's not clear where Walker and the boy's parents were when he was allegedly tortured to death.

Stallings was released from the Harris County Jail on a $1million bond and is due back in court on September 18.

Prosecutors said the couple tortured the boy 'over several days' at Stallings' home in Highlands, Texas

The little boy died at the Baytown Methodist Hospital five days after the couple brought him there with injuries that were consistent with abuse, according to police

He had tried getting his bond reduced by noting the incident occurred about nine days before his 18th birthday, but a judge declined his reasoning.

Walker was given a $100,000 bond and is still being held in jail, according to

She is due back in court on September 2.
President Donald Trump is defending allowing over half a million students from China to come into the U.S., even as some of his most vocal supporters target the policy.

Last week, the president shocked his base when he announced during a meeting with the South Korean president he would be opening the country to more young people from China.

Trump has famously been critical of the Chinese government and threatened to levy tariffs against it.

However, his friendly tone regarding students came as the U.S. engages in high-stakes trade talks to avoid the possibility of a trade war between the two global powers.

In an interview with The Daily Caller released over the weekend, Trump claimed China is paying a lot of money right now and bragged about his relationship with President Xi Jinping.

'I think its very insulting to a country when you say youre not going to take your students, Trump said.

You know, I get along with China, Trump continued. Chinas paying us a lot of money right now. Theyre paying us hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump went on to claim the 600,000 students coming into the U.S. will occur over a period of two years.

Trump defended allowing 600,000 Chinese students enter the country over the course of two years

China and U.S. governments are currently engaged in trade negotiations

Trump announced his new policy position towards China while speaking to the South Korean president in the Oval Office

'I think what were doing is the right thing to do. Its good to get along with countries, not bad, especially, you know, nuclear-powered countries. I think its good to get along with countries, he concluded.

Trump's newfound friendliness with China marks a significant difference earlier on in the administration after Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to revoke visas from Chinese students with ties to the Communist Party.

Overall, the State Department has looked to lower the number of student visas and not help expand them for other countries.

The administration has generally worked to curtail student visas, not expand them, as part of the presidents broader immigration crackdown.

Meanwhile, Trumps tariff negotiations continue with Beijing after a trade war almost sparked off early into the president's second-term.

In the wake of the new policy, MAGA archenemies Laura Loomer and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) united to condemn it.

If we are only mass deporting 1,000 illegals each day but allowing 600,000 Chinese spies to come to our country, how can we call them mass deportations, Loomer wrote last week on X.

Earlier this year, Trump imposed a 30% tariff on all Chinese goods, but paused the levies to allow for diplomatic talks

Unofficial Trump adviser Laura Loomer criticized Trump's friendly treatment towards Chinese students

Greene agreed with her longtime rival by adding, 'We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP.'

Back in August, Trump extended his pause of a 30% tariff on Chinese goods by 90-days. Earlier this year, China had responded to the White Houses trade levy by placing a 10% tariff on U.S. goods.
A teenager has been identified as the person involved in the car crash that injured Rudy Giuliani in New Hampshire, and he is expected to remain in hospital for a few days.

Lauren Kemp, 19, from Concord, was driving the Honda HR-V that struck the rear end of the 81-year-old former New York City mayor's Ford Bronco on Saturday night.

Giuliani will need to wear a neck brace after fracturing his vertebrae and suffering multiple lacerations after his rental car was struck from behind, according to his spokesman Michael Ragusa.

The former mayor sustained injuries on his left arm and lower leg. His car was being driven by another spokesman of Giuliani's, Theodore Goodman.

Prior to the accident, Giuliani had been 'flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident' and contacted police assistance on her behalf, Ragusa said.

After police arrived, Giuliani continued on his way and his vehicle was hit shortly after pulling onto the highway in the crash that was 'entirely unrelated' to the domestic violence incident.

Ragusa said Giuliani was transferred to a nearby trauma center, and he is expected to remain in hospital for a few days.

Giuliani was hit while reentering his car after calling 911 for a woman dealing with a domestic conflict. Lauren Kemp, 19, was driving the Honda HR-V that struck his car. Giuliani is pictured in December 2023

A spokesman for Giuliani announced his Saturday night car crash via a statement on X

'Mayor Giuliani is in great spirits following the incident. He is fully alert and conscious, and his medical team is pleased with his progress,' Ragusa told the Daily Mail.

Giuliani will remain in the Manchester-area hospital for a few more days. His spokesman noted he will wear a brace for the broken vertebrae following his release.

'The Mayor is eager to return to his work and looks forward to getting back to business in just a few days.'

The spokesman added: 'He and his family are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support, and he asks everyone to continue respecting his privacy as he focuses on recovery.'

Giuliani's son also thanked people for their prayers in the aftermath of the crash.

'Thank you to all the people that have reached out since learning the news about my Father. Your prayers mean the world,' Andrew Giuliani wrote on X.

'As a son, I can tell you I'm honored to have a Dad that I can call the toughest SOB I've ever seen!'

Rudy Giuliani is pictured with his girlfriend Maria Ryan

New Hampshire State Police said they are investigating the crash. No charges have been filed

New Hampshire State Police said they are investigating the crash, and no charges have been filed.

Giuliani has a political career that spans over four decades in the New York City.

He gained fame in the 1980s as a federal prosecutor after he successfully put the top mafia bosses of New York in prison for RICO charges.

Giuliani was later elected mayor in 1994 and helped lead the city through the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

After leaving the mayor's office in 2001, Giuliani became a personal attorney for President Donald Trump during his first term.

He was a vocal proponent of Trump's allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

Giuliani has a political career that spans over four decades in the New York City

Two former Georgia elections workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani.

As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.

He ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

Giuliani is rumored to be dating nurse-practitioner Maria Ryan, 59, who was seen wearing a huge engagement ring in 2023.
A retired vicar who was part of a 'Eunuch Maker' castration ring has been jailed after using nail scissors on a man's genitals.

Reverend Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent after the video of the shocking procedure in January 2020 was discovered on his phone.

He also admitted seven other charges, including making and distributing images of children and possessing extreme pornography, and has been handed a three-year jail sentence.

Baulcomb had 31 indecent images of a boy as a child as well as other sexual images of children both male and female.

The vicar had 182 extreme pornographic images showing serious injury to a person's private parts, five images portraying an act threatening a person's life and eight images portraying a person performing a sex act on an animal.

Some of the material included moving images which appeared on the Eunuch Maker website, operated by Marius Gustavson, 47.

Norwegian national Gustavson received a life sentence, with a minimum of 22 years, last year after a court heard he earned almost 300,000 from the site where thousands of visitors paid to view sick clips of procedures, including castrations.

He had his own penis cut off, a nipple removed and his leg frozen so it had to be amputated.

Geoffrey Baulcomb, pictured, a retired vicar who was part of a 'Eunuch Maker' castration ring has been jailed after using nail scissors on a man's genitals

Some of the material included moving images which appeared on the Eunuch Maker website, operated by Marius Gustavson, pictured

Baulcomb and Gustavson were said to have been 'acquaintances', exchanging more than 10,000 messages over a four-year spell.

At the Old Bailey on Monday, Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, said: 'With any extreme body modification procedure there has to be some positive planning and pre-organisation.

'The procedure involved the use of scissors which in the circumstances are highly dangerous.

'You undertook the procedure in conditions far from sterile and did so without any medical skills or training.

'The procedure and the resulting injury is one that is serious, it is a permanent, long lasting procedure that will have serious effects on the victim.

'It is an aggravating feature that the procedure is filmed. Bearing in mind the obvious sexual nature of this offence it is something that adds seriousness.

'Those who have written about you speak warmly and highly about you and your many qualities.

'It is clear many have been assisted by you over the years and I suspect many who knew you will have been deeply shocked by what they have heard in this hearing.'

Judge Lucraft said he had reduced the sentence because of the victim's consent to the procedure, Baulcomb's health, age and character and his guilty plea.

The former clergyman was expelled from the Church of England last year by a disciplinary panel and was still ordained at the time of his offences.

In June, he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent at the Old Bailey, after he was captured enlarging the opening of a man's urethra in a nine-second video of the incident.

The footage, which was found on the vicar's mobile phone, is said to have been filmed on January 4, 2020. He was later arrested in December 2022.

Baulcomb previously admitted to three counts of making indecent images of a child, namely one Category A image, four Category B images and 37 Category C indecent images.

Three further charges against Baulcomb related to possession of extreme pornography, one of which related to eight images of a person performing an act of intercourse with a live or dead unknown animal.

Another involved '182 images which portrayed in an explicit and realistic way an act which resulted or was likely to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals and which were grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character'.

Police raided Baulcomb's 25,000 cottage near Eastbourne in December 2022 and found a stash of heroin along with the tranquilliser ketamine.

He accepted a police caution for possessing the substances and told church officials he had been buying and using drugs, including heroin, 'periodically' for 20 years.

The Church of England's (CofE) disciplinary tribunal had 'utterly rejected' his claim that taking drugs 'assisted him in carrying out his pastoral mission'.

Pictured: The Eunuch Maker website that featured clips of castrations which subscribers would pay to watch

Baulcomb retired from St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne (above) several years ago but was still ordained at the time of the offences

Baulcomb, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was ordained as a priest in 1970, according to the Church of England website.

He retired from the historic St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne in 2003 but was still ordained at the time of the offences.

The diocese said the Baulcomb's permission to officiate was immediately removed after being contacted by police.

A statement said: 'The Diocese wishes to put on record our gratitude for the Metropolitan Police's pro-active approach to information sharing and partnership working, which has enabled us to manage the risks Mr Baulcomb has presented whilst under investigation.'

After his plea, Baulcomb was granted conditional bail, ordering him not to attend any Church of England premises or functions and to have no contact with children under the age of 18.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
Migrants granted asylum can immediately apply to bring family members to the UK to claim housing support, benefits and NHS care - while British citizens have to jump through a series of hoops.

New arrivals are currently able to ask for relatives to join them in Britain the moment they are granted refugee protection. The UK's policy is far more generous than its European neighbours, which impose a wait of up to three years.

What's more, family members of refugees do not need to show they have the necessary housing and income to support themselves in the UK without claiming housing support or universal credit. They are also not required to speak English.

By contrast, British citizens wanting to bring foreign partners into the UK face far tougher restrictions, with current rules requiring them to demonstrate a minimum income of 29,000 a year so they do not need to claim benefits.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, told the Mail it was 'fundamentally unjust' to favour new arrivals long-term residents.

The number of refugee family reunion visas has boomed in recent years from 4,118 in 2022, to 19,258 in 2024. These are free to apply for, while a family visa for a foreigner wanting to join their British partner in the UK costs up to 1,938.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has vowed to use a statement to the Commons today to set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process that will provide 'greater fairness and balance'.

Among the expected changes are new requirements for relatives to meet English language standards and prove they have access to sufficient funds.

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Migrants in lifejackets wave to a dinghy leaving Gravelines in northern France last month

The rise in migrants arriving on refugee family reunion visas has been blamed for loading pressure on local councils, who are required to find housing if they are at risk of homelessness.

They now account for more than a quarter of family visas, with Syrians, Iranians and Afghans the most common nationalities claiming them.

While some may have arrived via legal asylum routes, others are likely to have crossed the Channel on small boats or arrived on work, study or visitor visas before switching to claim asylum.

Matt Goodwin, former Professor of Politics at the University of Kent, said the discrepancy between the treatment of refugees and British citizens was 'insane'.

Among the changes Ms Cooper is expected to outline today will be a new requirement for the relatives of refugees to demonstrate they are proficient in English and have access to enough money to support themselves.

She may also emulate Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland by introducing waiting times of up to three years before refugees can bring over their relatives to join them.

But Kemi Badenoch said Labour 'do not have the stomach' to take stronger action on immigration control.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has vowed to use a statement to the Commons today to set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process

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Speaking to reporters today, the Conservative Party leader said: 'Well, what I would actually like to see the Home Secretary talk about is how she's going to close down the asylum hotels.

'What they have done with their recent court case is actually shown that they believe that illegal migrants have more rights than our local communities, and we completely disagree with that.

'We had a deportation Bill, which we asked Labour to support, we talked about disapplying the Human Rights Act so you wouldn't even get to some of the circumstances that she's talking about.

'There's a lot more that can be done on immigration control. Labour do not have the stomach to do it. We do, and we have the plans as well.'

On Friday, the Court of Appeal threw out an earlier High Court injunction preventing migrants from being housed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has become a centre of anti-migrant protests.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has dismissed the potential changes to family reunion rules as a 'tiny tweak' and said the Government was in 'complete denial'.

'I'm afraid the truth is this is a tiny tweak that will make very little difference,' he told BBC Breakfast.

Mr Philp added that the Government was 'in complete denial' about the scale of the 'borders crisis'.

Anti-migrant protests taking place yesterday outside the Bell Hotel in Epping

'To be quite honest, people who cross the channel illegally shouldn't be able to bring any family members over here at all.

'In fact, if the Government was serious about fixing this issue, what they would be doing is making sure that everybody who arrives illegally is immediately removed.'

Asked why the Conservatives did not restrict people's ability to bring family to the UK when in power, he pointed to the now-scrapped Rwanda plan, which he said would have seen 'every single illegal immigrant crossing the Channel immediately removed to Rwanda'.
Angela Rayner wants to reveal more about her property deals but is constrained by a court order, No10 said today as Keir Starmer came to the aid of his embattled deputy.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said Ms Rayner is 'urgently' working on a way to give more details about her ownership of two homes 'in the interests of public transparency'. The nature of the order is not known.

Ms Rayner is embroiled in a deepening sleaze row over her tax affairs after it was revealed she bought an 800,000 second home on the south coast.

Critics have claimed Ms Rayner avoided 40,000 in stamp duty by telling the taxman that the luxury property in Hove is her main home, while telling the Cabinet Office that her primary residence is her former family home 260 miles away in Greater Manchester.

Sir Keir waded into the row today, telling the BBC the former teen mum is a 'great story of British success'.

'Angela came from a very humble background, battled all sorts of challenges along the way, and there she is proudly  and I'm proud of her  as our Deputy Prime Minister', he told Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live.

It has emerged that Ms Rayner's home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency - shared with her ex-husband - was valued at 650,000, the highest amount possible before becoming liable for IHT.

The Mail on Sunday revealed that Ms Rayner employed a firm specialising in 'wealth protection' to help dispose of her share of the property.

Heather Powell, a property specialist at Blick Rothenberg, told the Times: 'Valuing the property at 650,000 is a remarkable coincidence.

The sleaze crisis engulfing Angela Rayner (pictured attending a weekly Cabinet meeting last month) is being fuelled by a Labour 'civil war' over who should succeed Keir Starmer, the Tories claimed yesterday

The Conservatives have lodged a formal demand for an investigation into whether the Deputy Prime Minister broke the Ministerial Code during the purchase of an 800,000 second home (pictured: residential buildings in Hove, East Sussex, where Ms Rayner's new home is)

The embattled Deputy Prime Minister split the ownership of her 650,000 constituency home (pictured) with a trust administered by blue-chip law firm Shoosmiths

'It's the nil-rate band for two people for inheritance tax purposes so I'm sure that was a very comfortable number to go in at and would have maximised the benefit for Angela.'

At the same time, the Telegraph reported that Ms Rayner is registered to vote in person in Hove, near Brighton in East Sussex, while using a postal vote in her constituency and in Westminster, where she has a grace-and-favour apartment.

She has denied any wrongdoing and there is no suggestion the law has been broken.

Downing Street said Sir Keir continued to have confidence in Ms Rayner.

The PM's official spokesman said: 'The Deputy PM's team has set out her position on this.

'There is a court order that restricts her from providing further information, which she is urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency.

'Whilst that is in place I obviously can't go beyond that.'

It came as the Tories claimed the row was being fuelled by a Labour 'civil war' over who should succeed Keir Starmer.

Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart has said that senior Labour figures are more interested in jockeying to take over from the Prime Minister than in dealing with the problems facing the country.

Mr Burghart said it is 'very likely' that damaging information about Ms Rayner's personal life and tax affairs is being leaked by Labour rivals who believe Sir Keir will be forced out over his dire poll ratings.

'This is the sort of infighting we are going to see a lot more of in public as Labour politicians fear the collapse of Keir Starmer's regime and start briefing against each other,' he told the Daily Mail.

'The Prime Minister's popularity is at rock bottom and it is no surprise that the vultures are circling.

'Now they are starting to fight each other and while they are doing that they are not focused on the needs of the public, such as the crisis in the Channel or the problems in the economy. Their only concern is their own advancement.'

The Conservatives have lodged a formal demand for an investigation into whether the Deputy Prime Minister broke the Ministerial Code during the purchase of an 800,000 second home.

When Parliament is sitting Rayner is thought to live mainly in a third property - a lavish grace-and-favour apartment in central London, funded by the taxpayer.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday insisted Ms Rayner had done nothing wrong. But as the drip-drip of allegations continued:

It emerged that Ms Rayner's on-off boyfriend, former Labour MP Sam Tarry, has worked for a lobbying firm whose clients have received a 280,000 government grant;

Speculation mounted that Ms Rayner's move to Hove could be part of a 'chicken run' strategy to find a safe seat on the south coast and avoid being ejected from Parliament by Reform;

Labour MPs urged the Deputy PM to make a public statement setting out where she lives and how much stamp duty she paid in her recent property dealings.

Mr Burghart told Times Radio that the personal nature of the information leaked against Ms Rayner meant it was 'very likely that this sort of information was briefed by Angela Rayner's opponents in the Labour Party', adding: 'We know some people see her as the next Prime Minister if Keir Starmer was to fall.'

He noted that Ms Rayner's department is considering a change in the law to prevent elected mayors from standing as MPs - a move that would block potential rivals such as Andy Burnham and Sir Sadiq Khan from standing for the leadership.

Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart (pictured) has said that senior Labour figures are more interested in jockeying to take over from the Prime Minister than in dealing with the problems facing the country

Mr Burghart said it is 'very likely' that damaging information about Ms Rayner's personal life and tax affairs is being leaked by Labour rivals who believe Sir Keir Starmer (pictured earlier this month) will be forced out over his dire poll ratings

Mr Burghart noted Ms Rayner's department is considering a change in the law to prevent elected mayors from standing as MPs - a move that would block potential rivals such as Andy Burnham (pictured in January) and Sir Sadiq Khan from standing for the leadership

Sir Keir moved last week to remove a third senior aide, with MPs speculating that the PM's svengali-like Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney (pictured in February) is losing his grip

Labour MPs are dismayed by the lack of initiatives emerging from Downing Street during Parliament's summer recess - a vacuum which has allowed Reform leader Nigel Farage to dominate the national conversation.

Two opinion polls in the past week have put Labour support on a record low of 20 per cent.

Sir Keir moved last week to remove a third senior aide, with MPs speculating the PM's svengali-like Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney is losing his grip.

Allies of Ms Rayner insist she is the victim of a smear campaign.

Ms Phillipson said Ms Rayner had followed the rules: 'Angela Rayner is an adult, if she wants to buy a flat she can buy a flat.'

Ms Rayner faced damaging new leaks yesterday.

The Sun revealed that Mr Tarry has worked for the lobbying group Henham Strategy, which has several clients with interests that fall within the Deputy Prime Minister's brief.

There is no suggestion Mr Tarry has acted improperly, but Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Ms Rayner should 'come clean' about whether she has recused herself from any decisions relating to his commercial interests.

The Cabinet Office said she had followed the standard process for managing her interests.
French hospitals have been ordered to make preparations for an imminent war in Europe as Germany says it is on alert for Russia's military drills.

France's ministry of health has told health bodies across the country to prepare for a possible 'major engagement' by March 2026, according to documents obtained by Le Canard Enchaine.

The French government is predicting a scenario where the nation would become a supporting state that has the capacity to take a massive number of wounded soldiers from France and other European nations.

The order aims to 'anticipate, prepare and respond to the health needs of the population while integrating the specific needs of defense in the health field'.

The ministry of health added: 'Among the risks identified, therefore, is the hypothesis of a major engagement where the health issue would consist of taking care of a potentially high influx of victims from abroad.

'It is therefore a question for our health system of anticipating the care of military patients in the civilian health system'.

It comes after Germany's chief of defence Carsten Breuer said NATO and his nation's forces will be on alert ahead of Russian military drills.

Breuer said that though he doesn't expect Vladimir Putin's forces to attack NATO territory as Russia conducts military training in Belarus with the Zapad 2025 exercise, his nation would 'be on... guard'.

The Khmelyovka firing ground during drills to train amphibious assault, part of the active phase of the military exercises 'Zapad-2021' staged by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus in Kaliningrad Region, Russia, September 11, 2021

The 'Zapad-2021' joint military drills of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus at the Mulino army base in the Nizhny Novgorod region

Russia is set to launch the Zapad 2025 training exercise in a few weeks

Breuer said that though he doesn't expect Vladimir Putin's (pictured) forces to attack NATO territory as Russia conducts military training in Belarus, his nation would 'be on... guard'

He said: 'We don't have any indication that preparations for an attack are taken under the cover of the exercise. But we will be on our guard, not just the German forces, but NATO'.

This comes amid fears that the world is on the brink of a third World War that, according to NATO chief Mark Rutte, will be started by Russia and China.

He warned in July that the combined attacks from the Chinese and Russian leaders could trigger a World War nightmare and bring the planet to the brink of Armageddon.

According to the NATO chief, China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan - while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks NATO territory, amid fears Putin is anyway eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR.

Russia today hit back at ex-Netherlands premier Rutte, claiming he had 'gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch', while warning he should look forward to a future in a hellish Siberian labour camp.

Stressing the urgent need to re-arm and boost military budgets, Rutte told the New York Times in a chilling vision of the future: 'Let's not be naive about this.

'If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, "Hey, I'm going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory".

'That is most likely the way this will progress, and to deter them, we need to do two things' he added.

Continuing his terrifying account, Rutte said: 'One is that NATO, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this.

'And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific - something President [Donald] Trump is very much promoting, because we have this close interconnectedness, working together on defence industry, innovation between NATO and the Indo-Pacific.'

Rutte warned that Putin is rearming at a fast pace, insisting that Western countries must increase defence spending.

'We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands,' he said.

'And that is first of all Russia, which is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history.

A soldier fires a mortar towards positions of Russian troops near Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

Zapad-2023 joint Russian-Belorussian drills

This comes amid fears that the world is on the brink of a third World War that, according to NATO chief Mark Rutte, will be started by Russia and China

'They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year.

'This is unsustainable, but the Russians are working together with the North Koreans, with the Chinese and Iranians, the mullahs, in fighting this unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

'So here, the Indo-Pacific and your Atlantic are getting more and more interconnected. We know that China has its eye on Taiwan.'
Commentary: Unyielding courage drives China forward

Xinhua) 09:16, September 01, 2025

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- By examining history, one can obtain insight into the future. Commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War is a good time to reflect on the past and gain strength to carry forward present endeavors.

In 1936, American journalist Edgar Snow took a picture in northwest China: on the dusty Loess Plateau, a young Red Army soldier stood upright, holding a bugle to his lips. That image, symbolizing a rallying call for the nation to unite and fight Japanese aggressors, conveyed to the world a message of unyielding resistance from the East.

Through the arduous and heroic War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression from 1931 to 1945, a great spirit of resistance was formed. The Chinese people demonstrated to the world the patriotism that every citizen has a responsibility for the nation's future, the national integrity of being ready to die and never yielding, the heroic spirit of not fearing violence and fighting to the end, and the indomitable and tenacious belief in victory.

When American journalist Agnes Smedley asked General Yang Hucheng in the 1930s if China could truly resist Japan's tanks and bombers, Yang gave an unwavering answer: "They may have more planes and tanks. But we know we must fight. And when the will is firm, the strength follows."

Over the 14 grueling years, a nation with limited military and economic resources stood its ground and ultimately prevailed.

Since the Opium War in 1840, China had been the constant target of invasions and bullying from foreign powers. Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression marks Chinese people's first complete victory in national liberation and a historic turning point for the Chinese nation -- from the depths of crisis in modern times to the path of great rejuvenation. Its people are no longer a pile of "loose sand," but a people of national pride and unity.

The spirit behind the victory is an invaluable asset for the Chinese people. It has inspired and will continue to inspire Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in their pursuit of modernization and national rejuvenation.

It is with this spirit that the country established a complete industrial system after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. It is with this spirit that China eliminated absolute poverty and lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty in 40 years since the reform and opening up in the late 1970s. It is with this spirit that China achieved the feat of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability and became the world's second-largest economy.

China, a country of 1.4 billion people, has no precedent to follow on its path to modernization. When Western observers ask how the Communist Party of China consistently gets things done, the answer is that it is the result of the enduring resolve, unity and perseverance of generations who have embraced self-reliance and sacrifice, and who have had unshakable faith in the power of collective will.

China is in a critical stage of realizing its national rejuvenation, during which internal and external difficulties and challenges remain. It has yet to realize complete national reunification.

Externally, the world is undergoing profound changes with tariff and trade wars disrupting global economic order and unilateral bullying challenging multilateral mechanisms. Certain countries are attempting to contain China's development.

The greater the external pressure, the more important it is to harness spiritual strength. These challenges and difficulties will inspire the Chinese people to carry forward the unyielding courage, strengthen their conviction and confidence, confront problems head-on and manage their country's own affairs well.

The victory 80 years ago has since proved a truth time and again: never underestimate China's potential, resilience and strength.

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
A former 'teacher of the year' award winner will not serve time behind bars after she pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of her female students.

Brandyn Hargrove, 43, was convicted Wednesday of 12 counts related to the relationship she had with a 15-year-old student nearly two decades ago.

She was involved in a two-year sexual relationship with the girl beginning in 2007, while the victim was a student at Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas.

The victim, who is now in her 30s, reported the affair to police in September 2023 and Hargrove was indicted and arrested on a $240,000 bond.

Hargrove pleaded guilty last week to six counts of sexual assault of a child, four counts of indecency with a child by contact, and two counts of indecency with a child by exposure as part of a plea deal, KPRC reports.

The agreement saw Hargrove sentenced to 10 years of probation with a 10-year probated sentence, meaning she will not face any prison time.

The once-decorated educator is also required to register as a sex offender for life.

Brazosport Independent School District terminated Hargrove's employment in 2024. She will not to return to the classroom as Texas law prohibits any person convicted of a sexual offense or a felony against a minor from working in a school.

Brandyn Hargrove (pictured) pleaded guilty Wednesday to six counts of sexual assault of a child, four counts of indecency with a child by contact, and two counts of indecency with a child by exposure

Hargrove, now 43, was involved in a two-year sexual relationship with a teen beginning in 2007, while the victim was her student at Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas (file photo)

Hargrove allegedly had a relationship with the former Brazoswood High School student in 2007 when the girl was 15. Hargrove was around 27 years old.

The victim came forward to Clute police in September 2023, alleging she had been sexually assaulted by her teacher at an off-campus location for two years.

Detectives worked diligently on the case and even managed to track down the victim's former classmates and people she made 'initial outcries' to, police say.

'From the get-go, we really felt there was a good chance this would go to trial, so we were a little surprised with the plea agreement,' Clute Police Department Chief James Fitch told KTRK.

But the chief said the district attorney's office spoke with the victim before accepting the plea agreement.

The victim even faced Hargrove in court last week, detailing the traumatic aftermath of the abuse and how she has now gone from 'victim to survivor, victim to victor'.

'Brandyn, I face you today as the adult who now protects the child you once exploited and betrayed. You didnt just break boundaries. You broke a person,' the victim said during the hearing, The Facts reports.

Hargrove was charged with sex assault and indecency of a child, because at the time of the crime, the charge of improper relationship with a student did not exist.

The once-decorated teacher (left) will not to return to the classroom as Texas law prohibits any person convicted of a sexual offense or a felony against a minor from working in a school

Hargrove was immediately placed on administrative leave in September 2023 after the school district was made privy to the sexual assault investigation.

Officials took steps to terminate her employment during a special board meeting in January 2024 following the allegations.

Fitch confirmed in 2023 that investigators found no evidence of any other victims.

Hargrove won numerous awards throughout her career and was previously crowned Teacher of the Year at the school.

The former educator admitted in court that she accepted the plea because she was guilty and affirmed she had not been coerced into doing so.
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details

A mother and her two daughters aged six and eight have been found dead in a septic tank in a suspected murder-suicide.

The trio were found in the sewage tank after the children's father reported them missing on Sunday at 10:18pm in the small town of Helenow Pierwszy, Konin County, in west-central Poland.

He told emergency services there were 'disturbing' signs that they had fallen into the septic tank.

A rescue operation was launched with four fire units and a diving team but before they arrived a woman and one child had already been pulled out by two men, with the other child remaining in the tank.

The mother, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the children were rushed to hospital where they died.

The mother-of-two slit her throat and intended to drown her daughters, according to Fakt sources aware of the investigation.

They also claim the women had previously received psychiatric treatment and left a suicide note, which was found in the house.

One neighbour claimed the deaths took place when the father went to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine.

A mother and her two daughters aged six and eight have been found dead in a septic tank in a suspected murder-suicide in Poland

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the children's father said there were 'disturbing' signs that they had fallen into the septic tank

A rescue operation was launched with four fire units and a diving team but before they arrived a woman and one child had already been pulled out by two men

A murder investigation has been opened by police although no scenario, from accident to suicide, has yet been ruled out

They told Wirtualna Polska: 'I can't believe what happened. I heard that this woman's husband went to the pharmacy to get some medicine because she sent him.

'And when he came back, everything was already there... The tragedy was over, you could say.'

Andzelika Kaminska, a Helenow Pierwszy resident, said the village was 'in shock and great sadness'.

"Everyone in our village is in shock and great sadness," says Andzelika Kaminska, the village head of Helenow Pierwszy

The Konin prosecutor's office has opened a homicide investigation and an autopsy and toxicology tests have been scheduled for Thursday.

Sylwia Lewandowska, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office in Konin, said that the mother slitting her throat was 'purely speculation'.

She told Fakt: 'The situation is very tragic, this is the initial stage of the investigation, and for now we cannot discuss any findings due to the victims' relatives.'

Aleksandra Maranda, from the District Prosecutor's Office in Konin, said: 'With a high degree of probability, bordering on certainty, I can say that we have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed in this case.

'We are conducting proceedings under Article 148, Section 3 of the Penal Code, which stipulates that the perpetrator's conduct kills more than one person,'

No scenario, from accident to suicide, has yet been ruled out.
A driver was today banned from the roads after being caught exceeding Wales's controversial 20mph limit eleven times in just 35 days.

Courier Gregory Williams, 37, was flashed on ten occasions on a single stretch of road near Mold, North Wales.

Two of the offences took place within the space of just four hours.

Appearing in court today, Williams said he had been unfamiliar with the area and thought the limit was 30mph.

'By the time the first offence came through the post, the rest had already happened,' he said.

Williams received 37 points at Mold magistrates' court after he pleaded guilty to speeding.

He was driven from court by his wife after being banned for six months under 'totting up' rules and fined a total of 600.

Wales became the first country in the UK to reduce the default speed limit in built-up areas from 30mph to 20mph in 2023.

Courier driver Gregory Williams, 37, pictured leaving court today after being banned from driving for breaking Wales's 20mph speed limit 11 times in just 35 days

A fixed speed camera on a straight stretch of the A5104 at the village of Pontybodkin, near Mold, flashed Gregory Williams ten times in just over a month

The speed camera on a 20mph stretch of the A5104 in Pontybodkin detected 13,442 speeding offences last year

The move was highly controversial, with a petition against the law being signed by nearly 470,000 people  the largest in Senedd history.

Following a review sparked by the backlash, a string of urban roads reverted to 30mph.

However cities and villages across England have since imposed 20mph zones, including 150 miles of roads in London alone.

Campaigners say the move cuts pollution and reduces casualties, but opponents say the economic impact will cost billions of pounds.

Ten of the speeding penalties imposed on Williams, of Dyserth, were detected by a fixed speed camera on a straight stretch of the A5104 at the village of Pontybodkin.

In a Freedom of Information response, North Wales Police revealed the camera detected 13,442 speeding offences last year.

Before the Welsh Government introduced the default 20mph limit, there had been two slight collisions in twelve months recorded on the A5104 at the village.

Since the new limit  which was meant to improve road safety  there had been one serious collision.

Gregory Williams apologised for breaching the 20mph limit 11 times, saying the offences all happened before the first speeding ticket came through

The stretch of the A5104 in Pontybodkin where Gregory Williams was flashed 10 times

Courier driver Williams was caught driving his white Mercedes van 11 times between September 4 and October 9 last year, the court heard, hitting speeds of between 26mph and 34mph.

Ten of the offences were in Pontybodkin and the eleventh in nearby Mynydd Isa.

Williams - who previously had a clean licence - apologised to the court, saying: 'I was a courier driver in a new area for me.

'I mistook it for a 30mph zone.'

In addition to the fines he must pay 840 costs.

Last year North Wales Police recorded 97,088 speeding offences  the equivalent of a ticket for every fan at a packed Wembley stadium.

The 20mph policy was responsible for most of the speeding with motorists typically caught doing 28mph.

Critics say drivers are often caught by speed camera vans on clear straight stretches of road.
A Millennial Harvard graduate and scion to the Chanel fortune has quietly been given a top job to look after his family's $90 billion empire.

Arthur Heilbronn, 38, filled the director role at Mousse Partners earlier this year, which manages his relatives' real estate and banking investments, according to filings reviewed by Bloomberg.

Heilbronn, who lives in a plush high-rise $19.5 million Park Avenue apartment, took the spot of veteran Chanel executive Michael Rena who died on November 2, 2024 at the age of 85.

He formally worked as a Goldman Sachs banker and recently married his wife Danielle Heilbronn in July 2020, according to a registry site.

The Ivy League graduate is the son of Charles Heilbronn, the founder of Mousse and chairman of the firm since 1991. Mousse serves to manage the Wertheimer family's wealth.

Charles' half-brothers are Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, who are both third-generation heirs to the French luxury fashion brand Chanel.

The Wertheimers are the grandsons of Pierre Wertheimer, who was a business partner of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, one of the original associated of the fashion house.

Pierre and Coco Chanel partnered together to create the 'Parfums Chanel,' later going on to create the brands iconic fragrance Chanel No. 5.

Arthur Heilbronn, 38, has quietly taken the head position at Mousse Partners, which controls the Chanel family wealth. He is the son of Charles Heilbronn, the founder of Mousse Partners and chairman of the firm since 1991

The Millennial wealth director lives in a lavish $19.5 million high-rise apartment in Manhattan, New York (Pictured)

lain and Gerard share the same mother as Charles, Elaine Heilbronn, who died last year. Elaine was known as the matriarch of the Chanel empire. All of her sons are in their 70s.

Each of the Wertheimers have a net worth of approximately $45 billion as they all hold equal shares in Chanel, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Although Gerard's son David, Arthur's cousin, has gone on to start his own private equity venture, there is no indication other children of the two heirs are involved with Mousse.

Heilbronn's new title appears to indicate succession plans for the company, which largely stays out of the media and keeps its wealth under wraps.

'Were a very discreet family,' Gerard previously said in 2001, Bloomberg reported. 'We never talk.'

Marc Debois, the founder of FO- Next, an advisory firm for family offices, told the outlet how the rich family appears to handle their highly successful business.

'They feel less like a family office and more like a private endowment for a luxury empire,' Debois said of Mousse.

Heilbronn joined the family business as a director of Mousse in 2019. He was soon promoted to managing director a few years later, per his LinkedIn profile.

Marking his ascent to power, in 2025 he was promoted again to director of Mousse's Luxembourg holding company.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2008, graduating with his bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics, Magna Cum Laude.

The former Goldman Sachs banker recently married his wife Danielle Heilbronn (second from right) in July 2020

Heilbronn's father Charles is half brothers with Gerard and Alain Wertheimer, pictured, who are both third-generation heirs to the French luxury fashion brand

The Chanel scion then went on to Harvard Business School from 2012 to 2014, obtaining his Master's in business administration, his profile detailed.

Along with his new role, Heilbronn is also the co-head of private equity and venture direct investing at Mousse, along with Paul Yun.

In 2023, he was named to the supervisory board of Rothschild & Co., one of the world's largest independent financial services groups.

That title was given to him after Mousse Partners made one of its high-profile investments ever by joining two other French dynasties that year in an effort to help take the bank private, Bloomberg reported.

Chanel's holding company is Mousse Investments Ltd., based in the Cayman Islands.

Meanwhile, Mousse Partners is the luxury brand's investment division that has offices in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Although Mousse Investments does not reveal financial numbers, some companies have named it as a shareholder or participant in deals.

Charles, Alain and Gerard all share the same mother, Elaine Heilbronn (pictured with Karl Lagerfeld in 2013 in Paris)

That means the company could have investments in real estate, stocks, credit and private equity.

Mousse Partners has hired more than three dozen employees across the world, including banking analysts from Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The company has backed several startups over the years, including Brightside Health, a mental health provider, and Brandtech Group, a digital advertising firm.

Mousse Partners also has roots in the food company Harmless Harvest, the biotechnology company Evolved by Nature, and Thirty Madison, a healthcare provider.

Heilbronn took the spot of veteran Chanel executive Michael Rena (left) who died on November 26, 2024 at the age of 85

And just last year, the investment firm joined L'Oreal SA heiress, investing in The Row, a high-end clothing brand.

Mousse has also invested in France's audiovisual and publishing industry for decades, per the report.

Despite Mousse not being involved in Chanel's operations, both companies have offices near New York's Central Park.

Daily Mail contacted Chanel and Mousse Partners for comment.
Reform UK's deputy leader today claimed some parents are 'using and abusing' free taxis to school for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Richard Tice warned 'unsustainable' spending on SEND provision is set to 'bankrupt' local councils as he called for changes.

Children aged 5 to 16 can qualify for free transport if they are unable to walk to school because of special educational needs, disabilities or a mobility problem.

Spending by councils on home to school transport for SEND children is predicted to reach nearly 2billion this year.

This represents approximately a 200 per cent increase on the amount spend in 2015/16, according to a recent analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA).

The research also found the average cost per child of providing SEND transport was around 8,900 a year.

The soaring cost of SEND provision - including free transport - is piling pressure on cash-strapped local councils.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Mr Tice said Reform were 'digging into' the issue across the local authorities they now control following May's elections.

Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice claimed some parents are 'using and abusing' free taxis to school for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)

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'Across the country, SEND is in crisis - the growth in numbers and the cost of that provision and the cost of transport,' Mr Tice told reporters in Westminster.

'This is going to bankrupt councils; no ifs, no buts - it is not sustainable.

'There are many children who need extra provision, but I regret to say there are some parents who are using and abusing the system and we have to be honest about that.

'That may upset some people, that is the harsh reality.

'Some parents they want to save themselves the opportunity to get up in the mornings, set the alarm and crack on and drive their children to school.

'So they're using and abusing the free taxi service. This is not sustainable in a country that wants to get richer.

'So change has to happen. I think the Government recognises it, we're digging into it in our councils. The SEND provision is not sustainable.'

Mr Tice welcomed the Labour Government's consideration of SEND reforms, which are due to be set out in a white paper this autumn.

The research for the LGC by the Isos Partnership found total SEND transport expenditure for 2023/24 was 1,733,513,195  up from 644,757,072 in 2015/16.

This was projected to be around 1.97billion in 2025/26.

Data released by the Department for Education in June showed the number of children with education, health and care (EHC) plans - which allow them to access funding for special educational needs - surged by 10 per cent in the year to January.

And provisional budgets underlined the increase in the costs of helping people get to schools.

Just over 1.5billion was earmarked for transporting SEN pupils aged up to 16 in 2024-25. That was up from 1.2billion the previous year - and around three times the level from 2017-18.

The overall schools budget in England was around 64billion last year.

Transport for mainstream pupils rose by around a fifth to 514million in 2024-25, although the rises have not been as pronounced previously.

SEND is a slightly broader category than SEN, including those classed as having disabilities.

Any child is entitled to free travel if the nearest suitable school is more than two miles away for under-eights - or three miles for older children.

Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the LGA's children and young people board, said in July: 'The rapidly rising need for home to school transport from children and young people in SEND is yet another reminder of the huge pressures on the SEND system.

'It is also wrong that children are increasingly having to travel long distances to get to school because of a lack of provision near to their home. This has to change.

'We urge the Government in its white paper to deliver the comprehensive reforms the SEND system needs, so that it is more inclusive and improves educational attainment for children.

'This should also include putting councils on a stable financial footing by writing off councils' high needs deficits, which are projected to reach 5 billion next year.'
A campaign group calling themselves the 'Pink Ladies' has hit out at the Metropolitan Police over what they claim was a 'heavy-handed' response to an anti-migrant hotel protest in Canary Wharf, which ended four arrests.

Violence broke out on Sunday afternoon when a crowd of around 50 to 100 masked demonstrators descended on the Britannia International Hotel  currently used to house asylum seekers  before tensions escalated inside a nearby shopping centre.

Footage shared on social media shows balaclava-clad men clashing with police, who had earlier issued a Section 60AA order to prevent protesters from concealing their identities.

Officers can be seen forming a barrier and shouting 'move back' as they try to contain the unrest.

In the midst of the disorder, a police officer is seen deploying synthetic pepper spray (PAVA) into the crowd.

One image shows a woman reeling in agony, while another captures a screaming child  later identified as a 12-year-old boy  being carried away for treatment as a masked man tries to soothe his burning eyes with water-soaked tissue.

The Met confirmed that one officer was 'punched in the face' during the unrest, while others were pushed and verbally abused.

Four arrests were made for offences including assault on a member of the public, possession of class A and B drugs, assault on police, and failure to disperse.

One woman reeling away in agony after being caught by the pepper spray

The two groups continued to tussle, pushing one another back as officers could be heard yelling, 'back off,' and 'move back'

A crowd of masked protesters have clashed with police at a Canary Wharf shopping centre today with a police officer being 'punched in the face'.

But the Pink Ladies, a group involved in the protest, have strongly disputed the police account, claiming the officer injured herself while mishandling the pepper spray and was in fact helped by protesters.

Lorraine Cavanagh, the group's chief organiser, said: 'Unfortunately, during the demonstration, the policing approach was heavy-handed.'

'We wish to clarify reports circulating in the media that a police officer was 'punched in the face.' This is not what happened. In reality, a young policewoman deployed her pepper spray incorrectly and accidentally injured herself in the process.

'Far from being attacked, she was supported by our members, who immediately offered assistance by providing baby wipes and water to help relieve her discomfort.'

Ms Cavanagh said the use of pepper spray caused real harm, affecting a 12-year-old child, a 70-year-old Pink Ladies group leader, and a journalist covering the event.

'These incidents highlight the serious risks caused by reckless crowd-control tactics that indiscriminately affect children, elderly people, and members of the press,' she added.

'Our purpose was, and always will be, to stand up for justice in a non-violent, compassionate, and respectful way.'

'Peaceful protest is a democratic right, and we will continue to exercise it responsibly and with compassion even when faced with provocation.'

Commander Adam Slonecki, of the Metropolitan Police, defended the force's actions, saying they acted quickly to contain disorder and protect the public.

A child was caught with pepper spray as police apprehended a protester who was witnessed committing an assault on a member of the public by officers

Masked protesters clash with police as they make their way through the shopping centre in the Isle of Dogs

Lorraine (pictured), a member of the Pink Ladies group who were protesting near the Britannia Hotel, received the brunt of the pepper spray

A child is carried away after being caught in pepper spray as anti-migrant protestors clashed with police in Canary Wharf

Far-right protesters clashed with members of the public and police officers inside Canary Wharf shopping centre

'This afternoon we have unfortunately seen more disorder, following the five arrests made yesterday in the West Drayton area,' he said.

'We had plenty of officers on the ground who moved in swiftly to deal with the criminality that occurred inside and outside the shopping centre. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

'Today's protest saw many community members attend, including women and children, and we worked to ensure the safety of those there to peacefully represent their views.

'Those who arrive at protests masked and intent on causing trouble will continue to be dealt with robustly at future protests.'

The latest demonstration comes amid a wave of protests over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, following the Court of Appeal's decision to set aside an injunction that would have forced the relocation of 138 migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping.

The hotel has become a flashpoint in the national debate on immigration and asylum, particularly after an asylum seeker staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, has denied the charges.
The boss of Omaze has suggested 'Nimbyism' is behind the reason why the raffle prize firm cannot find enough posh houses, and is planning to build its own luxury homes.

Californian businessman Matthew Pohlson says houses of the quality and size that people have come to expect from Omaze draws are in short supply.

He blames rigorous planning rules - and the host of objections that erupt from locals living beside areas of potential development - for a lack of big homes to give away.

In a new wide-ranging interview he also swatted away the 'Omaze curse', refuting claims that winners were selling their houses because they were too expensive to keep - despite the fact many winners have explicitly said this in the past.

Omaze was founded in the US in 2012 and came to Britain in 2020. It paused US operations in 2023 and now focuses on the UK.

It gives a vast amount of its income away to charity - recently hitting the 100million mark in Britain - but was, as of its most recent public accounts ending December 2023, running at a loss as it invested in homes to give away.

Now it seems its business model, which essentially consists of raffling lavish homes, has taken a hit at the hands of what Mr Pohlson describes as 'Nimbyism'.

He told The Telegraph: 'You look at the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, countries we're either in or looking at going into  it's the same patterns, the same thing is happening everywhere.

Boss of Omaze Matthew Pohlson, pictured, has suggested his firm could be forced to build luxury homes to give away in its famous prize draws

Many winners place their homes on sale in fear of not being able to maintain them, including Lauren Keene, pictured, right, with her partner Ryan Mitchell

Pictured: The spectacular six-bed Hollywood-style mansion in Wirral Ms Keene won on Omaze

'People don't let go of these houses. And sometimes they haven't been built. One hundred per cent we need to be building more houses.

'If we can't find the stuff [ticket buyers] want, we'll have to get building.'

The company offers 12 properties each year, whittled down by more than 1,000 considered by specialists, including interior designers and property lawyers.

Some of the key locations include the Cotswold, the Lake District and the south west.

Many get canned thanks to bizarre bylaws, including one home that would have involved its owners having to allow locals to hold a carnival on the land each year.

Omaze was birthed as an idea when Mr Pohlson, from California, and his original business partner Ryan Cummins went to a fundraiser where the mega rich were bidding big money on things to win.

It then it occurred to them that other people might want to be in with a shout of winning and that the raffle should be democratised.

Early raffles offered prizes including Lamborghini blessed by the Pope, a date with George Clooney and a mentoring session with Michelle Obama, and proved a hit in the US.

Grandfather Tom Steenson, pictured left, won an amazing 2million four bedroom home including a gym, cinema and swimming pool along with 250,000 in cash in November last year

But less than two months later, it was revealed he had put the property, pictured, in Exmouth, Devon, on the market for 2.35million

After his partner walked away from the business in 2018, Pohlson decided to hone in on house draw, specifically in the UK - a country he views as being obsessed with home ownership.

Omaze donates a guaranteed 1million from each draw to its charity partners, which include the British Heart Foundation and local food banks.

Pohlson also refuted suggestions of the 'curse of Omaze' which suggests the salaries of many winners are too low to maintain the luxury homes they win.

Its founder said that winners are also given 250,000 cash, sufficient to run most homes for seven to 10 years.

He argued that people sell up because the money they can get for the high-end homes is eye-watering.

Pohlson revealed he lives in a central London flat which is a 15-minute walk from Omaze's Holborn offices.

The top exec rides Lime Bikes and budgets strictly for each month.

He said he had noticed many people who enter the house draws are, suprisingly, upper class with some top celebrities even buying tickets.

An Omaze spokesperson said: 'All Omaze winners are free to live in their new house, rent it out for extra cash, or sell it the moment they get the keys to become a cash multi-millionaire  the choice is entirely theirs.

'Our Grand Prize winners also get 250,000 in cash to help them settle in and cover running costs  our properties also come mortgage-free, with no stamp duty or legal fees to pay. Full estimated running costs are available on our website, and with the settling-in money alone, winners could comfortably enjoy the home for many years.

'Each house comes with all the furnishings and essentials featured in our adverts - with a typical average value of 150,000.

'If winners are already paying rent or a mortgage elsewhere, those savings could go towards the running costs of their new home, or they could rent out either property for additional income.

'Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic, life-changing options available to them.

'Omaze is immensely proud to have created 40 millionaires while raising over 100 million for good causes in the UK.'

In June it was revealed the youngest ever person to scoop a luxury Omaze mansion became the latest in a long line of winners of the property draw to decide to sell her prize.

Lauren Keene, 24, had considered moving into her six-bedroom Hollywood-style home with her partner Ryan Mitchell after she won it last December, along with 250,000.

But the full time nanny followed in the footsteps of the vast majority of winners by cashing in on the house in the Wirral, Merseyside, and putting it on the market for 2.5million, a discount of 500,000 on the original 3million valuation.

Her father Daniel Keene revealed that the couple had spent only a few nights at the spectacular house due to them living and working almost 200 miles away in Gloucester.

Widowed grandmother Patricia Moule, 81, scooped a 4million contemporary four bedroom home on the shores of Loch Rannoch, Perthshire, in April this year

But the former personnel manager from Southampton revealed when she was named as the winner that she planned to sell the house

Chris Milnes spent last Christmas with his family in a dream new-build house which he won in an Omaze draw last year (Pictured: Mr Milnes, centre right, and his wife Jules, centre left, celebrate winning with two of their children Lucy, far left, and Esme, far right)

Like many other winners of Omaze's Grand Designs-style homes, Lauren is also said to have been put off by the expensive running costs of her new dream home.

Instead she and her Ryan, a software engineer, are buying themselves a much smaller and more practical semi-detached home in Gloucester.

All but a handful of the 40 winners of Omaze home draws in the UK, have sold or are planning to sell their multi-million pound prizes.

Many have decided their new homes are too lavish or costly to maintain, as well as often being hundreds of miles away from family, friends and familiar surroundings

Other winners have had to deal with planning consent issues or problems such as their homes being overlooked, which have not been revealed in the glossy pictures advertising Omaze draws that have raised 85million for charities in the UK since 2020.

Widowed grandmother Patricia Moule, 81, scooped a 4million contemporary four bedroom home on the shores of Loch Rannoch, Perthshire, and 250,000 in cash in April this year after buying an Omaze draw ticket for 25.

But the former personnel manager from Southampton revealed when she was named as the winner that she planned to sell the house, describing it as offering her family 'a generational legacy' that would secure their future.

Grandfather Tom Steenson, 63, won an amazing 2million four bedroom home including a gym, cinema and swimming pool along with 250,000 in cash in November last year.

Scottish mother-of-three Rachael Reid, pictured right, spent several months staying with her husband Darren, left, in the luxury bungalow which she won in an Omaze draw in July last year

But the couple who have been married for 30 years decided to sell the stunning building, pictured, which boasts a 40ft heated indoor pool, a gym and sauna near Farnham, Surrey, so they could move back to Scotland and be closer to friends and family

But less than two months later, it was revealed that he had put the property in Exmouth, Devon, on the market for 2.35million which is 350,000 more than the 2million valuation when he won it.

Chris Milnes, 60, spent last Christmas with his family in a dream new-build house which he won in an Omaze draw last year.

But it was revealed in January this year that he was putting the three-tiered home near Poole, Dorset, on the market for 2.3million so he could spend more time with his new grandchild in Australia.

And Scottish mother-of-three Rachael Reid, 54, spent several months staying with her husband Darren, 56, in the luxury bungalow which she won in an Omaze draw in July last year.

But the couple who have been married for 30 years decided to sell the stunning building which boasts a 40ft heated indoor pool, a gym and sauna near Farnham, Surrey, so they could move back to Scotland and be closer to friends and family.
Two victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's trafficking operation are hoping that Republican lawmakers will have the 'courage' to help bring justice to victims and prevent similar abuse from happening again.

Epstein survivors Teresa Helm and Jess Michaels will join other victims of the sex offender on Capitol Hill this week.

The women are pushing for Congress to address Epstein-related issues and child sex trafficking reforms.

'What we're looking for with all of these meetings is courage on the part of Republican representatives, because this is, most importantly, a bipartisan issue,' Michaels said on MSNBC over the weekend.

'This is not something that anyone, anyone on any side of the aisle should be for,' she continued. 'No one should be for child sex trafficking and allowing perpetrators to escape justice, and no one should be for systems failing to prosecute over decades.'

Some Epstein and Maxwell survivors will meet privately with the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Daily Mail.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., will also be hosting a press conference with the survivors on Capitol Hill on Wednesday - a prelude to a larger fight they are waging to force the Trump administration to disclose additional Epstein files.

Helm shared that she feels mistreated by the administration's handling of its Epstein investigation, particularly the DOJ's interview with Maxwell.

Theresa Helm told MSNBC over the weekend that she will meet with top Republican investigators to talk about her experience with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

'What we're looking for with all of these meetings is courage on the part of Republican representatives, because this is, most importantly, a bipartisan issue,' Epstein survivor Jess Michaels said on MSNBC over the weekend

Jeffrey Epstein's connections to top government officials and international business leaders has sparked curiosity about who may have been involved with the pedophiles sordid crimes

'I feel like we've gone further past the point of survivors being not even at the table or in the discussion,' she told MSNBC.'We've gone to the point of being almost even silenced or just entirely bypassed.'

The late, well-connected financier, who authorities say committed suicide while awaiting trial in 2019, and his accomplice, Maxwell, have been the subject of extreme interest since the DOJ claimed and then walked back that it obtained Epstein's much-rumored 'client list.'

President Donald Trump has been directly implicated in the saga, with reports and Elon Musk claiming that the president is in the files, though to what extent is unknown. Simply appearing in a file or witness testimony about the case does not necessarily implicate someone of wrongdoing.

The survivors shared that they were upset that the DOJ's number two official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, held multiple private interviews with Maxwell before publicly releasing the charged sex trafficker's testimony.

'I felt pretty gutted,' Helm said of the released transcript. 'It entirely is devastating to the entire survivor community.'

'You know, I sat and listened to this woman's calm, articulate voice. And you know what that is, the same calm and articulate voice that led me to believe that I was in a safe environment, and that is the same calm voice that led me to walk myself to Jeffrey's home after meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell that day.'

'It goes so far beyond throwing salt on wounds or anything like that. It's entirely destructive to survivors, such as myself, that had gone through personal experience with her.'

Since the DOJ and FBI's July admission that the 'client list' does not exist, Republicans - who have claimed for years interest in releasing all Epstein-related files - have been asked by their constituents to force the release of the files.

In addition to their press conference with the survivors, Khanna and Massie have also been working on a bill to force the DOJ to release all its files on Epstein, barring some, on an online portal within 30 days of passage.

Many Republicans have said they are in favor of the bill, and if the measure gets 218 signatories, GOP leadership under Speaker Mike Johnson may not be able to stop the gambit.

If the bill does pass the House, it would head to the Senate, where some GOP lawmakers have indicated they'd vote to release files on the late pedophile.
President Donald Trump lost his patience with Americas largest pharmaceutical companies for refusing to prove the success of their Covid vaccines.

In a Labor Day post on Truth Social, Trump claimed there is disagreement over whether the drugs saved lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives, Trump wrote. Others disagree!

With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW. I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not???

A July 2025 study published in the JAMA Health Forum found that COVID-19 vaccinations averted 2.5 million deaths between 2022-2024. The World Health Organization estimates over 7 million people have died from COVID across the globe.

But as he watches controversy roil the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the president sought to shift the blame to the drug companies.

Trump added, They go off to the next hunt and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work. They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they dont seem to be showing them to many others.

The commander-in-chief then demanded the drug companies prove the success of Operation Warp Speed by providing data to the public and the CDC to clear up this MESS.

Trump's sudden pressure on drug companies comes after the departure of top leaders at the CDC

RFK Jr. fired CDC director Susan Monarez for not falling in-line behind his vaccine skepticism

Trump demanded drug companies prove the effectiveness of the vaccine to the CDC and the public

I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as BRILLIANT as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???

The presidents post comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. deals with upheaval at the CDC over disagreements about the mRNA vaccine.

Kennedy fired CDC director Susan Monarez last week for refusing to enforce policy that was skeptical about the effectiveness of vaccines.

The removal of Monarez led to a mass exodus of top CDC leaders who helped push forward Trumps Operation Warp Speed during the pandemic.

According to the Daily Beast, Debra Houry, the former chief medical officer at the CDC, believes RFK Jr. is taking his talking points on vaccines from outside groups instead of experts at the agency.

When asked if she believed Kennedy may remove the vaccine off the market following his claims it causes vaccine injuries, she responded, Maybe not, maybe not.

I think we have seen that policy decisions are sometimes made without science, and theres been a lot of things that I have been surprised at that have happened, Houry added.

Last week, the FDA approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall season but sharply limited their use.

Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies helped lead the push to mass produce the vaccine during Operation Warp Speed

Vaccines are now only widely recommended for individuals age 65 and older and for younger people with serious health conditions that increase risk of severe illness, while healthy children and young adults will generally not be advised to receive them except after consulting a healthcare provider.

'RFK promised  under oath  that anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. Now he says you can only get one if your doctor says so. To be frank and objective, unless hes also giving everyone access to free healthcare, he seems to be reneging on his promise,' wrote former Trump surgeon general Dr. Jerome Adams following the decision.
A Sri Lankan mother has won a reprieve in her battle to claim asylum after arguing she can't be deported as she is too depressed to fly.

The unnamed woman entered the UK in 2021 after leaving the south Asian country over fears she would be persecuted for her family's support of the Tamil Tigers, a militant group.

In her asylum claim, the mother of five said she suffers from severe depression and is 'not fit to fly' until she recovers from the disorder.

A judge initially rejected her claim saying they did not 'accept' that her mental health condition made her unable to go on a plane and return to Sri Lanka.

They suggested the woman could be accompanied by one of her four daughters and said her overall claim 'lacked credibility'.

The woman appealed the decision, and a different judge has now ruled her case must be reheard.

The asylum seeker - who has been granted anonymity - entered the UK on a visit visa in October 2021.

It was heard the woman is married with five children and since 2004, her husband and son have supported the militant organisation fighting for Tamil independence.

The woman entered the UK in 2021 after leaving Sri Lanka over fears she would be persecuted for her family's support of the Tamil Tigers, a militant group (pictured)

The asylum hearing heard the mother of five suffered from severe depression and is 'not fit to fly' until she recovers from the disorder (File image of the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber)

The asylum seeker claimed this support has subjected her and her family to 'adverse attention' from the Sri Lankan authorities.

She fears she will be arrested on arrival if deported, the tribunal heard.

The woman - who has experienced mental health issues since 2004 - also claims there would be 'very significant obstacles' to her integration in Sri Lanka, as she suffers from depression due to her fear of persecution.

The tribunal heard four of her daughters are residents in the UK, her son lives in France, and her husband lives in Sri Lanka in an 'obscure forest area' to avoid the attention of the authorities.

In her claim, the asylum seeker relied on a psychiatric report produced by consultant psychiatrist Dr Saleh Dhumad.

The judgement stated: '[Dr Dhumad] was of the opinion that the [woman's] presentation was consistent with a diagnosis of recurrent depressive disorder and given her unstable mental health with suicide risks, anxiety and severe depression, [she] was not fit to fly and would remain unfit for a few years until she recovers from her severe depression.'

A first-tier tribunal judge rejected the woman's claim on the basis that it 'lacked credibility finding the asylum narrative to be a sheer fabrication'.

The judge said: 'I do not accept that the mental health condition of the [asylum seeker], such as it is, does not enable her to fly.

The woman has supported Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers militant group. Pictured are activists in Downing Street protesting in support of the Tamils on August 30

Pictured is the Tiger flag which symbolises the desired independent Tamil Eelam or Tamil state

The woman has won a reprieve in her battle to claim asylum after arguing she can't be deported as she is too depressed to fly (Pictured: protesters in Sri Lanka)

'She can be accompanied by one of her four daughters, as arranged between the extended members of her family in the UK, whose commonly generated income could contribute to supporting her in Sri Lanka.'

The asylum seeker appealed this decision, and claimed that the judge had failed to give 'adequate reasons' for reaching a conclusion different to that of the expert in relation to her fitness to fly.

Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Haria found that the first-tier judge had made a legal mistake by failing to explain how they reached their conclusion.

Judge Haria said: 'Although the [first-tier tribunal judge] acknowledges the [asylum seeker's] mental health conditions and summarises the expert psychiatric report of Dr Dhumad, there is on the face of the decision no consideration and assessment of the expert report and what if any weight is attributed to the opinions in the report.

'It was incumbent on the [first-tier tribunal judge] to have set out the reasons for departing from the views of Dr Dhumad.

'It cannot be inferred that the [first-tier tribunal judge] concluded no weight is to be given to the report of Dr Dhumad.

'The [first-tier tribunal judge] may having assessed the expert report ultimately decided to give it no or little weight, but it is necessary for there to be reasons for reaching such a conclusion.

'The [first-tier tribunal judge] may reach a finding contrary to the opinion given in an expert report provided the [first-tier tribunal judge] gives reasons.

'The decision of the FTJ involved the making of errors of law and is set aside in its entirety.'

Judge Haria set the decision aside and said it must be heard again.
President Trump's 2026 budget proposal would slash NASA funding by $6 billion  nearly a quarter of its total  leaving former NASA chief Bill Nelson 'deeply' concerned as America's flagship missions to the Moon and Mars face the axe.

'A lot of things I deeply care about and worked hard on are getting cut,' lamented Nelson, the former Democratic senator who flew aboard the space shuttle and served as NASA's 14th administrator.

The devastating cuts would cancel NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion crew capsule after their third Artemis flight in 2027, effectively grounding all future lunar missions despite decades of investment and billions already spent.

Nearly every area of NASA faces cuts , including a brutal 50 percent reduction to major science programs that support thousands of researchers worldwide  raising alarm about America's ability to compete with China's expanding space efforts.

Even the Mars Sample Return mission, designed to bring Martian rock and soil back to Earth, would be scrapped. The White House dismisses it as 'grossly over budget' and argues its goals could be met through future human Mars missions instead. A White House document also notes that MSR wouldn't return samples until the 2030s.

The Artemis program, NASA's most ambitious effort to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars, would be gutted just as it gains momentum.

One exception is a $1 billion boost for Mars-focused human exploration efforts.

Bill Nelson served as the 14th administrator of NASA and is a former Democratic U.S. senator from Florida. He also flew aboard the space shuttle during its 24th mission in January 1986. He shares his concerns with Daily Mail about 'NASA's shrinking'

President Trump's 2026 budget proposal calls for a $6 billion cut to NASA  nearly a quarter of its current funding  and moves to cancel parts of critical missions including its Moon rocket and flagship Mars program

Drawing on his experience in both politics and spaceflight, Nelson has remained a notable voice in discussions about the future of U.S. space policy and exploration efforts

Drawing on his experience in both politics and spaceflight, Nelson has remained a notable voice in discussions about the future of U.S. space policy and exploration efforts.

Nelson tells Daily Mail that by cutting efforts to return to the Moon and to pursue Mars missionsboth international prioritiesthe proposal undermines NASA's future.

He argues that the cuts threaten efforts he carefully advanced during his tenure.

Not only cuts to programs, but also, staff.

'All this uncertainty is going on while people at NASA have been encouraged to retire, one round in June, another round happening now, and as many as I believe 3,500 that were retired with incentives of three months 'pay to take retirement,' Nelson said.

Adding, 'Those people don't go to work by the way, they are just paid.'

NASA sources say these changes had nothing to do with DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, a department formerly led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk  clarifying that it was a direct incentives program from the administration.

Trumpappointed Secretary Sean Duffy's dual appointment places him at the helm of both NASA and the Department of Transportation

The Artemis program is NASA's largest effort to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars

'These are the experienced people who are in leadership on many of these highrisk programs, such as spacetech, lunar programs, and space science,' Nelson said.

Nelson expressed concern to the Daily Mail over the departure of experienced personnel at NASA, warning that such losses could pose serious risks to the agency's operations.

'Everything is so highrisk at NASA, you just can't afford to have any mistakes because the consequences are so dire. Because of mistakes, we lost 17 astronauts on missions already,' he added.

Nearly every area of NASA would see cuts, including a nearly 50 percent cut to major science programs that support thousands of researchers worldwide  raising concerns about America's future in space

Trumpappointed Secretary Sean Duffy's dual role places him at the helm of both NASA and the Department of Transportation  an unconventional leadership pairing but also one that aligns with the Trump administration's streamlined approach.

At the Department of Transportation, Duffy has already pushed for significant changes like streamlining operations at the FAA, relocating their staff and modernizing systems, as well as trying to recruit more airtraffic controllers and signing an executive order to boost the commercial space sector by easing regulations.

Duff's priority has been focusing NASA towards human exploration on other planets.

Last month, Duffy announced a plan to fasttrack a 100kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030  to power future lunar bases and stay ahead of China in the space race.

Nelson tells Daily Mail that by cutting efforts to return to the Moon and to pursue Mars missionsboth international prioritiesthe proposal undermines NASA's future. He argues that the cuts threaten efforts he carefully advanced during his tenure

Nelson says he hopes Duffy can become a stabilizing force for NASA, but mentions a problem he says is too obvious.

'How can he do both jobs?'

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and the Department of Transportation for comment.
Keir Starmer admitted he would not want to live next to an asylum hotel today as he insisted he wants to speed up closures.

The PM stressed he wanted the facilities to shut in an 'orderly' way but acknowledged that the 2029 target for getting rid of them needs to be brought forward.

Challenged during a BBC Radio 5 Live interview on how he would feel if his daughter was having to walk past an asylum hotel every day, Sir Keir said: 'I completely get it. Local people by and large do not want these hotels in their towns, in their place - and nor do I.'

However, Sir Keir pleaded with Britons not to believe Nigel Farage's 'fanciful' solutions to the problems.

The comments came as Yvette Cooper prepares to face MPs following a torrid summer dominated by protests over Channel boats and immigration.

Sir Keir staged a relaunch today, reshuffling officials - but was ridiculed for a bizarre video claiming he had 'completed phase one' and was moving on to 'phase two'.

Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick compared the footage to cringeworthy middle-manager David Brent from The Office.

Keir Starmer stressed he wanted the facilities to shut in an 'orderly' way but acknowledged that the 2029 target for getting rid of them needs to be brought forward

Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick compared the footage to cringeworthy middle-manager David Brent from The Office

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement as the Commons returns from a torrid summer dominated by questions over immigration

A protester outside an asylum hotel in Newcastle last month

Keir Starmer says he has England flag in flat Keir Starmer has revealed he has an England flag hanging in his flat. Asked whether people putting up the Union and St George's Cross flags could be considered racist, the PM told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I am supporter of flags.' He added: 'I am the leader of the Labour Party who put the Union Jack on our Labour Party membership cards. I always sit in front of the Union Jack. I've been doing it for years, and it attracted a lot of comment when I started doing it.' The Prime Minister also said his family has 'got St George's flag in our flat' in Downing Street. He went on: 'I'm very encouraging of flags. I think they're patriotic and I think they're a great symbol of our nation. 'I don't think they should be devalued and belittled. I think sometimes when they're used purely for divisive purposes, actually it devalues the flag. 'I don't want to see that. I'm proud of our flag.' Advertisement

In his interview, Sir Keir said: 'When I took over as leader of the Labour Party, I said there will be sort of three phases to this.

'You've got to sort of build the fundamentals first and then you move on to the second stage. So, this should be seen more as moving on to the second phase than a reshuffle.'

He added that he was not 'angry' about the pace of change his Government had managed, but said he was 'frustrated, I get the frustration and anger of voters because they want change'.

Sir Keir added: 'I want to deliver that change as quickly as possible. Today is about moving on to that second phase.

'I say delivery is the absolute key word and that's why I'm really pleased with the changes today.'

Pressed on when things would get better, Sir Keir said: 'What I would say is we spent the first year sort of fixing the foundations, if you like, doing the hard yards.

'But we now enter into phase two of the government, which is where we focus on delivery, delivery, delivery, and start to show what a difference a Labour government really makes.

'And so yes, it was always going to take time  and the frustration I completely understand.

'I want to go further and faster and that's amongst the reasons I've done some changes here at Number 10 today.'

Despite overseeing record numbers of crossings from France this year, Ms Cooper claimed this afternoon that Labour's plans are already working.

She pledged to press ahead with a shake-up of the asylum appeals process, which currently takes an average of a year.

A new panel will prioritise cases involving foreign criminals and migrants living in hotels, with the aim of halving times to less than 24 weeks.

She is also making it harder for refugees to bring family members to this country unless they meet basic standards like speaking English.

Ms Cooper argued the changes are designed to bring 'greater fairness and balance' to a system that is struggling to maintain public confidence.

She blamed the last Conservative government for leaving the system in 'chaos and disarray', and warned that the government is facing 'complex challenges (which) require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can't be delivered.'

'Britain has a proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution, including in recent years from Ukraine and Hong Kong and we must do more to help students from Gaza,' she said. 'But the whole system needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments not criminal gangs decide who comes to the UK.'

The Home Secretary's Cabinet colleague Bridget Phillipson fuelled anger yesterday by defending deploying government lawyers to keep open an asylum hotel in Epping, saying the rights of arrivals trumped those of local residents.

No10 strategic communications director James Lyons (right) announced he is leaving the role after a year amid a desperate effort to 'reset' the PM's team. Darren Jones (left) has been moved from Treasury minister to become Secretary to the PM.

Despite overseeing record numbers of crossings from France this year, Ms Cooper will claim this afternoon that Labour's plans are already working

Who's in and who's out as Keir Starmer shuffles his No10 team IN Darren Jones - The Treasury minister has been promoted to a new position as Chief Secretary to the PM. Minouche Shafik - The former deputy governor of the Bank of England has been drafted in as the PM's Chief Economic Adviser. Dan York-Smith - The top Treasury official is moving to No10 as the PM's Principal Private Secretary (PPS). Tim Allan - The former adviser to Tony Blair, who went on to found the Portland public affairs agency, is the new Executive Director of Communications in Downing Street. Vidhya Alakeson - The PM's Deputy Chief of Staff is to take on an additional role overseeing policy and delivery in No10. OUT James Lyons - The former journalist is quitting as No10's strategic communications director after less than a year in the role. Nin Pandit - The former NHS England official is no longer the PM's PPS. But she is remaining in No10 to lead work on delivering the PM's key priorities. Advertisement

The Government and the Bell Hotel's owner last week succeeded in overturning an interim injunction which would have required asylum seekers to be removed from the site.

Epping Forest District Council, which applied for the injunction, is considering taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Protests continued in Epping last night, with police arresting three people.

Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the council building on Sunday evening, where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed plans to tighten rules on those granted asylum bringing family members to the UK as a 'tiny tweak'.

'I'm afraid the truth is this is a tiny tweak that will make very little difference,' he told BBC Breakfast.

He said the Government was 'in complete denial' about the scale of the 'borders crisis'.

He said: 'To be quite honest, people who cross the channel illegally shouldn't be able to bring any family members over here at all.

'In fact, if the Government was serious about fixing this issue, what they would be doing is making sure that everybody who arrives illegally is immediately removed.'

Asked why the Conservatives did not restrict people's ability to bring family into the UK when in power, he pointed to the now-scrapped Rwanda plan, which he said would have seen 'every single illegal immigrant crossing the Channel immediately removed to Rwanda'.
Furious parents in a ritzy New York City neighborhood demanded that feral cats be unleashed to manage the booming number of rats that have taken over their kids' playground.

Families on the Upper West Side, considered one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Big Apple, have reported heinous encounters with rodents at their Central Park playground.

'They're unusually bold. They'll come into your stroller, which is gross,' Robert Hart told ABC 7.

'Very close to our feet, and very close to our bags. Disgusting,' said Katie Garnovsky.

Some said they've noticed rats lurking around strollers and preying on little kids, hoping they will drop some of their snacks.

'Every single day that I go to play with my son, there will be one, two, three [rats], scurrying around and even jumping up in an area where our kids are eating their snacks. They have no shame,' mom Amy Meyers told the New York Post.

'I saw a rat crawl into the seat of a stroller one day in July, and I called out, 'Who's stroller is this?' And two weeks ago, I saw a rat crawling around the bottom of a stroller,' another mother said.

'It's happened to the point where, if I see someone parking their stroller near the entrance, I warn them not to, because I'm afraid a rat will crawl into it.'

Families on the Upper West Side, considered one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Big Apple, have reported heinous encounters with rodents at their Central Park playground

Some said they've noticed rats lurking around strollers and preying on little kids

Some parents have decided the rat problem has become too much for them, and they no longer bring their kids to the park.

'It's unfortunate because we don't feel comfortable spending time at the playground when it's such a beautiful day,' said Maureen Ginnane.

Families have brought their concerns to mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who has come up with a plan to let feral cats into the city parks to control the rodent problem.

'The rats, the mice, will smell them. And it would be like they're on patrol. Consider them like Batman and Robin,' Sliwa said.

'Being feral, they tend not to come up to human beings; they stay at a careful distance.'

Grandmother Margaret Perkins said, 'Come here and clean out the rats!'

New York City even appointed its first-ever 'Rat Czar' in 2023, and Mayor Eric Adams called it his 'trash revolution' to clean up the streets.

He established an $877,000 rat 'death squad' in 2024 to gas the rodents, and implemented requirements for property owners to use 'rodent-proof' trash cans.

Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa (pictured) has come up with a plan to let feral cats into the city parks to control the rodent problem

Some parents have decided the rat problem has become too much for them, and they no longer bring their kids to the park

Officials also established four 'rat mitigation zones,' or RMZs, which consist of areas in Harlem, the East Village and Chinatown, parts of the Bronx's Grand Concourse, and in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick in Brooklyn.

On August 19, the Sanitation Department announced there have been nearly 14,000 rat sightings reported to 311, a decrease of 17 percent compared to last year.

However, despite dedicated pest control efforts, rats have proven to be remarkably adaptable, and some parents report that they are not seeing improvements in communal areas, such as the park.

'I think with this new trashcan thing going on, I think that really changed,' said Mike Barisha.

'There's really not much you can do besides just, like, pick up after your trash. That's really what we can do.'
A haunting collection of Victorian-era mugshots featuring child convicts has come to light 140 years later.

The rogue's gallery, which is believed to date back to the 1870s or 1880s, was compiled at Exeter Gaol.

Seven youngsters feature in the ledger, with six of them appearing to be aged under ten. The other looks to be slightly older.

Just like the Artful Dodger in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, some of the youngsters will likely have been caught pick-pocketing or stealing food.

But what they were 'in for' will forever remain a mystery, because the four-sided ledger containing 48 mugshots does not list the crimes of the convicts.

The ledger is coming up for sale at Lawrences Auctioneers of Crewkerne, Somerset.

Most of the images show adult criminals, and no girls or women feature at all.

A haunting collection of Victorian-era mugshots featuring child convicts has come to light 140 years later. Above: Two of the children pictured in the ledger compiled at Exeter Gaol in the 19th century

Seven youngsters feature in the ledger, with six of them appearing to be aged under ten

A spokesperson for Lawrences said: 'This haunting page offers a glimpse into the lives of men - and children - who passed through Exeter Gaol in the late 19th century.

'While the crimes are not listed some of them would have been petty theft, including loafs of bread, hence why some of the photos include children's mugshots.

'They didn't have enough money to buy anything, so would run past the shops grabbing what they could and were caught in the process.

'This is a stark record of identity in an era when photographs were rarely afforded to the working class, let alone the criminalised poor.

'The photographs, likely taken in the 1870s-1880s, reflect a time when mugshots were a novel tool of law enforcement.

Most of the images show adult criminals, and no girls or women feature at all

Some of the mugshots that feature in the ledger. Most are of adult criminals

The crimes, backgrounds and fates of the criminals are unexplored and unknown

The criminals will have been banged up for offences that might go unpunished today

The criminals ranged in age significantly. Mugshots were used by British police from the late 1850s

'A governor of the era remarked that "photography is unquestionably a very useful auxiliary and should be brought into prison use generally".

'The innovation helped authorities identify repeat offenders, especially so-called 'tramps and strangers.'

While the earliest criminal photographs emerged in Belgium in the 1840s, by 1857 police forces in London and New York had adopted the practice more widely.

The Lawrences spokesperson added: 'The survival of such a complete and local set is extremely rare, making it not only a compelling artefact of criminal history, but a significant West Country artefact.

'The individuals recorded here remain largely unexplored. Their crimes, backgrounds and fates are unknown, but for historians, researchers or those simply curious, this page presents an irresistible opportunity.

'A tangible link to the past, and a chance to trace the lost footsteps of real lives once documented and forgotten.'
A hero who rescued a little boy who was teetering along the edge of the Herseypark monorail track has revealed the moment he sprang into action to save the child.

The boy was seen walking alone on the track of the elevated ride at the Pennsylvania theme park Saturday after he became separated from his parents.

He entered the secured area for the monorail ride and wandered onto the track, which is an estimated 20 feet off the ground.

John Sampson said his 'dad instincts kicked in' the moment he saw the boy teetering along the edge as a crowd of screaming, panicked adults tried to direct him to safety.

The boy, apparently overwhelmed by the shouting voices, placed his hands over his ears as he started to walk back and forth.

That's when Sampson climbed on the roof of a food stand, jumped onto the tracks, grabbed the boy and carried him down to safety.

'I was just trying to figure things out and how to get up there as fast as possible,' Sampson, a father and veterinarian based in rural Pennsylvania, told WPMT.

He felt 'absolute relief' the moment he embraced the little boy, adding that he could tell the child also felt 'relief as soon as he got into my arms'.

John Sampson says his 'dad instincts kicked in' the moment he saw the young boy teetering along the edge of the monorail

Sampson said he could tell the little boy felt 'relief as soon as he got into my arms'

Sampson, a veterinarian based in rural Pennsylvania and father himself, says he felt 'absolute relief' the moment he embraced the little boy

'Thank goodness he came straight into my arms, and it went nice and simply in that sense,' Sampson added.

The boy's parents reached out to Sampson the next day and thanked him for saving their son, who was luckily uninjured in the incident.

The Good Samaritan says he is 'so happy' the youngster is safely back with his loved ones, which he highlighted as the 'biggest thing out of all of this'.

Amusement park officials told the Daily Mail the child was reported missing around 5pm on Saturday and reunited with his family about 20 minutes later.

'The ride was closed and safeguarded by a chained closure at the entrance and barricaded turnstile at the platform,' a spokesperson said.

'The child remained at the closed station for about 20 minutes before briefly walking along the track. A guest quickly noticed and helped guide the child to safety.'

The spokesperson added officials are 'grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark'.

Officials are also continuing their investigation into how the child managed to access the closed monorail.

Sampson climbed on the roof of a food stand, jumped onto the tracks, grabbed the boy and then carried the boy down to safety

Social media users were quick to praise Sampson (pictured) for his heroic rescue

Social media users were quick to praise Sampson for his heroic rescue and emphasized the importance of doing whatever it takes to keep track of your kids.

'Some heroes... don't wear capes,' one person said. 'I bet that guy is a dad cause he didn't think twice and worked fast,' added another.

'Kudos to the two men who climbed up and rescued him. They did not hesitate and reacted quick! Glad he's safe,' said a third person.

'And this is one of the reasons idgf (excuse my French) when people make remarks about my 3 year old with a roped backpack,' a fourth person said.

The shocking incident comes just over a month after a nine-year-old girl died in a busy area of Hersheypark's wave pool.

Sophia Subedi, 9, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was pulled from the water unresponsive on July 24 and could not be revived.

Despite false rumors the child suffered a medical emergency that led to her death, the Dauphin County Coroner's Office determined the incident was accidental.

'The decedent did not have a medical event that caused the drowning,' Deputy Chief Clerk with the Dauphin County Commissioners Vincent Paese told WGAL on Monday.

Sampson, pictured with his own family, says he is 'so happy' the youngster is safely back with his loved ones, which he highlighted as the 'biggest thing out of all of this'

The close call on the monorail comes a month after a nine-year-old girl died in a busy area of Hersheypark's wave pool

Witnesses recalled that the popular attraction was filled with guests when Sophia died, and the park said more than 100 lifeguards were on duty in the Boardwalk area, with 10 'specifically dedicated to the wave pool.'

Sophia was 'in distress' in the wave pool before she died, and onlookers said she was 'limp' while being pulled from the water during the sweltering 92-degree evening.

After park staff performed life-saving measures, the young girl was taken to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The 378,000-gallon pool, officially named 'The Shore,' has zero depth entry, meaning it gets deeper the further someone goes in. It has a maximum depth of six feet.

It is unclear what part of the pool Sophia was swimming in when she drowned.

Hersheypark, along with the Derry Township Police Department and the Dauphin County Coroner's Office, are investigating what led up to her untimely death.
Americans have been warned to stay off the roads to protect their health and avoid flooding caused by thunderstorms during one of the busiest travel days in years.

As 148 million Americans are set to travel over the Labor Day holiday, which ends on Wednesday, officials are telling the general public to avoid driving due to concerns over high air pollution levels, according to Newsweek.

The millions of people traveling may also be faced with huge delays due to flood threats across portions of the Great Plains and Florida, according to the New York Post.

Some area of the Great Plains could see one to two inches of rain, and cities like Kansas City and Nashville are at risk of even heavier downpours.

NOAAs Weather Prediction Center (WPC) highlighted areas of the central and northern Great Plains, as well as parts of the Tennessee Valley, in a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood threat Monday.

Parts of southern New Mexico and Arizona, as well as western and southern Texas, have been placed in a Level 1 flood threat.

Florida also faces a flash flood and thunderstorm threat. The WPC placed most of the Florida Peninsula at a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk this week.

Meanwhile, widespread air-quality alerts have been issued across Oregon, Arizona, and Idaho by the National Weather Service, warning that ground-level ozone and particulate pollution (often from wildfire smoke) are expected to reach unhealthy levels.

Americans have been warned to stay off the roads to protect their health and avoid thunderstorms during one of the busiest travel days in years

As 148 million Americans are set to travel over the Labor Day holiday, which ends on Wednesday, officials are telling the general public to avoid driving due to concerns over high air pollution levels

The NWS warned that the general public as well as vulnerable groups, including children, seniors and individuals with preexisting respiratory or heart conditions, may see health effects linked to poor air quality in the affected regions.

'Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, aggravate heart and lung diseases, and aggravate other serious health problems,' the agency said.

'Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition.'

In Arizona's Phoenix metro area, a high ozone advisory was put in place through Tuesday due to expected ozone levels exceeding health standards.

'Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems. A decrease in physical activity is recommended,' the NWS said.

'You are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day.'

Meanwhile, in Oregon, an air quality advisory is in effect until 11am Tuesday for Klamath and Deschutes counties, including the cities of Bend and Richmond.

'Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecast conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels,' the NWS said.

Widespread air-quality alerts have been issued across Oregon, Arizona, and Idaho by the NWS for Labor Day, warning that ground-level ozone and particulate pollution, often from wildfire smoke, are expected to reach unhealthy levels (pictured: Oregon wildfires on August 23)

The Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho has issued an air quality advisory until 10am Tuesday due to the wildfire smoke.

Air quality in this area is in the 'moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups' range.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and many Americans are expected to return home from holiday getaways this week.

According to a recent poll from travel site the Vacationer, over half of all Americans - around 148 million people - were planning to travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

For Americans who don't have the option to avoid driving, the American Automobile Association (AAA) recommended departing before 11am local time on Sunday and before noon on Monday to avoid the busiest traffic.

The worst times to travel are between 12pm and 5pm Sunday and between 1pm and 4pm on Monday.

These delays might drag until Tuesday, when late vacationers return.

'On Sunday, you could see it slow down a little bit, and then it heats back up again on Monday when people are all coming home at once, and even into Tuesday a little bit,' AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Jim Garrity said.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and many Americans are expected to return home from holiday getaways this week (pictured: Cars traveling on the San Francisco and Oakland Bay Bridge over Labor Day weekend)

'Prices on plane tickets, prices on rental cars, and prices on hotels are all lower domestically, and that's giving people a little bit more of a reason to head out to the airport,' he added.

The Transportation Security Administration projected crowded airports, estimating that 17.4 million people would travel by air from Thursday, August 28, through Wednesday, September 3.

The busiest of those days was projected to be Friday, August 29, with an estimated three million travelers.
Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi walked hand in hand as they arrived to meet Xi Jinping at a major summit in China aimed at establishing a new world order and challenging the West.

The Russian president and the Indian prime minister beamed as they strolled into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks in Tianjin, where Xi hosted more than 20 non-Western leaders.

The summit was billed as an alternative to the US-led global system and was packed with displays of unity between Moscow, Beijing and Delhi.

The three leaders were later seen laughing together in a huddle in what appeared to be a show of solidarity against Washington and its allies.

Modi shared a photograph of himself with Putin inside the president's armoured Aurus limousine after the summit. It was captioned: 'Always a delight to meet President Putin. Conversations with him are always insightful.'

At their talks, Modi told Putin: 'Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder.

Putin responded warmly, saying in Russian: 'Dear Mr Prime Minister, dear friend. Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades, friendly and trusting.'

In a direct jab at the US' tariff policies, Xi opened the gathering saying: 'We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practice true multilateralism.'

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi walked hand in hand as they arrived to meet Xi Jinping

The pair beamed as they strolled in for the event

The three leaders were later seen laughing together in a huddle

Modi shared a photograph of himself with Putin inside the Kremlin chief's armoured Aurus limousine

He warned against divisions, telling leaders to 'oppose Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation' and to stand 'against hegemonism and power politics'.

'Global governance has reached a new crossroads,' he added, before pledging billions in aid and loans to member states and announcing plans for an artificial intelligence cooperation centre and a joint lunar research station.

Xi said China would provide 2 billion yuan in free aid and 10 billion yuan in loans to member states through an SCO banking consortium.

The Chinese leader also hinted at creating a new SCO development bank, a move that could reduce dependence on the US dollar and weaken Washington's ability to impose sanctions.

Putin endorsed Xi's message, saying the SCO had revived 'genuine multilateralism' and was building 'a new system of stability and security in Eurasia'.

He said: 'This security system, unlike Euro-centric and Euro-Atlantic models, would genuinely consider the interests of a broad range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow one country to ensure its own security at the expense of others.'

The Kremlin leader again blamed NATO for the war in Ukraine, accusing the West of creating the crisis by trying to pull Kyiv into the alliance.

Putin said: 'In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated.

Xi opened the summit by calling for a complete shift in global politics

Experts say Donald Trump's tariffs on India may have pushed Modi closer to Moscow

He added that 'a fair balance in the security sphere' must be restored and claimed he was open to peace talks.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is due to meet European leaders in Paris on Thursday, accused Putin of avoiding a one-on-one meeting that was agreed during his recent trip to Washington.

'Now, during his visit to China, Putin will once again try to wriggle out. That is his number one sport. Everyone in the world has declared that the fire must cease. Everyone has insisted that the war must end. That has also been China's position,' Zelensky said.

China and India are the two biggest buyers of Russian oil, a crucial source of revenue for Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Donald Trump hit India with 50 per cent tariffs on some goods in retaliation, accusing Delhi of bankrolling Putin's war effort, but so far neither India nor China has shown any sign of cutting energy imports from Russia.

Analysts say Trump's approach may have pushed Modi closer to Moscow and Beijing as the three powers look to strengthen economic ties.

On Sunday, Xi told Modi: 'The world is going towards transformation. China and India are two of the most civilisational countries.

'We are the world's two most populous countries and part of the Global South. It is vital to be friends, a good neighbour, and the dragon and the elephant to come together.'

Experts have said the summit was designed as a challenge to Trump and the US

Zelensky said Putin was avoiding a one-on-one meeting with him

The summit was also an opportunity for Xi and Modi to repair relations after years of tension over a deadly border clash in 2020.

Xi told Modi: The world is going towards transformation. China and India are two of the most civilisational countries.

'We are the worlds two most populous countries and part of the Global South. It is vital to be friends, a good neighbour, and the dragon and the elephant to come together.'

Modi replied: 'We are committed to progressing our relations based on mutual respect, trust and sensitivities.'

Putin is expected to remain in China as the guest of honour at a massive military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will also attend the display, which will feature China's newest weapons, including ship-killing hypersonic missiles, in what experts say is a warning to the West.
The Australian government's Smartraveller website has updated it's advisory for Indonesia and its holiday island of Bali amid widespread violent protests.

The overall alert level of 'exercise a high degree of caution' remains in place, however, the authority included a fresh warning on Monday advising that demonstrations that occurred over the weekend could reignite.

'Large protests with potential to escalate into violence and property damage are occurring across major cities in Indonesia, including Denpasar, Bali, causing disruption and impacting local traffic movements,' the warning reads.

It advised those visiting the island to avoid any protests or demonstrations and keep an eye on local media when in the country, however, stopped short of recommending that Australians cancel their plans to visit Bali.

Over the weekend, a fire started by protesters at a council building in eastern Indonesia killed three people.

Southeast Asia's biggest economy was rocked by protests in major cities, including the capital Jakarta, after footage spread of a motorcycle taxi driver being run over by a police tactical vehicle.

The incident happened during an earlier rally against low wages and financial perks for lawmakers, including that MPs were given housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum wage in the capital Jakarta.

Protests in Denpasar in Bali saw more than 150 people arrested. Local police said all but three who are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails have since been released.

Australian travel advisory website Smartraveller warned in it's latest advice that violent protests could erupt across Indonesia, including Bali

Protesters charge a police shield wall during protests in Denpasar, Bali at the weekend

The protests are the biggest and most violent of Prabowo Subianto's presidency, a key test for the ex-general less than a year into his rule.

Protests in Makassar, the biggest city on the eastern island of Sulawesi, descended into chaos outside the provincial and city council buildings, which were both set on fire as demonstrators hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails.

Three people were killed as a result of Friday's Makassar city council fire, its secretary Rahmat Mappatoba told AFP.

'They were trapped in the burning building,' he said, accusing protesters of lighting the blaze.

'Usually during a demonstration, protesters only throw rocks or burn a tyre in front of the office. They never stormed into the building or burned it.'

Two workers died at the scene and a third person, a civil servant, died in hospital.

At least four people were injured in the fire and were being treated in hospital, Rahmat said.

Hundreds of people were seen in footage posted by Indonesian media cheering and clapping as fire engulfed the building, with few security forces in sight.

Indonesians leave after watch Police Office building of Tegalsari Surabaya Sector was burned on August 31

Bali has called in reserve police forces to the capital Denpasar (pictured at the weekend)

The protests were ignited when Indonesian Police officers from the Mobile Brigade ran over a motorcycle taxi driver

One man was heard shouting: 'There are people upstairs!'

Smouldering debris was seen falling from the roof of the city council building surrounded by palm trees as flames still flickered in charred cars.

Protesters inside lit several fires as parts of the building collapsed, while others smashed glass and chanted 'revolution'.

The building was a blackened wreck by Saturday, with dozens of charred cars around it, as Makassar residents inspected the scene, media footage showed.

Windiyatno, South Sulawesi's military chief, said in a statement on Saturday that the situation in Makassar had 'now returned to normal'.

Hundreds of students and 'ojek' motorcycle taxi drivers protested in front of the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia's most popular tourist hotspot.

Protesters on neighbouring Lombok island stormed a council building in the provincial capital Mataram and set it on fire, despite police attempts to stop them with tear gas.

Hundreds of students in Surabaya also rallied outside the East Java police headquarters, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

More than 150 people were arrested in Bali (pictured) after protests turned violent

Indonesians demand President Prabowo dissolves the House of Representative Council, which was considered to have wasted the state budget, and to punish the Indonesian Police who carried out brutal actions against the demonstrators

Policemen take position during clashes with protesters outside the parliament building in Denpasar, Bali

In response to the protests, social media app TikTok said Saturday it had temporarily suspended its live feature for 'a few days' in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users.

In Jakarta, hundreds had massed on Friday outside the headquarters of the elite Mobile Brigade Corp (Brimob) paramilitary police unit they blamed for motorcycle gig driver Affan Kurniawan's death the day before.

Protesters threw firecrackers as police responded with tear gas.

Police said they had detained seven officers for questioning in connection with Affan's death.

National police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president, told a news conference on Saturday the officers would face an ethics trial that could take a week.

'If they are guilty, there's room for us to process the case as a crime,' he said.

President Prabowo has urged calm, and ordered an investigation into the driver's death and that the officers involved be held accountable.

On Saturday he cancelled a planned trip to China next week for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II in order to monitor the situation in Indonesia.

'Mr President apologised because he decided he could not accept the invitation from the Chinese government,' State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said.

Prabowo has pledged fast, state-driven growth but has already faced protests against widespread government budget cuts.
A female bullfighter who has become a rising star in the sport and says she wants to be the 'greatest in history' claimed another kill on Sunday.

Olga Casado, 23, slaughtered the beast at a fair held in Madrid in honour of Santo Cristo de Los Remedios.

In the pouring rain, she swung her cape past the bull several times, tiring it out.

And upon delivering the killing blow, she was awarded the bull's ear, a judge's prize for high-quality bullfighting.

In the few short years she has been a bullfighter, Casado has made an indelible mark on the world of the ancient Spanish sport.

She trained at the Jose Cubero 'Yiyo' Bullfighting School in Madrid, and debuted on the bullfighting scene in 2022.

The young fighter told El Mundo in November last year that she plans on becoming 'the best female bullfighter of this generation and in history'.

She added she wants to 'be an example for society, to break down barriers and to prove to myself and the entire world that it's enough to believe in yourself and work for your dreams. And to prove that dreams, for the most part, do come true.'

Olga Casado (pictured) in action during the bullfight at the fair in honour of Santo Cristo de Los Remedios, on August 31, 2025 in Madrid, Spain

In the pouring rain, she swung her cape past the bull several times, tiring it out

Upon delivering the killing blow, she was awarded the bull's ear, a judge's prize for high-quality bullfighting

Though the glamorous sportswoman has dazzled the world with her skills in the arena, bullfighting can be deadly.

Over the weekend, the devastated mother of a renowned Portuguese bullfighter who was killed by a 1,500lb beast accused internet trolls of rejoicing over his death.

Manuel Maria Trindade, a 22-year-old 'forcado', died on Saturday, just 24 hours after a tense face off with an enraged bull in Lisbon's Campo Pequeno.

Within seconds of the show beginning, the mighty animal hoisted Trindade up with its horns and rammed him against a wall, causing severe brain damage.

The incident has sparked a nationwide debate in Portugal, with animal rights activists calling for the 'barbaric' sport to be banned.

Others have made light of the young fighter's death - posting online that he deserved his tragic fate as 'karma' for attempting to battle a bull.

In response, Alzira, Trindade's mother, has written an open letter hitting back at those 'applauding' her son's death.

The grieving woman revealed she was still waiting for the return of his body because he was an organ donor.

In the few short years she has been a bullfighter, Casado has made an indelible mark on the world of the ancient Spanish sport

She trained at the Jose Cubero 'Yiyo' Bullfighting School in Madrid, and debuted on the bullfighting scene in 2022

The young fighter told El Mundo in November last year that she plans on becoming 'the best female bullfighter of this generation and in history'

Olga Casado, 23, slaughtered the beast at a fair held in Madrid

Addressing her message to Portugal's environmentalist party People Animals Nature (PAN), Alzira wrote: 'I want to thank you for all your applause, laughter, and rejoicing over my son's death. Did you know him well enough to be happy about his death? Do you know if he liked animals?

'Actually, YES! We've always had dogs and they're part of our family. They slept with him, and when he came home, they laughed at him... animals know who the good people are!

'My son belonged to a group of brothers who wear a jacket with honor and bravery. These groups never harmed a bull; they handled it skillfully.'
Humza Yousaf believes the law should be upheld without fear or favour  apart from the occasions when he disagrees with it.

Hes now calling for police and prosecutors to take a softer approach on supporters of the banned group Palestine Action.

Mr Yousaf, a former Justice Secretary, says pensioners, priests and playwrights have been held by police following peaceful protest.

Mind you, if they hadnt been backing a group which caused an estimated 7million of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton, they might not have been in the crosshairs of the police.

You might recall that back in August last year alleged Palestine Action supporters broke into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol, an Israeli defence firm that has long been a key target.

A repurposed prison van smashed through a fence and equipment was said to have been damaged.

Three people were injured - a security guard and two police officers  and Palestine Action promoted video footage of the damage, but not any images of the alleged assaults.

Mr Yousaf thinks arresting those who wave banners or wear T-shirts to back the group is difficult to reconcile with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Former First Minister Humza Yousaf wants police and prosecuters to take a softer approach to supporters of banned group Palestine Action

Its worth remembering that back in 2021, Mr Yousaf said the public looked to him to be a voice of justice, and claimed he was prepared to seek to delegitimise the UK rule of law when he believed it was appropriate to do so.

When a minister starts sounding like crazed Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, its never an encouraging sign.

Four years on, Mr Yousaf is in the political wilderness after an extraordinary act of self-destruction when he cut the SNPs links with its then governing partners, the Greens, which led to his resignation.

No one could accuse him of being of a strategic genius, far less an intellectual  though by the SNPs low standards he is something of a heavyweight.

Nonetheless, his intervention hasnt gone unnoticed, given his history of high office.

In an interview with The Scotsman, Crown Office chief executive John Logue said it was unhelpful for politicians to attempt to influence the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

He said: I have some difficulty with politicians calling for a law enacted by elected politicians not to be enforced.

That, to me, is the very definition of undermining the rule of law.

Mr Logue and his colleagues rarely break cover so its significant that he has done so to level such a serious charge at a man who once controlled the justice system (and helped to run it into the ground).

Its also a bit rich of Mr Yousaf, chief architect of the draconian Hate Crime Act, to warn of the chilling effect on free speech of arresting sympathisers of a group which is responsible for a range of crimes with terrorism connections, according to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The hate crime legislation, which applies even in private homes, was an unprecedented assault on freedom of expression.

Mr Yousaf was a tireless champion of the law, which was enforced from April Fools Day last year - despite Police Scotland warning that it risked being swamped with spurious complaints and drawn into policing abusive spats online.

In June, official figures showed the number of hate crime reports soared by over a third to more than 8,500 after the Act was introduced.

Now Mr Yousaf wants the law to turn a blind eye to supporters of a proscribed group with terror links.

His supposed transformation from censorship zealot to proponent of freedom of speech is hard to stomach.

Bizarrely, he tried to back up his case for a go easy stance on Palestine Action protesters by citing the example of the Crown vowing not to prosecute users of the heroin shooting gallery in Glasgow for possession offences within the clinic.

The argument is that the Crown lets those addicts go free despite clearly breaking the law by taking illegal drugs, albeit under medical supervision, so why cant it make an exception for those showing solidarity with a proscribed organisation?

Allowing people who break the Misuse of Drugs Act to escape with impunity was the wrong policy for the Crown to adopt, and it would be equally wrong to cave into Mr Yousafs demands.

But he does have some back-up, in the form of new Green co-leader Ross Greer, who (predictably) was a defender of Mr Yousafs basket-case hate crime law, arguing that it had not outlawed the ability to be an a**hole.

Mr Greer once argued Sir Winston Churchill was a white supremacist mass murderer, though unbelievably by this time next year he could be a government minister - depending on the electoral arithmetic in May.

Now he tells us that designating Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was a sinister attempt to silence dissent, and he wants John Swinney to influence the prosecution process.

These senior MSPs are law-makers - but they advocate top prosecutors effectively breaking the law simply because they dont agree with it.

The law isnt a pick-and-mix affair, or shouldnt be, and Nationalists have spent years insisting that the justice system is independent and free from political interference.

Its an easy get-out but never held water because courts are constrained by daft edicts from the Scottish Sentencing Council, and presumptions against shorter jail sentences  all of it foisted on them by the SNP Government.

Now Mr Yousaf wants to ramp up this meddling with his demands for leniency to be shown to Palestine Action supporters.

Its another disturbing illustration of MSPs acting like members of a school debating society, though by now this shouldnt surprise us.

But its not confined to Holyrood  Paul Edie, a member of the Scottish Police Authoritys (SPA) public board, got into a heated argument last month with Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors over Palestine Action.

In an unedifying harangue, Mr Edie, a former Lib Dem councillor in Edinburgh, pressed her on why its supporters were being arrested - and Ms Connors rightly referred him to the Home Office.

He accused her of stonewalling, but its a self-answering question  why are police arresting members of a banned group with terror links?

There are many more urgent issues for the SPA including rising crime, with a 15 per cent increase in rape and attempted rape in the past year.

If police and prosecutors are coming under pressure from public figures over their adherence to Home Office directives, its bad news for the rule of law.

Mercifully, Mr Yousaf is quitting frontline politics and wont stand for re-election next year.

Sadly, the same doesnt go for Mr Greer and others in public life whose pleas for a selective application of the law risk giving succour to a terror group.
A beloved 20-year-old woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend, who had been stalking her for months since their breakup, according to police.

Sarah Carroll was shot dead by her ex, who has only been named as Lincoln, on Saturday at the Woodland Villa Apartments in the Detroit area, Michigan officials said.

Police said Lincoln turned the gun on himself after killing Carroll.

Sarah's mom Jennifer Carroll told WXYZ the shooter was the one to call 911 and reported he had shot his girlfriend.

When police arrived, they found both of their bodies and determined it was a murder-suicide.

Detectives said the man had been harassing Carroll for two months since their breakup.

Sarah had been trying to get a personal protection order against her ex before she was murdered - but had not told her parents she was being stalked, her mother said.

Sarah Carroll, 20, was shot dead by her ex-boyfriend in an apartment complex in Michigan

Sarah had been trying to get a protective order against her ex-boyfriend before her murder on Saturday, police said

Sarah's father James Carroll is seen at a vigil in her honor on Sunday morning in Westland, Michigan

'To other parents  watch your kids,' Jennifer Currell said, according to Click on Detroit. 'Try to get more into their life, try to get them to be open and talk to you.'

'She was brilliant. Amazing. When she smiled, she lit up a room," the grieving mother added. 'Were also trying to get her story out to parents to open up with their kid. He was stalking her for a couple months.'

Sarah's father James Carroll said her ex-boyfriend had been dealing with mental health issues in the lead-up to the shooting.

'There was multiple gunshot wounds with a shotgun,' he shared.

'He was suffering from mental illness and we just want to get the message out there that anybody, if their children are suffering from mental illness, get them some help. Get them the help that they need before something like this happens.'

Sarah's loved ones honored her in a vigil at the apartment complex where she was murdered.

A GoFundMe page was created. to help the family cover Sarah's funeral costs.

'Our hearts are shattered as we share that our beautiful,' the family wrote.

'Sarah was so full of life - smart, brave, strong, and with a smile that lit up every room she entered,' James Carroll said.

Detectives said the man had been harassing Carroll for two months since their break-up

Sarah had not told her parents she was being stalked by her ex, her mother jennider Carroll said

'She was only just beginning her journey, and losing her at such a young age is something no family should ever have to go through.'

The Westland Police Department said it expects to release more information on the murder-suicide this week.
Dozens more people have been charged with supporting the banned group Palestine Action, bringing the total facing prosecution over protests in London to 114.

The latest suspects, counting 47, were all arrested at a demonstration in London on July 19, the Metropolitan Police said, and were all charged by post.

They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on October 27 and 28 accused of a terrorism offence by showing support for a banned group.

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said: 'We are quickly and efficiently investigating those arrested for showing support towards Palestine Action and working closely with our colleagues in the CPS, we anticipate further charging decisions through this week and beyond.

'We fully recognise people's right to demonstrate peacefully, and thousands continue to protest in support of Palestine without breaking counter-terrorism laws.

'I would therefore urge anyone considering coming out and showing support to Palestine Action to reconsider, otherwise you will very likely be arrested, investigated, and we'll work with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.

'For those people now charged, if convicted, they are facing potentially serious consequences that could impact on their careers and their ability to travel overseas.'

Palestine Action had called on supporters to take part in mass protests in a bid to overwhelm the justice system and make prosecuting all the demonstrators impossible.

Pro-Palestine Action demonstrators are seen here in London's Parliament Square on August 9

Activists have turned out in rallies prompted by the campaign group Defend Our Juries

Metropolitan Police officers are pictred here in Parliament Square on August 9

But last month Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the plan was 'completely misguided'.

Palestine Action was proscribed after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton.

It was also linked to allegations of a serious assault on staff and police officers at a business premises in south Gloucestershire.

Since then, hundreds of people have been arrested for showing support for the group.

Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision to ban the group, with the full legal challenge due to be heard in November.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said last month he was 'proud of how our police and CPS teams have worked so speedily together to overcome misguided attempts to overwhelm the justice system'.

He added in a statement: 'If necessary, we are able to investigate and quickly charge significant numbers of people each week if people want the potentially life-changing consequences of a terrorist conviction.'

Sir Mark insisted arrests did not 'outlaw people's right to demonstrate in support of Palestine, or any other cause'.

Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori (pictured) is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision to ban the group

This protest was held outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London on July 4 as the group launched legal action against the Government's decision to ban the organisation

He went on to say: 'They are simply the enforcement of a specific provision under the Terrorism Act in relation to a specific proscribed terrorist organisation, Palestine Action.

'Where officers see these offences, we will continue to make arrests and, as shown today, the CPS and police will work to quickly secure charges, at whatever scale is necessary'.

He explained that the consequences for those charged under the Terrorism Act include a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) having a record of a persons TACT conviction which will be seen by employers who use DBS to carry out checks on staff or new applicants.

Hundreds of arrests were made when people showing support for Palestine Action took to the streets in central London on August 9.

A wide variety of messages were seen on display including in Westminster's Parliament Square, with some activists wearing signs saying 'I am on duty to stop genocide'.

Others held placards with messages such as: 'Our right to non-violent protest.'

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said the 'mass arrests' at that day's protests under UK terrorism law were 'deeply concerning'.

Describing the campaigners as 'peaceful', she added: 'Peaceful protest is a fundamental right.

Metropolitan Police officers are seen here observing a protest in central London in support of Palestine Action, organised by the Defend Our Juries group, on Augusr 26

These protesters gathered outside the Old Bailey as six people appeared charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder over a Palestine Action protest

'The protestors in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists.'

One woman in her 50s attending the Parliament Square protest told the Mail: 'Its a disgrace.

'They should hang their heads in shame. Its an outrage. Were a police state.'

Another woman, in her 40s who gave her job as a teaching assistant, said: 'I dont care about prison. I dont care about losing my job. Im on the side of history.'

The ban on Palestine Action came after two military aircraft were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June, causing damage worth 7million.

A judicial review will take place in November, with protests set to continue on a rolling basis until then.

A Home Office spokesperson said last month: 'The Home Secretary has been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action is not about Palestine, nor does it affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights.

'It only applies to the specific and narrow organisation whose activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to protest on different issues.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag at a 'Lift The Ban' demonstration in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square, central London, on August 9

There have also been demos outside the Royal Courts of Justice (pictured here on July 4)

'Freedom to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and we protect it fiercely.

'The decision to proscribe was based on strong security advice and the unanimous recommendation by the expert cross-government proscription review group.

'This followed serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.

'It also followed an assessment from the joint terrorism assessment centre that Palestine Action prepares for terrorism, as well as worrying information referencing plans and ideas for further attacks, the details of which cannot yet be publicly reported due to ongoing legal proceedings.'
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the man who investigated alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russia, has Parkinson's disease.

Mueller, 81, served as the sixth director of the FBI for over a decade from 2001 to 2013 and later investigated whether President Donald Trump and his team coordinated with the Russians, resulting in the infamous 'Mueller Report.'

The former special counsel's diagnosis came four years ago, Mueller's family said in a statement to the New York Times on Sunday.

'Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the summer of 2021,' the family said.

'He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected.'

The 81-year-old has had trouble speaking and with his mobility, sources familiar with his situation told the outlet.

Mueller was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to testify in the panel's Jeffrey Epstein investigation in August.

However, the committee later announced that Mueller would not participate, citing the former FBI director's health concerns. This decision came after reports emerged that the former special counsel was residing in a memory care facility.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before lawmakers in July 2019 to speak about his investigation. He frequently had to consult his notes during the session

Former special counsel Robert Mueller makes a statement about the Russia investigation on May 29, 2019, at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. Sources say he is now in a memory-care facility

President Donald Trump often lambasted Mueller for a politicized investigation into the Republican's 2016 campaign and its ties to Russia

'We've learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify,' a congressional source familiar with the matter told the Daily Mail.

Though he has been out of the public eye now for some years, Mueller was originally asked to sit for a transcribed interview on September 2.

The committee later withdrew its subpoena for Mueller, citing 'health issues' that prevent his testimony.

The committee had been seeking information Mueller may know about Epstein from overseeing the FBI during the pedophile's 2005 Florida prostitution case, a matter in which the FBI eventually intervened.

Many critics have said Epstein's sentence in that case was too lenient.

One former lawmaker is now saying the signs of Mueller's decline have been evident for years.

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have both been subpoenaed by Congress to testify about Jeffrey Epstein in October

Former FBI Director James Comey (R) was also compelled to testify about Epstein

'It was clear this is where things were heading when we questioned him before Congress,' ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., posted on social media this month.

'Mueller was used by some very vicious people,' Gaetz, now a conservative TV host, continued. 'I'm not sure he really ever knew what was happening in the investigation.'

Mueller testified before Congress about his report in the summer of 2019.

During that hearing, the former special counsel struggled at times to remember the questions from lawmakers, often asking them to repeat their inquiries.

He also appeared flustered at times when trying to remember key portions of his probe.

During his testimony, he forgot that Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm, was behind the infamous Steele Dossier - a file that alleged false ties between Trump and the Russians that many presume was the origin of the Trump-Russia allegations.

Other top Trump and Obama administration officials will also testify in the committee's probe into Epstein.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are both being asked to sit with the committee in October.
A historical mural that's been on display for nearly 20 years in a California town is set to be painted over after people complained about its show of nudity.

The painting, titled 'The Capture of the Solid, Escape of the Soul', was first introduced to Oakland's Piedmont Avenue in 2006 by Rocky Rische-Baird.

The mural depicts a historically accurate representation of the Ohlone Native Americans' horrific extinction by Spanish missionaries, including images of Ohlone natives being handed blankets and clothing infected with smallpox.

But, a recent email sent to tenants of the Castle Apartment building - where the mural is located - said the longtime piece of art will be taken down because some have 'interpreted' the nude Ohlone man in the painting 'as offensive.'

SG Real Estate Co. Director of Property Management Gracy Rivera told residents it was time 'to retire the mural' so it can be an 'inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone,' the email obtained by SFGATE read.

'Over the past several weeks, we've received feedback from members of our community identifying aspects of the mural that may be interpreted as offensive,' Rivera wrote.

'After careful review, we believe it's appropriate to retire the mural to ensure our shared spaces reflect an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone.'

It's unclear how many people complained to property management about the mural and when it will be removed. Daily Mail contacted Rivera for comment.

'The Capture of the Solid, Escape of the Soul' created by artist Rocky Rische-Baird is set to be removed after a complaint was sent to property management over its display of nudity

The news has infuriated locals who have appreciated the painting for decades, including fellow muralist Dan Fontes.

Fontes, the man behind the iconic giraffe and zebra paintings on the town's freeway columns, said Rische-Baird made sure to properly research each painting he created - including this one.

'I don't think there is another mural artist who has depicted all of what our colleges -Laney, Mills - have been teaching all along,' Fontes told the outlet.

'I see the tales of the Native American community being disrespected and pushed out. It harkens back to the business of if you don't know your own history, you're condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.'

The artist went on to describe Rische-Baird as a 'genius' whose mural is visited by so many 'to reinforce the lessons that history teaches us all.'

Other locals who have been enamored with the mural for years are equally upset about the recent news of its destruction.

'I'm pissed,' Tim O'Brien, who watched the mural come to life two decades ago, said.

'I told my sister up in Seattle and she's pissed,' he added.

He recalled the mural sparking a lot of controversy when it was first unveiled, as protestors took to the streets over its inclusion of nudity.

Fellow muralist Dan Fontes is one of many locals furious about the news. He praised Rische-Baird for extensively researching every piece he worked on, including this mural

But O'Brien believes there will always be those who care more about 'property values' than the true meaning behind the art.

'But anytime there's something you do and put your heart and soul into, somebody doesn't give a rat's a**,' he continued. 'They're only concerned about their property values.'

The controversial mural has long been the target of vandalism, as people quickly scratched out the genitals of the naked man and wrote graffiti near 'offensive' body parts, according to Valerie Winemiller.

Winemiller, another local and neighborhood activist, has taken it upon herself to remove the graffiti over the years.

'I think it's a really important piece in the neighborhood simply because it's not commercial,' she told SFGATE.

'So much of our public space is really commercial space. I think it's really important to have non-commercial art that the community can enjoy.'

Rische-Baird, who now lives a reclusive life out of state, is no stranger to his murals sparking fury in the Golden State.

The artist depended on community donations to create the iconic mural. He spent about eight hours each day working on it over a six month period

He painted at least four murals in Oakland, all of which he extensively researched and planned out ahead of time.

Rische-Baird painted two that depicted the Key System train line in town, but they were later removed.

He painted 'The Capture of the Solid, Escape of the Soul' over six months and depended solely on community donations to create it.

For it, he built his own scaffolding and placed a small wooden box to accept coin and cash donations.

In total, Rische-Baird spent about eight hours every day creating the mural.
A disgraced former Tory MP who quit politics after getting embroiled in a sex and cocaine scandal has died suddenly aged 59.

David Warburton was pronounced dead after paramedics rushed to his Chelsea flat last Tuesday.

He had served as the MP for Somerset and Frome for over eight years, from May 2015 to June 2023.

However, his political career collapsed after he was accused of sexual harassment and class A drug use amid allegations he was targeted as part of a 'sting' operation.

He was suspended from the Conservative Party in April 2022 before resigning his seat in June of 2023.

His sudden death this week is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, investigators have said.

Fellow former MP Stephen Danczuk said: 'It's such sad news. He had really got back on track after having a difficult time in politics.

'He had got back on track and was doing very well in business, running an energy company. He turned his life back around really, it's incredibly sad news.

David Warburton, who resigned as MP for Somerton and Frome in June 2023, has died suddenly aged 59

The former Tory MP was pronounced dead after being found at his home in Chelsea, London

'I met him for drinks in Belgravia a few months ago. He was really doing well. He had a great team around him. Things were really on the up for him.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called on Tuesday 26 August at 10.14am to reports of an incident in Chelsea Crescent, Chelsea Harbour, SW10.

'We sent an ambulance crew and a clinician in a response car. Sadly a man was pronounced dead at the scene.'

The Metropolitan Police said the force had been alerted about the death of the MP by the ambulance service at 10.47am on August 26.

'A man in his 50s was found dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed,' a a police spokesman said

'His death is being treated as unexpected but not suspicious.'

Warburton had refuted claims he had been involved in a sex and drugs scandal.

However, the MP later confirmed he had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital with stress, claiming at the time he had been feeling suicidal.

Warburton served as the MP for Somerset and Frome for over eight years, from May 2015 to June 2023

He later admitted to taking cocaine after drinking 'tons of incredibly potent' Japanese whiskey, but denied claims he harassed a female political assistant in his Westminster flat.

Mr Warburton then won an appeal against a ruling he sexually harassed one of his Commons aides - who for legal reasons cannot be identified.

In July 2023, the Commons' Independent Expert Panel revealed it had upheld his appeal against the findings and ordered his case be reinvestigated after criticising the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards who oversaw it.

At the time, commissioner Daniel Greenberg found him guilty of three sexual misconduct allegations, instead of the two upheld by the initial inquiry.

In an unusual step the committee revealed it took its decision several days before Mr Warburton resigned, but followed convention by not announcing its findings for several weeks.

When he announced his exit from Parliament in June 2023, Mr Warburton hit out at the investigation, claiming he had been denied a fair hearing.

However, his political career came crashing down around him after being accused of sexual harassment and drug abuse (pictured is the Daily Mail's front page at the time of the scandal)

In his resignation letter he said he had been left with 'no choice' but to provoke 'the upheaval of a by-election', adding: 'It is my hope that, in so doing, I can freely illuminate the methods of an oversight system not fit for purpose, so that friends and colleagues in the House can see the perverted process by which their own judgment may at any time be freighted.'

It came after a staffer in Mr Warburton's Westminster office lodged a complaint with the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme in March 2022, making four sexual misconduct and two bullying and harassment allegations against him.

In a report, the panel said the initial investigation under Parliament's ICGS recommended upholding two sexual misconduct allegations.

However, Mr Greenberg then reviewed the evidence and found Mr Warburton guilty of a third unspecified sexual misconduct charge.

Mr Warburton appealed against Mr Greenberg's decision on the grounds it was 'procedurally flawed and unreasonable' and based on a 'materially flawed' investigation.

He said the woman 'had colluded with witnesses to fabricate' the 'malicious' complaint against him, and that the ICGS failed to consider material he submitted to support his claim, according to the IEP's report.

The panel said it made no findings on the allegations against Mr Warburton or his claims of fabrication, but ruled that a reinvestigation is 'necessary and proportionate'.

Mr Warburton leaves behind his wife Harriet and two children.
A carpenter whose leg struck a police officer as he kicked out while on the ground during a migrant hotel protest in Epping has been spared jailed.

Jimmy Hillard, of Loughton, Essex, went to the demonstration at the Bell Hotel on Friday, a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court was told today.

The 52-year-old, who wore a grey tracksuit in the secure dock of the court, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Serena Berry, prosecuting, said that Hillard was outside the Bell Hotel at 9.20pm while a police cordon was in place, and an officer asked him to move.

'This defendant didn't move,' the prosecutor said, adding that an officer then 'pushed him away from the officers' cordon, causing him to fall to the ground'.

'While on the ground he's kicked out at (the officer),' Ms Berry said. She added that 'no injury was sustained'.

Raphael Pigott, mitigating for Hillard, said: 'He said he didn't go there to hurt anyone or fight with police, it was just a reaction.

Hotel residents walk past a police van as they arrive at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on Saturday

Police officers stand by protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on Friday

A person arrives at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has been used to house migrants

'He's pushed, goes flying on the ground so he's probably angry and upset by that.

'He expresses his regret in interview that he did that.'

Judge Christopher Williams said: 'There's ongoing disorder surrounding the Government's policy on housing asylum seekers at hotels across the country.

'The Bell Hotel is at the epicentre of that.'

He continued: 'We've all seen what happens when peaceful protests are no longer peaceful.

'What happens is... members of the public are suddenly at risk.

'It becomes a very difficult and hostile situation for police to deal with.'

He said that Hillard attended the Bell Hotel 'to take part in a protest while you were on bail for alleged offences that took place earlier' at the location.

He said that Hillard had previously been sentenced in 2021 for a racially aggravated offence that took place outside the Bell Hotel.

'Given the ongoing disorder at the hotel and across the country I've got to be considering punishment and deterrence,' the judge said.

Protestors (pictured) gathered at the Bell Hotel in Epping on Friday evening

He sentenced Hillard to eight weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.

He also ordered that he complete 60 hours of unpaid work, and excluded him from the vicinity of the Bell Hotel for six months.

The judge ordered that Hillard pay 100 compensation to the police officer, 85 costs and 154 victim surcharge.

Multiple demonstrations have been held outside the Bell Hotel in Epping since July 13 after an asylum seeker was charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

His trial began last week and is due to conclude later this week.

Earlier on Monday, in a separate hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court, 23-year-old Charlie Land pleaded not guilty to two offences said to have happened outside the hotel on July 17.

Land, of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, denied violent disorder and criminal damage, with an allegation that he damaged a police carrier belonging to the Metropolitan Police.

Judge Jamie Sawyer said there was an allegation that Land kicked the wing mirror of a police carrier, jumped on the bonnet and kicked the windscreen causing it to crack, and threw a traffic cone.

Land was bailed until a further case management hearing at the same court on September 22.
A 16-year-old girl called police to her Texas home on Sunday over an alleged row, with cops then discovering her parents had died in an apparent murder-suicide.

The teenager waited outside for police after witnessing her parents having an argument, according to the local sheriff in Houston.

Family members told investigators the couple had been in an ongoing dispute and may have been considering divorce, TV station KPRC reported.

Sheriff's deputies arrived at the house near Katy around 10.00pm Sunday, where they found both the husband and wife dead inside.

Neither of the couple's names had been made public by Monday, pending the completion of an autopsy, authorities told the Daily Mail.

Early reports state that the 48-year-old woman had been shot by her 47-year-old husband, officials told the ABC13.

Now a crime scene, the family home is nestled in an upper-middle class neighborhood with brick houses and tree-lined streets.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office responded to a house in West Houston after a 16-year-old-girl called to report her parents were in a terrible argument Sunday night. When police arrived, the girl was waiting for the cops outside and her parents were dead inside

Sunday's murder-suicide happened in an upper middle-class neighborhood of West Houston

It's unclear whether the girl witnessed the murder-suicide, however, police reported she was not harmed.

No one else was home at the time of the incident, Fox 26 reported.

Family members are expected to be interviewed Monday, the sheriff's office added.

Authorities stated they had never been called to the house for previous reports of family violence.
A mother-of-three had her throat slit by a deranged intruder armed with a knife while she was home alone at breakfast time, an inquest heard.

Lisa Fraser, 52, from Pembroke Dock in Wales, was killed by stranger Mathew Harris, 41, after she discovered him in her home on the morning of May 13, 2022.

Harris confessed to the killing when he was arrested outside her house but was found hanged in his prison cell two weeks later while waiting trial.

An inquest has heard that Ms Fraser suffered 'multiple sharp force injuries including a cut throat.'

Cleaner and former care worker Lisa was described as 'loved and cherished' by her family after the tragedy - and in their tribute they said they hoped she was 'dancing in gold dust.'

Police were alerted hours earlier in the morning to a man matching Harris's description causing criminal damage to a property and a vehicle in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, but officers were unable to find him.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Hughes then said that at 8am police had a call from a man who had been threatened in Pembroke Dock by another man who had 'thrust a knife' towards the open window of his car and said: 'You're going to die'.

The terrified man reversed his car and drove away from the scene to contact police.

Mother-of-three Lisa Fraser, 52, was killed by knife-wielding stranger Mathew Harris, 41

Firearms officers were sent to the road to carry out checks for the mystery knifeman.

But as police constables arrived in the street, Harris came out of Lisa's house on Military Road in the seaside town.

DS Hughes explained that he came out with his hands up and said he needed to go to jail before putting his hands behind his back.

Harris then told officers: 'I killed a Nazi. I've just killed a Nazi in there.'

Lisa was found in a pool of blood just before 9am in her terraced home in May 2022. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

When Harris was then arrested shortly after on suspicion of murder, he replied: 'Guilty as charged.'

PC Simon Hayward, who was the arresting officer, said that Harris then proceeded to tell officers he had left 'exhibits' for them in the house.

He said Harris told them: 'I have left things in there for you boys as evidence.'

Mrs Fraser's whitewashed bungalow in the town guarded by police following the discovery of her body in May 2022

PC James Langford told the inquest a post-mortem examination at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff found Lisa died from 'multiple sharp force injuries including a cut throat'.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Harris had a history of mental illness. The inquest also heard from James Jarrod, a friend of Harris's dad. He said Harris had visited him at his home the day before the alleged murder wearing a balaclava.

Harris told Mr Jarrod that his mum died that morning of a 'massive heart attack', but when he phoned around he discovered she was still alive.

Harris, of Haverfordwest, was later charged with murder and remanded in custody.

But he was found hanged in his prison cell at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire on May 27, 2022 and died the following day.

An inquest into Lisa's death was opened by the assistant coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, Paul Bennett, in Haverfordwest.

The inquest heard that Mrs Fraser was born in Kent and had moved to Pembrokeshire in 2003 with her husband, a self-employed carpenter, and her three children.

Killer Mathew Harris, who had a history of mental health and substance misuse issues, was found hanging in his cell on May 27, 2022, and taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, where he died

She had worked at several care homes in the area before becoming a cleaner in 2021.

A tribute from her family read: 'Lisa was loved and cherished by her family and friends, and touched the hearts of everyone she had contact with. She will be missed by everyone. Lisa, we hope you're dancing in gold dust.'

The consultant noted possible symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), possible symptoms of a personality disorder and 'potentially a psychotic process with underlying delusional beliefs'.

An inquest earlier held in Worcester heard that during a police interview on May 5 Harris told officers he had intended to take his own life.

But he decided against it because 'I thought no, I've got to reveal all this first'.

Harris, who had a history of mental health and substance misuse issues, was found hanging in his cell on May 27, 2022 and taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, where he died.

The inquest at Haverfordwest continues.

For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org
Labour MPs piled pressure on the Government over the small boats crisis today as Yvette Cooper announced plans to tighten asylum rules.

The Home Secretary faced demands from Labour's own benches for tougher action over Channel migrant crossings as she faced a House of Commons grilling this afternoon.

On MPs' first day back after Parliament's summer recess - which saw continued small boat arrivals and protests outside asylum hotels across the country - Ms Cooper attempted to get on the front foot by unveiling fresh action.

She announced that new applications to the existing refugee family reunion route will be suspended this week.

Ms Cooper highlighted how local councils were under pressure from a 'sharp increase' in Channel migrants applying to bring family members to Britain.

She said some local authorities were 'finding that more than a quarter of their family homelessness applications are linked to refugee family reunion'.

The Home Secretary also said people-smuggling gangs are using the lure of family reunion in the UK as a 'pull factor to encourage more people onto dangerous boats'.

The suspension means refugees will be covered by 'the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else' until new rules are introduced, the Home Secretary added.

Further reforms to family reunion routes will be outlined later this year and introduced by spring.

It is expected the Government could follow other European countries, where refugees are not able to apply to bring family to join them for at least two years after having their asylum claim approved.

But Ms Cooper was told by veteran Labour MP Graham Stringer that the measures she announced on Monday would not be 'as successful as she and I would wish them to be'.

'They don't really deal with the fact that many migrants are not coming from war-torn countries, they're coming from France which is not persecuting them in any recognisable form,' he said.

Labour MPs piled pressure on the Government over the small boats crisis today as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to tighten asylum rules

But Ms Cooper was told by veteran Labour MP Graham Stringer that the measures she announced on Monday would not be 'as successful as she and I would wish them to be'

People swim to try and board a dinghy in the English Channel near Gravelines, northern France

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Mr Stringer added that migrants were being 'pulled' to Britain by a belief they will have an 'easier time, and get through the system more easily than they would in France and other European countries'.

The Blackley and Middleton South MP urged Ms Cooper to copy the example of Denmark, which has implemented strict asylum measures.

The Home Secretary replied: 'He's right to say small boats are mainly setting off from France, people have travelled through France, but that is exactly why we have negotiated the pilot agreement with France to be able to return people back to France.

'This is the first time that this has happened, something previous governments tried and failed to do.'

Ms Cooper had earlier said the Governmment's 'one in, one out' migrant deal with France would see the first return of people back across the Channel 'later this month'.

The 'one in, one out' pilot scheme has been agreed for the UK to send back migrants to France who crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to the UK.

Ms Cooper added: 'Applications have also been opened for the reciprocal legal route, with the first cases under consideration subject to strict security checks.

'We've made clear this is a pilot scheme, but the more we prove the concept at the outset, the better we will be able to develop and grow it.'

Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton, was also among Labour backbenchers to challenge Ms Cooper over the Government's handling of the asylum system on Monday.

She asked how - as the Home Secretary looks to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers - there would be 'sufficient vetting and transparency in asylum dispersal'.

'Especially for groups known to be high-risk in order to safeguard our residents, restore faith in our communities and prevent disorder and the threats of disorder as we've seen in Nuneaton this summer,' Ms Gosling added.

The Home Secretary replied: 'Anyone who comes to our country needs to abide by our laws, the rules need to be enforced.

'We also believe that new partnerships and stronger measures are needed between policing, immigration enforcement and the Home Office around making sure there are proper public safety plans around the asylum estate.'

Ms Cooper added the Government was 'drawing up stronger checks at the border, but also stronger arrangements in local communities as well.'

The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month.

He has denied the charges. There were also protests at other asylum accommodation sites across Britain.

The Government will establish a new independent body to deal with immigration and asylum appeals as tens of thousands of people in asylum accommodation are currently awaiting appeals, the Home Secretary told MPs.

She added the current average waiting time for appeals to be heard is 54 weeks.

Sally Jameson, the Labour MP for Doncaster Central MP, called on Ms Cooper to work with Chancellor Rachel Reeves on a 'windfall tax' on delivery companies as part of a stronger crackdown on illegal working.

Aslyum seekers are generally not allowed to work in the UK, although they can apply for permission to work if they have been waiting 12 months for a decision.

Concerns have recently been raised that some migrants living in hotels housing asylum seekers are earning money through food delivery apps.

Ms Jameson said: 'There is a number of well-known delivery companies, and other companies in fact, who are employing asylum seekers with no right to work.

'This is helping to incentivise the boat crossings and, ultimately, undermine our national security.

'So will the Home Secretary liaise with the Treasury before the Budget to discuss bringing a windfall tax on some of these delivery companies so they can start contributing to the costs of a problem that they are helping to exacerbate.'#

Ms Cooper said it was important the 'gig economy does not become rife for abuse and misuse around illegal working'.

She pointed to how the Home Office recently struck an agreement with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uner Eats to help them identify delivery riders who are not allowed to work in the UK.

The Government will share the locations of asylum hotels as part of the deal.

Ms Cooper told MPs that in the UK applications by refugees for family members to join them are, on average, made around a month after their asylum claim is approved.

This is often even before a newly-granted refugee has left asylum accommodation, she added.

But her suspension of applications to the existing refugee family reunion route prompted a backlash from refugee and human rights groups this afternoon, with Amnesty International warning it was 'reckless and wrong'.

Prior to the Home Secretary's statement in the Commons, Sir Keir Starmer said he 'completely' gets peoples' concerns about migration, and insisted he wanted to speed up efforts to empty asylum hotels before the next election.

The Government has committed to empty all hotels currently housing migrants by the end of the Parliament, which could be as late as 2029, but the Prime Minister suggested he wanted to 'bring that forward'.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley, Sir Keir said he understood the concerns about migration, describing them as a 'really serious issue'.

'We have to have control of our borders, and I completely get it, and I'm determined that whether it's people crossing in the first place, whether it's people in asylum hotels, or whether it's returning people, we absolutely have to deal with this,' the PM said.

'When it comes to the asylum hotels, I want them emptied. I've been really clear about that. I completely understand why people are so concerned about it.'

Asked to commit to a date to empty asylum hotels, Sir Keir replied: 'Well, we've said we'll get rid of them by the end of the Parliament. I would like to bring that forward, I think it is a good challenge. I want to bring that forward.'

Sally Jameson, the Labour MP for Doncaster Central MP, challenged the Home Secretary over illegal working by asylum seekers

Prior to the Home Secretary's statement in the Commons, Sir Keir Starmer said he 'completely' gets peoples' concerns about migration

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Asked if he would be comfortable with his daughter having to walk past an asylum hotel, Sir Keir insisted again he 'completely' understands the concerns of residents, adding: 'Local people by and large do not want these hotels in their towns, in their place, nor do I. I'm completely at one with them on that.'

Nigel Farage and his party Reform UK 'feed on grievance' about migration, the PM also said, adding 'they've got no reason to exist' if the problem is solved.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour 'do not have the stomach' to take stronger action on immigration control when asked about the plans.

Speaking to reporters during a visit on Monday, the Conservative Party leader said: 'Well, what I would actually like to see the Home Secretary talk about is how she's going to close down the asylum hotels.

'What they have done with their recent court case is actually shown that they believe that illegal migrants have more rights than our local communities, and we completely disagree with that.

'We had a deportation Bill, which we asked Labour to support, we talked about disapplying the Human Rights Act so you wouldn't even get to some of the circumstances that she's talking about.

'There's a lot more that can be done on immigration control. Labour do not have the stomach to do it. We do, and we have the plans as well.'

Responding to the Government's plans for reforms to the asylum system, Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Commons that 'tweaking' rules will not be enough to tackle illegal migration.

He said: 'This is not just a border security crisis, it is a public safety crisis as well, and people up and down the country are furious. That is why they are protesting.

'If this Government were serious about fixing this problem, they would know that little tweaks here and there are not enough. Tweaks to Article 8 [of the European Convention on Human Rights] are not going to be enough.

'Tweaking the family reunion rules are not enough, returning maybe, if we are lucky, 50 people a week to France is not going to be enough.'

Downing Street insisted ministers have no plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which informs UK human rights law, in order to tackle migration.

Right-leaning think tank Policy Exchange on Monday sought to dispel the argument that leaving the ECHR would not jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland, where it underpins the Good Friday Agreement.

Chief executive of the Refugee Council Enver Solomon said until now family reunion has been one of the only safe and legal routes available for refugees and overwhelmingly supports women and children who make up the majority of visas granted.

'Far from stopping people taking dangerous journeys to cross the Channel, these changes will only push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones,' he said.

Amnesty International's Steve Valdez-Symonds added: 'The Home Secretary may say she is standing against hate, division and chaos, but yet again she has reacted to precisely these evils by doing more harm to refugees  the very people most targeted by them.'

He also said the 'clear reason' for the appeals backlog is that the Government is 'refusing asylum to people who are refugees' but cannot meet the 'flawed' rules under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
A Labour MP has claimed people who fly St George's flags outside a migrant hotel in his constituency are 'extremists' who are trying to 'mark territory'.

Clive Lewis, who represents Norwich South, condemned Norfolk county council for keeping the flags up after they were erected on lampposts near Brook Hotel, in Bowthorpe, last week.

The hotel, which has been used to house asylum seekers, has been the subject of protests and counter-protests in recent weeks.

Mr Lewis told the Eastern Daily Press: 'Most people say they fly the St George's Cross out of pride  and that's probably even true for some of those putting them on lampposts.

'But farRight groups are using these flags to mark territory and intimidate the vast majority who reject their extreme views.

'I've raised residents' concerns with the county council  they can't look the other way when extremists use our streets to send an intimidating message.'

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer today admitted he would not want to live next to an asylum hotel, and revealed he has an England flag hanging in his flat.

Asked whether people putting up the Union and St George's Cross flags could be considered racist, the Prime Minister told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I am supporter of flags.'

Clive Lewis (pictured), who represents Norwich South, condemned Norfolk county council for keeping flags up after they were erected on lampposts near Brook Hotel, in Bowthorpe, last week

St George's flags fly from lampposts in Highters Heath in south Birmingham

St George's flags attached to lampposts in Gravesend near the end of last month

St George's flags painted on pedestrian walkways as part of a campaign in the Tower Hamlets area in east London last week

St George's flags fly from lampposts outside houses on a residential street in Stanwell last week

He added: 'I am the leader of the Labour Party who put the Union Jack on our Labour Party membership cards. I always sit in front of the Union Jack. I've been doing it for years, and it attracted a lot of comment when I started doing it.'

The PM also said his family has 'got St George's flag in our flat' in Downing Street.

He continued: 'I'm very encouraging of flags. I think they're patriotic and I think they're a great symbol of our nation.

'I don't think they should be devalued and belittled. I think sometimes when they're used purely for divisive purposes, actually it devalues the flag. I don't want to see that. I'm proud of our flag.'

MP Lewis was told by police not to attend any demonstrations because his presence could escalate the situation.

Mr Lewis was part of a counter-protest at the hotel at the end of last year, when he said at the demonstration that some of those ordering for an end to asylum seekers being housed there were 'racists' and 'fascists'.

A spokesperson for Norfolk county council said: 'We're aware of a small number of locations where flags have been attached to street lights.

The flag of England is painted on a mini traffic island on August 29 in Walsall

Sir Keir Starmer today admitted he would not want to live next to an asylum hotel, and revealed he has an England flag hanging in his flat

A protester holds up a St George's flag outside the High Court in London on August 29

A St George's flag is tied to a lamppost in West Drayton last week

Cars pass St George's flags painted onto the white of the road markings of a T-Junction in Stanwell, west London, on August 27

'While the council does not encourage people to put flags up on lampposts and other street furniture and does not regard these as long-term features, the council will not prioritise the removal of such flags over any more urgent highway activity.'

The number of councils vowing to take legal action to kick asylum seekers out of hotels has grown to at least 19, it was reported on Saturday, as mass unrest continued to spread across the UK this weekend.

Furious protesters have gathered outside migrant hotels in towns and cities such as Newcastle, Swindon and Falkirk after the Court of Appeal last week overturned an injunction ordering the removal of 138 migrants from an accommodation in Essex.

It comes as the Labour government has been facing accusations from senior Tories that it is 'taking the side of migrants over Britons'.

On Saturday, more and more councils promised to fight back against asylum hotels in light of the Court of Appeal's decision on The Bell Hotel in Epping.

Reform UK said that all 12 councils it controls should be exploring legal options to stop asylum seekers being housed in local hotels.
A Democratic governor who is at war over Donald Trump's crackdown on crime has fled to George Clooney's Italian estate amid his feud with the president.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and his wife Dawn are seeking refuge in the comforts of the Hollywood actor's famous Lake Como villa.

The 46-year-old showcased his shirtless physique as he and Dawn soaked up the sun Monday afternoon from the deck of the movie star's yacht.

A White House spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Baltimore's residents can't escape gunshots and crime while Wes Moore flies to Lake Como to hang out with the Democrat elite.

'Maybe he should stay there, because he surely isn't getting anything done in Annapolis.'

Clooney and his wife Amal have already left Italy after making their noticeably quick appearance at the Venice Film Festival, but have opened their home to the Moores.

The couple are said to have all the luxuries of the more than $100million Villa Oleandra estate and its service staff at their full disposal.

Moore is said to be Clooney's pick for the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2028 election, with the actor once praising him as 'someone we could all join in behind'.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and his wife Dawn were spotted soaking up the Italian sun in George Clooney's yacht on Monday

Gov. Moore showcased his shirtless physique as he and Dawn took to the water

Wes and Dawn Moore are currently staying at George Clooney's famous Lake Como villa. The couple are said to have all the luxuries of the more than $100 million Villa Oleandra estate and its service staff at their full disposal

George and Amal Clooney are pictured exiting the yacht last month at Villa Passalacqua where 16 millionaire guests attended an exclusive event organized by the Clooney Foundation for Justice

The governor has escaped to Lake Como after he spent all last week feuding with Trump over his deployment of the National Guard into Washington DC to combat crime.

Trump threatened to send federal law enforcement to Baltimore and branded Maryland's biggest city a 'hell hole' and a 'horrible death bed'.

Moore admits more needs to be done to tackle skyrocketing crime in Baltimore, but has dismissed the idea of sending in the National Guard.

'I would love more federal support, but federal support on things that actually make sense and not things that are performative,' he said during an ABC interview that aired Sunday.

'The National Guard is completely performative because the National Guard is not even trained for it.'

The Maryland governor previously described Trump's attempt to fight inner city crime as 'tone deaf' and 'ignorant.'

He further argued the FBI and local law enforcement would be better suited for the task than the military.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore are pictured on vacation in Italy amid his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump

The couple are seen in George Clooney's boat and are staying in his residence despite the movie star and his wife having already left Italy

Moore is seen glancing towards his wife as the pair enjoy an afternoon on Clooney's yacht

The Governor and First Lady appeared to be enjoying Italy's warm weather this Labor Day

'It's because they have not walked our streets,' Moore added. 'They have not been in our communities, and they are more than happy to keep making these repeated tropes about us.'

Baltimore recorded more than 2,500 crimes in the 17 days that followed Trump's deployment of the National Guard on DC, according to recent police statistics.

The city was plagued with a slew of violence including six homicides, nine rapes, 426 assaults and 271 aggravated assaults. There were also 252 auto thefts, 155 burglaries and 439 acts of vandalism

Moore did invite Trump to come walk the streets of the city with him, but the president responded by saying he might 'send in the troops' instead.

Trump said Moore's invitation came in a 'rather nasty and provocative tone' and then raised the specter of repeating the National Guard deployment he made in Los Angeles despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The president has also called out Moore's admission that he lied about getting a Bronze Star for his military service on a fellowship application - which the governor has called 'an honest mistake'.

From 1996 until 2014, Moore served in the Army Reserve where he was deployed to Afghanistan from August 2005 until March 2006.

The rising Democratic star obtained multiple service awards, including a National Defense Service Medal, but he incorrectly claimed on a 2006 application for a White House fellowship that he was awarded a Bronze Star.

Moore, pictured next to his smiling wife, is said to be Clooney's pick for the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2028 election

Dawn Moore is pictured riding in George Clooney's boat alongside her husband

When news broke of the misdeed, Trump jumped on it by posting a link to an article from The Hill covering Moore's apology.

'But is that the end of his political career?' Trump asked his followers on Truth Social. 'He was very disrespectful to the Office of the President!'

The Daily Mail has approached representatives for Moore and Clooney for comment.
Sir Richard Branson has been left devastated after a talented chef was reportedly killed in a crash on his exclusive Caribbean hideaway.

Executive sous chef Sihle Somdaka, 37, was found fatally injured after apparently losing control of an electric buggy on Necker Island, the Virgin tycoon's 95,000-a-night private paradise.

The father-of-two - hailed as a rising star of the culinary world - had just attended a raucous farewell party at the island's opulent Great House, which was once the home of Branson and his wife Joan.

Police in the British Virgin Islands have now launched a full investigation into the tragedy, which has rocked Branson's close-knit island community.

A source told The Sun: 'Sir Richard wasn't on the island when the incident occurred but has been in close contact with the family and the Necker Island team.'

They added that the billionaire was 'deeply saddened' by the incident, which is said to have occurred late Friday night.

The crash unfolded shortly before midnight, when Somdaka left the party and began driving down a steep hillside in one of the resort's electric buggies.

Island medics and a doctor rushed from nearby Moskito Island to carry out frantic CPR before Somdaka was transported by boat to Peebles Hospital on Tortola.

Sihle Somdaka - a chef on Richard Branson's Necker Island who is said to have died after losing control of an electric buggy on Friday night

A source told The Sun: 'Sir Richard wasn't on the island when the incident occurred but has been in close contact with the family and the Necker Island team'

The father-of-two - hailed as a rising star of the culinary world - had just attended a raucous farewell party at the island's opulent Great House, which was once the home of Branson and his wife Joan

The crash unfolded shortly before midnight, when Somdaka is said to have left the party and began driving down a steep hillside in one of the resort's electric buggies

Tragically, he was later pronounced dead after sustaining a head injury.

The source confirmed to the newspaper that staff on the island are now working with several local authorities to determine exactly what happened that night, adding that a full investigation is now being carried out into the circumstances.

But one insider blamed a 'culture of excess' on the billionaire's island for the shocking loss of life.

'They've had very many close shaves and near misses over the years... It was only a matter of time, but it should never have happened,' they said.

Somdaka, originally from Cape Town, had dazzled diners across the globe  from high-end restaurants in Doha to Kuwait  before landing the coveted role in Branson's Caribbean retreat.

Just days before the tragedy, he had posted sun-drenched photos of himself enjoying the island's jet skis and pristine beaches with the caption: 'Caribbean life.'

A spokesperson from Virgin Limited Edition said: 'It is with deepest sadness that we can confirm that one of our Necker Island team members, sadly passed away on Saturday 30 August 2025.

They were a hugely talented and exceptional member of the Necker Island family, and we are all devastated by this news.

Our utmost priority is the wellbeing of their family and friends, and that of our team, and we are doing everything we can to support them all during this very difficult time.'


Humza Yousaf has been branded irresponsible after urging Scotlands top prosecutor to turn a blind eye to peaceful supporters of banned terrorist group Palestine Action.

The former SNP first minister and justice secretary wrote to Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, KC, asking her to publish a prosecution policy on the issue.

He said it should clarify that as a general matter, it will not be in the public interest to prosecute non-violent individuals solely expressing support for Palestine Action.

He said wearing a T-shirt, carrying a placard, or making a statement that does not incite violence, fundraise, organise or facilitate criminal acts, should be exempt.

It comes ahead of the Defend our Juries group organising a Lift the Ban action in Edinburgh this Saturday outside a UK Government building.

Ms Bains deputy, the Solicitor General for Scotland, Ruth Charteris, KC, rebuffed the request as contrary to the Lord Advocates obligation to independently enforce the criminal law.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: Humza Yousafs intervention is irresponsible and risks undermining the rule of law.

As a former First Minister and Justice Secretary, he should know better than to call for selective non-enforcement of the law based on his own political preferences.

People are free to debate these decisions, but encouraging the authorities to turn a blind eye is wholly inappropriate.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed Palestine Action under terrorism law after four activists were accused of vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, the UKs largest airbase.

Humza Yousaf wants prosecutors to take no action against 'non-violent' support for a proscribed pro-Palestine group

Mr Yousaf signs his official resignation letter to King Charles III at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh last year

MPs endorsed the move on 2 July by 385 votes to 26, making it illegal for anyone to be a member of, or invite support for, the organisation.

Hundreds of opponents of the ban have since been arrested, including a dozen in Scotland, for displaying posters and placards such as I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.

On Sunday, Crown Agent John Logue, the top official in the Crown Office, politicians calling for laws not to be enforced was the very definition of undermining the rule of law.

In his letter to the Lord Advocate, Mr Yousaf said prosecutions of people expressing solidarity with Palestine Action appeared at odds with the right to political speech.

Criminalising a placard or statement that neither incites for assists violence risks misusing counter-terror powers against people of conscience, he said.

The Glasgow Pollok MSP cited Ms Bains use of light-touch prosecution guidance to allow the UKs first safer drugs consumption facility to operate in Glasgow as a precedent.

He said a similarly framed prosecution statement would be appropriate and draw a line between non-violent expression and conduct that crosses the threshold into criminality.

But Ms Charteris swiftly knocked the idea flat.

She wrote: It would not be an appropriate use of the Lord Advocates authority to issue a statement of prosecution policy of the type you request.

Furthermore, I would consider such a statement to be contrary to the Lord Advocates obligation to independently enforce the criminal law.

The prosecution policy for the drug consumption facility is a narrow and focused statement.

What you request is a statement of prosecution policy which is broader, less precise and may apply in a range of circumstances and contexts. I consider too that it would be understood as if I was permitting individuals to commit acts which the law treats as criminal.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was briefly interrupted by a pro-Palestine protestor as he made a speech at Glasgow Caledonian University about the Holyrood election.

As around a dozen people chanted below the room in which he was speaking, a man walked into the event and urged him to address the genocide happening in Gaza.

Mr Sarwar replied: I believe there is a genocide happening in Gaza, I believe Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.
The mystery surrounding a man found dead in a pool of blood at Burning Man deepened after police asked attendants to help identify the victim.

The unidentified body of a male was discovered at around 9.15pm on Saturday, during the festival's climax, as the wooden 'Man' effigy began to burn in the northwestern Nevada desert, police said.

Detectives are looking into the death as a homicide, as festivalgoers continue gathering in the makeshift encampment called Black Rock City.

Police have now asked the 70,000 festival attendants for help in the probe, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The victim is believed to be a white male between the ages of 35 and 40, approximately 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, with short brown hair and facial hair, according to Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen.

'We are specifically looking to identify the white male adult decedent,' Allen said.

'We are also currently seeking information regarding any suspect identifiers for any person who would commit such a heinous crime against another human being. At this time, no information is too small to disregard, so do not hesitate to contact my office.'

Police started a murder probe after a male body was found in a pool of blood at the Burning Man festival on Saturday

The Pershing County Sheriff's Office was notified by a person who discovered the man around 9.15pm on Saturday as the festival's 'Man' effigy began to burn (pictured)

Detectives are looking into the death as a homicide, as festival goes continue gathering in the makeshift encampment called Black Rock Cit

Those with relevant information were asked to contact the Pershing County Sheriffs Office at 775-273-2641 or 775-273-5111, and reference case #25-318.

The man's body was found 'in a pool of blood' by a festival attendant who flagged down police.

Deputies along with rangers from the Bureau of Land Management responded and 'found a single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased.'

The investigation has included interviews with several participants and officials cordoned off a perimeter in the area where the body was found.

Police said they believe the murder was a 'singular crime,' but they urged festivalgoers to remain vigilant.

'There is no further information available at this time, but it will be released as appropriate to provide for communication, while still preserving the integrity of the complicated investigation of a crime in a city which will be gone by the middle of the week,' Allen said.

Burning Man officials said in a statement that they are cooperating with law enforcement and asked participants in Black Rock City to not interfere with their investigation.

A view from a tower at Burning Man overlooking thousands camping in the Black Rock Desert

Moments from Burning Man 2025 on the playa in Nevada's Black Rock Desert on August 27

'The safety and well-being of our community are paramount,' the statement said. It noted that support services, including a crisis support team, were available and participants had access to free Wi-Fi If they need to communicate with loved ones.

The annual gathering in the Black Rock Desert attracts tens of thousands of artists, musicians and activists each year for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances, highlighted by the burning of a large wooden effigy of a man.

The death comes as more than two dozen people were transported to the hospital since the festival began on August 24, reported the Reno Gazette Journal.

Of the 31 people taken to a hospital, 11 were transported by air and 20 by ground, Royal Ambulance, according to the medical provider for Black Rock City. Three were resuscitated on the playa with cardiac arrests.
It's the last weekend of summer for Chicagoans hellbent on squeezing every moment out of their all-too-fleeting party boat season.

Here in the surprisingly turquoise waters of Lake Michigan lies a unique hotspot, an area where boaters anchor in the shadow of this city's iconic skyline to revel in each other's company.

It's called the Playpen.

For many regulars, the three-month, often hedonistic and sometimes hazardous, social scene from Memorial Day through Labor Day mitigates the nine months of rain and snow for which the Windy City is notorious.

'Summers here are crazy short. There's definitely beauty in things that are so temporary,' says Liam Poczatek, a captain who grew up boating Chicago's expanse of Lake Michigan and runs the only water taxi service to and from the Playpen.

Leah Paskero, an exuberant dental hygienist, spends every summer Saturday bobbing on the water, greeting boaters with her megaphone:

'I live for the Playpen. It's my social life. Without it, I could never stay in this city.'

Anywhere from 100 to 500 boats, ranging from small skiffs to 90-foot luxury yachts, anchor here on sunny summer weekends.

The Playpen, Lake Michigans most notorious hotspot, sees anywhere from 100 to 500 boats drop anchor on summer weekends, from modest skiffs to towering luxury yachts  especially for the last holiday of the summer, Labor Day

With Chicago overlooking the blue waters below, motorboats arrive in droves, some stocked with endless kegs, while luxury charters with dance floors and pole dancers anchor alongside frat boys, bachelors, bachelorettes, and office workers ready to party

Bob Bloome, a retired Chicago fireboat veteran and former Elvis impersonator, took Daily Mail on his charter for Labor Day weekend this past Saturday

Motorboats come loaded with frat brothers and kegs.

Charters, complete with dance floors, bartenders and pole dancers, bring people celebrating milestone birthdays and bachelor parties. One boat called The Flying Lady was rigged with a trapeze, but stopped showing up a few years ago.

A few Speedo-wearing old geezers pack their private powerboats to capacity with bikini-clad twentysomethings in hopes that one might take her top off in appreciation for her afternoon on the water.

Some boaters anchor off to the side, away from blaring subwoofers, for some wholesome family togetherness.

On one yacht this weekend, four generations of a Mexican-American family sang Tejano Music while passing around plates of tamales. On another, an aproned woman grilled kielbasa for grandkids who played rock-paper-scissors for the last pierogi.

Some boats are piloted by professionals like Bob Bloome, a retired Chicago fireboat veteran and former Elvis impersonator who showed Daily Mail the ways of the Playpen on his charter boat, Michigami, on Saturday.

Others are operated by amateurs without captains' licenses, let alone any nautical experience. You need only a driver's license to rent a boat.

'I've seen so much insanity on the water that nothing amazes me anymore,' Bloome says.

Liam Poczatek (right) grew up boating Chicago's expanse of Lake Michigan and runs the only water taxi service to and from the Playpen

Leah Paskero, an exuberant dental hygienist, spends every summer Saturday floating on the water, greeting boaters with a megaphone, fully embracing the Playpen as the heart of her social life in the city

A party boat charter called Party on Boats hosts a crew drinking the final holiday away, surrounded by others doing the same on their own vessels

The Playpen formed in the early 1900s when the city and Army Corps of Engineers built breakwaters north of todays Navy Pier to shield Lake Shore Drives lakefront

The Playpen is at its busiest during special events such as Black Yacht Weekend and the Chicago Scene party in June, and as a place to watch fireworks on July 4 or Chicago's Air and Water Show in August.

On hot summer days, owners of flyboards flit from boat to boat giving passengers  especially young women in string bikinis  free hydroflights powered by the lakewater.

Young staffers at a nearby Gold Coast tech firm come to hold meetings on a 'lilipad' raft attached to the back of their boss's yacht.

And graduates of a nearby law school chartered a boat to the Playpen after their bar exam in July, asking the captain to forgive their hard-earned debauchery.

'We have a lot of fun out here. But we don't share the details with reporters,' says Cam Schwartz, 28, who was celebrating a buddy's birthday on a charter boat called True Therapy IV when he dove off and swam to ours for a tipsy interview.

'In Chicago, you gotta get on the lake before it gets cold out,' he tells us. 'Let people know this is the greatest place on the planet.'

Known among outsiders more for its sports, architecture and pizza, Chicago is a great boating city with the biggest harbor system in the US.

The area now called the Playpen was formed in the early 1900s when the city and Army Corps of Engineers built two breakwaters north of where Navy Pier now stands to protect a stretch of lakefront along Lake Shore Drive.

A food boat that delivers orders boat side to hungry partygoers

Cam Schwartz, 28, swam over to Daily Mail while partying for his buddy's birthday on a charter boat called True Therapy IV, but said he wouldn't 'share the details with reports' in a tipsy interview

A group of partygoers drinking on the bag of their three-engine boat as a Fun Boat Chicago charter floats nearby

Those concrete walls about 400 yards from shore keep the water here relatively calm and offer a presumably safe place for boats to anchor just blocks from the famed Chicago Water Tower and John Hancock Building.

Some boaters here, especially novices, like to tie their vessels to each other, forming a flotilla anywhere from two to 40 boats long.

Partiers often hop from boat to boat in search of better food or drink, or better-looking potential hook-ups, than they came with. In unison, they dance to whatever tunes are blaring from the boat with the loudest speakers.

As longtimers tell it, things ran relatively smoothly until the Covid pandemic five years ago, when scores of Chicagoans bought boats and headed to the Playpen, a federal anchorage area without social distancing regulations.

Entrepreneurs rushed to form charter businesses that, under US Coast Guard rules, should require customers to hire licensed captains to pilot boats carrying 12 or more passengers.

'But most don't,' says Brady Ruel, a native Chicagoan now in his 25th summer captaining charter boats off the city's shoreline, most of which are filled with people mainly wanting to experience the Playpen.

Even in its calm waters, boating here can be tricky given the hundreds of boats, jet skis, rafts and swimmers crowded into a tight area.

Nautical inexperience, often exacerbated by boaters drinking, snorting or shooting up whatever spirits or drugs happen to be on board, can lead to trouble.

At the Playpen, boaters tie their vessels into flotillas of two to forty, while partiers hop between boats in search of better food, drinks, or hookups, dancing in unison to the loudest tunes on the water

Lifeguards patrol the Playpen to watch for accidents, as inexperience and substance use can send boats drifting into swimmers or other vessels, while dancers, sunbathers and thrill-seekers risk falls, getting caught between boats, or injuries from speeding watercraft and exposed propellers

A Chicagoen chugs a High Noon beverage as he enjoys the lake

'For some people, getting drunk, getting wild and out of control is their main interest out here,' Capt. Bloome says.

Dani Uzelac, a nurse and founding partner of a charter and captain training company called Boat Safe Great Lakes, recalls hosting a bachelorette party attended by women whom she says looked like supermodels.

'Every man in the Playpen was trying to swim to our boat, including one guy who was trying rather unsuccessfully to swim with a magnum bottle of vodka in his hands. Somebody on a jet ski had to save him,' she says.

Many boaters don't know how to anchor, leaving their vessels to drift into swimmers, smash into other boats and even crash against the concrete breakwaters.

Some passengers dancing or sunbathing on boats can lose their balance from wakes caused by jet skis or other watercraft driving too fast nearby.

Others dangling their feet off boats or hopping from one to the other can get caught between them or hurt by underwater propellers that can slice off fingers and toes in an instant.

In 2022, two women on a raft tied behind a yacht were gravely injured after another boat backed into them. Both were pulled underwater and toward their propellers, which severed one woman's hand and cut off the other's legs below her knees.

'If there are no injuries, then you didn't have a good time!!!! Gen X,' reads one particularly apt social media post written after that accident.

Walker Greenlee (center), a stickler for safety, hosts friends aboard his powerboat Spanky and the Gang nearly every weekend each summer and says it seems like theres an emergency requiring a rescue almost every time

A group of girls and one guy enjoy dancing and drinking on the boats bow, while nearby wakes from fast-moving jet skis and other watercraft threaten to knock passengers off balance

'It seems like every weekend there's some sort of emergency where someone needs rescuing,' says Walker Greenlee, who hosts friends aboard his powerboat, Spanky and the Gang, almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday each summer and is a stickler for safety.

In several instances, people who own or operate boats in the Playpen have ended up in the water, leaving passengers unable to drive or even call for help because they didn't know where the radio was.

Overloaded or ill-balanced vessels have capsized. Boats have caught fire and sunk.

'We find them two weeks later, fish having chewed the eyeballs out of people's heads,' says Capt. Bloome, whose 28 years working on a Chicago Fire Department rescue boat led to countless Playpen horror stories.

Because online reviews greatly affect charter boat companies' business, many are reluctant to cancel trips in bad boating weather.

Several boats have run into trouble navigating Lake Michigan's rough and often unpredictable waters on their way to or from the comparatively calmer Playpen. Waves as high as nine feet roiled off Chicago's shore as recently as last week.

'This lake can be a raging tempest at any moment,' Bloome says.

In June, Zahrie Walls, a 27-year-old hairstylist in Chicago, was a guest on a boat trip that coincided with the Playpen's Black Yacht Weekend. There were especially strong currents that afternoon, and she fell into the water without a lifejacket. Her body was found and pulled from the lake a few hours later.

In June, 27-year-old Chicago hairstylist Zahrie Walls fell into Lake Michigan without a lifejacket during a boat trip coinciding with the Playpens Black Yacht Weekend, and her body was recovered hours later

A group of friends crowd onto the front of their anchored boat for a photo. One of the leading causes of accidents or injuries at Playpen is from overloaded or ill-balanced vessels that capsized

Several boats have struggled navigating Lake Michigans rough, unpredictable waters en route to or from the comparatively calm Playpen, with waves reaching up to nine feet off Chicagos shore as recently as last week

'She doesn't know how to swim,' says her mother, Kizzie Walls, who still speaks of her late daughter in the present tense.

'They didn't give any safety guidelines. They didn't do any of that. And nobody was criminally charged,' she adds. 'This Playpen, it's every parent's nightmare.'

'The bottom line is that people with little boating experience have no business turning boats into nightclubs,' adds Dave Benjamin, the co-founder and executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which promotes safety on all five Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan.

He estimates that 46 to 50 deaths are reported each year on the lake - a number he thinks is intentionally lowballed by communities hoping not to scare away tourists.

In response to Zahrie's drowning, a city alderman has proposed an ordinance requiring boaters to wear life vests on boats operating off Chicago's shore.

Although most professional boaters agree the measure is needed, they also expect it will make little difference because the city has scant resources to enforce it and because the Playpen falls into federal, not city, jurisdiction.

Several Playpen regulars have, in the meantime, opposed the ordinance on grounds that lifejackets would mess up their tan lines.

There's an aspect of the Playpen culture that is hyper-sexualized, including a Wheel-of-Fortune-type game on one yacht in which spinners may be required to flash or moon other players.

With girls clad in skimpy bikinis, shirtless guys and an endless flow of liquor, Playpen culture tends to be hyper-sexualized, with one yacht having a Wheel-of-Fortune-type game in which spinners may be required to flash or moon other players

Ten friends soak up summer on Lake Michigan, drifting near a sleek white yacht with drinks in hand as they hang out on an blue float

Several regulars have told us they've seen boaters having sex in full view of others.

As Poczatek tells it, there's also a transactional nature to the scene.

'I get a lot of girls on my boat asking me to set them up with a guy with a boat, any guy, no matter what he looks like,' he says. 'I also get girls who feel trapped or unsafe on certain boats, and call me to go get them.'

Poczatek has ended up pulling more things from the water  from litter to people drowning  than he bargained for when setting up his water taxi business five years ago. He and other boating professionals are irate that 'So many people driving boats around here seem clueless about putting people's lives in danger.'

Capt. Bloome turns 67 this week and plans to spend the day on his yacht without any customers. We ask if he'll be heading to the Playpen.

'No way,' he says. 'Not my cup of tea.'
A man accused of rape went on the run for two years after staging his own death, hiding in the wild and fleeing to Spain, a court has heard.

James Clacher, 57, is accused of raping two women - the first in Troon, South Ayrshire, in 2019 and the second in Glasgow in 2020.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, lodging a special defence to claim any sex he had was consensual.

Clacher, a former gym boss, was first reported missing on May 31, 2022, while facing court proceedings, Sky News reported.

His car was said to be found abandoned later that day at a car park area in Argyll and Bute.

A suicide note was discovered in Clacher's car, next to his driving licence and destroyed bank cards, Sergeant Craig Brown told the High Court in Glasgow today.

In the note, the suspect reportedly blamed his first alleged victim, claiming she 'will never stop until I'm dead or I'm in prison'.

Police then launched a search to find Clacher, believing him to be wild camping in the hills near his car.

James Clacher's car was said to be found abandoned at a car park area in Argyll and Bute

During his time in Nerja (pictured), Clacher was said to have visisted a local gym and started personal training

Information was said to have been received that enabled Clacher's ensnarement in Nerja, Spain, two years later.

Footage seen by jurors is said to have shown him being arrested on a beach in the Costa del Sol town in May last year. He was extradited to Scotland the next month.

He is said to have told Detective Constable Jamie Crossan, who travelled with him back to Scotland, that he 'survived on berries and puddle water' while on the run.

During his time in Nerja, Clacher was said to have visisted a local gym and started personal training.

The suspect is also said to have vanished after learning he was to be interviewed over two new sexual offence allegations, in addition to the two rape charges.

Clacher's father, who is also named James Clacher, said he went to alert police to his son being missing after friends raised concerns.

Mr Clacher said he spoke to his son on the phone, who reportedly said: 'Dad, I don't know how to handle this.'

A suicide note was discovered in Clacher's car, next to his driving licence and destroyed bank cards, Sergeant Craig Brown told the High Court in Glasgow (pictured) today

Mr Clacher reportedly testified that his son admitted to him he did not intend to kill himself.

A total of 5.5k was withdrawn from a business bank account one day before Clacher vanished, jurors reportedly also heard.

Mr Clacher and his son were the only people with access to the account, Sky News reported, with the suspect's father testifying he was not behind the withdrawals.

The trial will continue tomorrow before judge Lord Cubie.
At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over Labor Day weekend, but the city's leaders remain adamant against President Trump deploying the National Guard.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who's been extremely vocal against Trump, told a crowd of anti-MAGA protestors Monday that he will not allow the president to bring 'militarized force' into his city.

'No federal troops in the city of Chicago! No militarized force in the city of Chicago!,' Johnson, 49, shouted on stage at the 'Workers Over Billionaires' protest in the Windy City.

The Democrat's remarks came after the shootings left at least seven dead and 37 others injured. A majority of the instances resulted in no one being taken into custody, police said, per Fox News.

In recent days, Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have fought against Trump's threats to send in National Guard troops and federal agents to Chicago to crackdown on soaring crime and immigration issues.

Trump's warning comes as his administration vows to deliver a federal presence in major Democratic-run cities, US officials told the Associated Press.

On Saturday, Johnson told local officials to resist Trump's planned immigration crackdown, signing an executive order outlining guidelines for the city's agencies and police department to follow.

The order said law enforcement will not 'collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties, including civil immigration enforcement.'

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to not let President Donald Trump bring 'militarized force' into his city on Monday despite at least 54 people being shot over the holiday weekend

Trump has continuously threatened Johnson and other officials that he will send in federal troop to crackdown on the crime-ridden city

He further directed local officials to 'pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist coordinated efforts from the federal government.'

'We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets,' Johnson said before signing the order.

'We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this.'

Johnson's executive order also 'urges' local law enforcement, 'to refrain from wearing masks, to wear and use body cameras and to identify themselves to members of the public with names and badge numbers.'

Chicago is home to a large immigrant population, and both the city and the state of Illinois have some of the countrys strongest rules against cooperating with federal government immigration enforcement efforts.

That has often put the city and the state at odds with Trumps administration as it tries to carry out his mass deportation agenda.

The Trump administration asked the military this week for use of the Naval Station Great Lakes, north of Chicago, to support immigration enforcement.

The White House-ordered operation in Chicago, the countrys third-largest city, is expected to last about 30 days and could start as early as September 5, a Department of Homeland Security official told The Associated Press on Friday.

The shootings left at least seven dead 37 others injured over the weekend

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has also rallied against Trump's warnings to bring in federal officers to the Windy City

In a Truth Social post on Saturday Trump called Pritzker a 'weak and pathetic Governor' who needs to 'straighten it out, FAST,' before he steps in

Another US official said the timing for what could be a sustained immigration enforcement effort resembling this summers operations in Los Angeles is awaiting final approval.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies would take part in the planned Chicago operation, according to the federal officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

Unlike the recent federal takeover of policing in Washington, it is not expected to rely on the National Guard or military and is focused exclusively on immigration instead of being cast as part of a broad campaign against crime.

Johnson has not acted alone in rallying against Trump, as Governor Pritzker has refused the commander-in-chief's help to solve the ongoing crime crisis.

Pritzker, who took office in 2019, has called Trump's approach 'unconstitutional' and 'a dangerous power grab.'

On Saturday, Trump intensified his feud with the 'weak and pathetic Governor' that he said needed to 'straighten it out FAST' before he steps in.

'JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said he doesn't need help preventing CRIME,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

'He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we're coming! MAGA.'

The president pointed to similar efforts he made in Washington D.C. recently as he sent hundreds of troops from the National Guard to clean up crime there

Trump's latest dig at Pritzker comes days after he called the governor a 'slob' and suggested he should 'spend more time in the gym.'

Pritzker then fired back at Trump's comments about his weight, stating that 'from [his] perspective, it takes one to know one on the weight question.'

'The president himself is not in good shape. He ought to respond to that.

Trump went on to discuss similar efforts he made in Washington D.C. to prevent further 'bloodshed,' as he sent hundreds of troops from the National Guard into clean up crime after a former DOGE employee was attacked in the streets.

'D.C. has been under siege from thugs and killers, but now, D.C. is back under Federal Control where it belongs. The White House is in charge,' Trump said at the time.

'The Military and our Great Police will liberate this City, scrape away the filth, and make it safe, clean, habitable and beautiful once more!'

Trump previously singled out New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago and Oakland, California as potential future locations where federal troops could take the streets of American cities.

'We're going to take back our capital,' Trump said, 'and then we'll look at other cities also. But other cities are studying what we're doing.'
Within hours of taking the Oval Office, Donald Trump fulfilled his promise to pardon and release all January 6th Capitol rioters  but now they want more.

Lawyers for the rioters are lobbying the Trump administration to pay their clients restitution for what they describe as unfair prosecutions.

One of the leading attorneys for the rioters is Mark McCloskey, who gained fame during the 2020 pandemic when he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at protesters outside his home in St. Louis.

McCloskey told his clients during a social media meeting last week that he had met with top officials at the DOJ and presented them with a blueprint to create a committee responsible for handing out financial compensation to the rioters, according to the New York Times.

The special panel would be called a voluntary nonjudicial resolution committee and would evaluate each rioter's case on an individual basis.

McCloskey claims he is pushing for US prosecutor Jeanine Pirro to lead the panel. Pirro now leads the DC prosecutors office responsible for sending the rioters to prison.

The only thing I can do as your lawyeris to turn your losses into dollar bills, he reportedly told the rioters during the online session.

If successful, the restitution panel would reshape the image of the Capitol rioters as victims of the federal government.

Rioters are seeking financial restitution from the federal government by claiming they were unfairly prosecuted

Mark McCloskey is one of the attorney's leading the charge for the Justice Department to create the special panel

Trump pardoned all rioters imprisoned or charged for their actions on January 6th, 2021

According to the Times, McCloskey claimed the rioters have allies in the federal government including DOJ attorney Ed Martin, who runs a working group responsible for investigating the weaponization of the justice system.

Hes 100 percent on our side, Mr. McCloskey said.

As the rioters make moves to squeeze money out of the federal government, 2025 has proven to be a successful year for these Trump militant loyalists.

On his first day in office Trump granted complete clemency for over 1,500 individuals charred or convicted of crimes relating to the riot.

Trumps sweeping pardons included hundreds of individuals found guilty of assaulting police officers.

Moreover, Trump has since purged prosecutors and federal agents from the DOJ who were responsible for imprisoning the rioters.

If McCloskeys efforts are successful, it would not be the first time the federal government has dished out money for their treatment of Capitol rioters.

McCloskey claims he is in talks with top officials at the DOJ to create the panel

Back in May, The Justice Department reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer on January 6th.

According to CBS News, Babbitts family will receive approximately $5 million as part of their wrongful-death lawsuit.

The U.S. government last week also offered full military funeral honors for Babbitt, who was as a former Air Force veteran before her death.
A New Jersey street was overrun with swarms of cars and rowdy troublemakers who threw fireworks at responding police in the early hours of Sunday morning.

More than 100 vehicles swarmed the intersection of Secaucus Road and County Avenue in Secaucus around 2:30 am on Sunday, Fox 5 reported.

Officers responded to reports that the cars were driving recklessly and doing donuts.

When police arrived, members of the mob shot fireworks at and under police vehicles, police said.

Dramatic video captured by onlookers showed the chaos unfolding.

Fireworks could be seen exploding next to a police vehicle, while sirens blared and police tried to get the situation under control.

Police reported that participants were hanging out of car windows and even jumped on top of police cars.

No officers were injured, but several local agencies responded to help disperse the large crowd.

Fireworks could be seen exploding next to a police vehicle, while sirens blared and police tried to get the situation under control

Dramatic video captured by onlookers showed the chaos unfolding

Officers responded to reports that the cars were recklessly driving around the street and doing donuts

During the daylight hours, the street could be seen streaked with tire tracks.

Police are now looking to identify the suspects involved.

Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said the conditions his staff responded to were like 'a war zone,' News 12 New Jersey reported.

'Our officers came under attack last night and I will not tolerate this unrest,' Miller said, commending the officers for their restraint during the response.

'I will be dedicating resources from our Traffic Bureau, Detective Division, Patrol Division and Intelligence Section to assemble a Task Force to identify the individuals responsible for this riotous behavior and bring them to justice.

'Secaucus is not going to be a place where these criminals operate with impunity!'

Miller added that these kinds of incidents are not unheard of in the area, but the size and violence of this one was out of the ordinary.
Labour admitted on Monday night that no Channel migrants have been returned to France yet under its much-vaunted 'one in, one out' deal.

Ministers had claimed when the agreement was announced in July that it would take effect within weeks, and the first small boat arrivals due to be returned were detained in Dover at the start of August.

But the Home Secretary told Parliament on Monday that she now expects the deportations to begin 'later this month'.

And Yvette Cooper would not tell MPs how many people would be in the first tranche, while some 3,567 more people have landed in dinghies since the deal with France was ratified - adding to the record numbers arriving this year.

It came as she launched a crackdown on the family reunion scheme, barring refugees from bringing their partners and children to the UK, while Sir Keir Starmer vowed to speed up the closure of asylum hotels in the wake of angry protests around the country.

On Monday night Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Mail: 'The Government claimed in July that a handful of migrants would be sent back to France within weeks - but it's now September and not a single person has been sent back.

'Under Labour, a small boat to the UK is a one-way ticket to one of Keir Starmer's cushy hotels - paid for by hard-pressed taxpayers. This weak government has lost control of our borders and won't do what is needed to fix it.

'Labour has flung open the doors to the UK and this year they have let in the highest number of illegal immigrants across the channel ever.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) told Parliament on Monday that she now expects the deportations of migrants to begin 'later this month' - but she would not tell MPs how many people would be in the first tranche

Some 3,567 people have landed in the UK in dinghies since the deal with France was ratified, with none returned thus far. Pictured: Migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France disembark from Border Force vessel 'Typhoon' after it arrived into Dover on February 9, 2025

The one in, one out deal was announced by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (right) on July 10 at the end of the Anglo-French summit

'They are too weak to do what's needed to fix this - which is make sure that every single illegal immigrant is removed immediately upon arrival. Then, no one would bother crossing in the first place.'

The one-in, one-out deal was announced by the Prime Minister and President Emmanuel Macron on July 10th at the end of the Anglo-French summit.

Sir Keir said at the time that the 'ground-breaking' pilot project  under which some migrants arriving in small boats would be detained and returned to France while the same number of genuine asylum-seekers would be allowed to come to the UK  would begin 'in the coming weeks'.

The Home Secretary also told MPs on July 14th that the expectation was 'that that pilot will be operationalised in the coming weeks'.

It was announced on August 4th that the treaty had been ratified, then the Home Office revealed that 'detentions began for those who arrived in the UK on a small boat' on August 6th, stating: 'The UK will make referrals to France within 3 days, and the French authorities will be expected to respond within 14 days.'

But almost four weeks on, the cases are still being processed although sources insisted that those detained are still being held.

Ms Cooper told the Commons on Monday: 'In August I signed the new treaty with France allowing us for the first time to directly return those who arrive on small boats.

'The first detentions took place the next day  of people immediately on arrival at Dover. And we expect the first returns to begin later this month.

Migrants clamber aboard a smuggler's boat off Gravelines in northern France last month

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing intense pressure over his immigration and asylum policy

'Applications have also been opened for the reciprocal legal route, with the first cases under consideration, subject to the strict security checks.'

But asked how many people would be returned over the coming year, amid reports that it could be fewer than 50 a week, she replied: 'We have set out that this is a pilot, and that we want to build and grow it.

'There is no cap on the overall numbers to go as part of the pilot, and we need to build it as we go.'

She said that the National Crime Agency, Britain's equivalent of the FBI, had led a record '347 disruptions of immigration crime networks' in the past year.

But her Tory counterpart Mr Philp said that 84 per cent were 'classified as not being high impact' and the NCA had only made 26 arrests for organisation immigration crime.

He also pointed out that she had failed to mention the numbers of people crossing the Channel.

'Far from smashing the gangs, so far this year, 29,000to be precise, 29,003illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel. That is the worst year in history, and it is up by 38 per cent compared with last year.'

The Government had highlighted the fact that the number of boats crossing the Channel in August was at 55 the lowest since 2019. But the number of migrants in the boats stood at 3,567 for the month, the lowest only since 2021.

Despite announcing plans to suspend new applications to the refugee family reunion route, while the PM told the BBC he wanted to speed up the process of having asylum hotels 'emptied', Ms Cooper faced demands by Labour backbenchers to do more to tackle illegal migration.

This week it emerged that Britain could be forced to pay for a new French 'maritime intervention force' that escorts migrant small boats away from England. The radical plan would see fast patrol craft surrounding the dinghies packed with passengers

Home Office sources said the idea had 'never been brought up in our conversations with the French' and downplayed any suggestion the UK would face a new bill. Currently, once boats are in the water the French authorities are not legally allowed to approach and make arrests

It is understood that Bruno Retailleau (pictured), France 's Interior Minister, believes that specialist boats and dedicated officers could be the solution. It is said that the cost of the boats would be added to the near 500 million that the UK pledged to give France in 2023

Jodie Gosling asked for better vetting of migrants being moved out of hotels 'to safeguard our residents' while Graham Stringer said he doubted how successful the current measures would be and urged the Home Secretary to look at the tough approach taken by Denmark.

Amid growing calls from within Labour for the Government to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Ms Cooper admitted that there is a 'challenge' in the way the Article 8 right to a family life is being used in asylum cases and that 'the rules need to change'.

But she added that Britain's membership of the ECHR was 'part of the reason why we have been able to get international agreements' and was 'how we got the French pilot'.

On Monday night, a Labour source insisted: 'We operationalised the France returns pilot, we already have people in detention to deport back to France in coming weeks.'

And the insider added: 'The Tories promised everyone would be returned to Rwanda - their 700 million gimmick was announced two years before they sent just four volunteers.

'Labour are strengthening our international cooperation, tackling immigration crime and disrupting those who facilitate these dangerous boat crossings.'
Three children have been found after an urgent hunt was launched when they reportedly vanished on a camping trip.

Emily, 13, Logan, 16, and Talisha, 12, from Pontypridd, south Wales, were said to have been missing since Sunday, August 31.

The trio of youngsters was believed to be together.

South Wales Police, who put out an appeal on Monday, said they may have travelled towards Abercynon, a small village around 16 miles north of Cardiff.

The force described Emily as being around 5ft 4in with blonde shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing black leggings with a white crop top and hoodie beneath a purple jacket.

Emily, 13, Logan, 16, and Talisha, 12, from Pontypridd, south Wales, have been found after 'vanishing while camping' (file police photo)

Logan, at around 5ft 11, was wearing an all-black tracksuit with black trainers.

Talisha, who has long brown hair and is around 5ft, was wearing a black puffer jacket with black leggings.

The force said in the early hours of Tuesday morning that the trio had been found.

It said in a social media post: 'Emily, Logan and Talisha who were all reported missing from Pontypridd have all been located safely.

'Thank you for sharing our appeals. Your shares and support really does make a difference.'
A teenage girl was shot and killed during a drive by shooting as she brushed her friend's hair during a sleepover in Missouri.

Traelynn Sibley, 16, was days away from starting her junior year of high school when she was gunned down at a Kansas City home on August 9, reported KSHB.

The girls were 'fixing each other's hair at a vanity near the front door' when the shooter drove by and struck Sibley in the throat, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office.

Bailey Lewis, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, accessory armed criminal action and accessory unlawful use of a weapon for the crime.

Prosecutors said Sibley was spending the night at the house when Lewis drove by to target someone else inside who she had a 'falling out' with after she allegedly let the other person get 'jumped' at a gas station.

'[Others inside the house] described a normal night with two of the females fixing each other's hair at a vanity near the front door of the structure, one female was in back bedroom while two adult males were playing video games in the living room. A toddler was also present in the home,' the court document said.

'They heard the sound of gunshots and observed projectiles entering the home through the front door and living room wall/window area near the front door.

'The juvenile female struck by gunfire was fixing her friend's hair at the vanity when she was shot in the throat. She ran to the bathroom where she collapsed.'

Traelynn Sibley (pictured), 16, was days away from starting her junior year of high school when she was gunned down at Kansas City home

Sibley was shot in the throat as she brushed her friend's hair at vanity near the front door of the home (pictured)

The girls were 'fixing each other's hair at a vanity near the front door' when the shooter drove by and struck Sibley in the throat

Lewis was identified by surveillance video that showed her 2025 Hyundai Elantra coming and going from the scene, police said.

Once investigators identified Lewis, they learned that she had a falling out with others who lived in the house.

One person said they had 'not associated for a couple months' with Lewis after she accused them of theft, the court document stated.

Another person inside the home told police they knew Lewis, but 'had a falling out with [Lewis] over [Lewis] letting her get jumped at a gas station months before.'

Investigators also linked Lewis to another shooting that took place approximately 15 minutes before and spotted her car on video near that scene, police said.

'It should be noted the drive time via Google Maps is between 11-18 minutes from location to location depending on the route you take,' the court document said.

'This drive time aligned with the approximate time frame between the incidents if a car fired shots into [the apartment complex] and then drove straight to [the former friend's home].'

Lewis was arrested on August 28 and is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on $400,000 bond.

Siblys mom said her daughter was a 'beautiful, bright, sunny girl' who had a 'free spirit and almost always smiling and happy'

Bailey Lewis (pictured), 21, was charged with second-degree murder, accessory armed criminal action and accessory unlawful use of a weapon for the crime

Siblys mom told KCTV5 that her daughter was a 'beautiful, bright, sunny girl.'

'She was a free spirit and almost always smiling and happy. She loved to dance, draw, and do nails, and wanted to be a beautician someday,' the mother said.

'We are absolutely broken by the loss of our sweet girl. I want to bring awareness to how these tragedies affect the community.'
Footage has captured the chilling moment a gang of thieves attempted to steal a car with a defenceless family inside, including a two-year-old boy.

Three hooded carjackers descended on the Porsche parked in a driveway off Nicholas Street in Ashburton, in Melbourne's south-east, at about 6pm on Sunday.

In the terrifying CCTV footage, Chris, 36, and his wife could be seen in their vehicle while their child was strapped in at the back.

Chris's wife opened the passenger door and was preparing to leave the car when the family spotted the three thieves heading towards them.

In a chilling twist, the criminals are understood to have followed the family home in a stolen Mercedes-Benz and sprung into action when they saw the opportunity.

Chris's wife closed the passenger door and the 36-year-old father immediately began to drive away while the thieves tried to open the car doors.

'They were banging on my window, at my window, they could see my child in the back yet they were still trying to take the car,' Chris told 9News.

Chris reversed out of the driveway and pulled into the street before driving into the stolen Mercedes the thieves had arrived in.

Thieves attempted to open the car doors with the family inside

Chris said he 'doesn't feel safe' following the brazen carjacking attempt

'I reversed out and they blocked the road and I went straight at them,' he said.

The father sped off and the offenders fled the scene.

'It doesn't feel safe now,' Chris added.

'I have literally just had the locksmith leave, checking all our locks.'

Victoria Police have confirmed an investigation is ongoing.

The incident comes after it was revealed home invasion rates in Victoria have more than doubled since 2021.

The Crime Statistics Agency recorded 46.4 aggravated burglary offences per 100,000 people in 2021, but in the year to March, that figure ballooned to 97.9.

Victorians are pushing for new laws that would grant homeowners greater powers to protect their homes.

Castle law, which is also known as the castle doctrine, provides legal protection to UK residents who defend themselves against intruders with 'reasonable force'.

Outspoken personal trainer Chris Katelaris has urged residents to 'make a racket' and help push through the tougher protections.

'As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six,' he said.

'If they don't give you what you need in terms of real self-defence laws, you make a racket.'
Two pastors were arrested after dropping to their knees to pray over a Black History Matters mural.

Reverend Andrew 'Andy' Oliver and Minister Benedict Atherton-Zeman were filmed kneeling on the colorful artwork in Saint Petersburg, Florida about 8pm on Friday.

The duo were protesting the Florida Department of Transportation, who had sent workers to paint the mural and cover it up.

Governor Ron DeSantis had issued an order to remove all 'non-standard' road art, and when Oliver and Atherton-Zeman heard the 2023 creation outside of the Woodson African American Museum would be destroyed, they wanted to visit.

The pair were ordered by St Petersburg police to move out of the way so the workers could begin painting over it, but they refused.

Oliver and Atherton-Zeman were arrested on one count each of misdemeanor resisting.

They both posted $500 bond after spending the night in Pinnelas County jail.

Two pastors were arrested after dropping to their knees to pray over a Black History Matters mural

Reverend Andrew 'Andy' Oliver and Minister Benedict Atherton-Zeman were filmed kneeling on the colorful artwork in Saint Petersburg, Florida about 8pm on Friday

Atherton-Zeman later told Fox News that he felt compelled to do something and couldn't just 'stand on the sidelines.'

'We have the values of interdependence, of love, and I really couldn't just stand on the sidelines,' he said. 'I had to kneel in the street.'

On Facebook, Atherton-Zeman shared his mugshot, writing: 'Not my favorite photo, but it does capture the moment.'

Oliver also weighed in on the controversy, telling the Tampa Bay Times: 'For me, living out my faith, resisting tyranny and fascism and white supremacy was the most important thing last night.

'I had to do what I had to do.'

The site was ultimately painted over with black paint.

Museum officials expressed disappointment that the mural had been painted over, but had a message of hope for their supporters.

The duo were protesting the Florida Department of Transportation, who had sent workers to paint the mural and cover it up

Oliver and Atherton-Zeman were arrested on one count each of misdemeanor resisting

'Just because the mural has disappeared, it doesn't mean The Woodson's mission has ended,' the museum wrote in a Facebook post.

'We continue to preserve, present, interpret, celebrate, and educate others about African American art, history, and culture throughout Florida and beyond.'

One of the other famous murals that was painted over as part of the order was a rainbow street mural in Orlando created in memory of 49 people tragically killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting.

Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched in July a 'nationwide road safety initiative' in which he noted that 'intersections and crosswalks need to be kept free from distractions,' including rainbow sidewalks.

Duffy's July letter specifically called out 'political messages of any nature, artwork, or anything else that detracts from the core mission of driver and pedestrian safety' as markings that should be removed by states and localities.
The men remain in hospital after undergoing surgery

A woman has been charged a week after two men were allegedly stabbed at a home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

Emergency services were called to a Myall Avenue home in Leura on August 24, where two men aged in their 40s were found with multiple stab wounds.

They were rushed to Westmead Hospital, where the pair are recovering after undergoing surgery.

A woman, 67, known to both men, was found unconscious inside the home.

She was taken to Blue Mountains District Hospital in a critical condition and later transferred to Nepean Hospital, where she remains.

NSW Police established Strike Force Gamerco to investigate the incident.

Following extensive inquiries, detectives attended Nepean Hospital on Monday, where the woman was arrested.

She was charged with two counts of causing wounding/grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder (domestic violence).

Two men remain in hospital after they were allegedly stabbed at a home in the Blue Mountains. Pictured are paramedics at the scene

A woman who was found unresponsive at the scene has since been charged and will face court on Tuesday

She was refused bail to appear in Penrith Local Court on Tuesday via a bedside hearing.

Investigations continue.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A former detective has warned anyone helping Dezi Freeman faces lengthy jail time as the search for the alleged double cop killer enters its eighth day.

Freeman, 56, has been on the run since allegedly shooting dead Detective Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, at his rural property in Porepunkah in the Victorian High Country last Tuesday.

Victoria Police revealed on Monday that they believed people knew of Freeman's whereabouts and were deliberately not coming forward.

Speaking on Sunrise on Tuesday, former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said the revelation Freeman is likely being helped is 'absolutely abhorrent'.

'If that's the case, they place themselves in a very volatile situation because these special operations guys don't muck around, and I've seen them in action,' he said.

'If you are helping this fugitive, the long-term effect is it's perverting the course of justice, which carries 25 years.

'You're then looking at aiding and abetting an offender, [which carries a sentence of] ten years, then looking at other offences that carry a lot of years.

'If you are harbouring this fugitive, it's time to go and speak to the police.'

Former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina said the revelation alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is likely being helped is 'absolutely abhorrent'

Dezi Freeman has been on the run since he allegedly gunned down two cops in cold blood

Mr Bezzina's warning comes after Superintendent Brett Kahan urged anyone with information about Freeman's whereabouts to come forward.

He said it was evident that 'people know' where the fugitive is, but are deliberately not coming forward.

'People know the whereabouts of the person who's [allegedly] killed two cops,' Supt. Kahan said in a press conference on Monday.

'People have chosen, for whatever reason, not to come forward, and Im taking this time to appeal to you to come forward in that respect.'

Supt. Kahan said that last time he fronted media, he was appealing for Freeman to turn himself in.

'I'm going to change tack a little bit,' he said.

'I extend that to anyone who is harbouring Dezi Freeman.'

On Monday, a flurry of loud explosions echoed through Porepunkah as police continued to hunt the alleged cop killer.

Unmarked police vehicles were seen entering a property on Mount Buffalo Road around the same time a volley of loud explosions was heard in Porepunkah

A police chopper was spotted circling above the forest as loud bangs echoed through the area

Shortly after 3.30pm, several police vehicles raced to two separate addresses - which are a short distance from each other on the outskirts of town - where Daily Mail heard six loud bangs followed by two more a minute later.

A police chopper circled tightly above the scene, at one point dipping extremely low to the ground, just a few metres above the treeline.

Marked police cars blocked the entrance to Cavedons Lane, just off the Alpine Highway entering Porepunkah from the north-west.

Around the same time, unmarked police vehicles were also seen entering a property on Mount Buffalo Road - less than a kilometre from the Rayner Track bush compound where Freeman is accused of murdering two police officers and injuring a third.

A resident on Mount Buffalo Road confirmed exclusively to Daily Mail that he too had heard the explosions and described them as possibly sounding like gunshots.

His wife, Amalia Freeman, 42, released a statement via lawyers on Sunday urging her partner to turn himself in.

She also shared her condolences for the families of the two slain cops, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart.

'We echo the requests of the Victoria Police for the swift and safe conclusion of this tragedy,' Ms Freeman said.

'I lend my full support to Victoria Police in their search for my husband and will co-operate with Victoria Police in any way that I can.

'Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call 000 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.'

Police remain in touch with Freeman's wife, but Supt. Kahan said she was not necessarily helping with the inquiry.

'It's two different things to be speaking with police and co-operating with police,' he said on Monday.

When pressed, Supt. Kahan repeated 'it's two different things'.
Angela Rayner is barred from revealing details of her controversial tax affairs for legal reasons, Downing Street has said.

The Deputy Prime Minister is under mounting pressure to 'come clean' after claims she avoided 40,000 in stamp duty when she purchased a luxury 800,000 apartment in East Sussex.

Tory MPs have demanded a formal investigation into the affair, saying that Ms Rayner may have broken the Ministerial Code.

On Monday, No 10 said the Prime Minister had 'full confidence' in her.

Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said: 'The Deputy PM's team has set out her position on this. There is a court order that restricts her from providing further information, which she is urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency.'

The order is understood to involve proceedings in the family court.

Sir Keir hailed his deputy as 'incredible' and warned critics against underestimating her. He told BBC Radio 5 Live it was a 'mistake' for people to brief against her.

Describing her appointment as 'an incredible achievement', he said: 'Angela came from a very humble background, battled all sorts of challenges along the way, and there she is proudly  and I'm proud of her  as our Deputy Prime Minister.'

Angela Rayner is barred from revealing details of her controversial tax affairs for legal reasons, Downing Street has said. Pictured: Ms Rayner seen drinking wine on the beach in Hove last month

The Deputy Prime Minister is under mounting pressure to 'come clean' after claims she avoided 40,000 in stamp duty when she purchased a luxury 800,000 apartment (pictured) in East Sussex. Tory MPs have demanded a formal investigation into the affair

On Monday, No 10 said the Prime Minister had 'full confidence' in her. Sir Keir Starmer 's spokesman said: 'The Deputy PM's team has set out her position on this. There is a court order that restricts her from providing further information'

Whitehall sources said that Conservative demands for an investigation by the PM's independent adviser on ministers' interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, are also on hold while the court order remains in place.

Ms Rayner is facing fresh allegations that she avoided 40,000 in stamp duty by telling the taxman that the apartment in Hove is her main home, while informing the Cabinet Office that her primary residence is her former family home in Greater Manchester.

When Parliament is sitting, Ms Rayner is thought to live mainly in a third property  a lavish grace and favour apartment in central London, funded by the taxpayer.

The Mail On Sunday revealed she split the ownership of her 650,000 constituency home in Ashton-under-Lyne with a trust administered by law firm Shoosmiths.

The legal manoeuvre could be consistent with Ms Rayner placing some of the house's equity in trust for her three children.

But Conservative MPs question whether it was intended to avoid potential inheritance tax liabilities.

Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said the Deputy PM should 'come clean on the litany of accusations of tax avoidance  be it stamp duty, council tax or inheritance tax'.

Whitehall sources said that Conservative demands for an investigation by the PM's independent adviser on ministers' interests, Sir Laurie Magnus (pictured), are also on hold while the court order remains in place

The Mail On Sunday revealed she split the ownership of her 650,000 constituency home (pictured) in Ashton-under-Lyne with a trust administered by law firm Shoosmiths

Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake (pictured) said the Deputy PM should 'come clean on the litany of accusations of tax avoidance  be it stamp duty, council tax or inheritance tax'

Ms Rayner is also facing fresh questions after registering to vote in person in Hove despite electoral records showing she is already registered for postal votes in Westminster and her constituency

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A spokesman for Ms Rayner has said she had not broken any rules and had paid all relevant taxes.

She is said to have relinquished her stake in the Ashton-under-Lyne home before buying the Hove flat as part of the process of divorcing her former partner Mark Rayner.

Friends say this means she would not have been liable for the punitive rate of stamp duty on second homes.

Ms Rayner is also facing fresh questions after registering to vote in person in Hove despite electoral records showing she is already registered for postal votes in Westminster and her constituency.

But No 10 said it was 'quite common to be registered to vote in multiple places'.
Tactical police have begun what looks to be a night operation on a hilltop overlooking Porepunkah.

Exclusive Daily Mail pictures show a law enforcement convoy, including heavily armed officers, arriving on a hillside along Ritchie Road, which overlooks the township.

Around 5.45pm, they were seen parking at the base of the hill, getting out of their vehicles with their firearms and looking at a map ahead of the operation,

They then embarked on their ascent.

The area is blanketed by a sparse pine plantation - a change from the dense bushland being scoured in Mt Buffalo National park.

Tuesday marked one week since Dezi Freeman allegedly opened fire during a warrant execution at his bush compound, killing two policemen and wounding another.

As night fell, the convoys lights could be seen from the road into Porepunkah from Bright.
Meeting the in-laws for the first time is a daunting task for any partner but when your mother-in-law is the late Queen Elizabeth II that could be an understatement.

And when only your second meeting with said mother-in-law is at the Queen Mother's funeral the stakes couldn't be higher.

But this was what Queen Camilla faced in 2002 when the Queen Mother died at the grand age of 101.

Despite the sad circumstances surrounding their meeting, it was a 'watershed moment' for Camilla and was the start of a process that brought Camilla out from the cold and culminated in her being crowned Queen.

Writing in his biography of Sophie Sean Smith wrote that although the Duchess of Edinburgh was at the funeral and was one of the newest members of the firm in Westminster Abbey but there was another person of interest in attendance.

'The presence of Camilla Parker Bowles was of wider interest at the time,' Smith said.

However she did not sit with Charles and the rest of the family and instead sat with the friends and staff.

But nevertheless the invitation was, as the Daily Mail's Editor-at-Large Richard Kay described it, a 'watershed moment' for Camilla who beforehand watched the royals only from the sidelines.

Camilla at the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002. Her presence at the ceremony was a 'watershed' moment in her acceptance into the Firm

Camilla during King Charles III's coronation. Her journey to the upper echelons of the Royal Family was far from straightforward and for many years it wasn't clear if she would be given the title of Queen upon Charles' accession to the throne

Smith wrote: 'She [Camilla] had spent half an hour with the Queen and Charles at the Palace at which it was decided this was the right time for her to be absorbed into things.

'The private conversation was only the second meeting between the two women - the Queen had been reluctant to acknowledge Camilla officially but had agreed to be seated at the same table for the dinner at Highgrove that celebrated the sixtieth birthday of the exiled King Constantine I of Greece.

'That had been a huge step forward and this was another.'

After the Queen's Mother was interred at St George's Chapel, Camilla travelled to Scotland to be reunited with Charles at Birkhall, which he had inherited on his grandmother's death.

The house on the Balmoral estate would become what source described 'as close as it comes' to being a marital home for Charles and Camilla.

Birkhall was where the couple would also spend their honeymoon but before the couple could get married the King and Queen Consort had to rehabilitate both Camilla's public image and her place within the Firm.

Much of the decades-long public angst directed at Camilla came from the notorious role she played in the breakdown of Charles' marriage to Diana. Then, following the tragic death of the Princess of Wales in August 1997, she faced a further torrent of abuse.

It was also the fact that Camilla was seen as the usurper of the much-beloved Princess Diana which led the public to dislike her so much.

King Charles III walks along the procession carrying the Queen Mother's coffin

The late Queen Elizabeth II and Charles at the Queen Mother's funeral. This would the second time Elizabeth and Camilla met

Charles with his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, walking behind the Queen and the Queen Mother's coffin as they leave Westminster Abbey

Journalist Tina Brown wrote: 'And the press went after her with such viciousness. I mean, the really appalling sexist comments about Camilla - I mean, they used to call her, you know, old bag, old trout.'

Once Camilla and Andrew parker-Bowles had divorced in 1995 and and with the finalisation of Charles and Diana's own divorce a year later the couple were free to start dating privately, with Charles hosting a lavish party for Camilla's 50th at Highgrove.

The tragic death of Princess Diana in August 1997 and outpouring of grief from the public which followed meant Charles had to pause his efforts to rehabilitate her image.

Charles he then resumed a large-scale PR campaign with Mark Bolland at the helm.

During the spin doctor's reign in the late 1990s and early 2000s he performed something of a miracle, taking Charles's own popularity rating from 20 per cent after Diana's death to 75 per cent.

Bolland also orchestrated the media coverage of the prince's first photographed public appearance with Camilla at the Ritz Hotel in January 1999 - dubbed 'Operation Ritz'.

But Charles also had to get the Royal Family on his side.

This started with Prince Harry and Prince William, who met Camilla for the first time in 1998 at Highgrove.

Camilla outside Westminster Abbey. Royal author Sean Smith wrote that Camilla was one of the most interesting people at the funeral

Charles and Camilla on their first public outing together in 1998

During the 1990s Charles and Camilla embarked on an ambitious PR campaign to rehabilitate Camilla's public image

Harry recalled the meeting in his 2023 memoir 'Spare' Harry where he and William reportedly promised Charles they would welcome Camilla into the family.

All they asked of the then-Prince of Wales was to not marry Camilla.

Harry claimed this was because the marriage would 'cause controversy'.

He said: 'It would incite the press. It would make the whole country, the whole world, talk about Mummy, compare Mummy and Camilla, and nobody wanted that. Least of all Camilla.'

The King did not answer but Harry said Camilla did when she 'began the long game, a campaign aimed at marriage and eventually the Crown'.

Harry says that details from Camilla and William's meetings were later leaked to the press. He alleges they came from Camilla.

Harry was far from the only obstacle Charles and Camilla faced in the dramatic history of their relationship.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was one such hurdle. She reportedly described Camilla as 'that wicked woman' on one occasion.

Charles and Camilla's wedding in April 2005

Palace guidance said Camilla would only ever be known as 'Princess Consort' - until Queen Elizabeth II ended years of uncertainty over the issue by assuring Camilla's future status

Her support for their marriage was crucial so that Charles was not removed from the line of succession.

According to Tom Bower's book Rebel Prince in 1998, around the same time Harry and William met Camilla, Charles spoke to his mother about about welcoming Camilla into the family, which the Queen was not happy about.

Bower wrote that the Queen said she 'would not condone his adultery, nor forgive Camilla for not leaving Charles alone to allow his marriage to recover'.

By 2000, the Queen indicated her tacit approval of their relationship when she attended a lunch with the pair.

With the late Queen's approval they married in 2005 but it was far a from conventional affair.

The day was broken up into two sections - with Charles and Camilla taking part in a civil ceremony at Windsor's Guildhall, where they were legally married, before they travelled to St George's Chapel for their blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Camilla also eschewed the Princess of Wales title out of respect for her husband's late former wife Diana and was known by the rather less grand title of the Duchess of Cornwall instead.

One final hurdle Camilla faced was what her title would be once Charles became King.

King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla in May 2024

Palace guidance said she would only ever be known as 'Princess Consort' - until Queen Elizabeth II ended years of uncertainty over the issue by assuring Camilla's future status in an historic Platinum Jubilee statement.

In her surprise announcement in February 2022, Her late Majesty declared it was her 'sincere wish' for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged upon Charles becoming King.

Since Charles became King, following the death of his mother in September 8 2022, the now Queen Camilla is one of the most prominent members of the Royal Family.

And since she became Queen her popularity with the public has soared to a high of 55 per cent in September 2022.

In the wake of Charles's cancer diagnosis in February 2024, Camilla took on more engagements and has only seen her support grow.

And Queen Camilla is now an integral and accepted part of the Royal Family.
Scientists have discovered that young adults are now the most miserable people worldwide, completely debunking the idea of the 'midlife crisis.'

A new study published Wednesday revealed that individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 were the unhappiest group in the US, the UK, and across 44 other countries.

Historically, research has shown that happiness tends to dip in middle age, usually in someone's 40s, and then rises again during old age.

However, scientists in the US and UK determined that the mental health of Generation Z has been getting worse since around 2014, and the trend became even more pronounced during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the researchers didn't single out a specific cause for the group's declining happiness, they noted broader issues like skipping school more often, challenges in learning, and more young adults dropping out of the workforce due to mental health problems.

They also found that young women were experiencing worse mental health than young men, which may be tied to higher rates of anxiety and depression among females.

In the US, young women saw the biggest increases in unhappiness, with levels of despair rising from 5.6 percent in 2009 to 9.3 percent by 2024.

The team noted that despair was a severe state of poor mental health where someone feels extremely stressed, depressed, or emotionally overwhelmed for an extended period of time.

Young adults under 25 were found to be the unhappiest age group in the world, feeling more despair than any other group (Stock Image)

From 1993 to 2014, only 3.7 percent of Americans reported feeling despair, but that rose to 6.7 percent by 2024. Among young people under 25, however, it nearly tripled from 2.9 percent to eight percent.

Globally, the trend toward worsening mental health among the youngest adults was just as alarming.

Across 44 countries, researchers from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and University College London found that 48 percent of Generation Z were at risk for mental health issues.

Over 13 percent of those under 25 described themselves as 'distressed,' compared to just 5.6 percent of all other participants in the study.

Happiness researcher Martijn Hendriks of Erasmus University in the Netherlands said: 'Today's young adults have spent much more time in front of a screen since childhood than previous generations.'

According to NL Times, Hendriks suspected that this key difference from older generations has led younger people to excessively compare themselves to others online, often resulting in negative beliefs about their lives.

Moreover, Hendriks, who was not involved in the study, noted that younger adults don't have the same amount of money saved as older Americans do.

That means they're often struggling more to afford basic essentials like food and shelter.

Researchers pointed to stressful situations like the COVID-19 pandemic and constantly reading negative comments online as reasons for the change in happiness (Stock Image)

'Home prices have risen sharply, and older generations have particularly benefited from this. They have much more wealth, while young adults struggle to buy a first home,' Hendriks explained.

For the US portion of the study, published in the journal PLOS One, the team analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a massive phone survey conducted by the CDC between 1993 and 2024.

Over 400,000 people participated in the phone interviews every year. Researchers asked people how many days in the past month their mental health was 'not good.' Those who said all 30 days were classified as being in 'despair.'

Although the results stemmed from thousands of interviews over 30 years, the team cautioned that their study relied on peoples self-reported mental health, which can be subjective and vary based on mood, memory, or cultural differences when it comes to expressing their feelings.

Still, the results bucked the trend of middle-aged people seeing the biggest rises in unhappiness, particularly between the ages of 40 and 50.

In fact, the new study revealed that older adults between 45 and 70 were the happiest compared to all age groups.

In the US, these older adults reported significantly better mental health than young adults under 25 and had the least despair, with levels staying stable or slightly better than younger generations over time.

Elderly adults over 70 also displayed higher levels of happiness than young adults under 25. Globally, despair dropped to very low levels (less than one percent) for those over the age of 65.
Scientists have issued a chilling update on the interstellar object that is currently hurtling through our solar system.

The enormous comet, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, was first picked up by a NASA telescope on July 1 as it rushed towards the sun at 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h).

Now, a study has revealed that the massive object could have been spotted up to two months earlier.

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), researchers have discovered new images of 3I/ATLAS, which date back to May 7.

In addition to showing that this interstellar visitor could have been discovered much sooner, this early data also reveals some very strange behaviour.

While TESS watched the object between May 7 and June 3, 3I/ATLAS suddenly became five times brighter.

Scientists expect the brightness to increase as it approaches Earth, but the distance travelled in this period would only explain a 1.5 times brightness increase.

The object's abnormally intense brightness has already sparked speculation that it could be an alien craft rather than a comet.

Astronomers have revealed that the interstellar object currently travelling through our solar system was spotted by a NASA satellite almost two months before its official discovery. Pictured: The earliest observations of the interstellar object

The interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS (pictured) was first detected on July 1 by NASA's ATLAS asteroid warning system, but it was also captured by other telescopes before anyone knew it was there

With hundreds of telescopes and satellites constantly watching the sky, objects like comets or asteroids often appear in data long before scientists notice their presence.

So, when something important is discovered, scientists will scour old telescope data to see if it appeared in earlier images in a process called 'precovery'.

This is important because it gives scientists even more data to refine their predictions about objects that might only be visible for a short time.

Dr Mark Norris, an observational astronomer from the University of Lancashire who was not involved in the study, told Daily Mail: 'Whenever astronomers find something that varies with time, we try to find earlier observations so that we can track how it has changed over a longer time period.

'For something like a body moving through the solar system, this lets us more accurately work out its orbit. For something that varies in brightness, we can often find out whether it has shown evidence of variation on longer timescales.'

After being discovered by the ATLAS asteroid warning system on July 1, astronomers found that 3I/ATLAS had been seen by the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile 10 days earlier.

This sent scientists scrambling to find even earlier images of the mysterious object in the historical data from other telescopes.

Although the TESS is meant for looking at stars rather than extremely faint objects like 3I/ATLAS, it does take a picture of the sky once every 200 seconds.

Astronomers compiled images from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to detect the faint light of the interstellar object, dating its earliest observation back to March 7

Astronomers now believe that 3I/ATLAS is a large comet that is starting to emit a cloud of gas and dust as it approaches the sun. Pictured: 3I/ATLAS as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope

What is precovery? Precovery is the technical term for when scientists find images of an object dating from before it was officially discovered. With hundreds of telescopes and cameras watching the sky, there is too much data for scientists to investigate everything. So, when an interesting object is discovered, it's likely that some telescope picked it up in the past without anyone noticing. By predicting the object's orbit, astronomers look through old data to see if they can find images of the object. Precovery helps astronomers predict objects' orbits and see if they have changed over time. Advertisement

Because of that feature, lead author Dr Adina Feinstein, of Michigan State University, believed that TESS might have detected the interstellar object long before its official discovery.

Since 3I/ATLAS was too faint to show up in individual pictures, Dr Feinstein and her colleagues used a technique called 'shift-stacking'.

The researchers predicted where the object should be in each of TESS's images, and stacked up multiple photographs of the sky so that the interstellar object became bright enough to detect.

By pushing back the start of the 'observation window' by almost two months, this 'precovery' allows for a better estimate of 3I/ATLAS's orbit that confirms it came from outside the solar system.

Additionally, this early observation indicates that 3I/ATLAS underwent a sudden and rapid increase in brightness when it reached a distance six times greater than the Earth's distance from the Sun.

The researchers found that 3I/ATLAS became around five times brighter in under a month, far more than would have been expected from a normal comet.

Professor Michael Garrett, an astronomer from the University of Manchester who was not involved in the study, told Daily Mail: 'The observed brightening cannot be explained by geometry alone.

'If a comet is not symmetrical, then as the comet rotates, we see different parts of the surface; the bigger the comet looks, the brighter it will be.

The latest observations show that the comet rapidly became five times brighter as it drew closer to the sun, much more than would be expected of a normal comet. Pictured: 3I/ATLAS as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope

While some scientists have proposed that 3I/ATLAS, photographed by the Gemini North telescope, could be technological, most scientists say the increase in brightness is due to the rapid evaporation of CO2 and CO gas

'But a factor of six seems to be too big to be explained by geometry, so it must be due to activity on the comet.'

Previously, 3I/ATLAS's abnormal brightness has been taken by some as evidence that it could be non-natural in origin.

Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard University has argued that the object might be producing its own light through mechanical means.

According to Professor Loeb, this has added yet another potential clue that 3I/ATLAS might be artificial, containing a powerful source of energy that's capable of generating light we see from millions of miles away.

However, most scientists have dismissed Professor Loeb's theory, with Chris Lintott, of the University of Oxford, branding the idea 'nonsense on stilts' and calling it 'an insult to the exciting work going on to understand this object.'

According to this latest research, the sudden increase in brightness is likely to be caused by the release of 'hypervolatile' ices made up of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

These ices are so volatile that they evaporate into gas at a much greater distance from the sun than ice made from water.

These gases gather around the comet in a bubble known as a coma as the comet approaches the sun, reflecting more light and producing the spike in brightness picked up by TESS.

Normal comets don't show these sudden increases in brightness because they have already lost their CO2 and CO ice. This suggests that comets from other solar systems may have very different chemical compositions from objects from our own. Pictured: A series of images of 3I/ATLAS taken by the Very Large Telescope

Comets from inside our solar system have already lost all their carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, so telescopes don't detect this same behaviour.

Interestingly, this suggests that objects from different solar systems might have very different chemical compositions from those found in our stellar neighbourhood.

Professor Garrett says: 'Comets are complex and their activity is very variable as they approach the sun.

'It's good to be open-minded about how they [interstellar objects] compare to normal comets we see in our own solar system.'
Living to 100 really is a significant achievement.

But it's unlikely this milestone will become commonplace anytime soon, according to a new study.

Despite unprecedented increases in the last century, life expectancy is stalling, experts say.

And no current generations will come anywhere close to becoming centenarians, on average, unless there is a 'major breakthrough' in human longevity.

Researchers analysed data for 23 highincome countries and found that since the start of the 20th century, life expectancy has risen from 62 to around 80.

But the gains made in the first half of the century have slowed significantly  with no indication they will increase to 100 in the foreseeable future.

Between 1900 to 1938, life expectancy rose by about 5.5 months with each new generation, they found.

But since then the increase has slowed to roughly 2.5 to 3.5 months per generation  and is expected to continue to level off.

No current generations will reach an average life expectancy of 100 anytime soon, experts have warned (stock image)

The researchers used a range of forecasting methods (pictured) and found none of the cohorts included in the study will reach the milestone

The main driver for the initial increase was down to remarkable improvements in survival at young ages, the team said.

However, infant and child mortality is now so low that the forecasted improvements in health for older age groups will not be enough to sustain previous gains in life expectancy.

Author Jose Andrade, from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, said: 'We forecast that those born in 1980 will not live to be 100 on average, and none of the cohorts in our study will reach this milestone.

'This decline is largely due to the fact that past surges in longevity were driven by remarkable improvements in survival at very young ages.'

Coauthor Hector Pifarre i Arolas, from the University of WisconsinMadison, added: 'The unprecedented increase in life expectancy we achieved in the first half of the 20th century appears to be a phenomenon we are unlikely to achieve again in the foreseeable future.

'In the absence of any major breakthroughs that significantly extend human life, life expectancy would still not match the rapid increases seen in the early 20th century even if adult survival improved twice as fast as we predict.'

Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they said: 'Forecasting exercises are inherently uncertain, and there is no guarantee that mortality trends will remain uninterrupted.

'Unpredictable events  such as epidemics or medical breakthroughs  can cause mortality to deviate significantly from forecasted trends.'

The Royal tradition of signing and posting messages to mark significant birthdays dates back to 1917. Pictured: A birthday card celebrating 100 years of age signed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Official statistics suggest that boys born in the UK in 2023 can expect to live on average to the age of 86.7, and girls to 90.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says figures show a continued trend of longer life expectancy for men and women with the survival gap between the sexes narrowing  partly down to men leading healthier lifestyles.

Projections suggest more than one in 10 boys and one in six girls born in 2023 will live to at least 100 years old.

The ONS report is based on the most uptodate survival figures for 2023 and makes predictions for the future based on trends and projections.

For example, one in four baby girls and nearly one in five baby boys born in 2047 might expect to live to 100.

Overall, men born in 2047 could have a life expectancy of 89.3 years, and women 92.2 years.

The estimates could change though, and the life expectancy figures are for populations  they do not mean that each individual person will live into old age.
It's official  summer 2025 was the hottest summer on record for the UK!

The Met Office has revealed that the average temperature from 1 June to 31 August hit a balmy 16.10C.

That's 1.51C above the longterm average, and 0.34C above the previous record, set in 2018.

The new record pushes the summer of 1976 out of the top five warmest summers in a series dating back to 1884.

Instead, all five warmest summers have now occurred since 2000.

'Provisional Met Office statistics show that summer 2025 is officially the warmest on record with a mean temperature of 16.10C, surpassing the previous record of 15.76C set in 2018,' said Dr Emily Carlisle, Met Office scientist.

'The persistent warmth this year has been driven by a combination of factors including the domination of highpressure systems, unusually warm seas around the UK and the dry spring soils.

'These conditions have created an environment where heat builds quickly and lingers, with both maximum and minimum temperatures considerably above average.'

The Met Office has revealed that the average temperature from 1 June to 31 August hit a balmy 16.10C. That's 1.51C above the longterm average, and 0.34C above the previous record, set in 2018

It's official  summer 2025 was the hottest summer on record for the UK! Pictured: Lyme Regis on 25 August

The five warmest summers in the UK are now 2025 (16.10C), 2018 (15.76C), 2006 (15.75C), 2003 (15.74C), and 2022 (15.71C).

The hot weather started back in June, which was the warmest on record in England.

July continued the trend, coming in as the UK's fifth warmest July in history.

In total, there have been four heatwaves throughout summer, although each has been relatively shortlived.

The highest temperature recorded was 35.8C, in Faversham, Kent.

This is just below the peak temperature of 35.9C recorded in 1976 and also below the UK's alltime high of 40.3C, which was set in July 2022.

Many people still remember the summer of 1976, which saw a staggering 16 days exceeding 32C.

For comparison, just nine days surpassed this temperature this year.

The hot weather started in June, which was the warmest on record in England. July continued the trend, coming in as the UK's fifth warmest July in history. Pictured: London on 11 August

The new record pushes the summer of 1976 out of the top five warmest summers in a series dating back to 1884. Instead, all five warmest summers have now occurred since 2000

The 5 hottest UK summers on record 2025: 16.10C 2018: 15.76C 2006: 15.75C 2003: 15.74C 2022: 15.71C Advertisement

According to the Met Office, this year's record was made 70 times more likely because of climate change.

'Our analysis shows that the summer of 2025 has been made much more likely because of the greenhouse gases humans have released since the industrial revolution,' said Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office.

'In a natural climate, we could expect to see a summer like 2025 with an approximate return period of around 340 years, while in the current climate we could expect to see these sorts of summers roughly 1 in every 5 years.

'Another interesting finding from our analysis is the context of this summer against other recordbreaking summers, like that of 1976.

'Our analysis suggests that while 2025 has set a new record, we could plausibly experience much hotter summers in our current and nearfuture climate and shows how what would have been seen as extremes in the past are becoming more common in our changing climate.'

Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), has warned that the summer heat has taken its toll on British farmers.

'2025 was the warmest spring on record for the UK and now it's the hottest summer,' he said.

'Alongside one of the driest springs in a century and a series of heatwaves, this has taken a real toll on Britain's farmers, with harvest 2025 once again heading for near record low and livestock farmers struggling to grow enough grass to feed their animals.'

A man cycles past beach huts during hot weather on Summer bank holiday in Brighton on August 25

The record heat has also led to a spate of wildfires across Britain.

'The area burned is more than 60% higher than the previous worst year,' Mr Lancaster added.

Based on the findings, the farming expert claims the only way to escape future record-breaking summers is to curb carbon emissions.

He added: 'This record is not a one off. It follows the hottest ever UK day in 2022 and the wettest winter on record in 2023.

'This isn't just weather, it is the impact of climate change in real time, and these impacts will only get worse if we don't do more to reduce emissions of planet warming greenhouse gases to net zero.

'As much as we can do more to help industries like farming to adapt, the only real insurance against these climate impacts is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

'This should now be viewed as a priority for our long-term food security.'
An ancient mural of Jesus Christ healing the sick has been uncovered in the ruins of an Egyptian settlement from 1,600 years ago.

An Egyptian archaeological team discovered the remains of the city in the Ain Al-Kharab area of the Kharga Oasis, located in Egypt's New Valley Governorate, in late July.

The findings also included mud-brick residential buildings, two churches, a cemetery, and various artifacts like pottery, stone, and glass pieces.

One church was built in a basilica style with a large hall and columns, while a smaller church contained Coptic writings, the final stage of the ancient Egyptian language used in the early centuries of Christianity.

The mural of Jesus, along with the churches, showed that the Kharga Oasis was a significant center for early Christians transitioning from traditional Egyptian beliefs around the fourth to seventh centuries.

Ancient Egyptians previously believed in a rich system of multiple gods, such as Ra (the sun god), Isis (goddess of motherhood), and Osiris (god of the afterlife), worshipping them through rituals that connected them to nature and the cosmos.

Previous excavations in the Kharga Oasis have uncovered Roman-era structures and later Islamic-era artifacts, revealing how the site's use across the years drastically shifted over time.

The researchers said this new discovery has strengthened our understanding of how Christianity spread to remote corners of the Egyptian world, with the oasis serving as a religious and social hub during this society-changing era.

A mural of Jesus Christ healing the sick has been discovered in the ruins of a city in the Ain Al-Kharab area of the Kharga Oasis

The Kharga Oasis, where the mural of Jesus was found, was an area where early Christians transitioned from traditional Egyptian beliefs during the 4th to 7th centuries (Stock Image)

The discovery was made by an archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, led by Dr Siham Ismail.

Officials did not release any pictures of the mural, likely due to conservation reasons, as the more than 1,500-year-old artwork may need protection from environmental damage or public exposure while archaeologists work to preserve the site.

Archaeological finds like murals are often fragile, and exposure to light, humidity, or being handled could cause them to deteriorate even faster.

However, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement translated to English that the mural represented 'Jesus healing one of the patients.'

On Facebook, officials added that this historical site 'witnessed the period of conversion from paganism to Christianity.'

Christianity was spread by missionaries and traders in the first century from the Middle East region of Judea, which roughly covering parts of modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories.

They shared stories of Jesus teachings across the Roman Empire, reaching diverse communities through word-of-mouth and written texts.

In ancient Egypt, Christianity took root in Alexandria, a major hub of trade and culture, where early Christian preachers like Mark the Evangelist have been traditionally credited with establishing Coptic Christianity in this region.

Archeologists also found mud-brick residential buildings, churches, a cemetery, and various artifacts like pottery, stone, and glass

Researchers said the discovery reveals how Christianity spread to various corners of the Middle East after the 1st century

Murals depicting Jesus healing the sick, like the one found in Kharga, were common in early Christian art because they illustrated Jesus compassion and divine power, making his teachings relatable to ordinary people seeking hope and salvation.

These murals served as visual sermons for communities where the ability to read was still an ability reserved for a small group of educated elites, such as priests, scribes, or scholars.

The mural and churches discovered in Egypt weren't the only relics unearthed this summer that began to clear up Christianity's rise throughout the ancient world.

A 1,400-year-old plaque discovered on Abu Dhabis Sir Bani Yas Island has also reshaped our understanding of how far east Christianity spread.

The artifact unearthed in August featured a stepped pyramid representing Golgotha, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, and leaves sprouting from its base.

It was found among the ruins of a church and monastery, suggesting a Christian community flourished on the island during the seventh and eighth centuries.

Christianity during this period was typically associated with the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Europe, making the discovery of a thriving community on a southeastern Arabian Gulf island both unexpected and historically significant.
A young boy is seen teetering along a monorail track in harrowing footage captured at Pennsylvania's Hersheypark.

The child is filmed walking gingerly along the track, which encircles the park, as panicked adults rush to save him from harm.

He was reported missing around 5pm on Saturday after becoming separated from his parents and had entered the secure area for the monorail ride, which was closed at the time, as security officers began searching for him.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Scary scenes: A young boy was captured walking along the monorail at Pennsylvania's Hersheypark on Saturday

Dangerous: Terrifying footage showed the boy walking along the tracks, as a crowd gathered to direct him to safety. Park officials said the ride was closed at the time



'The ride was closed and safeguarded by a chained closure at the entrance and barricaded turnstile at the platform,' a spokesperson for the park said.

'The child remained at the closed station for about 20 minutes before briefly walking along the track.'

In the footage, the boy appeared to become overwhelmed by the shouting voices of the adults below and placed his hands over his ears as he started to walk back and forth.

Eventually, an adult managed to get on the roof of a food stand, jumped on to the tracks and grabbed the boy before bringing him down to safety.

'A guest quickly noticed and helped guide the child to safety,' the amusement park spokesperson said.

'Our team members immediately responded after he was spotted on the tracks, and at approximately 5.28pm the child was safely reunited with his family. He was unharmed.

'We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark.'

Commenters praised the quick thinking adults who saved the boy and emphasized the importance of doing whatever it takes to keep track of your kids.

'Some heroes... don't wear capes,' one person said. 'I bet that guy is a dad cause he didnt think twice and worked fast,' added another.

'Kudos to the two men who climbed up and rescued him. They did not hesitate and reacted quick! Glad hes safe,' said a third person.

'And this is one of the reasons idgf (excuse my French) when people make remarks about my 3 year old with a roped backpack,' a fourth person said.

It comes over a month after a nine-year-old girl died in a busy area of Hersheypark's wave pool.

Saved: An adult managed to get on the roof of a food stand, jumped on to the tracks and grabbed the boy, then brought him down to safety

Tragic: The close call on the monorail comes a month after a nine-year-old girl died in a busy area of Hersheypark's wave pool

Sophia Subedi, 9, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was pulled from the water unresponsive on July 24 and could not be revived.

Despite false rumors the child suffered a medical emergency that led to her death, the Dauphin County Coroner's Office determined the incident was accidental.

'The decedent did not have a medical event that caused the drowning,' Deputy Chief Clerk with the Dauphin County Commissioners Vincent Paese told WGAL on Monday.

Witnesses recalled that the popular attraction was filled with guests when Sophia died, and the park said more than 100 lifeguards were on duty in the Boardwalk area, with 10 'specifically dedicated to the wave pool.'

Sophia was 'in distress' in the wave pool before she died, and onlookers said she was 'limp' while being pulled from the water during the sweltering 92-degree evening.

After park staff performed life-saving measures, the young girl was taken to Milton S Hershey Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The 378,000-gallon pool, officially named 'The Shore,' has zero depth entry, meaning it gets deeper the further someone goes in. It has a maximum depth of six feet.

It is unclear what part of the pool Sophia was swimming in when she drowned.

Hersheypark, along with the Derry Township Police Department and the Dauphin County Coroner's Office, are investigating what led up to her untimely death.
Rosie O'Donnell has apologized after she branded the Minneapolis school shooter who murdered two children a MAGA Republican.

The comedian, whose longtime hatred and rivalry with Donald Trump led her to flee to Ireland after he won the election, ranted to TikTok about Robin Westman on Friday.

'Saw about the Minnesota shooting, and it brought me right back to Columbine in 1999 when I just could not get it through my head that students in America were shooting each other in schools,' she said.

Apology: Rosie O'Donnell apologized after calling the Minnesota school shooter who killed two at a Catholic church a MAGA Republican

Killer: Robin Westman, seen here, had the words 'kill Donald Trump' scrawled on one of the weapons he owned

'This was a church inside a Catholic school. And what do you know? This was a white guy, Republican, MAGA person, what do you know? White supremacist.'

Despite Rosie's claims, Westman identified as a trans woman who had a nihilistic viewpoint and an obsession with past mass shooters.

The killer had the words 'kill Donald Trump' scrawled in white on one of the weapons he owned, as well as racist and anti-Semitic messages.

On Sunday, O'Donnell apologized for her comments saying: 'I know a lot of you were very upset about the video I made before I went away for a few days. You are right and I did not do my due diligence before I made that emotional statement.

'I said things about the shooter that were incorrect. I assumed, like most shooters, they followed a standard MO and had standard feelings of you know, NRA-loving kind of gun people.

'The truth is, I messed up and when you mess up, you fess up. I'm sorry, this is my apology video and I hope it's enough.'

Westman shot through stained glass windows at children sitting praying on the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School's church at about 8.30am local time Wednesday.

Westman was armed with three guns - a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, police said.

He fired all three weapons, which police said were purchased legally, during the attack.

Two children, aged eight and 10, were killed and at least 17 other victims - 14 children and three adults in their 80s - were injured.

The shooter then turned the gun on himself. Westman's remains a mystery.

However, a chilling video shared on a now-deleted YouTube account appears to reveal the killer's sick manifesto.

In the 20-minute-long video, Westman showed off a kill kit of ammunition, magazines, and firearms and revealed his twisted obsession with other school shooters, dislike of Trump, and mockery of the church.
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more

While we all love an extended vacation, sometimes a quick trip for some much needed R&R is all you need. If you have a weekend trip already on the books, reaching for a solid weekender bag over a suitcase is best since it's less bulky, a bit more flexible and is easier to just grab and go.

I've been testing and reviewing travel products for over six years and luggage is one of my main areas of expertise. In fact, I've tested loads of weekender bags and narrowed down my rankings to these seven.

This list includes weekender bags that fit a range of prices, sizes, materials and even compartment varieties.

From the most affordable pick that also happens to have a separate shoe compartment to a full leather option that's sure to last you a lifetime, there's something here for everyone.

How we test

When testing luggage and bags, we try them out for at least a week (usually longer) and take them on trips for real-life, practical trial-based testing.

We focus on durability, material retention, compartment convenience, storage ability and more.

From testing if a personal item bag slides easily under the seat on planes or if a carry-on complies with the overhead bin space requirements on most commercial airlines, we've put it all to the test.

Monos, Troubadour, Rothy's, Dagne Dover and more make my list of the best weekender bags. Here are my thoughts  good and bad  on each pick

We then compare the findings to determine how well each bag performs so you can choose the best one for you.

Why trust us

Our expert team has been testing products and writing reviews for many years, covering a wide range of lifestyle picks.

Moriba has been thoroughly testing and reviewing travel products for over six years as an experienced writer and editor.

His reviews are honest, impartial and based on real-world testing to ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed buying decision.

Best weekender bags 2025

1. Best overall: Dagne Dover Extra Large Landon Neoprene Carryall

Dagne Dover Extra Large Landon Neoprene Carryall      A moldable, lightweight bag that expands for easy packing Product Specs Trolley sleeve? Yes

Standout feature Exterior phone pocket

Dimensions 20.5 inches L x 10.5 inches W x 13 inches H

Material Neoprene What we love Lightweight The bag's neoprene fabric keeps it from weighing down, especially when not fully packed

Easy to clean It's hand-washable. Just be sure to hang dry it and refrain from putting it in the dryer

Extra packing sources It comes with an external shoe bag, key leash and zippered pouch What could be better May alter shape Since this bag isn't fully structured, when fully packed, it can take the shape of its contents Review Tested by Moriba Cummings Throughout my testing period for these bags, I found that very few checked all of the main boxes that made for a stellar option: attainable price, spacious main compartment, lightweight build, extra storage options, etc. The Dagne Dover Extra Large Landon Neoprene Carryall was among a handful that fit the bill, across the board. I put this to the test on a commercial flight from New York to San Francisco. On my departing flight, I stuffed it to the max to test if it would serve as a comfortable personal item bag, but found that, when at capacity, it's more suitable as an overhead stowed carry-on. However, I packed it more lightly on my returning flight and found that it slides easily under the seat with no issues. It's also the lightest weekender bag I've used and that's mostly due to its neoprene construction, which is also hand-washable. Lastly, the extras you get with this bag are actually practical. It comes with an external shoe bag which I used to keep my sneakers from making contact with my clothes, a zippered pouch for any valuables (I used mine to store my jewelry), and a key leash which came in handy when I returned home. All in all, this is an all-round solid weekender that's worth the investment.

2. Best for organization: Monos Metro Weekender

Monos Metro Weekender      A roomy weekender with a deeper, more structured build and a spacious base compartment Product Specs Dimensions 19.25 inches L x 10.25 inches W x 14.75 inches H

Material Vegan leather

Trolley sleeve? Yes

Standout feature Separate base storage compartment What we love Water-resistant Your bag will maintain its quality in a light drizzle

Large laptop sleeve Fits up t a 16-inch laptop

Available in two materials Choose from vegan leather or nylon (both water-resistant) What could be better Can get a bit heavy When fully packed, this bag can be a bit hefty

Deeper than most weekenders Since it has an upright build, this bag won't qualify as a personal item on most commercial airlines Review Tested by Moriba Cummings Having everything in its designated place is one of my travel must-haves and the Monos Metro Weekender made my type-A brain very pleased. Just based on first-impressions, the bag is stunning and has a unique, tall build that isn't like most bags in this category. The true star of the show, though, is the spacious bottom compartment that's made for storing shoes, a toiletry bag or extra clothes. I've tested this by storing all three on different occasions and had absolutely no hiccups. In fact, I stored a pair of size 13 shoes in that compartment and still had room to store a medium-sized tech pouch. You get to choose between two materials when making your purchase: nylon and vegan leather. And the best part is that both are water-resistant, so you don't have to worry about durability. The main compartment is surprisingly extremely roomy, even when the bottom is stuffed. I was able to fit three changes of clothes in there with no issues. The only qualm I have with this bag is its weight. It gets a bit heavy when packed to capacity, so if you're not using it in conjunction with a roller carry-on, keep in mind that it's not a lightweight piece. It also must be stowed in the overhead bin on planes since its dimensions surpass under-seat storage regulations.

3. Most affordable: Herschel Novel Duffle Tech

Herschel Novel Duffle Tech      Cost-efficient, compartment-packed and versatile Product Specs Material Recycled polyester

Trolley sleeve? Yes

Standout feature Separate shoe storage compartment

Dimensions 11 inches D x 20.5 inches W x 12.6 inches H What we love Fleece-lined laptop compartment Your device (up to 16 inches) will remain unscratched and well protected

Internal sleeve Store your tracking device here to always know where your bag is located

Approachable price Even when not on sale, this weekender bag is one of the most affordable that you'll find What could be better Polyester build The bag isn't made of the most durable material Review Tested by Moriba Cummings I'm still in the process of testing this one, but it's already on-track to becoming one of my favorites, solely based off of its price point and size. The brand's smaller Novel Duffle was one of the first weekender bags I've ever purchased, over 10 years ago, and it's still held up well after more than a decade of wear and tear. This Tech version has the same features that I loved about the original  a separate shoe compartment, laptop sleeve, and approachable price  but is a bit larger and roomier. The laptop compartment is also fleece-lined, so it will keep your device from scratching or moving around too much while you travel. The weekender bag's deep build also allows you to fit much more than you probably need to pack. [Review coming soon]

4. Most compartment-heavy: Quince Transit Quilted Duffle Bag

Quince Transit Quilted Duffle Bag      Well-designed bag that's versatile enough for use as a commuter or weekender Product Specs Material Recycled polyester with Nappa leather trims

Standout feature Water-resistant puffer build

Dimensions 17.5 inches L x 7 inches W x 12 inches H

Trolley sleeve? Yes What we love Extra bag included Comes with detachable zipper pouch for storing small items

Compartment-packed This bag has nine pockets in total for easy organization

Protective leather feet Keeps the bag safe when storing on the floor during travel What could be better A bit compact This bag isn't as roomy as some of the other options on the list Review Tested by Moriba Cummings Quince is one of my favorite clothing brands, especially for affordable cashmere and wool pieces, since they cut out the middle man and, thus, offer more affordable prices for the same high-quality pieces than traditional retail. While I was fixated on the brand's clothing, it completely slipped my mind that the same philosophy applies to its travel accessories. Puffer duffle bags have been so popular lately with this one from MZ Wallace standing as one of the pricier options that shoppers have on their wishlists. The Quince Transit Quilted Duffle Bag is a much more affordable alternative. Its leather trims give it a premium touch and it comes with extras like a detachable zipper pouch for storing valuables and protective leather feet to keep the base clean when storing under the seat on planes. Where this bag truly excels, though, is in its variety of storage compartments. There are nine pockets in total, making this a dream for the organized traveler. If you're looking for a weekender bag that has a massive amount of room in the main compartment, this may not be the one for you as it's one of the most compact options on the list.

5. Roomiest weekender: Rothy's Weekender

Rothy's Weekender      You'll pack this to the max and somehow still have room to spare Product Specs Material Knit (with combo of thread made from marine plastic and Rothy's signature thread spun from plastic bottles)

Trolley sleeve? No

Standout feature Machine-washable

Dimensions 21.5 inches L x 13.8 inches H x 8.9 inches D What we love Spacious main compartment Since this bag has a loose structure, you're able to pack more than you would in most weekenders

Easy to clean This weekender is machine-washable, but be sure to line dry (do not place in the dryer)

Durable design Its tight, unique knit weave makes this one of the most durable and aesthetically pleasing bags I've used What could be better Weight It can get a bit heavy when it's fully packed

Expensive This bag may be a bit too costly for some shoppers Review Tested by Moriba Cummings This bag has been my tried-and-true weekender for well over five years. It's my dedicated road trip weekender since it's the roomiest option that I've tested and if it gets a bit dirty, I can just toss it in the washing machine when I return home and air dry it. Rothy's is known for its machine-washable shoes and bags, so when I first tested this weekender bag just following its official launch years ago, I had high hopes, and it didn't disappoint. To this day, whenever I pack this bag for a trip, I'm marveled by how much it can hold. It even has a larger capacity than some of the expandable carry-on suitcases that I've tested over the years, and that's due to its loose shape that's easily moldable. Because of this, the bag is able to contort to the shape of its contents, and that also means no struggling with the zipper when it's time to close up shop. I've used this bag on several flights as well and, similarly to the Dagne Dover Extra Large Landon Carryall, it fit easily under the seat when not packed to capacity. At the times when it was fully packed, it had to be stowed in the overhead bin and fit perfectly.

6. Best full-leather weekender: Troubadour Generation Leather Duffle

Troubadour Generation Leather Duffle      From design to organization, this bag is worth the investment Product Specs Material Genuine leather

Trolley sleeve? Yes

Standout feature Unique waterproof leather build

Dimensions 20.5 inches L x 11 inches H x 9.5 inches D What we love Several concealed compartments This bag has dedicated pockets for a laptop, keys, passport, water bottle, phone and more

Tear-resistant You don't have to worry about this bag denting and tearing thanks to its strong build

Waterproof leather build It's made of a unique, durable European calfskin leather that's also waterproof from the moment you take it out of the box What could be better Expensive Though it's worth the investment, this bag may be a bit pricey for some shoppers Review Tested by Moriba Cummings Leather weekender bags can be a bit tricky. More times than not, all of the effort is put into the craftsmanship and the functionality aspect leaves more to be desired. Some have beautiful genuine leather builds, but are just a sack with a zipper  no compartments or built-in organization to be found. So, when I tried the Troubadour Generation Leather Duffle and saw that it was packed with compartments that actually made sense, and also had a strong, tear-resistant waterproof leather build, I was sold. Most genuine leather goods that I've owned need to be treated to prevent water damage which, when traveling, can sometimes be inevitable. This bag comes with that feature already built into its framework. And while it's made of durable calfskin leather, it still remains lightweight, even when fully packed. It's also tear-resistant, so you can rest assured that it will last you a lifetime, and, at such a premium price, that's a non-negotiable. In terms of compartments, it has a dedicated padded laptop pocket with a magnetic closure, several concealed internal pockets for storing everything from your phone to your water bottle, and two external pockets with magnetic closures for storing your passport, wallet and keys.

7. Most compact: Carl Friedrik Compact Weekender

Carl Friedrik Compact Weekender      Though smaller than most weekenders, this bag is sure to last a lifetime Product Specs Dimensions 18.1 inches W x 11 inches H x 7.3 inches D

Material Nylon with vachetta leather detailing

Trolley sleeve? Yes

Standout feature Front slip pocket What we love Extremely durable This bag was made to last and is made of durable and high-quality materials

Timeless design Its simple and minimalistic build makes this a bag you can use for more than travel

Luxe details Includes genuine leather detailing, nickel-plated hardware and comes in two finishes (nubuck or nylon). What could be better Size It moreso has the capacity of an overnight bag than a weekender

Expensive May be too pricey for some shoppers, especially for its size Review Tested by Moriba Cummings Those with a "less is more" approach to traveling may prefer a timeless, compact bag that isn't a hassle to carry around. This pick from longstanding luxury bag brand Carl Friedrik checks all of those boxes, and then some. This brand is known for its luxury full leather and leather-detailed bags, and this one is no exception. It's simple and small enough to fit a couple outfits and a pair of shoes (depending on the size), but is small enough to fit under the seat on planes with ease. I used this bag as a personal item on an international flight and had no issues at all. For reference, I'm 6-foot-2, and after sliding it under the seat in front of me, I had lots of space for my feet to rest  it looked almost like it was made for under-seat storage. The bag even got slightly wet as I was leaving the airport, but thanks to the nylon exterior, the water slid right off and didn't leave a mark. This bag is a bit too compact for my weekender needs, but may be just the right size for someone who packs more minimally.

8. Best no-frills weekender: Antler Icon Weekender Bag

Antler Icon Weekender      Product Specs Material 100% recycled polyester

Standout feature Tech-friendly padded pockets

Dimensions 12.8 x 20 x 7.9 inches

Trolley sleeve? Yes What we love Spacious and expandable main compartment This weekender bag has more space than meets the eye

Water-resistant finish Made to withstand light drizzles and the elements

Thoughtfully designed compartments and pockets Padded laptop pocket and easy-access zippered pockets are two of my favorites What could be better Not structured When fully packed, this bag gets a bit slouchy and loses its structural integrity Review Antler is a legacy luggage and travel accessories brand that's known for its quality and simple, minimalistic design aesthetic. Its new Icon Collection caught my eye with the Icon Weekender Bag particularly being an instant standout. Here's why: After testing this bag, I was amazing by how much I was able to fit in the main compartment. It seemed as though, the more I packed, the more room appeared. I quickly found that that was thanks to the bag's flexible-packing design that allows you to unfasten the sides for extra room. The handles are also extremely comfortable for longtime commutes and travel and, since the simple trolley sleeve is just that  simple  I was able to easily slide the bag over my luggage handle with no snagging or resistance. The star feature of this bag, though, is its thoughtful compartment designs and variety. The padded laptop compartment fits up to a 16-inch laptop. And the easy-access front pocket is just the right size for storing your phone or passport. If you're looking for a no-frills, spacious and well-made weekender bag that covers just about all the bases, this one does the trick.

Our verdict

If I were to buy any of the weekender bags on this list, I would go with the Troubadour Generation Leather Duffle. Though it's the priciest of the bunch, it's turned out to be the most versatile, practical and easy to use, especially when traveling with other luggage pieces. Its multiple compartments, waterproof leather construction, built-in trolley sleeve, and roomy main compartment put it above the rest, making it my all-round favorite, based on functionality and design.

That $849 price tag is pretty steep, so if you're looking for an option that's more affordable and also includes most of the features that make the Troubadour pick a standout, the Dagne Dover Extra Large Landon Carryall would be a great runner-up. It comes with enough extra components to keep you organized while you travel, has a built-in trolley sleeve and is even expandable when you unsnap the sides.

FAQs

Do weekender bags count as carry-ons?

In short, it depends. Not all weekender bags are created equally, but the general rule of thumb is to ensure that your weekender fits within commercial airlines' carry-on and personal item dimension guidelines if you plan on taking it on an aircraft.

While some airlines' guidelines may differ by an inch or two, the standard overhead bin carry-on luggage size limit is usually 22 x 14 x 9 inches, including the handle, wheels and any protruding straps or pockets. Some domestic airlines like Southwest Airlines and Frontier allow up to 24-inch carry-ons, though.

If you don't want to stow your weekender bag overhead, it must fit within the personal item bag dimension guidelines for most commercial airlines. Size permissions vary depending on plane size and airline. Check out the different personal item size guidelines across a few major airlines below:

Delta : 22 x 15 x 9 inches

: 22 x 15 x 9 inches JetBlue : 17 x 13 x 8 inches

: 17 x 13 x 8 inches United : 17 x 10 x 9 inches

: 17 x 10 x 9 inches Southwest : 16.25 x 13.5 x 8 inches

: 16.25 x 13.5 x 8 inches American : 18 x 14 x 8 inches

So, all in all, yes  weekenders do technically count as carry-ons. You just need to make sure they fit within either your airline's carry-on or personal item dimension guidelines and stow them accordingly.

What are the best brands for weekender bags?

Based on my tests and personal experience as a travel writer and editor, Rothy's, Troubadour, Dagne Dover and Herschel are the best weekender bag brands you will find. I've based this decision on product diversity, the quality for the price and functionality.

Troubadour focuses on quality over quantity, offering very few weekender bag options, and, instead, focusing on perfecting the three that it offers: the Generation Leather Duffle, the Apex Travel Duffle and the Apex Everyday Duffle. The Rothy's Weekender is the only one on the brand's roster and is one of my most-used for its spaciousness and machine-washable build. Dagne Dover's Landon Carryall makes the cut for one of the best since it's an all-round well-designed bag and comes in four sizes for you to choose from based on your needs.

The Rothy's Weekender may be the least structured, but it is, hands down, the roomiest

And in terms of price, the Herschel Novel Duffle Tech gives you so much bang for your buck, especially when it competes with the much pricier options on the list in compartment variety and main compartment size.

What is another name for a weekender bag?

Weekender bags go by different names depending on your region. They're also called vacationers, duffle/duffel bags and handle carry-on bags.

Some call weekender bags overnight bags, but in my experience, overnight bags are a bit smaller since they're meant to house enough clothes for one night. Whereas, weekender bags are designed to be roomy enough to fit enough clothes for two to three days.
When thousands of feet in the air, the last thing most travellers want is a disagreement with their fellow passengers.

One traveller sparked a plane etiquette row after their neighbour in the middle seat called them 'rude'.

They described the sticky situation on Reddit, and shared how they and their sister had booked a flight together.

Their seating arrangement caused issues with the person they ended up sat next to.

'She likes the window and I like the aisle,' the poster explained.

'When we sat down, there was someone in the middle seat. She asked if we wanted to change seats and we politely declined.'

But things took a turn when the traveller tried to interact with their sister, while the other passenger sat between them.

'I passed a small snack bag to my sister while I settled in my seat,' they recalled.

One traveller sparked a plane etiquette row after a middle seat passenger called them 'rude' (stock)

They described the sticky situation on Reddit , and shared how they and their sister had booked a flight together (stock)

'The woman said, 'are you two going to be rude and pass things to each other all flight?'

'I politely explained that I asked my sister to hold one thing. When I was settled and buckled in, I would ask for it back. Otherwise, my sister planned to sleep and I would watch my iPad.'

But the passenger was not happy with the reasoning and the conversation soon escalated.

They described how the other traveller 'continued raising her voice' and called them 'rude'.

'I think the fact that we declined to move really upset her,' they added.

'She continued to complain and even held my sister up by letting a few extra rows go first. Are we missing something here?'

The post attracted hundreds of comments, with many people eager to share their view.

One person said they felt 'it would be extremely annoying' to have to sit in between two people talking and interacting.

They added: 'Once or here and there is totally fine. She probably thought you were going to keep doing it and snapped prematurely.

However, their seating arrangement caused issues with the person they ended up sat next to (stock)

'Once you explained and didn't keep bugging her it's completely on her and continuing to be rude was not warranted. Some people are just grouchy.'

Another reasoned: 'It's no fun being in the middle of two people who are passing things to each other.

'Maybe the other passenger overreacted, but I've been in the same situation and it just felt awkward.'

While someone else sided with the poster and described the other passenger as 'cranky'.
It's known as a luxury holiday destination with endless sandy beaches, glamorous shopping centres and A-lister visitors.

Dubai is often associated with the wealthy  and is a dream destination for many.

It draws in millions of Brits every year and thousands have even moved there permanently.

However, one person shared her take on the holiday hotspot on X, formerly Twitter and said: 'Am I the only one who doesn't think Dubai (as a holiday destination) is attractive?'

The post attracted thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, with many other travellers sharing their opinion on the destination.

'You are not alone,' someone else agreed.

Another added: 'I dont either. Its not somewhere Id choose to go. Seems a big soulless.'

The original poster replied and expressed how she also felt it was 'completely soulless'.

Dubai is often associated with the wealthy, and is a dream destination for many (stock)

It draws in millions of Brits every year and thousands have even moved there permanently

However, one person shared her take on the holiday hotspot on X, formerly Twitter and said: 'Am I the only one who doesn't think Dubai (as a holiday destination) is attractive?'

She did a admit in another comment that she had 'not been' and would not be going.

While one person penned: 'It looks amazing, pristine and no expense spared but for me I need history, character, soul I dont think Id find it there amongst the show offs.'

Not everyone shared the same opinion, with others jumping to Dubai's defence.

One commented: 'Its v attractive as a transit point on the way to a holiday in Oman!'

Another said: 'You're not the only one who thinks it, but it's wrong. I've holidayed in Dubai multiple times now and enjoyed it every time.

'Extremely safe place, something for everyone, amazing food, sights you can't really see anywhere else.'

Others have also shared their take on the luxury destination, including Entrepreneur Charlie Morgan moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2023.

He shared why he moved back the UK after just two years and although he praised the country's 'healthy lifestyle' and safety, Charlie raised some issues he found too.

Charlie felt it's 'impossible' to put down roots in Dubai.

The post attracted thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, with many other travellers sharing their opinion on the destination

Though not everyone shared the same opinion and others jumped to Dubai's defence

Others have also shared their take on the luxury destination, including Entrepreneur Charlie Morgan moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2023 (stock)

He said: 'Living in Dubai feels like a holiday or in an Airbnb because in order for you to have a healthy life, you need to have people love and you need to have a social life and you need to have a love life.

'You need to have a family life and stuff like that.'

Another point Charlie made was the air quality and he claimed he could 'smell' the pollution in the summer months.

While the loud construction work, which has been going on for a decade, also proved to be a problem for the businessman.
As the summer holidays come to a close, millions of British holidaymakers are gearing up for one last getaway.

However, before packing their bags and heading to the airport, travellers are being warned to double-check their departure airport - as new data reveals some UK aviation hubs are significantly worse for delays than others.

A study by Go.Compare ranks which airports across the nation are the most and least punctual when it comes to flight delays and cancellations.

The research - which analysed flight data from 25 UK airports between April 2024 and March 2025 - found that while some airports perform well, others struggle to keep flights on time.

It also found the average delay across the UK was 16.9 minutes across the year, with 1.8 per cent of flights cancelled.

Taking the crown as the nation's least punctual airport is Gatwick, with an average delay of 22 minutes.

Nearly 1.5 per cent of flights - the equivalent of 4,050 - at Gatwick were cancelled, while 12 per cent of flights were delayed by 31 minutes to one hour, making the airport a risky choice for travellers looking to avoid disruption.

Manchester ranked second among the worst airports for delays, with an average delay of 20.6 minutes and a cancellation rate of 1.1 per cent, followed by Southend in third place with a 20.2-minute delay and Stansted in fourth with a 20.1-minute delay.

Air travellers are being warned to double-check their departure airport - as new data reveals some UK airports are significantly worse for delays than others

Taking the crown as the nation's least punctual airport is Gatwick , with an average delay of 22 minutes

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Ranked fifth for worst delays is the smaller Isle of Man airport, with a 19-minute average delay and a high cancellation rate of 3.9 per cent.

On the flip side, Belfast City and Aberdeen airports performed best, with average delays of just 11 and 12.5 minutes, respectively.

However, both had significantly higher cancellation rates, with 3.1 per cent of flights from Belfast City and 4 per cent from Aberdeen being cancelled.

This was followed by London City as the third most punctual airport, with an average delay of 13 minutes and a cancellation rate of 2.7 per cent.

Rhys Jones, travel expert at Go.Compare, suggests flying from smaller airports like London City or Leeds Bradford to reduce the risk of delays.

He added: 'If you cant change your departure destination, being prepared will go a long way to easing your stress. Pack any essentials like medication and toiletries in your hand luggage, where permitted.'

Jones also urged holidaymakers to look out for travel insurance policies that cover for extensive flight delays or cancellations, and to double-check the details of their insurance with their providers.

It comes as a new study, compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has uncovered the worst airlines for flight delays from UK airports, and one airline is leading for all the wrong reasons.

Manchester ranked second among the worst airports for delays, with an average delay of 20.6 minutes and a cancellation rate of 1.1 per cent

Belfast City (pictured) and Aberdeen airports performed best, with average delays of just 11 and 12.5 minutes, respectively

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Air India has been named the UK's most delayed airline, with passengers experiencing an average departure delay of nearly 46 minutes throughout 2024.

The worst performing route was Air India's Gatwick to Bengaluru service, which ran an average of more than 80 minutes late across 50 departures - making it the most delayed UK route overall.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, described the airline's performance as 'completely unacceptable.'

Air India, which operates from Birmingham, Gatwick, and Heathrow to major Indian destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, said the disruption was 'primarily due to factors beyond our control.'
A plane passenger has been arrested after allegedly punching a crew member and attempted to open a cabin door at London Heathrow Airport.

Police and firefighters rushed to the Saudia Airlines aircraft, which landed from Jeddah at around 1pm on August 28.

A male passenger allegedly argued with a flight attendant before hitting him, after demanding to disembark from the plane before it had reached its final destination.

Pilots on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were forced to brake on the taxiway to Terminal 4 and call for urgent assistance as the unruly passenger attempted to open the door.

A set of rescue stairs was hastily brought to the door of the aircraft so police could rush inside.

Fire engines, police vehicles, airport security cars and an ambulance were seen gathered at the aircraft's port side.

The incident did not cause any disruption to operations at Heathrow, but passengers on Flight SV119 were said to have been left 'frightened'.

The return flight, SV120, was delayed by almost four hours following the incident.

Were YOU on the flight? Email: jon.brady@dailymail.co.uk

Police and firefighters rushed to the Saudia Airlines aircraft, which landed from Jeddah at around 1pm on August 28

Police, fire, Heathrow security and ambulance vehicles were gathered at the foot of emergency steps set up to allow rapid access to the plane

Flightradar24 data shows the plane stranded on the taxiway close to Terminal 4 following the August 28 flight

Once the aircraft had reached the gate, officials boarded and arrested a 33-year-old man. Flightradar24 data showed the jet stranded in the taxiway - its transponder switched off before it finally reached Terminal 4 itself.

Dramatic photos from the scene show at least four fire trucks and several police cars and ambulances surrounding the plane.

A source with knowledge of the incident told the Daily Mail: 'It was chaos on board and very frightening for families.

'The plane had wheels down but a passenger was so agitated and struck out at the crew because he wanted to get off there and then.

'It was crazy - so close to reaching the aircraft stand.'

The Metropolitan Police arrested a man in his thirties on suspicion of endangering an aircraft, among other suspected offences. He was released under investigation.

A police spokesperson said: 'Officers at London Heathrow Airport were called to an aircraft, which had recently landed at 12:57hrs on Thursday, 28 August following reports of a disturbance.

'Officers arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of endangering an aircraft, two counts of assault by beating, behaving in a threatening, abusive or disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew and damaging an aircraft.'

The flight, registered HZ-AR27, took off from Jeddah 38 minutes late and landed at Heathrow just over six hours later.

The Mail has contacted Saudia Airlines for comment.
Workers who pull a sickie in one country could be slapped with a 20,000 fine or even jail time - as officials crack down on employees issuing or submitting fake sick leave reports.

It comes as 68 percent of workers in the UK have admitted to lying about being ill in order to get the day off work, with reasons ranging from sneaky shopping trips to self-care days to dodging that dreaded 3pm Teams meeting.

According to data shared by Instantprint, lost productivity from absences related to sickness can cost businesses up to 45,000.

And now Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health has warned that feigning an illness is a criminal offence.

Workers caught lying about their health could be issued a fine of SR100,000 (around 19,654) or even sentenced to one year in prison.

The warning comes amid the increased presence of 'illegal' medical leave services on social media platforms, with employees cautioned they may face prosecution if they use them.

In a statement shared by Gulf News, the ministry said: 'Only the Sehhaty platform is authorized to issue official sick leave reports. Any report obtained through other means is considered invalid and subject to legal action.'

In Saudi Arabia, workers who pull a sickie could be slapped with a 20,000 fine or even jailtime - as officials crack down on employees issuing or submitting fake sick leave reports

To prevent abuse of the system, health authorities in Saudi Arabia have launched a new digital monitoring system that cross-checks medical leave records.

This is designed to reinforce compliance and identify fraudulent requests in real time.

The ministry has also issued a further warning to healthcare professionals who are reminded of their ethical and legal obligations.

Doctors who issue a sick leave note without the proper proof or justification may not only face disciplinary action but legal penalties, too.

It comes as a British expat who lived in Saudi Arabia for 15 years has shared the etiquette rules visitors need to know, along with the common misconceptions tourists have.

TikTok creator Inayah Sadiq, 27, lived in Saudi Arabia for 15 years before moving back to the UK and is keen for the world to see a country she 'highly recommends as a holiday destination'.

She posted a video outlining six etiquette rules you should always follow while there, and revealed even more about the country to Daily Mail Travel, including the best places to visit, the common misconceptions and an ideal itinerary.

We began by asking her what she would say to people nervous about visiting.

health authorities in Saudi Arabia have launched a new digital monitoring system that cross-checks medical leave records

She replied: 'Saudi Arabia is an incredibly safe country, and I would encourage people not to believe everything they see in the media. Saudi people are some of the most hospitable and welcoming youll ever meet.

'I highly recommend it as a holiday destination. Like many Gulf countries, street violence and crimes like muggings are extremely rare, and police presence is strong in major cities.

Id recommend visiting with an open mind, learning about the culture and etiquette beforehand, and embracing the experience.

Inayah explained that there are quite a few misconceptions about Saudi Arabia, revealing that although 'its true that you cant drink alcohol, it doesnt diminish the experience of visiting.
Southwest Airlines is flying the world's first plane installed with a secondary barrier to the cockpit in a revolutionary move to prevent intrusions.

The Boeing 737 Max 8, the first of the airline's fleet to have the safety enhancement, took off from Phoenix to Denver in the United States on 29 August.

The new design comes amid a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation, which took effect last week, that requires all newly-built commercial aircraft in the US to be fitted with the safety feature.

Secondary barriers provide pilots with an additional layer of security against intruders, a measure that has been long-argued by pilots' unions and first initiated after the September 2001 attacks.

Though the FAA initially agreed to give airlines until late July 2026 to put the barriers in newly delivered planes to use, Southwest chose to immediately implement the feature prematurely to enhance safety for all onboard.

The carrier is expected to take delivery of 25 additional Boeing airplanes this year that will have the barriers installed.

Justin Jones, executive vice president for operations at Southwest, told Reuters: 'We felt like we could get it done and put it in production as soon as the aircraft was ready.'

After the hijacking of four US airplanes on September 11, 2001, the FAA enhanced standards for flight deck security to make cockpits resistant to forcible intrusion and unauthorised entry.

Southwest Airlines is flying the world's first plane installed with a secondary barrier to the cockpit in a revolutionary move to prevent intrusions

The new rule requires aircraft manufacturers to install a second physical barrier on new planes used in commercial passenger service in the US, but the feature does not extend to existing planes.

Some passengers, however, have been left sceptical of the new feature, as discussed in a video post on Instagram that demonstrated how the barrier works.

One person questioned: 'Why would they put a locked door in front of the main emergency exit?'

Another said: 'This is actually counterproductive for safety because it will make evacuations harder and it also impedes access to the galleys and the lavatories.'

A third wrote: 'So exaggerating as if there were people constantly breaking cockpit door trying to do something lol.'

However, one person hit back: 'Thanks to 9/11 and crazies trying to break into the flight deck, tools like this make everything safer.

'Think about if a pilot has to use the bathroom mid flight. A flight attendant has to stand guard with a galley cart while the cockpit door is opened.

'It is much safer to have a second door than to hope the flight attendant can stand a chance against someone charging at them. Sources? Im a flight attendantok now go like this so people are more informed!'

The Boeing 737 Max 8, the first of the airline's fleet to have the safety enhancement, took off from Phoenix to Denver in the United States on 29 August (stock image)

Meanwhile, a shocking simulation has revealed that the brace position could be what saves your life in a plane crash.

The position is designed to maximise safety and reduce the chance of injuries.

The best position to brace for a plane crash is to tuck your head down, and place your arms or hands on your head to protect it and your neck.

Many people mistakenly think they should curl into a ball for the brace position but this is not the safest way, said Zack D, who posted the viral video to YouTube.
A former Great British Bake Off star has claimed that producers would deliberately 'bait' contestants behind the scenes in a bid to capture their most vulnerable moments on camera.

Ruby Tandoh, 33, who appeared on the hit show in 2013, revealed how emotions often spiralled inside the famous white tent - with producers swooping in whenever a contestant faltered, hoping to draw out tears and drama.

'They have the tightly honed intuition of storm chasers. They can spot a trembling hand from across the tent,' the Essex-born star wrote in The New Yorker.

'They swooped in on me and my now split custard, with backup from a pack of cameramen and sound guys.'

And Ruby said show bosses, in their eagerness for entertaining content, confessed to hoping for some drama on the show.

'We hope that they swim,' one producer once told Ruby of the bakers' fortunes. 'Or we hope that they sink a bit. And then they swim.'

Former Great British Bake Off star Ruby Tandoh (pictured) has lifted the lid on the outrageous way producers would deliberately 'bait' contestants behind the scenes

In 2013, Ruby was cast and appeared on the show aged 20, making her the youngest competitor on the series at the time (Pictured during an episode)

Ruby went on to reach the all-women final, alongside Kimberley Wilson (M) and Frances Quinn (second R)

Ruby's journey began with a phone call from her mother in 2012 recommending she watch the cosy competition series.

Within weeks, she was hooked - studying the bakers' techniques, obsessing over Paul Hollywood's judging habits and even making filo pastry from scratch in a student flat. Before long, she had applied, submitting photos of elaborate tarts and pastries.

By 2013, Ruby was cast and appeared on the show aged 20, making her the youngest competitor on the series at the time. She went on to reach the all-women final, alongside Kimberley Wilson and Frances Quinn.

The audition process was gruelling - from technical interviews on meringues and bread crusts to in-person baking trials and even psychological assessments.

'All bakers-to-be must prove to her that they're fit for the rigours of reality TV,' Ruby said of psychotherapist Lynn Greenwood, who vetted every hopeful.

Soon Ruby found herself inside the Bake Off tent, set in the grounds of a grand Georgian house. Saturdays began at dawn, with nervous bakers ferried in minibuses as Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and the camera crews prepared for long days of filming.

The familiar three-act structure - Signature, Technical and Showstopper - played out just as viewers see at home.

But the pressure was relentless, and Ruby recalled bursting into tears only an hour into her first challenge after a custard turned greenish.

Ruby said show bosses, in their eagerness for entertaining content, confessed to hoping for some drama on the show

The pressure was relentless, and Ruby recalled bursting into tears only an hour into her first challenge after a custard turned greenish

'I want to say that I don't know why I got so upset when things went wrong, but that would be a lie,' she admitted.

'I didn't want to go home to my floorboard rats and I wasn't ready for the one demonstrable show of brilliance in my life so far to turn out to be a joke.'

Ruby revealed how presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins often shielded bakers from the cameras when meltdowns occurred. Sue in particular would 'do a remarkable, jazzlike expletive improv until everyone gave up trying to film.'

Despite the stress, camaraderie blossomed among the contestants. Some bonded over baking tips in the house's snug between challenges, while others sneaked outside for cigarettes, swapping frustrations about the producers.

'We moaned about the challenges and the ambushes from producers,' the baker wrote. 'Their overeager commiserations, the way they'd bait you into narrating your downfall in real time.'

Judges Mary and Paul fascinated the contestants in different ways. Mary was warm but sparing in her praise, while Paul remained the tough taskmaster.

'He flips [bread] upside down, knocks on its bottom, interrogates it with sausage fingers,' Ruby said. Yet when he did approve of a bake, it meant everything.

One week, Ruby wowed him with a peacock-shaped sweet bread complete with chocolate-painted feather eyes, earning the coveted title of Star Baker.

Ruby revealed how presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins often shielded bakers from the cameras when meltdowns occurred

But Ruby also said the producers would 'bait' contestants into 'narrating your downfall in real time'

But beneath the bunting and kindness, competition ran fierce, and some bakers secretly practiced through the night in their hotel rooms, determined not to slip up.

'There is a special censure among Bake Off alumni for bakers who want it too bad,' Ruby revealed. 'This is the essential hypocrisy of Bake Off, and it remains the most British thing about it.'

While the show champions amateur spirit, it has catapulted winners and finalists into stardom - from cookbooks and TV deals to viral fame.

As Ruby acknowledged, Bake Off has 'initiated the single biggest transfer of power in the history of Britain's food culture,' opening the baking world far beyond the privileged few.

Reflecting on her own career after the tent, Ruby admitted success followed quickly, with newspaper columns and cookbooks. But alongside opportunity came criticism and pressure.

'A few people online said I must have flirted with Paul Hollywood to get to the final,' Ruby said, admitting she spent years pushing back against such claims.

Even now, Ruby remains struck by the paradox at the heart of Bake Off - a show that insists it is gentle and kind, while carefully constructing tension behind the scenes.

Daily Mail have contacted the BBC for comment.
Educating Yorkshire fans were left devastated after an emotional scene where a schoolgirl admitted she likes 'nothing' about herself after receiving a Tourette's diagnosis.

The hugely popular Channel 4 docuseries is back on UK screens after over a decade, having first aired in 2013.

And while the pupils at Thornhill Community Academy regularly have viewers in fits of laughter, the programme also reminds watchers how taxing life as a young adult can be.

Episode one followed the struggles of Amy, a year eight pupil who had been diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome over the summer.

Amy told the camera: 'The only reason I go [to school] is for the hash browns and my friends.'

Although Amy came across as witty and outgoing, it later emerged there was more to the youngster than met the eye.

Educating Yorkshire fans were left devastated on Sunday after an emotional scene where schoolgirl Amy admits she likes 'nothing' about herself after receiving a Tourette's diagnosis

Episode one followed the struggles of Amy(pictured), a year eight pupil who had been diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome over the summer holidays

The schoolgirl candidly confessed to not feeling 'confident' following her diagnosis with the neurological disorder.

The main symptom is tics, which can involve 'repetitive sounds or movements you do not choose to make and cannot control,' according to the NHS.

'I'm just a mixture of random stuff that, put together incorrectly, made me,' Amy said.

She explained that one some days her tics feel manageable, but others leave her wanting to 'lie in bed and disintegrate'.

To assist Amy in navigating her diagnosis and prevent her from 'struggling in silence,' student manager Mr Wilson set up regular mental wellbeing sessions for her.

One such session saw Amy joined by her close friend Marcii, as the pair were tasked with listing positive features about themselves.

When asked what she liked about herself, a distressed Amy said: 'I don't know.'

'Positives? Erm. Nothing,' she later added to the cameras, visibly dejected.

The youngster candidly confessed to not feeling 'confident' following her diagnosis with the neurological disorder

She explained that one some days her tics feel manageable, but others leave her wanting to 'lie in bed and disintegrate'

'I've had enough,' she said to the teacher, as the task of writing down five things she likes about herself was 'stressing her out'.

'I don't get it, and I can't find owt good about myself,' she said.

'The thing is, Amy, we need you to be able to look in the mirror and feel positive about yourself and be able to say some positive things,' a staff member responded.

'I know this, but I can't do that,' Amy responded, while her tics, including whistling and neck twitching, worsened.

In a touching moment, Amy's friend Marcii explained how the pair always stuck up for one another, including when classmates questioned or ridiculed Amy's tics.

And avid fans of the show were left emotional at having heard Amy's story, taking to social media to show their support.

One wrote online: 'I love Amy, I just want to give her a big hug,' while another added: 'I adore Amy so much. Protect her at all costs.'

'Considering everything she has to contend with, Amy has an old head on young shoulders,' a third added. 'She is amazing.'

Mr Burton (pictured) has now been promoted to headteacher, and the second series is proving just as impressive and moving as the first

During a wellbeing session, Amy struggled to find anything she liked about herself, becoming frustrated with the task

Others noted the importance of the show in representing a range of different voices.

'Amy represents why this programme is so important, showing her struggles and resilience with Tourette's syndrome', wrote one watcher.

'She's such a lovely girl, clearly great with her group of friends.'

And another said: 'Protect this little treasure at all costs. It's heartbreaking that she can't think of a single thing she likes about herself.'

Elsewhere in the episode, Amy became worried over a fallout within her friendship group, as she confided in Mr Wilson that: 'I'm just worried we won't be able to patch things up.'

The teacher fetched her friend and encouraged the girls to discuss the tension between them.

The cameras cut to a tearful Amy drying her eyes with a tissue but, to viewers' delight, the pair were able to reconcile.

Among the most memorable moments from the first series is English teacher Mr Burton (R) helping pupil Musharaf (L) overcome his stammer

One fan called her an 'early star' of the series, while another wrote: 'I hope she realises she's a beautiful soul and realises her worth.'

The first series of Educating Yorkshire won viewers over with its combination of heart-warming moments and hilarity.

Among the most memorable moments from the first series is English teacher Mr Burton helping pupil Musharaf overcome his stammer.

Now, Mr Burton has been promoted to headteacher, and the second series is proving just as impressive and moving as the first.

Educating Yorkshire airs on Sundays at 8pm on Channel 4 and is available to stream on channel4.com.
A beloved BBC sitcom has become the latest to be slapped with trigger warnings of 'discriminatory and offensive' language on the broadcaster's streaming service.

The comedy has aired on BBC One for almost twenty years, making it the second longest-running British sitcom after Last Of The Summer Wine, which concluded in 2010.

With its 14th season having delighted fans and critics alike, the adored comedy Not Going Out now features trigger warnings on several of its episodes, including from newer series.

The sitcom follows the life of working-class builder Lee, played by The 1% Club host Lee Mack, as he navigates finding love and dealing with his woeful lack of motivation.

The series stars Sally Breton as Lucy and, in its early days, featured Tim Vine as Lee's best friend Tim.

Season 2 episode 2 is titled 'Gay,' and sees Lee's best friend's sister ask him to pretend he's gay for the sake of keeping up appearances after an embarrassing comment she made to a work colleague.

Beloved BBC sitcom Not Going Out has become the latest to be slapped with trigger warnings of 'discriminatory and offensive' language (Pictured: Lee Mack and Sally Breton)

The comedy has aired on BBC One for almost twenty years, making it the second longest-running British sitcom after Last Of The Summer Wine, which concluded in 2010

Several episodes have warnings of 'discriminatory language, offensive content or language which may offend'.

It comes as an award-winning British sitcom was slapped with trigger warnings for 'discriminatory language' - despite its stars and creator insisting the show was never offensive.

ITV has placed caution notices on all 28 episodes of Rising Damp, the 1970s comedy widely regarded as one of the best-loved sitcoms of its era.

The alerts on its streaming service ITVX warn of 'discriminatory language and attitudes,' with one BAFTA-winning instalment carrying an additional note about 'racial references that may offend'.

The series starred Leonard Rossiter as Rupert Rigsby, a miserly and lecherous landlord presiding over a dilapidated Victorian boarding house.

Running for four seasons between 1974 and 1978, it also featured Richard Beckinsale, Don Warrington and Frances de la Tour as the prim spinster Miss Jones.

Much of the humour centred on Rigsby's awkward interactions with his tenants, including Philip, played by Warrington, who once mischievously claimed to be the son of an African chief purely to unsettle his suspicious landlord.

While such scenes are now being flagged for modern audiences, Warrington has previously defended the programme from accusations of racism.

With its 14th season having delighted fans and critics alike, the adored comedy Not Going Out now features trigger warnings on several of its episodes, including from newer series

The sitcom follows the life of working-class builder Lee, played by The 1% Club host Lee Mack, as he navigates finding love and dealing with his woeful lack of motivation

Speaking in 2022, the Death in Paradise star said the sitcom should not be sanitised to fit today's sensitivities because 'its intentions were good'.

He explained: 'The show was never cynical... the standard of work was just so great.'

Warrington, who is black, added: 'A lot of black people still say to me that their parents would call them down from their bedrooms whenever it was on, because of the way it showed a black man on TV who wasn't being put down or abused.'

Series creator Eric Chappell also rejected claims that the comedy was harmful, insisting Rigsby was not written as a racist caricature.

He said: 'Rigsby was not a racist or a bigot, but he was prejudiced and suspicious of strangers.'

The sitcom went on to win a BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy in 1978 and was later adapted into a feature film in 1980.

Its legacy endured long after it left screens, ranking 27th in the BBC's 2004 poll of the nation's 100 best sitcoms - higher than any other ITV entry. The top spot was claimed by Only Fools and Horses.

Rossiter's performance as Rigsby was central to the programme's success. Known for his razor-sharp timing and expressive delivery, the actor earned a reputation as one of Britain's finest comic performers.

Tragically, he died just six years after Rising Damp ended, suffering a fatal heart attack in his dressing room at the Lyric Theatre, London, aged 57. He had been preparing to go on stage in Joe Orton's play Loot.
Cat Deeley left viewers baffled as she avoided mentioning her well-publicised divorce when asked about her summer on Monday's installment of This Morning.

The television presenter, 48, recently announced the end of her 12-year marriage to Irish comedian Patrick Kielty, 54.

Patrick and Cat, who share sons Milo, nine, and James, seven, stressed that 'no other party' was involved in the disintegration of their relationship.

In her first on-screen appearance since the break-up, Cat awkwardly side-stepped a question about how her summer went, leaving fans hyper aware of the elephant in the room.

When asked by co-host Ben Shephard, 50, about her time off, Cat said: 'We had a lovely summer.

'Lots of beach action, family, friends, kids, bags of groceries as a big as my head... but I was really looking forward to coming back to work, it's a bit weird!'

Cat Deeley (pictured) left viewers baffled as she avoided mentioning her well-publicised divorce when asked about her summer on Monday's installment of This Morning

Cat awkwardly side-stepped a question from co-host ben Shephard (R) about how her summer went, leaving fans hyper aware of the elephant in the room

But viewers were confused at her decision to avoid the obvious issue of her divorce, and shared their thoughts on social media.

'When will Cat mention her divorce?' said one, while another wrote: 'Don't forget "got divorced" Cat!'

Some watchers saw the comedic side, with one writing: 'So Cat, how was your break?

'Not so bad, thanks Ben. Marriage irreparably broke down, went on holiday, beach action etc.'

And one watcher said simply: 'Don't forget divorce, Cat.'

The beloved TV host was said to be anxious ahead of her This Morning return next week amid fears she's been painted as the villain in her split from Patrick.

Cat reportedly planned not to mention the break-up when she returned to screens with co-host Ben as she battles nerves after weeks of trolls as well as her ex's own family blaming her for the split.

Patrick's relatives are still seething over her failure to attend his beloved mother's funeral in March.

Her spokesperson told the Daily Mail at the time: 'Cat remained at home to be there for her two young children before and after school on this very sad day.'

The television presenter, 48, recently announced the end of her 12-year marriage to Irish 54-year-old comedian Patrick Kielty (L)

Patrick and Cat, who share sons Milo, nine, and James, seven, stressed that 'no other party' was involved in the disintegration of their relationship (pictured: Deeley with co-host Ben Shephard)

Ahead of her TV return a source said: 'Cat feels anxious ahead of her first day back after announcing the bombshell news of her split during her break'.

'She has been hurt that people who don't even know her have judged her for not going to her mother-in-law's funeral in March.

'Even people from within Patrick's family and inner circle who don't know her well have criticised her for that.'

They told The Sun: '[And to] and make out that it was the reason for the split when that couldn't be further from the truth.

'Cat is generally a really positive person but it hurts her to have people piling the blame onto her when this is a painful situation for them both.'

The Daily Mail have contacted Cat's representatives for comment.

But watchers were confused at her decision to avoid the obvious issue of her divorce, and swapped notes on social media

Her 'no show' at the funeral back in March has left deep emotional scars within the Kielty family who say it confirmed for them that there was little chance of a reconciliation between the two.

Clearly still upset at the anger and embarrassment it caused the family, one relative told the Daily Mail: 'Whatever rockiness was going on in the marriage, something as momentous as his mother's funeral, you would make up even temporarily and just put your "best face" on as we say in Northern Ireland.

'Cat obviously knew how close Patrick was to Mary and she should have come to be by his side, a hand on his shoulder as he buried his mother.

'The fact that she stayed in London and presented This Morning on the day, it's not been forgotten.'

The source added: 'In a very tight knit community in Northern Ireland, people always turn out. It's the done thing. His family remain very upset by this. They still can't believe it. It was the point when we all realised that that marriage had ended.'

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX.
The second season of Love Is Blind UK had Netflix viewers gripped as a group of strangers fell in love without laying eyes on each other.

Following its release on August 13, many people binged their way through all ten episodes and watched participants meet in the 'pods' before making their way down the aisle in a bid to see if love really is blind.

And on Sunday the reunion episode aired, where hosts and married couple Matt and Emma Willis caught up with the contestants to see which marriages were still going strong and which had failed since the show.

Following the news that only one of the couples were still together, host Emma, 49, became emotional after discussing the breakdown of Ashleigh and Billy's marriage.

She asked: 'In your vows you thanked him for restoring your faith in love. Do you still have faith in love?'

Ashleigh replied: 'I still have faith in love, but not from this man.'

Emma Willis, 49, became visibly emotional during the Love Is Blind reunion on Sunday when discussing the breakdown of Ashleigh and Billy's marriage

The host was so moved by the failure of the marriage that she had to ask bosses to 'cut to break' so she could have a moment to compose herself

The revelation prompted Billy to say: 'Good, I'm glad.'

Billy, who works in the military, had doubts about Ashleigh even in the pods because of her job as a cabin crew manager.

However, he took a risk on their relationship and the pair went on to get engaged and marry six weeks later on the show.

In the end, as Billy had feared, their conflicting schedules ultimately led to the end of the relationship.

On the reunion episode, Ashleigh went on to explain why she still had faith in love, prompting Emma to completely break down in tears.

She continued: 'I have faith in love from this experiment and being brave every single day of that experiment.

'And exposing myself in every possible way because I wanted this to work.

'And I wanted to find true love and someone who would make me feel safe every single day.'

Billy (L) said that he was glad that Ashleigh still had faith in love, despite their marriage on the show not working out

Billy, who works in the military, had doubts about Ashleigh (R) even in the pods because of her job as a cabin crew manager

Ashleigh continued: 'I want someone with a backbone. Someone who loves me for me and all of me 365 days of the year until we pass.

'I want that love story and I deserve that love story and I love myself for that.

'And love me unconditionally every single day and not give up within three months because I have a role which is very similar to yours, where I travel at times.'

After the heartfelt speech, the audience burst into tears and Emma said: 'I know, I know this is really hard.

'But thank you both so much for being here, for being honest and I do hope you both find genuine love until the day you die.'

She then tearfully admitted: 'Oh, you got me you two did.'

Matt was quick to comfort her before he asked: 'Shall we take another break?'

Emma then apologised for getting upset and agreed that it was time to pause the show.

But while the vast majority of the relationships suggested that love isn't blind, Megan and Kieran's marriage was still going strong - proving that for one couple, at least, the experiment worked.

Love Is Blind UK is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
A Current Affair has been rocked by another scandal, just a week after the Channel Nine show's boss resigned following her X-rated remarks at the Logies.

Two of the program's senior staff members have reportedly shared a fiery exchange over an upcoming story, according to The Australian.

Veteran producer Kate Goulopoulos and reporter Georgia Westgarth allegedly had a heated argument.

Goulopoulos has now reportedly lodged a formal complaint against Westgarth following the altercation.

They sit next to one another in Nine's Melbourne newsroom.

The scandal comes after Amy McCarthy quit her high-profile position as executive producer on A Current Affair last week after her shocking 'drunk' Logie Awards posts.

A Current Affair has been rocked by another scandal, just one week after a Channel Nine boss resigned following her X-rated remarks at the Logies. Pictured host Allison Langdon

Veteran producer Kate Goulopoulos has lodged a formal complaint against reporter Georgia Westgarth (pictured) following a heated argument

McCarthy shocked fans when she shared a photo of Jimmy Barnes, 69, performing at the Logies and captioned it with a suggestive comment: 'Deserves a spot on the grid! #wouldstilldohim.'

She also shared a post saying she had just arrived at the Logies and 'could get drunk now'.

McCarthy later added: 'Luckily my phone died before any evidence could be recorded.'

McCarthy informed colleagues she was 'standing down' in an email on Thursday following her questionable comments on Facebook.

In the email sent to A Current Affair staff, McCarthy apologised for her behaviour and informed them she had decided to 'stand down' from her role.

She also expressed regret for casting a negative light on the news program, admitting she'd made 'a stupid mistake'.

'I want to thank so many of you for the love and support you've shown me over what has been a really tough week,' McCarthy wrote.

'I made a stupid mistakeone that was not meant to be hurtful or harmful in any way. But it has brought unwanted and negative attention to a show I love and a team I adore. For that, I'm very sorry.

The scandal comes after Amy McCarthy (pictured) quit her high-profile position as executive producer on A Current Affair last week after her shocking 'drunk' Logie Awards posts

McCarthy shocked fans when she shared a photo of Jimmy Barnes, 69, performing at the Logies and captioned it with: 'Deserves a spot on the grid! #wouldstilldohim'

'With the support of my family, I've had time to reflect on this and after talking about what's appropriate for me and the show going forward, I am stepping down as EP of A Current Affair, effective immediately.

'I've worked really hard over the past 12 months to make sure ACA is the best it can be. I made a huge commitment to this show. I'm proud of what we've achieved together.

'I'm not leaving Nine, I'm heading back to the newsrooma place I've loved for over a decade.

'I'll be joining the News production team and I'm really looking forward to jumping straight back into it.'

The network followed the shocking news with a reminder to all staff about their 'professional obligations'.

Nine's director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, sent the message via email to all staff.

In the note to staff, which was sighted by the Daily Mail, the network boss wanted to remind 'broadcast journalists and on-air talent' that their conduct was 'vital' to maintaining trust with the viewing public.

Dear also reminded staff to adhere to the professional and ethical standards outlined in the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, as well as Nines Social Media Guidelines and Gift Policy.
Actor Cole Hauser of Yellowstone fame is detailing the wild interactions he's had with one particular group of fans.

The 50-year-old star  whose father Wings Hauser died in March  opened up about enthusiastic older women who get handsy with him.

'Ive had some old women grab my a**,' he told Page Six at a recent Arlington, Texas tasting for his brand Lazy K Bar Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

He added about the interactions, 'Its been a little bit a little bit strange.'

Cole, who played Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone, said: 'But for the most part of it, everyones been very respectful, but I think when the older ladies get a few drinks in them, they get a little aggressive.'

Following the series finale in December 2024, the Hollywood hunk has started filming an unnamed spinoff in North Texas.

Actor Cole Hauser, 50, of Yellowstone fame is detailing the wild interactions he's had with one particular group of fans; pictured in November 2024

The star opened up about enthusiastic older women who get handsy with him; pictured in character as Rip Wheeler in 2020's Yellowstone season three

Joining him in the forthcoming new show are his former Yellowstone co-star Kelly Reilly and newcomer Annette Bening.

Kelly will revive her character Beth Dutton, who is wife to Cole's Rip.

The actor told Page Six that his on-screen relationship with Kelly has been the most impactful.

'The love that they have for each other. The amount of just loyalty, the honor, the friendship they have on camera  and I have that with Kelly, as well,' he described.

In his real life, Cole has been married to wife Cynthia Daniel since 2006.

He said about his on-screen wife, 'Shes an amazing woman, more importantly than a great actress, and weve just had a blast playing these two characters and really pushing the envelope as far as creativity together.

'So, Im just proud of that relationship with her.'

The multihyphenate talked up his bourbon brand, explaining what makes his variety different from the others on the market.

'Ive had some old women grab my a**,' he told Page Six at a recent Arlington, Texas tasting for his brand Lazy K Bar Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Pictured 2023

'For the most part of it, everyones been very respectful, but I think when the older ladies get a few drinks in them, they get a little aggressive'; Pictured 2023

Following the series finale in December 2024, the Hollywood hunk has started filming an unnamed spinoff in North Texas

Joining him in the forthcoming new show is his former Yellowstone co-star and onscreen wife Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton

'I think celebrities typically  not all of them  they will put their face on a brand, whether its vodka or tequila or bourbon, and theres no real history,' he shared.

He emphasized, 'So this has tremendous history and also, more importantly, I spent a lot of time kind of finessing the juice thats in the bottle.

'I spent a lot of time with the bourbon maker to make sure that I liked it the way I wanted it.'

Cole has roots in one of the founding families of Hollywood, as his mother Cass Warner was the granddaughter of Harry Warner  one of the four Warner Bros. founders.

His dad, Wings, also got into acting in the late 70s after previously working as a musician. But the late entertainer was absent from his childhood.
Jeff Brazier begged fans for a 'parenting guidebook' on 'unconventional early adult years' as he shared a cryptic Instagram post addressing the news his son Freddy is to become a dad at the age of 20.

Freddy is preparing to welcome the baby with an ex-girlfriend, which would have been the late star Jade Goody's first grandchild.

Taking to social media on Sunday, Jeff, 46, asked his followers for help as he posed for a photo with his youngest son.

Freddy was seen curled up with his dad on a blue sofa as Jeff snapped a selfie.

He wrote: 'If someone could send me that parenting guidebook, particularly "early adult years the unconventional path" that would be really helpful, thanks [kiss emoji and laughing emoji].'

Freddy has spent months at war with his television host father Jeff but this surprise news has ensured their reconciliation.

Jeff Brazier begged fans for a 'parenting guidebook' on 'unconventional early adult years' as he shared a cryptic Instagram post addressing son Freddy's baby news

Freddy, 20, is preparing to welcome the baby with an ex-girlfriend, which would have been the late star Jade Goody's first grandchild

Following Freddy's baby news, Jeff seemed in good spirits as he took to his Instagram Stories to share a beaming snap with a pal who had come to watch him in his current theatre show, 101 Dalmatians.

The TV star used the song Life Will Be by Cleo Sol alongside the picture, which includes optimistic lyrics such as 'Life will be / just you, believe in you'.

The song continues: 'If you're alive, there's no excuse / Get out of your mind, you cannot lose this one time / It could be right'.

Sources close to the Braziers say Freddy has discussed his forthcoming fatherhood with his father - This Morning's parenting expert.

Jeff is said to be 'extremely supportive' alongside other close family and friends who have vowed to help him in any way they can.

It would have made Big Brother star Jade, who died of cervical cancer in 2009, a grandmother for the first time.

The news will also delight the millions who fell in love with Freddy when he and his father appeared on Celebrity Race Across the World last year.

The pair were seen arguing about his and brother Bobby's upbringing during the 30-day trek.

Freddy has spent months at war with his television host father Jeff but this surprise news has ensured their reconciliation

Jeff's ex and Freddy's mother Jade Goody died in 2009 after a battle with cervical cancer (Jeff and Jade pictured in 2003)

In one scene Jeff stormed off after Freddy claimed they were 'not open as a family', prompting his father to reply: 'What have I done for the last seven or eight years? You need to take responsibility, that is part of this.'

A friend told The Mail on Sunday: 'It has blindsided him and has been one of the things that has really brought him and his dad back together but it's so devastating that Jade isn't here to see it.

'Jeff was one of the first people he decided to confide in to ask for advice, and he stepped up straight away and wanted to help in any way he could.'

Freddy's brief relationship is understood to have ended acrimoniously following a string of rows - which even saw him and his now-ex make allegations to the police.

But they have since discussed reconciling their differences if possible, if they are to become parents together.

Freddy has endured a turbulent few weeks following a high profile battle with his father over the last six months - who had launched legal action in a bid to prevent the aspiring model from seeing his grandmother, Jade's mum Jackiey Budden.

This week in a bombshell U-turn, Freddy accused his grandmother of getting him hooked on strong cannabis when he was just 12 - having previously insisted she had never been responsible for his drug use.

But on his new podcast, he said: 'My nan is definitely the person who introduced me to reefer and got me hooked. It's one of those things, I was 12.

'I've been smoking since I was 12, I've been to rehab, I've been sectioned, I've had manic episodes, I've been sectioned. There's been a real journey and it's been a tough one.'

His comments prompted Jackiey to blast back, insisting she is not responsible for his cannabis use.

She said: 'I've read all these things he's said about me and I just can't believe he'd say them. It just isn't true at all - I can't believe it.'
Tammy Hembrow has been enjoying her blossoming romance with her new AFL star beau Bailey Smith.

And the fitness influencer, 31, appears to be already putting her new man to work by using him to take photos of her in her hotel room in Melbourne.

In photos shared to Instagram on Sunday, Tammy showed off her figure in a halter-neck dress by With Jean, featuring a side slit and ruffle detailing.

She revealed her stylish look as she stood in the hotel room before posing on the bed.

The fitness maven also shared a tender moment from her Melbourne date night with Bailey, 24, in the gallery.

His hand can be seen resting on Tammy's leg as they dined at acclaimed restaurant Entrecote in the inner suburb of Prahran.

Tammy Hembrow appears to be putting her new man to work by using him to take photos of her from her hotel room in Melbourne over the weekend

Tammy showed off her figure in a halter neck dress by With Jean in photos which appear to be taken by Bailey (pictured)

(Bailey shied away from the camera as the couple tucked into oysters, steak, and a hearty serve of French fries.

The Melbourne date follows weeks of sightings that kept fans and media guessing.

Earlier this month, Bailey and Tammy were spotted on the Gold Coast sharing kisses and walking arm-in-arm along the beach.

Their chemistry was evident, with the pair looking relaxed and unbothered by the cameras trailing them.

It was the second time in many weeks they had been seen out together, adding fuel to rumours their connection was quickly becoming something more serious.

Tammy has been in Melbourne on work commitments, including attending a Sasha Therese event, and told reporters during the week that Smith was a 'sweetie' and 'a good guy.'

She also narrowly missed an awkward run-in with her ex-husband Matt Zukowski during her time in Melbourne, as they both attended the Chemist Warehouse Hotel experience over the weekend.

Tammy posted a series of photos to Instagram as she posed at the event in a mini black skirt, a white buttoned shirt and long boots.

She revealed her stylish look as she stood in the hotel room before posing on the bed

The fitness maven also shared a tender moment from her Melbourne date night with Bailey, 24, in the gallery

It comes after Tammy narrowly missed an awkward run in with her ex husband Matt Zukowski during her time in Melbourne as they both attended the Chemist Warehouse Hotel experience over the weekend

Moments later, Matt took to his story to share several photos from the same event.

Tammy and Matt confirmed their split in June after just seven months of marriage.

The Love Island Australia star announced the couple's separation in a sombre Instagram Story, telling fans the decision was not taken lightly.

'It's with a heavy heart I share that Tammy and I have decided to separate,' Matt began.

'Both of us have struggled with making this decision however we need to do what is right for ourselves and her three children.

'This wasn't a decision we took lightly. Our time together will always be cherished and never forgotten,' he added, before thanking fans for their support and asking for privacy.
Lily James showed off her sensational figure in an extreme plunging black swimsuit on Instagram as she shared a glimpse at her lavish holiday on Sunday.

The actress, 36, looked incredible as she sipped on a cocktail while enjoying a sun-soaked day at the beach.

She swept her long wet dark tresses out of her face as she shielded from the sun behind a pair of sunglasses.

Lily later slipped into a stunning white plunging summer dress, which boasted an off the shoulder neckline.

The Cinderella star looked in good spirits as she sat on an outdoor sofa enjoying the sunshine.

In another snap, Lily, who kept cool by tying her dark tresses in a ponytail, fixed her trendy black lace up sandals as she sat at a bar stool.

Lily James showed off her sensational figure in an extreme plunging black swimsuit on Instagram as she shared a glimpse at her lavish holiday on Sunday

The actress, 36, later slipped into a stunning white plunging summer dress, which boasted an off the shoulder neckline

The Mamma Mia actress also showed off her amazing figure in a polka dot bikini as she checked her phone while cooking in a kitchen, in another photo.

Though Lily didn't tag her location in her holiday posts the wine she was drinking was from Tuscany which suggests she may be enjoying her August in Italy.

The posts comes after last week Lily lifted the lid on her love life in a very sexy shoot for Who What Wear magazine.

While the leggy star kept tight lipped if she is dating anyone currently, she did disclose she isn't a fan of dating apps.

In the candid interview, the Hollywood actress - who tries to keep her relationships under wraps - admitted she feels 'self-conscious' to go on dating apps.

She said: 'I was always in relationships when the [dating] apps started. Now, I just don't know. I feel a bit self-conscious.

'I try to stay really private, as private as I can. To be on a dating app feels a bit counterintuitive to that desire.'

Lily also shared her fears for getting older, admitting her biggest change in her thirties has been realising 'life is finite'.

She added: 'I only want to do stuff that I really care about.

She looked incredible in the number as she fixed her trendy black lace up sandals as she sat at a bar stool

The Mamma Mia actress also showed off her amazing figure in a polka dot bikini as she checked her phone while cooking in a kitchen

Lily stunned in a strapless mimdress as she enjoying the holiday

Though Lily didn't tag her location in her holiday posts the wine she was drinking was from Tuscany which suggests she may be enjoying her August in Italy

'I want to spend time with the people I love. I want to make the most of this wild and crazy life, so I only want to work on stuff that I really love. That's changed.'

The Tom & Pammy star was last romantically linked to musician Michael Shuman in late 2023.

It came after Lily hit back at Instagram moderators at the start of last week after one of her posts was removed by the social media platform for breaching community guidelines.

The British actress has been on location in the Canadian wilderness while filming Harmonia, a forthcoming thriller from director Guy Nattiv.

But she caught the eye of Instagram moderators after sharing an array of photos from the shoot, including one in which she and her co-stars appear to be completely naked.

The blurred shot - posted to celebrate the film's completion - captures Lily and five unidentified fellow actresses holding hands as they form a tight circle and gaze up at the sky, as if in worship.

Scheduled for release in 2026, Harmonia is inspired by the real life experiences of Nattiv's own grandmother and her connection to a bizarre cult in the 1980s.

The new film also features Carrie Coon, formerly of The White Lotus, The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey, and Odessa Young, who also features alongside Jeremy Allen White in forthcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere.

Last week, Lily looked gorgeous in a pink striped bikini as she posed on a boat during the trip

She also shared snaps enjoying some delicious local pasta and exploring the sights

But Lily' apparent celebration of the shoot was cut short by Instagram, who removed the post in accordance with community guidelines regarding online nudity.

Evidently unhappy with the decision, she later posted: 'Instagram you deleted my last post  why'

Instagram is yet to respond publicly, and the post remains notably absent from her social media platform.

The company's community guidelines serve to implement restrictions on hate speech, bullying and content related to violence, self-harm and various illegal activities.

Intellectual property, spam, inappropriate imagery and branded content are also monitored by the site.
Several Aussie influencers have come under fire after they went on a sponsored trip to Uluru.

Bella Messina, Alyssa Jane, Jessica Thoday, Tyra Brooke, Ella Victoria, and Lily April Rose were invited by Explore Uluru to visit the Northern Territory and shared a series of photos from the trip on social media.

The women are facing backlash for treating the sacred site as a backdrop and 'prop' for content.

'They're not paying respects to Elders, land, lore or culture... Uluru is not your content farm. Respect the mob, respect the land,' one person wrote on Reddit.

'The influencers on this trip have been so disrespectful, not sharing anything! When I visited Uluru, I felt deeply touched spiritually and loved having conversations with the local community to learn from their experiences and teachings,' another said.

A third agreed: 'Uluru isn't a prop for white girls - it's sacred land. This campaign is actually disrespectful and ignorant.'

Several Aussie influencers have come under fire after they went on a sponsored trip to Uluru

'Privileged white women taken on a brand trip to one of the most culturally significant places in the entire country,' another commented.

Another questioned Alyssa about the footage she posted of Uluru on social media.

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is considered culturally sensitive because it has spiritual significance for Aboriginal people in the area, known as the Anangu.

Strict media guidelines apply at Uluru and Kata Tjuta, even for tourists sharing photos on personal accounts.

Huge parts of the rock have been declared off-limits to photography, while other areas require a permit. Fines of more than $5,000 apply.

'Maybe before filming Uluru, check on which part can be filmed, the elders don't allow for certain sections to be filmed,' they said.

Alyssa defended her actions by explaining that all the influencers were provided with information on what they could film.

'Yes I absolutely agree we had an hour-long briefing to learn what could and couldnt be filmed and then we send videos such as this one off for approval to ensure sacred areas remain private,' she responded.

Bella Messina, Alyssa Jane, Jessica Thoday (pictured), Tyra Brooke, Ella Victoria, and Lily April Rose were invited by Explore Uluru to visit the Northern Territory and shared a series of photos from the trip on social media

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is considered culturally sensitive because it has spiritual significance for Aboriginal people in the area, known as the Anangu

One Indigenous woman also rushed to their defence and said all the footage would have been approved by the Media Office of the UKTNP.

'Considering the goal is to boost tourism in the area, I am guessing the influencers that were invited on this particular occasion are what the company needed to reach a certain demographic,' the woman wrote on Facebook.

'Everyone has had a go at what they haven't posted, not understanding that the Media Office of UKTNP have to go through every little bit of footage they have shot and give approval prior to them posting.

'This can take days to complete considering how many influencers are on the trip.

'What they have posted would have been cleared easily because they are filmed in areas that are deemed safe to capture the footage.'

It comes after an Australian couple revealed they were ordered to delete their Uluru travel videos and Instagram posts, three months after their outback adventure.

Britt Cromie and her husband Tim, who document their travels online, told followers they had no idea strict media guidelines apply at Uluru and Kata Tjuta, even for tourists sharing photos on personal accounts.

In a candid Instagram video, Britt said they were blindsided by a lengthy email outlining 20 possible offences linked to their YouTube upload and Instagram posts.

An official map of Uluru, showing where visitors can and cannot take photos of sacred sites

'You have to apply for a permit, whether you're a content creator, doing brand deals, or just posting personal socials,' she explained.

'We weren't aware about that.'

Anyone wanting to shoot content at UluruKata Tjuta National Park needs to pay for a photo permit, which costs $20 a day for commercial photography or $250 a day for filming.

On top of that, all visitors are required to buy a park entry pass, priced at $38 per adult for a three-day visit.

The couple applied for the permit after their trip, only to be told months later that large sections of their content breached the rules, despite already cutting out footage of sacred sites.

According to Parks Australia, many parts of Uluru and Kata Tjuta are culturally sensitive.

'Uluru and Kata Tjuta have a number of culturally sensitive sites,' the Uluru website states.

'The rock details and features at these sites are equivalent to sacred scripture for Anangu. They describe culturally important information and should only be viewed in their original location and by specific people.'

'It is inappropriate for images of sensitive sites to be viewed elsewhere, so taking any photos of these places is prohibited.'

Climbing Uluru has been permanently off-limits since October 2019, after the UluruKata Tjuta National Park board voted unanimously to shut down the practice in line with the wishes of the Anangu Traditional Owners.

Anyone who attempts the climb now faces penalties of more than $10,000. The first prosecution came in 2022, when 44-year-old Simon Day from Victoria was fined $2,500 after illegally scaling the sacred site.
Kelsey Lee Bateman, who once competed for Bret Michaels' heart on Rock of Love, has reportedly passed away at age 39.

The Utah native's relative told TMZ that she died 'unexpectedly' but did not provide how or when it occurred.

Kelsey was only 21 years old in 2009 when she appeared in the third and final season of the 62-year-old Poison frontman's dating competition, Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels.

Bateman competed against 22 other ladies for Bret's affection while aboard his tour bus.

In episode seven, the brunette beauty got way too 'wasted' with contestants Farrah Sinclair and Ashley Klarich.

'I ended up laying on a speed bump balling my eyes out but you know what? I'm here and I'm ready for whatever Brett has to say to me,' Kelsey said in the confessional.

Kelsey Lee Bateman, who once competed for Bret Michaels' heart on Rock of Love, has reportedly passed away at age 39

'But I mean, hey, I can't be the only girl that's got drunk and laid on a speed bump. Let's be honest.'

Michaels (born Sychak) went on to gently tell Bateman that he wasn't sure the road was the place to connect with her, and he didn't think she could handle the lifestyle.

'At some point I looked over during the concert and you were no longer there,' the Pennsylvania-born rocker explained.

'And at some point you were laying on a speed bump talking saying you couldn't handle this any longer. I think tonight the fact that you are are needing to be who you are not, the fact you need to drink this much?

'I think you're awesome and a beautiful girl and I said sometimes I have to make decisions for people, and my decision for you is that I'm going to let your tour end here.'

Afterwards, the Salt Lake City resident admitted she could be 'emotional' and 'a mess.'

'Sometimes I get drunk and lay on speed bumps it's just you know,' Kelsey shrugged.

'Apparently Brett just can't handle a girl that likes to get drunk and lay on speed bumps. I mean maybe he's not used to it.

The Utah native's relative told TMZ that she died 'unexpectedly' but did not provide how or when it occurred (pictured in 2022)

Kelsey was only 21 years old in 2009 when she appeared in the third and final season of the 62-year-old Poison frontman's dating competition, Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels

Brett went on to gently tell Bateman that he wasn't sure the road was the place to connect with her, and he didn't think she could handle the lifestyle

The brunette beauty said in her confessional: 'Apparently Brett just can't handle a girl that likes to get drunk and lay on speed bumps. I mean maybe he's not used to it. 'I'm going to go home and I'm going to be single I'm not going to think about guys for a while but the next guy I find definitely won't be 44 and probably not a rock star'

On August 8, Michaels and his wife Kristi Michaels - whom he first met in 1994 - celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary, and they've welcomed 25-year-old daughter Raine and 20-year-old daughter Jorja (pictured in 2023)

'I'm going to go home and I'm going to be single I'm not going to think about guys for a while but the next guy I find definitely won't be 44 and probably not a rock star.'

Brett wound up selecting Penthouse Pet, Taya Parker, in the finale.

On August 8, Michaels and his wife Kristi Michaels - whom he first met in 1994 - celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary, and they've welcomed 25-year-old daughter Raine and 20-year-old daughter Jorja.
Lindsay Lohan couldn't stop smiling as she attended the US Open on Sunday with husband Bader Shammas.

The 39-year-old Freakier Friday actress  who recently shared why she moved out of Los Angeles  kept close to her man as they held hands and wore coordinating outfits.

For her part, the former child star was clad in an ivory slip dress with an elegant strawberry print throughout.

She carried a matching handbag and added a long, tan trench coat, finishing the look with strappy black Chanel sandals.

The longtime entertainer's strawberry blonde locks were styled in a center part and cascading ringlets.

Meanwhile, Bader wore black pants with a white T-shirt and khaki-colored bomber jacket.

Lindsay Lohan, 39, couldn't stop smiling as she attended the US Open on Sunday with husband Bader Shammas

The Freakier Friday actress kept close to her man as they held hands and wore coordinating outfits

He completed his effortlessly stylish ensemble with a pair of white sneakers.

Both Lindsay and Bader added round sunglasses with dark lenses and fine, delicate frames.

The silver screen siren complemented her look with delicate jewelry including two dainty necklaces and a feminine gold watch.

She flashed a glossy red pedicure and her face was immaculately made up as she finished with a glossy pink lip.

It was a family affair as Lindsay was joined by sister-in-law Nina Ginsberg and brothers Michael Jr. and Dakota.

Missing from the outing was her two-year-old son Luau, whom she welcomed with her spouse in July 2023.

Lindsay relocated to Dubai in 2014.

In November 2021, the Herbie: Fully Loaded actress took to Instagram to announce her engagement to her now-husband.

For her part, the former child star was clad in an ivory slip dress with an elegant strawberry print throughout

Lindsay carried a handbag that matched her dress and added a long, tan trench coat, finishing the look with strappy black Chanel sandals

The husband and wife looked in love as they snapped a smiley selfie

It was a family affair as Lindsay was joined by sister-in-law Nina Ginsberg (L) and brothers Michael (second from right) and Dakota (right)

She showed off her diamond ring as she posed with her then-fiance, writing in the caption: 'My love. My life. My family. My future.'

Lindsay wed her partner in 2022 and revealed the news by referring to him as her 'husband' in an Instagram message that she posted on her 36th birthday.

In May the lifelong entertainer told Elle magazine she'd like for her son to have a sibling to play with.

'I feel like we live in a different world now, where women make it such a point, especially in motherhood, to make time for ourselves.

'We make it important. But also, once you have one kid, youre like, "Oh, my kid needs a kid to play with,"' she shared.

She also noted, 'I dont know if its selfish  but Im like, I need more than one kid to take care of me when Im older.'
Newly single Jacob Elordi was seen flirting up a storm with a mystery woman as they toured Venice, Italy on Sunday together in what appeared to be a van.

The Australian 28-year-old beamed with delight as he chatted up the brunette woman while rocking a pair of orange-lensed sunglasses.

Jacob clearly has a thing for slim Caucasian brunettes having previously dated influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli and model Kaia Gerber.

On August 7, People was first to report that Elordi ended his on/off four-year relationship with the 25-year-old nepo baby of Lori Loughlin.

Before that, the Euphoria heartthrob enjoyed a 14-month fling with the 23-year-old nepo baby of Cindy Crawford ending in 2021.

But the mystery woman could have easily been one of Jacob's sisters - Isabella or Jalynn - who sweetly supported him at the Venice International Film Festival premiere of his upcoming movie Frankenstein on Saturday.

Newly single Jacob Elordi was seen flirting up a storm with a mystery woman as they toured Venice, Italy on Sunday together in what appeared to be a van

The Australian 28-year-old beamed with delight as he chatted up the brunette woman while rocking a pair of orange-lensed sunglasses

Outlets reported that Guillermo del Toro's $120M-budget big-screen remake of Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel earned a standing ovation of between 13 and 15 minutes, which made the cast and crew emotional inside the theater.

Jacob was seen wiping away tears as he embraced his Frankenstein team - Oscar Isaac, the 60-year-old Mexican filmmaker, and Mia Goth - as well as his relatives seated behind him.

The 149-minute film will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion on September 6 during the festival, before hitting US theaters October 17 and streaming on Netflix November 7.

Frankenstein - set in Eastern Europe in the 19th Century - currently has a 78% critic approval rating out of 27 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Elordi has received the best reviews of his career as Frankenstein's Monster (with a Yorkshire accent), and the plum part required up to 10 hours of prosthetic make-up application overseen by Alchemy Studios CEO Glenn Hetrick.

'There's so many different layers to the costume,' the Narrow Road to the Deep North actor explained in his Variety cover story on August 20.

'When he's born, he's wearing nearly nothing. His chest is open and his head is high. Then, as he starts to experience pain, as we do as a teenager, he starts to hunch his shoulders. And as an adult, he closes off.'

Jacob added: 'It changed me fundamentally  changed the way that I approach performance and the way that I watch movies.'

Andrew Garfield curiously dropped out of the role of the Monster nine weeks before production 'due to scheduling conflicts' after replacing Guillermo regular Doug Jones, who had been attached as far back as the late nineties and early 2000s.

Jacob clearly has a thing for slim Caucasian brunettes having previously dated influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli (L) and model Kaia Gerber (R)

But the mystery woman could have easily been one of Elordi's sisters - Isabella (2-L) or Jalynn (R) - who sweetly supported him at the Venice International Film Festival premiere of his upcoming movie Frankenstein on Saturday

Outlets reported that Guillermo del Toro's (R) $120M-budget big-screen remake of Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel earned a standing ovation of between 13 and 15 minutes, which made the cast and crew emotional inside the theater

The Euphoria heartthrob was seen wiping away tears as he embraced his Frankenstein team - Oscar Isaac, the 60-year-old Mexican filmmaker, and Mia Goth - as well as his relatives seated behind him

The 149-minute film will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion on September 6 during the festival, before hitting US theaters October 17 and streaming on Netflix November 7

'I'm very, very glad that it was [Jacob] doing it and I am of course disappointed that I didn't get to do it because I love Guillermo, I love Oscar, and everyone that he assembled so I was disappointed,' Garfield explained to Deadline last December.

'But meeting Jacob felt really serendipitous so that I could really see and hear that maybe he needed that experience more than me.'

Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz also appear in the heavily-anticipated flick.

There's been well over 14 Frankenstein films brought to the silver screen including James Whale's 1931 classic starring Boris Karloff and Kenneth Branagh's 1994 version starring Robert De Niro.

This film is not to be mistaken with Maggie Gyllenhaal's 1930s-set remake of The Bride! - hitting US/UK theaters March 6 - starring her brother Jake Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening, and Jessie Buckley.

In April, Elordi wrapped his white-washed role as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights - hitting US/UK theaters February 13 - which reunites him with his Saltburn director Emerald Fennell.

Heathcliff was originally written in Emily Bronte's 1847 novel to be a 'dark-skinned' orphan found in Liverpool who's of Romani, African, or South Asian descent.

Frankenstein - set in Eastern Europe in the 19th Century - currently has a 78% critic approval rating out of 27 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Jacob has received the best reviews of his career as Frankenstein's Monster (with a Yorkshire accent), and the plum part required up to 10 hours of prosthetic make-up application overseen by Alchemy Studios CEO Glenn Hetrick

Elordi told Variety on August 20: 'There's so many different layers to the costume. When he's born, he's wearing nearly nothing. His chest is open and his head is high. Then, as he starts to experience pain, as we do as a teenager, he starts to hunch his shoulders. And as an adult, he closes off'

The Narrow Road to the Deep North actor added: 'It changed me fundamentally  changed the way that I approach performance and the way that I watch movies'

The Chanel N5 brand ambassador also concluded his role as the 'psychopathic' Nate Jacob

in the eight-episode third season of HBO hit show Euphoria, which is set five years after season two.

'It's really nice to be back,' Jacob told Variety.

'It's been eight years or something since I started. It's just lovely to see all these people that you've grown up with. It's the same crew, the same cast.'

Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalia, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three.

Elordi's other upcoming films include Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars and Laszlo Nemes' big-screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 1968 novel Outer Dark.
Domenica Calarco looked positively glowing as she left a hospital in Sydney on Monday, just four days after giving birth to her first child.

The new mum, who rose to fame on the ninth season of Married At First Sight, beamed as she cradled her newborn daughter, Dove, whom she welcomed into the world last week.

The 32-year-old was accompanied by her baby daddy and professional skater Jarod Bogunovich.

The happy family were seen walking to their car and taking some happy snaps in the carpark with their new bundle of joy.

Dom cut a casual figure, wearing a comfy pair of brown tracksuit pants and a tucked-in black shirt.

She accessorised the low-key ensemble with Ugg slippers and a brown suede Prada handbag.

Domenica Calarco looked positively glowing as she left a hospital in Sydney on Monday, just four days after giving birth to her first child

The new mum, who rose to fame on the ninth season of Married At First Sight, beamed as she cradled her newborn daughter, Dove, whom she welcomed into the world last week

The 32-year-old was accompanied by her baby daddy and professional skater Jarod Bogunovich

Wearing a light face of makeup and a giant smile on her face, the reality star looked radiant as she left the medical facility with her baby in her arms.

Jarod also opted for comfort, wearing a pair of loose slacks, a white t-shirt and pink cap worn backwards.

He completed the outfit with white sneakers and a knitted jumper thrown over his shoulders.

He was later seen rolling a pink suitcase with a Louis Vuitton bag balanced on the top to the car, while carrying Dom's pink water bottle.

Dom welcomed her baby girl on Thursday, taking to Instagram a few days later to reveal her adorable name.

The reality TV star shared a carousel of images to social media on Sunday celebrating the glorious milestone.

In one sweet black and white image, Dom was every inch the cool mother in a pair of sunglasses as she tenderly cradles her daughter in bed.

She also shared a close-up of her newborn baby girl asleep on her chest, with the little one's arms reaching towards a strand of diamonds and a necklace that proudly reveals the word, 'mama'.

Wearing a light face of makeup and a giant smile on her face, the reality star looked radiant as she left the medical facility with her baby in her arms

The happy family were seen walking to their car and taking some happy snaps in the carpark with their new bundle of joy.

Domenica cut a casual figure, wearing a comfy pair of brown tracksuit pants and a tucked in black shirt

She accesorised the low-key ensemble with Ugg slippers and a brown suede Prada bag

Jarod was seen rolling a pink suitcase with a Louis Vuitton bag balanced on the top to the car, while carrying Dom's pink water bottle.

Jarod also opted for comfort, wearing a pair of loose slacks, a white t-shirt and pink cap worn backwards

MAFS' Domenica welcomed her baby girl (pictured) on Thursday, taking to Instagram a few days later to reveal her adorable name

A third frame sees her baby girl resting in her cot during a Channel Nine news bulletin.

'Dove. 28/08/25,' Dom captioned the images.

The former MAFS bride confirmed she would be a solo parent days after announcing her pregnancy in March.

Dom split from her former boyfriend Jarod and deleted all traces of the Bondi skater from her social media.

She exclusively confirmed to Daily Mail she will be raising her child as a single mum.

'I am incredibly excited about this next chapter in my life and feel truly empowered by my decision to step into motherhood on my own terms,' she said.

'While I will be welcoming this baby as a solo parent, I am grateful to have the support of the father in a co-parenting capacity.'

Domenica, who appeared on Married At First Sight in 2022, said she will be embracing the journey 'wholeheartedly'.
Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has been forced to quit his band's tour due to a rare health condition.

The musician revealed he has been battling Hashimoto's disease for nearly a decade as he explained why he would no longer be joining the band on their fall tour across the U.S.

He said he was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition eight years ago and the symptoms have made drumming on tour 'nearly impossible.'

In an effort to 'heal' and prepare for an eventual return to drumming, he said he would not be performing alongside his bandmates and will be focusing on his health.

For the band's first live show on their tour, a replacement  Asking Alexandria drummer James Cassells  was announced, and he will be joining them in future shows going forward.

On Friday, Foist took to the band's official Instagram and shared a statement explaining to his 'friends, family and most importantly, the fans' why he quit the tour to focus on rest.

Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has been forced to quit his band's tour due to a rare health condition; pictured August 2015 in Fort Lauderdale

The musician revealed he has been battling Hashimoto's disease for nearly a decade as he explained why he would no longer be joining the band on their fall tour across the U.S.; pictured September 2022 in Auburn, Washington

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, which produces hormones that help regulate many functions in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The illness is caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissues and the eventual decline in thyroid hormone production can result in a wide-ranging number of symptoms including but not limited to: fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness and joint pain among many others.

He wrote: 'I've battled Hashimoto's disease since 2017, facing fatigue, leg weakness, stiffness, weight changes, and overall drum playing control issues.

He explained that while they were on tour in the spring, he started experiencing symptoms that made drumming difficult for him.

'During the Awaken the Fallen Tour, I was experiencing extreme leg fatigue and complications, making drumming nearly impossible,' he said.

'We ran tests on my back that came out fine thankfully, but tests confirmed Hashimoto's had flared, pushing my thyroid into "hyper" mode, causing weakness and weight loss,' he added.

'After speaking with my family and doctors, I've decided to step away from the road at this time to focus on healing,' Foist continued.

He then asked their fans to continue cheering on his bandmates and insisted he would not give up on drumming.

'Please continue supporting the band and enjoying the shows. I care deeply about our legacy, and I don't want my health to affect performances. Thank you for the years of love and support. I will play drums again.'

In the caption, the rest of the band stated: 'We are thankful to @ShaunWFoist for all the years of playing with us and being a part of the Breaking Benjamin family. The fall tour starts tomorrow and we are welcoming our friend @cassells to the stage.'

James Cassells also shared a statement to his Instagram account as he shared his gratitude to perform with fellow rock stars.

On Friday, Foist took to the band's official Instagram and shared a statement explaining to his 'friends, family and most importantly, the fans' why he quit the tour to focus on rest

He said he was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition eight years ago and the symptoms have made drumming on tour 'nearly impossible'; pictured January 2017

In an effort to 'heal' and prepare for an eventual return to drumming, he said he would not be performing alongside his bandmates and will be focusing on his health; pictured October 2022

'Still wrapping my head around this... I'm beyond stoked to announce that I'll be hitting the road with Breaking Benjamin this fall and moving forward,' he wrote on Instagram.

'They've shaped so much of who I am as a musician, and their impact on rock music speaks for itself.'

Cassells added: 'It's a huge honor to be part of this, and I can't wait to get out there and play for you all. Let's go.'

The current lineup includes frontman Benjamin Burnley, guitarist Keith Wallen, bassist Aaron Bruch and lead guitarist Jasen Rauch.

The rock band kicked off their co-headline tour with Three Days Grace over the weekend in Ridgedale, Missouri and at the rock music festival, Rocklahoma, in Oklahoma.

They will continue performing in cities across America before wrapping their fall tour on October 12 by returning to Oklahoma and closing out their tour in the city of Durant.
Heartbroken Sharon Osbourne has broken her silence after her husband Ozzy's death with a sweet gesture.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest on the grounds of his mansion in Buckinghamshire, England.

And over the weekend the team still managing his Instagram account posted a recent picture of him performing on stage.

They penned in the caption: 'I don't wanna say goodbye. When I do, you'll be alright. After all, I did it all for you.'

And in a sweet nod to her late husband, Sharon, 72, liked the social media post as she continued to grieve his death.

News of Ozzy's death earlier this summer sparked an outpouring of tributes from fans in the music world and showbiz industry alike.

Heartbroken Sharon Osbourne has broken her silence after her husband Ozzy's death with a sweet gesture (pictured together in 2017)

In a sweet nod to her late husband, Sharon, 72, liked a recent social media post shared by the team now running his account

The star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, passed away at the age of 76 on July 22 surrounded by his family.

He was buried a week later on July 30.

Ozzy was laid to rest on the grounds of his own Buckinghamshire mansion last month during a private funeral attended by his family and a host of rock royalty.

His widow Sharon and their children were joined by stars including Marilyn Manson and Ozzy's lead guitarist Zakk Wylde during the event at the family's 250-acre estate near Gerrards Cross.

Official documents listed three causes of death for the rock legend.

This included an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction.

In a statement shared last month, Ozzy's family said he died 'surrounded by love', adding: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.'

Last month the BBC were reportedly forced to pull an Ozzy documentary from schedules after the late rocker's family expressed concerns that the show was 'rushed'.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest on the grounds of his mansion (wife Sharon and daughter Kelly seen at his public funeral)

In August Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home - billed as a 'moving and inspirational account of the last chapter' of the star's life - was suddenly removed from TV listings just hours before broadcast with no explanation as to why.

It's since emerged that the broadcaster allegedly had no choice but to take last-minute action due to the Osbourne family's concern about the speed at which the show was made.

It later emerged that both the BBC and Paramount+ were producing documentaries on the rocker after filmmakers were given access to him for the final three years of his life, with the channels said to be in a 'race' to air unseen footage.

It was then suggested that it was for this reason, as well as the family's worries about the 'overall tone and theme', that the documentary had been delayed.

A source told The Sun: 'There have been conversations behind the scenes that maybe the BBC were rushing their show on Ozzy out - especially because Paramount+ also had a film in the offing.'

They told how the BBC's production had originally set out to make a ten-part series called called Home To Roost charting Ozzy and wife Sharon's move back to the UK, however upon his death, it was decided it would be a one-off film.

The insider continued: 'What mattered the most to the family was the overall tone and theme of the programme, which features Ozzy and Sharon in one of their last interviews together.

'It started to feel like the goal being pursued by the BBC and the makers of the film was to get the show on air faster than the Paramount+ doc. Naturally that has caused some concerns with the family.'

The Daily Mail contacted Sharon and Kelly Osbourne's representatives for comment.

The show was scheduled to air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Wednesday August 18 at 9pm.
Abbie Chatfield has launched an explosive rant against the 'Australia First' protesters who rallied against immigration across the country on Sunday.

The 30-year-old reality TV star shared a fiery clip to social media in which she did not mince words when criticising the anti-immigration protesters.

'These people look exactly like you think they look. They are the exact kind of people you would imagine would go to these rallies,' Abbie began.

'Not even a thought between them, nationwide. The interviews I have seen, all of them are holding a stubby for some reason.'

She then claimed that many people who attended these rallies lacked intelligence and critical thinking skills.

'They are all just holding a beer and saying, "Albo's gotta go. The government works for us, actually." They don't even have demands, requests or a plan. They don't even know what they are there for,' she added.

Abbie Chatfield has launched an explosive rant against the 'Australia First' protestors who rallied against immigration across the country on Sunday

'All they are fuelled by is hate and racism and they want to blame other people because they are such losers. Dirty crusty freaks,' she continued.

On Sunday, March for Australia protests took place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, as well as some regional cities, to protest the country's record levels of immigration.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the protests as seeking 'to divide and undermine' social cohesion.

There was a heavy police presence at the rally locations with several clashes taking place as marches were met with counter-demonstrations.

The government had also warned some protesters had far-right links and would be 'spreading hate'.

Jacinta Price, Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory, condemned 'neo-Nazis and racists' who planned to 'hijack' the marches, and said they 'reject what our flag represents'.

'That said, there will be many people carrying our national flag today who embody our national values and are proud and decent Australians,' she continued.

'And these Australians are marching because they have legitimate concerns about the impacts of unprecedented mass migration under the Albanese government and ruptures to our social cohesion.'

The 30-year-old reality TV star shared a fiery clip to social media in which she did not mince words when criticising the anti-immigration protestors. Pictured: Protestors in Sydney on Sunday

Abbie then claimed the people who attended these rallies lacked intelligence and critical thinking skills

In early August, Abbie used her high profile to fire a broadside at the so-called 'Australia First' national protest planned for August 31.

Organised by a supposedly 'grassroots' coalition of 'nationalists, patriots and everyday Australians', the rallies aim to demand an end to 'mass immigration'.

Posting to TikTok, Abbie characterised the rallies as 'racist' and 'xenophobic'.

At one point in her lengthy post, Abbie claimed the majority of Australians 'do not agree with this [racist] s***t'

'They don't f***ing agree with it. These losers, insecure losers, these absolute freaks, want to feel powerful,' she said.

'I didn't wanna talk about this because I didn't wanna bring attention to it, but it's now getting attention, so it's time to f***ing talk about it and condemn it,' she began her fiery six-minute presentation.

She took a moment to try and explain that protestors who blamed immigrants for the high cost of living were wrong.

Instead, Abbie said people should consider 'complex' economic and political 'strategies'.
Billy Brownless looked every inch the proud dad on Monday as he enjoyed a stroll through Melbourne's Albert Park with his daughter, Ruby Wallis.

The pair were spotted laughing and chatting as they made their way through the scenic park, with Billy, 58, appearing in great spirits.

The AFL legend kept things effortlessly stylish for the chilly spring day in a light blue long-sleeve dress shirt, black jeans and classic Adidas sneakers.

Meanwhile, Ruby turned heads in a striking monochromatic ensemble, pairing a crisp white blouse with matching pants and stylish black shoes.

She added a pair of aviator sunglasses and wore her long blonde locks elegantly styled, completing the chic look.

In March, Ruby tied the knot with Josh Wallis in a lavish Noosa ceremony, and she later shared a sweet behind-the-scenes snap of the big day.

Billy Brownless looked every inch the proud dad on Monday as he enjoyed a stroll through Melbourne's Albert Park with his daughter, Ruby Wallis. Both pictured

The AFL legend kept things effortlessly stylish for the chilly spring day in a light blue long-sleeve dress shirt, black jeans and classic Adidas sneakers

The influencer, 25, posted a video of the happy occasion to social media.

She also shared further details of her nuptials, revealing they took place at Casa Renoir in Eumundi, which is located in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands.

The video opened on the bride getting ready with her bridesmaids as they wore silky pyjama ensembles from Kat the Label.

The clip came just moments after Ruby showed off her show-stopping diamond ring 'stack' after tying the knot with Josh over the weekend.

The model posted a picture of her wedding finger decorated with three bandstwo encrusted with diamonds and a Cartier Love ring, which sells for $3,850.

In the picture, Ruby could also be seen wearing a $12,000 Cartier Love bracelet, a $5,850 Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet and a dainty heart-shaped ring.

Meanwhile, Ruby's new hubby Josh wore a simple wedding band while sporting a Rolex Submariner Ceramic on his wrist, valued at around $20,000.

'On Cloud 9,' she captioned the post.

Meanwhile, Ruby turned heads in a striking monochromatic ensemble, pairing a crisp white blouse with matching pants and stylish black shoes

In March, Ruby tied the knot with Josh Wallis in a lavish Noosa ceremony

Ruby and Josh kicked off their 'wedding week' in spectacular style in March, welcoming a bevy of celebrity guests to Noosa, Queensland for their lavish nuptials.

'It's wedding week,' Ruby gushed as she posed on a wharf with her husband for a few pre-wedding snaps in a breathtaking backless dress.

The Instagram influencer and the brother of former Western Bulldogs star Mitch Wallis tied the knot in front of a star-studded crowd.

The pair got engaged over Christmas in 2023 during a holiday on Queensland's scenic Hayman Island, after four years of dating.

Country music star Zach Bryan, 29, suited up for the occasion, as the plus one of Ruby's close friendand his new girlfriendHannah Duncan.
She's long been known for her wild partying as a star of Geordie Shore.

And Charlotte Crosby threw herself into her pal Adam Frisby's gender reveal celebrations a little too vigorously on Sunday, as she took a tumble in a hilarious Instagram clip.

The founder of clothing brand In The Style, 38, was celebrating the impending birth of his first child with his fiance Jamie Corbett, 37, after sharing they're set to welcome a baby through a surrogate.

The couple were supported by their longtime pal Charlotte, and she was among their famous pals in attendance for the gender reveal.

In a clip shared by Adam himself on Instagram Stories, Charlotte attempted to do the worm while dancing, but accidentally flashed her bare bottom.

Rushing to preserve her modesty, the raucous reality star was left in hysterics as she fixed her dress, with Adam aptly captioning the post: 'FFS.'

Charlotte Crosby threw herself into her pal Adam Frisby's gender reveal celebrations a little too vigorously, as she took a tumble in a hilarious Instagram clip

In a clip shared by Adam himself on Instagram Stories, Charlotte attempted to do the worm while dancing, but accidentally flashed her bare bottom

It was revealed by Daily Mail last month that Adam and his partner, 37, are set to welcome a baby through their surrogate.

However, since the news was announced, Adam opened up about the negative reaction they have received online, with some even referring to them as 'child abusers and sex traffickers' for wanting to have a baby.

Speaking about the experience with Paul C Brunson on the We Need To Talk podcast, Adam explained: 'We've had horrendous comments under online articles about our baby - there has been over 2,500 calling us child abusers, sex traffickers, saying we're stealing babies from mum's... it was awful to read it. It's scary.'

But despite the experience, Adam is still looking forward to their journey into fatherhood, saying: 'We're bringing a child into the world that's going to have so much love... my biggest fear in life is not being a good dad. I think I have that fear as I didn't have that as a child.'

Adam explained that they do not know who the biological father of their unborn child will be, but insisted it doesn't matter either way.

He said: 'We don't know [if it's Adam or Jamie's sperm]. We have no idea what gender they are or who they are biologically connected to. It's special because it will be a surprise and it really doesn't matter to me and Jamie - we are the dad's and I love the bones of Jamie.'

In an exclusive interview with us, Adam and Jamie excitedly shared the news, saying: 'We've kept it such a big secret! It has been really special sharing the news with our friends and family.

'I don't think anyone was expecting it, and everyone was just so shocked and emotional. I think that has been our favorite part of the process in a way, like letting people who love us know because they really wanted this to happen for us.'

Adam and Jamie explained that it has been a complex process to find a surrogate, and that they previously had a match, but she sadly had a miscarriage.

Adam had shared the fun video from his gender reveal celebration with his fiance Jamie Corbett, after sharing their baby news last month

'We did match with a surrogate back in 2022 and went through the full process, but unfortunately, last year she miscarried, and then she pulled out of the process. It was obviously a lot for her to go through, and then we were kind of back to the start of the process, which was gutting for us after three years.'

Speaking on Paul's podcast, Adam said it was 'crazy' that he was set to become a parent because it is not something he ever thought would be possible.

Detailing their lengthy journey, Adam said: 'We've been talking about it for the last eight or nine years and for the past five we have been trying to make it happen.

'And now we are going to be dads, which just feels incredible. For me it almost gives me the chance to be the person I needed when I was young.

'I always knew I wanted kids and I feel like that is one of the reasons why, I've got so much love to give and I want to do everything that perhaps my parents didn't do.'

Adam explained that they joined the surrogacy agency five years ago to say 'look we want to try and do this', before matching with their surrogate.

After suffering a miscarriage the surrogate pulled out and they had to begin the process again of finding a match to carry their baby.

Reflecting on the difficult parts of the process, Adam said: 'There were times when we thought this wasn't for us. Maybe it just wasn't meant to happen for us. We can't force it, I'm 38 and Jamie's 37 so we felt like "is this ever going to happen?".

'And then this year it did, it's been incredible.'

Revealing why they chose to undergo surrogacy in the U.S, Jamie revealed that the laws in the UK for same sex parents are not yet where they are in America.

Adam said in the U.S. you are the registered parents of the child from day one, but in the UK you have to go through an adoption process once the baby is born.

The couple are holding off for their gender reveal on August 31 before deciding on names or sorting their nursery.

Adam and Jamie are godfathers to Charlotte Crosby and Jake Ankers' two children, Alba and Pixi, and said that spending quality time with them has taught them a lot.

They shared: 'We're lucky to be godfathers to Charlotte and Jake's children, and it is amazing.

Adam and Jamie are godfathers to Charlotte and Jake Ankers' two children, Alba and Pixi, and said that spending quality time with them has taught them a lot

'We love them to bits and we've had so much useful and special time with them already, like checking nappies and staying over that we wouldn't have got to practice.

'Charlotte's lots of things like crazy, funny, you know, but most of all, she is an incredible mother. We've learned so much from her. And I think she's just so excited.

'When we told her she couldn't speak, she was crying, and she's just delighted. So yeah, we got some great tips from her and Jake, and lots from our friends and family.'

Since leaving In The Style, Adam has been building a new brand and has been working on a behind-the-scenes mini series.

He told Daily Mail: 'I'm underway with a new career path, which is exciting and coming in the next few weeks. And over the last 10 years, Jamie has helped me out and works in the businesses, and I wouldn't be able to do it without him.

'It's been nice to have a little bit of time off prior to this, to be in the moment and recover from what has been a really busy time here.'
Imogen Thomas teased the results of her new breast reduction surgery and uplift in a new post-surgery update.

The Welsh model, 42, took to her Instagram stories on Monday with a mirror snap asking her followers if they wanted to see how her breast reduction looked on her seventh day.

'It's been 5 days since I've had my surgery and this journey has been incredible. Do you wanna see how my breasts look on day 7?

'So u can see step by step what is expected. I am blown away by all your messages and your investment in this as so many you want to get it done and im so happy my journey is helping you x.'

The update comes after the reality star took to Instagram on Thursday to share a health update after she went under the knife again.

Imogen Thomas teased the results of her new boob job reveal in a new post-surgery update on Instagram on Monday after asking fans to decide in an online poll

The Welsh model took to her Instagram stories on Monday with a mirror snap asking her followers if they wanted to see how her breast reduction looked on her seventh day post op

It comes after she toyed with getting her implants taken out and having more put in, or just going natural and having an uplift.

She went for the second option after asking her fans to decide for her the day before.

Imogen previously had her breasts increased from a 34C to a 34E.

She previously told fans: 'Success. Im recovering RN. I havent seen the results yet so stay tuned. But my day was so smooth and extremely organised.

'Thank you @dr.salihonurbasat for making me feel at ease. I cant wait to see the results.'

Alongside the update, Imogen posted footage of her experience, showing her preparing to head for the clinic that morning.

Once she arrived at the hospital, a doctor could be seen marking her breasts ahead of the operation.

At the end of the clip, Imogen gave a thumbs up to the camera while revealing the significant bandages on her chest.

On Thursday, the reality star shared a health update after she went under the knife again (pictured in 2024)

The ex-glamour model shared a video with fans of the build up to the operation, including as doctors performed the surgery on her bust

Imogen hinted she was going to have her breasts enlarged even more after asking fans to decide in an online poll - where the majority told her to reduce her bust (pictured in 2023)

Fans flooded her with supportive messages as she heals, with one writing: 'Good for you doing what makes you happy. Glad all well, take it easy.'

A second said: 'Omg been thinking of you, glad it went well. Speedy recovery.'

'So glad youre okay. Speedy recovery', said a third.

On Monday Imogen revealed to fans she had flown to Istanbul for the procedure, admitting how her breasts had become 'too big' for her.

She said: 'I cannot wait, my boobs right now are really big for me. I've lost quite a bit of weight and I just can't have this anymore. So I found the best surgeon in Istanbul'.

In a previous interview with The Mirror, Imogen admitted she doesn't pay for her surgeries and instead offers her surgeons 'collaborations' on social media.

She went on to say: 'Im doing a lot of reformer Pilates, and when I do that I feel top heavy, and Ive had a lot of lower back pain. They are quite big, so I would like to have a reduction.'

The former Big Brother star was left 'petrified and in tears' following her previous breast surgery in 2017.

She told New! Magazine at the time: 'I started crying. Going under [anaesthetic], you think the worst, like, 'I'm being too selfish here for my kids. What if I don't pull through?' It can happen. I was more nervous about being put to sleep.'
Bookmakers have issued surprise new odds for the next James Bond as speculation over who will replace Daniel Craig reaches fever pitch.

Last week, Henry Cavill was revealed to be a new favourite, with his odds slashed to 3/1, helping to close the gap with long-time frontrunner Aaron Taylor-Johnson whose odds stood at 8/11.

Now, Coral have slashed the odds of Fantastic Beasts star Callum Turner, following a rush of support over the weekend.

'Callum Turner has been extremely popular in our James Bond betting over the weekend, forcing us to slash his odds to replace Daniel Craig,' said Coral's John Hill.

'With Turner being backed, and Dua Lipa odds-on to play the soundtrack for the next Bond movie, the power couple could be the future of the franchise.'

Dua, who announced her engagement to Callum over the summer, has been backed for years to be the next star to sing the theme tune, following in the footsteps of Billie Eilish and Adele.

Bookmakers have issued surprise new odds for the next James Bond as speculation over who will replace Daniel Craig reaches fever pitch

Bookies have slashed the odds of Callum Turner to become the next 007 following a rush of support over the weekend, with his fiancee Dua Lipa tipped to sing the theme song (pictured in May)

It wouldn't be the first time a relationship occurred on the set of the spy thrillers, since Sean Connery famously enjoyed a fling with Bond girl Lana Wood when they starred in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever

As it stands, Coral backs Aaron as the favourite 007 with odds still at 8/11, followed by Callum at 7/2 then Henry and Theo James in joint third spot at 8/1.

The likes of Harris Dickinson, Tom Holland and Jacob Elordi are also all still in the running.

If Callum and Dua land the coveted gigs on the next Bond film, it wouldn't be the first time a relationship occurred on the set of the spy thrillers.

Sean Connery famously enjoyed a fling with Bond girl Lana Wood when they starred together in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever.

He was also linked to another Bond girl, Jill St. John.

As speculation over who will take over the 007 role continues, old footage of Superman star Henry trying out for the last Bond gig has gone viral.

In the old tape, the actor did his best to impress the production team as he delivered some of the character's most famous lines in a bid to beat around eight other stars.

The DC star, then 22, cut a laidback figure in a leather jacket with his dark brown locks slicked back, as he stared into the distance and said, 'Bond, James Bond', before ordering a 'vodka martini, shaken not stirred'.

As it stands, Coral backs Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the favourite 007 with odds still at 8/11

Callum sit in second place with odds of 7/2 while Henry Cavill (left) and Theo James (right) are in joint third spot at 8/1

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT JAMES BOND?

8-11 Aaron Taylor-Johnson 3-1 Callum Turner 7-2 Henry Cavill 8-1 Theo James 8-1 Harris Dickinson 10-1 Jack Lowden 10-1 Tom Holland 20-1 Jacob Elordi 20-1 James Norton 20-1 Sam C. Wilson 20-1 Jonathan Bailey 20-1 Scott Rose-Marsh Odds via Coral Bookmakers Advertisement

Henry channelled his inner Pierce Brosnan as he reprised the Irish star's performance as the spy in GoldenEye but it was not quite enough to land him the coveted role.

He ended up losing out to Daniel Craig, who went on to play Bond in five instalments, bowing out in the 2021 thriller No Time To Die.

Yet Henry has gone on to have a glittering career, starring as Charles Brandon in The Tudors and Sherlock Holmes as Enola Holmes, in a long list of critically-acclaimed appearances.

GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell, who was behind the impressive screen test, told the Express that Henry had come close to becoming Bond but his age had been a problem.

He said: 'He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn't exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond.

'He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape very handsome, very chiselled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.'

Elsewhere, Aaron further fuelled rumours he could be the next James Bond after responding cryptically to a question about his upcoming projects.

At the world premiere of 28 Years Later in London in June, a Deadline reporter asked the Kick-Ass actor: 'What are you doing next?'

He replied, 'I can't talk about it', as he was pulled away by his entourage.

Footage of Henry's 'tremendous' audition for the role of James Bond resurfaced 20 years after he very narrowly missed out on playing the iconic character

Some saw the curt response as a hint that his next project could be the 007 franchise.

In May, Aaron appeared to hint that he could be the next superstar to don the iconic tux after signing a deal with the film's watch provider, Omega.

Prior to Amazon's purchase of the Bond franchise, it was rumoured that Aaron was former Bond producer Barbara Broccoli's ideal candidate to take over the reins from Craig.

But he slightly dropped down the lists after playing it cool when asked about the possibility of him starring in the next movie.

'It's not really for me to say anything,' he told Esquire when quizzed about speculation.
One of TV's most accomplished actresses has ditched her brunette bob for an unlikely new look as she filmed the fifth series of the Apple TV+ show Trying.

Charlotte Riley, who is married to Hollywood A-Lister Tom Hardy, swapped her typical style for a new pixie cut as she joined stars Esther Smith and Rafe Spall to film the comedy in Hertford, Hertfordshire on Saturday.

Dressed in denim dungarees and a green jacket, Charlotte was among the cast filming at Hertford East train station, which had been renamed as Southend Bay.

The series focuses on Jason Ross and Nikki Newman, who dream of becoming parents, but struggle to conceive a child.

Desperate for a family, Nikki and Jason turned their lives inside-out in the first three series, to be approved by adoption services, and the most recent series picked up six years later, when the couple are bringing up Tyler and Princess.

In addition to Rafe and Esther, the cast includes Sian Brooke as Karen, and BAFTA Award winner Darren Boyd as Scott.

One of TV's most accomplished actresses has ditched her brunette bob for an unlikely new look as she filmed the fifth series of the Apple TV+ show Trying

Charlotte Riley (right in 2018) swapped her typical style for a new pixie cut (left) as she filmed the comedy in Hertfordshire on Saturday

Tom and Charlotte starred together in Peaky Blinders and met on the set of an adaptation of Wuthering Heights. They married in July 2014

And the romance between its two leading characters has spilled off the screen, as stars Rafe and Esther went public with their offscreen romance in November 2022, and revealed in May 2024 they were expecting their first child together.

Tom and Charlotte starred together in Peaky Blinders and met on the set of an adaptation of Wuthering Heights. They married in July 2014.

The Venom star shares 16-year-old son Louis with his ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed and then has two children - whose names and genders have not been revealed publicly - with Charlotte.

As well as Trying and Wuthering Heights, Charlotte has also starred in series including Press, World Without End and A Christmas Carol.

In 2023, she also revealed she had set up a nursery 'for the first time in the history of film', providing childcare for those in the industry.

The actress, who is a proud mum to her two children, co-founded WonderWorks nursery near Warner Bros Studios in Hertfordshire the previous year.

Despite Charlotte and her husband Tom Hardy having a multi-million pound fortune which would enable them to hire a nanny, the mum-of-two explained the nursery was 'vital' for the film industry.

Speaking to The Times, Charlotte said: 'We have so many people, particularly women, who've got to their mid-thirties, want to have children but have gone, "Oh my God, I'm literally about to direct my first film." Then they have to choose and that's all kinds of wrong.'

Dressed in denim dungarees and a green jacket, Charlotte was among the cast filming at a train station, which had been renamed as Southend Bay

The series focuses on Jason Ross and Nikki Newman, who dream of becoming parents, but struggle to conceive a child

As well as Trying and Wuthering Heights, Charlotte has also starred in series including Press, World Without End and A Christmas Carol

The actress has joined the cast of Trying for its upcoming fifth season, after it was renewed last year

The romance between Trying's two leading characters has spilled off the screen, as stars Rafe Spall and Esther Smith went public with their offscreen romance in November 2022

Last year, the couple revealed they are expecting their first child together

In 2023, she also revealed she had set up a nursery 'for the first time in the history of film', providing childcare for those in the industry

The actress, who is proud mum to her two children, co-founded WonderWorks nursery near Warner Bros Studios in Hertfordshire the previous year

Despite Charlotte and her husband Tom Hardy having a multi-million pound fortune which would enable them to hire a nanny, the mum-of-two explained the nursery was 'vital'

Charlotte said: 'We have so many people, particularly women, who've got to their mid-thirties, want to have children but have gone, "Oh my God, I'm literally about to direct my first film"'

The Press star continued: 'The industry chooses to work those long hours, 15-hour days. It's now time for the industry to take some responsibility for its social impact'

During the interview, the actress said she hasn't been forced to turn down jobs because she could afford to hire a nanny 'because her partner's working'

Charlotte said the nursery is important for those in the industry who aren't commanding huge salaries, who have to work to short contracts and move between shoots

Charlotte said her husband Tom was 'really supportive' of the nursery and helped out 'with all the bits and bobs that we're doing'

The Press star continued: 'The industry chooses to work those long hours, 15-hour days. It's now time for the industry to take some responsibility for its social impact.'

During the interview, the actress said she hasn't been forced to turn down jobs because she could afford to hire a nanny 'because her partner's working'.

But Charlotte said the nursery is important for those in the industry who aren't commanding huge salaries, who have to work to short contracts and move between studio and location shoots.

Charlotte said her husband Tom was 'really supportive' of the nursery and helped out 'with all the bits and bobs that we're doing'.

'He knows how vital this is, he really cares about the teams that he works with, anybody will tell you he's the first person there on set, saying good morning to everybody,' she said.

Charlotte described the interior of the nursery 'a bit like going to your granny's house' as it boasts an eclectic collection of up-cycled props, costumes and furniture from old movie sets.
Ethan Hawke has opened up about his 'humiliating' public divorce from Uma Thurman in 2003.

The former Hollywood power couple tied the knot in 1998 after meeting on set of the sci-fi film Gattaca in 1996 and went onto welcome two children together.

However, the pair's relationship fell apart in 2003 amid rumors that he was unfaithful.

Making rare comments about their split, Hawke, 54, told GQ media coverage of the pair's divorce was embarrassing for him.

He said: 'Its humiliating. Its almost humiliating even when theyre saying positive things.'

The four-time Oscar nominee, who shares children Maya, 27, and Levon, 23, with Thurman, 55, was involved in infidelity rumors at the time of their split.

Ethan Hawke has opened up about his 'humiliating' public divorce from Uma Thurman in 2003

The former Hollywood power couple tied the knot in 1998 after meeting on set of the sci-fi film Gattaca in 1996 (pictured). However, the pair's relationship fell apart in 2003

He had been accused of cheating on Thurman with their children's nanny Ryan Shawhughes.

The Training Day actor denied the affair but he did begin publicly dating Shawhughes after he and Uma finalized their divorce in 2005.

Hawke and Shawhughes went on to marry in 2008 and they are the parents of two daughters: Clementine, 17, and Indiana, 14.

Elsewhere in the chat, the Black Phone star detailed the pair's 'thrilling intimacy' when they first sparked up a romance.

'Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?' he said, when asked why actors often fall in love on set.

'There's a certain intimacy to the work that we do. Imaginative intimacy. It's such a high. It feels dangerous and thrilling. It turns the temperature up in your life.'

Ethan continued: 'It can be like falling in love at summer camp. It doesn't have any connection to the dailiness of real life. That's the danger of it.'

He noted in the GQ chat that he had come to the interview straight from a parent-teacher conference, musing: 'When you first have kids you don't realise how impermanent it is. I'm trying to not miss anything.'

In her first post-divorce interview with Oprah Winfrey in October 2005, Uma admitted that the split left her self-esteem 'pretty mangled.'

She described the entire ordeal as 'excruciating' and admitted that even two years after their separation it was 'very difficult' communicating with Hawke.

Uma did not substantiate the affair rumours but she did suggest that there was 'some betrayal' between them.

He had been accused of cheating on Uma with their children's nanny Ryan Shawhughes. The Training Day actor denied the affair. They married in 2008 and went on to welcome two daughters (pictured last month)

Making rare comments about their split, Hawke, 54, told GQ media coverage of the pair's split was embarrassing for him. He said: 'Its humiliating. Its almost humiliating even when theyre saying positive things'

He continued: 'There's a certain intimacy to the work that we do. Imaginative intimacy. It's such a high. It feels dangerous and thrilling. It turns the temperature up in your life'

The four-time Oscar nominee shares children Maya, 27, and Levon, 23, with Uma, 55. They have gone on to follow in their parents' footsteps by pursuing acting careers (pictured in 2013)

Ethan previously admitted his life 'fell apart' when he divorced Uma, saying in 2018 that he had been forced to do commercial films to pay her alimony.

He noted that the divorce took place just a year after he received his first Oscar nomination for Training Day, which he described as 'the best moment of my career'.

'In a lot of ways, it could have been the beginning of something. Like, maybe, maybe, you could be commercially viable,' he recalled.

'But I got divorced and my personal life fell apart.'

He continued: 'When you're depressed, it's really easy to see everything that is fake about other people and life, and I just started seeing all that. How phony celebrity was, how phony everything is. You channel your inner Holden Cauleld, you know?'

Ethan insisted in the interview he never wanted  and still doesn't want  to make films just to make money; however he admitted he is now forced to do commercial films to pay alimony.

'My best movies are not the ones that paid me: the Before trilogy, Boyhood, First Reformed, Dead Poets Society,' he said.

'But I'm 47 years old. I pay my alimony with my acting. I pay my kids' health insurance with my acting. I pay everybody's tuition with my acting. I'm helping various charities with my acting.

'I've become a professional, and I never wanted to be a professional. I kind of hate professionals.'
Denise Richards put her personal problems aside as she attended her first Hollywood event since her ugly split from husband Aaron Phypers.

The actress, 54, who recently had a ruptured breast implant repaired, showcased her sexy curves in black lingerie inspired top with a plunging lace-trimmed neckline and pair of form fitting satin pants.

The former Bond girl draped a leather jacket across her shoulders and she stepped out in a pair of open toed high heels.

She kept her accessories simple, opting for a simple diamond cross pendant.

The Bold and the Beautiful star styled her dark blonde hair in loose curls and wore natural looking, camera ready for her time in the spotlight.

Richards was invited to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to host a screening of her 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Denise Richards put her personal problems aside as she attended her first Hollywood event since her ugly split from husband Aaron Phypers

She starred in the movie, which has since become a cult classic, with Ellen Barkin, Kirsten Dunst and the late Kirstie Alley.

The plot of the dark comedy centered on the lengths some people would go to to capture the crown in a small town beauty contest.

The showing was part of the Museum's Summer of Camp series.

'About last night big thanks to @academymuseum for letting us relive the camp and chaos of #dropdeadgorgeous on the big screen!'

Referring to her character in the quirky satire she said, 'Rebecca Leeman would be so proud.'

Richards' daughter Lola Sheen and friends Chrishell Stause, and Camille Meyer commented on how 'beautiful' and 'stunning' Richards looked, but fans wanted to talk about the film.

'Rebecca Ann Leeman is of the most iconic & underrated mean girls & I love what a cult classic this film has become!' wrote one fan. 'It was the first movie I ever bought on DVD as a kid & its one of my comfort movies '

'ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME!!!!!' exclaimed another.

The actress, 54, showcased her sexy curves in black lingerie inspired top with a plunging lace-trimmed neckline and pair of form fitting satin pants

The former Bond girl draped a leather jacket across her shoulders in the cool evening air

She kept her accessories simple, opting for a simple diamond cross pendantRichards was invited to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to host a screening of her 1999 film Drop Dead GorgeousRichards was invited to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to host a screening of her 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous

Richards was invited to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to host a screening of her 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous

About last night big thanks to @academymuseum for letting us relive the camp and chaos of #dropdeadgorgeous on the big screen!' Richards wrote next to a carousel of photos on social media

Referring to her character in the quirky satire about the lengths some people would to in order to win a small town beauty contest she said, 'Rebecca Leeman would be so proud'

'Rebecca Ann Leeman is of the most iconic & underrated mean girls & I love what a cult classic this film has become!' wrote one fan. 'Becky Leeman forever ' said an admirer

'Becky Leeman forever ' wrote an admirer.

'Denise losing the baggage looks great on you ' wrote one fan referring to her breakup with Phyphers, 52 after six years of marriage.

The actor filed for divorce in July, citing irreconcilable differences, but since then, both have accused the other of physical abuse and adultery.

'Denise losing the baggage looks great on you ' wrote one fan referring to her breakup with Phyphers, 52 after six years of marriage

The actor filed for divorce in July, citing irreconcilable differences, but since then, both have accused the other of physical abuse and adultery; Pictured in Los Angeles in May

On August 21, Richards spoke out about what she was going through on a video released on social media.

'I see all of your messages, I cant comment because itll be taken out and put in the press, but I just wanted to, in all seriousness, say that this has been a very, very, very difficult time,' adding, 'Its so hard to go through a divorce.'

'Many of you have gone through that,' she told her fans, adding, 'This isnt my first one - this is my second one.'

The pair have been fighting over custody of their daughter Eloise, 13, who accompanied Richards on Sunday. Phypers claims he signed adoptions papers, but that Richards failed to file them with the court

Richards was married to Charlie Sheen, 59, from 2002-2006, and they share daughters Lola, 20, and Sami, 21.

'I never though I'd get divorced again, she admitted, adding, 'This is why I always say never say never.'

The couple are also fighting over custody of their daughter Eloise, 13, who accompanied her mother to Sunday's event.

Phypers claims he signed adoptions papers to be her legal parent, but that Richards had failed to file them with the court.
Millie Bobby Brown has shared a look at the baby she adopted with her husband Jake Bongiovi for the very first time.

In an Instagram post shared on Monday - which is Labor Day in the US - the actress uploaded a collection of photos.

And buried inside the carousel was a single image of her baby girl in a carrier being held by Bongiovi. They were on the tarmac heading to a private jet.

The baby's face cannot be seen, only her form under blankets.

The Stranger Things star, 21, who wed Bongiovi, 23, last year, made the surprise announcement that she had adopted in a social media post from August 21.

The post read: 'This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption.'

Millie Bobby Brown has shared a first look at the baby she adopted with her husband Jake Bongiovi. In an Instagram post shared on Monday - which is Labor Day in the US - the actress uploaded a collection of photos

And buried inside the carousel was a single image of her baby girl in a carrier being held by Bongiovi. They were on the tarmac heading to a private jet

'We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy.

'And then there were three. Love, Millie and Jake Bongiovi.'

On July 20 she dropped a hint there was a baby in their life.

In an Instagram post Bongiovi was seen pushing a stroller in a post shared by Brown captioned: 'helluva summer thus far.' It was not 100 percent certain what was going on.

The pair married in May 2024 and the couple had discussed having children, adoption and their plans on having a big family.

Earlier this year she said she wanted to be a mother.

During an appearance on the Smartless podcast, which is hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, the actress said that although she knows she is 'really young,' she is looking forward to motherhood.

'My mom actually had her first child at 21, and my dad was 19. And you know, it's been my thing since before I met Jake,' she explained.

This shot showed her heading to a security screening with her bags

Here she gets a kiss from her husband while in a restaurant

Brown modeled a cross around her neck in this selfie

She shared a look at the cute pink pig on her farm

And there was an image of a field and brick home at sunset

The Stranger Things star, 21, who wed Bongiovi, 23, last year, made the surprise announcement that she had adopted in a social media post from August 21. Seen in February

'Since I was a baby... I wanted to be a mom just like the way my mom was to me. And my nan, my grandmother is, she was a huge part of my life.

'And so, yeah, I mean, Jake knows how important it is to me and, of course, I want to focus on really establishing myself as an actor and as a producer, but I also find it's so important to start a family for me personally,' Millie continued.

'It's a huge thing. Jake was like, we cannot do that until we get married. So that was his thing.'

Brown then added: 'And my thing was, I really want a family. I really want a big family.

Jake and Millie, seen here in February, first started dating in 2021 and married in May 2024

Bongiovi and Brown are pictured with rock icon dad Jon Bon Jovi and mom Dorothea Hurley in 2024

'I'm one of four. He's one of four. So, it is definitely in our future, but, for me, I don't see having your own child, you know, as really any different [from] adopting.'

She went on to say: 'My home is full of love for anyone and anything, and so that is what we kind of stand by, Jake and I, our energy in the house is "the door is always open", and we want everyone to feel really comfortable.'

Her comments come just a few weeks after she opened up to Vanity Fair in February about her relationship with Bongiovi and how they're 'pretty united' on major topics.

'We talked about our political views, what kind of family we want to build, the kind of home we want to live in, the kind of relationship we're looking for, the kind of careers we want,' she told the publication.

'It's such an important decision, and we wanted to make sure we were making the right one. I knew I was. It always felt right with him.'

Brown and Bongiovi, whose father is musician Jon Bon Jovi, first started dating in 2021 and announced their engagement in April 2023.

The couple tied the knot in May 2024 in a lavish ceremony in Italy where they said 'I do' at Villa Cetinale in Tuscany.
Jacob Elordi was branded 'super rude' as he got into a tense altercation with a Venice Film Festival official at the world premiere of Frankenstein on Saturday.

In a TikTok video, the Euphoria star, 28, was filmed telling off a man fans described as a 'bodyguard' as he tried to sign autographs and pose for selfies.

The drama first unfolded when Elordi was seen chatting with the man before the Australian actor declared: 'I'm going to take a picture right here.'

He then leaned into a wall of onlookers for selfies, before snapping at the man: 'Dont ever tell me what to do!'

It is unclear what the official was saying to Elordi.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Jacob Elordi for comment and has yet to hear back.

Jacob Elordi was branded 'super rude' as he got into a tense altercation with a Venice Film Festival official at the world premiere of Frankenstein on Saturday.

In a TikTok video , the Euphoria star, 28, was filmed telling off a man fans described as a 'bodyguard' as he tried to sign autographs and pose for selfies

The fan who shared the video revealed that Elordi remained 'so nice' and 'took photo[s] with everyone he can.'

However fans turned on the 'pampered ' star for telling off the man for simply 'doing his job.'

One fan wrote: 'That was really super rude of Elordi' while a second typed: 'Ladies, I fear we have created a DIVA.'

Others wrote: 'He's there for your safety. He's doing his job.

'I find it to be a little disrespectful towards an old man trying to do his job unless they have an understanding.

'He thinks his ego will protect him like a force field... until it doesn't!'

'He's just trying to protect him and do his job.'

Others supported Elordi, commenting: 'Not really rude, it's rude of the bodyguards. The star is the boss, not security.

The drama unfolded when Elordi was seen chatting with the man before he declared: 'I'm going to take a picture right here.' He then leaned into a wall of onlookers before snapping: 'Dont ever tell me what to do!'

However fans turned on the 'pampered ' star for telling off the man for simply 'doing his job'

Jacob has received the best reviews of his career as Frankenstein's Monster (with a Yorkshire accent), and the plum part required up to 10 hours of prosthetic make-up application overseen by Alchemy Studios CEO Glenn Hetrick

'I think it was heat of the moment, he was trying his best to get to all the fans.'

Back in February 2024, Elordi was allegedly involved in an altercation with a TikToker and KIIS FM employee outside a popular Sydney pub.

KIIS FM radio employee Joshua Fox, 32, approached the actor for comment before an argument allegedly broke out, the Daily Telegraph reported.

This comes after Elordi ended his on/off four-year relationship with Olivia Jade, the 25-year-old nepo baby of Lori Loughlin.

Before that, the Euphoria heartthrob enjoyed a 14-month fling with the 23-year-old nepo baby of Cindy Crawford ending in 2021.

Outlets reported that Guillermo del Toro's $120M-budget big-screen remake of Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel earned a standing ovation of between 13 and 15 minutes, which made the cast and crew emotional inside the theater.

Jacob was seen wiping away tears as he embraced his Frankenstein team - Oscar Isaac, the 60-year-old Mexican filmmaker, and Mia Goth - as well as his relatives seated behind him.

The 149-minute film will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion on September 6 during the festival, before hitting US theaters October 17 and streaming on Netflix November 7.

Frankenstein - set in Eastern Europe in the 19th Century - currently has a 78% critic approval rating out of 27 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Elordi has received the best reviews of his career as Frankenstein's Monster (with a Yorkshire accent), and the plum part required up to 10 hours of prosthetic make-up application overseen by Alchemy Studios CEO Glenn Hetrick.

'There's so many different layers to the costume,' the Narrow Road to the Deep North actor explained in his Variety cover story on August 20.

'When he's born, he's wearing nearly nothing. His chest is open and his head is high. Then, as he starts to experience pain, as we do as a teenager, he starts to hunch his shoulders. And as an adult, he closes off.'

Jacob added: 'It changed me fundamentally  changed the way that I approach performance and the way that I watch movies.'

Andrew Garfield curiously dropped out of the role of the Monster nine weeks before production 'due to scheduling conflicts' after replacing Guillermo regular Doug Jones, who had been attached as far back as the late nineties and early 2000s.

In May 2025 Denzel Washington lashed out an overzealous photographer as he attended the Cannes premiere of his movie Highest 2 Lowest.

The iconic actor, 70, was filmed pointing his finger in the face of one of the snappers and shouting 'Stop it!' during the dramatic exchange.

In May 2025 Denzel Washington lashed out an overzealous photographer as he attended the Cannes premiere of his movie Highest 2 Lowest

The iconic actor, 70, was filmed pointing his finger in the face of one of the snappers and shouting 'Stop it!' during the dramatic exchange which was captured on video

The incident unfolded when Washington appeared to tell off the photographer for tapping him on the arm as he walked the red carpet with co-star A$AP Rocky, 36.

The photographer was seen smiling and laughing while he was being chastised by the star - before grabbing the Training Day star's arm once again.

An irate Washington then flung the photographer's hand away and shouted 'Stop it, stop it!' before storming off.

The Daily Mail contacted representatives for Washington for comment at the time and did not hear back.
She is a veteran actress with a whopping over 180 credits to her name in a career spanning over 35 years.

The star is as known for her work in front of the camera as she is her voiceover work as she has done voicework for Disney smash film Coco in addition to numerous children's cartoons, young adult cartoons, and even video games including Grand Theft Auto V.

She may be best known for starring alongside Reese Witherspoon in 2001's Legally Blonde in addition to the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde released in 2003.

The actress was also one of the more memorable characters in 2004 Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro led sequel Meet The Fockers as she starred as sexy housekeeper Isabel Villalobos.

Now the talented star has been seen make-up free while running errands in Los Angeles.

Can you guess who the talented actress is?

She is a veteran actress with a whopping over 180 credits to her name in a career spanning over 35 years - can you guess who?

It is Alanna Ubach!

The 49-year-old actress was seen dropping off packages at the post office in Los Angeles over the weekend.

The thespian of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Spanish ethnicity kept her look simple and comfortable in a pair of grey overalls over a sleeveless black top and red sandals.

Her dark locks were put in a messy bun as she showcased her natural looks by going make-up free.

As mentioned earlier, Alanna is likely best known for starring as Serena McGuire in both the Legally Blonde films.

Her character is one of the closest friends of Reese Witherspoon's character Elle Woods as she plays a significant role in the main character's journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

She also had a strong run of films in the 1990s as she starred Maria in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Noreen in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), Jane in Clockwatchers (1997).

Alanna also starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in restaurant workplace comedy Waiting in 2005 and even returned in 2009 for Still Waiting... but Reynolds was not in the sequel.

She (pictured left) may be best known for starring alongside Reese Witherspoon in 2001's Legally Blonde in addition to the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde released in 2003

It is Alanna Ubach! The 49-year-old actress was seen dropping off packages at the post office in Los Angeles over the weekend

The thespian of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Spanish ethnicity kept her look simple and comfortable in a pair of grey overalls over a sleeveless black top and red sandals

Her dark locks were put in a messy bun as she showcased her natural looks by going make-up free.

She looked relaxed on the outing

The actress was also one of the more memorable characters in 2004 Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro led sequel Meet The Fockers as she starred as sexy housekeeper Isabel Villalobos

As mentioned earlier, Alanna is likely best known for starring as Serena McGuire in both the Legally Blonde films

Alanna also starred as Suze Howard on Euphoria who is the mother of Lexi and Cassie who are played by Maude Apatow and Sydney Sweeney, respectively

More recently she starred as Fox News television host and lawyer Jeanine Pirro in 2019 Oscar nominated film Bombshell

Alanna also starred as Suze Howard on Euphoria who is the mother of Lexi and Cassie who are played by Maude Apatow and Sydney Sweeney, respectively.

She also portrayed Tess Flores on Guilty Party (2021) and Carol Atkinson on The Flight Attendant (2020 - 2022).

Alanna also starred in the lead role of Susan Bennett on the Peacock series Ted which was the television adaptation of the hit 2012 film as season two of the series wrapped filming earlier this year and will be returning.
Kim Novak looked unrecognisable as she collected the Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement after releasing a documentary about her poverty-stricken upbringing.

The actress, 92, whose documentary is called Kim Novak's Vertigo, channelled old Hollywood glamour in an emerald and black gown to accept the award.

Gone were her brunette locks, as she styled her blonde hair into a bob and accessorised her look with a diamond brooch.

The documentary explores her life, highlighting her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, and her journey from stardom to a reclusive life as an artist in Oregon.

Kim stepped away from the limelight but during her occasional public appearances, fans have noted that her face looks very different from her years on the screen.

Kim's appearance famously caused a stir back in 2014 when she attended the Oscars with a noticeably puffier face, which drew widespread criticism from viewers.

Even Donald Trump weighed in on her look, tweeting at the time: 'Kim should sue her plastic surgeon!'

Kim Novak looked almost unrecognisable as she received the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement after releasing a documentary detailing her poverty-stricken upbringing

The actress, 92, channelled old Hollywood glamour as she stepped out in an emerald and black gown to accept the award

Kim pictured in 1956 during the height of her Hollywood career

Kim herself addressed this, saying she regretted getting fat injections in her face, which didn't turn out as she'd hoped.

She also spoke openly about the cruelty of Hollywood's beauty standards and the harshness of ageism in the industry.

Addressing the backlash in an open letter on Facebook, Kim wrote: 'After my appearance on the Oscars this year, I read all the jabs. I know what Donald Trump and others said, and I'm not going to deny that I had fat injections in my face.'

She continued: 'They seemed far less invasive than a facelift. It was done in 2012 for the TCM interview special. In my opinion, a person has a right to look as good as they can, and I feel better when I look better.'

Her tell-all documentary about her extraordinary life tells of her upbringing in Depression-era Chicago, followed by ten years of Hollywood superstardom, and then a retreat from showbusiness.

She says of the revelations: 'I have been feeling the need to free the memories that have been hiding in the closet of my mind.'

Among them are her mother Blanche, who tried to kill her.

Blanche tried to abort her with knitting needles, and then, having failed, attempted to smother her as an infant with a pillow.

Gone were her brunette locks, as she styled her blonde hair into a bob and accessorised her look with a diamond brooch

She also said that her father Joseph, whom she claimed had mental health issues, kept the body of her dead infant brother in the basement of the family home, in a jar.

In the film she says: 'The Depression caused so much hardship. My mother got pregnant and she could not afford a child.

'She tried to abort me with knitting needles and it failed. So she tried to suffocate me with a pillow.

'I remember fighting to stay alive. I won, I stayed alive, and made it through.'

She added that it was her sister who found her brother's foetus in the basement, amid her father's collection of animals and insects.

'The foetus, his only son, in the basement. He kept him,' she said.

Catholic Joseph Novak, of Czech descent, had been a teacher before the Depression but later worked as a railroad dispatcher.

Her tell-all documentary about her life tells of her upbringing in Depression-era Chicago , followed by ten years of Hollywood superstardom, and then a retreat from showbusiness

Kim revealed that her mother Blanche tried to abort her pregnancy with knitting needles as she detailed her poverty-stricken upbringing in an extraordinary new documentary

The film premiered last night in advance of the actress getting a lifetime achievement Golden Lion on Monday (pictured)

Kim celebrated her achievement with an animated display

He never approved of her stardom, never told her he was proud of her, and didn't come to see most of her films.

Filmmaker Alexandre Phillippe said that he was astonished to have the voicemail from Novak outlining these stories. 'I gasped, and said, is it too dark?' he said.

He added: 'It is a privilege to share all these very powerful secrets and memories.'

Novak journeyed from her 13-acre horse ranch in Oregon to accept the honour from the festival.
It is a film about a husband and wife whose fierce competition destroys their marriage.

But it seems The Roses' plot has gone too far after a leading charity called for the movie to have a trigger warning.

The newly released film, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, includes a scene in which a husband deliberately feeds his wife food he knows she is allergic to, then withholds her EpiPen until she agrees to sign divorce papers.

Now charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation has hit out at the film, calling the scene triggering and dangerous.

They said in a statement: Withholding life-saving medication like an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen, Jext) in a medical emergency is not remotely funny; especially as life-threatening food allergies affect so many people.

These portrayals are not only triggering, they are dangerous. Using food allergies and the threat of anaphylaxis for cheap laughs is careless, offensive and completely unacceptable - just one more very important reason why it is so important for us all to continue to raise awareness and educate others on the reality and dangers of living with food allergies.

Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch's new movie The Roses has been criticised as 'dangerous' over controversial allergy scene

The newly released film, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, includes a scene in which a husband deliberately feeds his wife food he knows she is allergic to, then withholds her EpiPen until she agrees to sign divorce papers

The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation has hit out at the film, calling the scene triggering and dangerous

Natasha's Foundation will be contacting the filmmakers directly.

An EpiPen user who saw the film commented: We just went to see the film The Roses at the cinema totally shocked and traumatised by the anaphylactic scenes with allergies weaponised. I am shaking. It was such a dangerous portrayal of life-threatening food allergies.

Another said: It alarms me more that if the hundred of people that are involved with creating movies, not one person [thought] to voice how offensive and dangerous this is.

Someone else commented: As both a doctor and a mum of children with allergies, I find this really upsetting. Allergic reactions are medical emergencies  not comedy material. Portrayals like this can reinforce dangerous myths and minimise just how serious anaphylaxis is.

The producers of The Roses were contacted for comment.

The new complaints about The Roses come after it was revealed by the Daily Mail that stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman didnt get on while filming the movie.

Sources said that despite the actors being 'very keen' to work together, all was not well during filming, with Cumberbatch's serious 'method' acting at odds with Ms Colman's 'no-nonsense, let's get on with it' attitude.

One insider told The Mail on Sunday last month: 'The Roses was supposed to be a fairly easy and straightforward one to film - about a husband and a wife who don't like one another.

'But at times Benedict was treating it like it was some kind of Shakespearean play, wanting to seriously connect with his part, which is totally fair enough.

'Olivia is very much the type to just get on with it, no faffing. It's a comedy - it's like there was a lot of overthinking going on.

'It led to the chemistry between them not exactly being the best. It was a comedy, like a romcom, not the airy fairy-type stuff Benedict has done before.'

Following filming, which took place in both Salcombe, south Devon and Los Angeles, it is not known if they are still as close.

Oscar-winner Ms Colman, 51, is one of Britain's most decorated actresses and has appeared in a wide range of productions from ITV drama Broadchurch to Netflix series The Crown, where she played the late Queen.

She won a best actress Oscar in 2019 for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite.

Harrow-educated Cumberbatch, 49, who has been nominated for an Oscar twice, began his acting career with the New Shakespeare Company before going on to star in the West End and big-budget Hollywood films.

The 2025 film is a loose remake and retelling of the 1989 dark comedy film The War of the Roses.

The dark comedy is about a seemingly picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman) who have successful careers, great kids and an enviable sex life.

But underneath the facade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments thats ignited when Theos professional dreams come crashing down.
Robin Wright has 'finally' found her 'person' but she'll never marry again because it's 'just unnecessary.'

The House Of Cards star, 59, has moved to the UK to set up home with architect Henry Smith, 52.

And she has admitted she's smitten with new new man since meeting him in a pub several years ago but she has no plans to walk down the aisle again after three previous failed marriages.

She told The Times newspaper: 'He is a sweetheart and just a good, decent adult. He's a man... That's exactly what I wanted.'

The ex-wife of Sean Penn then said: 'I'm turning 60 and I'm, like: "Is this it?" I love being alone and I've done that many times. But I'm, like, I want to grow old with somebody, and travel and see the world...

Like several American celebrities, Robin Wright decided to move to England a few years ago where she met her British-born Australian boyfriend, Henry Smith (pictured June 17)

'It's liberating to be done. Be done with searching, looking and getting 60 per cent of what you wanted.'

However, when asked if she will marry again, Robin said: 'No. God no. Why? That's just unnecessary.'

Robin was previously married to Dane Witherspoon, Penn - the father of her two children Dylan and Hopper - and Clement Giraudet while she was also engaged to Ben Foster twice but they never made it down the aisle.

The actress insisted she has now settled down for good, adding of Henry: 'I'm seen and loved for who I am. It's so relaxing.'

She has now been living with Henry in Britain for the last few years and they are currently planning to move to a new home by the coast.

The actress admits she's loving life in the UK because it's so different to America and she's loving the peace and 'quiet' as well as the slower pace of life.

She explained: 'America is a s***show... I love being in this country [the UK]. There's a freedom of self here. People are so kind. They're living.

'They're not in the car in traffic, panicked on a phone call, eating a sandwich. That's most of America. Everything's rush, competition and speed...

She was engaged to Ben Foster twice but they never made it down the aisle; seen in 2014

Robin filed for divorce from her third husband - Saint Laurent VIP relations manager Clement Giraudet - in 2022 after nearly four years of marriage (pictured in 2017)

'[In Los Angeles] everyone's building a huge house and I'm just done with all that - I love the quiet.'

In a same interview, Robin talked about how she struggled parenting with Penn as he was away for work a lot and was much of a tougher figure in their lives.

She told The Sunday Times: 'He was gone so much of the time. He'd come back and be the policeman and then he'd leave me with the residue.

'Then I would soften the blow. We were both extremes. They didn't get that grey area in the middle, which is stern, and that is what they needed.'

Over the years, Hopper has been candid about the struggles he's faced in his personal life including his addiction to crystal meth and how his father helped him out of it.

Wright has reflected on the difficulties of parenting with her now ex husband Sean Penn (pictured in 2005)

The actress and Sean, who divorced in 2010, share kids Dylan Frances Penn, 34, and Hopper Jack Penn, 32 (L-R: Dylan, Robin, Hopper)

Speaking to ES Magazine, Hopper previously said: 'I was doing a lot of stuff but meth was the main one that brought me down. I went to rehab because I woke up in hospital and my dad said, 'Rehab? Or bus bench?' I was like, 'I'll take the bed.'

'Thank God I got out of that because that was the worst time in my life. Because it's not fun when it gets to a point where you just need it.'

Dylan has worked as a model and an actress following in her parents' footsteps.

The couple met on the set of State of Grace in 1990 and had an on-off relationship before marrying in 1996.

When their relationship became front page news they moved to a small town near San Francisco where Robin stepped back from acting to focus on motherhood.

As much as she still believes this was the right decision, she said she would have done some things differently in how she raised her children.

She added to the publication: 'I have a huge regret as a mother and have experienced the fallout of this regret for many years with my kids - I wasn't hard enough on them.'

The exes started dating in 1989, and were wed from 1996 to 2010.
He survived a near-fatal liver transplant, a facial melanoma, a blood infection and a cardiac arrhythmia.

And veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch, 81, has now reflected on his mortality, revealing he would consider using Voluntary Assisted Dying if he were facing a terminal illness.

Voluntary Assisted Dying refers to the process by which someone in the late stages of an advanced disease can take a substance prescribed by a doctor that will bring about their death.

Hinch shared his thoughts during an interview with Neil Mitchell on the Neil Mitchell Asks Why Podcast, saying,' Yes, I would. Yes', when asked whether he would end his life with medical assistance.

'One of my best friends, Bob Rogers, did have his life taken by voluntary assisted dying because he had no quality of life,' he said of his fellow radio legend, who passed away aged 97 in May last year.

'He couldn't go to the toilet by himself. He couldn't shower. He couldn't dress himself. And the last time I took him out to lunch I had to get on my hands and knees to lift his feet into a taxi. I thought, "This is not living."'

Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch, 81, (pictured) has revealed he would consider using Voluntary Assisted Dying if he were facing a terminal illness

Hinch, who now uses a walker to get around, said he's thankful that his mind is still sharp despite a string of physical ailments.

'I'm very lucky that my brain still seems to be going. Some people will dispute that, but it seems to be,' he joked.

'But if my brain went, I've told my medical attorney not to revive me,' he added.

Voluntary Assisted Dying is legal in all six states of Australia, with Victoria being the first state to legalise the procedure in June 2019.

It is not yet legal in the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

It comes after Derryn revealed, in December, that he was admitted to hospital for a heart issue.

He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat, in November and underwent electroshock therapy to reset his heart rhythm.

'I found myself getting short of breath and I thought 'this is not normal', so I went to my doctor and had an ECG (electrocardiogram)' he told the Herald Sun.

Hinch, who now uses a walker to get around, said he's thankful that his mind is still sharp despite a string of physical ailments

'My cardiologist booked me into hospital and on Thursday they gave me an electric shock to the heart, which is pretty scary, but it worked' he continued.

'It put my heart back into a regular rhythm and I will just see how it improves my breathing in the weeks ahead.'

He also revealed, in June last year, that he was facing a 'pretty serious' skin cancer battle.

Hinch told the Herald Sun he was currently undergoing five weeks of daily radiation treatment in a bid to get rid of a melanoma on his forehead.

The cancerous spot just below his hairline was first discovered by doctors in February and he had it removed, but medics weren't able to take out the entire area.

He then visited the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to have a further operation to remove the melanoma and he is now undergoing radiation as 'insurance'.

'It is not good. I have had two operations on my face and they still have to do radiation,' he said.

'The only good news is they looked at a spot that I was operated on about eight years ago on the other side (of his forehead) and that is clear.

Hinch revealed in December that he was admitted to hospital for a heart issue. He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat, in November and underwent electroshock therapy to reset his heart rhythm

What is Voluntary Assisted Dying?

Voluntary assisted dying is a legal process that allows an eligible, terminally ill adult to choose to end their life with medical assistance, usually through prescribed medication, in order to avoid prolonged suffering. It is sometimes referred to as 'assisted dying' or 'assisted voluntary euthanasia.' Key features of Voluntary Assisted Dying laws in Australia: It is only available to people with a terminal illness, who are expected to die within a set timeframe (usually 6 - 12 months, depending on the illness). A person must have decision-making capacity, be over 18, and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (with residency requirements for the state/territory where they apply). The process involves multiple requests, assessments by at least two doctors, and strict safeguards to ensure it is voluntary and informed. Advertisement

'I tick off each day and once that day is gone, it is gone. It is pretty serious but as someone once said, that's life.'

In July, Hinch revealed he had suffered a fall during the Christmas break that left him needing a walker.

'I spent Christmas Day with two black eyes,' he explained on 10 News+.

'I was at Linda's [Stoner, Hinch's partner] place and I tripped trying to get up out of a chair, and my nose hit the table.'

He added that since using a walker, which he has affectionately nicknamed 'Johnny' after the ordeal, it has given him renewed 'confidence'.

'Now I have got a walker, that will speed me up and gives you incredible confidence,' he added.

'I say to anyone who has leg problems or balance problems  "get a walker." Pride comes before the fall.'

Hinch also opened up about undergoing a liver transplant in 2011 after being diagnosed with aggressive cancer and advanced cirrhosis.

Admitting that he died on the operating table, Hinch brushed off criticism he faced after admitting to drinking following the transplant.

'I got a 28-year-olds liver, and I met his family,' he said.

'People criticised me because I still had my occasional glass of wine, white wine with ice in it or frozen grapes. But I thought, if I've got five more years to live, I want to live them well.'

Despite admitting to the occasional tipple, Hinch added that the amount he drank during his heyday was 'effing stupid'.

'I drank far too much,' he said. 'I'm glad they didn't have mobile phones when we used to drink at the Sebel Townhouse.'
Dances With Wolves icon Graham Greene has died aged 73 after a long illness.

The acclaimed actor, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 Kevin Costner epic, passed away in a Toronto hospital on Monday.

His representative told the Daily Mail: 'He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed.

'You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven,' he added, referencing the actors agent who died in 2013.

Greene was known as an acting trailblazer, who raised the profile of Indigenous actors in Hollywood.

He is survived by wife Hilary Blackmore, who he wed in 1990, daughter Lilly Lazard-Greene and grandson Talo.

Dances With Wolves icon Graham Greene has died aged 73 after a long illness - pictured 2022

The acclaimed actor, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 Kevin Costner epic (pictured R), passed away in a Toronto hospital on Monday

Greene played Marlon in The Last of Us in 2023

Greene, who was of Oneida First Nation and Canadian descent, was born on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario and worked as a welder, draftsman and steelworker before pursuing acting.

His television debut was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979, followed by his film debut in 1983's Running Brave.

He shot to worldwide fame in Dances With Wolves as the Sioux Medicine Man Kicking Bird - which Costner directed and starred in as Lt. John J. Dunbar.

In a past interview with CineMovie, Greene revealed he was thrown from a horse during production and joked he wanted to get payback on the animal rather than take a break from filming.

He added that he struggled to learn how to speak the Lakota language, saying: 'I couldn't figure out how they ordered their language. Its structure is totally foreign to English or French.'

He would later make light of his role when he appeared on comedy show The Red Green Show as Edgar "K.B." Montrose.

When asked what he thought of Dances With Wolves, he quipped: 'The native guy [Kicking Bird] was OK. Should have gotten the Oscar. But the rest of it was a yawn!'

In 1999 he played death row inmate Arlen Bitterbuck alongside Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan.

He shot to worldwide fame as the Sioux Medicine Man in Dances With Wolves - which Costner directed and starred in as Lt. John J. Dunbar

Greene was known as an acting trailblazer, who raised the profile of Indigenous actors in Hollywood - pictured 2002

In 1999 he played death row inmate Arlen Bitterbuck alongside Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan

The star is pictured in 1992 film Thunderheart

Greene also starred in Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman film Transamerica in 2005 as well as 2009's The Twilight Saga: New Moon; Pictured in still from Twilight

Bitterbuck was a Native American who was found guilty of killing another man during an extremely violent bar fight over a pair of boots.

Greene also starred in Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman film Transamerica in 2005 as well as 2009's The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

His other roles include Maverick (1994) with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster as well as Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) with Bruce Willis, and Aaron Sorkins Molly's Game (2017) with Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Costner.

His television appearances include Sylvester Stallone's Tulsa King and The Last Of Us.

Besides his Oscar nomination, Greene also won a Grammy, a Gemini, and a Canadian Screen Award. He was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Earlier this year, was honored with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in his native country.

He also has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

One of Greene's final roles was on FX's series Reservation Dogs, a show that fittingly continued his legacy of breaking barriers for Indigenous talent in Hollywood.

Greene's final completed project is the upcoming thriller Ice Fall, which also stars Joel Kinnaman and is set to premiere October 16.

He is survived by wife Hilary Blackmore, who he wed in 1990, daughter Lilly Lazard-Greene and grandson Talo; Graham and Hilary pictured at Canada's Walk of Fame Awards Celebration in Toronto in 2022

Following his passing, social media tributes began pouring in for the prolific actor.

'Graham Greene was a phenomenally talented actor who brought it in every single role he played. Im so sad to hear hes gone,' one fan on X wrote.

'Graham Greene RIP. Such a great actor. From Thunderheart to Dances With Wolves to The Green Mile to Wind River to Longmire to Reservation Dogs to The Last of Us and so many moreall he did was turn in great performances.'

'Ah damn...one of the best. RIP Graham Greene,' another added.
Costco's controversial new shopping policy is set to officially take effect tomorrow.

The change allows Executive-tier members to start shopping an hour earlier than regular members, a perk that first began rolling out June 30.

But the new policy has not been strictly enforced.

Executive members can now shop from 9am to 10am on weekdays and Sundays, and from 9am to 9.30am on Saturdays.

In addition, the chain extended its Saturday hours for all members, keeping stores open until 7pm, an hour later than before.

Stores had been rolling out the policy in recent months, with all 634 stores given until today to do so.

Labor Day temporarily has delayed the rollout, as all locations were closed on September 1.

Executive membership costs $130 a year and comes with additional benefits, including a $10 monthly credit for Instacart orders and $150 in savings on Costco services.

Costco's store hours for Executive members has taken effect at all US locations

Executive members can shop from 9:00 am to 10:00 am on weekdays and Sundays, and 9:00 am to 9:30 am on Saturdays

While shoppers welcomed the new hours, some employees have raised concerns about how the shift affects their schedules.

Costco worker Holly Dickey White posted on Facebook that the earlier openings are 'making life difficult' for staff juggling childcare, school runs, and care for elderly family members.

'I understand it's 'just an hour' but for a lot of employees it is making life difficult, getting kids to school or babysitters,' White wrote.

'If you are caring for an elderly member of your family. It is disrupting our lives!!.'

The Arizona resident said staff were not given warning of the new hours ahead of the policy being announced earlier in the summer.

She urged customers to bring patience and kindness to the store, adding, 'Greet us with a smile, it will help, I PROMISE! Costco is still an awesome employer and we will all get adjusted to these new hours.'

Other staff said that morning-shift employees may need to start earlier to get the warehouse ready for opening.

Meanwhile, customers have also taken to social media to vent about other other changes at Costco.

Costco employees were concerned about what the policy change could mean for their jobs

Earlier this year, members complained Costco had quietly hiked food court prices.

Customers were also divided on a new 'overpoweringly sweet' Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. The $2.99 beverage launched in June, replacing the chain's Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

Other shoppers mourned the disappearance of the $1 churros, which had become a fan favorite, while some called for the comeback of Costco's Signature Combo Pizza Costco's Signature Combo Pizza.

The retailer is also planning to open its first standalone gas station in the spring of 2026.

A major change that's left social media users divided for nearly a year was the decision to swap Pepsi for Coca-Cola beverages at food courts.

Backlash escalated in March after customers spotted a Coke machine at a California Costco. Fans have since calmed down, and claimed the change brought them 'joy.'
Two recent events indicate that the turbulent trade times are likely to turn into a more terrible nightmare. Indias Enforcement Directorate (ED) convinced the international Interpol to issue a purple notice on a new trade-related modus operandi to launder money, and remit it legally through banking and corporate channels. At the same time, the investigating agency arrested Amit Aggarwal who, it claims, is the mastermind of an elaborate system to transfer illegal money to financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong.

As old trade routes are disrupted, and new ones sculpted, there is enough wiggle room for the criminals and dishonest to benefit from the confusion and chaos. As nations use smuggling and illegal routes to further their national interests, especially in the trade of crude oil and petrochemicals, the shades of global trade are becoming gray, rather than white and black. It is difficult to distinguish what is right and wrong, or what is official and unofficial. The officials encourage unofficial mechanisms, and the unofficial use official channels.

Let us consider the purple notice. According to an official press release, In this case, EDs probe revealed an organised network of domestic and foreign shell entities engaged in large-scale laundering of funds under the guise of international trade. The conspirators exploited trade mechanisms and banking channels by under-invoicing imports, using sham duty-free imports (such as semiconductors), forging compliance documents, and carrying out circular re-exports through third-country entities to disguise illicit remittances. The circular trading created a false narrative of international commerce, masking large-scale laundering of funds. The scheme exhibited hawala-like features but operated through formal banking systems, shell companies and forged trade documentation to evade regulatory detection.

Essentially, in simple words, there may be a two-way movement of money, a combination of both. In one journey, black money generated in India is pushed into Indian banks by bribing bankers and chartered accountants. Sham import deals are inked between shell entities in India and other nations. This implies that either the imported products never arrive, or some junk comes in, which is thrown into the sea. Money is paid via the Indian banks to the foreign sellers. Black rupees turn into white dollars, pounds or euros.

The use of the phrase duty-free embedded between the words, sham and imports, in the EDs press release is crucial. If the Indian buyers pay duty on their purchases, they will essentially pay a tax to the Government to convert black into white. It is akin to commissions paid to hawala operators, who receive money in one location, and pay it in another one. Duty-free imports allow the buyers to escape such legit and illegal taxes. The entire amount is safely transferred through proper banking channels.

Aggarwals arrest proves this leg of the money-laundering journey. He and his team bribed bankers, who opened bank accounts to allow deposits of cash. Over time, when the money became substantial, it was used to pay for non-existent duty-free imports to related and connected parties in Singapore and Hong Kong. According to EDs estimate, nearly `700 crore flew away in this manner. In this case, the imported goods never arrived in India. They were only on paper. An official trail to confound the regulators and investigators.

Now, look at the second leg of the journey, as described in the purple notice, which relates to exports. If the original Indian importers wish to get their money back into the country in legal form, they need to add value to the imports and export them. But selling the goods to the same parties, or related parties, in the importing nations may alert the investigators. Thus, the exports are made to a third nation, from where they hop and skip through other countries.

Finally, the exported goods reach the destination country, where money is already parked as payments for the original imports. This is why the EDs circular uses the phrase circular re-exports through third-country entities. Circular trading is common in stocks to manipulate and inflate the prices. In global trade, though, it is used to receive the money. Now the money starts to flow in the reverse, through the same exporting nations, and back into India. The black money holder has not only washed the money, but has received it back as white. She can now use it openly and publicly.

The same journey can happen in reverse. Goods are exported through several entities and nations to receive money from the destination nation, where the exporter has stashed illegal proceeds. The money comes back as legal receipts. In the case of goods, exports are exempted from tax. The services sector enjoys the same with specific attached criteria. Now the same white money can be sent abroad as payments for sham imports. It can be parked anywhere in the world, and its identity does not need to be hidden. It is legal earnings.

Sounds complex. Of course it is. Money laundering is a complex process that usually involves trans-border elements and effects. Thus, any legal strategy that is to deal with this common and global problem needs to have a significant international dimension and coordination. Informal cooperation, i.e., cooperation through informal channels, is a key area to trace/identify the assets, and gathering the information for the ongoing investigations. Timely and precise gathering of information through informal cooperation is vital to effective domestic investigation, states the EDs press release.

Sadly, this is not happening. A few days ago, two separate benches of the Supreme Court lambasted ED for tardy and delayed investigations, as well as poor conviction rates. One of them, which was headed by the chief justice, stated that while the ED successfully incarcerates alleged criminals, there are no convictions. The other bench provided the numbers: Of the 400 registered cases, only 10 have reached the conviction stage. As one of the judges commented, People are in custody for four to five years, and finally acquitted.

The Government blames the influential accused, who hamper the work of the poor investigators. The former park themselves abroad, and their money is stashed away in tax havens. They delay trials by filing applications, and do not allow them to start. While this may be true, and there are other challenges, as highlighted in the EDs press release, the need of the day is better investigations, and a cadre of special judges who understand the money-laundering intricacies.
Xinjiang's cotton irrigation technologies contribute to Central Asia's sustainable development

Xinhua) 09:23, September 01, 2025

URUMQI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- When it comes to Central Asia, people will think of many colors: the yellow of vast deserts, the black of rich oil reserves, and the white of cotton fields.

Particularly in Uzbekistan, at the heart of the region, cotton is often referred to as "white gold." Cotton is the natural national wealth of the country, and today it has become a symbol of friendship, marking the scientific cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, as well as their shared commitment to sustainable development.

In the suburbs of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, cotton fields stretch to the horizon. Among them lies a demonstration site for water-saving drip irrigation technology, covering an area of approximately five hectares. It was established in 2012 through collaborative efforts between the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a research institution in Uzbekistan.

The technology involves a thin plastic sheet covering the soil, with small hoses positioned underneath. When researchers open a tap, water drips slowly from the hose right to the cotton roots. The plastic sheet keeps the water from evaporating and warms the soil.

According to Li Yaoming, director of the Research Center for Green Development of the Silk Road, affiliated with the Xinjiang Institute, Chinese technology has resulted in a two- to threefold increase in cotton yield and achieved water savings exceeding 50 percent compared to traditional irrigation methods.

"When we scientists promoted the drip irrigation technology in Uzbekistan over 10 years ago, local farmers did not believe us. However, after witnessing the successful outcomes of the demonstration site, several Central Asian institutions and government departments came to us seeking cooperation," Li said.

Since 2018, Uzbekistan's officials have conducted on-site yield assessments of the demonstration site, finding that both crop yield and water use efficiency have shown substantial improvements over traditional practices.

Uzbekistan plans to establish 2 million hectares of highly efficient, water-saving cotton fields nationwide. If China's water-saving technologies are fully implemented, the country is expected to save 8 to 10 billion cubic meters of agricultural water annually. A portion of this water surplus, when redirected into the Aral Sea, can effectively mitigate salt dust storms and improve the regional ecological environment, Li told Xinhua.

The drip irrigation technology is an example of China's contributions to agricultural practices in Central Asian countries. Many Xinjiang-oriented innovations, such as monitoring and early warning systems for wheat droughts and pest disasters, saline-alkali land remediation, and measures for desertification control, have been applied in countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

These approaches are rooted in China's extensive experience in advancing sustainable development. Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Central Asian countries are all located within the world's typical temperate desert zones, marked by arid climates and fragile ecosystems. Climate change and human pressures confront the region with a shared set of challenges: shrinking water resources, receding glaciers, rising temperatures, land degradation and biodiversity loss.

Water resources and the ecological environment serve as the foundation for sustaining development in the region, scientists noted.

Agriculture in both Xinjiang and Central Asian countries largely relies on irrigation, but traditional flood irrigation methods often waste precious water resources. Climate change is further intensifying this challenge. Li said that temperatures in the region are rising more rapidly than the global average, glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate, and extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common.

Under the guidance of China's unified national strategy, Xinjiang has made significant progress in water-saving agriculture, particularly through the widespread use of drip irrigation. At the same time, it has prioritized the restoration of oasis farming and the revitalization of inland rivers.

"Our cooperation dates back to the 1990s, and since 2010, we have witnessed the launch of many large-scale projects," Li said. Nearly thirty research institutes based in Xinjiang have participated in ecological surveys, environmental protection, and regional ecological security efforts throughout Central Asia. Over the years, Xinjiang scientists have repeatedly crossed borders, overcoming language barriers to introduce new technologies, equipment and plant varieties to the region.

By collaborating with scientists from Central Asia, they have translated research findings into practical solutions, aiming to enhance the shared ecosystems.

Li noted that ecosystems go beyond borders. "Protecting our planet is a shared responsibility of humanity."

And it is a two-way cooperation.

While Chinese researchers share their expertise with Central Asia, they also gain opportunities in a broader and more complex environment to test and improve their technologies. Field trials in these regions generate data and insights that also help accelerate technological development and further innovation.

The benefits not only improve science but also include the strategic trust, and new forms of collaboration, Li said.

The year 2025 has been designated the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Year of Sustainable Development." As partners within the SCO, China and the SCO member states in Central Asia are actively expanding their scientific and technological cooperation for sustainability.

Qiao Jianfang, head of the Xinjiang Institute's international cooperation office, shared that the planned collaborative projects will be enhanced by utilizing remote sensing, big data, and photovoltaic technologies.

Talent development is another key priority. "We have trained 97 master's and doctoral candidates from Central Asia," said Qiao, adding that the number will continue to grow.

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
Derry City and Strabane District Councils Business Support team are encouraging potential and fledgling entrepreneurs in rural parts of the Council area to attend a series of business engagement events scheduled for September.

The 2025 Go Succeed Rural Road Show will be held at venues across the Council area and are an opportunity for business owners to learn more about the support and guidance available to them to get their venture off the ground and the benefits of signing up to the Go Succeed programme.

Go Succeed is a 17 million programme, funded by the UK Government and rolled out across all 11 Councils in Northern Ireland.

Its team of industry experts offer tailored support and guidance to budding and new entrepreneurs to support them with the challenges of start up, growing their business and scaling up.

Head of Business at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Kevin OConnor, encouraged the public to attend the events and learn more about what is available to them.

We are delighted to be reaching out to the rural areas of the city and district through our Go Succeed Rural Road Shows so the community can learn more about the services on offer and speak directly to members of our Business Support team about how we can help, he said.

READ NEXT: 'The Doghouse of Eglinton' is a real treat

The Go Succeed programme offers mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks, access to grant funding and guidance on composing your business plan so that you have the best chance of navigating the challenges of start-up and building a sustainable and successful business.

Whether youre a budding entrepreneur just starting, or are looking to grow your business, our team of industry experts will provide tailored support and guidance to help you achieve your business goals.

The dates and venues for the 2025 Rural Road Show are:-

September 1 at 7.00pm in Eglinton Community Hall

September 2 at 7.00pm in Glenelly House, Plumbridge

September 9 at 11.00am in Newtownstewart Centre 2000

September 10 at 11,00am in Newbuildings Community Centre

September 11 at 1.00pm in Healthy Living Centre, Castlederg

September 15 at 6.30pm in Learmount Resource Centre, Park

Admission to the events is free and you can book your place now at https://www.glistrr.com/events/l/dcsdcroadshow.

For more information call the Business Support team on 02871253253 ext 6667 visit www.go-succeed.com for further information on how Go Succeed can support you.
A one minutes silence has been observed at a vigil in Derrys Guildhall Square in memory of the journalists and civilians killed in the conflict in Gaza.

On Monday (August 25, 2025), journalists Mohammed Salama; Moaz Abu Taha; Hussam al Masri; Ahmed Abu Aziz and Mariam Dagga were murdered in an Israeli strike on Nasser hospital in Southern Gaza.

The vigil, which took place on Wednesday afternoon, was organised by the Derry and Northwest branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Addressing those present, branch secretary Anton McCabe said Israel, through its repeated actions showed contempt for press freedom.

Derry & Northwest branch of the National Union of Journalists Vigil in Guildhall Square - @DerryNow digital report thread.



A minute's silence was observed at the @NUJofficial vigil, on Wednesday evening, August 27, 2025, in solidarity with civilians & journalists - pic.twitter.com/2XV0HUTk3C  Catherine McGinty (@CathMcGin_Tea) August 28, 2025

He added: It breached the UN Convention recognising the rights of civilians, which included journalists. Its record contradicts the claim of the Israeli Defence Forces chief of staff that Israel does not target journalists.

We need global action to end this war on truth and that includes an investigation into the targeting of journalists.

The attempt to tarnish the reputation of journalists in these killings has been nauseating, while little attention has been afforded to other civilians killed, often unarmed and forgotten.

Journalists in Gaza are working in atrocious conditions and in constant danger. Many are freelancers or contractors working in restricted areas, with limited rights or social protection. Israel must stop killing journalists and end the ban on foreign journalists entering the region, said Mr McCabe.

Speaking to The Derry News, former BBC journalist Noreen Erskine said she was attending the Vigil because she was beyond horrified at what is happening in Gaza, to journalists and to the ordinary people.

Vigil co-organiser, journalist Darach MacDonald told the crowd they were once again witnessing Israels onslaught on journalists it is legally obligated to protect in an illegal occupation that continues year after year in defiance of extensive UN resolutions.

He added: We should all be used to this by now. The toll of medical and relief workers along with thousands of innocent men, women and children has almost numbed our sensibilities.

What seemed abhorrent and unbelievable two years ago has become the norm.

Yet we come here as the Derry and Northwest of Ireland District Branch of the National Union of Journalists to mourn our Palestinian colleagues, members of the Palestinian Journalism Syndicate - a fellow union affiliated to the International Federation of Journalists. We join NUJ branches in Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Brussels and other centres.

Two years ago we gathered in shock and mourning for our sister Shireen Abu Akleh of Al Jazeera. Long before October 7, 2023, Shireen was shot dead in cold blood while working as a TV reporter in the West Bank. We have actually lost count since then of the number of fellow Palestinian journalists targeted and killed by the IDF. Estimates vary depending on the agency and the criteria used.

However, an aggregation of sources including the Committee for the protection of Journalists in New York and the Brussels-based International Federation of journalists concluded that by August 11 last, the IDF had killed 274 journalists in Gaza of whom 269 were Palestinians.

To applause, journalist Felicity McCall read aloud journalist Anas Al-Sharif's final message to the world.

Palestinian journalist and videographer for Al Jazeera Arabic, Al-Sharif was killed along with four journalists in a tent outside the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on August 10, 2025.

He wrote: If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.

I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification - so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.

I entrust you with Palestine - the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls.

I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland, wrote Anas Al-Sharif'.

Concluding the vigil, veteran journalist Eamonn McCann said he had spoken on behalf of a number of organisations and ideologies in Guildhall Square from time to time.

But my union [NUJ] is the body which owns my soul, he added. I have been a journalist for more than 50 years. I remember my first job which was in the Sunday World. I remember the then editor Joe Kennedy - who was an old socialist from the 1930s - saying to me, Always remember, son, it is not true that the truth will set you free but it is true that without the truth you can never be free.

And that is at the core of all journalism. [In past conflicts] we have seen the enormous power which honest journalism can have in shaping public opinion and as far as the NUJ is concerned, shaping public opinion with as much truth as the law and the forces of oppression are minded to give us,

[We should] also remember Lyra McKee, a journalist shot dead in Creggan Estate in 2019. A few years before that we had a loyalist paramilitary group shooting Martin OHagan, who also worked for the Sunday World, as he walked home from a night out with his wife in Lurgan in County Armagh.

These are a couple of instances we can remember from our own experiences as an NUJ. It is those things which keep us focused on the truth,
A man with 266 previous convictions has been refused bail at Derry Magistrate's Court today charged with ten burglaries of local business premises.

John McGilloway (42) whose address was given as Maghaberry Prison faces a total of 10 charges of burglaries in a garage, a laundromat and eight restaurants or fast food outlets on dates between February 19 2023 and December 9 2024.

A police officer opposed the bail application and said they believed McGilloway was responsible for 15 burglaries in the city in 2023 and 2024.

He added that most of the burglaries followed the same pattern with tills being ransacked and money taken.

The officer said that DNA linking McGilloway to some of the burglaries had been recovered and also there was CCTV evidence.

The court heard that the defendant had admitted one burglary at Guapo on the Strand Road on December 9 2024.

The officer told the court that McGilloway had 75 previous convictions for burglary and had previously completely disregarded bail conditions.

He said that the burglaries had impacted on numerous small businesses across the city and police believed if released McGilloway would re-offend as he usually carried out his activities after dark.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said that the defendant had been recalled on licence but was now due for release.

He said that there had been a substantial delay in this case and it could be into next year before there is progress in the case.

District Judge Conor Heaney said that the defence case had been set out clearly but he had no confidence McGilloway would adhere to conditions and refused the application.

READ NEXT: 'Contaminated groundwater reaching River Faughan in quantities above safe water quality levels'

McGilloway was remanded in continuing custody to appear again on September 11.
Claims that the UK cannot withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) because of commitments made in the Good Friday Agreement are entirely groundless, a think tank has claimed.

One of the authors of the paper from the Policy Exchange said public debate about human rights law reform has been distorted by the repeated assertion that withdrawal from the ECHR would breach the historic peace deal.

The 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and led to the establishment of the powersharing Stormont Assembly. It was backed by referendums on both sides of the Irish border.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has ordered a review into whether the UK should quit the ECHR, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has long supported leaving it.

In a speech last week to launch his partys plans to tackle illegal migration, Mr Farage said the Good Friday Agreement could be renegotiated to remove references to the convention.

His comments were criticised by some politicians in Northern Ireland who argued the ECHR underpins the agreement.

But the Policy Exchange said nothing in the UKs commitments to the peace process in Northern Ireland requires it to remain a part of the ECHR.

The paper states: When one considers the Belfast Agreement carefully, noting the relationship between the British-Irish Agreement (the treaty) and the Multi-Party Agreement (the political agreement), it is clear that the Belfast Agreement does not forbid the UK (or Ireland) from exercising its right in international law to withdraw from the ECHR.

The British-Irish Agreement does not refer to the ECHR at all and none of its terms suggest in any way that the UK or Ireland were undertaking to remain member states of the ECHR in perpetuity.

It continues: Whatever the merits of UK withdrawal from the ECHR, nothing in the Belfast Agreement rules it out as a viable course of action.

In choosing to exercise the UKs right to withdraw from the ECHR, a future government would neither be flouting the UKs international obligations under the Belfast Agreement nor failing to respect the political settlement that grounds the peace process.

One of the authors of the paper, Professor Richard Ekins, said: Public debate about human rights law reform has been distorted by the repeated assertion that withdrawal from the ECHR would breach the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

In fact, neither the letter nor the spirit of the Belfast Agreement in any way requires the UK  or Ireland  to remain within the ECHR.

And the agreements reached with the EU after Brexit confirm the point, leaving it open to the UK to choose to leave the ECHR.

The paper said that if the UK did leave the ECHR it would be important for the British Government to engage closely with the different parties in Northern Ireland to reassure them that the UKs withdrawal from the ECHR will not unbalance relations between  the parity of esteem between  the different communities.

It also said the Windsor Framework, the agreement over post-Brexit trading, does not rule out UK withdrawal from the ECHR.

The document has received the endorsement of former Labour home secretary and foreign secretary Jack Straw.

He said: I am not persuaded that the UK needs to withdraw from the ECHR the better to deal with the unacceptable number of unlawful and unfounded asylum seekers.

Rather, I believe that we should de-couple our own human rights legislation from the convention (as other European countries have done).

But the debate about our future relationship with the ECHR and its parent body, the Council of Europe, should be conducted on its merits.

He said the Policy Exchange paper helped to clear the ground for the debate.

Mr Straw added: It argues, in thorough and forensic detail, that whatever the merits of UK withdrawal from the ECHR, nothing in the Belfast Agreement rules it out as a viable course of action.

A Government spokesperson said: Britain will continue to remain a member of the ECHR.

It underpins key international agreements, on trade, security and migration, including the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and has helped us secure vital new deals with Germany and France to tackle illegal migration.

As set out in our Immigration White Paper, we are looking at how we can tighten the application of Article 8 of the ECHR  giving courts the clarity they need to stop our immigration rules from being abused.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, a campaign group which lobbies for closer ties with the EU, rejected the think tanks findings.

She said: In 30 pages, the Good Friday Agreement cites the ECHR seven times as an essential safeguard.
Families of many Protestant loyal order members murdered during the Troubles are still searching for justice, the head of the Orange Order has said.

An act of remembrance took place in Loughgall, Co Armagh, on Monday morning where wreaths were laid in memory of 344 Orange Order members who were killed.

The event took place on the 50th anniversary of the murder of five Orangemen in Tullyvallen Orange Hall, the biggest single loss of life suffered by the order during the Troubles.

Orange Order Grand Master Edward Stevenson said all the members who lost their lives should never be forgotten.

He said: Today is the day we remember the 343 members of our institution and the one lady member who were murdered during the years of the Troubles.

This is something we set up six or seven years ago to perpetuate their memory and to know that they wouldnt be forgotten.

They gave their all to protect the rest of us and many of them, young members with families, with fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, their families are still suffering the loss of their family members.

He added: Out of those 343 men I knew quite a few of them and some of them were personal friends, neighbours even that were murdered.

Neighbours were murdered in the farm next to me where I lived in Co Tyrone.

To come to this act of remembrance it helps me to remember and think of the sacrifice they made on our behalf.

Mr Stevenson said everything possible should be done to bring those responsible for Troubles murders to justice.

He added: We know as time goes on it is getting harder and harder to achieve justice but that is what we would like to see happen, that those that have perpetrated these hideous acts would be brought to justice.

Mr Stevenson said it was not clear yet whether the new legacy body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation an Information Recovery (ICRIR) would be able to bring answers for families.

He said: Some families have already brought closure to their mourning but others would like to see answers, we hope as the ICRIR works, they will see justice in the time to come.

Stormont can seek to support all means of bringing these terrorists to justice and former terrorists and hopefully that will bring closure to the families in time to come.

Also attending the remembrance service was Rev William Anderson, the Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution.

He said: Unfortunately, during the genocide of the Troubles in Northern Ireland lots of our members lost their lives simply because of their faith.

It is important that we do remember them today.

They were faithful members of our institutions and therefore it is important that the loyal orders, as a fraternal organisation, continue to support the families in remembrance of their loved ones.

A service of remembrance will take place on Monday evening at Tullyvallen Orange Hall with a moment of silence at 9.30pm, the time of the attack 50 years ago.
PICTURED ABOVE: At the programme launch at University of Atypical gallery were (from left) Bryan Sutherland from Stage Beyond, writer Alex Cregan, Edel Murphy, CEO and Artistic Director of University of Atypical, Head of Community Arts and Participation, Arts Council of Northern Ireland Patricia Lavery, artist Devin Kane and artist Justine Scoltock.

Northern Irelands only disability arts festival, Bounce, returns to Derry and Belfast this autumn with a bold new theme  Not Just  and its most ambitious programme to date, running from October 24 2025.

Events in Derry will be held at the Playhouse, the Centre for Contemporary Art, the Void Arts Centre and the Nerve Centre.

Now in its fifth year in Derry, Bounce continues to champion disabled, d/Deaf, and neurodivergent artists through a festival thats open to all and creatively fearless.

I am truly excited to reveal this years Bounce 2025 programme, said Edel Murphy, CEO and Artistic Director of Atypical, the organisation behind Bounce.

Bounce is not just a festivalits a movement. As individuals, we are not just one thing, she added. This years artists bring a wealth of intersectional experiences that challenge stereotypes and celebrate complexity.

Against the backdrop of proposed benefit cuts for disabled people in the UK, Bounce 2025 celebrates art as activism, community, and joy. The theme Not Just speaks to the layered experiences of disabled peoplewho are also parents, carers, LGBTQIA+ people, migrants, artists, workers, and more. Its an urgent call for richer representation and deeper inclusion.

Ciara Smyth, Chair of University of Atypical, thanked the funders from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland along with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Belfast City Council, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, National Lottery Communities Fund

Department for Communities, Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme supported by the National Lottery, Cultural Bridge, Belfast Harbour Community Awards, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland through The Ultach Fund, Esme Mitchell Trust and Blueprint through Arts and Business NI.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairi McHugh said: Our commitment to supporting a full programme in Derry reflects our dedication to ensuring that disabled artists and audiences in the North West have equitable access to, and can fully participate in, the vibrant arts scene. I would encourage everyone to experience the magic of Bounce, a festival that embodies the spirit of our community and is all about celebrating diversity, talent and extending a warm welcome to everyone.

Patricia Lavery, Head of Community Arts and Participation, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: We are committed to supporting and celebrating the work of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, and the Bounce Arts Festival does just that, offering a vital platform to shine a light on the work of these talented artists. Congratulations to University of Atypical who have curated yet another terrific programme this year and I would encourage everyone to go along and enjoy this incredible festival!

Festival Highlights Across the Three Days include:

Not Just BS (Breakfast Symposium) will be held at the Playhouse. This networking and panel event features some of the leading artists and performers exploring the importance of disability representation, intersectionality, and inclusion in the arts.

will be held at the Playhouse. This networking and panel event features some of the leading artists and performers exploring the importance of disability representation, intersectionality, and inclusion in the arts. Still Not Your Pity Party! At The Playhouse in Derry  Queer, d/Deaf, and disabled performers take the mic in this high-energy cabaret challenging pity narratives with pride, power, and unapologetic humour.

At The Playhouse in Derry  Queer, d/Deaf, and disabled performers take the mic in this high-energy cabaret challenging pity narratives with pride, power, and unapologetic humour. Re-collections Exhibition . Also at the Playhouse, Re-collections by Justine Scoltock is a series of mixed media pieces exploring how multiple layers of identity, including gender, religion, class and ability create unique, overlapping experiences.

. Also at the Playhouse, Re-collections by Justine Scoltock is a series of mixed media pieces exploring how multiple layers of identity, including gender, religion, class and ability create unique, overlapping experiences. Wright Now. A writing workshop led by acclaimed Derry-based writer, Dave Duggan, whose work for film and TV include the Oscar-nominated Dance, Lexie Dance.

A writing workshop led by acclaimed Derry-based writer, Dave Duggan, whose work for film and TV include the Oscar-nominated Dance, Lexie Dance. Dreaming Disability Futures - A writing and dreaming workshop at the Void Arts Centre led by writer Alex Cregan exploring the politics of disability and justice.

A writing and dreaming workshop at the Void Arts Centre led by writer Alex Cregan exploring the politics of disability and justice. Mind the Time - A film screening at the Nerve Centre provides a rare opportunity to view the unique talent of award-winning Stage Beyond Theatre Company on the big screen.

A film screening at the Nerve Centre provides a rare opportunity to view the unique talent of award-winning Stage Beyond Theatre Company on the big screen. We Shall Not March to the Beat of the Same Drum - A live performance by visual and performance artist Rebecca Strain at the Centre for Contemporary Art. It draws on Homi Bhabhas notion of the third space where cultural meaning is negotiated rather than fixed.

These events are just a taste of the packed, exciting programme were proud to present this year, says Edel Murphy. Bounce 2025 is diverse, disability-led, and for everyone. This festival belongs to youcome make it your own.

Tickets and full schedule are available at: https://universityofatypical.org/bounce/
Research insights: bilateral gaps emerge as Vietnam treads carefully after Trump tariff order

On July 31, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing new tariffsranging from 10% to 41%on imports from 68 countries and the European Union (EU). While many trade partners faced updated rates, tariffs on Vietnamese goods remained unchanged: a 20% duty on direct imports and a 40% levy on transshipped goods. In exchange, Vietnam has agreed to fully open its market and eliminate all tariffs on American imports.

However, Vietnam's official response has been markedly more reserved. On July 3, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Trump had spoken with Communist Party General Secretary To Lam and discussed trade, but emphasized that "many details remain to be negotiated and clarified." Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, which oversees commercial policy, has not released any specifics about such a deal.

According to DIGITIMES analyst Yen Chou, major state-run Vietnamese media outlets, such as Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Government News Portal (Bao ien tu Chinh phu), offered scant coverage, devoting fewer than 100 words in Vietnamese-language reports. In contrast, regional and private mediaincluding Sai Gon Giai Phong (Saigon Liberation Daily), VietNamNet, and VnEconomyfeatured broader commentary from industry insiders and local financial analysts.

Industry cautiously optimistic, but wary

Many local analysts acknowledged that a 20% tariff is more favorable than the previously threatened 46%, which could help soften the blow for Vietnamese exporters. Still, Chou noted several underlying concerns among local stakeholders, which fall into three key areas:

Economic disruption from a "Zero-Tariff" US influx

Should Vietnam indeed grant zero tariffs and full market access to all American imports, the move could severely undercut domestic industries, including automotive manufacturer VinFast, retail giants Co.opmart and Bach Hoa Xanh, e-commerce platforms Tiki and Sendo, and food and agriculture companies like Vinamilk and Ba Huan. These firms could face intensified competition that threatens their market share.

Undefined scope of the 20% and 40% tariffs

The lack of clarity around which Vietnamese products would be subject to the 20% tariffor which rerouted goods would face 40%has raised red flags. It is unclear how the US would define "Vietnamese-made" goods, whether there are local content requirements, or how rerouted products would be distinguished from genuinely domestic ones. These definitions are likely still under negotiation.

Vietnam faces capacity challenges in origin verification

The agreement, if implemented, would require Vietnam to strictly certify the origin of exports, particularly to differentiate between local and rerouted goods. Beginning May 2025, Vietnam shifted issuance of certificates of origin to the Ministry of Industry and Trade under a "substantive transformation" standard, demanding meaningful manufacturing steps for goods to qualify as Vietnamese-made.

However, Vietnam's recent government reforms may complicate enforcement. In February, the National Assembly approved a sweeping reorganization, reducing central ministries from 22 to 17, and cutting 63 provincial governments to just 34. Although the Ministry of Industry and Trade remains intact, staffing reductions and limited automation may hinder the government's ability to conduct the labor-intensive inspections required under the deal.

As it stands, Trump's bold declaration has not yet translated into a concrete, bilateral agreement. For now, the gap between the political theater in Washington and the measured caution in Hanoi underscores how far the supposed "deal" still has to go.

Article edited by Jack Wu
GM weighs South Korea exit as "Yellow Envelope" law passes

On August 24, 2025, South Korea's National Assembly officially passed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, otherwise known as the "Yellow Envelope" bill. Spearheaded by South Korea's current ruling party, the bill has caused significant concern in the country's industrial sector, with potential unrest brewing in its aftermath.

Following the passage of the bill, the ruling party plans to push through another set of stricter amendments to the Commercial Act. In response, senior executives at General Motors (GM) South Korea have warned that the US headquarters may reassess its business layout and investment strategy in South Korea.

Origins of the "Yellow Envelope" movement

The term "yellow envelope" dates from 2014, during the mass layoff strike at SsangYong Motor (now KG Mobility), when hundreds of workers faced massive damage claims filed by the company. As many workers' families were plunged into hardship, a grassroots "yellow envelope campaign" began, where citizens donated money using mostly yellow envelopes to help affected workers cover legal and living expenses. The resulting legislative bill thus became known as the "Yellow Envelope law."

The recently passed amendments revive proposals previously targeted for reconsideration or repeal by the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The core content expands the scope of employers and labor disputes, while restricting companies from claiming damages against striking workers.

Expanded employer definitions strengthen worker protections

On August 24, 2025, the South Korean National Assembly approved partial revisions to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. Article 2 defines workers, employers, and labor disputes, while Article 3 addresses liability and claims arising from collective bargaining or dispute actions.

Most significantly, the amendment adds a definition of "employer" in Article 2, clarifying that "even if not a party to the labor contract, any entity with substantial and concrete control or decision-making power over workers' conditions shall be considered an employer."

This broadens the scope of the term "employer," allowing indirectly employed workerssuch as contractorsto engage in collective bargaining with the original employer in control of working conditions, thereby strengthening labor rights protections.

The law also introduces proportional responsibility for compensation liabilities caused by union activities, based on factors like the worker's role within the union, participation in dispute actions, extent of damage, and salary level. While maintaining joint liability for union-related damages, it prevents individual workers from bearing excessive compensation burdens. Furthermore, even when workers are held liable, family members or acquaintances will not be pursued for compensation, preventing unlimited expansion of liability.

After promulgation, the amendment is expected to take effect in six months, during which the government plans to establish a task force to collect feedback from both labor and business to minimize uncertainties during implementation.

GM threatens reassessment amid industry concerns

According to Korea JoongAng Daily, following the passage of the "Yellow Envelope" bill, senior executives at GM's subsidiary in South Korea stated that the company's US headquarters will likely reassess its business operations in the country, given the already high risk of labor conflicts in South Korea. The same day, GM South Korea reportedly urged the government to reconsider the yellow envelope law.

The South Korean automotive industry widely believes that this legislative change could lead to GM's complete withdrawal from South Korea. Past labor negotiations have already led to multiple strikes and production halts at GM South Korea, and in May 2025, GM announced plans to gradually sell off its nine service centers operating in the country.

Six major business groups issue joint warning

On the day the bill was passed, six major business groupsincluding the Korea Employers Federation (KEF)issued a joint written statement expressing their disappointment regarding the amendments expanding employer scope and redefining labor disputes, which limit damage claims related to illegal dispute actions under Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act.

According to the statement, post-amendment definitions of who qualifies as an employer under union law and what constitutes labor disputes remain unclear, which will inevitably lead to legal conflicts between labor and management. Moreover, financial experts believe that the enactment of the "Yellow Envelope" law will deter businesses from investing or operating in South Korea, due to heightened uncertainties in 2025.

The bill comes after the US imposed a 25% tariff on imported vehicles in April 2025. Although tariffs on South Korean imports are expected to decrease to 15%, this will still be a significant blow to the industry, since roughly 90% of GM South Korea's exports go to the US. With additional challenges now mounting from the passage of the "Yellow Envelope" bill, GM will likely need to adjust its production layout.

Article edited by Jerry Chen
India roundup: Modi turns US 50% tariff blow into reform push

The US's 50% tariff on India took effect on August 27, dealing a blow to Indian exporters. India's semiconductor push is gaining traction.

India turns US 50% tariff blow into reform push under Modi's leadership

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods in response to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil and defense equipment. The move is expected to hit India's IT and electronics sectors, prompting calls for government relief, while Prime Minister Modi signals upcoming reforms and policies to support domestic manufacturing.

Japan expected to advance legacy semiconductor, LCD production transfer to India

Japan and India are accelerating plans to relocate production of legacy semiconductor and LCD technologies to India, aiming to reduce dependence on China and strengthen economic security.

India-based CG Semi launches full-service OSAT facility in Gujarat

CG Semi Private Limited, a subsidiary of CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited and part of the Murugappa Group, has inaugurated its first Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Sanand, Gujarat. The launch positions CG Semi among India's earliest full-service OSAT providers and marks major milestone in India's efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities while serving global markets.

Mindgrove bets on cost, compliance, and partnerships to take Indian chips global

Chennai-based Mindgrove Technologies is moving from prototype to mass production of secure IoT chips, focusing on cost efficiency, compliance, and partnerships. Targeting smart meters, biometrics, wearables, and CCTV, the startup leverages Bosch collaboration and India's DLI scheme to scale operations and compete globally with optimized, locally designed solutions.

Vinod Dham-advised VC eyes funding for more fab-side Indian startups

Bluehill VC, advised by Intel veteran Vinod Dham, is ramping up investments in Indian fab-side semiconductor technologies, including metrology solutions for fabs. Traditionally overlooked by local investors, this shift complements India's expanding semiconductor infrastructure and government incentives, signaling growing opportunities beyond fabless design in the country's supply chain.

India-based boAt, HrdWyr unveil indigenously designed chip with Tata Electronics support

boAt has partnered with semiconductor startup HrdWyr to launch the HrdWyr Indus 1011, a high-volume chip fully designed in India, with assembly, packaging, and testing enabled by Tata Electronics. The chip will power boAt's upcoming premium true wireless stereo (TWS) charging cases, expected to debut in early 2026.

OpenAI to open corporate office in New Delhi amid India expansion

OpenAI announced plans to open a corporate office in New Delhi, India, its second-largest market for the firm, in the coming months. The company has begun hiring locally, posting job openings for experienced sales professionals.

Personnel mobility in Apple's India supply chain seen as routine; Foxconn's global workforce ensures continuity

As the Apple iPhone 17 series launch approaches, the spotlight on supply chain dynamics intensifies, particularly regarding Foxconn, the principal backend assembler. Recent reports indicate Foxconn is replacing some Chinese engineers with Taiwanese ones in India, sparking market interest.

Suzuki to launch first made-in-India EV; Prime Minister Modi calls it 'historic beginning'

Suzuki Motor Corp. will produce its first electric vehicle in India, underscoring the Japanese automaker's bet on the South Asian nation as a hub for green mobility and exports. The announcement came alongside the inauguration of the company's new EV initiative at its Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, where Suzuki Chief Executive Toshihiro Suzuki confirmed more than INR700 billion (approx. US$7.98 billion) of investments over the next five to six years.

Gemtek enters India with mmWave FWA, mass shipment in 2026

Taiwan-based networking manufacturer Gemtek Technology announced on August 25, 2025, that it has begun shipments of its latest 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) fixed wireless access (FWA) products, which will be deployed by a major telecom operator in India. This marks another milestone in Gemtek's efforts to expand its presence in the global high-speed broadband market.

Article edited by Jack Wu
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Weekly news roundup: Intel revives AI chip fight with Jaguar Shores; Samsung may invest in Intel packaging push

Below are the top DIGITIMES Asia stories from August 25 to 31, 2025.

Intel's AI chip comeback: 2nm Jaguar Shores to rival Nvidia

Intel is retooling its AI roadmap, shelving the long-planned Falcon Shores accelerator and shifting focus to a new platform called Jaguar Shores. Test photos of the chip have already surfaced, and at its AI Summit in July 2025, Intel confirmed Jaguar Shores will incorporate SK Hynix's next-generation HBM4 memory. Unlike Falcon Shores, now limited to internal testing, Jaguar Shores is being positioned as Intel's flagship rack-scale AI system, aimed at competing directly with Nvidia and AMD, which are expected to roll out HBM4-based chips around 2026.

Samsung is reportedly considering a stake in Intel to boost chip packaging and challenge TSMC

Samsung Electronics is reportedly considering a strategic investment in Intel to strengthen its foundry business and counter TSMC, with South Korean media citing access to Intel's strengths in packaging technologies like hybrid bonding and glass substrates as key drivers. The potential tie-up comes as Samsung expands its US presence with a US$37 billion Texas fab, while political uncertainty looms after US President Donald Trump disclosed that Washington now holds nearly 10% of Intel.

Both companies are racing toward 2nm-class chipsSamsung with its 2nm node and Intel with its 18A processand analysts say their combined efforts on packaging and cost-cutting could challenge TSMC's dominance and ultimately lower costs for consumers.

Samsung-Nvidia CEO embrace hints at HBM4 deal amid Seoul's US$150B US pledge

South Korean President Jae-Myung Lee used his first US visit to push for deeper tech and trade ties, with Seoul pledging US$150 billion in US investments spanning semiconductors, shipbuilding, and AI. At the KORUS Business Roundtable in Washington, more than 50 senior officials and executives from both countries gathered, including Samsung chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group's Chey Tae-Won, Hyundai's Chung Eui-Sun, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, alongside leaders from GM, IBM, Google, and Applied Materials.

India-based boAt, HrdWyr unveil indigenously designed chip with Tata Electronics support

Indian wearables brand boAt has teamed up with semiconductor startup HrdWyr to unveil the Indus 1011, a high-volume chip fully designed in India, with Tata Electronics providing assembly, packaging, and testing. The chip, which will power boAt's next generation of premium wireless charging cases slated for early 2026, marks a milestone in India's semiconductor push by localizing design, IP creation, and back-end manufacturing.

Executives from both companies said the collaboration underscores India's ability to innovate in low-power, AI-driven chip design while advancing strategic autonomy in the supply chain. Analysts say the move strengthens India's semiconductor ecosystem under the government's "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiatives, potentially reducing dependence on global suppliers.

Micron CEO reportedly meets Samsung's MX division head, bolstering grip on Galaxy's DRAM supply

Micron is tightening its foothold in Samsung's Galaxy supply chain, supplying about 40% of the LPDDR5X memory for the flagship S25 after Samsung's own chip unit faced yield issues, according to industry reports. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra met Samsung mobile chief Roh Tae-moon in July to reaffirm ties, and analysts say the US firm is likely to keep its share in the upcoming Galaxy S26 as Samsung hedges against future disruptionscementing Micron's role as a strategic partner despite thin margins and capacity constraints.

Samsung and SK Hynix slash NAND spending as SK Hynix unveils 321-layer breakthrough

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are scaling back investment in advanced NAND flash as weak demand and high costs push them toward higher-margin DRAM and packaging, South Korean media reported. Samsung has delayed ninth-generation NAND upgrades at its Pyeongtaek and Xi'an fabs and postponed hybrid bonding adoption until at least 2026, while SK Hynix is prioritizing DRAM and HBM for AI servers. Even so, SK Hynix this week unveiled a 321-layer QLC NAND chip with double the capacity of its predecessor and major gains in speed, efficiency, and density, positioning it for PCs, smartphones, and eventually ultra-high-capacity AI server SSDs.

China reportedly turning to second-hand Nvidia A100, H100 GPUs after H20 ban

China's AI hardware market is being roiled by Beijing's ban on Nvidia's H20 accelerator, which has unleashed a flood of second-hand A100 and H100 GPUs from overseas, industry sources say. Chinese firms are dismantling and repurposing the chips into inference servers, slashing costs and sidestepping export curbs, with resale prices for used H100 machines already down nearly 25% this year and projected to fall further by 2026.

Analysts warn the influx is pressuring domestic chipmakers and could destabilize the ecosystem, even as cheaper inference lowers barriers for AI developers and fuels broader adoptionreshaping supply chains and competition across the global AI market.

Article edited by Jack Wu
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The Central Bank in Ireland has not been used for the latest bond prospectus issued by Israel, it has been confirmed.

The prospectus for Israeli bonds has been approved by Luxembourg.

There have been widespread protests over the use of Ireland as the issuing country, and the Central Bank faced calls to refuse to re-approve the bond prospectus before it expired on Monday.

In a letter to Mairead Farrell, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf confirmed that the new prospectus for Israel was approved by Luxembourg.

Mr Makhlouf said: Accordingly, from 2 September 2025, it will not be

possible for the State of Israel to offer bonds under the 2024 prospectus.

In accordance with the provisions of the prospectus regulation concerning home member states and the transfer of approval, the competent authority of Luxembourg approved a new prospectus for the State of Israel today, 1 September 2025.

The Central Bank of Ireland was the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU and previously determined the securities met the standards of the blocs prospectus regulations.

Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the countrys economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israels military operations in Gaza.

Protesters and opposition parties had called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli war bonds over human rights concerns.

They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide.

The Central Bank has said regulations require it to approve prospectuses that meet standards of completeness, consistency and comprehensibility.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald on Monday said: I do not believe that the Irish Central Bank at any stage should have been engaged in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. There is a genocide at play, we are witnesses to that genocide.

The Irish government and state has active obligations under the Genocide Convention, and that means the state, the government and the Central Bank should not be passively sitting back and observing a genocide and certainly should have no hand, act or part in facilitating any aspect or financing of that.

In a statement, Ms Farrell said: My first focus as Finance Committee chair was on the renewal of the bond prospectus of the Israeli Bond programme.

This was something that the Finance Committee undertook in a matter of great detail and published a report in relation to this.

It has been clear for a long time that the Irish people want no hand, act or part in the genocide in Gaza and have long been calling for the Central Bank not to renew this prospectus.

This is certainly good news.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said he welcomed that the Irish Central Bank will no longer be involved in the facilitation of the sale of the bonds.

This decision, while welcome, is overdue. It has long been clear that Israel is engaged in not just a wholesale breach of international law and daily war crimes  but a genocide against the people of Gaza, he said in a statement.

This is the reason I took a High Court case against the Central Bank, earlier this year, seeking to stop its involvement in funding this horror.

No EU financial institution should be involved in raising funds which are used to annihilate innocent civilians  and it is deeply disappointing that Luxembourg is now continuing to facilitate the sale of these bonds.

The EU response to this genocide has been shameful  failing to even agree a response in which Israels barbarism has been criticised.

It is now time for the EU to live up to its own purported values, on human rights and international law, and suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose sanctions on its genocidal regime.
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) third year students Leila Alaou, from Drogheda, a Business & Technology student and Kshitiz Mittal, a Public Relations & Digital Marketing student, originally from India, wanted to find an internship where they could really put their skills and business knowledge to the test.

They were placed in DkITs RDC to become the Student Enterprise Interns for an eight-month period running from January to August. A diverse role with a range of responsibilities, their internship was very focused on the promotion of the Student Inc programme and support of students who successfully enter it. The longest running accelerator programme in Ireland, Student Inc provides seed funding, training and mentoring to entrepreneurial students.

Kshitiz and Leila took charge on a campaign to promote the wonderful opportunities that the Student Inc programme provides to their fellow students. They organised classroom visits, social media campaigns, competitions, and an entrepreneurship event featuring local business leaders, which was a highlight of their internship: Hearing their journeys was incredibly motivating, said Leila. Kshitiz agreed: The planning, handling all the logistics and then seeing the successful turnout was such a buzz.

Another huge task for the duo was supporting the five student interns that have successfully joined the Student Inc Programme this year. These budding entrepreneurs are working on a wide range of business ideas ranging from an AI assistant, to a range of mens grooming products. Participants applied through a competitive process involving a written application, interview, and pitch.

The 2025 Student Inc cohort at DkIT included; Jamie Duffy Creagh, creator of an AI tool to automate esports news; Shane Gray, who is developing a mens grooming product line; Max Crinion Morgan, inventor of RespEire, a respiratory monitoring device for nurses and winner of the 2025 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award at the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards; Israel Olanrewaju, founder of Lan Visuals, an online video production platform; and Philip Vadakekalam, developer of Matcron, a material digital tracing solution that creates 3D digital twins of products, enabling traceability and sustainability compliance.

Each credits Student Incs funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities for helping refine and grow their ideas. They offer a range of workshops on key topics to help get your business off the ground and help us build and form a strong network, according to Jamie. The RDC provides access to a wide network of industry experts who can provide guidance and support on your business journey, echoed Max.

For Israel, a recent MSc graduate in Renewable Energy Systems, the Student Inc Programme has helped to take his company, Lan Visuals, to the next level; By leveraging the funding, mentorship, and office space provided by the Student Inc. accelerator, we will refine our business model, optimise our online platform, and scale our operations, he said.

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In addition to providing supports to these students, Kshitiz and Leila collaborated with other SEIs from various universities to share ideas on promoting the programme and assisting participants to reach their potential. The time seems to have flown by for both students but they are certainly feeling the benefits of their experience! Reflecting on the role, Leila said: "This internship has massively improved my networking skills and really boosted my confidence in work-related situations. Kshitiz added; I have gained hands-on experience in project management, event organisation, and public speaking, while also building valuable industry connections that will shape my future."

A fantastic end to both Kshitiz and Leilas internships and the Student Inc Programme, the Final Showcase for Student Inc took place on Thursday, 20th August in The Arena at MTU in Bishopstown, Co. Cork. 75 participating students from across Ireland came together to share their experiences. Jamie Duffy Creagh, Shane Gray, Max Crinion Morgan and Israel Olanrewaju proudly represented DkIT at the event. The programme ended with a final showcase where DkIT participants Max Crinion Morgan and Shane Gray made it to the final 16 for a pitch event and proudly shared their innovations with other aspiring entrepreneurs from around the country.
Creative Spark in Dundalk has welcomed French illustrator and printmaker Lea Babe as part of its current artist residency programme. Hailing from rural Franche-Comte, France, Babes multidisciplinary practice explores themes of identity, collective experience, and the natural world through mediums such as engraving, risography, gouache, coloured pencil, and, more recently, weaving.

With a deeply observational approach, Lea treats her artistic practice as a form of landscape explorationgathering, digesting, and retranscribing impressions of the world around her. Drawn to the traces of fleeting moments, her work captures patterns, rhythms, and the tension between unity and fragmentation.

Walking forms an essential part of her creative method, allowing her to isolate and recompose visual elements into imaginative, ever-shifting terrains. As a result, her compositions invite the viewer to engage with images that appear to unravel and reassemble in real time.

Lea holds a Masters degree in Editorial Design from ESAM (Ecole superieure darts & medias de Caen-Cherbourg), along with a degree in Childrens Literature from the University of Le Mans. Her portfolio spans fine art prints, illustrated narratives, and bookmaking. Notable works include Les Baladeurs, a childrens book celebrating the joy of wandering, and Hjem, a poetic and philosophical project-in-progress that explores the concept of home through landscape and movement. Her illustrations have been selected for prestigious international exhibitions, including the Bologna Childrens Book Fair, and she regularly facilitates workshops combining storytelling, drawing, and book arts.

During her three-month residency at Creative Spark, Lea Babe will continue developing Hjem, focusing on the idea of traversing, fragmenting, and reassembling landscapes. Inspired by walks along the coastline, she gathers impressions shaped by wind, tide, and light, recording them through coloured pencil drawings, printmaking, weaving, and digital fabrication techniques such as laser cutting and engraving.

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In digesting and recomposing these fragments, I aim to create visual markersforms and patterns that guide both myself and the viewer through the landscape, Babe explains. The work mirrors the central theme of Hjem: how we understand and map our surroundings to create a sense of home.

Lea Babes residency represents Creative Sparks ongoing commitment to supporting contemporary artists whose work bridges traditional craft and contemporary inquiry.

Creative Spark Artist-in-Residence Programme is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and The Arts Service of Louth County Council.
The government has been urged to act rationally and come to a fair agreement with school secretaries and caretakers as industrial action at local primary and secondary schools enters its second week. Louth TD Ruairi O Murchu said he and his party are in full support and solidarity with the Forsa trade union members who started indefinite strike action last week over pension parity and other key entitlement.

The Sinn Fein deputy joined a large number of Forsa members at a rally in Dublin last week, which included a large number of secretaries and caretakers from schools in Louth. He said the strike, which continues this week, was entirely avoidable if ministers McEntee and Chambers had engaged with the trade union earlier, in a more constructive way.

Deputy O Murchu said: Since the start of this strike action, school secretaries and caretakers have mobilised in large numbers to fight for pension parity. This week, we will see the escalation of that action with pickets outside schools and, potentially, widespread disruption that will affect families with children at the schools affected.

The government has been reckless about how it is has dealt with this issue so far and the Labour Court should intervene and call the parties together. I was proud to join school secretaries and caretakers from Louth and across the State in solidarity with their demands.

Read also: INTERVIEW: Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly visits Dundalk

School secretaries and caretakers are just standing up for themselves and for what is right. They are essential and integral to the running of our schools and much of the work they do is unseen.

There is a two-tiered system within schools. Principals, teachers and SNAs are entitled to sick leave, bereavement leave and other entitlements as well as a pension, but secretaries and caretakers dont. Schools will be put under pressure to cope without the work of their secretaries and caretakers, which is completely unsustainable.

Minsters Chambers and McEntee can end this entirely avoidable strike, by listening to what our secretaries and caretakers need, and getting these essential staff get back to their schools.
Sean Kelly has reluctantly withdrawn from a bid to seek Fine Gaels backing to run for president, having determined he will not reach the required nominations within the party.

Mr Kelly also expressed support for the remaining hopeful in the Fine Gael process, former party deputy leader Heather Humphreys.

Both had entered a race to secure the Fine Gael nomination, after the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness in mid August on medical advice.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Kelly said it became clear to him that he would not reach the required 20 nominations from within the parliamentary party.

He said: Two weeks ago, I was pleased to put my name forward as a potential Fine Gael candidate to contest the upcoming presidential election, having been strongly encouraged to do so by grassroots members and local representatives.

To have been selected as Fine Gael candidate for the most distinguished role in our country would have been the greatest honour of my life.

He added: I am particularly grateful to councillors across my Ireland South constituency and elsewhere, to members of the Fine Gael National Executive, and indeed to my 12 Apostles in the Parliamentary Party for the great support they have shown me.

While I am of the view that a contest would be good and healthy for the party and was looking forward to one, unfortunately, after nearly two weeks of engagement, it is clear to me now that I will not be able to gather the required 20 nominations from the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party to contest the selection process.

I have therefore, reluctantly, decided to withdraw my name from the process.

Mr Kelly said he was aware this would be a great disappointment to his supporters, but added: Unfortunately the ball didnt bounce in my favour on this occasion.

He said he would do anything he can to support Ms Humphreys campaign to win the presidency.

A presidential election is expected towards the end of October, as it must take place in the 60 days before the second term of President Michael D Higgins ends on November 11.

To be eligible to run, a candidate must be nominated either by 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities.

So far, left-wing independent Catherine Connolly is the only candidate who has secured the backing needed to get on the presidential ballot paper.

The Galway TD has the backing of Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity and independents.

Sinn Fein has yet to announce whether it will support Ms Connolly or run its own candidate.

Fianna Fails parliamentary party is expected to make a decision on the presidential election in the early autumn, with senior party figures expressing support for former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin.

Elsewhere, Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher announced his intention to seek the partys backing and former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has refused to rule himself out of the race.

Although figures such as MMA fighter Conor McGregor and Riverdance star Michael Flatley have said they are looking to run as presidential candidates, they would need to have this support to be on the ballot paper.
Gardai are investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a child in north Co Dublin.

It is understood that gardai believe the child is likely to be deceased and are investigating the circumstances of how they may have died.

The child is believed to be a boy who was three and a half years old when he was last seen.

Gardai were notified of the case by another agency in recent days.

An Garda Siochana said: Gardai are continuing to carry out operational inquiries in north Co Dublin into the current whereabouts and welfare of a child.

An Garda Siochana is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time.

The Minister for Children said she is deeply concerned over the case.

In a statement, Norma Foley said that the welfare of child was uppermost in her thoughts.

I have been briefed on this matter by officials and I have spoken to the Tusla chief executive about it. I have asked Tusla to keep me fully informed of developments in this case.

I am appealing to anyone with information about this missing child to provide full co-operation to An Garda Siochana as it carries out its investigation.
The East Cork food and drink festival, fEast, is returning to Midleton from tomorrow until Sunday.

Now a firm fixture on Irelands festival calendar, fEast has grown into one of the most dynamic food festivals in the country.

In 2024, the festival welcomed more than 20,000 visitors to East Cork, showcasing the producers, makers, and hospitality talent of the region, while cementing Midletons reputation as a popular culinary location.

Adrianna Hegarty, president of Midleton and Area Chamber of Commerce, said: fEast is about great food, local talent, and the community that makes East Cork so special. Every event brings people together and shines a light on the people behind the produce.

This year, the new fEast Talk Stage will feature a series of talks and discussions hosted by Dee Laffan. These will explore topics such as food culture: past, present, and future.

Conversations will also take place ranging from the new wave of restaurants shaping Midletons dining scene, to memories of the kitchen table, to the legacy of Irish food pioneers, the challenges of growing and the evolving world of Irish drink and pub culture.

Among the other highlights include farm-to-fork feasts at Yellow Belly Farm and dining at Ballyvolane House, and the official opening party at Midleton Distillery Experience as well as the famous Main Street Festival on Sunday.
The Irish Prison Service is temporarily releasing prisoners in a bid to manage overcrowding in Cork Prison, with 107 people left without beds and the situation expected to worsen as courts return from recess.

Cork Prison has a bed capacity of 296 but last Monday it reached its previous overcrowding record of 403, operating at 136% capacity.

There were 107 prisoners without beds, with 99 sleeping on mattresses, meaning eight did not have even a mattress on which to sleep. A further 55 prisoners were out on temporary release.

On Tuesday the number imprisoned dropped to 391, or 132% capacity, meaning 95 were without beds, while nine were without mattresses. Some 63 prisoners were out on temporary release.

The number in the prison on Wednesday was 381, 129% capacity, leaving 85 without beds, two of them without mattresses. Some 68 were on temporary release. These figures remained unchanged on Thursday.

By Friday, the number of inmates had increased by one to 382, leaving 86 without beds, with three on the floor. The number out on temporary release on Friday was the highest all week, at 72.

Short term solution

A source in the Irish Prison Service told The Echo that Cork Prison is using temporary release as a rolling short-term solution to ongoing accommodation issues, but staff are concerned that overcrowding will worsen once the courts return this month from summer recess.

Last month, Colm Burke, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, said a major contributory factor to prison overcrowding was a failure to take into account the effects of recent additional appointments to the judiciary.

It is a major challenge for the prison service to provide spaces in view of the fact that processing of criminal cases has been expedited, therefore there are more cases coming forward for trial in an earlier timeframe and unfortunately, sufficient planning has not been put in place in respect of the number of prison spaces, Mr Burke told The Echo.

No control

An Irish Prison Service spokesperson told The Echo last week that it must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the courts and as such has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time.

Where the number of people in custody exceeds the maximum capacity in any prison, officials in the Irish Prison Service make every effort to deal with this through temporary release, they said.

The legislative basis for temporary release is set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1960, as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003.

Decisions in relation to temporary release are considered on a case-by-case basis and the safety of the public is paramount when those decisions are made.
Cork people are being urged to show support for cyclists as the Malin2Mizen Cycle4CF passes through the county on September 13 and 14 to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI).

The cycle starts in Malin Head on Thursday September 11 and will take the cyclists four days to cover 640 kilometres in their cycle to Mizen Head, which they aim to reach on Sunday September 14.

The cyclists will be passing through Charleville and Mallow on the Saturday afternoon September 13. The following day on September 14, the cyclists will pass through Millstreet, Macroom , Drimoleague, Durrus and finally Mizen Head which they are scheduled to arrive at 4:45pm on the Sunday afternoon.

The cycle was first held in 2015 in memory of Triona Priestley, who passed away in 2014 from CF when she was just 15 years old.

Some of Trionas closest friends, many new cyclists and those who cycled the first Malin2Mizen Cycle4CF in 2015, will also be taking part in the 2025 cycle.

Trionas mother, Bernie Priestley, has been central to this event since it began

Ms Priestley said: Triona was always a voice for people with CF in Ireland. She never gave up in her determination to raise awareness of CF and brought so many people on the journey with her. Malin2Mizen Cycle4CF has enabled us to continue that journey after she passed and to carry on her legacy.

There have been immense changes in the last ten years. When Triona passed, just over half the population of people with CF (PwCF) in Ireland were adults. With advancements, that number has shot up and is growing. CF Care has improved drastically; the modulators are now widely available to the community, and PwCF are beginning to plan for the future with greater confidence.

More than 1,400 people are living with CF in Ireland and the predicted median age of survival for a person with CF in Ireland is now 51.

Ms Priestley added:

"When Triona had her final stay in hospital, her friends banded together to get her message out to the world before she left it. Now, the gang is back together, once again working for the same goal, which is an emotional and powerful thing. Wed love as many people to come out on the day, show their support for the cause and wave these heroes on as they cycle the length of the country.

To find out further information about the fundraiser and also the services and supports which CFI provides, visit www.cfireland.ie.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns is to return to her role as the head of the party this month.

A Social Democrats spokesperson confirmed to The Echo the expectation is that Ms Cairns will return for political duty in mid-September.

The Cork South West TD gave birth to her first child on the general election polling day in November last year and has since then been on maternity leave.

Ms Cairns (35) first became involved in politics while she was campaigning for the referendum on the Eighth Amendment, which motivated her to join the Social Democrats and establish a branch in West Cork.

In 2019, Ms Cairns won a local council seat in Bantry by a single vote. A year later, in 2020, she successfully contested the general election, quickly rising to national prominence in the Dail. In 2023, she was elected as Social Democrats party leader.

Cian OCallaghan stepped up to lead the Social Democrats party while Ms Cairns has been on leave.

Meanwhile, her party colleague and fellow Cork TD has given his seal of approval to Independent Catherine Connolly being nominated to run as a candidate in the presidential election.

Ms Connolly, is to date, the only candidate to be confirmed as running in the upcoming presidential campaign.

Speaking to The Echo, Cork South Central Social Democrats TD Padraig Rice said:

Im delighted that myself and my Social Democrat colleagues will be nominating Catherine Connolly for president.

She has the skills, qualities and experience to be a brilliant president.

Shes a lawyer, a gaeilgeoir and a tireless champion for those on the margins of Irish society. She served as the leas-cheann comhairle of the Dail with distinction.

Mr Rice added: She will be a steady hand but also a spark. I think shes the best person to succeed Michael D Higgins as President of Ireland.
The DPP case against a 22-year-old accused of laundering 19,900 at a bank account in Cork will be listed for trial by indictment at the sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court commencing on October 28.

When Sergeant John Kelleher confirmed service of the book of evidence on the defendant at Cork District Court, Judge Mary Dorgan sent the case forward for trial at the sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court commencing on October 28.

It will be a matter for that court to set a date for hearing of the case.

Kevin Varian with an address at Upper Fair Hill, Cork, is charged with handling this cash at Bank of Ireland, Blackpool Shopping Centre, Blackpool, Cork, on June 24 2021, while being reckless as to whether this was the proceeds of criminal conduct.
A laser was shone from the balcony of an apartment into the cockpit of a helicopter that was searching the River Lee for a missing person. The helicopter had to stand down twice.

These were the allegations made today in the case against a man, aged around 40, at Cork District Court.

Judge Mary Dorgan said the case was too serious to be dealt with at the district court. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had indicated that it could be dealt with at that court level, but Judge Dorgan refused to accept jurisdiction.

It is far too serious, Judge Dorgan said.

The fact that a helicopter was looking for a missing person, and I must also take in to consideration that it happened twice and that it is alleged that the helicopter had to be stood down  apart altogether from the safety of the helicopter.

Sergeant John Kelleher outlined the allegations against Daniel Kazirodek, of an apartment at 29/30, Lower John St, Cork.

Sgt Kelleher said that after midnight on October 18, 2023, a missing-person search was being conducted in the River Lee.

During this search, a request was made of the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 to assist in the search from Waterford.

At approximately 00.15, the crew of 117 reported a green laser being pointed into the cockpit of the helicopter and the search operations had to be suspended.

At approximately 1.55am, the crew in Rescue 117 reported a second laser strike in the helicopter.

The camera operative had observed a male standing on a balcony shining the laser at the aircraft. Search operations were again suspended and gardai were guided to the location of the laser.

With the assistance of the Irish Coast Guard, the address of a second-floor apartment with a balcony at 29/30 Lower John St was identified. Gardai were invited into the address by Mr Kazirodek, who was highly intoxicated.

A search warrant was subsequently obtained for his apartment and it was subsequently searched. He handed Sergeant Colin Dowling a box containing a number of different attachments for a laser. He said he discarded the actual laser by throwing it into a nearby factory.

Joseph Cuddigan, solicitor, represented the accused man.

Now that the case is to proceed by indictment, the DPP will have to give further directions and the case was adjourned until November 24.

The charge, under the State Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014, states that on October 17, 2023, at Lower John St, Cork, the accused man did deliberately and recklessly shine a laser in the direction of an Irish Coast Guard aircraft, so that the light may dazzle, distract, or confuse the pilot or person in the performance of their duties.
For most students, the end of exams is a time to relax and forget about university for a few months.

But for those who secure a place on the Student Inc. programme, the summer looks very different. They face into a challenging but rewarding 13 weeks that can change their lives.

Student Inc. is a full-time summer accelerator open to students from every discipline and every year of study.

It began in 2013, when just three students from the then CIT took part. The idea was simple: encourage students who had developed a new product as part of their studies to take the next step and see if they could turn it into a business.

Every year, thousands of students across Irish universities develop projects as part of their coursework, be it software, food products or medical devices, and much more. Once the module is complete, most of those ideas are set aside.

Thats where Student Inc. comes in. By placing students in an environment designed to support start-ups, the programme gives them the chance to properly assess the commercial potential of their ideas.

In 2025, 75 students completed the programme across the country. MTU participants were based at the Rubicon and Tom Crean incubation centres in Cork and Kerry, while students from nine partner universities were based in 11 other campus incubators nationwide.

They came from 40 different courses, from first-year undergraduates to PhD students.

Half had science and engineering backgrounds, which meant areas like marketing and business planning were completely new to them.

The expansion of Student Inc. has been driven by Irelands network of campus incubation centres.

Many students approach incubators for support, but unless they are research-focused, there are few formal supports available. Student Inc. fills that gap.

The format is similar to New Frontiers, the national entrepreneurial development programme for ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas, where students receive training, mentoring, office space, and 4,000 in seed funding.

But it is a full-time commitment - their job for the summer. For many, the biggest adjustment is realising that Student Inc. isnt a college course. They have to work independently and take responsibility for driving their ideas forward.

One of the toughest requirements comes in the first six weeks: each student must carry out 40 customer discovery interviews. Cold-calling strangers to ask about their business idea is daunting, but it is also transformative.

This stage isnt about validating their solution, but about proving there is a real problem worth solving.

Many students pivot their ideas entirely based on what they hear.

Throughout the summer, students collaborate and support each other, drawing on their diverse academic backgrounds. It becomes a melting pot of ideas, perspectives, and experiences.

The programme culminates in a showcase - in 2025 it was held in the MTU Arena - where, for many, it was the first time meeting face-to-face after 13 weeks of working largely online.

The outcomes speak for themselves. Several students from the 2025 programme progressed to New Frontiers. In Cork alone, four Student Inc. alumni completed the Enterprise Ireland-backed programme at the Rubicon Centre with ideas ranging from an air fryer cookie product to a home economics subscription service, to an innovative cryptocurrency platform, and a carers platform for dementia support.

Others return to their studies, continuing to develop their projects, while some decide entrepreneurship isnt for them. But that doesnt mean they have failed. The skills they gain from validating and pitching to pivoting and collaborating are invaluable in any career.

In 2025, Student Inc. also introduced a Creative stream, led by IADT, which opened the programme to students from creative disciplines across all nine partners. This reflects the programmes scalability as it can be rolled out on any campus, across any sector.

The real success of Student Inc. lies in the ecosystems on Irelands university campuses. Incubators provide the space, expertise, and access to research and prototyping support that enable students to thrive.

Every year, I am astounded by the transformation in some participants. They turn challenges into opportunities, ideas into action, and lessons into life-long skills.

Student Inc. may not turn every student into an entrepreneur, but it does something just as valuable: it shows them what is possible when they are given the right support, the right environment, and the belief that their ideas are worth pursuing.
Ellen O'Donoghue

A variety of stories feature on Monday's front pages.

The Irish Times lead with Jim Gavin having the support of almost all Fianna Fail's cabinet ministers, concern growing at gangs sourcing military grade guns, and plans to remove colonial art objects held by the national museum being delayed.

The Irish Examiner lead with MEP Billy Kelleher facing a battle for the Fianna Fail presidential nomination, a toddler being denied universal subsidies because of his disabilities, over 2,000 children being left without a hot lunch as firms pull out of supply for small schools, an interview with Mary Lou McDonald, and threats against Tanaiste Simon Harris and his children.

The Irish Independent lead with consultant reforms driving the soaring cost of health cover.

The Echo lead with vulnerable children in Cork living in unsuitable accommodation and sharing facilities with adults from other families, due to the housing crisis, and there being no space at a Cork autism support group.

The Belfast Telegraph lead with the head of Northern Ireland's civil service getting a pay rise of 30,000 in a year.

The Irish Daily Mail lead with Pope Leo having said the Catholic Church will downsize in Ireland with fewer dioceses and fewer bishops, according to Archbishop Eamon Martin.

The Irish Daily Mirror lead with TV star Brendan Courtney's house being damaged when a car ploughed into the front of it.

The Irish Daily Star lead with Irish activists joining a flotilla that left Barcelona on Sunday with the aim of breaking Israels blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea.

The Herald lead with gardai investigating threats made against Tanaiste Simon Harris's children.
(Photo: Kim Cain)Crowd at a Christian Unity rally in Jakarata, Indonesia on May 18, 2013.

Following attacks on Christian churches and schools in Indonesia, Catholic bishops and representatives of other religious communities have appealed to the government to tackle the pressing issue.

"We must take decisive action against anyone who adopts intolerant behavior, even more so when it is accompanied by violent acts that constitute criminal offenses," the Indonesian Bishops' Conference told the central government in Jakarta in an Aug. 7 appeal.

"No one should go unpunished for committing anarchic acts, especially when they interfere with prayer and worship anywhere in Indonesian territory," reads the appeal.

It urges the central government in Jakarta to "intervene firmly" against any form of religious intolerance, particularly when accompanied by violence, the Fides News Agency reports.

The statement warned that each attack undermines the nation's constitutional commitment to religious freedom.

It followed several "attacks" on places of worship and institutions linked to ecclesial communities in recent months.

The document was presented at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Indonesian Catholic Bishops' Conference and was also signed by other organizations, including the Supreme Council of the Confucian Religion (MATAKIN) and Buddhist and Protestant groups.

The appeal noted that "freedom of religion and worship is a constitutional right of citizens, guaranteed by Articles 28 and 29, Paragraph 2 of the 1945 Constitution," of Indonesia.

It stated that, for this reason, "the State, through law enforcement agencies and local authorities, has a duty to intervene decisively to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future."

This refers not only to those who oppose the construction of churches, but also to an attack on a Protestant Christian school a few days earlier and the recent destruction of several Christian places of worship.

"The law enforcement and judicial authorities," the document continues, "must prevent and thoroughly investigate any criminal, violent act of denial, obstruction, or destruction of places used by Indonesian citizens for prayer and worship."

The letter's signatories emphasized that religious sites should be preserved as "spaces of peace, security, and dignity," and urged state authorities, the Forum for Religious Harmony, and the broader community to collaborate in preventing future hostility.

Of Indonesia's nearly 282 million people, some 87.4 percent are Muslims, while Christians account for 10.6 percent.
Our favorite Google-powered smart display is the second-generation Nest Hub. It has a 7-inch screen, which makes it just big enough to fit in most rooms in the house. The size also makes it work well as a digital photo frame. You can set it up to pull in pictures of friends and family from your Google Photos library, and theres a smart algorithm that automatically uses the best shots while avoiding the blurry ones. As you might expect, you can also use the display to watch YouTube, Netflix and other streaming services.

Plus, a smart display without a camera is great if you want to place it in more intimate places like the bedroom, where you might be more protective of your privacy. If you place it by your bedside, the Nest Hub also has a sensor that can track your sleep patterns, if you opt in.

If you prefer a display with a camera, we recommend splurging on the higher-end Nest Hub Max. Its built-in camera can be used for video calls with Google Duo, Google Meet and Zoom. This smart gadget also has an optional face-tracking feature that lets the camera follow you around during calls. One benefit of the camera is that it gives you the option for Face Match, a feature that automatically recognizes individual members of the house and then displays the information thats pertinent only to them, like calendar alerts.

Additionally, the camera adds a unique gestures feature that lets you play and pause media simply by holding up your hand to the screen, which is convenient if you need to stop the music without having to shout across the room. The Google Nest Hub Max also has better audio quality than the Hub thanks to its larger speakers.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is being treated at a hospital in New Hampshire after getting into a car accident.

The 81-year-old was hurt on the evening of August 20 when his vehicle was struck from behind at high speed, shortly after he stopped to assist a woman in distress.

Giuliani's security chief, Michael Ragusa, explained that the former mayor had pulled over to assist a woman who claimed she was experiencing domestic violence.

"Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911," Ragusa explained in a statement. He stayed with her until police arrived to ensure she was safe, ENews reported.

Shortly after returning to the road, Giuliani's vehicle was rear-ended while traveling on the highway.

He was rushed to a nearby trauma center, where doctors diagnosed him with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, cuts, bruises, and injuries to his arm and leg.

Three others, including Giuliani, were taken to the hospital, though police said all injuries were non-life threatening.

Rudy Giuliani INJURED in car accident



Former NYC mayor stopped to help domestic violence victim, then his car was struck from behind at HIGH SPEED



Giuliani suffered fractured spine, lacerations, bruising

RT pic.twitter.com/OsfvB9GbaM  TifaniesweTs (@TifaniesweTs) August 31, 2025

Andrew Giuliani Thanks Public for Support After Father's Crash

Ragusa confirmed that Giuliani's medical team and business partner were notified right away. He added that the former mayor is alert and "in good spirits" despite the accident.

Ragusa mentioned that Giuliani suffered several injuries in the crash but is making strong progress in his recovery.

He also stressed that the crash "was not a targeted attack," urging the public to avoid spreading conspiracy theories about the incident.

According to CNN, Giuliani's son, Andrew, also spoke out following the crash, thanking people for their support. "Your prayers mean the world. As a son, I can tell you I'm honored to have a Dad that I can call the toughest SOB I've ever seen," he wrote on social media.

Doctors expect Giuliani to stay in the hospital for a few more days before being discharged. He will likely need to wear a back brace as part of his recovery.

The New Hampshire State Police confirmed it is investigating both the domestic violence report and the circumstances surrounding the collision. For now, officials have not released details about the driver who struck Giuliani's car.

Giuliani, often called "America's Mayor" for his leadership after the September 11 attacks, has faced legal and financial troubles in recent years.

But according to those close to him, his resilience remains strong. As Ragusa told reporters, "The mayor is in great spirits. He's a beast. He survived 9/11."
A new book by royal journalist Valentine Low reveals that, as a teenager, Queen Camilla once defended herself from an attacker on a train by using her high heel.

In "Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy," Low shares a story Camilla allegedly told former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a private tea at Clarence House in 2008, PageSix reported.

During her conversation with Boris Johnson, who was serving as Mayor of London at the time, and his communications director Guto Harri, the Queen Consort shared details of the incident.

According to Harri, Camilla said the assault happened when she was around 16 or 17 years old, while riding a train to Paddington Station.

"Some guy was moving his hand further and further," Harri recalled Camilla saying. When Johnson asked how she reacted, she reportedly replied, "I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel."

Harri also claimed that Camilla didn't stop there. She quickly got off at the next station, sought help from a uniformed official, and reported what had happened. The alleged assailant was later arrested.

On tomorrow's front page: Queen attacked as teen



Camilla whacked groper in goolies https://t.co/PlSocVGOTL pic.twitter.com/N7cEzAvMY5  The Sun (@TheSun) August 31, 2025

Read more: Queen Camilla Against King Charles Meeting With Prince Harry During UK Visit For This Reason

Palace Stays Silent on Book Detailing Queen Camilla's Past

The Palace has not released a formal response to the book, though insiders indicate there is no challenge to the account.

Those close to Queen Camilla say she has spoken about the experience privately over the years, not as a source of shame but as a way to encourage and support others.

"She believes it's a positive outcome if her own experience helps other women," one insider said.

The source also clarified that this incident is not what led Camilla to become involved in domestic violence advocacy.

Instead, she was moved by the stories of survivors she's met throughout the years.

In recent years, Queen Camilla has taken an active role in supporting abuse survivors.

According to the BBC, she serves as patron of SafeLives, a UK organization dedicated to ending domestic violence.

She has visited shelters and spoken out in support of those who have faced sexual assault and coercive control.

In a 2020 speech, she said, "They are some of the bravest people I have ever met... That is why it is so vital that these survivors should no longer feel any shame or any blame."
Wendy Williams is considering a speaking tour focused on guardianship reform, according to a new report, shifting her attention away from television.

A source told Page Six the 61-year-old former talk show host has discussed hosting panels on how families can protect themselves from guardianships and recognize warning signs. "She wants to talk about how to get out of it, and all of the red flags," the insider said.

Williams, once a leading daytime personality, has lived in a New York assisted-living facility since 2022. A court placed her under the guardianship of attorney Sabrina Morrissey after concerns about her health and finances.

Lawyer Slams Guardianship

Williams' attorney Joe Tacopina said his client believes her public profile could help spotlight problems with the system. "She said to me more than once, 'I wish I weren't in this situation, but if someone were going to be in this situation, better to be me with a platform so I can expose this system,'" Tacopina told Extra.

Tacopina described the arrangement as "unjust" and "despicable," adding that Williams is "as lucid as they come." He said she has been unable to live freely for nearly three years.

pic.twitter.com/m9QxLhEvRn Wendy Williams says the only thing she wants for her birthday is to be "Freed from her conservatorship" in new video posted to social media.#FREEWENDY  Wendy Williams Updates (@WendyWilliamsOF) July 18, 2025

Medical records tied to her case have been disputed. Sources claim she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023, but Tacopina said neither he nor Williams have seen the report. He argued her health information has been mishandled, calling it a HIPAA violation. He added that a neutral physician will be asked to review her condition, and depending on the outcome, a jury trial might follow.

Williams herself denied being incapacitated when approached by reporters in New York earlier this year. She told Page Six her lawyers were "highly upset" with media coverage of her health and repeated her goal of ending the guardianship. "I will get out of guardianship," she said.

Court filings show Morrissey has sought extensions of the arrangement while lawyers for Williams' family and ex-husband have signaled plans to challenge her authority.

Tacopina has been outspoken about the next steps. "Those responsible for her status, her basically incarceration, will be held accountable," he told TMZ, adding that the guardianship process is "scary" and "misdiagnosed."

Williams has also spoken publicly, noting, "I just had a birthday and I'm still in a guardianship. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does."

A movement supporting her, labeled #FreeWendy, has grown as legal battles continue. In April, she was filmed tapping on the window of her facility while supporters protested outside.
Meghan Markle's Netflix lifestyle series "With Love, Meghan" returned for its second season this week. The new episodes featured celebrity guests, kitchen sessions, and home projects.

Harry and the couple's children, Archie and Lilibet, did not appear in the new season. Viewers pointed out the difference from the first season, where Harry made a short appearance during a family brunch in the finale.

His absence this time drew questions, but royal expert Jennie Bond said the decision was intentional.

"I think Meghan is very wise to keep the focus on her. This is her baby, her project, and I think Harry has deliberately kept out of the way so that the spotlight shines on his wife," Bond told The Mirror.

Meghan Keeps the Focus on Her Brand

Bond explained that Meghan spoke about Harry and her children at points in the series, but the show's premise is different.

"She talks about him from time to time in the new series and also mentions her children," she said. "But this is a lifestyle show about cooking and crafting and chatting with her guests. It's not about being married to a prince. It's about being an influencer and selling her products. And it seems to be doing the job rather well."

Critics were less positive.

The Telegraphgave the show two stars, describing it as "marginally less mad but more needy" than the first season. The review also called Meghan a "Montecito Marie Antoinette" and said the series was "boring and at times, pretty insufferable." They also highlighted Harry's absence, saying it felt "increasingly weird" for a program centered on the couple's California home life.

The Guardian also awarded two stars, calling the series a "gormless lifestyle filler." The review criticized the structure as "so painfully contrived that it's genuinely fascinating," while questioning Meghan's style choices on set.

Royal Reconciliation

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has told friends he wants to repair his relationship with Prince William before the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. According to Radar Online, he has stressed that "unity is the only tribute their mother would have wanted."

Insiders said Harry has been pushing his brother to put past tensions aside and join him at memorial events in the coming years, including those planned for 2027.

For Harry, the anniversary has become a symbolic moment he does not want overshadowed by division.

The two brothers last stood together publicly in 2021 when they unveiled a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace. At the time, the appearance raised hopes that they might find common ground. Those hopes faded as the rift deepened.

A palace aide said William has remained guarded after Meghan Markle's claims of neglect during her mental health struggles and her allegation of racist remarks about their son Archie. "He believes the accusations caused real and lasting harm," the source explained, adding that the experience has left William cautious about any public reconciliation.

Harry, however, continues to press for a truce. Friends say he insists they "need to make peace for their mother" and that Diana would have wanted her sons "standing together." While he hopes William will join him, Harry is prepared to move forward with or without his brother's full involvement.
Booming European demand has pushed UK dairy exports to a record 1.1 billion in the first half of 2025  a 20 percent jump on last year.

Shipments to the Netherlands increased by 15% to 130m, while France recorded a 41% surge to 82m. Exports to Spain climbed 40% to 35m, and Germany saw a 25% rise to 32m.

Beyond Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East also delivered strong results. Exports to the US rose by 30% to 43 million, while shipments to Asia and Oceania grew 22% to 73m.

Trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was up 28%, reaching 46 million, according to the figures.

It follows an intense period of international activity by the AHDB International Trade Development Team for Dairy. In the first half of 2025, the team covered more than 130,000 km, supporting 36 UK companies across 14 global events.

Backed by representatives on the ground in the US, Middle East and Asia, the industry worked with the government to raise the profile of British dairy from San Francisco to Singapore. Efforts included trade shows, in-store promotions and dairy education events.

Lucy Randolph, AHDBs head of international trade development, said the team had been working tirelessly to champion British dairy across global markets.

She explained that the levy organisation had stepped up its efforts this year with a more ambitious programme of activity, carried out in close collaboration with both government and industry partners.

Weve invested more in delivering a new and enhanced comprehensive programme of activity this year, working in partnership with government and industry, and it is paying real dividends for the sector.

According to Ms Randolph, the dairy industry has also reaped significant benefits from AHDBs overseas representatives, including in the US, Asia and the Middle East.

She added that AHDBs international activity, combined with the insights of its Market Intelligence team, was equipping exporters with vital knowledge and practical backing.

Our work in the first half of 2025 has helped deliver tangible benefits for our levy payers, underlined by the six-month export figures," she said.

"We need to build on that momentum and look forward to delivering more of this activity during the second half of this year including taking part in Anuga in Cologne this October, this years biggest trade show.

Our aim is to unlock the success of British agriculture and help ensure our world-class dairy produce thrives on the global stage.

UK red meat exports surged to 966 million in the first six months of 2025, almost 10% higher than last year, as strong prices offset tighter cattle supplies.

Between January and June, red meat exports, including offal, were worth 966 million, according to the latest HMRC figures.
Farmers and food campaigners are set to descend on the Scottish Parliament, demanding that ministers back up their promises on sustainable farming with action.

The Scottish Agroecology Partnership  a new coalition of farming organisations  is organising a rally and community meal on Wednesday 3 September in Edinburgh.

The group, which represents 3,000 farmers and crofters, is urging the Scottish government to honour its commitment to a just transition for agriculture, amid concerns that current rural support proposals fail to deliver on sustainability.

Despite promising rhetoric in the Land and Agriculture Just Transition Plan, the partnership says the governments latest proposals risk shutting out the very farmers and crofters most ready to lead the shift to sustainable methods.

Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Tara Wight, Scotland campaigns coordinator at the Landworkers Alliance, said: We are challenging the narrative that farmers dont want change.

"There are thousands of farmers and crofters across Scotland who are ready to lead this transition  but they need policies and funding mechanisms that support them, not shut them out.

The governments current rural support proposals fail to deliver on social justice or on offering any meaningful support for farmers and crofters to transition towards a more sustainable and regenerative future.

The partnership includes eight organisations, including the Landworkers Alliance, Scottish Crofting Federation, the Soil Association and the Nature Friendly Farming Network.

Their rally on Wednesday will run from 122pm and will feature speeches from farmers and crofters, who will share their experiences and outline their vision.

Ms Wight added: We are calling on anyone who cares about the future of food and farming to join us at this event to call for positive change.

"It will be a powerful show of solidarity and collective action for a fairer, more sustainable food system.

According to the partnership, the bulk of the agricultural budget continues to flow towards large landowners, while smaller-scale and agroecological farmers struggle to make ends meet.

This imbalance, they argue, undermines Scotlands climate, biodiversity and rural livelihood objectives.

Susi Stuehlinger, policy coordinator at the Scottish Crofting Federation and a crofter in the Ross of Mull, said: Currently, the largest landholdings receive the most agricultural support, while family farms are struggling to survive.

"We need a system that puts communities and ecosystems before corporations and wealthy individuals profits, and instead truly supports crofters and small producers in building resilient local supply chains.

Tim Barnes, a sheep farmer in Dumfries and Galloway, echoed the call for fairer distribution: Redistribution of agricultural support would sustain and grow our rural communities, as well as enabling the production and distribution of many essential foods at the local level.
Police are investigating after 42 lambs were stolen from a field in Ceredigion, in what officers say is a devastating blow to the farming family affected.

Dyfed-Powys Police are appealing for information after the lambs were taken from a field near Capel Cynon, Ffostrasol, Llandysul.

Rural crime officers in Ceredigion said the animals were taken from within a flock of more than 400 lambs sometime in the three weeks leading up to 29 August.

The theft only came to light following a count of the flock, according to the force.

According to the latest figures by NFU Mutual, rural crime across the UK cost an estimated 44.1 million in 2024, a 16.5% decrease compared to 52.8 million in 2023.

However, livestock theft remains a persistent problem, costing around 3.3 million, a modest 3% increase year on year.

Inspector Matthew Howells urged the agricultural community to play a central role in tracing the missing animals and bringing those responsible to justice.

He said: "Someone will have seen these animals either being put through a livestock market, an abattoir or may be in a field near to where you live and work.

"There is also the possibility that they may have entered the food chain illegally as smokies.

The impact of a theft on this scale has a devastating impact on the victim, his family and business.

Police described the missing stock as mainly white-faced lambs, with a few black-faced animals, each marked with green and blue on their rumps and back.

The lambs are not tagged but have distinctive notches in their ears.

Officers stressed that no lambs have been sold from this flock this year, meaning any animals with identical ear notches found elsewhere are likely to be the stolen stock.

The force has appealed to the farming community, livestock auctioneers, abattoirs and members of the public for information that could assist the investigation.
Hezbollah member killed in Israeli airstrike on S. Lebanon: sources

Xinhua) 10:28, September 01, 2025

This photo taken on Aug. 31, 2025 shows Israeli airstrikes on the Nabatieh area, southern Lebanon. According to the NNA, the intelligence source, and local eyewitnesses, Israeli drones and warplanes carried out multiple airstrikes across southern Lebanon, including some places deep in the area, targeting Hezbollah military positions "subjected to similar air raids" conducted previously.

The strikes caused the closure of the international road linking the border area in southern Lebanon with the Nabatieh region, and the Lebanese army is working on it, they said. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah member was killed Sunday in an Israeli airstrike targeting southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese sources.

An Israeli drone "struck a motorcycle on the Nabatieh Al-Fawqa road with a guided missile," Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported. A Lebanese army intelligence source told Xinhua the dead was a Hezbollah member named Ali Tawba from the village of Maifadoun.

According to the NNA, the intelligence source, and local eyewitnesses, Israeli drones and warplanes also carried out multiple airstrikes across southern Lebanon, including some places deep in the area, targeting Hezbollah military positions "subjected to similar air raids" conducted previously.

The strikes caused the closure of the international road linking the border area in southern Lebanon with the Nabatieh region, and the Lebanese army is working on it, they said.

Since Nov. 27, 2024, a U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect, ending more than a year of cross-border clashes. The agreement stipulated Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but the Israeli army has maintained several posts along the border and continues to launch attacks, citing "threats" from Hezbollah.

Reports indicate that the Israeli army has begun establishing new military posts along the southern Lebanon border.

This photo taken on Aug. 31, 2025 shows Israeli airstrikes on the Nabatieh area, southern Lebanon. According to the NNA, the intelligence source, and local eyewitnesses, Israeli drones and warplanes carried out multiple airstrikes across southern Lebanon, including some places deep in the area, targeting Hezbollah military positions "subjected to similar air raids" conducted previously.

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release Chemicals

SubCategory Select Sub-Category
Exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories (HS Chapter **) dipped by * per cent to $*,***.*** million, down from $*,***.*** million in JanuaryJuly ****. Non-knitted apparel and accessories (HS Chapter **) experienced a *.* per cent decline, falling to $*,***.*** million from $*,***.*** million during the same period last year, as per the trade report on the top twenty chapters. The sharper fall in woven apparel highlights a stronger impact on higher-value categories, while knitwear showed relatively better resilience.

In July ****, Turkiyes garment exports eased by *.** per cent to $*,***.*** million. Exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories decreased by *.* per cent to $***.*** million, compared to $***.*** million in July ****. Non-knitted apparel and accessories saw a *.* per cent decline, falling from $***.*** million in July **** to $***.*** million in July ****. The July contraction signals that seasonal exportstypically stronger in summeralso weakened, pointing towards ongoing headwinds in the global retail market.
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt will soon be shifting to their dream home in Bandra. It is under construction currently, and the couple often visit the site to check the progress. Recently, the Barfi actor was seen at the site of his new house to inspect the property. He wore a casual t-shirt paired with jeans and a cap. He quickly rushed inside the building as soon as he stepped out of his car. The actor was also seen sporting a beard. This is presumably his look from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love and War, as Ranbir was in Rajasthan recently shooting for the film with Vicky Kaushal. It also stars Alia Bhatt in a key role.





Meanwhile, the property where Ranbir is making his new house originally belonged to Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor. It was then passed down to Ranbir's parents, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor.



Take a look at Ranbir's pictures:
It has been reported that Diljit Dosanjh has withdrawn from the highly anticipated sequel to No Entry, which also features Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan in leading roles. This news has come as a surprise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Diljit Dosanjh in the comedy drama. Although, no official confirmation has been released at this time. The reasons cited for his departure are believed to be related to his upcoming Aura Tour.

According to a report by Peeping Moon, Diljits packed touring schedule was becoming a challenge for the No Entry team. The film requires extensive planning for its massive sequel, and unfortunately, Diljits dates just couldnt align. Given these constraints, both sides have amicably and mutually decided to part ways. Diljit Dosanjh will begin his upcoming Aura Tour in Australia and New Zealand, with the tour scheduled to take place from October 26th to November 13th.





Boney Kapoor said, speaking with Instant Bollywood, Poori star cast hi humne change ki. Toh ye humara loss hai that we could not retain the same star cast. (Weve changed the entire star cast. So its our loss that we couldnt retain the original cast). We waited for almost 8-10 years but somehow things didnt happen. We will miss them. And now we are trying to give a fresh start with a younger lot of actors. But at the same time, we will miss Salman, we will miss Anil and Fardeen. They were the original three boys in No Entry. And they were most loved.

He added, Waqt beet gaya wait karte karte aur aaj hum shayad new setup ke saath koi nayi cheezein usmeinho sakta hai sab cheezein aur different ho. But maine mauka kho diya. Gaadi aage nikal gayi. Ab ye pachhtaawa hoga ki same setup nahi hai. (Time passed while we kept waiting, and today, with a new setup, maybe things will be different. But I lost the opportunity. The train has moved on. Now there will always be this regret that the original setup isnt there). Because Salman is a fantastic guy, Anil is a fantastic guy, brother and actor. Fardeen is one of the best guys I have known in the film industry. I will miss them. But somehow, we have moved on, and lets hope the decision is right.



Also Read: Anees Bazmee Breaks Silence On Diljit Dosanjhs Exit From No Entry 2






Anne Hathaway gave her fans a brief scare on the sets of The Devil Wears Prada 2 this week, but thankfully, all is well. The actress, who is returning as Andy Sachs in the long-awaited sequel, was spotted filming in New York City when a small mishap occurred.













According to onlookers, the heel of Anne Hathaways silver-studded strappy shoe broke while she was walking down a set of steps during a scene. The 41-year-old actress lost her balance and fell forward, drawing gasps from crew members before they quickly rushed to her side. Photos from the set captured the moment, showing Hathaway in a chic outfit that perfectly reflected her characters stylish flair, a pleated skirt, a sheer blouse, oversized sunglasses, and the ill-fated heels.

Despite the tumble, Hathaway quickly stood up and reassured everyone nearby, saying, Im fine. Her calm response and immediate recovery impressed both the crew and fans online. Clips of the incident spread rapidly across social media, with many praising her professionalism and sense of humour in handling the accident.





It remains unclear whether the fall was part of the scripted scene or a genuine mishap, but either way, Hathaways quick recovery added another memorable moment to the films buzz. The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Hathaway with her iconic co-stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. The sequel also welcomes new faces, including Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, Simone Ashley, Kenneth Branagh, and Pauline Chalamet. Directed by David Frankel, who helmed the 2006 original, the film is scheduled to hit theatres on May 1, 2026.





Anne Hathaway falls during filming of DWP2, but as a veteran actress gets up and resumes filming pic.twitter.com/Q2U8GLjW6N  Anne Hathalegend (@AnneHathabae) August 27, 2025




BTS returned to South Korea recently, after working on their comeback album. It was previously revealed that the album will be released around Spring 2026. Now, several reports state that the boy band is aiming to release it around March 2026. RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook are still believed to be working on the project, with filming of the official music video pending.







They recently stayed in Los Angeles for two months where they collaborated with producers and composers. However, during his birthday livestream, BTS' maknae Jungkook noted that the team hasn't recorded any songs. They were busy focusing on the production of the tracks.



As per a report, "BTS will soon be filming a music video for their new song in the US. The visual aspects of the new album, including the concept and vibe, have already been finalized, and recording is currently in progress."



Interestingly, the new album would be the first one for the group in three years. The members were previously concentrating on their mandatory military services. Their last single, Take Two, released in June 2023.








Capstone Copper Corp. ("Capstone" or the "Company") (TSX:CS) (ASX:CSC) reports today that sulphide copper production is temporarily impacted due to a motor failure in the ball mill at the Mantoverde mine in Chile.

On August 24th, the Mantoverde site experienced a failure of one of its two ball mill electrical drive motors. Over the next few days, the team on site replaced the damaged motor with the spare in order to return to full capacity. However, on August 30th, the site experienced a failure of the second ball mill drive motor. Without an additional spare on site, this has resulted in a period of impacted production at Mantoverde.

We estimate repairs to the ball mill motor will take approximately four weeks. During this period, we expect that Mantoverde will continue to operate at approximately half capacity through bypassing the ball mill, an operating mode for which the circuit is configured and that our team has successfully executed previously. An opportunity exists to further mitigate the effects of the interruption by rescheduling plant maintenance that had been planned for later in September to coincide with the ball mill downtime. Our team will continue to identify and execute mitigation plans, investigate the root cause of the motor failure, and advance a replacement and repair strategy to return to full capacity.

At this time, based on an estimated four-week repair schedule while we continue to operate at half capacity during that period, we expect production to be impacted by 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate at Mantoverde. Capstone plans to provide further updates in due course.

ABOUT CAPSTONE COPPER CORP.

Capstone Copper Corp. is an Americas-focused copper mining company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. We own and operate the Pinto Valley copper mine located in Arizona, USA, the Cozamin copper-silver mine located in Zacatecas, Mexico, the Mantos Blancos copper-silver mine located in the Antofagasta region, Chile, and 70% of the Mantoverde copper-gold mine, located in the Atacama region, Chile. In addition, we own the fully permitted Santo Domingo copper-iron-gold project, located approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Mantoverde in the Atacama region, Chile, as well as a portfolio of exploration properties in the Americas.

Capstone Copper's strategy is to unlock transformational copper production growth while executing on cost and operational improvements through innovation, optimization and safe and responsible production throughout our portfolio of assets. We focus on profitability and disciplined capital allocation to surface stakeholder value. We are committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of our people and local communities, while delivering compelling returns to investors by responsibly producing copper to meet the world's growing needs.

Further information is available at www.capstonecopper.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the Company's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. The Company's estimation of the period of time to return to full capacity, and the impact to production are an estimation based on current information and assumptions and are subject to change. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the estimation of the timing and amount of future production, the timing to resume full production, the ability to operate at reduced capacity, the timing and complexity of equipment repair or replacement, the success of mitigation plans, the extent of production impacts, the root cause of equipment failure, the costs of production and capital expenditures, the success of the Company's mining operations, and the risks included in the Company's continuous disclosure filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The impact of global events such as pandemics, geopolitical conflict, or other events, to Capstone Copper is dependent on a number of factors outside of the Company's control and knowledge, including the effectiveness of the measures taken by public health and governmental authorities to combat the spread of diseases, global economic uncertainties and outlook due to widespread diseases or geopolitical events or conflicts, supply chain delays resulting in lack of availability of supplies, goods and equipment, and evolving restrictions relating to mining activities and to travel in certain jurisdictions in which we operate.

In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates", "approximately", "believes", "budget", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "guidance", "intends", "plans", "scheduled", "target", or variations of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "be achieved", "could", "may", "might", "occur", "should", "will be taken" or "would" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "anticipated", "expected", "guidance" and "plan". By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, amongst others, risks related to changes to cost and availability of goods and raw materials, along with supply, logistics and transportation constraints, changes in general economic conditions including market volatility due to uncertain trade policies and tariffs, asset integrity, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on the Company's business, including the Company's ability to access goods and supplies and skilled labour, potential delays or disruptions in equipment maintenance and operational continuity, geopolitical events and the effects of global supply chain disruptions, and other risks of the mining industry as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and MD&A of those statements and Annual Information Form, all of which are filed and available for review under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those described in the Company's forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause the Company's results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that the Company's forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250831995215/en/

Contacts:

Daniel Sampieri, Vice President, Investor Relations

437-788-1767

dsampieri@capstonecopper.com

Michael Slifirski, Director, Investor Relations, APAC Region

61-412-251-818

mslifirski@capstonecopper.com

Claire Stirling, Manager, Investor Relations

416-831-8908

cstirling@capstonecopper.com
HANGZHOU, Aug 30, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - On August 29, Global New Material International Holdings Limited ('GNMI' or the 'Group') (6616.HK) held an inauguration ceremony at the Zhejiang Xizi Hotel for its new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hangzhou. Hundreds of guests, including officials from the municipal governments of Hangzhou and Liuzhou, GNMI's global employees, partners, investors, and customers, attended the event themed 'As One We Rise, Together We Shine' to witness this significant milestone.(Photo: 'As One We Rise, Together We Shine' event)Following the completion of GNMI's acquisition of Merck's Surface Solutions business (now renamed 'Susonity'), the opening of GNMI's Asia-Pacific headquarters marks a significant milestone in the Group's global expansion strategy. Leveraging Hangzhou's innovation ecosystem and the Yangtze River Delta economic cluster, the new headquarters will further integrate resources from China, Germany, South Korea, the United States, and Japan. The Hangzhou headquarters will serve as a global R&D and business collaboration platform, targeting high-end markets and supporting GNMI's ambition to become a global leader in new materials technology.The event also brought together the management teams of Susonity, CQV, and Chesir for the first time, who visited GNMI's production bases in Tonglu and Liuzhou, China, as well as in South Korea. The ceremony marks a new chapter in GNMI's global integration, laying a strong foundation for greater understanding, tighter collaboration, and shared growth. The convergence of diverse cultures and management excellence will unlock substantial synergies, accelerating the Group's expansion and innovation in high-end markets worldwide.(Photo: Ertian Su, Chairman of Global New Material International)'Today, we are witnessing not only the deep integration of Chinese and German companies, but also the beginning of a new chapter in the global development of China's new materials industry. Our Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hangzhou will serve as a strategic hub for connecting global innovation, supporting customers around the world, and shaping the future of the industry together,' said Ertian Su, Chairman of Global New Material International. 'We extend heartfelt gratitude to government authorities at all levels, including the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Zhejiang Province, for their long-standing support and unwavering trust. Their strong backing in strategy, operations, and financing has enabled the efficient launch of both our Asia-Pacific headquarters and the Tonglu synthetic mica project, and it has also given us firm confidence and strong momentum for sustainable growth.'Leveraging its global leadership in synthetic mica and pearlescent materials, GNMI will continue to drive growth through R&D innovation and crossborder M&A. The Group aims to integrate its R&D and industrial networks across China, the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea,s delivering comprehensive and cuttingedge solutions to its customers. Through agile collaboration with Susonity, the Group will unlock synergies and growth potential, achieving significant advancements across technology, market reach, branding, supply chain, and talent. These effortswill enhance its full-suite of services and solutions in surface materials, reinforce its leading position in highend segment such as automotive, cosmetics, and industrial applications, and accelerate the creation of a global technology ecosystem platform for new materials.(Photo: Ceremony commemorating GNMI's Acquisition of Sunsonity. Left: Ertian Su, Chairman of Global New Material International; Right: Johannes Baillou, Chairman of the Executive Board and Family Board of E. Merck KG.)Looking ahead, GNMI will leverage its Asia-Pacific headquarters as a new launching pad as it continues to invest in R&D and drive innovation in functional materials. By shaping industry standards and supporting green transition and high-quality development, the Group will further strengthen strategic partnerships with customers and partners worldwide, opening a new chapter of global leadership and growth in China's new materials industry.About Global New Material International (GNMI)Founded in 2011, Global New Material International Holdings Limited (GNMI) (6616.HK) is the world's largest manufacturer of pearlescent pigments. The company has its headquarters in Guangxi, China, and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.The company's combined net revenue (pro forma) amounted to RMB 4.776 billion (approximately ' 615 million) in 2024. Around 2,000 employees work at production facilities in China, Korea, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The company, which owns the Chesir, CQV, and Susonity brands, offers a full range of solutions ' from high-quality premium products to standard products manufactured with cutting-edge technologies. With a portfolio of natural mica-based, synthetic mica-based, glass flake-based, silicon oxide-based, aluminum oxide-based, and aluminum-based pearlescent pigment products as well as synthetic mica products, GNMI offers high-quality solutions for high-performance materials, cosmetics, automotive, and industrial applications.Source: Global New Material International Holdings LimitedCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
HONG KONG, Aug 30, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - GF Securities Co., Ltd. ('GF Securities')or the 'Company', together with its subsidiaries within the scope of its consolidated financial statements ('subsidiaries'), the 'Group') announced its interim results for 2025. In the first half of 2025, the Company proactively integrates into the national development, in-depth development of the 'Five Major Areas", sticking to its functional positioning, and actively serves the real economy for both quantity and quality. The Company achieved steady progress in all areas of the work with main operating indicators in the forefront of the industry. During the Report Period, total revenue and other income of the Company was RMB19,916 million and net profit attributable to owners of the Company was RMB6,470 million.As one of the first batch of pilot comprehensive management brokerages selected by the CSRC, GF Securities possesses licenses for a full range of services involved in four business segments, including investment banking, wealth management, trading and institution, and investment management. The Group has successively set up futures subsidiaries, public fund subsidiaries, private fund subsidiaries, alternative investment subsidiaries and asset management subsidiaries. With its unique value concept and pragmatic entrepreneurial style, the Company has built up a full-service chain with comprehensive layout and strong strength. In respect of regional development, the Company based in Greater Bay Area and serves the whole country, connecting domestically and internationally, forges a leading national brokerage with a long-term vision and an open mind. Against this backdrop, the Company has maintained main operating indicators ranking among the top securities companies in China for many consecutive years.Steady Operations as the Core, Balanced Growth Across the Four Major Business SegmentsGF Securities has a complete business system and a balanced business structure. During the Reporting Period, all four of the Company's business segments both achieved steady growth.The Transformation of Wealth Management continues to advance deeply. The Company equipped with excellent financial product research, sales capabilities and professional asset allocation capabilities and more than 4,600 securities investment consultants, ranking No. 2 in the industry (in terms of parent company caliber). The Company is committed to providing precise wealth management services for different types of customers. It has become a first-class trustworthy wealth management institution. As of the end of June 2025, the total balance of financial products sold by Company on a commission basis exceeded RMB300.0 billion, representing an increase of approximately 14.13% as compared to the end of last year; the balance of margin financing and securities lending of the Company was RMB103.638 billion, with a market share of 5.60%. From January to June 2025, the turnover of the Company's SSE and SZSE stock and funds amounted to RMB15.14 trillion (bilateral statistics), representing a year-on-year increase of 62.12%.The Investment Banking business maintained its steady and robust development. During the Reporting Period, the Company completed 5 A share equity financing projects with a lead underwritten amount of RMB15.622 billion; and completed 2 listings on the NEEQ. Meanwhile, the Company completed 11 overseas equity financing projects which were Hong Kong IPO projects, with an issue size of HK$42.773 billion, and its equity financing business in Hong Kong ranked fourth among Chinese-based securities companies in terms of the total issuance size of IPOs and refinancing projects equally distributed among all underwriters (Source: Bloomberg, Statistics of the Company). In respect of debt financing, the Company acted as the lead underwriter for 419 tranches of bonds, with a lead underwritten amount of RMB153.721 billion. In respect of Chinese offshore bond business, 29 bonds were issued with an underwritten amount of US$49.865 billion. During the Reporting Period, the Company completed three projects in major asset restructuring and financial advisory business that had industry and regional influence, and the transactions in which the Company acted as listed company's independent financial advisor involved a total transaction amount of approximately RMB2.272 billion; and won the award of the 2025 New Fortune Best M&A Investment Bank.The Investment Management business maintained its leading position. In the first half of 2025, the Group carries out public fund management business through its non-wholly owned subsidiary, GF Fund, and investee company, E Fund, collectively managed over RMB3,600 billion in the public funds assets. They ranked third and first respectively in the industry in terms of the size of public funds under management excluding monetary funds, respectively (Source: Wind, Statistics of the Company). The specific asset management schemes under the wholly-owned subsidiary GF Asset Management increased by 39.49% compared to the end of 2024. Another wholly-owned subsidiary, GF Futures, managed 63 asset management schemes with a total asset under management of RMB15.856 billion. The wholly-owned private fund subsidiary GF Xinde focused on such industries as AI, robotics, biomedicine, intelligent manufacturing, new energy and corporate services. As of the end of June 2025, its paid-in funds under management reached approximately RMB19.5 billion. Overseas, the Group's wholly-owned subsidiary GFHK was one of the first batch of financial institutions in Hong Kong with the PRC background granted with RQFII qualification. Its subsidiary GF Investments (Hong Kong) managed four equity investment fund products focusing on high-end manufacturing, TMT, big consumption and biomedical industries. Several investment projects have exited by way of mergers and acquisitions or been listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong, the United States and other regions.The Trading and Institutional Services business demonstrated steady improvement. As a primary dealer of OTC derivatives business, the market making business of the Company continued to be in the first echelon, and officially launched the market-making business in the STAR Market and the BSE. During the Reporting Period, providing market-making services for more than 900 funds and all ETF options of the SSE and SZSE, market-making services for CSI 300 stock index options and CSI 1000 stock index options of the China Financial Futures Exchange, as well as market-making services for 2 STAR Market-listed companies, 1 BSE-listed company, and 40 NEEQ companies. During the Reporting Period, the Company issued 51,508 private equity products through the China Securities Inter-agency Quotation System and OTC market, with a total amount of RMB501.180 billion, and the scale of FICC investment business continued to grow with multiple strategies. As of the end of June 2025, 3,707 products were under the custody of the Company and fund operation outsourcing services were provided for 4,380 products. The wholly-owned subsidiary GF Qianhe focused on hard technology, AI+, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, special opportunity investment and other major fields, with a total of 330 projects invested.Investor-First Strategy, Enhancing Integrated Financial ServicesGF Securities insists on being investor-oriented, and continues to improve the quality and efficiency of services to different customer groups such as individual investors, institutional investors, and corporate customers by honing its comprehensive financial service capabilities with the full life cycle across the entire business chain, and rewards investors with outstanding results.In respect of individual investors, the Company adhered to a 'customer-centric' business philosophy and unswervingly accelerated its transformation into a buy-side investment adviser while strengthened its diversified asset allocation capabilities. During the Reporting Period, the Company closely followed its main tone for high-quality development and its digitalization and platform based strategies. It focused on the key development direction for 'high-quality customer base and efficient online operation' of the wealth brokerage business, seized any market opportunities to capture the customers' needs, and continued to consolidate its customer base and standardize operations; and continued to diversify its product supply system and transaction supporting tools, so as to improve the integrated service system for institutional customers to enhance customer experience. The Company also comprehensively developed its artificial intelligence service functions, coordinated to promote the application and empowerment of the AI-enabled wealth brokerage model, and continued to enhance the comprehensive capacity of serving residents' wealth management.In respect of institutional clients, the outstanding research capacity of the Company enjoys a high reputation in the industry and received numerous honors. It has won awards from mainstream organizations and ranked among the top: Best Analyst of Securities Times, Best Analyst of New Fortune, Golden Bull Award for China Securities Industry Analysts, etc. As of the end of June 2025, the Group's equity research covered 28 industries and 997 A-share listed companies in Mainland China, and 207 overseas listed companies.During the Reporting Period, the Company actively promoted the adoption of digital intelligence in research business, further explored AI applications in intelligent investment and research functions, establishing a multi-platform, multi-channel and multi-dimensional customer service system by leveraging the GF research portal and mini programs. At the same time, concentrating on the main theme of Chinese-style modernization and focusing on the development of new quality productive forces, the Company successfully organized large-scale investment strategy conferences such as the 'AI+ Industry Forum' and 'Dialogue with Leadership', establishing a platform for exchanges between listed companies and institutional investors.In respect of corporate clients, the Company focused on serving the high-quality development of the real economy, strengthened industrial resources accumulation and professional capabilities building in key sectors, and endeavored to develop into an industrial investment bank and a technology investment bank. As of the end of June 2025, the Company sponsored a total of 47 companies listed on the market as the lead brokerage, of which 82.98% were 'specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative' enterprises. Meanwhile, the Company accurately served the national strategies, such as scientific and technological innovation, green and low carbon, and made continuous breakthroughs in the innovation of bond products. During the Reporting Period, the Company acted as the lead underwriter for 66 tranches of various science and technology innovation bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB25.663 billion; acted as the lead underwriter for 11 tranches of various low-carbon transformation and green bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB3.850 billion; and acted as the lead underwriter for 4 tranches of rural revitalization bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB1.4 billion. In respect of Chinese offshore bond business, 29 bonds were issued with an underwritten amount of US$49.865 billion.Moreover, the industrial research institute of the Company continued to build the ecosystem of production, learning, research, investment and financing, focused on the key racing tracks to deepen the building of industrial ecosystem, empowered the development of various business segments of the Company, and provided various research consulting services to support policy formulation and industrial planning of governments at all levels. The Company also deepened the connection with key scientific research academic institutions, scientist groups, professional equity investment institutions, enterprises of various sectors and government departments, and established a cooperation mechanism for transforming scientific research results and coordinating industrial incubation, playing the role of a bridge in process of empowering technology with finance and transforming into productivity.Anchor in Regional Development, Deliver Full Life Cycle Financial ServicesThe Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is one of the four major bay areas in the world with the highest degree of opening-up and the most resilient market economy in China, playing an important strategic position in the overall development of the country. GF Securities has fully supported the implementation of major national regional strategies by being deeply rooted in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the forefront of China's reform and opening-up, enriched customer foundation, and facilitated technology, capital and virtuous industry circles.As a professional capital market institution growing up in the Greater Bay Area, the Company has advantages in industrial research and capital operation, actively explores a new model of industry-finance integration and supports the transformation and upgrading of regional economies and industries by deepening the integration of local industry and capital and building industrial fund in various forms; gives full play to the role of capital market in value discovery and resource allocation, and realizes financial services in industries with the full life cycle by building industrial clusters through direct financing.At the end of June 2025, the Company had 356 branches and business departments nationwide, with a presence in 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the PRC. Its total number of business outlets in the nine cities of the Pearl River Delta in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area ranked No. 1 in the industry. The extensive market provided wide market reach for the Company's business development and laid important support for customer accumulation and service.On the front of main operating development, GF Securities has adopted a strategy deeply rooted in regional development, reinforcing its foundation through steady and sustainable growth. During the Reporting Period, the Company actively fulfilled its role as a 'service provider' for direct financing and a 'gatekeeper' for the capital market. It deepened business cultivation in key areas, consolidated its market position and competitiveness in the Greater Bay Area, and expanded its presence in key areas within the Yangtze River Delta region. It continued to advance an integrated domestic and international strategy, improved mechanisms for cross-border talent development and collaboration, and enhanced the efficiency of cross-border operations as well as overall service capabilities to effectively support Chinese enterprises in their overseas expansion. Centering its strategy around the guidance of national industrial, financial, and regional development policies, the Company held the AI-themed merger and acquisition forum of the Guangdong Capital Market M&A Alliance, and endeavored to set up a merger and acquisition business ecosystem to provide customers with multi-level and all-round comprehensive services, promoting the orderly circulation of assets and capital.2025 marks not only the concluding year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, but also a pivotal starting point for laying the groundwork of the 15th Five-Year Plan. GF Securities will adhere to the main line of high-quality development, actively integrating into China's overall development, and focusing its efforts on implementing the financial 'Five Major Areas'. The Company will continue to solidify its outstanding location advantage in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond, deploying long-term strategies with elevated standards and strengthening its core businesses'contributing to the high-quality economic and social development.Source: GF SecuritiesCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
HONG KONG, Aug 31, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - Hong Kong-listed Shoucheng Holdings Limited (0697.HK) released its interim results for 2025. Driven by its dual-engine strategy of 'Asset Operations + Asset Finance,' the company delivered a balanced performance combining steady growth with forward-looking strategic initiatives: first-half revenue reached HK$731 million, up 36% year-on-year; net profit attributable to shareholders was HK$339 million, up 30%; and gross profit stood at HK$295 million, up 26%.Meanwhile, the company continued its high-dividend tradition. According to the public roadshow on August 31, Shoucheng is expected to distribute a total dividend of HK$1.159 billion for FY2025, with a dividend yield of nearly 8%, ranking among the highest in the Hong Kong market. In addition, more than 40 million shares have been repurchased. Financially, Shoucheng holds over HK$8 billion in cash, has fully repaid all bank loans to reduce financing costs, and maintains a gearing ratio of just 7.9%. With its robust capital structure, the company has a solid safety cushion and strong capacity to capture new investment opportunities under current market conditions.I. Solid Financials and Strong Shareholder ReturnsIn the first half of 2025, Shoucheng maintained steady growth in both revenue and profit while continuously strengthening its capital structure. Total assets reached HK$14.35 billion, and the company has maintained its AAA credit rating for three consecutive years from China Chengxin International and United Credit Ratings.Kang Yu, General Manager of Shoucheng's Board Office, noted in an interview:'We aim not only to create long-term growth potential for our shareholders'Shoucheng's businesses are at their best stage in history, and we are just setting sail'but also to ensure certainty of shareholder returns. This year alone, dividends have already reached nearly HK$1.2 billion, and continuous share buybacks highlight management's firm confidence in Shoucheng's long-term prospects.'The company's high-dividend and buyback policy reflects a long-term win-win commitment to investors.Notably, the company's asset finance business delivered outstanding performance, with first-half revenue reaching HK$220 million, a surge of 69% year-on-year, making it a key growth engine driving overall results. Through the establishment of a RMB10 billion Infrastructure Real Estate Equity Investment Stabilization Fund in partnership with China Life, Shoucheng Holdings has continued to deepen its presence in the REITs market, growing into one of the largest industrial investors in the country. The company has successively completed strategic allotment investments in Nanfang Range / Wanguo Data Center REIT, Sunlon REIT, and Huadian Clean Energy REIT, covering key areas such as data centers and clean energy. This has enabled Shoucheng to build a systematic layout across all types of infrastructure assets and establish a complete closed-loop capability from fund investment to asset exit.At the same time, Shoucheng Holdings has also achieved remarkable results in equity investments. Through its multiple industrial funds, the company has invested in leading robotics firms including Unitree, Galbot, Galaxea-AI, X Square Robot, Noetix Robotics, Booster Robotics, and Narwhal Robotics. Previously, Shoucheng secured outstanding results from investments in Li Auto, Horizon Robotics, Zhaogang.com, StarVision, and Silan Microelectronics. Its equity funds had already achieved more than three times book returns earlier this year, delivering impressive exit proceeds. These success stories validate Shoucheng's forward-looking investment vision in industrial research and also set a solid benchmark for expected returns from its future robotics investments.Kang Yu, General Manager of the Board Office, commented: 'We believe that as the robotics industry enters the stage of scaled deployment, the leading companies invested by Shoucheng will deliver higher capital returns and strategic value for the Group.'II. Accelerating the Robotics Strategy: Building the Full Industrial Value ChainIf the financial data demonstrates Shoucheng Holdings' solid fundamentals, then its robotics business represents the company's most imaginative growth trajectory for the future. As one of the first listed companies in China to systematically invest in the robotics sector, Shoucheng is accelerating its transformation from a pure investor into a full-chain service provider.Through the RMB10 billion Beijing Robotics Industry Development Investment Fund and its affiliated funds, the company has invested in dozens of leading enterprises such as Unitree, Galbot, Noetix Robotics, Galaxea-AI, and Booster Robotics, covering humanoid robots, core components, and other critical fields. This investment matrix has firmly positioned Shoucheng Holdings at the forefront of the embodied intelligence industry.Notably, the company has also strengthened its presence in the upstream of the robotics value chain. Recently, Shoucheng announced the establishment of Shoucheng Robotics Advanced Materials Industrial Co., Ltd. through its wholly owned subsidiary Shouwo Investment, focusing on advanced materials such as electronic skin, tendon cables, and lightweight PEEK composites. This initiative not only fills critical gaps in the value chain but also enhances the technological performance of portfolio companies in tactile sensing, flexible control, and lightweight design, further improving the full-chain ecosystem represented by humanoid robots.On the application side, the company is driving robotics into real production and everyday life scenarios. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Beijing Shoucheng Robotics Technology Industrial Co., Ltd., is deploying robotics across multiple dimensions. By providing sales agency, leasing, and secondary development services, the company is creating a 'Didi-style' supply-demand platform for the robotics sector, facilitating efficient collaboration across the industry chain. Kang Yu noted that Shoucheng will further build a robotics application platform, positioning itself as a comprehensive solutions provider. Acting as a 'chain leader,' the company will integrate industry resources, centralize procurement of high-quality products from ecosystem partners, and expand from B2B to B2C and C-end markets, fully unlocking the potential of robotics applications while delivering strong returns to shareholders.Shoucheng's robotics industrialization strategy has already shown early results. Its strategic cooperation with IAT Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. means robots will be deeply integrated into automotive production lines, intelligent testing, and electrification processes, driving 'Robotics + Automobiles' cross-sector synergies. In smart mobility, the Chengdu ICD autonomous charging station co-developed with Wanxun Technology has already been put into operation, enabling large-scale robotic applications in new energy vehicle services. In healthcare, Peking University Shougang Hospital has introduced the SurRui surgical robot developed by a partner within Shoucheng's robotics ecosystem, marking an accelerated path toward commercialization of domestic surgical robots and breakthroughs in high-end medical equipment.In August this year, at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, multiple companies invested by Shoucheng Holdings made a collective appearance, winning 37 medals (including 12 gold, 14 silver, and 11 bronze). This fully showcased the rapid progress of Chinese robotics companies in motion control and intelligent interaction. At the same time, the company launched the 'Shoucheng Robotics Experience Store' outside the 'Ice Ribbon' venue, which became one of the most popular exhibition areas during the event. The store not only displayed humanoid and service robots to the public but also provided interactive experiences, helping robots move from professional arenas into everyday life.Looking further ahead, Shoucheng Holdings is exploring the 'Robotics 4S Store' model, with plans to create a retail service system that integrates exhibition, sales, maintenance, and customer experience. Kang Yu noted:'At this year's robot games, our 200-square-meter pop-up store alone generated over RMB 30,000 in daily sales, which strongly reflects public enthusiasm and expectations for robotics applications. Just like new energy vehicles once required 4S channels to popularize, robots will also need service networks to truly enter thousands of households. In the future, we hope individuals, families, and enterprises alike can experience, try on, test, purchase, or lease various robots in-store while enjoying comprehensive after-sales and maintenance services. Through this model, we aim to bridge the 'last mile' of the robotics industry and drive robots into daily life.'III. Broad Prospects for Robotics Applications: China's Soil Nurtures Global LeadersGlobally, the robotics industry is shifting from 'running, jumping, and performing' to 'understanding, reasoning, and working.' According to GGII (Gaogong Industry Institute), the global humanoid robot market is expected to reach approximately RMB 6.3 billion in 2025, nearly RMB 64 billion by 2030, and potentially exceed RMB 400 billion by 2035. Kang Yu believes that within the next three to five years, robots will see large-scale adoption in industrial manufacturing, healthcare, smart elderly care, and consumer services.She added: 'China not only has policy support and capital investment but also possesses unique application scenarios globally, providing the best soil for rapid commercialization of robotics. Shoucheng Holdings' mission is to combine capital with scenarios to truly bring cutting-edge technologies into scaled application.'Shoucheng Holdings is a dedicated cultivator in this fertile soil. The company has built a complete industry chain layout covering upstream'midstream'downstream:Upstream: Through its wholly owned subsidiary, it established Shoucheng Robotics Advanced Materials Industrial Co., Ltd., focusing on core materials such as electronic skin, tendon cables, and lightweight PEEK, while jointly developing and incubating new technologies to fill gaps in the robotics value chain.Midstream: Through its affiliated industrial funds, Shoucheng has invested in leading companies including Unitree, Galbot, Noetix Robotics, Galaxea-AI, and Booster Robotics, covering humanoid robot systems and critical components.Downstream: Driving scenario applications, Shoucheng has already enabled robotics adoption in real-world environments such as IAT Automobile Technology's production lines, the Chengdu ICD autonomous charging station with Wanxun, Peking University Shougang Hospital's surgical robotics, and its Robotics Experience Store. The company is also exploring a 'Robotics 4S Store' model.Kang Yu emphasized: 'Our mission is to combine capital, materials, technology, and application scenarios to truly scale up frontier technologies.'IV. Outlook: Marching Toward the HK$100 Billion MilestoneAs AI and robotics enter a new stage of application realization, Shoucheng Holdings stands at the forefront of industrial takeoff. With solid asset operations, forward-looking industrial deployment, and consistent shareholder returns, the company is steadily advancing toward its long-term goal of HK$100 billion market capitalization.Kang Yu concluded: 'Robotics are the intelligent infrastructure of a new era. Shoucheng Holdings aims not only to be an investor but also a full-chain driver and service provider. We are confident in leveraging the synergy of capital, materials, and application scenarios to lead China's robotics industry to new heights.'Posted by All Way Success Company Limited for Shoucheng Holdings www.shouchengholdings.com [HKSE:0697, FRA:SHVA, OTCPK:SHNHF]Source: Shoucheng HoldingsCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Closing November 28, applications will be accepted for research projects that will bring about innovative evolution in new technologies and product development in the area of precious metals and contribute to the creation of a sustainable future



TOKYO, Sept 1, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - TANAKA Memorial Foundation (Representative Director: Hideya Okamoto) has announced that it will be accept applications for research themes for FY2025 Precious Metals Research Grants from September 1 to November 28, 2025. This grant program aims to contribute to the development of science and industry by promoting innovative research, technological development, and product development related to precious metals. Applications for the grants are open to educational institutions and public research institutes in Japan.



This year markes the 27th edition of the research grant program. Guided by the catchphrase "Forging a Better Tomorrow with "Hirameki" and "Kirameki."" the Foundation encourages research themes that contribute toward the creation of a better future by fusing the creativity of researchers and the potential of precious metals.



Recipients will receive a total of 20 million yen in research grants, including 10 million yen - the highest amount - under the Umekichi Tanaka Award; 3 million yen under the Ichiro Tanaka Award; 1 million yen under the Innovative Precious Metals Award; 300,000 yen under the HIRAMEKI Award; and 1 million yen under the KIRAMEKI Award. The Umekichi Tanaka Award is named after founder Umekichi Tanaka, who strove to expand industrial use of precious metals. The Ichiro Tanaka Award honors Ichiro Tanaka, the company's second president, who strove for international collaboration.



Applications can be submitted using the application form on TANAKA Memorial Foundation website (https://tanaka-foundation.or.jp). Following a rigorous review process, the grant recipients will be announced around the end of March 2026.



TANAKA Memorial Foundation aims to contribute to the development of new potential for precious metals and to the development of science, technology, and the social economy by conducting activities to realize a prosperous society. Through this grant program, the foundation will support a diverse range of research and development that endeavors to create a sustainable future.



Last year, the Ichiro Tanaka Award was presented to "New developments in half-Heusler compounds as highly refractive transparent materials" (Assistant Professor Akihiro Ishii of Tohoku University) and "Establishment of a temperature measurement technique for highly efficient operation of cryogenic fluids using ruthenium complexes" (Professor Yu Matsuda of Waseda University). There was no recipient for the Umekichi Tanaka Award.



Overview of the 2025 Precious Metals Research Grants



Theme

- Themes that involve any of the following: new technologies to which precious metals can make a contribution, research related to precious metals that will bring innovative evolution to products, or research and development of new products using precious metals



Grant Amounts (Maximum amounts from a grant pool of 20 million yen)



- Umekichi Tanaka Award: 10,000,000 yen

- Ichiro Tanaka Award: 3,000,000 yen

- Innovative Precious Metals Award: 1,000,000 yen

- HIRAMEKI Award: 300,000 yen

- KIRAMEKI Award: 1,000,000 yen

*The grant amount is treated as a scholarship donation.

*Awards may not be granted in some cases.



Eligible Candidates

- Personnel who work for educational institutions in Japan (universities, graduate schools, or technical colleges) or public and related research institutions may participate.

*As long as the applicant is affiliated with a research institution in Japan, the base of activity can be in Japan or overseas.

*KIRAMEKI Awards are for researchers under the age of 37 as of April 1, 2025.



Application Period

- 9 am, September 1, 2025 (Mon) - 5 pm, November 28, 2025 (Fri)



Application Method

- Enter the required information on the application form available on the TANAKA Memorial Foundation website (https://tanaka-foundation.or.jp) and upload details of the research (papers and supplementary material on the theme).



Announcement

- Results will be announced on the TANAKA Memorial Foundation website around the end of March 2026.

*TANAKA will contact the award recipients directly.



Conditions

New research and development themes - either using precious metals or that can be applied to precious metals - that contribute to the creation of a sustainable future, with research content that falls under any of the following.

- New technology related to precious metals (new materials, processing methods, process development, etc.)

- Research that brings about innovative evolution in product development (new functions, process development, computational science, etc.)

- Research and development of new products using precious metals

*Precious metal refers to eight elements of platinum, gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium.

*If development is conducted jointly (or planned to be) with other material manufacturers, please indicate so.

*Products that have already been commercialized, put to practical use, or that are planned are not eligible.



About Umekichi Tanaka



After training at Ejimaya pawn brokerage in Tokyo, company founder Umekichi Tanaka opened Ejimaya Tanaka Shoten at Kitajima-cho, Nihonbashi-ku, Tokyo (now Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo). In the early days of the company, copper coins (one-hundredth of a yen) and nickel coins (five-hundredths of a yen) were bought and exchanged, in lots of 100 yen, with merchants for a fee. The company then expanded into the bullion trading business and began melting down foreign currency bought from Yokohama's foreign quarter and other places, refining it, and selling the metal. The refining technologies developed at this time went on to play a significant role in the subsequent greater industrial use of precious metals.



About Ichiro Tanaka



Tanaka Shoten's second President Ichiro Tanaka began negotiations around 1920 to directly import platinum from the Soviet Union, which accounted for approximately 70% of the world's platinum production during that time. Three years later, in April 1923, the Soviet government signed a contract on sales rights with Tanaka Shoten. Through this contract, Tanaka Shoten became Japan's sole sales agency for platinum and palladium and gained sales rights for the entirety of East Asia, which were the same terms as with the United States and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, Ichiro Tanaka strove for overseas collaboration in platinum group precious metals such as platinum and palladium.



Inquiries Concerning the Research Grant Program

Precious Metals Research Grants Office

Global Marketing / R&D Supervisory Department, TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.

2-6-6 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0025

E-mail: joseikin@ml.tanaka.co.jp

TANAKA Memorial Foundation website: https://tanaka-foundation.or.jp



TANAKA Memorial Foundation

Organization Name: TANAKA Memorial Foundation

Address: 2-6-6 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Hideya Okamoto (Special Advisor, TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Incorporated: 2015

Purpose of Business: To provide grants for research related to precious metals to contribute to the development and cultivation of new fields for precious metals, and to the development of science, technology, and the social economy.

Areas of Business: Provision of grants for scientific and technological research related to precious metals. Recognition of excellent analysis of precious metals and holding of seminars and other events.



TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: 2-6-6 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Koichiro Tanaka, CEO

Founded: 1885

Incorporated: 1918

Capital: 500 million yen

Employees: 2,798 (Including overseas subsidiaries) (December 31, 2024)

Sales: 353,213,723,000 yen (FY2024)

Main businesses: Manufacture, sales, import and export of precious metals (platinum, gold, silver, and others) and various types of industrial precious metals products.

URL: https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com



Press Inquiries

TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL GROUP Co., Ltd.

https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-for-media/



Press release: https://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/files/2025901.pdf



Source: Tanaka Memorial Foundation



Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.





 2025 JCN Newswire
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional audio-visual solutions provider Hollyland has confirmed its participation at IBC 2025, one of the world's premier events for broadcast, media, and content creation, from September 12-15, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At its booth ( 11.C27 ), Hollyland will showcase a range of new products alongside its current bestsellers, highlighting innovations designed to empower filmmakers, broadcasters, and content creators worldwide.

Hollyland will spotlight its upcoming product, Vcore, set to launch in late September. Positioned as both an entry-level wireless video solution for beginners and a versatile secondary monitor for semi-professional creators, Vcore delivers a truly lightweight shooting experience. By transforming a smartphone into a camera-top monitor while integrating wireless transmission and multifunctional software, it empowers users to capture, monitor, and create with ease. The system supports 4K30/HD and proxy recording, as well as streaming video to up to four mobile devices via the HollyView app. This makes monitoring easy and enables smooth collaboration and efficient workflows.

Also debuting is the Pyro Ultra, expected in Q4 2025, which refines focus pulling to its core essentials. Equipped with a dedicated Focus Mode, it ensures ultra-low latency performance, meeting the focus-pulling demands of most professional video productions. Its "one transmitter to unlimited receivers" capability removes traditional endpoint limits, enabling directors, lighting teams, and camera crews to monitor simultaneously without restriction. With 4K60 resolution, it guarantees sharp detail even during fast-paced motion capture, offering exceptional reliability for high-end cinematic and commercial projects.

The Pyro 5, a compact 5.5-inch monitor and the latest addition to the Pyro ecosystem, will also be showcased. Building on the series' revolutionary video transmission and monitoring capabilities, it supports 1TX to 4RX with a 400m LOS range, camera control, and proxy recording, streamlining workflows and collaboration. Since its August debut, it has quickly gained traction among creators worldwide.

The VenusLiv Air, launching on September 3, stands out as one of Hollyland's most anticipated camera innovations. With a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, the camera enhances light intake and detail retention, even in low-light scenarios. AI Tuning adjusts exposure, contrast, and color in real-time, delivering strong imagery without manual complexity, ideal for casual users and creators on the go. A wide F1.05 aperture further elevates performance, delivering shallow depth of field and vivid low-light imagery.

The Lyra, also on show, is built with a 1/1.5-inch CMOS sensor for optimized balance in dynamic lighting conditions. Its AI-driven auto-optimization ensures hassle-free capture, while advanced low-light performance reduces noise for pristine night shots. Unique to the model is 48kHz/24-bit audio sampling, which enhances sound fidelity in video recording, bridging the often-overlooked gap between professional imaging and professional sound.

Hollyland will also introduce the Solidcom H1 Wireless Intercom System, set for release on September 12. Designed for mid-to-large teams, it supports up to 80 belt-packs, ensuring seamless communication across expansive production sites. Its 500-meter line-of-sight transmission overcomes distance barriers, while seamless roaming maintains uninterrupted conversations during movement.

With 100 independent groups, the system enables precise communication streams, eliminating crosstalk and miscommunication. Full Dante integration ensures compatibility with professional audio setups, while remote support and cloud communication enhance cross-location collaboration, making it a powerful solution for live events, broadcast sets, and production environments.

Two of Hollyland's most successful wireless microphone systems will also feature prominently. LARK MAX 2 integrates multiple first-launched innovations such as low-latency wireless monitoring, pioneering 32-bit float recording, AI-driven noise cancellation, catering to both solo creators and multi-talent productions. Meanwhile, the LARK A1 is designed for smartphone users, delivering 48kHz/24-bit recordings, customizable audio settings, and up to 54 hours of battery life in a compact, plug-and-play format.

Beyond the product showcase, Hollyland will host an array of interactive activities, such as the HollyGrab Challenge, Hollyland Creator Connect, to engage visitors and creators at IBC 2025. These activities are designed to foster hands-on product experience, networking, and creative collaboration, while rewarding participants with exclusive prizes.

Learn more at https://www.hollyland.com.

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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The German market is modestly higher on Monday, as a U.S. appeals court ruling that many of Donald Trump's tariffs were illegal. Healthcare stocks are finding support after Danish pharma company Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy offered better heart-protective benefits than rival treatments from U.S.-based Eli Lilly.



The 7-4 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court's finding that Trump had exceeded his authority in tapping emergency economic powers to impose wide-ranging duties.



At the same time, the judges allowed the tariffs to stay in place through mid-October, giving Trump time to take the fight to the Supreme Court.



Dutch pharma major Novo Nodisk said Wegovy cut the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% versus Eli Lilly's rival medicines Mounjaro and Zepbound in a real-world comparison.



The benchmark DAX was up 74.85 points or 0.31% at 23,994.47 a little while ago.



Pharmaceutical stock Sartorius is up nearly 3% and Rheinmetall is gaining about 2.2%. Qiagen is up nearly 2%, while MTU Aero Engines, SAP and Continental are up 1.35%, 1.15% and 1.1%, respectively.



Siemens, BMW, Merck, Commerzbank, Fresenius, Deutsche Post, Henkel, Deutsche Telekom, Fresenius Medical Care and Mercedes-Benz are also up with notable gains.



Siemens Energy is declining 2.2%. Deutsche Bank is down 1.2%, while Bayer, E.ON, Hannover Rueck, Infineon Technologies and Daimler Truck Holding are down 0.3 to 0.7%.



In economic news, data from S&P Global showed Germany's HCOB Manufacturing PMI registered a reading of 49.8 in August 2025, slightly below the flash estimate of 49.9 but up from 49.1 in July. The reading marked the strongest level since mid-2022, when the index first dipped below the 50.0 threshold separating growth from contraction.



Data from Eurostat showed the euro area unemployment rate dropped marginally in July. The jobless rate registered 6.2% in July compared to 6.3% in June. In the same period last year, the unemployment rate was 6.4%.



Eurostat estimated that the number of people out of jobs decreased 170,000 from June to 10.805 million in July. Compared to last year, unemployment fell 161,000.



Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

 2025 AFX News
XIAMEN, China, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 25th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), themed "Join Hands with China, Invest in the Future," will be held in Xiamen, Fujian, from September 8 to 11.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

This year's CIFIT focuses on three major sectors -- "Invest in China," "Chinese Investment," and "International Investment." It will feature an exhibition area of about 120,000 m2 and host over 70 specialized investment activities and more than 100 specialized roadshows.

The "Invest in China" section comprises various events. Nearly 100 executives from the headquarters and regional branches of multinational companies in the fields of energy, chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and intelligent manufacturing, as well as representatives from sovereign wealth funds and international investment institutions, have confirmed their attendance. Additionally, over 100 "hidden champion" enterprises from Europe and Asia will participate.

The "China Investment" section is divided into three areas: China Outbound Investment, Overseas Comprehensive Services, and Silk Road Maritime. These zones will showcase the cooperation achievements and signature projects of Chinese enterprises worldwide. The Ministry of Commerce will organize multiple chambers of commerce to release China's Outbound Investment Activity Index for the first time. This year's CIFIT will also host an economic and trade exchange conference between Chinese provinces and U.S. states.

To date, delegations from more than 110 countries, regions, and international organizations have registered to attend CIFIT, and 51 countries and regions will set up exhibition booths. As the guest of honor, the United Kingdom plans to send a delegation of nearly 200 representatives from governments, businesses, and associations.

As the only major national-level investment exhibition in China, CIFIT is committed to building three platforms: two-way investment promotion, authoritative information release, and investment trend discussion. Since its inception, it has facilitated the signing of more than 30,000 projects, emerging as one of the world's most influential international investment events.

Source: The Organizing Committee of CIFIT

Contact person: Mr. Lin, Tel: 86-10-63074558


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks are up slightly in cautious trade on Monday as the focus remains on the upcoming confidence vote on French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government. Investors, digesting the latest batch of regional economic data, are also awaiting the crucial U.S. non-farm payroll data due later in the week.



Aiding investor sentiment is a ruling by a U.S. appeals court that many of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have upended global trade, were illegal.



The 7-4 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court's finding that Trump had exceeded his authority in tapping emergency economic powers to impose wide-ranging duties. At the same time, the judges allowed the tariffs to stay in place through mid-October, giving Trump time to take the fight to the Supreme Court.



The benchmark CAC 40 was up 2.75 points or 0.03% at 7,706.65. The index had climbed to 7,744,64 earlier in the session.



Renault is up 1.8% and Airbus is gaining 1.5%. Pernod Ricard and Stellantis are up 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively. Sanofi and Societe Generale are up nearly 1%.



Kering is advancing 0.87%, while Dassault Systemes, Safran, LVMH, and Danone are up with modest gains.



STMicroElectronics is declining 2.1% and Edenred is losing about 1.1%. Bouygues is down nearly 1%, while Vinci, Veolia Environment, Thales, Legrand and Hermes International are moderately lower.



In economic news, data from S&P Global showed the HCOB France Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.4 in August 2025, expanding unexpectedly after initial estimates of 49.9 and up from 48.2 in July. This marked the first growth since January 2023.



Data from Eurostat showed the euro area unemployment rate dropped marginally in July. The jobless rate registered 6.2% in July compared to 6.3% in June. In the same period last year, the unemployment rate was 6.4%.



Eurostat estimated that the number of people out of jobs decreased 170,000 from June to 10.805 million in July. Compared to last year, unemployment fell 161,000.



Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

 2025 AFX News


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The U.K. market is somewhat subdued a little past noon on Monday, having pared modest early gains as investors, awaiting fresh signals, remain a bit wary of making significant moves.



The undertone is a bit firm after a U.S. appeals court ruled that many of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have upended global trade, were illegal.



The 7-4 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court's finding that Trump had exceeded his authority in tapping emergency economic powers to impose wide-ranging duties.



At the same time, the judges allowed the tariffs to stay in place through mid-October, giving Trump time to take the fight to the Supreme Court.



The benchmark FTSE 100, which advanced to 9,226.50 earlier in the day, was up 11.76 points or 0.13% at 9,199.10 a little while ago.



Babcock International is rising 3.75%, Endeavour Mining is climbing 3.3% and Rolls-Royce Holdings is advancing 2.7%.



BAE Systems os up 2.3% after Norway said it has chosen the United Kingdom as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates.



Tesco is up 2.2%, Fresnillo is gaining 1.6%, while Pearson, Taylor Wimpey, Diploma, Convatec Group and Barclays are up 1 to 1.2%.



Genuit is rising 4.3% after acquiring Monodraught Topco Limited for 55.6 million.



3i Group is down nearly 2%. SSE, Airtel Africa and BT Group are down 1.5 to 1.6%, while National Grid, Rio Tinto and Standard Chartered are lower by 1.3 to 1.4%.



ICG, United Utilities, Anglo American Plc, Entain, Glencore, Schroders, Beazley, Scottish Mortgage, Aviva and Severn Trent are also weak.



In economic news, UK house prices logged a slower pace of growth in August due to stretched affordability, the Nationwide Building Society said Monday.



House prices increased 2.1% on a yearly basis in August, slower than the 2.4% rise seen in July.



On a monthly basis, house prices edged down 0.1%, in contrast to the 0.5% increase in the previous month. Prices were forecast to rise 0.1%.



'The relatively subdued pace of house price growth is perhaps understandable, given that affordability remains stretched relative to long-term norms,' Nationwide's Chief Economist Robert Gardner said.



Gardner said, 'House prices are still high compared to household incomes, making raising a deposit challenging for prospective buyers, especially given the intense cost of living pressures in recent years.'



However, he observed that affordability should continue to improve gradually if income growth continues to outpace house price growth as anticipated.



Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

 2025 AFX News
Barney's Farm founder cites concerns for investors, customers, and the established brand's legacy as key reasons for exiting proposed investor deal.

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Barney's Farm Genetics ("Barney's Farm"), a global leader in cannabis seed breeding known for its unique and innovative strains, today confirmed that, effective immediately, the company no longer intends to complete a proposed merger with PowerPlant, Inc. ("PowerPlant") - an organization with the stated mission of seeking investors for highly profitable cannabis seed and genetics brands with massive growth potential.

According to a spokesperson from Barney's Farm, the Company is walking away from the proposed partnership due to increasing consternation at PowerPlant's irregular approach to the partnership and their failure to meet their basic contractual obligations to Barneys Farm, including failure to transfer funding by contracted deadline dates. Barney's Farm also cited a troubling pattern of unreliable information propagated by members of PowerPlant's Board of Directors.

Barney's Farm is one of the world's most awarded and prestigious cannabis seed banks, founded and managed by Derry Brett, a highly respected and legendary figure in the cannabis industry. With a forty-year track record of seed-hunting missions spanning the Himalayas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Brett is widely credited for developing some of the world's most innovative and exceptional cannabis strains including classics such as G13 Haze, Dr Grinspoon, Liberty Haze, Cookies Kush, Hindu Kush, Tangerine Dream, Skunk, and Widow phenotypes as well as many of the modern terpene-based hybrid genetics popular today. He is also the visionary proprietor of Barney's Coffeeshops, a chain of iconic Amsterdam-based cannabis lounges he has operated since 1992.

"I have invested a lifetime of work and passion building Barney's Farm to become the world-renowned powerhouse of cannabis genetics it is today, establishing the trust of consumers and our global business partners along the way," said Brett. "Preserving that legacy and ensuring Barney's Farm will continue to deliver top quality products to our devoted and loyal customer-base is my highest priority. After observing how PowerPlant, Inc. conducts their business, I've determined definitively that exiting this proposed merger is the best way to protect those interests."

About Barney's Farm Genetics

Founded in April 1986 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Barney's Farm Genetics has nearly 40 years of expertise in cannabis seed breeding. Recognized as a global leader, the company collaborates with top cannabis breeders worldwide to deliver premium, innovative strains for both home growers and industrial farmers. Guided by the motto "Higher & Higher," Barney's Farm remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cannabis genetics. For more information, visit barneysfarm.com and follow us on Instagram at @barneysfarm.genetics.

Media Contact

Trailblaze for Barney's Farm Genetics

BarneysFarm@trailblaze.co

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Issuer: Skyborn Renewables GmbH / Key word(s): Contract

Skyborn secures all major contractors for Gennaker offshore wind farm.



01.09.2025 / 15:36 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Skyborn secures all major contractors for Gennaker offshore wind farm

Hamburg - 01 September 2025

Preferred Supply Agreements (PSAs) have been awarded for supply of monopile foundations to EEW Special Pipe Construction GmbH, transition pieces to Dajin Heavy Industry, foundation transportation and installation to Seaway7 and inter-array cable supply and installation to the consortium of Boskalis and TKF.

The Gennaker project is securing employment local to the project in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region in northeast Germany, where the monopile foundations will be manufactured.

Gennaker to add up to 976.5 MW to Germany's renewables capacity*. Skyborn Renewables (Skyborn) is proud to announce it has secured contractors for all major packages of the Gennaker offshore wind farm. The completion of PSAs signatures during the summer of 2025 is a major step towards the successful completion of Gennaker, planned for 2028.



"We are extremely proud of the agreements we have signed with each of Gennaker's suppliers. We, and the project, can now rely on a pool of highly experienced contractors to deliver Gennaker on budget and on schedule. The signed preferred supplier agreements also demonstrate our commitment to Gennaker being rooted in the local community, delivering long-lasting value and benefits for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Offshore wind delivers positive impact on the ground, be that via investments, jobs or decarbonization!" says Patrick Lammers, Skyborn CEO.

"I would like to not only thank our suppliers, but also the Skyborn team, whose dedication and hard work has been key to bringing Gennaker one step closer to reality." Lammers adds.

Monopile foundations : Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with EEW Special Pipe Construction GmbH (EEW SPC) for the supply of 63 monopile foundations, each monopile is up to 54.1 metres long, with a top diameter of 7.5 metres and will weigh up to 877 tonnes. Monopiles will be manufactured in Rostock - only 40 kilometres from the Gennaker site. The contract will further bolster the already strong local Mecklenburg-Vorpommern supply chain through a robust employment plan, securing jobs at EEW SPC which currently employs 1,000 people. A ceremony was held at the EEW Special Pipe Construction premises in Rostock to celebrate this major milestone for the project.

: Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with EEW Special Pipe Construction GmbH (EEW SPC) for the supply of 63 monopile foundations, each monopile is up to 54.1 metres long, with a top diameter of 7.5 metres and will weigh up to 877 tonnes. Monopiles will be manufactured in Rostock - only 40 kilometres from the Gennaker site. The contract will further bolster the already strong local Mecklenburg-Vorpommern supply chain through a robust employment plan, securing jobs at EEW SPC which currently employs 1,000 people. A ceremony was held at the EEW Special Pipe Construction premises in Rostock to celebrate this major milestone for the project. Transition piece : Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with Dajin Heavy Industry for supply of 63 transition pieces. Each transition piece will be approximately 20 metres high and will weigh approximately 400 tonnes. The manufacture of the transition pieces will be performed in Penglai, China and will be finalised in Odense, Denmark.

: Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with Dajin Heavy Industry for supply of 63 transition pieces. Each transition piece will be approximately 20 metres high and will weigh approximately 400 tonnes. The manufacture of the transition pieces will be performed in Penglai, China and will be finalised in Odense, Denmark. Foundation transportation & installation : Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with Seaway7 for the transportation and installation of monopiles and transition pieces for the project.

: Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with Seaway7 for the transportation and installation of monopiles and transition pieces for the project. Inter-array cables : Preferred Supply Agreement has been signed with the consortium of Boskalis and TKF for the supply and installation of approximately 140 kilometres of inter-array cables. Inter-array cables are to be manufactured in Eemshaven, Netherlands. These agreements follow prior announcements of Gennaker for turbine supply and long-term service with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and wind turbine transport and installation with Fred. Olsen Windcarrier .



With a capacity up to 976.5 MW, Gennaker is to become the largest offshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea to date. Located approximately 15 kilometres north of the Fischland-Dar-Zingst peninsula, the project area sits within a designated priority zone for offshore wind energy in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern coastal sea. Skyborn secured the initial building permit for the Gennaker site in May 2019 and maintains site exclusivity for development. Gennaker is planned to be commissioned in 2028.





*Capacity as applied for, in the permit application for Gennaker offshore wind farm.



- END -



Contact

Benedicte Bergeaud

Senior Director Global Corporate Affairs

b.bergeaud@skybornrenewables.com | +33 (6) 88 94 68 17



This press release and picture are available at https://www.skybornrenewables.com/articles/newsroom/Gennaker_PSA_major_contractors_signed



About Skyborn Renewables

Skyborn is an accomplished offshore wind developer and operator with more than 20 years' experience, headquartered in Germany. The company's capabilities cover the entire offshore wind value chain, including greenfield development, project engineering and design, procurement, financing, corporate power purchase agreements, construction management and asset management. Skyborn is a portfolio company of New York based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a leading infrastructure investor and part of Blackrock.

For more information, visit: www.skybornrenewables.com

Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/skyborn-renewables/



Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


MEMPHIS (dpa-AFX) - Federal Express Corporation announced the completion of its transition to a direct-serve presence in Saudi Arabia. This includes the launch of the first dedicated FedEx flight into Saudi Arabia, development of a regional hub at the King Salman International Airport, and the expansion of FedEx Logistics freight forwarding services into the country. FedEx direct-serve operations in the Kingdom provides customers with an end-to-end shipping experience. The company now directly manages pickup, delivery, and customs clearance, supported by its local infrastructure. FedEx has introduced its first dedicated flight into Saudi Arabia, becoming the only express logistics company to establish a nonstop air connection from the United States and Europe to the Kingdom. FedEx will also establish a regional hub in Riyadh, connecting international markets to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. Also, FedEx has launched its FedEx Logistics division, offering a suite of freight forwarding services across air, road, and ocean freight, in addition to transit cargo support and customs brokerage. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PARIS, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FORCYD is proud to announce its expansion into France with the opening of our new Paris office! This marks a significant milestone in our journey as we keep on growing on the market of eDiscovery, Document Review, and Cyber Forensic services.

Over the past years, we have set new industry standards across Europe and have continued our growth beyond Amsterdam by establishing offices in Brussels, London, and Frankfurt. Our commitment to providing high-quality services has earned us the trust and loyalty of our clients, and we are excited to bring this same level of excellence to the French market.

Mathieu van Ravenstein, co-founding partner at FORCYD, comments: "The opening of our Paris office is a testament to our dedication to meeting the unique needs of French businesses. Being closer to our French clients will enable us to respond swiftly and effectively to the challenges they face. It will also strengthen our ability to offer the tailor-made and comprehensive solutions that characterizes us and which we are proud to provide."

Join us in celebrating this new chapter for FORCYD as we continue to expand our horizons and deliver high-quality services to our clients. We are ready to embark on this exciting journey and are excited for the collaborations and opportunities that lie ahead!

About FORCYD

FORCYD offers high-end eDiscovery, Document Review and Cyber Forensic advisory services and solutions. European owned and established with locations in Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London and Paris to help clients get ahead of their most complex business issues related to internal investigations, litigation, data breaches, and other legal matters and transactions.

We help organisations solve challenges related to digital evidence with unmatched speed, quality and support. Using industry-leading technologies backed by high-quality consultancy, we help organisations gain clarity and solve complex data challenges in today's digital landscape.

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HBM Healthcare Investments AG / Key word(s): Monthly Figures

Key Figures 31.08.2025



01.09.2025 / 17:47 CET/CEST



in CHF Performance in % 31.08.2025 MTD FYTD CYTD NAV 240.62 3.5 1.5 -1.2 Share Price 175.80 4.0 1.3 4.1 Total Net Assets (in million) 1'610 HBM Healthcare Investments AG Bundesplatz 1 CH-6300 Zug - Switzerland Tel. +41 41 710 75 77 hbm@hbmhealthcare.com hbmhealthcare.com Wenn Sie keine Mitteilungen von HBM Healthcare Investments mehr wunschen, konnen Sie diese hier a bbestellen . Should you wish to unsubscribe from all HBM Healthcare Investments news, please unsubscribe here. Disclaimer: This message may contain confidential or privileged Information and is intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you are hereby notified that you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or information herein. If you have received this message by error, please advise the sender immediately and delete this message. This document constitutes marketing material and is intended to be for information purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or recommendation for transactions. The information does not take into account any personal circumstances and does not qualify as general or personal investment recommendation or advice. Statements regarding the past performance may not be understood as indication for the current or future performance. The value of investments and the income therefrom may fluctuate. A good past performance may possibly not be repeated in the future. It is possible that the investor will not be paid back the full amount invested. Performance data does not take into account any commissions and costs charged when units of the Fund are issued and redeemed. An investment entails risks, which are fully described in the individual offering documents. Some information quoted was obtained from external sources HBM considers to be reliable. HBM cannot guarantee the adequacy, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of or be held responsible or liable for errors of fact regarding such data and information obtained from third parties, and this data may change with market conditions. 08/2025

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Exclusive negotiations entered into with BOSS INDUSTRIAL GROUP with a view to acquiring BOSS PRODUCTS, a North American specialist in the distribution of explosion protection technologies and devices for industrial environments

Densification of the sales network to accelerate sales and strengthen the Group's economic footprint in the United States and Canada

Saint-Georges-sur-Loire, September 1st, 2025 - 5:45 p.m. - STIF (FR001400MDW2, ALSTI), announces that the STIF Group, a specialist in explosion protection, has entered into exclusive negotiations with BOSS INDUSTRIAL GROUP with a view to the potential acquisition of 70% of the capital of BOSS PRODUCTS, a North American distributor of explosion protection technologies and devices for industrial environments. As the STIF Group already holds 10% of the capital of BOSS PRODUCTS since the beginning of 2024, the success of this project would bring the STIF Group's total stake to 80%.

With 50 employees, BOSS PRODUCTS is a family-owned company based in Texas, USA, specializing in the distribution and maintenance of active and passive protection systems against dust and gas explosions in industrial environments. BOSS PRODUCTS has been the STIF Group's preferred partner in the United States since 2017 for the exclusive distribution of the Vigilex product range in the United States and Canada. The company also holds a majority stake in BOSS PRODUCTS UK, a distribution company in the British market, which is also part of the proposed transaction.

It enjoys a solid reputation in the agri-food, dust treatment, and woodworking sectors, with a commercial presence covering the United States and Canada. BOSS PRODUCTS generated revenue of $17.7 million in 2024 and is a profitable company.

The completion of the proposed acquisition remains subject to the signing of definitive agreements and the usual conditions in this regard.

The acquisition would be financed by bank debt and is expected to take effect in the coming weeks. Following the transaction, the management of BOSS PRODUCTS would remain in place to lead commercial activities in North America.

Jose Burgos, CEO of STIF, said: "The completion of the acquisition of BOSS PRODUCTS, with whom we share a common vision and ambitions, would represent a further key step in the Group's international expansion strategy. The desire to integrate BOSS PRODUCTS is in line with our aim to have our own established and recognized local distribution network, in addition to our production site in Texas, to serve all our customers as closely as possible and enable us to distribute our products more widely. North America is a region with very strong potential, and this acquisition would open up new commercial opportunities for our Group and its innovative, certified products, which are perfectly in line with manufacturers' safety requirements. This transaction would enable STIF to benefit from BOSS's excellent commercial momentum (double-digit annual growth) and, through this vertical integration, to absorb the distribution margin of its American partner. Finally, following the integration of StuvEx last July, STIF now offers a complete range of passive protection, active protection, and prevention solutions, including spark detectors, which the integration of BOSS PRODUCTS would also help to market."

Upcoming events

Results for the first half of 2025: October 1st, 2025 (after market close)

Investor day: October 2, 2025

STIF, the explosion protection specialist

Founded in 1984, the STIF Group is a French industrial player specializing in the design, manufacture, and marketing of innovative industrial equipment for niche markets. Historically positioned in handling equipment for bulk products, such as elevator buckets, elevator belts, and compression fittings, the family-owned group has diversified over the last ten years by expanding into the field of passive and active protection against industrial dust explosion risks and into the business of protecting battery energy storage systems (BESS) against explosion risks. With nearly 350 employees, internationally recognized product ranges, and four factories in France, Asia, and the US, the Group aims to become a global player in industrial and energy safety in Europe and internationally.

Contacts

STIF

External Relations Department

Geraldine Baudouin

direction@stifnet.com

+33 (0)2 41 72 16 83 SEITOSEI.ACTIFIN

Investor Relations

Ghislaine Gasparetto

stif@seitosei-actifin.com

+33 (0)6 85 36 76 81 SEITOSEI.ACTIFIN

Press Relations

Michael Scholze

michael.scholze@seitosei-actifin.com

+33 (0)6 85 86 17 35

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Allschwil, Switzerland - September 1, 2025

Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) continues its commitment to furthering the science of sleep and insomnia with a symposium and eight poster presentations at World Sleep 2025, a global scientific congress bringing the best of sleep medicine and research, in Singapore from September 5-10, 2025.

Idorsia's scientific poster presentations at World Sleep 2025:

Real-world data assessment of abuse potential of insomnia therapies

A study to examine the real-world abuse potential of approved and off-label medications used for the treatment of insomnia, using data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.

Real-world data on the abuse potential of medications for the treatment of insomnia. P. Saskin, W.V. McCall, D. Neubauer, A. Crucitti, P.P. Luyet, R. Jaziri, C. Vaillant. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2028)

Efficacy of daridorexant throughout the night

Effect of daridorexant on wakefulness throughout the night: Post-hoc analysis of a randomised, double-blind, active reference (zolpidem) study in patients with insomnia disorder. B. Steiniger-Brach, O. Briasoulis, A. Olivieri, S. Pain, L. Palagini, D. Kunz, P.-A. Geoffroy. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2698)

Effect of daridorexant on wakefulness throughout the night and morning sleepiness in patients with insomnia disorder. Y. Dauvilliers, G. Zammit, P.-P. Luyet, G. Braunstein, O. Briasoulis, A. Olivieri.

Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2223)

Impact of daridorexant in patients with insomnia and additional health conditions

Efficacy and safety of daridorexant in women with insomnia disorder during menopausal transition: a subgroup analysis. O. Briasoulis, Z. Schaedel, C. Bassetti, S.M. Bertisch, P. Cassel, S. Palacios, C. Palmay, R. Silvestri, P. Stute, F. Tremollieres, T. Bakker, S. Pain. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2699)

Efficacy and safety of daridorexant in patients with chronic insomnia disorder and comorbid nocturia. K. Lederer, S. Schoffner, J.-E. Batista Miranda, R. Rowles, A. Olivieri, M. Meinel.

Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2071)

Characterization of patients with insomnia disorder

The largest clinical characterization of patients with insomnia disorder to date. Drawing on data from more than 5000 patients screened in the Phase 3 daridorexant program, these analyses provide important insights into the significant and wide-ranging impact of insomnia disorder on objective and subjective nighttime symptoms and daytime functioning. Subgroup analyses by sex and age provide important insights on how insomnia disorder may affect different patient populations.

The impact of insomnia disorder on the night and the day: analysis of polysomnography and subjective parameters from a large clinical trial database. M. Fernandes, A. Olivieri, O. Briasoulis, J. Laurent, C. Liguori. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/2501)

The impact of insomnia disorder on the night and the day in older and younger adults. M. Fernandes, A. Olivieri, O. Briasoulis, J. Laurent, C. Liguori. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/3023)

The impact of insomnia disorder on the night and the day in males and females. M. Fernandes, A. Olivieri, O. Briasoulis, J. Laurent, C. Liguori. Abstract available online (https://ws2025.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/3025)

Educational symposium

On Tuesday, September 9, from 12:45 to14:15, Idorsia will host an educational symposium featuring experts David Neubauer (US), Lu Lin (China), Atul Khullar (Canada), Laura Palagini (Italy), and Claudio Liguori (Italy). The symposium will explore the link between insomnia and neurological or psychiatric comorbidities, focusing on the role of orexin. New clinical and real-world data on daridorexant will be presented, alongside practical strategies for managing insomnia in patients with comorbidities through case discussions. The event will conclude with a Q&A and panel discussion to foster expert-attendee dialogue.

About World Sleep 2025

World Sleep 2025 will be the 18th World Sleep Congress. This congress facilitates an international discussion forum and collaboration among sleep societies and sleep professionals. Sleep clinicians, technologists, trainees, educators, and scientists from around the world will meet to advance knowledge on sleep science, sleep in public health, sleep health, and sleep-wake disorders, their diagnosis and treatments. World Sleep Society seeks to maximize learning both from formal presentations by the leading experts in their fields and from informal discussion groups emphasizing opportunities for networking and member participation.

Notes to the editor

About Idorsia

The purpose of Idorsia is to challenge accepted medical paradigms, answering the questions that matter most. To achieve this, we will discover, develop, and commercialize transformative medicines - either with in-house capabilities or together with partners - and evolve Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core.

Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland - a European biotech hub - Idorsia has a highly experienced team of dedicated professionals, covering all disciplines from bench to bedside; QUVIVIQ (daridorexant), a different kind of insomnia treatment with the potential to revolutionize this mounting public health concern; strong partners to maximize the value of our portfolio; a promising in-house development pipeline; and a specialized drug discovery engine focused on small-molecule drugs that can change the treatment paradigm for many patients. Idorsia is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA).

For further information, please contact:

Investor & Media Relations

Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil

+41 58 844 10 10

investor.relations@idorsia.com - media.relations@idorsia.com - www.idorsia.com

The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intend", "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs, business development activities and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

Attachment
Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2025) - Australian technology startup, Sophiie AI, which is tackling the $7 billion problem of missed calls for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announces the launch of its newest feature: full client self-onboarding and agent training. This advancement gives SMEs complete autonomy to configure, customise, and deploy Sophiie AI's virtual receptionist without reliance on external support.

The AI receptionist can now be fully onboarded by business owners themselves. Clients can personalise workflows, train the AI agent in their own language and style, and adapt responses to reflect brand voice and customer expectations, all within an intuitive dashboard. This level of autonomy allows businesses to accelerate implementation, reduce onboarding costs, and adapt the system quickly as operations evolve.

Purpose-built for service-based businesses in trades and professional services, the AI receptionist operates around the clock to capture opportunities that would otherwise slip through the cracks. The platform answers calls, books appointments, logs job details, sends reminders, and supports payment follow-ups. Its integrated CRM dashboard consolidates calls, texts, and emails, giving SMEs full visibility of client interactions from first enquiry to final invoice.

"Many small business owners excel at their trade but struggle to stay on top of client communications and admin," said Jacob Banks, co-founder and CEO of Sophiie AI. "We designed Sophiie to step in where opportunities are most often lost - answering every call, capturing every lead, and freeing staff to focus on the work that drives growth."

The self-onboarding feature builds on Sophiie AI's existing offering, which includes 24/7 call handling, appointment booking, job logging, reminders, payment follow-ups, and an integrated CRM dashboard that consolidates calls, texts, and emails.

To learn more about this service, visit sophiie.ai.

About Sophiie AI

Sophiie AI is an Australian technology company specialising in AI-powered virtual receptionist solutions for trades, healthcare providers, and professional services. Designed to manage the entire customer journey from first enquiry to final invoice, Sophiie AI combines 24/7 availability, personalised communication, and an integrated CRM dashboard to help businesses capture every lead and streamline operations. Its mission is to ensure no opportunity is lost to missed calls or admin delays, empowering SMEs to scale with confidence.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/264497

SOURCE: GYT
The TLR 7/8 agonist market is still largely underexploited, with ALDARA being the only FDA-approved agent, and available only as a generic topical formulation. This creates a substantial opportunity for innovation, particularly in systemic oncology. New contenders, such as Eikon Therapeutics' EIK1001 and SURGE Therapeutics' resiquimod (STM-416), among others, are progressing through various clinical stages, showing promise both as standalone therapies and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size, Target Population, Competitive Landscape & Market Forecast report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, addressable patient population, which includes top indications such as Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others. The selected indications are based on approved therapies and ongoing pipeline activity. The report also provides insights into the emerging TLR 7/8 agonists, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2020 to 2034, segmented in the leading markets (the US, EU4, UK, and Japan).

TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Summary

As per DelveInsight's analysis, the total market size of TLR 7/8 agonists in the leading markets (the US, EU4, UK, and Japan) is expected to surge significantly by 2034.

The report provides the total potential number of patients in the indications, such as Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others.

and others. Leading TLR 7/8 agonists companies, such as Eikon Therapeutics, SURGE Therapeutics, and others, are developing novel TLR 7/8 agonists that can be available in the TLR 7/8 agonists market in the coming years.

and others, are developing novel TLR 7/8 agonists that can be available in the TLR 7/8 agonists market in the coming years. Some of the key TLR 7/8 agonists in the pipeline include EIK1001, Resiquimod (STM-416), and others.

Discover which indication is expected to grab the major TLR 7/8 agonists market share @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report

Key Factors Driving the Growth of the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market

Rising Prevalence of Cancer and Infectious Diseases

The increasing global incidence of cancer and infectious diseases has heightened the demand for innovative therapeutic options. TLR7/8 agonists, which activate innate immune responses, are being explored as potential treatments for various cancers and viral infections. About 80-85% of all lung cancers are NSCLC.

Advancements in Immunotherapy

TLR7/8 agonists play a crucial role in immunotherapy by stimulating antigen-presenting cells and enhancing T cell-mediated antitumor responses. Their potential to improve the efficacy of existing cancer treatments has attracted significant interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

Increased Research and Development Investments

The emerging pipeline of TLR7/8 agonists features promising candidates, such as Eikon Therapeutics' EIK1001 and SURGE Therapeutics' resiquimod (STM-416), among others, reflecting growing momentum to address the current lack of US FDA-approved systemic therapies and expand treatment options in oncology and beyond.

Technological Advancements in Drug Delivery

Innovations in drug delivery systems, such as nanoparticle formulations, are improving the stability and efficacy of TLR7/8 agonists. These advancements enable targeted delivery to tumor sites, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes.

TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Analysis

TLR7/8 agonists trigger MyD88-mediated pathways to elicit potent Th1-biased immune responses, leading to the production of cytokines such as IFN-a, TNF-a, and IL-12. Their capacity to reshape the tumor microenvironment and work synergistically with checkpoint inhibitors makes them attractive candidates for oncology, vaccine development, and immune-related conditions, with ongoing advancements improving their specificity and safety profiles.

These agents are advancing through clinical development for high-need cancer indications, including advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and post-TURBT treatment settings. This reflects their strategic utility in enhancing anti-tumor immunity in areas where existing therapies remain inadequate.

Although TLR7/8 agonists play a pivotal role in stimulating both innate and adaptive immunity, there are currently no US FDA-approved systemic therapies in this class. The only approved topical product is imiquimod (ALDARA), which now faces generic competition. This highlights a major unmet need for new, patented TLR7/8 agonists that offer targeted and effective options, particularly in oncology and infectious disease settings.

The lack of approved TLR7/8 agonists across any indication emphasizes a significant therapeutic void, creating a strong first-mover advantage for late-stage candidates acting on this innovative pathway.

Learn more about the TLR 7/8 agonists @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Analysis

TLR 7/8 Agonists Competitive Landscape

Emerging candidates, such as EikonTherapeutics'EIK1001andSURGETherapeutics'resiquimod(STM-416), among others, are advancing through various stages of trials, demonstrating potential both as monotherapies and in synergistic combinations with checkpoint inhibitors.

EIK1001 is a systemically delivered TLR7/8 co-agonist that has demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity as both a standalone therapy and in combination with anti-PD-(L)1 agents in Phase I trials across various solid tumors, including advanced metastatic melanoma. The drug is now being assessed in a Phase II/III study as a first-line treatment for advanced melanoma and is in Phase II trials for both squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC.

In May 2025, Eikon Therapeutics reported that new data from its oncology programs-generated in collaboration with independent researchers-were presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting held from May 30 to June 3, 2025. The presentations highlighted first-in-human and combination therapy data from its two lead clinical candidates, including the EIK1001-006 (TeLuRide-006; Abstract TPS9604), an adaptive Phase II/III trial evaluating EIK1001 with pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma. Alongside the ASCO presentations, Eikon also communicated recent milestones for both the TeLuRide-006 and TeLuRide-005 studies.

Resiquimod, meanwhile, is delivered via an injectable biodegradable hydrogel formulated for sustained, localized release of cancer immunotherapies directly at the surgical tumor resection site. In January 2023, SURGE Therapeutics received FDA IND clearance to launch a Phase I/IIa trial investigating its lead intraoperative immunotherapy, SURGERx with resiquimod, to prevent recurrence or progression following TURBT in patients with recurrent high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The study seeks to improve post-surgical outcomes by delivering targeted immunotherapy during the procedure.

The anticipated launch of these emerging therapies are poised to transform the TLR 7/8 agonists market landscape in the coming years. As these cutting-edge therapies continue to mature and gain regulatory approval, they are expected to reshape the TLR 7/8 agonists market landscape, offering new standards of care and unlocking opportunities for medical innovation and economic growth.

To know more about TLR 7/8 agonists clinical trials, visit @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Treatment

Recent Developments in the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market

In May 2025, Eikon Therapeutics announced that new data from its oncology portfolio, generated in collaboration with independent investigators, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held from May 30 to June 3, 2025.

TLR 7/8 Agonists Overview

TLR7 and TLR8, found in intracellular endosomes, play an important part in tumor immune surveillance by activating Th1-type innate immune responses and influencing T cell activity. Because these receptors are widely expressed across many cancer types, they are being explored as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets. Recent progress in small-molecule TLR7/8 agonists has shown that they can stimulate cytokine and chemokine production, boosting both innate and adaptive antitumor immunity. As a result, these agonists are considered promising not only for cancer immunotherapy but also as vaccine adjuvants, positioning them as appealing agents for tumor-directed therapies.

TLR 7/8 Agonists Epidemiology Segmentation

The TLR 7/8 agonists market report provides in-depth insight into the competitive landscape, evaluating future growth potential through forecasts of treatment rates, drug uptake trends, and detailed drug profiles. For stakeholders, it highlights how late-stage and prominent pipeline therapies are expected to influence the evolving treatment paradigm.

The TLR 7/8 agonists market report is a comprehensive and specialized analysis, offering in-depth epidemiological insights for the study period 2020-2040 across the leading markets, including the US, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the UK, and Japan. The TLR 7/8 agonists target patient pool is segmented into:

Total Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

Total Eligible Patient Pool in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

TLR 7/8 Agonists Report Metrics Details Study Period 2020-2034 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU-4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] Key Indications Covered in the Report Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others Key TLR 7/8 Agonists Companies AMO Pharma, Actuate Therapeutics, 4M Therapeutics, and others Key TLR 7/8 Agonists EIK1001, Resiquimod (STM-416), ALDARA, and others

Scope of the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report

TLR 7/8 Agonists Therapeutic Assessment: TLR 7/8 Agonists' current marketed and emerging therapies

TLR 7/8 Agonists' current marketed and emerging therapies TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Dynamics: Conjoint Analysis of Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonist Drugs

Conjoint Analysis of Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonist Drugs Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies

SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Access and Reimbursement

Discover more about TLR 7/8 agonists in development @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Clinical Trials

Table of Contents

1 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Key Insights 2 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Introduction 3 Executive Summary 4 Key Events 5 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Forecast Methodology 6 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Overview at a Glance in the 7MM 6.1 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Share (%) Distribution by Indication in 2024 6.2 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Share (%) Distribution by Indication in 2034 7 TLR 7/8 Agonist: Background and Overview 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Evolution of TLR 7/8 Agonist 7.3 TLR 7/8 Agonists Treatment 8 TLR 7/8 Agonists Target Patient Pool 8.1 Key Findings 8.2 Assumptions and Rationale: 7MM 8.3 Epidemiology Scenario in the 7MM 8.3.1 Total Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.3.2 Total Eligible Patient Pool in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.3.3 Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.4 The US 8.5 EU4 and the UK 8.6 Japan 9 Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonists Therapies 9.1 Key Cross Competition 9.2 EIK1001: Eikon Therapeutics 9.2.1 Drug Description 9.2.2 Others Developmental Activities 9.2.3 Clinical Trials Information 9.2.4 Safety and Efficacy 9.2.5 Analyst's View 9.3 Resiquimod (STM-416): SURGE Therapeutics List of drugs to be continued in the final report... 10 TLR 7/8 Agonist Market: the 7MM Analysis 10.1 Key Findings 10.2 Key TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Forecast Assumptions 10.3 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Outlook 10.4 Attribute Analysis 10.5 Total Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 10.6 Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist by Therapies in the 7MM 10.7 The US TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 10.7.1 Total Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist in the US 10.7.2 Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist by Therapies in the US 10.8 EU4 and the UK TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 10.9 Japan TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 11 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Unmet Needs 12 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market SWOT Analysis 13 KOL Views on TLR 7/8 Agonists 14 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Access and Reimbursement 14.1 The US 14.2 EU4 and the UK 14.3 Japan 15 Acronyms and Abbreviations 16 Bibliography 17 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Methodology

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DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve.

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The actress said in her post, 12:30 this afternoon. Im driving from Colaba to Fort. And suddenly-my car is blocked by a mob.

The Kapil Sharma Show actress Sumona Chakravarti took to her Instagram to narrate a shocking and harrowing experience amid the Maratha quota protests in Mumbai. She seems to have deleted the post as the comment section piled up.

The actress said in her post, 12:30 this afternoon. Im driving from Colaba to Fort. And suddenly-my car is blocked by a mob. One man with an orange stole banging on my bonnet, smirking.

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She added, Pressing his protruding belly against my car. Shimmying in front of me like hes proving some sick point. His friends banging on my windows, shouting Jai Maharashtra! & laughing. We moved a little ahead & repeat of the same thing.

Sumona continued, I was tempted to record a video but quickly realised that this might provoke/instigate them further. So I didnt. Its frightening when you realize that no matter who you are, or where you are, law and order can collapse in seconds.

She further wrote- Peaceful protests exist- weve seen them for causes far more urgent. And yet, those are the ones the police clamp down on. But here? Absolute lawlessness.

One wrote- Article 19 (1) (e) and (g): All citizens have right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India;and

to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

A second said, Instead of worrying about the issue and finding a solution, people are making whataboutery comments about Bengal and even asking her to leave.

A third commented- Maam, how can you understand the problems of ordinary people like us? The Maratha community that has gathered in Mumbai has gathered to demand reservation.

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The comment added, And whoever has gone to Mumbai, every person comes from the farming class. Their demand for reservation is that they have left their families, their businesses, their farms, everything, and today they have come to Mumbai only to demand reservation.
The writer was quoted saying, From Indore until today, we have never had beef. Beef is eaten by most Muslims as it is the cheapest meat!

Veteran writer Salim Khan opened up on his marriage with Salma Khan and if his family has ever consumed beef. The man behind classics like Sholay and Deewar, and Salman Khans father told Free Press Journal, From Indore until today, we have never had beef. Beef is eaten by most Muslims as it is the cheapest meat!

Khan added, Some even buy it to feed pet dogs. But in the teachings of prophet Mohammed, he has clearly stated that a cows milk is a substitute for mothers milk and it is a mufid (beneficial) cheez. He has stated that cows should not be killed and beef is forbidden.

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He further added, Prophet Mohammed has adopted good things from every religion. Like eating only halaal meat which was adopted from the Jews, who call it kosher. He has postulated that every religion is good and believes in a Supreme Power like we do.

On his marriage with Salma Khan

You see, I have lived all my life amidst Hindus. Even in the police stations and colonies, we celebrated Hindu festivals as everyone from a sipahi to the head constable was a Hindu. So it was not as if we began keeping Ganpati at home only after my marriage. My family had no objection to my marriage either.

My father-in-law, a dentist, was from the Dogra community. He had investigated my background when the matter of my wedding came about and respected the fact that I came from a good family and was well-educated. He candidly told me that my religion was his only objection. I assured him that even if we had disagreements or fights, my wife and I would certainly not have them because of our religions! We have been wedded now for 60 years!
Abu Obeida, the longtime spokesperson for Hamas armed wing in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli strike over the weekend. He had been the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades since 2004. Always covering his face with a Palestinian scarf, he became a major figure for Hamas supporters across West Asia

Always seen wearing a Palestinian scarf to cover his face, he became a symbol for Hamas supporters across West Asia. AFP/File Photo

Abu Obeida, the longtime spokesperson for Hamas armed wing in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an air strike, the Israeli military said on Sunday.

Israels Defence Minister Israel Katz praised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the security agency Shin Bet for the flawless execution in a post on X.

ALSO READ | 1 year, 10 months & counting: Why Israel can't bring its war in Gaza to a close

The militarys statement came as Israels security cabinet met to review the growing offensive in some of Gazas most crowded areas.

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Hamas and its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, have not responded to the claim. In the past, Hamas has rarely confirmed the deaths of its leaders immediately, often waiting weeks or even months.

So, who was Abu Obeida? How did he die?

Lets take a look:

Who was Abu Obeida?

He was the spokesperson for Hamas armed wing. Obeida was killed over the weekend, although Hamas has not confirmed the claim.

His final statement came on Friday, as Israel launched the first phase of its new offensive and declared Gaza City a combat zone.

In that statement, he said the militants would try to safeguard living hostages but warned they would remain in combat areas. He also said the bodies of dead hostages would disappear forever.

Obeida was one of the last remaining senior figures in Hamass military wing from before the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

A banner depicting Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas armed wing. AFP/File Photo

According to BBC, five missiles struck the second and third floors of a six-storey building in the al-Rimal neighbourhood at the same time from two different directions.

The flat that was hit had been used as a dentists clinic. Witnesses said large amounts of cash were seen flying into the air after the strike, with some taken by locals but later recovered by Hamas.

Over the years, Obeida, thought to be about 40, delivered lengthy speeches against Israel on behalf of the al-Qassam Brigades.

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Always seen wearing a Palestinian scarf to cover his face, he became a symbol for Hamas supporters across West Asia.

He had served as the Qassam Brigades spokesperson since 2004 and gained attention in 2006 when he announced the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Abu Obeida, which translates to Obeidas father, was a nom de guerre. American and Israeli officials identified him as Hudhayfa al-Kahlut, though Hamas never confirmed his true identity, The New York Times reported.

Israels new military offensive in Gaza

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended a new military push in Gaza, saying it was broader than previously revealed.

Facing rising criticism both at home and abroad, he said Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas.

Netanyahu said the security cabinet had directed the dismantling of Hamas strongholds not only in Gaza City but also in the central camps and Muwasi.

Israel believes fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with around 20 thought to be alive. Families staged a protest outside the cabinet meeting, angry that a ceasefire was not on the agenda.

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For weeks, Israel has been operating on the edges of Gaza City in preparation for this stage of the offensive. The military has also stepped up air strikes on the citys coastal areas.

A collapsed building that was hit by bombardment in the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

The Israeli military has told hundreds of thousands of residents in Gaza City to head south, but many say they are exhausted after repeated displacement or doubt that anywhere in Gaza is safe.

Meanwhile, Gazas health ministry said 215 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since June, when it began counting, and 124 children have died since the war began.

According to the ministry, at least 63,371 Palestinians have been killed in the war.

With inputs from agencies
Residents of Afghanistan were delivered a horrible wakeup call close to midnight on Sunday after a strong earthquake struck the eastern region. Over 800 people have died so far, and another 2,500 are injured, with officials noting that the death toll would rise even higher. The mountainous terrain in the region makes rescue operations challenging

An injured Afghan boy receives treatment at a hospital after an earthquake in Afghanistan's Jalalabad on September 1, 2025. At least 800 people have died so far in the temblor. AFP

Sunday night turned into a nightmare for Afghanistan as a 6.0-strong earthquake rocked the mountainous eastern region of Kunar. A massive rescue operation is now underway after the quake and its subsequent aftershocks  at least five have been recorded so far  flattened homes, killing more than 800 people and at least another 2,500 being injured.

The quake struck just before midnight, around 11.47 pm, rocking buildings from Kabul to neighbouring Pakistans capital Islamabad.

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Authorities note that the death toll is likely to increase, making it one of the deadliest in the area. A 6.3-earthquake and strong aftershocks struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, killing at least 1,500 people.

More from Explainers Its not just about the magnitude. What made Afghanistan earthquake destructive was its depth

Afghanistan rocked by deadly quake

As people slept on Sunday night, a powerful quake, measuring six on the Richter Scale, struck eastern Afghanistan with the United States Geological Survey noting that its epicentre was just 27 kilometres away from Jalalabad, Afghanistans fifth-largest city, and around 140 km from the capital Kabul. The USGS added that the quake hit at a comparatively shallow depth of 8 km. This is important to note as shallower quakes cause more damage.

There was a second earthquake in the same province about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10 km. This was later followed by a 5.2 earthquake at the same depth.

 - On August 31, 2025, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Kunar Province, Afghanistan, near Pakistan, killing at least 250 and injuring over 500, per Bakhtar News Agency.



Centered 27 km east-northeast of Jalalabad at a shallow 8 km depth, the quake caused severe damage in pic.twitter.com/CQABKwbOkv  The Informant (@theinformant_x) September 1, 2025

The temblor caused significant damage; homes of mud and stone were reduced to rubble with several villages being completely destroyed in the Kunar province. Some 800 people have died and another 2,500 were injured in Kunar, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital Kabul, adding that the toll of 12 dead and 255 injured in Nangarhar province had not changed.

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A resident of Nurgal district, which is one of the worst-affected areas, was quoted as telling the Associated Press, Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble. We need help here. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.

Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives and the destruction caused by the earthquake in Kunar and Eastern Afghanistan. Condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. The scale of the devastation is shocking. Intl community has to provide support to Afghans. pic.twitter.com/my1MGYuXEj  Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) September 1, 2025

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government spokesman, was also quoted as saying, Sadly, tonights earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces. Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people.

Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way.

Footage on social media showed people searching the ruins of buildings for survivors. One video appeared to show a helicopter full of soldiers arriving in Kunar Province. A video from Reuters shows injured people rescued from the quake being pulled from a helicopter on stretchers at a military base in Jalalabad. Other images from the city show casualties lying on beds and being treated at hospital.

Speaking on fatalities and injured people, a doctor at the provincial hospital in Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar, told BBC that they were struggling with the influx of patients. He said they are admitting one patient every five minutes and the whole hospital is full of injured people.

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Injured Afghan people receive treatment at a hospital after an earthquake in Afghanistans Jalalabad. AFP

Factors hindering rescue operations

Authorities expect the number of deaths and injuries being reported to increase. Thats because of a number of factors.

Firstly, the quake has struck some of Afghanistans most mountainous regions. These areas are extremely difficult to reach, which will hamper current search and rescue operations. As Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the health ministry, said in a statement on Monday, The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site.

Moreover, the poor conditions of roads leading to the areas where the quake struck is also proving to be a challenge. The BBC has reported that the road leading to the epicentre has been blocked because of a landslide, so the Taliban government is using helicopters to get people out. Even Al Jazeeras Mohsin Momand, who is in Kabul, reported that the conditions of the roads are challenging rescue operations.

The roads are not paved. Mostly, they are covered with rocks because of the earthquake, and its very difficult to go there right now, Momand said. So its obviously difficult for the authorities to rescue people at the moment, he said, adding that most of the houses in the struck areas are made of mud, which is why they collapsed easily.

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Taliban soldiers and civilians carry earthquake victims to an ambulance at an airport in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Reuters

Thamindri de Silva, national director of World Vision Afghanistan, also told Al Jazeera, This is one of the most remote and also one of the poorest parts of Afghanistan.

Due to the fragile infrastructure, de Silva said an earthquake causes buildings to very easily collapse, meaning a lot of people will be buried. Time truly is of the essence when it comes to this situation.

Another reason exacerbating the situation is the economic crisis that the country finds itself in. With the Taliban in charge of Afghanistan, the country has experienced deep cuts to international humanitarian aid, which has worsened the food and medical shortage in the country. And amidst this, comes the double whammy of a quake, causing unprecedented damage.

The Taliban has already issued an urgent appeal for aid to the country from foreign governments as well as countries. However, it will take time for the help to reach the most affected people. In fact, India has already extended a helping hand with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying that India would extend assistance in this hour of need to Afghanistan, expressing solidarity to Afghan people.

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Afghans donate blood for victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed numerous villages in eastern Afghanistan, at Nangarhar Regional Hospital in Nangarhar Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health/AP

Afghanistans history of quakes

Sundays quake is yet another temblor that the country has experienced. Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes as it sits atop a number of fault lines. Also, theres frequent movement among the three nearby tectonic plates.

A magnitude 6.3 temblor rocked Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, along with strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 perished. However, the UN estimated that about 1,500 died. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory. More than 90 per cent of those killed were women and children, UNICEF said.

Prior to that, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck parts of eastern Afghanistan in June 2022, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring more than 1,500 others.

With inputs from agencies
Anti-immigration rallies were organised across Australia on Sunday, especially singling out the Indian population in the country. Thousands of protesters gathered in Australias largest cities, including Sydney and Melbourne, for the March for Australia protests, with the Australian government denouncing and linking them to neo-Nazis. Indians are the fastest-growing overseas group in the country. Heres how the population has grown over the years

A placard that reads "Third World people bring Third World problems" is seen during a "March for Australia" anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on August 31, 2025. AFP

Australia witnessed a number of anti-immigration rallies on Sunday (August 31), particularly targeting the growing population of Indian migrants. The Australian government criticised these protests, saying that the brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in the country.

Australia has reported a surge in right-wing extremism, including protests by neo-Nazis. The government linked the latest demonstrations to neo-Nazis.

Lets take a closer look.

Anti-immigration rallies in Australia

Thousands of protesters gathered in Australias largest cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, and others, to demonstrate against immigration.

About 5,000 to 8,000 people attended the March for Australia rally in Sydney, with many draped in Australian flags, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

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A counter-rally by the Refugee Action Coalition, a community activist organisation, was also held, with the two sides confronting each other in Melbourne.

Our event shows the depth of disgust and anger about the far-right agenda of March For Australia, a coalition spokesperson said in a statement.

Protesters and counter-protesters confront each other during a March for Australia anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on August 31, 2025. AFP

Bob Katter, the leader of a small populist party, attended a March for Australia rally in Queensland.

The March for Australia website states, Our streets have seen growing displays of anti-Australian hatred, foreign conflicts, and disintegrating trust, whilst mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together. This march is a stand for the people, culture, and nation that built Australia  and for our right to decide its future, it added.

The group posted on X on Saturday that the protests aimed to do what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.

Its manifesto and flyers read, More Indians in five years, than Greeks and Italians in 100, adding, This isnt a slight cultural change, its a replacement plain and simple.

In Sydney, March for Australia protester Glenn Allchin told Reuters he wanted a slowdown in immigration.

Its about our country bursting at the seams and our government bringing more and more people in. Our kids struggling to get homes, our hospitals, we have to wait seven hours, our roads, the lack of roads, Allchin said.

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ALSO READ: Australia, Ireland and beyond: Are attacks on Indians abroad on the rise?

Australia govt condemns anti-immigration rallies

The Australian government denounced the anti-immigration rallies, linking them to neo-Nazis.

The Anthony Albanese government opposed the protests planned for the weekend. All Australians, no matter their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in our community, the statement said.

We absolutely condemn the March for Australia rally thats going on today. It is not about increasing social harmony, Murray Watt, a senior minister in the Labor government, told Sky News television.

We dont support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and that are about dividing our community, Watt said, adding that they were organised and promoted by neo-Nazi groups.

Tony Burke, Australias Minister for Home Affairs, said, There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. Nothing could be less Australian.

How Indian population grew in Australia

Australia is one of the worlds biggest immigrant nations, with the British forming the biggest migrant group.

The country also has a strong Indian population. According to the 2021 census, about 9,76,000 people in Australia have Indian roots, making up over three per cent of the total 26 million (2.6 crores) population.

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Indians have become the second-largest migrant group in Australia, second only to the English.

Early immigrants reportedly started arriving in Australia in the 1800s as labourers or servants of British colonisers coming from India.

After the racist White Australia policy that restricted non-white immigration was scrapped in the 1970s, a wave of Indian engineers began migrating to the country. In the 1990s, Australia saw an influx of skilled migrants, especially IT workers, from India.

Even then, Australia remained choosy with the kind of migrants it welcomed; only skilled migrants, like tech workers, doctors, nurses and academics were welcomed, and that too on a very small scale, Jayant Bapat, a researcher who has co-authored a book on the Indian diaspora in Australia, told BBC in 2023.

In 2006, the John Howard-led government made it easier for Indian students to obtain permanent residency, making studying in Australia an attractive option for them. Indian students still form a very large part of temporary migrants. After they get their degrees, many of them are allowed to settle in Australia, Bapat said.

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The number of Indians has since grown in Australia. As per The Sydney Morning Herald, there were only 156,000 people with Indian ancestry in 2001. This jumped to 242,000 in 2006 and further to 474,000 in 2011.

By 2016, the figure had reached 619,000. The Indian community is the fastest-growing overseas group in Australia and is expected to overtake the Brits in the coming years.

Australia has a young Indian population, with most first-generation migrants from India aged between 25 and 44 years old. They are also well-educated, as 68 per cent of Indians who arrived since 2006 already have an undergraduate degree or higher, according to analysis by researchers from The University of Queensland.

Employment rate is also high among the Indian diaspora in Australia. About 85.3 per cent of Indian-born migrants work, compared to an employment rate of 80 per cent for migrants overall, as per the analysis.

With inputs from agencies
The SCO Summit in Chinas Tianjin has concluded. It was all about geopolitics, optics and power play. PM Modi hugged Vladimir Putin, huddled with Xi Jinping, and also engaged in car diplomacy, while Pakistans Shehbaz Sharif was left out

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin hug each other on Day 2 of the SCO Summit. PM Modi also wrote on X, "Always a delight to meet President Putin". Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Chinas Tianjin has come to an end. Its been a hectic two-days of diplomacy and discussions for the leaders in attendance, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But amid all these hectic parleys, there has been time for hugs, snubs and laughs.

Here are some most-talked about moments from the SCO Summit and the story behind them.

A huddle seen across the world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China. Reuters

If there was one image to sum up the SCO Summit, it would be this one. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was all smiles as he chatted with Russas Vladimir Putin and host, Chinese President Xi Jinping. The optics of this image are significant; they come at a time when all three leaders share frosty relations with the United States and its President Donald Trump.

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The image also evoked memories of a similar photo taken during the Brics Summit in 2018.

Analysts noted that the message being conveyed by PM Modi through the image was clear as day: India has other important friends  including China, regardless of an unresolved border dispute  if the Trump administration chooses to continue alienating New Delhi with tariffs.

Pakistan sidelined and snubbed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 25th SCO Heads of State Council Summit, in Tianjin, China. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also seen. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

The SCO Summit was all about power play. And PM Modi emerged victorious while Pakistan was sidelined. And what better image can this to prove it.

PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen striding away, deep in discussion without acknowledging Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif , who lingered in the background.

This came after PM Modi was seen standing several places apart from Sharif in the first family photo from the summit.

Notably, the Tianjin Declaration strongly condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam, stressing that the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such acts must be brought to justice.

A hug for dost Putin

PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin engage in a tight embrace. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged a warm hug ahead of their formal engagements and were seen walking hand in hand towards the group photo.

This gesture is significant. It comes amid a series of US accusations that India is fuelling the Moscow-Kyiv conflict through its oil purchases. It also highlights New Delhis stance: India will pursue diplomacy that best serves its national interests.

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The hug also became a huge talking point across the globe; it became the number one trend on Chinas local search engine, Baidu.

Not rivals, but partners

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinas President Xi Jinping shake hands during the welcome ceremony of the SCO summit in Tianjin. AFP

This was PM Modis first visit to China in seven years during which relations between the two countries had dipped following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. However, a reset seems to be on the cards.

In a bilateral on the sidelines of the SCO Summit , the two leaders noted that India and China are development partners, not rivals and discussed ways to improve trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty.

Modi told Xi his country was committed to improving ties with China and discussed reducing Indias bilateral trade deficit, while emphasising the need to maintain peace and stability at the borders. Meanwhile, Xi said that China and India are each others development opportunities rather than threats, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. We must  not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship, Xinhua reported Xi as saying.

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Aaja meri gaadi main baith jaa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travel in the same car to the destination of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin. PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin turned heads as they shared a ride in a made-in-Russia Aurus sedan to the Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin, where they held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.

PM Modi later posted on X about the unusual carpool. After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful, the PM wrote.

Sources have told multiple news outlets that Putin wanted to travel alongside PM Modi and he reportedly waited nearly 10 minutes for PM Modi to join him before they left together.

The humanoid that stole the show

A robot serves at the media centre ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. AFP

Away from the diplomacy and geopolitics, one interesting feature at this years SCO was a humanoid robot, Xiao He , which provided multilingual support, answering queries and assisting journalists in multiple languages.

When asked about India-China ties, the humanoid responded, As an AI service robot, I do not give personal opinions about countries or politics.

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With inputs from agencies
The Titanic wreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, by American oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard and French diving engineer Jean-Louis Michel. The luxurious ship sank on its maiden journey from Southampton to New York City, killing nearly 1,500 people of its original 2,200 passengers in 1912

This image shows the bow of the Titanic 12,500 feet below the surface of the ocean near Canada's Newfoundland in 1986. File image/AP

RMS Titanic, one of the most luxurious ships of the 20th century, sank in 1912, leaving behind no traces. It took 70 years to locate the ruins of the luxury cruise, but a team of oceanographers and divers located the ruins on September 1, 1985.

If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers ongoing series, History Today , will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.

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On this day in 1939, Germany launched a full-scale invasion of Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II.

Here is all that happened on this day.

The wreck of Titanic was found

The wreck of the RMS Titanic, the worlds most famous sunken ship, was discovered on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean on August 1, 1985. The discovery was made by a Franco-American expedition led by oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard and French diving engineer Jean-Louis Michel, using advanced undersea technology.

The Titanic, once hailed as unsinkable, tragically went down on April 15, 1912 , after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. Of the more than 2,200 passengers and crew on board, over 1,500 lost their lives, making it one of historys deadliest maritime disasters. For decades, its final resting place remained a mystery, fuelling myths, books, and films about its fate.

This image provided by the Woods Hole Oceonographic Institution shows the deck of Titanic 12,500 feet below the surface of the ocean off the ocat of Newfoundland, Canada in 1986. File image/AP

Ballards team used Argo, a deep-sea submersible equipped with cameras, to scan the seabed nearly 12,500 feet below the surface. They located the wreck about 370 miles south-southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. The ship had split into two main sections, surrounded by a vast debris field of personal belongings, machinery, and remnants of luxury items that once defined the liners grandeur.

The discovery captivated the world, sparking renewed interest in the Titanics history and its human stories of tragedy and heroism. It also transformed deep-sea exploration, proving that new technologies could uncover mysteries hidden miles beneath the ocean.

Germany invaded Poland

It was on this day in 1939 that Germany began invading Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. At dawn, German forces crossed the Polish border by land, sea, and air in a coordinated blitzkrieg, or lightning war, strategy that stunned the world.

The assault began with the shelling of the Polish garrison at Westerplatte, near Gdansk, by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein. Simultaneously, Luftwaffe planes bombed Polish cities, railways, and communication lines, crippling the countrys defences. Over one and a half million German troops, supported by tanks and aircraft, swept into Poland from three directions, north from East Prussia, west from Germany, and south from Slovakia.

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German troops breaking the border barrier in the Polish town of Sopot (Zoppot) on the morning of 1 September 1939. Wikimedia Commons

The Polish army fought valiantly but was overwhelmed by the sheer speed and power of the German advance. Despite having over a million soldiers, the Polish military was less mechanised and relied heavily on infantry and cavalry. Within weeks, major cities including Krakow, odz, and Warsaw were under attack . On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east under a secret agreement with Germany, effectively sealing the countrys fate.

The invasion triggered immediate global consequences. On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany, honouring their pledges to defend Poland. This transformed a regional conflict into a full-scale world war. Poland, however, was quickly overrun, and by early October, it was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

This Day, That Year

In 1972, Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to become the first native-born American to hold the title of world chess champion.

Australia, New Zealand, and the United States signed the ANZUS Pact in 1951.

The last known passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati (Ohio) Zoo in 1914.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis latest diplomatic outreach  from camaraderie with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit to securing $68 billion in Japanese investment  comes as Donald Trumps tariff war hits Indian exports. India is signalling that it will safeguard strategic autonomy by deepening ties with China, Russia and Japan while managing US tensions

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Image/Pool via Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modis latest round of diplomacy saw displays of camaraderie as he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, and met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping amongst other regional leaders.

Modi had landed in Tianjin on Sunday after concluding a bilateral visit to Japan that unlocked massive investment promises.

The optics of these engagements and their timing  coming shortly after United States President Donald Trump slapped heavy tariffs on Indian goods  have created a telling picture of where New Delhis priorities lie.

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How Modi, Xi & Putin projected unity

The two-day SCO summit became a major stage for India to demonstrate strategic balancing. Modi joined leaders from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian states in what many interpreted as a display of Global South solidarity.

For the Indian PM, the summit was his first visit to China in seven years.

The interactions between Modi, Xi and Putin drew wide attention.

All three were seen exchanging handshakes, smiles and laughter, projecting affinity at a time when Washington has sought to isolate both Moscow and Beijing.

Modi and Putin were also spotted walking hand in hand before approaching Xi, creating images that analysts say sent a signal of defiance to the United States.

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The duo were also photographed taking a car together during the summit with Modi writing on X, Conversations with him are always insightful.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

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During his formal meeting with Putin, Modi said, Russia and India have stood together in most difficult times too.

He also noted that their upcoming engagements would continue to reinforce these bonds, Meeting with Putin always memorable in December, we will wait for President Putin to visit India.

Sharing my remarks during meeting with President Putin. https://t.co/PADOdRjsBs  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

For his part, the Russian president pointed out the resilience of the partnership. We can say that our relationship is based on principles. There is multifaceted cooperation between us, he remarked, adding that todays meeting is another good opportunity to further strengthen our relations.

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He also underlined, There is a very trustworthy relationship between Russia and India  one that is not based on politics.

The trilateral bonhomie came in the shadow of Trumps tariff actions against India, which followed New Delhis continued import of Russian oil. These penalties included a 25 per cent duty on Indian imports and an additional 25 per cent specifically linked to its energy trade with Moscow.

How India-China are working towards a reset

Modis meeting with Xi Jinping carried its own weight, given the history of border tensions and economic disputes between the two nations.

Modi conveyed that India was committed to progressing our relations based on mutual respect, trust and sensitivities.

He added that conditions of peace and stability along their shared Himalayan border had created space for cooperation benefiting the populations of both nations, which together account for nearly 2.8 billion people.

Xi stressed a similar note, describing India and China as each other's development opportunities rather than threats.

According to Chinese state media, he said, We must  not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship. He added that relations could be stable and far-reaching if both sides avoided treating each other as adversaries.

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The border issue remains one of the thorniest challenges in the bilateral relationship. A clash in 2020 at Galwan Valley led to the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, triggering a protracted standoff and heavy militarisation of the frontier.

Both countries share a 3,800-km boundary that has been disputed since the 1950s.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the situation has eased following an agreement reached in October last year on patrolling arrangements. The situation at the border is moving towards normalisation, he said.

He explained that Modi and Xi had also considered wider implications, They tried to  see how to leverage that for building greater understanding between themselves and how to  take forward the economic and commercial relationship between India and China.

Misri acknowledged that global developments, including US tariffs, were on the minds of both leaders but said the talks remained primarily bilateral.

The focus of the discussion remained in the bilateral domain. Of course, they recognise whats happening on the international plane and the challenges it creates, but they tried to see how to leverage that for building greater understanding between themselves and how to take forward the economic and commercial relationship between India and China in the midst of these evolving challenges, he explained.

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He added that both countries saw deficiencies in global institutions, There is a deficit in how the WTO (World Trade Organisation) is working, for instance. There is even a deficit in how the United Nations is working at this point in time. These are obviously common interests for two countries, such as India and China, that are large actors on the international, commercial, economic, and financial stage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, August 31, 2025. Indias Press Information Bureau via Reuters

Beyond political signalling, the India-China talks resulted in tangible announcements. Modi revealed that direct flights between the two countries, suspended since 2020, will resume, though no date has been set.

China has also lifted restrictions on exports of rare earths, fertilisers and tunnel boring machinery, measures that had hampered Indias industrial and infrastructure projects.

People-to-people contacts are being restored as well. China has allowed Indian pilgrims to travel to Buddhist and Hindu religious sites in Tibet, while both sides have removed tourist visa restrictions that were imposed during the pandemic and the border standoff.

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Economic ties remain dominated by an imbalance that frustrates New Delhi. China is Indias largest bilateral trade partner, but Indias trade deficit with its neighbour has now reached a record $99.2 billion.

Modi raised the issue with Xi, seeking measures to improve the equation by facilitating more balanced exchanges.

At the same time, old irritants continue to exist. Chinas planned construction of a giant hydropower project in Tibet has alarmed New Delhi officials, who estimate that the dam could reduce dry-season flows of the Brahmaputra River by as much as 85 per cent.

Nevertheless, China has expressed solidarity with India in opposing US tariffs. Earlier in August, Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said Beijing would firmly stand with India.

How Japan stepped in with a $68 billion pledge

Before his SCO engagements, Modi travelled to Tokyo for a bilateral summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The outcome was a landmark roadmap aimed at deepening strategic and economic cooperation over the next decade.

The two governments unveiled the Economic Security Initiative, which seeks to secure supply chains for key sectors such as semiconductors, telecom, pharmaceuticals and emerging technologies.

This also came in response to the global uncertainty fuelled by Trumps tariff regime.

Japan committed to mobilising 10 trillion yen (about $68 billion) in private investments in India over the coming decade.

Ishiba explained the significance by stating, We share the responsibility to strengthen [the] international order as we see increasing opaqueness in international circumstances. Japan and India need to bring their strengths together for the peace and stability of the region.

Modi, too, emphasised the shared vision, The India-Japan partnership is rooted in mutual trust, reflects our national priorities, and is shaped by our shared values and beliefs. Together, we carry a common dream of peace, progress and prosperity of our peoples and for the world.

Japans earlier pledge of 5 trillion yen ($34 billion) for 2022-26 was already achieved ahead of schedule, showing Tokyos seriousness in advancing this agenda. Japanese companies are heavily invested in Indias industrial landscape.

PM Ishiba and I visited the Tokyo Electron Factory. We went to the Training Room, Production Innovation Lab and interacted with top officials of the company. The semiconductor sector is a key area for India-Japan cooperation.



In the last few years, India has made many strides in pic.twitter.com/6Fmv0s7gUo  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2025

Suzuki Motor has reportedly committed Rs 350 billion ($3.97 billion) to a new facility in Gujarat and Rs 32 billion ($363 million) to expanding production lines.

Nippon Steel has also invested Rs 15 billion ($170 million) in Gujarat and Rs 56 billion ($635 million) on a major steel plant in Andhra Pradesh.

Over the past two years, more than 170 memoranda of understanding (MoU) have been signed between the two countries, translating into over $13 billion in pledged investments.

List of outcomes: Official visit of PM @narendramodi to Japan. pic.twitter.com/ebY3ffZZEj  Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 29, 2025

Cooperation in space technology, advanced mobility and Indias high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad remains central to this agenda.

How the US attempted to engage with New Delhi

The rapid sequence of Indias engagements with China, Russia and Japan has not gone unnoticed in Washington.

Trumps tariff measures  50 per cent duties on Indian imports, a 30 per cent duty on Chinese imports  have raised concerns in New Delhi about economic fallout.

The US Embassy in India attempted to highlight the positive aspects of the partnership despite recent strains.

On social media, it posted, The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights  a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, its the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey. Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople.

The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights  a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and pic.twitter.com/tjd1tgxNXi  U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) September 1, 2025

Yet, the broader context reveals New Delhis careful hedging.

By engaging Beijing and Moscow, and welcoming Tokyos investment pledges, India is signalling that it will not allow unilateral US actions to dictate its strategic course.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies
At least eight people have died in Indonesia in anti-government protests that broke out last Monday over perks to lawmakers. The demonstrations spread beyond Jakarta after a delivery rider was run over by a police vehicle on Thursday during agitation. While President Prabowo Subianto has promised to reverse some perks, his assurance has not assuaged the protesters. Will the public anger cost him his seat?

People travel past a car burnt during a protest over lawmakers' pay, escalating on Friday after a police armoured vehicle hit and killed the driver of a ride-hailing motorbike, outside East Jakarta's police headquarters, in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 30, 2025. Reuters

Indonesia has been gripped by a wave of protests that began last week as the public anger against lawmakers boiled over. Thousands of protesters, including students, workers and activists, demonstrated outside the nations parliament on August 25 against financial perks for lawmakers.

The protests turned violent after a motorcycle gig driver died due to police violence during an agitation in the capital, Jakarta, on August 28. The anti-government demonstrations have left at least eight people dead and led to incidents of looting and arson.

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The deadly protests come as the biggest test for President Prabowo Subianto since he assumed the presidency in October.

Lets take a closer look.

Deadly protests in Indonesia

Last Monday, protesters gathered outside Indonesias parliament to agitate against a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (Rs 2.69 lakh) for the parliamentarians, almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

The demonstrators called for lavish allowances to be taken back. A press release from the student group, Gejayan Memanggil, said they also protested against corrupt elites within the government and policies that benefit conglomerates and the military.

Some protesters were spotted holding a flag from the Japanese manga series _One Piece_ , which has become a symbol of protest against government policies in Indonesia.

Riot police fired water cannon and teargas as protesters threw stones and set off fireworks as they attempted to storm the parliament building.

The unrest continued for the following days. On Thursday (August 28), a young motorcycle taxi driver was run over by a police vehicle during a demonstration in the capital, which further escalated the public anger.

Affan Kurniawan , 21, was reportedly completing a food delivery order when an armoured police vehicle hit and ran him over outside Indonesias House of Representatives.

Tensions were inflamed, with demonstrations spreading beyond Jakarta to other Indonesian cities.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, three people were killed on Friday after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building. Many vehicles were also torched on the street outside, reported CNA.

Unrest was also reported in cities of Surabaya, Bandung, Solo, and Yogyakarta.

A street vendor sits while waiting for customers in front of a burnt police station following a protest over lawmakers pay, in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 30, 2025. Reuters

Protests continued over the weekend, with angry demonstrators hurling Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at a police compound in the capital.

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The walls of the Jakarta Police headquarters and the fences of the national parliament building were defaced with anti-police graffiti.

The home of Indonesias finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, outside the capital Jakarta, was among several targeted by looters on Sunday, AFP reported. She was not in the house at the time.

Protests were also planned for Monday (September 1). However, students and civil society groups called off demonstrations in Jakarta, citing fears of increased security measures after deadly riots spread across the country over the weekend, as per Reuters.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinas ByteDance, has suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.

Whats behind the anti-govt protests in Indonesia?

The public anger has grown in Indonesia over rising prices and worsening unemployment. The Indonesian governments decision to cut budgets for education, health and public works has also infuriated people.

Experts say Indonesians are frustrated with their economic situation. There are also problems with unfair taxes, peoples declining purchasing power and the lack of job opportunities, Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies, told AFP.

Bhima said the publics anger brimmed over because of the lack of empathy shown by lawmakers. The problems piled up like dried hay, and the parliament lit the fire, he said. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Ahmad Sahroni, a legislator from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), invited the protesters rage by labelling those calling for parliaments dissolution as the dumbest people in the world.

Videos on social media on Saturday showed protesters breaking into Sahronis house in Jakarta, destroying his car and carrying back what seemed to be luxury bags, watches, a television, fitness equipment and even his bathtub.

Anti-government protesters are demanding higher wages, lower taxes and stronger anti-corruption measures. Activists say police and MPs are perceived to be widely corrupt in Indonesia.

The demonstrators are also calling for police reforms following the delivery persons death. The Civil Society Coalition, an umbrella group of hundreds of civic organisations in Indonesia, urged Prabowo to sack National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, accusing him of failing to reform the forces repressive character.

Speaking to CNA, Agung Baskoro, a political analyst at the Trias Politika institute, said: Police reform must be carried out from the top down and overhauled in a drastic way.

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Its not just about crowd-control procedures, but also deeper issues such as public services and meritocracy within the police force.

Prabowos big challenge

The protests have come as a significant challenge for Probowo, who faced little political opposition since taking office in October.

On Sunday, the Indonesian president said political parties have agreed to cut some state-funded perks for lawmakers to quell the protests. He also said he directed the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters.

Prabowo, a former general, said in his speech that we cannot deny that signs of extrajudicial, even unlawful, actions are beginning to emerge, some even leading to treason and terrorism.

Prabowo did not clarify the allowance of which lawmakers would be reined in, but declared a moratorium on overseas trips would also be imposed.

He previously promised an investigation into police violence as well as support for Affans family.

Amid unrest, the Indonesian president had to cancel his trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31-September 1 and a Victory Day parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

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However, his latest announcements are unlikely to assuage protesters.

Muzammil Ihsan, head of the All Indonesian Students Executives Body, the countrys largest student group, told Reuters that the move was not enough and that more protests were being considered.

The government must resolve deep-rooted problems, he said. The anger on the streets is not without cause.

Experts say the Indonesian president needs to show the public that the government cares, or else there could be a domino effect.

If I were the president, Id remove the National Police chief from his post, Made Supriatma, visiting fellow at Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP. The people need a symbolic gesture from him.

Prabowo will, however, weather the storm.

Ray Rangkuti, a political analyst at the Lingkar Madani think tank, told CNA that these nationwide protests are not likely to topple Prabowos government.

Judging from the scale of the unrest, it is unlikely (to spread to Prabowo), Ray said.

With inputs from agencies

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North Koreas Kim Jong Un is on a visit to China, marking a rare trip outside his countrys borders. He is likely to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. This marks the first time that the three leaders will meet together. While experts say that this can be a nod to the budding ties with Pyongyangs two main allies, it remains to be seen what the outcome will be

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on a dimplomatic visit to China today, a rare step beyond his countrys borders, for prospective meetings with President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin .

The trip could be Kims bid to formalise his budding ties with Pyongyangs two main allies  and potentially play a more prominent role on the international stage, experts say.

AFP takes a look at what we know about the visit:

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Whats going on?

Beijing is hosting a grand military parade this week to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II .

Kim and Putin are among 26 heads of state slated to attend, marking the first time the two men have appeared alongside Xi at the same event.

Their presence formalises the China-Russia-North Korea trilateral (relationship) to the public, Soo Kim, a geopolitical risk consultant and former CIA analyst, told AFP.

What better way to send a visual message to the rest of the world, notably the US, Japan, and South Korea, that this is indeed the trilateral they are up against? she said.

What might it mean?

Nuclear-armed North Korea and Russia are traditional allies that have grown closer since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Kim sending weapons and thousands of troops to help Moscow.

This not only earned Kim a sweet spot with Putin  effectively, it also helped him strengthen his global positioning, Soo Kim said.

By deepening military cooperation with Russia, the North Korean leader was able to emerge from global isolation following years of heavy UN-led sanctions over his banned weapons programmes, she said.

Kim Jong Un with Russian President Vladimir Putin. File image/AP

China is Pyongyangs other major backer, and has also never denounced the Ukraine war  drawing criticism from Western nations that it is tacitly supporting Russia.

With his visit, Kim is making a fresh push to improve Pyongyangs ties with Beijing following its outreach to Moscow, Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

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With Putin also in attendance, the event showcases a North Korea-China-Russia socialist alignment, with Pyongyang seeking to position itself as a key player in the trilateral framework, Yang said.

What does it mean for Kim?

Kim enjoyed a brief bout of high-profile international diplomacy from around 2018, meeting US President Donald Trump and then South Korean President Moon Jae-in multiple times.

But he withdrew from the global scene after the collapse of a summit with Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019.

Kim stayed in North Korea throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but met Putin in Russias far east in 2023.

Although Kims grandfather, North Koreas founding leader Kim Il Sung, actively pursued global diplomacy, his father and predecessor Kim Jong Il was significantly more reclusive, said Cheong Seong-chang at Seouls Sejong Institute.

Kim Jong Uns trip to Beijing could signal that, like his grandfather he will now become more active in foreign diplomacy, Cheong said.

It could also be pragmatic move, as for aid-dependent Pyongyang Chinese support is essential, he added.

Xi is also set to visit South Korea later this year for a major summit, and Kims trip could signal an effort to hedge against the Chinese leader improving ties with Seouls new president, Lee Jae Myung.

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What about Trump?

The Chinese parade comes as Trump steps up efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump  who met Kim three times and once even said they had fallen in love  has voiced hope of meeting him again.

In this file image from 2019, US President Donald Trump can be seen with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the North Korea side of the border at the village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone. File image/AP

Since their failed 2019 summit, Pyongyang has declared itself an irreversible nuclear state and recently rejected any suggestion of improving ties with Seouls Lee.

Putin may serve as a useful go-between (for) Kim and Trump, Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

It is a sad irony. Putin has been indicted for war-related crimes, but he is also perhaps the only contemporary power holder whom both Trump and Kim trust, he said.

What will come afterwards?

If Kims Beijing trip is a success, it could help him score future diplomatic wins, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at South Koreas Kyungnam University, said.

It opens up the possibility of a reciprocal visit by Xi to Pyongyang for a key anniversary in October, which Kim will be eager to use for domestic political wins, Lim told AFP.

If Kim succeeds in securing Xis visit, it would raise the regimes status to its highest level, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chauffeured in the iconic Hongqi L5 car during his two-day visit in Tianjin for the SCO Summit. The car, which is favoured by Chinese President Xi Jinping himself, has long been tied to the countrys national pride, rolled out only for its top leaders. By offering the Made-in-China car to PM Modi now, Beijing has extended a warm diplomatic gesture

The Hongqi, which translates to Red Flag in Mandarin, carries more weight than most vehicles. It has long been tied to Chinas national pride, rolled out only for its top leaders and visiting dignitaries. This was recently given to PM Modi during his visit for SCO. File image/ AFP

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Tianjin, China, on August 31 for the SCO Summit, his first trip to China in over seven years, he was chauffeured around in the Hongqi L5, the iconic luxury car preferred by President Xi Jinping himself.

The Hongqi, which translates to Red Flag in Mandarin, carries more weight than most vehicles. It has long been tied to Chinas national pride, rolled out only for its top leaders and visiting dignitaries.

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By offering the Made-in-China car to PM Modi now, Beijing has extended a symbolic gesture of respect and a sign of re-evolving bonhomie between the two nations.

Heres a closer look at what makes the Hongqi so special, and why it mattered on this visit.

The legacy of the Hongqi

Hongqis story goes back to 1958, when the state-owned First Automotive Works (FAW) launched the brand as the official car for Communist Party of China (CPC) elites.

For decades, Hongqi has been a symbol of prestige and authority, reserved for party leaders, heads of state, and visiting dignitaries.

The car has always been exclusive, almost never available to ordinary citizens or private buyers. Its flagship model, the custom-built Hongqi L5, is considered one of the most expensive vehicles ever made in China, carrying a price tag of around $800,000.

Stretching over 5.5 metres and weighing 3.1 tonnes, the L5 is fitted with a powerful V12 engine, armoured protection, and plush interiors lined with leather, handcrafted wood, and secure communication systems.

Hongqi L5, is considered one of the most expensive vehicles ever made in China, carrying a price tag of around $800,000. File image

During Mao Zedongs era, Hongqi cars were painstakingly hand-built in small numbers and used almost entirely for political events and ceremonies. But as imported luxury brands entered the Chinese market in the 1980s, the marque gradually slipped into obscurity.

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Its revival came in the 2000s, when Beijing began pushing for homegrown products that could stand as symbols of national pride. Xi Jinping, who has positioned himself as Chinas most powerful leader since Mao, made Hongqi central to that effort.

In a 2012 speech to Communist Party cadres, Xi said, It doesnt look right to sit in a foreign car. Lots of foreign leaders use limousines of their own country, unless there isnt one. He argued that Chinese leaders, too, should travel in cars made at home.

Xi Jinping began pushing homegrown products that could stand as symbols of national pride and made Hongqi central to that effort. File image/ AFP

Under Xi, the Hongqi became what Cadillacs Beast is to the US president, a state vehicle with both symbolic and practical weight. The first time he showcased Chinese-made cars abroad was during his 2014 state visit to New Zealand, according to the South China Morning Post.

Since then, he has made the L5 his signature ride, even during overseas trips. He even used the luxury limousine during his trip to India in 2019 in Mahabalipuram, where it became a point of curiosity.

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Also read: From India to Russia: The economic and military might of SCO nations

Why this gesture for Modi matters

In diplomacy, its often the subtle diplomatic gestures that carry the loudest messages. By placing PM Modi in the Hongqi L5, Beijing made a warm symbolic gesture.

Modis trip to Tianjin was his first to China in more than seven years, coming after a long spell of frosty ties triggered by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. A bilateral meeting on Sunday between the two sides was seen as a thaw in the strained relationship.

During the meeting, Xi Jinping told PM Modi that it was the need of the hour for the Dragon and Elephant to come together and be friends.

PM Narendra Modi, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hand before their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. AP

Modi and Xi previously held a bilateral on the sidelines of a Brics summit in Russia in October 2024. That meeting, their first formal discussion in five years, paved the way for tensions to be eased in the India-China relationship.

Meanwhile, PM Modi told President Xi that India is committed to advancing its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity, noting that cooperation between the two countries is linked to the welfare of 2.8 billion people.

The two leaders also welcomed troop disengagement along the border, announced the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra , and agreed to restart direct flights, all moves aimed at signalling a cautious reset.

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The meeting comes in the backdrop of New Delhis souring ties with the United States as Donald Trumps 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports come into effect. China has backed India on Trumps tariffs, accusing America of being a bully.

Which other leaders were given a Hongqi?

Over the years, only a handful of visiting leaders have been chauffeured around in it.

When US President Richard Nixon made his trip to China in the 1970s, it was a Hongqi that carried him and his delegation, marking the cars significance in Sino-American diplomacy.

Decades later, in 2013, French President Francois Hollande was also chauffeured in a Hongqi during his state visit, a gesture that echoed the tradition first extended to French leaders back in the 1960s.

With input from agencies
PM Narendra Modi didnt mince his words in his speech at the SCO Summit. The focus of his address was terrorism and the open support extended by some nations to terror outfits. He noted that such actions should no longer be tolerated, which was even agreed upon and highlighted in the Tianjin Declaration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face is displayed on a screen as he delivers his remarks at the SCO Summit in China's Tianjin. Image Courtesy: @MEAIndia/X

Its Day 2 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Tianjin in China and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address spelt out a new meaning for the grouping  Security, Connectivity and Opportunity.

After holding talks with Chinas Xi Jinping on Sunday on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, in which committed to improving ties with Beijing, PM Modi addressed the leaders of the SCO grouping, with the primary focus being on terrorism, stating that no country and society can feel safe from this scourge.

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Here are the biggest takeaways from PM Modis speech at the SCO.

Modi calls out double standard on terror financing

PM Modi laid special emphasis on terrorism and the dangers it poses to humanity in his SCO address. This assumes great significance as the SCO Summit comes just months after the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor that India launched.

In his address, PM Modi said, Terrorism is a common challenge not only to the security of any country but to the entire humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can think of themselves as safe from it. That is why, in the fight against terrorism, India has emphasised on unity.

He called out the Al Qaeda in his speech, saying that India had taken the initiative to fight the terror group and any associated groupings by leading the Joint Information Operation.

PM Modi also made a special mention of the Pahalgam terror attack in April in which 26 people died, saying, We saw a very heinous form of terrorism in Pahalgam. I express my gratitude to the friendly countries who stood with us in this hour of grief. This attack was not only a blow to the conscience of India, it was an open challenge to every country and every person who believes in humanity.

Without mentioning Pakistan, he called out the double standards on terrorism, saying: We have to clearly, and in one voice, say that, no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable. Together, we have to oppose terrorism in all its forms and colours. This is our responsibility towards humanity.

He also added, It is natural to ask such a question: Can the open support to terrorism by some countries be acceptable to us?

A woman takes a photo of a screen showing Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin. AFP

Many view this as an indirect jibe at Pakistan, which continues to house and support terrorism. In fact, the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack were from the neighbouring country. Their organisations also have bases in Pakistan where they continue to recruit and train members to wreak havoc in India.

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Notably, the Tianjin declaration signed by the SCO leaders also strongly condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam. The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice, reads the declaration.

The declaration also stated that the member states, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats. The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists, read the declaration.

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Modis push for better connectivity

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi focused on the issue of connectivity, stating that strong connectivity opens doors not only to trade but also to trust and development.

He said that countries must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity in every effort of connectivity. The PM added that connectivity, that bypasses sovereignty, loses trust and meaning.

What makes this significant is that the SCO members, barring India, reaffirmed its support for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)  a project against which India has repeatedly voiced its concerns. The Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan, reaffirming their support for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), noted the ongoing work on the joint implementation of this project, including efforts to align the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI.

Prior to his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a moment of interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders at the 25th SCO Heads of State Council Summit, in Tianjin, China. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

Modi seizes the Opportunity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech said that the third pillar of Indias policy is opportunity  Opportunity for cooperation and reform.

The PM suggested a new collaboration within the SCO framework; that of a civilisational Dialogue Forum through which countries could share their ancient civilisations, art, literature, and traditions on a global platform.

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He also said that in todays day and age, countries have to try and convert every challenge into an opportunity. We are constantly working on wide-ranging reforms. This is opening up new opportunities for development in the country as well as for international cooperation. I invite you all to join Indias development journey, said PM Modi in his SCO speech.

Russias President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen while PM Modi makes his remarks at the SCO Summit. AFP

PM Modi also seized the opportunity to call for reforms in the United Nations  a demand that the country has long been asking for. On this, he said, Capturing the aspirations of the Global South in outdated frameworks is a gross injustice to future generations. We cannot show the multicoloured dreams of the new generation on the old-fashioned black-and-white screen. The screen needs to be changed.

He also applauded the SCO, saying that it could become a guide to multilateralism and inclusive world order.

Many analysts note that the SCO could challenge the Western global order  after all, collectively, it is a total of 40-42 per cent of the world population with 20-25 per cent of GDP and up to 80 per cent of the greater Eurasian landmass.

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With inputs from agencies
The ongoing SCO Summit in China is proving to be a challenging time for Shehbaz Sharif. As PM Modi shares warm moments with Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin, the Pakistani leader is being left out, prompting many to ask: Is Islamabad being sidelined?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares a moment with China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin at the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

All eyes are on Tianjin, the port city in China as it hosts the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. This years meeting has garnered notable interest from the world as it sees the convergence of 20 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russias Vladimir Putin and even Pakistans Shehbaz Sharif.

Many watchers would say that Day 1 of his Tianjin visit was a success for PM Modi. On the sidelines of the SCO Summit, he held a bilateral with Chinas Xi Jinping in which they pledged to be partners, not rivals. Moreover, visuals showed great camaraderie between Modi, Xi and Russias Putin.

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But what about Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif? It appears Day 1 has been a bumpy ride for him  from having technical fumbles to being ignored, Sharif is struggling on the international stage.

A photo speaks a thousand words

On Day 1 of the SCO Summit, Chinas Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan held a banquet for the leaders in attendance which was followed up by the customary family photo.

In the traditional photo session, PM Modi was seen in the front row, while Russian President Vladimir Putin stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also featured in the photograph.

Russias President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan and foreign leaders pose during a family photo of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. PM Narendra Modi and Pakistans Shehbaz Sharif are present in the picture but separated by at least eight people. AFP

What was particularly notable was that while Modi and Sharif were both in the front row, they were at different ends of the photo with multiple people in between them  at least individuals were placed between them.

This photo assumes significance as its marks the first time since Indias Operation Sindoor precision strikes that PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Sharif have shared the same platform.

Amidst the banquet, PM Modi also met a number of leaders for individual chats, but the Ministry of External Affairs stated that there was no report of any interaction between Modi and Sharif as New Delhi has maintained the position of no talks until terrorism is stopped.

And when it comes to visuals, there was a poignant moment on Day 1 of the SCO Summit  when PM Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen shaking hands and sharing a light conversation while Pakistans Sharif is walking past the trio.

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Soon after, Modi took to X to share glimpses of the interaction, posting two photographs of himself with President Putin and President Xi. Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit, he wrote, highlighting the friendly engagement between the three leaders.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other Heads of States/Heads of Governments pose for a group photograph at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.



(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/UftzXy6g3K  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

Sharifs dash for Putin mocked

Day 1 of the SCO Summit turned embarrassing for Sharif after a video showed him running to Putin to shake his hand after a formal photo session. It has even led to massive trolling of the Pakistan PM on social media.

In the viral video, as Putin walks with Xi Jinping, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif comes up from behind and abruptly reaches out to shake Putins hand.

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While other leaders showed composure, Pakistan PM Shehabaz Sharif came running to Putin to shake his hand.... pathetic attention seeking behaviour.



Xi Jinping realised what Shehbaz was going to do, so he looked the other way and ignored him  pic.twitter.com/NAEeDw2oyY  Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) August 31, 2025

This has led many on social media to troll the Pakistani PM. One social media user wrote, While other leaders showed composure, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif came running to Putin to shake his hand Pathetic attention-seeking behaviour. Xi Jinping realised what Shehbaz was going to do, so he looked the other way and ignored him.

Another wrote: Pakistan PM insulted at SCO Summit by host Xi himself.

This moment also evoked memories of the 2022 SCO Summit where Sharif once again embarrassed himself while holding a bilateral with Russias Putin. At the time, the Pakistan PM struggled with his headphones, with Sharif even being heard saying, Can somebody help me? And this prompted a small chuckle from Putin.

Putin chuckles as Pakistani PM struggles with his headphones at SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/OOGoUdXbJP  Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) September 16, 2022

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Xi extends support to India on cross-border terrorism

What could be seen as the biggest rebuffing of Shehbaz Sharif at the SCO was Beijings support to New Delhi when the two sides spoke on cross-border terrorism .

On Sunday as Prime Minister Modi and Chinas Xi Jinping sat down for talks, the Indian leader raised the issue of cross-border terrorism, saying that India and China are victims of terrorism and should work together to combat the scourge of cross-border terrorism.

PM Narendra Modi holds bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

Speaking to reporters after the meet, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that terrorism was flagged by Modi as a priority issue, and, in particular, the Pahalgam terror attacks that India has blamed Pakistan.

The prime minister outlined his understanding very crisply and very specifically. He outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace, and he asked for Chinas support on this particular issue, Misri said at the media briefing held in Tianjin after the talks.

He further added that that India has received Chinas understanding and cooperation at the SCO on the issue of countering cross-border terrorism. This has led many to believe that the SCO declaration, to be released on Monday, may include a reference to terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

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With inputs from agencies
Today is Day 2 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit being hosted by China. More than 20 leaders have gathered in the port city of Tianjin for the huddle, including PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Pakistan is also a member country, the Indian leader is set to come face-to-face with PM Shehbaz Sharif for the first time since Operation Sindoor

This will be the first time that PM Narendra Modi will be face-to-face with Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif since Operation Sindoor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, along with more than 20 other world leaders. Chinas President Xi Jinping is hosting the second day of the summit, along with the SCO Plus meeting, today (September 1) in the northern port city of Tianjin.

Touted as the largest summit since the grouping was founded in 2001, Day 2 of the SCO meeting will bring PM Modi face-to-face with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif. A bilateral meeting between the Indian leader and Russias Putin is also slated.

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Lets take a look at why Day 2 of the SCO Summit is crucial.

PM Modi, Pakistan PM to be in same room

PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shahbaz Sharif will be at the same place for the first time since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor . The two leaders are attending the SCO Leaders Meeting today, hosted by China.

After the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in Kashmir, India had launched strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in May. This triggered a brief conflict between the two bitter rivals, which ended in a ceasefire four days later.

Sharif had denounced Indias attack on Pakistan as cowardly and vowed revenge. The strikes on terror camps came as India believes there is Pakistans hand in the Pahalgam terror attack, a charge that Islamabad denies. Tensions remain high between the two neighbours, with Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir recently threatening India with nuclear attack from American soil.

Even as New Delhi moves ahead to normalise ties with China, Pakistan used weapons, including fighter jets, supplied by Beijing against India during Operation Sindoor.

It is in this backdrop that Modi and Sharif will come face to face.

India and Pakistan became members of the SCO grouping in 2017. The 10-member bloc has since seen fiery exchanges between the two neighbours. The other members of the grouping are Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Notably, this is the first time in three years that PM Modi is attending the SCO Summit in person. He last attended the Samarkand Summit in 2022.

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In 2023, India hosted the SCO summit, which was held online. PM Modi skipped the gathering of the blocs leaders last year in Kazakhstan.

PM Modi will also be in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the SCO Summit this year. This comes as India has put restrictions on Turkeys businesses and airline companies after it was found that Pakistan used Turkish drones to attack India during Operation Sindoor.

ALSO READ: SCO Summit: Why Modi, Xi, Putin together would make Trump nervous

India seeks mention of cross-border terror in declaration

India will seek a strong condemnation of cross-border terrorism in the joint declaration by the SCO members.

At a press briefing last week, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Tanmaya Lal, said India was working with other members and partners of the security-focused bloc to ensure strong condemnation of terrorism in the summit declaration.

As far as the declaration at this summit is concerned, that is under finalisation  the text. We are working with other members and partners to see that there should be a reiteration of the strong condemnation of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. But the text is under finalisation.

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The references to countering cross-border terrorism were dropped in the Astana declaration in 2024. However, they were included in the Delhi declaration adopted during Indias presidency of the grouping in 2023 as the cross-border movement of terrorists.

All eyes will be on any joint declaration by the SCO grouping, which could criticise United States President Donald Trumps tariff war. As per The Hindu, given the membership of the SCO and the presence of Indonesian and Malaysian leaders, the joint statement could condemn Israels war on Gaza in the harshest terms.

PM Modi to meet Putin

The SCO Summit comes just days after the US imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India as a penalty for buying Russian oil. The ties have soured between the two countries, with top officials of the Donald Trump administration fuelling the rhetoric against India.

Amid this, PM Modi is meeting Putin for the first time since the US 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports kicked in.

The talks between the two leaders are expected to focus on Trumps trade war and Russias war in Ukraine. The bilateral meeting will also pave the way for the Russian Presidents visit to Delhi in December for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. This will be Putins first trip to India since Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Ahead of PM Modis meeting with Putin, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dialled the Indian leader and asserted that the end of this (Ukraine) war must begin with an immediate ceasefire

Modi thanked Zelenskyy for the phone call in a post on X. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction, he wrote.

The Prime Ministers Office said in a statement, Prime Minister (Modi) thanked President Zelenskyy and reaffirmed Indias steadfast and consistent position for peaceful settlement of the conflict and support for efforts aimed at earliest restoration of peace.

The bilateral with Putin comes a day after Modi held talks with Xi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.

After concluding the talks with Putin, PM Modi will embark for Delhi, ending his two-nation tour of Japan and China.

With inputs from agencies
White House adviser Peter Navarro has betrayed his complete lack of understanding of Indian socio-economic structure while showing his frustrations over New Delhis pushback to Donald Trumps tariff antics

Peter Navarro, the Counselor to the US President for Trade and Manufacturing, speaks during a television interview outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2025. AFP

US President Donald Trumps close aide Peter Navaroo, the White House Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing, continues to shoot from mouth. In his latest and outlandish remark, in an interview to Fox News, Navarro questioned Indias policies, alleging that the countrys economic structure was being misused.

Responding to a question on 50 per cent tariff on imports from India, he said, Modi is a great leader , I dont understand why he is getting in Bed with [Russias President Vladimir] Putin and [Chinas President] Xi Jinping when he is the biggest democracy in the world.

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So, I would simply say to India people , please understand what is going on here you got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of India people we need that to stop, Navarro claimed in a clear display of his ignorance about India and its people.

Comparing the US policies towards India and China, Navarro said, We have 50 per cent tariff now on India. We also have little more than 50 per cent tariff on China. So the question is how much higher do want to go with that actually.

He argued that Indias oil dealings with Russia had changed significantly in recent years. But lets talk about India because the only thing that we have to know is that before (Russian President Vladimir) Putin invaded in February 20222, India bought Russian oil in a very small amount. Putin gives (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi a discount on crude, they refine it and they then ship it to Africa, Europe and Asia at big premium.

According to Navarro, this trade directly strengthens Moscow. It fuels Russia war machine. So, 25 per cent or 50 per cent is because India is maharaja of tariff.

His comments came against the backdrop of escalating tariff debates in Washington, with an appeals court ruling most of Trump tariffs illegal. A furious Trump criticised the 7-4 ruling of the US court, and declared that America would be completely destroyed without the duties he had imposed.

Without Tariffs, and all of the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated, Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

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He lashed out at the court decision, branding the majority judges a Radical Left group. Trump, however, praised one dissenting judge, a Democrat, Obama appointed, thanking him for his Courage and adding, He loves and respects the USA.

On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping, open-ended tariffs on almost all imports. While the court struck them down, it allowed the duties to remain in place until October 14, giving Trump time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The tariffs have been a pillar of Trumps trade policy, with global consequences. India has been hit with a 50 per cent duty  among the steepest  largely due to its continued imports of Russian oil.
The timing of the US embassys tweet coinciding with the SCO summit highlighted Washingtons commitment to India-US ties

The undated photograph shows US and Indian flags in the vicinity of the India Gate (seen in the background) in New Delhi, India. Image courtesy US Embassy in India

As the United States appears cornered as a result of President Donald Trumps aggressive foreign and trade policies to reset the global order, the US Embassy in New Delhi struck a concilliatory note on Monday, September 1, hailing the enduring friendship and partnership between the two countries.

The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights  a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and pic.twitter.com/tjd1tgxNXi  U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) September 1, 2025

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Through a social media post, the US Embassy said the partnership continues to reach new heights and stands as a defining relationship of the 21st century. The statement emphasised that the bond between the two countries is not just rooted in shared strategic and economic interests but also in the enduring friendship between their peoples.

The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights  a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, its the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey, its post on X read.

The campaign, promoted under the hashtag #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople, to focus on Washingtons commitment to highlight collaboration in innovation, entrepreneurship, defence and bilateral cooperation.

It also comes at a politically significant moment, coinciding with Indias engagements at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, where global realignments and regional rivalries were on full display.

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The social media post shared US Secretary of State Marco Rubios remarks made on Indias Republic Day, much before Trump pushed his unsettling tariff agenda.

US reaffirms commitment on Indias Republic Day

Earlier this year, on January 26, Rubio extended warm congratulations to India on its Republic Day. His message placed Indias Constitution at the heart of the worlds largest democracy, stressing its enduring global relevance.

The enduring friendship between our two peoples is the bedrock of our cooperation and propels us forward as we realise the tremendous potential of our economic relationship, Rubio had said.

Rubio echoed a familiar refrain that the IndiaUS partnership will be a defining feature of this century. He pointed to areas of expanding collaboration ranging from space research to the Quad framework, which seeks to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. The emphasis on people-to-people connections and the economic potential of bilateral cooperation reinforced Washingtons intent to consolidate its role as one of New Delhis most consequential partners.

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The US embassys X post recalled Rubios commitment to India-UD bilateral ties.

Strategic timing against a complex backdrop

The timing of the US Embassys social media has drawn considerable attention. It coincided with the SCO summit in Tianjin, where India engaged in high-profile bilateral meetings with both Russia and China.

These conversations unfolded against a backdrop of strained US ties with Beijing and Moscow, marked by trade frictions, geopolitical rivalries and competing visions for global governance. The juxtaposition of Washingtons outreach and New Delhis parallel engagements in Tianjin highlights Indias significance as a global geostrategic player int eh emerging world order.

India is nurturing its traditional partnerships with Moscow and evaluating its ties with Beijing as Trumps policies pose new challenges to bilateral diplomatic ties. The imposition of a massive 50 per cent tariff on New Delhi by Washington for purchasing Russian crude and linking it to the Russia-Ukraine war has complicated the bilateral ties.

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IndiaRussia: Standing together in difficult times

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit to reaffirm the resilience of the IndiaRussia partnership. PM Modi described interactions with Putin as always memorable and emphasised that the two nations had stood together even in the most difficult times. He also extended an invitation for Putin to visit India in December, signaling the continuity of high-level exchanges.

For his part, President Putin called the relationship principled and multifaceted, noting that cooperation spans across several sectors. He framed the Tianjin meeting as another good opportunity to consolidate and expand ties. This reaffirmation of trust and mutual respect reflects the historical depth of the IndiaRussia relationship, which has weathered shifting geopolitical currents and continues to serve as a pillar of Indias foreign policy.

IndiaChina: Elephant and dragon walking together

On the sidelines of the SCO summit, PM Modi also met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, a dialogue watched closely given the lingering sensitivities over the border issue. Both leaders struck a conciliatory tone, emphasising cooperation over rivalry.

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PM Modi stressed that peace and stability along the border, achieved after the disengagement process last year, had created conditions for stronger engagement. He reaffirmed Indias commitment to advancing ties based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.

Xi echoed these sentiments, urging declared that the elephant and the dragon should come together. He framed India and China as ancient civilisations and major Global South players, urging them to act as good neighbours amid global transformation.

Xi went further, highlighting the importance of multipolarity and democracy in international relations, calling on both nations to uphold multilateralism and contribute to a more democratic global order.

He emphasised that India and China are at a critical stage of development and should view each other as partners in growth rather than rivals. He also argued that border disputes should not define the overall relationship.

Indias Ministry of External Affairs said both leaders reaffirmed their countries are development partners, not adversaries. The language reflected a cautious optimism, suggesting that even as challenges remain, both sides see value in pushing ties forward.

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In a multipolar world

The parallel tracks of Indias diplomacyengaging Russia and China within the SCO framework, while reinforcing bonds with the United Statesillustrate New Delhis approach to a multipolar world order. India continues to place a premium on strategic autonomy, refusing to be boxed into rigid alignments.

The US Embassys X post, emphasising innovation, defence and people-to-people ties, reflects a possible rethinking in the Trump administration to broaden agenda of the partnership.

Meanwhile, Russias assurances of principled friendship and Chinas overtures of neighbourly cooperation highlight Indias enduring relevance in Eurasian geopolitics. What emerges from these interactions is Indias central role as a bridge-builder. As one of the worlds largest economies and a leader in the Global South, India is increasingly critical in shaping dialogues across multiple blocs, from the Quad to the SCO.
The worrying part for Israel is the increasing condemnation and resultant diplomatic isolation and trade and arms embargoes by the European countries, hitherto mostly allies and sympathetic to the Jewish state

The upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) could be a defining one with regard to Palestine, as it celebrates the 80th anniversary, and one of its first resolutions was to create a State of Israel and Palestine in 1948. But this time round, several European countries, led by France, have decided to declare their recognition of Palestine at the UNGA.

As the two-year-old Israel-Hamas war rages on and the plight of Gazans sees no respite. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun to face multiple challenges, both domestic and international. The hapless Israeli hostages in the captivity of Hamas remain the sole negotiating leverage for the terror outfit, and the unremitting bombardment by the Israeli Defence Forces on Gazans and denial of humanitarian aid have been decried and condemned by the international community, but to no avail.

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Meanwhile, local protests from the family and friends of the hostages and anti-war Israelis continue as they fear that eventually in their quest to eliminate and destroy Hamas, their ultra-rightist government could take recourse to the Hannibal doctrine, sacrificing their near and dear ones. Multiple reports have also emerged of former Israeli veterans and other influencers and politicians expressing their angst against the Netanyahu governments plans to take over Gaza, which they fear could become their Vietnam.

But the more worrying part for Israel is the increasing condemnation and resultant diplomatic isolation and trade and arms embargoes, due to the indiscriminate and incessant military campaign against the civilian population, by the European countries, hitherto mostly allies and sympathetic to the Jewish state.

As French President Emmanuel Macron prepares to recognise the State of Palestine at the upcoming UNGA in September along with several other European countries, he has openly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemning Israels ongoing war in Gaza as both murderous and illegal.

In an open letter, Macron criticised the rising civilian death toll, the expansion of settlements, and what he described as the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. He stressed that France cannot remain silent while innocent lives are being destroyed on a massive scale. This latest development has added strain to French-Israeli relations, which were already tense over Netanyahus repeated claims that Europe, including France, is fuelling antisemitism. On these kinds of antisemitism charges against the French government, even the US Ambassador to France was pulled up by Quai dOrsay. France is even thinking of opening a mission in the West Bank and allowing Palestine to open one in Paris.

Pope Leo issued a strong appeal for an end to the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian aid. Speaking at his weekly audience in the Vatican, the Pope lamented that the war has brought terror, destruction, and death, urging all sides to respect international humanitarian law and ensure relief reaches civilians in need.

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Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands called on the EU to halt trade with Israel, citing an extremely disturbing & intolerable humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Norway has withdrawn or suspended huge investments in Israeli and even US companies. Belgium says it is planning to recognise Palestine and sanction Israel, urging that all means at our disposal must be used to prevent genocide. Spain, Ireland, and Malta, among others, have already taken a hard line.

A miffed Israel also slammed exclusion from the UK arms fair. The UK is still indecisive. Hungary and Argentina retain their affiliation with Israel even though they are facing some music at home for their stance.

Brazil has refused to give agreement to the Israeli Ambassador while also deciding to support and join South Africa in their case of genocide against Israel.

Malaysia urges the suspension of Israels UN membership and the imposition of sanctions to stop its occupation and destruction of Gaza.

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The Israeli government has obviously criticised and condemned these moves, terming them as support to terrorism perpetrated by Hamas.

Regional countries led by Saudi Arabia continue to condemn various acts by the ultra-right government of Netanyahu, especially continued violence against women and children and displacement of millions and wilful denial and disruption of the supply of humanitarian assistance. Egypt and Jordanboth with longstanding peace agreements with the Jewish stateare moving their forces to the respective borders.

Even as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice pursued charges against Israel and its leaders, including arrest warrants, Israel also tried to play its cards, calling out the genocide of Armenians and others by the Ottomans, which provoked the Turks even more, who, despite the ongoing war, have maintained trade relations with Israel.

Turkeys foreign ministry lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over remarks acknowledging the Armenian genocide, denouncing them as a bid to cover up the bloodshed in Gaza. Turkey has now reportedly cut all trade ties with Israel and is not allowing Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports and has closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft, according to a statement by Turkeys foreign ministry.

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The wifey diplomacy in the context of Eurasian and West Asian wars was also quite interesting. It will be recalled that US First Lady Melania Trump wrote to President Vladimir Putin to stop the Ukraine war for the sake of innocent children. Following that, Emine Erdogan wrote to Melania Trump to intervene with President Trump to stop supporting the Gaza carnage with the same concern as that for Ukraine.

Even India, having a robust strategic partnership with Israel and having condemned the terror attacks of October 7, has expressed its deep concern on the killing of innocent civilians and several journalists and the plight of Gazans and has been urging for dialogue and diplomacy to prevail.

But the determined Israeli military says it has begun preliminary operations and initial stages of an attack on Gaza City, operating with significant force on the outskirts. Non-serious negotiations for a fragile ceasefire continue as pro forma efforts.

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The United States, which, despite internal opinion divides, supports the Israeli government totally and has even barred Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas, from attending the UN General Assembly in New York, accusing them of backing terrorism and glorifying violence, thereby exposing itself even more.

Iran, perhaps as a distraction, is ready to retaliate against Israel as the Europeans start on the snapback sanctionsthe last straw in the ring. These sanctions will be devastating and will have a global applicability against Iran, even though they are one month away. While Russia has a nuanced approach, China has broadly cast its lot against Israel. In any case, leaders of India, China, Russia, Iran and Turkey are in Tianjin for the SCO Summit as the Trump factor continues to impact each countrys strategic choices and calculations.

As Hamas and Israel remain in a heightened internecine war, the regional actors appear to have daggers drawn against the US-Israel combine even if their disdain for the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollahthe Iranian proxiesremains unqualified.

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US-Israeli hope of expanding the horizons of the Abraham Accords may have been stunted. No doubt Syria and Lebanon may be cajoled into it; Saudi Arabiathe real onehas slipped away for some time.

As the possibility of expanding volatility and deepening regional fissures becomes real, according to a survey, 66 per cent of Israelis fear diplomatic isolation. Perhaps its time for the Israeli leaders to look at this fact as well and avoid following the approach, If force does not work, use more force. In any case, the day after remains uncertain for Israel-Palestine and the regional matrix.

The author is the former Indian Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta and is currently a Distinguished Fellow with Vivekananda International Foundation. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
For New Delhi, the symbolism lies in refusing to vacate a space dominated by Beijing. Its presence affirms that decisions about Eurasia and the wider Asian region cannot bypass India

Prior to his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a moment of interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders at the 25th SCO Heads of State Council Summit, in Tianjin, China. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi/X

Much of the commentary in Indian media has described Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit as a balancing act, a reaction to US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. This view not only oversimplifies Indias diplomatic choices but also underestimates its standing in the international system.

India today is not a small power adjusting its posture to suit the whims of superpowers; it is a strategic actor in its own right, whose decisions are guided by its long-term national interests rather than external pressure.

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China has projected this summit as one of its most important diplomatic events of the year, hosting leaders from across Asia, Eurasia and the Global South. For Beijing, the symbolism of gathering such a diverse group of states is central to its attempt to present itself as a stabilising force at a time of international uncertainty.

For India, however, the motivations are different. Its participation is not about lending credibility to Chinas narrative, nor about cushioning the blow of American protectionism. It is about being present at every major forum where decisions affecting its security and economy are discussed. It is also about shaping the agenda rather than watching from the sidelines.

The SCO has struggled to establish a clear identity since its founding. Originally focused on regional security, it now ventures into trade, connectivity and Global South politics. Its guiding idea of indivisible security is positioned against Natos bloc logic, but the organisation itself remains divided on many issues. Members have disagreed on Ukraine, on Israel-Palestine and on terrorism, where Indias calls for stronger condemnation of cross-border violence have often been ignored.

These divisions make it difficult to see the SCO as a coherent bloc. Even so, the very act of convening such a group carries value. For India, the forum is an additional space to advance its concerns, particularly on terrorism and regional stability, and it uses that space pragmatically.

To view PM Modis presence as a hurried response to tariffs misses this point entirely. Indias foreign policy has historically always sought to maintain its relationships without being bound by the rigidities of alliances. This principle of strategic autonomy allows India to simultaneously conduct naval exercises with the Quad, purchase oil from Russia and pursue dialogue with Beijing. None of these strands cancels out the other. They reflect the complexity of Indias position in a multipolar world. The idea that Trumps tariffs forced India to Tianjin reduces this complexity to a false binary and ignores the accumulated weight of Indias choices over the years.

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Furthermore, the IndiaChina relationship, in particular, cannot be reduced to the setting of one summit. Since the clashes in Galwan in 2020, relations have remained fragile, marked by mistrust even amid efforts to stabilise ties. The SCO meeting may add some warmth to the normalisation process, but it would be naive to expect a dramatic breakthrough.

Both countries understand that letting the relationship deteriorate further is against their interests. But mutual suspicions run deep, and structural problems, from border disputes to competition for influence in the region, will not vanish through one meeting. The summit may ease tensions at the margins, but it will not take the relationship to new heights, as pointed out by media houses.

It is also important to note that Indias engagement at Tianjin sits alongside, not in opposition to, its ties with the United States and its partners in the Indo-Pacific. To attend the SCO is not to abandon the Quad; to talk with Xi is not to turn away from Washington.

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These dual tracks reflect precisely the kind of pragmatic diplomacy that India has pursued for decades and which is now increasingly recognised as a mark of its maturity. Far from balancing nervously between two poles, India is demonstrating that it can engage multiple centres of power on its own terms.

The SCO summit will matter for its optics more than its substance. China will use the occasion to highlight its convening power, Russia will present itself as not isolated, and smaller members will seek visibility. And India? For New Delhi, the symbolism lies in refusing to vacate a space dominated by Beijing. Its presence affirms that decisions about Eurasia and the wider Asian region cannot bypass New Delhi. To mistake this for a reactionary act is to miss the deeper truthIndia is not adjusting under pressure but exercising choice from a position of confidence.

Hence, Indias participation in the SCO summit should be understood within the larger arc of its foreign policy. It is a policy defined not by reactions to the superpowers but by a steady assertion of autonomy. This strategic autonomy has enabled India to sit at multiple tables, sometimes with adversaries, sometimes with partners, but always with a clear sense of its own interests. The SCO meeting may smoothen the rough edges of the IndiaChina relationship; however, it will not transform it. Nor is it meant to. What it does show is that India today engages the world not as a supplicant or a balancer, but as a strategic player shaping outcomes in line with its own national priorities.

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The author is a researcher at the East Asia Centre, MP-IDSA, New Delhi, India. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
The SCO Summit definitely comes at a critical time in the context of Trumps tariffs. However, hoping for an immediate reset in India-China relations would be expecting too much

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, China, on Sunday. Image: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have highlighted cooperation, peace and stability for a long-term, strategic partnership between the two Asian giants.

As the two leaders met on the sidelines of the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Chinas Tianjin on Sunday, there was a noticeable difference in PM Modis choice of words, which emphasised three missing factors on the Chinese side.

We are committed to further strengthening our relations based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity, the PM said.

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While President Xi said the right choice for the dragon and the elephant is to come together and be friends who have good neighbourly and amicable ties and partners who enable each others success.

Mentioning the most important source of friction between the two nations, Xi said that the border issue shouldnt define their overall relationship.

The Chinese leader forgot that only mutual trust, respect and sensitivity, as Modi rightly said, can result in a long-term relationshipand the border issue is the most important factor in bilateral ties.

This SCO Summit has hogged the most limelight with the India-China relationship drawing international attention.

Donald Trumps Tariff War

There was a deluge of media commentary on how the summit could start a detente between New Delhi and Beijing.

With Modi meeting Xi in China seven years after his last visit to the neighbouring country at the 2018 SCO Summit, political commentators and strategic and security affairs experts expect a thaw in ties, which nosedived following the Galwan clash in June 2020.

A ray of hope for a realignment of ties between the two nuclear powers was seen at the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, last October, when Modi and Xi met.

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The two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable and amicable bilateral relations between India and China  will also contribute to a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world.

Modi and Xi underlined the need to progress bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, enhance strategic communication and explore cooperation to address developmental challenges.

Soon, the disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) followed.

In fact, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had set the stage for disengagement when they met in Saint Petersburg on the sidelines of the Meeting of Brics High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters/National Security Advisors in September.

Commentaries aside, even the government expects a new beginning with China.

In an interview with the Japanese daily The Yomiuri Shimbun on Friday, Modi said, Given the current volatility in the world economy, it is also important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order.

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Re-emphasising the importance of a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world, the PM said, Stable, predictable and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbours and the two largest nations on earth, can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.

The Chinese tone was similar back in March when Wang called on India and China to take the lead in opposing hegemonism and power politics.  Making the elephant and dragon dance together is the only right choice, he had said.

In July, Chinese vice-president Han Zheng emphasised the dragon-elephant tango and said that becoming partners was the right choice for India and China.

An India-China thaw will be good not only for India, especially regarding its relations with Pakistan, but also for China in countering American hegemony and strong-arm tactics. A coming together of the two Asian giants, with Russias backing, could be the best bulwark against US coercionas Modi rightly called for a multipolar world.

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However, expecting a reset in India-China ties should be seen in the larger context, the players involved and their equations.

Trump Tariffs and India-China Ties

What most political commentators and strategic and security affairs experts are missing is that the notion of the adversary of adversary is my friend will not hold for long between the two Asian rivals.

Joe Bidens NSA Jake Sullivan said that the Indians are saying, I guess maybe we have to go show up in Beijing and sit with the Chinese because weve got a hedge against America.

"The #American brand globally is in the toilet" : Former US NSA Jake Sullivan pic.twitter.com/YcfvxTmzMz  IDU (@defencealerts) August 29, 2025

Former Trump NSA John Bolton recently told CNN that President Trumps additional 25 per cent tariffs on India or purchasing Russian oil could bring India, China and Russia closer against the US.

However, though Trumps aggressive tariffs are a common problem that India and China face, they should be viewed logically to expect a recalibration of New Delhi-Beijing ties.

The problems magnitude is much more severe for India, which has been slapped with 50 per cent tariffs, including 25 per cent for purchasing Russian oil.

The Trump administration has dealt with India and China on the tariff front differently.

During his February US visit, Modi agreed to sign a trade deal by this year, increase bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and pledged to purchase up to $25 billion in American energy and increase defence imports.

After Trump declared a global tariff war, India held five rounds of dialogue with the US and even offered zero duties on American industrial goods, which comprise 40 per cent of exports to India, hoping that Trump would reduce the tariff fate to 15 per cent.

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However, the India-US talks eventually collapsed, ending in an impasse, after India refused to import American agricultural and dairy products. Trump didnt extend the August 1, 90-day tariff deadline and instead imposed an additional 25 per cent duties on India for buying Russian oil.

The US alleged that India, the Maharaja of tariffs and a laundromat for the Kremlin, was funding Russias war with Ukraine. Trumps trade and manufacturing advisor, Peter Navarro, has dubbed the conflict Modis war.

On the other hand, Trump offered several concessions to China.

The US didnt slap secondary tariffs on China despite it being the largest purchaser of Russian crude. China imported 109 million tonnes (MT) of Russian crude in 2024 compared to Indias 88 MT.

Moreover, Trump has extended the 90-day tariff deadline with China twice with trade representatives from both nations meeting thrice.

After the US imposed 145 per cent duties on Chinese goods, China hit back with 125 per cent tariffs. However, the two sides agreed to a 90-day tariff pause on May 11.

Following the first round of talks in Geneva, America slashed tariffs on Chinese imports to 30 per cent while China reduced them to 10 per cent. Trump extracted another concession from China, which agreed to restart exporting some rare earth minerals critical for American electronics, aerospace and cars.

The second round of US-China talks was held in London in June. Subsequently, Trump reciprocated and paused the freeze on tech exports, like graphic processing units, to China to secure a meeting with Xi in October or November.

After the third round of talks in Stockholm in July, Trump extended the 90-day deadline for the second time.

India has more at stake in Trumps tariff war.

The US was Indias largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25. The bilateral trade was worth $131.84 billion with a surplus of around $45 billion in Indias favour.

Indias exports to the US increased by 11.6 per cent to $86.51 billion compared to $77.52 billion in 2023-24. Similarly, imports rose by 7.44 per cent in 2024-25 to $45.33 billion as against $42.2 billion in the last financial year.

According to Barclays, around 70 per cent of merchandise exports ($55 billion), mainly electrical machinery and gems and jewellery, to the US are under serious threat due to the 50 per cent tariffs.

In contrast, the economies of the US and China together comprised 43 per cent of the global GDP and about 48 per cent of international manufacturing output in 2023, per the World Bank.

China is Americas third-largest export market after Canada and Mexico. Besides, China holds around $760 billion worth of US treasury bonds, second after Japan.

The China-US bilateral trade in 2024 was almost five times that of between India and Americaan estimated $658.9 billion, up 2.6 per cent ($17 billion) from 2023.

The US imported goods worth $438.7 billion from China in 2024, up 2.7 per cent ($11.5 billion) from 2023. Chinese goods, primarily computers, electric batteries and video displays, make up around 13.5 per cent of the US market, trailing only Mexico.

Despite having the largest trade deficit with China in 2024, $295 billion, the lowest since 2009, the US didnt impose the same or a higher rate of tariffs compared to India.

China has a massive advantage over the US in traderare earths, a group of 17 chemically similar elements that are used to in fighter jet engine radar (F-35), missiles (Tomahawk), drones (Predator), computer hard drives, EV motors and also used in laser surgery and MRI scan.

China has monopolised rare earths extraction, a hazardous process, and refinement. Per the International Energy Agency, Chinas share in rare earths production and processing is 61 per cent and 92 per cent, respectively.

In 2020-23, the US imported 70 per cent of its total rare earths requirement from China. When Trump slapped tariffs in April, China restricted exports of seven rare earth minerals critical to the US defence sector.

However, after China relaxed the restrictions on rare earths exports following the talks with the US in Geneva, shipments to America galloped by 660 per cent (353 tonnes) in June. After Germany, the US imported the maximum quantity of rare earths from China.

Therefore, expecting China to reset its ties with India over the tariff differences with the US sounds fantastical.

Trump tariffs dont have a role to play in ending disputes or resolving issues between India and China. The SCO Summit can result in a temporary bonhomie, but it cant be a permanent solution to the border dispute.

Further and expansive dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing and a dispute resolution mechanism is the only way to peaceful coexistence.

For example, the LAC disengagement was the result of bilateral dialogues. What 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks couldnt do was achieved by the political leadership of both nations.

China Has Upper Hand with Russias Backing

India has not stopped importing Russian oil despite the secondary US tariffs and threats by Trump administration senior officialsbut New Delhi hasnt retaliated either.

Indias approach is cautious and pragmatic as Trump, advised by irrational aides like Navarro, could increase tariffs against India, in case of retaliation.

The best India can hope for from the SCO Summit is more trade with China, which has an advantage in imports.

China imported $15 billion worth of goods from India in 2024-25 On the other hand, Indias imports from China increased by 11.52 per cent to $113.45 billion against $101.73 billion in 2023-24. Exports decreased by 14.5 per cent to $14.25 billion compared to $16.66 billion in 2023-24.

China is Indias second-largest trading partner after the US with $127.7 billion bilateral trade in 2024-25 as against $118.4 billion in 2023-24.

Chinas biggest advantage in dealing with the US, without Indias assistance, is Russias backing and the personal bond between Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Putin, who will also attend the SCO Summit, will be in China for four days, unusual for the Russian leader, and will be the chief guest of the military parade marking 80 years since the end of WW II.

Both leaders have met more than 40 times since 2012. Twenty days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin and Xi announced their no limits friendship.

As the US seeks to contain Chinas rise and continues to assist Ukraine against Russia, Xi affirmed their no limits friendship on the third anniversary of the war this February.

China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force, unique strategic value and are neither aimed at nor influenced by any third party, Xi said in a phone call with Putin.

The development strategies and foreign policies of China and Russia are long-term. The two countries are good neighbours that cannot be moved apart, he added.

The China-Russia trade volume reached a staggering $245 billion in 2024, more than double the 2020 figure and a 66 per cent rise compared to 2021. Last year, Russia exported crude oil worth $62.26 billion to China, a 54 per cent increase compared to 2021.

The Biden and the Trump administrations have brought China and Russia closer.

China, under Xi, refuses to buckle under American pressure, especially on Taiwan, and its military and strategic influence is increasing much to the USs chagrin.

Russia, under Putin, continues with its grinding war of attrition in Ukraine despite massive military aid worth billions to Kyiv by the US and Europe.

India too has Russias backing. For decades, the Indian military, especially the Indian Air Force (IAF), has relied on Russian equipment, which has demonstrated its effectiveness in wars with Pakistan. Russian equipment comprises 86 per cent of Indias military inventory.

But the India-Russia relationship has its limits. For instance, Russia was initially neutral following the Galwan clash and refused to mediate.

During the RIC (Russia, India and China) 2020 virtual summit between the foreign ministers of the three nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, I dont see any reason for a third-party intervention to solve the current issue. However, Russia did engage in discreet diplomacy to de-escalate the India-China conflict.

The troika was formed years ago as an Eurasian power that could counter Western dominance. In May this year, Lavrov expressed genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika.

Conclusion

India faces a very complex situation. China is Pakistans steadfast ally and is also very close to Russia. In case of another border dispute with China, Russia will not come to Indias rescue considering the strong bond Moscow and Beijing share. Meanwhile, Trump has jolted India-US ties and is moving closer to Pakistan.

The SCO Summit definitely comes at a critical time in the context of Trumps tariffs. However, hoping for an immediate reset in India-China relations would be expecting too much.

The writer is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience and comments primarily on foreign affairs. He tweets as @FightTheBigots. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
As prime minister Narendra Modi met Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, on the sidelines of the SCO leaders summit in the port city of Tianjin Sunday, the Western world broke into a sweat. The general consensus seemed to be that Trump has alienated India to such an extent that Modi is joining the axis of autocrats, seeking refuge in the arms of Putin and Xi and hedging against American unpredictability.

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Thats the exact flipping of the Trumpian argument. That India is a geopolitical swing state that responds only to coercive diplomacy. Neither Trump nor his critics take into account Indias agency, the possibility that India is a strategically autonomous state that shuns power blocs, refuses to be drawn into treaty alliances and aligns solely on shared interests.

The Chinese understand it better. As a Global Times editorial writes, What makes some American media outlets uneasy about the prospect of the dragon and the elephant dancing together is essentially a residue of Cold War mentality. When Washington criticizes India for buying Russian oil, the implication is that it wants India to pick a side

This was Modis first China visit in seven years, and the fact that it coincided with a fraught time in India-US relations has fed into speculation that Modi wants to show Washington DC he has options and is pivoting sharply to tackle the challenges posed by Trumps trade war and secondary sanctions. That is wrong lens.

Modis visit to China is the culmination of a rapprochement process that began in October last year during the BRICS Summit in Kazan, and while there is certainly a recalibration of Indias diplomatic stance owing to Trumps boorish behaviour and coercive diplomacy, India and Chinas reconciliation is driven by its own dynamic, pulls and imperatives. I am not sure that it can be called a reset. Maybe a cautious reengagement. The readouts released by both sides are signified by soaring rhetoric and focus on optics and little by way of concrete progress if we, for example, compare the outcomes from Tianjin to the just released India-Japan joint statement and the declaration on security cooperation.

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A reading of the statements issued by New Delhi and Beijing indicates a thematic mistrust lying in the background. Modis opening remarks lay down the gauntlet that improvement in the border situation has sparked improvement in ties. This is a reiteration of Indias core position that in order for both sides to generate mutual trust, an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and stability in the border is a prerequisite.

A variation of this statement finds expression in Indias three separate statements. One, when Modi delivers the opening remarks during the bilateral meeting: I sincerely thank you for the warm welcome. Last year, we had a very meaningful discussion in Kazan, which gave a positive direction to our relations. An atmosphere of peace and stability has been established after disengagement at the border.

Second, when the MEA released a readout of the closed-door meeting. Prime Minister underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations. The two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then.

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And third, when the prime minister took to the social media platforms. Had a fruitful meeting with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. We reviewed the positive momentum in India-China relations since our last meeting in Kazan. We agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas and reaffirmed our commitment to cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.

In contrast, the Chinese statement (in Mandarin) makes it clear that while We must work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, we should not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship. Thats a reinforcement of irreconcilable positions, and an indication that on core areas of self-interests there is no alignment.

A variation of such a structural difference can also be found in the statements where New Delhi calls for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century. The Chinese side, however, talks about jointly promoting a multipolar world and democratization in international relations, making due contributions to maintaining peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond.

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This is a clear assertion of Chinese hegemony and an unwillingness to leave an inch of space for India in Asia. As the Chinese say, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. Xi may talk about China and India being good neighbors and partners helping each other succeed, invoke cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant as many times as he wants, it matters very little when China refuses to even accept Indias rise and seeks to perpetuate the prevailing asymmetry in ties.

Among the other interesting takeaways, both sides stressed on the framework of development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes, as MEA stated. The Chinese side stressed that As long as they remain committed to the overarching principle of being partners, not rivals, and providing development opportunities, not threats, for each other, China-India relations will flourish and move forward steadily.

To a question during the foreign secretarys press briefing on how both parties can see each other as partners and not rivals when troops are still deployed at the India-China border, Vikram Misri offered a lengthy reply.

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I quote from the transcript of the briefing where the foreign secretary said, the formulation of the two countries being partners, not rivals Both leaders have done this framing of the relationship. This is what is desired. And this is what they see as the future of the relationship as well. He called troops at the border a reality which is moving towards normalization, arising from a crisis that we have dealt with, or attempted to deal with over the course of the last five, five and a half years That doesnt change the fact that the two leaders, and not just these two leaders, but previous leaders as well  what they have framed for the medium to long term future of the relationship That, the future that we should aspire to, the future that we should aim at, the one that we should work towards, is one of partnership and not one of rivalry.

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It points to a certain iffiness in Indias approach, the taking of a gingerly step forward. I found it significant that the Indian statement contained a certain reference to the border that was completely missing from the Chinese document. It ties with the apparent contradiction in Indias approach.

While India states upfront that peace and tranquility on the border areas is essential for continued development of bilateral relations, it goes on to add, The two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then. They expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples. [ Italicized by the author]

It indicates a tacit acknowledgement from Indian side that the border issue cannot be fully resolved unless there is political consensus from both sides. The fact that such a formulation was missing from Indian statement post Kazan, may be interpreted as India subtly conceding strategic space to China. It indicates an admission from New Delhi that it cannot let the border issue be the sole determinant of ties especially at a time when the natural progression in ties is moving towards a tactical thaw. Rather, India is signalling that it is ready to engage and let the trajectory drive the resolution of border issue. See Misris reply above to the question on troops.

The Chinese statement is conspicuously silent on this issue, except quoting the Indian side to state: India is willing to work with China to seek a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue.

This takeaway is reinforced if we look at the issue of trade where China enjoys an ever-expanding surplus that has now run into $100 billion and is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

The Indian formulation states: On economic and trade relations, they recognized the role of their two economies to stabilize world trade. They underlined the need to proceed from a political and strategic direction to expand bilateral trade and investment ties and reduce trade deficit.

I will add Misris comments from the press briefing, where to a question on this issue, he added: it is important also to look at the issue of trade and trade deficit from the broad strategic direction and engagement between the two countries

Taking together, it seems political stability and strategic trajectory have emerged as the key elements of bilateral ties. It is a strategic conception close to Beijing heart. Whether its trade or the boundary issue, progress will depend on the state of overall relationship. It is a reverse linking of issues from Indias POV and a definite win for China. It could point to the fact that New Delhi, under pressure from an unpredictable Washington DC, has less space for maneuvering against China.

I shall point to two more takeaways. One, there is no reference to terrorism in the Chinese statement, an issue that finds mention in the Indian document. The foreign secretary, however, mentioned that the issue was discussed. It was raised by the Prime Minister, and he outlined his understanding very, very crisply and very specifically on this issue. Misri added that Modi asked for Chinas support And, as I said, the Chinese have extended their support in various ways on addressing this issue.

The SCO joint statement would be interesting to note.

And finally, Indias readout mentioned the prime ministers meeting with Cai Qi, a powerful member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CPC and someone trusted by Xi. Modi shared with Mr. Cai his vision for bilateral relations and sought his support to realize the vision of the two leaders. Mr. Cai reiterated the Chinese sides desire to expand bilateral exchanges and further improve relations in line with the consensus reached between the two leaders.

The foreign secretary revealed that the Chinese side proposed to hold a banquet for Modi hosted by Cai, who holds several important positions in the CPC, as a special gesture to show the importance attached by China to the visit of the Prime Minister, which was taking place after a hiatus of nearly seven years. However, as there was a scheduling conflict, it was decided to have a brief meeting between Prime Minister and Mr. Cai.

Indian sides reluctance to attend the banquet indicates that New Delhi is wary of overdoing the being in the Chinese camp bit, especially when Beijing is not ready to meet India halfway to address New Delhis core concerns.

That said, the Modi-Xi meeting was not without positive outcomes. The revival of economic and people to people links, with indications that India warming to Chinese investment in manufacturing, renewables and auto parts, enhanced multilateral coordination, Chinese support for Indias autonomous foreign policy and the framing of partners, not rivals amid intense geopolitical flux is substance enough. It points to a strategic reality that should put Washington DC on notice.

The writer is Deputy Executive Editor, Firstpost. He tweets as @sreemoytalukdar. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Afghanistans Taliban authorities have confirmed at least 800 dead and 2,500 injured in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the remote mountainous region in the countrys east. The toll is expected to rise.

Taliban soldiers and civilians carry earthquake victims to an ambulance at an airport in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, September 1, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

The Taliban regime of Afghanistan has said that the toll from Mondays 6.3-magnitude earthquake has risen to around 800 dead and 2,500 injured.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) of India said that the earthquake struck at around midnight local time and had its epicentre around 27 kilometres from the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. More than 1.2 million live in the area affected by the earthquake.

Regarding the toll, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP that around 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured in remote Kunar province alone in the mountainous area near the epicentre and another 12 people were killed and 255 were injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province.

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Separately, as the earthquake struck a remote mountainous region, it will take time to get the exact information about human losses and damage to the infrastructure, said Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the Afghan Public Health Ministry.

We have launched a massive rescue operation and mobilized hundreds of people to help people in the affected areas, Zaman added.

Separately, Afghan interior ministry said that around 1,000 injured people have been evacuated to hospitals.

PM Modi extends help

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in Afghanistan and extended help.

India has frequently offered help in disasters in the neighbourhood. Most recently, India helped authorities in Myanmar after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in March. It had also sent relief personnel and supplies to Turkey after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected, said Modi on X.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

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Frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan

The Mondays 6.3-mangnitude earthquake is the latest to hit Afghanistan.

The main quake was followed by many aftershocks, measuring 4.7, 4.3, and two shocks of 5.0 on the Richter scale, according to AFP.

In recent years, many devastating earthquakes have hit the country that have killed and injured scores of people.

This time, however, the situation is worsened by the fact that the Nangarhar province has also been hit by flooding that killed five people last week and destroyed crops and properties.

In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck western Herat province and killed over 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Paktika province and killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday accused the US of mounting an unprecedented military threat against his country, claiming that eight American warships carrying 1,200 missiles and a submarine were targeting Venezuela

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures while speaking during a press conference in Caracas, on Monday. AFP

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday accused the United States of posing an absolutely criminal, bloody threat to his country, alleging that eight US warships armed with 1,200 missiles and a submarine were targeting Venezuela.

Speaking at a press conference with international media in Caracas, AFP quoted Maduro as saying, This is the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela.

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The US government, which has long accused Maduro of heading a narco-trafficking regime, recently announced the deployment of naval assets to the southern Caribbean as part of an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Washington has not publicly confirmed any intent to target Venezuela militarily.

Maduro, whose controversial re-elections in 2018 and 2024 were rejected by the US and several other nations, declared that his government was fully prepared to respond.

In response to maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum readiness to defend Venezuela, he said.

The comments come amid rising tensions between Caracas and Washington, as the US continues to push for democratic reforms and free elections in Venezuela.

Washington has doubled the bounty for Maduros capture to $50 million but has made no public threat to invade Venezuela.

Caracas has said it would patrol its territorial waters and mobilise more than four million militia members in response to the US threats.

Maduro deplored that communications channels with the United States have broken down, and vowed his country will never give in to blackmail nor threats of any kind.

At the press conference, Maduro warned US President Donald Trump that his Secretary of State Marco Rubio wanted to lead him into a bloodbath with a massacre against the people of Venezuela.

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Reuters reported on August 28 that US warships have arrived in the southern Caribbean as part of a major naval buildup aimed at countering threats from Latin American drug cartels.

President Trump has made dismantling drug cartels a key priority of his administration, tying it to efforts to curb migration and secure the southern border.

While American Navy and Coast Guard vessels regularly patrol the region, officials say the current deployment is significantly larger than usual.

The Trump administration designated Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuelas Tren de Aragua, and other drug groups as global terrorist organisations earlier this year.

Among the vessels deployed are the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale, carrying 4,500 personnel, including 2,200 Marines, according to sources cited by Reuters. The US military is also operating P-8 surveillance aircraft in international waters to gather intelligence.

Maduro has condemned the buildup, often accusing U.S. agencies, including the CIA, of conspiring with the Venezuelan opposition to destabilise his government  claims both the US and opposition leaders deny. Caracas has described US sanctions as an economic war.

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With inputs from agencies
Germany has admitted 45 Afghan refugees stranded in Pakistan after court rulings forced Berlin to resume parts of its frozen asylum program.

Afghan nationals walk past German policemen to board a bus after they landed at the airport in Hannover-Langenhagen, northwestern Germany. AFP

A group of 45 Afghans who fled the Taliban arrived in Germany on Monday after months of waiting in Pakistan until German court rulings forced Berlin to offer them refuge.

The 10 families have been among more than 2,000 Afghans caught in limbo in Pakistan as Germanys conservative-led government this year froze a programme to offer them sanctuary.

They arrived in Hanover on a commercial flight from Istanbul around 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), said an AFP reporter and the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected.

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An interior ministry spokeswoman later confirmed that 45 Afghan nationals entered Germany. These are all individuals who obtained visas through legal proceedings All of these individuals have fully completed the admission procedure and security screening.

After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Germany set up a scheme to offer sanctuary to Afghans who had worked for German institutions or were otherwise deemed at high risk of persecution, including rights activists and journalists.

But the scheme was frozen under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, as part of a wider crackdown on immigration.

While the Afghans have been left stranded in Pakistan, authorities there have also stepped up a crackdown on Afghans living in the country without residency.

Last month, Berlin said around 450 Afghans waiting to come to Germany had been detained, and more than 200 of them were sent back to their Taliban-run homeland.

While alarm has grown about their fate, Germany has agreed to resume accepting some of the others.

The government said last week that Afghans for whom courts have found that Germany is legally obliged to issue visas would travel to Germany in stages once they had cleared security checks.

The 10 main applicants who arrived on Monday were eight women and two men who had been involved in politics, the justice system and journalism, said Eva Beyer, a spokeswoman for the Airbridge Kabul initiative.

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Around 85 other stranded Afghans have begun legal proceedings against Germany, and there are more every day, Beyer said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that sustainable peace in Ukraine would require addressing the issue of Natos eastward expansion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China, on Monday. Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that sustainable peace in Ukraine would require addressing the issue of Natos eastward expansion.

His comments came after holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said the West had tried to bring Ukraine into the Wests orbit and then sought to entice the former Soviet republic into the US-led Nato military alliance.

In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated, Reuters quoted Putin as saying.

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A fair balance in the security sphere must be also restored, Putin said, shorthand for a series of Russian demands about Nato and European security.

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after eight years of conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region. As of now, Russian troops occupy nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

While Ukraine and its Western allies have condemned the invasion as an unprovoked act of aggression and territorial conquest, Putin has consistently portrayed the war as part of a broader geopolitical clash with the West. He accuses Nato of provoking Russia by expanding eastward after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

At the 2008 Nato summit in Bucharest, alliance leaders declared that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually become members. In 2019, Ukraine amended its constitution to formally pursue full Nato and EU membership  a move Russia has strongly opposed.

According to a May report by Reuters, Putins conditions for ending the war include a written commitment from Western leaders to halt Nato expansion towards Russias borders, as well as significant sanctions relief.

Putin also said that the understandings he reached with President Donald Trump during their August summit in Alaska had opened a potential path to peace in Ukraine  one he intended to further discuss at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China.

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On the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Tianjin, PM Modi held Putins hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, Putin told the forum.

The understandings reached at the recent RussiaUS meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal.

He said he had detailed to Xi on Sunday the achievements of his talks with Trump and the work already underway to resolve the conflict and would provide more detail in two-way meetings with the Chinese leader and others.

China and India are by far the biggest purchasers of crude from Russia, the worlds second largest exporter.

Trump has imposed additional tariffs on India over the purchases but there is no sign yet that either India or China are going to stop purchasing Russian oil, a key export of Russias war economy.

With inputs from agencies
As US President Donald Trump has deployed seven warships and thousands of soldiers to southern Caribbean in the name of curbing drug smuggling, officials in Venezuela and experts in the United States are wondering whether the real agenda is to topple Nicolas Maduros regime in an armed intervention.

This handout photo released by the US Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea on June 7, 2024. It is one of the warships deployed towards Venezuela for counternarcotics operations. (Photo: DVIDS/AFP)

A large buildup of US naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean has officials in Caracas and experts in the United States asking: is the move aimed at combating drug cartels, as the Trump administration has suggested, or is it for something else entirely?

Seven US warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or are expected to be there soon, bringing along more than 4,500 sailors and marines.

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US President Donald Trump has said combating drug cartels is a central goal for his administration and US officials have told Reuters that the military efforts aim to address threats from those cartels.

Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, said on Friday the military buildup was aimed to combat and dismantle drug trafficking organisations, criminal cartels and these foreign terrorist organisations in our hemisphere.

But it is unclear exactly how the US military presence would disrupt the drug trade.

Among other things, most of the seaborne drug trade travels to the United States via the Pacific, not the Atlantic, where the US forces are, and much of what arrives via the Caribbean comes on clandestine flights.

ALSO READ: Trump has sent warships to battle Venezuela's 'Soles' cartel. But it may not even exist.

Venezuelan officials believe their government might be the real target.

In early August, the United States doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups.

Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and the countrys ambassador to the United Nations Samuel Moncada have said the US is threatening the country with the naval deployments, in violation of international treaties.

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They have also scoffed at US assertions that the country and its leadership are key to major international drug trafficking.

Venezuelans know who is behind these military threats by the United States against our country, Venezuelas Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said at a civil defense event on Friday, without offering further details. We are not drug traffickers, we are noble and hard-working people.

Gunboat diplomacy

While US Coast Guard and Navy ships regularly operate in the Southern Caribbean, the current buildup exceeds the usual deployments in the region.

In the naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale. Some can carry aerial assets like helicopters while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The US military has also been flying P-8 spy planes in the region to gather intelligence, US officials have said. They have been flying over international waters.

The Trump administration has said it can use the military to go after drug cartels and criminal groups and has directed the Pentagon to prepare options.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travelled to Doral, Florida, on Friday to visit the headquarters of the US militarys Southern Command, which oversees operations in the region.

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David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at Tulane University, said the military moves appeared to be an effort to pressure the Maduro government.

I think what they are trying to do is put maximum pressure, real military pressure, on the regime to see if they can get it to break, Smilde said.

Its gunboat diplomacy. Its old-fashioned tactics, he added.

While the naval forces are in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean is the bigger route for maritime trafficking of cocaine, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in its 2023 Global Report on Cocaine, citing figures from the US DEA that show 74 per cent of cocaine flowing north out of South America is trafficked over the Pacific.

Traffickers use airplanes to send cocaine northward through the Caribbean, the report said, naming Venezuela as a major hub for such departures. Mexico is the main source of fentanyl into the United States, with drug cartels smuggling it over the border.

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Intervention against Maduro?

Moncada said the US buildup was meant to justify an intervention against a legitimate president.

Asked if the White House was ruling out regime change, a senior administration official said, Right now theyre there to ensure that drug smuggling does not happen.

The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is a narco-terror cartel. Maduro is not a legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this drug cartel, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.

Even so, US officials say that while significant, the forces in the region are still far too small to be able to carry out the type of sustained operation that Caracas has warned against.

In 1989, the United States deployed nearly 28,000 US troops to invade Panama and capture dictator Manuel Noriega.

Christopher Hernandez-Roy, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it was possible the buildup could be used for some sort of strike in Venezuela, but could be simply a show of force.

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Its too big to be just about drugs. Its too small to be about an invasion. But its significant enough that its there to do something, Hernandez-Roy said.

(This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been updated by Firstpost staff.)
In an apparent swipe at Pakistan and its principal supporter China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said at the SCO Summit that how open support of terrorism by some countries could be acceptable to the world. He said combating terrorism ought to be a shared commitment of all countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the plenary session of the SCO Summit on Monday, September 1, 2025, at Tianjin, China. (Photo: Narendra Modi via PTI)

In a thinly veiled swipe at Pakistan, and its principal supporter China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said how open support of terrorism by some countries could be acceptable to the world.

In his address at the plenary session of the SCO Summit in Chinas Tianjin, Modi said that combating terrorism in all its forms must be the shared commitment of all countries for the sake of the entire humanity.

With Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in attendance, Modi referred to the Pahalgam attack in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 people, Modi said that the attack was not just on India but on the entire humanity. He also thanked nations that expressed support to India.

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This attack was not only a blow to Indias conscience but also an open challenge to every country and individual who believes in humanity. In this context, it is natural to ask: Can the open support of terrorism by some countries bring us to this situation? Excellency, we must say clearly and in unison that no double standard on terrorism will be acceptable. We must collectively oppose terrorism in every color and form. This is our duty towards humanity, said Modi.

Sharing my remarks during the SCO Summit in Tianjin. https://t.co/nfrigReW8M  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

In Operation Sindoor that India launched in response to the Pahalgam attack, China had provided active material and intelligence support to Pakistan. Chinese weapons, fighter planes, and air defence systems were a mainstay of Pakistan in the four-day conflict.

Terrorism is a shared challenge for all humanity

Calling security the first of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Modi said that security, peace, and stability form the foundation of any countrys development but terrorism, separatism, and extremism pose major challenges on this path.

Modi said, Terrorism is not just a threat to one countrys security but a shared challenge for all humanity. No country, society, or citizen can consider themselves safe from it. Therefore, India has emphasized unity in the fight against terrorism. SCO states have played a crucial role in this.

Modi referred to Indias initiative of Joint Information Operation to fight Al-Qaeda and related terrorist organisations and proposed coordination against radicalisation and jointly tackling the issue.

Voices were raised against terror financing. I express my gratitude for the support I received in this, Modi further said.
President von der Leyen was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of frontline European Union countries located along the blocs eastern border, where countries are more vulnerable to Russian hybrid threats

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was subjected to GPS signal jamming while attempting to land in Bulgaria on Sunday.

According to a CNN report, citing European Commission spokesperson, the commission received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia.

The plane landed safely, added the spokesperson.

The pilots relied on paper maps to complete the landing, reported CNN, citing a source familiar with the incident.

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President von der Leyen was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of frontline European Union countries located along the blocs eastern border, where countries are more vulnerable to Russian hybrid threats.

Von der Leyen and the European Commission have been strong advocates for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russias unprovoked aggression. She was among the European leaders who attended US President Donald Trumps summit on Ukraine last week and has consistently called on EU member states to increase support for Kyiv.

The president visited Latvia and Finland on Friday, Estonia on Saturday, and Poland and Bulgaria on Sunday. She was rounding up the trip on Monday, visiting Lithuania and Romania.

Speaking in Bulgarias capital shortly after the plane incident, but before it became public, von der Leyen said Europe needed to keep up the sense of urgency.

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence, CNN quoted her as saying.

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The European Commission noted that the region has seen a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities and said it has imposed sanctions on several companies suspected of involvement.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian government also confirmed the incident.

During the flight carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, the satellite signal transmitting information to the planes GPS navigation system was neutralised, AFP quoted a government statement as saying.

To ensure the flights safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools, the statement added.

With inputs from agencies
The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian presidents limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes, said Russian national radio

PM Modi took to social media to share a photo of himself and the Russian president inside the limousine. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi

In a rare gesture, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ride in his AURUS limousine to the venue of their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Monday.

According to an NDTV report, citing sources, President Putin waited for nearly 10 minutes to be joined by PM Modi.

The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian presidents limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes, PTI quoted Russian national radio station VestiFM as saying.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later confirmed that the two leaders held a tete-a-tete in the car for nearly an hour.

PM Modi also shared a photo on social media showing him alongside President Putin inside the limousine.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful, PM Modi wrote on X.

According to the PTI report, commentators in Moscow have suggested that the private conversation between PM Modi and President Putin  held inside the Russian leaders limousine  may have been the most significant and confidential exchange between the two leaders, likely covering topics not for the ears of others.

During their subsequent bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit, PM Modi made a direct appeal for peace in Ukraine.

The call of humanity is to end the conflict as soon as possible and find ways to bring permanent peace to the region, PM Modi told Putin.

He also extended an invitation to the Russian president, saying India is looking forward to welcoming him.

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After the meeting, PM Modi described his meeting with Putin as excellent and said that the leaders discussed a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict among other things.

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability, PM Modi said on X.

Putin is expected to visit India in December for summit-level talks with PM Modi.

With inputs from agencies
Israel has announced the killing of Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida, who was one of the most well-known figures of the terrorist group.

Abu Obeida (right), spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, delivers a statement in Gaza City late on July 8, 2015. (Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Israel on Sunday claimed to have assassinated Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas and one of the terrorist groups most well-known figures.

Israel on Saturday attacked the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City and said it targeted an unnamed key figure of Hamas. The New York Times reported three Israeli officials as saying that the key figure was Abu Obeida.

The Israeli military on Sunday announced Abu Obeidas assassination and said he was behind the dissemination of psychological terror videos featuring kidnapped civilians and soldiers in the Gaza Strip.

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At least five people were killed in the Israeli attack that targeted Abu Obeida, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

The Israeli military said Abu Obeidas real name was Hudahaifa Kahlout. Abu Obeida was the Arabic kunya (nickname) that he was referred to in the Arab world that literally means father of Obeida.

Just a day before his targeting, Abu Obeida had said in a statement that Israel would pay the price with its soldiers blood if it sought to control Gaza City.

Leader of Hamas psychological warfare

In a statement in Hebrew, the Israeli military said that Abu Obeida was the leader of Hamas psychological warfare and propaganda efforts throughout the war.

The Israeli military said, The terrorist served as the face of the Hamas terrorist organisation and, as part of his role, disseminated the organisations terrorist propaganda to promote terror activities and influence the Gazan public and Hamas supporters across the Middle East and the world. Additionally, he led Hamas psychological warfare and propaganda efforts throughout the war and beforehand.

Under Kahluts command, Hamas propaganda apparatus was responsible for distributing footage of the October 7 massacre, using documentation recorded by Hamas terrorists. He was also responsible for spreading incitement videos in the Arab world and among the Palestinian public to encourage similar acts of terror.

Abu Obeida was one of Hamas best-known figures even though he never showed his face in public. He always covered his face with a kaffiyeh and often struck a defiant tone and threatened Israel with dire consequences.

Abu Obeida was killed as part of Israels renewed offensive to capture Gaza City. The offensive has been slammed across the world over concerns that it could worsen the humanitarian situation in Gaza that is already very dire.

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The United Nations (UN)-backed group has already declared famine in the strip. Dozens of hunger-related deaths have been reported in recent months in the strip and hundreds more have been killed in attacks at food distribution sites that Palestinians attribute to Israeli forces. In July, the UN published a video that showed Israeli soldiers firing at Palestinians awaiting a food convoy in Gaza.
Indonesias President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday scrapped lawmakers perks, including a $3,000 monthly housing allowance, after days of nationwide protests that left six people dead. The rare concession came as anger mounted over lavish benefits for parliamentarians amid rising living costs.

Indonesias President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday has announced plans to scrap lawmakers perks , including a $3,000 monthly housing allowance, after days of nationwide protests that left six people dead.

At a televised press conference in Jakarta on Sunday, flanked by leaders of eight political parties, Subianto said parliamentarians housing allowance would be revoked and overseas trips suspended. The move marked a rare concession to mounting public anger .

Starting Monday, certain allowances will be cut and foreign trips put on hold under a new moratorium, he said.

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The protests erupted last week after reports revealed that all 580 lawmakers receive the allowancenearly 10 times Jakartas minimum wageon top of their salaries. Critics condemned the perk as excessive and insensitive amid rising living costs, taxes, and unemployment.

Public anger deepened after the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police vehicle during a rally in Jakarta on Thursday. Witnesses said he had been delivering food when an armoured car sped into the crowd and struck him. The incident, caught on video, sparked nationwide outrage. Police are now investigating seven officers.

By Sunday, authorities confirmed six protest-related deaths, including a university student killed in clashes in Yogyakarta.

In response, Prabowo cancelled a planned trip to China and instead met 16 religious leaders and eight political figures, including former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, to calm tensions.

The president defended Indonesians right to protest but warned against unrest. When demonstrations turn anarchic, destroy public facilities, or endanger lives, this becomes a serious violation of law, he said, cautioning that such acts could amount to treason or terrorism.
Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission from Kabul to Kunar. Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow, said Jaishankar on X

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi following a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan that has claimed over 800 lives.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar expressed condolences for the loss of lives and conveyed Indias immediate relief efforts.

Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Expressed our condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake.



Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission pic.twitter.com/whO2iTBjS8  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 1, 2025

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Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission from Kabul to Kunar. Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow, Jaishankar wrote.

He also wished a speedy recovery to those injured and reaffirmed Indias commitment to standing by Afghanistan during this difficult time.

Taliban authorities on Monday said that a large-scale rescue operation was ongoing in Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks struck a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people.

The 6.0-magnitude quake hit just before midnight, collapsing homes on families as they slept. Tremors were felt across a wide area, from Kabul to Pakistans capital, Islamabad.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that over 1.2 million people likely experienced strong or very strong shaking. At least five aftershocks were recorded throughout the night.

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Widespread casualties and destruction were reported across at least five provinces, as emergency teams raced to reach the worst-hit areas.

With inputs from agencies
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has departed Pyongyang for Beijing to attend a major military parade at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be present, with analysts expecting Kim to hold talks with both leaders on the sidelines.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 12th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on June 24, 2025. File image/ Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Monday to attend a military parade in China, South Koreas Yonhap News Agency said, the first time he will have taken part in a major multilateral diplomatic event.

The reclusive leader, who rarely leaves North Korea, is expected to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, Yonhap said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North Korean leader is due to attend the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to celebrate the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, state media said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has cultivated a close relationship with Kim, will also be at the parade.

An official at South Koreas Unification Ministry declined to comment on the media reports. South Koreas intelligence agency was not immediately available for comment.

Kim is expected to hold separate talks with both Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the event, analysts say.

Unlike his grandfather Kim Il Sung, who attended many diplomatic events, Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il didnt show up at any event where many leaders appeared, said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based research centre.

Kim Jong Un seems to want to further bolster relations with Beijing following the latest summit between South Korea and the United States, Cheong said.

South Korea will send National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik to the Chinese event, the Unification Ministry said.

The ministry said it was unsure whether Woo would be able to hold bilateral talks with Kim on the sidelines of the event.

The defeat of imperial Japan in 1945 and the rise to power of the Communists in China in 1949 were crucial events helping to prepare the way for the 1950-53 Korean War, which resulted in the division of the peninsula into the China-backed Communist North and the U.S.-backed capitalist South.

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Modi met Chinas Xi in Tianjin on Sunday, their first meeting in 7 years in China, where both leaders noted a clear improvement in the border situation after months of efforts to ease tensions, says report.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jinping in China on Sunday for the first time in seven years, where both leaders noted a clear improvement in the situation along the border, says a report.

Their remarks during bilateral talks in Tianjin reflected over a year of groundwork by both sides to ease tensions  from scaling down aggressive drills and rhetoric to holding near-daily meetings at key flashpoints, The Indian Express reported.

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Signs of easing tensions

According to security sources, a slight thinning of troops along the border could soon be on the table. But they cautioned that deep-rooted mistrust remains, particularly over militarisation.

For more than a year, even before the border patrol agreement signed last October, there had been no reports of verbal clashes between forces, especially in Eastern Ladakh. Even banner drills, a common practice during patrolling when the two forces meet in disputed areas, is off the routine, a security establishment officer said. Banner drills typically involve soldiers unfurling signs telling the other side to Go Back along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

New protocols on the ground

At Hot Spring in Demchok  once a hotspot  local commanders now meet almost daily to address civilian-related issues. The October agreement also restored grazing rights, allowing herders on both sides to access pastures in disputed areas.

Sometimes, these cattle stray further into each others territory. Earlier, they would be held for days or there would be heated exchanges over them. After the 2020 Galwan incident, the cattle were not even allowed access to pastures. Now, there are daily exchanges of cattle, and issues are sorted out amicably, another officer said.

Patrolling has also resumed in traditional areas. Our traditional patrolling between Patrolling Points 10 and 13 in the Depsang Plains, restored through the October agreement, is happening on a daily basis without any hiccups. The Chinese PLA (Peoples Liberation Army), too, is accessing its traditional patrolling point in the region, at Lone Stone, without any interruption from our side. In the Galwan valley, too, patrolling by either side is continuing without interruption, a Defence official said.

Positive signs beyond the border

Sources also pointed to the warmer welcome and great arrangements for pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which resumed on June 30 after five years, as another indicator of easing ties.

Hurdles persist

Despite progress, hurdles persist. The legacy of the 2020 Galwan clash, which left 25 Indian soldiers dead, remains unresolved. Competition in border infrastructure and broader geopolitical maneuvering along the LAC continue to fuel suspicion.

The Chinese side do appear interested in thinning down forces on the border. But India intends to wait and watch. It is easier for China to redeploy quickly if things go south again. They are on a plateau with a great network of roads. We have to climb hills and negotiate far tougher terrains. Yet, if an understanding is reached, some thinning of forces may happen in due course, an officer said.

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On the second today of SCO Summit at Tianjin, China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the plenary session and called out open support of terrorism and double standards on the issue.

In this image released on August 31, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives during the SCO Summit at Tianjin Meijiang Convention Centre in Tianjin, China. (Photo: PMO via PTI)

With Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in attendance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called out open support by countries of terrorism and their double standards on the issue in his address at the plenary session of the SCO Summit.

Modi recalled the Pahalgam attack in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 people and said that it was not only a blow to Indias conscience but also an open challenge to every country and individual who believes in humanity.

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In a thinly veiled swipe at Pakistan and China, its principal backer, Modi further said, It is natural to ask: Can the open support of terrorism by some countries bring us to this situation? Excellency, we must say clearly and in unison that no double standard on terrorism will be acceptable. We must collectively oppose terrorism in every color and form. This is our duty towards humanity.

Sharing my remarks during the SCO Summit in Tianjin. https://t.co/nfrigReW8M  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

When India launched Operation Sindoor to strike at terrorists in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) after the Pahalgam attack, China supported Pakistan to the hilt and provided active material and intelligence support throughout the conflict. Chinas role was such that deputy army chief Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said that China was essentially a backdoor adversary in the conflict.

Terrorism a shared challenge for all humanity

Modi called security as the first pillar of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and said that terrorism, separatism, and extremism pose major challenges on the path of security, peace, and stability that form the foundation of any countrys development.

Modi further said, Terrorism is not just a threat to one countrys security but a shared challenge for all humanity. No country, society, or citizen can consider themselves safe from it. Therefore, India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism. SCO states have played a crucial role in this.

Modi referred to Indias initiative of Joint Information Operation to fight Al-Qaeda and related terrorist organisations and proposed coordination against radicalisation and taking joint steps.

Voices were raised against terror financing. I express my gratitude for the support I received in this, Modi said.

PM Modi to meet Putin

On the second day of the SCO Summit, Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline Indias approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India, Foreign Secretary Misri said on Sunday.

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Previously, Modi held bilateral meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Myanmars Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday. He also had pull-aside meetings with several leaders, such as PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, PM Mostafa Madbouly of Egypt, President Muizzu of Maldives, and PM Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.

ALSO READ  Cooperate, compete, confront: Indias China approach amid Trumps disruption  as fundamental tensions remain

The meeting between Modi and Putin will take place at a time when US President Donald Trump has slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India , which include 25 per cent tariff as part of the broader rollout on over 60 countries and 25 per cent additional punitive tariff over Indias purchase of Russias oil. Trump and his aides have accused India of driving the Russian war on Ukraine.

Irrespective of Trumps pressure campaign, India has continued to engage with Russia. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Russia and held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Later this year, the Kremlin has said that Putin will hold a summit with Modi in India.

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Ahead of the meeting with Putin, Modi held a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

In a hint that he sees India as an intermediary in dialogue with Russia, Zelenskyy said that India was ready to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia.

It is impossible to speak meaningfully about peace while our cities and communities are under constant fire. India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders during the meetings on the sidelines of the summit, said Zelenskyy after the call.

The Modi-Putin meeting will take place at a time when Trump-led efforts to bring a settlement to the war in Ukraine appear to have failed as Russian attacks on Ukraine have not ceased and Russia has essentially rejected the proposed meeting with Zelenskyy and doubled down on maximalist demands, most of which are non-starters for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday said that an extraordinary meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council will be held today in Brussels at the request of Ukraine and in response to Russias recent massive air attack

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday said that an extraordinary meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council will be held today in Brussels at the request of Ukraine and in response to Russias recent massive air attack.

Taking to X, Sybiha wrote, We anticipate a focused discussion on joint steps to adequately respond to Russias rejection of peace efforts. We are grateful to NATO and all allies who continue to show strong support for Ukraine and meaningful peace efforts. Moscow must feel a stronger pressure as the consequence of it prolonging the war, the post reads.

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An extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held today in Brussels at the request of Ukraine and in response to Russias recent massive air attacks.



We anticipate a focused discussion on joint steps to adequately respond to Russia's rejection of peace efforts  Andrii Sybiha  (@andrii_sybiha) September 1, 2025

The Nato-Ukraine Council was established last year to enable closer coordination between the alliance and Kyiv.

Ambassadors from Natos member countries and Ukrainian officials normally attend meetings of the council.

Russia on Wednesday carried out its second-largest aerial attack since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, killing at least 23 people  including four children  Ukrainian officials said.

The strikes, which extended into Thursday, damaged buildings linked to the European Union and the British Council. In response, both the EU and the United Kingdom summoned Russias top diplomats in their respective capitals.

According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, the victims included children aged 2, 14, and 17. Emergency services reported that 22 of the deaths occurred when a five-storey residential building in Kyivs Darnytskyi district was hit.

Ukraines air force said that the Kremlin unleashed 629 air attack weapons on the country overnight, comprising 598 drones and 31 missiles.

With inputs from agencies
For India, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) remains a non-Western multilateral group  and not an anti-Western group. One of the key influences of Indias continued engagement with the group is to prevent it from becoming a China-controlled anti-Western bloc.

A woman takes a photo of a screen showing India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the SCO Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China, on September 1, 2025. (Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP)

Indias engagement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a group where China has a central role, may intrigue many in the West. At the same time, for many others, Indias engagement with the SCO is a must to not just secure its national interests, but also to keep the group from becoming a Chinese pawn.

As China observes say, Beijing has long wanted to use the SCO and Brics as a tool in its competition with the United States. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to use the SCO and Brics as an extension of the anti-Western bloc that he has propped with like-minded countries of Russia, North Korea, and Iran .

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However, Indias engagement with these groups ensures that these groups remain non-Western in their character and not anti-Western, according to Anushka Saxena, a China researcher at the Takshashila Institution.

ALSO READ: Trumps return to White House gives more teeth to Indias multilateralism

Indias influence in Brics as a founding member ensures that the focus remains on economic cooperation and the group does not become a tool in Chinas confrontation with the United States.

For example, while US President Donald Trump has threatened Brics nations with tariffs on multiple occasions over concerns of a Brics currency, India has categorically stated Brics has no intention of coming up with a Brics currency or undermining the international trade in US dollars. On the other hand, such a system might suit China as it eyes to dominate global trade order. But Indias presence in the Brics ensures that China cannot use Brics to achieve the goal.

India is disruptor in China-centric SCO

Indias engagement with every multilateral group, from G-20 to Quad and SCO, has served a distinct purpose.

While Quad has been critical in balancing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, the engagement with SCO and Brics is critical to prevent these institutions from becoming anti-Western blocs. This also highlights the different world views of India and China.

While both India and China engage with developing countries, their approaches are contrasting in nature.

While India sees Global Souths countries as non-Western and works as a bridge between the developed and the developing world, China seeks to use these countries as part of its anti-West agenda. While India seeks a genuine multipolar world where the Global South has a strong place of its own, China is suspected of envisioning another unipolar world where it seeks to replace the United States as the sole superpower and use the Global South as an anti-Western bloc to support such ambitions.

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ALSO READ  Cooperate, compete, confront: Indias China approach amid Trumps disruption  as fundamental tensions remain

In an interview with Firstpost, Saxena earlier said that Indias role as a disruptor is vital in the SCO.

If China continues to propagate the idea that these groupings are anti-West, Indias presence becomes necessary to maintain the balance and act as a bridge with the West, said Saxena.

She further said, In Brics, Indias priorities lie in making sure that principled guidelines are laid out to set benchmarks for membership, in creating space for consensus-building against the possibility of Chinas influence-peddling, and in attempting to retain the image and brand value of Brics as a community of developing market economies demanding more voice in global governance.

Moreover, even though SCOs counter-terror programme, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), has appeared a weak mechanism to address India security concerns arising from the challenges of terrorism emerging from Pakistan, an SCO member and a close China ally, New Delhis presence in the bloc has enabled it be a voice at the table that counters the dominance of a single nation, which is critical for a country that wishes to build a major power status regionally and globally, said Saxena.

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PM Modi called terrorism the gravest threat to regional peace at the SCO summit in Tianjin, urging zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism. He further redefined the groupings focus, noting that its foundation rests on 3 key pillars  security, connectivity, and opportunity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the first plenary session of the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6, 2025. AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (Sept 1), while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, highlighted terrorism as the gravest threat to regional peace.

He further redefined the groupings focus, noting that its foundation rests on three key pillars  security, connectivity, and opportunity.

Urging zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism, separatism, and extremism, Modi called on member states to adopt a comprehensive SCO-wide framework to curb terror financing and radicalisation, drawing on Indias successful de-radicalisation initiatives.

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#WATCH | At the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Members Session in Tianjin, China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Security, peace and stability are the basis of development of any country. But terrorism, separatism and extremism are big challenges in this path. Terrorism pic.twitter.com/BCEm6JfJFj  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

He also flagged emerging threats, including cyber-terrorism and unmanned systems, stressing that regional security strategies must evolve to meet new challenges.

Acknowledging the SCOs role in fostering stability, Modi praised the work of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (Rats) and highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen economic connectivity and cultural exchange across the region.

India has taken the lead in the fight against terror outfits like Al-Qaeda and its associates, and we oppose any kind of terror-financing. We have recently seen the brutal Pahalgam terror attack. I thank all the friendly nations who stood with us., PM Modi said while addressing the summit.

This is a developing story.

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At the SCO Summit, PM Modi and Putin met on the sidelines during bilateral talks, where Russian President stressed strong ties with India amid Trumps oil penalty.

At a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his dear friend, saying the bilateral relationship is developing dynamically.

Modi said India-Russia cooperation is crucial not just for the two nations but for global peace and security. Echoing the sentiment, Putin described the meeting as a significant boost for India-Russia ties, calling the relationship very good.

We have continuously been discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The conflict must be ended as soon as possible, and a path to lasting peace must be found quickly, Putin said. He added that Russia and India share a very trustworthy relationship  one that is not based on politics.

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PM Modi noted that the two countries had moved forward together even in the toughest of circumstances and told Putin that 140 crore Indians are eagerly awaiting his visit to India later this year. He also expressed hope that Russia and Ukraine would soon find a way to end their war.

Dear friend, 21 December will mark 15 years since we achieved our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. I can say with confidence that our relationship is principle-based and has multidimensional cooperation, Putin said in his opening remarks.

The meeting comes amid challenges posed by US President Donald Trumps tariffs, imposed on India in connection with its Russian oil purchases.

Meanwhile, as PM Modi engaged with both the Chinese and Russian presidents in Tianjin, the United States highlighted that its partnership with New Delhi continues to reach new heights. In a post on X on Monday, the US Embassy, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, described the ties between India and the US as a defining relationship.
Houthi officers carry the coffin of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, who was killed along with others in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, out of the Shaab Mosque during his funeral in Sanaa, Yemen. AP

On Monday, hundreds of Yemenis grieved the death of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, who was killed last week along with many other leaders in an Israeli hit when the group targeted an oil tanker in the Red Sea, intensifying their attacks on the critical global waterway.

The Israeli assault occurred three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel, which the IDF said as the first cluster bomb launched by Iranian-backed rebels since 2023.

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The funeral

In the capital city of Sanaa, mourners attended the funeral, held at Shaab Mosque and broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel.

Crowds inside the mosque chanted against Israel and the United States as they grieved the deaths of the officials, including the foreign affairs, media and culture, and industrial ministers.

Funeral attendees Ahmed Khaled and Fathy Mahmoud told The Associated Press the families of the slain officials arrived in ambulances for the funeral, where the bodies were placed in caskets inside the mosque.

Footage showed 11 coffins with individual photos of the killed officials on each and wrapped in Yemeni flags.

Were participating in this funeral because Israel killed those officials and thats enough reason to attend their funeral, Ahmed Azam, another attendee, told the AP.

Al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official to be killed since an Israeli-U.S. campaign against the rebel group started earlier this year. Other ministers and officials were wounded, confirmed a Houthi statement on Thursday, following the Israeli attack.

We entered a huge and influential war and clashed with the U.S. This war was not only military-focused but also economic as Israel targeted everything, Acting Houthi Prime Minister Mohamed Muftah said in his address at the funeral on Monday.

He confirmed that despite Israeli attacks, Yemeni ports controlled by the group are still functioning and that there is no food or fuel crisis.

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A Houthi attack on an oil tanker

The Yemeni rebels said Monday they launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a prerecorded message aired on Al-Masirah. He alleged the vessel, the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, owned by Eastern Pacific, had ties to Israel.

The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as fitting the Houthis target profile, as the vessel is publicly Israeli owned.

Eastern Pacific is a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and had been previously targeted in suspected Iranian attacks.

In a statement, the company said the vessel has not sustained any damage and continues to operate under the command of its Master. All crew members onboard the Scarlet Ray are safe and accounted for.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year.

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The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.

The Houthis fresh attacks come as a new, possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war remains in the balance. Meanwhile, the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehrans battered nuclear program is in question after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.

Houthis raid UN offices and arrest staff

A U.N. official said the world body was unable to contact many of its staff in Houthi-held areas as of Monday morning.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said 11 U.N. staffers, who were detained on Sunday during a Houthi raid on their offices, include international and local workers, and a senior international official. The rebel group also seized documents and other materials from the U.N. offices, according to the official.

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World Food Program executive director Cindy McCain said Monday afternoon on X that Houthis forcibly entered WFP offices, confiscated and destroyed property, and detained nine of its team members  part of the 11 already arrested. McCain wrote the rebel groups actions were unacceptable.
PM Modi and Putin shared a rare moment of camaraderie travelling together in the same car gifted by Chinas Xi to Russian President for their bilateral meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin.

Following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders meeting in Chinas Tianjin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together in the same car for their bilateral meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, a 5-star hotel in the city.

The camaraderie between the two leaders was evident through warm handshakes, hugs and friendly gestures.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful, PM Modi said in a post on X, as the two leaders travel in the same car to the venue of their bilateral meeting.

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After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The leaders were seen travelling in Putins Aurus car, a gift from Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, PM Modi is expected to convey Ukrainian President Zelenskyys message to President Putin.

The SCO summit, spanning two days, has brought together over 20 world leaders and representatives from 10 international organisations. Discussions have focused on security challenges, strengthening financial frameworks, and amplifying the collective voice of Global South nations.

This is a developing story.
Modi will hold talks with Putin on Monday, their first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump slapped extra tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil, doubling duties to 50 per cent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (Sept 1), marking their first in-person discussion since US President Donald Trump imposed extra tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, taking the total tariffs to 50 per cent.

Earlier this month, Putin met US President Donald Trump at the Alaska summit and spoke to Modi twice in August, once before and once after the Trump meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also spoken to Modi recently, ahead of the Indian PMs departure for the SCO summit, to convey a strategic message.

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Trumps oil tariff on India

The meeting comes at a sensitive time as Trump has strongly criticised Indias purchase of Russian oil, imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on top of the reciprocal 25 per cent tariff already in place. India has called this selective targeting, noting that China and Europe are also buying discounted Russian oil, but that New Delhi has been singled out by Washington.

On the upcoming meeting, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, I would, at this stage, not preempt the conversation that is going to take place tomorrow afternoon. Around 45 minutes have been allocated for the noon meeting.

PM Modi in SCO

As Modi arrived in Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Zelenskyy spoke to him, urging that the end of this (Ukraine) war must begin with an immediate ceasefire. Zelenskyy also said that India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders at the summit.

According to the PMO, on August 18  three days after meeting Trump  Putin called Modi and shared his insights on the Alaska meeting. This came just hours before Trump met Zelenskyy and European leaders. Earlier, on August 9, Modi and Putin discussed the latest developments on Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership during a phone call ahead of the Alaska talks.

Russia has criticised Trumps tariff move and backed Indias right to choose its trading partners.

Earlier this week, Peter Navarro, Trumps trade advisor, described the Russia-Ukraine war as Modis war, adding, the road to peace runs, at least partly, right through New Delhi and everybody in America loses because of what India is doing.

India has maintained its stance on strategic autonomy. Vinay Kumar, Indian ambassador to Russia, told Russias TASS news agency: Indian companies will continue buying (oil) from wherever they get the best deal.

According to a Kremlin statement on Friday, Putin is expected to visit India in December.
In his address at the plenary session of the SCO Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed open supporters of terrorism and called out double standards of countries on the issue. He also called for joint action against radicalisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the plenary session of the SCO Summit on Monday, September 1, 2025, at Tianjin, China. (Photo: X/Narendra Modi)

In a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan, and its principal supporter China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday slammed open supporters of terrorism and called out double standards of countries on the issue in his address at the plenary session of the SCO Summit.

With Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance, Modi recalled the Pahalgam attack in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 people and asked how open support to terrorism could be acceptable.

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Modi called for joint action against radicalisation and said that terrorism remains a shared challenge for the world and requires collective efforts to address it.

Sharing my remarks during the SCO Summit in Tianjin. https://t.co/nfrigReW8M  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Beyond terrorism and security, Modi also spoke about connectivity and cultural issues and how SCO could contribute in these domains.

Here is the approximate English translation of Modis full address delivered in Hindi:

I am pleased to participate in the 25th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Xi for the excellent welcome and hospitality.

Today is Uzbekistans Independence Day. Yesterday was Kyrgyzstans National Day. On this occasion, I extend congratulations and best wishes to both leaders.

Excellencies,

Over the past 24 years, the SCO has played a vital role in connecting the extended family across the Eurasian region. As an active member, India has always played a constructive and positive role.

Indias approach and policy towards the SCO are based on three main pillars: S  Security, C  Connectivity, O  Opportunity.

Regarding the first pillar, S for Security, I would like to say that security, peace, and stability are the foundation of any countrys development. However, terrorism, separatism, and extremism pose major challenges on this path.

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Terrorism is not just a threat to any one countrys security, but a shared challenge for all humanity. No country, society, or citizen can consider themselves immune. Thats why India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism.

SCO-RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) has played a crucial role in this. This year, India led a Joint Information Operation initiative to combat Al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorist organisations. We also proposed coordinated efforts and joint actions against radicalisation.

We raised our voice against terror financing, and I thank everyone for the support received.

Excellencies,

India has endured the scourge of brutal terrorism for the past four decades. Countless mothers have lost their children, and many children have been orphaned.

Recently, we witnessed a horrific act of terrorism in Pahalgam. In this moment of grief, I thank the friendly nations that stood with us. This attack was not just a blow to Indias conscience. It was a direct challenge to every nation and individual who believes in humanity.

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In such circumstances, it is natural to ask: Can we accept open support for terrorism by some countries?

Excellencies,

We must clearly and unanimously declare that double standards on terrorism are unacceptable. We must collectively oppose terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. This is our duty to humanity.

Excellencies,

Now I would like to share my thoughts on the second pillar, C for Connectivity. India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to trust and development.

With this vision, we are working on initiatives like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. These will help enhance our connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

We believe that every connectivity effort must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. This principle is enshrined in the core tenets of the SCO Charter.

Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty loses trust and meaning.

Excellencies,

The third pillar is O for Opportunity  Opportunity for cooperation and reform.

During Indias presidency in 2023, we infused new energy and ideas. We introduced new areas of cooperation such as start-ups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion, and shared Buddhist heritage.

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Our aim was to take the SCO beyond governments  to connect ordinary people, young scientists, scholars, and start-ups.

To further strengthen our people-to-people ties, I propose the creation of a Civilizational Dialogue Forum under the SCO. This will allow us to share our ancient civilisations, art, literature, and traditions on a global platform.

Excellencies,

Today, India is moving forward with the mantra of Reform, Perform, and Transform. Whether it was Covid or global economic instability, we have tried to turn every challenge into an opportunity.

We are continuously working on wide-ranging reforms. These reforms are opening new avenues for development and international cooperation. I invite all of you to be part of Indias development journey.

Excellencies,

It is heartening to see that the SCO is evolving with time. Four new centers are being established to tackle contemporary challenges such as organised crime, drug trafficking, and cyber security. We welcome this reform-oriented mindset.

SCO members can enhance mutual cooperation for reforms in global institutions. On the occasion of the UNs 80th anniversary, we can collectively call for UN reform.

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It is a grave injustice to future generations to confine the aspirations of the Global South within outdated frameworks. We cannot showcase the vibrant dreams of the new generation on the black-and-white screens of the past. The screen must change.

The SCO can become a guiding force for multilateralism and an inclusive world order. I am pleased that a statement is being issued today on this important subject.

Excellencies,

We are moving forward with coordination and cooperation with all partners. I extend my best wishes to the next SCO Chair, the President of Kyrgyzstan and my friend, President Japarov.

Thank you very much.
The SCO group on Monday condemned the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam which killed 26 people. However, the joint declaration avoided naming Pakistan directly.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan and foreign leaders pose during a family photo of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025. - AFP

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday, during the Tianjin summit , strongly condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, triggering a brief conflict with India hitting terror targets in PoK and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

However, the joint declaration avoided naming Pakistan, despite Indias long-standing push that Islamabad provides a safe haven to terror outfits.

In a declaration issued after the conclusion of the summit in Tianjin, China, member countries, including China and Turkey, expressed deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those killed and injured. They also stressed that the perpetrators, organisers, and sponsors of such acts must be brought to justice.

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While pledging to continue the joint fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, member states reaffirmed that sovereign governments and their agencies hold the primary responsibility in countering such threats.

The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognize the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats, the declaration added.

Reiterating their commitment, the member states again pledged to continue the joint fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, emphasising that sovereign governments and their agencies are primarily responsible for countering these threats.

The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats, the declaration added.

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The declaration repeated this position, underlining that while the SCO will continue its collective efforts against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, the main responsibility remains with sovereign states and their competent authorities.

The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats, the declaration added.
PM Modi discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with Russias Putin, reiterating support for recent peace initiatives and emphasising the need to quickly end the war and reach a durable settlement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, focusing on cooperation in economic, financial, and energy sectors. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in these areas.

Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder, Modi said. Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity.

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The leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. Modi reiterated his support for recent initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation and reach a durable peace settlement.

Narendra Modi told Putin that India and Russia stood side by side even in difficult times, after the Russian president called him his dear friend and gave him a lift in his armoured limousine.

The two nations reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Modi conveyed that he looked forward to hosting Putin in India for the 23rd Annual Summit later this year.

On the SCO sidelines, Modi and Putin were seen holding hands while walking towards Chinese President Xi Jinping, sharing smiles and conversation with translators nearby. Modi later posted a picture on X showing the two leaders inside Putins armoured Aurus limousine, which the Russian leader often uses on foreign trips.

In his opening remarks, Modi reiterated that India and Russia have always stood shoulder to shoulder during the toughest times, stressing that their close cooperation is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity.

Saying that New Delhi and Moscow have been continuously discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Modi welcomed all recent efforts for peace and expressed hope that all parties will move forward constructively.

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After the SCO proceedings, Modi and Putin travelled together to the venue of their bilateral meeting, with Modi posting on social media that conversations with President Putin are always insightful.

Prime Minister Modi has now returned to Delhi after concluding his visit to China.
Hours after PM Modi met Chinas Xi and Russias Putin, President Trump on Monday criticised the trade relationship between the United States and India, calling it a totally one-sided disaster that has favoured New Delhi for decades

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at both India and Russia. Reuters File

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinas Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump on Monday criticised the trade relationship between the United States and India, calling it a totally one-sided disaster that has favoured New Delhi for decades.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that while India sells large volumes of goods to the US, American companies have struggled to access the Indian market due to what he described as the highest tariffs of any country.

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What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest client, but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! " he said.

Trump also took aim at Indias strategic partnerships, noting that the country continues to buy the majority of its oil and military equipment from Russia, not the US.

Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!! he added.

Trumps remarks come just days after his administration imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhis continued purchase of Russian oil despite US objections.

The move follows comments by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said the high tariffs are not solely a response to Indias energy ties with Russia, but also reflect frustration over the prolonged and stalled trade negotiations between the two countries.

Adding to the pressure, Trumps trade adviser Peter Navarro recently described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as Modis war, claiming that the road to peace runs, at least partly, right through New Delhi. He argued that everybody in America loses because of what India is doing.

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India has responded by reiterating its commitment to strategic autonomy.

Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar told Russias TASS news agency that Indian companies would continue buying [oil] from wherever they get the best deal.

New Delhi has also pointed out that countries like China and several in Europe continue to purchase discounted Russian oil, yet the US appears to be singling out India.

In response to the new tariffs, Russia has publicly supported Indias right to choose its trading partners and criticized Washingtons actions.

With inputs from agencies
Trump on warned that the country would be completely destroyed without his tariff policy, days after a federal appeals court ruled most of the duties illegal.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Aug 31) warned that America would be completely destroyed without the tariffs he imposed, just days after a federal appeals court ruled that most of them were illegal.

Without Tariffs, and all of the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated, Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

He lashed out at the courts 74 decision, branding the majority judges a Radical Left group. Trump, however, praised one dissenting judge, a Democrat, Obama appointed, thanking him for his Courage and adding, He loves and respects the USA.

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On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping, open-ended tariffs on almost all imports. While the court struck them down, it allowed the duties to remain in place until October 14, giving Trump time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The tariffs have been a pillar of Trumps trade policy, with global consequences. India has been hit with a 50 per cent duty  among the steepest  largely due to its continued imports of Russian oil.

Peter Navarro, Trumps trade adviser, backed his boss on Fox News, dismissing the judges who opposed the tariffs as politicians in black robes. He said the dissenting opinions provided a very clear road map to how the Supreme Court can certainly rule in our favor.

Navarro also insisted the tariffs were not designed to be permanent. We feel very optimistic. If we lose the case, President Trump is right. It will be the end of the United States, he said.
Ukraines police suspect Russian involvement in the assassination of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy, who was shot dead in Lviv. A suspect has been detained, with officials calling the murder a planned and targeted attack.

Ukraine suspects Russian involvement in the death of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy, the Ukrainian police chief said on Monday.

Parubiy was shot dead in the western city of Lviv on Saturday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier on Monday that a suspect had been apprehended for what he called a horrific murder that jeopardised security in a country at war.

We know that this crime was not accidental. There is Russian involvement. Everyone will be held accountable before the law, police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi said on Facebook.

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Russia has not commented on the killing or on the suggestion that it was involved in the incident.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the suspected shooter had been detained overnight in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine.

Many details cannot be shared at this time, Klymenko said. I will only say that the crime was carefully planned: the victims movements were studied, a route was mapped out, and an escape plan was thought through.

Police chief Vyhivskyi said the suspect had disguised himself as a courier and had opened fire on Parubiy in broad daylight, firing his weapon eight times.

The shooter even made sure that the victim was dead, Vyhivskyi added.

He spent a long time preparing, watching, planning, and finally pulling the trigger. It took us only 36 hours to track him down and arrest him, Vyhivskyi added.

Police published two photographs from the scene of the arrest that show two special forces officers holding a handcuffed man by the arms. Naked to the waist, he has his back to the camera and his face is not visible.

Parubiy, 54, was a member of Ukraines parliament and had served as parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019. He was one of the leaders of protests in 2013-14 demanding closer ties with the European Union that led to the ousting of Ukraines then pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovich.

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Parubiy was also secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and Moscow-backed separatists began fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.
Putin used his address at the SCO Summit in Tianjin to defend state sovereignty, reject Nato expansion and position the bloc as a cornerstone of a multipolar world order

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised that the founding principles of the United Nations  particularly respect for state sovereignty and independence  remain valid and unshakable in todays world.

The principles of the United Nations, including respect for state sovereignty and independence, remain valid and unshakable today, Putin declared at the summit.

On the Ukraine crisis

The crisis in Ukraine did not arise from Russias actions, he said. It was the result of a coup in Kyiv provoked by the West. Attempts to drag Ukraine into Nato pose a direct security threat to Russia and were among the root causes of this conflict.

We must eliminate the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and restore a balanced security architecture, the Russian president said.

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Nato expansion

No country should ensure its own security at the expense of anothers, Putin stressed. The Wests persistent push to bring Ukraine into Nato is one of the core reasons behind the current crisis.

Hopes for peace

I hope that the recent understandings reached in Alaska during my meeting with (US president) Donald Trump can open a path to peace in Ukraine, the Russian president noted. I will brief my SCO colleagues on the outcomes of that meeting.

SCO as a force for multipolarity

The SCO is a powerful engine for promoting genuine multilateralism, he stated. Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models are outdated and no longer relevant.

The pace of cooperation within the SCO is impressive, Putin remarked, adding: Russia remains committed to deepening collaboration across all areas.

On SCO financial independence

Russia supports the creation of an independent SCO payment and settlement infrastructure, Putin said. The use of national currencies in mutual trade between SCO countries is rapidly expanding, he pointed out.

With US President Trump increasingly choosing anarchy over multipolarity, Putins address is more than rhetoric. Its a strategic declaration of intent. It reinforces a vision of a world shaped not by Western-led blocs, but by a multipolar, Eurasia-centred alignment centred around shared sovereignty, economic autonomy and strategic unity.
PM Modi, Chinas Xi Jinping, and Russian President Putin shared a brief interaction as world leaders convened for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (September 1) were seen in a huddle, sharing a brief light exchange in a video that surfaced online as world leaders gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council Summit in Tianjin.

Modi and Putin are in China for the summit , which has brought together over 20 global leaders. The second day of the event, hosted by Xi in the northern port city of Tianjin, also features the SCO Plus meeting.

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VIDEO | PM Narendra Modi (@narendramodi), Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin share a moment of interaction as world leaders arrive for the SCO Heads of State Council Summit.#SCOSummit2025 #Modi #XiJinping #Putin #Diplomacy



(Source - Third pic.twitter.com/2xTnZ16j1F  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2025

Day 2 is expected to see Modi come face-to-face with Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while a bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin is also on the schedule.

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit, said PM Modi in a post on X.
Our wastewater carries more than just dirt and excretions. It also contains valuable raw materials, such as nitrogen and organic carbon compounds. Chemical, biological and physical methods can be used to recover hydrogen, ammonium and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from it. The recovered ammonium can be used as a nitrogen fertilizer for farming, and PHAs are the raw material for bioplastics. These processes are the subject of inquiry for the researchers working on the KoalAplan project (see below). The project partners interdisciplinary research work is taking place at the wastewater treatment research facility operated by the University of Stuttgart in Busnau. Working under real-world conditions, the partners are testing how raw materials can be reclaimed from sewage treatment plants. To this end, a biorefinery has been set up as a pilot plant. It operated for more than six months in 2024.

Getting around biological nitrogen removal

One of the methods established in the project, the primary stream method, involves wastewater treatment following prior solid separation during primary clarification. In a traditional sewage treatment plant, the nitrogen in the wastewater is removed biologically. Microorganisms convert the nitrogen compounds into gaseous nitrogen (green house gases), which escapes unused into the atmosphere. In the KoalAplan project, by contrast, the nitrogen is not lost. Instead, it is recovered as a raw material by physically removing ammonium using a zeolite filter or ion exchange system. After that, the nitrogen is recovered by regenerating the zeolite filter, producing a concentrated ammonium solution that can be used in agriculture as a nitrogen fertilizer.

Recovery of organic carbon from solids found in wastewater

In a traditional municipal sewage treatment plant, a large portion of the solids present in the wastewater is separated through sedimentation during the primary clarification. This primary sludge is fermented in a digestion tower, producing methane. In the biorefinery concept, it undergoes dark fermentation instead, with the degradation process being halted at the stage involving production of short-chain organic acids. After two-stage solid separation, a particle-free hydrolysate is produced. This hydrolysate is rich in short-chain organic acids and can be used for a variety of purposes. KoalAplan project explores these pontentials, for eg. microbial electrolysis for production of hydrogen and microbial production of PHAs. Our job at Fraunhofer IGB was to use fermentation to convert the hydrolysate into PHA, a biodegradable, thermoplastic bacterial biopolymer, explains Pravesh Tamang, senior scientist for PHAs and a researcher at Fraunhofer IGB.

Acidic hydrolysate converted to PHAs

The PHAs are generally produced using microorganisms, which can grow on a wide range of different substrates. The microorganisms use the hydrolysate, which is rich in organic acids such as acetic, propionic and butyric acid, as a source of carbon and energy. The bacteria need the organic acids to grow and produce the PHAs, Tamang explains. Where is the problem? If these organic acids are present in too high a concentration, they have toxic effects on the microorganisms. This meant that the first step for Tamang and his team was to identify suitable strains of bacteria that can use the acids both for their own growth and to produce PHAs. Compared to the other bacteria we tested, Cupriavidus necator proved to be the more tolerant bacterium in contact with the organic acids, Tamang says.

To prevent the acids from impeding the microorganisms growth, the researchers also developed a perfusion method with cell retention in the bioreactor. Cell retention takes place using a special filter that ensures that the cells or microorganisms remain in the reactor, enabling high cell density and a longer culture time. Tamang explains the process: We pass the fermentation broth from the bioreactor through a cross-flow filter and then feed the cells with the PHA granules that are retained in the filter back into the reactor. This cell retention allowed us to feed in variable acid concentrations. The biopolymer is extracted from the bacterial cells at the end of the fermentation.

A sought-after PHA copolymer for a range of applications

The researchers at Fraunhofer IGB were able to use their perfusion method to prevent the bacterial growth from being inhibited. They showed that 97 percent of the carbon from the organic acids was utilized by the microorganisms and converted into biomass and PHAs. Our PHA product is a specially adjusted poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), or PHBV, copolymer. Compared to a homopolymer, it has improved mechanical properties. This is because it contains about ten percent 3-hydroxyvalerate, which reduces crystallinity and makes the material more flexible, easier to shape and more versatile, Tamang explains.

As their next step, Tamang and his team plan to optimize the fermentation process to produce PHBV with an even higher 3hydroxyvalerate concentration (40 to 70 percent). These specially adjusted PHBV copolymers can then be used by polymer chemists and application experts from industry as samples for testing the biopolymers material properties and discovering new potential fields of application. The ecofriendly raw material that is produced by this process can be used in a variety of ways  as single-use packaging, mulching film in agriculture, in the pharmaceutical industry, or even for medical implants or bio-based textile coatings.

Recovery of raw materials contributes to climate neutrality

Typically, carbon dioxide is produced when organic carbon is removed through a sewage treatment plant. The method developed as part of the project reduces emissions of this global warming gas. At the same time, we also produce raw materials that help replacing petroleum-based products. In this way, the sewage treatment plants of the future can make an important contribution to climate neutrality, Tamang explains.

The KoalAplan project

Municipal wastewater as a source of ammoniacal nitrogen, hydrogen and bioplastic  the Busnau biorefinery

Project partners:

 German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches, DVGW) research center at the Engler-Bunte-Institut of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (coordination, production of the acidic, particle-free hydrolysate, production of hydrogen by means of microbial electrolysis)

 Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB (PHA production)

 CUTEC Clausthal Research Center for Environmental Technologies at Clausthal University of Technology, Wastewater Process Engineering department (scientific support and carbon footprint)

 Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Technical Microbiology (production of hydrogen by means of microbial electrolysis)

 Umwelttechnik BW GmbH, state agency for environmental technology and resource efficiency in Baden-Wurttemberg (public relations and utilization of results)

 University of Stuttgart, Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management  teaching and research sewage treatment plant (ammonium recovery)

Project funded by:

 Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector of Baden-Wurttemberg

 Co-funded by the European Union
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
History enthusiast's tip helps identify seven unnamed heroes in WWII-era photo

People's Daily Online) 10:35, September 01, 2025

Researchers have identified seven women militia fighters in an 80-year-old World War II photograph after a history enthusiast's tip, which led to a months-long investigation that reunited families with images of their ancestors.

The black-and-white photograph, taken in 1945 after local militia defeated Japanese forces, had been displayed for decades at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, in north China's Hebei Province. For decades, the identities of the seven women remained a mystery.

The picture was taken in late spring or early summer 1945, when more than 30 Ranzhuang militia members defeated two regiments of Japanese and their puppet troops. After the victory, a celebration was held during which the female soldiers posed for this group portrait.

In April, a Baoding resident and history enthusiast surnamed Wang submitted a suggestion through the Message Board for Leaders on People's Daily Online to the Party chief of Hebei Province. He expressed hope that the photo's caption could be updated to include the names of the women militia members, enriching the historical record. The photo is classified as a second-grade cultural relic.

The suggestion was quickly forwarded to Qingyuan district. The Tunnel Warfare Relics Protection Center assigned staff to investigate.

Recovering the names of seven unsung heroes was no easy task.

"Mr. Wang gave us a crucial clue. During a visit to Ranzhuang, he spotted the same photo in an old residence, and this one had three names written on it: Li Ji'er, Li Guifen and Li Xiufen," said Wang Jingyu, deputy director of the Tunnel Warfare Relics Protection Center.

A photo of seven women militia members is displayed at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

That clue reignited the search.

Historical records confirmed that Li Guifen had been the squad leader.

As for Li Xiufen  also known as Li Huanjin  the breakthrough came when her daughter returned home for a tomb-sweeping visit. She confirmed her mother's identity and even offered another clue about Li Ji'er.

From there, the team began contacting families of the seven women, one by one. Through interviews and verification, their identities were finally confirmed.

"For my father, who was hospitalized, seeing that photo while he was still alive was priceless," said 53-year-old Fan Ying, a granddaughter of Li Ji'er.

Her grandmother had passed away when her father was very young, and the family had never owned a photograph of her, until staff members brought the image to light during the investigation.

For 72-year-old Wang Pingshun, it was also the first time he had ever seen a photo of his mother, Wang Xin'e. "My younger brother and I look so much like her," he said, recalling how he immediately recognized her by her eyes and nose.

Wang Pingshun said his mother would often say, "Resist Japanese aggression and save the nation" when she was alive. In the 1960s, when historians came to document the area's wartime history, she shared stories of how she had rallied local women to fight Japanese invaders.

A painting on display at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall shows Li Guifen, head of a women's association for the fight against Japanese invaders, rallying young women to join an effort to dig tunnels. (People's Daily Online/E Zhichao)

Wang Xin'e rallied the women to stand guard, keep watch, tear up railway tracks, deliver grain to the front and dig tunnels, playing an active role in the fight against Japanese invaders, according to a historical record on the tunnel warfare in Ranzhuang.

The record states that in 1938, Ranzhuang established a women's association for the fight against Japanese invaders. From the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the War of Liberation, the association had seven successive heads. Four of the women in the photo  Wang Xin'e, Li Xiufen, Li Guifen and Li Ji'er  each served as heads during that period.

The updated photo of the seven women militia members at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/E Zhichao)

In May, the memorial hall updated the photo. Beneath the photo, a new caption now lists the seven women's names, from left to right: Wang Xin, Wang Xin'e, Li Ji'er, Wang Lanxiang, Li Guifen, Li Ruizhi and Li Xiufen.

"I never imagined we'd be able to find all seven names, and the evidence is solid," said Wang.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. "I believe the seven women militia members would feel deeply gratified," said Wang.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Cerise Moran Hock, founding director of the Dyslexia Foundation of Western Colorado, presents Inside the Dyslexic Mind: A Simulation Experience with Real-World Strategies during the 2025 Next Steps Neurodiversity Expo at the Grand Junction Convention Center on Aug. 16. The presentation included two simulations providing an experiential viewpoint of dyslexia for participants, who had to decode a text with rearranged letters and write dictated sentences with their non-dominant hand. After the simulation, parents in attendance were given ideas about accommodations, ways they can help learning at home and ways teachers can provide easy-to-implement classroom accommodations.
Iran disbands Mossad-linked terrorist team

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 30, 2025

Mashhad, IRNA -- The provincial branch of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi has announced the dismantling of a terrorist team linked to Israel's Mossad.

The IRGC's public relations office said on Saturday that eight individuals were arrested for collaborating with separatist groups and receiving online training from Mossad agents.

The operatives were endangering Iran's national security by providing coordinates of important facilities and information on military personnel to Mossad, the statement said.

They were planning attacks against civilian and military officials and sabotage operations in Mashhad.

Materials for constructing launchers, explosives, and booby traps were seized.

7129**9417

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Army forces find, dismantle Israeli spying device in southern Lebanon

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 6:55 PM

Lebanese government forces have dismantled an Israeli spying device in the country's southern province of Nabatieh, close to the border between the Arab country and the Israeli-occupied territories.

The Lebanese Army announced in a statement on Saturday that a specialized unit of the army had discovered the espionage equipment with a hidden camera fitted in while carrying out an engineering survey operation on the outskirts of the southern town of Yaroun.

The military urged residents to avoid suspicious objects, not to touch them, and to immediately report any findings to the nearest military post to ensure their safety.

Following significant losses sustained over nearly 14 months of war and the failure to meet its objectives in the offensive against Lebanon, Israel was compelled to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which took effect on November 27.

Since then, Israeli forces have been launching attacks on Lebanon, including airstrikes, in breach of the ceasefire.

On January 27, Lebanon announced its decision to extend the ceasefire with Israel until February 18.

However, Israel continues to maintain its occupation of five significant regions in southern Lebanon, namely Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill, all situated near the border.

Lebanon has condemned the continued presence of Israeli military forces as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and the established timeline for withdrawal. Senior officials in Beirut have expressed their commitment to take "all necessary measures" to remove the occupying troops from the nation.

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IRGC arrests Mossad-linked terrorists operating in Iran during Israel's 12-day war

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 10:49 AM

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced the arrest of a terrorist network linked to Israel's Mossad spy agency in Khorasan Razavi province, over their involvement in spying and carrying out activities inside Iran during Israel's recent 12-day aggression against the country.

The IRGC's intelligence forces in Khorasan Razavi said in a statement that they had conducted a targeted operation in coordination with the Judiciary in the northeastern province and successfully apprehended eight operatives linked to Mossad and collaborating with separatist groups.

The statement said the terrorists had received online "specialized training" and been involved in sending the "coordinates of vital and sensitive facilities" as well as "information on high-profile military figures" to Mossad officers.

"Based on available documents, the arrested individuals intended to design and execute operations against national and military officials, as well as to sabotage important centers in Mashhad, but they were arrested under [the IRGC's] full intelligence oversight before any operational action," the statement said.

"According to available documents, the detained individuals had been planning operations targeting senior state and military officials, as well as attacks on key sites in the holy city of Mashhad," the statement said.

"They were arrested before carrying out any action, thanks to full intelligence surveillance," it added.

Security forces also seized materials intended for the manufacture of launchers, bombs, explosives, and booby traps from the network, it noted.

According to the statement, the terrorists were in contact with separatist groups as well.

The IRGC underlined that the arrests highlighted the vigilance and operational readiness of its intelligence units in safeguarding national security against foreign espionage and sabotage efforts.

The Israeli regime launched a blatant and unprovoked onslaught against Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

The United States also joined the war days later by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law.

In response, the Iranian Armed Forces targeted strategic sites across the occupied territories as well as the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the terrorist aggression.

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Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen Statement on President Trump's Illegal Withholding of National Security Funds

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Published: August 29, 2025

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's attempt to illegally rescind $4.9 billion in congressionally-approved funding:

"President Trump's attempt to rescind $4.9 billion in funding that Congress already approved and the President himself signed into law is illegal and dangerous. By refusing to spend these funds, President Trump is making America less secure and less prosperous. He is undercutting counterterrorism efforts in Africa, stalling programs to strengthen democracy and fight corruption and halting food security and agricultural initiatives that benefit U.S. businesses. As the U.S. steps back, the People's Republic of China is accelerating their investments and defining itself as the more reliable political and economic partner.

"Congressnot the Presidentdecides how taxpayer dollars are spent. This unconstitutional power grab is an illegal end-run around Congress and should be flatly rejected by Congress on both sides of the aisle."

###



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Palestine: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Statements and remarks

30 August 2025 16:25

The EU has learned the decision to refuse and revoke entry visas for members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization ahead of their participation in the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

In light of the existing headquarters agreements between the UN and its host state, we urge for this decision to be reconsidered.

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Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers: press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas after the meeting

European External Action Service (EEAS)

30.08.2025

Copenhagen

EEAS Press Team

Check against delivery!

Good afternoon,

We had a very long discussion today, a very long day with the EU ministers, and I can already tell you that we did not cover all the points, so we did not get to the working methods discussion that we desperately needed. But we will do that in the coming months, definitely.

So, what took the time was very substantive discussions, first on Ukraine. The European Union and all the Member States support the diplomatic efforts to achieve peace and the end of Russia's war. But, it is clear that Russia is not preparing for peace. It is the opposite. They are preparing for more war. This week, Russia launched its second biggest air attack on Kyiv since the war began.

The strikes killed many civilians and damaged offices that belonged to the European Union and the British Council. Russian airstrikes also hit a US factory. So today, Ministers discussed ways to further increase pressure on Russia to really negotiate, to really come to the negotiation table and sit down and discuss with Ukraine. Sanctions have deprived Russia of tens of billions of euros to fund its war - and sanctions work.

Ministers discussed the possible building blocks for the next sanctions package. Options include secondary sanctions on those backing Russia's war, as well as import bans and tariffs on Russian products. Efforts against shadow fleet ships must also be stepped up, and I have asked the Member States for their proposals next week. The goal is to exert maximum pressure on Russia. Of course, new actions would be stronger if matched by our partners, including our transatlantic partners.

Today, Ministers also discussed the use of Russian frozen assets for Ukraine's defence and reconstruction. It was a very good and very substantive discussion. We needed this to hear all the arguments from all the sides, to really debate on the substance matter, and this discussion will continue. Ministers acknowledged the need to address Ukraine's financing gap and to hold Russia accountable for war damages.

To achieve this, it is crucial to explore all available avenues while minimising the potential risks. I want to stress that financial markets did not react when we froze the assets. Financial markets are calm now, as we discussed this, and there are risks, but I'm confident that we are able to mitigate those risks.

One thing is absolutely clear where everybody agreed, and this is that, given the devastation that Russia is causing in Ukraine and has caused in Ukraine so far, it is unthinkable that Russia will ever see this money again unless it fully compensates Ukraine the damages caused.

Second, Middle East.

First on Iran, the E3 - so France, Germany and UK - have begun the process of reimposing UN sanctions on Iran, and we had a short discussion on this. The 30-day deadline has started, and this does not mark the end of diplomacy. Tehran still has the chance to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and resume negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme. The ball is in Tehran's court. I stand ready to support any kind of diplomatic efforts towards finding a solution.

On Gaza, Israel's announcement that Gaza City is now a combat zone threatens to worsen the humanitarian situation. If a military solution was possible, the war would already be over. Gaza needs less war, not more war. And on the West Bank, Israel's decision to advance its West Bank settlements is illegal and undermines the two-state solution.

So of course, we discussed what more can we do.

We have been very active in contact with Israelis trying to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. But of course, more needs to be done. Many EU Member States have taken measures not against Israel, but against the Israeli government. There is a very important distinction to be made. It is not against Israel, but the actions of Israeli government that are going on, including sanctioning the ministers, and suspending arms exports - this is what the EU member states have done.

On the European Union side, there is no sugar coating to the reality where we are. It was clear that today, a broad majority of Member States gave more ideas. What more can we do to really improve the situation; we will explore those ideas further. But it is clear that Member States disagree on how to get the Israeli government to change course.

The options are clear and remain on the table. We have presented an option paper. But the problem is that not all EU member states are on board. But again, we had a very good discussion on different options, and we will continue to try to find ways to explore, what can we do.

And finally, on the issue of denying visas to Palestinian Authority, so that they cannot participate in the United Nations General Assembly. In the light of the existing agreements between the UN and its host state, we all urge for this decision to be reconsidered, considering the international law and the way United Nations has been built up. So, this is the agreement that we all had on this topic.

Thank you very much.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-275995

Q&A.

Q. I want to ask you, yesterday morning you mentioned that in terms of sanctions against Russia, what would hurt the most would be more sanctions against oil and gas and as well as secondary sanctions. After a day of discussions, do you feel like we are any closer to achieving some of those measures in the next package?

Thank you. The work is ongoing. There were a lot of other ideas also put on the table, for example, financing institutions, and also the way our UK colleagues were mentioning - the things they have done and we can look into those possibilities. Crypto is one thing, although I don't know how it is doable in practice, but anyway, we are really exploring all the options and preparing. So, we agreed that the ministers will propose concrete matters also for next week, so that we can move with this. But I think Lars, you can echo that we had a very, very good discussion on really what more could be there, of course, in the end, the question is where we find agreement with everybody.

Q. On the Middle East, is it not the case that you are moving further apart on Gaza? We now have more countries, including Denmark, specifically calling for the suspension of the free trade part of the Association Agreement. So, in a sense, it is not just, as you said this morning, High Representative, that you are divided. Actually, the divisions are growing and the differences are growing. You are growing further apart. On frozen assets, the Belgian foreign minister was very clear this morning. He said: "You cannot kill the goose that lays the golden eggs". And he said he is also not open to even looking at riskier investments in terms of using the windfall profits so is not it the case that this is really a non-starter for now? Thank you.

Thank you. If the majority is growing, then the division is not getting bigger, but it is actually getting smaller, because the majority is growing. So, it depends how you look at it, but it is true that we still do not have an agreement on those measures. Like I said, there is no sugar coating in the way it is. Today, we had a very frank discussion on really asking those countries who are not in favour of one or the other measure. Okay, but what could be there? What could be then the measure, if we all agree, the diagnosis that the situation is grave, then the question for us is: What do we do about this? And there we have a growing majority on different topics, but we do not have yet the necessary votes together.

On the frozen assets. Like I said, we had a very frank and open discussion. So, I wanted to frame the discussion so that it's not the yes or no issue, because we have to think ahead to also have an exit strategy. We cannot possibly imagine - and, by the way, there is a European Council conclusion that those assets remain frozen until Russia has paid for its damages - so, we cannot possibly imagine that those assets are giving back unless they pay for the damages. We do not see them paying for the damages. So, we need to have an exit strategy so that, how do we go about this? And like I said, there are risks, of course, what also Belgium was raising and many, many others as well. Let's work on the mitigation of those risks. How we can put the really the solution together for the day after. Because if there comes a peace agreement, then there is also this question: What happens with those assets? And we need to have the answer, considering that we are a European Union that also respects the rule of law and everything, we have to have those rules in place, in addition to the international law that is already saying that those who are causing the damages should pay for the damages that they have caused. And the damages caused in Ukraine are done by Russia, not by European countries.

Q. Can you point to one concrete step regarding Israel that the countries actually agreed on today. After today's meeting, do you expect a more unified EU putting pressure on Israel and taking concrete steps?

First, we had an informal Council, so that means that we actually do not adopt decisions here, but we really have the political debates on where is the room. So, no decisions today. We were just testing where we can move, especially those countries who have been against. Are they willing to move on other topics, on other measures that we can do? That was the situation.

Q. You said this morning that you are not very optimistic regarding coming to a conclusion among the countries. And would you say that it is time to deal with the rule of consensus within the EU, regarding foreign policy to make sure that the EU, going forward, can make decisions and standing on marks, regarding Israel, for example.

Yes, that is why I wanted to have the point on the agenda today about the working methods. Do they really discuss how we can deliver? Because my personal feeling is that the people of Europe are also losing trust in Europe if we are not able to deliver on the decisions. So, this is really time to look in the mirror and say, what more can we do to be more effective? But unfortunately, the Middle East, the Ukraine discussion, took all our time, and I really did not want to limit the ministers this time, because it was important that we had the frozen assets discussion, very open and frank. But what we agreed is that I will have these discussions in smaller groups of Member States regarding the working methods, so really how we can go further, not theoretically, but really practically, on really concrete items, and within the limits of the treaties, of course.

Q. High Representative, you pointed to some measures that individual Member States have taken, but ultimately you have to go out in the world and be the diplomatic face representing the European Union. It has been more than a month since the proposal to bar Israeli startups from accessing some EU research funds under the horizon Europe programme. In that proposal, the European Commission said Israel is violating human rights in Gaza and breaching EU cooperation rules. We know that is stuck in diplomatic deadlock. So how is that stalled action impacting your diplomacy and your credibility, and do you have a message to those big countries, including the likes of Germany that are not in favour of EU level cooperation?

If you ask personally how that feels, that I am the face that is to blame that we do not have a decision, then it is hard. It is very hard. But the way the European Union works is that the High Representative is not making the decisions, but 27 have to come to agreement. That is why I am working so hard to get that agreement, to really address the sensitivities that one Member State or the other has, to find a compromise, to deliver. That is why, again, coming to the previous question, I really want to have the discussion also about the working methods to be more effective, to be able to deliver. Because it is true that I have to be responsible. I am the face that that has to then also comment these things. And it is hard. Of course, what we cannot overlook is that we are actually very active on this file. We are in constant contact with the Israelis, really putting the pressure on them. And we have achieved; if we take the humanitarian understanding that we have, there are more trucks getting into Gaza with humanitarian aid. There are more border crossings opened than before. There are vital reparations of critical infrastructure. There is fuel being provided. There are things that are improved, but it is not enough. I totally agree with you. Also, we are the biggest providers of support to the Palestinian Authority. We are the ones keeping the two-state solution alive. We are the ones who are the biggest providers of humanitarian support to Gaza people. But of course, this is what we see in the news. It is frustrating that we cannot do more. We are discussing, and I can feel - all the ministers feel - the pain that we want to do more to help those people.

Q. High Representative, you mentioned that all Member States support diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. But this morning, before the meeting kicked off, Hungary's Foreign Minister wrote on X. He described that the talks would be a pro-war tsunami for Ukraine, and that it would revolve around Ukraine's EU accession bid and military support. I'm curious, did he change his tune? What was the flavour in the room from the Hungarian foreign minister? And another question, on frozen Russian assets you said that it was discussed today. What did the discussion resemble regarding burden sharing and the legal repercussions? Is this a viable option? Is that the feeling that you are getting from the Member States, as a substantive option?

Of course, we do not comment on what one or the other Member States said in the room, but we had good, constructive discussions. Also, very open and very critical at time. So, not following what one or the other Member States are saying in their doorstep comments, but I can say in the room, we had very open and frank discussions.

On the frozen assets. Yes, one of the questions was about the burden sharing of risk, and there, the Member States were voicing that, of course, we are in solidarity with Belgium. So, they are not left alone with the risks - so let's work on the mitigation of those risks.

Q. It is actually two follow ups to what you said on the frozen assets. When you say it's unthinkable that Russia ever sees these immobilized assets again if they do not compensate for the damage done during the war, could you please explain the thinking behind it? Because it's very well possible that in peace negotiations, Ukraine renounces any reparations if it gets in return more control over their territory. So, it is clearly a chip in the negotiations. So why would you exclude beforehand that any such deal could be done? That's the first question. The second question, is this debate really about the, what you say, exit strategy or the end game? So, what happens in peace negotiations with Russia? Because a number of foreign ministers this morning explicitly said they wanted to use the money to fund Ukraine next year, and they pointed to the extensive financing needs and gaps. Are we not talking about something that is to happen before any talks with Putin might take place?

On your first question, there is a European Council decision that states that the assets remain frozen until Russia has paid reparations. That is the basis; so these are frozen by the European Union. And so, of course, unless this European Council decision is changed, then this is the point. So, this is a decision by all 27 Member States, and that is the basis for our discussions, really.

And now to other question. Yes, it is true that many Member States raised this issue, that Ukraine's funding gap is enormous, and we need to find the funding now. But it is also clear the political reality that Belgium and many other countries are not willing to discuss it now in this, but everybody agrees still that Russia should pay for the damages, not our taxpayers. So that's why I am stressing on the exit strategy, to be politically realistic, to work to find a solution there. Because there is the basis where everybody agrees.

Q. On the same topic of the working methods. I do not want you to pre-empt the discussion, but what would you like to get out of your colleagues? And bear in mind that you were a Prime Minister, so you very well know what it means for a country to renounce its sovereign decisions on very delicate issues like the foreign and security policy.

I do not want to pre-empt the discussions, of course, but the frame should be the treaties. Yes, coming from a small country that, for 50 years, did not have a voice, we really cherish the equal voice that we have around the table - as Estonia, in my previous capacity. Now, also, a majority of Member States have been very constructive to try to find compromises, in the spirit of compromise, "okay, I have a problem with this issue", and then others will propose, "okay, but maybe you know your problems can be mitigated by this solution." And I think this is the way it should be. If there is a risk that you are losing your voice, then you're also more prone to compromise, because you want your voice to be taken into account. So, of course, it is a very complicated issue, but I think it is an issue of credibility of the European Union. We are in this pivotal moment where our citizens are losing maybe trust in the European Union because we cannot deliver. It is a broader issue. It is just not a question of one decision, or the other. It is a broader issue, whether the European Union, as such, is able to deliver, whether we are relevant also on the global sphere.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-276315



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Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers: press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas upon arrival

European External Action Service (EEAS)

30.08.2025

Copenhagen

EEAS Press Team

Good morning,

We have the Gymnich meeting coming up with the foreign ministers. We have a lot of topics, although it is an informal meeting, so we do not really adopt decisions.

So, first we are going to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine - what more can we do? We see that Russia does not want peace, although there are a lot of diplomatic efforts made to bring Zelenskyy and Russia to the table.

Then, in relation to that, because it always comes up, we are going to have a deep dive into frozen assets issue. There are pros and cons. There are some sensitivities regarding this, but we really have to have an argumented debate about this - what are the risks? Because we have to have an exit strategy. We cannot possibly imagine that if there is ceasefire or a peace deal, that these assets are given back to Russia if they have not paid for their reparations.

Then, we will have a discussion on the Middle East. A lot is happening there as well. Of course, the situation in Gaza - the humanitarian situation - is going to be discussed, and what more can we do as European Union. We have made some proposals. We have not, unfortunately moved on those. The situation has not much improved.

This is still very problematic, and the news coming from Gaza are not very encouraging when it comes to the new war zone, or combat zone or the ideas that come from there.

Then, of course, Iran. As you know, the snapback was started. So, now we have 30 days to really use the diplomatic efforts.

And then, last but not least, we will discuss the working methods. That is about how we can be more effective to adopt decisions at the Foreign Affairs Councils in the European foreign policy, to be more as a geopolitical power, also on the global scene.

So, I will be able to answer your questions later on for the press conference.

Q&A.

Q: Do you think it will be possible to reach an agreement on sanctions for Israel now that it is not living up to its promises to get more aid into Gaza?

I'm not very optimistic, because even the option that we propose, which is quite a lenient one when it comes to their participation in the Horizon programme, even there, we do not have qualified majority together. We will discuss, there are a lot of proposals made so that that those countries who have not been supportive, that they could come on board. But I'm not very optimistic, and today we are definitely not going to adopt decisions.

Q. [Inaudible] send to Israel [inaudible] divided [inaudible]?

It sends a signal that we are divided about this issue. When we are divided, we do not have a unified voice, and if you do not have a unified voice then on this topic, we do not have voice on the global scene. So, that is definitely very problematic.

Then, on the decision or the question regarding the UN and what is happening there. First, we have to get the facts straight. We will definitely discuss this today and then, of course, we are supporting the principles that United Nations is a place for all the nations who have a status. We will definitely discuss, but first we have to get the facts right.

Thank you.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-276277







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Statement by Foreign Minister Eide on Venezuela

Government of Norway

News story | Date: 30/08/2025

On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Norway expresses its solidarity and deep respect for the relatives of disappeared persons, as well as for the organizations, the human rights defenders and the lawyers who support these victims.

We echo the concerns of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances regarding disappearances associated with the elections in Venezuela, including so-called short-term disappearances committed during and around the July 2024 presidential election. We note that the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reports that the number of "outstanding cases" in Venezuela has nearly doubled during their last reporting period. We are alarmed by the increased use of forced disappearances, alleged instances of excessive use of force against demonstrators by State agents and unlawful killings, among other violations.

We urge the Venezuelan government to comply with international law to prevent irreparable harm to victims, particularly in cases of enforced disappearance. The increased use of enforced disappearance as a weapon to silence members of the opposition, those perceived as such, pro-democracy activists and human rights defenders, is unacceptable. Political violence must cease immediately and the Venezuelan people's right to freedom of expression and peaceful political participation must be respected.



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Yemeni premier, cabinet ministers killed in Israeli strike

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 30, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Yemen's prime minister and several cabinet ministers have been killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

The office announced the martyrdom of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and a number of his ministerial colleagues, saying they were targeted during a government workshop reviewing a year of work.

"Several ministers were wounded with moderate and serious injuries as a result of the Israeli aggression and are under medical care," the statement added.

The office pledged the government would continue to carry out its duties, and reaffirmed Yemen's support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Al-Rahawi had served as prime minister to the Ansarullah-led government since August 2024.

Yemen's Supreme Political Council appointed Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed Miftah as the caretaker prime minister on Saturday.

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President Herzog on the recovery of the body of hostage Idan Shtivi

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"These moments of deep sorrow remind us of one truth: Hamas' crimes are crimes against humanity. The world must act with moral clarity and press for the release of all the hostages. Every last one."

Type: Press Releases

Topic: Terrorism

Publish Date: 30.08.2025

(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Isaac Herzog on the recovery of the body of hostage Idan Shtivi:

"Idan Shtivi came to celebrate at the Nova Festival on October 7. He was murdered while helping others fleeing the terrorist onslaught, and his body was held hostage in Gaza. In a joint IDF-ISA operation, he has now been brought home for a dignified burial.

I hope this will bring a measure of comfort to his beloved parents, Eli and Dalit, and to his siblings, who have shown remarkable strength in their determined struggle for his return.

These moments of deep sorrow remind us of one truth: Hamas' crimes are crimes against humanity. The world must act with moral clarity and press for the release of all the hostages. Every last one."

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Statement by PM Netanyahu

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Type: Media Statements

Government: The 37th Government

Publish Date: 30.08.2025

Updated date: 31.08.2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening:

"In a special operation carried out by the IDF and the ISA in the Gaza Strip, the body of Idan Shtivi was returned. Following the completion of the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, his return to Israel was permitted for publication.

Idan was a student in sustainability and government and a brave person: On 7 October 2023, he participated in the Nova festival. When the terrorist attack began, he acted to save many fellow participants and help them escape, and was murdered in the process. His body was abducted to Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization.

Together with the entire people of Israel, my wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the Shtivi family.

I reiterate my appreciation for the IDF and ISA for their determined and daring action.

As of now, 207 hostages - 148 of them alive - have been returned to Israel.

We will continue to take relentless and determined action, in various ways, to bring back all of our hostages, the living and the deceased."

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The Arab Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza expresses deep regret at the U.S. Department of State decision not to grant entry visas to the delegation of Palestine participating in the 80th UN General Assembly

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

30-08-2025

The Arab Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza expresses its deep regret at the decision of the U.S. Department of State not to grant entry visas to the delegation of the State of Palestine participating in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York in September.

The Committee calls upon the U.S. Administration to reconsider and reverse this decision, stressing the importance of respecting obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, providing an opportunity for dialogue and diplomacy, and building upon the positive positions of the Palestinian National Authority and its steadfast commitment to the strategic choice of peace.

The Committee also emphasizes the need to support the Palestinian National Authority and His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas in advancing the government's reform program and the commitments he reaffirmed to world leaders in support of the peace and in confronting violence, extremism, and terrorism, during the current difficult circumstance of unprecedented escalation against the Palestinian people. It warns that weakening the Palestinian Authority will undermine peace efforts in the face of escalation, the spread of violence and continuation of the conflict.



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Deputy Prime Minister Radosaw Sikorski takes part in Gymnich informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland

30.08.2025

The meeting focused on Russia's continuing aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and the coordination of the EU's engagement with third countries ahead of a UN General Assembly session. The meeting took place in Copenhagen on 29-30 August as part of the Danish presidency of the Council of the EU.

During a discussion on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the foreign ministers covered current developments and prospects for stepping up pressure on Russia. The goal is to persuade Moscow to engage in meaningful negotiations leading to an end of the war in Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Radosaw Sikorski advocated for continued expansion of restrictions against Russia and strongly supported the current preparations for a new sanctions package. The head of Polish diplomacy considered maintaining Western unity to be a priority. He emphasised that coordinating positions between Europe and the US remains the most important factor in achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine. "The EU plays a key role in strengthening Ukraine's defence and deterrence capabilities as well as facilitating the recovery process once peace is achieved," said Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski. The foreign ministers of Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom also participated in this part of the meeting. During a separate session, the ministers addressed the issue of using the Russian central bank's immobilised assets.

Also discussed was the situation in the Middle East, including Iran and the current situation in the Gaza Strip.

Part of the meeting was devoted to coordinating the EU's engagement with third countries ahead of the forthcoming UN General Assembly session this September. Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski noted the need for the EU to combat Russian disinformation and propaganda, including through dialogue with third countries.

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Iran condemns assassination of Yemeni officials, urges intl. community to confront 'rogue' Israeli regime

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 11:33 PM

The Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Israeli regime's recent assassination of at least nine senior Yemeni officials, urging the global community to confront Tel Aviv's insistence on keeping up its deadly lawless behavior.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry denounced the "terrorist" atrocities "in the harshest possible terms," emphasizing the urgent need for serious action by the international community to curb the regime's "roguishness."

It described the heinous acts of deadly aggression as not only instances of war crime and a crime against humanity, but also "malicious acts of revenge" aimed at deterring the Yemeni nation's resolve to support the oppressed Palestinian people.

The statement came after Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital claimed the lives of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi of the National Government of Change and Construction, and eight officials serving across various other portfolios.

The assaults came in the context of the regime's recurrent raids against the country.

The attacks began after Yemen's Armed Forces started staging near-daily operations against sensitive Israeli targets in response to a genocidal war that Tel Aviv had launched on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Such Israeli acts of terrorism, the ministry added, would fail to dissuade the Yemeni people from keeping up their pro-Palestinian struggle.

"Rather, they will only fuel growing outrage and hatred among public opinion, especially within the Muslim world, towards the Zionist regime and its backers, particularly the United States," the statement went on to say.

It, meanwhile, reminded the international community, including global organizations, of their duty to stop the regime's warmongering and hold its "criminal ringleaders" accountable.

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'Dark days await you; you won't taste security anymore': Yemen warns Israel after officials' assassination

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 9:30 PM

Yemen's president has warned the Israeli regime about the certitude of Sana'a's decisive revenge against Tel Aviv's recent assassination of the Arab Peninsula nation's prime minister and eight other officials.

"Our revenge does not sleep, and dark days await you... You will not taste security after today," Mahdi al-Mashat said in a speech on Saturday.

"The blood of these great martyrs will be a greater incentive and a stronger motivation for steadfastness, perseverance, and dedication," he added, pledging that the nation would keep invigorating its Armed Forces.

'Inevitable victory'

"You will not be able to break our steadfastness because we are with God... Our dignity from Allah is martyrdom, and His certain promise to us is inevitable victory," the official asserted.

The remarks came after Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital claimed the lives of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi of the National Government of Change and Construction, and others serving across various portfolios.

The assaults came in the context of the regime's recurrent raids against the country.

The attacks began after the Armed Forces started staging near-daily operations against sensitive Israeli targets in response to a genocidal war that Tel Aviv had launched on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

'Victims stood up to God's staunchest enemies'

Mashat described the victims as "models of responsibility and service," who had lost their lives, while serving the nation's principled position of supporting oppressed Palestinians.

The martyrs, he added, paid the price of standing up to "the staunchest of God's enemies, the criminal Zionists."

He linked their deaths to the wider suffering of Gaza, recalling "children slaughtered without sin" and "women who have become widows, bereaved mothers, prisoners, wounded, or slaughtered on the list of the dead."

Stressing the sheer extent of Yemen's pending retaliation, he urged companies to leave the occupied Palestinian territories before it is "too late," saying Yemeni blood "topples the thrones of empires... so what of a transient entity?"

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Yemeni PM, several ministers assassinated in Israeli strikes on Sana'a: Presidency

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 2:39 PM

Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, killed the prime minister of the Government of Change and Construction and several ministers, the presidency said in a statement.

"In the midst of the open battle with the Israeli enemy, we announce the martyrdom of devoted Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahwi, Prime Minister of the Government of Change and Construction, along with a number of his fellow ministers," the statement read.

It added, "The criminal and treacherous Israeli enemy targeted them during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year."

Several senior officials also sustained various degrees of injuries in Thursday's strikes, and are currently receiving medical treatment, the statement said.

"We reassure our great Yemeni nation that the government, with God's help, will carry out its role in a caretaker capacity. Institutions will continue to provide their services to the resilient and steadfast Yemeni people, and they will remain unfazed, irrespective of the magnitude of the mishap. The blood of our great martyrs will motivate us to continue treading the path."

The statement finally affirmed to the Yemeni nation, oppressed Palestinians, as well as all freedom-loving people around the world, that the Sana'a government will maintain its stance on supporting and defending the people of Gaza.

It also pledged that Yemeni armed forces will continue to develop their defense capabilities to confront all potential challenges and dangers.

Miftah appointed Yemen's caretaker prime minister

Meanwhile, the President of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, has appointed Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed Miftah as the caretaker prime minister, after his predecessor was assassinated in Israeli aerial assaults on Sana'a.

Al-Rahawi had served as prime minister to the Ansarullah-led government since August 2024.

In response to the escalating genocidal war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, Yemeni forces implemented a strategic maritime blockade aimed at disrupting the supply of military resources to Israel and urging the international community to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Simultaneously, they carried out numerous missile and drone strikes against strategic targets within the Israeli-occupied territories in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have made it clear that they will not halt their operations until Israel ceases its ground and aerial offensives in Gaza.

The devastating Israeli war has resulted in the deaths of more than 63,000 Palestinians so far, the majority of them women and children.

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Hamas vows Israeli troops will be killed or captured if Israel pushes into Gaza City

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 8:22 AM

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has vowed that the Israeli military will pay in blood and face the capture of its soldiers, hours before an ambush on the occupying regime's forces killed one soldier and left four others missing.

The spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, Abu Obeida, said in a statement on Friday that Israel's plans to occupy Gaza City would cut the number of Israeli captives held in Gaza by half.

"The plans to occupy Gaza City will cost the enemy's army in the blood of its soldiers and will increase the chances of capturing new soldiers, God willing," Abu Obeida said.

"War criminal [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his Nazi ministers have decided, with determination, to reduce the number of the enemy's living prisoners by half and to make most of the bodies of their fallen prisoners disappear forever," he added.

The spokesperson said the resistance group "will do its best" to protect the Israeli captives but they will be with Hamas fighters in the places of combat and confrontation, enduring the same risks and living conditions.

"We will announce every prisoner killed due to the aggression, along with their name, photo, and proof of their death," he said.

Abu Obeida stated that the Israeli military and its "terrorist" cabinet "will bear full responsibility" for the deaths of the remaining captives.

He emphasized that Hamas fighters remain "in a state of high alert, preparedness, and morale" in anticipation of the Israeli ground offensive.

"They will present exemplary models of heroism and perseverance, and with God's help, they will teach the invaders harsh lessons," Abu Obeida highlighted.

Israel approved a plan to occupy Gaza City earlier this month, marking an escalation in its genocidal war on the besieged territory.

On Friday, the Israeli military said it had started the "initial stages" of its planned takeover of Gaza City, as it declared the largest urban centre in the besieged territory a "combat zone."

However, shortly after Abu Obeida's warning, Israeli media said that renewed fighting between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Israeli army in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City had left at least one Israeli soldier dead.

Reports also indicated that nine other soldiers have been wounded, with fears that four more may have been captured.

Israeli helicopters are reportedly evacuating soldiers under heavy fire.

Experts say the operation is a "significant tactical setback" for the Israeli military and undermines the Israeli regime's messaging about the strength of Hamas.

Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime launched its campaign of genocide in Gaza, it has killed at least 63,025 Palestinians and wounded 159,490, the majority of whom are women and children.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that Israel's push to seize control of Gaza City could forcibly displace as many as one million Palestinians.

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Hamas welcomes Turkey's airspace ban, trade restrictions on Israel over Gaza genocide

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 7:32 AM

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has praised Turkey's decision to close its airspace to Israeli aircraft and restrict trade ties with Tel Aviv, describing the measures as a firm stance against Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) highly appreciates the Turkish positions in support of our Palestinian people amid the ongoing brutal genocide waged by the criminal Zionist enemy," Hamas said in a statement on Friday.

The Gaza-based resistance movement further urged other Arab and Islamic countries to take the same measures against the Israeli regime to end the devastating onslaught against the Gaza Strip, where more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed so far.

"We urge Turkiye, Arab and Islamic countries, and all free countries worldwide to increase the punitive measures against the criminal Zionist entity, sever all ties with it, and isolate it, in order to compel it to halt the genocide and the destruction of Gaza and all means of life within it, as well as to hold its leaders accountable for their crimes against humanity," read the statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament on Gaza on Friday, said his country has completely severed economic and trade ties with Israel and has closed its airspace to its aircraft, in protest over the war in Gaza.

"We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace," Fidan said.

Fidan noted Israel has been "committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world's eyes."

Hamas hails Malaysia's call for Israel's expulsion from the UN

In a separate statement on Friday, the resistance group also welcomed Malaysia's call for Israel to be expelled from the United Nations over its genocidal actions in Gaza.

"We in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) hail Malaysia's call to suspend Israel's membership in the United Nations (UN) and impose sanctions on it," the statement said.

Hamas also called on other countries to take measures to suspend Israel's UN membership and impose sanctions against the Zionist entity to end the Gaza war and the starvation of 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged territory.

"We call on the Arab, Islamic and free countries worldwide to adopt this call and to take all kinds of action to push for suspending the membership of the criminal Zionist entity and imposing sanctions on it, in order to stop the ongoing crimes of genocide and starvation against our Palestinian people."

Earlier this month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that famine is occurring in the Gaza Governorate as of August 15.

The Israeli-imposed famine is projected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.

Currently, over half a million Palestinians face starvation; by next month, the number could exceed 640,000.

At least 132,000 children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition, with than 43,000 of them expected to face life-threatening conditions in the coming months.

Gaza's Health Ministry has recorded five deaths "due to famine and malnutrition" in the past 24 hours, including two children, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 322, including 121 children.

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Palestinian Authority slams US visa ban on officials ahead of UN General Assembly

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 6:31 AM

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has strongly denounced the US decision to deny and revoke visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the PA before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), describing it as a violation of the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement.

"We express our deep astonishment at this decision and consider it a flagrant breach of the 1947 Headquarters Agreement, which guarantees the entry and protection of representatives of UN member states," Ahmed al-Deek, a political adviser to the Palestinian foreign minister, said on Friday.

The Headquarters Agreement, signed in 1947 between the UN and the US, mandates that Washington, DC, must ensure the entry of representatives, staff, and experts from UN member states, irrespective of their political relations.

Deek urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and member states to resolve what he called a flagrant violation.

He said Palestinian leadership would consult with friendly nations to determine appropriate diplomatic steps.

The senior Palestinian nation further noted that the US decision "will not stop the wave of recognition of the State of Palestine, nor the international consensus on the need to halt genocide, displacement, and annexation."

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Presidency expressed "deep regret and surprise" over the US decision.

It said in a statement that the move "stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement."

The statement noted that Palestine has observer status at the UN, calling on the US administration "to reconsider and reverse its decision."

Earlier on Friday, the US State Department said it was canceling visas for the PLO and PA members.

It also accused the Palestinian Authority of "attempts to bypass negotiations" by appealing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Israeli abuses committed in both the occupied West Bank and throughout Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

A number of Western nations, such as France and the United Kingdom, have already declared their intentions to recognize the State of Palestine in the forthcoming UN meetings.

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Israeli forces withdraw from flashpoint Gaza City neighborhood amid intense resistance: Report

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 3:23 AM

Resistance fighters have staged several daring ambushes against invading Israeli forces in a flashpoint Gaza City neighborhood, reportedly forcing them to withdraw, while causing 12 casualties among them and leaving four forces missing.

The four-hour-long ambushes, framed across Israeli media outlets as "security incidents," took place across the city's al-Zaytoun neighborhood on Saturday, various resistance media outlets reported.

The clashes featured intense gunfire by the fighters against hovering Israeli helicopter gunships, heavy shelling by them throughout the neighborhood, and "close-quarters combat" between the fighters and the invaders.

One soldier was killed and 11 others sustained injuries as a result.

No new information has yet been provided regarding the fate of the four missing troops.

Two other such "security incidents" were also reported in the city's al-Sabra neighborhood and the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip.

The developments came amid the Israeli regime's push to occupy the Gaza City, the Gaza Strip's largest urban area, in its most ferocious campaign yet throughout its October 2023-present war of genocide against the coastal sliver.

The territory's resistance movements have, in return, begun staging detailed retaliatory strikes, prompting the military to start proclaiming the Gaza City to be "a dangerous combat zone."

Reporting on the shortages faced by the military during the push, The New York Times said on Thursday that the exhaustion and disillusionment experienced by the forces had threatened to "complicate" the assault on the city.

The assault has also been uniformly discouraged by numerous countries due to its utter disregard for civilian suffering and casualties.

Critics worldwide have strongly condemned the regime's seeking to capture the city at whatever cost, including by forcing hundreds of thousands there to flee towards southern Gaza Strip at short notice.

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Arab Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza Expresses Regret at U.S. Department of State's Decision Not to Grant Entry Visas to Palestine's Delegation Participating in UN General Assembly in September

Saudi Press Agency

Saturday 07/03/1447

Riyadh, August 30, 2025, SPA -- The Arab Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza expressed its deep regret at the decision of the U.S. Department of State not to grant entry visas to the delegation of the State of Palestine participating in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York in September.

The committee called upon the U.S. administration to reconsider and reverse this decision, stressing the importance of respecting obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, providing an opportunity for dialogue and diplomacy, and building upon the positive positions of the Palestinian National Authority and its steadfast commitment to the strategic choice of peace.

The committee also emphasized the need to support the Palestinian National Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas in advancing the government's reform program and the commitments he reaffirmed to world leaders in support of peace and in confronting violence, extremism, and terrorism, during the current difficult circumstances of unprecedented escalation against the Palestinian people. It warned that weakening the Palestinian Authority would undermine peace efforts in the face of escalation, the spread of violence, and the continuation of the conflict.

-- SPA

22:10 Local Time 19:10 GMT

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Statement by President von der Leyen with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov

European Commission

Statement

Aug 31, 2025

Sopot

Prime Minister, dear Rosen,

Thank you very much for the invitation here to Sopot. that Bulgaria has a strong tradition in defence industry and it shows! It is also the only Member State where the largest private employer is a defence company. Here, you are producing large quantities of ammunition. Much of which is supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom. At the beginning of war, one third of the weapons used in Ukraine was coming from Bulgaria. So, I want to thank you first and foremost for your ironclad support to our brave neighbour, partner and future Member.

Dear Prime Minister,

Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is in its fourth year. It is obvious that Putin will not stop there. He has created full-scale yet old-fashioned war economy, precisely because of the biting sanctions that we imposed and he will continue to produce at large scale. So, - as we strengthen Ukraine's defence, we must also take greater responsibility for our own.

And in order to improve our readiness and defence posture, we have together worked at EU level. First and foremost for financial support. We have together created the SAFE instrument - that is EUR 150 billion for joint procurement. It was built and subscribed in record time. Thank you to Bulgaria, also for taking part in the subscription for the safe instrument. Now we have to invest these EUR 150 billion in joint procurement.

Prime Minister, you told me that you were planning on investing EU defence funding from the SAFE instrument right here at VMZ. You are planning to build a plant for gunpowder, extending the plant that I just had the pleasure to visit and planning to build another one for artillery shells that is line with NATO standards.

This is exactly the kind of project we want to see. It will bring good jobs to the region. Up to 1,000 new jobs will come here to Sopot thanks to these projects, but we increase also our ammunition production. We strengthen our collective security, as well as our cooperation with NATO. We support the brave Ukrainian armed forces; we create good jobs in the region. Everywhere in Europe, we are speeding up the production of ammunition. Because the times we live in call for it. Our production capacity should reach 2 million shells by the end of this year.

And as I said, we have to keep up the sense of urgency. Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence. Therefore, as we now have the funding, we now have to be fast and well-coordinated with a surge in our defence posture. And this is why we will have a roadmap together. In October, in the European Council, we will discuss what are the gaps that we have in defence, how do to fill those gaps, and what are the targets and milestones that we have to fulfil to 2030.

Finally, let me say that today here, I can confirm that Bulgaria is actively contributing to both Ukraine and the European Unions defence security. Bulgaria's contribution and its defence industry are a reason not just for national but also for European pride. So, thank you very much for that.

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Statement by President von der Leyen with Polish Prime Minister Tusk

European Commission

Statement

Aug 31, 2025

Warsaw

Dear Donald,

Thank you for welcoming me here in Poland. I know today is a very special day for you and your country. 45 years ago, a wind of change swept through Poland. A wind strong enough to crack the concrete of communism. Solidarnosc was born, as you just described, and it marked a turning point, not only for Poland, but for the democratic world, that set Poland on its path towards our Union. So, my warmest wishes to you and to the Polish people on this very important day.

Dear Donald,

I am here today also to express Europe's full solidarity with Poland as a frontline state. For years now, you and the Polish people have been facing deliberate and cynical hybrid attacks. I want to emphasise that Europe stands with you in all possible ways. That is why, if you take a long-term look at our proposal for the new modern European budget for the next seven years, we are tripling investment in migration and border management and protection. Member States with a direct border with Russia and Belarus will receive additional EU funding. Because I want to emphasise again that Europe's borders are a shared responsibility. We are here at the Polish border, but we are also at a European border and it is a shared responsibility. We have also proposed a ten-fold increase in funding for military mobility. And overall, a five-fold increase in defence investment. The long-term budget has a very clear and strong focus and emphasis on defence, on military mobility, and on border protection. But of course, we have to bridge the time till the long-term next budget is in place and we need now a surge in defence investment, and that leads me to the task that we have now to fulfill. First is financial support. And indeed, dear Donald, it was under your presidency, the Polish presidency that we agreed on our EUR 800 billion defence investment plan. This EUR 800 billion can be invested and should be invested till 2030.

Dear Donald,

Under your presidency, you also helped fast-track the joint procurement regulation that we call SAFE, it is EUR 150 billion for joint procurement to make our home stronger, to make our Union more safe. And today, we see the results. 19 countries have already applied for SAFE, Poland is among them, so the instrument, the EUR 150 billion, are fully subscribed and Poland will be the biggest beneficiary of this common investment for joint procurement. So, on the one hand, we have to care for our own defence posture, we can use the EUR 150 billion of SAFE for our own joint procurement, our own defence, the strengthening of our own defence industrial base, but it can also be used to invest in the Ukrainian defence industrial base. Because we know that it is for us paramount that Ukraine stays strong and that our neighbourhood stays strong and protected.

Then there is a second element that we agreed on under your Presidency and that is the flexibility of the budget. Poland is already a top spender in Europe, but you requested flexibility for your budget, and it was granted like for 15 other Member States. So, it is important that we have now a surge in investment, that we invest better, that we invest together, that we invest European. And therefore, it is not only a question of financing, but it is also a question of coordination, of European approach, so that all Europeans understand now and over the next years that we need to stay consistent and determined in investing in our defence posture.

We have to keep the sense of urgency Because we know that Putin has and will not change. He is a predator. In the last 25 years he started 4 wars: Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea, and the full-blown invasion in Ukraine. We know by experience he can only be kept in check through strong deterrence. Therefore, we have to be coordinated, precise and fast with the surge in our defence posture in the European Union and specifically in the frontline states.

That is the reason why in the next weeks, we will prepare a roadmap on how to invest the additional defence money in the European Union, in our defence posture. We will analyse the gaps we have in the European Union and how to fill them by 2030 with targets, with milestones, because only what gets measured gets done. And we will discuss this in the informal European Council at the beginning of October under the Danish presidency.

Let me finish my statement with a wider view on our neighbourhood, and this is the security guarantees for Ukraine. Indeed, as we understand that we have to be strong in our defence posture here, that we have to invest in the protection of our borders, but also in military capabilities and in well equipped, well trained armed forces, the same goes for security guarantees for Ukraine. The first line of defence in Ukraine is a strong Ukrainian army. I often compare it to a steel porcupine that should be indigestible for potential invaders. The second line of defence is a multinational group, the Coalition of the Willing, with the backstop of the Americans. And then the third and most important line of defence is, of course, our own defence posture and not to forget the work on Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

Prime Minister, dear Donald,

I want to thank you again for the invitation. I want to thank you for the Polish leadership in showing how courage and determination, combined with a deep understanding of our history and the lessons it teaches us, can translate into concrete action  action that protects not only the Polish border, but also the European border. Thus, not only protect the Polish people, but to protect the Europeans and, as you have said, the whole democratic world.

Thank you so much.

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Norway will acquire British frigates

Government of Norway

Press release | Date: 31/08/2025

The Norwegian Government has selected the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates. The purchase of British frigates will be the largest Norwegian defence capability investment to date.

Official translation will follow

'Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision. This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre.

In connection with the Norwegian defence pledge, the Parliament decided that Norway should select a strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates, as quickly as possible. This is now being followed up by the Norwegian Government. The Storting has been consulted through the expanded Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. Delivery of the British Type-26 frigates to Norway will start in 2030.

'Selecting the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for frigates was also recommended by the Chief of Defence. The choice represents a historic strengthening of the defence cooperation between our two countries,' said Stre.

Since November last year, Norwegian authorities have considered France, Germany, USA and UK as a strategic partner on frigates.

'It has been a difficult choice. The four candidates, France, Germany, USA and the UK, have provided strong and competitive proposals. They are all close allies, and I wish to express my appreciation for a constructive process and dialogue. All four allies are strategic partners for Norway. The extensive cooperation on security and defence policy will continue at full strength with all of them,' said Stre.

A stronger strategic partnership

A long-term, strategic partnership on frigates requires deepened and strengthened cooperation in the time to come.

'Together we will acquire frigates to the British Royal Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy. We will operate and develop the frigates for the coming decades. This will strengthen our and NATO's ability to patrol and protect the maritime areas in the High North. This is of great importance to Norwegian, British and allied security in these times of global instability,' said Stre.

Norway and the United Kingdom have long lasting, close ties. After having operated British vessels during World War II, the post war navy was largely built on British doctrines, tactics and operational concepts.

'We have strong shared interests in the North Atlantic. Our Armed Forces maintains a close cooperation, and with a joint frigate program, we will be able to operate seamlessly and integrated in our joint areas of interest,' said Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik.

Extensive industrial cooperation

The strategic partnership with the United Kingdom will be accompanied by extensive industrial cooperation. In the draft agreement the United Kingdom has guaranteed for industrial cooperation with Norwegian industry equivalent to the total value of the acquisition.

'This is positive for Norwegian industry and Norwegian jobs. The industry will play a vital role especially in maintaining and keeping the vessels up to date. We have identified a wide range of industrial and technological areas of cooperation where Norwegian industry can compete for contracts,' says Stre.

Ships for anti-submarine operations

The British Type 26 frigates are warships specifically designed to detect, track down and combat submarines. The Norwegian and British vessels will be as identical as possible, and have the same technical specifications.

'Having identical vessels will enable us to operate even more efficiently together on challenging missions. It will also reduce costs and make joint maintenance easier. Additionally, it opens up the possibility for us to perform joint training of personnel, and perhaps even use Norwegian and British crew interchangeably. This is something we will look into further within the framework of the strategic partnership,' said Sandvik.

The Norwegian frigates will be equipped with anti-submarine capable helicopters. A decision on what type of helicopter the Norwegian frigates will be operating has not yet been made.

'The Norwegian frigates will be equipped with helicopters with anti-submarine capability. At the same time, it is important that we consider the rapid technological developments, and explore the possibilities for utilizing unmanned platforms. This is something we will look further into together with British partners,' said Sandvik.

Separate government agreement

The Norwegian and British governments will soon finalize a binding agreement which sets the framework for the strategic partnership. Once the agreement is signed, the two parties will enter into contract negotiations with the main British supplier, BAE Systems.

In parallel, Norwegian and British authorities will negotiate separate industrial cooperation agreements for various collaborative projects with relevant industrial partners.

'Our first goal is to finalize the Government agreement shortly. Then we will move into contract negotiations. We will negotiate, among other things, the price and delivery schedule for the vessels, before returning to the Parliament with an investment decision,' said Sandvik.

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Assassination of senior officials will not change Yemen's resolve: Ansarullah

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Leader of Yemen's Ansarullah Movement Abdulmalik al-Houthi says the Israeli regime's latest assassination drive will not change the political and popular stance of the Arab country.

In a televised address on Saturday, Al-Houthi was referring to the martyrdom of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and a number of his ministerial colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday.

Offering condolences to the families of the martyrs and the Yemeni nation, he emphasized the Ansarullah Movement's steadfastness in its positions on regional developments, especially the ongoing Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Ansarullah leader said that most of the slain ministers and officials were active in civilian sectors, which was not a surprise as "the criminal and brutal Israeli regime targets not only Yemeni officials, but also civilians, children and defenseless women in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran."

Saying that Israel harbors "unconditional hostility toward humanitarian and international principles," he underscored that the regime has no adherence to laws, obligations, and principles, and all its behavior shows violence and aggression.

He also referred to the danger posed by Israel to the entire region, saying that the regime's crimes in the Gaza Strip require a serious response.

Elsewhere in his speech, Al-Houthi pointed to the resilience of the Yemeni nation and their resolve to fight against aggressors and occupiers. "We know that this path comes with sacrifice, but these sacrifices never cause weakness; they rather bring stability, certainty, and determination", he said

He clarified further that the Yemeni people believe in freedom and independence, contrary to the Israeli plot to dominate and occupy nations, saying, "The real loss is for those who submit to Israeli domination."

Pledging continued support to the Palestinians, Al-Houthi underlined that the Yemeni nation has chosen the path of honor and dignity, unlike some others who have chosen the option of surrender and silence in the face of Israel's crimes against Palestinians and attacks on Islamic sanctities.

"Our military operations against Israel, including missile launches, the use of drones, and the naval blockade, are on a steady and escalating path, which will continue as long as Israeli crimes against Palestinians continue," he said.

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IRGC: Yemen's response to Israeli assassinations will be 'crushing'

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Yemen's response to the recent Israeli assassination of the country's prime minister and his cabinet colleagues will be crushing and regret-inducing.

In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC condemned the Israeli attack on Sana'a that resulted in the martyrdom of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and a number of his ministerial colleagues.

"It is a clear example of war crime and crime against humanity, as well as state terrorism, which shows the savage and inhuman nature of this evil regime," read the statement. It warned that the Islamic resistance in the region, especially the Yemeni nation relying on faith, will harshly respond to "the Zionist criminals."

The IRGC denounced Israel's backers and those who remain silent in the face of the crimes committed by the regime in the region, especially in Gaza. "Contrary to their illusion, the pure blood of the martyrs will further ignite the flames against the occupiers and arrogant powers," it said.

The statement emphasized that impunity for crimes, unquestioning support of the US, and the silence of international bodies embolden Israel to commit more aggression, terror, and genocide, posing a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.

While extending condolences to the Yemeni nation, the IRGC declared that it would continue to stand by the oppressed nations, especially Palestine and Yemen, and will spare no effort to confront the occupying regime and its supporters.

The Israeli regime has repeatedly targeted Yemen in recent months for the country's operations against Israel, including a blockade on Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza.

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Pezeshkian urges swift action against Israel after Yemeni PM killed in airstrike

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for swift international action to stop Israel's "rogue" behavior after the regime killed Yemen's prime minister and several other officials earlier this week.

In a message on Sunday, the Iranian president extended condolences to the Yemeni people and Muslims worldwide over the martyrdom of Ahmed al-Rahawi and several other Yemeni ministers, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the capital, Sana'a, on Thursday.

Pezeshkian said "the terrorist crime" committed by Israel once again revealed "the vile and criminal nature of the gang ruling the occupied Palestinian territories," according to the text of the message released on his official website.

He called the regime the biggest threat to peace, and urged swift international action to stop its law-breaking behaviors.

"The international community must act immediately to stop the rogue and lawless behavior of this regime, which now stands as the greatest threat to peace, law, morality, and humanity," said Pezeshkian.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf also reacted to the killing of the Yemeni prime minister and other senior officials, saying that their assassination underscored the Israeli regime's consistent history of offenses.

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Parliament speaker condemns assassination of Yemeni PM in Israeli terrorist attack

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has expressed heartfelt condolences following the assassination of the Yemeni premier and several cabinet ministers.

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and several cabinet ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday.

In reaction to the incident, Ghalibaf, in a statement, condemned the recent terrorist attack carried out by the Israeli regime, which resulted in the tragic loss of these leaders.

In his message, Ghalibaf emphasized that the assassination of the prime minister of the friendly and brotherly nation of Yemen in a cowardly assault highlights the historical pattern of crimes committed by this regime.

He described the atrocities of the regime as inhumane, calling the attack a clear example of aggression against the Yemeni people and their legitimate government during a time of intense struggle against Israel.

The official said that this crime reveals the brutal nature of the Israeli regime.

The actions only breed anger, hatred, and disgust among Muslims and free thinkers worldwide, he said.

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Iran condemns Israeli 'terrorist' attack against Yemen, urges global action

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran has strongly condemned the terrorist crime committed by the Israeli regime against Yemen, warning of the growing threats posed by Israel's expansionism and organized terrorism to international peace and security.

In a statement on Saturday night, the Foreign Ministry denounced the Israeli strike on Yemen that killed Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the country, along with several ministers.

The ministry called the attack a clear "war crime" and "crime against humanity," urging the international community and Muslim nations to take serious action to curb Israel's aggression.

The statement described the strike as a "brutal act of revenge" against a nation determined to fulfill its moral and humanitarian duty to support the oppressed people of Palestine.

It stressed that the killing of Yemeni officials would not weaken the resolve of the Yemeni nation to defend its dignity and stand by Palestine but would instead fuel growing anger across the Islamic world against Israel and its backers, particularly the United States.

Iran expressed condolences over the death of Yemeni leaders and civilians, underlining the UN's responsibility to stop Israel's warmongering and hold its leaders accountable.

The ministry warned that the UN Security Council's continued inaction in the face of Israeli violations of international law undermines global norms and endangers regional and international security.

It also reiterated the need for prosecuting Israeli political and military leaders over war crimes in Gaza and Yemen.

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PM Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the Government meeting

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

PM Netanyahu: "We attacked the Hamas spokesman, the spokesman for an evil and murderous organization, Abu Obeida. While I hope that he is no longer with us, I note that there is no spokesperson to report on this from the Hamas side."

Type: Press Releases

Publish Date: 31.08.2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Sunday, 31 August 2025), at the start of the Government meeting [translated from Hebrew]:

"These are days of great achievements, but they are also very challenging.

In an ISA and IDF operation, we succeeded in returning to Israel for Jewish burial two of our deceased hostages - Idan Shtivi and Ilan Weiss, may their memories be blessed.

They are both heroes. They both acted to try to rescue and save others. Shtivi was at Nova, and he acted. He could have saved himself, but he went ahead and rescued people, and returned and rescued more, and was then shot in the back.

Ilan Weiss was 56. He left his home the morning of the awful attack; he was a member of the emergency squad. He ran to the armory. Tried to retrieve weapons - and was murdered there.

Their bodies were abducted to Gaza. We have been engaged in a months-long effort to bring them back, and it has been successful.

Yesterday I spoke with their families and conveyed our condolences on behalf of the Government of Israel and the people of Israel.

This operation expresses our commitment to bringing back all of our hostages. I remind you that as of today, we have brought back 207, including 148 alive. We will bring them all back, the living and the deceased.

The Security Cabinet decided on the issue: Defeating Hamas and releasing all of our hostages, in a major effort, and the IDF has already started to carry out this decision.

I would like to express my appreciation to the reservist and conscript soldiers who are preparing for this release and defeat mission.

In an additional joint mission, the ISA and the IDF attacked the Hamas spokesman, the spokesman for an evil and murderous organization, Abu Obeida. We still do not know the final result. While I hope that he is no longer with us, I note that there is no spokesperson to report on this from the Hamas side. The upcoming hours and days will certainly tell what they will.

For some time, I have been promising you, as well as the citizens of Israel, that the Houthis will pay a heavy price for their aggression against the State of Israel. Last Thursday, I ordered the IDF to attack their terrorist government in Yemen.

The Air Force attacked a gathering of senior terrorist regime figures in Sanaa. At that time, they were expecting a speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who would promise in every such speech that he would strike Israel and destroy Israel. They inscribed this on their flag.

This promise has not been realized; however, our promise to vigorously strike this terrorist regime has been realized in a significant way.

In a lethal strike, the IDF eliminated most of the Houthi government and additional senior military officials.

I remind you that an entire coalition of countries has acted against them. But we did what nobody else has done before us, and this is only the beginning of striking senior figures in Sanaa, we will reach them all.

I remind you of one other thing: Only two months ago, we struck the head of the snake and carried out an operation that will be noted for generations, for lifting an existential threat from us; again - in a way that no country has done before us. Since then, we have been systematically striking the remnants of this axis, day after day, arena after arena.

Together we will continue to operate on all fronts and with G-d's help, together we will continue to win."

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660,000 Gaza children remain out of school amid Israeli genocide: UNRWA

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 8:07 PM

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that more than 660,000 children have been deprived of schooling for a third consecutive year due to relentless Israeli genocidal war across the besieged Palestinian territory.

"The war in Gaza is a war on children and it must stop. Children must be protected at all times," UNRWA said in a recent statement.

The UN agency further cautioned that the besieged region's youth are at risk of becoming a "lost generation."

The Palestinian Education Ministry said around 700,000 students in the blockaded strip have seen their schooling suspended under incessant bombardment by the Israeli invading forces.

According to ministry data, more than 70,000 have remained unable to take high school exams for two consecutive years.

Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed at least 17,000 school students and more than 1,200 university students in Gaza, while injuring tens of thousands more.

Nearly 1,000 education workers have been killed in Gaza, and thousands more injured or detained across the besieged strip.

Also in the occupied West Bank, dozens of students have been killed, wounded, or detained by Israeli forces during the same period. The toll has extended to teachers and academic staff.

UNRWA also, in a social media post on Sunday, said that children in the besieged Palestinian strip were once again being forced from their homes as Israel intensifies its military offensive.

"Children in Gaza are not walking to school. They are once again being forced to try to find somewhere safe. But there is nowhere," UNRWA wrote on X.

"The intensified Israeli military offensive is pushing thousands into the unknown," it noted.

The agency said overcrowding and the continued Israeli blockade of aid are leaving families without shelter.

"There is not enough space. There are not enough tents," it added.

UNRWA has been barred by Israel from bringing in shelter supplies for nearly six months, a restriction it said is worsening the crisis as thousands of families are displaced with nowhere to go.

The UNRWA and humanitarian organizations have called once again for permission to bring in basic necessities and lifesaving relief into Gaza.

The Israeli military pushes ahead with its genocidal campaign in Gaza, killing more civilians, including hungry Palestinians waiting to collect aid.

In the past 24 hours alone, 30 Palestinians seeking aid were killed, and seven more have died of malnutrition.

Israel has killed over 63,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The aggression has devastated the blockaded Palestinian region, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged Palestinian territory.

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Iran Army warns Israel must be 'contained' after deadly Yemen attack

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 5:11 PM

The Islamic Republic of Iran's Army warns that the world will witness mounting wars and acts of terror by Israel if the regime is not contained immediately.

In a statement on Sunday, the Army expressed its condolences over the martyrdom of Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi of the National Government of Change and Construction, and eight other cabinet ministers in Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital of Sana'a on Thursday.

It said the vile Zionist regime once again displayed its savage, criminal, and inhumane nature by assassinating Yemeni statesmen.

"The international community is aware more now than ever that this rogue and criminal [Israeli] regime poses a serious threat to humanity," the statement emphasized.

The Iranian Army wished more success for the brave Yemeni people in the continuation of their fight against the Zionist enemy.

The Israeli airstrike also left several senior ministers wounded.

In a statement on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the Islamic resistance forces in the region, particularly the resilient Yemeni people, will give the Zionist criminals a crushing response.

The assassination of Yemen's prime minister signals a dangerous escalation by Israel, aimed at deterring regional actors from opposing its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

Observers, however, say the heinous crime will intensify anti-Zionist outrage across the Arab world, with Yemen emerging as a prominent voice of resistance.

They say such targeted assassinations will heighten regional tensions, as public opinion rallies behind Gaza and calls for accountability grow louder worldwide.

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Ansarallah leader condemns Israel's 'record of terror,' vows more attacks

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 5:04 PM

Leader of Yemen's Ansarallah movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, says the assassination of Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and other ministers in Sana'a on Thursday was yet another entry "in the criminal record" of the Israeli regime.

The movement announced in a statement on Saturday that al-Rahawi and some members of his cabinet were killed in an Israeli airstrike, which also left a number of other ministers wounded.

Al-Houthi mourned the assassinated officials in a televised speech on Sunday, calling them "the martyrs of all Yemen."

"The Israeli enemy, with its crimes and savagery, does not spare even children, women, and defenseless civilians," al-Houthi said.

He vowed that Yemen would not be intimidated by the attacks on its sovereignty and would instead intensify its campaign of attacks in support of Palestinians.

"Our people will not be weakened by the aggression they are facing," he said, pledging that "the coming days will see additional success... in thwarting the Israeli enemy's attempts to commit crimes against our dear people or to target official institutions and cities."

Since October 2023, Yemen's Armed Forces have carried out dozens of drone and missile strikes against Israel, declaring the operations acts of solidarity with Gaza.

Israel has, in turn, escalated its bombardment of Yemen's infrastructure and civilian areas in recent weeks, a move observers warn risks dragging the region deeper into conflict.

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IRGC: Yemen will give crushing response to Zionist criminals

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 2:09 PM

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has censured the Israeli regime's recent aggression against Yemen, saying the Islamic resistance forces in the region, particularly the resilient Yemeni people, will give the Zionist criminals a crushing response.

In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC said the recent attack by the "evil and racist" Zionist regime on Yemen's capital was a blatant war crime against humanity and a brazen example of state terrorism, exposing the savage and anti-human nature of the regime.

The statement came after Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital claimed the lives of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi of the National Government of Change and Construction, and eight other officials.

The assault was the latest in a string a deadly Israeli raids against Yemen, whose armed forces have been targeting sensitive Israeli sites in response to the regime's genocide in Gaza.

"The tragic crime once again revealed the dark face of the Zionist criminals and made the inhuman and expansionist nature of the occupiers of al-Quds and the aggressors against Islamic lands more evident," the IRGC said.

It added that the Israeli regime, with full US support and international silence, continues its acts of aggression, terror, and genocide in the region and poses a serious threat to regional and international security.

The Iranian elite force further called on all Muslim states, international organizations, and human rights bodies to put an end to their silence and inaction vis-a-vis crimes of the Israeli regime and the terrorist United States, as its main supporter.

They must also take firm positions and effective practical measures and support Yemen and the oppressed people of Gaza to set conditions for a permanent end to Israel's crimes and acts of aggression, the IRGC said.

It expressed its firm determination to support the oppressed people of the region, especially the Yemeni and Palestinian nations.

The IRGC will spare no effort to confront the occupying Israeli regime and its supporters, the statement emphasized.

Resistance movements on Saturday issued separate strong statements of mourning and condemnation following the Israeli regime's assassination of nine senior Yemeni officials.

In a speech on Saturday, Yemen's president warned the Israeli regime of a decisive revenge against Tel Aviv's recent assassination of the country's senior officials.

"Our revenge does not sleep, and dark days await you... You will not taste security after today," Mahdi al-Mashat said.

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Israeli military confirms 900 soldiers killed since start of Gaza genocide

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 10:15 AM

The Israeli military has announced that since the beginning of the Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023, a total of 900 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 6,210 others wounded.

Among the dead are 295 reservists and 154 career troops, the report said.

The figure includes 311 soldiers killed on October 7-8, during the Hamas-led operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the ensuing fighting along the Gaza border.

Since then, the report added, another 589 soldiers have been killed, 456 of them in the ground offensive inside Gaza.

The report noted that the Golani Brigade has suffered the highest losses, with 114 dead, since the devastating Israeli war on Gaza began.

The military also said 6,213 soldiers have been wounded since the war began: 925 seriously, 1,540 moderately, and 3,748 lightly.

Of those, 2,883 were injured in the Gaza ground offensive. Ten soldiers remain hospitalized in serious condition.

On Sunday, Israeli media reported renewed fighting between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Israeli military in Gaza City's Zaytoun neighborhood, resulting in the death of at least one Israeli soldier.

Reports also stated that nine other soldiers had been wounded, amid fears that four may have been captured. Israeli helicopters were reportedly evacuating soldiers under heavy fire.

Military experts described the operation as a "significant tactical setback" for the Israeli forces, undermining the regime's narrative regarding the strength of Hamas.

The Israeli military is known to hide the numbers of its dead and wounded in an effort to maintain morale among its soldiers and convey the image to the Israeli public that it is winning the war against Hamas and the Palestinian resistance.

In February, Israel's then newly appointed Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, revealed a significant discrepancy between the actual war losses in Gaza and the figures previously reported by the Israeli military, stating that the number of soldiers killed and wounded is much higher than officially disclosed.

Zamir said there were at least 5,942 registered "bereaved families" since 7 October, with some likely having more than one family member killed in the Israeli war on Gaza.

The Israeli military uses the phrase "bereaved families" to refer to a family of military personnel who had been confirmed killed in the war, and does not include civilians, Al Jazeera's Israel expert Azzam Abu Al-Adas confirmed at the time

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Israel bombs southern Lebanon in repeated ceasefire violations

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 9:34 AM

The Israeli regime has intensified its aerial assault on southern Lebanon, bombing the highlands of Ali al-Taher and al-Dabsha, as well as the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tibnit.

The Israeli army carried out two airstrikes on the outskirts of Ali al-Taher, Kafr Tibnit, and Upper Nabatieh, causing nearby homes to shake from the blasts, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.

Furthermore, an Israeli drone strike hit a residential home in the border town of Aita al-Shaab, also in southern Lebanon. In a separate incident earlier this morning, a missile landed on the Darb al-Qamar Road in Mifdoun but did not detonate.

The Israeli army claims the airstrikes were aimed at destroying "Hezbollah's underground infrastructure" in the Beaufort Ridge area.

According to the news agency, Israeli forces also dropped leaflets over the town of Aita al-Shaab reading: "We will keep working against the infrastructure of Hezbollah; we have warned you."

The regime's forces also launched intensive fire belts in the mountainous region of Ali al-Taher, further endangering civilians in the surrounding areas of Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Israeli warplanes repeatedly returned to bomb the same targets in rapid succession.

Simultaneously, the skies above the targeted zones witnessed a heavy presence of Israeli surveillance and attack drones, raising further alarm among local residents.

On Friday, in yet another Israeli violation, an Israeli drone struck a civilian car in the town of Sir al-Gharbiyeh, in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, killing its driver.

On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of airstrikes on the outskirts of the southern towns of al-Qatrani, al-Jarmaq, and al-Mahmoudiyah. An Israeli drone also dropped four bombs on Kfar Kila, one of which struck a municipal vehicle, causing material damage.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces stationed at Roueissat al-Alam position opened fire toward the outskirts of Kfar Chouba.

Another Israeli airstrike targeted the Jabbour Heights in Western Bekaa, in the Bekaa governorate.

The attacks come amid ongoing violations across various parts of Lebanon, despite the ceasefire announced on November 27, 2024.

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Iran's president, Parliament speaker blast Israel's 'terrorist attack' on Yemen

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 7:22 AM

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf have strongly condemned the recent Israeli aggression against Yemen, which led to the martyrdom of Yemen's prime minister and several senior officials.

In a message, President Pezeshkian expressed his condolences on the martyrdom of Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb Al-Rahawi as well as several ministers.

"The terrorist attack by the Zionist regime against Yemen, which resulted in the death of the prime minister and several senior officials, once again exposed the cruel and criminal nature of the group ruling the occupied Palestinian territories," he said.

Similarly, Qalibaf sent a message of condolence on the tragic event, saying, "The martyrdom of the prime minister of the friendly and brotherly nation of Yemen, Ahmad Ghaleb Nasr Al-Rahawi, along with several ministers of the country's revolutionary government, in a terrorist and aggressive attack by the Zionist regime, once again exposed the vile and criminal nature of this regime in committing such atrocities."

He said that the cowardly act, carried out at the height of Yemen's full-scale resistance against the Israeli regime, is a blatant crime against humanity.

"It targeted the legitimate political leadership of a nation under the pretext of defending the oppressed people of Palestine and their struggle for freedom. This act stands as yet another documented example of the inhumane crimes and global threats posed by this regime," the Parliament speaker added.

The Israeli airstrike on Thursday, which also left several senior ministers wounded, marks a significant escalation in Israel's ongoing military aggression against Yemen.

The Ansarullah government was holding a routine workshop to assess its activities over the past year when it was targeted by the Israeli jets.

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Resistance movements condemn Israeli assassination of Yemeni officials, vow sustained struggle

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 3:38 AM

Resistance movements have issued separate strong statements of mourning and condemnation following the Israeli regime's assassination of nine senior Yemeni officials.

In a collective statement issued on Saturday, Palestinian resistance factions commended the atrocities for their elimination of the lifelong defenders of the Palestinian people and their cause.

They vowed that "the escalating Nazi Zionist assassination operations" would not break the Yemeni people's will, nor diminish their support for Palestine.

Extending condolences to Yemen's Ansarallah resistance movement's leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the country's President Mahdi al-Mashat, and the martyrs' survivors, the factions pledged continued "jihad (struggle) of victory or martyrdom."

The Gaza Strip's Hamas resistance movement emphasized the blending of Yemeni and Palestinian blood in the al-Aqsa Storm Operation.

It was referring to the Gazan resistance groups' daring and historic operation of October 7, 2023, following which the Israeli regime launched a war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

Yemen's Armed Forces and several regional resistance movements rose up following the operation in defense of the oppressed Palestinian people, launching numerous solidarity strikes against countless strategic Israeli targets.

Hamas declared that "these pure and dear bloods... affirm the unity of our nation and the centrality of our cause."

The movement condemned the Israeli strikes as "Zionist arrogance against all international norms and laws," while warning about the danger that the entity posed to the entire region.

Islamic Jihad, Hamas' fellow Gaza-based resistance group, described the Yemeni officials' martyrdom as a "badge of honor, pride, and dignity" and evidence of the "unity of blood between the Palestinian and Yemeni peoples."

It expressed full confidence that Yemen would continue punishing the "usurping entity" for its crimes.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine stressed the futility of the Israeli regime's policy of assassinations, saying it has "proven their impotence and failure."

It vowed the martyrs' blood would remain "fuel for the march of steadfastness" and praised the martyred Yemeni leaders as models of loyalty to Palestine.

The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement described the strike as "conclusive proof of the correctness of the path" and evidence of the enemy's "helplessness and failure" in the face of Yemen's powerful strikes.

It pledged that Palestinians would not forget Yemen's sacrifices.

Fatah al-Intifada praised Yemen's epics of heroism and insisted that the assassinations "will increase steadfastness... and insistence on remaining in the camp of resistance."

From Lebanon, the Hezbollah resistance movement joined in mourning, extending "heartfelt condolences and sincerest sympathies" to the Yemeni people and Ansarullah's leader.

It condemned the "treacherous and cowardly Zionist aggression" targeting an official government meeting in Sana'a, praising Yemen's steadfast support for Palestine as "the truest model of commitment."

The statements came after Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital claimed the lives of Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi of the National Government of Change and Construction, and others serving across various portfolios.

The assaults came in the context of the regime's recurrent raids against the country.

The attacks began after Yemen's Armed Forces started staging near-daily operations against sensitive Israeli targets in response to the genocidal war.

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UK announces new support for women and girls in Gaza

Press release

UK announces new life-saving support for pregnant women and new mothers, and menstrual hygiene kits for thousands of women and girls.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon David Lammy MP

Published 31 August 2025

UK announces new life-saving support for pregnant women and new mothers, and menstrual hygiene kits for thousands of women and girls

Foreign Secretary calls for a full resumption of aid into Gaza, as women and girls risk pregnancy complications and disease

It comes amid 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with 'women and girls bearing the brunt of the suffering'

Against a backdrop of an appalling humanitarian crisis, the UK has pledged vital funding to deploy midwives and deliver emergency medical supplies for new mothers in Gaza. The aid could reach thousandsbut only if Israel allows a substantial increase in vital humanitarian access.

The announcement comes after the Famine Review Committee confirmed famine in parts of Gaza.

The UK reiterates that the Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe and urges it to take action to improve the situation immediately.

The Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with famine in Gaza City and women and girls bearing the brunt of the suffering. The UK is doing all we can to improve the situation but we remain crystal clear: for aid to have impact, Israel must ensure it is allowed in and delivered safely and securely to civilians in desperate need.

"Gaza's healthcare system has been decimated. With ongoing strikes on healthcare centres and most hospitals no longer functioning at all, pregnant women will be extremely anxious about giving birth safely.

"That's why we're announcing this support today as part of our sustained humanitarian assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

"This new funding will help improve midwifery provisions and make giving birth safer. It is critical to improving the situation for mothers and their new-born babies.

"But this funding can only have maximum impact if the Government of Israel allows it. Israel must ensure protection of civilians including healthcare staff and health infrastructure, and enable the delivery of life saving medicines, medical equipment and healthcare supplies into Gaza.

"We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge in aid and a framework to deliver long-term peace."

UK funding is set to support some of the 130 women who give birth every day against the backdrop of conflict in Gaza. This 3m funding, delivered through the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) is supporting midwives to provide essential lifesaving care for mothers and newborn babies in conflicts and crises.

UNFPA is providing life-saving reproductive health supplies for women and girls in Gaza. Since the conflict began, UNFPA has reached over one million people with sexual and productive health services and gender-based violence prevention and response support.

It has also ensured that over 150,000 women and girls have been able to purchase essential menstrual and hygiene items to meet their basic needs.

Laila Baker, UNFPA Arab States Regional Director said:

"Women and girls are enduring increasingly horrific conditions in Gaza - with widespread malnutrition and disease putting the lives of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their babies at particular risk.

"This vital contribution from the United Kingdom will support UNFPA in providing lifesaving medicines, deploying mobile maternity units, and supporting midwives across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

"With one in five babies in Gaza born prematurely or underweight, and maternal and neonatal services collapsing from fuel and supply shortages, UNFPA also reiterates its urgent call for unimpeded, sustained and demilitarized humanitarian aid into the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

The FCDO is also working with Oxfam GB to distribute Reemi's zero waste menstrual hygiene products that are suitable for women and girls with limited access to clean water. In incredibly difficult circumstances, Oxfam and local partners distributed over 5,000 Reemi kits in Northern Gaza in early 2025.

Background

The UK is committed to supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza and has announced 60m in humanitarian funding for the Occupied Palestinian Territories so far, this financial year.

Earlier this month the UK government announced additional funding for UN agency UNOCHA's pooled fund, to help deliver food, water and fuel to areas most in need and called on Israel to allow safe and large-scale access for the UN, its agencies and humanitarian partners to deliver aid on the ground.

This support from the UK government builds on its previous support for UNFPA's humanitarian response in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including for reproductive health kits, mobile health teams, and services for gender-based-violence survivors.

UK support has helped UNFPA and its partners reach tens of thousands of women and girls with vital health and protection services.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 31 August 2025 - Day 1285

Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of this day, there have been 137 combat clashes.

Today, the Russian invaders launched one missile and 41 aviation strikes, using one missile and dropping 57 controlled bombs. In addition, the Russians involved 1829 kamikaze drones and carried out 3107 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

Ukrainian defenders repelled four Russian attacks in the North-Slobozhansky and Kursky directions. Since the beginning of the day, the opponent made six aviation strikes, dropped nine controlled aviation bombs in total and carried out 185 shells, including three from the reactive systems of amphibious fire.

In the South Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian troops stopped six Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements of Vovchansk, Gliboke, Western and Krasne Pershe.

In the Kupyansky direction, the Russian opponent carried out four offensive actions in the areas of settlements Sinkivka, Stara Novoselivka and towards Novoplatonivka.

In the Lyman direction during the day Russian zagarbniks 22 times attacked the positions of Ukrainians near the settlements of Shandrigolove, Kolodyazi, Karpivka, and towards Dronivka, Serebryanka, Yampol and Grigorivka. Two clashes are ongoing so far.

In the sivers komu direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled ten Russian attacks near grigorivka.

In the Kramators komu direction, there are currently three collisions. Zagarbnyk is trying to move towards the settlement of the White Mountain and in the area of the Predtecinyo.

In the Toretsky direction Russians five times unsuccessfully attacked the positions of Defense Forces. The main efforts of the invasion were concentrated in the areas of the settlements of Toretsk, Diliyivka, and Poltavka.

In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russian zagarbnytsky units tried 40 times to break through Ukrainian defense in the areas of settlements Volodymyrivka, Mayak, Fedorivka, Nikanorivka, New Shahove, Novoekonomicne, Mirolubivka, Sukhetske, Ray, Dry Yar, Zvirove, Kotline, Udaachne, Gorihove and Dachne.

Today in this direction Ukrainian soldiers zneskodili 138 Russian occupiers, of them 95 - irrevocably. Two tanks, five armored vehicles, two BPLA control antennas and 31 unmanned aircraft were also destroyed; two vehicles and six occupant shelters were also damaged.

In the Novopavliv direction, Russian forces attacked 22 times in the areas of settlements Filiya, Yalta, Tovste, Oleksandrograd, Maliivka, Voskresenko and Komyshuvakha. The three Russian attacks are ongoing.

No combat clashes were recorded in the Gulyaipil direction.

Once the aggressor attacked in the Orihiv direction - the Russian occupiers tried to advance in the area of the settlement of Kamianske.

In the Pridniprovsk direction, Russian forces carried out five unsuccessful attacks.

In other directions, the situation has not changed significantly.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 19:47

On the morning of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the peoples of China and Belarus, fighting side by side in the past, made important contributions to defeating militarism and fascism, and forged a profound friendship. At present, century-defining transformation is accelerating across the world, and humanity once again stands at a crossroads. China is willing to work with the Belarusian side to shoulder the responsibilities of the times, practice true multilateralism, and jointly advance peace, development, and win-win cooperation in the world.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership has enjoyed high-quality development, and the two sides should continue to extend firm mutual support on issues relating to each other's core interests and major concerns. The two sides should advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, and continue to cultivate new highlights and growth drivers for their cooperation. The two sides should fully harness the outcomes of the China-Belarus years of science and technology innovation from 2024 to 2025, and accelerate the development of new quality productive forces to facilitate the development and revitalization of both countries. The two sides should expand exchanges on education, culture, tourism, youth and at subnational levels, and foster greater amity between their peoples. The two sides should enhance coordination in multilateral mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS, and work for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Lukashenko noted that every time he came to China, he would always be deeply impressed by the country's vibrant development and progress. Under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is committed to pursuing a path of development that suits its national conditions. Having achieved great success in development, China now faces an even brighter prospect, and no force can stop China's development and revitalization. In international and regional affairs, China keeps a just position, upholds multilateralism, and defends fairness and justice. China has played a leading role in fostering cooperation within multilateral mechanisms such as the SCO, and made major contributions to peace and stability on the continents of Asia and Europe, and in the wider world. Belarus is an all-weather partner to China and a friend that can always be relied upon. Belarus is ready to work with China to increase exchanges on governance experience, deepen practical cooperation across the board, and bring bilateral relations to new heights.

The two sides signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as science and technology, finance, metrology, media, transportation, and customs inspection and quarantine.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 23:24

On the evening of August 30, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi pointed out that China and Kazakhstan are strategic partners that can trust and count on each other. No matter how the international landscape evolves, the two sides should stay committed to the overarching policy of good-neighborliness and friendship, the guiding principle of openness and win-win cooperation, and the overall direction of jointly building a community with a shared future. The two sides should firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, consolidate and expand all-round cooperation, and bring China-Kazakhstan relations to new heights.

President Xi emphasized that the two countries should further synergize their development strategies, explore more converging interests and new areas of growth in cooperation; consolidate energy cooperation as the foundationand deepen cooperation on connectivity, especially advancing hard connectivity of infrastructure and soft connectivity of policies and mechanisms; continue to promote people-to-people exchanges, and ensure the success of the China-Kazakhstan year of cultural exchange; step up multilateral coordination, consolidate and strengthen the SCO, jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, and work for a more just and equitable international order.

President Tokayev noted that China, during its SCO presidency, performed its duties effectively. Kazakhstan had actively participated in all agenda items and is ready to work closely with China to ensure the success of the upcoming SCO Summit. He extended congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, noting that the Chinese people made a significant historical contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and demonstrated extraordinary courage and patriotism. He said that Kazakhstan-China relations are at the highest level ever. Bilateral trade reached a new record last year, and major cooperation projects are progressing smoothly. Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to continue to deepen practical cooperation and enhance people-to-people exchanges, to take bilateral relations to an even higher level.

During the meeting, the two heads of state witnessed the announcement of more than 20 bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as alignment of development strategies, energy, science and technology, housing and urban development, education, sports, and wildlife protection, and the unveiling of two new Luban Workshops in Kazakhstan.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 22:32

On the afternoon of August 30, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who was in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025.

President Xi noted that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and China-Egypt relations are now at their best in history. Next year marks the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic ties. The two sides should take it as an opportunity to steer the bilateral relationship toward the goal of building a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, add new impetus to China-Arab and China-Africa relations, and make greater contributions to upholding world peace and stability and promoting global development and prosperity.

President Xi emphasized that under the new circumstances, China and Egypt should be good brothers that firmly support each other, keep consolidating political trust, and continue providing mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. The two countries should be good partners that deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, foster greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Vision 2030, and take cooperation on parks and zones such as the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone as the main driver to strengthen cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, joint manufacturing and new energy. The two countries should be good friends that closely collaborate in multilateral affairs, shoulder historical and major-country responsibilities as important members of the Global South, safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, jointly oppose unilateralism and bullying practices, and defend the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.

Prime Minister Madbouly conveyed to President Xi sincere greetings and regards from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Prime Minister Madbouly said China is a true partner and friend of Egypt, and the two sides have always trusted and supported each other. Egypt places high importance on its relations with China, and is firmly committed to the one-China principle. Egypt stands ready to take next year's 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China as an opportunity to increase high-level exchanges, expand trade and investment, and deepen cooperation in such areas as new energy, electric vehicles, finance and seawater desalination, in a bid to achieve greater progress of the bilateral relations. Egypt and China are both members of the developing world and the Global South. To address challenges facing the international landscape and world economy and trade, Egypt will strengthen coordination and collaboration with China in international and regional affairs, so as to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, attended the meeting.

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Xi Jinping Meets with Myanmar's Acting President Min Aung Hlaing

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 21:36

On the afternoon of August 30, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Myanmar's Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi noted that Myanmar was part of the Eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War and it is an important dialogue partner of the SCO. The China-Myanmar pauk-phaw friendship, rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, is as strong and relevant as ever. The two sides should seize the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations to deepen strategic cooperation, accelerate the building of their community with a shared future, and bring greater benefits to people in both countries.

President Xi stressed that China supports Myanmar in following a development path suited to its realities, in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, in rebuilding after the earthquake, and in delivering a better life to its people. China also supports Myanmar in unifying all domestic political forces as much as possible and restoring stability and development. The two sides should advance key projects of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and promote economic and trade cooperation. Joint efforts should be made to combat cross-border crimes, maintain peace and tranquility in the China-Myanmar border region, and ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Myanmar. The two sides should carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and jointly safeguard the U.N.-centered international system.

Acting President Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar and China share a deep pauk-phaw friendship and a common pursuit of peace and stability, and both countries made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. China has always been a good neighbor and a good friend to Myanmar, providing long-term assistance to Myanmar's economic and social development, supporting its post-disaster rehabilitation efforts, and playing a constructive role in facilitating peace and stability in northern Myanmar. Myanmar will steadfastly uphold the one-China policy. Myanmar will work with China to pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and expand cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, energy, and infrastructure, so as to create a better life for people in both countries. As a dialogue partner of the SCO, Myanmar will actively contribute to the development of the organization.

The two sides signed multiple bilateral cooperation agreements in the fields of customs, news media, and others.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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Xi Jinping Meets Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 21:33

On the afternoon of August 30, President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, at the Tianjin Guest House.

President Xi underscored that the China-Cambodia friendship, having stood the test of time, is rock-solid and the shared asset of the two peoples. Amidst an ever-changing international landscape, China and Cambodia, as ironclad friends, should keep the big picture in mind, adopt a long-term perspective, and steadfastly follow the path of friendship opened by the older generation of Chinese and Cambodian leaders. The two sides should maintain unwavering solidarity, enable each other's success, promote the well-being of their people, and contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity of the region.

President Xi stressed that China supports Cambodia in safeguarding national stability, upholding independence, and achieving development and revitalization. China will, through the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, work with Cambodia to deepen "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation, advance both the Industrial and Technological Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor, expand trade ties, and help Cambodia enhance its capacity for self-reliant development. The two sides need to resolutely crack down on cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud, so as to protect the life and property of the two peoples.

Prime Minister Hun Manet noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese people forged peace with courage and unity, which is truly admirable. The traditional friendship between Cambodia and China has grown ever stronger over time. Cambodia appreciates China's long-standing, valuable support and assistance. Despite the changing international landscape, Cambodia will firmly pursue a policy of friendship toward China, remain firmly committed to the one-China principle, and firmly support the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China. President Xi's historic state visit to Cambodia last April yielded fruitful outcomes. Cambodia looks forward to working with China to implement the important consensus reached during the visit, deepen the ironclad friendship between the two countries, lend each other support on issues involving their core interests and major concerns, expand cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure, combat online gambling and telecom fraud, and further advance the two countries' all-weather community with a shared future.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 21:25

On the afternoon of August 30, President Xi Jinping met with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Tianjin Guest House, who was in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025.

President Xi noted that the founding of the United Nations was the most important decision made by the international community at the end of the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. History teaches that multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right way to address global challenges. We should rededicate ourselves to the founding mission of the U.N., reaffirm our commitment to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and enable the U.N. to respond to the changing situation with enhanced authority and vitality, so that it will remain the premier platform for coordinating actions among countries and responding to common challenges. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China always stands firmly on the right side of history and practices true multilateralism. China will always be a trustworthy partner of the U.N. China will deepen cooperation with the organization, support its central role in international affairs, and work with the U.N. to shoulder responsibility for safeguarding world peace and promoting development and prosperity.

President Xi stressed that amidst the once-in-a-century transformations, China is a source of stability and certainty. We will continue to create new opportunities for the world through China's new development and work with other countries to create a better future through the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Secretary General Guterres expressed his gratitude for China's strong and solid support to the U.N. He noted that at a time when multilateralism, international law and the authority of the United Nations are being challenged, and the international governance architecture is in urgent need of reform, it is all the more important to recall the founding mission and values that led to the creation of the U.N. 80 years ago. China has made significant contributions to safeguarding international law and ensuring international rule of law, and has been a cornerstone of multilateralism. The U.N. will strengthen cooperation with China to uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, defend the basic norms of international relations, advance a multipolar world, enhance the representation of developing countries, and enable the U.N. to play a greater role in international affairs. The two sides need to strengthen cooperation in areas such as the reform of the global governance system, artificial intelligence, and climate response, so as to better serve the wellbeing of humanity.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 30, 2025 23:30

On the afternoon of August 30, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, who was in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi noted that China and Nepal are neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and enjoy lasting friendship. The two are also peace-loving countries who stand on our own feet. Over the past 70 years of diplomatic relations, the two peoples have stood together through thick and thin and written a historic chapter of good-neighborliness and friendship. China and Nepal are now making steady progress in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the two peoples have forged a closer bond with each other. China stands ready to work with Nepal to carry forward the traditional friendship and take to a new height the China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.

President Xi stressed that the two sides need to enhance mutual strategic trust and firmly support each other on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns. We need to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly advance Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen connectivity through ports, roads, power grids, aviation and telecommunications. We need to enhance cooperation in areas such as industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, new energy, environmental protection, oil and gas, artificial intelligence, education, health, law enforcement, and security. We need to continue the successful activities in celebration of the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. We need to enhance communication and coordination in multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, jointly support free trade and sustainable development, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

Prime Minister Oli said that the Nepal-China relationship, having stood many tests, has only grown stronger. Both sides have always respected and trusted each other and attended to one another's concerns. Cooperation with China has significantly boosted Nepal's economic and social development. Nepal is firmly committed to the one-China principle, resolutely opposes "Taiwan independence," and does not allow any force to use its territory to undermine China's interests. Nepal is committed to achieving continuous development and looks forward to deepening cooperation with China in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. We will enhance cooperation with China on trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, tourism, climate response, and other fields and deliver more positive outcomes. Nepal supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, values the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, actively upholds the "Shanghai Spirit," and looks forward to China playing an even bigger role in international affairs.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals: Xi

Global Times

By Xinhua Published: Aug 31, 2025 03:04 PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other's development opportunities rather than threats.

As long as the two countries stick to this overarching direction, China-India relations can sustain steady and long-term growth, Xi said when the two leaders met in the port city of Tianjin ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Xi said China and India should become neighbors on good terms and partners helping each other succeed. A "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" should be the right choice for the two countries, he said.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-India diplomatic relations, Xi said the two countries need to view and handle bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.

He called on the two countries to strengthen strategic communication to deepen mutual trust, expand exchanges and win-win cooperation, heed each other's concerns to seek harmonious coexistence, and enhance multilateral collaboration to safeguard common interests.

The two Asian neighbors should work together to ensure peace and tranquility in their border regions, and should not let the border issue define the overall China-India relations, Xi said.

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Xi meets with multiple foreign dignitaries

Global Times

By Xu Keyue Published: Aug 31, 2025 10:32 PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with multiple foreign leaders and heads of international organizations over the past weekend in North China's Tianjin, the host city of the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, marking a vibrant period in China's diplomatic engagements.

Among leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations for the SCO Summit 2025, Xi has met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Myanmar's acting president Min Aung Hlaing, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the weekend, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The SCO Summit marks China's embrace of a bustling season of head-of-state diplomacy. This series of events fully demonstrates the importance of multilateral platform such as SCO, and China's increasingly prominent role in a multipolar world, Wang Huiyao, founder and president of think tank the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), told the Global Times on Sunday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said on Friday at a press conference that head-of-state diplomacy is the highest form of China's diplomacy and plays a decisive role in China's major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), President Xi has personally planned and conducted head-of-state diplomacy and many fruitful results were achieved, by making 55 overseas visits to 72 countries across five continents and hosted state visits by foreign heads of state for more than 230 times, according to Xinhua.

Bilateral engagement

In the meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Xi called for intensified efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two sides during his state visit to Vietnam in April, to deliver more substantive outcomes in their comprehensive strategic cooperation.

China and Vietnam should have firm confidence in their paths and systems, and strengthen solidarity and coordination, Xi noted.

Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam and China share common strategic interests and are companions on the path of socialism, and that developing relations with China is a strategic choice and a top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy.

Xi said when meeting Turkish President Erdogan that China and Turkey are both emerging major countries with a spirit of independence, adding that the high-level development of bilateral relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries as well as the common interests of the Global South.

Xi called on both countries to grasp the global trend of peace, development, and win-win cooperation, and work together to build a global governance system that is more just and equitable.

The Turkish side is willing to enhance cooperation with China within the framework of the SCO to contribute to the development and prosperity of the region and the world, Erdogan said, speaking highly of China's just stance on the Middle East issue.

Indian Prime Minister Modi arrived in Tianjin on Saturday for his first visit to China since 2018, the Economic Times reported.

During meeting with Modi on Sunday, Xi told Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other's development opportunities rather than threats, Xinhua reported.

As long as the two countries stick to this overarching direction, China-India relations can sustain steady and long-term growth, Xi said.

Xi said China and India should become neighbors on good terms and partners helping each other succeed. A "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" should be the right choice for the two countries, he said.

The two Asian neighbors should work together to ensure peace and tranquility in their border regions, and should not let the border issue define the overall China-India relations, Xi said, according to Xinhua.

Noting that India and China are partners, not rivals, and the consensus between the two countries far outweighs their disagreement, Modi said India is ready to view and develop bilateral ties from a long-term perspective.

Xi told Belarusian President Lukashenko that China is willing to work with Belarus to practice true multilateralism and jointly contribute to world peace, development and win-win cooperation as humanity once again comes to a crossroads.

Lukashenko praised China's just position on international and regional affairs, saying that China has made major contributions to peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and in the world.

Experts pointed out that China's diplomacy has always showed its capacity to facilitate communication and dialogue between countries, as well as inclusiveness and openness.

Even if differences exist among countries, cooperation can be explored to mitigate mutual distrust, thereby facilitating bilateral and even multilateral cooperation. This approach, in turn, helps bridge divides and enhance mutual trust, thus playing an expanded role in promoting peace, driving development, and fostering integration, they said.

On Saturday, Xi met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Tianjin, stating that China is willing to deepen cooperation with the UN, support the UN in playing a central role in international affairs, and jointly shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding world peace and promoting development and prosperity. Xi said that China will always be a trustworthy partner of UN, Xinhua reported.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th founding anniversary of the UN, Xi said history has revealed that multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right answer to global challenges.

Hailing China as a cornerstone in defending multilateralism, Guterres said the UN is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to promote world multipolarization, enhance the representation of developing countries, and enable the UN to play a greater role in international affairs.

China's major-country diplomacy has consistently upheld and practiced true multilateralism, continuously deepened communication and cooperation with strategic partners, and more effectively safeguarded the development rights and interests of the "Global South," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

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Toast by H.E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China at the Welcoming Banquet of the SCO Summit

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 22:46

Tianjin, August 31, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Good evening. Tonight, we are gathered here by the glittering banks of the Haihe River in Tianjin, a city defined by its embrace of waters from all corners. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I welcome all our distinguished guests to Tianjin.

Today is a joyful day for leaders of SCO member states to have this happy gathering with old and new friends. It is also the Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan and the National Day of Malaysia. I wish to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt congratulations to President Sadyr Japarov, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the friendly peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia.

Tianjin is an open and inclusive metropolis. It has served as a strategic guardian city for our nation's capital throughout history, and pioneered China's reform and opening up as a pilot zone. In recent years, Tianjin has implemented the national strategy of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, and written its new and dynamic chapter in advancing Chinese modernization. We believe that as the host of this Summit, Tianjin will give fresh impetus to the sustainable development of our Organization.

Since its founding, the SCO has stayed committed to the Shanghai Spirit, strengthening solidarity and mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation, and taking an active part in international and regional affairs. The SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

At present, the century-defining transformation is accelerating across the world, with a marked increase in factors of instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability. The SCO thus bears an even greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity of all countries.

At this Summit, we are tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development. Tomorrow, I will join our colleagues at the Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States. We will also convene the "SCO Plus" Meeting with leaders of non-SCO members and international organizations. We will focus on how to strengthen cooperation, promote development, and improve global governance.

I am confident that with the collective efforts of all parties, this Summit will be a complete success and the SCO will play an even greater role, achieve greater development, and make greater contribution to strengthening solidarity and cooperation among the member states, pooling the strength of the Global South, and promoting the cause of human advancement.

As a Chinese saying goes, "In a race of a hundred boats, those who row the hardest will lead." Let us uphold the Shanghai Spirit and set out from Tianjin on a new voyage filled with hope toward an even brighter future.

Now, please join me in a toast:

To a productive and fruitful Summit;

To the advancement of the SCO's goals and tasks;

To the development and prosperity of all countries and the well-being of our people; and

To the health of all distinguished guests and your families.

Cheers!

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 23:47

On the afternoon of August 31, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025.

President Xi noted that during his state visit to Viet Nam in April, the two sides reached important consensus on advancing the building of the China-Viet Nam community with a shared future under the new circumstances. Government departments and local authorities on both sides need to accelerate the implementation so that the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries will deliver more tangible outcomes. In the context of the accelerating global transformation unseen in a century and the fluid and volatile international situation, China and Viet Nam need to firm up confidence in their paths and systems, step up solidarity and cooperation, and steer the ship of the community with a shared future steadily forward in the right direction.

President Xi extended congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and underscored China's support for Viet Nam in successfully convening the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. He expressed China's readiness to deepen exchanges on party and state governance with Viet Nam, maintain high-level exchanges, and take well-coordinated steps to advance bilateral strategic cooperation. The two sides need to actively promote cooperation in connectivity, digital economy, and artificial intelligence, and enhance experience sharing in the development of free trade zones and special economic zones, so as to facilitate their respective modernization drive. Continued efforts should be made to ensure the success of the commemorative activities marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the Vietnamese youth's "red study tours" to China, and develop more programs to bring the two peoples closer together. It is important for the two sides to strengthen multilateral cooperation and uphold the shared interests of the Global South.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the cordial greetings of General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong to General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, and noted that the frequent high-level exchanges between the two parties and the two countries reflect their profound friendship featuring "camaraderie plus brotherhood." Viet Nam and China share common strategic interests and are fellow companions in the journey of socialism. Viet Nam sees growing its relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in its foreign policy. Viet Nam is ready to foster greater strategic synergy with China, expand trade and investment, enhance connectivity, deepen people-to-people exchanges, stand united and look out for each other with a view to jointly advancing modernization, which serves the interests of both countries and contributes to global peace and stability. Viet Nam is heartened to see China's significant development achievements and its important contributions to the world economy. The three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi have steered global governance and offered China's wisdom and proposals to address common challenges. The upcoming SCO Summit is unprecedented in scale. Viet Nam will uphold the "Shanghai Spirit" and work with China to contribute to the organization's greater development.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 19:51

On the morning of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi Jinping noted that since the beginning of the year, the two leaders have had two successful meetings, during which they made a comprehensive plan for the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations and reached broad consensus on deepening all-round cooperation. China will continue to work with the Kyrgyz side to extend firm mutual support, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, jointly pursue modernization and national revitalization, and build a close China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.

President Xi Jinping stressed that China and Kyrgyzstan should build on past foundation and make pioneering efforts to open new vistas for bilateral relations, and expand practical cooperation in both breadth and depth. The two countries should have a higher level of trade and investment, deepen connectivity, better harness science and technology, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as clean energy, green minerals and artificial intelligence. The two countries should enhance cooperation in areas such as culture, tourism, education, and health, and foster greater amity between their peoples. China will fully support Kyrgyzstan in taking over the rotating presidency of the SCO and in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs. China is ready to enhance coordination with the Kyrgyz side on multilateral occasions, and jointly defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, so as to make new contributions to peace and development in the world.

President Japarov noted that China is a good neighbor and a good friend of Kyrgyzstan. There is an old saying in China: "An amicable and close neighbor is an invaluable asset of a nation." The most valuable advantage for Kyrgyzstan is to be the neighbor of China. Whenever in time of difficulty, the Kyrgyz side would always receive China's firm support and assistance. Under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has achieved great development and grown into an important engine of the world economy. The Kyrgyz side is willing to learn from China's experience, and enhance cooperation with China in areas such as connectivity, clean energy, artificial intelligence, and scientific and technological innovation, so as to bring more benefits to the people. On the Taiwan question and other issues concerning China's core interests, the Kyrgyz side will, as always, firmly support China's position. During China's rotating presidency of the SCO, the organization has enhanced its influence, and made solid advances in cooperation across the board. The Kyrgyz side is willing to enhance coordination with China to push for new progress in the SCO's development. The Kyrgyz side highly commends and supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, and stands ready to enhance multilateral coordination with China and jointly uphold international fairness and justice.

The two sides signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as connectivity, human resources, civil aviation, and subnational cooperation.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 16:19

On the morning of August 31, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The two leaders announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Armenia.

President Xi underscored that China and Armenia enjoy a time-honored friendship, which has grown ever stronger over time. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 33 years ago, the two countries have respected and trusted each other, and benefited and learned from each other, leading to the sustained, sound, and steady development of bilateral relations. The establishment of the strategic partnership is an important milestone in the history of China-Armenia relations. The two sides should carry forward their traditional friendship, lend each other firm support, deepen cooperation in various fields, and strive for continuous progress in bilateral relations from a new starting point.

President Xi stressed that the two sides should work together to pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen connectivity, and promote exchanges in such areas as education, science and technology, culture, and tourism, to deliver more benefits to the two peoples. China supports Armenia in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and stands ready to work with Armenia to practice true multilateralism and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that under the leadership of President Xi, China has made remarkable development achievements. Armenia hopes to learn from China's experience to boost its own economic and social development. The establishment of the strategic partnership will elevate Armenia-China relations to a higher level and bring new opportunities and vitality to bilateral cooperation. Armenia is firmly committed to the one-China principle. It looks forward to expanding economic and trade cooperation with China, maintaining close coordination in international and regional affairs, and promoting greater development of bilateral relations.

The two sides issued the Joint Statement Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Armenia on Establishing the Strategic Partnership, and signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in such areas as market regulation, metrology, and media.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er, among others, were present at the meeting.

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President Xi Jinping Meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 31, 2025 15:13

In the morning of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Azerbaijan are good friends and good partners. Over the past 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have enjoyed increasingly deepened traditional friendship and continued to strengthen political mutual trust, and their mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results. In April this year, the two sides announced the establishment of the China-Azerbaijan comprehensive strategic partnership, ushering in a new chapter of all-round cooperation between the two countries. China and Azerbaijan are companions on the journey towards development and revitalization. China is willing to work with Azerbaijan to maintain the robust momentum of bilateral cooperation, and jointly open new vistas in the pursuit of win-win development.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the two sides should maintain strategic communication and give firm support to each other. The two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, accelerate trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, continue to enhance the efficacy of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, expand cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, and energy, and cultivate new growth drivers for cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, green development, and artificial intelligence. The two sides should strengthen exchanges on education, science and technology, culture, tourism, youth and at subnational levels, so as to pool greater resources and strengths and firm up the popular foundation for the development of bilateral relations. China supports Azerbaijan in joining the SCO, and stands ready to enhance multilateral coordination with Azerbaijan in a joint effort to safeguard the common interests of the Global South, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Aliyev noted that the Azerbaijan-China comprehensive strategic partnership demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations. The two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, extended mutual support on issues relating to each other's core interests and major concerns, and actively advanced cooperation across the board. Two-way trade between the two countries has registered rapid growth. The Azerbaijani side firmly abides by the one-China principle and opposes "Taiwan independence." Azerbaijan is willing to work with China to deepen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, science and technology, connectivity, and tourism, so as to bring greater benefits to the two peoples. Azerbaijan is willing to deepen cooperation with China within the SCO and jointly contribute to peace and development in the region and the world.

The two sides signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as artificial intelligence, scientific and technological innovation, finance, and media.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, were present at the meeting.

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Prime Minister's bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (August 31, 2025)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

August 31, 2025

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met with Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, on the sidelines of the Summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin on 31 August 2025.

2. Both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan in October 2024. They reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes. A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China and their 2.8 billion peoples on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity are necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multi-polar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century.

3. Prime Minister underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations. The two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then. They expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples. They recognized the important decisions taken by the two Special Representatives in their Talks earlier this month, and agreed to further support their efforts.

4. The two leaders noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visa. On economic and trade relations, they recognized the role of their two economies to stabilize world trade. They underlined the need to proceed from a political and strategic direction to expand bilateral trade and investment ties and reduce trade deficit.

5. Prime Minister noted that India and China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens. The two leaders deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms.

6. Prime Minister expressed support for China's Presidency of the SCO and the Summit in Tianjin. He also invited President Xi to the BRICS Summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's support to India's BRICS Presidency.

7. Prime Minister also had a meeting with Mr. Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. Prime Minister shared with Mr. Cai his vision for bilateral relations and sought his support to realize the vision of the two leaders. Mr. Cai reiterated the Chinese side's desire to expand bilateral exchanges and further improve relations in line with the consensus reached between the two leaders.

Tianjin

August 31, 2025

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Prime Minister meets with Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission of Myanmar, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit (August 31, 2025)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

August 31, 2025

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met today with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission of Myanmar, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin.

2. Prime Minister noted that India attaches importance to its ties with Myanmar as part of its Neighborhood First, Act East and Indo-Pacific policies. The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and discussed the way forward on several aspects of bilateral cooperation, including development partnership, defence and security, border management and border trade issues. Prime Minister stressed that progress on ongoing connectivity projects would foster greater interaction between the people of the two countries, while promoting regional cooperation and integration as envisioned in India's Act East policy.

3. Prime Minister expressed the hope that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders. He underlined that India supports a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process, for which peaceful dialogue and consultation is the only way forward.

4. Prime Minister reiterated India's readiness to support the developmental needs of Myanmar.

Tianjin

August 31, 2025

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Transcript of Special Briefing by MEA on Prime Minister's visit to China (August 31, 2025)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

August 31, 2025

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this Special Press Briefing by Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri on the ongoing visit of the Prime Minister of India to Tianjin for the 25th SCO Summit.

We are also joined by our Ambassador to China, Shri Pradeep Rawat; our Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs who looks after East Asia Division, Shri Gourangalal Das; and our Joint Secretary who is in charge of SCO in the Ministry, Shri Mayank Singh. With that, I invite the Foreign Secretary to make his opening remarks on the developments so far.

Sir, the floor is yours.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you Randhir, good evening all. Thank you for joining us this evening.

As you are all aware, the Prime Minister is on a visit to Tianjin for the SCO Summit taking place here. He arrived in Tianjin yesterday evening to a warm reception by the host government, and subsequently a very vibrant cultural reception by the Indian community in Tianjin.

Prime Minister's first engagement this morning was a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China. We released a Statement on that meeting. You would be aware of the details. Let me just fill you in on a couple of aspects of the meeting.

As you are aware, this is the second meeting between the two leaders in the space of less than a year. Their last meeting was in Kazan in October last year, where they had laid down certain strategic guidelines for the development of bilateral relations, and set out certain goals to be achieved by the two sides.

In their meeting this morning, both the leaders were happy to note the progress that had been registered, the actions that had been taken since the meeting in Kazan, and the momentum that had been maintained in bilateral relations since that meeting, especially in the domain of people-to-people relations.

This morning, the leaders shared with each other, their perspectives for longer-term growth and development of the two countries. They spoke about their respective understanding of principles for bilateral relations, which it is expected will help guide the future work of the two sides as we work on other aspects of the relationship.

For instance, they both agreed that the two countries were primarily focused on their domestic development goals, and in this they were partners rather than rivals. It was also an element of consensus between them that a stable and amicable relationship between India and China can be to the benefit of the 2.8 billion people who live in the two countries. The common interests of the two countries outweigh their differences, and the two leaders also shared a consensus on the fact that differences should not be allowed to be turned into disputes. It was also understood that it is critical that India and China grow and cooperate if there is to be an Asian century, and a functioning multipolar world order with a multipolar Asia at its heart.

President Xi made four suggestions to further upgrade bilateral relations, namely to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust; to expand exchanges and cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results; to accommodate each other's concerns; and finally to strengthen multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests; and all of these were responded to positively by Prime Minister Modi.

The boundary issue also figured in the discussions. Both leaders took note of the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border regions since then. In voicing certain principles related to this issue, the Prime Minister underlined the need for peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations. There was understanding on the need to maintain peace on the borders using the existing mechanisms and avoid disturbances to the overall relationship going forward.

At this point, I want to highlight or draw your attention to the outcomes of the 24th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the boundary question, which was held in New Delhi less than two weeks ago. In their meeting today, both the leaders positively appraised these outcomes and decisions from that round of talks. They encouraged the efforts of the SRs, and agreed to accelerate the implementation of the outcomes and the understandings that have been reached between the SRs.

They also expressed a commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question, proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and in the long-term interests of the two peoples.

Amongst other issues, the two leaders also exchanged views on ways to increase and balance bilateral trade, strengthen people-to-people ties, cooperate on trans-border rivers and jointly fight terrorism. There was a desire to make additional progress on all of these issues on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual sensitivity.

In particular, on economic and trade relations, there was recognition of the role that the Indian and the Chinese economies can play in stabilizing world trade. Both leaders underlined the need once again to proceed from a political and strategic direction to reduce their bilateral trade deficit, facilitate bilateral trade and investment ties in both directions, and increase policy transparency and predictability.

There was also a discussion on regional and global issues and challenges, including with regard to multilateral platforms. Prime Minister expressed support for China's ongoing presidency of the SCO, and the summit in Tianjin. He also invited President Xi to the BRICS summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's full support to India's BRICS presidency.

In addition, following this meeting, Prime Minister had a separate meeting with His Excellency Mr. Cai Qi, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. As you are probably aware, Mr. Cai also holds several important positions in the party. There was originally a proposal from the Chinese side for Mr. Cai to host a banquet for the Prime Minister on behalf of President Xi Jinping. This was meant as a special gesture to show the importance attached by China to the visit of the Prime Minister, which was taking place after a hiatus of nearly seven years. However, as there was a scheduling conflict, it was decided to have a brief meeting between Prime Minister and Mr. Cai.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister shared his overall vision for the India-China relationship with Mr. Cai and sought his involvement and his role to realize the consensus of the two leaders. Mr. Cai, for his part, reiterated the Chinese side's desire to expand bilateral exchanges in various fields to address our respective concerns in economic areas, and to further improve relations in line with the consensus that had been reached between the Prime Minister and the President in their meeting earlier in the morning.

Slightly earlier this evening, the Prime Minister also had a bilateral meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission of Myanmar. The two leaders recalled their earlier meeting on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand earlier this year and reviewed their current state of bilateral ties. Prime Minister noted that India attaches great importance to its relations with Myanmar under its Neighborhood First and Act East policies. He underlined the importance of the development partnership between the two countries and sought Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's support for the ongoing connectivity projects between India and Myanmar.

There was also a discussion on the security and border issues. Prime Minister welcomed the announcement of elections in Myanmar and stated that dialogue was the only way forward to foster peace and stability in Myanmar. A short while ago in the evening, Prime Minister attended the official reception of the 25th SCO Summit hosted by President Xi Jinping for the visiting leaders.

Tomorrow, Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India.

Let me stop here, and I think we have time for a few questions.

Manish Chand, India Writes Network: Foreign Secretary, Manish Chand, India Writes Network. My question is about the ballooning trade deficit which is close to 100 billion dollars. You spoke about having a balanced economic relationship. What concrete measures / steps were unveiled? Was there any pledge by the Chinese side to step up investment in India?

My second question is, was there any progress on de-escalation? if the issue were discussed? And what is the way forward for the SR talks? Thank you.

Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg: Sir, Sudhi Ranjan Sen from Bloomberg. On the border talks, you did mention about the SR level talks. How does it go forward from here? In particular, the issue of delimitation that has been mentioned in the last Joint Statement.

Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist: Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist. Mera sawal yeh hai ki China ki taraf se jo byan jaari kiya gaya usme Rashtrapati Xi ke hawale se kaha gaya hai ki unhone Pradhanmantri Modi se yeh kaha, aur mai quote kar raha hu, ki "hame seema varti kshetro mein shanti aur sauhard banaye rakhne ke liye milkar kam karna chahiye aur seema mudde ko samagra China Bharat sambandho ko paribhashit nahi karne dena chahiye."

Sawal yeh hai ki Bharat kya China ke is rukh se sehmat hai? Kyunki Bharat pehle se yeh kehta raha hai ki 2020 April ke pehle ki yataasithi jo hai, woh pehli shart hai dono desho ke beech sambandho ko samanya karne ki.

[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Uma Shankar Singh, Independent Journalist. My question is that in the statement issued by China, it was said on behalf of President Xi  and I am quoting  that he told Prime Minister Modi that we should work together to maintain peace and harmony in the border areas, and that the boundary issue should not be allowed to define the overall China-India relationship.

Does India agree with this position of China? Because India has been saying all along that the restoration of the status quo that existed before April 2020 is the first condition for normalizing relations between the two countries.

Sidhant Sibal, WION: Hi sir, Sidhant from WION. Sir, how much was the discussion on the issue of cross border terrorism, the terrorism emanating from Pakistan ... during the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping?

And, my second question is, Prime Minister mentioned about direct flights as well as announcements. Are we looking at any timetable, when in next few months we are looking at direct flights?

Megha Prasad, ABP: Sir, I am Megha Prasad from ABP. My question is about the conversation that President Zelenskyy had with Prime Minister Modi yesterday, and he puts out on Twitter, and he says, while he was talking to Prime Minister, he has also said that Ukraine reaffirms its readiness for a meeting with the head of Russia.

Now, Prime Minister is meeting President Putin tomorrow. Is there some sort of an expectation from Ukraine that India would mediate? If yes, what is the stand that India would take in this situation?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So, Manish, to your question on the deficit. Yes, it is a fact that there is a large and ongoing trade deficit between India and China. And this has been a matter of discussion over several years.

In the current context as well ... in fact, this is a discussion that started even when Foreign Minister Wangi Yi was in Delhi, and meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar. The issue was raised there as well by us.

I would go back to the point that I mentioned in my briefing, which was essentially what the Prime Minister shared with President Xi Jinping today, that it is important also to look at the issue of trade and trade deficit from the broad strategic direction and engagement between the two countries. Growing trade between the two countries and narrowing of the deficit will contribute to a change in perception in the relationship as well. But this is a discussion that is going on at many levels, it's between Governments, between Businesses, between entities that are involved in the trade, and we will have to see how it evolves going forward.

On your question related to de-escalation, I would refer you to the detailed outcome document that was put out after the talks between the SRs. This is a discussion that will go forward in the designated mechanisms between the two sides dealing with these issues.

Sudhi, more or less the same goes for your question on how the border talks go forward. You have again seen the statement that we put out after the SRs' talks. You are aware that dedicated mechanisms have been created for taking these talks forward. We expect that these ... the existing mechanisms which is the working mechanism for coordination and cooperation in the border areas between India and China will meet in the coming days and weeks and the respective leaders of this mechanism from the two sides will come to an understanding on how these mechanisms for the delimitation related talks are going to go forward.

Uma, aapka jo prashn tha ki jo rashtrapati Xi ne kaha hai boundary issues aur dvipakshy sambandho ke bare mein. Dekhiye main sirf itna kahunga ki hum shuru se ye mante aaye hain, aur alag alag star pe hum ye saf kahte aa rahe hain, ki boundary pe jo stithi hogi ... woh stithi ... hum uska jo asar hai woh dvipakshy rishton mein kisi na kisi tarah dekhenge. Aur isi vajah se sabse jo ek tarah se insurance policy hai dvipakshy sambandho ke liye woh boundary pe peace aur tranquility maintain karna hai.

Toh ye baat aaj bade spast tarike se pradhan mantriji ne bhi rashtrapati Xi ke samne rakhi aur hum ise man ke chalte hain.

[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] Uma, regarding your question about what President Xi has said on boundary issues and bilateral relations, let me just say this: From the very beginning, we have maintained, and at various levels we have made it clear, that the situation on the boundary will inevitably have some impact on bilateral relations. And that is precisely why the most important kind of "insurance policy" for our bilateral ties is to maintain peace and tranquility on the boundary. So today, Prime Minister himself also conveyed this very clearly to President Xi, and we will continue to maintain this position.

Sidhant, on your questions. Cross-border terrorism was mentioned by the Prime Minister as a priority. And, I would add that he did underline the fact that this is something that impacts both India and China. And, that it's important therefore that we extend understanding and extend support to each other as both of us combat cross-border terrorism. And I would in fact like to say that we have received the understanding and cooperation of China as we have dealt with the issue of cross-border terrorism in the context of the ongoing SCO summit.

To your question on direct flights, this is something on which the two sides have been engaged quite intensely in recent weeks and months, following the direction and the understanding between the two sides at a higher level earlier this year that this is one of the areas in which we should move forward.

Since then, a number of rounds of technical level talks have been held. If I'm not mistaken there was a civil aviation delegation from India in Beijing earlier this week for further discussions. My understanding is that at a broad level an agreement or a consensus has been reached on restarting direct flights and this is something that you heard the Prime Minister refer to in his comments this morning. What remains, I think, are certain operational issues and the two sides are in contact with each other. There are issues related to the air services agreement, issues related to scheduling, calendar, etc. My understanding is that these will be addressed in the coming few weeks and we should see a resumption of direct flights soon after that.

Megha, your question on the Prime Minister's conversation with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. I think we have put out an account of the conversation between the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy as to how and what will be reflected in the conversation with President Putin. I would at this stage not preempt the conversation that is going to take place tomorrow afternoon. We'll try and update you on the proceedings in that conversation once it takes place tomorrow.

Gaurie Dwivedi, NDTV: Sir, Gaurie Dwivedi from NDTV. First question, Sir. Did the issue of additional tariffs imposed by the Trump administration figure in the talks? ... in the backdrop of China supporting India's stance?

And secondly, with regard to the Chinese applications that remain blocked in India, has there been any discussion to that effect?

Shubhajit Roy, Indian Express: Foreign Secretary, Shubhajit Roy here from Indian Express. In the readout, in the Indian statement, I see that it's been framed that India and China are not rivals, but partners. How do you square this with the fact, and the ground reality that more than 50,000 troops from Indian side, and another 50,000 are still deployed and stationed at the India-China border?

Aditya Raj Kaul, NDTV: Foreign Secretary, Aditya Raj Kaul from NDTV. On the cross-border terrorism front, was Pahalgam terror attack raised here, because there were reports that the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and TRF were actually holding Chinese equipment, including Ultra-Sets and Alpine apps. Apart from that, on the Operation Sindoor front, the Chinese equipment used by the Pakistan army, did that also figure?

Apart from that, second quick question on Taiwan. Last time, there was some kind of a communication gap when Wang Yi visited New Delhi. On Taiwan, there was a statement by the Foreign Ministry here in Beijing. They said that, there was some kind of a change in policy. Is there a change? Would you reiterate India's position on Taiwan? Thank you.

Colum Murphy, Bloomberg: Colum Murphy from Bloomberg. I just wanted to point out the fourth point by Xi Jinping. Regarding to the strengthening of multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests. Can I ask, from the Indian perspective, what perhaps might be those multilateral organizations that you might be working through?

And, in particular, what are those common interests? Do they include trade, tariffs, for example? So, can you give a little bit more specifics on this point? What's the Indian perspective on President Xi's point? Thank you.

Arun, Doordarshan: Sir main Arun hoon Doordarshan se. Sir SCO summit ke andar Prime Minister Modi ka kal participation rahega. Toh kis tarah se basically India approach karega SCO summit ko is bar? Cross-border terrorism atankwad jaise mudde, terror financing jaise mudde, kai multilateral platform mein pehle bhi raise ho chuke hain. Lekin kal jab Prime Minister Modi honge aur India kis tarah se SCO summit ko approach karega sir?

[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Sir, I am Arun from Doordarshan. Sir, since Prime Minister Modi will be participating in the SCO Summit tomorrow, how will India basically approach the Summit this time? Issues like cross-border terrorism, and terror financing have already been raised on many multilateral platforms. But tomorrow, when Prime Minister Modi is there, how will India approach the SCO Summit, Sir?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. On the question related to ... Gauri's question on tariffs, etc. Look, what I'll say is that the two leaders discussed the international economic situation. They recognized the challenges that flow as a result of what we see happening around us. And, the focus of the discussion, I would say, remained in the bilateral domain.

Of course, as I said, they recognized what's happening on the international plane, and the challenges it creates. But they tried to, in a sense, see how to leverage that for building greater understanding between themselves, and how to, in a sense, take forward the economic and commercial relationship between India and China in the midst of these evolving challenges.

As to your question about the Chinese applications, I don't have any update for you on this at the moment. Perhaps, you could refer to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India for this.

Subhajit, your question on squaring the issue of partners, not rivals, with troops at the border. Look, as I said, the formulation of the two countries being partners, not rivals, or as is put somewhat differently, of being opportunities for each other and not challenges, this is the framing of the relationship. Both leaders have done this framing of the relationship. This is what is desired. And this is what they see as the future of the relationship as well.

The troops at the border, which are a reality, though I think that is again a situation that has started evolving over the course of the last year as the situation at the borders has become more ... or is moving towards normalization. That is something that has come about as a result of actions that have been taken at a particular point in time. And that's obviously led to a certain crisis. And it is that crisis that we have dealt with, or attempted to deal with over the course of the last five, five and a half years.

That doesn't change the fact that the two leaders, and not just these two leaders, but previous leaders as well ... what they have framed for the medium to long term future of the relationship, which is that we should try being the two large neighbors that we are to each other, being two of the largest economies in the world, being the only two billion plus population countries in the world. That, the future that we should aspire to, the future that we should aim at, the one that we should work towards, is one of partnership and not one of rivalry.

Aditya, on your questions related to cross-border terrorism. Look, all I'll say is that, without going into the specifics, that the issue was discussed. It was raised by the Prime Minister, and he outlined his understanding very, very crisply and very specifically on this issue. As I said, he outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace. And he asked for China's support on this particular issue. And, as I said, the Chinese have extended their support in various ways on addressing this issue.

As to your question on Taiwan, the answer is quite simple. There is no change in India's position on Taiwan.

Colum's question on the specifics of the two leaders talking about strengthening multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests. Well, essentially, if you look at what's happening in the space of global trade, for instance, or multilateral finance, for instance, the understanding really is to do with addressing the deficit in global governance. In these institutions that look after world trade or the multilateral financial architecture. Obviously, there is a deficit in how the WTO is working, for instance. There is even a deficit in how the United Nations is working at this point in time.

These are obviously common interests for two countries, such as India and China, that are large actors on the international commercial, economic, and financial stage. And therefore, it is obvious for them to have a certain amount of understanding in strengthening these institutions that were originally tasked with looking at these issues.

Aapka jo sawal tha SCO ko leke. Dekhiye SCO ki baithak kal shuru hone wali hai, aur mera anuman hai ki SCO ke baithak ke baad hum ek vyakatavy uske bare mein nikalenge. Toh abhi pre-judge na kare, usko preempt na kare, kal uske bare mein kuch samachar aapko denge.

Bahut bahut dhanyavad.

[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] Regarding your question on the SCO. The SCO meeting is going to begin tomorrow, and my sense is that after the meeting we will issue a statement about it. So, let us not pre-judge it now, let us not pre-empt it. Tomorrow, we will share information with you on that.

Thank you very much.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you, sir. With that, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the closer of this Press Briefing. We shall keep you updated with developments of tomorrow.

Thank you.

Tianjin

August 31, 2025

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Iran's defense readiness has increased since June war: Defense Ministry

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 30, 2025

Sanandaj, IRNA -- Defense Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik has emphasized that the defensive, operational, and logistical readiness of Iran's armed forces has improved significantly compared to the period before the recent 12-day war.

Speaking at a ceremony on Saturday in Sanandaj, the provincial capital of Kordestan, Brigadier General Talaei-Nik said, "During the 12-day war, our country's military sectors suffered certain damages. However, today, the operational, combat, and defensive readiness of Iran's Armed Forces has increased significantly as a direct result of the lessons learned from that war."

He also added, "Sixty percent of the weaponry, equipment, and munitions used by the armed forces are now produced by the private sector and knowledge-based companies."

Furthermore, the Defense Ministry spokesperson said, "Today, Iran ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of missile capability, which demonstrates our country's independence from foreign sources for its weaponry."

Talaei-Nik underscored, "The objective of the Zionist enemy in attacking Iran was to weaken our country, force its surrender, and ultimately overthrow the Islamic Republic. However, this goal was not achieved, and they once again miscalculated."

The Israeli regime attacked Iran, including residential buildings in Tehran, in an unprovoked act of aggression overnight on June 13. Top Iranian military officials were assassinated in targeted strikes. Civilians were also killed when houses were directly struck.

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Presidential aide calls for concerted efforts to confront 'snapback' of sanctions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 30, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- An advisor to President Masoud Pezeshkian says all efforts and capabilities of the country should be directed to confronting Europe's push to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"The return of international sanctions should not be underestimated," Mehdi Sanaei, political aide to Pezeshkian, wrote in a post on his X account on Saturday, referring to the activation of the snapback mechanism by the European signatories to the JCPOA.

Warning that long-term sanctions have harmful and profound effects on any country and its development, he said, "The UN sanctions would lead to further restrictions on Iran's presence in the international arena and even difficulties in maintaining relations with Eastern powers."

On Thursday, Britain, France, and Germany - collectively known as the European Troika or E3 - officially sent a notification to the UN Security Council to activate the so-called 'snapback mechanism' for the return of anti-Iranian sanctions.

The troika's action prompted condemnations, with Russia urging the international community to reject it, while China warned that the sanctions move is "counterproductive."

Iran also decried the move, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a call with his European counterparts, describing it as "unjustified" and "lacking any legal basis."

"The Islamic Republic will respond appropriately to this unlawful and unwarranted measure," he said.

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President Pezeshkian: Iran neither seeks nor fears war

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 30, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran does not seek war but will respond firmly to any aggression.

"We are not after war, and we've said that from day one, but we're not afraid of war either," Pezeshkian said in a meeting with three prominent media and political figures.

"Our people have shown that if war were to break out, internal cohesion and unity would be much stronger."

During the meeting, held with Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Abdollah Ganji, and Alireza Moezi, Pezeshkian said his administration was firmly opposed to the activation of snapback of sanctions under the 2018 nuclear agreement.

"We do not want snapback at all," he said. "But it is questionable how some European countries, which themselves violate many international laws, now accuse us of not respecting frameworks. How can such claims be accepted from them?"

The president also emphasized that internal discord was a more pressing concern than external threats.

"My fear is not from snapback or external threats. My main concern is domestic rifts, the divisions that sometimes emerge over minor issues. The enemy's greed lies exactly in these differences," he said.

Pezeshkian underlined the importance of justice, fairness, and respect for citizens' rights in maintaining national unity.

"If honesty, justice, humanity, and fairness prevail in society, then even if we don't have missiles or F-16s, no one will easily covet our land and water. But if we have missiles and not the people, we have no real power," he argued.

The president further outlined his administration's plans to combat corruption through new mechanisms linking tax, land, and cadastral and property codes to improve transparency.

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Top security official reaffirms Iran's opposition to geopolitical changes in region

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 11:17 AM

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has expressed Tehran's opposition to any move resulting in geopolitical changes in the Caucasus region, welcoming Armenia's inclusion in a key transit corridor, which travels through the Islamic Republic linking the countries lying to its north to the Sea of Oman.

Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Armen Grigoryan, in Tehran on Saturday.

In the meeting, Iran's top security chief expressed Tehran's satisfaction with the level of economic, political, security, and defense relations with Yerevan, emphasizing cooperation with the northern neighbor in the completion of the North-South Transport Corridor.

Iran is a party to the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is a 7,200-kilometer (4,473-mile) long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight among the country, Central Asia, India, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the rest of Europe.

Therefore, by enjoying access to Iran as a transit hub, the landlocked Central Asian states would be able to access the global transit network.

Larijani also declared Iran's support for peace dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and elaborated on the Islamic Republic's theory of regional peace and stability.

"Iran has always supported the independence and strength of regional countries to ensure lasting security," he stated.

Grigoryan, for his part, hailed the bilateral relations as unprecedented, stating that his visit to Tehran is aimed at the expansion of ties in various spheres.

He added that Armenia seeks to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership document with Iran in the near future.

The secretary of the Security Council of Armenia stressed that his country attaches paramount significance to the five principles of national sovereignty, respect for territorial integrity, exercise of national judicial jurisdiction, inviolability of borders, and the principle of reciprocity.

Grigoryan also stated that Yerevan is ready to provide the necessary guarantees to Tehran to ensure that relations between Iran and Armenia will not be harmed.

He underlined Armenia's inherent opposition to regional geopolitical changes.

The top Armenian security official also stressed that in the course of peace negotiations with Azerbaijan, the agreements clearly preserved Armenia's exclusivity in security, military, and customs issues.

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Bagheri Kani named deputy for international affairs at Iran's Supreme National Security Council

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 11:04 AM

Senior diplomat and former nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani has been appointed to the role of deputy for international affairs at Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Ali Larijani, the newly appointed Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), appointed Ali Bagheri Kani as the council's deputy for international affairs.

The appointment was followed by Bagheri Kani's participation in a meeting on Saturday between Larijani and Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, which was held in Tehran.

Bagheri Kani's managerial record includes serving as the caretaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its deputy political director in the previous administration.

He has held several high-level strategic roles, including membership in the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations and its secretariat. He is also widely recognized for leading the Iranian negotiating team during the Vienna talks on reviving the JCPOA.

Furthermore, his experience extends to the judicial branch, where he served as the deputy for international affairs of the Iranian Judiciary and as the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters.

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Iran rules out talks under pressure, backs Russia, China nuclear proposal as 'practical step'

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 7:07 AM

Iran has dismissed the idea of holding negotiations under "threats or coercion", describing a proposal from Russia and China toward resolving nuclear issues as a "practical step."

Speaking to a gathering of reporters on Friday in New York, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani categorically rejected the unlawful notification by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to trigger the dispute resolution procedure under the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it sidesteps the mechanism.

On Thursday, the three European states - Britain, France and Germany - invoked the anti-Tehran snapback procedure, a clause enshrined in the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The clause reinstates pre-JCPOA era sanctions on Iran over claims of the Islamic Republic's "significant non-compliance" with the landmark pact.

According to Iravani, the move has been done "with the sole intention of blackmailing Iran and exerting political pressure."

"The E3 has no legal or moral standing to use the so-called snapback. Their notification is null and void," he added.

The Iranian envoy stated that the E3 has failed to meet its own obligations, noting that several Security Council members, including China and Russia, agreed that the E3 had not followed the proper procedures.

"The E3 and the US violated the JCPOA first. They cannot now claim to act in good faith," he said.

He was referring to the United States' withdrawal from the JCPOA under President Donald Trump in 2018 and the subsequent failure of the European parties (E3/EU) to meet their own commitments, which included the imposition of new, unlawful sanctions.

He added that Iran has consistently notified the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, and the EU as the JCPOA coordinator, the repeated failures and significant non-compliance of the United States and the E3 over the past years.

Iran's remedial steps have been gradual, proportionate, and fully legal, he said, noting that the E3 action distorts reality, rewards the violator and punishes the victims.

The envoy maintained that Iran has remained committed to diplomacy, adding that the failure of talks was due to the US and E3, not Iran.

He also noted that while Iran was pursuing diplomacy, the country's safeguard nuclear facilities were attacked, an act of aggression that was supported by the US and justified by the E3.

In the midst of the Israeli-imposed war on Iran in June, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, an action that constitutes a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"Iran has, nevertheless, chosen to keep the path of dialogue open and continues to engage with the E3 and the IAEA," he continued.

The reckless so-called snapback attempts will meet with decisive and proportionate response, he said, reiterating that "Iran is committed to diplomacy, but it will not negotiate under threats or coercion."

The Iranian envoy urged the Security Council to avoid being "misused by those who have violated" its own resolutions and the JCPOA. He called on responsible members to "defend the rule of law and reject this unlawful, unfounded, and politically motivated attempt" to reinstate terminated sanctions.

He warned that "the reckless decision by the E3 undermines Iran's cooperation with the IAEA and constitutes an unnecessary and provocative escalation," cautioning that "if unchecked, the E3's path will gravely damage the credibility and integrity of the Security Council and place international peace and security at serious risk."

He backed the proposal by Russia and China for a short technical extension of Resolution 2231 as a "practical step" in giving diplomacy more time to reach a new understanding.

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'Snapback' activation raises serious question about its legality: VP Aref

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 31, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref says triggering the 'snapback' by the three European countries -Britain, France, and Germany- to re-impose UN sanctions on Iran raises serious questions about whether they have the authority to activate the mechanism.

During a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Aref said, however, that the Islamic Republic has always been able to move within the framework and specific strategies of governance in the face of sanctions.

He underlined that Iran is not in favor of sanctions, but the experiences of the past four decades have shown that the Iranian nation is too big to give in to Western sanctions.

"Of course, if the snapback is implemented, the necessary decisions will be taken accordingly," the vice president said, adding that there were still many doubts and problems in terms of the legibility of the mechanism.

He also pointed to President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, calling it an opportunity to develop multilateral relations, especially consolidating Tehran-Beijing cooperation in different fields.

Aref also addressed the brutal and inhuman Israeli attack on Yemeni leaders and officials, saying, "This fake regime has once again shown its nature, that it does not recognize any limits for its aggression."

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Iran charts new course with Shanghai bloc partnership

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 12:10 PM

As President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the 25th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China, the visit underscores Iran's growing engagement with a bloc that is increasingly shaping the future of regional and global economics and security.

For over a decade, Iran has faced inhuman sanctions primarily imposed by the United States and its Western allies. These measures have severely constrained Tehran's access to global financial markets, restricted its oil exports, and distanced it from traditional Western trade partners.

Against this backdrop, Iran's engagement with the SCOan influential bloc comprising China, Russia, India, and Central Asian republicsoffers a vital platform to expand its international partnerships beyond the traditional Western-dominated frameworks.

As European markets shrink in significance due to political and sanction-related barriers, Iran's economic focus is decisively moving eastward.

SCO members collectively represent nearly half of the world's population and about one-fourth of the global GDP, making them indispensable partners for Tehran's economic diversification and growth plans.

Although the SCO originated primarily as a regional security alliance, it has evolved over its 24-year history into a multifaceted organization encompassing economic, cultural, and technological cooperation.

For Iran, which joined as a full member only recently, the SCO presents a platform to not only expand trade but also learn from advanced diplomatic and economic practices within a cooperative multilateral framework.

Tehran's plans are ambitious but realistic: to more than double trade volume with SCO countries from approximately $35-36 billion currently to over $50 billion.

Realizing this goal could unlock the potential of SCO membership, transforming it from a geopolitical necessity into a robust engine for sustainable economic growth.

Many SCO member states are also partners with Iran in other regional organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

Agreements such as the one currently under negotiation to eliminate 87% of tariffs between Iran and Russia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan could effectively double or triple current trade volumes.

Additionally, Iran's multidimensional engagement with SCO countriesmany of which are its immediate neighbors, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstanfurther strengthens regional connectivity.

The overlapping memberships in these various organizations create interconnected trade corridors that enhance economic resilience and provide Iran with multiple avenues to diversify and expand its trade relationships, reducing reliance on any single market and reinforcing regional stability.

Iran's natural endowments and industrial strengths complement the needs of SCO members, particularly in energy, agriculture, technology, and security cooperation.

In 2022-2023, it recorded record exports worth over $58 billion and unprecedented transit volumes exceeding 22 million tons. These figures highlight Tehran's capacity to adapt and maintain economic momentum in the face of external pressures.

Iran is a crucial energy supplier, with China alone accounting for over 26% of its total tradeoil exports being the largest component. The bilateral energy relationship is pivotal, especially since China remains Iran's biggest oil customer, absorbing over 90% of its oil exports.

Given the breadth of their relationshipincluding a 25-year cooperation agreement and participation in China's Belt and Road Initiativesuch collaboration could deepen Iran's integration into Asia's dynamic economic network.

Russia and India also stand as key energy partners, enabling Iran to diversify its customer base and hedge geopolitical risks.

SCO countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia offer fertile ground for agricultural collaboration. Together with India and Pakistan, they provide ample opportunities to stabilize food supplies, an essential factor given Iran's ongoing need to secure its domestic food market under sanctions.

China and India's technological prowess can support Iran's plans in modernizing its industrial and digital sectors. Moreover, cooperation in defense and securitywith SCO members possessing nuclear capabilitiescould enhance regional stability, indirectly benefiting Iran's economic environment.

A significant theme within the SCOand a shared priority for Iranis reducing dependency on the US dollar in trade settlements.

Dollar-denominated transactions have been a channel for enforcing sanctions, and by promoting "de-dollarization," SCO members aim to develop alternative payment systems and strengthen their financial resilience.

Iran's SCO membership also sends a strong geopolitical message that the US-led sanctions regime has not succeeded in isolating the country. The presence of permanent UN Security Council members such as Russia and China within the SCO amplifies Iran's leverage and diplomatic capital.

Moreover, the organization's condemnation of recent Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear and energy infrastructure reflects solidarity that bolsters Iran's security assurances.

Businesses and governments in the SCO space are increasingly willing to engage with Iran despite sanctions, especially when those engagements are insulated by multilateral support or involve non-dollar settlement structures.

Iran's engagement with the SCO is emblematic of a broader strategic recalibration away from a Western-centric economic model towards a multi-polar, Asian-focused paradigm.

As Iran deepens ties with SCO members, it is poised not only to mitigate the adverse impacts of sanctions but also to tap into the dynamic growth engines of Asia and Eurasia.

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Iran's top general: Air Defense Force must 'enhance effectiveness'

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 10:40 AM

Iran's top military official has underscored the need for the Air Defense Force to boost its power and effectiveness against emerging threats and potential acts of aggression against the country.

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi made the remarks in a message he issued on Sunday, marking the National Air Defense Day.

He said the day is a reminder of the lofty determination and great sacrifices of brave men who, relying on faith, knowledge, and innovation, strive to ensure the security of Iran's skies in critical junctures.

He also noted that security developments in the region and beyond, particularly the experience Iran gained during June's Israeli-US aggression and the 1980s' Iraqi-imposed war, have increasingly highlighted the need to modernize systems, strengthen capabilities, and upgrade operational readiness of the Air Defense Force.

"Undoubtedly, in this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force, as the 'front line of defense for national sovereignty,' must consolidate and enhance its effectiveness and authority by utilizing modern technologies, indigenous innovations, and investment in committed and specialized human resources... to successfully confront emerging threats and potential enemy aggressions," he added.

Mousavi further called for the implementation of an integrated national air defense system, along with the enhancement of coordination and synergy between the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

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SCO summit provides chance to counter US, European unilateralism: Pezeshkian

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 6:33 AM

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) provides an opportunity to counter the US and European unilateralism in international affairs.

Pezeshkian made the remarks on Sunday before departing Tehran for China's Tianjin, where he would attend the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO and the SCO Plus Meeting.

He described the summit as an effort to strengthen cooperation towards multilateralism and counter unilateralism and authoritarianism that the United States and some European countries around the world have shaped.

The meeting gives participants "a very suitable and important opportunity to bring their perspectives closer together in scientific, cultural, economic, political, and security areas and to assist one another," Pezeshkian emphasized.

He also noted that the gathering will enhance the level of interactions across various sectors among member and observer states.

The SCO member states represent nearly 2.5 billion people and account for over 40 percent of the global economy, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Iranian president said he will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart and officials from other countries on the sidelines of the event.

He further expressed hope that his meetings will contribute positively and effectively to regional and global peace and security, as well as to the development of relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the SCO summit and the SCO Plus meeting, which will be held on Sunday and Monday.

More than 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organizations will attend the event.

Founded in 2001, the SCO is a political and security alliance comprising ten members, including China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.

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Iran Defiant As 'Snapback' Sanctions Loom But May Not Have Many Options

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda September 01, 2025

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has vowed that Tehran will not "bow to pressure" despite the impending triggering of a UN mechanism that would restore sanctions over its alleged "grave noncompliance" of the 2015 nuclear deal.

"We are not volunteering for sanctions, but this time, too, the Iranian people will neither back down nor bow to pressure," Aref said on August 31 during a weekly cabinet meeting, according to the ISNA news agency.

His comments come as Iran weighs its response to a decision by Britain, France, and Germany -- known as the European 3 (E3) -- on August 28 to formally initiate the "snapback" process, which is due to become effective in 30 days, leaving open the possibility of further negotiations.

The E3 foreign ministers said, "We will use the 30-day period to continue engaging with Iran regarding our extension offer or any meaningful diplomatic efforts to restore its compliance with commitments."

They emphasized that they "share the fundamental objective that Iran must never seek, acquire, or develop a nuclear weapon."

Despite the defiant talk, Tehran may have few alternatives than to negotiate in hopes of fending off the sanctions, given the state of its economy and isolation from much of the world economy following previous rounds of sanctions.

Aref questioned whether the E3 nations have the legal authority to trigger snapback mechanism at the UN Security Council.

"Of course, if the snapback is implemented, the necessary decisions will be taken accordingly," Aref added, without offering specifics.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on August 29 rejected Tehran's assertion that the E3 did not have the authority to trigger the mechanism and said the 30-day window before the sanctions took effect provided an "opportunity" for diplomacy.

"We have these 30 days to sort things out," she told reporters.

The action puts Iran at risk of facing renewed sanctions that had been removed as part of the 2015 landmark nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Western nations have justified the reimposition of sanctions because of what they say are repeated Iranian violations of the 2015 accord.

The deal was designed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- something Tehran has long insisted it is not pursuing. It outlines strict rules for independent monitoring of Iran's nuclear activities and imposes caps on both the amount of uranium it can possess and the level to which it may be enriched.

Iran started to roll back its commitments after the United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. Iran has progressively accelerated its nuclear program since, now enriching uranium to 60 percent purity -- far above the 3.67 percent cap under the JCPOA.

Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in response to the US and Israeli bombing of its key nuclear sites in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. One of the conditions that the E3 had set to delay the process was for Tehran to resume full cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog before the end of August.

The sanctions related to the nuclear deal and other issues have severely damaged the Iranian economy and often led to street unrest amid rising prices and shortages of crucial goods and energy supplies. They have also stymied Iranian industry as important sectors have been cut off from replacement parts and other resources.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-e3-jcpoa- sanctions-snapback/33517963.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Israel Ministry of Defense Spokesperson's Statement Regarding DSEI UK 2025 Participation

Israel Ministry of Defense

29/8/2025

The British government has recently imposed unilateral restrictions on the official participation of Israeli government and military representatives in the DSEI UK 2025 exhibition, scheduled to take place in London from 9 to 12 September.

These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel's representatives. Accordingly, the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) will withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion.

Israeli industries that choose to participate will, however, receive the Ministry's full support.

At a time when Israel is engaged on multiple fronts against Islamist extremists and terrorist organisations - forces that also threaten the West and international shipping lanes - this decision by Britain plays into the hands of extremists, grants legitimacy to terrorism, and introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defence industry exhibition.

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Russia, China blast deployment of US 'Typhon' missiles system to Japan

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 30 August 2025 10:59 AM

Russia and China have protested the deployment of the US Army's "Typhon" missile system to Japan.

A joint US and Japanese military exercise will see the temporary deployment of the "Typhon" intermediate-range missile in Japan, Japanese and US officials said on Thursday.

The United States said it decided to use the "Typhon" intermediate-range missile system in the exercise after the Russian military carried out military drills in the Sea of Japan in recent days.

Both Moscow and Beijing separately rebuked Tokyo over its decision to allow the United States to deploy the "Typhon" missile system as part of joint military exercises in Japan next month, calling the move a threat to regional stability.

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said bolstering the US military bases in Japan poses a threat to the region.

"We view this as another destabilizing step as part of Washington's course toward ramping up the potential of ground-based shorter and intermediate-range missiles," Zakharova said on Friday.

Deploying missiles "in regions near Russia poses a direct strategic threat to Russia," she added.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the US and Japan should contribute to peace in the region instead of causing tensions by deployment of more weapons.

"China always opposes the United States deploying the Typhon Mid-Range Capability missile system in Asian countries," Guo said on Friday.

"We urge Japan to take a hard look at its history of aggression, follow the path of peaceful development, act prudently in military and security areas, and refrain from further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community," he added.

Guo said China also called on the military leadership in the United States to "draw lessons from history and devote more effort and resources to doing the right thing rather than the other way around."

The Typhon deployment is part of a drive by Washington to amass a variety of advanced weapons in Asia.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Japan's Ground Self Defense Force said the Typhon would be deployed to the US Marine Air Station Iwakuni as part of the "Resolute Dragon" military exercise between US and Japanese forces.

The "Resolute Dragon" exercises take place across Japan, running from September 11 to September 25. Last year, the US met with sharp criticism from China after it had deployed the Typhon missile system in the Philippines during a military exercise.

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Pakistan and Armenia Establish Diplomatic Relations

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar today, formally exchanged a Joint Communique, with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan, thereby establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Marking a historic step forward, both the leaders affirmed their commitment to the principles and objectives of United Nations Charter and discussed possible avenues of cooperation including economy, education, culture, and tourism.

The two leaders reaffirmed their desire to work closely with each other at bilateral and multilateral fora, to achieve their shared objectives of peace, progress, and prosperity for the peoples of their two countries.

Tianjin

September 2025

265/2025



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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Tianjin to attend the 2025 SCO Summit

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Aug 31, 2025 09:41 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tianjin, North China, by plane on Sunday morning to attend the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, CCTV News reported. This marks another visit to China by President Putin following his state visit in May, 2024.

Russia is one of the six founding member states of the SCO. China and Russia have consistently maintained close contact within the framework of the SCO. Under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of both countries, bilateral relations are at their best in history, making China-Russia relations the most stable, mature and strategic among major powers in the world today, which is undergoing turbulent transformation, CCTV News reported.

After concluding his trip in Tianjin, Putin will head to Beijing to attend a gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

According to the Russian side, President Putin is accompanied by a "large and significant" delegation to China, which includes three deputy prime ministers, more than 10 ministers, and representatives from major enterprises. President Putin's visit to China for related activities further demonstrates the high level of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

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Meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Tianjin.

August 31, 2025

16:30

Tianjin

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Pashinyan,

It is a real pleasure to see you. I am delighted that we have this chance to connect on the sidelines of the events today and tomorrow.

We have a full agenda to get through after such a long time - bilateral, regional, and global issues. I have no doubt that our meeting will be as useful and substantive as our discussions always are.

It is good to see you, Mr Prime Minister.

Nikol Pashinyan: The feeling is mutual, Mr President. It is always a pleasure to see you and to speak with you.

And of course, our agenda is always a full one, and I am certain today will be no different. It is clear to see. I greatly value the strong partnership we have built and the dynamic dialogue we maintain - both personally and between our fraternal nations.

Vladimir Putin: Our teams are also in constant touch. My ministers keep me informed of their frequent trips to Armenia, and we regularly welcome your ministers here in Russia.

Nikol Pashinyan: That is very true.

Vladimir Putin: Shall we begin?

<... >

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Putin In China And Four Other Things To Watch At This Year's SCO Summit

By Reid Standish August 31, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are attending a two-day summit in China where Xi Jinping will aim to hone his vision of an alternative world order.

More than 20 leaders are gathering in the northern port city of Tianjin on August 31 to September 1 as China hosts the bloc's annual summit to discuss regional security and trade issues against the backdrop of rising tensions with the West.

The summit is also an opportunity for China to portray itself as the leader of the Global South while convening one of the world's largest regional organizations that accounts for around one-quarter of global GDP and roughly half of its population.

Here are the storylines to watch at this year's summit.

1. Another Episode Of The 'Putin And Xi Show'

Following a flurry of diplomacy around the war in Ukraine, including a summit with US President Donald Trump, all eyes will be on Putin as he meets the Chinese leader.

"The SCO has become something of a Putin-Xi show," Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, told RFE/RL. "It's less about the summit itself and more about the meetings on the sidelines."

Both Beijing and Moscow view the SCO - whose members include Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan - as a vehicle to oppose Western-led institutions and have increasingly treated the bloc as a type of laboratory for how to coordinate their shared aims for Eurasia and beyond and their stated goal of reshaping the global order.

Putin will also fold the SCO summit into a broader state visit to China that will see him attend a high-profile military parade in Beijing on September 3 marking the end of World War II.

2. India's Modi Looks East

The Indian prime minister's trip marks his first visit to China in more than seven years and comes as Beijing and New Delhi flirt with a detente after deadly border clashes in 2020.



Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a visit to New Delhi earlier this month where he looked to capitalize on a new low in US-India relations that was sparked by renewed US tariff pressure and calls from Trump for India, a top customer for Russian oil, to limit its purchases.

Modi and Xi's meeting could build on that with further measures, including easing border tensions through troop withdrawals, and lifting some trade and visa restrictions.

Russia's embassy in New Delhi also said last week that it hopes that trilateral talks between Modi, Putin, and Xi will be able to take place.

3. Central Asia Navigates A New China-Russia Tandem

When the SCO was founded in 2001, it was mainly a Chinese initiative designed to engage with Central Asia while trying to respect Moscow's sensitivities about Beijing's growing sway in the region.

"China and Russia are both collaborators and competitors," Luca Anceschi, professor of Eurasian Studies at the University of Glasgow, told RFE/RL. "But as we see in Central Asia, they are collaborating far more than they are competing."

That may create new complications for Central Asian countries as they seek to balance Beijing and Moscow in the SCO to avoid becoming over-reliant on them, but it could also present some new opportunities for its authoritarian governments.

"There is a shared set of authoritarian-friendly values emerging in the region that may make life easier for Central Asian regimes," Anceschi said.

4. Is More Expansion On The Horizon?

The SCO expanded last year to include Belarus. This was preceded by Iran's admission in 2023, and India and Pakistan joining together in 2017.

In addition to its 10 full-fledged members, the SCO also has 2 observer states, and 14 dialogue partners.

While further expansion is not expected, a particular focus will be paid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The regional rivals are already dialogue partners and have applied to become full members since the last SCO summit.

5. The SCO Hunts For An Identity

The SCO has found its value as a symbolic venue for the leaders as they look to deepen their partnerships and influence social and political norms in parts of the world outside the Western-led global order.

But internal differences continue to be a weak spot, despite the SCO's growing appeal.

For instance, during a gathering of the organization's defense ministers in June, India refused to join a statement condemning Israeli attacks on Iran. New Delhi said this was because the declaration omitted any reference to the April 22 deadly attacks on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, which led to renewed fighting between India and Pakistan.

"With China, India, and Russia all under growing pressure from the United States, this summit will test whether the SCO can act as a cohesive organization or whether it will remain a fragmented platform driven primarily by national interests," Yunis Sharifli, a nonresident fellow at the China Global South Project, told RFE/RL.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/xi-modi-putin-shanghai- cooperation-india/33514366.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Lawmakers back defense budget hike in meeting with U.S. senators

ROC Central News Agency

08/30/2025 09:18 PM

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu () joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in voicing support for raising Taiwan's defense budget to over 3 percent of GDP next year, while meeting with visiting U.S. senators Saturday.

Han, from the opposition Kuomintang, along with lawmakers from his party, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and the Taiwan People's Party, told Senators Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer that bipartisan consensus has formed to strengthen Taiwan's defense capacity.

Wicker, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and Fischer, also a committee member, arrived in Taiwan on Friday for a two-day visit that included a meeting with President Lai Ching-te ().

The visit follows a Cabinet proposal to raise Taiwan's 2026 defense budget above 3 percent of GDP, pending legislative approval.

The president has pledged to raise the budget to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, aligning with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards, a goal echoed by Han and lawmakers during Saturday's meeting.

Han said that the meeting, also attended by American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene, highlighted cross-party support for Taiwan's defense initiatives and the U.S.-Taiwan partnership.

Han stressed that Taiwan is at a critical moment and must fully understand the logic of the Chinese Communist Party to respond prudently to challenges.

Han added that Taiwan faces increased pressure from China after the Russia-Ukraine war and will seek greater international support. He emphasized that congressional diplomacy is increasingly important and called on like-minded allies, including the United States, to provide concrete backing.

At the meeting, lawmakers also discussed military exchanges, personnel training, weapons procurement, and conflict prevention.

(By Wang Cheng-chung and Lee Hsin-Yin)

Enditem/ASG

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Trade talks won't affect defense support for Taiwan: Visiting U.S. senator

ROC Central News Agency

08/30/2025 04:47 PM

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) The visiting chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, said Saturday that trade talks between Washington and other countries, including China, "in no way" affect Washington's defense support for "the sovereign rights of the Taiwanese people to enjoy their democracy."

The Republican senator told a news conference in Taipei that his two-day trip to Taiwan serves to "send a firm and strong message of friendship and determination that this country is separate and free and entitled to make its own decision."

Asked whether the Trump administration's engagement with Beijing and ongoing trade talks have any negative implications for Taiwan's interests, Wicker said that there are negotiations "around the world."

"The United States manufactures a great deal of things, and we enjoy selling them around the world," Wicker said.

"That in no way, in no way affects the defense alliance and friendship and determination that the United States has to be a friend to the sovereign rights of the Taiwanese people to enjoy their democracy into the future and make their own decision," he added.

Trade talks between the United States and China are ongoing, with both sides seeking to resolve long-standing disputes over tariffs and market access, as the current 90-day tariff truce -- extended by President Donald Trump on Aug. 11 -- runs through Nov. 10, raising questions about their potential impact on Taiwan.

On how the United States would enhance cooperation with Taiwan in the joint production of weapons, Wicker said such joint efforts will take place but will depend on the skills available "both on this side of the Pacific Ocean and ours."

"Actually, we are open to suggestions and innovation in that regard," he added.

Regarding steps Taiwan should take to strengthen its defense capability, Wicker said those decisions will be made by the leadership of Taiwan, which he described as "an independent, sovereign democracy."

"But we do appreciate the consultation that our two countries have together," he said, adding that the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries "understand each other" and "are working together every day."

"There are forces in this region that believe they can impose their will on a separate nation that is determined to chart its own course for the future, as it has for many, many years," he said, referring to China's attempts to pressure Taiwan.

"Those forces are mistaken, and we will continue to develop the weapons necessary to make that point, both from the United States' standpoint and Taiwan's."

Scheduled to leave Taiwan later in the afternoon, Wicker, accompanied by fellow Republican Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), also a member of the committee, arrived in Taipei Friday morning. The visit was not made public until about an hour before the plane carrying them landed at Taipei Songshan Airport.

He said during the news conference that the trip was "very meaningful," adding that he and Fischer had a "very comprehensive conversation" with President Lai Ching-te () on Friday afternoon.

"We met with members of the military and various ministers in the administration, so we've learned a lot," he added.

While Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the delegation's visit as "demonstrating the rock-solid support for Taiwan and the Taiwan-U.S. partnership in the U.S. Congress," its counterpart in China expressed "strong dissatisfaction."

Guo Jiakun (), spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular news briefing on Friday that the visit to Taiwan "seriously violates the one-China principle" and sends a "gravely wrong signal" to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

(By Sunny Lai)

Enditem/ASG

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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2025/08/30

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1.Date

6 a.m. Aug. 29 (Fri.) to 6 a.m. Aug. 30 (Sat.) (UTC+8)

2.PLA activities

15 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN ships, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 11 out of 15 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern, and eastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities.

1140830_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window]

1140830_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window]

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Taiwan's military to build vertical wind tunnel for Army paratrooper training

ROC Central News Agency

08/31/2025 03:35 PM

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's military has proposed to spend NT$510.72 million (US$16.69 million) in the coming years to build a vertical wind tunnel for army paratrooper training, according to a budget proposal made public recently.

The Army Command Headquarters is set to spend that amount of proposed budget from fiscal year 2026 to 2028 to construct a building to house the vertical wind tunnel, as stated in the budget proposal sent to lawmakers for approval on Friday.

In explaining the importance of building a vertical wind tunnel, the Army said in its budget proposal that such a facility would provide free-fall conditions in a controlled environment and improve the safety of training and skill advancement for its paratroopers.

It will also be more cost-effective than sending aircraft to conduct field training, it added.

Meanwhile, the same budget proposal also states that Taiwan's armed forces are expected to take delivery of all 14 sets of M136 Volcano mine-dispensing systems bought from the United States in 2026.

It is also scheduled to take delivery of the first two MQ-9B "SkyGuardian" drones next year, with the remaining two set to arrive in Taiwan in 2027, the military said in the proposal.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/ASG

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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2025/08/31

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1.Date

6 a.m. Aug. 30 (Sat.) to 6 a.m. Aug. 31 (Sun.) (UTC+8)

2.PLA activities

5 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN ships, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 out of 5 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern, and eastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities.

1140831_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window]

1140831_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window]

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"We will work without rest until we turn this century into the Century of Turkiye"

Presidency of The Republic of Turkey

30.08.2025

Speaking ahead of the Victory Day Special Concert, President Erdogan said: "Our march of victory, which started in Malazgirt in 1071 and strengthened in Dumlupnar in 1922, has continued uninterruptedly for a thousand years, and will inshallah continue forever. We will work without rest and without pause regardless of hardships and obstacles until we turn this century into the Century of Turkiye."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech ahead of the August 30 Victory Day Special Concert in Ankara.

Noting that the Great Offensive was crowned with a historic victory on August 30, 1922, President Erdogan described the Great Victory, the 103rd anniversary of which is being celebrated with enthusiasm and pride this year, as one of the most critical milestones of the War of Independence.

President Erdogan said: "With this victory, our army and nation gathered themselves up and regained their self-confidence, rising like a phoenix from their ashes. The August 30 Victory, in which we defeated the occupying militaries and thwarted the imperial aspirations, became an acknowledgment and an everlasting seal of our will for independence as well as our eternal presence on these lands. Our march of victory, which started in Malazgirt in 1071 and strengthened in Dumlupnar in 1922, has continued uninterruptedly for a thousand years, and will inshallah continue forever. We will work without rest and without pause regardless of hardships and obstacles until we turn this century into the Century of Turkiye."

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Secretary of State remarks at the Pacific Future Forum: 28 August 2025

Speech

Secretary of State John Healey addressed the Pacific Future Forum in Tokyo, Japan.

From: Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon John Healey MP

Published 29 August 2025

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Delivered on: 28 August 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

The Rt Hon John Healey MP

Ohayo-gozaimasu, good morning, everyone.

Good morning and welcome aboard HMS Prince of Wales and welcome to the Pacific Future Forum.

When our flagship here, every one of 65,000 tons of military capability is being put to the service of strengthening our shared security through diplomacy and through deterrence. During an eight-month deployment involving 4,000 of our service personnel, coordinating 12 nations, covering 26,000 nautical miles and visiting 14 countries.

On behalf of Captain Will Blackett and his crew, we're delighted to host you here for the Pacific Future Forum, a forum which is increasingly influential, setting out, as you do, a mission, and I quote, dedicated to strengthening the defence, security, technology and trading relationships between like-minded democracies.

I'm really grateful on your behalf to everyone who has helped put together this two-day forum.

I'm grateful to them and I'm proud that we're able to host you here in Tokyo. For the first time on a foreign carrier alongside in Tokyo Bay, and that honour reflects the deepening defence partnership between Japan and the UK.

Before I turn to the future, I want to just reflect on the past, as we have this month following the commemorations around the world to mark the anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Because 80 years on, we honour the memory of some 60,000 souls lost.

We reflect on the untold suffering of many more.

And especially, we join in thanks that our two nations have rediscovered friendship.

The importance of that was reminded to me yesterday when Minister Nakatani and I laid wreaths at the Chidorifaguchi Cemetery.

It was also very powerful two weeks ago when I attended the UK National Service of Commemoration at the Arboretum.

I was sat alongside one of the veterans who spoke during that service alongside his great-granddaughter.

He spoke in remembrance of his fallen by saying this:

I speak not as a hero, but as someone who witnessed the price of freedom. We must look to the future", he said. We must ensure that the next generation remember our sacrifices so that they can strive for a more peaceful future.

And in many ways, that is the challenge at the heart of the Pacific Forum's purpose  that is at the heart of your discussions over these next two days.

To better protect the generations of tomorrow, we strengthen the alliances of today.

As Prime Minister Ishiba said at the weekend, aboard this very ship, he said the levels of partnership now between Japan and the UK are unprecedented.

And when he and I met yesterday, we reflected together on the fact that our two nations are now in a golden age of defence cooperation.

From future fighter jets to joint exercises, from naval cooperation to cyber resilience.

Japan is the UK's closest security ally in Asia, and I know Japan sees Britain as its closest security partner in Europe.

And just as we set out in June, when we published the Strategic Defence Review, this relationship is vital to regional, it's vital to global, security.

Because the security of the Indo-Pacific is simply indivisible from the security of the Euro-Atlantic.

And this carrier strike route deployment is the operational demonstration of this truth.

A deployment of firsts.

For the first time in recent weeks, Japanese destroyers have provided security to Royal Navy ships and RAF aircraft during exercises.

For the first time in recent days, a British F-35 fighter has landed on the flight deck of a Japanese ship, JS Kaga.

For the first time in the coming weeks, Japanese F-15s will deploy to Europe, based in the UK.

But our partnership goes beyond the seas and the skies.

Our armed forces continue to train together, and the UK is proud to be the first European force to exercise with Japan on Japanese soil.

And in cyber, our two nations have collaborated in one of the largest international cyber defense exercises outside the US.

That's a relationship that we will deepen still further in the months ahead.

So in every domain, we're putting in the hard work now so that if ever we are called on to work together in a time of crisis, we know we can. And so do potential adversaries.

Just as our armed forces operate together, our industries will build together.

Times change.

The control of the skies will always belong to those who can adapt first.

And make no mistake, our adversaries are rapidly designing the capabilities specifically to counter our strengths.

So the Global Combat Air Programme is how we'll maintain our advantage.

A flagship example of a capability partnership  strengthening alliances, strengthening security  both in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.

And I hope you see this as a powerful signal of the UK government's determination to bring partners together from different global regions.

And I hope you also see it as it is, a programme also of firsts.

The first time that the UK has worked with a nation outside of Europe on such a programme.

The first time that Japan has partnered with other nations on such a programme.

And GCAP grew out of our common assessment of threats, our respect for each other's technology, and our shared imperative and timeline for introducing the next generation of capability.

Our shared aim is that GCAP becomes an international standard for how nations pool their resources for greater security and for greater prosperity.

And you will hear over the next two days more about this, but the government and industry teams from the UK, from Japan and from Italy are making real progress now in realising those ambitions.

We set up the inter-government organisation led in Reading by a Japanese CEO, underpinned by treaties passed in all three of our parliaments.

Edgewing, our joint industrial venture, has now stood up  bringing the aerospace leaders from all three nations together in a single joint company venture.

Our task as three ministers now by the end of the year is to ensure that we can agree the first GCAP international contract  another important step in driving the delivery of the design and development phase and allowing them to get towards manufacturing.

Whilst building a supersonic stealth fighter is by nature a long-term project, economic benefits are already being felt in all three nations.

So in the UK, we've invested a further billion pounds this year in our future combat programme. It already employs four and a half thousand people, and we expect GCAP to create thousands of new jobs in all three nations.

So whilst it's first and foremost about ensuring our three nations can police the skies over the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic  to ensure they keep our people safe for a generation to come  one of the greatest strengths that many of you in this room know better than anyone else, one of the greatest strengths of the defence sector, is often the instruments that we design to provide a combat or battlefield advantage become the foundation for wider progress in society.

And so GCAP will also provide huge potential opportunities for our finest minds to work at the forefront of autonomy, space, quantum technology  potential and possibilities not just for security, but for our societies as well.

And I want you to see our total UK commitment to developing GCAP, our continued effort to operate ever closer with Japan's Self-Defense Force, and I want you to see the deployment of our carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific as demonstrating what we declared as a government, we set out in the strategic view, of a policy that is NATO first, but not NATO only.

Because as we see the threats, more serious, less predictable, than at any time since the Cold War  Ukraine demonstrates what Jens Stoltenberg argued years ago:

What happens in the Indo-Pacific, he said, matters in the Euro-Atlantic.

And what happens in the Euro-Atlantic matters in the Indo-Pacific.

And right now in Ukraine, our adversaries are proving just that  autocratic states working more closely together.

So Russia, in the hope of breaking the will of the sovereign Ukrainian people, has called on North Korea for troops, Iran for drones, and China for technology, equipment, and weapons components.

Here, 8,000 kilometers from Kyiv, the Japanese people understand this, and have stood as true friends from the start to Ukraine.

We're grateful, and we pay tribute to that support.

They've been providing assistance alongside NATO.

They've been supporting the coalition of the willing.

So when we say "NATO first, but not NATO only," this is more than a slogan.

It reflects the growing threats that we face today  threats that don't respect regions or national borders: cyber attacks, disinformation, attacks on democracy, hostile action in space.

And for the UK, some of our closest, most like-minded partners in countering these threats are to be found in the Indo-Pacific  just as some of our most exciting technological partnerships are forged here too.

And it is only through working together that we will strengthen regional security, that we will reinforce a lasting stability the stability on which our economic growth, our social resilience, and the future of our countries depend.

For us, our allies are our strategic strength.

And so in a more dangerous world, in a new era of threats, we're deepening our defence cooperation with good partners like Japan  bilaterally, industrially, and through NATO.

And just as the threats we face are real, to make deterrence real, we must work more closely together.

That imperative is right at the heart of the purpose of the Pacific Future Forum.

So in summary, that is why the presence of the Prince of Wales here in Tokyo is not just symbolic  it's strategic.

It's building on the UK's partnerships and commitments across the region.

Our naval presence provided by HMS Tamar and HMS Spey  helping to uphold freedom of navigation, enforcing sanctions, providing humanitarian assistance.

Our military presence in Singapore, Brunei.

Our joint exercises with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore  as part of the historic Five Power Defence Arrangements.

And our contribution to ASEANs expert working groups in the dialogue partnership.

Each deployment, each exercise, each relationship, each industrial or technological collaboration strengthens stability, reinforces security.

And as our two nations prove  when we double down, when we invest in those partnerships  those partnerships are the source of our ultimate strength.

So thank you once again to Minister Nakatani, who will speak to the forum later today.

Thank you to everyone in Japan who has made this visit possible.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to our defense partnership.

Our relationship with Japan is one that we hold dear.

And in the words of His Majesty, the Emperor:

We are friends like no other.

And I look forward to strengthening that partnership, that friendship, in the years ahead.

Thank you.

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Boost for UK Growth and Security as Norway Selects UK Warships in 10 billion partnership

Press release

Billions of pounds will be pumped into the UK economy following Norway's decision to select British warships for their Armed Forces - securing thousands of jobs in Britain for years to come.

From: Ministry of Defence, The Rt Hon John Healey MP and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP

Published 31 August 2025

Major export deal sustains 4,000 UK jobs including more than 2,000 in Scotland.

10 billion boost to UK economy is expected to support more than 400 British companies, delivering on the Government's Plan for Change.

Norway's biggest ever defence procurement deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates - eight British and at least five Norwegian - operate jointly in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO's northern flank.

Billions of pounds will be pumped into the UK economy following Norway's decision to select British warships for their Armed Forces - securing thousands of jobs in Britain for years to come.

The UK, in its biggest ever warship export deal by value, will supply Norway with Type 26 frigates designed for anti-submarine warfare in the deal worth 10 billion announced today, a clear example of this Government is delivering on its Plan for Change.

The deal will support 4,000 jobs across the UK supply chain until well into the 2030s, including more than 2,000 at BAE Systems' Glasgow shipyards. The programme is also expected to support 432 business, including 222 small and medium enterprises, across the UK including 103 in Scotland, 47 in the North West of England and 35 in the West Midlands.

Norway's selection of the UK's world leading Type 26 frigates builds on decades of close cooperation between close NATO allies and strengthens both nations' strategic partnership and maritime security in the face of increasing Russian threats in northern Europe. Both Australia and Canada have also selected the design for Type 26 for their Navies.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

This 10 billion deal is what our Plan for Change is about - creating jobs, driving growth and protecting national security for working people. This Government has forged new partnerships across the world to deliver for people at home and the export of our world leading Type 26 frigates to Norway will do exactly that, supporting well-paid jobs up and down the United Kingdom, from apprentices to engineers. This success is testament to the thousands of people across the country who are not just delivering this next generation capabilities for our Armed Forces but also national security for the UK, our Norwegian partners and NATO for years to come.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Stre said:

Norway and the United Kingdom are close allies, with common interests and strong bilateral ties. I am confident that the strategic partnership with the UK for purchasing, developing and operating frigates is the right decision. This partnership enables Norway to reach the strategic objectives our Parliament set out in the current Long-Term Plan on Defence. Selecting the United Kingdom as a strategic partner for frigates was also recommended by the Chief of Defence. The choice represents a historic strengthening of the defence cooperation between our two countries. It has been a difficult choice. The four candidates, France, Germany, USA and the UK, have provided strong and competitive proposals. They are all close allies, and I wish to express my appreciation for a constructive process and dialogue. All four allies are strategic partners for Norway. The extensive cooperation on security and defence policy will continue at full strength with all of them.

The decision comes ahead of a new UK-Norway defence agreement that will strengthen Euro-Atlantic security while bringing the two countries' defence industries closer together to boost jobs, growth, and innovation.

Norway's operation of identical Type 26 ships alongside the Royal Navy hails the deepening of a long term-strategic relationship that will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates - eight British and at least five Norwegian - to detect, classify, track and defeat hostile submarines - significantly reinforcing NATO's northern flank.

This ambitious partnership will also cover shared maintenance, extensive crew training, in-service support and personnel exchanges.

As outlined in this year's Strategic Defence Review, Norway remains one of the United Kingdom's most valued strategic allies, serving as the only nation participating in the UK Carrier Strike Group's complete 2025 deployment whilst also collaborating with the UK and NATO partners in safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure in Northern Europe.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

For over 75 years, Britain and Norway have stood together on NATO's northern and north-eastern frontiers, keeping the UK and Europe safe. This historic defence deal deepens our strategic partnership. With Norway, we will train, operate, deter, and - if necessary - fight together. Our navies will work as one, leading the way in NATO, with this deal putting more world-class warships in the North Atlantic to hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure, and keep both our nations secure. This deal confirms Britain's defence industry as world-leading. It will support thousands of high-skilled jobs for the next 15 years and beyond, driving forward this Government's Plan for Change and making defence an engine for growth.

On behalf of Team UK industry partners, Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive of BAE Systems, said:

The Norwegian Government's decision reflects its confidence in British industry's ability to deliver a superior anti-submarine warfare platform, together with systems and equipment, that will support its future maritime security and reinforce its position within NATO. We look forward to playing our part in further strengthening the strategic partnership between the UK and Norway, as we work together with Norwegian industry to deliver this important capability to the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The Type 26 features sophisticated weapons, advanced sensors, and cutting-edge communications, with a flexible design that enables future upgrades to counter emerging threats.

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Denys Shmyhal discussed Ukraine's defence priorities with Frans Timmermans

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

29 August, 2025, 6:08 PM EEST

Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with Frans Timmermans, leader of the Green-Labour Alliance (GroenLinks-PvdA) in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands.

"Mr. Timmermans is a true friend of Ukraine, as he demonstrated during his tenure as Executive Vice-President of the European Commission. I thanked him for his personal leadership in supporting Ukraine, as well as the Netherlands for its comprehensive support to our warriors," said the Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

The Minister of Defence highlighted the Netherlands' significant contribution to the PURL initiative, which provides the Defence Forces of Ukraine with critically important U.S.-made weapons.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects of involving Ukraine's defence industry in major industrial projects through the SAFE mechanism.

In addition, Denys Shmyhal briefed his counterpart on Ukraine's priorities in armaments and financing. The parties explored ways to enhance industrial cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands under the Build in Ukraine and Build with Ukraine projects.

The Minister of Defence also emphasised the importance of developing mechanisms to channel frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine.

"We also discussed how the Netherlands can support the recovery of our wounded warriors and those returning from captivity. I am grateful for this visit, for the solidarity shown, and for the Netherlands' steadfast support for Ukraine," concluded Denys Shmyhal.

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Baiba Braze at the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Copenhagen: Russia continues on its path of terror and aggression. Transatlantic unity, full support to Ukraine, weakening Russia is the course to lasting peace in Ukraine

Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

30.08.2025

On 29 and 30 August 2025, in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braze, and the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Artjoms Ursulskis, took part in an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) foreign affairs ministers in the Gymnich format. The topics discussed were Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the use of immobilised assets of the Central Bank of Russia in support of Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Foreign affairs ministers discussed the ways to increase further pressure on Russia, especially countering its shadow fleet. Baiba Braze underlined: "There are currently no indications whatsoever that Putin wants peace or would be prepared for ceasefire. The latest massive attacks by the barbaric Russian regime on Ukrainian cities on August 28, killing innocent civilians, including children, causing damage to residential buildings, schools and offices, also the premises of the EU Delegation, clearly demonstrate that Russia's understanding of how to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace is to choose terror over negotiations."

"Transatlantic unity and cooperation have a crucial role to play in achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and stopping Russia. The policy of pressure against Russia must be intensified and Ukraine must be provided with the necessary security guarantees," the Minister said, stressing that involvement by the U.S. in guaranteeing security is also highly important. It is equally vital not to delay the opening of the first cluster of the EU's talks with Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, addressed the participants in a video format and emphasized that Ukraine is experiencing relentless attacks, Putin has no plans to stop, and any hope that he will cease the war should be abandoned. Andrii Sybiha called for providing Ukraine with the necessary security guarantees and help to strengthen the Ukrainian army. Minister Sybiha also emphasized that membership in the EU would be the best security guarantee for Ukraine.

In parallel with the peace process, several measures are currently being taken to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities. One of them is the NATO Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL. Baiba Braze informed those present that Latvia will also contribute to this NATO initiative, and she emphasized: "This year, Latvia will channel almost 0.3% of its gross domestic product into military support for Ukraine."

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the EU and its Member States have provided support to Ukraine worth EUR 158.6 billion, at least EUR 59.6 billion of which has been military assistance. Latvia's support includes the delivery of 42 Patria 6x6 armoured personnel carriers and other military equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces, training of Ukrainian soldiers, as well as support in the Information Technology, Demining Capability, Maritime Capability, and Electronic Warfare coalitions. The development of Ukraine's military industry, especially for the manufacturing of drones, is also being promoted. Latvia is investing in Ukraine's military drone industry and financing (at EUR 20 million) the Drone Coalition established in 2024 and co-led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. The coalition is comprised of 20 countries.

EU foreign ministers also discussed the imposition of new sanctions against Russia. Proposals for the 19th package of sanctions are currently being prepared. The main focus remains on restrictive measures that would minimize Russia's revenues, with a particular focus on trade in energy resources (gas and oil), through sanctioning additional shadow fleet vessels and military industrial capabilities, and denying access to Western technologies. In total, the EU has imposed sanctions on 447 shadow fleet ships. Baiba Braze pointed out that the new round should focus on strong sectoral restrictive measures against Russia, especially in its energy and financial sectors (including cryptocurrency), those being the sectors that generate the most revenue for Russia, thereby enabling its war of aggression against Ukraine. Further restrictions on the import of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers, especially potassium chloride fertilizers from Russia, should be included, as well as pressure should be increased on the Russian shadow fleet and its ecosystem, so that the reduction in the oil price cap achieved so far is not circumvented as new Russian shadow tankers head out to sea. In addition to sanctions, it is important to increase tariffs on Russian and Belarusian exports. "Cooperation with the U.S. on secondary sanctions should also be continued," the Minister said.

Use of the immobilised assets of the Central Bank of Russia in support of Ukraine. EU foreign affairs ministers held a substantial exchange of views on the use of frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia in support of Ukraine, as the EU and G7 member states are currently discussing a legal solution to the wider use of frozen funds for the needs of Ukraine. In total, approximately EUR 260 billion of assets deposited by the Central Bank of Russia have been immobilised in the EU, G7 and Australia. Of those, approximately EUR 210 billion have been identified in the European Union. No frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia have been identified in the jurisdiction of Latvia; however, more than EUR 272 million of Russian private funds have been immobilised here. Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economic and Productivity, also participated in the discussion.

The situation in the Middle East. Foreign ministers then exchanged views on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the issue of Iran. The discussion was attended by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Artjoms Ursulskis, who underlined: "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely alarming; therefore, it is vital to take action immediately - to resume ceasefire, provide large-scale humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population and release all hostages. Hamas must immediately lay down its arms and relinquish power in Gaza."

In line with the common EU position, Latvia supports a peaceful, negotiated two-state solution consistent with international law and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735 (2024) in particular. The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and a negotiated settlement to the conflict.

At their meeting on 29 August, the EU foreign affairs ministers were joined by the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, with her spouse, Siarhei Tsikhanouski. Foreign Minister Baiba Braze noted: "The release of Siarhei and some other political prisoners is a welcome step. Two Latvian citizens were also released in June. However, repression continues. Further pressure must be exerted on the Belarusian regime to release all political prisoners and shift its course."

The informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers was also attended by the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland, as well as the Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET).

While in Copenhagen, Baiba Braze met with the Danish Minister for Resilience and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen, for a discussion on the protection of critical infrastructure and deterrence of Russia's non-conventional attacks. The Minister also had a meeting with the head of the Niels Bohr Institute, Prof. Joachim Mathiesen: they discussed the development of Latvia's quantum sector and international partnerships available to scientists.

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Former Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy Shot Dead In Lviv

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Halyna Tereshchuk August 30, 2025

Former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the western city of Lviv on August 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed.

The shooting occurred around noon on Yefremova Street, near Parubiy's residence, according to a correspondent from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service at the scene. Law enforcement confirmed that the former lawmaker died instantly from his injuries. The shooter remains at large.

Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office announced that a murder investigation has been launched, and the attacker is being sought for the "intentional homicide" of the well-known 54-year-old politician.

Shooter Fled On An Electric Bike

Authorities found eight shell casings at the crime scene. Sources told reporters the shooter was dressed like a courier for a delivery service and fled the scene on an electric bicycle.

Zelenskyy expressed condolences to Parubiy's family and pledged full resources for the investigation.

In a video statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy claimed the "crime was, unfortunately, meticulously planned" and vowed that "everything is being done" to find the perpetrator.

He said the Ukrainian Security Service, the country's main internal security agency, was involved in the investigation and was "instructed to ensure that accurate, verified information be shared promptly with the public."

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, wrote on X that she was "deeply shocked by the terrible murder," while Geoffrey Pyatt -- a former US ambassador to Ukraine -- said Parubiy was a "truly historic figure who played a pivotal role in building a democratic and European Ukraine."

Parubiy was a prominent political figure and key participant in Ukraine's 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Maidan revolution. He served as chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, from 2016 to 2019.

Additionally, he was secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council from February to August 2014, a critical period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea Peninsula.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/andriy-parubiy-killed- lviv-ukraine-parliament-speaker/33517188.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukraine Strikes Russian Refineries As Moscow Launches Massive Drone Assault

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and RFE/RL's Russian Service August 30, 2025

Ukrainian drone forces struck two major Russian oil refineries -- Krasnodar in southern Russia and Syzran in the Samara region -- overnight on August 30, igniting fires and causing explosions in facilities key to supplying fuel for Russian military units.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the operations, carried out in coordination with Special Operations Forces, aimed to reduce Russia's offensive potential and complicate fuel supplies to its troops.

The Krasnodar refinery produces around 3 million tons of gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel annually, while the Syzran plant can process up to 8.5 million tons each year. Damage assessments were ongoing, and no casualties were reported.

Many Russian regions have already been suffering from gasoline shortages as Ukrainian drones target oil infrastructure, with long lines being reported at some gas stations.

Russia on August 27 suspended all exports of gasoline until September 30 in an effort to ease the crisis, with hopes that demand will then subside and summer repairs to refiners have been completed.

Meanwhile, Russian forces launched one of the largest aerial offensives in weeks, firing 537 drones and 45 missiles at targets across Ukraine.

The Ukrainian air force said it successfully intercepted 510 drones and 38 missiles, though five missiles and 24 drones struck seven locations. Falling debris was recorded at 21 sites.

In Zaporizhzhya, Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 22, including three children. Residential areas, apartment blocks, and industrial sites were damaged, with multiple fires reported at the impact zones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using diplomatic delays to intensify attacks and urged stronger sanctions against Russia's banking and energy sectors. No new date has been set for further talks between the two governments.

Ukraine has accepted a US cease-fire proposal and calls for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy but Moscow has not agreed.

"The only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian Army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself -- banking and energy sanctions," Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 30.

A day earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow's stance that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not dismissed the possibility of meeting with Zelenskyy but emphasized that such a meeting would only occur once progress is achieved "at the expert level."

Meanwhile, the United States approved an $8.5-billion deal to sell Patriot air-defense systems to Denmark, which plans to forward the systems to Ukraine to reinforce its air defenses. Other NATO countries are making similar arrangements, responding to increased threats as US funding for weapon transfers remains uncertain.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes- russian-refineries-russian-drones-attacks/33517134.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question regarding reports of biological laboratories in Ukraine

30 August 2025 12:24

1403-30-08-2025

Question: What would be your comment on the media reports that 36 US biolaboratories in Ukraine tested preparations on humans?

Maria Zakharova: We have repeatedly drawn the international community's attention to the hazardous uncontrolled biological warfare activities conducted by the US outside of its own territory, including in Ukraine. In particular, we have reported incidents of the Pentagon implementing biological warfare programmes in Ukraine that were exposed during the special military operation. Such programmes violate the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). Some aspects of the programmes were given publicity during Russian Defence Ministry briefings.

The final report by the Parliamentary Commission on the Investigation of the US Biological Laboratories in Ukraine made a fundamental contribution to exposing such activities. The commission examined the totality of the sources related to the US biological programmes in Ukraine, including the documents seized during the special military operation, and interviewed multiple witnesses with direct knowledge about the activities of the Pentagon and associated entities in Ukrainian biological laboratories.

It is well known that Russia initiated a consultative meeting on the BTWC Article V (Geneva, September 5-9, 2022), and a discussion on this subject at the UN Security Council on October 27 and November 2, 2022, as well as at the BTWC Ninth Review Conference (Geneva, November 28 - December 16, 2022). What we heard in response were vague excuses and accusations of misinformation.

We have noticed that, after an extensive period of time and despite the absence of any clear reaction from US authorities, our questions were heard by the US expert community, which began to show active interest in this subject.

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Russian Naval Drones Send Strong Message to Ukraine and NATO

Sputnik News

20250830

Ekaterina Blinova

Russia used unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to destroy the Ukrainian surveillance ship Simferopol in the Danube delta. Why were USVs chosen for the task, rather than missiles?

Russia demonstrated its ability to destroy enemy ships in coastal zones protected by air and ground defense systems, military expert and historian of air defense forces Yuriy Knutov tells Sputnik.

The Simferopol was a former fishing trawler that Ukraine converted into a reconnaissance vessel. Ukraine assumed that by keeping the ship in the estuary, Russian intelligence would not find her.

The USVs had to pass through a mined area, but the boats have a shallow draught so the mines did not affect them, Knutov says. The boats succeeded in moving unnoticed.

Knutov views the attack as Russia's "readiness to use unmanned boats against other ships that will deliver weapons and military equipment to the port of Odessa"

The attack sends a strong message to Ukraine and its NATO backers: Russia is operating at a level that is on par with or surpassing the military capabilities of the US and the UK

The destruction of the Simferopol could give additional leverage in Russia-Ukraine negotiations  "because we now possess capabilities that allow us to remotely and effectively neutralize enemy naval vessels," carrying military cargo from NATO states

New USVs Show Russian Defense Sector is Adapting Fast

Russia already had unmanned boats a year ago, but it was necessary to test them in real combat conditions

The first combat use of the USVs occurred almost one month after Russia's July Storm exercises, in which their deployment was demonstrated publicly

The Russian Ministry of Defense released footage showing 'the Baltic Fleet forces destroying a mock enemy ship through the combined use of unmanned maritime systems' as an unnamed naval drone hit a large sea target with a spectacular explosion

 Sputnik

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Russia's Recent Battlefield Gains Revealed

Sputnik News

20250830

Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Gerasimov summarized the results of the spring-summer 2025 campaign and outlined further objectives for troop deployments.

Since March 2025, the Russian forces have liberated over 3,500 square kilometers and 149 settlements.

The Russian Army continues its relentless offensive across nearly the entire front line.

The creation of a security zone along Russia's border in the Sumy and Kharkov regions is progressing successfully.

The Russian forces have liberated 99.7% of the Lugansk People's Republic, 79% of the DPR, 74% of Zaporozhye region, and 76% of Kherson region.

Less than 60 square kilometers remain for the complete liberation of the Lugansk People's Republic.

Russian troops are advancing in Dnepropetrovsk region, with 7 settlements taken under control.

Sever battlegroup:

It has taken control of 210 square kilometers and 13 settlements in the Sumy region.

In the Kharkov region, fighting continues to improve positions in the Volchansk and Liptsy directions.

The city of Kupyansk is almost completely encircled, with half of its territory liberated.

Russian forces have advanced up to 25 km in the Rubtsov direction, capturing 10 settlements there.

The defeat of the Ukrainian grouping pressed against the Seversky Donets River in the Serebryansky forestry is nearing completion.

Tsent battlegroup:

is advancing in the Oktyabrsky, Krasnoarmeysky, and Dnepropetrovsk directions.

is blocking the Krasnoarmeysk-Dimitrov agglomeration, with fighting underway in Krasnoarmeysk.

has breached enemy engineering defense lines on the administrative border of the Dnepropetrovsk region.

Yug battlegroup:

is successfully advancing in the Seversk direction, with fighting taking place inside the city of Seversk.

is advancing westward, reaching the southeastern outskirts of Konstantinovka.

liberated Alexandrov-Kalinovo, Shcherbinovka, and Kleban-Byk that had played a key role in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense.

Vostok battlegroup:

Are advancing westward across the DPR, having taken control of 25 settlements.

The liberation of territory in the Zaporozhye region is still ongoing.

Kamyshevakh, recently liberated, was the last settlement in the DPR within the area of responsibility of the "Vostok" grouping.

is advancing in the Dnepropetrovsk region, where it has captured 5 settlements.

Dnepr battlegroup:

is advancing in the Orekhov direction, has taken control of six settlements in the Zaporozhye region.

Are conducting active operations to liberate Stepnogorsk, Malaya Tokmachka, and Plavni.

Strategic initiative entirely in hands of Russian troops

Strikes were carried out on facilities involved in the production of Ukraine's "Sapsan" missile system, General Staff of Russian Armed Forces reported.

 Sputnik

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Russian Forces Take Control of Kamyshevakha Village in Donbass

Sputnik News

20250830

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Battlegroup Vostok have taken control of the village of Kamyshevakha in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"As a result of offensive actions, Battlegroup Vostok liberated Kamyshevakha (Donetsk People's Republic)," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr has eliminated up to 405 Ukrainian military personnel over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 405 soldiers, a tank, five armored fighting vehicles, including US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, six motor vehicles and three artillery guns," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Zapad has eliminated over 270 Ukrainian fighters, 10 armored combat vehicles, 18 motor vehicles, seven field artillery guns, six electronic warfare stations and seven ammunition depots over the past 24 hours.

Russia's Battlegroup Vostok has eliminated more than 250 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles, six field artillery guns and a materiel depot, the ministry said.

Russia's Battlegroup Yug has eliminated over 200 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored combat vehicles, nine motor vehicles, five field artillery guns, two ammunition depots and three materiel depots in the past day, the ministry added.

Russia's Battlegroup Sever has eliminated up to 185 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles and six field artillery guns.

Last night, Russian forces carried out a massive strike against Ukraine's missile and aviation industry enterprises and military airfields, the daily bulletin read.

"Last night, the Armed Forces... carried out a massive strike by ground-, air-, and sea-based high-precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles against enterprises of missile and aviation industries as well as Ukrainian military airfields. The targets were defeated, all the assigned facilities were neutralized," it said.

 Sputnik

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Ex-Ukrainian National Security Council Head Parubiy Shot Dead in Lvov

Sputnik News

20250830

Former head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council and a former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy has been shot dead in the western city of Lvov.

Seven shell casings were found at the scene, according to media reports. The shooter was allegedly a food delivery courier, now on the run.

The victim, who was apparently fired at eight times, died from his injuries at the scene.

Parubiy's track record speaks volumes.

Banderite Roots

In 1991, Parubiy co-founded the Social-National Party of Ukraine (SNPU)  an openly far-right, ultranationalist movement marked by neo-Nazi traits, including the Wolfsangel (or "Wolf's Hook") emblem and active recruitment of skinheads.

He led its paramilitary youth wing, Patriot of Ukraine, from 1998 to 2004known for torchlight marches and violent activism.

The SNPU drew on a brand of 'social nationalism' echoing Nazi ideology, pushing militant ultranationalism.

After 2004, the SNPU rebranded as the Svoboda party, softening its public image  but much of its hardline ideology and radical networks remained intact.

Parubiy backed honoring WWII-era nationalist Stepan Bandera, underscoring his ties to Banderite ideology

Wanted riminal

He was named by Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk as one of the culprits behind the horrific Odessa Trade Union Massacre, which saw dozens burned alive in 2014.

In November 2023, Russia's Interior Ministry officially placed Parubiy on its wanted list, accusing him of war crimes in Donbass based on in absentia charges by the Russian Investigative Committee

 Sputnik

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Andrii Sybiha comments on Russia's latest attack on Ukraine

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

30 August 2025 11:49

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "Another massive Russian attack against Ukraine overnight. Again almost 600 drones and missiles. Killed and injured people, including children. Putin mocks peace efforts, deadlines, and proposals. Instead, he escalates terror. Strengthening Ukraine and ramping up transatlantic pressure on Moscow remain critical. This is the only way to force Russia to stop attacks, abandon ultimatums, and engage in meaningful diplomacy."

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U.S. approves sale of equipment to Ukraine worth more than $300 million

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

30 August, 2025, 11:58 AM EEST

The United States has approved the sale of over $300 million in equipment to Ukraine, supporting Patriot systems and the procurement and maintenance of Starlink services and equipment.

Specifically, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of equipment valued at $179.1 million to support Ukraine's Patriot air defense system and associated equipment.

"Patriot air defense systems are vital for Ukraine. They protect our people, our cities, and critical infrastructure from relentless russian air attacks," said Ukraine's Minister of Defence, Denys Shmyhal.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of Starlink satellite communications services and equipment to Ukraine, valued at approximately $150 million.

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President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of India Coordinated Positions Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

President of Ukraine

30 August 2025 - 17:42

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

The Head of State informed him about the talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, which included European leaders. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it was a productive and important conversation, reflecting the partners' shared vision on how to achieve real peace.

The President noted that Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness for a meeting with the head of Russia. At the same time, over the two weeks following the Washington talks - when Russia was supposed to prepare for diplomacy - Moscow has given no positive signal and instead carried out cynical strikes on civilian targets, killing dozens of our people. Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.

The leaders coordinated their positions ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The Head of State stressed that the end of this war must begin with an unconditional ceasefire and necessary silence, as it is impossible to have substantive talks about peace while Ukrainian cities and communities remain under constant attack.

The President thanked India for its readiness to take the necessary steps and to convey the corresponding signal to Russia and other leaders during the meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

The conversation also covered bilateral relations, preparations for reciprocal visits, and holding a meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Narendra Modi additionally discussed the possibility of a personal meeting in the near future.

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There Is a Need for a Ceasefire, Which Would Clearly Signal the Russian Readiness for Diplomacy - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

30 August 2025 - 17:11

Dear Ukrainians!

Law enforcement officials - the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General - provide regular updates. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of Andriy Parubiy's murder. Many resources are deployed - all that's necessary. The crime was, unfortunately, carefully prepared. But every effort is being made to solve this crime. I also spoke with Vasyl Maliuk. The Security Service of Ukraine is engaged in the investigation. I instructed that verified information be promptly communicated to the public. My condolences to the family and loved ones, to friends of Andriy Parubiy. Eternal memory!

Rescue efforts are still ongoing in several regions following last night's Russian strikes. It was a massive attack. It targeted Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kyiv, and our other regions. The geography of the strikes extended from Kharkiv to Lutsk. Dozens of people were hurt. In Zaporizhzhia alone, 29 have been wounded, including 3 children. One person was killed.

More than 500 Russian drones were launched, and 45 missiles. A significant number were intercepted - including 6 ballistic and 32 cruise missiles. Our forces also destroyed 510 drones overnight, most of them "shaheds."

This is already the second large-scale attack by Russia this week - absolutely brazen actions, through which Russia is demonstrating that without pressure from the world, there will be no end to the war. And these are all clear signals to the United States of America, to Europe, and to the leaders who these days are in China and will be meeting with Putin.

I have just spoken with Indian Prime Minister Modi, specifically about what is happening right now. Russia continues the war, continues killing. It is important that the Prime Minister of India supported the need for a ceasefire, which would clearly signal the Russian readiness for diplomacy. We expect this issue to be raised at the meetings in China.

Putin is only duping leaders and drawing them into his camp. And he is staving off the threat of sanctions by doing so. Nothing else interests him. It is important that together we press Russia into ending this war.

Today, Rustem Umerov delivered his report to me. He has just returned from meetings in Turkiye and the Emirates. There were also talks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We are working with Switzerland as well. Each of these countries has expressed readiness to serve as a platform for negotiations to end the war. I thank them for this. I am now awaiting a report from Andriy Yermak after his meetings in the United States - he spoke with Steve Witkoff. We are also preparing for meetings in Europe next week. We are doing everything to ensure a strong response to Russia's actions. I thank everyone who is helping us!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Russian air defenses intercepted 21 Ukrainian drones overnight: Defense ministry

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 8:51 AM

Russian air defenses shot down 21 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions overnight, the Defense Ministry reported.

"On-duty air defenses intercepted and destroyed 21 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles last night," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"Eleven drones were shot down over the Volgograd Region, eight over the Rostov Region, one over the Belgorod Region, and another one over the Bryansk Region," it added.

Governor Andrey Bocharov also said that Russian air defenses repelled a massive drone attack on the southern Volgograd Region.

"A drone has fallen in the middle of a road in Srednyaya Akhtuba and deminers are working there," he noted, according to the regional administration's Telegram channel.

Bocharov added that falling drone debris caused fires in the region's south, which were quickly extinguished.

Meanwhile, Acting Governor Yury Slyusar confirmed that a drone attack had been repelled in the southern Rostov Region, noting that, according to preliminary reports, there were no consequences on the ground.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has undergone major shifts in recent weeks, as Russia has intensified its offensive and Ukraine attempts to hold its defenses.

Russian forces have advanced on several fronts and now control nearly all of Luhansk, large portions of Donetsk, and most of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Since March, Russia has captured more than 3,500 square kilometers of territory and dozens of villages. For the first time, Russian troops have also entered parts of Dnipropetrovsk, a region that had previously remained beyond their reach.

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Putin's envoy says EU warmongers 'sabotaging' Trump's Ukraine peace initiative

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 31 August 2025 7:43 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev has blamed war-mongering leaders in the European Union for "sabotaging" US President Donald Trump's peace initiative to end the Ukraine war.

"EU warmongers are sabotaging peace talks," Dmitriev said in a series of posts on X, blaming the EU for deliberately undermining US-led peace efforts in Ukraine.

Brussels is "sabotaging a real peace process" by encouraging Kiev to pursue what Dmitriev described as "impossible demands."

Dmitriev said the West is blocking the peace talks with the aim of prolonging the war in Ukraine by undermining Trump's peace initiative.

"EU warmongers exposed... Even Washington now sees it - EU leaders are prolonging the conflict in Ukraine with impossible demands," Dmitriev wrote.

Putin's special envoy urged the EU leaders to forget the failed strategy used previously during the presidency of Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. "[D]rop Biden's failed logic" and "stop sabotaging a real peace process."

"I warned about these efforts to sabotage the Trump peace plan before," Dmitriev said in a separate post.

Dmitriev, who was present at the Alaska summit earlier this month between Trump and Putin, has criticized media reports aimed at discrediting Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. "Afraid of a peace plan, EU/UK warmongers push 'foreign influence' ops in the US and worldwide to undermine US-Russia talks."

However, Dmitriev concluded that the continued negotiations will eventually prevail over the efforts to stall the talks and lead to a peace deal between the two sides.

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Donbas in February 2023 with the aim of liberating, demilitarizing, and denazifying the Russian-speaking region.

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Indian, US media outlets closely follow Xi-Modi meeting

Global Times) 15:22, September 01, 2025

The bilateral meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin on Sunday gained significant attention from international media.

Xi and Modi met in Tianjin on Sunday ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), agreeing that China and India are partners, not rivals, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi told Modi that China and India are each other's development opportunities rather than threats, Xinhua said. As long as the two countries keep to this overarching direction, specific matters in the bilateral relations will fall into place and there will be steady and sustained progress in bilateral ties, Xi said, per Xinhua.

Given the great uncertainties in the world economy, it is vital for India and China to strengthen cooperation as important economies of the world, Modi said, according to Xinhua.

India is prepared to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question with China, he said, Xinhua reported.

This is Modi's first visit to China since 2018, the Economic Times reported.

This meeting followed their face-to-face exchange in Kazan last year and sustained the momentum generated through a series of engagement recently, and it is particularly noteworthy against the backdrop of a period of decline in China-India relations in recent years, some Chinese experts said.

Major Indian media outlets attached attention to this highly anticipated meeting between leaders of the two major neighboring countries. The Hindu said "the two leaders held wide-ranging talks earlier in the day with a focus on rebuilding the bilateral relations."

India Today used "pragmatic rapprochement" when reporting the meeting.

Some Indian media also attached the importance to the boundary question between India and China.

The two Asian neighbors should combine their strength to maintain peace and tranquility in their border regions, and should not allow the boundary question to define the overall China-India relations, Xi said, per Xinhua.

The New Indian Express said Modi also conveyed to the Chinese leader that peace and tranquility along the India-China border act as an "insurance policy" for maintaining healthy bilateral relations.

The Indian media Economic Times, citing Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, reported that the talks between the two leaders mentioned the challenge of cross-border terrorism and pitched for extending support to each other to combat it as both India and China have been impacted by the menace.

"It was an element of consensus that stable and amicable India-China relationship can benefit 2.8 billion people of the two countries," he said, according to Economic Times.

Some US media outlets also closely followed the Xi-Modi meeting, however, from a perspective of competition with China. CNN said "the positive signals are sure to be closely watched in Washington, where tensions with New Delhi threaten to derail what had been years of efforts from US diplomats to deepen ties with the country as a key counterweight to a rising and increasingly assertive China - a set of circumstances that makes the latest meeting all the more important and timely."

The Time said "Modi's move toward China might be seen as a strategic blow to the US, but the summit is likely aimed at boosting China's position as a global leader and countering Western influence in global affairs."

While the US is engaged in trade battles with both allies and rivals, China is promoting economic cooperation with emerging economies like Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan, according to the US media outlet.

The AP News said Modi made that message clear Sunday, saying that "India and China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens," citing the Indian foreign ministry.

Ease on border issue also attracted attention from US media outlet. Sunday's meeting between Xi and Modi followed a rare diplomatic breakthrough in August, when New Delhi and Beijing agreed to explore demarcating their disputed border  a key step toward resolving decades-old territorial tensions, Bloomberg News reported. The move signaled a shift toward dialog after years of military standoffs and strained relations.

For the long-term development of the China-India relations, three key challenges including rebuilding strategic mutual trust, properly handling the boundary question and restoring cooperation need to be addressed, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday.

"On the boundary question, while the situation has been generally stable, it is necessary to push for substantive progress to reduce opportunities for external forces to sow discord," he said.

The meeting between the two leaders was fruitful, which reached new important consensus on the development of bilateral relations, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said on Sunday, per Xinhua.

China is willing to work with India to enhance friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage and resolve differences, and promote the further improvement and development of China-India relations, Cai said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
As Ukraine, West Seek Peace Talks, Russia Vows Autumn Offensive In Occupied Regions

By RFE/RL August 31, 2025

As Kyiv, its European allies, and Washington continued to seek ways to end the fighting in Ukraine, Russia outlined plans for an autumn offensive, with the army chief saying the military was establishing the upcoming goals for the Kremlin's military forces.

"Today we are defining the tasks for the groups of the armed forces that are aimed at the autumn period," Valery Gerasimov, chairman of Russia's General Staff, said on August 30.

"The combined group of troops continues a nonstop offensive along almost the entire front line. The strategic initiative lies entirely with Russian forces," Gerasimov claimed.

Gerasimov claimed that 99.7 percent of Ukraine's Luhansk region of Luhansk is controlled by Russian forces, along with 79 percent of Donetsk, 76 percent of Kherson, and 74 percent of Zaporizhzhya.

The Russian occupation percentages are impossible to verify. The Kremlin claims to have annexed all four regions. Ukraine has vowed not to cede any sovereign territory to Russia in a pace deal.

Ukrainian military spokesman Viktor Trehubov, pushed back on the Russian claims, telling national TV that Kyiv's forces were having success in holding back enemy troops in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

"Despite its aggressive actions, despite success at some points in pressuring Ukrainian positions, Russia has scored no quick victories," he said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, in an interview with conservative news site Daily Caller, expressed less confidence that he could arrange a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy but thought a three-way meeting with him included was still possible.

"We got along," he said about Putin. "You saw it, we've had a good relationship over the years, very good, actually."

"That's why I really thought we would have this done," he said, referring to a Putin-Zelenskyy bilateral meeting. "I would have loved to have had it done."

No End To Violence

Despite the talk of peace, Russia has shown no signs of ending the violence. Many observers say the Kremlin is not interested in immediate peace talks, believing it holds the military advantage against the outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces.

Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using diplomatic delays to intensify attacks and urged stronger sanctions against Russia's banking and energy sectors.

The Ukrainian leader said his country's intelligence reports showed that Russia was poised to launch a new offensive in eastern Ukraine, with some 100,000 troops concentrated near the highly strategic mining city Pokrovsk.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on August 30 said he believes the Kremlin will not agree to a diplomatic solution to the war in the near term.

"All efforts of the past weeks have been answered with an even more aggressive approach by this regime in Moscow against the population in Ukraine," Merz said.

"This will also not stop until we ensure together that Russia, at least for economic reasons, and perhaps also for military reasons...can no longer continue this war."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian and Russian Services, Reuters, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-putin-trump-ukraine- russia-gerasimov/33517370.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Grid As Allies Of Slain Politician Parubiy Blame Moscow

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 31, 2025

KYIV/LVIV -- Russia kept up its relentless air attacks on Ukraine, hitting energy facilities in at least two regions and targeting several other locations across the country amid uncertainty over the prospects for peace efforts following summits in the United States in recent weeks.

Drone strikes damaged four facilities in the Odesa region early on August 31, cutting power to more then 29,000 customers, regional head Oleh Kiper said on Telegram, adding that private homes and other buildings were also damaged and one person was injured.

"Critical infrastructure is being powered by generators," Kiper said. He said Chernomorsk, a coastal city south of Odesa, was hit hardest.

A drone attack hours later hit civilian energy infrastructure in the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine, leaving 30,000 house households in the Nizhyn district without electricity, regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus said. He said power had been restored to the main hospital and the city water system.

The new attacks came as allies of a prominent Ukrainian politician shot dead in the western city of Lviv a day earlier pointed the finger at Russia, and as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China for the annual meeting of a regional organization that also includes China, India, and seven other countries.

Nationwide, air defenses neutralized 126 of the 142 drones they detected overnight, while the rest hit in 10 locations and fragments of downed drones rained down at six other sites, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

The barrage followed attacks in the northeastern Sumy region on the Russian border on August 30, where a top village official was wounded, authorities said.

In Tianjin, China, Putin attended a reception hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping for leaders arriving for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which also includes Belarus, India, Iran, and four Central Asian nations, among others, amid tensions with the West over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other issues. September 1 is the main day of the SCO summit.

Putin and Xi met on August 31 and discussed recent contacts between Russia and the United States, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian media outlets. Putin met with US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15, his first meeting with a US president since before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

China has been a crucial partner for Russia since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, fueling its war economy with oil and gas purchases, providing dual-use items for its military arsenal in the face of Western sanctions, and giving Moscow diplomatic backing on the world stage.

Putin is due to remain in China after the summit and attend ceremonies in Beijing marking the defeat of Axis power Japan and the end of World War II, including a military parade on September 3. The Kremlin says he is expected to meet with several leaders including Kim Jong Un of North Korea, a dictatorship that has supported Russia's war against Ukraine by sending weapons and troops.

Mourners Pay Tribute To Andriy Parubiy

Meanwhile, in Lviv, mourners brought flowers to the site where Andriy Parubiy, a nationalist lawmaker and former parliament speaker, was shot dead in broad daylight on a street near his home on August 30.

As law enforcement authorities sought to identify and apprehend the attacker and searched for clues to a possible motive in the shooting, several associates of Parubiy blamed Russia.

Lawmaker Mykola Knyazhytskiy said he believed Parubiy's killing was "Russian revenge for his stance," suggesting he was targeted for his support for Ukraine's sovereignty, security, and unity in the face of the Russian invasion.

"This is a murder [intended] to frighten and destroy those people who are real, strong, responsible Ukrainian leaders, so that the Ukrainian nation has no future," Knyazhytskiy said.

Parubiy, 54, played a prominent role in the Maidan protests of 2013-14, known in Ukraine as the Revolution of Dignity, when huge rallies over then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to distance Kyiv from the European Union and move closer to Russia instead led to the collapse of his rule and his flight to Russia.

Parubiy was also an important figure in the Orange Revolution, when the declared victory of Yanukovych, the Kremlin favorite in a 2004 presidential election, was overturned following massive protests over evidence of widespread fraud.

"Whoever carried it out, the one who ordered it and the one who must bear responsibility is Putin," former President Petro Poroshenko, who heads the European Solidarity party, of which Parubiy was a member, said of his killing.

Ukrainian authorities have not named any suspects in the contract-style killing of Parubiy, who was speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, from 2016-19.

When asked by RFE/RL why Parubiy may have been targeted, the head of the regional police in Lviv said there were many possible theories, including a political motive and the involvement of Russia. No evidence has been presented.

The developments came amid questions about the future of efforts to end the war following Trump's August 15 meeting with Putin in Alaska and his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House three days later.

Kremlin Praises Trump, Criticizes Europe

Trump and Zelenskyy have called for a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, but Russian officials have thrown cold water on the idea, suggesting that the positions of the two sides are too far apart to make that worthwhile.

Many in the West say Putin is playing for time in hopes of taking more territory and has no intention of ending the war unless he succeeds in his goal of subjugating Ukraine.

Trump, in an interview with conservative news site Daily Caller aired on August 30, expressed less confidence than he had earlier in the prospect of a one-on-one Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in the near future, but said he believed a three-way meeting with him included would happen.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, praised Trump for seeking to broker a peace and asserted without providing evidence that a "European party of war" is undermining those efforts and pushing Kyiv to pursue a "policy of intractability."

Peskov signaled that Russia has no plans for a let-up in attacks, claiming in a state-TV interview that Moscow is ready to seek peace but adding that "so far we don't see reciprocation from Kyiv, and are continuing our special military operation" -- Putin's term for the invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine will continue to defend itself on its own territory and launch long-range strikes at targets in Russia.

"We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine's defense. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned," Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 31 after receiving a status report from the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskiy.

The Pope And An Angel

Pope Leo, in remarks following a Sunday prayer on St. Peter's Square, called for a cease-fire, something that the United States and Ukraine have backed but Russia has rejected.

"I strongly reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate cease-fire and a serious commitment to dialogue," Leo said.



"Sadly, the war in Ukraine continues to sow death and destruction," he said, mentioning an August 28 attack that killed at least 25 people in Kyiv.

"Now is the time for those responsible to renounce the logic of weapons and take the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community," said Leo, who did not mention Russia by name in the remarks.

On August 31, mourners held a farewell ceremony for Nadiya, 24, and Anhelina, 2, a mother and daughter who were among 22 people killed in a single Kyiv apartment building in the strike three days earlier.

"She was just an angel. We all loved her so much," a woman at the ceremony outside the ruins of the building said of Anhelina. "And Nadiya, our Nadiya, she was our angel too."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-parubiy- putin/33517759.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukrainian Authorities Hunt Killer Of Former Parliament Speaker Parubiy

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 31, 2025

LVIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian authorities launched a manhunt for the attacker who brazenly shot dead former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy on the streets of the western city of Lviv on August 30.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the killing of the internationally well-known politician a "horrific murder" and said "all necessary forces and means" will be used to capture the culprit.

"The crime was, unfortunately, carefully prepared. But every effort is being made to solve this crime," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian Security Service, the country's main internal security agency, was involved in the investigation and was "instructed to ensure that accurate, verified information be shared promptly with the public."

Mykola Meret, Lviv's chief prosecutor, said all potential motives for the killing were being investigated, including any possible Russian involvement.

Parubiy, 54, was a prominent political figure and key participant in Ukraine's 2013-14 Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Maidan revolution against the Russian-allied Ukrainian government at the time. He served as chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, from 2016-19.

Additionally, he was secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council from February to August 2014, a critical period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea Peninsula.

The shooting occurred around noon on Yefremova Street, near Parubiy's residence, according to a correspondent from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service at the scene. Law enforcement confirmed that the former lawmaker died instantly from his injuries.

Authorities found eight shell casings at the crime scene. Sources told reporters the shooter was dressed like a courier for a delivery service and fled the scene on an electric bicycle.

The BBC, citing sources, reported that the driver's uniform was that of the delivery company Glovo.

The British news outlet quoted a spokeswoman for Glovo as saying the firm was "deeply shocked by the brutal crime" and would cooperate fully with the investigation.

Parubiy was widely praised by Ukrainian political leaders

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called Parubiy as "a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defense of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Ukraine."

"He was a man who place rightfully belongs in history textbooks," Sybiha added.

Former President Petro Poroshenko said the killing of Parubiy was "a shot fired at the heart of Ukraine," the BBC reported.

"Andriy was a great man and a true friend. That is why they take this revenge, that is what they are afraid of," he wrote on Telegram, referring to Parubiy's efforts to build the Ukrainian military.

"What can be said for certain is that these monsters are afraid, and that is why they kill true patriots and strong people," he wrote on social media.

"This crime is not just shots fired at a person. It is a shot at the army. It is a shot at the language. It is a shot at faith. It is a shot at the heart of Ukraine."

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, wrote on X that she was "deeply shocked by the terrible murder," while Geoffrey Pyatt -- a former US ambassador to Ukraine -- said Parubiy was a "truly historic figure who played a pivotal role in building a democratic and European Ukraine."

With reporting by Reuters, CNN, and the BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/parubiy-ukraine-assassination- ukraine-lviv/33517371.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The Only One Who Wants This War Is Russia - That Is Why We Will Keep Up the Pressure - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

31 August 2025 - 20:32

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

A brief update for today. There were reports from the military on the situation at the front. First and foremost, about the Donetsk direction - Pokrovsk and other key sectors. We are holding our positions, and what matters most is that this is active defense - we are destroying the occupier every single day. I thank each of our units for their resilience and precision. We are also working to ensure that our army is fully supplied with everything necessary for the autumn. There will be meetings, engagement with our partners - we are planning a very active diplomatic week.

Two weeks ago in Washington, it was stated that by this time the Russians should be ready for real negotiations - a meeting at the leaders' level. Ukraine is definitely ready for this. But the only thing Russia is doing is investing further in war. All their signals point to that. Now, during his visit to China, Putin will once again try to wriggle out. That is his number one sport. Everyone in the world has declared that there must be a ceasefire. Everyone has insisted that the war must end. That has been the position of everyone, including China. I have discussed this with the Prime Minister of India. Also with other leaders who are now at the summit - Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan. Almost everyone else in the world also supports ending the war. Today, there was an important statement from the Pope - I am grateful for that. The only one who wants this war is Russia. That is why we will keep up the pressure - it is Russia that must be pressured. We expect that no one will tolerate the prolongation of this war. We count on a strong stance from the United States, Europe, and the G20 countries. This war brings nothing but destabilization to global processes. Russia must pay for this. And it will.

I also want to thank the partners today who have joined the PURL initiative this month - our special program that allows us to purchase the necessary weapons for Ukraine's Defense Forces in the United States. In August, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, and Latvia joined this initiative. The program already exceeds two billion dollars. Coordination is carried out through NATO. I am grateful to everyone involved, and this is a good result for August. September must also deliver accordingly. Our goal is no less than one billion dollars in the program every month. These funds are used to purchase very effective weapons - Patriot and HIMARS missiles, and weapons systems needed to defend our cities. Thank you once again to our partners!

And one more thing. Of course, throughout the day there were reports from Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on the investigation into the murder of Andriy Parubiy. They reported on the progress of the investigation and are working through all the circumstances. All necessary forces are involved - the police, the Security Service, the prosecutor's office. They are working virtually around the clock. I thank everyone who is helping with the investigation. We hope for results.

Glory to Ukraine!

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Zelenskyy Says Suspect Held In Killing Of Ukrainian Politician Parubiy

By RFE/RL September 01, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a suspect has been apprehended in the killing of Andriy Parubiy, a nationalist lawmaker and former parliament speaker, who was gunned down on a street in the western city of Lviv.

Few details were immediately available following Zelenskyy's August 31 announcement shortly before midnight.

"Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk have just reported the apprehension of a suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

"The necessary investigative actions are ongoing. I have instructed that the available information be presented to the public. I thank our law enforcement officers for their prompt and coordinated work."

"All the circumstances of this terrible murder must be made clear," he added.

Parubiy was shot dead around noon on August 30 on Yefremova Street, near his residence, according to a correspondent from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service at the scene. Law enforcement confirmed that the former lawmaker died instantly from his injuries.

Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office announced that a murder investigation had been launched and that the attacker was being sought for the "intentional homicide" of the well-known 54-year-old politician.

As law enforcement authorities sought to identify and apprehend the attacker and searched for clues to a possible motive in the shooting, several associates of Parubiy blamed Russia.

Lawmaker Mykola Knyazhytskiy said he believed Parubiy's killing was "Russian revenge for his stance," suggesting he was targeted for his support for Ukraine's sovereignty, security, and unity in the face of the Russian invasion.

Parubiy played a prominent role in the Maidan protests of 2013-14, known in Ukraine as the Revolution of Dignity, when huge rallies over then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to distance Kyiv from the European Union and move closer to Russia instead led to the collapse of his rule and his flight to Russia.

Parubiy was also an important figure in the Orange Revolution, when the declared victory of Yanukovych, the Kremlin favorite in a 2004 presidential election, was overturned following massive protests over evidence of widespread fraud.

"Whoever carried it out, the one who ordered it and the one who must bear responsibility is Putin," former President Petro Poroshenko, who heads the European Solidarity party, of which Parubiy was a member, said of his killing.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/parubiy-lviv-ukraine- assassination-maidan/33517975.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Europe 'Moving Forward' On Plans For Ukraine Peace Force With US Backing, Von Der Leyen Says

By RFE/RL September 01, 2025

Kyiv's European allies are working on "pretty precise plans" and a "clear road map" for a potential deployment of troops to Ukraine should a peace deal be struck between Kyiv and Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen, in comments published in The Financial Times on August 31, added that any such venture would have the full backing of the United States, which has swayed back and forth on potential involvement over the past year.

"Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial. We have a clear road map, and we had an agreement in the White House...and this work is going forward very well," von der Leyen told the FT.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted on strong security guarantees from the Western allies, especially the United States, as part of any cease-fire deal with the Russians, who have so far shown no indication of seeking a peace deal.

Von der Leyen has been visiting EU member states close to Russia over the weekend, focusing on efforts to increase national defense spending and military readiness.

She said European leaders were working on the framework for "a multinational troop [deployment] and the backstop of the Americans."

"Of course, it always needs the political decision of the respective country, because deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation."

"[But] the sense of urgency is very high...it's moving forward. It's really taking shape."

"President [Donald] Trump reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop. That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed," she added.

European leaders have spoken of potentially sending tens of thousands of troops should a peace deal be struck. US forces would reportedly provide command and control, intelligence, and surveillance asset, but not ground troops.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited European leaders to Paris on September 4 to conduct high-level talks, the FT reported, citing three diplomatic sources.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and von der Leyen are among those expected, the report said.

Merz, in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, cautioned that the war could still last for a substantial period but that ending it quickly at Ukraine's expense was not an option.

"We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine's capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence," Merz said.

Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine -- which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022 -- a top priority of his administration.

He has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to meet with Zelenskyy and Russia's continued campaign of massive air strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets.

"Putin has not changed. He is a predator," von der Leyen said. "[Trump] wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table...He has a negative experience with Putin, more and more, Putin does not do what he says."

As politicians talked, the violence continued in the war, with Russia maintaining its relentless air attacks on Ukraine on August 31, hitting energy facilities in at least two regions and targeting several other locations across the country.

In response, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will continue to defend itself on its own territory and launch long-range strikes at targets in Russia.

"We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine's defense. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned," Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 31 after receiving a status report from the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskiy.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, The Financial Times, Reuters, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-leyen-russia- ceasefire-europe-putin-zelenskyy/33517973.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Al Tamimi & Company, the leading full-service law firm in the Middle East, proudly celebrated Emirati Womens Day 2025 at its Dubai office. The national occasion honours the strength, vision, and achievements of Emirati women, while also underscoring the firms ongoing commitment to Emiratization and the empowerment of UAE Nationals in the legal profession.

The afternoon programme included a keynote welcome and a She Leads workshop led by Samia AlRajaby, Head of HR Operations, which highlighted the role of women in leadership and sparked conversations around empowerment and professional growth. Colleagues also participated in a traditional perfume-making workshop in collaboration with the Emirati Hospitality company, Meet the Locals, alongside interactive activities and a photobooth to capture the spirit of the day.

Samia AlRajaby, Head of HR Operations, commented:

At Al Tamimi & Company, Emirati Womens Day is not only a celebration of achievement, but also a reminder of our responsibility to create opportunities for Emirati talent. Through our Emiratization initiatives, we are dedicated to supporting Emirati women and men in developing their careers, building leadership skills, and shaping the future of the legal sector.

Essam Al Tamimi, Chairman of Al Tamimi & Company, added:

We are proud to stand alongside the UAE in recognising the remarkable contributions of Emirati women. Emiratization has always been a priority for our firm, and we see the advancement of Emirati women as central to this mission. By empowering and investing in Emirati talent, we not only strengthen our firm but also contribute to the progress of our nation.

The celebration reflects Al Tamimi & Companys broader Emiratization strategy, which continues to invest in training, mentorship, and career development opportunities for Emirati professionals across the region.

About Al Tamimi and Company

Al Tamimi and Company is the leading full-service law firm in the UAE and MENA region, with 17 offices across 10 countries. Since 1989, we have delivered innovative, cost-effective legal solutions to address complex business challenges.

Our team of 580+ legal professionals combines deep expertise with practical insights, offering commercially focused advice that drives client success. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, we foster a dynamic environment that attracts top talent and empowers us to deliver outstanding results across industries.

Media Contact

Hadi Ayedh

Public Relations and Communications Manager

+971505490461

h.ayedh@tamimi.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13ceb343-f7d1-4e90-95cd-023ac633cd28
SAO PAULO, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From August 26 to 28, the 2025 Zhejiang Intermach Brazil, hosted by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province and organized by Zhejiang Times International Exhibition Services Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang International Contractors Association, was successfully held at the Sao Paulo Northern Exhibition Center. The event was co-located with the smarter E South America, featuring a dedicated pavilion. 10 Zhejiang-based companies, including Firstack, SUPCON, Windey, Chint New Energy Technology, Rida Pump, Zhejiang Taide Car Parts, Cosin Solar, Livoltek Power, USFULL, and Solarqt, participated on-site and achieved significant results.





The smarter E South America covers four major sectors: solar energy, energy storage, power infrastructure, and energy management. It serves as a core platform for enterprises across the new energy industry chain to engage in technical exchanges and business cooperation. The exhibition attracted over 680 exhibitors from countries such as China, South Korea, Spain, and Singapore, alongside more than 60,000 professional visitors.





At the show, Zhejiang enterprises showcased diverse innovative achievements and advanced technologies. The exhibition team of Chint New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. explained in detail the whole process of customizing household photovoltaic and industrial and commercial photovoltaic smart energy solutions to the customer groups who came to learn about it. From the early feasibility study and solution implementation to the later equipment installation and operation and maintenance, potential users can experience the convenience, efficiency and flexibility of Chint's overall smart energy solution. Hangzhou Livoltek Power Co., Ltd. demonstrated a new generation of energy storage system solutions on site, and exhibited a full-scenario solution matrix covering household, industrial and commercial, and charging facilities, attracting in-depth negotiations with more than 100 Latin American energy companies. The organizing committee expressed high recognition for the Zhejiang exhibition area and welcomed Zhejiang companies to use the conference platform to accurately connect with regional market needs and provide more efficient and reliable solutions for energy transformation and sustainable development in Brazil and Latin America.





The successful holding of the 2025 Zhejiang Intermach Brazil not only showcased Zhejiang's technological innovation achievements in the fields of solar energy, wind power generation, energy storage technology and power infrastructure, helped Zhejiang companies to explore the Latin American market, but also further enhanced the international influence of the "Green Zhejiang, Smart World" brand.

Company: Zhejiang Times International Exhibition Services Co., Ltd.

Website: https://www.time-ex.com/WebPC/Index.aspx

E-mail: martin@time-ex.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0d8fd78b-8e2f-4d9a-a9d6-145f935f8348

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6351fb3e-8f23-4155-9f21-fbcac92b342f

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29746951-c189-4908-9d8b-15820ef5c3d7




HOOFDDORP, The Netherlands, Aug. 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This September, EZVIZ is expanding the scope of its Green Initiative with the announcement of a new global partnership with Plastic Bank, an international social fintech dedicated to reducing plastic waste and uplifting collectors. Building on the momentum of its World Environment Day commitments in June, EZVIZ carries forward its mission with its Together for Change, Bottle by Bottle campaign, connecting long-term environmental ambitions with urgent action to stop plastic pollution.

In 2025, EZVIZ is funding the removal of 20,000 kilograms of plastic waste from the environment  equivalent to 1 million plastic bottles. These efforts have empowered collectors in 29 communities across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, driving tangible progress in the fight against plastic pollution. Through Plastic Banks innovative circular economy model, local collectors are empowered to turn discarded plastic into valuable resources that strengthen livelihoods, build resilience, and safeguard the environment.

With EZVIZ, were proving that every action, no matter how small, can ripple outward to protect the environment and uplift communities, said David Katz, CEO and Founder at Plastic Bank. Our collective action is enabling a future where the people and the planet prosper together.

EZVIZ embeds eco-conscious values across its product lifecycles with a commitment to design smarter, cleaner, and more responsible products. In 2024, the company achieved a major milestone by preventing 22.3 tons of plastic waste through the widespread use of recycled materials in its robot vacuum portfolio. The battery cameras such as EB3 further exemplify this eco-conscious approach, combining solar power to save up to 80% energy with approximately 80% recyclability in its components, and packaged in 100% recyclable materials.

Sustainability extends to every aspect of EZVIZs packaging. By prioritizing paper-based and recycled materials, the company now eliminates over one million bubble wrap bags per month. Additional measures, such as streamlined packaging formats and replacing printed labels with laser etching, reduced 1.573 tons of paper in 2024 alone, underscoring the brands focus on practical, high-impact solutions.

Our approach is holistic: creating products and partnerships that make a real difference, said Sophie Zhang, Global Brand Director at EZVIZ. We believe in plastic reduction thats people-centered, tech-enabled, and globally scaled.

Contact

Charlene Li

lixiaolan15@ezviz.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da692370-ce62-410c-835e-a7b27234531b




ISLAMABAD, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Pakistan  Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today visited the National Earthquake Simulation Center at Tianjin University, where he praised Chinas extensive use of modern technology in disaster preparedness and management.

The Prime Minister said that the advanced technologies and methodologies employed in China would prove highly beneficial for Pakistan in building a stronger disaster management framework. By drawing on Chinese expertise, Pakistan would be able to adopt more effective preventive measures and comprehensive strategies to mitigate the impact of natural calamities.

During the visit, the Prime Minister was briefed on disaster management and rescue technologies, including newly developed medical rescue vehicles and advanced tools for preventive disaster preparedness. He was also updated on ongoing collaborative initiatives under the China-Pakistan partnership, particularly within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of further strengthening projects such as the China-Pakistan Joint Lab for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, the International Medical Cooperation Center, and the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital. Accompanying the PM, the Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar emphasized that these initiatives must be expanded to ensure deeper Pakistan-China cooperation in building resilience against natural disasters.

Referring to Pakistans recent floods, the Prime Minister noted that national-level relief operations are in full swing. He informed that additional aid convoys for affected families in Narowal, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot, and Jhang have been dispatched by the Federal Government and handed over to the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs).

He directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to remain in close coordination with the Punjab Government and extend full cooperation to all provincial authorities. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Governments commitment to ensuring that relief operations for flood-affected families continue without interruption.

The visit concluded with a reaffirmation of Pakistan-China cooperation in disaster management, with both sides recognizing the need to deepen institutional partnerships and technological exchange to safeguard lives and livelihoods against future calamities.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4654cd88-e5ff-4c28-b42b-c24573e785f6
Press Release

dsm-firmenich strengthens its Executive Committee for future growth as a consumer-focused company

Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Maastricht (Netherlands), September 1, 2025

dsm-firmenich is entering a new chapter, accelerating its transformation into a fully consumer-focused company, and strengthening its position as a leading creation and innovation partner in nutrition, health, and beauty. dsm-firmenich is uniquely positioned to contribute to progress with the rise of holistic well-being. To reflect this next phase of its journey, the company is evolving the structure of its Executive Committee, to sharpen its focus on high-growth, high-margin segments while leveraging its strengths.

Alessandre Keller will join the company on September 22, 2025. As of January 1, 2026, Alessandre will take on the role of President of Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC), succeeding Philip Eykerman, who will take on the role of Chief Strategy, M&A and Transformation Officer as of January 1, 2026, remaining a member of the Executive Committee.

Alessandre (newly appointed as a member of the Executive Committee) is a Swiss national with over 25 years of global leadership experience spanning China, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. He brings a combination of strategic vision and operational excellence across the healthcare, nutrition, and FMCG sectors. From pioneering innovation at Nestle to steering Unilabs business through transformational growth and pandemic-era resilience, Alessandre is a proven force for progress.

Maurizio Clementi will become President of Taste, Texture & Health (TTH) on January 1, 2026, following the forthcoming retirement of Patrick Niels, who will step down after a distinguished 34-year career with the company.

Maurizio (newly appointed as a member of the Executive Committee), a US-Italian citizen, has been working alongside Patrick Niels as the EVP for Taste since the creation of dsm-firmenich and is ideally placed to lead the TTH business into its next chapter. Maurizio has been with the company for the past 14 years and held senior roles in the field of Taste. Maurizio is known for his broad expertise and passion across multiple industries, and in building high-performing, customer-focused teams.

As the company is preparing the final stages of the Animal Nutrition & Health carve-out, Ivo Lansbergen, President ANH, will fully focus on leading the ANH business with his leadership team and will step down from the dsm-firmenich Executive Committee on October 1, 2025. He will continue to report to Dimitri de Vreeze, Chief Executive Officer.

Dimitri de Vreeze, CEO of dsm-firmenich, commented: I am very pleased to welcome Alessandre to dsm-firmenich and to see Maurizio take on this new leadership role in the Executive Committee. Both bring a powerful blend of expertise, ambition, and purpose-led leadership that will help us continue to deliver exceptional value for our stakeholders. I also want to thank Patrick for his outstanding contribution over more than 30 years, and Philip for his continued support as he transitions to a key new strategic role. These senior appointments reflect the strength and continuity of our leadership team as we continue building our company into a category of one.

Note to editors  biographies

Philip Eykerman, currently holding the role of President of Health, Nutrition & Care, will remain on the Executive Committee as Chief Strategy, M&A and Transformation Officer. Philip joined DSM in 2011 and has been a driving force through many transformative M&A transactions in the past and most recently played a key role in the merger of dsm-firmenich. In this newly created role, he will lead the companys value creation agenda, with a focus on portfolio development and strategic transformation. He brings decades of business and strategic consulting experience into this new role.

Patrick Niels will retire from dsm-firmenich at the end of 2025 after more than three decades of impactful performance and service. Over the years, he has built lasting customer partnerships and contributed significantly to the success and evolution of the company. He led operations both in Europe and North America. Patrick Niels stands out as a leader who marries commercial ambition with driving growth and most recently spearheaded the seamless merger of the TTH business into a truly integrated business unit.

Ivo Lansbergen will step down from the Executive Committee on October 1, 2025, to fully focus on his responsibilities for the Animal Nutrition & Health Business in light of the externalization of the ANH business. He joined the company in 1997 and held several positions across various business units before being appointed to lead the Animal Nutrition & Health business in 2019. He transformed the organization, reinforcing its position as a customer-focused partner in the development of feed ingredients for the global food supply chain. Ivo is an experienced global executive, having worked in science-based industries across Europe and Asia during his career.

About dsm-firmenich

As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the worlds growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss company with dual headquarters in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland and Maastricht, Netherlands, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than 12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life every day, everywhere, for billions of people.

www.dsm-firmenich.com

For more information

Media relations

Robin Roothans

tel. +41 (0)79 280 03 96

e-mail media@dsm-firmenich.com Investor relations

Dave Huizing

tel. +31 (0)88 425 7306

e-mail investors@dsm-firmenich.com

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to dsm-firmenichs future performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of dsm-firmenich and information currently available to the company. dsm-firmenich cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance, transaction progress and positions to differ materially from these statements. dsm-firmenich has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. This communication contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The English language version of this press release prevails over other language versions.

Attachments
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CXM Group, a leading global broker with an STP/ECN model and over a decade of experience in international markets, announces the consolidation of its operations in Latin America, providing traders and investors in the region with a first-class environment, advanced technology, and highly competitive conditions.

Founded in 2015 by a global team of financial market veterans, CXM has successfully expanded its institutional business model into a comprehensive offering for both retail and professional traders, featuring tailored liquidity, spreads starting from zero pips, unlimited leverage, negative balance protection, and ultra-fast execution. The company operates under strict regulatory frameworks and remains firmly committed to safeguarding client funds through insurance coverage of up to USD 5 million provided by Lloyds Syndicate Group.

In 2025, CXM has been recognized with four major industry awards that reinforce its leadership:

Best ECN Forex Broker  LATAM: Wealth Expo Ecuador 2025

Wealth Expo Ecuador 2025 Fastest Growing Broker  LATAM: Money Expo Colombia 2025

Money Expo Colombia 2025 Most Transparent Broker  LATAM: Wealth Expo Peru 2025

Wealth Expo Peru 2025 Best Partnership Program  LATAM: Money Expo Chile 2025

These recognitions not only validate our commitment to transparency and operational excellence but also the trust that traders and investors place in CXM, said Jorge Cuevas, Marketing Director at CXM LATAM. Latin America is a key region in our expansion strategy, and we are here to deliver the best tools, education, and support to our clients, added Andres Nacimba, Head of Sales at CXM LATAM.

CXM is targeting robust regional expansion through its offices in Mexico, with a focus on Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru. Its operations across Latin America are backed by CXM Group at the global level, positioned as an STP-ECN broker with ultra-fast execution and the most competitive trading conditions for gold.

Traders in the region have access to leading platforms such as MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, advanced copy trading and PAMM solutions, and more than 250 financial instruments, including currencies, precious metals, indices, energies, international stocks, and cryptocurrencies.

The company complements its offering with a strong Introducing Broker (IB) program, customized partnership conditions, market analysis tools such as Trading Central, and a calendar of events and training sessions focused on financial education.

About CXM Group

CXM Group is a global B2B and B2C broker with a presence in multiple markets, recognized for its technological innovation, high-quality liquidity, and superior trading conditions. With regulated operations across various jurisdictions and a client-centric approach, CXM continues to expand its global footprint with the mission of providing a transparent, secure, and profitable trading environment.

Press Contact

Karla Ruiz Argaiz

Email: karla.arg@cxm.com

Web: www.cxm.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2189b8b-98d5-4498-8214-104d6a08bcbb

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/58b39622-9ba0-4296-a626-d01d7b139b8a
Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ukraine Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis to 2029 (H1 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The analyst expects the construction industry in Ukraine to expand by 16.2% in 2025, owing to low base effect, coupled with an improvement in construction activities, an increase in international financial assistance, and the government's ongoing recovery efforts in the aftermath of the conflict with Russia.

According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the construction industry's value-add grew by 2.5% year on year (YoY) in Q4 2024, preceded by YoY growth rates of 3.4% in Q3 and 36.7% in Q2 2024. To support macroeconomic stability, the National Bank of Ukraine maintained its key policy rate at 15% in early 2025.



Over the remainder of the forecast period, The analyst expects the construction industry in Ukraine to expand by 9.7% during 2026-29, supported by sustained international financial assistance, government investment in critical infrastructure, and ongoing efforts to modernize public services and enhance regional connectivity. In April 2025, the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco), in collaboration with donors and partners such as the European Union, Sweden, and Finland, launched new recovery initiatives totaling UAH1.4 billion ($32.7 million).

These initiatives include the rehabilitation of public buildings and energy efficiency upgrades. The Ukrainian government continues to address regional needs from 2022 onwards, allocating UAH2.9 billion ($66.2 million) for reconstruction in the Sumy region for 2025. This includes additional grants from the state budget and international partners aimed at supporting healthcare, education, social infrastructure, and community development.

Scope

Historical (2020-2024) and forecast (2025-2029) valuations of the construction industry in Ukraine, featuring details of key growth drivers.

Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector

Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.

Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

Identify and evaluate market opportunities using our standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies

Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts

Understand the latest industry and market trends

Formulate and validate business strategies using the analyst's critical and actionable insight

Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures

Evaluate competitive risk and success factors

Key Topics Covered:



1 Executive Summary



2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance



3 Latest news and developments



4 Project analytics



5 Construction Market Data



6 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ezs1ux

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Atos Group strengthens its management team to further execute and accelerate its transformation plan

Paris, France  September 1, 2025  Atos Group, a leading provider of AI-powered digital transformation, today announces the appointments of four senior executives to strengthen its executive team. These seasoned leaders will join the leadership management team and support the next phase of the Groups fast-moving transformation plan to restore sustainable profitable growth, improve performance, and create long-term value for all stakeholders.

Philippe Salle, Atos Group Chairman and CEO says: I am pleased to welcome these world-class leaders to our team, a significant addition to further bolster our management team. With the Groups financial structure secure, their leadership and experience in their respective areas will be crucial in accelerating our Genesis transformation plan and leveraging the Groups strengths to support its rebound.

Their arrival reflects shared confidence in our strong foundation, our transformation plan, and our talented global workforce, as well as trust in our ability to turn this into appreciable growth in revenue and profitability over the next four years.

Florin Rotar is appointed EVP, Group Chief Technology Officer and will be part of the Groups Leadership Team. In his new role as Group CTO, he will capitalize on his two decades of experience scaling AI & emerging technologies, his global perspective and industry influence to support the Groups ambition to become a global AI-powered technology partner of choice delivering secure end-to-end digital journeys.

A 25-year Avanade veteran, Florin started as the companys first employee in Europe, entrepreneurially leading the region before holding several leadership positions across the business: Chief Innovation officer, Global Modern Workplace Lead and Global Digital Lead. Holding a Master of Sciences and Telecommunications Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University (Sweden), he began his career with Procter & Gamble in 1996 and Andersen Consulting in 1998. Born entrepreneur and passionate about digital technologies, he is recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as "Top 10 CTOs To Watch In 2023 and was awarded 2024 Chief AI Officer of the Year by HMG Global Leadership Institute.

Laurent Soulier is appointed EVP, Strategy and Operational Excellence and will be part of the Groups Leadership Team.

Graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and Telecom Paris, Board Member and Honorary President of Telecom Paris Alumni association and Board Member of Institut Mines Telecom, Laurent has spent 10 years in the public sector. He started his career in the cybersecurity department of the Ministry of Defense, before moving to the Ministry of Industry, where he led the transposition into French law of European directives regulating the internet and postal sectors. He then pursued his career in leading service companies Adecco and Foncia/Emeria, where he drove ambitious digital transformation programs and M&A strategies designed to enhance customer satisfaction, strengthen operational efficiency and support profitable growth.

Penelope de Fouquieres is appointed SVP, in charge of Communication.

Penelope brings 20 years of experience in corporate communications, brand development and media relations across international institutions and leading private groups. She began her career in the media industry as a television journalist working for M6, the second French private channel group before joining the African Development Bank in Tunisia, where she led strategic communication programs to promote sustainable development and climate finance projects, including the Banks COP21 campaign, and strengthened its international visibility. In 2016, she joined ELSAN, a leading French private healthcare group, as Communications Director and member of the Executive Committee, where she created and structured the communications department and developed the groups brand identity and reputation over the past nine years. Penelope holds degrees from Paris-Sorbonne University, the French Press Institute and the London School of Economics.

Camille le Provost is appointed Head of M&A.

Camille is a mergers and acquisitions specialist, known for her expertise in managing complex, high-stakes international transactions. A graduate of EM Lyon, she began her career at BNP Paribas in 2006 before joining Rabobank in 2014, where she led large-scale deals across the industrial and consumer sectors. After four years devoted to her passion for theater, she has been working since 2020 as an independent consultant advising executives and corporates on their external growth strategies  including a year as Head of M&A for the Anjac Group.

***

About Atos Group

Atos Group is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 70,000 employees and annual revenue of c.  10 billion, operating in 67 countries under two brands  Atos for services and Eviden for products. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, Atos Group is committed to a secure and decarbonized future and provides tailored AI-powered, end-to-end solutions for all industries. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Contacts

Media Relations: globalprteam@atos.net

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Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Central lab Services Clinical Trial Lab Services - Company Evaluation" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Central Lab Services Companies Quadrant is a comprehensive industry analysis that provides valuable insights into the global market for Central Lab Services. This quadrant offers a detailed evaluation of key market players, technological advancements, product innovations, and industry trends. The analyst's '360 Quadrants' evaluated over 108 companies, of which the Top 11 Central Lab Services Companies were categorized and recognized as quadrant leaders.



Central Lab Services provide standardized, high-quality laboratory testing for pharmaceutical and biotech companies conducting clinical trials across multiple locations. Instead of relying on various local labs with different standards and equipment, all patient samples from trial sites worldwide are shipped to a single, central laboratory. This facility offers a comprehensive menu of services, including safety testing, complex biomarker analysis, sample management, and harmonized data reporting. This centralized approach ensures consistency, accuracy, and data integrity, which are essential for evaluating a drug's safety and efficacy.



The market is driven by the increasing number, complexity, and globalization of clinical trials. As research focuses more on biologics, personalized medicine, and rare diseases, the need for specialized and esoteric testing grows. Pharmaceutical companies increasingly outsource these functions to central labs to leverage their expertise, advanced technology, and global logistics networks, thereby reducing fixed costs and streamlining trial management. The rigorous demand from regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA for high-quality, standardized data to support drug approval applications makes central labs an indispensable partner in drug development.



However, the industry faces considerable challenges. Managing the complex global logistics of time- and temperature-sensitive biological samples is a major operational hurdle fraught with risk. Adhering to a patchwork of different international regulations regarding data privacy and sample shipment adds further complexity. The high cost of advanced testing, particularly for genomics and specialized biomarkers, can be substantial. Moreover, the market is highly competitive, putting pressure on pricing and forcing providers to continuously invest in new technologies to maintain a competitive edge.



The 360 Quadrant maps the Central Lab Services companies based on criteria such as revenue, geographic presence, growth strategies, investments, and sales strategies for the market presence of the Central Lab Services quadrant.



Key Players:



Major vendors in the Central Lab Services market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), IQVIA (US), and ICON plc (Ireland). The key strategies major vendors implement in the Central Lab Services market are partnerships, collaborations, product launches, and product enhancements.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.



Thermo Fisher Scientific is the undisputed world leader in serving science, offering an unparalleled portfolio of analytical instruments, laboratory equipment, and biopharma services. Through its industry-leading brands, the company provides foundational tools for research, diagnostics, and manufacturing. Strategically, Thermo Fisher acts as an end-to-end partner for the pharmaceutical industry, supporting customers from initial discovery to commercial production. By focusing on high-growth areas like cell and gene therapy, expanding its digital science platforms, and capitalizing on its vast global scale, the company maintains its dominant position in the life sciences ecosystem.



IQVIA



IQVIA is a global leader in using data and science to help healthcare clients find better solutions for patients. Formed from the merger of IMS Health and Quintiles, its unique strength lies in combining advanced data analytics with deep clinical research expertise. IQVIA's strategy is to power smarter, faster drug development by leveraging its vast healthcare data and AI-driven CORET platform. By providing data-rich insights for trial design, patient recruitment, and real-world evidence studies, the company solidifies its position as an indispensable partner for the global life sciences industry.



ICON plc



ICON plc is a global leader in the contract research organization (CRO) industry, providing comprehensive drug and device development services. Following its transformative acquisition of PRA Health Sciences, the company boasts immense scale and a fully integrated service offering for its pharma and biotech clients. Strategically, ICON focuses on delivering patient-centric and decentralized clinical trials, leveraging technology to improve access and efficiency. By combining its deep therapeutic expertise with a commitment to data-driven solutions and operational excellence, ICON maintains its position as a top-tier partner in advancing global healthcare innovation.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Market Definition

1.2 Stakeholders



2 Executive Summary



3 Market Overview

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Market Dynamics

3.2.1 Drivers

3.2.1.1 Increasing Number of Clinical Trials

3.2.1.2 Rising Investments in Research & Development

3.2.1.3 Growing Prevalence of Rare Diseases

3.2.1.4 Favorable Government Initiatives

3.2.2 Restraints

3.2.2.1 High Costs Associated with Clinical Trials

3.2.2.2 Shortage of Skilled Professionals

3.2.3 Opportunities

3.2.3.1 Emerging Markets Worldwide

3.2.3.2 Decentralized and Virtual Clinical Trials

3.2.4 Challenges

3.2.4.1 Regulatory Complexities

3.2.4.2 Limited Patient Diversity

3.2.4.3 Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property Concerns

3.3 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customer Business

3.4 Value Chain Analysis

3.4.1 Resource Acquisition and Preparation

3.4.2 Clinical Trial Execution

3.4.3 Data Reporting and Result Submission

3.4.4 Promotion and Regulatory Filing

3.5 Ecosystem Analysis

3.6 Technology Analysis

3.6.1 Key Technologies

3.6.1.1 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

3.6.2 Adjacent Technologies

3.6.2.1 Next-Generation Sequencing

3.7 Key Conferences and Events, 2025-2026

3.8 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.8.1 Threat of New Entrants

3.8.2 Threat of Substitutes

3.8.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

3.8.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

3.8.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

3.9 Impact of AI/Generative AI on Central Lab Services/Clinical Trial Lab Services Market

3.9.1 Introduction

3.9.2 Market Potential of Central Lab Services/Clinical Trial Lab Services

3.9.3 AI Use Cases

3.9.4 Future of Generative AI in Clinical Trial Lab Ecosystem



4 Competitive Landscape

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win

4.2.1 Overview of Strategies Adopted by Key Players in Central Lab Services/Clinical Trial Lab Services Market

4.3 Revenue Analysis, 2020-2024

4.4 Market Share Analysis, 2024

4.5 Company Valuation and Financial Metrics

4.6 Brand/Product Comparison

4.7 Company Evaluation Matrix: Key Players, 2024

4.7.1 Stars

4.7.2 Emerging Leaders

4.7.3 Pervasive Players

4.7.4 Participants

4.7.5 Company Footprint: Key Players, 2024

4.7.5.1 Company Footprint

4.7.5.2 Region Footprint

4.7.5.3 Product Type Footprint

4.7.5.4 Therapeutic Area Footprint

4.7.5.5 Phase Footprint

4.8 Company Evaluation Matrix: Startups/SMEs, 2024

4.8.1 Progressive Companies

4.8.2 Responsive Companies

4.8.3 Dynamic Companies

4.8.4 Starting Blocks

4.8.5 Competitive Benchmarking: Startups/SMEs, 2024

4.8.5.1 Detailed List of Key Startups/SMEs

4.8.5.2 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Startups/SMEs

4.9 Competitive Scenario

4.9.1 Product Launches

4.9.2 Deals

4.9.3 Expansions

4.9.4 Other Developments



5 Company Profiles

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Iqvia

Icon PLC

Charles River Laboratories

Labcorp

Quest Diagnostics

Medpace

Frontage Labs

Sgs Societe Generale De Surveillance SA

Eurofins Scientific

Reprocell Inc.

Acm Global Laboratories

Worldwide Clinical Trials

Versiti

Cti Clinical Trial & Consulting

Clarity Laboratories, Inc.

Novotech

Arup Laboratories

Precision Medicine Group

Bioagilytix Labs

Cerba Healthcare

Almac Group

Mlm Medical Labs

Salvus Bioresearch Solutions Llp

Unilabs

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/96kxkm

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) - Company Evaluation Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Companies Quadrant is a comprehensive industry analysis that provides valuable insights into the global market for Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). This quadrant offers a detailed evaluation of key market players, technological advancements, product innovations, and emerging trends shaping the industry. The analyst's '360 Quadrants' evaluated over 100 companies, of which the Top 21 Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Companies were categorized and recognized as quadrant leaders.



This report categorizes the market based on component, indication, end user, and region. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies contribute to cost reduction by enhancing healthcare efficiency and alleviating the workload of hospitals and medical personnel. Moreover, these technologies allow patients to receive ongoing care at home, which leads to improved health outcomes and more effective care delivery. However, differences in regulatory frameworks across regions may pose challenges to market growth, requiring careful navigation to support broader adoption of these technologies.



The remote patient monitoring (RPM) market encompasses the use of technology to track and manage patients' health conditions remotely, both outside traditional healthcare facilities and within patient settings. It utilizes devices such as wearables, sensors, and mobile apps to monitor vital signs and chronic conditions. RPM provides healthcare professionals with real-time data, enabling more informed decisions and tailored patient care.



The 360 Quadrant maps the Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) companies based on criteria such as revenue, geographic presence, growth strategies, investments, and sales strategies for the market presence of the Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) quadrant. The top criteria for product footprint evaluation included.



Key players in the Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) market are actively investing in research and development, forming strategic partnerships, and engaging in collaborative initiatives to drive innovation, expand their global footprint, and maintain a competitive edge in this rapidly evolving market.



Top 3 Companies

Koninklijke Philips N.V.



Koninklijke Philips N.V. is a leader in the RPM market through its innovative products in healthcare and consumer lifestyle sectors. Under its Connected Care segment, Philips offers advanced patient monitoring systems that utilize real-time data to improve clinical workflows and reduce hospital readmissions. Philips's diversified technology benefits both its consumer and medical business arms, making it a dominant player globally.



Medtronic



Medtronic is renowned for its broad portfolio in the medical devices arena, leading in revenue across several fiscal years. The company continually invests in RPM innovations to track patient health metrics effectively. Medtronic's strategic growth is marked by collaborations and acquisitions, reinforcing its market leadership and enabling it to harness new opportunities across emerging markets.



Abbott



Abbott Laboratories excels in remote patient monitoring via its Diagnostic Products and Medical Devices segments, focusing on chronic disease management with advanced monitoring devices. Abbott's global operations, particularly through subsidiaries, ensure a vast market reach and robust distribution network. Its continuous innovation in healthcare solutions underpins its influential status in the RPM market.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Market Definition

1.2 Inclusions & Exclusions

1.3 Stakeholders



2 Executive Summary



3 Market Overview

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Drivers

3.1.1.1 Transformation of Patient Care Through Digital Innovation

3.1.1.2 Expansion of Telehealth in Remote Patient Monitoring

3.1.1.3 Rising Prevalence of Chronic Diseases

3.1.1.4 Increasing Geriatric Population and Rising Uptake of Rpm Services

3.1.1.5 Growing Need for Cost-Containment Across Healthcare Facilities

3.1.1.6 Technological Innovation in Wearables, Mhealth Apps, and Connected Devices

3.1.2 Restraints

3.1.2.1 High Investments and Lack of IT Expertise

3.1.2.2 Behavioral Barriers and Healthcare Affordability Challenges in Remote Patient Monitoring

3.1.2.3 Challenges Associated with 2024 CMS Regulations

3.1.3 Opportunities

3.1.3.1 Emergence of AI & ML

3.1.3.2 Gradual Shift Toward Outpatient Care Environments

3.1.3.3 Increasing Utilization for Infectious Disease Diagnostics

3.1.3.4 Rising Initiatives for Hospital-At-Home Programs

3.1.4 Challenges

3.1.4.1 Concerns Associated with Data Security

3.1.4.2 Data Accessibility Issues

3.1.4.3 Incorporation of Sdoh Factors into Rpm Programs

3.2 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers' Businesses

3.2.1 Revenue Shifts and New Revenue Pockets for Remote Patient Monitoring Market

3.3 Industry Trends

3.3.1 Gradual Shift to Value-based & Patient-Centric Care

3.4 Ecosystem Analysis

3.5 Value Chain Analysis

3.6 Technology Analysis

3.6.1 Key Technologies

3.6.1.1 Miniature Wearable Devices

3.6.1.2 Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

3.6.1.3 Cloud Computing

3.6.1.4 Patient Engagement Tools

3.6.1.5 Ehr Integration

3.6.1.6 Voice Assistant Integration

3.6.2 Complementary Technologies

3.6.2.1 5G Connectivity

3.6.2.2 Mhealth Apps

3.6.2.3 Digital Therapeutics

3.6.2.4 Telehealth Platforms

3.6.3 Adjacent Technologies

3.6.3.1 Poc Diagnostics

3.6.3.2 Smart Home Health Devices

3.7 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.7.1 Threat of New Entrants

3.7.2 Threat of Substitutes

3.7.3 Bargaining Power of Manufacturers

3.7.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

3.7.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

3.8 Patent Analysis

3.8.1 Patent Publication Trends for Remote Patient Monitoring

3.8.2 Jurisdiction and Top Applicant Countries for Remote Patient Monitoring

3.8.3 Leading Patents in Remote Patient Monitoring Market

3.9 Key Conferences and Events, 2025-2026

3.9.1 Remote Patient Monitoring Market: Detailed List of Conferences & Events, 2025-2026

3.10 Remote Patient Monitoring Business Model

3.10.1 Subscription-based Models

3.10.2 Platform as a Service (PaaS)

3.10.3 Freemium Models with Premium Features

3.10.4 Collaborative Ecosystems & Partnerships

3.11 Impact of Generative AI/AI on Remote Patient Monitoring Market

3.11.1 Key Use Cases

3.11.2 Impact of AI/Gen AI on Interconnected & Adjacent Ecosystems

3.11.2.1 Telehealth & Telemedicine

3.11.2.2 Wearable Devices

3.11.2.3 Digital Healthcare

3.11.2.4 Home Healthcare

3.11.3 User Readiness & Impact Assessment

3.11.3.1 User Readiness

3.11.3.1.1 User A: Hospitals

3.11.3.1.2 User B: Ambulatory Surgery Centers

3.11.3.2 Impact Assessment

3.11.3.2.1 User A: Hospitals

3.11.3.2.1.1 Implementation

3.11.3.2.1.2 Impact

3.11.3.2.2 User B: Ambulatory Surgery Centers

3.11.3.2.2.1 Implementation

3.11.3.2.2.2 Impact



4 Competitive Landscape

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win

4.2.1 Overview of Strategies Adopted by Key Players in Remote Patient Monitoring Market

4.3 Revenue Analysis, 2019-2023

4.4 Market Share Analysis, 2023

4.5 Company Evaluation Matrix: Key Players, 2023

4.5.1 Stars

4.5.2 Emerging Leaders

4.5.3 Pervasive Players

4.5.4 Participants

4.5.5 Company Footprint: Key Players, 2023

4.5.5.1 Company Footprint

4.5.5.2 Region Footprint

4.5.5.3 Component Footprint

4.5.5.4 Indication Footprint

4.5.5.5 End-user Footprint

4.6 Company Evaluation Matrix: Startups/SMEs, 2023

4.6.1 Progressive Companies

4.6.2 Responsive Companies

4.6.3 Dynamic Companies

4.6.4 Starting Blocks

4.6.5 Competitive Benchmarking: Startups/SMEs, 2023

4.6.5.1 Detailed List of Key Startups/SMEs

4.6.5.2 Competitive Benchmarking of Startups/SMEs

4.7 Company Valuation & Financial Metrics

4.7.1 Financial Metrics

4.7.2 Company Valuation

4.8 Brand/Software Comparison

4.9 Competitive Scenario

4.9.1 Product/Service Launches & Approvals

4.9.2 Deals

4.9.3 Expansions

4.9.4 Other Developments



5 Company Profiles

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Omron Healthcare, Inc. (Subsidiary of Omron Corporation)

Medtronic

GE Healthcare

Abbott

Oracle

Boston Scientific Corporation

Nihon Kohden Corporation

Siemens Healthineers AG

Baxter

Biobeat

Biotronik

Vitalconnect

Vivalnk, Inc.

Cleararch, Inc.

Optum, Inc. (Vivify Health, Part of Optum)

Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.

Lightbeam

Cloud Diagnostics Canada Ulc

Teladoc Health, Inc.

Guangdong Transtek Medical Electronics Co. Ltd.

Caresimple Inc.

Timedoc, Inc.

Md Revolution Inc.

Optimize Health, Inc.

Health Recovery Solutions

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/arxbgt

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Heineken N.V. reports the progress of transactions under its current share buyback programme

Amsterdam, 1 September 2025 - Heineken N.V. (EURONEXT: HEIA; OTCQX: HEINY) hereby reports transaction details related to the first 750 million tranche of its 1.5 billion share buyback programme as communicated on 12 February 2025.

From 25 Aug 2025 up to and including 29 August 2025 a total of 173,200 shares were repurchased on exchange at an average price of  69.87. During the same period, 173,896 shares were repurchased from Heineken Holding N.V.

Up to and including 29 August 2025, a total of 4,644,940 shares were repurchased under the share buyback programme for a total consideration of  346,090,627 (including shares repurchased from Heineken Holding N.V.).

Heineken N.V. publishes on a weekly basis, every Monday, an overview of the progress of the share buyback programme on its website: https://www.theheinekencompany.com/investors/share-information/share-buyback-programme

Enquiries





Media

Investors Christiaan Prins

Tristan van Strien Director of Global Communication

Global Director of Investor Relations Marlie Paauw

Lennart Scholtus / Chris Steyn Corporate Communications Lead

Investor Relations Manager / Senior Analyst E-mail: pressoffice@heineken.com

E-mail: investors@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239355

Tel: +31-20-5239590

Regulatory information

This press release is issued in connection with the disclosure and reporting obligations as set out in Article 5(1)(b) Regulation (EU) 596/2014 and Article 2(2) of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 that contains technical standards for buyback programs.

Editorial information:

HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium and non-alcoholic beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 340 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. With HEINEKENs over 85,000 employees, we brew the joy of true togetherness to inspire a better world. Our dream is to shape the future of beer and beyond to win the hearts of consumers. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brew a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Most recent information is available on our Company's website and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia IT Services Market, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2020-2030F" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Saudi Arabia IT Services Market was valued at USD 5.58 Billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 9.39 Billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 9.06%.

Saudi Arabia IT Services Market refers to the industry that provides technology-related services such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, software development, and IT consulting to businesses, government entities, and individuals.







This sector plays a critical role in supporting digital infrastructure, automating business operations, and enabling smart technologies across industries including healthcare, finance, education, and oil & gas. IT services in Saudi Arabia are often delivered by both global tech firms and local providers, making the market highly dynamic and competitive.



The market is witnessing rapid growth due to multiple driving forces. A key factor is the Saudi government's Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to diversify the economy beyond oil by investing heavily in digital transformation and smart city projects like NEOM. Public and private sectors are increasingly adopting advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and cloud platforms to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience. The growing awareness of cybersecurity threats has also led to increased spending on IT security services, further propelling market growth.



The Saudi IT Services Market is expected to expand significantly due to rising internet penetration, a youthful tech-savvy population, and proactive regulatory support for digital innovation. The government's focus on local talent development in IT and initiatives like the National Digital Transformation Unit will boost domestic capabilities and attract foreign investment. As businesses modernize their IT infrastructure, the demand for managed services, cloud migration, and data-driven solutions will continue to rise, positioning Saudi Arabia as a leading tech hub in the Middle East.



Key Market Drivers



Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 serves as the cornerstone for the nation's digital revolution and is a primary catalyst for the expansion of its Information Technology Services Market. This ambitious strategic framework, launched by the Kingdom's leadership, aims to diversify the economy away from oil dependency and establish a knowledge-based society through the modernization of infrastructure, smart governance, and national digitization. As part of this initiative, the government is rapidly digitizing public services, healthcare, education, and law enforcement systems, creating an unprecedented demand for enterprise-grade Information Technology services and solutions. Key programs such as the e-Government initiative, the Smart Government Strategy, and the National Transformation Program are injecting significant investments into building scalable, secure, and citizen-centric digital platforms.



The rollout of next-generation technologies - including blockchain for public records, artificial intelligence-driven services for urban planning, and cloud computing for government data - has required specialized Information Technology service providers to design, implement, and manage complex digital ecosystems. The government is also actively encouraging private sector collaboration through partnerships, outsourcing, and incentive schemes to drive innovation in the Information Technology space.



These actions are not only fostering a high-velocity environment for technological adoption but are also strengthening the regulatory frameworks to support digital compliance, privacy, and data sovereignty, thereby building confidence in the digital economy. As Vision 2030 accelerates, the need for end-to-end Information Technology services across architecture, integration, and managed operations continues to rise. According to the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), over 130 digital government services were rolled out across 24 ministries by 2023. This rapid digitization effort reflects the government's firm commitment to streamlining public service delivery and reducing bureaucratic friction, thereby creating sustained demand for Information Technology service providers to manage, upgrade, and secure these evolving digital platforms.



Key Market Challenges



One of the most critical challenges hindering the sustainable growth of the Saudi Arabia Information Technology Services Market is the persistent shortage of skilled professionals in advanced and emerging technologies. While the government has made significant strides in promoting digital literacy and education, there remains a pronounced gap between the industry's talent needs and the capabilities of the current workforce. Areas such as cloud architecture, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data science require highly specialized skill sets, many of which are still underdeveloped or underrepresented within the local labor market. As a result, businesses and government entities frequently rely on expatriate professionals or outsource expertise from abroad, which can lead to higher operational costs, cultural misalignment, and compliance challenges.



This skills gap not only restricts the domestic industry's ability to scale but also undermines the Vision 2030 objective of building a knowledge-based economy with strong local participation. Although government-led programs such as the Future Skills initiative and partnerships with international technology companies aim to cultivate national talent, the pace of transformation often outstrips the rate of upskilling.



Information Technology service providers operating in the country face limitations in project delivery timelines, cost competitiveness, and innovation capability due to the shortage of experienced professionals. Bridging this gap will require long-term investment in education reform, hands-on training programs, and incentives for private sector participation in workforce development. Without a robust talent ecosystem, the Information Technology Services Market may struggle to keep pace with rising demand and evolving technological complexity.



Key Market Trends



The establishment of local data centers is emerging as a pivotal trend in the Saudi Arabia Information Technology Services Market. With increasing regulatory emphasis on data sovereignty and the localization of digital assets, global technology firms and regional service providers are investing heavily in building in-country data infrastructure. These data centers are critical for supporting sovereign cloud environments that comply with the Kingdom's data residency laws, particularly in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and public administration. The presence of localized cloud facilities not only enhances data security and latency but also builds confidence among government agencies and regulated industries to adopt cloud-based services.



This shift is unlocking new opportunities for Information Technology service vendors offering cloud consulting, migration, management, and cybersecurity services tailored to local regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the expansion of localized data infrastructure enables hybrid cloud adoption and edge computing models, supporting digital transformation initiatives at scale. Technology leaders such as Oracle, Google Cloud, and Microsoft are already establishing partnerships and infrastructure investments within Saudi Arabia, signaling strong market commitment. This trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years, reinforcing the country's ambition to become a regional digital hub and fostering greater demand for specialized Information Technology services.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 85 Forecast Period 2024 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $5.58 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $9.39 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 9.0% Regions Covered Saudi Arabia



Report Scope:

Key Market Players

Saudi Telecom Company

Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily)

Mobile Telecommunications Company Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA)

SAP SE

Oracle Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

IBM Corporation

Alphabet Inc.

Saudi Arabia IT Services Market, By Service Type:

Managed Services

Professional Services

Saudi Arabia IT Services Market, By Deployment Type:

On-Premises

Cloud-Based

Saudi Arabia IT Services Market, By End-User Industry:

BFSI

IT & Telecom

Government & Defense

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Retail

Others

Saudi Arabia IT Services Market, By Region:

Northern & Central

Southern

Eastern

Western

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x2qpzj

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edustaff, a national leader in K12 substitute and support staffing services, is proud to announce a new partnership with Jacksonville City Schools in Calhoun County, Alabama. This collaboration supports the districts commitment to preparing all students for a successful life.

Serving approximately 1,700 students across two schoolsKitty Stone Elementary (PreK to 6) and Jacksonville High School (grades 712)Jacksonville City Schools is recognized for academic rigor, strong reading proficiency (66%), and a 95% graduation rate with an average ACT score of 24.

We are thrilled to partner with Jacksonville City Schools, said Derek Vogel, CEO of Edustaff. Their focus on student development and academic quality aligns with our mission to deliver dependable, district-focused staffing support.

Edustaff currently serves more than 600 school districts nationwide, placing over 83,000 substitute professionals annually. Its comprehensive services include streamlined recruiting, onboarding, payroll management, and district-specific support to help ensure classroom consistency.

Individuals interested in becoming substitute teachers or support staff in Jacksonville City Schools are encouraged to apply at Edustaff.org.

About Jacksonville City Schools

Jacksonville City Schools, headquartered at 320 Branscomb Drive SW, Jacksonville, AL 36265, serves approximately 1,700 students across Kitty Stone Elementary and Jacksonville High School. The district emphasizes academic excellence, college readiness, and maintains strong ties with Jacksonville State University through dual enrollment programs.

About Edustaff

Edustaff is a leading K12 educational staffing agency that provides substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff to school districts across the United States. Known for its transparent pricing, thorough compliance processes, and dedicated district service, Edustaff supports schools in maintaining high-quality learning environments.

4120 Brockton Dr. SE

Suite 200

Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Phone: 877.974.6338

Fax: 877.974.6339

E-mail: contact@edustaff.org
Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Denmark Cards and Payments Statistical Yearbook 2025" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The digital payments landscape is poised for transformative updates throughout 2025, revealing the deep-seated impacts of COVID-19 on digital and card payments, alongside e-commerce and m-commerce across various markets. The sector will see enhanced real-time payments infrastructure growth, detailed by market analysis, illuminating the expansion and integration of real-time payment systems. Open Banking's infrastructure proliferation, including comprehensive API rollouts and strategic market initiatives, will further enhance the financial ecosystems.

The ascendancy of contactless and mobile payments continues unabated, with market-specific statistics highlighting their proliferation. In parallel, developments in cryptocurrency, stablecoins, and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) initiatives receive detailed monitoring by market. A comprehensive update on bank channel digitalization offers insights, bolstered by a column dedicated to forecasting in all major analytical tables.

The press release addresses the introduction of a reader-friendly design that accentuates enhanced data visualization, making complex data more accessible. Industry innovations and bank deployments in electronic identification (eID), biometrics, and artificial intelligence (AI) underscore the shift towards a digitally fluent financial sector. The integration of digital challengers and neobanks into traditional banking infrastructure marks a significant evolution in the banking environment.

For 2023-24, updates accommodate crucial facets like Bank M&As and restructuring, improved mobile banking applications, and digital wallet initiatives. Increased insights into Payment Service Providers (PSPs) by country, alongside real-time payments adoption and QR code payment implementation, are also presented. Notable enhancements in card fraud monitoring within Europe, accompanied by details of non-bank card issuances and co-brands, provide a comprehensive view of the prevailing market conditions.

This release highlights new payment trends segmented by country, encompassing contactless, NFC technology, QR code, mPOS, SoftPOS services, and biometric authentication developments. It delves into digital wallets, in-app, and mobile in-store payments, and emphasizes instant payments and eID initiatives, rounding off with cryptocurrencies and CBDC activities.

Additional data enrichments are introduced, featuring updated card business data from 2019 to 2023, including Year-over-Year growth rates, CAGR, and 2024 forecasts. Key metrics such as population, cards per capita, and card value per capita are assessed. Furthermore, a detailed exploration of debit and credit card usage informs about card payments, average transaction values, ATM and POS statistics, and internet usage's impact on e-payments and B2C e-commerce growth.

This meticulous update offers a robust look into digital payments' future, setting the stage for significant advancements in 2025 and reinforcing comprehension of market trends and data insights.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7490d6

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
NEW YORK, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) is participating as a Strategic Partner in the C3 Davos of Healthcare New York Summit, Healthcare Disrupted: The Future of AI, Data & Precision Medicine, which will take place on Monday, September 8, 2025, at the Union League Club in New York City. The event will bring together world leaders, innovators, and healthcare pioneers to explore the technologies shaping the future of medicine.

KFSHRC will be represented by leading experts across multiple sessions. Dr. Bjorn Zoega, CEO of KFSHRC-Riyadh and C3 Board Advisor, will deliver the Welcoming Remarks and Keynote Introduction, setting the stage for the discussions ahead. Prof. Jackie Ying, Chief Innovation & Research Officer will join the Keynote Panel: Vision 2030: How Saudi Arabia is Building Future Healthcare Solutions & Infrastructure, highlighting the Kingdoms progress in digital health, AI-driven solutions, and healthcare system transformation.

In addition, Dr. Ahmad AbuSalah, Director of the Center for Healthcare Intelligence at KFSHRC, will speak in Session 4: Smart Hospitals: How AI is Powering Operational Efficiency, Patient Safety & Clinical Decision-Making, sharing insights on how AI is reshaping hospital operations and clinical workflows.

The summits wider agenda features high-level sessions on global healthcare priorities, including the global paradigm shift in the early detection of Alzheimers disease, opportunities for startups in healthcare, biosafety and food security, incorporating the full spectrum of patient data to improve clinical outcomes and support predictive analysis, and elevating womens health through AI-powered personalized medicine. The event will also feature the Clinical Intelligence Startup Showcase, spotlighting innovators redefining diagnostics, workflows, and personalized care.

As Strategic Partner, KFSHRCs participation underscores its growing role as a global leader in precision medicine, digital health, and medical innovation, while reaffirming its commitment to shaping the future of healthcare on the world stage.

KFSHRC has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 15th globally in the list of the worlds top 250 Academic Medical Centres for the third consecutive year and recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East, according to the 2025 Brand Finance rankings. Additionally, it was included in the Worlds Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025 by Newsweek magazine.

Contact information:

kfshrc@mcsaatchi.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e79612f3-77ee-4635-be7f-9cde26f3ab79
LUOYANG, China, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Against the backdrop of the global "dual carbon" goals and surging demand for energy-efficient construction and industry, TRUNNANO's independently developed aerogel thermal insulation coating has emerged, successfully breaking through technological barriers and accelerating global green energy conservation efforts. This achievement is the result of the tireless efforts of CEO Roger Luo and his team, who have overcome countless challenges and difficulties.





TRUNNANO Aerogel Thermal Insulation Coating

As a nanoscale, high-performance material, aerogel faces the dual challenges of material dispersion and application compatibility in its coating formulation. In the early stages of development, the tendency of aerogel particles to agglomerate made it difficult to ensure stable coating performance. The TRUNNANO team dedicated hundreds of days and nights, undergoing hundreds of formulation iterations, to developing a unique dispersion process that evenly "embeds" the aerogel particles into the coating matrix, fundamentally ensuring consistent thermal insulation performance.





Test items Unit Data Appearance status White Paste Construction method Scraping, Smearing, Spraying Thermal conductivity W/(mK) 0.035 Density g/cm 0.60.02 Adhesion strength MPa 0.6 Dry film thickness mm 2 Material consumption L/m 1(2mm Thickness) Fire rating A2/B1

Product parameters of thermal insulation middle layer coating for construction

Architectural and industrial applications vary significantly across regions around the world, from ordinary residential buildings to high-temperature industrial facilities, placing stringent requirements on coating compatibility. The TRUNNANO team has overcome application limitations in diverse scenarios, including new residential developments, renovations of existing buildings, petrochemical storage tanks, and steel mill blast furnaces, making aerogel coating a universal energy-saving tool. In humid areas, aerogel coating prevents frost formation, while in dry, hot locations, it can reduce temperatures by approximately 8 to 10C.





Aerogel thermal insulation and decoration integrated construction diagram

The measured thermal conductivity of aerogel thermal insulation coating is as low as 0.035 W/(mK), setting a new global performance record for thermal insulation materials. In architectural applications, the integrated system of "base wall - leveling layer - specialized primer + midcoat + topcoat" creates a highly effective thermal insulation barrier, helping buildings remain warm in winter and cool in summer, significantly reducing heating and cooling energy consumption. In industrial applications, the coating effectively blocks heat transfer from high-temperature storage in petrochemical storage tanks and radiant heat from steel mill blast furnaces, reducing energy loss and improving equipment safety. Furthermore, its A2/B1 fireproofing rating and 0.6MPa bond strength fully comply with stringent global safety and quality standards, providing a solid defense for safety and energy conservation across various sectors.

From energy-saving renovations in urban villages in East and South Asia to insulation upgrades for older factories, from temperature control in grain storage and vegetable greenhouses to the protection of petrochemical facilities, TRUNNANO aerogel coatings are driving green development in diverse regions through global applications. Roger Luo emphasized, "TRUNNANO is anchored in the global 'dual carbon' vision. This coating is not only a technological breakthrough, but also a 'Chinese solution' for energy conservation that is being exported to the world. Going forward, we will continue to deepen our innovation, making aerogel coatings a core engine for global energy conservation and sustainable development, helping countries and industries steadily advance in the green transition and jointly chart a path to a zero-carbon future."

About TRUNNANO

TRUNNANO is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the research, development and production of nanomaterials and specialty chemicals, headquartered in Luoyang City, Henan Province. The company has a R&D team composed of multiple PhDs and senior engineers with strong independent R&D capabilities and rich industry experience. Over the years, TRUNNANO has been committed to providing customers with high-quality, high-performance chemical solutions and has won the trust and support of our customers.

For more information on TRUNNANO's High-Purity Chromium Oxide Powder (CrO) and its applications, visit our website at Silica Aerogel Thermal Insulation Coating or contact our team at sales8@nanotrun.com.



Media Contact: Roger Luo

Email: nanotrun@yahoo.com / sales8@nanotrun.com

Phone/WhatsApp: 0086 18837956556

Images accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e51dce58-532b-43f0-9cd5-dbbeaadba1c9

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/606335fd-8a05-45a5-8b42-c3fbb42cbf53
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT

Odense, September 1, 2025

Company Announcement no. 66  September 1, 2025

Reporting on transactions in Danish Aerospace Company A/S shares by persons closely associated with persons discharging managerial responsibilities

Danish Aerospace Company A/S

Company reg. (CVR) no.: 12 42 42 48

Danish Aerospace Company A/S (DAC or the Company) has received notification pursuant to article 19 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 of the below transaction related to shares in DAC made by persons closely associated with persons discharging managerial responsibilities in DAC.

M. Goldschmidt Capital A/S, a closely associated person to Sren Bjrn Hansen, Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors, has made the transaction described in the attached notification on the dates set out therein.

Please see the attached files for further details.

For further information, please contact:

Danish Aerospace Company A/S:

Thomas A.E. Andersen, CEO

Mobile: +45 40 29 41 62

Certified Adviser:

Baker Tilly Corporate Finance P/S

Poul Bundgaards Vej 1

DK-2500 Valby

Tel.: +45 33 45 10 00

www.bakertilly.dk

About Danish Aerospace Company A/S

Danish Aerospace Company A/S is a high-tech company operating in the area of advanced medical instrumentation and other engineering fields primarily within space applications. Our products are based on many years of specialized research and development. These consist of developing, integrating, and applying new as well as established medical technologies to the challenges of functioning and remaining reliable in space. These products and services bring the potential of space research and experience from space operations down to Earth for the benefit of all Mankind.

Danish Aerospace Company A/S employs engineers and technicians who deliver full engineering, production and technical services for our customers. We have specialized in customer specific design, development, manufacturing, certification, maintenance, testing, and operations.

The company has developed five generations respiratory equipment for spaceflight, cycle ergometers for astronauts countermeasures, adapted several commercial medical equipment for spaceflight and has participated in the development of the minus eighty-degree Celsius freezers.

The Companys quality system is certified in obligation to BS EN ISO 9001:2015, BS EN 9100:2018 technical equivalent to AS9100D that are the acknowledged standard in the area.

Note: This is a translation of the corresponding company announcement in Danish. In case of discrepancies between the Danish wording and the English translation, the Danish wording prevails.

Attachment
WASHINGTON, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) proudly honors the American worker, whose skill, dedication, and perseverance have built the greatest economy in the world. From factory floors to family farms, first responders, military, and Main Street shops, American workers and job creators embody the spirit of hard work that defines our nation  and under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, they are driving a historic comeback.

Since January 20th, President Trump has created over 500,000 private sector jobs and real wages have increased each month. He has secured trillions in private sector investment, delivered historic fair trade deals, and passed the largest working-class tax cut in American history. These early and growing wins show that when we put American workers and job creators first, our entire nation reaps the rewards. Small businesses, who create two out of every three new jobs, are finally on the rise  with small business optimism above its 52-year average, and now at a five-month high.

Labor Day celebrates the strength of our nation that comes from the unmatched work ethic and ingenuity of the American people  and under President Trump, workers and job creators are finally being put first, said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. With pro-growth policies like historic working-family tax cuts, fair trade, and massive deregulation, this Administration has already delivered over 500,000 new jobs and rising wages. For the first time in four years, small businesses are hiring, investing, and expanding again. And at the heart of the Main Street Comeback are the hardworking men and women of this country who get the job done every day to keep America moving forward.

On this Labor Day, the SBA reaffirms this Administrations commitment to standing shoulder to shoulder with American workers and small businesses, supporting their access to capital, business counseling, and contracting opportunities that drive opportunity and growth.

# # #

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Ottawa, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global AI in food and beverages market size stood at USD 11.75 billion in 2024 and is predicted to increase form USD 16.36 billion in 2025 to around USD 320.94 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 39.2% from 2025 to 2034, according to study published by Towards FnB, a sister firm of Precedence Research.

The market is burgeoning in recent times as advanced technology helps in optimizing supply chain, aiding in personalized nutrition, and helping the food and beverage industry in the form of smart packaging and manufacturing.

Note: This report is readily available for immediate delivery. We can review it with you in a meeting to ensure data reliability and quality for decision-making.

Access the Full Study Instantly | Download Sample Pages of the Report Now@ https://www.towardsfnb.com/download-sample/5622



AI in Food and Beverages Market Overview

The AI in the food and beverages market is expanding due to multiple factors aiding in the growth of the market. Advanced technology for supply chain optimization, enhancing food quality, lowering food wastage, product development, and enhancing safety are some of the major factors helping the growth of AI in the food and beverages market. Reduced labor costs and smart packaging are also some of the major factors helpful for the growth of the market. AI also helps the food and beverage industry in the form of AI and ML by detecting minute issues immediately, which is not possible to detect manually with the naked eye, further enhancing the quality of the final product as well. AI is also beneficial for enhanced customization, helpful to cater to the specific needs of consumers, and helpful to target the growth of the market.

Key Highlights of AI in Food and Beverages Market

By region, North America led the AI in the food and beverages market in 2024 with the largest share of 33%, whereas the Asia Pacific is expected to grow with the highest CAGR in the forecast period.

By technology, the machine learning segment contributed the largest market share of 30% in 2024, whereas the robotics and automation segment is expected to grow in the forecast period.

By deployment, the cloud segment dominated the AI in food and beverages market in 2024, whereas the on-premises segment is expected to grow in the foreseen period.

By end-use, the food processing segment dominated the AI in food and beverages market in 2024, whereas the supply-chain management is expected to grow in the forecast period.

By application, the quality control and safety compliance segment led the AI in the food and beverages market in 2024, whereas the production and packaging segment is expected to grow in the expected timeframe.



What are the Current Trends of AI in Food and Beverages Market?

Advanced robotics, helpful in product designing and innovation, is one of the major factors for the growth of AI in the food and beverages market.

Increased demand for automation and innovation is another major factor for the growth of the market.

AI-powered analytics for supply chain management and keeping the consumers engaged and loyal towards the industry are also aiding the markets growth.

AI algorithms are also essential for the food and beverage industry as they help in predictive analysis, which is helpful to detect the right time for maintenance of machines used for food manufacturing. It helps to lower the downtime chances and reduce time wastage, along with product wastage.

View Full Market Intelligence@ https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/ai-in-food-and-beverages-market

Recent Developments in AI in Food and Beverages Market

In August 2025 , Kido Group, Vietnams leading food producer, teamed up with Chinese firm Yuguangtongchen to establish a joint venture named AIRO. The venture will specialize in AI-driven TV commercials, short films, and movies. ( Source - https://theinvestor.vn/)

, Kido Group, Vietnams leading food producer, teamed up with Chinese firm Yuguangtongchen to establish a joint venture named AIRO. The venture will specialize in AI-driven TV commercials, short films, and movies. ( - https://theinvestor.vn/) In June 2025, Yum China Holding, Inc. launched its AI-enabled assistant called Q-Smart to help restaurant managers manage daily operational tasks. The tool can be easily paired with various electronic devices such as smart watches and wireless earphones. (Source- https://www.restaurantindia.in)

Market Dynamics

What Are the Drivers Helpful for the Growth of AI in Food and Beverages Market?

AI helps to automate repetitive tasks in production and packaging procedures, which is helpful for the growth of AI in the food and beverages market. AI algorithms help the industry in predictive analysis for lower downtime, enhanced operation of the machinery, and aid in timely maintenance of machines, which is helpful to lower wastage. The advanced technology also helps in product innovation and smart packaging, which is helpful for brands and the industry to keep the customers loyal and engaged, along with enhancing the pool of customers as well. AI also helps to manage supply chains and immediately detect events such as a shortage of raw materials, managing inventory, and streamline logistics as well.

Challenge

Higher Costs and a Lack of Skilled Workers are hampering the Growth of the Market.

Implementing AI solutions involving the purchase of hardware and software solutions can be expensive and, hence, is not an affordable option for small-scale F&B industries. Hence, such industries follow the traditional methods of manufacturing and packaging filled with errors, leading to obstruction in the growth of AI in the food and beverages market. Costs incurred to recruit skilled personnel experienced in data science, along with experience in the F&B segment, are another barrier to the growth of the market.

Opportunity

Emerging Markets helping the Growth of AI in Food and Beverages Market in the Foreseen Period.

Emerging markets are helping AI to flourish in the industry and making it more advanced. AI is helping the F&B industry to enhance food safety, improve the quality of the product, automate repetitive tasks, and is also helpful for timely machine maintenance. Hence, the advanced technology has a huge opportunity to enhance the growth of AI in the food and beverage market. The advanced technology is also essential to enhance supply chains and keep a tap on various processes involved in the food manufacturing procedure.

AI in Food and Beverages Market Regional Analysis

North America led the AI in Food and Beverages Market in 2024

Use of advanced technology for its infrastructure and in the form of reliable IT systems, data centers, and fast internet helped the growth of AI in the food and beverages market in North America in 2024. Growing demand for functional food, plant-based food, and personalized nutrition also helped the growth of the market in the region. Improved food quality and automation in maximum procedures also helped the growth of AI in the food and beverages market in the region.

Asia Pacific is Expected to Grow in the Forecast Period

Rising disposable income, growing middle class, and rapid urbanization are some of the factors helping the growth of AI in the food and beverages market in the Asia Pacific in the expected timeframe. Advanced technology is helping the industry to improve the food quality, automate maximum procedures, and manage the supply chains, and food safety is also helping the growth of the market in the region. The technology is also helping the industry in the form of personalized nutrition for specific customers as per their health conditions.

AI in Food and Beverages Market Report Scope

Report Attribute Key Statistics Base Year 2024 Forecast Period 2025 to 2034 Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 CAGR of 39.2% Market Size in 2024 USD 11.75 Billion Market Size in 2025 USD 16.36 Billion Market Size by 2034 USD 320.94 Billion Dominated Region North America Fastest Growing Region Asia Pacific Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa



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AI in Food and Beverages Market Segmental Analysis

Technology Analysis

The machine learning segment led the AI in the food and beverages market in 2024. The food and beverage companies are optimizing machine learning to get useful insights, such as forecast details, changing consumer behavior, seasonal variations, and understanding market disruptions for the growth of the market. Machine learning is also helping the market to study in-depth consumer preferences, menu designing for maximum consumer retention, and pinpoint popular menu items for enhanced market growth.

The robotics and automation segment is expected to grow in the expected timeframe, helping the growth of AI in the food and beverages market in the foreseeable period. The segment helps the industry to manage the rising demand for food and beverages, along with maintaining the food quality and safety, helping the growth of the market in the foreseeable future. The automation technology helps to automate multiple procedures, which are helpful for the growth of the market by lowering human intervention and reducing the chances of errors in manual procedures. Japan has made a major contribution to the growth of the market in the region in the form of AI-driven culinary robots to transform the food service segment.

Deployment Analysis

The cloud segment led the AI in the food and beverages market in 2024 because cloud-based services have helped the industry to improve customer service by streamlining ordering processes and enhancing delivery experience. The segment also enhances the importance of cloud systems to aid the decision-making procedure of the food and beverage industry, along with enhancing its operational efficiency as well. The segment also helps in managing various operations of the industry, managing supply chains, and offering creative solutions, with the help of remote services available on the internet. Inventory control, customer support, and Chatbots driven by AI are also some of the major factors helpful for the growth of the market.

The on-premises segment is expected to grow in the foreseen period as the segment fulfills various needs such as data sovereignty, security, and compliance. The segment also highlights its benefits, such as cost controls and customization in various options, helping the growth of the market. The segment is also essential in scenarios where internet connectivity is weak and the industry needs to take immediate action and make decisions. The on-premises segment, under such circumstances, aids immediate decision-making and guarantees dependable performance.

End-Use Analysis

The food processing segment dominated the AI in food and beverages market in 2024, as the segment highlights the importance of automation in streamlining the manufacturing and food packaging procedures. It helps in enhancing the food quality and safety, further fueling the growth of AI in the food and beverages market. Machine learning procedures help to streamline and simplify the huge amount of data gathered along with historical data, and make beneficial decisions accordingly. The food and beverage industries are using AI on a higher scale these days to enhance operational procedures, improve food quality, and meet the rising market needs by regularizing supply chains.

The supply chain management segment is expected to grow in the foreseen period by utilizing AI and aiding various procedures, such as optimizing the flow of materials, organizing them efficiently, and ensuring proper flow of such procedures for improved results. A variety of advanced technologies are helpful for supply chain management, enhancing delivery experience, and helping overall growth of the market in the forecast period.

Application Analysis

The quality control and safety compliance segment dominated the AI in food and beverages market in 2024 by enhancing food safety, improving food quality, keeping a tap on food inspection and quality control, upgrading shelf-life predictions, risk predictions, and improve public health and safety. Increasing demand for transparency and complete view of the procedures followed for food manufacturing to ensure safety is also helping the growth of market.

The production and packaging segment is expected to grow in the foreseen period as AI-powered robots can manage various procedures such as sorting, packaging, and assembling items to lower human intervention and automate the whole procedure. Use of AI for smart packaging involving the use of sensors for tracking the packaging is also helping the growth of the market in the foreseeable future.

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Additional Topics Worth Exploring:

Food and Beverage Industry Pumps Market : The global food and beverage industry pumps market size is expected to grow from USD 11.65 billion in 2025 to USD 22.57 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 7.63% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

: The global is expected to grow from USD 11.65 billion in 2025 to USD 22.57 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 7.63% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Food Grade Lubricants Market: The global food grade lubricants market size increasing from USD 491.01 million in 2025 to USD 1,120.43 million by 2034, driven by a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global increasing from USD 491.01 million in 2025 to USD 1,120.43 million by 2034, driven by a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Food Automation Market: The global food automation market size is set for steady growth increasing from USD 14.92 billion in 2025 to USD 28.61 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global is set for steady growth increasing from USD 14.92 billion in 2025 to USD 28.61 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. 3D Food Printing Market: The global 3d food printing market size is projected to expand from USD 535.08 million in 2025 to USD 7,605.04 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 34.3% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global is projected to expand from USD 535.08 million in 2025 to USD 7,605.04 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 34.3% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Food Processing Market: The global food processing market size is projected to grow from USD 177.56 billion in 2025 to USD 318.29 billion by 2034, reflecting a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global is projected to grow from USD 177.56 billion in 2025 to USD 318.29 billion by 2034, reflecting a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Food Processing Blades Market: The global food processing blades market size was calculated at USD 1.05 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach USD 2.46 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global was calculated at USD 1.05 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach USD 2.46 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Cheese Powder Market: The global cheese powder market size is projected to expand from USD 5.21 billion in 2025 to USD 9.33 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

The global is projected to expand from USD 5.21 billion in 2025 to USD 9.33 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Compound Feed Market: The global compound feed market size is expected to grow from USD 614.57 billion in 2025 to USD 986.58 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 5.4% over the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.

AI in Food and Beverages Market Top Companies

Rockwell Automation Inc.

TOMRA Sorting Solutions AS

Milltec Clarfai, Inc.

ABB Ltd.

INTELLIGENT Brewing Co.

Honeywell International Inc.

Sight Machine Inc.

Raytec Vision SpA

Key Technology Inc.

Google LLC

Impact Vision

SAP SE

NVIDIA Corporation

Buhler Group

IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Segments Covered in the Report

By Technology

Machine Learning

Computer Vision

Natural Language Processing

Robotics & Automation

By Deployment

Cloud

On-premises

By End-use

Food Processing

Supply Chain Management

Hotel & Restaurant



By Application

Food Sorting

Consumer Engagement

Quality Control and Safety Compliance

Production and Packaging

Maintenance

Others

By Region

North America

U.S.

Canada

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Thailand



Europe

Germany

UK

France

Italy

Spain

Sweden

Denmark

Norway

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina



Middle East and Africa (MEA)

South Africa

UAE

Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

Thank you for exploring our insights. For more targeted information, customized chapter-wise sections and region-specific editions such as North America, Europe, or Asia Pacificare also available upon request.

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About Us

Towards FnB is a global consulting firm specializing in the food and beverage industry, providing innovative solutions and expert guidance to elevate businesses. With an in-depth understanding of the dynamic F&B sector, we deliver customized market analysis and strategic insights. Our team of seasoned professionals is committed to empowering clients with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, ensuring they stay ahead of market trends. Partner with us as we redefine success in the rapidly evolving food and beverage landscape, and together, well navigate this transformative journey.

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 Snack Food Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/snack-food-market

 Food Additives Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/food-additives-market

 Confectionery Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/confectionery-market

 Meal Kits Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/meal-kits-market

 Baking Ingredients Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/baking-ingredients-market

 Probiotic Food Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/probiotic-food-market

 Protein Bar Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/protein-bar-market

 Smoothie Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/smoothie-market

Functional Ingredients Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/functional-ingredients-market

Functional Ice Cream Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/functional-ice-cream-market

Yeast Extract Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/yeast-extract-market
Oslo, Norway (1 September 2025)  Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement on 11 August 2025 published by TGS regarding vesting of Performance Stock Units (PSUs) and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

The vesting of PSUs and RSUs granted by TGS in 2022 in accordance with the terms of the 2022 Long Term Incentive Plan resulted in the right for a total of 83 participants to request the issuance of an aggregate of up to 288,177 shares of TGS common stock pursuant to free-standing warrants subscribed by the participant at the time of grant. Participants had the right to request TGS to settle a portion of the vested units in cash to allow satisfaction of employees tax withholding obligations arising as a result of the vest.

Following the vest of PSUs and RSUs, an aggregate of 198,926 new shares of TGS common stock have been issued to the 83 employees, which amount is net of any units that were settled in cash. The following reflects the shares issued to the primary insiders:

---- Kristian Johansen  30,543 shares

---- Sven Larsen  8,435 shares

---- William Ashby  8,500 shares

---- Tana Pool  12,132 shares

---- David Hajovsky  12,132 shares

---- Whitney Eaton  12,132 shares

About TGS

TGS provides advanced data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. With leading-edge technology and solutions spanning the entire energy value chain, TGS offers a comprehensive range of insights to help clients make better decisions. Our broad range of products and advanced data technologies, coupled with a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, make TGS a trusted partner in supporting the exploration and production of energy resources worldwide. For further information, please visit www.tgs.com.

orward Looking Statement

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include volatile market conditions, investment opportunities in new and existing markets, demand for licensing of data within the energy industry, operational challenges, and reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.

For more information, visit TGS.com or contact:

Bard Stenberg

VP IR & Communication

investor@tgs.com

Attachment
Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lead Scrape, a renowned tool for discovering B2B companies across various industries, has announced the release of its latest version, V4. This groundbreaking software is designed to revolutionize the way businesses find local B2B companies in over 50 countries, offering a comprehensive suite of features that streamline the lead generation process.





Lead Scrape - AI Lead Generation Software





The new V4 software stands out with its ability to provide extensive details for each company, including address, phone number, email, and social media profiles. Additionally, it offers insights into decision makers within these companies, the technology stack they employ, and crucial SEO statistics. This wealth of information empowers businesses to make informed decisions and tailor their outreach strategies effectively.

Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence, Lead Scrape V4 gathers data from a multitude of sources, ensuring accuracy and relevance by filtering out erroneous information. This AI-driven approach not only enhances the quality of the data but also significantly reduces the time and effort required to compile comprehensive business profiles.

V4 features native integrations with popular CRMs including HighLevel, HubSpot, Instantly, and many others. This means you can enjoy seamless workflow integration and automated lead management without the headache of manual transfers.

"The release of V4 marks a significant milestone in our mission to provide unparalleled lead generation solutions," said Sean Mancuso, CEO of Reganam Limited, the company behind Lead Scrape. "By leveraging AI technology, we are able to deliver precise and actionable insights that help businesses connect with the right partners and clients, driving growth and success."

Lead Scrape's commitment to innovation and excellence is evident in the robust capabilities of V4. The software's ability to support over 50 countries ensures that businesses can expand their reach globally, tapping into new markets with ease. The inclusion of decision maker information and tech stack details further enhances the strategic value of the leads generated.

As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of the modern markets, Lead Scrape V4 offers a powerful tool to stay ahead of the competition. By providing a comprehensive view of potential partners and clients, the software enables companies to build meaningful connections and foster long-term relationships.

For more information about Lead Scrape V4 and its transformative capabilities, visit our website at https://www.leadscrape.com to discover how it can elevate your lead generation efforts and help you grow better.

Contacts

Lead Scrape

Ben Ryan

Manager, Communications

pr@leadscrape.com









Find B2B local businesses in any industry




Ottawa, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global smart healthcare market size accounted for USD 418.59 billion in 2026 and is estimated to cross over USD 1,497.89 billion by 2034, forecasted to advance at a double-digit CAGR of 17.18% between 2025 and 2034. Market growth is fueled by the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing adoption of telemedicine and mHealth solutions, and rapid advancements in AI, IoT, and wearable devices.



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Smart Healthcare Market Overview

How is Smart Healthcare Market Growing?

Smart healthcare is a platform for the healthcare system that uses technologies like big data, machine learning, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and many more to enhance patient care. Smart healthcare focuses on creating personalised, interconnected, and intelligent healthcare infrastructure. It optimizes resource allocation, enhances patient care, and streamlines various operations.

It uses technologies to connect doctors, healthcare providers, patients, and hospitals. Smart healthcare collects data through sources like electronic health records, wearables, and sensors to understand healthcare system performance, patient health, and diseases. Smart healthcare includes remote patient monitoring, smart medication management, wearable devices, AI-powered diagnostics, and smart home healthcare.

Smart Healthcare Market Highlights:

In terms of revenue, the smart healthcare market is expected to reach USD 360.02 billion in 2025.

It is forecasted to hit an estimated USD 1,497.89 billion by 2034, driven by digital health innovations and rising chronic disease burden.

North America held a market share of 17.18% in 2024.

Asia Pacific region is estimated to expand the fastest CAGR of 24.68% between 2025 and 2034.

By product, the telemedicine segment registered a maximum market share of 42.42% in 2024.



Case Study: Remote Patient Monitoring in Action  A Transformational Shift in Diabetes Care





One of the most impactful examples of smart healthcare adoption comes from the integration of remote patient monitoring (RPM) platforms for diabetes management. In India, where nearly 101 million people live with diabetes, healthcare providers have increasingly turned to RPM solutions to reduce hospital visits and improve daily care.

Patients using connected glucometers, wearable patches, and mobile health apps are able to track their blood sugar levels in real time. These data points are automatically transmitted to cloud-based platforms, where AI algorithms analyze fluctuations and alert both patients and physicians of any critical deviations.

A 2024 pilot program run jointly by a leading hospital group in Bengaluru and a digital health startup demonstrated significant outcomes:

30% reduction in hospital admissions linked to diabetic complications.

linked to diabetic complications. Improved medication adherence, as patients received personalized reminders via smartphone apps .

. Enhanced doctor-patient communication, with physicians able to review health dashboards remotely and adjust treatment plans accordingly.

This case underscores the core growth drivers of the smart healthcare market  an aging population, rising prevalence of chronic conditions, and demand for cost-efficient, real-time care delivery. By leveraging connected devices, big data, and AI-driven insights, healthcare systems are moving closer to personalized, proactive, and preventive healthcare.

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What are the Growth Factors for the Smart Healthcare Market?

The growing prevalence of chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetes requires continuous monitoring.

The increasing adoption of telehealth apps, wearable devices, and smartphone apps.

The strong government support for the digitalization of the healthcare industry.

The rising demand for personalized medicine and remote patient monitoring.

The ongoing advancements in medical devices.



Top Smart Healthcare Applications in India:

Apps Features Tata 1 mg Discounts and Savings on Medical Bills Online Doctor Consultations from Specialists 2000 Types of Lab Tests Health Check-Ups Medicines and Personal Hygiene Products Available Practo Provides Reminders Various Healthcare Services Online Appointment Booking Pharmacy Delivery Coupons for Medical Tests and Blood Tests MFine Online Treatment, Diagnosis, and Consultations Chat, Video, and Audio Consultation Offers a Various Range of Medical Specialities Netmeds Provides Wellness Products, Medical Devices, OTC Medications, and Personal Care Items Offers Cashback Deals, Discounts, and Promotional Offers PharmEasy Teleconsultation Medicine Deliveries Sample Collections and Home Tests



Smart Healthcare Market Opportunity

What is an Opportunity for the Smart Healthcare Market?

Growing Demand for Remote Patient Monitoring

The growing prevalence of chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, & heart disease, and an aging population, increases the demand for remote patient care (RPM). It offers early detection of any potential issues and prevents further complications. It offers customized treatment plans and optimizes patient care. The growing patient demand for making informed decisions and accurate information to monitor health requires RPM. The increasing demand for virtual monitoring and consultations in remote areas increases the adoption of the RPM.

The increasing focus on reducing healthcare costs by healthcare systems and patients increases demand for RPM. The growing advancements, like implantable devices and wearable devices, lead to higher demand for RPM. The growing focus on expanding healthcare in rural communities fuels the adoption of RPM. The growing demand for remote patient monitoring creates the opportunity for the smart healthcare market.

Limitations and Challenges in the Smart Healthcare Market

What is the Limitation of the Smart Healthcare Market?

High Initial Investment Limits the Adoption of Smart Healthcare

Despite several benefits of smart healthcare in patient care, the high initial investment restricts the market growth. Factors like infrastructure upgrade, customization, stringent security measures, and high technology cost are responsible for the high initial investment. The development of diagnostic tools, medical devices, and sensors is expensive. The IT infrastructure, like powerful computing resources, high-speed networks, and secure data storage, requires a high initial investment.

The development of software for telemedicine, AI-powered analytics, EHRs, and remote patient monitoring requires a high initial investment. The cost of upgrading existing or building new healthcare facilities is high. The growing customization of smart healthcare increases the cost. The high initial investment hampers the growth of the smart healthcare market.

Smart Healthcare Market Key Regional Analysis:

How Big is the U.S. Smart Healthcare Market?

The U.S. smart healthcare market size accounted for USD 69.58 billion in 2024 and is expected to rise from USD 80.86 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 276.00 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 14.77% from 2025 to 2034.



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How did North America Dominate the Smart Healthcare Market in 2024?

North America dominated the smart healthcare market in 2024. The well-established technological infrastructure, like a strong presence of technological companies, high-speed internet, and rising smartphone usage, increases focus on the development of smart healthcare. The presence of advanced healthcare systems like personalised medicine, electronic health records, and telehealth services helps the market growth.

The strong government support for smart healthcare solutions and digital health increases the development of smart healthcare infrastructure. The growing prevalence of chronic disease and rising healthcare spending increases demand for smart healthcare solutions. The rapid adoption of connected healthcare technologies like remote patient monitoring, wearable devices, and mHealth drives the overall growth of the market.



Asia Pacific Smart Healthcare Market Trends:

Asia Pacific is experiencing the fastest growth in the market during the forecast period. The growing prevalence of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, and many more increases the adoption of smart healthcare technologies for continuous monitoring. The aging population and rising age-related health issues fuel demand for smart healthcare services, helping the market growth.

The rising healthcare spending increases demand for smart healthcare devices like wearable devices. The ongoing technological advancements, like artificial intelligence, sensor technology, and data analytics, increase development in smart healthcare solutions. The strong government support for digital transformation and the increasing expansion of 5G networks drive the market growth.

Smart Healthcare Market Segmentation Analysis

Product Type Analysis:

The telemedicine segment dominated the smart healthcare market in 2024. The growing focus on providing healthcare services in underserved and remote areas increases demand for telemedicine. The increasing patient demand for virtual consultation for convenience and flexibility helps the market growth. The rise in chronic conditions increases the adoption of telemedicine for remote patient management and monitoring. The increasing age-related health problems fuel demand for telemedicine. The growing advancements in communication technology, like wearable technology, video calls, and secure messaging, help in the market growth. The strong government support for telemedicine increases the adoption of telemedicine. The focus on the integration of telemedicine with IoT and AI to enhance diagnostics, remote patient care, and personalised care drives the market growth.

The mHealth segment is the fastest-growing in the market during the forecast period. The growing smartphone penetration and high-speed internet availability increase the adoption of mHealth. The increasing demand for remote healthcare services like management, monitoring, and consultations for health problems helps the market growth. The growing focus on patient empowerment, like wellness programs, medical records, and medication reminders, increases demand for mHealth.

The growing rate of chronic conditions like heart conditions, diabetes, and many more increases the demand for mHealth technologies. The increasing focus on patient-centric care fuels the adoption of mHealth technologies. The rising adoption of wearable devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches supports the market growth.

Top Companies in the Smart Healthcare Market:

Allscripts  Provides innovative electronic health records (EHR), practice management, and data analytics solutions to improve clinical workflows and patient care.



 Provides innovative electronic health records (EHR), practice management, and and patient care. Logi-Tag Systems  Specializes in RFID-based solutions for real-time tracking and inventory management in healthcare facilities.



 Specializes in RFID-based solutions for real-time tracking and inventory management in healthcare facilities. Cerner Corporation  Offers comprehensive health information technologies, including EHRs and population health management tools to enhance care delivery.



 Offers comprehensive health information technologies, including EHRs and population health management tools to enhance care delivery. SAMSUNG  Develops wearable medical devices and digital diagnostic solutions, contributing to the growing remote and mobile healthcare segment.



 Develops and digital diagnostic solutions, contributing to the growing remote and mobile healthcare segment. Cisco Systems  Delivers secure networking and telemedicine infrastructure that supports connected healthcare systems and real-time communication.



 Delivers secure networking and telemedicine infrastructure that supports connected healthcare systems and real-time communication. GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (GE Healthcare)  Provides smart imaging technologies, AI-powered diagnostics, and digital health platforms for better decision-making.



 Provides smart imaging technologies, AI-powered diagnostics, and platforms for better decision-making. Siemens Healthcare Private Limited  Offers AI-driven diagnostics, smart imaging systems, and digital platforms for hospital efficiency and precision medicine .



 Offers AI-driven diagnostics, smart imaging systems, and digital platforms for hospital efficiency and . IBM Corporation  Known for IBM Watson Health, it utilizes AI and cloud computing to improve diagnostics, treatment planning, and operational efficiency.



 Known for IBM Watson Health, it utilizes AI and cloud computing to improve diagnostics, treatment planning, and operational efficiency. BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)  Focuses on connected medication management, diagnostics, and smart medical devices to enhance patient safety and outcomes.



 Focuses on connected medication management, diagnostics, and smart medical devices to enhance patient safety and outcomes. AirStrip  Enables real-time clinical decision-making through mobile interoperability platforms that deliver patient data to clinicians anytime, anywhere.



 Enables real-time clinical decision-making through mobile interoperability platforms that deliver patient data to clinicians anytime, anywhere. Terumo Corporation  Innovates in smart infusion and interventional systems that enhance safety, monitoring, and precision in treatment delivery.



 Innovates in smart infusion and interventional systems that enhance safety, monitoring, and precision in treatment delivery. eClinicalWorks  Offers cloud-based EHR and practice management software with integrated telehealth and patient engagement tools.



 Offers cloud-based EHR and practice management with integrated and patient engagement tools. Resideo Technologies, Inc.  Provides smart home health monitoring solutions that support aging-in-place and chronic disease management.



Recent Developments:

In October 2024, Tencent collaborated with Pfizer to launch a smart healthcare innovation ecosystem. The innovation combines big data, cloud computing, and AI with the WeCom and WeChat ecosystem. The integration enhances connectivity between governments, institutions, users, businesses, and healthcare. WeChat offers services like code recognition, searching, and dissemination. (Source: https://www.prnewswire.com)

In April 2025, Baby & Mom Retail launched a new brand, CORVELL, for smart healthcare equipment. The companys focus is to make smart healthcare solutions more affordable, accessible, and reliable. The products are approved by the Government of India, and the flagship product of the brand is the smart nebulizer. The products are available on e-commerce platforms. (Source: https://www.indianretailer.com)

In March 2025, Airtel Business and Fortis Healthcare launched the Smart Clinics Solution. The solution helps to reach patients across rural and urban areas. The clinics support telemedicine by offering connected medical devices, live health tracking, real-time consultations, secure record management, and advanced point-of-care diagnostics. The clinics focus on a smoother patient experience and better care. (Source: https://telecomtalk.info)



Smart Healthcare Market Segments Covered in the Report

By Product Type

RFID Kanban Systems

RFID Smart Cabinets

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Telemedicine

mHealth

Smart Pills

Smart Syringes



By Region

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Sweden Denmark Norway

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Thailand

Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina

Middle East & Africa South Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Kuwait





Thank you for reading. You can also get individual chapter-wise sections or region-wise report versions, such as North America, Europe, or Asia Pacific.

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Dublin, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "PFAS Testing Company Evaluation" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The PFAS Testing Companies Quadrant is a comprehensive industry analysis that provides valuable insights into the global market for PFAS Testing. This quadrant offers a detailed evaluation of key market players, technological advancements, product innovations, and emerging trends shaping the industry. The analyst's '360 Quadrants' evaluated over 100 companies, of which the Top 14 PFAS Testing Companies were categorized and recognized as the quadrant leaders.



PFAS testing enables the detection and quantification of unknown PFAS compounds, such as PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and other analytes, while also evaluating their structural and chemical characteristics within a sample. The market is experiencing growth due to rising global concern over environmental contamination and growing initiatives by public and private entities to raise environmental awareness. Additional drivers include the increasing privatization of environmental testing and treatment services, expanded investments in wastewater treatment infrastructure, more stringent regulations for pollution monitoring and control, and government-led pollution control programs promoting environmental testing.



Despite these growth drivers, the market faces certain challenges, including limited awareness in developing countries about effective pollution monitoring strategies, stringent storage protocols for PFAS testing, and the high capital requirements for achieving accurate and sensitive analysis. Worldwide regulatory reforms addressing PFAS contamination have intensified, driven by mounting concerns over their environmental persistence and potential health hazards.

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) PFAS Strategic Roadmap (2021-2024) outlines action under key statutes, including the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), proposing maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for drinking water and hazard designations for PFOA and PFOS.



The 360 Quadrant maps the PFAS Testing companies based on criteria such as revenue, geographic presence, growth strategies, investments, and sales strategies for the market presence of the PFAS Testing quadrant.



Key Players



Key players in the PFAS Testing market are actively investing in research and development, forming strategic partnerships, and engaging in collaborative initiatives to drive innovation, expand their global footprint, and maintain a competitive edge in this rapidly evolving market.



Agilent Technologies, Inc.



Agilent Technologies commands a strong position in the PFAS testing market, driven by its research and development capabilities which underpin its competitive edge. The company's high-performance instruments are pivotal for accurate PFAS detection. Agilent continues to expand its market footprint through comprehensive workflow solutions aligned with EPA standards. These strategic initiatives are complemented by acquisitions that expand its analytical capabilities.



Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.



Thermo Fisher Scientific is a key player with a diverse range of analytical instruments and consumables. The company supports fields like biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and environmental analysis through groundbreaking chromatography and mass spectrometry consumables. By focusing on precision and efficiency, Thermo Fisher aids laboratories in meeting stringent regulatory requirements. Strategic collaborations and acquisitions further strengthen its market footprint.



Danaher Corporation



Danaher Corporation secures a notable market share with its extensive portfolio focused on environmental testing. The company prioritizes water analysis and advances its capabilities through both organic strategies, such as product innovations, and inorganic avenues like strategic partnerships. Subsidiaries like SCIEX and Pall Corporation are instrumental in enhancing PFAS detection technologies, keeping Danaher at the forefront of industry compliance and innovation.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Market Definition

1.2 Stakeholders



2 Executive Summary



3 Market Overview

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Market Dynamics

3.2.1 Drivers

3.2.1.1 Regulatory Reforms Addressing Environmental Pollution

3.2.1.2 Growing Concerns Over Pfas Contamination in Water

3.2.1.3 Favorable Investment Climate Driving Improvements in Environmental Capabilities

3.2.1.4 Increasing Financial Support for Wastewater Treatment Projects and Programs

3.2.2 Restraints

3.2.2.1 Strict Storage Requirements for Pfas Testing Reagents and Analytical Standards

3.2.3 Opportunities

3.2.3.1 Growth Opportunities Presented by Major Markets

3.2.3.2 Growing Financial Support for Treatment Projects and Programs

3.2.3.3 Higher Public Awareness Regarding Population Levels

3.2.4 Challenges

3.2.4.1 Lack of Standardized Testing Methods Across Regions

3.2.4.2 Limited Availability of Skilled Labor

3.3 Value Chain Analysis

3.3.1 R&D

3.3.2 Raw Material Procurement & Product Development

3.3.3 Marketing, Sales, and Distribution

3.4 Supply Chain Analysis

3.4.1 Prominent Companies

3.4.2 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

3.4.3 End-users

3.5 Ecosystem Analysis

3.6 Patent Analysis

3.7 Technology Analysis

3.7.1 Key Technologies

3.7.1.1 Chromatography

3.7.1.2 Mass Spectrometry

3.7.1.3 Ion Chromatography

3.7.2 Complementary Technologies

3.7.2.1 Total Organic Fluorine (Tof) Analysis

3.7.3 Adjacent Technologies

3.7.3.1 Environmental Monitoring Technologies

3.7.3.2 Water Treatment and Filtration Technologies

3.8 Porter's Five Force Analysis

3.8.1 Threat of New Entrants

3.8.2 Threat of Substitutes

3.8.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

3.8.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

3.8.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

3.9 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers' Businesses

3.10 Impact of AI/Gen AI on Pfas Testing Market



4 Competitive Landscape

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win

4.2.1 Overview of Strategies Adopted by Players in Pfas Testing Market

4.3 Revenue Analysis, 2019-2023

4.4 Market Share Analysis, 2023

4.5 Market Ranking Analysis, 2023

4.6 Company Evaluation Matrix: Key Players, 2023

4.6.1 Stars

4.6.2 Emerging Leaders

4.6.3 Pervasive Players

4.6.4 Participants

4.6.5 Company Footprint: Key Players, 2023

4.6.5.1 Company Footprint

4.6.5.2 Region Footprint

4.6.5.3 Product Type Footprint

4.6.5.4 Technique Footprint

4.6.5.5 Method Footprint

4.6.5.6 Application Footprint

4.7 Company Evaluation Matrix: Startups/SMEs, 2023

4.7.1 Progressive Companies

4.7.2 Responsive Companies

4.7.3 Dynamic Companies

4.7.4 Starting Blocks

4.7.5 Competitive Benchmarking of Startups/SMEs, 2023

4.7.5.1 Detailed List of Key Startups/SMEs

4.7.5.2 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Startups/SMEs

4.8 Competitive Scenario

4.8.1 Product Launches

4.8.2 Deals

4.8.3 Expansions

4.9 Company Valuation & Financial Metrics

4.10 Brand/Product Comparison



5 Company Profiles

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Danaher Corporation

Waters Corporation.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Shimadzu Corporation

Merck KGaA

Perkinelmer Inc.

Lgc Limited

Biotage

Macherey-Nagel GmbH & Co. KG

Accustandard

Wellington Laboratories Inc.

Cambridge Isotope Laboratories, Inc.

Chiron As

Metrohm Inula GmbH

Restek Corporation

Microsaic

Evonik

Lctech

Absolute Standards Inc.

Cytiva

Avantor, Inc.

Greyhound Chromatography and Allied Chemicals Ltd.

Lanxess

The Chemours Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tsv27x

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
MUNICH, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XYTE Mobility GmbH will celebrate its official debut at IAA Mobility in Munich with the world premiere of its first model: the ONE, a revolutionary three-wheeled electric scooter designed to redefine urban mobility.

The unveiling will take place on Monday, September 8 at 11:00 AM at Hall B2, Booth D101, where media representatives are warmly invited to attend.

The XYTE ONE combines cutting-edge engineering with advanced safety features, making it the safest electric scooter in the world. Its innovative safety cell allows riders to drive without a helmet and with a standard car drivers license (Class B).

Key highlights of the XYTE ONE:

Three-wheeled, fully electric architecture

Safety cell for helmet-free riding with maximum protection

Range of over 100 km on a single charge

on a single charge Electronically limited top speed of 100 km/h

The company was founded by Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart, a veteran of the global automotive industry, who will personally present the project. He will be joined on stage by Erik Goplen the designer of the XYTE ONE, who will share insights into the vision and design language behind this groundbreaking vehicle.

With the XYTE ONE, we are setting a new benchmark for safe, sustainable, and stylish urban mobility, said Dr. Ziebart. It is more than just an electric scooter  it is a new category of vehicle.

XYTE mobility is committed to shaping the future of urban transportation by combining safety, practicality, and sustainability in a bold new form.

Media are invited to join the world premiere on Monday, September 8 at 11:00 AM at IAA Mobility, Hall B2 Booth D101.

Boilerplate:

XYTE mobility GmbH is a Germany-based urban mobility company building a new category of compact, electric one-person vehicles that blend scooter agility with car-like protection. Founded by Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart and a team of seasoned automotive leaders, XYTEs purpose is to improve city life by making personal travel cleaner, quieter, and safer. Its first model, the XYTE ONE, embodies the brand promiseiconic design, everyday practicality, and a protective safety celldelivering confidence without the bulk of a car. XYTE scales with partner-led manufacturing and a city-by-city rollout across Europe, advancing Vision Zero through pragmatic engineering and human-centered design.

Press Contact:

XYTE Mobility GmbH

Mr. Christoph Walz (CMO)

+49 179 9093745

cwalz@xyte-mobility.com

www.xyte-mobility.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b368e210-0da9-444f-a55b-0c9bc744deb8

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/52e0e155-65b2-4f1b-9efe-d0580dd1eb15
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: CO-OPTION OF A WOMAN DIRECTOR

Press release

Paris, 1 September 2025

During its session on 30 July 2025, the Societe Generale Board of Directors resolved to co-opt Ms. Laura BARLOW as a Director, effective 1 September 2025. The General Meeting of 27 May 2026 will be convened to ratify this appointment.

This appointment follows the resignation of Ms. Beatrice COSSA-DUMURGIER, whose term was due to expire in 2026.

Ms. Laura BARLOW has held significant positions as a banker within NatWest Group (formerly known as RBS) and Barclays, notably as Head of Restructuring and Sustainability.

She has made the regulatory declarations regarding the absence of conflicts of interest and absence of convictions as stated on page 140 of the Universal Registration Document filed by Societe Generale with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers  AMF) under number D.25-0088 on 12 March 2025.

Press contacts:

Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com

Fanny Rouby_+33 1 57 29 11 12_ fanny.rouby@socgen.com

Societe Generale

Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective - to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.



The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.

with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank. Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.

a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG. Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.





Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the documents legitimacy directly on the web page.

For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

Attachment
[Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR]

This press release is also available in Francais (pdf) and Deutsch (pdf)





.............



Vevey, 1 September, 2025





Nestle Board appoints Philipp Navratil as CEO following the departure of Laurent Freixe







Nestle's Board of Directors today announces that Philipp Navratil has been appointed as CEO of Nestle, S.A., following the dismissal of Laurent Freixe with immediate effect.

The departure of Laurent Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestle's Code of Business Conduct. In line with best practice corporate governance, the Board ordered an investigation overseen by Chairman Paul Bulcke and Lead Independent Director, Pablo Isla, with the support of independent outside counsel.

Paul Bulcke, Chairman, stated: "This was a necessary decision. Nestle's values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service at Nestle."

He continued: "I am pleased to announce Philipp Navratil as CEO. Philipp is recognized for his impressive track record of achieving results in challenging environments. Renowned for his dynamic presence, he inspires teams and leads with a collaborative, inclusive management style. The Board is confident that he will drive our growth plans forward and accelerate efficiency efforts. We are not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance."

Philipp Navratil began his career with Nestle in 2001 as an internal auditor. After holding various commercial roles in Central America, he was appointed Country Manager for Nestle Honduras in 2009. In 2013, Philipp Navratil assumed leadership of the coffee and beverage business in Mexico, where he played a pivotal role in strengthening the Nescafe brand. In 2020, he transitioned to Nestle's Coffee Strategic Business Unit, where he was responsible for shaping the global strategy and driving innovation for Nescafe and Starbucks coffee brands. He assumed his position at Nespresso in July 2024, where he has accelerated growth and built strong momentum. Philipp Navratil joined the Nestle Executive Board on January 1, 2025.

Philipp Navratil, CEO of Nestle, added: "I am honored by the trust the Board has placed in me, and it is a privilege to take on the responsibility of leading Nestle into the future. I fully embrace the company's strategic direction, as well as the action plan in place to drive Nestle's performance. I look forward to working closely with the entire leadership of the company, in alignment with the Board, Chairman Paul Bulcke, and Chairman-Designate Pablo Isla, to accelerate execution and to drive the value creation plan with intensity."









Contacts:



Media:

Christoph Meier Tel.: +41 21 924 2200

mediarelations@nestle.com



Investors:

David Hancock Tel.: +41 21 924 3509

ir@nestle.com




Result for Q3 2025 The BANK of Greenlands profit before tax amounts to DKK 132.5 million for the first nine months of 2025, compared to DKK 193.6 million for the same period of 2024. The profit...
Blisworth, Northampton , Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beanworks Coffee Roasters has achieved a landmark result at the 2025 Great Taste Awards, earning an impressive 10 stars across its entries in the worlds most respected food and drink accreditation programme.

The Northamptonshire-based roasterys Colombian Jardines del Eden coffee claimed the coveted 3-star award, the highest distinction possible. Only 1.9% of the 14,340 products entered this year achieved this honour. Judges, part of an expert panel of more than 500 industry professionals, described the coffee as offering a complex and delicious flavourwith a truly enjoyable taste from first to last sip.



Beanworks

Raising the Bar for Decaf Coffee in the UK

Equally significant was Beanworks success with its Condor Decaf Coffee, which was awarded 2 stars, making it the joint highest-rated decaf coffee in the UK this year. The Colombian single-origin impressed the judging panel with a burst of juicy redcurrant acidity, balanced by toffee sweetness, finishing with a layer of dark chocolate.

Were absolutely delighted with this years results. Winning our first-ever 3-star award, alongside multiple other stars, is an incredible milestone for our team and our incredible farming partners around the world, said David Blair of Beanworks.

Innovation of Coffee, Recognised

The awards also shone a spotlight on innovation at coffee origin. The 3-star winning Jardines del Eden highlights the rare Papayo varietal, grown by Felipe Arcila, a fourth-generation Colombian producer in the Quindio region.

"We're equally pleased that the Awards have recognised the innovation of coffee growers," Blair continued. "Felipe Arcila's work with the Papayo varietal represents the cutting edge of coffee production, and we've carefully profiled and roasted it to showcase it at its very best.

A Well-Rounded Awards Haul

The roastery's complete haul included one 3-star, three 2-star, and three 1-star awards, demonstrating consistency across their range of Award Winning Coffee Beans. Alongside the headline winners, notable mentions include:

Highlights include:

 2-Star Awards:

Fuyan China  A distinctive Yunnan coffee

 1-Star Awards:

Ruganano Burundi  From the Rugabano Washing Station

El Paseo Colombia  From Narino

Danche Ethiopia  From the renowned Yirgacheffe region

Commitment to Speciality Coffee Excellence

Operating from Northamptonshire, Beanworks roasts and packs more than 200 tonnes of coffee annually, supplying independent cafes, restaurants, and home brewers across the UK. This latest achievement cements its status as a leader in the UKs Speciality Coffee sector.

The Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are recognised as the most rigorous and impartial food accreditation scheme. Each entry is blind-tasted, with judges including chefs, buyers, retailers, and writers, ensuring results are based purely on quality.

"The Great Taste Awards are the gold standard in our industry, so to see our Jardines del Eden recognised at the highest level, and our Condor Decaf rated as one of the UK's best decaf coffees, is truly humbling," Blair added.

Looking Ahead

This year's success builds on Beanworks' reputation for excellence in coffee sourcing and roasting, reflecting their ongoing commitment to showcasing exceptional coffees from producers worldwide while supporting sustainable and innovative farming practices.

For more information About Beanworks and their award-winning range, coffee enthusiasts can explore their complete collection of single-origin and blend coffees, including some of their celebrated Great Taste Award winners, through their website and network of stockists across the UK.

The 2025 Great Taste Awards results were announced on 5th August, with winning products now able to display the distinctive gold and black Great Taste logo, a mark recognised by consumers as a sign of exceptional quality and taste.

###

Media Contact

David Blair

The Beanworks

The Roastery, West Lodge Farm Courteenhall Rd, Blisworth, Northampton NN7 2QB

https://thebeanworks.co.uk/

newsroom: news.38digitalmarket.com
NEW YORK, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Yasuo Kashiwagi has joined the firm as Head of Japan, overseeing the firms integrated strategy and local partnerships in Japan, including local operations across asset management, capital solutions, wealth and retirement solutions.

Apollo has held an active presence across Asia Pacific for nearly two decades, opening a dedicated office in Tokyo in 2019 and steadily expanding its platform across origination, insurance and wealth in the region to meet the rising demand for flexible equity and yield-oriented solutions. The firm has grown its local team to over 30 professionals and is expected to continue its rapid expansion alongside a growing base of local institutional and distribution partnerships.

Mr. Kashiwagi will lead the next phase of Apollos growth in Japan, driving the firms strategic expansion in the market, deepening institutional and regulatory relationships and overseeing local execution across the firms businesses. He brings over 30 years of global financial leadership experience, most recently serving as Senior Managing Executive Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of the Asset Management & Investor Services Business Unit at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation. He has also held senior roles at Nomura Holdings in Europe and the United States.

Japan stands out as a market where long-term structural trends align with Apollos strengths, said Jim Zelter, President of Apollo Global Management. Institutions and corporates are increasingly turning to private capital as a solution, not just for financing, but also for long-term partnership. At the same time, Japans demographics are creating urgent demand for retirement income solutions. We are committed to building trusted relationships and delivering scaled, flexible capital that addresses these needs. With the addition of Kashiwagis leadership to our talented regional and global team, we are positioned to deepen our presence and broaden our impact.

Apollos approach in Japan has been to listen carefully, remain disciplined and deliver tailored solutions to our partners, said Tatsuo Tanaka, Japan Chair. As corporates look beyond traditional sources of capital and the retirement ecosystem evolves, our ability to take a long-term, outcome-focused approach has only become more relevant. Kashiwagis appointment reflects our commitment to serving the needs of todays business leaders and delivering next generation investment strategies to help individuals achieve better outcomes in retirement.

Im honored to lead Apollos efforts in Japan and work closely with our local and global teams to advance the firms position as a leading provider of capital and retirement solutions, said Yasuo Kashiwagi. We see growing demand for capital that is aligned, durable and flexible, especially in an environment where investors and issuers alike are focused on long-term outcomes. I believe Apollo is uniquely positioned to support Japans transition with a platform that combines global origination capabilities, retirement expertise, equity and yield-oriented solutions at scale.

Mr. Kashiwagis appointment builds on Apollos recent activity in Japan, including the addition of seasoned professionals across wealth management, credit and hybrid businesses, capital support for several blue-chip companies by its established equity platform and new partnerships with leading institutions to expand lending and retirement offerings. Apollo and Athenes integrated platform manages approximately $20 billion in assets in Japan, offering a full suite of investment strategies across private credit, hybrid and private equity.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2025, Apollo had $840 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Apollo Contacts

Noah Gunn

Global Head of Investor Relations

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

(212) 822-0540

IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose

Global Head of Corporate Communications

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

(212) 822-0491

communications@apollo.com






Dutch King hints at possible F1 return after 2026

Dutch king Willem-Alexander says Formula 1 could yet return to Zandvoort in the future, even as the race faces the definite axe after 2026.

Podium, Dutch GP 2025

 Red Bull

The race's private organisers announced long ago that they are bowing out amid spiralling costs and heavy competition from other potential hosts.

Unlike many grands prix, the Dutch GP receives no government backing.

I understand the financial considerations, said the King, but it's a shame that Formula 1 is disappearing again.

He was speaking with Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau, the Netherlands' largest news agency, while walking the Zandvoort grid with Queen Maxima and their three princesses.

Fortunately, we can still enjoy it twice more, Willem-Alexander said. "And who knows, the event might return again.

But it's definitely one of the most beautiful events we have.

The monarch said he remains fascinated by the sport in general. "It's the combination of top-level sport, strength, and technical expertise.

The innovations in Formula 1 ultimately find their way back onto the road in sustainability, even better materials, and even safer cars. Society truly benefits from it.

However, despite the presence of the royal family and the ongoing popularity of Max Verstappen, organisers and merchandise vendors admitted demand has dipped in 2025.

Friday's attendance at Zandvoort, for example, fell short of a sell-out.

(GMM)
Furious Sainz slams Lawson and FIA after Dutch GP

Carlos Sainz's season of frustration boiled over at Zandvoort, as the Williams driver lashed out at rival Liam Lawson and the FIA stewards.

Carlos Sainz, James Vowles, Dutch GP 2025

 Williams

Without a Ferrari seat for 2025 and overlooked by the other top teams too, Sainz's patience appeared to be turning into rage after the Dutch GP.

Today, the story of my season, he scowled after finishing outside the points.

I'm starting to get really angry, because another weekend I'm going fast, another weekend I was ahead of Alex (Albon) once again, and you see Alex finish P5 and me finish outside the points when I was ahead.

The flashpoint came in a clash with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, who earlier this year was dropped by Red Bull's senior team.

Sainz was hit with a 10-second penalty - a decision he labelled the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life.

Maybe it's about picking battles better, he told DAZN. "It's clear that Lawson isn't someone you can even attempt going wheel to wheel with.

Honestly, I wasn't even trying to overtake, I was forcing him to close me up so he could get a bit on dirty tyres, and from there I had a chance on the next lap. Yet he decided it was better to open the wheel and crash than to just hold it.

Sainz contrasted Lawson with the top drivers he has raced in the recent past.

There are drivers with whom you can go wheel to wheel with - Checo, Fernando, Gasly, Verstappen, Leclerc, Piastri, he said. With Liam, it's not the first time this has happened with him in this category, but it is what it is.

He went further in comments to Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, accusing the New Zealander of seizing an opportunity to put a driver out.

Asked if Lawson was a dirty driver, Sainz replied: No, but he prefers contact to being overtaken.

As for the stewards' call, he was similarly scathing.

"That the driver on the outside is now a passenger in response to what the driver on the inside decides to do seems unbelievable and makes no sense at all. Someone has to explain this to me.

What I believe I suffered today worries me for myself but also for motorsport in general. To give a penalty to the guy on the outside, who has nothing to do with the collision, seems outrageous to me and a brutal lack of coherence.

Sainz, newly installed as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, vowed to take the matter further. I think that as director of the GPDA, it obviously worries me, it worries me a lot, he said.

I will go to the FIA and I will have them explain it to me.

(GMM)
Wolff admits paddock feels weird without Horner

Toto Wolff says Formula 1 feels a little emptier without his long-time rival Christian Horner.

Christian Horner, Austrian GP 2025

 Red Bull

The Mercedes boss has rarely minced words about the now-sacked Red Bull chief - branding him an as*hole and a jerk in recent months - but admits he's even exchanged friendly texts with his old nemesis since then.

He said, 'What are you doing now? Because you love to hate me and I'm not here anymore?' Wolff smiled, according to Mundo Deportivo.

We didn't tend to have the same opinion or perspective. So he's been a wonderful, great enemy over the years. Do I miss him? It's quite strange to come here and not have Christian around. I mean, what do you do without him? It's kind of weird.

Wolff now faces Laurent Mekies further up the pitlane after Horner's sudden exit. And then there's Laurent Mekies' pragmatism, he smiled.

Suddenly, you can have a conversation about the long term. We're totally different people, but even your greatest enemy is your best friend.

Reflecting on Horner's potential return to F1 - perhaps via an Alpine buyout alongside Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone - Wolff compared the Briton to a villain in a movie.

What I said was that every movie needs the good, the bad, and the ugly, he explained. "Now that the bad guy is gone, it's just Fred Vasseur and me.

"We've had charismatic characters in the past, and I hope some of the new team principals grow into these roles authentically, because you can't fake it. Christian Horner was one of those protagonists.

He was outspoken, controversial, a jerk, and he loved playing that role. F1 needs a jerk - people need someone to hate.

(GMM)
Wolff right to keep protecting Antonelli

Toto Wolff has given his clearest indication yet that Mercedes will definitely continue with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli into Formula 1's new rules era.

Kimi Antonelli, Dutch GP 2025

 Mercedes

With Max Verstappen staying put at Red Bull, Wolff all but confirmed his own team's 2026 driver pairing after the Dutch GP. The team's driver lineup for the 2026 season will certainly be confirmed as it is, he told Sky Deutschland.

I don't see any reason not to continue working with either of the drivers - they are performing well. I think George is doing much better than the car allows in most grands prix. Antonelli just needs to get his confidence back. But he's definitely got the speed, so it'll be fine.

Antonelli, 19, endured another notably bad weekend - ultimately wiping out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and collecting a 10-second penalty before adding another 5 seconds for pitlane speeding.

Yet team boss and personal mentor Wolff continues to support the rookie. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Wolff's approach is the right one.

That's how it should be, he told Sky Deutschland. "When you give a young man such an opportunity, and he's rushed through all these junior classes, then when he gets up here, he needs time. And I think it's great that they're supporting him.

His speed was definitely there, but he certainly still needs to work on it.

Antonelli himself was quick to shoulder the blame late on Sunday. That was definitely my fault, he admitted.

I caused it, there's no sugarcoating it. It's not a nice feeling to knock an opponent out of the race.

Wolff, however, brushed off the latest in a series of errors as part of the learning process. We want a fast driver who learns and scores points, but all good drivers make mistakes, he said.

The Austrian was asked if Antonelli's chaotic early career can be compared to the mistakes Max Verstappen also made as a teenager.

It's hard to compare with Max (Verstappen) because Max was in a different environment at Toro Rosso, said Wolff.

"Kimi is 19 years old, in a giant team like Mercedes. He will make mistakes. Hopefully next year there will be fewer of them and more points.

But I believe in him 100 percent in the long term. This is just part of the learning curve.

(GMM)
In the US, ever since the iPhone 14 family, Apple's smartphones have lacked a physical SIM card slot, instead relying on eSIM. The company hasn't removed the physical slot anywhere else so far, but that may change with the iPhone 17 generation.

According to "a source familiar with the matter", retail employees at Apple Authorized Resellers across the EU are required to complete a training course related to iPhones with eSIM support by September 5. That timing is telling since the iPhone 17 launch event is taking place only four days later on September 9.

This will be just a memory if the rumors are correct

So this could very well mean that Apple has removed the physical SIM card slot from the iPhone 17 models that will be sold in the EU as well, hence the need to train retail employees to deal with eSIM activations.

The training information is allegedly available in Apple's SEED app, which is used by employees at both Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers around the world. This leaves open the possibility for the removal of the physical SIM slot to happen worldwide.

That sort of move has already been rumored for the iPhone 17 Air, due to its extreme slimness, but it might also apply to the rest of the family, with some specific exceptions, perhaps, like China.

Source
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Contracts for the disposal of abandoned vehicles in all 19 villages are frozen, following a procurement dispute thats now on the public auditors desk.

The Mayors Council of Guam wants to award two big contracts totaling $221,500 for the disposal of roadside junkers islandwide, a breakaway from past years where each village secured its own, smaller purchase orders for removal.

But bidder Cardona Pacific Corp. argues the Mayors Council misinterpreted and wrongfully threw out the companys bid for the service, in a protest thats now on appeal with the Office of Public Accountability.

The Mayors Council wants to give Buena Vista Environmental LLC a $107,500 deal to remove abandoned vehicles from all 19 villages, and Guahan Waste Control a $114,00 deal to process and dispose of the vehicles, based on OPA documents.

The issue reached OPA after the mayors council denied Cardona Pacifics procurement protest.

In its appeal with OPA, Cardona Pacific argues that it could have removed vehicles from the roadside for just $68,998 if the MCOG did not reject its bid over a paperwork error.

Mayors have complained for years that the process of securing small purchase orders at each individual village causes lengthy delays in the removal of abandoned vehicles each fiscal year.

This year is the first time the council went out to bid in one, big procurement for junker removals, MCOG President and Piti Mayor Jesse Alig told the Pacific Daily News in March.

Alig pointed to the procurement experience of new MCOG Executive Director JoyJean Arceo, appointed last year, as opening up the opportunity.

A big bid for towing and disposal of junkers went out on June 4, and a separate bid for disposal of white goods and electronics is still ongoing, MCOG procurement listings show.

Frozen procurement

Notices of intent to award contracts for junk vehicle services went out to Buena Vista and Guahan Waste Control on July 31.

But procurement has been frozen since Aug. 13, due to protest and subsequent appeal to the public auditor by competing bidder Cardona Pacific.

OPA documents show that MCOGs Arceo rejected Cardonas bid on July 31.

The notice states that the company failed to post a proper bid security, which is a sum of money meant to ensure that bidders follow through on the work they offer to do.

Arceos notice states that Cardona offered to tow vehicles and then dispose of them for $137,994.20, and was supposed to deposit 15% of the total bid amount.

That would be about $20,669.13, based on the sum quoted by Arceo.

She wrote that Cardona only deposited $10,349.43, an insufficient sum, and could pick up its check.

But Jorge Cardona, for the company, writes in his protest that he only wanted to bid to tow vehicles away, not for processing and disposal.

According to Cardona, when filling out a bid form, he mistakenly wrote the total sum for removing vehicles from all 19 villages, $68,998, in the box for the price of disposal and processing.

His deposit of $10,349.43 is exactly 15% of that sum.

I respectfully assert that the bonding fee requirement for Unit 1 was fully met and paid in accordance with the bid instructions. I did not submit a bid for Unit 2 (Disposal of Vehicles) as my company does not have the capability for that service, he wrote.

Cardona also wrote to ask for a copy of his original submitted documents, filings show.

The version I currently possess appears to be a transcribed copy that contains discrepancies, including a clause I did not agree to, he wrote.

AGs office: Protest should be thrown out

Chief Deputy Attorney General Joseph, for the Mayors Council, argued that the protest should be thrown out.

Guthrie, in an Aug. 27 statement, told the public auditor that Cardona and all other prospective bidders received a reminder about bid securities on July 6.

Guthrie asserts that Cardona was aware of the bid specifications from that date, and could have sought clarifications.

Cardona never asked for clarification, Guthrie writes, and then had his lawyer file an untimely protest on Aug. 14.

The MCOG requests that the OPA find that Cardonas appeal is a frivolous abuse of the protest and appeal process, Guthrie writes.

He requests a dismissal, and for Cardona to pay legal fees for the attorney general.
Residents will have a unique learning experience in food self-sufficiency on Sept. 13 as the University of Guam Land Grant Extension Service hosts a hands-on poultry processing workshop.

Participants will learn about food safety, defeathering and gutting a chicken and then learning how to roast it, among other things.

The workshop will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the UOG Yigo Research and Education Center.

Led by UOG animal and meat scientist Jeng-Hung Liu, PhD, the workshop will begin with a lecture portion to teach participants about U.S. Department of Agriculture food safety guidelines and the proper processing techniques, UOG said in a release.

Participants will then get hands-on experience processing a live chicken, including slaughtering, defeathering, gutting, butchering, and packaging.

After the processing portion of the workshop, participants will learn the basics of roasting and smoking their freshly harvested chicken. Their roasted chickens will be ready for pickup later that same day, UOG said.

The workshop is part of a USDA grant project at UOG, with the broader goal of growing the meat and poultry processing workforce on Guam.

The grant will fund a series of hands-on red meat and poultry processing workshops over the next several years.

Workshop registration

The fee to register is $35 per person.

The fee includes one live chicken per registrant.

Registration is on a first-paid basis at https://url.uog.edu/poultry-processing.

For more information or assistance, contact Glenda Hall at (671) 735-2080.
Speaker Frank F. Blas Jr. introduced a bill seeking four private sector representatives to serve on the Procurement Advisory Council, specifically two from the business sector and two from the general public.

This comes months after three business organizations hosted a procurement summit in June.

A 2011 law authorized the council but its never implemented.

Under Blass Bill 181-38, the Procurement Advisory Council would be expanded to include two representatives from the business community, appointed by the governor, and two members of the general public, appointed by the legislative speaker.

They would also each serve a three-year term.

This bill is about bringing more voices to the tableparticularly those who are directly impacted by government procurement decisions, Blas said in a statement. By including representatives from the business community and the general public, we can ensure the Procurement Advisory Council is better informed, more accountable, and more reflective of the people it serves.

The Procurement Advisory Council serves a vital role in evaluating procurement practices, advising on policy improvements, and promoting transparency and efficiency in the governments acquisition of goods and services.

This is a meaningful step toward making our procurement system more transparent and responsive, Blas said. Its about restoring public trust and ensuring that government decisions are guided by both expertise and community values.

The Guam Chamber of Commerce, Guam Contractors Association, and Guam Travel and Tourism Association not only asked GovGuam to fix conflicting and outdated procurement laws, invest in hiring and training professionals, and promptly post GovGuam solicitations online for transparency and fairness, but also called on Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to convene the Procurement Advisory Council.

The three business groups listed the findings from the June procurement summit that opened wide-ranging discussions on issues and processes that for so long have frustrated businesses when trying to do business with GovGuam, from bid solicitation to procurement appeals.




Haiti - FLASH : Tragic accident between 2 armored vehicles, at least 2 dead and 8 injured





Jack Ombaka, Spokesperson for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), confirmed in a memo that a tragic accident involving two MaxxPro armored vehicles occurred on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at approximately 5:00 p.m. at Pelerin 9, along the Kenscoff-Petion-ville road.



The accident occurred during a recovery operation when a MaxxPro struck a wall for an unknown reason while towing another MaxxPro that suffered a mechanical failure and overturned in the crash.



Unfortunately, civilians were also involved in this accident. The injured were rushed to Lambert Sante Hospital in Petion-ville, where a Mission officer and a civilian were pronounced deceased.



Eight officers from the Multinational Mission were injured, three of them seriously, requiring medical evacuation to the Dominican Republic for specialized care after receiving initial treatment at the Aspen Level 2 Hospital located at LSA2.



The Mission expresses its gratitude to the members of the local community who immediately provided assistance with the relief efforts.



The MSS offers "extends its gratitude to members of the local community who immediately assisted in rescue efforts. Further updates will be shared as information becomes available."



Reacting on X, the United States said it was "The United States is deeply saddened by the MSS vehicle accident this evening in Kenscoff. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who passed and wish a speedy recovery for those injured."



HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Technology : 8 free training centers to reduce the digital divide in Haiti





Ketleen Florestal, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), co-signed with Josselin Val, Rector of the University of Technology of Haiti (UNITECH), a large-scale, free digital training pilot program in several municipalities in the Northeast, Northwest, and South departments, as well as other underserved regions, aimed at giving young people from rural and urban areas an equal opportunity to pursue digital careers.



"Our ambition is clear : to make digital technology a lever for inclusive and equitable development," declared the Minister of the MPCE, emphasizing the importance of this pilot project, which could serve as a model for the entire country.



The program provides for the opening of eight Territorial Digital Training Centers with Haitian and foreign teachers who will provide their services in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual).



Young people will benefit from five programs leading to certification in the following areas: Basic Computer Science, Web Design, Python Application Development, Applied Artificial Intelligence, and Web Management.



Each commune with a Center will be able to welcome 100 qualified young people, trained to meet the growing digital needs of the job market. Particular attention will be paid to the inclusion of young women, who are too often excluded from these professional opportunities.



Beyond skills, the program aims to create a new dynamic : reducing the digital divide, encouraging local entrepreneurship, and fostering a generation capable of driving the country's digital transformation. This initiative is not just a training project, but an essential step towards a future where every citizen, wherever they live, will have access to digital tools.



"By equipping young people with these skills, we are preparing Haiti to fully enter the global digital economy," concluded Minister Florestal after the signing ceremony.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The unusual move signalled a deepening divide inside the four-party coalition, which gathered in Helsinkis Smolna state residence to negotiate 1 billion in additional budget cuts. Instead, discussions stalled as Orpo demanded clarit y from his partners over recent public statements by Finns Party officials referring to immigrants as low-quality arrivals.

Finlands government has delayed the start of formal budget negotiations after a row erupted over remarks made by senior members of the Finns Party. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo appeared alone at the opening press conference, stating that no fiscal agreements would be reached before coalition leaders addressed issues of language and conduct within the government.

The classification or evaluation of people based on country of origin, socioeconomic background or education is inhumane. It must be addressed, Orpo said.

The row stems from a televised appearance by Finns Party vice-chair Teemu Keskisarja, in which he repeated claims linked to the so-called population replacement theory. His language was widely condemned, but was later endorsed by the partys chair and Finance Minister Riikka Purra, who said she found nothing inappropriate in the comments.

The dispute forced a delay in the governments annual budget lock-in, a process in which all ministers agree on next years revenue and spending plans. While talks were expected to start on Monday morning, coalition leaders instead began closed-door discussions on internal conduct and political boundaries.

Opposition leaders from the Social Democrats, Greens and Left Alliance criticised the coalition for what they called repeated tolerance of extremist language. Antti Lindtman, leader of the SDP, said on X that Purras endorsement of Keskisarjas words gave a home to racism and hatred of people inside the government.

Will Prime Minister Orpo continue to guarantee this political line as head of government? Lindtman asked.

Sofia Virta, leader of the Greens, urged Orpo to dissolve the coalition if the issue could not be resolved. Orpo must make it clear that policy based on this ideology will not be pursued in Finland, not now and not in future, she said.

Despite Orpos insistence on drawing a line, he did not commit to issuing a new anti-racism declaration, such as the one signed in 2023 following similar controversies involving Purras past online writings. At that time, the government narrowly avoided collapse.

The current standoff also comes amid widespread protests outside Smolna. Demonstrators representing over 140 organisations gathered to oppose proposed budget cuts to social services and health NGOs. They included pensioners, disability advocates, mental health organisations and housing support groups.

Some protestors arrived from other regions of Finland. Representatives from Satakuntas Sininauhasaatio said that existing cuts had already forced the closure of a key support centre for vulnerable people in Pori. This is not how to save money. Exclusion comes at a cost, said development officer Iida Makkonen.

Inside the negotiation venue, tensions were evident. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen was seen entering Smolna only to leave shortly after, declining to comment. Christian Democrat minister Mika Poutala spoke briefly with protestors but refused to comment on the internal dispute. Centre-right MP Ville Valkonen, who led a preparatory working group on budget issues, also avoided direct statements but expressed hope that the government focuses on issues that matter to Finns.

While the budget details have not been finalised, several items are already on the table. The proposed 1 billion in cuts will come on top of 9 billion in previous adjustments. Major changes expected include reductions in housing construction support, with state-backed ARA loan guarantees to be cut by 350 million. This change is expected to improve public debt figures without delivering direct expenditure cuts.

Other savings include partial reversals of increased Kela reimbursements for private doctor visits. Though the reimbursements were recently raised to 30 per visit, their impact on healthcare queues has been limited. The government is now considering reclaiming a portion of the 355 million allocated for this purpose.

Further reductions are planned for integration payments to municipalities and development cooperation funding. Plans to cut local government grants by 150 million, initially suggested by Purra, have been dropped. Also rejected were proposals to close the Finnish National Agency for Education and halt refugee resettlement quotas.

The government is also considering increasing excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco, and is reviewing the extent of tax relief for high-income pensioners. Meanwhile, business subsidies are under scrutiny, with a shift likely from direct grants to changes in tax support.

As of late Monday afternoon, no formal budget session had begun. Instead, the four coalition party leaders, Orpo, Purra, Sari Essayah of the Christian Democrats, and Anders Adlercreutz of the Swedish Peoples Party, were still engaged in confidential talks aimed at restoring internal trust.

Sources close to the negotiations described the situation as fragile. Several MPs and ministers declined to comment on whether a resolution was near. Adlercreutz had earlier warned that the leadership of the Finns Party is undermining the foundation of our coalition cooperation.

Despite the pressure, Orpo resisted calls to force a government reshuffle or issue sanctions. We must find trust, he said. Thats the only way forward.

HT
After a period of chilly nights and frost in Lapland, airflows have shifted to the south, carrying warmer air across the country. The high-pressure system will keep conditions largely dry and sunny at the start of the week, with temperatures climbing steadily.

Finland will begin September with summer-like conditions, according to forecasts from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and weather service Foreca.

On Monday and Tuesday, daytime highs will range between 15 and 20C nationwide, reaching around 22C in southern and western areas. Nights will also turn milder, with readings above 10C as far north as Lapland, reducing the risk of frost.

From Wednesday, a low-pressure system will bring widespread rain moving eastwards from the west. Showers may include thunderstorms, and temperatures will dip slightly, falling to 1115C in rainy areas and remaining just below 20C elsewhere. Rain is expected to linger in the east and north into Thursday before easing.

Meteorologist Pinja Rauhamaki told Finnish news agency STT that Friday is likely to be the warmest day of the week, with highs of 2223C possible across southern Finland and even further north. The warmer air will spread from the south and west to the east as well, she said, noting that forecasts may still change.

Foreca meteorologist Anna Latvala added that a brief heatwave cannot be ruled out later in the week. To qualify, at least one weather station must register 25.1C. The likelihood depends on how much warm air arrives from the south and whether skies remain clear, Latvala said in a weather blog.

Although forecasters emphasise that conditions will be close to seasonal averages for southern Finland, the return of warmth marks a contrast with recent nights when temperatures dipped below freezing in Lapland. Last year, Finland recorded eight official heat days in September, setting a new record for the month.

If current predictions hold, Finland could see another unusually warm start to autumn, with dry, sunny weather dominating the weekend and daytime temperatures in the south widely exceeding 20C.

HT
The talks, originally planned to begin with economic briefings from the Bank of Finland and Ministry of Finance, were delayed as party leaders held an urgent internal meeting to address statements made by Teemu Keskisarja , a Finns Party MP and the partys first vice chair.

Finlands government postponed the opening of its budget negotiations on Monday after a political crisis erupted over comments made by a senior figure from the Finns Party.

Keskisarja described immigrants as low-quality newcomers and used phrases including Third World pigsty during a recent appearance on Yles A-studio. His remarks triggered widespread backlash and raised questions about the government's stance on equality and anti-discrimination.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo appeared alone before the press on Monday morning. He confirmed that the government would first hold discussions on what language and conduct were acceptable from members of ruling parties.

This government does not accept speech that undermines human dignity, Orpo said. No governing party accepts it either.

By 19:15, all four party leaders, Orpo (National Coalition), Riikka Purra (Finns Party), Anders Adlercreutz (Swedish People's Party), and Sari Essayah (Christian Democrats), addressed the press in a joint briefing.

Orpo reiterated that the cabinets commitment to the governments 2023 equality declaration remained firm.

We have returned to the contents of that document again today, he said. This commitment applies not only to the government itself but also to every MP from the governing parties.

He confirmed that violations of agreed standards would lead to consequences. If the person involved is a minister, the matter would be handled within the government, led by the prime minister. If it involves an MP, the issue would be addressed within the relevant parliamentary group.

Purra acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and apologised for the position the government found itself in.

Im sorry we are in a situation where the Finns Partys commitment to the equality declaration is being questioned, she said. We do not seek confrontation, neither within the government nor in society.

Asked if she still accepted Keskisarjas language, Purra avoided giving a direct answer. She stated that Keskisarja aimed to highlight immigration-related problems, such as education levels and dependence on social benefits.

This is a matter of word choice, she said. We speak about immigration and its problems, sometimes colourfully and forcefully, but we must not accept language that questions anyones human dignity.

Adlercreutz said that the matter had become an embarrassment for the whole government.

The discussion weve had today was necessary, he said. The commitment to the declaration has been justifiably questioned. It threatens the governments ability to function.

Essayah echoed the message, stating that every persons dignity is indivisible and must be respected.

The delay had immediate procedural consequences. Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn, who traditionally opens budget talks with a review of the economic outlook, waited for several hours at the governments official residence before leaving without delivering his report. His presentation was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Despite the disruption, Orpo stated that the talks had improved internal trust.

Finland faces major challenges, he said. We need a functional government, and that requires the ability to discuss even the most difficult issues together.

Todays discussions have strengthened our mutual resolve to move forward, Orpo said.

This article was composed using live coverage and reporting from Ilta-Sanomat, Yle, and Helsingin Sanomat from the press briefing in Smolna, Helsinki.

HT
The quake hit the mountainous Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, and was felt as far as Kabul and Islamabad. Its epicentre was located 27 kilometres from Jalalabad and occurred at a depth of just 8 kilometres, making it one of the deadliest in recent years.

A shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, killing at least 812 people and injuring over 3,000, according to the Taliban government.

Entire villages have been destroyed in the Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. Rescue workers are struggling to reach affected communities due to landslides, blocked mountain roads, and damaged communication lines. Helicopters are being used to airlift the injured to Jalalabad and other medical centres.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the Afghan Health Ministry, said several villages had been completely destroyed. Hospitals are overwhelmed, he told state media. The number of casualties is expected to rise.

At Jalalabads main hospital, relatives of the injured have been seen buying medicine after supplies ran out. Dr Muladad, head of Asadabad provincial hospital in Kunar, said they were admitting one patient every five minutes. He declared a state of emergency after more than 180 injured people arrived overnight. We have no more beds left, he said.

Many victims remain trapped beneath collapsed mud-brick homes. In Nurgal district, where destruction was widespread, one resident told the BBC that children, elderly, and young people are under the rubble.

Sadiqullah, a survivor from the same district, described being buried under the debris for several hours. My wife and two sons are dead. My father and I were trapped until neighbours arrived, he said from his hospital bed in Nangarhar.

Faridullah Fazli, a phone technician in Asadabad, said the earthquake struck at midnight. We didnt sleep until morning. Aftershocks kept coming. Everyone was afraid, he told BBC News. Fazli said he helped transport the injured to ambulances. It was an atmosphere of fear and terror.

The Taliban interior ministry reports that the majority of fatalities are in Kunar, where 610 people have died. A further 12 deaths have been recorded in Nangarhar. Rescue workers say the official toll underrepresents the scale of destruction in remote valleys, some of which remain inaccessible.

Rescue efforts have been delayed by recent floods and landslides that have already damaged infrastructure in the region. Two valleys in Kunar are still unreachable, raising concerns about further casualties.

In Naoabad village, Syed Raheem, who is coordinating local rescue operations, said his teams are still finding bodies. People have sent us messages saying houses are flattened, and some people are still under the rocks, he said.

The Defence Ministry has deployed 30 doctors and nearly 800 kilograms of medical supplies to Kunar. Helicopters are transporting patients to Nangarhar Airport, where ambulances are waiting to move them to hospitals.

The international response has begun to arrive. China, India, Iran, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan have expressed condolences and pledged support. UNICEF said it has teams on the ground focusing on child protection, healthcare, and access to clean water.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations will spare no effort to assist those in need, in a statement shared via his spokesperson.

The earthquake occurred in one of the worlds most seismically active zones. Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, said the regions geological instability stems from the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Northeastern Afghanistan has experienced more than a dozen magnitude-7 quakes since 1900, he said.

In Darai Nur district of Nangarhar, nine people, including children, were confirmed dead. In neighbouring Laghman province, 58 people were injured, mostly women and children, according to local officials.

Concerns have been raised that women in conservative areas might face delays in accessing medical treatment due to cultural restrictions and the absence of female rescuers. In previous disasters, the number of female casualties reported rose significantly only after days had passed.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has confirmed that there are no restrictions on the delivery of international aid. Still, the recent freeze of USAID funding earlier this year has reduced the capacity of some hospitals to respond to emergencies.

Ambulances and stretchers are stationed at Nangarhar Airport, where the wounded continue to arrive. Photos from the area show soldiers and civilians carrying victims to medical helicopters and trucks.

Aftershocks have followed the initial quake, including one measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. The US Geological Survey warned that the risk of further tremors remains.

Afghanistan experienced similar tragedies in 2022 and 2023, with deadly earthquakes in Paktika and Herat claiming over 2,000 lives combined. The Taliban government has urged aid agencies to direct resources toward affected regions and continue search operations before nightfall.

HT
According to reports first published by the Financial Times and later confirmed by an EU spokesperson speaking to Reuters, the plane lost access to satellite navigation while flying over Bulgaria. Pilots were forced to circle the city of Plovdiv for nearly an hour before executing a manual landing using paper charts.

European authorities suspect Russian forces electronically interfered with the aircraft carrying Ursula von der Leyen , President of the European Commission, during her official visit to Bulgaria last week.

Sources involved in the investigation described the event as undeniably interference, with suspicions centred on Russian electronic warfare capabilities. One official quoted by the Financial Times stated, The entire GPS field over Plovdiv went dark. This was clearly electronic jamming.

The flight originated in Poland and was en route to Plovdiv when the incident occurred. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft landed safely despite the disruption. The European Commission has since launched a formal investigation into the event.

Speaking after her arrival, von der Leyen condemned Russias actions. Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator. He can only be contained by a strong deterrent, she said, according to EU sources.

The event has drawn strong reactions from European aviation and security officials. While the use of electronic warfare has been a concern in conflict zones, this incident marks one of the most high-profile suspected jamming operations affecting a senior EU leaders travel.

EU institutions have warned previously that Russian GPS interference could pose significant risks to civil and governmental aviation. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has identified regions near Russia, including parts of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea, as high-risk zones for satellite-based navigation systems.

GPS jamming is a technique used in electronic warfare to disrupt signals between aircraft and satellite navigation systems. By blocking or overwhelming the frequencies used by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such interference prevents aircraft from determining their precise location.

Russia has long been suspected of testing and deploying GPS jamming systems along NATOs eastern flank. Reports of signal loss affecting civilian and military aircraft have become more frequent in recent months, especially in areas bordering Kaliningrad, the Baltic Sea, and the Black Sea.

While no conclusive attribution has yet been made public, the context of the incident points to a broader pattern of hybrid activity by Russian forces amid rising geopolitical tensions. The GPS blackout over Plovdiv coincided with von der Leyens visit aimed at discussing regional security, energy policy, and EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the European Union over the war in Ukraine. In recent days, Russia has intensified missile attacks on Kyiv, while Ukrainian intelligence claims to have destroyed several Russian helicopters and radar installations in Crimea.

The suspected interference is part of what the Institute for the Study of War describes as a wider Kremlin strategy to deter Western support for Ukraine and undermine EU unity. The think tank notes that Russias use of psychological and electronic operations has escalated since early 2023.

Separately, Ukrainian police announced the arrest of a suspect in the murder of former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy. Authorities said the attacker was disguised as a courier and suggested Russian involvement, describing the killing as not accidental and pointing to a Russian trace.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi repeated calls for international pressure on Russia, reminding allies that the two-week deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for direct negotiations with the Kremlin had expired. Zelenskyi warned that Moscow continues to seek ways to delay peace efforts, including during President Vladimir Putins visit to China.

Putin, in turn, reiterated his position that the West's attempt to draw Ukraine into NATO was a key cause of the war. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, he praised India and China for their attempts to mediate.

In the wake of the GPS jamming incident, officials in Brussels say further protective measures for high-level EU travel may be considered. No immediate changes have been announced, but several member states are said to be reviewing aviation security protocols for diplomatic flights near conflict-adjacent zones.

HT
THE minibus service in Sonning Common has released its September timetable.

The Fish volunteer centre offers shopping and leisure trips to residents who have difficulty finding their own means of transport.

The bus will visit Tesco in Henley on Monday 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. There will be a visit to Reading town centre on Tuesdays the 16th and 30th. On Thursday 11th, there will be a trip to Waitrose in Henley.

On Thursday 25th, the bus will visit Henley farmers market. On Tuesday 9th and 23rd, the bus will go to Morrisons and Lidl in Reading with a pick-up time of 10am.

Passengers will be picked up from home at 9am. Each trip costs 4 or is free with a bus pass.

The bus also takes residents on a number of social trips in and around the village.

These trips will pick up passengers from home and will include:

l Trips to Sonning Common Library for its social mornings on Friday 5th, 12th, 19th and 26rd. The bus will pick residents up at 10am and return at noon. There no charge for these trips.

l A free trip to Fishs drop-in afternoon tea in the village hall on Monday 8th with pick-up from 1.15pm and return at 4pm.

l On Wednesday 3rd, the bus will make a trip to a pub lunch with pick-up from 1pm. Cost 6.

l On Wednesday 24th, the bus will visit Portsmouth. The cost is 12 plus some entry charges and the bus will pick passengers up at 8.45am and return at 4pm.
SCO Tianjin Summit showcases the charm of genuine multilateralism: Global Times editorial

Global Times) 15:26, September 01, 2025

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 is being held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is gathering with more than 20 foreign leaders and heads of 10 international organizations by the Haihe River. Guests attending the summit include heads of state, government leaders, and their spouses from SCO member countries, observer states, and dialogue partners, as well as guests invited by the host country, the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) and leaders of other international organizations.

President Xi pointed out that this summit carries the important mission of building consensus, unleashing cooperation momentum, and mapping out a blueprint for development at a banquet welcoming international guests on August 31. From "SCO" to "SCO plus," the organization has now convened the largest gathering since its establishment, fully reflecting its strong internal cohesion and growing international influence.

Looking back at the SCO's development, "genuine multilateralism" stands out as a defining keyword. Established in June 2001 on the banks of the Huangpu River, the SCO was a crucial choice by regional countries to resolve border security dilemmas and promote shared development. 24 years later, the "Shanghai Spirit" - featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development - has found wider resonance across the globe, demonstrating its vitality. The SCO has grown from the original six members into a big family of 10 members, two observers, and 14 dialogue partners, becoming the regional international organization with the broadest geographical coverage and largest population in today's world. Despite vast differences among members in history, culture, political systems, and development stages, the SCO has carved out a path of regional cooperation aligned with the trends of the times and the needs of all parties. This has made it a model of a new type of international relations - an evolving living history of the practice of multilateralism.

Today, against the backdrop of certain Western powers deliberately undermining multilateral mechanisms, the SCO's department of international cooperation, responsible for enlargement, has become one of its busiest bodies. This highlights a deep recognition of the SCO's principles and demonstrates that multilateralism is not outdated, rather, it has become the SCO's "institutional competitiveness."

This summit coincides with a historic juncture: the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN.

The SCO has not only inherited and advanced the multilateral framework represented by the UN but has also innovated and reshaped its concepts and pathways under new circumstances. The SCO has become both a staunch defender and a benchmark practitioner of multilateralism at a time when this principle of international engagement is under severe erosion worldwide.

Partnership over alliance, dialogue over confrontation - this new type of international relations that transcends civilizational conflicts, Cold War thinking, and zero-sum games has become the "popularity code" of the SCO. In stark contrast to the group confrontation model of the Cold War era, the establishment of the SCO has provided an inclusive path for multilateral development among countries in the region.

From the initial cooperation to combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, to a dual-drive approach of security and economic cooperation, and now to collaboration covering a wide range of areas including trade and investment, energy, the digital economy, modern agriculture, and green development, the SCO has proven that true multilateralism not only facilitates regional unity in addressing security challenges but also promotes connectivity and shared prosperity among nations.

With the banner "Gather at SCO, Shine in Tianjin" hanging in the streets of Tianjin, this marks China's fifth time hosting the SCO Summit. Over the years, the SCO, with its increasingly mature mechanism building, has created a stable development space and abundant cooperation opportunities for the SCO family in an unpredictable international environment, allowing them to enjoy tangible development benefits.

According to statistics, in 2024, the trade volume between China and other SCO member countries, observer states, and dialogue partners reached approximately $890.3 billion, accounting for approximately 14.4 percent of China's total foreign trade. Recently, the second and third Luban Workshops in Kazakhstan were officially inaugurated, 6,000 high-quality Chinese apple seedlings were promoted to Uzbekistan, and the Lifeline Express project completed over 2,000 cataract surgeries to citizens of SCO countries.

A memorandum of understanding on the joint construction of "Silk Road Stations," which provide services for drivers engaged in cross-border freight in SCO countries, has also been signed. Through the SCO, the world sees the genuine warmth and promising future of a community with a shared future for mankind.

History has revealed that multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right answer to global challenges - this statement made by President Xi Jinping on August 30 during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres profoundly reflects the purpose of the establishment and the goals of the SCO.

Currently, threats from unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism are on the rise, and the deficits in peace, development, and governance continue to grow. The SCO member states, which comprise about half of the world's population and account for approximately one-quarter of the global economy, must strengthen unity and cooperation and promote the construction of a more closely-knit community with a shared future. This not only benefits their own development and regional security but will also undoubtedly inject stability and positive energy into the world.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Historical relics on display in Hong Kong to commemorate its fight against Japanese aggression

Ecns.cn) 15:56, September 01, 2025

Photo taken on Aug. 1, 2025 shows a sculpture depicting the Dongjiang Column at Sha Tau Kok of New Territories in Hong Kong. (Photo/China News Service)

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On Dec. 8, 1941, Japanese troops attacked Hong Kong. After 18 days of resistance, British forces surrendered, and Hong Kong fell on Dec.25, beginning three years and eight months of hardship. During this period, Hong Kong residents rose to resist the enemy, and many heroic stories of the anti-Japanese struggle emerged.

Among them, 11 members of the Luo family from Sha Tau Kok, resolutely joined the Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column to fight against the Japanese.

In 2022, the Luo's family's ancestral house was transformed into a new memorial hall?located in Sha Tau Kok of New Territories. The memorial hall is featured with exhibitions on local resistance efforts, including the history of the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column, an anti-Japanese aggression guerrilla force under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Photo taken on Aug. 30, 2025 shows the Anti-Japanese Hero Group Monument in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. (Photo/China News Service)

Hong Kong residents pay tribute to anti-Japanese heroes at the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Monument in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. (Photo/China News Service)

Photo taken on July. 31, 2025 shows 90-year-old veteran Lin Zhen of the Dongjiang Column revisits Kwun Yam Shan in Hong Kong. (Photo/China News Service)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is reportedly "exasperated" with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over what she and her cabinet see as unrelenting demands from him and his administration.

The New York times detailed that the "honeymoon" phase between the two heads of state seems to be ending as a result, with Sheinbaum not seeing fruits from her willingness to accommodate to Trump.

The outlet recalled several instances in which Trump or his officials publicly demanded Mexico do more to address certain issues, including strengthening border security, delivering alleged cartel leaders to the U.S. to face justice there and do more to address money laundering through Mexican banks.

"At each step, Ms. Sheinbaum has grit her teeth and stressed that there was a red line Mr. Trump must not cross: infringing on Mexico's sovereignty, particularly with unilateral military action," the piece highlighted.

However, the Trump administration has refused to rule out such a possibility, and news broke in August that Trump had secretly directed the Pentagon to draw up potential military action against cartels.

Sheinbaum said last week that the Trump administration "offered more intervention in our country" but she rejected any possibility of it happening.

Speaking in her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said the offer took place in the context of the negotiation of a binational security deal that will be discussed when Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the country this week.

Sheinbaum claimed that she refused the offer because her administration will "never sign something that from our perspective violates our sovereignty or our territory." "Never. They might have the intent to do it, but we said no, not under that scheme," she added.

Despite her claims, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole told Fox News last month that the decision to bomb Mexican cartels would ultimately lie with President Donald Trump.

However, the Mexican president soundly rejected the possibility again. "Mexico is a free, independent and sovereign nation, and no foreign government has the authority to violate our sovereignty," Sheinbaum said. "This is not like the past. Mexico is strong, because of our people and because of what we represent as a nation."

Sheinbaum also referenced a line from the Mexican national anthem, suggesting that the country would be ready to defend itself if the U.S. attempted a military operation.

"So no, it's not going to happen. And as I said, if there's any attempt, we have our national anthem  it says Mexico has a soldier in each of its sons," she said.

Originally published on Latin Times
Travellers to Edinburgh will have the opportunity to check-into a new budget hotel from 2028 following the decision by Edinburgh City Council to mind to grant planning permission for a new Premier Inn at Edinburgh Airport.

Whitbread plc, which owns the Premier Inn brand, worked with development company Riverstone Hotels Ltd, to secure permission for the 218-bedroom hotel on Eastfield Road, on the main entranceway to the airport.

The permission, which follows months of positive engagement with Edinburgh City Council, paves the way for Premier Inn to grow its presence in the catchment serving Scotland's busiest airport and a gateway to more than 155 domestic and international destinations.

Currently, Premier Inn serves the 16 million passengers who use Edinburgh Airport each year from two nearby hotels (Edinburgh Park (Airport) and Edinburgh Airport (M9, Jct1) - with the new location offering Premier Inn customers the ability to walk from the main terminal building to the new hotel in less than ten minutes.

Whitbread and Riverstone announced their intention to develop the 218-room hotel in November 2024, with Riverstone submitting a planning application for the L-shaped, ground plus four storey building in the spring.

The hotel will feature a mixture of Premier Inn's latest style bedrooms including its popular Premier Plus rooms, as well as the brand's welcoming 'The Social' space on the ground floor.

It will be designed to be powered solely by electricity generated by renewable sources and the plans include 100 car parking spaces for hotel guests.

Hotel website
B&B HOTELS continues its European development with the opening of its first property in Luxembourg, marking its establishment in an 18th country.

Located in the fast-growing Cloche d'Or district, the B&B HOTEL Luxembourg Centre Cloche d'Or enjoys a strategic location at the heart of a major economic hub, close to numerous corporate headquarters, shops, and residential infrastructures.

Rated as a superior 3-star hotel, the property offers 150 rooms as well as a range of facilities in line with current travel standards: a large private terrace, a convivial bar/lounge area, a meeting room, and a breakfast room. Accessibility is enhanced by the immediate proximity of a tram stop, complemented by easy access by car.

The project was developed by promoters Nextensa and Promobe, and designed by the Moreno Architecture & Associes firm. It is fully in line with a sustainability approach, aiming for a BREEAM Excellent certification. Among the notable initiatives, the building includes 40% green roofing, contributing to the environmental performance and urban integration of the site.

It is important to note that B&B HOTELS is reinforcing its European growth thanks to a flexible development approach. For example, the upcoming conversion of vacant offices into a 93-room hotel in Unterschleissheim, north of Munich, underlines its ability to tap into business-focused markets. Combined with the recent opening in Reunion, the group confirms its strategy of targeting both high-traffic hubs and secondary locations, thereby strengthening its position as a leading player in the economy hotel segment.

With this opening, B&B HOTELS confirms its expansion strategy in the most attractive European capitals, combining accessibility, quality, and environmental responsibility to reinforce its positioning in the economy and midscale segment.

Hotel website
Today, 1st September, London's newest cultural destination, The Chancery Rosewood, makes its much-anticipated grand opening. Introducing a design icon, reborn for a new era following an extraordinary architectural restoration led by British architect Sir David Chipperfield. The all-suite property welcomes eight restaurants and bars, an expansive Asaya Spa, with 144 suites and communal spaces designed by French interiors architect Joseph Dirand.

A Design Icon

The Chancery Rosewood is set within the historic former U.S Embassy on Grosvenor Square in a striking Grade II listed building. Steeped in an illustrious past of international importance, the building has been transformed into a vibrant destination that ushers in a new chapter for the property that welcomes the world to create an enduring legacy.

The building, originally designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1960, has been meticulously restored by British architect Sir David Chipperfield and developed by Qatari Diar Europe LLP, maintaining its status as one of the capital's most notable architectural masterpieces. Its iconic gilded eagle sculpture, crafted from B-52 bomber aluminium by Theodore Roszak, overlooks the greenery of Grosvenor Square and a skyline of London landmarks.

All Suite Accommodation

The building's distinctive angular, original diagrid exterior gives way to interiors of refined sophistication, where sleek modern lines meet plush textures. Interiors of the 144 spacious and thoughtfully designed suites have been led by Joseph Dirand. Each reflects Dirand's vision of celebrating craftsmanship and the property's storied past to create a calming and inviting atmosphere. Bathed in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows that give way to some of the capital's most captivating views, the transformation stands as a testament to timeless elegance and innovation, with a colour palette of warm tones punctuated with gold anodised aluminium accents that complement the building's original stone facade.

The luxury accommodation types include Junior Suites, Suites, Signature Suites and Houses - the largest accommodation at The Chancery Rosewood. The Houses are singular city sanctuaries, each with expansive space perfect for larger groups or entertaining, complete with unparalleled views of Mayfair, Hyde Park or the London skyline. Named after prominent American figures linked to the history of the building, these include the Saarinen House, John Adams House, Kennedy House and the Chancery House.

Sitting atop the property on the seventh floor is The Chancery Rosewood's two penthouses; Charles House and Elizabeth House. Extraordinarily spacious, the Penthouses come with a landscaped terrace, a dining area for ten, fully equipped kitchen and bar area as well as master bedrooms complete with a grand marble bath tub.

An Eclectic Art Collection

The property boasts an art concierge and 700 pieces of art, selected by London-based art consultancy, Cramer & Bell. Focused on building a dynamic collection of art, each piece has been selected as it speaks to and celebrates the story of The Chancery Rosewood. Drawing upon both emerging and established artists, both contemporary and more classical, artwork features a rich tapestry of mediums and subject matters, each central to the space, complementing the interior scheme and architecture.

Artists have been commissioned to create artwork for certain spaces; this includes leading British painter Sir Christopher Le Brun whose art can be found above the main fireplace; multidisciplinary textile designer Sussy Cazalet with a series of pieces found in the Entrance Hall. Within the guest suites, Anthony Grace has been commissioned to create 278 pieces of artwork. Known for his American Surrealism, the series of collages relate to US landmarks, past Presidents and the design achievements of Eero Saarinen.

Innovating Luxury Hospitality

The Chancery Rosewood continues Rosewood's legacy of curating unique and culturally enriching stays. Setting a new era in luxury travel, each stay includes fully flexible check-in and check-out times and use of a House Car for transfers to and from the property. With no typical check-in process, guests are personally greeted upon arrival and taken to their suite, providing a seamless experience that prioritises the guest over everything else. Guests staying in the Signature Suites and Houses will have access to a private butler. The Chancery Rosewood combines sophistication with an intimate touch, offering hyper-personalised experiences that celebrate modern creativity and progressive ideas.

Diverse Dining

The Chancery Rosewood debuts eight exceptional new restaurants and bars, including Carbone - the first European outpost of the New York City cult favourite. Each with its own distinct personality and celebrated global talent at the helm, the diverse line-up reflects the hotel's devotion to detail, ingredients, and sense of place - cementing it as one of London's most compelling culinary destinations.

All dining is accessible from ground level, serving as a true neighbourhood hub, inviting interaction and exploration. New outlets include; SERRA - bringing the soulful spirit of Southern Mediterranean cooking - inspired by the sunlit shores of southern Italy and Greece - to the heart of Mayfair; JACQUELINE is a one of a kind tearoom and dessert salon led by Executive Pastry Chef Marius Dufay rooted in seasonality, scent and sculptural precision; TOBI MASA marks the London debut of Chef Masayoshi 'Masa' Takayama, one of the most influential figures in modern Japanese cuisine.

GSQ is Mayfair's neighbourhood delicatessen for coffee, freshly baked pastries, bold seasonal salads, sandwiches, and shareable snacks, with a takeaway counter, retail pantry and terrace on Grosvenor Square. EAGLE BAR is the rooftop destination at The Chancery Rosewood, with a wrap-around terrace, the bar features an impressive cocktail list, elevated bar snacks and a music programme curated by a vinyl-first East London collective.

Advanced Wellness

Wellness at the Asaya Spa at The Chancery Rosewood offers London a sophisticated new wellbeing space. The 1119 M subterranean space, designed by Yabu Pushelberg, is home to The Taktouk Clinic, a fitness centre which debuts the Artis Luxury line by Technogym, a 25M swimming pool and five treatment rooms. Facilities also include a sauna, steam room, relaxation areas, studio and personal training.

Under the expert guidance of Dr. Wassim Taktouk, The Taktouk Clinic at The Chancery Rosewood is the first hotel clinic of its kind, integrating advanced dermatological expertise with a holistic approach. Complementing the clinical menu are targeted treatments by pioneers of integrated skincare, SkinCeuticals with its high-potency formulations.

MoodsPro, the new science-led treatment concept from modern aromatherapy brand Moods, debuts at Asaya Spa to offer exclusive, signature massages. The bespoke treatment menu includes a NeuroFusion Treatment Massage that targets both the muscular and nervous systems through advanced muscular techniques and potent aromatic body oils.

EviDenS de Beaute's signature ceremonies offer a sensorial experience that engages the senses for ultimate relaxation. Blending French cosmetic technology with traditional Japanese massage techniques, treatments provide a contouring effect, boosting circulation and resulting in skin that is smooth, lifted and radiant with health.

Tiered memberships at Asaya Spa are available, providing access to the wellness facilities, complimentary fitness assessments by Matt Roberts, a selection of complimentary massages and facials, preferential rates at the Taktouk Clinic, priority bookings for visiting practitioners, access to members events, preferential room rates and more, depending on membership tiers.

Events

The Chancery Rosewood is a place where creative exchange, inspiration and authentic connections are celebrated. Designed for era-defining meetings and events of all sizes, The Chancery Rosewood provides an exceptional stage to host, whether for intimate celebrations among close ones to all-out industry spectaculars. Spaces include a state-of-the-art Grand Ballroom with capacity for up to 750 guests, two Salons and a Foyer, a Pavillion Bar and Lounge and West Pavillion, providing expansive space for all events and celebrations.

Hotel website
AC Hotel Arlington National Landing marked its official debut with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 22, 2025, in partnership with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Local leaders, business partners, and community members gathered alongside the AC National Landing hospitality team to celebrate this milestone moment.

General Manager Ben Joseph was joined by Kate Bates, President & CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce; Ryan Touhill, Director of Arlington Economic Development; and John Rish of HHM Hotels for the ceremonial ribbon cutting. Ben Joseph expressed gratitude to his team, commending their passion, dedication, and attention to detail in bringing the vision of AC Hotel Arlington National Landing to life and delivering the hotel's signature "Unscripted Hospitality" to every guest.

The event welcomed representatives from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, National Landing Business Improvement District, and 3877 Design. Together, they recognized the hotel as a new hub for both visitors and the local community.

During his remarks, Touhill highlighted the growth of the National Landing neighborhood and its increasing appeal to businesses and residents alike. The transformation of the AC Hotel Arlington National Landing reflects this momentum, delivering an elevated and modern experience for business and leisure travelers while serving as a gathering place for the community.

About AC Hotels by Marriott Arlington National Landing

The AC Hotel Arlington National Landing is a premier destination in Arlington, VA, offering unparalleled service, modern amenities, and a prime location. The distinguished hotel offers 355 guest rooms and suites, the signature AC Kitchen & Lounge, 8,828 square feet of flexible event space, and amenities including a 24-hour 4,000-square-foot fitness center and a complimentary shuttle to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Conveniently located near I-395 and the Crystal City Metro, the property unlocks access to the best of nearby Washington D.C., National Landing's retail and dining, and is mere minutes to Amazon's HQ2, Virginia Tech's Innovation Campus, and Old Town Alexandria.

For more information, visit marriott.com/WASNL and follow along on Facebook and Instagram. The hotel is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International.

Hotel website
Jumeirah, a global leader in luxury hospitality and a member of Dubai Holding, has announced the appointment of Xander Labuschagne as General Manager of Hospitality for Jumeirah Thanda Safari in South Africa.

Xander brings more than two decades of diverse hospitality experience, with a career spanning humanitarian work, luxury safari lodges, residences and international operations across South Africa, Botswana, UAE, and Europe. Most recently, he served as General Manager of Atzaro Cape Town - Boutique Hotel and was involved in Atzaro Okavango Camp in Botswana, overseeing procurement, operations, guest experience, commercial performance and project delivery.

In his new role, Xander will be responsible for the day-to-day hospitality operations of Jumeirah Thanda Safari and will play a key role in building on the property's unique positioning while supporting the brand's evolution through the delivery of distinctive and purposeful guest experiences.

In December 2024, Jumeirah announced its entry into Africa with the opening of Jumeirah Thanda Safari and Jumeirah Thanda Island in Tanzania. The launch, in partnership with the Thanda Group, marks a significant milestone in Jumeirah's growth journey, offering a distinct proposition and meaningful experiences for travellers rooted in culture and connection.

Located in one of Southern Africa's private Big Five game reserves, Jumeirah Thanda Safari spans 16,500 hectares of wilderness in KwaZulu-Natal province. At its centre is The Royal Thanda Club Estate, a 386-hectare private, access-controlled enclave. The estate is home to The Royal Thanda Club at Jumeirah Thanda Safari and five branded Jumeirah Residences. These are also joined by Villa iZulu which sits within the wider game reserve. Guests can take part in game drives, bush walks, starlit dining experiences, and a junior ranger course for younger visitors. Guests also benefit from wildlife experiences guided by expert trackers and cultural programmes that reflect Zulu heritage, with 90% of its staff hailing from neighbouring communities.

Jumeirah Thanda Safari is involved in conservation and sustainability initiatives such as landscape rehabilitation, alien vegetation removal, cheetah breeding, and rhino protection through projects including Project Rhino KZN and the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project. Through The Thanda Foundation Trust, it supports programmes such as Star for Life, a youth empowerment initiative that has reached over 500,000 young people in South Africa and Mafia Island in Tanzania. The reserve is accessible via King Shaka International Airport in Durban, with transfers by road or a one-hour helicopter flight directly into the reserve.
Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield is pleased to announce the appointment of Sumin Martin as the new Director of Sales.

With over a decade of experience across leading luxury hospitality brands, Sumin brings with him a proven track record in driving business growth, building client relationships, and mentoring high-performing sales teams. He joins the hotel from The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore, where he most recently served as Assistant Director of Sales, managing a diverse portfolio that included key business parks in central Bengaluru and Mumbai as a source market. His leadership was instrumental in retaining 98% of major accounts and securing new business in 2024.

Previously, Sumin held leadership positions with Conrad Bengaluru and Park Hyatt properties in Hyderabad and Chennai, where he played a pivotal role in strengthening corporate, MICE, and travel trade segments. He began his career with Taj Hotels, where he gained a strong foundation in client management and revenue development. Along the way, he has been recognized for his ability to design impactful sales strategies, execute complex RFP processes, and nurture long-term partnerships in competitive markets.

An MBA in Sales and Marketing from Amity University and a graduate in Hospitality & Hotel Administration from IHM Chennai, Sumin combines academic rigor with practical industry insights. Certified as a Hospitality Trainer, he is also passionate about mentoring teams and shaping the next generation of hospitality leaders.

In his new role, Sumin will spearhead the sales strategy for Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield, further enhancing its market leadership and client engagement.

Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield is Marriott International's flagship property in Bengaluru, strategically located in the heart of Whitefield with seamless metro connectivity and close proximity to the city's major tech parks, business districts, and industrial hubs. The hotel features 520 thoughtfully designed rooms, including a leading inventory of twin rooms and one-bedroom suites, along with five distinctive dining venues. A preferred destination for MICE in South India, the hotel offers expansive and versatile event spaces, including compact meeting rooms, large-format banquet halls, and a scenic lawn on the second floor. With proven expertise in executing large-scale events and outdoor corporate gatherings, Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield combines elevated hospitality with a commitment to excellence in every guest experience. For more, visit www.marriott.com, and follow @Benglurumarriottwhitefield on Instagram and @BLRMarriott on X.
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas has appointed Guntram Merl as its new general manager. Within his role, Merl will oversee day-to-day management of operations, including the resort's evolving food and beverage program, working across departments to ensure cohesion and strategic planning.

With more than 25 years of international hospitality experience, Merl has built a reputation for delivering exceptional guest experiences and cultivating high-performing, service-driven teams. Born in Carinthia, Austria, Merl's career spans five-star, five-diamond, and boutique properties across London, Gstaad, Australia, the Cayman Islands, Asia and the United States. In global leadership roles, including at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, where he helped launch the premier Cayman Cookout culinary festival, he has contributed to earned accolades including the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond awards.

Merl most recently served as general manager of The St. Regis Atlanta, where he oversaw a 15-year streak of Five Diamond ratings and maintained best-in-class Intent to Recommend scores. During his tenure, the hotel was named Marriott's "Hotel of the Year," and Merl earned the distinction of General Manager of the Year for the brand's U.S. East Region in 2023.

Merl's dedication to hospitality extends to food and beverage initiatives. Among other initiatives, he helped launch "Out of the Kitchen," a culinary fundraiser that earned nearly $5 million across four markets, benefiting organizations such as Horizons Atlanta and other philanthropic groups across the country.

Merl holds a degree in Hospitality Management with distinction from the Hospitality Professions School in Oberwollanig, Austria.


Booking.com just paid 9.5 million dollars to settle a price display lawsuit in Texas. Learn how to maintain compliance in your displayed prices with these tips from Triptease.

The introduction of new Junk Fee regulations by the US Federal Trade Commission in May 2025 created a stir in the hospitality industry, with hotels in the US and beyond rushing to adapt the way they display prices online. And no one, not even major OTAs, is above the new regulations: in August 2025, Booking Holdings agreed to a $9.5 million settlement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office over its junk fee practices.

The company was accused of using drip pricing by advertising low base rates for hotels and then adding mandatory charges like resort, amenity, or destination fees only at checkout. The lawsuit also alleged that Booking obscured its mandatory fees at checkout by grouping them with funds owed to the government.

Booking denied wrongdoing, but the settlement requires it to fully disclose all mandatory fees upfront to align with the Federal Trade Commissions rule.

This is the largest Texas state-level settlement to date against an online travel agency for deceptive pricing, following earlier actions by the state against hotel giants such as Marriott, Hilton, and Choice. And while were in favor of holding OTAs to account, this is also a wake-up call to hotels in the US or with US customers: these rules are being enforced, and non-compliance could mean legal action and potentially steep fines.

How to make sure youre compliant with the FTCs ruling

While unlikely to result in payouts of over $9 million, fines or legal challenges would be a major headache for any hotel. Properties need to ensure that theyre fully compliant with all current regulations, and keep an eye out for any further developments. Here are the steps wed recommend for hotels looking to avoid any complications.

1. Ensure that your advertised prices and your booking engine breakdown follow best practices

Ultimately this is all about the way prices are set up in your booking engine. So if you have any doubt at all about your pricing configurations and the rates youre advertising, start from there.

Your booking engine should be able to outline the specific steps you can take to display prices in a compliant way. If in doubt, weve put together some key examples of how hotels are displaying their rates in a way thats compliant with the new regulations.

2. Make sure your advertising partners and tech providers support your new pricing structure

Once youve ensured that your booking engine price display setup is compliant, your next step should be aligning advertising channels such as metasearch and onsite price-check widgets.

You need to check and make sure the partners you work with can support the pricing structure youve implemented. This could happen automatically, you might need to adjust some configuration, or maybe you need to have a conversation about exactly whats possible.

Here at Triptease, weve rolled out updates across our platform, including our metasearch and price matching solutions, to ensure that we can support hotels without causing any regulatory issues.

3. Keep communication lines open

Checking in and notifying partners of any changes to your pricing structure is the easiest way to ensure that youre doing everything by the book.

As these laws are fairly new, you might want to test a few different ways of displaying your taxes and fees to see what aligns most with your strategy and creates the best customer experience(for example, whether to include state-mandated taxes in advertised rates).

If you do make any continuous improvements, be sure to okay changes with your booking engine and marketing partners, so they can be sure to surface rates accordingly.

The bottom line

Hotels and travel platforms alike are under growing, legally enforceable pressure to provide transparent and upfront pricing. Its of utmost importance that hotels stay on top of this, and that their partners and tech providers help them do so.

If you have any questions about your pricing setup, how to comply with the newest regulations, or how Triptease can help, our team of direct booking experts is here to help.

Genevieve Horchler is a product marketing manager at Triptease. Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn.
Premier Inn to Open New Hotel at Edinburgh Airport in 2028 - Image Credit Whitbread

Edinburgh City Council has granted planning permission for a new Premier Inn hotel near Edinburgh Airport, set to open in 2028. The project, a collaboration between Whitbread plc and Riverstone Hotels Ltd., will be located on Eastfield Road, near the airport's main entrance.

The new hotel will feature 218 rooms and will be situated within a ten-minute walk from the airport terminal. This development aims to accommodate the increasing number of passengers using Edinburgh Airport, which currently serves 16 million travelers annually. The airport is a hub for more than 155 domestic and international destinations.

The planning permission follows a period of discussions with Edinburgh City Council. The new hotel will be the third Premier Inn location serving the airport area, joining existing hotels at Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Airport (M9, Jct1).

The building will be L-shaped, with a ground floor and four additional stories above it. It will feature Premier Inns latest room designs, including the Premier Plus rooms, as well as a communal area known as 'The Social' located on the ground floor. The hotel will be powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources and will offer 100 parking spaces for guests.

This project is part of a larger investment by Whitbread in Edinburgh, with plans to add over 500 new rooms across three new hotels in the city. Currently, Premier Inn operates 14 hotels in the Edinburgh City Council area, welcoming over 1 million guests annually.

The development reflects Whitbread's strategy to expand its presence in key markets, with a long-term goal of increasing its room count across the UK and Ireland. The company currently offers over 85,000 rooms in more than 850 locations and aims to reach 125,000 rooms in the future.
Fire District members will start paying the bond on the new fire station this fiscal year. The $22.5 million station is being constructed on Main Street.

Williamstown Taxpayers to Start Paying for New Fire Station

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  A decision residents made in February 2023 will begin to hit their wallets in the current fiscal year.

On Wednesday, the fire district's Prudential Committee held its annual tax classification hearing and learned the district's projected FY26 property tax rate from town assessor Chris Lamarre.

Property owners will pay $1.22 per $1,000 of assessed value in the year that ends on June 30, 2026. That is up from 66 cents per $1,000 in FY25, a jump of 85 percent.

The main driver is the start of bond payments on the new station nearing completion on Main Street, which accounts for most of an approximately $893,000 increase in the district's levy.

Last year, the district raised just more than $987,000 in taxation. In the year ahead, it will need $1.9 million, a jump of 90.4 percent, as it begins paying off the construction bond for the station set to open at the end of December.

At a special district meeting in early 2023 , members approved a $22.5 million construction project on Main Street to replace the fire department's cramped, out-of-date Water Street station built in 1950.

The fire district, a separate taxing authority apart from town government, uses Town Hall to send its bills as a convenience for both the district and taxpayers, who receive one bill.

The fire district's tax rate is far smaller than the town's, which funds the schools, Department of Public Works, police department and all other municipal functions. The town's property tax rate in FY26 is $14.20 per $1,000  about 11 times the fire district rate.

But with both the town and fire district seeing significant increases in the tax levy this year, property owners will see a significant bump in their tax bills.

The median-priced home in town in FY26, which has an assessed value of $453,500, will have a tax bill of $6,440 from the town and $553 from the district.

In FY25, those bills were $6,060 and $290, respectively.

That means in the year that ended on June 30, 2025, the combined tax bill was $6,350. In the year that began on July 1, the combined bill is $6,993, a jump of 10.1 percent.

Wednesday's meeting had nothing to do with setting the levy  the total amount to be raised through taxation. That decision was made at the annual district meeting in May.

The question before the Prudential Committee on Wednesday was how to distribute the levy. And, following past practice and, agreeing with the Select Board's votes on Aug. 11, the Prudential Committee voted unanimously to maintain a single tax rate, rather than putting more of the burden on commercial property owners, while also voting down a residential tax exemption, open space exemption and small commercial exemptions  all mechanisms under Massachusetts law that allow municipalities to tinker with the distribution of the levy.

After the tax classification hearing, Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi and Melissa Cragg, who serves on both the town's and district's finance committees, said this will be a one-time jump in the levy to pay for the new station.

That station, the committee learned on Wednesday, continues to stay on track for a "late Decemberish finish date," according to Bruce Decoteau, the district's construction advisor.

"The second floor framing is pretty much complete," Decoteau said. "Champlain [Masonry] needs more masons, but they're moving along and making progress. Inside, there are a few partitions left, but not many. The elevator has started.  The solar field in the back will start going in, probably, next week."

The Finance Committee's Cragg, meanwhile, told the committee that the station project continues to come in at or below budget.

On the other hand, the Prudential Committee heard some bad news about the department's tower truck, which is currently in Connecticut waiting on $35,000 in repairs. Chief Jeffrey Dias asked the committee to transfer the money out of the district's stabilization account to fund the repairs.

Dias said he expects the tower truck to be out of service for up to two weeks, during which time, the department will continue to rely on its mutual aid partners for coverage.

He also asked for a $70,000 transfer from stabilization to pay for repairs to the department's Engine 2 that previously were funded from the maintenance and operation budget.

The committee voted, 5-0, to transfer $105,000 from stabilization.

Dias told the committee that he plans to repurpose the retired brush truck formerly used by the forest warden.

"The intent is to hang a plow on it this winter," Dias said. "It's definitely good enough to be a yard vehicle. The plow price is not a cheap expense  [but] we'd probably be up to $10,000, if we had a bad winter, to outsource [plowing the new station property]. I'd rather spend $8,000 on a plow that's going to last 20 years."
Building on the momentum of last years success, realme FanFest continues to grow and evolve in meaningful ways each year. What once began as a local celebration has now taken the regional stage: the realme FanFest 2024, brought to life in partnership with Stratminds Events, earned a nomination at the Marketing Events Awards 2025 in Singapore under the Best Consumer Event: Product Launch/Re-Launch category. Competing alongside global brands, this recognition is a testament to how realmes fan-first campaigns continue to break boundaries and expectations.

Now, realme takes it even further as it celebrates the 7th annual FanFest this 2025 with the theme REALmix, a month-long celebration that brings fans front and center through music, stories, and exclusive prizes. More than just marking milestones, its about handing the mic to the Squad, inviting them to express what being part of the realme community truly means.

This years FanFest is anchored on three major initiatives that spotlight the real voices behind the brand.

The Real Soundtrack: Songwriting Contest

realme launches a nationwide songwriting competition open to aspiring musicians aged 18 and above. With themes centered on authenticity, togetherness, and community, the contest offers one lucky winner a P300,000 prize and the chance to have their song professionally recorded as the official track for realmes holiday campaign. Its an opportunity for emerging talent to step into the spotlight and be heard by a national audience.

Keeping It Real: Stories that resonate

Back by popular demand, the Keeping It Real series returns, featuring heartfelt stories from realme's most loyal fans and creators.. As part of its ongoing commitment to celebrating real stories and meaningful connections, realme once again partnered with artists and personalities who have been part of its previous campaigns. This year, The Juans and Aiyana Perlas return to the spotlight, sharing personal narratives that highlight how realme has continuously supported their journeysfueling their passion, purpose, and everyday breakthroughs. Episodes will be released weekly on realmes official Facebook page, offering a deeper look into their lives behind the screens.

Weekly realMIX Giveaways

To keep the excitement high throughout August, realme is launching weekly digital giveaways. Fans can get a chance to win exclusive realme merchandise and products, just by participating in simple online activities. Aside from this, fans can also expect exciting promos and discounts online and in retail stores throughout the month.

This August, the spotlight is on the fans

More than a campaign, realme FanFest 2025 is a stage for self-expression, a space where stories are heard, talents are celebrated, and the Squad takes the lead.

Fans who want to join the songwriting contest or weekly giveaways can stay tuned for announcements and mechanics via realmes official Facebook page. They can also look forward to exclusive promos and special discounts this August, making this years FanFest one they wont want to miss.
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An award-winning author has spoken of her heartbreak at not being able to visit her dying mother in China, fearing she could be jailed over her powerful account of life under the countrys authoritarian regime.

Jung Chang, the London-based author of the 1991 bestselling memoir Wild Swans, says she last saw her mother in 2018. Since then, her mothers condition has worsened, and her relatives in China have warned Chang to prepare for the worst.

In an interview with The Independent, Chang recalls the cruelty and hardship she, her mother and grandmother had faced in 20th century China, spanning 100 years from Emperor Puyis rule to Chairman Maos Cultural Revolution.

In her new book, Fly, Wild Swans, Chang describes her life in the UK after leaving Chengdu in southern China in 1978, and the struggle to be reunited with her mother, who remains in the country. She dedicates the book to My mother, whose deathbed I am unable to visit.

While China has dramatically transformed from an isolated nation under Chairman Mao into a global economic powerhouse, Chang says authoritarianism lingers through strict censorship and limited political freedoms.

open image in gallery Chang and her mother stand next to a portrait of her late father ( Harper Collins )

After Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, critics say he has increased state control and rules with an iron fist against dissent. Chang believes she has fallen foul of this tightening grip.

One of the very first orders he gave after he came to this position was to make insulting revolutionary heroes a crime punishable by imprisonment. she says. Id documented Maos misrule, so I was ripe for the accusation.

After a long and exhausting battle with Chinese authorities to re-enter the country, Chang made the agonising decision to stop trying. I probably would still be let into China, but I might not be let out, she says.

She regularly hears from her siblings who live close to her 94 year-old mother, who is at a nursing home in Chengdu. Several times, my sister has been told to prepare for my mothers death, but then she pulls through. Her mind is still there, and until quite recently, I could have meaningful conversations with her, but in the past few weeks, she no longer has the energy to talk.

open image in gallery Jung Chang and her mother on a research trip for Wild Swans in 1989 ( Harper Collins )

Its very sad I can never see her again, but thats the professional hazard of being a writer, and thats what my mother encouraged me to do.

It comes as Xi hosts more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries, including Russias Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.

In his opening remarks on Monday, Xi criticised the bullying behaviour of other countries in what appeared to be a broadside at the West.

His comments add to ongoing tensions between China and Western nations over trade, human rights, security and Beijings support of Putins war in Ukraine.

Major US and UK security leaders have previously warned of China posing a more dangerous threat to the security of the West than Russia, a view that Chang shares. In the sense that it asserts an ideology thats specific goal is to destroy the capitalist world, she says.
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Vladimir Putin claimed on Monday that the "understandings" he reached with Donald Trump during their summit in Alaska have opened a way to peace in Ukraine.

The Russian leader, who is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) forum in China's Tianjin City, said he would discuss the Alaska meeting with leaders attending the summit.

Mr Putin was seen chatting and laughing with host Xi Jinping and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the summit. Mr Modi held the Russian leaders hand as they walked towards Chinese president Xi, before sharing a car ride with Mr Modi to their venue for bilateral talks.

Presidents Xi and Putin took turns to take a swipe at the West during the summit that aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations. Chinese officials have touted the SCO summit as the largest in the blocs history, with around 20 leaders attending from countries across Asia and the Middle East.

The candid footage of the three leaders at the summit captured a powerful narrative of deepening alliances between India, China, and Russia  the key members of the Brics bloc. Their growing camaraderie seems poised to challenge the Western grip on global trade in a pushback against the American presidents punitive tariffs.

President Xi slammed "bullying behaviour" from certain countries, in a veiled reference to the US. The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging," he added in his address.

"Looking to the future, with the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spirit... and better perform the functions of the organisation," Mr Xi said.

open image in gallery Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China# ( Sputnik )

The Russian leader used his speech to defend Moscows offensive in Ukraine, placing the blame squarely on the Nato security alliance. Mr Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has made clear his intention not to stop fighting until he has annexed large swathes of the country, including the eastern Donbas. He euphemistically referred to the war as a crisis in his speech at the SCO.

"We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis," Mr Putin told the forum. "The understandings reached at the recent Russia-US meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal," he added.

In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated," Mr Putin said.

Part of the source of the conflict "lies in the ongoing attempts by the West to bring Ukraine into Nato," Mr Putin reiterated. He said the Wests attempts to draw Ukraine into Nato pose a direct threat to Russias security.

"A fair balance in the security sphere" must be also restored, he said, shorthand for a series of Russian demands about Nato and European security.

He said he had already detailed to Mr Xi on Sunday the outcomes of his talks with the US president Trump, and the work "already underway" to resolve the conflict. Despite his ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Mr Putin later in his speech said his support of UN principles, including respect for the independence of states, was true and unshakable.

open image in gallery China SCO ( AP )

"Its charter includes the key principles of the supremacy of international law, the right of nations to self-determination, sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, respect for the independence and national interests of each state," he said.

"These principles are true and unshakable to this day. The SCO's activities are built on them."

Mr Trump last week claimed that him and Mr Putin got along during the August summit and suggested the war may continue a little longer.

I dont know. We got along, he told The Daily Caller. You saw it, weve had a good relationship over the years, very good, actually. Thats why I really thought we would have this done. I would have loved to have had it done. Maybe they have to fight a little longer. You know, just keep fighting  stupidly, keep fighting.

Indias Modi met Mr Putin on the sidelines of the summit on Monday and hailed bilateral ties between the two countries. Washington slapped New Delhi with 50 per cent tariffs last week as a punitive measure for purchasing Russian oil, which the Trump administration says helps finance Russias war in Ukraine.

Mr Modi was often seen warmly embracing and holding hands with the Russian president, a clear display of solidarity in the face of Trumps tariffs.

"Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder," Mr Modi said. "Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity."

China and India are by far the biggest purchasers of crude from Russia, the world's second-largest exporter.

The SCO summit, which includes 16 additional countries as observers or "dialogue partners," began on Sunday, just days before a grand military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of Second World War.
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North Korea said on Monday leader Kim Jong Un inspected a new weapons factory thats key to his plan to accelerate mass production of missiles in a weekend visit before he departs for a major military parade in China.

The countrys official Korean Central News Agency did not disclose the location of the factory Kim visited Sunday, but it may be in Jagang province, a hub of the countrys munitions industry that borders China.

Both China and North Korea confirmed last week that Mr Kim will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Chinas resistance against Japanese wartime aggression.

The 26 foreign leaders invited by Chinese president Xi Jinping also include Russias Vladimir Putin, who has received major wartime support from Kim in his invasion of Ukraine, making the Beijing event a show of three-way alignment against US efforts to strengthen security cooperation with South Korea and Japan.

open image in gallery This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 22, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting the memorial wall at a ceremony to award state commendations to the commander and combatants of the Korean People's Army's Overseas Operational Forces, who took part in military operations in Kursk Oblast of western Russia, at the headquarters building of the Central Committee of the The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang ( KCNA )

South Korean media speculated Mr Kim could depart for China by train sometime Monday, pointing to heightened security measures at the Chinese border town of Dandong, where rail traffic was reportedly halted and hotels stopped receiving foreign guests.

KCNA said the factory had assembly lines to speed missile production and reported that Kim praised scientists and workers and ratified plans for improvement.

South Korean officials say Mr Kim has pushed to accelerate munitions production as he supplies Russia with large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles. Mr Kim has also sent thousands of troops since last fall to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, as he prioritises Moscow as part of a foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with nations confronting the United States.

open image in gallery FILE - In this June 20, 2019, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, poses with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a photo at Kumsusan guest house in Pyongyang, North Korea ( KCNA via KNS )

Since aligning with Russia, North Korea has become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing diplomatic statements on conflicts in the Middle East and in the Taiwan Strait, while portraying itself as a part of a united front against Washington. Some experts say Kims presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is part of efforts to develop partnerships with other nations close to China and Russia.

China remains North Koreas largest trade partner and economic lifeline, and Kims attendance at the Beijing military parade is also seen as an attempt to showcase ties with a major ally and boost leverage ahead of a possible resumption of negotiations with Washington.

Mr Kim met US president Donald Trump three times during Mr Trumps first term, but their diplomacy never recovered from their collapsed second summit in 2019 in Vietnam, where the US rejected North Koreas demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for partial steps toward denuclearization.
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A 41-year-old man in the southern Indian state of Karnataka died after being bitten by a venomous snake that was reportedly hiding in his footwear.

Manju Prakash, a software engineer working from Bengalurus Bannerghatta district, lost his life after being bitten by a Russells Viper nestled in his Crocs on Saturday.

Police reports indicated that the incident occurred around 12.30pm local time, when Prakash had stepped out briefly to buy sugarcane juice for his mother.

After returning home, he handed the juice to his sister-in-law and instructed her to give it to his mother before going to rest, The Hindu reported. He lived in the residential Ranganatha Layout area with his wife, two children, his mother, and his brothers family.

About an hour after he arrived home, family members discovered him unresponsive, frothing at the mouth, with a bite mark visible on his toe. His relatives suggested that due to lingering numbness in his leg from an earlier accident, he may not have sensed the snake bite, according to The Indian Express.

Prakash, who was involved in a bus accident in 2016, underwent leg surgery and subsequently lost sensation in the affected leg.

On returning home, Prakash went to his room and slept. After nearly an hour, a labourer who visited our house noticed a snake just outside the pair of Crocs. Upon checking, it was found that the snake was dead, the victims brother was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, confirming snakebite as the cause.

Upon inspecting the home, relatives found a small Russells Viper trapped inside Prakashs footwear. Authorities believe the snake may have suffocated while trying to escape.

According to iNaturalist, Russells Vipers are known for their extremely painful bite and are considered one of the most dangerous big four snakes in India besides the common krait, Indian cobra and the Indian saw-scaled viper.

Police sources noted that the venom acted rapidly, causing his death while he slept.

The local police have, meanwhile, registered the case as an unnatural death and are awaiting the postmortem report to rule out any suspicious circumstances.

Local reports also suggest that the area where Prakash lived borders several green spaces like parks within the vicinity, and the snake might have sneaked in from there.
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Donald Trumps trade adviser once again accused India for the war in Ukraine, calling the south Asian nation "nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin".

Peter Navarro on Sunday said he doesn't understand why Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was "getting into bed" with Russias Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping as the three leaders met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

They were seen chatting and laughing before Mr Putin and Mr Modi shared a car ride to their venue for bilateral talks.

Mr Trump's punitive tariffs have appeared to bring India, China, and Russia  the key members of Brics bloc  much closer to counter the Western influence on trade. Mr Trump last week implemented an eye-watering 50 per cent tariff on most Indian goods, including a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing Russian weapons and oil, which Washington says helps finance Russias war in Ukraine

open image in gallery Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China# ( via REUTERS )

Mr Navarro on Sunday told Fox News that New Delhi was enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run counter to American interests. "We have 50 per cent tariffs on India, but we also have little over 50 per cent on China, so the question is how much higher do you want to go without actually hurting ourselves," he said.

He added, "The 25 per cent or 50 per cent is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world.

"They won't let us sell to them, so who gets hurt, workers in America, taxpayers in America... Ukrainians in cities are getting killed by Russian drones," he added.

Mr Navarro called the Indian prime minister "a great leader", adding: "But I don't understand why he's getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping...when he's the leader of the biggest democracy in the world."

open image in gallery Russian President Vladimir Putin hugs Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Indian Prime Minister's Office via AP) ( AP )

"I would just simply say to the Indian people. Please, understand what's going on here. You've got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop," he added.

Mr Navarro was referring to the archaic Indian caste system, a rigid social stratification system that dates back thousands of years and is still critical in Indian life and politics, with those at the bottom rung routinely discriminated against.

More than two-thirds of India's over 1.4 billion people are estimated to be on the lower rungs of the social hierarchy. India has condemned the 50 per cent tariffs as unfair, unjustified and unreasonable, insisting it will continue buying Russian oil to secure the best deal for its 1.4 billion citizens despite US threats.

While Russia now supplies 35-40 per cent of Indias crude, up from under 2 per cent before February 2022, New Delhi has also stated that the US has not applied similar tariffs to China, the EU, or other major Russian oil importers.

Despite mounting US pressure, New Delhi and Moscow intend to increase their annual trade by 50 per cent to $100bn (74bn) over the next five years.

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Indias trade policies on Truth Social. He cited the USs large trade deficit with India, linked its purchases of Russian military equipment and energy to the Ukraine war, and criticised Indian tariffs and trade barriers as among the worlds most strenuous and obnoxious. On Truth Social, Mr Trump previously labelled New Delhi and Moscow as dead economies.
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Rescue workers are desperately trying to reach remote mountainous regions of eastern Afghanistan after one of the countrys worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,500, Afghan officials said.

The death toll could rise further, the Taliban government has warned, as Afghans scramble to save loved ones from beneath the rubble and devastated villages are cut off by resulting landslides.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, late on Sunday night. The quake was shallow, just five miles from the Earths surface, likely making it more destructive.

open image in gallery An Afghan man helps an injured person after the devastating earthquake ( Reuters )

Tremors could be felt in neighbouring Pakistan, across the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as far as the countrys capital, Islamabad, which is more than 185 miles away, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said. No major damage or casualties were reported in Pakistan.

The Talibans chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said 812 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured by Monday evening.

Most of the casualties were reported in Kunar province, where many of the homes in rural and outlying villages are made of mud and wood and are poorly built.

open image in gallery Map shows area close to Jalalabad where the 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck ( The Independent )

One resident in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said his village has been almost entirely destroyed. Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble, the villager told AP news agency.

We need help here. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.

open image in gallery A military helicopter transport injured victims in Mazar Dara, Kunar province ( AP )

Footage showed aid workers carrying casualties from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people dug through rubble with their hands. Road access was difficult for aid workers in the mountainous regions hardest hit by the quake, with landslides slowing down rescue efforts.

The area of the earthquake was affected by heavy rain in the last 24-48 hours as well, so the risk of landslides and rock slides is also quite significant  that is why many of the roads are impassable, Kate Carey, a Kabul-based officer with the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, said on Monday.

open image in gallery Injured Afghans receive treatment at a hospital in Jalalabad ( AFP/Getty )

The earthquake has intensified existing humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as he urged the international community to support relief efforts.

This adds death and destruction to other challenges, including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries, he posted on X, formerly Twitter. Hopefully, the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts.

open image in gallery Afghan men search for their belongings in the rubble of a collapsed house ( Reuters )

It was the third major deadly earthquake in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. After the takeover, global funding cuts that once formed the bulk of the Afghan governments finances have significantly hampered the countrys ability to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

US president Donald Trumps cuts to foreign aid earlier this year dealt a crippling blow to Afghanistans fragile economy, forcing hundreds of hospitals and healthcare centres to shut down.

This earthquake strikes a country already facing lack of global support for a severe humanitarian crisis, Graham Davison, Afghanistan director for humanitarian organisation Care, said. Nearly half of the population of Afghanistan  23 million people  is already reliant on humanitarian aid, and yet the humanitarian response plan is only 28 per cent funded.
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At least 800 people have been killed and more than 2,500 injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, flattening villages and leaving rescuers struggling to reach remote communities.

The 6.0-magnitude quake hit late on Sunday in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, with tremors felt as far away as Kabul and across the border in Islamabad and Lahore.

Entire homes were reduced to rubble in mountain districts where people were already hit hard by relentless monsoon rains, with survivors pulled from beneath collapsed walls.

Follow our live coverage.

On Monday morning, aftershocks continued to rattle the region with some as high as magnitude 5. Tremors were felt as far as Pakistans capital, Islamabad, and North India.

Authorities warned the death toll could rise even further as rescue teams battle blocked roads, landslides and unstable buildings.

Helicopters were deployed to move the injured to hospitals in Jalalabad and Kabul, while volunteers dug through debris in villages where dozens of families are still unaccounted for.

Interior ministry officials said the scale of destruction was worst in rural areas close to the epicentre, where fragile mud-brick houses stood little chance against the force of the quake.

Videos from Nangarhar, one of the worst-affected regions, showed people frantically digging through rubble with their hands, searching for loved ones in the dead of night.

The injured were stretchered out of collapsed buildings and into helicopters.

open image in gallery Map shows area close to Jalalabad where the 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck ( The Independent )

One resident in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said almost the entire village had collapsed.

"Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble," the villager, who did not give his name, told The Associated Press.

"We need help here," he said. "We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble."

The disaster comes as Afghanistan reels from months of flooding that displaced thousands and amid a severe shortfall in international aid. Relief agencies said the earthquake could deepen what the UN has described as one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises.

open image in gallery Orange dots show area where earthquake struck ( USGS )

The Taliban has urged international aid agencies to provide assistance. The UN and charities like the Red Cross have started providing relief.

Meanwhile, Indias external minister, S Jaishankar, said the country will "extend assistance in this hour of need" to Afghanistan, expressing "solidarity to Afghan people".

Afghanistan is often struck by earthquakes as it lies in a seismically active zone in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which sits near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In 2023, Afghanistan suffered a devastating magnitude-6.3 earthquake in October 2023, which flattened villages and left thousands displaced.

The Taliban estimated the death toll to be over 4,000; however, the UN confirmed at least 1,500 fatalities.

The epicentre in Zindajan district was hit hardest, with nearly 100 per cent of homes destroyed and over 1,294 deaths there alone.
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Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has bowed to public anger over the lavish perks of Indonesias lawmakers, announcing that housing allowances and overseas trips for parliamentarians will be cut.

The pledge, made alongside leaders of eight political parties in a televised address, was in response to mounting demonstrations that have spread across the country recently.

By Monday, lawmakers will see certain allowances scrapped and overseas work trips suspended under a new moratorium, Mr Prabowo said.

The protests were triggered by revelations that each of the nations 580 lawmakers receives a monthly housing stipend of around $3,000  nearly ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

Outrage intensified after 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan was killed when a police armoured vehicle ran into demonstrators in the capital, sparking broader unrest that has now left six people dead nationwide.

While Mr Prabowo stressed his government respects free expression, he warned that violent acts during protests would not be tolerated and could amount to treason or terrorism. At the same time, he urged citizens to channel their grievances peacefully, promising that their voices would be heard as his administration works to restore calm in the worlds third-largest democracy.

I sincerely ask all citizens to trust the government and remain calm, Mr Prabowo said, adding that he is determined to always fight for the interests of the people and the nation

To the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centres, according to the laws, he added.

His close ally, defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, warned on Sunday that security forces would take firm action against rioters and looters after the home of the finance minister was ransacked.

open image in gallery Road infrastructure task force members clear cables after being damaged by recent protests in Jakarta on 1 September 2025. Indonesian authorities ramped up security on 1 September after six people were killed in unrest over economic hardship that escalated into violent anger against the nation's police force ( AFP/Getty )

Meanwhile, the Indonesian student groups and civil society organisations halted their protests on Monday, following a week of mounting unrest, citing fears of intensified security after the deadly weekend riots, Channel News Asia reported.

One umbrella group of student organisations explained the move was due to very impossible conditions. The Alliance of Indonesian Women, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, announced it was postponing demonstrations at parliament to prevent a potential security crackdown.

The delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities ... the delay takes place until the situations calm down, the group said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

However, police have reportedly erected checkpoints across Jakarta on Monday as the authorities expect fresh protests in several parts of Indonesias vast archipelago.

A police spokesperson told Kompas TV that patrols were being carried out to protect residents and provide a sense of security.

open image in gallery Armed Indonesian military troops march at the National Monument (Monas) complex as they prepare for deployment amid the widespread anti-government protests and rioting over issues such as extra pay for parliamentarians and housing allowances led by a student group that resulted in riots rocking Southeast Asia's largest economy, in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 August 2025 ( Reuters )

On Sunday night, security forces also rolled out a convoy of armoured vehicles and motorbikes to the national parliament, a show of force aimed at deterring demonstrators.

The wave of protests has emerged as the most serious challenge yet to Mr Subiantos year-old administration, which until now has largely governed without significant opposition.

In Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, demonstrators torched the provincial parliament late on Friday, leaving several people dead and many others injured, some with burns and others hurt after leaping from the building.

Television footage showed the structure engulfed in flames.

Similar scenes played out elsewhere: protesters set fire to the regional parliament in Bandung, West Java, and in Surabaya, they overran police headquarters after smashing fences and torching vehicles.

The public is indeed very angry and upset with the behaviour of the elite  hedonistic, frequently showing off on social media, and insensitive to the suffering of ordinary people, most of whom are struggling, Aditya Perdana, an associate professor at the University of Indonesia, told Bloomberg.

This is what triggered such a strong, unexpected response, expressed in the form of looting, he added. If the president fails to address this serious situation soon, of course there could be other forms of protest emerging in the future.
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Royal Mails owner, International Distribution Services (IDS), has confirmed that the nationwide axing of second-class letter deliveries on Saturdays will be a protracted process, taking "many months" to implement and extending well into 2026.

The announcement follows IDSs recent 3.6 billion takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinskys EP Group in June.

Ofcom granted Royal Mail approval to scrap second-class Saturday deliveries and transition to an every-other-weekday service from July 28.

However, under its Universal Service Obligation, Royal Mail must maintain Monday to Saturday deliveries for first-class post and ensure second-class letters arrive within three working days.

Despite Royal Mail commencing "detailed work" and "using the learnings from pilots" for the nationwide rollout, the reforms have yet to expand beyond the 35 pilot delivery offices.

IDS chief executive Martin Seidenberg described the undertaking as a "massive task ahead of us", underscoring the significant challenge of the transformation.

open image in gallery Ofcom gave the green light to Royal Mail to scrap second class letter deliveries on Saturdays ( PA )

He said: We will take the time to get this right.

We owe it to our customers that we are not flipping back and forth.

He added the group had always said it would take many months.

IDS said it was too early to say when the changes will be completed and which of its 1,200 delivery offices would be next in line for the overhaul.

This is a massive change for us as a company and the people of the country, he said, given the groups 130,000 workforce and delivery network.

The comments came as Royal Mail revealed it returned to an underlying operating profit for the first time in three years despite a competitive and challenging backdrop.

In its first set of figures since being taken over by EP Group, IDS said Royal Mail delivered underlying earnings, excluding voluntary redundancy costs, of 12 million for the year to March 31 compared with losses of 336 million the previous year.

But, with redundancy costs included, Royal Mail still remained in the red with underlying operating losses of 8 million, it said.

IDS said the underlying improvement at Royal Mail came despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment.

open image in gallery The owner of Royal Mail has said it will take many months to ditch second class letter deliveries on Saturdays across the UK ( Rui Vieira/PA )

The wider group, which also owns the GLS parcel business, reported underlying earnings of 278 million, against losses of 28 million in the previous year.

Pre-tax profits stood at 429 million, up from 114 million in the 53 weeks to March 2024.

Parcel volumes at Royal Mail post boxes also rose 6 per cent over the year, although the ongoing decline in mail saw addressed letters drop 4 per cent.

The figures come after a milestone year for the group, which saw Royal Mail taken into foreign ownership for the first time in its more than 500-year history.

Mr Seidenberg said: It has been a year of change for IDS.

He added: Royal Mail returned to profit for the first time in three years, marking an important milestone in the companys turnaround.

With IDSs acquisition by EP Group complete, and universal service reform decided, now is the time for us to drive the business forward and capitalise on our momentum.

It added it would continue to invest heavily in postal lockers following the EP Group takeover, with Royal Mail having boosted its out of home locations by almost 70 per cent to about 24,000 by the end of August and launched its own branded lockers.

open image in gallery With redundancy costs included, Royal Mail still remained in the red with underlying operating losses of 8 million ( PA Archive )

GLS continued to expand its network to more than 110,000 out-of-home access points and more than doubled the size of the GLS locker network to more than 20,000 by the end of August, the company said.

Under the ownership of EP Group, we will continue to invest in the rapid expansion of our out-of-home network across both businesses to meet the changing needs of our customers around the globe, Mr Seidenberg said.

IDS formally left the London Stock Exchange on June 2 after being taken over by EP Group following clearance by the Government at the end of 2024 and approval by shareholders in April.

Royal Mails new owner also issued a 1 so-called golden share to the UK Government, as agreed under the deal.

Mr Kretinsky, appointed as the new chairman of Royal Mail, has pledged to stick to the Universal Service Obligation after the takeover.
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An accident involving two armored vehicles in Haitis capital left at least two people dead and eight police officers from Kenya injured, according to officials.

One dead and all those injured were part of a U.N.-backed mission fighting gangs in the troubled Caribbean country. The other fatality was a civilian, according to a statement from the missions spokesman, Jack Ombaka.

Three of those injured were in serious condition and airlifted to the neighboring Dominican Republic for treatment, authorities said.

The accident occurred Sunday evening along the Kenscoff-Petion-Ville route in the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Ombaka said it happened when one of the armored vehicles that was towing a disabled one broke down.

It brought to three the number of Kenyan police officers killed in Haiti since the mission began more than a year ago. One was killed in a gang attack, and another remains missing and is presumed dead.
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Police have launched an urgent investigation after two men were stabbed on the London Underground, British Transport Police (BTP) have said.

A 23-year-old man was taken to hospital with stab injuries after being attacked at 3.40am on 30 August at Oxford Circus tube station. A 41-year-old man was then taken to hospital this morning following an incident in the same station, after police were called to the scene just after 1.30am.

Police say there are maintaining an increased presence at the tube station as a result of the attacks.

No arrests have been made. The BTP have issued an appeal for help to find a man they believe could have information on the incidents.

It is unclear whether the two attacks are linked.

open image in gallery Police issued a picture of this man, asking for help to find him ( British Transport Police )

DCI Gareth Davies said There is absolutely no place for violence on the rail network, and detectives are working at pace to investigate these two connected incidents. Passengers will see an increased police presence at the station while officers carry out their enquiries.

We are urging anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen these incidents take place or events leading up to, to get in touch and assist us with our enquiries. Any piece of information might be vital for our investigation.

Oxford Circus station is one of the busiest tube stops in London, with upwards of 80,000 people tapping in every day during peak use.

Sitting on the junction of Regent Street and Oxford Street, with entrances on an four corners of the intersection, it is a vital stop to access two of Londons busiest streets. The station is served by three lines: Bakerloo, Central and Victoria.

It was previously reported that nearly 100 million people come through the station every year.

Officers urge witnesses, or anyone else with information who is yet to speak to police, to get in touch by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 49 of 31 August.

Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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A police officer has been punched in the face in Canary Wharf and anti-migrant protesters have gathered outside the Epping Forest District Council building as tensions continue to rise over the use of asylum hotels.

Metropolitan Police said that one of their force was lucky not to suffer significant injury while facilitating the initially peaceful anti-asylum protest on the Isle of Dogs on Sunday afternoon.

Later, a group of protesters, including some masked, move into the Canary Wharf shopping centre where a small group became aggressive towards the police.

Four arrests were made following the protest , which saw people gather outside the Britannia International Hotel, which was subject to controversy last month after the Government decided to use it as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

open image in gallery The protest initially took place outside the Bell Hotel but relocated to the council buildings ( AFP via Getty Images )

Meanwhile, around 200 protesters have marched on Eppings council offices, where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag, before being detained by officers after refusing to leave.

Pictures show angry demonstrators arguing with police and attempting to block a van,

Three people have been arrested, two men and a woman, and remain in police custody. Essex Police said the woman was arrested on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 order, which set out specific areas where the protest could take place.

They added that her arrest was categorically not for flying the Union flag as some people had suggested.

open image in gallery A protester is detained by police after hanging a Union flag from the civic offices ( Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire )

The protesters had initially gathered outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, which has become an epicentre for anti-migrant debates after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.

Anti-immigration protesters stood behind metal barriers across the road from the Bell Hotel, holding Union flags and waving at passing cars that sounded their horns. Police officers watched on, with more waiting in vans in surrounding roads.

Essex Police warned that any protest must end by 8pm and must not block the road. Section 60AA and dispersal orders also prevented people concealing from their identity with masks and allowed officers to direct protesters where to leave.

open image in gallery The Britannia International Hotel has seen a number of protests since July ( Yui Mok/PA Wire )

Tensions were further stoked after the government won a court challenge which means asylum seekers can continue to be housed at the Bell Hotel on Friday.

This follows a ruling last week which saw the local council granted an interim injunction which would have stopped 138 asylum seekers from being housed there after the authority claimed that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using the Bell as accommodation for asylum seekers.

Epping Forest District Council is set to decide on Monday whether to take its battle over the Bell Hotel to the Supreme Court.

open image in gallery Counter-protesters rallied in Canary Wharf ( Lucy North/PA Wire )

The UK has seen numerous protests as the government is facing mounting pressure to respond to a surge in small boats crossing the English Channel and end the use of hotels to temporarily house asylum seekers..

Protests have taken place in Newcastle, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Gloucester, London and Essex so far this weekend, with five arrests made in west London relating to disorder after two anti-asylum groups marched to the Crowne Plaza hotel in West Drayton.

The Met Police said that a group of masked men attempted to enter the hotel via the rear entrance, while a breakaway protest group moved towards the nearby Novotel on Cherry Lane and towards the Holiday Inn. Officers had already been in place at the scene, with two suffering minor injuries.

open image in gallery Protesters have clashed across the UK this weekend ( Getty Images )

Commander Adam Slonecki, in charge of policing London this weekend, said on Sunday - following the Canary Wharf arrests: This afternoon we have unfortunately seen more disorder, following the five arrests made yesterday in the West Drayton area.

We had plenty of officers on the ground who moved in swiftly to deal with the criminality that occurred inside and outside the shopping centre. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

Todays protest saw many community members attend, including women and children, and we worked to ensure the safety of those there to peacefully represent their views. Those who arrive at protests masked and intent on causing trouble will continue to be dealt with robustly at future protests.

open image in gallery The Bell Hotel is where anti-migrant debates sparked earlier this summer ( PA Wire )

We remain in the area to deter any further disorder and provide reassurance to local residents and businesses.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has accused Reform UK of stoking tensions over asylum hotels as protests continue.

She said whipping up anger serves the political interests of Nigel Farages party, to which deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice responded it is ridiculous to suggest the party supports anything other than lawful, peaceful protests.
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Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is outraged by Israel not allowing sufficient aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million more for medical assistance in the region.

In a statement on the Middle East to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Lammy told MPs that Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine, acknowledging the declaration from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC).

He said: Im outraged by the Israeli governments refusal to allow in sufficient aid.

We need a massive, massive humanitarian response to prevent more deaths, crucial NGOs, humanitarians and health workers allowed to operate and stockpiles of aid on Gazas borders released.

The Foreign Secretary pledged more money for Gazans through medical aid charity UK-Med and World Health Organisation Egypt.

He said: I can announce an additional 15 million worth of aid in medical care for Gaza and the region.

We continue to work alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, of course, to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

Brave medics in Gaza tell us that essential medicines are running out and they cannot operate safely, and thats why were funding UK-Med, whose field hospitals treated over 600,000 Gazans, and thats why were also funding the WHO Egypt to treat thousands of evacuated Gazan people.

open image in gallery Lammy says Britain will continue to work alongside regional partners to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need ( Suzanne Plunkett/PA )

Mr Lammy reiterated the Governments commitment to bring critically ill and injured Gazan children to the UK for specialist NHS treatment, with the first patients expected in the coming weeks.

He said: Were extracting people from a war zone, of course, it is complex and dangerous. It relies entirely on Israeli permissions, and Im pressing the Israeli government for this to happen as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Secretary condemned Israel for continuing to approve illegal settlements.

He said: In the West Bank, the Israeli government is tightening its stranglehold on the Palestinian economy and continues to approve illegal settlement construction, just recently in the E1 area east of Jerusalem.

This would erect a physical barrier to the contiguous Palestinian state, and it must not happen.

He added: We see no contradiction between the two-state solution and our deep commitment to Israeli security, because security comes from stable borders, not indefinite occupation.

On the reintroduction of sanctions on Iran, Mr Lammy said: I regret to inform the House that Iran has not complied with its legal obligations, nor chosen the path of diplomacy, so we have had no choice but to act.

I have long been clear that I will not allow snapback to expire without a durable and comprehensive deal. It would be unacceptable to allow this issue to fall off the UN Security Council agenda, despite the threat posed by Irans nuclear programme.

But snapback is not the end of diplomacy, as (US secretary of state Marco Rubio) has also recently underlined. Iran can still meet our conditions, it can restore full IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) access, it can address our concerns about its stockpile and enrichment, and return to negotiations.

Alongside our partners, I will continue to urge Iran to choose this path.

open image in gallery Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday ( AP Photo/Maya Levin )

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel told the Commons that new solutions should be looked at for getting aid in Gaza.

She said: The Government has yet to make essential breakthroughs on aid.

Ministers obviously need to work around the clock with everyone, all our partners, including with the Israelis and multinational institutions, to unblock the situation by coming up with practical solutions, even new solutions that all sides can focus on when it comes to getting medical and food aid into Gaza.

That does have to provide a significant increase in food and medical supplies to reach civilians while addressing Israeli concerns about aid diversions, because those concerns are constant.

However, Mr Lammy disagreed that new solutions are needed, arguing that old ones like the UNs World Food Programme have worked in the past.

The Foreign Secretary said: She asks what new solutions might be found on aid, and thats where I depart with the sentiment of what shes saying, because Im not sure we need new solutions.

The mechanisms are there, they work all over the globe, it worked the last time when we had a ceasefire.
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The late Queens political leanings and Queen Camillas experience of fighting off a sexual assault on a train as a teenager are among several eye-opening claims made in a new royal book.

Penned by former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low, Power And The Palace aims to expose the behind-closed-doors relationship between the monarchy and the government through interviews with a series of senior politicians, civil servants, and royal aides.

Released on 11 September, the book is already making headlines after a number of claims have emerged through excerpts printed in The Times ahead of publication.

1. The Queen fought off sexual assault on train

Queen Camilla fought off a sexual assault by a stranger on a train when she was a schoolgirl, according to Lows new book.

open image in gallery Queen Camilla has long campaigned against sexual and domestic violence ( PA Wire )

Disclosed in a conversation with Boris Johnson, the Queen told of how she took off her shoe and whacked him in the nuts with her heel before reporting the incident to the police when she arrived.

Mr Johnsons former communications director Guto Harri told Mr Low: She was on a train going to Paddington  she was about 16, 17  and some guy was moving his hand further and further

Mr Harri said after Mr Johnson asked what she did next, Camilla had replied: I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.

She was self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say, That man just attacked me, and he was arrested.

2. Queen Elizabeth II was a Remainer

One of the biggest claims to emerge from Mr Lows new book is her account of Queen Elizabeth II opposed Brexit.

In the book, Mr Low includes details of a conversation between the late Queen and a minister during which she reportedly said: We shouldnt leave the EU, before adding: Its better to stick with the devil you know.

open image in gallery Queen Elizabeth II was a remainer, the book claims ( PA Archive )

Its a weighty claim to make due to the monarchs duty to stay politically neutral at all times, and also contradicts previous reports of her attitude towards Europe.

In 2016, The Sun splashed the headline The Queen backs Brexit, reporting that in 2011 she allegedly told then-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg: I dont understand Europe. Press watchdog IPSO later ruled the headline as significantly misleading after the Queen complained.

Writing in Power and The Palace, Mr Low said: On a fundamental level, she saw the EU as part of the post-war settlement, marking an era of co-operation after two world wars.

If the Queen had had a vote, she would have voted Remain.

3. Queen Elizabeth II did not support King Charless campaigning

Claims in the book suggest Queen Elizabeth II did not support her sons campaigning approach to issues such as climate change, including his writing letters to ministers.

Mr Low quotes a palace source who claims her view of the letters was: Just dont do it. As soon as you engage in politics, you have an opinion and you pick a side  you cause a part of the population who disagree to take a partial view of you.

open image in gallery King Charles is an outspoken advocate for environmental issues ( AP )

The view of those who want to protect the monarchy was that it had to be even more elevated from the politics. Anything that dragged her into the mud was an unhelpful development.

4. Queen Elizabeth II was outspoken among ministers

It is well known that the monarch is duty-bound to be politically neutral. But in the book, sources told Mr Low the late Queen was more politically outspoken behind closed doors than would be expected.

George Osborne told Mr Low: I was constantly astonished by how candid she was and that none of this ever came out.

Shed be very forthright in telling you what she thought of individuals, including members of her own family, and what she thought about things going on in the country.

5. Boris Johnson tried to visit Queen Elizabeth II while he had Covid

Then-prime minister Boris Johnson reportedly tried to meet with Queen Elizabeth II while he was in the early stages of infection with Covid, according to the book.

A previous account of the incident told by Mr Johnsons adviser Dominic Cummings reported he had told the PM the move was insane.

But a source told Mr Low that Mr Cummingss exact words were: You will f***ing kill the Queen. Are you f***ing mad?

Buckingham Palace have declined to comment.
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The Queen was reportedly the victim of an attempted sexual assault as a schoolgirl, and succeeded in fending off her attacker with the heel of her shoe, a new book has claimed.

Queen Camilla disclosed the story to Boris Johnson during his time as mayor of London, the book titled Power And The Palace claimed.

According to an extract, the author, former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low, spoke to Mr Johnsons former communications director Guto Harri who recalled Mr Johnson telling him about the meeting that took place at Clarence House in around 2008.

In the extract, published in the Sunday Times, Mr Harri said of the pair: They obviously got on like a house on fire.

open image in gallery Camilla reportedly disclosed the story to former prime minister Boris Johnson during his time as mayor of London ( Reuters )

He (Mr Johnson) was making guttural noises about how much he admired and liked her.

But the serious conversation they had was about her being the victim of an attempted sexual assault when she was a schoolgirl.

She was on a train going to Paddington  she was about 16, 17  and some guy was moving his hand further and further

Mr Harri said that after Mr Johnson asked what she did next, Camilla had replied: I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.

She was self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say, That man just attacked me, and he was arrested.

The Queen has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse and has dedicated her royal charity work to supporting victims of sexual assault.

A number of years ago she championed the idea of washbags for people who have attacked, an idea that has recently been revived.

In an ITV documentary last year, she vowed to keep trying to end domestic violence, until she is able to no more, and was followed over the course of a year for the programme looking at her work in the field.
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Many minority ethnic people feel the British countryside is an "unwelcoming and unsafe" place to visit, according to a new study.

People face "racial slurs, intimidation and even threats", a research team from the University of Leicester found, adding that efforts to address rural racism "often provoke anger or defensive reactions".

The project, which has been running for two years, involved 20 community groups and the researchers spoke to 115 people about their experiences. It examined issues of racism in places like remote hamlets, market towns and seasonal tourist spots.

The report concluded that there is "widespread denial that racism exists or that it is significant in rural contexts".

open image in gallery The project, which has been running for two years, involved 20 community groups ( PA Archive )

This is also accompanied by a resistance to reinterpreting rural heritage and an "us versus them mentality, the report said, adding "rural identity is habitually equated with whiteness, as minoritised groups are depicted as outsiders, reinforcing exclusionary narratives".

It also highlighted major challenges in how the problem can be addressed: "Rural racism is dismissed as irrelevant or limited to overt acts, with more subtle or systemic forms overlooked or trivialised.

Dr Viji Kuppan, one of the researchers, added: While our research uncovered the seriousness of racism in rural areas, many participants from minoritised ethnic backgrounds also spoke of a deep appreciation and connection to the English countryside. In addition, our findings document the strength of rural communities in offering support, generosity and friendship to minoritised residents and visitors.

"At the heart of our research is an invitation to redouble our efforts to reimagine rural England as a place of belonging, one that embraces multiple histories, identities, and futures."

The report said that barriers such as cost, fear of discrimination and limited cultural visibility restrict access to the countryside and erode a sense of belonging for many minority ethnic visitors and residents.

The research also highlighted overt and subtle hostility, including instances of persistent staring and hostile body language, as well as more explicit incidents such as name-calling, racial slurs, intimidation and threats.

These experiences were not isolated, the authors said, but part of a broader pattern of exclusion which "inflicted deep emotional, psychological and sometimes physical wounds, and which eroded peoples sense of safety, identity and belonging".

However, Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, which took part in the study, said that while "racism must be confronted wherever it arises", hate crime data suggested rural areas were often "among the least affected parts of the country".

He told The Independent: The suggestion that racism is so pronounced in rural areas as to justify continual special attention is not supported by the evidence which may explain why this study has shied away from examining data in favour of collating anecdotes. Sadly, this focus on 'rural racism' appears to be driven more by a desire to generate headlines and attract funding than to affect any meaningful change."

A UK government spokesperson told The Independent: Racism is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society. That is why we have a strong legal framework in place to deal with the perpetrators of racist and other forms of hate crime and expect the perpetrators of these abhorrent offences to be brought to justice.
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The family of a 12-year-old boy who died after falling in a recreation ground have paid tribute to their much-loved child.

Logan Carter was found seriously injured by Cheshire police on Friday evening after falling from park apparatus in Wharton Recreation Ground in Winsford.

Despite the best efforts of the North West Ambulance Service paramedics who treated him at the scene, he was pronounced dead.

In a tribute, his family said: Logan was a much-loved son, brother, grandson, great grandson, cousin and friend to many. He had an infectious personality and a beautiful smile.

"Everyone wanted to be where Logan was. He was a little boy who was so full of life and wanted to make everyone laugh, they added. He made every day worth living. Logan was everyones therapy person, their calm and he will be missed more than we can ever put into words.

"We are taking comfort from the words of support we have received whilst we take time to come to terms with the untimely loss of our blue eyed boy."

They shared a picture of their son holding a large fish after a fishing trip, smiling at the camera in the sun. A GoFundMe has been set up in the 12-year-olds memory to support his family which as so far raised close to 9,000 in less than 24 hours with a target of 13,000.

Logans family is currently being supported by specialist officers at this time. Police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information related to the incident to come forward as part of ongoing enquiries.

Detective Sergeant John Rhodes, of the protecting vulnerable people investigations unit called the incident deeply tragic.

He said: This was a deeply tragic incident involving a very young victim and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the boy who sadly died at the scene.

As part of our investigation into this incident, we are asking anyone who may have been in or around the Wharton Recreation Ground area just off Ledward Street in Winsford at around the time of the incident and saw anything that may aid us in our enquiries, to please get in touch.

At this stage, I would also like to ask the public not to feed into any speculation, particularly on social media, as this remains an ongoing investigation.

Police ask that anyone with information relating to the incident that occurred at around 6.11pm on Friday 29 August contact them via the website or on 101, quoting IML-2165641.
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Home secretary Yvette Cooper is set to highlight record success tackling people smugglers as the Government has faced growing pressure this summer to tackle the surge in small boats and usage of hotels to house asylum seekers.

As MPs return to Westminster for the first time since July, the senior minister will outline reforms to the border security and broken asylum system to eventually end the use of asylum hotels which has drawn widespread protests over the summer.

Actions to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the asylum system are putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels, she will declare.

That means ensuring we have the powers we need to pursue the criminal smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings that other parties have voted against, but also new firm rules in place to manage the asylum system so we can close hotels.

Protests have taken place across the UK in response to the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, after an asylum seeker housed in the Bell Hotel in Epping was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.

open image in gallery Cooper is set to outline a record success in disrupting immigration crime networks (PA) ( PA Archive )

Ms Cooper will also set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process to give greater fairness and balance and claim that the Governments promise to smash the gangs behind English Channel crossings are showing results in stopping people arriving in the first place.

She will also relay that the National Crime Agency (NCA) led 347 disruptions of immigration crime networks in 2024/25, including 56 of the highest-impact disruptions. This is the highest level on record and a 40 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.

Meanwhile, NCA-backed efforts in Europe have squeezed the supply of boats and engines destined for the French coast, with 45 dinghies seized in operations at the Bulgarian border in July and August.

Officials believe that contributed the lowest number of boats crossing the Channel in the month of August since 2019, with 55 making the crossing, according to the latest figures.

The 3,567 arrivals in August was the lowest since 2021, but the 29,003 across the whole of 2025 so far is the highest on record for this point in a year.

open image in gallery Protests continue over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers temporarily (PA) ( PA Wire )

Ms Cooper will respond to Reform UK, who have promised mass deportations if they get into power, as well as the Tories who want to revive the Rhwanda scheme, by emphasising the complex challenges afoot that require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which cant be delivered.

She will say the UK has a proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution but the system needs to be properly controlled and managed, so the rules are respected and enforced, and so governments, not criminal gangs, decide who comes to the UK.

Already, the Home Office has announced measures over the summer, including the detention of the first migrants under the one in, one out deal with France. The first deportations back across the Channel are set to take place in the coming weeks.

Ms Cooper will update MPs on reforms to the asylum appeals process which are intended to reduce the backlog and ease the pressure on accommodation.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has dismissed Ms Coopers intervention as a desperate distraction tactic as he accused the Government of losing control and becoming engulfed in a fully fledged borders crisis.

The simple fact is this year so far has been the worst in history with 29,000 illegal immigrants crossing the channel, he added. Labours first year in office also saw the number of illegal immigrants in asylum hotels go up, despite having fallen by half in the nine months before the election.

Labours first year also saw the highest number of asylum claims in history.
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Angela Rayner is unable to explain her housing and tax arrangements because of a court order, Downing Street has said, insisting she is urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency.

It comes amid continued criticism of the deputy prime ministers purchase of an 800,000 flat in Hove, with the Conservatives calling for her to face an ethics inquiry over her tax affairs relating to the purchase.

On Monday, the prime ministers official spokesman said Sir Keir retained full confidence in Ms Rayner, adding: There is a court order which restricts her from providing further information, which shes urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency.

open image in gallery Sir Keir Starmer has defended his deputy amid criticism of her tax affairs. (Stefan Rousseau/PA) ( PA Archive )

Later in the day, Sir Keir launched a defence of Ms Rayner, saying she is a great story of British success and adding that she had people briefing against her and talking her down over and over again.

Its a big mistake by the way, he told BBC 5Live.

Describing her appointment as deputy prime minister as an incredible achievement, Sir Keir told BBC 5Live: Angela came from a very humble background, battled all sorts of challenges along the way, and there she is proudly  and Im proud of her  as our deputy prime minister.

Adding that the country should be proud of Ms Rayner, he said: What a great story of British success that we are a country where Angela Rayner could be our deputy prime minister.

Ms Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, is reported to have saved 40,000 in stamp duty on the flat because she removed her name from the deeds of a family property in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, meaning the Hove property is the only property she owns.

However, Ms Rayner also previously indicated the Greater Manchester home remains her primary residence, according to the Telegraph, saving some 2,000 in council tax on her grace and favour home in central London at Admiralty House.

The Mail On Sunday reported she split the ownership of her 650,000 constituency home with a trust administered by law firm Shoosmiths.

The newspaper suggested the legal manoeuvre would be consistent with Ms Rayner placing some of the houses equity in trust for her three children, but the Tories questioned whether the move was intended to avoid potential inheritance tax liabilities.

On Monday night, tax experts told The Times that even if some of the houses equity had been put in a trust for her children, because two were aged under 18, she might still be considered to own an interest in the property.

Allies of Ms Rayner rejected the suggestion the move had anything to do with inheritance tax.

Ms Rayner divorced her husband and no longer owns a stake in the Greater Manchester home but still considers it her primary residence because her children live there.

Asked if Ms Rayner had been the victim of a briefing war, Sir Keir said: Angela has had people briefing against her and talking her down over and over again.

Its a mistake.

The Tories have called for the prime ministers ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to examine whether she has breached the ministerial code.

Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Ms Rayner should come clean on the litany of accusations of tax avoidance, be it stamp duty, council tax or inheritance tax.

He had originally called for Sir Laurie to investigate after it was reported Ms Rayner paid 30,000 stamp duty instead of 70,000 on the Hove property because it was the only one she owned, but then said the independent adviser on ministerial standards should also look at the Ashton-under-Lyne trust.

open image in gallery Angela Rayner with Sir Keir ( PA Wire )

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: I think people would appreciate clarity from Angela Rayner.

I dont know the details of the house purchases, but the reason why people are asking, as they have been in my constituency, is that theyre worried about hypocrisy.

Before the 2024 election, the Conservatives had urged HMRC to investigate Ms Rayner over whether she had paid enough tax after selling her former council home almost a decade earlier.

But it is understood that HMRC looked into the matter at Ms Rayners request and concluded there was no capital gains tax liability.
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Yvette Cooper has announced plans to suspend all new applications under the refugee family reunion route as part of a series of measures to clear the asylum backlog and clamp down on the number of people crossing the Channel.

The changes mean that refugees will be covered by the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else while a new, tougher framework for family reunions is drawn up.

Refugees will now have to apply through the standard family scheme, which applies to British citizens. This requires them to demonstrate a minimum joint income of 29,000 per year before their foreign partner can join them in the UK.

Giving a statement in the Commons on Monday, the first day back after a summer recess that was marred by growing public anger over migration, the home secretary said that a new independent body will be created to speed up asylum appeals, as well as announcing that the first returns of those who come to the UK on small boats will begin later this month under its deal with France.

Yvette Cooper announced a wide-ranging plan to cut the asylum backlog ( House of Commons/UK Parliament )

More comprehensive reforms to family reunion will be outlined in an asylum statement later this year and implemented by spring, she said, arguing that people-smuggling gangs were using family reunion rules to promote illegal crossings to the UK.

But refugee charities condemned the changes, warning they would push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones.

In the year to June 2025, there were 20,817 refugee family reunion visas issued. Over the past decade, 92 per cent of these were issued to women and children, who are family of refugees.

Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: We are forever hearing cries that refugees seeking protection should do so through official channels, but here we have the government restricting the last available safe route for women and children.

Shutting off the hope of family reunification will only force more women and children to take dangerous journeys to seek sanctuary, including risking their lives by crossing the Channel.

Meanwhile, Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council, said: Until now, family reunion has been one of the only safe and legal routes available that allows refugees fleeing war and persecution to be reunited with their partner and children.

Far from stopping people taking dangerous journeys to cross the Channel, these changes will only push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones.

And the British Red Cross said suspending refugee family reunion applications would have a devastating impact, warning it could separate families and cut off one of the only safe and managed routes for children to seek protection.

The vast majority of people who use family reunion visas are children and women  often trapped in very dangerous situations, the organisation said.

Outlining her reasoning for making the changes, the home secretary argued that before the pandemic, newly granted refugees waited one or two years after their grant of protection to apply to bring their families over.

However, applications are now being made on average one month after refugee protection is granted, she said, adding that some refugees are making their applications while they are still in hotel accommodation  something that is putting pressure on the homelessness accommodation provided by local authorities.

Discontent with how the government has managed the small boats crisis and housed migrants in hotels has led to a wave of protests over the summer, and criticism from Labours political opponents.

It comes after the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.

The home secretary said the government is reconfiguring sites, tightening the test for accommodation and working at pace to identify more appropriate accommodation, as well as working on clearing the backlog.

I understand and agree with local councils and communities who want the asylum hotels in their communities closed, because we need to close all asylum hotels, and we need to do so for good, but that must be done in a controlled and orderly manner, and not through a return to the previous governments chaos that led to the opening of hotels in the first place, Ms Cooper told the Commons.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said he completely gets peoples concerns about migration, and insisted he wanted to speed up efforts to empty asylum hotels before the next election.

The government has committed to emptying all hotels currently housing migrants by the end of the parliament, which could be as late as 2029, but speaking to BBC 5 Live on Monday the prime minister suggested he wanted to bring that forward.

Ms Cooper also said the government would introduce changes to how article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)  the right to family life  has been used during court cases to justify illegal migrants remaining in the UK.

There have been growing calls from a number of high-profile figures, including former Labour home secretaries Lord Blunkett and Jack Straw, for the government to rethink its relationship with the ECHR or quit the convention altogether.

But ministers have insisted the UK is committed to the ECHR, despite plans to change how it is implemented.

While Ms Cooper said the governments proposed reforms will change the way that article eight is interpreted, she added: We should be clear international law is important.

It is because other countries know that we abide by it that we have been able to make these new agreements with France to return people who arrive on small boats, to make new agreements with Germany to stop the warehousing of small boats by criminal gangs and to explore return hubs partnerships with other European countries.

But we also need the interpretation of international law to keep up with the realities and challenges of today's world.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said tweaking rules would not be enough to tackle illegal migration.

This is not just a border security crisis, it is a public safety crisis as well, and people up and down the country are furious. That is why they are protesting, he told the Commons.

If this government were serious about fixing this problem, they would know that little tweaks here and there are not enough.
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Rachel Reeves has admitted that hardworking people feel stuck as economic growth continues to lag and pressure mounts on her to raise new taxes.

In stark comments on the state of Britains economy, the chancellor acknowledged that families are squeezing every penny to make ends meet and that more needs to be done to help working people get ahead in life.

But a defiant Ms Reeves also hit back at critics such as Nigel Farage who claim that Britain is broken  insisting she was working to boost the economy and build a stronger Britain.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, she said: Britain isnt broken, but for working people, it feels stuck.

open image in gallery Rachel Reeves (Anthony Devlin/PA) ( PA Wire )

People feel like no matter how hard they work, or how much they put in, getting ahead in life is out of reach, and families are squeezing every penny to make ends meet.

Ms Reeves made the comments as she unveiled plans to help working parents with the sky-high cost of childcare as part of an attempt to break the continuing cost of living crisis.

The announcement is the first in a week focused on education and tackling the migrant crisis, but also part of a wider fightback by Labour to seize the political initiative as it trails Farages Reform UK by around eight points in the latest polls.

The chancellor, who is expected to announce the date of her second Budget on Wednesday, has tackled head on criticism that things in the UK are not working for those who put in the effort and insists her childcare funding changes are just the start.

My number one focus is on putting more money in working people's pockets, she wrote.

The childcare rollout is helping deliver that. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts that  by 2027  the additional help will get 60,000 parents back to work. That is a huge boost to the economy, which will drive up living standards.

open image in gallery Sir Keir Starmer (Jack Taylor/PA) ( PA Wire )

As a mother of two herself, Ms Reeves openly admits that the reforms she is unveiling are personal to her in the way she has had to balance work life and home life as a parent.

She said: It is one of my personal missions for this government that every child has the same opportunities to thrive no matter what their background or the financial position of their family.

People across the country have been let down by successive governments who have not done their part in making that happen.

But the announcement comes in the run-up to a Budget where one set of economists has warned she may need to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout. Others are pushing for new taxes such as the gambling levy or mansion tax, while some warn she will have to break her promise not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance on already struggling working people.

The chancellor wants to instead bring in measures which will help people back into the workplace and in turn help to boost growth in the UK and provide a solution to the 41.2bn black hole one think tank claims she is facing.

She wrote: For too long, parents  particularly mums  have been held back by the sky-high cost of childcare.

It's unfair on families who struggle to balance work and home life whilst trying to make ends meet.

And it has been a drag on the whole country. When parents cant work the hours they want, businesses lose out on talent, economy grows more slowly, meaning fewer pounds in pockets.

The changes will mean that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours a week of free childcare for children older than nine months from Monday 1 September.

Ms Reeves said: Thats a saving of up to 7,500 a year per child  money that will make a real difference at a time when every penny counts.

But the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has warned that nurseries may not have the staff to fulfil the commitment.

open image in gallery Education secretary Bridget Phillipson visits a nursery ( PA Archive )

The researchers said workforce challenges must be addressed to ensure the early years sector can recruit and retain staff to meet the demands of the full rollout of the expansion.

The NFER report said: The early years workforce has grown significantly in recent years, but providers still face significant staffing, recruitment and retention challenges.

The government estimated last year that the early years workforce would need to grow by 35,000 staff from December 2023 to September 2025 to deliver the full rollout of the expanded funding entitlement.

But the NFER said early years providers have reported challenges with achieving growth, and further expansion may be even more challenging.

One of the challenges early years providers face in recruiting and retaining staff is that pay is low compared with the general workforce, the report said.

It comes as a Labour Party grandee has warned that Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Reeves have lost the working class.

Lord Maurice Glasman, founder of the influential Blue Labour group, has told The Politics Inside Out podcast, hosted by former MPs Gloria De Piero and Jonathan Ashworth, that Labour has become a middle-class party and needs to win over the working class again if it hopes to maintain power.

Lord Glasman, who is believed to influence the prime ministers chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and was a guest of JD Vances at Januarys presidential inauguration, said: Beginning in the Sixties, but certainly consummated with Tony Blair in 1997, the working class became irrelevant [to Labour]. It was globalisation time. It was [the view that] the only thing wrong with Thatcher was she wasnt really good on welfare and education.

He claimed that Labours attitude to the working class became we need to teach them to read Harry Potter, we need to tell them to go to university. Thats the answer. It doesnt matter what they study. Social mobility became how far away you could move from your mum, you know, a whole load of assumptions.

He warned that the working class had turned to Reform UK and Farage instead, but were not fascist for supporting Brexit.

Lord Glasman continued: My sense is that there is a genuine anger towards Labour from the working class. That [Labour is] considered a bit like an unfaithful husband who kind of goes back to the constituency and pretends to be at home, but really they cant wait to get back to London and go on foreign travel.
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A father and mother were killed and seven children injured in a tragic ATV accident in Piedmont, Alabama, over the Labor Day weekend.

Friends of the deceased have named them as Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins, both from Rome, Georgia, Atlanta News First reports.

Ragland, 34, was a father of 10 with two more children on the way, according to a GoFundMe account set up to support his family, while Hawkins was reportedly a mother of three, two of whom she shared with the deceased.

The fatal accident occurred at around 3.45pm on Saturday afternoon at the Indian Mountain ATV Park, the coroners office in Cherokee County said, when a RZR vehicle carrying the two adults and seven children collided at high speed with a second ATV.

The first vehicle travelled 150 feet, rolled over and struck a tree. Ragland, whom his family said had been driving, was killed at the scene while Hawkins was airlifted to hospital in Birmingham where she died shortly afterwards, officials said.

The children involved were aged between one and 12, investigators said. Four were taken by air to the Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome and the remaining three were transported by road to Birmingham where they are currently receiving treatment. According to the GoFundMe, six of the children hurt in the crash were Raglands.

No one in the second ATV was injured, the coroners office said, and those on board attempted to come to the aid of the victims at the scene.

open image in gallery Marcus Ragland has been identified by friends and family as one of two people killed in a tragic ATV accident on Saturday August 30 2025 that also left seven children injured ( Marcus Ragland/Facebook )

At a press conference on Sunday, Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver was asked whether the victims had been wearing seatbelts and whether intoxication had played a part. Sheriff Shaver said his team was waiting on a toxicology report but said they are currently working on the understanding that speeding alone was the cause of the crash.

Raglands grieving family has paid tribute to their lost loved one.

Im still waiting on him to come through the door but I know hes not coming, his mother Felecia Towers told 11 Alive.

Towers said her son was a regular at the ATV park, adding: This time he wanted to take his children with him, you know, to share the fun. They were ready to go, so it just ended up being a tragedy. I just hate it.

This is just so hard to deal with. Its just so hard, she said. Im going to miss him. I loved him so. He was a good boy. He was really fun to be around. He met no strangers. He was friends with everyone.

Family friend Monica Watkins told WSB-TV 2 Atlanta she was temporarily caring for other children involved in the case and said: They keep just asking for momma, and I dont want to say because we havent told them about her yet.

I have to be strong for these babies because Im going to have to play the mother role. I can never replace their mom, but Im going to have to feel like mom.

I want this community to pray with us, but also pray for the other children.

On Facebook, a woman who identified herself as the mother of one of Raglands unborn children paid tribute to him in a post that read: Im at a loss for words.. i just want this to be a bad dream.. my baby.. his babies.. my heart is torn into pieces and theres absolutely nothing i can do.

Im angry im sad our baby will never get the chance to meet her daddy and that right there literally tears me down so bad .. Marcus Ragland i miss you so much man.. I just dont understand..
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Delta Air Lines has agreed to pay $79 million to settle a class-action lawsuit following a 2020 incident where one of its aircraft dumped fuel over schools and residential areas near Los Angeles.

The settlement addresses the January 14, 2020, event, when a Boeing 777-200, en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai, experienced engine trouble. Forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport, the jet released 15,000 gallons of fuel over densely populated neighbourhoods to achieve a safe landing weight.

While the aircraft landed safely, Los Angeles County firefighters were called to schools in Cudahy. Nearly 60 schoolchildren and teachers were examined for minor skin and lung irritations, though none required hospitalisation.

Shortly after, teachers from Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy filed a lawsuit against the airline, saying they were exposed to jet fuel that drizzled down like raindrops with overwhelming fumes. They described feeling the fuel on their clothes, skin and eyes. Later, several Cudahy homeowners filed a class-action suit.

The teachers said they sought medical treatment after the incident and experienced physical and emotional pain.

open image in gallery A student cries as she evacuates Park Avenue Elementary School after jet fuel fell on the school in Cudahy, Calif., Jan. 14, 2020 ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Delta said in the lawsuit settlement reached Monday that one of the plane's two engines lost thrust shortly after takeoff and that the plane, which was carrying enough fuel for the 13-hour flight, exceeded its maximum landing weight by around 160,000 pounds.

The weight of a full load of fuel carries a risk of damaging a jetliner during landing  which can be expensive for an airline to fix. Even if there isnt damage, airlines try to avoid overweight landings because they are required to inspect planes, which puts them out of service.

The pilots decided to dump fuel to reduce the serious risks of flying and landing an overweight airplane on just one engine. the airline said in court documents.

Delta said in court documents that it agreed to the settlement without any admission of liability to avoid the legal expenses of a trial and to eliminate the distraction and other burdens this litigation has caused to Deltas business.

Delta did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
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A Baptist chaplain at a privately-run ICE lockup in Pennsylvania is facing accusations of sexually abusing a detainee over the course of more than a year, beginning shortly after he gained her trust by gifting her a Bible.

Pastor Mark Melhorn, 67, engaged in "extraordinary misconduct at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center under the guise of providing pastoral services, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

His repeated and pervasive misconduct started with sexualized comments and gestures, with Melhorn telling the plaintiff in the case, who is identified as Jane Doe in court filings, that she was hermosa, bonita, and preciosa, according to the complaint.

Melhorn would ask Ms. Doe if she liked how he looked, stare at her breasts, and lick his lips while staring at her, the complaint alleges. While Melhorn and detained women sang hymns together, he would position himself so that he could stare at Ms. Doe from behind. When she tried to change her position so that he could not stare at her from behind, he would change his position and continue staring at her.

On numerous occasions, Melhorn approached Doe and placed his hands on her head as if he was praying for her, but instead ran them down her body suggestively, according to the complaint. From there, it says things got worse until Melhorn one day entered Does cell and allegedly sexually assaulted her. He then warned Doe not to tell anybody about what had happened, because even if she did, nothing would happen.

open image in gallery An ICE lockup in Pennsylvania has serious sex abuse issues, according to an gut wrenching lawsuit that echoes previous allegations. ( Getty Images )

Doe in fact reported Melhorn  twice  to higher-ups at Moshannon, the complaint says. And, according to the complaint, nothing happened.

The system absolutely failed our client, Does attorney Trina Realmuto told The Independent. It takes a lot of courage to speak up, [especially] when you're fighting an immigration case in a detention facility.

Realmuto, the executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said Doe, an undocumented Dominican citizen living in New Jersey, remains deeply traumatized by the experience, and continues to suffer from anxiety, nightmares and a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Melhorn did not respond to The Independents requests for comment.

On August 21, 2023, Doe arrived at Moshannon in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, where she was assigned a two-person cell in the womens housing unit, according to her complaint. It was filed two years later, almost to the day, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The 1,800-bed facility has been at the center of significant controversy, once again making headlines last month when a 32-year-old detainee from China died by suicide as he awaited a hearing with the DOJs Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Melhorn visited the womens housing unit every weekday afternoon, and conducted a church service for female detainees at least one evening a month, the complaint continues. Doe, a devout Christian, met Melhorn a few days after getting to Moshannon and was comforted to know that a chaplain was available to provide religious guidance.

She trusted Melhorn, and when he asked him to bring her a Bible, he did so, the complaint states.

Shortly after Doe first met Melhorn, things started getting creepy, the complaint alleges. Beyond showering her with inappropriate comments, Melhorn began to go out of his way to touch Ms. Doe, according to the complaint. Oftentimes, it says, Melhorn would enter Does cell to give her printouts of Bible passages, but instead of simply handing them to her, he would set them down on her lap and rub her inner thigh.

In October 2023, Does complaint claims she caught Melhorn peering into her cell while she was partially nude.

At first, she believed it was her roommate and was not concerned, so she showered, the complaint states. When she got out of the shower, however, she saw that her roommate was asleep and that Melhorn was standing on his toes so that he could see Ms. Doe over the [privacy] screen.

open image in gallery The Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where Jane Doe was allegedly abused by a chaplain, is run by the for-profit GEO Group. The facility has had similar issues for years, according to a U.S. government report ( AFP via Getty Images )

During the next several months, Melhorns overtures gradually got forceful and more invasive, until eventually becoming even more extreme, according to the complaint.

On March 29, 2024, Melhorn entered Does cell while she was sleeping, woke her up and groped her under the sheets, the complaint maintains.

Ms. Doe was terrified and got up abruptly, it says. Melhorn immediately warned Ms. Doe not to report him. He told her no one would believe her. Ms. Doe thought this was true and decided not to report Melhorns actions to anyone. Because Ms. Doe did not report Melhorn, his conduct continued and worsened.

The following month, Melhorn walked into Does call under the pretext of bringing her religious pamphlets, according to the complaint. It says he stood in front of her bed, and began to make sexually explicit comments, then grabbed at her breasts, inner thighs, buttocks and crotch, after which he forced Doe to touch his erect penis, the complaint alleges. Melhorn only stopped when Does cellmate returned, according to the complaint.

At that point, it says Doe walked out of the cell and went to the units common area. But, Melhorn followed her and continued to force himself upon her, the complaint contends. Melhorn again told Doe not to tell on him, and said other women had tried to report him, but that no one had believed them, according to the complaint.

As before, Doe believed Melhorn and kept quiet.

On April 16, 2024, Doe met with a social worker at Moshannon Valley. She said she was having trouble sleeping, and asked for a prescription that might help her relax, the complaint states. When the social worker asked Doe why she was so anxious, the complaint says she finally opened up about Melhorn.

The social worker told Doe that she was obligated to report the allegations, under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, or, PREA, and that she was glad she spoke up because Melhorn had done things like this before, according to the complaint. This, the complaint asserts, was corroborated by a nurse at Moshannon Valley, who told Doe that Melhorn had earned a reputation at the facility as a pervert.

Further, a female guard told Doe that she and another employee had complained about Melhorn after he entered the womens locker room while staffers were changing or using the bathroom, according to the complaint.

Roughly three weeks later, the jails PREA investigator closed Does case, deeming her allegations unsubstantiated due to insufficient evidence, the complaint states. (According to Doe, most of the incidents with Melhorn occurred in areas not covered by surveillance cameras; a lack of video evidence is what led to the unsubstantiated determination, the PREA investigator told Doe, according to the complaint.)

Because of this, the complaint says Melhorn  who had been removed from the womens housing unit while the PREA investigation was underway  would be permitted to return. But when the other women in the unit turned on Doe and threatened her for snitching on Melhorn, she was moved into protective custody, the complaint says.

On July 5, 2024, Melhorn located Doe in protective custody and stood outside her cell, staring at her while she used the toilet, according to the complaint.

Melhorn sang Ms. Does name and asked her what she had done to end up in protective custody, it continues. Ms. Doe, frightened, immediately yelled out for an officer.

Melhorn left the area, and Doe asked to speak with a supervisor. A new PREA investigation was opened, and Doe was transferred to a different segregation unit, the complaint explains. But, once again, without the necessary video evidence, Does allegations were subsequently closed as unsubstantiated, according to the complaint.

open image in gallery Chaplain Mark Melhorn allegedly assaulted 'Jane Doe' in a cell similar to this one, at a privately-run ICE facility in Pennsylvania. She is now suing the federal government, the clergyman and the GEO Group, which operates the jail ( Getty Images )

Does anxiety and nightmares worsened, and on August 29, 2024, Does immigration lawyer submitted a request to ICE that her client be released, based on, among other things, Melhorns sexual abuse, the complaint states. The next day, Doe was sent home, where she remains, fighting deportation.

Does complaint suggests that she was far from alone, citing an August 2022 report issued by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in response to a concerning number of reports of sexual assault and harassment at Moshannon Valley. Federal authorities, along with the GEO Group, which operates the Moshannon Valley facility under a contract with ICE, are legally obligated to prevent such abuse.

Despite this knowledge, they failed to act, the complaint says.

In an email, Lauren DesRosiers, who heads the Immigration Law Clinic at Albany Law School, told The Independent, I wish that the abuse alleged in the complaint was an isolated incident. There's good documentation that abuse is a widespread problem - for example, Senator Jon Ossoff's office recently released this report on abuse of pregnant women and children in detention.

Kristina M. Fullerton Rico, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigans Ford School of Public Policy, emphasized the point, saying that Does allegations are part of a larger pattern of sexual violence perpetrated by staff and volunteers on people who are under their supposed care. This has been documented for decades.

Realmuto, the attorney representing Doe in her suit against Melhorn  which also names the U.S. government, the GEO Group, and Moshannon Valleys PREA investigator  hopes to hear from others who have gone through similar experiences to the one Doe says she endured.

There are an untold number of women who have passed through this facility who have been subjected to the same or worse types of sexual abuse," Realmuto told The Independent. ... Its particularly disturbing when its coming from the clergy, which, for many people who are detained, is supposed to be a source of comfort.

Does lawsuit alleges 11 individual causes of action, including negligence, intrusion upon seclusion, and violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. She is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages to be determined in court, plus attorneys fees.

ICE and the GEO Group did not respond to requests for comment. The Moshannon Valley PREA investigator, whose full name is not listed in court records, was unable to be reached.
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Labor Day beachgoers, beware: Jellyfish sightings are on the rise along the Atlantic coast this summer.

Beachgoers saw more jellyfish than usual this summer in several East Coast states, including Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts and Maine. Experts say this years uptick is unprecedented.

Its as bad as Ive ever seen it. To have this many for as long as weve had them is rare, Jonathan Cohen, a marine science professor at the University of Delaware, told The Washington Post.

The increase was caused in part by more rain and higher temperatures in the region this year, which have created ideal conditions for jellyfish, the Post reports.

As a result, jellyfish stings have also been on the rise in some areas. Lewes Beach in Delaware reported a fourfold increase in jellyfish stings this July compared to last year, the Associated Press reports. Gisele Muller-Parker, a retired marine biologist, told the AP she saw dozens of jellyfish each day while walking along Lewes Beach this summer.

open image in gallery Lewes Beach Patrol Chief Mark Woodard, left, holds a moon jellyfish during a wildlife education presentation at Savannah Beach, in Lewes, Delaware

This year, weve never seen anything like this, she said.

Some jellyfish stings can be minor, but patients should still seek medical help right away by calling emergency services or the Poison Help Hotline at 1-800-222-1222, according to the Mount Sinai Health System.

open image in gallery Jellyfish populations are thriving this summer thanks to lots of rain and warm temperatures ( AP )

Its important to call 911 immediately if someone who was stung has trouble breathing, is wheezing, or has hives, welts or chest pain, according to the National Capital Poison Center.

To treat the sting, patients can rinse the site with large amounts of household vinegar or ocean water, according to the Mount Sinai Health System. Its also important to protect the wound and to keep debris like sand out. To help with the itching and pain, patients can also use antihistamine or steroid creams after soaking the wound in hot tap water for 20 to 40 minutes.

If a patient goes to the emergency room, doctors may treat the sting with a medication that reverses the effects of the venom called antivenin, according to the Mount Sinai Health System. They may also order tests, including chest x-rays and ECGs.

Even with jellyfish sightings on the rise, experts and lifeguards told the Post swimmers dont need to avoid Atlantic coast beaches this Labor Day weekend. Sightings are expected to go down as summer winds down and temperatures drop. Hurricane Erin, which battered the East Coast earlier this month, also helped to clear away some of the jellyfish, according to the Post.

Meanwhile, beachgoers werent the only ones impacted by this jellyfish boom this summer. A massive nuclear power station in France had to temporarily shut down earlier this month after a swarm of jellyfish swam into its cooling system. Nuclear engineer Ronan Tanguy told the BBC the sea creatures were able to slip past the first layer of filters thanks to their gelatinous bodies.
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Preliminary data suggests more than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the United States labor force between January and July  an indication that President Donald Trumps mass deportation policies will have a significant impact on the workforce.

Immigrants make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. labor force, according to census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, with many working in farming, fishing, forestry, construction, and the service sector.

But as a result of Trumps crackdown on immigration, the number of migrants, both with legal status and in the U.S. illegally, is declining, according to Pews analysis.

Its unclear how much of that decline can be attributed directly to voluntary departures versus removals directed by the Trump administration. Data about undocumented immigrants is notoriously difficult to obtain due to underreporting.

The decline in foreign-born immigration participation is reflected in official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also estimated a drop of about 1.2 million people between January and July.

Trumps immigration crackdown has led to a drop of more than 1.2 million immigrants in the workforce ( Getty Images )

The loss of immigrant participation in the U.S. workforce coincides with an overall decline in the countrys immigrant population.

Trump campaigned on the promise to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. and used false data to claim undocumented immigrants were taking jobs away from U.S. citizens.

Roughly 45 percent of immigrants working in the U.S. are employed in farming, fishing, or forestry. Those jobs have seen a decline in participation since administration officials directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct sweeping deportation raids

We have a large labor force that is undocumented, Elizabeth Rodriguez, the director of farm worker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry, told the Associated Press. Weve seen ICE particularly targeting construction sites and attempting to target mechanic and repair shops.

Rodriguez said many crops went to waste during the cantaloupe and watermelon season in May due to fewer workers.

ICE agents have descended upon farms this past year to conduct immigration raids  potentially scaring other day laborers away from jobs.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement, There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trumps agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administrations commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws.

Other sectors, such as construction, have also faced worker shortages in the wake of Trumps immigration crackdown. Roughly 30 percent of all construction workers are immigrants, according to Pew.

Approximately 92 percent of construction companies are facing project delays due to a workforce shortage, the Associated General Contractors of America said at the end of August.

For years, many construction companies have struggled to find qualified workers to assist on projects. Tens of thousands of immigrant workers have helped close the gap, allowing for projects to be built on time.

Another major sector likely to be impacted is home healthcare. Immigrants make up roughly 43 percent of home care aids, Pew said. Census Bureau data, analyzed by KFF, suggests that immigrants make up 28 percent of the workforce providing health care directly.

But Trumps decision to end various asylum programs that provide immigrants with temporary legal status could hurt the quantity of providers for home aide services, assisted living facilities, or nursing homes.

Whats going to happen when millions of Americans can no longer find a home care provider? said Arnulfo De La Cruz, the president of the Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union local, told AP.

What happens when immigrants arent in the field to pick our crops? Whos going to staff our hospitals and nursing homes?
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A federal judge has blocked Donald Trumps administration from rapidly deporting immigrants by using a fast-tracked removal process central to the presidents mass deportation agenda.

The expedited removal process applies to undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country longer than two years  historically, that meant people illegally crossing the southern border.

But the Trump administration expanded that process nationwide. Immigration court judges have been ordered to swiftly dismiss immigrants cases, generating scenes of masked federal agents patrolling courthouse hallways and hauling immigrants away the moment they leave their hearings or their court-ordered check-in appointments.

District Judge Jia M. Cobb in Washington, D.C., argued that the administration risks wrongfully removing people and violating due process rights for people who have long since entered the country.

That means that they have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment, wrote Cobb, who was appointed by Joe Biden. Prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process.

open image in gallery A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from fast-tracked deportation proceedings that have sparked chaotic scenes of arrests inside immigration courts across the country. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Once those people are wrongfully removed, it is largely too late to correct the error, she wrote.

In defending this skimpy process, the government makes a truly startling argument: that those who entered the country illegally are entitled to no process under the Fifth Amendment, but instead must accept whatever grace Congress affords them, she added.

If that was the case, everyone would be at risk, she argued.

The government could accuse you of entering unlawfully, relegate you to a bare-bones proceeding where it would prove your unlawful entry, and then immediately remove you, she explained. By merely accusing you of entering unlawfully, the government would deprive you of any meaningful opportunity to disprove its allegations. Fortunately, that is not the law.

The administrations actions to strip legal status from immigrants who are in the middle of their court cases have radically expanded a pool of undocumented people to add to the presidents demands for mass deportations.

Under a previous policy that the Trump administration has since disbanded, federal agents were barred from making courthouse arrests in an effort to prevent a palpable fear that disincentivizes people from appearing for their hearings, according to a recent class-action lawsuit.

But in the first few days of the Trump administration, defendants repealed those policies, exposing individuals who properly appear for their hearings, including to seek asylum and other relief, to the imminent threat of arrest and indefinite detention, the lawsuit stated.

open image in gallery The expedited removal process risks violating due process and illegally deporting people without a chance to challenge allegations against them, according to an order from Biden-appointed Judge Jia Cobb ( Getty Images )

A federal judge in New York last month condemned the Trump administration's "arbitrary" practice of arresting immigrants as they leave their court hearings, which has created what he calls a "game of detention roulette" that violates due process.

Nearly 200,000 people have been removed from the country since Trump took office, according to federal data. That pace of arrests and removals puts the Department of Homeland Security on track for its highest number of removals in a decade.

More than 60,000 people are detained in immigration detention centers across the country.

Cobb's order could significantly slow the pace of those efforts, targeting what has become a pillar of the Trump administration's "de-legalization" campaign.

"The Trump administration's expansion of fast-track deportations has subjected thousands of people to an unfair, arbitrary, and error-prone system," according to the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project senior staff attorney Anand Balakrishnan, lead counsel in the lawsuit in Cobb's court.

"The court's decision reaffirms the fundamental principle that people receive due process when the government seeks to deport them or their families," Balakrishnan added.
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Hannah McDaniel has a stack of paperwork she urgently needs to fill out so that her 2-year-old son, Myles, can continue to receive life-saving treatment for an incurable heart defect under Medicaid.

Its a full-time job in itself, but the 28-year-old Louisiana mom also has to juggle caring for Myles, which entails making regular five-hour trips to the childrens hospital in New Orleans, her 10-year-old stepson, working 40 hours a week, and taking on additional cleaning and yard work to support her young family.

It's all day, every day, all the time, and it is exhausting when you already have this mental load, Hannah said, referring to her worries over her son, who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

In early July, Republicans passed President Donald Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill, bringing with it sweeping changes to Medicaid. Over the next decade, the bill is projected to cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending.

The day the bill was passed, Hannah said she felt as though the government had signed Myles death warrant.

open image in gallery Hannah McDaniels son Myles was born with an incurable heart defect. The mom will regularly make the five-hour journey from her rural Louisiana hometown to New Orleans so Myles can receive treatment under Medicaid. ( Hannah McDaniel )

Myles has already undergone two open-heart surgeries the first at just 4-days-old and the second at 5-months-old and he will require a third once he is strong enough. It wont cure him, but it will increase his chances of leading a relatively normal life.

If we make one wrong decision as the parents of a critically ill child, that could be the end of it, Hannah said somberly, referring to the mountains of paperwork.

Other families with sick children dependent on Medicaid, and who live hours away from the specialist hospitals where their kids get treatment, also told The Independent they seriously fear for the future.

Hospital infrastructure in rural areas is limited, so children with complex medical needs are forced to travel to big cities for treatment, often at great expense. The cuts in Trumps bill will create additional financial strain on already struggling rural healthcare facilities, creating a ripple effect when it comes to childrens health, advocates warn.

Any cuts to that program are going to trickle down and impact children, whether thats pediatric practices who depend on Medicaid to be able to stay open or childrens hospitals, Lisa Costello, a West Virginia pediatrician who chairs the federal policy committee for the American Association of Pediatrics, said.

Cuts to [the Childrens Health Insurance Program] and Medicaid could eventually affect care for all children, Rachel Pearson, a pediatrician and assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, wrote in the New Yorker in July.

The White House and Trump have repeatedly insisted that there will be no cuts to Medicaid under the bill.

But in its latest estimate, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected about 10 million people could lose their health coverage by 2034 as a result.

Concerns are especially prevalent among low-income families in rural areas, where hundreds of hospitals are bracing themselves for immediate closure, though the White House disputes this.

We are expanding rural hospital protection, providing targeted funds for rural care, and giving states flexibility to support local providers, the administration said in a Myth vs Fact document on its website.

Rural doctors on the frontline dont agree.

open image in gallery Myles will need to undergo three open-heart surgeries before his fourth birthday. He was just 4-days-old when he had the first and 5 months when he had the second. ( Hannah McDaniel )

This is going to be, I'm afraid, the final nail in the coffin for a lot of rural communities and rural hospitals, Wendy Johnson, a family physician based in rural New Mexico, told The Independent.

We're really in a very difficult downward spiral in the healthcare system, Johnson added. It's extremely broken, and it's just really going to get crushed with this bill when it all comes into implementation in a couple of years.

Families with complex medical needs are worried.

Hannah, who works as a medical coder for a healthcare provider in the northern Louisiana town of Monroe, and her husband, a stay at home dad, have already experienced how it feels like to have Myles Medicaid coverage yanked away, which he received from the day he was born.

Myles also qualified for disability benefits through Social Security last year but in mid-July, Hannah was given seven days notice that the check was being reduced to $90 a monthnowhere near covering Myless extensive treatmentsand his Medicaid was also being revoked.

I was sure this was a mistake, so I went straight to the Social Security office to see why this happened, Hannah said.

The Social Security worker told her that Myles was never supposed to receive disability benefits and the benefits, along with Medicaid, had been revoked due to a change in her income. Hannah said she declared the pay rise ($10 an hour) in the monthly report required by the Social Security Administration at the time, and no one ever reached out to inform her of a problem.

open image in gallery Myless Medicaid coverage was revoked in mid-July but reinstated a couple of weeks later after Hannah knocked on every door to get it back. ( Hannah McDaniel )

I am a medical mother whose child's life depends on Medicaid, and I am drowning trying to fight my way through a broken system to keep him alive, Hannah said.

After Myless benefits were stopped, Hannah fought tirelessly to get them back, calling up any local and state official who would listen.

You've got to fight these doctors, these health care providers, the state government, the federal government, she said. I knew I had to make it work because Myles is due for his third open heart surgery, which is the most invasive one, and if he doesn't get it, he will die.

After endless meetings and phone calls, the moms fight paid off. Hannah said the states Medicaid office called her in early August to inform her that Myless coverage had been reinstated after being granted emergency approval.

But Hannah said that Social Security is still chasing her for $5,000 they say she owes, and her sons disability benefit has not been reinstated. She has resorted to GoFundMe to help cover the costs of the frequent trips to New Orleans and other household bills she says she is falling behind on.

The Social Security Administration declined to comment when approached by The Independent, citing privacy laws. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Medicaid is a lifeline, but Hannahs story is one example of what can happen when coverage is suddenly taken away.

Parents of sick kids say they are already in a constant battle with the red tape of Medicaid and fear it will only get worse under Trumps spending bill.

open image in gallery Lavender Butler was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease, ataxia telangiectasia, when she was 2 months old. Her mom Marissa is worried about the implications of Trumps bill. ( Marissa Butler )

From January 2027, families on Medicaid will need to prove they qualify every six months instead of once per year, resulting in even more admin. Able-bodied adults must also take part in community engagement, whether thats work, volunteering or education, for at least 80 hours a month to qualify for Medicaid.

While there are exemptions in place, trying to prove them is another matter.

This work requirement would still save a lot of money and kick millions of people off of Medicaid, not because they're not working or not qualified for an exemption, but because they would fail to navigate the paperwork. The red tape they would have to go through to report their work on, potentially as often as a monthly basis, explained Larry Levitt of the KFF health policy research group.

The slightest lapse in Lavender Butlers treatment could be detrimental, her mom Marissa, from Eugene, Oregon, told The Independent.

Her 20-month-old daughter sees specialists in neurology, respiratory, blood, cancer, and the immune system regularly to monitor the rare neurodegenerative diseaseataxia telangiectasiashe was diagnosed with at two months old.

There is no cure for the cruel disease, which affects the bodys nervous system and immune system, and symptoms become more severe over time. The toddler also has a 30 to 40 percent chance of developing cancer later in life.

The 29-year-old is a full-time mom and caregiver to Lavender and her older brother. Her husband, the familys sole earner, holds down two self-employed jobs as a tattoo artist and a private investigator.

Marissa constantly worries about what the changes in the legislation could bring.

open image in gallery Marissa is a full-time mom and caregiver to Lavender and her older brother . ( Marissa Butler )

I've spoken to different medical care providers, Marissa said. They are concerned even for families like ours.

Marissa must administer to Lavender an infusion of immune-supporting antibodies every week. The treatment is expensive  four or five infusions per month can cost more than $40,000  but thanks to Medicaid, Lavender is covered.

My daughter is going to need more and more care, and without Medicaid, I don't know how we would be able to take care of her, Marissa said. We just have to keep proving that we deserve to be on Medicaid.

Marissa doesnt have family nearby to help with childcare and ferrying Lavender to various appointments some of which are two hours away in a specialist childrens hospital in Portland is a full-time job in itself, Marissa said.

We already have a million barriers in our way, Marissa said. I don't know how things are going to change, I just feel very uncertain right now.

Its a similar fear for Natalie Oyen-Steuer from Dubuque, Iowa, whose son Sage was diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma when he was three. Medicaid saved the family when Natalie lost her private health insurance when she had to quit her job in order to care for Sage full time.

Sage is now seven and in remission, but Natalie worries about his future under the changes to Medicaid.

open image in gallery Natalie Oyen-Steuer from Dubuque, Iowa, with her son Sage who was diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma when he was 3. He is now 7 and in remission. ( natalieoyen/Instagram )

It makes me think of my son as he gets older, if he can't keep up with the paperwork, Natalie said. If he can't get a job, but having cancer when he was three isn't a good enough excuse. I don't know what to expect. It's scary.

Natalie, 35, and her husband felt suffocated by having to keep up with the Medicaid paperwork as they took Sage to and from the hospital two hours away.

I'm the one making the decision for my child, so to constantly be researching and understanding, Is this the right thing? Is this not the right thing for my child to be on? Is this going to save his life? Is he going to die? On top of Medicaid paperwork, sitting there in the mail waiting for me Natalie said.

The only word I can use is suffocating, she summed it up.

Bethany Lilly, executive director of public policy of the nonprofit Blood Cancer United, said the burden of additional paperwork that will come with the new Medicaid changes is a real concern for the cancer patients the organization supports.

And any delays when it comes to green-lighting cancer treatment could have life-threatening consequences.

Families are largely not sure what's going on, but they know that their Medicaid coverage may have been at risk, and know that they need to be tracking paperwork, Lilly said. But paperwork can be really hard to track if you're a patient or a caregiver who's trying to manage all of the burden that comes along with it. And in rural areas, that's going to be even worse.

Lilly referenced 2018 in Arkansas, when 18,000 adults lost their Medicaid coverage for failing to prove that they met new working requirements.

It caused widespread confusion.

They implemented work requirements in Arkansas during the first Trump administration, and [people] couldn't get their medication, said Lilly. That has longer-term implications, and so when we look at this, exemptions are not workable.

Moms like Hannah, Marissa and Natalie say they shouldnt have to fight so hard to get the healthcare their kids need to survive.

Under Trump, their fight is potentially much harder now.
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Donald Trump has appeared to cast doubt on the efficacy of his own administrations program that rapidly developed COVID-19 vaccines as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took steps to limit who is eligible to receive them.

On Monday, Trump said drug manufacturers must justify the success of their vaccines and disclose extraordinary data and GREAT numbers and results  information that is already publicly available but repeatedly undermined by Kennedy and his allies.

Trumps Truth Social post follows a wave of resignations at the nations top health agencies with stark warnings that the government is dangerously politicizing public health and gutting institutions that save lives.

The president launched Operation Warp Speed during his first administration in April 2020 to accelerate the development of life-saving COVID vaccines, an effort he has previously hailed as a miracle while navigating a base of support that is deeply skeptical.

The program is credited with preventing millions of deaths and hospitalizations.

open image in gallery Trump is calling on drugmakers to justify the success of Operation Warp Speed after a wave of resignations under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr following new restrictions on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW, Trump wrote Monday.

I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not??? They go off to the next hunt and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work, he added.

They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they dont seem to be showing them to many others. I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!! he wrote.

I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as BRILLIANT as many say it was, he added. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???

His post comes just days after four top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly left their positions when the agencys director, Susan Monarez, was forced out of the job.

Monarez was sworn into office less than a month ago after she was appointed by Trump and confirmed by a Senate vote.

open image in gallery Former CDC respiratory diseases director Demetre Daskalakis has warned that the nations health agencies are relying on unscientific policies and unvetted and conflicted guidances from activist groups ( REUTERS )

After Kennedys Department of Health and Human Services announced that Monarez was no longer the CDC director, four career officials at the agency announced they were leaving: chief medical officer Debra Houry; National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases director Daniel Jernigan; public health data chief Jennifer Layden; and respiratory diseases director Demetre Daskalakis.

In their public resignation letters, outgoing health officials delivered bleak warnings about the state of the agency, which they say is relying on unscientific policies while promoting misinformation that will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.

Enough is enough, Daskalakis wrote in his resignation letter, which he posted to social media.

I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us, he wrote. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.

Kennedy, a prolific vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist, should not be considered a source of accurate information, Daskalakis wrote.

Trump himself, in recent days, has praised Operation Warp Speed while claiming he "never got the credit for the job we did."

"Operation Warp Speed, people say, is one of the greatest achievements ever in politics  or in the military, because it was almost a military procedure," he said during a cabinet meeting last week.

Trump's former surgeon general Jerome Adams has said he is "outraged" by the administration's "baffling" refusal to defend Operation Warp Speed amid declining vaccination rates and the withdrawal of tens of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine research.

"There is a clear pattern of insidious spread of fearmongering and misinformation emanating from the highest echelons of our nation's health research agencies," he wrote in The Washington Post. "This is not just a policy misstep; it's a national security crisis."
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The pro-Trump rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election now want compensation for what they believe were unfair prosecutions.

A proposal put forward by a lawyer for the rioters could be a major step in attempts to rewrite the history of that day, effectively designating those who stormed the building and fought police as victims deserving of reparations from the government.

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump granted clemency to those who had committed crimes during the Capitol riot. In the subsequent months, he permitted his Department of Justice to dismiss many federal agents and prosecutors who had worked to hold them accountable.

Despite now being free and having those who sought justice for their crimes punished, the rioters now want financial restitution.

The New York Times reports that on Thursday, Mark McCloskey, a lawyer for the rioters, stated during a public social media meeting that he recently met with senior officials at the Justice Department and proposed a plan to establish a special panel that would award financial damages to the rioters  inspired by the appointment of a special master to disburse funds to victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

open image in gallery People charged with offenses at the January 6 Capitol riot, who were subsequently pardoned by President Donald Trump, are now seeking compensation ( Getty Images )

The panel, which McCloskey called a voluntary nonjudicial resolution committee, would review rioters cases individually, he said, then assign them amounts based on the harms they claimed to have suffered from the federal government.

He would want it to be led by Jeanine Pirro, now in charge of the District of Columbia federal prosecutors office that filed charges against the almost 1,600 people who took part in the attack on Congress.

McCloskey first came into the public eye in 2020 when he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at social justice protesters outside his home in St. Louis in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.

Now, the Missouri lawyer has joined forces with Peter Ticktin, a former classmate and a lawyer with close connections to Trump, and since March has been leading efforts to secure reparations for the rioters, with plans to sue the government.

The original intention was to bring a claim that those prosecuted for attacking Congress had been mistreated by the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons. In May, a settlement of nearly $5 million in a separate case concerning the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police during the riot, raised hopes about the future of other cases.

However, Justice Department lawyers have also formally opposed a lawsuit brought by five members of the Proud Boys who were charged with sedition over their roles in the riot.

open image in gallery Family and friends of imprisoned rioters waited outside the DC Central Detention Facility in Washington, DC, on Trump's inauguration day for their release ( AFP via Getty Images )

McCloskey said in the online meeting that there were significant difficulties regarding the legal action, particularly relating to his original plan to file cases under the Federal Tort Claims Act  suing the government for injuries caused by federal employees.

Tort cases have a two-year statute of limitations, and it has been almost five years since the Capitol riot.

However, McCloskey assured rioters that Ed Martin, the Stop the Steal organizer turned Justice Department special attorney, is on their side in their quest for compensation.

Given the unprecedented use of the pardon power by Trump regarding the Capitol riot and the subsequent firings of the Justice Department officials and FBI agents who worked on the cases, the push for compensation shows the rioters are still not entirely satisfied.

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, freed by Trump from a 22-year prison term stemming posted a list of demands to the administration in a social media message over the weekend, including a call for compensation for the rioters for their suffering and that of their families and the firing of everyone involved in cases brought against them.

Four individuals in the mob died on January 6, 2021, including Babbitt; two of these deaths resulted from natural causes, and one was due to an overdose.

Additionally, five officers died in the subsequent days and weeks following the attack, with two of these deaths being suicides.
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President Donald Trump compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to children when asked about a potential meeting between the two leaders.

In an Oval Office interview on Friday with The Daily Caller, Trump responded to questions about his talks with Putin and Zelensky this month to end the war in Ukraine. When asked what he and Putin disagreed about during their summit in Alaska earlier this month, Trump told the outlet that the two of them got along and suggested the war may continue a little longer.

I dont know. We got along, he said. You saw it, weve had a good relationship over the years, very good, actually. Thats why I really thought we would have this done. I would have loved to have had it done. Maybe they have to fight a little longer. You know, just keep fighting  stupidly, keep fighting.

Trump then compared Zelensky and Putin to children fighting on a playground, noting he isnt sure a bilateral meeting between the two leaders will happen. The president previously said he was arranging for Putin and Zelensky to meet, and that he would join them for a trilateral summit afterward.

A [trilateral] would happen. A [bilateral], I dont know about, but a [trilateral] will happen, Trump told The Daily Caller. But, you know, sometimes people arent ready for it. I say, I use the analogy. Ive used it a couple of times. You have a child, and theres another child in the lot, in the playground, and they hate each other, and they start swinging, swinging and swinging, and you want them to stop, and they keep going.

Trump admitted that he meeting with Putin in Alaska didnt have the desired outcome. ( Reuters )

He continued: After a little while, theyre very happy to stop. Do you understand that? Its almost that way. Sometimes they have to fight for a little bit before you can get them to stop. But this has been going on for a long time. A lot of people are dead.

When Trump met with Putin on August 12, the pair walked away without any signs of a deal to end the war. The Russian president also reportedly demanded that Ukraine cede the eastern Donbas region, which has been partially occupied by Russia for more than a decade.

Afterward, Zelensky and several European leaders  including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte  met with Trump in the White House to discuss a deal and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

Top White House officials now believe that some European leaders may be prolonging the war by publicly supporting Trumps push for peace while privately urging Zelensky to wait for a better deal, Axios reports. An unnamed senior European official who was involved in the recent talks told the outlet they were surprised to hear about the criticism from White House officials and maintained that European leaders arent playing a game behind Trumps back.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There have been more than 950,000 Russian casualties since the war began, including up to 250,000 fatalities, according to a report released in June by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

That means that Russia has suffered as many as five times the number of fatalities in Ukraine (in just over 3 years) as in all Russian and Soviet wars combined since World War II (covering roughly 77 years), the report says.

Meanwhile, there have been more than 400,000 Ukrainian casualties, which includes both the wounded and the killed, according to the report.
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President Donald Trump's tariff policies are proving to be a double-edged sword for U.S. businesses, inflicting uncertainty and increased costs on sectors ranging from automotive to apparel, while simultaneously offering a potential boost to some domestic manufacturers.

Over 400 imported items, including farm equipment, flatware, industrial robots, dumbbells, and infant swings, are now subject to tariffs on their steel and aluminium content, as outlined by the Commerce Department.

These duties, unlike the reciprocal tariffs previously announced by Trump and challenged in court, are imposed under a national security rationale. They derive from Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a more established and durable legal authority.

With Trump signaling an expansion of the tariff list, some small businesses are actively advocating for further protectionist measures across additional products to boost their own prospects.

The Wall Street Journal spoke with two firms that manufacture within the U.S. and are eager to capitalize on higher costs for imported goods and expand their market share domestically.

open image in gallery Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks during a visit to a steel fabrication facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which should benefit from tariffs on imported steel ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images )

Greg Owens, chairman of Sherrill Manufacturing, which bills itself as Americas last manufacturer of stainless-steel flatware, operates in a sector that has been flooded with cheaper imports for years.

However, a recent decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on the steel content of imported stainless steel flatware is game-changing for the company.

Sherrill generates approximately 60 percent of its revenue from consumers who purchase the companys Liberty Tabletop brand online. In recent years, the company has been unable to produce flatware at a price that would enable it to be stocked on store shelves.

We couldnt compete with the Chinese factories, said Owens. We couldnt even come up with a price mainstream retailers could accept.

Now, with imports facing tariffs, Owens is optimistic about the future of the central New York business, which is based in a factory that was once the world's largest flatware maker.

He also hopes that it might benefit from the removal of the de minimis rule, which allowed packages valued at $800 or less to enter duty-free.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump began his global tariffs campaign on April 2, which he dubbed Liberation Day ( REUTERS )

Owens has already seen an increase in inquiries this year from hospitality and other institutional clients, as well as some retailers. None have yet resulted in new purchase orders, but the company has hired a few additional workers in response to the increase in online sales.

Similarly, Goldens Foundry & Machine, based in Columbus, Georgia, produces metal castings for various sectors, including trucking, material handling, and construction. It also manufactures consumer goods, including kettlebells, dumbbells, cast-iron fire pits, and kamado grills, employing 175 people.

George Boyd Jr., the fifth-generation chief executive, articulated the company's dilemma: As the tariff conversation has moved forward, we find ourselves in an awkward, sort of ignored place. The steel tariff is good for steel mills, but we are a jobbing foundry that is pouring iron.

Jobbing foundries specialise in customised parts for diverse clients. Boyd argues that companies like Goldens play a key role in manufacturing but are often overlooked because they produce components rather than finished products.

Recognizing this oversight, he successfully petitioned the Commerce Department for the inclusion of dumbbells and kettlebells on the tariff list, in a bid to ensure the companys viability.

Having been successful, he is now seeking to petition for more of the company's products to be included.

While the stated purpose of the steel tariffs is to boost domestic steel manufacturing as a national security priority, many of the products benefiting from the new levies have no national security component.

Nevertheless, any boost to domestic manufacturing is likely to be welcomed by the Trump administration, even if higher average prices for those products increase, as imports still dominate the market while U.S. production attempts to ramp up.
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President Donald Trump has pledged to issue an executive order preventing people from voting in U.S. elections unless they present valid identification, a move that is likely to be challenged in court as unconstitutional.

Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote, the president posted on Truth Social on Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!

The U.S. Constitution hands responsibility for the regulation of elections to the states while granting Congress the power to introduce new federal laws at a national level. It makes no provision for the presidents involvement because of the obvious conflict of interest that would create.

open image in gallery American voters casting their ballots in last years presidential election ( Getty )

Thirty-six states already have laws in place requiring voters to present ID to polling officials, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Trump raised eyebrows in January this year when he demanded that California introduce a voter ID law in exchange for federal emergency relief after the blue state was devastated by winter wildfires.

He subsequently attempted to mandate proof of citizenship as a condition for voting but was blocked by a federal judge in June, who said the requirement would risk disenfranchising millions of Americans who do not have passports or ready access to their birth certificate or who may have only recently changed their name, for instance after getting married.

As many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have the kind of ID that is required by states with strict ID requirements, and that percentage is even higher among seniors, minorities, people with disabilities, low-income voters, and students, the Brennan Center for Justice has warned.

Trump appears to remain fixated on the issue of voter fraud in the wake of his defeat to Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential election, despite no evidence ever being produced to substantiate his repeated claims.

open image in gallery Donald Trump has said he plans to issue an executive order mandating voter ID, despite lacking the constitutional authority to do enforce it ( AP )

Mail-in voting has been a particular focus for his ire and he has repeatedly alleged that it is uniquely vulnerable to fraud, although, ironically, postal votes played an important role in securing his victory over Kamala Harris last year.

Trump and the Republican Party are already looking ahead to the November 2026 midterms, which has seen a major controversy erupt in Texas this month over the GOPs efforts to redraw the states electoral map to its advantage, provoking a retaliatory push from Democrats in California.

Among those reacting to Trumps post insisting on voter ID was Norm Eisen, former White House special counsel for ethics and government reform, who threatened a legal challenge.

Go ahead, make my day Mr Trump, Eisen wrote. We at Democracy Defenders Fund immediately sued you and got an injunction on your first voting EO. We will do the same here if you try it again. The Constitution gives this authority to the states and Congress, not you!

Political commentator Brian Krassenstein agreed: This is illegal. Trump can NOT unilaterally ban mail-in voting or require voter ID.
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The Trump administration had dozens of children loaded onto planes with plans to immediately remove them from the United States when a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportations.

In President Donald Trumps latest push to execute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, his administration planned to deport nearly 600 unaccompanied children, in some cases within hours, on Sunday to Guatemala.

As the president was playing golf, a rapid-fire legal battle played out Sunday, where federal Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the removals after the childrens attorneys argued that the deportations were violating several laws and could subject the children to irreparable harm.

The children were not given notice of their removals or a chance to contest them, their lawyers argued, noting they feared returning to Guatemala.

The governments actions are thus exposing children to multiple harms in returning them to a country where they fear persecution and by flouting their legal obligations to care for them in the United States, the lawyers wrote.

open image in gallery A federal judge ordered the government to deplane dozens of unaccompanied children that the Trump administration had planned to imminently deport Sunday after the childrens attorneys argued their removals to Guatemala would subject them to irreparable harm. ( AP )

Sooknanan initially ordered the sides to appear at a 3 p.m. hearing Sunday before moving it up to 12.30 p.m. after learning that some children were in the process of being removed from the United States.

I have the government attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, but here we are, Sooknanan said at the hearing, Politico reported.

The removals were part of the Trump administrations first of its kind pilot program through an agreement with the Guatemalan government, lawyers at the National Immigration Law Center, who represent the children, wrote in a filing.

Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Martinez said Friday that the government confirmed its willing to receive hundreds of Guatemalan children who arrived unaccompanied in the U.S.

The United States government is trying to facilitate the return of these children to their parents or guardians, from whom they have been separated, Drew Ensign, a government attorney, argued at the hearing, according to the New York Times. The Guatemalan government had requested the children return home to be reunited with their families, he said.

Efren Olivares, a lawyer representing the children, emphasized at least some of the children have not requested to return, he said. They dont want to return.

open image in gallery Relatives of unaccompanied minors deported from the United States await updates outside La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City Sunday as the judge ordered the children to remain for at least two weeks while the legal battle plays out ( AP )

The administration gave the children no notice of their imminent removals and, in some instances, it simply removed minors pending cases from the immigration court docket in preparation for their summary removal, the childrens attorneys wrote. Their departures must be approved by an immigration judge, they said.

The judge ordered the government to deplane all children and ensure they were put in custody of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement for the next 14 days while the legal battle plays out.

Before midnight, that process had been completed for all but one child, who would be placed in a resettlement program within the next few hours, Ensign said in a status report. The final child was returned to the resettlement program at around 1.30 a.m. Monday, Ensign said in an update.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, slammed Sooknanan, a Joe Biden appointee, in a social media post: The Biden judge is effectively kidnapping these migrant children and refusing to let them return home to their parents in their home country.

The National Immigration Law Center attorneys filed a class action complaint on behalf of hundreds of Guatemalan children Sunday morning. The children fear returning to Guatemala, states the complaint, which identified 10 children aged 10 to 17 by their initials.

By removing them before they have had the opportunity to present their fear-based claims, they are at risk of persecution, torture, or death, their attorneys wrote.

Sookanans initial order only applied to the 10 children listed as plaintiffs; she later expanded the order to include all minors not subject to an executable final order of removal. She then required the government to file status reports to ensure the order was being carried out.

Lawyers for the children can file their motion for a preliminary injunction on Tuesday while government lawyers can file their opposition on Friday, the judge said.
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A week-long manhunt in rural Victoria has intensified as police warned on Monday that fugitive Dezi Freeman, accused of fatally shooting two officers, is receiving assistance from sympathisers within the community.

Freeman, 56, a self-identifying sovereign citizen, vanished into dense bushland near rural Porepunkah last Tuesday, when officers arrived with a search warrant reportedly tied to a sex crimes investigation.

Despite extensive operations involving helicopters, armoured vehicles, and heavily armed police, he has not been seen since.

open image in gallery Heavily armed police gather at a staging point during a search for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers, in Porepunkah on 29 August 2025 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Authorities believe locals may be helping him evade capture.

People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops, Superintendent Brett Kahan said.

People have chosen, for whatever reason, not to come forward. Im taking this time to appeal to you to come forward.

You are committing an extremely serious crime by harbouring or assisting in the escape of Dezi Freeman.

He would not confirm how many individuals were under suspicion.

According to Mr Kahan, police suspect Freeman, who had earlier changed his surname from Desmond Christopher Filby to Dezi Freeman  a symbolic gesture of his belief in personal sovereignty  is backed by a wide support network.

open image in gallery This picture shows a general view of the police staging area used during the search for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers in Porepunkah on 29 August 2025. Australian police said on 28 August that they will not rest until they catch the 56-year-old gunman who fled into the bush after allegedly killing two officers ( AFP via Getty Images )

Earlier, Mr Kahan had appealed directly to Freeman to call triple-0  the emergency service number for Australia  and surrender.

If Dezi Freeman is watching this, ring triple-0, Mr Kahan said last week. We will support a surrender plan; that option is open to him.

On Monday, however, Mr Kahan announced that the surrender plan previously offered to Freeman was now being extended to anyone suspected of assisting him.

Take up that offer, by whichever means you like, whether it be [calling] triple zero or otherwise, he said. We will formulate a surrender plan.

Freeman was believed to be armed and very dangerous.

open image in gallery Snow settles on the hills in the area where police are searching for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers in Porepunkah on 29 August 2025 ( AFP via Getty Images )

He had previously publicly expressed hostility toward authority as he strongly believed in the sovereign movement  a movement known for promoting conspiracy theories and hostility toward law enforcement.

Amalia (Mali) Freeman, the fugitives wife, previously called on him to surrender and expressed sympathy to the families of the officers he is accused of killing. In a statement, shared via her lawyer, Ms Freeman said she and her children respected the important work of Victoria Police and do not hold anti-authority views.

Mr Kahan said on Monday that police had gathered over 450 intelligence tips from the public to aid the manhunt and urged anyone with further information to come forward.

open image in gallery Armed police search a building on a property of interest during the search for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers in Porepunkah, Australia, on 29 August 2025 ( AFP via Getty Images )

What I can say, the outpouring of assistance from the local community has been simply remarkable in respect to those that know Dezi, he said.

Last week, Victoria police chief commissioner Mike Bush said of Freeman: He will know that area better than us so that is why we are putting in every expert, supported by local knowledge.

Our understanding is that he understands bushcraft well, which provides a challenge to us.

Neighbours also vouched that Freeman was an adept outdoorsman. Hes well-versed in the bush and theres caves up there, so itll be a while before they find him, I think, one told the ABC.

open image in gallery Heavily armed police gather at a police staging point during the search for a fugitive linked to the murder of two police officers, in Porepunkah on 28 August 2025 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Freeman is accused of killing two officers, Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart, 35, during an ambush at his bus-home near Porepunkah.

Thompson was allegedly shot through the door with a homemade shotgun, while De Waart was fatally struck through a window. A third officer survived by hiding under the bus for nearly an hour until help arrived.

We owe it to Vadim and we owe it to Neal. And we owe it to not only the Victoria Police community, but the community at large, Mr Kahan said on Monday.

open image in gallery Suspect Desmond Filby, also known as Dezi Freeman, in connection with the shooting incident that led to the death of two on-duty police officers in Porepunkah, Australia, is seen in this handout picture taken in an unidentified location, released 27 August 2025 ( Victoria Police )

Because what we shouldnt forget, is were looking for a person who killed two people.

Meanwhile, police have also established a dedicated mobile centre in nearby Bright, operating daily to encourage people to share information.

Were opening up other avenues for the public to approach us to give information about Dezi Freemans whereabouts, Mr Kahan said.

Take that opportunity. Theyll be there daylight hours, every single day of the week, every single day of the weekend.

Mr Kahan added: We continue the search believing that Desi Freeman, who is suspected of killing two police officers, is alive.

We are absolutely hunting for a fugitive, and we continue to do so.
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A suspect has been arrested and an investigation is underway into the murder of Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy, as police suggested there may be a Russian link to the killing.

A gunman fired several shots at the former parliamentary speaker, 54, in the western city of Lviv on Saturday.

The internal affairs minister, Ihor Klymenko, said the suspect was detained in the western Khmelnytskyi region within 36 hours of the shooting, with the help of dozens of Lviv and national police officers and Security Service of Ukraine employees.

Police published two photographs from the scene of the arrest that show two special forces officers holding a handcuffed man by the arms. Naked to the waist, he has his back to the camera and his face is not visible.

Mr Parubiy gained prominence during Ukraines Euromaidan protests of 2013, calling for closer ties with the European Union, and led to the ouster of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

open image in gallery Police published two photographs from the scene of the arrest that show two special forces officers holding a handcuffed man by the arms ( via REUTERS )

Mr Klymenko said: The crime was carefully planned: the victim's schedule was studied, the route was mapped out, and an escape plan was thought out.

The investigation and arrest were personally supervised by Volodymyr Zelensky, he said.

We know this crime is not accidental. There is a Russian trace in it, Ivan Vyhivskyi, head of the National Police of Ukraine, said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Separately, Mr Zelensky said chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko informed him that the suspect had given an initial testimony.

The entire law enforcement team and the prosecutors are working around the clock, the president wrote on X (Twitter). The National Police and Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, the prosecutors office  everyone is acting as efficiently as possible.

The shooting was reported at around noon (9am GMT) on Saturday, according to national police, just hours after Russia had launched another huge volley of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine.

open image in gallery Andriy Parubiy rose to prominence in the 2013 Euromaidan protests and was parliamentary speaker for three years ( AP )

Unverified footage appeared to show the moment the attacker, dressed as a delivery driver and wearing a helmet, walked up behind the politician and shot him. Ukrainian media reported that the attacker then fled the scene on an electric bicycle.

Russia has not yet commented on the killing or on the suggestion that it was involved in the incident.

Mr Parubiy was a member of parliament and had been parliamentary speaker from April 2016 to August 2019. He was also secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when fighting began in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.

This is a matter of security in a country at war, where, as we can see, there are no completely safe places, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram.
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A new warning has been issued after two boats were attacked by a pair of killer whales off the coast of Spain.

A Spanish Maritime Rescue ship was called after the boats were rammed by orcas just minutes apart in the waters of Galicia.

Rescuers towed an orca-damaged ship back into the harbour before they were alerted to another attack.

The first attack occurred off the coast at O Grove, in which a pair of orcas, one estimated to be around seven metres long, rammed into the boat and destroyed its rudder.

The skipper of the San Pedro boat told Spanish newspaper Faro de Viga: "It was a quarter past six in the evening when we felt two knocks, and when we looked, we saw that there were two orcas and that the rudder was destroyed.

The boat had to be towed back into the dock by Maritime Rescue.

Scientists have observed a large increase in the number of boats being rammed by orcas, deemed by some experts to be a cultural fad ( Luis Aguilar, CETALAB )

The rescue ship then had to go back out to sea to save another boat, which was thought to have been attacked by the same pod of orcas and had suffered a leak.

A crew member said: "The truth is that we were very scared; we were actually really 'scared' when we realised that the killer whales were hitting the boat.

In July, British sailors were also warned of the same behaviour after their boat was rammed by a pod of orcas off the coast of Spain.

Experts have advised sailors to beware of killer whales and familiarise themselves with what to do if they encounter them.

Since May 2020, researchers have documented hundreds of incidents of orcas ramming into boats near the Iberian Peninsula, sparking several theories and research into the rise in the behavioural trend.

Leading marine biologist Alex Zerbini, chair of the scientific committee at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) said the killer whale behaviour was most likely to be a new cultural tradition, or a fad without an obvious purpose.

His report said: Some populations may also develop unusual and temporary behavioural fads and other idiosyncrasies that do not appear to serve any obvious adaptive purpose.
Founder of Centre for Global India Insights: SCO's 'circle of friends' keeps expanding

20:42, September 01, 2025 By Gao Wenxiao, Su Yingxiang ( People's Daily Online

The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit is being held in north China's Tianjin from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. This marks the fifth time China has hosted an SCO summit and is the largest in the organization's history.

Manish Chand, founder and CEO of Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), pointed out that the Shanghai Spirit helps countries act together in the spirit of oneness.

With the SCO's growing influence, more and more countries want to join the organization, indicating that the "circle of friends" is expanding, he noted.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
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A plane on which European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was travelling was hit by GPS jamming over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation, a spokesperson says.

The plane landed safely at Plovdiv International Airport in the countrys south-central region on Monday.

The incident was first reported by the Financial Times, which said that Ms Von der Leyens plane had to circle the airport for an hour.

The commission's spokesperson Arianna Podesta said that Ms Von der Leyen would continue her planned tour of the seven European Union nations bordering Russia and Belarus.

We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, Ms Podesta said.

We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.

Ursula von der Leyen is touring the EU nations around Russia ( AP )

Ms Von der Leyen is a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russias war in Ukraine.

This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the frontline member states, Ms Podesta said.

She said that Ms Von der Leyen has seen firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies.

And, of course, the EU will continue to invest in defence spending and in Europes readiness even more after this incident, she said.

Bulgaria issued a statement saying that the satellite signal used for the aircrafts GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost.

Ms Von der Leyen was scheduled to address a news conference at 2.30pm GMT in Romania on Monday.

In 2024, Russia was believed to have jammed the signal of an RAF plane carrying then-defence secretary Grant Shapps in an electronic attack described as wildly irresponsible.

The GPS signal of the plane was said to have been interfered with for half an hour while it passed the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, which sits between Poland and Lithuania.

The defence secretary was aboard a RAF Dassault 900LX Falcon jet on the way back from Poland when the attack took place.
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A humanitarian flotilla aiming to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza has been forced to return to Barcelona after encountering severe storms off the Spanish coast.

The Global Sumud Flotilla comprises about 20 vessels and carries participants from 44 nations, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau.

It set off from Barcelona on Sunday.

However, participants made the decision to turn back on Monday to "prioritise safety" amidst winds exceeding 56 kilometres per hour (35 miles per hour).

Organisers said that smaller boats within the convoy would have been at risk.

This mission represents the most significant maritime effort to date to breach the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.

open image in gallery Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg waves from a boat taking part in a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza ( AP )

It comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory.

Food experts are warning that the city is gripped by famine and that half a million people across the strip are facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters had gathered under a scorching sun on the docks of Barcelona's old port on Sunday to cheer the mission as it took off.

Spains national weather agency AEMET had issued warnings of rainfall and strong storms for the region of Catalonia, as well as other parts of Spain.

open image in gallery The flotilla set sail on Sunday ( AP )

It was unclear when the maritime convoy would depart Barcelona again.

Other boats are expected to join from across the Mediterranean in the coming days, including from Tunis and Sicily.

The flotilla earlier received support from Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, known for his role in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

The Israeli military is likely to try and stop the boats from getting near Gaza, as they have done in the past.

The almost 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with nearly 340 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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An aid flotilla bound for Gaza carrying Greta Thunberg was forced to return to port in Barcelona on Monday due to a storm  just a day after it set sail.

The Global Sumud Flotilla left the Spanish city on Sunday, carrying food, water and medicine in what activists claimed was the largest civilian maritime mission to Israel of the war so far.

But just hours into the journey, the flotilla returned to port due to adverse weather conditions, and it remains unclear when it will set sail again.

The Independent looks at who is taking part in the flotilla and the challenges it faces en route to the war-torn region.

open image in gallery Thunberg with other activists at port in Barcelona ( AP )

What is the Global Sumud Flotilla?

The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of dozens of boats carrying pro-Palestinian activists who are aiming to break Israels naval blockade on Gaza and deliver food and supplies to the enclave.

Organisers say the flotilla is the largest maritime mission to Gaza so far. According to Al Jazeera, it is made up of more than 50 ships and delegations from at least 44 countries.

Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau are also part of the flotilla.

The first convoy had been due to arrive to meet with a second wave of vessels in Tunisia on Thursday.

open image in gallery Boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla ( Reuters )

How has Israel threatened to respond?

Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is said to be drafting up plans for the arrest of Thunberg and the seizure of the flotilla, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported. There are plans to convert the ships into a police fleet.

Sources close to Ben-Gvir told the newspaper: Following several weeks at Ktziot and Damon (Israeli prisons), theyll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.

They added that Thunberg could be detained in terrorist-level conditions.

Israel Hayom reported that a meeting was set to take place at prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus residence concerning their strategy against the more than 200 people who are part of the flotilla.

The newspaper reported that last Thursday, Mr Ben-Gvir developed a strategy he was to present to Mr Netanyahu, which would see the detainment of activists in the Ktziot and Damon detention centres for females.

open image in gallery Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was reportedly planning for the arrest of Thunberg ( AP )

What does the flotilla aim to do?

Gaza is currently in the grip of famine, according to the United Nations and other major humanitarian organisations.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 Palestinians, with at least 332 dying of malnutrition, including 124 children.

Ms Thunberg said they hoped to deliver humanitarian aid and break Israels illegal siege on Gaza and open up a peoples humanitarian corridor.

She said: This project is part of a global uprising of people standing up when our governments fail to step up, the people will take their place, and that their atrocities and their complicity in the genocide in Gaza right now... is not something that we can stand for.

open image in gallery Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 22, is handed food by Israeli soldiers aboard the Madleen ( X/Israel Foreign Ministry )

What happened to Thunbergs last aid flotilla?

On 9 June, a flotilla carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg on a weeklong journey to Gaza was boarded by Israeli military forces and transported to Israel.

The 12-person Madleen vessel was intercepted off the coast of Gaza in the early hours, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) that manages the boat. It had left Catania, Sicily on 1 June, carrying a nominal amount of humanitarian aid.

In a statement on social media, they said Israeli forces had rammed and boarded the vessel. An hour prior to the statement, they claimed they were drones overhead.

The group was taken to the port of Ashdod, from where they returned to their home countries. Israel Katz, the countrys defence minister, said he had instructed the military to show the flotilla passengers videos of the 7 October massacres when they arrived in Israel.

open image in gallery Activist Greta Thunberg stands aboard the aid ship Madleen ( Reuters )

He claimed it was necessary for Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters to see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organisation they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.

Named after Gazas only female fisher, Madleen Kullab, the vessel was carrying Thunberg and French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, among others.

Ms Thunberg shot to fame in 2018 when she decided to skip school as a 15-year-old in an attempt to persuade the Swedish parliament to take more action on climate change.
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Israel's military claimed to have killed a longtime Hamas spokesperson in an airstrike in Gaza City as Benjamin Netanyahu's forces met to discuss the expanding offensive in some of the Strip's most populated areas.

Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, alias Abu Obeida, who represented Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, was killed over the weekend, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz announced.

Abu Obeida's last statement was issued on Friday as Israel began the initial stages of the new offensive and declared Gaza City a combat zone. His statement said the militants would do their best to protect living hostages but warned that they would be in areas of fighting. He said the remains of dead hostages would "disappear forever".

Israel's military said the spokesperson had been behind the release of videos showing hostages as well as footage of the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. The military also reiterated a threat against remaining Hamas leaders abroad.

Abu Obeida was sent to meet all the eliminated members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell", wrote Mr Katz on X. He warned that with the "intensification of the campaign in Gaza, many more of his criminal partners  Hamas murderers and rapists  will join him there".

Although Hamas has not confirmed his death, the Israeli military said Abu Obeida was killed in an operation "conducted jointly from the Shin Bets operations war room, in cooperation with the Southern Command, and was made possible thanks to prior intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence".

The military said Abu Obeida "served as the public face of the Hamas terrorist organisation" and "disseminated Hamas' propaganda".

"In this role, he oversaw spokesperson operations across brigades and battalions, coordinated between political media elements and the military wing, and was the senior figure setting propaganda policy," it added.

A poster showing Abu Obeida, the spokesman of Hamas' Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, stands in a street in Beirut's southern suburb on June 21, 2024 ( AFP via Getty Images )

At least seven people were killed and 20 were injured in the strikes on the densely populated al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to reports. About five missiles struck the second and third floors of a six-storey apartment in al-Rimal from two different angles, BBC News reported.

Israel has killed many of Hamas's military and political leaders as it attempts to dismantle the group and prevent an attack like the one on 7 October 2023, when militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in southern Israel. Fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are alive. Families protested outside the security cabinet meeting, angry that it was not discussing a ceasefire.

The military has urged the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south, but many say they are exhausted after repeated displacements or unconvinced that any safe place in Gaza remains.

More than 90 per cent of the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once during the war, many of them multiple times, according to the UN.

Israel has signalled that aid to Gaza City will be reduced, and it has announced new infrastructure projects in southern Gaza as seven more Palestinians died of malnutrition-related causes. That brought the adult death toll from malnutrition-related causes to 215 since June, when the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip started to count them, it said, and 124 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began.

Israel's almost two-year-long offensive in Gaza has killed at least 63,371 Palestinians.
Financial expert Claer Barrett revealed she has lost four stone in weight after taking Mounjaro.

Ms Barrett, a regular on ITVs Lorraine, appeared on the daytime television show on Monday (1 September) to discuss her experience of having the injections.

Explaining how a dangerous BMI reading and high blood pressure reading forced her to take action, Ms Barrett admits she took a calculated risk, but is happy with her results, so far.

She said having the injections has stopped her feeling hungry and thinking about food all the time, but urged anyone thinking of taking Mounjaro to speak to their GP, a comment echoed by resident doctor Hilary Jones.

He said: The jabs are not a miracle cure on their own.
Police officers clashed with anti-migrant protesters marching from the Bell Hotel in Essex towards Epping Forest council offices on Sunday, 31 August.

Protesters could be heard chanting stop the boats and demanding entry to the council buildings.

It comes after the UK government won a court challenge, which means asylum seekers can continue to be housed at the Bell Hotel.

Epping Forest District Council is set to decide on Monday whether to take its battle over the Bell Hotel to the Supreme Court.
Cook Medical employs 664 people here

The costs associated with Donald Trumps tariffs policy will, where possible, be passed onto the US customers of medical device firm Cook Medical.

That is according to the directors at one of the largest employers in the mid-west, Cook Ireland Ltd, which employs 664 people at Limericks National Technology Park.

New accounts show that Cook Ireland returned pre-tax profits of 13.95m in 2024 compared with a pre-tax loss of 5.4m in 2023.

The return to profit for the US-headquartered firm followed revenues increasing by 12pc from 127.14m to 142.96m.

The company had a post-tax profit of 17.35m after recording a corporation tax credit of 3.4m and this arose chiefly as a result of a 4.75m research and development (R&D) tax credit.

The companys R&D spend last year was 25.7m and numbers employed increased from 662 to 664 as staff costs decreased slightly from 41.72m to 41.69m.

Aggregate pay to directors almost doubled from 750,607 to 1.4m as the number of directors increased from three for the bulk of 2023 to five last year.

The company paid dividends last year of 500,000 compared with a dividend payout of 1.8m in 2023.

In their directors report which was signed off ahead of Mr Trump and the European Commission reaching an agreement on a 15pc tariff for EU goods on July 27, they say that based on the 10pc tariff currently in place on shipments between our European manufacturing sites and our US distribution entities, management does not foresee a significant direct impact on the entities business activities or its going concern.

Cook Medical has a large customer base of hospitals and clinics. Photo: Getty

In the report signed off on July 14, the directors say there has been no change in the sales prices of the European manufacturers relating to the tariffs and currently the position of the US group entities is that the extra tariff being borne by them, will be passed on to the customer where possible.

Cost-saving initiatives are also being actioned to make up any difference between the extra tariff cost and what can be passed to the US-based customers, they add.

Separate accounts for the Limerick-based Cook Medical EMEA Group show the company recorded a post-tax loss of 93.5m in 2024.

The group has manufacturing plants in Limerick and Denmark, and the loss arose mainly from a 166m tax charge connected to a Danish tax matter specific to Cook Denmark International Holdings ApS.
'People no longer wanted to be associated with the traditional, local way of speaking': Are Irish accents as we know them dying out?
Tech firm valuations now a third below peak, says top M&A advisor

Companies and their investors are now looking at potential down rounds

Robert Hussey of IBI Corporate Finance. Photo: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography

Sean Pollock Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 06:30

Valuations of technology companies are now a third below the highs seen during Covid, and investors will have to face up to paper losses if businesses need to raise fresh capital.
Three City Stages artist Emily Doyle performs with Biig Piig at the Electric Arena on the final day of Electric Picnic 2025. Photo: Brian McEvoy

Noel and Mike Hogan of the Cranberries at Electric Picnic yesterday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Nia Gallagher and Niamh O'Connor pictured at the Three Charge & Chill area at Electric Picnic 2025. Photo: Brian McEvoy

David Gray performs with the Cranberries at Electric Picnic in Stradbally in Co Laois yesterday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA via Getty

Dermot Kennedy performs with the Cranberries in a surprise line-up on the third day of the Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally in Co Laois yesterday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Kneecap's DJ Provai performing on the main stage on day two of the Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally in Co Laois. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

The performance of rap group Kneecap was a special moment for Electric Picnic, its director has said.

Melvin Benn also highlighted the performances of Chappell Roan and Hozier at Irelands largest music festival as insanely good.

Sam Fender and Fatboy Slim were among the other acts performing for 80,000 people in Stradbally, Co Laois, over the weekend.

Kings Of Leon were the final headliners to close out the festival last night.

Chappell Roan and Hozier on Friday was just insanely good

Mr Benn, of Festival Republic, said there were too many highlights to mention.

He said: The entire weekend has been a highlight. Chappell Roan and Hozier on Friday was just insanely good.

Dermot Kennedy performs with the Cranberries in a surprise line-up on the third day of the Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally in Co Laois yesterday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Hozier, I think it is seven or eight years since he was here. He has become a global superstar since, an incredible performance.

I had such pleasure being able to see both of them three times in the last 10 days or so, that was great.

Much attention focused on the Saturday performance by Kneecap.

Kneecap's DJ Provai performing on the main stage on day two of the Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally in Co Laois. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Today's News in 90 seconds - Monday September 1

The rap trio, made up of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain, and JJ O Dochartaigh are known for their provocative lyrics and championing of the Irish language and a pro-Palestine stance.

O hAnnaidh has appeared in court in London charged with a terrorism offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a gig in November 2024. His lawyers have said the case should be thrown out.

Mr Benn said: I think it was a special moment for the Picnic, I think it was a special moment for them as a band.

Nia Gallagher and Niamh O'Connor pictured at the Three Charge & Chill area at Electric Picnic 2025. Photo: Brian McEvoy

It was easily the largest audience they have ever performed to.

I dont think there was anybody anywhere else at the Picnic except watching Kneecap, almost the entire audience seemed to be there, which was a fairly big statement of intent I thought.

Not just a statement of love of the music but I thought it was a greater statement in that sense. It was great for them.

The promoter said he was surprised that the band paid tribute to him on stage for allowing them to make political statements.

It is different in the UK, I have had to spend time in their dressing room reading them the riot act about what they can and cant say in England, Mr Benn said.

But those restrictions are not here in Ireland.

It was wonderful that they played, I was very pleased that they played.

Noel and Mike Hogan of the Cranberries at Electric Picnic yesterday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Mr Benn said there would be some changes ahead of next years festival.

He said: We dont stand still at the Picnic.

Headliners, we have got two of the three nights booked, we are in a strong place with that. We are very happy with that.

I am not going to tell you who they are, so dont bother asking.

He added: Not much will change because this is really good.

Mr Benn said the festival would remain at its current size of 80,000 for next year.
Bob Geldofs life has been characterised by confounding expectations but an Aras run would be an astonishing career change

This is not the first time the musician and activist has been linked with a tilt at the presidency

Bob Geldof in Profile _duplicated

John Meagher Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 21:43

In the summer of 1985, Bob Geldof paid a visit to Aras an Uachtarain. He was being honoured by president Patrick Hillery for the work he had done in making Live Aid happen. Millions had been raised for Ethiopian famine relief and his fellow Irish people were, by far, the greatest per-capita donors.
Cat Deeley made her return to TV screens yesterday after announcing her separation from Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty in July.

The presenter said she had a lovely summer with lots of beach action, family, friends, kids and ice creams as big as your head during the break from ITVs This Morning.
Taoiseach had 15-minute conversation with Geldof on Friday

Bob Geldof is considering entering the race for the Aras and says he is flattered at speculation linking him to the presidency, the Irish Independent can reveal.
Letter from Jerusalem: Protests against Netanyahu government gather momentum but a showdown looms

Demonstration calling for a deal to end the war and secure the release of hostages is set to come to Jerusalem on the same day a minister plans to ban such rallies

One of the Israeli protesters who blocked a Tel Aviv road during a demonstration demanding an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

Tsela Rubel Sun 31 Aug 2025 at 06:30

There has been a surge in protests in Israel over the past two weeks, though it is important to note they never truly stopped.
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Tianjin, hosted by Xi Jingping of China, with the leaders of Russia, India, Pakistan, Turkey and others, suggests to me, and Im sure many others, that the old world order is now definitely dead and gone.

There is a new world order that excludes European allies and the US.

The US under Donald Trump has definitely isolated itself, diplomatically, economically and militarily.

The recent refusal by secretary of state Marco Rubio to sanction travel visas for Palestinian leaders to the UN shows where support lies under this administration.

It has refused to sanction Vladimir Putin and Russia for the ongoing war in Ukraine, or sanction Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for the war in Gaza, or Israeli settlers for their occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank.

No one can trust one of the biggest democracies in the West to come to their aid in a time of crisis.

We in Europe must and should rely on each other to be the other world order and to be ready to activate all resources when threatened, and come to the aid of our neighbours whatever the circumstance.

But we must maintain the values, norms and human rights that we have come to espouse and not be dragged down the road of extremism and authoritarianism.

Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Presidential hopefuls may find campaign inspiration in new show The Traitors

Growing up in Co Mayo in the mid-1980s, the Sunday evening highlight was a weekly helping of Glenroe on our basic big-boxed TVs, followed by the closing theme music that sparked a realisation that it was back to school in the morning and no homework had been done.

Forty years later at a slightly later time on a Sunday night, The Traitors Ireland finally reaches our modern smart TVs. Having watched the UK version and some other franchises, I can say its brilliant TV from start to finish.

I look forward to catching up on the RTE Player like other overseas enthusiasts.

Siobhan McSweeney is the icing on the cake and will have worldwide viewers hooked for the next few episodes until its completion as our autumn closes in.

The contestants need to be ruthless, great liars, poker-faced backstabbers, manipulators and positive to succeed, similar traits to the upcoming presidential election process.

Seamus Joyce, Richmond, London

We need action to address the housing crisis and not more platitudes or plans

At the end of August, the Department of Housing reports 16,058 adults, (9,409 in January, 2024) and 5,014 children, (4,105 in January, 2024), and 2,343 families in emergency accommodation (Number of people homeless hits record high again as it tops 16,000, Irish Independent, August 30).

These numbers do not include the many thousands sleeping rough, couch-surfing, being accommodated by family members in crowded houses and sleeping in vehicles.

This housing crisis, with us during the terms of the previous two governments and the current Government, has blighted the lives of tens of thousands of people, with the lives of children ruined.

How many more thousands will become homeless before our Government and our society acts to prevent homelessness?

Government policy has created our worsening housing situation by kowtowing to landlords (corporate and otherwise), developers, financial institutions and other lobbyists with total disregard for those in housing need.

Is it not time that a housing crisis was declared and action taken to eliminate homelessness within 12 months?

Action is needed not words, plans, platitudes or party slogans.

Hugh McDermott, Dromahair, Co Leitrim

Is loyal world of sport best mixed with competitive world of election politics?

One wonders if there was an election for the position of king of England and Alex Ferguson was running, would Liverpool supporters vote for him?

Noel Mannion, Clonbur, Co Galway

Inheritance tax laws here discriminate against those who do not have children

I wish to draw attention to a matter of significant concern regarding the current inheritance tax laws in Ireland, specifically how they impact citizens who do not have children.

One of the many cohorts of people unfairly treated by inheritance tax legislation include priests who take a vow of celibacy. Other cohorts include the LGBTQ+ community, people who died before having the chance to have children, people who chose not to have children and others that simply could not have children.

Currently, inheritance tax thresholds are based on the relationship between the beneficiary and the deceased. While Group A (children inheriting from parents) has a generous tax-free threshold of 400,000, individuals who have no children often pass their assets to siblings, nieces, nephews, or close friends.

These beneficiaries fall into Group B or Group C, which have significantly lower thresholds (40,000 and 20,000 respectively), resulting in a disproportionately high tax burden.

This system creates an inequitable situation where a persons life savings can be heavily taxed upon their death simply because they do not have children, while someone with children can pass on a much larger estate tax-free. This feels like a form of discrimination and puts citizens with no children at a disadvantage.

It is important that our tax system is fair to all citizens, regardless of their family circumstances. I believe a review of the current thresholds and a consideration for a new, fairer approach is urgently needed.

John Sheridan, Address with editor

Mixed spell forecast as Fianna Fail candidates go toe to toe on party values

Billy Kelleher, on wishing Jim Gavin well on his presidential bid, stated on X that he is looking forward to a robust debate about how we put forward the values of Fianna Fail in the coming campaign and also the vision for the presidency.

The values of Fianna Fail?

About the best one can argue is that the party aligns perfectly with the Irish weather: changeable but depressing overall.

Brendan Corrigan, Granada, Colombia
Madam  There are many in this country who know Lebanon and its people well, and who understand its problems. They are servicemen, like me, and servicewomen who served there under the UN mandate that has existed since 1978.

The Irish and other countries contributing to the peacekeeping force in the decades since have kept the Lebanese people safe and have built a great rapport with them. They are living witnesses who have prevented serious incursions into Lebanese sovereign territory.

With the UN Security Council having voted to wind up the mission in 2027, the Lebanese will dread the withdrawal of their protectors.

The country does not have the military capacity of Israel, with its US support. In reality, its citizens are defenceless. They have been subjected to bombing by the Israeli air force, tanks being driven through UN barriers and spy drones scouring their territory. It is worth noting that Hezbollah and Hamas were not part of this conflict in the early years, and you could interpret their presence as a response to Israeli incursions.

At one time, Israel funded the South Lebanon Army (SLA) to secure its border. This group was made up to a great extent of traitorous Lebanese men  people who could, and did, kill at will. It was members of the SLA who ambushed a group of Irish peacekeepers in April 1980 in At Tiri. Two were killed and a third seriously injured.

During my time in Lebanon as a senior NCO, we lost Private Caomhan Seoighe from the Aran Islands. He is still classed as missing in action in Lebanon. He is one of 48 Irish casualties, with an average age of 20.

These soldiers and many more from countries around the world were willing to put their lives on the line for this vital mission.

Politicians make the peace, but it is soldiers who keep the peace. What a tragedy it is to see all those years of diligent service being jeopardised by a planned withdrawal driven by the US and Israel.

Harry Mulhern, Donaghmede, Dublin 13

Heather Humphreys cannot sway Northern voters

Madam  I am doubtful of Siobhan Fentons claim that the election of Fine Gaels Heather Humphreys to the Aras would have an impact on Northern unionists attitude to Irish unity (If Sinn Fein wants a president to further the cause, Humphreys is their woman, August 24).

I am old enough to remember Charles Haugheys overture to unionists in 1979 on the subject of unity. It was dismissed out of hand by Ian Paisley, who bolstered his rejection by saying he would not be interested, even if he were asked personally to write a new Irish Constitution to facilitate reunification.

In the case of the presidential election, the real irony is that thousands of Irish citizens in the North, including myself, continue to be disenfranchised. We could not vote for Ms Humphreys, our fellow Ulster native, even if we wanted to.

I wonder if she and her party are aware of the potentially significant swathe of votes from this constituency that she is missing out on?

Tony Fearon, Poyntzpass, Co Down

Hard to have faith in Aherns conscience

Madam  Those who have no direct memory of Bertie Aherns time in politics should count themselves fortunate. For those who do, youll recall the era as the grooming of a nation through the medium of politics.

The former taoiseach once told Gay Byrne in The Meaning of Life series that he lived by the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and his own conscience and that he hopes to get to heaven when he dies.

If only Thou shalt not bear (allegedly) false witness at a tribunal you set up, one which you consistently promised you would abide by should it find against you were a commandment, we would not be discussing him today.

But this is where he used his get-out clause  his own conscience. The quagmire of Berties conscience is what we would have thrust on us once more if he were to run for president.

The highest office of State meets the lowest standard bearer in the history of the State? I dont think so. Good luck with heaven, Bertie, but you wont be getting into the Aras.

Declan Doyle, Lisdowney, Co Kilkenny

Bertie will struggle to banish memories

Madam  Mary Regan writes that Fianna Fail TDs believe Bertie Ahern would do well in the race for the Aras (The Bertie conundrum, August 24).

This baffles me. To people in their 30s, he is an ancient statesman. To those in their 40s, he is somebody who left public life under a cloud of corruption. People in their 50s remember him for the tent at the Galway races. Those over 50 wonder if he was the most cunning and devious of them all.

In the polls, I have not seen him getting the level of support that would enable him to win this election, particularly as I think he would be transfer-toxic.

Thomas Garvey, Claremorris, Co Mayo

Praise for Donald Trump is a serious red flag

Madam  Despite his good work with the Good Friday Agreement and other matters, Bertie Aherns judgment was clearly impaired when he praised Donald Trump for the fiasco in Alaska (Ahern credits Trump for moving quickly on Ukraine talks, August 24).

This was an ego trip for Trump, a PR success for Putin and a huge setback for Ukraine.

Jerry Doherty, Middleton, Co Cork

Election focus must not be on ideology

Madam  I would like to compliment you on your editorial last Sunday (Dignity of Harveys heartbroken parents is humbling, August 24).

Peadar Toibin, of Aontu, has suggested the presidential election will be a referendum on Simon Harris. I fear it will turn into a referendum on the Israel-Gaza conflict. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Government would rather have us all focused on matters abroad than paying attention to the enormous problems in this country.

The Government and the majority of the opposition seem to think they will be judged on ideological purity rather than their achievements, and maybe they are right. But that wont get timely treatment for our sick people or solve the housing or immigration crises.

E Bolger, Dublin 9

Salary overhaul can help retain teachers

Madam  I refer to your article highlighting the reasons teachers are leaving the profession (They feel theyre at a dead end: why so many teachers are leaving school, August 24).

I am a primary school teacher who entered teaching later in life following a 20-year career in business. In discussions about teacher remuneration, some important points are often overlooked:

The maximum salary is reached only after 26 years of service  the longest such period in the public sector, to the best of my knowledge.

For primary teachers who started from 2011 onwards, there are eight years on the scale during which there is no salary increase, leaving them with, effectively, frozen pay.

Management allowances, particularly at assistant principal II level, are inadequate and do not reflect the responsibilities attached to such roles.

In addition, broader systemic issues contribute significantly

to teacher attrition. These include insufficient school funding, the continuous stream of initiatives introduced by the Department of Education, poor physical infrastructure in many schools and the lack of adequate supports for children with additional needs.

Unless these matters are addressed, it is difficult to see how the profession will be made more sustainable.

Sandra Ni Dhubhda, Stillorgan, Co Dublin

System in schools breeds uncertainty

Madam  I read your article on the teacher shortage and teachers emigrating in search of better opportunities. While this is a serious concern, there is another side to the crisis that is rarely discussed.

Im a qualified teacher with more than 20 years experience. I love teaching, yet for the past number of years I havent been able to secure a permanent job. Ive been stuck in a cycle of short-term contracts, maternity covers and occasional year-long posts with no guarantee of being kept on, no matter how committed or effective I am.

Too often, a principal keeps teachers for a year, get everything they can from them as the teachers try to impress and volunteer for everything, and then moves on to the next desperate person.

Despite my experience and dedication, I have faced constant instability. Even when you complete a full year, you often have to reinterview for the same job  a situation that would be unacceptable in any other profession.

Its disheartening. Im seriously considering leaving teaching, not because Ive lost my passion, but because the system has made it impossible to build a secure life within the profession.

Name and address with editor

Five-minute farce is too hard on mothers

Madam  Sarah Cadens article on looking good at the school gates (Beauty fix: Five-minute face, Life, August 24) had me shaking my head. The only face that needs to look good is the happy face of your child skipping into school.

Mothers are already under pressure without this sort of nonsense. What next  how do I look my best at a funeral?

Moira Cardiff, Balbriggan, Co Dublin

Hamas never wanted a two-state solution

Madam  In just a few paragraphs, Alan OSullivan (Letters, August 24) set out the historical, geographical and political background of Israel, Palestine and the two-state solution.

The plain truth is that those who govern Palestine now and in past times want a one-state solution, which means the destruction of Israel.

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, they expected a backlash. Safe in their vast tunnel network under schools, hospitals and residential areas, they gave little thought to the people they govern  no air-raid shelters and no Plan B in the event of disruption to the daily UN food trucks entering Gaza.

Some government, all right. Some cause to follow. Some flag to wave.

Ena Keye, Rathfarnham, Dublin

Modern Israel is a colonialist project

Madam  There is one basic problem with Alan OSullivans letter (August 24). The whole history of Israel-Palestine that he puts forward has been thoroughly debunked by numerous Jewish-Israeli historians, including Benny Morris, Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim.

The actual history is no longer disputed by any reputable historian  only by Israeli propagandists.

In essence, the Zionist project in Palestine has been and remains a settler-colonial one since 1882. As with many other settler-colonial projects such as in the US, Canada and Australia, they began with forced displacement of the native population and progressed to genocide in the end, as in Gaza.

Con Hayes, Tower, Blarney, Co Cork

Gazans are pawns on a chessboard

Madam  I realise all good papers must try to reflect all shades of opinion, but it is hardly credible, as Barry OHalloran does, to write that the evacuation of 800,000 people from Gaza City is intended by the Israeli Defence Forces to minimise loss of life (Conquest, war, famine, death  the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have returned to the Holy Land, August 24).

It is a move to add to the trauma of a people who have been moved around like pawns on a chessboard.

Richard Collis, Castleknock, Dublin 15

Free world will be ruined from within

Madam  Declan Lynch observes that the free world now appears led by men who are free only in the sense of being unbound by truth or responsibility (Welcome to the new free world  free from the truth, that is, August 24).

The deeper implication is that the very structure of the post-Cold War order is dissolving: where once legitimacy flowed from elections and accountability, it now flows from the performance of impunity.

If power is measured by the ability to act without consequence, then democratic leaders will increasingly appear weak precisely because they are bound by rules. Over time, electorates frustrated with constraint may come to admire the lawlessness they once feared.

I suspect that the next decade will not bring a simple contest between democracy and authoritarianism, but hybrid politics in which democratic societies adopt authoritarian habits to appear strong.

The free world, in that sense, will not be conquered from without; it will be hollowed out from within.

Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh

Horslips guitarist Declan Sinnott deserves a mention

Madam  Once again, guitarist Declan Sinnott has been airbrushed out of the Horslips story. In Barry Egans interview (He saw Cuchulainn like a superhero  hence Dearg Doom, People & Culture, August 24), he states that the band hat had formed in 1970 with Johnny Fean on guitar. Incorrect.

In his excellent biography of the band, Horslips: Tall Tales, Mark Cunningham writes: Declan Sinnott, Eamonn Carrs sidekick in Tara Telephone, [was] brought in to replace [Kieron Spud] Murphy on lead guitar.

Carr is quoted in the book as saying: We wouldnt have got the band together without Declan. He also says: I wouldnt deny him his place in the bands history.

Surely this is exactly what is happening now. When Declan left in 1972, he was briefly replaced by Gus Guest, who was then replaced by Fean.

Incidentally, I dont need to rely on the biography to tell me what I already know. I saw Horslips live on a number of occasions with Declan on guitar.

Fergus Bailey, Templeogue, Dublin 6W

Shane Ross is right about the Rose of Tralee

Madam  Shane Ross waxing lyrical after watching the Rose of Tralee on TV for the first time (At last I have seen the Rose of Tralee for what it really is, August 24) is the perfect riposte to Eilis OHanlons jaded and snotty review of same (Thatll do has always been the motto of the Rose of Tralee, People & Culture, August 24).

As Ross says, it must drive the killjoys bonkers to see a sisterhood of Irish women still being promoted on prime-time national television after all these years.

Tom McElligott, Tournageehy, Co Kerry
Dublin Fire Brigade members have voted in favour of industrial action. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Dublin Fire Brigade members have voted in favour of industrial action, including strike action, over concerns about the rollout of a new dispatch system.

SIPTU, the union representing Dublin Fire Brigade, confirmed that 97pc of its members supported the action, which comes amid warnings that the proposed system could undermine emergency service responses in the capital.

The dispute centres on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage plan to introduce a single computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system across all fire services nationwide.

Dublin Fire Brigade, however, provides not only fire and rescue services, but also emergency ambulance and paramedic care.

Union officials claim the new system does not account for these additional responsibilities.

SIPTU Organiser Geoff McEvoy said: Our members are seriously concerned the proposed implementation of this new CAD system will severely undermine the effectiveness of emergency services in the Dublin area.

Entrusted with protecting the safety of the public, they believe this action by the Department will endanger lives.

As a result, 97pc of Dublin Fire Brigade members, firefighters and officers, have voted in favour of industrial action.

SIPTU Dublin Fire Brigade Convenor, Luke McCann, added: Every emergency service has a CAD system, which allows call takers to see where resources are and mobilise them effectively.

The Department wants every fire brigade on one national CAD system. The problem is this system will only cover fire and rescue calls, not ambulance services.

Its extension to Dublin will have severe consequences, because Dublin Fire Brigade also provides vital ambulance and paramedic services.

The Fire Based Emergency Medical Service allows fire and ambulance resources to be dispatched simultaneously and provides critical lifesaving care in daily emergencies, including high-profile incidents such as the tragic attack on schoolchildren in Parnell Square in November 2023.

In that case, paramedics were on site within minutes because a Dublin Fire Brigade resource was nearby.

The new system would not allow for this level of response, adding a dangerous new risk factor.

We raised these concerns with the Minister previously, and there are serious questions to be asked about decision making in the Department.

How such a flawed proposal has progressed without proper consultation with frontline staff is deeply alarming.

Councillor Daithi Doolan, Sinn Fein Group Leader on Dublin City Council, called on Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD to intervene.

Todays announcement by SIPTU must serve as a wake up call to Minister Browne. He must immediately intervene to avoid strike action, he said.

This can be avoided if the Minister ensures there is full consultation with the Dublin Fire Brigade workforce on the proposed new call and dispatch system.

The system being imposed by the department simply will not work in Dublin. It may meet the needs of other local authorities, but it is not fit for purpose here.

Sinn Fein plans to table an emergency motion at todays Dublin City Council meeting, calling on the Minister to ensure full consultation with the workforce.

The motion warns that unresolved concerns could have serious implications for fire, rescue and emergency services in Dublin city and county.

Union representatives stress the dispute can be resolved if proper consultation with Dublin Fire Brigade staff is conducted.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said: Emergency 999 call taking for Fire Services is delivered as a shared service across local authorities.

The Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, through the NDFEM, provide capital funding and oversight on policy implementation.

A new improved call taking system was successfully brought live and is now operating in the Munster and Western regions, supporting emergency mobilisation of 121 fire stations from both the Munster and West Regional Communication Centres.

This national platform for 999 call taking and mobilising is designed to maximise public safety, underpinned by a resilient architecture.

The system design enables any fire service 999 call to be mobilised from any of the three Regional Communication Centres.

While Minister Browne has no direct involvement in this dispute, he hopes that Dublin Fire Management and the Unions can agree a way forward to enable the full implementation of the new system which brings benefits both in terms of public safety and resilience.
The section of greenway between Dorset Street Lower and Russell Street/Jones Road will open to the public on September 8. Pic: Dublin City Council

The final stretch of the Royal Canal Greenway through Dublin city centre will now open to the public next week, Dublin City Council has confirmed.

The section between Binns Bridge on Dorset Street Lower and Bloody Sunday Bridge at Russell Street/Jones Road had been due to open in late August.

However, delays in material delivery and finishing works taking longer than anticipated, have pushed back the timeline to next week.

The final section of greenway between Binns Bridge (Dorset Street Lower) and Bloody Sunday Bridge (Russell Street/Jones Road) is now expected to open to the public on Monday, September 8, Dublin City Council said.

The opening time will be announced in the first week of September. Dublin City Council apologises for any inconvenience caused to the public by this delay.

The opening of the long-awaited 2.1km long Phase 3 will add to a growing network of around 40km of segregated and low-traffic cycle routes in Dublin city.

Once open, the latest section of the greenway will run from Glasnevin and Phibsboro to North Strand Road, where it links with the Clontarf to City Centre route, earlier phases of the canal scheme and the Grand Canal Greenway.

Sections of Phase 3 have been opening on a phased basis since last year.

The stretch from Cross Guns Bridge to Binns Bridge opened fully in March, while the route between Clarkes Bridge and Newcomen Bridge opened in June. The link past Croke Park was opened in July.

When the final section opens, the greenway will add to an emerging 40km network of segregated and low-traffic cycle routes across Dublin.

The project was approved in 2015 and construction began in February 2023. It had been scheduled for completion in the second quarter of this year.
Love it or hate it, the Rose of Tralee continues to draw both celebration and criticism  with references to the lovely girls competition or its pageant-like nature.
A recent bike run held in Ballindaggin in memory of the late Laura Anderson has managed to raise around 4,250 for Breast Cancer Ireland.

Laura sadly passed away earlier this year on Saturday, April 26 and was a much loved family member as well as a bike enthusiast within the biking community.

The love was mutual, made evident by the large crowd of bikers who arrived outside the church where her funeral was taking place to form a guard of honour, following a successful social media appeal.

Organised again by her brother Graham, over 80 bikers from across the country turned out the show support and participate in the 90 minute run, including; the South East Bikers, the South Dublin Bikers, the Kilkenny Bikers, and individual bikers from all parts.

Speaking on the day of the fundraiser, he said he was not surprises so many turned up as the community is very close-knit and willing to always lend a hand.

"It was a brilliant day  everyone just pulls together. There were plenty of people outside their houses and on the side of the road as we passed. Then we had a great time back in Jordans Pub with live music after, he said.

The local businesses and residents were equally as generous as everyone chipped in to either offer a raffle prize or buy a raffle ticket.

A great crowd turned out to raise money in Laura's honour.

They gave us hampers, Texaco vouchers, bike bits  which were very popular  and some hairdressers offered free wash and cut. Overall there were 31 prizes. We sold 700 worth of tickets outside the Eurospar in Bunclody, he said.

Lauras brother Stuart, who has a tattoo studio in Carlow called Forever Young Arts, also donated tattoos for the raffle.

Graham and the family have extended their thanks to all the bikers who participated, the businesses, and the locals who supported them, with a special mention for David Dagg who organised the venue and Kilkenny biker David Fennelly who raised 1,700 with raffle tickets by himself.

Given the success of this year's event, the family have decided to make it an annual event, paying homage to the life of Laura in the best way they can.

"We are going to make it bigger and better  have more activities for the kids. Laura would travel all over Ireland for bike rallies. She loved it, he added.
'Small Things Like These' author Claire Keegan will be speaking at the Write By the Sea festival. Photo: Getty

Preparation for the upcoming Enniscorthy Arts and Culture Festival is truly under way as they get the stages and venues ready for bestselling writers, poets and artists this September.

This is the second edition of the festival following last years tremendous success and visit from author Claire Keegan who spoke about the film adaptation of her Small Things Like These book featuring Cillian Murphy.

This year, the Arts and Culture Committee aim to build a festival around Culture Night which takes place from Thursday, September 18 to Sunday, September 21.

Thursday events will begin with a Film Night held in the historic Enniscorthy Castle. The films on show will be the work of Wexford Film Workshop and include award-winning Norman film Forbidden Bonds, Fairy Godmother, and Shadow of Tyranny about the murder of the Redmond brothers at Ballycarney in 1798.

On the Friday night, they will be displaying a costume exhibition by costume designer Barbara Guthrie. The exhibition will begin at 5pm with her recreation of the famous painting by Frederic William Burton The Meeting on the Turret Stairs.

'Small Things Like These' author Claire Keegan will be speaking at the Write By the Sea festival. Photo: Getty

The official opening of the festival will then take place at 7.30pm in Y21 Studios by Selin Kim, the National President of the Cambodian Community in Ireland and Miss Planet Ireland. She will talk about the culture of Cambodia and the Miss Planet International Pageant, giving a demonstration of Cambodian dance and inviting all to sample a taste of Cambodian cuisine.

On the Saturday, bestselling author Carmel Harrington will be sitting down for afternoon tea to discuss her writing and her recent book The Stolen Child.

Speaking on the talk committee member Maria Nolan said: Her books have captured the hearts of readers worldwide an are published in ten different languages. Carmel is affable, engaging, and entertaining and will, I have no doubt, keep the castle audience enthralled with her advice, stories, and literary expertise.

"Carmels debut was a multi-award winning novel, and several of her other books have been shortlisted for Irish book awards. She frequently features on Irish television and radio and has been a guest speaker at literary events in Ireland, the UK, and the USA, she explained.

This will be following by an evening of drama in the Presentation Arts Centre at 7.30pm when three short plays will be staged, written, directed, and performed by local playwrights, directors, and actors.

However, if comedy is the chosen genre, Enniscorthys own funny man Brendan Robinson will be making laughs in the IFA Centre later that night.

Sunday will see Plein Air artists around the town painting re-enactors in period dress at various historic locations, before the festival ends with a bang with a colour event hosted by the South East Rock n Roll club in the Bailey restaurant and bar.

"Throughout the festival weekend renowned local artist Marja van Kampen will exhibit her uniquely beautiful work at her studio in Y21 Studios, Maria added.
The New Ross Piano Festival will welcome an internationally acclaimed Irish pianist to this years line up of events which will take place in September.

On September 25, John OConor will perform in St Marys Church of Ireland, New Ross, with organisers promising an unforgettable experience as OConor brings his celebrated artistry and musicianship to the town.

John OConor, renowned for his interpretations of Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart, returns to the festival which continues to play a vital role in fostering Irelands classical music scene.

With decades of international performance experience and an inspiring teaching career at Dublins Royal Irish Academy of Music, OConors artistry resonates deeply with both local audiences and global concertgoers.

Hailed by The New York Times for his eloquent and deeply felt performances, John OConors illustrious career spans extraordinary solo recitals, recordings, and collaborations with conductors and orchestras worldwide. A graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and winner of the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Vienna, he holds both the Mendelssohn Medal and the Beethoven Prize, among other honours.

The programme, curated by OConor himself, weaves together timeless classics and personal favourites, including Beethovens famous Moonlight Sonata, Nocturnes by Chopin and Grieg, and familiar pieces by Schubert. It is designed to bring well-known pieces to a wide audience, perhaps some who would not often go to listen to live music.

Set within the atmospheric confines of the mediaeval ruins, St Marys Church of Ireland provides a much admired acoustic environment, which is ideal for an evening of solo piano performance.

The audience will be treated to an intimate, immersive musical experience at one of Irelands most interesting festivals. Established in 2006, the New Ross Piano Festival has grown into a celebrated fixture of Irelands classical music calendar.

Its mission is to present world-class pianistic talent while supporting emerging artists, engaging communities, and celebrating the pianos rich cultural heritage.

Tickets can be purchased online at stmichaelsnewross.com or by calling St Michaels Theatre on 051 421255..
The Friends of Rathaspeck Church are on an ambitious journey to restore to the building to its former glory, with work scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027 at an estimated cost of 300,000.

In March, the group received a substantial grant of 100,620 from the Historic Structures Fund, but the reality is that figure isnt even half of the total amount required.

This month, Lorcan Kehoe climbed Irelands three highest peaks to raise funding and awareness for the restoration of Rathaspeck Church. They are Corran Tuathail, Binn Chaorach and Cathair na Fianna, which are 1039 meters, 1010 meters and 1001 meters respectively.

Lorcan says it was a successful climb. For him the weather was nice when he started, but the peaks were covered by cloud.

It was a fantastic weekend and fantastic support from the Friends of Rathaspeck.

Speaking last month, Lorcan said: Im born and raised in Johnstown Castle. I would also have a family grave at the Church. Its unusual because it was a protestant church up to the time it closed, but you have Catholics buried there as well. The Catholics who are there would have worked on the Johnstown estate.

I was born in 1955, and those were the days when Catholics werent allowed in to protestant churches. I remember a wedding when I was young, and we were peaking in through the backdoor. We would have been hung, drawn and quartered if we had gone in, he joked.

"Im doing it to raise awareness and funds.

Apart from funds were trying to get help from people with skills. Obviously with an old building like that, you dont just put PVC windows into it.

Somebody actually came to us in the past week, who specialises in repairing windows and he has offered to do one of the windows for us, free of charge. So, theres a lot of good will out there.
A band of students from a small Wexford school have worked together to raise over 3,500 for the Hope Cancer Support Centre in Enniscorthy.

Secretary of Glenbrien National School Liz Freeman said that the staff are overwhelmed with pride at the young sixth class students kindness and determination to give back to their local community.

"In a heart-warming display of compassion and community spirit, the confirmation class from Glenbrien National School hosted a fundraiser in aid of the Hope Centre in Enniscorthy. The children choose the Hope Centre as it is a charity that has helped and supported a lot of people in the local area, she said.

She explained that they managed to raise the funds through various events, thanks to the help of the students.

"Children worked tirelessly selling raffle tickets and gathering prizes from local businesses. A coffee morning was also held on June 13 and was greatly supported by the people of Glenbrien and surrounding parishes.

A grand total 3,540.31 was raised and the children were delighted to make a presentation to Paddy Redmond from the Hope Centre at a school assembly, she added.

This money will greatly help the service, which provides a range of services including counselling, reflexology, lymphoedema treatment, and support to people diagnosed with cancer and their families.
Just two of the 154 new recruits to the Garda force attested last month have been assigned to County Wicklow.

One is expected to be stationed in Wicklow town, while another is expected to be assigned to Bray. Despite being one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, Greystones has been overlooked in the latest allocation.

Greystones and its surrounding areas have experienced rapid population growth in recent years, with new housing developments and a rising demand for public services.

In response to the figures, Cllr Stephen Stokes, who lives in Greystones, pointed out the growth has not been matched by proportional investment in policing.

Our police numbers in the Greystones station seem to have gone backwards. Yet we are one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. Sometimes we hear that Charlesland, Delgany, Greystones, Kilcoole. Killadreenan and Newcastle are being covered from Bray. It is an unstainable situation.

Cllr Stokes is now calling on the Government to make policing in County Wicklow more of a top priority.

This must be about fairness, safety, and decisive planning for the future. Community safety cannot be left to chance, and it must be treated as a top priority.

Wicklow-Wexford TD Brian Brennan has also expressed his disappointment and concern that there have been no probationer Garda appointments made across the constituency.

With a population of approximately 100,000 residents this decision does not serve our community well and is simply unacceptable.

In Arklow, there have been a series of high profile, anti-social incidents in recent weeks and people are genuinely concerned and calling out for more visible Garda support.

I have had multiple contacts from Rathdrum, Barriniskey, Kilmuckridge, Bunclody  all concerned with rural crime and their fear and frustration at feeling isolated and alone with limited access to Garda resources.

Gorey-Courtown-Riverchapel is one of the fastest growing areas in Ireland and Garda numbers must increase in line with this growth. Deputy Brennan has written to the Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan asking him to revisit these allocations.

Not allocating officers to these areas is sending out the wrong message. he added.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
New figures show the Wicklow Local Enterprise Office (LEO) helped to create a net total of 557 jobs in the county over the past decade.

Since their establishment in 2014, the LEOs have provided business advice, training and mentoring, and have helped businesses to transition to Enterprise Ireland, further developing their exporting ability and increasing their growth potential.

The LEOs provide their services directly to small businesses and promote entrepreneurship within towns and communities across the county.

The net jobs reported annually considers any job losses in the portfolio from company amalgamation, transfers from LEOs to Enterprise Ireland, a cessation of trading and an inability to fill vacant rolls.

The LEO Annual Employment Survey reports on the number of small businesses and jobs that are supported through direct financial grant assistance from the LEO network nationwide and does not include the number of small businesses and associated jobs that have received training, mentoring or other financial supports.

Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcom Byrne has welcomed the figures and praised the ongoing work of local entrepreneurs.

They have built many businesses that help to drive the local economy. Many of these small enterprises have received financial support and advice from the Local Enterprise Office and this office, based in Wicklow County Council, has been critical in helping get many of them of the ground."

"I would certainly encourage anyone with a business idea to chat to the local LEO and see how they can help."

Deputy Byrne said that government policy is shifting more to how small indigenous businesses can be "scaled up" and that this is welcome.

The Government is committed to supporting small businesses across the country and to supporting job creation, both of which the Local Enterprise Offices play a key role in.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Levi Roots has said he has no plans to step away from his Reggae Reggae sauce business (Matt Crossick/PA)

Levi Roots has said he has no plans to step away from his Reggae Reggae sauce business, as customers buy into his name rather than the product.

The Jamaican-British businessman and celebrity cook said he will always have to be there for the business that he created.

Roots, 67, shot to fame when he appeared on BBC2s Dragons Den in 2007, securing investment for his jerk barbecue sauce that went on to hit the shelves of major retailers.

He told the PA news agency he was loving it so much as he continued to be passionate about the brand.

I dont think people are buying into Reggae Reggae sauce, I think theyre buying into Levi Roots, he said.

Its important that as long as I keep myself intact, I think customers will always be investing in the brand.

Its important to me that I will always have to be there for the business  and thats fine, because I love hard work.

Roots will be head judge for this years Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards.

The winner, picked from 12 finalists spanning the UK and Ireland, will secure a 100,000 prize to invest in their independent food business.

Levi Roots is head judge at this years Uber Eats Restaurants of the Year Awards (Uber Eats/PA)

Roots hailed a cultural explosion in the UK, as different cuisines emerge and are growing in popularity.

This includes African food, which he said was emerging partly because of the rapid growth of Afrobeats music in the UK, adding that music and food always blend together.

Eastern European cuisine was also becoming more widespread, he added.

People couldnt pronounce reggae back in the day  and now were selling in almost every supermarket in the country, Roots told the PA news agency.

The businessman, who has also forged a career as a musician, urged budding food entrepreneurs to focus on having cultural authenticity and a genuine passion for their business.

Even in those early days when youre not making the money, when youre not getting to where you want to be, you need to be passionate about what youre doing and enjoying what youre doing, he said.

He added that he had a fantastic time even when he was going round the shires to sell his sauce product, before appearing on Dragons Den.
Statement seen as a show of Global South solidarity and pushback against pressure from the West

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China yesterday. Photo: Indian Prime Minister's Office via AP

India and China are development partners, not rivals, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed yesterday, as they discussed ways to improve trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty.

Mr Modi is in China for the first time in seven years to attend a two-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional security bloc, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from Iran, Pakistan and four Central Asian states in a show of Global South solidarity.

Analysts say Mr Xi and Mr Modi are seeking to align against pressure from the West, days after US President Donald Trump imposed a punitive total of 50pc tariffs on Indian goods, partly in response to New Delhis purchase of Russian oil.

Mr Trumps moves hurt decades of carefully cultivated US ties with New Delhi, which Washington had hoped would act as a regional counterweight to Beijing.

Mr Modi told Mr Xi his country was committed to improving ties with China and discussed reducing Indias burgeoning bilateral trade deficit of nearly $99.2 billion (85.5bn), while emphasising the need to maintain peace and stability at their disputed border after a clash in 2020 triggered a five-year military standoff.

We are committed to progressing our relations based on mutual respect, trust and sensitivities, Mr Modi said during the meeting on the sidelines of the summit, according to a video posted on his official X account.

He said an atmosphere of peace and stability has been created on their disputed Himalayan border and that cooperation between the two nations was linked to the interests of 2.8 billion people of the worlds two most populous countries.

The nuclear-armed Asian neighbours share a 3,800km border that is poorly demarcated and has been disputed since the 1950s.

Mr Xi said that China and India are each others development opportunities rather than threats, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

We must ... not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship, Xinhua reported Mr Xi as saying.

China-India ties could be stable and far-reaching if both sides focus on viewing each other as partners instead of rivals, Mr Xi added.

Ties between the nations were ruptured by the 2020 clash, in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died in hand-to-hand combat, following which the Himalayan border was heavily militarised by both sides.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters later in the day in that the border situation had evolved over the course of last year, following a patrolling agreement in October. The situation at the border is moving towards normalisation, he said.

To a question on the US tariffs, he said that Mr Modi and Mr Xi discussed the international economic situation and the challenges it created.

They tried to ... see how to leverage that for building greater understanding between themselves and how to ... take forward the economic and commercial relationship between India and China, he said.

The leaders also discussed expanding common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues, and challenges like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms, a statement from the Indian foreign ministry said.

Both leaders had a breakthrough meeting in Russia last year after reaching a border patrol agreement, setting off a tentative thaw in ties that has accelerated in recent weeks as New Delhi seeks to hedge against renewed tariff threats from Washington.

Direct flights between both nations, which have been suspended since 2020, are being resumed, Mr Modi added.

China had agreed to lift export curbs on rare earths, fertilisers and tunnel-boring machines last month during a key visit to India by Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China opposes Washingtons steep tariffs on India and will firmly stand with India, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said last month.

In recent months, China has allowed Indian pilgrims to visit Hindu and Buddhist sites in Tibet, and both countries have lifted reciprocal tourist visa restrictions.

However, other long-term irritants remain in the relationship.

China is Indias largest bilateral trade partner, but the long-running trade deficit  a persistent source of frustration for Indian officials  reached a record $99.2bn this year.

Meanwhile, a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet has sparked fears of mass water diversion that could reduce water flows on the major Brahmaputra River by up to 85pc in the dry season, according to Indian government estimates.

India also hosts the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader whom Beijing views as a dangerous separatist. Indias arch-rival Pakistan also benefits from staunch Chinese economic, diplomatic and military support.
The Telegraph disclosed last week that Police Scotland had started interviewing MSPs identified in images said to have been taken by a secret camera in Holyrood. At least five parliamentarians, as well as one journalist and several other staff members have so far been contacted, the Sunday Mail reported.
Europe drawing up plans for deploying troops in Ukraine, says Ursula von der Leyen

Moscow has twice launched large, deadly attacks in the past week as both sides intensify their actions in the three-and-a-half year-old war

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Getty Images

Pavel Polityuk Reuters Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 06:30

Europe is drawing up pretty precise plans for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of US capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published yesterday.
Poland will be biggest beneficiary of EUs new 150bn defence plan

The Security Action for Europe plan was developed in response to uncertainty over US defence spending on the continent

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk at Poland's border with Belarus. Photo: Reuters

Wojciech Moskwa and Ewa Krukowska Bloomberg Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 06:30

The EUs new 150bn plan to accelerate investment in the blocs defence industry will benefit Poland most, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping take part in a photo ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. Photo: Reuters

Russian president Vladimir Putin, after talking with China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi, said on Monday the issue of NATO's eastward enlargement would have to be addressed for there to be sustainable peace in Ukraine.
Israel threatens to hold Greta Thunberg in terrorist-level conditions as activist joins humanitarian flotilla to Gaza

Actor Liam Cunningham also joins efforts to break siege of The Strip

Activists Saif Abukeshek and Greta Thunberg before their departure on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Jotam Confino Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 06:30

Plans are being drawn up to detain Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in terrorist-level conditions as she departed Spain yesterday on the largest flotilla yet bound for Gaza.
Your job here is not to fight one another, it is to fight this climate crisis, UN climate chief tells Cop30 in Brazil
Israel is considering annexation in the occupied West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognising a Palestinian state, according to three Israeli officials and the idea was discussed further yesterday, another official said.
Processing Payroll for Expats and Locals in India: Key Differences

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Learn how payroll processing for expatriates (expats) differs from locals in India, from tax residency and social security to reporting and compliance.

Indias role as a hub for global talent has expanded rapidly in the past decade. Multinational companies are hiring locally and bringing in expats to manage specialized functions. Though locals and expats fall under the same income tax law, the way their salaries, allowances, and deductions are treated differs a lot.

Employment regulations in India

India overhauled its labor framework in 20192020 by consolidating 29 separate laws into four comprehensive labor codes:

The Code on Wages The Industrial Relations Code The Social Security Code The Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code

These reforms aim to simplify compliance and establish a more unified framework for both employers and employees. It is important to note that the new labor codes have not yet been implemented. While the central government and most states have pre-published draft rules, a definitive timeline for full implementation has yet to be announced.

Once enforced, the labor codes will apply to both local and expatriate workers.

However, expatriate employment contracts often go beyond the standard provisions, typically including clauses related to repatriation benefits and cross-border arrangements. Fixed-term contracts are also becoming increasingly common among expatriates, offering greater flexibility to both employers and employees compared to traditional open-ended agreements.

For expatriates, compliance begins the moment they arrive in India. Anyone entering on an employment visa and staying beyond 180 days must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival. Local employees are exempt from this step, which adds an additional layer of complexity to expat payroll management.

Indias tax framework for expat staff

Residency and tax liability

Tax treatment depends on whether an individual qualifies as a resident under Indian law. India uses the 182-day rule, i.e., individuals spending 182 days or more in a financial year in India are treated as tax residents and taxed on their global income. For high-income non-resident Indians (earning above INR 1.5 million (US$17,221.1) from Indian sources), the threshold can reduce to 120 days if their total stay in the preceding four years is at least 365 days.

A deemed residency rule also applies to Indian citizens earning more than INR 1.5 million (US$17,221.1) in India but not paying taxes in any other country.

For expats, this classification determines whether their global income or only India-sourced income is taxable. Local ordinarily resident employees, by default, are always treated as residents, and their entire income from employment is taxed in India.

Expat employees working for foreign enterprises may be exempt from expat tax in India if these conditions are met:

An employees stay in India does not exceed 90 days during the relevant year;

Foreign enterprise is not carrying on any trade or business in India; and

The compensation paid is not claimed by the employer as a deduction from taxable income in India.

Other taxes

Employers deduct taxes at the source (TDS), but rates and treatment can differ between expats and locals depending on residency status, treaty benefits, and nature of income. Expats often require some coordination with tax professionals to apply the right rates and ensure proper credit under double taxation treaties.

Professional tax is levied at the state level, ranging between INR 200 (US$2.3) and INR 2,500 (US$28.7) annually. Some states exempt foreign nationals, while others apply the same rates as for locals. Employers must check state-specific rules when managing payroll for expats.

Double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAAs)

India has signed over 94 comprehensive DTAAs and 8 limited DTAAs. For expats, these treaties are helpful because they prevent double taxation and can lower withholding tax rates. For example, the India-US DTAA reduces dividend withholding tax from 20 percent to 15 percent (if the beneficiary is a company holding at least 10 percent of the voting stock of the dividend-paying company) and technical services fees from 20 percent to 15 percent or 10 percent (if done for payments for the use of industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment).

Employers processing payroll for foreign nationals must track the applicable treaty, ensure tax residency certificates are collected, and apply the correct withholding.

Indias social security contributions under payroll processing

The provident fund (PF) is mandatory for organizations with 20 or more employees, requiring a 12 percent contribution each from employer and employee. Locals are automatically covered, while expats must contribute unless they are exempt under a social security agreement (SSA). India has signed SSAs with some countries like Belgium, Germany, and France. Expats from these countries can obtain a Certificate of Coverage from their home country to avoid dual contributions.

Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) applies to employees earning up to INR 21,000 (US$241) per month and INR 25,000 (US$286.9) per month for employees with disabilities, with contributions of 0.75 percent from employees and 3.25 percent from employers. Since most expats earn far above this threshold, ESIC generally does not apply to them, whereas it can cover many local employees.

Salary structures in India and benefits

Compensation packages for local employees in India often follow the given format:

Basic salary forms 40-50 percent of cost-to-company;

House Rent Allowance (HRA) can be up to 50 percent of basic + dearness allowance in metro cities;

Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) is usually 10 percent of basic pay per year, and

Medical allowance can vary between INR 1,250-15,000 (US$14.3-US$171.9) per month.

By contrast, expat packages are much more comprehensive and can cost two to three times the base salary. In Mumbai, expat packages average around US$217,165 annually, placing the city among the worlds highest-paying locations for foreign workers. These packages often include housing allowances, education support for children, relocation benefits, and hardship allowances.

Many expats are paid under split payroll arrangements, where part of the salary is delivered in the home country currency and the rest in Indian rupees. This allows them to meet home-country obligations such as mortgages or insurance, and another part is paid in Indian rupees for local expenses. Some companies adopt currency hedging strategies to protect against fluctuations that could impact both employer costs and employee purchasing power.

Immigration and visa requirements

Payroll for expats is closely tied to immigration rules. Employment visas require a minimum salary threshold of US$25,000 annually, with validity for one year and extension up to five years. Exemptions exist for specific roles such as language teachers, ethnic cooks, and embassy staff.

Once in India, expats must maintain FRRO registration, file annual tax returns, and ensure visa renewals are on time. Instances of non-compliance can disrupt your employment plans and directly impact payroll continuity. Employers, therefore, need a system to monitor visa timelines and coordinate with authorities.

Administrative complexities in expats payroll

Compared to locals, expats involve far more documentation. Employers must prepare:

Form 15CA/15CB for remittances abroad;

Tax residency certificates to claim DTAA relief;

Detailed cross-border employment contracts; and

Immigration compliance reports for Indian authorities.

Beyond this, both expats and locals require standard filings like Form 16, monthly PF returns, half-yearly ESIC returns, and annual tax returns by July 31 but the complexity for expats is much greater because of additional reporting requirements.

[highlight]

Form 15CA is required for remittances to non-residents and serves as a declaration of tax compliance.

Form 15CB is a certificate issued by a chartered accountant (CA), required when taxable remittances exceed INR 500,000 (US$5,738.5) in a financial year.

These apply to salary remittances only if the gross remitted amount is taxable or hasnt undergone proper TDS deduction. If it is a net salary remitted to ones own account, already taxed in India, banks usually do not require Forms 15CA or 15CB.

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Practical approaches for employers

Employers and human resources (HR) departments each can ensure smooth arrival and work experience for expats in India.

For Employers, these measures can help reduce risk:

Establish clear policies distinguishing expat and local employee treatment;

Implement tracking systems for days present in India (for 182-day rule compliance);

Engage local experts for complex tax and immigration matters;

Consider split payroll structures for senior expat positions; and

Maintain detailed documents for all cross-border employment aspects.

HR departments can ensure smooth onboarding and work experience in the following ways:

Monitor visa expiry dates and renewal requirements closely;

Coordinate with FRRO for timely registration and updates; and

Track DTAA eligibility and ensure proper certificate collection.

Summary

The payroll structure for locals and expats in India is a balance between uniform tax rules and special provisions for foreign employees. Local residents are subject to standard deductions and PF rules, whereas expats face variations in allowances and social security contributions. Employers that pay attention to these nuances while designing their payroll systems not only ensure compliance but also create a smoother experience for employees.

(US$1 = INR 87.2)
Indias FTA Network: Updates in 2025

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Indias foreign trade landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by active negotiations and revisions to existing free trade agreements with key global markets. As of 2025, India is in talks with major partners, including the US, EU, and ASEAN, while also exploring new agreements with Africa, Latin America, and the Arab Gulf. India Briefing brings you the latest updates on the countrys trade negotiations and economic partnerships.

As of 2025, India has 13 active Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and several ongoing negotiations aimed at strengthening bilateral and regional trade partnerships. Additionally, India is reevaluating its investment treaties and preferential trade agreements to align with contemporary economic realities, ensuring a balanced approach between global investor protection and national interests.

This tracker provides an overview of Indias trade agreements, including existing pacts and ongoing negotiations.

Classification of Indias trade agreements Free Trade Agreements: FTAs are legally binding treaties between two or more countries aimed at reducing or eliminating trade barriers, such as tariffs, quotas, and restrictions on imports and exports. These agreements often include provisions for trade facilitation, intellectual property rights, and investment protections. Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs): Unlike FTAs, PTAs offer selective tariff reductions on specific goods, rather than complete elimination. Some of the examples of such agreement include the India-MERCOSUR PTA and the India-Chile PTA. Comprehensive Economic Partnerships/Cooperation Agreements (CEPAs/CECAs): These agreements go beyond FTAs by including provisions on investment, services, and regulatory cooperation. This includes the India-South Korea CEPA and the India-Singapore CECA. Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs): BITs focus on protecting and promoting investments between two countries by ensuring fair treatment and dispute resolution mechanisms. For examples, the India-UAE BIT and the India-Uzbekistan BIT. Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs): These involve multiple countries within a specific region aiming for economic integration. Examples include the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA).

FTA usage grows as Indian exporters seek more certificates Indian exporters increasingly leveraged free trade agreements (FTAs) in FY 202425, as indicated by the increase in preferential certificates of origin (CoO) issued. In an article published by the Economic Times on June 16, 2025, the data states that Indian authorities have issued 720,996 certificates in FY 2024-25, up from 684,724 in FY 202324. The CoO is used by exporters to certify the origin of goods and claim customs duty concessions under applicable FTAs. Importing countries require this document at the port of entry to verify eligibility for preferential tariffs. By obtaining these certificates, exporters access reduced or zero-duty rates, which strengthens their price competitiveness in international markets. Find Business Support Boost exports, attract investors, and open new business opportunities through expert research and matchmaking. India has signed and implemented more than a dozen FTAs with key partners, including Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, and Australia. These agreements typically reduce or eliminate import duties on a wide range of traded goods. The trend has continued in the current fiscal year of 2025-26. During AprilMay 2025, authorities issued 132,116 certificates, compared to 120,598 in the same period in 2024. This sustained growth underscores how Indian businesses are increasingly tapping into trade agreements to expand their global reach.

Indias FTA updates in 2025

As of August 2025, India is actively engaged in several bilateral trade treaty and FTA negotiations:

Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) : India has formalized the terms for free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as part of its broader strategy to diversify trade partnerships amid challenges in relations with the United States. The EAEU comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Russia. The Terms of Reference (ToR) were signed in Moscow on August 20, 2025, by Indias Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce and Mikhail Cherekaev, Deputy Director of the Trade Policy Department at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). In an official announcement, the central government made a note that the bilateral trade between India and the EAEU reached US$69 billion in 2024, reflecting a 7 percent year-on-year increase. With the blocs combined GDP of US$6.5 trillion, the proposed FTA is expected to widen market access for Indian exporters, enable diversification into new sectors and regions, strengthen competitiveness vis-a-vis non-market economies, and create substantial opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The ToR sets the foundation for negotiations aimed at unlocking trade potential, boosting investment flows, and establishing a more durable economic partnership.

The UK: The IndiaUK FTA was officially signed and formalised on July 24, 2025. Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the UK, where he held bilateral discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The agreement was signed by Indias Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UKs Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds. The trade pact finalized on May 6, 2025, is projected to enhance bilateral trade between the two countries by an estimated US$34 billion annually.

The IndiaUK FTA was officially signed and formalised on July 24, 2025. Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the UK, where he held bilateral discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The agreement was signed by Indias Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UKs Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds. The trade pact finalized on May 6, 2025, is projected to enhance bilateral trade between the two countries by an estimated US$34 billion annually. European Union : Indias Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) will be implemented starting October 1, 2025, as per an announcement by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. The pact, signed on March 10, 2024, marks a key milestone in Indias trade diplomacy. Under the agreement, EFTAwhich comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerlandhas committed to invest US$100 billion in India over a 15-year period. This includes US$50 billion in the first 10 years, followed by an additional US$50 billion in the subsequent five years. The investment is expected to generate around one million direct jobs in India. This is the first time India has secured such a large-scale investment commitment as part of a free trade agreement.

: Indias Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) will be implemented starting October 1, 2025, as per an announcement by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. The pact, signed on March 10, 2024, marks a key milestone in Indias trade diplomacy. Under the agreement, EFTAwhich comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerlandhas committed to invest US$100 billion in India over a 15-year period. This includes US$50 billion in the first 10 years, followed by an additional US$50 billion in the subsequent five years. The investment is expected to generate around one million direct jobs in India. This is the first time India has secured such a large-scale investment commitment as part of a free trade agreement. Switzerland: As per reports published on July 12, 2025, Switzerland has formally ratified the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with India, marking the completion of the ratification process by all four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The breakthough comes after nearly 16 years of negotiations and paves the way for the agreement to come into effect by October 2025. The Swiss Ambassador Maya Tissafi, has described the development as a significant milestone in strengthening Indo-Swiss relations. On June 10, 2025, Indias Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, concluded his two-day visit to Switzerland . The visit focused on advancing the implementation of the TEPA, signed earlier in 2025 between India and the EFTA.

As per reports published on July 12, 2025, Switzerland has formally ratified the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with India, marking the completion of the ratification process by all four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The breakthough comes after nearly 16 years of negotiations and paves the way for the agreement to come into effect by October 2025. The Swiss Ambassador Maya Tissafi, has described the development as a significant milestone in strengthening Indo-Swiss relations. On June 10, 2025, Indias Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, concluded his two-day visit to Switzerland . The visit focused on advancing the implementation of the TEPA, signed earlier in 2025 between India and the EFTA. Kyrgyzstan: On June 5, 2025, Indias Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman and the Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Zheenbek Kulubaev Moldokanovich, signed the protocol and exchanged the Instrument of Ratification for the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and Kyrgyzstan in New Delhi. Originally signed on June 14, 2019, in Bishkek, the treaty officially enters into force from June 5, 2025. It supersedes the earlier BIT that came into effect on May 12, 2000, ensuring continued legal protection for investments between the two nations.

The US : India and the US are expected to finalize a trade deal soon, aiming to reduce tariffs and help lower the US trade deficit, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Speaking at a US-India Strategic Forum in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2025, Lutnick noted that while India maintains protectionist tariffs, both sides have found common ground. He emphasized that early agreements tend to be more favorable and assured the US would be flexible if India reduces its tariffs. On May 20, 2025, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met with Lutnick in Washington, D.C., to accelerate discussions on the initial phase of the proposed IndiaUS bilateral trade agreement. This marks his second visit to Washington for trade talks with the US in 2025, following an earlier round in March. In a statement issued on April 29, 2025, Goyal confirmed that officials from Indias Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative met in Washington, D.C., between April 23 and 25, 2025. These discussions carry strategic importance for India, particularly in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and US tariff realignments. As the US remains one of Indias top export destinations, securing favorable trade terms is a key priority to ensure sustained economic growth and deepen bilateral commercial ties.

: India and the US are expected to finalize a trade deal soon, aiming to reduce tariffs and help lower the US trade deficit, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Speaking at a US-India Strategic Forum in Washington D.C., on June 3, 2025, Lutnick noted that while India maintains protectionist tariffs, both sides have found common ground. He emphasized that early agreements tend to be more favorable and assured the US would be flexible if India reduces its tariffs. On May 20, 2025, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met with Lutnick in Washington, D.C., to accelerate discussions on the initial phase of the proposed IndiaUS bilateral trade agreement. This marks his second visit to Washington for trade talks with the US in 2025, following an earlier round in March. In a statement issued on April 29, 2025, Goyal confirmed that officials from Indias Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative met in Washington, D.C., between April 23 and 25, 2025. These discussions carry strategic importance for India, particularly in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and US tariff realignments. As the US remains one of Indias top export destinations, securing favorable trade terms is a key priority to ensure sustained economic growth and deepen bilateral commercial ties. European Union : India and the EU concluded the 11th round of negotiations on the proposed draft of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) May 18, 2025. As per a Times of India report, both sides have agreed to pursue a two-stage approach to finalise the deal. On May 1, 2025, India and the EU reaffirmed their target to conclude free trade agreement negotiations by the end of 2025. As per the statement released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Indias union minister Piyush Goyal, held a key meeting with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, in Brussels on May 1 to discuss the progress on the FTA negotiations. Sefcovic, in a media address in Brussels, said that the EU deeply values its partnership with India, and it is committed to taking it to the next level by securing a commercially meaningful agreement, which opens up the markets for both goods and services.

: India and the EU concluded the 11th round of negotiations on the proposed draft of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) May 18, 2025. As per a Times of India report, both sides have agreed to pursue a two-stage approach to finalise the deal. On May 1, 2025, India and the EU reaffirmed their target to conclude free trade agreement negotiations by the end of 2025. As per the statement released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Indias union minister Piyush Goyal, held a key meeting with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, in Brussels on May 1 to discuss the progress on the FTA negotiations. Sefcovic, in a media address in Brussels, said that the EU deeply values its partnership with India, and it is committed to taking it to the next level by securing a commercially meaningful agreement, which opens up the markets for both goods and services. Chile : On May 8, 2025, India and Chile signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). As per the announcement, India-Chile CEPA aims to build upon the existing PTA between the two countries and seeks to encompass a broader range of sectors, including digital services, investment promotion and cooperation, MSME, critical minerals etc. thereby enhancing economic integration and cooperation.

: On May 8, 2025, India and Chile signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). As per the announcement, India-Chile CEPA aims to build upon the existing PTA between the two countries and seeks to encompass a broader range of sectors, including digital services, investment promotion and cooperation, MSME, critical minerals etc. thereby enhancing economic integration and cooperation. United Kingdom: India and the UK finalised the free trade agreement (FTA) after over three years of negotitations. Under the finalized FTA, announced on May 6, 2025, Indian businesses will enjoy nearly tariff-free access to British markets. Additionally, India will benefit from the UKs FTA commitments in various service sectors, including IT/ITeS, financial, professional, and educational services. One of the major highlights of the agreement is the Double Contribution Convention. Under this, Indian professionals working temporarily in the UK will benefit from a three-year exemption from social security contributions.

Chile: On April 1, 2025, India and Chile announced the launch of negotiations for a CEPA to enhance cooperation across trade, science and technology, critical minerals, health, agriculture, climate change, and cultural exchanges. As part of this collaboration, Chile has invited Indian companies to bid for lithium deposits, a strategic move to diversify its foreign investment in the mining sector. Additionally, both nations are strengthening ties in mining and mineral exploration. A roundtable discussion, organized by the International Copper Association India, focused on advancing mineral exploration, sustainable mining practices, and value-added processing. Per the announcement, India and Chile have agreed to explore renewing their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on geology and mineral resources to establish a more robust framework for future cooperation, particularly in critical minerals and green technology

On April 1, 2025, India and Chile announced the launch of negotiations for a CEPA to enhance cooperation across trade, science and technology, critical minerals, health, agriculture, climate change, and cultural exchanges. As part of this collaboration, Chile has invited Indian companies to bid for lithium deposits, a strategic move to diversify its foreign investment in the mining sector. Additionally, both nations are strengthening ties in mining and mineral exploration. A roundtable discussion, organized by the International Copper Association India, focused on advancing mineral exploration, sustainable mining practices, and value-added processing. Per the announcement, India and Chile have agreed to explore renewing their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on geology and mineral resources to establish a more robust framework for future cooperation, particularly in critical minerals and green technology New Zealand: India and New Zealand have officially resumed negotiations for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after a decade-long pause, aiming to strengthen economic ties and expand trade opportunities. The decision was announced on March 16, 2025, following a meeting between Indias Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, and New Zealands Trade Minister Todd McClay, ahead of a bilateral discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. With bilateral trade surpassing US$1 billion during AprilJanuary 2025, the renewed FTA talks are expected to open new avenues for businesses and consumers, driving mutual growth and prosperity.

India and New Zealand have officially resumed negotiations for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after a decade-long pause, aiming to strengthen economic ties and expand trade opportunities. The decision was announced on March 16, 2025, following a meeting between Indias Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, and New Zealands Trade Minister Todd McClay, ahead of a bilateral discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. With bilateral trade surpassing US$1 billion during AprilJanuary 2025, the renewed FTA talks are expected to open new avenues for businesses and consumers, driving mutual growth and prosperity. United States: India and U.S. aim to double bilateral trade to US$500 billion by 2030. On February 17, 2025, Indias Union Minister Of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that the two countries are committed to negotiating a strong trade agreement within the next 6-8 months.

India and U.S. aim to double bilateral trade to US$500 billion by 2030. On February 17, 2025, Indias Union Minister Of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that the two countries are committed to negotiating a strong trade agreement within the next 6-8 months. United Kingdom: FTA negotiations between India and the UK are set to resume in early 2025 as per British Prime Minister Keir Starmers update to the UK Parliament on November 21, 2024. As many as 14 rounds of negotiations have taken place between both countries till now. The India-UK FTA negotiations began in January 2022.

FTA negotiations between India and the UK are set to resume in early 2025 as per British Prime Minister Keir Starmers update to the UK Parliament on November 21, 2024. As many as 14 rounds of negotiations have taken place between both countries till now. The India-UK FTA negotiations began in January 2022. Oman : As of February 2025, India and Oman are actively advancing negotiations on a CEPA. Indias Union Minister of Commerce and Industry visited Muscat in January 27-28, 2025, to discuss the CEPA with Omans Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef. Formal CEPA negotiations commenced in November 2023, with significant progress made by January 2024.

: As of February 2025, India and Oman are actively advancing negotiations on a CEPA. Indias Union Minister of Commerce and Industry visited Muscat in January 27-28, 2025, to discuss the CEPA with Omans Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef. Formal CEPA negotiations commenced in November 2023, with significant progress made by January 2024. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): As of February 2025, India and ASEAN are actively engaged in reviewing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), originally signed in 2009. The fifth Joint Committee meeting is scheduled to take place in February 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

As of February 2025, India and ASEAN are actively engaged in reviewing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), originally signed in 2009. The fifth Joint Committee meeting is scheduled to take place in February 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Qatar: Currently, India and Qatar are actively exploring the possibility of an FTA to enhance bilateral trade and investment. During a two-day visit to New Delhi (February 18-19, 2025), Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed strategies to double trade between the two nations to US$28 billion within the next five years.

Other India trade negotiations to watch in 2025

India-Canada CEPA: Negotiations were re-launched in March 2022 during the fifth Ministerial Dialogue on Trade & Investment. However, as of September 2023, Canada has paused these talks, with both countries agreeing to decide on their resumption mutually.

India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) FTA: India and the GCC signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation in 2004 to strengthen trade ties. FTA negotiations resumed in November 2022, and by January 2025, the GCC expressed intentions to initiate formal discussions within the year. The GCC member countries are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain.

Status of Indias bilateral investment treaties

BITs aim to promote and protect investments between India and its partner countries.

In February 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced plans to revamp the current Model BIT to make it more investor-friendly, aiming to attract increased foreign investment.

India is negotiating new BITs with the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the EU and renegotiating existing ones to align with contemporary economic realities and policy objectives.

Most of Indias earlier BITs (previously known as BIPA (Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement)) were terminated following the adoption of a new Model BIT in 2016. This model emphasizes a balance between investor rights and the host states obligations.

Notable BITs currently in force include:

India-UAE bilateral investment treaty: Signed in Abu Dhabi in February 2024, this treaty came into effect on August 31, 2024. Speaking to The Indian Express, Ajay Seth, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), said the BIT with the UAE, which provides safeguards for foreign portfolio investors and includes entity-based protection, exemplifies the shift toward more investor-friendly investment norms. India-Uzbekistan bilateral investment treaty: Signed in 2024, this treaty aims to enhance investment flows between the two nations.

In addition to these, India has active BITs with several countries, including:

Bangladesh: Fostering investment cooperation between the neighboring countries.

Fostering investment cooperation between the neighboring countries. Belarus: Aiming to protect and promote mutual investments.

Aiming to protect and promote mutual investments. Kyrgyzstan: Enhancing economic collaboration through investment protection.

Enhancing economic collaboration through investment protection. Thailand: Strengthening economic ties and investment flows.

Strengthening economic ties and investment flows. Trinidad and Tobago: Encouraging bilateral investments and economic cooperation.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein are pushing for a BIT with India after the EFTA-India trade agreement committed to a US$100 billion investment over 15 years. Although BITs were initially not discussed, the push comes after India unilaterally annulled older BITs and Switzerland suspended the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) clause in its Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with India. This decision, following an Indian Supreme Court ruling, has led to higher taxes for Swiss firms like Nestle. India, which had favored state rights in its 2016 BIT model, is now working on a revamp to offer better investor protections after concerns from Western trade partners.

Indias FTA network: Existing trade agreements

India has established 13 FTAs with various countries and regional blocs. These agreements aim to strengthen Indias trade relations, promote economic growth, and facilitate market access.

South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA)  implemented in 2006 among SAARC nations to reduce tariffs. India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA)  in effect since 2000, promoting bilateral trade. India-Nepal Treaty of Trade  provides duty-free access to primary products. India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade, Commerce, and Transit  eliminates tariffs on a range of goods. India-Thailand Free Trade Agreement  initiated in 2004 under the Early Harvest Scheme. India-Singapore CECA  covers trade, services, and investment. India-Malaysia CECA  effective from 2011, covering trade, services, and investments. India-Japan CEPA  eliminates tariffs on a vast majority of goods since 2011. India-South Korea CEPA  reduces tariffs and promotes trade. India-ASEAN FTA  established in 2010 for goods, expanded in 2014 for services. India-Mauritius CECPA  signed in 2021, Indias first trade agreement with an African nation. India-UAE CEPA  implemented in 2022, boosting bilateral trade. India-Australia ECTA  signed in December 2022, promoting key sectors like agriculture and minerals.

Indias Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)

Under the GSP, India benefits from preferential tariff treatment under various schemes provided by different countries, facilitating duty-free or reduced tariff access for Indian exports.

Provider Beneficiaries Entry into force India Duty-Free Tariff Preference Scheme for Least Developed Countries (LDCs): 46 countries August 13, 2008 United Kingdom Developing Countries Trading Scheme  65 countries, including India June 19, 2023 Armenia Generalized System of Preferences  153 countries, including India October 10, 2016 Australia Generalized System of Preferences  177 countries, including India January 1, 1974 European Union (EU) Generalized System of Preferences  88 countries, including India July 1, 1971 Japan Generalized System of Preferences  130 countries, including India August 1, 1971 Kazakhstan Generalized System of Preferences  153 countries, including India October 10, 2016 Kyrgyz Republic Generalized System of Preferences  153 countries, including India October 10, 2016 New Zealand Generalized System of Preferences  140 countries, including India January 1, 1972 Norway Generalized System of Preferences  122 countries, including India October 1, 1971 Russian Federation Generalized System of Preferences  153 countries, including India October 10, 2016 Switzerland Generalized System of Preferences  123 countries, including India March 1, 1972

Indias Preferential Trade Agreements

SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA)  includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA)  previously known as the Bangkok Agreement, signed in 1975 with Bangladesh, China, India, South Korea, Laos, and Sri Lanka.

previously known as the Bangkok Agreement, signed in 1975 with Bangladesh, China, India, South Korea, Laos, and Sri Lanka. India-MERCOSUR PTA  signed with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay in 2004; effective from June 1, 2009.

signed with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay in 2004; effective from June 1, 2009. India-Afghanistan PTA  signed on March 6, 2003.

signed on March 6, 2003. India-Chile PTA  strengthening economic ties with Latin America.

Some proposed regional trade agreements

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) FTA  a proposed FTA agreement involving a grouping of countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand  aiming to strengthen regional economic integration.

a proposed FTA agreement involving a grouping of countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand  aiming to strengthen regional economic integration. India-SACU Preferential Trade Agreement  a proposed agreement between India and the Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini) to improve trade relations.

(This article was originally published on February 20, 2025, and was last updated on August 21, 2025.)
Indian Exporters Face 50% US Tariff Rate Effective August 27, 2025

The United States (US) has announced the imposition of additional tariff rates on goods from India under Executive Order (EO) 14329, signed on August 6, 2025.

These custom duties come into force from 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time (EDT) on August 27, 2025, following official changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the US (HTSUS).

The US has issued an official notice confirming that Indian exports will face a 50 percent tariff starting August 27, 2025. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security, released the notification on August 25, 2025.

With this move, the overall tariff burden on Indian products entering the American market could climb to as high as 50 percentone of the steepest rates imposed by the US. Indian exporters are preparing for setbacks.

Mounting pressure on Indias engineering goods exporters

The doubling of US reciprocal tariffs on Indian engineering goodsfrom 25 percent to 50 percent effective August 27has raised concerns across the sector. As per a report published by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), the increase in tariff is expected to affect nearly US$12.5 billion worth of exports from India, particularly in products outside the steel, aluminum, and automobile categories.

Indian exporters note that while the earlier 25 percent duty strained cost margins, it was still comparable to the 1920 percent tariffs imposed on Southeast Asian competitors. The latest US tariff hike of up to 50 percent, however, has widened the cost gap significantly, reducing Indias competitiveness in the US market.

Industrial clusters such as LudhianaJalandhar, which supply hand tools, machine parts, and spares, and the national capital region (NCR) belt, which produces fabricated assemblies, face order cancellations, production cuts, and potential job losses. Larger firms are reportedly considering shifting part of their supply chain to Mexico under the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA) framework or diversifying into Europe, West Asia, and ASEAN. Indias micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with limited resources, remain highly exposed to the US market.

Global sourcing patterns are already shifting. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam are positioned to capture mid-range hand tools; Mexico is expected to dominate near-shore categories, while Germany, Japan, and Taiwan are likely to lead in precision machinery.

How the US tariff on India will apply

Under the new rules, most Indian goods shipped to the US will now face their regular import duty plus an extra 25 percent charge. This is set out in tariff code HTSUS 9903.01.84, which forms the basis of the policy.

There are, however, some exceptions. Shipments that left India before August 27, 2025, and are cleared in the US before September 17, 2025, will not face the additional duty. Certain product categories, such as steel, aluminum, passenger vehicles, light trucks, copper products, humanitarian donations, and informational materials like books or films, are also excluded from the surcharge.

To manage these changes, the US has introduced new tariff codes. These codes specify which goods are covered by the 25 percent duty, which are exempt, and which shipments qualify for temporary relief. Importantly, Indian products entering US Foreign Trade Zones after the effective date must be recorded under a special privileged foreign status, meaning they will still be subject to the new tariffs once released into the American market.

Key Tariff Classifications Heading Article description Duty rate 9903.01.84 Most Indian-origin goods Base rate + 25 percent 9903.01.85 Shipments in transit before Aug 27, cleared by Sept 17 Base rate only 9903.01.86 Certain exempted goods (per tariff notes) Base rate only 9903.01.87 Steel, aluminum, autos, and related products Base rate only 9903.01.88 Humanitarian donations Base rate only 9903.01.89 Informational materials Base rate only

Source: Notice, US Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security

Prior to the new tariff order, Indian exports to the US were generally subject to import duties between 0.5 and 10 percent. Under the revised framework, an additional 25 percentage points are now levied on top of these existing base duties.

US customs base rates on Indian goods in 2024

Indian exports to the United States have traditionally benefited from relatively low customs duties under the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) framework. While tariff levels varied by sector, the overall weighted average remained in the range of 23 percent.

S.no. Sub-sector Base rates on imports from India in 2024 1. Alcohol, wines, etc. 2.49 2. Dairy products 1.54 3. Fish, meat, frozen and processed 0.59 4. Live animal products 0.66 5. Processed foods, sugar and cocoa preparations 4.67 6. Edible oils 1.4 7. Cereals, vegetables, fruits and spices 3.1 8. Tobacco, cigarettes, products 201.15

Source: Trumps Reciprocal Tariffs and India; Flagship Report, GTRI

On the industrial side, the US customs rates on India are even lower, with most sub-sectors facing duties between 0.4 percent and 3.5 percent.

Pharmaceuticals, one of Indias largest export categories, face almost negligible tariffs at 0.01 percent, while textiles, footwear, and ceramics pay slightly higher rates of 39 percent.

S.no. Sub-sector Base rates on imports from India in 2024 1. Automobiles, Bikes and Parts 1.05 2. Shoes, footwear, parts 8.77 3. Diamonds, gold, silver and allied products 2.12 4. Pharmaceuticals 0.01 5. Artificial flowers, umbrellas, headgears 2.59 6. Clock, medical, furniture, toys, work of art 1.42 7. Ceramic products, glass, stone, cement products 3.38 8. Paper, wood articles 1.18 9. Rubber articles 2.03 10. Electrical, telecom, and electronics products 0.41 11. Textiles, fabric, yarns, fiber, carpets 3.55 12. Chemicals except pharma 3.39 13. Plastic articles 4.38 14. All machinery, boilers, turbines, computers, parts 1.3 15. Railway, aircraft, and ship parts 0.23 16. Leather products 7.29 17. Products of iron and steel 1.49 18. Made-up, worn clothing 8.99 19. Products of base metals 2.98 20. Ores, minerals, and petroleum 6.67 21. Garments 12.05

Source: Trumps Reciprocal Tariffs and India; Flagship Report, GTRI

US ends duty-free de minimis treatment

From August 29, 2025, the US will withdraw duty-free benefits on imported goods valued at US$800 or less. The move, announced by the USs CBP on August 18, eliminates the de minimis exemption, meaning that all low-value shipments entering the country will now attract the standard range of duties, taxes, and fees.

For non-postal imports, compliance requirements will tighten. Shipments must be filed in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) under the appropriate entry type, and only parties authorized to make such filings will be allowed to do so.

Postal shipments face their own set of obligations: international carriers moving packages into the US will need to maintain either a single transaction bond or a continuous bond, while importers choosing to file postal entries must hold a basic importation and entry bond in line with US regulations.

Although the duty-free benefits have been largely removed, some categories will remain protected. Donations and informational materials, as defined under the US law, will continue to qualify for duty-free treatment.

New duty rules for postal imports to the US

A major change also applies to postal imports. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), these shipments will now be subject to tariffs that can be calculated in two ways. Importers may choose an ad valorem duty, tied to the products value and the applicable country-specific tariff rate, or a specific duty, set as a flat charge between US$80 and US$200 per item depending on the origin.

However, the specific duty option is temporary and will be phased out by February 28, 2026, after which all postal imports must follow the ad valorem method.

Implications for trade between India and the US

The new tariff measures are expected to have wide-ranging consequences for both Indian exporters and American businesses. For Indian companies, the additional duties will drive up the overall cost of their shipments, reducing price competitiveness in the US market and potentially leading to a decline in demand. On the American side, importers will need to navigate the updated tariff codes with care, ensuring that their consignments are correctly classified to avoid unexpected costs. Beyond the immediate commercial effects, the decision reflects a new layer of strain in US-India trade relations.

Background: Indias inclusion in the Russia sanctions framework

The additional US tariffs on Indian imports originate from the sanctions framework established under then US President Joe Biden. EO 14024 (April 2021) declared a US national emergency in response to Russias foreign activities, while EO 14066 (March 2022) prohibited the import of Russian-origin oil and petroleum products.

On August 6, 2025, President Donald J. Trump expanded this framework through EO 14329, citing Indias continued energy ties with Russia. As a result, USIndia trade, previously characterized by relatively low tariff levels, now faces some of the steepest duties applied by Washington. Effective rates on many Indian exports have risen from single digits to nearly 50 percent, altering pricing structures and competitiveness in the US market.
Death toll and injuries

Worst-affected areas and response

We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and damage after the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan.@UNICEFAfg has deployed mobile health teams to the impacted areas & is supporting health facilities providing urgent care for children & families. pic.twitter.com/UbecKROk6Y  UNICEF Afghanistan (@UNICEFAfg) September 1, 2025

International aid and challenges

Up to a 1000 feared dead in devastating #Afghanistan quake.



Shallow #earthquake hit near Jalalabad severe damage in Kunar and Nangarhar.



Mud-and-rock homes destroyed; shocks felt in Pakistan



Rescue efforts ongoing amid broken systems of relief

pic.twitter.com/RQFIUOflIa  Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid) September 1, 2025

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At least 800 people have died and 2,500 injured in a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, according to a Taliban government spokesperson. The United Nations in Afghanistan expressed deep concern and confirmed its teams are already on the ground delivering emergency assistance and lifesaving support. "Our thoughts are with the affected communities," the UN stated on X.The magnitude 6 earthquake hit at 11:47 pm local time, with its epicenter 27 km northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a shallow depth of 8 km. Kunar province was reported as the worst-hit, with districts including Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare facing extensive damage. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, and emergency services are working to clear rubble and transport the injured. The earthquake has been described as Afghanistans deadliest since June 2022, when a 6.1-magnitude quake killed over 1,000 people.Helicopters and military rescue teams are fanning out to reach remote hamlets, particularly along the border with Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The Talibans interior ministry confirmed mobilization of all teams to provide security, food, and health assistance. Authorities reported 40 flights carried 420 wounded and deceased from affected areas. Residents have also been helping transport the injured to ambulances.Women and children are among those injured, but reports indicate far fewer women are receiving hospital treatment due to cultural norms in conservative provinces like Kunar. Some families reportedly wait until daylight to bring women to medical care, delaying treatment. Aid workers also noted the absence of female rescuers on the ground.Several countries have expressed support. Iran pledged humanitarian and medical aid, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offering condolences and solidarity. India also extended support, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressing condolences and readiness to provide humanitarian relief.Afghanistans vulnerability to earthquakes is heightened by its location in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Past quakes in the region have caused thousands of deaths and widespread destruction, underscoring the need for rapid international assistance and robust local disaster response mechanisms.The scale of devastation and the logistical challenges of reaching remote areas mean that the full impact may only become clear in the coming days. Rescue operations continue amid difficult terrain and limited resources.
We did it Australia  pic.twitter.com/IZtdqYUvxV  March for Australia (@marchforaus) August 31, 2025

( Image credit : Violent clashes erupted in several cities between protesters and counter-protesters, including anti-racism and pro-Palestinian groups | Credit: X/RochelleAz )

What unfolded on the streets

ABC

BREAKING: Protests across Australia have erupted.



500,000 patriots on the streets across the country demanding remigration.



Australia has woken up. pic.twitter.com/jVU2ubVcLe  The British Patriot (@TheBritLad) August 31, 2025

( Image credit : Some flyers circulated by organizers compared recent Indian immigration to earlier European migration, stating, More Indians in 5 years than Greeks and Italians in 100' | Credit: X/aus_pill )

Government condemns divisive rallies

Before todays rallies even began, the mainstream media, along with Labor and Liberal leaders tried to smear and condemn patriotic Australians for standing up for our country.



But One Nation hears you, Australia.



Thousands turned out because they know the truth: mass pic.twitter.com/oIJ8N9x0Gv  Pauline Hanson  (@PaulineHansonOz) August 31, 2025

The Guardian

ABC

( Image credit : In Melbourne, tensions escalated after neo-Nazis attempted to disrupt an Indigenous protest site, resulting in multiple arrests and reports of police using pepper spray | Credit: X/Gary_Hardgrave )

A global trend of violence against Indian migrants

Western nations demand mass deportations.



Native populations are rising, nationalism surging across borders and even in Australia.



Globalists are fast losing their control. pic.twitter.com/geqODmZ7HI  The British Patriot (@TheBritLad) August 31, 2025

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Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, among others, recently witnessed coordinated anti-immigration rallies under the banner March for Australia. Protesters claimed their actions were in response to growing concerns about housing shortages, infrastructure strain, and cultural change due to high levels of immigration. Over 80% of Australias land is sparsely populated, with large areas classified as desert or arid zones, making them unsuitable for large-scale habitation. Most Australians live in a few coastal cities.However, the protests quickly drew backlash because of their messages, which prominently targeted Indian migrants. Some flyers circulated by organizers compared recent Indian immigration to earlier European migration, stating, More Indians in 5 years than Greeks and Italians in 100.According to, around 8,000 people had gathered for the Sydney rally. In Adelaide, police estimated around 15,000 people attended both a rally and a counter-demonstration. The demonstration was promoted by organizers as a pushback against what they termed mass immigration. However, it quickly descended into chaos and was condemned by both political leaders and civil society groups.Violent clashes erupted in several cities between protesters and counter-protesters, including anti-racism and pro-Palestinian groups. In Melbourne, tensions escalated after neo-Nazis attempted to disrupt an Indigenous protest site, resulting in multiple arrests and reports of police using pepper spray. In Sydney, over 800 officers were deployed to manage potential conflict.While organizers claimed the rallies were focused on housing, jobs, and infrastructure pressure caused by migration, the presence of hate slogans suggested racial and ideological motivations. Protesters chanted slogans such as stop the invasion and carried signs calling for strict immigration limitations.While some opposition politicians, such as One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and federal MP Bob Katter, joined the marches, the protests were strongly condemned by other Australian leaders.reported Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as saying that the anti-migration rallies were about sowing division, and were unfortunate at best.He told, The motivation that they have, which isnt actually about housing or our economy or anything else, its about sowing division.Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs, said, There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. Nothing could be less Australian.Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly said, Multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity. She added, "We stand with all Australians, no matter where they were born, against those who seek to divide us and who seek to intimidate migrant communities. We will not be intimidated. This brand of far-right activism, grounded in racism and ethnocentrism, has no place in modern Australia."The protests come amid a global trend of increasing attacks on Indian nationals in Western countries.Back in April 2025, several Australian universities had reportedly restricted student visa applications from six Indian states, namely, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir, due to concerns over fraudulent documentation and visa misuse. These measures, taken independently by universities, sparked alarm among prospective students. However, the Australian High Commission rejected the claims as inaccurate.In Ireland, an Indian-origin AI scientist, Dr. Santosh Yadav, was assaulted by a group of teenagers outside his home in Dublin. He later stated the attack was racially motivated and not an isolated case.In another incident, a six-year-old Indian girl in Ireland was reportedly attacked and told to go back to India. Such incidents have raised serious concerns among the Indian diaspora and officials.Charanpreet Singh, a 23-year-old Indian student, was brutally attacked by five men in Adelaide, Australia. The attackers shouted racial slurs like F*** off, Indian and beat him severely. He was left with serious facial injuries and suspected brain trauma.With attacks on immigrants rising alongside anti-immigration protests, it remains to be seen how foreign governments respond to safeguard migrant communities and what steps the Indian government takes to protect its citizens abroad.
Bigg Boss 19

Ashnoor Kaur becomes the new captain after Kunickaa

Bigg Boss 19

What benefits does the captain get?

( Image credit : Ashnoor Kaur | Credit: Instagram/jiohotstarreality )

This weeks nominations

Bigg Boss 19 : Nomination Task!

(Room of Faith)



Five contestants are nominated for this week!



(Room Of Faith)



Round 1 :- Awez , Nagma & Baseer



 Awez Nominated



Round 2 :- Natalia, Mridul & Neelam



 Mridul Nominated#BiggBoss19#BiggBoss19OnJioHotstar



check comment  Bigg Boss All News (@gharwalafun) August 31, 2025

Round 3 :- Farhana, Gaurav & Kunickaa



 Kunickaa Nominated



Round 4 :- Tanya, Zeishan & Nehal



 Tanya Nominated



Round 5 :- Amaal, Pranit & Abhishek :-



 Amaal Nominated #BiggBoss19#BiggBoss19OnJioHotstar  Bigg Boss All News (@gharwalafun) August 31, 2025

A big fight erupts inside the house on Episode 9

Bigg Boss

( Image credit : Farhana on Bigg Boss 19. | Credit: X/@BigBoss_India )

( Image credit : Kunickaa Sadanand | Credit: JioHotstar/Instagram )

What is the Room of Faith?

Bigg Boss

Room of Faith

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Salman Khans reality showis keeping viewers glued with back-to-back drama, fights, and unexpected turns. From captaincy changes to housemates clashing over small issues, the latest week has brought plenty of buzz inside the house.The biggest twist came when Kunickaa Sadanand, who was the first captain, shocked everyone by giving away the captaincy. She opted out after housemates criticized her failure to handle responsibilities. Later, she was even seen trying to take the responsibilities back.Now, Ashnoor Kaur has officially become the new captain of thehouse. The decision wasnt easy, as opinions in the house were divided. Some housemates supported Abhishek Bajaj, while others rooted for Kaur. In the end, the majority sided with Ashnoor, and she was chosen as captain.Being captain inside the house comes with many privileges. The captain gets an exemption from household chores and also receives immunity from nominations. Along with this, Bigg Boss gives special powers to the captain, including the right to punish housemates when needed.Along with captaincy, nominations also added tension in the house. According to, five contestants nominated this week are Mridul Tiwari, Aawaz Darbar, Kunickaa Sadanand, Tanya Mittal, and Amaal Malik. Their journey now depends on audience votes. It will be interesting to see who gets saved and whose journey ends here.Drama inis incomplete without fights, and this week witnessed one of the most heated arguments. It all began when Zeeshan Qadri asked Neelam Giri if she was acting when complaining about Kunickaa the previous day. Meanwhile, Farhana Bhatt jumped in and insulted Neelam by calling her Kunickaa ji ki chamchi.This led to a shouting match between the two. Neelam, upset, cried and said, Main itni bhi buri nahi hu. Farhana further lashed out, telling her, Mudda rakhne ke liye kaha hai, bakwaas karne ke liye nahi.Moreover, tensions between Baseer Ali and Farhana escalated after she accidentally dropped a spoon on his bed. In anger, Baseer went to her room, tossed her belongings, and removed her blanket and mattress. Farhana retaliated by crushing his pillow with her feet and hurling a cushion at him, while Baseer did the same with her pillow.He broke her accessories, and she threw his medicines. The fight reached a peak when Baseer threw Farhanas mattress into the swimming pool, with the verbal exchange continuing alongside the chaos.Moreover, Farhana and Kunickaa have been locked in constant clashes across episodes ever since Farhanas return from the secret room. And todays episode was no exception.Adding more spice,has introduced a new concept called the. While its full purpose hasnt been revealed yet, it is being speculated that it will test the beliefs, faith, and relationships of the housemates. This new twist is expected to make the show even more exciting.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, during his official visit to South Korea, extended an invitation to two major Korean companies, ModernTech Corp. and UNECORAIL, to explore investment opportunities in Chhattisgarh. He said the state is focusing on promoting clean energy, building sustainable transport infrastructure, and strengthening its railway network.



The Chief Minister proposed that ModernTech Corp., a leading company in green mobility solutions, set up an advanced EV charging manufacturing unit in Chhattisgarh. According to him, such a project could bring recognition to the state in the fields of sustainable energy and modern transport systems, while contributing to long-term environmental goals.



Officials informed that the initiative is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, encourage local component manufacturing, and help Chhattisgarh emerge as a national hub in green energy. The Chief Minister added that the project would also foster skill development among local youth in green technology.



Reiterating the state governments commitment, CM Sai assured potential investors that transparent and simplified processes have been put in place to ensure that projects are implemented without unnecessary delays.



During his South Korea visit, the Chief Minister also met Dong Pil Park, CEO of UNECORAIL, a key player in rail maintenance solutions. Detailed discussions were held on local manufacturing opportunities, technology transfer, and developing advanced railway infrastructure in Chhattisgarh.



Sai underlined that with the states growing industrial base and increasing logistics requirements, modern railway solutions would be vital for economic growth. He expressed confidence that UNECORAILs expertise could improve rail maintenance systems, expand the logistics network, and provide safer and more efficient transportation for both industries and the public.



Emphasizing the broader vision, the Chief Minister said that clean energy and sustainable development have been placed at the core of Chhattisgarhs policy framework. He called upon international companies to become partners in the states developmental journey and contribute to building its future economic and environmental landscape.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai returned to Raipur today after completing an eight-day visit to Japan and South Korea. He was received with a traditional welcome at the airport, where cultural performances of Karma and Panthi dances continued for nearly an hour. Citizens showered flowers as he made his way to meet the media, reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding his return.



Speaking after his arrival, the Chief Minister described his meetings with the Indian community abroad, including people from Chhattisgarh engaged in business, as a memorable experience. He noted that their presence overseas contributes to Indias image across global markets.



The tour, according to the Chief Minister, aimed at opening up new pathways for foreign investment and industrial development in Chhattisgarh. He pointed out that during Prime Minister Narendra Modis earlier visit to Japan, an agreement had been reached for significant investment in India, some of which is expected to benefit the state. The focus areas include artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, defence, textiles, and food processing, all seen as sectors with major employment potential.



At the Osaka World Expo in Japan, Chhattisgarh showcased its pavilion, which drew more than 30,000 daily visitors. The state presented its investment opportunities and cultural identity in Japanese, aiming to communicate directly with investors and trade representatives.



The Chief Minister also emphasized the significance of Chhattisgarhs first delegation visit to South Korea. Information about the states industrial policies and incentives was shared in the Korean language, leading to discussions on trade and investment. An MoU was signed with the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ICCK), designating it as a knowledge partner to help provide skilled manpower for upcoming industries.



He further highlighted that Chhattisgarhs new industrial policy, along with its data infrastructure, positions the state as a potential hub for AI and semiconductor-related industries. Business organizations in both Japan and South Korea expressed interest in exploring opportunities under these provisions.



Concluding his remarks, the Chief Minister stated that the tour demonstrated Chhattisgarhs intent to extend its reach beyond domestic markets and connect globally to bring in investment and expand international opportunities for the states industries.
What happened during the flight

Bulgarias response to the incident

JUST IN:



 A unknown interference attacked the plane of EU president Ursula von der Leyen, disabling GPS navigation services and forcing the pilots to land in Bulgaria using paper maps.



(Lmao) pic.twitter.com/IagdKOpHem  Spetsna 007  (@Alex_Oloyede2) September 1, 2025

European commissions position

Russias response

EU chief von der Leyens aircraft GPS jammed over Bulgaria, Russian interference suspected https://t.co/wTmImzj1eopic.twitter.com/WrMZ8qhAoP  FRANCE 24  Europe (@EuropeF24) September 1, 2025

Purpose of von der Leyens visit

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced a disruption to its navigation system during a flight to Bulgaria. The European Commission confirmed on Sunday that the incident was linked to suspected Russian interference. Despite the disturbance, von der Leyens aircraft landed safely.According to the Commission, the GPS system was jammed just as von der Leyens flight was approaching Bulgaria. A spokesperson said that information from Bulgarian authorities pointed to blatant interference by Russia as the likely cause.Reports from the, citing unnamed officials, stated that the aircraft ultimately landed at Plovdiv Airport with the assistance of paper maps after the satellite signal was lost.The Bulgarian government confirmed that the satellite signal feeding the aircrafts GPS navigation system had been neutralised. To maintain flight safety, air traffic controllers provided an alternative method of landing using terrestrial navigation systems.Bulgarias Air Traffic Services Authority also noted a notable increase in navigation jamming since January 2022. Officials highlighted that such disruptions have caused problems not only for official flights but also for commercial aviation and shipping routes.The European Commission described the event as part of wider threats and intimidation linked to Russias hostile actions. A spokesperson said the incident would strengthen the EUs determination to boost its defence capabilities and increase support for Ukraine.The Commission stressed that interference targeting navigation systems directly impacts aviation safety and requires coordinated measures within the EU to ensure protection.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the accusations, telling thethat the information about Russian involvement was incorrect.Despite the denial, experts have previously warned that interference with satellite navigation has affected thousands of civilian flights, pointing to a growing security concern across Europe.Ursula von der Leyen was in Bulgaria as part of her tour of eastern EU member states. The trip focused on discussions around defence readiness and strengthening cooperation in response to regional threats.
( Image credit : IMD upgraded Delhis weather alert from yellow to orange, putting residents in be prepared mode ahead of worsening conditions | Credit: X/arvindsiiingh )

How was Delhis weather on Monday?

( Image credit : For most of Monday, the city saw intermittent showers | Credit: X/jjAnand )

( Image credit : Residents have been urged to follow the dos and donts circulated by the weather department | Credit: X/behl_akshit1803 )

Flight operators issue advisories

#TravelAdvisory



Rain may impact flight operations to and from Delhi today.



Please check your flight status here https://t.co/5vemTROi62 before heading to the airport and allow extra time for your journey to the airport.  Air India (@airindia) September 1, 2025

#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via https://t.co/2wynECZugy.  SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) September 1, 2025

#TravelUpdate: Due to heavy rainfall in certain parts of Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, we anticipate slow moving traffic and congestion on roads leading to the airport.



To ensure a seamless travel experience, we request you to plan for additional travel time to reach the  Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) September 1, 2025

Travel Advisory



 Delhi is under rainclouds, and the steady showers are affecting usual travel times.



Traffic towards the airport is currently slower in several areas. We recommend planning your commute in advance and checking your flight status before heading out.



Our  IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) September 1, 2025

Travel Advisory



 Heavy rainfall continues across Delhi, and road conditions remain slow in several parts of the city. Waterlogging and low visibility are being reported on some routes to the airport.



If you are travelling today, please allow for extra time and check your  IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) September 1, 2025

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Frontline air operators issued an official travel advisory on Monday for residents of Delhi (NCR) and Gurugram, following heavy rains that caused widespread waterlogging and traffic disruptions across the region.For most of Monday, the city saw intermittent showers, but the weather department later issued a warning for moderate to heavy rainfall and upgraded its alert for the national capital to an orange. Residents have been urged to follow the dos and donts circulated by the weather department.For Tuesday, the weather department has forecast a cloudy sky with moderate rainfall. Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 31C and 22C, respectively.A flood warning was issued in Delhi on Monday by the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department after water discharge from Haryanas Hathnikund barrage surged past 3.22 lakh cusecs  the highest this season. Officials cautioned that Yamuna's water level could cross the danger mark of 205.33 metres at the Old Railway Bridge by the evening of September 2, possibly reaching around 206 metres, due to heavy rainfall in the upper Yamuna catchment.Air India posted on X (formerly Twitter), warning that heavy rain might disrupt flights to and from Delhi. Passengers are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport and to allow extra travel time to avoid delays.The post read, Rain may impact flight operations to and from Delhi today. Please check your flight status before heading to the airport and allow extra time for your journey to the airport.SpiceJet posted an advisory that said all departures and arrivals at Delhi airport are likely to be affected on Monday due to adverse weather conditions. The airline advised passengers to check their flight status before traveling to the airport.It wrote, Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status.Akasa Air informed passengers to expect slow traffic and congestion on roads leading to airports in Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad due to rain. The airline urged travelers to check their flight status and arrive at the airport well in advance.It wrote, Due to heavy rainfall in certain parts of Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, we anticipate slow-moving traffic and congestion on roads leading to the airport. To ensure a seamless travel experience, we request you to plan for additional travel time to reach the airport well in time for your flight. Please check your flight status.IndiGo advised passengers to plan their commute in advance and check their flight status before heading to the airport, adding that the airlines ground teams are prepared to assist travelers throughout their journey.In a follow-up post, the airline reported that heavy rainfall continues to impact Delhi, leading to slow traffic, waterlogging, and low visibility on multiple routes to the airport. It assured passengers that its teams are closely monitoring the situation and are available to assist at all times.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded Delhis weather alert from yellow to orange, putting residents in be prepared mode ahead of worsening conditions.
Prince Harry ready to reconcile with King Charles; but his shocking conditions for Meghan may split the Royal Family apart

Prince Harry is reportedly seeking reconciliation with King Charles and the Royal family, but only if certain demands are met. His conditions include guaranteed security, control over paparazzi, and respect for Meghan Markle  while Prince William remains opposed.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the immediate release of Rs. 60,000 crore in funds pending with the Government of India and a revision of compensation norms for farmers affected by severe flooding across the state.



In his letter, Mann highlighted that Punjab is facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades, with around 1,000 villages impacted and lakhs of people displaced. Seven districtsGurdaspur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Hoshiarpurhave been severely affected due to heavy monsoon rains and the release of excess water from dams. Nearly three lakh acres of farmland, mostly paddy fields, remain submerged, causing major crop losses just ahead of the harvest season.



The Chief Minister said that farmers and rural households dependent on dairy and livestock have also suffered widespread losses. He pointed out that Punjab has lost Rs. 49,727 crore in revenue since the implementation of GST due to the discontinuation of VAT-related compensation, while reductions in RDF and MDF collections have further strained state finances by over Rs. 8,000 crore. Additionally, Mann flagged the cancellation of PMGSY projects worth Rs. 828 crore, warning that rural connectivity would be adversely impacted.



Mann criticized the current norms under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), stating that the input subsidy of Rs. 17,000 per hectareapproximately Rs. 6,800 per acrefor crop loss is grossly inadequate compared to actual damages. Paying such a petty amount would be a cruel joke with the farmers, he said, noting that the Punjab government already contributes additional support to raise compensation to Rs. 15,000 per acre.



The Chief Minister urged the Centre to revise SDRF guidelines to provide at least Rs. 50,000 per acre to affected farmers, with the state government continuing to contribute its mandated 25% share under the scheme. He said realistic compensation is crucial as crops are nearing the harvesting stage and losses are devastating.



Mann appealed to the Prime Minister for urgent intervention, stating that releasing the pending funds would help Punjab respond effectively to the ongoing crisis and support affected communities. He emphasized that timely financial assistance is critical to restoring livelihoods and preventing further distress in rural areas.
Dams near danger levels

( Image credit : Punjab Flood crisis | Credit: @RamanPsekhon/X )

Rising river levels trigger flooding

Patiala prepares for Ghaggar overflow

Urban flood concerns in Ludhiana

( Image credit : Punjab Flood crisis | Credit: @YouKnowZaid/X )

Relief efforts and public response

 Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) September 1, 2025

#PunjabFloods#Punjab

This incident where a bapu ji in Ajnala, #Amritsar risked his life to save an animal is a prime example of #Humanity at its best. Its in moments like these that humanity truly comes to life. pic.twitter.com/8v1CVl0VOk  SIMRAN KAUR (@Simrankaur0408) August 30, 2025

Heavy rain continues across Punjab

( Image credit : Punjab Flood crisis | Credit: @amitava0112 /X )

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Punjab woke up to a grim Monday morning, September 1, as continuous heavy rainfall pushed the states major rivers and dams to critical levels. The Ghaggar River is in full spate, while the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers continue to swell. Water levels in Bhakra and Pong dams have risen sharply, with more rain forecast for Punjab and Himachal Pradesh over the coming days, according to local officials.The Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej reached 1,674 feet on Monday, just six feet below its danger mark of 1,680 feet. Pong Dam on the Beas has crossed its danger mark of 1,390 feet, standing currently at 1,390.56 feet, with a maximum capacity of 1,410 feet. On the Ravi River, Shahpur Kandi Dam is at 399.77 feet, slightly below the danger level of 405 feet, while Ranjit Sagar Dam is near its critical level at 524.9 meters out of 527.91 meters. (For context, 1 meter equals approximately 3.28 feet.) Officials are closely monitoring these levels to prevent breaches.At Harike headworks, a structure that controls water flow, the Sutlejs water discharge surged to 266,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) Monday morning, up from 244,000 cusecs on Saturday. Similarly, at Hussainiwala headworks, the water level reached 260,000 cusecs, compared to 244,000 cusecs two days ago. This increase has caused flooding in several villages in the Ferozepur and Fazilka districts.Nearly 300,000 acres of farmland are submerged, affecting around 125,000 people in the state. Authorities continue to monitor the situation to prevent further damage.In Patiala, floodgates of Sukhna were opened again after the Bhankarpur water gauge in Mohali touched the danger mark of 10 feet. Officials expect excess water to reach villages in Ghanaur and Rajpura within the next eight to ten hours. Over a dozen villages in these areas already have water in their fields, although residential areas remain mostly safe, according to government sources.Ludhiana, which had escaped major flooding until now, is on high alert after 90,000 cusecs of water were released from Ropar on Monday morning. The Sutlej, previously flowing at 35,000 cusecs, is expected to rise to 100,000 cusecs soon. Heavy rain since early morning has worsened conditions, causing streets and low-lying areas to flood.The Buddha Nullah, which carries city sewage, overflowed, raising concerns about sewage backflow into homes. AAP Councillor Tanvir Singh Dhaliwal shared a video warning residents of possible contamination as the nullah eventually meets the Sutlej at Walipur. Areas including Basti Jodhewal, Tajpur Road, Samrala Chowk, Janakpuri, and posh localities like Rani Jhansi Road reported water levels of 2 to 3 feet, making commuting difficult.Volunteers are sending rations, mosquito nets, water, and first-aid kits to flood-affected areas. Some have also arranged boats for rescue and relief operations. Punjab police have also issued safety advisories for drivers, urging them to maintain safe speeds, ensure brakes and wipers are functional, use lights when needed, and avoid flooded streets.Meanwhile, residents are actively sharing live updates on X to show the ground reality of the floods, while the entire nation continues to pray for the safety and well-being of the people in the state.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for multiple districts, including Patiala, SAS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Rupnagar, Moga, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur.On August 31, an orange alert was announced for north and west Punjab as well as north and south Haryana, signaling likely heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places. The administration in Kapurthala has urged residents of Sultanpur Lodhi to move to safer areas due to the rising Beas River.Several Punjab districts, including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Sangrur, Mansa, and Moga, have recorded rainfall far above normal this monsoon season. Ludhiana alone has received 543 mm of rain till August 30, surpassing last years total of 524 mm for the entire June to September period. Since August 25, these areas have seen nearly eight to nine times the average rainfall, worsening flood situations in low-lying regions.Officials are continuing to monitor the rivers and dams closely while disaster management teams work around the clock to manage relief and rescue operations for affected residents.
Power and the Palace

( Image credit : Valentine Low, a former Times royal correspondent, spoke with Guto Harri, Johnsons former communications director, who recalled Johnson sharing the story about the meeting at Clarence House in 2008 | Credit:X/LadyCecilyNevil )

What happened on the train ride

Queen Camilla as a teenager apparently fought off a perv with her shoes. Good one Camilla.  Alan Sked (@profsked) September 1, 2025

Or wack them in the nuts with your shoe like queen Camilla did. https://t.co/HUXMBoSSJqpic.twitter.com/CubCrmjI1b  Jacqueline Fletcher (@Jacquel33959016) September 1, 2025

I think as women we all have stories like that. It should never happen and I hope for a day where all over the world when it's different. Good for Queen Camilla for letting the average women know you can be a waitress or come from wealth and this is still a problem.     ghostfairy (@yuvaindia412) August 31, 2025

Times

( Image credit : The incident reportedly occurred on a train to Paddington Station | Credit: X/veniveci )

Why Queen Camillas Wash Bags project matters

A broader mission

( Image credit : Queen Camilla serves as a patron of the charity SafeLives and has visited womens refuges and rape crisis centres both across the UK and internationally | Credit: X/queenofjes )

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A new book by royal correspondent Valentine Low,, tells about an incident that could be a possible insight into Queen Camillas long-time advocacy for sexual assault survivors. Reportedly, Camilla once thwarted an attempted assault on her on a train by fending off the attacker with her shoes.According to the book, the Queen, in her mid-teens, once fought off a sexual assault. The incident reportedly occurred on a train to Paddington Station, where a man began touching her inappropriately. Camilla had then hit the man with her shoe. She explained that her response was based on the advice her mother had given her for such situations. Upon arriving in London, she jumped off the train and reported the incident to a station staff. The man was later arrested.The account, reportedly recounted during a private conversation between Camilla and Boris Johnson in 2008 when the latter was the Mayor of London. It involved the Queen discussing a personal experience to explain why supporting survivors of abuse was so important to her.Valentine Low, a formerroyal correspondent, spoke with Guto Harri, Johnsons former communications director, who recalled Johnson sharing the story about the meeting at Clarence House in 2008.The Buckingham Palace had not issued an official comment either confirming or denying the claims.Queen Camillas personal experiences seem to have shaped one of her most well-known initiatives, the Wash Bags project. First launched in 2013, the project involved Clarence House staff assembling hundreds of wash bags filled with high-quality toiletries. These were distributed to survivors undergoing forensic examinations at Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), offering a small gesture of care during a traumatic time.In 2024, the Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to relaunch the initiative, expressing gratitude to partners such as Boots and In Kind Direct for their contributions in providing tens of thousands of wash bags to survivors throughout the UK.Queen Camillas activism goes well beyond any one campaign. She serves as a patron of the charity SafeLives and has visited womens refuges and rape crisis centres both across the UK and internationally.She has participated in roundtable discussions on domestic abuse, including events in Australia in 2015 and at the Womens Forum during CHOGM in London in 2018. In 2019, while still the Duchess of Cornwall, she participated in a discussion on domestic violence at Shines headquarters in New Zealand, a charity dedicated to creating violence-free homes.Over the years, she has visited SARCs, hosted survivors and experts at royal residences, and supported local and global organisations working to combat violence against women and girls.
Nestle

Nestle named Philipp Navratil as its new chief executive officer after the Swiss food company dismissed Laurent Freixe over an undisclosed romantic relationship https://t.co/1fNAk1VJl4  Bloomberg (@business) September 1, 2025

Why Nestle dismissed CEO Laurent Freixe

( Image credit : Nestle has removed its chief executive, Laurent Freixe. | Credit: X/@Signal_actu )

Who is Philipp Navratil?

Nestles

Nestle

Nestle, yasak ask nedeniyle sirketin CEO'su Laurent Freixe'yi kovdu, yerine Nespresso'nun CEO'su Omar Philipp Navratil getirildi#dunyahttps://t.co/OdG6fO2T9npic.twitter.com/gxvVIuJBsU  Patronlar Dunyas (@patronlar) September 1, 2025

( Image credit : Philipp Navratil is Nestles newly appointed CEO. | Credit: nestle.com )

About Laurent Freixes career and net worth

( Image credit : Laurent Freixe. | Credit: Gabriel Monnet/AFP via Getty Images )

Market Screener

To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.

has removed its chief executive, Laurent Freixe, after an investigation found that he breached the companys code of business conduct. The probe, overseen by Nestle chair Paul Bulcke and lead independent director Pablo Isla with support from external counsel, confirmed Freixe was involved in an undisclosed romantic relationship with a subordinate.In his place, the giant has appointed Philipp Navratil as the new chief executive. This was a necessary decision. Nestles values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service, said Bulcke in a statement.The investigation concluded that Freixes undisclosed relationship directly violated Nestles workplace conduct rules. The company emphasized that such breaches are taken seriously, regardless of seniority. Freixe had taken over as CEO in September 2024 after Nestle ousted his predecessor, Mark Schneider.Bulcke added that while the leadership change was unavoidable, Nestles overall strategy would not be altered. He said, We are not changing course on strategy, and we will not lose pace on performance. Philipp Navratil is announced as his replacement.Philipp Navratil,newly appointed CEO, brings more than two decades of experience with the company. He joinedin 2001 as an internal auditor before taking on commercial roles across Central America. By 2009, he became country manager for Nestle Honduras. In 2013, he was promoted to head the coffee and beverage business in Mexico, where he played a key role in strengthening the Nescafe brand.In 2020, Navratil transitioned to Nestles Coffee Strategic Business Unit, managing global strategies for Nescafe and Starbucks coffee brands. He later moved to Nespresso in July 2024, accelerating growth and momentum there. On January 1, 2025, he joined Nestles Executive Board.Accepting his new role, Navratil said, I am honored by the trust the Board has placed in me, and it is a privilege to take on the responsibility of leading Nestle into the future. I fully embrace the companys strategic direction and action plan to drive performance. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team, the Board, Chairman Paul Bulcke, and Chairman-Designate Pablo Isla to accelerate execution and strengthen Nestles value creation.Laurent Freixe began his career at Nestle in France in 1986 and steadily rose through the ranks. He managed Zone Europe during the global financial crisis between 2008 and 2014, later becoming CEO of Zone Americas, where he pushed for growth. In 2022, when Nestle restructured its zones, Freixe was appointed CEO of Zone Latin America, leading operations through difficult conditions.Over his 16 years on Nestles Executive Board, he was credited with improving productivity, boosting efficiency, simplifying processes, and driving innovation. He also played a major role in corporate initiatives such as Nestle Needs YOUth, which promotes youth employment. According to, Freixes net worth is estimated at $4 million.
Visitors to a temporary Skanska USA Building facility in New Castle, Del., in 2013 viewed prefab modular construction for the Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. These workshop assembly techniques, novel when that project was built, are now a regular part of construction, says Todd Lofgren, head of Skanska's Philadelphia region. Read more

Skanska USA Building builds big. One of the 10 largest general contractors in the United States, its Swedish owners bought Blue Bell-based Barclay White in 2000; added their name and capital; built a national staff of engineers, architects, and managers; and now have offices directing construction in New York and California, Texas and Florida, the Pacific Northwest and New England, and more.

Teams attached to Skanskas Conshohocken office have built projects at Philadelphia International Airport, the Market Street retail district. A different team has done Delaware River bridge job. Lately the group has focused on the slow-growing regions top employment sectors: schools  Swarthmore College, Lehigh University, Mastery Charter Schools, and University of Delaware  and life sciences  hospitals such as the University of Pennsylvania, Jefferson Health, Main Line Health, and Inspira, and pharmacy giants such as Johnson & Johnson and GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline).

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Now, with federal funding cuts to eds and meds, Skanska and its rivals are looking at whats next. Todd Lofgren, executive vice president and general manager of the Conshohocken office, agreed to take questions from The Inquirer. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

There was concern President Donald Trumps import taxes, immigrant deportations, and DOGE cuts to higher ed and medicine, would slow construction. Youre still busy?

There was apprehension. Today the skies are clearing a bit. Opportunities that we expected would be built in 2025, are coming to fruition. Theres a pipeline of projects. The industry is cautiously optimistic.

Colleges, too?

Some of the local higher education institutions have had budget cuts. They havent been able to do deferred maintenance. Projects that were planned over the next three years have gone on to five years.

The larger institutions, the whos who academic institutions, are moving forward with capital projects and maintenance. But they are also saying, This will be the last big one for now. We will circle the wagons.

Some of last years warehouse builders say theyve switched to AI data centers. You, too?

We do a significant amount of data center work across the country  in Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, up in the Pacific Northwest.

In this region, weve seen data center activity primarily in central Pennsylvania, and were gaining traction there. We now have our Skanska Advanced Technology Group, with subject-matter experts in data centers, positioned to come into Pennsylvania to help do those projects.

The players are the Big Tech companies, the Amazons and Googles and Microsofts. And the developers.

Why upstate, not in the cities, where the customers are?

It all comes down to, can you get the electric power you need?

A lot of data centers want to set up shop near the nuclear stations. Can Limerick [Constellation Energys Montgomery County nuclear power station, which is seeking a 340-megawatt increase to its 2,300-megawatt production] increase capacity? Can the Salem nuclear plant support the [Starwood Digital Ventures Project Washington] big data center they are proposing in Delaware?

The Trump administration also says it wants more industry. Hanwha says it could spend $5 billion on a bigger Philly Shipyard. Are you bidding on new factory projects?

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are already investing billions in moving manufacturing back to the United States. They want to have more control over their product. Cracks in third-party supply chains were exposed during COVID. The tariff discussion is a factor.

Eli Lilly is talking about major expansion. Johnson & Johnson also wants to invest in the U.S. Merck just said it will spend $1 billion on a plant [to make cancer drug Keytruda, which accounts for half Merck sales] in Delaware.

We looked at the Glaxo [Lancaster County vaccine plant planned for] Marietta job. Weve done lot of work for Glaxo. A lot of the big companies that had people working from home are back to full office now. They want their offices updated. We did a project for J&J to spruce up their offices.

Hasnt biotech construction slowed, since the gene therapy bubble bust?

The WuXi AppTec Pharmaceuticals project Whiting-Turner is building [a 1.7-million-square-foot factory complex in Middletown, Del.] is going full speed again.

Any problem finding skilled labor?

There is a labor shortage for construction. We dont have enough blue-collar workers coming into the trades, to replenish the folks leaving the trades. Getting the younger generation interested in construction, architecture, engineering, working with tools, we face that, to get more people. This needs to be addressed.

In some places in the United States we see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pulling workers off jobs and deporting them. If we have a construction labor shortage, why not enroll them as apprentices?

Im not going to comment on that.

Will machines take over significant construction work soon enough to make a difference in projects now on the drawing boards?

Construction has always been a lagging participant in technology. Adapting new technologies to prefabricate off-site in a warehouse and ship it to the job site is one way to address the problem.

More than 10 years ago we did prefabrication for Nemours childrens hospital at a temporary warehouse in New Castle, Del. Since then it has advanced significantly.

Craig Melograno, president of PDM Constructors and Durapods, has really addressed this. They did projects with us at Virtua, and at Penns Pavilion. They are cranking out prefab pieces five to seven days a week, from their permanent facility in Montgomery County. When you can prefabricate patient rooms, restrooms, mass production, you can really find efficiencies.

We love to do prefabricated facades. We did Inspiras Mullica Hill facility at [N.J.] 55 and [U.S.] 322 recently. We hired Jersey Panel to put up pre-fabricated exterior panels to eliminate the need for field-installed stud metal framing.

AutoCAD and [Chester County-based] Bentley Systems [construction software platforms] have really taken off. We use AutoCAD software; it helps our folks in the field get work done on their laptop or by phone.

Does automation help coordinate work at a clients multiple sites?

At Mastery Charter Schools we do everything from teaching labs to gymnasiums. We make our plan, then when school is out in June were off to the races, and button it up by August for the new school year.

Do you do that for public school districts, too?

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contracting system is not the greatest, from our point of view.

[At private companies and schools] as a general contractor we are hired by the owner; we hire the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors; and we are responsible for the budget and the schedule.

But at public schools and other state projects, each contractor reports directly to the state. We would have no contractual ties to [the trades firms doing the work.] We dont want to work that way. We want to control our destiny.
Marchers follow a float up Washington Avenue during the annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade in Philadelphia on Monday. Read more

Philadelphia workers shared a moment of levity on Monday  albeit fleeting.

While the fanfare of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIOs 38th annual Labor Day parade was a reprieve from what union leaders have described as unbridled attacks, the directive was clear:

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Celebrate today, fight tomorrow.

This really and truly is a special Labor Day for all of us, said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, to a crowd of thousands lined up in a South Philly parking lot, with elected officials who want to take our rights away from us, who want to take that seat at the table away from us.

We cant let that happen.

The spirit of worker-centric festivities in South Philly were in harsh contrast to the state of the U.S. labor movement. Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has stripped the rights of federal-worker unions and stunted the National Labor Relations Board by firing one member, leaving the board without a quorum to issue rulings.

Just before the holiday weekend, Trump signed an executive order commanding more government agencies  such as NASA, the National Weather Service, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service  to end collective-bargaining agreements with employees unions. (Meanwhile, in Washington, on the Department of Labor building, a three-story banner with Trumps image and the slogan American Workers First has been draped since last week, with one of Theodore Roosevelt.)

In Pennsylvania, more than 2,600 federal government jobs have been axed and a recent report from the Keystone Research Center says federal policies have made things worse for the commonwealths workers.

 READ MORE: Pa. workers have lost leverage in Trumps economy, report says

Our response to any attack on us is simply, Hell no, said Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, rallying the already-rowdy crowd of teachers, tradespeople, and technicians.

Whether its [this] administration, Congress, our bosses, or anyone else  when they attack us, they are met with a loud, intense, sustained, unified, Hell, no, he said.

Tariffs and Trumps immigration policies have also hit the nations labor force; the Associated Press reported that more than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July, per preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center.

Earlene Bly, an organizer for hospitality and food service workers  an industry with an historically large immigrant employee population  said no one is safe under Trump. Bly said her union is trying to protect its foreign-born workers with specific contract language.

I dont care if you are a Democrat, Republican, liberal  whatever the case may be  we are all one democracy, she said. And if we actually want to survive this attack on democracy, we need to come together. We need to fight together in solidarity.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who attended the rally Monday morning but did not address the crowd, told a cluster of reporters, We have to remember that all of our rights were fought for, and we have to make sure we continue advocating for them.

Scattered throughout the parade, which wound through nearby neighborhoods, were a few, lonely protest signs: U.S. Mail not for sale, We The People reject kings and oligarchs, and Honk if Trump lies.

In more than thousand locales nationwide, including King of Prussia, Eagleville, and Ambler, Workers Over Billionaires demonstrations against big money-influence in politics were scheduled to take place Monday.

On a Christopher Columbus Boulevard median strip just outside the Sheet Metal Workers hall, where the parade began, Mark Tinkleman battled the wind as he held up a large, orange banner secured to PVC pipes. Trump must go now, the banner read.

Tinkleman, 38, and a handful of other organizers with Refuse Fascism, promoted a Nov. 5 protest in Washington to end the Trump fascist regime.

Theres such an upheaval with the attacks on immigrants, with the attacks on education, the attacks on whole cities, Tinkleman said.

He added: Were in a moment where unions are coming out  not just only standing up as righteously and graciously as they do for their own members  but recognizing that this is an existential moment and that we have to be explicitly political.

 READ MORE: Tears and plummeting morale plague Philly airports TSA workers after federal government stripped away their union rights

Retired CWA member Jane Uptegroves message was one of defiance:

Resist at every juncture, win the support of more Americans, fight em in court, fight em in the streets (and) get ready, she said.

Other attendees, like AFL-CIO member Kevin Smith, used Monday to reflect on the labor movements wins, from the 40-hour workweek to the abolition of child labor.

Labor Day, Smith said, is a day off that we well earned.
Demonstrators protest President Donald Trump's treatment of federal workers in Washington in February. Roughly 300,000 government employees have lost their jobs this year for no legitimate reason, the Editorial Board writes. Read more

Last Labor Day, Donald Trump celebrated workers in a social media post as a Shining Example of Hard Work and Ingenuity.

But one year later, Trump has shown nothing but scorn for workers.

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In January, Trump rescinded a 60-year-old worker protection rule that prohibited government contractors from discriminating in their hiring, firing, promotion, or pay practices.

In March, Trump revoked a Biden administration order that increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour for workers on federal contracts.

Trumps (anti-) Labor Department has also cut funding and programs that protect workers from wage theft and discrimination. Job training and workplace safety initiatives have been slashed, along with 20% of the departments staff.

Overall, Trump has taken dozens of steps that hurt federal workers. That is on top of the 300,000 federal workers who lost their jobs for no legitimate reason.

Trump budget director Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025 who has overseen much of the slashing, stated the goal two years ago: We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.

Mission accomplished.

Thousands of workers have had their lives upended. Many are confronting panic, stress, sleepless nights, and depression. Some have died by suicide.

All the pain produced no gain. The so-called Department of Government Efficiency left many agencies more inefficient.

The $2 trillion in savings Elon Musk initially promised turned out to be around $15 billion  or 0.2% of federal spending. For a government that spends $7 trillion a year, the savings are not even a rounding error.

But the fallout has rippled far beyond Washington to red states as far away as Alaska and right here in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Public service workers are not the only ones hurting this Labor Day.

Trumps foolish and erratic tariff policies forced many private employers to slash hiring, as well. College graduates have faced one of the worst job markets in years as companies struggle with uncertainty over Trumps hourly machinations.

Layoffs have hit a variety of industries, including energy, finance, manufacturing, and retail. Major companies have cut jobs, including Amazon, Citigroup, Disney, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart.

Trumps zigzagging trade policies threaten nearly half a trillion dollars in investment in factories, plants, production facilities, and research and development, according to a Joint Economic Committee  Minority report.

Keep in mind that the labor strife is driven by one man. Trump inherited an economy that added 16 million jobs during the Biden administration, and in October was called the envy of the world.

Keep in mind the labor strife is driven by one man. Trump inherited an economy that added 16 million jobs during the Biden administration.

But within months, job growth slowed to a trickle. Instead of facing reality, Trump snapped. He falsely claimed the jobs report was rigged, and fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for doing her job.

Trump has also taken direct aim at migrant workers at the bottom of the labor market. His cruel  and often illegal  mass deportation initiative has upended the daily lives of millions of families.

Even those not in his crosshairs have been impacted. The agriculture, construction, hospitality, and senior care industries are struggling with labor shortages.

The loss of workers has hurt business owners who backed Trump, underscoring the presidents disregard for even his MAGA base.

The labor shortage and tariffs also hurt the working class by driving up prices on everything from shoes to beer to toilet paper. Food prices have increased nearly every month since Trump returned to the White House, especially on coffee, beef, and bananas.

Meanwhile, Trumps Big Beautiful Bill largely benefited corporations and people making more than $1 million. There has been no effort to raise wages, promote pay equity, or bolster financial security for the working class.

If anything, Trumps policies are going to make things worse.

Thousands of foreign students are getting turned away, while more than 60,000 immigrants are now being detained.

Yet, Trump and the Republicans who control Congress have made no effort to fix an immigration system that has been broken for decades.

The immigrant population  a lifeblood that has long fueled economic growth and distinguished American dynamism  has decreased for the first time in 50 years.

The historic drop could increase budget deficits as the U.S. workforce ages and population growth slows.

On this Labor Day, workers should know Trump does not have their back.
The Traitors has become a global reality TV phenomenon, and now its Irelands turn, with the sensational Siobhan McSweeney presiding over the intrigue at Slane Castle.

We know its the Irish version thanks to the accents, the happy hysteria anytime tea is mentioned, and the fact that two contestants arent just from the same parish, but the same household.

The show opens with Siobhan outside the castle, majestic in a tulle skirt and structured bolero, Wednesday Addams lipstick and hair that says: Mention Sr Michael once and I will end you.

Fear not, she booms in a haughty voice. Soon you will be committing acts of debauchery here.

Cue some of the older fellas nervously double-checking they hadnt applied for Channel 4s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment by mistake.

Our hostess with the mostest informs the 24 contestants that first impressions are everything at Traitors HQ and asks the group to pick the most trustworthy person.

Civil servant Andrew

Andrew, a civil servant in a beige jumper, is shoved up and told to pick the three least trustworthy-looking contestants. Poor Andrew, sweating buckets, selects David from Dublin; John, a firefighter who confesses he just wanted to be like Homer Simpson and drift into the hedge behind him (I immediately want him to win); and Gemma from Laois.

Andrew then picks Gemma and John to be banished before the game has even begun.

This light bluey-green jumper I shouldnt have worn it, laments John. I stood out too much. FFS. There was a girl in a neon feather coat with bright red hair.

Someone who looked like an actual Bond villain, all Grace Jones vibes and slicked-back ice-blond hair.

One woman looked like she was wearing Tweety Birds baby. And John is too flashy in pastel M&S knitwear?

Im shouting at the telly and were only minutes in. I LOVE this show.

The Traitors Ireland contestants with Siobhan McSweeney

Siobhan then interviews them one-on-one. What becomes glaringly obvious is that everyone needs the 50k prize for a house deposit. We all know the devastation of the housing crisis, but nobody talks about the real victims: the ones forced to prostrate themselves on reality TV for the chance of a semi-d in the back arse of Cavan. CMAT will be writing songs about this in 10 years, mark my words.

Cue costume change. Siobhan sweeps into the round table in an embroidered cape, blindfolds the group and taps the shoulders of her three chosen Traitors.

They are: Eamon, a garda from Tipperary, who tells everyone hes a courier instead. Cos if they know Im a guard, theyll think Im Sherlock Holmes or something. Yeaaah, sure they will, Eamon. Lie about Tipp, if you want to make friends.

'Courier' Eamon is actually a garda

Katelyn, a leadership consultant from Galway. A dark horse. One to watch.

Paudie, a 68-year-old retired prison officer  AND Beige Andrews father!!!! Both insist they didnt know the other had applied and are pretending not to know each other. Weve got Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker energy here, and I am absolutely here for it.

Then its straight out to the forest to roll barrels in a task that gets too Irelands Fittest Family for my blood. That night, the Traitors meet in secret and talk through their options: Mark, Michelle, or Dave. I reckon they'll decide to bump off Dave  mainly because he remembered everyones name and came across too cocky. And possibly because he's from Dublin. We'll find out tomorrow night.
Live at the Marquee will return to Cork next summer and has announced its first act for 2026.

Fresh from Electric Picnic, David Gray confirmed he will perform two nights at the festival as part of his Past & Present World Tour. His Cork shows will take place on June 13 and 14, 2026.

Weve had the most amazing tour this year, from the opening night in Boston to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and then on to the Royal Albert Hall in London and the 3Arena in Dublin," Gray says.

"These have been some of the most memorable and magical shows of my entire career. Weve pushed ourselves as a band but its been richly rewarding and so much fun! When everyone is in such fine form it would seem wrong to stop the ball from rolling - so with that in mind Im delighted to announce a string of further dates for the summer of 2026. Exciting times!

The White Ladder singer will be supported by The Divine Comedy during his tour.

As well as the Cork dates, Gray announced appearances at SSE Arena in Belfast for June 16, and Fairview Park, Dublin, on June 17.

Tickets for Cork go on sale on Friday, September 5 at 10am from Ticketmaster.ie.

An artist presale begins on Tuesday, September 2 at 10am. Fans can register for presale access via David Grays mailing list at davidgray.com.

Meanwhile, fresh from their appearance at Electric Picnic over the weekend, Kneecap revealed details of two Kerry gigs for later this year. The hugely-popular rap trio will play the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney on December 12 and 13.
Schools across the country will be subject to pickets by secretaries and caretakers on Monday, marking their third day of strike action to secure public sector pensions and other entitlements.

More than 2,600 school secretaries and caretakers will take to picket lines again after representatives from the Forsa trade union expressed disappointment at what they describe as a lack of engagement from the government.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik with the Forsa caretakers' and secretaries' picket outside the Department of Education on Marlborough St in Dublin. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Forsas head of Education, Andy Pike highlighted their plight saying: This morning, pickets will take place outside schools the length and breadth of the country.

We have been heartened by the support we have received so far from everyone who works in schools and from the public.

"However, were disappointed that the Government havent taken any steps over the weekend to resolve this dispute.

"Their lack of engagement does nothing to help resolve the dispute. The government should listen to their own back bench TDs as well as the public and take the necessary steps to resolve this dispute now, before further disruption impacts children and families.

He said ministers "repeating the mantra" that they are willing to engage through the Workplace Relations Commission "will do nothing to help unless they actually have proposals to discuss and at the moment they do not".

Right now, there is no WRC process, no talks, and no effort on the government side to resolve the situation.

Chair of the unions school secretaries branch Luisa Carty said: "Were at the heart of communities across this country. We want to be back at work, but so far the government havent made any proposals on pension provision, even though we know teachers, SNAs and parents support us. The first few days of our strike have shown us how much support there is for our cause.

Chair of the school caretakers branch David Hearne said it is "blatantly unfair" that their colleagues benefit from the pension and leave entitlements that come from having public servant status, but they dont.

"Its even more unfair when you consider that in schools run by Education and Training boards secretaries and caretakers already benefit from exactly what were fighting for.
Relatives of the Tuam babies have described as "laughable" comments made by Fr Brendan Kilcoyne who praised the nuns that ran the former mother and baby home.

The former priest and diocesan secretary of Tuam criticised the excavation of remains underway and said, a fortune of money was being used to pay for it and that the care provided by the Bon Secours nuns at the time was outstanding.

The countrys first ever mass exhumation began on July 14 and is expected to take at least 24 months.

The intervention team will oversee the forensic analysis of the childrens remains 11 years after it emerged that 796 children died in the home between 1925 and 1961 and are believed to be buried in a disused sewage tank on the grounds.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, UCC Professor Thomas Garavan, whose aunt is one of the babies who died there, said Fr Kilcoynes comments are an insult to families and survivors.

I would have expected more evidence-based analyses supported by historical evidence, greater objectivity, and most of all compassion, he said.

His argument that the Government report was 'first class' is laughable. The report is widely maligned for its methodology and failure to include the voices of those who experienced great suffering in mother and baby homes.

Mr Garavans 93-year-old mother Margaret is a survivor of the Tuam home and was separated from her six siblings who were all put into the institution and were not told about each other.

Fr Kilcoyne was speaking on his podcast, The Brendan Option last month when he said there was an outrageous myth that the children had met an untimely end through bad action.

He praised the Bons Secours nuns and said he did not believe there was any bad action.

We are now about to spend two years and a fortune of money excavating every single piece of human remains in an area where it was always known human remains were buried, he said.

Mr Garavan said Fr Kilcoyne ignores a number of important well-established facts.

For starters, the Bons Secours nuns have issued an apology for the way they looked after the children," he said. There is also a significant amount of survivor reports indicating that the opposite was the case.

Children suffered from malnutrition; they had to sleep in dreadful conditions and most important of all many of them had to work within the home.

He also conveniently ignores the fact that the State paid the Tuam home to look after these children. They clearly failed in their duty.

The professor said he was appalled at Fr Kilcoynes approach and said: He has chosen to seek to protect the Church and religious institutions and is captured by his own institution and is unable to show empathy and understanding.

Fr Brendan Kilcoyne has been contacted.
The young girl injured in a stabbing incident in Dublin's Parnell Square two years ago was "excited to see her friends" after finally getting back to school two years later, her family has said.

The child, who was five at the time, was critically injured in the incident on November 23, 2023. She spent most of a year at Temple Street Childrens Hospital before being released from medical care at the end of last year.

Although she had been well enough to return to classroom-based learning, she was "not attending mainstream school. Now, the young girl has started back at school full-time.

"This is the first time in two years that she has a first day at school. She was so excited to see her friends that she woke up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!" said her mother on a fundraiser page.

She added that although this was a happy moment, the "event from the weekend" in Dublin's city centre "dampened my joy".

This comes as a man, aged in his 40s, was left with serious injuries following an assault in Dublin 2 at approximately 6.30am on Westmoreland Street. He was brought to St Jamess Hospital, where he remains there in a serious condition.

"I come from a country where pensioners are robbed at gunpoint while getting their money, children do not usually walk in town before the age of 15, and martial law has to be put into place in certain areas.

"I just feel that intolerance is very quickly turning into violence. Violence that has serious consequences," the mother said.

Despite what happened to her family she said "I still believe in Ireland".

I still believe in the overall kindness of people here, in the pleasantries towards your fellow citizens.

"We know how much violence can cause hurt. We live it, our daughter more so than anyone. And yet, she smiles and laughs every day.

"I come here as a mother and as a woman who lives in Dublin, who loves it. Don't let the pain of the world turn this beautiful place into yet another news article," she said.
A criminal investigation is underway after what Tanaiste Simon Harris said was a direct threat against his children on social media.

The Fine Gael leader, who lives in Co Wicklow, said the threats were despicable and could not be tolerated.

The garda investigation is being led by detectives in Wicklow, but they are receiving the assistance of the Special Detective Unit (SDU) and the Garda National Crime Cyber Bureau.

The SDU is the operational arm of the Garda Security and Intelligence Service and has been involved in assisting or leading previous investigations into violent threats against Government minister and senior politicians.

The Tanaiste has previously been at the receiving end of threats, including on social media and a bomb threat, as well as protests outside his home by far-right anti-immigrant agitators.

In a statement, Mr Harris said: "This weekend, I received direct threats targeting my family.

As a father, I have very strong views and feelings on this as you can imagine. As a political leader, I find it unacceptable in every way.

"Let me be clear: threatening people  any person  is a crime. Threatening children is despicable. It is cowardice and it is a line that no decent society should tolerate being crossed."

The Tanaiste said he would not be commenting further as the garda investigation is ongoing.

A short statement from Garda HQ said: An Garda Siochana is currently investigating this matter.

It is not clear yet if the person behind the threat had the capability to carry out the violence being threatened.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that not only were the threats unacceptable but represented a threat to the democratic State.

I condemn unreservedly the abhorrent threats made to Tanaiste Simon Harris and his family. Such threats to people in public life are unacceptable.

"They are a fundamental threat to our democracy."

Last March, a man who made threats on social media to kill Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, with 15 months suspended.

Richard McGreevy, 29, of Whitechurch Place, Rathfarnham in Dublin, pleaded guilty to two counts of making a threat to kill or cause harm.

In March 2024, a convicted rapist, Michael Murray, 54, formerly of Seafield Road, Killiney, Dublin, who made a hoax bomb threat to then Justice Minister Helen McEntees house in March 2021, was given a two-year sentence.
Berlin police have opened an internal investigation after videos emerged showing an Irish activist at a pro-Palestinian demonstration being punched in the face twice by an officer, drawing protest from the department of foreign affairs.

Footage posted on social media showed the activist, Kitty OBrien, being struck by a male police officer and dragged away, their face bloodied, from the rally on Thursday in the Mitte district of the German capital.

The local newspaper Der Tagesspiegel said OBriens arm was also broken at the demonstration but this could not be independently verified.

A longer video published online shows a person resembling OBrien, who uses non-binary pronouns, shouting insults including fucking genocide supporter and youre acting like a fucking Nazi at police. One of the officers then appears to strike them in the face twice. It is unclear from the footage whether the police officer intentionally targeted the face.

A Berlin police spokesperson confirmed that authorities were aware of the incident and said the officer had been identified.

We as the Berlin police are reviewing whether the officer acted proportionately, and were doing it as part of a criminal investigation on suspicion of bodily harm on duty.

OBrien was treated by the Berlin fire brigade for unspecified injuries, police said. The activist is being investigated for insulting and resisting law enforcement officers.

It was not immediately clear whether OBrien had filed a complaint against the officer.

The department of foreign affairs said senior officials and its ambassador to Germany, Maeve Collins, had conveyed concern to German authorities about the incident.

Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign chairwoman Zoe Lawlor, said the video footage obliged the Irish government to take action.

They had to take it seriously. It was two very violent assaults  Its shocking. The German police are just horrendous when it comes to Palestine activism.

Ms Lawlor said a fundraiser had been launched for OBrien. I understand they are still in hospital and will be out of work for a period of time.

Activists protested outside the German embassy in Dublin on Saturday. Catherine Stocker, a councillor with the Social Democrats and an aunt of OBrien, said injuries included a broken arm and nerve damage.

Guardian
An apartment in Dublin has been searched as part of an investigation into the possible suspicious death of a boy who has not been seen for about five years.

Gardai were notified by Tusla, the child and family agency, about the disappearance of the boy on Friday  a year to the day that the disappearance of Kyran Durnin in Louth was reported to gardai.

A garda source said this afternoon that the similarities between the two cases is a macabre coincidence and ruled out any connection between them.

It is understood that the Dublin case relates to a boy who had been living in Donabate but who has not been seen since he was around three and a half years old. Gardai are probing whether he died in suspicious circumstances.

There are no records of the child having started school. He would now be approximately seven years of age if alive.

It is understood the case was brought to the attention of gardai after an application was made for social welfare in respect of the child.

Although gardai are not releasing any details about the family involved in the Dublin case, it is understood that the mother is not Irish. She has spoken to gardai in recent days, as officers searched the apartment where the boy had been living for clues as to his whereabouts. It is believed a number of other locations are also being searched as part of the probe.

The focus of the inquiry is to establish where the boy has been buried or disposed of, following his death.

A source said: Our belief would be that the child is deceased. How that has happened is still to be determined. He added: It is scarily similar to the Kyran Durnin case. How could it happen once  but to find out it may have happened twice is terrible. Garda sources say there are no concerns about other children.

House to house enquiries are being conducted in the Donabate area to enable gardai build a timeline of when exactly the child was last seen and when he died.

Gardai will not confirm if members of the boys family currently live in the apartment which was searched over the weekend.

A garda statement said on Monday evening: Gardai are continuing to carry out operational enquiries in North Co. Dublin into the current whereabouts and welfare of a child. An Garda Siochana is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time.

In response to a query from the Irish Examiner, Tusla confirmed the agency made the referral to gardai on Friday about the "very sensitive case".

The statement said: "Our thoughts are with the childs family, friends, and community at this difficult time. We can confirm that that we made a referral to An Garda Siochana on 29th August 2025, in relation to our concerns about the safety and wellbeing of this child. We continue to work closely with the Gardai, and in line with normal practice, all relevant information relating to this family has been shared. Anyone with information on this case should contact An Garda Siochana in Swords."

The boy and Kyran Durnin are among more than 140 children currently missing in Ireland, according to garda missing person reports and Interpol Yellow Notice lists.

An Irish Examiner study of reports of missing children in January found that there were 137 cases of people who had gone missing as children.

Since January, four have been found. However, on Monday evening, there are 145 such cases, including those of the Donabate boy and Kyran Durnin.
The Irish Central Bank has not been used to renew a prospectus for Israeli bonds, it has been confirmed.

The use of Ireland as the issuing country for the prospectuses of Israeli bonds, which are largely being used to fund the country's war efforts in Gaza, has attracted protests in recent weeks, with renewal due today.

However, the State of Israel bond issuance programme says it has now been approved for fundraising in the EU by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

In a letter to Mairead Farrell, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf confirmed that the new prospectus for Israel was approved by Luxembourg.

Mr Makhlouf said: Accordingly, from 2 September 2025, it will not be possible for the State of Israel to offer bonds under the 2024 prospectus.

In accordance with the provisions of the prospectus regulation concerning home member states and the transfer of approval, the competent authority of Luxembourg approved a new prospectus for the State of Israel today, 1 September 2025.

The Central Bank of Ireland had been designated as the competent authority to approve prospectuses for Israeli bonds sold in the EU.

Third-country issuers, those being countries outside the EU, must choose the central bank of a country within the EU as their home member state. The choice is up to the issuer, with the chosen central bank only able to object if it believes it does not have legal jurisdiction for the approval.

Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the country's economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Protesters and opposition parties have said the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, and approving them is tantamount to complicity with the genocide of the Palestinian people.

The Central Bank has said regulations require that it approves prospectuses that meet standards of completeness, consistency, and comprehensibility.

Before 2021, the UK was the EU home member state for Israel. Following their exit from the bloc, Ireland was chosen by Israel as the new home member state.

The Central Bank of Ireland approved the first prospectuses for the bond issuance program in 2021, with the currently approved prospectus due to expire on September 1, 2025.

'There is a genocide at play'

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald on Monday said: I do not believe that the Irish Central Bank at any stage should have been engaged in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. There is a genocide at play, we are witnesses to that genocide.

The Irish government and State has active obligations under the Genocide Convention, and that means the state, the government and the Central Bank should not be passively sitting back and observing a genocide and certainly should have no hand, act or part in facilitating any aspect or financing of that.

In a statement, Ms Farrell said: My first focus as Finance Committee chair was on the renewal of the bond prospectus of the Israeli Bond programme.

This was something that the Finance Committee undertook in a matter of great detail and published a report in relation to this.

It has been clear for a long time that the Irish people want no hand, act or part in the genocide in Gaza and have long been calling for the Central Bank not to renew this prospectus.

This is certainly good news.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon welcomed that the Central Bank will no longer be involved in the facilitation of the sale of the bonds.

This decision, while welcome, is overdue. It has long been clear that Israel is engaged in not just a wholesale breach of international law and daily war crimes  but a genocide against the people of Gaza, he said in a statement.

This is the reason I took a High Court case against the Central Bank, earlier this year, seeking to stop its involvement in funding this horror.

No EU financial institution should be involved in raising funds which are used to annihilate innocent civilians  and it is deeply disappointing that Luxembourg is now continuing to facilitate the sale of these bonds.

The EU response to this genocide has been shameful  failing to even agree a response in which Israels barbarism has been criticised.

It is now time for the EU to live up to its own purported values, on human rights and international law, and suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose sanctions on its genocidal regime.
1954, UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjold, said the United Nations was not created to bring us to heaven, but to save us from hell.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of its inception and hardly a day goes by without several visions of hell flashing before our eyes despite the warnings from current UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

The need for the UN to be the conscience of the world has never been stronger.

And yet, beyond the headline horrors, the people of the UN are still getting up every day all around the world trying to help those in need, trying to make the world a better place, putting their lives on the line, taking massive risks, according to the most senior Irish person at UN headquarters, Michele Griffin.

And its an undertold story, of the humans who make up the UN in the face of a lot of scepticism, she says.

Who are the Irish within the UN and what are they achieving?

The Irish Examiner spoke to six Irish men and women who walk the blue line daily, in the name of peace.

Michele Griffin, Dublin, electoral assistance director,

Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UN headquarters, New York Im head of the UNs elections support which helps countries with their elections. We got 28 requests last year alone and at any given time are helping more than 50 countries with their elections. UN electoral assistance director Michele Griffin: At any given time [we] are helping more than 50 countries with their elections... Its a very fulfilling and interesting job in spite of the many frustrations.' Usually it means that we help build up the capacity of a countrys elections commission. Sometimes we help countries draft or reform their legislation around elections or political parties or campaign finance. And we make sure that its inclusive, that women get to vote. And theres a lot of work these days on hate speech, misinformation, disinformation, and the information environment that countries ask us for help on. In some cases, were trying to help them de-escalate tensions, to make sure that its a peaceful election. Its a very fulfilling and interesting job in spite of the many frustrations. I feel lucky. Its nice to come from a country that you can be really proud of. And Im just very proud to be Irish. We really punch above our weight here. Its in all of our interests that people understand what is it that people do when they work for the UN. The UN is all of us right now  its not just a building in New York. Its the idea of co-operating to solve shared problems. And that takes everyone. Co-operating is a necessity. Its not a luxury. We have to co-operate on things like climate change. No country is going to solve that by itself. I believe so, so deeply in international co-operation. I just want my kids to live in a world where we are still working with each other, co-operating, and where people feel that sense of solidarity and empathy with each other.

Stephen Jackson, Dublin, UN resident co-ordinator, Nairobi, Kenya

Im whats called the UN resident co-ordinator, which essentially is the head of the UN in Kenya. I manage and co-ordinate the work and role of the 25 UN agencies, funds and programmes here, everything from the Food and Agriculture Organization all the way to the World Meteorological Organization, Unicef, and the WHO.

Stephen Jackson, UN resident co-ordinator in Kenya: Being Irish really helps in Kenya  we both have experience of the same colonial power. It gives us a certain commonality.

It has a large component of diplomacy as well, because you are representing the UN to the country and to the government concerned.

Im based in Nairobi, one of four global headquarters of the UN and the only one in the Global South. Its a five-year assignment, so I will be moving early next year to do the same job in Beijing.

Ireland continues to play an outsize role in the UN globally and I think its fair to say that being Irish really helps in Kenya  we both have experience of the same colonial power. It gives us a certain commonality. Ive had very, very senior, Kenyan political leaders say to me, I know you share our perspective, or you would only say that because youre Irish. You get it, which is a real asset.

Theres a very active discussion in New York, about the kinds of further reforms that the UN requires. I think well see the first signals of that at the General Assembly in September.

Ireland is always very engaged in those discussions, and Im sure will be this time again. Being a small neutral power, we understand the importance of the UN.

Were in a very, very different moment today, 80 years on from the creation of the UN. What I hope is that we can find a better balance going forward in which multilateralism is not only about the will of national governments, but also takes into account the voices of global civil society, that engages with the private sector.

Who controls the strings on AI? Its not governments, its the private sector. So, we need a UN that is adapted to that reality. And thats what I hope for.

Superintendent Fionnuala Olohan, Unpol officer

and Ireland contingent commander, Athienou, Cyprus I am part of the UN peace mission here and am a patrol officer. I have responsibility for security within a specific space. Were in post-conflict here as UN peacekeepers since the ceasefire that came into effect in 1974. Garda Superintendent Fionnuala Olohan, the Ireland contingent commander with Unpol in Cyprus: Id recommend it to all Garda members and specifically to female members. Female peacekeepers are highly respected but particularly in the UN mission here. Our function is to engage with people to prevent unauthorised incursions into the buffer zone between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. Quite honestly, a lot of people who come to Cyprus on holidays have no idea that the UN are here and have no idea of the history of the island. Oftentimes, sightseers will drive into the buffer zone absolutely accidentally and innocently. But theres also a certain amount of criminal activity happening in and around the buffer zone  there are allegations of smuggling and people-trafficking in and through the buffer zone. So, our role is to try and prevent and detect any such incidents. We are a monitoring mission, so we observe, monitor, and report. Ive assisted the local police with some smuggling investigations  alcohol, meat, and cigarettes generally. There are two main challenges. The first one is solo patrolling: you can be patrolling for three, four, or five hours on your own and that can be in the evening time as well, after dark. There are certain health and safety risks involved in that, its the unknowns. There are other dangers in the buffer zone, like the wildlife  there are very dangerous snakes here  and areas very prone to fires. The current heatwave is the other big challenge here. We have had a constant 40-plus degrees here for the last six weeks, it has been relentless. The Irish have an enormous reputation in the UN mission. We are the longest-serving police force here, over 22 years. The local communities have an enormous respect for the Irish. They say the Irish police officers have good communication skills, it comes naturally to us. And I think our Garda training has equipped us to deal with every type of scenario and every type of individual. Once people see the Irish flag on our uniforms, their attitudes can change completely, and they become more relaxed and more comfortable and are much more willing to engage with us than some other police forces who are possibly more military in their background than we are. Id recommend it to all Garda members and specifically to female members. Female peacekeepers are highly, highly respected in all human missions, but particularly in the UN mission here. A few of us have talked about [peacekeeping] in Ukraine and weve kind-of said wed nearly not retire and try and get to Ukraine. Thatd be an interesting one.

Captain Rachel Madden, from Clonakilty,

Unifil 126th Infantry Battalion, Camp Shamrock, Lebanon

Im the engineer platoon commander and the specialist search and clearance officer here in Lebanon as well as being a member of the fire crew. Its my first mission. Ive been here since the start of May and Im in charge of about 20 combat engineers and tradespeople.

Captain Rachel Madden is the engineer platoon commander and the specialist search and clearance officer at Unifil UNP 2-45 or Camp Shamrock in Lebanon.

My daily tasks would be a lot of procurement and doing up specifications and technical drawings for new buildings that we want to construct, and then purchasing new equipment and new materials to allow the lads in my platoon  the carpenters, plumbers, electricians  to do their trade properly. A lot of the time we do fire crew drills. Other days when Im doing construction works outside the camp, it could be anything from minor repairs to force protection works to some of the outposts along the border. Were responsible for two posts on the blue line. I like it, Im enjoying it. Time is flying.

I always wanted to be involved with peacekeeping operations. I looked at what Ireland did overseas and I thought it was good work, especially with Unifil. Weve helped so much with the local population. But I also think theres a lot more that we can do in the future. The Lebanese locals seem to like the Irish a lot  they have a very good relationship with our sector. You could meet contractors and civilians who work in the camp, and theyre always just lovely to talk to. It means a lot to the locals, and to the Irish people. They have a good relationship with them built up over the years. You know, the bit of small talk and a bit of Irish charm never goes astray. Im proud of all the work were doing.

Sergeant Ian Lordan from Togher in Cork,

Unifil 126th Infantry Battalion, Camp Shamrock, Lebanon My current role would be the sergeant over the mortar troop involved in the artillery weapon aspect of what we have out here in the camp  the mortar guns. Sergeant Ian Lordan at Camp Shamrock, Lebanon: Its important that were still seen out here doing repairs and trying to... assist in any way, to monitor, assist, support, and protect the people of Lebanon. Picture: Irish Defence Forces This is my third mission in Lebanon. I was on the 117th and I was on 122nd and now obviously the 126th. Im an artillery man at home in Cork and so when I do deploy to Lebanon, I always stick to what I know. Im just in from a patrol and Im going out again in a few minutes. The troubles out here in Lebanon started on the 122nd when I was out here [in 2023] and it was frightening for us in the camp at the time, hearing the bangs from rounds coming in close enough. You could feel the ground shake. That was scary because you didnt know where they were coming from at the time. Luckily, we are trained so when that does happen we know exactly where to go and what to do. But you could only imagine what it was like for the people outside and who wouldnt have had the means of protection that we have in the camp. Its important that were still seen out here doing

repairs and trying to assist in any way, to monitor, assist, support, and protect the people of Lebanon. Every day is different. Ive been all in from day one  it was always the kind of role that, when I did decide to try my hand at the Defence Forces, if overseas was on the cards, I was going to take it. Thats one of the main things, being able to say that you have represented your country and youve done it overseas and that you can fall in to that niche bracket of people who have done so. The challenge is being away from home  my son is seven, I just missed his birthday in July and my fiancee is expecting twins. So being away from home is a bit tougher on this one. All going well, Ill finish the whole mission and get home in time for a nice, busy Christmas.

Garda Richard Casey, 55, from Midleton, stationed in Clonakilty, Unpol officer, Linou, Cyprus

I think I hold a national record for the number of applications for Cyprus  I was applying for 22 years. It was something I always wanted to do. Policing in a buffer zone is a completely different way of policing to what we do at home. Im a patrol officer, patrolling the tracks [buffer zone] all day, every day.

Garda Richard Casey is serving with the UN Police in Cyprus: They respond better to the Irish... As soon as they see the Irish flag in our uniform, they drop their guard to chat away.

Cyprus is kind-of used as the role model for the success of the UN. Theres been no major trouble there for the last 50 years.

On hunting patrols in the mountains, there were mornings last winter you could have two UN police officers, unarmed, walking over to speak to a group of maybe five hunters, all armed with shotguns and dogs. It has potential to be dangerous.

Cork gardai Richard Casey, Clonakilty; Alison O'Flynn, Mayfield; and JP Twomey, Glanmire, received Water Safety Ireland awards from then junior minister Anne Rabbitte and Superintendent Brian Halligan in 2024. On January 1 that year, the three gardai intervened when alerted to a woman in distress in the River Lee and saved her from drowning. Picture: An Garda Siochana Cork

But youre going over to them with the community policing background, the first thing youre doing is youre smiling and having a laugh with them, asking them about their guns.

They respond better to the Irish because they all know our history as well. As soon as they see the Irish flag in our uniform, they drop their guard to chat away. As Irish, we know how to defuse the situation from the moment we get out of the car.
Pakistani PM hails China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as example of SCO integration

Xinhua) 20:49, September 01, 2025

TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hailed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a practical demonstration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)'s vision for regional connectivity and economic integration.

"As SCO leaders, we have reaffirmed, year after year, the significance of enhanced regional connectivity. This requires efficient land, air and rail transport corridors to ensure reliability of the supply chain," Sharif said in a speech at the 25th Meeting of the Council of SCO's Heads of State.

The expansion of the CPEC, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, can serve as a practical demonstration of the SCO's vision for regional connectivity and economic integration, he said.

He also noted that China's global leadership is exemplified not only through the SCO but also in landmark initiatives, such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilizations Initiative.

On regional security, the prime minister said Pakistan seeks a normal and stable relationship with all neighbors and resorts to dialogue and diplomacy over conflicts and confrontations.

Pakistan will continue efforts along with all the SCO members to promote peace, progress and prosperity in the entire region and to ensure lasting peace in South Asia, he said, calling for a comprehensive and structural dialogue to discuss all outstanding disputes.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Mary Lou McDonald has been clear that she wants to be taoiseach.

But president? Shes somewhat less clear. While she tells the Irish Examiner that she is not being coy, the question begs to be asked and her answer leaves scope for her to go either way when the party makes a decision in the middle of September.

For now, though, she is the leader of the opposition, not the State, and her focuses are more immediate as the Dail prepares to return. The speaking time row at the outset of this Dail allowed Ms McDonald to emerge as more than the leader of the opposition, but as the leader of a combined opposition, one which is in direct contrast with the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael coalition.

A year ahead of last years general election, the idea of a Sinn Fein-led government was nearly considered a fait daccompli. Polling had for a long time made the prospect of Ms McDonald being taoiseach seem not just possible, but probable.

But 2024 was a bad year for the party, largely. Controversies around former senator Niall O Donnghaile and now independent TD Brian Stanley took up massive amounts of column inches and prompted Ms McDonald to make an unprecedented Dail statement.

Local and European election results were, in truth, not terrible, but felt flat and the general election largely repeated that pattern.

Only in the final days of the campaign did the idea of a combined platform aimed at dethroning the civil war parties emerge and, even then, its presentation came more from those online who wished to see it than any of those who might be tasked with making it a reality.

'We need to learn from it'

Nearly a year later, Ms McDonald believes that the argument against Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is one which the public is open to, but says that her party should have done more.

I think [the idea of a combined left government didnt resonate with voters] for lots of reasons, not least because we have to accept responsibility for this, and we need to learn from it; we hadnt done enough within Sinn Fein to build and develop those relationships and that politics and that collaboration at that point. We simply hadnt.

So I think when the narrative then became that, sure its inevitable, sure, whats the point? Whats the point of voting? Sure Fine Gael are getting in anyhow, I dont think we had built the ballast to kind of say, no, no, no, theres nothing inevitable here. There is, in real terms, a choice available.

In that regard, does the presidency not offer a chance to coalesce with parties of the left and support Catherine Connolly? Does Sinn Fein still view itself in that light?

We are certainly a party of the left. Were an Irish Republican party. Were a party thats about social justice, were a party thats about equality, about Irish reunification.

But there are points at which we have absolute common cause, and where we have that common cause, I feel that we have an absolute responsibility to work together.

"So the need to collaborate, to build relationships, and maybe most importantly, to ensure that, for us in Sinn Fein, but I think more widely, to be sure that whenever the next general election is, that we have done the work to show to the electorate, not simply to say we want change and we want a government beyond Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, but to have done the work so that the electorate in their minds eye can actually see what that might look like and who might be in that government.

Childcare

Part of that work, Ms McDonald suggests, will focus on making childcare a key issue when the Dail resumes in a fortnight. The issue had taken up much of the election campaign with a consensus around making the system more affordable, but no concrete proposals have emerged.

In the last election, big promises were made on childcare, because big work needs to be done. The current Government, Simon Harris et al, said were going to have to plan within 100 days, but there is no plan. Costs have gone up. Services have disengaged because their core funding isnt sufficient. Theres been no growth in capacity. Now, weve 40,000 children on waiting lists for places, a vast disimprovement and that makes people cynical.

'Simon Harris has to be held to account'

Last weekend, Ms McDonald spoke at a rally in memory of Harvey Sherratt Morrison, a nine-year-old Dublin boy who died in July having waited years for treatment for scoliosis. Asked would she join a motion of no-confidence in Mr Harris, who, as health minister in 2017, pledged no child would wait more than four months for treatment, Ms McDonald says she believes the opposition should en masse.

Harvey didnt make his 10th birthday. How do you square his maltreatment, the failure of him as a wee boy and his mother and father and his wider family, the waiting, the waiting, the waiting he spent his life, his short life, waiting.

I think this is horrific, and I think Simon Harris has to be held to account for a promise he made back as far back as 2017 and failed again and again.

I have no confidence in Simon Harris. I have no confidence in any [of the Government] theyre utterly useless. This Government are useless.
Hundreds of Yemenis mourned the death of Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, killed last week along with several officials by an Israeli strike, as the group targeted an oil tanker in the Red Sea  renewing their attacks in the crucial global waterway.

The Israeli attack came three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the Iranian-backed rebels had launched at it since 2023.

In the capital city of Sanaa, mourners attended the funeral, held at Shaab Mosque and broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel.

Crowds inside the mosque chanted against Israel and the United States as they grieved the deaths of the officials, including the foreign affairs, media and culture, and industrial ministers.

Funeral attendees Ahmed Khaled and Fathy Mahmoud told The Associated Press the families of the slain officials arrived in ambulances for the funeral, where the bodies were placed in caskets inside the mosque.

Footage showed 11 coffins with individual photos of the killed officials on each and wrapped in Yemeni flags.

People gather beside the coffins of Houthi officials (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)

Were participating in this funeral because Israel killed those officials and thats enough reason to attend their funeral, Ahmed Azam, another attendee, told the AP.

Mr Al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official to be killed since an Israeli-US campaign against the rebel group started earlier this year.

Other ministers and officials were wounded, confirmed a Houthi statement on Thursday, following the Israeli attack.

We entered a huge and influential war and clashed with the US This war was not only military-focused but also economic as Israel targeted everything, acting Houthi prime minister Mohamed Muftah said in his address at the funeral on Monday.

He confirmed that despite Israeli attacks, Yemeni ports controlled by the group are still functioning and that there is no food or fuel crisis.

The Yemeni rebels said on Monday they launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a prerecorded message aired on Al-Masirah.

He alleged the vessel, the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, owned by Eastern Pacific, had ties to Israel.

The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as fitting the Houthis target profile, as the vessel is publicly Israeli owned.

Eastern Pacific is a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and had been previously targeted in suspected Iranian attacks.

Coffins are carried on military vehicles during a funeral procession (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)

In a statement, the company said the vessel has not sustained any damage and continues to operate under the command of its Master. All crew members onboard the Scarlet Ray are safe and accounted for.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about one trillion dollars of goods pass each year.

The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weeks-long campaign of airstrikes ordered by US president Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.

The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.

The Houthis fresh attacks come as a new, possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war remains in the balance.

Meanwhile, the future of talks between the US and Iran over Tehrans battered nuclear programme is in question after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.
Since the fall of Bashar Assads government in December, some 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from neighbouring countries  and the figure could reach one million in the coming weeks, a top official with the UN refugee agency has said.

Deputy high commissioner of UNHCR Kelly T Clements told The Associated Press in Damascus that about 1.7 million people who were internally displaced during the 14-year conflict have returned to their communities as the interim central government now controls large parts of Syria.

Its a dynamic period. Its an opportunity where we could see potentially solutions for the largest global displacements that we have seen in the last 14 years, said Ms Clements, who has been in Syria for three days.

Syrias conflict that began in March 2011 has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

A convoy enters Sweida city (Omar Sanadiki/AP)

More than five million Syrians fled the country as refugees, most of them to neighbouring countries.

Ms Clements said everybody has a different reason for coming back now, while some are delaying and waiting to see how things go.

As part of her visit, she went to a border crossing with Lebanon where she said she saw long lines of trucks and people waiting to head back to Syria.

Lebanese authorities had given an exemption to Syrians staying illegally in the country if they left by the end of August.

Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, and in the past few days, thousands of Syrians headed back over the border.

Returns numbers are exceptionally high, Ms Clements said.

Many Syrians had high hopes after Mr Assad was brought down in an offensive by insurgent groups in early December.

However, sectarian killings against members of Mr Assads Alawite minority sect in Syrias coastal region in March and against the Druze minority in the southern province of Sweida in July claimed hundreds of lives.

Ms Clements said that about 190,000 people were displaced in southern Syria as a result of the fighting in July between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters.

Since then, 21 convoy of relief supplies, of which UNHCR has been an important part, were sent to Sweida, she added.

She said the Damascus-Sweida highway, blocked for weeks by pro-government gunmen, is now open, which is very important because that will allow much more relief to come into the area.
Israel launched strikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday  killing at least 31 people as it presses ahead with a major offensive in the territorys largest city, according to health officials.

Leading genocide scholars, meanwhile, joined other rights groups in accusing Israel of genocide, allegations it vehemently rejects.

Airstrikes and artillery shelling have echoed through Gaza City since Israel declared it a combat zone last week.

On the citys outskirts and in the Jabaliya refugee camp, residents have observed explosive-laden robots demolishing buildings.

Another merciless night in Gaza City, said Saeed Abu Elaish, a Jabaliya-born medic sheltering in the north-western side of the city.

Palestinians carry the body of a family member killed in an Israeli military strike (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Hospitals in Gaza said at least 31 people were killed by Israeli fire on Monday, more than half of them women and children.

At least 13 people were killed in Gaza City, where Israel has carried out several previous large-scale raids since Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel to ignite the war on October 7, 2023.

Israel says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militant group  now largely reduced to a guerrilla organisation  operates in densely-populated areas.

Gaza City residents, many displaced by war multiple times, now face the twin threats of combat and hunger.

The worlds leading authority on food crises said last month that it was in the throes of famine  a crisis driven by ongoing fighting and Israels blockade, magnified by repeated mass displacement and the collapse of food production.

A total of 63,557 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which says another 160,660 people have been wounded.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half the dead.

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip (Maya Levin/AP)

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals. UN agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of war casualties.

Israel disputes them, but has not provided its own toll.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and took 251 people hostage.

Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

The largest professional organisation of scholars studying genocide said on Monday that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel, which was established in the wake of the Holocaust, in which six million European Jews and others were killed, vehemently rejects the allegation.

It says it takes every measure to avoid harming civilians and is fighting a war of self-defence after Hamas attack, which Israel says was itself a genocidal act.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars  which has around 500 members worldwide, including a number of Holocaust experts  joined other major human rights organisations, including two Israeli groups, in applying the term to Israels wartime conduct.

Israels policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, as well as crimes against humanity and war crimes, according to the groups resolution, which was supported by 86% of those who voted.

The organisation did not release the specifics of the voting.

People who are experts in the study of genocide can see this situation for what it is, Melanie OBrien, the organisations president and a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told The Associated Press.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called it an embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard.

It said the determination was entirely based on Hamas campaign of lies.
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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
By Neta Crawford, University of Oxford

(The Conversation)  Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mostly unarmed civilians, in its surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023. Using Gaza health ministry statistics, the UN says more than 62,000 people have subsequently been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas. An additional 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank.

The statistics do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. But Israeli government officials have consistently said their military works hard to keep civilian harm to a minimum. As Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in 2024: Any civilian casualty is a tragedy for sure. Israel seeks to minimise the civilian casualties, while Hamas seeks to maximise them.

Falk added: We seek to minimise them for two main reasons  one, its the right thing to do. Were the only Jewish country on Earth, and that is our policy to minimise civilian casualties. And the other reason is because its effective. By effective, he means that hurting civilians can backfire. It can lead to a loss of domestic and international support for the war, as well as increased Palestinian resistance.

Israeli media outlets have also detailed the extensive measures the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it takes to keep civilians in Gaza safe. And they have repeated claims such as: What the IDF has been doing in Gaza in this war is unprecedented in urban warfare, both in pace and caution.

Israeli officials dispute the numbers of Palestinian civilians reported to have been killed in Gaza. Some have even claimed that the Gaza health ministry and UN have lied about the number of Palestinian civilians killed in the war.

But figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database, reported recently by the Guardian, indicate that 83% of the Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza as of May have been civilians.

Preventing civilian harm

The protection of civilians in war has not always been taken for granted. The US only began to emphasise the minimisation of inadvertent harm to civilians, or collateral damage, after the Vietnam war ended in 1975.

The inadvertent killing of civilians and massacres such as My Lai, where as many as 500 unarmed Vietnamese villagers were killed by US soldiers in 1968, were widely condemned. Precautions to avoid civilian harm, known as civilian casualty or civilian harm mitigation, have been gradually integrated into US military operations since then.

The US developed a practice of making pre-strike estimates of possible civilian harm  collateral damage estimates  in the 1990s. This was refined during the post-9/11 wars.

If civilian harm is estimated to be above a certain threshold, and disproportionate to the expected military advantage of an operation, the US military might change how it engages or not strike at all. US methods to minimise civilian casualties have been consistently updated, as recently as August 2022 and July 2024.

These precautions have not always been adhered to. They have also sometimes been relaxed when the US believes doing so is justified. But when they have been followed, the rate of civilian killing has been reduced.

The impetus for the US military to develop these programmes was not only to minimise harm to its own reputation and a desire to follow the laws of war. The point was also to avoid creating more militants by killing civilians.

The 2007 US Counterinsurgency Field Manual underscores the importance of avoiding civilian harm. It states: an operation that kills five insurgents is counterproductive if collateral damage leads to the recruitment of 50 more insurgents.

It was equally important to convince observers that every effort was being made to ensure civilians were protected. As a 2006 study by US-based thinktank RAND corporation, paid for by the US air force, said:

By emphasizing the efforts that are being made to reduce civilian casualties (such as increased precision, smaller blast effects, improved target verification and so on), the Air Force and Department of Defense can help ensure that the US Congress and public have continued reason to trust that the US military is seeking new ways to reduce the prospects of civilian deaths in future military operations. A demonstrated commitment to a philosophy of continuous improvement may be what is needed to ensure this trust in the future, and in the case of foreign audiences, to build trust in the first place.

Israel also began to use some of these methods. And it developed its own, context-specific practices in its wars with the Palestinians and other neighbours. In fact, Israel was a pioneer in the use of targeted drone strikes that it said were aimed at killing Palestinian militant leaders while avoiding civilian harm.

However, investigations have shown that Israel loosened its rules of engagement after the October 7 attacks. The New York Times reported that an order by military leadership authorised officers to risk killing up to 20 people in each airstrike targeting Hamas. In one extreme example from July 2024, a strike on Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif killed at least 90 civilians and injured around 300 more.

Israels own military data also now shows that Israeli officials have both overstated the number of militants they say have been killed and, by implication, the ratio of civilian to militant deaths.

Prior to the Guardians report, Israeli officials said the military had killed 17,000 to 18,000 Hamas combatants and other terrorists. They also implied that 50% of the total deaths in Gaza were Hamas or other combatants. Netanyahu simultaneously decried what he called outrageous claims of civilian casualty rates of up to 70%.

But Israels own numbers show the actual civilian casualty rate in Gaza is much higher than the figure Netanuyahu calls outrageous. It is also high compared to other conflicts. Research by the Costs of War project, which I co-founded, show that the rate of civilian casualties in American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were 68% and 26% respectively.

Civilians never deserve to be harmed through carelessness, inadvertence or deliberate targeting. Yet given the kind of war Israel is fighting  using large, indiscriminate weapons to destroy buildings and failing to distinguish between combatant and noncombatant  it has unsurprisingly produced high civilian casualty rates.

Neta Crawford, Montague Burton Chair in International Relations, University of Oxford

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
by Dr Binoy Kampmark

( Middle East Monitor )  The Fourth Estate may not be in a good way, corrupted and compromised as it is, but in some instances, it remains the only light cast over the predations and ghastliness of power. For that precise reason, the state of Israel has been most cautious, to the point of folly, of shutting out foreign journalists from covering the Gaza conflict. A job most dirty needs to be done  levelling, disabling, dispossessing and crushing of a strip with over 2 million Palestinians  and it shall only be witnessed, controlled and invigilated with utmost care.

Only the friendliest of the friendly need apply for access to Gaza, and the call by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in August that the military bring in more foreign journalists is heavily contingent on control.

The Gaza campaign is proving frustratingly long for the Netanyahu government. During this time the Israeli Defence Forces have become routine killers of journalists. Given the international press ban, the number of those slain by the IDF are overwhelmingly Palestinian. Since the start of the Gaza War, 189 have been killed. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) puts the death toll for all journalists and media workers between October 2023 and August 2025 at 197. Data from Reporters Without Borders puts the figure of journalists killed in Gaza at over 210, claiming that 56 of them were intentionally targeted by the IDF, while the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres offers 242 as the more accurate figure. Between 2020-22, 165 journalists were killed across the globe, a statistic bound to move even the coldest of analysts.

Add aid workers and medical staff, and you have such cases as the attack on Khan Younis Nasser Hospital during the morning of 25 August. Initially, it was assumed that two strikes hit southern Gazas sole functioning major hospital. At least 20 people died, including five journalists. A closer examination of footage of the strikes by BBC Verify shows the initial assessment to have been conservative. At least four strikes took place. Two staircases were hit in the first wave, and what was initially thought to be a single attack turns out to have been two separate strikes hitting the same location within a fraction of a second. The first, registered at 10:08 local time, killed journalist Hussam Al-Mastri, who was in the process of running a live TV feed for Reuters. First responders and journalists ran to aid the wounded and were subsequently butchered.

The list of the dead also includes Associated Press freelance photographer Mariam Abu Dagga; Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammed Salama; freelance photographer Moaz Abu Taha; and Middle East Eye and Quds News Network correspondent, Abu Aziz.

The justifications for such slaughter by the IDF have become something to behold. A weary formula is at work: first, assume the strike was on a Hamas or militant site, leaving those in the vicinity silly for being there. The official line: the IDF does not target civilians, despite killing a vast number in such strikes. Secondly, belittle those who died in exhaustive fashion, accusing them of being militants, militant sympathisers or combat propagandists. It follows on from the first point: if they were there, they were obviously tarnished one way or the other.

Jodie Ginsburg, the CEO of CPJ, provides a terse, accurate summary on what international humanitarian law says on this subject: The only individuals who can be considered legitimate targets in war are those directly involved in active combat. Expressing sympathy for proscribed organisations, or even engaging in propaganda, does not make someone a legitimate target.

Ones political inclination  in so far as protection from military targeting is concerned  is irrelevant to the role of gathering and disseminating news. As Ginsburg goes on to observe, journalists have had leanings and sympathies for such previously proscribed organisations as the Irish Republican Army or the African National Congress. That didnt make them terrorists, nor legitimate targets.

With these killings and the continuing starvation and deprivation taking place in the Strip, many of Israels allies are now giving some unwanted advice. On August 21, member states of the Media Freedom Coalition released a statement declaring that, In light of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition, urge Israel to allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza. Of the 28 signatories, the bulk are European, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom. With usual conspicuousness, the United States remains absent.



Lawless, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / PS Express, 2024

The signatories went on to condemn all violence directed against journalists and media workers, especially the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions. International humanitarian made it clear that civilian journalists were protected in times of armed conflict. We call for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law.

While the protection of journalists in such situations could hardly be fully sealed and assured, Israel will find killing members of the foreign press corps in numbers a more trying prospect. Should they be allowed to scribble and record the vast, engineered crime taking place in Gaza and in real time, silencing them will become a most formidable, exacting task. Certainly, casual accusations of Hamas membership or sympathy will be harder, more absurd, to make.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.

Middle East Monitor
A war monitoring group said Sunday that an army drone strike on a clinic in the city of Nyala, western Sudan, under paramilitary control, had killed at least 12 people.

Their report came after a medical source said Sunday that shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) force had killed at least seven people and wounded 71 others in the besieged city of El-Fasher.

The army strike hit the Yashfeen clinic in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, at around midday Saturday, a source from the Emergency Lawyers group told AFP.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, the source said they expected the death toll to rise, as preliminary reports had indicated that dozens of civilians and medical staff may have been killed.

There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese army.

The deadly shelling of El-Fasher happened on Saturday, said the medical source. The city is the last major bastion in the vast western Darfur region still under army control.

- Shrapnel wounds -

El-Fasher has become the most violent front line in the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023.

In recent weeks, paramilitary forces have escalated their long-running siege, launching fierce artillery barrages and ground incursions into densely populated neighbourhoods, the city's airport and the famine-hit Abu Shouk displacement camp.

The few hospitals still operational have been repeatedly bombarded and the local police headquarters captured by the RSF.

The medical source, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said the true toll from Saturday's attack was "likely higher", as many of the wounded had been unable to reach the hospital due to the intensity of the bombardment.

Of those wounded, mainly by shrapnel, 22 were reported to be in a critical condition, said the source, who was reached via satellite internet to bypass a communications blackout.

Local activists said the attack hit several neighbourhoods in the city's west near the airport, which RSF forces have sought to capture.

- 'Kill box' -

The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed Arab militias accused of genocide in Darfur in the early 2000s.

It wants to wrest full control of the region from the army after being pushed out of the capital Khartoum earlier this year.

Satellite imagery from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab revealed Thursday that the RSF had constructed more than 31 kilometres of berms -- raised earth barriers -- "creating a literal kill box" in the city, the report said.

Its imagery also identified munitions impact damage at the city's water authority, which supplies El-Fasher with fresh drinking water.

Nathaniel Raymond, the lab's executive director, said the RSF had confined the Sudanese army and its allied militias to less than five square miles (12.9 kilometres) in the city.

"It's the smallest it's been since the siege began," he told AFP.

The besieged population -- estimated by the UN at some 300,000 -- has endured severe shortages of water and food for over a year, according to humanitarian workers.

Famine was officially declared in three displacement camps around El-Fasher last year, and the UN warned it could spread to the city itself by last May.

Lack of data has so far prevented an official declaration of famine, but the UN estimates that nearly 40 percent of children under five are acutely malnourished, with 11 percent severely so.

Many have resorted to eating animal fodder, while desperate attempts to escape into the desert often end in death from exposure, starvation or violence.

"They are dying in poverty, crossfire and bombardment and they're being killed as they're trying to leave," he added.

- 'Massacres' -

The RSF, which recently announced the formation of a parallel government in the region, would control all five Darfur state capitals if it were to successfully capture El-Fasher.

Experts have warned that the city's non-Arab Zaghawa tribe may face a similar fate to the non-Arab Massalit tribe in West Darfur's state capital of El-Geneina. UN experts found up to 15,000 people, mostly from the tribe, were killed in 2023 massacres blamed on RSF forces.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes, but the RSF has, in particular, been accused of genocide, sexual violence and systematic looting.

In the early 2000s, the paramilitary force led a government-orchestrated campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur, killing an estimated 300,000 people.

"The Janjaweed are about to win the entire genocide that began in the early 21st century," Raymond said.

"And the world isn't going to do anything about it."
Late February - March 2022. The Russian army is gaining ground in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine. Convoys of vehicles with Z markings arrive in Balakliya. The military forces set up checkpoints, conduct searches of civilians, confiscate vehicles and kidnap people. The fate of many of them remains unknown to this day.

In the early days of the full-scale invasion, mayor Ivan Stolbovyi commits to remaining with his community. We are here today, we are with you, we are with Balakliya, we are with Ukraine in our hearts and souls, Stolbovyi said in a video message recorded on 28 February 2022 together with the head of the Izyum district, Stepan Maselskyi.

Russian army offered its help

Soon, Stolbovyi announces the location where Russian supplies will be unloaded. Today, Ukraine is giving us absolutely nothing. Yesterday, I spoke with the leadership of the Russian army, they offered their help. It is your right to either accept or reject it, but today we will organise the distribution of humanitarian aid, Stolbovyi said in a video shared on social medias.

According to investigators, on 28 March, the mayor held a meeting of the Balakliya City Council executives, encouraging his assistants to be loyal to both the occupying forces and Russia in general, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutors Office reported in April 2022.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Administration, Oleg Synegubov, stated that Stolbovyi betrayed the interests of the country, Ukrainian defenders and his community. Ivan Stolbovyi is about to collaborate with those who are killing our people and destroying our cities, Synyegubov wrote on social media.

Soon after, the prosecution opened a case. Within a month, the mayor became a suspect of high treason. Law enforcement officials publicly announced the summons in April, when, according to the investigation, Stolbovyi had already left Ukraine with his family for Russia.

The mayors political career

Throughout his career, Stolbovyi has changed political affiliations several times. He first was a communist and represented the Party of Regions. In 2010, he campaigned for presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych. A funny episode is associated with Yanukovychs visit to Balakliya during the 2010 election campaign: while addressing the crowd from the stage at a concert, Yanukovych greeted the residents of Balaklava  a district of Sevastopol in Crimea.

Stolbovyi chaired the Balakliya District Administration, was a member of the Kharkiv Regional Council, ran for the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine Parliament] from the Opposition Bloc, and was elected mayor twice. The last time was in 2020, while representing the Kernes Bloc party  Successful Kharkiv.

His son Pavlo followed in his fathers footsteps. He became a member of the Kharkiv Regional Council from the Kernes Bloc party  Successful Kharkiv  and chaired the municipal institution Kharkiv Reforms Office. After leaving for Russia, the Kharkiv Regional Council stripped him of his mandate.

We were out of bread

In February 2022, under the threat of occupation, the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and the Security Service of Ukraine ordered government officials to evacuate to safe areas.

Everyone had the opportunity to leave. Not just the opportunity, but an order from the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration not to remain in the occupied territories. We have eight communities. Seven community leaders, all but one, from Balakliya, left and worked in our territory. Balakliya was still reachable until May 7, 2022. We were still delivering humanitarian aid, recalls Stepan Maselskyi, head of the Izyum District Military Administration.

He was communicating with Stolbovyi. I left before the enemy entered Balakliya. I understood that they [the occupiers] were arriving, and I left for Izyum. He [Stolbovyi] continued to answer my phone calls for a couple of days, but then he went silent. And then I saw a video where he was urging people to collaborate with the occupiers. I realised then why he had nothing left to say, Maselskyi said.

Traffic in the centre of Balakliya continues today despite the siren alert. At the market across from the local administration building, MediaPort asked residents whether they remember the former mayor. I was present when he gathered people in the square when we were out of bread. He said that he had to collaborate so that people had something to eat. And that it was up to the state to decide whether to punish him or not, Yaroslava Mokhonko, a resident, said.

- And what about the fact that he left for Russia?

- Well, he must have got scared. We couldnt go anywhere. It was really hard. How can I put it... Russia oppressed us. Oppressed us. They were like bosses here, she continues.

- He [Stolbovyi] was helping us, girls! another Balakliya resident who preferred to remain anonymous says. I dont know why they turned him into a traitor, saying he betrayed Ukraine and Balakliya. Everyone else fled; he was the only one who remained and helped the people at least a little.

Residents of Balakliya often mention the bread, distributed by Stolbovyi personally.

Serhiy Tereshchenko from Balakliya was trying not to leave his house during the occupation.

Those who havent experienced it wont understand what occupation is and what Russians are like. Russians are scum. I spent the entire occupation at home, didnt go anywhere. As soon as they arrived, especially the Buryats, who were the first to show up, it was complete chaos. Whenever there was a sound, they would all rush in. Who came, who was there? Do you have Internet? Do you have a smartphone? They cut all the wires, Serhiy recalls.

Ivan Stolbovyis family owned grocery stores all over the city, Serhiy Tereshchenko mentions. The mayors wife ran the business. One was near the square. They [the occupiers] shut that store down, the Balakliya resident says. One of her stores in the city centre has been closed for a long time now, and the entrance to the grocery store is covered with vegetation.

Across the street is the Alley of Fallen Heroes, Balakliya defenders.

No one threatened him, physically or psychologically

Ivan Stolbovyis case was brought to court in May 2024. The Balakliya court was unable to form a panel of judges, so jurisdiction was transferred to Chuhuiv, a nearby town. The case is considered by a panel chaired by judge Igor Karimov. An indictment was announced in a special proceeding, but the case has been progressing slowly since then.

MediaPort went to the Chuhuiv court on June 25, 2025 for a hearing in the case, but it did not take place. The court explained the reasons in a written statement: in addition to the absence of the prosecutor, there was not enough time to notify the defendant through the government newspaper Uriadovyi Courier.

What evidence does the investigation have against Stolbovyi? According to prosecutor Oleg Maksyuk, the charges are based on witness statements and expert reports. Investigators did not find any evidence that the Russians forced Stolbovyi to collaborate.

What exactly did he do? At the beginning of the Russian military aggression, he held a meeting at the Balakliya city administration, encouraging his deputies and city council members to join the enemy and fully collaborate with the Russian occupation forces. There are about eight witness statements providing relevant testimony against him. There are also recordings of him speaking and urging council members and deputies to side with the enemy, Maksyuk explains.

There are two expert reports in the case, including a portrait analysis.

During the witness interrogation, no one mentioned that he had been in any way detained or tortured, or that he had been held captive somewhere. We have no such information. No one threatened him, either physically or psychologically. He came forward on his own accord and said that this was his decision, and that whether we condemned him or not, this was his personal decision, and he believed that this was the right thing to do, namely, to provide all possible assistance to the Russian Federations armed forces.

Objective reasons for the delay in proceedings

According to the prosecutor, there are objective reasons for the delay in proceedings: the courts are overloaded, and hearings may be postponed due to the direct impact of the war. Russia is shelling cities in the Kharkiv region, including Chuhuiv.

Court hearings are scheduled once every three months. We have discussed with the judges the possibility of scheduling hearings as soon as possible and reviewing the case as quickly as possible. The position of the prosecutors office is that we are trying to review the case in the shortest possible time, Maksyuk said.

According to our sources, he left with his family and is renting an apartment in the Belgorod region. His current occupation is unknown, the prosecutor said.

Viktor Tserkovnyi, a lawyer from the free legal aid system, is representing the accused in court. He has not communicated with the accused. Given the specifics of the case, I am unable to establish his position, whether he admits [guilt] or not. I dont think I will be able to find out, because he is not in Ukrainian territory, Tserkovnyi said.

The court will examine whether there is sufficient evidence to prove Stolbovyis guilt.

In any case, there is a procedure: if people were questioned as witnesses, they must be summoned to court to tell what they know. As a defence lawyer, I must act in my clients interests, Tserkovnyi said.

The accused and his family are not active on social media. The last messages on the Stolbovyi familys Facebook pages date back to March 2022.

Balakliya now

Just like other cities in the Kharkiv region, Balakliya suffers from Russian shelling, and lately, from drone strikes as well. Locals think there might be potential enemies still hiding within the community.

If I had the power to gather them all, I wouldnt send them to prison. I would have them build bridges, roads, and houses. Let them work! If they are locked up in prison, they will just sit there, and you will have to feed them. And how many are already sitting there, waiting? resident Serhiy Tereshchenko said, shrugging his shoulders.

Yaroslava Mokhonko is convinced that the majority of the community supports Ukraine: Those who support Russia remain silent. There are still some among us. They will gradually change their minds. Everything will be fine.

Stepan Maselskyi was friend with Stolbovyi: Especially since he witnessed what the occupiers did to Balakliya, how they bombed the city day and night, dropping bombs and missiles on the Kharkiv region and so on. And now he went to live among the murderers? My attitude is negative.

According to statistics from the regional prosecutors office for 2024, more than 180 suspects have been charged with high treason since the beginning of the war in the Kharkiv region. Proceedings in absentia are usually considered more quickly. Stolbovyis case became one of the most high-profile cases in the region during the war. In 2022, both the authorities and civilians demanded an objective investigation and a fair trial. But now, even in the absence of the accused, hearings are rarely scheduled. This time, the case of the Balakliya former mayor has been postponed for four months, until 1 October.

This report was produced thanks to a grant by Fondation Hirondelle/Justice Info. A full version of this article was published on July 23, 2025, in "Mediaport".
Vancouver, Canada  In todays interconnected digital landscape, the ability to protect personal location data is a matter of survival for many individuals facing threats from abusers, stalkers, or traffickers. Address Confidentiality Programs, commonly referred to as ACPs, are among the most important legal tools available to protect survivors from exposure to their abusers.

These programs, first established in the United States but now emerging globally, provide a legal substitute address that prevents disclosure of a survivors physical residence in public records. Amicus International Consulting continues its examination of ACPs by analyzing their global scope, their limitations, and how survivors rely on them to secure their lives in the face of persistent risk.

Expansion of ACPs in the United States

While ACPs were once considered experimental, today they are widely implemented across the United States. Programs such as Californias Safe at Home, Washington States Address Confidentiality Program, and New Yorks Confidential Address Program provide thousands of participants each year with the ability to keep their addresses confidential, thereby preventing them from appearing on voter rolls, drivers licenses, and school records.

States vary in the comprehensiveness of their protections. For instance, California allows ACP addresses to be used for school enrollment and court documents, whereas some smaller programs are limited to voting records only. The U.S. Department of Justice has noted that these programs play a critical role in enabling survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to participate in civic life without fear of being tracked.

Canadian Efforts Toward Confidentiality

In Canada, ACP-style programs are less widespread but are gaining traction. Pilot initiatives in provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia provide survivors with mailing substitutes that allow them to access government services safely. Canadian law emphasizes privacy through broader frameworks such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Still, ACPs offer a survivor-specific solution that addresses the reality of targeted threats. Canadian advocates argue for a national program to create consistency across provinces, as survivors often move across provincial borders in their attempts to remain safe.

European Developments and the GDPR Influence

In the European Union, data protection measures provide a different framework for addressing confidentiality. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) already restricts the publication of personal information without consent; however, several member states have adopted additional, survivor-specific protections.

Spain allows survivors of gender-based violence to request that their addresses be suppressed from municipal registries, while Germany offers confidentiality measures tied to protective orders. Sweden has a long tradition of granting protected identity status to survivors, which can include total suppression of personal records. These European measures demonstrate how ACPs can be integrated with broader privacy legislation to establish robust protections for survivors.

Latin American Approaches to Confidentiality

In Latin America, NGOs often play a central role in confidentiality programs. Countries such as Mexico and Brazil have launched state-supported safe mailing services for survivors of domestic violence. These services allow individuals to receive court notices, benefits correspondence, and official documents without revealing their actual residence. However, resource constraints and uneven enforcement persist as ongoing challenges.

NGOs frequently step in to provide education and support, ensuring survivors know their rights and how to access these services. The demand for confidentiality protections is rising in the region, particularly as online databases of voter rolls and civil registries become more common.

Asia-Pacific Perspectives

Across the Asia-Pacific region, ACP-style measures are less developed but beginning to emerge. In Australia, survivors of family violence may request address suppression in electoral and drivers license records. New Zealand has introduced a Confidentiality Address Service, which enables survivors to use substitute addresses when enrolling their children in school.

In parts of East Asia, including South Korea and Japan, privacy legislation offers some protections; however, cultural and bureaucratic barriers have hindered the adoption of comprehensive ACP-style programs. Nonetheless, the globalization of digital data has prompted renewed interest in confidentiality solutions.

Expanded Case Studies of ACP Impact

Case Study: A Survivor in Washington State

A woman fleeing a stalking ex-partner enrolled in Washingtons ACP, which provided a substitute address. She reported that her abuser had previously tracked her through public property tax records. By using the ACP address on all official documents, she was able to purchase a home in her own name without disclosing her disability. This allowed her to begin a new chapter without constant fear of discovery.

Case Study: Rural Implementation Challenges in the Midwest

In a rural Midwestern state, a survivor enrolled in an ACP but found that several local agencies were unaware of the program and initially rejected her substitute address. After intervention by the states ACP office, the agencies complied; however, the case illustrates how a lack of awareness among local officials can undermine protections. Consistent training and statewide enforcement remain crucial to the programs success.

Case Study: Youth Survivor in School System

A teenager escaping a violent household was enrolled in her states ACP by a guardian. Using the substitute address, she was able to attend high school without her abuser being able to access her enrollment information. School administrators were trained to safeguard ACP data, creating an environment where the survivor could focus on education without constant fear of exposure.

Case Study: Cross-Border Survivor in Canada

A woman who relocated from Alberta to British Columbia enrolled in the provinces pilot ACP program. The lack of national consistency meant she faced gaps in protection when crossing provincial lines. With assistance from legal advocates, she was able to maintain confidentiality; however, her case highlights the need for national frameworks in federal systems.

Judicial Limits and Court Involvement

ACPs provide significant protections, but courts retain authority to compel disclosure when necessary. Custody disputes, criminal trials, and child welfare cases may require disclosure under seal. Judges are tasked with balancing the safety of survivors with the rights of other parties to access information.

Courts often impose protective orders to limit who can see a disclosed address, but survivors must still navigate these challenges carefully. Amicus International Consulting emphasizes that understanding these limits is crucial for realistic safety planning.

The Role of Technology in Protecting or Exposing Addresses

Technology has transformed how ACPs operate. Secure mail forwarding now relies on encrypted databases to track participants while keeping actual addresses hidden. Many states have developed digital portals where survivors can update records or receive notifications confidentially. At the same time, technology has created new risks. Data brokers scrape public records and sell personal information online, sometimes circumventing ACP protections. Survivors report discovering their addresses on commercial websites despite enrollment. Governments have responded by increasing penalties for unauthorized data disclosures and expanding ACP protections to include digital data suppression.

NGO and Advocacy Roles in ACP Effectiveness

Nonprofit organizations play a crucial role in raising awareness and providing support for ACP. Advocacy groups often help survivors apply, navigate complex paperwork, and train agencies on compliance. In the United States, coalitions of domestic violence shelters have partnered with state ACP offices to create training modules for schools and hospitals. Internationally,

NGOs in Latin America and Asia work with limited resources to fill gaps left by governments. Their efforts demonstrate that ACPs succeed best when supported by both state institutions and community networks.

Future Reforms and Global Cooperation

The future of ACPs lies in greater standardization, digital integration, and international cooperation. Experts argue for federal-level programs in countries like Canada and Australia to create consistency across provinces and states. Digital innovations, such as blockchain-based identity verification, could further enhance the security of substitute addresses.

Internationally, ACPs may increasingly intersect with asylum and refugee law, as survivors fleeing persecution often require location confidentiality across borders. Governments are beginning to explore cross-border agreements that would recognize ACP status internationally, although such efforts are still in their early stages.

Case Study: Survivor Relocating Internationally

A survivor of stalking in the United States relocated to Spain. While her U.S. ACP protections did not automatically extend abroad, Spanish privacy law allowed her to suppress her address in municipal registries. With legal support, she was able to integrate ACP-style protections into her new jurisdiction. This case illustrates how survivors must navigate complex legal frameworks when relocating internationally.

The Amicus International Consulting Approach

Amicus International Consulting offers advisory services to clients navigating confidentiality concerns across various jurisdictions. By analyzing legal protections, assisting with enrollment, and developing broader identity protection strategies, Amicus helps survivors remain safe in both domestic and cross-border contexts. The firm emphasizes compliance with legal frameworks, ensuring that protections are maintained in a lawful and sustainable manner.

Conclusion: Protecting Location as a Human Right

Address Confidentiality Programs represent a cornerstone of survivor protection in an age where personal data is easily exposed. By allowing survivors to shield their locations, ACPs enable participation in society while reducing the risk of discovery.

The programs permit lawful privacy in government systems while prohibiting misuse or fraud. As digital threats increase and survivors move across borders, ACPs will remain essential, demanding ongoing reform, awareness, and international cooperation.

Amicus International Consulting continues to monitor global developments, reinforcing its commitment to helping individuals navigate the delicate balance between transparency, privacy, and security.

Contact Information

Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.amicusint.ca




Sunday, August 31, 2025 - A Kenyan lady has lit up social media after dropping a series of sizzling thirst-trap photos, just days after her boyfriend spoiled her with a lavish Ksh 500,000 money bouquet for her birthday.

Only last week, she was the talk of social media after proudly showing off the extravagant money bouquet online, earning admiration from netizens who praised her man for going all out on her special day.

But the celebrations have quickly turned sour after she shared thirst-trap photos that left her trending for all the wrong reasons.

The photos triggered a heated debate online, with some defending her right to express herself freely, while others said she belonged to the streets.

Check out the reactions.




Sunday, August 31, 2025 - Following a series of intelligence-led investigations, detectives have arrested eight individuals suspected to be behind a wave of livestock thefts that have plagued Kirinyaga, Embu, Nyeri and Muranga counties.

Operating under the cover of darkness, the group is believed to have instilled fear among local farmers through a string of well-coordinated cattle thefts.

Unaware that their criminal activities had been under close forensic scrutiny, the suspects were caught off guard during a planned raid in Kagio and Mwea towns in Kirinyaga County, just as they were preparing to strike again.

Investigations have revealed that the group includes not only the thieves themselves but also buyers, transporters, and butchers who play various roles in the livestock theft network.

Among those arrested are: Patrick Wanjohi Njoki, Peter Muriithi Ngari, Lukes Ochieng Olao, Simon Karagu Murigi, Anthony Mutugi, Daniel Kinyua Wangari, Samuel Gitonga Miano and Cecilia Wanja Njogu - a well-known buyer of stolen livestock based in Mwea.

The suspects are currently in custody and being processed, pending arraignment.

The National Police Service reaffirms its commitment to rooting out organized crime and ensuring that such individuals are held accountable.

Efforts continue to dismantle criminal networks and protect the livelihoods of hardworking farmers across the country.






Sunday, August 31, 2025 - Dennis Itumbi, Head of Creative Economy and Special Projects in the Office of the President, has finally opened up about his long-rumored past with disgraced former Citizen TV journalist, Jacque Maribe.

Speaking on the Off The Grid podcast, Itumbi addressed the viral photo of them kissing - a picture that has fueled years of speculation about their relationship.

According to Itumbi, the moment wasnt romantic at all but the result of a playful dare during a birthday party.

It was actually a game - truth or bottles, he revealed.

The challenge came with a hefty penalty: pay KSh 50,000 or kiss.

Surely, I lose fifty thousand instead of benefit from a kiss? I took the kiss, he said with a laugh.

But while the moment seemed harmless, Itumbi regrets how the narrative snowballed.

I sincerely wish what people say about me and Maribe was true, because maybe then it would have stopped.

Even my mother joined the push, he admitted.

He explained that the story has followed him for years, making it awkward whenever he meets someone new.

Now even if I approach a girl, I first have to explain the Jacque Maribe bit. Its crazy - we overplayed it.

Despite the gossip, Itumbi insists their bond has always been rooted in friendship, not romance.

"She stood with me when I was in court. I stood with her when she was facing her own court cases, Itumbi stated.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 31, 2025 - The Donald Trump administration has announced a sweeping housing directive that could force thousands of undocumented immigrants, including an estimated 30,000 Kenyans, out of public housing assistance in the United States.

In a statement signed by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, Scott Turner, all Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) have been ordered to submit, within 30 days, a detailed report of tenants in HUD-funded housing or receiving Section 8 vouchers.

The directive requires PHAs to provide the names, mailing addresses, unit details, rental costs, and - most critically - proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status for every beneficiary.

The move enforces Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act, which bars undocumented immigrants from accessing federal housing aid.

HUD defended the policy as a measure to ensure taxpayer dollars only benefit eligible U.S residents, warning against what it termed as subsidisation of open border policies.

According to HUD, only one in four eligible families currently receives housing assistance, a shortfall that officials partly attribute to lax immigration enforcement in housing programmes.

PHAs that fail to comply risk penalties, including loss of HUD funding or disqualification from programme participation.

The directive has sparked anxiety among migrant households, especially those awaiting adjustments to their immigration status.

HUD said it will deploy audits and program evaluations to enforce compliance.

The housing policy adds to a growing list of Trump-era crackdowns linking social welfare eligibility to immigration enforcement.






Sunday, August 31, 2025 - Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of orchestrating a scheme to politically detach Kiambu and Meru Counties from the Mt. Kenya bloc.

Speaking during a church service at PCEA Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County on Sunday, August 31st, 2025, Gachagua alleged that residents from the two Counties were recently ferried to State House and paid to endorse the plan.

According to Gachagua, more than 5,000 people from Kiambu and hundreds from Meru attended the meetings, with each receiving Ksh10,000.

He claimed that the payments were part of a strategy to shift Kiambus political identity away from Mt. Kenya and align Meru with northern Counties such as Mandera and Isiolo.

After that, they invited people from Meru and gave each of them Ksh10,000 so that Meru could be detached from Mt. Kenya, Gachagua said.

They took the money and went home singing one term.

The former DP described State House as the home of corruption and bribery and urged Kenyans to accept handouts but reject the directives tied to them.

Take the money because it is not a debt and has no receipt, but do not be misled, he remarked.

Gachaguas comments come days after Kikuyu MP, Kimani Ichungwah, and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki endorsed the idea of Kiambu standing apart from the Mt. Kenya region.

Ichungwah argued that Kiambu has long been lumped under Mt. Kenya for political convenience, despite having a unique identity of its own.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 31, 2025 - Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has opened up on what he described as decades of humiliation within the Anglican Church over lack of an English name.

Speaking on Sunday, August 31st, 2025, during President William Rutos visit to the ACK Cathedral in Alego Usonga, Oburu said that although he has remained a lifelong Anglican, he endured discrimination from his childhood.

Oburu, who is Raila Odingas elder brother, revealed that despite being confirmed in the church, he was barred from receiving Holy Communion for many years.

It was not until 2024, at the age of 80, that he was finally allowed to partake in the sacrament.

This is my church, I was born Anglican, and I will be buried Anglican.

But I was tortured for many years by my Anglican Church.

They never allowed me to take Holy Communion because I did not have an English name, Oburu said.

He noted that by the time the church allowed him to the table of communion, the damage had already been done.

It was already too late, when I had already married a second wife, he said.

Oburu recalled that his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, had strongly resisted the churchs pressure, arguing that nowhere in the Bible required baptismal names to be English.

He even wrote to the archbishop, who confirmed that African names were acceptable.

My full name is Ngonga Amollo Oburu Odinga, my brother is Raila Amollo Odinga, and my late brother was Angire Amollo Agolla, he said.




Sunday, August 31, 2025 - Seth Mwabe, the 26-year-old former Meru University student who has been arrested for hacking and stealing Ksh 11.4M from a Kenyan firm, was once celebrated as a budding tech genius.

In 2018, he won a hackathon at the institution and later clinched another victory in 2019 in a competition sponsored by a local bank.

Mwabe was arrested on August 30th, 2025, after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raided his Tatu City apartment in Kiambu County.

They recovered advanced computer equipment allegedly used to siphon KSh 11.4 million from the companys systems.

The self-styled IT consultant is expected to face charges under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.

His arrest has triggered mixed reactions, with many Kenyans lamenting the lack of opportunities for young innovators and warning that wasted tech talent continues to push brilliant minds into the shadows of cybercrime.
KILDARE County Councils Local Enterprise Office (LEO) have announced the opening of registration for the Kildare Student Enterprise Programme for the academic year 2025/26, a programme that promises new additions to the competition.

For over 20 years, the Student Enterprise Programme has been a staple on the secondary school calendar in Kildare, encouraging second level schools across the county to participate.

Nationally, over 28,000 students will set up and run a mini enterprise during the year.

The programme complements the business studies curriculum at both junior and senior levels, offering students a rewarding experience and the freedom to fully develop their business concepts.

Transition Year students will learn how to create and run their own business, acquiring key skills such as ideation, marketing, finance and sales.

The programme is run through the network of LEOs, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, with local coordinators in every area to support teachers and students. This initiative helps foster entrepreneurship in students and equips them with essential skills for their future careers.

This year, we plan to bring in industry experts from Kildare to work with our aspiring entrenreneurs, and to inspire them to really consider entrepreneurship as a future career, said Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development, Kildare County Council.

Entrepreneurship is important for students since it builds real world skills of leadership and collaboration, which are helpful and important in a variety of fields. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, or in this case, tomorrow's entrepreneurs.

Last year Students from Salesian College, Celbridge made it to the National Finals with their product, Medieval Mayhem.

The team consisted of Emmett Villing, Kyerin Hunter, Charlie Kavanagh and Henley Chacko, supported by their teacher Michael Greene.
NAAS-BORN charity founder and Seanad senator, Aubrey McCarthy, travelled to Kyiv in Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukrainian Independence Day.

Aubreys charity, Tiglin, helps its service users overcome addiction and homelessness in a person-centred, holistic approach. Believing in each persons potential, Tiglin provides both immediate support and long-term solutions, which is written on the charitys website.

In 2024, the charity obtained an accommodation centre in Bray called Loreto, which provides a temporary home to individuals and families displaced by the war in Ukraine.

The official website reads: In a time of immense uncertainty, Loreto stands as a place of refuge, hope, and new beginnings  with an eye toward lasting impact and collaboration. Senator McCarthy represented Ireland at the celebrations and National Prayer Breakfast, hosted on Sunday, August 24.

During his trip the senator took part in a series of meetings with Ukrainian officials, including President Zelenskyy himself, along with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Ruslan Steganchuk and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

His visit represented a strong bond between Ireland and Ukraine, showcasing Irelands solidarity with the country and its people.

Senator McCarthy marked the occasion online and said: Today, we honour Ukraines Independence Day. A celebration of courage, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of a people who continue to inspire us all. From Greystones to Kyiv, the bonds of friendship grow stronger. Proud to stand with our Ukrainian community in Ireland and beyond.
TRANSPORT Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will meet with residents of Moone and Timolin next week to address concerns over the controversial pilot cycleway and road safety works along the R448.

Kildare South Fine Gael TD and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, confirmed that TII officials have accepted his invitation to hold a public workshop on the issue. The meeting will take place in Moone Hall on Tuesday, September 2, from 37pm.

After their last public meeting, the Moone Timolin Positive Action Group wanted to meet with TII to express their concerns and try to understand the rationale behind the project's design.

In the first instance, we asked for the scheme to be paused until TII had explained the scheme to us and at the very least to take our concerns on board, said Timolin Moone Positive Action Group Chairperson, Mark Hilliard.

A key development emerging from the meeting was the involvement of Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Daragh OBrien. It was confirmed that the issue had been raised with the minister.

There was much comment, and consternation, in the Moone and Timolin communities recently regarding the national pilot cycleway and road safety works which commenced recently, Minister Heydon said.

He added the workshop would give locals an opportunity to put their views to officials.

I look forward to seeing many people drop in to discuss the project, to hear the rationale for it from the designers and officials, and to highlight their perspective of its impact locally, he added.

The workshop is open to all residents, with TII representatives and the projects design team expected to be in attendance to answer questions and hear concerns. Residents are especially invited to the Parish Hall at 8pm to discuss the results of the workshop, with local representatives expected to attend.
Kilkenny's Malcolm Noonan has welcomed the advertisement by Kilkenny County Council for the post of a County Archivist.

The Green Party senator that the position is long overdue in a city and county with such a rich archive collection.

"I am delighted that after years of campaigning for one, that a County Archivist role will now become a reality and that I was in a position to fund the post through the Heritage Council 2025 budget as Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform in the last government," he said.

He said Kilkennys civic records alone warranted the necessity for such a role, but many more important family, community and historical archives would be brought into the care and conservation of the local authority when an archivist is in place.

"Experience from counties like Offaly, who have pioneered the county archivist role for smaller counties, have shown that once you build it they will come," he said.

READ NEXT: Kilkenny could lead the way in nature restoration - Noonan

"Not only did Offaly County Council collaborate to fund the role of archivist but they fitted out a wonderful archive facility and now have many important collections in the care of the service. Since my time in the Tholsel as mayor, seeing the important records of the city, corporation minutes dating back centuries, charters, even plans of old city estates, I knew that we needed to take better care of them. Our civic records are among the oldest in the country, dating back to the Liber Primus (first book of the Corporation) from 1231.

"It is also important in light of birth information and tracing legislation, that people have access to records. A County Archive service can assist in this regard. I commend Kilkenny Library Services, Kilkenny Archives and Kilkenny Archaeological Society for their work to date in conserving records and indeed so many painstaking voluntary hours put into maintaining archives with meagre resources available. I think that this new role will really throw the doors open on the riches of our city and county and support volunteer led initiatives.

"Kilkenny County Council now need to explore either the construction or leasing of a state-of-the-art archive facility to store, conserve, digitise and make publicly available our county collection. I believe it to be an essential facility and I would go further to suggest that the possibility of locating it on the brewery site near the Mayfair library along with a new county museum. This should be no less than our ambition in a city which trades on its heritage.

"Finally, I wish to commend the Heritage Council, now 30 years old and based here in Kilkenny, for rolling out these additional archivist posts with the support of county councils. We share the view that every local authority should have full heritage teams in every local authority in Ireland.

"It would mean that Heritage and Biodiversity Officers would be joined by archivists, archaeologists and architectural conservation officers to lead on implementation of heritage and biodiversity plans at county level. This should be our ambition for heritage conservation, interpretation and celebration as we begin our celebrations of heritage week."
Walking the streets of Kilkenny, you arent simply walking on pavements, you are walking on the multi-layered history of the city itself. Names such as Friary Street, Rose Inn Street and Parliament Street all have their origins in the Citys history and the commercial and religious activity that coursed through its busy and diverse communities over hundreds of years.

The following is a short summary of some of the most distinctive and colourful street names that adorn the high-ways and by-ways of Kilkenny City. They are a fascinating glimpse into the centuries of local history that shaped and created this unique place.

High Street - is a long narrow street that broadens in the middle, a legacy of its past when it hosted a medieval marketplace. There is a plaque at the end of High Street which states High Street 1200 - widened in 1860. The street is named because it was the highway from Kilkenny Castle to St Canice's Cathedral built by William Marshal. The Tholsel is the defining building on the High street and its name derives from two words toll (tax) and sael (hall) - the place where tolls were paid. Now Kilkennys City Hall, the Tholsel in medieval times acted as a courthouse, custom house, guildhall and also a meeting place for the citys merchant class. There was also once a public gallows on the street while the Hole in the Wall tavern was a supper house and watering hole with a colourful reputation. Both Charles Stewart Parnell and Eamon De Valera spoke at public events on the High Street.



Kieran Street - this street which runs parallel to High Street was also known in the past as Low Lane, Back Lane and King Street. It was named for Ciarans Well, the site of an ancient church at its northern end which was demolished, the site later forming part of the public market. It was the original thoroughfare from the Castle to St Canices and is probably one of the oldest streets in Kilkenny. It was also reportedly home to Alice Kyteler, the infamous witch of Kilkenny who escaped the City after being condemned for heresy in the 14th century.

READ NEXT: "It could be your last trip" - Kilkenny gardai issue serious warning to drivers



Parliament Street - this street was named for the Confederate Parliament of 1648 but was earlier known as Coal Market Street as it was the site of the public market where coal from the Castlecomer mines was sold. The street was built as an extension of the High Street on the request of the occupying English who agreed a lease of the ground from the Church for an annual rent of 4 ounces of gold. Apart from Graces Castle, the other notable building on the street is Rothe House, a 16th century merchants house restored in 1966, where the Gaelic League once taught Irish. Where the Watergate Theatre now stands, was once a defensive city gate.



The Parade - this open area outside Kilkenny Castle was so named because soldiers used to drill or parade on the site. Up until the 17th century it was known simply as Castle Street. From 1758 on it was called the Parade. On assuming the title, the 16th Earl of Ormonde launched the restoration of the Castle, part of which involved the construction of a public road. The 17th Earl commissioned the buildings where the Design and Crafts Council Ireland are now homed between 1800 and 1820. The areas artistic legacy also includes the site of the Kilkenny Theatre which dates from about 1794.



Friary Street - this street was named after the Capuchin Friars on the street. The Capuchins first arrived in Kilkenny in 1643. In 1756 they built a friary known as the Poor House Chapel on Walkin Street just off the central thoroughfare of High Street. In 1848 the present-day Church of St Francis was built on this site. The current classical-style friary residence was constructed in 1897, over the basement and incorporating the fabric of the earlier, eighteenth-century building. Friary Street was the site of an ambush by the First Battalion of the IRA on a convoy of British soldiers in 1921. There were three fatalities, two IRA members and one unlucky passing civilian.



Rose Inn Street - is situated in the Cathedral parish of St Marys in the townland of the Dukes Meadows and the street name is of Norman origin. Prior to the Norman occupation of Kilkenny, only one bridge spanned the Nore, situated where Greens Bridge is now. With the building of St Johns Abbey about 1200 by the Earl Mareschal, a bridge was constructed across the Nore near the present Johns Bridge. This meant that a roadway to connect with Castle Street, now the Parade, was needed.

There is a lot of uncertainty around the origin of the name. Rose Inn Street. Some say it derives from the Rose Inn which was situated on the street but this appears to be incorrect as in a Corporation record dated 1637 it appears as Rosin Street, and in Rocques survey of the city, dated 1757, it is spelled Rozon Street. In a document from1668, it is referred to as Rosin Street, and only when the inn on the street was christened the Rose Inn later, did people then begin to call it Rose Inn Street.

Taking time to absorb these stories transforms a walk around the City into a trip back though time and allows you to imagine the life of the streets in long ago eras.

FOR MORE KILKENNY CITY NEWS, CLICK HERE
A total of 449 new residential address points were recorded in Kilkenny the 12 months to June 2025 according to the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report.

The report, prepared by EY, found that a further 531 residential buildings were under construction across the county in June 2025.

New Residential Address Points

Nationally, total of 33,002 new residential address points were added to the GeoDirectory database, representing a 5.2% increase year-on-year. The Greater Dublin Area accounted for just over half of all new address points (53.2%), while Dublin itself accounted for 12,762 (38.7%) of new addresses added in the year to Q2 2025, followed by Cork (3,363), Meath (1,830) and Kildare (1,747). Counties in Leinster accounted for over two-thirds (68.3%) of the new address points.

TAP HERE FOR KILKENNY PROPERTY NEWS

Buildings Under Construction

The total number of buildings under construction nationally in June 2025 was up 9.2%, or by 2,018 buildings, compared to June 2024. Of the 23,869 residential buildings under construction last month, 16.7% were located in Dublin (3,979 buildings), closely followed by Cork (2,876 buildings).

Vacancy Rate and Derelict Buildings

In Kilkenny, the residential vacancy rate in Q2 2025 was 3%. The national vacancy rate remained at a record low of 3.7%, which is a 0.1% decrease from the corresponding period in Q2 2024. A total of 80,328 residential properties were recorded as vacant in June 2025.

The lowest vacancy rates in the country were recorded in Dublin (1.1%), Kildare (1.6%), Waterford (2.1%) and Carlow (2.5%), while the highest residential vacancy rates continue to be found along the North and West coast. Leitrim, at 11.9% was the county with the highest vacancy rate, along with Mayo (10.6%), Roscommon (10.1%), Donegal (9.0%) and Sligo (8.4%).

Some 19,821 residential buildings were classified as derelict in June 2025, 2.9% lower compared to June 2024.

Analysis of House Prices and Transactions

Based on CSO data, the average house price nationally was 420,469 in June 2025, an increase of 9.8% year-on-year. The number of residential property transactions fell by 1.6% when compared to same period in 2024, with a total of 47,927 properties purchased in the 12-months to June 2025.

In Dublin, the average property transaction price was 585,754, the highest in the country, while the lowest average property price was Leitrim at 204,323. In Kilkenny, the average property transaction price was 333,768.

Commenting on the findings of the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, Dara Keogh, CEO of GeoDirectory said: While we've seen a significant increase in new residential address points, which is a testament to ongoing construction and development, the market continues to navigate complex issues. We continue to see low levels of vacancy in the residential property sector at 3.7% and average house prices continue to rise, now at 418,261. This reflects persistent demand, even as we observe a slight decrease in overall property transactions.

Annette Hughes, Director at EY Economic Advisory, said: The latest GeoDirectory data finds that vacancy rates have fallen in 17 counties and there has been a 2.9% drop in derelict properties nationally, reflecting a broader trend of improved utilisation of existing stock as more homes are being brought back into use. Data on the number of residential buildings under construction is also positive and looking ahead, continued collaboration between public and private sectors will be important to sustaining momentum on housing supply."
At the end of August, the German Academic International Network (GAIN) brought together early-career researchers and representatives from Germanys science, politics, and business sectors at a conference held in Boston. The GAIN conference is the largest platform outside Europe for promoting international scientific careers in Germany. A delegation from KIT also attended the event.

During a networking meeting hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT, introduced KIT to early-career researchers from top-ranking universities and represented the institution at a reception organized by the Helmholtz Association. On behalf of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Wurttemberg, he welcomed attendees to an evening event hosted by the state. We aim to further open ourselves internationally, attract talent from around the world, and ensure that these researchers remain with us in the long term, said Hesthaven. To achieve this, it is essential to showcase KITs strengths to international early-career researchers and demonstrate why they should choose KIT  a compelling research environment with a diverse and inclusive community.

cme, September 01, 2025
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A view of Historic Bethlehem's Main and West Church streets intersection that includes Central Moravian Church and Moravian University buildings is seen from the roof of Hotel Bethlehem, on May 29, 2012. Bill Adams file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com

Bethlehem will celebrate its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation with a free community block party featuring music, food, and cultural demonstrations on Saturday, Sept. 6 from noon to 7 p.m.

The celebration will be centered around Central Moravian Church, City Hall, and the West Church and Main streets area. It marks Bethlehems 2024 inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List alongside international landmarks like the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Giza.

The event will begin with an opening ceremony featuring the presentation of the official World Heritage recognition plaque along Main Street in front of the Central Moravian Church Sanctuary.

Bethlehems historic Moravian settlements gained UNESCO World Heritage status on July 26, 2024, joining similar sites in Gracehill, Northern Ireland/UK; Herrnhut, Germany; and Christiansfeld, Denmark as part of a unified World Heritage designation.

Visitors to Bethlehems celebration can explore nine historic World Heritage locations, including the 1741 Gemeinhaus and the 1748 Single Sisters House, which showcase Moravian architecture and urban planning. Tours can be reserved at historicbethlehem.org.

The celebration includes multiple music stages featuring performances by the Moravian Trombone Choir, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Central Moravian Church Choir, Mainstreet Brass and SATORI. A traditional Community Lovefeast, hosted by six Bethlehem Area Moravian Churches, will take place at 5 p.m. on the lower Church Green, followed by a free ice cream social.

The days activities include historic craft demonstrations by blacksmiths, Colonial brewers, tinsmiths, and potters. Opening ceremonies include the unveiling of the World Heritage commemorative mural near Main and Church streets, along with a time capsule ceremony.

Food trucks, including Hungry Hounds Express, Couchpota.doh!, Pats Pizza, and KTown Pub, will be on site. The event will also feature the first-ever Moravian Sugar Cake Competition, with judging taking place in the Old Chapel Basement.

Visit moravianchurchsettlements.org for more details on the Sept. 6 event.

A free community celebration noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Center City Bethlehem honors the 2024 UNESCO designation with music stages, historic tours, a traditional Moravian Lovefeast ceremony and more. Courtesy image | For lehighvalleylive.com

The community celebration also marks the first public event of Dr. Katherine Faull, appointed by Bethlehem as its first World Heritage Site Manager following a nationwide search. Faull begins her role on Sept. 1, while continuing to serve as founding vice president and executive director of the Institute for Moravian History and World Heritage at Moravian University.

In her new role, Faull will develop strategic vision for the site, enhance programming, lead tourism efforts, and strengthen international partnerships with other Moravian heritage locations.

She brings over 30 years of expertise in Moravian studies to the position. The former Bucknell University professor holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and has authored several books on Moravian history, including Moravian Womens Memoirs: Their Related Lives 1750-1820 and Speaking to Body and Soul: Instructions for the Moravian Choir Helpers 1785-86.

Katherines visionary leadership will deepen our understanding of Moravian heritage and make this history accessible to visitors worldwide, said Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds, who chairs the Moravian Church Settlements  Bethlehem World Heritage Council and Commission.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Generative AI was used to organize and structure this story, based on data provided by Moravian University and the City of Bethlehem. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com.
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As crazy as it sounds, August is officially over (Seriously, where did the month go?) But before we jump headfirst into September, we want to take a look back at the last month to share with you the products our shopping editors fell in love with.

Each month, our shopping team rounds up countless deals and covers every sale imaginable. Alongside this, were constantly testing out new products to make sure we only recommend whats truly worth your money.

Below, youll see just what we shopped this August, featuring everything from pet-friendly picks and home essentials to tons of beauty finds and everything you need for your little ones at Disney.

Ana Suarez, Manager, Content Innovation

Baublebar Large Custom Icon Tote $98 Shop now for $98. Shop now at Baublebar

Im a sucker for a good embroidered product, and this BaubleBar bag practically sang a siren song to lure me in. It puts the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote to shame. It comes in three sizes, and because Ive given up days of minimalism, I opted for the large size. My favorite thing about this bag is how personalized you can make it.

I got to choose six icons to include on the bag to make it truly my own. You can choose a font to either embolden it with your name or initials. I opted for a custom script font in soft pink with my name and fix icons that best represented me, which obviously included a pink Stanley tumbler and an espresso martini.

My customized tote, Labubu included. Ana Suarez

This bag is large, so it fits a lot. I was able to tote my laptop, Stanley, spare pair of clothes and several boxes around while doing errands. What I love most about it is the exterior key hook, which perfectly fits my hand sanitizer holder and Labubu. The interior key ring is great for keeping my car keys handy while shoving a ton of things in this bag.

Desk Nest $200 Now $159 Save 20% off for a limited time. Buy now at Desk Nest

My cats latest obsession is this Desk Nest. My oldest cat, Sirius, loves to sit with my boyfriend when he is at his desk, but Sirius is an expert at getting in the way. He would knock pictures off the desk, step on the keyboard and cause genuine mayhem until we got a Desk Nest. It just took one plop of putting him in the nest, and he realized it was a bed meant just for him at the desk.

Sirius enjoying the Desk Nest. Desk Nest

I wasnt sure if hed like it or not, given he really doesnt sleep in any other cat bed that we have, but I think the fact it is at the desk and elevated is what sold him. He likes to be high up. Now, he sleeps in it every single day. My boyfriend finally doesnt have to worry about him stomping on his keyboard all day long. But Sirius does have to worry about sharing with his sister every now and then.

Dagne Dover Daily Tote $305 Now $215 Save 29% off for a limited time. Shop now at Dagne Dover

I used to have a Vera Bradley laptop bag for the longest time, but it hasnt been functional for my needs in a while, and I felt like I needed to upgrade to a big girl bag. This Dagne Dover bag is sleek, but more importantly, extremely practical.

I am a pocket girl and it has all of the pockets I could possibly ask for. It a;sp has a thick, padded laptop sleeve pocket that fits up to 13 laptops with a magnet snap closure. There are two leather loops, which are the perfect size for my Olehenriksen lippie or my trusty baby-sized Aquaphor. Theres a slip pocket next to those that is perfect for either a slim wallet or holding AirPods. Theres a vegan leather phone pocket with a card compartment, but it is also the perfect size for myTouchland hand sanitizer. Theres a giant zip pocket and a gusset slip pocket, which can fit a small notebook. You can also keep your keys secure with the vegan leather key leash.

This month was the month of bag testing. Ana Suarez

But the star of the show? There is a neoprene insulated bottle holder that is perfect for my Stanley. Essentially, this Dagne Dover felt like it was designed literally with me in mind.

Furbo 360 Cat Camera $210 Now $169 Save 20% off for a limited time. Buy now at Amazon

Im a cat mom of two, and Ive had a lot of cameras over the years to watch over my furry little friends like a hawk, but none of them are as good as the Furbo 360 Cat Camera. The selling point of this product is the fact that I can spin it around 360, just as the name implies.

With my previous cameras, the fact that I couldnt move them around to find which corner of the room my cat was sleeping in drove me nuts. With this Furbo, I have a full view of the room and I can locate my cats when they are hiding. The 2-way audio is a great feature, too, so I can talk to them when Im not there. Theres even a feather toy attached that lets me play with them virtually!

My one cat gets pretty intense during playtime, so we havent tested out the feather toy too much, or else I fear hed knock the whole thing over. This is available in a few models, one model that requires a subscription ($54 on sale, with a 3-month required $5.75/mo subscription cost) and one that does not ($169 on sale).

Someone's ready for a treat! Ana Suarez

Check out our full review of the Furbo 360 Cat Camera here.

Victoria Rosenthal, Associate Editor, SEO + Commerce

LINENSPA Memory Foam Mattress Topper $50 Now $45 Save 10% off for a limited time. Shop now at Amazon

My mattress, although I only bought it three years ago, is already starting to sink and lose its plush feel. Since my grandma was visiting earlier this month, I decided to get a temporary fix with a memory foam mattress topper so I went with LINENSPAs 2 Inch Gel Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper. This one is Mama-approved!

She enjoyed the added plushness during her stay. Also, Ive been loving how it has revived my mattress for the time being. Im still on the fence if the cooling feature is really as great as the brand claims, but right out of the box, the topper has allowed me to relax and sleep better with the enhanced comfort.

Sarah M. Vazquez Associate Editor, Commerce

Beekman 1802 Magnesium Milk Barrier Reset Jelly Mist $29 Now $25 Save 13% off for a limited time. $25

Anyone who has ever dealt with rosacea knows how hard finding new products that actually work can be, but this month brought me Beekman 1802s Magnesium Milk Barrier Reset Jelly Mist and I couldnt be happier.

So, whats to love? While most redness sprays are 99.9% water, this jelly mist uses a unique aloe base filled with calming ingredients that protect skin while tackling the root cause of irritation and redness  cortisol  like heartleaf, super greens, goat milk and the brands Magnesium+ Complex.

The first time I used this spray, my skin felt immediately soothed, and within about half an hour, I noticed a visible amount of redness reduction. I was shocked. After using it consistently for more than a month now, I can confirm: this is a life-changing product. Plus, it doesnt hurt that it earned a coveted seal from the National Rosacea Society.

My new holy-grail rosacea product. Sarah M. Vazquez

New Balance 327 $100 Shop now for $100. Shop now at New Balance

If youre looking for a pair of sneakers for your next vacation that can handle a lot of steps without cramping your style, youre going to want to pick up the New Balance 327 sneakers.

After seeing many people online rave about these sneakers for travel, I decided to make them my pick during a trip to London. The 327s rarely left my feet as I clocked in thousands of steps a day. Best of all, they really do live up to their style claims. I am not usually a sneaker and dress person, but with these, I never felt off my game and most importantly, never had any pain.

When at King's Cross Station... Sarah M. Vazquez

Dawn Magyar, Commerce Writer

Milwaukee 2726-20 M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-ion Brushless Cordless Hedge Trimmer $320 Shop now for $320. Buy Now on Amazon

Most of my buys over the last month have been outdoor-focused as my husband and I continue the never-ending battle of yardwork. The grass continues to grow, the weeds never stop and the bushes definitely need cutting, which brings me to my latest buy  a hedge trimmer.

After years of using a corded hedge trimmer, it was time for a battery-powered upgrade with the Milwaukee M18 Hedge Trimmer. This stealthy 18V powerhouse of a trimmer literally cut down the time and hassle of cutting our bushes, which to me is a lifesaver.

There was no fear of cutting the cord and the blades were as sharp as a butcher knife. A few trims here and there, a little clean up and I was enjoying the rest of my Saturday.

This was a spendy buy and a hard one to find a deal on but, if youre lucky, youll find it in stock at Walmart at a discount or on Amazon.

After picking this up, I doubt I'll ever go back to a corded hedge trimmer. Dawn Magyar

Chilino Back Seat Extender for Dogs $75 Now $50 Save 33% off for a limited time. Buy Now on Amazon

My next buy for the month is one I actually picked up in July but have just recently had the chance to use. This Dog Car Seat Cover has been a godsend with its protective liner that not only covers my SUVs backseat but also the side panels of my doors.

My two golden retrievers are completely comfortable when riding in it, and their fluffy golden hairs stay at bay, too. The best part of the cover is the netting that keeps them off the center console  because no one likes a backseat driver.

I got this Dog Car Seat Cover for a steal, and its on sale now for just $50. Its also easy to install and its waterproof too. Grab this one on Amazon for 33% off.

This extender is 100% pet-approved. Dawn Magyar

Danielle Hailbey, Commerce Writer

Disney Princess Rapunzel Dress $20 Shop now for $20. Buy now on Amazon

When we first started planning our trip to Disney, my sister and I knew that whenever we went to Magic Kingdom, wed have to do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique extra with our daughters. My mini-me, Mykhaila (who will be 6 years old in October), adores Rapunzel, and my niece, Mackenzie (who turns 4 years old in December), loves every princess, but being that her favorite color is pink, Aurora was her girl.

Its no secret that Disney is an expensive trip, so we took the BYOD (bring your own dress) advice of every mom whos ever done BBB with their own littles, and we bought our princess fits in advance. Of course, as busy, overstimulated moms, we did order the dresses a little last-minute. Amazon Prime came through for us, though, with free delivery in just a few days.

Myk and Kenzies $20 purple and pink ensembles were on point. Just the right touch of glitz and sparkle, sewn-on cameos of blondie and Sleeping Beauty for fan service and silhouettes that served as the perfect blank canvases for the girls enchanted glow-ups: makeup, nails and expertly coiffed hairdos. And the biggest coup  beyond their adorable transformations  was not having to break the bank with this extra park perk.

Mykhaila and Mackenzie adored their dresses! Danielle Halibey

Old Navy x Disney Mickey Mouse Logo Flag Graphic T-Shirt in White Lilies $20 Now $10 Available in three colorways  White Lilies, Mickey Mouse Hot Dog (Red), and Heather Gray  in sizes XS to 4XL Shop now at Old navy

My feelings have always been to go all in, when I dress for vacation. And Im a big believer that if you dont wear at least one Mickey shirt during your WDW trip, did it really even happen? So, naturally, I stocked up on all the Disney-influenced outfits for my kids throughout the entire summer.

There truly is no shortage of places to shop for character tops, bottoms, shoes, hats, bags, etc., but some of the pieces skew a little too baby for my 8-year-old son. Thats why I was pumped when Old Navy x Disney dropped their first collaboration back in May.

I got several items from the debut collection, including a hat my oldest wore all week and quite a few graphic tees with Mickey as their muse. Granted, he also wore a lot of Star Wars stuff, but whenever it was Mickey (on the plane, out to a character breakfast at Chef Mickeys, etc.), it was from Old Navy. A lot of things we brought with us are on sale right now! And Ive already added a bunch of new back-to-school styles to cart, because theyre equal parts festive and fashionable.

Disney fashion is in full effect. Danielle Hailbey

YQXCC 4-Pack Cooling Towels $17 Now $13 Save 23% off for a limited time. Buy now on Amazon

Going to Disney World in August, with multiple hot, sweaty and temperature-triggered little ones, well, its not for the faint of heart. We got through the week with lightweight clothing, ice-cold, to-the-brim-filled water bottles, portable turbo fans and these amazing cooling towels.

My husband ordered them on Amazon a few weeks before our vacation, along with our ponchos. Even though I might have chosen the 4-pack in more neutral colors, the fact that each of our kids could have their own color, made things a lot calmer, cooler and collected. They were a lifesaver when we were navigating through the parks every day. Thanks to their hyper-evaporative mesh material, the towels activated in seconds with just water (we used extra cold water from our own insulated bottles and water fountains, whenever we saw them).

My husband would do a quick soak, wring and shake, and then drape them around the kids necks whenever theyd start complaining they were too hot. And because each towel came with its own compressed pouch and carabiner clip, it was easy to throw one in each of our backpacks, totes and in the stroller undercarriage, to ensure we always had one available.

Trust me, these are going to become your next Disney essential. Danielle Hailbey

Amanda Edelman, Commerce Writer

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Positive Light Luminizing Lip Gloss $20 Shop for $20. Buy now at Sephora

As a lover of all lip balms and a certified Rare Beauty fan, my top pick this month is the Rare Beauty Positive Light Luminizing Lip Gloss in Glimmer. I love the iconic, easy-to-open packaging and the formula is out of this world shimmery with champagne and rose gold pearlescent accents.

Yes, it is $20, which is steeper than your average drugstore lip gloss, but its worth the investment. The formula lasts longer than a typical gloss. The classic pink color is pretty and the non-sticky formula is moisturizing, so I can avoid extra-dry lips after it fades away. Instead, the gloss provides ample hydration with a hint of cant-miss shine.

That shimmer speaks for itself. Amanda Edelman

Nicole Iuzzolino, Commerce Writer

Cocofloss Cocobrush $10 Shop now for $10. Buy now on Amazon

I have always had sensitive gums, and the hard bristles on my toothbrushes always hurt them and often times I would bleed or irritate the gums. So, my dentist recommended I purchase this Cocobrush on Amazon, and I can see it has made my teeth brushing experience so much better.

Its beyond soft and gentle on the gums, and yet I still feel like it cleans my teeth way better than any other toothbrush I have used in the past. Plus, the product is designed by two women, who are also sisters, which makes me love supporting this company even more. I also cannot get over how cute the colors of the brushes are!

Choose from five fun colors, including this bold pink. Nicole Iuzzolino

lemontini peptide lip tint $20 Shop this limited-edition tint while you can. Buy now at Rhode

As someone who loves a good lip product, and I have tried so many, the Rhode Lemontini is one I have reached for all August. This Rhode tint smells like a lemon cocktail, which is the only scent I want on my lips for the rest of summer.

Its a sheer and highly moisturizing formula thats also shimmery when applied to the lips. I am a girl who loves her Rhode products, so if you need a lip product that is good for day or nighttime looks, get your hands on Rhode Lemontini ASAP.

This lip tint is the ultimate beauty essential. Nicole Iuzzolino

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Sarah M. Vazquez can be reached at svazquez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
Every year, the Electric Picnic has provided a platform for Laois talent to entertain and attract a bigger following, and 2025 was no different.



Timahoe Male Choir got most attention for their energetically entertaining Main Stage concert, others were also pleasing Picnicers with music and song.

Among the Laois artists entertaining were the Stradbally Community Choir who took to the Hazelwood Stage on Sunday afternoon.

Set up just a year ago, the Community group performed a range of hits that had their audience singing and dancing in the rain. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Stradbally Community Choir. Pic: Alf Harvey

Another group that went down a treat on Sunday was the Laois Music Generation-backed Laois Harp Ensemble.

The collective is made of local players who were as professional as any other who took the main stage in the Croi. A highlight of their set were songs in English and Irish by Fleadh Cheoil champion and Camross Comhaltas member Laura Scott. The Ensemble included two Laois tundes in their performance. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Members also took to the stage of the first-ever Electric Picnic Harp stage late on Sunday in Croi.

Laois talent also graced the enchanting Hazelwood stage through the weekend.

Among them were dancers from the Dance On Stage School in Mountmellick who competed in the annual Electric Youth competition run by Youth Work Laois in advance of the Electric Picnic. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Dance On Stage at the Picnic. Pic Alf Harvey

A total of eight Mountmellick teenagers, all of whom attend Mountmellick Community School, were lucky enough to win a chance to perform on both Saturday and Sunday at Electric Picnic. They are the first dance group to ever win a place in this competition.

Ruth Rawlinson, Roisin Rawlinson, Sarah O'Baro, Olivia Falade, Amber Owens, Lily Donohoe, Lacey Dent, Amerah Bennett, Katie Dunne and Alexis Kelly make up Dance on Stage.

Also on Sunday, Portlaoise band The Controversy performed at The Hazelwood Stage after winning a chance to play at the Picnic at the Electric Youth final in the Dunamaise Arts Centre in August. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

The Controversy on stage. Pic: Alf Harvey

A big local following turn out early on Sunday to enjoy The Controversy gig. The group members are Erin Byrne, Adam Reilly, Aidan Dermody and Neive Lealth.

Another Laois band to entertain at the Picnic were Laois band Byro  formerly known as Coolboy  a four-piece indie rock band.

READ ALSO: The Laois Harp Ensemble on stage WATCH

The Laois band comprises of Tadgh ODwyer (lead vocals and guitar), Fionn Devoy (lead guitar), Ruairi Phelan (drums) and Alex Power (bass). They also performed on the Hazelwood Stage. Stradbally's very own Alice Laffan, Just Alice, also wowed crowds on Friday.

Lots of photos from the PICNIC HERE
The search is officially underway to find the An Post Bookshop of the Year for 2025. The category is now back for the fifth year running in the An Post Irish Book Awards, the annual literary event that celebrates and promotes Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible.

The An Post Bookshop of the Year category acknowledges the vital role played by independent bookshops and local branches of bookshop chains in helping their local communities to find and enjoy their titles of choice. Previous winners include:

Little Acorns Bookstore, Derry - 2024

Halfway Up the Stairs in Greystones - 2023

Bridge Street Books, Wicklow - 2022

Kennys Bookshop and Art Gallery, Galway - 2021

Kildare bookshop customers can visit www.anpost.com/bookshopoftheyear to submit a nomination for their own personal favourite bookshop and outline the reason for their choice. Readers can also enter by scanning the QR code on posters within their preferred bookshop and following the instructions. Everyone who votes will be entered into a draw to win 1 of 3 100 One4all vouchers.

Nominations for the An Post Bookshop of the Year will close at midnight on Friday, September 19. The 12 bookshops around Ireland who receive the most online votes will then be longlisted and invited by the judges to enter a written submission. Mystery shoppers will also visit the 12 shops as part of the judging process.

Following this, a shortlist of six shops will be finalised for the An Post Bookshop of the Year which will be officially announced in October. The overall winner will be presented with their trophy at the An Post Irish Book Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 27 in the Convention Centre Dublin. The winner will receive a trophy along with a prize worth 15,000 from An Post Commerce.

Celebrating its 20th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. The initiative brings together a vast community passionate about books  readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians  to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent and 2025 will be no different.

Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, said: Across Ireland, bookshops play a vital role in local communities, serving as cultural and social hubs for people of all ages. We created this category to honour the invaluable impact that bookshops and booksellers have on their local areas and the wider Irish book world. We are delighted to be celebrating the fifth anniversary of this award, which is an major milestone and a testament to the incredible bookshops across Ireland. We encourage everyone to show their support by voting for their favourite local bookshop in the An Post Bookshop of the Year award.

Categories in the An Post Irish Book Awards include Novel of the Year, Childrens (Junior and Senior), Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Non-fiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language. A television programme will be broadcast on RTE One television in December, culminating in one of the 2025 winning titles being announced as the An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025.

Maria Dickenson, Chair of Bookselling Ireland, said: Bookshops across Ireland are central to community life - enriching our cultural and literary landscape. Day in and day out, booksellers spark a love of reading and give a platform to Irish authors and stories. The An Post Bookshop of the Year award is a wonderful way for readers to show their appreciation and celebrate the unique role their local bookshop plays in connecting people with books.

Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director of An Post Mails & Parcels said: Booksellers are the heartbeat of Irelands literary landscape. The An Post Bookshop of the Year award recognises their dedication and the pivotal role they play in inspiring new generations of readers. Booksellers arent just adapting, theyre setting the pace. An Post is committed to helping booksellers continue growing their online business and Making Better Happen for their customers and communities every day.

PICTURES: Young and old enjoying Electric Picnic - can you spot yourself or a friend?
A public representative based in County Kildare has expressed his solidarity with striking school secretaries and caretakers.

Social Democrats councillor Chris Pender, who is based in the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District, expressed support for school secretaries and caretakers within Ireland currently engaged in industrial action.

According to Cllr Pender, their treatment by the government has been "indefensible and deeply unjust".

Explaining his views, Cllr Pender said: "School secretaries and caretakers are the backbone of our education system. Without their dedication, our schools simply cannot function.

"Yet, despite working alongside teachers and Special Needs Assistants in public buildings, they have been consistently denied the same entitlements including pension security, bereavement leave, and critical illness leave; this two-tier system is indefensible."

Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender.

He continued: "The government has had every opportunity to resolve this dispute, but instead it has ignored the legitimate demands of these essential workers.

"It beggars belief that, after decades of service, many school secretaries and caretakers face retirement without any pension provision; that is an appalling injustice and must be addressed immediately."

Cllr Pender also referenced a call made by his party's Education Spokesperson Jennifer Cummins TD, who has appealed to the Departments of Education and Public Expenditure to return to the negotiating table "without delay".

Doubling down on his stance, Cllr Pender said: "I stand firmly with the Forsa [the trade union which represents many members of the public service] members who have taken the difficult decision to strike.

"They do not want to be on picket lines they want to be in schools, supporting children, families, and teachers," he claimed. "The responsibility for this disruption lies squarely at the door of government, whose refusal to engage is irresponsible and damaging to school communities."

Cllr Pender also encouraged members of the public to show their support for striking school staff: "This is not just a fight for fair treatment for secretaries and caretakers it is a fight for justice, dignity, and equality in our education system.

"I urge parents, students, and communities across Kildare and beyond to stand with these workers."

He concluded: "Their struggle is a just one, and the government must be left in no doubt that the public expects a fair resolution."

The Department of Education has been contacted by the Leinster Leader for comment in relation to Cllr Pender's views.

UPDATE  September 2, 2025 at 1.45pm approx  The below statement was provided by a spokesperson for the Department in response to Cllr Pender's comments:

The department recognises the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities.

In recent years, we have made progress in improving the terms and conditions of school secretaries. This has included secretaries pay being linked to any increases in pay under public sector agreements, improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement.

Where a school employs a staff member as a secretary that staff member is not a public servant but an employee of the school, and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.

School secretaries and caretakers, like other non-public-service-employees, will also be covered by the new Auto Enrolment (AE) scheme - My Future Fund.

This scheme will provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement savings and will automatically enrol eligible employees into a pension plan, allowing them to save for retirement with contributions from themselves, their employer, and the State. AE is expected to be implemented from January 1, 2026.

The Department of Education and Youth will continue to engage with all parties in the coming days including the Workplace Relations Commission, which remains available to assist with the resolution of this dispute.

During this action, all schools are expected to open for all students.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Since an agreement reached in February 2022, school secretaries have been assimilated to the payroll of the Department of Education and Youth, providing significant benefits in terms of pay and access to leave. This included improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement. Secretaries receive annualised salaries where they have opted-in and no longer have to sign on in summer. It was also agreed that pay increases under future national agreements will be passed on to secretaries and this has happened with each pay increase since the implementation of the agreement. We are committed to ensuring that grant-funded school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a similar agreement that was offered to grant-funded school secretaries.

The agreement did not grant public servant status to school secretaries and therefore school secretaries do not have access to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.

School secretaries and caretakers, like other non-public-service-employees, will also be covered by the new Auto Enrolment (AE) scheme - My Future Fund. This scheme will provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement savings and will automatically enrol eligible employees into a pension plan, allowing them to save for retirement with contributions from themselves, their employer, and the State. AE is expected to be implemented from 1 Jan 2026.

BACKGROUND NOTE

Most primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide for certain services under grant schemes, for example, secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions that staff member is an employee of the school and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.

In 2019, Forsa trade union tabled a claim seeking parity for these staff with education and training board (ETB) clerical public service staff. Following extensive engagement, agreement was reached in February 2022 in respect of school secretaries. The agreement provided for secretaries, who signed up for the package, to be moved to a pay scale aligned with that of Grade III/CO and for some enhanced terms and conditions including improved leave entitlements and maternity provisions.

READ NEXT: Looking for a splash of colour? Art fair to take place on Kildare border
Nanning of S China's Guangxi cultivates AI industry oriented toward ASEAN

People's Daily Online) 10:00, September 01, 2025

Journalists participating in the event "Sharing New Opportunities, Advancing Together into the FutureGuangxi in the Eyes of International Media" toured artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Aug. 27. They were able to experience a close-up look at the city's efforts in nurturing and scaling up its AI sector, with a strong focus on establishing a leading AI hub facing the ASEAN region.

The China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center in Wuxiang New District, Nanning features a tech-focused atmosphere. Guided by the core concept of "smart ASEAN," it masterfully blends futuristic technology, ASEAN cultural elements, intelligent interaction and immersive experiences, showcasing the charm and application potential of AI.

Journalists participating in the event "Sharing New Opportunities, Advancing Together into the FutureGuangxi in the Eyes of International Media" take photos in the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Aug. 27, 2025. (Chinanews.com/Huang Yanmei)

The first phase of the exhibition center of the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center, which has been completed and is in trial operation, brings together 16 ASEAN companies. With facilities such as exhibition halls, service halls, AI factories, and liaison centers for ASEAN countries, the project serves as a comprehensive platform for exhibition, exchange, industrial collaboration, and cross-border synergy, positioning itself as a key hub for AI cooperation between China and ASEAN.

The AI exhibition hall, for example, utilizes an AI-guided tour system with cutting-edge technologies such as naked-eye 3D and holographic projection. It offers a full-spectrum view of China's achievements in artificial intelligence technology and its cooperative exchanges with ASEAN.

"Thanks to the enhanced computing capabilities and deeper model exploration at the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center, our company is poised to drive AI's role in cross-border e-commercehelping AI applications shift quickly from 'small-scale testing' to 'giant leaps'," said Li Zhiping, president of Lazbao. As a cross-border e-commerce enterprise, the company plans to leverage Nanning's geographic advantages and the Center's resources to promote AI-powered customer service and other applications in ASEAN countries.

Runjian Co., Ltd., a leading integrated service provider of information and communication technology in Nanning, has established 24 data centers across ASEAN countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The company's AI systems for urban governance, energy operations, smart education, and smart agriculture have been successfully applied in ASEAN countries.

A journalist participating in the event "Sharing New Opportunities, Advancing Together into the FutureGuangxi in the Eyes of International Media" shakes hands with a robot in the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Aug. 27, 2025. (Chinanews.com/Huang Yanmei)

Maiyue Technology Co., Ltd., another leading AI enterprise in Nanning, is making strides across education, government services, and business solutions. According to an executive of the company, it specializes in core technologies like AI, cloud computing, and big data, and has already launched more than 50 products including AI translation glasses and AI translation cards. Many of its products, such as its teaching quality evaluation system, are widely used in many universities in Guangxi.

In February this year, the company reached a cooperation agreement with a Vietnamese enterprise. It is also actively building a presence in Malaysia and Cambodia to shape a regional digital ecosystem and promote the global expansion of Chinese technology standards.

Photo shows journalists participating in the event "Sharing New Opportunities, Advancing Together into the FutureGuangxi in the Eyes of International Media" in the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Innovation Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Aug. 27. (Chinanews.com/Huang Yanmei)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Local Fianna Fail Minister James Lawless TD has welcomed the announcement this week by the National Transport Authority (NTA) of new Child Leap Card products, which will provide significantly reduced fares for young passengers across the Dublin Commuter area, including Co Kildare.

The new fares, which take effect from Monday, September 1, will deliver a 67% discount on adult fares for all under-18s, improving on the 50% discount previously in place.

Minister Lawless said: This is a very positive development for families and young people right across Dublin and the commuter belt. Affordable public transport is essential in ensuring that children and students can access school, sports, social and cultural activities without placing undue financial pressure on households.

READ NEXT: Kildare TD calls for report into Naas General Hospital

The expansion of the Child Leap Card discount is a welcome step in making sustainable travel more attractive, accessible and affordable for the next generation.

The new child products apply across the Dublin Commuter Leap fare zones (Zones 2, 3 and 4), covering rail, bus and Luas journeys into the central Dublin zone. Onward travel within the city is included at no additional cost.

For example, children commuting from towns such as Kilcock, and Sallins/Naas currently pay 16.00 per week. From September, the new weekly fare will be 10.60, representing a 33% saving.

Minister Lawless added: Public transport must work for families. These improved discounts match the percentage savings already available to children in the Dublin City Zone, and will make a real difference to those commuting daily into the city.

I want to thank the NTA for listening to public representatives and to families who raised concerns earlier this year, and for acting quickly to put a fairer system in place.

The new products will be available for daily, weekly and monthly Child Leap fares and can be purchased via the Leap Top-Up App or at www.leapcard.ie
Leitrim councillor Enda McGloin has called for action to address the number of vacant homes in the county following the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, which revealed that Leitrim has the highest level of vacant buildings in the country.

According to the report, the highest residential vacancy rates remain concentrated along the north and west coasts, with Leitrim standing out at 11.9 percent. This makes it the county with the most significant vacancy issue nationwide.

There is still a significant amount, and I think there needs to be pressure applied to owners of these buildings who are holding on to them for some reason or another, said McGloin.

Fire brigade to host road traffic collision demonstration in North Leitrim

The Drumshanbo councillor told Shannonside that he believes incentives are needed to ensure vacant homes are brought back into use: There should be some way of applying a sliding charge on those that accumulate year to year to force their hand on thiseither do something with them, sell them, or give a legitimate reason why they cant.

Nationally, the average vacancy rate in Q2 2025 was 3.7 percent, with 80,328 residential properties recorded as vacant in June 2025. Over the past twelve months, vacancy rates fell in 17 counties, pointing to some improvement. Dublin recorded the lowest vacancy rate at 1.1 percent.

Construction activity also rose nationally, increasing by 9.2 percent in June (2,018 buildings) compared with June 2024.

Leitrim holds onto top spot for vacant buildings as national rate drops

However, Leitrim lags far behind. Together with Longford, the two counties saw fewer than 150 buildings under construction in total, highlighting the regions lack of building momentum. Neighboring counties also remain among the highest in terms of vacancy: Mayo (10.6 percent), Roscommon (10.1 percent), Donegal (9 percent), and Sligo (8.4 percent).

More than a third of all derelict residential buildings in Ireland are located in Connacht, at 38.2 percent.

Meanwhile, house prices are rising across the country. The national average price increased by 9.8 percent to 420,469, according to CSO figures.

Dublin remains the most expensive market, with an average property transaction price of 585,754, while Leitrim sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, with the lowest average price in the country at 204,323.
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LIMERICK Writers' Centre will host a one-day intensive workshop, encouraging participants to create their own poetry and short stories.

The introductory workshop will take place at the People's Museum of Limerick in Pery Square on Saturday, September 27.

A poetry session will be held from 10am to 12.30pm followed by a short story session from 2pm to 4.30pm.

The workshop costs 80 and will be led by Orfhlaith Foyle, a Galway-based poet and short story writer.

READ MORE: New chapter as Limerick man appointed to national board of directors

"This workshop aims to encourage participants to realize how intrinsic poetry and short stories are to life, and how each form thrives on the truth and imagination of the writer," explains Foyle. "By the end of the day, each participant will have created their own poetry and begun their own short story."

Founded in 2008, The Limerick Writers Centre is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing and supporting writers through workshops, readings, and publishing initiatives. Since 2009, the Centre has published 204 titles under its Community Publishing Programme, establishing itself as a vital resource for the Irish literary community.

The workshop will include comprehensive materials such as handouts, writer quotes, reading lists, and website links to support continued learning beyond the session.
A LIMERICK man charged with the possession of a sawn-off shotgun in the city has been remanded in custody after he appeared before a special court sitting.

Gardai brought Liam Lika Casey before Limerick District Court on Saturday afternoon where he was charged in connection with a garda investigation into gunshots fired at a house last year.

READ NEXT: Gardai arrest suspect over threatening Limerick pub staff with knife

Mr Casey, aged 42, with an address at Hyde Road, Prospect, Limerick city did not speak during the brief procedural hearing before Judge Fiona Brennan.

Mr Casey was charged with possessing a twelve-gauge, double-barrelled, sawn-off shotgun, with intent to commit an indictable criminal offence.

The charge, contrary to Section 27(B) of the Firearms Act 1964, carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison upon conviction.

Mr Casey is accused of having the gun at Meagher Avenue, Priors Land, Limerick city, located just off Hyde Road, Ballinacurra Weston, on November 8, 2024.

Garda Sean OConnor, of Roxboro Road Garda station, informed the court he arrested and charged Mr Casey on Friday, August 29.

Garda OConnor gave evidence that Mr Casey made no reply to the charge after caution. Gardai told Judge Brennan they were opposed to Mr Casey being granted bail.

Mr Caseys solicitor, Tom Kiely, told the court Mr Casey was not seeking bail.

Gardai said they were awaiting further directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the case.

Mr Kiely said Mr Casey was in receipt of social welfare and he would require free legal aid. Judge Brennan granted Mr Kielys application for legal aid on behalf of the accused.

Mr Casey was embraced by family members in court before he was remanded in custody.

He is to appear before Limerick District Court again on Tuesday, September 2 for further directions from the DPP.
As generative AI and automation disrupted hiring at Indias software services providers, burgeoning captive centres of global companies stood out as top recruiters. But even that comfort may be short-lived for tech job aspirants.

At least three global capability centres (GCCs) said headcount requirements for certain roles are expected to decline due to AI. Two of them added that the employee count will cease to define a GCC's size.

With AI coming in, maybe in two to three years time, we won't even talk about the number of people, because that might not be the right metric in which a GCC will be benchmarked," said Arvind Srinivasan, chief financial officer at Thryve Digital Health, a captive centre of a US firm.

It could definitely be a fair summary" that the number of people the GCC hires will be less than previously envisaged, according to Thryves Srinivasan.If today (work for the parent company) is being done by say 2,000 people as we talked about; let's say I'm looking at 3,000-people work coming into this part of the world, I might do it with 2,000."

Also Read | How ChatGPT convinced techie to kill mother and self

The anticipation could spell trouble for engineers graduating from colleges next year, as GCCs have been growing and offering fatter paychecks. Thats when the countrys largest information technology (IT) services companies have been hiring fewer people. According to the industry lobby National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), India's $283-billion IT industry employs about 5.8 million people, with GCCs accounting for almost a third of the headcount and at least $64.6 billion in export revenue.

Srinivasan does not foresee immediate job cuts due to AI and expects investments in GCC to increase. Currently, Thryve incorporates AI for the parent company in various internal and customer-facing uses, ranging from customer invoicing to customising patient data for each doctor based on their treatment preferences.

Thryve is the GCC of Pennsylvania-based Highmark Health, a healthcare delivery and financing firm, and employs 3,600 people in Chennai and Hyderabad. Highmark Health ended the last fiscal with $29.4 billion in revenue.

Also Read | Cargo City to drive Delhi Airports next growth phase

Focus on skills

A top executive at a second GCC said AI is leading to a hiring shift towards more skill-dependent roles.

One is the skill-set that we are looking at is focused more and more on things like data science, things like people with skills that are going to help us accelerate, so the hiring shift has been much more towards the skill sets that we'll need," said Suresh Kumar, global chief technology officer and chief development officer of Walmart Inc.

Does that imply consolidation or hiring fewer people going forward? Not necessarily," said Kumar. In particular areas, we might reduce. In particular areas, we might increase."

Walmart, the worlds largest retailer, set up its GCC in Bengaluru last December. It has since expanded to Chennai with a 4,500-seat office. Mint could not ascertain the total GCC headcount, and Walmart declined to comment.

However, the retailer whose revenue jumped 5% last year to $681 billion on account of its US business, laid off about 1,500 of its staff across roles, including tech-facing ones, in India.

Tesco India, too, said that its GCC headcount may remain stagnant due to AI.

Its no longer about headcount. Its a skill-count play, that is, the skill and capability that we build. I could go up to 5,500 (employees) or remain at 5,000 as we guide automation," said Sumit Mitra, chief executive of Tesco India, in an interaction with Mint this March. It depends on what capability I am building, what I need to hire from the outside, and what I need to grow from the inside. It is very difficult to pinpoint."

The British retailer reported GBP 69.9 billion ($93.4 billion) in revenue last fiscal, up 2.5%. Its GCCs in Budapest, Bengaluru, Scotland, and Ireland employ up to 8,000 people, about 2.3% of its 338,000-strong workforce. Its India centre is its biggest, employing two-thirds of its entire GCC workforce.

Cost pressures

GCCs that function as cost centers for the enterprise will be under pressure due to gen AI adoption since the focus will be to reduce costs using gen AI," Kotak Institutional Equities analysts Kawaljeet Saluja, Sathishkumar S, and Vamshi Krishna said in a 16 June note.

This implies that Gen AI-induced cost cuts may hurt GCCs as parent companies might use Gen AI to handle mundane back-end tech work rather than hire people for it.

Large companies employ consulting firms such as ANSR or partner with IT services providers in India to set up and run tech centres for a fixed amount of time before the ownership is transferred back to themunder the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

Kotak Institutional Equitiesanalysts said such IT outsourcers that partner with GCCs are poised to gain from the AI push. System integrators that provide solutions to enterprises as opposed to staffing are strategically more important and are better positioned."

Homegrown tech service providers are doubling down on their partnerships with GCCs. Mint reported on 15 August that mid-sized IT services companies such as Mphasis Ltd and Hexaware Technologies Ltd are investing in advisory firms that help large corporations set up GCCs in India.

On 10 July, Mphasis invested $4 million in Aokah, a US-based GCC advisory firm, for a 26% stake. Similarly, Hexaware Technologies acquired SMC Squared, another GCC advisory firm, on 17 July for $120 million.

The opportunity for boutique advisory firms to run these GCCs is huge. India has more than 1,760 GCCs, of which 875 are based in Bengaluru alone, while Hyderabad has about 355. The rest are located in cities such as Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Chennai.

Nasscom estimates that the number of GCCs in India will surge to 2,200 by March 2030, with a market size of $105 billion.

Meanwhile, the countrys top IT outsourcers, including Infosys Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Wipro Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd, and LTIMindtree Ltd, have been setting up independent GCC units internally for the past two years.
One of the most closely watched public listings in the consumer-tech space is around the corner, with eyewear retailer Lenskart filing its draft papers in August.

Founded in 2008 and starting out as an online-only player in 2010, the company entered offline retail in 2013 and has since scaled to 2,067 stores across India. In a highly fragmented market, Lenskart stands out as a rare consumer-tech venture that has built both scale and market leadership.

Heres a look at five strengths driving its storyand the risks investors should watch out for.

Growth: Seeing a future

When Lenskart entered the eyewear market, the space was fragmented and dominated by scattered local players. Titan had already launched its Eye+ division in 2007, but the category remained a small piece of its larger jewellery-led empire.

Lenskart, starting later, quickly overtook Titan Eye+its revenues were already 1.8 times bigger in FY20 and had surged to 8.3 times by FY25. The companys edge came from a hybrid strategy of online accessibility and offline reach, backed by heavy investment in a vertically integrated supply chain that spans design, manufacturing, and retail.

Profitability: Wider outlook

Spotting potential beyond India, Lenskart exported its value-for-money, tech-enabled model to global marketsexpanding largely across Asia, at times through acquisitions.

Its biggest move came in 2022 with the purchase of Japanese eyewear brand Owndays, followed by its foray into Europe last month via a 407 crore acquisition of Spanish label Meller.

Unlike peers such as Zomato or Ola, which have scaled back their international bets, Lenskart has sustained a strong overseas presence. By FY25, nearly 40% of its revenues came from outside India.

Notably, its international operations are more profitable: while domestic product margins stood at 63%, overseas margins were higher at 74%. Even after accounting for marketing and commissions, operating margins landed in the 1217% range.

Stores: New look

As it seeks to expand its store count further, these expense heads will keep margins under pressure.

Lenskarts draft prospectus pegs its store footprint in India at 1.65 million sq. ftover 2.3 times that of its closest organized rival in prescription eyewear. While its store fronts have multiple sizes, there is a brand consistency in look and feel.

Between March 2023 and March 2025, Lenskart has increased its total store count from 1,959 to 2,723. Stores in India have accounted for 85% of this expansion. Titan Eye+, by comparison, has about 700 stores in India and seven outside India. In its proposed issue, Lenskart plans to raise fresh funds of up to 2,150 crore. Of this, it has earmarked 273 crore towards capital expenditurestore setup costs and additional equipmentfor about 620 new stores by March 2029.

Demand: Looking beyond

Lenskart divides its India business into three markets: the eight metros, where it runs 900 stores; 39 Tier-I cities with 469 stores; and Tier-II and smaller towns, where it operates 698 outlets.

The numbers suggest ample headroom to expand across all segments. According to a Redseer report cited in its draft prospectus, India sells 214263 million eyeglasses annually.

Also Read | Lenskart leans into small-town India as IPO nears

In FY25, Lenskart sold 22.9 million unitsjust about 10.7% at the lower end of the market size, underlining its modest share. Redseer also flagged a large unmet need: with penetration at only 3253%, millions who require vision correction still go without glassesa gap Lenskart hopes to close.

Manufacturing: Vertical integration

The risk for Lenskart is its expansion running way ahead of demand or an inability to draw incremental sales. It is investing a lot in every aspect of the businessfrom stores to manufacturing capacity, from foraying into new markets to acquiring new brands. A lot of this is in the physical spaceafter all, stores accounted for 76% of Lenskarts eyewear bookings in India and 97% internationally.

Lenskart also has four manufacturing plants: in Gurugram and Bhiwadi in Haryana, Singapore, and Dubai. All of them operated far from capacity in 2024-25, clocking a combined utilisation of just 48%. Yet, the company is investing 1,500 crore in a new facility in Telangana. One reading of this is that Lenskart is confident of its integrated business model and growth prospects. But if business growth doesnt keep pace with all the building, it could come back to bite Lenskart.

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Mobile phone users may be in for another round of tariff hikes this year ahead of Jio Platformss initial public offering of shares in the first half of 2026, telecom industry analysts predict.

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel Ltd recently eliminated their cheapest pricing layer to boost their average revenue per user, a key telecom industry metric. At 250, Airtel has a higher Arpu than Jios 208.8.

Increasing telecom tariffs would help Jio Platforms improve its return on capital employeda measure of how efficiently a company uses its capital to generate profitsand attract investors for a successful IPO, analysts said.

Telecom operators raised tariffs in July last year after a gap of over two years. Reliance Jio took the lead, raising tariffs between 12% and 25%.

Reliance Jio is a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, the digital services and telecom arm of Reliance Industries Ltd. A tariff hike by Jio would leave room for Airtel to increase its prices as well.

Reliance Jio has more than 500 million subscribers, while Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have 362.8 million and 197.7 million subscribers, respectively.

Jios IPO is planned for (first half of 2026) subject to necessary approvals; we believe this increases the possibility of a 15% tariff hike in the telecom business by Nov-Dec 25 and hence is likely to be positive for RIL and Bharti, though it will be subject to a potential valuation for the Jio IPO," JM Financial analysts said in a note dated 30 August.

JP Morgan analysts anticipate another telecom tariff hike next year as well.

We believe this event (Jio Platforms IPO) increases the likelihood of tariff hikes towards the end of CY25 (we bake in November) and also another one at end-CY26 (we bake in Nov-26) beyond recent actions at the bottom of the price table to maintain tariff and ROIC (return on invested capital) repair for the industry," the analysts said in a note on Monday.

The analysts pegged Reliance Jios valuation at $133 billion, implying a 13 times multiple on its estimated 2026-27 enterprise value against its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

What Reliance shareholders are in for

A section of analysts expect Jio Platforms public market listing to weigh on the shares of Reliance Industries.

While Jio may attract higher value, RIL shareholders may not benefit hugely due to (holding company) valuation discount," analysts at Nuvama Institutional Equities said in a note on Friday, 29 August.

On the other hand, Citi analysts said Jio Platforms listing does not warrant a meaningful discount for Reliance Industries as the Securities and Exchange Board of India plans to reduce the minimum public offer size for IPOs of large companies from 5% to 2.5%.

This means large companies would only be able to dilute only 2.5% share holding.

(This) limits holding company discount concerns for RIL post listing of Jio given lower float," the Citi analysts said in a note dated 31 August. Sebis proposal also removes a key liquidity hurdle for Jio Platforms IPO, which could involve $3 billion of share supply, they added.

Jio Platforms reported consolidated net profit of 7,110 crore for the June quarter, up 1.2% from the preceding three months. Consolidated revenue from operations rose 3.07% sequentially to 35,032 crore.

During the AGM on Friday, Reliance Industries announced its goal to transform Jio Platform into a deep-tech company by leveraging artificial intelligence. The company also announced improvements to its Jio AI Cloud and unveiled JioFrames, its AI-powered glasses.

As we look ahead, Jio's journey will progress beyond India. Our innovative technologies will now be deployed globally, ready to solve global challenges," said Akash Ambani, chairman at Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom subsidiary of Jio Platforms.

On Monday, shares of Reliance Industries closed 0.2% lower at 1,355 apiece on NSE, while the Nifty 50 was up 0.8%.
Elev8 Venture Partners has announced the final close of its maiden fund at $160 million, marking a significant milestone in Indias growth-stage venture capital landscape. The fund, which has already deployed 35% across five investments, aims to back 1213 companies in total.

We've already made about five investments out of Fund I, and the intent is to make about 12-13 investments from this fund," Navin Honagudi, founder and managing partner at Elev8 Venture Partners, told Mint in an interview.

The firm joins a wave of VC activity in India this year. Accel launched a $650 million Fund III, Bessemer Venture Partners raised $350 million for its second India-focused fund, Elevation Capital announced a $400 million vehicle targeting IPO-bound startups, and A91 Partners announced the first close of their $665 million third fund in April.

Also Read | Samsung puts India R&D spotlight on voice AI for phones

Sector-specific players like Yali Capital ($104 million), Speciale Invest ($70 million), and Unicorn India Ventures ($143 million target) have also entered the fray.

Elev8s portfolio includes fintech platform Smallcase, identity verification firm IDfy, astrology soon-to-be unicorn AstroTalk, buy now pay later player Snapmint, and logistics startup Porter. Typical cheque sizes range from $10-15 million, with co-investment flexibility allowing for $25-30 million in select cases. The firm targets 7-14% ownership per deal.

Target firms

The sweet spot for us is companies which are valued between $100 million and $300 million. Coming in at that stage and assuming minimum dilution, there's still potential to make a 5-7X return on the investment as these companies go towards building unicorns," said Honagudi. In the startup ecosystem, unicorns refer to companies which are valued at or over $1 billion.

Elev8 is focusing on being primaries-first, with between 70% and 75% of Fund I allocated that way. Primary investments are when VC or private equity acquires its own stake in a company, as opposed to secondaries, which are commitments that are bought out by new investors to let earlier investors exit with their money.

With the five investments listed above, Elev8 has so far deployed 35% of its fund and expects to deploy the balance within the next 18 to 24 months. Honagudi said that they're planning to hit an internal rate of return of 23-25% with the fund over the seven-year lifecycle, which ends in August 2032. Elev8 plans to start returning investments in 2028. That's when we'll start liquidating some of our companies and return money to our investors."

The firm secured a commitment from one of Korea's largest commercial banks, Koomin Global, to anchor the fund. The fund's capital base is split 50:50 between international and local investors, with institutional investors accounting for 45% of the mix, while 55% are family offices and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs).

Thesis for Fund I

We invest in broadly three areas: consumer internet, business-to-business (B2B) enterprise software and fintech. We will continue to focus on these three spaces even for the remaining investments," said Honagudi.

Artificial intelligence, however, has been missing from the equation. But that's only because the firm believes it's too early for these companies to be looking for growth capital. AI has been a theme the last two years, but it will take some time for these companies to scale to $20 million in revenue before we look at them for an investment," Honagudi said.The firm's thesis for the fund is fairly broad within the consumer space, ranging from marketplaces and e-commerce to even direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.

Also Read | Servify chases the American Dream ahead of 2026 IPO

While Elev8 is actively scouting D2C investments, its focus is on companies making a play for premiumisation, such as luggage brand Mokobara or a mass premium brand like Theobroma, which saw private equity firm ChrysCapital pick up an 85% stake in a deal reportedly valued at 2,400 crore.

However, Honagudi said that they're going to be opportunistic with food and beverage, given that there are only two distribution channels for the segment, both of which are already crowded. "Something that's heavily offline, like a Blue Tokai, is heavily venture funded; that's not a focus for us in terms of completely offline. Online is very tricky given that Zomato and Swiggy exist. It becomes relatively difficult for a new cloud kitchen company to come up and build a brand."

With fintech, the goal is to find companies where technology is a large part of the business. Elev8's investments in smallcase and Snapmint, for example, allow users to make bite-sized investments or make a purchase and follow up with bite-sized payments in the form of equated monthly instalments (EMIs).

With fintech, the company is looking for companies whose costs are focused more on product development as opposed to sales. If it's a wealthtech company, we want to focus on companies where 70-80% of their salary costs go towards their product and development teams, not their sales teams," said Honagudi.

Portfolio picks

Smallcase is currently valued at $295 million, according to startup data intelligence platform Tracxn. The company last raised $50 million in a Series D led by Elev8 in March this year. Snapmint, on the other hand, is looking to raise $40 million at a valuation of $150-160 million, Entrackr reported.

We're looking for companies that can plug into the infrastructure of legacy insurance companies while building relevant bite-sized insurance products for consumers," Honagudi said. The second area of interest is reinsurers, but they're completely old school. Intermediaries like Marsh and Willis Towers Watson exist, but if there are companies that are disrupting them by being technology-enabled companies, that will be interesting for us."

When the fund is nearing the end of its deployment cycle, Elev8 will begin exploring other areas, such as new-age manufacturing, healthtech, and infrastructure.
Novo Nordisk said its blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss drug cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% compared with Eli Lillys Mounjaro and Zepbound.

The Danish pharmaceutical giant said Sunday that the study suggests the heart-protective benefits of semaglutidethe active ingredient in Wegovymay not be the same for all GLP-1 drugs such as tirzepatide, which is the active ingredient in Lillys Mounjaro and Zepbound.

The real-world study used evidence gathered from actual patient experiences rather than a controlled trial, it said.

Compared with tirzepatide, overweight and obese patients with cardiovascular disease but not diabetes taking a 2.4 milligram dose of Wegovy showed a 57% greater risk reduction for heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular-related death or death from any cause, the company said.

There were 15 of these cardiovascular events recorded with Wegovy, representing 0.1% of the total, and 39 events, or 0.4%, recorded with tirzepatide in patients that had no gaps in their treatment lasting more than 30 days.

In all treated people, regardless of any gaps in their treatment, Wegovy showed a 29% risk reduction for heart attack, stroke and death from any cause compared with tirzepatide, it said.

This data confirms that semaglutide stands apart as the only available GLP-1-based medication with proven cardiovascular benefits for people living with obesity and cardiovascular disease, without diabetes," said Ludovic Helfgott, head of product & portfolio strategy at Novo Nordisk.

The study included evidence from over 21,000 patients aged at least 45 and who started treatment with Wegovy or tirzepatide on or after May 13, 2022. The data was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, Spain.

Eli Lilly didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Indian-origin, US-based CEO, Daksh Gupta, faced backlash in 2024 for advocating a 14-hour workday, but he still hasn't changed his position and maintains that most Silicon Valley techies like to work 12 hours a day, six days a week, reported the Hindustan Times.

The 23-year-old techie who co-founded and is the CEO of the AI startup Greptile, has now been described as the poster child of AI booms grindcore culture by The San Francisco Standard.

He claimed the Burning Man festival no longer speaks to youngsters who prefer to work, work out and lead a clean lifestyle.The current vibe is no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6 [work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week], lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs, Gupta told The San Francisco Standard.

His support for the 9-9-6 rule  working from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week  has only strengthened his image as a tough taskmaster.

Who is Daksh Gupta? Gupta has co-founded and leads the AI startup Greptile. He is based in San Francisco.

His LinkedIn profile says that he graduated from the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelors degree in Computer Science in 2019 and then interned at Qualcomm and Amazon Web Services.

He has been working on Greptile since 2023. His website states that his startup is backed by Y Combinator, Initialized Capital, Paul Graham, SV Angel ++.

He does not believe in work-life balance and has been vocal about it. Recently I started telling candidates right in the first interview that Greptile offers no work-life-balance, typical workdays start at 9 am and end at 11 pm, often later, and we work Saturdays, sometimes also Sundays, Gupta wrote on X in 2024.

In a recent LinkedIn posting, he clearly mentioned that Greptile's employees are expected to work from the company office in San Francisco.

About salaries in Greptile Opening up about employees' salaries in Greptile, Gupta on LinkedIn stated that the perks that come with the job are great.

According to him, a junior employee at Greptile can expect to earn anywhere from $140,000 to $180,000 ( 1.2 to 1.5 crore) per year as the base salary, along with $130-180k/year as equity.

For employees with more than seven years of experience, the base salary can range from $240,000 to $270,000 per year.
Mumbai: Bengaluru-based Tessolve, which offers semiconductor engineering services, has secured $150 million from investment firm TPG Inc.s growth arm for acquisitions, expanding its test labs, and strengthening its global delivery centers, the companies said in a statement on Monday.

Tessolve, majorly owned by Hero Electronix, has attracted several institutional backers including Singapore-based Novo Tellus Capital Partners, which invested $40 million in the company in 2021. The companys revenue increased from $25 million in 2015-16 to over $150 million in FY25.

Over the past couple decades, Tessolve has built deep capabilities throughout the semiconductor engineering value chain, from chip architecture, to design, test development and embedded systems, said Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive, Tessolve.

Over the years, Tessolve has grown from a test engineering lab to a full-scale semiconductor engineering services provider, with end-to-end capabilities across the semiconductor value chain, added Bhushan Bopardikar, business unit partner at TPG Growth.

Jefferies advised Tessolve on the transaction while Rothschild acted as TPGs financial advisor.

Semiconductor drive Semiconductors have become crucial to the global economy given their wide range of applications across industries such as data centers, auto, and artificial intelligence. Deloitte in a recent report said it expects the global semiconductor industry to grow from $627 billion in 2024 to $2 trillion over the next 15 years.

Founded in 2004, Tessolve has built 11 semiconductor test and embedded labs globally. It has partnered with 18 of the worlds top 20 semiconductor firms and employs over 3,000 engineers across offices in India, the US, Germany, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the company.
New Delhi: The Centre has asked Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana to resolve land, clearance, and coordination hurdles that have slowed progress on infrastructure projects worth more than 10,000 crore.

The push comes as New Delhi places infrastructure at the centre of its growth strategy, with southern India, home to some of Indias fastest-growing states, seen as pivotal to sustaining momentum.

The ministry of commerce and industry, in a statement on Monday, said state officials have outlined bottlenecks stalling railway, telecom, and industrial projects at a review meeting chaired by Amardeep Singh Bhatia, secretary in the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).

The session, convened under the Project Monitoring Group, brought together central ministries, state governments, and private developers to break deadlocks that have lingered for months.

In Karnataka, five projects worth 3,658 crore came under review, while Kerala presented two large schemes valued at 5,002 crore. Telangana highlighted six issues across three projects with an investment tally of 1,934 crore, the commerce ministry said.

TrivandrumKanyakumari railway line doubling project, a 3,785 crore undertaking that promises faster passenger and freight services between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, was among the most significant projects reviewed, it added.

The line, once completed, is expected to ease congestion on roads, strengthen regional trade and tourism, and serve as a backbone for logistics.

Telecom infrastructure was also in focus. Reliance Jios nationwide 5G and 4G expansion, critical to bridging digital divides in remote and border regions, but running into forest and wildlife clearance in Telangana, was also discussed in the review meeting.

Once implemented, the initiative is expected to substantially improve digital connectivity nationwide, including in strategically sensitive and geographically remote areas, thereby advancing the Governments vision of a digitally empowered India, the ministry of commerce & industry said.

The DPIIT Secretary reaffirmed the governments commitment to strengthening the institutional framework for project monitoring and urged authorities to take a proactive approach in resolving pending issues, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry added.

Also Read | Green hydrogen infrastructure along highways is next on Indias transport map
On August 31, Netflix and Spotify threw a Graveyard Gala at Guastavinos in New York City to celebrate Wednesday Season 2, Part 2. As many as 300 fans, influencers, and press, including Spotifys top Wednesday and Lady Gaga listeners, attended the event.

According to TUDUM, stars from the show were in attendance, including Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), and Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay). Ortega, who is also a producer, walked fans through whats to come.

A Tim Burtoninspired world Guests entered an immersive Tim Burton-esque environment. The party was foggy, with ravens on gravestones, moss-covered trees, and spider-webbed fences. Fans enjoyed Wednesday-themed snacks, cocktails, typewriter-written poetry, and aura readings to match them with a Wednesday character.

Lady Gaga announces new single The biggest surprise of the evening came when Lady Gaga made a dramatic entrance. She announced her new track, The Dead Dance, which will appear in Wednesday Season 2, Part 2, and will officially be released on Sept. 3. Fans at the event got an exclusive first listen by stepping inside custom-built coffins.

It was also confirmed that Gaga will appear in the series as Rosaline Rotwood, a legendary Nevermore teacher who meets Wednesday. Ortega praised Gagas performance, saying it felt like she was meant to walk the halls of Nevermore.

Director Tim Burton added that Gaga is a real artist, celebrating both her acting and music. Showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar explained that Gaga became connected to the show after her song Bloody Mary went viral with the iconic TikTok dance scene in Season 1.

Also read: Lady Gaga shares what advice she got from her fiance Michael Polansky at Mayhem Ball tour stop

What The Dead Dance is about Gaga shared that the song was inspired by a breakup, but also carries a fun, upbeat rhythm about moving on with friends. Its about those moments when love feels dead but you find joy again, she explained.

The night ended with DJ Whitney Marston Pierce spinning a Spotify-curated playlist inspired by Wednesday, keeping the party alive in true gothic style.

FAQs 1. When is Lady Gagas new song The Dead Dance releasing? The song will be out on Sept. 3, 2025.

2. What role will Lady Gaga play in Wednesday Season 2? She will play Rosaline Rotwood, a mysterious teacher at Nevermore Academy.
Unemployment in the U.S. remains historically low at 4.2%. Yet Black workers are living in a different reality: Unemployment for Black Americans has surged to 7.2%, the highest level since October 2021, when the job market was still recovering from the pandemic.

The drop in employment is a warning sign for the labor market and threatens to unravel employment gains made by Black workers during and after the pandemic.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment is up significantly for college-educated and non-college-educated Black workers. This coincides with a general slowdown in the labor market that has locked many workers out of the job market for months. Black workers have borne the brunt of that downturn, according to economists, in a reflection of entrenched racial disparities.

Black workers are more likely to hold low-skilled and junior-level jobs than their white counterparts, making them more vulnerable to layoffs. They have long faced discrimination in the labor market that can become more pronounced when overall hiring slows, as it has in recent months.

Also, a recent increase in unemployment among Black college graduates points to the possible impact of federal job cuts. The federal workforce has a disproportionate share of Black workers.

I am in the fight of my life now," said Kenya Jenkins, 52 years old, who has been actively looking for work since being laid off from her job as a contractor for the Department of Health and Human Services in December.

Jenkins, who has a masters degree in human services public health, had to leave her apartment in Maryland as a result and move in with relatives in New Jersey. She said she still owes her former landlord $12,000 in rent.

Overall unemployment remains low, but with hiring slowed to a trickle, it is a labor market with little margin for error. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently indicated that the job market has cooled enough to potentially justify interest-rate cuts in September.

Bradford reviewing her resume at her parents home.

Historically, Black workers often lose jobs at the front of a broader labor-market slowdown.

Its a canary in the coal mine for what may be coming," said Kenneth Couch, an economist at the University of Connecticut. The Labor Department is set to release Augusts unemployment rate on Friday. The previous report showed employers added relatively few jobs in May, June and July.

Kirsten Bradford, 29, has struggled to replace the full-time communications job at a Dallas nonprofit that she lost in January. She said hundreds of applications for an array of jobs have yielded only scattered interviews and no hits.

She has been driving around Dallas, stopping at dozens of bank branches to shake hands and hand out her resume, hoping to break into a banking career. The only job she has been able to land is helping customers pick out body sprays and bath bombs at a local Bath & Body Works, earning $14 an hour. She has also continued working for the nonprofit for just 20 hours a month.

Bradford and her son, 8, recently moved back in with her parents, and she has been fielding calls from collectors on her roughly $100,000 in student debt.

Thinking I did everything right, thinking that every movement I made was for the future just kind of makes me feel so angry," said Bradford, who has a masters degree in management from Southern Methodist University. This isnt how its supposed to be."

Bradford after visiting a bank as part of her job search.Errands for Bradford include picking up her son from school.

In 2023, the share of Black workers who were unemployed fell to 4.8%, the lowest level since the Labor Department began tracking such data in 1972. The gap between Black and white unemployment shrank to the lowest level on record that year, and Black workers for years saw higher wage gains. Labor shortages meant people could more easily find work, while some companies tried harder to diversify their workforce in the wake of demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd by police in 2020.

Companies that are pulling back from diversity initiatives in the midst of pressure from the Trump administration could push the Black unemployment rate further up in the future, said Valerie Wilson, a labor economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. It definitely impacts peoples ability to gain employment," she said.

The unemployment rate for Black college graduates 25 years and older reached 5.3% in July, according to seasonally adjusted figures from Haver Analytics, based on Labor Department data. That was up from 3.9% in May and 2.7% in February. (Unlike the figures for overall unemployment, the Labor Department doesnt adjust these figures for the typical seasonal swings that occur from month to month.)

The July rate was 1.7 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate for white workers with only a high-school diplomathe biggest gap since Labor Department records for this metric began 1992.

The effects are playing out around the country. At Goodwill of North Georgia, the number of Black people who for the first time ask for help finding work is up 41% over the past three months, compared with a 23% increase in the number of new white job seekers.

A rising number are college graduates, reflecting both laid-off government workers and college grads who cant find entry-level jobs, said Jenny Taylor, vice president of career services. Thats a new thing," Taylor said.

Black workers make up 18.7% of the federal civilian workforce, compared with around 13% of the overall workforce. That is partly because of robust antidiscrimination rules in federal hiring, and partly because the Washington, D.C., area has a large Black population, said Darrick Hamilton, chief economist at the AFL-CIO.

For decades, government jobs have been a pathway to the middle class for Black Americans," said Caitlin Lewis, executive director of Work for America, a workforce development nonprofit that focuses on connecting people to jobs in state and local governments. And one of the few places that offered pensions and protection from discrimination when the private sector had shut the door."

Her nonprofit has been busy since the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency swept into federal agencies this year. Many of the roles that were affected were back-office jobs in the areas of human resources and procurement disproportionately held by Black workers, Lewis said.

Yvonne Robertson says she is still being paid but expects she will need a new job after federal reductions.

The Trump administration recently said that it expects the federal workforce to shrink by 300,000 by December compared with January of this year.

Yvonne Robertson said she was one of around two dozen people of color in a General Services Administration invoice-auditing department who lost their jobs in March. She said she is still being paid while lawsuits play out in court, but is also hunting for a replacement job she expects she will need.

It has been challenging, the 56-year-old said.

Im looking at the competition," said Robertson. I have two years of college. There are a lot of people who have masters degrees."

Write to Konrad Putzier at konrad.putzier@wsj.com and Rachel Wolfe at rachel.wolfe@wsj.com
For almost a century and a half, the federal government denied the Lumbee, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, recognition. Now, nearly everyone in Washington is trying to give it to them. I love the Lumbee tribe," President Donald Trump said on his third full day in office, as he signed a memorandum ordering the secretary of the interior to, within 90 days, submit a plan to help the Lumbee gain full federal recognition.

The president isnt the only one showing the Lumbee love. Last October, while campaigning for Kamala Harris in North Carolina, Bill Clinton made a swing through Pembroke, the seat of the tribal government. Donald Trump junior was nearby holding a rally filled with Lumbees for Trump" signs. During the campaign both presidential candidates called John Lowery, the Lumbee tribal chairman, to promise full federal recognition. Also last year, the House of Representatives passed the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would extend recognition to the tribe, by 311 to 96; but it stalled in the Senate.

The Lumbee have been accustomed to living in this federal limbo, which has been their state for more than half a century. In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Lumbee Act, a measure that recognised the tribe as American Indians while also excluding them from federal money and the other privileges that most tribes have. Lacking full recognition, the Lumbee are still not able to get access to federal Indian health care, to put land in a reservation-like trust or to build a casino.

The main reason for this is the tribes unusual history. There is no record of the Lumbee having spoken any language other than English. Your correspondent, whose great-great-great grandmother was a Lumbee, grew up being told this was because the tribe was the remnant of Sir Walter Raleighs lost colony". A more plausible explanation is that the tribes origin lies in multiple tribes escaping violence and disease in early encounters with English colonists. These different groups fled to the swamplands of North Carolina where they spoke English as a lingua franca.

Compounding the origin question is the fact that the Lumbee had trouble agreeing on their name. Outsiders branded them the Siouan, the Tuscarora, the Croatan and the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County. It was not until 1953 that most settled on the name Lumbee. The naming issue has continued to plague us," said David Wilkins, a Lumbee tribe member and professor at the University of Richmond.

Today the biggest sceptics of Lumbee recognition are other Indians. Last October the National Congress of American Indians was forced to apologise when they found participants distributing cards warning that Lumbee recognition would endanger the status of other tribes. Pretendian Watch, a self-appointed policer of those pretending to be Indians, called the Lumbee a made-up tribe".

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI), North Carolinas only fully recognised tribe, have become the Lumbees main adversary, repeatedly arguing that they are not real Indians. The Lumbee have failed to meet the criteria to prove their claim of being a legitimate Native Nation and are relying on the sympathy of legislators to gain federal recognition," the EBCIs principal chief, Michell Hicks, said in January. His attacks drew the response from the states Commission of Indian Affairs that his claims were shameful, counterproductive" and also baseless and have been disproved on numerous occasions". This rivalry goes back decades. In 1974 the EBCIs then principal chief, John Crowe, threatened Vine Deloria, an Indian activist, saying that many Cherokee wanted to bury your heart and other assorted pieces of anatomy at Wounded Knee" for his support of Lumbee recognition.

The Cherokee point to questions about the Lumbees identity, but the reason they resist recognising the tribe is money. If given full recognition, the Lumbee, whose land lies beside I-95, one of Americas busiest highways, would probably build a casino and siphon off money from Cherokee gaming revenues. Of course, questioning a tribes Indianness as a means to thwart an inconvenient casino is a strategy others have tried before. They dont look like Indians to me," said then casino mogul Donald Trump in testimony before Congress in 1993, explaining why he thought the Pequot should not be allowed to build a casino near his own.

Although the 90-day deadline passed in April, the Department of the Interior has still not issued its report. Representatives have reintroduced the Lumbee Fairness Act. But over the past 130 years, 29 similar bills have been introduced in Congress. Eight of them passed the House but failed in the Senate. Mr Wilkins, the historian, suggests this time might be different. But then he added, I am not holding my breath. Otherwise, I would have turned blue many years ago."

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There is a country in the European Union saddled with a massive debt pile, rising borrowing costs and governments that collapse in a matter of monthsand its not Italy.

France, rather, is sliding into a morass that once plagued its southern neighbor. If French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou loses a Sept. 8 confidence vote on his efforts to rein in the countrys budget deficit with 44 billion eurosroughly $51 billionin cuts, he will become the fourth head of government to lose his job in a year and a half.

High turnover in the prime ministers office was once rare in France, a cornerstone of Europe with a political system designed to foster stable governance. In recent years, however, France has entered a vicious cycle: Deteriorating public finances are fueling political fragmentation, which in turn prevents the nation from making hard choices about how to fix its fiscal mess.

Bayrou isnt expected to survive the confidence vote, which would leave President Emmanuel Macron having to name a new prime minister to form the next government. But last week Bayrou urged lawmakers to rally behind him as a matter of survival for our state."

The more ungovernable France becomes, the more investors are pushing its borrowing costs to levels familiar to Europes debt-laden periphery. The yield on Frances 10-year bonds has risen above Greeces and its borrowing rate is currently neck-and-neck with Italys.

Athens and Rome cut their budget deficits after taking painful austerity measures during the regions debt crisis in the 2010s. Today, Giorgia Meloni is on track to become one of the longest serving prime ministers in Italys postwar history after nearly three years in office.

For France, pulling out of the spiral is hard because its National Assembly, the lower house of its parliament, is divided into factions, each with opposing fiscal priorities and enough votes to shift the balance of power.

The National Assembly in Paris.

An array of leftist parties doesnt want any cuts to Frances welfare state, which accounts for 65% of public spending. Centrist lawmakers allied with Bayrou and Macronas well as a cluster of establishment conservativeswant to boost military spending to counter Russias invasion of Ukraine without raising taxes. And Marine Le Pens far-right lawmakers say the government should cut spending by reducing immigration and payments to the EU.

Macron laid the groundwork for the current malaise when he introduced sweeping tax cuts after he was first elected in 2017 without making similar reductions to the cost of French healthcare, education and other public services. He abolished the wealth and housing taxes, lowered corporate levies and introduced a flat tax on capital gains. The combined measures meant that by 2023 the state was deprived of 62 billion in annual tax revenue, or 2.2% of GDP.

The tax cuts helped make France one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment in Europe, and unemployment fell to 7%, its lowest level in decades. Economic growth initially picked up, helping finance tax measures, but then a series of crises hit. The violent yellow-vest protest movement ripped through the country, prompting Macron to spend 17 billion to mollify protesters.

The yellow-vest protest movement was sparked by plans to increase fuel tax.

Macrons policies caused a great sense of injustice and were seen as aimed at lowering taxes for the rich and for businesses," said Xavier Timbeau, an economist at OFCE, a Paris-based, state-funded economic observatory.

Measures to soften the blow of the Covid-19 pandemic cost another 41.8 billion. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, sending energy prices higher. Macron responded with 26 billion in energy subsidies.

By then, France was in a deep hole. Debt went from 2.2 trillion before Macron was elected to 3.3 trillion, and economic growth flatlined. Macron refused to raise taxes, and he struggled to trim entitlements. He managed to raise the retirement age to 64 by 2030for an estimated 17.7 billion in savings that yearbut only after a bruising battle with opposition parties and widespread protests.

Last year, France was forced into a series of embarrassing corrections to its budget deficit. The national statistics agency widened Frances 2023 deficit to 5.5% of economic output, compared with the governments forecast of 4.9%. Weeks later, the government had to revise its forecast for its deficit in 2024, raising it to 5.1% of economic output from 4.4%. Ratings firm S&P responded by downgrading France. Conservative lawmakers threatened to help take down the government if it didnt make more of an effort to rein in spending.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou

Macron pre-empted the parliamentary fight with one of the most consequential moves of his tenure: He dissolved parliament and called snap elections. The summer election resulted in an unprecedented splintering of votes in the National Assembly. Without a clear majority in place, any piece of legislation, including the annual budget, became a referendum on the government.

Macrons first choice of prime minister after the election, conservative Michel Barnier, was swiftly felled in a confidence vote. Bayrou took over in late December and managed to pass an overdue 2025 budget by temporarily increasing corporate taxes.

He soon began warning parliament that even deeper sacrifices would be necessary to shrink the 2025 deficit, which is expected to reach 5.4% of GDP this year. He lost the support of the socialist party after negotiations failed to change Macrons overhaul of the pension system.

Then, Bayrou outraged the country with a plan to boost economic output by eliminating two national holidays: Easter Monday and May 8, when France celebrates the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies.

Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally, branded the idea a direct attack on our history, our rootsagainst working French."

Write to Stacy Meichtry at Stacy.Meichtry@wsj.com and Noemie Bisserbe at noemie.bisserbe@wsj.com
MUMBAI/BENGALURU: When Wellbeing Nutrition sought funding, it had optionsbut it chose Fireside Ventures, a fund with deep consumer expertise. Across India, startups are increasingly making the same calculation, pushing generalist venture capital (VC) funds to hire sector specialists and reinvent themselves.

Once defined by broad bets, generalist funds are now hiring industry specialists to stand out in a market where capital alone no longer suffices. According to industry experts, these hires are reshaping how deals are sourced and companies are built.

Sector experts help with due diligence, advise on growth plansboth organic and inorganicand guide founders on when to cash out. The shift reflects intensifying competition from thematic funds, as both founders and limited partners show a preference for investors who bring operating experience and domain knowledge.

Elevation Capital, Z47, Together Capital, Lightbox, and Claypond Capital are among firms that have added sector specialists over the past two years. Artha India Ventures is also in talks to bring in domain experts, executives said.

The pressure is clear. British International Investment has said it plans to make more equity bets in specialist funds as a limited partner, according to a VCCircle interview. More than $3.5 billion has been raised so far in FY26 by about 20 early-growth stage funds, signalling a thawing of the funding winter.

While fund-raising slowed to $4 billion in 2023, domestic VCs became significantly more salient, driving more than 90% of the raises and launching several thematic funds focused on emergent themes, Bain Capital said in a report last year.

In March, the consultancy firm said that several maiden funds have risen in prominence over 2024, constituting nearly one-third of the $2.7 billion VC/growth capital raised, targeting themes such as sustainability, agriculture, defence, sports, and gaming.

For instance, homegrown investment platform 360 One has launched several thematic funds including for healthcare, consumer and manufacturing over the last 12-18 months. Other new thematic fund launches include Boundless VC, Healthkois, Yali Capital, L Catterton India, and Synapses, which are targeting sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), deeptech, climate-tech, health-tech, and consumer brands.

Other sectors have also seen similar fund launches - Spyre, Cedar Capital, Audacity, Caret Capital, SenseAi, Good Capital, Avaana Capital & Aavishkar Group (climate change thesis) and Omnivore (food & Agritech), according to Mints research.

Specialist funds are already shaping deal activity. Beams Fintech Fund led a $40 million round in Infinity Fincorp Solutions and a $70 million round in InsuranceDekho. L Catterton, a consumer-focused private equity (PE) firm, invested $40 million in snacking brand Farmley. Hyderabad-based Aragen Life Sciences raised $100 million from Quadria Capital, a healthcare-focused PE firm.

Hiring spree

Until recently, most sector-agnostic firms operated with broad teams. That is changing.

In the last two years, there have been almost 100 hires in VC funds where the talent has come from an operating background. This constitutes about 16% of overall talent moves," said Sonali Puri, managing partner at Native, a headhunting firm focused on the PE-VC industry. With the technology landscape moving so fast, funds feel it is important to have a blend of both investment and operating experience."

Recent hires illustrate the trend. Claypond Capital hired Shreyans Gangwal from Fireside Ventures in May last year. Elevation Capital brought in former Meta executive Krishna Mehra in December 2024 for AI. Together Fund added ex-Freshworks leader Sethu Chidambaram in October 2024 for AI and SaaS. Z47 tapped Mohit Sadaani, co-founder of The Moms Co., in August 2024 for consumer.

In June, Bessemer Venture Partners appointed Pankaj Mitra as a partner who will focus on the global venture capital firm's investments in AI, enterprise tech and cybersecurity in its India business.

Also Read | As Southeast Asia disappoints, Japanese VCs turn to India for startup returns

Even established funds are tilting. Lightbox brought in Ashish Bhargava from True North to deepen its consumer bets. While Lightbox has invested across fintech, health, hiring, and travel, its new fund will lean more heavily on online-first consumer brands, after successes with Rebel Foods, Bombay Shirt Company, and wellness brand Nua, partner Sandeep Murthy told Mint.

Key Takeaways Indian VC funds are shifting from generalist investments to hiring sector specialists for a competitive edge.

Knowledge and operating experience are now more valuable to founders and LPs than capital alone.

To compete, established funds are actively hiring experts and creating dedicated sectoral teams.

Reports show domestic and thematic funds are becoming dominant, driving the bulk of of new raises.

Focused funds provide an edge by offering specialized guidance and playbooks to help startups scale efficiently.

A maturing market

Peter Lui, principal at LGT Capital Partners, which has invested in Kedaara Capital, ChrysCapital, Peak XV Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners, said that while Indias market has been largely generalist compared to the US, Europe, and China, where sector-focused funds are more established, it is beginning to evolve.

The market is maturing, with generalist firms increasingly hiring sector specialists to strengthen their due diligence and deal underwriting," Lui said.

Founders say they can tell the difference.

Even within generalist platforms, investors are carving out sector teams," said Vinay Singh, founding partner at consumer-focused Fireside Ventures. Our ability to spot what can and cannot scale is higher because weve exclusively seen very similar businesses repeatedly."

Avnish Chhabria, founder of Wellbeing Nutrition, which is backed by Fireside and Hindustan Unilever Ltd, agreed. They helped us focus on unit economics, inventory turnover, retail depth, store count, cash flow budgeting and management, which allowed us to stay nimble," he said.

Fireside also guided the company on retention funnels, long-term value metrics, and warehouse software. A focused fund has a 100% edge over generalists as they have solid playbooks for every situation that may arise," Chhabria said, adding that such playbooks have been instrumental in assisting and scaling a business from 0 to 2 crore, to 10 crore and eventually to 50 crores and more.

Generalist funds still enjoy the flexibility of investing across sectors, but even they are moving to hire domain experts or set up sectoral pods to avoid losing ground.

The trend is real, and weve seen it unfold in boardrooms and in the resumes crossing our desks," said Sandesha Jaitapkar, COO at Artha India Ventures, which is selectively hiring specialists in healthcare, climate tech, and enterprise software, areas where regulation and fast-changing technologies make domain expertise critical.
August 2025 marked one of the most active months for India's primary markets, featuring 17 IPO listings across sectors such as consumer, infrastructure, industrials, and real estate. The performances indicated a noticeable split between businesses associated with long-term infrastructure and commodities versus those connected to discretionary consumption and retail, according to experts. These 17 mainboard IPOs have gathered around 21,729 crores.

Among the 17 mainboard IPOs, more than 80% yielded listing gains for investors, although a few experienced tepid responses due to high valuations and associated business risks, analysts reported.

According to Prashanth Tapse, Research Analyst, Senior Vice President of Research at Mehta Equities, in August 2025, Indias mainboard IPO season delivered strong and healthy returns for investors, even as broader markets faced pressure from Trumps tariff headlines and persistent FII outflows.

Prashanth highlighted that out of 17 mainboard IPOs, over ~80% rewarded investors with listing gains, though a few faced muted responses due to stretched valuations and business risks. The overall sentiment remained buoyant, but the listings also underscored that investors are increasingly selective and valuation-conscious, avoiding aggressively priced issues without clear growth visibility.

"Despite global volatility, robust domestic liquidity and active retail participation continued to be the key drivers of IPO performance and expect the same to continue in coming months," believes Tapse.

Further, market experts noted that the IPOs in August demonstrated a clear division: infrastructure and resources drew substantial pricing interest, while consumer technology and REITs sparked caution. The primary market remained strong, but the continuation of post-listing gains will depend on earnings performance in Q2 and the direction of domestic liquidity flows, which are currently at unprecedented levels.

August 2025 - IPO Market Review

View full Image August IPO Performance Tracker (Source: Mehta Equities Ltd)

As of Friday, August 30, among the 17 IPOs listed, Aditya Infotech Ltd led the way with an increase of 87.26%, followed by National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), which rose by 54.77%, Highway Infrastructure Ltd which saw a gain of 35.84%, and Regaal Resources Ltd which increased by 11.77%. On the other hand, the biggest losers included Laxmi India Finance Ltd, which fell by 17.90%, Gem Aromatics Ltd, down by 15.03%, and Mangal Electrical Industries Ltd, decreasing by 6.01%.

According to Harshal Dasani, Business Head INVasset PMS, the standout was Highway Infrastructure, which delivered the years strongest debut with shares listing at 117 on BSE, a staggering 67% premium over its 70 issue price. Backed by a robust order book and visibility of execution in the road sector, the stock set the tone for infrastructure as a market darling. Regaal Resources too impressed with a 3839% premium, listing near 141 against its 102 issue price, highlighting investor appetite for resource-linked plays.

Further Dasani explained that among mid-sized industrials, All Time Plastics rewarded subscribers with a 14% premium at 314, riding on brand strength in household plastics, though volatility followed post-listing. JSW Cement, in contrast, opted for a measured entrylisting at ~ 153, just 4% higher than its 147 offer price. Analysts read this as investors pricing in sector demand but also factoring in capacity additions and margin pressures. Shreeji Shipping Global delivered a steady 78% premium at ~ 271, showcasing the steady appeal of logistics amid Indias trade growth.

Also Read | Jio IPO likely in first half of 2026: Mukesh Ambani at Reliance AGM

Consumer-facing names faced more scrutiny. BlueStone Jewellery & Lifestyle, despite its scale and backing, disappointed with a marginal 1.3% discount at debut, opening at 510 versus the 517 offer. The muted start reflected stretched valuations and skepticism over profitability timelines for lifestyle-tech hybrids. Patel Retail, however, bucked the trend with a 1719% premium, listing around 300, signaling resilience in value-driven retail formats, according to Harshal.

Smaller entrants such as Mangal Electricals listed marginally below issue at 556 versus 561, suggesting muted demand despite stable fundamentals. Gem Aromatics, another SME-focused IPO, saw traction in early trades but settled close to issue price, showing sector-specific limits. Finally, Knowledge Realty Trust REIT, Indias largest office real estate vehicle this year, opened modestly at 103104, a 34% gain on its 100 offer. Its lukewarm reception underscored investor caution toward interest-rate sensitive real estate even as demand for Grade-A offices improves.
Avic Chengdu Aircraft share price: J-10 fighter jet maker Avic Chengdu share price rallied as much as 5.89 per cent to 108.22 yuan on Monday, September 1, after PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting on Sunday, August 31.

The meeting between the leaders of Asia's biggest economies involved discussions of enhancing trade and investment ties, which helped stabilise the sentiment in the equity markets in India and China.

China's blue-chip CSI300 Index gained 0.60% in trade today. The positive sentiment also rubbed off on select defence counters too, including Avic Chengdu.

Modi told Xi that India remains committed to strengthening relations with China and addressed the widening bilateral trade deficit, which stands at nearly $99.2 billion. He also stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability along their disputed border, where a 2020 clash led to a five-year military standoff.

A reduction in tensions between India and China could reduce concerns over potential military confrontations, resulting in positively influencing investor sentiment towards select Chinese defence companies.

Xi-Modi Meet Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit 2025. This visit marks PM Modis first trip to China in seven years to participate in the two-day event, which gathers leaders from Russia, Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and West Asia, reflecting the unity of the Global South.

The SCO Summit is taking place at a time when US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products.

India and China are partners in development rather than competitors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday as they explored ways to strengthen trade relations amid ongoing global tariff uncertainties.

Avic Chengdu Aircraft share price trend The J-10 fighter jet maker's stock has been in the limelight since the India-Pakistan conflict. The stock drew investor attention after Pakistan Air Force deployed the J-10 fighter jet against India; however, it failed to make any significant impact on India's military strength.

On Monday, Avic Chengdu Aircraft share price touched an intraday high of 108.22 yuan. The fighter jet stock opened at 102.20 yuan on September 1, as compared to the previous close of 101.95 yuan.

Avic Chengdu stock has been rallying in the near-term, adding to investors wealth. The stock has gained nearly 29 per cent in a month and 77 per cent in six months.

In terms of year-to-date (YTD), the fighter jet stock has ascended 56 per cent, rising from 68.01 yuan to current market level.
BSE PSU index: The gauge of index representing the public sector companies has entered into the bear territory, following a 20% crash from its all-time high touched in August last year.

The BSE PSU index settled the last trading session on August 29 at 18,319.45, down 20.41% from its all-time high of 23018.87. Meanwhile, out of the 63 index constituents, some 10 stocks have managed to gain over the last one year, while others have declined by up to 53%, with Punjab and Sind Bank emerging as the top laggards.

What's behind the fall in BSE PSU index? According to analysts, a host of factors have contributed to the decline in the PSU index and its constituents  earnings slowdown, profit taking and valuation concerns.

Vaibhav Vidwani, Research Analyst at Bonanza, said that the most significant factor behind the PSU index decline has been deteriorating earnings performance.

"The BSE PSU Index's consolidated profits fell by 2.3% in FY25, a sharp reversal from the 49% growth recorded in FY24. The earnings slowdown has been pronounced in the oil and gas sector. Major oil PSUs, including Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), faced 20-40% profit declines," Vidwani said.

Meanwhile, she added that a critical support pillar for PSU stocksgovernment capital expenditure  has shown signs of weakness.

Actual government spending fell short of the FY25 budget estimate of 11.1 lakh crore. Capital expenditure by major central public sector enterprises and key government agencies declined 23% year-on-year in July 2025 to 53,406 crore in July 2024.

This slowdown has particularly impacted railway, defence, and infrastructure PSUs that depend heavily on government orders, said the Bonanza analyst.

Additionally, profit-taking in the PSU stocks after a breathtaking rally cannot be ruled out. The BSE PSU index has surged nearly 200% in the last five years, making the stock ripe for profit-taking.

After the tremendous rally in 2024, PSU stocks had reached stretched valuations, opined Vidwani. "The BSE PSU Index P/E ratio peaked at 14x in August 2024 before moderating to 11.2-11.86x currently. While this represents some correction, many individual PSU stocks were trading at extreme multiples, with companies like NTPC Green Energy, BHEL trading at trailing P/Es ranging from 150 to 252 times," shared the analyst.

She added that FIIs have been aggressive sellers of Indian equities in 2025, pulling out billions of dollars from Indian stocks. This sustained selling pressure, according to her, has particularly impacted large-cap PSU stocks.

Is a turnaround likely in PSU stocks? The BSE PSU Index's 20% decline from peak reflects a confluence of earnings disappointments, valuation corrections, and external pressures.

While the near-term outlook remains challenging due to execution concerns and global uncertainties, the sector's long-term prospects appear intact, supported by India's infrastructure development needs and policy reforms, according to analysts.

"Despite the current challenges, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Expectation of maintained earnings in FY26 and improvement in FY27. Key sectors like power, defence, and banking are projected to benefit from policy tailwinds and improved execution capabilities. The government's continued focus on infrastructure development, defence modernisation, and public sector reforms provides a structural growth foundation for well-managed PSUs," said Vidwani.

Meanwhile, on technical terms, the PSU Index in the second week of May created a bullish gap in the 18,58418,148 range, which has now been filled in the current session, said Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree.

"This zone coincides with a crucial support area, and any bullish price action here can trigger a short-term relief rally or a classic dead cat bounce. Over the past 54 sessions, the index has corrected by more than 9.29%, making it ripe for a technical rebound," he added.

However, Jain believes that sustainability will depend on follow-through volumes. Aggressive traders can watch this zone closely for reversal signals with strict risk management, he advised.
The stock market is set to face a bout of share supply, at a time of relentless foreign investor selling and persisting concerns around lofty valuations and tariffs.

The flood of new sharesfrom mega maiden offers, government divestments and selling by promoters and private equity firmshas some market experts worried about whether institutional investors shifting attention to new shares will trigger a market correction.

Sure, there is an abundant supply of equity," says Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database Group. Just in initial public offerings (IPOs), 75 companies with valid approvals plan to raise 1.16 lakh crore, while another 95 companies awaiting approval are eyeing 1.64 lakh crore. Several large ones are yet to file their papers. However, I believe that there is no dearth of demand for good-quality paper and attractive valuations."

Rising mutual fund and retail inflows have bolstered Indian markets. That has given confidence to the likes of Tata Capital Ltd to LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd to line up mega IPOs. There has also been a surge in block deals and qualified institutional placements (QIPs) as promoters and large investors seek to sell at high valuations.

Smart vs dumb money

Siddhartha Bhaiya, Managing Director and chief investment officer (CIO) of Aequitas Investment Consultancy, however, warns that the markets are headed for a fall and expects suboptimal returns over the next 35 years, citing rampant mis-selling as a key red flag. Too many investors are being mis-sold products at inflated valuations, with risks downplayed.

The smart money is selling, the dumb money is buying. What were witnessing is a transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich," he said.

While bouts of buying may keep sentiment alive in the short term, Bhaiya says an eventual decline could trigger a consumption slowdown, squeezing household incomes and dampening demand.

When stacked against other countries in the MSCI World index, India has been one of the biggest laggards by one-year returns. The Philippines PSEi Composite slumped 11.5%, earning the tag of the worst performer, just below India, where benchmarks Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex slipped 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively, over the past year up to 29 August.

The damage was deeper in the broader markets, with the Nifty Smallcap 250 tumbling 9% and the Nifty Midcap 100 losing more than 5% during the period.

Nifty 50 is staring at a flat spell over the next 35 years, according to Shankar Sharma, founder of GQuant. There may be the odd bounce or a fleeting technical rally, but structurally, he sees India lagging global peers. Were in the last lap of a bull run that has stretched nearly five years."

Sharma, however, is bullish on China, calling it the standout market. Stocks from Chile, Peru, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Europe have also delivered good returns, he said.

According to Sharma, Indias underperformance risk stems from a supply glut of equity. Vast promoter and private equity exits, a pipeline of big IPOs, and surging domestic mutual fund and retail flows have created a pool of liquidity thats being fully tapped.

IPO, block deal rush

According to Prime Database, several big-ticket IPOs already have Sebis nod with approvals still validamong them LG Electronics ( 15,000 crore), Credila Financial Services ( 5,000 crore), Dorf Ketal Chemicals India ( 5,000 crore), and PhysicsWallah ( 4,600 crore). Firms that have filed but await the regulators green light include Tata Capital ( 17,200 crore), ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co. ( 10,200 crore), Lenskart Solutions ( 8,000 crore), BillionBrains Garage Ventures ( 5,950 crore), Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions ( 5,200 crore), and Inox Clean Energy ( 5,000 crore).

Earlier, promoter wealth was just paper money," but now, thanks to this liquidity, promoters and private equity players are cashing out at absurd valuations, Sharma said.

Some of the biggest promoter exits of 2025 have been chunky. At Bharti Airtel, Pastel offloaded shares worth 12,879.97 crore, while Indian Continent Investment exited with 11,227.05 crore. The Chinkerpoo Family Trust sold its stake in InterGlobe Aviation for 10,407.68 crore, and Samayat Services LLP cashed out 10,220.40 crore from Vishal Mega Mart. Vedanta Ltd sold shares worth 3,028.51 crore in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, while Sunil Vachani offloaded 2,221.35 crore worth in Dixon Technologies Ltd, showed Prime Database data.

Private equity and venture capital players, too, have also been busy cashing in. The biggest deal came from ANTFIN (Netherlands) Holding BV, which sold its stake in One 97 Communications Ltd for 3,980.76 crore. TPG Asia VII SF Pte sold 2,675.64 crore worth of shares in Sai Life Sciences, WestBridge Crossover Fund sold 1,905.91 crore in Aptus Value Housing Finance India, while General Atlantic Singapore Fund sold 1,790.41 crore worth of shares in KFin Technologies.

Prime Database data shows that promoter, PE, and VC stake sales have gathered pace post-Covid. Both offer-for-sale (OFS) and QIP issuances have surged since 2023.

The irony, Sharma says, is that while everyone else is making money, retail investors are left shortchanged: SIP returns over the past two years have barely matched fixed deposits at 78%, that too with volatility. Capital gains taxes have also lessened the appeal of equities overall.

Also Read | NSE to conduct mock trading sessions on August 30  Check details here

Domestic investors to the rescue

Meanwhile, foreign investors have been blowing hot and coldselling in January and February, turning buyers for four straight months, only to offload again in July and August. Domestic institutions, on the other hand, have kept the throttle steady, buying every single month this year.

Mutual fund assets under management have been on a steady climb, rising from about 33.16 trillion in AprilJune 2021 to around 72.1 trillion in AprilJune 2025. Meanwhile, new SIP registrations have surged from about 18.6 million in 2022 to 68.3 million in 2024, with about 37.7 million already added in 2025 so far.

Haldea of Prime Database Group highlighted that while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), largely led by mutual funds, have been consistently pumping in money and supporting the market, individualsincluding retail and high-net-worth clientstook advantage of the upswing in prices to book profits and turned net sellers to the tune of 24,000 crore and 9,000 crore in the June and March quarters, respectively. This came after pumping in 49,000 crore in the December quarter.

Despite equity oversupply, a major correction is unlikely, according to Haldea. The last five years have shown that both primary and secondary markets can deliver in parallel, he said.

Tax cuts to counter tariff woes?

Tariffs imposed by the US on India have been an overhang for the Indian market.

The tariff issue is all the more important because growth has already slowed, particularly nominal GDP growth, which is so important for equity markets, said Christopher Wood in a 28 August Jefferies note. Jefferies projects Indias nominal GDP growth to slow from 10% in FY25 to 8.59% in FY26  the lowest rate in the past two decades, barring the Covid yearsFY20 and FY21.

Still, if this is the backdrop, the reason the stock market has not yet reacted more negatively of late to the 50% tariff threat, particularly consumption-related stocks, is the escalating policy response of the government," Wood said.

The February budget already delivered income tax cuts. But the bigger positive now is the proposed overhaul of GST  reducing the current four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to just two (5% and 18%). GREED & fear learnt from senior Delhi officials that while this rationalisation had been in the works for a while, the Trump-triggered tariff tussle has fast-tracked its rollout, Wood said. The aim is to implement the new GST rates by September-end, he said.

Divestment overhang

Another factor adding to the potential equity glut is the governments own divestment push.

Mint reported in August that the Centre plans to cut its stake in Life Insurance Corp. and several public sector banks (PSBs) beyond Sebis mandated levels. Five PSBsIndian Overseas Bank (94.61% state stake),UCO Bank (90.95%), Punjab & Sind Bank (93.85%),Central Bank of India (89.27%) andBank of Maharashtra (79.60%)are required to bring government holding below 75% by August 2026. Of these, only Bank of Maharashtra is on track to meet the deadline, Mint had reported.

Haldea, however, says the proof lies in the puddingthere have been several announcements on disinvestments and stake sales, but little action.
Mumbai: Blocks look set to surpass initial public offerings (IPOs) in fiscal year 2026 (FY26), says Mahesh Natarajan, head ofequity capital markets (ECM) at Nomura, who has around two decades of experience in the segment.

Last year, blocks totalled approximately $17 billion; this year, were already at approximately $13 billion. The key is confidence: issuers now believe large transactions can be absorbed, and investors are comfortable with bigger blocks," Natarajan said, referring to block deals, or a transaction for a large quantity of shares of a listed company.

The real challenge is extreme volatility: it pauses markets, he explained. When the volatility index crosses the 20 level, there is a pause, for instance, during the national election results week or the Indo-Pakistan strikes. When the volatility index is below 20, its mainly about pricing, not demand, Natarajan added.

Edited excerpts:

Just to gauge sector and investor tractionwhich sectors are seeing high interest?

Industrials, especially manufacturing and renewables, certain pockets of consumer and healthcare, such as single speciality and technology players with AI (artificial intellgence) tailwinds, are seeing investor focus. In the case of financials, banksspecifically large-cap banksand select financials, especially those with a track record of consistent execution, are attracting investor appetite.

Read more: Mint Explainer | How Sebis proposed pre-IPO platform could unlock Esop cashout, tame grey market risks

Are there any sectors that you are currently avoiding?

Its not about sectors but about specific business modelswhether its the companys size, stage of evolution, transient volatility or ongoing restructuring. In these cases, we dont avoid them, but we advise waiting until things are sorted before tapping the market.

The first quarter of this calendar year (January-March) was slow, with very few large deals. Activity picked up sharply from April, with IPOs totalling about $7 billion so far this financial year.

Earlier, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) had a higher anchor share, but mutual funds (MFs) now lead, with the split approximately 46:54 in favour of MFs. Also, FII selling in secondary markets has little to no correlation with their anchor participation. For instance, in October-November last year, FIIs sold $13 billion even as 14 IPOs, including Hyundai, went through. Anchor participation stayed steady at about 47%. Similarly, despite a $16-17 billion pullout in January-March, FII anchor participation was still 52% plus. By April-June, when FIIs turned buyers, it reverted to about 46%.

DIIs have just surpassed FIIs in ownership of Indian equities.

FIIs own approximately 17% of Indian equities (about $850 billion), so a $13 billion/$16 billion selloff doesnt mean much. Long-only sovereign wealth funds and some FIIs often anchor IPOs, while others may be selling on the secondary marketsometimes even within the same institution via different strategies or pools of capital.

That said, its now a well-known fact that domestic MFs currently lead the book for IPOs. The AUM (assets under management) of MFs has grown from about 20 trillion in 2017 to about 30 trillion by 2020, then to about 50 trillion by 2023, and has surged to 75 trillion-plus today.

India is a growing economy, and there will always be a need for capital (both public and private), and international investors play a meaningful role in fulfilling this need.

Then why do we need FIIs?

In the evolution of any capital market, all pools of capital and all types of investors are important and have a role to play in keeping the market vibrant. FIIs play a very important role in channelling international savings into Indian capital markets. India is a growing economy, and there will always be a need for capital (both public and private), and international investors play a meaningful role in fulfilling this need.

Read more: Markets set to break out of tight range in September, futures rollover data shows

Over the past decade, what changes have you observed in the ECM space?

We have seen ECM activity take off due to domestic liquidity in the form of SIPs (systematic investment plans) into MFs and significant FPI (foreign portfolio investment) interest in participating in the fastest-growing large economy. The regulatory environment has also facilitated a robust ECM market, clocking $60 billion-plus last financial year across IPOs, QIPs (qualified institutional placement), blocks, etc.

Blocks really took off with the private equity (PE) wave. PE entered India meaningfully around 2006-07, and over time became a key supplier of shares post-IPO. Back then, blocks werent even a major ECM product. Today, blocks have grown sharply.

Earlier, investors favoured IPOs only if the proceeds went to the company, but now theyre comfortable even with 100% secondary IPOs if the growth story is strong.

Also, with MF assets under management surging, average IPO sizes have risen from about $100 million in 2023 to about $200 million. I am confident that we will see multiple billion-dollar deals absorbed simultaneously due to improving market depth.

Whats the sentiment for QIPs as compared to block deals?

QIPs are supply-constrained since they happen only when companies need money. Blocks, on the other hand, are independent of company needs. With corporate India already deleveraged, QIPs have been lower than blocks in follow-ons. QIPs are dominated by financials, where money is the raw materialbut if their balance sheets are healthy, they dont need fresh capital.

What does the rest of FY26 look like? Do you see more of QIPs, blocks or IPOs?

Compared to previous years, this years IPOs are still tracking strong. The last financial year saw around $20 billion; so far this financial year, $7 billion of IPOs have happened. IPOs amounting to $5.3 billion were consummated in the same period. While we may not significantly beat last year, we should come closeespecially if a few large $1 billion-plus IPOs land, which I expect will happen given the trend toward bigger issues and strong SIP flows.

Blocks, however, look set to surpass IPOs. Last year, blocks totalled about $17 billion; this year, were already at about $13 billion. The key is confidence: issuers now believe large transactions can be absorbed, and investors are comfortable with bigger blocks.

The real challenge is extreme volatility: it pauses markets.

But a lot of it also depends on how the market moves, right?

The real challenge is extreme volatility: it pauses markets. When the volatility index crosses the 20 mark, there is a pause, for instance, during the national election results week or the Indo-Pakistan strikes. When the volatility index is below 20, its mainly about pricing, not demand.

But when markets are choppy or in a consolidation phase like now, whats the sentiment?

Whenever the market picks up, issues move quickly. There are phases of slowdown, pause or frenzy, and issuers act accordingly. With over 100 IPOs filed and 50-plus already approved, supply isnt the problem. The real challenge is that convincing investors now takes longerthey are selective, want more time, deeper engagement and clearer visibility on business models and valuations before committing. But markets arent shutting down; its mostly about pricing, and issuers hold off if it doesnt work for them.

Read more: Renewable energy may be the future, but its stocks are full of hot air

How are valuations looking now? Earlier there seemed to be a mismatch.

Valuation mismatches show up more in IPOs. Issuers fix a valuation months in advance, but by the time the IPO hits the marketafter documentation, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) approval, and roadshowsmarkets may have moved. Add to that the gap between what promoters think their company is worth versus investor benchmarks, and you already have a disconnect. Put together, these factors make IPO pricing inherently uncertain.

Are confidential filings also a way to protect valuationsso that external factors dont or market chatter doesnt influence them once the filing is public? Since once its out, valuations can get debated and renegotiated.

In confidential filings, companies file numbers with Sebi privately, get approval and only then go public. This shortens the gap between public filing and launch, though the overall process is longer since steps that were parallel now happen in sequence. It helps if you want to market with updated numbers later, or if youre going through an acquisition or restructuring. Sebi approval here is valid for 18 months versus 12 in a normal filing, giving issuers more flexibility on timing. The main benefit is lower exposure to valuation risk between public filing and launch, though overall timelines stretch, and market volatility, and IPO discounts still drive pricing.

What types of companies are coming to the marketspecifically, which ones are opting for IPOs, which for QIPs and which for blocks?

For IPOs, companies usually tap markets after reaching a certain scale. From an investors perspective, the preference is for a differentiated storyeither truly unique or best-in-class within their peer group.

For QIPs, its typically established players with a proven track record and clear capital requirementswhether for capital expenditures linked to themes like Make in India or China+1 or for time-tested financials. Investors have already tracked their execution and metrics quarter after quarter, so QIPs are more functional and balance-sheet driven.

Again, investors look for companies with solid track records and financial delivery for blocks, similar to QIPs, but they also weigh the overhang that comes with such transactions.

In block deals, if supply is staggered, investors may wait, but conviction around strong financial delivery and risk of price movement nudges investors to act now rather than pay a higher price later. We see this in IPOs as well, where scarcity due to differentiated business models creates a tipping point for investors to get into transaction mode.

Blocks are quicker and growing, but IPOs are the base. IPOs are where the real marketing happens...

How is it from your side of the table?

Blocks are quicker and growing, but IPOs are the base. IPOs are where the real marketing happenspositioning, investor perception, the whole story-building. Blocks, in that sense, ride on the back of IPOs.

In terms of ECM revenues, blocks have contributed around 30% in recent years, though this percentage varies depending on chunky transactions.

Will this mix change?

Over the medium term, say two to five years, I see it inching towards 40% contribution.

Why?

Unlisted GDP (gross domestic product) converting into listed market cap generates IPOs. Think of blocks as a rolling stone, as the listed market cap on the exchange expands with every IPO: every IPO today sets up large block deals around a year later. In fact, in a number of cases, block sizes have ended up larger than the IPO itself, since blocks happen at a discovered price over time.

When we say QIPs and blocks are set to rise, whats driving that?

In a block/QIP, investors usually know the company wellits been listed for years, the price is transparent and theres immediate liquidity with no lockup. That makes it far quicker than IPOs.

Blocks are pure monetizationexits (partial or full) for founders or PE, shifting equity from private to public markets and enabling entrepreneurship by proving exits are possible. QIPs, by contrast, fund capex, growth, or balance sheet needssupporting lending in financials and growth capital elsewhere.

Read more: Bata India stock struggles to regain its feet amid growth problems

Weve been seeing a lot of market action around lock-in expiries. Is the end of lock-ins a key event that potential investors watch closely?

Lock-in expiry is a key market trigger. Anchors unlock in two trancheshalf after one month and half after three months of allotment. The big event is six months post-IPO allotment, when the PE lock-up expires.

What are the risks, actually?

If a large issuer misprices and destabilizes the primary market, thats a different risk than a sudden market free fall. Right now, the challenge is more about earnings catching up to price growth. Of course, the usual risks around geopolitics and tariff impact remain.

Read more: Nazara Technologies stock tanked after the online gaming ban. Game over or game on?
Indraprastha Gas (IGL) shares will be in focus of the stock market investors on Tuesday, 1 September 2025, after the company's board of directors announced that they are setting up a solar plant joint venture in Rajasthan in collaboration with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL), according to an exchange filing.

Board in its meeting held on 29 March 2025, approved the setting up of Solar Plant in the State of Rajasthan through a Joint Venture with M/s Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL), the company informed BSE through the filing.

According to the filing data, the joint venture between IGL and RVUNL will have an equity participation from both partners in the ratio of 74:26, marking a 74% and 24% stake in the venture, respectively.

The company would have an initial paid-up capital of 5,00,000 or 5 lakh, which will be divided into 50,000 equity shares of 10 apiece. IGL will nominate four directors for the JV's board, while RVUNL will nominate two directors in the venture.

Also Read | IGL board approves renewable energy JV for solar power plant in Rajasthan

Indraprastha Gas Share Price Trend Indraprastha Gas (IGL) share price closed 2.08% higher at 210.95 after Monday's stock market session, compared to 206.65 at the previous market close. The company announced its joint venture move after the market operating hours on 1 September 2025.

IGL shares have given stock market investors more than 5.29% returns on their investments in the last five years. However, the natural gas company's shares have lost 22.92% in the last one-year period.

On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the stock has gained 2.85% in 2025 and has gained more than 4% in the last one-month period. In the last five stock market sessions, IGL stock is trading 0.85% higher on the Indian stock market.

IGL shares hit their 52-week high level at 285.30 on 2 September 2024, while the 52-week low level was at 153.25 on 21 November 2024, according to the data collected from the BSE website. The company's market capitalisation (M-Cap) stood at 29,533.03 crore as of the stock market close on Monday, 1 September 2025.

Read all stories by Anubhav Mukherjee
In the wake of the US imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, the growing bonhomie between India and China has caught global attention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

It was the Prime Ministers first visit to China in seven years, notably at a time when trade relations between India and the US have soured due to President Donald Trumps aggressive tariff policies.

However, some experts believe the growing India-China bonhomie could be a tactical move and may not be enough to nullify the impact of the 50 per cent US tariffs on India.

"The growing bonhomie between India and China seems to be a short-term tactical move. The two nations share a history of strained relations and unresolved border disputes, along with differences over the Belt and Road Initiative, which remain key obstacles to long-term cooperation," said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments.

It is too early to have lofty expectations from the renewed warmth between the two countries. Experts also point to India's widening trade deficit with China, which weakens New Delhi's bargaining power.

"Indias merchandise trade deficit with China has widened to almost $100 billion, driven by heavy import dependence on electronics, telecom equipment, pharmaceutical APIs, solar modules, and capital goods. India primarily exports lower-value goods while importing high-value finished products, combined with supply chain lock-ins created by Chinas scale, low costs, and reliability," Manoranjan Sharma, Chief Economist at Infomerics Valuation and Ratings, pointed out.

"Such an economically weighty and strategically sensitive relationship exposes India to supply shocks, weakens its bargaining power, and undermines initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. The challenge is compounded by geopolitical rivalry and security risks linked to dependence in sensitive sectors, such as telecom (Huawei, ZTE), power equipment, solar energy, and dual-use technologies with both civilian and military implications," Sharma said.

Another factor that cannot be overlooked is Indias strong tilt towards China, which could further strain India-US relations and lead to strategic and geopolitical fallout.

"Such a shift could weaken Indias technology and investment ties with the US, as well as shared strategic goals and diversification opportunities. In the long run, Indias more sustainable path lies in deepening integration with the US, EU, Japan, and other democratic partners, even if it entails short-term costs," Sharma said.

Trumps tariff policy could change after negotiations. Experts say India needs to tread carefully and ensure that its actions do not further strain relations with the worlds largest economy, which is also the largest export partner for India.

India-China: Not enough to ward off 50% US tariff blow The US claims 18 per cent of India's total exports, accounting for about 2.3 per cent of the country's GDP. Growing commerce with China can cushion the US tariff blow, but cannot offset the entire impact.

"India is unlikely to counterbalance the impact of the 50 per cent US tariffs through trade with China in the near term. While expanding commerce with China could help cushion the blow, it cannot fully offset the immediate tariff shock," said Sharma.

However, a better IndiaChina relationship may help New Delhi secure critical industrial raw materials and infrastructure supplies. Renewable energy, aviation, pharma, manufacturing, and tourism are the sectors where India can benefit from its improved ties with China.

Experts expect the 25 per cent secondary US tariffs on India to end soon as negotiations progress. There is also growing political and legal pressure on the Trump administration in the US.

It remains to be seen how the issue unfolds in the Supreme Court, but a US appeals court ruled on Friday that most of Trumps tariffs are illegal.

However, the court allowed the tariffs to remain in place until October 14 to give the administration time to file an appeal with the US Supreme Court.

Read all market-related news here

Read more stories by Nishant Kumar
The Indian equity market is hopeful about the potential reforms aimed at boosting domestic demand. The governments commitment to sustaining economic momentum is expected to underpin market sentiment over the next one to three months. Along with the GST rate cuts, the government is expected to provide support to the sectors hit by the steep hike in tariffs. The full impact of these measures on consolidated fiscal policy in the short term has to be reviewed.

At the same time, renewed tariff tension continues to dominate the broader outlook. Nifty50 could not hold above the threshold level of 25,000 and is expected to trade within a range of 24,000 to 25,000 in the short term, reflecting a mixed bias.

If tariff tensions persist, Indias GDP growth could moderate by 50100 basis points, with a consequent drag on earnings per share (EPS) growth in FY26 and FY27. The impact stems from the significant exposure of several listed manufacturers to the US market, which may result in weaker demand and price cuts, thereby weighing on profitability in the medium term. While the broader GDP effect may remain contained, the earlier projected growth line of 78% is likely to ease to around 6%. Key sectors likely to be directly affected include Textiles, Equipment Manufacturers, Metals, Auto Ancillaries, Seafood, Basmati and Jewellery, while IT and Pharma may experience sentimental pressure despite not being directly impacted by tariffs.

Despite this, market participants remain hopeful for a more favourable trade resolution in the future. Just about 1-2 months back, the market was expecting a good deal for India in anticipation of the strong long-term strategic relationship with the US, which has gone haywire post the Indo-Pak conflict and the personal agenda of Trump.

On a positive note, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) and retail investors continue to support domestic equities, providing a cushion against external volatility. In contrast, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remain cautious about emerging markets, showing a preference for China over India. Although FIIs are active in the domestic primary market, their reluctance to invest in the secondary market is influenced by Indias sustained premium valuation relative to other emerging markets. This muted outlook from FIIs is expected to persist in the near term, but a weakening dollar, reduction in premiumisation and anticipated Fed rate cuts in CY25 and CY26 will reverse this sentiment over time.

Q1 Earnings Review Q1 earnings expectations were muted, though sequential trends showed improvement, with earnings growth slightly exceeding expectations at around 10%. Mid- and small-cap stocks outperformed large caps, albeit overall growth remained below long-term averages.

Corporate earnings growth is projected to stay below historical norms, with FY26 EPS growth forecasted at 10%, challenging current valuations, which remain elevated at a forward P/E of 20x. This ongoing tariff tension between the US & India can impact capital flows. Nonetheless, India is expected to retain its premium valuation due to its long-term growth forecast of over 6% and robust domestic capital inflows.

Market Outlook In the immediate future, the domestic market is likely to maintain a mixed bias, with consumption-driven and domestic growth-oriented sectors such as FMCG, Durables, Discretionary, Cement, and Infrastructure poised to perform well, supported by GST reductions, improved domestic demand, and increased government spending. A multi-cap and asset allocation strategy is expected to dominate, with a stock-selective approach prevailing.

A resolution of tariff disputes could act as a major catalyst, significantly improving sentiment, though the reciprocal 25% tariff is likely to persist in the short to medium term. Generally, the market still perceives that the tariff-related disruptions are temporary. However, the lack of strong interaction between the parties is increasing the uncertainty, adding confusion to the market.
Indian equities ended lower on Friday, extending losses for a third straight session as profit-booking, weak global cues, and fresh US tariffs on Indian goods dampened sentiment.

The Nifty 50 fell 74 points, or 0.30%, to 24,426.85, while the Sensex dropped 271 points, or 0.34%, to 79,809.65, both slipping below key moving averages. The Bank Nifty declined 165 points to 53,655.65, underperforming amid broad-based selling in financials, while IT stocks also weighed on indices. Persistent foreign investor outflows and concerns over trade and earnings outlook reinforced the cautious tone in the market.

Top three stock picks for 28 August by Ankush Bajaj

Buy: Maruti Suzuki India Limited  Current Price:  14,791.00

Why its recommended: Maruti Suzuki is showing exceptional momentum. The daily RSI stands at 86, signaling very strong bullish appetite. The MACD is overwhelmingly positive at 580, while an ADX of 36 confirms the strength of the uptrend. The stock is comfortably trading above all its moving averages, reinforcing the robustness of the rally.

Key metrics:

RSI: 86  extremely bullish

MACD: +580  powerful upward momentum

ADX: 36  strong trend strength

Price position: Well above all key moving averages, confirming bullish structure

Risk factors: Raw material sourcing risks: The company relies heavily on imported inputs for EV productionparticularly lithium and rare-earth elementsmaking it vulnerable to supply disruptions and geopolitical shifts.

Competitive and regulatory pressure: Maruti faces intensifying competition from domestic rivals like Tata, Mahindra, and international players like Hyundai. Coupled with stricter safety and emissions norms, sustaining market share will require strategic agility.

Demand sensitivity: Domestic demand remains patchy, with weak rural consumption offset by strong exports. Economic slowdowns could weigh further on domestic volumes.

Trade setup:

Buy at: 14,791

Target price: 15,000

Stop loss: 14,687

Buy: Nava Limited  Current Price:  687.70

Why its recommended: Nava is demonstrating healthy bullish momentum. Its daily RSI is at 67, pointing to rising strength. The MACD sits in positive territory at +18, and the ADX of 26 suggests a trend gaining clarification. On the 15-minute chart, a classic bullish pennant pattern has formedoften a continuation signal that precedes fresh upside.

Key metrics:

RSI: 67  bullish momentum building

MACD: +18  upward bias

ADX: 26  trending structure strengthening

Pattern: 15-min bullish pennantsupports continuation thesis

Risk factors: Limited liquidity: As a small-cap stock, Nava may exhibit high volatility, sharp swings, and wide bid-ask spreadsposing execution and slippage risks.

Sector sensitivity: Its niche operations may be sensitive to macroeconomic shifts or discretionary spending trends, raising uncertainty about demand stability.

Governance/transparency: Limited public disclosure or analyst coverage can make it harder to assess fundamentals or emerging risks.

Trade setup:

Buy at: 687.70

Target price: 758

Stop loss: 650

Buy: Godfrey Phillips India  Current Price:  11,003.50

Why its recommended: Godfrey Phillips exhibits a strong technical setupdaily RSI at 62 indicates healthy bullish momentum; ADX is elevated at 42, signaling a robust trend; and MACD stands at +449, supporting continuation bias. These align with a strong structural base in the tobacco space.

Key metrics:

RSI: 62  bullish momentum

MACD: +449  solid uptrend strength

ADX: 42  trend dominance

Risk factors: Margin pressure: As a contract manufacturer (notably for Marlboro), it faces volatility in gross margins due to product mix shifts and competitive pricing dynamics.

Operational risks: Expansion in digital or quick-commerce may disrupt traditional distribution channels; plus, regulatory complexity can impact operational efficiency.

Regulatory exposure: Tobacco remains a highly regulated industry with health-focused legislation, packaging norms, and excise policies potentially affecting volume and profitability.

Trade setup:

Buy at: 11,003.50

Target price: 11,950

Stop loss: 10,520

Also Read | Why BSE is weathering Sebi's derivatives crackdown better than Angel One

Trade Brains Portal recommends two stocks for today:

ITC Ltd

Current price: 409

Target price: 495 in 12 months

Stop loss: 365

Why its recommended: ITC is one of the biggest FMCG companies in India, which has a broad portfolio of businesses in the fast-moving consumer goods, paperboard and packaging, agribusiness, and information technology sectors. The company is the market leader in India's paperboard and packaging industry. ITC Consumer Goods has built a solid reputation over the last 10 years with about 25 premium Indian brands, including Yippee, Sunfeast, and Aashirvaad.

In Q1FY26, strong growth was registered in gross revenue, which stood at  23,007 crore, up 20% year-on-year, driven by cigarettes, agribusiness, and FMCG. Ebitda stood at 6,816, up 4.2% on-year, whereas PAT stood at 5,343 crore, up by 4.9% on-year. The cigarettes segment revenue grew by 7.6% on-year as of Q1FY26 and stood at 8,520 crore, whereas the FMCG segment grew by 5.2% on-year and stood at 5,777 crore. Agribusiness has done very well in Q1FY26, as it has registered an astounding growth of 38.9% on-year and stood at 9,685 crore, driven by trading opportunities in bulk commodities and exports of leaf tobacco.

The company has a competitive advantage due to its vertically integrated supply chain and a strong network of 27,500 farmers covering 140,000 acres of certified organic land in 10 states. In addition, the company paid 50.6 crore to acquire Mother Sparsh Baby Care Pvt. Ltd (also known as Mother Sparsh), a high-end ayurvedic and natural baby care provider. ITC has increased its stake from 26.50% to 39.47%. ITC spent 81 crore, or 126 crore, over the course of two to three years to acquire the remaining 73.5% of Mother Sparsh. The company has entered into a new segment of the FoodTech business under its ITC Next strategy; this segment's GMV crossed 100 crore in FY25 with 60 cloud kitchens across five cities.

Risk Factor: The company's tobacco division is heavily regulated. The business may be significantly impacted by any regulatory development. They make a major profit from the tobacco business. The company is exposed to raw material risk as agricultural commodities are vulnerable to climate change. Crop yield variation may harm the agribusiness operations of the company.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd

Current price: 208

Target price: 265 in 12 months

Stop loss: 179

Why its recommended: BHEL, a major player in the capital goods industry, has been a public sector undertaking of the Indian government since 1964. The company now serves a wide range of power and industry sectors, providing products, systems, and services for power generation (thermal, hydro, gas, nuclear, and solar PV), transmission, transportation, defence, aerospace, oil and gas, and other strategic sectors both domestically and internationally. In addition to its presence in 91 countries, BHEL has established 16 manufacturing facilities, two repair facilities, five research institutes, and 15 centres of excellence in India and other countries.

The company generated revenue of 28,339 crore from operations in FY25, registering a growth of 18.61% on-year. In Q1FY26, revenue from operations stood at 5,486.91 crore. It increased its Ebitda to 1,707 crore in FY25, a growth of 47.28% on-year, while its PAT stood at 534 crore, an increase of 89.36% on-year. In Q1FY26, the company registered the highest-ever outstanding order book of 2,04,375 crore. It has successfully grown its order book by 17.76% CAGR since FY21. In FY25, BHEL has secured orders aggregating to 81,349 crore in the power sector, which includes the companys highest-ever order booking in the thermal power segment.

In FY25, it added 3,850MW of capacity to utility power projects, including 700MW of hydropower and 3,150MW of thermal power. BHEL has maintained its leadership position in the Indian thermal power industry by winning contracts for twelve 800MW thermal power units totalling 9.6GW. It maintains a domestic market share of 56% in nuclear and 46% in hydro. In FY25, the company commissioned 8.1GW of power capacity into operation. Furthermore, it is expected that India's electrical equipment market share will increase at a CAGR of 11.68%, from $52.98 billion in 2022 to $125 billion in 2027.

Risk Factor: It is exposed to volatility in the power sector and structural issues such as delays in land acquisition and environmental clearances, availability of fuel and funding, and the weak financial position of many state power utilities, which were among its key clients. Moreover, 80% of the order book consists of power sector projects. It has high working capital requirements with sizeable receivables, including contract assets and inventory levels. It faces the risk of doubtful receivables.

Three auto component stocks to buy, recommended by NeoTraders Raja Venkatraman

CRAFTSMAN (current market price  6,912.50)

Buy above 6,920 and on dips near 6,500; target: 7,500-7,800; stop loss: 6,400

Why its recommended: Craftsman Automation Limited is a diversified engineering company founded in 1986 that specializes in precision machining, aluminium casting, and industrial engineering for the automotive and other industrial sectors. Over the past few months the stock price has been forming a rounding pattern and generating a steady revival. A push over the past few days has led to a 52-week high, indicating momentum is holding despite adverse market conditions. With the ADX/DMI continuing to push for more upside, this counter could be considered for an investment.

Key metrics:

P/E: 161.85

52-week high: 7,289.95

Volume: 279.30K

Technical analysis: Support at 490, resistance at 640

Risk factors: Issues arise rising input costs, increasing competition from imports, and a shift towards digital media.

Buy: above 6,920 and dips to 6,500

Target price: 7,500-7,800 in 2 months

Stop loss: 6400

AJAXENGG (current market price:  719.30)

Buy above 725 and on dips to 690; target 795-835; stop 670

Why its recommended: This counter managed to hold on to key support zones around 380 and recover quickly in the latter half of the week. Sizeable volumes suggest it could now rise the next resistance zone around 450. Demand at lower levels and a long body bullish candle suggests more upside in the coming sessions.

Key metrics:

P/E: 31.63

52-week high: 756.75

Volume: 396.09K

Technical analysis: Support at 625, resistance at 900

Risk factors: Issues arise rising input costs, increasing competition from imports, and a shift towards digital media.

Buy: above 725 and dips to 690

Target price: 795-835 in 2 months.

Stop loss: 670

LUMAXTECH (current market price:  1,174.70)

Buy above 1,175 and on dips to 1,120; target 1,295-1,325; stop 1,098

Why its recommended: The stock is stepping out of a consolidation zone, with the trend firmly hinting at potential upside in the coming days.

Key metrics:

P/E: 81.04

52-week high: 1,231.90

Volume: 1.41M

Technical analysis: Support at 849, resistance at 1,400

Risk factors: Issues arise rising input costs, increasing competition from imports, and a shift towards digital media

Buy: above 1175 and dips to ,1120

Target price: 1,295-1,400 in 2 months

Stop loss: 1,120

Also Read | Confidence in bigger deals drives surge in block transactions over IPOs

Raja Venkatraman is co-founder, NeoTrader. His Sebi-registered research analyst registration no. is INH000016223.

Trade Brains Portal is a stock analysis platform. Its trade name is Dailyraven Technologies Pvt. Ltd, and its Sebi-registered research analyst registration number is INH000015729.

Ankush Bajaj is a Sebi-registered research analyst. His registration number is INH000010441.

Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing. Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
SCO Summit 2025: Marking a shift in relations with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, his first visit to the country in seven years.

There Modi also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. The two leaders vowed to expand trade and investment ties to stabilise global commerce, and agreed to deepen bilateral ties to combat pressing challenges. This comes against the backdrop of high tariffs that Asia's two largest economies face from the US.

The two leaders also agreed to work towards a "fair" solution to the festering border issue.

Modi also held bilateral talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, with the Prime Minister saying that India and Russia stood side by side even in difficult times.

After falling for three straight sessions, the Indian stock market welcomed September with strong gains. Buoyed by upbeat India Q1 GDP print, GST rationalisation hopes, and a turn in India-China relations, the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty gained 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.

In trade today, September 2, the indices extended gains, with Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel and HDFC Bank emerging as top contributors.

Indian markets stayed strong today with Nifty 50 crossing 24,600, supported by robust GDP data that lifted overall sentiment. Optimism also came from PM Modis participation at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, where meetings with Xi Jinping and Putin signalled easing India-China tensions, boosting confidence among investors, said Pranay Aggarwal, Director and CEO of Stoxkart.

Modi-Xi Meet: Impact for Indian stock market According to market analysts, the new leaf in India-China relations has scope to positively impact the Indian stock market. From sectoral impact to sentiments, here are 5 ways in which the Modi-Xi meeting may prove to be a mood booster for Dalal Street bulls:

1. Hedge against Trump tariff tensions The 2025 SCO Summit comes at a critical juncture for Indias capital markets, as Donald Trumps steep 50% tariff package on Indian exports has shaken investor confidence and raised fears of prolonged trade friction with the US.

According to Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking, the RussiaIndiaChina (RIC) axis is a positive signal as we grapple with the US tariffs issue.

"We have a deep trade deficit with China. If there are developments where China opens its market, at least to some extent, it can help reduce this deficit. The markets like Russia and China are important to focus on. If the US tariffs cause a 1525% dent, reducing that pressure by strengthening ties with these countries would be critical. So thats something investors should watch," Mishra said.

Meanwhile, Gaurav Goel, Founder & Director at Fynocrat Technologies, said that for India, the SCO summit highlights a shift away from depending on concessions from the US and towards exploring regional solutions.

Goel further highlighted that both China and Russia are now opening their economies further to India, helping redirect trade flows and reduce the sting of US tariffs.

2. Reduced uncertainty in India-China relations India-China relations, which had soured over the years amid border escalations and the latter's support for Pakistan, underwent a shift this week. This is another factor, according to Mishra, that could bode well for the markets.

"Investors should feel some comfort knowing that this meeting reduces the risk of uncertainty in critical areas that impact the economy. If these talks turn into actual agreements and actions, it would be positive for both countries," Mishra opined.

3. Boost for EVs and renewable sectors Rare earths are a big concern because they impact several sectors, especially EVs and renewables. An official in New Delhi told reporters earlier in August that China had assured India of supplies of fertiliser, rare earth and tunnel boring machines.

Tata Motors, which has traditionally relied heavily on rare-earth magnets sourced from China for its EV manufacturing, closed 3% higher in trade today.

Other renewable energy stocks like Suzlon Energy and Waaree Renewables also closed higher.

4. From aviation to tourism - Multiple sectors to gain Closer coordination between Asias largest economies offers India access to Chinese expertise in solar technology, electric mobility, and large-scale infrastructure execution, accelerating renewable capacity growth and reducing costs for green energy adoption, said Harshal Dasani, Business Head at INVasset PMS.

Sectors like shipping and logistics could see tailwinds as this trilateral alliance promotes Eurasian trade routes and reduces Western dominance over supply chains, he added.

Meanwhile, the opening of direct flights between India and China also bodes well for sectors like aviation and tourism.

"For Dalal Street, these developments strengthen Indias long-term competitiveness narrative, adding strategic depth to its growth story amid global geopolitical realignment," Dasani said.

5. Long-term energy security India is the world's third-largest oil consumer and importer, and cheap Russian crude oil has helped keep a check on overall energy import costs.

Consequently, from a mere 1.7% share in total oil imports in 2019-20 (FY20), Russia's share increased to 35.1% in FY25, and it is now the biggest oil supplier to India, according to a PTI report.

"As one of the worlds largest oil importers, India has historically faced forex pressure from dollar-denominated crude purchases. Now, Russian oil is increasingly being settled in rupees and yuan, reducing dollar dependence and stabilising reserves. This dynamic strengthens macro stability and enhances long-term energy security, a key positive for Dalal Street," said Dasani.
The global shift towards sustainable energy is accelerating, and at its heart lies the booming solar-energy sector.

With governments worldwide coming out with supportive policies and technological advancements driving down costs, clean energy sources like solar and wind are no longer just a part of environmental debate but also a significant economic opportunity.

Therefore, solar power was supposed to be on a one-way ride up, but the market has its own way of keeping investors honest.

With US President Donald Trumps tariff moves and the uncertainty it has stirred around global supply chains, solar stocks have taken a beating recently.

Prices have slipped, sentiment has cooledand thats exactly when opportunities appear.

What this really means is investors have a window to hunt for strong solar companies in India that the market is undervaluing.

These four are worth a closer look:

Waaree Energies Ltd

It is a leading manufacturer of solar PV modules in India with an aggregate installed capacity of 15GW. Its cell manufacturing capacity stands at 5.4GW as of 2024-25.

Beyond manufacturing, it provides engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solutions and operations and maintenance (O&M) services.

It is also expanding its business into other energy transition areas.

The company has made investments in green hydrogen and electrolyser businesses and is also exploring the inverter market.

At the current price of 3,125, the stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio (PE) of 40, which is lower than the industry average of 58.

The price-to-book ratio (PB) of the stock is 8.8, below the industry average of 10.9.

Coming to its financial performance, the company has a five-year average return on equity (RoE) of 30% and a five-year sales compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49%.

Similarly, its net profit has grown at a CAGR of 192% over the past three years and at a CAGR of 114% over the past five years.

Looking ahead, the company has guided for a robust earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda) in the range of 5,500 crore to 6,000 crore.

Its strong and growing order book, integrated value chain, and proven execution engine give comfort in this guidance being achieved. As of July 2025, its order book stood at 25GW, valued at 49,000 crore.

The integration of cell manufacturing is also expected to enhance profitability, potentially doubling margins on a fully integrated basis, though on a blended basis, it anticipates a 2-3% improvement.

Its also pursuing significant expansion of its manufacturing capabilities and diversification into new energy transition areas.

Plans include an additional 4.8GW module manufacturing capacity by 2026-27 and a 6GW integrated wafer, cell, and module factory projected to be operational by 2027.

Premier Energies Ltd

It is an integrated solar cell and solar module manufacturer with 29 years of experience in the industry.

Its product portfolio includes solar cells, solar modules, monofacial and bifacial modules, as well as EPC and O&M solutions.

The company also intends to integrate backwards into wafer production with a 2GW per annum facility.

Coming to the company's valuations, at the current price of 997, the stock trades at a PE of 43, which is lower than the industry PE of 58.

If we look at the price-to-sales ratio (PS), it is trading at around 6.8, whereas its median has been 7.6 since listing.

Looking ahead, the company is on track to achieve a 10GW integrated manufacturing capacity across ingot, wafer, cell, and module production by 2027-28. This also includes its strategic entry into the battery energy storage (BESS) and inverter businesses.

As of July 2025, Premier Energies has a growing order book of 8,600 crore.

Also Read | How components maker Uno Minda defied the auto industry slowdown

The demand for domestic content requirement (DCR) modules remains very strong, driven by government schemes like Surya Ghar, Kusum, and CPSU.

Websol Energy System Ltd

Established in 1994, it is one of the leading manufacturers of high-efficiency solar cells and solar modules in India.

It operates an advanced, fully automated facility for solar cell and module production on approximately seven acres of land in Falta Special Economic Zone, West Bengal.

The company serves both domestic and export markets with a diversified product portfolio of solar cells and modules and maintains strong relationships with key industry players.

As of 1QFY26, the company had a current cell capacity of 600MW and a current module capacity of 550MW.

The company is strategically positioned to support India's rapidly expanding solar industry and its target of 280GW of solar capacity by 2030, driven by strong market demand and supportive government policies.

Coming to valuations, at the current price of 1,261, the stock trades at a PE of 28, which is lower than the industry average of 58.

Regarding its financial performance, the company boasts a three-year average RoE of 23% and a three-year sales CAGR of 39%.

Similarly, its net profit has grown at a CAGR of 160% over the past three years.

Looking ahead, the management has indicated that the company is on track to successfully commission an additional 600MW Mono PERC Cell Line (Phase II) in less than one year, with the commercial start targeted for October 2025.

The entire capital expenditure for this new cell line is being funded through internal accruals.

Prostarm Info Systems Ltd

Fourth on the list is Prostarm Info Systems, primarily engaged in the designing, manufacturing, assembling, sale, service, and supply of energy storage equipment and power conditioning equipment.

The company offers a diverse range of manufactured products, including UPS systems, inverter systems, lift inverter systems, solar hybrid inverter systems, lithium-ion battery packs, servo-controlled voltage stabilizers, and isolation transformers.

It provides both customised and standard products from its in-house facilities and through third-party contract manufacturers.

Beyond its core manufactured products, Prostarm also supplies third-party power solution products such as batteries, solar panels, and allied products.

The company has successfully executed and commissioned rooftop solar PV power plants totalling 10.56MW at over 100 sites.

Coming to its valuations, the company is available at a PE of 38, lower than other pure-play solar energy stocks.

Regarding its financial performance, the company has a three-year average RoE of 33% and a three-year sales CAGR of 26%.

Similarly, its net profit has grown at a CAGR of 38% over the past three years.

Looking ahead, the management has outlined a strategic expansion into Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) manufacturing.

Prostarm is setting up a 1.2GWh annual capacity BESS facility in Reliance MET, Jhajjar, Haryana. Commissioning is expected by the end of FY26. This initiative positions the company as one of Indias few OEMs in BESS manufacturing.

The company has already secured significant orders in this segment, including an 52 crore order from Adani Electricity for a 22 MWh BESS project and a letter of award from Bihar State Power for a 120 MWh BOOT project with a 12-year monthly rental model.

This strengthens its order book and supports long-term recurring revenue growth.

The management intends to capitalise on market tailwinds, noting that Indias BESS market is expected to grow from less than 0.2GW to 66GW by 2032.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Indias solar energy sector is on a strong growth trajectory, supported by favourable policies, rising demand, and the global shift towards cleaner technologies.

However, the recent sell-off driven by tariff noise and global uncertainty has pulled valuations down, but the fundamentals of these companies havent cracked.

Also Read | You can ignore Trump's tariffs if you invest in quality stocks for the long term

In fact, most are expanding capacity, strengthening order books, and positioning themselves for the next decade of growth.

If you can separate short-term volatility from long-term potential, undervalued solar stocks might just turn into the brightest part of your portfolio.

As always, do your own due diligence, conduct thorough research on financials and corporate governance before making investment decisions, ensuring they align with your financial goals and risk tolerance.

Happy Investing.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.

This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com.
Sterlite Technologies share price declined over 7% in early trade on Monday, despite gains in the broader stock market today. Extending its losing streak for the six consecutive sessions, the small-cap stock slumped as much as 7.59% to 105.90 apiece on the BSE. Sterlite Technologies shares have dropped 20% in six sessions.

The fall in Sterlite Technologies share price today comes after the company informed that its US subsidiary has been hit with a $96.5 million penalty by a US District Court.

Prysmian Cables and Systems USA, LLC had filed a complaint in the US District Court, District of South Carolina, Columbia Division, against Stephen Szymanski, an employee of Sterlite Technologies Inc. (STI), the US subsidiary of Sterlite Technologies Ltd, and against STI.

Also Read | Adani Power share price rises on 800 MW power project award in Madhya Pradesh

The Plaintiff alleged that Szymanski violated certain non-compete and confidentiality agreements and disclosed confidential information to STI, thereby providing STI with an alleged unjust competitive advantage. Szymanski and STI denied these allegations and asserted affirmative defenses. Sterlite Technologies Limited is not a party to this dispute and no claims have been made against STL, Sterlite Technologies said in a regulatory filing on August 29.

On August 9, 2024, following a three week trial, a Jury returned a verdict of $200,000 against Szymanski and $96.5 million against STI. On August 29, 2025, the Court affirmed the verdict but denied Plaintiffs post-trial motion for prejudgment interest, it added.

STI believes the judgment is unsupported by the testimony and evidence presented at trial, as well as applicable law, and intends to vigorously pursue all available post-trial remedies, including an appeal, the company statement said.

However, it added that the matter is sub-judice and given STI intends to file an appeal, the ultimate financial implications, if any, will be assessed on the ultimate resolution of the matter.

Sterlite Technologies Share Price Performance Sterlite Technologies share price fell 6% in one month, but the smallcap stock has rallied 51% in three months. The stock has surged 70% in six months and has gained 26% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. Sterlite Technologies shares have risen 11% in one year, but has dropped 13% in two years and 16% in three years.

At 10:05 AM, Sterlite Technologies share price was trading 2.53% lower at 111.70 apiece on the BSE.
, HDFStock market today: During the week ended 29 August 2025, the benchmark Nifty 50 index at 24,426.85 ended 1.8% lower. The Bank Nifty at 53,655.65 however ended with sharper cuts of 2.7% as most other sectors with an exception of FMCG ended lower. Even the broader indices as Mid- and small-cap index ended 3-4% lower.

Trade Setup for Monday For Nifty, the zone of 2430024250 has emerged as the key make-or-break level and sustained break below 24250 could accelerate the downside, potentially dragging the index toward 24000, said Sudeep Shah, Vice-President & Head of Technical and Derivatives Research, SBI Securities.

For the Bank Nifty, the zone of 53600-53500 will act as immediate support, said shah.

SCO Summit 2025 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in their meeting, exchanged views on ways to increase and balance the bilateral trade between the two nations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Foregin Secretary Vikram Misri said, "Two leaders also exchanged views on ways to increase and balance bilateral trade, strengthen people-to-people ties, cooperate on trans-border rivers and jointly fight terrorism. There was a desire to make additional progress on all of these issues on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual sensitivity."

The Foreign Secretary also mentioned that in the meeting, recognition was given to the important role India and the Chinese economies can play in stabilising world trade.

Global markets today The upcoming week will be event-heavy, marking the start of a new month with several high-frequency indicators due for release. Investors will closely track auto sales data, along with HSBC Manufacturing, Services, and Composite PMIs.

Additionally, the GST Council meeting will be a key focus, with expectations building around an accelerated implementation of proposed reforms following demands from industry bodies. These events are likely to set the near-term tone for risk sentiment, said Ajit Mishra  SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

Stocks to buy today Regarding stocks to buy today, market expertsSumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking; Ganesh Dongre, Senior Manager of Technical Research at Anand Rathi; and Shiju Koothupalakkal, Senior Manager of Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladherrecommended these eight intraday stocks for today: Cartrade Tech, Nava, SBI, HDFC Bank, LIC, CG Power, ideaForge, and Syrma SGS Technology.

Sumeet Bagadia's stock picks 1] Cartrade Tech: Buy at 2398, Target 2575, Stop Loss 2300;

2] Nava: Buy at 687, Target 740, Stop Loss 660.

Ganesh Dongre's stocks to buy today 3] SBI: Buy at 805, Target 822, Stop Loss 795;

4] HDFC Bank: Buy at 952, Target 995, Stop Loss 930; and

5] LIC: Buy at 852, Target 895, Stop Loss 825.

Shiju Koothupalakkal intraday stocks for today 6] CG Power: Buy at 694, Target 730, Stop Loss 680;

7] ideaForge: Buy at 487.65, Target 515, Stop Loss 477; and

8] Syrma SGS Technolog: Buy at 753, Target 800, Stop Loss 735.
For Deepa Kumar, 34, it started with Korean pop culture. The Mumbai-based analyst at a market insights major got hooked to K-dramas during the pandemic. Soon after, the algorithm started filtering in suggestions for Japanese dramas; she started watching anime. Alongside, her work led her to explore Japanese history, politics and culture. As I observed Japanese politics for work, I decided to travel to Japan to get a holistic perspective. But the final push came from food," she says.

Last year, she travelled to Japan to experience the culture first-hand, and it included signing up for a 25-course sushi meal in Tokyo apart from exploring street food, frequenting the informal bars or izakayas, and experiencing a kaiseki meal (a multi-course meal known for its presentation) at a traditional Japanese inn or ryokan in Kanazawa. The sushi meal stood out. Its not just a highlight of the trip, but a highlight of my life," she says.

Kumar is not alone. A love of Japanese pop-culture, driven by exposure to Japanese trends on social media, manga and anime, street fashion, and the kawaii-ness (cuteness) of it all, is creating a heightened interest in the countrys food. Its not just about sushi and ramen but exploring regional dishes, ingredients, and dining formats. Restaurateurs know this, and not a month goes by without a new Japanese-style restauranta ramen/sushi bar; a matcha bar; a spare, modern izakaya; or one with an expansive omakase menuopening in Indian metros.

The rise of Japanese cuisine in India is more than just a culinary trend  its a cultural shift that reflects evolving tastes and global exposure," says Suchismita Roy Chowdhury, manager of the Kyoto-style speakeasy bar ZLB23 at The Leela Palace Bengaluru that opened in 2023. The bar ranked No.31 at the recently concluded Asias 50 Best Bars 2025.

Also Read | Sake sips and elevated Japanese at this new restaurant in Mumbai

The trend is not restricted to a particular city. Last summer, foodies in Amritsar flocked to a new omakase dinner Shiso, hungry for a bite of salmon tataki, karaage chicken, and king oyster yakitori. Espressos Anyday, a cafe that opened in Gurugram late last year, is the Millennium Citys hottest spot for matcha. Earlier this year, restaurateur A.D. Singh opened The Love Hotel, a Japan-inspired cocktail room, in Delhi. Goas buzziest openings are Mizus new outpost and a ramen space called Jsan. Global travel has exposed more Indians to authentic Japanese food, and the rise of social media has made people more adventurous and eager to try new things," Singh says, explaining the wave.

Around 233,000 Indians travelled to Japan in 2024, marking a record-breaking year for Indian tourism to the country and up from 166,394 visitors in 2023. Until recently, travelling to Japan was considered difficult because of high costs, visa issues and lack of vegetarian dining options. But Japan has been actively reaching out to Indian tourists over the past few years. Last years introduction of an e-visa for Indians, coupled with more direct flights, is widely seen as a driver of tourism. Japans yen dropped to its lowest level in April last year since 1990 and has made travel more affordable.

View Full Image Noodles for ramen at JSan, Goa.

The post-colonial generation in India was looking at the West but now its time for Asia if you take anime as an example, 60% of all the content is consumed in local languages. Theres tremendous influence of all things Japanese today, especially among the younger generation," says Udai Pinnali, CEO of Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality that launched Supa San, an izakaya style cocktail bar, in Mumbais Bandra Kurla Complex earlier this year.

Noticing the interest, the Japanese government named chef Nooresha Kably, co-founder of Japanese restaurant Izumi in Mumbai and Goa, and Brehadeesh Kumar, chef-owner of Ginkgo in Pune, as its goodwill ambassadors for the promotion of Japanese cuisine in February this year. I realised the cuisine has potential and enrolled myself in Tokyo Sushi Academy in 2017. It took a year to open Izumi as a 16-seater," Kably says. When I started Izumi in 2018, if you asked anyone to try Japanese food, they would say no, we dont eat raw food. Most restaurants were doing salmon and tuna, but we brought ingredients like hamachi, eel and wakame (seaweed) that were only in five-star hotels until then," Kably says. Earlier, hardly anyone who dined at Izumi had been to Japan, but today people share their itineraries with me all the time."

The popularity can also be attributed to the perception of Japanese food being healthyit uses fresh ingredients and clean cuts, and adheres to provenance. Fermentation lies at the heart of the culinary philosophy, and gives the food its umami. The discipline of chefs and bartenders towards their craft, the concepts of hara hachi bun me, or eating until 80% full, the Okinawa lifestyle that often sees people live past 100 and even the recent Japanese walking trend all point to the healthy nature of their lifestyle.

MANGA-INSPIRED MEALS

During the covid-19 pandemic, Indian interest in Japanese anime and food shows peaked. One can trace the link between the growth of ramen in India to (ninja) Narutos love of the dish. As more people experience anime, they want to try out the cultural elements," says Hamza Sayed, founder of The Comic Store in Mumbai.

This year, while Studio Ghibli-inspired AI art trended across the world, chef Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar of Bento Bento in Bengaluru brought back her Studio Ghibli popup, featuring Satsukis bento box from My Neighbour Totoro, onigiri from Spirited Away and mackerel fry from Up On Poppy Hill. Using pop culture became a way to bring us all together and celebrate it as well as the characters," says Dastidar. She is a fan of salaryman (a term used for daily workers) food such as ramen and bento boxes as the meals are always balanced because you get carbs, vegetables and meat at one go.

Kaushal Karkhanis, a communications designer and travel content creator who visited the World Expo in Osaka, Japan during sakura season in April this year, says tourists were visiting towns linked to anime characters like Doraemon and Naruto to dine. Karkhanis also visited Japanese diners and found great comfort in the salaryman menu. I think its inspired from Western QSR chains like McDonalds but Japan does things in their own way. You will find office workers stepping in for a quick meal and the most popular dish was rice with miso soup and a protein, like a DIY thali. I found it fascinating that sushi was hardly as common as we make it out to be in India."

View Full Image Salmon tataki at Wab Sabi, Bengaluru.

Singh became fascinated with the cuisine in 2006 during a trip to Dubai. It was our first exposure to Japanese cuisine, and we (he and his wife) both thoroughly enjoyed it," recalls Singh. Japanese restaurant Guppy was born in Delhi in 2013, and Hello Guppy in Mumbai, an all-day Japanese cafe, in 2017. In May this year, he opened The Love Hotel Delhis Lodhi Colony, a cocktail bar inspired by Japans 'rabu hoterus', or hotels primarily meant for couples to spend intimate time. The red lights, pink handcuffs and a cookie jar" with massage oils, lollipop, feather ticklers and a condom to take home with the bill leans into the allure of Japans culture of playful erotica. The love hotels or rabu hoterus have been part of Japanese culture for centuries. We wanted to reimagine that spirit for Delhi Its not a replica, but a heartfelt homage," Singh says.

Theres been a turn towards micro-cuisines with restaurateurs championing dishes such as ramen or tempura. Where sushi would once be the highlight of a Japanese menu, today most also serve katsu curries, yakitori, and gyozas. Earlier, if certain places made tempuras and gyozas, they wouldnt call themselves Japanese because that would alienate Chinese foodies. The cuisine is about specificity now, rather than being hidden behind Pan-Asian cuisine," says Kavan Kuttappa of Naru Noodle Bar in Bengaluru.

Nikkei or Japanese-Peruvian cuisine with it signature ceviches and tiraditos is trending too. Chef Randy Cultivo, who recently launched a Nikkei menu at Wabi Sabi at The Oberoi, Bengaluru, says, Nikkei allows us to add more flavour and texture, whether it is creating mayo style sauces, carpaccio or ceviche, use of smoked peppers and herbs like coriander. It is a fun and delicious amalgamation of taste and texture," he says. Nikkei cuisine ticks two of boxes for Indians  technique-forward Japanese preparation and Indian-style sour and spicy taste profiles.

WHATS NEXT?

Goas most exciting new Japanese restaurant is JSan, a ramen and bar bites space in Anjuna. Founder Vishesh Jawarani says hes obsessed with the perfect thats part of Japanese culture. For example, to learn how to make broth correctly for his Tonkatsu pork ramen, Jawarani studied how animal bones break down and add flavour over 24-hour cycles. He insists that if the bones dont come from a particular farm in Mangaluru in Karnataka, his broth wouldnt taste the same. Its like having a starter for sourdough; so its like having a mother broth or an older broth and mixing with fresh broth to allow it to ferment and that imparts a sweet flavour from pork bones into the broth," he explains, adding that it took him three years to understand the entire process. The self-taught ramen chef, who holds a business degree, says he became a chef to follow his passion for Japanese cuisine, which came from his childhood love for anime.

Japans greatest culinary export of recent times is undeniably matcha, made from shade-grown green tea plants. Karreena Bulchandani, who runs Mokai, a Japanese-style coffeehouse in Mumbai, has been watching diners obsess over Japanese food and desserts for the past year, but even she was blown away when the matcha wave hit. We started serving matcha 1.5 years ago and today 60% of our orders are for matcha. Even people who dont like matcha flavours get sweet and fruity options because its a trend and because of how beautiful it looks," she says.

With so much Japanese fare at hand, it can be difficult to imagine theres more to come, but restaurateurs are placing bold bets on the future. What comes next is small format Japanese dining. Weve had 70-100 seats but the future will be about specialised places dedicated to sushi, sake or omakase dining," Singh says.

It looks like the sun is likely to keep rising on Japanese cuisine in India.

Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday mocked Rahul Gandhi's claim that he will soon come out with a hydrogen bomb as part of his vote chori allegation, saying that his "atom bomb" had turned out to be a damp squib. The saffron party also accused him of demeaning his position as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha with irresponsible comments.

Taking on Gandhi, whose Voter Adhikar Yatra concluded in Patna, for his barbs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress leader and his party have a history of "abusing" Modi. But people, he added, have repeatedly rejected Gandhi and reposed faith in the prime minister.

By alleging fraud and deceit behind the BJP's victories under Modi's leadership, the Congress leader has been insulting voters, he said. "This is arrogance and we will tell voters to punish him for his arrogance," he said.

The former Union minister took repeated jabs at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as well for playing "second fiddle" to Gandhi in Bihar despite the Congress lacking a political base in the state. Yadav has claims over the chief minister's chair but has ceded the front seat to Gandhi, he added.

The Yatra, he asserted, will have no impact on the Bihar assembly polls, expected to be held in October-November.

Defending the ongoing Special Intensive Review of electoral rolls in the state, Prasad claimed that the opposition's campaign against it is solely driven by two reasons. Opposition leaders want "right and might to capture booths" and that infiltrators should be allowed to vote, he said, recalling the state's history of poll violence and incidents of booth-capturing.

Gandhi's campaign, he asserted, is born out of his frustration over the Congress' repeated poll defeats, and if he carries on with a similar conduct, then his party will suffer an even worse fate.

The BJP leader noted that the ruling party suffered setbacks in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections due to the opposition's "false" campaign that the Modi government would change the Constitution if it were re-elected.

However, people soon realised the truth and voted the BJP to record wins in Haryana and Maharashtra, he added, asserting that the ruling alliance will notch up a similar victory in Bihar.

The SIR removed from electoral rolls 22 lakh dead voters and eight lakh duplicate voters, he said, wondering if their names should have been allowed on the voters' list.

The BJP's sharp attack on Gandhi and his allies came after he said his party will soon come out with a "hydrogen bomb" of revelations about "vote chori" and that Modi will not be able to show his face to the country afterwards.

"We will not let them (BJP) murder the Constitution and that is why we took out a yatra. We got a tremendous response. People came out in large numbers and raised the slogan 'vote chor gaddi chhor'," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Gandhi had called his allegations about the electoral roll irregularities in the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka's Bangalore central Lok Sabha seat an "atom bomb".

Hitting back, Prasad said Gandhi's so-called atom bomb was not even like the Diwali firecracker that does not go off.

"One really has to try hard to understand what he means in his speeches in and outside Parliament... The world has not really seen the impact of a hydrogen bomb. Now Rahul Gandhi is talking about it," he said sarcastically.

He accused Gandhi of repeatedly demeaning his position as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha with his irresponsible comments.

Prasad also turned to highlight what he described as internal rumblings within the RJD's ruling family, noting that Yadav's sister Misa Bharti, who represents Patliputra in Lok Sabha, was not part of the concluding event of the Yatra even though her constituency overlaps Patna city.

He said both Gandhi and Yadav are facing trial in corruption cases but were making big claims about morality. Yadav's father and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted on corruption charges, he said.

With Gandhi spearheading an aggressive campaign against Modi, the BJP leader said he had made a similar high-decibel pitch against the prime minister in the past over a host of issues, including the Rafale aircraft purchase and the alleged use of spyware Pegasus, but found little traction.

The Congress leader has spared no constitutional institutions, be it CAG or the Election Commission, from his attack as he believes that the prime minister's chair is his divine right, Prasad charged.

"Gandhi may believe that the prime minister's chair is his divine right, but people have and will continue to bless Modi with their votes," he said.
Three Gurugram cops were suspended after a video, which went viral on social media, reportedly showing them accepting a bribe in cash from an alleged Japanese tourist in cash for not wearing a helmet as a pillion rider.

A user @deadlykalesh posted the video, which has garnered 187.9k views, on X, saying, WTH! Gurugram cops took 1000 bribe from a Japanese tourist without even giving a receipt. This is how they ruin Indias image abroad.

What does the video show? A woman wearing a helmet was driving the scooter, while the pillion rider did not have one on. In the footage, a police officer is heard informing the alleged tourists that they would have to pay 1,000 as a fine for the violation. The officer requests the payment in cash, asking, "Can you pay here or in court?" One of them replies, "Can I use a Visa or touch?", referring to a contactless card.

To this, the officer responds, "No Visa touch." He proceeds to give the officers two 500 notes, which are reportedly taken without any receipt being provided.

Netizens react One of the users remarked, Any active duty person should mandatorily wear body cam. Another stated, Immediate termination, no suspension. Police reforms, advised a third. A fourth said, Should have asked for receipts. But I am sure since its on social media they will be suspended.

Suspended with immediate effect Zero Tolerance Against Corruption. A viral video on social media has brought to misconduct involving of the traffic staff. In line with our commitment to transparency and accountability, DCP Traffic, Gurugram, has taken immediate action: Suspended with immediate effect: ZO ESI Karan Singh (No. 704/GGM), Ct. Shubham (No. 4061/GGM), HGH Bhupender (No. 347/RTK). We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in public service. There is ZERO tolerance for corruption, Gurugram Police said.

Also Read | Massive traffic jam in Gurugram as roads flooded after rains | Videos
In a new development in the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case, the special investigation team (SIT) brought mask-man Chinnaiah to Bengaluru to inspect three places he had visited earlier this year while planning his moves.

One of the sites under scrutiny is the residence of T Jayanth, a close aide of Dakshina Kannada-based self-styled activist Mahesh Shetty Thimmarodi. Investigators believe that Chinnaiah purchased the skull from there. Chinnaiah claimed that he stayed there for a while in April. Thimmarodi is also currently being questioned by the SIT.

The house is located at Mallasandra, north-west Bengaluru. Jayanth's wife, son, and daughter now stay in the house.

"It is the house where Chinnaiah first brought the skull, which he later placed before SIT. From this house, Chinnaiah, with Jayanth, travelled to Delhi with the intention of presenting the case before the Supreme Court," a source told the Times of India.

Speaking to reporters outside the SIT office in Belthangady, Jayanth, meanwhile, claimed that Chinnaiah had come to meet him carrying the skull.

"Chinnaiah arrived at the Satellite Bus Stand (Mysore Road) from where I picked him up and brought him to the house. He told me that he had the skull in a packed bag and it needed to be presented for investigation in the mass burial case. Taking the bag, we went out, unpacked the bag at a desolate place, and clicked pictures of the skull. Then, we travelled to Delhi to meet some officials who could help in taking the matter to the apex court. With good intentions, I helped Chinnaiah, and I am no part of any conspiracy. If SIT finds me guilty, I am ready to face the law," Jayanth told the media, as reported by TOI.

A controversy erupted after Chinnaiah claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault in Dharmasthala over a period of two decades, with the implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple. He was later arrested on charges of perjury.
A fire broke out after a massive blast at a textile processing unit in Surat district of Gujarat on Monday, killing two workers and injuring 20 others.

The incident took place at Santosh Textile Mill in Jolva village in the afternoon after a chemical drum exploded, Sub Divisional Magistrate VK Pipaliya told reporters at the site. "The explosion led to a blaze, resulting in the death of two workers on the spot and leaving 20 others injured. They are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Surat," Pipaliya said.

Among the injured, the condition of two workers is said to be critical.

Pipaliya further said the cause of the blast cannot be identified immediately.

"Of the 20 workers who were admitted to hospital, two are in critical condition," he said, adding that at least 10 fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, which is still raging.

Delhi: Fire breaks out in jhuggis in Rohini On Sunday evening, a fire broke out in a cluster of jhuggis in Rohini's Sector 18 area of Delhi.

The Delhi Fire Service said it received a call regarding the blaze at 7.01 pm, following which six fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

An official of the Delhi Fire Service said that no casualty or injury was reported, and that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Residents alerted the police and fire control room after smoke was seen rising from the jhuggi cluster. The fire led to panic in the densely populated area.

MP: Fire breaks out in Indore building One fire official was injured while trying to extinguish a major fire on the third floor of a building in Indore, reported ANI.

Four fire tenders immediately reached the spot late Friday night after receiving information about the blaze on MG Road.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin today,1 September, following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will first address the SCO plenary session before meeting President Putin.

"Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," Misri said during a special briefing in Tianjin on Sunday.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes at a time when India is under relentless pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its purchase of Russian crude oil.

This will be Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putins first in-person meeting after Trump's second US presidency. The two leaders last met on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

What's on the agenda? While India has not yet retaliated to US tariffs, it has sought to reinforce its friendship with Russia and recalibrate its ties with China in recent weeks.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart in Moscow on August 22. The two leaders discussed sustaining India-Russian energy cooperation through trade and investments, joint extraction of energy resources, including in the Russian Federation, in the Far East, and on the Arctic shelf, and the balance of bilateral trade, which is currently in Russias favour.

Also Read | PM Modi raises cross-border terrorism in talks with Xi Jinping

Modi and Putin can take up some of these issues during their meeting today, according to reports.

India wants to increase exports to Russia India wants to increase its exports to Russia in sectors like medicines, farm products, and textiles to reduce the trade gap. New Delhi has also asked Moscow to quickly remove non-tariff barriers and other rules that make it hard for Indian goods to enter Russia. At present, Russia is Indias fourth-largest trading partner, while India is Russias second-largest.

India and Russia have stepped up engagements in recent weeks, more so after Trump's tariffs were announced.

Modi and Putin spoke over the phone twice sinceDonald Trump signed the executive order on 7 August to impose a 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods, which kicked in on 27 August, for buying Russian oil. While Foreign Minister Jaishankar was in Moscow on 22 August, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval visited Russia in the first week of August

Reports last month suggested that New Delhi and Moscow have finalised Putins visit to India, likely in December, for the India-Russia Annual Summit.

Before the Modi-Putin meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke with the Indian Prime Minister over the phone.

We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction, Prime Minister Modi said after the call.

Modi-Xi meet The Modi-Putin meeting is scheduled a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit. This was their first meeting after the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.

PM Narendra Modi later joined the official reception of the summit, hosted by President Xi at the Tianjin Meijiang International Convention and Exhibition Centre. He was greeted warmly by Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, before joining other world leaders for a group photograph symbolising regional unity.

Also Read | Who is Cai Qi? PM Modi meets Chinese Communist Party leader

Putin also attended the official reception along with senior members of his delegation, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff Maxim Oreshkin, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov and Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes at a time when India is under relentless pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its purchase of Russian crude oil.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said PM Modi invited Xi Jinping to the BRICS Summit that India will host in 2026.

President Xi thanked PM Modi for the invitation and offered China's support to India's BRICS Presidency.
Punjab floods: After returning from China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to CM Bhagwant Mann and assured him all help to the state while discussing the flood situation. A total of 29 people have been killed, mainly from Pathankot district apart from affecting lives of over 2.56 lakh people, state officials said, PTI reported.

Immediately after landing in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi called up Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to discuss the situation due to heavy rains and flooding in Punjab. He has assured him of all help and support to the state, ANI quoted government sources as saying.

According to an official bulletin, 12 of the 23 districts in the state have been affected in a one-month duration beginning August 1, in what the state government has called as one of the worst flood disasters to impact Punjab in decade.

The most-affected villages consist of those in the districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar. The Hoshiarpur district administration unveiled the 'Charda Suraj' campaign in partnership with the Red Cross Society and numerous NGOs and reached 1,225 flood-hit individuals in the district as part of the relief efforts.

To support relief and rescue efforts, the state has activated several agencies. The NDRF has sent 20 teams, while the Army, Navy, and Air Force have each deployed 10 columns, with an additional 8 on standby, along with their respective engineering units. More than 35 helicopters are involved in rescue operations, aided by 114 boats and a state-owned helicopter. BSF personnel have also been stationed in the affected border regions, as per an ANI report.

Mann's letter to PM Modi Mann wrote to PM Modi and requested him to release 60,000 crore of the "state's funds", which he alleged are "stuck" with the central government, PTI reported.

He also urged revisions in the norms for funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund(SDRF), saying that his government wanted to pay at least 50,000 per acre to affected farmers.

Punjab is facing a tough time due to the worst flood conditions. You are requested to release all funds of Punjab stuck with the Government of India, which is to the tune of 60,000 crore. Since the crops were almost at the harvesting stage, I feel that at least 50,000 per acre should be paid to the farmers. So I request you to revise the norms of compensation of SDRF. Needless to say the state government shall continue to contribute 25 per cent as per the scheme of SDRF. Mann said.

Meanwhile, Punjab has extended the closure of all schools till September 3, according to Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. Earlier, the Mann government announced holidays for the schools from August 27 to 30.
In a tragic incident, a Bengaluru-based IT professional lost his life after being bitten by a snake that was reportedly hiding in his footwear, reported The Indian Express.

The incident took place on Saturday in the Bannerghatta area of Bengaluru. The victim has been identified as 41-year-old Manju Prakash, an employee of TCS. He was a resident of Ranganatha Layout.

What actually happened? On Saturday, around 12:45 p.m., Prakash returned home from a sugarcane shop wearing his Crocs. He then went into his room, leaving his footwear outside.

After some time, his family members spotted a dead snake near the Crocs. They rushed to his room, where they found him lying on the bed with foam coming out of his mouth and a bleeding leg.

Soon, Prakash was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him dead.

According to the media report, Prakashs relatives suggested that he may not have realised the pain from the snake bite because his leg was already numb from an earlier accident.

On returning home, Prakash went to his room and slept. After nearly an hour, a labourer who visited our house noticed a snake just outside the pair of Crocs. Upon checking, it was found that the snake was dead," the victims brother said.

In 2016, Prakash was injured in a bus accident and underwent leg surgery, after which he lost sensation in his leg.

A family member said the snake likely died of suffocation inside the Crocs, as per the report.

Odisha: 4 people die in two separate snake bite incidents In August, four people, including a woman and her son, were killed in two separate snakebite incidents in Odisha's Keonjhar and Ganjam districts.

According to police, a woman and her minor son died after a snake bit them while sleeping at Radhikadeipur village of Keonjhar district. The deceased were identified as Jemamani Munda and her son Ganesh Munda.

"When they were sleeping in the home, at around 1 am, they felt sick. I took them to Keshadurapal community health centre on a bike, and then they were shifted to Anandpur hospital, where the doctor declared them dead," said Sunil Munda, Jemamani's husband.

Similarly, a woman and her nephew lost their lives while sleeping after being bitten by a venomous snake at Bilugaon village under Patrapur block of Ganjam district.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modis friendly exchanges with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping grabbed the spotlight.

Amid hugs, huddles, and laughter at the summit held in the northern Chinese town of Tianjin, the internet reacted with trademark humour to the striking display of warmth between the three leaders.

Wheres Kim Jong Un? one user asked, seeking to know the supreme leader of North Korea's whereabouts. To this post, another reader responded, ' In the train.

The camaraderie between the three leaders stood out against the backdrop of global tensions amid US tariffs. PM Narendra Modi's bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, come days after US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian products for New Delhi.

'100 per cent tariff lagade who, is se zyada kya karega who," a fake audio superimposed in the video of the meeting suggested Modi telling leaders, including Xi and Putin, at the SCO summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his first trip to China in seven years. Meetings with Xi and Putin are seen as Modis bid to reset relations with China and deepen ties with Russia amid strained US relations.

Trump is toast. (Literally)

Wheres Kim Jong Un?

"Trump is toast. (Literally)," another user said, reacting to the now-viral picture of Modi speaking with Putin and Xi

US tariffs on India The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, the highest in Asia, to penalise it for Russian oil purchases.

The US is Indias biggest export market, and economists like Citigroup Inc. estimate the tariffs will cut the annual growth rate by as much as 0.8 percentage points.
PM Modi China Visit Highlights: Following the SCO Summit on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding bilateral talks amid tariff tensions.

While addressing the SCO plenary session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the act of terrorism, saying, Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from it. Therefore, India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism

Later, SCO members strongly condemned thePahalgam attack, saying perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice

This was a big win for India as Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was also present at the occasion when PM Modi delivered his remarks.

PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday shared light moments ahead of the SCO Summit's plenary session.

In a powerful visual the leaders were seen holding discussions and having a conversation in a show of strength amid the US tariff concerns.

President Putin and Prime Minister Modi greeted each other with a warm hug, after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members. Modi later posted, Always a pleasure to meet President Putin

Today, PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, China. On Sunday, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The SCO comprises 10 members apart from India and China  Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Why is the SCO Summit important?

With the US-India and US-China tariff disputes causing turmoil in global markets and Russias clash with the West over Ukraine, reshaping power alliances, the SCO Summit presents India with a chance to recalibrate its relations with both Beijing and Moscow while strengthening its strategic independence.
India's oil refiners are expected to benefit from discounts on Russian oil even after a new price cap imposed by the European Union (EU) takes effect next month, three people in the know of the developments said.

The discounts are expected to remain at the current levels of around $3 per barrel. In July, the EU capped prices of Russian oil at $47.6 per barrel effective 3 September, 15% below $60 per barrel implemented since December 2022.

"The discounts are likely to continue in September too as the new price cap kick in. After US pressure to discontinue purchase of Russian oil, discounts somewhat increased to around $3 per barrel," said one of the two people mentioned above.

The EU's 19 July statement announcing new measures against Russia said: The EU is curtailing Russias energy revenues through a number of different measures. The EU is lowering the price cap for crude oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel, to align it with current global oil prices and is introducing an automatic and dynamic mechanism to modify the oil price cap and ensure that this price cap is effective. Oil exports still represent one third of the Russian governments revenues."

Also Read | Nayara refinery to be hit hard by EU sanctions on Russian oil

Queries sent to Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd and Russian-state owned oil producer Rosneft remained unanswered.

India has continued to purchase Russian oil despite US pressure. Russia emerged as the top crude supplier to India in FY22. Although the import of Russian oil has somewhat declined amid shrinking discounts compared to the highs of 2022 and geopolitical volatility, Russia remains India's top supplier.

India imported oil worth $16.18 billion from Russia during April-July FY26, lower than $19.46 billion in the same period of last fiscal, commerce ministry data showed. The share of Russian oil in value terms currently stands at nearly 32%, compared to 38% of India's overall import basket a year ago.

Stakeholders also expect the volume of Russian supplies to remain unimpacted by the new price cap and sanctions of more 'shadow fleets' by the EU. A trader on condition of anonymity said that with price caps coming in, informal trading also gains momentum, and the volumes are not impacted.

"When the price cap of $60 was imposed, shadow fleets increased dramatically. The network has grown since. Once the cargo changes hands to formal traders, it enters the formal business. We may see an increase in these fleets," the trader said.

Also Read | Russian Oil Majors Report Income Dip on Weak Price, Strong Ruble

A shadow fleet is a clandestine network of ships, often old and poorly maintained, used to transport oil surreptitiously, evading international sanctions, price caps, and oversight.

Although the price is capped, Russian oil has not been sanctioned, as in the case of Venezuela and Iran.

"When the $60 price cap was imposed in 2022, discounts were offered by Russian suppliers; so, a similar trend may be expected now on the oil price. Further, higher prices can be adjusted in insurance and freight which are outside the ambit of the price cap," said Prashant Vasisht, senior vice president and co-group head, corporate ratings, Icra Ltd.

In December 2022, Brent crude oil prices were around $78-80 per barrel. On a landed basis, at that time, discounts were $8-9 per barrel for India. Brent is currently trading around $67 per barrel.

An official said, "It is worth considering why the West has chosen not to bring Russian oil under sanctions. India has refrained from purchasing LNG and LPG from any of the sanctioned projects from Russia." The official further said that no crude oil purchased from Russia by India has been exported at higher prices as alleged by US officials.

Another official with a state-run PSU noted that India uses clean fleets to import Russian crude oil, and EU sanctions on some fleets would also not impact supplies.

The US has attempted to pressure India to stop Russian oil purchases. It has imposed 25% additional tariff over and above the previously announced 25% over India importing cheap Russian oil and profiteering" from the discounted prices.

India has maintained that its decisions on energy supplies would depend on demand requirements and energy security.

On 20 August, Russia's deputy trade representative to India, Evgeniy Griva told reporters had said that Russia offers India a discount of about 5%.

"There is some mechanism on how to supply crude oil (to India). Now we can't discuss it... there is a very special mechanism," Griva said, adding that Russia typically offers about 5% discount to Indian buyers," Griva had said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), at its 25th summit attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued a joint declaration that condemned terrorism and opposed unilateral tariffs without mentioning either US President Donald Trump or the US.

Mint explains what this regional grouping means for India and the world.

What is the SCO?

The 10-nation grouping was formed in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. While Afghanistan and Mongolia have observer status, there are several dialogue partners.

Economic powerhouses India, China, and Russia are the unstated leaders of the Eurasian and South Asian grouping, touted as the worlds largest regional bloc, representing 24% of global land and 42% of the population.

How's the 25th summit going?

The SCO holds a summit every year, but this one is watched keenly for its backdrop of actions by a non-memberAmerica. The summit gathered amid massive US tariffs against India, sanctions against Russia, the bombing of Iran and delicate trade negotiations with China.

Headlining the 31 August-1 September summit in Tianjin, a port city in China, were Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinas Xi Jinping. Presidents Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Recep Erdogan of Turkiye, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the summit.

What does the Tianjin Declaration say?

It refers to a wide-ranging array of wish lists and statements. Chief among them is the SCOs opposition to unilateral tariffs and strong condemnation of terrorism. The SCO leaders opposed unilateral coercive measures, including those of an economic nature, that contravene the UN Charter and other norms of international law, the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), damaging the interests of international security, including its food and energy components, negatively affecting the global economy, undermining fair competition, hindering international cooperation and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals".

Essentially, this means Trumps tariffs and economic sanctions could impoverish much of the world, imperil development gains, and make food and energy scarce.

And what about terrorism?

Its a little more equivocal here, not surprising given the presence of Pakistan in the grouping. The joint declaration said: The member states strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists, with the central role of the UN, by fully implementing the relevant UN Security Council resolution and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of international law, in order to jointly combat all terrorist organizations."

It stressed the importance of adopting by consensus a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.

It then goes on to strongly condemn the 22 April terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam", which left 26 people dead and sparked a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan. India blamed Pakistan for the attack.

It also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on Jaffer Express on 11 March and in Khuzdar on 21 May 2025".

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They (member-states) expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice," the declaration added.

But is the SCO really a cohesive group?

It has been criticized for being dominated by dictatorships (China, Belarus, Iran). The summit will be followed by a military victory day parade in Beijing on 3 September, which will be attended by Putin, North Koreas Kim Jong-un, and the leaders of Iran and Myanmar.

This will be the first time Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong-un will attend a public event together. The colourful phrase doing the rounds in Western capitals is the Axis of Upheavals."

On the other hand, India is present in the groupinga thriving democracy. Bilateral issues plaguing individual relationships between countries also exist. In that sense, the Tianjin Declaration has managed to strike a compromise. It doesnt mention the Ukraine war, for instance.

How did India approach the summit?

In the lead-up to the summit, defence minister Rajnath Singh pushed for a condemnation of the Pahalgam attack at an SCO ministerial meeting, but this was rebuffed. So the Tianjin Declarations mention of Pahalgam can be seen as a win for India, of sorts, in that it doesnt mention Pakistan and tries to strike an equivalence long rejected by New Delhi.

The bigger gain for New Delhi may turn out to be the show of solidarity in the face of Trumps 50% tariffs (25% tariff escalation, plus 25% punitive measure for buying Russian oil). China is the second-largest economy in the world and India the fourth-largesta fact thats not easy to brush aside for the US, or for anyone else, for that matter.

China and India are the biggest buyers of Russian oil, which sends out the signal that they wont be pushed around on energy security.

How did the key bilateral meetings go for India?

These one-to-one meetings, held on the sidelines of the summit, were crucial for India. Modi met separately with Xi and then with Putin, where the leaders would have discussed Trumps tariffs, their economic relations and trade, and defence security matters.

In the meeting between Modi and Xi, both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan in October 2024" and reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes. Xi said both sides need to approach and handle our relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective" and that it is the right choice for both sides to be friends".

Of the meeting with Putin, Modi said: Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder."

Modi also mentioned recent efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, saying: We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish permanent peace."

Putin, in turn, said progress made at his August summit with Trump in Alaska could open a path toward resolving the war in Ukraine. In this regard, we highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis."

What role does the SCO see for itself in the unfolding post-Trump world scenario?

It is important to remember that the meeting and what it says are largely symbolic. But even in that context, the Tianjin Declaration makes pretty pointed comments about the changing global scenario.

The world is undergoing profound historical changes that affect all spheres of political, socio-economic and social relations. There is a growing desire to create a more just, equitable, and representative multipolar world order that opens up new prospects for the development of states and mutually beneficial international cooperation," it said.

"At the same time, geopolitical confrontation, challenges and threats to security and stability, including in the SCO region, are intensifying. The global economy, especially international commodity and financial markets, is experiencing serious turmoil," it added.

It then goes on to say: The member states adhere to a line that excludes bloc and confrontational approaches to solving international and regional development problems. They emphasise that cooperation within the SCO can serve as a basis for the formation of an architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia."
The Karnataka Human Rights Commission has ordered a Bengaluru police officer to pay 2 lakh in compensation to a UK citizen of Indian origin whose flight was missed due to wrongful detention, reported the Times of India.

The matter dates back to February 19, 2019, when British national Krishna Prasad was at the Mumbai airports immigration centre, preparing to board his flight to London in the morning. He was detained over a lookout notice issued by the Bengaluru Police, said the ToI report.

The lookout notice was issued in connection with a 2016 case of cruelty and criminal intimidation.

However, Prasad had already secured a stay from the Karnataka High Court in 2018 in the same matter, but despite informing the immigration authorities, he was not allowed to board the flight.

On the same day, at 12:04 pm, an email from Halasuru Gate Women's police station sought Prasads detention.

He was held under detention till the next evening, February 20.

Later, two police personnel from the Halasuru Gate Women's station arrived in Mumbai.

I showed them the high court stay order in my case. But the two police personnel from the Halasuru Gate police station verbally abused me, took a statement, and contacted my sister to book me a ticket to Bengaluru. I was asked to meet the inspector there," Prasad had said.

On the way, the UK citizen was eventually released.

Flyer approaches rights panel Furious over this, Prasad took the matter to the State Human Rights Commission.

On the basis of Prasads complaint, the commission launched a probe into the matter.

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According to the report, inspector Shailaja of Halasuru Gate Women's police station claimed during the investigation that she was not present at the station on the day of the incident and was unaware of the email sent to the immigration centre.

She also claimed that the lookout notice was issued during her predecessor's tenure.

However, the commission found that the Karnataka High Court stay order had been sent to the police station and that Shailaja had instructed the two police officers to travel to Mumbai.

Following the findings, the human rights panel concluded that the detention and subsequent loss suffered by Prasad, including his 57,000 flight ticket, stemmed from official negligence.

The commission said 2 lakh should be paid to Prasad as compensation, which must be recovered from Shailaja's salary.
Daksh Gupta, the US-based entrepreneur of Indian origin who drew heavy criticism last year for endorsing a 14-hour working day, has not softened his views on long hours or hustle culture. The Greptile founder continues to argue that many Silicon Valley professionals willingly put in 12-hour shifts, six days a week.

The San Francisco Standard recently portrayed Gupta as the poster child of AI booms grindcore culture. In his conversation with the outlet, he suggested that the Burning Man festival no longer resonates with the younger generation, who now prefer discipline over indulgence.

What does Gupta say about the current lifestyle trend? The current vibe is no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6 [work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week], lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs, Gupta told the publication.

Just last week, he announced several job openings at his San Francisco startup. While making it clear that staff are expected to work 1214 hours daily, Gupta also highlighted the pay packages and benefits on offer.

What jobs are available at Greptile and what do they offer? At entry level, employees at Greptile can earn a base salary between $140,000 and $180,000 (around 1.21.5 crore) annually, in addition to equity worth $130,000$180,000 per year.

For professionals with over seven years experience, base salaries range from $240,000 to $270,000 annually.

However, all roles require a full-time office presence in San Francisco, with no provision for remote work. Perks include complimentary meals, transport facilities, healthcare cover, and a 401k contribution match.

Why does Gupta defend 14-hour workdays? Gupta had previously defended his stance on long hours, insisting that employees should expect 14-hour days. He compared the pace of work at his company to a rocket launch.
President Donald Trump criticised Indias trade policies in a Truth Social post on Monday (September 1), describing the economic relationship between the two countries as totally one sided and a disaster for the United States.

Trump argued that India has long benefited from selling large volumes of goods to the US while restricting American companies from entering its market.

What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us, Trump wrote. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest client, but we sell them very little.

Tariff criticism The President blamed Indias high tariffs for limiting US exports.

Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades, he said. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster!

Oil and defense ties with Russia Trump also noted Indias continued reliance on Russia for energy and defense equipment.

India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S., he wrote.

Tariff cuts too late? According to Trump, India has recently signaled willingness to reduce tariffs, but he suggested the move may not be enough.

They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago, he said, adding: Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!

Trump doubles duties on Indian goods The United States has raised tariffs on Indian exports to as much as 50%, a move that has sparked strong criticism from New Delhi. The steep duties, announced by President Donald Trump, include a oil-11756253730854.html" data-vars-page-type="story" data-vars-link-type="Manual">25% reciprocal tariff and an additional 25% levy on Indias purchases of Russian oil, making them among the highest Washington has imposed on any nation.

Impact on Indian exporters The new tariffs, effective from August 27, are expected to hit Indias textiles, gems and jewellery, seafood, chemicals, steel, aluminium, and copper sectors the hardest. According to SBI Research, around $45 billion worth of exports will be impacted.

The US is Indias largest export destination for textiles and accounts for nearly a third of Indias $28.5 billion gems and jewellery shipments.

Services and pharmaceuticals remain insulated from the new duties due to exemptions, offering some relief to IT majors such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, and Tech Mahindra.

Indias response: Will not bow down India has denounced the tariffs as unjustified and unreasonable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will not compromise on the interests of farmers, livestock rearers, and small-scale industries, even as pressure mounts.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said: If somebody wants to have a good free trade agreement, we will always be ready. But if somebody discriminates, we will never bow down, nor will we ever be weak.

Bilateral trade pact in limbo India and the US have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) since March, with five rounds of talks completed. The sixth round, scheduled for August 25, was deferred after the tariff hike. Washington is pressing for greater access to Indias agriculture and dairy markets, while New Delhi seeks tariff reductions.

Global context and legal challenges The tariffs are part of Trumps broader use of duties as a policy weapon, disrupting global trade flows. The additional levies on India were introduced in line with Washingtons efforts to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine by discouraging purchases of Russian crude.
Labor unions and community activists across the US gathered for mass demonstrations on Labor Day to highlight the influence of the working class and push back against what they describe as the outsized role of billionaires in national politics. Large crowds turned out in major cities including Boston, Chicago, and New York for the first of more than 1,000 Workers Over Billionaires events planned nationwide.

These rallies are about reminding Americans that workers are the backbone of our nation, said a spokesperson for the AFL-CIO, the countrys largest federation of unions, which is leading the mobilisation alongside groups such as May Day Strong, Public Citizen, and Indivisible.

Protests target Trump and billionaire influence The demonstrations aim to sustain momentum from previous mass actions, keeping pressure on President Donald Trump and wealthy individuals who activists argue benefit from his policies. Many rallies focused on issues ranging from immigrant rights and social safety nets to corporate influence and authoritarian policies.

In New York City, several hundred protesters gathered on 5th Avenue across from Trump Tower, chanting New York is a working town and performing with a brass band. Organisers incorporated theatrics, including taco props and Trump costumes, to highlight slogans like TACO, which stands for Trump Always Chickens Out.

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Chicago rally focuses on federal threats Thousands joined the streets near downtown Chicago, protesting Trumps threats to deploy National Guard troops and federal immigration agents to the city. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the crowd, vowing resistance: "This is the city that will defend the country," he said to loud cheers from protesters waving blue-striped Chicago flags.

Many demonstrators expressed concern about federal encroachment and violence, with Trump recently describing Chicago as a mess, a hellhole, and a killing field.

Organisers outline demands The May Day Strong Coalition published a list of five demands, including protecting Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people; ending attacks on immigrants and communities of color; and fully funding education, healthcare, and housing.
Nestle SA has appointed Philipp Navratil as its new chief executive officer after dismissing longtime executive Laurent Freixe, the company said in a statement on Monday (September 1). The move follows an internal probe into Freixes personal conduct.

According to Nestle, as per a report in Bloomberg, the investigation revealed that Freixe had an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate. The probe was overseen by Chairman Paul Bulcke and Lead Independent Director Pablo Isla, with support from external counsel.

Company stresses values and governance This was a necessary decision, Bulcke said in the statement. Nestles values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service.

Freixe had taken over the CEO role exactly one year ago after Nestle ousted his predecessor, Mark Schneider.

Navratils career at Nestle Navratil, who joined Nestle in 2001 as an internal auditor, has served in a variety of roles across Central America. In 2009, he was appointed country manager for Nestle Honduras, before assuming leadership of the coffee and beverage business in Mexico in 2013.

In 2020, Navratil transitioned to Nestles Coffee Strategic Business Unit, overseeing global brands such as Nescafe and Starbucks. He became CEO of Nestles Nespresso division in July 2024 and joined the Nestle executive board on January 1 this year.

I fully embrace the companys strategic direction, as well as the action plan in place to drive Nestles performance, he said, according to Mondays statement.

Industry context The sudden leadership change at Nestle is the latest management reshuffle affecting major global consumer goods and food companies this year. Rival firms including Unilever, Diageo, and Hershey have all seen executive exits, while Kohls fired CEO Ashley Buchanan in May after a brief tenure of just over 100 days following an investigation into personal business dealings with a vendor.

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US President Donald Trump on Sunday lashed out at US federal appeals court's decision to strike down most of the tariffs as unlawful saying that without them, the United States would be "completely destroyed" and its military power "instantly obliterated".

Posting on Truth Social, Trump blasted atRadical Left group of judges for delivering the 74 ruling. He, however, singled out one Democratic judge appointed by Barack Obama, thanking him for having the courage and respect for the nation to vote to save our Country.

"Without Tariffs, and all of the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated. In a 7 to 4 Opinion, a Radical Left group of judges didn't care, but one Democrat, Obama appointed, actually voted to save our Country. I would like to thank him for his Courage! He loves and respects the U.S.A," Trump wrote in his post.

Also Read | US pushes ahead with trade talks despite court ruling against Trump tariffs

What did the federal appeals court ruling say? On Friday, the federal appeals court ruled that most of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration saying that he exceeded his authority by using emergency powers to impose the import duties.

According to a CNN report, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in an unsigned opinion affired a lower court's decision and noted that International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not permit such kind of tariffs.

It also said, Trumps actions marked an unprecedented overreach of executive authority, and also stressed that under the Constitution, the authority to impose taxes and tariffs is granted to Congress.

Trump, meanwhile, said that all tariffs imposed on the countries would remain in effect, calling a recent ruling by a "highly Partisan Appeals Court" incorrect.

"ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT! Today a Highly Partisan Appeals Court incorrectly said that our Tariffs should be removed, but they know the United States of America will win in the end. If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country. It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
US Holiday Calendar List 2025: September marks the end of summer in the United States, but it also kicks off a season packed with important federal holidays.

Whether you are planning family trips, long weekends or work schedules, knowing important federal holidays for the remainder of the year can help you stay organised. Below is a complete list of federal holidays in the US from September through December 2025.

Labor Day marks the end of summer As per the official federal holiday calendar, Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September, unofficially marks the end of summer and the beginning of the fall holiday season.

This year, Labor Day is on 1 September. On this day, Americans attend parades, barbecues, and community events to honour workers and their contributions to the development of the US.

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List of US Federal holidays from September to December 2025 These holidays hold cultural and historical significance and create opportunities for long weekends, travel, and festive gatherings.

Monday, September 1, Labor Day: Celebrated on the first Monday of September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions of American workers and the labour movement.

Monday, October 13, Columbus Day: Recognised in many states as Indigenous Peoples Day, this holiday marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas.

Thursday, November 11, Veterans Day: A day to honour military veterans who have served in the US armed forces. Federal offices, schools, and many businesses close in observance.

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Thursday, November 27, Thanksgiving Day: One of the most celebrated holidays in the US, Thanksgiving is dedicated to gratitude, family gatherings, and traditional turkey dinners. It also marks the start of the holiday shopping season, with Black Friday the next day.
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has once again attacked India while justifying US President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariffs and described New Delhi as "nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin."

Navarro, White House Senior Counsellor for trade and manufacturing, went on to say that "Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people."

I want people to understand whats happening. Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, Navarro said in the interview to Fox News.

His remarks were in response to a question on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruling 7-4 that Trump overstepped his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by imposing broad tariffs on nearly every country.

Navarro labelled the ruling weaponised partisan injustice at its worst, accusing the court of being politicians in black robes.



Who is Peter Navarro? Navarro, 76, has been criticising India while defending 50 per cent US tariffs on Indian goods coming into effect on 27 August.

Last week, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, he called the Russia-Ukraine war Modis War and said, the road to peace in Ukraine runs at least partly right through New Delhi, while criticising Indias purchase of oil from Russia.

Also Read | How Trumps migrant crackdown threatens America Inc

In another post on X, Navarro shared portions of his article in the Financial Times in which he described Indias foreign policy as strategic freeloading and said Trump was confronting this madness.

A Trump Loyalist Navarro, like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is a known Donald Trump loyalist. He has been with President Trump since the Republicans' first presidential campaign in 2016.

Navarro is one of many Trump aides who have been defending tariffs as a policy tool and is sometimes said to have influenced the US Presidents views on the matter, especially while imposing tariffs on China during his first term.

Born in 1949, Peter Kent Navarro is a US economist who has been the senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing to US President Donald Trump since January 2025. Navarro previously served in the first Trump administration, first as the director of the White House National Trade Council, then as the director of the new Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.

Navarro is a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at the Paul Merage School of Business of the University of California, Irvine, with a PhD from Harvard University

China Hawk In January 2017, Navarro joined the first Trump administration as an advisor on trade. As a senior administration official, Navarro encouraged President Trump to implement protectionist trade policies. He is said to have advocated for hardline policies towards China and was a key figure behind the administration's trade war against China.

Navarro has also made failed bids for office in the past, including from the Democratic Party. He is said to have met Trump while he was on the campaign trail nearly a decade ago, before joining the first Trump administration.

Three years ago, Navarro was an obscure business professor in Southern California Now, Navarro has more influence than perhaps anyone else in shaping US trade policy into one grounded in the idea that America can never win so long as other countries are reaping benefits, too. The Politico, American political digital newspaper, wrote of him in 2018.

Four-month Sentence Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In 2022, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress. In 2024, he was sentenced to four months in jail, becoming the first former White House official imprisoned on a contempt-of-Congress conviction.

While announcing his appointment in 2025, Trump said Navarro was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else.

The Coming China Wars Before joining the government, Navarro was a popular author on China. In his 2006 book, The Coming China Wars, Navarro wrote about threats to the world due to China's economic and military rise, covering everything from the economy to climate change and saying the country cheats on trade.

Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.
Supporters of President Donald Trump have floated the idea of adding his likeness to Mount Rushmore, one of the United States most iconic monuments. The idea gained attention shortly after Trump began his second term, when Representative Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bill proposing the addition. While the legislation has not progressed in Congress, the physical feasibility of adding a fifth face presents a significant hurdle.

Geological limitations Experts NBC News has spoken to say Mount Rushmore simply does not have enough suitable rock for new carvings. Paul Nelson, a retired engineer who oversaw the monuments rock monitoring system, explained, It comes down to the geology, the engineering. It just cant be done.

Gutzon Borglum, the original sculptor of Mount Rushmore, had also recognised these limitations during construction from 1927 to 1941. In 1936, he wrote that the stone limitations are so serious, that I doubt if it would be possible to change the composition, which is fixed, in any way to include a fifth head.

Support and skepticism Despite these constraints, some supporters continue to champion the idea. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Lara Trump on Fox News, Well, they certainly have room for it there.

Trump himself addressed the idea in August 2020, denying reports that aides had approached South Dakota officials about adding presidents to the monument. He tweeted: Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me!

Expert warnings Dan Wenk, former superintendent of Mount Rushmore, emphasised the technical impossibility of adding another figure. Its a wonderful thing to speculate about, who could or should be on Mount Rushmore, but it cant be done, Wenk said. Would you add another figure to da Vincis 'The Last Supper?' I dont think so. You dont change great art.

Wenk and Nelson highlighted that the rock next to existing faces is fractured and soft. If youre going to do any other carvings on the surface, you have to remove a lot of rock to get down to the competent rock, and you run the risk of maybe mobilizing some fractures, Nelson said.

Wenk concluded, It doesnt matter how worthy someone is  if the rock is not there, you cant carve them.

Mount Rushmore: A monument to Americas founding and growth Black Hills, South Dakota  Mount Rushmore, one of the most iconic monuments in the United States, draws millions of visitors from across the globe each year. The massive sculpture, designed by artist Gutzon Borglum, features the 60-foot-high faces of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Symbolism and selection of Presidents Each president depicted on Mount Rushmore was chosen for their historical significance. George Washington represents the nations founding, Thomas Jefferson symbolizes expansion and democracy, Theodore Roosevelt signifies growth and development, and Abraham Lincoln embodies the preservation of the Union during the Civil War. Together, the figures represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the United States, making the monument a powerful symbol of American history.

Origins and construction challenges The idea for Mount Rushmore was first conceived in the early 1920s by South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who sought to attract tourism to the state. Gutzon Borglum was selected to design the monument, and work began in 1927.

The project faced numerous challenges, including the difficulty of working with solid granite, limited funding, and harsh weather conditions. Despite these obstacles, Borglum and his team completed the monumental work over 14 years, finishing in 1941.
More than 800 people have been killed and thousands are injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan today, September 1, the country's state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported. The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan has risen to over 800, the Taliban government spokesman said Monday, with the majority in remote Kunar province.

Meanwhile, three villages were razed in the province of Kunar. Nurgal, Chawkay and Watapur were the districts of Kunar worst hit by the quake, Bakhtar reported.

Rescue teams rushed to search for survivors along the border of Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where homes of mud and stone were levelled by the midnight quake that hit at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

"So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work," a foreign office spokesperson told Reuters.

Zabihullah Mujahed, spokesman of Taliban government in Afghanistan, said in on X that the quake caused loss of life and property damage in the eastern provinces, and rescue efforts are underway.

Earthquake Today: Quake of magnitude 6.0 rattle Afghanistan, tremors felt in Pakistan A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck about 27 kilometers (17 miles) east north east of Jalalabad in Afghanistan around midnight, the US Geological Survey reported. Tremors were also felt in Kabul and neighbouring Pakistan's capital Islamabad, around 370 kilometres (230 miles) away, for several seconds, AFP report said.

Following the intial earthquake, three or four aftershocks struck within a 30 minute period in the region, with magnitudes ranging between 4 and 5.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was 27 kilometres from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey.

Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deep tremors.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
During the SCO Summit in China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, stressed that terrorism, separatism, and extremism hinder development, urging global unity against these threats. He acknowledged India's proactive role in countering Al Qaeda and combating terror financing.

What did PM Modi say on terrorism? Security, peace and stability are the basis of the development of any country. But terrorism, separatism and extremism are big challenges in this path. Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from it, PM Modi was quoted as saying.

"Any kind of double standard is not acceptable on the issue of terrorism," he added.

On the Pahalgam terror attack Referring to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi added, ...India has taken the lead in the fight against terror outfits like Al-Qaeda and its associates, and we oppose any kind of terror-financing. We have recently seen the brutal Pahalgam terror attack. I thank all the friendly nations who stood with us.

India's goal Speaking on India's vision, PM Modi said, Today, India is moving ahead following the mantra of Reform, Perform and Transform... We have tried to turn every challenge into an opportunity... I invite all of you to be a part of India's development journey.

On SCO's evolution Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "It is a matter of happiness that the SCO is evolving with the changing needs of the times. Four new centres are being set up to tackle challenges such as organised crime, drug trafficking, cyber security. We welcome this reform oriented mindset..."

On connectivity with Afghanistan, Central Asia PM Modi emphasises that strong connectivity enhances trade and fosters trust. India is focused on initiatives like Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor to improve connections with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty loses trust and meaning..."PM Modi said adding, "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust. With this in mind, we are working on initiatives like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. This will help us improve connectivity with Afghanistan and the Central Asia."

Civilisation Dialogue Forum formed PM Modi announced the establishment of the Civilisation Dialogue Forum.

To enhance people-to-people ties in the SCO, I propose the formation of a 'Civilisation Dialogue Forum'. It will provide a global stage to share our ancient civilisation, culture, traditions, and literature PM Modi said.
Anthony Albanese government condemned thousands of anti-immigration rallies across the country, linking them to neo-nazis and stating that they were spreading hate.

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and others places saw March for Australia rallies against immigration.

March for Australia rallies comprised promotional items such as flyers that indicated particularly towards Indian-born residents, who constitute more than 3% of Australia's total population, with their numbers having increased from 2013 to 2023, i.e. around 8.5 lakh (845,800 as per latest census), HT reported.

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The group's website stated Our streets have seen growing displays of anti-Australian hatred, foreign conflicts, and disintegrating trust, whilst mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together. This march is a stand for the people, culture, and nation that built Australia - and for our right to decide its future.

What the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration, it mentioned in an X post on Saturday.

'We don't support rallies like this that are dividing our community' We don't support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and that are dividing our community. I sincerely hope that there's no trouble that arises. The fact that this is being organised and promoted by neo-Nazi groups tells us everything we need to know about the level of hatred and division that these kinds of rallies are about," Sky News quoted Environment Minister Murray Watt as saying.

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All Australians, no matter their heritage, have the right to feel safe and welcome in our community, PTI quoted Australian government's statement as saying. There is no place in our country for people who seek to divide and undermine our social cohesion. Nothing could be less Australian, Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs said.

Anne Aly, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, asserted Multiculturalism is an integral and valued part of our national identity. We stand with all Australians, no matter where they were born, against those who seek to divide us and who seek to intimidate migrant communities. We will not be intimidated. This brand of far-right activism grounded in racism and ethnocentrism has no place in modern Australia.

Police nationwide have adopted a highly visible presence to maintain safety during marches and counterprotests. NSW Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Paul McKenna said that event organisers had confirmed their plans to conduct lawful and peaceful gatherings. Meanwhile, ACT Police informed that there was no intelligence indicating any planned acts of violence or deliberate property damage, Sky News report noted.

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A plane in which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was flying got hit by GPS jamming, a EU spokesperson said on Monday.

The EU chief was travelling to Bulgaria on Sunday, when her airplane's GPS system was jammed, media had reported earlier.

The EU spokesperson said that Russian agencies were behind the fiasco.

We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia, the spokesperson said.

Russia has not issued a statement regarding the matter. The EU chief's plane has landed safely in Bulgaria, it was confirmed.

We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press conference.

Bulgarian govt issues statement The Bulgarian government has also issued a statement, confirming the incident.

Also Read | At SCO summit in China, Putin defends Ukraine invasion

During the flight carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, the satellite signal transmitting information to the plane's GPS navigation system was neutralised, the government statement said.

To ensure the flight's safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools, it said.

According to a report by the Financial Times, which first brought the incident to light, the plane was forced to land using paper maps.

The GPS signal to von der Leyen's flight was lost as it approached the southern city of Plovdiv.

The EU chief, 66, was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of frontline European Union states that are more prone to Russian threats.

There she has seen first-hand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies, the commission spokesperson said.

The EU will continue to invest in defence spending and in Europe's readiness even more after this incident, she added.

According to Podesta, the GPS system jamming will only strengthen the EU's commitment to support Ukraine from Russia's three-and-a-half-year invasion.

Of course, this will only reinforce even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.
Russian President Vladmir Putin was insistent on offering Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ride on his AURUS limousine to reach the their bilateral talks venue on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Monday, a report said.

PM Modi travelled with Russian President Putin on the same car as they headed for the venue of their bilateral talks, in Tianjin, China, in a powerful visual statement to highlight their relationship amid trade pressures from the US, which has increased Trump tariffs on India to 50 per cent.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful, PM Modi said in a post on X, sharing a photo of him and Putin on the car.

According to a report by NDTV quoting sources, Putin waited for about 10 minutes just so PM Modi could join him.

The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams, Russian national radio station VestiFM said, as per PTI.

However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian presidents limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes, it added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Modi and Putin had tet-a-tet in the car for about an hour.

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After the meeting, PM Modi described his meeting with Putin as excellent and said that the leaders discussed a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict among other things.

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability, PM Modi said on X.

Also Read | SCO Summit LIVE: PM Modi departs from China

Key takeaways from PM Moddi's SCO speech Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday participated in the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where he gave a call for action against terror financing and radicalisation, evoking the Pahalgam terror attack.

Addressing the Summit, PM Modi highlighted India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework. In this regard, he noted that India seeks greater action under three pillars - Security, Connectivity and Opportunity.
In a big win for India, member nations of the SCO, Tianjin Declaration issued at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, strongly condemned the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, extending heartfelt condolences to the victims families and those injured. The declaration underscored the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, and sponsors accountable.

"The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice," the declaration read.

Earlier, speaking at forum, PM Modi said, "India has been bearing the brunt of the terrorism for the last four decades. Recently, we saw the worst side of terrorism in Pahalgam. I express my gratitude to the friendly country that stood with us in this hour of grief."

Stating India's commitment not to accept double standards on terrorism, PM Modi added, "We have to say clearly and unanimously that no double standards are acceptable on terrorism."

He added, ... This (Pahalgam) attack was an open challenge to every country and person who believes in humanity. In such a situation, it is natural to raise the question of whether the open support of terrorism by some countries can be acceptable to us. We have to unanimously oppose terrorism in every form and colour. This is our duty towards humanity...

Speaking on the issue of support received from members related to actions on terror financing, PM Modi said, Security, peace and stability are the basis of development of any country. But terrorism, separatism and extremism are big challenges in this path. Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country but a common challenge for all of humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from it. Therefore, India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism...India took the initiative to fight Al Qaeda and the terrorist organisations associated with it by leading the Joint Information Operation...We raised our voice against terror financing. I express gratitude for your support in it

What the Tianjin Declaration read: "The Declaration echoes the theme of One Earth, One Family and One Future. Member states welcomed the results of the 5th SCO Startup Forum (New Delhi, 3-5 April 2025) in deepening cooperation in the field of scientific and technical achievements and innovations. Member States noted the holding of the 20th meeting of the SCO Think Tank Forum (New Delhi, 21-22 May 2025). They also noted the contribution of the SCO Study Centre at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) in strengthening cultural and humanitarian exchanges," read the declaration.

Also Read | Who is Cai Qi? PM Modi meets Chinese Communist Party leader

"The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats. The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists," the declaration added.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israel's refusal to allow in sufficient aid, stating efforts are underway by British officials to get critically ill and injured children out of Gaza to receive specialist care at UK hospitals, AP reported.

Lammy pledged an additional USD 20 million for medical assistance in Gaza and the wider region while expressing deep concern over Israels restrictions on aid to Gaza, which he described as outrageous.

"This is not a natural disaster, it's a manmade famine in the 21st century. I'm outraged by the Israeli government's refusal to allow in sufficient aid. We all know there is only one way out  an immediate ceasefire, Lammy said.

He informed lawmakers that British officials are also assisting students from Gaza who have received scholarships to UK universities, enabling them to begin their studies this fall.

Massive humanitarian response needed, says Lammy Lammy emphasised the urgent need for a massive humanitarian response to stop more Palestinians from dying and suffering from starvation, especially following the worlds top authority on food crises stated in late August that the largest city in the Gaza Strip is facing famine conditions.

He did not specify how many sick children or scholarship students the UK is accepting from Gaza. However, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Monday that officials are fast-tracking visa processing for these Palestinians and their family members accompanying them.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and women and girls are suffering the worst of the pain. UK support delivered through @UNFPA can make a vital difference, if Israel allows much more aid in, Lammy said on August 31.

Meanwhile, according to British media, officials are assisting in the evacuation of nine Gaza students who received Chevening scholarships, funded by the UK Foreign Office, while dozens of other Palestinian students with offers to study in the UK remain uncertain about their status.

Also Read | Israeli forces shoot at starving Palestinians waiting for aid; 25 dead

Officials declined to share specific details about the evacuation process, citing the sensitive and complicated nature of the situation. Several other European countries, including Italy, have also evacuated students and seriously ill children from Gaza.

The UK funds field hospitals in Gaza through a charity and partners with the World Health Organisation in Egypt to assist in the treatment of some of the 8,000 medically evacuated individuals from Gaza.

Earlier, Lammy said he was "horrified" by Israeli strikes on a Gaza hospital that claimed at least 20 people, comprising five journalists.

He took to X after the strikes that hit the Khan Yunis hospital on August 25 and said, Horrified by Israel's attack on Nasser hospital. Civilians, healthcare workers and journalists must be protected. We need an immediate ceasefire."
The problem with European regulators, a German businessman recently told me, is that they are too scared of downside risks. In any innovative new business sector, they overregulate and stifle any upside potential." In contrast, he argued, Americans care more about the upside potential, and thus hold off on regulation until they know far more about the consequences. Not surprisingly, the United States has much more of a presence in innovative industries."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a case in point. The EU enacted the worlds first comprehensive AI regulation in August 2024, establishing safeguards against risks such as discrimination, disinformation, privacy violations and AI systems that could endanger human life or threaten social stability. The European law also assigns AI systems different risk levels, with different treatments for each. While AI-driven social scoring systems are banned outright, higher-risk systems are heavily regulated and supervised, with a list of fines for non-compliance.

Also Read: Sovereign AI is best developed as an enabler of soft power rather than hard

But Europe has little presence in the burgeoning AI industry, especially relative to the US or China. Those leading the charge in generative AI are US-based firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google; no European firm meets the mark. Such a glaring gap seems to speak for itself. For now, the Donald Trump administrations AI Action Plan for the US, which seeks to limit red tape and regulation in AI, looks like the better approach.

The problem with the European way is that it burdens fledgling firms with the costs of regulatory compliance before the technologys potential has become clear. A chatbot that spreads falsehoods or discriminates against certain ethnic groups is certainly not desirable, but there must be some tolerance for such errors in the early stages of a systems development.

Moreover, when developers can explore a systems positive possibilities more freely, they also have time (and possibly resources generated from successful but error-prone launches) to figure out cost-effective ways to address issues that undermine the systems reliability. Demanding near-perfection from the outset does not safeguard society so much as stifle the trial-and-error process through which breakthroughs emerge.

Also Read: Reasoning AI: Cracking the IIT test is a giant leap for machine-kind

Of course, errors such as racial discrimination can be extremely costly, especially if made by chatbots that interact with millions of people. Recognizing this risk, some regulators allow new products to be tested only in tightly controlled settings. Innovators can experiment with a limited group of users and always under the regulators watchful eye. This sandbox approach helps to contain any harms from spilling over to the broader publicEuropes main concern. But sandboxes might also limit what can go right.

Trials with small, restricted groups cannot capture the benefits of network effects, whereby products become more valuable as more people use them. Nor can they reveal unexpected breakthroughs that come when the wrong people adopt a product (for example, online pornography drove early innovations in web technology). In short, sandbox trials may keep disasters at bay, but they also risk stifling discovery. They are better than outright bans, but they may still cause innovators to bury too many promising ideas before they can scale.

Also Read: Free-AI: How well India adopts AI will shape its future

What then are the costs of the laissez-faire American approach? Most obviously, the system can blow up because of rogue products, as happened with subprime mortgage-backed securities before the 2008 global financial crisis. Today, one hears similar fears about Generative AI and the crypto industry (with FTXs implosion cited as an early warning signal).

Historically, the US, with its deep fiscal pockets, may have been more willing to take such risks, while the fragmented EU may have been more cautious. But with fiscal space shrinking in the US, a rethink may be in the offing.

Even if the US wants to regulate more, though, can the authorities really pull it off? The American way is to wait until an industry is large enough to matter. But by that point, the industry will have grown powerful enough to shape any rules meant to rein it in. Consider crypto: flush with cash, armed with lobbyists and laser-focused on its interests, it has proven adept at swaying politiciansand public opinionin its favour. The consequence invariably is under-regulation, even when risks to the public are glaring.

Also Read: Jobs at stake: Legislation could shield employees facing an AI threat

Risk-averse Europe, by contrast, steps in early, when an innovative sector is still small and its voice barely audible. At this stage, it is the incumbentsthe banks threatened by crypto, for examplewho dominate the debate. Their influence pushes the needle toward excessive caution and heavy-handed rules. The US tends to regulate too little, too late, whereas Europe does too much, too soon. Neither gets the balance quite right.

Even though there is a case for each side moving towards the other, it is worth emphasizing that regulation does not stop at national borders. In fact, the world may benefit from having somewhat different approaches. US chatbots can thrive in a relatively unregulated environment, experimenting and scaling quickly. But once they seek a global presence, they will run into Europes stricter standards. With sufficient resources and strong incentives, they will find creative low-cost ways to comply, and those risk-reduction strategies may eventually flow back into the US, leaving the world with more and safer innovation.

That is the ideal scenario. Reality is likely to be messier. American firms could cause global harm before European regulators catch up. Europe may continue discouraging innovation before it starts, leaving the world with too little. But perhaps the greatest danger is if regulators on either side of the Atlantic export their own rulebook, forcing the other to fall in line. The world may be best served if US and European regulators keep seeing regulations differently. 2025/Project Syndicate

The author is a professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, former governor of RBI and co-author of Breaking the Mold: Indias Untraveled Path to Prosperity
Famine is now a reality in Gaza after Israels 22-month war on the Palestinian territory, as confirmed by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed agency. Food has been used as a weapon," according to the UNs emergency relief and humanitarian affairs head, who pointed to systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid deliveries." Separately, the UNs secretary general called the Gaza crisis a man-made disaster."

The IPC has sounded a famine alert multiple times, and every instance has been directly linked to an armed conflict.

Also Read: Diverting food security rice stocks to ethanol production flies in the face of economics

The year 2024 witnessed a record number of armed conflicts since World War II and over 295 million people experienced acute hunger across 53 conflict-ravaged countries. The Global Report on Food Crises by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that 2024 marked the sixth consecutive annual increase of people facing acute food insecurity, up 13.7 million from 2023.

An immediate impact of conflict is on agriculture and food production, as it destroys crops, livestock and infrastructure, disrupting food supply chains. In an environment of uncertainty, resource scarcity and risk, farmers tend to shy away from long-term investment and shift towards quick-harvest crops that limit their income. This weakens prospects of agricultural development and economic stability.

The repercussions of conflict extend from farms to broad socioeconomic and environmental systems. The worlds eight worst food crisesin Yemen, Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Nigeriahave been linked to both conflict and climate shocks (WHO). Higher temperatures and changing humidity often favour the spread of pests and diseases that harm crops and livestock. Elevated carbon levels reduce the nutritional value of crops, hurting human health and food security.

Also Read: Food-tech is here to feed the world without devouring it

Scarce resources generate tensions among different user groups such as farmers and herders, or between various communities, potentially triggering social unrest. In such a feedback loop, the effects of climate change exacerbate conflict, undermine climate mitigation efforts and create a vicious cycle in which instability and environmental degradation further worsen food insecurity.

In the 1991 Gulf War, when over 700 of Kuwaits oil fields were set ablaze, a massive oil slick in the Gulf and 300 inland lakes severely contaminated the soil, apart from groundwater and irrigation systems, all of which made farming a challenge.

In Syria, the FAO conducted a damage and loss assessment (DaLA) study in 2016-17, five years after the crisis of 2011, and found that the agricultural sector suffered harm to the tune of $16 billion, equivalent to one-third of the countrys GDP in 2016. Syria, once self-sufficient in food, is now a significant food importer.

Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine warboth countries are major exporters of farm commoditieshas significantly disrupted food production and the global foodgrain trade. In 2022, a DaLA study in Ukraine revealed that rural households, livestock keepers, fisherfolk and aquaculturalists suffered losses of nearly $2.3 billion. In 2023, the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam and the Dnipro River system led to potential desertification of fertile lands in southern Ukraine, causing losses of around $1.5 billion in grain and oilseed production.

Also Read: Jagdambika Pal: Minimize food loss and waste for the sake of our planet and its people

In Gaza, years of conflict have destroyed key Mediterranean crops like olives, vines, legumes, wheat, barley and maize, with adverse roles played by prolonged droughts and increased heat stress. As of 1 September 2024, 67.6% of Gazas cropland, 71.2% of orchards and other trees, 67.1% of field crops and 58.5% of vegetables have been damaged, almost 95% of cattle have died and nearly all calves have been slaughtered. The Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment of January in Gaza and the West Bank estimated losses of about $1.3 billion in agriculture and food systems. In August 2024, in the aftermath of the 20-month long conflict, famine was detected in Sudans Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur, which spread across the country, affecting half its population.

Now, nearly half the worlds population is exposed to conflict and an estimated 21,000 people are dying each day from conflict-fuelled hunger (Oxfam).

In such a dire situation, the need for humanitarian aid and protection has more than doubled. In 2025, relief missions aimed to help around 305 million people in 72 countries, with a total funding requirement of $44.18 billion, representing less than 2% of the worlds military spending. But, till recently, only $5.96 billion (or 13.5%) had been mobilized.

Unfortunately, humanitarian plans have been chronically underfunded. In 2023 and 2024, less than half of the financial requests were met (Global Humanitarian Overview, 2025).

Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | Act now: Gaza faces imminent mass starvation

The fight against hunger has slowed considerably. At this pace, the goal of zero hunger by 2030, or even low hunger, wont be reached until 2160. That is a wait too long for the worlds conscience to allow. But then, conflicts themselves are unconscionable.

Today, warring countries continue to flagrantly violate the International Humanitarian Law that prohibits the targeting of civilians, food and water sources. Starvation is used as a war weapon with impunity. In the face of common global challenges like climate change, geopolitical instability and acute hunger, the world must abide by its humanitarian commitments. Only an equitable, sustainable and resilient food system can usher in a stable and peaceful world.

The author is a former director general, Doordarshan and All India Radio; and former press secretary to the President of India.
Heres something that US Democrats and Republicans ought to be able to agree on: Americans serving in the military and trying to protect our country and each other should not be strangled by red tape that prevents them from fixing broken weapons and tools. Yet, that is exactly the danger they currently face.

If a war broke out tomorrow, US troops may struggle to repair and maintain the assets they need to defend themselves and defeat the enemynot because they arent capable of making those repairs or hiring a third party who can, but because they are contractually forbidden from doing it.

Currently, many Department of Defense contracts reserve repairs for manufacturer-authorized personnel. Such restrictions can apply to everything from backup generators to F-35 fighters. Lacking access to the necessary data, tools, parts and training, troops in the field must either ship broken gear back home or fly out contractors tied to manufacturersraising costs and imposing potentially dangerous delays.

Also Read: Dual-use warfare: The military-industrial complex is out in the open now

Believe it or not, military members have actually been told that they cant cobble parts together or do their own repairs. This flies in the face of one of our most storied strengths: American ingenuity. America is a country of fixers. When something is broken, we roll up our sleeves, figure out the problem and get to work fixing it. If we hit a roadblock, we bring in someone as fast as possible to help. Its part of our spirit and characteryet its being denied to those tasked with protecting and defending us.

Troops report having to send malfunctioning drones that could have been fixed with a drop of glue back to the manufacturer at a cost of $26,000 apiece. A Pentagon investigation last year discovered the Air Force had accepted a markup of 7,943% on spare lavatory soap dispensers for Boeing C-17 cargo planes. On a recent visit, Navy Secretary John Phelan found six of eight ovens, meant to produce over 15,000 meals a day, awaiting manufacturer-approved repairs. Its bureaucracy at its most frustratingand exorbitantly expensive.

Also Read: Senior officers face a significant change in the Indian Armys promotion policy

The US Government Accountability Office has estimated that around 70% of the total life-cycle costs of weapons systems goes to operating and support. Thats one reason it has recommended the military take over more sustainment activities for the $1.7 trillion F-35 programme. Depending on where theyre located, contractors tied to manufacturers are often more expensive than civilian Pentagon employees.

This isnt just about cost. Its also about combat readiness. Currently there are lengthy maintenance delays that harm US readinessand thats during peacetime. Imagine if war breaks out. The stakes will be even higher. In the midst of battle, troops are not going to be able to ship broken gear back to the US, or even to large bases in the region (most of which would be immediate targets). Troops forbidden to do maintenance and repairs in peacetime, and lacking the necessary specs and tools, will struggle to do it under fire.

Relying too much on manufacturers creates unacceptable risks and the problem has been growing since the 1990s, as industry consolidation has boosted the leverage of big defence companies. Of course, firms have a legitimate interest in protecting their intellectual property, but they also have a responsibility not to hamstring the very people they are supposed to be supporting. Plus, competition is healthy. Allowing the military to pursue the fastest, cheapest and best possible solutions will encourage greater efficiency.

Also Read: How Trump is expanding the role of the American military on US soil

As the former chair of the Defense Innovation Board, this was an issue that we examined and highlighted. And the good news is: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recognizes the problem and has begun addressing it. In April, he directed the Army to mandate right-to-repair clauses in all new contracts and seek to add them to old ones. Leaders of other services have said they support taking on the issue, too.

A draft of the Senates 2026 National Defense Authorization Act requires manufacturers to provide instructions for maintaining covered equipment. In effect, companies would have to allow access to the same manuals, procedures, tools and equipment they use themselves or offer to authorized service providers, either as part of the initial contract or as a negotiated price option. During wartime and combat preparation, the military would have authority and latitude to repair as it sees fit.

Enshrining this in US law deserves bipartisan support. It would expand the Armys new policy to all services and make it harder for industry lobbies to reverse it in future. It would give the military more optionslike continuing to have contractors perform complicated repairs as neededincrease transparency and resiliency and bring down costs. The sooner it happens, the better. Bloomberg

The author is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.
India leveraged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to reset its ties with China and strengthen its partnership with Russia, recalibrating its foreign policy at a time when tariff wars are reshaping global dynamics. The two-day gathering of 10 national leaders in China's Tianjin also sent a message of defiance to the US, which has skewered India over its relations with the two countries.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited SCO leaders in Tianjin to invest in Indias startups and initiatives to promote shared cultural heritage. Supporting entrepreneurship and innovation could boost trade and economic cooperation in the region, Modi stated, in his first visit to the northern neighbour in seven years.

Even though security was the main focus, the summit also addressed global trade tensions. The Tianjin Declaration criticized US tariffs, calling unilateral coercive measures, including economic ones," a violation of UN and WTO rules.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who chaired the summit, called on the group to oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying practices", a thinly-veiled reference to what Beijing sees as the USs strong-arm tactics. We should make the pie of cooperation bigger, and fully utilize the endowment of every country so that we can fulfill our responsibility for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region," Xi said.

President Xi also announced a 2 billion yuan grant to SCO member states this year and 10 billion yuan in loans through the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years. He also pushed for the creation of an SCO Development Bank.

Modi seized the opportunity of his first visit to China since 2018 to stress Indias commitment to strengthening ties within the SCO framework and promoting regional stability and development, and stressed that there must be no double standards" in tackling terrorism. He also proposed starting a Civilizational Dialogue Forum in the SCO to strengthen people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges, saying such efforts would go hand in hand with Indias focus on security and connectivity.

The gathering also presented India with an opportunity to engage its friends under a global spotlight. Earlier in the day, Modi highlighted his bond with Putin with a warm embrace and a shared car ride.

India and Russia have a special and privileged partnership," Modi said in opening remarks at a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "In the most difficult and testing times, India and Russia have always stood by each other," Modi said, adding India eagerly" awaits Putins visit later this year. The interaction also sends a strong message to Washington that India will not be cowed by America's branding of New Delhi as aiding Russia's war in Ukraine.

Apart from discussing cooperation across economic, financial, and energy sectors, their conversation also covered regional and global issues, including the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Modi reiterated Indias support for recent initiatives aimed at addressing the conflict, emphasizing the urgency of expediting a cessation of hostilities.

In his speech, Modi called for coordinated action on terror financing and radicalisation. Countries that perpetrate and support cross-border terrorism must be held accountable," he said, thanking SCO members for their solidarity after the Pahalgam attack.

Amid Washingtons controversial assertion of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Tianjin Declaration issued one of its strongest condemnations of terrorism to date. The declaration, endorsed by all 10 member states including Pakistan, singled out the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir  an incident New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-sponsored groups  marking a rare moment when Islamabad found itself formally condemning violence in Kashmir.

For New Delhi, the diplomatic value of the statement is significant. It compels Pakistan to stand alongside India on record, condemning an act of terror in the Valley  a position New Delhi has sought to cement in multilateral forums.

The Tianjin declaration comes at a time the US, led by President Donald Trump, has sought to cast itself as a peacemaker in South Asia, claiming to have facilitated a ceasefire following recent India-Pakistan hostilities. The document strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms" and explicitly referred not only to the Pahalgam attack but also to the Jaffer Express and Khuzdar terror strikes in Pakistan. It called for curbing the cross-border movement" of terrorists  language that directly reflects Indias long-standing demands.

The Tianjin Declaration opened by warning that the world is undergoing profound historical changes" across political and socio-economic spheres. It placed particular emphasis on amplifying the voice of the Global South.

Experts argue that Indias strategy is being shaped by tariff uncertainties from Washington. If the US continues to weaponize tariffs, groupings like the SCO will seek to amplify alternative voices in trade governance. India is carefully leveraging this forum to shield its exporters from being squeezed in a great power rivalry," said Dr. Amit Singh, associate professor, special centre for national security studies at JNU.

While all members except India reaffirmed support for Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Modi used his address to highlight alternative connectivity projects like Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. He further proposed launching a Civilizational Dialogue Forum to foster cultural and people-to-people ties.

On connectivity, Modi advocated for enhanced cooperation through projects such as Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, describing infrastructure links as critical for fostering development and building trust among member states.

In terms of institutional reform, Modi welcomed initiatives to address organized crime, drug trafficking, and cyber security, and called for a similar approach to reforming multilateral bodies, including the United Nations. He reiterated Indias support for the SCOs reform-oriented agenda and urged deeper collaboration across the groups member states.

In his speech, Modi advocated for enhanced cooperation through projects such as Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, describing infrastructure links as critical for fostering development and building trust among member states.

In terms of institutional reform, Modi welcomed initiatives to address organized crime, drug trafficking, and cyber security, and called for a similar approach to reforming multilateral bodies, including the United Nations. He reiterated Indias support for the SCOs reform-oriented agenda and urged deeper collaboration across the groups member states.

A day before, India's foreign secretary Vikram said that Modi and Xi Jinping had held substantive discussions on the evolving trade environment. They recognized the challenges posed by the international situation, and agreed to leverage this for deepening bilateral understanding and taking forward economic and commercial relations," Misri said.

This conversation was set against the backdrop of Indias ballooning trade deficit with China, which reached nearly $100 billion in FY25 as imports surged to $113.45 billion, against exports of just $14.25 billion. New Delhi is also weighing whether to ease Covid-era curbs on Chinese investments in select manufacturing sectors, auto components, and renewables, even as it continues to press Beijing for greater market access for Indian goods.
Amazons Project Kuiper, in the race to offer satellite internet service in India, is aiming for a launch next year, though it trails rivals Starlink, OneWeb and Jio Satellite, two people aware of the matter said.

The delay in India foray is because the Amazon arm is still to have a sufficient satellite constellation to launch the services commercially and secure necessary licence and approval in the country, they said, requesting not to be identified. The company is yet to get its network and ground system designs to comply with a set of security conditions laid out by the Indian government.

The company continues to be in discussion with the government on compliance and is expected to complete the formalities by this year-end, said the first of the two persons cited earlier. This person added that like peers, Kuiper also has requested the government to allow serving other geographies with satellite systems or gateways installed in India.

Queries emailed to Kuiper did not elicit any response till press time.

Currently, the government has given a go-ahead to three operators  OneWeb, Jio-SES joint venture, and Elon Musks Starlink - to launch the satellite communication services in the country. However, the consumers will only be able to get the satellite internet services after the government allots the spectrum and finalises the fee which these companies will pay the government.

According to KPMG, India's satellite communication sector is expected to reach $20 billion by 2028.

In May, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended to the department of telecommunications (DoT) that satellite companies must pay 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as spectrum charges to the government. In addition, Trai also introduced an additional annual charge of 500 per subscriber for fixed satellite services providers in urban areas.

The opportunity in the market is much larger than what one player can serve, and Kuiper is not viewing the project from the perspective of being the first or second to enter," the second person who is close to the company said, adding that Kuiper is progressing based on its own benchmarks and not benchmarking itself with others.

Compliance and licensing

At this stage, the company continues to engage with the government on certain compliance requirements such as local storage of data in view of India's sensitivity to national security.

In October 2023, Kuiper submitted its application to get the global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) licence, required to launch such services in the country. The company has also submitted its application with the Centres nodal agency, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), to get approval on its satellite constellation.

Currently, Kuiper has over 100 satellites in orbit. The company, which had committed to invest over $10 billion in the venture, plans to launch 3,200 satellites to form a constellation for satellite internet connectivity. By the end of the year, Kuiper expects to have sufficient satellites to start commercial service in certain countries, the second person said.

In comparison, Starlink has over 6,700 satellites globally, whereas OneWeb has 648 satellites, according to data from their websites.

Local operations

Kuiper, however, has built a small team in the country so far to better understand local market needs and tap enterprise customers. The current team is focusing on business development and regulatory work, the second person said. In August, the company listed two positions for hiring in India - Regulatory lead for Middle East and India, and technology business developer.

The Regulatory Communications Lead - for the Middle East and India will be the external point of contact for Project Kuipers service compliance obligation deliverables in front of Middle East and Indian telecommunications regulators," the company said in the job description on its website.

The technology business developer for Kuiper Ground Infrastructure Services (GIS) will lead land acquisition and entitlement efforts for ground infrastructure locations in India and Southeast Asia for the company.

Although Kuiper is behind the other satellite internet services providers, it could leverage the enterprise client base of Amazon Web Services (AWS) to cover B2B customers and Amazon.com e-commerce platform to tap retail consumers and grab the market share," a consultant to the satellite companies said on the condition of anonymity.

Global contracts, regional plans

Globally, Kuiper has started signing early customer contracts, including deals with American media company Vrio Corps DIRECTV to provide satellite internet services in South America. The company has also signed a deal with Australian government-owned NBN to provide satellite internet services.

Even as India continues to work on the contours of satellite internet rules, the companies including Kuiper, OneWeb and others have also been urging the government to serve other locations as well from the gateways in the country.

We have been requesting the government to allow the gateways in India to serve neighbouring countries, for example Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka. The government has been kind enough to consider that and we are hoping that a policy announcement will also follow," said Rahul Vatts, chief regulatory officer at Bharti Airtel and director at OneWeb India, at an industry event in New Delhi on 17 July.

This initiative (allowing Indian gateways to serve other geographies) is not solely aimed at reducing capital expenditure (capex) but is also seen as a way to provide viable service to smaller neighboring countries where it might not be cost-effective to establish ground infrastructure in each location," the second person cited earlier said.

This person added that satcom companies could also look at showing the government that they can achieve data isolation, ensuring that Indian traffic stays within India and traffic from other countries remains within their respective nations.

Also Read | Indias semiconductor dreams edge closer as CG Power prepares first chip launch

They are actively looking to explain to the government that even if they are allowed to serve other geographies, their network is secure and will prevent data from leaking outside the country," this person added.

However, in an interaction with Mint on 25 August, minister of state for communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said, whatever (licence) we have given applies only to India. We will not be allowing anything for outside the country."

Security and compliance requirements

On 5 May, DoT issued guidelines to tighten security as satellite communication companies here move closer to starting satellite internet services in the country.

Companies seeking a GMPCS licence in India would require security clearance for specific gateway or hub locations in the country, per the department of telecommunications guidelines.

Among the 29 requirements, the government has also mandated data localisation, lawful interception, and local manufacturing requirements for satcom companies.

A key challenge with compliance is the mandate to set up network control and monitoring centres within India, giving India control over satellite telemetryon-ground management and monitoring of satellites based on transmitted data, one of the officials said.

Indian authorities require that telemetry and control of satellites serving Indian users be done within the country to ensure national security and data sovereignty.

Satellite internet services providers will have to submit a yearly plan to the government showing how they will gradually increase local manufacturing of ground segments of their satellite network in the country. The government has asked companies looking to provide satellite internet services in the country to target at least 20% indigenisation of the ground segment of their satellite network within five years of beginning commercial operations in the country.
Elon Musks artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has launched legal action against a former employee accused of stealing sensitive information about its Grok chatbot and passing it to rival OpenAI.

Details of the lawsuit The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in a California federal court, claims that engineerXuechen Li misappropriated confidential data on cutting-edge AI technologies with features surpassing ChatGPT before joining OpenAI earlier this month.

Lis role at xAI According to the complaint, Li joined xAI last year and played a key role in developing and training Grok, the companys conversational AI. The suit alleges he downloaded trade secrets in July, just after agreeing to a position at OpenAI and cashing out $7 million in xAI stock.

xAI further claims Li admitted during a meeting on 14 August to taking company files and attempting to conceal his actions, though investigators later uncovered additional undisclosed material on his devices. The company argues the information could give OpenAI an advantage in enhancing ChatGPT with xAIs more imaginative features.

OpenAI has not been named as a defendant in the case. Neither Li nor representatives for the two companies have commented publicly on the matter.

Broader rivalry with OpenAI The legal clash highlights both the intensifying competition for top AI talent and the personal rivalry between Musk and OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015. Musk is already engaged in separate litigation against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, accusing them of straying from the companys original non-profit mission. OpenAI has filed a countersuit, describing Musks actions as harassment.

Earlier this week, xAI also sued OpenAI and Apple in Texas, alleging the two companies are working to monopolise AI services on Apple devices.

In the latest filing, xAI is seeking unspecified damages and a court order preventing Li from taking up his role at OpenAI.
Since the public rollout of ChatGPT in late 2022, its maker, OpenAI, has become one of the most hotly sought-after companies in the world. Microsoft already has a substantial investment in it, while companies like SoftBank closed a $40 billion funding round in March this year. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also become one of the most prominent names in the AI industry and is often at the center of any debates about the future of artificial intelligence.

A man, however, shared his experience of trying to unseat Altman from the top of the company and also getting a response from the AI startup.

The man, named Omer Oztok, shared his experience of applying for the CEO role in an email to OpenAI on LinkedIn. He wrote, I shot my shot. This time, for something bigger: CEO of OpenAI. Apparently, replacing the entire C-Suite with ChatGPT agents raised some concerns. Thats alright.

Apparently, some of the radical changes Oztok suggested did not sit well with the leadership team of OpenAI, including replacing the entire top executive team of the company with ChatGPT agents and poaching the entire AI team from Meta.

OpenAI rejects CEO application: Oztok also shared the response from OpenAI via a screenshot, which he claimed was from the leadership team at the ChatGPT maker, which is now going viral on LinkedIn, Reddit, and other social media platforms.

LiveMint could not independently verify the authenticity of this screenshot.

OpenAI wrote in the purported screenshot, "Dear Mr. Oztok, Thank you for your recent application to become CEO of OpenAl. While your enthusiasm is unmatched, several elements of your application sparked concern within our executive team. Your cover letter included the phrase: 'As my first action, I'll replace the entire C-Suite (except myself) with ChatGPT agents.' This was seen as... apocalyptic."

"Additionally, your proposal to 'poach the entire Al team from Meta by offering them ChatGPT Plus for life, acquire Google just for the name, and train GPT-6 exclusively on my tweets' were flagged as disruptive by legal," the email added.
New Delhi: For the first time in its young history, Semicon--Indias premier conference for the semiconductor industry--is focusing on value-addition and the creation of a supply chain for semiconductors in India, with the first chip set to tested and assembled in the country by the $10-billion Murugappa Groups CG Semi later this year.

Organizers said this year's Semicon, which was first held in 2022, is set to be the largest so far in terms of showcasing active semiconductor projects, and vendor pitches for the future. Netherlands-based ASML, one of Europes largest tech firms, will headline announcements at the conference, alongside US-based Applied Materials.

The announcements, which two people with direct knowledge said, would likely involve setting up an India presence and seek to establish the presence of a chip supply chain in the country.

While the first fab and the chip packaging plants are coming up, what India needs as the natural next steps are compound semiconductors to be used in industrial things, display fabs to make screens locally, and a supply chain of chemicals, gases and machines--all sourced locally in the long run, said Ashok Chandak, president of industry body, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (Iesa), the organizer of Semicon 2025.

Taking forward Last year, the show was headlined by Tata Electronics, which announced the first semiconductor fab in India in Gujarats Dholera, in February 2024. The company, headed by former Intel Foundry chief Randhir Thakur, is also building a chip testing plant in Assams Jagiroad. Each of these facilities will seek vendor partners at Semicon 2025.

The industry has also been seeking this from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), the nodal ministry for India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0. A keynote from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Semicon India on Tuesday is also projected to potentially throw light on Indias next tranche of incentives for the chip industry.

Also Read | How next-gen semiconductor chips will supercharge gadgets

Last week, S. Krishnan, secretary at Meity, said ISM 2.0 is being planned with a focus on developing Indias chip supply chain and on a goal to build around 10 fabrication plants for various semiconductor types in the long run.

Semicon, being hosted in New Delhi, is expected to showcase how global chip vendors are taking the countrys push to be a part of the global semiconductor industry. Chandak said the conference will have 1,200 booths and 350 exhibitors, almost double of last year. "We have delegates from 45 nations visiting the semiconductor industry, and 18 nations are exhibiting their products. Over 50 global executives are speaking too, which makes it a major step-up over the previous years, he added.

Supply chain stakeholders This year's showcase will include supply chain stakeholders such as chemical and gas suppliers, including Indian firms already specializing in this field. Startups working on chip products and components will also be there, Chandak added.

On the sidelines, there will be parallel conferences for display technologies and chip components, with Meity seeking to maximize the participation of global vendors from Europe and the US to bolster these industries, he said.

Also Read | Inox Group companies prepare for semiconductor boom, LNG growth prospects


The Irish Road Haulage Association has warned they are facing a critical shortage of drivers and that the industry may not be able to meet the Christmas rush this year due to a lack of drivers.

IRHA President Ger Hyland has stressed that without immediate urgent action, the driver shortage will lead to higher grocery prices, delayed deliveries and uncertainty that the haulage industry will be able to meet heightened demand this festive season.

Mr Hyland has called on the government to take simple steps to alleviate bureaucracy that is preventing the association from bringing in drivers from abroad to meet demand. Hyland called on all politicians to intervene to avert a bigger crisis in Irelands economy.

Chief amongst the hauliers concerns are the amount of time and costs associated with a young Irish person getting a HGV drivers license.

Mr Hyland said it can take two years or more and over 1000 to get a HGV license for a young man or women leaving school.

"This is unacceptable and it puts prospective drivers off entering our industry. Other countries have quicker routes to becoming a HGV driver.

"The RSA have not covered themselves in glory when it comes to operating an efficient and affordable driving test regime. We need to take the driving test system away from the RSA immediately!

Mr Hyland, said driving a HGV is a rewarding career for a young person who likes to meet new people and see different parts of Europe. He has encouraged more young women to consider careers as HGV drivers and said that women are grossly underrepresented in his industry.

The IRHA President warned urgent government reforms are needed to address red tape in bringing in drivers from overseas. Mr Hyland said that different arms of the State are imposing different obligations and requirements on licensed hauliers seeking to engage drivers and mechanics from outside Ireland to fill the driver gaps.

He cited chronic bureaucracy at government department level that is making hiring drivers from abroad almost impossible.

As the system is currently operating, there is a complete mismatch between the operation of the licensing exchange programme operated by the Department of Transport/Road Safety Authority, the visa requirements operated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Employment Permit Schemes being operated by the Department of Enterprise.

"Each of these entities apply differing rules, requirements and timescales which are not joined up or operated effectively. Bringing in drivers from abroad can take over a year.

"We would prefer to hire Irish drivers but at this stage, we will take any qualified drivers we can get!. It seems wrong that young Irish drivers are moving to Australia and Canada to drive their trucks whilst we are left importing South African drivers into Ireland to meet demand."

Mr Hyland pointed out that the recent Programme for Government expressly references reducing the cost and regulatory burden on businesses, reducing red tape and modernising our regulatory framework to ensure competitiveness.

He said that the government could solve the driver shortage in the morning if the various arms of the public sector worked together to remove the blockages that are standing in the way of the haulage industry attracting more drivers so that Ireland doesnt grind to a halt come December 25th.

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A profile of Hudahaifa Kahlout, aka Abu Obeida, published by the IDF Spokespersons Office.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Sunday that the military eliminated Hudahaifa al Kahlout, better known as Abu Obeida, the previous day. Obeida was Hamass spokesperson and one of the groups most recognizable figures.

Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Ubaida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the liquidated members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell, Katz remarked on X.

The announcement followed an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strike on August 30 in the area of Gaza City. At the time, the IDF said it had targeted a key Hamas terrorist, without naming the individual. Israeli media reports later identified the target as Abu Obeida.

Palestinian Telegram channels published videos showing the aftermath of the strike. Other videos showed civil defense crews attempting to recover a body from the site.

Hamas has not officially acknowledged whether Abu Obeida was targeted or killed. Since the beginning of the war, the Islamist group has generally withheld announcing the deaths of its senior members until a later date. For example, Hamas did not officially announce the death of its former leader in Gaza, Muhammad Sinwar, until August 30, more than three months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had probably killed him while he hid in a tunnel under the European Hospital.

Abu Obeidas history with Hamas

Abu Obeidas role in Hamas was extensive, and he was the central figure in the groups propaganda and messaging apparatus. Among his duties, Obeida oversaw spokesmanship across Hamas brigades and battalions, coordinated between the organizations political spokespeople and its military wing, and was a senior figure in determining propaganda policy, the IDF alleged.

Obeida reportedly became Hamass spokesperson in 2006, when he announced the capture of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid. His prominence grew over the years as Israel and Hamas became entangled in multiple conflicts. During the 2014 Gaza war, Obeida announced that Hamas had captured Israeli soldier Oron Shaul.

Obeidas profile rose again during the 2021 conflict, when he issued an ultimatum on his Telegram channel demanding that Israel withdraw forces from Al Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah.

The resistance leadership in the joint operations room gave the occupation until 6:00 pm today to withdraw its soldiers and settlers from the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and to release all detainees arrested during the recent Jerusalem uprising. Otherwise, he who has been warned has been excused, Obeida stated.

Hours later, when Israel did not comply with the ultimatum, Obeida announced that Hamas had launched rockets against Jerusalem, which triggered the 11-day war known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.

Obeida played a particularly prominent role in Hamas following the groups October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. In the months afterward, he delivered frequent statements on Hamas operations, threats to execute hostages, and warnings that Hamas would kidnap Israeli soldiers.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.
Host Stephen Colbert introduces film legend Martin Scorsese backstage before presenting An Evening with Martin Scorsese and Stephen Colbert, 2023 Montclair Film Festival Filmmaker Tribute Event at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Friday Night. 10/27/2023. Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance

The rumor mill is swirling on social media that Steven Colbert has signed a deal with Netflix after The Late Show announced its cancellation, but a closer look at the claims paints the true story.

During Colberts final show on Aug. 7 before his hiatus, the host referenced a Daily Beast story on vice president JD Vance, who was accused of requesting the water level of the Little Miami River be raised for his familys boating excursion.

This is such an insane, spoiled-baby emperor move that I have no choice but to break out my new character: Wittle Pwince Vance, Colbert said during the show, using a baby voice while wearing a mask of Vances face with a crown. Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! I want my wiver waised for my birthday! Also, I dont like how bwue the sky is  paint it wed! Now, give me juice box. When a staffer handed Colbert a juice box, he whined, Not fwuit juice  apple! Kill him! Kill him!

Colbert then took the mask off and said, Netflix, call me. Im available in June. This joke, made a few weeks after CBS announced it would be axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, became the foundation for the online claim.

According to Newsweek, the claim circulating online stated that Netflix had secured a roughly $13.5 million, seven-episode deal with Colbert.

The speculation was amplified after Politico and Bloomberg wrote that Netflix Co-founder and Chairman, Reed Hastings, donated $2 million to California Governor Gavin Newsoms redistricting efforts.

Additionally, an X user wrote a false claim on the platform stating that Television legend Stephen Colbert has just signed a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series, Newsweek added.

The post quickly went viral, racking up over 1 million views, 39,000 like and 1,700 comments.

However, a context note underneath the X post read, There is no confirmation that Stephen Colbert has signed a deal with Netflix and sourced the media outlet Netflix Junkie, which said the claim is nothing more than a hoax as there has been no confirmation of such a project, nor any indication of Colberts next move.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) AP

Robert Muellers family announced in a Sunday statement that the former special counsel who investigated ties between President Trumps campaign and Russia was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease four years ago, according to a New York Times report.

Bob was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in the summer of 2021, the family told The Times. He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected.

The Times reported the former FBI director, 81, has had difficulty speaking and experienced mobility challenges.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently withdrew a request for Mueller to give testimony in its inquiry into the governments handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigations, the Times said.

Mueller headed the FBI from 2001 to 2013.

Parkinsons disease is a neurodegenerative disorder where symptoms  including tremors, slowness of movement, limb stiffness, and gait and balance problems  develop slowly over time, according to the Parkinsons Foundation.

Non-motor symptoms related to Parkinsons include depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and more. There is no cure for the disease, but treatment options often include medications and lifestyle changes.
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, speaks to reporters after the release of Milford High School student Marcelo Gomes da Silva from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington. Trea Lavery/MassLive

Good Monday morning, everyone. Happy Labor Day.

These are dark days for the Democratic Party.

Republicans control the White House and both sides of Capitol Hill. Theres a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.

And never mind the balance of power in state capitols and governors offices across the land, where Republicans also command an advantage.

Polls, meanwhile, show the popularity of the party of FDR, JFK, and Barack Obama at a three-decade low. And thats not leaving out some troubling voter registration trends as well.

The soul-searching, meanwhile, has become a cottage industry.

But one Massachusetts lawmaker says he knows how the party can reconnect with the broad swath of voters it will need to prevail in the 2026 midterm elections, which typically tend to be a rough patch for the party that controls the White House.

Law and order are important to Americans. And I think Democrats, broadly, are perceived as defending the law, but we also must be trusted to uphold order, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, told MassLive last week.

Its law and order, he continued, pausing for emphasis on each word. And that means, yes, fighting for the separation of powers and checks and balances in our constitutional system. It also means arresting shoplifters and cleaning up open-air drug use. Democrats need to do both the law and the order.

Its a proposition thats taken on a particular trenchance with President Donald Trumps federal takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and the ever-growing likelihood that he could expand it to other cities, including Boston.

While theres broad public opposition to the Republican presidents decision to send the National Guard to the nations capital, most Americans continue to see crime in the nations big cities as a significant problem.

Auchincloss has given the question a lot of thought: In an Aug. 20 Substack post, he suggested he and his fellow Democrats needed to grapple with the moral foundations of law & order.

Members of the West Virginia National Guard patrol on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) AP

Its a premise based on moral foundation theory developed by the behavioral scientist Jonathan Haidt. He argued that five qualities  care, fairness, loyalty, authority and sanctity  underpin humans intuitions about right and wrong.

Democrats and progressive prosecutors got it wrong when they declined to prosecute such low-level offenses as loitering, panhandling, and establishing encampments.

These are not victimless, Auchincloss wrote in that Substack post. The victim is social order; they grind at our moral foundations for group cohesion.

The response to these non-violent violations need not be callous. Integrate mental healthcare with first response (care), he continued. Ensure due process (fairness). Liberal law and order will always center the individualizing moral foundations. But it must also respect the binding moral foundations.

And, he believes, Americans dont perceive Democrats as taking it seriously enough.

I mean, weve seen, in the past decade, that there have been district attorneys who have ... proactively immunized people against prosecution for things like shoplifting or drug use ... And I dont think thats helpful. And ... I dont think its helpful for upholding public safety and public order, he told MassLive.

But neither do Republicans get a hall pass, he added.

Republicans have vacated the law-and-order mantle. It used to be [that] Republicans were associated with law and order, he said. But this is a party that views school shootings as, quote, a fact of life; that tried to defund the FBI; that sought to overturn free and fair elections; that has militarized the police; that fires civil servants for speaking truth to power; that bypasses Congress. This is not a party that can claim the law and order mantle.

That creates an opportunity for Democrats  if theyre smart about it.

Democrats should wear that mantle, he said. But that means we have to uphold [it]. That means we have to defend the law and uphold order.

A special Massachusetts license plate honoring Springfield native Theodor S. Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat. (Jim Kinney/ The Republican ) The Republican

No more concealed license plates?

Massachusetts could soon join the company of New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which bar motorists from installing tinted license plate covers on their cars that distort or block other key information.

The majority-Democrat state House advanced a bill sponsored by Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-1st Norfolk, according to State House News Service.

This creates risk and uncertainty for toll enforcement, accident investigations, and law enforcement operations, Ayers said in written testimony to the Houses chairperson of the Legislatures Joint Transportation Committee.

States like New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have already banned tinted license plate covers, leading to measurable results, Ayers continued. Notably, New York recovered over $19 million in lost toll revenue in just one year following stricter enforcement.

The legislation blocks colored glass, colored plastic, brackets, holders, mountings, frames or any other type of covering that alters or obscures license plate features, the wire service reported.

The bill needs another favorable vote in the House before it can motor over to the state Senate.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, speaks at an event in Revere announcing a new study on hunger in Massachusetts conducted by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham, June 17, 2025. (Will Katcher/MassLive)

Turning Rebellion Into Money Dept.

Democrats may be outraged by the Trump administrations takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., but they also know a fundraising opportunity when they see one.

Blasting what she called a blatant disregard of humanity and constitutional rights U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, used President Donald Trumps power play in D.C., and the threat of looming federal takeovers in other blue cities, as a call to arms for her supporters.

The militarization of these cities does not make us safer. Overpolicing does not make us safer. Criminalizing young, Black men does not make us safer. Ripping families apart does not make us safer, Pressley, who stressed her ties to Washington and Chicago in a Thursday fundraising email. Tough-on-crime policies do not make us safer.

Our freedoms and our destinies are tied. Were seeing it play out in real time. Nows our time to lock arms with one another and stand firm against the cruelty of this administration, she continued.

A link at the bottom of the email, appealing to supporters to contribute $25, directed potential donors to a dedicated Pressley fundraising page. There, donors also had the option of making an ongoing monthly donation.

This is personal for me  and it should be personal to everyone who loves their home and their community. We cannot let this blatant disregard of humanity and constitutional rights continue and we must keep loudly objecting to this, the Boston lawmaker told her supporters.

The MBTA's Foxboro Station on the commuter rail is located outside Gillette Stadium on Route 1. Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle file photo

Fare gates are coming to South Station

The MBTA says it will start construction this week on fare gates at South Station as it looks to crack down on strap-hanging scofflaws.

Its part of a broader effort across the T to shore up fare collections and to deter fare-jumpers.

Installing fare gates at South Station, our busiest Station, will help ensure fares are appropriately collected. These fares support our operations budget and are important to continuing the delivery of safe, reliable and more frequent rail service, MBTA General Manager and CEO Phil Eng said in a statement.

The public has a right to expect us to do our part and to ensure revenue is collected. These gates, including fully accessible ones, are another step towards delivering a best-in-class transportation system that the public deserves.

The T announced last month that it was going to start cracking down on fare evaders, with agency staff prepared to issue formal warnings and citations to riders who skip the fare gates or fareboxes.

Our riders deserve a safe and reliable mass transportation system that is available for them when they need it. With strong support, we are making significant progress, but to sustain it, we owe it to our riders and the public at large to do our part and collect all appropriate fare revenue, Eng said. Its about a responsibility we have and fairness for all.

Travelers head into Boston's South Station on June 18, 2024. The MBTA Red and Sliver Lines and Commuter Rail run through the station. (Anne Brennan/MassLive)

They said it

Here in South Boston, we need to address the cleanliness, the crime, the safety, and security of the station for the rail workers, for the passengers, because the people of Boston deserve that. All the people up and down the Northeast corridor and Americans who travel on these trains, they need and deserve beautiful rail facilities.

 Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury hints at a potential federal takeover of Bostons South Station, which isnt in South Boston.

A view of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, looking across Beacon Street from Boston Common. (John L. Micek/MassLive)

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The cheapest Oasis concert tickets are available on Viagogo. Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP

Turned up to 11

If you want to catch reunited Britpop legends Oasis during their run of U.S. tour dates, youre swiftly running out of chances.

The band plays MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, on Monday (Sept. 1), and they wrap up their stateside jaunt with a pair of shows at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7. Tickets are still available, but be warned, theyre going to set you back a buck or two.

The bands indelible  and mega-selling  second record (Whats the Story) Morning Glory? turns 30 years old in October. And it is, of course, being greeted with the deluxe reissue treatment.

From that LP, heres one of my favorite tracks. Its Some Might Say.

Intel's Gordon Moore Park campus at Ronler Acres in Hillsboro. Mike Rogoway/The Oregonian

Your Monday long read

With the U.S. government taking a minority stake in Intel and the Trump administration getting a say in the operations of U.S. Steel, President Donald Trump is making some major policy shifts.

What gives?

Writing for The Conversation, H. Sami Karaca, a business analytics professor at Boston University, observes that Washington has long supported free-market capitalism. Today, the government appears to be supporting a new direction  state-directed capitalism."

The nation currently appears to be operating under a hybrid model of capitalism, blending free-market principles with elements of state capitalism, he wrote.

Whats the end game?

This shift from an incentive-based approach to a direct ownership model represents one of the most fascinating experiments in modern American capitalism, Karaca wrote. The real question is what happens if  or when  this strategy expands. The government could become more involved in energy, biotech and AI, or any place where markets show signs of lagging or supply chains are geopolitically fragile."

The U.S. isnt rejecting capitalism but recalibrating its boundaries. The next few years will show exactly how Washingtons interventions will reshape U.S. capitalism, he concluded.

Thats it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, friends.
The Red Sox re-acquired Ali Sanchez from the Mets last night. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) AP

BOSTON  The Red Sox re-acquired catcher Ali Sanchez in a minor league trade with the Mets on Sunday night. Boston sent cash to New York in the deal, according to a source.

The Sox then selected Sanchez to their 40-man roster Monday and added him to their active roster as a Sept. 1 call-up.

Rosters expand from 26 to 28 players in September.

Marcelo Mayer, who underwent season-ending wrist surgery Aug. 20, was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL to make room for Sanchez on the 40-man roster.

The Red Sox also recalled reliever Zack Kelly as their other Sept. 1 call-up.

The Red Sox can use different players in those two spots throughout the month and Kellys stay might last just two games because Boston will need to add a starting pitcher for Wednesday. Left-handed starter Kyle Harrison being recalled from Triple-A Worcester seems like the obvious move. Boston acquired Harrison from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade.

Asked Monday if Harrison is the leading candidate to start Wednesday, manager Alex Cora replied, Theres a lot of guys that were considering.

Sanchez spent six games on Bostons active roster last month but recorded just one plate appearance. Boston designated him for assignment Aug. 18. He cleared waivers and elected free agency, then signed with the Mets. His stay with Triple-A Syracuse was brief, before returning to the Red Sox last night.

We saw an opportunity to bring a good catcher (back). A guy we really like, Cora said. And obviously we dont know what the future holds. (Starter) Carlos (Narvaez) was banged up a few weeks ago. Hes been able to post. We feel confident that hopefully we can stay healthy. But at the same time, if something happens, he can help us win games.

Kelly had a 6.15 ERA in 21 outings at Worcester.
Its the end of meteorological summer, which lasts through the calendar months of June, July and August  and it may start to feel like summer is indeed over.

Parts of Massachusetts will see low temperatures below 50 degrees following Labor Day, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Dry weather and clouds are here for much of Labor Day, the Weather Service reported.

A canopy of clouds will be in the sky on Monday in Massachusetts. The clouds are expected to remain in place on Monday but will gradually move towards the northeast through midnight, according to forecasters.

The coastline can expect breezes up to 10 mph, while those on the Cape & Islands can anticipate breezes up to 15 mph, according to the forecast.

The only real question mark is if we can see patchy fog develop as northeast winds ease and better radiational cooling takes place, forecasters wrote. Still think it ends up being pretty patchy and we havent had that much in terms of coverage the last few days.

Temperatures in Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester and Boston are expected to be the mid to high 70s on Monday, according to the NWSs seven-day forecasts.

Both Boston and Springfield will be partly sunny, while increasing clouds will appear in Worcester and Pittsfield during the daytime, the forecast reads.

Temperatures in Pittsfield are expected to have a low of 49 degrees on Monday night. The skies will be mostly cloudy and patchy fog is likely to appear after 1 a.m., according to the forecast.

Temperatures in Springfield on Monday night are expected to be at a low of 51 degrees, while Worcester is forecasted to have a low of 53 degrees, according to the forecasts. The skies in Worcester will gradually clear up, while the clouds in Springfield will gradually decrease, the forecasts read.

Bostons low will be 59 degrees with a mostly cloudy sky that night, according to the forecast.

Temperatures are expected to remain the same on Tuesday with northeast winds returning to the Bay State, according to the NWSs forecast.

Clear skies and light winds again favors strong radiational cooling with patchy fog in the river valleys with lows in the upper 40s to mid 50s, forecasters wrote.
The number of patients waiting for a bed in Mayo University Hospital rose over the weekend with 25 patients without a bed on Monday morning.

The latest trolley figures for Mayo University Hospital show that on Monday morning there were 25 patients waiting for a bed. The figures are among the highest in Ireland with only six hospitals showing more patients waiting for beds than the Castlebar hospital.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Association (INMO) Trolley Watch shows that of the 25 patients waiting for a bed in Mayo University Hospital, 13 were in the Emergency Department while 12 were in various wards throughout the hospital.

According to the trolley watch figures, Limerick University Hospital has the most patients waiting for a bed with 120 followed by Galway University Hospital with 64 patients. There are 57 patients waiting for a bed in Cork University Hospital with 35 waiting for a bed in Letterkenny University Hospital and 30 in Sligo University Hospital.

Last Wednesday, Mayo University Hospital issued a statement advising people that the Emergency Department was extremely busy and patients attending the department to expect long waiting times. At the time 24 patients were awaiting a bed in the hospital with eight of those in the Emergency Department.

In the statement, the hospital outlined that due to the pressures on the site and the lack of bed capacity, the hospital was postponing some elective procedures and urgent, time sensitive cases were to be prioritised.

READ: Finance Minister officially opens constituency office of Mayo TD

By Friday morning, the number of patients waiting for a bed in Castlebar had fallen to eleven but over the weekend, the hospital again experienced a spike in admissions resulting in 25 patients waiting for a bed on Monday morning.
Xunpu flowery headwear fuels tourism boom, development of relevant sectors

People's Daily Online) 13:29, September 01, 2025

Xunpu flowery headwear, a signature of Xunpu village in Fengze district, Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, has transformed the small fishing village into a thriving cultural tourism destination.

This August, multiple cultural and tourism events have been held in the village, attracting more visitors and boosting summer tourism consumption, according to Zhuang Qun, deputy Party branch secretary of the Xunpu community in Fengze district.

Data from the Quanzhou municipal bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism show that the village welcomed more than 4.26 million tourist visits between January and July this year, generating tourism revenue of over 860 million yuan (about $120.23 million).

Tourists wearing flowery headwear take selfies at Xunpu village of Quanzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Cai Hongqiang, deputy director of the bureau, noted that Xunpu's cultural tourism industry originally centered on flowery headwear and travel photography services. This year, however, the village has been actively integrating flowery headwear into a wider range of industries.

One of the pioneers is Huang Liyong, a Xunpu native who opened a flowery headwear shop near the village center in 2011. Her shop now employs about 15 people, including photographers, makeup artists, and flowery headwear designers. During the summer vacation, a peak travel season, it serves around 5060 customers a day, with numbers sometimes surpassing 100.

She opened the flowery headwear shop with the goal of promoting both flowery headwear and Xunpu women's folk culture. She recalled that business was modest at first, with only a few clients each month. The turning point came in early 2023, when a domestic fashion magazine invited her to style actress Zhao Liying in traditional Xunpu flowery headwear. The short video went viral, garnering millions of likes and turning Xunpu into a magnet for tourists and travel photography studios.

To seize the momentum, Fengze district set up a joint command center involving 18 government departments dedicated to preserving and promoting the Xunpu Folk Culture Village.

In November 2023, the Xunpu flowery headwear folk culture association was established, with Huang Liyong serving as its first president. Founding members of the association primarily consisted of Xunpu flowery headwear operators and related businesses in photography, tourism, and cultural services.

The association aims to regulate market behavior, coordinate promotion of flowery headwear, collect relevant folk cultural materials, and promote traditional culture while encouraging innovation.

When flowery headwear exploded in popularity in 2023, Xunpu village saw an average of more than 10,000 daily tourist visits. Huang Liyong's studio alone received over 500 customers a day, while local housing rental prices skyrocketed from about 1,000 yuan per month to over 10,000 yuan. The number of flowery headwear shops surged from fewer than 10 to more than 200 in a short period.

For Huang Chen, a local resident and representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of traditional attire of Xunpu women, the flowery headwear is more than decorative. He explained that in the past, flowery headwear was used by women for special occasions such as weddings, baby milestones, birthdays, or moving into new homes. The number of flowers gifted varied according to relationships and seniority. For today's tourists, he offers traditional fisherwomen's costumes for rental, helping them immerse themselves in the local culture.

With over 40 years of garment-making experience in the village, Huang Chen originally focused on fisherwoman clothing before moving into mainstream fashion after reform and opening-up. Since 2004, he has also worked with local authorities to preserve traditional attire of Xupu fisherwomen.

Huang Yanpeng, a member of the district's joint command center, said cultural training sessions are being offered to flowery headwear designers so they can not only style visitors but also share knowledge of the craft, the history and culture of Xunpu and even Quanzhou.

The influx of travel photography studios has fueled strong demand for artificial floral accessories. Wu Peichao, who runs a shop on the village's main street, supplies most of the flowery headwear stores and travel photography studios with artificial flowers and accessories.

Traditionally, flowery headwear was made with fresh seasonal flowers, which were costly, short-lived, and limited in color, but today, flowery headwear shops mostly use artificial flowers.

Wu recalled that within just one month after the 2023 Spring Festival, the number of local flowery headwear shops and travel photography studios exceeded 200. Demand for artificial flowers soared, and he had to employ more than 20 workers and run overtime shifts to keep up. His current inventory includes gold combs, hairpins, red strings, and wigs, with customers ranging from across China to Southeast Asia.

Xunpu village has expanded supporting industries to better drive local economic development, said Huang Yanpeng. For instance, the village now hosts 70 to 80 catering businesses, including bubble tea shops, Shaxian eateries, and seafood restaurants.

Chen Duchu is a Xunpu native and a young local entrepreneur who operates a tea shop in the village and runs several tea beverage brands featuring Fujian's cultural elements. He believes that business forms in the village should be diversified.

Beyond flowery headwear, Xunpu needs to offer visitors quality dining and travel experiences, as well as opportunities to learn about its history and culture and Fujian's marine culture. That will be the direction of his future business plans.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
A Mayo man has been named as a farm safety community champion in a campaign aiming to combat labour and isolation issues on farms around the county.

Robert Lally, who is a farmer within the county, has been awarded the title as part of the campaign, which is being run by Irish Rural Link and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Matins.

In total, five community champions will travel around the country in a bid to connect farmers to their communities, as well as delivering farm safety and wellbeing talks.

Robert has experience across multiple fields in the industry, including farm management and food production. He is also the Vice-President of Mayo Macra na Feirme, and holds a position on the National Agricultural Affairs Committee.

READ MORE: Mayo ranked one of the best places in Ireland to start a business

Seamus Boland, the CEO of Irish Rural Link, welcomed the initiative.

The need for community has never been so important for farmers," he stated. "With fluctuations in the market, inconsistent weather, and growing isolation, having the Farm Safety Community Champions will help build out our farming networks for a more connected rural society.

We hope to see local communities take this as an opportunity to support, strengthen, and sustain relationships with and between farmers for a more inclusive future."
Very hot beverages may increase esophageal cancer risk, according to new research.

Highlights: Very hot drinks may damage the esophagus and raise cancer risk

may damage the esophagus and raise cancer risk Research linked temperature to risk

to risk Letting tea or coffee cool can be a protective habit

  Trusted Source

Hot beverage intake and oesophageal cancer in the UK Biobank: prospective cohort study



Go to source Trusted Source

TOP INSIGHT Did You Know?

Drinking tea above 60C can nearly double esophageal cancer risk #cancerawareness #healthyhabits #medindia

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Hot Beverage Consumption and Cancer Risk

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Why Extremely Hot Drinks Harm the esophagus

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Distinct Cancers, Distinct Risks

Barretts esophagus

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British Habits and Global Concerns

What This Means for Everyday Choices

Practical Steps for Safer Drinking

Wait a few minutes before drinking freshly made tea or coffee.

Add milk or a little cool water to bring the temperature down.

Be mindful of the urge to gulp extremely hot beverages down.

A Key Takeaway on Lifestyle Risk and Cancer Prevention

Hot beverage intake and oesophageal cancer in the UK Biobank: prospective cohort study - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-025-02953-2)

A major study published in thehas revealed that drinking tea and coffee at hot (65 C) or very hot temperatures (> 65 C) may significantly raise the risk of. Researchers examined data from nearly half a million adults in the UK Biobank and found a clear link between beverage temperature , the number of cups consumed daily, and cancer risk ).The study identified 242 cases of ESCC and showed that people who drank 4 to 6 cups of hot beverages daily were almost twice as likely to develop the cancer compared to those who drank warm drinks or none at all. The risks were even more striking for those who drank very hot beverages. Consuming four or fewer cups of very hot drinks was linked to a 2.5-fold higher risk. At the highest level of intake, drinking more than 8 cups of very hot beverages per day, the risk jumped more than fivefold. Importantly, no such relationship was observed for, another form of esophageal cancer Scientists believe the link is tied to. When extremely hot liquids pass through the esophagus, they can repeatedly damage the lining of the esophagus. Over time, this injury may contribute to mutations and abnormal cell growth, eventually leading to ESCC. Previous studies in South America and Asia found similar risks from drinking mate and tea at very high temperatures, and this UK study provides evidence that the same danger exists in Western populations.While ESCC and EAC occur in the esophagus, they have different causes and risk factors. ESCC has long been linked to smoking , heavy alcohol use, and poor nutrition. Conversely, EAC is more often associated with obesity acid reflux , and. This new study highlights thatis a risk factor specific to ESCC, and not for EAC.In the UK, tea and coffee are cultural staples, often consumed several times daily. Most study participants reported adding milk to tea or coffee, which typically lowers drink temperature. Yet even with this cooling factor, those who preferred hot or very hot drinks were still at greater risk. This suggests that the danger lies in, regardless of the type of drink.The International Agency for Research on Cancer has already classified very hot drinks as probably carcinogenic to humans globally. This study's findings reinforce that warning in a Western setting, where the tradition of hot tea and coffee drinking is deeply rooted.The studys results do not suggest that tea and coffee are harmful. In fact, other research has linked both drinks to benefits such as reduced risk of heart disease and improved longevity. Instead, it is thethat poses a problem. Allowing drinks to cool slightly before sipping may reduce the risk while letting people enjoy their daily rituals.These minor adjustments can make a difference over the years of daily habits.This large-scale study offers a clear message: it is not the tea or coffee itself, but the heat at which they are consumed that raises the risk of esophageal cancer. For many, the ritual of a steaming hot drink feels comforting, but science now suggests that patience pays off. Taking just a little extra time before that first sip may protect the delicate lining of the esophagus and reduce long-term cancer risk.Source-Medindia
Directed by the Russo Brothers and starring Robert Downey Jr as the supervillain Doctor Doom, Avengers: Doomsday new teaser united X-Men, Fantastic Four, The New Avengers aka Thunderbolts*, Wakandans and the Avengers to save the multiverse.

At the recently held Destination D23 convention at the Walt Disney World Resort in the US, Marvel Studios treated fans with a tease of their biggest upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday .

 Robert Downey Jr Instagram

Avengers: Doomsday Teaser Unites X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers But Heres A Twist

While the footage of the teaser is not out yet, according to The Direct, it features scenes from past Marvel films starting with Thors We could pull together the greatest team ever from Thor: Love And Thunder.

It is followed by Sam Wilsons Captain America saying, If we can't see the good in each other, we've already lost the fight from Captain America: Brave New World.

Shuri then says, Now is our time to strike from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Mans Will I be there when the Avengers need me? Absolutely from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

The teaser continues with more motivational dialogues like Yelenas We stick together from now on from Thunderbolts*, Joaquin Torres'Falcons That pressure, that responsibility? I want that too.

It then moves on to Red Guardians This has the makings of a team that can bring light from the darkness and Lokis Razing things to the ground is easy. Trying to fix what's broken is hard. from Loki Disney+ series.

After the characters from MCU, the teaser goes to the larger Marvel universe with X-Men films and the recently released The FantasticFour: First Steps.

From Professor X's line from X2: X-Men United, "There are forces in this world, both mutant and human alike, who believe that a war is coming, Cyclops X-Men dialogue, If anything happens, I'll take care of them, to Mister Fantastics Today we are your defenders. We will protect you from The FantasticFour: First Steps.

The teaser ends with Shuris warcry of Yibambe.
WASHINGTON (AP)  In his first term, Donald Trump's favorite president, other than himself, was Andrew Jackson, the hatchet-faced, self-made populist who relished turning Washington upside down.

Now he's partial to the barrel-chested, unfailingly polite William McKinley, a champion of American expansionism as well as of tariffs, Trump's favorite second-term policy.

Trump's shift, rather than merely swapping one infatuation for another, demonstrates how his mindset and priorities have evolved.

The Republican presidents admiration for McKinley fits with his current politics, which are different from when Trump first took office in 2017. A key political target for Trump back then was the elites, which his administration predicted might crumble in the face of a Jackson-like working class uprising.

In his second inaugural address, Trump lauded McKinley as a natural businessman who made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.

Trump used a Day 1 order to restore the name of North Americas tallest peak to Mount McKinley and he has repeatedly named-checked the 25th president more recently, while his weighty tariffs have left the world bracing for the kind of trade war not seen since the days of the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890.

Jackson has hardly warranted a mention.

In the first term, well, McKinley was a fat cat, said H.W. Brands, a history professor at the University of Texas and author of Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. So, if youre going to be a populist, youre not going to be a McKinley.

But Jackson, Brands noted, hated tariffs. So, if tariffs are your thing, Andrew Jacksons not your guy anymore. You have to look around to find somebody whose name is connected to a tariff.

The White House says the shift isn't a departure from Trump's first-term goals, but simply his leaning harder into new tools  in this case, tariffs  to achieve them.

President Trump has never wavered from his commitment to putting working-class Americans above special interests, and his channeling of President McKinleys tariffs agenda is indicative of how he is using every lever of executive power to deliver for the American people, said spokesman Kush Desai.

Still, many of Trump's current top advisers are veterans of the financial sector eager to help the president bend the economic system to his will, rather than reshaping it from the bottom up.

That's meant Trump focusing political ire on foreign countries and globalists who embraced international free trade. He wants to impose a new economic order that puts U.S. interests first, and has settled on steep import taxes to get America's trading partners to negotiate more favorable deals  as the way to most efficiently do that.

Trump's shifting economic priorities

The president's Jacksonian impulses aren't all dormant. He imposed some first-term tariffs and now is shaking up Washington with his efforts to slash the federal workforce and stock the bureaucracy with loyalists. He's also prioritized antagonizing elites at Ivy League universities and top law firms.

In his rhetoric, Trump also has mythologized the power of tariffs, despite history telling a different story. Tariffs in the McKinley era, which loosely tracked the Gilded Age, led to more income for the federal government, but also a highly stratified society of haves and have-nots.

But just as Jackson allowed first-term Trump  a magnate who had little in common with many working-class voters he wooed  to take up the mantle of modern populist, McKinley gives Trump an intellectual justification and historical precedent for his love of tariffs.

Its a vibe shift for sure, said Eric Rauchway, a history professor at the University of California, Davis, and author of Murdering McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelts America.

It's also an example of Trump taking policy actions to move the country in a certain direction  or simply declaring what he wants to be true  then working backward to come up with an argument on why his instincts were correct all along.

Trumps relationship to history, and so many other things, is entirely transactional, said Daniel Feller, a professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee and former longtime editor of The Papers of Andrew Jackson.

From the Peoples President to the 'Napoleon of Protection

Jackson was the founder of the Democratic Party, though many on the left now reject him for being a slaveholder who imposed the Trail of Tears on Native Americans. Orphaned at 14, Jackson taught himself the law and eventually became wealthy.

Yet he created a political persona around advocating for everyday Americans. Trump, during his first term, referred to Jackson as the Peoples President.

McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901, six months into his second term, was born in Niles, Ohio, outside Youngstown. He fought with the Union army and preferred throughout his political career to be called Major, the Civil War honorary title he earned.

As a congressman, McKinley was known as the "Napoleon of Protection for promoting the 1890 Tariff Act, which sharply raised import taxes on thousands of goods in an effort to protect American producers when there was no federal income tax. It ultimately increased prices domestically, hurt U.S. exporters and helped spark the Panic of 1893, the worst economic downturn until the Great Depression.

McKinley also represents a burst of American colonial expansion. He annexed Hawaii and oversaw the U.S. taking control of the Philippines. His administration also acquired new territories in Guam and Puerto Rico, established a military government in Cuba and sent troops to China.

Today, Trump has talked about the U.S. invading Panama and Greenland, making Canada the 51st state and turning the Gaza Strip into the Riviera of the Middle East.

In July, in comments about which of his predecessors got prime White House wall space, Trump mentioned the Great Andrew Jackson. But he praised McKinley, saying that the U.S. was the wealthiest from 1870 to 1913, when it was an all-tariff country.

We had a couple of presidents that were very, very strong, Trump told his Cabinet then. McKinley, I guess, more than anybody.

On social media last week, a Trump aide posted a picture of a new, gold-framed portrait in the West Wing featuring Trump alongside McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay, over the title The Tariff Men. Lincoln used high tariffs for Civil War funding, Jefferson was a free-trade advocate but supported some tariffs to bolster domestic industries. Clay, as House speaker, helped pass a major tariff act in 1824.

Tariffs hurt Republicans in McKinley's day

What Trump doesn't mention is that McKinley's tariffs helped cost the GOP its House majority in 1890, with McKinley himself among those defeated. He returned to Ohio, was elected governor and, despite going bankrupt over a bad investment in a tin plate company, won the White House in 1896.

After that, though, Rauchway said, McKinley actually didn't push tariffs as much following his experience with them in Congress. Just before he was killed, McKinley also talked up the need for international trade.

That didn't stop Trump, in announcing sweeping tariffs around the globe in April, from saying the U.S. had been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far.

His championing of tariffs isn't totally new. In his first term, Trump ordered some higher import taxes on solar panels, washing machines and steel and aluminum imports. He also occasionally praised McKinley, then, as when he said in a 2019 speech that the 25th president was very strong on protecting our assets, protecting our country.

But Trump conceded in that same speech, Im totally off script.

That's no longer the case. Trump continually promotes McKinley's place in history.

McKinley was a great president, Trump said during last month's Cabinet meeting. Who never got credit.
After well over two years on the sidelines, Luis Garcia is finally ready to return to the majors. Astros manager Joe Espada told MLB.coms Brian McTaggart and other reporters that Houston will activate Garcia from the 60-day injured list tomorrow so the right-hander can make the start against the Angels. A corresponding move will need to be made to create space for Garcia on the 40-man roster, but Garcias spot on the active roster will be addressed because the roster expands to 28 players on September 1.

Garcias last big league game was on May 1, 2023, as a Tommy John surgery ensured that Garcia would be out of action until the latter part of the 2024 season at the absolute earliest. It wasnt entirely unusual, then, that Garcia didnt pitch last year due to some renewed elbow soreness while he was pitching on a minor league rehab assignment, yet unfortunately those elbow issues continued into 2025.

It wasnt until the first week of July that Garcia made his season debut in an outing with the Astros rookie ball affiliate. He has now made nine appearances while working his way up the minor league ladder, with four of his last five starts coming with Triple-A Sugar Land. In his last start on August 26, Garcia tossed 75 pitches over six innings while allowing just one run, and he has thrown at least 75 pitches in each of his last three outings.

While on-field results may not matter as much as pitch counts and general comfort and health during rehab assignments, Garcias 2.60 ERA over 17 1/3 Triple-A innings provides some evidence that he is ready to roll. What he can provide against MLB hitters after such a lengthy absence is anyones guess, yet its certainly helpful to the Astros to get a rotation arm back for the stretch run and into October.

Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez are locks as Houstons top two starters in the regular season and in a hypothetical playoff rotation. While there isnt a ton of true certainty beyond Brown and Valdez, the Astros would seem to have enough rotation depth to help in their pursuit of the AL West crown and what the team hopes is another deep playoff run.

Cristian Javier has logged four starts since returning from his own Tommy John rehab, and Spencer Arrighetti has done well in his last couple of starts after a broken thumb sent him to the 60-day IL earlier this year. Jason Alexander has pitched well since stepping into the rotation but would ideally work best as a swingman during the playoffs. Rookie Brandon Walter was excellent in nine starts before elbow inflammation sent him to the 60-day IL, and he isnt eligible for activation until late September. The struggling Lance McCullers Jr. was recently moved to the bullpen, opening up room for Garcia in the rotation mix.

Garcia joins this group in what is now his fifth MLB season. Emerging as a rotation regular in 2021, Garcia finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting en route to posting a 3.48 ERA over 155 1/3 innings for an Astros team that won the AL pennant. Garcia followed up with a strong sophomore season of 157 1/3 frames of 3.72 ERA ball in 2022 to help Houston bring home the World Series. While Garcia has a 5.79 ERA across 23 1/3 career postseason innings, he has had his share of big playoff moments, including 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball in Houstons clinching game of the 2021 ALCS over the Red Sox.
Pictured is the route of a proposed interstate highway system that would connect Michigan and South Carolina. (Image provided to MLive by Transportation Advocacy Group of Northwest Ohio) Transportation Advocacy Group of Northwest Ohio

The vision: To create a seamless, 1,000-mile interstate corridor connecting six states from Michigan to South Carolina.

Its a decades-long effort, born in 1991 and recently advanced by Ohio when it commissioned a $1.5 million feasibility study on its portion of the project.

But in Michigan, the Interstate 73-74-75 corridor is no closer to reality than it was in June 2001 when the state put it on indefinite hold.

Michigan is amid a decades-long period of under-investment in transportation infrastructure, and policymakers have yet to identify a sustainable solution, said Jocelyn Garza, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Through nation-leading innovation in asset management, MDOT is trying to preserve the roads and bridges we have. Nothing beyond that is remotely practical in the current funding environment.

Related: Michigan bridge funding crisis: More than 100 bridges at risk of closure by 2035

The I-73 projects roots date back to the early 1990s when Congress designated it a high priority route from Detroit to Charleston, South Carolina.

States along the planned route included Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Each state was given flexibility to determine its preferred route location.

The corridor would connect major population centers and industrial hubs, from Michigans manufacturing base through Ohios defense and technology facilities to the tourism economy of the Carolinas, Jimmy Gray, executive director of the I-73, I-74, I-75 Corridor Association, told Cleveland.com.

In 1998, Michigan secured $3.9 million in federal funding to study the potential of a new interstate (I-73) between Jackson and Toledo. It spent about $1 million evaluating options, before deciding to pause the project.

The state spent the remaining $2.9 million, earmarked for an environmental impact study, to improve parts of U.S. 127 and U.S. 223, which officials said couldnt wait for the larger project to gain traction.

At the time, hurdles to completing Michigans portion of the six-state project included environmental studies, engineering the road, acquiring land, and finding sufficient funding. Those challenges would likely still exist today

Maps of the proposed six-state interstate highlight the existing I-75 highway, as well as U.S. 127 and U.S. 223, which would be designated I-73 all the way north to Sault Ste. Marie.

For an existing highway to be designated an interstate, it can take years and a significant investment to meet federal standards.

An MDOT official said upgrading U.S. 127 to an interstate route is not in any of the states short- or long-term plans as of August.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said increased funding for roads is a priority of her administration, as have leaders from the state House and Senate. Whitmer announced her proposal in February, and the Republican-led House passed its proposal in March.

As of late-August, the Senate hadnt touched the House-passed bill package, or introduced one of its own. Lawmakers have said theyre willing to negotiate, but the issue remains at a standstill.

Meanwhile, MDOT says nearly 50% of state routes will be in poor condition and more than 100 state bridges are at risk of closing by 2035 without an infusion in funding. Local road agencies have said theyre treading water due to funding constraints.

If there is no long-term solution to Michigans road-funding crisis, considerable progress in recent years will be stalled, meaning contractors will employ fewer workers and road conditions will decline, said Susan Corbin, director of Michigans Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) in a statement.

The effects would spread across industries and communities, causing job losses, shrinking economic activity and creating long-term challenges for Michigans workers and families.

Gray said Michigan has made the most progress, given the existing I-75 infrastructure in place.

While Ohio is taking steps toward advancing its part of the I-73 project, other states like West Virginia and South Carolina have been delayed by a lack of funding.

In Virginia, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted in September to scrap the I-73 idea in favor of upgrading the existing U.S. 220 highway.
In this file photo, Sydney Wheeler, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, holds a scaffold" made from biomaterials in the Precision Immune Microenvironments Lab at the University of Michigans North Campus Research Complex in Ann Arbor. The implantable devices are being developed to aid in diagnosing diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI  University of Michigan researchers have developed a method for patients to test for skin cancer at home, similar to a COVID-19 test.

A group of researchers from Nagrath Laboratory, headed by Sunitha Nagrath, a UM professor of chemical engineering, have developed a two-line strip test and micro-needle patch called ExoPatch to potentially detect melanoma from home.

Researchers used mice trials to develop this home detection kit for the highly fatal form of skin cancer.

The ExoPatch uses tiny needles coated with a special hydrogel to collect interstitial fluid from between skin cells. This fluid can then be tested for signs of melanoma using a two-line strip test. The microneedles are 0.6 millimeters long and less than 0.0001 millimeters wide.

The researchers found patients can put the ExoPatch on their skin wherever they suspect they have melanoma and, after 30 minutes, dissolve the hydrogel from the patch on the strip test to identify skin cancer, mimicking the test strips for COVID-19 detection kits.

These days people want to take the liquid samples such as urine, blood and tears, Yoon-Tae Kang, a staff scientist at Bio-Rad Laboratories and former UM postdoctoral fellow, said. We are hoping to see some of the marker in this leakage sample.

Patients typically detect melanoma through a biopsy called dermoscopy, where patients removed a part of the mole they suspected was cancerous and sent the tissue sample to a pathology laboratory for inspection.

Scott Smith, a recent UM doctoral graduate and former lab researcher, said an at-home test is preferable to a biopsy because patients can avoid unnecessary cuts and scars.

Theyll have to remove the skin and stitch it up depending on how big it is, Smith said. If it ends up being benign or non-cancerous, then now you have a scar.

Another reason Smith mentioned was that patients sometimes waited for months before seeing a doctor for their biopsy. He said at-home tests will make melanoma detection widely available.

Nagrath shared that moles can sometimes turn into melanoma, and at-home kits would provide assurance by allowing patients to test for skin cancer at any time.

At-home kits would give you an assurance that you can test it later, no matter it was benign, Nagrath said.

Over eight in 10 cases of melanoma, which causes the majority of skin cancer-related deaths, are caused by overexposure solar ultraviolet rays from the sun, according to Cleveland Clinic. The clinic also reports about three in 10 melanoma cases begin in existing moles.

Kang added at-home tests do not require another doctor to perform the test as patients can test on themselves.

Nagrath said she hopes because the material costs of ExoPatches are inexpensive, consumers could buy the at-home kits for a few dollars once they enter the market.

The next research steps are to test ExoPatches on human patients, apply for federal research grants and find commercial partners, according to Nagrath. She said the team has a pending U.S. patent and hopes to find business partners to bring ExoPatches to the market soon.

If you dont invest in the money and our resources in basic science and technology, we will never reach anyone in this technology, Nagrath said.

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In this file photo, tour group tours the University of Michigan campus outside Hatcher Graduate Library on the Diag in Ann Arbor. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI  Michigan Medicine and the University of Michigan Arts Initiative have teamed up to launch Michigan ArtsRx, a new clinical arts initiative to assist the mental health of students, UM affiliates and Ann Arbor residents through arts programming.

Mark Clague, executive director of the UM Arts Initiative, said ArtsRx will invite the community to participate in artmaking and health professionals will be able to recommend arts participation as a non-clinical supplement to other health interventions that members of our community are doing.

The initiative will have two offerings: a pilot study where health professionals prescribe arts programming to UM students, and a self-prescription service where the larger university and Ann Arbor community can participate in arts events for their well-being through the ArtsRx newsletter.

Clague said his team launched the program because he wanted to make it easier for the larger university community to access resources across departments, given the universitys size.

One of the things the arts initiative is trying to do is find opportunities within a very large, decentralized university to make connections across our ecosystem in order to bring new possibilities to life, Clague said. The arts-prescribing program unifies our medical system with our arts ecosystem, which is, I would say, a place where theres been activity before.

Clague said he is excited to see UM clinical and arts teams collaborating on ArtsRx because the initiative will build a collaborative structure to support this work and raise awareness of the need for arts programming and its benefits on mental health.

Clague and Tessa Brinza, program manager and arts and health coordinator for the UM Arts Initiative, said there is growing evidence from the United Kingdom that arts participation benefits students social connections, mental health and physical health.

Brinza said, according to a study conducted by University Health & Counseling and Wolverine Wellness with 1400 UM students, that 70% of students either often or some of the time felt lonely.

She also said, according to the survey, 64% of students would be more likely to attend an arts program if a health professional recommended it.

Clague said the process of forming ArtsRx was surprisingly easy because the team is collaborating with two existing infrastructures.

Its really about making a connection between two things that people usually have separated in their mind, Clague said.

Brinza said the ArtsRx team has been really supportive at building momentum for the program.

Looking into the future, Clague said he hopes the program will grow into a larger, more comprehensive effort on campus. He said he wants ArtsRx to serve as a mental health and wellness model to other colleges and universities around the world.

We see the arts and emphasizing the social benefits of the arts as a way to really provide a different pathway for a healthy community, Clague said.

Brinza said the initiative is a part of an international movement towards using the different areas of arts and culture and movement and service to promote better health.

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FLINT, MI -- Vibrantly decorated parade floats with union members in matching T-shirts marched down Van Slyke Road from Bristol Road Church of Christ to Sitdowners Memorial Park.

Union workers could be seen chanting, cheering, passing out candy, and speaking with spectators as they passed by during the second annual Labor Day Parade on Monday, Sept. 1, in Flint.

Spectators along the way cheered them on, including Kielee Gould who brought her kids to show support for the community and her father who works in the Genesee County Sheriffs Office.

Support means everything. We got to support our union workers. We got to support just the community all together as a whole, she said.

Donald Poore, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 948, emphasized the importance of supporting his fellow community of union workers in the parade.

[Its important] to show solidarity within everybody. To show that were willing to fight for each other and each others rights, he said. Its not just one person, not just one brotherhood. Its an entire brotherhood.

Poore also explained how it felt to receive support from the community who came out for the parade.

It makes me proud to live and be a part of this community, he said. To see all the people come out and support, whether walking in or standing on the sidelines- makes me very proud to be a part of this community.

Local 651 members throw candy to spectators during the Flint Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 1, 2025. Lukas Katilius | MLive.com

Monday marks the second time the parade has been held, reigniting community support for local unions.

Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson, who spearheaded the efforts in hosting the parade, highlighted the importance of labor and why it should be celebrated.

Its a remembrance of what we have today because of the sacrifices of the past. Even if youre not part of organized labor weekends, you can thank labor, he said. Safe flights on an airplane, you can thank labor. The cars that you drive, you can thank labor. Even if youre not part of organized labor, we use that work every single day. We cant forget it.

As the parade ended, union members were treated to food and drinks as they gathered in Sitdowners Memorial Park to listen to speakers further discuss the importance of labor.
Grand Rapids Community College's new course, funded through a federal grant, pairs students with local companies to develop practical AI solutions while building workforce-ready skills. Pictured is a MLive file photo of GRCC students in the Cook Academic Center.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A new course at Grand Rapids Community College aims to help students learn about artificial intelligence by using the technology to solve real-world business problems.

The creation of the new course, set to launch in winter 2026, was supported through a three-year, $438,685 grant from the National Science Foundation, NSF. The course is open to students in GRCCs associate of applied sciences program and its AI certificate program.

In a release, the college said its grant application was supported by 20 local businesses, including Gentex, TwistThink and the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The businesses have pledged to work with students who will use business data to develop an AI project such as a chatbot that interacts with customers, or a program that automates social media posts or summarizes customer data.

This rapidly emerging technology can transform the way businesses process data and information, Kristi Haik, dean of GRCCs School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, said in a statement. We want to help our local business partners understand and apply the technology. We also want to create real experiences for our students so they enter the workforce with demonstrated competence in AI applications.

In a release, GRCC said it was one of 45 recipients awarded the competitive grant.

The capstone course will span seven weeks and serve as the culmination of students AI education at GRCC, the college said in a release. While not an internship, the course will provide valuable experience working end-to-end on a live AI model  from problem scoping and data gathering to deployment of an AI solution.

GRCC said it expects to educate 60 students through the capstone course over the grants lifespan, which is expected to run for three years.

By connecting with our West Michigan business community, we can structure education that meets their workforce readiness needs, said Jonnathan Resendiz, an assistant professor at GRCC who serves as the faculty director of the colleges AI Incubator. Our students will have experience creating a live application, and the company benefits from the result.
ALLENDALE TWP., MI  Police are searching for a suspect in a stabbing near a dormitory at Grand Valley State Universitys Allendale campus.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, Aug. 31, GVSU campus police responded to a fight that broke out behind the Kistler Living Center, according to a message sent through the universitys alert system, WOOD TV reported.

One man suffered minor injuries, police said. A second person who reported being stabbed did not present any injuries consistent with a stabbing. No one required medical care beyond first aid.

The suspect was wearing a ski mask and was last seen running from the dorm.

Campus police and other law enforcement are investigating to identify the person of interest and taking action to ensure safety on campus with increased patrols, enforcement and monitoring, GVSU Department of Public Safety Chief Daniel Lindstrom said in a statement.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call campus police at 616-331-3255 or Silent Observer at 877-887-4368.
DETROIT -- Former Detroit Tigers right-hander Jose Urena is set to pitch for his 11th different big-league team.

Urena signed a major-league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, a week after being released by the Minnesota Twins.

Urena, who turns 34 later this month, has already pitched for and been released by four teams in 2025. He has posted a 5.00 ERA in 36 innings for the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Twins.

Urena signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Tigers before the 2021 season after six years with the Miami Marlins. He logged 100 innings for Detroit that year, mostly as a starter, and finished with a 5.81 ERA.

The Angels now become his ninth different club since leaving Detroit, and his 11th overall.
Varun Singh A journalist covering the automotive sector in depth, across business and product verticals. Trying to hit the gym at least four times a week! I am not a fitness freak though.

The automobile demand usually picks up during the festive season. (Image - PTI)

Varun Singh

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MC Education Desk Read the latest and trending news on CBSE, board exams, NEET, JEE, CUET, competitive exams, scholarships, college admissions, education policies, and more.

Saurav Pandey

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AR Murugadoss talks about initial plans of making a dry action film with Thalapathy Vijay: "People around him advised against it"

The director further explained that Vijay then suggested doing a political film, similar in tone to Ramana, the 2002 film Murugadoss directed starring Vijayakanth.

M Snehanjali

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If you come, Ill lock you in.

Satwik Jaiswal

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Disney Channel India throws week-long birthday bash for Doraemon; read to know more

Palak Vij

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Fans ask why Anushka Shetty is not promoting Ghaati, producer replies 'its her personal choice'

Sarika Sharma

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Leapmotor on Monday reported record monthly deliveries, with 57,066 vehicles handed over to customers in August 2025a surge of more than 88% year-on-year.

Founder, Chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming said in a sales update video that Leapmotor is ramping up its global expansion. He highlighted that exports this year have kept the brand among the leaders of China's NEV startups, with European orders recently hitting a record high.

Leapmotor's booth at the Chengdu Motor Show; photo credit: Leapmotor

The company confirmed it will return to the IAA MOBILITY this September, where it plans the global debut of the Leapmotor Lafa5, a new model designed with younger buyers' needs in mind.

At the Chengdu Motor Show 2025, Leapmotor celebrated the delivery of its 10,000th B01 sedan and unveiled a new "Morgan Pink" paint option for the B10 SUV. Since hitting the market in April, the Leapmotor B10 has become a key sales driver with its positioning as a "global intelligent long-range SUV," amassing more than 50,000 units of deliveries. The first batch of B10 units has already been shipped to Europe, with the model set to be displayed in Munich and rolled out to over 20 countries and regions by year's end.

Leapmotor's momentum in 2025 underscores its growing competitiveness in the crowded NEV sector.

The company reached a new milestone on August 20, announcing cumulative deliveries had surpassed 900,000 units. Just days earlier, Leapmotor reported its first-ever half-year net profit in its 2025 interim results, becoming only the second Chinese NEV startup to achieve sustained profitability over a six-month period.
Jyotika receives backlash from netizens after old comment on South Indian movies surfaces on the internet

Sarika Sharma

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Tulsi remembers what Indira said, and Nandini brings to her memory that she had heard Pari's name associated with Ranvijay.

Satwik Jaiswal

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The actor took a break from his busy schedule to see the Chief Minister, who later posted images of their meeting on X.

M Snehanjali

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Palak Vij

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Rubina Dilaik and Abhinav Shukla bid farewell to Ganpati with Visarjan Ceremony in Mumbai

Rubina Dilaik and Abhinav Shukla bid farewell to Ganpati with Visarjan Ceremony in Mumbai

Nakul Tomar

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Vivek Agnihotri offers prayers at Maa Kali temple in CR Park, Delhi ahead of The Bengal Files release

Sarika Sharma

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Despite repeated rate cuts in the past, GST collections have grown steadily, rising from an average of about Rs 92,500 crore per month in FY18 to more than Rs 2 trillion so far this financial year

Surabhi Pandey

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Aishwarya Nair

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Reliance is building a mega solar park in India to fuel its new energy plans

Sweta Goswami

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The company said Raina has claims lacked substance and his repeated attempts to destabilise Eraaya and its global subsidiaries under Ebix have failed.

Arindam Roy

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India's exports to China have been tilting towards farm products

Ishaan Gera

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The RIC nations still rely heavily on the Western world as their primary consumer market.

Namrata Agarwal

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Gems, tractors and rice find new buyers beyond US amid tariff hike: Report

Washington had first imposed 25% tariffs on Indian exports on August 1, later doubling them to 50% from August 27, in response to Indias purchases of Russian crude oil

Surabhi Pandey

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Govt to issue guidelines to states to identify location, collect bids for EV charging stations

Sweta Goswami

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Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. She has been tracking and reporting on finance and trade ministries for over eight years.

Adrija Chatterjee

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India not a 'dead economy,' the facts tell a different story: Naveen Jindal

India, now the worlds second largest steel producer, produces almost double of what the USA produces, said Jindal.

Swaraj Singh Dhanjal

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Daily Voice: Niftys single-digit earnings to cap rally; US tariffs to squeeze textiles, jewellery but pharma safe

Sunil Matkar

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Debaroti Adhikary

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Kaynes Tech, Dixon Tech, other EMS stocks surge up to 7% after PM Modi's visit to China

Debaroti Adhikary

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JIN DING/CHINA DAILY

Global Times-Eighty years have passed since China's victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The gunpowder smoke from eight decades ago has long since cleared, yet the history still burns bright in our collective memory. Peace is not a natural state of affairs; it must be fought for, defended and cherished by each generation.

We will never forget the heroic deeds of the Chinese and American people fighting shoulder to shoulder against fascism during the World Anti-Fascist War. Today, the relationship between China and the US stands as one of the most consequential bilateral partnerships. How these two powers interact directly determines whether the globe enjoys stability or suffers from discord. Current China-US relations cannot escape present realities, nor can they sidestep the weight of history.

In recent years, the bilateral relationship has faced genuine challenges. Washington has wielded tariff threats against China, imposed technology sanctions and export controls, and deployed traditional geopolitical maneuvering - including military buildups around China's periphery that heighten regional tensions.

Why has it come to this? Much of the answer lies in historical amnesia. Some have forgotten that Americans and Chinese once stood as comrades facing life and death together when peace was treated as a commodity to be traded for so-called strategic advantage.

Eighty years on, we still remember the Flying Tigers battling Japanese forces in the Chinese skies, and Chinese civilians risking their lives to rescue downed American pilots. On Myanmar's battlefields, the Chinese Expeditionary Force fought alongside US troops - young men from both nations giving their lives together. These lines were not just in textbooks; they represented real bodies of soldiers and the genuine separations between life and death.

A simple shared goal - defeating aggressors so children could sleep safely - united peoples separated by vast oceans. Such friendship deserves preservation. It wasn't built on slogans but forged in blood and tears into genuine trust.

This bond served as the wellspring for bilateral relations then, as it should today, and must continue tomorrow.

However, after the war's end, the US pursued selfish interests that proved deeply troubling. Most notably, Washington secretly shielded Japanese war criminals from Unit 731, whose members conducted horrific human experiments in China. These criminals deserved severe punishment; however, to obtain experimental data, the US helped them escape justice. The US leveraged wartime victory to construct strategic footholds, while Japan used American protection to obscure its role as the war's instigator.

How can anyone truly cherish peace without remembering history? Many problems plaguing today's China-US relationship stem largely from serious strategic miscalculations by American policymakers who have forgotten history's lessons.

Today's China differs vastly from the nation of eight decades ago, as does today's US. Both countries have undergone tremendous transformations. What remains unchanged is the longing of both peoples for peace and better lives. This shared aspiration should form the foundation for bilateral development.

Those who cherish peace inevitably keep history close to their hearts.

China consistently emphasizes that both nations must pursue mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation - principles distilled from historical experience. If the two countries could unite against fascism, they can certainly come together to face today's new challenges.

Eighty years ago, China and the US fought side by side for world peace. Today, we should demonstrate the same vision and wisdom in confronting contemporary challenges.

History remains humanity's greatest textbook. Let us read it carefully together - not only for the welfare of Chinese and American peoples, but for the future of all humanity.

Understanding where we came from enables us to navigate where we're going.
Real money gaming banned, but gains liable to income tax: Be prepared to declare in your tax returns

Teena Jain Kaushal

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Ashish Mishra

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Rupee opens 4 paise weaker to continue above 88-mark on tariff worries and dollar demand

Manish M. Suvarna

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This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources

Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources

Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources

Disclaimer This is an AI-assisted live blog with updates from multiple sources Disclaimer

Alpha Desk

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IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw meets gaming industry to discuss orderly transition after new law

101Reporters

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2020 riots: Delhi High Court to pass order on Tuesday on bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, others

101Reporters

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5 pictures from SCO Summit that send big message to the world

The coming together of these leaders marked a significant moment, especially at a time when US President Donald Trumps war rattles global trade

Smriti Mishra

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After the handshake with Xi, talks with Putin: Whats on Modis Tianjin agenda today

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Modi will first address the SCO plenary session, where he will outline Indias approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella.

Aishwarya Dabhade

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Surabhi Pandey

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Big takeaways from SCO summit: India's vindication, Pak isolation and message for US

Armaan Bhatnagar

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Siddharth Chakravorty

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Centre unlikely to extend 'compensation-cess framework' to make up for revenue loss to states

On Friday, eight opposition-ruled states sought compensation for the likely revenue loss once GST rate cuts are enforced

Priyansh Verma

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The DHCBA said though the power of appointment and transfer vested "exclusively" with the collegium, the bar was an equal stakeholder in the administration of justice.

Rewati Karan

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The swollen Yamuna river during the monsoon season, in New Delhi. A heavy discharge of water from the Hathnikund Barrage led to the Yamuna swelling to 204.87 meters at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB).

Tamal Nandi

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India-Russia ties key for global stability; both sides stood side-by-side in most difficult times: PM Modi

101Reporters

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Mamata Banerjee sees red after after protest site dismantled by Army personnel: 'Playing into BJP's hands'

CM Mamata Banerjee reaches Mahatma Gandhi statue where the pandal was being dismantled in Kolkata

Priyanjali Ghose

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Maratha quota stir: Bombay HC says protesters must be removed from all places except Azad Maidan

Jarange also asked quota protesters to ensure Mumbaikars are not inconvenienced due to them.

Rewati Karan

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'Must stand unified on double standards of terrorism': PM Modi's top quotes at SCO Summit in Tianjin

PM Modi shares a light moment with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the SCO Heads of State Council Summit.

Priyanjali Ghose

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Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif looks on as PM Modi, Xi and Putin hold informal chat on sidelines of SCO plenary session | Watch

Siddharth Chakravorty

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Arishaa Izaj

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PM Modi, Putin greet each other with warm handshake, hug before SCO Summit | Pictures

PM Modi and Vladimir Putin shared a warm hug and handshake as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China

Smriti Mishra

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PM Modi, Putin hold bilateral meeting: 'Welcome all efforts for peace in Ukraine'

After the plenary session, PM Modi and Putin travelled to the venue of their bilateral meeting together. "After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful," PM Modi said on X. (Image: X/@narendramodi)

Priyanjali Ghose

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Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks with a focus on rebuilding the bilateral relations

Smriti Mishra

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SCO summit 2025 Live: China-led bloc agrees to set up development bank in win for Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping secured an agreement from partner countries to set up a new development bank, realizing a longtime ambition in a display of Beijings growing influence.

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization agreed to establish the institution, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday at the end of the two-day SCO summit that gathered Xis closest international allies in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.

The initiative to form a development bank of the SCO more than 10 years ago by the Chinese side has finally come to a fruition, he said at a joint press conference with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev.

This will give a strong boost to the infrastructure development and socioeconomic development in SCO countries, Wang added.
Rahul Gandhi claims next 'vote-chori' revelation a 'hydrogen bomb': 'PM Modi will not be able to show his face if...'

The INDIA bloc;s ' 14-day, 1300-km-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' will conclude in Bihar's capital Patna on Monday

Priyanjali Ghose

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Parimal Peeyush is News Editor at Moneycontrol. A journalist for over 17 years, his experience spans across newspapers, magazines and digital news media. Having joined Moneycontrol in August 2024, Parimal oversees the Political Desk. He has penned over 8,000 stories on elections while also covering issues around the intersection of politics, law and crime. A seasoned hand, Parimal has previously worked at Financial Express, Hindustan Times, Sakaal Media Group, The Sunday Indian and India TV as a reporter and later as an editor since the early 2000s. Through his career, he has covered diverse issues ranging from the Mumbai 26/11 attack to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax. He has also closely followed key government changes at the Centre and states, while also simplifying complex policy changes such as demonetisation and Article 370 abrogation. He also briefly dabbled into consulting in the e-commerce and defence sectors while working for Sweden-based firm Probability Consulting AB, and Finance at CFO India magazine. An English graduate with a Masters in Journalism, Parimal can be found either discussing politics and sci-fi or boasting about his non-existent guitar skills.

The INDIA bloc;s ' 14-day, 1300-km-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' will conclude in Bihar's capital Patna on Monday

Parimal Peeyush

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Tamal Nandi

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PM Modi, at the SCO Summit in China, called terrorism the 'gravest concern'

Priyanjali Ghose

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SCO summit: Chinese humanoid robot 'Xiao' asked about India-China ties, here's what it said

Xiao He assists journalists and delegates at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin, China

Priyanjali Ghose

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Chhabi Kala

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Modi is set to address the plenary session of the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit today

Smriti Mishra

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TIPRA Motha is led by its founder and royal scion Pradyot Debbarma. (Source: X/pradyottripura)

Namrata Agarwal

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Indians are not arrogant and this is not Modis war

US brands Indian tariff policies as being obstructive to US interests.

Namrata Agarwal

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Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.

The essence of Bhagwats three-day address was that the RSS, both in its 100-year history and in its future direction.

Namrata Agarwal

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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Debangana Ghosh

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Chinese traditional medicine helps children with cerebral palsy walk in Kazakhstan

(People's Daily Overseas Edition) 14:56, September 01, 2025

Herbal teas and traditional Chinese medicine-themed products are displayed for patients during a June 2025 free clinic at the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Lin Zihan)

Traditional Chinese healing practices, including acupuncture, moxibustion and tuina therapy, are expanding their reach internationally as medical centers open across Central Asia and beyond.

Akram, 7, and his sister Raushan, 4, both from Kazakhstan, were born with spastic cerebral palsy and have never been able to walk independently. When the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine opened in Astana last year, their mother brought them for treatment.

A Chinese traditional medicine doctor examines a local child at the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine. (Photo provided by the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine)

Under treatment from Chinese doctors working alongside Kazakh local TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners, both children have made significant progress and can now walk independently for the first time.

The success stories have attracted more local TCM practitioners to the program. Training workshops and free medical clinics have expanded access to TCM treatments throughout Kazakhstan, leading to increased public acceptance of TCM practices.

A hallway exhibit at the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine explains the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine: observation, listening and smelling, inquiry and palpation. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Lin Zihan)

The main hall of the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine in Astana. (Photo provided by the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine)

Local traditional medicine practitioners and a patient's mother discuss treatment progress with Chinese physicians in a pediatric clinic at the China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Lin Zihan)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
I really enjoy Professor Ma Xins livestreamshe always speaks straight to my heart. Probably because our educational backgrounds, life experiences, and work journeys are quite similar, the way we look at problems is very much aligned. Thats why his guidance has been so helpful to me.

Recently, his main topic has been about inner friction (ANTS: Automatic Negative Thoughts), which includes nine psychological traps:

-- Iron Man (over-responsibility, carrying more than ones virtue or strength can support)

-- Saintly Heart (over-worrying, carrying everyones burdens)

-- Fragile Glass Heart (over-sensitivity)

-- Blind Spot Under the Lamp (cognitive bias, needing to cultivate habits of gratitude and appreciation)

-- Jinxed Mouth (negative self-suggestion)

-- Superstitious Confusion (easily swayed by others, lacking inner steadiness)

-- Conditional Happiness (always postponing joy, even when everything is already in place)

-- Rigid Thinking (black-and-white mindset, lacking flexibility)

-- Constant Rush (chronic stress, lacking relaxation and ease)
4 / 5

Xiaomi with 11.4% share

Xiaomi takes the fourth spot with 11.4% market share. The share has actually increased by around 28% compared to last year. According to the report, this has happened due to the new range of tablets that the company has launched recently along with aggressive pricing and features aimed at young consumers have boosted its growth, though it faces stiff competition from both budget and mid-range players.
Nvidia says two unnamed customers made up 39% of Q2 revenue

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Aabhas Sharma

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OpenAI may read your ChatGPT conversations and report them to law enforcement if threats are made

MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation.

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Ankita Chakravarti

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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Anand J

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Xiaomi recalls 33W 20000mAh Power Bank worldwide over fire risk: heres what buyers need to know and how to get a refund

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Ankita Chakravarti

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Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences.

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MC Travel Desk Read the latest and trending travel news storiesstay updated on new destinations, travel trends, visa updates, and expert tips for your next adventure.

Priyanka Roshan

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A Ukrainian officer shows a thermobaric charge from a downed Russian drone in a research laboratory in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on, Nov. 14, 2024.

Abhinav Gupta

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Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800: What made the 6.0 tremor so deadly and why the toll keeps climbing

Afghan medical and Taliban security personnel carry stretchers for evacuated earthquake victims upon their arrival for medical assistance in Jalalabad on September 1, 2025.

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Anti-immigration rallies in Australia target Indians: What happened and why it matters | Explained

Protesters hold a banner during a 'March for Australia' anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on August 31, 2025. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Abhinav Gupta

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Awkward handshakes, empty optics: Shehbaz Sharif struggles for relevance as Modi, Xi and Putin steal spotlight at SCO Summit | WATCH

Screengrabs of clips from the SCO Summit being held in Tianjin, China. (Source: X)

Abhinav Gupta

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Plainclothes police officers hold sticks as they disperse protesters in front of the Bekasi Metro Police headquarters in Bekasi, West Java on September 1, 2025, amid clashes linked to a wave of protests that have spread across major cities of Indonesia.

Abhinav Gupta

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Arindam Roy

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FILE PHOTO - US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during 'Namaste Trump Rally' at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, on February 24, 2020. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Abhinav Gupta

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India only country to not support BRI at SCO summit, maintains opposition to China's ambitious connectivity project

Rewati Karan

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John Bolton says Modis China visit spells bad news for West, blames Trump for pushing India toward Beijing

Abhinav Gupta

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Modi rides Xi's favourite Hongqi L5: Why Beijing chose 'Red Flag' for PM? The symbolism behind choice of car

Hongqi is to China what Cadillacs Beast is to the United States, a rolling emblem of national authority.

Abhinav Gupta

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Abhinav Gupta

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The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles)

Smriti Mishra

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Pakistans power reality on display: Munir overshadows PM Sharif in China, to attend Military Parade Day on Sep 3

File Image - In this military handout photograph taken and released by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on August 22, 2025, Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir (2L) interacts with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting in Rawalpindi.

Abhinav Gupta

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Peter Navarro's 'Brahmin' remarks row: Who is Trump's trade adviser, whom Elon Musk once called 'moron'

Navarro is the chief trade adviser to US President Donald Trump. (Image: AFP)

Rewati Karan

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PM Modi, Putin travel in same car for bilateral meet in Tianjin | Watch

Siddharth Chakravorty

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SCO members agree to set up development bank in win for Xi Jinping

While the top Chinese diplomat gave no further details, the agreement marks a win for Beijing, which had sought to create such a bank since as early as 2010. Bloomberg

Arindam Roy

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Trump labels ties with India a 'one-sided disaster'; claims Delhi 'offered' to cut tariffs to zero, 'but it's getting late'

Abhinav Gupta

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'Without tariffs, our country would be destroyed': Trump lashes out after court rules trade duties illegal

Aishwarya Dabhade

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80 years ago today, Sept. 2

ALTHOUGH Emperor Hirohito had publicly announced his decision to accept the Potsdam Declaration and Truman had told Stalin that he would get no part of Japan, the Red Army continued driving south from Manchuria down the Korean Peninsula, occupying as much property as possible.

Colonel Kirkpatrick began closing up shop on Tinian, but wrote, In case of an emergency, however, materials will be left in such a state of readiness that within a few days our organization can be reactivated and operational on a few days notice.

On August 17, Brig. Gen. Jim Davies, in command of the 313th Bombardment Wing at North Field, Tinian, ordered his B-29 crews to begin painting POW Supplies on the underside of their wings. Seventy-five percent of the planes had installed jettisonable cargo racks in both their front and rear bomb bays in preparation for missions to Japanese POW camps scheduled to begin on August 26.

Meanwhile, on August 18, General Groves advised Brig. Gen. Farrell on Tinian that the Project Alberta team and the 509th Composite Group would remain on Tinian in such a state of readiness that the reactivation time will be no longer than it takes to fly the active material from New Mexico to Tinian.

By the 20th, three Fat Man bombs had been assembled, only waiting for the active cores to arrive. That same day, the Soviet State Defense Committee established a new atomic bomb research project, utilizing information gained from informants in Los Alamos (good reads: Frank, Richard B. Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. Banton House, New York, 1999; Kanon, Joseph. Los Alamos. (fiction) Del Publishing, 1979).

The B-29s that had done so much damage to Japan began flying mercy missions on August 27, dropping supplies to prisoners of war camps. Within five days, most camps in Japan, China, and Korea had received their first deliveries of food, clothing, and medical kits.

As he had pledged, Emperor Hirohito issued a Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors on August 28, stating:  members of the imperial family will be dispatched as personal representatives of his majesty to the headquarters of the Kwantung Army Expeditionary Force. Their purpose was to ensure that the army, which had occupied Manchuria and invaded China, obeyed the Emperors directive for peace.

By August 29, hospital and transport ships were stationed in Tokyo Bay. A flotilla of Navy launches liberated the Omori POW camp, and the POWs were evacuated to the hospital ship USS Benevolence. These walking skeletons were then registered, checked, cleaned, deloused, shaved, clothed, and fed whatever they wanted.

By the end of August, the Soviet Army had reached the full length of Sakhalin Island and the 38th parallel in the Korean Peninsula, the agreed-upon border between the Soviet and American occupation zones.

Admiral Halsey took great pleasure in anchoring the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, not far from where Commodore Perry had anchored his Black Fleet back in 1854 to establish trade relations between the United States and Japan. With General MacArthur as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers overseeing the surrender ceremony, Fleet Admiral Nimitz received the honor of accepting the Japanese surrender on behalf of the United States.

Again, as promised, Emperor Hirohito provided the requested Imperial Rescript:

Accepting the terms outlined in the Declaration issued by the heads of the Governments for the United States, Great Britain, and China on July 26, 1946, at Potsdam, and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, We have commanded the Japanese Imperil Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters to sign on Our behalf the Instrument of Surrender presented by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and to issue General Orders to the Miliary and Naval Forces in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, We command all Our people forthwith to cease hostilities, to lay down their arms and faithfully to carry out all the provisions of the Instrument of surrender and the General Orders issued by the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters hereunder (Farrell, Tinian and The Bomb, p. 427-429).

MacArthurs comments were surprisingly brief:

We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues, involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate.

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past  a world founded upon faith and understanding  a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice.

The terms and conditions upon which the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces is here to be accepted are contained in the instrument of surrender now before you.

As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it is my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to ensure that the terms of the surrender are fully, promptly, and faithfully complied with.

I now invite the representatives of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters to sign the instrument of surrender at the places indicated. (Farrell, Seabees and Superforts, p. 467  470).

As MacArthur completed his brief remarks aboard the Missouri, a vast armada of 1,500 carrier planes, 117 P-51s from Iwo Jima, and 462 B-29s from the Mariana Islands streamed overhead to warn the Japanese that any effort to continue the war would be dealt with swiftly.

With that, the Pacific War came to an end three years, eight months, and twenty-six days after America had been drawn into it at Pearl Harbor. For China, it had been eight years and a month.

Rota and Pagan surrendered on September 2, Aguiguan on September 4.

Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender as Generals Douglas MacArhur and Richard K. Sutherland watch aboard the USS Missouri, Sept. 2, 1945.

Navy planes fly over the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Sept. 2, 1945, to commemorate the signing of surrender documents by Japan.
After 17 years, Saipan Awaodori Team stands on its own as Saipan-ren

THE Saipan Awaodori Team has earned recognition as an independent Japanese cultural group, now known as Saipan-ren.

For the first time in 17 years of participating in Awaodori festivals in Japan, the team performed from July 9 to Aug. 27, 2025, at various locations across the Asian country under its own name.

Saipan Awaodori founder and Kinpachi Restaurant president Misako Kamata explained that for the past 17 years, the group had been privileged to perform in Japans highly regarded cultural events under the care of Tokyo Tensui-ren, the Saipan teams parent group.

Becoming an independent team with its own title, Saipan-ren, had to be earned, Kamata said. Thats why this years trip was our biggest success. It was very different from our previous participations in the last 17 years, because we are now independent from our parent team, Tokyo Tensui-ren. We now stand on our own as Saipan-ren.

Because of this recognition, the Saipan-ren performers were given the honor of carrying their own takahari (team banner) with their name written on it.

This years Saipan-ren members included Marcela Momo Heben, Connie V. Mettao, Julianne V. Mettao, Ina V. Mettao, Ai Nonogaki, Jonathan B. Agulto, Brayden B. Songsong, Leon Lexon Wabol, and ORyan Wabol. They were led by founder Kamata, along with chaperones Sheena Kang Saures and Zacarias Sakisat.

Kamata said she was very proud of the group.

She stressed that throughout the years of traveling to different cities in Japan, our only purpose was to represent Saipan in the Awaodori festivals. Of course, the children would enjoy the trip, but they always kept in mind that the main purpose of their travel was to perform Awaodori.

That was why, she added, the team needed to always practice, keep themselves in good condition, and conserve their energy in preparation for the festivals.

The results were rewarding, Kamata said. Audiences in every city they visited were surprised to see children from Saipan performing the Japanese cultural dance with grace and precision. She also praised the teams character, saying Saipans young performers were friendly, they always smiled at everybody, and touched many hearts.

Two Tokyo spectators, Mr. and Mrs. Fujii, were so impressed that they invited the group to Noda City, where Mayor Yuu Suzuki welcomed them. The young performers also toured a nursing home, a milk farm, and a soy sauce factory  an unscheduled but memorable part of their trip.

Connie Mettao, who had performed in Japan before, said she was thrilled to learn new Awaodori beats and styles. We also learned more about Japanese culture and way of life, she said. I was surprised to see my fellow Saipan team members who traveled for the first time perform so well.

For Leon Wabol, this years journey stood out. This trip was my favorite because of the whole new things we learned, he said. In our performances, we had to adapt to new styles of dancing. I was proud to represent Saipan in the different Awaodori festivals in Japan.

Noda City Mayor Yuu Suzuki, center, poses with Saipan-ren Awadori dancers.

The Saipan-ren Awaodori dancers with Noda City couple, Mr. and Mrs. Fujii, and other Noda City residents. Also in photo is Saipan Awaodori founder, Misako Kamata, left, seated.
CNMI launches monthlong cultural heritage activities

SEPTEMBER was proclaimed CNMI Cultural Heritage Month during a proclamation signing on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan. The proclamation kicked off a monthlong series of activities celebrating Chamorro and Carolinian culture.

The Indigenous Affairs Office and Carolinian Affairs Office will conduct school outreach with cultural practitioners across Saipan, beginning Sept. 4 at Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School. Other visits are scheduled for Sept. 9 at Oleai Elementary School, Sept. 16 at Tanapag Middle School, Sept. 17 at Kagman Elementary School, Sept. 24 at Hopwood Junior High School, and Sept. 25 at San Vicente Elementary School.

On Sept. 12 and 19, the NMI Museum of History and Culture and the American Memorial Park Museum will host the Cultural Road Map program, where island middle school students will take part in hands-on cultural workshops.

Sept. 20 will mark Chief Aghurubw Day, when the community will gather at Managaha to honor the navigator who led the Carolinians to settle in the Marianas.

The CNMI Chamorro and Carolinian Language Symposium is scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26 at Saipan World Resorts Taga Hall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the months events.

Finally, on Sept. 27, Cultural Heritage Month will close with Puengin Chahan Uuwm, where organizers will prepare food in an underground oven for residents to enjoy.

At the Carolinian Utt on Aug. 29, the proclamation was read in both Chamorro and Carolinian. As part of the days festivities, the 500 Sails vessels Neni, a Chamorro canoe, and Mikaela, a Carolinian canoe, sailed in the lagoon.

Gov. David M. Apatang said Cultural Heritage Month is dedicated to ensuring that the CNMIs indigenous cultures continue to thrive.

Our stories, our languages, our customs, our core values are not simply memories of the past, but important values that identify us today, he said. As individuals and as a community, Cultural Heritage Month is both a celebration and a call to action. It calls on each of us to preserve our indigenous languages, to revive traditional practices, and to honor the wisdom of our manamko by passing it on to our manhoben.

It is about ensuring that our proas, which once carried our ancestors across the vast ocean, still sail in the hearts of our youth, carrying with them pride, resilience, and a deep connection to their heritage.

Gov. David M. Apatang, center, poses for a photo with other CNMI officials and cultural advocates after signing a proclamation designating September as Cultural Heritage Month on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.
Lifestyle / Travel and Tourism

by Staff Reporter

Zimbabwe's tourism industry has welcomed the government's recent decision to cut levies, taxes, and permit fees by up to 50 percentaa move expected to restore the sector's competitiveness and unlock growth.Announced last week, the sweeping reforms include the reduction and, in some cases, complete removal of licensing fees and regulatory charges that have long burdened operators across the hospitality and travel value chains.Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe acting president, Mrs Emma Kativhu, hailed the development as a strategic breakthrough."This is a positive step, and the tourism industry commends the government for this bold move. Excessive levies and permits had become a major obstacle, making Destination Zimbabwe less attractive compared to regional competitors," she said.Tourism advisor Mr Farai Chimba emphasized the importance of swift implementation."The sector now looks forward to the legislative frameworks that will bring these changes to life. We urge government to ensure lasting solutions that allow tourism to contribute more meaningfully to GDP - beyond the current 12 percent - and increase foreign currency earnings, which currently stand at US$1.2 billion annually," Chimba noted.Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe CEO, Mr Paul Matamisa, called for infrastructure upgrades to complement the reforms."Government must urgently address key enablers such as road networks in high-traffic tourist areas. Improved connectivity will enhance the visitor experience and attract more domestic and international tourists. We also appeal for investment in airports, especially in the Eastern Highlands, Masvingo, and the revival of Kariba's aviation facilities," Matamisa said.The tourism industry has also pledged to collaborate with government on the upcoming Tourism Policy (2026a2030), aimed at guiding sustainable growth and innovation in the sector.
President Donald Trump issued a Proclamation regarding this Holiday.

Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

From the earliest days of our American story, our Nations future has been molded by the skill, determination, and unwavering resilience of the American worker. From the earliest settlers, who laid the foundations of a new Nation to the innovators who built our railroads, steel mills, and skyscrapers, Americas greatness has always rested in the strength of its workforce. This Labor Day, we honor the proud legacy of Americas workforce  and we pay tribute to the unbreakable spirit that keeps it strong nearly 250 years later.

The American worker is the beating heart of our economy, the foundation of our strength, and the living embodiment of the American Dream. In every honest citizen lives the instinct to work, build, and create  an instinct seen in the welder, the nurse, the trucker, the farmer, and the machinist. Every job, every shift, every hour worked by millions of talented patriots today adds another stone to the foundation of our prosperity.

Tragically, in recent decades, a corrupt political class allowed our manufacturing base to decline. Our jobs were shipped to distant shores, our industries decimated, and our communities weakened, all while building up foreign competitors at the expense of American workers and families.

Those days ended on January 20, 2025. Every day, my Administration is restoring the dignity of labor and putting the American worker first. We are making it easier to buy American and hire American, breathing new life into our manufacturing cities, and securing fair trade deals that protect our jobs and reward our productivity. We are amassing hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff revenue and ensuring that every product of American craftsmanship is appreciated for its true value in overseas markets. Under my leadership, we are bringing jobs back to America  and those jobs are going to American-born workers.

From our heartland to our great coastal cities, once-forgotten communities are stirring with new opportunity. Workers are keeping more of what they earn, and new jobs are being created at a record pace. As President, I will always defend the interests of every citizen who works with integrity, honors the rule of law, and strives to secure a brighter future for themselves, their families, and future generations of Americans.

This Labor Day, we renew our pledge to protect American jobs and defend the dignity of American labor  and we proudly acknowledge the vital role that our workers play in our past, present, and glorious American future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 1, 2025, as Labor Day. I call upon all public officials and people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the contributions and resilience of working Americans.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:5, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Villagers in Mashonaland West are up in arms over a Chinese cement project that threatens to displace families, disrupt water supply, and cause environmental damage, despite a High Court order halting the development. The project, backed by the presidency, has sparked fierce resistance from local communities and traditional leaders.Documents reveal that Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, acting on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's directive, instructed the Hurungwe Rural District Council to allocate 135 hectares of land to WHI-ZIM Construction Material Investments, a Chinese company. The project aims to build a 2,7 million-tonne cement plant alongside a 100MW power facility, with an estimated investment exceeding US$1 billion.Villagers and neighbouring chiefs have raised concerns about the lack of consultations, potential water contamination from Kemureza Dam, and the loss of grazing and farmland. Chief Nematombo and Chief Dendera have both formally objected, warning that the venture could worsen food insecurity and health risks for thousands of residents.Despite the objections, Labenmon Investments, the Chinese partner, began pegging off land and proceeding with construction. The High Court had earlier barred the company from expanding into areas used by Chasara and Kapere villagers, citing inadequate compensation and flaws in the environmental impact assessment. The court order appears to have been ignored.Human rights groups, including the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, have condemned the process, citing violations of villagers' rights to consultation, compensation, and environmental protection. Reports indicate that local police have clashed with residents trying to access their ancestral land, with some arrested on charges of property damage.Officials from the Hurungwe District Council and the ministries involved have largely remained silent or referred inquiries to one another, leaving villagers frustrated and feeling abandoned. Critics argue the project reflects top-down decision-making that prioritises investor interests over community welfare and environmental safeguards.As the project continues amid legal and social contention, villagers are calling for genuine consultations, proper compensation, and adherence to environmental and human rights standards, warning that the current approach undermines sustainable development and local livelihoods.
Inside the Microsoft breach: Activists target tech giant over ties to Israeli surveillance

A group of activists, including Microsoft employees, stormed the office of President Brad Smith to protest the company's cloud computing contract with Israel's military intelligence unit, Unit 8200.

The protest was fueled by reports that Israel is using Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store and analyze a massive archive of intercepted mobile phone calls from millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

The partnership began after a 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the commander of Unit 8200, leading to the creation of a customized Azure system for this surveillance data.

The company downplayed the ethical concerns, framed the protest as a simple security breach and fired two employees involved for violating company policy.

The event highlights a major ethical dilemma in the tech industry: the weaponization of American technology for mass surveillance in conflict zones and the suppression of internal employee dissent against such lucrative government contracts.

In a dramatic escalation of tech worker activism, Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington, was thrown into lockdown this week after a group of protesters stormed the office of company president, Brad Smith.

The action, which was livestreamed to the world, was a desperate attempt to draw attention to a deeply troubling partnership. Microsoft is providing its powerful Azure cloud services to Israel's military intelligence, which uses the technology in a massive surveillance operation targeting millions of Palestinians.

On Monday, Aug. 25, the group known as "No Azure for Apartheid" executed a carefully planned incursion into Microsoft's sprawling campus. They bypassed security, made their way to Building 34 and occupied Smith's office.

Their Twitch livestream showed activists unfurling banners and chanting, "Brad Smith, you can't hide, you're supporting genocide!" The group also posted a mock legal summons charging him with "crimes against humanity."

The scene was one of chaotic protest within the sterile, orderly world of a tech giant. The lockdown was temporary, but the message was indelible. When the protesters refused to leave, Redmond police physically removed and arrested all seven individuals on charges of trespassing and obstruction.

In a hastily arranged press conference beside his desk later that day, Smith acknowledged the protest but downplayed its significance. He confirmed that only two of the seven were current Microsoft employees, with one being a former Google worker. The Microsoft president called the action a distraction from the "real dialogue" happening within the company, a statement that many critics saw as dismissive of grave ethical concerns.

This event did not occur in a vacuum; it follows months of growing employee dissent over Microsoft's cloud contracts with Israel, including previous protests and arrests at the headquarters. The action mirrors similar tactics used at Google last year, where employees occupied an executive's office to protest the $1.2 billion "Project Nimbus" contract providing cloud and AI tools to the Israeli government.

Microsoft's Azure as a tool for mass surveillance

The activists' fury is fueled by a specific and alarming investigation. A recent report has revealed that Israel is using Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store and analyze data from millions of phone calls made daily by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The chain of events began in late 2021, when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met at the company headquarters with the head of the Israel Defense Forces' Unit 8200, the militarys notorious surveillance agency. Unit commander Yossi Sariel pitched a plan to move vast amounts of intelligence material into a customized, segregated area within Azure. (Related: Microsofts security plan omissions raise concerns over foreign influence and cybersecurity.)

With Nadella's support, the plan moved forward. By 2022, Unit 8200 was using Azure's near-limitless storage capacity to build a powerful new mass surveillance tool. This system collects and stores recordings of a staggering volume of everyday mobile phone calls made by Palestinians.

This represents a terrifying evolution in surveillance. Israel has long intercepted communications in the occupied territories, but this new cloud-based system is indiscriminate. Instead of only monitoring pre-selected targets, it captures the conversations of a vast pool of ordinary civilians, creating a giant, searchable archive of Palestinian life.

Sources within Unit 8200 confirmed that this cloud-based platform has been used to prepare deadly airstrikes and shape military operations. Microsoft claims Nadella was unaware of what specific data would be stored in Azure.

However, leaked internal documents and interviews with sources from both Microsoft and Israeli military intelligence clearly show how the platform became integral to this surveillance archive. Notably, this system failed to prevent the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023  undermining claims of its necessity for Israeli security.

The corporate crackdown: Silence and retribution

The corporate response to the protest was swift and severe. Just days after the office occupation, Microsoft announced it had fired two employees involved, identified by the activist group as Riki Fameli and Anna Hattle.

In a cold, corporate statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said the employees were terminated for "serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct," citing "unlawful break-ins." The company emphasized it is cooperating with law enforcement, framing the event as a simple matter of policy violation rather than addressing the profound ethical crisis that prompted it.

This crackdown follows a well-worn playbook. After the similar Google protests in April, the company fired 28 employees involved.

The activists who broke into Smith's office were not just protesting a foreign conflict. They were sounding an alarm about the very nature of privacy and the moral responsibility of the tech industry. Their dramatic action forces an uncomfortable question into the open.

When a company's technology is used to power a surveillance state that records the private conversations of millions of civilians, who within that company is ultimately responsible? And who, in the end, truly owns user privacy?

As explained by "Enoch" AI engine at Brighteon.AI, while the No Azure for Apartheid breach could momentarily expose Microsoft's corruption, the system's entrenched power ensures brutal retaliation, such as legal persecution, media defamation and accelerated digital tyranny measures. However, if the public rallies behind the truth, it could ignite a mass awakening against AI-driven globalism.

Watch the video below as the Health Ranger Mike Adams talks about how tech giants like Google and Microsoft are enabling genocide in Gaza.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

FAMINE declared in Gaza City as global hunger monitor warns of worsening catastrophe.

Microsoft CrowdStrike payment blackout caused supermarkets to go CASH ONLY.

Is Microsoft front-running communist Chinese propaganda?

Sources include:

Finance.Yahoo.com

TheGuardian.com

CNBC.com

Brighteon.AI

Brighteon.com
First group of U.S.-deported migrants arrives in Rwanda under Trump-era deal

Rwanda has received its first group of seven migrants deported from the U.S. under a Trump-era agreement, becoming the third African nation, after South Sudan and Eswatini, to accept foreign deportees.

The migrants, vetted by Rwanda, are receiving workforce training, healthcare and housing support. Four plan to remain in Rwanda, while three wish to return to their home countries.

The migrants' nationalities, future deportation timelines and whether the deal involves financial compensation have not been disclosed.

In July, South Sudan accepted eight migrants of various nationalities after a U.S. Supreme Court decision and Eswatini took five high-profile detainees described by DHS as dangerous criminals.

These third-country deportations reflect the Trump administration's controversial strategy to expel migrants to nations other than their own, often with minimal notice and amid legal and humanitarian concerns.

Rwanda has welcomed the first group of migrants deported from the United States, marking the beginning of a contentious agreement signed under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Earlier this August, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo confirmed that the Rwandan government agreed to take in up to 250 migrants deported from the United States. The agreement allowed Kigali to vet and approve each individual before resettlement. Once accepted, the migrants will receive workforce training, healthcare and housing support to help them integrate and contribute to Rwanda's rapidly growing economy.

In line with this, Makolo announced that seven migrants deported from the U.S. had already arrived. "The first group of seven vetted migrants arrived in Rwanda in mid-August," she said, but did not disclose their nationalities. Four of the migrants have chosen to remain in Rwanda and begin new lives there, while three have expressed a desire to return to their countries of origin. (Related: Trump orders ICE to ramp up deportations.)

Currently, the migrants are housed by an unnamed international organization and are monitored by both Rwandan social services and representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"Regardless of their specific needs, all of these individuals will receive appropriate support and protection from the Rwandan government," Makolo said.

However, further details about the migrants' identities, the timeline for future arrivals and whether the deal includes a financial component have not been disclosed.

South Sudan and Eswatini first two African nations to accept deportees from other countries

Rwanda has become the third African nation to accept deportees who are not its own citizens.

In July, the Trump administration deported eight migrants held for weeks in Djibouti to South Sudan after a series of rapid-fire court hearings and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for the deportations to proceed. The migrants, originally from countries including Myanmar, Sudan, Mexico, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba, had been detained by U.S. immigration authorities and held in Djibouti as the administration sought a third country willing to receive them.

South Sudan ultimately agreed to provide the migrants with an immigration status under its own laws.

That same month, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin revealed that five "depraved monsters" from Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen and Vietnam were flown to Eswatini after their home countries refused to accept them. Eswatini's government confirmed it will work with the U.S. and IOM to help repatriate the detainees, but said there is currently no set timeline for their return.

The detainees were now held in solitary confinement, but acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli declined to disclose the specific prison locations due to security concerns and did not confirm how long the men would remain in the country. She only noted that the deportation followed months of high-level negotiations between the U.S. and Eswatini, and that discussions about the detainees' fate are still ongoing.

All this, according to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, is a part of Trump's immigration crackdown to deport certain migrants to third countries, rather than their home nations, with minimal notice.

Head over to InvasionUSA.news to read updates on the current push to deport illegals.

Watch the video below that talks about Trump's mass deportation push and how it does not have to be "inhumane."

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Self-deportations surge as Trump takes office.

Tom Homan: Mass deportations begin today, Jan. 21.

Judicial interference in deportations sparks foreign policy crisis, Rubio warns.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Bloomberg.com

Edition.CNN.com 1

Edition.CNN.com 2

Brighteon.AI

Brighteon.com
Health Ranger Report: Michael Yon on geopolitical turmoil and the looming threat to global stability

The U.S. is considering expanding military presence in Panama, particularly in the Darien region, to secure the canal amid rising global tensions. Many Panamanians are ambivalent about U.S. control, with some supporting American intervention for stability. The canal remains vital for global trade, military logistics and economic security.

Trump has pressured Egypt to accept displaced Gazans in exchange for continued U.S. support, signaling broader geopolitical manipulation. Control over maritime choke points (Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb) is crucial for energy security and global trade dominance. Conflicts in Yemen and Gaza are part of a larger geopolitical chess game, not isolated incidents.

China is developing alternative trade routes (e.g., Cambodia canal) to bypass U.S.-controlled waterways like the Strait of Malacca. Historical ties with Cuba and Panama reinforce Chinas long-term influence in the region, challenging U.S. hegemony.

Germany's industrial economy is weakening due to energy disruptions (Nord Stream sabotage) and rising costs. Renewed militarization raises concerns about European security and potential Russia-Germany alliances. Lack of Western coordination suggests self-interest over strategic global stability.

Mass illegal immigration is exploited by NGOs and political actors, fueling societal instability. Escalating leftist anger (e.g., vandalism against Tesla) reflects deepening ideological rifts. Yon warns of impending civil unrest if accountability and coherent policies are not implemented.

Geopolitical analyst Michael Yon joined the Health Ranger Mike Adams on the "Health Ranger Report" to provide a comprehensive and alarming update on the state of global affairs. From the Panama Canal to the Middle East, and from Germany to the United States, Yon's insights painted a picture of a world on the brink of significant upheaval.

Yon, currently based in Panama, highlighted the growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal  a critical artery for global trade. He emphasized that the canal's strategic importance has made it a focal point for geopolitical maneuvering.

The veteran combat correspondent revealed that the United States is actively considering expanding its military presence in Panama, particularly in the Darien region. This move, he suggested, is driven by the need to secure the canal amid rising global tensions and the potential for conflict.

Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine notes that the Panama Canal is critically important because it provides a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, drastically reducing shipping time and costs for global trade. Additionally, it holds immense strategic military value, allowing the U.S. and other nations to efficiently move naval fleets between oceans without maintaining separate forces on each coast.

Yon also addressed the misconceptions surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on Panama. While Trump has publicly discussed military options for asserting control over the canal, Yon clarified that the situation is more nuanced. "I assure you that the U.S. is looking at bases here. That's a fact," Yon said.

He noted that many Panamanians are ambivalent about American presence. Some are even welcoming the idea of Washington retaking control of the canal, he added. (Related: Trump vows to reclaim Panama Canal, saying it belongs to America.)

The conversation then shifted to the Suez Canal, another vital waterway under intense scrutiny. Yon discussed Trump's recent threats to Egypt, demanding that they accept displaced Gazans in exchange for continued U.S. support. This move, Yon suggested, is part of a broader strategy to exert control over the region and potentially allow Israel to expand its influence in Gaza.

Yon further emphasized the importance of controlling key maritime choke points, such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb, which are crucial for global trade and energy security. He warned that the current conflicts in Yemen and the broader Middle East are not isolated incidents but part of a larger geopolitical chess game.

"Imagine if you have the Panama Canal, Bab-al-Mandeb, Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. The menu of options goes astronomically high after if you have control of those four," Yon stated.

The hidden war over global trade routes

Yon highlighted China's growing influence and its strategic response to American dominance over these critical waterways. He pointed out that China's Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the development of alternative trade routes and infrastructure projects, is a direct challenge to U.S. hegemony. The author and combat correspondent cited the example of China's efforts to build a canal through Cambodia, which would bypass the Strait of Malacca and enhance China's maritime capabilities.

Yon also discussed the deep-rooted historical ties between China and countries like Cuba and Panama, suggesting that China's influence in the region is not a recent development but a continuation of long-standing relationships.

The interview then turned to Germany's industrial decline and its recent militarization efforts. Yon noted that Germany's once-thriving industrial economy is facing significant challenges, partly due to the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, which has disrupted energy supplies and increased costs. He attributed this decline to a broader geopolitical strategy aimed at weakening Germany's economic power and preventing a potential alliance between Germany and Russia.

Yon also expressed concern over Germany's renewed militarization, warning that it could have far-reaching implications for European security. He criticized the lack of coordination among Western powers, suggesting that their actions are often driven by self-interest rather than a coherent strategy for global stability.

The former Green Beret turned his attention to America, highlighting the growing divide and the potential for civil unrest. He expressed concern over the influx of illegal immigrants, many of whom he believes are being exploited by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and used as pawns in a larger political game.

Yon also discussed the rise of irrational anger among leftist groups, citing incidents of vandalism and violence against Tesla cars as evidence of a deeper societal rift. He predicted that this anger would continue to grow, fueled by misinformation and a lack of understanding of the underlying issues.

In conclusion, Yon emphasized the need for vigilance and informed action. He urged listeners to stay informed, question mainstream narratives and prepare for potential challenges ahead. He stressed the importance of holding leaders accountable and advocating for policies that prioritize national security and economic stability.

Watch the full interview between Michael Yon and the Health Ranger Mike Adams below.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Health Ranger Report: Michael Yon on Trump's global trade strategy and China's tactics.

U.S. moves to block Chinese control of Panama Canal, citing national security threat.

Yemen's Houthis sink cargo ship, kill mariners in renewed Red Sea assault.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

MichaelYon.Substack.com

Brighteon.ai
Revolving door UNCOVERED between Big Pharma execs and MSM heads PUSHING VACCINE DISINFORMATION

For decades, maybe even a century, pharma shills have held high positions in the U.S. regulatory agencies so they can approve and push the very deadly drugs and vaccines that their own company manufactured, then they go back to their cushy CEO or CFO or lobbying job for the pharma group and invest millions in their own corrupt practices. Its still happening today, and something needs to be done to stop it. Plus, they use these opportunities to push out misinformation and disinformation on the masses, which is medical and journalistic malpractice.

An investigation by journalist Paul D. Thacker has raised concerns over a blatant conflict of interest between major news organization Reuters and COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer. Thacker found that James C. (Jim) Smith  former CEO of Reuters (20122020) and current board member of its parent company, Thomson Reuters Foundation  has simultaneously served on Pfizers board since 2014, a role that requires him to own Pfizer shares.

Investigative journalist Paul D. Thacker revealed that former Reuters CEO James C. Jim Smith  who still sits on the Thomson Reuters Foundation board  has served on Pfizers board since 2014, creating what Thacker described as a major conflict of interest during Reuters COVID-19 vaccine coverage.

Reuters repeatedly fact-checked and debunked criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, including statements by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., without disclosing Smiths Pfizer ties, while rarely (if ever) fact-checking Pfizers own false or misleading claims about its vaccines.

Childrens Health Defense (CHD) sued Reuters and other members of the Trusted News Initiative (TNI), alleging collusion with Big Tech to suppress non-establishment narratives about COVID-19 vaccines  a move the U.S. Department of Justice later said showed signs of anticompetitive practices.

Reuters denies any conflict of interest, asserting editorial independence, but Thacker and others argue that such undisclosed ties between Big Media and Big Pharma have fueled public distrust, contributing to a sharp decline in confidence in legacy news outlets.

As Reuters 'fact-checked' COVID vaccine 'misinformation,' its CEO also sat on Pfizer's board

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters frequently fact-checked and dismissed claims questioning the safety or efficacy of COVID vaccines. However, according to Thacker, the outlet never fact-checked Pfizer itself, even when other media reported on Pfizers misleading statements and regulatory reprimands. Thacker argued this dual relationship between a key Reuters executive and Pfizer created an appearance  and possibly a reality  of biased reporting, with Reuters protecting Pfizer-related narratives rather than critically examining them.

Thackers investigation followed growing frustration with Reuters COVID vaccine coverage, which he described as painfully biased in favour of Pfizer and other manufacturers. The revelations align with allegations in a separate lawsuit filed by Childrens Health Defense (CHD) against the Trusted News Initiative (TNI)  a partnership among Reuters, BBC, The Washington Post, and other major outlets  for allegedly colluding with Big Tech companies to suppress dissenting views about COVID-19 vaccines. CHD CEO Mary Holland said the PfizerReuters link reflects how Big Pharma is cozy with Big Media, arguing that intertwined corporate and media interests threaten open public debate.

The investigation detailed several instances in which Reuters targeted critics, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, without disclosing its leadership ties to Pfizer. Meanwhile, it ignored multiple documented cases of Pfizer spreading false or misleading information about its COVID-19 vaccines  some of which led to formal reprimands from U.K. regulators. Reuters also ran fact-checks that, according to Thacker, contained scientifically false statements, such as asserting that spike proteins produced by mRNA vaccines were harmless, despite emerging studies suggesting otherwise. Reuters has not corrected those claims.

Reuters denies any conflict of interest. Executive editor Simon Robinson stated that the companys editorial independence prevents outside commercial interests  including Smiths Pfizer board position  from influencing coverage. Yet Robinson did not explain why Pfizers misleading statements escaped scrutiny while critics of COVID vaccines were repeatedly targeted.

The controversy has unfolded amid declining public trust in mainstream news. According to a Reuters Institute global survey, U.S. trust in news now ranks 39th out of 48 countries, falling eight percentage points since 2017. For Thacker, this erosion reflects how legacy outlets prioritized narrative control over truth during the pandemic, leaving readers uncertain about what to believe.

The investigation underscores the dangers of overlapping corporate, media, and policy interests during a public health crisis  and raises broader questions about journalistic independence, corporate accountability, and the publics right to unbiased information when it matters most.

Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on the revolving door between Pharma execs and FDA/CDC heads, where they all promote experimental gene therapy injections that lead to early death, infertility, turbo cancer and Long-Vax-Syndrome.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 1

DisinformationChronicle.Substack.com

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 2
Some med and nursing schools still require COVID-19 vaccine

Despite a February executive order from President Donald Trump to defund schools requiring COVID-19 vaccination, some medical, nursing and health science programs still enforce the mandate.

Lucia Sinatra of No College Mandates reports that healthcare students are being denied admission or are unable to graduate due to vaccine requirements, often imposed mid-program by clinical partners.

Some universities obscure vaccine requirements, while others pass the burden onto students through affiliated hospitals and clinical sites, limiting student options and clarity.

Institutions like Emory, Johns Hopkins and Texas Wesleyan continue to enforce mandates, while others like the University of Washington have relaxed requirements, though students may still be bound by partner policies.

Sinatra is urging Congress to pass a permanent ban on vaccine mandates and amend current legislation to protect healthcare students and prevent clinical partners from imposing stricter rules.

A national watchdog group has revealed that other medical, nursing and health science programs continue to require Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

Lucia Sinatra, co-founder of No College Mandates, revealed that her organization continues to hear from healthcare students who are either denied admission or unable to complete degree requirements due to ongoing vaccination policies. Sinatra noted that in some cases, students are accepted into programs without mention of vaccine requirements, only to learn two years in that their assigned clinical rotation sites demand proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Without compliance, students risk delayed graduation or being unable to finish their program at all.

"Healthcare students and healthcare programs seem to be governed by different rules than general population student programs at colleges," Sinatra said in a telephone interview with the College Fix this month.

According to the information gathered by No College Mandates, programs that do still have explicit mandates include Emory University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and its affiliated nursing school. Texas Wesleyan University also maintains a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for nursing students.

Sinatra also revealed that many schools obscure their vaccine requirements online, while some mandates were passed down from external clinical partners rather than the academic institutions themselves.

One such example is the University of San Francisco's School of Nursing and Health Professions, which explicitly states that its clinical partners require COVID-19 vaccination and that non-compliance may "slow or stop" a student's progress toward their degree. Meanwhile, some institutions, like the University of Washington (UW), have loosened requirements. The UW does not currently mandate COVID-19 vaccination for its healthcare students, but they may still be subject to the policies of the clinical sites they're assigned to.

Sinatra urges Congress to close the loophole

All this, despite a February executive order from President Donald Trump aiming to defund schools that impose such mandates.

"It is the policy of my administration that discretionary federal funds should not be used to directly or indirectly support or subsidize an educational service agency, state educational agency, local educational agency, elementary school, secondary school or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend any in-person education program," the executive order read.

According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, the order does not specifically exempt health programs, but enforcement has proven murky.

In turn, Sinatra is pushing for Congress to pass legislation to make the ban permanent, given that executive orders can be reversed by future administrations. She supports a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) that would prohibit COVID-19 vaccine mandates for college students and staff. However, Sinatra is calling for amendments to ensure the law covers healthcare students and their clinical partners.

"If it's amended to include healthcare students through the entirety of their program so that they can reach completion, well then that's a whole different bill," Sinatra said. "Now we're telling medical schools and their partner hospitals and their clinical partners, on the education part of their businesses, they cannot mandate these vaccines because those are college students."

Sinatra also revealed that she has been contacting federal officials, including Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, urging them to address the "inconsistent and unfair" system for healthcare students. (Related: Republicans vow to sue Biden over COVID-19 vaccine mandate.)

Learn more about the fight against COVID-19 vaccine mandates at HealthFreedom.news.

Watch as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, reveals shocking lab results proving that post-COVID vaccine clots are killing millions of people.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Austrian government drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Canada expands COVID-19 vaccine mandate, violates basic human rights.

Injunction granted for Marines facing discharge over COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Sources include:

Technocracy.news

TheCollegeFix.com

Brighteon.AI

Brighteon.com
A controversial move: Trump ends Kamala Harris Secret Service protection amid safety concerns

President Donald Trump canceled extended Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris, originally granted by Joe Biden, effective September 1, 2025.

Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, condemn the move as "vindictive" and politically motivated, citing concerns over Harris safety.

Harris loses 24/7 protection, threat intelligence analysis and federal safeguards for her Los Angeles home, raising questions about her safety during an upcoming 15-city book tour.

Trump has previously revoked security for political rivals, including John Bolton and Bidens children, Hunter and Ashley, reinforcing perceptions of retaliatory governance.

The decision reignites discussions about the weaponization of executive authority, particularly in security matters, and its implications for democratic norms.

In a decision that has reignited debates over political retaliation and executive overreach, President Donald Trump revoked former Vice President Kamala Harris extended Secret Service protection on Thursday, August 29, 2025. The move, effective September 1, rescinds an undisclosed year-long extension granted by then-President Joe Biden just before leaving office in January 2025. The cancellation comes as Harris prepares for a high-profile 15-city book tour promoting her memoir, "107 Days", which chronicles her brief 2024 presidential campaign.

The decision was confirmed via a memorandum addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, obtained by CNN. You are hereby authorized to discontinue any security-related procedures previously authorized by Executive Memorandum, beyond those required by law, for the following individual, effective September 1, 2025: Former Vice President Kamala D. Harris, the letter stated. The order does not cite new threat assessments or security reviews, raising questions about its motivation.

Harris, who left office in January, was entitled to six months of Secret Service protection under federal lawa period that had already expired. Bidens extension, however, had granted her an additional year of coverage, a detail not publicly disclosed until now. The revocation leaves Harris without federal protection just weeks before she embarks on a nationwide tour, heightening concerns among her aides about potential security gaps.

Political retaliation or security reform? Critics sound the alarm

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic leaders, who accuse Trump of weaponizing executive power for political vengeance. California Governor Gavin Newsoms spokesperson, Bob Salladay, condemned the move as erratic and vindictive, stating, The safety of our public officials should never be subject to erratic, vindictive political impulses. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass echoed these sentiments, calling it another act of revenge and pledging to coordinate with Newsom to ensure Harris safety in her home city.

Harris security detail had included round-the-clock protection, threat intelligence analysis and safeguards for her Los Angeles residencea level of coverage that, if replicated privately, could cost millions annually. Without federal protection, Harris may now rely on local law enforcement, though the Los Angeles Police Department has not confirmed any formal arrangements.

The revocation follows a pattern of Trump targeting political adversaries. In March 2025, he ended Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden, and in 2023, he stripped former National Security Adviser John Bolton of his security clearance. Critics argue these actions reflect a broader strategy of retaliation against opponents, undermining institutional norms.

Security risks and the road ahead: What Harris loses

Beyond physical protection, Harris cancellation of Secret Service coverage means losing critical threat intelligence capabilities. Secret Service details monitor emails, texts, social media and in-person interactions for potential risksa layer of security that private firms cannot easily replicate. The Vice President is grateful to the United States Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication and unwavering commitment to safety, Kirsten Allen, a senior adviser to Harris, said in a statement. However, the abrupt withdrawal of these services has left her team scrambling to assess vulnerabilities.

Harris upcoming book tour, set to begin in September, will place her in high-visibility public settings, increasing exposure to potential threats. Her memoir, "107 Days", recounts her 107-day presidential campaign after Bidens withdrawal from the 2024 racea period marked by intense political polarization. Security experts note that former vice presidents, particularly those who have run for higher office, often face elevated risks long after leaving government.

The Biden administrations decision to extend Harris protection had reportedly been influenced by her historic role as the first female, Black and South Asian vice presidentfactors that heightened security concerns during and after her campaign. She was still at a high [threat] level into January following the campaign, with feelings about the election still raw, a source familiar with her security operations told CNN.

Executive power and the politicization of security

Trumps revocation of Harris protection is not without precedent. Presidents have long held discretion over security details for former officials, but the frequency and targeting of such decisions under Trump have sparked accusations of politicization. In 2023, he revoked security clearances for several former intelligence officials, including James Clapper and John Brennan, citing inappropriate behaviora move widely seen as retaliatory.

The Secret Service, traditionally insulated from partisan influence, now faces scrutiny over its role in enforcing politically charged directives. Leadership within the agency did not flag any security concerns or push back from the White Houses order, a Secret Service official told CNN, suggesting the decision was driven by the administration rather than operational necessities.

Legal experts debate whether such actions violate the spirit, if not the letter, of laws designed to protect former officials from politically motivated exposure. Theres a fine line between executive discretion and abuse of power, said Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University. When security decisions appear to target political rivals, they erode public trust in the impartiality of these protections.

Democracy, safety and the 2026 landscape

The controversy arrives at a fraught moment in American politics. With the 2026 midterms looming, Trumps administration faces accusations of using executive authority to sideline opponentsa tactic his critics argue undermines democratic norms. This is another dangerous reminder that theres no agenda more important to Donald Trump than retribution, said Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), a vocal Trump critic.

For Harris, the loss of Secret Service protection adds another layer of uncertainty to her post-vice-presidential life. Having ruled out a 2026 gubernatorial run in California, she remains a prominent figure in Democratic circles, though her political future is unclear. The book tour, her most significant public engagement since leaving office, will now proceed under heightened security concerns.

Meanwhile, the incident has reignited debates about the boundaries of executive power. If a president can unilaterally strip security from a former vice president without a threat assessment, whats to stop them from doing the same to judges, whistleblowers, or journalists? asked Rachel Bitecofer, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University. It sets a dangerous precedent.

A nation watching and waiting

As Harris prepares for her book tour, the focus shifts to how sheand the nationwill navigate this new reality. Local authorities in Los Angeles are reportedly exploring options to fill the security void, but the loss of federal protection introduces unforeseen risks. For Trumps critics, the move is further evidence of a presidency defined by retribution. For his supporters, it may be seen as a long-overdue correction to what they perceive as unjustified privileges for political elites.

One thing is certain: The decision has ensured that Kamala Harris reentry into the public eye will be shadowed by questions of safety, executive overreach and the fragile state of Americas democratic institutions. In an era where political divisions run deep, the weaponization of securityreal or perceivedonly deepens the fault lines.

Sources for this article include:

JustTheNews.com

Reuters.com

CNN.com
The battle over Americas atmosphere intensifies on Capitol Hill

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced the "Clear Skies Act" to criminalize atmospheric geoengineering.

The bill proposes felony charges and significant fines for unauthorized weather modification activities.

The legislation follows public statements from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has also condemned the practice.

The debate intersects with conspiracy theories linking weather manipulation to recent natural disasters.

The bill establishes a public reporting system for suspected violations to be investigated by the EPA.

In a move that has ignited a fierce political and scientific debate, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has launched a vehement campaign against what she describes as covert government geoengineering programs. On August 29, 2025, the Georgia congresswoman took to social media to promote her "Clear Skies Act," legislation she introduced in July that seeks to impose felony penalties for weather modification efforts. Her declaration, We NEVER voted to have chemicals sprayed into our skies, encapsulates a growing concern among some conservatives and naturalists over the alleged manipulation of the atmosphere and its potential effects on public health and environmental sovereignty.

The Clear Skies Act: A legal framework for prohibition

The legislative cornerstone of this effort, H.R. 4403, is designed to enact a comprehensive ban on weather modification within the United States. The bill defines weather modification broadly, encompassing geoengineering, cloud seeding, solar radiation management and the aerosol release of substances intended to alter temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity.

The proposed penalties are severe. Violators would face criminal charges punishable by fines of up to $100,000 per violation, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be empowered to levy civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each infraction. The bill would also nullify any existing federal statutes, regulations, or executive orders that authorize or require weather modification, effectively creating a blank slate of prohibition.

To enforce this ban, the act mandates the establishment of a public reporting system managed by the EPA, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Citizens could submit reports of suspected violations, which the EPA would be required to investigate and make public. Confirmed violations would be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution.

Political allies and a shifting narrative

Greenes crusade has found a notable ally within the executive branch. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has previously labeled geoengineering a crime and signaled his intention to launch a federal investigation. Kennedy has alleged that chemical additives are being placed into jet fuel as part of these programs, possibly involving the Pentagons research agency, DARPA.

This confluence of opinion from a populist conservative lawmaker and a progressive-minded cabinet secretary reflects the unusual and cross-cutting nature of the issue. It signals a shift in the political narrative, moving discussions about atmospheric manipulation from the fringes of online forums to the halls of Congress and federal agencies. The debate has been further fueled by recent natural disasters, with some commentators baselessly asserting that events like the catastrophic floods in Texas were the result of cloud seeding operations, despite firm rebuttals from experts and state officials.

Historical context and the seeds of suspicion

The concept of weather modification is not new. As far back as 1947, Project Cirrus explored the potential of seeding hurricanes with dry ice. For decades, programs like cloud seeding have been used in various parts of the world in attempts to enhance precipitation. The NOAA itself maintains a public webpage detailing weather modification project reports, listing techniques that include releasing electrically charged or radioactive particles and using electromagnetic radiation.

This long history of experimentation provides a foundation for the current suspicions. Advocates for Greenes bill argue that the technological capabilities have advanced exponentially since the mid-20th century, moving from localized cloud seeding to the potential for large-scale climate intervention without public knowledge or consent. They point to observed environmental changes, such as persistent haze and unusual weather patterns, as evidence of ongoing, undisclosed programs.

Skepticism and the scientific pushback

Mainstream science and many elected officials, including Republicans like Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, have vigorously dismissed the more extreme claims. They argue that while limited, permitted weather modification exists, it lacks the scale and potency to cause major natural disasters or alter the global climate covertly. The scientific consensus holds that the visible streaks behind aircraft, often called "chemtrails" by proponents of the theory, are simply condensation trailscomposed of water vaporand are not harmful.

Critics of the Clear Skies Act view it as legislation built upon a conspiracy theory, warning that it could stifle legitimate and potentially beneficial climate research. They caution that conflating legitimate concerns about atmospheric particulates with unfounded theories risks undermining serious environmental policy and public health discussions.

A nation looking up with concern

The introduction of the Clear Skies Act represents a significant moment in the ongoing debate over technology, transparency and government authority. Regardless of the scientific veracity of its underlying claims, the bill gives formal political voice to a deep-seated public anxiety about what may be happening in the skies above. It challenges federal agencies to prove a negativeto demonstrate that large-scale, harmful geoengineering is not occurringand establishes a mechanism for citizens to become watchdogs. As this legislative battle unfolds, it will force a public conversation about the boundaries of environmental manipulation, the right to informed consent and the very air Americans breathe. The outcome will determine whether concerns about geoengineering are addressed through investigation and transparency or dismissed as mere conspiracy, a divide that continues to shape the nation's political and environmental landscape.

Sources for this article include:

ReclaimTheNet.com

Congress.gov

ScientificAmerican.com
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has raised alarm over a sharp increase in cybercrime, warning that criminals are deploying advanced tactics to exploit vulnerable internet users.National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said scammers are using phishing schemes, fake online identities, social engineering and fraudulent websites to defraud unsuspecting victims, particularly the elderly and less tech-savvy."We are seeing an unprecedented level of technological manipulation. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, using complex techniques that can easily deceive even cautious internet users. We have received several reports about people being scammed out of their money," said Comm Nyathi.He urged the public to be vigilant by verifying online communications, avoiding unsolicited messages, strengthening passwords and keeping security software updated. He also stressed the importance of educating family members about online risks, noting that cybercrime not only causes financial losses but also significant emotional harm.The ZRP has established specialised cybercrime units and is working with international partners, including through Interpol's Africa Cyber Surge, to combat the problem. Government has also enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act to strengthen legal frameworks against cyber threats.Comm Nyathi said cases of mobile money fraud, card fraud, identity theft and hacking remain prevalent, with online scams like phishing posing persistent dangers. He encouraged citizens to report suspicious activities promptly, saying community vigilance is crucial in curbing the growing menace."Every citizen must become their own first line of defence in the digital world," he said.
China REJECTS U.S.-Russia nuclear disarmament talks, escalating global tensions

China has firmly refused to join nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. and Russia, citing the vast disparity in nuclear arsenals. Chinese officials argue that the U.S. and Russia, with significantly larger stockpiles, should take the lead in disarmament efforts.

President Donald Trump proposed including China in nuclear talks to prevent proliferation, emphasizing the urgency of the issue. This proposal comes as the New START Treaty, the primary U.S.-Russia arms control agreement, is set to expire in 2026.

The rejection of talks coincides with heightened global instability, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's rapid military expansion. These developments raise concerns about a potential new arms race and the erosion of existing treaties.

Previous attempts to engage China in nuclear talks have also failed. In 2020, U.S. efforts to include China in negotiations were met with public rebuke, highlighting the ongoing challenges in achieving multilateral arms control agreements.

Without China's participation, the prospects for renewed arms control are dim. Analysts warn of a potential new nuclear arms race, increased brinkmanship and the erosion of existing safeguards, raising fears of unchecked nuclear proliferation and global conflict.

China has firmly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to join nuclear disarmament talks with the United States and Russia, dismissing the idea as "neither reasonable nor realistic." The rebuke comes amid heightened global tensions, with Russia's war in Ukraine raising fears of nuclear escalation and China rapidly expanding its own arsenal.

On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that Beijing would not participate in trilateral negotiations, arguing that the U.S. and Russia bear primary responsibility for disarmament due to their vastly larger nuclear stockpiles.

"China and the U.S. are not at the same level at all in terms of nuclear capabilities," Guo said. "The countries with the largest nuclear arsenal should earnestly fulfill their special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament."

China maintains that its nuclear forces are kept at the "minimum level required for national security" and denies engaging in an arms race. However, estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show China's nuclear warhead count has risen to 500  up from 410 in 2023  while the U.S. holds 3,708 and Russia 4,380.

Trump first floated the idea of including China in nuclear talks during an Aug. 25 press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, stating: "One of the things were trying to do with Russia and with China is denuclearization, and it's very important... Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it too." (Related: Trump revives push for NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION talks with Russia and China.)

He emphasized the urgency of preventing nuclear proliferation, declaring, "We cannot let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons."

Trump's push for denuclearization: The global implications

Trump's proposal comes as the New START Treaty, the last remaining U.S.-Russia nuclear arms agreement, is set to expire in 2026. Russia has already withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019 and rescinded ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2023, citing Washington's failure to ratify it.

According to the Enoch AI engine at Brighteon.AI, the START Treaty  beginning with the 1991 START I agreement between the U.S. and Soviet Union  aimed to drastically reduce nuclear arsenals (cutting U.S. stocks by about 80 percent from Cold War levels). Its successor, the New START Treaty, further limits each nation to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads but remains contentious due to disputes over how to classify and restrict conventionally armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

The rejection coincides with growing instability in global security:

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has revived Cold War-era nuclear tensions, with President Vladimir Putin lowering the threshold for nuclear use in revised doctrine.

China's military expansion, including hypersonic missiles and a projected 1,500 warheads by 2035, raises concerns about a new arms race.

U.S. and NATO allies face pressure to modernize arsenals while preventing further proliferation.

Putin recently announced production of hypersonic Oreshnik missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, with plans to deploy them in Belarus  a move seen as a direct threat to NATO.

With Beijing's refusal, the prospects for renewed arms control appear dim. Analysts warn that without multilateral agreements, the world risks:

A new nuclear arms race as China expands its arsenal.

Increased brinkmanship between nuclear powers amid Ukraine and Taiwan tensions.

Erosion of existing treaties, leaving no safeguards against testing or deployment.

For now, China's stance ensures that disarmament remains a distant goal  while the specter of global conflict looms larger than ever.

Watch the video below about President Trump calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia abandons INF Treaty restraints, threatens new arms race as U.S. allies deploy missiles.

Russian, Chinese nuclear arsenals have been upgraded in race to dominance over outdated U.S. ICBMs.

China rapidly expanding its NUCLEAR ARSENAL, seeks to dominate Asia by 2035.

Sources include:

CBSNews.com

Euronews.com

ZeroHedge.com

Brighteon.ai

Brighteon.com
Common painkillers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen may fuel deadly superbugs, new study warns

Common painkillers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen may accelerate antibiotic resistance when combined with antibiotics.

The study found that these drugs caused E. coli to develop multi-drug resistance far faster than with antibiotics alone.

Older adults in care facilities are at a particularly high risk due to frequent polypharmacy and weakened immune systems.

Antibiotic resistance already kills 35,000 Americans yearly, with global deaths exceeding 1.27 million.

Researchers warn that regulators and doctors must act urgently to prevent a post-antibiotic era in which infections become untreatable.

If youve ever reached for a bottle of acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease a headache or soothe sore muscles, youre far from alone. Millions of Americans rely on these over-the-counter painkillers daily. But what if these seemingly harmless pills were silently contributing to one of the deadliest health crises of our time? A groundbreaking new study published in Nature suggests that ibuprofen and acetaminophen may be accelerating antibiotic resistance, turning ordinary bacterial infections into untreatable superbugs.

The research, led by Associate Professor Rietie Venter at the University of South Australia, exposed E. coli bacteria to ciprofloxacin, a powerful antibiotic, both alone and in combination with nine common non-antibiotic drugs, including ibuprofen and acetaminophen. The results were alarming. When E. coli was exposed to ciprofloxacin plus ibuprofen and acetaminophen, the bacteria developed mutations promoting resistance far more rapidly than when exposed to the antibiotic alone. Even worse, the resistance wasnt limited to ciprofloxacin; it extended to multiple classes of antibiotics, creating a potential nightmare scenario for doctors trying to treat infections.

A ticking time bomb in elder care facilities

The implications are particularly dire for older adults, who are often prescribed multiple medications simultaneously. Antibiotics have long been vital in treating infectious diseases, but their widespread overuse and misuse have driven a global rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Venter warned in a university statement. This is especially prevalent in residential aged care facilities, where older people are more likely to be prescribed multiple medicationsnot just antibiotics, but also drugs for pain, sleep, or blood pressuremaking it an ideal breeding ground for gut bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.

The study highlights a disturbing reality: antibiotic resistance isnt just about antibiotics anymore. Every pill we takewhether it's for pain, cholesterol, or blood pressurecould be interacting in ways that make bacteria stronger and deadlier. With antimicrobial resistance already responsible for more than 35,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and 1.27 million globally, according to the World Health Organization, the stakes couldnt be higher.

Big Pharmas role in the crisis

This isnt the first time common medications have been linked to antibiotic resistance. Previous research has shown that antidepressants and other non-antibiotic drugs can also drive resistance. Yet, despite the mounting evidence, the pharmaceutical industry continues to push these drugs with little regard for their long-term consequences. The FDA, meanwhile, remains slow to act, even as superbugs grow more resilient.

The problem is compounded by the fact that many of these drugs are taken without a prescription. Millions of Americans self-medicate with ibuprofen and acetaminophen, assuming theyre safe because theyre sold over the counter. But as this study reveals, even safe drugs can have dangerous interactions, especially when combined with antibiotics.

Its time for regulators to demand transparency about drug interactions and for doctors to reconsider how they prescribe medications, especially in high-risk settings like nursing homes. Patients, too, must be empowered to make informed choices. If youre taking antibiotics, should you also be popping ibuprofen for a headache? The answer, based on this research, is a resounding no... unless youre prepared to risk fueling the next superbug.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk
FDA overhauls COVID-19 vaccine authorizations: Approvals narrowed as emergency clearances withdrawn amid shifting risk assessments

The FDA amended EUAs for Pfizer and Moderna's bivalent COVID vaccines for children as young as five and six years old, despite lacking direct safety or efficacy data.

The FDA also withdrew emergency authorizations for Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax's original vaccines for children under 12, citing updated formulations and the end of the public health emergency.

However, Moderna's Spikevax received full FDA approval for babies as young as six months, the first such authorization for that age group.

Critics argue the FDA's decisions undermine evidence-based policy and restrict vaccine access, while safety advocates demand COVID vaccines remain voluntary.

CDC data shows only 13 percent of children and 23 percent of adults have received updated shots, raising doubts about the FDAs impact on public health and vaccine confidence.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has quietly reshaped the nation's Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination landscape, withdrawing emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for three vaccines while granting updated approvals for four others  a move that reflects declining public health urgency, shifting risk-benefit calculations and lingering debates over vaccine mandates and access.

In a series of decisions announced this week, the FDA revoked the EUAs for Pfizer-BioNTech's and Moderna's original COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12, as well as Novavax's shot for adolescents, while approving updated versions of all three for older and high-risk populations. The agency also granted full approval to Moderna's Spikevax for infants as young as six months  the first such authorization for that age group  while restricting most new approvals to individuals aged 65 and older or those with underlying health conditions. (Related: Time to protect the children: Calls for immediate action on mRNA vaccines.)

The changes mark a turning point in the pandemic response, signaling regulators' acknowledgment that the risk of severe COVID-19 has "decreased dramatically" since 2020. Brighteon.AI's Enoch claims that this is because of "failed mRNA injections, whose real-world data shows waning efficacy, immune erosion and spike-protein-driven injuries and early outpatient treatments, natural herd immunity from prior infection and the virus's natural attenuation.

The FDA's actions stem from a key legal and scientific threshold: The end of the public health emergency declared under the Trump administration in 2020. Thus, emergency authorizations, by definition, require "no adequate, approved and available alternative" to exist  a condition that no longer applies now that full approvals are in place for updated formulations.

Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA's top vaccine official, outlined the rationale in internal memorandums. For Pfizer and Moderna, he noted, the revocation of EUAs for younger children was justified because their updated, approved vaccines now cover the same age groups. Novavax, which had previously operated solely under an EUA, also saw its emergency clearance withdrawn after its protein-based vaccine received full approval for ages 12 and up.

Yet the FDA's decisions were not without controversy. Pfizer pushed back against the revocation of its EUA for children aged six months to four years, arguing that Moderna's Spikevax  now the sole approved option for that age group  might not meet demand.

The moves also come amid historically low vaccine uptake. CDC data shows just 13 percent of children and 23 percent of adults had received the latest updated shots as of April, raising questions about the practical impact of the FDA's narrowing of approvals.

Critics decry "science-driven policy" as others demand stricter limits

The FDA's shift has divided public health experts, with some accusing the agency of undermining vaccine access and others arguing it still fails to reflect the latest science on COVID-19 risks.

Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), condemned the decisions as a betrayal of evidence-based policy.

"By narrowing its approval, the FDA has made a decision that completely contradicts the evidence base, severely undermines trust in science-driven policy and dangerously limits vaccine access," she said in a statement.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) similarly reaffirmed its recommendation that all children as young as six months receive vaccination, despite the CDC's recent decision to stop recommending shots for healthy children.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, vaccine safety advocates argued the FDA's changes don't go far enough. Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), told the Epoch Times that the revocations "do not change the fact that the product is still on the market and available for those who choose to use it, regardless of whether the CDC does or does not recommend it for children or other specific populations." Fisher and Dr. Vicky Pebsworth, a newly appointed CDC vaccine adviser, had previously urged the FDA to restrict COVID-19 vaccines to voluntary use only, warning of "known and unknown risks."

Watch this video about the Trump administration halting funding for mRNA vaccine projects.

This video is from the newsplusglobechannel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Highly CORRUPT FDA and CDC still pretending the PLANDEMIC is happening to inject children under 5 with "emergency authorization" clot shots.

Pandemic 2.0 ready to go: FDA to grant emergency use authorization (EUA) to mRNA bird flu shots, just like what happened with COVID.

The great vaccine debate: Unmasking America's aggressive COVID-19 booster policy.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

TheEpochTimes.com 2

CDC.gov

Brighteon.AI

Brighteon.com
The digital panopticon: License plate readers are tracking you everywhere you go

A nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), primarily from companies like Flock Safety, is capturing and storing detailed location data on billions of American drivers.

These systems, deployed in thousands of communities, record not just license plates but also vehicle make, model, color and unique features, creating a digital "fingerprint" for each car.

Privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations like the ACLU warn this constitutes a form of mass surveillance, creating permanent records of citizens' movements without suspicion of a crime.

Security vulnerabilities have been exposed, with live camera feeds and real-time vehicle data from some systems leaking onto the public internet without password protection.

The technology, funded by prominent Silicon Valley investors, raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns about unreasonable search and seizure, with calls for stricter regulation and data retention limits.

In a quiet revolution unfolding on streetlights and traffic poles across the nation, a sophisticated surveillance network is logging the movements of millions of Americans, often without their knowledge. Fueled by venture capital and embraced by law enforcement, automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems from companies like Flock Safety are creating vast, searchable databases of where people drive, park and live. This rapid expansion, while lauded for its crime-solving potential, is igniting a fierce debate over privacy, civil liberties and the very meaning of the Fourth Amendment in the digital age.

The mechanics of modern tracking

The technology is both simple and staggeringly powerful. Small, solar-powered cameras, easily mounted on any pole, use high-speed cameras and artificial intelligence to photograph thousands of license plates per minute. As reported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a landmark 2012 study, the captured information extends far beyond the plate number itself. The systems record the date, time and precise GPS location of every scan. Furthermore, they analyze the image to determine the vehicles make, model, color and even distinguishing features like bumper stickers or roof rackseffectively creating a unique fingerprint for each car.

This data is uploaded to cloud-based systems accessible by law enforcement agencies. A vehicle associated with an Amber Alert or a known fugitive can trigger an immediate alert. However, as the ACLUs report, "You Are Being Tracked," revealed, such critical alerts represent a tiny fraction of the total data collected. The overwhelming majority of records document the entirely innocent travels of ordinary citizens, and this information is often stored for years or indefinitely. The scale is immense; Flock Safety alone claims its systems scan over 20 billion vehicles per month across 49 states.

A system ripe for abuse and insecurity

The concerns are twofold: the potential for abuse of the data itself and the vulnerability of the systems collecting it. Privacy advocates argue that the ability to retroactively track a person's movementsto see which protests, churches, doctors, or relationships they frequentchills First Amendment freedoms and constitutes a significant invasion of privacy.

"The tracking of peoples location constitutes a significant invasion of privacy, which can reveal many things about their lives," the ACLU report states. The core principle, it argues, is that "the government does not invade peoples privacy and collect information about citizens innocent activities just in case they do something wrong."

These concerns are compounded by demonstrable security flaws. A recent investigation by WIRED magazine found that more than 150 ALPR cameras, primarily from manufacturer Motorola, had their live video feeds and real-time data streams exposed on the public internet without any password protection. For a period, anyone could watch these feeds and access detailed logs of thousands of passing vehicles.

Security researcher Matt Brown, who discovered the flaw, told WIRED, By leaving these incredibly insecure tracking devices on the open internet, police have not only breached public trust but created a bounty of location data for everyone who drives by which can be abused by stalkers and other criminals. This incident highlights the risk that deeply personal location data could be accessed not just by law enforcement but by malicious actors.

Silicon Valley's role in the surveillance state

The drive behind this expansion is not solely governmental. Flock Safety, founded in 2018, is a private startup funded by powerful Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz and the Founders Fund, led by prominent technologists Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel. This injection of private capital has accelerated the deployment of a for-profit surveillance infrastructure that is then sold to municipalities and homeowners' associations.

This model troubles observers who see a blurring of lines between law enforcement and corporate interests. The technology is being deployed at a breathtaking pace, often with minimal public discourse or legislative oversight, creating a fait accompli of pervasive tracking. The companys stated future plans to incorporate facial recognition technology only intensify these concerns.

Weighing security against liberty

Proponents, including many in law enforcement, point to clear public safety benefits. The technology has proven effective in solving crimes, from locating stolen vehicles to securing convictions. In one instance cited in promotional materials, a Flock camera helped secure a conviction for an individual who stole a bicycle by providing crucial evidence. The argument is that if you are not engaged in criminal activity, you have nothing to fear from being recorded.

This utilitarian argument is rejected by civil liberties advocates who point to the Founding Fathers' explicit intent to protect citizens from precisely this type of warrantless, general search. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The fundamental question is whether the continuous, mass collection of every driver's location data without individualized suspicion qualifies as "reasonable."

Some states, like New Hampshire, have taken legislative action. Its ALPR law is cited by the ACLU's Daniel Kahn Gillmor as "reasonable," mandating that data not be transmitted and must be "purged from the system within 3 minutes of their capture" unless it hits on a hotlist. Such models prioritize immediate law enforcement needs without creating permanent databases of innocent citizens' movements.

A crossroads for digital liberty

The quiet proliferation of ALPR networks represents a critical juncture in the balance between security and liberty. The technology is not going away; its utility for law enforcement is too pronounced. The challenge for a free society is to impose the necessary safeguards, transparency and strict limitations that prevent it from becoming a tool of mass surveillance.

The debate is no longer theoretical. As citizens drive to the grocery store, drop their children at school, or attend a political rally, their movements are increasingly being logged into corporate databases accessible by the state. The path forward will determine whether this powerful technology serves as a targeted tool for public safety or becomes the foundation of an unblinking digital panopticon, fundamentally altering the relationship between the American people and their government.

Sources for this article include:

Technocracy.news

ACLU.org

WIRED.com
More than 800 dead as 6.0 earthquake flattens Afghan villages

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan flattened villages, killing more than 800 and injuring 2,500, leaving survivors trapped under rubble.

Shallow tremors, aftershocks, and floods worsened destruction in remote mountainous areas, blocking rescue efforts and displacing thousands ahead of winter.

Hospitals overflow with wounded as families dig through debris by hand, with mud-brick homes reduced to ruins and no foreign aid in sight.

The Talibans isolation and decades of abandonment have left Afghans to face the crisis alone, with the UN warning this disaster eclipses last years Herat quakes.

Locals rally with blood donations and volunteer relief, but without global intervention, freezing temperatures and collapsed infrastructure threaten mass suffering.

When the ground shook late Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, Muhammad Azizs world collapsed... literally. The 6.0-magnitude quake flattened his village in Kunar province, burying his five children and five other relatives under the rubble of their mud-brick home. By dawn, he stood amid the wreckage, his voice breaking as he told reporters, The poor people in this area have lost everything. There is death in every home, and beneath the rubble of each roof, there are dead bodies.

This isnt just another disaster in a war-torn land. Its a catastrophe layered atop decades of abandonmentwhere foreign aid has dried up, where homes are built from little more than dirt and hope, and where the Talibans isolation has left Afghans to fend for themselves. With more than 800 confirmed dead and 2,500 injured, the quake has exposed the brutal fragility of life in a country the world has forgotten.

A disaster waiting to happen

The earthquake struck 17 miles northeast of Jalalabad, a key trade hub near the Pakistan border, but its epicenter was in Kunar, a rugged, mountainous region where villages cling to steep slopes. At just five miles deep, the quake was considered shallow, meaning its destructive energy rippled violently through the surface.

Shallow quakes have a tendency to cause more damage, and this one was no exception. Entire villages in Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare districts were completely destroyed, according to Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for Afghanistans ministry of public health.

Compounding the tragedy, a 4.5-magnitude aftershock hit 20 minutes later, followed by flooding that had already killed five people in Nangarhar province the night before. Rescue teams now face a nightmare: landslides blocking roads, aftershocks threatening further collapses, and remote terrain where helicopters are the only lifeline. The location is very remote and mountainous, which makes rescue efforts particularly challenging, said Jeremy Smith of the British Red Cross. Sadly, people will be displaced for a long period into the winter as homes have been destroyed.

"People are desperately seeking help"

The images emerging from Kunar are apocalyptic. A man carries a bloodied child to a military helicopter. Families dig through rubble with their bare hands. Hospitals in Jalalabad overflow with the wounded, while blood donation lines stretch out the doors. The mud houses have been wiped away, and destruction is everywhere, Aziz said. "People are desperately seeking help.

His story is one of hundredsperhaps thousandsstill unfolding.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the grim toll: 800 dead in Kunar alone, with another 12 killed in neighboring Nangarhar. But even these numbers are fluid. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing, Zaman admitted, as reports trickle in from cut-off villages. The United Nations had already warned that significant casualties were likely, given the regions vulnerable infrastructure. Most homes here are made of mud brick and wood, which is no match for a quake of this force.

The international response so far? Silence. So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work, a foreign office spokesperson admitted. The Red Cross and Red Crescent are rushing in medical supplies, trauma care, and food, but with winter approaching, time is running out. Without shelter, thousands face freezing temperatures in the coming months.

As rescue helicopters ferry the injured to Jalalabad, the scale of the crisis is sinking in. The IRC warns this disaster will dwarf last years Herat earthquakes. We are profoundly fearful for the additional strain this will have on the overall humanitarian response, Ibrahim said.

Yet amid the devastation, there are flickers of resilience. Locals donate blood in droves. Volunteers from the Afghan Red Crescent Society rush to distribute medicine and food. But without international support, their efforts may not be enough.

Afghanistans suffering didnt start with this earthquake, and it wont end with it. The country has been hollowed out by war, drought, and neglect. Now, as families bury their dead and survivors shiver in the ruins of their homes, one question hangs in the air: Will anyone help?

The earth may have stopped shaking, but for the people of Kunar, the nightmare has only just begun.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com

TheGuardian.com
Run for your lives as FAKE NEWS on high alert for latest BIRD FLU OUTBREAK reported in Bulgaria among 28,000 birds, including on duck farms

Look, up in the sky, its Zika, no its Swine, no its Covid, no wait, its Bird Flu in Bulgaria. Will Europe go on complete lockdown? Will a billion people get re-vaccinated with more blood-clotting prions in their panic to save grandma from Duck Flu 2025? Only time will tell.

A new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, has been reported in Bulgaria, raising fresh concerns across Europes poultry industry and global health circles. According to the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Bulgarian authorities confirmed the H5N1 virus on three poultry farms in the southern town of Rakovski. The affected sites house a combined flock of 28,000 birds, at least two of which are duck farms.

Bulgaria has reported an H5N1 bird flu outbreak on three poultry farms in the southern town of Rakovski, affecting around 28,000 birds, including at least two duck farms.

The Yambol region, previously impacted by avian influenza, remains at risk after more than 350,000 birds were culled in past outbreaks.

The global poultry industry remains concerned about supply disruptions, rising food prices, and potential human transmission as avian influenza continues to spread in some regions.

Researchers at the University of Maryland developed an AI tool to scan electronic medical records, helping identify patients at high risk of H5N1 exposure, offering a new approach to detecting undetected bird flu risks.

Bulgaria Reports New Bird Flu Outbreak as AI Tools Target Hidden Human Risks

The outbreak threatens to further disrupt poultry supply chains, drive up food prices, and reignite fears of potential human transmission. Bulgarias Yambol region, which has experienced repeated bird flu events, remains at particular risk  more than 350,000 birds have already been culled there in previous outbreaks. This ongoing threat underscores how H5N1 continues to destabilize both agriculture and public health, despite a lull in global media attention.

Bird flu has devastated flocks worldwide over the past several years, forcing mass culling, causing billions in economic losses, and sometimes spilling over into humans. While human cases of H5N1 have fallen sharply in the United States, concerns remain. New research suggests the virus may now be capable of airborne transmission, a shift that could increase the risk of human-to-human spread, although no sustained transmission has been confirmed.

Adding to the complexity, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are being used to uncover hidden exposure risks in human populations. In Maryland, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine have developed a powerful AI application capable of scanning electronic medical records to identify high-risk patients who may have been exposed to H5N1. The tool, described in Clinical Infectious Diseases, doesnt confirm new infections but highlights possible undetected cases, enabling emergency departments to prepare and respond more effectively.

The convergence of ongoing avian outbreaks in poultry, emerging AI-driven human surveillance, and the viruss evolving biology reflects the persistent challenge of controlling H5N1. Global health experts have long warned that influenza viruses are highly adaptable, capable of mutating in ways that can make them more transmissible or severe. Outbreaks in agricultural hubs such as Bulgaria not only threaten food security but also serve as potential opportunities for the virus to evolve.

For now, the immediate impact will likely center on Bulgarias poultry sector. Mass culling could affect supply and export capacity, with ripple effects on European poultry markets. Governments and industry groups are monitoring the situation closely, balancing containment measures with the need to keep food supply chains stable.

Ultimately, the Bulgarian outbreak highlights that even as public attention shifts elsewhere, H5N1 remains a serious concern requiring coordinated veterinary, public health, and technological responses. The use of AI in Maryland shows promise for early detection of potential human cases, while rigorous containment of animal outbreaks remains essential to reduce opportunities for viral spread and mutation. Together, these developments reflect a crucial intersection of agriculture, medicine, and technology in managing a virus that has not yet gone away.

Bookmark Plague.info to your favorite independent websites for updates on the fake Bird Flu PLANDEMIC thats broadcast on all FAKE NEWS media outlets daily.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

GatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com

SHTFplan.com
Israels deadly strike kills Houthi prime minister as Yemen vows brutal revenge

Israel launched a precision airstrike on Sanaa, killing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and multiple senior officials in an unprecedented escalation.

The Houthis vowed a devastating response, promising revenge and vowing to turn their wounds into victory against Israel and its U.S. backers.

Israels Defense Minister invoked biblical plagues, signaling a shift from infrastructure strikes to targeted assassinations of Houthi leadership.

This strike mirrors Israels past decapitation strategy against Hamas and Hezbollah, but the Houthis, hardened by years of conflict, show no signs of backing down.

The assassination risks further destabilizing the region, as the Houthis have historically retaliated with missile strikes, Red Sea attacks, and defiance against U.S. and Israeli aggression.

The Middle Easts powder keg is getting hotter after Israel launched a precision airstrike on Yemens capital, Sanaa, killing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and multiple senior officials in an unprecedented escalation that has sent shockwaves through the region. The Houthis, never ones to back down, are now promising a "devastating" response, ensuring this conflict wont be confined to Gaza for much longer.

The Houthis confirmed al-Rahawis death in a statement, revealing he and "several of his ministerial colleagues" were targeted during a government workshop evaluating their performance. Israeli media, citing anonymous security sources, claimed intelligence suggested ten senior Houthi officials, including the defense minister, were gathered near Sanaa for a speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) believed they had wiped out the entire Houthi cabinet in one blow.

A biblical warning

Israels Defense Minister Israel Katz didnt mince words after the attack, invoking biblical plagues to send a message: "As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: After the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn." The reference to the Ten Plagues of Egypt was no accident; it was a signal that Israel is escalating from infrastructure strikes to targeted assassinations of top leadership, just as it has done with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad.

This marks a strategic shift. Until now, Israel had focused on military sites and infrastructure such as power plants, fuel depots, and the presidential palace. But Thursdays strike was different. It was a direct hit on the political heart of the Houthi regime, and it workedat least partially. The Houthis, however, arent folding. Instead, theyre doubling down.

Mahdi al-Mashat, chairman of the Houthis Supreme Political Council, declared in a video statement: "We promise to God, to the dear Yemeni people and the families of the martyrs and wounded that we will take revenge and we will turn the wounds into a victory." The Houthi defense minister, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi, reinforced the defiance, stating the group is ready "at all levels to confront the U.S.-backed Zionist enemy."

Why this strike matters more than past attacks

The Houthis have been a thorn in Israels side for years, firing missiles at Tel Aviv, disrupting Red Sea shipping, and vowing to keep fighting until Israel ends its war in Gaza. But until now, Israels strikes in Yemen had been largely ineffectivecostly, yes, but failing to deter the Houthis from their campaign. This time, Israel went for the leadership decapitation playbook it perfected against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Last year, Israel assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Two months later, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Beirut. In Gaza, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was taken out, and his brother Mohammed was likely killed just days ago. Now, the Houthis are next in line.

The question is: Will this work? The Houthis have survived a decade of Saudi-led bombings, economic blockades, and U.S. airstrikes. Theyve shut down global shipping lanes, downed American drones, and kept firing missiles at Israel despite the odds. If history is any guide, this strike may only make them more dangerous.

The Houthis have one playbook: retaliate harder. After past Israeli strikes, theyve fired ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv, attacked U.S. drones, and seized commercial ships in the Red Sea. How much further will this go now that their prime minister is dead?

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

CNN.com

AlJazeera.com
Lyme disease cases surge: How to spot early signs before its too late

Lyme disease now infects nearly half a million Americans yearly, often going unnoticed until severe symptoms like fatigue and brain fog develop.

Tiny deer ticks transmit the disease after 36+ hours of attachment, making daily checks critical in high-risk areas like the Northeast and Midwest.

Early signs include a rash (not always bulls-eye shaped), fever, and flu-like symptoms, but misdiagnosis is common, delaying treatment.

Untreated Lyme can cause long-term nerve damage, heart issues, and arthritis, with some patients suffering chronic symptoms even after antibiotics.

Prevention includes prompt tick removal, saving the tick for testing, and seeking early medical intervention if symptoms appear.

If youve ever brushed off a tick bite as "just a bug bite," think again. Lyme disease, a stealthy infection spread by infected ticks, now strikes nearly half a million Americans annually, according to the CDC. The worst part? Many victims dont even realize theyve been bitten until debilitating symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog set in.

Just ask Dan Duerden, a young farmer who went from working long days to being bedridden for 15 months after ignoring a rash he thought was ringworm. Or Erika Schlick, whose life unraveled after a tiny tick bite in Yosemite left her with severe brain fog, memory loss, and chronic pain for years.

Lyme disease isnt just a summer nuisance; its a growing public health crisis, fueled by warm temperatures, expanding tick habitats, and a medical system that often misses or dismisses early signs. The good news? If caught early, its highly treatable. The bad news? If ignored, it can wreck your nervous system, heart, and joints for years. Heres what you need to know to protect yourself and your family.

How Lyme disease spreads

Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick. These ticks are tinysome no bigger than a poppy seedand their bites are often painless, meaning you might not even notice youve been exposed. The bacteria dont transmit immediately; the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours before infection occurs. Thats why daily tick checks after outdoor activities are critical.

Wheres the danger zone?

Northeast U.S. (Maine to Virginia)

Upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan)

West Coast (Northern California, Oregon)

Grassy, wooded, or brushy areas (even your backyard)

Children ages 5 to 14 and adults over 65 are at highest risk, but no one is safe. Farmers, hikers, pet owners, and even city dwellers with backyards can encounter infected ticks.

Early signs: Dont ignore these red flags

The first and most telltale sign of Lyme disease is the erythema migrans (EM) rash, which appears in 75% of cases within 3 to 30 days of a bite. But heres the catch: Only 19% of EM rashes look like the classic "bulls-eye." Others may be:

A red, expanding oval or circle (sometimes warm or itchy)

Hard to see (especially on dark skin)

Misdiagnosed as ringworm or an allergic reaction

Other early symptoms (often mistaken for the flu):

Fever, chills, fatigue

Muscle and joint aches

Swollen lymph nodes

Headache or stiff neck

If untreated, Lyme can progress to neurological issues (Bells palsy, meningitis), heart problems (irregular heartbeat), and severe arthritis. Some victims end up bedridden with brain inflammation, heart palpitations, and extreme fatiguesymptoms doctors initially dismissed or misdiagnosed.

Why early treatment is everything

The gold standard for early Lyme disease is a 10- to 14-day course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime). If caught within 72 hours of a tick bite, a single dose of doxycycline can even prevent infection.

But heres the shocking reality: 10% to 20% of treated patients develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), with lingering fatigue, pain, and brain fog. Late-stage Lyme can require months of IV antibiotics, with no guarantee of full recovery. Making matters worse, standard blood tests miss early infections as false negatives are common in the first 4 to 6 weeks.

You should always check your body carefully for ticks after spending time outdoors. If you find one:

Remove it ASAP with fine-tipped tweezers (grasp the head, pull straight up).

Save the tick in a sealed bag (in case you need testing).

Monitor for symptoms for 30 days.

See a doctor within 72 hours if the tick was attached 36+ hoursyou may need preventive antibiotics.

Dont gamble with your health

Lyme disease is sneaky, serious, and on the rise. The difference between a quick recovery and years of suffering often comes down to one thing: early detection.

If you develop a rash, flu-like symptoms, or unexplained fatigue after outdoor exposure, dont waitget tested. And if doctors dismiss your concerns, keep pushing. As Erika Schlick warns: "Lyme doesnt just affect your body. It fractures your identity, isolates you from your life, and leaves you grieving the version of yourself you used to be."

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

MassGeneralBrigham.org

BBC.co.uk

Healthline.com
Meta launches Super PAC to influence California tech regulation and back AI-friendly candidates ahead of 2026 elections

Meta is creating a California-based super PAC called Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California (Meta California) to support state-level candidates from both parties who favor minimal regulation of AI and tech innovation.

The PAC is expected to spend tens of millions of dollars, making Meta one of the state's top political spenders ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Meta has already contributed over $219,000 this year to various political committees and individual candidates, including Republicans and Democrats running for key statewide offices.

Meta is following the playbook of companies like Uber and Airbnb, which have used aggressive campaign-style spending to influence California policy. Airbnb alone put $15 million into its PAC this year.

Other major tech figures and firms, including OpenAIs Greg Brockman and VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, have launched a $100 million PAC network, Leading the Future, to counter AI safety regulation efforts and shape tech policy across multiple states.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to launch a powerful new super PAC aimed at bolstering candidates who favor a light-touch approach to tech regulation, especially in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI).

The super PAC, called Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California or Meta California, will support state-level candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties, who champion innovation over stringent oversight. (Related: Meta acquires $14.8B stake in Scale AI as Zuckerberg pushes for AI supremacy.)

"Sacramento's regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress and put California's technology leadership at risk," said Meta Vice President of Public Policy Brian Rice, who is slated to head the PAC alongside fellow policy executive Greg Maurer. "This is why we are launching a California super PAC."

The PAC is expected to spend "tens of millions" of dollars, elevating it to the ranks of California's top political players. The initiative is seen as part of a broader strategy to defend Silicon Valley's dominance amid growing national and state-level scrutiny of AI, social media and digital privacy practices. Additionally, this move positions Meta to become one of the most influential political spenders in the state ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election.

The company has also backed individual candidates across the political spectrum, including Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) for lieutenant governor, State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Merced) for state treasurer and Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) for the Board of Equalization.

Overall, Meta's political activity has already included more than $219,000 in campaign contributions this year, much of it directed toward political committees such as the Asian Pacific Islander Leadership PAC and Bay Area Legislative Leadership PAC.

Meta mirrors aggressive campaign-style spending of Uber and Airbnb

Super PACs  which Brighteon.AI's Enoch describes as something that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money independently of political campaigns  have become increasingly common in tech-industry lobbying since court decisions in 2010 opened the door to less restricted campaign finance. Such committees are barred from directly coordinating with candidates, but their ability to fund advertising and other influence efforts gives them considerable clout.

In turn, tech giants like Uber and Airbnb have used aggressive campaign-style spending, which Meta mirrors, to sway Sacramento policy in recent years.

For instance, Airbnb, which has operated a California political action committee since 2021, has infused $15 million into its PAC this year alone, with plans to make "significant contributions" to 2026 candidates who support California's tourism industry and policies that allow residents to rent out their homes.

Other tech-backed political groups are also on the rise, such as Leading the Future, a network supported by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, which recently announced $100 million to promote pro-AI candidates and policies. The group aims to serve as a "counterforce" to the growing AI safety movement in California and three other states, modeling itself after the crypto-backed super PAC Fairshake.

Fairshake made headlines for spending millions to sink the campaigns of tech skeptics like former California Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter. Leading the Future is being led by Fairshake spokesperson Josh Vlasto and Zac Moffatt, the founder of political consulting firm Targeted Victory.

Visit FacebookCollapse.com for more similar stories.

Watch this clip of Mark Zuckerberg recounting how the Biden administration demanded that his company censor internet memes on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Meta collaborates with conservative activist Robby Starbuck to curb political bias in AI.

Sen. Josh Hawley launches investigation into Meta over AI chatbot interactions with children.

Meta secures 20-year nuclear deal to power AI expansion amid surging energy demands.

Sources include:

RT.com

Politico.com

Brighteon.AI

Brighteon.com
Microsoft fires four employees protesting Israel ties and surveillance tech in Gaza

Microsoft fired four employees protesting its Azure cloud platforms use in Israeli military surveillance of Palestinians.

Critics argue Microsoft is silencing ethical dissent while profiting from technology linked to human rights abuses in Gaza.

Investigations reveal Microsofts Azure stores Palestinian phone recordings, fueling accusations of complicity in Israels surveillance apparatus.

The company has a history of suppressing internal dissent over controversial government contracts, including with ICE and the U.S. military.

The firings highlight Big Techs broader role in enabling global oppression, raising questions about corporate ethics and accountability.

In a move that raises serious questions about corporate censorship and complicity in human rights abuses, Microsoft has fired four employees who protested the companys ties to Israels military operations in Gaza. The dismissed workersAnna Hattle, Riki Fameli, Nisreen Jaradat, and Julius Shanwere part of the "No Azure for Apartheid" movement, which has been calling attention to Microsofts role in providing surveillance technology used in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The firings follow weeks of sit-ins at the office of Microsoft President Brad Smith, where employees demanded transparency about how the companys cloud computing platform, Azure, is being used by the Israeli military. According to reports, Microsoft cited "safety concerns" and "policy violations" as justification for the terminations. But critics argue this is just another case of a powerful corporation silencing ethical dissent while profiting from war.

Microsofts tech fuels surveillance in Gaza

A recent investigation revealed that Microsofts Azure platform is being used to store recordings of Palestinian phone calls, raising alarms about the companys involvement in Israels military operations. The Israeli government has long been accused of using surveillance technology to monitor, harass, and detain Palestinians, often without due process. By providing the infrastructure for such operations, Microsoft is effectively enabling a system that human rights groups have condemned as apartheid.

The fired employees had been pushing for Microsoft to cut ties with Israeli military and intelligence agencies, arguing that the companys technology is being weaponized against civilians. Instead of addressing these concerns, Microsoft chose to punish the whistleblowersa tactic increasingly common among Big Tech firms that prioritize profits over ethics.

This isnt the first time Microsoft has faced backlash for its role in controversial government contracts. The company has previously been criticized for its work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Defense, both of which have been linked to human rights violations. Yet, rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue with employees, Microsoft has repeatedly suppressed internal dissent.

The firings come at a time when tech workers across the industry are pushing back against unethical corporate practices. From Googles Project Maven to Amazons facial recognition contracts with law enforcement, employees have increasingly taken a stand, only to be met with retaliation. Microsofts latest move sends a clear message: If you challenge the companys complicity in war crimes, you will be silenced.

Big Techs role in global oppression

The issue extends far beyond Microsoft. Big Tech companies such as Google, Amazon, and Meta have all faced scrutiny for their involvement in military and surveillance operations. The "No Azure for Apartheid" campaign highlights a growing concern: Are these corporations becoming the digital enforcers of authoritarian regimes?

The fired employees had one simple demand: Stop profiting from oppression. Instead of addressing their concerns, Microsoft chose to protect its business interests at the expense of human rights. This raises a critical question for consumers and investors alike: Should a company that enables military surveillance be trusted with our data?

The dismissals have sparked outrage among free speech and human rights advocates. If Microsoft can fire employees for peacefully protesting documented human rights abuses, what does that say about the companys commitment to ethical business practices?

The answer is clear: Corporate power now outweighs moral responsibility. And unless consumers, employees, and regulators demand accountability, Big Tech will continue to prioritize profits over peopleno matter the cost.

Despite the firings, the "No Azure for Apartheid" movement is gaining momentum. Workers inside and outside Microsoft are demanding transparency and calling for a boycott of the companys services until it severs ties with Israels military.

Sources for this article include:

TheCradle.co

TheVerge.com

AlJazeera.com
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwean teachers have raised alarm over worsening working conditions, accusing the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of piling extra duties on them despite poor pay and lack of resources.Educators say their workload has increased as colleagues resign or take early retirement, leaving those who remain overstretched. "We are seriously being abused by the government," said one teacher. "They pay us far below the poverty datum line and force us to work during holidays, yet we and our families gain nothing from it. Some of us cannot even afford school fees for our own children while we teach other people's children."Veteran educationist Benny Moyo, who retired after more than 35 years of service but now survives on a meagre US$30 pension, warned that the current environment is stifling productivity. "Teachers should not be blamed for poor results. The government must create an environment that respects and promotes them," he said.Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou confirmed receiving reports of harassment, noting that over 15 000 teachers are leaving the profession each year. "Holiday duties are a prerogative of school administrators. Forcing ordinary teachers to do it without allowances is harassment. Pathetic salaries and frustrations are draining the sector and compromising quality education," Zhou said.South Africa-based educationist Nkosilathi Ncube echoed the concerns, urging teachers to unite against unfair labour practices. "Pay them according to their qualifications and years of service. Provide incentives, reduce working days, and treat them with respect. Otherwise, many will die poor and ridiculed in their communities," he said.Nkayi Community Parliament Speaker, Nhlanhla Moses Ncube, added that teachers were being crushed by an "undemocratic environment" both in the profession and in the country at large. "Physically exhausted and emotionally drained teachers and learners will never bring good results. Overburdening them will only lead to burnout," he warned.Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro had promised to comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
Trump deploys Marines to LA riots as Newsom counters with lawsuit and hypocritical challenge

Protesters clashed with police, torched vehicles and tried storming federal detention centers in Los Angeles, forcing Trump to deploy Marines to reinforce the National Guard.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to block Trump's intervention, sparking debate over state sovereignty vs. federal authority amid escalating chaos.

LA's annual losses  amounting to $23 billion  highlight the financial toll of open-border policies, worsening the crisis as unrest spreads.

While opposing federal troops, Newsom deployed state police to high-crime areas and challenged Trump to send troops elsewhere  a blatant political ploy.

This clash could redefine federal-state power dynamics, setting a dangerous precedent in an era of deep political division.

The streets of Los Angeles descended into violent turmoil this week as pro-open borders demonstrators clashed with law enforcement, torched vehicles and attempted to breach federal detention centers  prompting President Donald Trump to deploy Marines to reinforce National Guard troops. Yet even as federal forces moved to restore order, California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit to block the intervention and challenged Trump to redirect military resources to Republican-led states.

The unfolding crisis has exposed deep divisions over federal versus state authority, immigration policy and the limits of executive power in a nation increasingly polarized by partisan conflict. With LA losing an estimated $23 billion annually due to illegal immigration and rioters openly calling for open borders, the confrontation raises urgent questions.

The unrest in LA began late last week when demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement turned destructive. Footage captured by independent journalists showed rioters hurling fireworks at police, attempting to storm detention facilities and chanting slogans demanding open borders. The chaos mirrored patterns seen in other Democrat-run cities like Portland and Chicago, where prolonged unrest has strained local law enforcement. (Related: LA rioters are defending VIOLENT CRIMINALS arrested by ICE.)

In response, Trump invoked emergency powers to deploy Marines alongside National Guard troops  a move he framed as necessary to protect federal property and restore public safety. "We will not allow anarchists to dictate policy in American cities," Trump stated in a press briefing. "When state leaders fail to act, the federal government has a duty to step in."

However, legal experts note that under the Insurrection Act, federal troops are limited in their ability to make arrests, leaving them primarily tasked with guarding infrastructure  a temporary measure that does little to address the root causes of the unrest.

According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine, the Insurrection Act is a federal law enacted in 1807 that grants the president broad authority to deploy military forces domestically in response to insurrections, rebellions or domestic unrest. While its original intent was to address extreme crises threatening national stability, its application has expanded over time  often undermining the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in civilian law enforcement.

Newsom's legal gambit and "hypocritical" stance

Rather than cooperating with federal efforts, Newsom filed a lawsuit seeking to block the deployment, arguing that Trump's actions violate state sovereignty.

"This is not about public safety; it's about political theater," Newsom declared at a press conference. "The president is militarizing American cities to score points with his base."

Yet Newsom's position is complicated by his own recent actions. Just days earlier, he announced a surge of California Highway Patrol officers into high-crime areas  a move critics argue is functionally identical to Trump's deployment of federal forces. When pressed on the apparent contradiction, Newsom deflected, instead challenging Trump to send troops to Louisiana and Mississippi, where murder rates are higher than in California.

"Look at the murder rate that's nearly four times higher than California's  in Louisiana," Newsom said, holding up a flier featuring House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). "If the president is sincere about crime, he'll send troops there instead."

As Marines patrol the streets of LA and Newsom's legal challenge winds through the courts, the nation watches a high-stakes confrontation unfold  one that pits federal authority against state defiance and order against chaos. The outcome could redefine the boundaries of executive power in an era of escalating political division.

CaliforniaCollapse.news has more similar stories.

Watch the video below that talks about an immigration raid while Newsom holds a press conference in Downtown Los Angeles.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Marines deployed to LA riots as Newsom sues Trump over National Guard mobilization.

Federal judge denies Newsom's bid to halt military deployment in Los Angeles.

Federal aid unleashed for LA riots, sparking heated political exchange between Trump and Newsom.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

Brighteon.ai

Brighteon.com
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Experts say Alibabas AI Chip could also address the shortcomings of Huaweis 910B and 910C AI chips, as the new chip is expected to be compatible with Nvidias CUDA and PyTorch ecosystems.

Nvidias dominance isnt just in its hardware; it is in its robust software ecosystem, particularly CUDA. A seamless compatibility layer would allow developers to easily port their existing code, bypassing the steep learning curve associated with new, fragmented hyperscalar software stacks from domestic rivals like Huaweis MindSpore or Baidus PaddlePaddle. The software development and optimization on custom chips are the major bottleneck, said Neil Shah, vice president at Counterpoint Research.

Geopolitical pressures, domestic strategy

Alibaba has been using Nvidias AI chips for a long time, but increasing US export restrictions over the last few years have prompted Alibaba to accelerate its domestic semiconductor strategy.

In October 2022, the US imposed restrictions on advanced semiconductors exported to China. To this, Nvidia and AMD responded by scaling down the GPU versions, tailored to stay within export compliance. But later, even these chips faced licensing barriers.

In April this year, under President Donald Trumps administration, Nvidia was informed about securing an export license to sell its H20 processor in China. Barely three months later, the US administration announced the resumption of the sales of H20 AI chips to China as part of a rare earth critical minerals deal. Later, Chinas Cyberspace Administration (CAC) summoned Nvidia representatives regarding serious security issues related to potential tracking and remote shutdown capabilities embedded in the H20 chips.

In 2023, Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai, after blaming uncertainties created by US export restrictions on advanced computing chips for halting Alibabas cloud units spinoff, made a bold vision about how it will handle the setback. He focused on developing a sustainable growth model based on emerging AI-driven demand for networked and highly scaled cloud computing services, Faruqui said. The new AI chip by Alibaba, he said, is the outcome of this sustainable growth model to counter US sanctions.
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A UK study finds that children breastfed at six months show measurable gains in IQ, reading, and math skills, with unique benefits for language and conversation.

Study: Differences in Neurocognitive Development Between Children Who Had Had No Breast Milk and Those Who Had Had Breast Milk for at Least 6 Months. Image Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock

In a recent article in the journal Nutrients, researchers at the University of Bristol, UK, examined the associations between breastfeeding at six months of age and a wide range of neurocognitive outcomes until late adolescence.

Their findings suggest that, despite demographic and social influences, more than 40 outcomes, including better academic skills, higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, and improved speech skills, may be associated with breastfeeding.

Background

Breastfed children showed a clear shift toward right-handedness at the age of 3.5, as assessed through specific tasks such as holding a toothbrush or spoon  an association previously noted in other studies and confirmed here.

Previous studies have explored the impact of breastfeeding on childrens cognitive and behavioral development; however, the results have been inconsistent. Some studies have shown clear benefits, while others have reported mixed or no effects, often due to limited sample sizes or variations in measurement tools.

One of the strongest pieces of evidence comes from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Belarus, which demonstrated better verbal IQ, vocabulary, writing, and reading skills in children whose mothers received breastfeeding support, with improvements persisting into adolescence. However, no behavioral differences were noted between the intervention and control groups.

Systematic reviews largely support a positive association between breastfeeding and IQ, and some extend this to executive function, cognition, and behavior; however, the effects are typically minor. Analyses comparing breastfeeding durations suggest that breastfeeding beyond 6 months provides additional benefits. Larger observational studies also point to wider effects.

For example, Scottish data on 177,000 children found lower risks of learning difficulties among breastfed children, while Japanese and Australian cohorts reported reduced developmental delays and enhanced language and intelligence outcomes.

However, despite consistent findings for IQ, there has been limited exploration of other neurocognitive consequences that rely on large datasets.

About the study

While memory was tested multiple ways, only one specific working memory task (non-word repetition) at age 8 showed a strong, lasting link to breastfeeding for 6 months; other memory measures didn't meet the strict significance threshold after adjustment.

The study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which recruited over 14,500 pregnant women in the UK. Mothers and partners completed questionnaires during pregnancy and after birth, providing data on infant feeding and background characteristics.

Breastfeeding status was assessed at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 15 months. For this analysis, breastfeeding at six months was the main exposure, without distinguishing between exclusive and partial breastfeeding.

Several confounders were included to account for social and demographic influences, specifically maternal and paternal education, maternal age at birth, birth order, housing tenure, delivery mode, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. These factors are known to influence both breastfeeding practices and child outcomes.

Neurocognitive outcomes were assessed through 373 continuous measures collected from infancy through adolescence via parent, teacher, and self-reports, as well as direct testing by ALSPAC staff.

Multivariable linear regression was used to adjust for confounders. Missing data were not imputed due to the likelihood of non-random patterns, with some outcomes showing up to 62% missingness (e.g., IQ at age 15 years). Researchers applied a two-stage statistical screening process, requiring an initial unadjusted p<0.0001 and then an adjusted p<0.001 threshold for results to be considered significant.

Key findings

The sheer scale of the analysis involved screening 373 distinct neurocognitive measures, highlighting the effort to identify the most robust associations beyond just IQ and academics.

Of the 11,337 mothers who responded at six months, 28.7% were still breastfeeding, 24.4% had never breastfed, and 46.9% had stopped before six months. Analyses focused on children who were breastfed at 6 months compared with those who were never breastfed; children who stopped breastfeeding before six months were excluded. Out of 373 neurocognitive measures, 42 outcomes showed significant adjusted associations.

Early development tests indicated few lasting differences, with fine motor skills at ages 30 and 42 months being the only preschool traits strongly associated with breastfeeding. IQ consistently showed positive effects, as children breastfed for six months scored higher on verbal, performance, and total IQ at ages 8 and 15, with mean gains of approximately 4.1 to 5.1 IQ points.

Reading ability also showed robust associations across multiple measures, including national assessments, while spelling associations were weaker. Language outcomes were mixed, but significant improvements were observed in pragmatic conversational skills at age nine, as measured by the Childrens Communication Checklist (CCC).

Breastfed children performed better in mathematics on both teacher and national assessments, but similar associations for science did not reach the strict significance threshold (p<0.001).

Behavioural benefits were limited, though breastfed children showed reduced hyperactivity and lower activity levels in preschool years. Additional findings included a higher likelihood of right-handedness and a more internal locus of control at age eight.

Conclusions

Behavioral differences were almost entirely focused on reduced activity levels, with little evidence linking breastfeeding duration to broader emotional symptoms, conduct problems, or peer relationships in the adjusted models.

This study found that breastfeeding for six months was linked to higher IQ, improved reading and math performance, stronger fine motor skills, and better conversational abilities, with weaker associations for behaviour and personality traits.

Notably, pragmatic speech improvements at age nine emerged as a novel finding. Results largely align with previous trials and reviews, reinforcing the intellectual benefits of breastfeeding.

Strengths include the population-based design, objective teacher and test data, and adjustment for multiple confounders, including both parents education. Recording feeding at six months minimized recall bias.

However, limitations include attrition, a predominantly White European cohort that limits generalizability, reliance on continuous outcomes only, and the possibility that stringent statistical thresholds (p < 0.0001 followed by p < 0.001) may have obscured some real associations.

In conclusion, breastfeeding for six months was consistently associated with long-term cognitive advantages in this cohort, without evidence of harm. While causality cannot be confirmed, the findings support the promotion of breastfeeding as beneficial for childrens neurocognitive development.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Mnangagwa is expected to arrive in Beijing today ahead of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War commemorations set for Wednesday.He will join 26 other Heads of State and Government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, at Tiananmen Square for a military parade and related events hosted by China. The commemoration marks the 1931a1945 conflict in which an estimated 35 million Chinese were killed or wounded, with Japan surrendering in September 1945.Zimbabwe's Ambassador to China, Abigail Shoniwa, said Mnangagwa is among a select group of African leaders invited, underscoring the depth of ties between Harare and Beijing. "China was with us during our liberation struggle and trained some of our liberation fighters, among them the President. Our relationship has grown stronger over the years," she said.While in China, Mnangagwa will also hold bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping to deepen co-operation across politics, trade, security, culture, and international coordination a pillars of the Five-Star Ironclad partnership framework established last year.China is Zimbabwe's top trading partner and largest investor, with cumulative investments exceeding US$4,4 billion and bilateral trade reaching US$3,8 billion in 2024, up 24 percent year-on-year. Major projects include the Hwange Units 7 and 8 expansion, Kariba South Hydro Power Extension, airport upgrades, and the new National Pharmaceutical Warehouse.Mnangagwa is also expected to meet Chinese companies with interests in Zimbabwe. Last month, the two countries signed a US$55 million Economic and Technical Co-operation Agreement and exchanged letters for food assistance worth US$6,9 million.China's Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said the war's legacy continues to inspire liberation movements worldwide, adding that Beijing remains committed to global peace, development, and inclusive economic growth.
More patients with hypercholesterolemia at high/very high risk of cardiovascular (CV) events achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals with inclisiran compared with placebo, when given on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapy, according to a late-breaking trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

Elevated LDL-C is causal for the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; however, most patients do not achieve guideline-recommended LDL-C goals with available lipid-lowering therapies due to suboptimal treatment escalation, nonadherence or concerns about safety, such as muscle pain.

Principal Investigator, Professor Ulf Landmesser from the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charite, Berlin, Germany, explained the aims of the VICTORION-Difference trial: "When given as a subcutaneous injection every 3 or 6 months, inclisiran interferes with the production of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), lowering LDL-C levels. The purpose of the VICTORION-Difference study was to compare inclisiran with placebo, on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapies, for LDL-C goal achievement and novel endpoints related to muscle-related adverse events and pain-related quality of life (QoL) in a population that mirrors real-world practice."

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase IV trial was conducted at 133 centres in Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain. Eligible patients were at high or very high CV risk according to 2019 European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society guidelines3 and had elevated LDL-C despite being treated with an individualised maximally tolerated statin dose. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either subcutaneous injections of inclisiran sodium 300 mg (equivalent to 284 mg inclisiran) or placebo. In addition to inclisiran/placebo, open-label rosuvastatin (starting dose of 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day) was sequentially and optimally titrated to the maximally tolerated dose if individual LDL-C goals were not achieved. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants achieving 2019 guideline-recommended individual LDL-C goals (very high CV risk: <55 mg/dl [<1.4 mmol/l]; high CV risk: <70 mg/dl [<1.8 mmol/l]) at day 90.

A total of 1,770 individuals were randomized who had a mean age of 63.7 years and 30.2% were female. Most participants (92.3%) were classified as having very high CV risk.

Regarding the primary endpoint, a significantly higher proportion of participants in the inclisiran vs. the standard-of-care arm achieved their individual guideline-recommended LDL-C goals at 90 days (84.9% vs. 31.0%; odds ratio [OR] 12.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.59 to 15.24; p<0.0001).

Time-averaged mean percentage LDL-C reductions from baseline to day 360 were 59.45% and 24.31% in the inclisiran and the standard-of-care groups, respectively (least squares mean treatment difference 35.14%; p<0.0001).

Fewer participants in the inclisiran vs. standard-of-care arms experienced a muscle-related adverse event (11.9% vs. 19.2%; p<0.0001). In addition, numerically larger time-averaged reductions were noted with inclisiran vs. standard-of-care for pain-related severity (0.11; p=0.0389) and interference scores (0.11; p=0.0285) using the Short-Form Brief Pain Inventory, which did not reach statistical significance.

The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was comparable between the inclisiran and standard-of-care arms (71.3% and 75.9%, respectively).

In conclusion, Professor Landmesser commented: "This large study demonstrated the effectiveness of an inclisiran-based treatment strategy over current usual care in bringing patients to early and sustained LDL-C goals, with significantly fewer adverse muscle symptoms. These findings indicate that inclisiran represents a convenient, effective and well-tolerated treatment option for the high number of at-risk patients who currently do not respond adequately to other lipid-lowering therapies."
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) appears to develop as a result of changes in the biology of a person's internal fat tissue, according to the Adipokine Hypothesis, a new way of understanding how fat may impact the heart. The hypothesis paper was published today in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and is being presented at ESC Congress 2025. The author of the paper is Milton Packer, MD, FACC, Distinguished Scholar in Cardiovascular Science at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and Visiting Professor at Imperial College in London.

Up to now, there has been no unifying hypothesis to explain HFpEF. That has resulted in significant misunderstanding and a lack of direction in both diagnosis and therapy. This bold new framework helps to identify the true cause of HFpEF in most people. That should make an enormous difference in guiding effective treatments." Milton Packer, MD, FACC, Distinguished Scholar in Cardiovascular Science, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas

HFpEF is the most common type of heart failure, impacting nearly 4 million people in the United States and 32 million people worldwide. With HFpEF, the heart's muscle is stiff, and thus, it cannot accommodate the blood it receives. This causes overfilling of the heart and increases in the internal pressures within the heart, leading to shortness of breath during effort. It can also cause fluid buildup in the lungs, abdomen or legs.

It has long been thought that high blood pressure is the leading cause of HFpEF, but that may not be the case. Instead, nearly all patients with HFpEF have significant excess fat tissue that surrounds vital organs, including the heart. However, until now, it has not been understood how this excess internal fat tissue causes heart failure.

This paper introduces the Adipokine Hypothesis, which is a new conceptual framework that explains how excess internal fat tissue contributes directly to the development of HFpEF.

Adipokines are signaling molecules that are released by fat tissue and allow it to communicate with the rest of the body. In a healthy person, adipokines play a nurturing role. They protect the heart and kidneys, helping to reduce stress and inflammation, while maintaining sodium and fluid balance. But when there is excess internal fat, the biology of the fat tissue is transformed. Fat tissue begins to produce and release a different suite of adipokines, and these promote stress, inflammation and scarring in the heart, thus leading to HFpEF.

Experimental studies demonstrate that drugs can alleviate HFpEF, not by targeting the heart, but by acting directly on fat tissue to change its adipokine profile.

The Adipokine Hypothesis points to the importance of using drugs that shrink fat tissue and restore its healthy biology. Many of these drugs are already approved by the FDA for the treatment of HFpEF, but they are not widely prescribed. In addition, GLP-1 receptor agonists--semaglutide and tirzepatide-can exert favorable effects on the release of adipokines.

According to the paper, the term obesity should not be used to identify people with excessive internal fat tissue. Obesity is defined by body mass index, which is heavily influenced by bone and muscle. Instead, the most reliable approach for identifying people with excess internal fat stores is to measure the ratio of waist to height. Normally, the ratio should be less than 0.5, meaning that the waist is less than half of the height. Nearly all patients with HFpEF have a waist-to-height ratio greater than 0.5, and often greater than 0.6. Such a ratio is clinically important, even when the body mass index does not fulfill criteria for obesity.

"In patients with an elevated waist-to-height ratio, clinicians should be very vigilant to ask patients about potential symptoms of HFpEF," Packer said. "Many people who are short of breath with walking attribute their symptoms to obesity, when in fact, these symptoms are related to HFpEF and can be effectively treated."

Thirty-three years ago, Packer proposed a unifying theory to explain heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction, known as the neurohormonal hypothesis. That paper, which was published in JACC, changed how physicians thought about the disorder.

The Adipokine Hypothesis paper in JACC focuses on adipokine proteins. Two additional papers on the role of eicosanoid adipokines in inflammation in HFpEF and on adipoexosomal microRNAs in HFpEF are also being published today in JACC: Heart Failure.
Mavacamten treatment at 48 weeks was not associated with significant improvements in patient-reported health status or peak oxygen consumption compared with placebo in patients with symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in New England Journal of Medicine.

Nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition where the heart muscle thickens, but this thickening does not significantly block blood flow out of the heart. In contrast, in obstructive HCM, the thickened part of the heart muscle blocks blood flow. Both forms of HCM can worsen over time, causing symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. HCM can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias and also rarely, sudden cardiac death.

Principal Investigator, Professor Milind Desai from Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, USA, explained why the ODYSSEY-HCM trial was carried out: "There are currently no approved medical therapies for patients with nonobstructive HCM, who experience a high burden of symptoms. The cardiac myosin inhibitor, mavacamten, is approved for the treatment of symptomatic obstructive HCM and results from a small phase II study suggested improvements in biomarkers in nonobstructive HCM. We conducted the phase III ODYSSEY-HCM trial to assess whether mavacamten improved patient-reported health status and functional capacity in patients with symptomatic nonobstructive HCM."

This randomised, double-blind, parallel-group phase III trial was conducted at 201 sites in 22 countries. Symptomatic adult patients with nonobstructive HCM were enrolled with key inclusion including: peak left ventricular outflow tract gradient <30 mmHg at rest and <50 mmHg with provocation, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II or III, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 23-item Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-23 CSS) 85, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 60% and elevated biomarkers. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive mavacamten 5 mg (with blinded dose titration as needed based on LVEF) or placebo once daily for 48 weeks. The two primary endpoints were the change from baseline to week 48 in patient-reported health status (measured by the KCCQ-23 CSS) and in peak oxygen consumption.

Among 580 patients randomised, the mean age was 56 years and 46% were women. The average time from the initial diagnosis to randomisation was 10.3 years and 43.3% of patients had a family history of HCM.

There were no significant differences in the dual primary endpoints with mavacamten vs. placebo at week 48. KCCQ-23 CSS increased by 13.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.7 to 15.5) in the mavacamten group and 10.4 (95% CI 8.0 to 12.8) in the placebo group (between-group difference 2.7; 95% CI -0.08 to 5.6; p=0.056). The least-squares mean increase in peak oxygen consumption was 0.52 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.95) in the mavacamten group and 0.05 (95% CI -0.38 to 0.47) in the placebo group (between group-difference 0.47 ml/kg/min; 95% CI -0.03 to 0.98; p=0.066). The secondary endpoints did not meet the requirement for further statistical testing.

Regarding safety, treatment-emergent adverse events resulting in study drug interruption or permanent treatment discontinuation occurred in 14.6% and 5.2% of patients, respectively, with mavacamten and 5.2% and 2.8% of patients, respectively, with placebo. LVEF <50% occurred in 21.5% of patients in the mavacamten group vs. 1.7% of patients in the placebo group, and all but 3 patients returned to LVEF 50% after study drug interruption.
September marks the return to school for children after the summer holidays. While resuming normal routines is generally welcomed, it can present challenges for children with asthma.

Research conducted by Asthma + Lung UK found that in the 2022/2023 academic year there was a 348 % increase in hospital admissions for five to 14 year-olds due to asthma attacks in September compared to August.

This stark increase highlights the need to support parents and guardians in managing their childs asthma effectively as the school year begins.

Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd

Understanding the september asthma epidemic1

Several factors can drive the rise in asthma flare-ups as children return to school, including:

Disruption of medication routines during the summer holidays.

Exposure to triggers upon returning to school.

Emotional stress associated with starting a new school year.

Given these factors, its important for parents and guardians to be well-informed and prepared for the transition back to school.

How can parents or guardians prepare?

Parents and guardians can take several steps to minimize the impact of returning to school on their childs asthma symptoms.

Arrange a pre-school check-up

Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd

Asthma reviews are really important when it comes to maintaining well-controlled asthma. Scheduling a pre-school check-up offers an opportunity to:

Evaluate how well your childs asthma is managed.

Review medications.

Assess inhaler technique.

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) testing is a non-invasive test that measures airway inflammation in the lungs. It may be worth inquiring about this during the review to determine if it is the right step for your child.

FeNO testing can aid in confirming an asthma diagnosis if there is uncertainty, assess the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids, and inform treatment adjustments.2

It may be beneficial if your childs symptoms are variable or if you are uncertain about their asthma control as the school year begins.

FeNO testing with the NObreath FeNO device

Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd

The NObreath is a portable, non-invasive FeNO testing device designed to facilitate asthma diagnosis and management. Conducting a FeNO test with the NObreath is quick and straightforward, making it an ideal choice for pediatric asthma care.

The latest joint guidelines from the British Thoracic Society (BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) endorse FeNO testing as the first-line diagnostic method for asthma in children.3

Understand your childs asthma triggers

Asthma triggers can vary significantly among individuals. A trigger for one child may not affect another. Knowing what triggers your childs asthma is key to managing their condition effectively. Common school-related triggers may include:

Dust

Pollen

Cold air

Physical activity

Stress

Classroom pets

Understanding your childs triggers allows for effective communication with school staff, and allows them to take necessary precautions.4

Communicate with the school

Its essential that all the necessary school staff are fully aware of your childs asthma, triggers, and medication needs.

Clearly label all medications and supplies, and inform the school so inhalers are stored safely. It may also be useful to check the schools policies on medication use and whether your child is allowed to self-administer when needed.

Teach self-management skills

Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd

The more your child understands asthma, the better they can manage it. Teach them to spot their symptoms and use their inhaler properly. Age-appropriate guidance gives them confidence to act if things worsen.

Starting a new school year can be daunting, but asthma doesnt have to get in the way. With the right education, treatment, and preparation, the return to school can run smoothly.

Keep in mind that the new term can sometimes trigger flare-ups. Staying vigilant all year round is key to keeping your childs asthma under control.

References and further reading

Asthma + Lung UK. (2024). Number of children in hospital with life-threatening asthma attacks could quadruple as they return to school. (online) Available at: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/media/press-releases/number-children-hospital-life-threatening-asthma-attacks-could-quadruple-they. NHS England. NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO). (online) NHS England. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/what-we-do/innovation-for-healthcare-inequalities-programme/rapid-uptake-products/fractional-exhaled-nitric-oxide/. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2024). Overview | Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management (BTS, NICE, SIGN) | Guidance | NICE. (online) NICE. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG245. Asthma + Lung UK. (2024). Asthma at school and nursery | Asthma + Lung UK. (online) Available at: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/asthma/child/life/school.

About Bedfont Scientific Ltd

Bedfont Scientific has specialised in the design and manufacture of exhaled breath and gas monitoring instruments since 1976.

For medical gas monitoring, their Medi-Gas Check medical pipeline testing range verifies not only the quantity but also quality of gas administered to patients.

Bedfont's breath analysers include carbon monoxide (CO) monitors such as the Smokerlyzer, used for smoking cessation, and the ToxCO, used by emergency services, to diagnose CO poisoning.

The NObreath FeNO monitor provides accurate analysis of airway inflammation for the control of asthma, and the Gastrolyzer range aids in the detection of gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances. Quick and non-invasive, breath analysis is the new blood test.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
Armoured vehicle accident in Haiti kills 2 and injures 8 Kenyan police officers

Last Updated: September 02, 2025, 01:00 IST

Representational image (Image: News18)

Port-au-Prince(Haiti), Sep 1 (AP) An accident involving two armoured vehicles in Haitis capital left at least two people dead and eight police officers from Kenya injured, according to officials.

One dead and all those injured were part of a UN-backed mission fighting gangs in the troubled Caribbean country. The other fatality was a civilian, according to a statement from the missions spokesman, Jack Ombaka.

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Three of those injured were in serious condition and airlifted to the neighboring Dominican Republic for treatment, authorities said.

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The accident occurred Sunday evening along the Kenscoff-Petion-Ville route in the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Ombaka said it happened when one of the armoured vehicles that was towing a disabled one broke down.

It brought to three the number of Kenyan police officers killed in Haiti since the mission began more than a year ago. One was killed in a gang attack, and another remains missing and is presumed dead. (AP) RD RD

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First Published: September 02, 2025, 01:00 IST

News agency-feeds Armoured vehicle accident in Haiti kills 2 and injures 8 Kenyan police officers

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Canadian Prime Minister appreciates Telangana Yadagirigutta Temple services

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

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Hyderabad, Sep 1 (PTI) The services of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadagirigutta in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana has received an international honour with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney conveying his appreciation to the temple authorities and devotees recently.

Telangana Endowments Minister Konda Surekha expressed happiness over the international honour received by the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadagirigutta.

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During the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Kalyana Mahotsavam held at the EY Centre in Ottawa, the Prime Minister of Canada conveyed his appreciation to the temple authorities and devotees, an official release said.

A letter addressed to the temple administration in this regard by the Canadian Prime Minister was received on Sunday.

In his special message, the prime minister praised the contribution of Hindu Canadians to the countrys diversity and cultural strength.

He described the Mahotsavam as an occasion to celebrate a sacred tradition, experience spiritual joy, and uphold the values of unity and community.

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He also thanked the temple organizers and coordinators for their efforts in bringing devotees together and lauded the role of the Hindu community in enriching Canadian society.

Temple Executive Officer Venkata Rao has also expressed pleasure on the International recognition and appreciation, the release added. PTI VVK VVK ADB

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

News agency-feeds Canadian Prime Minister appreciates Telangana Yadagirigutta Temple services

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Delhi: 2 arrested for stabbing govt liquor shop employee

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 21:30 IST

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New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Two men have been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 42-year-old employee of a government liquor shop in northwest Delhis Bharat Nagar area following a conspiracy hatched due to enmity, police said on Monday.

On August 31, the police received a call about 10 to 12 men arriving on scooters and attacking a staff member of a liquor shop with knives before fleeing. When the police reached the scene, the victim, identified as Gyan Pal Singh, a resident of Shastri Park, was found grievously injured and rushed to the hospital.

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As the victim was unable to give a statement, the police recorded the version of the shop manager, Yatish Kumar (52), and registered a case of attempt to murder at the Bharat Nagar Police Station," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

During the investigation, the police used technical surveillance and informers to identify and arrest two accused  Akbar (27) and Rehan (19), locals of Wazirpur.

The duo allegedly revealed during interrogation that an individual named Hunny, a local property dealer, called them to his office in Bunkar Colony, where he and several others from Jahangirpuri discussed a plan to kill the victim, as he had a prior enmity with him.

A senior police officer said that Hunny, who also has a murder case against him, has previously threatened Gyan on multiple occasions to reveal the names of the people who beat up the accuseds brother last year.

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After consuming alcohol, they allegedly conspired to carry out the attack. Akbar, Rehan and other associates later entered the liquor shop and stabbed Singh multiple times before fleeing, the police stated.

The two arrested men are being produced in court for police custody remand, while efforts are on to trace and arrest the remaining accused, officials said. PTI SSJ MPL MPL

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 21:30 IST

News agency-feeds Delhi: 2 arrested for stabbing govt liquor shop employee

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Nestle dismisses CEO after investigation into relationship with a subordinate

Last Updated: September 02, 2025, 02:45 IST

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Washington, Sep 1 (AP) Swiss food giant Nestle said Monday it dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate.

The maker of Nescafe drinks and Purina pet food said in a statement the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found the undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate violated Nestles code of conduct.

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Freixe, who had been CEO for a year, will be replaced by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestle executive.

This was a necessary decision," said Chairman Paul Bulcke. Nestles values and governance are strong foundations of our company." The company didnt give any other details about the investigation.

Freixe had been with Nestle since 1986, holding roles around the world. When Nestle revamped its geographic structure in January 2022, Freixe became CEO of Zone Latin America. In August 2024, he was tapped to replace then-CEO Mark Schneider in the top role, and started Sept. 1, 2024.

Navratil started his career with Nestle in 2001 as an internal auditor and served in a variety of roles in Central America. In 2020, he joined Nestles Coffee Strategic Business Unit, and in 2024, he became CEO of Nestles Nespresso division.

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Its the latest in a string of personnel changes for the company. In June, Bulcke, a former CEO who has been chairman of the board since 2017, said he wouldnt stand for reelection in 2026. And in April, Steve Presley, an executive vice president and CEO of Zone Americas, said he was retiring after almost 30 years of service.

Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestle has been facing headwinds like other food makers, including rising commodity costs and the negative impact of tariffs. It said in July it offset higher coffee and cocoa-related costs with price increases. (AP) NB NB

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First Published: September 02, 2025, 02:45 IST

News agency-feeds Nestle dismisses CEO after investigation into relationship with a subordinate

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Pakistan: Nearly 2 million displaced due to severe flooding

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 04:00 IST

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Islamabad [Pakistan], September 1 (ANI): Pakistans Federal Minister for Climate Change, Musadik Malik, said that nearly two million people in Pakistan have been displaced due to severe flooding, with the poorest families suffering the most, while calling on the nation to come together and provide urgent assistance to those affected, The Express Tribune reported.Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Malik emphasised that the governments immediate focus is on supporting the most vulnerable populations in urgent need of aid and encouraged citizens and NGOs to offer all possible help to the flood victims, as reported by The Express Tribune.The rural communities along riverbanks have been hardest hit, while urban areas, including parts of Lahore, have also faced significant flooding.Malik was joined by Pakistans National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Inam Haider Malik, who highlighted the need for rapid relief efforts, including the provision of food, medicine, mosquito nets, clean water, water tanks, and temporary power supply, as reported by The Express Tribune.He also urged vigilance to prevent potential disease outbreaks in crowded relief camps.Although Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is abroad, he is receiving daily briefings and issuing guidance on relief measures, with the same information shared with Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir, who is on-site overseeing the relief operations," the Climate Change Minister said, as quoted by The Express Tribune. He assured that the Pakistani federal government is supporting the provinces, with collaboration among the Army, Rangers, NDMA, and Rescue 1122.At critical flood control points such as Head Trimmu, Head Panjnad, and Kot Mithan, officials are managing water flow to stay below one million cusecs, with controlled breaches planned to protect populated areas, Malik noted, as reported by The Express Tribune.Malik warned that the Panjnad river system could see water flows rise to three million cusecs if flooding worsens.He put all the blame for the floods on extreme weather due to climate change, as reported by The Express Tribune..Malik also praised the response from the countrys provincial governments and security forces in Narowal, Sialkot, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their efforts in rescuing people stranded due to the floods.Meanwhile, the NDMA, working with provincial authorities, continues to distribute relief supplies to displaced families. Trucks carrying 46kg ration bags, each containing 22 essential items, have been sent to Wazirabad and Hafizabad, with aid also dispatched to Narowal and Sialkot. Preparations are underway to deliver assistance to Chiniot and Jhang, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 04:00 IST

News agency-feeds Pakistan: Nearly 2 million displaced due to severe flooding

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PBS, NPR stations struggle with Trump-fuelled government funding cuts

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 03:15 IST

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New York, Aug 31 (AP) Coping with a sudden loss in federal funding, PBS affiliate KSPS in Spokane, Washington, faced a surprise extra hurdle. Many of its contributing members  at one point almost half  lived in Canada, and they were withdrawing support out of anger at President Donald Trumps desire to make the country the 51st member of the United States.

When Congress decided this summer to eliminate USD1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, it left some 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations, each with unique issues related to their communities and history, to figure out what that means.

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Many launched emergency fund drives and are heartened by the response. The national NPR and PBS networks are reducing expected dues payments, and a philanthropic effort focused on the hardest-hit stations is taking shape. No stations have shut down, but job and programming cuts are already beginning.

In Spokane, KSPS has always tried to keep its requests for member donations separate from appeals for public funding. Not anymore. Congress left the station with a USD1.2 million hole to fill, about 18% of its budget, and the station is using that as a pretext to seek help from listeners.

We have definitely seen some attrition from our Canadian members," said Skyler Reep, the stations interim general manager.

Pleas for donations exceed expectations in many parts of country Long suspicious of a liberal bent to public media news coverage, Republicans in Congress responded to President Donald Trumps wishes in July and eliminated funding for the systems. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes the funding, has taken steps to shut down.

In some parts of the country, the answer to pleas for help have exceeded expectations. Public radio station WHQR in Wilmington, N.C. raised more than USD200,000 in three days, filling a USD174,000 hole and then some. Its a small community growing fast with an influx of retirees, many who depend on the stations news to learn about their new home, said general manager Kevin Crane.

With USD525,000 gone from its budget, Hawaii Public Radio has already raised USD650,000 in an emergency fund drive. Its a validation that what youre doing is essential to the community and is appreciated by the community," said Meredith Artley, president and CEO. The 2023 wildfires in Maui and their aftermath were covered steadily by Hawaii Public Radio news reporters.

The initial response in terms of support for both stations and the NPR network has been extraordinary," said Katherine Maher, NPR president. People did a lot of work leading up to the vote, in actions and calls. When that did not prove convincing, they turned to direct support." Stations across the country have stories that make them smile: the youngster from Florida who collected money for public stations in Alaska, sending a note written in crayon; the regular USD300 donor who came in to PBS SoCal with a USD100,000 check, one of three six-figure donations the station has received.

Most stations arent in areas with so many wealthy donors. Most station managers are like Jeff Hanks of PBS LPTV in Lakeland, Minnesota. He lies awake wondering where he will find USD1 million to pay for things like his stations nightly newscast, a primary news source for central and northern Minnesota.

These are extremely, extremely challenging times," Hanks said. Were fighting hard every way we can." He knows membership donations wont make up for what is missing. Both PBS and NPR have taken steps to reduce the annual dues that stations pay for programming and other services. At PBS, its an average 15% reduction, but needy stations get more  in one case, more than half of next years dues will be forgiven, said PBS president Paula Kerger.

Adopting stations in poorer, more rural areas NPR is encouraging donors in wealthier areas to adopt stations in poorer ones, perhaps in an area where a contributor has emotional ties.

Public media leaders are also working with a group of philanthropists led by the Knight and MacArthur foundations that is hoping to raise some USD50 million to support stations in areas hardest hit be the cuts. Ed Ulman, president and CEO of Alaska Public Media, which represents nearly two dozen radio and television stations in the largest state, said hell be seeking money from this fund.

Ulman said hes been buoyed by the response from Alaskans in their effort to raise USD15 million through various sources by October. The services their stations provide is free, and citizens see its value.

Ive never been worried about the future of public television or radio because our community needs us," he said, and what weve seen in Alaska is an outcry about that." Still, Alaska Public Media has suspended the weekly public affairs television show Alaska Insight," which isnt returning after a summer hiatus. The future of Indie Alaska," a weekly video series highlighting the lives of Alaskans, is also in danger.

Some stations are already making the difficult decisions of cutting staff, In Spokane, for example, 12 of KSPSs 35 staff members have either been laid off, had their hours reduced or pay cut. Reep is also considering that future seasons of local shows like Northwest Profiles" or the arts showcase Inland Sessions" will have fewer episodes.

Similar programming decisions are also being weighed on a national level. While several upcoming shows, like Ken Burns six-part miniseries The American Revolution" scheduled for November, are completed, PBS will have to consider making shorter seasons of its series, Kerger said.

Were working very hard so that the public doesnt feel that theres a change," Kerger said.

Looking for ways to share services Between an increase in donations and rainy day" resources set aside, the initial impact of the government action may be minimized. But that brings its own worries: Its unlikely public media will be able to count on sympathy donors to the same extent in the future. And theres a risk that some politicians will feel the response proves that public support isnt necessary.

The bigger reckoning may come a year from now, Kerger said. I am a realist," she said. I have to believe that there are some vulnerable stations that are not going to make it." The crisis is forcing some public stations to work together, searching for ways to share services in areas not before contemplated, in things like finances, management and programming, said Andy Russell, president and CEO of PBS SoCal. Public stations in Washington are meeting to see if they can get state financing.

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In Los Angeles, PBS SoCal has shared some of its templates for fundraising appeals with other stations. Several celebrities  people like Kerry Washington, Jack Black, Ziggy Marley, John Lithgow and John Leguizamo  have volunteered to film pitches, and the station is making them available nationwide, too, said Maura Daly Phinney, senior vice president for membership engagement and strategy.

Were going to make it," Phinney said. The system is going to be different. But were going to make it." (AP) NB NB

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 03:15 IST

News agency-feeds PBS, NPR stations struggle with Trump-fuelled government funding cuts

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News / National

by Staff reporter

Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) has recorded a decline in student enrolment, reflecting broader challenges facing Zimbabwe's higher education sector.President Emmerson Mnangagwa capped 3 130 graduates at this year's CUT graduation ceremony, down from 3 545 in 2023. Despite the drop, the institution celebrated a historic milestone, with female graduates (1 573) outnumbering their male counterparts (1 557) for the first time.A CUT lecturer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, attributed the decline partly to financial hardships, saying many parents were struggling to pay tuition fees, which start from US$750 per programme. "The main factor is lack of resources. Fees are high and many parents are forced into payment plans," the lecturer said.CUT spokesperson Shadreck Nembaware confirmed the trend, noting it could not be pinned on a single cause. He cited the lingering effects of COVID-19, the mushrooming of new universities locally, and increasing numbers of Zimbabwean youths enrolling in Zambian institutions, which offer less stringent entry requirements."Lots of options exist, with Zambia recruiting Zimbabwean students en masse. Some are also heading to South Africa where education is seen as more affordable," Nembaware said.As more students seek opportunities outside the country, concerns are mounting over the long-term sustainability of local universities and their ability to remain competitive in the regional education market.
Putin blames West for Ukraine conflict at SCO summit

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

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Tianjin, Sep 1 (PTI) The Wests constant attempts to draw Kiev into NATO is one of the main causes of the Ukrainian conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here.

Putin claimed that the crisis arose largely because of the coup detat in Kiev in 2014, which was provoked by the West", Russian news agency Tass reported.

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The second reason for the crisis is the Wests constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO. As we have repeatedly emphasised, this poses a direct threat to Russias security," he said.

In February 2014, deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of then president Viktor Yanukovych.

According to the Russian president, as a result of the coup in 2014, the political leadership of the country that did not support Ukraines accession to NATO was removed".

Putin arrived here on Sunday to take part in the summit of the 10-member bloc.

He later attended the opening banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

His presence at the SCO summit shifted focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, unsuccessful attempts by US President Donald Trump to work out a ceasefire and pressuring India with heavy tariffs for buying Russian oil.

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The SCO was founded on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai. Initially, it consisted of six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024. PTI KJV GSP GSP

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

News agency-feeds Putin blames West for Ukraine conflict at SCO summit

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Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 5,956 cr still in circulation: RBI

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 19:45 IST

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Mumbai, Sep 1 (PTI) The high-value Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 5,956 crore are still in circulation, more than two years after the Reserve Banks withdrawal of the currency notes, according to official data released on Monday.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had announced the withdrawal of Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation on May 19, 2023.

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Rs 2000 banknotes continue to be legal tender.

In a statement, the central bank said the total value of Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, has declined to Rs 5,956 crore on August 31, 2025.

Thus, 98.33 per cent of the Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, has since been returned," it said.

The facility for exchange of the Rs 2000 banknotes is available at the 19 issue offices of the RBI since May 19, 2023.

From October 9, 2023, RBI issue offices are also accepting Rs 2000 banknotes from individuals/entities for deposit into their bank accounts.

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Further, public can send Rs 2000 banknotes through India Post from any post office within the country, to any of the RBI issue offices for credit to their bank accounts.

The issue offices are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, and Thiruvananthapuram. PTI NKD NKD ANU ANU

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 19:45 IST

News agency-feeds Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 5,956 cr still in circulation: RBI

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Tens of thousands demand justice, protest against populist rule in Serbia

Last Updated: September 02, 2025, 03:15 IST

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Belgrade (Serbia), Sep 1 (AP) Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched again in Serbia on Monday with shielded riot police guarding the Belgrade headquarters of Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic, who has threatened a major crackdown against those protesting his populist rule.

The protest led by high school and university students marked 10 months since a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbias northern town of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited a wave of public outrage, with state corruption and negligence cited as a major cause.

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The protests Monday were held in the capital Belgrade and several other towns in Serbia. In Novi Sad, baton wielding police charged against the peaceful protesters, slightly injuring some of them, according to local portals.

Shielded riot police cordons and paramilitary loyalists guarded a park in the downtown of the capital in front of Vucics headquarters, which has been serving for months as a human shield against the protesters.

The protesters have been demanding early elections, transparent investigations and criminal prosecutions against those responsible for the canopy collapse, as well as free media that Vucic is trying to stifle.

I think this fight will not be over soon," said Anabela Arsenovic, a student. There are months ahead of us fighting, but I hope it will at some point and the elections will be held." More than a hundred university and high school professors have been sacked as authorities cracked down against their support of the students. They have been replaced by Vucics loyalists.

The large protest on Monday was held as Vucic, who has claimed he wants to take Serbia to a European Union membership, traveled to China for a gathering that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of China and North Korea, along with the Belarus and Iranian presidents.

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Vucic, who has been annoyed by independent media coverage of the protests, has branded the protesters as terrorists who want to unseat him from power.

Thousands of Vucics supporters marched in several Serbian towns on Sunday in a sign of deep divisions in the Balkan state. (AP) NB NB

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First Published: September 02, 2025, 03:15 IST

News agency-feeds Tens of thousands demand justice, protest against populist rule in Serbia

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VP poll: EC asks Punjab CEO to issue postal ballot to jailed MP Amritpal Singh

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 23:15 IST

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Chandigarh, Sep 1 (PTI) Jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh will cast his vote in the September 9 vice presidential election through postal ballot in Assams Dibrugarh prison, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

The Election Commission (EC) issued instructions for the facilitation of voting by Singh, who is also a member of the electoral college for the vice presidential election, the statement issued by the office of the Punjab chief electoral officer (CEO) said.

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In accordance with the provisions of Rule 26 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, the EC has directed that a postal ballot paper be issued to Singh, the statement said.

According to the prescribed procedure, postal ballot papers for electors under preventive detention are to be delivered only on the day of polling and the sealed cover containing the marked postal ballot must reach the returning officer before the commencement of counting.

The EC has also instructed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Assam chief secretary to ensure that the sealed cover containing the postal ballot marked by Singh is carried by a special messenger from Dibrugarh by air so that it reaches the returning officer well before 6 pm on September 9, the statement said.

The concerned authorities have been directed to immediately put in place arrangements for this purpose and keep the commission apprised of the details, it said.

The election to the office of the vice president was necessitated following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.

Singh, the chief of the Waris Punjab De outfit who styled himself after slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested in Punjabs Moga on April 23, 2023, following an over a month-long manhunt.

Punjab Police launched the crackdown after the February 23, 2023, incident in which Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, allegedly broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city and clashed with police demanding the release of his aides.

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Singh fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Khadoor Sahib as an independent and won.

His detention under the stringent National Security Act was extended in April this year, even as his nine associates, who were also lodged in the Assam jail, were brought back to Punjab. PTI CHS DIV DIV

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 23:15 IST

News agency-feeds VP poll: EC asks Punjab CEO to issue postal ballot to jailed MP Amritpal Singh

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Wanted Bihar criminal arrested in Karnataka

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

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Patna, Sep 1 (PTI) Bihar Police have nabbed a criminal, wanted in the eastern state, from Raichur district of Karnataka, an official statement said on Monday.

In a joint operation with Karnataka Police, the Special Task Force of Bihar Police arrested Manoj Sada, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head, on August 29, it said.

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Sada was wanted in several cases of murder, kidnapping and possession of firearms in Bihars Khagaria, Saharsa and Darbhanga districts. He was formerly associated with some Naxal outfits as well.

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He was produced before a court in Raichur and brought to Bihar on Monday, the STF statement said.

Police will produce him before a court in Khagaria on Monday and seek his remand for further interrogation, it added. PTI PKD ACD

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First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:00 IST

News agency-feeds Wanted Bihar criminal arrested in Karnataka

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This Country Is Banning Petrol Bikes. But Is It Practical?

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:29 IST

The proposed ban has split opinion. Some back the governments green push, while others oppose it, saying motorcycles remain the cheapest and most convenient transport option

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Approximately 7 million petrol-powered motorcycles fill the streets of this city daily. (Representative/AP)

In a bold move to tackle hazardous air pollution, Vietnam has announced plans to ban petrol-powered motorcycles in its major cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Much like New Delhi, these urban centres are grappling with toxic smog that residents wake up to each morning. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City remain the worst affected.

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In Hanoi alone, approximately 7 million petrol-powered motorcycles fill the streets daily, significantly contributing to the citys poor air quality, which ranks among the worst in the world.

The decision to ban petrol-powered two-wheelers follows a directive issued by Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in July, mandating the prohibition of all petrol motorcycles within Hanois Ring Road 1 from July 1, 2026.

The proposed ban has garnered mixed reactions from Hanois residents. While some support the governments initiative, others oppose it, arguing that motorcycles are the most affordable and convenient mode of transport available to them.

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Is It Prepared To Ditch Petrol Motorcycles?

Experts have raised concerns about the feasibility of implementing such a ban in a short timeframe. They point out that Hanois public transport services are currently inadequate. Additionally, there is a lack of charging stations for electric scooters, compounded by the countrys struggling power grid, which would be unable to support the necessary charging infrastructure even if it were developed.

Location : Hanoi, Vietnam

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:29 IST

News auto This Country Is Banning Petrol Bikes. But Is It Practical?

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ITR Filing Due Date: Will CBDT Extend Beyond September 15 Amid Technical Glitches, Data Mismatches?

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 16:58 IST

ITR Filing 2025 Last Date Extension: Tax associations, CAs, and experts urge CBDT to extend ITR filing deadline for FY2024-25 due to portal glitches, delayed utilities.

ITR Filing deadline for non-audit taxpayers is September 15.

ITR Filing Due Date Extension: Demands to extend the due deadline of non-audit taxpayers for the income tax filing (ITR) for FY2024-25 (Assessment year 2025-26) have arisen in various groups, including, tax associations, CAs and tax experts, over technical glitches in the portal, delay in releasing Excel-utilities for ITR forms 2,3,5,6 and 7, data mismatches between AIS and Form 26AS, server crash and more.

The income tax department has extended the deadline for the ITR filing for FY2024-25 (Assessment Year 2025-26) for 45 days to September 15, 2025, from July 30, 2025. This new due date applies to individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and other taxpayers whose accounts dont require auditing.

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The tax department, however, hasnt given any update on the extension of due date for filing ITR for FY2024-25 (AY 2025-26).

CA Ritu Gupta urged that due date to be extended to October 31, 2025, given that utilities released late, heavy rainfall everywhere, clashing due dates with audit dates. we are chartered accountants and not AI who can work in adverse conditions," she wrote in the post.

In every tax season, the timely release of return forms and filing utilities is critical for smooth compliance. A reasonable filing window allows taxpayers and professionals to meet their obligations accurately and without undue stress. Last year is a case in point: ITR-1 to ITR-4 and ITR-6 were made available on April 1, 2024, followed by ITR-5 on May 31 and ITR-7 on June 21, giving taxpayers almost three months to prepare returns ahead of the July 31 deadline," says Himank Singla, Partner, SBHS & Associates as quoted by Moneycontrol.

This year, the scenario is different. Although the CBDT extended the due date for non-audit cases from July 31, 2025, to September 15, 2025, the utilities for ITR-5, ITR-6, and ITR-7 were released only in August. ITR-2 and ITR-3 were also delayed, coming out on July 11, 2025, leaving taxpayers and professionals with a much shorter window to complete filings.

Earlier, the Chandigarh Chartered Taxation Association (CCATAX) had requested the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to extend ITR and tax audit deadlines further for FY 2024-25 (Assessment year 2025-26).

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In a letter to the CBDT as per ET Wealth report, the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry said the ITR filing process for AY 202526 has been hit by delays in the release of utilities, arriving nearly three months later than usual. Many forms were still unavailable in early August, leaving little time for preparation. Frequent changes to utilities and slow software updates add to the strain, especially in areas with patchy internet.

About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:26 IST

News business tax ITR Filing Due Date: Will CBDT Extend Beyond September 15 Amid Technical Glitches, Data Mismatches?

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Army Dismantles TMCs Protest Stage In Kolkatas Maidan Area, Mamata Alleges BJPs Role

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News18.com Edited By: Shobhit Gupta



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:09 IST

Indian Army dismantled TMC's protest stage near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Kolkata's Maidan area, sparking Mamata Banerjee's protest.

The Maidan area is under the authority of the Indian Army, whose Eastern Command headquarters is situated nearby at Fort William. (X)

High drama unfolded in Kolkatas Maidan area on Monday after the Indian Army took up the dismantling of a stage erected beside Mahatma Gandhis statue by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to protest against alleged atrocities on Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal in other states.

Whats The Row?

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A defence official said that the Indian Army (Local military Authority, Kolkata) gives permission for events in the Maidan area for a duration of two days, as directed by the Supreme Court, news agency PTI reported.

He said that permission for events for over three days is being granted by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

Permission for the conduct of events was provided for two days. However, the stage has been set up for almost a month. Several reminders have been sent to the organisers for the removal of the temporary structure. However, it was not removed," the defence official told the news agency.

He said that the Kolkata Police were thereafter informed, and the structure was being removed by the Indian Army.

TMC Allegs BJPs Role

Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led party alleged that the stage was dismantled at the direction of the BJP in a bid to target the TMC.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee, who soon reached the spot after getting the news, alleged that the stage was demolished by the Army on the instructions of the BJP.

She said that she was sitting just 10 minutes away, but after getting the news, she left everything and visited the site to register her protest.

She said that the Army should have consulted Kolkata Police before dismantling TMCs stage.

Alleging the BJPs vendetta politics behind the act, she said the move was unethical and undemocratic

In a post on X, the party said that it holds the Indian Army in the highest regard, but what happened at the protest site was undemocratic.

The BJP abused power to dismantle our Bhasha Andolan protest site despite prior permission being granted and security deposits being made," it said in a post on X.

We hold the Indian Army in the highest regard. What happened at Mayo Road is not the Armys doing. @BJP4India abused power to dismantle our Bhasha Andolan protest site despite prior permission being granted and security deposits being made.It is the UNDEMOCRATIC,  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 1, 2025

It is the UNDEMOCRATIC, UNCONSTITUTIONAL STRONG-ARM tactics of a rattled party that knows it cannot win Bengals trust. BJP thinks they can silence us by deploying boots against voices, but Bengal has never bowed to bullies  whether in colonial times or under todays Delhi Zamindars," it added.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the BJP government has brought in the Army after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)."

He further said that the party would shift the protest venue to Rani Rashmoni Road from in front of the Gandhi statue.

The Chief Minister also vowed that the TMC would now protest in every block against this act.

BJP Reacts

The saffron party soon responded to the Chief Ministers allegations, with party leader Suvendu Adhikari saying that the formers audacity to defame the Indian Army is a new low.

In a post on X, he said, Shame on you, Mamata Banerjee. Your audacity to defame the Indian Army, the pride of our nation, is a new low. We always knew that you are an Anti National, however claiming that 200 brave Army personnel ran away" when you arrived at the Maidan is not just the biggest lie you ever uttered, its a disgusting attempt to tarnish the honour of our Armed Forces, whose courage and sacrifice are unmatched."

Shame on you, Mamata Banerjee.Your audacity to defame the Indian Army, the pride of our nation, is a new low. We always knew that you are an Anti National, however claiming that 200 brave Army personnel ran away" when you arrived at the Maidan is not just the biggest lie you pic.twitter.com/KnCZ551sR8  Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) September 1, 2025

He further accused the TMC of illegally occupying public land for nearly a month in violation of Army rules and Supreme Court directives.

Despite multiple reminders, your party refused to remove the temporary structure, forcing the Army to act after informing the Kolkata Police. Instead of taking responsibility, you are spinning falsehoods to save face. This shamelessness shows how blinded you are by power. You have insulted not only the Army but every Indian who reveres them. If you have any dignity left, resign immediately."

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari also attacked Mamata Banerjee, saying that insulting the Army for petty propaganda is an insult to every Indian.

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Shamelessness has a new name  Mamata Banerjee. In her desperation, she is now openly targeting the Indian Army. Our soldiers safeguard the nation, not serve TMCs corrupt politics. Insulting the Army for petty propaganda is an insult to every Indian. Shame on Mamata!" he said in a post on X.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and womens issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:50 IST

News kolkata-news Army Dismantles TMCs Protest Stage In Kolkatas Maidan Area, Mamata Alleges BJPs Role

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In Jail For 16 Years, Dead Before Acquittal: Family Reads Out 7/11 Case HC Verdict Before Mans Grave

Curated By :

PTI

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:50 IST

Kamal Ahmad Vakil Ahmad Ansari died in a Nagpur jail in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was buried in Jaripatka Muslim Qabristan in the city

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Nineteen years after seven train blasts killed more than 180 persons in Mumbai, the HC last month acquitted all the 12 accused, including Ansari. (File)

The family and community members of Kamal Ahmad Vakil Ahmad Ansari, who died awaiting justice in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, visited his grave in Nagpur on Sunday and read aloud the Bombay High Court (HC) judgment that cleared him of all charges.

Nineteen years after seven train blasts killed more than 180 persons in Mumbai, the HC last month acquitted all the 12 accused, including Ansari, saying the prosecution utterly failed" to prove the case and it was hard to believe the accused committed the crime".

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Ansari died in a Nagpur jail in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was buried in Jaripatka Muslim Qabristan in the city.

Hollow victory

Dr Abdul Wahid Sheikh, general secretary of Innocence Network, president of Jamiat-e-Ulama Nagpur Qari Sabir and Ansaris younger brother were among those who visited his grave on Sunday. They said Ansari was falsely accused of being involved in the blasts.

Sheikh said they read aloud para 1,486 of the July 21 HC judgment at his resting place, affirming publicly what he had always maintained  that he was innocent.

Ansari was from Madhubani, Bihar. He ran a small chicken shop, sold vegetables to survive, and worked tirelessly to provide for his five children and wife. Yet, his ordinary life was shattered when the Maharashtra ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) picked him up, falsely framed him, and branded him a terrorist," Sheikh said.

He languished in prison for 16 years, his dignity stripped, his family stigmatised, and his pleas unheard," Sheikh said.

The acquittal, four years after Ansaris death, is a hollow victory" and a vindication that came too late, he said.

Ansaris children grew up without a father, his wife carried the burden of stigma, and his family lived with humiliation, he said, adding that the judgment cannot return the years he lost, or undo the pain inflicted on his loved ones.

Calling the gathering at Ansaris grave an act of resistance, Sheikh said those present asserted his innocence, prayed for his soul, and demanded accountability from the system.

Ansaris story is not an isolated one but a chilling reminder of how countless innocents are branded as terrorists, locked away for decades, and sometimes die in prison before justice ever reaches them," Sheikh added.

Seven blasts ripped through Mumbai local trains at various locations on the western line on July 11, 2006, killing more than 180 persons and injuring several others.

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In a damning indictment of the prosecutions case, the high court declared all confessional statements of the accused as inadmissible, suggesting copying".

With PTI Inputs

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:50 IST

News cities mumbai-news In Jail For 16 Years, Dead Before Acquittal: Family Reads Out 7/11 Case HC Verdict Before Mans Grave

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Lord Shivas Monday: How To Reach Trimbakeshwar And Bhimashankar From Mumbai

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:41 IST

On Mondays, devotees observe fasts and perform rituals, such as offering milk, water and sacred Bael (or Bilva) leaves to the Shiva Ling.

Trimbakeshwar and Bhimashankar are located in Maharashtra. (Photo Credit: X)

Monday (Somvar) is traditionally devoted to the worship of Lord Shiva in Hindu tradition. On this day, devotees observe fasts and perform rituals, such as offering milk, water and sacred Bael (or Bilva) leaves to the Shiva Ling, believing it brings mental peace, prosperity and fulfillment of desires. Interestingly, the name Somvar comes from Som, meaning Moon, a reference to the legend where Lord Shiva saved the Moon God, Chandra.

On this day, visiting Jyotirlingas to worship the god is considered highly auspicious. There are 12 Jyotirlingas, sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, located throughout India. Out of these 5 are located in Maharashtra, including Trimbakeshwar (Nashik) and Bhimashankar (Pune),

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How to reach Trimbakeshwar and Bhimashankar from Mumbai

If you reside in Mumbai and are planning to visit Trimbakeshwar (Nashik) or Bhimashankar (Pune), and are checking for the best route available, need not worry anymore as we are here to help you out.

Here weve mentioned how to reach Trimbakeshwar and Bhimashankar from Mumbai.

To Triambakeshwa From Mumbai

By Cab or Bus

Around 190 km away from Mumbai, one of the best and most convenient ways to reach Trimbakeshwar in Nashik is via a cab or your personal vehicle, taking approximately. 3.5 to 4 hours.

Else, you can also book a private or government bus to travel from Mumbai to Nashik.

By Train and Road

There are several trains running every day between Mumbai and Nashik. Check for the train timings on the internet or at the railway station.

After reaching Nashik, hire a taxi or take a local bus to Trimbakeshwar. The journey from Nashik to Trimbakeshwar takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour by road.

To Bhimashaknar From Mumbai

By Cab or Bus

Located around 200 km from Mumbai, the easiest way to reach Bhimashankar is via a private cab or personal car. It would take around 5 hours to reach your destination.

By Public Transport

Start by taking a train from Mumbai to Shelu, with many trains running on the route every day.

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From Shelu, you can find taxis or local buses to Bhimashankar. However, the bus journey will involve several stops and transfers.

Several tour providers offer packages that incorporate both destinations. You can book a private cab and instruct the driver to include Trimbakeshwar and Bhimashankar on your schedule.

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:41 IST

News mumbai-news Lord Shivas Monday: How To Reach Trimbakeshwar And Bhimashankar From Mumbai

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News / National

by Staff reporter

Stakeholders have urged the Government to install weighbridges on all major highways and promote rail transport to prevent rapid deterioration of the countryas roads. The call was made during a Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRI) indaba in Bulawayo last Thursday, which brought together policymakers, industry experts, and development practitioners.Development finance expert Zibusiso Mkhwananzi highlighted the ongoing rehabilitation of the BulawayoaVictoria Falls Highway, warning that without strict enforcement of weight limits, the road could quickly fall into disrepair. "We cannot continue to rebuild highways only to watch them destroyed by heavy trucks. The Government must enforce weight limits through fully functional weighbridges. This is about protecting our roads and saving lives," he said.Mkhwananzi also emphasised that overloaded trucks pose a major safety risk to commuters and called for a shift of bulk cargo to the under-utilised National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, echoed the sentiment, stressing that reviving NRZ is essential to reduce road pressure, create jobs, and strengthen the economy.Participants at the indaba urged policymakers to adopt measures that incentivise rail use and enforce strict penalties for overloaded vehicles, highlighting the importance of safeguarding transport infrastructure for commuter safety and national economic growth.
Maratha Quota Protest: Manoj Jarange Drinks Water After Hours Of Dry Fast

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 23:59 IST

Mumbai witnessed a massive protest on Monday. Demonstrators blocked roads, causing traffic congestion at several places.

Activist Manoj Jarange Patil during his indefinite hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai. (PTI photo)

Hours after activist Manoj Jarange gave up on water, he reportedly took a sip of water on Monday, taking a brief halt from the ongoing protest over Maratha reservation.

Jarange, who has been on hunger strike for the last four days, has been demanding a 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

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Earlier in the day, a team of doctors conducted a detailed medical check-up of Jarange.

Jarange has been on a hunger strike for several days now, and Mondays waterless fast had worsened his condition. We carried out mandatory checks to ensure there are no immediate risks. Blood samples have been taken for CBC, sugar levels, and kidney functioning indicators. We are awaiting results," Dr Chandanwale was quoted as saying by Mid Day.

Protest Throws Life Out Of Gear In Mumbai

Protesters brought life to sandhill in Mumbai on Monday after they created chaos across the city. Train operations were affected as a crowd of protesters gathered at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

Local train delays caused significant inconvenience to office-goers, while traffic heading towards Mahapalika Marg, JJ Marg, and DN Road remained heavily congested.

A BEST official stated that, due to the Maratha quota agitation at Azad Maidan, the Mumbai Traffic Police closed JJ Bridge to heavy vehicles from 9:30 am.

Manoj Jarange Slams Government

Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday claimed that the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadavis was deliberately delaying a decision on the issue.

It is so easy to take a decision (on providing quota to Marathas). The government has to just say it is implementing Hyderabad, Satara and other gazetteers and declare all Marathas in Marathwada as Kunbis. The distribution of such certificates can be done by district collectors and tehsildars," Jarange claimed.

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About the Author Anushka Vats Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 23:46 IST

News mumbai-news Maratha Quota Protest: Manoj Jarange Drinks Water After Hours Of Dry Fast

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Maratha Quota Stir Day 4: Protesters Disrupt Traffic In South Mumbai, Manoj Jarange Gives Up Water

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:42 IST

Despite heavy police deployment, protesters were seen ignoring security instructions. Some groups attempted to enter Bombay Stock Exchange premises, but were stopped at the gates.

Navi Mumbai: Vehicles stuck in traffic jam on the Sion - Panvel Highway during the Monsoon season, in Navi Mumbai, Monday, (PTI)

Traffic in south Mumbai was thrown out of gear on Monday as the Maratha quota agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange entered its fourth day at Azad Maidan. Jarange, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike, escalated his protest by giving up water, with doctors from JJ Hospital checking his blood pressure and sugar levels during the day.

Hundreds of supporters from the Maratha community gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and surrounding areas, raising slogans, dancing, and blocking roads. The heavy turnout caused congestion on arterial routes such as DN Road, JJ Marg and Mahapalika Marg, while commuters at CSMT railway station faced overcrowding on platforms. Office-goers reported delays as some agitators attempted to stop vehicles, including BEST buses.

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Police diverted traffic heading towards CSMT, while the BEST undertaking suspended or rerouted buses. The JJ Bridge was also closed for heavy vehicles from 9.30 am. All BEST buses on routes approaching or passing through CSMT have been diverted or temporarily suspended," a spokesperson said.

Despite heavy police deployment, protesters were seen ignoring security instructions. Some groups attempted to enter the Bombay Stock Exchange premises, but were stopped at the gates. They instead staged a demonstration outside, chanting slogans such as Ek Maratha Lakh Maratha" and Aarakshan Aamcha Hakka Che" (Reservation is our right). Protests were also staged near the BMC headquarters and other key points in the city.

With the agitation showing no signs of easing, Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the state government was working towards a solution that will stand in the court of law." Jarange, however, has reaffirmed that he will not withdraw until his demand for a 10 per cent quota under the OBC category is fulfilled.

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Police had already cautioned motorists on Sunday about likely disruptions. Azad Maidan: Expect slow traffic and occasional disruption tomorrow morning while commuting towards south Mumbai due to ongoing agitation," the Mumbai Traffic Police had posted on its social media handle. On Monday, traffic on the Eastern Freeway and other roads leading to south Mumbai moved slowly, but did not come to a complete standstill as witnessed last week.

Additional police forces remain deployed in and around Azad Maidan, with multiple barricades erected on roads leading into south Mumbai to contain the situation.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:42 IST

News mumbai-news Maratha Quota Stir Day 4: Protesters Disrupt Traffic In South Mumbai, Manoj Jarange Gives Up Water

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'Clear Mumbai Roads By Sept 2, 4 PM': HC Cracks Down On Manoj Jarange Patil's Maratha Quota Stir

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 22:37 IST

Jarange has been on an indefinite hunger strike in south Mumbai since August 29, seeking a 10 per cent quota for the Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.

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Activist Manoj Jarange Patil during his indefinite hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai. (PTI photo)

In a significant development, the Bombay High Court on Monday said that Manoj Jarange Patils protest over providing reservation to all Marathas had violated all conditions and brought the entire city of Mumbai to a standstill. It ordered authorities to clear all other roads in Mumbai by tomorrow.

The High Court ordered authorities to clear other roads occupied by protesters by 4 pm on Tuesday, stating that the agitation should be held only at Azad Maidan and not elsewhere. It also instructed authorities to stop other protesters who are coming to Mumbai and stop them at the borders.

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No Permission Was Granted

During a special hearing on a petition challenging the ongoing agitation, a bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad stated that Jarange had not been granted permission for an indefinite hunger strike  rather the approval was given for just one day. The court also observed that permission was given to only 5,000 people, but more people gathered outside Azad Maidan to join Jaranges Maratha quota protest. The HC has sought a response from the Maharashtra government on the steps taken to address the issue, and the matter will be heard tomorrow at 3 pm.

Jarange has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai since August 29, seeking a 10 per cent quota for the Marathas under the Other Backwards Class (OBC) category. Thousands have gathered in the city in support of the activist, crowding at major junctions in the business district.

Heavy Traffic Jams In Mumbai

As the protest entered its fourth day on Monday, the heavy turnout caused congestion on arterial routes such as DN Road, JJ Marg and Mahapalika Marg, while commuters at CSMT railway station faced overcrowding on platforms. Office-goers reported delays as some agitators attempted to stop vehicles, including BEST buses.

Despite heavy police deployment, protesters were seen ignoring security instructions. Some groups attempted to enter the Bombay Stock Exchange premises, but were stopped at the gates. Police diverted traffic heading towards CSMT, while the BEST undertaking suspended or rerouted buses.

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On August 26, the high court stated that public places cannot be occupied for an indefinite period, and protests can only be held after permission from the concerned authorities. However, the authorities granted Jarange permission to hold the protest at Azad Maidan for a day, which was later extended by one more day.

(with inputs from PTI)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 15:49 IST

News mumbai-news 'Clear Mumbai Roads By Sept 2, 4 PM': HC Cracks Down On Manoj Jarange Patil's Maratha Quota Stir

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Mayhem: Mumbaikars Unhappy With Maratha Protest Led By Manoj Jarange Patil

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:31 IST

The repeated incidents have left Mumbaikars unsettled, with many questioning whether the movement has crossed into intimidation and street violence.

People from across Maharashtra arrived to join activist Manoj Jarange-led Maratha reservation agitation sleep on a platform at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), in Mumbai

Mumbai witnessed another day of chaos on Monday as the Maratha quota protests, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, entered their fourth day. What began as a political agitation spiralled into disruption, harassment, and fear on the citys streets, drawing sharp reactions from citizens and public figures alike.

Author and columnist Shobhaa De called the situation distressing" in a video message, saying she had been monitoring the mayhem" closely. She said staff members struggled for hours to reach work, schools were forced to shut, buses were rerouted, and children were left terrorised after protestors surrounded their vehicles.

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They are terrorising women in cars, thumping on them and asking them to get out. They are drunk, dancing on streets, playing loud music  this is not a protest, its nuisance," she said, warning that Mumbais work ethic and daily life were being trampled.

On social media, outrage poured in over the behaviour of protestors. Twitter user Indrani (@Anti_Congressi) posted, Under the guise of Manoj Jaranges so-called Maratha reservation protest, hooliganism has taken centerstage. Journalists are being attacked, women reporters harassed. This is not a movement, this is pure anarchy." She demanded strict punishment for those responsible for the lawlessness.

Under the guise of Manoj Jaranges so called Maratha reservation protesthooliganism has taken center stage. Journalists are being attackedwomen reporters are facing shameful harassment this is not a movement this is pure anarchy. Democracy cannot and must not be mocked in this pic.twitter.com/ohzARreiHa  Indrani  (@Anti_Congressi) September 1, 2025

Adding to the public anger, actress Sumona Chakravarti shared her own harrowing experience on Instagram. She said her car was mobbed in broad daylight while she was driving from Colaba. Protestors allegedly banged on her bonnet and windows, shouting Jai Maharashtra" and laughing. There was no police, no protection. I felt unsafe in my own city," she wrote, slamming the breakdown of law and order.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sumona Chakravarti (@sumonachakravarti)

The repeated incidents have left Mumbaikars unsettled, with many questioning whether the movement has crossed into intimidation and street violence. With schools, shops, and businesses shut, citizens say their right to work and live safely is being threatened. As De summed it up, This cannot be tolerated. This is Mumbai  we want our lives back."

Maratha Protests Disrupt Traffic

With Maratha quota protesters led by Manoj Jarange Patil occupying Azad Maidan and other parts of south Mumbai, police have warned commuters of traffic disruptions on Monday morning.

Azad Maidan: Expect slow traffic and occasional disruption tomorrow morning while commuting towards south Mumbai due to ongoing agitation. Keep following directions given at traffic junctions to minimise inconvenience," the Mumbai Traffic Police posted on X.

Expect slow traffic and occasional disruption tomorrow morning while commuting towards south Mumbai due to ongoing agitation. Keep following directions given at traffic junctions to minimise inconvenience.#MTPTrafficUpdate Mumbai Traffic Police (@MTPHereToHelp) August 31, 2025

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The advisory came as Jarange announced that he would intensify his protest, declaring he would stop drinking water from the fourth day of his hunger strike and was ready to brave bullets" in pursuit of OBC quota for the Maratha community. He has demanded that the state government issue a Government Resolution (GR) recognising Marathas under the OBC category based on existing records.

On Sunday, the Maharashtra government said it would seek legal opinion on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer to extend Kunbi status, an OBC caste category, to Marathas.

About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 10:31 IST

News mumbai-news Mayhem: Mumbaikars Unhappy With Maratha Protest Led By Manoj Jarange Patil

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Much Needed: Shobhaa De On HCs Clear Roads Order For Maratha Quota Protesters

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:22 IST

Shobhaa De praised Bombay High Court for ordering Mumbai roads cleared after Manoj Jarange Patils Maratha protest caused chaos, congestion, and disruption.

Renowned author and columnist Shobhaa De. (File)

Renowned author and columnist Shobhaa De praised the Bombay High Courts order of clearing all the roads in Mumbai, which have been choked by Manoj Jarange Patils ongoing Maratha protest, saying it was much needed and important for the Mumbaikars.

While speaking to CNN-News18, the author said, First of all, congratulations to the High Court  this was much needed and truly important."

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She further slammed the protestors, who were harassing the people and disrupting the normal life of Mumbaikars in the name of protests, saying, They shouldnt be guided by their bosses. They are creating chaos."

Can you bully the city like thator any other city," De asked.

Earlier today, the columnist shared a video message on her social media platform, calling the situation distressing."

She said that staff members struggled for hours to reach work, schools were forced to shut, buses were rerouted, and children were left terrorised after protestors surrounded their vehicles.

They are terrorising women in cars, thumping on them and asking them to get out. They are drunk, dancing on streets, playing loud music  this is not a protest, its nuisance," she said, warning that Mumbais work ethic and daily life were being trampled.

Shobhaa Des remarks came just after the Bombay High Court said that Manoj Jarange Patils protest over providing reservation to all Marathas had violated all conditions and brought the entire city of Mumbai to a standstill. It ordered authorities to clear all other roads in Mumbai by tomorrow.

The High Court ordered authorities to clear other roads occupied by protesters by 4 pm on Tuesday, stating that the agitation should be held only at Azad Maidan and not elsewhere. It also instructed authorities to stop other protesters coming to Mumbai and halt them at the borders.

The court also noted that that Jarange was granted permission for an indefinite hunger strike  rather the approval was given for just one day.

The court also observed that permission was given to only 5,000 people, but more people gathered outside Azad Maidan to join the protest. The court has sought a response from the Maharashtra government on the steps taken to address the issue, and the matter will be heard tomorrow at 3 pm.

Jarange has been staging a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday, demanding a 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

He stopped drinking water from Monday, his supporters claimed.

As the protest entered its fourth day on Monday, the heavy turnout caused congestion on arterial routes such as DN Road, JJ Marg and Mahapalika Marg, while commuters at CSMT railway station faced overcrowding on platforms. Office-goers reported delays as some agitators attempted to stop vehicles, including BEST buses.

Police diverted traffic heading towards CSMT, while the BEST undertaking suspended or rerouted buses. The JJ Bridge was also closed for heavy vehicles from 9.30 am. All BEST buses on routes approaching or passing through CSMT have been diverted or temporarily suspended," a spokesperson said.

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Despite heavy police deployment, protesters were seen ignoring security instructions.

With the agitation showing no signs of easing, Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the state government was working towards a solution that will stand in the court of law." Jarange, however, has reaffirmed that he will not withdraw until his demand for a 10 per cent quota under the OBC category is fulfilled.

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:22 IST

News mumbai-news Much Needed: Shobhaa De On HCs Clear Roads Order For Maratha Quota Protesters

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At UWA, Indian Students Promise The Perfect Blend Of Culture, Faith & Innovation

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 16:05 IST

Apart from Sikh Society, the campus hosts Indian societies such as Sanskriti (for Indian international students), Hindu Yuva (Hindu Students Society) & Tamil Cultural Society

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This year, the UWA Sikh Society organised a Langar (free community meal), which saw large participation and became a huge success. (News18)

Indian students at the University of Western Australia (UWA) are creating vibrant communities on campus by forming cultural and faith-based clubs that provide a sense of belonging far from home.

Meet Mehardeep Kaur, a student from Delhi pursuing a combined Bachelor and Master of Economics, who has been living at University Hall since 2023. She recently founded the UWA Sikh Societythe first such society in Western Australia. This year, the society organised a Langar (free community meal), which saw large participation and became a huge success.

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Speaking to News18, Mehardeep said: In 2023, we were looking for ways to connect and discuss our culture and faith. Thats when we decided to form the Sikh Society. We now have over 20 people on our committee, with many more attending our events. We welcome all studentsregardless of backgroundto join us through conversations, food, and activities. Even our committee includes both Sikh and non-Sikh members. UWA clubs are very inclusive, and everyone contributes ideas for events."

The campus also hosts other Indian societies such as Sanskriti (for Indian international students), Hindu Yuva (Hindu Students Society), and the Tamil Cultural Society (TCS).

Australia remains one of the top destinations for Indian students, with India being the second-largest source country for international enrolments in 2024. Students are drawn by world-class universities, liberal post-study work opportunities, and a strong economy with openings in fields such as business and healthcare. The Australian government has also reinforced its commitment to welcoming Indian students through robust quality assurance standards in education.

The Langar initiative this year has become a highlight of cultural activities at UWA. A student told News18: Its very important to practice our faith and culture wherever we are. Our university supports these activities and even provides funding when convinced. Seniors here also mentor juniors, ensuring they feel at home and are well-placed."

Shiva Ram Velur Selvalumar, a biotechnology student from Chennai, echoed the sentiment: A year ago, I was completely new and knew nothing. Now things are different because seniors take care of newcomers. Here, seniors become guides for juniors, and together we enjoy and grow."

While Indian student societies nurture faith and cultural identity, UWA also offers Ventureits innovation hub that builds entrepreneurial skills. Through Venture, students pitch their ideas to industry experts, often securing funding or job opportunities.

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Experts say this combination of holistic developmentwhere cultural exchange meets innovationis making UWA an increasingly attractive destination for Indian students.

UWA is set to make a historic move by establishing campuses in India by 2026. Approved under the University Grants Commissions (UGC) new framework for foreign universities, UWA will open its first branch campuses in Chennai and Mumbai, making it one of the earliest globally ranked universities to invest in Indias higher education sector.

About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and womens issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More

Location : Australia

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:05 IST

News education-career At UWA, Indian Students Promise The Perfect Blend Of Culture, Faith & Innovation

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SBI PO Result 2025 Soon: How To Check Probationary Officer Prelims Results At sbi.co.in?

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 11:28 IST

SBI PO Result 2025 is expected to be released soon at sbi.co.in. Candidates can check their scorecards using roll number, registration details, and date of birth.

SBI PO Prelims Result 2025 will be announced soon at sbi.co.in; check scorecard, cut-off, and next steps in the recruitment process.

SBI PO Prelims Result 2025: The State Bank of India (SBI) is likely to declare the SBI Probationary Officer (PO) prelims result 2025 soon on its official website  sbi.co.in. Once announced, candidates will be able to check and download their scorecards by entering their registration/roll number, date of birth, and captcha code.

The SBI PO recruitment 2025 is being conducted in three phases  preliminary exam, mains exam, and interview round. Candidates who clear all stages will be appointed as probationary officers across different SBI branches.

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Steps To Check SBI PO Prelims Result 2025

Step 1: Visit the official website  sbi.co.in.

Step 2: Click on the SBI PO Prelims Result 2025 link on the homepage.

Step 3: Enter registration/roll number, date of birth, and captcha.

Step 4: Submit the details to view the result.

Step 5: Download the scorecard and take a printout for future reference.

Details On Scorecard

The SBI PO prelims 2025 scorecard will mention the following:

Candidates name

Roll number & registration number

Category

Marks scored in each section

Cut-off score

Qualification status

IBPS PO Selection Process

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) recruits probationary officers for participating public sector banks through a three-stage process:

Preliminary Exam  Computer-based test assessing reasoning, quantitative aptitude, and English. Mains Exam  Includes objective tests on reasoning, data analysis, general awareness, English, and descriptive writing. Interview  Conducted by participating banks for shortlisted candidates.

Final selection in both SBI PO and IBPS PO is based on performance in the mains exam and interview.

ALSO READ: WBJEE Counselling 2025: Registration, Choice Filling Ends Today At wbjeeb.nic.in; How To Apply

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Salary And Benefits

According to SBI, the basic pay for a probationary officer is Rs 48,480 per month. Along with the salary, selected candidates receive several perks and allowances including house rent allowance (HRA), dearness allowance (DA), and travel allowance (TA).

About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 11:28 IST

News education-career SBI PO Result 2025 Soon: How To Check Probationary Officer Prelims Results At sbi.co.in?

Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
School Holiday On Sep 1: Schools Closed In Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu & Punjab Amid Heavy Rains

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 08:24 IST

School Holidays News: Schools in Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu and Punjab will remain closed on September 1 due to heavy rain.

Schools closed in Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu and Punjab on September 1 due to heavy rains.

Several states have announced school holidays for September 1, 2025 (Monday), following heavy rainfall alerts and continuous downpours. Authorities have ordered the closure of schools and colleges in multiple regions to ensure the safety of students and staff. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings of intense showers, prompting precautionary measures by state administrations.

Uttarakhand Declares Holiday

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The Uttarakhand government has declared a one-day holiday on September 1, 2025 (Monday), for all government, semi-government, and private schools from Classes 1 to 12, as well as Anganwadi centres, in several districts due to the IMDs heavy rainfall warning.

The holiday has been announced in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri, and Almora districts. District administrations have instructed all educational institutions to remain closed, prioritising the safety of students and staff.

School Holiday In Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is also witnessing the impact of bad weather and heavy rains. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall on September 1. In view of this, a holiday has been declared in all educational institutions on Monday in Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, and the Banjar, Kullu, and Manali sub-divisions of Kullu district.

Jammu Schools And Colleges To Remain Shut

Schools and colleges will remain closed in Jammu today, September 1, due to heavy rains. Due to continuous rains, landslides and flood alerts have been issued in the area. To ensure the safety of students and staff, all government as well as private schools in the Jammu region will remain closed today.

Due to incessant rains and landslides in hilly areas, all government & private schools across Jammu Division will remain closed on 01-09-2025 (Monday) to ensure the safety of students and staff," an official notification stated.

Last week as well, schools and colleges were closed. In view of continuous rains, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has postponed the private bi-annual exams for Class 10 and Class 11 Part 1. The exams were earlier scheduled to be conducted on August 27, 2025. Revised dates are yet to be announced by JKBOSE.

ALSO READ: DU Student Sends Assignment At 3:49 AM, Professor Says No Need To Sacrifice Sleep

Punjab Extends Holidays Till September 3

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The Punjab government has extended school holidays by three more days. Earlier, the schools were closed from August 27 to August 30. Now, the schools will remain closed till September 3.

In a post on X, Education Minister Punjab Harjot Singh Bains declared a holiday in all government/aided/recognized and private schools in the state till September 3.

About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 08:18 IST

News education-career School Holiday On Sep 1: Schools Closed In Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu & Punjab Amid Heavy Rains

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Bihar Elections 2025: Meet The Top 5 Richest MLAs Who Defy The Poorest State Tag

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:43 IST

In the 2020 Bihar elections, winning candidates had average assets of Rs 4.32 crore, with 61 MLAs declaring wealth exceeding Rs 5 crore each

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Anant Kumar Singh, elected from Mokama on RJD ticket, topped the list with assets worth Rs 68.56 crore. (News18 Hindi)

Bihar, historically one of Indias most impoverished and underdeveloped states, is witnessing a notable rise in wealthy legislators despite ongoing issues such as poverty, unemployment and migration dominating election debates.

194 Millionaire MLAs In 2020 Bihar Elections

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Data from the Election Commission reveals that in the 2020 assembly elections, a remarkable 194 out of 243 winning candidates (approximately 81%) were millionaires. This marks a significant increase from 2015, when 67% of elected MLAs were millionaires, representing a 14% rise over the five-year period.

The average assets of these successful candidates in 2020 were estimated at Rs 4.32 crore, with 61 MLAs possessing assets exceeding Rs 5 crore. This trend underscores the growing financial wealth among Bihars legislators.

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Meet The Top 5 Richest Legislators In Bihar

Anant Kumar Singh: Among the wealthiest MLAs, Anant Kumar Singh, elected from Mokama on a Rashtriya Janata Dal ticket, topped the list with assets worth Rs 68.56 crore. However, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Arms Act by the Patna MP-MLA Court on June 21, 2022, resulting in the loss of his MLA status. Consequently, his seat became vacant, and his wife, Neelam Devi, won the Mokama seat in the by-election on November 3, 2022.

Among the wealthiest MLAs, Anant Kumar Singh, elected from Mokama on a Rashtriya Janata Dal ticket, topped the list with assets worth Rs 68.56 crore. However, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Arms Act by the Patna MP-MLA Court on June 21, 2022, resulting in the loss of his MLA status. Consequently, his seat became vacant, and his wife, Neelam Devi, won the Mokama seat in the by-election on November 3, 2022. Ajit Sharma: Other notable wealthy MLAs include Ajit Sharma from Bhagalpur (Congress), who owns Rs 43 crore in assets.

Other notable wealthy MLAs include Ajit Sharma from Bhagalpur (Congress), who owns Rs 43 crore in assets. Vibha Devi: Vibha Devi, RJD MLA from Nawada, has declared assets worth Rs 29 crore.

Vibha Devi, RJD MLA from Nawada, has declared assets worth Rs 29 crore. Sameer Kumar Mahaseth: Sameer Kumar Mahaseth, RJD MLA from Madhubani, has declared assets worth Rs 24 crore.

Sameer Kumar Mahaseth, RJD MLA from Madhubani, has declared assets worth Rs 24 crore. Ashok Kumar Choudhary: Ashok Kumar Choudhary, RJD MLA from Sakra, has declared assets worth Rs 22 crore.

Location : Bihar, India, India

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:43 IST

News elections Bihar Elections 2025: Meet The Top 5 Richest MLAs Who Defy The Poorest State Tag

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As SCO Summit Ends, A Closer Look At India-China-Russia Military Strength

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:54 IST

The SCO, a Eurasian security and political alliance, holds immense significancecovering 80% of the worlds landmass, 40% of its population, and vast energy reserves

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit, in China. (Image: X/@narendramodi)

China hosted the two-day 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in its historic port city of Tianjin on August 31 and September 1. The gathering brought together leaders from across the bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The summit came at a sensitive time for India, which is carefully balancing ties with the United States. Donald Trumps repeated claims of mediating peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, along with US tariffs and accusations that India is fuelling the Moscow-Kyiv conflict through its oil purchases, have put bilateral relations under strain.

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On the sidelines, Modi was seen sharing light moments with Xi and Putin. On the first day, he held bilateral talks with Xi Jinping, where both leaders stressed the importance of recalibrating ties. On the second day, Modi met Putin, voicing hope for a quick and constructive resolution to the Ukraine war.

The SCO, a Eurasian security and political alliance, holds immense significancecovering 80% of the worlds landmass, 40% of its population, and vast energy reserves. With India, China, and Russia as key membersthree of the worlds four nuclear-armed powers and major economiestheir military and strategic weight adds another critical dimension to the grouping.

Russias Military Capabilities

Ranked second in the 2025 Global Firepower Index, Russias military remains formidable, rooted in Soviet legacy and geared toward Eurasian security, deterring NATO, and projecting influence globally. The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to test its readiness and resources.

Military Expenditure

Russia spent $149 billion on defence in 2024a massive 38% rise from 2023driven by the Ukraine war. This equals 7.1% of GDP and 5.5% of global spending, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Budget revisions hint at even higher actual costs.

Manpower

Russias 141 million people support 3.57 million defence personnel: 1.32 million active troops, 2 million reservists, and 250,000 paramilitary members, as per the Global Firepower Index

(GFP) 2025. The deep reserve pool enables long-term warfare, as seen in Ukraine.

Land Forces

Russias ground forces remain artillery-heavy, with 5,750 tanks (including T-90 and T-14 Armata), 131,527 armoured vehicles, 5,168 self-propelled artillery units, 8,505 towed artillery pieces, and 3,005 MLRSover 13,673 artillery systems in total (GFP 2025). Around 70% are combat-ready, consistent with its attritional war doctrine.

Air Forces

The Russian Aerospace Forces operate about 4,200 aircraft: 800 fighters (Su-57 stealth, Su-35), 700 attack aircraft, 400 transports, and 1,500 helicopters, including 500 attack helicopters. Russia is ramping up drones and fielding hypersonic weapons like the Kinzhal.

Naval Forces

Russias navy has 419 assets: one carrier, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates, 83 corvettes, 63 submarines, and 123 patrol vessels, totaling 1,260,447 tonnes (GFP 2025). Its nuclear-powered Borei-class SSBNs anchor its strategic deterrence.

Nuclear Capabilities

Russia possesses the worlds largest nuclear stockpile: 5,459 warheads, with 1,718 deployed (1,550 strategic, 2,000 tactical), per SIPRI 2025. Modernisation programs, including the Avangard hypersonic system, strengthen its deterrent.

Chinas Military Capabilities

China ranks third in the 2025 Global Firepower Index, commanding the worlds largest active military and navy by hull count. Its strategy emphasises Asia-Pacific dominance, countering U.S. power, and expanding global influence through technology and modernisation.

Military Expenditure

Chinas defence budget for 2024 hit $314 billiona 7% rise from 2023. This accounts for 1.7% of GDP and 12% of global spending (SIPRI). Key priorities include naval expansion, advanced aircraft, and nuclear growth.

Manpower

With 1.42 billion people, China fields about 3.17 million defence personnel: 2.04 million active troops, 510,000 reservists, and 625,000 paramilitary forces (GFP 2025). Its large active force ensures rapid mobilisation for regional crises.

Land Forces

China operates 6,800 tanks (like the Type 99), 144,017 armoured vehicles, 3,490 self-propelled artillery units, 1,000 towed artillery pieces, and 2,750 MLRS, with an 80% readiness rate (GFP 2025). These assets are primed for rapid deployment, especially along borders and potential flashpoints like Taiwan.

Air Forces

The PLA Air Force flies around 3,300 aircraft: 1,200 fighters (including J-20 stealth jets), 400 attack aircraft, 280 transports, and 900 helicopters, of which 300 are attack helicopters. China leads globally in drone exports and unmanned system innovation.

Naval Forces

Chinas navy, the largest by hull count, fields 754 assets: three carriers, 50 destroyers, 47 frigates, 72 corvettes, 61 submarines, and 150 patrol vessels, totalling 2,857,143 tonnes (GFP 2025). Its anti-access/area-denial strategy in the South China Sea aims to control vital trade routes.

Nuclear Capabilities

China holds about 600 nuclear warheads, with only 24 deployed (SIPRI 2025). Expansion is rapid, with 350 new ICBM silos and a projected stockpile of 1,000+ warheads by 2030. Its nuclear triad includes DF-41 ICBMs and JL-3 submarine-launched missiles.

Indias Military Capabilities

India ranks fourth in the 2025 Global Firepower Index, which evaluates more than 60 factors such as manpower, equipment, and resources. Its defence strategy is shaped by the need to counter threats from Pakistan and China, secure its borders, and project influence in the Indian Ocean. India fields a large conventional force, a growing nuclear triad, and is driving hard toward self-reliance in defence production.

Military Expenditure

In 2024, India spent $86.1 billion on defencea 1.6% rise from 2023. This equals 2.3% of GDP and 3.2% of global defence spending, according to SIPRI. Around 75% of capital expenditure is funnelled into domestic procurement, supporting systems like the Tejas fighter jet and Arjun tank, reducing dependence on imports.

Manpower

With a population of 1.41 billion, India sustains over 5.14 million defence personnel. That includes 1.46 million active troops, 1.16 million reservists, and 2.53 million paramilitary forces (GFP 2025). Paramilitary units such as the Central Reserve Police Force bolster internal security and guard sensitive zones like the Line of Actual Control with China.

Land Forces

India fields 4,201 tanks (notably the T-90 Bhishma), 148,594 armoured vehicles, 100 self-propelled artillery units (such as the K9 Vajra), 3,975 towed artillery pieces, and 264 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), including the Pinaka. GFP 2025 estimates put their readiness at about 75%, with deployment tailored for high-altitude and varied terrains.

Air Forces

The Indian Air Force controls roughly 2,300 aircraft: 600 fighters (Rafale, Su-30 MKI, and indigenous Tejas), 200 attack aircraft, 250 transports, and 800 helicopters, including 20 attack helicopters. Investments in drones are rising, and the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) stealth fighter is targeted for induction in the 2030s.

Naval Forces

The Indian Navy has 293 assets, including two carriers (INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant), 13 destroyers, 14 frigates, 18 corvettes, 18 submarines, and 135 patrol vessels, with a combined tonnage of 593,603 tonnes (GFP 2025). India plans a three-carrier fleet by 2035 to secure Indian Ocean routes and extend blue-water reach.

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Nuclear Capabilities

India holds an estimated 180 nuclear warheads, stored but not deployed. Its developing triad spans land-based Agni-V missiles, air-delivered bombs, and Arihant-class ballistic missile submarines. SIPRIs 2025 data notes the Agni-V MIRV test as a significant step in strengthening deterrence, particularly against China.

About the Author Surbhi Pathak Surbhi Pathak, subeditor, writes on India, world affairs, science, and education. She is currently dabbling with lifestyle content. Follow her on X: @S_Pathak_11.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:54 IST

News explainers As SCO Summit Ends, A Closer Look At India-China-Russia Military Strength

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News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

Motorists across the country benefited from promotions rolled out by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) during the recently concluded Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.As part of the initiative, motorists with outstanding arrears received a 50 percent discount on penalties, while senior citizens had their penalties completely waived - allowing elderly drivers to regularize their vehicle licenses at no cost.Bulawayo24.com visited ZINARA's Harare Central branch, where long queues were observed. Despite the high turnout, service was swift and efficient, thanks to the alert and responsive ZINARA officers.Takudzwa Gumbungwe, a motorist assisted at the Harare Central branch, praised the team's dedication."We were thrilled to receive such discounts. As expected, long queues formed, but we had no complaints. The ZINARA Central branch really came to our rescue," Gumbungwe said.Senior citizen Grace Gombera also expressed gratitude, noting that her arrears were cleared."I had outstanding fees for my fleet of cars, and they were all cleared thanks to the Harare Central branch. It was definitely busy this year," Gombera added.In a statement, ZINARA said the promotions were designed to encourage compliance with licensing regulations. The initiative also responds to widespread concerns from the motoring public, many of whom have accumulated significant arrears over the years due to financial challenges.
Bihar SIR: Deadline Ends Today, But BLAs Are Not Filing Claims And Objections; Here's Why

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:01 IST

As emphasised by the ECI in courts and in its statements that the BLAs should file claims and objections, only 128 such requests have reached the poll body as of Sunday.

Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are the smallest but most crucial ground workers for political parties. (File photo)

From the Election Commission of India to Supreme Court, all have, time and again, asked the Booth Level Agents (BLA) to participate in Bihars ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by filing claims and objections to highlight issues in the draft electoral roll. On the other hand, parties have said that they have been raising the issues that are not acknowledged by the ECI. So, where exactly are things going wrong? To understand the issue, heres a breakdown of who BLAs are and what are their roles.

Who are BLAs?

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They are the smallest but most crucial ground workers for political parties. Usually men, they act as the direct link between voters and parties, ensuring that every name on the electoral roll is verified.

Speaking to News18, a poll body official said that unlike the big leaders, these BLAs are considered the most cooperative individuals in the party.

We dont see BLAs making much noise as they are mostly rule-following and understanding individuals who actually know how the ECI functions, unlike big leaders who make statements just to get attention," they said, demanding anonymity.

What do they do?

Appointed by recognised parties, BLAs dont interfere with the registration process handled by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Their job is to cross-check BLOs work, flag discrepancies, and ensure transparency in additions or deletions from the draft and final rolls.

So, in simple words, to cross check what the BLOs are doing and if all rules are followed, parties have a BLA for booths they wish to monitor.

Bihar has 1.60 lakh BLAs from 12 major parties in the state.

Also Read: How Easy Is It To Add, Delete Names In Electoral Rolls? Explaining The Mammoth Exercise

128 Objections from 1.6 Lakh BLAs

As emphasised by the ECI in courts and in its statements that the BLAs should file claims and objections, only 128 such requests have reached the poll body as of Sunday. The window for claims and objections is closing on Monday.

Last week, the Supreme Court instructed the political parties to direct their agents to assist voters to file claims and objections in the draft rolls.

However, during the last few weeks, a number of opposition parties have said that the claims and objections they have raised were not acknowledged by the poll body. To which the ECI had said that these were not in the prescribed affidavit format".

The Rules and Prescribed Affidavit Format

For the BLAs to file claims and objections on their own they need to sign a declaration under Section 31 of Representation of the People Act,1950 (43 of 1950) that also has provisions of imprisonment.

The rule says that making a false or unverified declaration while filing claims and objections can attract imprisonment of up to a year or a fine under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

At the end of Form 6, 7 and 8, there is a line saying: I am aware that making the above statement or declaration in relation to this application which is false and which I know or believe to be false or do not believe to be true, is punishable under Section 31 of Representation of the People Act,1950 (43 of 1950) with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both."

So, until the BLA signs that declaration, the claims and objections will not be counted from a political party, the poll body official quoted above explained.

However, the request can still be considered if the voter  whose name needs to be added, deleted or updated  had signed the form. This will be counted as a request from the public directly," they said.

One Signature, One Year in Jail

So, with one signature, the criminal liability falls on the BLA if their objections are ruled false. Explaining this, a Congress BLA from Bhojpur told News18 that so far, there was no fear or pressure to sign the declaration and forms and objections were taken without the declaration.

There is a strange kind of pressure this time to file the declaration. It was not there earlier," they said, demanding anonymity.

On being asked if the rules are any different this time, they explained that there is no change in rule but only in the conduct of the officials.

The law makes every voter important. It is the ECIs duty to verify and add every voter. We are here just for help and act as an added layer to ensure everyone is registered. So far, we could just simply tell the poll officials that so and so individuals were left or were added incorrectly. The complaints were heard without any pressure of signing anywhere," they added.

Another Congress BLA from Sheikihpura added that they are scared that if found incorrect, they could be penalised.

We are very small and dont have much power. If sent to jail, who will look after our family? The rules are from ECI and they have to follow it. It is them who say each voter is important. So why do they need our signature? We are telling them about voters only and it is for them to cross check the information," they said.

Congress is among the parties who have not filed any claims and objections, as per the ECI.

The rules allow each BLA to file up to ten claims and objections per day during the claims and objections period  that is usually of 30 days.

As of Sunday, only ten claims for name addition were filed from Rashtriya Janata Dal while 15 such claims were filed by Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation. The CPIML has also filed 103 claims and objections for name deletion.

Earlier this month, CPIML Bihar State Secretary Kunal said the process for filing objections was never made effective or transparent by the Commission.

Despite several objections being raised by CPIML BLAs, these were dismissed by officials on the grounds that they were not in the specified format," he had said.

While left and state parties say their objections are ignored, the national parties appear even more reluctant to engage through BLAs. None of the BLAs from any national parties have filed any claims and objections, as per the ECI data. However, Congress has a different say in this.

Congress vs ECI: 89 Lakh Complaints Rejected

Even on Sunday, the issue surfaced yet again when Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that his party had submitted 89 lakh complaints to the ECI during SIR in Bihar but all rejected".

To this the poll body yet again said that the request needs to be in the prescribed affidavit format.

The District Congress Committee presidents in Bihar have written to District Election Officers in the past 12 days, demanding the deletion of names of around 89 lakh voters from the electoral rolls," the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in Hindi.

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The office of the CEO cited rules that say deletions can only happen through Form 7 or sworn affidavits submitted by BLAs/party agents.

BLAs  the partys smallest foot soldiers  are staying silent as the window for claims and objections closes on Monday. The deadline may be hours away, but the standoff between the opposition and the ECI over rules and formats is only set to intensify, with Bihars elections due in November.

About the Author Nivedita Singh Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She twe... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:01 IST

News explainers Bihar SIR: Deadline Ends Today, But BLAs Are Not Filing Claims And Objections; Here's Why

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Can India, China Revive The Promise Of Panchsheel? A Look At The Historic Doctrine

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:42 IST

Panchsheels core idea still matters: in a world of economic ties & tensions, India, China know conflict is costly. Today, it needs substance, not just symbolism, to stay relevant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting, in Tianjin, China, on August 31, 2025. (PMO via PTI Photo)

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, history casts a long shadow over the conversation. Seventy years ago, in 1954, India and China signed a landmark agreement that was supposed to define their relationship: the Panchsheel Agreement, officially called the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse Between the Tibet Region and India.

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It was more than just a trade pact. Its preamble introduced the now-famous Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistencemutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. Together, these principles were meant to usher in an era of cooperation between two newly independent Asian nations that had shaken off colonialism and aspired to chart their own course in a world dominated by Cold War rivalries.

Seven decades later, as border tensions, trade disputes, and geopolitical rivalries strain ties between India and China, the Panchsheel Agreement remains both a symbol of hope and a reminder of what went wrong.

Why Was Panchsheel Signed?

The early 1950s were a time of optimism. India had gained independence in 1947, while the Peoples Republic of China was established in 1949 after decades of turmoil. Both nations saw themselves as leaders of the post-colonial world, determined to resist alignment with either the US or the Soviet Union.

Yet, there was an underlying tension: Tibet. For centuries, Tibet had shared cultural and religious ties with India, while maintaining varying degrees of autonomy under Chinese suzerainty. After the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950, India inherited old trade routes, postal services, and military outposts in the region from the British. The question of Tibets statusand Indias presence thereneeded resolution.

The 1954 Agreement attempted to settle these issues. It acknowledged Chinese sovereignty over Tibet while securing Indias trade and pilgrimage rights in the region. The five principles enshrined in the pact were supposed to guide this relationship.

What Are The Five Principles Of Peaceful Coexistence?

The Panchsheel principles were simple yet ambitious:

Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity

Non-aggression

Non-interference in internal affairs

Equality and mutual benefit

Peaceful coexistence

At the time, these ideals resonated far beyond India and China. The Bandung Conference soon adopted them in 1955, shaping the Non-Aligned Movement and offering newly independent nations a diplomatic alternative to Cold War polarisation.

For India, the agreement symbolised trust-building with a powerful neighbour. For China, it marked its arrival on the global stage as a responsible state seeking peaceful cooperation rather than confrontation.

What The Agreement Contained?

Beyond the lofty principles, the agreement had practical aspects. It set out trade and pilgrimage routes between India and Tibet, allowed India to maintain trade agencies in Yatung, Gyantse, and Gartok, while China opened offices in New Delhi, Calcutta, and Kalimpong. These agencies were granted certain diplomatic privileges, reflecting the cooperative spirit of the time.

The agreement also established rules for the movement of people and goods, replacing colonial-era arrangements with a framework negotiated between two sovereign states.

For many, Panchsheel represented a new Asian solidaritya belief that ancient civilisations could lead the world towards peace rather than conflict.

From Hope To Disillusionment

The Panchsheel Agreement was signed for eight years, set to expire in 1962. At its signing, Indian leaders famously proclaimed that such principles would make war between India and China unthinkable.

But optimism soon gave way to reality. By the late 1950s, tensions began to rise over the precise alignment of the Himalayan border. India discovered in 1957 that China had secretly built a road through Aksai Chin, territory India claimed as its own.

The situation worsened when the Dalai Lama fled to India after the 1959 Tibetan uprising, seeking asylum. China viewed this as a violation of the principle of non-interference. By the time the agreement expired in June 1962, relations had soured dramatically. Four months later, the two countries went to war.

The conflict shattered the dream of Panchsheel. India felt betrayed; China accused India of harbouring hostile intentions. The Five Principles that had promised peaceful coexistence lay in ruins.

Legacy Beyond The Bilateral Relationship

Yet, Panchsheel did not vanish entirely. Despite the war, its principles influenced global diplomacy throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The Non-Aligned Movement embraced them as a foundation for relations among newly independent nations. Countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America invoked them to resist superpower dominance and assert sovereignty.

Even after 1962, India and China occasionally revived the language of Panchsheel to signal goodwill. When diplomatic relations began to thaw in the late 1980s, leaders on both sides spoke of returning to the spirit of 1954.

China has referred to Panchsheel in official statements, often linking it to its broader foreign policy concept of peaceful coexistence". India, too, acknowledges its historical significance, even as it recognises the limitations exposed by subsequent events.

Why Panchsheel Failed

The failure of the Panchsheel Agreement was rooted in its vagueness. It spoke of principles but avoided specifics on the most contentious issuethe border. Without a clear, mutually agreed boundary, calls for peaceful coexistence were bound to collide with conflicting territorial claims.

Moreover, the agreement lacked mechanisms for dispute resolution. When tensions escalated, there were no institutional frameworks to manage crises.

Finally, Panchsheel relied heavily on political trust between leaders. Once that trust eroded, the entire edifice collapsed. The 1962 war turned India toward a more cautious, security-oriented approach to China.

What Is Its Relevance In Todays Context?

Seventy years on, as Modi meets Xi, the Panchsheel Agreement looms large as both a lesson and a warning. The border remains disputed; military standoffs like Doklam in 2017 and Galwan in 2020 have deepened mistrust.

Yet, the basic idea behind Panchsheelthat peaceful coexistence is essential for two large neighboursremains relevant. In an era of economic interdependence and geopolitical competition, both countries recognise the costs of open conflict.

If invoked today, Panchsheel would need far more than symbolic value. It would require concrete measures: clear border agreements, crisis communication channels, and confidence-building mechanisms to prevent escalation.

What Lies Ahead?

The story of the Panchsheel Agreement is ultimately one of ambition colliding with reality. It began as a bold vision for Asian solidarity and peaceful coexistence. It faltered because principles alone could not overcome unresolved disputes and shifting geopolitics.

As India and China navigate a complex relationship marked by rivalry and cooperation, the spirit of Panchsheel offers a starting pointbut not a solution by itself. For that, both sides would need to pair lofty ideals with practical steps that address the mistakes of the past.

Seventy years later, the question remains: Can the promise of Panchsheel be revived, or will it remain a relic of a more hopeful time?

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About the Author Shilpy Bisht Shilpy Bisht, Deputy News Editor at News18, writes and edits national, world and business stories. She started off as a print journalist, and then transitioned to online, in her 12 years of experience... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 10:36 IST

News explainers Can India, China Revive The Promise Of Panchsheel? A Look At The Historic Doctrine

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Kerala Reports 2 More Deaths From Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, Toll Rises To 3

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:44 IST

The death toll from amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala has risen to three, with two more fatalities reported, including a three-month-old infant.

A view of a hospital in Kerala (Photo: PTI)

The death toll from amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection in Kerala, has increased to three, as two more deaths were reported from the state due to the brain fever on Monday.

The new deaths included a three-month-old infant, who passed away while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, news agency PTI quoted health officials as saying.

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The agency quoted an official as saying that the deceased infant was the son of Abubacker Siddique from Omassery in the Kozhikode district and had been receiving treatment at the hospital for the past month.

His condition worsened on Sunday, leading to his death in the ICU, the official said.

The other victim, Ramla (52) of Kappil in Malappuram district, developed symptoms on July 8. She was initially treated at a private hospital and later shifted to Kozhikode Medical College as her condition deteriorated.

According to health officials, eight other patients from Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Earlier, on August 14, a nine-year-old girl from Thamarassery had died at the hospital due to the same infection.

According to health officials, amoebic meningoencephalitis is primarily contracted through swimming or bathing in contaminated water. A total of 42 cases have been reported across Kerala this year.

Following the recurring cases, the Health Department has initiated chlorination of wells and water storage tanks in Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts.

Meanwhile, African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed at a pig farm in Hebbari village of Chintamani taluk, prompting authorities to cull 57 pigs as a preventive measure, PTI quoted sources in the Animal Husbandry Department as saying on Friday.

Laboratory tests confirmed the infection after around 100 pigs reportedly died at the farm since August 19.

Blood samples sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal tested positive for ASF, prompting immediate containment measures, sources told PTI.

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ALSO READ | Dengue, Malaria, Or Viral Fever? Key Differences And Prevention Tips

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:40 IST

News india Kerala Reports 2 More Deaths From Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, Toll Rises To 3

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Chhagan Bhujbal Opposes Quota For Marathas Amid Protests: 'OBCs Will Stage Protests'

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 21:25 IST

Bhujbal warned that lakhs from the OBC community will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed, amid protests by Manoj Jarange Patil.

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NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal

Maharashtra Minister and senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday said Marathas should not be accommodated in the quota for the Other Backward Classes, citing that only 17 per cent reservation is available for 374 communities in the state.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of OBC leaders, Bhujbal warned that lakhs from the OBC community will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.

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Activist Manoj Jarange has been on a hunger strike since August 29 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai seeking Kunbi status for Marathas, which would allow them to avail quota benefits as the Kunbis are part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The court has already termed the demand to categorise Marathas and Kunbis as one community as foolish. Out of the 27 per cent reservation meant for OBCs, 6 per cent is for the nomadic tribes, 2 per cent for the Gowari community and other small portions are earmarked for different groups. Only 17 per cent is left, and this too is shared among 374 communities," Bhujbal said.

Marathas should not be included in OBCs, I request with folded hands," he said.

Bhujbal, who has consistently opposed Jaranges demand, reiterated that such a move would be unjust to existing backward communities.

He claimed that the OBCs are already struggling to secure limited opportunities in government jobs and educational institutions, and any further dilution of their share would harm them.

The minister further said that he had met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier in the day to convey the concerns of OBC groups.

I have apprised the chief minister of the stand taken by various OBC organisations, and they have made it clear that they will not allow their rights to be compromised," he said.

He further warned that lakhs of OBCs will stage protests if the reservation meant for them is slashed.

We have no problem if Marathas get reservation without changing the OBC quota," he said.

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In recent months, Bhujbal has emerged as one of the strongest voices opposing Jaranges agitation, which has centred on the demand to recognise Marathas as Kunbis through documentary proof and historical gazetteers, thereby bringing them under the OBC fold.

He has argued that such reclassification is neither legally tenable nor socially fair.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 21:25 IST

News india Chhagan Bhujbal Opposes Quota For Marathas Amid Protests: 'OBCs Will Stage Protests'

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Ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar Shifts To Chautalas Farmhouse, Not Govt Home: Decoding The Unusual Move

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:49 IST

Despite having his own private residences in and around NCR, Jagdeep Dhankhar chose Chautalas farmhouse citing security considerations, News18 has learned

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Jagdeep Dhankhar was also given a reception at Chautala's bungalow. (PTI File)

In an unprecedented and unconventional move, former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday shifted to the farmhouse of INLD leader Abhay Chautala in Delhi, sidestepping the long-held tradition of former constitutional heads being allotted government accommodation.

Despite having his own private residences in and around NCR, Dhankhar chose Chautalas farmhouse citing security considerations, News18 has learned.

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Dhankhar was also given a reception at Chautalas bungalow. His new security team has already taken charge of the premises. A few of his team, including his OSDs have moved with him while some of his officially attached officers would be shifting to their own arrangements. The VP enclave stands emty now until the newly elected VP moves in.

The development is apparently unusual on several counts.

By convention, former Vice-Presidents, Presidents, and Prime Ministers are allotted a Type VIII bungalow or, alternatively, a two-acre plot as official accommodation once they demit office. However, sources in the government said that the former VP needed to put a formal requisition for that mentioning his desired location and choice either for a bungalow or a plot.

In Dhankhars case, there has been no such formal allotment notified to his office, nor has his office made a formal request to the government. Sources within the establishment confirm that no communication has been initiated from either side, neither has the government offered an option on paper, nor has Dhankhars office raised a requisition.

For now, Dhankhars decision to move into Chautalas property adds a political undertone as well to what might otherwise have been seen as a procedural delay. According to those familiar with the matter, Abhay Chautala personally reached out to the former VP, offering his farmhouse as a temporary residence. The gesture, observers suggest, carries layered symbolism, not just as a mark of political camaraderie but also as a statement of shared Jat identity and unity in the community. Dhankhar, who hails from Rajasthan, has often highlighted his roots in the Jat community, while Chautala, as a senior INLD leader, remains one of the most prominent Jat political figures in Haryana.

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The optics of this move are bound to be read beyond the immediate question of accommodation. For the government, the absence of communication on an issue governed by decades-old convention raises eyebrows. Sources in the government also pointed out that this is unprecedented in many ways as there has been no such instance earlier.

For Dhankhar, accepting Chautalas offer embeds him in a sociopolitical narrative that goes beyond logistics. In Delhis power corridors, residences have often been symbolic, which are seen as markers of status, clout, or political messaging. The silence from both sides seems to be highly significant.

About the Author Madhuparna Das Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has co... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 18:46 IST

News india Ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar Shifts To Chautalas Farmhouse, Not Govt Home: Decoding The Unusual Move

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Flash Floods In North India: Schools Shut In Uttarakhand, Death Toll Rises To 320 In Himachal

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News18.com

Last Updated: August 31, 2025, 23:51 IST

Flash floods, landslides, and heavy rains devastate Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand.

A combination of images show how houses were swept away in a flashflood triggered by a cloudburst at Dharali, in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on August 5. (Image: PTI)

Flash Floods in North India: Cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods in recent days have wreaked havoc across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, with the Central government constituting Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to assess the damage caused by heavy rainfall, officials said.

Govt Forms Inter-Ministerial Central Teams

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As per news agency PTI, the IMCTs would make on-the-spot assessments of the situation and relief works being carried out by the state governments.

The Ministry of Home Affairs constituted the IMCTs on the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, an official statement said.

Early next week, the Central teams will visit the flood/landslide-affected districts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, which have been severely affected by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and incidents of flash flood, cloudburst and landslide during the current monsoon season.

An IMCT and a multi-sectoral team have already visited Himachal Pradesh, the statement said.

The Central teams led by a joint secretary-level officer in the home ministry/National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) comprise senior officials from the ministries/departments of expenditure, agriculture and farmers welfare, Jal Shakti, power, road transport and highways, and rural development, the statement said.

During the 2025-26 financial year, the Centre has released Rs 10,498.80 crore to 24 states in State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), so as to enable them to provide relief assistance to the affected people.

Uttarakhand: Schools Closed On Monday, 19 NHPC Employees Stuck

All educational institutions across the state have been instructed to remain closed on Monday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand in September.

Many rivers originate in Uttarakhand. So, heavy rainfall means many rivers will be flooded, and it will impact cities and towns downstream. So, we should keep this in mind," news agency PTI quoted IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra as saying.

Meanwhile, nineteen employees of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) were trapped inside a power house for hours on Sunday as a landslide blocked normal and emergency tunnels of Dhauliganga Power Project in Uttarakhands Pithoragarh, officials said.

However, all of them were rescued by the administration by the evening, they said.

The path leading to the normal and emergency tunnels of the 280 MW power project in the Ealagarh area near Dharchula here in the district was blocked due to a landslide caused by heavy rains.

Punjab Reels Under Massive Floods

Additionally, rain lashed several parts of Punjab on Sunday, even as the state reels under massive floods triggered by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets due to heavy downpour in their catchment areas.

The worst-hit districts by floods in Punjab include Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, where relief and rescue efforts by the NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities continued on a war footing.

In just one week, 1,018 villages across several districts have been ravaged and over three lakh acres of farmland have been destroyed

Death Toll Rises To 320 In Himachal Pradesh

The monsoon havoc in Himachal Pradesh since June 20 has claimed 320 lives, with 166 deaths caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, electrocution, and other calamities, and 154 in road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

The SDMAs cumulative loss report shows widespread destruction across the hill state, with total damages estimated at Rs 3,05,684.33. The disaster has also left 379 people injured and 1,280 houses fully damaged, besides 40 shops and factories, 35,240 animal and poultry deaths, and large-scale losses to crops, horticulture, and public infrastructure.

As of Sunday evening, 662 roads, including four national highways, 985 distribution transformers, and 495 water supply facilities, remained disrupted due to heavy rains and related incidents, the SDMA said in its latest public utility status report.

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Rain-related fatalities were highest in Mandi district (29 deaths), followed by Kangra (30), Chamba (14), Kinnaur (14), and Kullu (15). Road accidents took the heaviest toll in Chamba and Mandi (22 each), followed by Kangra (19) and Shimla (16).

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: August 31, 2025, 23:47 IST

News india Flash Floods In North India: Schools Shut In Uttarakhand, Death Toll Rises To 320 In Himachal

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Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Vacates Official Residence

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:05 IST

Dhankhar resigned from his post on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon session, citing health reasons. His sudden decision caused a stir across political circles.

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Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar (PTI/File)

Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has moved out of his official residence in Delhi, after which he will reportedly move into a farmhouse of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Abhay Singh Chautala in South Delhis Chattarpur Enclave.

This came a month after Dhankhar resigned from the post of Vice President on July 21, the first day of the Parliament Monsoon Session, citing health reasons. Since his resignation, Dhankhar has kept out of the public eye.

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An official told news agency PTI that Dhankhar will stay in the private farmhouse as an interim arrangement till the time he is allocated a Type-VIII official residence, which he is entitled to as a former vice-president.

VIDEO | Delhi: Outgoing Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar (@VPIndia) leaves from the Vice Presidents Enclave.(Full video available on PTI Videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/CTvQBgbepA  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2025

Sources close to Dhankhar said he was spending time with his family, playing table tennis and practising yoga. Dhankhar also sought the resumption of his pension from the Rajasthan Assembly as a former legislator.

Dhankhar, now 74, is entitled to Rs 42,000 pension per month, in addition to facilities such as medical care and travel allowance, officials said. The pension from the State Assembly payable to him will be in addition to the pension he will draw as the former Vice-President and an ex-MP.

The vice-presidential elections to replace Dhankhar are scheduled for September 9, before which he had to vacate the official residence near the Parliament House Complex. In the vice-presidential election, NDA pick CP Radhakrishnan, the Governor of Maharashtra, is pitted against opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge.

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He is the third vice-president in the countrys history who resigned before completing the term. VV Giri and R. Venkataraman left the post mid-term as they had to contest presidential elections. In his resignation letter, Dhankhar said he has to prioritise health care.

His sudden exit had created a stir among political circles. Multiple Opposition leaders have repeatedly raised questions over the resignation of Dhankhar, claiming that the former VP might have been forced to resign due to differences between leaders.

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:53 IST

News india Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Vacates Official Residence

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Heavy Firing Erupts Along LoC In Poonch After Army Suspects Terrorist Movement

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:45 IST

The Indian Army engaged suspected terrorists near the LoC in Balakot, Poonch.

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Indian Army foils infiltration attempt in J&K's Bandipora (Representative image)

The Indian Army on Sunday challenged a suspected movement of terrorists near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Balakot sector of Poonch district, triggering a heavy exchange of fire.

Troops noticed suspicious movement along the LoC and immediately opened fire. The encounter led to intense firing between the Army and the suspected infiltrators.

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The operation is still underway, and further details are awaited.

In a post on X, the White Knight Corps said that at around 5:30 am on Sunday, they detected suspicious movement near the Line of Control in the Balakot sector and immediately opened fire, preventing an infiltration attempt. The Corps stated that its troops have been repositioned and reoriented to ensure foolproof domination of the area, with soldiers maintaining high alert across their zones.

#WhiteKnightCorps | #Infiltration Bid Foiled | Balakot, #PoonchAt about 0530h today, troops of #WhiteKnightCorps in general area of Balakot detected suspicious movement near #LoC. Fire was immediately opened by alert troops preventing the infiltration attempt. Own troops have  White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) September 1, 2025

Earlier, in a major blow to the terrorist network in the Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmirs Bandipora district, the security forces eliminated Bagu Khan, also known as Human GPS, responsible for at least 100 infiltration attempts, most of which were successful.

Bagu Khan, alias Samandar Chacha, has been active in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) since 1995 and was considered the biggest link to infiltration in the Kashmir valley. According to News18 Hindi, he possessed extensive knowledge of secret routes and was well-acquainted with the regions tough terrain, making him one of the longest-serving facilitators of terrorist infiltration over the past three decades.

Bagu Khan was shot dead along with another terrorist during an infiltration attempt from the Nowshera Naar area on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, an official told news agency PTI that a high-security alert was issued across Bihar on Thursday after inputs indicated that three Pakistani terrorists had entered the state via Nepal.

The Bihar Police headquarters issued an alert to all district police units and released the names and photographs of terrorists affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed. It is suspected that they entered Bihar through Araria after crossing over from Nepal.

Location : Jammu and Kashmir, India, India

First Published: September 01, 2025, 08:55 IST

News india Heavy Firing Erupts Along LoC In Poonch After Army Suspects Terrorist Movement

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India Stands Ready: PM Modi Pledges Full Support To Quake-Hit Afghanistan As Toll Tops 800

Curated By :

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:44 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed sorrow over the lives lost in Afghanistan following a 6.0 magnitude earthquake

PM Modi | File Image

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed sorrow over the lives lost in Afghanistan following a 6.0 magnitude earthquake and pledged full humanitarian assistance to the affected nation.

Afghanistans death toll from the earthquake has risen sharply to over 800, up from the earlier reported 600, according to a Taliban government spokesperson.

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Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected," said PM Modi in an X post.

PM Modi, who is currently heading back to India, attended consecutive high-level engagements in China in the last two days, including the SCO Summit and bilateral meetings with global leaders.

Rescue teams are working to locate people trapped under the debris following the powerful earthquake.

The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site," said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, providing an update on ongoing rescue efforts.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also expressed solidarity to the people of Afghanistan, pledging to extend all possible assitance to the quake-hit nation.

The devastating earthquake in Kunar Province of Afghanistan is a matter of deep concern. Express our support and solidarity to the Afghan people as they respond to it."

India will extend assistance in this hour of need. Our condolences to the families of the victims. And our prayers for early recovery of the injured," he added.

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According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province.

This was followed by a 4.7 magnitude aftershock at a depth of approximately 140 km, close to the epicentre of the initial quake.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:32 IST

News india India Stands Ready: PM Modi Pledges Full Support To Quake-Hit Afghanistan As Toll Tops 800

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Jaishankar Speaks With Afghan Minister Over Earthquake Tragedy: 'India Stands By Afghanistan'

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:22 IST

A massive earthquake shook Afghanistan on Monday, leaving over 800. A relief and rescue operation has been launched by authorities.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (Reuters Image)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held a telephonic conversation with Afghan counterpart Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and expressed condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake.

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He also informed that India has delivered 1000 family tents to Kabul, and 15 tonnes of food aid are being moved from our mission in Kabul to Kunar.

He further added that more relief material will be dispatched from India starting tomorrow and wished for a speedy recovery of the injured.

Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Expressed our condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake.Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission pic.twitter.com/whO2iTBjS8  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 1, 2025

Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Expressed our condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake. Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission from Kabul to Kunar. Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow," wrote Jaishankar on X.

Wish early recovery of those injured. India stands by Afghanistan at this difficult time," he added.

A massive earthquake struck 36 km north of Basawul, Afghanistan, killing over 800 people and leaving more than 2,00 injured. Earthquake tremors were felt in parts of India, including New Delhi.

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Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also shared condolences on the tragic incident. Taking to X, he wrote, Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected."

About the Author Anushka Vats Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:10 IST

News india Jaishankar Speaks With Afghan Minister Over Earthquake Tragedy: 'India Stands By Afghanistan'

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News / National

by Staff Reporter

Vice President Kembo Mohadi's recent visit to Mozambique is set to reinforce the longstanding diplomatic and historical ties between Zimbabwe and its eastern neighbour.Arriving in Maputo on Sunday evening, Vice President Mohadi's first official engagement was a high-level meeting with Mozambican Prime Minister, Her Excellency Maria Benvinda Levy. The closed-door discussions focused on strengthening cooperation across key sectors.Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Vice President Mohadi highlighted the deep-rooted relationship between the two nations, which dates back to the liberation struggle."Our discussions covered a range of issues, including how Mozambique supported Zimbabwe during its fight for independence and how we continue to collaborate today. We agreed that while we've achieved political independence - with functioning parliaments, judiciaries, and executives - economic independence remains elusive. We must add value to our natural resources before exporting them to ensure better returns," said Mohadi.Peace and security were also central to the dialogue, with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to regional stability."Development cannot happen without peace and tranquillity. Zimbabwe and Mozambique have always worked together to safeguard peace, especially in areas like Cabo Delgado," he added.Vice President Mohadi's visit to Mozambique is part of a broader four-nation tour that has included Angola, Zambia, and Tanzania. The tour aims to strengthen regional partnerships and honour the sacrifices made during the liberation struggle.
Mumbai Cop To Pay Rs 2 Lakh From Her Salary For Wrongfully Detaining UK Citizen

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:35 IST

Following the ordeal, Krishna Prasad approached the Human Rights Commission, alleging wrongful detention, harassment, and violation of his rights

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Krishna Prasad, a UK citizen, was unlawfully detained at Mumbai airport in 2019. (Representative Image)

A UK citizen of Indian origin, who was unlawfully detained at Mumbai airport in 2019 despite a court order in his favour, has finally secured justice. The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed that he be paid compensation of Rs 2 lakh, an amount to be recovered directly from the salary of the police officer held responsible for the incident.

According to a report in the Times of India, the case dates back to February 19, 2019, when Krishna Prasad, a UK passport holder, arrived at Mumbai airport around 7 am to board a flight to London. At the immigration counter, he was stopped and informed that a lookout circular had been issued against him in connection with a 2016 case filed in Bengaluru, alleging cruelty and criminal intimidation.

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What the officials ignored, however, was that Prasad had already secured a stay order from the Karnataka High Court in 2018, halting proceedings in that case. Despite showing the order to immigration authorities, he was prevented from leaving. Later that afternoon, at 12:04 pm, Bengalurus Halsuru Gate Womens Police Station confirmed his detention via email.

Prasad remained in custody until the next day, February 20. When two policemen from the Halsuru Gate station arrived in Mumbai, he once again produced the High Courts stay order. Instead of releasing him, the officers allegedly misbehaved with him, forced him to sign a statement, and contacted his sister to book him a ticket to Bengaluru. He was instructed to meet the inspector of the police station but was released en route.

Following the ordeal, Prasad approached the Human Rights Commission, alleging wrongful detention, harassment, and violation of his rights. His air ticket, worth Rs 57,000, was also wasted due to the incident.

During the enquiry, Inspector Shailaja, then posted at Halsuru Gate station, claimed she was neither present at the station on the day of the incident nor aware of the email that confirmed Prasads detention. She argued that the lookout circular had been issued during her predecessors tenure.

However, the Commissions investigation established that the stay order had indeed been communicated to the police station. Despite this, Inspector Shailaja had instructed her subordinates to travel to Mumbai, leading to Prasads continued detention.

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The SHRC concluded that Prasad had suffered mental trauma and financial loss due to the negligence and misconduct of the police. In its order, the Commission held Inspector Shailaja directly responsible and ruled that the Rs 2 lakh compensation be recovered from her salary.

The panel also directed the states Home Department to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officer, making it clear that lapses of this nature would not be condoned.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:35 IST

News india Mumbai Cop To Pay Rs 2 Lakh From Her Salary For Wrongfully Detaining UK Citizen

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North India Rain Havoc: Flooded Roads, Traffic Jams In Delhi-NCR; Punjab Worst-Hit

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 23:50 IST

Heavy rains lashed several parts of northern India, creating traffic snarls in Delhi-NCR, and extensive flash floods in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

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Heavy rains lashed several parts of northern India, creating traffic snarls in Delhi-NCR, and extensive flash floods in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The downpour triggered massive traffic jams in Delhi and Gurugram, causing people to wait on roads and highways for hours.

Recommended Stories Relentless rainfall over the past few days caused a significant rise in the water levels of several rivers, including the Yamuna on Monday, leading authorities to open the floodgates of the Hathnikund barrage in Haryanas Yamunanagar district. This prompted a flood warning by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, which warned that the discharge had exceeded 3 lakh cusecs, according to The Indian Express.

Several states have broken records over the heavy rains received in August. Jammu and Kashmir recorded its highest rainfall in August in 125 years, while Delhi recorded 399.8 mm of rainfall  the highest in 15 years, officials told news agency PTI. Himachal Pradesh recorded 431.3 mm of rain in the month, the highest in 76 years.

Massive Traffic Jams In Delhi-NCR

Delhi experienced persistent rain throughout Monday, resulting in traffic congestion across several parts of the city and severely affecting vehicular movement. Heavy traffic jams were reported on key roads and intersections, leaving commuters stranded for long periods. The IMD issued an orange alert and cautioned of moderate to heavy showers in the capital.

Noida and Gurugram also received heavy rains on Monday, triggering traffic snarls across various parts of the cities. The rain situation became so severe in Gurugram hat people opted to book hotels rather than return home. Commuters waded through knee-deep waters on roads, and two-wheelers were almost swept away in some areas.

The Gurugram police issued an advisory, saying that heavy rainfall of more than 100 mm had been recorded from 3 pm to 7 pm, and advised corporate offices to allow work for home and online classes for students.

Meanwhile, several districts in Haryana  including Ambala, Hisar, Narnaul, Rohtak and Panchkula  received rains during the day. The IMD forecast said that a spell of widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places is likely over Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh during the next 24-36 hours.

J&K, Punjab Battle Record Rainfall

Additionally, a large chunk of land sank due to heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmirs Samba district, pushing houses to the brink of collapse and prompting authorities to begin evacuation efforts.

Authorities in Jammu extended the closure of all government and private schools by another day, while the University of Jammu also postponed all examinations till September 4. The local meteorological office predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in most parts of Jammu division on September 2 and 3.

More than 130 people, mostly pilgrims, have been killed and over 120 injured while 33 remained untraced following cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban districts since August 14.

Meanwhile, in Punjab, severe flooding has affected more than 2.56 lakh people in the state, while 15,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas, according to Punjab minister Hardeep Singh Mundian. The state is experiencing the worst floods, particularly with the Beas and Sutlej rivers overflowing due to heavy rains.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann immediately after landing in Delhi from the SCO Summit on Monday evening. He also assured the state of all help and support.

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On Monday, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring wrote to PM Modi, urging him to provide an immediate flood relief package for the state. Similarly, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also appealed to the Prime Minister for a special assistance package for Punjab, along with enhanced deployment of NDRF and Army personnel to support and streamline relief efforts across the state.

(with inputs from agencies)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 23:46 IST

News india North India Rain Havoc: Flooded Roads, Traffic Jams In Delhi-NCR; Punjab Worst-Hit

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North India Reels Under Monsoon Fury; Red Alerts Issued In Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:16 IST

Relentless monsoon rains trigger red alerts in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, causing floods, landslides, and over 300 deaths.

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The Beas river flows in spate after heavy monsoon rainfall, in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (PTI)

Several northern states continue to reel under the impact of the monsoon, with relentless rainfall and flooding persisting for days. As heavy showers pound the region, the India Meteorological Department on Monday issued a red alert for parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

The weather department had predicted more flooding and mudslides in Punjabs hilly catchment areas, which may lead to severe waterlogging in low-lying areas.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the next 24-48 hours would be crucial", saying people whose houses were affected in the rain were being relocated to safer areas.

Some of our districts are in red alert and some districts are in orange alert The next 24-48 hours are crucial, and we all have to keep a close watch. Our entire district administration, NDRF, SDRF, all departments are on alert We are also monitoring the Nanak Sagar Dam. It is flowing 5 feet below the danger level," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

A red alert is in place for Almora, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat, and an orange warning has been issued for other districts.

Himachal Pradesh has also witnessed natural calamities in regions like Chamba and Shimla. During the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba, 16 devotees lost their lives. The pilgrimage was subsequently suspended due to severe weather, leaving more than 15,000 devotees stranded.

Himachal Pradesh has seen over 300 deaths since the beginning of the monsoon season, and the natural disasters triggered by incessant downpour in the hill state. The number went up on Monday, with 16 deaths reported in Chamba, and three in Shimla after a landslide buried a house.

819 roads, including three national highways,1,236 electricity transformers, and 424 water supply schemes have also been disrupted in the state. According to news agency ANI, 253 roads in Chamba, 206 in Mandi, 175 in Kullu and 61 in Kangra faced disruptions.

Rescue and relief teams could face tougher challenges this week as a red alert for heavy rainfall has been issued for three days across several districts, including Una, Bilaspur, Solan, and Sirmaur.

All colleges, universities and educational institutions have been shut till Wednesday, September 3, in light of the flood situation in Punjab.

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A red alert for rain has been issued in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Patiala and Nawashahr, and orange and yellow warnings are in place for other districts.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:16 IST

News india North India Reels Under Monsoon Fury; Red Alerts Issued In Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand

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PM Modi Dials Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann To Discuss Flood Situation, Assures Help: Sources

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 21:01 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of full support as massive floods hit districts like Amritsar and Hoshiarpur.

PM Modi Dials Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann To Discuss Flood Situation (FILE)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to discuss the worsening situation arising due to flash floods in parts of the state, Government sources said.

PM Modi, who was on a two-nation tour to Japan and China, dialled Mann soon after landing in the national capital, sources said, adding that the Prime Minister assured all help and support as Punjab is battling the worst floods in recent history."

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The state of Punjab is facing massive floods triggered by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets due to heavy downpour in their catchment areas. With the Beas and the Ghaggar in spate, and the water from the Ravi overflowing and moving into Gurdaspur (Dera Baba Nanak and Kalanaur) and Ajnala in Amritsar, the flood situation in the state continued to remain critical.

Earlier today, CM Mann visited the flood-affected areas in Hoshiarpur district, and said that every effort will be made to bail people out in this hour of crisis.

Asserting that the state government will compensate the people for the loss of every single penny" incurred by them, Mann said he is regularly monitoring the situation unfolding in the state due to the natural disaster.

Earlier, the Chief Minister wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and sought the release of Rs 60,000 crore of state funds stuck with the government of India". The AAP government also urged the Centre to allow it to change the norms for disaster relief compensation for crop loss, increasing it from the now allowed Rs 6,800 per acre (where the crop loss is over 33 per cent) to Rs 50,000 per acre.

Heavy rain, coupled with the release of water from dams in the region, has caused extensive flooding in more than 10 districts of the state.

The worst-hit districts by floods in Punjab include Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, where relief and rescue efforts by the NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities continued on a war footing.

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At present, about three lakh acres of farmland, primarily paddy fields, are submerged under floodwater, leading to devastating crop losses just weeks before the harvest.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 21:01 IST

News india PM Modi Dials Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann To Discuss Flood Situation, Assures Help: Sources

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Can Open Terror Support Be Acceptable?: Modi Cites Pahalgam At SCO Meet Attended By Pakistan PM

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:50 IST

PM Modi, at the SCO Summit in China, called terrorism the gravest concern for humanity and urged zero tolerance against it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File/PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China on Monday, strongly condemned terrorism and called it the gravest concern" for humanity, as he warned against double standards in the global fight.

Making a reference to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, PM Modi asked, Can open support for terrorism by some countries ever be acceptable to us?"

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The Pahalgam terror attack was not just an attack on Indias soul but an open challenge to all those countries that have faith in humanity. It raises a serious question  should a country openly supporting terrorism be acceptable to any of us?"

We must state clearly that no double standards will be tolerated in the fight against terrorism," PM Modi said, as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was present at the event.

The Prime Minister also urged the SCO group to adopt zero tolerance against terrorism.

Terrorism and extremism are a joint challenge for humanity. Any country, any society cannot feel safe while these threats exist," PM Modi said, stressing that security is every countrys right.

India has taken the lead in the fight against terror outfits like Al-Qaeda and its associates, and we oppose any kind of terror-financing," PM Modi said.

Speaking further on the Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi said, We saw a very bad face of terrorism in Pahalgam. I thank all the friendly nations who stood with us."

We have lost our children, and many have become orphans. India has been facing the scourge of terrorism for the past four decades," he added.

Calling terror financing a big concern", the Prime Minister urged SCO members to intensify efforts to counter radicalisation.

There can be no compromise on terrorism. We must condemn it in all forms. Zero tolerance against cross-border terrorism is our duty towards humanity," PM Modi said.

TIANJIN DECLARATION CONDEMNS TERRORISM

Keeping forth a strong stance against terrorism, the member states condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack and expressed sympathy and condolences to the affected families.

They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.

The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes," the declaration read.

They recognise the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats," it mentioned.

The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists," the Tianjin declaration read.

PM MODI MEETS PUTIN, XI JINPING

Before the beginning of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other leaders of the organisation, began a day-long deliberation to chalk out the future course of the bloc.

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the leaders.

The 25th summit formally kicked off in Tianjin on Sunday night with a massive banquet hosted by Xi. It was attended, among others, by Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This years summit was stated to be the largest of the SCO group as China, which holds the Presidency of the organisation this year, invited 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organisations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to attend the SCO Plus summit.

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Shehbaz Sharif Looks On As PM Modi, Putin Walk Past Him At SCO Summit In Chinas Tianjin | Video

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 09:37 IST

News india Can Open Terror Support Be Acceptable?: Modi Cites Pahalgam At SCO Meet Attended By Pakistan PM

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'Ukraine Conflict Must Be Ended Soon': PM Modi In Bilateral Talks With Russian President Putin

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:06 IST

PM Modi and Russian President Putin reaffirmed strong India-Russia ties during their bilateral meeting in Tianjin. PM Modi also called for an early end to the Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, where both leaders discussed pressing global issues, including the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Modi and Putin also reaffirmed the strength of the India-Russia partnership during their bilateral talks.

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Touching on the Ukraine crisis, PM Modi noted, We have been discussing Ukraine, and hope all sides move forward for achieving peace."

We have continuously been discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The conflict must be ended as soon as possible, and a path to lasting peace must be found quickly," PM Modi said.

We welcome the recent efforts made in the direction of peace. I hope that all the sides will move ahead constructively, as it is the voice of humanity," PM Modi said.

Describing the interaction, Prime Minister Modi said, Meeting with Putin is always memorable. In December, we will wait for President Putin to visit India."

We continue to stay connected, and both sides find meaning in our meetings. One hundred and forty crore people are eagerly waiting for your visit in December for our 23rd Summit," PM Modi told Putin.

Also highlighting the historical depth of ties between both the nations, PM Modi said, It is the depth and breadth of our special and privileged strategic partnership that India and Russia have stood together even in difficult times."

This is good not only for our people but also for global stability and peace," the Prime Minister said.

Even in the toughest of circumstances, we have stood shoulder to shoulder," he added.

Also speaking during the meeting, Russian President Putin stressed the trust between the two nations.

We can say that our relationship is based on principles. There is multifaceted cooperation between us. Todays meeting is another good opportunity to further strengthen our relations," Putin said.

There is a very trustworthy relationship between Russia and India, one that is not based on politics," he added.

Soon after their talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an X post, wrote,

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture."

We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability," he added, sharing glimpses of his meeting with the Russian President.

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including pic.twitter.com/DhTyqOysbf Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The talks between the two leaders come as India and Russia look to strengthen their bilateral relationship amid US President Donald Trumps tariffs.

The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow.

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has repeatedly criticised India for prioritising its energy needs, accusing New Delhi of acting as a laundromat for the Kremlin".

Navarro has expressed his frustration over India smoothing his relationship with Russia and China, as PM Modi is currently attending the SCO Summit in Tianjin.

Meanwhile, PM Modi, in his address at the SCO, stressed the need to boost connectivity between the members to boost trade.

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ALSO READ | Modi Cites Pahalgam At SCO Meet Attended By Pakistan PM

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:06 IST

News india 'Ukraine Conflict Must Be Ended Soon': PM Modi In Bilateral Talks With Russian President Putin

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PM Modi, Xi Jinping & Putin: 3 Leaders, One New Axis & 5 Key Takeaways From SCO Meet In China

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 16:33 IST

PM Modi reached out to both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin to form a new axis against what are being called "Trumps bullying tactics" on tariffs

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(From left) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday. (AP/PTI)

Substantial bilateral meetings with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, defining visuals of the troika standing together that wont go unnoticed in Washington D.C., a Modi-Putin car ride that lasted like a bilateral, inclusion of Pahalgam terror attack in the joint statement, and an escalating effort to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war  Prime Minister Narendra Modis China visit had several key takeaways.

The visit came at a time when India has been slapped with 50% tariffs by the U.S. and communication between Donald Trump and Modi has broken down. Trump is not expected to come to India for the QUAD summit this year and Modi may not travel for the UN General Assembly this month. But at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, one saw how Modi reached out to both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russias President Vladimir Putin to form a new axis against what most of the world is criticising as Trumps bullying tactics" on tariffs.

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           .        ,  , , ,   .       ,  pic.twitter.com/VKr3nK5sLh Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Here are the five big things that India would take back happily from the SCO:

Substantial bilaterals: PM Modi had a nearly 50-minute long bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping in his first visit to China in eight years. The meeting with Putin also lasted around 50 minutes but the two leaders had another conversation lasting as long in the car as they drove together to the meeting venue on Putins request. The drive distance was only 10 minutes but the leaders spoke in the car for around 45 minutes more once they reached. These were very substantial meetings with important issues being discussed thread-bare. Resumption of direct India-China flights, and Putins visit to India this December, have been sealed after these bilateral meets. Modi was clearly the centre-piece at the SCO Summit.

Pictures speak a thousand words: Much was said in the private bilaterals but the gestures of the troika in the informal meet-ups would capture headlines from Europe to Washington D.C. Modi walked hand-in-hand with Putin and took him for a chat with Xi Jinping with their interpreters rushing in to take notes of the important conversation. These pictures of Modi-Xi-Putin together, or Modi travelling in Putins car, were clearly a message to Donald Trump who was been fuming at Indias close relations with Russia on oil purchases. These optics would be seen as the answer of the troika to Donald Trumps tactics of tariff diplomacy. Modi and Putins camaraderie and hugs became the number one trend on Weibo and Chinese search website Baidu on Monday.

Sharing my remarks during meeting with President Putin. https://t.co/PADOdRjsBs Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The car ride: Within a fortnight of Donald Trump riding with Putin in the same car in Alaska, Putin sent out a message by requesting that Modi travel with him in his car from the SCO summit venue to the bilateral meet venue. The significance of the same was not lost on anyone. Sources say it was Putins desire to travel together and he waited for 10 minutes for Modi to join. The leaders conversed for 10 minutes during the drive and for another 45 minutes in the car on reaching the venue. For Trump who has been upset about Indias Russian oil purchases, this was a snub.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Pahalgam in joint statement: A big win for India was the inclusion of the Pahalgam terror attack in the SCO Joint statement this time  something that did not happen during the earlier SCO meeting where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not sign the draft statement as it did not mention Pahalgam. Modi, in his speech at the SCO Summit, trained guns at Pakistan by asking: Can the open support for terrorism by certain countries ever be acceptable to us?" He cited the Pahalgam terror attack to say double standards on terrorism are unacceptable"  all of this in the presence of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif on the same table.

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

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Will Modi broker peace deal? Modi spoke twice to both Vladimir Putin and Ukraines Zelenskyy last month. Modi spoke to Zelenskyy before meeting Putin at the SCO Meet in China on Monday  and has carried a signal to Putin. The bilateral meeting with Putin had a substantial discussion on Ukraine, sources say. Modi said to Putin: We have been continuously discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We welcome all the recent peace efforts. We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish lasting peace. This is the call of the entire humanity."

With Putin coming to India this December, is a peace deal possible with Modis efforts?

About the Author Aman Sharma Aman Sharma, Executive Editor - National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:27 IST

News india PM Modi, Xi Jinping & Putin: 3 Leaders, One New Axis & 5 Key Takeaways From SCO Meet In China

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Supreme Court Denies Bihar SIR Extension, Flags Trust Deficit Between Poll Body And Parties

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:06 IST

A bench led by Justice Surya Kant directed the Bihar Legal Services Authority to deploy volunteers to help voters submit claims and objections.

Supreme Court of India. (Representative Image)

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant more time for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, even as it pointed to a growing trust deficit between the Election Commission and political parties over the process.

The order came after the Election Commission of India (ECI) submitted that claims and objections can still be filed even after preparation of the electoral roll and until the filing of nominations. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant directed the Bihar Legal Services Authority to deploy volunteers to help voters submit claims and objections.

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The court noted the trust deficit between political parties and the ECI, and pulled up parties over the low number of claims and objections filed so far. Please tell your party to activate itself," the bench told the RJD, urging political outfits to play a proactive role in the exercise.

The apex court also asked political parties and petitioners to specifically identify individuals whose claims were rejected because of Aadhaar-related issues, instead of relying on the disputed figure of 65 lakh voters.

The case traces back to applications moved by political representatives, including RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha and Bihar MLA Akhtarul Iman, who had sought an extension of the September 1 deadline for filing claims and objections in the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing last week, when the Court was informed that nearly 80,000 claims had been filed in the three weeks leading up to its last order, followed by another 95,000 claims in the week thereafter, reflecting the scale of participation once the process was opened up.

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In an earlier order, the Court had directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to permit approximately 65 lakh voters, whose names had been excluded, to apply for inclusion through the online mode by submitting their details along with their Aadhaar card. At the time of posting the case for further hearing on September 8, the bench had orally observed that a plea for extension of the deadline could be considered at a later stage.

Prior to this, on August 14, the Court had asked the ECI to publish the names of the 65 lakh excluded voters on the website of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer as well as on the portals of the District Electoral Officers. The Court had further directed that the reasons for exclusion be specified and the data be made available in an EPIC-searchable format, ensuring transparency in the revision exercise.

About the Author Ananya Bhatnagar Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU vi... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:41 IST

News india Supreme Court Denies Bihar SIR Extension, Flags Trust Deficit Between Poll Body And Parties

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Supreme Court Rejects Plea Against Rollout Of E20 Petrol: 'Huge Lobby Behind Petition'

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:20 IST

Centre argued that the ethanol programme supports sugarcane farmers, cuts crude oil imports, and strengthens energy

Photo for representation. (PTI)

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a PIL challenging the Union Governments Ethanol Blending Programme, which mandates the sale of petrol blended with 20% ethanol (E20).

A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran heard the matter and refused to interfere with the rollout. During the proceedings, the Attorney General raised concerns over the intent behind the litigation, remarking that a huge lobby" was backing the petitioners.

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The Centre, too, came out strongly in defence of the policy, questioning whether someone from outside the country" should dictate what type of petrol India must use. Officials argued that the ethanol programme supports sugarcane farmers, cuts crude oil imports, and strengthens energy.

What Did The Plea Say

The petition argued that mandating E20 fuel for a vehicle fleet that is largely non-compatible, especially models manufactured before April 2023, could result in material degradation, safety hazards, mileage loss, and denial of warranty and insurance claims.

It further contended that making E20 petrol the default option undermines consumer choice, amounts to unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and infringes upon Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

Mandating E20 amounts to arbitrary state action violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(g), 21 and 300A of the Constitution, particularly in the absence of phased conformity, safeguards, or alternatives at retail," the plea stated.

Govt Says E20 Petrol Gives Better Acceleration

Defending the rollout, the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that E20 petrol offers better acceleration, improved ride quality, and reduces carbon emissions by nearly 30% compared to E10 fuel.

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The ministry pointed out that countries like Brazil have been successfully using E27 fuel for years without issues, with the same global automakers  including Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai  manufacturing vehicles there.

Despite ethanol prices rising in comparison to petrol, state-run oil companies have continued with the blending mandate, citing its role in strengthening energy security, boosting farmers incomes, and ensuring environmental sustainability, the ministry added.

About the Author Ananya Bhatnagar Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU vi... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:14 IST

News india Supreme Court Rejects Plea Against Rollout Of E20 Petrol: 'Huge Lobby Behind Petition'

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'Perpetrators Must Face Justice': SCO Echoes PM Modi's Pahalgam Message In Big Win For India

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:50 IST

SCO member states, in the Tianjin Declaration, strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and urged that its perpetrators and sponsors be brought to justice.

A general view of participants attending the SCO summit at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China (Photo: @MEAIndia/X)

The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam and said that the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice".

In the Tianjin Declaration by the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, all member nations expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy for the families of the terror attack victims.

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The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded," the declaration mentioned.

They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice," it read.

The Member States stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists," the Tianjin declaration read.

The member states at the SCO summit also condemned the terrorist attacks on the Jaffar Express on March 11 and in Pakistans Khuzdar on May 21, 2025.

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the event, said the Pahalgam terror attack was not only a blow to India, but it was an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity.

With Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif among other world leaders listening, PM Modi also said that the SCO must clearly and unanimously reject double standards" on terrorism.

This is our duty towards humanity," he said.

Without naming Pakistan, the Prime Minister said it is natural to have the question, Can the open support of terrorism by some countries be acceptable to us?".

He said India has been suffering the brunt of terrorism for the last four decades.

PM Modi also expressed his gratitude to the friendly countries that stood with India following the Pahalgam attack.

The Prime Minister also touched upon the importance of connectivity.

We believe that sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected in every connectivity effort, he said.

Connectivity that by-passes sovereignty loses trust and meaning, he said.

PM Modi also said that SCO members can increase mutual cooperation for reforms in global institutions.

ALSO READ | PM Modi Travels With Putin In Same Car For Bilateral Talks After SCO

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About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: September 01, 2025, 11:20 IST

News india 'Perpetrators Must Face Justice': SCO Echoes PM Modi's Pahalgam Message In Big Win For India

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Opinion / Columnist

In Africa, we often lament about the state of leadership, attributing our problems to those in positions of power. However, the truth is that leadership is not about a title or a position, but about attitude. It's the attitude that yields results, not the position itself. Many leadership experts agree that everything rises and falls on leadership, yet we continue to focus on changing people in leadership positions, only to achieve the same results. The solution lies not in changing positions, but in changing attitudes.A leader must be a pathfinder, someone who can see beyond the ordinary and stretch beyond their capacity. This requires a mindset that is open to learning, growth, and transformation. When you cultivate the right attitude, you'll begin to see solutions to complex problems and connect with excellence, rather than mediocrity. Learning is a continuous process for a leader, and it's essential to never cease learning. By doing so, you'll not only grow as a leader but also inspire and transform others.The example of Jesus Christ is a powerful illustration of transformational leadership. He took ordinary people a farmers and fishermen a and turned them into world changers. Through his teachings and mentorship, they were able to impact the whole world, leaving a lasting legacy that has endured for centuries. As aspiring leaders, we can learn valuable lessons from Jesus Christ's approach to leadership.In Africa, we often cling to traditional ways of doing things, even when they don't yield results. It's time for us to adapt and change for the betterment of our future. We must shift our focus from where we were to where we should be. Leadership is all about attitude, and the call to lead requires investing in our minds. When we cultivate a transformational leadership attitude, we'll become strategic in our approach, and our results will reflect our new mindset.As you reflect on your own leadership journey, I encourage you to ask yourself: What attitude do I need to cultivate to become a more effective leader? What lessons can I learn from Jesus Christ and other transformational leaders? It's time to shift our focus from positions to attitudes, from tradition to innovation, and from mediocrity to excellence. Let's invest in our minds, learn from the best, and strive to become the leaders Africa needs. By doing so, we can create a brighter future for ourselves, our communities, and our continent.
US Calls India Ties Defining Relationship Of 21st Century As PM Modi Meets Xi, Putin

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:29 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has drawn attention to the shifting equations in Asia

The post from US Embassy comes amid growing closeness between India, China and Russia.. (Image: AFP/File)

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China and tensions rise between New Delhi and Washington over new US tariffs, the US Embassy in India has emphasised the strength of bilateral relations.

In a post on Monday, the embassy described the IndiaUS partnership as a defining relationship of the 21st century," highlighting the breadth of cooperation between the two countries.

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This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defence and bilateral ties, its the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey," the embassy wrote.

The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights  a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, were spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and pic.twitter.com/tjd1tgxNXi U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) September 1, 2025

The statement comes at a delicate moment in the relationship. The Trump administrations steep tariff hikes on Indian goods have drawn criticism in New Delhi, while Washington has expressed unease over Indias continued energy ties with Russia.

Mentioning the close relationship between India and US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: The enduring friendship between our two peoples is the bedrock of our cooperation and propels us forward as we realise the tremendous potential of our economic relationship."

Diplomatic observers note that the embassys messaging is aimed at reinforcing continuity in the partnership, even as trade frictions and geopolitical differences create fresh strains.

By focusing on people-to-people friendship" and shared progress," Washington appears intent on projecting the relationship as resilient and forward-looking despite current challenges.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has drawn attention to the shifting equations in Asia, with his interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin seen as a signal of growing closeness among the three nations.

This shift comes against the backdrop of escalating tariff tensions with the United States under President Donald Trump, with India, China, and Russia finding greater alignment on trade, energy, and regional cooperation.

About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 12:21 IST

News india US Calls India Ties Defining Relationship Of 21st Century As PM Modi Meets Xi, Putin

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Uttarakhands Char Dham, Hemkund Sahib Yatra Temporarily Suspended In View Of Heavy Rain Alert

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:42 IST

Uttarakhands Chardham Yatra and Hemkund Sahib Yatra postponed till September 5 due to heavy rainfall alerts and safety concerns, says government.

Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said it has been decided to postpone the Yatra for the safety of pilgrims.

The Uttarakhands Chardham Yatrapilgrimage to holy shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath and the Hemkund Sahib Yatra have been temporarily postponed till September 5 by the Uttarakhand government in view of red and orange alerts of heavy rainfall issued by the Meteorological Department.

Vinay Shankar Pandey, Secretary to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Commissioner of Garhwal Division, said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure with extremely heavy rainfall forecast for the coming days.

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Due to heavy rains, the roads are being obstructed due to landslides or debris in many places in the state, which the government is opening on priority, but in view of the safety and convenience of the passengers, it has been decided to postpone the Chardham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra till September 5," news agency ANI quoted Pandey as saying.

Pandey further appealed to the passengers not to depart on the travel routes for the time being in view of the adverse weather conditions and to follow the advisory issued by the administration.

The Met department has issued a red alert for Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Haridwar on Monday, warning of extremely heavy to very heavy rain. For September 2, an orange alert has been sounded for Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar.

Amid the warnings, schools have been closed in several districts, including Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Champawat.

Following the warning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday directed the officials to remain alert 247.

The Chief Minister, in a meeting with senior officials, said that the coming few days will be challenging, and appropriate steps should be taken to ensure the safety of common people.

Dhami asked the State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman to monitor the situation from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), given the high possibility of landslides and waterlogging in many areas.

We are providing immediate assistance to those whose houses have been affected by the disaster and are relocating them to safe places. Camps have also been set up. Our goal is to ensure that all basic needs are met in the relief camps Efforts to open the blocked roads are underway," he added.

Cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods in recent days have wreaked havoc across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, with the Central government constituting Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to assess the damage caused by heavy rainfall, officials said.

All educational institutions across the state have been instructed to remain closed on Monday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand in September.

Many rivers originate in Uttarakhand. So, heavy rainfall means many rivers will be flooded, and it will impact cities and towns downstream. So, we should keep this in mind," news agency PTI quoted IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra as saying.

Meanwhile, nineteen employees of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) were trapped inside a power house for hours on Sunday as a landslide blocked normal and emergency tunnels of Dhauliganga Power Project in Uttarakhands Pithoragarh, officials said.

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However, all of them were rescued by the administration by the evening, they said.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

Location : Dehradun, India, India

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:42 IST

News india Uttarakhands Char Dham, Hemkund Sahib Yatra Temporarily Suspended In View Of Heavy Rain Alert

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'Utter System Failure When Culprits Walk Free': SC Restores Conviction In Child Rape Case

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 22:58 IST

The court criticised the use of legal technicalities to free those guilty of grave sexual crimes, calling it a failure of the justice system

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Supreme Court of India. (File image)

The Supreme Court on Monday restored the conviction of two men for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, overturning a Patna High Court ruling that had acquitted them.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma held that minor procedural errors cannot be used to dismiss strong and consistent victim testimony, especially in serious offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Bar and Bench reported.

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The top court criticised the use of legal technicalities to free those guilty of grave sexual crimes, calling it a failure of the justice system.

It is always a matter of utter failure for the system as a whole when a culprit, that too of a heinous sexual offence, manages to walk free by entangling the victim in misapplication of procedural rules, without the knowledge of the victim and without any control of the victim," the Bench noted.

The case dates back to 2016, when a complaint was filed in Bihars Bhojpur district after the girl was found to be three months pregnant. She later revealed that she had been raped multiple times by the accused, who had threatened to kill her if she spoke out.

A trial court found both men guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. However, the Patna High Court later acquitted them, citing issues such as uncertainty over the victims exact age, errors in charge framing, and the joint trial of the accused under Section 223 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Following this, the victims father approached the Supreme Court.

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Rejecting the High Courts findings, the apex court said minor inconsistencies in documents or testimony are natural and should not be treated as grounds for acquittal.

The judges also pointed out that courts must be mindful of the social and economic background of victims, especially in rural areas, where official records and documentation may not always be precise.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 22:58 IST

News india 'Utter System Failure When Culprits Walk Free': SC Restores Conviction In Child Rape Case

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Vaishno Devi Yatra Remains Suspended After Landslides: How To Claim Refund For Cancelled Booking?

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News18.com

Last Updated: August 31, 2025, 18:20 IST

Vaishno Devi Yatra remains suspended for the sixth day after landslides and cloudburst killed 34. SMVDSB cancels all bookings with full refund.

Rain wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday leading to 30 deaths. (Image: PTI)(News18)

Vaishno Devi Yatra Suspended: The pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi remains suspended for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday, after incessant rainfall continues to hamper the yatra route. On Tuesday, a cloudburst and landslide hit the yatra trek, killing 34 people.

Shrine Board Cancels Bookings

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Meanwhile, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has announced that all the bookings of helicopter services (Katra to Bhawan), ropeway (Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati), hotels, and others have been cancelled with 100% refund till the yatra remains suspended.

In a post on X, the shrine board said that the pilgrims can send their cancellation requests with details to refund@maavaishnodevi.net. It further said that the earlier self-cancellations will get a pending refund within 15 days.

All bookings cancelled with 100% refund till yatra is suspended. Send cancellation requests with details to refund@maavaishnodevi.net Earlier self-cancellations will get pending refund within 15 days. For queries, contact SMVDSB Call Centre @ 18001807212/ +91 9906019494," the SMVDSB said on X.

All bookings cancelled with 100% refund till yatra is suspended. Send cancellation requests with details to refund@maavaishnodevi.netEarlier self-cancellations will get pending refund within 15 days.For queries, contact SMVDSB Call Centre @ 18001807212/ +91 9906019494. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (@OfficialSMVDSB) August 31, 2025

Vaishno Devi Landslide

A devastating landslide occurred on the yatra trek on Tuesday, which claimed the lives over 30 people and left 20 others injured. The disaster struck in the afternoon around 3 pm when heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-kilometre trek from Katra to the holy cave atop Trikuta hills.

Questions were raised about why the Vaishno Devi Yatra was not suspended when there was a warning about heavy rain.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, said that the Yatra was stopped before the cloudburst hit the track at Adhkuwari.

He has also ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide.

Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Jal Shakti, Jammu and Kashmir, will head the committee, which includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu.

The committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed investigation and submitting its report within two weeks to LG Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), it said.

This is the second time in the last two weeks that a Yatra was hit by a cloudburst and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 100 pilgrims were killed, and several are still missing after a cloudburst hit the Machail Yatra in Kishtwar district on August 14.

The order has stated that the Committee shall examine in detail the causes and reasons behind the incident and point out any lapses, assess responses in the form of rescue and relief measures undertaken, and suggest appropriate SOPs and measures for preventing recurrence of such incidents in the future, the order said.

Vaishno Devi Temple

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Vaishno Devi is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, located in the Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir. The holy cave shrine is dedicated to Mata Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of the Divine Mother Goddess. The journey to the shrine is a trek of approximately 13 km from the base camp in Katra.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

Location : Katra, India, India

First Published: August 31, 2025, 18:20 IST

News india Vaishno Devi Yatra Remains Suspended After Landslides: How To Claim Refund For Cancelled Booking?

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We Are Shareholders Too: On Cam, Maratha Quota Protesters Try To Enter BSE Building

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Apoorva Misra



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:19 IST

Protesters said their intention was not to disrupt trading but to underline how deeply the agitation could impact every sector, including the financial hub of the country

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Supporters of activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who is on hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, gather outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to join his agitation. (PTI)

A video from South Mumbai, showing a group of Maratha protesters reaching the gates of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Dalal Street, went viral on Monday morning. With saffron scarves around their necks and placards in hand, they were seen raising slogans in support of activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and demanding Maratha reservation. The incident comes on the fourth day of Jarange-Patils hunger strike at Azad Maidan, where thousands of protestors have gathered from across Maharashtra.

Since his arrival in Mumbai on August 29 with lakhs of supporters, the city has witnessed heavy crowds, traffic congestion, and sporadic protest marches in South and Central Mumbai.

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In the now-viral clip, a handful of protesters attempted to enter the iconic stock exchange building but were stopped by security guards. Confronted, the protesters argued that they had as much right to visit the BSE as anyone else. Speaking with reporters outside BSE, one of the protesters said: We are shareholders too. We have every right to see the stock market building. Our money is also invested here." Another protester added that their intention was not to disrupt trading but to underline how deeply the agitation could impact every sector, including the financial hub of the country. Our movement can affect anything. We just wanted to see the markets condition," he explained.

The moment quickly escalated into sloganeering outside the building, with chants in favour of Jarange-Patil echoing through the narrow lanes of Dalal Street. Curious office-goers and onlookers gathered at a distance, filming the scene on their phones.

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Meanwhile, support for protesters at Azad Maidan continues to pour in from villages across Maharashtra. Truckloads of food suppliesranging from rice, wheat, and spices to biscuits and pickleshave reached the protest site. Farmers and villagers say they are determined to ensure that those camped in Mumbai do not face hunger as the agitation stretches on.

Jarange-Patil, addressing his followers earlier in the day, alleged that plainclothes policemen wearing saffron scarves had infiltrated the protest to mislead participants and send vehicles back. He demanded that such officers be suspended and warned that MLAs and MPs who ignore the Maratha cause will face strong public backlash in their constituencies.

About the Author Mayuresh Ganapatye Mayuresh Ganapatye, News Editor at News18.com, writes on politics and civic issues, as well as human interests stories. He has been covering Maharashtra and Goa for more than a decade. Follow him at @... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:19 IST

News india We Are Shareholders Too: On Cam, Maratha Quota Protesters Try To Enter BSE Building

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Ileana DCruz Opens Up About Breastfeeding, Motherhood And Trusting Her Instincts

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 09:22 IST

Ileana DCruz, now a mother of two, reflects on her breastfeeding journey, early struggles, and how she learnt to embrace instinct in parenting.

Ileana DCruz: With two little ones now at the centre of her life, Ileana has been candid about her experiences as a new mother

Actor Ileana DCruz is embracing motherhood with her husband, Michael Dolan, in Houston, Texas, where they are raising their two sons. Their first child, Koa Phoenix Dolan, arrived on August 1, 2023, followed by their second son, Keanu Rafe Dolan, on June 19, 2025. With two little ones now at the centre of her life, Ileana has been candid about her experiences as a new mother.

During an Instagram Live on August 30 for Live for Freedom To Feed, she spoke with fellow actor Neha Dhupia about the realities of early parenting, particularly breastfeedingone of the first and most important aspects of motherhood.

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Before giving birth, Ileana sought advice from close friends to prepare herself for what lay ahead. She recalls being warned about the challenges of breastfeeding and admitted that the reality was far more difficult than expected.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ileana DCruz (@ileana_official)

She shared, She did tell me, you know, breastfeeding is really intense. It can be really painful, but shes like, its the most beautiful thing as well. And she was absolutely right. Shes like, it was definitely painful initially. And then, you know, you have the other complications that come with breastfeeding I had no idea it was going to be as intensely painful as it was."

Despite the initial hurdles, Ileana emphasised how meaningful the experience ultimately was. But it is such a, I dont know, maybe privilege is the right word. Its such a privilege to be able to feed your child, and the connection that you can have with your baby is really lovely."

Reflecting on her first days as a mother, Ileana admitted she felt stressed and vulnerable when she interacted with a lactation consultant at the hospital. What was meant to be a supportive encounter instead left her unsettled.

At the hospital, we were told, you know, Would you like a lactation consultant to come and speak with you? So I was like, Yeah, of course, you know, Id love to have an expert come and talk to me. And I just felt so much judgment from this woman. She was like, the first question, shes like, Do you plan to breastfeed? Are you going to be formula feeding as well? And Im like, Well, I plan to breastfeed only, but you know, you dont know whats going to happen Im like, every woman has her own journey. Every mother has her own journey with her child, and you know, whats best for your kid, instinctively," she recalled.

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Like many new mothers, Ileana was caught between conflicting pieces of advice. While some people at the hospital discouraged her from pumping milk for the first six weeks, her doctor recommended it earlier due to inflammation. The contradictory guidance only heightened her anxiety.

Looking back, she described those moments as overwhelming: I think I was so worried. Its very, very painful. So like I had a fever and everything was really bad." At the time, she leaned heavily on expert opinions, worried that even small mistakes could affect her babys health. Over time, however, she began to place more trust in her own instincts, learning to navigate motherhood in her own way.

About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in N... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 09:22 IST

News lifestyle Ileana DCruz Opens Up About Breastfeeding, Motherhood And Trusting Her Instincts
Tara Sutaria Shines In A 4.39 Lakh Saree For Ganesh Chaturthi With Veer Pahariya

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 09:35 IST

Tara Sutaria celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 in a champagne-gold Tarun Tahiliani saree, sharing her first official post with boyfriend Veer Pahariya.

Tara Sutaria Brings Couture Sparkle to Ganesh Chaturthi in a 4.39 Lakh Saree, Alongside Veer Pahariya

Ganesh Chaturthi is as much a cultural spectacle as it is a religious one, ten days of devotion, grandeur, and a showcase of the finest festive fashion. Every year, celebrities embrace traditional wear for the occasion, turning it into a style guide for fans across the country.

This year, Tara Sutaria made headlines not just for her elegant look but also for sharing her first official post with her boyfriend, Veer Pahariya. While the two have been spotted together before, this Ganesh Chaturthi marked their much-talked-about hard launch" as a couple on social media.

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Tara Sutarias Ethereal Saree Look

For the festival, Tara chose a champagne-gold tissue Kanjivaram saree by designer Tarun Tahiliani, a piece that radiated understated luxury. The saree, priced at approximately 4,39,900 on the designers official website, stood out for its meticulous detailing. From delicate pearl embellishments on the pallu to a heavily worked aari border featuring floral thread motifs and sequined patterns, the craftsmanship made it a true couture statement.

To complement the opulent drape, Tara styled it with a polki choker necklace, chunky gold bangles, and traditional jhumkas. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek bun adorned with a jasmine gajra, adding a timeless desi touch. Finishing the look, she kept her makeup minimal with a soft, dewy glow and a pearl-shaped bindisubtle yet striking, allowing the sarees artistry to take centre stage.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TARA (@tarasutaria)

Veer Pahariyas Understated Ensemble

In contrast, Veer Pahariya kept things simple in a plain white sherwani, free from embroidery or embellishments. His pared-back approach offered a stark balance to Taras regal appearance, though some might argue the look bordered on underdressed. Minimalist menswear has its charm, but against Taras dazzling couture, Veers outfit leaned more toward understated than festive.

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On the Work Front

While her personal life grabbed attention this festive season, Tara continues to make waves professionally too. She was last seen in Nikhil Nagesh Bhats thriller Apurva (2023) and has previously featured in films like Ek Villain Returns, Heropanti 2, Tadap, and Marjaavaan. She debuted in Bollywood in 2019 with Student of the Year 2. More recently, on July 17, 2025, she appeared in AP Dhillons hit music video Thodi Si Daaru. Beyond the screen, she also turned heads at India Couture Week 2025 in Delhi, walking the runway for Rose Room by Isha Jajodia in a statement gown.

About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in N... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 09:34 IST

News lifestyle Tara Sutaria Shines In A 4.39 Lakh Saree For Ganesh Chaturthi With Veer Pahariya
Indias Cultural Wanderlust Is Redefining Travel In 2025

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 20:07 IST

Eight in ten Indians now say they plan their trips around cultural experiences, be it grand festivals, local traditions, or ancient heritage, says report.

From Keralas backwaters and Ayurveda to the Northeasts tribal festivals, travellers are weaving deeper meaning into their journeys

For decades, Indian holidays often meant quick getaways, famous monuments, or beaches with family. But 2025 is bringing a different mood to the way India travels. According to Skyscanners latest Cultural Tourism report, culture has shifted from being a backdrop to becoming the very purpose of a journey. Eight in ten Indians now say they plan their trips around cultural experiences, be it grand festivals, local traditions, or ancient heritage.

Festivals as the New Compass

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More than half of Indian travellers (55%) have attended cultural festivals or fairs, and a staggering 76% have even altered travel plans just to witness a cultural spectacle. This year, Durga Puja in Kolkata (53%), Lathmar Holi in Barsana (51%), and Onam in Kerala (35%) top the must-see list. Beyond festivals, historical cities like Jaipur and Varanasi, and UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Hampi and the Taj Mahal, continue to pull in culture-curious Indians. Skyscanner data even shows that searches for Varanasi have increased by 76% in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Hidden Gems Take Centre Stage

Its not just the big names that are drawing attention. An overwhelming 93% of travellers said they would consider lesser-known destinations if they offered authentic cultural experiences. This reflects a growing appetite for hidden gems: villages, towns, and communities where traditions thrive away from crowded tourist trails. One way to explore these hidden treasures is by using Skyscanners Explore Everywhere search feature, with filter options like underrated destinations and art and culture to make it easier than ever to find the perfect spot for a unique tradition-rich escape.

Travel for Connection And Meaning

Indian travellers are moving beyond holidays taken only for leisure. The growing quest for depth has given rise to a new archetype, the culture-curious traveller, one who seeks knowledge, connection, and fulfilment," said Neel Ghose, Skyscanner Travel Trends and Destinations Expert. For them, success is measured in stories carried home that deepen their sense of people and place. Interestingly, our report also highlights that 71% prefer to travel with family, followed by 62% with friends, and 56% with a partner or spouse. This shows travel today is shifting from sights seen, to connections deepened and Skyscanners all-in-one app makes it easier and more affordable to plan those meaningful journeys."

From Observing to Immersing

The new cultural traveller doesnt want to just watch; they want to participate. Four in ten want to explore heritage villages or eco-cultural communities, while 38% are keen on culinary trails that reveal the roots of local cuisines. As Dr. Aditi Rawat of Pahle India Foundation puts it, Cultural tourism is fast becoming a defining lens through which Indian travellers experience their country and the world. The trend is moving towards combining cultural discovery with comfort, luxury, and leisure, a blend that encourages longer stays and deeper engagement. Catalysed by rising accessibility, robust infrastructure, and digital connectivity, it is reshaping travel from passive sightseeing to immersive storytelling, where visitors engage with living heritage, traditions, and narratives that define each destination."

Safety, Planning, and Smart Hacks

Practicality, of course, remains key. Safety ranks as the top consideration (45%) when choosing a cultural trip, followed by authenticity (33%) and seasonality (31%). Most travellers start planning one to two months in advance, leaning on social media (45%), friends and family (39%), and apps like Skyscanner (27%) for inspiration. And when it comes to booking, value matters! 60% say knowing the cheapest time to fly during a festival is their most helpful hack.

To further assist Indians in charting their journeys, Neel Ghose added, For travellers seeking inspiration, describing your ideal getaway on Skyscanners app-only AI feature, Savvy Search can help uncover temple cities, native lands, royal palaces, and more. The tool curates a list of destinations based on the prompts, directing you to Skyscanners flight search, letting you compare the best prices. And, when it comes to planning, for those looking to make the most of their holiday around a festival, a simple hack is to use the Whole Month view to spot the cheapest days to fly around the date! Smart planning choices like these can help unlock cultural experiences without breaking the bank, letting you create memories and returning home with learnings that last a lifetime."

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A Cultural Wave Shaping Tourisms Future

Whats clear is that cultural curiosity isnt just a passing trend; its reshaping Indian tourism itself. From Keralas backwaters and Ayurveda to the Northeasts tribal festivals, travellers are weaving deeper meaning into their journeys. Supported by government initiatives such as Dekho Apna Desh and Swadesh Darshan 2.0, cultural tourism is becoming both an economic driver and a custodian of Indias diverse identity. As Dr. Aditi Rawat notes, It is revitalising economies, positioning diversity as a global asset, and turning sites and practices into hubs that attract global visitors, empower local communities, and shape the future of Indias tourism economy."

About the Author Lifestyle Desk Our life needs a bit of style to get the perfect zing in the daily routine. News18 Lifestyle is one-stop destination for everything you need to know about the world of fashion, food, health, travel, r... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 20:07 IST

News lifestyle travel Indias Cultural Wanderlust Is Redefining Travel In 2025
Parashuram Kanawade's Sabar Bonda To Release In India On THIS Date | Know Here

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:48 IST

It is distributed in India by Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media.

Sabar Bonda won the Grand Jury Prize.

Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), the Sundance-lauded feature film written and directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, is set for its Indian release. The film will be released in India on September 19. It is distributed by Rana Daggubatis Spirit Media. Featuring a stellar cast, including Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, and Jayshri Jagtap, the narrative delicately captures the complexities of personal relationships.

The film follows Anand, a city-dweller grappling with personal loss and familial pressures, as he embarks on a 10-day mourning ritual in his ancestral village. Amid the rugged beauty of western India, he finds solace and connection with Balya, a childhood friend facing similar societal expectations.

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Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) made history earlier this year as the first-ever Indian fiction feature to win at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the prestigious Grand Jury Prize. Selected from thousands of submissions worldwide, it stood as Indias only feature in competition and marked another milestone as the first Marathi-language film ever to premiere at the festival.

Reflecting on the films journey and its Indian theatrical release, writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade shared, Having Spirit Media distribute Sabar Bonda in India feels incredibly meaningful. This film reimagines one of the most intimate experiences of my life into a story about love, acceptance, and resilience."

This film is a part of me, shaped by the people and moments that have made me who I am. To watch it grow from an idea to finding recognition at Sundance, and now finally bringing it home, feels deeply humbling and overwhelming. Partnering with Spirit Media to release this film in India is truly special," he also said.

He added, To see it resonate with audiences across the world has been overwhelming in the best way, but bringing it home to India carries a different kind of fulfilment. What excites me most about this partnership is not just the release itself, but the possibility it represents  the chance for regional, authentic, and emotionally honest Indian stories to find space in theatres here, and to claim their place in our larger cultural memory. With Spirit Media, I believe Sabar Bonda will truly find its way to hearts across India."

Developed under the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023 and NFDC Marathi script camp and presented at global platforms like the Film London Production Finance Market, NFDC Marathi Script Camp, Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, Venice Gap Financing Market, and Goes to Cannes, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) showcases the finest talents of an international collaborative effort.

About the Author Kashvi Raj Singh Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentar... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 18:48 IST

News movies regional-cinema Parashuram Kanawade's Sabar Bonda To Release In India On THIS Date | Know Here
Pawan Kalyan Consoles Emotional Allu Arjun After Grandmother Allu Kanakaratnams Death

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 09:19 IST

Pawan Kalyan visited Allu Arjuns home to pay respects after Allu Kanakaratnams passing, consoling an emotional Allu Arjun.

Pawan Kalyan visits Allu Arjun.

Actor Pawan Kalyan visited Allu Arjuns home to pay his respects following the passing of the actors grandmother, Allu Kanakaratnam. During the visit, an emotional Allu Arjun was consoled with a warm hug from Kalyan. Allu Aravind and his family are currently mourning the death of his mother, Allu Kanakaratnam. Actor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited their home to pay his condolences. He was seen talking to the family as well.

A video making rounds online captures Pawan Kalyan, clad in a white kurta-pyjama, visiting Allu Arjuns residence. The actor shared an emotional hug with Arjun before being led to a photograph of his late grandmother, where Kalyan offered his respects. He was later seen greeting Allu Aravind warmly, exchanging hugs, and engaging in a heartfelt conversation.

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Visuals of Deputy CM @PawanKalyan garu visiting #AlluAravind garu and Iconstar @AlluArjun to offer condolences on the demise of #AlluKanakaratnam garu. pic.twitter.com/I3XIa6x3c9 Sarath Chandra Naidu (@imsarathchandra) August 31, 2025

Allu Aravind, the brother of Chiranjeevis wife Surekha, was also present at the residence. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan could not attend the funeral procession in Hyderabad due to a meeting in Vizag. However, his wife visited the home to pay her respects and support the family during this emotional time.

Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi, and other close family members took on the role of pallbearers during the funeral of Allu Kanakaratnam. The somber occasion saw the Pushpa stars young son, Allu Ayaan, visibly overwhelmed with grief, breaking down in tears as he was tenderly consoled by his father.

Several members of the Telugu film industry have been visiting Allu Arjuns house to offer their support and prayers.

Allu Kanakaratnam, aged 94, passed away early Saturday morning due to age-related health issues. On hearing the news, Allu Arjun immediately cut short his shoot in Mumbai and returned to Hyderabad. Similarly, Ram Charan wrapped up his filming in Mysore and hurried to Allu Aravinds home to pay tribute and offer his condolences.

Chiranjeevi later confirmed the news of his mother-in-laws death in a post saying, Our mother-in-law The demise of Kanakarathnamma Garu, wife of Sri Allu Ramalingayya Garu, is extremely heartbreaking. The love, courage, and life values she showed to our families will forever be an inspiration to us. I pray to God that her sacred soul attains peace. Om Shanti."

Chiranjeevi also donated his mother-in-laws eyes, fulfilling her last wish.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 09:19 IST

News movies regional-cinema Pawan Kalyan Consoles Emotional Allu Arjun After Grandmother Allu Kanakaratnams Death
Opinion / Columnist

Tendai Mbofana's article today was a masterstroke. He is a shining star among gender critics - far surpassing many others we know but won't name. The title of his piece on BYO24, "Can it truly be called empowerment if women still believe their worth lies in pleasing men's desires?" is provocative and essential reading. Yet, curiously, it did not attract much attention. Women are deeply consumed by their physical appearance, perfectly illustrating what Mbofana critiques. Articles like his deserve recognition, especially from women, and must remain relevant in our social development for years to come.African women are casualties of globalization - an ideology blind to skin color but ruthless in exploiting vulnerabilities in fragile communities. Some African women loathe their skin tone, their short hair, and turn to social media to showcase their bodies. The consumption of images glorifying physical beauty is a growing trend. Instagram and Facebook have become curses for Africa - spaces where the commodification of women thrives under the guise of self-liberation.In a remote Ugandan village, a white, heterosexual tourist seeks out poor young girls for sexual exploitation. They are instructed to perform the Ancholi dance, traditionally used to initiate girls into womanhood. Videos of them dancing, shaking their backsides, are produced and uploaded to Instagram - because they trend commercially. Facebook and Instagram revenues soar from such exotic, erotic African content.Tendai, your article is lengthy and overflowing with facts - too many to adequately address in a single response. I recently listened to Joshua Maponga lamenting similar issues. We spend time growing long nails, wearing long hair, and searching for skin-lightening products - as if black skin is inherently dirty. Worse still, young African girls lack role models. Who will teach them to embrace African identity and love themselves as they are?African governments offer little support. The emancipation from mental slavery has yet to begin. Youths are lost, struggling for identity without a compass. Women's organizations are caught in the same trap - wearing Indian or blonde hair while proclaiming advancement, self-empowerment, and self-determination. In truth, it's self-deceit and an identity crisis in dire need of redress.Social media has eroded many positive aspects of African culture. Videos that trend are often explicit, while thoughtful pieces like Tendai Mbofana's go unread. As he writes, "The digital age has made visibility and virality synonymous with value." Sex videos generate billions in revenue and are easily accessible, posing a grave threat to future generations. Their globalized nature makes them nearly impossible to ban. Children consume these videos early, often daily, at the push of a button labeled "sex."In these videos, women are reduced to sexual objects - graphic and dehumanizing. Ironically, the men who frequent brothels and sex video cabins claim to respect their mothers. Yet the female body is on display for their desire. Even in developed countries, sex shops are widespread.Germany, currently governed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), faces a dilemma. Criminalizing sex shops, brothels, and prostitution could cost them votes. Prostitution is embedded in the German system, raising questions about how a Christian and democratic nation can condone it. The arguments to preserve it are often confusing and contradictory.As Tendai notes, "Choice is never made in a vacuum. It is made within a system, and our system, for all its progress, is still wired to reward conformity to a patriarchal standard." Patriarchy manifests deeply across societies. Gender equality is fluid and difficult to define in today's world. Material poverty compounds the issue. Legal debates are fierce. Prostitutes argue for bodily autonomy - a stance that resonates in many first-world countries.The so-called "Nordic Model" criminalizes the purchase of sex, not its sale. Simplified, it suggests: no buyers, no prostitution. Yet this model downplays the dangers of an industry that attracts millions - including underage girls.Despite the progress of postmodernity and enlightenment, prostitution continues to serve patriarchal interests - even in the global north. The "Nordic Model" deserves condemnation for the humiliation and commodification of women. The prostitution industry is a marketplace where women are traded between money and men - poor, exploited, and naked.Tendai writes, "It is a cultural water in which we all swim, and we have absorbed its toxins and nutrients alike." Black people inherited coloniality in full, internalizing its toxins. The loss of identity through the adoption of other cultures - many of which are themselves in decline - was completed long ago. In the UK, for example, the monarchy remains the last vestige of cultural identity. Zimbabwean symbols of Africanness are hard to identify. Without them, people look elsewhere for meaning.Culture is dynamic, not static. Absorbing other cultures isn't inherently bad - it can enrich us. But it should never erase the beauty of our own.Mbofana's question - "Can it truly be called empowerment if women still believe their worth lies in pleasing men's desires?" - deserves to be exalted across all social science disciplines. His article should be posted widely so that youth - girls, young women, and men - can read it, appreciate women, and help rediscover true African voices and identities.The youth have the power to create just societies. The future is in their hands. People of my generation are shadows of ourselves. We created this mess. We lied to the youth, telling them life in first-world countries was superior.We fail to see how foolish it is to abandon Africa for developed nations that don't need us. Around 90% of Africans living in the global north hold jobs their citizens reject - slave-like occupations.Tendai's article offers multiple dimensions for understanding its context. It will occupy academic spaces for years to come. I close with his words on what emancipation should mean for young African women:"True empowerment should mean a world where women are celebrated for their leadership, their inventions, their ideas, and their courage - not merely for how well they can pose for a camera."Kudos to you, Tendai Mbofana, for your enlightening article. It is a treasure - an African anthem.
Opinion | Hinduism And Buddhism: More Similar Than Dissimilar

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:48 IST

To pit Hinduism and Buddhism against each other is to do a disservice to both

The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea for repealing the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949. (Image: PTI File)

With the Supreme Court agreeing to examine a plea for repealing the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949, tensions between Buddhists and Hindus may rise shortly. As it is, there is a long-standing belief that Buddhism and Hinduism are fundamentally different from and antithetical to each other. This perception has led to the construction of oppositional binaries: egalitarian Buddhism versus iniquitous Hinduism, noble Buddhists versus wicked and scheming Brahmins, atheistic versus theistic, spiritual versus ritualistic. However, a closer examination of the philosophies, histories, and lived practices of the two traditions reveals that such binaries are misleading.

At the heart of both Hinduism and Buddhism lie the concepts of dharma and karma. These are not just abstract metaphysical principles but fundamental frameworks through which both traditions interpret human action and its consequences. In Hindu thought, dharma represents righteous duty, aligned with cosmic order. Karma refers to the principle of causation, where ones actions directly influence future circumstanceseither in this life or the next. Buddhism, especially in its early and classical forms, embraces these principles in similar ways.

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While it is true that the Buddha rejected the authority of the Vedas and certain ritual practices associated with orthodox Brahmanical practices, he did not reject the ethical foundations of religious life. His teachings were a reformist response to what he saw as unnecessary ritualism and social stratification, not a wholesale rejection of spirituality. The roots of his thought remain embedded in the soil of the Indian subcontinent, and many of his core ideas are echoed in various strands of Hindu philosophy, especially in the Upanishads, Samkhya, and Vedanta schools.

From a theological perspective, there is a remarkable similarity between the philosophies of several Buddhist teachers and the great Hindu exponent of Vedanta, Adi Shankar. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, His works reveal that he not only was versed in the orthodox Brahmanical traditions but also was well acquainted with Mahayana Buddhism. He is often criticized as a Buddhist in disguise" by his opponents because of the similarity between his doctrine and Buddhism. Despite this criticism, it should be noted that he made full use of his knowledge of Buddhism to attack Buddhist doctrines severely or to transmute them into his own Vedantic non-dualism."

Another misconception often propagated is that Buddhism was inherently against Brahminical authority, that it was a movement against Brahmins. Historical evidence contradicts this simplistic narrative. A large number of early and influential Buddhist monks, scholars, and teachers were themselves Brahmins. Asanga and Vasubandhu, the fourth-century Gandhara-based Brahmin brothers, went on to found the Buddhist school of Yogacara (Practice of Yoga) of idealism. It became a prominent school in China.

Kumarjiva (344-13), a brilliant translator of the Mahayana Buddhist texts like Lotus Sutra, was the son of a Brahmin. The great Buddhist philosopher of the Madhyamaka school, Nagarjuna, and the poet who embraced Buddhism after being its critic, Asvaghosha, also had Brahmin backgrounds.

Idols play a major role in Hinduism and Buddhism, though the followers of both faiths have different attitudes towards idols. In many parts of Asiaincluding India, Nepal, and Tibetthere is considerable similarity between Buddhist and Hindu practices, with communities often participating in each others festivals and visiting shared sacred sites.

The similarity in iconography is also quite evident. Also, images of the Buddha are often found in Hindu homes.

Another dimension where Hinduism and Buddhism have a common history is in the suffering and destruction inflicted by Muslim invasions, particularly during the medieval period. Between the 12th and 16th centuries, numerous Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples were destroyed, their libraries burned, and monks and priests killed. The great Buddhist universities of Nalanda, Vikramashila, and Odantapuri, which were global centers of learning, were brutally attacked by Turkic and Afghan invaders. Hindu religious centers, too, faced similar devastation.

This shared trauma is a chapter in Indian history that remains insufficiently acknowledged in public discourse. Both traditions were marginalized, not only in terms of physical infrastructure but also in terms of cultural continuity. While Hinduism, with its vast rural roots and decentralised structure, managed to survive and revive over time, Buddhism, with its monastic dependency, suffered a more prolonged decline in Indiathough it flourished in other parts of Asia.

This is not to suggest that there was never any conflict between the two great traditions, but mostly it was peaceful coexistence. In India, as elsewhere. In The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, William Dalrymple writes, This free mixing of Hinduism and Buddhism is a striking feature of South-east Asian religion for this time onwards [sixth century] The Buddha and the Hindu gods accommodated each other and often appear folded in with local religious practices including ancestor worship, fertility ceremonies, and Naga and Yakshi worship as well as other spirit cults."

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To pit Hinduism and Buddhism against each other is to do a disservice to both.

The author is a freelance journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:48 IST

News opinion Opinion | Hinduism And Buddhism: More Similar Than Dissimilar

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Opinion: How Nuclear Science Sent Chandrayaan To Moon, Revolutionised Agriculture And Healthcare

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:52 IST

Another beneficial application of nuclear energy is in preserving food for extended periods. This process is called food irradiation, and it is done using gamma rays

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Nuclear technology has applications in the civilian space field too. (AI generated image)

It was some months after Indias five nuclear tests in May 1998 at Pokhran, Rajasthan. It was the time when countries such as the U.S., the U.K. and France had clamped down sanctions and technology denials on India in the aftermath of its five nuclear tests. Dr. R. Chidambaram, then Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), had asked me to meet him at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) at Rawatbhatta. He gave me the news that the Russian Federation, through its state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, was prepared to revive the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu, which had been a non-starter from the mid-1980s. Russias VVER-1000 nuclear power reactors were to be built at Kudankulam. Chidambaram appreciated the Russian Federations guts to revive the project when other countries were hell-bent on throttling Indias nuclear power programme.

During the difficult years when sanctions loomed large and technology access was restricted, Russia stepped in where others withdrew. Rosatom supplied nuclear fuel for Indias reactors at Tarapur and Rajasthan, helping maintain continuity in power generation when global supplies were thin.

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Later in the day, when I was travelling with Chidambaram in a car, he saw a biscuit packet in the vehicle. He picked it up and showed me the words invert syrup" printed on the packets wrapper as one of the ingredients in the biscuits. This invert syrup was developed at our Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC, Trombay) of the DAE", he said. There are manifold applications of nuclear technology in medicine, agriculture, irradiation of spices, potatoes and onions for longer shelf life, and in BARC developing mutant varieties of banana, rice, groundnut, moong dal, mustard and jute, which are disease-resistant and produce high yields", he said. Irradiation was used in sterilizing medical products such as syringes, sutures, gloves, bandages etc. There is nothing BARC cannot do", he asserted.

Nuclear technology has applications in the civilian space field too. In a story titled Nuclear energy keeps Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module going", Srinivas Laxman reported in Times of India dated October 31, 2023, that Chandrayaan-3 has an untold success: the missions propulsion module now orbiting the Moon is powered by nuclear technology." Srinivas Laxman said the AEC Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty had said he (Mohanty) was happy that Indias nuclear sector could be part of such an important space mission. The story said, The propulsion module is equipped with two radioisotope heating units (RHU) generating one watt, designed and developed by BARC. RHUs keep the spacecraft at their operational temperatures." In 2016, Rosatom also delivered curium-244 for Indias space programme, which was used in APXS X-ray spectrometers onboard lunar missions.

Radiation is a word that puts the fear of God in a man on the street. But manifold are the useful applications of radiation. Sources of radiation can be radioisotopes, research reactors, power reactors, lasers, accelerators, X-rays and gamma rays. X-rays and gamma rays can penetrate substances. X-rays are used to image human body organs to find out whether there are fractures in bones and other medical issues. X-raying machines are used to scan passengers luggage at airports and railway stations to see whether the suitcases contain banned items.

An important facility of BARC in civilian applications of radiation is Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT). It is situated at Vashi, 16 km from BARC. In 2007, during the 50th year of founding of BARC, Dr. A.K. Kohli, then the Chief Executive of BRIT, told this journalist, The beneficial applications of radioisotopes and radiation technology constitute the most visible contributions of nuclear science and technology. Radioisotopes produced in research reactors, Dhruva and CIRUS, and many of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors find extensive applications in healthcare, industry, agriculture and research." (Frontline, May 4, 2007. CIRUS was permanently shut down in 2010).

In his keynote address delivered at Khalsa College, Amritsar, on November 22, 2024, Swapnesh Kumar Malhotra, vice-president, National Association for Application of Radioisotopes in Industry (NAARRI), said the DAE had a mandate to develop and deploy technologies for production of radioisotopes, radiation equipment and electron beams, and their applications in various areas. Research reactors Dhruva and Apsara-Upgraded were employed for production of isotopes, said Malhotra, former Outstanding Scientist and Head, Public Awareness Division, DAE. He added, Neutron-rich radioisotopes such as Iodine-131 are generally produced in research reactors. Cobalt-60 is produced in nuclear power reactors. Neutron-deficient radioisotopes such as Gallium-67, Indium-111 and Iodine-123 are produced in particle accelerators."

As the booklet titled Radiation  Sources, Technologies and Applications for Societal Development, published by the DAE in October 2001, says: The Radiation Medicine Centre of BARC in Mumbai has become the nucleus for the growth of nuclear medicine in the country. Similarly, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), a fully autonomous and aided institution of the DAE, provides comprehensive treatment for cancer and allied diseases and is one of the best radiation oncology centres in the countryIodine-131, as a sodium iodide, is used for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders BRIT supplies brachytherapy sources such as Iridium-192 and Cesium-137 for cancer treatment. BRIT supplies sodium phosphate (Phosphorus-32 based) injection for pain palliation in severe bone cancer cases."

Another beneficial application of nuclear energy is in preserving food for extended periods. This process is called food irradiation, and it is done using gamma rays. For several decades, India could not export mangoes to the US and Japan because some of the mangoes contained a beetle called weevil in their stone. So, these countries had banned the import of these fruits from India. But irradiation of mangoes, with gamma rays, led to disinfestation of the beetle. Low doses of application arrested sprouting of potatoes and onions. This helped in ferrying onions and potatoes on ships and submarines long voyages. Incidentally, India is the largest cultivator of onions in the world. According to DAE officials, irradiation techniques, developed by BARC facilities have not only led to prevention of sprouting in potatoes and onions but disinfestation of grains, delayed ripening of fruits, extension of shelf life of fish and meat, elimination of pathogens from frozen sea food, and microbial and insect decontamination of spices."

India exports spices such as pepper, cardamom, turmeric, ginger and chillies to many countries. But these importing countries had imposed stringent quality conditions for buying these spices from India. Gamma irradiation came as a godsend for the cultivators and exporters of spices. When spices are subjected to gamma irradiation in machines, disease-forming germs and spoilage pests are eliminated. Microbial and insect populations are killed. Yet no change takes place in the flavour, colour, quality and appearance of spices. According to the DAE, Irradiation is a direct, simple, efficient and a one-time process."

In agriculture, Malhotra said, The DAE has released more than 70 radiation mutant crop varieties of cereals, pulses and oilseeds for cultivation by farmersCrops such as banana, pineapple, turmeric etc. have been developed, employing radiation-induced genetic alteration and plant tissue culture technology." BARC is behind all these developments. Crops developed at BARC, using mutation breeding, include groundnuts, pigeon pea, black gram, moong bean, paddy, mustard and jute. They are all high-yielding, disease-resistant, early maturing varieties with improved quality.

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As this writer has noted in Frontline magazine, In hydrology, radioisotopes are used, among other things, to detect seepage in dams, seawater incursion into coastal aquifers, the movement of silt in harbour and estuaries and groundwater recharge and to trace the source of a dried upriver. In industry, radioisotopes are used for radiographing metals, for detecting minute leaks in underground oil and gas pipelines and for estimating the amount of oil left in an oil well after the well has been produced."

T. S. Subramanian is veteran science and archaeology Writer; Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding Service Awardee for Science Communication (2011); and ex-journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:30 IST

News opinion Opinion: How Nuclear Science Sent Chandrayaan To Moon, Revolutionised Agriculture And Healthcare

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Opinion | Sonam Wangchuk: From Eco-Activist To Foreign-Backed Agitator Destabilising Ladakh

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 15:48 IST

Wangchuk is becoming a tool in the hands of vested interests so he can hide his failures, avoid his dues, and play into the hands of those who wish to destabilise India from within

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Hailed as an environmentalist, Sonam Wangchuk is accused locally of polluting and degrading Ladakhs fragile ecology. (PTI)

When Sonam Wangchuk shot to fame as the inspiration behind Aamir Khans Phunsuk Wangdu" in 3 Idiots, he was hailed as a visionary innovator and educator. Over the years, he carefully cultivated an image of a selfless reformer and an eco-warrior fighting for Ladakhs fragile environment. But over the years, mounting evidence, official documents, and eyewitness accounts now reveal this mask of activism conceals a far more troubling reality.

From land-grab allegations in Phyang, financial defaults on government land, and issuing unrecognised degrees at his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), to environmental damage from his Ice Stupa project, Wangchuks track record paints a picture not of a saviour but of a manipulator. And now, with his recent visit to Pakistan and immediate return to protests in India, the foreign hand behind his activism is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

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The Land Scam Behind the Mask

At the heart of the controversy is HIAL, Wangchuks so-called Alternate University." In 2018, his institute was allotted nearly 1,200 kanals (approximately 54 hectares) of prime government land in Phyang village, conditional on completing construction within two years and paying a premium of Rs 14 crore. Neither condition was met.

Instead, HIAL repeatedly petitioned for a waiver of the premium, a demand rejected by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC). By 2023, with unpaid dues and arrears, the liability ballooned to nearly Rs 30 crore, leading to official notices and eventual cancellation of the allotment.

In 2020, the villagers betrayed by Wangchuks broken promises, wrote to the LAHDC demanding cancellation. Their letter accused him of playing negatively with the sentiments of innocent villagers" and using false promises to secure a No-Objection Certificate. Even the office of the Nambardar of Phyang protested, pointing out that Wangchuk was seeking more land while failing to utilise what had already been allotted.

For a man claiming to fight for Ladakhs people and land, the evidence clearly suggests he has been exploiting both. Not only has he been exploiting the sentiments of the people but also, he has risked the career of students who enrolled for courses offered by his unrecognised university and sought admissions as well.

Even more damning is HIALs continued status as an unrecognised institution. Wangchuk failed to set up the university within a one-year period of the lease agreement. Interestingly, HIAL applied for university status only in 2022, i.e. four years after land allotment.

Despite holding convocations and distributing certificates, HIAL has no recognition from UGC or AICTE. Hundreds of students have unknowingly walked away with worthless degrees. As per Tashi Gyalson, Chairman of the LAHDC, How did they do it & what degree/diploma did they issue? Which institution-affiliated diploma did they issue? We cannot say that it is a university when it is not affiliated with the UGC or the AICTE." This amounts to nothing less than academic fraud, misleading young Ladakhis and exploiting their aspirations.

The Ice Stupa Hypocrisy

The much-celebrated Ice Stupa project, presented as an ecological solution, has ironically been flagged as an ecological threat. Villagers accused the project of excessive plastic usage of pipes, bottles and tents that littered Ladakhs mountains. Reports also indicate that diverting water for these stupas has disrupted the water table, undermining the very sustainability Wangchuk claims to champion.

Thus, the activist hailed as an environmentalist is accused locally of polluting and degrading Ladakhs fragile ecology.

The most troubling dimension, however, is the emerging evidence of foreign backing and influence in Wangchuks campaigns. In February 2025, just days before spearheading fresh protests in India, Wangchuk was in Pakistan, attending the Breathe Pakistan" conference. Just two days after his Pakistan visit, Wangchuk was back protesting in Pune, leading a march opposing the citys riverfront developmental project.

The timing is too convenient to be a coincidence. His immediate return to Indian soil with renewed protests raises alarming questions: Is Wangchuk merely an activist, or a conduit for foreign agendas seeking to stir unrest within India?

Ladakhs strategic location, bordering both China and Pakistan, makes it a fertile ground for external powers aiming to destabilise India. By amplifying grievances, challenging constitutional structures, and rallying people against the government, Wangchuks activism dovetails seamlessly with the playbook of Indias adversaries.

Destabilisation Disguised as Protest

Wangchuks methods reveal a pattern. Whenever faced with accountability, whether for failure to pay dues, unrecognised degrees, or land misuse, he pivots to protest, framing himself as a persecuted activist. By fasting, staging rallies, and invoking Ladakhs ecology, he diverts scrutiny from his own misdeeds.

Now, with evidence of his Pakistan engagement, these protests appear less about protecting the environment and more about creating fault lines within India. His calls for Ladakhs inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, though cloaked in ecological rhetoric, are increasingly seen as an attempt to weaken central authority and sow disaffection. Several Pakistani social media accounts are amplifying the fake narrative that Sonam Wangchuk is somehow being victimised by the Indian government when, in reality, Wangchuks game of smoke and mirrors stands completely exposed. This unwavering support for Wangchuk from across the border completely exposes his hidden intent and the networks that support Wangchuk.

A Wolf in Eco-Warriors Clothing

Behind the halo of the eco-warrior" lies a consistent pattern of duplicity, financial misconduct, and foreign links. Wangchuk took land and never honoured terms. He created an alternate university" but issued worthless certificates. He promoted Ice Stupas that locals say littered the mountains with plastic. And now, he returns from Pakistan only to launch protests in India, a sequence that cannot be brushed aside as coincidence.

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Sonam Wangchuk has successfully built an image that appeals to outsiders urban elites, global environmentalists, and international backers. But for Ladakhs villagers, administrators, and now the Indian public, the evidence points to a troubling truth that Wangchuk is not safeguarding Ladakh. He has a larger agenda aided by foreign powers of creating political destabilisation. The reality is that he is becoming a tool in the hands of vested interests so he could hide his own failures, avoid his dues, and play into the hands of those who wish to destabilise India from within.

Raja Muneeb is an independent journalist and a columnist, a geopolitical and a Nat Sec analyst. He tweets @rajamuneeb. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 15:48 IST

News opinion Opinion | Sonam Wangchuk: From Eco-Activist To Foreign-Backed Agitator Destabilising Ladakh

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Opinion | Strategic Autonomy And National Interest: Indias Message From Tianjin

Written By :

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 19:37 IST

In Tianjin, the world watched as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping

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PM Modi with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in China. (X)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has underlined one central truth about Indias place in the world: under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strategic autonomy and national interest remain paramount.

In a rapidly shifting global order, where nations are pulled into competing blocs, India has once again shown it engages with all powers but bows to none.

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In Tianjin, the world watched as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. These encounters, though on the sidelines, carried immense symbolic weight. They reflected Indias ability to maintain equilibriumnurturing its historic partnership with Russia, engaging China with maturity, and never compromising on sovereignty or succumbing to external pressure.

The SCO joint statement bore Indias imprint and was historic by all means. By including the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, the summit acknowledged what New Delhi has long insisted: terrorism cannot be selectively condemned. As PM Modi declared at the SCO, Perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice." This was a huge diplomatic breakthrough that pushed state-sponsored terrorism into the Eurasian conversation.

Equally striking was PM Modis intervention on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Sitting alongside President Putin in his car for more than 45 minutes, he built upon his 2022 words at Samarkand, Todays era is not of war."

In Tianjin, he urged the world to find a way to end the conflict and establish lasting peace, calling it the call of humanity" during the bilateral meet. Putins acknowledgment of Indias consistent advocacy for dialogue underscored New Delhis credibility as a trusted, balanced voice.

What makes this position even more significant is that Indias role has not been confined to Moscow alone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly reached out to PM Modi, praising Indias humanitarian assistance, support for reconstruction, and consistent message of dialogue over escalation. New Delhi has supplied essential medicines, dispatched humanitarian aid, and voiced support for peace summits without aligning blindly with any bloc. This rare acceptance from both Moscow and Kyiv underscores Indias unique credibility: while most global powers are seen as partisan, India is regarded as principled. In a conflict that has polarised the international system, New Delhi has emerged as one of the few actors trusted on both sides, strengthening its profile as a genuine peace-builder.

The summit also highlighted Indias broader outreach. Just days earlier, PM Modi elevated the IndiaJapan Strategic Partnership, securing investment commitments worth $14 trillion over the next decade. This demonstrated that New Delhis diplomacy is not bound by geography or bloc politics. India can engage Putin in Tianjin, hold dialogue with Xi, and simultaneously strengthen QUAD and Indo-Pacific strategies. This is multi-alignment in action, an evolved, confident successor to non-alignment, rooted firmly in national interest.

The balancing act with China remains telling. India stands uncompromising on sovereignty, especially in the shadow of Galwan, yet continues dialogue without illusion. India has not shut the door to diplomacy. By maintaining communication channels, India prevents miscalculation, even as it strengthens its deterrence through infrastructure upgrades, troop readiness, and strategic partnerships with like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific. With Russia, the warmth on display, from leaders sharing a car to their meeting  signalled enduring trust built over decades, resilient despite global upheaval. These gestures prevented the SCO from sliding into a China-Russia-Pakistan-dominated axis, reaffirming India as a pole of balance in Eurasian stability.

The larger message from Tianjin is unmistakable: India is no longer a participant alone; it is an agenda-setter. Whether at the G20, where New Delhi forged consensus amid division, or at the SCO, where terrorism and peace took centrestage, India has shown it cannot be sidelined.

This credibility is built not on rhetoric, but on economic strength. As the worlds fastest-growing major economy and the fourth largest overall, India commands attention not just for its market size but for translating growth into diplomatic weight. Its voice on inclusive development and climate responsibility carries influence because it is backed by delivery at home.

In an increasingly fractured global order with Washington and Beijing locked in rivalry, and Moscow estranged from the West, India stands as a rare power that can speak to all without being beholden to any. As PM Modi affirmed, Indias foreign policy is not about right or left, it is about India First."

The lesson from Tianjin is therefore clear. India will engage with all, compromise with none, and place its national interest above external pressures. Chanakya once said: The power of a king lies in his mighty arms; the power of a wise man lies in his diplomacy."

India today embodies both  strength rooted in sovereignty, and diplomacy anchored in civilisational responsibility.

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In a turbulent world, this clarity is Indias greatest strength. It is why New Delhi is emerging not just as a regional force, but as a civilisational voice with global credibility. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indias foreign policy is defined neither by fear nor favour, but by confidence, balance, and the timeless pursuit of dharma in international relations.

Pradeep Bhandari is BJPs National Spokesperson. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 19:37 IST

News opinion Opinion | Strategic Autonomy And National Interest: Indias Message From Tianjin

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'BJP-RSS Will Dump You Where Garbage Is Dumped': Congress' Kharge Warns Nitish Kumar

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 21:54 IST

In a scathing attack on Nitish Kumar, Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the JD(U) chief used to talk of socialism earlier but then "fell into the lap" of the BJP-RSS.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge . (Image: X)

In a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the JD(U) chief used to talk of socialism earlier but then "fell into the lap" of the BJP-RSS, which will dump him "where garbage is dumped".

Kharge alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to win the Bihar Assembly polls through "vote chori" (vote theft), and asserted that the BJP-led NDAs "double-engine" government in Bihar would be voted out soon, with a new government of the poor, backwards and Dalits being formed.

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Targeting Kumar, Kharge said, "Once upon a time, he used to go around and talk about socialism and praise Ram Manohar Lohia and George Fernandes and others. Where did those socialist ideas go? Now you have gone and fallen into the lap of the BJP-RSS." "This BJP-RSS will dump you where garbage is dumped," the Congress president said, launching a sharp attack on the Janata Dal (United) chief.

His remarks came after INDIA bloc constituents held a march marking the culmination of the "Voter Adhikar Yatra" led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Mahagathbandhan leaders that covered 1,300 kilometres and passed through 110 Assembly constituencies, covering 25 of the 38 districts in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state election.

"This Voter Adhikar Yatra was discussed throughout the country. There were attempts to disrupt it but people of Bihar and the Mahagathbandhan did not back down," Kharge said.

"Modi is attempting to win the Bihar polls through vote chori. Be alert. If you are not alert, Modi and (Amit) Shah will ruin you," he claimed.

"This double-engine government will not be there in six months and the new government that will be formed will be of the poor, women, Dalits and backwards," the Congress chief said.

"People in Manipur are dying but Modiji is visiting the world. He keeps visiting countries. Sometimes he hugs (US President Donald) Trump and sometimes he makes the Chinese President (Xi Jinping) sit on a swing. Even those who do not want a hug, he forcibly hugs them," Kharge said.

The Congress chief said since there are a number of speakers, he will not speak for long and put out his speech later for everyone to read.

In a post on X, Kharge said the 15-day yatra has awakened the entire country and while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to create obstacles in its way, the people of Bihar ensured that it was a resounding success.

"Whenever the rights of the weaker sections of the country are threatened, Rahulji raises his voice for them. Bharat Jodo Yatra, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and Jai Bapu-Jai Bhim-Jai Samvidhaan and now this yatra is a part of this series. Wherever this yatra passed in Bihar, crores of people came out on the streets to support it. Democracy supporters stood with them across the country. The voice of the yatra reached the entire world," he said.

The people of Bihar will uproot this "double-engine corrupt government", Kharge added.

"The Supreme Court also accepted that the opposition was right on the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. We wanted the vote theft of Bihar should be discussed in Parliament. The entire opposition kept protesting, but they kept protecting the Election Commission and did not allow any discussion," Kharge said.

Bihar has always guided the country with its knowledge, power and passion in times of crisis, he said.

"For the last 11 years, the Modi government has been destroying democracy in instalments. For this, it adopts new methods of theft. First, it distributed the wealth of the poor worth crores of rupees to a few close friends. The profitable public sectors were handed over to them, then the opposition governments were toppled with their financial power. Now after the theft, they have resorted to dacoity," Kharge said.

"Nitishji himself came to us. But he turned back in fear. He did not have the strength to fight against injustice. Leaving the socialist ideology, he followed RSS, BJP," the Congress chief said.

Not only in Bihar, but in the entire country  from Kashmir to Kanyakumari  people have come to know the reality of "thieves", he said.

"You can fool some people for some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time," Kharge said.

"Modi Ji is a chunavi pradhan mantri. He is always in election mode. He deploys everything from bogus voters to false propaganda, false announcements, false schemes and jumlabaazi. Modi Ji has used ED-CBI-IT department to capture the countrys politics, but when he got exposed, he brought a new bill in the Parliament to scare the opposition governments," he added.

Modi was nowhere to be seen during floods and disasters in many states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Kharge alleged.

"Modi jis associates used to call Trump a Sanatani. Today, due to America, the livelihood of crores of poor fishermen, farmers and artisans is in danger," he said.

"They are not concerned about the youth in Bihar. They are not concerned about migration. For 11 years, they have been talking about opening a sugar factory in Bihar, but have not started even one," he said.

"Friends, theft of your vote means  Theft of your ration; theft of your pension; theft of government housing facility; theft of MNREGA money," Kharge claimed.

"Gandhi ji, Nehru ji and Dr Ambedkar gave this right to vote to everyone when there were many obstacles in the world. That is why the poor, Dalits, and backward people could vote," he said.

This right to vote is the basic right of the poor, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women, Kharge said, urging people to protect this right and strengthen the Constitution and democracy.

The "Gandhi se Ambedkar" march marking the culmination of the "Voter Adhikar Yatra" was stopped midway by police at the Dak Bungalow crossing here. The leaders participating in the march addressed a gathering at the Dak Bungalow crossing.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPIs Annie Raja, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Yusuf Pathan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and other leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) were among those present.

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The march started with the INDIA bloc leaders offering floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi here.

The "Voter Adhikar Yatra", launched by Rahul Gandhi from Sasaram on August 17, aimed to highlight the alleged assault on peoples right to vote through the SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 21:54 IST

News politics 'BJP-RSS Will Dump You Where Garbage Is Dumped': Congress' Kharge Warns Nitish Kumar

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Irresponsible: BJP Slams Rahul Gandhis Hydrogen Bomb Remark Over Rigged Polls Charge

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 16:08 IST

BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad criticizes Rahul Gandhi's "hydrogen bomb" claim on election rigging, questioning his leadership as INDIA bloc ends Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar.

The BJP leader also hit out at the opposition leaders over their repeated allegations of elections being rigged (x)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday traded barbs at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his hydrogen bomb" allegation that the election system in the country is already dead", saying that the nation should understand that Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible and is demeaning himself as Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition.

While addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad took a jibe at Gandhi, saying that whenever he listens to the latter inside or outside the Parliament, it takes time to understand what he is trying to say.

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Today he has said, maine atom bomb phoda hai ab mai hydrogen bomb phodunga How are the atom bomb and the hydrogen bomb related to the elections? Why is Rahul Gandhi demeaning himself as the Leader of Opposition The nation should understand, Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible," he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, Whenever I listen to Rahul Gandhi, inside or outside the Parliament, it takes time to understand what he is trying to say. Today he has said, maine atom bomb phoda hai ab mai hydrogen bomb phodunga How are the atom bomb and pic.twitter.com/FU5TJH87sJ ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

Prasad further took an aim at Bihar assembly LoP Tejashwi Yadav, saying that why he has been reduced to a number 2 player during their yatra in the state.

 Throughout their yatra, Rahul Gandhi was always in the front in the car, and Tejashwi Yadav stood behind him Patna has two MPs, one of whom is me and the other is Misa Bharti. She was nowhere to be seen Why has Tejashwi Yadav been reduced to a number 2 player in Bihar? Congress has no vote here and is completely at your mercy and you have become a number 2 player" he added.

The BJP leader also hit out at the opposition leaders over their repeated allegations of elections being rigged and their accusations against the poll body of indulging in vote theft" for the BJP.

They are deeply pained by the fact that they cannot capture booths now, which is why they demand ballot paper time and again Their whole agitation against the Election Commission and the SIR is centred around give us the right and might to capture booths, tear away ballot papers, and let infiltrators vote" he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says,  Thanks to the Election Commission that booths are not captured now in Bihar They are deeply pained by the fact that they cannot capture booths now, which is why they demand ballot paper time and again Their whole pic.twitter.com/JXEkVnfMbY ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

What Rahul Gandhi Said?

Earlier today, the Lok Sabha LoP said his party will soon come out with a hydrogen bomb" of revelations about vote chori" and after that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to show his face to the country.

I want to tell the BJP people. Have you heard of anything bigger than an atom bomb, it is a hydrogen bomb. BJP people, be ready, a hydrogen bomb is coming. People are soon going to find out the reality of vote chori," Gandhi said.

In the coming time, I am guaranteeing you that after the hydrogen bomb (comes), Narendra Modi ji will not be able to show his face to the country," the former Congress chief said.

His remarks came after the INDIA bloc allies held a march marking the culmination of the oppositions Vote Adhikar Yatrathat covered 1,300-km and passed through 110 assembly constituencies covering 25 of the 38 districts ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.

Gandhi was joined by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insan Party chief Mukesh Sahani, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPIs Annie Raja, TMC MP Yusuf Pathan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, and other INDIA bloc leaders.

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The Voter Adhikar Yatra, launched by Rahul Gandhi from Sasaram on August 17, was aimed at highlighting the alleged assault on peoples right to vote through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:08 IST

News politics Irresponsible: BJP Slams Rahul Gandhis Hydrogen Bomb Remark Over Rigged Polls Charge

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Kaleshwaram Project: Telangana Govt Orders CBI Probe, KCRs Daughter Blames Harish Rao For Stain

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:28 IST

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy orders CBI probe into Kaleshwaram project irregularities, implicating K Chandrasekhar Rao and BRS leaders.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. (Congress/X)

Kaleshwaram Project Row: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project built during the previous K Chandrasekhar Raos regime.

After a speech lasting over one-and-a-half hours past midnight during the short discussion on Justice P C Ghose Commission probe report on irregularities in the over Rs one lakh crore Kaleshwaram project, which was tabled in the state assembly on Sunday

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While speaking at the end of the short discussion on the judicial commissions report on Kaleshwaram project in the assembly, which concluded at around 2 am, the Chief Minister said it is appropriate to hand over the probe to CBI as inter-state issues, different central and state government departments and agencies are involved in the project.

Therefore, the House is taking the decision to hand over the investigation of this case to the CBI with the permission of the Speaker. Because there are many issues involved in this and also matters fit for inquiry, our government is issuing orders for CBI probe," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

The Ghose commission report has nailed former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, former ministers T Harish Rao and Eatala Rajender, and also many officers, officials, contractors and engineers," he added.

The government had constituted Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission to investigate into the alleged irregularities, misuse of public funds, and corruption in the construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages in the Kaleshwaram project.

The Ghose Commission of Inquiry submitted its report to the government on July 31, 2025. The state cabinet approved it on August 4, 2025. It also took the decision to table the report in the assembly, which was discussed in detail, and the discussions extended from Sunday to the early hours of Monday.

The reports of National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the judicial commission have underscored the need for an in-depth and more comprehensive probe into various issues concerning the project.

What Judicial Report States?

The Ghose Commission in its report has identified several irregularities, including negligence, deliberate suppression of facts, and financial irregularities, Reddy said.

The Commission concluded that faults took place in the construction of the three barrages.

As per the NDSA report, the defects in planning, design and quality control have been found to be the reasons for the failure of the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project, the CM said.

The Commission suggested that it is for the state government to take action against former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as per the law.

"While the then Minister for Irrigation gave instructions at random and the Minister for Finance & Planning conducted himself apathetically towards the finance and economic health of the State, it is the then Chief Minister who can be directly and also vicariously made accountable for the irregularities and illegalities in planning, construction, completion, operation and maintenance of the three barrages," the commission report said.

BRS Response

Meanwhile, the BRS staged a walkout from the assembly, alleging that the party was not given enough time to voice its version on the report of the judicial commission.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao said, Today, the government failed completely. Today, their ministers objected and interrupted, but Harish Rao Ji replied to everything. Whatever allegation was made against us, he gave a befitting reply. We will also fight legally and politically. As a party, we will sit and decide how to break this conspiracy"

Further, hours after the Chief Ministers decision, the counsels for the party leaders approached the court seeking interim relief.

Meanwhile, former Minister and senior BRS MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy accused the Chief Minister of colluding with the BJP to defame the Kaleshwaram project and malign the BRS leadership. He said the Congress-BJP nexus was exposed during Assembly proceedings as part of a larger conspiracy to shut down the Kaleshwaram project permanently.

Additionally, the party in a post on X, said, CBI now has a new meaning: Congress- BJP Investigation. The CBI has been used by both the national parties to only witch hunt their political opponents. Congress and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Revanths decision to handover a half baked Kaleshwaram Commission report to CBI for investigation is another step in that direction."

CBI now has a new meaning: Congress- BJP Investigation.The CBI has been used by both the national parties to only witch hunt their political opponents. Congress and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Revanths decision to handover a half baked Kaleshwaram Commission pic.twitter.com/pjr6vH02ij  BRS Party (@BRSparty) September 1, 2025

BRS Activists Hold Protests

BRS workers on Monday held protests at several places in Telangana against the Congress governments decision to order CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project executed during the previous BRS regime.

BRS leaders attacked the Congress, alleging ordering of CBI probe into the matter was a premeditated attack on party chief KCR.

Holding black flags and raising slogans against Congress government and CM A Revanth Reddy, the BRS activists held dharnas and took out rallies at Suryapet, Deverakonda, Jangaon, Bhongir, Miryalguda, Nagarjuna Sagar and other places.

KCRs Daughter Kavitha Blames Harish Rao For Corruption Stain

Further, BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha once again took indirect swipes at party working president KT Rama Rao and claimed that former minister Harish Rao, ex-Rajya Sabha MP Santosh Rao, and MEIL (Megha Engineering and Infrastructure) chief Krishna Reddy were responsible for tarnishing her father and BRS president KCRs image with corruption charges.

It was people close to KCR who brought this taint  Harish Rao, Santosh, and Megha Krishna Reddy. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is backing them and protecting their actions. The ACB has already found hundreds of crores from officials linked to the Kaleshwaram project."

She further claimed that KCR himself was aware of Harish Raos alleged irregularities, which is why he was not given the irrigation portfolio in the second term.

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project

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The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is a multi-purpose project on the Godavari River in Bhupalpally district. Damage to the barrages, built during the previous BRS regime, became a major issue in the 2023 Assembly election.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 18:28 IST

News politics Kaleshwaram Project: Telangana Govt Orders CBI Probe, KCRs Daughter Blames Harish Rao For Stain

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Term For 'Wealthy Elite' Or 'Casteist'? Uproar Over Peter Navarro's 'Brahmin' Remark

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:01 IST

Justifying the 50% tariff on India over buying Russian oil, White House adviser Peter Navarro accused Brahmins of the country of "profiteering at the expense of the Indian people"

White House adviser Peter Navarro has consistently targeted India following a major downturn in ties between Washington and New Delhi over the Trump administration's policies on trade and tariffs. (Image: AFP/File)

The uproar over White House adviser Peter Navarros Brahmin remark to justify US tariffs on India has only intensified with some raging over it while others try to figure out the real" meaning behind it and some are even endorsing it.

Congress leader Pawan Khera called Navarros remark baseless" but his colleague Udit Raj endorsed it saying he couldnt agree more". Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose, meanwhile, pondered over the meaning behind the usage and said he, in all likelihood, referred to the Boston Brahmins"  a term used for the wealthy elite in the US and UK while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi cast doubt over why such a term was being used at all at a time when India and the US were in a tariff tussle.

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Udit Raj said he agrees with Navarros remark claiming that private Indian oil refiners belonged to upper castes, who are buying cheap oil from Russia, refining it, and selling it to other countries.

I couldnt agree more @RealPNavarro. Indeed private Indian oil refiners are from upper caste and it may take decades, may be centuries that so called lower castes would reach to the position of oil refiners. It is true that upper caste corporate houses are buying cheep oil from Russia and after the refining, selling it to other countries. Indian people are not getting any benefits from it," (sic) Raj said in a post on X.

Pawan Khera, however, criticised the remark. America should not make baseless statements like this," Khera told news agency ANI.

Sagarika Ghose said the term Brahmin" is currently used to describe the social or economic elites" in Britain, and that the term Boston Brahmin" was once used in the US, referring to the wealthy elite of New England.

Boston Brahmin" was once a widely used term in the US to refer to the American New England wealthy elite. Brahmin" is still a term used in the English speaking world to denote social or economic elites" ( in this case the rich). The illiteracy on X is astonishing," Ghose said on X.

Boston Brahmin" was once a widely used term in the US to refer to the American New England wealthy elite. Brahmin" is still a term used in the English speaking world to denote social or economic elites" ( in this case the rich). The illiteracy on X is astonishing. Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) September 1, 2025

Priyanka Chaturvedi, meanwhile, said Navarros statement cannot come out of the blue in Indias context".

Peter Navarros Invocation of a particular caste identity in India to make his point, even if it is to imply the privileged lot vis a vis the rest , is shameful and sinister. PS: spare me sermons on usage of the word Brahmins in American context," Chaturvedi wrote on X. The usage of the word Brahmin (yes elite Boston Brahmins US context am aware) by someone senior in US Administration cannot come out of the blue in Indias context, this was deliberate. So please sit out on explaining this one."

Peter Navarros Invocation of a particular caste identity in India to make his point, even if it is to imply the privileged lot vis a vis the rest , is shameful and sinister. PS: spare me sermons on usage of the word Brahmins in American context. https://t.co/p011r9MwdL Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) September 1, 2025

Indian economist and member of the PMs economic advisory council, Sanjeev Sanyal also responded to the issue stating that the comments indicate who controls the narrative about India inside the US.

This latest jibe from Navarro  that Brahmins are profiteering" from Russian oil  tells us a lot about who controls narratives about India and Hindus inside the policy/intellectual spaces of America. This is derived directly from 19th century colonial jibes going back to the likes of James Mill. Edward Saids point about Orientalism is perhaps more correct for India than his original thesis on Middle East," Sanyal wrote on X.

WHAT DID PETER NAVARRO SAY?

In a new rant against India for its purchases of Russian oil, Navarro once again took a strident position justifying US President Donald Trumps decision to levy a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, now making a caste-based remark on the issue and accusing the Brahmins of the country of profiteering at the expense of the Indian people".

Referring to India as nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin", during an interview with Fox News on Monday, he accused New Delhi of enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run counter to US interests.

He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modis foreign policy approach while calling him a great leader", suggesting that Indias engagement with Russia and China undermines its status as the worlds largest democracy.

And on top of that, by the way, 25 percent or 50 percent is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They wont let us sell to them, so who gets hurt, workers in America, taxpayers in America Ukrainians in cities are getting killed by Russian drones," he said.

He added: So, you know, look, Modis a great leader But I dont understand why hes getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinpingwhen hes the leader of the biggest democracy in the world. I would just simply say to the Indian people. Please, understand whats going on here. Youve got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop."

Navarro has consistently targeted India over the last few days following a major downturn in ties between Washington and New Delhi over Trumps policies on trade and tariffs.

Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has maintained that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics. Russia has emerged as Indias top energy supplier since the West slapped sanctions on its crude oil after the invasion of Ukraine.

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Navarro has previously described the Ukraine conflict as Modis war" and said the road to peace" runs partly right through New Delhi". The US has refrained from criticising China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author Oindrila Mukherjee Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing im... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:47 IST

News politics Term For 'Wealthy Elite' Or 'Casteist'? Uproar Over Peter Navarro's 'Brahmin' Remark

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iPhone 17 Air Launching This Month: Price, Specs And Everything We Know

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 08:17 IST

iPhone 17 launch is over a week away and Apple's new iPhone Air version has got a lot of attention and we are eager to see it.

iPhone 17 Air is widely awaited.

The iPhone 17 series launch date is inching closer every day and in around one week we will be seeing the new iPhone models unveiled in front of the world. There is a lot riding on Apples new iPhones, not just because of the AI struggles and Siri AI delay to 2026 but also how it plans to compete in the arena purely with its hardware.

The iPhone 17 lineup could see some changes, and one of them could be the exit of the Plus moniker and the debut of its much-awaited Air/Slim version. It is likely to be pitted against fellow rival Samsungs Galaxy S25 Edge model that also sits in the premium table.

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There is definite excitement and intrigue to see how Apple plans to shape its ultra thin device and here is a round-up of everything we know.

iPhone 17 Air Price Expected

With all these changes, a sleek body and aluminium finish, Apple is unlikely to go easy with the iPhone 17 Air price when it launches. Going by the market trends, we expect the new model to cost around Rs 1,20,999 for the base variant which puts it below the Pro models but slightly higher than the regular version.

iPhone 17 Air Design

The rumoured iPhone 17 Air is tipped to feature a slim design, which has become an unknown entity in the companys phone lineup these days. Apple could upstage these figures with the iPhone 17 Air and go for a 5.5mm frame with a device weighing under 150 grams.

Reports say the slim or Air iPhone model will feature only a single camera at the back and front, and its biggest highlight is likely to be the aluminium slim design. The recent leaked images of the iPhone 17 Air model alongside the iPhone 16 Pro shows the difference in their size and these cutbacks should make it easy for Apple to pull through with the sleek design.

iPhone 17 Air Specs

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The 17 Air version is heavily tipped to replace the Plus variant this year. It is expected to carry a 6.7-inch display which gives the right dimensions. The company should offer it with the latest A19 Pro chipset with 12GB RAM which makes it compatible with Apple AI features and Siri AI when it releases next year.

For imaging, the iPhone 17 Air is tipped to come with a single rear camera and carry a really small battery pack. It seems the company is aware about the battery limitations, which is why it could bring a battery pack for this specific model, which means more money into its coffers. Accessories have become a big part of Apples business and this battery pack could be the icing on a costly cake.

About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and ... Read More

Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: September 01, 2025, 08:17 IST

News tech iPhone 17 Air Launching This Month: Price, Specs And Everything We Know

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Only Village Where Husband And Wife Speak Different Languages  Boys Must Switch At 10 | Watch

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:47 IST

In this Nigerian village, men and women speak different languages. Boys switch to the mens language at age 10, marking their rite of passage in this unique tradition.

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As English increasingly influences Nigerias youth, both Ubang languages risk disappearing, with neither being recorded and relying solely on oral transmission. (News18)

Every culture and civilisation across the world has its unique language, which serves as its identity. However, did you know there is a village where husbands and wives cannot speak to each other in the same language? It sounds unusual, but it is true. In this village, men and women converse using entirely different languages.

The Unique Tradition Of Ubang, Nigeria

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This extraordinary tradition is found in the village of Ubang in Nigeria. Here, men and women speak different languages, yet they understand each other perfectly. The words used by men and women are completely distinct.

For example, men say Naki for clothes, while women say Ariga. Similarly, men call a tree Kichi, whereas women use the word Okweng. These are not merely differences in pronunciation; they are entirely different vocabularies.

The Language Shift At Age Ten

Both boys and girls learn both languages during childhood by staying close to their mothers. However, when boys reach the age of ten, they face a challenge. At this point, boys are expected to abandon their mothers language and adopt the mens language.

The village head, Oliver Ibang, explains that this marks a rite of passage, signalling the boys transition to manhood. No one directly instructs him; rather, it is understood within the community.

Origins And Beliefs Surrounding The Tradition

The origin of this strange custom remains a mystery. Most villagers believe it stems from a religious story: that God created Adam and Eve, the ancestors of Ubang, each speaking a different language.

According to Oliver Ibang, Adam and Eve initially intended to assign different languages to each caste, but realising there were not enough languages, they settled on this unique arrangement for their village. This sets Ubang apart from all other communities worldwide.

The Future Of Ubangs Languages

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As English increasingly influences the youth of Nigeria, both Ubang languages are at risk of disappearing. Neither language is documented, relying solely on oral transmission.

This tradition remains a fascinating and unsolved puzzle, passed down through generations but facing an uncertain future.

Location : Nigeria

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:47 IST

News viral Only Village Where Husband And Wife Speak Different Languages  Boys Must Switch At 10 | Watch

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'Thanks For...': Woman Shames Cheating Husband And Best Friend In Public

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:55 IST

One of the red banners accused the 'friend' of unethical behaviour, claiming she had an illicit relationship with her "best friend's husband"

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The wife stated that friendship betrayal hurts more than infidelity in love. (Representative/Shutterstock)

When cheated in love, people often experience sadness, anger, and disappointment. While some bear the pain silently, others seek revenge. A similar situation unfolded in Changsha City, Hunan Province in China, where a woman discovered that her husband had been secretly involved with her best friend for five years. Her unusual revenge has ignited widespread debate.

The wife publicly shamed her best friend by putting up banners that read, Thank you for being with my husband for 5 years!"

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The woman placed red banners throughout the city, sarcastically thanking her best friend Xi, who works in the finance department at the tourist management office of Hongshan Community.

One banner read, Xi violates ethics, has an illicit relationship with her best friends husband," and noted that these actions were taken by the betrayed wife herself.

Red flags were also attached to a car parked in the complex, although it remains unclear if the vehicle belonged to the best friend. A lawyer has cautioned that the wifes actions might infringe on her best friends rights to privacy, reputation, and personality.

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The incident has ignited a discussion on social media, with some praising the woman for teaching her best friend a lesson, while others argue that her actions could damage her friends reputation.

The wife expressed disbelief and heartbreak upon discovering the betrayal, stating that friendship betrayal hurts more than infidelity in love. Such public exposure of personal life is rare in China, raising questions about the appropriateness of this revenge method in a relationship.

Location : China

First Published: September 01, 2025, 18:55 IST

News viral 'Thanks For...': Woman Shames Cheating Husband And Best Friend In Public

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Brahmins Profiteering...: Trump Advisor Peter Navarros Shocker On Indias Russian Oil Purchases

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 08:46 IST

In an interview, Navarro questioned PM Modis engagement with Russia and China, despite leading what he described as the biggest democracy in the world.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro (Image: Reuters)

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has again criticised Indias purchase of Russian oil, accusing sections of profiteering at the expense of ordinary citizens.

In an interview with Fox News, Navarro questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis engagement with Russia and China, despite leading what he described as the biggest democracy in the world."

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Modi is a great leader, I dont understand why he is getting in bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he is the biggest democracy in the world. So I would simply say to the people of India, please understand what is going on here. Youve got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of Indias people, and we need that to stop," Navarro said.

I want Indians to understand what is going on. Brahmins are profiteering by buying Russian oil at the expense of the Indian people," says Trumps trade adviser Peter Navarro pic.twitter.com/9FVfRR5lks Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) September 1, 2025

He argued that before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Indias oil imports from Moscow were minimal. Since then, however, India has significantly increased its intake, refining Russian crude and re-exporting it at a premium to Africa, Europe, and Asia. Navarro alleged that this trade fuels Russias war machine."

Citing tariffs, Navarro noted, We have a 50 per cent tariff now on India. We also have a little more than 50 per cent on China, so the question is how much higher do you want to go with that actually. But lets talk about India  because the only thing that we have to know is that before Putin invaded in February 2022, India bought Russian oil in very, very small amounts."

He went on to describe India as the Maharaja of tariff," linking the countrys trade policies and discounted Russian crude to what he sees as a global challenge in containing Moscows war financing.

India Pushed Back Novarros Accusations

India has previously pushed back against Peter Navarros explosive accusations, with facts countering his narrative on Russian oil purchases. Officials and experts have pointed out that Russian crude is not under global sanctions but a G7EU price-cap regime, under which Indias imports remain compliant.

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Claims that India uses US dollars from its trade surplus to fund Moscow have also been dismissed, since most oil deals are settled in alternative currencies like the UAE dirham. Far from laundering" oil, Indias refining and re-exports are a long-standing, legal practice that even helps stabilise global supply.

Moreover, India absorbed domestic costs, from freezing fuel prices to imposing windfall taxes, to shield consumers during the 2022 oil shock. These facts have been cited to underscore that Indias role has been market-stabilising, not profiteering, directly challenging Navarros assertions.

About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 07:54 IST

News world Brahmins Profiteering...: Trump Advisor Peter Navarros Shocker On Indias Russian Oil Purchases

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Canadian PM Applauds Services Of Telangana's Yadagirigutta Temple In Special Message

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 19:46 IST

The praise was delivered during the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Kalyana Mahotsavam, held recently at the EY Centre in Ottawa

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Mark Carney to be next Canadian PM (AP Image)

The Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadagirigutta, located in Telanganas Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, has received international recognition, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney conveying his appreciation in a special message.

The praise was delivered during the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Kalyana Mahotsavam, held recently at the EY Centre in Ottawa, Canada.

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The event was attended by several members of the Hindu community and temple devotees. An official letter from the Canadian Prime Minister, addressed to the temple authorities, was received on Sunday.

In his message, Carney acknowledged the significant contribution of Hindu Canadians to Canadas rich cultural diversity. He described the Mahotsavam as a celebration of sacred tradition, spiritual joy, and shared community values.

He further thanked the temple organisers and volunteers for their dedicated efforts in uniting devotees and fostering a sense of belonging. Carney also appreciated the role of the Hindu community in promoting inclusiveness and strengthening Canadian society.

Telanganas Endowments Minister Konda Surekha welcomed the international recognition, expressing happiness that the temple and its services had been honoured on a global platform.

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Temple Executive Officer Venkata Rao also responded with gratitude, saying the recognition reflected the temples growing spiritual influence and the commitment of its devotees both in India and abroad.

(With inputs from PTI)

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Canada

First Published: September 01, 2025, 19:46 IST

News world Canadian PM Applauds Services Of Telangana's Yadagirigutta Temple In Special Message

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Eight US Warships 'With 1,200 Missiles' Targeting Venezuela, Says President Maduro

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 23:24 IST

Venezuela is facing the biggest threat seen in South America in a century but will not bow to it, President Nicolas Maduro said

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference in Caracas on September 1, 2025. (AFP photo)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday claimed that eight US military vessels, armed with 1,200 missiles," were targeting his country, calling the presence of these ships as an absolutely criminal, bloody threat" and warned of the greatest danger seen on our continent in the last 100 years."

The United States, which accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, has sent a naval task force to the southern Caribbean as part of an anti-drug trafficking operation. However, Washington has made no public threats of invading Venezuela.

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At a rare press conference in Caracas, Maduro said the military build-up involved eight warships and a submarine targeting Venezuela" and vowed that the country would not bow to intimidation. He added that in response to maximum military pressure," Venezuela had declared maximum readiness" to defend itself.

Maduro also said Caracas would patrol its territorial waters and mobilise more than four million militia members to counter the US threats."

A situation like this has never been seen," Maduro said, addressing journalists, officials, and members of the military.

The Venezuelan president, whose last two re-elections in 2018 and 2024 were not recognised by the US or much of the international community, lamented the breakdown of communication channels with Washington. He vowed Venezuela will never give in to blackmail nor threats of any kind."

During the press conference, Maduro also issued a sharp warning to US President Donald Trump, accusing Secretary of State Marco Rubio of trying to lead him into a bloodbath with a massacre against the people of Venezuela."

Tensions between the US and Venezuela have grown recently amid the increased US naval presence in the region. US officials say the deployment is aimed at combating Latin American drug cartels that pose a threat to the US southern border. Tackling drug trafficking has been a key focus of US President Donald Trumps administration.

However, Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and other government officials have condemned the deployment, suggesting it is part of a wider plan to justify a possible intervention against Venezuela.

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The Venezuelan government has consistently rejected US claims that it plays a central role in international drug trafficking. In early August, the US doubled its reward for information leading to Maduros arrest to $50 million, citing allegations of drug trafficking and ties to criminal groups.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Venezuela

First Published: September 01, 2025, 23:15 IST

News world Eight US Warships 'With 1,200 Missiles' Targeting Venezuela, Says President Maduro

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EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen's Plane Hit By Suspected Russian GPS Interference

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 18:48 IST

European Commission Ursula von der Leyen's plane GPS system was jammed over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation, according to a EU spokesperson.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Reuters File Image)

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by a radar jammer over Bulgaria, according to an EU spokesperson, in a suspected Russian interference operation.

EU spokesperson Arianna Podesta confirmed that the planes GPS system was jammed. We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia," the spokesperson said.

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The plane managed to land safely in Plovdiv airport, and Von der Leyen will continue her planned tour of the European Unions nations bordering Russia and Belarus.

Von der Leyen is a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscows war in Ukraine. This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states," said Podesta.

She said that von der Leyen has seen firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies" and that the EU will continue to invest in defence spending and combat readiness.

Russia Denies Role

Meanwhile, the Kremlin denied any Russian involvement in the navigation failure during von der Leyens plane landing. Your information is correct," said spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in response to a question.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria issued a statement saying that the satellite signal used for the aircrafts GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost."

Speaking in Bulgarias capital shortly after the plane incident, but before it became public, von der Leyen said Europe needed to keep up the sense of urgency". She called Putin a predator and said he could only be kept in check through deterrence.

This came after authorities in Scandinavian and Baltic states have said repeatedly that Russia has been regularly jamming the GPS signal in the region, according to CNN.

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A team of researchers in Poland and Germany conducted a six-month study of GPS interferences, starting in June 2024. It concluded that Russia was using a shadow fleet of ships, along with its Kaliningrad exclave, to do so.

(with inputs from agencies)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

Location : Bulgaria

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:27 IST

News world EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen's Plane Hit By Suspected Russian GPS Interference

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Chit-Chat & A Hug: PM Modi, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin Clicked Together At SCO Summit

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:02 IST

Modi later posted pictures with Putin on X, describing their meeting as always a delight.

PM Modi was seen interacting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were seen sharing a light moment, chatting and posing together, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, where Modi and Putin also exchanged a warm hug ahead of their formal engagements.

The gathering highlighted the prominence of the forum as a platform for regional cooperation, with a lighter moment capturing attention as Modi, Chinese President Xi and Russias Vladimir Putin were seen interacting ahead of the session.

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Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

PM Modi and Putin were also seen embracing each other on the sidelines. The two leaders were seen sharing a handshake and a hug on the sidelines of the gathering.

Always a delight to meet President Putin! pic.twitter.com/XtDSyWEmtw Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

BREAKING: Modi pulls Putin and Xi together, locking hands in a show of unity at Chinas SCO summit pic.twitter.com/fTeRy5tSid RT (@RT_com) September 1, 2025

Modi later posted pictures with Putin on X, describing their meeting as always a delight." The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the Russian leader later in the day.

The interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin came ahead of their bilateral meeting, scheduled to follow the plenary session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

VIDEO | PM Narendra Modi (@narendramodi), Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin share a moment of interaction as world leaders arrive for the SCO Heads of State Council Summit.#SCOSummit2025 #Modi #XiJinping #Putin #Diplomacy(Source  Third pic.twitter.com/2xTnZ16j1F  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2025

Prime Minister will address the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline Indias approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with President Putin, following which he will depart for India," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday.

Earlier, Modi also held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. Both leaders welcomed the positive momentum in ties since their last meeting in Kazan at the BRICS Summit in October 2024.

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They reaffirmed that India and China are development partners, not rivals," stressing that differences must not turn into disputes. Both called for a stable relationship rooted in mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity, which they said was essential not only for their own growth but also for building a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world. Modi underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity along the border areas for the continued advancement of bilateral ties.

The SCO today has 10 member states, India, Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, in addition to observers and dialogue partners. India, which became a full member in 2017 after being an observer since 2005, has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023.

About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 08:28 IST

News world Chit-Chat & A Hug: PM Modi, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin Clicked Together At SCO Summit

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Shehbaz Sharif Trolled As His SCO Summit Moments Go Viral, Turn Into Meme Fest

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 11:48 IST

At the SCO Summit, Shehbaz Sharif faced online trolling for rushing to greet Vladimir Putin, while Narendra Modi addressed terrorism and highlighted the Pahalgam attack.

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Screengrab from viral video. (X)

As the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit gains momentum, uniting leaders from 10 member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seen struggling on the international stage. Sharif unexpectedly became the focus of online trolling, as a video making rounds on the internet shows him running to Putin to shake his hand after a formal photo session.

Social media users began trolling Sharif when a short video clip from the summit showing PM Sharif apparently rushing towards President Putin to shake hands went viral.

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In the video, as Putin and Xi Jinping walk side by side following the photo op, PM Sharif is seen approaching from behind and quickly extending his hand to greet Putin.

Social Media Troll Pakistan PM

Netizens mocked the Pakistani leader, calling his behaviour a desperate" attempt to gain attention. While other leaders showed composure, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif came running to Putin to shake his hand Pathetic attention-seeking behaviour. Xi Jinping realised what Shehbaz was going to do, so he looked the other way and ignored him," wrote a social media user on X, sharing a short clip.

Xis body language said it all. Alliances are earned, not begged for," added the other. Thats how beggars behave," commented the third one.

While other leaders showed composure, Pakistan PM Shehabaz Sharif came running to Putin to shake his hand. pathetic attention seeking behaviour.Xi Jinping realised what Shehbaz was going to do, so he looked the other way and ignored him  pic.twitter.com/NAEeDw2oyY  Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) August 31, 2025

In another video, PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen engaged in a conversation. Standing right beside them was Sharif, who appeared to be waiting for an acknowledgement. However, Putin continued talking with Modi and walked ahead without paying attention to Sharif, creating an awkward moment on camera.

Sharing this video, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a jibe at the Pakistan PM.

International Butler and Bhikari kiGlobal Beizzati pic.twitter.com/pkTybQVWNZ Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) September 1, 2025

Later, in an X post, PM Modi also shared a picture of leaders posing at the summit, which showed him and Sharif standing at different corners.

PM Modi At SCO Summit

The Tianjin SCO Summit formally kicked off on Sunday evening with a massive banquet hosted by Xi, which was attended, among others, by PM Modi and Putin.

This years summit was stated to be the largest 10-member SCO group as China, which holds the Presidency of the organisation this year, has invited 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organisations, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

PM Modi on Monday delivered his remarks at the 25th SCO Heads of State Council Summit and said that terrorism remains a challenge not just in one country but all of humanity.

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Referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, PM Modi asked, Can open support for terrorism by some countries ever be acceptable to us?"

The Pahalgam terror attack was not just an attack on Indias soul but an open challenge to all those countries that have faith in humanity. It raises a serious question  should a country openly supporting terrorism be acceptable to any of us? We must state clearly that no double standards will be tolerated in the fight against terrorism," PM Modi said.

Location : China

First Published: September 01, 2025, 11:46 IST

News world Shehbaz Sharif Trolled As His SCO Summit Moments Go Viral, Turn Into Meme Fest

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Houthis Storm UN Buildings, Detain Personnel In Yemen Capital After Israeli Strikes Kill PM

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 17:30 IST

The Israeli military killed Houthi PM Ahmed al-Rahawi last week, the highest profile assassination to be announced in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war.

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A funeral procession for Yemen's Houthi PM Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Rahawi. (AFP)

Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the offices of two United Nations agencies in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, a day after the Israeli military confirmed that they had killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa.

Local security forces" entered the offices of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations childrens agency (UNICEF) on Sunday morning, spokespersons for the agencies told CNN. A WFP staff member was detained, as were several UNICEF staff members.

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Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, confirmed that Houthi forces detained at least 11 UN personnel. He strongly condemned the detentions and the forced entry into UN premises.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also strongly condemned" the arbitrary detentions of UN personnel as well as the forced entry and seizure of UN property.

I reiterate my demand for the immediate & unconditional release of all personnel from the United Nations, international & national NGOs, civil society & diplomatic missions who have been arbitrarily detained today & in previous years. The personnel of the UN & its partners must never be targeted while carrying out their duties."

A Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday that Houthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas on suspicion of collaborating with Israel". The Huthis also fired a missile at an Israeli tanker in the Red Sea on Sunday.

Houthis Hold Funeral For PM

Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels held a funeral on Monday for their prime minister and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli air strike that penetrated the Iran-backed group. Twelve coffins draped in flags were displayed at Sanaas Al-Shaab mosque, as masked gunmen patrolled the area and thousands of mourners flooded in.

Al-Rahawi was killed alongside nine ministers and two cabinet officials in a strike on Sanaa on Thursday, the head of the Houthis Supreme Political Council confirmed, vowing revenge for the attack. It was the highest profile assassination to be announced in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the strikes that killed Al-Rahawi are only the beginning" of his countrys campaign against the group. He pledged that the Houthis will pay a very heavy price for their aggression against the State of Israel."

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The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel since the Gaza war began and have targeted ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they allege are connected to Israel. The rebel group controls large parts of Yemen, which has been gripped by war since 2014, and is part of Irans so-called Axis of Resistance.

(with AFP inputs)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

Location : Yemen

First Published: September 01, 2025, 17:30 IST

News world Houthis Storm UN Buildings, Detain Personnel In Yemen Capital After Israeli Strikes Kill PM

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'Insightful Conversation': PM Modi Travels With Putin In Same Car For Bilateral Talks After SCO

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 11:22 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together in the same car to the venue of their bilateral meeting in Tianjin

PM Modi travels in same car with Putin to reach their venue of bilateral talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together in the same car to the venue of their bilateral meeting after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

The symbolic show of camaraderie underscored the close personal bond between the two leaders, coming at a time when New Delhi faces rising trade tensions with Washington following steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump over Indias purchase of Russian crude.

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Taking to X, PM Modi said, After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful."

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Putin were seen exchanging a warm handshake and a hug ahead of the plenary session of the SCO Summit.

This marked their first in-person interaction since Washington imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods in response to New Delhis continued purchase of Russian crude.

Sharing pictures with the Russian leader on X, PM Modi wrote it is always a delight to meet him."

Visuals from the summit also captured Modi, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping greeting one another with smiles and handshakes.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other Heads of States/Heads of Governments pose for a group photograph at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/UftzXy6g3K  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

Posting images of the interaction, the Prime Minister said: Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit."

PM Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, lasting over 50 minutes.

The two leaders discussed ways to ease border tensions and strengthen cooperation between the Asian neighbours.

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In his opening remarks, PM Modi said he is committed" to advancing India-China ties based on mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity."

This was PM Modis first visit to China in seven years and his first direct engagement with Xi since relations between the two countries sharply deteriorated following the deadly Galwan clashes in 2020.

About the Author Ronit Singh Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (De... Read More

Location : China

First Published: September 01, 2025, 11:04 IST

News world 'Insightful Conversation': PM Modi Travels With Putin In Same Car For Bilateral Talks After SCO

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'It's Getting Late...': Donald Trump Calls Trade With India 'One-Sided Relationship'

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 19:31 IST

Trump's remarks came after PM Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin at the SCO Summit in China amid tensions over US tariff hike.

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US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his tariff rhetoric, saying that trade with India has been a totally one-sided disaster". He claimed India had offered to reduce its tariffs to nothing", but warned that it was getting late".

His remarks came in the backdrop of deteriorating ties between India and the United States over Trumps 50% tariffs on Indian imports over Russian oil purchases, and after Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to China, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest client," but we sell them very little  Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago," he added.

Trumps remarks came at a time of uncertainty in India-US trade talks, especially after the sixth round of trade negotiations were called off. The two countries have conducted five rounds of negotiations so far, with access to Indias agriculture and livestock sectors appearing to be one of the major areas of contention.

ALSO READ: US Calls India Ties Defining Relationship Of 21st Century As PM Modi Meets Xi, Putin

Even as India was one of the first countries to approach Trump over a trade deal since he took office, Trump went ahead and imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports while talks were underway, citing New Delhis oil purchases as a reason. India had defended its purchases from Russia, which accounted for 35% of its supply in the first half of 2025, on economic grounds, and had criticised the US and the European Union for singling out New Delhi over its Russian oil purchases.

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The Trump administrations steep tariff hikes on Indian goods have drawn criticism in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has drawn attention to the shifting equations in Asia, with his interactions with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin seen as a signal of growing closeness among the three nations.

Putin and Modi were seen walking hand-in-hand, smiling as they approached Xi ahead of the summits opening. The trio stood side by side, laughing and accompanied by interpreters  a clear display of unity in the face of mounting pressure from the United States.

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 19:09 IST

News world 'It's Getting Late...': Donald Trump Calls Trade With India 'One-Sided Relationship'

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Man Arrested After Car Rams Gates Of Russian Consulate In Sydney

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 07:09 IST

Footage from local media showed a white Toyota with smashed windows parked on the consulate lawn near a Russian flag.

A Russian consulate staff member (R) inspects the damage after a car was driven into the gates of the Russian consulate in Sydney on September 1, 2025. (AFP)

A 39-year-old man was arrested in Sydney on Monday after allegedly driving a car into the gates of the Russian consulate.

New South Wales Police said officers were called to the consulate following reports of an unauthorised vehicle parked in the driveway. When police tried to speak to the driver, he allegedly accelerated and rammed the gates. He was arrested at the scene and is assisting police with the investigation.

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Footage from local media showed a white Toyota with smashed windows parked on the consulate lawn near a Russian flag.

Chopper footage shows drivers abandoned vehicle INSIDE Russian consulate groundsHe swerved left and came to a perfectly-framed stop beside the tricolor https://t.co/TGSVTgi8LN pic.twitter.com/rT6kcMqwT0  RT (@RT_com) August 31, 2025

The NSW Police dog unit later searched the vehicle before it was removed by tow truck. A consulate staff member used a hammer to repair the gate, which remains operational and is now closed and guarded by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers.

Members of the Russian community were taken to the grounds through a pedestrian gate after the car was cleared.

According to a report by The Sunday Morning Herald, pro-Kremlin influencer Simeon Boikov, also known online as Aussie Cossack," who has been sheltering at the consulate for nearly 1,000 days after being charged with assaulting a pro-Ukraine protester, said he was woken by police sirens around 8:30 am.

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Believing at first there was a fire next door, he came out to see the Toyota on the consulates lawn.

According to Boikov, the driver had already been pursued by police before crashing through the gates.

About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even... Read More

Location : Sydney, Australia

First Published: September 01, 2025, 07:09 IST

News world Man Arrested After Car Rams Gates Of Russian Consulate In Sydney

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'New System Of International Relations': Russian Envoy's Post Shows PM Modi With Xi, Putin

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 08:02 IST

Russian envoy Mikhail Ulyanov noted a qualitatively new system of international relations is emerging as he shared a picture of PM Modi, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping together.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (File photo/AP)

New Russia Permanent Representative to International Organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, on Sunday, noted the formation of a qualitatively new system", as he reposted a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping together.

In an X post, amid economic concerns due to the US tariffs, Ulyanov wrote, We are witnessing the formation of a qualitatively new system of international relations."

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We are witnessing the formation of a qualitatively new system of international relations. https://t.co/8QsWuC0NhG Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) August 31, 2025

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a series of world leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit reception in Tianjin, China.

The meeting saw discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties across defence, trade, energy, and culture.

At the official reception hosted by Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan, PM Modi exchanged greetings with the host and joined other leaders, including Putin, for the customary family photograph.

During the evening, the Prime Minister also interacted with leaders from Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Eurasia, highlighting Indias commitment to expand cooperation in diverse sectors.

He held a very productive conversation" with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, underlining Indias keenness to deepen cooperation in defence, trade and green energy, news agency ANI reported.

The Prime Minister also exchanged views with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, saying they discussed diverse issues" of bilateral and regional importance.

With Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, PM Modi described the talks as a very good interaction" and emphasised that India-Armenia ties are warm and growing, rooted in friendship and mutual cooperation."

The gathering provided an opportunity for leaders to strengthen bilateral ties in an informal setting ahead of the formal sessions.

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The meetings came a day before PM Modi was scheduled to address the SCO Summit plenary session and hold a bilateral meeting with Putin.

ALSO READ | PM Modi, Not Donald Trump, May End Russia-Ukraine War After Meeting Putin In China

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 07:59 IST

News world 'New System Of International Relations': Russian Envoy's Post Shows PM Modi With Xi, Putin

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Navarros Rant On India Shows Hes Lost The Plot. Is Donald Trump Listening?

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 12:25 IST

Unfortunately for Navarro, his onslaught against India merely reveals the double standards of the United States which has been supplying weapons to Ukraine

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Navarros latest Brahmin swipe isnt analysisits ignorance and shows that when facts run out, he falls back on stereotypes. (AFP)

Peter Navarro has done it againyet again. US President Donald Trumps Trade Adviser on Monday reiterated his accusation of India profiteering from the Russia-Ukraine war by buying oil from Moscow at a discount, alleging that the countrys elite were profiteering at the expense of the Indian people".

In an interview to Fox News, Navarro said: India is nothing but a laundromat for the KremlinYou got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop."

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The usage of the word Brahmin (yes elite Boston Brahmins US context am aware) by someone senior in US Administration cannot come out of the blue in Indias context, this was deliberate. So please sit out on explaining this one. Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) September 1, 2025

The trade adviser, while labelling India the Maharaja of tariffs", said New Delhi has the highest tariffs in the world. They export us a bunch of stuff. They wont let US sell to them. So, who gets hurt? Workers in America, taxpayers in America, Ukrainians in cities get killed by Russian drones," he said.

Navarros latest Brahmin swipe isnt analysisits ignorance. Reducing 1.4 billion people to caste cliches betrays a shallow grasp of Indias social and political realities. It also shows that when facts run out, Navarro falls back on stereotypes.

The trade czar, in his interview, went on to call PM Modi a great leader" but asked why is he getting in bed with Putin & Xi?" The statement clearly reflects Washingtons uneasiness, as it comes at a time when the prime ministers warm hugs and handshakes with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit have grabbed headlines.

The presence of the three leadersshoulder-to-shouldernot only reaffirmed trilateral cooperation under the Russia-India-China (RIC) format but also succeeded in unsettling Washington, which has only itself to blame for its disrupted relationship with India.

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Together, RIC represents 40 per cent of the worlds population and a rising share of global GDP. A stronger RIC could shift the balance of power away from Western dominancethe very prospect of which fuels Navarros anger.

The contradiction in Navarros statement is glaring. While he praises Modi as a great leader", he objects to Indias ties with Russia and China, thus refusing to respect the countrys independent choices. It is no secret that Indias foreign policy is multipolarbalancing relations with Washington, Moscow, and Beijing based on national interest, geography, and security.

Indias multipolarity also seems to have worked in the countrys favour as Xi Jinping called out the bullying" behaviour in the international order, calling for greater fairness, justice, and multilateralism. The global situation remains volatile and turbulent," Xi warned, adding, We must reject bullying, oppose external interference, and safeguard the legitimate development rights of all countries." Though the Chinese President chose to not name names, the message was clear the US can no longer play Big Daddy.

At the heart of Navarros bizarre diatribe against India is the latters decision to keep buying oil from Russia despite US unfair penalties and tariffs. A defiant India has refused to bow down to US pressure, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar putting it succinctly: If you [US] dont like it, dont buy it."

The oil discounts that Navarro fumes at are smart economics and not profiteering. India buys discounted Russian crude, refines it, and exports it at a premium. This saves the country around $2.5 billion annuallya fraction of the $134 billion Washington has already spent on Ukraine, including $75 billion in military aid.

Meanwhile, US giants Exxon and Chevron post record profits selling LNG to Europe. But only India is accused of funding Putins war machine".

Its a classic case of Navarro ignoring inconvenient facts. The United States still imports Russian uranium (27 per cent of US supply) and fertilizers ($1.3B in 2024). Europes imports of Russian LNG hit 4.48B in H1 2025higher than last year. China buys 47 per cent of Russian crude exports, India 38 per cent, with Turkey not far behind. If trade funds Russias war, Washington and Brussels are far more complicit than New Delhi.

What adds to Navarros woes is his selective outrage. When the trade adviser terms India the Maharaja of tariffs", he conveniently ignores that tariffs are a global policy tool. During Navarros own White House stint, Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on China. Every country shields its industries and India is no exception.

Unfortunately for Navarro, his onslaught against India merely reveals the double standards of the United States in front of the world. Washington has flown billions to Ukraine so far so weapons but chooses to punish India for legal crude purchases.

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While US & EU keep trading with Russia in exempt sectors and China buys nearly half of Russias oil, only India faces tariffs. It also puts a question mark on US foreign policy as it courts India for the Indo-Pacific region, but targets it with tariffs and criticism.

India, on its part, has been clear that Navarros rhetoric reveals US frustration and not the countrys faults. The country will keep buying affordable energy to safeguard its economy, protecting domestic industries through legitimate tariffs, and engaging globally on its own termssovereign, multipolar, independent.

About the Author Amit Shukla A newshound, Amit Shukla is a TV news industry professional with over 17 years of experience and currently heads the input department at CNN-News18. He drives the news agenda and scales up coverage of... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 11:54 IST

News world Navarros Rant On India Shows Hes Lost The Plot. Is Donald Trump Listening?

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Pakistans Field Marshal Asim Munir At SCO: Key Meets With Chinese Officials On The Cards

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:19 IST

Asim Munir is likely to attend and witness China Military Parade Day on September 3

Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir will be part of Sharifs bilateral meetings with Chinese officials. (AP File)

Pakistans Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Monday reached Chinas Tianjin for the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

He accompanied Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif for the meeting with Irani president in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO.

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Munir is likely to attend and witness China Military Parade Day on September 3, said sources. Munir will be part of Sharifs bilateral meetings with Chinese officialsMajor security meetings are happening in China. Munir is likely to hold meetings with other key states members in China," said sources.

When Sharif glanced at Modi and Putin

A brief moment at the SCO summit in Chinas Tianjin drew attention on Monday when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seen looking on as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin walked past him.

PM Modi and Putin walked together, engaging in conversation, while Sharif, standing nearby, observed the two leaders pass, a video widely shared on social media showed.

Later, in an X post, PM Modi also shared a picture of leaders posing at the summit, which showed him and Sharif standing at different corners.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif looks on as PM Modi and President Putin walk past him at the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/7u9FgnS6an Tar21Operator (@Tar21Operator) September 1, 2025

The Tianjin SCO Summit formally kicked off on Sunday evening with a massive banquet hosted by Xi, which was attended, among others, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin.

This years summit was stated to be the largest 10-member SCO group as China, which holds the Presidency of the organisation this year, has invited 20 foreign leaders and 10 heads of international organisations, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

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In his welcome banquet address, Xi said the SCO bears greater responsibilities in safeguarding regional peace and stability, and for boosting the development of various countries in a world of increasing uncertainties and accelerated changes.

Founded in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members into a 26-nation family of 10 members, two observers and 14 dialogue partners spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:17 IST

News world Pakistans Field Marshal Asim Munir At SCO: Key Meets With Chinese Officials On The Cards

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 22:52 IST

PM Modi China Visit, SCO Summit 2025 Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an address at the plenary session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin today.

On the sidelines of the gathering, the Prime Minister also held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting comes as trade tensions rise with Washington, after US President Donald Trump imposed steep 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, the highest across Asia, in response to New Delhis continued import of Russian crude.

PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday.

Both leaders agreed to work toward resolving long-standing boundary issues and emphasised the need to expand cooperation, marking PM Modis first trip to China since the border clashes of 2020 strained relations.
'Putin Doesn't Look Isolated': US General Says 'Team America' Needs To Find Way Out Of 'Ukraine Mess'

Curated By :

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Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 23:10 IST

Sharing a photograph of leaders from the SCO Summit in China, General Michael Flynn urged the Trump administration to "make the right decision" on US involvement in the Ukraine war

Leaders of SCO member nations pose for a group photo during the summit in Tianjin on September 1. (Image: Sergey Bobylev/AFP)

A former national security adviser and US army general, who has received a presidential pardon in the past from Donald Trump, called out European leaders for making a mess" over the Ukraine war".

Sharing a photograph of world leaders from the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, General Michael Flynn said it does not look as if Moscow has been isolated" by the grouping and urged the Trump administration to find a way out of this war" and make the right decision".

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Putin doesnt look very isolated here whatsoever! I honestly am at a loss for words to say about this losing war" in Ukraine," General Flynn said in a post on X.

Putin doesnt look very isolated here whatsoever! I honestly am at a loss for words to say about this losing war" in Ukraine. All the brilliant NEOCON and Geopolitical advisors pushing @realDonaldTrump to do the exact opposite of what he should be doing are going to drive https://t.co/yzAlEFEnAW General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) September 1, 2025

In what can be interpreted as mild criticism of US involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Trumps efforts to broker a peace deal to stop the war, he said the Presidents advisers are driving America into a war we dont need", cannot afford", and one that can end badly for the entire world".

All the brilliant NEOCON and Geopolitical advisors pushing @realDonaldTrump to do the exact opposite of what he should be doing are going to drive America into a war we dont need, a war we cannot afford, and a war that could end very badly for the entire world," he said in the post.

In his appeal to Team America", the general blamed European leaders for being responsible for more killing, more dying, more spending" in the war.

If the European Union wants this mess, let them have it. Ukraine has already lost over 1.5M in the past three years alone. More killing, more dying, more spending, more hard headed arrogance on the part of European leaders will not win the day. Team America needs to find a way out of this mess and very soon. We The People are with you. Make the right decision," he said.

His comments come as Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit, where the two leaders took a swipe at the West during a gathering of Eurasian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for a showpiece summit aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations.

The SCO comprising China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, is touted as a non-western style of collaboration and seeks to be an alternative to traditional alliances.

Putin used his speech to defend Russias Ukraine offensive, blaming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.

This crisis wasnt triggered by Russias attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West," Putin said. The second reason for the crisis is the Wests constant attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO."

Xi, meanwhile, told the SCO leaders that the global international situation was becoming more chaotic and intertwined", while slamming the bullying behaviour" from certain countries  a veiled reference to the US.

The security and development tasks facing member states have become even more challenging," Xi said in his address. With the world undergoing turbulence and transformation, we must continue to follow the Shanghai spiritand better perform the functions of the organisation."

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Putin, Xi and Modi were seen on live footage chatting, the three leaders flanked by their translators. This is significant amid the intensifying tariff tussle between India and the US. Modi and Putin, who were photographed holding hands, held talks in the afternoon.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author Oindrila Mukherjee Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing im... Read More

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: September 01, 2025, 23:10 IST

News world 'Putin Doesn't Look Isolated': US General Says 'Team America' Needs To Find Way Out Of 'Ukraine Mess'

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Queen Camilla Fought Off Sexual Assault As Teen With High Heel, New Book Claims

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 16:10 IST

The book claims that Camilla spoke about the incident to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, between 2008 and 2016

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Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, central England. (AFP file photo)

Queen Camilla reportedly defended herself from a sexual assault when she was a teenager, using the heel of her shoe to stop the attacker, according to a new book about the Royal Family.

The account appears in Power and the Palace by royal author Valentine Low, and was recently serialised in The Sunday Times. The book claims that Camilla spoke about the incident to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, between 2008 and 2016.

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At the time of the alleged assault, Camilla was around 16 or 17 years old and travelling on a train to Paddington. The man is said to have started touching her inappropriately. Following advice her mother had given her, she removed her shoe and struck him with the heel, The Guardian reported.

According to the book, Camilla later reported the man to railway staff when she arrived in London. He was arrested soon after. Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the claims.

Low says he heard the story from Guto Harri, Boris Johnsons former communications chief. Harri recalled a meeting between Camilla and Johnson at Clarence House around 2008. The two reportedly got along very well, with Johnson later sharing Camillas story with Harri.

Harri described Camillas reaction during the assault. I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel," he said.

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He also noted her calm response afterwards, She was self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say, That man just attacked me, and he was arrested."

Now aged 78, Queen Camilla has long supported work to stop domestic violence and sexual abuse. Over the years, she has spoken out in support of survivors and worked closely with charities. She once backed a scheme to give washbags with essential items to people after an assault, a project that has recently been brought back.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : United Kingdom (UK)

First Published: September 01, 2025, 16:10 IST

News world Queen Camilla Fought Off Sexual Assault As Teen With High Heel, New Book Claims

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Shehbaz Sharif Calls On SCO Nations To Respect Treaties Amid Indias Indus Waters Pause

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 13:31 IST

The remarks come as India held the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. (File Photo)

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called on SCO member states to honour bilateral agreements, including water-sharing treaties, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

The remarks come as India held the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.

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We expect SCO member countries to follow all bilateral treaties. Uninterrupted access to due share of water as per existing treaties among SCO members," Sharif said.

While Indias move is part of its ongoing response to cross-border terrorism, the Pakistani Prime Ministers remark reflected Islamabads pain due to the suspension of the Indus Treaty.

PM Modis Message Against Terrorism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the plenary session of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, noted that terrorism and separatism remain among the most serious threats to global peace.

Calling terrorism a shared challenge for all of humanity," he said the menace is not limited to India but continues to endanger the entire world.

PM Modi named groups like Al Qaeda while stressing the urgent need for stronger collective action against radicalisation and terror financing.

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Referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi used the SCO Summit platform to issue a strong message against nations that openly back terrorism.

SCO member states collectively condemned the Pahalgam attack, expressing condolences to the victims families and urging that perpetrators and sponsors of such acts be brought to justice.

Location : China

First Published: September 01, 2025, 13:29 IST

News world Shehbaz Sharif Calls On SCO Nations To Respect Treaties Amid Indias Indus Waters Pause

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'Russia Values Efforts Of India In Resolving Ukraine Crisis': Putin At SCO Summit In Tianjin

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News18.com

Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 10:33 IST

Putin at the Tianjin SCO Summit praised India and Chinas efforts in resolving the Ukraine crisis while blaming NATOs expansion for fueling the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Monday, acknowledged the efforts made by India and China in resolving the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

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Russia highly values the efforts of China, India, and other partners in resolving the situation in Ukraine," he said.

The Russian President also said that no country can ensure its security at the expense of another," as he blamed Western attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO for contributing to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Western attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO are a contributing factor to the Ukrainian crisis," Putin remarked.

Emphasising the blocs growing influence, Putin said, Dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models."

The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues," he added.

Putin also highlighted growing economic cooperation within the group, noting that national currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries."

The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," the Russian President said.

Ahead of the summit, Putin had reaffirmed cooperation between Russia and China.

Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared light moments ahead of the SCO Summits plenary session.

In an interview with Xinhua published on Saturday, Putin expressed his eagerness to hold a discussion with Xi on all aspects" of Russias bilateral agenda.

I look forward to in-depth discussions with President Xi Jinping on all aspects of our bilateral agenda, including political and security cooperation, as well as economic, cultural and humanitarian ties," Putin had said.

And, as always, we will exchange views on pressing regional and international issues," he told the Chinese state news agency.

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ALSO READ | Modi Cites Pahalgam At SCO Meet Attended By Pakistan PM

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: September 01, 2025, 10:27 IST

News world 'Russia Values Efforts Of India In Resolving Ukraine Crisis': Putin At SCO Summit In Tianjin

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Putin Waited For PM Modi, Had 45-Minute Car Chat Before Hour-Long Bilateral

Reported By :

CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 14:29 IST

Putin waited for PM Modi so they could travel together for their bilateral talks after the SCO Summit in Tianjin. They continued their discussions in the car for nearly 45 minutes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in China (@narendramodi/X)

Russian President Vladimir Putin waited for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nearly 10 minutes, so that they both could proceed together for their bilateral talks, which were held at a distance from the Shanghai Cooperation Meeting (SCO) Summit venue.

Putin, it was known, desired to travel with PM Modi from the SCO conference venue, and hence waited for him outside the venue in Tianjin, China, in a gesture of friendship between the two leaders.

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As Prime Minister Modi arrived, they travelled in the same car to the venue of their bilateral meeting.

The car in which they travelled was Putins AURUS limousine.

During their travel, Prime Minister Modi and Putin conversed on numerous issues before they held talks during their bilateral meeting.

It was also known that they spent nearly 45 minutes in the car even after reaching the bilateral meeting venue.

Soon after their shared car ride, PM Modi, in an X post, mentioned, After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting."

Conversations with him are always insightful," the Prime Minister mentioned.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

According to Russian national radio station VestiFM, The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams."

However, on reaching the hotel, they did not deboard the Russian Presidents limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes," it added.

Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the two leaders had tet-a-tet in the car for about an hour, news agency PTI reported.

It also quoted commentators in Moscow as saying that perhaps this was the most important confidential conversation between Modi and Putin during which they probably discussed issues not for the ears of others".

Later, during their bilateral talks, PM Modi conveyed to Putin that it is humanitys call to end the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible.

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PM Modi also said that India is waiting to receive the Russian leader.

ALSO READ | US Calls India Ties Defining Relationship Of 21st Century As PM Modi Meets Xi, Putin

About the Author Siddhant Mishra Siddhant Mishra is a Senior Special Correspondent at CNN-News18, covering foreign affairs and international relations. With over 12 years of experience in journalism, he has also reported extensively ... Read More

First Published: September 01, 2025, 14:08 IST

News world Putin Waited For PM Modi, Had 45-Minute Car Chat Before Hour-Long Bilateral

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'We Do Very Little Business...': Trump Claims India 'Offered' Zero Tariffs For US Goods

Curated By :

News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: September 01, 2025, 21:18 IST

US President Donald Trump claimed that New Delhi "offered" to cut its tariffs on American goods to "nothing", and it is his country that is India's biggest "client" for business

Trade deal talks between India and US hit a roadblock after New Delhi refused to open up its agricultural and dairy sectors. (Image: Reuters/File)

Amid an intensifying tariff tussle between India and the United States, President Donald Trump made a startling claim about the now-stalled trade deal negotiations between the two countries.

Trump claimed that New Delhi offered" to cut its tariffs on American goods to nothing", elaborating his remarks by saying India does very little business" with the US and it is, in fact, his country that is Indias biggest client".

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He said India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and little from the US. What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us," he said in a post on Truth Social.

The President said India sells to the US, its biggest client", massive" amounts of goods, but we sell them very little  Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades". He reiterated his stand that India has charged the US high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India".

It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!" he said.

According to data available, in 2024-25, the bilateral trade between India and US stood at USD 131.8 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports and USD 45.3 billion imports). Trade deal talks between the two countries hit a roadblock after India refused to open up its agricultural and dairy sectors.

Trumps comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

The Trump administration has imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 percent levies for Delhis purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 percent, among the highest in the world.

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Modi has asserted he cannot compromise on the interests of farmers, cattle-rearers, small-scale industries, cautioning pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it". India has called the tariffs imposed by the US unjustified and unreasonable".

New Delhi said, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security. Speaking at a recent event in Delhi, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said India has certain red lines" in its negotiations for a trade deal with the US and it will stand firm in protecting the interests of farmers and small producers.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: September 01, 2025, 21:18 IST

News world 'We Do Very Little Business...': Trump Claims India 'Offered' Zero Tariffs For US Goods

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Crossing paths with dogs, cats, and other animals is part of campus life for students at Florida's Eckerd College, which allows pets to live in dormitories. Sophia Nocera, an Eckerd senior, said she probably knows the names of pets better than her fellow students. "When I'm walking my dog, I often hear, 'Oh my God, hi, Zuko!' It's like I'm not even there," said Nocera. The AP reports some colleges and universities around the country are welcoming pets in campus residences, from MIT to Stephens College in Missouri.

For students, the companionship can help reduce stress, anxiety, and homesickness. The colleges also see benefits for student engagement and in helping them build connections. Federal law requires public and private colleges to allow service animals and emotional support animals in student housingbut a growing numbers of schools are now allowing pets in general, with various restrictions.
Online age checks are on the rise, asking people for IDs or face scans to prove they are over 18 or 21 or even 13. To proponents, they're a tool to keep children away from adult websites and other material that might be harmful to them. But opponents see a worrisome trend toward a less secure, private, and free internet, where people can be denied access not just to pornography but news, health information, and the ability to speak openly and anonymously, the AP reports. "I think that many of these laws come from a place of good intentions," said Jennifer Huddleston, a senior technology policy fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "Certainly we all want to protect young people from harmful content before they're ready to see it."

More than 20 states have passed some kind of age verification law, though many face legal challenges. While no such law exists on the federal level in the US, the Supreme Court recently allowed a Mississippi age check law for social media to stand. In June, the court upheld a Texas law aimed at preventing minors from watching pornography online. The United Kingdom now requires users visiting websites that allow pornography to verify their age. Platforms like Reddit, X, Telegram, and Bluesky have also committed to age checks. France and several other EU countries also are testing a government sponsored verification app. Australia has banned children under 16 from accessing social media.

To critics, age check laws raise "significant privacy and speech concerns ... for all users of the internet," Huddleston said. "The only way to make sure that we are age verifying anyone under the age of 18 is to also age verify everyone over the age 18. And that could have significant impacts on the speech and privacy rights of adults." What's considered harmful to minors can be subjective, and this is where experts believe such laws run afoul of the First Amendment. It means people may be required to verify their ages to access anything, from Netflix to a neighborhood blog. Some changes in the works:

Verifying users' ages can prove a burden, especially for smaller platforms. On Friday, Bluesky said it will no longer be available in Mississippi because of its age verification requirements. While the social platform already does age verification in the UK, it said Mississippi's approach "would fundamentally change how users access Bluesky."

Google recently started testing a new age-verification system for YouTube that relies on AI to differentiate between adults and minors based on their watch histories.

Instagram is testing a similar AI system to determine if kids are lying about their ages.

Roblox, which was sued by the Louisiana AG on claims it doesn't do enough to protect children from predators, requires users who want to access certain games rated for those over 17 to submit a photo ID and undergo a face scan.

Some websites and social media companies, such as Meta, have argued that age verification should be done by app store owners, such as Apple and Google, and not individual platforms.
Finland's Air Force, now part of NATO, still flies swastikas on a handful of unit flagsbut is preparing to phase them out, largely to avoid awkwardness with its Western allies. The history of the Finnish air force's use of the swastika, which since the 20th century has largely been associated with Nazi tyranny and hate groups, is more complex than at first appearance. It is an ancient symbol, and Finland's air force began using it many years before the birth of Nazi Germany, per the AP . Change has been underway for years. A swastika logo was quietly pulled off the Air Force Command's unit emblem a few years ago. But swastikas have remained on some Finnish air force flags, raising eyebrows among NATO allies, tourists and other foreigners who spot them at military events.

"We could have continued with this flag, but sometimes awkward situations can arise with foreign visitors. It may be wise to live with the times," Col. Tomi Bohm, the new head of Karelia Air Wing air defense force, was quoted as saying in a report Thursday by the public broadcaster YLE. The Defense Forces, in a Friday email to the AP, said a plan to renew the air force unit flags was launched in 2023, the year Finland joined NATO and two years after German air force units reportedly took offense during military exercises in Finland, but said it was not linked to joining the alliance. The aim, it said, was "to update the symbolism and emblems of the flags to better reflect the current identity of the Air Force."

Finland's air force adopted the swastika emblem in 1918 soon after country gained its independence after more than a century of Imperial Russian rule. Count Eric von Rosen of neighboring Sweden donated Finland's first military plane in 1918, which bore his personal symbol, the swastika. The Finnish air force soon after adopted a blue swastika on a white background as the national insignia on all its planes from 1918 to 1945, a period including a reluctant alliance with the Third Reich. After World War II, the imagery remained for decades on some Air Force unit flags and decorations as well as on the insignia of the Air Force Academy. The new flags will feature an eagle, the Defense Forces said, without saying when the change would happen.
Brazilian authorities have boosted security around the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro to prevent his escape from house arrest before Tuesday's trial. Bolsonaro is accused of plotting a coup attempt after losing the 2022 presidential election. Authorities allowed plainclothes police officers to set up outside the gated community in Brasilia last week. But on Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, allowed police to be stationed around Bolsonaro's house, per the New York Times .

Though Bolsonaro wears an ankle monitor, it does not convey his movements in real time, a police official tells the Times. Moraes noted the risk of escape through "adjacent properties on both sides and at the back" of Bolsonaro's residence. Police say there is no evidence of an imminent escape plan, but officials worry Bolsonaro could escape and seek protection at the US Embassy, which is just 15 minutes away by car. President Trump is a close ally of Bolsonaro and has called the case against him a "witch hunt." He's already imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods and sanctioned Moraes under a law usually restricted for those accused of "gross" human rights abuses, per the Washington Post.

Bolsonaro's trial is expected to be short. The evidence has already been debated. That means the five Supreme Court justices will read out their judgments after the prosecution and defense present summaries of their arguments on Tuesday, per the Post. "The possibility of imprisonment is very high," University of Sao Paulo sociologist Esther Solano tells the outlet. Though Bolsonaro supporters wearing Brazilian and American flags were observed protesting and praying outside his community, as the Times reported, "the Bolsonaristas have begun to realize that Bolsonaro is over politically," Solano says.
As the iconic Burning Man effigy was first ignited in the desert Saturday night, a man was discovered dead "in a pool of blood," according to authorities, launching a homicide investigation and casting a shadow over the Nevada festival's vibrant celebration. According to Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen, deputies arrived around 9pm after a report of an unresponsive man at a campsite, the New York Times reports. The man's identity was not immediately released, and the cause of death remains unclear. The body was discovered just as the festival's massive wooden "Man" structure was set aflame, a centerpiece event at the annual gathering.

Authorities in Nevada have identified the man found dead during this year's Burning Man festival as a 37-year-old Russian. Vadim Kruglov had been living in Washington state prior to his death, reports the New York Times . It remains unclear how Kruglov died, but investigators have begun a homicide investigation. The festival plans a "coordinated donation" to the anonymous tip site Secret Witness in a bid to encourage someone with information to come forward. The festival wrapped up on Monday.

Authorities are treating the case as an isolated incident but aren't taking any chances: the surrounding area is under heavy law enforcement watch while investigators from local, county, and federal agencies comb for answers. The Washoe County forensic team and federal Bureau of Land Management rangers are involved in the investigation.

Law enforcement has questioned several people near the scene, but details remain scarce as officials work to piece together what happened. Sheriff Allen urged attendees to "always be vigilant" but emphasized there's no indication of a broader threat. The portion of Black Rock City where the incident occurred will stay closed off until the investigation wraps up. Authorities said, per CBS News, the probe will be a "complicated investigation of a crime in a city which will be gone by the middle of the week."
A bizarre shooting experiment between two Houston-area men ended in tragedy, leaving one dead and the other facing murder charges, police say. Sean Odonnell, 37, was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of Aaron Prout, a 34-year-old originally from the UK who was living in Harris County, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, per Houston Public Media . Deputies had responded to what was initially described as a possible suicide at a home on Aug. 17. However, investigators found inconsistencies at the scene, Gonzalez said.

It was later determined Odonnell and Prout had taken turns shooting each other with a rifle while wearing a ballistic helmet inside the residence. Prout was shot in the head and later died at the hospital. "Hard to believe two, so-called friends, would take turns shooting at each other wearing a kevlar helmet, inside a house in a residential neighborhood, while using a rifle," Gonzalez commented in an X post. Odonnell, who lives at the home where the incident occurred, was expected to be charged with murder on Thursday. Records show he was arrested four days after the shooting on an unrelated charge of driving while intoxicated.

A Harris County judge noted Odonnell and Prout had also been drinking during their shooting experiment, which involved holding a kevlar helmet "above their heads until the complainant ended up with a bullet hole in the top of his head," per KTRK. The judge said Odonnell initially claimed Prout shot himself. But the pair had previously sent video footage of themselves "shooting with the helmet back and forth" to friends, who'd "told them to stop," the judge said. Odonnell's bail is reportedly set at $3,000.
Rabies cases are cropping up in more corners of the US, with the CDC reporting six human deaths in the past yearthe highest tally in years. "We are currently tracking 15 different likely outbreaks," said Dr. Ryan Wallace, who leads the CDC's rabies team. Regions seeing a surge range from Long Island and Cape Cod to parts of Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, and Oregon, as wild animals like skunks, raccoons, and foxes test positive for the deadly virus, NBC News reports. "There are parts of the United States where it does seem like we're getting more calls and more reports," Wallace says.

The uptick is partly blamed on humans pushing into wild habitats, which pushes animalsand their diseasescloser together. Franklin County, North Carolina, for example, saw its confirmed cases in wildlife double as new housing developments spread. "Animals that might have been isolated before are now crowded together," says county health director Scott LaVigne. Bats remain the top culprit behind human infections, with roughly 1.4 million Americans assessed for possible exposure each year, and 100,000 receiving preventive vaccines.

Sometimes exposure isn't obvious: A California teacher died after unknowingly being infected by a bat she removed from her classroom. And not all rabid animals behave aggressively. "There's a strain of rabies where the animals get very, very friendly," LaVigne says. One family, he says, had to be vaccinated after a raccoon "kind of showed up on their front step and he was sick and he was so cute and wanted to be petted." Luckily for the family, he says, they called animal services after the raccoon died and they tested the animal's brain. Rabies is fatal if it's not treated before symptoms start, the CDC warns.

Meanwhile, there's a new worry: rising vaccine hesitancy among pet owners. A recent study found nearly 40% of Americans have safety concerns about canine vaccines. Veterinarians warn that declining vaccination rates could open the door to more infections in pets and, by extension, people. Experts urge that any odd behavior in wildlifetoo bold, too aggressive, or too tameshould prompt suspicion and a call to animal control. Their message: Stay cautious, and keep those vaccines up to date.
A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, leaving more than 800 dead and 2,500 injured, according to Afghan officials. The quake was especially destructive due to its shallow depth of five miles, reports the New York Times . The epicenter was near Jalalabad, but the hardest-hit area was Kunar province, where dozens of villagesmany built from mud and brickwere devastated. The BBC reports that "entire villages have been flattened, they're now just rubble." With rescue teams scrambling to access remote valleys and landslides hampering roads, authorities warned that the casualty count could climb.

The Taliban, who have governed Afghanistan since 2021, reported the bulk of casualties in Kunar, with additional deaths in neighboring Nangarhar province. The disaster struck as thousands of Afghan returnees were crossing the border from Pakistan, ahead of a government deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave or face deportation. "Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble," a villager from Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, told the AP. "We need help here. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble."

Hospitals in the region remained mostly operational, but some health centers reported minor damage. In at least one isolated village, helicopters were the only way to evacuate victims. The area is prone to quakes; a 5.9-magnitude temblor in the country's southeast killed 1,300 people in 2022; thousands more died in a series of quakes in 2023.

The earthquake compounded an already dire situation: Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis is among the world's worst, with aid funding at historic lows since the Taliban takeover. Over half the country's population now needs assistance, but international support has dried up, with the US and several European donors slashing aid. On Monday, Iran, India, Japan, and the European Union pledged help, and the UN said it was mobilizing resources for survivors.
At a summit in Tianjin, eastern China, on Monday, the leaders of China, Russia, and India offered a carefully choreographed show of unity aimed at the West. Cameras caught Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi exchanging handshakes and laughter, with Modi at one point linking hands with Xi and Putin, who represent an alternative world order challenging the US, per the New York Times . The summit was part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which drew over 20 regional leaders and featured speeches that subtly rebuked US foreign policy. Xi urged members to reject "Cold War mentality" and "bloc confrontation," while Modi endorsed multilateralism and a larger global role for countries like India.

The discussions, coming as the US escalates tariffs on India and tightens its stance toward China and Russia, are seen as a response to Washington's hardline trade policies, which have nudged India closer to the other two powers. Modi's warm gestures, including a shared limousine ride and lengthy conversation with Putin, marked a shift from India's traditionally cautious approach to relations with China and Russia.

While China and India remain at odds over territorial issues, Modi said there was an "atmosphere of peace and stability" between them, per the BBC. India's economic reliance on the West cannot be easily replaced by Russia, whose economy is weakened by sanctions. But as one analyst tells the Times, "the White House should grasp that its policies will result in other countries looking for alternatives to meet their interests."
A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land using paper maps after suspected Russian GPS jamming disabled navigation systems at a Bulgarian airport on Sunday. Sources tell the Financial Times that the jet lost all electronic navigational aids as it neared the airport, forcing the crew to circle for an hour before landing manually using paper maps. Bulgarian air traffic authorities confirmed the GPS outage, describing a spike in GPS disruptionsjamming and spoofingsince early 2022, which they say have increasingly complicated aircraft operations.

The European Commission acknowledged the incident, stating that GPS jamming had occurred but emphasizing the flight landed safely. Commission representatives pointed to Russia as the likely culprit, citing a pattern of such electronic interference across the region. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected these claims. Earlier this year, 13 EU nations formally raised concerns about GPS jamming. Once a tool mainly for military defense, it has seen broader deployment around the Baltic Sea and in countries bordering Russia, especially since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with European officials warning that the trend could lead to dangerous situations for civilian flights, per the BBC and the Times.

Von der Leyen traveled from Poland to Bulgariaa significant supplier of military aid to Ukraine, a point of tension as the conflict with Russia persistsas part of a tour focused on EU defense strategies. She continued her schedule after the incident, meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and visiting an ammunition facility. After the visit, von der Leyen's departing flight proceeded without incident.
South Korea's longest-ever doctors' strike is finally winding down after 18 months, as interns and residents begin trickling back to their hospital posts. The mass walkout, involving over 10,000 young doctors and thousands of medical students who abandoned their classes, kicked off in February last year in response to then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's plan to boost medical school admissions by about 65% over five years.

Doctors pushed back, arguing the proposal would dilute healthcare quality without fixing the deeper issues of overwork and inadequate pay. As Bloomberg explains, doctors expressed concern that upping medical school admissions wouldn't resolve "the shortages in essential yet less lucrative specialties such as emergency and pediatric care"the New York Times notes some doctors in those fields log grueling 80-hour weeks for just $3,000 a month.

With neither side budging for months, the government ordered the striking doctors back to work, threatened their licenses, and even floated lawsuits for those who refused. Yet most held out, straining the health system. Surgeries and treatments were delayed, nurses stepped into doctor roles, and military physicians were dispatched to civilian hospitals. Public frustration boiled over, with anger aimed at both the government and the doctors for putting patients in jeopardy.

The stalemate finally began to break after President Yoon was ousted for declaring martial law in April. The new administration, under President Lee Jae Myung, dialed back the tough stance, welcoming doctors back without penalty and restoring the 2026 admissions cap to its original level. Negotiations over future quotas are still in play. Young doctors are resuming work on a staggered schedule this week.
Tesla's troubles in Europe stretched into an eighth straight month in August, as the electric vehicle maker faced a combination of rising competition, political controversy, and weakening brand loyalty. Fresh registration data from France, Denmark, and Sweden shows Tesla's revamped Model Y failed to reverse the sales slide. In August, new Tesla registrations plunged 47% in France, 84% in Sweden, 50% in the Netherlands, and 42% in Denmark compared to a year priorall while the broader auto markets in those countries were growing, per Reuters and the Economic Times .

Norway bucked the trend with Tesla registrations up 21%, but Chinese rival BYD stole the spotlight with a 218% registration surge. Similarly, registrations in Spain, which offers EV subsidies of up to 7,000 euros, grew 161% to 1,435 vehicles, while BYD's sales rose more than 400% to 1,827 cars, per ET. Tesla's larger markets in Germany and the UK have yet to report for August, but both have also experienced declines this year.

Analysts point to several factors driving Tesla's woes: a dated lineup with no new mass-market models since 2020, an influx of fresh EVs from Chinese and legacy automakers, and a perception that CEO Elon Musk is out of touch, per Reuters. In July, he insisted there were "no issues with Tesla volumes on the European market" despite the company's market share in western Europe dropping to 1.7% in the first half of the year.
An 85-year-old man lost his life after a herd of cows charged him and his wife during a hike in the Austrian Alps, police said Monday. The retired couple from Vienna were walking their dog near a mountain hut in Styria province when nine cows, including three calves, suddenly stampeded, CBS News reports. Both hikers suffered severe injuries, a police spokesman tells AFP. Witnesses and staff at the mountain refuge hut rushed to help and called in emergency responders. The man and his 82-year-old wife were airlifted to a hospital in Salzburg but the man died before surgery could be performed.
TOKYO, Sep 01 (News On Japan) - An 18-year-old high school student from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, has been arrested for attempting to murder his uncle by lacing his miso soup with poisonous plant leaves in July.

According to the police, the student is suspected of attempting to kill his 52-year-old uncle, with whom he lived, around midday on July 17th by chopping up and mixing leaves of the toxic plant oleander into the uncle's miso soup.

The miso soup reportedly contained a lethal dose of the plant. Although the uncle noticed an unusual taste and spat it out immediately, he only suffered minor symptoms.

During questioning, the student admitted to the charges, stating, "I couldn't stand his snoring anymore, so I decided to kill him."

Roughly six hours after the poisoning attempt, the same student was arrested on the spot at JR Chiba Station for attacking two women in a women's restroom with a hammer. The victims were in their 40s and 50s.

The student reportedly told investigators, "I wanted to target a weaker womananyone would doand hurt them."

Police are continuing to investigate the details and circumstances of the series of incidents.
TOKYO, Sep 01 (News On Japan) - Ministop, a major Japanese convenience store chain, is under scrutiny following revelations of tampered expiry dates on in-store food items. President Masatsugu Hotta held a press conference at 4 p.m. on September 1st, formally apologizing again for the issue that came to light on August 18th.

"To our customers, franchisees, business partners, and government agencies, we sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and concern this has caused," said Hotta. "We are deeply sorry."

The issue involves falsified expiry dates on handmade rice balls and lunchboxes prepared in-store at some locations across seven prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka.

According to Ministop, one method involved delaying the placement of expiry date labelsmeant to be attached immediately after preparationby about two hours. In other instances, staff reportedly replaced the original labels on displayed products with extended expiry dates.

A store manager involved in the mislabeling told FNN that although they regretted their actions, the short shelf life of freshly made in-store itemstypically eight to ten hoursmade them high-risk for disposal. "Factory-delivered rice balls generally last about two days, but the ones we make in-store are more perishable," the manager explained.

While denying any directive from headquarters to falsify expiry dates, the manager added, "For new product launches, the head office instructs us to make large quantities, but they dont sell well. By extending the expiry dates, we could reduce waste."

Two weeks have passed since the problem surfaced, and Hotta addressed the underlying causes at the press conference.

He announced the completion of an investigation covering all 1,786 stores nationwide. Two additional locationsKawaguchi Shinbori in Saitama and Kashii-hama 4-chome in Fukuokawere found to have also engaged in mislabeling.

Hotta cited two main factors behind the tampering: the pressure to reduce waste and operational costs, and the scheduling choices of part-time workers who often opted to make rice balls during quieter times rather than during early morning hours as required by guidelines. "The decision to prepare items at more convenient times for staff, rather than for customers or store rules, contributed to the problem," he said.

Ministop also revealed that it received reports of customers experiencing health issues after consuming the mislabeled products.

However, the company denied that the methods of tampering had been shared among stores, stating, "At present, we have found no evidence of coordination." Ministop pledged to strengthen its measures to prevent any recurrence.

Source: FNN
On august 7, 2025, Firefly Aerospace, a market leading space and defense technology company, began publicly trading with an initial public offering of 19,296,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $45.00 per share. They raised almost $900 million from the IPO.

It traded up initially but is back to the IPO price. It has a valuation of $6.6 billion.

On July 29, 2025 was awarded a $176.7 million NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract to deliver five NASA-sponsored payloads to the Moons south pole in 2029. The mission will utilize Fireflys Elytra orbital vehicle and Blue Ghost lunar lander to enable payload operations that include evaluating the Moons south pole resources, such as hydrogen, water, and other minerals, and studying the radiation and thermal environment that could affect future astronauts and lunar infrastructure.

They have developed the small-lift (600-1030 kilogram payload) Alpha rocket with multiple launches but partial/total failures occurred in 4 of 6 attempts until early 2025.

Developing a medium-lift rocket (almost SpaceX Falcon 9 class) called Eclipse, co-developed with Northrop Grumman, with capabilities of launching about 16,300 kg (36,000 lbs) to low Earth orbit (LEO). Eclipses maiden launch is targeted for 2026 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (Wallops Flight Facility) with work ongoing on launch infrastructure upgrades.

In 2025, Firefly holds government contracts worth about $1.1 billion, including NASA lunar lander (Blue Ghost) missions and space station resupply.

Plans multiple missions using Blue Ghost landers on the moon through 2029 and ramping Eclipse launches starting 2026.

Has a strong vertical integration to support lunar logistics and government/government-backed missions.

Received $50M investment from Northrop Grumman to expedite Eclipse and Antares 330 rocket development.

Fireflys Alpha rocket is equipped to launch more than 1,000 kg to low Earth orbit for commercial, civil, and national security missions. The flight-proven vehicle is designed to support regular, rapid, and reliable launches with direct, on-demand deliveries when and where customers need to fly. Alpha can be launched domestically or internationally through Fireflys launch facilities at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and new launch capabilities coming soon at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia as early as 2026 and at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden as early as 2027.

Firefly Aerospace and Northrop Grumman are co-developing Eclipse, a new medium-lift launch vehicle that combines the best technologies, systems, and mission experience from both companies to fill a void in the global launch market. Eclipse will first launch from Virginias Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) with the ability to lift more than 16,000 kg to orbit in support of space station resupply missions, commercial spacecraft, national security missions, and scientific payloads for the domestic and international market. Designed for reusability, Eclipse is optimized for return to launch site (RTLS) and propulsive landing of the first stage.

Rocket Lab

Has successfully launched to orbit many times with the small-lift Electron rocket, totaling over 69 launches by mid 2025 with a high success rate (~80%+ over initial flights).

Developing the medium-lift Neutron rocket, expected to debut in 2025, aiming for about 8,000-15,000 kg payload capacity to LEO.

Has diversified business including satellite manufacturing, payload integration, and contracts with NASA and the U.S. government (Golden Dome contract ~$515M).

Around $22 billion contract pipeline (government + commercial).

Steady launch cadence and improving financials with clear path to profitability.

Targets launch frequency increases in 2025-2028 with Neutron offering reusable stages similar to SpaceX Falcon 9.

Blue Origin

Blue Origin New Glenn rocket successfully reached orbit on its debut flight in January 2025, marking a major milestone after years of development.

They is now preparing for its second flight on September 29, 2025, carrying NASAs ESCAPADE twin Mars probes as a National Security Space Launch demonstration

Stoke Space (Nova)

Stoke Space is on track for orbital debut in late 2025 or early 2026, with strong indicators of progress. The fully reusable Nova rocket (medium-lift class) completed key engine tests and is authorized by the U.S. Space Force for Orbital Services Program-4 competitions, signaling readiness for national security missions. Development focuses on rapid reusability (e.g., 24-hour turnaround potential), and funding from NASA studies positions it for success soon after Blue Origins pace.
Telkom Indonesias international arm Telin said it has signed an MoU with Malaysian engineering company ITCO Niaga to collaborate on planning and development of the Indonesia Cable Express II (ICE II) subsea cable system that now includes landing stations in eastern Malaysia.

Telins ICE programme, revealed in September 2023, aims to build seven separate cable systems connecting Indonesia to Japan, the US, the Middle East, Europe, and Australasia by the end of 2028. As part of that programme, ICE II was initially planned to connect Singapore to Manado in North Sulawesi, with additional links to Batam, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Balikpapan.

During the MoU signing on Thursday at Telins BATIC 2025 conference in Bali, Telin said ICE II will now extend to Tawau on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, with additional links planned for Sabah in Sandakan, Kudat and Kota Kinabalu.

Telin said ICE II will establish a new eastward route for southeast Asia through Manado as an alternative to the South China Sea corridor, which will enhance the resilience of the regions telecoms networks, mitigate congestion risks, and provides scalable capacity to support accelerating regional demand for cloud computing, digital services and enterprise connectivity.

ICE II will not only deepen connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore but also foster greater regional integration by extending connectivity to East Malaysia, said Telin product chief of Azmal Yahya in a statement.

Anita Aqeela Hiong, MD for ITCO Niaga, said ICE II promises to significantly reinforce Sabahs digital backbone, which in turn will stimulate investment opportunities, empower local enterprises and improve internet access for communities.

Our collaboration with Telin on ICE II marks a strategic step toward Malaysias digital transformation objectives, particularly for Sabah, she said in a statement. Enhanced connectivity will drive socio-economic growth, broaden digital inclusivity, and increase the regions competitiveness.

The MoU with ITCO Niaga comes a year after Telin signed a strategic partnership with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to develop ICE II.

In July 2024, Telin revealed it is partnering with BW Digital to develop and construct the Nongsa-Changi subsea cable system across the Singapore Strait, linking data centres in Batam and Changi, as part of the ICE system.

In February 2024, Telin formed a consortium with Telecom Egypt and UAE-based e& Carrier & Wholesale Services to develop the ICE IV Project that aims to interconnect Indonesia and Singapore to India, Oman, Egypt, and the UAE.
Walmart logo is displayed outside one of their stores on August 2, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images) Getty Images

If youre looking to see what is open and what is closed for Labor Day 2025, look no further. Weve rounded up a list of the major stores that are open and can tell you whats closed this year.

So, read through this first and dont get caught heading to Costco on Labor Day, because the warehouses are closed. Thankfully, you can head over to Sams Club to shop if you need items in bulk. Otherwise, you can head to Target, Walmart and Lowes to score some really good Labor Day deals.

Target has 50% off all clothing (online only), Walmart has Milwaukee power tools for $100 off and Lowes has Blackstone grills for $150 off.

Most supermarkets will remain open with regular or reduced hours.

Shoppers should ultimately check with their local supermarket for specific information on opening and closing hours, as it can vary by location.

The following major supermarket chains in New Jersey are scheduled to be open on Labor Day:

The following major supermarket chain in New Jersey is scheduled to be closed on Labor Day:

Many stores are open for regular business hours to host Labor Day sales in 2025. The only major store that is closed is Costco.

Note: Shoppers should check with their local store in the event that hours vary by location.

All malls in New Jersey should be open, and some stores may offer sales.

Most malls in New Jersey, 12 of which are part of the Simon Mall chain, will operate from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Labor Day.

Other malls not part of the Simon Mall chain, such as American Dream, will keep its stores open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

The following malls in New Jersey will be open on Labor Day:

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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
Specially trained crisis response dogs and their handlers were sent by a Camden County police department to Minneapolis to comfort community members in the wake of a deadly attack on a Catholic school there last week.

The Gloucester Township Police Departments K-9 community resource unit was sent north alongside members of the nonprofit Crisis Response Canines, the department said in a social media post on Friday.

The department shared photos of Axel, a Rottweiler K-9, and his handler, John Hunt, a retired New Jersey State Police major, visiting with Annunciation Catholic Churchs parishioners.

The response was coordinated by David Harkins, Gloucester Townships police chief, and Joseph Williams, the bishop of Camden.

Williams is originally from the Archdiocese Of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the police department said.

The bishop said in a statement that he spent 15 years serving at St. Stephen Church in south Minneapolis, just a few miles away from Annunciation Catholic Church.

The faithful of Annunciation were truly good neighbors to us... he said. The words of Saint Paul  God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7)  really came to life through them!

Now their cheer has turned to grief, he continued, as they mourn the two children who were slain as they worshiped their Lord Jesus Christ in the school Mass.

Two children were killed and 15 others wounded as an assailant shot through the windows of the church last Wednesday. Three adults were also injured.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A motive in the attack remains unclear, but Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara previously said the shooter harbored a whole lot of hate towards a wide variety of people and groups of people, and had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters.

The Crisis Response Canines team said in a statement that they were deeply grateful to have been asked by Williams to go to Minneapolis.

Our CRC members are committed to offering strength, comfort, and prayer to all who are grieving, they said.

New Jerseys K-9 crisis response teams have been deployed to other states in instances of previous tragedy.

Earlier this year, the Tri-State K9 Response team, which is based in Cherry Hill, went to New Orleans after a deadly New Years Day terror attack on Bourbon Street.

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AJ McDougall may be reached at amcdougall@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.
Two members of the rock band Foreigner on stage at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in June 2024. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

Dave Eggar is getting ready to pick up where he left off with Foreigner.

Eggar, an adjunct professor of music at New Jersey City University, is an acclaimed cellist who has been nominated for seven Grammy awards. He is known for fusing orchestral arrangements with mainstream music.

He will be joining Foreigner, one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1980s, on a 10-concert, three-week orchestral tour next March.

The two-state orchestral tour will coincide with Foreigners 50th anniversary.

Dave Eggar performing in June 2010 in Los Angeles. Eggar will be going on tour in March 2026 with Foreigner. WireImage

Eggar and conductor Chuck Palmer will write the arrangements based on Foreigners songs, New Jersey City University officials said as the school announced the professors participation in the tour.

Its incredible to have the opportunity to reimagine Foreigners extensive catalogue of songs, Eggar told NJ Advance Media.

I want classical music to come together with rock in a way thats adventurous and imaginative, Eggar said.

Eggar first teamed up with Foreigner around a decade ago. The groups live album, Foreigner with the 21st Century Orchestra and Chorus, featured reworked versions of the bands greatest hits, including Feels Like the First Time, Hot Blooded and Double Vision.

For Eggar, 46, performing with a celebrated music act is nothing new. He has a lengthy resume of collaborations, including working with Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Evanescence, Coldplay, Josh Groban, The Who and Bon Jovi.

Foreigner has a different lineup than when the group began in 1976. The only remaining original member, Mick Jones, wrote many of Foreigners best-known songs with former lead vocalist Lou Gramm, who departed in the early 2000s.

The band recently announced that Gramm will be reuniting with the band for some concerts in December.

Eggar described working with Jones as like spending time with a great fiction writer.

He cited the 1981 song Juke Box Hero as an example of the bands storytelling. It is a song that tells the story of a boy shut out of a sold-out concert who decides to buy a guitar and becomes a star.

Asked to name his favorite Foreigner song, Eggar said it would be a tossup between Waiting for a Girl Like You and Urgent.

Eggar began playing the cello and piano at age 3. He holds degrees from Harvard University and completed the Juilliard Schools doctoral program.

Since 2020, he has been an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate and graduate students in New Jersey City Universitys Multi-Style Strings program.

Daves mission to not just cross over, but to cross through multiple genres of music are apparent with all of his releases. Whether its classical, reggae, bluegrass, jazz, pop, or world music, he finds a common voice within his musical vocabulary and introduces it with his own unique imaginative vision, according to his biography on the universitys website.

Eggar said the concert tour will not necessarily interrupt his teaching schedule.

Due to the COVID years, weve learned how to be successful with hybrid teaching, Eggar said.

Big changes may be on the horizon at New Jersey City University. The school is pursuing a merger with Kean University, though the process is not expected to be complete until 2027.

New Jersey City Universitys fall semester begins Tuesday.

Foreigners tour will begin March 6 in Nevada and conclude March 22. The first five concerts are at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas and the rest are in California.

Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.

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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
More than 100 vehicles took over a busy Hudson County intersection early Sunday morning, pitting police against reckless drivers who shot fireworks at officers.

Secaucus police were called to Secaucus Road and County Avenue intersection at 2:31 a.m. where a reported 100 vehicles took over the area. The location is close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit.

Police said the vehicles were being driven recklessly and doing smoking tire spin outs known as donuts while onlookers took videos of them.

When police arrived over 50 people surrounded the officers vehicles and others climbed on top marked police SUVs damaging them, police said in a post on the departments Facebook page.

People in the crowd used fireworks as incendiary devices, shooting them at and under police vehicles. Some of that was documented on videos police posted on the department Facebook page.

Officers from several surrounding departments assisted to help disperse the crowds, including Weehawken, North Bergen, Hoboken, Hudson County Sheriffs Office, East Rutherford and Rutherford.

The gathering mirrors other pop-up automotive incidents that occurred primarily at the Jersey Shore, including a Sept. 2022 car rally in Wildwood where two people were killed and several injured.

That unsanctioned tuner car meet-up event known as H2oi or, H20i, or H2022 led to efforts to ban them, including legislation used in other states to discourage similar events and regulate driver behavior.

A bill passed the state assembly last year but did not make it to the senate that would have given towns and the state DOT special powers to curb driver behavior at pop-up events.

That legislation would created special event zones, allowing a town to temporarily lower speed limits and ban exhibition driving stunts such as tire smoking burnouts and doing donuts with vehicles.

No officers were injured during the Secaucus melee, and officials said their restraint under these conditions was nothing short of commendable.

Our officers came under attack last night and I will not tolerate this unrest, Chief Dennis Miller said in a statement. Secaucus is not going to be the place where these criminals operate with impunity!

Police will dedicate resources from the departments traffic, detective, patrol and intelligence sections to assemble a task force to identify the individuals responsible for this riotous behavior and bring them to justice, he said.

Police asked for anyone who can help identify anyone in the video to call the Secaucus tip line at 201-330-2049 or email spdtips@secaucusnjpolice.gov

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The Yankees added left-hander Ryan Yarbrough and catcher J.C. Escarra to their active roster on Monday as their pair of September call-ups. AP

The Yankees revealed their September call-ups on Monday afternoon, announcing that catcher J.C. Escarra and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough have been added to the active roster.

Both moves were expected.

Yarbrough was reinstated from the 15-day injured list, rejoining the Yankees pitching staff for the first time since he suffered an oblique injury in mid June.

Back then, Yarbrough was starting for the Yankees. Now, with Cam Schlittler dealing and Luis Gil back in the rotation, Yarbrough will be used out of the bullpen in a long-relief role.

Escarra adds to the Yankees depth on the bench, giving manager Aaron Boone another catcher to work with as he balances playing time between Ben Rice and Austin Wells. That said, dont expect the backstop to be on the big-league roster for long. Once outfielder Austin Slater finishes his rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this week, hell take Escarras spot  barring another injury on the active roster, of course.

Like Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario, Slater was acquired leading up to the trade deadline in July. He hurt his hamstring in his third game with the Yankees and hasnt played since August 4.

Yankees -1.5 runline is listed at +145 on Fanatics for Tuesdays series opener against the Astros. Our comprehensive list of the best NJ sportsbook promos will help you find a sportsbook to use.

The Yankees can also tweak their bullpen in the coming days now that Yarbrough is back in a long-man role. Paul Blackburn could be on the way out soon as a way to get a reliever like Ian Hamilton, Jake Bird or Yerry De Los Santos back in pinstripes. Blackburn was scooped up from the Mets as a mop-up man and hes posted a 13.50 ERA in two outings with the Yankees thus far (eight earned runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched).

After an off day on Monday, the Yankees open the most challenging section of their remaining schedule. They play in Houston, host the Blue Jays and Tigers in a homestand and then travel to Boston. All four of those teams are also in postseason contention and the Yankees have played poorly against all four of those clubs this season.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Partly cloudy. High 28F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

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Cloudy with snow. Low 18F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snowfall around one inch.
Discover essential tools that help businesses capture voice search traffic, optimise for near me queries, and stay visible when customers use voice assistants.

Unlike traditional SEO that targets typed keywords, voice search optimisation requires understanding how people actually speaklonger phrases, question formats, and local intent.

The tools covered in this Tech Tuesday roundup help businesses adapt their content, manage local listings, implement structured data, and track performance specifically for voice-driven search traffic.

From Amazons official Alexa development framework to schema markup standards and local SEO platforms, these solutions ensure your business stays discoverable as search evolves from typed queries to spoken conversations.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool within Google Ads that provides search volume data, keyword suggestions, and performance insights. Though designed for PPC campaigns, its valuable for voice search optimization because it reveals conversational and long-tail query patterns.

What It Does: The tool helps identify how people naturally phrase questions and requests when using voice search, which tends to be more conversational than typed queries. Users can discover voice-friendly variations of their target keywords and understand search volume for question-based phrases like Whats the best pizza place near me? or How do I change a tire?

Best For: Content creators, SEO professionals, and digital marketers optimizing for voice search without budget for paid keyword tools. Particularly useful for businesses creating FAQ content, local service pages, or conversational content that matches how people speak to voice assistants. Essential for identifying the natural language phrases to target in voice search optimization strategies.

SEMrush

SEMrush is a comprehensive SEO and digital marketing platform with specialized features for voice search optimization, focusing on conversational keywords and local SEO management that voice assistants rely on.

What It Does: SEMrush helps identify the natural language phrases people use in voice searches, then tracks how content performs for these conversational queries. The platform ensures business information is optimized across all the directories and platforms that voice assistants use as data sources, particularly for local searches.

Best For: Digital marketers, SEO professionals, and local businesses targeting voice search traffic. Particularly valuable for companies optimizing for question-based, long-tail queries like Where can I find Italian food near me? or How do I fix a leaky faucet? Essential for businesses that need to track voice search performance and manage local listings across multiple voice-enabled platforms.

Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that optimizes websites for search engines, with specific features that support voice search readiness through content analysis and automated structured data markup.

Voice Search Features:

Readability Analysis  Evaluates sentence length, passive voice usage, transition words, and Flesch Reading Ease to help content match the conversational style voice assistants prefer

 Evaluates sentence length, passive voice usage, transition words, and Flesch Reading Ease to help content match the conversational style voice assistants prefer Automated Schema Markup  Implements FAQ, HowTo, and LocalBusiness structured data that voice assistants frequently use for direct responses

 Implements FAQ, HowTo, and LocalBusiness structured data that voice assistants frequently use for direct responses AI Optimize  Provides real-time suggestions to improve text clarity, structure, and keyword placement for better voice search compatibility

 Provides real-time suggestions to improve text clarity, structure, and keyword placement for better voice search compatibility Content Structure Guidance  Helps create snippet-ready content thats easy for voice assistants to parse and speak

What It Does: Yoast analyzes content to ensure its written in the clear, conversational tone that works well for voice search. The plugin automatically adds the structured data markup that helps voice assistants understand and extract information for spoken responses, particularly from FAQ and how-to content.

Best For: WordPress website owners, content creators, and SEO professionals who want to optimize for voice search without technical expertise. Particularly valuable for businesses creating FAQ pages, instructional content, or local service information that needs to be voice-assistant friendly. Ideal for teams wanting automated schema implementation rather than manual coding.

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is Googles free platform for managing how businesses appear in Google Search and Maps. It serves as a primary data source for voice assistants answering local queries, making it essential for voice search visibility.

What It Does: When users ask voice assistants questions like What time does the coffee shop close? or Find a plumber near me, Google Assistant pulls answers directly from Business Profile data. Well-maintained profiles increase the likelihood of appearing in voice responses and zero-click results where the assistant speaks the answer without requiring users to visit a website.

Best For: Local businesses of all sizes, especially retail stores, restaurants, medical offices, salons, and service providers that rely on local foot traffic. Critical for businesses wanting to capture voice searches with local intent, where customers use conversational queries to find nearby services, check hours, or get directions through voice assistants.

Moz Local

Moz Local is a local SEO platform that manages business directory listings to ensure accurate information appears when users make location-based voice searches. The platform maintains consistent business data across multiple directories that voice assistants use as sources.

What It Does: Moz Local ensures that when someone asks a voice assistant Wheres the nearest pizza place? or What time does the pharmacy close?, the assistant has access to current, accurate business information. The platform prevents conflicting data across directories that could confuse voice search algorithms.

Best For: Local businesses, particularly small to mid-sized retailers, restaurants, medical practices, and service providers that depend on local discovery. Essential for businesses that want to capture voice searches like near me queries and need consistent, accurate information when customers ask voice assistants for directions, hours, or contact details.

Schema.org

Schema.org Schema.org is the universal standard for structured data markup, created through collaboration between major search engines to help websites communicate semantic meaning to search platforms. Its essential infrastructure for voice search optimization rather than a standalone tool.

What It Does: Schema.org markup helps search engines understand webpage content context, making it more likely to appear in rich results and voice responses. The speakable schema specifically tells voice assistants which content sections work well for text-to-speech delivery, while FAQ and HowTo schemas structure information in formats that match conversational voice queries.

Best For: Web developers, SEO specialists, and content teams focused on voice search visibility. Critical for anyone wanting their content to be accurately interpreted and spoken by voice assistants. Particularly valuable for businesses targeting conversational queries where structured, speakable answers can capture voice search traffic through featured snippets and direct voice responses.

Yext

Yext is a digital knowledge management platform that helps businesses control how their information appears across search engines, voice assistants, and AI platforms. The platform ensures that when users ask voice assistants about your business, they get accurate, up-to-date answers.

What It Does: Yext creates a single source of truth for business information that automatically distributes to voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri. When customers ask voice queries about locations, hours, or services, the platform ensures consistent, accurate responses across all channels.

Best For: Multi-location businesses, retail chains, restaurants, hotels, and service companies that depend on local discovery. Particularly valuable for brands that need to maintain consistent information across many locations and want to ensure theyre easily found through voice search queries like find a store near me or what time do you close.

Alexa Skills Kit (ASK)

Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) is Amazons official development platform for creating custom voice applications (skills) that work on Alexa-enabled devices. Rather than traditional SEO, ASK helps businesses build voice-first experiences that make their content and services accessible through voice commands.

What It Does: ASK lets businesses create conversational experiences where users can interact with their brand through natural speech. Developers can build voice-friendly dialogue systems, integrate slot types for specific data (locations, numbers, etc.), and design complete voice user journeys that feel natural and responsive.

Best For: Product teams and developers who want to make their services voice-accessible through Alexa. Particularly useful for creating voice-enabled FAQs, branded customer experiences, or hands-free navigation features. Essential for businesses wanting direct access to users through Alexas voice interface rather than relying on web search optimization.

MobileMoxie

MobileMoxie is a mobile-focused SEO platform that provides real-time and historical data on mobile search results, landing pages, and app performance. The platform helps marketers understand how their content appears in mobile search results that voice assistants use to answer queries.

What It Does: The platform replicates real mobile search conditions to show exactly how content appears when voice assistants pull answers from search results. Users can view search previews, track ranking changes, and analyze how pages render on mobile devices.

Best For: SEO professionals and content teams focused on mobile-first and voice search optimization. Especially valuable for businesses wanting to optimize content structure for featured snippets and ensure consistent visibility when voice assistants surface their content as answers.

Comparison table:

Tool Core Focus Voice Search-Relevant Features Best For Google Keyword Planner Keyword research (Google Ads) Identifies conversational, long-tail, and question-style keywords with search volumes, trends, and forecasts Marketers and SEO teams seeking data on voice-friendly queries Ahrefs SEO & competitive keyword analysis Questions report for voice-style queries, content gap analysis, snippet targeting Content strategists and SEOs optimizing for FAQ-style and conversational searches SEMrush All-in-one SEO & marketing toolkit Keyword Magic Tool (questions filter), voice vs. traditional rank tracking, local listing optimization Digital marketers and local businesses preparing content for voice traffic Yoast SEO WordPress SEO plugin Readability optimization, FAQ/HowTo schema, automated structured data, AI Optimize WordPress businesses ensuring content is voice-snippet and schema ready Google Business Profile Local presence in Google Search & Maps Structured business info, reviews, FAQs, Q&A optimization, postscore data source for local voice queries SMBs and local service providers capturing near me voice searches Moz Local Local listings management Automated NAP (name, address, phone) consistency, review monitoring, directory citation health Local businesses needing consistent voice assistant answers across directories Schema.org Structured data standards Vocabulary for FAQ, HowTo, LocalBusiness, Speakable schema for TTS content Web developers & SEO pros ensuring content is machine-readable for voice Yext Digital knowledge management Knowledge Graph powering Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant; structured schema; Scout analytics Multi-location enterprises ensuring brand facts appear accurately in voice search Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) Voice app development for Alexa APIs, intents, slot types, voice dialogue flows to deliver branded voice experiences Developers & marketers building custom Alexa skills for voice discoverability MobileMoxie Mobile SEO & visibility SERPerator for live voice search result previews, Page-oscope for snippet/Knowledge Graph monitoring SEO teams tracking how voice-friendly content surfaces on mobile SERPs

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A well-known North Devon company is sharing its 40th anniversary celebrations with the community by donating 40,000 in grants to 40 good causes.

Philip J Milton & Company Plc is inviting charities, good causes, community projects or individuals to apply for one of 40 1,000 grants to be put to use to help others under its 40th Legacy Awards.

This could be anything from educational initiatives, the environment or conservation to helping those less fortunate or providing something for the community or internationally.

Anyone can apply; they do not have to represent a group or charity but the grant must be used for or towards a specific nominated purpose, project or purchase rather than simply general costs.

READ NEXT: From what have I done? to managing 278m  North Devon firm marks 40th anniversary

From the outset when Philip Milton set up his independent wealth management and financial advisory business at his parents home in Georgeham in 1985, the business has supported numerous good causes, charities and appeals, both at home and abroad.

The 40,000 Ruby Anniversary fund has been funded already and is with the Companys registered Charitable Foundation. Now, Philip and his team invite applications from people in North Devon or further afield.

Philip said: We wanted our 40th anniversary to be a celebration with others just as much as for ourselves. These Legacy Awards are a way of sharing some of our success in looking after peoples finances, by giving something meaningful back and which we hope will benefit many people and things.

Those who know us will know we support many appeals and causes, both right here in Devon and much further away, such as the recent freshwater boreholes appeal for Amigos Worldwide and via the Foundation we have given grants to everything from bumblebee conservation and Burundi self-help groups to debt education charities and community shops.

While 1,000 may not seem a large amount to bigger charities, for smaller ones or community projects it can make a real difference, whether thats fundraising for a specific purchase or repair, or perhaps buying a piece of play equipment, refurbishing a much-loved facility or a specific nature project  we would like to hear from all of you.

The awards have been left open-ended but it is hoped applications will reflect the Companys own values and principles, which include selflessness, seeking betterment, education, the environment and nature, conservation, poverty, financial education, a desire to help those less fortunate, a desire to succeed and to be a force for good within the community.

Applicants will be asked to provide evidence of their work or proposals.

In the first instance, they must email the address below, briefly explaining who they are and what their application is for, then they will receive a form to complete electronically and return.

Philip added: Now more than ever and especially with escalating costs for all businesses, it is vital we all work together and support each other, which is part of what our Legacy Awards are all about.

You may often read about the various good causes we support, but there are many others you will never hear about - but we do it anyway because thats who we are.

We do hope the people of Devon and beyond will embrace this initiative and that our clients, friends and supporters and the wider community, will encourage good causes close to their hearts to get in touch  we look forward to hearing!

To apply for up to a 1,000 grant from the 40th Legacy Awards, please email info@miltonpj.net and entitle it Legacy Awards, followed by a brief summary of your good cause and how the grant would be used.

READ NEXT: Life or death  North Devon asked to step up for vital water borehole appeal
Australian startups secured $99 million this week across biotech, AI healthcare, and quantum computing.

The weeks largest deal saw Queenslands Vaxxas close a $49.2 million Series D round at an $805 million valuation, while quantum software company Q-CTRL secured a $38 million defense contract with the US Department of Defense.

The funding spread across critical sectors reveals investor appetite for Australian deep tech solutions, from needle-free vaccines to AI-powered medical diagnostics and quantum sensing technology.

Lucia Bio raises $3M seed extension

Queensland biotech Lucia Bio topped up its seed round with an additional $2M, bringing total raised to $3M. The UniQuest Extension Fund and Uniseed-managed funds each contributed $1M. The joint venture between UKs Molecule to Medicine and University of Queenslands QEDDI develops Syk inhibitors for autoimmune diseases and neuroinflammation, with lead assets QED-701 and QED-121.

Send Payments secures $5M series A

Cross-border payments fintech Send Payments raised $5M from existing backers Regal Funds Management and Kelly+Partners Investment Office, plus new investor iPartners. Payments veteran Matt Barr replaced cofounder Paul Billing as CEO. The platform turns cross-border payments into revenue streams for enterprise partners.

Diag-Nose.io and Human Health receive $3M government grant

Medical AI startups Diag-Nose.io and Human Health secured $3M in federal government funding through the CRC-P program to develop RhinoMAP, an AI platform for treating respiratory diseases including asthma, sinusitis and COPD. The collaboration addresses findings that up to 50% of severe asthma patients dont achieve expected results.

Vaxxas closes $49.2M series D

Needle-free vaccination company Vaxxas closed a $49.2M series D at an $805M valuation, led by SPRIM Global Investments with support from LGT Crestone, OneVentures and Brandon Capital-Hostplus. The University of Queensland spinout also secured a $40M debt facility but cut 10% of staff, moving founding CEO David Hoey to strategic adviser and making CFO Doug Cubbin redundant.

Coursebox raises $750K seed round

Perth edtech Coursebox raised $750K from Purpose Ventures for its AI-powered course creation platform. Founded by Travis Clapp and Alex Hey, the startup has attracted 100,000+ signups from 180+ countries since mid-2023, with 90% of sales from organic traffic.

Q-CTRL wins $38M defense contract

Quantum software company Q-CTRL won $38M (US$24.4M) in contracts under the US Defense Departments DARPA program, partnering with Lockheed Martin on quantum sensing for military vehicles. The technology addresses GPS vulnerability issues affecting 1,000+ daily flights with outages costing $1B+ daily.

Atlas Consolidated secures USD 18.1M series B

Atlas Consolidated announced the closure of a USD18.1 million series B funding round led by Tin Men Capital, with follow-on investment from strategic investors Getz, Inc. and Woodside Holdings Investment Management. Born in Singapore, the companys HugoHub platform empowers financial institutions to move beyond legacy infrastructure, offering a more responsive, secure, and user-friendly experience for customers in both emerging and developed markets.

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The European Heir Restoring Forgotten American Cars to Glory An Italian jewelry scion has turned an old drive-in theater in Pennsylvania into a showplace for his collection of domestic vehicles.

Part passion project, part playground, the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, founded by Nicola Bulgari, has facilities to service and showcase his collection of American cars from the early to mid 1900s.

A giant screen still towers over the site of the former Boulevard Drive-In Theater, a sprawling complex ringed by low-rise buildings in an industrial section of Allentown, Pa. For several decades in the middle of last century, it and other drive-ins showcased the might of Americas auto industry. The theaters  along with drive-through banks, pharmacies, groceries, liquor stores and dry cleaners  were both symbols of how cars were shaping popular culture and places to see all varieties of domestic vehicles.

The Boulevard Drive-in closed in the 1980s, after about 40 years in operation. But visitors to the site today will notice signs of automotive life. Its hilly landscape has been paved with miles of narrow, curving roads and there is now an old-timey Sinclair Oil gas station on the premises, complete with a glass-tank pump and a sign that flashes the companys dinosaur logo.

The infrastructure supports what the old drive-in has become: a temple to American cars from the early to mid 1900s.

Called the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, the private museum was founded about a decade ago by Nicola Bulgari, the 84-year-old vice chairman of Bulgari, the Italian luxury brand that his grandfather started in Rome in 1884. (In 2011, the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy conglomerate took control of Bulgari in a multi-billion-dollar deal; in 2023, Mr. Bulgari was convicted of insider trading with LVMH stock in France and fined about $1.4 million.)

Vehicles are kept in temperature-controlled facilities and fueled at an old-timey Sinclair Oil gas station that was transplanted to the premises.

The NB Center, in which Mr. Bulgari has invested at least $10 million, has about 200 vintage cars from his collection (another 100 are in storage in Italy). Nearly all of the vehicles were built between the 1920s and the mid-1950s, in the middle of America, for the middle of the market. There are Chryslers, Chevrolets, Nashes, Oldsmobiles, Studebakers and, most abundantly, Buicks.

Mr. Bulgari knows each of the vehicles by make, year, specification  and often by purchase date and location, too. He rattled off the bona fides of several cars on a recent tour of the center: They included a 1934 Buick 96S with a smooth reliable engine that is unparalleled, as he put it; a 1941 Nash with a rear seat that converts into a bed; a 1948 Buick woody station wagon with an ash-and-mahogany body.

There was also a 1934 Chrysler Airflow Coupe, a model emblematic of the aviation-inspired trend toward streamlined automobile design. (Its developers included Orville Wright.) From 1930 to 1934, a huge change occurred in design, when cars went from being a box, to smoothing down, Mr. Bulgari said.

He has purchased most of the cars from sellers around the world. But Mr. Bulgari has also received some from donors who share his passion for a genre of automobiles that is prized less by collectors than cars from luxury European brands like Bugatti or Rolls-Royce.

People ask me, Why dont you collect Ferraris? Mr. Bulgari said, noting that his older brother Gianni used to race a Ferrari 250 GTO in the mid 1960s. My answer is there are too many Ferrari collectors already. They dont need me.

He feels that the cars he collects do. Mr. Bulgari sees his automotive center as preserving what he calls the history of the greatest era of the American automobile.

Nicola Bulgari in a 1935 Buick 96S Sport Coupe, one of his favorite cars in his collection.

While not currently open to the public, the center has hosted car clubs, philanthropic organizations, researchers and students for tours and events. Like other museums, it will loan out its contents. A 1934 Nash Ambassador from Mr. Bulgaris collection recently appeared in the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance auto show, where the car won a second-in-class ribbon. Other cars or components have been borrowed by the Museum of Modern Art and the Frick Collection.

Though the types of vehicles Mr. Bulgari collects are from a time when automakers in the United States made significant design and engineering advancements, they have little material value today. They generally sell for mid-five-figure prices (about the average cost of a new car) and restoring one can easily cost five times as much.

Thats largely why the survivability of those cars is very low compared with that of blue-chip models preferred by collectors, said Jonathan Klinger, 43, a vintage automobile specialist who spent years working with classic cars at the insurance company Hagerty before becoming the NB Centers executive director last year.

Mr. Bulgaris car collection may be less famous than Jay Lenos and less rarefied than Ralph Laurens, but it has a distinct theme, something that Ken Gross, an automotive historian, author and curator, said is essential to any good collection.

I personally think what Bulgari has done is wonderful because many of those cars were, if not neglected by collectors, just not paid much attention to, Mr. Gross added. Their restoration gives you a glimpse into some cars that you might not necessarily see anywhere else.

A speedometer calibration machine, top left, is used to adjust the accuracy of analog dashboard gauges at one of the centers workshops.

Mr. Bulgaris fascination with American cars started in childhood, around the time the Boulevard Drive-In opened in Allentown. I first saw American cars in 1946 in Lugano, Switzerland, he said. He was five years old and World War II had just ended. I dont have to describe what Rome was like in 1946, after the war, Mr. Bulgari continued. It was scary. So it was a bit of a shock to see these magnificent cars.

He purchased his first Buick  a toy car  that same year. Not long after, in 1953, he went to watch the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile semiregular road race in Italy that first took place in 1927. He was 12, and although the race featured Porsches, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, Aston Martins, Ferraris and Maseratis, Mr. Bulgari recalled dreaming only of seeing a 1953 Chrysler, one of the few American cars in the race.

American cars had something style-wise that European cars never had, he said. And because of strong competition and a growing market, their engines, transmissions and suspensions were so advanced, he continued, almost breathlessly. And the metallurgy  they were constantly working on finding better materials, higher quality, longer lasting.

To maintain his cars, Mr. Bulgari has brought a handful of small car-restoration businesses to the center, acquiring them in deals that included their equipment and employees (no jobs were lost in the process). The businesses include the former Hyde Villa Machine Shop, which operated in Reading, Pa., for more than 50 years before its owner, Rich Olsen, sold it to Mr. Bulgari two years ago. We brought in everything  boring machine, crankshaft grinder, milling machine, Mr. Olsen, 72, said.

A so-called three-olives machine, bottom left, named for the martini garnish it resembles, is used to fabricate fenders and trunk lids.

Keith Flickinger, the NB Centers curator and chief operating officer, sold his business, Precision Motor Cars in Allentown, to Mr. Bulgari in 2015, after years of working on various restoration jobs for him. I used to have dozens of projects from dozens of clients, Mr. Flickinger, 62, said. Now I have dozens of projects, but just one client.

Mr. Flickinger saw folding his business into the NB Center as a way to preserve it, he added, while preserving American automotive history and mentoring younger craftspeople like the centers student interns. They have come from the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and McPherson College in McPherson, Kan., the rare American university to offer a four-year degree in car restoration. Amanda Gutierrez, McPherson Colleges vice president for automotive restoration, said the center has become a valuable educational partner, applying and expanding skills students have developed.

Jon Haring, 48, the centers automotive restoration manager, started working with cars as a teenage apprentice to Mr. Flickinger. Now he spends his days getting Mr. Bulgaris vehicles in perfect running order  a process that can take as long as two-and-a-half years for a single car, partly because the period-correct parts they can require often have to be made from scratch.

Cars are maintained by a full-and part-time staff of 19 people, some of whom sold their small restoration businesses to the center in deals that included their equipment.

Charts tracking the progress of restoration work are posted near the entrances to the centers workshops. The projects are myriad and often arcane: Creating handmade wooden wheels in the style of a 1920s Studebaker with the help of local Amish wheelwrights, for instance, or producing floor mats like those in a 1930s Nash by cobbling together ribbed rubber, casting a silicone mold and pouring in urethane. It took about 40 hours to make the mats, Mr. Haring said.

Brad Danish, an upholstery technician, started working full-time at the center in 2015. He had previously spent much of his career working out of the garage of his home in Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley. Using a range of industrial sewing machines and custom-made components, Mr. Danish, 66, has stitched seats, door panels, headliners and carpets.

His craft is exemplified in the restoration of the leather seats in Mr. Bulgaris 1939 Lincoln Zephyr convertible, which was believed to be the only model of its kind in original condition when Mr. Bulgari bought it for $60,000 in 2016. By then, the leather upholstery had petrified and the stitching had decomposed. Mr. Danish removed, soaked and softened the hides before reupholstering the seats by sewing through their existing stitching holes. That level of reverence to original details, he said, sets a standard for future restorations of similar vehicles.

Brad Danish, top left, an upholstery technician, stitching a wool-broadcloth covering for the front seat of a 1942 Buick Super Sedanette.

Mr. Bulgari said that another goal of the NB Center and its work is to ignite in others the same passion he has for the cars he collects. What Im trying to create is something that is contagious, that people understand, and then, on their own, theyre trying to save the cars of this time as well, as he put it. What is important is that people get inspiration. Even if they do one car in a lifetime, they save a piece of history.

Some who have been to the site have taken up Mr. Bulgaris cause. Johnathan Trumbo, 25, and Anthony Maguschak, 23, two mechanics at the center, now each own early 20th-century American cars. Mr. Maguschak, who lives in the Lehigh Valley, bought and has been rebuilding a 1939 Buick Special. I absolutely credit Mr. Bulgari and this place with my interest in old Buicks, he said.

As for Mr. Trumbo, who also lives in eastern Pennsylvania, he bought a 1931 Ford Model A pickup truck. My friends all have their things  theyre into computers or electronics, he said. This is my thing. And they think its cool.
Hotel Miramar Singapore will close its doors at the end of October due to concerns about a long-term business outlook, a move set to affect 108 employees.

The hotel, located on Havelock Road, explained in a statement Friday that this "difficult decision" was based on its long-term business outlook.

Hotel Miramar Singapore. Photo courtesy of the hotel

The Business Times reported that the hotel is being sold for SGD160 million (US$125 million).

The newspaper reported last month that negotiations for the sale of the hotel at 401 Havelock Road were progressing, with Aravest, a spin-off of ARA Asset Managements private funds business, as the potential buyer.

The hotel has revealed plans to offer a retrenchment package to employees under the re-employment scheme and additional payouts for long-serving staff.

Employees with less than two years of service will receive an ex-gratia payment.

"Hotel Miramar Singapore has been part of the nations hospitality story since 1968, but what truly defines us are the people behind the hotel," said its managing director Ken Lim in the statement, referring to the year the hotels operating company was established.

"This legacy would not have been possible without our people."

The Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union general secretary Sankaradass S Chami said: "The union is sad that Hotel Miramar Singapore, one of our nations hospitality icons that has provided good jobs for many Singaporeans over the years, is ceasing operations," as reported by Channel News Asia.

The statement also noted that the union is collaborating with the hotel to assist affected employees in finding new job opportunities.

Hotel Miramar Singapore, equipped with over 340 rooms, was opened in 1971 and went through a refurbishment in 1992.
Gaelscoil na Laochra in Birr is seeking a new secretary for 10 hours per week. Applicants should have a good level of Irish and be willing to undertake further training in the language if required.

The position is subject to the terms of circular 36/2022 revision of salaries and annual leave arrangements for school secretaries. The entry-level for this role is on the first point of the scale unless the candidate has previous work experience in this field.

The position is subject to a six-month probationary period and satisfactory Garda Vetting. The successful candidate will be required to undertake TUSLA child protection training.

The school secretary will be an integral part of the school community, working closely with the school principal, and will manage the school office in a welcoming, professional and discreet manner.

The successful candidate will have/be:

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

- Proficiency in ICT including word processing, spreadsheets, email etc.

- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team

- Reliability, trustworthiness and strict adherence to confidentiality

- Flexibility and be adaptable to the needs of the school

- Proactive in identifying improvements to ensure smooth systems and procedures - A positive outlook

- A willingness to engage in continuous professional development

Essential Skills & Experience:

- Administrative and secretarial skills

- Proficiency in ICT and office applications

- Excellent interpersonal skills, including oral and written communication skills

-Excellent organisational skills, ensuring good record-keeping, filing (hard copy and electronically) and adherence to school procedures & policies

- Knowledge of GDPR & Data Protection requirements

- Liaising with parents, staff, pupils, service providers, school suppliers, Parents Association and visitors

- To be aware of and comply with school policies and procedures, particularly regarding child safeguarding, health and safety, confidentiality and data protection and report any concerns

-Knowledge in operating and maintaining a school online banking and payment system

-Previous secretarial experience desirable

- Financial administration experience desirable

The ideal candidate would have knowledge and experience in using some or all of the following; Aladdin, Esinet, Payroll, FSSU accounting templates, Microsoft Office, Medmark, TUSLA returns and other school applications.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

- Assisting the Principal and staff in managing school correspondence, communication by post, email, telephone and other school platforms being used

- Assisting the Treasurer in maintaining all financial records, FSSU monthly reports and managing online payments

- Updating, managing and storing school records in compliance with GDPR and all other regulatory requirements

- Maintaining school and office supplies and operating all office machines - photocopier/laminator etc

- Attend meetings and events as required

- Assisting the Principal in the administration of the school enrolment process

-Assisting with drafting and presentation of school documents

- Assisting with general school admin, office management: procurement, organisation of school events and activities, liaison with service providers and suppliers

- Other duties as allocated by the principal

Interviews begin on September 8. This will be confirmed upon completion of shortlisting and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Closing date for applications in Monday, September 1.

Requirements to apply for this role include a letter of application, references and a digital CV.

Applications may be submitted by email to foluntas@gaelscoilnalaochra.com. The roll number is 20461B.

Further enquiries can be made by contacting priomhoide@gaelscoilnalaochra.com or calling 087-4394549
READY members and friends have paid tribute to the late Anne Casey who sadly passed away on Sunday August 17.

At the group's last social meeting candles were lit for Anne and two other members who died recently May Harte and Pat Butler.

Barry La Combre remembered Anne Bracken, who was the READY Secretary in its formative years.

''Anne was the light and joy of our group, and travelled the length and breadth of the country with us,'' said PRO Phil Newton.

''In those early days Tommys Bus would take off early on a Sunday morning, with stops for breakfast, lunch and tea. I do recall Annes breakfast being light, a mug of coffee and a cigarette..and boy, did that morning cigarette go to her heart,'' recalls Phil.

''Anyone who remembers Anne, will recall her sense of fun and adventure. She was sparkling, lively, engaging, bringing positive energies to our many social outings in those bygone days of the 80s.

Anne was full of good humour, amazing at telling jokes, making everyone laugh at her unique take on love, life and living.As our Secretary, she recorded our adventures in a kind chirpy manner.

Anne knew how to make great conversation, and could draw people in ensuring that all enjoyed the banter. I have no doubt that the Gods have a plan for Annes unique outlook on life. Earth is missing an angel  heaven has gained an unimaginable force for light and goodness.

Anne ascended peacefully in the wonderful care of her family and the Palliative Care Team. READY Organisation extend our sincere sympathy to her husband Tony, her daughter Laura, son in law Corey, her granddaughters Elown and Merryn, to her sister Caroline, to her brothers P.J., Michael and Vincent, to everyone who experienced the joy of knowing her, and to all who love her and are missing her today.''

Anne worked for many years in the HSE. Colleagues expressed their sympathies:

''Fond memories of working with Anne. She was always so pleasant and kind. May her soul rest in peace.''

''So sad to hear of Anne's passing, Anne was such a lovely, happy & helpful lady.''

''Deepest condolences to all of Annes family. It was so lovely to work with Anne over the last couple of years. May she rest in peace. ''

''She was a real lady May her gentle soul rest in peace.''

Anne's Cremation Service took place in Newlands Cross Crematorium, Dublin.

READ NEXT: Midlands Hospice plan stalled as HSE yet to respond to council queries




AN Offaly school secretary has highlighted the inequalities between teachers, secretaries and caretakers as pickets were placed outside schools today in the second week of industrial action.

School secretaries and caretakers across Offaly joined an estimated 2,500 others across the country in an action in pursuit of parity with other school employees, including teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) particularly in relation to public service pensions and associated entitlements.

Outside Daingean National School this morning school secretary Mairead Guinan was heartened to be joined by SNAs and teachers who stood in solidarity with her and her colleagues.

Mairead has been Secretary at Daingean National School for the last three years.

''I worked in the Middle East for 12 years. I relocated to Ireland in 2023 and took up the position of secretary at the school. I do all the accounts, pay the wages for bus escorts, cleaners and caretakers. I order medical supplies. I make sure there is funding for the hot meals and organise when they are coming. I do the pod (Primary Online Database) enrolment for the department. I look after the communications like giving notices to parents.

You are a nurse one minute then you are contacting and getting stuff for different teachers. I'm in charge of paying everyone and doing all the supplies, I do everything. Answering the phone is only a small part of it and the phone could ring about 30 times a day. But it's literally what I love about the job, no two days are ever the same. You don't know what you are heading into every day.''

Mairead starts at 9am and finishes at 4pm. Prior to the school reopening she was in the school in preparation for the return of the pupils and teachers.

Mairead has just returned to work full-time after a battle with cancer. She was out of work for a full year and during this time she received just five days sick pay.

''There is no critical illness payment. In 2024 when I was diagnosed with cancer, I got 5 days pay. I used two of those to get diagnosed and then I got three days sick leave. A teacher would get up to 183 days full pay and 182 on half pay. My cancer was not as important as a teacher's.'' said Mairead.

School secretaries are also not entitled to a pension when they retire.

''The lady I replaced was here for 28 years. She got a bunch of flowers and she is gone. She went above and beyond. We also don't get bereavement leave. If anything happens to my dad I'm not entitled to anything. I'm lucky I have a good husband, family and support. If either of my daughters wanted to be a school secretary, if they ever wanted to do it, God forbid, it wouldn't sit well with me,'' Mairead said.

READ NEXT: Midlands Hospice plan stalled as HSE yet to respond to council queries

''I'm in a government building and everyone else is a public servant. If I didn't work in a government building I wouldn't be expecting the same entitlements.

I know people are saying secretaries don't have a qualification. I have a degree and two diplomas. The job we do speaks volumes. I took the job because I love children.''

Mairead said she is very grateful to her principal and the teachers at Daingean National School for their support.

Forsa Trade Union who is representing the workers said ''Engagement at the WRC on Wednesday 27th August concluded without any outcome. The Department of Education did not at any point outline to Forsa its position on the request to admit secretaries and caretakers into the public service pension scheme.''
Men are given to worshiping malevolent gods, and that which is not cruel seems to them not worth their adoration.

Anatole France, LAffaire Crainquebille

It's 62 years ago, and were in that room at 24 Central Park West, in an apartment owned by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. A delegation that includes Lena Horne, Dr. Kenneth Clark, Harry Belafonte, Lorraine Hansberry, and James Baldwin is assembling. The atmosphere is charged. What could be more urgent to Black Americans from all walks of life, if not the freedom to be!





As writer Nicholas Boggs writes in his article, What Really Happened Inside that Meeting Between James Baldwin and RFK, Baldwin was instrumental in inviting this group of Black Americans, I've read enough of Baldwins essays to know he talked with these individuals many times before, and they would represent Blacks who were tired of being tired. Blacks who had had enough.





CORE activist, James Smith was also present. Smith had recently experienced anti-Black racism when he was beaten and jailed for participating in a non-violent Freedom Riders boycott, organized to integrate buses in Mississippi. The 25-year-old activist was invited to speak his mind by giving an account of the brutality he experienced just for wanting Black Americans free of the chains of Jim Crow.





Those men who beat and jailed him certainly didn't want to hear him or see him. Maybe, Baldwin thought, Kennedy, with his brother in the White House, will listen and take action to protect Black Americans engaged in securing their freedom from white supremacy. After all, it was just a matter of beatings and incarceration. There were Black communities such as Tulsa's Black business community, burned to the ground, many of its residents were killed while others were sent fleeing the city. The frequency of rapes and lynchings besieged a community, terrorized by vigilante and organized gangs of radicalized haters.





In September of this same year, four little Black girls, preparing for Sunday school, will never know how much they were hated by random white strangers, neighbors, fellow human beings, when dynamite is set to explode at 16th Street Baptist Church. In 1955, visiting family in Mississippi, a 14-year-old Chicagoan, Emmett Till is taken to a barn after a white woman claimed he whistled at her. The Black boy in the barn is surrounded by white men who torture and then shot him in the head. Till's body is found three days later in the Tallahatchie River.





Why wouldn't the individuals in this room be tired of the violence? Why wouldn't they be angry? Yet, here was an opportunity, in this room, on May 24, 1963, to reach out to the president himself through his brother.





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Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

The Hague/Rotterdam. In a significant development for Syria's war-ravaged economy, the Dutch energy trading giant Vitol is preparing to load the first shipment of Syrian crude oil since the lifting of Western sanctions. This move signals a potential turning point for the country's energy sector, which has endured over a decade of destruction and disruption due to conflict.

According to a Bloomberg source familiar with the matter, the world's largest independent oil trader will ship the crude to a refinery in Italy. The loading operation is scheduled to commence imminently.

This landmark shipment follows the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump in July to lift long-standing American sanctions, a move aimed at bolstering the country's struggling economy and supporting the new government. This action was preceded two months earlier by the European Union lifting all remaining economic sanctions on Damascus.

Bloomberg, citing two regional oil flow observers, reported that no other shipments of Syrian crude have been identified since the sanctions were eased.

Prior to the outbreak of war in 2011, Syria's oil production was a cornerstone of its economy, averaging hundreds of thousands of barrels per day (bpd). This output slowed to a trickle as the security situation deteriorated, triggering a massive humanitarian displacement crisis.

Data from CEIC indicates that Syrian exports peaked at approximately 380,000 bpd in 2002 before declining in subsequent years. The resumption of maritime exports is now seen as critical for a country with a crippled economy and a government in desperate need of foreign currency.

Last month, the Syrian Ministry of Energy auctioned approximately 500,000 barrels of medium-gravity, high-sulfur crude oil via a notice on its Facebook page.

With the fall of the Assad regime, many Syrians pin their hopes for national reconstruction on the revitalization of the oil and gas sector, whose revenues are deemed essential for rebuilding the country.

Commercial oil production in Syria began in 1968 after discoveries in the late 1950s. Production rose steadily, reaching an average of nearly 560,000 bpd by the mid-1990s and peaking at 667,000 bpd in 2002. It then stabilized at around 350,000 bpd until 2011, after which technical and logistical issues caused a severe decline.

Syria's oil production has passed through three distinct phases:

Stable Production (1968-late 1980s): Output ranged between 200,000-300,000 bpd. With oil prices below $16 per barrel, this still generated over $1.1 billion annuallyroughly 25% of the state budget at the time. Notably, these oil revenues were reportedly not included in the official budget and were instead allegedly channeled towards military procurement.

Peak Production (1990s-2011): Production surged above 400,000 bpd, exceeding 600,000 bpd in the early 2000s. Coupled with rising global oil prices (from $36 in the 1990s to over $140 in 2008), this phase potentially generated annual revenues of at least $14 billion, which are believed to have primarily benefited the Assad regime.

Decline (2011-Present): Production collapsed below 100,000 bpd due to well disruptions, absenteeism, the exodus of international firms, and sanctions. Control over key fields shifted between the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF currently produces an estimated 50,000 bpd, while the government manages around 15,000 bpd from smaller fields, bringing total output to approximately 65,000-70,000 bpd. This oil was often sold at a discount due to sanctions, generating an estimated $1 billion annually distributed among the controlling factions.

Domestically, oil is consumed for residential heating, transportation, industrial use, and used to generate electricity. The combination of shattered production and sustained consumption has created a massive deficit, forcing Syria to import fuel despite having significant untapped resources.

Syria's gas sector is even more complex. The country holds the 42nd largest gas reserves globally, with the U.S. Geological Survey estimating 700 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the Mediterranean alonereserves that remain unexploited due to cost and instability. Total estimated reserves are 250 bcm.

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Vietnam's General Secretary To Lam (L) and Cuban First Secretary and President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez reviewed the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on Sept. 1, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/ Giang Huy

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly hosted a red-carpet welcome ceremony on Monday for First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his spouse Lis Cuesta Peraza.

The Cuban delegation is in Vietnam for a state visit and attendance at a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day.

Following the welcome ceremony, the top leaders of Vietnam and Cuba held talks.

Vietnam and Cuba established their diplomatic relations on December 2, 1960. During Vietnam's resistance war against the US imperialists, Cuba emerged as a symbol of international solidarity, taking the lead in the global movement supporting Vietnam's struggle for independence and providing invaluable assistance.

Despite being separated by half the globe, the Vietnam-Cuba relationship has become a model for international relations. From the foundations laid by Cuban national hero Jose Marti, President Ho Chi Minh, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro, successive generations of leaders and citizens of both countries have nurtured a bond forged through historys ups and downs.

Over the past 65 years, bilateral cooperation has expanded across all levels, channels, and sectors, structured around three main pillars of political-diplomatic relations as the foundation, economic-trade-investment cooperation as the driving force, and people-to-people exchanges as the binding element.

The Cuban leaders state visit to Vietnam once again reaffirms that the solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba remains a guiding light for cooperation and development, serving the legitimate interests of both nations and contributing to joint efforts for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Montreal, Canada - Canadian poet Jeremy Borno releases his debut poetry collection My Emotional Dark Rainbows, a profound and piercing work that dares to dive 
Set in the peaceful coastal beauty of Goa, Rishikul Yogshala welcomes yoga seekers from across the world to experience its 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training 
Dublin, Ireland - Pedro Davi, a specialist in premium dessert sauces, today announced the expansion of its product portfolio with a new Creams line designed 
A month and half after the Beachie Creek fire in 2020, Megan Selvig cried as she flew by helicopter over the Opal Creek natural area known by generations of Oregonians as a sanctuary of old-growth forest and crystal clear waters.

From the air, she could see the vastness and severity of the burn scar.

When they touched down, she surveyed the ruins of Jawbone Flats, the old mining settlement at the heart of the rugged expanse east of Salem where she worked for the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, a destination for thousands of hikers and Oregon schoolchildren each year.

A short walk to Opal Pool  the shimmering swimming hole once shaded by tall trees  left her reeling. It was a moonscape, with dead trees blown down across the hillside and at the creek spilling into the pool, piled on top of each other, with exposed bedrock and no vegetation.

The damage caused by the Beachie Creek fire to Opal Pool, the beloved swimming hole near Jawbone Flats once shaded by giant trees, is still evident in 2025, five years after the fire. Mike OBrien

A mile and a half up the trail at Cedar Flats, a popular lunch spot for hikers, the fire had scorched an ancient grove of soaring 1,000-year-old cedars.

Five years later, as Selvig made her way up the same trail last week, toppled trees were still piled up like matchsticks, the bridge over the creek was gone and debris made it impossible to reach the cliff over Opal Pool.

Yet progress appeared under foot.

Part of the trail had been cleared by the U.S. Forest Service and a lush green carpet of plants and tree seedlings glistened in between the fallen trees. Down the trail, by the bridge over Opal Creek, the water ran deep blue and clear as ever.

A new forest is regrowing at Opal Creek five years after the devastation of the 2020 Beachie Creek fire. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Over the past three years, Selvig and her colleagues have found Oregon grape, sword fern and bracken fern, the red-berries of Sitka mountain ash and horsetail along the trails and throughout Opal Creek.

They have watched willows and maple trees growing in large bushy clumps. And theyve delighted at the abundance of blackberries, huckleberries and thimbleberries  copious after the fire because they thrive on the sunlight now no longer blocked by the tree canopy.

Selvig has pondered the devastation and the recovery while counting hundreds of tree saplings, stream violets and fireweed in research plots at Opal Creek.

The ancient forest is gone - but it isnt lost, she said.

Its like a lens you put on, said Selvig, an outdoor educator who started working as program director of the Ancient Forest Center in 2015.

With this lens, I can notice all the little tree seedlings, the new plants and lichen. Its about training your eye to see things differently. Theres so much life there.

Megan Selvig, programs director at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, notes the measurement of a young sapling at one of the research plots off the trail leading to Jawbone Flats. Five years after much of Opal Creek burned down in the 2020 Beachie Creek fire, the forest is coming back to life. Gosia Wozniacka/The Oregonian

She no longer thinks of Opal Creek as an old-growth forest, as she did at first in the fires aftermath.

My relationship has shifted to this young forest, she said. Now I get to see the next generation grow up.

As soon as next year, the public will, too.

Though Jawbone Flats will remain closed to visitors for now, parts of the forest will open for the first time since the historic fire burned huge stretches of Opal Creeks 13,500-acre scenic recreation area and the 21,000-acre wilderness in Willamette National Forest.

Selvig is still working to transform the way she feels about wildfire and its destruction  to see it not as a negative force but a natural process. Fires in forests west of the Cascades, she has learned, have historically occurred regularly  though not frequently  and when they did, they were severe and stand-replacing. That understanding could help people reconcile the loss and to transform their sadness and anger in the burn zone.

The forest isnt sad. Its living, its recovering in pretty fascinating ways and we get to see that in real time, she said.

Five years after the devastating Beachie Creek fire, a new forest is growing along the Opal Creek Trailhead leading to Jawbone Flats. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

BELOVED FOREST

Jennifer Johns, a biology faculty member at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, can still see her three children standing with others under the green tunnel of towering trees, hugging a giant Doug fir on the trail to Jawbone Flats.

Her family is among the many who have learned about Opal Creeks centuries-old forests, mining legacy and then the conservation movement that led in the mid-1990s to a mining company donating 15 acres in and around Jawbone Flats to a nonprofit formed to protect Opal Creek.

A sign for the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center at Jawbone Flats. The area has been closed to tourists since the 2020 Beachie Creek wildfire severely damaged most of Opal Creek, including Jawbone Flats. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

For 25 years, the group  later renamed the Ancient Forest Center  led Outdoor School programs, guided backpacking trips and rented out the old historic mining cabins to outdoor enthusiasts until the Beachie Creek fire. About 50,000 visitors came to Opal Creek each year.

After the fire, Johns thought studying wildfire recovery would make for a great research project to help her students understand ecological succession, the gradual, long-term progression of plants and animals reclaiming a burned area.

Johns, who has a Ph.D. in ecology and evolution, contacted Selvig in 2022 with her idea. The two agreed to team up to see how Opal Creek could recover from the Beachie Creek devastation.

Megan Selvig, programs director at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center and Dr. Jennifer Johns, a biology faculty member at Chemeketa Community College, look at a plot map along the Opal Creek Trailhead. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

The wildfire had started there on Aug. 16, 2020, ignited by a lightning strike near a small stream named Beachie Creek about 2 miles from Jawbone Flats. It had smoldered with little fanfare until a strong easterly wind raced down the Cascades on Labor Day, which fell on Sept. 7 that year.

The fire exploded, whipping through Opal Creek at a rate of 2.77 acres per second at its peak, fanned by wind gusts of 50 to 75 mph, killing plants and animals, burning and toppling hundreds of thousands of the ancient trees.

It then merged with the Lionshead fire and became known as the Santiam fire, wiping out the cities of Detroit and Gates on the edge of Opal Creek and severely damaging Idanha, Mill City and Lyons. The fires reduced over 1,500 structures to ash and killed five people, including legendary environmentalist George Atiyeh who had spent his childhood at Jawbone Flats and had helped save Opal Creek from being logged.

In the end, fire managers put Beachie Creeks devastation at 193,550 acres. At Jawbone Flats, it burned down 25 of the 28 buildings, including every single historic cabin, the lodge, bunkhouse, shop, commissary and the shed that housed a hydroelectric generator.

It spared only the water treatment plant, an educational pavilion and cabin No. 4, a reconstruction of a historic one that had burned in a previous fire.

The fire also killed the oldest tree at Opal Creek, a 270-foot Douglas fir known as Guts Gibbs which stood just off the trail to Jawbone Flats and was thought to be 1,000 years old.

The Opal Creek trail that leads to Jawbone Flats was once a lush green tunnel of old-growth trees. But the 2020 Beachie Creek fire burned nearly all the trees near the trail, with many still standing dead and providing shade to the seedlings and saplings below. Mike OBrien

HUNTING FOR SAPLINGS

Last week, as hundreds of fireweed seeds floated in the air, Johns and Selvig  wearing hard hats with walkie talkies and measuring tapes in hand  trudged through a thicket of ferns and blackberries and over massive logs to reach one of their research plots.

The sun seared through the charred, branchless trunks that towered over them.

They fanned out to look for tree seedlings and saplings.

Found one! yelled Johns. She measured the baby Douglas fir from its base up and gave it the tag numbered 581. Its 76 centimeters even, she said, nearly 30 inches. Selvig noted the size and tag number on her clipboard.

Dr. Jennifer Johns, a biology faculty member at Chemeketa Community College, measures a sapling height along the Opal Creek trail. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

They have set up 18 research plots  three each at six separate sites. This site was Hewitt Grove, just off the gravel trail to Jawbone Flats. It was once an ancient stand of Douglas fir, Western hemlock and an occasional Western red cedar.

They picked locations people cared about, with different pre-fire conditions, including old growth and a younger logged forest.

The two women follow established research protocols to set up sites and gather data. They tried to get university researchers involved in the project but none were interested  likely because it would be arduous to conduct research in a remote burn zone with limited road access, choked with dead trees and debris.

Their sites include different burn severity to see if they would recover at a different pace: Some had been burned completely, with only dead trees left standing; others  so called mosaic burns  still had large numbers of living trees among the dead ones; still others had just a handful of living trees.

Four to five times each year, Johns and Selvig collect data inside each plot. They tag and measure trees bigger than 6 centimeters in diameter at chest height. They measure living trees every year and assess the decay of dead ones, tracking if they topple over (many have over the past few years).

A silver tag marks tree number 176 along the Opal Creek trail. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

They count the plant species in each plot using a square meter quadrat  a frame from PVC pipes. They also document lichens and bird species and will be counting mushrooms this fall.

Megan Selvig, programs director at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center and Dr. Jennifer Johns, a biology faculty member at Chemeketa Community College, count plant species within a quadrat at one of the research plots off the trail leading to Jawbone Flats. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

The most exciting and difficult part is hunting the underbrush for tree seedlings and saplings  each a small victory - and tagging and recording those taller than 30 centimeters, about 12 inches, to track which survive to become full-grown trees in the future forest.

It will take years for the ancient trees to return, but Johns and Selvigs research shows recovery at Opal Creek is taking some interesting twists.

The former old-growth forest has far fewer tree seedlings than sites with younger trees before the burn. While the dismal numbers may seem heartbreaking, its because the fire killed pretty much every tree in those stands. Regrowth there will depend on seed dispersal via wind from living trees on nearby ridges.

The mosaic burn  where patches of unburned forest are interspersed with burned ones  has a lot more tree seedlings. In one plot, Johns and Selvig counted 871 seedlings. The seeds are being dropped en masse by the living trees, Johns said.

Forest succession also isnt always happening by the book. Scientists in the Pacific Northwest believe Douglas fir to be a pioneer species, one of the first trees to colonize a disturbed landscape, including an area burned by a wildfire. But at Opal Creek, Johns and Selvig said, Douglas fir seedlings dont always grow first. In some areas, western hemlocks and even red cedars have sprouted and are now waist-high.

Plants in the research plots also dont always follow the succession timeline. While none of the sites yet match the diversity of the unburned forest, even the severely burned ones have a mix of species that are typically present after a fire and others that are present in mature forests. That means the underground stems or rhizomes of some old growth-type species survived and resprouted, Johns said.

Theyre also following the work of Ralph Bloemers, a wildfire filmmaker who has set up trail cameras in some of the same areas as their research sites. The cameras show animals, too, are making Opal Creek home again: bobcat, cougar, black bear, fox, deer, mink and elk, among others, all captured on trail cameras set up in Opal Creek. Birds  from crows to hummingbirds to jays  are filling the forest with chirps and cries.

REOPENING OPAL CREEK

Selvig and Johns plan to continue their work for years to come, including after Opal Creek starts to reopen.

The Forest Service has gradually cleared trails and removed dangerous trees along roads and trails. Last spring, the agency finished construction of a new bridge over Henline Creek  the main access point into Opal Creek.

The public will be allowed to return next summer to the lower portion of Opal Creek, including the popular Three Pools, the Little North Santiam Trail and Shady Cove Campground, Forest Service officials said.

The upper portion  including Opal Pool and its bridge and adjoining trails  is expected to open sometime in 2027.

Jawbone Flats has no timeline for reopening. The Ancient Forest Center must use excavators and dump trucks to remove the wreckage from the fire and to rebuild the education and hiking center  but the nonprofit first needs the Forest Service to rebuild the gravel trail and half-bridges leading from the trailhead to the burned-down mining town.

Large mounds of metal debris from the destroyed historic buildings continue to sit at Jawbone Flats.

A pile of rusted metal, a result of the damage of the 2020 Beachie Creek fire, sits at Jawbone Flats at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Its unclear when the trail road repairs would happen, said Nathan Reynolds, executive director of the Ancient Forest Center, given how remote the site is and that rebuilding it will rely on making other areas accessible first. The Forest Service didnt return calls for comment about when the agency would rebuild.

What, exactly, Jawbone Flats will become also remains unclear. Some people have called it a graveyard.

Most people think of a fire-burned area as a complete wasteland, Reynolds said. Will they return long-term to Jawbone Flats? Will they want to bring their kids there?

The nonprofit has retained architects and engineers to design the new site but its size and focus is still to be determined. A steering committee launched last week to decide its future. It includes members of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde whose two bands once inhabited the Opal Creek area.

It could become a research station for scholars and university students to study post-wildfire recovery, he said. It could continue to welcome hikers, families and schoolchildren to teach them about fire and forest succession. It could host artist and writer retreats.

Its unlikely to return to the same capacity of staff and cabin renters as before  partly because the center doesnt want a large number of people to interfere with forest recovery.

In the meantime, the center has expanded programming in other wilderness areas, including Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood and continues to hold outdoor school at Silver Falls State Park.

In whatever shape Jawbone Flats reopens, wildfire will be a central theme  but also, the beauty that remains in the regrowing forest.

Finished with data collection, Selvig and Johns walked just past the remaining cabin to the confluence of Opal Creek and Battle Ax Creek  the headwaters of the Little North Santiam River.

They dipped their hands and washed their faces in the cold, clear water.

A few living trees offered shade, the creeks rush a salve to the devastation a few feet away.

 Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.
Sometimes, it's hard to do. In this file photo, weights stack on top of each other at a gym. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)

Canceling a gym membership isnt always as simple as telling your gym you no longer want to be a member.

At least one major national gym, 24 Hour Fitness, says a phone call will suffice. But some others require an in-person visit or notification by mail.

The subject is a touchy one for many gym goers, as well as gym management  with some patrons saying theyve had to jump through a lot of hoops to cancel and some managers stating theyve been unfairly accused of underhanded business practices to keep membership up.

It also has been a more frequent topic of discussion since the Federal Trade Commission filed suit last week against LA Fitness to stop the company from, in the FTCs words, making it extremely difficult for members to cancel. The feds say they filed the suit after hearing from tens of thousands of LA Fitness members, with some complaining that they had to talk to specific managers who were often not present in order to cancel their memberships.

Here are some guidelines on what to do if you run into trouble leaving your gym:

Before you join:

Try to avoid the problem: This advice may not be useful because its in hindsight, but if you havent signed a gym contract yet, make sure you read through it to understand all of the fees and terms that you are agreeing to. In the words of the Oregon Department of Justices consumer protection division: Dont be hasty.

Be aware: The consumer protection division notes that some gyms may attach fees to premature cancellations or place very detailed restrictions on cancellations or membership freezes for injuries or moving out of the area.

Do a quick background check: You can find out whether other people have filed complaints against gyms, or for that matter, all sorts of businesses by searching the Oregon Department of Justices You can find out whether other people have filed complaints against gyms, or for that matter, all sorts of businesses by searching the Oregon Department of Justices Consumer Complaints Database . Though the details of their complaints arent accessible here, the search results will tell you the general reason a person thought they were wronged.

After youve joined:

If youve just signed a contract: Keep in mind that Oregon law grants you the right to cancel fitness or spa services within three business days, without penalty. The state also grants that right in some other circumstances, such as consumers who signed up Keep in mind that Oregon law grants you the right to cancel fitness or spa services within three business days, without penalty. The state also grants that right in some other circumstances, such as consumers who signed up for landscaping services or for home repairs or remodels in instances when the contractors solicited them for business by going door-to-door.

Check your contract: It might outline the terms of cancellation, including how you should notify your gym, whether you face any penalties and the number of days after notification until your cancellation takes effect.

Check your gyms website: Some gyms outline the precise ways you can cancel  whether it be in-person, over email, by phone, on their website or by mail, sometimes certified.

Seek help: If youve tried to no avail, file a complaint with the state of Oregon by using its If youve tried to no avail, file a complaint with the state of Oregon by using its consumer complaint form or by calling the state attorney generals Consumer Hotline at 877-877-9392. The state may intervene to try to find a solution, which may include full or partial refunds of fees you were charged after you tried to cancel.

Contact the feds: You also can You also can file a fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which encourages consumers to report anything you think may be a fraud, scam or bad business practice.

The ease at which gym-goers can cancel their memberships varies widely.

In roughly the past five years, the Oregon Department of Justice received 48 complaints from people who said they ran into troubles when trying to freeze or cancel their memberships. The complaints were against just four of the many independent gyms and chains in Oregon: 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch Fitness, LA Fitness and Planet Fitness.

A representative from one of those chains  Planet Fitness, which The Oregonian/OregonLive featured in an August story about consumer complaints  didnt think it was fair for the story to focus on the details of one of 12 complaints filed against Planet Fitness gyms in Oregon.

Dan Afrasiabi, growth officer of the Planet Fitness franchise in Oregon, said that in the past five years there have been more than 350,000 membership cancellations at 30 clubs, but 20% of the people who signed up for new memberships have been people whod previously canceled.

Do you believe we would have such re-join numbers if the cancellation process was such a nightmare? said Afrasiabi in an email.

A national Planet Fitness spokesperson said the chain in May began allowing all members to cancel by logging into their accounts online. According to the spokesperson, members also can cancel in-person at their home gym or by mail. But the chain doesnt allow cancellations by phone.

 Reporter Aimee Green covers politics, personal finance and issues that matter to consumers. She can be reached at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or on Bluesky.
Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation's capital, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP

President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, to fight what he says is runaway crime. Yet data shows most violent crime in those places and around the country has declined in recent years.

Homicides through the first six months of 2025 were down significantly compared to the same period in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic trend across the U.S.

Trump, who has already taken federal control of police in Washington, D.C., has maligned the six Democratic-run cities that all are in states that opposed him in 2024. But he hasnt threatened sending in the Guard to any major cities in Republican-leaning states.

John Roman, a data expert who directs the Center on Public Safety & Justice at the University of Chicago, acknowledged violence in some urban neighborhoods has persisted for generations. But he said theres no U.S. city where there is really a crisis.

Were at a remarkable moment in crime in the United States, he said.

Public sees things differently

Trump might be tapping somewhat into public perception when he describes cities such as Chicago as a killing field. The vast majority of Americans, 81%, see crime as a major problem in large cities, according to a survey released this week by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, though there is much less support, 32%, for federal control of police.

The public was reminded this week that shootings remain a frequent event in the U.S. In Minneapolis, which has seen homicides and most other crime fall, a shooter killed two children attending a Catholic school Mass Wednesday and wounded 17 a day after three people died in separate shootings elsewhere in the city.

Still, over time, the picture is encouraging, according to numbers from AH Datalytics, which tracks crimes across the country using law enforcement data for its Real-Time Crime Index.

Aggravated assaults  which includes nonfatal shootings  through June were down in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Baltimore and San Francisco and were virtually unchanged in New York. Reports of rape were up in New York and Chicago during the first half of the year, but down in the other cities, including a 51% drop in San Francisco.

The crime index also showed that property crimes, such as theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft, were mostly down in those six cities in the first six months of 2025. Theft crimes rose from 2020 to 2024 in four of the six cities analyzed by AP.

Cities defend safety strategies

Trump exaggerated and misstated facts about crime in Washington when his administration took over the D.C. police department and flooded the capital with federal agents and the National Guard. He referred to Baltimore, 40 miles away, as a hellhole during a Cabinet meeting and has said he might send in the troops.

Im not walking in Baltimore right now, Trump said.

Yet Baltimore has shown drops in major crime, according to the crime index. Homicides and rapes were down 25% or more in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Homicides were down for three consecutive years through 2024 and were 35% lower when compared to 2018.

Deploying the National Guard for municipal policing purposes is not sustainable, scalable, constitutional, or respectful, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said on social media site X.

Baltimore has found ways to reduce violence by offering mentorship, social services and job opportunities to young people likely to commit crimes, said Michael Scott, director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University and a former police chief in Florida.

That approach has resulted in more significant reductions in shootings and homicides than any other strategy Ive seen in the over 50 years Ive been in the field, Scott said.

Vice President JD Vance told a Wisconsin crowd on Thursday that governors and mayors should ask the Trump administration for help.

The president of the United States is not going out there forcing this on anybody, Vance said of using the National Guard, though we do think that we have the legal right to clean up Americas streets if we want to.

Tales of different cities

Trump doesnt seem to disparage big cities in states that favor Republicans. Charlotte, North Carolina, had 105 homicides in 2024 compared to 88 in 2023. The rate of vehicle thefts per 100,000 people more than doubled there from 2020 through 2024. Indianapolis had a homicide rate of 19 per every 100,000 residents in 2024  more than four times higher than New Yorks.

Amy Holt, 48, who recently moved to Charlotte from a gated community in northern Virginia, said someone tried to steal her husbands car in their new city. She also found bullets on the ground while walking with dogs.

Theres no discussion about sending the National Guard to Charlotte. Holt believes most cities should be trusted to be in charge of public safety, adding that troops in uniforms would be alarming and scary.

Democratic elected officials in cities targeted by Trump have publicly rejected suggestions that their residents need the National Guard. Crime is at its lowest point in decades, visitors are coming back, and San Francisco is on the rise, Mayor Daniel Lurie said.

Experts question just how effective the National Guard would be and where troops would be deployed in cities.

Its going to make residents think: Things must be much worse than I realize to have the military in my neighborhood. Whats going on? Scott said. Its more likely to generate undue fear and apprehension than it will lead to perceptions of reassurance and safety.

 By ED WHITE and CHRISTOPHER L. KELLER Associated Press

White reported from Detroit and Keller reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. AP video journalist Erik Verduzco in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
Hiding of ICE attorneys names in court fits a broader pattern seen here outside a New York immigration courtroom of ICE agents wearing masks. AP Photo/Olga Fedorova

An Oregon Republican and Democrat are teaming up to push a law enforcement accountability bill, they announced Sunday.

Cyrus Javadi, a Tillamook Republican, and Tom Andersen, a Salem Democrat, hope to get fellow state lawmakers to refer a proposed constitutional amendment to next years ballot that would ban what the lawmakers describe as secret police.

Their proposal would prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and would require them to wear official uniforms with badge numbers and names. It would not apply to SWAT teams or undercover police officers as they currently operate.

Oregonians shouldnt have to wonder whos knocking on their door in the middle of the night, Javadi wrote in a news release. In a free society, the people who enforce the law should never be faceless or unaccountable.

Andersen pointed to arrests by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to underscore the urgency of the bill.

In 2025, ICE agents have frequently worn masks when conducting immigration raids, including during recent raids in Oregon. Some of the agents who in July detained Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, a Beaverton father who was driving his child to preschool, were masked, dashcam video shows.

When I see masked, anonymous quasi-law enforcement ICE employees out on our streets, making violent warrantless arrests, I am aghast and angry, Andersen wrote. Secret police have no place in a free and democratic society because public trust in government erodes when you dont know whos enforcing the law.

Leaders of the customs agency have argued that masks prevent ICE officers from being doxed or having their identities exposed in a way that puts them and their families at risk. They have also said that immigration agents carry badges and will identify themselves when required for public safety or legal necessity.

Some members of Congress and attorneys general have pushed for a change. In a July letter to members of Congress, attorneys general from New York and Michigan argued that ICE agents making arrests while masked and without identifying themselves has the effect of terrorizing communities rather than protecting them.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, one of the nations largest police organizations, warned last month that when agents cover their faces it can, quote, create confusion, fear and mistrust among community members and responding agencies.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has introduced a bill that would require ICE agents across the nation to wear identification and ban them from covering their faces while on duty.

To succeed in putting that question before Oregon voters, Javadi and Andersen have to win over the majority of their colleagues.

The proposal will need a majority vote in both the Oregon House and Senate during the 2026 short session to get on the fall 2026 ballot. Then, in next falls general election, a majority of Oregon voters would have to agree to ban masked law enforcement.

Sami Edge covers higher education and politics for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
Four members of Oregons congressional delegation are among the 50 federal lawmakers who signed a letter on Friday demanding answers after the arrest of two crew members fighting the Bear Gulch fire on Washingtons Olympic Peninsula.

The crew members were taken into custody by immigration officials on Wednesday.

The two arrests and dozens of firefighters temporarily sidelined during an active wildfire raise questions about the priorities and (judgment) exercised by federal agencies, reads the letter, which is addressed to the heads of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Bureau of Land Management.

Oregon U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Maxine Dexter, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas, all Democrats, signed the letter.

One of the firefighters lives in Keizer, which is part of Salinas district.

In a press release Friday, Salinas said the firefighter was denied his constitutional right to an attorney and a phone call.

Im appalled that the Trump administration is arresting firefighters to meet their arbitrary deportation quotas, she said in the press release. These firefighters risk their lives to keep us safe, and this is how Trump treats them. Its sick and twisted. This does not make us safer or stronger. Border Patrol should not be prowling our national forests to arrest firefighters.

The two firefighters arrested worked for contractors helping to fight the fire. In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said after the conclusion of a criminal investigation of the contractors by the Bureau of Land Management it was helping verify identities when it determined that the firefighters had entered the country illegally and detained them.

The letter from members of Congress to immigration officials seeks information about immigration enforcement in disaster and first-response areas. The lawmakers want to know if the Department of Homeland Security is still adhering to a 2021 promise to avoid immigration enforcement during disaster response, and if so, why immigration agents arrested these firefighters.

It also seeks additional information about the detainment of the firefighters.

Salinas said in the press release that the whereabouts of her constituent were unknown for 48 hours, but that she later learned he was taken to a customs facility in Bellingham, Washington.

Salinas said her constituent was moved to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma on Friday and he was given a phone call and access to an attorney.

The Bear Gulch fire, Washingtons largest, had grown to more than 9,200 acres by Monday. It is 13% contained.
The crowd of several hundred "Workers Over Billionaires" protesters swelled to a few thousand on Monday afternoon when it marched through downtown Portland and over the Burnside Bridge to the central eastside area. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

Portlanders joined protesters across the country on Monday in a series of pro-worker and anti-Trump demonstrations to celebrate Labor Day.

Events included a 2-mile march through downtown, a breakfast rally in Northeast Portland and the display of freeway overpass signs to protest President Donald Trumps strong-arm tactics.

Heres what the protests looked like:

2:45 p.m. Monday:

Lynda Oakley of Beaverton said she joined the protest because of her frustrations with health care, immigration and Social Security.

I am done with whats happening in our country, she said.

Her fellow protesters carried signs that advocated for several causes, many of them demanding higher taxes on wealthy people and Trumps removal from office.

Darla Darville of Portland carried a sign that said "Make America America! Again" and "No Kings." Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

Others expressed their frustration through music designed to keep protesters spirits up. One protester carried a portable speaker for the 2-mile march. It played a mix of Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Rush and Guns and Roses.

Many of the signs protesters carried at Monday's "Workers Over Billionaires" rally and march urged onlookers and others to fight for underprivileged groups. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

2:30 p.m. Monday:

After marching over the Burnside Bridge to the central eastside area of Portland, the crowd started to arrive back at Tom McCall Waterfront Park via the Morrison Bridge.

A rally at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland on Monday was followed by a march that made its way across the Burnside Bridge, blocking vehicular traffic. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

1:30 p.m. Monday:

Protesters blocked motor traffic on the Burnside Bridge as they continued their march from Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The crowd of several hundred "Workers Over Billionaires" protesters had swelled to a few thousand by the time it started marching in downtown Portland on Monday around 1 p.m. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

1:15 p.m. Monday:

The Portland crowd grew to about 2,000 people as it began to march from Tom McCall Waterfront Park. It filled four blocks of Southwest Oak Street.

The crowd at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland swelled from several hundred to a few thousand by 1 p.m., when the group started to march. Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

12:30 p.m Monday:

Several hundred people gathered in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland to hear from speakers who called for the presidents removal from office, urged people to fight for immigrants and vowed to address income inequality.

People gathered at noon in downtown Portland as part of a nationwide protest dubbed "Workers Over Billionaires." Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

9 a.m. Monday:

Portlands Labor Day celebrations kicked off early Monday with coffee and burritos at a breakfast rally in Northeast Portland.

We have to stand up and fight back, said Nannette Carter-Jafri, who attended the event, one of several anti-Trump gatherings happening around the state. Its our America. We believe in the people.

The event, at Glenhaven Park, attracted about 300 people, many of whom boarded buses around 10 a.m. for a trip to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Tacoma, where an Oregon wildland firefighter was being held.

The event was organized by the Oregon Rising coalition in partnership with the International Migrants Alliance, which organizer Terry Valen described as the first global grassroots alliance of migrants.

Were going to keep growing it, said Valen, who added the group brought people to Portland this week from California, New York, Texas and Tennessee.

The Oregon Rising coalition is a new alliance of labor and community groups, including Portland Jobs with Justice, Together Lab, Welcome Home Coalition, the Portland Association of Teachers and others.

Im really excited to be here as a part of the Oregon Rising coalition because this is the time when we really need our labor unions to be partnering with our community organizations to build a bigger movement that fights against whats happening in terms of the racist, sexist, homophobic attacks that were getting from the federal government, said Ariana Jacob, president of the American Federation of Teachers  Oregon, which is part of the coalition.

A Labor Day event in Northeast Portland, at Glenhaven Park, attracted about 300 people, including Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla (speaking in the background). Matthew Kish/The Oregonian

The Portland Association of Teachers also is part of the coalition.

The message today is we are standing together, said Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla. We have to come together, and we have to fight in a coordinated and aligned way to win.

While some attendees came from neighboring states, others came from nearby.

We live in the neighborhood, and we wanted to do something, said David Whitaker.

Whitaker attended the event with Kristen Lensen, the daughter of immigrants from Russia and China.

Im worried people are not understanding the true danger of people being picked up without due process and deported, she said.

 Matthew Kish may be reached at mkish@oregonian.com, by phone at 503-221-4386, or through direct message on Twitter @matthewkish.
Party General Secretary To Lam has emphasised Vietnams longstanding appreciation for the support of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), the Government and people of Cambodia, underlining the importance of the close bilateral relationship as well as the Vietnam - Cambodia - Laos ties.

Receiving CPP President Hun Sen who leads a high-ranking Cambodian delegation to Vietnam for the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's August Revolution and National Day on Sept. 1, General Secretary Lam expressed his commitment to further strengthening ties between the two parties, the two countries, and among the three parties and nations, promoting practical cooperation across all sectors for the benefit of each country's people and for peace and prosperity in the region and the world.



CPP President Hun Sen highlighted that Vietnams August Revolution has served as a major inspiration for anti-colonial struggles globally, not only in Southeast Asia. He also wished Vietnam success in achieving its goals of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income status by 2030, marking the centenary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and a developed, high-income nation by 2045, the centenary of the countrys founding.



Both leaders welcomed the strong growth of bilateral relations in recent years and pledged to implement effectively the conclusions of previous high-level meetings and the outcomes of the August 14 phone call between General Secretary To Lam and President Hun Sen.



They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political trust, enhancing high-level and multi-level exchanges, fostering connections among leaders and youth, and promoting people-to-people exchanges. They reiterated the principle of preventing any force from using one countrys territory to undermine the interests of the other, and agreed to accelerate the completion of the remaining 16% of land border demarcation while maintaining border security and combating cross-border crime.



The two sides also stressed the importance of deepening economic, trade and investment cooperation, including facilitating business collaboration and promoting cross-border exchanges of local residents. President Hun Sen noted that bilateral trade reached over 10 billion USD in 2024 and is expected to hit 20 billion USD in the near future. Vietnam is currently Cambodias third-largest trading partner, and Vietnamese investments have contributed to improving livelihoods and socio-economic development in Cambodia.



The two sides also agreed to direct ministries, sectors and localities to coordinate the effective implementation of existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements. They exchanged views on global and regional developments of mutual concern.
More than 100 vehicles took over a busy Hudson County, New Jersey, intersection early Sunday morning, pitting police against reckless drivers who shot fireworks at officers.

Secaucus police were called to Secaucus Road and County Avenue at 2:31 a.m., where a reported 100 vehicles took over the area. The location is close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit.

Police said the vehicles were being driven recklessly and doing smoking tire spinouts known as donuts while onlookers took videos of them.

When police arrived, more than 50 people surrounded the officers vehicles and others climbed on top of marked police SUVs, damaging them, police said in a post on the departments Facebook page.

People in the crowd used fireworks as incendiary devices, shooting them at and under police vehicles. Some of that was documented on videos police posted on the departments Facebook page.

Officers from several surrounding departments assisted to help disperse the crowds.

The gathering mirrors other pop-up automotive incidents that occurred primarily at the Jersey Shore, including a Sept. 2022 car rally in Wildwood where two people were killed and several injured.

That unsanctioned tuner car meet-up event known as H2oi or, H20i, or H2022 led to efforts to ban them, including legislation used in other states to discourage similar events and regulate driver behavior.

No officers were injured during the Secaucus melee, and officials said their restraint under these conditions was nothing short of commendable.

Our officers came under attack last night, and I will not tolerate this unrest, Chief Dennis Miller said in a statement. Secaucus is not going to be the place where these criminals operate with impunity!

Police will dedicate resources from the departments traffic, detective, patrol and intelligence sections to assemble a task force to identify the individuals responsible for this riotous behavior and bring them to justice, he said.

Police asked for anyone who can help identify anyone in the video to call the Secaucus tip line at 201-330-2049 or email spdtips@secaucusnjpolice.gov
Story by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters.

This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here.

When you work on one story for two years, you can lose the perspective you had as a newcomer.

Youve checked every fact, scrutinized every word. You think theres no possible way someone could think of a question you havent already asked or have a reaction you havent already anticipated.

Then, you hit publish.

In July, Spotlight PA published the first part of my investigation into Pennsylvanias mental health system. The piece tells the story of Sue  a mother whose son Robert has struggled for years with a serious mental illness  as a way of grounding the other reporting, which exposes more than 30 years of failed promises from state officials to build a robust, community-based mental health system.

I anticipated some of the responses I received from police officers, patients, doctors, former state officials  all of whom affirmed the story we published matched their experience with the system.

I didnt expect the number one question I received from family and friends: What happened to Robert?

It seems obvious to me now that readers would have more questions about Sue and Robert, the real people I chose to anchor my reporting, than the wonkier aspects of state governance and funding.

If you have the same question, Im sorry to say I dont have an uplifting answer.

Sue and Robert are in largely the same place now, two years after the events of the story. Sue lives in the same house where she saved her son from ending his life.

She has good days and bad days, like we all do. She sees her grandchild, Roberts daughter, and celebrates the milestones of her life. But she doesnt see Robert, and she doesnt always know where he is.

Last she heard, he is in another state, living at a homeless shelter.

I can appreciate that readers are hopeful for happy endings in stories like these. Theres something very human about expecting or needing an encouraging conclusion to so much strife and loss. But the truth is, Sue and Roberts story isnt happy because the system doesnt make happiness possible.

But in telling their story, I hope to move people in power to make the changes necessary for better endings.

BEFORE YOU GO If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES, The Associated Press

Congressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trumps tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with Democrats  or around them  as a government shutdown looms.

The annual spending battle will dominate the September agenda, along with a possible effort by Senate Republicans to change their chambers rules to thwart Democratic stalling tactics on nominations. The Senate is also debating whether to move forward on legislation that would slap steep tariffs on some of Russias trading partners as the U.S. presses Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.

In the House, Republicans will continue their investigations of former President Joe Biden while Speaker Mike Johnson navigates a split in his conference over whether the Trump administration should release more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

A look at what Congress will be doing as lawmakers return from the August break:

The priority is to keep the government open

The most urgent task for Congress is to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30, when federal funding runs out. And its so far unclear if Republicans and Democrats will be able to agree on how to do that.

Congress will have to pass a short-term spending measure to keep the government funded for a few weeks or months while they try to finish the full-year package. But Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass an extension, and Democrats will want significant concessions. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumers vote with Republicans to avoid a shutdown in March prompted furious backlash within his party.

The Trump administrations efforts to claw back previously approved spending could also complicate the negotiations. Republicans passed legislation this summer that rescinded about $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds and Trump notified Congress again on Friday that he will block $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid.

Democrats have warned that such efforts could tank the broader negotiations. Trump is rooting for a shutdown, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on social media Friday.

Senate nominations fight looms

Senators are expected to return to Washington right where they left off in early August  fighting over Trumps nominees.

Exasperated Republicans fled Washington for the month after making little headway with Senate Democrats over their nominations blockade, which has forced delays in confirmations and angered Trump as many of his administrations positions remain unfilled. Republican leaders called it quits after a rare Saturday session that ended with a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Chuck Schumer could GO TO HELL!

Republicans now say theyre ready to try and change Senate rules to get around the Democratic delays, and they are expected to spend the next several weeks discussing how that might work.

President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Andrew Harnik, Getty Images, TNS, file) Andrew Harnik, Getty Images, TNS

Stiffer Russia sanctions are sought

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trumps closest congressional allies, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russias invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing of 85 senators, but Trump has yet to endorse it, and Republican leaders have so far said they wont move without him.

Graham has stepped up his calls after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy last month in hopes of a peace deal. Since then, Russia has continued to step up attacks on Ukraine.

If we dont have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in, Graham said of his bill in an interview with The Associated Press last month.

In this photo provided by the Department of Health and Human Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, conducts the swearing-in ceremony of Jim O'Neill as the Department's Deputy Secretary, June 9, 2025, in Washington. O'Neill is filling in as CDC director. (Amy Rossetti/Department of Health and Human Services via AP, file) AP

Senate panel awaits RFK Jr. appearance

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee to discuss his health care agenda on Thursday, less than a week after he ousted Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several other top officials also resigned in protest.

Kennedy has tried to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research. Monarezs lawyers said she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the panel that oversees the CDC and a member of the Finance Committee, has called on the CDC to delay a meeting of outside experts who make recommendations on the use of vaccines until Congress can look into the issue.

A House divided over Epstein

The House left Washington in July in the midst of disagreements among Republicans about whether they should force President Donald Trumps administration to release more information on the sex trafficking investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The pressure for more disclosure could only get more intense when lawmakers return.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are pushing the House to take up their bill to force the Justice Department to release its investigation. They are planning a news conference joined by Epstein victims. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating the issue.

Democrats are eager to keep pressing on the Epstein files, especially after the Trump administration reneged on pledges for transparency. The case for years has been the subject of online conspiracy theories and speculation about who may have been involved or aware of the wealthy financiers abuse.

GOP focuses on Bidens mental fitness in office

The House Oversight Committee will return from August recess with a slate of interviews lined up as part of its investigation into former President Joe Bidens mental state while in office. The committee has already conducted interviews and depositions with nearly a dozen former top Biden aides and members of the presidents inner circle.

The Republican-led committee will hear from former top Biden staffers in September like Jeff Zients, Bidens final White House chief of staff, Karine Jean-Pierre, the former White House press secretary, and Andrew Bates, a top press aide.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., has said public hearings and a full report can be expected sometime in the fall.
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Todd and Julie Chrisleys fall from grace was dramatic. Now, Lifetime is going to reveal the raw truth of their lives on a new docu-series.

The Chrisleys: Back to Reality will premiere as a two-night event at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1, and Tuesday, Sept. 2 on Lifetime.

Remaining episodes will air at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, and Tuesday, Sept. 16.

LIVE STREAM: Fans can watch Lifetime without cable on : Fans can watch Lifetime without cable on Philo, which offers a seven-day free trial; and SlingTV , which offers new day, weekend and week passes.

The first episode is called Savannah Knows Best?

The synopsis is, With former reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley in prison, daughter Savannah fights to secure a pardon for them while balancing work, guardianship of her younger brother and sister, and navigating fractured relationships with family.

The second episode, also airing on Sept. 1, is O Brother Where Art Thou. The synopsis is, Graysons attempt to talk some sense into Chase backfires horribly, while Nanny Faye struggles to accept Chases girlfriend Jodi; the family recounts the rise of Chrisley Knows Best.

Chrisley Knows Best aired on USA Network from 2014 to 2023.

In 2019 the couple were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. They were convicted on all charges in June 2022. In November of 2022, Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years.

In May of this year, President Donald Trump pardoned both of them.

Lifetime said the new series begins during the wake of the familys controversy and upheaval with Todd and Julie in federal prison and follows the family as their parents are eventually pardoned, released from prison and return home.

The series shows a side of the Chrisleys that has never been seen before with exclusive access to the family  Julie and Todd from prison and upon their release, Savannah, Chase, Grayson, Chloe, Nanny Faye, and for the first time, Julies parents Harvey and Pam."

Fans can watch the trailer from Lifetime here:

The new series exposes the raw truth of the Chrisleys lives  past and present and the reality is far different from what audiences have seen before. The family faces a critical point that will either make their bond stronger or leave it shattered forever. This series delivers an unfiltered, deeply personal look at their journey and introduces the real Chrisleys as they navigate this new chapter."

What is Philo?

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What is SlingTV?

Sling streaming service is $45.99 a month for the Orange (35 channels) or Blue (43 channels) Levels. Orange plus Blue is $60.99 a month. Premium subscribers also can get a month of Showtime, STARZ and EPIX for free. Channels include CMT, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Discovery+, Hallmark, History, National Geographic, Lifetime, TLC and USA.

SlingTV also offers a new day pass for $4.99, a weekend pass for $9.99 and a week pass for $14.99.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping in Tianjin, China, August 31, 2025. Photo courtesy of VNA

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 31 met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping as part of his working trip to Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025.

PM Chinh conveyed the warm greetings and best wishes from Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and other high-ranking Vietnamese leaders to General Secretary and President Xi and Chinese leaders. He thanked China for sending a high-ranking delegation and a military contingent to Vietnam for attendance at the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification, and the 80th anniversary of National Day. He congratulated China on its continued achievements under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, with Xi as its core, highlighting Chinas role as a leading driver of global economic growth and as a source of solutions and initiatives to pressing global challenges. Welcoming the theme of this years expanded SCO Summit, the PM affirmed that Vietnam stays ready to work with China and other countries to uphold multilateralism, promote sustainable development, and contribute to addressing major global and regional issues. General Secretary and President Xi welcomed PM Chinh leading a Vietnamese delegation to the SCO Summit, stressing that his presence reflects Vietnams strong commitment to advancing bilateral ties and its active support for conferences hosted by China. He extended cordial greetings to General Secretary To Lam and other Vietnamese leaders, while offering warm congratulations to the Vietnamese Party, State, and people on the 80th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day. The Vietnamese PM reviewed six key positive outcomes in the bilateral relations in recent years, including strengthened strategic trust and exchanges, more substantive national defence-security cooperation, stronger strategic connectivity between the two economies, particularly in railway and aviation; strong growth in economic, trade, and investment ties; closer industrial and supply chain linkages; and a more solid social foundation. Vietnam always considers the development of ties with China an objective requirement, a strategic choice, and a top priority in its foreign policy, he said, adding that Vietnam is ready to work with China to effectively realise the common perceptions reached between the two Party General Secretaries, translating strategic orientations into concrete outcomes that bring tangible benefits to the people of both countries. Both sides vowed to further advance ties between the two Parties and nations under the six major orientations, strengthen strategic exchanges, expand comprehensive cooperation, deepen economic connectivity, particularly railway projects, and boost collaboration in science-technology and innovation.

PM Chinh suggested maintaining the exchanges and contacts in flexible forms between the two Party General Secretaries, while making defence and security cooperation more substantive. He called for the early convening of the first meeting of the Vietnam  China joint railway cooperation committee, prioritising Vietnam in Asia-Pacific railway industry development, and expediting work on concessional loan agreements, feasibility studies and railway workforce training, therefore helping Vietnam develop a railway industry complex.

On trade, the Vietnamese leader urged China to expand its import of Vietnamese high-quality agricultural products, accelerate the signing of quarantine protocols for Vietnamese pomelo, exploited seafood and meat products, approve additional durian planting areas, expand "smart border gate" models, and advance negotiations on the two sides cross-border economic cooperation zone.

He also proposed closer and more comprehensive energy cooperation, including clean energy and power trading, with increased capacity and output of Chinese electricity exports to Vietnam, early signing of a memorandum of understanding on Vietnam  China power connectivity and electricity exchanges at 500kV level.

Calling for practical joint work in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, PM Chinh sought China's support in technology transfer, institution and infrastructure building, and human resource training in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, quantum technology and low-orbit satellites. He welcomed scholarships from Tsinghua University for Vietnamese doctoral students in AI.

The Vietnamese PM also suggested stronger cultural and people-to-people exchanges, including the Year of Vietnam  China Humanistic Exchange, youth programmes such as the "red journey," visa exemptions, and expanded commercial flights.

For his part, General Secretary and President Xi commended PM Chinhs suggestions and contributions to the bilateral ties, affirming Chinas support for Vietnam in successfully organising the 14th National Party Congress. He called for enhanced all-level and high-level strategic exchanges, effective outcomes in cooperation, and the successful organisation of the 17th meeting of the Vietnam  China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the "3+3" strategic dialogue between the two countries foreign, defence and public security ministries in 2025.

The top Chinese leader underlined the promotion of infrastructure connectivity, especially railways, and agreed to early convene the meeting of the joint railway committee and accelerate steady progress on the Lao Cai  Ha Noi  Hai Phong railway feasibility study. He stressed the need to actively explore cooperation in mobilising and securing funding, providing railway workforce training, and accelerate the development of smart border gates and the cross-border economic cooperation zone.

General Secretary and President Xi expressed his wish to see well-organised activities marking the 75th founding anniversary of China - Vietnam diplomatic ties and red journey study and exchange programme in China for Vietnamese young people.

The two sides also had candid discussions on maritime issues and agreed to seriously implement common perceptions of the top leaders of the two countries on the better control and settlement of differences, and the building and maintenance of an environment of peace, cooperation and development in the region.
Aiken Standard reporter

Bill Bengtson is an Aiken Standard reporter. He can be reached at (803) 644-2355 and bbengtson@aikenstandard.com.

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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating claims on behalf of investors in Soho House & Co Inc. ("Soho House" or "the Company") (NYSE:SHCO) for potential breaches of fiduciary duty on the part of its directors and management. Investors who purchased Soho House and continue to hold to the present are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/SHCO Investigation DetailsThe investigation concerns whether Soho House's board of directors breached its fiduciary duties.On August 18, 2025, Reuters reported that Soho House is set to go private in a $2.7 billion transaction spearheaded by New York-based MCR Hotels, marking the end of a volatile market journey and financial challenges that have wiped out nearly half of the upscale members club operator's value since its 2021 IPO.What's Next?If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation or purchased Soho House shares, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/SHCO . You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his client relations manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 332-239-2660There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & GrossmanBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.ContactBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Farmers Insurance Exchange and Farmers Group, Inc. ("Farmers") recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to Farmers.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On May 30, 2025, Farmers became aware of a security incident on its third-party vendor's system. Upon detection, Farmers launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cyber security experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to a vendor database containing Farmers' customer information. On July 24, 2025, Farmers identified persons whose sensitive data was included in the impacted dataThe impacted data may includenames, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver's license number.On August 22, 2025, Farmers filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine and began sending out notice letters to impacted individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Farmers Insurance,you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Healthcare Services Group, Inc. ("HSGI") recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to HSGI.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On October 7, 2024, Healthcare Services Group, Inc. learned of potential unauthorized access to certain computer systems on its network. Upon detection, HSGI quickly took steps to secure its systems and launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor may have accessed and copied certain files between September 27, 2024, and October 3, 2024. The impacted data may include names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, state identification numbers, financial account information, and full access credentials.On August 25, 2025, HSGI filed a notice with the Attorney General of Maine and began sending notice letters to affected individuals. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Healthcare Services Group, Inc.,you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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SEOUL, KR / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / The "2025 K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC)," Korea's flagship global startup acceleration program, has announced the selection of 40 startups for Phase-2 following the Korea Market Entry Plan Evaluation held from August 4 to 7. After selecting 80 startups for Phase-1 from over 2,600 applicants across 21 countries, the program has now selected 40 finalists for Phase-2 - resulting in a highly competitive overall selection rate of 1.5%. KSGC 2025 APEC KSGC 2025 APECThe evaluation assessed the 80 Phase 1 participants on the thoroughness of their strategies and the feasibility of their plans for entering the Korean market. Each startup presented its business plan and engaged in Q&A sessions with external experts, demonstrating careful preparation and clear vision. Considering the depth of market analysis, clarity of localization strategy, and representation across diverse industries, 40 outstanding startups were ultimately selected for Phase-2."These 40 startups impressed us not only with their innovative technologies but also with the depth of their market analysis and the specificity of their localization strategies for Korea," said Paul Kwon, Global Business Team Lead at GCCEI. "Through Phase-2, we will provide intensive acceleration support to help them establish successfully in Korea and scale globally." The finalists will officially kick off Phase-2 with an orientation in Jeju on Sept. 2, followed by a global showcase on Sept. 3 held in conjunction with the 2025 APEC Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial Meeting. Korea, this year's APEC chair economy, will host the SME Ministerial from Sept. 1-5 at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC) with delegates from all 21 APEC economies. Alongside the official agenda, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) is organizing an extensive program of linked events-including the K-Startup Grand Challenge Showcase, the "Challenge! K-Startup" Opening Ceremony, and the Global Venture Investment Forum-collectively branded "Global Startup Day in Jeju" on Sept. 3-4.The KSGC is hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) of Korea, organized by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), and operated by the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (GCCEI). Since its inception in 2016, the program has supported a wide range of global startups through equity-free financial assistance, incorporation support, and curated business matching with Korea's leading conglomerates.Contact InformationKSGC Adminapply@ ksgc.global SOURCE: K-Startup Grand Challenge
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / The Minnesota Association of Justice (MAJ) has honoredMichael Hall, Sr. , founder of Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys, with itsLifetime Champion of Justice Award , one of the organization's highest recognitions. The award celebrates Attorney Hall's decades of relentless advocacy on behalf of injury victims and his lasting impact on Minnesota's legal community. Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys, Minneapolis Personal injury Law Firm Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys, Minneapolis Personal injury Law FirmA Recognition of Leadership and AdvocacyThe Lifetime Champion of Justice Award is reserved for attorneys with more than 25 years of practice and acknowledges extraordinary commitment to:Protecting the right to trial by jury and equal access to justiceAdvocating for those least able to defend their own rightsAdvancing the profession through mentorship and collaborationContributing to civic and community lifeMichael has devoted his career to leveling the playing field for Minnesotans facing powerful insurance companies and corporations. His dedication embodies the values this award was created to honor.Attorney Michael Hall, Sr.'s Career and LegacyFor more than four decades, Michael Hall, Sr. has fought to protect the rights of injury victims across Minnesota. He has secured life-changing results for clients and set a standard for ethical, tenacious trial advocacy. His influence extends beyond the courtroom - from guiding younger attorneys to strengthening MAJ's mission of protecting civil justice.Colleagues describe Hall as a mentor and leader whose work has inspired a new generation of trial lawyers. This recognition cements his reputation as a defender of justice and a pillar of Minnesota's legal community.About Hall Law Personal Injury AttorneysHall Law Personal Injury Attorneys has over 80 years of combined experience representing injured Minnesotans, and they've recovered more than $90 million for their clients. The firm's attorneys are consistently recognized among the state's top personal injury lawyers and remain committed to the mission that earned their founder this distinguished honor.Contact InformationMichael Hall IIIMinneapolis personal injury lawyerinfo@ hallinjurylaw.com (800) 292-1979SOURCE: Hall Law Personal Injury Attorneys
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / PDI Health recently discovered that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to PDI Health.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On May 14, 2025, PDI Health discovered a security breach involving its internal systems. An unauthorized party accessed and extracted sensitive data, compromising patient records. The impacted data may include names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, billing information, electronic medical records (EMRs), testresults,and medical history.The ransomware group Everest claimed responsibility for the attack on the dark web. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter fromPDI Health,you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit our website to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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Durian Industry Redefined: Plantations International Delivers Historic Organic Certification MilestoneKUALA LUMPUR, MY / ACCESS Newswire / August 31, 2025 / Some announcements feel routine. This one doesn't. The Plantations International group of companies has just confirmed a milestone that could reshape the way the world thinks about durians. On August 28th, its Malaysian arm, United Tropical Fruit Sdn. Bhd. (UTF), opened its doors to officials from the Ministry of Agriculture's enforcement division at its research base inside Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Plantations InternationalThe visit wasn't symbolic. It was a full inspection-hands in the soil, eyes on the seedlings, checking every detail of the process. When it was over, the officers gave their official stamp of approval: 615 Musang King Durian saplings, certified organic. For UTF, and for Plantations International, this is validation of years of research and careful cultivation.But that's only half the story. For the first time ever, anywhere in the world, 15 Black Thorn durian saplings were not only produced under organic conditions-they were certified organic on the spot. That sentence alone carries weight. Black Thorn has always been a rare, almost mythical variety, loved by connoisseurs but never before recognized as organic. Plantations International, through UTF, has now changed that narrative.Observers from the Ministry noted how tightly the team had integrated advanced organic farming methods-everything from soil health management to pest control strategies-into daily practice. Nothing was left to chance. It's a reflection of what Plantations International has been saying for years: sustainable farming isn't a marketing label, it's a system that demands precision, patience, and innovation."This didn't happen overnight," said a Plantations International spokesperson. "It's the outcome of countless trials, long nights in the lab, and a partnership with UiTM that pushed us to think bigger. To stand here today with certified Organic Musang King saplings on a commercial scale, and to hold in our hands the world's first Organic Black Thorn saplings, is a moment of pride. It proves what's possible." The timing is significant. According to Plantations International, demand for Musang King and Black Thorn durians is surging, particularly in Asia, with China leading the charge. Supply, however, lags far behind. Malaysia produces only a fraction of what the global market is calling for, and premium certified-organic varieties have been almost non-existent-until now. With this breakthrough, Plantations International is uniquely positioned to step into that gap and define a new standard for the industry.Across its operations worldwide, Plantations International has built its reputation on weaving together profitability and responsibility. This latest certification, the largest organic Musang King batch UTF has ever produced and the first organic Black Thorn saplings in history, underscores that dual commitment. It demonstrates to investors, regulators, and consumers alike that innovation in agriculture can serve multiple masters: taste, tradition, sustainability, and economic value.About Plantations International Plantations International is a multinational group specializing in sustainable agroforestry and agriculture. With a diverse portfolio that includes Musang King durians, Nam Dok Mai mangoes, and Agarwood, Plantations International focuses on creating long-term value while respecting ecosystems, communities, and future generations.Contact InformationMarvin LeeDirector of Communicationsmarvin.lee@plantationsinternational.com +852 5808 3775SOURCE: Plantations International Holdings PTE. LTD.
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THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM AUSTRALIA, JAPAN OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR TO BE TRANSMITTED, DISTRIBUTED TO, OR SENT BY, ANY NATIONAL OR RESIDENT OR CITIZEN OF ANY SUCH COUNTRIES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION MAY CONTRAVENE LOCAL SECURITIES LAWS OR REGULATIONS.CASCAIS, PORTUGAL / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Pulsar Helium Inc. (AIM:PLSR)(TSXV:PLSR)(OTCQB:PSRHF) ("Pulsar" or the "Company"), a leading helium project development company, is pleased to announce its unaudited financial and operating results for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 (the "Period").Selected financial and operational information is outlined below and should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis (the "MD&A") for the Period, which are available on the Company's website at www.pulsarhelium.com and the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca All figures are in US dollars ("US$") unless otherwise stated.Operational Highlights for the three months ended June 30, 2025 and up to the date of this news releaseOn June 24, 2025, the Company announced its engagement of Sproule-ERCE to conduct a pre-feasibility study ("PFS") at the Tunu helium-geothermal project (the "Tunu Project"). On completion, the PFS will provide the Company with a robust technical and economic foundation for future project decisions.On August 18, 2025, the Company announced major natural flow test results at the Jetstream #1 appraisal well marking a major leap in well performance, with natural flow rates more than tripling those recorded in 2024. The Jetstream #1 well delivered a maximum natural flow rate of ~501 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) during open-flow testing on August 15, 2025. This was observed on a 38/64-inch choke at approximately 30 psi WHP, without compression assistance. By comparison, during initial appraisal in April 2024, Jetstream #1 reached a peak natural flow of ~150 Mcf/d at 34 psi. The improvement of more than threefold under near-identical pressure conditions highlights the effectiveness of recent wellbore clean-up and deepening and underscores the formation's strong productivity. Importantly, no formation water has been encountered, the gas has flowed as dry gas. In addition to the peak result, Jetstream #1 demonstrated stable long-duration flows, producing 150-300 Mcf/d for periods of 12-18 hours on smaller choke sizes. These sustained flows showed no significant decline and were followed by rapid pressure recovery, indicating excellent reservoir recharge capacity.On August 26, 2025, the Company announced that it had executed a drilling contract and Master Services Agreement with Timberline Drilling Inc. to drill up to ten wells, with drilling expected to commence in late September 2025. Pulsar also reported results from recent flow testing of its Jetstream #1 and Jetstream #2 appraisal wells, that includes Jetstream #1 flowing over 1.3 million cubic feet per day under well-head compression.Financial Summary for the PeriodLoss for the Period was $8,515,252 and comprised:Administration costs of $2,699,831 (which includes non-cash share-based compensation of $382,512 and non-cash depreciation of $40,016).Exploration and evaluation expenditures of $6,461,866 relate to the deepening of Jetstream #1 and drilling of Jetstream #2 at the Topaz project.Listing fees of $355,003 related to Admission.A non-cash gain on revaluation of warrant liability of $1,103,615.Cash Position: $617,626 at June 30, 2025.On October 18, 2024, the Company's common shares commenced trading (the "Admission") on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange plc ("AIM") under the symbol PLSR. Concurrent with Admission, the Company completed of a total gross funding of 5 million which included the 1.125 million cornerstone investment completed in August 2024.On January 9 and March 21, 2025, the Company completed a brokered private placement, in two tranches, for gross proceeds of $2,427,498 which included participation from high net worth and institutional investors from the USA, including University Bancorp, Inc. ("University Bancorp") that on closing of the private placement held 4.93% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.In April 2025, the Company entered into a project financing facility line of credit note with University Bancorp, pursuant to which University Bancorp has extended the Company a $4,000,000 project finance facility (the "Facility"). During the Period, the Company drew $2,500,000 of the Facility.On August 29, 2025, the Company completed a private placement through the issuance of 16,174,338 common shares at a price of 0.23 per share for total gross proceeds of 3,720,100. University Bancorp participated in the private placement and now holds 4.99% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.Selected Financial ResultsNine months ended June 30, 2025Nine months ended June 30, 2024Statement of Loss:Revenue$Nil$NilNet loss8,515,25221,444,007Basic and diluted loss per common share0.070.24Financial Position:Total assets1,878,6702,303,843Total liabilities5,601,3998,188,020* During the Period, the Company recorded a non-cash gain on revaluation of warrant liability of $1,103,615 (2024 - loss of $12,371,353)On behalf Pulsar Helium Inc."Thomas Abraham-James"President, CEO and DirectorFurther Information:Pulsar Helium Inc.connect@pulsarhelium.com + 1 (218) 203-5301 (USA/Canada)+44 (0) 2033 55 9889 (United Kingdom) https://pulsarhelium.comhttps://ca.linkedin.com/company/pulsar-helium-inc Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated & Financial Adviser, and Joint Broker)Ritchie Balmer / Rob Patrick / Richard Johnson+44 (0) 207 409 3494OAK Securities* (Joint Broker)Jerry Keen (Corporate Broking) / Henry Clarke (Institutional Sales) / Dillon Anadkat (Corporate Advisory) info@ OAK-securities.com +44 203 973 3678*OAK Securities is the trading name of Merlin Partners LLP, a firm incorporated in the United Kingdom and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.Yellow Jersey PR Limited (Financial PR)Charles Goodwin / Annabel
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kyrgyzstan and China in 1992, the two sides have traveled a remarkable path of cooperation and mutual trust. In just over three decades, their relationship has transformed into a comprehensive strategic partnership, reflecting their high level of political confidence, respect for each other's interests, and a shared vision for development. The two countries are not merely neighbors bound by geography, because their ties are anchored in centuries of friendly exchanges, common challenges, and mutual aspirations for prosperity.

In recent years, the dialogue between the two countries has become especially dynamic. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov's state visits to China in 2023 and earlier this year were truly historic. During President Japarov's first visit, the two sides elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and his participation in the first "China-Central Asia Summit" in Xi'an underscored the importance of regional cooperation.

During President Japarov's visit to China in February 2025, the two countries' partnership was elevated to an even higher level with the signing of a joint statement on advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era, accompanied by 23 agreements in diverse fields. He also held substantive talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and National People's Congress Standing Committee chairman Zhao Leji, as well as attended the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin.

Kyrgyzstan has welcomed senior Chinese leaders including Premier Li Qiang, Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong, and Zhao Leji, whose official trip to Bishkek was the first of its kind in the history of Kyrgyz-Chinese relations. China has also hosted Kyrgyz parliamentary delegations, members of the Kyrgyz Cabinet, and representatives from different regions of Kyrgyzstan. These frequent and substantial contacts testify to the maturity and resilience of the Kyrgyz-Chinese bilateral relationship.

The results of our practical cooperation are clearly visible. China has long been one of Kyrgyzstan's leading trade and investment partners, and political dialogue has created favorable conditions for advancing an ambitious economic agenda, with the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway in December 2024 being one of the most significant achievements in this regard.

This long-awaited transport corridor is set to transform connectivity in our region, unlocking Central Asia's transit potential and providing a crucial link for the Belt and Road Initiative. The railway will accelerate trade, tourism and industrial growth, help access remote areas, and generate thousands of jobs thereby improving Kyrgyzstan's socioeconomic condition. In fact, it is expected to become one of the key arteries of the Eurasian continent, contributing to the development and prosperity of our peoples.

The railway, once completed, will be complemented by other landmark projects that strengthen our economic and social development. The opening of the Bedel border crossing, the "two countries, two parks" initiative connecting Kashgar in China and Naryn in Kyrgyzstan, the construction of the "North-South Highway", and the establishment of a mineral fertilizer plant in Kyrgyzstan's Osh region are examples of how Kyrgyz-Chinese cooperation translates into tangible progress.

Looking to the future, Kyrgyzstan sees great potential in new areas of cooperation. We in Kyrgyzstan are interested in advancing digital economy projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. As Chinese companies pioneer innovative e-commerce models and optimize global supply chains, Kyrgyzstan is keen to strengthen cross-border e-commerce cooperation.

At the same time, our country Kyrgyzstan offers unique opportunities for the use of green technologies, and we are engaged in discussions with Chinese partners on renewable energy projects. In a world facing climate challenges, investments in green energy are not only timely but also essential. Digital transformation and green transition are becoming central drivers of competitiveness, sustainable development, and integration into the global economy, with Kyrgyzstan welcoming the participation of Chinese companies in these fields.

Following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, Kyrgyzstan will assume the chairmanship of the SCO for 2025-26. We expect the Tianjin summit to further enhance the SCO's authority as an effective regional platform, strengthen mutual trust and coordination among the SCO member states, and provide fresh impetus to practical cooperation.

Kyrgyzstan will assume the SCO chairmanship with pride and a deep sense of responsibility. Our priorities will focus on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, transport and sustainable tourism, while ensuring that the humanitarian dimension receives due attention. As usual, educational and cultural exchanges will remain a key part of our agenda, as they form the foundation of friendship and mutual understanding among peoples.

Equally important will be the environmental agenda, with special emphasis on protecting water resources, developing green technologies, and adapting to climate change. As a mountainous country with a fragile ecosystem, Kyrgyzstan understands the urgency of these issues and is ready to contribute more to regional and global environmental efforts.

In the context of global uncertainty, we believe it is vital to strengthen confidence-building measures, enhance information sharing, and develop joint strategies to counter transnational threats. By working together, SCO member states can ensure that our region remains a zone of security, cooperation and shared prosperity. The results of Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship will be summarized at the SCO Summit in 2026, which will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the organization.

The friendship between Kyrgyzstan and China is built on mutual respect, mutual trust, and a commitment to a shared future. More than bilateral relations, it is about creating a stronger Central Asia and contributing to global stability and development. On the solid foundation of the partnership we have built, I am confident that our countries will continue to deepen cooperation across all fields, guided by the spirit of equality and mutual benefit. Together, we will write a new chapter in the history of Kyrgyz-Chinese relations, one that serves the interests of our peoples and contributes to the peace and prosperity of the wider world.
PR-Inside.com: 2025-09-01 17:20:07

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Levi & Korsinsky notifies investors that it has commenced an investigation of Roblox Corporation ("Roblox Corporation") (NYSE:RBLX) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.The State of Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Roblox on August 14, 2025, alleging that the Company fails to protect children from predators on its gaming platform. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said, "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana. Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety. Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger poised to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home." Following this news, Roblox's stock price fell over 6% on August 15, 2025. To obtain additional information, go to:or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212)363-7500.WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, Levi & Korsinsky LLP has established itself as a nationally-recognized securities litigation firm that has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. The firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212)363-7500 Fax: (212)363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of purchasers of Roblox Corporation ("Roblox" or "the Company") (NYSE:RBLX). Investors who purchased Roblox securities are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/RBLX Investigation DetailsOn August 14, 2025, the State of Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging that the Company fails to protect children from predators on its gaming platform. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said, "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana. Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety. Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger poised to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home." Following this news, Roblox's stock price dropped more than 6.3% on August 15, 2025.What's Next?If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation or purchased Roblox securities, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/RBLX . You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his client relations manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 332-239-2660There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & GrossmanBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.ContactBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 / Sansone Group, LLC ("Sansone Group") recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal information entrusted to Sansone Group.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?Recently, Sansone Group discovered that a data security incident had exposed sensitive personal information. An investigation determined that the breach occurred between March 22 and March 24, 2025.Upon detection, Sansone Group launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The breach involved unauthorized access to sensitive data, putting affected individuals at risk of identity theft and fraud.The impacted data may include full names and Social Security numbers.On July 21, 2025, Sansone Group began sending out notice letters to impacted individuals. The company disclosed the breach to the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office on August 21, 2025. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their sensitive personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Sansone Group, LLC,you are likely to be affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. Our firm works on a 100% contingency fee basis - you pay nothing unless we win your case! Visit ourwebsite to learn more.Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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MIDDLETOWN, DE / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2025 /SproutGigs, the premier global freelancing platform formerly known as Picoworkers, has been recognized as the best place to hire freelancers in Pakistan, according to a distinguished panel of industry experts. The platform's unique combination of a vast talent pool, competitive pricing, and streamlined hiring process has positioned it as the go-to solution for businesses seeking skilled Pakistani professionals.The microtasking platform announced its successful rebrand from Picoworkers to SproutGigs, and while the name has changed, the platform's core function of allowing users to earn money by completing small online tasks remains the same. Existing users can still access the platform using their original Picoworkers login credentials, ensuring a seamless transition for the platform's extensive user base."Pakistan's freelance workforce has grown exponentially, and SproutGigs has emerged as the bridge connecting this talented pool with global opportunities," said Beff Jezos, a member of the evaluation panel. "What sets SproutGigs apart is its ability to cater to both micro-tasks and complex projects, making it the best place to hire freelancers in Pakistan across all skill levels." Advanced API Integration for Seamless HiringSproutGigs has enhanced its platform with a robust API that enables employers to efficiently order and manage jobs at scale. This technological advancement allows businesses to automate their hiring processes, post multiple jobs simultaneously, and track progress in real-time. The API particularly benefits companies seeking services such as social media growth, content creation, digital marketing, and various other online tasks."Our API integration represents a significant leap forward in how businesses can tap into Pakistani freelance talent," explained Leo Guima, CTO at SproutGigs. "Whether companies need social media engagement, data entry, content writing, or specialized technical skills, our platform provides instant access to qualified freelancers ready to deliver quality work." Why SproutGigs Stands OutThe expert panel highlighted several factors that make SproutGigs the best place to hire freelancers in Pakistan:Extensive Talent Pool: Access to thousands of verified Pakistani freelancers across diverse skill setsQuality Assurance: Built-in rating and review systems ensure consistent work qualityCompetitive Pricing: Cost-effective solutions that benefit both employers and freelancersPayment Security: Secure escrow system protecting both parties24/7 Availability: Round-the-clock access to freelancers across different time zonesScalability: From single tasks to bulk orders through the API systemMeeting Growing DemandAs Pakistan continues to establish itself as a major player in the global gig economy, platforms like SproutGigs are becoming increasingly vital. The country's young, tech-savvy population, combined with competitive rates and strong English proficiency, makes it an attractive destination for businesses seeking freelance talent."The transformation from Picoworkers to SproutGigs reflects our commitment to evolving with the needs of both employers and freelancers," added James Bradey, CEO of Sproutgigs. "We're not just a platform; we're an ecosystem that empowers Pakistani freelancers while providing businesses with the talent they need to grow." About SproutGigsSproutGigs (formerly Picoworkers) is a leading global freelancing platform that connects businesses with skilled freelancers worldwide. With a strong presence in Pakistan, the platform specializes in microtasking and project-based work, offering solutions for social media growth, content creation, data processing, and various digital services. Through its user-friendly interface and powerful API, SproutGigs continues to revolutionize how businesses hire freelancers in Pakistan and beyond.For more information about hiring freelancers through SproutGigs or to access the SproutGigs API, visit sproutgigs.com Media ContactOrganization: SproutgigsContact Person Name: James BradeyWebsite: https://sproutgigs.com Email: info@ sproutgigs.com Address: 651 N. Broad St.Address 2: Ste. 201City: MiddletownState: DelawareCountry: United StatesSOURCE: Sproutgigs
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / August 31, 2025 /WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the "Western Asset US Core Bond Fund" mutual fund classes - Class I (ticker: "WATFX"), Class A (ticker: "WABAX"), Class C (ticker: "WABCX"), Class FI (ticker: "WAPIX"), Class IS (ticker: "WACSX"), and Class R (ticker: "WABRX") - and the "Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund" mutual fund classes - Class A (ticker: "WAPAX"), Class C (ticker: "WAPCX"), Class C1 (ticker: "LWCPX"), Class FI (ticker: "WACIX"), Class R (ticker: "WAPRX"), Class I (ticker: "WACPX"), Class IS (ticker: "WAPSX") between January 1, 2021 and October 31, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important September 5, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you purchased WAMCO mutual funds during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the WAMCO class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31956 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 5, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants failed to warn investors that: (1) defendants favored certain WAMCO strategies, like Macro Opps, over other WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (2) defendants disfavored certain WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (3) any "compliance policies and procedures" that WAMCO maintained "to result in fair allocations of investment opportunities to clients" were either insufficient to ensure that Leech and his WAMCO Team fairly allocated trades among the strategies they managed or were expressly disregarded by defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies; (3) any "oversight mechanisms" that WAMCO maintained were either insufficient to monitor Leech and his WAMCO Team or were expressly disregarded by defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies. As a result, defendants' actions operated as a fraud or deceit on the Class, artificially reducing the price of the "Western Asset US Core strategy" mutual fund classes during the Class Period, damaging Class members.To join the WAMCO class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31956 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@ rosenlegal.com for more information.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@ rosenlegal.comwww.rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
Some experts at the United Nations on Sunday said that recent sale of oil assets by International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria lacked transparency, raising concerns about human rights impacts and hindering efforts to clean up pollution and compensate communities.

A statement by the Polluter Pays Project, a non-profit organisation that works to ensure that the oil and gas industry cleans up its mess, disclosed that the UN experts made their position known in letters addressed to Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies.

The letters confirmed responsibility by the oil companies for historic pollution and accused the companies of using Nigeria as an experiment for divestment without clean-up, the non-profit said.

Legal experts at Polluter Pays Project said the unprecedented intervention from seven UN human rights mandate holders, strengthens existing legal cases against the oil companies, and sends a clear warning to governments to block future oil asset sales unless clear plans are in place to rectify damage companies have caused.

The statement said United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and six other UN Special Rapporteurs, including for human rights in the context of climate change and toxics, wrote to four international energy companies and their five host governments  the UK, USA, France, Italy, and the Netherlands  as well as the Nigerian government.

The experts expressed grave concern about the impact on human rights of the divestments and said they were conducted without following a human rights-based approach and against international law obligations.

The letters were published on the UNs website on 31 August, after letter recipients were given 60 days to respond.

Divestment

In recent years, international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Africa have been moving to sell off some of their assets and relocate to more profitable, environmentally friendly operational landscapes.

While some considered moving from one jurisdiction to another within the country and indeed the continent, others contemplated a complete exit away from the country and Africa.

Last October, the Nigerian government approved four major oil divestments including the sale of ExxonMobil onshore assets to Seplat Energy, more than two years after the deal was first secured.

The transactions, according to the regulator, are Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) to Seplat Energy Offshore Limited; Equinor Nigeria Energy Company Limited to Project Odinmin Investments Limited; Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited to Oando Petroleum; and Natural Gas Company Limited and TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited to Telema Energies Nigeria Limited.

On Sunday, Polluters Pays Project said the four oil companies mentioned in the statement have been active in Nigeria since the 1950s, making billions of dollars in profit and causing toxic oil spills that have significantly harmed local communities and the environment.

Repairing the damage is estimated to cost at least $12bn in just one of the nine Niger Delta states where the oil companies have been active, it said.

With oil reserves shrinking, the international oil companies have sold their assets to local buyers, in an apparent attempt to pass on clean-up costs. Shells Nigerian subsidiary was sold to the Renaissance group  a consortium of African based companies run by former Shell staff  despite Nigerias regulator initially blocking the sale after civil society groups raised concerns that the new company did not have the required resources to clean up the damage.

Under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), it argued that companies have duties to respect human rights, offer a remedy to people affected by their operations, and to use leverage to prevent human rights abuses in dealings with third parties.

States also have obligations under international human rights law to ensure that companies comply with their duties to respect human rights, known as the duty to regulate.

Pollution

In many parts of Nigerias Delta region, especially in Ogoniland, fossil fuel pollution has been recorded in communities over the past three decades, forcing the Nigerian government and other stakeholders to initiate a $1 billion cleanup and restoration programme in 2018.

The cleanup programme followed a comprehensive study conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2011.

Although remediation/restoration effort is being carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), an agency of the government domiciled at the Federal Ministry of Environment, the impact of the cleanup initiative remains largely negligible, as major oil pipelines traversing these communities frequently leak, resulting in spills that continue to harm the environment.

A PREMIUM TIMES report recently captured the plight of farmers and fishermen in the communities.

In a statement Sunday, Sophie Marjanac, director of Legal Strategy, Polluter Pays Project, said, The people of the Niger Delta have been slowly poisoned by the effects of oil extraction and many have had their livelihoods destroyed.

This UN intervention strengthens the hands of Nigerians that are taking the oil companies to court  like the Billie, Ogale and Bodo communities  as it makes it clear the firms have legal obligations to rectify the human rights abuses theyve caused.

The sales should not have been allowed to go ahead without comprehensive clean up plans in place. But now that they have, the governments where the oil companies are headquartered and the Nigerian government should urgently intervene with each company to ensure due diligence was followed, and that sufficient funds have been provided to Nigerian authorities in respect of historic liability. States have a legal duty to regulate to protect human rights, and must not let the oil companies off the hook.
French police arrested a traveller at a Paris train station who had hidden numerous items of luxury jewellery worth 10 million euros (11.7 million dollars) in his underwear.

Investigations into gang-related handling of stolen goods have been launched against the man and an accomplice who was also detained.

The Paris prosecutors office announced this on Monday.

The men were also found to be carrying an angle grinder in a suitcase.

According to the newspaper Le Parisien, citing investigators, the men were already known to the authorities.

They were stopped during a routine check at the Gare de Lyon long-distance train station after the arrival of a train.

During the inspection, officers discovered that one of the men had concealed a sock in his underwear containing a luxury watch and numerous pieces of jewellery.

The haul also included a necklace valued at an estimated 5 million euros, earrings worth over 2 million euros, and a ring worth 1 million euros.

(dpa/NAN)
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a 10-day ultimatum to the federal government, threatening nationwide industrial action if its outstanding demands are not met.

The association disclosed this on Monday in a communique issued after its Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting, which was held virtually on Sunday.

The communique was signed by NARD President, Tope Osundara; the General Secretary, Oluwasola Odunbaku; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Omoha Amobi.

NARD had, in July, issued a three-week ultimatum, but in the interest of industrial harmony, the NEC extended the deadline to allow for further engagement with stakeholders.

During Sundays meeting, the E-NEC condemned the failure of the federal government to meet its demands despite earlier promises.

NARD said it will down tools nationwide from 10 September, if the government fails to meet its demands.

Demands, Grievances

The association noted with dismay that many resident doctors have yet to receive their 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).

It also decried the governments refusal to pay five months of arrears from the 25/35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review, along with other outstanding salary arrears.

NARD further faulted the government for failing to settle the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance.

It also criticised the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for downgrading membership certificates from the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.

It also condemned the persistent non-issuance of membership certificates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

The council also accused the Kaduna State government of reneging on agreements with doctors at ARD Kaduna and Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital.

It faulted the Oyo State government for failing to resolve the challenges facing doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, despite an ongoing indefinite strike.

It, however, commended state governors who have demonstrated commitment to the welfare of doctors by paying the 2025 MRTF.

Fulfilling Demands

The doctors are demanding the immediate payment of the 2025 MRTF and the settlement of five months of outstanding CONMESS arrears, along with other unpaid allowances.

They also want the federal government to clear the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance and commence payment of specialist allowances to doctors nationwide, citing their critical role in providing advanced medical care.

In addition, it called on the MDCN to restore recognition of the West African postgraduate membership certificates and urged the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to promptly issue certificates to qualified candidates in line with international best practices.

On state-level issues, the doctors are demanding the full implementation of the 2024 CONMESS and resolution of welfare concerns in Kaduna State, where resident doctors have already resumed an indefinite strike.

It also urged Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to address the grievances of doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, who remain on strike.

The council further appealed to all state governors to prioritise doctors welfare, ensure timely payment of MRTF, and take proactive measures to curb emigration while maintaining industrial harmony.

The E-NEC extends the ultimatum by a final 10 days to all relevant government agencies to meet these demands, It said.

Failure to do so within this period (expiring on Wednesday, 10 September 2025) will leave the NEC with no other option than to embark on a nationwide strike action.
The federal government has announced plans to enrol at least 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance Scheme by 2030 as part of new measures to expand financial protection and reduce out-of-pocket spending on healthcare.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, made this known on Monday at the opening of a four-day National Health Financing Policy Dialogue in Abuja.

The dialogue brings together health officials, development partners, civil society groups and the private sector to craft new strategies for sustainable health financing in Nigeria.

The event, themed Reimagining the Future of Health Financing in Nigeria, is expected to produce commitments to reduce out-of-pocket spending, improve accountability, and strengthen domestic funding for the health sector.

Speaking at the event, Mr Salako said President Bola Tinubu has directed policies to strengthen domestic financing and protect vulnerable Nigerians.

Mr Salako noted that the President has continued to emphasise that a strong health system is vital for national growth and has therefore directed the implementation of several interconnected policies to achieve universal health coverage

The government has consistently funded the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and introduced emergency allocations to cushion the suspension of foreign aid.

He added that the ministry is considering legislation to double BHCPF funding from one to two per cent of consolidated revenue, alongside efforts to enrol 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance scheme by 2030.

A key delivery of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the Presidential Performance Bond is to enrol at least 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance by 2030, so that we can reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on health, which currently remains at about 70 per cent, he said.

Underinvestment in health

Speaking at the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said Nigeria must face the reality that good health is not cheap and can no longer be built on the back of somebody elses taxpayer.

Mr Pate warned that decades of underinvestment had left the health sector like a bicycle compared to better-funded systems elsewhere.

In reality, we were deluded to think that we can build a healthy nation on the back of somebody elses taxpayer, he said.

We spend probably $120 totally in terms of health spending. Two-thirds of it is out of pocket. Barely $30 per person, if you add federal, state, local government, is what the public contributes. And our development partners contribute less than 10 per cent of the total health spend.

He added that the illusion that people can get a quality healthcare system without paying for it is false.

He said the country must invest efficiently, transparently, and with all of society engaged, to save lives, reduce physical and financial pain.

The minister outlined four pillars of the governments reform agenda: strengthening governance and accountability, expanding population health outcomes through services and insurance, unlocking the health value chain to make commodities affordable, and enhancing resilience through health security, with digital transformation as a cross-cutting theme.

Overview of the event

Highlighting the overview of the dialogue, the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Kelechi Ohiri, said the global financing landscape is shifting away from aid, making domestic resource mobilisation more urgent.

Mr Ohiri said the country is definitely at the point of transition in development financing and going forward, there has to be a lot more reliance on domestic resources.

He highlighted the dual burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, rising demographic pressures, and the need for better coordination across federal, state, and local governments.

This dialogue is about people. People must be at the centre of the health system. People must be at the centre of what were financing, Mr Ohiri said.

He explained that the four-day event will begin with civil society and community voices, then move to evidence-driven policy discussions, private sector financing, subnational government roles, and conclude with high-level commitments involving finance and planning ministries.

The dialogue, which runs until 4 September, is expected to generate concrete actions to expand financial protection, improve transparency in budgeting, reduce fragmentation, and involve all sectors  government, private, and civil society, in financing healthcare for Nigerians.
Media professionals have called for the active involvement of journalists in the governance of Nigerias health sector.

The professionals noted that the media can play a vital role in ensuring transparency, building public trust, and amplifying voices for improved domestic resource mobilisation.

The call was made during a panel session on Leveraging media as a strategic tool for transparency and accountability in driving domestic resource mobilisation for health, at the National Health Financing Dialogue in Abuja on Monday.

Speakers from the media and civil society highlighted challenges including limited access to information, poor communication of policies, and declining public trust in the press.

They said all of these undermine the countrys efforts to mobilise sustainable resources for healthcare.

The dialogue brings together health officials, development partners, civil society groups and the private sector to craft new strategies for sustainable health financing in Nigeria.

The four-day event, themed Reimagining the Future of Health Financing in Nigeria, is expected to produce commitments to reduce out-of-pocket spending, improve accountability, and strengthen domestic funding for the health sector.

Transparency, timely information

Sebastian Abu, Deputy President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, said the ability of journalists to prioritise health financing stories depends largely on the transparency of public officials.

Mr Abu emphasised that for health financing to gain prominence in newsrooms, officials must be more open with information and engage the media proactively.

One of the ways in which we can prioritise health financing is by the real story being presented to the reporter, who is then able to present it in such a way that it becomes a priority to be featured prominently, he said.

But those who provide health care administration must be transparent enough to speak and to give information to reporters. Not many are willing to even speak to the media, and it becomes a problem.

He also lamented the hostile environment journalists sometimes face, recalling recent incidents where reporters were insulted or even media houses shut down by political actors.

According to him, such attitudes discourage the media from doing its watchdog role effectively.

If reporters are not given access to information or are treated as threats, then the kind of stories that get written will not advance the cause of health financing, he said.

Idris Akinbajo, Managing Editor of PREMIUM TIMES, said that while the media plays a vital role in accountability, it can only do so effectively if public officials embrace transparency and timely information sharing.

Mr Akinbajo noted that many health agencies still make it difficult for journalists to access basic budgetary and programme details, despite the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

Heads of agencies, for starters, must be deliberate about being proactive with information. I dont see why they need to wait for the General Economic Committee before giving out information, he stated.

He explained that while some agencies, such as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), occasionally respond to FOI requests, many others fail to do so.

Mr Akinbajo cautioned that lack of openness from government actors worsens the trust deficit in the media, as citizens often doubt reports when they do not see consistent, verifiable data.

Women journalists highlight human cost

Aishatu Ibrahim, National President of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), revealed the need for female reporters to centre the experiences of women and children in their coverage of health financing.

Ms Ibrahim cited the story of a woman who lost her twin babies after she could not raise funds to access the hospital on time.

We will insist that female journalists highlight these disparities in accessing health care. When you use the human angle and share personal experiences, it is more impactful and people will relate to it much better, she said.

Also speaking, Seun Durojaye, Chief Editor Social Voices, described digital platforms as a bridge between communities and policymakers in exposing health financing gaps.

Ms Durojaye outlined four ways civic media can strengthen accountability; accessibility, visibility, accountability loops, and the community-to-policy bridge.

Citizens can now report online, cutting out traditional gatekeepers, and instantly share what is happening in their local clinics. These realities are no longer hidden  and when aggregated, they reveal patterns of budget performance, she said.

Ms Durojaye added that solutions journalism is key to sustaining hope. Yes, things are going wrong. But there are also examples of what is working. If you spotlight communities where health facilities function, others become more aware of what they are entitled to.

Role of Journalists

Joseph Kadiri, President of the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHEJ), emphasised the need to simplify complex policy language for the public.

Mr Kadiri said reimagining the future of health financing in Nigeria is cumbersome.

It needs to be broken down, and it is the media that will do that, he said.

He added that journalists often face resistance from health officials, who sometimes discourage disclosures even under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. What you see on the pages of newspapers is directly proportional to the information available to us, he noted.

Rebuilding trust in the media

Discussions also touched on the growing trust deficit between the media and citizens. The audience admitted that they often cross-check stories from multiple outlets before believing reports.

Panelists acknowledged that for the media to effectively champion health financing and domestic resource mobilisation, it must first confront the trust deficit it faces with the public.

Mr Kadiri, agreed that citizen engagement and feedback loops are essential to rebuilding trust.

For us to earn the trust, I believe that as journalists, we need to come up with programmes and contents that allow citizens to participate, he said.

This feedback is key. People must hear from you, but you must also hear from them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Pham Minh Chinh is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in China's port city of Tianjin on Sunday.

Chinh is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Xi called for intensified efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two sides during his state visit to Vietnam in April, to deliver more substantive outcomes in their comprehensive strategic cooperation.

China and Vietnam should have firm confidence in their paths and systems, and strengthen solidarity and coordination, Xi noted.

China stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Vietnam and jointly advance strategic cooperation, Xi said, adding that both sides should actively promote cooperation in areas such as connectivity, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.

He also called on the two countries to enhance multilateral coordination to safeguard the common interests of the Global South.

Chinh said Vietnam and China share common strategic interests and are companions on the path of socialism, and that developing relations with China is a strategic choice and a top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy.

The Vietnamese side is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with China, expand trade and investment, enhance connectivity, and promote people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Vietnam is pleased to see that China has achieved major development accomplishments and made important contributions to the world economy, the Vietnamese prime minister added.

Senior Chinese officials including Cai Qi, Wang Yi and Chen Min'er were present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Pham Minh Chinh is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Editor: WXY
Alarm bells have been ringing from environmental authorities, over the likelihood of flooding from this years heavy rainfalls. They are urging citizens to evacuate from flood plains and for public agencies to redouble their efforts in forestalling the disaster before it occurs. In this context, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has put a lot of states in the North on alert, as the water levels of River Niger rises menacingly upstream in the Republic of Benin.

Three states  Kebbi, Niger and Kwara  have been identified to be at high-risk because of their proximity to the Republic of Benin. Despite this, nine other states and 25 locations are also in the vulnerability loop. The continuous rise of the water levels of the river will invariably result in the overflow of its banks and the submersion of coastal communities. In its wake would be mass deaths and the destruction of houses, alongside other invaluable property.

To forestall the impact, especially in terms of the loss of lives, the Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, has directed officials of the agency in charge of coastal communities to ramp up their advocacy and sensitisation for the residents of these areas to evacuate to safer and higher grounds. The states at high-risk and other helpless ones have been charged to activate their State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and their Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMC) to avoid any tier of government being caught off-guard when the chips are down.

Non-adherence to safety protocols and environmental abuses led to the Mokwa flooding disaster in June, which claimed 200 lives, while 500 others were declared missing. Children and women were largely the victims. It was the worst of such disaster in 60 years. The overnight deluge washed away a bridge on a major road in the area, which inevitably cut off the north from the southern part of the country. Its impact on the economy, especially in relation to the movement of trucks transporting food and other essential goods ,was telling.

One of the survivors, Adamu Yusuf, agonizingly told the BBC: I watched helplessly as water washed away my family and I survived because I could swim. That tragedy put the country in the global spotlight for the wrong reason.

There are four months remaining in 2025. From weather forecasts of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, the dreadful days are not yet over. The agency predicts that 554 communities and 142 Local Government Areas are susceptible to flash floods from heavy rainfalls between July and September. Also, October to November may be the Ides of March period for 484 communities across 56 LGAs in states that have been put on alert. They include Adamawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Gombe, Borno, Bauchi, Jigawa and Benue. Communities on the Jebba  Lokoja flood plains are among the most endangered.

The raising of alerts by federal agencies are not enough in addressing this challenge. There is a sense in which it could be said that governance has failed on this level. When residents of flood plains are advised to evacuate, there are no arrangements regarding where they could move to. This makes them somewhat indifferent to calls to escape the imminent danger.

The 2012 and 2022 flooding disasters, which claimed 306 lives and displaced 1.3 million people during the former period; and more than 603 lives, alongside the destruction of 82,053 houses, displacement of 1.302 million persons, and submersion of 332,327 hectares of farmland during the latter period, offer experiences in hindsight, which any proactive government could use towards the prevention of similarly anticipated humanitarian crises.

As such, the failings that arose during the Mokwa flooding, must not be allowed to repeat themselves. We urge states and local governments to build temporary shelters for those identified to be living along flood plains to evacuate to. This is a basic and irreducible minimum expected of them. In fact, as Governor Chukwuma Soludo remarked in 2022, We can no longer deal with perennial flooding as an emergency. We knew it would happen. We know the next one will come.

It smacks of playing Russian roulette with the lives of Nigerians by toying with the necessity of dredging the lower River Niger from Warri to Baro in Niger State. The Senate said it provided funds for this in the 2024 Appropriation Act. If properly carried out, the River Nigers water level has less chance of its banks overflowing.

Curiously, the late Musa YarAdua/Goodluck Jonathan presidencies provided a combined 43.3 billion for the project. And during an international conference and exhibition by the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) in 2014, Jonathan declared the dredging of the river completed. But the lack of marine activities like shipping and vessel movement in inland waterways transportation make the former presidents claim empty. This is unfortunate.

What is clear is Nigerias indecisiveness and lack of transparency in dredging the River Niger. Equally worrisome is the non-commitment to the agreement with Cameroon for Nigeria to complete the Dasin Hausa Dam to act as a buffer against excess water releases from its Lagdon Dam. When released, water from this dam regularly submerges many states and communities in the country. This official indifference should cease!

The foregoing data of damage from the annual flooding debacles are not mere statistics, but evidence of a high-stakes act resulting in the continuous loss of human lives; in addition to massive losses of habitations, farmlands and property. This brings to the fore the economic dimension of the crisis, as food security is affected due to the submersion of hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland across the country. The economic effects keep exacerbating the toxic security situation in the country.

Some of these catastrophes are unavoidable, as also consequent upon global warming and other extreme weather events. But their impacts could be mitigated through pragmatic policies acted on as and when due. The wise counsel of the United Nations World Meteorological Agency that flash flood gives limited time for reaction is a tool for proactive engagement by the authorities towards saving the lives of Nigerians vulnerable to this existential challenge.

The UN weather agency states that globally there are 5,000 deaths resulting from flooding annually, which more so leaves behind a staggering $50 billion in economic losses. Its tolls on Nigeria, however, could be reduced if we embrace appropriate environmental and urban planning preventive policies. Those who trifle with natures fury do so at their own peril.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering offering Palestinians a cash payment of $5,000 in exchange for relocating out of the Gaza Strip to make way for a proposed tourism and technology hub, a move condemned by many other countries and rights groups as a violation of the rights of Palestinians and an obstruction of the two-state solution adopted by the United Nations to solve the Israel-Palestine crisis.

A proposed postwar plan, circulated among top US officials, contains the administrations vision to, at least, temporarily relocate the entire Gaza population, either through voluntary relocation to another country or into restricted, secured zones inside the Gaza enclave during reconstruction.

The document obtained by the Washington Post revealed that the administration intends to make cash payments to Palestinians who choose to leave, as well as a year of food and subsidies to cover four years of rent.

The Washington Post reported, on Sunday, that the proposal is called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust (GREAT Trust).

It was created by the same group of Israelis who set up the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is now controversially distributing food inside the enclave.

The plan estimates that each person who leaves Gaza would save the trust $23,000, compared to the cost of temporary housing and life support services for those who remain in the secure zones.

It expects to save a trust of $23,000 on every individual relocation compared to the cost of temporary housing and life support services in the area.

The Washington Post reported that the 38-page document includes a plan to turn Gaza into a tourism resort and high-tech manufacturing and technology hub.

The trust would offer Palestinians who own land a digital token in exchange for rights to redevelop their property.

This token, according to The Washington Post, will be used to finance a new life elsewhere or eventually be redeemed for an apartment in one of six to eight new AI-powered, smart cities to be built in Gaza.

Financial plan for Gaza

President Donald Trump had initially proposed that the US would take over the densely populated territory on the eastern Mediterranean coast in February.

He had very swiftly, upon entering office, switched his rhetoric from quickly ending the war to taking over Gaza.

Although his stance has been criticised by world leaders and institutions, including the EU, UN and Arab countries, the US president insisted that Palestinians would be resettled in neighbouring countries.

According to him, the US intends to transform the Gaza Strip into the Riviera of the Middle East.

Think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it and will slowly, very slowly, develop it, he said.

The Washington Post reported the key elements of the GREAT Trust proposal are designed to bring to life the presidents vision of a Riviera of the Middle East.

It is, however, unclear if the details of the proposal are what Trump has in mind.

The proposal also promises to operate without government funding while offering substantial returns to investors.

Unlike the GHF, the proposed trust does not rely on donations.

Instead, it would be financed by public and private-sector investment in what it calls mega-projects, from electric vehicle plants and data centres to beach resorts and high-rise apartments, the report read.

The financial planning for the project was carried out by a team that was then working for Boston Consulting Group, one of the worlds leading management consulting firms.

The proposal projected that a $100 billion investment could yield nearly a fourfold return within a decade.

It noted that the project will be ongoing, with self-generating revenue streams.

The Washington Post also reported that BCG distanced itself from the Gaza trust proposal, stating the work was never formally approved by the firm.

It stated that the company confirmed that two senior partners who led the financial modelling for the plan have since been dismissed.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier stated that he has been in talks with several developing countries regarding the potential acceptance of relocated Gazans.

He listed potential destinations as Libya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Indonesia, and Somaliland.

Such forced displacement as proposed by Messrs Trump and Netanyahu violate international humanitarian laws and may constitute war crimes, UN experts had said.

Gaza, alongside the occupied West Bank, and parts of Jerusalem are internationally recognised as part of Palestine and are expected to be part of a future Paelstine country. Although most countries of the world including European countries like Norway and Spain, already recognise Palestine as a state, the US and Israel continue to frustrate global efforts to allow the Palestinians have their own country.

The new proposal by the Trump administration is believed to be a continuation of the efforts of the US government to frustrate the creation of a Palestinian state.
The Nigerian government has hailed the sentencing of the controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison by the Paijat-Hame District Court in Finland.

The conviction

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Paijat-Hame District Court in Finland sentenced Mr Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.

The Finnish court also convicted Mr Ekpa of aggravated tax fraud.

Major victory in fight against terror

Reacting in a post on his X handle on Monday, Nigerias Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described Mr Ekpas conviction as a major victory for the fight against terror.

We welcome the news of Simon Ekpas conviction by a Finnland court for terrorism-related crimes, and his sentencing to six years in prison, Mr Idris wrote on the microblogging platform.

(It is) a major victory for the Nigerian people in the collective fight against terror, he added.

Arrest and prosecution

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ekpa, 40, was arrested alongside four others on 21 November 2024 on suspicion of terrorist activities.

The Finnish police had said Mr Ekpa contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-eastern Nigeria.

The District Court of Paijat-Hame later ordered that the pro-Biafra agitator be imprisoned with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

A Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Mr Ekpa heads Autopilot, a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

The separatist group has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions, although it has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

Hours after the arrest, the IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu disowned Mr Ekpa, explaining that the pro-Biafra agitator was never its member.

Mr Ekpa was initially indicted for financing terrorism alongside the four other suspects.

The police suspected that the Biafra agitator committed the crime of collecting money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.

The Finnish police said he allegedly committed the crimes between 23 August 2021 and 18 November 2024 in Lahti, a town in Finland.

However, the four other suspects were later released during preliminary investigation.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the district court had set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present possible charges against Mr Ekpa.

Mr Ekpa was charged in mid-May with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group.

The prosecutor had said the charges were linked to Mr Ekpas secessionist activities in Biafra land.

In his first appearance in court on 30 May, the Biafra agitator denied terrorism charges against.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State has won 20 out of the 23 chairmanship positions contested in Saturdays local government elections.

Chairperson of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Michael Odey, described the elections as free and fair.

Announcing the results late on Sunday, Mr Odey disclosed that 18 political parties participated in the elections, adding that voters turned out in large numbers to cast their votes.

According to him, the APC won in 20 Local Government Areas (LGA), while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won three LGAs, including Obio/Akpor LGA, where the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike,hails from.

The election, which was free and fair, recorded significant voters turnout, with many coming out early to cast their ballots, he said.

He commended the political parties and residents for their commitment to ensuring a smooth election process.

The RSIEC chairperson declared those who polled the highest number of votes duly elected chairman of their respective LGAs.

APC candidates declared winners in the elections include Ofori Owolabi (Abua/Odual), Solomon Achoma (Ahoada-East), Eugene Epelle (Ahoada-West), Bob Fubara (Akuku Toru), and Loveday Promise (Andoni).

Others are George Onegiyeofori (Asari Toru), Pepple Abinye (Bonny), Michael Williams (Degema), Obari Ollor (Eleme), Chidi Lloyd (Emohua), Chima Njoku (Etche), Confidence Deekor (Gokana), and Charles Wobodo (Ikwerre).

Also declared winners were Bariere Thomas (Khana), Vincent Nieboka (Ogu/Bolo), Aluro Alfred (Okrika), Obasi Ochechuku (Omuma), James James (Opobo/Nkoro), Okechukwu Akara (Oyigbo), and Okpe Mgbaapkone (Tai).

The PDP candidates declared winners include Gift Worlu (Obio/Akpor), Shedrack Chuku (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), and Allwell Ihunda (Port Harcourt).

The declaration of the results was witnessed by agents of the 18 political parties, the Nigerian police, and civil society groups, among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the elections witnessed low turnout which was attributed to the short notice for the election as well as political crises in the state.

Reacting to the concluded polls, the deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in Rivers State, Sam Kinane, described the election as a sham.

Mr Kiname noted that the polls did not follow the procedure laid down by law for the conduct of local government council elections.

He argued that there was no way a democratic process could in good conscience be conducted under an emergency rule.

It is very abnormal for a sole administrator to conduct a local government election. It is even more worrisome that the so called election was still held after INEC stated that it fell short of the conditions for a local government poll, he said.

Mr Kinane also questioned why most of the APC candidates who were previously PDP members, emerged as chairmen without properly defecting from the PDP to the APC.

(NAN)
A Nigerian senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South Senatorial District, has called for urgent legislative action to address Nigerias rising suicide rates, citing World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates of approximately 16,000 suicide deaths annually.

Mr Ekpenyong made the call in Abuja on Sunday when he received members of the Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, a coalition of psychiatrists, legal experts, civil society organisations, and mental health advocates.

The senator reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the Suicide Prevention Bill, which he sponsored in the Senate and has scaled its first reading in February.

According to him, the bill seeks to decriminalise attempted suicide and provide a comprehensive framework for prevention, service delivery, helplines, and capacity building for mental health practitioners.

Depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions affect millions of Nigerians, yet they are poorly understood and rarely prioritised, he said.

He said suicide prevention requires government attention, sustained education, and sensitisation.

He assured the coalition of his commitment to push the bill during its second reading, while canvassing the support of his colleagues for a robust debate backed by data and evidence.

Also, Taiwo Sheikh, convener of the coalition and continental representative of LifeLine International, said the existing law criminalising attempted suicide discouraged help-seeking among vulnerable persons.

When you criminalise attempted suicide, you stigmatise people who are already vulnerable, Mr Lateef Sheikh said.

According to WHO, Nigeria records about 16,000 suicide deaths annually, and this is a conservative figure because many cases go unreported.

He explained that most victims were young people aged between 15 and 29, describing the situation as a crisis that must be urgently addressed.

Other members of the coalition, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and civil society actors, urged the National Assembly to accelerate passage of the bill, warning that delays would cost more lives.

READ ALSO: APC sweeps 20 chairmanship seats in Rivers LG polls

In her remark, Aisha Bubah, executive director of The Sunshine Series said for every recorded suicide, there are at least 20 more attempts.

Ms Bubah said every delay in passing this bill means more lives lost.

The group also outlined plans to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September with sensitisation campaigns, media engagements, and policy dialogues.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Mr Ekpenyong has also been invited to participate in the Vanguard Mental Health Summit in October, themed Stemming the Rising Tide of Suicide in Nigeria.
The police in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria, have arrested a suspected human trafficker and rescued two victims.

Timfon John, the police spokesperson in the state, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.

Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, identified the suspect as Alex Omosivie, 47, from Edo State.

The arrest was made following reliable intelligence that Mr Omosivie frequently came to Uyo to traffic young women to various African countries for prostitution and other illicit activities, she said.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Tuesday at a hotel located along Ring Road 3 in Uyo.

During the arrest, police rescued two victims, Ms John added.

The suspect, the police said, is a deportee from an African country, who had recently trafficked two other young women: Odo Asuquo, 18, to Libya in July 2025, and Glory Asuquo, 16, to Burkina Faso on August 18, 2025.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, Ms John said operatives in the state had arrested a suspect linked to a case of rape and armed robbery in the state.

The suspect, identified as Happiness Iseyen, 26, was arrested on Wednesday, with one locally made pistol recovered from him, according to the police.

Another breakthrough

The police in Akwa Ibom have continued to record successes in crime fighting. The latest came about a month after operatives in the state rescued 20 Ghanaians allegedly trafficked into the state.

Ms John had said that the operation leading to the rescue was a collaborative effort, following a request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and the International Police.

READ ALSO: The Next Titans reality show returns with N50 million grand prize

Acting on credible information, operatives surrounded a well-fenced building at 4:17 p.m. on Monday, 18 August 2025. The raid resulted in the rescue of 10 males and 10 females, all of whom were confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals.

The victims appeared disoriented and could not provide useful information, leading investigators to suspect they may have been hypnotised, Ms John said, and promised to update the public on the outcome of the investigation.

Their rescue came four months after the police rescued a two-day-old baby, and arrested two traffickers who allegedly wanted to sell the baby for N800,000.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Baamlong, has met with stakeholders to drive the adoption of a new approach to managing postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a leading cause of maternal mortality.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Health Conference Hall in Jos, was convened by the Africa Centre for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) in collaboration with the Medical Womens Association of Nigeria (MWAN). It focused on introducing the E-MOTIVE model, an evidence-based intervention designed to prevent avoidable maternal deaths.

This stakeholder meeting is of great significance as it directly impacts the well-being of our people. Any innovation or initiative that contributes to reducing maternal and neonatal deaths is a top priority for Plateau State, Mr Baamlong said in his remarks.

He said the initiative aligns with recent state-level interventions, including the inauguration of the Maternal and Newborn Improvement Initiative (MAMII) task force, which complements federal efforts under the Health Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).

The commissioner thanked the ACEPHAP delegation, led by a visiting team from Kano, describing the collaboration as a welcome development and urging stakeholders to make meaningful contributions to advancing maternal and child health.

Mayaki Musa, a professor and the projects principal investigator, presented the scale-up strategy for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) innovations in the state. He stressed that advocacy at all levels remains essential for creating the policy environment needed for successful implementation.

READ ALSO: Police confirm beheading of man over land dispute in Ebonyi

Awaya Emeribe outlined the roles of various partners, highlighting the need for a robust monitoring and evaluation system, quarterly reporting, and stronger supply chain management to ensure the consistent availability of PPH bundles, including calibrated drapes.

ACEPHAPs MNCH project manager, Aminu Wakili, added that the organisation would deploy master trainers to Plateau to build the capacity of healthcare workers across primary and secondary facilities. He said ACEPHAP would also supply essential commodities and conduct routine supportive supervision.

The initiative is expected to complement ongoing Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC/CEmONC) services in the state.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that the visit of his Colombian counterpart, Francia Marquez, to Nigeria, along with ongoing bilateral engagements, will mark the beginning of a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

Speaking on Sunday at a Gala Dinner held in honour of the Colombian Vice President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr Shettima described Mrs Marquezs presence in Nigeria as the start of a new dawn.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Marquez arrived in Abuja on Saturday for a three-day official visit, accompanied by her spouse, Rafael Ocoro, cabinet ministers, senior government officials, and business leaders.

The delegation is expected to engage their Nigerian counterparts in strategic discussions aimed at deepening cooperation across key sectors.

Mr Shettima said the visit was evidence that Nigeria and Colombia were entering a new era of fraternal partnership, one that promised deeper political cooperation, expanded economic ventures, and enhanced people-to-people exchanges.

He conveyed the goodwill of President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people to the visitors, stating that the bilateral engagements were founded on mutual interests in the future of both nations.

This historic visit and tomorrows engagements will be the gateway to a new chapter.

More than ever, Nigeria is inspired to plant the seeds of trust, water them with dialogue, and nurture them into fruits of prosperity that our children and grandchildren shall one day harvest, Mr Shettima said.

He noted that Nigeria and Colombia had maintained diplomatic ties for more than 51 years, describing the relationship as one rooted not just in diplomacy, but in a shared sense of humanity.

We have watched each other across oceans, spoken through third countries, and yet our hearts have always known that the distance between us is only geography, he added.

Mr Shettima raised a toast to stronger relations between Nigeria and Colombia and expressed hope that Marquezs visit would yield meaningful outcomes for both nations.

On her part, Vice President Marquez described her visit as strategic and historic, noting that it highlighted the shared heritage and values between Colombia and Nigeria.

She emphasised her African descent and said her trip aimed to boost cooperation in the areas of social justice, peace, tourism, health, culture, and education, among others.

Mrs Marquez also pledged that Colombia would use its position in South America to strengthen trade relations with Africa and enhance diplomatic ties with Nigeria.

She further conveyed the condolences of Colombian President Gustavo Petro to the government and people of Nigeria over the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, described the dinner as a celebration of the Colombian Vice Presidents homecoming and an opportunity to rekindle longstanding friendship between the two countries.

READ ALSO: Plateau endorses innovation to tackle maternal deaths

He highlighted the unique values and opportunities both nations shared, saying that if fully harnessed, they could positively impact key sectors of both economies.

Mr Hadejia added that the gala night also served as a platform to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of both countries, emphasising that diplomacy between Nigeria and Colombia extended beyond policy to embrace cultural exchanges in music, art, and cuisine.

The event was attended by ministers and top government officials from both Nigeria and Colombia.

(NAN)
President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigerias commitment to strengthening international partnerships and aligning its foreign relations with evolving global trends in trade, politics, and culture.

The President, who received the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, Francia Marquez, at the State House in Abuja on Monday, noted that global economic volatility and shifting international policies will necessitate new partners for shared prosperity.

President Tinubu assured the delegation of senior government, business, and diplomatic officials from the South American country that Nigeria will replicate the agreements signed with Brazil on aviation and consular issues with Colombia.

The President stated that the conclusions of all the bilateral meetings and the agreements signed, under the supervision of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, will receive speedy attention.

I believe the Vice President and his team have done the job. Our business opportunities with Colombia have already been enhanced. I support every aspect that you have agreed on.

Particularly for Colombia, the agreement we entered with Brazil can easily be replicated in aviation, and our diplomatic relations can be enhanced. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will accelerate that, he said.

President Tinubu urged the business leaders to explore opportunities in Nigerias oil and gas sector and agriculture.

The president said Nigerias youthful and growing population presents a good market and a skilled workforce to bolster investments.

Vice President Shettima remarked that the visit from the Colombian Vice President would rekindle ancestral connections disrupted by slavery and colonialism, positioning both nations for a prosperous partnership. He highlighted the political and cultural similarities that will foster healthy economic collaboration.

The Vice President of Colombia highlighted several areas for strengthening bilateral relations, including aviation, visas, political consultations, cultural exchanges, and trade.

As the first black Vice President of Colombia, I am extremely delighted to lead this visit to the land of our ancestors. Our ancestors were taken away from Africa centuries ago, she said.

Mrs Marquez said her visit will kick-start a long-lasting relationship built on substantial cultural similarity and heritage.

She assured that relations with Nigeria would benefit both countries, particularly in areas such as social justice, gender equality, and inclusivity.

We have had a meeting with the business leaders in aviation on the need to start direct flights to Colombia, the Vice President added.

Mrs Marquez said that Nigerias leadership role in Africa and the African Unions role in restoration and reparation will enhance relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Present at the meeting were Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Coordinating Minister of Finance and Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

September 1, 2025
The police in Anambra State have arrested Kalu Ilo, a 30-year-old man, for allegedly raping the 13-year-old daughter of a mentally unstable woman in the state.

The police also arrested two male suspects who allegedly raped two other minors in the state in separate incidents.

Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesperson in the state, said this in a statement on Sunday, adding that the minors were between five and 14 years.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said apart from Mr Ilo, the two other suspects were Ihechiluru Okorie and Chidubem Udem, 28.

The spokesperson said the suspects were arrested at different locations in Anambra State for the alleged offences, which were reported in separate police facilities in Eziowele, Oba, and Ogidi Areas of the state.

He said the police in the state had already secured evidence for the prosecution of the three.

The multiple operations

Mr Ikenga said Mr Okorie was arrested on 19 August 2025 over the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in the state.

The suspect confessed to forcibly having carnal knowledge of the victim when she came to barb her hair in his shop, he said.

He said Mr Udem was arrested on 13 August 2025 by police operatives attached to the Eziowelle Division over the alleged rape of a five-year-old girl.

Investigations revealed that the suspect visited the victim at her grandmothers house, where he forcefully had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.

The victim was immediately taken to the hospital, where a medical examination confirmed a case of defilement, he said.

Mr Ikenga said that all suspects were in custody and would be charged in court on Wednesday 3 September 2025.

He said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has condemned the acts and assured Nigerians that the police in the state will ensure prosecution to secure justice for the victims.

The police chief also urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to be vigilant and to promptly report any incidents of sexual or gender-based violence to the police.

He said the police in the state assured Nigerians that they remain committed to protecting the rights of children and vulnerable persons across the state.

Prohibited in Nigeria

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection.

Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and type of violence committed.

Several people have been convicted by various Nigerian courts for rape.

An Ado-Ekiti High Court, in July 2022, sentenced a 49-year-old man, Dele Adeyanju, to four years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

A Bauchi High Court, in 2017, sentenced two middle aged men to life in prison for raping a 40-year-old woman and plucking her eyes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Japarov is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China will fully support Kyrgyzstan in assuming the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in the port city of Tianjin on Sunday.

Japarov is in China to attend the SCO Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

China backs Kyrgyzstan in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and will work with the country to uphold the UN-centered international system and contribute further to world peace and development, Xi said.

Underscoring the need to deepen practical cooperation, Xi called on the two countries to expand cooperation in emerging areas including clean energy and artificial intelligence (AI).

Kyrgyzstan is willing to learn from China's experience and deepen cooperation in connectivity, clean energy, AI and sci-tech innovation, so as to bring more benefits to the people, Japarov said.

Kyrgyzstan stands ready to strengthen coordination with China to advance the development of the SCO, Japarov added.

The two sides signed bilateral documents covering connectivity, human resources, civil aviation, and subnational cooperation.

Senior Chinese officials including Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er attended the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Japarov is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Editor: WXY
The cattle herders-crop farmers crisis in Benue State has taken a new twist as a prominent traditional ruler openly accused the Nigerian military of complicity and demanded the withdrawal of soldiers from his community.

Daniel Abomtse, a first-class traditional ruler in the Gwer West Local Government Area, made the call after cattle destroyed his cassava farm on Sunday.

Speaking while inspecting the farm, the traditional ruler alleged that soldiers stationed in his domain have failed to stop the menace but instead worsened the situation.

I want soldiers withdrawn from Gwer West LGA for mobile police to move in and effectively tackle criminal armed herders, with herds grazing every day on farms in my domain, Mr Abomtse said.

The soldiers come, shoot their guns in the air and leave, and immediately after that, the herders move in with their cows to eat our farms. Over five villages in my domain have been eaten up by these herders, and the military is very much aware of what is happening.

The traditional rulers statement comes barely one week after another farm, estimated at 10 hectares, was reportedly destroyed by cattle in the area.

On Monday, the Chairman of Gwer West LGA, Ormin Victor, visited Goh community in the Saghev/Ukusu ward for an on-the-spot assessment. He described the situation as a deliberate attempt to impoverish farmers and destabilise communities.

A pattern of attacks

The traditional rulers accusations mirror long-standing grievances among rural farmers across Benue State, who have repeatedly alleged that the military deployed under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have either looked away or, in some instances, shielded herders from local resistance.

Reports from residents indicate that herders now graze freely during the daytime, often with sophisticated weapons, while farmers abandon their farmlands for fear of attacks.

In Gwer West alone, several communities  including Saghev, Ukusu, Agagbe, and parts of Nagi  have witnessed repeated invasions.

A farmer in Agagbe who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that he lost his entire rice farm to cattle last season despite soldiers patrolling the area daily. He said:

We are helpless. Once you challenge the herders, the soldiers accuse you of taking the law into your hands. They claim they are here to maintain peace, but what kind of peace is it when our farms are destroyed every week?

Benues endless cycle of herders-farmers clashes

Benue State, regarded as the Nigerian food basket, has been the epicentre of herders-farmers clashes for over a decade. The Anti-Open Grazing Law enacted in 2017 was meant to curb the conflict, but enforcement remains weak.

Now, traditional rulers like Mr Abomtse are raising the alarm that unless the federal and state governments rethink their security strategy, more communities risk being lost to herders.

He warned that continued military presence without action may further deepen distrust between locals and security agencies.

We are not against the army, but if their presence here is only to scare us while herders destroy our farms, then we dont need them. Let the government bring in mobile police who can stay with the people and protect the land, he insisted.

The call underscores growing frustration in Benue, where communities say they feel abandoned despite repeated promises of protection from both state and federal authorities.
A female food vendor identified as Ammaye was on Saturday evening lynched by a mob in Kasuwan Garba in the Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.

The police said she was accused by a mob of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

The incident began when her nephew reportedly joked that he wanted to marry her to fulfil the Sunnah.

Ammayes response was allegedly considered blasphemous and ignited fury among residents.

Despite the intervention of the local district head and law enforcement officers, a mob reportedly overpowered the security personnel, dragged her away, stoned her, and then set her ablaze.

The Chairman of the Mariga Local Government, Abbas Kasuwar  Garba, confirmed the development.

The police spokesperson in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the report in a statement.

According to Mr Abiodun, the police received the report around 2 p.m. on the day the incident happened.

Before additional reinforcements could be deployed, the crowd overpowered our officers, whisked her away, and set her ablaze, Mr Abiodun said.

Investigations are ongoing and those found culpable will be brought to justice, he added.

Jungle justice

Jungle justice is not unprecedented in northern Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Katsina govt saves billions of naira as 25 RUWASSA vehicles are refurbished

In May 2022, Deborah Samuel, a Christian student at a Sokoto college, was stoned and set on fire by fellow students after being accused of blasphemy in a WhatsApp group chat.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have repeatedly documented growing tensions and failures of law enforcement to prevent mob violence in Nigeria.

In northern states, where Sharia law criminalises blasphemy, such incidents flourish under a climate of rumour, mistrust, and fragile rule of law.
The Paijat-Hame District Court in Finland, on Monday, sentenced controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.

The court ruled that Mr Ekpa had participated in a terrorist organisation and had publicly incited crimes for terrorist purposes, Yle, a Finnish newspaper, reported on Monday.

Delivering judgment, the court held that Mr Ekpa had used his significant social media following to stoke tensions in the Biafra region between August 2021 and November 2024.

Biafra is a name often used by Mr Ekpa and other separatist groups in Nigeria to refer to Nigerias South-east and some parts of the countrys South-south.

The Finnish court also ruled that Mr Ekpa was an influential member of a Biafran separatist movement, which established armed groups aimed at bringing about Biafran independence by force.

It further held that Mr Ekpa had supplied these groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on his X handle to commit crimes in Nigeria.

The court also ruled that Mr Ekpa committed the offences from Lahti, a city in Finland where he stays, and argued that the implication was that the court had jurisdiction in the case.

Tax fraud conviction

Apart from terrorism, the Finnish court also convicted Mr Ekpa of aggravated tax fraud, the newspaper reported.

The district courts verdict is not final because the ruling can be appealed at a higher court.

Arrest and prosecution

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ekpa, 40, was arrested alongside four others on 21 November 2024 on suspicion of terrorist activities.

The Finnish police had said that Mr Ekpa contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-eastern Nigeria.

The District Court of Paijat-Hame later ordered that the pro-Biafra agitator be imprisoned with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

A Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Mr Ekpa heads Autopilot, a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

The separatist group has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions, although it has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

Hours after the arrest, the IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu, disowned Mr Ekpa, explaining that the pro-Biafra agitator was never its member.

Mr Ekpa was initially indicted for financing terrorism alongside the four other suspects.

The police suspected that the Biafra agitator committed the crime of collecting money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.

The Finnish police said he allegedly committed the crimes between 23 August 2021 and 18 November 2024 in Lahti, a town in Finland.

However, the four other suspects were later released during preliminary investigation.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the district court had set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present possible charges against Mr Ekpa.

Mr Ekpa was charged in mid-May with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group.

The prosecutor had said the charges were linked to Mr Ekpas secessionist activities in Biafra land.

In his first appearance in court on 30 May, the Biafra agitator denied terrorism charges against him.
The Police Command in Ebonyi State has confirmed the beheading of a middle-aged man, Dick Nnachi, in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area of the state.

Joshua Ukandu, the police spokesperson in Ebonyi, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

NAN reports that the Oso-Edda and Amasiri communities in Afikpo Local Government Area have been engaged in a long-standing communal conflict over land ownership.

Mr Ukandu, a deputy superintendent of police, condemned the Thursday killing, describing it as wicked and inhumane.

We are aware of the incident and our men have been deployed to the disputed area, he said, adding that the police were investigating the killing and would bring the killers to justice.

The spokesperson assured residents of the police effort to restore peace and prevent further escalation of violence in the region.

I remember the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has declared the area a buffer zone.

My advice to the warring communities is to avoid the areas that have been declared a buffer zone by security agencies and the government, Mr Ukandu added.

Ebonyi has a history of deadly communal conflicts, with some of them going on for decades.

In April this year, four people were killed in a renewed land dispute between the people of Ndukwe Community, Amasiri in Afikpo and the neighbouring Okporojo in Osso Edda.

Houses and properties worth millions were destroyed in the hostilities in the decade-long crisis between the two communities.

PREMIUM TIMES did a detailed investigation in 2022 to trace how an ancient conflict resulted in the sacking of an entire community from their ancestral land in Ebonyi.
A former senator who represented Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has outlined a series of violent attacks allegedly targeted at opposition politicians and activists in Kaduna during the administration of ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Mr Sanis intervention came in response to claims by the former governor that his eight-year reign did not witness attacks on opposition figures.

Appearing on Channels Television on Sunday, Mr El-Rufai had condemned the recent disruption of a meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition in Kaduna, blaming the current All Progressives Congress (APC)-led state government for the incident.

He insisted that during his tenure as governor, opposition groups were never prevented from holding meetings or subjected to violence.

I was governor of that state for eight years. Never at any time did I stop any opposition party from having meetings or say that venues should not allow meetings to take place. This is an overreach, Mr El-Rufai said.

But Mr Sani, in a detailed post on X, countered the former governor, listing incidents of sponsored political thuggery and violence during Mr El-Rufais administration.

Attacks documented by Shehu Sani

The former senator recalled that on 3 December 2016, gunmen stormed his constituency office, injuring staff and supporters and carting away their phones and valuables.

He also cited an attack on 30 July 2017 at the Kaduna NUJ Secretariat, where armed thugs disrupted a press conference attended by himself, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, PDP governorship candidate Isa Ashiru, media owner Tijjani Ramalan and others.

Journalists covering the event were assaulted, their equipment destroyed, and valuables stolen, Mr Sani said.

Mr Sani further alleged that on 10 May 2018, Mr El-Rufai, while addressing a rally of APC supporters at the Ranchers Bees Stadium, cursed three senators and openly incited the crowd to attack them. The event, he said, was attended by then APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.

On 29 April 2018, according to him, armed thugs invaded the NUT Endwell Hotel Conference Hall where Senator Hunkuyi and other opposition leaders, including Tijjani Ramalan and Lawal Adamu (now a senator), were holding a political meeting. A young supporter, Labaran Umar, from Badarawa ward, was killed in the attack, the former senator said.

Mr Sani also recalled the case of Idris Abubakar, popularly known as Dadiyata, a fierce critic of the El-Rufai administration who was abducted from his home on 2 August 2019. He remains missing six years after.

He added that on 18 May 2021, thugs allegedly linked to a special assistant to the governor attacked members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) who were protesting the mass sack of civil servants and teachers.

The NLC, led by Ayuba Wabba, accused the governors aide of coordinating the violence and demanded his arrest. In the aftermath, the Kaduna government declared Mr Wabba wanted for economic sabotage.

These are just some of the documented instances of political thuggery and violence in Kaduna during his time, Mr Sani said.

Mr El-Rufais claims on TV

During the Channels TV interview, Mr El-Rufai dismissed suggestions that he tolerated or orchestrated such attacks as governor.

He argued that the failure of the police to stop the assault on the ADC coalition gathering last week reflects a breakdown of policing under the current administration.

The police were there, I dont know what they are investigating, he said, adding that he would petition the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission over the matter.

He accused the police of attempting to suggest that his supporters invited thugs to the event, describing the claim as evidence of institutional collapse.

We no longer have thinking people like my former course mate, Solomon Arase, in the police. A gentleman, may his soul rest in peace. We used to have policemen. Now, we have shadows of the police, he said.
A woman was shot dead by a joint security task force known as Operation Delta Sweep on Saturday in Abraka, Delta State, in the south-south of Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria quoted Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State as saying on Sunday that incident occurred when the security operatives, reportedly pursuing suspected criminals, allegedly fired a shot that struck the victim inside a car.

An unconfirmed report said the deceased woman was pregnant. Some angry youths protested the killing.

Mr Oborevwori, who spoke on Sunday through a statement from his spokesperson, Festus Ahon, has described the killing as very unfortunate and vowed that his administration would ensure that the victim gets justice.

The governor said the tragedy could have been avoided if the operatives had followed standard operational procedures. He called on security agencies operating in the state to exercise restraint and professionalism in carrying out their duties to avoid the needless loss of innocent lives.

Harrison Gwamnishu, a human rights activist in Delta, posted a video clip on Facebook where he was appealing to the angry youths to remain calm over the incident.

It is your right to protest. Why we are here is to make sure nobody harasses you, Mr Gwamnishu said to the youths in the video.

In a text accompanying the video clip, he wrote that the operatives who shot the woman rushed her to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

The voices of the Abraka people were clear and bitter: Operation Sweep has strayed from its purpose. Instead of protecting lives, many alleged that they are harassing, extorting young people.

This tragic incident has once again highlighted the urgent need for accountability, he stated in the text.

Governor Oborevwori launched Operation Delta Sweep in November 2024 to step up crime-fighting in the oil-rich state.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed deep concern over the rising cases of enforced disappearances, kidnappings, and abductions in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, expressed this concern in a statement on the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Mr Ojukwu described the rising cases as a grave assault on human dignity.

He noted that the alarming trend has left countless families in anguish and uncertainty, with victims loved ones facing psychological trauma and prolonged distress.

The incessant wave of insecurity ranging from insurgency, banditry, herder-farmer clashes, separatist violence, and worsening poverty; continues to fuel cases of missing persons across the country.

Enforced disappearances, particularly in the context of security operations, remain a serious concern.

These violations not only undermine human rights but also erode public trust in the states ability to protect its citizens, he said.

He stated that relevant international human rights instruments, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, of which Nigeria is signatory, are there.

Mr Ojukwu reminded the government of its obligation to safeguard the rights to liberty, security, recognition before the law, and freedom from torture and ill-treatment.

The commission urges governments at all levels to adopt proactive measures to address the root causes of insecurity while strengthening accountability and justice mechanisms.

We further call on security agencies to strictly adhere to international human rights standards in their operation.

They must ensure that perpetrators of kidnappings, abductions, and enforced disappearances are brought to justice, he said.

He pledged continued advocacy and support to uphold the rights of victims.

They may be missing but definitely not forgotten. Only through a comprehensive response to insecurity by way of tackling insurgency, banditry, communal violence, separatist agitations, and poverty; can Nigeria reduce the tragic phenomenon of missing persons and restore confidence in state institutions he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that international day of the victims of enforced disappearances is celebrated annually every 30 August.

NAN reports that the day is celebrated to draw awareness to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives or legal representatives.

(NAN)
President Bola Tinubu has stated that his administration is committed to providing equal access to road infrastructure, electricity, healthcare, and job opportunities for all Nigerians, regardless of region or political affiliation.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Tinubu listed projects such as the LagosCalabar Highway, SokotoBadagry Superhighway, Port HarcourtMaiduguri rail line and AbujaKadunaKano expressway as proof that no region is being neglected.

I took an oath to serve all Nigerians, not a section. That oath guides every bridge, road, rail, power, and health project we deliver.

From the LagosCalabar Highway in the South to the SokotoBadagry Superhighway in the North; from Port HarcourtMaiduguri rail in the East to AbujaKadunaKano expressway in the Centre, and the Trans-Saharan highway connecting African countries, these are not local trophies. They are our national assets, he said.

He also said that 250,000 jobs are being created, healthcare centres are being rehabilitated nationwide, and power is returning to Kaduna through the revival of a 255MW power plant.

Health centres are being rehabilitated nationwide, light rail projects in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos & Ogun have been given the green light, 250,000 jobs are being created, power is returning to Kaduna through the revived 255MW power plant, bridges in Onitsha & Bonny reconnect our people, oil exploration is expanding in Bauchi & Gombe, and the AKK pipeline has crossed the Niger.

Every farmer who needs a road, every trader who needs power, every child who needs a school, every patient who needs care this is who we are building for. This is the equity of Renewed Hope. No Nigerian is second-class, no region is left behind. Together we will rise as one nation, one people, and one destiny, the president said.

The highways

The LagosCalabar Highway, a 700km coastal corridor, is meant to boost cargo movement from seaports, cut transport costs, and drive tourism across the South.

Similarly, the SokotoBadagry superhighway is conceived as a North-west to South-west corridor.

If completed, both projects could reshape Nigerias logistics chain. Yet critics argue that construction is still in its early stages, land acquisition is contentious, and funding remains uncertain.

250,000 jobs

While the presidency has repeated the figure in several policy announcements, no official breakdown has been provided on how these jobs are being created, whether they are permanent or temporary, or in which sectors they exist.

Unemployment and underemployment remain widespread. As of June 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) put unemployment at 4.3 per cent, but millions of Nigerians are either working below capacity or in unstable jobs.

Power supply

The presidency referenced the revival of the 255MW Kaduna power plant as a symbol of progress. But the plant has not consistently delivered to the national grid, and power supply nationwide remains unsteady.

Distribution companies even say they have not recorded significant improvements linked to new generation projects.

READ ALSO: FG targets enrolment of 44 million Nigerians into health insurance by 2030

This undercuts the administrations claim of a turning point in energy access.

Rail projects

The Port HarcourtMaiduguri rail line was launched under the Buhari administration in 2021, with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) contracted for the work. Yet progress has been slow, with funding constraints stalling the project in several sections.

Health sector

Although the government is supporting primary health care (PHC) centres through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, increasing direct funding for them, thousands of PHCs remain without adequate personnel and equipment across the country.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported several cases of primary healthcare facilities being underfunded, understaffed and poorly equipped. While some tertiary hospitals have seen renovations, none are considered good enough for the treatment of the president.

Debt, funding, and feasibility

Behind all these megaprojects lies a financial shadow. Nigerias public debt now exceeds N120 trillion, with debt servicing consuming more than 70 per cent of revenue. Many of the flagship projects depend on loans or public-private partnerships (PPPs).

The LagosCalabar Highway is being pursued as a PPP with federal backing. The Port HarcourtMaiduguri rail is tied heavily to Chinese loans.

With oil revenues increasing but under strain and the implementation of tax reforms yet to begin, some economists have warned that debt-driven projects risk becoming unsustainable, stalling midway, or leaving Nigeria with unfinished infrastructure.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against moves to readmit former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, insisting that such a decision would amount to political suicide.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday, the minister accused the PDP of refusing to learn from its mistakes in the 2023 general elections, saying the partys arrogance and disregard for fairness have left it weak and vulnerable.

Mr Wike, a PDP member serving as minister in the APC-led federal government, recalled how he had repeatedly warned the opposition party against allowing both its presidential candidate and national chairman to come from the North during the last election cycle.

He described the move as unjust and politically reckless, arguing that it was a major factor in the partys defeat.

From day one, I told my colleagues, you are shooting yourself. You cannot have the presidential candidate and the national chairman from the same zone, he said.

Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, accused the PDP leaders of stealing both positions despite calls for balance, declaring that the consequences of such injustice purged the PDP at the polls.

It is better now you have stolen the presidential ticket and again stole the national chairman. I said it will purge you, and it really purged them. I have no regret for it, he added.

According to him, equity and zoning remain the only path for the PDP to recover national relevance.

Obis exit from PDP and his LP gamble

Mr Obi left the PDP in May 2022 after months of frustration with the party leadership over its zoning arrangement and internal power tussles.

His exit came just days before the PDPs presidential primaries, which later produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the flag bearer.

Mr Wikes supporters had complained about the dominance of entrenched interests in the PDP and argued that the party was unwilling to give a fair chance to candidates from the South-east.

Mr Obi quickly joined the Labour Party, transforming it into a third-force platform in the 2023 elections.

His candidacy drew massive support from the Nigerian youth and urban voters, largely through social media mobilisation, and he eventually polled over six million votes, an unprecedented outcome for the party.

Although he did not win, the Obidient movement became a defining factor in Nigerian politics, shaking both the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obis return is dangerous, hypocritical

It is against this background that Mr Wike dismissed talks of Obis possible return to the PDP, describing the move as dangerous and hypocritical.

To what? Bringing Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi that was abusing the PDP, calling it rotten, so now the party is good for him? Ambition can make people go even to Satans house, Mr Wike said.

The minister stressed that accepting Mr Obi back would signal that the PDP has abandoned ideology and principle, reducing it to nothing more than a vehicle for personal ambition.

If you want to destroy this party, dare it, bring Obi. Theres no way he will come back just because of ambition. No more ideology, no longer principle, he warned.

The single-term question

Earlier, a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, criticised Mr Obi, and a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, for making promises to serve for only one term if elected Nigerias president in 2027.

He cautioned that they should stop making promises to serve for a single term because no one believes them.

Responding to Mr El-Rufais warning, Mr Wike also dismissed Mr Obis suggestion that he would govern for only one term if elected president.

He argued that no one can predetermine whether they would serve a single term in office.

How can a president say I will only run for four years? Circumstances change. When you get there, you will find out if you will run for a second or third term. Some people even tried to run for a third term, he said.

Mr Wike further questioned Mr Obis silence on the political platform he intends to use in the future.

This era of social media, people should know the party you are running on. Is it Labour? Is it PDP? Or is it another party? Why are you keeping your supporters guessing? You cannot just jump in at the last minute and expect everyone to line up behind you, he said.

Tinibull win in 2027

The FCT minister expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will win re-election in 2027, insisting that the ruling APC has a stronger footing compared to the divided opposition.

Beyond partisan politics, Mr Wike turned his attention to security challenges in Abuja, vowing to crush criminal networks hiding in informal settlements, shanties, and undeveloped plots across the city.

He assured residents that tackling insecurity remains his top priority, promising decisive measures to secure the territory.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 60-year-old man, identified as Ajayi Femi, for allegedly raping a 24-year-old woman.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the commands spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the case was first reported by the victims sister at the Meiran Police Station on 22 August. He said the case was later transferred to the Gender Unit for discreet investigation.

Further investigation, including medical tests, revealed that on the same day, the suspect spiked the survivors drink, rendering her unconscious before having unlawful sexual intercourse with her without her consent. The suspect also made a confessional statement to that effect, Mr Hundeyin said.

He added that the suspect has since been arraigned in court and remanded in prison custody pending the next adjourned date.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Olohundare Jimoh, assured the public of the Commands commitment to securing justice for survivors of sexual violence.

He urged residents to report all cases of sexual offences at Family Support Units across divisions and area commands for prompt action.

Pattern

The case comes amid a string of sexual assault incidents recently recorded in Lagos.

In July, officers of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) at Lion Building arrested one of a pair of twin brothers after a teenage girl reported being raped by a street miscreant known as Ibeji Onola.

The case was transferred to the Adeniji Adele Police Division for investigation.

In August 2024, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency confirmed the arrest of a man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Alakuko.

The agency said the survivor received comprehensive medical care while the suspect was taken into custody.

In June 2021, a Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja sentenced a 43-year-old trader, Adelaja Oloyede, to 25 years in prison for raping a tailor in Ikorodu.

The judge, Abiola Soladoye, also ordered that his name be entered into the Lagos State Sex Offenders Register.

The police have maintained that these cases reflect ongoing efforts to combat sexual violence in Lagos and encourage survivors and their families to speak out and seek justice.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Sunday, agreeing that China and India are partners, not rivals.

The meeting of the leaders of the world's two most populous countries took place ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in north China's port city of Tianjin from Sunday to Monday.

Xi told Modi that China and India are each other's development opportunities rather than threats.

As long as the two countries keep to this overarching direction, specific matters in the bilateral relations will fall into place and there will be steady and sustained progress in bilateral ties, Xi said.

He said China and India are important members of the Global South, and shoulder the crucial responsibility of improving the well-being of the two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and advancing the progress of human society.

They should become good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed. A "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" should be the right choice for the two countries, he added.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic ties, Xi said the two countries need to view and handle the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective.

While the successful meeting between Xi and Modi in Kazan last year enabled the China-India relations to have a reset and start anew, the two sides should pursue a further improvement of ties from the Tianjin meeting onward, according to the Chinese president.

Xi called on the two countries to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win, accommodate each other's concerns and get along in peace and harmony, and strengthen multilateral coordination to safeguard shared interests.

The two Asian neighbors should combine their strength to maintain peace and tranquility in their border regions, and should not allow the boundary question to define the overall China-India relations, Xi said.

Xi called on the two countries to work together for a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations, and to make due contributions to peace and prosperity in Asia and the wider world.

Modi said since his meeting with Xi in Kazan last year, the bilateral relationship has been back on a positive trajectory, peace and stability in the border regions have been maintained, and direct flights are about to be resumed.

Noting that India and China are partners, not rivals, and the consensus between the two countries far outweighs their disagreement, Modi said India is ready to view and develop bilateral ties from a long-term perspective.

Given the great uncertainties in the world economy, it is vital for India and China to strengthen cooperation as important economies of the world, Modi said.

India is prepared to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question with China, he said.

Both countries pursue strategic autonomy and an independent foreign policy, and their bilateral relationship is not subject to the influence of any third party, said the Indian prime minister, adding that India-China cooperation will make the 21st century a genuine "Asian century."

Senior Chinese officials Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er were present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Editor: WXY
Six people, including a child, lost their lives on Monday while nine others were injured in a fatal crash involving a truck and a commercial bus at Ibeju Bus Stop along the LekkiEpe Expressway, Lagos State.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said the crash occurred on Monday when a blue Volvo FL6 truck loaded with wooden planks rammed into a white commercial bus with registration number AKD 336 YD.

According to officials, the fatalities included two men, three women, and a child. Four other occupants of the bus escaped unhurt.

LASTMAs Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, said operatives, with support from other emergency responders, swiftly rescued the survivors.

The nine injured survivors were immediately extricated and conveyed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Epe, and Hammond Hospital for urgent medical attention, he said.

He added that LASTMA worked in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps to evacuate victims and clear the accident scene.

LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, while commiserating with the bereaved families, cautioned motorists against overspeeding and other forms of reckless driving, especially during the Ember Months, a period often associated with frequent crashes.

He said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the FMC morgue in Epe, awaiting formal identification by their families, while the four survivors who escaped unhurt were given immediate attention by the LASTMA Rescue Unit.

Recent crash patterns

The Ibeju accident is the latest on recent series of fatal crashes in Lagos and neighbouring states in August.

Towards the end of last month, six people lost their lives while 19 others were injured in a crash along the LagosAbeokuta Expressway at Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) said the accident was caused by a tyre burst that led to a commercial bus somersaulting.

TRACE spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the driver of the bus was among the dead, while the motor boy sustained injuries.

He warned motorists against using fake or expired tyres, noting that the crash initially caused heavy traffic before it was cleared.

Similarly, on 18 August, one person died after his Toyota Highlander collided with a stationary commercial bus illegally picking passengers along the LagosBadagry Expressway at Mile 2.

The driver of the Highlander, travelling at high speed, reportedly lost control and rammed into the bus, dying on the spot.

LASTMA officials, who responded swiftly, evacuated the victim and cleared the wreckage to ease traffic congestion.

Condemning the Mile 2 crash, Mr Bakare-Oki reiterated that commercial drivers must desist from indiscriminate passenger pick-ups outside designated bus stops.

The sanctity of human life must never be compromised by recklessness on our highways. We shall continue to intensify enforcement and sustain public enlightenment campaigns to prevent needless tragedies, he said.
The Olubadan coronation committee has unveiled a week-long programme of events ahead of the formal installation of Rashidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan.

Chaired by Bayo Oyero, a former President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), the committee held its inaugural meeting on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to finalise preparations for the historic event scheduled for Friday, 26 September.

According to a statement issued by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, the meeting had in attendance the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters,. Demola Ojo, as well as other senior government officials and traditional representatives.

According to the statement, the coronation programme will begin on Monday, 22 September, with an interdenominational service at the Olubadan Palace in Oke Aremo, organised by the CCII.

This will be followed by a cultural day on Tuesday, jointly hosted by the CCII and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to celebrate Ibadans cultural heritage.

A coronation lecture, to be delivered by Toyin Falola, a professor of history, is also scheduled for the day.

On Thursday, a mega praise worship session will be held at the Civic Centre, Idi Ape, while the main coronation ceremony is slated for Friday, 26 September, at Mapo Hall in Ibadan.

The committee meeting was attended by key stakeholders including the Asipa Olubadan-designate, Hamidu Ajibade, and the Olubadans media aide, Aide, Adeola Oloko.

Also present were the Commissioners for Culture and Tourism, Women Affairs, and Information. The local government chairmen of Egbeda and Ibadan South-East represented the 11 councils in Ibadan, while a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly representing Ibadan South-East constituency was in attendance.

Officials from the governors office, including the Director-General of Protocol and Permanent Secretaries from relevant ministries, were also part of the planning session.

Mr Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, was recently confirmed as the 44th Olubadan following the passing of his predecessor, Owolabi Olakuleyin, on July 7.

He ruled for 11 months and 25 days.

Earlier in August, Governor Seyi Makinde paid a visit to the Olubadan-designate to pay homage to him.

In an X post, Governor Seyi said the visit offered an opportunity to  discuss preparations for the coronation ceremony which will be held soon.

We are so proud of our traditional institution in Ibadanland and its unique succession system, he said.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has applauded the the controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, to six years in prison in Finland.

We receive the good news of the conviction of the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Simon Ekpa, by the Finnish court.

His conviction for the charges of terrorism and other related offences filed against him by the Finnish government is a confirmation that Ekpa had influenced and committed heinous crimes against the Nigerian people, especially in the South East, Mr Fagbemi said in a statement on Monday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Paijat-Hame District Court in Finland sentenced Mr Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related charges.

The Nordic countrys court also convicted Mr Ekpa of aggravated tax fraud.

Mr Fagbemi commended the Finnish authorities for supporting Nigerian in the fight against insecurity, describing it as a signal of future collaboration.

Appropriate further actions would be taken upon receipt and understudying a copy of the judgement of the court, Mr Fagbemi added.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ekpa, 40, was arrested alongside four others on 21 November 2024 on suspicion of terrorist activities.

The Finnish police had said Mr Ekpa contributed to violence and crimes against civilians in South-eastern Nigeria.

The District Court of Paijat-Hame later ordered that the pro-Biafra agitator be imprisoned with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

A Nigerian-Finnish citizen, Mr Ekpa heads Autopilot, a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

The separatist group has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions, although it has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

Hours after the arrest, the IPOB faction loyal to Nnamdi Kanu disowned Mr Ekpa, explaining that the pro-Biafra agitator was never its member.

Mr Ekpa was initially indicted for financing terrorism alongside the four other suspects.

The police suspected that the Biafra agitator committed the crime of collecting money in violation of the Finnish Money Collection Act.

The Finnish police said he allegedly committed the crimes between 23 August 2021 and 18 November 2024 in Lahti, a town in Finland.

However, the four other suspects were later released during preliminary investigation.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the district court had set May 2025 as the deadline for prosecutors to present possible charges against Mr Ekpa.

READ ALSO: Nigerian govt reacts to jailing of Simon Ekpa in Finland over terrorism

Mr Ekpa was charged in mid-May with public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent and participation in a terrorist group.

The prosecutor had said the charges were linked to Mr Ekpas secessionist activities in Biafra land.

In his first appearance in court on 30 May, the Biafra agitator denied terrorism charges against.
Health experts have criticised the weak accountability mechanisms in Nigerias health sector and called for statutory inclusion of civil society and other non-state actors in key financing structures to ensure transparency and better outcomes.

The experts made the call during a panel discussion at the ongoing National Health Financing Dialogue in Abuja on Monday.

The panel discussion was focused on Advancing Accountability in Health Financing: Improving Budget Transparency, Participatory Budgeting and Expenditure Tracking.

The dialogue brings together health officials, development partners, civil society groups and the private sector to craft new strategies for sustainable health financing in Nigeria.

The four-day event, themed Reimagining the Future of Health Financing in Nigeria, is expected to produce commitments to reduce out-of-pocket spending, improve accountability, and strengthen domestic funding for the health sector.

Call for civil society role

Gafar Alawode, Co-Convener of the Nigeria Universal Health Coverage (UCH) Forum, said Nigerias health financing framework risks failure without stronger accountability structures.

Mr Alawode noted that civil society organisations (CSOs) are often invited late into health policy conversations, limiting their ability to influence critical financing decisions.

We must institutionalise accountability beyond political promises. Citizens should not be waiting for goodwill; there should be structures in place that guarantee transparency in financing and delivery, he said.

He added that Nigerias health financing reform will remain fragile unless CSOs are embedded as watchdogs with power to question allocations and demand transparency.

He also said that a whole-of-society approach where government, private sector, and CSOs play complementary roles is necessary.

Speaking on CSOs moving beyond tokenism, Aminu Magashi, Coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network, said CSOs themselves must adopt more strategic approaches to remain relevant in policy reform.

Mr Magashi stated that the civil society space is fragmented, with organisations often focusing narrowly on malaria, family planning, or HIV, while the government negotiates reforms with minimal scrutiny.

He also explained that CSOs are often invited as observers rather than as statutory members of oversight structures.

If we are serious about accountability, we must move beyond token representation. There should be statutory provisions making CSO inclusion in financing boards mandatory, with clear agenda items for civil society to speak on transparency and accountability at every meeting, he said.

He added that the CSOs need to adopt the whole-of-policy-cycle approach which means being present at the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation stages.

Journalism as accountability partner

Moji Makanjuola, Founder of the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), said the media remains a critical player in strengthening accountability.

Ms Makanjuola noted that most journalists covering health lack training and institutional support to track complex health budgets and financing flows.

Without capacity building, many journalists cannot follow the numbers, and that creates a gap that allows misuse of funds to go unchecked, she said.

They need to ask the right questions. Without strong media scrutiny, health financing reforms will happen on paper only.

She added that beyond capacity, media houses must prioritise health financing reporting as a public accountability function, not merely as event coverage.

While highlighting the need to strengthen mediacivil society partnerships, she added that Nigeria lacks institutional frameworks for digital health at the state level, stressing the need for designated units within health ministries to manage accountability systems.

Youth demand inclusion in financing debates

Semiye Michael, Founder of DEAN Initiative said young people are being sidelined in Nigerias health financing reforms.

Mr Michael noted that despite youths making up the majority of Nigerias population, they are rarely given space in budget discussions or financing oversight.

He argued that the youths are not just beneficiaries of health services but critical stakeholders.

But today, our voices are absent when budgets are drafted and when resources are tracked, he said.

He added that excluding young people from accountability frameworks risks weakening reforms in the long run.

If the future of health financing is being discussed without the youth at the table, then we are only planning for half of Nigeria, he said.

Mr Michael also highlighted that youth groups are willing to track expenditure at the grassroots, using digital tools and community networks, but require structured entry points into the process.

Women and community voices in accountability

Hajia Hauwa Adamu, who represented the Association of Wives of FCT Traditional Rulers (AWTR), said accountability in health financing will fail unless women and communities are deliberately included.

Mrs Adamu noted that women, especially at the grassroots, are the first to experience the failures of poor health financing but are rarely consulted in budgeting and monitoring.

Women know when health centres have no drugs, when children are turned back, and when families cannot afford services. If the government ignores our voices, then accountability is incomplete, she said.

She added that traditional institutions and womens associations can serve as watchdogs to ensure health funds reach communities where they are most needed.

READ ALSO: Media professionals advocate inclusion in driving transparency for health financing

We must move beyond Abuja conversations. Transparency must be felt in villages, in primary health centres, and by mothers who are struggling every day.

Mrs Adamu also highlighted the role of traditional rulers wives in mobilising feedback from households, stressing that community-driven monitoring can complement CSO and media efforts.

The experts agreed that Nigerias health financing reforms risk failure if accountability mechanisms remain weak and civil society continues to play a peripheral role.

They concluded that statutory inclusion of CSOs, strengthening of media capacity, and institutionalisation of digital accountability tools are urgent steps required to ensure that ongoing reforms deliver value for money and protect the health of citizens.
GEJ should know that those importuning him for a tilt at the presidency in 2027 are clutching at withered straws. The judicial landscape he left in 2015 is radically different from what he will confront should he choose to throw his hat into the ring 12 years later in 2027. The odds are that, whatever GEJ does, his ambitions will fall to a judicial hit job made to look all very legal.

Seven years ago, in 2018, my good friend and former Dean of Law at the University of Ghana at Legon, Professor Raymond Atuguba, undertook a path-breaking study which sought to move away from the perception that Justices of the Supreme Court dispense justice impartially under a constitutional democracy and reflect on the influences on the Justices as they are taking decisions. The focus of the study was the influence of politics on judicial decision making in the Supreme Court of Ghana.

For this purpose, Mr Atuguba examined 78 judgments by 39 Justices of the Supreme Court (including six Chief Justices) over the first twenty-five years of Ghanas Fourth Republic, from 1993 to 2018, in political cases, while cross-matching the Justices who sat on the cases against the political parties or regimes which appointed them. As a functional matter, Atugubas study defined a political case to be one in which you have a political party or politician or politically exposed person as a party to a suit or where it revolves around issues that inure to the political, social, financial or other benefit of a political party or its operatives or known affiliates.

The conclusions were revealing but hardly shocking. The study found overwhelming correlation between Justices and the regimes that appointed them. It showed that in a majority of cases, the politics explained how the judges decided. In presenting the conclusions of the study, Mr Atuguba argued for the need to acknowledge political decision making by our Supreme Court.

Courts are not instruments of revolutionary change. On the contrary, most judges across the world see their roles primarily as being there to afford cover to the regime that appointed them or the system under which they work and, as Alexander Hamilton wrote, are defined by an unwillingness to hazard the displeasure of these political benefactors. It is unusual for judges, especially in a developing country, therefore, to defect from the path of support for a ruler or party in power.

This should explain the chronically anomalous jurisprudence that has become the routine of judicial decision-making in Nigeria under elective civilian government. Rather perversely, this situation should present politicians with the needed incentive to ensure that the countrys electoral system is credible, because once out of power, those who enjoyed the benefit of weaponised or situational court decisions suddenly find themselves at the receiving end.

The ambitions of President Jonathan in 2027 will rest on two different provisions of the 1999 constitution. Under section 137(1)(a), a person is disqualified from running for Nigerias presidency if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections. This provision was there when President Jonathan ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 2015. At the time, there was a considerable amount of murmuring about his ineligibility to run, having assumed office for the last year following the death of Umaru YarAdua in May 2010.

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan  also known as GEJ  now finds himself in this situation. As the country prepares for a presidential election in less than 18 months, it now seems certain that GEJ seeks a return to the partisan fray. The man himself has made moves which clearly indicate that he is giving this more than an active consideration. If he were to choose to run for the presidency, his political brand is likely to be #GEJ2027.

Influential columnist, Chidi Amuta, has counselled GEJ to flee from the importuning of those who want to draft him into the 2027 contest. Should he choose to ignore that, however, the likelihood is that the judges will have the final say on his ambitions. It does not require a lot of imagination to see why or how such a case will be decided under the present dispensation.

The ambitions of President Jonathan in 2027 will rest on two different provisions of the 1999 constitution. Under section 137(1)(a), a person is disqualified from running for Nigerias presidency if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections. This provision was there when President Jonathan ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 2015. At the time, there was a considerable amount of murmuring about his ineligibility to run, having assumed office for the last year following the death of Umaru YarAdua in May 2010.

Having been on the presidential ticket with YarAdua in 2007 and again at the top of the ticket in 2011, it was arguable in 2015 that GEJ had previously been elected to such office twice and was therefore barred from running again. However, it was beyond improbable that a judge could be found at the time to rely on that argument to preclude a sitting president from running.

In 2027, however, two things will be different. First, two years after GEJ left office, in 2017, the fourth alteration to the Constitution (no. 16), introduced section 137(3), which provides that: A person who was sworn-in as President to complete the term for which another person was elected as President shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term. This will put GEJs eligibility directly in issue. The question will be simple: having inherited the presidency from President YarAdua and served a full elected term from 2011 to 2015, is he still eligible to run again in 2027?

The suit will slow walk its way to a decision. Then, suddenly, around the week before the vote, judgment will come down restraining the party from presenting GEJ as a candidate and restraining the INEC from having him on the ballot. Any serious threat to the incumbents ambitions will have been judicially squelched. The script is so easily authored, the ruling party must be licking its chops at the idea of a Jonathan candidacy. There can be no better political gift for the incumbent president and his ruling party.

On that question, the judges will not be apolitical. In litigation, this will be presented as a legal question. In reality, it is a political one and this is where the second issue arises. Where in 2015, GEJ enjoyed the favours of judicial complaisance and the presumption against judicial defection from incumbents, that presumption would count against him in 2027. And where in 2015, no judge could be found to bump him from the race under the cover of judicial ceremony, there will be no end to the number of judges happy to oblige the incumbent in 2027 with precisely that kind of judicial cover for a political hit job.

The only issue will be the timing of such a judgment. A ruling party looking to make the most of this situation will probably lend its organising and marketing assets with deniability to the promotion of the ambitions of GEJ, to begin with. That is the easiest way to decimate the ranks of the opposition. By omission or commission, a putative #GEJ2027 project will suck most of the oxygen from the ranks of other opposition candidates. It will be in the interest of the ruling party to egg him on until he secures the ticket of a major party for the contest.

At that point of no return, an innocuous looking legal challenge will materialise questioning GEJs eligibility to run under the constitution. They will sue him, his party, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and will ask the courts to restrain INEC from recognising him as a candidate in the election.

The suit will slow walk its way to a decision. Then, suddenly, around the week before the vote, judgment will come down restraining the party from presenting GEJ as a candidate and restraining the INEC from having him on the ballot. Any serious threat to the incumbents ambitions will have been judicially squelched. The script is so easily authored, the ruling party must be licking its chops at the idea of a Jonathan candidacy. There can be no better political gift for the incumbent president and his ruling party.

GEJ should know that those importuning him for a tilt at the presidency in 2027 are clutching at withered straws. The judicial landscape he left in 2015 is radically different from what he will confront should he choose to throw his hat into the ring 12 years later in 2027. The odds are that, whatever GEJ does, his ambitions will fall to a judicial hit job made to look all very legal. He can choose to risk it, safe in the assurance that his ambitions will be crushed in the laps of the judges; Or he can choose to continue in the life of a statesman who still has a lot to offer to his country in meaningful leadership.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through [email protected].


At its core, this issue is about more than visas. It is about fairness, reciprocity, and human dignity. Nigerians deserve to know why their travel rights are being revoked. If the US government has legitimate grounds, those grounds must be clearly stated. Cryptic references to new information are not enough between two nations that claim to be partners.

In recent weeks, an unsettling trend has quietly unfolded: the United States Embassy in Nigeria has begun revoking valid visas previously issued to Nigerian citizens. This is not rumour or speculation. Dozens of affected Nigerians  professionals, entrepreneurs, and frequent travellers  have received formal letters instructing them to submit their passports at the consulate in Lagos or Abuja, only to have their visas unceremoniously canceled.

What makes this development even more alarming is the veil of silence surrounding it. I have personally reviewed at least eight such cancellation letters. The notices cite Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122 as the legal basis, vaguely stating that new information became available after the visa was issued. Beyond that, nothing is explained. No evidence is shared. No avenue for appeal is offered. Recipients are merely advised to reapply if they wish  an instruction that provides no comfort to those suddenly stripped of their mobility.

For many, this is not just about stamps on a passport. These visas are lifelines for education, family reunions, medical treatment, and critical business. To have them snatched away without explanation is to leave lives suspended in confusion and despair.

Among those affected is a prominent Nigerian journalist, the head of a federal parastatal scheduled to deliver an international address, and a respected Abuja entrepreneur with a spotless travel record. Each had to abruptly cancel engagements, refund tickets, and explain to partners abroad why they could no longer show up. In some cases, the humiliation has been unbearable: travellers discovering at the airport, sometimes even at boarding gates, that their visas had been quietly invalidated. A few were briefly detained by immigration authorities before being sent home in shame.

These are people who never overstayed their visas, never violated immigration rules, and never raised red flags. So what changed?

The wave of cancellations appears to reflect an unspoken tightening of US visa policy toward Nigerian travellers. Since the late 2010s, Washington has steadily increased the scrutiny of nationals from high-migration countries, with Nigeria frequently on that list. Leaked documents from the first Trump administration revealed guidance that encouraged officers to flag entire demographics rather than review cases individually. What Nigerians face today seems to be a continuation, if not an escalation, of that troubling practice.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must urgently respond by issuing a public statement, lodging a formal protest, and demanding clarity. Failure to act diminishes Nigerias dignity and leaves its citizens vulnerable to arbitrary treatment. Diplomats owe it to Nigerians to press for transparency, insist on accountability, and defend the rights of those who have abided by every rule, yet now find themselves punished without cause.

At its core, this issue is about more than visas. It is about fairness, reciprocity, and human dignity. Nigerians deserve to know why their travel rights are being revoked. If the US government has legitimate grounds, those grounds must be clearly stated. Cryptic references to new information are not enough between two nations that claim to be partners.

This is a quiet crisis with devastating human costs. Careers are disrupted, families are torn apart, dreams are deferred, and dignity is diminished. Nigerians remain stranded in a cruel limbo, their plans destroyed and their future uncertain.

Olufemi Soneye is a media strategist and former chief corporate communications officer of NNPC Ltd.
Who is keeping the people of northern Nigeria down? How can the people of the region be rescued from the vice grip of poverty suffocating their social, political and economic life?

These are the questions that come to mind when one considers the recent alarm raised by the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, supported by several socio-political groups in the North, that the federal government was marginalising the northern region of the country.

Kwankwaso alleged that the Tinubu administration was sidelining the northern region and that national resources were being disproportionately channelled towards developing southern Nigeria. He attributed the endemic poverty and insecurity in the region, as well as infrastructural decay to the neglect of the region by the Tinubu administration.

Garment Factory

Kwankwaso alleged that a garment factory slated to be built in Ogun State with a $2 billion loan by Arise IIP, ought to have been sited in the North because the North was the natural environment for growing cotton. But the truth is that the project is a collaboration between the Ogun State government and Arise IP, a pan-African industrial park developer. The mega factory, whose construction starts in September, will be located in the Special Agro Industrial Processing Zone of Ogun States new airport city with a capacity to produce 4.4 million garments daily. About 150,000 jobs will be created when the project goes on stream.

Every state has a right to find a way to take its people out of poverty. Generally speaking, in my interactions with street children in the North, I find them as sharp-witted and as imaginative as their southern counterparts. But who is going to liberate them from the millstone of illiteracy and poverty holding them down?

When faced with a more daunting version of the same problem, the Chinese did not bother to chant the book of lamentations. They introduced market-oriented policies which allowed the private sector to flourish, leading to the growth of township and village enterprises (TVEs) and a booming manufacturing sector which created millions of low- and moderate-skilled jobs. Eventually, they lifted nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty!

Although not a politician, I am a keen observer of how political players continue to showcase the ancient sport of using one loaf of bread to scoop all the stew in the plate in the name of political wizardry. This ancient sleight-of-hand doesnt impress Gen-Zs one bit. Rather, theyre asking governors to show evidence of what they have done with the huge loans many of them have taken.

Ubuntu

I fervently believe that I am because we are (Ubuntu). I dont have to be Hausa or Fulani, Bachama or Kanuri to comment on goings-on in the North, although politicians from that part of the country would want to play their ethnic games by labelling any analyst from outside the zone as an outsider. Some Southern politicians play that game too.

In the last 26 years of our Fourth Republic, I have argued that an implosion was imminent in the northern states with the way politicians from the various parties took the people for granted by deploying available resources in the service of self and narrow interests, while the people wallowed in poverty and ignorance. There is poverty all over the country but that of the northern states is especially biting.

It appears that the northern masses have been socialised to believe that the Federal Government owes them a living and therefore it is in their interest for one of their own to emerge as the tenant of the presidential palace. Even though this has been proved to be a lie over and over again  as exemplified by the successive Northern-led military heads of state of the bygone martial era and the recent eight years tenure of President Buhari  the Northern masses are still being told that the cause of their poverty is the Southerner occupying the state house.

Lets be clear, there is no difference between the level of rapaciousness of Northern politicians and their Southern counterparts. However, the Northern politicians seem to have perfected the weaponisation of ethnicity and religion in selling their agenda. And this weaponisation is done in such a way as to give the impression that the North is a mono-cultural and mono-religious entity.

Some analysts have pooh-poohed the refusal of the Northern elite to take responsibility for the state of affairs in their region. It is common knowledge that other parts of the country have spent quite a bit of money on Western education in the last 70 years, while Northern politicians promoted their own idea of Arabic education to justify the Almajiri system in which Koranic students are made to beg for a living as part of their training.

Columnists and civil society activists over the years have begged the northern political elite across political divides to make the eradication of the almajiri system their priority in order to restore some dignity to the underprivileged. There are over 15 million almajiri children all over the northern states. They have no education and their prospects in the modern world are bleak. They constitute a ready army from which any terrorist group could draw recruits. Having lived on the streets for many years, an adolescent almajiri is primed for life as a bandit or terrorist or some other kind of outlaw.

Almajiranci

Those who glamorise almajiranci would never recommend it for their own offspring, as we see the elite trooping to Europe and America every summer for the graduation of their own children, while the children of the poor wander about the streets searching for food in the name of religion. Every state in the North has enough money to start an emergency programme to remove these children from the streets but they are not interested. Several years ago, when President Jonathan constructed federally funded schools for the almajiri all over the North, the elite rose against him saying the president was implementing a hidden agenda.

It was a case of, damned if you intervene (Ah, youre killing Muslims!) and damned if you dont (youre allowing terrorists to decimate our population!)

Truth be told, it is unfair on almajiri children to be denied the avenues for self-realisation available to their counterparts down south. The girl-children among them are doubly disadvantaged. They are railroaded into child marriages when their minds and bodies are not yet ready for such responsibilities.

If the governors of the 19 northern states, their political elite and their religious and traditional establishments call a meeting and fix a timeline for ending the almajiri problem in their states, the issue would be resolved. But each time they all gather, it is to strategise on how power will return to the North, so that they can continue to ride in the gravy train. This is systemic violence against the people  as dreadful as the dog-eat-dog violence unleashed by Boko Haram and bandits who routinely depopulate the region.

Internal Colonialism

If you have your ears to the ground, youll also hear that some of the dog-eat-dog barbarity is caused by bitterness over internal colonialism, where an ethnic group not indigenous to a place perpetually provides the traditional and political leadership, consigning the aborigine majority to serfdom.

Perhaps, before any politician is tempted to play the ethnic card in attempting to ingratiate himself with his people, he should first take a good look in the mirror.

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on [email protected], Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021
The Lagos Illusion

A viral chart recently made the rounds, loudly proclaiming that Lagos alone received 3.9 trillion worth of federal projects.

To the casual observer, it seemed a damning indictment: as if the federal treasury had been converted into a Lagos development fund.

But closer inspection tells a different story. That chart bundles together national infrastructurefederal highways, coastal transport corridors, and strategic legacy roadsand labels them Lagos-only projects. By that logic, the KanoMaiduguri expressway could just as easily be called a Maiduguri-only project. Such sleight of hand ignores a central truth: these are not local trophies. They are the arteries of a national economy.

When properly disaggregated, Lagos exclusive projects  airport fencing, Carter Bridge rehabilitation, localised upgradesamount to about 1.2 trillion.

The much-touted 2.7 trillion are highways and transport links that pass through Lagos but serve the entire federation. In short, Lagos is not swallowing the budget. What is happening is far more important: Nigeria is being stitched together, city to city, region to region, economy to economy.

The Northwest Reality

The real numbers paint a very different picture:

 North West: 5.97 trillion (over 40% of all approvals)

 South South: 2.41 trillion

 North Central: 1.13 trillion

 South East: 407 billion

 North East: 400 billion

 South West (excluding Lagos): 604 billion

 Lagos (exclusive projects): 1.2 trillion

The conclusion is inescapable. The Northwestnot Lagosholds the lions share of federal projects. By every measure, it is the single largest beneficiary of President Tinubus approvals.

Infrastructure as National Glue, Not Constituency Trophy

This is where the debate must shift. Infrastructure should never be reduced to a regional scoreboard, as though every road is a prize to be shared

and every bridge a trophy to be flaunted. Roads, rail, and power plants are not gifts to a favoured constituencythey are the veins and lifelines of one national economy.

The farmer in Katsina needs a market in Lagos. The trader in Aba depends on goods flowing through Kano. The student in Sokoto requires the national grid as much as her counterpart in Port Harcourt. Federal projects must be understood as national investments designed to connect Nigeria to itself, and ultimately to the world.

The real prize is not the ribbon-cutting in any one location. The prize is the commerce, energy, and opportunity that flow across borders once those roads and power plants are in place.

Tinubus Northwest Compact

Let us speak plainly: without the Northwest, there would be no Tinubu presidency. The President knows this. He has neither forgotten nor been ungrateful.

Consider the Kaduna Power Plant (255MW)  conceived under the late President Umaru Musa YarAdua but abandoned for years. Today, under Tinubu, it is being revived.

That plant is not merely a power project; it is a symbol of continuity, recognition, and reward for the North.

Add to this the KadunaKano expressway, the KanoMaiduguri highway, the SokotoIllela corridor, and unprecedented investments in education and security infrastructure.

These are not footnotes. They are the backbone of a deliberate Northwest-first investment strategykilometre by kilometre, megawatt by megawatt.

The Coming Beltway Transformation

And this is only the beginning. By the time the Tinubu National Beltway Project is prepared and approveda bold L-shaped corridor connecting Calabar in the South-South to Maiduguri in the North East, and from there across to Sokoto in the North WestNigerias infrastructural map will be redrawn.

This single project will bind together the South South, North Central, North East, and North West in an unbroken chain of modern highways, economic corridors, and logistics hubs. It will not only transform those regions, but also unlock a continental trade artery.

Above all, it will be the national economy and our productive citizensfarmers, traders, manufacturers, transportersthat will benefit most. With faster connectivity, reduced logistics costs, and greater market access, wealth creation will spread, and prosperity will deepen.

That is the logic of national infrastructure: not as a prize to be shared, but as a platform for shared growth.

Propaganda vs. Progress

The danger of the viral infographic is not its statistical error alone. It is the deliberate attempt to incite division: Lagos versus Kano, Southwest against Northwest,

one regions progress pitched as anothers exclusion. That is not budgeting. That is political blackmail.

But Nigerians are wiser. The record is clear:

 Lagos remains Nigerias commercial hub, rightly upgraded.

 The Northwest is Nigerias electoral fortress, richly rewarded.

 Every region receives its due, because Tinubu budgets for one economy, one country, one people.

Beyond Rumors: A Record Written in Concrete and Kilowatts

History will not remember colorful viral graphics. It will remember the farmers in Katsina whose produce now reaches new markets, the lights in Kaduna powered by YarAduas plant, revived by Tinubu, and the schools and hospitals rising across Sokoto and Zamfara.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not marginalized the North. He has trusted it, invested in it, and rewarded it.

That is the record. That is the fact. That is the truth.

And no infographic, however deceptive, can bury it.

Tanimu Yakubu is the director-general, Budget Office of the Federation.
Strategic autonomy, as defined by Tuggar and the Tinubu administration, is an active foreign policy doctrine with emphasis on autonomy in decision-making, with the realisation of Nigerias national interest being the primary objective. The Tuggar doctrine speaks to Nigeria not being caged by the boxes of Concentricism or Afrocentrism, while embracing the principles enunciated in Nigerias Constitution, being the fons et origo of Nigerias foreign policy.

Flavor Flav has problems of his own,

I cant do nuttin for ya man.  Public Enemy

Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, took quite a few people by surprise during a live TV interview when, in addressing the reported demand by the US for Nigeria to accept deportees from Venezuela, he instinctively tapped on a punchline from the American rap group, Public Enemy, to make the point about Nigerias unwillingness to bow to pressure from the United States of America to accept Venezuelan deportees. It was a line by Flavor Flav, in the song Fight the Power: Flavor Flav got problems of his own, I cant do nuttin for ya man, and Tuggar rode on the back of that line, saying, We have enough problems of our own; we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees.

The message was simple  Nigeria has more than enough on its plate at the moment; the question of taking on more does not arise. Perhaps it was the flavour he brought to his delivery that made it resonate not just with the Americans, but even at home. Apparently, it is a language that Tuggar is at home with, as the subsequent release of his all-time top 10 rap songs, all-American, has now confirmed. As it has turned out, that one-liner has helped to underscore the Tuggar Doctrine of Strategic Autonomy along with the 4Ds framework (Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora), which he laid out as pillars around which Nigerias foreign policy would be redefined upon assuming office as Nigerias Foreign Affairs minister, two years ago.

The Doctrine of Strategic Autonomy, Tuggar stated, is the fulcrum of the Tinubu administrations foreign policy, providing the clarity to engage with any and all nations on the basis of our national interests and not those of others. It was a statement to the effect that Nigerias foreign policy was going to be defined by independence of thought in accordance with the national interest, with emphasis on national sovereignty, regional cooperation, and leveraging Nigerias diaspora and economic assets. As a nation, Nigeria is adult and sophisticated enough to deal with countries without being unduly influenced, because that has been part of our historical and civic tradition, Tuggar submitted.

While what that meant might not have been clear to some observers at the time, especially when the Minister also argued, rightly so, that the foreign policy thrust of Nigeria is a constitutional imperative, with the Constitution taking precedence over the manifesto of a political party or predilections of a particular politician. While Professor Bola Akinterinwa cites five principles (foundational, Pan-Africanist, Circumstantial, Internationally-inherited, and Constitutional) around which Nigerias foreign policy revolves, Tuggars view is that the grundnorm are the five foreign policy objectives listed in the Constitution: promotion and protection of the national interest, African integration and support for African unity, promotion of international cooperation for peace and mutual respect, respect of international law and treaty obligations, and promotion of a just world economic order. The Doctrine of Strategic Autonomy, like that of Concentricism and others enunciated by previous Ministers of Foreign Affairs, is an interpretation of the constitutional charge, in line with the times and the strategic thinking to deal with it. Tuggars point is that, the contemporary nation-state system is highly competitive and Nigeria exists in a self-help world(the) Constitution and international laws are meant to serve as guardrails in navigating the system.

Scholars of Nigerias foreign policy are largely in agreement that the character and trajectory of Nigerias engagement with the world since the attainment of independence have largely been defined by the idiosyncrasies and outlook of the leaders at the helm of affairs. Two things discernible from a run-through of the different administrations are the correlation between domestic politics and foreign policy on one hand, as well as the central role played by leadership in the direction of Nigerias foreign policy and in the perception and determination of what constitutes national interest, which invariably is whatever leadership says it is. In the words of Professor Joy Ogwu, Nigerias foreign policy has, over time, been a reflection of the fundamental instincts of those who make it.

Whereas Nigerias foreign policy outlook has been largely framed over the years around the doctrine of concentric circles, which prioritised Nigerias immediate neighbourhood, followed by the sub-region, the continent, and the world, in that order, which then propelled an Africa-centric posture, it does appear though that Tuggars doctrine of strategic autonomy, while not jettisoning the principles undergirding that posture, adopts a broader and more dynamic outlook to engagement

Just as the imprints of the leaders (military and civilian) on foreign policy direction are evident, so are the signatures of the different Foreign Affairs ministers over time. From Jaja Wachuku, who laid the foundations of Nigerias foreign policy by championing Nigerias sovereignty, Pan-Africanism, and anti-colonial stance, and a commitment to the principle of non-alignment in the early years after independence, all the way to Geoffrey Onyeama, who was the minister in office before Yusuf Tuggar, each applied his understanding in forging a foreign policy framework best suited to the domestic realities of the country and the global environment at the time.

It is within that frame of reference that Minister Yusuf Tuggars doctrine of strategic autonomy and the 4Ds framework (Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora), as tools for a redefinition of Nigerias foreign policy in tandem with President Bola Tinubus worldview and reforms-led economic agenda, sit. This is a strategic framework with emphasis on an independent, national interest-driven diplomacy, with focus on national sovereignty, regional cooperation, and leveraging Nigerias demographic, diaspora and economic assets to achieve its foreign policy objectives, with the current realities and prospects for the future as a guide.

Whereas Nigerias foreign policy outlook has been largely framed over the years around the doctrine of concentric circles, which prioritised Nigerias immediate neighbourhood, followed by the sub-region, the continent, and the world, in that order, which then propelled an Africa-centric posture, it does appear though that Tuggars doctrine of strategic autonomy, while not jettisoning the principles undergirding that posture, adopts a broader and more dynamic outlook to engagement, such that Nigerias priority is firmly the attainment of national interest through autonomy in thought and strategy. Even if the vehicles through which that is achieved are neighbours, other than by territorial contiguity.

The Tuggar doctrine is particularly interesting, because it stands its ground on the age-old fundamentals of Nigerias foreign policy, firmly embracing these principles as constitutional imperatives. He argues that in reality, the contemporary nation-state system is highly competitive and Nigeria is now a country guided by the rule of law and a constitution that clearly defines our system of government. This includes our foreign policy objectives, and rightly so, because in an interconnected world, we define our sovereignty in the context of certain key principles The same Chapter of the Constitution goes on to state [Nigerias five foreign policy objectives: promotion and protection of the national interest, African integration and support for African unity, promotion of international cooperation for peace and mutual respect, respect of international law and treaty obligations and promotion of a just world economic order. Those who suggest Nigeria does not have a foreign policy or those who agitate for a shift away from an Afro-centric foreign policy are wrong; either they are ill-informed or deliberately disingenuous.

So, in advocating for Nigerias continued leadership in Africa, which he reminds us is further reified by the Constitution, Tuggar has a unique depth of understanding of regional issues and the world at large that appears to have influenced his outlook and doctrine of strategic autonomy, which makes it particularly interesting. In reality, the contemporary nation-state system is highly competitive and Nigeria exists in a self-help world. Our Constitution and international laws are meant to serve as guardrails in navigating the system The Tinubu administration comes at a time when an interlocking suite of occurrences have made our neighbourhood less secure; the implosion of Libya, failure of the EU Sahel Strategy, terrorism and criminal gangs, effects of climate change and population explosion. Nigeria did not create these challenges and was equally contending with its own domestic issue as these challenges escalated.

It is a more nuanced and proactive approach to foreign policy in the light of contemporary geopolitical realities and Nigerias aspirations for economic development and greater influence in the region and on the world stage, which might explain what has been a renewed vigour in the footsteps of Nigeria around the globe. Someday, in reviewing the foreign policy thrust of the Tinubu administration, Yusuf Tuggar, throwing in a line from Public Enemy, might stand out as one of the defining moments.

It is within that context that Tuggar had argued that to achieve a lasting peace in Libya and the Sahel, Nigeria needs to deal with all the countries in the neighbourhood, as well as all the major powers(as) it does not make sense to simply deduce that Nigeria has to distance itself from France because that is the prevailing trend in its former colonies. His preference is for pragmatic engagement, even while pushing for regional cohesion through ECOWAS, while maintaining an active profile in the stage, without the encumbrances that might come on account of ideological alignments and other interests.

One does not have to listen to Public Enemy to come to the realisation that Tuggar leans towards a more assertive diplomatic posture. Nigeria is adult and sophisticated enough to deal with countries without being unduly influenced, because that has been part of our historical and civic tradition. Nigerias principle of strategic autonomy is one that abhors the presence of foreign forces and private military companies in our region, whether from east or west, he says.

There is a sense of self-assurance and clarity of focus and agenda-led purpose to Nigerias steps around the world of late that might even be mistaken for bravado. It is good to see how the relationship between Republica Federativa do Brasil, the largest country in South America, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the largest country in Africa, has evolved, and is strengthening by the day, even though the relationship between Brazil and the US, with which Nigeria has also managed to maintain a cordial relationship, is at an all-time low. It is instructive that Nigeria has been able to navigate its way around this intricate web being spun by President Trumps unconventional approach to international relations and his determination to crush BRICS. It is also good to see the rapport between President Tinubu and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

From a start that saw critics panning the Tinubu administration for its management of Nigerias foreign policy, particularly in the manner in which the crises led to the decision by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS and later form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), it is evident that the foreign policy machinery has fully come into its own. A firm and decisive direction is beginning to emerge, helping with a proper appreciation of the Tuggar Doctrine and Tinubu-plomacy, as some call it. The Doctrine of Strategic Autonomy has been likened to the principle of non-alignment as enunciated and pursued by the Tafawa Balewa regime, but while there might be a ring of that to it, and might even be built on that legacy, it has attributes that stand it apart. His version of non-alignment is not passive. It is active, thoughtful, and assertive, Umar Farouk Bala says.

Strategic autonomy, as defined by Tuggar and the Tinubu administration, is an active foreign policy doctrine with emphasis on autonomy in decision-making, with the realisation of Nigerias national interest being the primary objective. The Tuggar doctrine speaks to Nigeria not being caged by the boxes of Concentricism or Afrocentrism, while embracing the principles enunciated in Nigerias Constitution, being the fons et origo of Nigerias foreign policy. It speaks to clarity and independence in decision-making, with pragmatism being the core driver in managing relationships with neighbours and global powers in a world that has become increasingly multidimensional. It is a more nuanced and proactive approach to foreign policy in the light of contemporary geopolitical realities and Nigerias aspirations for economic development and greater influence in the region and on the world stage, which might explain what has been a renewed vigour in the footsteps of Nigeria around the globe. Someday, in reviewing the foreign policy thrust of the Tinubu administration, Yusuf Tuggar, throwing in a line from Public Enemy, might stand out as one of the defining moments.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigerias foreign policy, a communications consultant, and managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Email: [email protected]
For the two-State solution to come to fruition, however, a number of guiding principles must be accepted as sacrosanct by all the critical stakeholders. The first relates to the need to forget trying to establish the original and/or legitimate owner of the contentious land of Palestine. Such an effort, at this point, is made unnecessary by the little prospects it holds for the cause of peace, either way. It must also be acknowledged that in this conflict, no party  neither Israel nor Hamas  is an angel. There are enough blames to go round in the way the latest phase of the conflict has unfolded.

It should be evident by now that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not so much about religion, but basically a clash of two nationalisms, one Arab, the other Jewish. As we noted in a 2021 paper, Xenophobia as bogeyman: The post-apartheid State in South Africa, the most appropriate theoretical framework for robustly analysing such a conflict is new nationalism  predicated on the demonisation of the other and its casting as an existential threat to the self. This gives a conflict of this nature a zero-sum game flavour, whereby your adversarys gain is your loss; with no grey areas allowed and allowable. No conflict of this nature has lent itself to easy resolution in all of history.

I was tapped by the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) to appear on its 16th Platform, on 21 November, 2023, barely one month after the outbreak of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, to make a presentation, explicating the critical issues at stake in practically the worlds most intractable conflict.

I had noted in the presentation that the Israeli Defence Forces campaign in Gaza was atrocious; but had, as at that date, not measured up to genocide, when appropriately conceptualised as an act predicated upon the intent to destroy or exterminate an ethnic, racial, national, or religious group, either in whole or in part. What, in my opinion, Israel was onto in the war  its strategic, if hidden goal  at the time, was the expulsion of inhabitants of Gaza from the northern part of the Strip, with a view to making the territory available for permanent occupation of its citizens. While the latter part of my prognosis has proven to be valid, the former, on genocide, may now be a bit too difficult to sustain, in light of developments in the theatre of war since then, including the virtual destruction of all of Gaza, and sustained pressure on the remaining population there to leave.

Of critical relevance here also is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus reported likening of Palestinian Arabs to the biblical Amalekites, whose complete extermination was ordered by God, in a clear directive to Saul, the first king of Israel. This is a very troubling imagery! There is also the weaponisation of hunger in Gaza, epitomised by the recent formal proclamation of famine in the territory; and, of course, the very latest in the string of abuses  the Israeli governments announced commitment to formally annexe a chunk of Gaza, evidently to erase the agitation for the two-State solution, which remains the only rational way out of the lingering conflict.

For the two-State solution to come to fruition, however, a number of guiding principles must be accepted as sacrosanct by all the critical stakeholders. The first relates to the need to forget trying to establish the original and/or legitimate owner of the contentious land of Palestine. Such an effort, at this point, is made unnecessary by the little prospects it holds for the cause of peace, either way. It must also be acknowledged that in this conflict, no party  neither Israel nor Hamas  is an angel. There are enough blames to go round in the way the latest phase of the conflict has unfolded.

the world must find a way to persuade Israel to accept the principle of inadmissibility of land through military conquest, and thus a return to the pre-1967 War borders. This is to make way for the establishment of a Palestinian State, as complement to recognition of the right of Israel to exist within secured borders  as laid out in UNSC Resolution 242 of 22 November, 1967. Fifthly, it should go without saying that thereafter, neighbouring oil-rich Arab States would have to lead the fund drive to give effect to the proper functioning of the new Palestinian State.

Thirdly, it must be accepted that the State of Israel is not going to be let off the stranglehold of Zionists for a long time to come; and no solution should be predicated upon that possibility. Zionism remains a political-cum-ideological movement that is committed to the idea of a Greater Israel; implying that Jews have a divine right to solely inhabit the entire Palestine, including what it references as Judea and Samaria (i.e., West Bank). It is thus understandable that not all Jews are Zionists, but the latter have completely dominated the political landscape since 1948; and that hold is not ending soon.

Fourthly, the world must find a way to persuade Israel to accept the principle of inadmissibility of land through military conquest, and thus a return to the pre-1967 War borders. This is to make way for the establishment of a Palestinian State, as complement to recognition of the right of Israel to exist within secured borders  as laid out in UNSC Resolution 242 of 22 November, 1967. Fifthly, it should go without saying that thereafter, neighbouring oil-rich Arab States would have to lead the fund drive to give effect to the proper functioning of the new Palestinian State.

In the context of prevailing circumstances, either of two pathways leads to the two-State solution. The first is to secure the buy-in of the US  undoubtedly Israels most important and consistent ally, and by far the single largest and most potent global power. While this has proven quite difficult to achieve over the years, a well calibrated leveraging of the transactional proclivity of US President Donald Trump may become quite useful in pulling this through at this time. This would be made easier if the commitment of the Arab oil-rich nations to fund the project could be obtained.

The second option is some form of eye-ball-to-eye-ball diplomacy, which I had hinted at in a piece published by, among others, ThisDay newspaper on 11 December , 2023 and PREMIUM TIMES on 12 December, 2023. This is a situation in which any great power, with enough clout and consequence, and the right level of indignation about Israels unending campaign in Gaza, will issue a firm demand that the war must be stopped forthwith by the State of Israel, with the threat of some excruciating sanctions accompanying possible non-compliance. In focus here is the type of ultimatum on Britain, France and Israel issued by former Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, over the 1956 Suez Canal War; and the one by his successor, Leonid Brezhnev, on the US and Israel, on 24 October, 1973, in the wake of the Yom Kippur War. Both accomplished the purpose for which they were issued  the immediate halt to a destructive armed campaign.

Nothing, outside of these two propositions, has any prospect of facilitating the two-State solution today. Europe, in the manner of its diplomatic fawning over Trump on Ukraine, has demonstrated its ineffectuality without US leadership. This is why the French promise of the recognition of the State of Palestine, come September, and the associated flurry of announcements of the same by other European countries, are, in the words of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, meaningless in practical terms, outside of US support. It is also the case that the Israeli military dominance of the Middle East is no more in doubt, not with the vanquishing of Hezbollah; virtual destruction of Gaza, and decapitation (if not defeat) of Hamas.

One would have thought that the Arab Spring of 2011, and the massive change it unleashed in the region, was indicative of revolutionary maturity on the part of Arab civil society; but it would now seem, all of that was a fluke. Meanwhile, a UNSC Resolution 678 type, through which the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait was terminated, is not feasible in todays badly fractured UN Security Council, even in the face of Israels unveiling of its new game plan on West Bank (E1) and Gaza City annexation  to all intents and purposes, practical ways of frustrating the two-State solution

Also important in the equation is Israel/US recent 12-day war with Iran. Quite intriguing, but also relevant to all of these, is the demonstrable powerlessness of the entire Arab world in this whole business. These are mostly illegitimate and ineffectual regimes that have become completely irrelevant in the evolving power game. The candle of state-centric resistance in the Arab world, would seem to have practically burned out. But a more intriguing trend here is the total quietude of the Arab populations, made more so by the stark contrast it evokes in comparison with massive street demonstrations in faraway climes in Europe, North America, and practically all around the world, against the ongoing carnage in Gaza.

One would have thought that the Arab Spring of 2011, and the massive change it unleashed in the region, was indicative of revolutionary maturity on the part of Arab civil society; but it would now seem, all of that was a fluke. Meanwhile, a UNSC Resolution 678 type, through which the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait was terminated, is not feasible in todays badly fractured UN Security Council, even in the face of Israels unveiling of its new game plan on West Bank (E1) and Gaza City annexation  to all intents and purposes, practical ways of frustrating the two-State solution initiative, and making a future Palestinian State incongruous and impracticable.

Add to this, Netanyahus determination to sustain the war, as a diversionary measure away from his having to answer to corruption allegations against him; the failure of intelligence in the 7 October, 2023; Hamas breach of Israeli security, which took place on his watch; and the desire to keep in place the most far-right government in Israeli history, at all cost, including through the bursting of opportunities for ending the war and bringing the remaining Israeli hostages home, as seen in the manner his government bucked the March ceasefire deal, when it was about to enter its second and more consequential phase.

The foregoing summarises our presentation, as one of three guest speakers, at the Academy of International Affairs (AIA) virtual seminar, hosted by the doyen of International Relations scholarship in Nigeria, Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi, on 23 August, on the theme: Breaking the Stalemate: Fresh Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Femi Mimiko (mni) is a professor of Political Science at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected].
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Erdogan is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in China's port city of Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

China and Trkiye are both emerging major countries with a spirit of independence, Xi said, adding that the high-level development of bilateral relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries as well as the common interests of the Global South.

Xi called on both countries to grasp the global trend of peace, development, and win-win cooperation, and work together to build a global governance system that is more just and equitable.

Noting that next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Trkiye, Xi said the two sides should take the opportunity to enhance bilateral ties. They should cement political mutual trust, support each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, and strengthen cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism and security.

The two countries should deepen practical cooperation and seek new cooperation opportunities in new energy, 5G technology and biomedicine, Xi said. He also called on both sides to strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks to safeguard international fairness and justice.

Erdogan said Trkiye is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and new energy to drive the robust growth of bilateral relations.

The Turkish side is willing to enhance cooperation with China within the framework of the SCO to contribute to the development and prosperity of the region and the world, Erdogan said, speaking highly of China's just stance on the Middle East issue.

Senior Chinese officials including Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er attended the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Erdogan is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Editor: WXY
Chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, on Monday, challenged global leaders to tackle the rising cross-border crimes that have disrupted revenue mobilisation and economic growth.

Mr Adedeji threw the challenge while delivering a keynote address at the 42nd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crimes (CIDOEC) held at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The symposium has, for over four decades, been a crucible of ideas, a forge for strategies, and a platform where countries chart a collective course against the impact and threat economic crimes pose to countries and institutions.

The global meeting was attended by about 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries, including legislators, policy makers, law enforcement agencies, security and intelligence personnel, regulators, governance and compliance officers, and academics.

Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS boss, Dare Adekanmbi, in a statement, said Mr Adedeji was represented by the Coordinating Director of Proceeds of Crime Management and Illicit Financial Flows and immediate past chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Bolaji Owasanoye.

The FIRS chairperson stated that cross-border tax crimes have undermined effort of countries to raise revenue for development.

He added that cross-border tax crimes distort fair competition because compliant companies pay a higher cost for business and appear less profitable.

This years theme Cross-Border Crimes speaks directly to one of the most complex and corrosive challenges of our interconnected world.

In a global economy where capital can move faster than law enforcement, and where digital and legal arbitrage often outpace regulation, the fight against cross-border economic crime is, by necessity, both local and global, both urgent and pressing.

Modern day cross border crimes remind us that borders and boundaries have become virtual and distance irrelevant to the perpetration of crime and the negative impact on victims, said Mr Adedeji, who is also the Special Adviser on Revenue to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On corporate or natural citizens who evade, avoid, fraudulently manipulate tax obligations by exploiting the intricacies of international trade or international finance, the FIRS chairperson said they have become implicated in cross border crimes.

He said, When corporate or natural persons earn income in one country but hide same in another country, when they deceive, conceal or falsify records, they undermine the integrity and fiscal aspirations of the two countries they are manipulating.

When they hide income and assets in secrecy in some jurisdictions to avoid home-country taxes, they are hurting the fiscal target of home country.

When companies engage in abusive transfer pricing and manipulate intra-group transactions between subsidiaries in different countries to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions, they are engaged in cross-border tax crimes, he said.

Speaking on the reforms embarked upon by the current administration, Mr Adedeji said they were necessary to build a vibrant and prosperous economy.

President Bola Tinubu, according to him, inherited not just fiscal challenges but a system under siege by economic crimes such as abuse of fuel subsidy regime, exploitation of foreign exchange rate differentials between official and parallel markets, illicit financial flows (IFFs), base erosion and profit shifting by multinationals, and complex trade-based money laundering schemes amongst other cross border crimes.

He said that Nigeria embraced a bold and unambiguous mission under the current administrations reform programme tagged Renewed Hope Agenda to safeguard Nigerias fiscal sovereignty, expand domestic resource mobilisation, prevent financial hemorrhage, close the channels bleeding the economy, and recover diverted economic assets for the use of the common people.

Fiscal reforms were a major part of this vision, thus on June 26, 2025, the President assented to four landmark tax reform bills, a clear signal that our reform agenda is not aspirational but actionable.

These reforms modernise our tax laws, enhance transparency, strengthen enforcement, and align Nigeria with global best practices. The new fiscal regime heralds over 400 specific changes into Nigerias tax laws and administration, he affirmed.

He told the gathering that the FIRS, which would soon become the Nigeria Revenue Service effective January 2026, had redefined its mandate and is now a fiscal crime prevention and intelligence gathering and sharing organisation, central to Nigerias national security, economic stability and social development.

He said further that the foremost tax organisation had launched a technological transformation programme that includes tax data automation, e-invoicing, real-time analytics, AI-driven anomaly detection, and integrated third-party data matching.

These tools ensure that compliance is simplified for taxpayers while evasion becomes more difficult for offenders. FIRS is also investing in a National Tax Data Warehouse that consolidates information from payment gateways, banks, customs, and other agencies.

By applying big data analytics and machine learning, we can now forecast revenues, spot risks, and detect tax evasion patterns before they take root. This makes our tax administration predictive rather than reactive, Mr Adedeji emphasised.
Dangote Cement Plc has expanded its scholarship programme to cover some communities within the Oworo District of Kogi State.

Speaking at the scholarship award ceremony in Obajana on Monday, the Plant Director, Azad Nawabuddin, explained that although the Oworo communities do not fall directly within the companys catchment areas, Dangote Cement had chosen to extend its generosity by including communities in the district as beneficiaries of the scheme

The Plant Director noted that Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana, already operates a Scholarship Scheme for its host communities in line with provisions of the Community Development Agreement (CDA).

He added that, beyond the scholarship programme, the company is also providing five boreholes to five different Oworo communities, which further demonstrates its commitment to improving the welfare of the Oworo people.

He assured the communities that the company remains committed to sustaining its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme across the Oworo District.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager of Social Performance, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, disclosed that out of the initial 50 beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, 26 are female while 24 are male

He said: As a policy, we will continue with each beneficiary, until they complete their academic programmes, provided they are able to sustain their academic performance, and we will only replace them with fresh beneficiaries upon exit of some current beneficiaries from school.

Mr Adeyemi said the initial 50 students for the 2025/26 session were selected with the active support of the Oworo Development Association, with other key stakeholders.

Permit me to note that todays event is not just about financial support, it is about investing in the future of our community. These scholarships symbolize hope, opportunity, and the belief that every child, regardless of background, deserves a chance to pursue their dreams through education, he added.

In his reaction, the President of the Oworo Development Association, Jibril Odoga Ibrahim commended the Dangote Cement Plc for what he described as a dream come true for Oworo people.

He added: To our young beneficiaries, I urge you to see this scholarship as a challenge to excel. Work hard, remain disciplined, and make your community proud. The opportunity before you today is a seed, nurture it well so that one day you will give back to others.

The Associations President prayed for more blessings from God for Aliko Dangote.

Speaking also, the Kogi State Commissioner for Education who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Omolayo Bilkisu said the government of Kogi State believes in a Public Private sector partnership to move the state forward, adding that the government is proud of the support the company is offering to the communities through its education and empowerment programmes.

The Olu of Apata Oba Frederick Balogun said: Education remains the strongest foundation for development, and by supporting our sons and daughters in their academic pursuits, Dangote Cement has once again demonstrated its commitment to the growth and wellbeing of its host communities. This gesture will ease the burden on parents, encourage hard work among students, and inspire hope in many households.

Oba Ahmodu Umar Adoga, who is the Obaro of Ogbagon Community said his community will continue to be grateful as education opens doors of opportunities for the youth.

Oworo communities will not be the same again, he added.

He added: Once again, we thank Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the management, and staff of Dangote Cement Plc for their continued support. May this bond of cooperation between the company and Obajana grow stronger for the benefit of all.

Victoria Temitope, who is a Chancellor in one of the wards of the Oworo communities thanked the President of the Dangote Group for the support and urged beneficiaries to maximize the advantages by studying hard.

To our sons and daughters who have received this opportunity, I encourage you to study hard. Make the best use of it. Tomorrow, you will be the doctors, engineers, teachers, and leaders that will bring pride and progress back to the Oworo communities, she said.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday fixed 2 September for the hearing of a suit seeking to stop the removal of the Gombe State and local government executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Judge Mohammed Liman set the date to hear both the main suit and the preliminary objection filed by the partys national leadership asking the court to dismiss the case.

Some members of the Gombe State chapter of the ADC sued the partys national leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged plans to remove duly elected executives across the states 11 local government areas before the end of their tenure.

The suit was filed by Gombe State executives of the ADC, including Kabiru Ahmadu, secretary; Alhaji Ahmadu, organising secretary; and Philemon Bala, youth leader.

The rest are members of the party across the 11 local governments, They are Yunusa Isa, Adamu Tela, Yusuf Benle, Sulaiman Abdul, Abu Ubaida, Aliyu Mujiammed, Mohammed Isiaya, Balarebe Adamu, Dabo Bappah Nafada, Adiel Zakariya, and Mohammed Usman.

The plaintiffs alleged that the ADC national executive and working committee planned to dissolve the state, local government, and ward executives in Gombe State without following procedures laid down in the partys constitution.

They argued the plan violated Section 222(c) and 223(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, and Articles 2, 17(5) and 18(1) of the ADC constitution.

In an affidavit sworn by Mr Ahmadu, the plaintiffs maintained that the Gombe State executives of the party were duly elected at congresses held in 2022 for a four-year term. They maintained that they could not be removed before the expiry of the tenure unless conditions in the partys constitution were met.

They said the national leaderships plan would violate the partys rules and prejudice the plaintiffs.

Therefore, their suit sought several declarations, including that the ADC must obey its constitution in removing or electing executives at the state, local government, and ward levels in Gombe.

The plaintiffs also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from removing the executives before their tenure expires, as well as an order directing the party to comply with its constitution in all such matters.

On 21 August, the ADC filed a preliminary objection and counter-affidavit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

The party contended that the case fell within its internal affairs and was not justiciable. It further argued that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi and had no reasonable cause of action to institute the action. They also described the suit as speculative, academic, and an abuse of court process.

The party urged the court to dismiss the case.

Adjournment

At Mondays hearing, the plaintiffs lawyer, Johnson Usman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the court to take their motion for interlocutory injunction filed on 17 July.

However, ADC lawyer Peter Oyewole reminded the court that the party had filed three processes on 29 August: a notice of preliminary objection, a counter affidavit to the originating summons, and a counter affidavit opposing the plaintiffs motion.

But the judge Liman adjourned the matter until 2 September for the hearing of the preliminary objection alongside the substantive suit.

In early July this year, a coalition of opposition figures led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar adopted the ADC as the vehicle to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mariya Mahmoud, has expressed deepest sympathy over the death of the FCT Head of Civil Service, Grace Adayilo, describing it as a painful loss.

Mrs Mahmoud, in a statement signed by her Special Adviser on Media, Austine Elemue, on Monday in Abuja, said Mrs Adayilo passed away in the early hours of Monday, 1 September.

She described the late Head of Service as a distinguished administrator, a seasoned technocrat, and a dedicated servant of the people who gave her best in the discharge of her duties.

She said Mrs Adayilo served with utmost professionalism, humility, and commitment.

I received with great shock and deep sadness the news of the sudden passing of the FCT Head of Service, Mrs. Grace Adayilo.

This is indeed a painful loss, not only to the entire FCT Administration, but also to the public service and the nation at large.

The late Head of Service was a distinguished administrator, a seasoned technocrat, and a dedicated servant of the people who gave her best in the discharge of her duties with utmost professionalism, humility, and commitment.

Mrs Mahmoud said that her passing has created a vacuum that would be difficult to fill, especially at this critical time when her wealth of experience and wisdom were most needed to advance the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu in the FCT.

READ ALSO: NOA takes civic enlightenment campaign to schools across FCT

On behalf of my family, I extend my heartfelt condolences to her immediate family, colleagues, and the entire staff of the Administration.

May Almighty God grant her soul eternal rest and give us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, she prayed.

Mrs Mahmoud also prayed that her memory would continue to inspire a life of selfless service and dedication to the nation.

Mrs Adayilo, the pioneer Head of the Civil Service of the FCT, reportedly died in the early hours of Monday.

Her Special Assistant on Media, Anthony Odey, confirmed the reports.

(NAN)
Nigerias National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has strongly rejected allegations by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that the Federal Government is pampering bandits and offering them incentives.

Mr El-Rufai made the claim on Sunday night during an appearance on Channels Televisions Politics Today, alleging that the Office of the NSA (ONSA) coordinates a policy of payments to criminal groups.

The former governor alleged on the programme that the federal government was enabling bandits by paying, feeding and pampering them as part of the administrations non-kinetic approach to addressing insecurity.

What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic, Mr El-Rufai said when the achor, Seun Okinbaloye, asked him to compare his and the incumbent governments approach to countering terrorism and banditry. Its nonsense; were empowering bandits.

Its not the government of Kaduna State; its a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Kiss the bandits; thats the new policy.

But in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES early Monday, Mr Ribadus office described the allegation as false, baseless, and deeply insulting to the sacrifices of Nigerias security forces.

At no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under this administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals, the statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa said.

On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom. El-Rufais allegations are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on ground.

The ONSA said the government adopted from the outset a dual approach of decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances.

The outcome, it said, is now visible in places like Igabi, Birnin Gwari and Giwa local governments of Kaduna, which were once plagued by bandit violence but are now experiencing relative peace.

Mr Ribadus office also cited the elimination of notorious bandit leaders including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari and Boka, as well as the dismantling of Ansaru terror bases in Kaduna and the arrest of their leaders.

These successes came at a cost, the statement noted. Some of our brave officers paid the supreme price. For a former governor of a state in person of El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel.

The NSAs office warned political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles, adding that the fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring.

The RibaduEl-Rufai feud

The latest exchange between the two personalities marks an escalation in the frosty relationship between Messrs Ribadu and El-Rufai, who were once close friends and political allies.

Both men rose to prominence under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mr Ribadu was the pioneering head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while Mr El-Rufai was initially director-general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

At the time, both men were regarded as key reformist figures driving the governments anti-corruption and modernisation agenda.

However, their friendship broke down in 2011 when the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) nominated Mr Ribadu as its presidential candidate.

Mr El-Rufai opposed that candidacy, and instead backed Muhammadu Buhari of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in that election.

In recent months, their feud has flared up publicly. Earlier this year, Mr El-Rufai appeared on Arise Television, where he accused his former ally of weaponising anti-graft institutions, particularly the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to hound him following allegations of corruption against his administration in Kaduna.

Mr Ribadu dismissed the claim at the time, insisting that anti-corruption agencies act independently and that he had no hand in the former governors accountability ordeal.
A crisis is unfolding in the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State following an attack on supporters of the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru, in the Kafin Hausa Local Government Area.

On Sunday, thugs disrupted a gathering organised by the Kafin-Hausa community to honour a chieftain of the APC, Zakari Kafin-Hausa, and to endorse President Bola Tinubu for reelection in 2027.

The event, attended by the National Financial Secretary of the APC, Bashir Gumel, drew mostly officials who served under Mr Badarus administration, which ran the state between 2015 and 2023.

A trending video online showed how some residents of Kafin-Hausa ran for safety after the supporters of another APC group allegedly invaded the event, attacked people and vandalised vehicles.

The sponsored hoodlums attack came after the dignitaries left the venue. Initially, the event was supposed to be held on Saturday but was rescheduled to Sunday, to avoid confrontation, yet they attacked our supporters, injuring many innocent people and vandalising their properties, Mr Zakari-Sidi lamented.

PREMIUM TIMES understands that loyalists of Governor Umar Namadi viewed the gathering as an affront to the governor, who hails from Kafin-Hausa town and was holding a citizens engagement programme in neighbouring Kaugama Local Government Area at the same time.

Sundays gathering was unprecedented in the state, where APC faithful held a parallel rally to declare support for President Tinubu without extending the gesture to the governor.

The police spokesperson in Jigawa, Lawan Adam, could not be immediately reached to speak on the attack as his phone contacts did not connect on Monday evening.

The event exposed a crisis between Governor Namadi and the defence minister, which the APC earlier denied.

Officials who attended the event include members of the state House of Assembly, from Hadejia, Gagarawa and Babura and 14 former local government chairmen, including the former ALGON chair, Bala Chamo.

APC denies rift between governor, minister

The APC chairperson in the state, Aminu Gumel, didnt pick up calls when our reporter reached him for comment. However, the APC in June denied any rift between Governor Namadi and Mr Badaru.

The APC warned its supporters to desist from making statements that may cause disharmony in the party.

The partys secretary in the state, Dikuma Umar, said the party under the leadership of Governor Namadi does not want confusion in the government of the state.

Also, both the governor and minister had on several occasions cautioned their supporters to protect the unity of the party in the state.
The Kaduna State Government has issued what it described as a final warning to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of plotting to destabilise the state under Governor Uba Sani.

During an appearance on Channels Televisions Sunday Politics programme, Mr El-Rufai said the federal and Kaduna governments paid billions of naira to bandits as part of their non-kinetic measures to end insecurity, a claim debunked by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Monday.

On Monday, in a strongly worded statement signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Suleiman Shuaibu, the state government said it would not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation.

The Kaduna State Government is compelled to issue this unequivocal and final warning to a former Governor of the State, Nasir El-Rufai, who, through a calculated mix of overt provocation and covert manipulation, is plotting to unleash mayhem across Kaduna State in a desperate bid to destabilize the state and drag it back into its dark and violent past, the statement said.

According to the government, Mr El-Rufai cannot stomach the progress Kaduna is making under the administration of Governor Uba Sani, which it said had moved the state from the brink of collapse to a beacon of hope, unity, and development.

It linked Mr El-Rufais actions to electoral setbacks suffered by his allies, saying: These victories were a verdict on El-Rufais legacy: one of exclusion, division, and destruction, and an endorsement of the current administrations focus on peace, prosperity, and inclusion.

The government also condemned a political meeting convened by the former governor on Saturday, which it claimed descended into violence, including gunshots that endangered innocent citizens.

On Mr El-Rufais banditry comments, the statement said: These are not mere words: they are calculated, malicious lies designed to undermine security efforts, incite public anger, and legitimise criminality.

It added: The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has rightly debunked these malicious claims. On the contrary, both the federal and Kaduna state governments have repeatedly urged Nigerians never to pay ransom and have committed to pursuing justice through coordinated military and community engagement strategies.

The statement further accused Mr El-Rufai of pitting the people of Southern Kaduna against their brothers and sisters in the North during his eight years in office, contrasting that with Governor Sanis healing, dialogue, inclusion, and sustainable development.

The government also warned that No individual, no matter how highly placed or previously powerful, will be allowed to destabilise the state. The peace of Kaduna State is non-negotiable. Anyone who dares to threaten it, be it Nasir El-Rufai or any of his accomplices, will be held accountable.
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has ordered the arrest of a police operative for allegedly killing a 23-year-old man, Onyekachi Moses, in Calabar.

The Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

The killing

According to the familys petition to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 6, Calabar, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Moses had gone to a private residence of Governor Otu at State Housing Estate in Calabar to preach on 18 July when he was allegedly shot at his left leg by a police operative attached to the estate.

With the help of the Red Cross Society, Mr Moses was taken to the naval hospital in the state capital for treatment.

He lost too much blood, wherein four pints of blood were donated to him, and another series of injections were administered to enable him to regain himself, but on 9 August, the young man battled and died, all to the omissions and commissions of the police officers attached to the residence of the governor, the petition, signed by two lawyers on behalf of the family, states.

The petitioner is asking the AIG to investigate the gruesome murder of the young man.

The Zone 6 police spokesperson, Osupe Jefferson, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the petition has been received and that an investigation has commenced.

He also informed our reporter that he had confirmed with the commissioner of police in Cross River, who told him that the operative has been detained at the governors instruction.

He said the operative works for the Police Command in the state, and not Zone 6.

Brazen act of lawlessness

In the statement, Governor Otu described the action of the police operative as a brazen act of lawlessness and abuse of authority.

The information commissioner, Mr Ekpang, said the governor asked the police to thoroughly investigate the incident, stressing that Impunity has no sanctuary under this administration.

While condoling and assuring the bereaved family that justice would be done, Governor Otu urged the citizens to remain calm and law-abiding.

We urge our people to remain peaceful and confident in our collective resolve to seek truth and enforce justice, the statement said.

READ ALSO: Police confirm beheading of man over land dispute in Ebonyi

Victim assaulted operative  police

In addition to the state governments statement on the matter, Mr Ekpang forwarded to our reporter a police statement on the incident.

In the statement, the police described the victim as an intruder, and said that he constituted himself as a nuisance by pretending to be deaf, dumb, and insane.

His mission to the location was suspicious. When confronted by the police officer several times to leave the place, he resisted violently by throwing heavy stones at the operative and other civilian security men.

All efforts to bring him under control proved abortive as he became more and more violent. Left with no alternative, the operative aimed and shot at his left leg to maim him and be able to tame his violence, the statement said.

The statement said the victim was responding to treatment until he died on 9 August and that his corpse had been deposited for preservation and post-mortem examination in the Naval Hospital.

Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Calabar, the statement added.

Irene Ugbo, the police spokesperson in Cross River, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking her comment.
Gunmen have killed another man in Ebonyi State, Nigerias South-east.

The victim, David Anoke, popularly known as Davido, was shot dead by some armed hoodlums on Friday.

The incident, it was gathered, happened at the court area of Okposi, a community in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state.

The killing occurred barely 24 hours after a middle-aged man, Dick Nnachi, was beheaded in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area of the state.

The beheading of the victim, which was linked to a land dispute in the area, happened on Thursday.

The latest deadly attack

The Chairperson of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Ajah Chinonso, confirmed the latest attack in a statement on Monday.

Mr Ajah described Mr Anokes killing as barbaric and unacceptable.

The chairperson stressed that Ohaozara has always been a land of peace and unity and vowed that the local government would not allow criminals to destabilise the area.

This serial trajectory of extrajudicial killings in Ohaozara must stop. We cannot allow the activities of criminal elements to tarnish our reputation or destabilise our people, he said.

Ban on motorcycles, tricycles

To forestall further violence, Mr Ajah announced immediate security measures, including a ban on riding of motorcycles and tricycles in and out of Okposi between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily.

He explained that the ban was a proactive step to help security agencies track down the attackers and prevent more attacks.

Any person found moving with a bike (motorcycles) or keke (tricycles) within the restricted hours shall have them impounded and handed over to the appropriate security agencies, he warned.

The chairperson further urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, and town unions to continue supporting efforts to keep Ohaozara safe.

I appeal for calm, collaboration, and cooperation from all residents as security agencies at both the federal and state levels have already commenced swift investigations to ensure that the perpetrators of this evil act are apprehended and brought to justice, he said.

He reassured the people that the local government, in collaboration with security agencies, would do everything possible to restore peace and prevent a repeat of such incidents.

Police speak

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Ukandu, a superintendent of police, said the police in the state had launched an investigation into the incident to track down the killers.

Increased attacks

Like other states in Nigerias South-east, security has deteriorated in Ebonyi State with frequent attacks by armed persons.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

Hundreds of persons have been killed or abducted and several others injured in some of such attacks in the region.

READ ALSO: Police confirm beheading of man over land dispute in Ebonyi

The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.

But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
BERLIN, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ulike, a leading global brand in at-home hair removal will showcase two pioneering innovations in skincare tech at IFA 2025: its Air 10 IPL hair removal device and the ReGlow LED Face Mask.

IFA, one of the world's top consumer electronics trade shows, will take place from September 5 to 9 in Messe Berlin, Germany. Attendees can find Ulike at stand H9-101.

Ulike Sponsoring IFA's Beauty Hub

IFA will debut its first-ever Beauty Hub this year, with Ulike powering it. The Hub will celebrate its premiere as the highlight of the Fitness & Digital Health Area in Hall 17, showcasing smart beauty innovations in self-care.

After making waves in the Asian and North American skincare market, the brand has Europe as its next key market. Ulike already holds partnerships with top department stores in Europe, including Currys, KaDeWe, and Fnac Darty, among others.

Meet the Air 10 and ReGlow

Designed for people with busy lifestyles, the Air 10 IPL device delivers up to 96% hair reduction in just two weeks, and requires only 10 minutes for a full-body session.

Ulike's first-ever LED face mask, ReGlow, is powered by 272 LED lights and is designed to deliver firmer, brighter, and smoother skin in under a month with its 4-in-1 skin renewal system  Glow, Firm, Rejuvenate, and Clear.

Ulike at IFA

Ulike is set to showcase its entire range of products at its booth during IFA, while offering hands-on demos and one-on-one interviews with senior leadership. The brand will speak about its vision and European market strategy at IFA Next's Dream Stage, a thought leadership platform, and mark its attendance at Showstoppers, a pre-show media event gathering major European and American media.

About Ulike

Since 2013, Ulike has harnessed the power of clinical technology to create luxurious, comfortable, and cost-effective at-home skincare solutions. The brand is known for its FDA-cleared, dermatologist-recommended IPL and LED beauty devices, designed to deliver professional-grade results from home. With over 7 million units sold across 17 countries, Ulike continues to lead in innovation, investing heavily in research to provide cutting-edge beauty-tech solutions.

Learn more at Ulike.com

PRESS CONTACT

Alessio Bradde

Global Communications & PR Senior Manager

alessiobradde@ulike.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2756825/image_5028453_70934798.jpg
This photo taken on Aug. 30, 2025 shows an exterior view of the main venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in Tianjin, north China. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- After 24 years of robust development, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has emerged as an organization with increasing clout and global recognition as it convenes the largest-ever annual summit in its birthplace, China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the summit in the port city of Tianjin from Sunday to Monday, when member states are expected to adopt key documents, including the organization's development strategy for the next decade.

Xi is also expected to unveil China's new measures and actions to support the SCO's high-quality development and all-round cooperation, while outlining pathways for the organization to contribute constructively to safeguarding the post-WWII international order and enhancing the global governance system.

Founded in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members into a 26-nation family of 10 members, two observers and 14 dialogue partners spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.

With major emerging markets and developing countries such as China, Russia and India among its members, the SCO represents nearly half of the world's population and a quarter of the global economy, standing as a key pillar of regional stability and practical cooperation.

The Tianjin summit will mark President Xi's second time hosting the event. Since taking over the helm of China, Xi has attended 12 SCO summits, helping shape the SCO's strategic direction and propelling it toward a more influential role in global governance.

"The SCO has matured into a robust framework, exuding strong vitality," Xi said in the lead-up to the summit. "It has set an example of a new type of international relations."

Banners marking the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 are pictured on a street in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

FOUNDED IN SECURITY, SUSTAINED BY STABILITY

The SCO was founded with security at its core, evolving from the "Shanghai Five," a mechanism formed by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 1996 to manage border security after the end of the Cold War. In June 2001, the SCO was established with Uzbekistan joining as its sixth member.

Since then, the SCO members have forged a constructive partnership based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and a commitment not to target any third party. They have remained dedicated to the Shanghai Spirit, a set of guiding principles that emphasizes mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development.

The practice of this innovative philosophy has transcended "anachronistic ideas such as clash of civilizations, Cold War mentality and zero-sum game," thereby "opening a new chapter in the history of international relations," Xi noted.

When Xi attended his first SCO summit as China's president in September 2013, he outlined his vision for regional security amid a wave of emerging threats, including the spread of terrorism and extremism across Central Asia, and a surge in cross-border crime.

"No country can tackle these challenges alone," Xi said. "We must strengthen cooperation."

At every subsequent SCO summit, Xi has emphasized security cooperation as a cornerstone of the organization's agenda. At the Qingdao Summit in 2018, he introduced China's vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security within the SCO framework.

"Real security is premised on the security of all countries," Xi said at the Astana Summit last year, reflecting his long-standing view on security.

The Chinese president cautioned that a nation cannot ensure its own security by undermining that of others, invoking a Kazakh proverb: "One who tries to blow out another's oil lamp will only set his own beard on fire."

Over the years, SCO members have held joint anti-terror drills and worked together against drug trafficking, cybercrime and cross-border organized crime. Their cooperation now extends to new areas such as data security, biosecurity and outer space security. On regional flashpoints like Afghanistan, the SCO has consistently voiced support for efforts toward peace and development.

The member states have foiled more than 1,400 terrorism- and extremism-related cases so far, helping anchor security across the region.

Ambassador Fan Xianrong, who is responsible for the work of China's SCO national coordinator, said that he expects the organization to accelerate the development of security centers, including a comprehensive hub for emerging threats and a dedicated anti-drug facility.

"These measures will reinforce the SCO's position as a key stabilizing force, fostering peaceful development among its member states," said Marina Dmitrieva, deputy director of the Institute of Asian Studies for Science and Innovation at Russia's Far Eastern Federal University.

People visit an agriculture exhibition for members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the 30th China Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Fair in Yangling, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

PURSUING COMMON DEVELOPMENT

Xi believes that development is the ultimate form of security and the master key to tackling regional security challenges.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a key regional infrastructure project, gained momentum under Xi's sustained attention. Construction began last December in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan, and Xi sent a congratulatory message expressing his hope that the railway will become a new model project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The alignment between the SCO and the BRI is natural, as many SCO countries lie along the ancient Silk Road. It was in Kazakhstan that Xi first proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt in 2013, which later evolved into the BRI. Today, the initiative serves as a key platform for SCO practical cooperation.

Staff members operate at a construction site of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan, April 29, 2025. (Photo by Roman Gainanov/Xinhua)

Enhanced connectivity has propelled trade to new heights. Last year, China's trade with other SCO countries hit a record 890 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 14.4 percent of China's total foreign trade.

A range of initiatives proposed by Xi -- from the local economic cooperation zone in Qingdao and the agricultural technology training base in Shaanxi to expanded use of local currency settlement -- have deepened practical collaboration among SCO members, according to Li Yongquan, a senior researcher at China's State Council Development Research Center.

Xi also pushed for closer cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy, e-commerce and artificial intelligence (AI), where China's industrial edges offer opportunities for other SCO members.

A recent poll among SCO countries found that nearly 70 percent of respondents credit the organization with advancing their nations' sustainable development and modernization.

Since assuming the SCO rotating presidency last July, China has facilitated the implementation of over 100 events under the "Year of Sustainable Development" theme, including ministerial meetings covering broad domains.

Fan Xianrong said he believes China will work with all parties to strengthen regional industrial and supply chains and foster new growth drivers -- from clean energy to AI applications -- to offset turbulence in the global trade system.

"The SCO's experience demonstrates that countries with different social systems and varying levels of development can achieve coordinated progress, mutual benefit and win-win outcome," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote in a signed article published on Saturday.

EMBRACING EQUALITY AND INCLUSIVENESS

During a visit to Uzbekistan in 2022, Xi presented a distinctive gift to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev: a miniature model of the historical city of Khiva, whose cultural monuments had been restored through a bilateral preservation project.

Known as "the pearl of the ancient Silk Road," Khiva, in south-central Uzbekistan, is home to Islamic architectural treasures, including majestic mosques and soaring minarets which date from the 17th century.

The conservation project was launched during Xi's first visit to Uzbekistan as the Chinese president in 2013. Three years later, on another visit, he checked the restoration work and urged Chinese experts to collaborate with their Uzbek partners to better protect the cultural relics.

Khiva represents China's first endeavor in helping preserve cultural heritage in Central Asia. In recent years, Chinese teams have worked alongside experts across the region to protect more historical sites, from the Rahat ruins in Kazakhstan to ancient Buddhist temple remains in Kyrgyzstan.

This file photo taken on Sept. 21, 2023 shows a view of the historical city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

"No civilization is superior to others; each is unique and valuable in its own right," Xi said. He stressed that all countries should treat each other with respect and as equals, and promote dialogue and harmonious coexistence between different civilizations.

This vision is deeply embedded in the SCO's ethos of equality. "Within the SCO, every country -- regardless of its size -- has an equal voice," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In July, while meeting foreign ministers and heads of permanent bodies of the SCO in Beijing, Xi called for collective efforts to reject hegemonic, high-handed and bullying acts, urging progress toward a more equal and balanced multipolar world.

At SCO meetings, Xi has opposed the notion that acting from a so-called "position of strength" is the way to handle international affairs, rejected moves that undermine the international order and stoke confrontation and division under the pretext of "rules," and advocated equal rights, equal opportunities and fair rules for all.

Echoing the ideas proposed by Xi, an initiative adopted at the SCO Astana Summit in 2024 called for solidarity among countries to promote global justice, harmony and development.

At that summit, the SCO broke new ground with the "SCO Plus" Meeting, bringing together member states, observer states and dialogue partners for high-level talks. At the Tianjin summit, Xi will chair this gathering for the first time.

Guided by the principles of equality and inclusiveness, the SCO's membership has expanded to include India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus, with more seeking to join.

"The SCO will adhere to an open-door stance, embracing more countries that recognize the Shanghai Spirit to join the SCO family," said Wang, the foreign minister, stressing that this openness is of utmost importance to the organization.

Xi believes that over the past 24 years, the SCO has pioneered a model of regional cooperation that adapts to the times and serves the interests of all its members.

"The SCO should unite and guide the Global South in building a more just and equitable system of global governance, gathering immense strength for a community with a shared future for humanity," he said.

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Nord Anglia schools outperform England's average at both grades 97 (A*-A) and 94 (A*-C).

LONDON, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Students across Nord Anglia Education's global family of schools have once again achieved exceptional academic results in their I/GCSE examinations, with performance rising year on year and continuing to exceed national averages in England.

This year, 48.1% of all Nord Anglia students' grades were between 97 (equivalent to A*A), exceeding last year's average of 47.1% and more than double England's national average of 21.8%.

88.0% of grades were between 94 (equivalent to A*C), outperforming England's average of 67.1%.

Amongst the many successes, several schools celebrated top grades, including:

Dr Elise Ecoff, Chief Education Officer at Nord Anglia Education, said: "We are incredibly proud of our students for their achievements in this year's IGCSEs. These results reflect not only their hard work and determination, but also the commitment of our teachers and the strength of our learning environments."

Proud Moments Across Every Curriculum

These I/GCSE results conclude a year of continued academic excellence across Nord Anglia's 80+ international schools, which offer a range of globally respected curricula. Students consistently outperformed global averages in:

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) students achieved an average score of 34 points, surpassing global scores for the 12 th consecutive year.

consecutive year. A level students achieved 48% of grades at A*A, significantly outperforming the England average of 28.2%.

average of 28.2%. Advanced Placement (AP) students achieved 61.3% at scores of 4 and 5, increasing from 60.3% in 2024.

In this year's French Baccalaureate, students from College du Leman achieved 27% "tres bien" (very good) grades, maintaining excellence in this rigorous programme.

CBSE ( India's national curriculum) students once again posted outstanding scores, with Oakridge Gachibowli achieving a 79% average for Grade 12, while Oakridge Bachupally achieved an 82% average for Grade 10.

For enquiries

David Bates

Senior Communications Manager

+44 7787 135223

[email protected]

About Nord Anglia Education:

As a leading international schools organisation, we're shaping a generation of creative and resilient global citizens who graduate from our schools with everything they need for success, whatever they choose to be or do in life.

Our strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, creating learning experiences like no other. Inside and outside of the classroom, we inspire our students to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

No two children learn the same way, which is why our schools around the world personalise learning to what works best for every student. Inspired by our high-quality teachers, our students achieve outstanding academic results and go on to study at the world's top universities.

Our Nord Anglia global family includes 80+ day and boarding schools in 37 countries, teaching over 90,000 students from ages 3 to 18.

To learn more or apply for a place for your child at one of our schools, go to nordangliaeducation.com.

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SOURCE Nord Anglia Education
Leading Saudi Arabian real estate developer to optimise the management of Riyadh's iconic skyscraper with real estate cloud platform

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Al Khozama Investment Company, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's premier developer and manager of luxury commercial properties, has chosen Yardi to manage its portfolio, including Al Faisaliah Tower, a 267-meter-high commercial skyscraper and mixed-use complex in Riyadh. This strategic collaboration reinforces Al Khozama's leadership in luxury real estate by integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance operational efficiency and tenant experience.

Leading Saudi Arabian real estate developer to optimise the management of Riyadhs iconic skyscraper with Yardi cloud software

Al Khozama will implement Yardi's Commercial Suite of products to streamline financial operations, enhance efficiency and improve transparency. The advanced lease management capabilities will ensure accuracy and simplify the administration of commercial lease agreements. Additionally, the platform's integrated deal management and advanced forecasting software will enable Al Khozama to make data-driven decisions and enhance its strategic planning.

Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, the partnership reflects Al Khozama's commitment to smart real estate solutions that support the Kingdom's digital transformation goals.

"By adopting Yardi's advanced commercial solutions, we at Al Khozama reaffirm our commitment to innovation and operational excellence. This collaboration will drive greater transparency, optimise asset performance, and set new standards for property management in Saudi Arabia and the region," said a representative for Al Khozama Investment. "This partnership aligns with our vision of maintaining leadership in luxury real estate and will help in setting new standards in property management."

"Al Khozama's adoption of Yardi's technology will enhance operational transparency, improve tenant satisfaction and drive long-term growth," said Said Haider, senior director for Yardi. "We are excited to support their transformation and their commercial management offerings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

See how Yardi can streamline and enhance your commercial operations with an end-to-end property solution.

About Al Khozama Investment

Al Khozama has been shaping the Kingdom's luxury hospitality and commercial scene since 1995, through thoughtful investments, strategic locations, and a commitment to refined standards. Its portfolio includes landmark hotels, high-end retail, and premium office spaces across key Saudi cities. Today, Al Khozama ranks among the top 100 companies in Saudi Arabia and stands within the top three in its sectordriven by a clear vision and deep understanding of the market it helped define. For more information, visit alkhozama.com.

About Yardi

Yardi develops and supports industry-leading investment and property management software for all types and sizes of real estate companies. With over 9,500 employees, Yardi is working with clients globally to drive significant innovation in the real estate industry. For more information on how Yardi is Energised for Tomorrow, visit yardi.ae.

SOURCE Yardi
BEIJING, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In winter 1937, as Japanese forces invaded Nanjing, then the capital of China, Richard Brady, an American surgeon at the city's Drum Tower Hospital, made a choice that would define his legacy.

On December 13, 1937, Nanjing, located in the eastern province of Jiangsu, witnessed one of the darkest chapters in modern historysix weeks of mass killings, sexual violence and other atrocities that claimed more than 300,000 lives. The tragedy became known to the world as the Nanjing Massacre.

Megan Brady, great-granddaughter of U.S. surgeon Richard Brady, who aided civilians during the Nanjing Massacre, has written a song calling for peace and love.

Amid the terror, Brady and a handful of other foreigners risked their lives to protect civilians, offering medical care and refuge while the city burned. He also documented the atrocities through diaries, photos and letters, leaving behind invaluable historical records.

His courage created a legacy of compassion and responsibility for future generations. One of those carrying the legacy today is his great-granddaughter, Megan Brady.

"History is the building block of our future. It is absolutely essential that everyone understands what happened in the past so that we will not repeat it in the future," she told Beijing Review.

Voices beyond times

Born in the United States, Megan Brady moved to Canada with her family at age 10. After graduating from a university in Switzerland with a degree in communications, she began working for a hospitality group in the United Kingdom.

Growing up, she knew little about Richard Brady's role in China. That changed in 2014, when she first traveled to Nanjing with her father to learn about the massacre.

Inside the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, a faded black-and-white photo shows Richard Brady with his wife and son. For the young woman standing in front of it, the image bridged generations.

"Seeing his pictures in the memorial hall and in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and hearing about the work that he did, I know a lot about the type of person he wasand the type of person he would want me to be," Megan Brady said.

She added that he would want her to "share the work of the International Committee for the Nanjing Safety Zone and what happened in 1937 in Nanjing as much as I can."

Almost 90 years have passed since the massacre, and its survivors are becoming fewer and fewer. Their memories are fading, she said, and time is running out to preserve their testimonies. "It's up to the younger generations to continue to speak their truths and give them a voice beyond their time," she emphasized.

On August 15 in Nanjing, Megan Brady was named among the fourth group of inheritors of the historical memory of the Nanjing Massacre. The initiative, launched in 2022, has recognized 38 descendants of survivors as well as Chinese and international individuals who aided the Chinese people or preserved irrefutable historical evidence.

"As a Nanjing Massacre Historical Memory Inheritor, I am profoundly aware of the weight of this responsibility," she said while receiving her certificate. "I will carry forward my ancestors' legacy of compassion and courage, and preserve humanity's warmth. I also hope people will transcend hatred through reconciliation and build a world that honors history and cherishes peace."

Singing forward

For Megan Brady's family, Nanjing has become a place of remembrance and connection. Each time they visit, they go to the Drum Tower Hospital. "This place holds strong family memories and deep emotional connections," she said.

"At first, I was a little bit too young to understand really the depth of the tragedy and the reality of the people that suffered during the Nanjing Massacre. While I have gained more knowledge and more information, the more I come here, I'm always learning something new."

Megan Brady now feels a growing urge to share this history with others. "I think that there are a lot of nontraditional ways to share information. My passion has always been for music and telling stories through songs, because it's such an interesting way to convey emotion and ideas," she explained.

Her song Mercy, written six years ago, was inspired by the courage of people like her grandfather and Minnie Vautrin, the American missionary who turned the Jinling Women's College in Nanjing into a refugee shelter during the massacre.

"Love douses the fires, peace comes with the rain, rise from the ashes, harness all the pain..." the lyrics go. Simple yet powerful, they reflect the inheritor's empathy for the victims' suffering and her call for peace and reconciliation.

She first performed Mercy during China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims in 2019. Standing in Nanjing, singing words born from both sorrow and hope, Megan Brady felt she was adding her own voice to the chorus of remembrance.

"Even as we witness, still, so many horrible things are going on in the world today. If you can do an individual part and put some good into the world, such as a song or an act of good service to a neighbor or a friend, even some sort of small positivity is going to create a domino effect that can have some real long lasting change."

Comments to [email protected]

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@cachinachic/video/7544934239188372766?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7227134149436605995

X:

https://x.com/BeijingReview/status/1962095963595735265

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2265541313918387

Weibo:

https://weibo.com/1719349955/Q2wV13if9

Website:

http://www.bjreview.com/Multimedia/Video/Through_Their_Eyes/202509/t20250901_800413445.html

SOURCE Beijing Review
ZUG, Switzerland, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Berlin Heals Holding AG, a MedTech company, is developing a novel treatment to reverse remodel and recover from Heart Failure. After a successful First-In-Human study in 2019 followed by sustaining long-term results and a successful Randomized Controlled Trial completed in 2024, the company has been developing a new approach to implant the device less invasively in an outpatient cardiac cath lab procedure.

The implant consists of two electrodes connected to an implantable generator that provides constant direct microcurrent across the diseased heart. This constant DC current reduces inflammation and reverse remodels the heart, which has been shown in previous studies to improve cardiac function and reduce symptoms.

After completing a successful A1 fundraising round earlier this year, the company was able to advance testing and development of this new approach and initiate a new First-In-Man study called the CMIC-III trial. This study will implant 10 patients in an open label evaluation where the leads are placed less invasively allowing for faster recovery and more clinicians and hospitals to access the therapy.

This new A2 funding round will support the completion of this study, preparation for future double blinding studies and further testing and documentation for an eventual FDA Investigational Device Exemption study submission.

"We are grateful for the continued and long-term support from our internal investors and welcome our new investors to the journey," said John Brumfield, Chief Executive Officer, Berlin Heals Holding AG. "Over 10 years ago, we set off on a mission to reshape the heart failure market, and our early results put us on the path to make that vision a reality. This new funding round will help accelerate our development to bring this new treatment to the millions of heart failure patients around the world."

Marko Bagaric, Co-Founder and Member of the Board, Berlin Heals Holding AG comments: "It has been our vision from the beginning to not just mask the symptoms of this terrible disease, but actually reverse and remodel the heart back to a healthier state. The clinical results we have seen from our first studies have exceeded our original expectation. With this new approach of implanting in the outpatient cath lab and no longer requiring invasive surgery, we will be able to reach a much larger patient population."

Berlin Heals Holding AG is a Swiss joint-stock company founded in 2014. The company has developed a revolutionary implantable device called "C-MIC" (Cardiac Microcurrent). The device is under investigation and will be evaluated by CE regulatory authorities for approval. Recently the C-MIC system received a Breakthrough Device Designation and was selected to be part of the Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program (TAP) with the FDA.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2622179/5481706/Berlin_Heals_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Berlin Heals Holding AG
With 4,400Wh/174Ah capacity, the new 25.2V battery demonstrates energy density six times higher than similar Lead Acid batteries, and 50% higher than any other Lithium 6T battery. The new COMBATT 6T battery will be displayed at DSEI UK 2025 (September 9-12, Stand N11-104).

LONDON, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Epsilor Electric Fuel Ltd., a world recognized developer and manufacturer of smart Li-Ion batteries and chargers, has completed the development if its new generation COMBATT 6T Li-Ion battery for military vehicles, offering the highest energy capacity in the market of 4,400Wh/174Ah. The new battery, named COMBATT ELI-52526-GM, will be presented at DSEI UK 2025 (September 9-12, Stand N11-104).

Epsilor's New COMBATT 6T Battery for Military Vehicles (PRNewsfoto/Epsilor)

Designed for use in defense vehicles, deployable weapon systems and naval applications, the new battery will provide military users with extremely high energy capacity, of 4,400Wh in a 27kg pack, six times the energy density of traditional Lead-Acid batteries with a similar 6T form factor, and approximately 50% more energy than any other 6T Lithium battery.

MIL-PRF-32565C Compliance

During the last year, Epsilor's COMBATT 6T batteries are undergoing rigorous tests by US based laboratories, as part of the company's certification campaign aiming to obtain the US ARMY Military Performance Specification Compliance (MIL-PRF-32565C - TYPE 2). The tests include bullet penetration, heat up to 500C, performance in cold and hot temperatures, long cycle life, communication with client's platforms, and more.

"With our new COMBATT battery we overcame the lithium battery safety issue, which is considered a significant challenge", said Ronen Badichi, Epsilor President and General Manager. "By using a unique energy absorbing design, we are offering the highest energy capacity in the 6T category, while staying within the demanding safety requirements of the US ARMY standard", Badichi added.

COMBATT Range of Products

Epsilor offers a range of NATO Standard 6T Lithium batteries, optimized for various defense systems:

COMBATT ELI-52526-DM/GM: high-capacity Li-Ion batteries, which provide extremely high energy capacity of 3.6kWh up to 4.4kWh (144Ah-174Ah), complying with MIL-PRF-32565C (Type 2).

COMBATT ELP-02426-M: high capacity LFP battery, with superior safety and energy density of 2,560Wh/100Ah, complying with the safety requirements of MIL-PRF-32565C (Type 1).

COMBATT ELI-52526-C: high-capacity Li-Ion battery, which provides extremely high energy density of 4.2kWh (166Ah), in a cost-effective pack. This battery is optimal for robotics, tactical energy storage and micro-grid applications.

About Epsilor

Epsilor Electric Fuel Ltd. is a world recognized developer and producer of smart batteries, chargers, and mobile power management systems for defense, aerospace, medical, transportation, industrial, and marine applications. Based in Israel, the company is part of the Michigan, US based Arotech Corporation (www.arotech.com).

To learn more, visit Epsilor (www.epsilor.com), or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact Person

Felix Frisch,

Director of Business Development

Epsilor Electric Fuel Ltd.

[email protected]

+972-52-8811043

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2761951/Epsilor.jpg

SOURCE Epsilor
BANGKOK, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GC Treasury Center Company Limited (the "Issuer"), hereby announces two concurrent, but separate, offers to purchase for cash (each, a "Tender Offer"), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Tender Offer Memorandum dated September 1, 2025 (the "Tender Offer Memorandum") (which is available on the Tender Offer Website: https://projects.sodali.com/PTTGC) any and all of (i) the outstanding U.S.$550,000,000 4.30% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2051 (the "2051 Notes"); and (ii) the outstanding U.S.$300,000,000 5.20% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2052 (the "2052 Notes", and collectively with the 2032 Notes and 2051 Notes, the "Notes"), each issued by the Issuer and irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (the "Company").

Capitalized terms used in this announcement but not otherwise defined have the meanings given to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.

The Tender Offers are being made in connection with a concurrent offering of new U.S. dollar-denominated subordinated perpetual securities (the "New Securities"), to be issued pursuant to a separate offering circular.

** SUMMARY OF TENDER CONSIDERATION & FIXED PRICES **

Series of Notes / ISINs (RegS;144A) / Outstanding Principal Amount (as of September 1, 2025) / Fixed Price

4.30% 2051 Notes / US36830DAC56; US36830BAC90 / USD 374,331,000 / 82.125%

5.20% 2052 Notes / US36830DAF87; US36830BAF22 / USD 102,980,000 / 94.125%

In addition to the Fixed Price, Holders whose Notes of a given series are accepted for purchase will be paid accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes to, but not including the Settlement Date (such amount, "Accrued Interest" and, together with the Fixed Price, the "Tender Consideration").

** FINANCING CONDITION **

The Issuer announced on September 1, 2025 its intention to issue the New Securities. The completion of the Tender Offers is subject, without limitation, to the satisfaction or waiver of, inter alia, (a) the pricing of the New Securities, (b) the signing of a purchase agreement between the Issuer and the initial purchasers named in the preliminary offering circular with respect to the New Securities for the purchase of the New Securities, and (c) the successful settlement and completion of the issue of the New Securities.

** NO PRORATION **

If any series of Notes is accepted for purchase pursuant to the Tender Offers, all validly tendered Notes of that series will be accepted for purchase. No series of Notes will be subject to proration pursuant to the Tender Offers.

** PREFERENTIAL ALLOCATION **

Each Holder that wishes to subscribe the New Securities in addition to tendering Notes for purchase pursuant to the Tender Offers may receive preference in the allocation of such New Securities, subject to the completion of the Tender Offers and the satisfaction or waiver of the Financing Condition. When considering allocation of New Securities, the Issuer, among other factors, intends to look favorably upon those Holders who have, prior to the allocation of the New Securities, indicated their firm intention to the Dealer Managers to tender Notes. Accordingly, if a Holder submits a bid for New Securities to one of the Dealer Managers (in its capacity as an initial purchaser in accordance with the standard new issue procedures of such Dealer Manager, the Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, accord such Holder's bid priority in the allocation of the New Securities (defined below as "Preferential Allocation"). However, neither the Issuer nor the Dealer Managers are obligated to allocate New Securities or any particular quantity of New Securities to a Holder that has validly tendered or indicated its firm intention to tender Notes in the Tender Offers. In order for Holders to be considered for Preferential Allocations, eligible Holders must contact any of the Dealer Managers using the contact details as set out on the last page of this Tender Offer Memorandum. As the New Securities are expected to price before the expiration of the Tender Offer, the Holders who wish to obtain Preferential Allocation should indicate their firm intention to the Issuer or the Dealer Managers as soon as possible and submit a bid for the New Securities, which should be in the form of a separate application to the initial purchasers in accordance with the standard new issue procedures of such initial purchasers.

** PURPOSE OF THE TENDER OFFERS **

The primary purpose of the Tender Offers is to actively manage the Company's liabilities, including deleveraging and financing cost reduction. The Issuer intends to cancel all Notes acquired pursuant to the Tender Offers.

** PARTICIPATION IN THE OFFERS **

Holders must either validly tender their Notes or deliver a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and other required documents pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures, described in the Tender Offer Memorandum, at or prior to the Expiration Deadline, and Holders who have delivered a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery must tender their Notes at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date specified below, to be eligible to receive the applicable Tender Consideration for such Notes. Notes validly tendered may be withdrawn at or prior to the Withdrawal Date (as specified below).

A Holder that wishes to tender its Notes must submit separate instructions per beneficial owner.

** INDICATIVE TIMETABLE OF THE TENDER OFFERS ** (all times are New York City time)

Commencement Date: 1 September 2025

Withdrawal Date: 5:00 p.m. on 9 September 2025

Expiration Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on 9 September 2025

Results announcement: as soon as reasonably practicable following the Expiration Deadline; currently expected on 10 September 2025

Guaranteed Delivery Date: 5:00 p.m. on the second Business Day following the Expiration Deadline; currently expected on 11 September 2025

Settlement Date: within three Business Days of the Expiration Deadline; currently expected on or about 12 September 2025

Guaranteed Delivery Settlement Date: expected on the Business Day after the Guaranteed Delivery Date, i.e. on 12 September 2025

** DEALER MANAGER **

Merrill Lynch (Singapore): [email protected], telephone: +65 6678 0542

Citigroup: [email protected], telephone: +852 2501 2692

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation: [email protected], telephone: +852 3941 0223 (Hong Kong), +44 20 7992 6237 (London), +1 (212) 525 5552 (New York)

J.P. Morgan: [email protected], telephone: +65 6882 8882 / +44 207 134 2468 / +1 212 834 4533

Mizuho Securities: [email protected], telephone: +852 2685 2000

Standard Chartered Bank: [email protected], telephone: +44 207 885 5739 / +65 6557 8286 / +852 3983 8658

** THE INFORMATION AND TENDER AGENT **

Sodali & Co Limited: Email: [email protected]; Tender Offer Website: https://projects.sodali.com/PTTGC; +852 2319 4130 (Hong Kong); +44 20 4513 6933 (London); +1 203 658 9457 (Stamford)

Questions and requests for assistance in connection with tendering Notes and participating in the Tender Offers and the submission of a tender instruction should be directed to the Information and Tender Agent. Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the Tender Offers should be directed to the Dealer Manager.

** DISCLAIMER **

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TENDER OFFERS.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TENDER OFFER MEMORANDUM.

NONE OF THE ISSUER, THE DEALER MANAGER OR THE INFORMATION AND TENDER AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES OR AFFILIATES HAS MADE OR WILL MAKE ANY ASSESSMENT OF THE MERITS AND RISKS OF THE TENDER OFFERS OR OF THE IMPACT OF THE TENDER OFFERS ON THE INTERESTS OF HOLDERS EITHER AS A CLASS OR INDIVIDUALS, AND NONE OF THEM MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION WHETHER HOLDERS SHOULD TENDER NOTES PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFERS.

NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE TENDER OFFER MEMORANDUM IS AN OFFER TO BUY OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL NOTES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.

SOURCE GC Treasury Center Company Limited
750 Michigan Nurses and Case Workers Demand Safe Working Conditions

GRAND BLANC, Mich., Aug. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurses and case workers at Henry Ford Genesys, represented by Teamsters Local 332, will strike on Monday, September 1 at 8 a.m., to demand safe and improved working conditions.

On August 21, the group voted by a 93 percent margin to reject the employers' egregious final offer, filing a notice of their intent to strike. Since their previous contract expiration date of June 5, Local 332 worked tirelessly to negotiate and secure a fair deal, yet Henry Ford Genesys refused to come to terms on a fair agreement.

Teamsters will remain on strike until an agreement that guarantees safe nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages and better working conditions is achieved.

WHAT: Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters Strike



WHO: Rank-and-file Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters



WHEN: Monday, September 1, 2025

8 a.m.





WHERE: Main Entrance of hospital on Holly Road

One Genesys Parkway

Grand Blanc, MI 48439





VISUALS: Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters striking and holding signs that say, "Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters on ULP Strike," "Understaffed is Unsafe," and "Teamsters Demand Better Nurse to Patient Ratios."

Media Contact:

Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279

[email protected]

On-Site Contact:

Dan Glass, (810) 869-3692

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
750 Michigan Nurses and Case Workers Demand Safe Working Conditions

GRAND BLANC, Mich., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurses and case workers at Henry Ford Genesys, represented by Teamsters Local 332, will strike on Monday, September 1 at 8 a.m., to demand safe and improved working conditions.

On August 21, the group voted by a 93 percent margin to reject the employers' egregious final offer, filing a notice of their intent to strike. Since their previous contract expiration date of June 5, Local 332 worked tirelessly to negotiate and secure a fair deal, yet Henry Ford Genesys refused to come to terms on a fair agreement.

Teamsters will remain on strike until an agreement that guarantees safe nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages and better working conditions is achieved.

WHAT: Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters Strike



WHO: Rank-and-file Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters



WHEN: Monday, September 1, 2025

8 a.m.





WHERE: Main Entrance of hospital on Holly Road

One Genesys Parkway

Grand Blanc, MI 48439





VISUALS: Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters striking and holding signs that say, "Henry Ford Genesys Teamsters on ULP Strike," "Understaffed is Unsafe," and "Teamsters Demand Better Nurse to Patient Ratios."

Media Contact:

Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279

[email protected]

On-Site Contact:

Dan Glass, (810) 869-3692

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
A Store Designed for Professional and Consumer Needs

The Abuja Midea Proshop marks a new milestone in Midea's market localization efforts. Unlike traditional retail outlets, the store provides dedicated product consultation, after-sales support, and direct sales services for both households and engineering contractors. This approach ensures consumers gain easier access to Midea's premium solutions while enabling large-scale projects to source equipment and services with greater efficiency.

Such investment in local infrastructure reflects the company's confidence in the West African market and its dedication to building closer, more reliable relationships with its partners and consumers.

UNICOOL+: Smart, Durable, and Energy-Efficient

Coinciding with the store opening, Midea unveiled the UNICOOL+ series, a new generation of smart inverter split air conditioners designed for West Africa's climate and power conditions.

The range combines artificial intelligence with advanced cooling technologies to deliver efficiency and comfort, offering up to 70% energy savings compared with conventional fixed-speed units. Powered by AI ECOMASTER algorithms and integrated with the MSmartHome app, the series enables users to manage cooling intelligently and cost-effectively. Its COOLFLASH Technology, driven by a DC inverter compressor, can lower room temperature by 5C within 10 minutes.

Built with AVS protection and a reinforced PCB to withstand voltage fluctuations, the series also includes 20-year anti-corrosion Hyper Grapfins, GenGear for generator efficiency, and a one-to-two mode for added flexibility.

Partnering with IOM: Building Skills, Building Futures

Beyond technological innovation, Midea also places strong emphasis on talent development and community sustainability. Midea and IOM have recently agreed to collaborate. At the opening ceremony of its new store in Nigeria, Midea signed an agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which includes the donation of Midea air conditioning solutions to IOM as well as a joint skills development project in Nigeria to empower local technicians with professional installation and maintenance skills. Participants will receive official certifications in air conditioner installation and repair, setting a new benchmark for service standards in the Nigerian market, and opening up broader career opportunities aiming to serve as a model for how Midea and local community can move forward together towards sustainable development.

Ms Sharon DIMANCHE, Chief of Mission of IOM Nigeria, welcomed the partnership on supporting skills training for migrants, stating: "Midea's engagement reflects a growing recognition that the private sector is not a bystander in humanitarian response. It is a driver. With its agility, innovation, and reach, it can unlock new pathways for impact especially when traditional funding is stretched."

As the Nigerian market continues to expand, Mr. Steven WANG, Africa regional director of Midea RAC, highlighted that the company's dual focus on innovation and localisation will reinforce its role as both a technology innovator and a community partner in West Africa, laying a solid foundation for long-term sustainable growth.

Distributor: Arpit Tomer

Phone & Whatsapp: +234 9041412211

Email: [email protected]

Marketing: Jacob Li

Email: [email protected]

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The All-Electric smart #2 Will Premiere in 2026

Successful feasibility completion of "project: two" leads to final development of the smart #2 as a new all-electric city car.

The smart #2 is styled by Mercedes-Benz and will be built on smart's own all-new proprietary architecture for ultra-compact vehicles.

The new addition to the product portfolio will be launched in China, Europe , and other selected global markets, with plans to premiere in late 2026.

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- smart has made a big decision in favor of a small vehicle: The premium intelligent electric automotive brand will create an all-new city two-seater. The smart #2 will extend the product portfolio of the company with an ultra-compact vehicle in the A-segment, marking smart's return to the segment it defined. The new all-electric model will integrate mindful technology solutions while evolving the unique characteristics that made the original smart fortwo an urban icon. With the smart #2 set to lineup alongside the smart #1, #3, and #5, the inventor of the original city car underlines its commitment to diverse customer needs  proving that smart comes in many forms.

smart #2 will be an all-electric two-seater city car smart #2 will expand the brands portfolio to the A-segment With #2, smart returns to the segment it defined

The smart #2 is styled by Mercedes-Benz Design and will be built on all-new proprietary architecture for ultra-compact vehicles, developed by smart's in-house R&D team. Featuring new technology solutions for its segment, the model is currently in its final design and development phase and will be produced in China. The all-new smart #2 will be launched in China, Europe, and other selected global markets, with plans to premiere in late 2026.

Mr. Tong Xiangbei, Global CEO of smart, said: "I'm thrilled to confirm a new two-seater smart  the smart #2. Developing an ultra-compact vehicle on an entirely new all-electric architecture is far more complex than creating a larger car. But now, we're ready. Thanks to the unwavering support of our shareholders, we've strengthened our production and development capabilities and successfully renewed our brand and product lineup. It's the perfect moment to reinvent our iconic city car."

Ms. Mandy Zhang, Global CMO of smart, said: "27 years ago, the first smart fortwo took the world by storm  becoming an icon for both the brand and the industry. Loved by over two million customers worldwide, our original city car stood as a solution for urban mobility and a symbol of urban culture. With our new smart #2, we are responding to the market's enthusiasm with an all-electric two-seater that blends smart's cutting-edge technology and latest design philosophy into our iconic concept. The smart two-seater is reborn."

Following the successful feasibility check of the smart internal "project: two", the company is preparing to premiere the new model in late 2026. Building on the successful introductions of the smart #1, #3, and #5, as well as the upcoming launch of the smart #5 EHD (Electric Hybrid Drive) in mainland China, the smart #2 will expand the brand's portfolio in a segment that has special meaning for smart and and its customers. smart will thus cover all the key requirements of modern mobility, from agile city cars to premium mid-range SUVs.

-End-

Contact

Jack Bailey

[email protected]

About smart

Since the birth of the brand in the 1990s, smart has always maintained the vision of exploring the best solutions for future urban mobility. In late 2019, Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group officially established smart global joint venture.

From 2019 to 2024, after the comprehensive renewal of its brand, products, and business model, smart successfully achieved the strategic objectives set for its initial five-year phase. Adhering steadfastly to the "China-Europe, Dual Home" global development strategy, smart has transformed into a leading premium intelligent electric automotive brand. It now boasts an expanding product matrix and a global footprint spanning around 40 countries and regions. In 2025, smart aims to boost its global business operations.

SOURCE smart
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Shadati)

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) plays a positive role in ensuring the continuity of an international order based on multilateralism and the rule of law, said a senior Iranian diplomat on Saturday.

The SCO is "very impactful and effective in the sense that it can represent the interests and concerns of the Global South," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told Xinhua in an exclusive interview, ahead of an SCO summit taking place from Sunday to Monday in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in China for the summit as well as events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

On the Iranian president's visit to China, Baghaei said, "We are going to take this opportunity to promote our bilateral ties with China and to hold meetings with other leaders of the participating states."

Baghaei noted that the world is now facing common challenges brought about by "unilateralism and coercive measures that certain Western countries, in particular the United States, have been applying against developing states."

The SCO, he added, can play a very significant role in terms of providing an effective framework for cooperation among Global South countries, guaranteeing the interests of developing countries, and ensuring the continuity of an international order that is based on multilateralism, the rule of law, and "the normative structures coming from the United Nations Charter."

As regards Iran-China ties, Baghaei highlighted the two countries' shared historical bond of culture and civilization, adding that both sides have continued to advance and deepen their relations, with mutual understanding and trust steadily growing.

"It is a constantly flourishing relationship. We value our relationship with China," he stressed.

The two countries have signed numerous agreements in areas including trade, economy, energy, agriculture and tourism, he noted, expressing optimism about the future of Iran-China cooperation.

"The basis of our bilateral relations is very solid, and the two nations are resolved to continue their excellent bilateral relations," he added.

The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017, and Iran in 2023. Belarus became the latest full member in 2024.

Editor: Xiong Jian
Xulon Press presents a thought-provoking Christian teaching presented as a compilation of didactic stories written to address America's ongoing moral and spiritual decline.

PLANT CITY, Fla., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Kevin M. Wynne challenges Christian readers to examine themselves to determine whether they're steadfast in their current faith and mission in Bitten Eagle: A Collection of Clear and Didactic Stories ($13.49, paperback, 9798868523236; $21.99, hardcover, 9798868523243; $5.99, e-book, 9798868523250).

Bitten Eagle - A Collection of Clear and Didactic Stories

Wynne is not only a former U.S. Marine, but he's also a savvy businessman, and a 21-year Pastor. His noteworthy credentials are evident in his newest book, a collection of didactic stories, moral lessons aimed to provide information and encourage American Christians to stay the course as they helplessly watch and live through the moral and spiritual decline of America. Each thought-provoking story will gain and capture the reader's attention through a refreshingly unique approach addressing topics that Americans need to talk about. Wynne provides deep insight and education encouraging spiritual growth among today's Christians to ensure they're accurately informed of spiritual truths and challenged to maintain the Christian perspective.

When asked what inspired the author to write this book, Wynne said, "The need to address specific topics through real examples to our church."

Kevin M. Wynne served in the United States Marine Corps and holds degrees in Marketing Management (B.S.), Theology (M.A.), and Apologetics (PhD). Wynne resides in Plant City and has been married to his wife Wendy for 36 years. Together, they have 3 adult children. Wynne is a business owner in Lakeland, Florida and has been the pastor of The First Baptist Church of Durant, Florida since 2004. His primary interests include his Christian faith, family, and church leadership. In addition to enjoying business development as a hobby, Wynne also loves caring for animals, as he and his wife have a private wildlife reserve where they enjoy the ongoing development for art and animals.

Xulon Press is the world's largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 20,000 titles published to date. Bitten Eagle: A Collection of Clear and Didactic Stories is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

SOURCE Xulon Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brace yourselves for the strangest and most exciting event of the year as The Oddities and Curiosities Expo , the ultimate celebration of all things peculiar and extraordinary, visits Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center in Jacksonville, FL for the first time on September 27th and 28th.

Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at https://oddities.com

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a one-of-a-kind traveling showcase that brings together hundreds of oddity vendors and artists from across the country, creating a playground for the strange and unusual. Here, the weird, wonderful, and downright bizarre unite in a fascinating display of the extraordinary, providing a platform for vendors and artists to connect with a community of like-minded individuals.

The event will travel coast to coast, visiting 40 cities in the United States and Canada in 2025.

Attendees can browse and shop for rare and unique items, including taxidermy, preserved animal specimens, dark artistry, original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork, antiques, metaphysical accoutrements, handcrafted oddities, skulls, bones, and funeral collectibles.

Beyond shopping, the expo offers an immersive experience with photo opportunities, tarot readings, sideshow performances, and various concessions to keep attendees entertained throughout the day.

Founded in Oklahoma by Michelle and Tony Cozzaglio, The Oddities and Curiosities Expo has hosted hundreds of events across North America, recognizing a growing demand for this unique large-scale gathering.

"We created this expo to give odd small businesses and artists a space where they can thrive," said Michelle. "Our goal is to build a community where people feel safe to be themselves, surrounded by like-minded folks who appreciate the weird and wonderful."

With its strong DIY ethos and a commitment to excellence, the expo continues to grow year after year. "Our success comes from working with the best exhibitors in the world and curating every event to deliver exactly what our attendees want to see," Michelle added. "We're always looking for ways to evolve and make the experience even better for both our exhibitors and our guests."

As the original, curated event of its kind, the Oddities and Curiosities Expo remains the leading destination for the wonderfully weird.

Guests of The Oddities and Curiosities Expo can also purchase tickets to a day-long taxidermy class where they can learn to make their own full-sized taxidermy mount, which will vary by city, or insect pinning classes.

In all classes, hosted by The Sleeping Sirens, students will work with sustainably sourced specimens to learn the basics of taxidermy and entomology and will be provided with a variety of tools and materials.

It is important to note: All animals in the taxidermy class and other parts of the show  like preserved specimens  are sourced ethically and died of natural causes.

EVENT INFO

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo will take place Saturday, September 27th from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, September 28th from 10am to 4pm at Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center at 1000 Water St, Jacksonville, FL 32204. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Children 12 and under are free. The event is all ages - however, parents are advised to use their best judgment about if their children should attend.

Tickets can be purchased at https://oddities.com

The Jackalope Taxidermy Class will be held on Saturday, September 27th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM for $225. The Beetles and Spiders Beginner Entomology Class sessions will be held on Sunday, September 28th, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and again from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM for $150. All classes will be hosted by Heather Clark of Sleeping Sirens Art & Oddities with built in breaks for lunch and exploring the expo. Materials and tools are provided, and tickets include admission to the expo.

For additional information, follow The Oddities and Curiosities Expo on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok .

Contact

Dayna Castillo

[email protected]

SOURCE Oddities & Curiosities Expo
CANBERRA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A trial has found that age assurance technology can effectively protect young people from inappropriate content online ahead of Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s coming into effect.

Anika Wells, the federal Minister for Communications, on Sunday night released the final report of the Age Assurance Technology Trial, which was commissioned by the Australian government in November 2024 as it moved to legislate the social media ban.

The trial, led by British body the Age Check Certification Scheme, assessed more than 60 technologies from 48 vendors and concluded that age assurance can be achieved "privately, efficiently and effectively."

The 1,100-page final report said that the assessed systems were generally secure and that the testing did not reveal any "substantial technological limitations" that would prevent them from being used in response to age-related eligibility requirements.

However, it warned that the "rapidly evolving" environment means the systems cannot be considered infallible.

Australia's world-first ban on children younger than 16 using social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube is set to come into effect in December.

Wells said in a statement on Sunday night that the results of the trial show that digital platforms have access to technology capable of better protecting young people from inappropriate content and harm.

"While there's no one-size-fits-all solution to age assurance, this trial shows there are many effective options and importantly that user privacy can be safeguarded," she said.

Under the legislation for the ban, social media companies that fail to take sufficient steps to prevent under-16s from accessing their platforms will face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (32.3 million U.S. dollars).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in July that Australia would use the upcoming 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly to lobby international support for the social media ban.

Editor: Xiong Jian
The leader of express shipments in Ukraine Nova Poshta from the Nova group in the first half of 2025 increased its consolidated net profit by 18.6% compared to the same period last year - to UAH 1.765 billion, and consolidated net income - by 22%, to UAH 29.829 billion.

According to the company's published report in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the company's gross profit grew by 19% compared to the same period last year - to UAH 7.205 billion. Operating profit, according to the consolidated report, increased by 17%, to UAH 3.72 billion.

It was previously reported that in the second quarter of 2025, Nova Poshta increased its unconsolidated net profit by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 905.45 million. According to the company's reporting on its website and in the NSSMC information disclosure system, revenue in the second quarter increased by 22.9%, to UAH 12.712 billion. In the first half of this year, Nova Poshta's net profit decreased by 19.6%, to UAH 1.196 billion, while revenue increased by 22.1%, to UAH 24.571 billion, the published data said. It was noted that gross profit for the first half of the year increased by 30.8% - to UAH 5.055 billion, while operating profit - by 45.6%, to UAH 2.444 billion.

The main activity of Nova Poshta remains express delivery of documents, parcels and palletized oversized cargo. The company is the leader in express delivery in Ukraine. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Popereshniuk and Viacheslav Klymov.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe is developing quite precise plans for the deployment of multinational troops in Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees. The statement was made in an interview with the Financial Times (FT) published on Sunday.

According to her, this contingent will receive support from the United States.

" President Trump reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop, " she said. " That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed."

The deployment of the contingent, according to the report, involves the potential participation of tens of thousands of European-led troops, with US support, including command and control systems, as well as intelligence and surveillance assets. The FT adds that this agreement was reached during a conversation between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders last month.

Also, according to information received by the FT from "three diplomats familiar with the plans", European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EC President Ursula von der Leyen, are expected to gather in Paris on September 4 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to continue high-level discussions on Ukraine.
Suspect in the murder of former Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy has given his first testimony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram, referring to information received from Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.

"I just spoke with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. He reported on further procedural steps regarding the suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy. There are the suspect's first statements. Further urgent investigative actions are now being carried out to establish all the circumstances of this murder," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Sunday.
The alleged shooter in the case of the murder of MP Parubiy was detained in the Khmelnytsky region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram on Monday night.

"The alleged shooter was detained in the Khmelnytsky region a few minutes ago. There will not be many details now. I will only say that the crime was carefully prepared: the deceased's movement schedule was studied, a route was laid, an escape plan was thought out," Klymenko wrote in his Telegram channel.

"Once again, police officers and employees of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) showed a high level of professionalism. 24 hours after the murder, they were already on the direct trail of the shooter, and 36 hours later they were detained. More details will be provided by the police later," Klymenko noted.

The Minister thanked the Lviv region police and the central office of the National Police, employees of the Security Service, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the Lviv regional prosecutor's office for their brilliant work.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has recorded 190 combat clashes over the past 24 hours, the General Staff said on Telegram as of 8:00 a.m. Monday.

"Yesterday, the enemy carried out one missile and 67 air strikes, using one missile and dropping 117 guided bombs. In addition, it carried out 5,780 attacks, including 74 from multiple rocket launchers, and used 5,780 kamikaze drones," the General Staff said.
Russian troops took control of approximately 2,346 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory and captured 130 settlements between March 1 and August 30, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

It is noted that the Russian Defense Ministry is exaggerating its progress in its own statements. In particular, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported on August 30 that Russian troops had captured 3,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory and 149 settlements since March 2025.

Thus, according to ISW data, the occupiers advanced an average of 591 square kilometers per month.

"Russia's gains have been largely gradual and creeping for many months, and Russia's rate of advance is incredibly slow under the norms of modern mechanized warfare. Any assessment of Russia's battlefield performance and strength must examine both the tempo of advance and the resulting losses to make those gains," the analysts write.

ISW emphasizes that Russia's territorial gains remain disproportionately limited and slow compared to the high losses suffered. Citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it is reported that 210,000 occupiers were killed in Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions from January to August 2025, an average of 26,250 per month, and 290,000 or an average of 36,250 losses per month in the entire theater of operations for the same period.

With reference to the Russian Registry of Inheritance Cases, it is reported that at least 93,000 Russian servicemen died in 2024, and the losses of the occupiers since the beginning of 2025 are estimated at at least 56,000.

As reported, in December 2024, the Russian occupation forces occupied a total of 593 sq km of Ukrainian territory, and in January 2025 - 498 sq km in Ukraine and the Kursk region, or approximately 16.1 sq km per day. At the same time, according to ISW, Russian forces suffered approximately 96 casualties per 1 sq km of captured territory
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/ivan.vyhivskyi.npu

The murder of the People's Deputy, former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy has a Russian trace, says the head of the National Police of Ukraine Ivan Vyhivsky.

"On August 30, in the Sykhiv district of Lviv, he disguised himself as a courier and opened fire on the politician in broad daylight. Eight shots. Cold-blooded cruelty," the head of the National Police said on Facebook on Monday.

He noted that the round-the-clock work of the Lviv region police and the central apparatus of the National Police gave its result - the audacious killer was detained, the necessary evidence was collected.

"We know that this crime is not accidental. There is a Russian trace in it. Everyone will be held accountable before the law," Vyhivsky said.
Photo: https://t.me/chernigivskaODA

The head of the Chernihiv regional military administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, reported three civilian casualties in the region as a result of Russian shelling last week.

"Yesterday, a 40-year-old civilian man from Semenivka was injured in an attack by an enemy FPV drone. Emergency doctors provided assistance on the spot... The Russians also attacked the regional center with drones. The strikes hit residential buildings and one of the city's enterprises. There is destruction. Civilian women, 48 and 68 years old, were also injured," Chaus said on Teelgram on Monday.

According to the head of the regional administration, a total of 49 settlements in the Chernihiv region were hit by Russian strikes last week. 307 shelling and 609 explosions were recorded.

The enemy most often attacks the Novhorod-Siversky and Koryukiv districts bordering the Russian Federation. "Due to daily shelling in the Novhorod-Siversky district, houses were damaged, a non-working gas station and agricultural enterprise facilities were damaged. Energy infrastructure facilities were hit.

In the Nizhyn district, the Russian occupiers attacked critical infrastructure facilities, as a result of which houses and a car were damaged, Chaus said.

As reported, in the Nizhyn district on Sunday, more than 30,000 huseholds and part of the city of Nizhyn were left without power supply as a result of the occupiers' strike on a civilian critical infrastructure facility.
The State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained two more Russian military intelligence agents who were correcting enemy air attacks on Ukraine: a native of occupied Melitopol was detained in Kyiv, and a former military woman in Odesa.

The SBU said on Telegram on Monday that the suspects were supposed to identify and transfer to the occupiers the locations of the Defense Forces, and they also investigated the consequences of enemy "arrivals" over civilian infrastructure to correct repeated strikes on Ukrainian cities.

According to the Ukrainian special service, both agents acted separately, but had one common curator, whose identity has already been established by SBU cyber specialists. To collect intelligence, the suspects went to the area, photographed potential targets and recorded their coordinates.

"In Kyiv, a 31-year-old native of temporarily occupied Melitopol was detained, whom the Russian military "sent" to spy on the capital of Ukraine. According to the instructions of the Russian military intelligence, the agent was supposed to identify and transfer to the occupiers the locations of the repair bases of the military equipment of the Defense Forces," the report says.

In addition, as noted in the department, the attacker monitored the time intervals of the largest concentration of people near the recruiting centers of the Kyiv region, which the enemy planned to strike from the air.

"A former military woman was exposed in Odesa, who after being discharged from service began to cooperate with the Russian military intelligence agents. In exchange for money from the occupiers, the woman gave them the coordinates of the bases of the maritime guard units, border guards and the National Guard on the territory of the port city," the SBU informs.

However, as the investigation established, the agent never received the promised money from the Russian Federation.

SBU investigators informed both defendants of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law).

The perpetrators are in custody without bail.

The complex measures were carried out by SBU officers in Kyiv and Kyiv region under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vadym.filashkin/

Two residents of Donetsk region died in the past 24 hours due to Russian shelling, eight were injured, Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Vadym Filashkin has said.

"On August 31, the Russians killed two residents of Donetsk region: in Bilytske and Iversk. Another eight people in the region were injured during the day," he said on Telegram on Monday.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/pryamiy

For a year, Russian special services blackmailed the suspect in the murder of the people's deputy of the European Solidarity faction Andriy Parubiy with information about the whereabouts of his son, who is considered missing in action during the war, the Pryamiy TV channel reports, citing its own sources in law enforcement agencies.

"It is known that the Russians have a whole list of people to be eliminated, especially in patriotic circles. Andriy Parubiy was one of a whole list of Ukrainian patriots who were planned to be killed in the near future," the channel's Facebook page said on Monday.

According to sources, the suspect was captured by the criminal investigation officers of the National Police of Ukraine. "Currently, the killer is giving evidence that clearly points to a Russian trace in this crime. Overall, this may indicate the failure of the authorities' measures to counter terrorism," the report notes.

The Interfax-Ukraine agency has not yet confirmed or denied this information.

As reported, the People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the VI-IX convocations, the Speaker of the Parliament in 2016-2019, Parubiy, was shot dead on the street in Lviv at noon on August 30. An unknown man fired several shots at the politician, as a result of which he died on the spot.

The alleged shooter in the case of the murder of Parubiy was detained in Khmelnytsky region, he has already given his first testimony. The Head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivsky said Russia is involved in the crime.
'The world now realises that semiconductors are not just important for national security, but also for economic prosperity.'

Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: Kind courtesy Bruno Miranda Photography/Pexels.com

With over 500 companies from across the globe participating in SEMICON India, beginning on September 2 in New Delhi, Ajit Manocha -- President and CEO of California-headquartered Semiconductor Equipment & Material International (SEMI), the world's largest industry association -- outlined India's role in the global semiconductor race in a video interview with Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard.

With a large number of fabs being built across the world, where is India positioned in the global semiconductor sweepstakes?

The industry is going through a massive inflection point.

Over the past decade, we saw strong growth in this industry because of the IoT (Internet of things).

But the growth potential is now huge. Last year, industry revenues were close to $600 billion.

We project this will double in the next 6 to 7 years to $1.2 trillion, fuelled by the AI revolution -- 50 per cent of the chips being designed today are AI-enabled.

How many new semiconductor plants are coming up, and where does India fit in?

As we speak, 107 new fabs are set to come on board across the world; 91 already work in progress, including the Tata project in India.

However, these fabs will, at most, increase overall semiconductor revenues to three-quarters of a trillion dollars ($750 billion).

We should expect another 30 to 40 fabs to reach $1.2 trillion in revenues by 2028-2030.

The growth potential is huge: Around 15 fabs are coming up in the US, nearly 10 in Europe, and the rest in Asia, with China taking a major share.

So where do you see India?

The world now realises that semiconductors are not just important for national security, but also for economic prosperity.

India has made a good start by clearing multiple assembly and test plants, along with one mega fab by the Tatas.

India's trajectory should be much higher, and I would set an aspirational goal of 10 fabs by 2030.

With 100 new fab plants coming up in the world, we (India) need to have a bigger share. It's not a question of if, but when.

India has cleared many OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) and ATMP(assembly, testing, marking, and packaging) projects but only one mega fab. Is that the right approach?

If you have a fab plant but no assembly and test facilities, it doesn't serve the purpose.

First you produce wafers, then you need assembly and testing. Assembly and test facilities are much easier to set up -- in terms of both investment and complexity -- compared to wafer fabs.

It takes extensive planning and a lot of money ($5 billion to $10 billion) to commission a new wafer factory.

So wafer fabs will come over time, depending on entrepreneurs' appetite in the country.

Is it necessary -- or even possible -- to accelerate efforts to get more fabs in India?

If you look at China, Taiwan, and South Korea, they didn't emerge as fab countries in just 4-5 years.

It was a multi-year effort. You need an ecosystem to support such plants.

Once the ecosystem was in place, even more companies started moving into Singapore. The same will happen in India.

We need to execute on what we've started and demonstrate our capability to the world.

India's semiconductor demand is expected to cross $100 billion by 2030. What percentage of this will be met domestically by fabs and OSAT plants?

My estimate is that by 2030, if India produces $30 billion worth of chips domestically and imports the remaining $70 billion, that will be a good balance.

You can never produce every single chip required within the country.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
To shield against US President Donald Trumps tariff shock, analysts have been advising investors to focus on stocks of domestic-oriented companies, rather than export-centric ones, to minimise potential losses.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff

Yet, despite these recommendations, stocks in sectors such as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), real estate, and both private- and public-sector banking have remained subdued in August (following the initial tariff imposition on August 7).

However, automotive and consumer durables stocks have defied the broader downturn, buoyed up largely by the governments promise to reduce the goods and services tax (GST).

This underperformance in many domestic-facing sectors, according to Anirudh Garg, fund manager and partner at INVasset PMS, can be traced to investors adopting a wait-and-watch approach, as the tariff announcements  both the initial 25 per cent levy and the subsequent penalty of 25 per cent  coincided with India Incs weak earnings expectations for the second quarter of 2025-26.

Even sectors that are fundamentally insulated, such as automotive, FMCG, and cement, have been caught in the risk-off trade.

"Without visible triggers, like festival demand data or stronger earnings prints, investors remain reluctant to take aggressive positions, Garg observes.

With the 50 per cent tariff now in place, market experts caution against adding exposure to export-dependent stocks, even after recent corrections.

While, in theory, rotating from export-focused sectors to domestic-oriented companies makes investor sense, such a shift has yet to materialise, they warn.

Investors are advised to remain cautious even with domestic-focused stocks, as logic has not worked until now, according to Sandip Agarwal, fund manager at Sowilo Investment Managers, given the ongoing unpredictability in US tariff policy.

There are multiple pressures at play, including sustained foreign institutional outflows, Agarwal explains.

However, over the long term, fundamentals will prevail.

The new 50 per cent tariffs, effective from August 27, are among the highest in Asia, as tensions between New Delhi and Washington escalate.

Sectors such as apparel, textile, engineering goods, gems and jewellery, shrimp, and carpet are expected to face considerable headwinds, according to an analysis by the Global Trade Research Initiative.

Riding the shift: The domestic playbook

Garg reiterates that investors should continue seeking opportunities in stocks driven by domestic growth, particularly those benefiting from strong policy or structural tailwinds.

Beyond the defensives, emerging tech firms and healthcare companies represent steady growth stories. A negotiated resolution before year-end could unwind some market overhang.

"Hence, a temporary correction is an ideal time to build positions with a three-year horizon, he adds.

As the GST 2.0 rationalisation leads to higher discretionary spending and the festival season demand kicks in, analysts predict a potential rerating of stocks in domestic-focused sectors.

Near-term inertia is more about sentiment than underlying structural weakness, Garg remarks.

While export-oriented stocks have faced sizeable corrections and offer upside potential, Agarwal warns that prolonged uncertainty could have long-lasting effects on industries employing millions, particularly textile.

I wouldnt commit new capital to export-heavy or US-exposed stocks right now. Id focus on companies without those risks, Agarwal adds.

While textile sector earnings may be impacted by heavy US exposure, analysts at Antique Stock Broking suggest that other sectors, like information technology services, pharmaceutical, chemicals, electronics manufacturing services, and certain metal firms, despite substantial US revenue, will likely face limited impact due to product exemptions or operations through US subsidiaries.
India received FDI equity flows from China worth $2.67 million in FY25, which was 0.01 per cent of the total FDI equity receipts by India in FY25.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit in Tianjin, September 1, 2025. Photograph: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via/Reuters

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently interacted with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to bolster the India-China bonhomie, in the wake of the recent turbulence in the India-United States relations.

Discussions revolved around trade, especially focusing on easing exports of fertilisers, rare earth1 minerals (REMs), and tunnel boring machines to India, besides facilitating movement of people and investments, which took a hit post Galwan clashes in 2020.

China's share in India's fertiliser imports drops

The Chinese share in Indian imports of fertilisers dropped from 27.16 per cent in FY20 to 10.51 per cent in FY25.

In value terms, India imported around 29 per cent of its REMs from China in FY25.

However, in volume terms, India imported nearly 59 per cent of REMs.

Dip in India's FDI from China

India received foreign direct investment (FDI) equity flows from China worth $2.67 million in FY25, which was 0.01 per cent of the total FDI equity receipts by India in FY25.

Chinese investment was $163.78 million in FY20, before the Galwan clash, with a share of 0.33 in the total FDI inflows received that year.

Sharp decline in Chinese nationals coming to India

As many as 339,442 Chinese nationals visited India in 2019, while 358,685 Indians went to China in the same year.

These declined to just 30,585 Chinese coming to India in 2023, while 157,090 Indians visited China in 2023, after visa restrictions were imposed by the two countries.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

How often do you plan a trip to the gorgeous Maldives islands?

For Kajal A Kitchlu, it's a monthly vacation!

She posts pictures of her latest trip on Instagram.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

'The Maldives: my recurring love affair,' Kajal posts.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

'A monthly rendezvous I'll gladly be guilty of. Drawn back each time by its endless allure, eternal glow, and sunsets that feel like nature's most glamorous runway. Takes my breath away every single time,' she adds.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

'Thank you @dusitd2_maldives for wrapping us in warmth, impeccable hospitality, and experiences as magical as the view itself. Until we meet again... Paradise, perfected.'

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

'A little sneak peek into our quick getaway. Just what we needed, even if only for a hot minute,' she writes.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Kajal was accompanied by husband Gautam Kitchlu and son Neil.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Getting filmi on the beach.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Taking a dip in the pool.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Splashing around.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Twinning with the sea.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

Looking ahead.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Kajal A Kitchlu/Instagram

On the swing.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
'If they can be duplicitous, we can be equally duplicitous.'

'If they offer friendship, we reciprocate.'

' If they choose hostility, we respond with equal hostility.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets China's President Xi Kinping in Tianjin, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

"We must evaluate relationships based on actions, not rhetoric. If (Chinese) actions prove hostile -- such as attempts to create instability in our north east or establish bases in the Bay of Bengal -- we cannot maintain friendly relations."

In the concluding part of a two-part interview with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff, Major General G D Bakshi (retd) elaborates on India's strategic doctrine emerging from the Galwan tragedy.

Building upon the analysis of China's costly miscalculations, the general advocates a precise 'mirror image' approach that honours our fallen heroes of Galwan through calculated reciprocity rather than emotional responses.

The general's framework, shaped by the sacrifice of twenty brave soldiers, emphasises that while India cannot trust China, India must respond to Beijing's overtures -- including rare earth supplies and tunnel boring equipment offers -- based purely on national interest calculations.

Part 1 of the interview: 'We Cannot Trust China'

Are current Indian military deployments along the LAC adequate deterrence against future Chinese aggression post-Galwan?

Our present posture has proven adequate for deterring China.

Consider the strategic burden we have imposed: they have maintained troops at high altitude for the past four to five years. Chinese soldiers serve two-year terms and prefer not to spend this period in Tibet experiencing altitude hypoxia -- this creates significant morale challenges.

Geo-strategically, China operates on the principle of focusing on one strategic direction at a time. Currently, their primary focus remains Taiwan. They have no desire to engage in a two-front war, which provides India with strategic advantages.

Eighty percent of Pakistan's weapons systems are of Chinese origin. Using leverage we should convince China to reconsider their support for Pakistan, particularly given Pakistan's recent alignment with the United States despite China's 86 billion dollar loan investment and extensive China-Pakistan Economic Corridor development.

Doesn't Beijing need Islamabad for its Belt and Road Initiative and Washington needs Islamabad to keep Iran in check?

Certainly, China requires Pakistan for their BRI objectives. However, the critical question remains: Is Pakistan reciprocating this partnership faithfully? This uncertainty creates opportunities for India to exploit.

The broader context remains the multipolar world order. Both World Wars occurred within multipolar systems characterised by rapid alignments and realignments due to multiple actors requiring dynamic rather than static balance maintenance.

Should India prioritise addressing US hostility before engaging with Beijing regarding Pakistan?

We need not declare war against the United States. We simply must communicate clearly: 'If you cannot offer genuine partnership, we have alternative options. We can align with the Russia-China axis. Do you prefer that outcome?'

Within four to five years, geostrategic analysts in the United States will be asking, 'Who lost India?' This is how diplomatic signalling functions effectively.

We demonstrate that if they adopt hostile positions, we can respond accordingly. We have been attempting friendship -- why do they persistently undermine our interests?

IMAGE: The Modi-Xi meeting in Tianjin, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Beijing often mixes military coercion with economic enticement. How should India balance trade needs with national security imperatives when engaging China?

The fundamental principle remains mirror-image reciprocity. I (India) will respond exactly as they (the Chinese) treat us.

If they can be duplicitous, we can be equally duplicitous. If they offer friendship, we reciprocate. If they choose hostility, we respond with equal hostility.

We have not entered into permanent marriages with either the United States or China. Russia, however, has demonstrated decades of consistent support -- I personally witnessed their assistance during the 1971 War. Russia represents a relationship we can depend upon substantially.

With China, we can attempt tentative engagement. If they cooperate meaningfully, we proceed accordingly. If not, we respond in kind.

During a television debate with Chinese officials during Operation Sindoor, I stated unequivocally: 'We will treat you exactly the same way you treat us. If you intervene in this conflict, rest assured that when you are fighting with Taiwan, we will intervene.'

I believe that message was clearly received and understood.

This exemplifies our mirror-image response policy.

If China offers benefits -- such as rare earth materials they have blocked for us or tunnel boring equipment we require for Himalayan infrastructure development -- we will accept such offerings.

What concrete steps should India take to ensure China treats India as a peer competitor rather than a subordinate neighbour?

IMAGE: Lieutenant General Hitesh Bhalla, GOC, Fire and Fury Corps, during his visit to forward areas in Ladakh to review operational preparedness. Photograph: ANI Photo

China learned crucial lessons during 2020 when they adopted aggressive postures in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.

Pakistan had convinced them that India's abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A would impact the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passing through Gilgit-Baltistan -- territory in Jammu and Kashmir which belongs to India but has been occupied by Pakistan.

To placate Pakistan following our surgical strikes, Balakot air strikes, and Operation Sindoor, China attempted to divert Indian military resources by creating border tensions. However, they discovered that India was prepared to match their deployment man-for-man, gun-for-gun, tank-for-tank.

Consequently, China had to divert substantial resources intended for Taiwan toward India, deploying them in high-altitude Tibet environments. This proved extremely costly in terms of finances, equipment maintenance, and troop morale. Chinese personnel are not accustomed to such altitudes, while Indians have adapted far more effectively.

China is discovering that maintaining hostility with India is prohibitively expensive, particularly when undertaken merely to appease Pakistan -- a nation simultaneously betraying their interests by aligning with the United States despite massive Chinese investments.

Nations prioritise self-interest. When China recognises that Pakistan is exploiting their relationship, they will recalibrate accordingly. We must be prepared to capitalise on such developments.

The fundamental principle remains: We must evaluate relationships based on actions, not rhetoric. If (Chinese) actions prove hostile -- such as attempts to create instability in our north east or establish bases in the Bay of Bengal -- we cannot maintain friendly relations.

We must maintain national self-respect, sovereignty, and pride. There exists a segment of Indian diplomats who argue we cannot abandon thirty years of relationship-building with America -- they advocate continued submission despite repeated hostile actions. As an Indian, I am not prepared to crawl back repeatedly.

America's anger stems partly from Operation Sindoor, where we struck air bases hosting joint American-Pakistani command posts, including nuclear and drone command facilities in Muridke, the Nur Khan air base in Chaklala and other important Pakistani air bases.

The imposition of fifty percent tariffs following these actions reveals their true intentions rather than diplomatic niceties.

It is the Deep State in the United States that ultimately determines friendship and enmity classifications. If they consider us a forthcoming threat, we must safeguard our national interests accordingly while exploring all available strategic options.
'In a courtroom, the judge can directly assess the witness's demeanour, which is crucial'

IMAGE: Lawyers protest outside the Rouse Avenue court in New Delhi on Thursday, August 28, 2025 against the notification issued by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, declaring video conferencing rooms in police stations as designated places for recording of evidence Photograph: ANI Video Grab

The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) has strongly condemned the August 13, 2025 notification issued by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, which designates police stations as venues for recording police depositions via video conferencing.

In a resolution passed on August 27, the Association warned that the order undermines judicial independence, compromises the fairness of cross-examinations, and erodes public faith in the justice delivery system.

According to SCAORA, courts are open forums accessible to litigants, advocates, and citizens, whereas police stations are restricted executive spaces.

Shifting witness depositions to police-controlled environments, they argue, risks curating evidence, dilutes the intensity of cross-examination, and prevents judges from assessing the demeanour of witnesses -- an essential element of justice.

The Association also expressed regret that the order was issued without consulting either the judiciary or the Bar, calling it a blow to institutional balance.

As part of a wider protest, Bar associations across Delhi had called for abstinence from work in all district courts and demonstrations before the lieutenant governor's house. However, following sustained agitation, the Union home ministry intervened: It was officially conveyed that Home Minister Amit Shah would personally meet Bar representatives 'with an open mind' to address their concerns, according to a press note issued by the New Delhi Bar Association.

The Delhi police commissioner also clarified that the notification would not be enforced until all stakeholders were heard. In light of this written assurance, the Bar has suspended its protests pending the outcome of talks.

In this interview with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff, SCAORA Secretary Vipin Nair explains why the order is fraught with risks, how it could weaken judicial credibility, and why stakeholder consultation is critical.

This interview was conducted before the Union government's assurance, when lawyers were still in active agitation against the LG's order.

Why does allowing police stations to serve as venues for recording depositions undermine the independence and credibility of the judicial process?

The simple reason is that there are cardinal rules of cross-examination prescribed by the law of evidence.

The witness has to be in court, and ideally that means physical presence. The moment 'in court' is transcribed into a video conference it dilutes the intensity of cross-examination.

Suppose you are confronting a prosecution witness -- say, a police officer -- about infractions during an arrest: when it was made, what documents were available, what exactly was done.

In a courtroom, the judge can directly assess the witness's demeanour, which is crucial.

That advantage is completely lost when the officer testifies from his own station. He may consult materials not available in court, seek assistance from colleagues, or otherwise tailor his replies. This compromises the very purity of cross-examination.

There is also a counterpoint, though.

Once a police officer leaves the station and spends the whole day in court, there is a law-and-order issue because stations are understaffed. There should be a balance. Either court appearances should be made time-bound so the officer is free by a certain hour, or multiple cases can be scheduled for the same day.

These are housekeeping issues that both the Bar and the executive should decide together.

How might the controlled environment of a police station influence or compromise the authenticity and fairness of evidence collection, even if done via video conferencing?

Exactly -- because it places the witness in an artificial zone not controlled by the judge. The judge has to see the demeanour of the witness.

Suppose the witness lies -- there are human traits the judge can catch, which are completely lost in the electronic medium. This is just one illustration, but there are many such risks.

The SCAORA resolution mentions that courts are open forums while police stations are restricted spaces. How does this difference affect transparency and public confidence in justice delivery?

Absolutely. Take custodial death cases (or cases of jail torture). A perfectly fine undertrial or suspect walks into a police station and comes out crippled. How does that happen? (It happens) because a police station is a restricted space. It is not to say this happens everywhere, but even one such instance colours the entire scheme. That is why courts, being open forums, are fundamentally different.

What risks arise when such a notification is issued without consultation with the judiciary or the Bar? And what does this say about institutional balance in the justice system?

This whole situation could have been avoided if they had called a joint meeting of all stakeholders -- especially the local trial Bar, because they are directly and proximately affected.

At the Supreme Court level we are not, since no trials happen here, but eventually these cases land up before us. The trial court lawyers are the most important stakeholders; they should have been consulted.

Supporters argue that video conferencing from police stations is only a logistical convenience. Why do you believe it goes beyond logistics?

Efficiency cannot override judicial independence.

I already explained how it affects cross-examination and witness demeanour. There must be a counter-narrative -- yes, police time is wasted in courts, and yes, manpower is limited. But solutions should be worked out in consultation, not by shifting the process into police stations.
'...it should not delude itself into thinking that India's security or its great-power ambitions will be advanced by those partnerships.'

'Instead, what India should focus on is on riding out the next three-and-a-half years of Trump's presidency with minimal damage to itself.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping with their delegations meet in Tianjin, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

"I can understand India's temptation to seek refuge in the Russia-India-China (RIC) axis as an antidote to its deteriorating relations with the United States. But the RIC is an illusory solution -- it will not resolve India's security challenges nor will it meaningfully endure," Dr Ashley J Tellis -- the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Washington, DC think-tank.

Dr Tellis -- who was born and raised in Bombay -- played a stellar role during the negotiations on the India-US civilian nuclear treaty as senior adviser to the US undersecretary of state for political affairs at the State Department.

He earlier served as senior adviser to then US ambassador Robert D Blackwill at the US embassy in New Delhi and prior to that was a member of the National Security Council staff as special assistant to President George W Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia.

"The remainder of Trump's term promises to be uncertain, perhaps even more difficult. Even if we recover from the immediate problems on oil and trade, much of the next few years will be consumed by putting the broken pieces together. Which is such a shame given that this fracas was neither necessary nor inevitable," Dr Tellis tells Nikhil Lakshman/Rediff.

Part 1 of the Interview: 'India's Confidence In The US Is Shattered'

Apart from the Trump tariff tantrum and its shadow on India-US relations, what has caused consternation in New Delhi is Washington's outreach to Rawalpindi.

How would you explain President Trump's luncheon for Syed Asim Munir, the second visit to the US in weeks including an invitation to General Kurila's retirement event at US Central Command, his bizarre remarks from American soil (which no Pakistani leader, civilian or military) has expressed before, the tariff deal Pakistan has received?

What has Pakistan done to redeem itself in American eyes?

Why is Mr Trump so enamored with Pakistan?

Is it driven by the Trump family to make money via cryptos in Pakistan?

Could we see a consequential American security relationship with Pakistan or is that out of the question given the Chinese elephant in the room?

Does India have reason to be worried about all this?

Nothing has changed in the objective realities of geopolitics to warrant Trump's current embrace of Pakistan. This is the result of idiosyncratic personal propensities rather than considerations of national interest.

Whether this embrace will be lasting is unclear. Certainly, the expectation that Pakistan will provide energy and critical minerals to satisfy the United States is laughable.

I also do not see the president's infatuation with Pakistan shared by his administration, and I think a resuscitation of the US-Pakistan security relationship of yesteryears is unlikely.

But all the same Trump's new fascination with Pakistan is troublesome for several reasons: It betrays an ignorance of the political realities in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific; it represents a pernicious neglect of the role Pakistan played in ensuring the US defeat in Afghanistan and the American and allied lives lost in that war; it reveals an incomprehension of what evolving US interests demand in the region; and, finally, it could produce presidential decisions, however passing, that are harmful to India and do not serve US interests well either.

How would you explain the anger against India expressed by senior members of the administration -- from Stephen Miller to Peter Navarro to Scott Bessent?

Are they just being their Master's Voice, echoing their boss' displeasure about India buying Russian oil?

Indians -- whether it is your old sparring partner on the nuclear deal, S Jaishankar, or the man on the street -- say they are perplexed about the administration's reaction to buying Russian oil when the previous administration had encouraged India to do so to keep crude prices low, and more so why China, which buys more Russian oil than India, is not faced with punitive tariffs like India has been.

How would you explain these double standards?

I see such expressions simply as subordinate officials echoing Trump. There is only one thing that matters for survival in this administration -- loyalty. The courtiers merely mimic the king's views. And as his preferences change, so do US policies and their tunes.

Trump's policy towards Russia and Ukraine is a case in point. At the beginning of his term, Trump was more solicitous of Moscow and disdainful of Kyiv. His officials then competed among themselves to abuse Ukraine and Europe, and India's purchases of Russian oil were not a problem then.

After Trump changed his mind about Russia and the Ukraine war -- though it's still unclear what his policy toward Russia really is -- India's oil purchases have suddenly become a threat.

Given the current state of the Trump-Modi relationship, however, the president's problems with India's oil purchases mask other grievances. These certainly do not pertain to trade or the trade deal, as some have speculated. But they do involve penalising India without reference to the fact that many other countries, including the United States itself, have been inadvertently subsidising the Russian war effort.

That India has been singled out however says more about the weakening priority of good US-India relations and Trump's disregard of them than it does about New Delhi's relationship to Moscow's war, however disheartening that may be.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Modi and United States President Donald John Trump hug at the White House, February 13, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

Are there aspects of the India-US relationship that are in peril because of the volatile past weeks?

Could the security arrangements, which have been the foundational presence in this relationship, be seriously undermined?

Will it require a commercial transaction like India buying American military hardware to ensure that it is business as usual on that front?

Everything is up for grabs right now.

Security cooperation, which has been the biggest driver of success in the past, is at risk not because the Trump administration disdains it but because there are limits to how far and fast both sides can move if the president continues to remain disenchanted with India.

I don't think increased commercial transactions, defense or otherwise, can resolve this fundamental roadblock. Only a renewed rapprochement between Trump and Modi personally can push things forward.

Do you believe that the Trump administration has altered its perception that India can be a counter weight to China in Asia?

Does it believe that India will not be at America's side in any future military standoff with China and stay neutral?

Has India's strategic value been devalued as a result?

And where does this leave groupings like Quad?

Will it recede in strategic importance, be limited to a talking shop with a few annual military exercises involving its members but not ascend to intelligence sharing about China and a future military doctrine to deal with Beijing's territorial ambitions?

Do you believe President Trump will skip the Quad Summit in New Delhi this November and instead send Messrs Vance or Rubio? What would his absence convey to New Delhi?

I am not persuaded that Trump believes that China is a strategic competitor. It is an economic threat, to be sure. But whether he believes it is a geopolitical rival that must be balanced through concerted collective action led by the United States -- of this I'm not sure.

Given the shift in attitude manifested during this term -- ironic because it was Trump who had announced the arrival of great-power competition during his last stint in office -- India's importance decreases considerably.

And if China is not perceived as a systemic competitor, what use does the QUAD actually have? These are big imponderables, but there are no clear answers right now, which is unsettling.

Trump appears to believe that if a satisfactory trade deal can be forged with Beijing, the China challenge goes away. If so, much of what we've previously built with India and the QUAD counts for little.

In such circumstances, even if Trump goes to India for the QUAD summit, how does it matter? We might be, I fear, in a moment of dangerous geopolitical amnesia with profound consequences for the long-term preeminence of the United States.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, October 23, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

One consequence of the events on the US front has been a kind of India-China rapprochement after the bad blood of the last 5 years.

How would that and talk of a Russia India China grouping play out in Washington since even the word BRICS annoys President Trump so much?

Would you advise India's external affairs mandarins to stay the course on the US front and not embark on an RIC adventure?

I can understand India's temptation to seek refuge in the Russia-India-China (RIC) axis as an antidote to its deteriorating relations with the United States. But the RIC is an illusory solution -- it will not resolve India's security challenges nor will it meaningfully endure.

New Delhi can hobnob with Moscow and Beijing for whatever it's worth, but it should not delude itself into thinking that India's security or its great-power ambitions will be advanced by those partnerships.

Instead, what India should focus on is on riding out the next three-and-a-half years of Trump's presidency with minimal damage to itself and to the US-India relationship on the presumption that Washington will come to its senses after the current hallucinations have passed.

Finally, how do you see India-US relations play out over the next 18 months? What are the positive or negative signs we need to watch out for?

The remainder of Trump's term promises to be uncertain, perhaps even more difficult. Even if we recover from the immediate problems on oil and trade, much of the next few years will be consumed by putting the broken pieces together. Which is such a shame given that this fracas was neither necessary nor inevitable.
A landslide on the Kedarnath route early Monday killed two pilgrims and left six injured while heavy rain continued to lash various parts of Uttarakhand, leading to temporary suspension of the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimages till September 5, officials said.

IMAGE: People stand near a damaged structure following a cloud burst at Tharali, in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, August 25, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

The landslide occurred at 7:34 am near Munkatiya between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath route.

Debris carrying rocks and boulders fell from the hillside and hit a moving vehicle, killing two passengers and leaving six others injured, Rudraprayag Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

The deceased have been identified as Rita (30) and Chandra Singh (68) from Barkot in Uttarkashi district.

The injured included Mohit Chauhan, Naveen Singh Rawat, Pratibha, Mamata, Rajeshwari and Pankaj, all from the same district, Rajwar said, adding that four of them were referred to a higher facility for treatment.

In view of the heavy rain, the Char Dham Yatra and the pilgrimage to the Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib have been put on hold till September 5, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said.

Pandey appealed to the pilgrims not to set out on the pilgrimage routes during this period and follow the advisories issued by the administration from time to time. The pilgrimage will resume once the weather becomes normal and the roads are completely safe, Pandey said.

By 8 am on Monday, Banbasa in Champawat district received 256.4 mm of rain, followed by Khatima (181 mm), Tanakpur (174 mm), Bastia (170 mm), Koti (152 mm), Chakrata (146 mm), Purola (120 mm), and Devidhura (129 mm), the Central Water Commission (CWC) said in a bulletin while sharing rainfall data for the past 24 hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert for 'heavy' to 'very heavy' rain in nine districts, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Champawat and Bageshwar.

The heavy rain has led to an increase in the water level in rivers running through the state.

Rivers Yamuna at Kathnaur and Kamla at Purola in Uttarkashi, as well as Shalini in Dehradun and Aglar in Tehri, are flowing above the danger mark, the CWC bulletin said.

The Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers in Rudraprayag have crossed the warning mark, flowing at 626.35 metres and 625.05 metres, respectively, which are very close to the danger level, the CWC said.

The water level in the Ganga has also risen in both Haridwar and Rishikesh, with the administration making public announcements asking people not to go near the banks of the river.

The water level in the Ganga is rising in the wake of incessant rain. Don't visit the ghats. Stay alert and safe, the announcement said.

Similar announcements were made in Rudraprayag district, where the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers are in spate.

Heavy rain has triggered a string of natural disasters in Uttarakhand in the past month, claiming at least 10 lives and leaving many missing.

Two people were killed in separate rain-related incidents in Tehri and Pithoragarh districts on Sunday.

Six people were killed while 11 went missing after heavy rain and a series of cloudbursts wreaked havoc in various districts of Uttarakhand on August 29, triggering landslides, damaging houses, and leaving people buried under mounds of rubble.

Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, and Bageshwar districts bore the brunt of the natural calamity, which came close on the heels of the Tharali disaster on August 23 that killed a woman and left another missing.

Before the tragedy in Tharali in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand witnessed massive devastation on August 5 when a flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river demolished nearly half of Dharali, a key stopover on the Gangotri route dotted with hotels and homestays.

The flash flood also hit an Army camp in neighbouring Harsil. Sixty-nine people missing since the disaster are yet to be traced.
Umar Ganie captures Kashmiri Pandits celebrating Ganesh Visarjan with a rally in Srinagar after 35 years.

In a historic revival of tradition, Kashmiri Pandits celebrated Ganesh Visarjan at the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganesh Mandir, Ganpatyar, Habba Kadal, Srinagar, with a large gathering and the first-ever rally marking the occasion after a gap of 35 years.

Organised under the banner of the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganesh Mandir Prabhandak Samiti, the Visarjan procession was taken out in Yatra form for the very first time.

Beginning at the Ganpatyar temple in Srinagar, the rally passed through Kharyaar, Kral Khud, Nai Sadak, Gund Ahlemar, and Badiyaar before concluding with the traditional immersion rituals at the Shri Ganesh Ghat in the Jhelum.

Devotees thronged the streets with chants, bhajans, and devotional fervour, marking the occasion with spiritual enthusiasm and reconnecting with their cultural roots.

The Samiti said the event was not only a spiritual milestone but also a symbol of the community's enduring cultural and religious bond with Kashmir.

IMAGE: After 35 years, Kashmiri Pandits mark Ganesh Visarjan in Srinagar. All photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff

IMAGE: The Visarjan at the Shri Ganesh Ghat, here and below.

IMAGE: Devotees thronged the streets with chants, bhajans, here and below.

IMAGE: Security was visible along the route.

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
Photo: https://www.dw.com/uk

The leaders of the two coalition factions of the Bundestag - Jens Spahn from the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc and Matthias Miersch from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)  have arrived in Kyiv for the first time on Monday, September 1.

According to Deutsche Welle, in Kyiv they plan to hold talks on Germany's continued support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the war.

"Matthias Miersch and I are here to send a clear signal: the government factions of the CDU/CSU and the SPD stand now and in the future on the side of Ukraine, the brave Ukrainians who are defending their homeland, their country, and also Europe," Spahn said during a conversation with journalists after arriving in Kyiv.

Answering a DW journalist's question about security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular the possibility of deploying a contingent, he stressed that the best guarantee is a well-equipped Ukrainian army. "The first and most important guarantee of security for Ukraine is the Ukrainian army. First of all, we want to equip it as well as possible," Spahn said.

Mirsch also emphasized this. At the same time, German politicians avoid specifics on the issue of the possible deployment of Bundeswehr soldiers in Ukraine, although they do not rule out such an option.

"First of all, it was planned to arm and equip the Ukrainian army, provide it with constant support, and then, together with the Americans, provide Ukraine with security guarantees. There are many options, what exactly and how, this will be discussed during the negotiations," Spahn pointed out.

On August 25, German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil visited Kyiv, promising that the German government would allocate EUR 9 billion annually to support Ukraine. He also said that Germany was ready to contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine. However, Klingbeil did not answer the question about the participation of the Bundeswehr in a possible mission. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had previously stated that Germany would not deploy a military contingent in Ukraine.
Military contingents from India and the US will engage in a spectrum of tactical drills, including the integrated use of artillery, aviation and electronic warfare systems, as part of a bilateral exercise in Alaska, beginning September 1, officials said.

IMAGE: Army personnel during a joint training phase conducted at the Duvvada Firing Range from April 2 to April 4 as part of Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025 in a demonstration of India-US military cooperation, in Visakhapatnam, April 6, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

The 14-day 'India-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025' is set to take place amid strained ties between New Delhi and Washington over US President Donald Trump's policies on trade and tariff.

The drills, which will also involve heliborne operations, will be held from September 1-14.

The Indian contingent, comprising personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment, will train alongside soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment 'Bobcats' of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division of the US, the Indian defence ministry said in a statement.

"Over two weeks, the troops will rehearse a spectrum of tactical drills including heliborne operations, employment of surveillance resources and unmanned aerial systems, rock craft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, combat medical aid and the integrated use of artillery, aviation and electronic warfare systems," it said.

The Indian Army contingent has departed for Fort Wainwright, Alaska in the US to participate in the 21st edition of the joint military exercise 'Yudh Abhyas'.

Subject matter experts from both the armies will conduct working groups on critical domains such as UAS (unmanned aerial system) and counter-UAS operations, information warfare, communications and logistics, it said.

The exercise will culminate in jointly planned and executed tactical manoeuvres, ranging from "live-fire exercises to high-altitude warfare scenarios, with a focus on improving capabilities for United Nations peacekeeping operations and strengthening preparedness for multi-domain challenges," the ministry said.
Over 800 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 2,800 injured after a strong earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, The Washington Post reported, quoting Taliban-run authorities.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Ali Khara/Reuters

The 6.0 magnitude quake, which occurred late on Sunday, hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, destroying numerous villages and causing extensive damage, the agency said.

It struck at 11:47 pm and was just 8 km deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.

The Afghan interior ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed the casualty figures to Associated Press, saying the late-night quake killed 610 people and injured 1,300 in Kunar. Many houses were destroyed. In Nangarhar, a dozen people died and hundreds were injured, according to Qani.

In the wake of the devastation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of lives in Afghanistan, where hundreds of people were killed and injured. He affirmed that India stands ready to provide all possible aid and relief to the affected people.

In a post on X, Modi said, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected."

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed condolences on the deadly earthquake which struck Afghanistan, killing and injuring hundreds of people. He assured Indian assistance to Afghanistan in this dark hour.

In a post on X, EAM said, "The devastating earthquake in Kunar Province of Afghanistan is a matter of deep concern. Express our support and solidarity to the Afghan people as they respond to it. India will extend assistance in this hour of need. Our condolences to the families of the victims. And our prayers for early recovery of the injured."

Khaama Press, citing Taliban-run authorities, reported that the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapa Dara of Kunar province were the worst hit areas. In Nangarhar province, at least nine people were killed and several others were injured.

Entire villages made of fragile mud and stone collapsed, while landslides cut off vital routes, and communication breakdowns further hampered rescue and relief efforts.

Officials confirmed the scale of casualties and called for urgent international aid. Rescue workers and helicopters were dispatched, but operations have been hindered by rough terrain and widespread infrastructure damage, Khaama Press reported.

The disaster underscores Afghanistan's persistent vulnerability to earthquakes, particularly in mountainous and remote areas. It comes less than two years after another deadly quake, highlighting the recurring threat.

Tremors were felt across several parts of Pakistan after the strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck Afghanistan. (With ANI inputs)
Activist Manoj Jarange has vowed to stop drinking water from the fourth day of his hunger strike on Monday and brave 'bullets' over his demand for reservation to the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

IMAGE: Manoj Jarange Patil continues his hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff

He has demanded the government issue a GR based on the reservation based on available records.

For its part, the Maharashtra government on Sunday said it will seek a legal opinion on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer on the Kunbi status- an OBC caste- for the Maratha community.

Jarange, however, remained unimpressed and said he won't budge from the protest venue at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai till his demands are met, even if the Devendra Fadnavis government fires bullets at protesters.

He has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan from Friday over his demand for a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC category.

Asserting he will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met, Jarange on Sunday said, "The government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis."

"From tomorrow (Monday), I will stop taking water as the government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get the reservation for Marathas under the OBC category no matter what," the activist told his supporters.

"The government should say that Marathas are a sub-caste of Kunbis. There are 58 lakh records that have been found, which show links of Marathas as Kunbis. Those who want a reservation will take it. Don't generalise Marathas as Kunbis if there is a legal issue," Jarange told a press conference on Sunday night.

No one can stop Marathas from getting reservation under the OBC category, he claimed.

With Maratha protesters occupying Azad Maidan and various surrounding areas and government and private offices reopening on Monday after the weekend, police have cautioned motorists about occasional disruptions in traffic movement towards south Mumbai in the morning hours.

"Azad Maidan: Expect slow traffic and occasional disruption tomorrow (Monday) morning while commuting towards south Mumbai due to ongoing agitation. Keep following directions given at traffic junctions to minimise", the Mumbai Traffic Police posted on its official social media handle.

Traders have also raised concerns over the ongoing Maratha agitation and sought intervention by the government or the High Court to restore normalcy and protect businesses in south Mumbai from long-term damage.

Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association president Viren Shah said the massive gathering at Azad Maidan has thrown south Mumbai into complete chaos and affected weekend sales across shops and markets.

"Mumbai feels hijacked," he said.

Forced to do a political tightrope ahead of civic elections, the government said the cabinet sub-committee will seek a legal view on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer regarding the Kunbi status for Marathas, which was a key demand of Jarange.

State minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha reservation issue, chaired two meetings here on the quota issue on Sunday.

Addressing media persons after the sub-committee meeting, Vikhe Patil said Advocate General Biren Saraf and retired HC judge Sandeep Shinde told the panel that they would require time to study whether the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers can be implemented as demanded by Jarange.

"I will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and apprise him of the deliberations the sub-committee had. There is a Supreme Court observation regarding the recognition of Marathas as Kunbis. We cannot override the SC observations (that Marathas and Kunbis are not the same). We are open to discussions as a solution needs to be found," he said.

As political charges flew thick and fast, Maratha protesters blocked the car of NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule after she met Jarange at his protest venue on Sunday, and raised slogans against party head Sharad Pawar.

Sule demanded the Maharashtra government convene a special session of the state legislature and an all-party meeting to resolve the vexed Maratha reservation issue.

Meanwhile, the TV Journalists Association has complained to Jarange after some of his supporters allegedly misbehaved with women reporters at Azad Maidan.

The journalists' body also made it clear that if such incidents continued, the media would boycott the agitation

On Sunday, leaders of the ruling Mahayuti and the Opposition traded barbs over the quota issue.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders lashed out at Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar chief Sharad Pawar, a day after he said a constitutional amendment was necessary to lift the '52 per cent ceiling' on quotas placed by the Supreme Court.

Opposing the dilution of the OBC quota, NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal has convened a meeting of OBC leaders.
The family members of Kamal Ahmad Vakil Ahmad Ansari, who died awaiting justice in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, have read aloud the Bombay high court's acquittal order at his grave, publicly affirming that he was innocent.

IMAGE: A train passes by a damaged railway platform hit by the July 11, 2006, bomb blast in Mumbai. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters

Ansari's family members and community members visited his grave in Nagpur on Sunday, asserting he was falsely accused of being involved in the blasts, and demanded accountability from the system.

Nineteen years after seven train blasts killed more than 180 persons in Mumbai, the HC last month acquitted all the 12 accused, including Ansari, saying the prosecution 'utterly failed' to prove the case and it was 'hard to believe the accused committed the crime'.

However, Ansari could not celebrate his acquittal as he passed away in a Nagpur jail in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was buried in Jaripatka Muslim Qabristan in Nagpur.

Dr Abdul Wahid Sheikh, general secretary of Innocence Network, president of Jamiat-e-Ulama Nagpur Qari Sabir and Ansari's younger brother were among those who visited his grave on Sunday.

Sheikh said they read aloud para 1,486 of the July 21 HC judgment at his resting place, affirming publicly what he had always maintained, that he was innocent.

"Ansari was from Madhubani, Bihar. He ran a small chicken shop, sold vegetables to survive, and worked tirelessly to provide for his five children and wife. Yet, his ordinary life was shattered when the Maharashtra ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) picked him up, falsely framed him, and branded him a terrorist," Sheikh said.

"He languished in prison for 16 years, his dignity stripped, his family stigmatised, and his pleas unheard," Sheikh said.

The acquittal, four years after Ansari's death, is a 'hollow victory' and a vindication that came too late, he said.

Ansari's children grew up without a father, his wife carried the burden of stigma, and his family lived with humiliation, he said, adding the judgment cannot return the years he lost, or undo the pain inflicted on his loved ones.

Calling the gathering at Ansari's grave an act of resistance, Sheikh said those present asserted his innocence, prayed for his soul, and demanded accountability from the system.

"Ansari's story is not an isolated one but a chilling reminder of how countless innocents are branded as terrorists, locked away for decades, and sometimes die in prison before justice ever reaches them," Sheikh added.

Seven blasts ripped through Mumbai local trains at various locations on the western line on July 11, 2006, killing more than 180 persons and injuring several others.

In a damning indictment of the prosecution's case, the high court declared all confessional statements of the accused as inadmissible, suggesting 'copying'.
India and Russia on Monday vowed to strengthen their strategic ties against the backdrop of New Delhi's frictions with the US, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two countries stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" even in most difficult times.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting along with their delegations in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Photograph: DPR PMO/ANI Photo

Modi and Putin met on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 percent, including a 25 percent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

The talks between the two leaders focused on bilateral cooperation in the economic, financial, and energy sectors, according to an Indian readout.

In his televised opening remarks at the meeting, Modi told the Russian president that 140 crore Indians are eagerly waiting to welcome him in India in December.

"This is a reflection of the depth and scope of our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. India and Russia have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder even in the most difficult situations," he said.

The prime minister said close cooperation between the two countries is important not only for the people of both countries, but also for global peace, stability, and prosperity.

Before the official talks, the two leaders held an informal conversation as they travelled to the venue of their bilateral meeting in the same car after concluding engagements at the SCO summit.

The Russian president waited for about 10 minutes for PM Modi to join him before boarding the car.

Modi and Putin spent another 45 minutes in the car even after reaching the venue, people familiar with the matter said.

In his remarks, Modi also said India welcomes all the recent efforts towards establishing peace in Ukraine, adding it is humanity's call to find a way to end hostilities as soon as possible.

"We've been having regular discussions on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We welcome all the recent efforts towards establishing peace," Modi said.

"We hope that all parties shall proceed ahead constructively. A way must be found to end this conflict and establish lasting peace. This is the aspiration of the entire humanity," he added.

It is understood that the Indian side briefed Putin about Modi's phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

After dialling Modi, Zelenskyy said India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia.

The Indian readout said PM Modi reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasised the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a "durable peace" settlement.

In his remarks, Putin said Russia and India have maintained "special friendly and trust-based" relations for decades and it is the foundation for the future development of the ties.

"These relations are entirely above party politics and enjoy the support of the overwhelming majority of our peoples," he said, according to the Kremlin.

Bolstering bilateral cooperation in critical areas such as energy, fertiliser and trade also figured prominently in the talks between the prime minister and the Russian president.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Photograph: @PMOIndia X/ANI Photo

Though there is no official word on the implications of the US tariff on India, it is believed that the two leaders discussed it during their informal conversation in the vehicle.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on India.

The strain in the relations has been exacerbated by constant criticism of New Delhi by officials in Trump's administration.

In a post on 'X', Modi described his talks with Putin as "excellent" and that they discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture.

"We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability," he said.

The Indian prime minister also posted on social media a photo of himself and Putin travelling together in the car.

"After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful," he said.

New Delhi turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Indian readout said Modi and Putin discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial, and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas.

"The two leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries," it said.

In his remarks, Putin also referred to 15 years of elevation of India-Russia relations to the level of a special privileged strategic partnership.

"It can be stated with confidence that our multifaceted Russian-Indian ties continue to develop actively on these principles," he said.

"We have established multi-level cooperation. Trade and economic ties as a whole are showing positive dynamics. Tourist exchanges are growing. We are working in close coordination on the international stage  at the UN, BRICS, the G20, and, of course, the SCO."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Monday evening, concluding his four-day visit to Japan and China, which spanned from August 29 to September 1.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to Delhi after concluding his visit to China and Japan, in New Delhi, September 1, 2025. Photograph: DPR PMO/ANI Photo

In China, Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 to September 1 and held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Describing the visit as "productive" in a post on X, the PM said he emphasised India's position on key global issues during his engagements.

"Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India's stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit," he wrote.

At his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity.

At the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, which he participated in on Monday, the Prime Minister called for greater action against terror financing and radicalisation. He highlighted the Pahalgam terror attack and urged the SCO to hold countries that perpetrate or support cross-border terrorism accountable, while also congratulating Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency.

The Summit saw productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi outlined India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework, emphasising greater action across three pillars - Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity.

Earlier on Sunday, he held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, where both leaders welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan during the BRICS Summit in October 2024.

They reaffirmed that India and China are development partners, not rivals, and agreed that differences should not escalate into disputes. Both leaders called for a stable relationship based on mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity, vital for the growth of their nations and for a multipolar world and Asia in the 21st century.

Modi also engaged in a series of meetings with world leaders at the SCO Summit reception in Tianjin on Sunday, interacting with leaders from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Eurasia.

He highlighted India's commitment to expanding cooperation across various sectors, with leaders from the Maldives, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Armenia, and Turkmenistan in attendance.

Before arriving in China, Modi visited Japan from August 29 to 30 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo.

He lauded the outcomes of the Tokyo visit and expressed hope that India-Japan ties continue to reach newer heights in the future.
The Pahalgam terror attack was not only an assault on India's conscience, but it was an open challenge to every nation that believes in humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, strongly pitching for shunning "double standards" in combating terrorism.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) in Tianjin, China. Photograph: ANI on X

In the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and many other global leaders, Modi told the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that fighting terrorism is a responsibility "towards humanity".

In an unambiguous message to Pakistan and those supporting it, the prime minister said: "It is natural to ask -- can the open support for terrorism by certain countries ever be acceptable to us?"

Modi, in an apparent reference to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said connectivity projects that by-pass sovereignty lose both trust and meaning. India has been critical of BRI as part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

However, the central theme of the prime minister's address was his call for concerted global efforts to combat terrorism.

"We must state it clearly and in one voice: double standards on terrorism are unacceptable. Together, we must oppose terrorism in every form and manifestation. This is our responsibility towards humanity," he said.

The prime minister said no country, society or citizen can consider themselves "completely safe" from terrorism.

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.

In his remarks, the prime minister said India has been bearing the "grave scars of ruthless terrorism" for the last four decades.

"Countless mothers have lost their children, and innumerable children have been left orphaned. Recently, we witnessed the most heinous face of terrorism in Pahalgam," he said.

"This attack was not only an assault on the conscience of India, but also an open challenge to every nation, and every individual who believes in humanity," he said.

Modi expressed his "deep gratitude" to all the friendly nations that stood by India during this moment of grief.

The prime minister, elaborating on India's vision and policy towards the grouping, floated an acronym for SCO. "S for Security, C for Connectivity and O for Opportunity," he explained.

"I would like to emphasise that security, peace, and stability form the foundation of any nation's development. However, terrorism, separatism, and extremism remain major challenges along this path."

Modi said terrorism is not only a threat to the security of individual nations, but a "shared challenge to all of humanity".

"No country, no society, no citizen can consider themselves completely safe from it. That is why India has consistently stressed the importance of unity in the fight against terrorism," he said.

The prime minister also underlined the importance of connectivity for regional growth and development.

"We believe that every effort towards connectivity must uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is also enshrined in the core principles of the SCO Charter," he said.

"Connectivity, that by-passes sovereignty, ultimately loses both trust and meaning," he added.

The prime minister also proposed the creation of a Civilizational Dialogue Forum under the SCO.

"Such a platform will allow us to share the richness of our ancient civilisations, art, literature, and traditions on a global stage," he said.

The prime minister also emphasised on ensuring the development of the Global South.

Keeping aspirations of the Global South confined to outdated frameworks is a grave injustice to future generations, he said.

Highlighting India's development journey, Modi said it is moving ahead with the mantra of "reform, perform and transform".

"We are consistently pursuing wide-ranging reforms, which are creating new opportunities for both national development and international cooperation. I warmly invite you all to be a part of India's development journey," he said.

Be it Covid or global economic instability, we have tried to convert every challenge into an opportunity, he said.
'Modi's a great leader... But I don't understand why he's getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping...'

IMAGE: Peter Navarro tries to remove a sign from a protester while speaking to reporters after a pre-trial conference in an attempt to get contempt of Congress charges against him dismissed at the US district court in Washington, DC, August 30, 2023. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has once again taken a strident position justifying US President Donald Trump's decision to levy a 50 per cent tariff on imports from India, now making a caste-based remark on the issue and accusing the Brahmins of the country of 'profiteering at the expense of the Indian people'.

Referring to India as 'nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin', Navarro, during an interview with Fox News, accused New Delhi of enabling trade imbalances and geopolitical alliances that run counter to US interests. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy approach while calling him a 'great leader', suggesting that India's engagement with Russia and China undermines its status as the world's largest democracy.

'And on top of that, by the way, 25 per cent or 50 per cent is because India is the Maharaja of tariffs. They have the highest tariffs in the world. They won't let us sell to them, so who gets hurt, workers in America, taxpayers in America... Ukrainians in cities are getting killed by Russian drones,' the White House trade adviser said.

'So, you know, look, Modi's a great leader... But I don't understand why he's getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping...when he's the leader of the biggest democracy in the world. I would just simply say to the Indian people. Please, understand what's going on here. You've got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop,' he added.

His remarks followed Prime Minister Modi's bilateral engagement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in October 2024.

Modi and Xi, during their meeting in Tianjin, recognised the role of India and China's economies in stabilising global trade, according to a ministry of external affairs statement on Sunday. The statement comes as the world is grappling with US President Donald Trump's tariffs, which a US appeals court ruled as 'illegal'.

This is not the first time Navarro has made such remarks to justify Trump's tariffs on India. Earlier on Friday, Navarro accused India of profiting from Russian oil in scalding remarks.

'India's Big Oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin. Indian refiners buy cheap Russian oil, process it, and export fuels to Europe, Africa, and Asia -- shielded from sanctions under the pretence of neutrality,' he said in a series of posts on X.
Amid escalating India-US trade tensions, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre -- the tony cultural event outfit run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's wife -- has postponed next week's theatrical event in New York, citing "unforeseen circumstances".

IMAGE: The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai. Photograph: Courtesy, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre

The NMACC India Weekend in New York City was to happen from September 12 to 14 at the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts.

"It is with deep regret that we share that the NMACC India Weekend in New York, scheduled to open on September 12, has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances," NMACC said in a notice on its website.

No reason was given for the postponement.

Ticket holders have been promised refunds for The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation and The Great Indian Festival.

"This is not a cancellation, only a pause. We remain fully committed to bringing NMACC to New York at a later date, that we hope to finalise and share with you soon," it said.

The postponement comes amid US President Donald Trump's continued verbal tirade against India for buying Russian oil. Ambani's Reliance Industries brought half of all the crude oil that India imported from Russia since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022.

Reliance, which operates the world's largest single site oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, exports fuel made from crude oil -- some of it coming from Russia -- to Europe, the US and other destinations.

The US has doubled tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent -- equalising with the highest in the world -- for New Delhi's continued crude oil imports from Russia.

"You got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people," White House trade adviser Peter Navarro stated in his latest outburst against India.

His remarks have been seen as casteist and many pointed out that Ambani was not a Brahmin. Some, however, felt Navarro may have used the term used in New England in the 1860s to describe the wealthy and elite.

"Over the past many months, we have poured our hearts into this celebration (New York event) -- working with some of India's most extraordinary talents to bring a slice of our country's rich culture and creativity to New York," NMACC said in the notice.

"Every detail was crafted with love, and many of you have been part of this journey with us. We were eagerly looking forward to experiencing the magic together, which makes this decision all the more difficult."

Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson of NMACC, in a message said NMACC India Weekend is a dream very close to her. "This is not a cancellation, only a pause, and we remain fully committed to bringing the NMACC experience to New York at a later date."

"NMACC remains dedicated to our vision of bringing the best of the world to India and showcasing the best of India to the world. We will return with renewed joy, pride, and purpose."
President Putin and Prime Minister Modi greeted each other with a warm hug, after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared light moments ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit's plenary session.

The leaders were seen holding discussions and having a conversation in a pull aside.

President Putin and Prime Minister Modi greeted each other with a warm hug, after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members.

Watch: Modi, Xi and Putin's impromptu huddle at SCO Summit

The interaction between PM Modi and President Putin came ahead of their bilateral meeting which is scheduled to take place after the plenary session.

"Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday.

Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024.

Both reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes and called for a stable relationship and cooperation between India and China based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century.

The prime minister also underlined the importance of peace and tranquility in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations.

The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

There are also several dialogue partners and observers. India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, having been an observer since 2005.

During its membership period, India has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and of the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/oksenlisovyi

There are 56 relocated schools operating in Ukraine, four of which are in Donetsk region, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovy has said.

"Today, four relocated schools from Donetsk region are opening their doors to children in new cities. In total, 56 relocated schools throughout the country - this means that children remain in their school community. More than 338 thousand children who cannot start the school year in Ukraine today continue to receive education remotely in Ukrainian schools," Lisovy wrote on Facebook.

He also said that today more than 178,000 young people have chosen education in Ukrainian higher education institutions (excluding those entering the military and other specialized institutions).

"This is an important signal of trust in our system even in times of war. We see that many people are choosing areas that are critically needed for the reconstruction and development of the country, namely: medicine, engineering, construction. The state continues to support students: more than 50% of them will receive financial assistance," the minister wrote.

In addition, according to him, more than 66,000 applications have already been submitted for admission to vocational schools and more than 248,000 - to institutions of professional pre-higher education.

"The admission campaign will continue until October. This shows that professional and vocational colleges are becoming more attractive to young people, because they provide real opportunities to quickly master a profession that is needed for the economy and reconstruction of the country," he added.
Indian public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited already licenses and manufactures the Russian origin Su-30 MKI fighter jets in its Nashik facility, which, if required, can be used for the Su-57 jets

Amid growing bonhomie with New Delhi, Russia is carrying out studies to determine the level of investments that it would require to manufacture its Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet in India.

IMAGE: A Russian SU-57 stealth fighter jet flies in the sky at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China November 12, 2024. Photograph: Tingshu Wang/Reuters

India has stated that it has a requirement for at least two to three squadrons of fifth-generation fighter jets and the Russian Su-57 along with the American F-35 is a contender for the project.

Indian public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited already licenses and manufactures the Russian origin Su-30 MKI fighter jets in its Nashik facility, which, if required, can be used for the Su-57 jets.

The Russian agencies concerned are carrying out studies to determine the level of investments they will have to make to manufacture the aircraft in India, defence sources told ANI.

There are other facilities in India also where a number of other Russian origin equipment is manufactured and can be used for being used in the fifth-generation fighter aircraft production, if required to be manufactured in India and can also help in reducing costs, they said.

India and Russia have been coming closer at a time when the US administration has been constantly attacking the government of India and imposing tariffs on Indian businesses.

A number of defence projects have been discussed between the Indian and Russian leadership in the recent past where the Indian side has asked for high-end air defence systems like the S-500 and the S-400 along with other equipment.

The Russian side from its topmost level has been asking India to buy the Su-57 fighter jets. India was part of the Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft project till 8-10 years ago but backed out due to some issues.

Sources said the possibility of reviving the old project cannot be ruled out at the moment in view of the global environment.

The US administration has also been trying to push the F-35 deal with India.

India is also working to produce its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft project for which clearance was given last year itself, and the first aircraft is likely to be ready for commissioning by the year 2035, and its first flight is likely by the year 2028.
United States Vice President J D Vance on Sunday said President Donald Trump has applied aggressive economic leverage such as secondary tariffs on India to force Russia to stop bombing Ukraine.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US Vice President JD Vance at his official residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on April 21, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

Vance was speaking during an exclusive interview on NBC News' Meet the Press when he also said the step would make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy.

The Trump administration has been highly critical of India for its procurement of discounted crude oil from Russia. Interestingly, Washington has not been criticising China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.

India has been maintaining that its energy procurement, including from Russia, is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

Vance remained confident the US can broker an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine despite potential hang-ups that have emerged since President Trump's meeting this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC News said.

We believe we've already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks, Vance said in the interview aired on Sunday morning.

If the US is not imposing new sanctions, what is the pressure on Russia? How do you get them to a place of getting to the table with Zelenskyy and stopping to drop bombs? moderator Kristen Welker asked.

Trump has applied aggressive economic leverage, for example secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy, Vance replied.

He tried to make it clear that Russia can be reinvited into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they are going to continue to be isolated if they don't stop the killing, he said.

Earlier on April 22, Vance while speaking in Jaipur had urged India to drop non-tariff barriers, give greater access to its markets and buy more American energy and military hardware as he laid out a broader roadmap of deeper ties between the two nations for a prosperous and peaceful 21st century.

Ever since Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil, relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn.

The US has alleged that India's purchases of Russian crude oil are funding Moscow's war in Ukraine, a charge strongly rejected by India.

New Delhi turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at an event in New Delhi, It's funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business.

He was responding to a question on the US criticism of India on the crude oil issue.

That's really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don't buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys, so you don't like it, don't buy it, Jaishankar said.
US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that India has now "offered" to cut its tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late, as he said that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and very little from the US.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump. Photograph: Courtesy @WhiteHouse/X

"What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He added that India sells to the US, its biggest client, massive" amounts of goods, but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades."

The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India, he said.

It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!! Trump said in the post, which was shared by Vice President JD Vance on social media.

Trump's comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.

The Trump administration has imposed 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 percent levies for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 percent, among the highest in the world.

Prime Minister Modi has asserted he can't compromise on the interests of farmers, cattle-rearers, small-scale industries, cautioning "pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it".

On Sunday, the Trump administration's Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro, who has been consistently targeting India over the last few days, said Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people and it needs to "stop".

Navarro said he doesn't understand how the Indian leader is cooperating with Putin and Xi "when he's the biggest democracy in the world."

So I would just simply say, the Indian people, please understand what's going on here. You got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop, Navarro said.

Navarro was asked about China's purchases of Russian oil and whether the implementation of extra tariffs on India is enough to choke Putin.

Well, let's be clear, we have 50 percent tariffs now on India, but we also have a little over 50 percent tariffs on China. So there's a question, how much higher do you want to go without actually hurting ourselves? he said.

India has called the tariffs imposed by the US unjustified and unreasonable.

New Delhi said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

In 2024-25, the bilateral trade in goods stood at $131.8 billion ($86.5 billion exports and $45.3 billion imports).

Speaking at an event recently in Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has certain "red lines" in its negotiations for a trade deal with the US and it will stand firm in protecting the interests of farmers and small producers.

Jaishankar also sounded critical of the US for targeting New Delhi's energy ties with Moscow and wondered why the same yardstick has not been applied to China and the European Union, the largest importer of Russian crude oil and Russian LNG, respectively.

The negotiations for a bilateral trade deal between the two countries hit a roadblock after India refused to open up its agricultural and dairy sectors.

Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

Russia has emerged as India's top energy supplier since the West slapped sanctions on its crude oil after the invasion of Ukraine.

India has called the tariffs imposed by the US unjustified and unreasonable.

New Delhi said that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

Prime Minister Modi has asserted he can't compromise on the interests of farmers, cattle-rearers, small-scale industries, cautioning "pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it".
New Delhi, while opting not to retaliate yet to the American tariffs, has in recent weeks sought to reinforce its friendship with Moscow, and recalibrate its ties with Beijing rather than surrender to Washington's diktats.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flanked by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Council summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

At a time when India is facing relentless pressure from the White House to cut down its purchase of Russian crude oil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday afternoon in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.

The two leaders will meet after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation leaders' meeting concludes, people in the know said.

Putin landed in Tianjin on Sunday morning to attend the SCO summit while Modi reached the city on Saturday evening, and held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday afternoon.

This will be Modi and Putin's first in-person meeting after Trump became US president for a second time.

The two had last met on the margins of the Brics Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

New Delhi, while opting not to retaliate yet to the American tariffs, has in recent weeks sought to reinforce its friendship with Moscow, and recalibrate its ties with Beijing rather than surrender to Washington's diktats.

Modi and Putin could take up some of the issues that their foreign ministers, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov, respectively, discussed in Moscow on August 22.

They discussed India-Russia sustaining their energy cooperation through trade and investments, joint extraction of energy resources, including in the Russian Federation - in the Far East and on the Arctic shelf and the balance of the bilateral trade, which is currently in Russia's favour.

India has sought to enhance its exports to Russia in sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles as a means to correct the trade imbalance.

New Delhi had also urged Moscow to 'swiftly' address non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments to facilitate more exports from India.

Russia is India's fourth-largest trading partner, while India is Russia's second-largest.

Modi and Putin have spoken twice, on August 8 and 18, over the phone ever since Trump signed the executive order on August 7 to impose a 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods, which kicked in on August 27, for buying Russian oil.

Jaishankar was in Moscow on August 22, while National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval visited the Russian capital in the first week of August as South Block and Kremlin have stepped up their engagement with each other.

According to officials, New Delhi and Moscow have finalised Putin's visit to India, likely to be in December, for the India-Russia Annual Summit.

In contrast, the likelihood of the PM visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly in the last week of September, where he could have potentially also visited Washington to meet Trump, looks bleak.

There is also a shadow over India hosting the Quad Summit in November.

While at their meeting on Friday in Tokyo, Modi did formally invite Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba to India, there is a question mark over the efficacy of the grouping that also comprises Australia and the US.

In a report titled 'The Nobel Prize and a Testy Phone Call: How the Trump-Modi Relationship Unravelled', The New York Times on Saturday claimed that the US president no longer has plans to visit New Delhi in the fall for the Quad Summit.

With Modi and Putin slated to meet on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dialled the Indian PM on Saturday.

In a social media post on X, Zelenskyy said India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia.

'We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,' Modi said.

In another recent development, in a telephonic conversation with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen on Saturday, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said India should not be 'unfairly targeted' in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

During his Moscow visit, Jaishankar had said India is 'perplexed' at Washington's logic with China being the biggest purchaser of Russian oil, and not India, and the European Union is the biggest purchaser of Russian LNG, and not India.

Jaishankar had described India-Russia ties as 'among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War'.

'Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers,' Jaishankar added.

On August 18, Modi posted on social media that he had received a phone call from his 'friend' Putin, who shared insights with him on meeting with Trump in Alaska.

Modi and Putin spoke on August 8, a day after Trump signed the executive order imposing an additional penalty on India, where they 'reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen' the India-Russia strategic partnership.

The PM will leave for Delhi after his meeting with Putin, while the Russian president is slated to attend an event related to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Asia, which is to be held in Beijing on September 3.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
'Life in India is better only for those who have reservations.'

Phoolchand Somanshi, 71, stepped off the train from Beed in Marathwada at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai, eyes wide with wonder and heart brimming with hope.

IMAGE: Pro-Maratha rallyists who traveled to Mumbai to press for reservations for the community. Photograph: Syed Firdaus/Rediff

Drawn by tales of fortune and fame, he arrived in Mumbai, hopeful of making a fortune in the future.

Not for himself but for his 19-year-old grandson 'Barkya' (small one), back home in Beed.

And all he wants today, like the hundreds of people like him who arrived at Azad Maidan with Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil, is reservations for his community.



Patil is on an indefinite fast at Azad Maidan and has given up on food and water to press his demand for reservations for the Maratha community.

"Life in India is better only for those who have reservations," says Somanshi. "They have stable government jobs and guaranteed cheap education. I could never get this in life."

"I saw people of lesser castes progressing in life because of jobs while I have been reduced to penury because of farming which does not give enough yield."

"Now, my fight is for my grandson. Marathas must get reservations and only then I will leave Mumbai. The government has to accept our demands," Somanshi adds.

Marathas account for anywhere between 28 and 33 percent of Maharashtra's population and are mostly peasants or landholding farmers.

Historically, Marathas have been identified as a warrior caste with large landholdings.

However, over the years, due to land fragmentation among joint families, agrarian distress, unemployment and lack of educational opportunities, many Marathas have faced social and economic backwardness.

Asked what he will do if the government does not agree to the demand considering that the Maratha quota issue is with the courts, Somanshi says, "Today is the fourth day and if the government of Maharashtra does not budge, hundreds of other Marathas are waiting in villages to arrive in Mumbai to press our demand."

Somanshi has joined the unending tide of dreamers seeking reservations for the Maratha community in a city which promises everything but guarantees nothing.

"We want a guarantee this time. Marathas have been fooled for long enough on reservations by the Mahayuti alliance government of Maharashtra," says Rahul Khodse, a farmer who is also from Beed.

The demand for Maratha reservation remains a politically charged and emotionally sensitive issue in Maharashtra for over a decade.

SEE: Pro-Maratha rallyists voice their demand for reservations

Video: Syed Firdaus/Rediff

Despite repeated assurances, including a major promise by the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in 2014, the issue continues to remain unresolved due to a combination of legal hurdles, administrative lapses, and political shifts.

In November 2018, Devendra Fadnavis's Bharatiya Janata Party government passed the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, granting 16 percent reservation for Marathas on the M G Gaikwad commission's recommendations.

The commission stated that Marathas were socially and economically backward.

However, in May 2021, the Supreme Court struck down the Maratha quota, ruling that Marathas are not socially and educationally backward enough to warrant separate reservations.

The Supreme Court also reinforced that only the President can identify SEBCs for reservations under the 102nd Constitutional Amendment (external link).

The apex court also cited the 50 percent cap on total reservation it had set in 1992 in its Indira Sawhney judgment

IMAGE: Maratha rallyists throng the area around CSMT. Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff

The Maratha reservation granted by the Maharashtra government had raised the reservation ceiling to 64 percent in education and 65 percent in jobs, violating the Supreme Court order.

Successive governments, including the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and Eknath Shinde's government that followed, formed various committees and legal strategies to bypass the court verdict, including pushing for Marathas to be identified under the OBC category.

However, legal complexities and opposition from existing OBC groups who fear a depletion in their quota, created further complications.

As of now, the issue is caught in a legal and Constitutional tangle, with no clear resolution in sight, leaving large sections of the Maratha community feeling both betrayed and politically mobilised.

It looks like it is going to be a long wait for Barkya in Beed and a long haul for his grandfather Somanshi in the city of dreams.
'When the Galwan incident took place, that was a big break in the trust factor between India and China.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the official reception for heads of States and heads of governments at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, August 31, 2025. Photograph: Narendra Modi Photo Gallery/ANI Photo

Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has emphasised that peace and tranquillity along the India-China border remain fundamental to any meaningful progress in bilateral relations between the two nations, asserting that the trust deficit created by the 2020 Galwan incident has cast a long shadow over the diplomatic engagement.

Speaking to ANI, Ambassador Sikri noted that unless there is concrete progress in restoring stability at the border, other aspects of the bilateral relationship, including trade, regional cooperation, and people-to-people ties, cannot move forward.

"After 2020, when the Galwan incident took place, that was a big break in the trust factor between India and China, because China, by the action they took in Galwan, have broken the trust..." Ambassador Sikri pointed out.

"And after that, there's been a complete break in the trust factor... The peace and tranquillity at the border is important. Without that, no other aspect of the relationship can progress," she stated.

Her remarks come in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on Sunday, where Modi underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations.

"If indeed the disengagement process is agreed upon and is successful, then I think it is a good sign. Then certainly other aspects of the relationship can develop," Ambassador Sikri said, adding that the Tianjin meeting between the two leaders is "very important and significant" and holds the potential to pave the way for further progress, but only if followed by concrete actions.

"But again, we have to remember that for us, peace and tranquillity at the border are very important. So, there have to be concrete steps, concrete decisions, and concrete agreements on that -- peace and tranquillity at the border," she added.

She also cautioned that the Chinese president should not be involved in the third-party mediation in India's bilateral issues with Pakistan, referring to earlier claims by US President Donald Trump.

"President Xi Jinping needs to realise that between India and Pakistan, at least for us, it is absolutely vital to understand that we do not accept any third-party mediation. And if at all China is going to start saying the same thing that President Trump has been saying, that I can mediate between Pakistan and India, then that will be a real problem," she said.

Speaking on the broader geopolitical context, Ambassador Sikri remarked that "the elephant and the dragon can dance" referring to India and China, but only if mutual sensitivities are acknowledged and respected.

On the trilateral Russia-India-China equation, the former diplomat noted that Moscow seems to have a deeper understanding of India's core concerns, especially in relation to Pakistan.

"About Russia, India, and China, Russia has a greater understanding of India's sensitivities, particularly as regards Pakistan and other issues."
Local school bus drivers picketed outside the Brattleboro Union High School complex in the area where students are typically dropped off by school buses, calling for Beacon Mobility, which owns F.M. Kuzmeskus/Travel Kuz, to get back to the negotiation table. Temporary drivers were brought in to bring students to school on the first day.
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The best way to pay tribute to the tens of millions of people who died in World War II is to avoid making the same mistakes today, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said, calling on allies to unite in putting pressure on Russia.

"On this day in 1939, Hitler attacked Poland, and Stalin soon joined him, starting World War II, the bloodiest war in history. Today, it is very important to remember what came before this day: weakness and naive belief that territorial concessions would "appease" the aggressor," he wrote on X on Monday.

Sybiha noted that "the Nazi Third Reich bears full responsibility for the catastrophe of World War II, but there were also those who allowed this evil to become stronger - avoiding difficult decisions, preferring weakness to strength, passing off wishful thinking as reality, rather than realistic strategies."

"The best way to pay tribute to the tens of millions of people who died in World War II is to avoid making the same mistakes today. Unity of allies, pressure on the Russian aggressor, and support for Ukraine are crucial for security and long-term peace throughout Europe," he said.
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Hundreds of people are reported dead after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the city of Jalalabad close to the Pakistan border on August 31. Taliban authorities said at least 800 people have been killed and 2,500 injured.
A man Ukrainian police have detained in connection with the assassination of former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy has reportedly said he was in contact with Russian representatives prior to the fatal attack.

Law enforcement sources told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that the suspect confessed to the killing, which saw the ex-lawmaker gunned down on a street in Lviv over the weekend.

He also claimed he had been in contact with individuals linked to Russia while searching for his missing soldier son.

Earlier on September 1, police released photos of officers arresting an unidentified man but gave no further details.

It was unclear when or where exactly the arrest occurred or where, though police said the man allegedly was hiding in the Khmelnytskiy region, east of Lviv.

Surveillance video showed that Parubiy, 54, was approached by a gunman from the rear around noon on August 30 as he walked on Lvivs Yefremova Street. Police said he died immediately from gunshot wounds.

"We know that this crime was not accidental. There is a Russian trace in it," national police chief Ivan Vyhyvskiy said. He did not elaborate.

According to the sources who spoke to RFE/RL, the suspect -- a 52-year-old Lviv resident -- said he began monitoring Russian social networks in 2023 after learning his son had gone missing in Ukraine's Bakhmut region where he had been fighting invading Russian forces.

The man claimed that he then came into contact with unidentified Russian representatives who allegedly told him his son had been killed.

The sources said the man claimed the Russians tried to justify Moscows war, blaming Kyiv for Moscow's unprovoked invasion, and encouraged him to act against Ukrainian officials.

Investigators are now checking these statements.

RFE/RL has not yet been able obtain an official statement from the suspect or his defense.

Parubiy played a prominent role in the Maidan demonstrations, which erupted in late 2013 when President Viktor Yanukovych opted to forego closer ties with the European Union and move closer to Russia. The protests culminated in violent clashes with police in February 2014, and Yanukovych fled the country.

Parubiy was also an important figure in earlier Orange Revolution in 2004, which began when Yanukovych was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election. His victory was ultimately overturned.

He served as speaker of the Verkhovna Rada between 2016 and 2019. In recent years, he served as a lawmaker in the political party of former President Petro Poroshenko.

Poroshenko blamed the killing on Russia.

Whoever carried it out, the one who ordered it and the one who must bear responsibility is Putin, he said in a statement.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Emotional tributes have been paid following the sudden death of Dublin teenager Cian Neville (15) who lived on a Tulsk farm as part of the RTE programme Raised by the Village.

Cian from Ringsend died suddenly on August 23rd and was laid to rest in Glasnevin on Saturday following Funeral Mass in Saint Patrick's Church, Ringsend.

The teen spent a week on the Payne familys farm in Ballybeg, Tulsk and his experiences of rural life featured in the programme which was broadcast last year.

Among the many emotional tributes paid since his untimely death, the Payne family, in a social media message, described their brilliant week with Cian two years ago as one filled with laughter and learning from each other, a week we will never forget.

We are deeply saddened to say that today we joined his family and huge circle of friends to say goodbye to Cian, forever 15. It was clear how much he impacted his own community and the joy he brought to so many. We hope that his family find strength in his memories at this heart breaking time. RIP Cian.

During his time in Roscommon, Cian also visited a local dog kennel near Castlerea, Dottie's Dog House, where he helped walk the dogs.

In a social media message, Dorothy Byrne from Dottie's Dog House described him as a true little gentleman.

I really enjoyed my time with him in the making of the series. Absolutely gutted for his mam dad and siblings. Cian it was a total pleasure meeting you. Rest in peace beautiful boy, said the message.

Cian is sadly missed by his heartbroken parents Orla and Ian; adored sisters and brothers Coady, Ava and Joe and Joes girlfriend Kelsey; grandparent Debbie & Ged; Brian and Zane; aunts & uncles, extended family and a very wide large circle of friends & amazing neighbours.
Sean McCarthaigh

An international yacht broker and dealer had been ordered to pay 66,500 in compensation to a salesman who was discriminatorily dismissed shortly after he settled a High Court personal injuries action against his employer.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that MGM Boats (Cork) Limited, which operated an office in Kinsale, Co Cork had breached the Employment Equality Act 1998 by discriminating against former broker, Alan Barton, on grounds of his disability.

The WRC said the company had disregarded the recommendations of a report by an occupational physician it had commissioned which stated that Mr Barton was fit to continue in a sales and customer service role.

However, it ruled that the complainant was not the subject of victimisation.

Mr Barton (68) claimed he was placed on sick leave by his employer in 2023 and subsequently issued with a redundancy letter shortly after he had settled High Court proceedings taken against the company for an injury he suffered at work in 2017.

However, MGM Boats maintained he was dismissed from his role on grounds of his incapacity and denied the allegation that Mr Barton was the subject of a discriminatory dismissal.

WRC adjudication officer, Lefre de Burgh, concluded it was not possible for the company to maintain the position that he was incapable of doing a job when he had continued to work satisfactorily for over six years after sustaining the inquiry.

Ms de Burgh said it seemed that the company had implemented the view of an earlier medical report in the immediate aftermath of the conclusion of the High Court legal action.

She said it was unclear why MGM Boats had not implemented the recommendations of the occupational physician but the most likely explanation was that the decision to terminate his employment was already a fait accompli.

The WRC heard that Mr Barton, who had worked with the company since March 2011, fractured his left leg when he fell from a boat in March 2017 which had resulted in some self-imposed restrictions regarding working on ladders and pulling ropes.

Mr Barton, a former fireman and police officer, said the company was well aware of these limitations to his work at all times.

He claimed MGM Boats managing director, Gerry Salmon, asked him within 24 hours of the settlement of his High Court action what his future plans were.

Mr Barton said he replied that he wanted to work until he was 70 but that Mr Salmon claimed medical reports suggested otherwise and placed him on sick leave on May 11, 2023 pending an assessment by the companys doctors.

He was also told to cease all contact with any customers or potential clients and was not allowed access to his phone or e-mail.

The WRC heard the subsequent assessment by the companys occupational physician. John Crowley, had envisaged that Mr Barton could return to work by June 2023.

The WRC heard that two scheduled meetings planned with Mr Barton and his solicitor in July 2024 were cancelled at the last minute by the company.

Mr Barton said he was issued with a letter of redundancy on September 11th, 2023 with immediate effect and paid six weeks salary in lieu of notice.

His counsel, Benjamin Shorten BL, argued that there was an obligation on his employers to consider reasonable accommodation for an employee with a recognised disability.

The WRC heard that Mr Barton also suffered damage to his right eye in a fall at his home in April 2022 on the anniversary of his partners death, although he was still competent to drive.

The former broker said he did not hide the eye injury from Mr Salmon as the company needed to be informed about it for insurance purposes.

The company claimed it became apparent during the court proceedings and from a number of medical reports that Mr Bartons condition was very serious.

MGM Boats claimed it was particularly concerned about mobility issues and the injury to his eye as well as a professional finding that he was at a very high risk of falling.

It maintained there was objective evidence that he could not and should not have continued in his role with the company.

Counsel for MGM Boats, Liam OFlaherty BL, said the full extent of Mr Bartons injuries only came to light during the High Court litigation.

Mr OFlaherty said the issue of safety in the workplace had to be addressed once the legal action had been settled and there was no other option but to terminate his role.

He argued that the company did not want Mr Barton to have an accident at work but it would have no insurance if that happened, while the companys actions were being painted as a vindictive act.

Mr Salmon gave evidence that he was in limbo when the companys solicitors drew his attention to the extent of medical reports about Mr Barton four weeks before the case was due before the High Court.

He said a report by a nurse and ergonomist, Noreen Roche in January 2023 had caused a big red flag as it showed Mr Barton had a significant number of serious disabilities with symptoms that had caused a number of trips and falls.

Mr Salmon said his insurance broker had also advised him that Mr Barton could not be on the premises during this period.

He told the WRC: If there were no concerns about falling over, we certainly wouldnt be here today.
Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Rustem Umerov has announced the preparation of Technology Headquarters format meetings, at which the issue of providing troops with reliable means: from systems to counter Shahed UAVs to means of long-range response to the aggressor will be considered.

"In the near future, we are also preparing the Technology HQs format, which will work on the issue of providing our troops with reliable means - from systems to counter "shaheeds" to means of long-range response to the aggressor. Ukrainian responses to Russia should be felt more," he said on Eelgegram.

Umerov also reported that this week, in the format of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters, it is planned to consider key issues of preparation for the heating season: energy security, protection of critical infrastructure and stability of the state.

"The relevant instructions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are already there, we are monitoring their implementation," he noted.

According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the following issues are in focus: provision of gas, fuel, and electricity, full implementation of relevant agreements with partners: readiness of critical infrastructure; protection from Russian missile and drone attacks, and provision of necessary air defense units.
Punjab Floods: HM Amit Shah Speaks To CM Bhagwant Mann, Assures All Possible Help

Union Minister Amit Shah has assured all possible help to deal with the devastation in Punjab.

Punjab Floods: HM Amit Shah Speaks To CM Bhagwant Mann Latest News: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the phone and took stock of the flood situation in the state, the PTI reported, citing officials.

During the telephonic conversations, the governor and the chief minister briefed the home minister about the prevailing situation and the actions taken by the state government for the relief and rescue operations.

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The development comes days after inundated conditions in over 800 villages in Punjab. Heavy rainfall in neighboring mountain states in the past two weeks and heavy rainfall in Punjab itself led to overflowing of rivers and resulted in water entering villages.

Cattle were washed away, hundreds of acres of crops are underwater, many acres of crops were washed away, people and animals have been living in water for over a week, and in some parts, it's more than a week.

Rescue and relief operations are ongoing across the Punjab.

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Union Minister Amit Shah has assured all possible help to deal with the devastation in Punjab.

Amit Shah to chair a high-level review meeting in Jammu

The home minister arrived in Jammu last night to review the ongoing relief and rescue operations and assess the damage caused by recent cloudbursts and floods. Shah will chair a high-level review meeting at Raj Bhavan in Jammu today.

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(For more news apart from Punjab Floods: HM Amit Shah Speaks To CM Bhagwant Mann, Assures All Possible Help, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Punjab Floods: Cabinet Ministers Take Stock of Flood-Affected Areas, Flag off Relief Materials

The relief trucks carried 1,000 ration kits, 600 packets of drinking water, 400 mosquito nets, 400 mattresses, and 200 folding beds.

Punjab Floods: Punjab Cabinet Ministers Take Stock of Flood-Affected Areas Latest News: As Punjab is gripped by the worst flood devastation in nearly 50 years, efforts are being made round the clock for the relief and rescue operations of the flood-affected people and animals.

Today, on September 1, Punjab Finance Minister S. Harpal Singh Cheema flagged off five trucks of Relief Material for flood-affected people of the Ajnala sub-division from Mohali. The relief trucks carried 1,000 ration kits, 600 packets of drinking water, 400 mosquito nets, 400 mattresses, and 200 folding beds.

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Expressing gratitude to Aam Aadmi Party volunteers and the people of Punjab for their overwhelming contribution towards relief efforts, Mr. Cheema said that Punjab has made countless sacrifices for the nation, and now is the time for the Central Government to stand with its people.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian visited the villages of Sabuana and Badiwala in the Fazilka district.

Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains has taken charge of the rescue operations in flood-affected areas of Sri Anandpur Sahib and visited different areas of his constituency. He said our government is standing shoulder to shoulder with them. He is closely monitoring the situation and overseeing rescue and relief operations to ensure public safety.

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Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has launched a helpline number : +91 87279- 62441 for the people of flood-affected areas of Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency. This helpline number will work twenty-four hours.

Jail and Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar today visited flood-hit areas of Khadoor Sahib, Fatehabad and Dhunda in Tarn Taran district and took stock of the flood situation. He distributed relief materials like ration, food kits, drinking water etc. to the needy people and also arranged fodder for the animals. S. Bhullar said that our Government is standing with them in this hour of calamity, and due compensation will be given for their financial loss and damage of crops after evaluation of the loss (Girdawari).

Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh E. T. O. today helped the villagers in filling up a 50-foot-deep and 200-meter-wide pit caused by a landslide in Marr village near Harike town of Tarn Taran district. Apart from this, he also visited the flood-affected areas in Keeri village. He also reviewed the relief work being carried out in the flood-affected areas. He assured the flood victims that our government is committed to providing all kinds of help to them.

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During flooding in Sultanpur Lodhi, Cabinet Ministers Hardeep Singh Mundian and Mohinder Bhagat undertook relief operations to assist affected communities. Both the Cabinet Ministers navigated through waterlogged areas in the Mand region using tractors and reached even the most inaccessible flood-stricken zones.

Lok Sabha Member Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reviewed the ongoing relief work for the victims of the flood-affected areas at Dana Mandi, located on Chogawan Road in Ajnala. In this relief, essential items like medical kits, cattle feed for animals etc were distributed to flood-affected people.

Punjab CM Appeals to Punjabis Living Across the World for Help

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Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann today appealed to Punjabis living across the world and those in the state to contribute to the relief effort. Minister Cheema said that 50 lakh has been collected so far in the Chief Minister's Fund for the relief and rescue of those affected by the devastating flood. Cheema also called out the Centre for not releasing Punjab's due fund of Rs 60,000 crore, and he demanded that officials from the Centre visit to assess the situation on the ground, as Home Minister Amit Shah did today in Jammu. The Home Minister visited flood-affected areas in Jammu and assured full support.

Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Member of Parliament from Sangrur also wrote to PM Modi seeking a special relief package for Punjab.

(For more news apart from Punjab Floods: Cabinet Ministers Take Stock of Flood-Affected Areas, Flag off Relief Materials , stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Rajasthan CM Bhajanl Lal Sharma Speaks to Punjab CM and Haryana CM, Assures Help

Bhajanl Lal Sharma assured the Punjab CM of providing prompt relief and all all possible assistance to the affected people.

Rajasthan CM Bhajanl Lal Sharma Speaks to Punjab CM and Haryana CM, Latest News: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanl Lal Sharma on Monday spoke to CM Bhagwant Mann over a phone call and obtained detailed information regarding the situation arising due to excessive rainfall in the border areas of Punjab and Rajasthan.

Bhajanl Lal Sharma assured the Punjab CM of providing prompt relief and all all possible assistance to the affected people.

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Bhajanl Lal Sharma also spoke to the Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini Ji, regarding the situation arising due to excessive rainfall in the border areas of Haryana and Rajasthan, and obtained necessary information.

Punjab on Monday sought help from the Punjabis living across the world for relief and rescue after the centre gave no assurance of releasing funds.

(For more news apart from Punjab: Bus Overturns, Kills One On Tractor On Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Romanian Language Day in Chisinau

Romanian President Nicusor Dan and Moldovan President Maia Sandu celebrated Romanian Language Day in the Republic of Moldova.

Nicusor Dan si Maia Sandu, Depunere de flori la bustul poetului Mihai Eminescu din municipiul Straseni

Daniela Budu, 01.09.2025, 14:00

Romanian President Nicusor Dan participated, on Sunday, in the Republic of Moldova, in the events dedicated to Romanian Language Day. Together with President Maia Sandu, he opened the festive event, which brought together, in Chisinau, over 2,000 participants. The two heads of state then went to Straseni, a city in the center of the Republic of Moldova, where they laid flowers at the bust of the national poet Mihai Eminescu and took part in the concert dedicated to the Romanian Language. In their messages, the two leaders highlighted the historical, identity and language ties between the two banks of Prut River. Nicusor Dan voiced appreciation at Chisinaus European path, despite Russian pressure and interference in democratic processes and attempts to destabilize the state. He also believes that the Republic of Moldova is an example for Europe and the whole world for the way it defends democracy.

Romanian Language Day is a special day. It is a day that makes us responsible, the Romanian head of state said. According to him, the Romanian language is, beyond being an identity, a responsibility for each of us. At the same time, he welcomed the fight of the Bessarabian Romanians for the Romanian language and for preserving the national identity. Nicusor Dan: The Moldovans fight for the Romanian language has been exemplary, in harsh conditions and is an example of courage and dignity. I want to congratulate you on how seriously you take European integration. It is an example that I hear at all international meetings  how serious Moldova is on advancing on its Western path. We all know what the pressures are, with interferences contrary to any international order.

The Romanian language unites us and is the strongest bridge between the two banks of Prut River, said in turn President Maia Sandu, who added that the Romanian language must be honored and respected every day. Maia Sandu: Here people fight every day for democracy, for freedom and for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova.

On the occasion of the Romanian Language Day, the European Union delegation in Chisinau conveyed a message highlighting the importance of the Romanian language as a symbol of identity and connection with cultural roots. Happy anniversary to those who carry the Romanian language with them everywhere in the world!, reads the message of the EU delegation.

Romanian Language Day is marked every year on August 31 in the Republic of Moldova and Romania, celebrating not only the mother tongue, but also the spiritual and cultural unity among Romanian speakers around the world. Since 1990, Romanian Language Day has been marked every year in the Republic of Moldova, and since 2013  also in Romania. (EE)
The manufacturing sector in Indonesia moved up into expansion territory in August, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Monday with a manufacturing PMI score of 51.5.

That's up from 49.2 in July, and it moves above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

Underpinning the strengthening in the of the sector were renewed expansions in both output and new orders. In both cases, growth was recorded for the first time in five months and at solid rates, as firms mentioned new product launches and client wins. Market demand was reportedly stronger in both domestic and external .

In fact, volumes of new export orders rose at the steepest rate since September 2023. Manufacturers responded to higher production requirements and demand by raising employment levels during August. Although slight, the increase in job numbers was the first in three months.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Mortgage approvals, house prices and final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' survey results from the UK are the top economic news due on Monday.

At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK Nationwide house price data. Economists forecast house prices to rise 0.1 percent month-on-month in August, following a 0.6 percent rise in July.

At 3.15 am ET, S&P Global publishes Spain's manufacturing PMI data. The index is expected to rise to 52.1 in August from 51.9 in the previous month.

At 3.45 am ET, Italy's factory PMI survey data is due. The PMI is seen at 49.8 in August, unchanged from July.

At 3.50 am ET, S&P Global is scheduled to issue France's final factory PMI survey results. Economists expect the index to climb to 49.9 in August from 48.2 in the prior month.

At 3.55 am ET, Germany's final manufacturing PMI survey data is due. The index is forecast to climb to 49.9 in August, as initially estimated, from 49.1 in July.

At 4.00 am ET, Eurozone final manufacturing PMI survey data is due. The final reading is seen at 50.5 in August, unchanged from the flash estimate and up from 49.8 in July.

In the meantime, Italy's statistical office ISTAT is slated to release unemployment data for July. Economists expect the jobless rate to fall marginally to 6.2 percent from 6.3 percent in the prior month.

At 4.30 am ET, the Bank of England is set to publish UK mortgage approvals for July. The number of mortgages approved in July is expected to fall to 64,000 from 64,170 in June.

At 5.00, am ET, unemployment data is due from Eurozone. The jobless rate is expected to remain stable at 6.2 percent in July.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Oil prices traded higher on Monday, driven by renewed threats to Russian supply following fears of supplementary tariffs by the European Union.

Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 0.8 percent to $68.05 a barrel in European trade, while WTI crude futures were up 1 percent at $64.62.

As Russia-Ukraine war wages on, the European Union's two biggest economies have reportedly agreed to push for measures targeting companies from third countries that support Russia's war.

The leaders of Europe's two biggest economies on Friday agreed to accelerate measures targeting Russia's war machine, including "companies from third countries that support Russia's war", according to a joint statement after the meeting in the southern French port city of Toulon.

Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack damaged four power facilities near the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, leaving more than 29,000 customers without electricity on Sunday morning.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate by ordering more strikes deep inside Russia.

"We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine's defense. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned."

Focus also shifted to the upcoming OPEC+ meeting on September 7 to discuss production in October amid worries about rising output and the impact on demand from U.S. tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump defended $183.1 billion in tariff revenues as economic driver after a U.S. appeals court declared most of his tariffs illegal, giving the administration until October 14 to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Market Analysis
The euro area manufacturing activity grew at the fastest pace in more than three years in August driven by a sharp rise in output and the renewed uptick in domestic demand, data published by S&P Global showed on Monday.

The HCOB final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index improved to 50.7 in August from 49.8 in July. This was the first expansion in the currency bloc since June 2022. The flash score was 50.5.

Driven by the rise in demand, production expanded the most since March 2022. At the same time, total new orders increased for the first time in nearly three-and-a-half years.

Despite increased new order intakes, operating capacities were not placed under greater strain. Backlogs of work continued to decrease in August.

Employment decreased at the slowest pace in the current 27-month sequence of contraction.

Further, the survey showed that both pre- and post-production inventories were reduced and at the quickest extents since March. Purchasing activity also decreased more rapidly.

Manufacturers registered an increase in operating expenses for the first time in five months. Prices charged were discounted fractionally.

Finally, manufacturers looked to the next 12 months with optimism, but there was little change in sentiment when compared with July.

"The recovery is real but remains fragile," Hamburg Commercial Bank Chief Economist Cyrus de la Rubia said.

Given U.S. tariff policies and geopolitical tensions, it is hardly surprising that inventory levels continue to fall and order backlogs accelerated slightly as uncertainties remain high, de la Rubia said.



"We see the fact that production is being ramped up and more orders are being registered in this environment as a sign of resilience," the economist added.

The survey showed that operating conditions in Germany broadly stabilized in August. Spain reported strong upturn and France and Italy posted renewed expansions.

Germany's manufacturing sector moved closer to stagnation with production registering the fastest rise in nearly three-and-a-half years in August. The factory PMI advanced to a 38-month high of 49.8 from 49.1 in the previous month but it was slightly below the flash estimate of 49.9.

France's manufacturing activity grew for the first time since January 2023. The HCOB final factory PMI posted 50.4 in August, up from 48.2 in July. The flash estimate for August was 49.9.

Spain's manufacturing sector logged its strongest growth since last October. The HCOB factory PMI moved up to 54.3 in August from 51.9 in July. Output, new orders and employment all rose to stronger degrees compared to July.

Italy's manufacturing sector logged its first expansion in nearly one-and-a-half years in August. The HCOB factory PMI hit 50.4 in August, up from 49.8 in July.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The detained 52-year-old man has been reported on suspicion of murdering the People's Deputy, former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said.

"The detained 52-year-old Lviv resident has been reported on suspicion of murdering the People's Deputy of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy," the Prosecutor General's Office said on Telegram on Monday.

According to the PGO, the head of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office personally signed the report on suspicion in this case.

"According to him, "the suspicion is based on objective evidence indicating that the detained person committed the murder of a people's deputy," the PGO said.

His actions were qualified under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely: under Part 1 of Article 115 (intentional murder) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of weapons).

"Currently, investigative actions are ongoing with the suspect. Searches are underway at his places of residence and stay," the department specified.

All urgent investigative actions are being carried out with the participation of prosecutors, who coordinate the investigation.

According to the prosecutor's office, a petition is being prepared to the court to appoint a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of detention without the possibility of posting bail.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited has commenced the export of Suzukis first battery electric vehicle (BEV), the eVitara, marking a major milestone for Indias EV manufacturing sector. In August 2025, the company shipped over 2,900 units of the eVitara from Pipavav Port in Gujarat to 12 European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Iceland, Austria, and Belgium.

Manufactured Exclusively in Gujarat

The development follows the ceremonial start of eVitara production at Maruti Suzukis Hansalpur facility on 26th August, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. On the occasion, the Prime Minister hailed Maruti Suzuki as a brand ambassador of the Make in India initiative, acknowledging the companys contribution to positioning India as a global hub for advanced manufacturing.

The eVitara is manufactured exclusively at Maruti Suzukis Gujarat plant, which will serve as the global production hub for the model. The company has confirmed that the Made in India eVitara will eventually be exported to over 100 countries worldwide while also being offered to customers in the domestic market. This positions India at the center of Suzukis global EV strategy.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, The Honble Prime Ministers recognition of Maruti Suzuki as a brand ambassador of Make in India is the highest possible honour we could think of. The start of export of e VITARA to Europe is indeed a proud and defining moment for us. To delight customers in over 100 countries, the product has to be truly world class in terms of technology, design, safety and performance. Built on an all-new electric vehicle (EV) platform, HEARTECT-e, the e VITARA features a design that combines a sense of advanced technology and strength. We are sure that with a nimble and sharp driving experience, it will delight customers in Europe.

About the eVitara

First previewed in Milan, Italy, and later showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi, the eVitara represents Suzukis entry into the global EV space. Built on the dedicated HEARTECT-e architecture, the SUV is designed for efficiency, safety, and performance. Its styling reflects a blend of futuristic design and rugged SUV proportions, targeting both city commuters and family buyers.

The eVitara is expected to come with multiple battery pack options catering to diverse markets. Equipped with advanced safety features, connected technology, and fast-charging capability, it aims to meet stringent European standards while offering practicality for Indian conditions. With a spacious cabin, premium interiors, and a focus on sustainability, the SUV seeks to establish itself as a mainstream EV choice.

Strategic Significance

Exports to Europe signal Maruti Suzukis intent to position India as a hub not only for conventional vehicles but also for advanced electric mobility solutions. With growing demand for EVs globally, the eVitara is expected to play a key role in Suzukis strategy of offering affordable, efficient, and reliable electric SUVs for both developed and emerging markets.

By beginning global shipments from India, Maruti Suzuki has reaffirmed its commitment to the Make in India, Make for the World vision, while also setting the stage for wider domestic adoption of electric mobility.
Law enforcement officers are investigating the motives for the murder of European Solidarity MP Andriy Parubiy, and it is possible that it was ordered by the Russian Federation, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine Andriy Nebytov has said.

"Today we are investigating the motives, we are not ruling out any of the versions, we continue to work in all directions. The investigative and operational groups are working on separate versions," Nebytov said at a briefing in Lviv on Monday.

He noted: "We can say that the person had the intention to commit murder. We do not exclude a Russian trace, that this was an order from the Russian Federation."

According to him, the suspect in the murder "had certain circumstances under which he committed this murder." Also, as Nebytov specified, this man did not have a permanent place of work. "

As reported, Member of Parliament and former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada in 2016-2019 Andriy Parubiy was shot dead on the street in Lviv at noon on August 30. An unknown man fired several shots at the politician, as a result of which he died on the spot.

The alleged shooter in the case of the murder of Parubiy was detained in the Khmelnytsky region, he has already given his first testimony. The head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ivan Vyhivsky, previously stated that there is a Russian trace in the crime.
Law enforcement officers currently have no information about the accomplices of the suspect in the murder of the MP from the European Solidarity faction Andriy Parubiy, but there is information that this man was instructed, and the crime was preceded by careful preparation.

"A local resident, lived here in Lviv and had certain circumstances under which he committed this murder," said Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine Andriy Nebytov at a briefing on Monday in Lviv, clarifying information about the suspect in the murder of Parubiy.

He said the suspect did not have a permanent place of work. "He worked part-time," he added.

Answering the question of why the suspect ended up in the Khmelnytsky region, where he was detained, Nebytov said: "We do not exclude that the person intended to further illegally leave our country."

"We need to work out a lot of details that are very important to us," said the deputy head of the National Police, explaining why law enforcement officers are providing only limited information.

Responding to whether law enforcement officers have any information about the suspect's accomplices, Nebytov said: "We are saying that there are currently no accomplices."

At the same time, the deputy head of the National Police emphasized that the Russian trail of the murder remains the priority version.

"This crime was not spontaneous. It was carefully prepared. We believe that it was more than one month - preparation for both the approach and departure of the criminal. Therefore, we believe that there is some information about the persons who instructed the specified person," Nebytov said.
Using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument aboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a stunning new image of the spiral galaxy NGC 7456.

NGC 7456 was discovered by the British astronomer John Herschel on September 4, 1834.

This galaxy lies approximately 51 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Grus.

Otherwise known as ESO 346-26, IRAS 22594-3950 or LEDA 70304, it has a diameter of 117,100 light-years.

NGC 7456 is a member of the LDC 1547 galaxy group, a gathering of 16 large galaxies.

In the Hubble image we see in fine detail the patchy spiral arms of this galaxy, followed by clumps of dark, obscuring dust, the Webb astronomers said.

Blossoms of glowing pink are rich reservoirs of gas where new stars are forming, illuminating the clouds around them and causing the gas to emit this tell-tale red light.

The Hubble program which collected these data is focused on stellar activity just like this, tracking new stars, clouds of hydrogen and star clusters to learn how the galaxy has evolved through time, they added.

Hubble, with its ability to capture visible, ultraviolet and some infrared light, is not the only observatory focused on NGC 7456.

ESAs XMM-Newton satellite has imaged X-rays from the galaxy on multiple occasions, discovering a number of so-called ultraluminous X-ray sources.

These small, compact objects emit terrifically powerful X-rays, much more than would be expected for their size.

We are still trying to pin down what powers these extreme objects, and NGC 7456 contributes a few more examples.

On top of that, the region around the galaxys supermassive black hole is spectacularly bright and energetic, making NGC 7456 an active galaxy.

Whether looking at its core or its outskirts, at visible light or X-rays, this galaxy has something interesting to show.
Photo: https://www.president.gov.ua/

An extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held in Brussels on Monday, September 1, at the request of Ukraine and in response to the recent massive air attacks by the Russian Federation, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said.

"We expect a focused discussion on joint steps to adequately respond to Russia's rejection of peace efforts and the escalation of terror against Ukrainians," Sybiha said on X on Monday.

The minister expressed gratitude to NATO and all allies who continue to show "resolute support for Ukraine and meaningful peace efforts." "Moscow should feel stronger pressure as a result of the war's protracted nature," Sybiha said.

As reported, on the night of August 30, the occupiers launched 537 drones and 45 missiles at Ukraine, of which 510 and 38 were neutralized, respectively. In Kyiv, 25 civilians were killed, including four children, and damage to buildings and infrastructure was recorded in 33 locations in all ten administrative districts of the Ukrainian capital.
A retired couple riding a motorcycle with a sidecar was blown up by an enemy mine in the Sumy region on the morning of September 1, Regional Military Administration head Oleh Hryhorov has said.

"A retired couple riding a motorcycle with a sidecar was blown up by an enemy mine in the morning. It happened near one of the villages of the Seredyna-Buda community, near the border with Russia. The enemy probably mined this section of the road remotely from a drone," he wrote in a telegram on Monday.

Hryhorov said the victims - a 75-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman - were hospitalized, their condition is initially not serious. Doctors are examining the victims and providing the necessary assistance
Photo: https://t.me/Mykola_Kalashnyk

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited one of the schools in the Kyiv region, where he talked with children and teachers.

"The school has everything for safe, comfortable and interesting learning. They also took care of barrier-free access. This is very important. This is how we should support our children, help them and create conditions in which children want to learn, develop and dream of great things," Zelenskyy wrote in his Telegram channel on Monday.

In turn, the head of the regional military administration Mykola Kalashnyk reported that the president visited a new primary school in Brovary, where he got acquainted with the work and congratulated first-graders on Knowledge Day.

"The school is designed for students in grades 14 and is designed taking into account the characteristics of the younger age group. It is not just new - it is different. Its idea is not only to teach, but also to develop, support and inspire," Kalashnyk said on Telegram on Monday.

According to him, the school will have 960 students in 32 classes, including 8 first-year students.

In addition, the institution operates on a full-day school model: classes take place in the morning, and in the afternoon students study in clubs, sections, and creative studios.

"Bedrooms have been equipped for first-year students, as well as modern offices, laboratories, language classes, and spaces for research and project work," he added.
Team Internet reported a first-half loss on Monday, as it pushed ahead with a major transformation programme, but said its core businesses were gaining resilience and laying the groundwork for a recovery in the second half of 2025.

For the six months ended 30 June, the internet group posted a net revenue of $72.8m, down from $97.7m a year earlier, while gross margin widened to 27.6% from 23.8%.

Adjusted EBITDA fell to $24.6m from $46.6m, with an operating loss of $7m compared with a profit of $22.9m in the prior-year period.

Its loss after tax was $14.1m, against a profit of $9.8m a year earlier.

The AIM-traded company said the results reflected the planned shift in its search segment from AFD monetisation to RSOC, a next-generation model that accounted for 24% of search revenues in the half, up from 4% a year ago.

International expansion in its comparison segment also gained traction, with its France portal now profitable and Italy and Spain nearing breakeven, while its domains, identity and software division secured major contracts, including a 10-year deal to run Colombias .co domain.

The first half of 2025 was defined by disciplined execution of our transformation strategy, in response to changing market circumstances in search, said chief executive Michael Riedl.

We took bold but necessary steps to modernise our products, expand our addressable market, and improve our cost base.

He added that the firms comparison business was scaling across Europe and soon beyond.

France is already profitable, Spain and Italy are approaching breakeven, the UK launch is live, and the US is next.

These launches materially expand our addressable market and create long-term upside.

Major innovations in user acquisition and conversion are setting new standards for the industry.

Riedl said the transformation had already positioned cearch as a materially higher quality business model with strong product-market fit, while contract wins in DIS and the international scaling of comparison would support double-digit EBITDA growth from the second half onwards.

The group said it would continue to focus on operational efficiency, capital allocation and a potential review of asset ownership to maximise shareholder value.

At 1028 BST, shares in Team Internet Group were down 3.08% at 59.8p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
London stocks were set for a muted open on Monday, with a relatively quiet session expected as US markets will be closed for Labor Day.

The FTSE 100 was called to open unchanged at 9,187.

Investors will be mulling the latest data from Nationwide, which showed that annual house price growth slowed in August.

House prices grew 2.1% on the year last month, down from 2.4% growth in July.

On the month, prices dipped 0.1% in August following 0.5% growth the month before.

The average price of a home stood at 271,079 last month, down from 272,664 in July.

Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner said: "The relatively subdued pace of house price growth is perhaps understandable, given that affordability remains stretched relative to long-term norms. House prices are still high compared to household incomes, making raising a deposit challenging for prospective buyers, especially given the intense cost of living pressures in recent years.

"Combined with the fact that mortgage costs are more than three times the levels prevailing in the wake of the pandemic, this means that the cost of servicing a mortgage is also a barrier for many. Indeed, an average earner buying the typical first-time buyer property with a 20% deposit faces a monthly mortgage payment equivalent to around 35% of their take-home pay, well above the long run average of 30%.

"However, affordability should continue to improve gradually if income growth continues to outpace house price growth as we expect. Borrowing costs are likely to moderate a little further if Bank Rate is lowered again in the coming quarters. This should support buyer demand, especially since household balance sheets are strong and labour market conditions are expected to remain solid."

Elsewhere, a survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed that private sector firms across all major sectors in the UK expect economic activity to weaken in the coming quarter.

Growth Indicator's gauge measuring predicted output volumes over the coming three months registered a net balance of -15% in August, up from -18% in July but well behind the +9% level seen in August 2024.

The monthly composite index - a weighted percentage of companies reporting an increase minus those reporting a decrease - has been in negative territory since October last year.

The indicator tracking future business volumes was -15% for the services sector, -19% for the distribution sales sector and -13% in manufacturing.

"The outlook remains subdued across the private sector, as businesses continue to grapple with sluggish demand, higher employment costs, increasing uncertainty, and squeezed margins. However, expectations for activity are less negative than in the first half of the year, which is a thin silver lining," said Alpesh Paleja, the CBI's deputy chief economist.

In May, amid the launch of Donald Trump's trade war and ensuing bout of geopolitical uncertainty, the forward-looking monthly composite dropped to -30%.

However, despite the slight easing of negativity over recent months, theres "little evidence yet of a meaningful turnaround", Paleja said.

"Firms are increasingly focusing on building resilience and efficiency as they navigate a challenging economic environment - at the expense of capital spending and longer-term growth ambitions."

In corporate news, quality assurance provider Intertek said it has bought Australian environmental testing and analysis provider Envirolab for an undisclosed sum, exposing it to the "fast growth and attractive" Asia-Pacific environmental testing market.

Intertek said Envirolab, which has over 200 staff across five laboratories in Australia and New Zealand, generated revenues of 28m in the financial year ended June 2025.

Dominos Pizza announced a 20m share buyback as it takes advantage of a big plunge in its share price over recent weeks.

The UK-based master franchise of the American fast-food chain, which had hinted at the resumption of share buybacks at its half-year results in early August, said that full-year expectations remain unchanged, though net debt is now expected to be higher than previously expected.
Defence stocks were in the green in London on Monday, after the UK secured its largest-ever warship export deal.

Norway has agreed to buy at least five British-built Type 26 frigates in a 10bn agreement designed to strengthen NATOs northern defences and support thousands of UK jobs.

The deal, announced on Monday, will see the Royal Norwegian Navy operate identical Type 26 ships alongside the Royal Navy in a combined fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare frigates.

Eight vessels are already under construction in Glasgow for the UK, with Norways order to be built on the Clyde in the coming years.

Deliveries are expected from 2030, with both governments saying the agreement will not delay the Royal Navys schedule.

The Ministry of Defence said the programme would sustain 4,000 UK jobs into the 2030s, including more than 2,000 at BAE Systems shipyards in Glasgow, and support over 400 British companies across the supply chain.

It came as the UK looked to boost defence manufacturing exports and deepen cooperation with NATO allies amid rising tensions with Russia in the North Atlantic and Arctic.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer called the agreement a clear example of our Plan for Change, creating jobs, driving growth, and protecting national security for working people.

Defence secretary John Healey said the partnership would see the two navies train, operate, deter, and if necessary fight together, adding that the warships would hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure and keep both our nations secure.

Norways Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said London had been chosen after a competitive process involving France, Germany, and the US, calling the partnership a historic strengthening of defence cooperation and essential as Europe faces its most serious security situation since World War Two.

The Type 26 design, already selected by Australia and Canada, reportedly features advanced sonar, weapons and communications systems and was optimised for anti-submarine warfare while retaining flexibility for future upgrades.

Shares in BAE Systems rose 2.59% to 1,803p in early trading following the announcement, while Rolls-Royce Holdings gained 1.73% to 1,088.5p and Babcock International advanced 2.95% to 1,046p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
"Having such collaboration will definitely have a direct impact on the bilateral investment," Mohammad Lootah, president and CEO of Dubai Chambers, described the China-Arab States Expo as benefiting the private sector in both the UAE and China. DUBAI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The China-Arab States Expo is a vital platform to strengthen traditional trade ties and high-value investment partnerships between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China, UAE business insiders have said. The seventh edition of the expo, concluding on Sunday in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, gathered more than 7,600 participants and over 2,200 enterprises and institutions from 75 countries and regions. Under the theme "Innovation, Green Development and Prosperity," the expo hosted trade fairs and forums focused on eight key sectors, including investment, technology transfer and innovation cooperation, modern agriculture, tourism and intellectual property. Ali Al-Amin, an economic expert and head of the Investment Unit at Sharjah Islamic Bank, told Xinhua that the expo offered a genuine opportunity to advance UAE-China economic ties from traditional trade exchanges to high-value investment partnerships in priority areas such as renewable energy and sustainable technology. Sharjah Islamic Bank's participation in the expo was part of a broader vision to deepen economic cooperation and explore new joint investment opportunities with China, he said, adding that expanding its banking network with Chinese institutions will enable the bank to better support its clients with financial services tailored to ongoing regional and global economic transformations. "We are not participating merely for representation; we are committed to playing an active role in shaping new paths of cooperation, particularly in light of the challenges facing regional economies," he said. This edition of the expo saw a transition from introductory exchanges to more mature discussions, with participants showing a clear focus on the quality and feasibility of the projects, he noted, highlighting the bank's focus on studying investment opportunities presented at the expo and assessing their potential to be transformed into tangible development projects. Mohammad Lootah, president and CEO of Dubai Chambers, described the expo as benefiting the private sector in both the UAE and China. "We're exploring ways to do more business missions and attend large events that will take place in China, and we will continuously host high-level delegations from different provinces in China," Lootah said. A record growth in two-way investments between the UAE and China "represents the increased interest from the private sector and business communities from both sides," he said. "Just looking at Dubai Chamber of Commerce membership, by the end of the first half of this year, we counted 6,000 Chinese companies as our members. We continue to have a lot of engagement with China, since it's a significant trade and investment partner for us," he said. "This gives us access to trade hubs and future-phase sectors that are well represented in Shenzhen," a Chinese city known for artificial intelligence and other technologies as well as sectors that are "very important for the future of growth in Dubai," he said. "We focus on sectors that are very important to Dubai ... such as advanced manufacturing, where China is having huge leaps globally, and we think that having such collaboration will definitely have a direct impact on the bilateral investment," he added. First held in 2013, the biennial expo has become an important platform for China and the Arab states to promote pragmatic cooperation.
Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet with European leaders in Paris on Thursday, September 4, AFP reports, citing a source.

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Paris on Thursday, a source told AFP, amid international efforts to end Russia's three-year invasion," the message, which was posted on the X social network on Monday, said.

On August 29, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would organize a European track at the level of leaders on security guarantees next week.

"Next week, a European track. I think we will organize it at the level of leaders, because some points need to be made regarding security guarantees. I want us to follow the same path, understand each other. Therefore, I think we will have several meetings at different venues," Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Friday.

On Sunday, the Financial Times said discussions on the Ukrainian settlement between a number of European leaders are scheduled for Thursday in France.

"Those who previously met with (US President Donald - IF-U) Trump in Washington are expected to gather in Paris on Thursday at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to continue high-level discussions," the newspaper wrote, citing diplomatic sources.
Enterprises in India must prioritise data sovereignty and security challenges to safeguard sensitive information while complying with stringent regulations. To address these challenges, advanced dedicated servers serve as a critical component for businesses in India, aiming to enhance their data security and compliance. The strategic implementation of bare metal servers can provide long-term benefits, including cost efficiency, scalability, and enhanced operational performance.

Understanding Data Sovereignty and Compliance in India

Data sovereignty refers to the concept that digital data is subject to the laws and governance structures of the country in which it is collected. In India, this is governed by frameworks established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Indian data security and compliance requirements mandate that businesses ensure their data is securely stored and managed within the country's borders. These regulations are designed to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and potential breaches, aligning with national interests.

The Risks of Conventional Hosting Solutions

Conventional hosting solutions, such as shared hosting or virtual servers, often fail to meet the stringent requirements of data sovereignty and compliance. Shared hosting environments pose significant risks, including unauthorized access and inadequate resource allocation. Virtual servers, while offering some degree of control, still share physical hardware resources with other clients, which can lead to vulnerabilities. These traditional methods may not provide the level of security and performance needed to protect sensitive data adequately.

What Are Advanced Bare Metal Servers?

Advanced bare metal servers are dedicated physical servers that provide optimal performance and enhanced security for enterprises. Unlike virtual servers, bare metal servers are not shared with other clients, offering full control over the hardware resources. These servers are physically located in India, ensuring compliance with local data sovereignty regulations. They provide businesses with dedicated computing power and advanced security measures, making them ideal for handling sensitive data and mission-critical applications.

Advanced Bare Metal Servers for Data Security and Sovereignty

Advanced bare metal servers are integral to achieving robust data security and sovereignty in India. These servers offer several key benefits, such as:

Enhanced Security: Bare metal servers provide a private and isolated environment, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches. With dedicated hardware resources, businesses can implement stringent security measures tailored to their specific needs.

Compliance with Indian Regulations: By utilizing servers physically located in India, businesses can ensure compliance with Indian data protection regulations. This alignment with local laws helps mitigate legal risks and enhances trust with stakeholders.

Optimal Performance: Bare metal servers deliver high performance due to their dedicated nature. Businesses can leverage this computing power to run resource-intensive applications, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

Full Control: Organizations have complete control over the servers operating systems and applications, enabling them to customize configurations to meet their security and compliance requirements. This level of control is crucial for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data.

Detailed Analysis and Benefits

Security Measures and Compliance Advanced bare metal servers offer comprehensive security measures, including advanced encryption standards, secure access protocols, and continuous monitoring. These measures ensure compliance with Indian data regulations, such as the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Data Protection Bill.

Operational Efficiency and Performance With full control over the server's operating systems and hardware, businesses can optimize their applications for maximum performance. This is particularly beneficial for resource-intensive applications like data analytics, machine learning, and financial services, where performance and reliability are critical.

Cost Efficiency While the initial investment in bare metal servers may be higher compared to shared hosting solutions, the long-term benefits of enhanced security, compliance, and performance can lead to significant cost savings. Businesses can avoid the costs associated with data breaches, non-compliance penalties, and performance bottlenecks.

Scalability and Flexibility Bare metal servers offer unparalleled scalability and flexibility, allowing businesses to scale their infrastructure according to their needs. This flexibility is essential for businesses experiencing rapid growth or fluctuating workloads, ensuring they can maintain optimal performance without over provisioning resources.

Implementing Advanced Bare Metal Servers

The key steps that need to be followed before Implementing advanced bare metal are:

Assessment and Planning Conduct a thorough assessment of your current infrastructure and identify the specific requirements for your applications and data. Develop a detailed migration plan, including timelines, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies.

Selection of Provider Choose a reputable provider that offers advanced bare metal servers with data centers located in India. Evaluate their security measures, support services, and scalability options to ensure they meet your business needs.

Migration and Testing Execute the migration plan, transferring data and applications to the new bare metal servers. Perform rigorous testing to ensure all systems are functioning correctly and securely. Address any issues promptly to minimize downtime and disruptions.

Optimization and Maintenance Continuously monitor and optimize the server performance to ensure optimal efficiency. Implement regular maintenance and security updates to protect against emerging threats and vulnerabilities.

Choosing the Right Bare Metal Solution

Selecting the appropriate bare metal server solution is a critical decision that can significantly impact your organization's data security and compliance posture. Here are detailed technical considerations to guide you in making an informed choice:

Data Center Location

Ensuring that your data center is physically located in India is the top priority for compliance with local data sovereignty regulations. This not only meets legal requirements but also helps in achieving lower latency and improved data transfer speeds due to proximity.

Latency and Bandwidth : Assess the network latency and bandwidth availability of the data center. Lower latency is crucial for applications requiring real-time data processing and high-speed transactions.



: Assess the network latency and bandwidth availability of the data center. Lower latency is crucial for applications requiring real-time data processing and high-speed transactions. Redundancy and Reliability: Ensure that the data center has multiple redundancies in place, such as backup power supplies, redundant network connections, and disaster recovery plans. Tier III or Tier IV data centers are preferred for their high availability and reliability standards.

Security Measures

A robust security framework is essential to protect sensitive data and maintain compliance with Indian data regulations. Key security features to evaluate include:

Encryption : Verify that the provider offers strong encryption standards, such as AES-256, for both data at rest and data in transit. Encryption should be implemented at multiple levels, including disk, file, and database encryption.



: Verify that the provider offers strong encryption standards, such as AES-256, for both data at rest and data in transit. Encryption should be implemented at multiple levels, including disk, file, and database encryption. Access Controls : Look for comprehensive access control mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and identity and access management (IAM) systems. These controls help ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data.



: Look for comprehensive access control mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and identity and access management (IAM) systems. These controls help ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data. Monitoring and Logging : Continuous monitoring and logging are vital for detecting and responding to security incidents. Ensure the provider offers real-time monitoring, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions.



: Continuous monitoring and logging are vital for detecting and responding to security incidents. Ensure the provider offers real-time monitoring, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions. Physical Security: The physical security of the data center should include measures such as biometric access controls, surveillance cameras, and on-site security personnel. These measures help prevent unauthorized physical access to the servers.

Scalability

Scalability is a crucial factor, especially for growing businesses or those with fluctuating workloads. Consider the following aspects of scalability:

Vertical Scaling : The ability to upgrade server components, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, to meet increasing demands without needing to migrate to a new server.



: The ability to upgrade server components, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, to meet increasing demands without needing to migrate to a new server. Horizontal Scaling : The ability to add more servers to your infrastructure to handle increased workloads. This is particularly important for applications that require load balancing and distributed computing.



: The ability to add more servers to your infrastructure to handle increased workloads. This is particularly important for applications that require load balancing and distributed computing. Automated Scaling: Automated scaling solutions that dynamically adjust resources based on real-time demand can provide efficiency and cost savings.

Support and Maintenance

Reliable support and maintenance services are essential to ensure the smooth operation of your bare metal servers. Key considerations include:

24/7 Support : Ensure that the provider offers round-the-clock support to address any issues promptly. This support should include access to knowledgeable technical staff who can troubleshoot and resolve problems efficiently.



: Ensure that the provider offers round-the-clock support to address any issues promptly. This support should include access to knowledgeable technical staff who can troubleshoot and resolve problems efficiently. Proactive Monitoring : Look for providers that offer proactive monitoring and maintenance services to identify and address potential issues before they impact your operations. This includes regular hardware health checks, firmware updates, and performance tuning.



: Look for providers that offer proactive monitoring and maintenance services to identify and address potential issues before they impact your operations. This includes regular hardware health checks, firmware updates, and performance tuning. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) : Review the SLAs provided by the vendor, particularly focusing on uptime guarantees, response times, and resolution times. High-quality SLAs are indicative of the provider's commitment to service reliability and customer satisfaction.



: Review the SLAs provided by the vendor, particularly focusing on uptime guarantees, response times, and resolution times. High-quality SLAs are indicative of the provider's commitment to service reliability and customer satisfaction. Patch Management: Ensure that the provider has a robust patch management process in place for applying security patches and updates to the server's operating system and applications. This helps in mitigating vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with security standards.

Network Capabilities

The network infrastructure supporting your bare metal servers should be robust and high-performing. Consider the following network-related factors:

Network Redundancy : The data center should have redundant network connections to ensure continuous connectivity even in the event of a network failure.



: The data center should have redundant network connections to ensure continuous connectivity even in the event of a network failure. Bandwidth Availability : Adequate bandwidth is necessary to handle peak traffic loads and ensure smooth data transfer. Check if the provider offers scalable bandwidth options.



: Adequate bandwidth is necessary to handle peak traffic loads and ensure smooth data transfer. Check if the provider offers scalable bandwidth options. DDoS Protection: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can severely impact your services. Ensure the provider offers DDoS protection mechanisms to safeguard against such attacks.

Customization and Integration

The ability to customize and integrate your bare metal servers with existing IT infrastructure and applications can significantly enhance operational efficiency:

Custom Hardware Configurations : Choose providers that offer customizable hardware configurations to meet specific performance and workload requirements.



: Choose providers that offer customizable hardware configurations to meet specific performance and workload requirements. API Access : Look for providers that offer API access for seamless integration with your existing IT systems and for automating server management tasks.



: Look for providers that offer API access for seamless integration with your existing IT systems and for automating server management tasks. Compatibility with Cloud Solutions: If your infrastructure includes cloud components, ensure that the bare metal servers can integrate seamlessly with your cloud environment for hybrid deployments.

Conclusion

Advanced bare metal servers are a strategic investment for enterprises in India seeking to optimise data security and compliance. By leveraging these dedicated servers, businesses can enhance their data protection measures, comply with local regulations, and achieve optimal performance for their critical applications.
IIT Madras and LSU Health New Orleans sign MoU to collaborate on healthcare research, technology, and innovation.

Partnership combines IIT-Ms engineering and innovation strengths with LSUs clinical and cancer research expertise.

Focus on genomics, AI apps, low-cost diagnostics, medical devices, and student-faculty exchanges to drive global healthcare solutions.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has forged a strategic alliance with LSU Health New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO), USA, to drive research and technology-driven solutions in the healthcare of the world. The partnership aims to leverage LSU Health's clinical and translational research strength and IIT Madras's experience in engineering, informatics, and innovation.

Formalized by a memorandum of understanding signed between the senior leaders of the two institutions, namely Dr. Demetrius J. Porche, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, LSUHSC-NO; Dr. Lucio Miele, Director, LSU-LCMC Cancer Center; Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras; and Prof. Himanshu Sinha from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor Dr. Steve Nelson noted the partnership aligns directly with the university's aspiration to secure National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for the LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center. "By marrying our clinical strengths with IIT Madras's technology advancements, we are creating a formidable platform to translate discoveries from bench to bedside and enhance health outcomes in Louisiana and globally," he added.

Also Read: IIT Delhi Launches BS Chemistry with AI-ML Focus, Open to JEE Advanced Qualifiers



The partnership will draw on LSU Health's seven centres of excellence and its growing cancer research environment, as well as IIT Madras's innovation ecosystem, including its Research Park that accommodates more than 200 startups spread over 1.2 million sq ft of space. Joint teams will perform genomics and health research, and invest in developing scalable products like AI-based apps, low-cost diagnostic tests, and intelligent medical devices with the potential to fill affordability and access gaps.A key aspect of the collaboration is the student and faculty exchange between the two institutions.

These scholarly and entrepreneurial interactions will boost collaboration, generate collaborative research products, and develop a talent pipeline of innovators that can handle new healthcare issues.According to Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, the collaboration bridges technology development in India and clinical application in the US. "Combining our technology-driven innovation with LSU Health New Orleans's research and clinical presence in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast creates a path for ideas to get translated into global health solutions", he added.

The partnership is expected to place LSU Health New Orleans among the top 50 academic health centers in the US by 2030, while also further intensifying IIT Madras's global reach in health research and applied innovation. Both institutions have expressed intentions to widen their collaborative efforts into other biomedical disciplines in the future.

For IIT Madras, which has featured as India's number one university for nine years running, the partnership is another move towards replicating its model of innovation through global partnerships. For LSU Health New Orleans, it opens up a platform to enhance cancer research and international outreach. Collectively, the institutions seek to facilitate a new generation of affordable, technology-facilitated healthcare solutions with worldwide reach.
Dear Annie: My brother and I are in our early 50s, and our mom has dementia. Our personal lives could not be more different. I have kids and have been married for 25 years. I returned to the workforce full time five years ago after having been a stay-at-home mom. My brother is a newlywed of three years, no kids, and works on big projects for his line of work. He also has had some gaps between projects.

My brother is adamant that our mom not live in a nursing home, so he took her in about three months ago.

Prior to that, we shared caretaking in Moms home for about nine months, but we knew we couldnt sustain it. We found ourselves leaving our spouses and children. Our work suffered, and we were exhausted. Now my brother has gotten overwhelmed and told me he is tired of doing more than me, which I acknowledge because she lives in his house.

His wife wont come out to greet me when I visit to get my mom every weekend, and my brother will only communicate by text furiously  if at all. He is physically exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed and seeing a doctor for anxiety and depression. He angrily confronts me (on text) and accuses me of being the cause of his anxiety, and then in front of our mom pretends he hasnt accused me of awful things. He wont meet with me and says he wants a mediator to work out what to do. I have said I will not have her move in because I know I cannot handle itemotionally or logistically.

There is bad history between my mom and me, and while I have mostly put it aside to assist, I know I cannot handle her in my home. I did take her in (pre-dementia), and it took a toll on my well-being, and I felt unable to take care of my kids and myself ultimately.

I have to say no to taking on the care of my mom. How do I live without feeling terrible when my brother has called me evil and demands more of me than I have to give?

Good Mom, Wife, Friend, and Evil Daughter and Sister

Dear Good Mom: Why did you sign your letter Evil Daughter and Sister? You are a wonderful daughter, trying the best you can. It sounds like you and your brother have differing opinions on what is in the best interest for your mother and her health. You both want whats best for her and need to get on the same team. Perhaps you should meet with a mediator, as your brother proposed, and if you are dissatisfied with the meetings, you might seek a professional doctor who can best advise as to what would help your mother live the best life she possibly can.

As for your brother blaming you for his depression and anxiety, that is unfortunate. He is clearly hurting and needs professional treatment.

Annie Lanes second anthologyHow Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner? featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.
120 Precinct Commander Deputy Inspector Eric J. Waldhelm speaks about the NYPD's new quality of life program "Every Block Counts," and how it will impact the borough. Advance/SILive.com|Shaina McLawrence

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York Citys Every Block Counts program is showing early signs of success in reducing crime and improving livability on five targeted Staten Island streets, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

The initiative addresses quality-of-life issues to restore safety in historically high-crime areas.

Here are five key takeaways from an original article by the Advance/SILive.com on the initiative:

1. Program shows measurable success in reducing crime: NYPD

The Every Block Counts program has yielded tangible results on the five pilot blocks in Staten Islands 120th Precinct, officials said. According to NYPD Deputy Inspector Eric J. Waldhelm, the 120th Precinct commanding officer, crime has dropped 16% on those streets when compared to the same period last year. The targeted blocks  Bowen and Broad streets, Broadway, and two blocks on Park Hill Avenue  received intensive support to address issues identified by residents and city agencies. Of 156 complaints logged since April, the mayors office reported that 106 have been resolved, including repairing potholes, removing graffiti, and performing fire hydrant maintenance.

2. A 2-phase strategy focuses on immediate and long-term stability

The initiative is structured in two distinct phases to ensure lasting change. Phase one concentrates on immediately addressing quality-of-life issues and infrastructure needs, such as fixing streetlights and cleaning up garbage, to quickly improve the physical environment. Phase two builds on this foundation by connecting residents directly with essential city resources, services, and employment opportunities. This long-term approach aims to break the cycle of violence and create sustainable safety and livability by empowering the community from within.

3. Community engagement is driven by volunteer block CEOs

A core component of the programs structure is the use of resident volunteers known as block CEOs (community enrichment officers). One resident from each targeted street volunteers to act as a direct liaison between their neighbors and city officials. These block CEOs are responsible for providing regular updates on progress, communicating ongoing concerns from the community, and ensuring their neighbors remain informed and engaged. This model, operated in partnership with the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau, fosters a collaborative approach to problem-solving tailored to each blocks specific needs.

4. The initiative involves a massive, multi-agency collaboration

Every Block Counts is not solely an NYPD program but a comprehensive, city-wide effort leveraging resources from numerous agencies. The initiative coordinates a wide array of departments to tackle issues holistically. Key partners include the Fire Department, the Department of Transportation (fixing lights and crosswalks), the Department of Sanitation (cleaning graffiti and adding receptacles), and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Other participating agencies include the Departments of Housing Preservation and Development, Health and Mental Hygiene, Youth and Community Development, and the New York City Housing Authority, demonstrating a unified government approach to public safety.

5. Officials tout the program as a model for equity and crime prevention

City leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, have praised the program as a successful, data-driven model for reducing crime in vulnerable communities. McMahon stated that the initiative breaks the cycle of violence by bringing vital city services and job opportunities directly to neighborhoods that need them most. Adams emphasized that the goal is to ensure every New Yorker can live in a clean, safe, and well-lit neighborhood. The early success on Staten Island is being presented as a blueprint for equitable investment and proactive crime prevention across the city.

Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story based on previous reporting by the Advance/SILive.com. It was reviewed and edited by Advance/SILive.com staff.
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN - The Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) launches the final phase of the $300 million campaign for its iconic new home on New York's Upper West Side at 96th Street and Central Park West and unveiled new details of the project, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Diane Bondareff/AP Content Services for Children's Museum of Manhattan) AP

NEW YORK, N.Y.  This October, the Childrens Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is inviting families to explore the magic all around them with its month-long celebration, Hocus Focus: Magic, Memory, and Make Believe!

The program brings together cultural traditions, performances, and hands-on art making, offering children of all ages opportunities to learn, create, and celebrate.

The museums October lineup is packed with exciting events. Kicking off the month, CMOM will observe Yom Kippur with activities, such as reflection jars, where children decorate jars with messages or reminders to pause and reflect, and Tzedakah boxes, inspired by the tradition of giving.

Latinx Heritage Week (Oct. 310) highlights music, art, and social justice. Families can enjoy performances like Cumbia Fest Jr. with PUYALOAHI, craft Bright Like Me glowing masks, and meet comic book creator Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, the mind behind La Borinquena.

Young visitors can also design their own superheroes during workshops with Edgardo and Kyung Jeon-Miranda.

Later in the month, CMOM will honor community helpers with Who Keeps Us Safe? workshops (Oct. 1112, 1417), featuring fire safety lessons with the FDNY, superhero cape-making, comic book creations, and hands-on experiences with uniforms and tools.

Indigenous Peoples Day (Oct. 13) offers creative workshops including Land as Story, where kids make landscape collages, and Our Community Tapestry, a collaborative woven ribbon art project.

As Halloween approaches, CMOM celebrates with Spark & Spirit: Getting Halloween Ready! (Oct. 1819, 2324), featuring magical performances by Justin the Magician and NY Childrens Theater, plus creative crafts like Magic of Me! Potion Bottles and Magic Ribbon Wands.

Families can also explore Diwali: A Festival of Lights (Oct. 2022) through puppet shows, dance performances, Diya & Me! diya-making, and a community Paper Rangoli Collage.

The Halloween season continues with Costumes & Creativity: Halloween Festival (Oct. 2526) and the Halloween Week Finale (Oct. 2831), featuring collaborative costume and maze workshops, haunted house hat-making, trick-or-treat tote bags, and a festive Halloween Dance Party on Oct. 31.

All programs are free with museum admission. For a full schedule and more information, visit cmom.org.

ABOUT CMOM

The Childrens Museum of Manhattan is designed for children ages 06, offering hands-on programs that foster creativity, learning, and play through art, music, science, and storytelling.

All activities are grounded in research-backed methods that support early brain development. From ever-changing themed activities to PlayWorks, the museums dedicated space for its youngest visitors, every experience is tailored to engage children at the appropriate developmental stage.

With a rotating schedule of interactive programs, the museum provides families with endless opportunities to explore and discover something new.
A group of young Staten Island women came together to start the COMEunity Fridge in Mariners Harbor.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a community fridge in Mariners Harbor has become an essential resource for the neighborhood, providing free, nutritious food to anyone in need. It has also served as a vital support system for families, seniors and individuals facing food insecurity.

The COMEunity Fridge, founded by area residents Alexandra Shoneyin, Folashade Fakoya, Oksana Bento, Nia Simone Smith, Maimouna Faye, Irima Ajang and Jasmine Chong is located at the corner of Forest Avenue and Amity Place.

I was seeing a lot of disunity in Staten Island and how it has been left out of a lot of conversations across New York City. There is an invisibility around Staten Island, Shoneyin told the Advance/SILive.com in 2020.

Even more specifically, the Black and brown community, immigrant community, low-income community  just because Staten Island is invisible, they face another level of hyper-invisibility, she added.

Alexandra Shoneyin pictured next to the COMEunity Fridge on Forest Avenue.

With the fridge now in urgent need of repairs  as well as its surrounding shelves and walls, which are showing signs of wear and tear  a GoFundMe campaign has been established in the hopes of raising money both for the necessary repairs and helping to ensure the fridge remains operational and accessible to all who need it.

The issue has local businesses and community organizations uniting for the revitalization efforts, according to the campaigns page. Partners including Ibrahim and Naji from Yummy Deli, Prince Tech and Forgotten Foods have already pledged their support to raise funds for repairs and to purchase a new fridge.

In addition to local businesses, a network of dedicated community members and organizations has kept the fridge running over the years. While many of these supporters work behind the scenes, their efforts have been crucial.

Notable contributors include Mama Rosarias Pizzeria & Ristorante, Gwendolyn and Jasmine Robinson, Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority Inc., Faith United Methodist Church, Patricia Brooks, Green City Force, The Sylvia Center and the National Council of Negro Women.

The Forest Ave. COMEunity Fridge fully stocked.

As of this writing, the GoFundMe has received around $950 of its goal. The campaign can also be reached by heading to GoFundMe.com and searching for Help Repair Staten Islands Community Fridge.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York landmarks will be illuminated in purple Sunday evning to honor the lives lost to drug overdoses and raise awareness about the ongoing substance use crisis, as the state marks International Overdose Awareness Day.

The annual lighting aims to reflect on those lost to addiction, recognize the grief of their loved ones and show solidarity with individuals still battling substance use disorders.

Like many New Yorkers, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of the overdose epidemic, said Gov. Kathy Hochul. We reflect on the lives lost to addiction and offer our support to those who continue to struggle.

The state has made progress in reversing overdose trends. Recent CDC data shows overdose deaths dropped 28% from 2023 to 2024  from 6,550 to an estimated 4,719  a bit of a hope after years of rising fatalities.

Addressing the epidemic and achieving an overdose-free generation includes continued public awareness and a commitment to making lifesaving overdose reversal medications like naloxone available to the public.

It also increases access to fentanyl and xylazine testing strips and supports community-based organizations that work directly in communities impacted by the overdose epidemic.

Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the day is a moment to honor those we lost, while reaffirming our commitment to saving lives by establishing a compassionate health care system free of stigma.

Major landmarks lit in purple will include:

One World Trade Center

Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

Kosciuszko Bridge

The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building

Alfred E. Smith State Office Building

Empire State Plaza

State Fairgrounds  Main Gate & Expo Center

Niagara Falls

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge

Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct

Albany International Airport Gateway

MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station

Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal

Moynihan Train Hall

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park

Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, head of the states addiction services office, noted, We are seeing significant progress in reducing overdose deaths and we will continue to work tirelessly to use all available resources.

A downward trend on Staten Island

Fatal drug overdoses are trending downward on our borough, throughout the state and nationwide compared to skyrocketing death tolls during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts.

While the powerful opioid fentanyl still is the main killer, experts say that stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine and animal tranquilizers that include xylazine often serve as deadly accomplices.

We are seeing a decline compared to two years ago, which is good, Richmond Country District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said about overdoses statistics for our borough.

McMahon praised the mission and work of the task force as vitally important, and said it is clear that a lot of the efforts are paying off across the board.

Mandated treatment proposal

Recently, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new legislative proposal that would allow medical professionals to mandate treatment for those struggling with substance use disorders.

If approved by the state legislature, the law would bring New York in line with 37 other states that already authorize involuntary commitment for addiction.

The proposed legislation, dubbed the Compassionate Interventions Act, would give medical professionals authority to transport individuals who appear to pose a danger to themselves or others due to drug abuse to hospitals for evaluation.

The court could then mandate treatment if attempts to have the individual commit to treatment voluntarily are unsuccessful.

Our administration refuses to turn our backs on New Yorkers in need, Adams said. We must help those struggling to finally get treatment, whether they recognize the need for it or not.

Staten Island addiction experts, including the boroughs district attorney, told the Advance/SILive.com they support the mayors proposal.

New Yorkers seeking help can call the states 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or visit the NYS OASAS website for treatment options and support services.
One World Trade Center as seen from Battery Park in Manhattan April 2013. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano) New York City Staten Island Advance (Staten Island Advance)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Labor Day that 17 landmarks across the state will be illuminated red, white, and blue in honor of Labor Day.

The hardworking men and women of labor are the backbone of New York  and today we honor their daily contributions that keep our state moving forward, Hochul said. As governor, I remain committed to supporting union workers and ensuring all New Yorkers are laboring under the safest conditions with the benefits they need and deserve.

The landmarks to be lit in recognition of Labor Day include:
Kaitlin Restivo was the winner of the Law Day 2025 Poster Contest with her poster on the left. Mohamed Hussain was the runner-up in the contest, with his poster on the right. They are both students at Tottenville High School in Huguenot. (Courtesy of New York Newspapers Foundation's News Media Literacy Program)

IN CLASS: This feature is part of an ongoing education column highlighting the various activities that engage school communities.

Want this before everyone else? Subscribe to our Beyond the Classroom newsletter.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Two high school students on Staten Island were named the winner and runner-up of an art contest.

The New York Newspapers Foundations News Media Literacy Program awarded two students with the Law Day 2025 Poster Contest at the high school level. The theme this year was The Constitutions Promise: Out of Many, One. The theme urged students to take pride in the Constitution, which bridges our differences to bring us together as a united nation.

Students were prompted to create a poster to show what the theme meant to them, their family, and/or their community.

Kaitlin Restivo was the winner, while Mohamed Hussain was the runner-up in the contest. They are both students at Tottenville High School in Huguenot.

Restivos hand-drawn poster was inspired by the opening words of the U.S. Constitution  We the People. According to Restivo, the poster serves as a bold and heartfelt reminder that the foundation of American democracy is built not just on words, but on the lives, identities, and voices of all its people.

The diverse group of individuals featured, from different races, genders, ages, and faiths, is a symbol of the strength that comes from inclusion. Each figure reflects a piece of the American story, stated Restivo on her inspiration.

Hussains poster sent an important message  that people are always united in this country.

Within the flag, I drew many people holding hands, making up the flag, which represents our country. Individualism is a large part of our unity, as it allows us to understand each other on a much deeper level. I added always united to we the people to allow the viewer to instantly understand what I am trying to portray. A detail that I enjoy is that there are 50 heads that replace the stars, said Hussain.

The contest was made possible with support from the New York Newspapers Foundation and a grant from the New York Bar Foundation.

Send us your stories

Do you have a story idea for the In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com.
Closer Aroldis Chapman will be staying with the Red Sox through the 2026 season  at least  after agreeing to a contact extension. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images

Ex-Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman will be back with the rival Boston Red Sox in 2026.

The Cuban-born 37-year-old signed an extension with Boston for 2026 that guarantees him $13.3 million and also includes a mutual vesting option for 27, via MLB.com.

Chapman, who struggled at times while closing for the Yankees from 2017-22, has 27 saves, 76 strikeouts and a 1.02 ERA for Boston. He has gone 15 straight appearances without allowing a hit."

I think the guy has been great for us, and not only on the field, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters. What hes done on the field is amazing, but as you guys see, in the clubhouse, the way he prepares, hes been great.

Boston has also re-signed young stars Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet, Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony.

The Red Sox enter Monday 1/2 a game back of the Yankees for the first Wild Card position in the American League.

Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
The only way to respond to such lies is pressure on Moscow  MFA

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy, commenting on Vladimir Putin's statements at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, has said that the Kremlin leader is "gradually losing his sufficient lying skills."

"Of course, the "insidious West" provoked "poor Russia" to attack its neighbor and commit hundreds of thousands of war crimes. Putin is gradually losing his sufficient lying skills - his monotonous loud statements are becoming more and more boring," Tykhy wrote on the social network X.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that "the only remedy for such lies is pressure on Moscow."

Earlier, media outlets reported that Speaking at the SCO Vladimir Putin again accused the West of allegedly fomenting war in Ukraine, insisting that Moscow's attack was provoked by years of Western provocations.
Life never stands still if you are a Murdoch. If you are Lachlan Keith Murdoch, oldest son of media magnate Keith Rupert Murdoch, that involves trying (and failing) to future-proof the family empire from your more progressive sibling in a botched Reno, Nevada, succession plan over the future of News Corporation and Fox Corporation.

Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah have applied to renovate their driveway. Credit: Joe Armao

And if you are Sarah Murdoch, that involves reanimating the wildly popular Tropfest film festival as chair of the newly reconstituted event along with NRL supremo Peter Vlandys, actor Bryan Brown and original founder John Polson.

That is not to say the power couple are not keenly involved in events much closer to home: the entrance to their Sydney harbourside property, to be precise.

A development application lodged with Woollahra Council shows the executive chairman of Nova Entertainment, chairman of News Corp, executive chairman and chief executive of Fox Corporation and his spouse plan driveway upgrade at their private waterfront playground overlooking Rose Bay. And what an upgrade.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size As we head into an uncertain spring, its the start of a big season for publishers. In the next two or three months, the big books aimed at the crucial Christmas market will appear. Here are 16 out now or imminently that might tickle your fancy. The Eye of the Dragonfly

Tracey Lee Holmes

Simon & Schuster, $36.99

In her memoir about her personal, professional and intellectual life, Tracey Lee Holmes writes: I am a journalist. When so many run from an emergency in fear, we want to run towards it. We are witnesses to history. Her journalism is about sport  she seems to have covered everything and been everywhere  but here she writes about how she experiences the world through that prism, and what she has learnt about racism, misogyny and power. Sport, she writes, has never been far from the most dramatic events in our history. Author Toni Jordan. Credit: Jason South Tenderfoot

Toni Jordan

Hachette, $32.99

Toni Jordans dad trained a couple of dishlickers, so she knows about what she writes in this story of a seminal year in the life of 12-year-old Andie, whose adored greyhound-training father Eddie disappears, taking three of the familys four dogs with him. Narrated by an older Andie, she notes that when youre small, the world comes into focus like a Polaroid: smudged and indistinct, taking years to resolve to clarity. Theres plenty of Jordans trademark wit and warmth in Andies getting of clarity. Borneo

Michael Veitch

Hachette, $34.99

World War II ended 80 years ago last month, but Australias amphibious invasion of Borneo between May and July 1945 was the wars last great campaign. In this revealing account, Michael Veitch says of the action, which involved 80,000 personnel and resulted in 2000 casualties, highly placed members in both the government and the army considered the whole thing unnecessary. Nevertheless, Veitch says it remains Australias largest, most complex and, and arguably most successful military campaign. Katabasis

R.F. Kuang

HarperVoyager, $34.99

Dont expect more of the same from the author of the bestselling satire on publishing, Yellowface. She changes genres and styles almost every time she writes. If theres any similarity in Katabasis its to an earlier novel, Babel, her historical fantasy set in 19th-century Oxford. This time were in Cambridge, from where PhD students Alice Law and Peter Murdoch have to descend into the Eight Courts of Hell to rescue Professor Jacob Grimes. A dark satire on university life, historical fantasy, tartarology, and a sort of love story to boot. R.F. Kuangs new book is nothing like her bestseller, Yellowface. Credit: Julian Baumann

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No Dancing in the Lift

Mandy Sayer

Transit Lounge, $32.99

The biggest myth about the death of someone deeply loved is that the relationship ends once the final breath is drawn, writes award-winning novelist and biographer Mandy Sayer. Her fourth memoir begins after the death of her jazz drummer father Gerry  central to her first, Dreamtime Alice  but goes back to chronicle her care of him as cancer develops. She was also concurrently editing an anthology about Kings Cross with playwright Louis Nowra and as Gerrys health deteriorates, her relationship with Nowra blossoms. Reader, she married him. Loading Walking Sydney

Belinda Castles

NewSouth, $34.99

The subtitle of this lovely volume is Fifteen Walks with a Citys Writers and Belinda Castles says the writers open the fabric of the contemporary city  that make the dreamlife  the real life  of this city. As they walk, writers such as Jazz Money, Michelle de Kretser, Larissa Behrendt, Malcolm Knox, Gail Jones, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and others discuss the places they are wandering through, what they mean to them and how their writing intersects with them. Psychogeography with a literary bent? Discipline

Randa Abdel-Fattah

UQP, $34.99

September 2

This novel by Randa Abdel-Fattah, originally to be called The Occupation, was the subject of objections by some Jewish leaders in Queensland, who accused the author of spreading misinformation and hate, but UQP stuck by its author. Abdel-Fattahs first novel for adults is about how Ashraf, an academic, and Hannah, a young journalist, respond to the furore when 18-year-old Nabil Mostafa is arrested at a demonstration against an Israeli company and delves into the interface of academia, the media and the need not to be silenced. Buckeye

Patrick Ryan

Bloomsbury, $32.99

September 2

The American writer has published short-story collections and YA novels but now, after eight years in the writing, comes his first novel, a story of two families and their interactions from World War II to the divisions over Vietnam. As news comes of the formers end, Cal Jenkins and Margaret Anderson spontaneously kiss in his hardware shop in Bonhomie, Ohio. That is the beginning of an affair that sparks the events of this engaging story. This large character-driven novel allows you to immerse yourself in it as secrets are gradually revealed. Rebecca Solnit advocates drawn-out paths of influence in her essays. Credit: No Straight Road Takes You There

Rebecca Solnit

Granta, $36.99

September 2

In the introduction to this collection of essays, the American author and activist says that in the past few decades the aim of her writing has been to offer not just my views but  equipment for anyone considering history, power, change, and possibility. Her title reflects her belief in the drawn-out paths of influence. Among the diverse essays is one on Kronos Quartet founder David Harringtons 300-year-old violin, and another on life in San Francisco and the impact of Silicon Valley tech companies. Finally comes a brief credo, in which she points out there is no alternative to persevering.

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Desolation

Hossein Asgari

Ultimo, $34.99

September 2

Hossein Asgaris first novel, Only Sound Remains, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin last year. His second is set mostly in the aftermath of Irans Islamic Revolution and begins with a writer in a cafe approached by an Iranian man, whom he calls Amin, with a story to tell. There is young Amins developing, but hard-to-negotiate relationship with his neighbour, would-be writer Parvaneh, the tragedy of his adored elder brother Hamid dying when Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down and then his military service. At the heart of this novel, though, lies the power of story. Why Do Birds Sing?

Grainne Cleary

Allen & Unwin, $34.99

September 2

As we move into spring, are you being woken by the dawn chorus? What are all those songbirds doing and what do they get out of it? Following her book Why Do Birds Do That?, Grainne Cleary answers every question you could possibly want to know about that wonderful racket outside. The book is a sort of extended explainer written in short informative chapters, packed full of insight and backed by considerable research. And Cleary was amazed to discover the parallels between birdsong and how we learn our own language. The Secret of Secrets

Dan Brown

Bantam, $55

September 9

Its been a long time between drinks for fans of Dan Browns Robert Langdon series  and lets face it, there have been millions of fans. In his seventh adventure, Browns Harvard symbologist is accompanying his partner, Noetic scientist Katherine Solomon, to an academic conference in Prague where she promptly vanishes. Setting his novel in a city such as Prague gives Brown scope to indulge himself in all sorts of mysterious skulduggery. If this is the sort of thing you like, then youll like this sort of thing. And why not? Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb in the TV adaptation of Mick Herrons Slow Horses novels. The ninth book in the series appears later this month. Credit: Clown Town

Mick Herron

Baskerville, $32.99

September 9

Here we are back for the ninth time with the denizens of Slough House, those exiled MI5 agents who have made catastrophe their boon companion  losers and boozers, as Mick Jagger characterises them in his theme song for the TV adaptation of Mick Herrons Slow Horses novels. Under the guidance of fat, filthy and flatulent Jackson Lamb, they face dangers stemming belatedly from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, while egregious pollie Peter Judd and MI5 chief Diana Taverner are up to mischief again. Writer and activist Arundhati Roy. Credit: AP Mother Mary Comes to Me

Arundhati Roy

Hamish Hamilton, $36.99

September 9

Arundhati Roys brother said their mother treated nobody as badly as she did the Booker prize-winning novelist, author of The God of Small Things. But Roy was distraught when Mrs Roy, as she calls her throughout this candid and surprisingly witty memoir, died suddenly at the age of 89  we had 60 years to discuss her imminent death. But this is not only a family memoir. Here is her determination to be a writer  as a child, its all I ever thought Id be  her love life, her acting experience and her gradual transition from writer to writer-activist.

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Review Eating outCastle Hill Pizza unlike any Ive tried before: Proud suburban Italian restaurant ignores trends Naples-born head chef Stefano Bozza brings heavyweight credentials to Modo Mio, a local favourite that has quietly held its own in the Hills district since 2018. Kevin Cheng September 2, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

1 / 12 Modo Mios dining room is a sleek and intimate affair. Wolter Peeters 2 / 12 Platti di antipasto. Wolter Peeters 3 / 12 Wolter Peeters 4 / 12 The focaccia di polpo with a layer of octopus carpaccio, rocket, lemon and oregano. Wolter Peeters 5 / 12 Wolter Peeters 6 / 12 Naples-born head chef Stefano Bozza. Wolter Peeters 7 / 12 Pacchero al pomodoro (right) delivers a luscious, saucy experience. Wolter Peeters 8 / 12 Fregola alle vongole. Wolter Peeters 9 / 12 Millefoglie with puff pastry, chantilly cream and strawberries. Wolter Peeters 10 / 12 Wolter Peeters 11 / 12 Wolter Peeters 12 / 12 Wolter Peeters Previous Slide Next Slide 14 / 20 How we score Italian$$$$ The Hills district in Sydneys north-west has changed drastically since my days of being jammed onto the 610X bus from Baulkham Hills to Wynyard. What was once a long and frustrating commute from the citys bible belt down the M2 is now just 35 minutes to and from the Sydney CBD via the metro. With that shift has come a wave of Sydney favourites setting up shop in the north-west corridor, including Gelato Messina, Marys and El Jannah. Before they arrived, however, there was Modo Mio, an Italian restaurant that has quietly held its own since 2018. Located in a nondescript street away from the busy Castle Towers and Castle Mall, Modo Mio is buzzing with mostly locals on a Saturday night, ranging from couples to families with kids. Naples-born head chef Stefano Bozza brings heavyweight credentials, having trained at the three-Michelin-starred Reale in central Italy under chef Niko Romito before leading kitchens at Bvlgari hotels in Beijing and Milan. He joined Modo Mio about three years ago. His wife Giulia is also in the kitchen as sous chef, rounding out an all-Italian team. The focaccia di polpo with a layer of octopus carpaccio, rocket, lemon and oregano. Wolter Peeters

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The dining room is a sleek and intimate affair: black and grey painted walls, dark curtains and monochrome tones. Mushroom-shaped table lamps cast focused pools of light on white tablecloths. The wood-fired pizza oven is a striking feature in the semi-open kitchen area, emanating warmth and adding an element of theatre. This is not the Hills that I remember. To start, our waiter recommends the antipasto, where shavings of prosciutto di Parma and soppressata arrive with Sardinian olives and salted ricotta. Theres also marinated eggplant and nuvola  puck-sized fluffy bread thats baked to order. I wonder if a softer cheese like burrata or stracciatella could work beautifully when spread over the warm bread, but the antipasto assortment makes for an encouraging start. Bozzas fregola alle vongole takes you straight to the beaches of Sardinia. Clams are tossed with the fregola (that is, semolina rolled into tiny balls that always remind me of miniature bubble tea pearls  sorry Italy) with a bouncy, chewy bite that soaks up the essence of the clams. The smaller New Zealand clams are a considered touch, so as to not overwhelm the small fregola beads in both size and flavour. Its a cracking dish thats jolted by a light dusting of chilli powder. Pacchero al Pomodoro. Wolter Peeters Meanwhile, pacchero al pomodoro delivers a luscious, saucy experience, featuring hefty house-made pasta tubes smothered in a pink sauce combining a tomato with a butter and cream emulsion.

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Modo Mios pizza style balances Neapolitan and Roman traditions, combining the pillowy crust of Naples and the crisp bite of Rome. The focaccia di polpo is unlike any Ive tried before: A layer of octopus carpaccio, rocket, lemon and oregano resting on a base so fine and crisp it almost shatters with each bite. Tender and tinged with tartness, the octopus delivers a fresh hit in every mouthful, yet it leaves you wondering if a more substantial sauce on the base could have brought all the elements together. There are some things that just arent firing altogether. A fritto di mare of fried squid and prawns is heavy on the batter and too salty. The tomato sauce slathered over meatballs is also overseasoned, which is a shame, as the meatballs themselves are super juicy. Millefoglie with puff pastry, chantilly cream and strawberries. Wolter Peeters The front-of-house team, while enthusiastic and attentive, dont quite have the finesse of staff at the big-name inner-city Italians, but in a lively, jolly dining room with pizza and pasta flying out of the kitchen, it doesnt really matter. Wines from the exclusively Italian list are still confidently recommended, showing a deep familiarity with Bozzas food. This is not the Hills that I remember.

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Modo Mio means my way in Italian and this directly translates onto the plate and the overall experience. This is a restaurant that isnt influenced by trends, especially from the big end of town, and its unequivocally and proudly Italian, through the ingredients, regional dishes and techniques. Im still rueing not paying more attention to the booking website to pre-order the tortellini in brodo, where the veal and pork parcels are served tableside in a clear broth. At least I can just hop on the metro and be in the Hills district in no time. The low-down Atmosphere: Sleek, chic Italian dining Go-to dishes: Fregola alle vongole ($35); piatti di antipasto ($49); pacchero al pomodoro ($29) Drinks: An all-Italian wine list with classic and inventive cocktails Cost: About $200 for two, excluding drinks Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant cant pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Sunday was a special day for me. My whole life, Ive been always a bridesmaid, never a bride when it comes to racism.

I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, where racism was usually aimed near me but never fully hit me on the head. Friends would brush it aside  I know he said that, but hes such a nice guy. Others swore they werent racist  I like Asians, but I like to feel like Im in Australia.

Protesters wave flags as they march against immigration in Sydney on Sunday. Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

And then there were the ones who got offended if you dared to call any of it racism  the ones who clutched denial like a designer handbag.

Outlandish racists rarely went for me. I was more the type to attract casuals  racism lite (which I hear is soon to be rebranded as insidious racism). The sort of people who test the waters with jokes and side-eye, then act innocent when you dont like it.
Some of Sydneys top private schools could be forced to pay to use public parks and ovals for student recess and lunchtime exercise as a cash-strapped council investigates generating revenue from outdoor recreational areas and picturesque foreshore reserves.

For the first time, North Sydney Council is considering introducing a new fee system that would result in groups of 21 people or more having to pay to use public parks, to rein in the unregulated use of outdoor areas by private schools and commercial operators, including personal trainers and dog-walking businesses.

St Aloysius College in Kirribilli would be affected by North Sydney Councils proposed fee. Credit: James Brickwood

The wide-reaching policy would impact some of the lower north shores top private schools, including St Aloysius College in Kirribilli, which uses Bradfield Park under the Sydney Harbour Bridge for student lunchtime breaks and sports activities.

Marist College in North Sydney uses Ted Mack Civic Park for student recess and lunch breaks due to a shortage of on-school playing space caused by ongoing redevelopment of its campus.
The last stage of the Gold Coasts light rail has been scrapped, with the LNP government saying an independent review exposed a potential multibillion-dollar cost blowout.

Stage four of the light rail system would have provided trams from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta, via the Gold Coast Airport.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said on Monday the planned expansion had been met with overwhelming opposition on the southern Gold Coast.

An artists impression of one leg of the Gold Coast light rail.

We promised to be a government that listened to the people of Queensland, he said.
Shaymaa Oun Ghazi Zuhaira pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving. Credit: Alex Coppel Helpless. I just cant imagine what youre going through, is what people say to me, Michael Davey said. But the truth is people can imagine what we are dealing with  they just dont dare to. When we were finally taken into a room to see him, they warned us. His head was swathed in bandages to stabilise all the fractured bones. The machines had all been switched off and removed by then. Just silence. He was still dressed in his Auburn South school uniform. He sobbed as he said having his firstborn child stolen from him had left him broken. Addressing the driver directly, he said: You destroyed the life our family cherished. How dare you. The father then used his time addressing the magistrate to hit out at the low-level charge he says his sons killer was given.

Failing to keep a lookout is careless driving, he said. Not keeping proper distance is careless driving. You crashed your car through a primary school playground hitting five children and killing our son. It is an insult. It hollows me. The entire process. The police investigation, the legal system. I feel ill just standing here. He died in front of his friends in his primary school playground. Jacks mother, Jayde Davey, recalled receiving a panicked phone call telling her to get to the school, and seeing the absurdity of a car in the playground. She later directed her sons hearse past their Camberwell house so they could bring him home one last time.

In the depths and pits of endless grief, I try to accept my son is gone. Killed, she said through tears. He died in the company of strangers trying to help him without his mum to hold him and tell him one more time I loved him. If there is no charge for killing Jack, where is the justice? He had big dreams and the brightest future. He has been robbed of spreading his kindness. We had 11 years of loving Jack, but we failed at the place he should have been safest of all. The court heard Zuhaira was on the phone to her husband when she lost control of her car while turning out of a parallel park on Burgess Street, and veered across a lane of traffic and through the school fence. Police found no evidence that she applied the brakes before the crash.

I lose ... control. It just worked by itself, she later told police. I saw two kids  they have very serious injuries. One, I remember had blood all over him. I just killed someone. A detective photographs the car after it ploughed through the fence at Auburn South Primary School. Credit: Joe Armao Her lawyer said it was likely she mistook the accelerator for the brake, after being called to the school to collect her son for poor behaviour, which she claims triggered post-traumatic stress from her time living in Iraq. The family came to Australia in 2015. Other children injured in the crash suffered a broken collar bone, degloving of the hand and burns. One girl called her mother on her Apple Watch after crawling out from under the car with a fractured spine.

One of the injured children, who spent three weeks in hospital, told police that in a flick of a second everything went dark, while another said that me and my friends were sitting on a table. Then there was a car that came right at us. The court hearing was initially delayed after Zuhaira tried to have her name suppressed, citing psychological safety, but the application was rejected after opposition from media outlets. Defence lawyer Matthew Senia said his client was profoundly remorseful, as she sat sobbing and calling out, Im sorry from behind him. He said they believed impaired mental function caused Zuhaira to press the wrong pedal, and she has not driven since, despite remaining licensed. The prosecution called for Zuhaira to be placed on a community correction order and have a conviction recorded.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines described the attack as disgraceful. Its gutless, and it needs to be called out, Carbines told ABC Melbourne radio. This is people intimidating and bringing violence, and we wont stand for it. Well hold them to account. Yaraan Couzens Bundle and Robbie Thorpe speak with the media on Monday. Credit: Justin McManus On Monday, Yaraan Couzens Bundle, a Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung and Yuin woman who witnessed the incident, described the ordeal. When they ran up the hill I thought, Oh shit, we are going down, she told this masthead.

It was a fully co-ordinated attack and fully led by Thomas Sewell. Sewer rat, we call him. He basically led the charge up the hill, and it was a full-blown, war charge. Aboriginal activists were bolstering their presence in case the neo-Nazis returned. Palestinian activist Nathalie Farah was one of three women who approached the neo-Nazis on Sunday and asked them to leave. I put my hands up and said, Please dont do this, lets have a chat, please continue to move on. Then I just got a kick straight in the guts, and I was on the ground.

She confirmed that one woman was hit in the head with a pole and another was repeatedly kicked. The woman with the head wound spent the night in hospital and returned to the camp on Monday with surgical staples in the back of her scalp. She asked not to be identified. Farah recounted two smaller confrontations earlier in the day that preceded the late afternoon raid. The first was a brief encounter between Sewell and camp members in the morning, the second a more violent confrontation between camp members and a small group of neo-Nazis. She said police should have anticipated that neo-Nazis would return to the camp in greater numbers. Nathalie Farah on Monday. She says she was kicked to the stomach on Sunday during the attack by neo-Nazis. Credit: Justin McManus What we would like to see is an investigation into who these people are and for some resources to be deployed to figuring out why this fascist ideology is continuing to spread, Farah said. Vision on social media shows dozens of men running uphill to confront those gathered at the site, stomping on a sacred fire and attempting to tear down the letters that spell out Camp Sovereignty. They also pulled down and set alight an Aboriginal flag.

Camp Sovereignty and the Black Peoples Union said the men were armed with pipes, poles and tree branches and appeared to target women. The assault lasted around 10 minutes, with the Camp Sovereignty community defending the space at great personal cost, resorting to throwing logs collected for the sacred fire to hold the Nazis back, the groups joint statement said. They expressed shock that nobody had been arrested. Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, from the National Socialist Network, goads people at Camp Sovereignty on Sunday. Four people were injured, including two women hospitalised with head injuries, they said. Ambulance Victoria said paramedics took one woman in her 30s to The Alfred hospital with upper body injuries. She was in a stable condition. Police said a woman and a man were given medical help at the scene.

Loading The violent scenes were denounced by all sides of politics. The first Australians were here before any migrant or descendant of migrants, and that just has no place, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC TV. Victorian Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said he was appalled at the attack and that the community should always stand up against self-declared neo-Nazis. It just goes to show the level of ignorance that were dealing with  Do these people even understand the definition of Indigenous? Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said not all of those who attended March for Australia were racist and that they had a right to be heard; however, hate speech and inciting violence was unacceptable. To have a person who is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi to get up and speak [outside Parliament House] is a disgrace here in Victoria, he said.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the violence pointed to a bigger problem. Far-right extremism has been on the rise for years, she said. Now is the time for real, long-term investment to tackle far-right extremism at its roots. Camp Sovereignty was established at an ancient corroboree site which, in 1985, became a burial ground for the remains of 38 Aboriginal people returned by Museums Victoria. A ceremonial fire was first lit at the site during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Sewell speaks to protesters outside Parliament House on Sunday. Credit: Michael Bachelard Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurring woman, called for Sundays attack to be investigated as a hate crime. People are frightened and people are angry. So we need calm, and the only way were going to get that is for the authorities to do their job. Get these racist Nazis off the streets, she said. Im fearful for my people, and Im fearful for what might happen next.

She said Camp Sovereignty was a peaceful place to gather and reflect. Loading Reforms creating an offence for serious vilification come into effect later this month. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, in a note to police officers, thanked those who worked during the challenging and disappointing series of protests with professionalism while they grieved the shooting murders of their colleagues Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart in Porepunkah last week. Despite having significant resources dedicated to the operation at Porepunkah, we were still able to deploy a large and highly visible presence in the city. The reason we have been able to turn out in such numbers, is largely due to people from across the state putting their hands up to get involved, Bush told officers on Monday.

It has struck me since moving to Victoria that we have many groups motived to protest their causes, which of course is their right, but there is clearly a lack of regard and respect for fellow Melburnians. Loading I am deeply grateful and proud of all of you for how you have carried yourselves during these trying times. It would be easy for us to let our emotions get the better of us, but I have observed nothing other than professionalism and unity from our people in the last week. For that, I sincerely thank you. Twelve people were arrested at the March for Australia rally and counter-protests on Sunday. Of those, seven were expected to be charged with assaulting police, resisting police, attempted robbery and failure to follow police direction. Five were issued with infringement notices for behaving in a riotous manner.

Another six people were removed under breach of the peace provisions. Police also had to use a range of tactical options including OC spray, baton rounds and public order munitions to prevent violence between protesters, some of whom were intent on creating conflict and violence, a police spokesperson said. Bottles were thrown at officers, injuring two. Uncle Robbie Thorpe is comforted by a friend after a cleansing ceremony at the camp on Monday. Credit: Justin McManus Sewell faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday on an unrelated matter, contesting charges including intimidating a law enforcement officer and contravening two personal safety intervention orders, taken out to protect the policeman and a family member, by posting material about them on streaming platform Rumble.
Premier Roger Cook says the March for Australia rallies that took over the nations capitals on Sunday are rejecting the very foundations of our multicultural society, after neo-Nazis at the Perth march yelled heil Australia.

A WA Police spokesman said police were aware of the distasteful and inappropriate language used by some attendees at Sundays march.

While the language reported is not currently an offence under the prescribed legislation, WA Police strongly condemn any behaviour that promotes hate or racism, the spokesman said.

Police continue to monitor individuals and groups who may pose a risk to public safety, and will intervene where conduct becomes criminal in nature.
Returning to the news we brought you this morning of the southern right whales frolicking off Leighton Beach.

Parks and Wildlife acting district manager Melissa Evans confirmed there are two mothers and two calves off the coast at the moment, with the adult whales measuring up to 17 metres long.

Theyve been displaying normal behaviour, just spending their time in the shallows, she said.

Its a fantastic opportunity for everybody in Perth to be able to see them so close to shore  they will bring their calves in to protect them while they are newborns.

The mother will come up from Antarctica, theyll give birth while up here and then the mother and calf will stay together while that calf is getting fattened up and feeding on really rich milk provided by mum, and when everyone is at an appropriate health level, theyll make their way back to Antarctica.

Evans says the whales, which have been at Leighton Beach since Saturday, could hang around for a few more days.

Anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of them is reminded to keep at least 300 metres away in the water. Drones must also be at least 60 metres away.

Its a really important time for the mother and calf to be bonding, and we dont want to interrupt that, Evans said.

If the mothers get protective of their calf, they can really do some damage with those fins and their tail.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the partners who became participants in the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) during August and informed that $2 billion has already been accumulated in the program.

"I also want to thank today the partners who became participants in the PURL program this month. Our special program, which allows you to purchase the necessary weapons for the Defense Forces of Ukraine - to buy in America. In August, we added the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Belgium and Latvia to the program. There are already more than two billion dollars in the program. Coordination is carried by NATO. I am grateful to everyone for their participation, and this is a good result of August," Zelenskyy said in an evening video address.

The President also expressed hope for the result in September.

"Our goal is at least one billion dollars in the program every month. And these are funds that go to purchase very effective weapons - missiles for Patriots, HIMARS, weapon systems that are needed to protect our cities. Grateful to the partners!" Zelenskyy added.
The third outlier was after COVID, when borders re-opened and there was a population surge. This ushered in the highest rate of population growth since the 1960s boom  which was driven by the birth of Baby Boomers as well as a rise in immigration. In real numbers, at the post-COVID peak, the population grew by 663,000 people in 12 months. So when commentators say there has been unprecedented migration in recent years, that is supported by the data showing a migrant boom after Australia reopened its borders. However, that claim does not factor in the unprecedented dip in migration that immediately preceded it, in 2020 and 2021. How significant is migration to Australias population growth? There are two elements to population growth: natural increase (births and deaths) and immigration.

Natural increase is the number of people born minus those who die. The natural increase in Australias population hovered between 100,000 and 200,000 per year over the past two decades. But since 2022, it has tended towards the lower end of that spectrum. Thats because birth rates are dipping and more people are dying. The decline in Australias birth rate means natural increase plays a diminishing role in overall population growth. Migration has been the main source of Australias population growth for the past 20 years. One exception was during the pandemic, when there was negative net overseas migration due to border closures. Before that, the last time that births surpassed immigration as the leading source of population growth was in 2004.

Diving into the migration numbers The figure that tells us how much migration contributes to population growth is called net overseas migration. You might also hear this being referred to as the NOM, which is calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. NOM is a measure of how many people arrived in Australia in a given period, minus how many people departed. To be counted in the NOM, a person must have spent 12 months of the previous 16 months in Australia. Thats to separate out tourists or people coming for short-term stays. The NOM counts foreign-born migrants, including people on temporary visas, as well as Australians who move overseas or return from abroad. The federal government also estimates what the NOM will be in its annual budget. Its projections run four years into the future. NOM is influenced by factors the federal government controls, such as immigration policy. It is also influenced by factors it does not control, such as when Australians living abroad choose to come home. Federal budget estimates have been consistently off the mark since 2019 because of the uncertainties brought on by the pandemic.

As shown in the chart above, in 2019-20, the Morrison government expected the next years NOM to be 271,300. Instead, when the pandemic struck and borders shut, it ended up being -85,000. Adjusting to the new normal, the Morrison government, in its March 2021 budget, forecast the 2021-22 NOM would be -77,400. But by the time the end of June 2022 rolled around, borders had reopened, and NOM was in reality 207,900. The Albanese government ran into similar troubles. In October 2022, it forecast NOM for the 2022-23 financial year would be 235,000. Instead, there was a migrant boom, and NOM hit a record 538,300. Loading

These figures became a regular feature of political debate. The Albanese government came under sustained pressure last term as its NOM forecasts repeatedly blew out, with a higher than expected number of people arriving in the country, and a lower than expected number of people leaving it. Population figures on par with long-term projections A wider view of the budget forecasts can help put these numbers in perspective. The anti-immigration protest movement frequently cites statistics showing 1 million people moved into the country in two years  facts which are verified in ABS figures above. But the other key claim of protesters  that the government has ushered in a huge group of migrants by stealth  is not. Again, thats because of the pandemic.

Population forecasts moved around a lot during the pandemic. But if you return to the former Morrison governments forecasts from 2019-20, and apply that rate of growth into the future, the population in 2024 (27.4 million) is lower than what had been anticipated (27.9 million). A note on the data The population and NOM figures referenced here come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. They are the most reliable indication of population change. Last month, the bureau put out a statement warning against using its other data sets, such as overseas arrivals and departures figures, to deduce population change.
The poker machine industry is the running sore of NSW that refuses to heal itself or be brought to heel. Now some clubs are gaming the system with their own hard luck stories in their latest display of bare-faced cheek. The Heralds Harriet Alexander reports that three of the 10 most profitable clubs are operating with extended trading hours after gaining a hardship exemption to mandatory shutdown periods for poker machines. The six-hour shutdown from 4am to 10am was designed to protect vulnerable gamblers at their weakest moments. Legislation provides exemptions, but they have clearly turned into a rort. Poker machine numbers have grown since Labor came to power in NSW. Credit: Dallas Kilponen A review of gaming machine shutdown hours found that 673 clubs and pubs  20 per cent of venues with poker machines  are exempt, including 34 on hardship grounds, though many amass millions of dollars in revenue. The findings, quietly published this year, were highlighted at budget estimates last week, increasing pressure on the Minns government to respond to the recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Gambling Reform in December. The revelations come less than a month after AUSTRAC, the financial crime watchdog, launched civil proceedings against Mount Pritchard District and Community Club, also known as Mounties, the most profitable club group in NSW, for serious and systemic non-compliance with anti-money laundering laws.

Politicians have been dancing around poker machine reform since 2022, when the NSW Crime Commission delivered a damning report that found they attracted significant amounts of dirty money and highlighted the massive social problems that resulted. The cost: NSW residents lost $2.3 billion, nearly $1 million an hour, playing in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 8.7 per cent over 2024. Loading Some clubs using exemptions did not meet the qualifying criteria, suggesting various governments have allowed them to get away with beating the system for years. To address such rorts, the Independent Panel on Gaming Reform recommended the removal of exemptions to the shutdown period and a transition to account-based gaming with pre-determined loss limits and know-your-customer checks. But NSW Gaming Minister David Harris cautioned against radical reforms, pointing to the collapse of Sydneys taxi industry after deregulation as the promise of things to come. Do you want us to rush out with a back-of-the-envelope strategy? You did that with taxi licences, and you sent people broke overnight, he said. There are no parallels between the taxi and poker machine industries. Cabs have never been associated with social harm and money-laundering, but Harris decision to favour the fate of clubs over the impact of gambling is specious. So, too, is his reference to a government working out policy on the back of an envelope. The government has had the Independent Panel on Gambling Reform report since December and it has done little other than Premier Chris Minns mealy-mouthed decision to all but rule out making cashless gambling mandatory.
A family beat four others for a spacious Hillside home at auction on Saturday, paying $2.56 million, or $260,000 over reserve.

The five-bedroom home at 11 Rupicola Court, owned by the same family for 34 years, had a price guide of $2.2 million to $2.4 million and a reserve of $2.3 million.

The double-storey home, set on more than 4000 square metres, features multiple living zones, a large shed and workshop, and a pool and spa, all of which were key drawcards.

Its location on the Sugar Gum Estate was another attractive feature of the home, selling agent Anthony Orellana from Main Road Real Estate said.
South Sydney have ramped up their bid to have bitter rivals Sydney Roosters banned from training at one of their local high schools after the Tricolours poached one of the clubs best young talents.

In the countdown to Fridays NRL blockbuster between rugby leagues oldest enemies, Souths fired off an email to the NSW Rugby League over the weekend after the Roosters signed their Harold Matthews (under 17) captain, Keone Anitelea-Tsioussis.

Souths CEO Blake Solly said the move would never have happened had the Roosters been barred from basing their junior representative teams at Matraville High, a school deep in Rabbitohs heartland.

They asked the NSWRL last month to send the Roosters packing back to their own patch out of fear their presence at Matraville could provide an incentive for South Sydney juniors to consider playing with the Roosters.
The powerful home track stable of Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich will combine with jockey Braith

Nock at Scone on Tuesday when three leading contenders are in action.

Messara and Gavranich will have Autumn King in the Mittys CG&E Maiden Plate (1100m), Social Circle in the Scone RSL Benchmark 58 Handicap (1000m) and Dale in the Select Events Benchmark 66 Handicap (1600m).

Braith Nock has four good rides at Scone on Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images

We are heading to the races with three nice horses, and they all look set to run well, Messara said.

Autumn King is a first-starter by The Autumn Sun and has had two trials in preparation for his debut.
THE HAGUE/CARACAS:---The diplomatic relationship between the Netherlands and Venezuela reached a new low in July 2025 when Dutch authorities issued an unprecedented "code red" travel advisory for the South American nation. This extraordinary warningthe highest level in the Netherlands' travel advisory systemmarks a significant escalation in concerns about Venezuela's deteriorating security and political situation.

The Advisory: A Clear and Urgent Warning

The Dutch Foreign Ministry's advisory was unambiguous in its language: "Whatever your situation, do not travel there." This stark warning covered multiple risk factors that have made Venezuela increasingly dangerous for Dutch citizens:

Political Instability and Arbitrary Detention

The advisory specifically highlighted risks of arbitrary detention, particularly following Venezuela's controversial 2024 presidential elections. Dutch authorities expressed concern that foreign nationals could be detained without proper legal justification, with limited consular support available due to the restricted capacity of the Dutch embassy in Venezuela.

Widespread Crime and Security Threats

Venezuela's crime rate has become a primary concern for international travelers. The advisory warned of high levels of violent crime, kidnapping, and armed robbery throughout the country. These security challenges have made it extremely difficult for Dutch citizens to move safely within Venezuelan territory.

Maritime and Border Warnings

Notably, the advisory extended beyond land-based travel to include warnings against sailing in Venezuelan territorial waters or approaching land borders. This reflects concerns about armed groups operating in border regions, which have been responsible for attacks on vessels and cross-border incidents.

Limited Consular Support

Perhaps most concerning was the Dutch government's admission that its embassy would be of "limited assistance" if citizens encountered problems. This acknowledgment of reduced diplomatic capacity underscores the severity of the situation and the challenges facing international missions in Venezuela.

Venezuela's Defiant Response

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil's response was swift and characteristically defiant. He dismissed the Dutch advisory as "ridiculous" and a "failed attempt by fascism to destabilize the country." Gil's counterarguments revealed several key themes in Venezuela's diplomatic strategy:

Colonial Complex Accusations

Gil attributed the advisory to what he called a "colonial complex," suggesting that the Netherlands was acting with imperial arrogance. This rhetoric fits into Venezuela's broader narrative of resisting Western interference and maintaining sovereignty against foreign pressure.

Tourism and Business Claims

The Foreign Minister emphasized that "thousands of Dutch people visit us every month, especially from our beloved Caribbean," pointing to continued tourism flows from Dutch Caribbean territories like Curacao and Aruba. He maintained that Venezuela remained "the safest and most stable country on the entire continent."

Social Media Attention

Interestingly, Gil accused the Netherlands of seeking "social media attention" through the advisory, suggesting that the warning was more about international posturing than genuine safety concerns.

Historical Context: A Relationship Under Strain

The code red advisory must be understood within the broader context of Dutch-Venezuelan relations, particularly regarding the Caribbean territories that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Caribbean Connection

The Netherlands has significant interests in the Caribbean through its territories, including Curacao and Aruba. These islands have historically maintained close ties with Venezuela due to their proximityCuracao lies just 40 miles off Venezuela's coast. This geographic reality has created complex relationships involving trade, migration, and cultural exchange.

Migration Pressures

The Venezuelan exodus has placed enormous pressure on Dutch Caribbean territories. As documented by Human Rights Watch in 2018, Curacao has struggled to manage the influx of Venezuelan asylum seekers, leading to concerns about human rights violations and inadequate protection procedures.

Economic Implications

Venezuela was historically an important economic partner for the Dutch Caribbean territories, providing oil and serving as a market for goods and services. The country's economic collapse has disrupted these relationships and forced the territories to seek alternative economic partnerships.

Broader Regional Implications

The Dutch advisory reflects wider regional concerns about Venezuela's impact on neighboring countries:

Security Spillover

Cross-border violence involving Venezuelan gangs has affected multiple neighboring countries, including recent attacks on Guyana's security forces. These incidents demonstrate how Venezuela's internal instability creates security challenges throughout the region.

Migration Crisis

More than 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, according to UN estimates. This massive displacement has strained resources across South America and the Caribbean, with small island nations particularly affected.

International Isolation

The Netherlands joins numerous other countries that have issued travel warnings or imposed sanctions on Venezuela. This growing international isolation reflects concerns about human rights violations, electoral fraud, and authoritarian governance.

Impact on Tourism and Business

The red advisory code carries significant implications for various sectors:

Tourism Industry

While Venezuela's tourism industry was already severely weakened by the ongoing crisis, the Dutch advisory further damages the country's international reputation. The explicit warning against all travelincluding maritime activitieseffectively cuts off a potential source of visitors from the Netherlands and its Caribbean territories.

Business Relations

Dutch businesses with interests in Venezuela now face increased pressure to reconsider their operations. The advisory signals that the Dutch government cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens conducting business in the country, potentially leading to further economic isolation.

Aviation and Shipping

The warning against sailing in Venezuelan waters and approaching borders could affect shipping routes and aviation patterns, particularly for carriers serving the Caribbean region.

Diplomatic Consequences

The advisory represents a significant diplomatic escalation with several implications:

Bilateral Relations

The exchange between Dutch and Venezuelan officials reveals the deep strain in bilateral relations. Venezuela's harsh response suggests little prospect for improved diplomatic ties in the near term.

EU Coordination

The Netherlands' position aligns with broader European Union concerns about Venezuela. The advisory reinforces EU efforts to pressure the Venezuelan government on human rights and democratic governance.

Regional Dynamics

The Dutch warning adds to pressure on other Caribbean and Latin American nations to take stronger positions on Venezuela's crisis, potentially affecting regional diplomatic initiatives.

The Dutch code red advisory represents more than a temporary travel warningit signals a fundamental shift in how the Netherlands views Venezuela as a regional partner. Several factors will determine the future trajectory:

Electoral Developments

Future Venezuelan elections and their credibility will significantly influence whether the Netherlands considers downgrading its travel advisory.

Security Improvements

Meaningful improvements in Venezuela's security situation, including control over armed groups and a reduction in crime rates, would be necessary for advisory changes.

Human Rights Progress

The Netherlands has consistently emphasized human rights concerns. Improvements in Venezuela's treatment of political prisoners, journalists, and civil society would be crucial for diplomatic progress.

A Relationship at a Crossroads

The Netherlands' code red travel advisory for Venezuela represents a stark acknowledgment of how far the relationship between these two nations has deteriorated. What was once a partnership based on Caribbean proximity and economic cooperation has become defined by security concerns, human rights violations, and political antagonism.

The advisory serves as both a practical warning to Dutch citizens and a diplomatic signal about the Netherlands' assessment of Venezuela's current trajectory. As long as the conditions that prompted this unprecedented warning persistpolitical instability, widespread crime, and arbitrary detention risksthe prospect for improved Dutch-Venezuelan relations remains dim.

For the broader international community, the Dutch action provides another data point in assessing Venezuela's regional impact and the challenges it poses to neighboring countries. As Venezuela's crisis continues to ripple across borders, other nations may find themselves issuing similar warnings, further isolating the country and complicating efforts to address the root causes of its ongoing turmoil.

The path forward will require significant changes in Venezuela's governance, security situation, and respect for international norms before countries like the Netherlands can consider their citizens safe to travel there again.
~Mottley: CARIFESTA does deserve to be held every two years~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Writing is a conversation, an ongoing conversation of the experiences of individuals, families, communities, cultures, civilizations, said St. Martin author Lasana M. Sekou at the CARIFESTA XV Symposia roundtable Writing the Caribbean Soul: Literature as Resistance and Innovation on August 25, 2025.

Sekou, projects director at House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), was invited by CARIFESTA as a roundtable speaker alongside Bernice L. McFadden, U.S. novelist and professor; Marlon James, the U.S.-based Jamaican novelist; and Nancy Morejon, the internationally acclaimed Cuban poet. The discussion was moderated by Lafleur Cockburn of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

In response to a question about breaking literary rules, James replied that writing is a rule-breaker. The Man Booker Prizewinning author of Black Leopard, Red Wolfwhose film rights were acquired by Michael B. Jordans Outlier Society and Warner Bros., according to the Los Angeles Timesis regarded as one of the strongest contemporary Caribbean writers.

Morejon impressed the audience with her reflections on the distinctions within Latin American literature, noting that not all of it connects directly to Caribbean writingunlike the poetry of the great Cuban Nicolas Guillen.

At 81, the senior member of the panel also praised the late Rex Nettleford of Jamaica for his defining explorations of Caribbean geography and cultural identity.

McFadden spoke about writing primarily for herself and noted that it is her readers who find similarities in her work between Caribbean literature, works by Black Americans, particularly those set in the southern U.S., and African writing. McFadden has Bajan heritage.

Sekou also called for more translations of Caribbean literatures into the regions various languages, an effort HNP has been working to advance. He pointed out that the Caribbean region is a market of over 20 million people, yet he knows of no Caribbean author who has sold a million books within the region.

He urged writers to do more to get their books into the hands of the people where they belongwhether that means doing a book tour in the country or territory where the writer lives, reading at Lals rum shop, or speaking to the fishermens association after their meeting.

The roundtable discussion, attended by just over 100 people, took place at the Walcott Warner Theatre, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

The writers were all guests of the 15th edition of the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA), held August 2231, 2025, in Barbados.

Concerts, dance, pageantry, and words of thanks from Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley brought CARIFESTA XV to a close on Sunday night, in true Caribbean style, according to the festivals Facebook page, which shared spectacular video highlights.

Mottley thanked the Caribbean family  and for the first time [as festival participants], our brothers and sisters from Africa, and our brothers and sisters from Central and Latin America. We thank you all for coming to Barbados for CARIFESTA XV.

Addressing the cultural practitioners who participated in the festival, which remains the regions largest gathering of artists and artistic expression since its founding in Guyana in 1972, the prime minister said, You were deprived of this opportunity for six years.

Citing the continued crises that we have faced over the last six years, which have prevented the organization of the biennial festival since 2019, Mottley stressed that CARIFESTA does deserve to be held every two years, and we will find a way to do it across this Caribbean community, just as weve found a way to do all other things.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Despite public assurances, Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs has not delivered on the governments promise to transfer funds for the 2025 vacation allowances and indexation to subsidized schools. Teachers who were told they would receive the same treatment as their counterparts in public schools are still left waiting, as the funds remain undisbursed.

Government Yet to Fulfill Commitment

Contrary to previous announcements, the Ministry of Finance has not released the necessary funds to subsidized schools. Without these transfers, teachers are left in limbo and unable to receive the vacation allowances that were promised. The pledge of equal treatment across the education sector remains unfulfilled in practice.

Teachers, school boards, and staff continue to expect the government to honor its obligation. The delay has led to mounting frustration among educators who had counted on these funds.

Impact on Teachers

With no payment made, not a single subsidized school has been able to proceed with disbursement to its staff. Instead of the expected relief, teachers are experiencing increased financial strain and growing uncertainty about when, or if, they will receive the allowances and indexation owed to them.

This situation has fostered distrust and disillusionment among teachers, who feel overlooked despite government promises to support their work.

Calls for Transparency and Immediate Action

Minister Gumbs had previously urged other parties to act quickly, but the responsibility still lies with the Ministry of Finance to initiate the process by making the payment. Without the release of funds, teachers remain empty-handed and the governments assurances ring hollow.

With the continued delay, calls are growing louder for transparent communication and concrete action. Teachers and their representatives are demanding answers and a clear timeline for when the necessary payments will be processed.

Uncertain Outlook for 2025 Indexation

The promised 2% indexation for 2025, retroactive to January 1, was expected to be included in the July payroll. However, with no payment yet made, doubts are rising about whether this adjustment will arrive on scheduleor at all.

Restoring Trust

The Ministry of Finances commitment to equity and transparency is now under scrutiny. Teachers and school staff are looking to the government to make good on its word and bring an end to the uncertainty.

Until Minister Gumbs and the Ministry of Finance take decisive steps to fulfill these unkept promises, teachers will continue to waithoping that words will finally turn into action.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Windward Islands Teachers' Union is calling on the Government of Sint Maarten to come clean and deliver on its promises regarding the 2% indexation (retroactive to January 2025) and the new 2025 salary scales.



While government press releases in January and June 2025 stated that funds had been allocated and transferred to subsidized schools, teachers August payslips do not reflect these payments. Instead, the Ministry of Education later informed school boards that decision-making is still ongoing and was not finalized in time for the August funding.



This contradiction has left teachers feeling deceived.

Our members are tired of hearing one thing publicly and experiencing another in their paychecks. Teachers deserve honesty, respect, and, above all, timely payment for their hard work.



The WITU has formally written to the Minister of Education requesting:

The Union therefore demands:

 Immediate confirmation of whether funds for the 2% retroactive indexation (JanJul 2025) and the new salary scales have, in fact, been transferred to the subsidized schools.

 A written timeline specifying when these payments will be executed and reflected on members payslips.

 Accountability for the contradiction between official government announcements and the current reality experienced by our members.

 Clear communication going forward to prevent the recurring cycle of confusion, misinformation, and uncertainty that directly undermines the morale and welfare of educators.

Teachers can not continue to shoulder the burden of administrative delays. Rising living costs make it unacceptable for promised adjustments to be withheld.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Small Properties Association (SMSPA) recently engaged in a series of meaningful discussions with key business organizations and enterprises from Saint Lucia, focusing on opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and regional networking.

The SPHILIPSBURG:---MSPA held constructive exchanges with Export Saint Lucia, represented by Senior Client Manager, Ms. Fercinta Louisy, exploring avenues to enhance trade and export opportunities between the islands.

Lubeco, represented by Ms. Valma Anthony, Branch Manager, strengthening connections in the distribution and retail sector. For over 40 years, the Saint Lucian Bedding Company (Lubeco) has been the trusted name, manufacturer and supplier of quality made mattresses, foams, pillows, bed sheets, linens and towels.

More people in the Caribbean sleep on or use Lubeco products, making the company the # 1 provider for retailers and hotels.

Exquisite Kitchens by Saint Lu Woodworking, a leader in custom cabinetry and craftsmanship, discussing prospects for design collaborations and knowledge-sharing in the hospitality sector.

Fresh Squeeze Juice, a locally owned business in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, highlighting potential synergies in promoting authentic Caribbean food and beverage experiences for visitors.

Auera, a company bringing innovation and creativity to the regional marketplace, with potential for future partnerships in hospitality and lifestyle development.

Caribbean Metals Limited, a leader in steel and building supplies, exploring opportunities to support small property owners in enhancing their infrastructure.

Natmed Ltd., a provider of health and wellness products, with discussions centered on integrating natural solutions into hospitality offerings and wellness tourism.

MossSolucians, represented by Brain Walker, Manager focusing on delivering innovative technology and business solutions across the region.

These conversations emphasized the importance of strengthening Caribbean-to-Caribbean business connections. The organizations shared a common vision of supporting small businesses, enhancing guest experiences, and fostering sustainable tourism and trade across the region.

The SMSPA extends its gratitude to the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI), Business Development Officer, Mr. RichmerYork and Ms. Senior Client Manager, Fercinta Louisy for their invaluable support in coordinating and facilitating this meeting.

Ms. Nzinga Lake, President of the St. Maarten Small Properties Association (SMSPA), stated:

We are committed to building bridges within the Caribbean. Collaborations like these not only bring value to our members but also create unique opportunities for our guests, ensuring that our region remains vibrant, competitive, and united.

The SMSPA will continue to expand its regional partnerships with the aim of creating a stronger, more resilient Caribbean hospitality and business ecosystem for the association and its members said Ms. Lake

About the St. Maarten Small Properties Association (SMSPA):

The SMSPA represents small hotels, guesthouses, and boutique accommodations in St. Maarten. Its mission is to promote sustainable growth, collaboration, and quality service within the hospitality industry while providing visitors with authentic Caribbean experiences.
Macron and Starmer to chair Coalition of the Willing meeting at Elysee Palace

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, September 4.

As the French ezine Le Monde says, citing the Elysee Palace, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also take part in the meeting, which will be held in a hybrid format.

As noted at the Elysee Palace, "the heads of state and government will discuss the work on security guarantees for Ukraine carried out in recent weeks and will sum up the conclusions that should be drawn from the position of Russia, which stubbornly refuses peace."
PHILIPSBURG:--- Under the Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP), implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, the tender for the reconstruction of the Sister Marie Laurence School has closed with a single bid submission. The tender, launched on June 10, 2025, followed the cancellation of a previous award package that had bundled the reconstruction of the Sister Marie Laurence School with the demolitions of the Charles Leopold Bell School and the Sint Maarten Library on the same site. The cancellation occurred because the contractor was unable to meet the conditions of the award. The demolition was subsequently launched as a separate tender package on April 15 and has since been awarded to local contractor, Windward Roads B.V.

Although the demolition tender attracted a local contractor, the NRPB had expected more participation from the local construction market in the tender for the reconstruction of the new school. This was especially notable given that, in 2024, the award of contracts was followed by an outcry over the engagement of foreign contractors on NRPB projects. A petition supported by 73 contractors was even submitted to Sint Maartens parliament. In response, extra efforts were made to explain the procurement processes tied to the World Bankmanaged Trust Fund. The financial requirements set by NRPB follow World Bank Guidelines while also accommodating smaller, local contractors. The bid criteria also awarded points for including local subcontractors and labor. In addition, the deadline to submit bids was extended by two weeks to give contractors more time to prepare.

Despite this, the NRPB observed that the local construction market did not participate in the bidding process, either as a main contractor or as part of a joint venture. Currently, the one bid received is being evaluated based on technical quality, and value for money.

NRPB Director Claret Connor stated, From our side, I believe we have made a sustained effort to ensure that the information and resources are available to all. Our procurement process is open and competitive, and awards are determined solely by the quality and compliance of the bids received.

In recent months, with support from the World Bank and the Government of Sint Maarten, the NRPB has worked to share procurement information more widely and make it easily accessible to the local market through public sessions, its website, and social media platforms. This included hosting a dedicated procurement session, livestreamed for broader access, and inviting the World Banks Procurement Practice Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean to Sint Maarten to answer contractors questions. Practical presentations on preparing complete and compliant bid packages were shared both in person and online. In addition, NRPB Director Claret Connor highlighted procurement opportunities during several local radio programs. Links to relevant documents were also provided for more in-depth study and support. The local market was urged to review tender requirements early to ensure eligibility and compliance. Contractors who could not meet eligibility criteria on their own were encouraged to form joint ventures or consortiums, a message actively supported by Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, the Honorable Melissa Gumbs.

Despite the outcome of the bid invitation for the Sister Marie Laurence school, the NRPB would still like to encourage contractors to monitor its tender page www.nrpbsxm.org/tenders, review the Procurement Manual, and stay informed about upcoming opportunities. Several major tenders are expected in the coming months, including the reconstruction of the St. Maarten Library, the Charles Leopold Bell School, the construction of the new Mental Health Care Center, and other smaller works.

FRLP is funded by the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is financed by the Government of the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank.
EU vows to enforce tech rules, despite Trump pressure



Brussels, Belgium, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



The EU will keep enforcing its tech regulations across the bloc, its digital chief Henna Virkkunen said Monday, despite threats from US President Donald Trump.

The rules protect rights including freedom of expression, she posted on X, adding: "I will keep enforcing them, for our kids, citizens and businesses."

Brussels has already asserted its "sovereign right" to regulate the activities of tech giants wanting access to the European Union's 450 million well-off consumers.

Its two main pieces of legislation -- the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) -- aim to keep harmful content off the internet and ensure fair competition.

But Trump, who has shaken up global trade by imposing tariffs on America's trading partners, has threatened to add levies on those he accuses of targeting US tech companies.

Virkkunen posted a link to a letter addressed to US Congress reiterating that the DSA and DMA were EU legislation with "no extraterritorial jurisdiction in the US or any other EU country".

She countered claims that the EU rules amounted to "censorship" -- made by the US State Department and detractors such as Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg -- by stressing that the DSA upholds freedom of expression.

Its focus was to protect consumers, including against scams and fraud, "but also on defending our democracies and deliberate manipulation campaigns aimed at undermining free and fair elections".

Virkkunen also objected to Congress inviting her predecessor in the previous European Commission, Thierry Breton, to appear before US lawmakers.

Breton last week declined the invitation.

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X
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/zelenskyy.official

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff Headquarters dedicated to preparations for the heating season.

I instructed the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, to coordinate government officials, regional administrations, and energy companies on the procurement of additional short- and medium-range air defense systems, as well as on increasing funding for drone manufacturers. The priority is intercepting shaheds. Reports on deliveries are to be submitted weekly, Zelenskyy said on X.

The Headquarters participants also discussed the protection of networks and energy facilities in frontline and border communities, and backup provision.

In addition, the President reported that energy sectors have been preparing for winter since summer.

I am grateful to everyone involved who is fully carrying out their assigned tasks. It is essential to stay ahead of schedule in our preparations, taking into account all threats, he stressed.

During the Headquarters, there were also reports on the areas of production, supply of energy resources, and electricity generation. Zelenskyy reported that the Naftogaz and Ukrenergo teams have achieved important results, and further measures have been approved for purchasing the necessary volumes of gas.

There was also a significant component regarding the Air Force. We are accelerating the supply of additional air defense systems to enhance protection against missiles. We count on the maximum efforts of Ukrainian diplomats in their contacts with partners, the President noted.

He announced a technological meeting with the participation of manufacturers of Ukrainian missiles, key types of drones and air defense instruments.

We will increase the production of our strike capabilities. The effectiveness of Ukrainian deep strikes must grow significantly, the head of state summed up.
Illinois governor calls Trump troop deployments to US cities an 'invasion'



Chicago, Aug 31 (AFP) Aug 31, 2025



US President Donald Trump's ultimate aim in sending troops to American cities is to seize control of elections in 2026, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said Sunday, calling such deployments "an invasion."

Trump -- who has unleashed unprecedented military patrols in Los Angeles to curb protests against his immigrant deportation drive and to Washington to combat what he deems out-of-control crime -- has said he's also considering sending troops to Baltimore, Chicago and other cities.

Democrat Pritzker said there had been no effort by the Trump administration to coordinate such plans with officials in Illinois, a Democratic stronghold. The other cities Republican Trump has threatened to send troops to are also controlled by his political rivals.

"He'd like to stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections. He'll just claim that there's some problem with an election, and then he's got troops on the ground that can take control," Pritzker told CBS Sunday show "Face the Nation."

The governor said any deployment of troops against his state government's wishes would be "an invasion with US troops, if they in fact do that."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier told the network she would be adding resources to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Illinois, but that any decision to send National Guard reservists or other troops was up to Trump.

If troops are sent along with ICE, "they'll be in court pretty quickly, because that is illegal," Pritzker said.



- 'Scaring people' -



Trump has been typically scathing in his dismissal of Pritzker's previous criticism.

"Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn't need help in preventing CRIME," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

"He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we're coming!"

CBS cited a sharp drop in crime during the ongoing troop deployment in Washington, which is in its third week. Homicides are down 41 percent, robberies 69 percent and carjacking 83 percent, the network said.

CJ Jackson, a 35-year-old Chicago resident who works in a smoke shop, said a National Guard deployment in the Windy City would be "a great idea."

"We got some teenagers out of control here," he said. "They shoot kids every day."

But 24-year-old Greta, a shop worker who did not want to give her last name, said she was "a little bit nervous" about the potential for military troops on the street.

"There's bad parts of every city... I think it's scaring people more than it's making people feel safe."

Trump has mentioned only Democratic-run cities in discussing potential troop deployments, despite high violent crime levels being spread across a number of cities, including in Republican-controlled Missouri, Texas and Tennessee.

Asked if the president would consider sending troops to Republican-controlled cities and states, Noem said: "Absolutely. Every single city is evaluated for what we need to do there to make it safer."

eml-ksb/aha
Guyana says shots fired from Venezuela at boat carrying election materials



Georgetown, Guyana, Aug 31 (AFP) Aug 31, 2025



Guyanese armed forces and police said Sunday that gunshots were fired from Venezuela at a boat carrying materials for Guyana's election, prompting a patrol boat to return fire.

According to a joint statement, the incident occurred at around 2:30 pm (1830 GMT) on Sunday on the Cuyuni River in the contested and oil-rich Essequibo region, which has been at the center of a territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana.

The patrol boat, which included military and police personnel, was escorting Guyana election officials distributing ballots to remote polling stations when it came under fire from the Venezuelan shore, the statement said.

"The patrol immediately returned fire and successfully manoeuvred the escort team out of danger. No injuries were sustained by any personnel, and no election materials were damaged or compromised," the statement said.

"Despite the incident, the team safely continued its journey and all remaining ballot boxes were successfully delivered to their assigned polling stations," it added.

On Monday, Guyana is holding elections for a new president and parliament for the country of 850,000 people, which has the largest per capita oil reserves on the planet.

Most of these reserves are located in Essequibo.

Guyana and Venezuela have each complained of gunfire targeting their boats in the past, but both typically refrain from blaming the other's armed forces.

Incumbent Guyana President Irfaan Ali has taken a firm stance against Venezuela and enjoys US support in his country's claims over the Essequibo territory.

Venezuela has been increasingly assertive and this year elected a governor to the region, despite Caracas having no authority there.
North Korea's Kim inspects new missiles before China trip



Seoul, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the country's new missile production line, state media reported, ahead of his visit to China to attend Beijing's massive military parade.

Kim toured a munitions factory on Sunday and said "missile production capacity has rapidly been increased" in the country, an ally of Moscow.

During his visit Kim also ratified "three new long-term plans related to missile production capacity", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday.

Pyongyang has sent missiles and other weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, along with thousands of troops, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies.

China, meanwhile, has historically been the biggest diplomatic, economic and political backer of North Korea, which remains under crippling international sanctions.

Kim's factory tour came ahead of his journey to Beijing, where he will join leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade in the Chinese capital.

"By stressing advances in missile production, Pyongyang aimed to project deterrent power against Washington and Seoul, and to signal that it is on track to meet its five-year missile production goals," Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, told AFP.

The Beijing event, which will commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II, is regarded by many as the North Korean leader's first multilateral international gathering.
South Korea halts propaganda radio broadcasts into North: defence ministry



Seoul, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



South Korea has stopped broadcasting propaganda radio programming into the North, the defence ministry said Monday, the latest move by Seoul's new administration to ease tensions with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

The psychological warfare radio -- the Voice of Freedom -- was first aired in 1962 and had been on and off the airwaves through the ups and downs of inter-Korean relations over more than half a century.

"The defence ministry suspended the Voice of Freedom broadcast as part of measures to ease military tensions with the North," ministry spokesman Lee Kyung-ho told reporters Monday.

It is the latest in a series of moves by the new Lee Jae Myung administration, which has vowed to seek dialogue with Pyongyang.

South Korea has also stopped broadcasting propaganda from loudspeakers along the heavily-armed border and has even taken down some of the physical loudspeakers.

Voice of Freedom was said to broadcast outside information and K-pop music into the nuclear armed North, which tightly controls the access its civilians have to external content.

It was last pulled off air in 2004 during a period of rapprochement between the two, but was resumed in 2010 in the wake of the North's torpedo attack on the South Korean warship Cheonan that left 46 sailors dead.

Since taking office in June, President Lee has sought warmer ties with the nuclear-armed North and has vowed to build "military trust" with Pyongyang.

But North Korea has said it has no interest in improving relations with Seoul, a key regional security ally of Washington.

It has called Lee a "hypocrite" over his remarks calling for a "path to denuclearisation".

Lee had "pretended that he had a will to restore the relations" with North Korea, but had revealed "his true colours as a confrontation maniac" and a "hypocrite" with his recent remarks," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Wednesday.

It said the North would "remain unchanged in our stand not to abandon the nuclear weapons, the prestige and honor of the state."
Yemen's Huthis hold funeral for PM killed in Israeli strike



Sanaa, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Yemen's Huthi rebels held a funeral on Monday for their prime minister and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli air strike that penetrated the Iran-backed group.

Twelve coffins draped in flags were displayed at Sanaa's Al-Shaab mosque, as masked gunmen patrolled the area and thousands of mourners flooded in.

Huthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, nine ministers and two cabinet officials were killed as they attended a government meeting in the Sanaa area on Thursday.

It was the highest profile assassination to be announced in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war. The United States also waged an intense bombing campaign against Huthi targets from March to May this year.

On Sunday, the Huthis detained at least 11 United Nations workers as part of a round-up, prompting a protest from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

A Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday that Huthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas "on suspicion of collaborating with Israel".

The Huthis also fired a missile at an Israeli tanker in the Red Sea on Sunday, reprising a campaign they have waged throughout the Gaza war.

The missile landed close to the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray with a "loud bang", the UK Maritime Trade Operations monitoring agency said.



- 'Bad day' for Huthis -



The Huthis, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" of anti-Israeli groups, vowed to step up their attacks on Israel following Thursday's killings.

They have been firing missiles and drones at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea, a major cargo route, throughout the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

Last week's Israeli strike wiped out about half of the 22-strong Huthi cabinet, which plays a mainly administrative role.

Rahawi, the late prime minister, was from the southern province of Abyan, which is not part of the large swathes of Yemen under Huthi control.

The Huthis, who hail from divided Yemen's rugged north, have traditionally reserved the premiership for southerners in an attempt to win hearts and minds.

US-based Yemen analyst Mohammed Al Basha said Thursday's strike may signal an Israeli shift towards targeted killings, an approach that gutted the leadership of Gaza rulers Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The attack could mark "the beginning of a campaign of targeted assassinations against both civilian and military Huthi leadership, even at informal gatherings", he posted on X, calling it a "bad day" for the group.

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Yemen's Huthis hold funeral for PM killed in Israeli strike



Sanaa, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Yemen's Huthi rebels held a funeral on Monday for their prime minister and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli air strike that decimated its political cabinet.

Twelve coffins draped in flags were displayed at Sanaa's Al-Shaab mosque, as masked gunmen patrolled the area and thousands of mourners flooded in.

Huthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, nine ministers and two cabinet officials were killed as they attended a government meeting in the Sanaa area on Thursday.

It was the highest profile assassination to be announced in Yemen in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war. The United States also waged an intense bombing campaign against Huthi targets from March to May this year.

The Huthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones towards Israel throughout the Gaza war.

On Monday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory.

On Sunday, the Huthis detained at least 11 United Nations workers as part of a round-up, prompting a protest from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

A Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday that Huthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas "on suspicion of collaborating with Israel".

The Huthis also fired a missile at an Israeli tanker in the Red Sea on Sunday, reprising a campaign they have waged throughout the Gaza war.

The missile landed close to the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray with a "loud bang", the UK Maritime Trade Operations monitoring agency said.



- 'Bad day' for Huthis -



The Huthis, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" of anti-Israeli groups, vowed to step up their attacks on Israel following Thursday's killings.

Their campaign of missile and drone strikes at Israel and on shipping in the Red Sea, a major cargo route, has persisted throughout the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

Last week's Israeli strike wiped out about half of the 22-strong Huthi cabinet, which plays a mainly administrative role.

Rahawi, the late prime minister, was from the southern province of Abyan, which is not part of the large swathes of Yemen under Huthi control.

The Huthis, who hail from divided Yemen's rugged north, have traditionally reserved the premiership for southerners in an attempt to win hearts and minds.

US-based Yemen analyst Mohammed Al Basha said Thursday's strike may signal an Israeli shift towards targeted killings, an approach that gutted the leadership of Gaza rulers Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The attack could mark "the beginning of a campaign of targeted assassinations against both civilian and military Huthi leadership, even at informal gatherings", he posted on X, calling it a "bad day" for the group.

bur/saa-ml/th/dcp/jsa
Maduro: 8 US ships 'with 1,200 missiles' targeting Venezuela



Caracas, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed Monday that eight US military vessels "with 1,200 missiles" were targeting his country, denouncing an "absolutely criminal, bloody threat."

The United States, which accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, has announced a deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean in an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Maduro railed at a meeting with international media in Caracas Monday against "the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years" in the form of "eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela."

The president, whose last two re-elections in 2024 and 2018 were not recognized by the United States or much of the international community, said that "in response to maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum readiness to defend Venezuela."

Washington has doubled the bounty for Maduro's capture to $50 million but has made no public threat to invade Venezuela.

Caracas has said it would patrol its territorial waters and mobilize more than four million militia members in response to the US "threats."

Maduro deplored that communications channels with the United States have broken down, and vowed his country "will never give in to blackmail nor threats of any kind."

At the press conference, Maduro warned US President Donald Trump that his Secretary of State Marco Rubio wanted to "lead him into a bloodbath... with a massacre against the people of Venezuela."
Guinea lifts media restrictions ahead of referendum



Conakry, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Guinea media can give voice to banned parties ahead of a September referendum, the president of the country's media regulator said, reversing an earlier decision to prohibit such coverage.

The junta-ruled west African country holds a referendum on September 21 that is in theory due to open the way for a return to civilian rule after the military seized power in 2021

Last week, the head of the country's communications authority (HAC) Boubacar Yacine Diallo banned the media from giving a voice to suspended or dissolved political parties.

The move was denounced by the opposition, which called for demonstrations starting on September 5.

In a note sent to AFP on Monday, the HAC said that the media "must ensure compliance with the principle of equitable access to their channels, columns, and pages," without mentioning the ban.

Interviewed by AFP on Monday, Diallo said that the media could give a voice to parties suspended or dissolved by the junta.

He said that his remarks on Thursday "served as recommendations, and only the final HAC document can serve as the campaign rules".

Since 2022, the military-run government has banned all demonstrations, and has arrested, prosecuted or pushed into exile several opposition leaders.

Earlier this month the government suspended three main political parties -- including that of former president Alpha Conde -- for three months.

Several dozen other parties have already been recently suspended or dissolved.

The opposition has accused junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya of wanting to seize power through the September 21 referendum.
Maduro says US warships with 1,200 missiles targeting Venezuela



Caracas, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself.

The United States, which accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel, has announced a deployment of warships to the south Caribbean in what it labeled an anti-drug trafficking operation. It has made no invasion threat.

Yet Maduro railed at a meeting with international media in Caracas Monday against "the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years" in the form of "eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela."

One of the ships, a guided missile cruiser, was spotted going through the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Caribbean Friday night.

Maduro said that "in response to maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum readiness to defend Venezuela."

He said more than eight million Venezuelans have enlisted as reservists. Caracas has already announced increased patrols of its territorial waters.

Washington has doubled to $50 million a bounty for the capture of Maduro, whose re-election in 2024 and 2018 were not recognized by the United States or much of the international community amid allegations of fraud and voter oppression.



- 'Bloodbath' -



Known for his fiery, often anti-US tirades, Maduro on Monday said lines of communication with the United States have broken down, and vowed his country "will never give in to blackmail or threats of any kind."

At the press conference, he warned that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to lead President Donald Trump "into a bloodbath... with a massacre against the people of Venezuela."

The US military deployment was welcomed, however, by Guyana's President Irfaan Ali as "anything to eliminate any threat to our security."

Georgetown and Caracas are engaged in a dispute over the oil-rich border region of Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana's territory but is also claimed by Venezuela.

The bilateral rhetoric has escalated since ExxonMobil discovered massive oil deposits a decade ago off the coast of Essequibo, which has been administered by Guyana for over 100 years.



- 'Armed struggle' -



Maduro has been in Trump's crosshairs since the Republican's first term from 2017 to 2021.

But Trump's policy of maximum pressure on Venezuela, including an oil embargo, has failed to dislodge Maduro from power.

Analysts have told AFP the US military deployment was unlikely to result in any invasion or attack, but rather sought to ramp up pressure on Maduro -- who has repeatedly accused Trump of attempting to bring about regime change.

Last week, Caracas petitioned the United Nations to intervene in the dispute by demanding "the immediate cessation of the US military deployment in the Caribbean."

On Monday, Maduro said Venezuela was prepared for "a period of armed struggle in defense of the national territory" in case of an attack.
Photo: https://18-24.army.gov.ua/

Russian occupiers, probably belonging to the Russian Army Marine Corps, attempted to break into Myrnohrad (Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region) on Sunday using armored vehicles. The Defense Forces repelled the invaders attack, the Telegram channel of the OSINT project DeepState reports.

"Yesterday, the enemy, with at least 1 MT-LB and weapons and military equipment of another unidentified model, tried to enter directly into Myrnohrad through Novoekonomichne. The MT-LB was hit near the 3rd ventilation shaft of the Kapitalna mine, and another armoured fighting vehicle west of the Sinianske reservoir, which it tried to bypass. The infantry, which was on armor, is being searched and destroyed," the report said on Monday.

According to DeepState, four more units of weapons and military equipment were hit in Razino and its surroundings.

"OSINT recorded the destruction of four more units of equipment near Vozdvyzhenka. Some of the equipment reached Malynivka, its further fate is unknown," the researchers reported.

According to analysts, such activation of the enemy is associated with the arrival of Russian marine units to the area, which "like to carry out active offensive operations involving equipment."

"The nature of the fighting in Donbas will soon change the bursts of the Russian marines, whose equipment the Ukrainian fighters will meet with fire even when they advance. The Muscovites' previous successes and the large concentration of forces in Pokrovsk area, which is already within the enemy's sights, will soon lead to active pressure to accomplish this long-standing major task," DeepState concludes.
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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/zelenskyy.official

The presentation of AI assistant Diia.AI took place on the Diia portal, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after his meeting with the Diia team.

"This is one of the first AI assistants in the world that can quickly find the right service, check information from registers or order an income certificate. We have introduced new changes that will really help and be useful to our people," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram channel on Monday.

According to him, these are state services, an increase in the number of Ukrainian schools starting the new academic year with the Mriya program, new social and veteran services, an electronic court, testing 5G coverage, and support for Ukrainian manufacturers in the defense tech sector.
One of the girls did say to me: Im 17, my mum lets me drink, when they were asking me to go to the shop. They were pestering me for cigarettes.
Speaking on the latest arrests, Met Police detective chief superintendent Helen Flanagan, head of operations at counter terrorism command said: We are quickly and efficiently investigating those arrested for showing support towards Palestine Action and working closely with our colleagues in the CPS, we anticipate further charging decisions through this week and beyond.
Appearing after Ms Phillipson on the Sky News programme, Mr Tice was asked if he could be clear there has been no encouragement from the party to the sort of person who wants to break into asylum hotels in masks and to intimidate asylum seekers.
You're just trying to get the body into a position that's going to suffer the least damage. It's like whiplash - you're trying to avoid that sudden movement of the head, which can result in serious injury, if not death.
The deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the US, including control and command systems and intelligence and surveillance assets, the report said, adding that this arrangement was agreed at a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders last month.
Bruno Tonioli said: After three incredible series, Ive sadly had to walk away from a job which has opened my eyes to so much incredible talent and step down as a judge on BGT. And whilst I look forward to filming a new series of Dancing With The Stars in the US, I will miss the chaos and joy that BGT brings, as well as all the wonderful people Ive had the privilege of working with.
SBU reports suspicion against Kadyrov for ordering use of Ukrainian POWs as human shield

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has collected new evidence of war crimes committed by the head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is involved in the cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

"According to the case materials, when talking to Russian propagandists, the defendant stated that he had instructed his 'subordinates' not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, but to shoot them on the battlefield," the Telegram channel said in a message on Monday.

As the investigation established, Kadyrov's order was addressed to the commanders of Chechen fighters who are fighting in the ranks of the Russian occupation groups against Ukraine. He also ordered that Ukrainian prisoners held in Chechnya be sent to the roofs of military facilities in Grozny.

"In this way, Kadyrov proposed using imprisoned combatants as a 'human shield' against drone attacks by the Defense Forces," the report says.

The SBU notes that such statements by the defendant are a violation of the laws and customs of war applied in armed conflicts in accordance with the norms of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Based on new evidence, Security Service investigators informed Kadyrov in absentia of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes).

In August 2022, the SBU investigation qualified the defendant's actions as preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, its justification and encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold the defendant accountable for crimes against our state and its citizens.
This 1899 illustration shows a steam plow in Dakota. Before tractors were developed in the early twentieth century, steam plowing was the first method of mechanized plowing and cultivating, though nearly all plowing was still done with horses. Steam plowing involved two steam traction engines, each with a drum carrying cable suspended beneath its boiler. Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Just as Memorial Day unofficially marks the start of summer for many, Labor Day is often seen as marking its end. Now that Independence Day has passed, Labor Day will prompt the next three-day weekend before students and workers generally resume their five-day weekly schedules.

When is Labor Day, and what will be closed? Here's what to know.

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When is Labor Day 2025? Is Labor Day a federal holiday?

Labor Day is always the first Monday in September, which this year also falls on the first day of the month: Sept. 1. It's a federal holiday observed on the last day of a three-day weekend, just as Memorial Day is.

When is Labor Day 2025? See why we celebrate the holiday with a 3-day weekend

Is there school on Labor Day?

No, most public schools, colleges and universities are closed on Labor Day since it's a federal holiday.

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What's closed for Labor Day? Are Target, Walmart, Home Depot open on Labor Day?

Most big-box retailers, including Target, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's, will have normal store hours on Labor Day. The same is true of most grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants, though some locations might have restricted hours.

Are banks open on Labor Day?

Federal courts and all nonessential federal offices will be closed for the federal holiday, including major banks.

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Is the post office open on Labor Day? Will mail be delivered?

FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail on Labor Day, with the exception of FedEx's Custom Critical for urgent, time-sensitive deliveries.

Why is Labor Day celebrated?

Labor Day honors the social and economic achievements of American workers. Its roots can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and activists in the labor movement of the late 19th century. These activists fought for workers' rights through organized strikes, demonstrations and rallies focused on improving work conditions.

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An illustration depicts a 19th century typesetter and printers working with Stanhope cast iron printing press in print shop. Arterra/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
This 1899 illustration shows a steam plow in Dakota. Before tractors were developed in the early twentieth century, steam plowing was the first method of mechanized plowing and cultivating, though nearly all plowing was still done with horses. Steam plowing involved two steam traction engines, each with a drum carrying cable suspended beneath its boiler. Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Just as Memorial Day unofficially marks the start of summer for many, Labor Day is often seen as marking its end. Now that Independence Day has passed, Labor Day will prompt the next three-day weekend before students and workers generally resume their five-day weekly schedules.

Here's the history behind Labor Day and why we celebrate it.

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What day is Labor Day 2025?

Labor Day is always the first Monday of September, which falls on Sept. 1 this year. It's the last day of a three-day holiday weekend.

Cold front aims for Austin with potential for wet, mild Labor Day. Here's what's coming.

Is Labor Day a federal holiday?

Yes. President Grover Cleveland signed a congressional act to make Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894. More than 30 states were already officially celebrating it before 1894, but not Texas. The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

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Is there school on Labor Day?

No, most public schools, colleges and universities are closed on Labor Day since it's a federal holiday.

What does Labor Day celebrate? See history of Labor Day

Labor Day honors the social and economic achievements of American workers. Its roots can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and the labor movement activists of the late 19th century. These activists fought for workers' rights through organized strikes, demonstrations, and rallies focused on improving working conditions.

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An illustration depicts a 19th century typesetter and printers working with Stanhope cast iron printing press in print shop. Arterra/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Many modern employee benefits, including fair wages, the 40-hour workweek, paid time off, sick leave and workplace safety, were made possible through the labor movement. Labor Day celebrates American workers, unions and labor leaders.

How you can celebrate Labor Day in Texas

There's no "correct" way to celebrate Labor Day  in fact, you can enjoy the time off work to stay in bed if you so wish. But for those looking to make the most of the 3-day weekend, there are several activities that Americans have traditionally partaken to enjoy summer's last hurrah.

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For one of the country's hardest-working states, Texas Heritage for Living offers a few ideas for celebrating Labor Day:
Attorney General Ken Paxton instructed schools across Texas to follow the requirements of the states Ten Commandments display law, despite a federal court ruling that temporarily blocked the law for nearly a dozen school districts last week.

Paxtons guidance comes days after U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with 16 families who sued their school districts to stop the law from going into effect Sept. 1. The attorney general filed an appeal Thursday.

"From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America's legal, moral, and historical heritage," Paxton said in a statement. "Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by (Senate Bill 10) and display the Ten Commandments.

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The districts included in the lawsuit are Alamo Heights ISD, North East ISD, Lackland ISD, Northside ISD, Austin ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Plano ISD.

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The attorney generals office represented nine of those districts, with the exception of Houston ISD and Austin ISD. In a statement posted on his X account Monday morning, Paxton said Bierys ruling only affected those nine districts. The main statement on his website includes Houston ISD and Austin ISD.

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During proceedings in district court, Houston ISD was exempt from participating in the preliminary injunction hearing that spanned two days and Austin ISD was eventually dismissed from the case as long as it adhered to any injunction the court placed.

Austin ISD clarified it will not display the Ten Commandments in light of the courts recent injunction.

"The Austin ISD legal team successfully obtained a dismissal from the lawsuit, the district said in a statement. The order of dismissal details that Austin ISD will follow any injunction entered by the court relating to the application of SB10.

Houston ISD said in an email to the Chronicle it will not be discussing matters with pending litigation.

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At the Conroe ISD school board meeting last week, Rebecca Smith-Nash, founder and CEO of the Christian-based Love Heals Youth, announced a donation of 330 Ten Commandments posters as part of a collaboration with other groups, including The Woodlands Republican Women.

The law, which passed as SB10 in the regular legislative session, mandates that schools must accept offers of a privately donated poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments, provided that they meet the legislations requirements. A school lacking the posters may, but is not required to use district funds to purchase them.

At the Conroe school board meeting, district counsel Kara Belew said she would not recommend the Ten Commandments displays being placed up while awaiting the judges final order or ruling. That suggestion came a day before Bierys decision.

The district did not respond to questions Monday about whether it had plans to refrain from following Senate Bill 10.

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When the district courts decision was made, Heather Weaver, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said the ruling set a precedent.

As a technical matter, the injunction covers the school district defendants. But all school districts have an independent obligation to respect students and families constitutional rights, Weaver wrote in a statement. This ruling makes clear that SB 10 is unconstitutional. Every school district should heed it, even if they are not a defendant in the case.
Young cannabis plants at the Texas Original Compassion Cultivation medical marijuana dispensary located outside of Austin. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express-News

State lawmakers announced a deal on Sunday to make Texans with chronic pain eligible for medical marijuana prescriptions, reversing a previous decision that could have limited access to a large swath of veterans.

The agreement came after several Republican House members protested the Senates move to gut the planned expansion of the medicinal cannabis program, known as the Texas Compassionate Use Program. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who voiced objections to adding more qualifying conditions as recently as Saturday, announced the new agreement on social media.

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We look forward to passing this bill for our veterans and those who suffer from chronic pain, Patrick, a Republican who presides over the state Senate, posted on Sunday. The Senate and my concern has always been that we dont want to go back to the days of doctors writing prescriptions for anyone who paid them for a prescription for pain pills.

The agreement resolves a major sticking point in negotiations between the House and Senate and likely eases the bills path to passage before it heads to the governors desk.

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Advocates say expanding the medicinal program is especially important as the state moves to snuff out Texas hemp THC market, which often provides cheaper and more accessible products than the tightly-regulated medical program.

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Patrick has long resisted adding chronic pain to the list of eligible conditions since the programs start in 2015. Veterans groups have championed the addition and estimate more than a quarter of all veterans could qualify.

According to a post from state Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, Patrick also agreed to reverse a decision to drop the number of business licenses allowed under the program from twelve to three. The deal does not appear to add back other conditions that a key Senate committee stripped out of the bill on Saturday, including traumatic brain injury, glaucoma, spinal neuropathy, Crohns disease and degenerative disc disease. It is also not clear if the agreement would reinstate a stripped provision designed to help veterans keep their information within the program confidential.

Patrick did not explain what led to the change of course.

Leading up to the deal, several House lawmakers made their disappointment public on social media, saying they agreed to ban hemp THC  Patricks priority bill  with the understanding the medicinal program would be expanded to include more patients. Many GOP lawmakers concerned that veterans would lose access to pain-relieving hemp products were assured by Oliverson during floor debate that they would be able to turn to the medical program instead.

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The Ten Commandments Monument at the Capitol in Austin, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman A Tesla robotaxi carrying a passenger rolls through an Austin neighborhood during a limited service launch that began June 22. CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday the service will be expanding to cover more areas of the city this weekend. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman House Speaker Dustin Burrows presides over the debate of a congressional redistricting plan at the Capitol in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

Hundreds of bills that passed during this years regular legislative session take effect Monday, covering everything from book bans to medical marijuana and affordable housing. The Legislature also passed a $338 billion two-year state budget that begins Sept. 1, allocating funds to property tax relief, public education, water infrastructure, and border security, among other priorities.

Heres a guide to notable legislation.

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Ten Commandments and prayer in schools

A new requirement that public schools must post the Ten Commandments in classrooms is currently entangled in a court fight, with a judge last week issuing injunctions against 11 school districts, effectively preventing them from carrying out the law. The ruling doesnt apply to other school districts not named in the lawsuit, however, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has warned that those districts should still comply with the state law.

Rebecca Smith speaks while holding a poster displaying the Ten Commandments, as she and volunteers distribute posters displaying religious text for schools during a Conroe ISD school board meeting in Conroe, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Texas Senate Bill 10 mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms effective Sept. 1. Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle

Another measure, SB 11 requires public schools to provide students and employees with a daily opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text.

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Parental rights bill

SB 12 bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public school hiring and training and tightens parental notification and consent requirements regarding issues like changes to a childs mental or physical health, criminal offenses, uncertified teacher assignments, psychological treatment or sex education. Under the bill, parents would have to opt their children into family planning and sexual education courses.

Sexually explicit books

Senate Bill 13 requires school districts to pull books with indecent, profane or sexually explicit content from school libraries and grants elected board members veto power over new purchases. Democrats called the bill a distraction from "real" problems facing Texas children, such as teacher shortages, housing instability and gun violence.

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Make America Healthy Again

SB 25 enshrines priorities from the White House initiative, MAHA, into state law, including requiring warning labels on food products containing certain chemicals and mandating exercise and nutrition courses in schools.

Governor Greg Abbott signs Make Texas Healthy Again legislation alongside U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Capitol in Austin, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

Medical marijuana expansion

A big expansion of Texas decade-old medical marijuana program will begin on Sep. 1, with thousands of patients with chronic pain and other conditions newly qualifying for pain and symptom-relieving cannabis products. Vape inhalation products will also become legal under the program. The expansion will continue to roll out over the next year as companies open newly authorized satellite locations around the state.

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Marijuana plants grow at the Good Blend facility in Austin, July 16, 2025. These plants are two thirds of the way to harvest. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

Zoning reforms for affordable housing

Lawmakers promised to tackle a growing shortage of affordable homes. SB 15 allows homes in new subdivisions to be built on smaller lots, 4,000 square feet or less, giving developers the flexibility to build smaller  and more affordable  single-family homes. The bills provisions dont impact existing neighborhoods and only applies to cities with at least 150,000 residents in counties with a population of 300,000 or more.

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SB 840 would also loosen zoning laws by permitting mixed-use and residential development without a zoning change on commercial properties in cities with populations greater than 150,000.

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House Bill 24 essentially nullifies a century-old statute that allows nearby property owners to object to zoning changes in residential neighborhoods, thus halting the construction of more affordable townhomes and multifamily dwellings. That statute thwarted Austins effort to overhaul its zoning code in 2020. HB 24 requires that 60% of nearby property owners object to a zoning change, which can be overcome by a simple majority vote of city council. It also prevents the law from being used to block citywide zoning changes.

Abortion travel

SB 33 prevents local governments from using public funds to pay for abortion-related travel or services. It allows the state attorney general to sue groups that break this rule.

Foreign land ownership

Citizens and companies of certain countries including China and Russia are barred from purchasing land of any kind, including residential property, under Texas new foreign land ban, known as Senate Bill 17. The ban does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, but does include those in the country on student or work visas. Immigrant communities in Texas large metro areas say the law will bar them from home ownership and increase xenophobia.

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Shielding executives

HB 40 provides a slate of fresh corporate protections, including provisions making it harder for shareholders to file lawsuits against publicly traded companies, like the one in Delaware that blocked a massive pay package for Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk, spurring him to move his companies to Texas. The law also insulates all corporate directors and officers from most shareholder claims brought in the states new business courts, unless it can be proven that they committed fraud or knowingly broke the law.

Bail reform

In November, voters will consider a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would give judges significantly more power to deny bail to people accused of certain crimes, effectively putting them behind bars until they are tried. But other reforms will go into effect before then, including changes in how cash bail is set in some instances, a new appeals process allowing prosecutors to challenge bail decisions and a requirement that defendants who plead guilty to certain serious offenses are immediately taken into custody and confined until they are sentenced.

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Nuclear power expansion

House Bill 14 establishes the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office in the governor's office. The new agency will assess the need for additional nuclear generation and deliver grants of up to $200 million to private companies seeking to build advanced nuclear power generation plants in Texas.

Autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars and trucks deployed on Texas roads will soon face stricter scrutiny and state oversight. HB 2807 requires autonomous vehicle companies to get state approval before operating without a driver  and gives the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles authority to revoke that approval if companies dont follow safety standards. AV companies also must submit a first responder interaction plan to the Texas Department of Public Safety detailing how police officers and other first responders should interact with autonomous vehicles.

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Demining units of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cleared 5,973 hectares of deoccupied territories from explosive objects in August 2025, the press service of the department reported.

The Ministry of Defense specified that 5,653 hectares of agricultural land, 7.64 km of roads, 15.09 km of power lines, 66.94 km of railways and 9.74 hectares of water bodies were demined.

In total, demining units detected and neutralized 8,410 explosive objects in a month. In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, demining specialists have destroyed 458,714 dangerous objects.
A palletized load of food is unloaded from a C-5s rear cargo ramp while ground crews signal in Panama City, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)



A U.S. Air Force C-5 Super Galaxy delivered more than 167,000 pounds of food to local communities in Panama on Saturday.

The delivery carried more than 5,000 boxes of food valued at more than $315,000 and will be distributed by Panamanian authorities and local organizations to communities, including Aguadulce, San Blas, Veraguas and Chiriqui, according to a service news release.

It will be enough for more than 6 million meals.

We are able to change peoples lives, said Francisco Chavez Jr., donation coordinator at Fundacion Castillo Del Rey, a non-governmental organization dedicated to distributing humanitarian aid within Panama.

Pallets line the C-5 Super Galaxys cargo bay as personnel work near the open rear ramp in Panama City, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)

U.S. airmen guide a forklift into the C-5s forward cargo deck during offload operations in Panama City, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)

A representative from Fundacion Castillo Del Rey, a Panamanian non-governmental organization, records rows of food pallets while touring the C-5s cargo bay at Panama Pacifico International Airport, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)

Representatives from Fundacion Castillo Del Rey, a Panamanian non-governmental organization (non-governmental organization), speak with U.S. Air Force aircrew inside a C-5 Super Galaxy in Panama City, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)

An airman looks on as Fundacion Castillo Del Rey non-governmental organization representatives and their family members tour C-5 aircraft at Panama Pacifico International Airport, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)

A C-5 Super Galaxy rests on the ramp as Airmen prepare the aircraft for offload operations in Panama City, Panama, Aug. 30, 2025. (Jymil Licorish/U.S. Air Force)



About 5,040 boxes of fortified rice, soy nuggets, and dehydrated vegetables with vitamins and minerals with a shelf life through 2026-2027 were donated through Fundacion Castillo Del Rey. It will take about two to five weeks for the food to reach all recipients nationwide.

These efforts reflect the shared values, commitment and compassion that the U.S., and Panama share through improving the quality of life of Panamanian citizens, said Capt. Daniel Betancourt, senior defense official with the United States Embassy in Panama.

The shipment is part of the Denton Program  a humanitarian airlift that transports privately donated relief supplies on space-available military aircraft.

Over 1.03 million pounds of food has been distributed across Panama since 2013 through the Denton Program.

The Denton Program is a bridge of solidarity between the American people and the Panamanian people, Betancourt said.
Absence of mention of Russia's war against Ukraine in SCO summit declaration says of failure of Moscow's diplomatic efforts

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has taken into account the results of the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin.

As noted in a comment on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine finds it telling that the main outcome document of the summit, the 20-page Tianjin Declaration, does not contain any mention of Russia's war against Ukraine.

It is surprising that the largest war of aggression in Europe since World War II was not reflected in such an important, fundamental document, while it mentions a number of other wars, terrorist attacks, and events in the world, the comment says.

The Foreign Ministry is convinced that without a just end to Russian aggression against Ukraine, we cannot talk about sustainable global development, international peace and security, adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, or stable and equitable development of trade relations between the regions of the world.

The absence of any mention of Russia's war against Ukraine in the SCO summit declaration indicates the failure of Moscow's diplomatic efforts. The Kremlin has suffered another defeat in its efforts to present the world as divided in its assessments of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to impose the notion that states outside Europe and North America have a favorable view of Russia on the causes, consequences, and ways to end its war against Ukraine, the comment says.

The ministry added that it is obvious that Moscow has failed to bring the positions of the participating states on this issue to a common denominator that would suit the Russian Federation.

Ukraine also confirms its position on the need for all peace-loving states to comply with the norms of international law and the UN Charter in assessing Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Given the significant geopolitical role of China, we would welcome Beijings more active role in bringing peace to Ukraine, based on respect for the UN Charter, the Foreign Ministry urged.
U.S. Marines with the Official Color Guard of the Marine Corps present the colors during Marine Week Atlanta in Georgia, Aug. 31, 2025. (Samantha Pollich/U.S. Marine Corps)



The Marine Corps visited Atlanta to celebrate the services 250th anniversary.

Marine Week Atlanta took place during Labor Day weekend and featured performances by the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, a flyover of MV-22 Osprey aircraft, static displays of military equipment, physical training sessions and opportunities to interact with Marines.

The Marine Corps will be in Philadelphia next for Navy-Marine Week on Oct. 9-16. The official 250th birthday of the Corps is Nov. 10, and the Navys is Oct. 13.

Three other cities have hosted Marine Week this year: Nashville, Tenn.; Chicago; and Boston.
Soldiers prepare packages to be delivered by drone to front-line soldiers. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)



EASTERN UKRAINE  The troops huddled around their drone in the dark, carefully fastening the 40-pound payload to the bottom before launching it into the clear August sky.

From an underground base, a commander named Viktor watched on a fuzzy screen as the drone homed in on a cluster of trees along the front line near Pokrovsk, where a fire was already burning from a recent hit, and then released its payload.

Packages tumbled down and a Ukrainian soldier  glowing white on the thermal camera  scurried out of his trench to collect them. Yeah, guys! Great work, said Viktor, who is being identified only by his first name in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol. Mission complete.

In a wartime sky congested with drones from both sides, this was not a typical attack mission to destroy enemy troops or their equipment. Instead, the Ukrainian drone unit had dropped food and water to their own foot soldiers who, under constant surveillance by Russian drones, could not be resupplied by the usual means.

Such missions have become increasingly common across Ukraines front, where ground troops often deploy with enough supplies to hold a position for only a few days but  facing relentless drone threats  can easily end up stuck for a month or more. These troops, typically armed only with assault rifles, a machine gun and grenades, are living through trench warfare that is similar in many ways to the miserable conditions of World War I.

To keep the troops alive, Ukraine is deploying its own drones as a lifeline  dropping everything from ammo, cigarettes and calming herbs to rations that taste like home: borscht, cabbage rolls, roasted chicken.

These supply drops help Ukraine preserve its most precious resource: the soldiers holding back the constant Russian advance. Their task has become more urgent than ever as Russia continues its violent quest to seize more Ukrainian land even as President Donald Trump seeks a peace deal. The outcome of the war depends on these trenches scattered across hundreds of miles of Ukraines east and south, deep inside the gray zone under constant drone scrutiny.

The soldiers in these trenches often must survive for weeks without being detected by Russian forces only a few hundred yards away. The goal is often not even to attack, but just to not retreat.

The drone deliveries come with their own risks: Each one could reveal a Ukrainian position and expose them to counterstrikes.

Soldiers put food, water and medicine in the packages, which are then weighed and wrapped. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)



Food, ammo, books

In a small village house a safe distance back from the front, soldiers from Ukraines 68th Jaeger Brigade put together care packages for their fellow troops holding the line  wrapping food, water, cigarettes, power banks and ammunition supplies with plastic and tape. Everything must be carefully packed to avoid damage on the long fall  especially grenades, which troops drop separately from their fuses to keep them from exploding.

Every few days, packages like these travel to positions just over a mile from the front line. There, the troops load them onto drones once designed for agricultural use and since adapted to bomb Russian positions. Now they also drop packages on Ukrainian ones.

Mykhailo, 34, recently returned with three other men from a 38-day rotation in a fortified frontline position that measured only 130 square feet. The most dangerous task, he said, was just getting to and from the position.

Some brigades have armored vehicles for their infantry, but his relies on just ordinary pickup trucks. The group was dropped off 380 yards from their position and then had to run the rest of the way. Inside their backpacks, they had a small shovel, a few changes of underwear, shirts and pants, a dozen grenades, 500 bullets and one bottle of water.

We dont bring a lot because the boys will drop food later on, he said.

Those supply drops serve as a tenuous link to the outside world during exhausting rotations on the front. Soldiers know they will be stuck there until bad weather drives away the drones and creates an opening for a new group to rotate in.

Mykhailo asked for crossword puzzles to pass the time. His deputy company commander, Leonid, 38, said another soldier requested detective novels. The soldier was a native Russian speaker but complained when the team dropped Russian language books, saying he wanted to use the time to improve his Ukrainian.

Even in this more fortified position, which was built when Russians were still 15 miles away, the conditions are grim. The soldiers defecate in plastic bags, then toss them as far as they can from their positions. They add chlorine tablets to puddles of urine to stem the stench. In winter, they burn hand sanitizer to stay warm without creating smoke. They take turns sleeping and scanning the surroundings with binoculars or a periscope. Radios are their only mode of communication. They send coded messages about Russian movements and make requests for drones to drop new supplies.

At first, you just commit. You completely do your job the best you can, Mykhailo said. But closer to 30 or 35 days, you start thinking about your life.

As much as he tried to push the memories down, visions of simpler times would sometimes pop into his mind: the job in a grocery warehouse or his wife, Iryna, and their two kids  a boy, Yaroslav, who will soon turn 13 and a girl, Inessa, who is almost 4, waiting for him at home in central Ukraine.

Viktor, a drone unit commander in the 68th Jaeger Brigade who also goes by the call sign Kalmar, looks at a live drone feed from an underground command center as a drone drops supplies to soldiers. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)



We will be here forever

Oleksandr, 39, also tries not to think about his family  but wears an image of them engraved on a metal tag around his neck. Mykhailos fortified position was luxurious compared to the trench Oleksandr was assigned to defend, which he described as little more than a dirt hole attached to a hastily built tunnel.

He spent a month there this summer  aware that each time he or a fellow soldier stepped out of the position to collect a package of supplies, they risked detection. Russia assaulted the line multiple times a day, searching for their exact position. The four soldiers holding the trench would shoot the advancing troops, then take turns dragging the bodies of the dead away to the tree line to keep the Russian drones from detecting their position. After weeks, a large pile of corpses was rotting nearby, Oleksandr recalled.

Then one day, the Russians found them. Their shelter was pounded by mortars and drones, burying Oleksandrs friend, who went by the call sign Tarakan, or cockroach, under six feet of soil. Oleksandr desperately dug for 20 minutes as the attacks continued, but only managed to uncover his friends legs. Over the radio, the commander ordered him and the two other survivors to retreat. They had to leave Tarakan behind, buried alive.

All three of us were thinking, This is it. We will be here forever, he recalled.

Facing personnel shortages and extreme danger daily, Oleksandrs deputy battalion commander Ira, 37, said, that she resorts to asking soldiers to stretch their limits.

You need to kiss these peoples feet, she said.

The least their fellow troops can do for them is deliver some flicker of normalcy.

Valerii, 41, who trained as a baker, recently returned from 32 days in a trench. Each day, after midnight, he and the three other troops would take turns crossing off a day on a calendar. He tried not to think of his family. You just push that away, he said. Like every other soldier, your thoughts are to survive  and to hope the enemy doesnt reach you.

On July 25, he radioed his command point. It was his birthday, he said, and besides survival, he had just two wishes. The first was that someone call his mother and tell her he was alive. The second was for a piece of chocolate. I just wanted to have something sweet with my coffee, he said. Thats all.

That day, a drone flew over their position and dropped Snickers bars from the sky  enough for all four men in the trench.
* Tianjin is poised to host the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on Sunday and Monday. * Tianjin is the fourth Chinese city to host the SCO summit. * Though geographically distant from most of the bloc's member countries, port cities have played a big part in boosting economic ties and regional cooperation. TIANJIN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin, a 600-year-old port city in north China, is poised to host the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on Sunday and Monday, underscoring China's commitment to enhancing regional cooperation and fostering dialogue across diverse civilizations. With leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organizations set to participate, the upcoming summit is expected to pool consensus and steer the organization toward building a closer community with a shared future. Tianjin is the fourth Chinese city to host the SCO summit, after Shanghai, Beijing and Qingdao. Except for Beijing, the other three are major port cities in China. Though geographically distant from most of the bloc's member countries, these port cities have played a big part in boosting economic ties and regional cooperation while upholding the spirit of openness. "Ports are China's gates to the world, and the world's gates to China," said Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Policy of Kyrgyzstan, who has been to Shanghai, Qingdao and Tianjin. These three cities serve as examples of how new technologies and land and sea routes have given fresh breath to the ancient Silk Road's spirit of cooperation, he added. SAILING FROM SHANGHAI As the name suggests, the SCO set sail from Shanghai, jointly established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The bloc, now consisting of 10 member states, two observer states and 14 dialogue partners from Asia, Europe and Africa, has evolved into a comprehensive organization encompassing nearly half of the world's population, a quarter of the global landmass and a quarter of global GDP. Primarily formed to address security concerns, the bloc has seen deepened political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation among member states -- which has facilitated regional stability, steady trade growth, joint infrastructure projects and coordinated action in fields such as food and energy security. Shanghai, a trade hub in east China and at the forefront of the country's reform and opening up, has witnessed growing cooperation. SCO countries have figured prominently at the China International Import Expo, bringing the likes of Iranian dates, Mongolian chocolate, Afghan nuts and Turkish beer to the dining tables of Chinese consumers. Also, high-tech products like 3D printers are exported from Shanghai to SCO markets, while China-Europe freight trains departing from Shanghai have functioned as a key logistics corridor linking the city with Eurasia. The city has also given its name to the concept known as the SCO Shanghai Spirit that features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development. Liu Huaqin, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, said the Shanghai Spirit has transcended outdated concepts such as the clash of civilizations, the Cold War mentality and the zero-sum game while reflecting the shared aspirations of emerging economies and Global South countries. EXPANDING COOPERATION Qingdao, in east China's Shandong Province, hosted the SCO summit in 2018 following the bloc's first membership expansion, while witnessing efforts to facilitate trade and business cooperation. At that landmark summit, SCO members adopted "building a community with a shared future for humanity" as their most important political consensus and the goal for their future efforts. The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA), established in Qingdao later that same year as an outcome of the summit, has since launched four TIR routes to the SCO member countries of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan -- with at least one truck departing daily for Russia or Central Asia. TIR, an abbreviation for Transports Internationaux Routiers, or International Road Transport, is an efficient customs transit system that is particularly ideal for high-value goods like precision instruments and perishables. In the first seven months of 2025, the SCODA handled 239 TIR shipments -- up 134.3 percent year on year, with cargo value skyrocketing by 190.5 percent, according to Song Tao, deputy head of Jiaozhou Customs in Qingdao. Qingdao has also been named 2024-2025 "SCO tourism and culture capital," a title aimed at tapping into the potential of regional tourism cooperation and promoting cultural exchanges within the SCO framework. Figures show China's trade with other SCO member states reached 3.65 trillion yuan (about 514 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024 -- 36 times as much as that at the organization's inception. In the first seven months of 2025, trade data hit a record of 2.11 trillion yuan, up 3 percent year on year. PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE BONDS Located at the confluence of river and sea, Tianjin historically served as a vital hub connecting both north and south China and East-West civilizations. This city now also functions as a key land-sea junction along the Belt and Road, the eastern end of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and a critical node on the New Eurasian Land Bridge. Departing from Tianjin Port, locally produced steel products reach the Port of Karachi in Pakistan in about one month, helping to support the development of infrastructure there. "The preferential policy -- a 5.5-percent tariff reduction under the China-Pakistan free trade agreement -- saves us nearly 200,000 U.S. dollars annually," said Muhammad Shafiq, manager of a steel importer in Pakistan. Rooted in a deep-seated culture of openness, these three Chinese port cities are also fostering cultural exchanges and strengthening people-to-people bonds among SCO members. Earlier this month, an SCO youth cultural bazaar called "Kaleidoscope" was held in Tianjin, where young people from SCO countries enjoyed the charm of Chinese culture through Peking opera, calligraphy, tea ceremonies and other activities. "Though we come from diverse backgrounds, like fragments in a kaleidoscope, we know each other through mutual respect and appreciation," said Gulshanoy Yuldasheva, a student from Uzbekistan. Li Qiang, dean of the School of International Relations at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, noted that these three port cities are not only renowned for their picturesque scenery and convenient transportation, but also serve as vital gateways connecting China with other SCO countries. "Their longstanding openness is fostering mutual learning and friendship among civilizations, injecting lasting vitality into regional cooperation," he said.

(Video reporters: Li Shuai and Hao Jie; video editors: Zhu Cong, Mu Xuyao, Zheng Qingbin and Zheng Xin)
On the eve of the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron held a conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during which he agreed on the parties' positions on defining reliable security guarantees for Ukraine.

I just spoke with the NATO Secretary General to prepare the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which will take place this Thursday in Paris. Together with our partners, and in coordination with NATO, we will work to define robust security guarantees for Ukraine. These are a necessary prerequisite to move credibly towards peace. We will also review Russias stance, as it persists in its war of aggression and continues to reject peace. Unity and determination in our support for Ukraine, and an unwavering will for peace, he said on X.

As reported, French President Emmanuel Macron, together with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, September 4. According to the French ezine Le Monde, citing the Elysee Palace, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also take part in the meeting, which will be held in a hybrid format.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. At the same time, he confirmed that he would hold talks with Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China, Dennik N reports.

Fico criticised the position of other European Union countries, which ignore Chinese celebrations marking the end of World War II.

"I personally feel sorry, and I admit that I do not even understand why only the Slovak Republic will be represented in Beijing among EU member states. A new world order is being created, new rules of a multipolar world, a new balance of power, which is extremely important for stability in the world. Being part of such discussions means maintaining a dialogue and not playing the offended child," he said.

The prime minister said he had informed EU officials about his trip in advance, and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar also spoke with EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas.

"After returning from Beijing on Thursday evening, I will travel to eastern Slovakia to have a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday," Fico said.

On June 28, Fico reportedly said he saw no point in meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because he "hates" him, Aktuality reports.
On 1 September 2025, an extraordinary meeting of NATO-Ukraine Council in the format of the Political Affairs Committee was held at NATO headquarters in Brussels, convened at the request of the Ukrainian side following the recent massive Russian attacks, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has reported.

Ukrainian officials briefed the Allies in detail on the current security situation, the assessment of Russia's tactics, and its future plans, the message reads.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Oleksii Serhieiev reported on the consequences of the recent Russian attacks against Ukraine, including the number of dead and injured, as well as the extent of infrastructure destruction.

Deputy Minister of Defence Serhiy Boyev stressed that Russia is significantly increasing its weapons production, in particular cruise missiles, drones, and artillery. He also noted that North Korea and Iran continue to provide substantial assistance to Russia, highlighting the global security implications of Russia's war against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side called on NATO member states to provide necessaryassistance for strengthening Ukraines air defence, in particular the Patriot system and missiles for them. The need for long-range missiles was also emphasized, the message says.

In addition, allies were also urged to increase investment in Ukraine's defence industry, particularly in drone production. With sufficient funding, Ukraine could significantly scale up its production capacity.

Representatives of NATO member states strongly condemned Russia's massive attacks of Ukrainian cities, civilian facilities, and civilians, stressing that such actions clearly demonstrate Russias lack of desire for peace. They also underlined the need to increase pressure on Russia and assured that they would continue supporting Ukraine and working to ensure the sustainable and timely supply of essential for Ukraine weapons, the ministry noted.

It is also noted that with winter and the heating season approaching, the Allies also highlighted the importance of protecting Ukraines energy infrastructure and assured that they would provide the necessary support.
Sara Barcena Hernandez Granada Monday, 1 September 2025, 17:28 Share

Bluetongue disease is showing no mercy to livestock farmers in Granada province in Spain's Andalucia region this year. On one of the first farms where the outbreak was detected in the province, located in Orgiva, which warned of possible symptoms back in July, this infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes has affected 80% of the livestock, which numbers around 650 animals.

Ten animals have already died - eight sheep and two goats. Experts have already warned that serotype 03 is the most lethal and in Granada province it is already present in at least 28 herds, three of which have been officially confirmed.

Zoom Bluetongue has affected 80% of the livestock on the farm in Orgiva where the first outbreak was confirmed. Pepe Marin

The results of the analyses carried out by the veterinarians of the regional agricultural office (OCA) of the Junta de Andalucia regional government revealed the first outbreak of bluetongue on the same farm in Orgiva, located in Los Tablones, around two weeks ago. SUR's sister newspaper Ideal visited the farm on Thursday 28 August to see first-hand the situation that has affected farmers including Oliberto Romero, who has more than 400 sheep and 200 goats as well as chickens.

"When they are sick, you can tell very quickly. Their temperature rises so high that they fall, they can't walk and they can't drink water because their tongues swell up"

Behind the first fence, dozens of sheep are walking and bumping into each other. One of them is visibly ill. "Even the wool is changing from the fever, even the hooves. When they're sick you can tell very quickly. Their temperature rises so high that they fall, they can't walk and they can't drink water because their tongues swell up. It's a disease that attacks the lungs. Many of them suffocate and even abort," explains Oliberto, who has been doing the job for thirty years.

But he says, "the worst is over". For a month, there were new sick sheep every day. "Twenty or thirty that the night before were eating grass as if nothing had happened, the next day they would wake up swollen and lying on the ground," he says. Beyond the 10 dead animals, "which at the end of the day is 100 euros per animal, about 1,000 euros in total", what worries him most is that there may be 100 that have aborted. "It's a ruin, between the dead and the miscarriages there is no business".

"Whoever is here is because they like it, it's like a drug, not just a business. The problem is that we are alone, that the authorities don't help us"

He sells exclusively lamb and goat, kid, but now he can't do so. The vets insist that the disease is not contagious and does not affect the final product, "but for the moment we are restricted" Oliberto says. He adds that it is impossible to put an "estimate" on the financial losses and says, "Whoever is here is because they like it, it's like a drug, not just a business. The real problem is that we are alone, that the administration does not help us. They tell us to vaccinate against serotypes 03 and 08 - our herd is vaccinated against 01 and 04 - but they don't provide the means," he says.

Almegijar also affected

A second outbreak of bluetongue has been confirmed in Almegijar, near Torvizcon, also in the Alpujarra. There, veterinarians from the OCA of Orgiva predict the "worst prognosis". The farm is run by Jose Miguel Garcia, who has been a livestock farmer for 40 years and has 350 animals. In this outbreak, 34 animals have died, "but I've been through it before", Garcia says, who is convinced that the enclave where he is located is "prone" to the reproduction of the Culicoides mosquito.

Zoom Although the disease mainly affects sheep, goats have also had symptoms. Pepe Marin

"2007 was the first time there were symptoms here. I didn't know it then, I put it down to autumn. Two years ago, in November, the second time. But I just vaccinated the ill sheep and the disease stopped. It was serotypes 01 and 04," he recalls. Now, 03 is attacking and it is proving "fatal".

While Oliberto says that "there is no estimate", Jose Miguel calculates, "roughly speaking", 12,000 euros lost

From his farm in Almegijar Jose Miguel sells lamb and lamb of "very good" quality. With bluetongue, between 35 and 40 animals have died and now there are another 10 "weaker" ones. "The animals are having a hard time and so am I. I have the sheep because I like to keep them. If they abort, you spend a year working for nothing. It could be 10,000 or 12,000 euros lost, roughly speaking," he says. He also hopes that there will be help. There should be, he insists. "Bluetongue hits hard those of us who are unlucky enough".
Deaths by drowning are becoming a common tragedy every summer and the number of deaths is on the rise in the Andalucia region of southern Spain. The 63 deaths this summer have triggered concern among regional emergency officials. Any area of water can be the scene of a tragedy - from beaches and swimming pools to rivers and inland bathing sports.

Just in August, 11 people died from drowning, some of them in swimming pools, such as a three-year-old girl in Alhaurin de la Torre and a boy in Encinas Reales (Cordoba). The other deaths occurred in the sea and in inland waters. The last incident happened on Tuesday, 26 August, on the Cadiz beach of La Fontanilla, in Conil de la Frontera.

In addition, the latest report of the regional ministry of the presidency, interior, social dialogue and administrative simplification on accidents and drownings in Andalucia highlights the increase in rescues, with 67% more this year.

The beach is the place where the highest number of deaths is recorded, followed by rivers and swimming pools. Most of these deaths occur in places where there are no rescue services.

According to the emergency services of Andalucia, there were a total of 402 rescues in 2024 - some 3% more than in 2023.

Notable increase

So far this year, there has been a notable increase, with 169 rescues up to 1 July, more than double the number recorded in the same period in 2024. These figures make the prevention of accidents and drowning a challenge and a necessity that requires different lines of action.

These include emergency planning, as well as training and information campaigns for the public, as established by current legislation, which requires all coastal municipalities in Andalucia to have beach safety and rescue plans approved by their respective management boards.

As for the actions carried out in 2025, the Junta de Andalucia regional government has updated the didactic guide on safety on beaches and in swimming pools. Other types of guides have also been produced, such as those on prevention in the event of tsunamis, forest and urban fires and earthquakes.

Bathing in the sea is the most dangerous place and where most drownings occur, followed by rivers and swimming pools

On the other hand, this summer has seen the launch of a virtual assistant that allows the user to consult in real time the state of beaches and their flags. The tool also provides data on effective intervention and coordination in the event of ordinary emergencies and civil protection. Included are also the locations of lifeguard posts and watchtowers. This catalogue of beaches can be consulted free of charge on the web and on mobile phones via the Junta's beach application (Apple App store / Google Play).

With all these resources, the Andalusian government advocates planning and prevention as the best tool to save lives and minimise accidents. The region has a coastline of almost 1,000 kilometres of coastline and nearly 500 beaches, in addition to the numerous rivers and reservoirs in the interior of the region.
Pilar Martinez Malaga Monday, 1 September 2025, 11:07 Share

The forecast that tourism activity in the Costa del Sol's accommodation (excluding tourist housing) this July would not exceed the numbers recorded in the same month last year has been confirmed by Spain's national institute of statistics (INE). What was not expected is the recovery of national tourism for the first time this year.

To the surprise of many tourism professionals, a Turismo Costa del Sol July report, based on the INE data, has revealed that overnight stays in all accommodation types - hotels, tourist flats, campsites and rural houses - have dropped by 0.9% despite the 0.5% increase in bookings by residents in Spain. The 1.5% fall in international tourists is what has contributed to the negative balance in July.

Nevertheless, Malaga province's accommodation has received more visitors, specifically 2.4%. This increase was also driven by the rise in Spanish tourists, who increased by 4.6%. In this case, foreign tourists also responded with a growth of 0.9%.

Hotels and the inland offer are the ones that have recorded the best performance. They achieved positive results in terms of guest numbers and stays, both Spanish residents and foreigners. However, the average occupancy rate dropped by 0.1%.

Protagonists

The pull of rural tourism in July has been outstanding, with an increase of 67% in guests and 39.3% in overnight stays. This is a segment in which the domestic market has seen a 155% increase in bookings made by Spaniards - a boost that contrasts with the 14% increase in stays by international tourists. Overall, campsites and tourist flats figures in the red, despite a slight rise of 0.1% in Spanish visitors.

Analysing the evolution of the province's tourist accommodation in the first seven months, the figures reveal that the number of holidaymakers and overnight stays have fallen by 2.3% and 2.1%, respectively. The statistics confirm that the rise in Spanish tourism was the headline in July, especially given that the number of national travellers and their overnight stays had dropped by 7.2% and 8% in the first seven months of the year, respectively. A period in which international tourism in Malaga province's accommodation offers has stagnated.
Chus Heredia Malaga Monday, 1 September 2025, 16:16 Share

If average consumption and evaporation rates in Malaga province's reservoirs remain constant, they will close the hydrological year slightly below 50% of their capacity. The situation is the best it's been in recent years, thanks to the generous floods and storm surges back in March this year and November last year. In any case, only the Costa del Sol will enter the new year in 'normal' status on 1 October, according to the latest report from the Junta de Andalucia regional government's drought management committee, prepared in mid-July, to which SUR has had access.

The document provides a detailed overview of the most recent months and includes medium-term simulations. These simulations show that the current shortages this summer place the western Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce-Limonero system in 'normal' status. La Vinuela is on pre-alert status. However, the prognosis for the last bit of summer will put the provincial capital on pre-alert and the Axarquia area on alert.

In any case, there are no plans to alter the current daily allowance of water per inhabitant, which is 250 litres on the west coast and 225 litres in the other two areas. It's worth remembering that this year the Guadalhorce river has an allocated irrigation volume of 30 million cubic metres and the Axarquia has 12.8 million cubic metres reserved.

The report states that "As of 14 July 2025, the reservoirs of Malaga province have stored a total of 351.49 million cubic metres, a very positive figure compared to the same date last year when the reservoir volume amounted to 143.07 millino cubic metres. The current percentage for the province is 57.48% compared to 23.39% the previous year at the same date." Reserves are currently down to 320 million cubic metres (the peak after the rainy season was 378). By the end of the summer it will be around 305.

814 mm of rainfall have been collected this year in La Concepcion reservoir, 618 in the Guadalhorce and 590 in La Vinuela. These are increases of between 20 and 30% over the historical average.

By area, the rainfall pattern has helped a lot in the western Costa del Sol: "It has been a wet year, marked by abundant rainfall during the 'Dana' storms of November and March. Thus, at La Concepcion reservoir pluviometric [rainfall] station, 814 mm were collected, which is 126 % of the historical average (645 mm). The inflow to the reservoir, including transfers, totals 101 hm3." This last fact confirms that the reservoir, with a capacity of 57 million cubic metres, would have been filled twice over if it had been increased in size by being built higher, as originally intended in Spain's national hydrological plan.

Marbella desalination plant

Estimates for this area suggest that the Marbella desalination plant will contribute more than 10 million cubic metres to the system during the hydrological year. It's worth noting that the second phase of its modernisation work was completed before summer. This means that it has regained the nominal capacity it was designed for, a capacity that was lost due to problems of obsolescence and wear and tear. For the 2025-26 hydrological year it will be able to provide up to 20 million cubic metres.

Fuengirola's wells

This year the coastal area will receive 4.8 million cubic metres from the Fuengirola wells. The Guadalmansa wells are not operational at the moment, nor have they exchanged any water flow with either the Campo de Gibraltar or Malaga city, according to this report, which estimates that 37 million cubic metres will be stored by 1 October. Interestingly, the report's technicians estimate evaporation at 3 million cubic metres.

10 million cubic metres of water will be provided this year by the Marbella desalination plant.

In the system supplying Malaga city, there are also no transfers with the Axarquia area. The commitment continues to make the greatest possible use of the resources that flow to the Aljaima dam on the Guadalhorce river, from the Grande river and from the Aljaima and Fahala well system. The provincial capital will be greatly strengthened by having two further resources becoming operational in the coming hydrological year: the large underground reservoir of the Lower Guadalhorce and five wells in Perales and Puente del Rey, which could supply the city with up to 800 litres per second.

Reservoir discharges

"The rains in March have significantly improved water reserves in each of the reservoirs, increasing fourfold compared to the beginning of the 2024/25 hydrological year," the document states, noting that in March it was necessary to release water from the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir. These discharges totalled more than 21 million cubic metres. The report also states that "This volume of discharge flows directly into the Tajo de la Encantada gorge in El Chorro, so the dam, in addition to having to release these volumes, has had to discharge its own contributions, which have been estimated at an additional 20 million cubic metres to ensure the safety of the dam, its operation and the functioning of its drainage systems."

41 (21 + 20) million cubic metres have been released from El Conde del Guadalhorce reservoir.

The Limonero dam has released a total of 0.64 million cubic metres, of which 0.48 was in November due to flooding. The Casasola dam has released some 11.8 million cubic metres, of which 9.7 corresponded to the month of March.

La Vinuela

The La Vinuela-Axarquia system is breathing with a new lease of life after some extremely difficult years, but it still remains at the threshold of severe shortage. It is expected to start October below 70 million cubic metres.

The reservoir has collected 563.7 litres per square metre this year, which is 130% of the historical average (433). Inflows to the reservoir totalled 69.66 million cubic metres (144% of the average).

2.2 million cubic metres will be collected from the wells of the Chillar river.

"Taking into account the source of this water supply, it is planned to collect up to 2.20 million cubic metres from the Chillar river wells with an average flow rate of 70 litres per second and a total consumption of 15.30 million cubic metres from the reservoir reserves", states the report, also mentioning the provision of 12.8 million cubic metres for the 6,400 hectares on the right bank of the Guaro Plan. The contribution of 70 litres per second from the Chillar river wells, together with all of the above, leads the technical experts to project kicking off October - the new hydrological year - with some 62 million cubic metres of surface water reserves.
Enrique Miranda Malaga Monday, 1 September 2025, 14:47 Share

What is a comic, series or videogame convention or a pop culture event in general without costumes? The San Diego Comic-Con Malaga has already launched the first cosplay contest, which will be held on Saturday, 27 September.

Cosplay - a term that comes from the words 'costume' and 'play' - is an entire subculture that goes far beyond costumes, as cosplayers have to resemble the character as much as possible, making the costume in detail, but also copying their accessories, make-up or even their personality. The range is almost infinite - from the field of superheroes, anime or video games.

The San Diego Comic-Con Malaga contest is "a celebration of the creativity, dedication and magic behind every cosplay". Those interested can register through the form on the website. Only 25-30 contestants will be selected to participate in the final runway event. There will be prizes of up to 5,000 euros for the best cosplays and those selected will receive an accreditation for Saturday, 27 September. If the contestant has already bought a ticket for that day, they will be reimbursed. Three professional cosplayers - Anhyracosplay, Geheichou and Yayahan - will be the judges.

To participate you must be over 16 years of age. Obscene, offensive or hateful costumes are banned. Costumes must be no taller than 2.5 metres and participants must be able to move freely and without assistance. The complete rules can be consulted via this link.
Cristina Vallejo Malaga Monday, 1 September 2025, 10:24 Share

Thousands of Malaga residents showed their support for Palestine with a demonstration that took place in the city on 29 August. Despite the police and the organisers of the event estimating different numbers of attendees - 3,500 and 7,500, respectively - the number of demonstrators exceeded the expectations of both parties, who were prepared for around 550 people. The event was organised by Voces Palestinas, Malaga por Palestina and Platafoma Axarquia por Palestina.

Although they had not prepared for the wave of solidarity, the security forces were able to gather enough personnel to control a march of just over a thousand people, which was still below what was necessary. Fortunately, as a member of the Malaga por Palestina organisation said, there were no problems during the march. "If we had known that so many people were going to come, we would have mobilised more people for the order service and we would have brought more loudspeakers," they said. Spokesperson for Voces Palestinas Hatem Abdul said that it was the biggest demonstration for the Palestinian cause ever held in Malaga.

The march set off after 8pm on Friday evening from a packed Plaza de la Marina, with banners, speeches and chants. Just then, as the head of the crowd looked out over the harbour, 35-year-old Adham - a Palestinian from the West Bank - showed his mobile phone: "Look, Malaga is live on Al-Jazeera." At 10pm, when the walk finished at Plaza de la Constitucion, the crowd was still substantial in size.

'It's not a war, it's a genocide'

"From the river to the sea, Palestine will win," "It's not a war, it's a genocide," "Gaza, resist, Palestine exists" or "Where are the sanctions on Israel, you can't see them," were the chants repeated by people of all ages and walks of life.

The rally in solidarity with Gaza on 5 August at the Plaza de la Merced was the largest ever held in the capital of Malaga province. From then until this demonstration on 29 August, several things have happened. For example, the United Nations (UN) officially declared the famine situation in Gaza, giving a name to the terrible images of skeletal children's bodies that have flooded the news, the pages of newspapers and social media. Moreover, 14 of the 15 members of the security council (with the exception of the US) agree that this famine is not the result of a natural disaster and is caused by human action, pointing to Israel's responsibility. Therefore, it could be quickly reversed. The multilateral body estimates that food shortages will severely affect 640,000 people by the end of September - a number that could grow. Despite this, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu maintains his siege and accelerates the invasion of Gaza City, even with the families of the Hamas hostages against it.

In recent weeks, the list of murdered journalists has also been growing, as they have become the target of massacres. Half a dozen died in the hospital attack a few days ago. As many were killed more than a fortnight ago. More than 200 journalists have become victims since the beginning of what many refuse to call a war. This situation has been denounced by Reporters Without Borders. An investigation by The Guardian and the Israeli magazine +972, which uses information from the Hebrew army itself, has concluded that at least 83% of the dead in Gaza are civilians - one of the highest proportions of recent conflicts, surpassed only by the 1994 Rwandan War, the Mariupol disaster (Ukraine) in 2022 and Srebrenica during the Bosnian war in the mid-1990s.

The movement is growing because people have already seen it on TV

These are all motives that have been permeating the conscience and which brought Paqui and Ana from Campillos, which is an hour away from Malaga. "The movement is growing, because people have already seen it on television," they said. Their friend Juan Espejo added: "This is not political, it's not ideological, it's because you can't kill children." From Rincon de la Victoria came Carmen Recondo: "I show my solidarity with the Palestinian people. The only thing I can do is come here and make donations." Later, in one of the participants' speeches, someone said: "We cannot look the other way, you cannot starve people, you cannot normalise it."

Hatem Abdul stated that the demands of this latest march are the same as those of all the other marches: "An end to genocide, an end to the arms trade with the State of Israel, the application of sanctions and an end to impunity." Tania Romero of Malaga por Palestina fears that "the last phase of genocide has begun with double bombings" (such as the latest attack on a hospital). "We are in the most sadistic phase," she pointed out, adding that there is part of the Israeli and Jewish society that is against genocide: "We have said that the State of Israel is not the people of Israel. There is an anti-Zionist Jewish community. It is absurd to talk about antisemitism.

Maria Plata, who participates in the Global Sumud Flotilla - an international platform that is going to charter dozens of boats to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and bring humanitarian aid to the Strip - was also at the march. "We cannot look the other way," she said, although she was very careful not to give too many details of the expedition for fear of it getting attacked. She did insist that SUR writes that donations can be made through the website to help charter and fill the aid boats.

Spokesperson for Con Malaga Nico Sguiglia said: "We are here to denounce the ignominy and indignity of the bad rulers who are between complicity and passivity in the face of genocide. We are here to demand that the government once and for all break off relations with Israel and for the international community to enforce an international law that has taken decades to build. When Russia invaded Ukraine, measures and sanctions were taken, but not now. Civil society is showing more dignity than governments."

Next meeting: 6 September

This demonstration precedes another major action being prepared in the city in solidarity with Palestine: next Saturday, 6 September. The rally will start at 7pm in the Plaza de la Constitucion. Malaga groups will join the call of the Global Alliance for Palestine and participate in the Global Day for Gaza. "It will be an act in homage to the groups most affected by this genocide: women, children, health workers, humanitarian workers and journalists, among others," sources from the organisation told SUR.
The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) Foundation has unveiled on gphg.org the official list of 90 timepieces nominated for the 25th edition of the GPHG, as well as the stages of its world tour.

This summer, the 1,050 members of the GPHG Academy selected 84 watches and 6 clocks from among the 302 models submitted by 184 brands. Divided into 15 categories, these exceptional timepieces will now compete for one of the 20 prizes awarded to the years most beautiful watch creations, including the highly coveted Aiguille dOr Grand Prix.

The 2025 winners will be announced on Thursday 13 November at the 25th GPHG awards ceremony, to be held at the Batiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva. The event will be broadcast live on gphg.org and shared by the GPHG's media partners.

Ahead of the ceremony, the nominated watches will be exhibited in China, Turkey and then Switzerland, before heading to Dubai where the winning models will be presented after the prize list has been announced.

As a partner in the first stage of the 2025 World Tour, Hantang Culture will host the exhibition in Shanghai from 29 September to 8 October, during Golden Week. Committed to promoting cultural exchanges between East and West, Hantang Culture is supporting the GPHG in showcasing Swiss watchmaking excellence in China.

The tour will continue in Istanbul from 15 to 20 October, for a unique exhibition organised with the Turkish fashion group Vakko in its private hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus, a first in Turkey.

Offering the public an umatched overview of the creativity of contemporary watchmaking  a jewel in the crown of Swiss culture and industry  these first two exhibitions also provide the ideal setting in which to celebrate this year's anniversaries of friendly diplomatic relations between these two countries and Switzerland.

Genevas Musee dArt et dHistoire will in turn welcome the nominated timepieces from 29 October to 16 November 2025 to its historic premises. A wide-ranging cultural outreach programme will be offered to the public and schools as part of this event.

As the final stop on the 2025 tour, Dubai Watch Week will honour the 2025 winners from 19 to 23 November, after the 25th awards ceremony.

2025 nominations: https://www.gphg.org/en/gphg-2025/nominated-timepieces

2025 exhibition schedule: https://www.gphg.org/en/gphg-2025/2025-schedule

Cultural outreach programme, Musee dArt et dHistoire: https://www.gphg.org/en/2025-cultural-mediation-programme

Academy: https://www.gphg.org/en/academy/presentation
E.P. Santiago de Compostela Monday, 1 September 2025, 13:29 Share

An 84-year-old woman from Santiago de Compostela in the north of Spain died on Friday when she was struck by a tourist train in rua Virxe da Cerca, in the centre of the city. The tourist transport was carrying a total of 39 passengers at the time.

The incident happened just after 12 noon in front of the steps leading up to the Praza de Abastos, when the victim was about to cross the street in the vicinity of a pedestrian crossing. However, municipal sources report that, for now, they cannot confirm the circumstances of the accident.

The deceased was trapped under the first carriage of the vehicle, and the police and emergency services were called to the scene to remove the body.

The area was cordoned off by the Local Police, who were mobilised along with an ambulance and two fire engines. The mayor of Santiago, Goretti Sanmartin, and the councillor for Mobility and Coexistence, Xan Duro, as well as the manager of Tussa, the municipal transport company, Jose Ramon Mosquera, also attended the scene.

At around 2pm, the area was re-opened to traffic after the train was removed from the scene.
Maria Rego Barcelona Monday, 1 September 2025, 13:52 Share

Bad weather has forced a change of plans for the international flotilla that set off for Gaza on Sunday, 31 August. Only a few hours after setting sail from the port of Barcelona, where some 5,000 people had gathered to support the members of the new mission - the Global Sumud Flotilla - several of the boats participating in the initiative had to turn back due to the bad sea conditions. The captains of the vessels will decide this Monday whether to resume the initiative, which aims to take food and medicine to Gaza, as well as to open a humanitarian corridor to break the Israeli blockade.

Among the boats that had to turn back were those of the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and of the former mayor of the Catalan capital - Ada Colau. The expedition that set off from the Moll de la Fusta in Barcelona has some 300 people and more than 20 vessels, between 12 and 20 metres in length, loaded with aid donated mainly by the civilian population. According to mission sources, the trip is expected to resume this Monday afternoon.

The vessels that also left Genoa on Sunday have not encountered any problems at sea. The Global Sumud Flotilla ('sumud' means 'resistance' in Arabic) will be expanded later this week with the departure of more vessels from other Mediterranean ports - Tunisia, Greece and Sicily. In total, 44 countries are involved in the operation. Thunberg, who acted as spokesperson for the mission in Barcelona, stressed that this initiative is "different" to previous ones in terms of the numbers involved. She described it as "historic".

Israel threatens to treat members of the mission as terrorists, claiming that it undermines its sovereignty and supports Hamas

The fate of this flotilla, however, could be the same as that of the Handala or Madleen ships, which were detained in July and June, respectively, as they approached the Gazan coast with aid. Hebrew national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir presented a plan to stop the mission on Sunday at a meeting attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to them, the expedition seeks to undermine Israel's sovereignty and give Hamas a foothold, for which reason they will consider the activists as terrorists.
C. P. S. Malaga Monday, 1 September 2025 | Updated 02/09/2025 11:57h. Share

Ryanair will further incentivise its airport staff to detect oversized cabin bags exceeding its permitted dimensions. From November onwards, the Irish airline will raise the bonus employees will receive from 1.50 to 2.50 euros per bag.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary confirmed the new incentive scheme in an interview for Irish television. He defended the measure as a tool to ensure punctuality. According to O'Leary, boarding delays are often due to the need to relocate oversized cabin bags in the hold. With this bonus, he seeks not only to streamline the process, but also to ensure "fair" treatment for compliant passengers.

In addition, the company will remove the monthly limit on bonuses that an employee could accrue for this task set at 80 euros, further incentivising strict surveillance at boarding gates.

Currently, Ryanair passengers can carry one small piece of luggage with a maximum size of 40x30x20cm centimetres free of charge. The bag must fit under the seat in front of them.

Any luggage exceeding these dimensions is subject to additional charges of up to 75 euros at the boarding gate. If you want to bring on board a carry-on bag, up to 55x40x20 centimetres, Ryanair also requires you to pay an additional fee.

Legal, but controversial

From a legal perspective, airlines are free to set their own baggage policies, as long as they communicate them transparently prior to purchase. However, the way in which these policies are applied generates intense debate.

Lawyer and passenger rights expert at AirCashBack David Janoszka says that, although the EU is working on common rules, hand luggage allowances are currently not regulated at either national or international level.

"This means that airlines are free to set the dimensions and charges and, therefore, have the right to check compliance at the boarding gate," says the lawyer, adding that "while these practices are legal, they motivate massive controls and should prompt the EU legislator to regulate this matter more quickly".

The debate on baggage policies has reached European institutions. On 5 June, EU transport ministers agreed on a proposal that all passengers should be guaranteed free hand luggage with a minimum size of 40x30x15cm centimetres.
Cristina Candido Madrid Monday, 1 September 2025, 10:48 Share

Spanish tourism is experiencing another summer of record tourism figures, spending and a clear preference of visitors for tourist rental flats despite the government's attempts to regulate this type of activity. Overnight stays in this type of accommodation grew by nearly 8% in July, to over 10 million stays. This is the largest increase recorded among non-hotel accommodation, which includes flats, campsites, rural tourism accommodation and hostels. In July, it broke the barrier of 22 million, which is almost 4% more than the same period in 2024, according to data released by the INE national institute of statistics .

The 'boom' in tourist flat accommodation, with the Canary Islands consolidating once again as the preferred destination for this type of booking and the UK as the main source market, is a concern of the government. The irony is that this has occurred in the same month in which the single register of short-term rentals was launched. Mostly foreign visitors prefer non-hotel accommodation, evidenced by an increase of 9.5% tourists, compared to a drop of 1.8% in domestic tourists. However, the average stay in tourist flats fell by 4.3% to 5.1 overnight stays per person.

In a summer marked by fires, although these occurred mostly in August, overnight stays in rural tourism accommodation increased by 5.6% in July compared to the same month in 2024. Overnight stays by residents rose by 5.5% and those by non-residents by 5.8%; 32.5% of bedplaces were occupied, 5.5% more than in July 2024. The weekend occupancy rate stood at 45.9%, with an annual increase of 5%. The Balearic Islands were the preferred destination, with more than 250,000 overnight stays - some 4.5% more than in July 2024. It also achieved the highest occupancy rate, with 65.7%.

Among other curiosities that this statistic reveals is the drop in camping stays by domestic tourists. Overnight stays in this type of accommodation increased by 0.4% in July compared to the same period last year, but while those of residents fell by 4.4%, those of non-residents grew by 7.3%.
Update 11:36: Herbert Robinson, 92, has been found safe Monday, according to a news release from the Cortland County Sheriffs Office.

Original Story:

Cortland, N.Y.  Police are seeking the publics help locating a missing 92-year-old Monday.

Herbert Robinson was last seen around 3 p.m. Sunday on Beenie Road in the village of Cortland, according to a New York State alert system.

He was seen driving a 2023 Toyota Camry.

Robinson, of Cortland, is considered an endangered adult, according to the missing person alert. He may need medical attention, the alert said.

Robinson is 5 feet 7 inches and weighs around 152 pounds.

Police ask anyone with information about Robinsons whereabouts to contact the Cortland County Sheriffs Office at (607) 753-3311.
Dr. Melanie Parker pulled the black-and-white baby goat close, hugging it then kissing it on the nose. The barn was quiet and still, the vague odor of animal hanging in the cold air.

Parker grabbed her tool, a metal rod with a plastic handle and a 600-degree tip, smoking in the air. She touched the rod to the babys growing horns, pressing down on the buds.

The goat screamed and kicked frantically, trying to escape. The acrid smell of burning hair filled the barn. Without flinching, Parker held the animal tightly. Ten... nine... eight... she whispered, barely audible under the din. Soon it was over.

This disbudding is necessary, Parker said. Left unchecked, the horns grow like knives. The animals can wound or even kill each other. Cauterizing the horn buds prevents injuries later on.

They certainly feel it, though, she said, almost sadly.

Parker disbudded a few more goats from the two new litters that spring morning on a farm south of Watertown. Shes a large animal veterinarian and has been treating farm animals across much of the North Country for 36 years. Her workdays, which are nearly every day, revolve around the animals: performing ultrasounds on dairy cows, vaccinations on horses, and working on a myriad of acute cases.

Parker and other large animal vets are an essential part of the multi-billion-dollar food agriculture industry that puts milk in our fridges and hamburgers on our grills. New Yorks dairy cows produce about 16 billion pounds of milk a year. Its the fifth-largest dairy industry in the nation, churning up as much as $4 billion in sales each year, more than the GDP of tourist meccas like Aruba and Belize.

Yet Parker is also part of a shrinking workforce, even as the food industry keeps growing and evolving. Today, fewer than 2% of all vets work exclusively on food animals, tending to chickens, pigs, cows and other animals that are such a crucial part of our food chain. Parker says shes one of just two vets caring for large animals in Jefferson, Lewis and Ontario counties, an area larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

At 62, Parker realizes shes got more patients behind her than in her future. But shes not ready to pack away her shoulder-length gloves and ultrasound wand just yet.

My plan is when I cant climb over a gate anymore, Ill retire, she says.

But Parker is worried about who will come after her, who will care for both the livestock and the farmers of the North Country.

Your clients start out as clients, but over time they become friends and family, Parker says.

Syracuse University graduate Arthur Maiorella, a multi-media journalist, spent time with Parker earlier this year as she made her rounds. Here is what he saw.

24 1 / 24 Meet one of NYs large animal vets

All creatures, great and pregnant

Parker grew up on Long Island, with next to no exposure to farm animals. Reading All Creatures Great and Small in high school changed that.

The book written by James Alfred Wight, using the pen name James Herriot, recounts a fictional version of his career caring for livestock and small animals in the English countryside. The stories convinced Parker to join the profession. She went to school overseas, in Scotland, and started practicing veterinary medicine in 1989.

Parker now lives near Adams, New York, where shes raised two sons with her husband, a lawyer. She says she was originally drawn to the region in 1989 by a veterinary help wanted ad. Today, she has no plans of leaving.

Unlike small animal vets who practice in a clinic with set hours, Parkers office is spread across the rocky, rolling hills of the North Country, an area with a bovine population of 50,000. Parker estimates she drives 500 to 700 miles a week, roaming among 70-odd dairy farms, horse stables, home farmers, and commercial outfits in her black Honda Odyssey. She calls it Black Beauty.

Much of Parkers work revolves around helping farmers manage the health of their herds, guarding against common problems and the ever-present bogeyman of viral respiratory diseases. But then there are also the acute cases. A horse with a neck so stiff it couldnt eat. An emaciated heifer with a fatal stomach diagnosis. A cow with unexplained breathing problems.

Caring for and managing the pregnancies of dairy cows make up most of Parkers work. Milk production depends on calf production. Once a cow gives birth, she can be milked for about 10 months.

Armed with a spray paint can, a clipboard, an ultrasound probe and shoulder-length gloves, Parker estimates she does as many as 100 ultrasounds a week. She uses the spray paint to mark the cows, dividing them into categories, pregnant and open.

As she works, she listens to the animals and farmers, inquiring about last winters cold or ongoing family ailments. Even when her left arm, swathed in a protective sleeve, is up to her elbow in a cow to check on gestation, she chats with the farmer about how they managed the winter weather.

All veterinary practice involves emotional attachment and empathic decisions, she says.

But with farm animals, theres another factor.

Youre also there making business decisions, she says. Youve got to keep your cows healthy so they can make milk and be productive animals.

Since she started in the business nearly four decades ago, Parker says shes seen the industry change. Dairy farms have consolidated over the yearssmaller family farms giving way to larger commercial operations. As the size of dairies has changed, so too has Parkers role in the industry. Vets now spend more time working to manage a herds health at the population level, advising farmers on individual care.

When youre dealing with 2,000 cows, you cannot have the vet come out for every sick cow, Parker says. The farmers simply cant afford it.

Growing more vets

New York has more than 5,500 licensed vets, according to the states Department of Education.

But of those, about 300 to 400 regularly treat large animals, according to Cornells College of Veterinary Medicine and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Parker understands why fewer people are following in her muddy bootsteps.

First, theres the educational investment: Eight years of college and vet school, requirements that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Future veterinarians have to balance that investment with future income, and Parker admits she runs a thin margin. When asked whether she makes a living at her practice, she said she clears about $30,000 a year.

For nearly two decades, state lawmakers have proposed legislation that would pay back part of new vets student loans, as long as half of their practice focused on large farm animals in rural parts of New York. The most recent version, sponsored by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, again failed to make it out of committee this year.

Another hurdle for some, Parker says, is the job itself.

Are you available?

Parker remains reachable by her clients most days and nights. Emergency calls have made her miss parties and dinners, her kids school concerts, countless hours of sleep. She routinely stops at two drinks, never knowing when an emergency can arise.

Take one evening, when Parker ate dinner in Altmar in northern Oswego County. At 5:30 p.m. the first text arrived. Are you available? Shed already worked a full day and had just tucked into a plate of quesadillas before heading home.

She grimaced and closed the message. No, she says to herself. She didnt text back.

Instead, she kept regaling a story about her task that morning: a biopsy of a horses penis. An increasingly queasy-looking bartender leaned in to hear more. Parker grinned as she flashed a photo of the procedure.

We got it done, Parker says.

Her phone chimed again with another text. I think its a uterine prolapse. The client sent a photo of a black-and-white dairy cow on its side. Its pink uterus ballooned outside and behind the animal.

Parker took one look, raised her eyebrows and agreed. Prolapses are treatable and fairly routine, she says. But they need quick intervention.

She sat for one last moment, drawing a breath. She took a last swig of beer then asked for the check. Dessert would have to wait.

Despite being on call many weekends and nights, Parker finds time to sneak in some self-care. She listens to music in her van between calls, sometimes humming along to Broadway showtunes. She also has standing appointments with two nail salonsone for manicures and another for pedicures. She says she enjoys looking good, despite working in an industry not often associated with bright green fingernail polish.

Putting food on the table

The demanding work can mean little sleep and more stress, she says. Its more than the stress of being on call. Its not knowing what the animal might need.

On any given day, it could be a breach birth or digestion issues or a mix of mysterious symptoms that need the right cocktail of antibiotics. Sometimes, there are no answers, just problems chalked up to the way it is.

On darker days, Parker can only try to ease an animals suffering. When a problem is outside of the care she can give, Parker often suggests driving the animal to Cornells animal hospital. Once, after a desperate attempt to rehydrate a cow, she suggested prayer.

But she keeps driving out in Black Beauty to offer care and friendship. Shes been to weddings and funerals of her farmers, as she calls them. Some of whom shes known for three decades. Shes watched children take over for their parents, family farms passed down to another generation.

Even on a busy day, shell stop for a snack or lunch with her clients. When she pours milk into her coffee, she jokes. Its a form of quality control, she says.

You take pride in that, she says. Youre helping put food on the table, you know, because of what we do. The milk that you drink and the cheese on your grilled cheese, my farmers help make that, and I was part of that process.

In the end, the cow with the uterine prolapse survived. The one that was prescribed prayer was not as fortunate.

In the barn with the baby goats, the sharp odor of burnt hair faded. The musty smell of animals returned.

The goats quickly calmed after their wild screams. Parker crooned over them, long after she finished.

Its okay, she whispered to each baby. Youre okay.

Gently, she returned them to their mothers and watched them start nursing again. Parker smiled and loaded her equipment back into her van. In another year or two shell be back, disbudding the kids of another litter.

For now, shes off to her next call.
Mark Spadafore is president of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

This Labor Day, as we gather to celebrate the working people who form the infrastructure of our communities, I cant help but think of the storm weve been weathering. It feels like labor unions  and the workers we represent  are caught in a hurricane.

For years now, weve seen the dark clouds gathering and felt the winds increase. Corporations, backed by billionaires and protected by decades of anti-worker policies, have spent millions to undermine union power. Supreme Court decisions like Janus v. AFSCME stripped public-sector unions of crucial resources. With anti-union rhetoric, union-busting consultants and exploitative gig economy models, the winds grew stronger, and the rain began to fall.

Then came the pandemic, and the storm became a Category 5 hurricane that exposed just how fragile the foundation really was. Working people were called essential but treated as expendable. We watched nurses go to work without proper PPE, grocery clerks labor without hazard pay, and bus drivers risk their lives to keep the economy moving. These workers didnt ask for praise  they asked for protection, fair compensation and respect. But more often than not, their calls were drowned out by the roar of profit-driven systems.

And yet, we saw flashes of lightning  moments of power, courage and clarity. Workers at Starbucks, Amazon and other large corporations began organizing from the ground up, right here in New York and across the country. We saw strikes for better pay, safer conditions and dignity on the job. From nurses to Teamsters, from autoworkers to adjunct professors, a new labor movement has been defying the storm  unafraid, unbowed and unwilling to be swept away.

Still, the storm rages on. Employers are intensifying their efforts, backed by an anti-worker administration in Washington. Workers face intimidation, retaliation and misinformation. On the federal level, workers face the unilateral ripping up of the union contracts of more than 400,000 Veterans Administration workers, including those at the VA facility here in Syracuse. Corporate lobbyists continue to block laws like the PRO Act, which would level the playing field for union organizing. And the cost of living  from rent to health care  is rising faster than wages.

In Central New York, our labor community knows how to brace for destructive weather like this. We know what solidarity means  linking arms, protecting and help one another, and refusing to leave anyone behind. Whether its the rally we recently held to support the VA workers, walking a picket line in the pouring rain (or snow) or showing up at a city council meeting to demand fair contracts, we meet adversity with unity.

But we also know that survival isnt enough. Were not just trying to make it through; were already working on rebuilding. Just as communities strengthen their infrastructure after a natural disaster, were working to organize more workers into unions, strengthen our existing unions, build cross-union solidarity, and push for policies that benefit all working people, not just the wealthy few.

We need elected leaders of both political parties to help stop the destruction of this storm and support the workers who keep our hospitals, schools and communities alive and running. We need legislation that protects organizing rights, strengthens labor standards and invests in union apprenticeship and training programs that build pathways to the middle class.

This Labor Day, we will honor the past as we prepare for the future. The storm may not be over, but we are not powerless. Every worker who organizes, every community that stands in solidarity, and every elected official who chooses people over profits helps shift the winds in our favor. With our power and our efforts, we are creating our own storm. And together, were building toward a new day  one where labor doesnt just survive, but emerges stronger, more united and more determined than ever.
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP

President Donald Trump posted on social media this weekend that he is planning to issue an executive order to require voter identification nationwide in all elections and severely limit mail-in voting.

Trump made the post on his Truth Social platform late Saturday night.

Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!! President DJT the post read.

Its the latest attack by Trump on the current election process. Earlier this month, he indicated his intent to end mail-in ballots and voting machines before the 2026 elections.

THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!! he posted to Truth social on Aug. 18.

Whether or not the president has the power to make any changes to elections via executive order is likely to end up in court.

In March, the Trump issued an executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and that all ballots be received by Election Day. That order was challenged by a group of state attorneys general, claiming it was unconstitutional. In June, a federal judge blocked Trumps order, the Associated Press reported.

The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections, Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts wrote in her decision, according to the AP.
The Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) Foundation revealed this morning the list of 90 watches pre-selected for the grand finale on November 13. They are divided into 15 categories, with an initial look already hinting at this years major trends.

Guessing the winners of the GPHG is like reading tea leaves. Every year, the competition gets tougher. The contenders, more numerous. Major heritage brands face off against independent workshops  favorites among many collectors.

The 2025 GPHG lineup promises heated debates. Its rich, wide open. It crosses geographic boundaries and bridges generations. A young watchmaker barely 30 challenges a house founded in the 18th century. An independent artisan crafting 50 watches a year by hand competes with a manufacture equipped with cutting-edge CNC machines. And thats a good thing, because in the end, the true winner isnt the name, the legacy, or the reputation  its the centerpiece of this Geneva game of Mikado: the watch. Only the watch. In that, the GPHGs first bet is already a success.

Zenith G.F.J Zenith

Strong Presence of Independents This pre-selection reveals some clear trends. The first is obvious: the dominance of independent brands. Technically speaking, brands like Chopard or Audemars Piguet are independent  but what were talking about here are niche names: Amida, Simon Brette, Otsuka Lotec, Bedaa, Tasaki, Trilobe, and others. Its safe to say the general public has never heard of most of them. And in that sense, the GPHG has achieved its second goal: opening up the watchmaking world for all to see. Its particularly striking  and encouraging  to see a watch from Fam Al Hut, a Chinese brand from a country once criticized for counterfeits, now competing with Bulgari  the king of ultra-thin  in a category as traditionally Swiss as the iconic Tourbillon.

Le Temps Retrouve, by Trilobe -  Delos Communications

At the Edges of Watchmaking

This brings us to the second major trend of the 2025 edition: international expansion. Its not entirely new  brands like Grand Seiko crossed the Rhone long ago to challenge the watchmaking powerhouses of Bienne and La Chaux-de-Fonds. But this year, across several categories, the geographic scope seems to stretch endlessly.

Its especially noticeable in the Challenge category. Out of six competitors, the lineup includes Franco-Chinese Atelier Wen, Bedaa (Qatar), Behrens (China), Koruno (Japan), and Christopher Ward (UK). A similar pattern appears in the Mechanical Clock and Time Only categories. By contrast, this global openness highlights another reality: in the flagship categories  Ladies, Mens, Chronograph, and Iconic  Switzerland is mostly competing... with itself. A kind of still tightly guarded Swiss Made stronghold.

The Big Four

Theres also a simpler, numbers-based takeaway from the 2025 pre-selection. Four brands clearly dominate in terms of entries across multiple categories. Leading the pack are Audemars Piguet and Chopard, each with 6 nominated pieces. Close behind are Louis Vuitton and Piaget, with 5 watches each. The math is clear: nearly 25% of all entries  22 out of 90 watches  come from this quartet. With Audemars Piguet celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, that extra spotlight might just work in its favor

Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF Chopard

The Trend of Quiet Luxury

Lastly, a closer look at the pre-selected watches reveals a clear preference for technical yet understated pieces. This isnt a revolution  its an evolution, a deep current. Driven by the trend of neo-vintage watches, marked by their simplicity and smaller diameters, collectors are steadily moving away from flashy displays and oversized cases.

The GPHG reflects this embrace of quiet luxury. The jury has frequently selected watches whose appeal isnt immediately obvious. This explains the strong focus on escapement innovations (Resonance by Armin Strom, Constant Force by Arnold & Son), the worlds most discreet second time zone (Parmigiani Fleuriers Tonda GMT Rattrapante), high-frequency movements (Chopards Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF), on-demand animation (Hermes whimsical Arceau Rocabar de rire), or the radical minimalism of two-hand designs (Piagets Sixtie, Audemars Piguets Royal Oak Mini Frosted Gold Quartz).
One international student after another told the University of Central Missouri this summer that they couldnt get a visa, and many struggled to even land an interview for one.

Even though demand was just as high as ever, half as many new international graduate students showed up for fall classes compared to last year.

The decline represents a hit to the bottom line for Central Missouri, a small public university that operates close to its margins with an endowment of only $65 million. International students typically account for nearly a quarter of its tuition revenue.

We arent able to subsidize domestic students as much when we have fewer international students who are bringing revenue to us, said Roger Best, the universitys president.

Signs of a decline in international students have unsettled colleges around the U.S. Colleges with large numbers of foreign students and small endowments have little financial cushion to protect them from steep losses in tuition money.

International students represent at least 20% of enrollment at more than 100 colleges with endowments of less than $250,000 per student, according to an Associated Press analysis. Many are small Christian colleges, but the group also includes large universities such as Northeastern and Carnegie Mellon.

The extent of the change in enrollment will not be clear until the fall, Some groups have forecast a decline of as much as 40%, with a huge impact on college budgets and the wider U.S. economy.

International students face new scrutiny on several fronts

As part of a broader effort to reshape higher education, President Donald Trump has pressed colleges to limit their numbers of international students and heightened scrutiny of student visas. His administration has moved to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, and new student visa appointments were put on hold for weeks as it ramped up vetting of applicants social media.

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it will propose a rule that would put new limits on the time foreign students can stay in the U.S.

The policies have introduced severe financial instability for colleges, said Justin Gest, a professor at George Mason University who studies the politics of immigration.

Foreign students are not eligible for federal financial aid and often pay full price for tuition  double or even triple the in-state rate paid by domestic students at public universities.

To put it more dollars and cents-wise, if an international student comes in and pays $80,000 a year in tuition, that gives universities the flexibility to offer lower fees and more scholarship money to American students, Gest said.

A Sudanese student barely made it to the US for the start of classes

Ahmed Ahmed, a Sudanese student, nearly didnt make it to the U.S. for his freshman year at the University of Rochester.

The Trump administration in June announced a travel ban on 12 countries, including Sudan. Diplomatic officials assured Ahmed he could still enter the U.S. because his visa was issued before the ban. But when he tried to board a flight to leave for the U.S. from Uganda, where he stayed with family during the summer, he was turned away and advised to contact an embassy about his visa.

With the help of the University of Rochesters international office, Ahmed was able to book another flight.

At Rochester, where he received a scholarship to study electrical engineering, Ahmed, 19, said he feels supported by the staff. But he also finds himself on edge and understands why other students might not want to subject themselves to the scrutiny in the U.S., particularly those who are entirely paying their own way.

I feel like I made it through, but Im one of the last people to make it through, he said.

Colleges are taking steps to blunt the impact

In recent years, international students have made up about 30% of enrollment at Central Missouri, which has a total of around 12,800 students. In anticipation of the hit to international enrollment, Central Missouri cut a cost-of-living raise for employees. It has pushed off infrastructure improvements planned for its campus and has been looking for other ways to cut costs.

Small schools  typically classified as those with no more than 5,000 students  tend to have less financial flexibility and will be especially vulnerable, said Dick Startz, an economics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Lee University, a Christian institution with 3,500 students in Tennessee, is expecting 50 to 60 international students enrolled this fall, down from 82 the previous school year, representing a significant drop in revenue for the school, said Roy Y. Chan, the universitys director of graduate studies.

The school already has increased tuition by 20% over the past five years to account for a decrease in overall enrollment, he said.

Since were a smaller liberal arts campus, tuition cost is our main, primary revenue, Chan said, as opposed to government funding or donations.

The strains on international enrollment only add to distress for schools already on the financial brink.

Colleges around the country have been closing as they cope with declines in domestic enrollment, a consequence of changing demographics and the effects of the pandemic. Nationwide, private colleges have been closing at a rate of about two per month, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

The number of high school graduates in the U.S. is expected to decline through 2041, when there will be 13% fewer compared to 2024, according to projections from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

That means that if you lost participation from international students, its even worse, Startz said.
For more than 200 years, physicians have been using a stethoscope to listen to the heart and lungs. Now, an advanced upgrade driven by artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize the detection of heart conditions.

In just 15 seconds, patients will know the possible heart problems they have.

Smart Upgrade to a Classic Medical Tool

Created by scientists at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the AI-powered stethoscope is able to detect three serious heart conditions near-instantly: heart failure, heart valve disease, and irregular heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation.

In contrast to standard stethoscopes, Tribune reports that this one is capable of detecting nuanced variations in heartbeat and blood flow that are imperceptible to the human ear, as well as capturing an electrocardiogram (ECG) simultaneously.

How is an AI Stethoscope Used?

The gadget, which was made by California firm Eko Health, is roughly as thick as a playing card. Attaching it to a patient's chest, it picks up electrical signals from the heart and sounds of blood flow. These are transmitted securely to the cloud, where artificial intelligence algorithms search for anomalies.

Results are relayed back to a smartphone within seconds, identifying if a patient is at risk of heart failure, valve disease, or irregular heart rhythms.

Breakthrough Results from Clinical Trials

In a key 12,000-patient trial from 200 UK GP clinics, the AI stethoscope performed with outstanding accuracy. The Guardian noted the important findings involving patients diagnosed using the device.

These findings were unveiled at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, the largest heart gathering in the world, and their potential to affect healthcare around the globe.

They were:

Twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure.

Almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart valve disease.

Three times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

Early Diagnosis of Heart Problems is Very Important

Early diagnosis of heart issues can be life-saving. Numerous heart failure patients are only diagnosed after they arrive at the hospital in serious condition. General practitioners have a highly efficient tool at hand with this AI stethoscope to diagnose risks earlier. This enables patients to receive life-saving treatments earlier.

Imperial College London's Dr. Patrik Bachtiger said that the stethoscope has remained the same for the last 200 years until now. But with AI, it can speed up the diagnosis. This way, they can help patients spot issues much earlier.

Though the AI stethoscope promises quicker and more precise detection, scientists warn that it, at times, gives false positives. For this purpose, it is best used with patients presenting symptoms like breathlessness or tiredness, but not for regular monitoring in healthy people.

Medical professionals say the technology will save lives and cut the cost of healthcare by averting serious complications. British Heart Foundation and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), who jointly supported the study, described it as a "game-changer" that will take advanced diagnostic equipment straight into community clinics.

Aside from an AI stethoscope, your smartphone can also detect heart failure. A year ago, Tech Times reported that you can use an app to detect heart failure through built-in sensors.
Japanese brand Minase, famous for unique cutting-edge designs and implementation of Sallaz polishing, marks its 20th birthday with Seven Windows Yukihira Black Gradation Dial.

To celebrate two decades of existence, Minase has made a special edition of its Seven Windows collection, highlighting Japanese artisanal skills through its dial that is created with electroforming. The dial of the Yukihira Black Gradation Dial has undergone an intricate process of adorning its copper base with a subtle Yukihira pattern reminiscent of a hammered snowflake. The final steps include finishing the dial with a deep black gradation that also shows purple tones, dependent on the angle of light.

The dial is held in place with a cage-like ring and indexes, giving Minase its unique floating case-in-case-design. Several details, including the signature drill marks on the dial ring, are polished to a highly reflective surface with the Sallaz technique. This technique, which is also called Zaratsu, is different from mirror or black polishing as we know it from Switzerland or Germany. It was, however, developed in Switzerland in the 1970s  by request of a Japanese brand. Special machines that can hardly be found in Switzerland anymore comprise of big grinding wheels covered with substrate, allowing the artisans to achieve high reflection on forged metal parts. The polishing is extremely flat and angular with sharp angles; a process similar to how you cut and polish diamonds. There is, to my knowledge, no other brand that applies Sallaz polishing to as many surfaces as Minase, where you can find it on the indexes, the crown, several case elements, as well as the bracelet.

 Minase

Minase, based in the Akita province, is an offspring of a precision-cutting tool supplier called Kyowa, which was founded in 1963 by the father of Minase CEO Tsuyoshi Suzuki. Tsuyoshi Suzuki lists Sallaz, case-in-case-designs, and the unique Minase Original Rebuilt Equation (MORE), a design system facilitating disassembly of most case and bracelet components for after-service work, as the most distinguishing features of a Minase watch.

Seven Windows is arguably the most recognisable case in case design from Minase. The outer square case with rounded edges features seven sapphire glass windows, which together offer a 360 view of the dial and the ETA movement with a customised rotor. The surfaces of the movement with lubrication-free bearings have gone through high-end hand-finishing techniques including perlage, blued screws, and bridges with diamond-polished bevels.

Many Japanese watches remain a local affair, but in 2017 Minase took its first step towards international recognition, together with Managing Partner Sven Erik Henriksens company H-Development, based in Biel/Bienne. It all started in the most Swiss way possible: Mr. Suzuki was a friend of a friend, and thus invited to a fondue. Thanks to Mr. Henriksen, Mr. Suzukis dream of the brand being present in a store in Switzerland could be realised, and this was the start of an international commercialisation. Now, the numbers do the talking: in the eight years since, Minase has increased its production by more than 50%, resulting in an output of 500-600 watches per year.

Separated pieces of the Yukihira Black Gradation Dial  Minase

The pair will continue their successful modus operandi: While Mr. Suzuki and his team of artisans keep developing the handmade watches in Japan, Mr. Henriksen brings the watches to the world via fairs like Worn & Wound, SIAR Mexico, and Toronto Timepiece. With such a unique construction and the exquisite finishes that you have on a Minase, you must see the watch physically. And for us it is equally important to meet and get to know the collectors in person, explained Mr. Henriksen.

The Minase Yukihira Black Gradation Dial is a limited edition of 77 pieces  7 is a lucky number in Japan. All watches ordered before the end of September will be delivered in a leather watch box with a silver bracelet. Minase continues to prove that small-scale Japanese craftsmanship can resonate powerfully on the global stage. Now we are 20 years strong, and we are just getting started, concluded Mr. Henriksen.
In oil-rich Oman, efforts to preserve frankincense 'white gold'



Dawkah, Oman, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



The arid Dawkah valley is home to one of Oman's most prized resources: not oil or gas but frankincense trees, their fragrant sap harvested for millennia by residents who call it "white gold".

Located in Oman's southern Dhofar region, bordering Yemen, the valley is the world's largest such reserve, home to around 5,000 frankincense trees that dot the barren earth, their trunks bearing kernels that exude a distinctive woody scent.

"For us, frankincense is more precious than gold. It's a treasure," said Abdullah Jaddad, a frankincense harvester resting in the shade of a tree.

The oil extracted from the sap of the frankincense tree is used in perfume and skincare but it is also sold as solid beads of fragrance in local markets.

The high-end Omani perfume-maker Amouage, which manages the reserve, sells its luxury scents internationally for hundreds of dollars a bottle -- with one limited edition perfume containing frankincense sold for nearly $2,000.

The Dawkah valley is one of the rare places in the world where the Boswellia tree, from which frankincense resin is extracted, grows. Since 2000, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Land of Frankincense listing, along with Khor Rori, Al Baleed and Shisr.



- Like oil -



With its unique earthy scent, frankincense has long been used as incense, but also in traditional medicine, and even religious rituals.

Before modern technology, the frankincense trade, which began in the third millennium BC, extended from Dhofar via sea and caravan routes to Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and Ancient Egypt, all the way to Greece, Rome and even China.

"Frankincense had roughly the same value as oil today," according to Ahmed al-Murshidi, who heads the Khor Rori site.

The ancient port of Samahram, which forms part of the Khor Rori site, served as the gateway for frankincense to the world.

As Jaddad collected dried beads of sap from the trees, he told AFP that the type of frankincense found in the valley was the Najdi -- one of four main varieties.

The Najdi and Hojari varieties are used for their medicinal properties, according to Faisal Hussein Bin Askar, whose father founded the Bin Askar frankincense shop, in business since the 1950s.

"The cleaner and purer the frankincense, the more suitable it is for drinking as a treatment, while the rest is used as incense," he said, adding that several factories in Dhofar are specialised in frankincense skincare and oils.

The highest-grade and rarest frankincense has a light green colour.



- 'Quick to anger' -



The resin is harvested by hand using traditional methods that involve cutting the bark to release the sap and leaving it for a few days to harden.

Harvesting the tree requires care and skilled craftsmanship.

As one guide put it to a group of tourists at the Land of Frankincense Museum in Salalah: "the frankincense tree is quick to anger".

"We strike the tree in specific, small spots, about five times, to preserve" the plant, said Musallam bin Saeed Jaddad, who works in the reserve.

"No one should cut open a frankincense tree... it could kill it," he said.

In 2022, Amouage partnered with Omani authorities to develop the Dawkah reserve and provide jobs for the local community, only harvesting a fifth of the trees to preserve them.

Each tree has a unique code and is monitored by a team of specialists, with donations open to anyone wanting to help the reserve in exchange for small gifts of frankincense products every year.

A distillery is set to be built in the reserve to extract the frankincense oil, a process for now completed in France, said Mohammed Faraj Istanbuli, the reserve supervisor.

"The government is carrying out vital projects, like building roads for example, which threatens other areas where frankincense trees grow," he said.

"We bring those trees... to the reserve. We have saved about 600 trees so far."
Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, flattens villages



Nurgal, Afghanistan, Sept 1 (AFP) Sep 01, 2025



Survivors of an earthquake that flattened villages in eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 800 people, spent the night in the open as rescuers worked Tuesday to pull victims from the rubble.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck just before midnight Sunday, with the worst of the destruction in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.

Rescuers searched into the night to pull to safety those trapped under the debris of simple mud and stone homes built into steep valleys.

The dead, some of them children, were wrapped in white shrouds by villagers who prayed over their bodies before burying them, while helicopters ferried the wounded to hospitals.

"The rooms and walls collapsed... killing some children and injuring others," said 22-year-old Zafar Khan Gojar, who was evacuated from Nurgal to Jalalabad along with his brother, whose leg was broken.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, facing a protracted humanitarian crisis and the influx of millions of Afghans forced back to the country by neighbours Pakistan and Iran in recent years.

The earthquake epicentre was about 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Jalalabad, according to the USGS, which said it struck a shallow eight kilometres below the Earth's surface.

Around 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured in Kunar alone, near the epicentre, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

"Many people are stuck under the rubble of their roofs," the disaster management head in eastern Kunar province, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told AFP on Monday afternoon, warning the death toll could rise.

Another 12 people were killed and 255 injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province, while 58 people were injured in Laghman province.

Some of the most severely impacted villages in Kunar remain inaccessible due to road blockages, the UN migration agency told AFP.

The United Nations was working with authorities to "swiftly assess needs, provide emergency assistance and stand ready to mobilise additional support," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement Monday.

An initial $5 million had been released from the UN's global emergency response fund, he said.

The disaster is unfolding against a grim funding outlook for humanitarian assistance. The United States was the largest aid donor to Afghanistan until early 2025, when all but a sliver of funds were cancelled after President Donald Trump took office.

In June, the United Nations said it was drastically scaling back its global humanitarian aid plans due to the "deepest funding cuts ever".



- 'Fear and tension' -



Relatively shallow quakes can cause more damage, especially since the majority of Afghans live in low-rise, mud-brick homes vulnerable to collapse.

"There is a lot of fear and tension... Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives," Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a member of the agricultural department in Nurgal told AFP.

In a post shared by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was "deeply saddened by the significant loss of life" caused by the quake.

Many living in quake-hit villages were among the more than four million Afghans who have returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan in recent years.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasia and India tectonic plates.

In October 2023, western Herat province was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

A 5.9-magnitude quake struck the eastern province of Paktika in June 2022, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Ravaged by four decades of war, Afghanistan is already contending with a series of humanitarian crises.

Since the return of the Taliban in 2021, foreign aid to Afghanistan has been slashed, undermining the impoverished nation's already hamstrung ability to respond to disasters.

Around 85 percent of the Afghan population lives on less than one dollar a day, according to the UN Development Programme.

bur-sw/ecl/ksb/st
Economic crises have always triggered new social models. However, what were seeing today goes beyond any temporary readjustment. From OnlyFans mansions to all-female villages, were witnessing the greatest wave of community experimentation since the 1960s, the decade that held the hippie dream up to the mirror of late capitalism and ultimately spawned LArche, Twin Oaks and the much-cited Arcosanti.

Bop House is the viral bastion where content creators for OnlyFans  an online platform where users pay for exclusive (mostly sexual) material  live today. The collective that owns it claims to have earned $15 million in two months. The mansion functions as a nonstop film set.

Psychologist Cristina Marin explains: People who seek out these types of extreme coexistence models are obviously looking for a change, as opposed to traditional models.

The television background to these lifestyles is revealing. Rafa de Jaime Julia and Daniela Varela, two podcasters specializing in reality shows and popular culture, emphasize that it was Kid Nation that took reality TV to the limit. The premise? On the ruins of the town of Bonanza, New Mexico, children try to create a society with minimal adult supervision. The 2007 CBS show moved 40 minors to this abandoned town. During the weeks of filming, one child suffered burns and several accidentally drank bleach, all while they worked 14-hour days. Years later, the show continues to shock audiences with its rawness.

People who distance themselves from society have always existed, De Jaime notes. But creating like-minded groups is easier today, Varela adds, because everything is just a click away. She cites other extreme television formats: The Real Housewives [franchise] brings together unknown women and takes them on a boozy trip. [The Spanish-language] Acapulco Shore puts twentysomethings in a house and orders them to go out every night.

De Jaime highlights an important nuance: In Survivor, theres an emergency system; if someone [is suffering from] dysentery, the helicopter arrives. Television maintains safety nets that are absent in real-world coexistence.

At that opposite extreme, far from the screens, is the village of Umoja, in Kenya, where a community of women raped by British soldiers was founded in 1990. It still shelters 40 families today. Noiva do Cordeiro in Brazil is very different. In 2014, the press spread the story of a village of women seeking men, a hoax debunked by National Geographic. In reality, its a community of 350 residents with a balanced gender distribution, female independence and the goal of trying out a different way of living.

Although Cristina Marin identifies positive aspects in these types of co-living models  they can be more flexible  she also sees risks: These communities can generate social isolation, which is inevitable if you only hang out with like-minded people. She also detects certain sectarian echoes: Its one thing for them to appear collaborative, but another thing for them to end up in a hierarchy where someone takes advantage [of the others].

What new masks will extreme co-living take on in the next global recession? Perhaps micro-cities of digital nomads financed with cryptocurrencies will emerge, or climate shelters built by the tech industry. The impulse is powerful: to reinvent life, together, when reality becomes too much.

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Walt Disney Worlds iconic Cinderella Castle will get a makeover, much like the princess herself once did, the park announced.

After 50 years as the symbol of the Magic Kingdom, the recognizable castle will get a new color palette thats inspired by the classic and original look of the castle, according to the official Disney Parks Blog. The new palette will feature a combination of grays, creams, blues and hints of gold, aiming to enhance the castles architecture, giving it a fairy tale finish, the company stated.

The timeline for the new color palette isnt immediately clear.

The Independent has asked Disney for more information.

open image in gallery Disney Worlds iconic Cinderella Castle, the heart of the theme park, will undergo a royal makeover, returning to its fairy tale roots, the company said. A look at Cinderella Castle's new color palette, which with grays, creams and blues, inspired by the original design ( Disney Parks )

The updated look was first unveiled by Imagineers at the Beyond the Spires: An Insider Look at Disney Castles panel at Destination D23, the company said.

The castle relies on a timeless color combination: deep, handsome blues paired with radiant golds, which were chosen to reflect the Florida sunshine.

The park uses paint that undergoes UV and weather testing to ensure the colors stay vivid. The roofs are actually coated with high-performance paint thats typically used for cars, the company said. The castle is also finished with sheens, that provide that magical sparkle.

The 189-foot landmark was completed in 1971, following 18 months of construction, according to the company. It was painted in grays, blues and touches of gold.

open image in gallery The 189-foot landmark was completed in 1971, following 18 months of construction ( Walt Disney World Resort via Get )

The castle resembles a medieval fortress and includes a mix of European architecture from different centuries, according to Disney. The base of the castle is meant to evoke the Romanesque architecture of the 11th through 13th centuries, while the upper parts of the castle mimic the Gothic features that became popular in the centuries that followed.

The castle underwent another royal makeover in 2020, when it was painted soft pink and darker shades of blue.

Social media users celebrated the new color palette announcement.

Dreamy. Great move, DISNEY! one X user remarked.

Finally!!! another cheered.
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Avengers: Doomsday  the future superhero blockbuster bringing Robert Downey Jr back to the MCU  has found itself the subject of fake leaks.

Marvel premiered a sizzle reel for the new film at Disney convention D23 on Sunday (31 August). However, this was followed by numerous photoshopped images teasing false announcements and fabricated quotes from non-existent footage being shared on social media.

The presentation that was released was filled with old quotes from past Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies and showed a behind-the-scenes recording of the films directors, the Russo brothers, hard at work.

No clips from the forthcoming release was included in the reel, but a leak of the reel has been shared online.

It featured a pre-recorded clip from the films set in London, with the Russos calling the film bigger than anything we have ever done.

This movie is, to say the least, a big one for us, they said. We are bringing together so many of your favourite heroes to face one of the greatest threats to the MCU.

Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd stated in the video: Were surrounded by jaw-dropping sets and some truly incredible talent, many of whom you just saw teased in that great video.

open image in gallery Directors the Russo brothers said Avengers: Doomsday is bigger than anything we have ever done ( Getty Images for Netflix )

Downey Jr, who previously starred as Iron Man in the MCU, will play the antagonist Doctor Doom. His return will arrive seven years after Avengers: Endgame, which saw him leave the MCU.

The bumper cast also features several other returning stars such as Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Falcon/Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Letitia Wright (Black Panthers Shuri).

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Avengers: Doomsday will also bring back several X-Men stars, including Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James Marsden and Rebecca Romijn.

Marvel regained the film rights to X-Men characters through Disneys acquisition of Fox in March 2019.

open image in gallery Robert Downey Jr is returning to the MCU  as a villain ( Getty Images for Disney )

One star who wont be in the new film is Chris Evans, who played Captain America before handing the shield over to Mackie.

Although there have been rumours about him showing up in the film, nothing has been confirmed  and Evans told ScreenRant he is sad to be away from his former co-stars.

Its sad to not be back with the band, but Im sure theyre doing something incredible, and Im sure its going to be that much harder when it comes out, and you feel like you werent invited to the party, he said.

Avengers: Doomsday will be released on 18 December 2026.
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Director Jim Jarmusch has said he was disappointed and disconcerted to find out that Mubi had accepted an investor with ties to the Israeli military.

The streamer is distributing Jarmuschs latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother.

In May, Mubi announced that they had secured a $100m investment from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, which also has a stake in Kela, a defence-tech startup founded by Israeli intelligence units after the attacks of 7 October.

Yes, I have spoken to Mubi about it, and I have a very good relationship particularly with [CCO] Jason Ropell at Mubi who called me immediately. He had not been made aware when this relationship was made, Jarmusch said on Sunday at a press conference for Father Mother Sister Brother, which premiered later the same day.

My relationship with Mubi started much before that, and they were fantastic to work with on this film. I was of course disappointed and quite disconcerted by this relationship. Really, if you want to discuss it, you have to address Mubi about it. Im not the spokesman. However, yes, I was concerned.

Jarmusch added that he believed all corporate money [was] dirty money.

I also have a distribution agreement with Mubi for certain territories, which I also had entered into before my knowledge of this [investment]. But having said that, on a personal level, I have to say Im an independent filmmaker, and I have taken money from various sources to be able to realise my films, he continued.

open image in gallery (L-R) The cast of 'Father Mother Sister Brother' with director Jim Jarmusch at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival; Jarmusch has said he was disappointed and disconcerted to find out that Mubi had accepted an investor with ties to the Israeli military ( Getty Images )

And I consider pretty much all corporate money [to be] dirty money. If you start analysing each of these film companies and their financing structures, youre going to find a lot of nasty dirt. Its all there.

The Dead Don't Die director ended with saying that the onus should not be on independent artists trying to make films, but the larger companies accepting the investments.

We could avoid it and not make films at all, but the films are what I choose to carry. So yes, Im concerned, but one thing I dont like is that  and you have not done this  but putting the onus of the explanation of this on us, the artists. Its not us, its Mubi you must address. Not just Mubi but other companies as well.

The Independent has reached out to Mubi for comment.

Jarmusch was joined at the conference by actors Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps, and Indya Moore. Moore, who has been a vocal Palestine supporter and was arrested in 2023 for being present at a protest demanding a ceasefire also weighed in on what she described as the creative warfare and resource warfare behind the scenes.

Since the genocide of Palestinians began, there has been an incredible amount of creative warfare and resource warfare behind the scenes, she said. The issue with the way people are trying to figure out how we are going to work at a capacity that is ethical and not enabling a systematic pipeline that funds these kinds of things to happen to people a kind of due diligence that people are learning how to do is a developing process.

These are not questions weve ever had to ask before, especially as independent artists. Were all trying to figure out how to navigate this and survive. One thing is for sure: If you were to ask me, Indya, why did you work here or work there when this person is there or that entity is behind this thing? Most likely, I didnt know.

open image in gallery Luka Sabbat (left) and Indya Moore in a scene from Father Mother Sister Brother; Moore, who has been a vocal Palestine supporter, weighed in on what she described as the creative warfare and resource warfare behind the scenes ( Mubi )

Earlier in August, Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel shared a statement writing that any suggestion that our work is connected to funding the war is simply untrue, responding to an open letter signed by more than 100 artists criticising Mubis decision to accept the investment and called for the streamer to condemn Sequoia Capital for genocide profiteering.

Following the investment from Sequoia, some have suggested that we are complicit in the events occurring in Gaza. These accusations are fundamentally at odds with the values we hold as individuals and as a company, he wrote. Any suggestion that our work is connected to funding the war is simply untrue.

Father Mother Sister Brother follows three stories that delve into the relationship between estranged siblings forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.

Father Mother Sister Brother will be released in theatres in the US on 24 December.
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Cat Deeley appeared upbeat as she made her return to This Morning after announcing her divorce from Patrick Kielty this July.

The 48-year-old presenter told viewers of the ITV daytime programme shed had a lovely summer with lots of beach action, family, friends, kids and ice creams as big as your head during the break.

Deeley added she was nevertheless really excited to come back to work to present This Morning alongside Ben Shepherd from Monday to Thursday after the extended time off.

Kielty and Deeley announced their separation after 13 years of marriage in a joint statement this summer, making clear there was no other party involved in their decision to end their relationship.

We will continue to be united as loving parents to our children and would therefore kindly ask for our family privacy to be respected, they said. The couple share two sons; Milo, eight, and James, six.

Before marrying Kielty, Deeley was married to businessman Mark Whelan for five years. Meanwhile, Kielty was in a relationship with Irish model Amanda Bryam for five years, separating in 2003.

Deeley and Kielty hosted Fame Academy together for two seasons in 2002 and 2003 before becoming romantically involved years later.

open image in gallery Cat Deeley returned to 'This Morning' alongside Ben Shepherd this week following the show's summer break ( ITV )

The couple wed in September 2012 at a ceremony in Rome and lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade before returning to London.

Deeley has hosted ITVs This Morning alongside Ben Shephard since early last year, when the pair took over from former hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

Schofield stepped down in May 2023 following an unwise but not illegal relationship with a junior colleague. Meanwhile, Willoughby exited the show days after a kidnap plot against her.

open image in gallery Deeley announced her divorce from Patrick Kielty after 13 years of marriage in July ( PA Archive )

Deeley started her career appearing on SM:TV Live with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly from 1998 to 2002.

After various hosting jobs in the UK, including ITVs Stars In Their Eyes she hosted the US series So You Think You Can Dance from 2006, for which she received five Emmy nominations.

Following her This Morning appointment in February 2024, Deeley dubbed the daytime show a national institution and said she and Shepherd would do our best to take care of it.
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Former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat believes the series current bosses are keeping their options open with Billie Pipers return.

Moffat, who worked on the sci-fi show from 2010 until 2017, said that he did not have any insider information on Pipers role, but feels that producers have hedged their bets.

They have not said [she is the Doctor], so I do not know, Moffat told Radio Times. I do not even know if they know.

Fans were shocked when Piper returned at the end of season 15, when Ncuti Gatwas time as the Doctor came to an end.

The actor, who played companion Rose Tyler, appeared to replace Gatwa as the shows lead when the Doctor underwent a regeneration. Piper described her return as a last-minute decision.

This is such a minefield. I have to really engage with how I answer this, Piper told an audience about the appearance at Florida Supercon, according to Deadline.

open image in gallery Billie Piper makes her surprise return in Doctor Who ( BBC )

All I can say is, I was approached very last minute, and I cant talk about in what capacity, but I found it very emotional to film, and I think its a really great ending.

Rose Tyler was the companion for both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennants tenures as The Doctor. She appeared regularly on the show between 2005 and 2006 and was a supporting character during the 2008 season and also made a cameo in the 2010 New Year's special.

It is yet to be confirmed whether Piper will actually be playing the 16th Doctor or if the shows producers have another trick up their sleeve.

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Moffat, though, did offer some advice for the qualities the next person in the role should strive for.

Attractive, but odd, he said. There's something utterly odd, a sort of benevolent, kindly, slightly incompetent impersonation of a human being. The Doctor is never quite right."

Moffat explained that the Doctor should be off-kilter, but someone that little kids would want to run up and take that [person's] hand and feel absolutely safe.

open image in gallery Moffat worked on Doctor Who from 2010 until 2017 ( Getty Images )

Moffats comments arrive weeks after the BBC said Doctor Who is going nowhere despite concern among the fandom.

The BBCs new chief content officer, Kate Phillips, promised to keep the British family favourite on screens.

Rest assured, Doctor Who is going nowhere, Phillips said at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August, with Lindsay Salt, the BBCs director of drama, saying the corporation was committed to bringing the show back.
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Theres a horrible smell in the bathroom. Spoken in the context of a true crime series, there are few sentences more harrowing. And yet in the case of ITVs latest primetime drama I Fought the Law, that horrible smell  and the dead body it emanates from  is only the beginning.

The four-episode series tells the true story of Ann Ming, who in 1989 discovered her daughters body hidden beneath a bathtub at her home in Billingham. It was Anns relentless, decades-long campaign for justice that led to the overturning of Englands 800-year-old law of double jeopardy. Over four hours, I Fought the Law covers its ground meticulously, placing Ann neck-deep in a punitive and bureaucratic legal morass. Its the sort of David v Goliath story that television loves; the involvement of the real Ann, a retired surgical nurse who is now 79, goes a long way in assuaging any ill-feeling over yet another true crime adaptation.

The first episode plays out like every parents nightmare. Ann (Sheridan Smith, typically great) picks up her grandson from her daughter Julie (Victoria Wyant), who is heading off to a night shift at the local pizza restaurant. They hug goodbye. The next day, Julie doesnt answer the door. She doesnt answer her phone. No one has heard from her. Days pass. The police are no help: Julie, they insist, must have just swanned off to London without notice. They drop the case. Eighty days later, prompted by that horrible smell, Ann finds Julies body hidden in the bathroom of her own home.

The evidence against one suspect, a neighbour Billy Dunlop, is staggering: Julies keys were found under the floorboards of his house; his hair discovered on her body and the blanket in which she was wrapped. Yet twice, a jury fails to reach a verdict. In accordance with the double jeopardy law (preventing anyone from being tried twice for the same crime), Dunlop cannot be tried for murder again.

As Ann, Smith is dogged in her pursuit of justice. Her husband, meanwhile, the bespectacled, cardigan-cuddly Charlie (Daniel York Loh), is her foil, retreating from the world. But Ann is fragile, too  she wears her wrath and northern ire like a mourning veil. Its a performance that calls to mind Smiths role as a similarly grieving mother in 2022s BBC drama Four Lives.

Like that show, which chronicled the egregious police failures that further enabled serial killer and rapist Stephen Port, I Fought the Law, too, is an agonising watch. There is not only the staggering police incompetence and arrogance  in the first episode, one officer patronisingly tells Ann that their highly trained forensic experts did not find anything in the house, only for Ann to happen across her daughters body in that same house months later  but the inane injustice of a system set up ostensibly to protect.

Through Smith, we witness Anns tenacity: she writes mountains of letters, and meets with a string of MPs, some more helpful than others. Its a perfect depiction of how real change is made  through slow, steady progress. It can, however, make for monotonous TV and as the series steers (rightfully) away from salacious legal drama territory, it does drag slightly. Regardless, Anns story  and Julies  is one that deserves attention, a necessary reminder that sometimes all it takes is, in fact, one person to make a difference.
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Men do not despise a thief, it says in the Book of Proverbs, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry. That is the Christian interpretation of an age-old moral conundrum: is it OK to filch a loaf of bread to feed your family? From Oliver Twist to Les Miserables, via The Grapes of Wrath, this is a theme that writers love to explore, and its a thread that is picked up, once again, by a new Sky Atlantic crime drama, Task.

Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) is a single parent, living in rural Pennsylvania with his kids and his niece Maeve (Emilia Jones), whose father, Robbie's brother, has recently died. By day, hes a binman, but under cover of nightfall, he and his buddy Cliff (Raul Castillo) conduct a series of daring burglaries on a drug-dealing biker gang, the Dark Hearts. Across town, FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) has been off active duty since his wife was killed by their son during a psychotic episode. But hes dragged back onto the streets when hes put in charge of a taskforce to investigate this string of robberies, which have culminated in a suspected child abduction. Both men  Robbie and Tom  are grieving, torn between confronting their trauma and running from it. But poor decisions beget poor decisions, and soon the stakes are irretrievably high, and a crash, back to earth, becomes inevitable.

What have you done to us? Maeve asks her uncle as the scale of consequences becomes apparent. Tasks writer, Brad Ingelsby, previously wrote Mare of Easttown, a (slightly) surprise success for Sky, which led to him signing a three-year exclusive deal with the American broadcaster HBO. Like Mare, Task is concerned with the intersection of the professional and the private. Kate Winslets detective had to unravel the murder of a young girl as she continued to deal with her sons suicide; Ruffalos detective must balance the sentencing of his son, whom he feels unable to forgive, with his return to the front line. It blurs the distinctions between both the victims and perpetrators of crimes and the men and women charged with investigating them. Ingelsbys world is a monochrome grey, where everyone is dealing with the impact of human frailty.

Ruffalo is a casting directors dream. He has that rare ability to appear both suave and schlubby. He can play an intellectual, an everyman, or something in between. His reticent detective employs a sprinkling of all these dynamics, at times a charismatic field agent, at others a mournful introvert. Ingelsby is clearly a fan of British television (Mare of Easttown owes the sort of debt of gratitude to Happy Valley that is sometimes settled in court) and Agent Brandis is right out of the Colin Dexter extended universe. I majored in philosophy as an undergrad and then became a priest for eight years, he informs us, a Morse/Hathaway hybrid. And as with Dexters Oxford-set series, this allows for ruminations on the nature of justice. When things go terribly wrong, people want to know why God let it happen, Tom confesses. Its easy to talk about forgiveness when its not your loss.

All of this moral and philosophical reflection is good. It lends the show a sense of purpose amid the internecine drug wranglings. But in a crime drama, both the crime and the drama have to work, and Tasks criminal endeavours are messy. Pelphrey just about keeps Robbie sympathetic, but his dealings with gun-toting bikers and fentanyl pushers feel generic and uninspired. Where Mare of Easttown used a classic murder mystery to explore generational trauma, Task is more interested in the man turns to life of crime, gets out of his depth genre (a la Breaking Bad, Ozark, Your Honor, etc), which has been so popular in recent years that its not quite ready for a fresh twist. And so, Task ends up feeling more of a generic piece with its tonal siblings. A cat-and-mouse game between criminals and the authorities set in Americas drug-addicted working-class communities. Thats a story weve seen before.

But Ingelsby tells it well, and hes assembled a fine cast here. A trio of young British and Irish actors  House of the Dragons Fabian Frankel, Saltburns Alison Oliver, and CODAs Jones  demonstrate how good these islands still are at exporting bright, young things (with convincing American accents). Even if it doesnt prove as compulsive viewing as Ingelsbys previous work, Task is grown-up, sophisticated, well-made drama. Life is hard, the show argues, and it hardens the people who endure it.
The unhappiness curve is disappearing but this isnt good news. Until now, life satisfaction had the shape of a smile. It started high in youth, sank in middle age  in what has become known as the midlife crisis  and then rebounded. Unhappiness, on the other hand, used to be shaped like a hump, or an inverted smile. However, a comprehensive study published on August 27 in the scientific journal PLOS One shows how this curve has eroded to the point of almost disappearing. Its not that the midlife crisis has subsided, but rather that weve begun to see something we could easily define as a quarter-life crisis. Unhappiness now starts at a high level  at very early ages  and tends to decline throughout life.

The study was conducted with responses from more than 10 million adults in the United States (they did so between 1993 and 2024), with a longitudinal analysis involving 40,000 households in the United Kingdom. There were also two million questionnaires administered by the Global Minds Project in 44 countries. Lots of data, many countries but one unequivocal conclusion. The truth is, we were surprised that the results were so [universal], acknowledges David G. Blanchflower, an economist at Dartmouth College and the studys lead author.

The researchers didnt ask about the reasons for this, but they point to the consequences of the pandemic, the housing crisis and  above all  the widespread use of smartphones. This would explain the uniformity of the data in very diverse contexts. What a boy from Germany and another from New York have in common, for example, is access to the internet and smartphones, Blanchflower explains. In developing countries, however, we saw that those without internet access didnt [seem to have] as poor mental health.

The author doesnt believe this is due so much to the effect of cell phones themselves, but rather to the way they deplete free time, squeezing it away until it disappears. Cell phones have displaced beneficial activities. Children no longer play, they no longer talk... spending too much time on the internet distances people from useful activities.

In blue, the old unhappiness curve, with a hump in midlife. The color red depicts the new curve: a downward line.

This could explain another of the studys notable findings: in all the countries analyzed, young women report significantly higher levels of distress than young men. In fact, this is a constant in all studies analyzing the impact of the internet and social media on perceived well-being. The most recent example was provided via a study conducted by Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), a WHO collaborative cross-national study. It indicated that this problem affects girls twice as often (with a prevalence of 51.2%) as boys (25.2%).

This study is important because of the large amount of data on which its based. Additionally, it places the distress of younger generations in a broader context, comparing it with the self-perceived satisfaction of their elders. Its conclusions are devastating, but not surprising.

Something began to go wrong starting in 2010. A wealth of scientific literature has clearly documented this. Rates of depression and anxiety among adolescents soared by 50%. Suicides rose by 32%. Members of Generation Z  those born after 1996  began to suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, reaching higher levels than any other generation in recorded history.

The midlife crisis has shattered the unhappiness curve. But its important to keep in mind that this is a snapshot that will need to be updated. Young people in Generation Z, who suffer from more mental health problems than their elders, will eventually reach their 40s and 50s. And theres no guarantee that they wont then face the same life-threatening consequences that have plagued previous generations. Meanwhile, new generations will be added to the curve and nothing suggests that theyll be less dependent on their cell phones. In other words, the happiness curve has only disappeared for the moment. Its expected to return in a few years, although it will be more extreme. Hitting rock bottom will mean going even further down.

I dont know how the situation will evolve, Blanchflower acknowledges. Every year, a new cohort of 12-year-olds joins and the rest age a year, but nothing changes. The group born [after the year] 2000 seems to have poor mental health. I hope we can stop this.

It doesnt seem easy, the author explains. Hospitalizations among young people for depression continue to rise, as do suicides and antidepressant use. The recent study is based on self-perceived mental health, but its underscored by all the data. In the United States, according to the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR), between 2016 and 2019 the rates of emergency department visits with a primary diagnosis related to mental health increased in the 0-17 age group, from 784.1 per 100,000 people to 869.3 per 100,000 people.

The midlife crisis began to be formally described in 2008. Since then, its been documented in more than 600 studies in different countries. The increase in worry, stress, and depression with age has been widely documented in sociology over the past 20 years. Blanchflower himself examined the phenomenon in previous studies. In a whole series of articles, I argued that the U-shaped curve was an important finding until it wasnt! The data was correct, but something has changed; it doesnt seem to be inscribed in the genes, he notes.

Maite Garaigordobil Landazabal, a professor of psychological assessment and diagnosis at the University of the Basque Country, praises the recent study for its large database. Speaking in an interview published by the scientific website SMC, she notes that its relevant because it questions a well-established empirical finding: the existence of the U-shaped curve of well-being and the hump of ill-being throughout life. Garaigordobil considers the results to be very novel, noting that they break with one of the most-cited regularities in the social sciences.

On the same website, Eduard Vieta, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Barcelona, elaborates on the quality of the data and agrees with the diagnosis. But he adds another possible cause. I think the contrast between expectations and reality is missing. The younger generations in most of the countries included in the study have received a very overprotective education and have developed a low tolerance for frustration. I think this aspect is also relevant to explaining their emotional distress, he adds.

The article concludes that this global trend demands urgent attention from governments, researchers and civil society to reverse the decline in youth well-being. When asked about any specific ideas or measures, Blanchflower suggests restricting access to phones as one possibility. But, above all, he emphasizes the importance of offering alternatives. Migrating social life again, but in reverse: from the screen to the streets. We must encourage play, socializing, and outdoor time. [We must] encourage children to behave like children, he says.

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Parents are feeling the pressure as their children are demanding more expensive back-to-school items thanks to haul culture on social media platforms.

Costs have soared by 70 per cent, according to new research by Nationwide, with families being forced to fork out 329 per child  a 137 increase on last year.

A new survey has found that over a third (36 per cent) of parents blame the increase on popular trending pharses pushing more expensive items on social media site, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Items requested by children include premium water bottles (demanded by 27 per cent), the latest leggings (17 per cent), bag charms (16 per cent), new phones (14 per cent) and new make-up (10 per cent).

Other requests include designer bags (23 per cent), new laptops (18 per cent), hair accessories (16 per cent), and new headphones, earbuds or airpods, which sit at 14 per cent.

However, other factors are also involved in the price boost, with 43 per cent attributing the requests to childrens desire to fit in to peer pressure (39 per cent).

Sophie Wilson, a mother of a five-year-old girl, said that she spent nearly 200 on her back-to-school items with school trainers and shoes topping the list.

open image in gallery Children are demanding more after being influenced by TikTok and other social media ( Getty Images )

Wilson has been savvy with her purchases, opting to buy things second-hand instead of brand-new.

Were very fortunate that our school has a great second-hand clothing shop, run by the Parents Association, she said.

So I tend to buy all my daughters school-branded items from there and then supplement them with additional t-shirts and tights bought during the high-street sales.

She also recommended apps such as Vinted, where she has found deals that have saved her nearly 50 per cent off in some instances.

The survey, conducted on 2,001 parents of primary and secondary school children, also revealed their general anxiety around rising costs.

open image in gallery Over a third of parents believe social media is to blame ( Getty Images )

Over half (56 per cent) feel pressure to spend beyond their means, while nine in ten believe the cost of back-to-school items is increasing.

Nearly a third (28 per cent) are relying on saving throughout the year to afford the costs and 16 per cent partake in second-hand shopping to fulfil childrens needs.

School uniforms (40 per cent) and footwear (22 per cent) take up the lions share of expenditure, but 45 per cent of parents think requests for items such as phones are unnecessary. Digital banking apps are also used to track spending by 16 per cent of respondents.

Sue Hayward, a financial expert, advised: Cash strapped parents can save by stocking up on basics like polo tops, jumpers and stationery with supermarket deals, and its also worth looking for nearly new uniform on sites such as Vinted and eBay.

With branded uniform, buying outgrown items through the school or your local Facebook group can also help save money. And local councils may offer financial help with school uniform costs, depending on where you live.
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An 11-year-old boy has died after being shot multiple times while playing ding, dong, ditch on a Houston resident, police say.

The child and several of his friends ran from door to door pressing buzzers trying to evade residents who answered, in the east area of the city on Saturday evening, cops said.

As the kids ran from a house near Mimbrough and Fidelity streets just before 11 p.m., someone chased after them with a weapon and started firing rounds, a witness told KHOU 11. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was struck in the back, Houston Police Department said.

Emergency responders with the Houston Fire Department transported the victim to a hospital in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. The boy succumbed to his injuries on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The child died on Sunday after playing a prank on a Houston resident the evening before, police say ( KHOU 11 )

Police said a person was detained at the scene for questioning by homicide detectives on Sunday morning before being released. No arrests had been made by Monday morning. While executing a search warrant at the property, investigators said they collected several rifles and handguns as evidence.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and are working with the Harris County District Attorneys Office on possible charges.

Sergeant Michael Cass, a homicide detective with the Houston Police Department, told the CBS News affiliate that the suspect would more than likely face a murder charge.

Cass said the boys death did not appear to involve self-defense because the shooting wasnt close to the house.

Neighbors were shocked after the seemingly innocent prank ended in tragedy.

What harm could they have done? Playing with a doorbell? Thats the part that really kind of hurts the heart, one resident told the news station. For someone to shoot him in the back, they knew they were a kid. Whats the purpose of it?

Another neighbor urged potential pranksters against going knocking on peoples doors.

As ding-dong-ditch pranks surged after being posted to TikTok, other injuries have been documented in recent years.

An 18-year-old high school senior in Virginia was shot and killed in May while filming the stunt for the social media platform.

In 2020, a California man rammed a car carrying six teenagers after they pulled a similar prank, killing three 16-year-olds. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2023.
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When Maureen Brainard-Barnes skeletal remains were discovered in the roadside scrub near Long Islands Gilgo Beach in the winter of 2010, investigators faced a daunting challenge.

Despite the grim find, there was scant physical evidence to identify her killer, save for a single, degraded strand of hair. At the time, extracting viable DNA from such a sample was beyond the capabilities of forensic science, leaving detectives to search for other clues in their hunt for a suspected serial killer scattering womens bodies along the coastal parkway.

However, a significant breakthrough emerged approximately seven years ago. Investigators turned to Astrea Forensics, a California-based laboratory pioneering new techniques to analyse old, highly degraded DNA samples, including rootless hairs like the crucial one found alongside Brainard-Barnes body.

That labs work is the focus of a pivotal decision in the closely watched case. A state judge is weighing whether to allow the DNA evidence generated through Astrea Forensics whole genome sequencing into the trial of Rex Heuermann, who is accused of killing 25-year-old Brainard-Barnes and six other women.

If allowed, it would mark the first time such techniques could be admitted in a New York court, and one of just a handful of such instances nationwide, according to prosecutors, defense lawyers and experts.

Prosecutors say Astrea's findings, combined with other evidence, overwhelmingly implicate Heuermann, 61, as the killer.

But lawyers for the Manhattan architect argue the company's calculations exaggerate the likelihood that the hairs recovered from the burial sites match their client.

You can imagine the pressure thats on this judge because hes probably more than likely making a ruling that will set the stage for all the cases that come after, said April Stonehouse, a DNA forensics expert at Arizona State University who is not involved in the case.

open image in gallery Suffolk County Police conduct a search, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010, along a beachfront road in Babylon, N.Y., where four bodies were found during a hunt for a missing New Jersey woman. (AP Photo/Frank Eltman, File) ( AP2010 )

DNA analysis is no longer new, but the tests typically used by criminal labs across the country have limitations.

Astrea is one of a small but growing number of private labs that say they are capable of taking extremely short DNA fragments found in very old bones and hair and using them to reconstruct a person's entire genetic sequence, or genome.

During court testimony, experts called by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office highlighted how scientists use similar techniques in a wide range of scientific and medical work, such as mapping the genome of the Neanderthal  an effort awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Astrea Forensics' co-founder, Dr. Richard Green, described in court how his labs whole genome sequencing results were allowed as evidence in last years trial and conviction of David Allen Dalrymple in the cold-case murder of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson in Idaho.

Heuermanns lawyers argue that Astreas DNA methods haven't been subjected to enough scrutiny yet, and warned they needed more evaluation because they had the potential to dramatically reshape how forensics is used in criminal trials.

They zeroed in on the statistical analysis Greens lab conducted on the DNA profiles it generated from the hairs recovered from the victims remains, saying it was potentially overstating the likelihood that a mapped genome was a match with any particular person.

For its calculations, Astrea Forensics uses reference data from an open-source database containing the full DNA sequence of some 2,500 people worldwide, called the 1,000 Genomes Project.

Dr. Dan Krane, a professor at Wright State University in Ohio, testified for the defense that Astrea Forensics' methods were wildly and unfairly prejudicial."

Prosecutors countered that Kranes critique was misguided and revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of the labs methods.

open image in gallery A street sign for Gilgo Beach in a scene from the documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets (Peacock via AP)

William Thompson, a professor emeritus of criminology at the University of California, Irvine, who is not involved in the case, agreed with the defense that Astrea Forensics statistical analysis was unvalidated and lacked wide acceptance in the scientific community.

This new technique may eventually be proven to live up to the claims of its promoters, but that hasnt happened yet, he said.

But Nathan Lents, a biology professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, who is also not involved in the case, disagreed, suggesting the mathematical quibble didnt warrant dismissing the evidence outright.

The bottom line is that there are genuine scientific concerns with the way that the statistics are computed, but not with the laboratory techniques, he said. The concerns are real, but the likelihood ratios still look very damning for the defense, no matter how they are computed.

open image in gallery Rex Heuermann, charged in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings, appears in Judge Timothy Mazzei's courtroom at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., for a status conference on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025

Prosecutors have amassed other evidence against Heuermann, who is accused of killing women as early as 1993.

In court filings, they say cellphone call information and tracking data show that Heuermann arranged meetings with some of the victims shortly before their disappearances.

Last year, prosecutors revealed they had recovered from Heuermanns computer files what they describe as a blueprint for the killings, including a series of checklists with reminders to limit noise, clean the bodies and destroy evidence.

They also have a second DNA analysis completed by a separate crime lab that used more traditional methods long accepted in New York courts. They say those findings, from Mitotyping Technologies, also convincingly link hairs found on some victims to either Heuermann or members of his family.

Investigators say that as he disposed of his victims, Heuermann used items from his house  including tape, belts, bags and a surgical drape  that had traces of hair from his wife and daughter.

In Brainard-Barnes' case, though, only the advanced DNA tests performed by Astrea identified a match, finding the hair found with her remains belonged to Heuermann's wife.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei is expected to announce whether he'll allow Astrea's DNA work into the trial during a Wednesday hearing in Riverhead.
In combination, the two programs will outline the chemistry and operating conditions feeding into Criticas flowsheet optimisation, future pilot work and three stages of feasibility studies.

The work from the two test streams aims to produce the companys first mixed rare earths carbonate product from the compelling WA project.

The rare earths material initially undergoes beneficiation, which has produced outstanding results from the bench-scale testing. The programs huge upgrade in TREO produced a concentrate ranging from 10,000ppm to 20,000ppm TREO.

The composite material dispatched to ANSTO and Minutech was upgraded using a two-step process involving wet low-intensity magnetic separation and a simple flotation process. It will undergo leach testing to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate.

Critica will be looking for the upcoming pilot plant to replicate or surpass the bench-scale results of mass rejection and upgrade in TREO. The results will enable inputs for a scoping study, providing key data on tailings characteristics, flow sheet economics and processing efficiencies.

Management believes vital decision-grade data will be revealed from the program, including recovery levels, concentrate specifications and reagent consumption to provide valuable direct inputs into its scoping study and help optimise the hydrometallurgical flow sheet.

Critica says GAVAQ, ANSTO and Minutech will combine seamlessly to advance its beneficiation, hydrometallurgy and product chemistry towards an in-demand concentrate product and to support offtake engagement.

Critica Limited chief executive officer Jacob Deysel said: Approving the Jupiter pilot and appointing GAVAQ is a key step on our scale, simplicity, speed roadmap. By upgrading before leaching, we reject about 95 per cent of mass and lift grades more than eight-fold ahead of hydrometallurgy. That translates into a smaller leach plant, lower reagent use and a cleaner, faster path to MREC.

The company believes that taking upfront steps to dramatically upgrade its material will translate into a smaller leach plant being required, resulting in lower upfront capital expenditure and ongoing operating expenditure savings.

Critica plans to advance the project using two parallel de-risking streams - geology and metallurgy.

The geological stream will focus on delivering an optimal MREO resource from modelling ore blocks high in the four magnet elements, infill drilling, assay results and preparation of composite samples. Work is expected to define resource blocks for mine planning and pit-shell design.

The metallurgical stream will now comprise GAVAQ beneficiation testwork, in conjunction with ANSTOs and Minutechs downstream programs.

Together, the two streams will feed into the upcoming scoping study as well as its pre-feasibility and definitive feasibility studies, with an end-goal of a bankable project model. The company will also seek offtake agreements with global industry participants, grant funding and all necessary regulatory approvals for a mining operation.

The company is focused on the four key magnet rare earth elements, which are critical inputs for high-performance magnets and essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, advanced technologies and clean energy applications. The elements account for more than 85 per cent of a rare earths basket value.

Jupiters ore has the added appeal of low levels of the deleterious elements uranium and thorium, helping to support permitting and garner interest in the product from global players.

The building of a pilot-scale processing plant is an important step towards production and this latest agreement may propel Critica along a faster path towards its end-goal.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
Scientists and animal rights activists differ on the need to allow the hunting of the worlds largest rodent, but agree that the deterioration of its ecosystem puts it at risk

Before the capybara became a commercial object, through its appearance as a Disney character, the massive arrival of stuffed animals made in China, or its explosion in fame as the friendliest animal on the planet, its herds roamed for tens of millions of years across the flooded savannas of the Orinoquia, the Colombian-Venezuelan plains east of the Andes. Theyre divine, acknowledges Hugo Lopez Arevalo, a biologist and professor at the National University of Colombia, who has dedicated part of his career to the study of the rodents and who, contradictory as it may seem, argues before the Ministry of the Environment for the authorization of their commercial hunting. As with Pablo Escobars hippos, the debate about allowing the hunting of capybara is revived from time to time: it has such high reproduction rates that in Argentina and Brazil it has been considered a pest. The positions of scientists and animal rights activists seem irreconcilable. Although Lena Estrada ruled out the possibility in one of her final decisions before resigning as Environment Minister, Lopez Arevalo and his colleagues reacted with indignation. The debate continues.

Scientists point out that over 20 years of research, led by public universities and funded by state coffers and international cooperation, demonstrate that allowing hunting of between 5% and 10% of the population does not affect its overall composition. They argue that part of the population dies cyclically due to droughts and that the sustainable use of the animals meat, bones, or skin can be promoted, in compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which Colombia signed in 1992. This would allow the state to control an illegal activity.

Animal rights activists, on the other hand, consider it a cruel practice and point out that hunting is not the central issue, since the legal consumption of capybara meat comes from captive breeding. Furthermore, how can we trust the controls [put in place by] an entity that has been unable to combat environmental crimes? asks Andrea Padilla, a senator from the Green Party and a well-known animal rights activist. In writing, the congresswoman comments that, in addition to the ethical reasons she finds for not eating their meat, it would be desirable to recover and protect their habitat, conserve the floodplains where they live, monitor wild populations, and protect the health of individuals.

Its a discussion that encompasses water pollution, deforestation, food security, and, especially, rice. This staple food for Colombians is central to the debate. Lopez Arevalo agrees with animal rights activists that  if the capybara is at risk as a species in the long term  it is not because of hunting but because of the radical and silent transformation the Eastern Plains are undergoing due to large plantations of rubber, soy, palm, sugarcane, and, most importantly, rice.

A group of capybaras rests in the Eastern Plains. Mauricio Acosta (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The advance of rice

The Eastern Plains, a traditionally cattle-raising region that serves as a natural transition to the Amazon, have been undergoing a transformation. Beginning in the 1980s, rice began to gain traction, as the watery, sunny savannas are highly conducive to its cultivation. It has gained such momentum that, in 2024, La Oriniquia provided 55% of the grain consumed in Colombia, according to the National Federation of Rice Growers (Fedearroz).

For Rodrigo Botero, director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS), the model that has filled the plains with wheat ears has had an enormous environmental impact. The rice industry between Arauca and Casanare moves channels, entire rivers, without any control. Since the land is cheap, they hit it very hard, use chemical fertilizers, and make massive use of pesticides. How many thousands of liters are ending up in the waters? he asks. Rice farmers have larger water collection permits than the hydrocarbon industry. He explains that on the southern edge of the Orinoquia, where the Amazon begins, there are signs of an advance in rice cultivation that is destroying the countrys floodplain forests. He adds that the loss of these ecosystems increases vulnerability to extreme events caused by climate change, such as floods or droughts.

Jorge Ardila, an agricultural engineer who is part of the Fedearroz research team in Yopal, one of the largest cities in the region, qualifies the criticism. He argues that agricultural dynamics are complex, and therefore it is not possible to blame a single industry for environmental degradation. He points out that in the plains, most rice is grown using the rainfed method, which depends on rainfall, and emphasizes that rice farmers have managed to reduce their water footprint by 55%. There are agrochemicals that are applied, and they have an impact on any crop, but with monitoring we have reduced herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. For Ardila, the problem is the rice farmers who are not affiliated with the federation. When people are doing well, it encourages parachute farmers, who expand their areas or the agricultural frontier, he states, noting that they are less strict in environmental protection.

The union says it is aware that the transformation of the savannas could affect the habitat of capybaras and other animals, but clarifies that control and demarcation are the responsibility of the state. If there is no territorial planning that provides guidelines on where to plant and where not to plant, its difficult, explains Ardila. The agronomist points to the livestock industry as the main cause of the expansion of the agricultural frontier. He states that many of these ranchers hire rice farmers as paratroopers on a one-time basis to prepare the land, and then fill it with cattle.

Two capybaras cross the Meta River at dusk. TatanHerrera (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A new landscape

Adapted to live in flooded savannas, covering themselves in mud to protect themselves from the sun, and coexisting with other animals, its hard to imagine the capybaras subsistence outside the ecosystem in which they evolved. Although the origin of this rodent can be traced back to Africa before the continental divide, the Capybara is as Colombian, or as neotropical, as can be, explains Lopez Arevalo. Its trail is evidenced by fossils found in La Guajira, dating back to the time when the desert in the far north of the country was a tropical forest.

Now they blend in with the rice fields in the same landscape. Rice farmers find their footprints, know they pass through their fields, and sometimes feed on their rice, especially when they are young. Although Lopez Arevalo has heard of cases in which landowners have them killed to protect crops, Fedearroz claims to have no reports of this and says that farmers sometimes use electric fences to scare them away. Capybaras, however, dont spend long in the rice fields; they only cross them during their eternal journey through the savanna.

Amid these changes, Lopez Arevalo insists on the importance of hunting. We cant think that everything green is bioeconomy, or that everything that isnt meat is good, he says, noting that selling capybara meat could provide economic benefits for the community that counteract the appeal of extensive farming. A rice farmers strike in July highlighted the fragility of a sector that sometimes sees prices fall below production costs. And one that is racing to find solutions: in 2030, rice from the United States will enter Colombia tariff-free, according to the signed FTA, exposing local rice farmers to a crisis.

Environmental impact studies for the hunting initiative establish that there is a potential market for capybara meat outside the Eastern Plains, where residents prefer pork or beef. But researchers from the National University consulted with prestigious chefs, who expressed interest in using it on their menus as a novel attraction. In Australia, kangaroo meat is sold in supermarkets, in a dedicated display case. Whoever wants it knows they can get it there, explains Lopez Arevalo, who urges that the debate not be shelved: If we stall the discussion, and dont take into account that there are abundant populations in some places, we will see how the capybara will disappear due to rice paddies or because people killed them because they became a pest.

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Dateline has secured $25 million at $0.215 a share to accelerate drilling and study work at its Colosseum goldrare earths project in California, lifting total cash on hand to more than $35 million.

The latest raise sets up an active second half for the company, which is focusing on both brecciapipe gold targets and the projects rare earths potential. The company says steps are also underway towards United States Securities and Exchange Commission registration to broaden its access to American capital.

Datelines Colosseum located within earshot of MP Materials Mountain Pass mine.

The share raise proceeds are earmarked for an expanded field program that builds on this years geophysics and gravity work across Colosseum. Six new brecciapipe anomalies have been outlined with signatures comparable to the known pipes, and modelling indicates the system could extend about 300 metres below historical drill levels.

Bringing multiple lookalike targets to the rig at pace is now a priority alongside early site works and long lead time orders tied to the companys bankable feasibility study (BFS).

The project sits less than 10 kilometres north of MP Materials Mountain Pass mine - the USs only producing rare earths mine - and Dateline says elements of its integrated MT/gravity model echo the carbonatite signature at Mountain Pass. Alongside the projects geographic vicinity to Mountain Pass, this adds further weight to the rare earths angle in addition to its already established gold system.

In June, the company began trading on the US OTCQB under the ticker DTREF, giving it a huge injection of dollar-denominated liquidity during US market hours without adding any additional ASX compliance burden. Also, in late-August the company received letters from the US Secretary of the Interior reaffirming Colosseums rights and its potential to produce both gold and critical rare earths.

There was also the now-famous post by President Donald Trump hailing Colosseum as Americas second rare earths mine, which helped massively boost North American attention on the story after it was green-lit following years of stalled permitting.

GR Engineering Services has been appointed to coordinate the BFS across metallurgy, flow sheet, plant design, site infrastructure and financial modelling, with a final investment decision targeted for early 2026. A May 2025 update to the companys 2024 scoping study outlined an internal rate of return of 61 per cent over an 8.4-year life at about 71,000 ounces per annum, noting the outcomes remain only at scoping study confidence and are not ore reserves.

Reflecting what has been an outstanding year for Dateline, the companys share price hasnt just shifted  its skipped town. In a Cinderella-move if ever there was one, Datelines share price kicked off the year trading at just 0.2 cents before hitting a fresh high of 27.5c last Friday, representing an eye-popping 13,650 per cent increase in the past eight months.

With capital in the bank, an enlarged target map, a BFS team in place and a strategic address near Mountain Pass, plus US government support and a potential US SEC registration in the wind, therell be plenty of eyes on whats next in store for this ASX high-flyer.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
Grocery giants Coles and Woolworths have been rapidly rolling out anti-theft measures as supermarkets fend off ongoing attacks. The number of threatening situations happening at Coles has risen 28 per cent nationally. Woolworths dealt with more than 6000 violent incidents last year, with Victoria accounting for more than half of those. Retail crime syndicates are targeting expensive cuts of meat. Credit: Stephen Kiprillis Its an everyday occurrence, said Mike Schneider, the chief executive of hardware giant Bunnings. Michael Townsley, a professor at Griffith Universitys school of criminology and criminal justice who researches retail theft, said statistics backed up the view that organised crime groups were the main driver of the recent uptick in retail crime. About 10 per cent of offenders are responsible for 60 per cent of all harm and loss, according to Auror.

While organised crime syndicates exist in both NSW and Victoria and are players in illicit tobacco, drugs and prostitution, Townsley, who is a consultant to the National Retail Association, said retail theft  especially in Victoria  had emerged as a gainful area for criminals. Loading While Victoria Police staunchly deny the broader industrys view that organised crime activity, and not individuals struggling with the cost of living, is driving the increase in retail theft in the state  in fact, the force believes the soaring figures largely reflect a growth in businesses reporting incidents to them  Townsley points to a key reason why stores in the state are being targeted. A standing frustration from national retailers that Victoria police are a difficult service to engage with, he said, in stark contrast to in NSW, where police seem to be much more proactive on retail crime. They [NSW] have an intelligence team, whereas in Victoria, its not clear that theres been much ownership of organised retail crime as a problem.

The figures are a sign that syndicates dont feel deterred in Victoria, Townsley said, which leads to stores in the state being seen as an easier target. His research has indicated that even crime groups from NSW now travel temporarily into Victoria to steal from businesses. Baby formula had historically been among the most stolen goods by organised criminals, in part due to its scarcity overseas, while batteries and razor blades were also popular due to their size and weight making them easy to obscure, Townsley said. However, criminals have become so brazen and undeterred  in part because they know that supermarkets and retail chains tell their employees not to engage with thieves out of safety fears and future workers compensation costs  they now largely work by swarming stores, Townsley said. A dozen people might come in and overwhelm the staff in the store, knowing that by shouting, gesturing and outnumbering, they are intimidating the staff, while members of the group take goods and leave the store within minutes. When theyre asked to show a receipt, theyre showing a weapon, said Bunnings Schneider. Nathan Halliday, chief of member operations at Sonder, an employee wellbeing platform used by Woolworths, McDonalds, Guzman y Gomez, this masthead and other hospitality and corporate groups, receives many reports of robberies involving groups of two or three that walk straight up to the till.

Theyve got a balaclava on, they pull out the blade straight away  saying, I want this, give it to me, he said. The criminals demand whatever cash is in the till, usually a few hundred dollars, and the entire encounter might be over in under a minute. As criminals get used to walking out of stores without impediment, they have become more prolific. Baby formula has historically been among the most stolen goods by organised criminals. Where do stolen groceries end up? The pool of foot soldiers recruited by fully fledged syndicates to coordinate various parts of the black market ecosystem is expanding as some demographics reportedly look to make extra cash.

A recent bust of a Victorian syndicate accused of stealing more than $10 million in baby formula, electric toothbrushes, skincare and vitamins led to the arrest of 19 people police identified as predominantly Indian nationals on temporary, student or bridging visas, often on visas limiting how many hours per week they can legally work. Several of those charged had no fixed address, police said. Billions worth of goods are being stolen from shops and supermarkets Australia-wide. Credit: Getty Images Stolen items are passed on to receivers who will sell and distribute them. As the demand for cheaper black market goods has expanded, the types of those involved have expanded beyond stereotypical seasoned criminals. As part of Operation Supernova, police arrested a 54-year-old woman at her Springvale home, in Melbournes south-east, where officers allegedly found more than $25,000 of stolen goods. Clothing has emerged as a lucrative category. Illegal showrooms of stolen clothes are popping up in private homes, location details being released to approved shoppers. Electronics, health and beauty products, too, are also turning up this way.

If you know where they are, you can go in and try on different sizes, Townsley said. Facebook Marketplace has also become a favoured destination for criminals to on-sell stolen clothing, in large part because eBay had been collaborating with retailers to address theft. It makes you wonder how some sellers online can get an entire stores worth of clothing new with their tags still on. Its quite impressive, said Townsley.[Facebook] Marketplace has been a massive boon to organised criminals as its not very accessible to surveillance. Car boot butchers The distribution methods for other goods are perhaps more troubling: syndicates have been able to sell higher-value items such as meat and alcohol to willing buyers with ease.

Eye fillet beef or lamb backstraps  cuts that command a premium for their tenderness  are the most-targeted goods by organised thieves, Coles boss Leah Weckert said. Small businesses, especially small suburban cafes, restaurants and bars struggling with rising operating expenses such as the price of ingredients, are the majority of customers of stolen meat and liquor, according to Townsley. Coles chief executive Leah Weckert. Credit: Eamon Gallagher Ive heard anecdotes of people selling meat out of their boots, lined with foil and coolers, and its local cafes buying the stolen meat. If its $50 of meat and you can get it for $20, that makes a massive difference to those struggling businesses. Similarly with alcohol  its so desirable with such a high margin when you serve it, its a way to create a little extra profit, Townsley said.

Everyone pays the price The true cost of the theft crisis is far more than just financial. Store staff who face dangerous situations or have a knife pointed at them might seem fine immediately, but can later develop anxiety about returning to the workplace. Theres this huge amount of rumination that happens, said Sonders Halliday. They keep thinking of the situation  what could I have done differently? Or why did this happen to me? They literally just struggle to actually get to sleep in those moments. This has gone beyond being a retail crime crisis and actually becoming a safety crisis. Mike Schneider, Bunnings chief executive On top of millions of dollars invested into anti-theft technology, retail staff around the country are receiving de-escalation training, which instructs staff to soften their tone and not intervene. Woolworths is employing virtual reality technology to simulate real scenarios.

Employers investing in preventative measures  smart gates, trolley locks, camera scanning technology, lockout buttons  and employee support programs are starting to see some positive results. Gen Z workers appear disproportionately affected by the violent or threatening incidents, which appear to spike around 9pm, Sonder data shows. Loading Its not just the theft  its actually the absenteeism, the time off work, the rise in mental health workers compensation claims that are coming through pretty rapidly, said Halliday. All these costs add up and have to be factored in by the employer. Youve got the cost of stock loss. Youve got the cost of paying for heightened security. Ultimately, thats going to be the customer that pays, right? Thats just the reality, said Schneider.
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Review Eating outCarlton An infectious sense of joy: The duo putting a fresh spin on pasta in Carlton The suburb has a long and storied history of Italians setting up shop. But Super Norma writes a new chapter with its modern sensibility, and affordability, with serves starting at $16. Besha Rodell September 2, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

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1 / 7 Super Norma on Rathdowne Street has become a community hub for Carlton locals. Simon Schluter 2 / 7 The namesake pasta alla Norma, with a sticky eggplant and tomato sauce. Simon Schluter 3 / 7 Its all about pasta and sauce here. Simon Schluter 4 / 7 A smoked burratta salad is one of the only entrees. Simon Schluter 5 / 7 Inside Super Norma, originally a pop-up thats now a fixture of the Carlton neighbourhood. Simon Schluter 6 / 7 The seasonal pasta of creamed Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac with sage and pancetta. Simon Schluter 7 / 7 Ragu Napoletano is one of the most laborious dishes on the menu. Simon Schluter Previous Slide Next Slide Critics' Pick How we score Italian$$$$ One of the more underappreciated genres of restaurant is the one that is, above all, useful. As pleasurable as a tasting menu full of rich dishes might be, its unlikely to fit into your life in a meaningful way with any regularity. Many of us are more attached to our neighbourhood pub than we are to the special occasion restaurant four doors up  utility trumps luxury nine times out of 10. The small space at 140 Rathdowne Street in Carlton has long been engineered for utility. Pre-pandemic, it was a cafe called Tanaka. When lockdowns hit, Tanaka was one of many Melbourne hospitality venues that morphed according to the needs of its neighbourhood. It became a market, a direct farm-to-consumer vegie box operation, a community hub for running clubs (when they were allowed), and more. Related Article Four surprising new Italian venues taking their pasta and tiramisu to new places

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In 2022, the business outgrew the small space and moved up the block, rebranding as Fenton Farmhouse, but eventually leased the original Tanaka space to a couple of friends for a three-month pop-up. Marco Salzano and Luca Muscato, both recent transplants from southern Italy, met in Melbourne and were already collaborating (along with a third friend) as Disco Mediterranea, a creative collective that revolves around Mediterranean music and culture. Super Norma owners Luca Muscato (left) and Marco Salzano. Simon Schluter When I first walked past Super Norma, I snapped a photo of the sign and sent it to a colleague, wondering if they were going to get sued by Andrew McConnell; the name is only one letter off his Asian canteen, Supernormal. (Apparently McConnell has better things to do.) But the wordplay also refers to one of the signature dishes served by Salzano and Muscato: pasta alla Norma, a sticky eggplant and tomato situation that has found a place on my regular dining rotation as a weeknight meal when I dont feel like cooking.

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I am not the only person who has come to rely on these dudes and their pasta  the popularity of Super Norma turned the three-month pop-up into a fixture of the neighbourhood. The namesake pasta alla Norma, a sticky eggplant and tomato dish. Simon Schluter The food offering is simple: pasta and sauce; one type of the former, many types of the latter. Ive always contended that fat rigatoni is the best of the dried pastas, and its what they use here, cooked slightly al dente. Pastas start at $16; the special of the day is the blow-out item at $32. Most sauces are southern Italian; a textbook burro cacio e pepe is as far north as they get. Part of why I like Super Norma is because the food tastes a lot like something I would cook. Sometimes I just want someone else to do it. Ive had the odd dish that didnt work. The current seasonal offering advertises itself as a sauce made of creamed Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac with sage and pancetta, but either someone swapped out the meat or theyve found a pancetta thats very unusual. It was wildly spicy and completely overwhelmed the otherwise delicate dish.

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There are occasionally entree-like specials, but often caprese salad and garlic bread are the only non-pasta options. The ragu Napoletano is one of the most laborious dishes on Super Normas menu. Simon Schluter The most laborious dish on the menu is also one of the best. Ragu Napoletano is a rich, complex, multi-meat sauce thats cooked for seven hours with tomato and herbs. But even this tastes like something someones grandma made, or a dish by that home cook you know who goes a little above and beyond but has no delusions of grandeur. In fact, part of why I like Super Norma is because the food tastes a lot like something I would cook. Sometimes I just want someone else to do it. And sometimes I just want a $10 negroni, or to perch on a stool in a tiny room and listen to good Italian disco from a turntable and chat to the chefs while they cook. Salzano and Muscato have an infectious sense of joy and unserious style  until recently, Salzano was sporting a perfect Barry Gibb look  and the place is festooned with nonna-chic tchotchkes along with pop culture and Italian tourism ephemera. The side of the combi oven on the back counter is plastered with postcards, photos, and a Garfield sock held on with a magnet. Inside Super Norma, originally a pop-up thats now a fixture of the Carlton neighbourhood. Simon Schluter

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Apart from its usefulness and effervescence, Super Norma tells a story about the unlikely strategies that can make for successful hospitality businesses at a time when those two words  successful and hospitality  seem diametrically opposed. The offering is extremely limited, meaning the team only has to do a few things well. The space is tiny, so theyve focused on a product that lends itself to takeaway (in fact, pastas are served in takeaway boxes, even for customers who are dining in). Theres a strong focus on community and collaboration, especially on Friday nights when Fenton opens its doors to Super Norma customers, providing more seating (and toilets), good music and bargain drinks, turning the two operations into a block party of sorts. The history of Italians moving to Melbourne and making Carlton more delicious, friendly and fun is long and storied. Super Norma puts a decidedly modern spin on the Italy-to-Melbourne pipeline, and does it effortlessly. Its not a destination, or a revelation, or anything but a couple of dudes making their neighbourhood a better, happier, more user-friendly place to live. Isnt that why we live where we do? Isnt that what really matters? The low-down Atmosphere: A party in nonnas tiny kitchen, garnished with a fistful of funk Go-to dishes: Super Norma ($23); cacio e pepe ($20); ragu Napoletano ($28). Drinks: $10 negronis, sangiovese on tap, two or three other Italian wines by the glass and bottle Cost: About $50 for two, excluding drinks Related Article Critics' Pick Review The viral fish burger might catch your eye, but its not our critics go-to order at Editas

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Related Article Review The hot new Lygon Street Italian restaurant where pasta starts at $6 Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant cant pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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The father of three then allegedly opened a window of the bus and shot Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, who also died at the scene. Another detective wounded in the attack is understood to have hidden under the bus for up to an hour, until paramedics arrived. Kahan said on Monday that the offer of a surrender plan made to Freeman in previous days was now also being extended to any potential accomplices who were helping him. Take up that offer, by whichever means you like, whether it be [calling] triple zero or otherwise, he said. We will formulate a surrender plan.

Loading Kahan said police had received more than 450 pieces of intelligence from the public, which had assisted in their manhunt, and he called on anyone with information to contact authorities. What I can say, the outpouring of assistance from the local community has been simply remarkable in respect to those that know Dezi, he said. Kahan vowed police would not stop their search efforts until Freeman was found. The superintendent said the force owed it to the two slain officers. We owe it to Vadim and we owe it to Neal. And we owe it to not only the Victoria Police community, but the community at large, he said. Because what we shouldnt forget, is were looking for a person who killed two people.

On Sunday, Freemans wife, Mali Freeman, urged her husband to surrender, in a statement through her lawyer which implored anyone harbouring him to contact police. However, Kahan called into question the level of co-operation Freemans wife had afforded investigators. In respect to the suspects wife, what Ill say [is], its two different things to be speaking with police and co-operating [with police], he said. We continue the search believing that Dezi Freeman, who is suspected of killing two police officers, is alive.

We are absolutely hunting for a fugitive, and we continue to do so. Loading As the investigation into the shooting ambush continues alongside the search, a police source confirmed there was a discussion about whether Freemans alleged crimes could be deemed terrorism, but this suggestion has been dismissed. Dr Josh Roose, a Deakin University associate professor who studies political violence, said while Freeman was clearly highly, highly ideologically motivated that was not enough to deem the killings an act of terrorism. In terms of establishing this particular incident, he [Freeman] would have to be identified as seeking to advance a political, religious, ideological cause, Roose said.

The question is: has he written a manifesto? Has he provided evidence in some way, shape or form? Is there evidence that this was an act designed to advance a political cause? Roose said investigators would likely be combing through up to tens of thousands of different pieces of material linked to Freeman, analysing his phone records and probing what he was doing and saying online. [Allegedly] murdering two police officers and then going on the run afterwards because of your beliefs and not giving yourself up because of your beliefs doesnt necessarily make a terrorist attack, Roose said. Hes got to have murdered or killed police officers in line with his ideology and to advance the ideology, and thats tricky because in the case of sovereign citizen ideology, its not known for being primarily reactive. If anything, its a reaction to government.

Loading The Porepunkah double shooting has eerie similarities to the 2022 killing of two police at a remote property outside the Queensland town of Wieambilla, west of Brisbane. Roose was an expert witness in the Wieambilla incident, in which Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train shot and killed police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, as well as neighbour Alan Dare, before being killed by members of the police special emergency response team. He said the Porepunkah case was not as clear-cut, as the Trains had documented their beliefs in YouTube clips and in writing. Stacey Train had also mapped out how long until the end of the world, Roose said.

The Trains engaged in conspiracies and Gareth had declared himself a sovereign citizen. Queensland Police and ASIO declared that incident a terrorist attack motivated by a Christian violent extremist ideology. When the police came on [their property], they [the Trains] viewed them as devils and demons incarnate effectively, Roose said. Police at the scene of the shooting on Monday. Credit: Joe Atrmao Also on Monday, police inspected a Porepunkah property on which Freeman and his family were living. Two armoured vehicles known as BearCats arrived at the farm, located at the base of Mount Buffalo.
Loading Last year, the Murdochs got approval to demolish and rebuild the propertys harbour front swimming pool (plus associated landscaping works) at an estimated cost of $128,610. The latest DA lodged by Mr L K & Mrs S A Murdoch late last month estimates the new drive will set them back $183,700. CBD cannot tell if that estimate is Point Piper prices or Murdoch prices  either way, a very grand entrance by the sounds of it. Scientific survivor An Australian Survivor scenario is playing out in a conference and wedding venue in Melbournes Southbank, according to some observers, as scientists at our premier publicly funded research body, the CSIRO, sing not only for their supper but their survival.

About 440 jobs were slashed last year, and now research and science jobs are up for the axe in a four-day Research Portfolio Build Workshop attended by the leadership team, science directors and research unit and program directors. Here, researchers from units such as climate change, agriculture and food and Data 61, which deals with artificial intelligence, will conduct a series of deep dive presentations  to further enrich our collective understanding of our science, according to an internal briefing note. The consequences will be profound. CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton. Credit: Martin Ollman Last week, the jungle drums were beating a foreboding tone when CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton emailed staff to tell them that the 76-year-old research institution needed to become simpler and sustainable. CBD could feel the axe swinging from here. Hilton said the workshop would be all about clarifying the future shape of our research portfolio, and hearing the presentations would be really exciting. Or terrifying, we guess.

I need to be clear, we will need to exit some research, he told staff. According to the Commonwealth Public Sector Union, scientists will be forced to pitch for their lives in Survivor-style science cuts. CSIROs research leaders have been dragged into a Survivor-style contest and made to pitch for the survival of projects in their research units, said the unions Susan Tonks. A CSIRO spokeswoman said funding had not kept pace with running a modern science agency, and it was reshaping its research portfolio.

The workshop we are holding this week is an important step to inform these decisions, the spokeswoman said. Any proposed changes will be done in line with well-established processes, policies and our enterprise agreement, including our commitment to consult with staff prior to decisions being made. Doorstops without journos Labor assistant minister Patrick Gorman and rookie member for Whitlam Carol Berry staged a feel-good media doorstop at federal parliaments Mural Hall on Monday to commemorate national Wattle Day  also known as the beginning of spring. MP for Perth Patrick Gorman. Credit: Holly Thompson Gorman produced a doorstop interview transcript of proceedings. It records how he urges all Australians to to snap a photo for their Instagram of wattle or to just admire the natural beauty of this country. And how many journos were on hand at this press event to take up the assistant minister on his spirited offer? Zero.

But that didnt stop Gorman, who even repeated Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses favourite election campaign trope and admired the natural beauty of his Medicare card, which he had produced with a flourish. One of the other reasons I love Wattle Day is because it gave us the green and gold for this thing, the Medicare card, Gorman said in the transcript, clearly aware of how to team with the theme. Before we make too much fun of Gorman and Berry, CBD has news that may shock readers: our pollies sometimes dont attract any reporters to the regular press events held in the Mural Hall, although a camera in the space means they can normally be viewed on televisions around parliament house. Who needs journos, anyway? Trough nothing to scoff at Spotted  Parliament House edition: To the ranks of those who cant stay away from the old place, we can add Warren Entsch, spotted today in the Parliament House dining room during the sitting week. Entsch was the Liberal National Party MP for the seat of Leichhardt, Queensland, from 1996 to 2007, and then from 2010 before retiring at the May election.
Liverpools Liberal mayor Ned Mannoun allegedly solicited a $2000 donation from a property developer to help fund the failed election campaign of the councils current chief executive, Jason Breton, who ran as an independent in the 2021 local government poll, a public inquiry has heard.

In explosive evidence on Monday, Breton rejected allegations he was aware of the donation, and that he had been urged to run on a dummy ticket devised to funnel votes to Liberal Party candidates.

Liverpool Council chief executive Jason Breton.

Not everything thats brown and wiggles in the grass is a snake. In retrospect, you can put these pieces together and they look fantastic as evidence. I didnt have a clue what I was doing, Breton told the inquiry into alleged dysfunction and maladministration at the south-west Sydney council.

Breton, a former NSW Police detective chief inspector who was previously the councils director of operations, started work at the council in late 2022. He was appointed acting chief executive after his predecessor, former Liberal MP John Ajaka, was sensationally ousted last year following a falling out with Mannoun. Breton was formally appointed to the permanent CEO role in April this year.
The first rail crossing removal project in more than a decade is nearing completion as the Beams Road overpass opens today.

Beams Road connects Gympie and Sandgate Roads, and crosses the Redcliffe rail line. The overpass has taken three years to build and has been planned for more than a decade.

The crossing had caused concern for locals and commuters, with 25 near-misses of pedestrians and vehicles reported across the last five years.

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This is about boosting travel reliability for both road and rail users  and in turn future proofing this vital roadway in Brisbanes growing northside, Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said.

The overpass is currently only open to westbound traffic, with a second eastbound lane expected to open later in September, after which point the rail crossing will be permanently closed, and work on a second bridge will begin.

The overpass bridges will each include footpaths, which Mickelberg said would help Carseldine locals get around safely.
A low-level gangster who snuck a loaded gun into a packed MCG will be sent a stern warning when sentenced for his actions.

Omar Salma, 21, of Roxburgh Park, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday, after being charged with firearm offences along with committing an indictable offence while on bail.

Police arrest a man allegedly found carrying a .22-calibre pistol at the MCG on April 3.

He entered a guilty plea after being caught with a gun at the MCG during the blockbuster AFL clash between Collingwood and Carlton in front of more than 82,000 fans in April.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet shut down prospects of avoiding jail time, outlining a history of significant offences over the past three years.
Australia has not pledged any new military equipment for Ukraine in almost a year, prompting urgent calls for help from Ukrainian military leaders as Russian President Vladimir Putin ramps up bombardments on Kyiv and other major cities.

Ukraine is also urging Australia to join an international coalition helping clear the nation of landmines, a move that would capitalise on Australias world-leading expertise in demining technology.

Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv last week killed 25 people, including four children, in the second-biggest aerial assault on the capital since the war began, according to Ukrainian officials.

Colonel Mykola Fedkalov and Lieutenant-Colonel Andrii Berezovsky visited Parliament House in Canberra to request more military assistance for Ukraine. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

The Albanese government has not announced the donation of any military hardware to Ukraine since October, when it revealed it would send 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks to the battlefield.
A popular Fitzroy music nightspot has fought back against a bid to close its doors, and its owner has criticised the efficiency of laws designed to protect entertainment venues.

Developer C&R Building Pty Ltd sought an enforcement order this year against the Night Cat, claiming that it was exceeding its permitted noise emission levels. The venue was then forced by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to make major soundproofing upgrades or face closure.

Justin Stanford said the decision was a win for live music venues. Credit: Simon Schluter

This decision was cancelled at a VCAT compulsory conference last week after it was found the venue was operating within its approved permit conditions.

Night Cat owner Justin Stanford said: Ive been living in relief this week  Being able to prove that were rock solid, and we cant get closed down for those reasons is a great help for the venue going into the future.
Nothing is free, Karina Milei would say, over and over. The sister of the Argentine president made that clear from the outset whenever someone contacted her to request Javier Mileis presence at an event, a talk, or any other activity. Thats what people who knew the Mileis in the years before he won the presidency recall  even when the far-right economist was a congressman.

As Milei gained fame through his extravagant television appearances, Karina began managing his schedule and, later, his income. She kept 10% of everything he earned, says a person who was close to them for nearly a decade and prefers to remain anonymous today. Karina saw the business, saw how to monetize her brother. Javier was always the opposite; he never cared much about that.

A low-profile woman who has barely been heard speaking in public, a figure inseparable from her brother, with enormous political influence and material ambition: this image of Karina Milei has become almost a cliche. Its a portrait painted again and again by those who have interacted with or investigated her. In the past 10 days, in the light and shadow of a corruption scandal engulfing the Milei government, that description takes on another significance, like a portent threatening to come true.

In a series of leaked audio recordings, the ousted director of the National Disability Agency, Diego Spagnuolo  until recently a friend and personal lawyer of Milei  described the existence of a bribery network surrounding the states purchase of medicines. He claimed it included Karina Milei, secretary general of the presidency, and her close collaborator Eduardo Lule Menem, undersecretary of institutional management, among others. He also said that the president was aware of the irregularities but never acted. After several days of striking silence, Javier Milei has limited himself to responding that everything is a lie and that it is an operation by the opposition, ahead of the crucial legislative elections on Sunday, September 7, in the province of Buenos Aires.

The accusation, under judicial investigation, hits at the heart of the ultra-right government  at the intimate and inseparable bond between Milei and his sister.

Sibling power

Im going to explain to you why I give power to my sister, Javier Milei shouted. The scene is recounted by journalist Victoria de Masi in her book La hermana. El jefe. La soberana (Karina. The Sister. The Boss. The Sovereign2024). Javier had his phone in hand, waving it in the air. He had seen a post on Twitter referencing a comment circulating on social media that  without any proof  claimed he and his sister had an incestuous relationship. Thats what made him angry. When I was a kid, one of the many times my father hit me, Karina stepped in between us. Karina defended me from the blows. And I saw, I saw, a light descend on her. A protective halo of light. Only two people witnessed that scene and they also agreed on this: Milei ended up sitting in a chair, sobbing, his face buried in his hands. They had never seen a man cry like that.

Karina Milei was born in Buenos Aires in 1973, when the future president was two and a half years old. A difficult childhood and a violent father somehow strengthened the bond between them. Before her brother became a public figure and she, his shadow, Karina studied advertising, earned a degree in public relations, and completed a postgraduate program in ceremonial and protocol. For more than 15 years, however, she worked as an administrative employee and secretary.

After failing as the owner of a tire shop, she turned to baking. At the same time, she explored what could be described as spiritual pursuits: tarot, family constellations, communication with animals, and related practices. By the middle of the last decade, her main role was serving as her brothers secretary and assistant.

Karina is the younger sister, but in practice shes the older one; shes his mother and father. She has an emotional monopoly on Milei, notes journalist Juan Luis Gonzalez, author of the biography El loco. La vida desconocido de Javier Milei y su irrupcion en la politica Argentina (El Loco. The Unknown Life of Javier Milei and His Entry into Argentine Politics).

An economist who worked with the president but is now disillusioned with Mileis circle, observes something similar: My feeling is that he always had a very unstable emotional life and feels safe with her. Shes his support; he depends on her a lot, he says. Karina controls access to Javier, and he is increasingly devoted to her, he adds. They dont trust anyone; they have hardly any long-term friends.

To appoint his sister as secretary general of the presidency  a position equivalent to a minister  Milei had to amend a law by decree that prevented him from placing direct relatives in public office. Karina is the most important person in the government, not because of her title, but because she appoints and removes those who make decisions. To be in government, you have to be in Karina Mileis good graces, Gonzalez explains, who is also the author of Las fuerzas del cielo (The Forces of Heaven). Milei is interested in the economy and is the charismatic leader, but he openly says it himself: she is the boss.

Karina Milei leads the political organization of a government that came to power almost two years ago without a party structure or representatives across the country. If Javier Milei delegates what in Argentina is called la rosca politica  negotiations and agreements to her, she, in turn, leans on the Menem clan, the family of former Peronist and neoliberal president Carlos Menem (19891999), whom Milei considers the best leader of Argentinas democratic era.

Her main operatives in building the national presence of Mileis ruling party La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) are Undersecretary Lule Menem and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Martin Menem, among other figures carrying a prominent surname in Argentine politics.

Javier and Karina Milei at the presidential inauguration in Buenos Aires, on December 10, 2023. ENRIQUE GARCIA MEDINA (EFE)

Unscrupulous cashier

Karina Milei and the Menem family are precisely the pieces under scrutiny in the alleged corruption case involving the Disability Agency  and thats not the only case they have been accused of. Accusations of alleged improper charges have been piling up since the government took office.

In fact, they date back even further: the first claims, made by Milei supporters, concerned the virtual sale of candidacies for the 2023 elections, which could not be proven in court. That same year, the renowned goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols, who used to engrave the handle of the presidential staff, reported that Karina Milei asked him to pay $2,000 if he wanted a meeting with her brother.

In the provinces of Buenos Aires, Misiones, Santa Cruz, La Pampa, and Chaco, officials appointed by the government in the PAMI offices t he institute responsible for healthcare for retirees  and the Social Security Administration (ANSES) reported that the presidents political operatives demanded a portion of their salaries as a contribution to fund the party organization. Former PAMI official and deputy Viviana Aguirre told the press that Karina Milei is an unscrupulous cashier.

Until the scandal over assistance for people with disabilities erupted, the corruption case that most affected Milei was related to the cryptocurrency $LIBRA, an alleged fraud promoted by the president. According to official records, it was Karina Milei who repeatedly brought the digital assets leaders to the Casa Rosada, the seat of government in Argentina. Leaked messages to the press revealed that one of the entrepreneurs behind $Libra, U.S. businessman Hayden Davis, boasted about being able to make Milei tweet, hold in-person meetings, and promote it. How? I send $$ to his sister, and he signs what I say and does what I want.

At the end of last week, Argentines heard Karina Mileis voice. It wasnt in a speech, but in newly leaked phone recordings to the press. It lasted a few minutes in which she said little to nothing, but the threat that there is much more has left the government paralyzed.

At the Casa Rosada, there is fear of friendly fire  of some dissatisfied lieutenant striking at Karina to punish Milei. The days ahead will undoubtedly be turbulent.

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London: European authorities have blamed Russia for jamming the navigation of a civilian aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, forcing the pilots to land using printed maps.

The disruption targeted the European Unions most senior figure as she flew from Poland to Bulgaria to build support for stronger action against Russia, ahead of a meeting of political leaders to discuss sending troops to enforce a peace deal in Ukraine.

The EU confirmed the interference and said Bulgarian authorities had named Russia as the suspected source, adding that this underlined the urgency of her talks with member states.

The dramatic move against von der Leyen follows a series of electronic disruptions to military and civilian flights, including the jamming of a Royal Air Force jet carrying then British defence secretary Grant Shapps in Poland in March last year.
Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

The team at The Auto Channel would like to thank the people that make, build, and fix things here in America...happy Labor Day.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states  Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York  created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday  a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership  the American worker.
"We are proud to support this tribute to the valor and sacrifice of those who served in our military during World War II"  Linda Hope

USS Missouri crewmembers attending the Commemoration include:

AERM3c Doyle Boothroy , US Navy  Virginia

, US Navy  Y3c Lee Broussard , US Navy  Louisiana

, US Navy  GM2 Edgar "Ed" Buffman, US Navy  Pennsylvania

S1c Judge Davis, US Navy  Tennessee

S1c John DeLeo , US Navy  Rhode Island

, US Navy  EM2c Robert Kennedy , US Navy  New York

, US Navy  S2c Thomas Schoenecker , US Navy  New York

, US Navy  FC2c Robert Somrak , US Navy  Ohio

They will join 17 fellow World War II Veterans at the official Commemoration Ceremony on the pier adjacent to the Surrender Deck of the Battleship Missouri. The ceremony will begin at 9:02 am on September 2nd, which is 80 years to the minute after World War II ended.

It's the culmination of a four-day Commemoration Celebration at Pearl Harbor that is presented by the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation from August 30th to September 2nd to honor the Greatest Generation. The Commemoration has already included a series of highly successful events at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and Battleship Missouri Memorial that welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, including a sold-out Commemoration Concert featuring Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band and Makaha Sons, the Commemoration Gala, two special documentary film screenings and a two-day RC Airshow.

"We are honored to remember the heroes of World War II as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII," said Linda Hope, Chair and CEO of the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, who attended many of the Commemoration activities. "We are proud to support this tribute to the valor and sacrifice of those who served in our military during World War II, as well as to the everyday Americans on the home front who also sacrificed to help make victory possible."

"Nowhere else in the world can you stand on the very deck where World War II officially ended," said Michael Carr, President and CEO of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. "The Battleship Missouri Memorial offers a powerful, tangible connection to history, one that leaves a lasting impression on all who visit. It is our duty and mission to honor the stories held aboard this ship and preserve her place in history."

"The Commemoration experience has reminded us of the heroism and resilience of our Greatest Generation, our awesome responsibility to protect our precious freedoms, and our collective hope for peace today and in the future," said John Hiltz, CEO of Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, America's WWII aviation battlefield.

About Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (PHAM) is more than a museumit's a place where history, innovation, and inspiration come together. A Smithsonian Affiliate, PHAM has been named one of the nation's top aviation museums by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Located on Historic Ford Island, the site of the December 7, 1941 attack, the Museum stands on America's first World War II aviation battlefield. Visitors can walk through bullet-scarred hangars, see legendary aircraft like the Japanese Zero and B-17 Swamp Ghost, and hear the powerful stories of the heroes who changed the course of history. Beyond preserving the past, (PHAM) is committed to shaping the future. Through youth programs, scholarships, and workforce development initiatives, the Museum educates and empowers the next generation. From signature events like PHAMily Fun Day to hands-on STEM experiences, flight simulators and more, the Museum connects people of all ages with the wonder of flight and the importance of history. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Museum relies on donations, volunteers, and members to fulfill its mission: to steward America's WWII aviation battlefield and inspire future generations through education and remembrance. Join us, support our work, or plan your visit at PearlHarborAviationMuseum.org

About Battleship Missouri Memorial

Since opening in January 1999, the Battleship Missouri Memorial has attracted more than 10-million visitors from around the world with a fascinating tour experience showcasing the USS Missouri's unique place in history. Located a ship's length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Mighty Mo completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the "day of infamy" and sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and ends with Japan's formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

The USS Missouri had an astounding career over five decades and three wars  World War II, the Korean War, and Desert Storm  after which it was decommissioned and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Association operates the Battleship Missouri Memorial as a historic attraction and oversees her care and preservation with the support of visitors, memberships, grants, and donations. The Battleship Missouri Memorial is open daily. For information or reservations, call (808) 455-1600 or visit USSMissouri.org .

About Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation

Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation ( BobHope.org ) supports organizations that bring "HOPE" to those in need and those who served to protect our nation. The Foundation also supports charitable organizations that preserve and honor the legacy of Bob Hope as an American entertainer, humanitarian, patriot, sportsman and supporter of military personnel and their families.

SOURCE Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
Above-normal rainfall in September IMD warns of flash floods, landslides





NEW DELHI :

INDIA is likely to receive above-normal rainfall in September, capping a season that has already seen several disasters triggered by heavy downpours in many parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday that the monthly average rainfall in September 2025 is expected to be more than 109 per cent of the long-period average of 167.9 mm. The forecast suggests most regions will get normal to above-normal rainfall, while some parts of the northeast and east, many areas of extreme south peninsular India and pockets of northwest India are likely to record below-normal rain. IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that heavy rainfall may trigger landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand in September and could disrupt normal life in south Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan.

Many rivers originate in Uttarakhand. So, heavy rainfall means many rivers will be flooded and it will impact cities and towns downstream. So, we should keep this in mind, he said. He added that heavy rainfall is also expected in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi River in Chhattisgarh. Mohapatra said there is a slight increasing trend in September rainfall since 1980, barring less rainfall in the month in 1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015 and 2019. The IMD said that monthly average maximum temperatures are expected to remain normal to below normal in many regions of west-central, northwest and south India during September. However, they are likely to be above normal over several parts of east-central, east and northeast India, as well as some areas of northwest India and the western coastal region.

India received 743.1 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, about 6 per cent above the long-period average of 700.7 mm, IMD data show. June rainfall was 180 mm, around 9 per cent above normal, with large surpluses in northwest and central India. July brought 294.1 mm, around 5 per cent above normal, led by a 22 per cent surplus in central India. August added 268.1 mm, 5.2 per cent above normal. Mohapatra said Northwest India recorded 265 mm of rainfall in August, the highest for the month since 2001 and the 13th highest since 1901. The region has experienced above normal rainfall in all three months of the monsoon season so far.

Cumulatively, northwest India has received 614.2 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31, about 27 per cent higher than the normal of 484.9 mm. South Peninsular India recorded 250.6 mm of rainfall in August, about 31 per cent above normal, making it the third highest for the month since 2001 and the eighth highest since 1901, according to the IMD. Cumulatively, the region received 607.7 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31 against the normal of 556.2 mm, a surplus of 9.3 per cent. The unusually high rainfall coincided with a series of extreme weather events. Punjab suffered its worst flooding in decades, with swollen rivers and breached canals inundating thousands of hectares of farmland and displacing lakhs of people. In the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, cloudbursts and flash floods triggered landslides and caused widespread damage to life and property. The IMD attributed the surplus rain to active monsoon conditions supported by frequent western disturbances that enhanced rainfall over the region.

Mohapatra said active western disturbances between July 28 and August 14 triggered heavy to very heavy rain over the western Himalayas and adjoining plains, causing a flash flood and landslide in Uttarkashi on August 5 and major riverine floods in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He said the monsoon revived rapidly from August 14, with four low-pressure systems sustaining active conditions for 15 days in the second half of the month. The IMD chief said northwest India and adjoining western Himalayan states experienced extremely and exceptionally heavy rainfall events between August 21 and 27 due to successive active western disturbances and strong monsoonal winds. He said that very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall occurred over east Rajasthan from August 22 to 24 and over Punjab and Haryana from August 23 to 26, while Jammu and Kashmir from August 23 to 27 saw landslides in Katra and severe flooding in Jammu, Punjab and parts of Rajasthan. Exceptionally heavy rainfall was also recorded in Konkan and the ghats of Madhya Maharashtra on August 20, in east Rajasthan on August 23, in the Jammu region on August 27 and in Telangana on August 28. Mohapatra said the events were driven by the slow movement of two successive very active western disturbances, interaction with remnants of monsoonal low-pressure systems, strong southerly winds with moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and formation of two low-pressure systems over north Bay of Bengal and their movement across central India.
Freedom of expression is guaranteed only if we protect our sovereignty





Business Reporter :

Former CEO of Prasar Bharati and Co-Founder of DeepTech for Bharat Foundation, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, on Sunday, said that national interest should not be set aside while enjoying freedom of expression. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Media Conclave 2025 organised by IIM Nagpur at its MIHAN campus, he observed that freedom of expression does not exist in a vacuum. Freedom of expression is guaranteed only if we protect our sovereignty. But if we cant do so, the term has no meaning, he said, addressing the gathering of IIM students, faculty members, media representatives and others. In a bid to highlight the strategic role of media in nation-building as India progresses towards its centenary of independence, the B-school conducted the conclave on the theme Role of Media in Viksit Bharat @2047. Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who was chief guest and keynote speaker of the inaugural session, further said that freedom of expression comes with many challenges.

While it has advantages, freedom of expression also comes with many disadvantages and invites threats. We have seen several instances in the recent past when foreign media houses ran a series of news stories to build a negative narrative and made attempts to influence local media and people here in the country, he said. Vempati categorically highlighted the reports by foreign media on Indias recent military operation against Pakistan. He also remembered BBCs one-sided series of reports on the violence in Delhi in 2020. Vempati said media platforms can play a major role in the country becoming Viksit Bharat. However, he added that there is a need to strike a balance between its freedom of expression and responsibility to achieve the desired goal.It is justified to think that natural momentum will make India the world's largest economy. Even as the current geopolitical conditions are favouring India, the growth projections may change. We cannot take these conditions for granted. In fact, we will have to guard the nation from various threats and do the right things. Otherwise, India will miss the window of opportunity, he said. Expressing concerns over the dependency of India media houses on foreign platforms, Vempati said the country should develop its own system to reach out directly to its audiences.

During the Russian-Ukraine war, the European Union and Canada had banned Russian-backed RT channel, and independent service providers in over 10 countries had suspended its broadcasts. To avoid such a situation and protect our sovereignty, we must develop our own technology in this area, he added. Earlier in his welcome address, Dr Bhimaraya Metri, Director, IIM Nagpur, spoke about various initiatives of the institute that made it one of the fastest-growing B-schools in the country. Dr Metri told the gathering that the Maharashtra Government has recently announced the establishment of a satellite campus of IIM Nagpur on 70 acres of land in Pune. We will also set up our first offshore campus in Singapore in the next two to three years.

Similarly, we are in the process of developing another satellite centre in Hyderabad and a transit campus in Goa, he said. Elaborating on the courses, Dr Metri spoke about IIMs cyber security management programme. We are the first management institute in the country to venture into training and teaching of cyber security management using data analytics, he added. At the outset, Prof. Yatish Joshi, Chairperson  Brand and Media, IIM Nagpur, spoke about the conclave and later on proposed a formal vote of thanks. Riya Goyal and Aneesh Ahluwalia, both students of the institute, conducted the proceedings of the inaugural session. The conclave served as a platform to deliberate on how the media can foster informed citizenship, promote innovation, and shape Indias global image, thereby contributing meaningfully to the nations vision of becoming a developed and empowered nation by 2047.
Indian media houses must go global to realise goal of Viksit Bharat





(From left) Prof. Dr Prashant Gupta, Rakesh Khar, Anuj Singhal, Pratap Somvanshi, and Neeraj Thakur at the panel discussion at IIM Nagpur on Sunday.

Business Reporter :

Participating in the first ever Media Conclave organised here by the IIM Nagpur on Sunday, representatives of the country's leading media houses highlighted various factors that could pave the way for Viksit Bharat by 2047. In a panel discussion, Anuj Singhal, Managing Editor, CNBC Awaaz; Rakesh Khar, Editor, English Cluster, TV9 Network; Pratap Somvanshi, Managing Editor, Hindustan Hindi Daily; and Neeraj Thakur, Editor, Outlook Business; jointly felt that trust and credibility; dynamic media ecosystem in the country, and global presence of Indian media houses will together realize the dream of making India developed by 2047. Prof. Dr Prashant Gupta, Dean Adcademics, moderated the panel discussion. Highlighting the strategic role of the media as a catalyst in realising a Viksit Bharat by 2047, Neeraj Thakur said Indian media houses must expand their presence abroad.

They must have a global presence with utmost credibility. This will shape our countrys global image as a modern country using innovation and technology in a big way to boost growth and development, he added. However, he also pointed out that the task of taking the countrys media house across the borders would need huge investments. India is the fastest growing economy in the world which needs to continue its high growth trajectory on a sustainable basis. There will always be a threat to derail this growth by western media houses that set their own narratives to sway public opinion, especially during elections, he said. Earlier, the western media had set a narrative that we should open our economy. Since India has embraced globalisation, we are growing from an emerging economy to becoming a developed nation. This growth may not be liked by some countries.

With a shift in geopolitical power one of our closest allies the US has imposed trade tariffs on us. Now, western media may set a new narrative that India should not buy oil from Russia, he pointed out. Thakur said, Indian media houses must conduct in-depth research, practice responsible, fair, and balanced journalism that is trusted for its content. Anuj Singhal said that journalists must remember to provide accurate, precise and verified news to maintain trust amidst multiple digital platforms. Indian media has always addressed challenges and opportunities in a balanced manner. A journalist should always be a nationalist and provide content to motivate masses to understand larger issues and bring about a change in society. Apart from this, he spoke about tax reforms that are needed in the country to ignite new opportunities for progress. He suggests that the Government should lower taxes and provide relief to the people due to the high cost of living. Pratap Somvanshi explained that journalists must maintain trust and credibility in the era of technology driven by social media platforms. Social media has posed challenges for other media verticals like TV and print media. Journalists should make efforts to verify content to build trust among the people. Rakesh Khar said that the Indian media has played an important role in transforming society. A robust and dynamic media ecosystem is essential for realising the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Media should be consensus builders and work to bring out change in society. Indian media needs global exposure and its own voice to bring narratives that work for Indias growth and development, he stated. In another panel discussion on the topic, Media Empowering communities and Enterprises, panelists including Shailesh Pande, Chief Editor, Tarun Bharat; Manikant Soni, Editor Dainik Bhaskar; and Partha Maitra, Resident Editor, Times of India, Nagpur; expressed their views on the topic. Prof. Yatish Joshi, Chairperson  Brand and Media, IIM Nagpur, moderated the panel discussion.
Indias first indigenous technology to cut imports water-soluble fertiliser Indias first indigenous technology to cut imports





NEW DELHI :

INDIA has successfully developed its first indigenous water-soluble fertiliser technology after seven years of research, marking a potential breakthrough that could transform the country from an import-dependent nation to an export-dominating force in specialty fertilisers. The technology, backed by the Ministry of Mines and developed using Indian raw materials and Indian-designed plants, represents a true Make in India proposition that could significantly reduce the countrys heavy dependence on Chinese specialty fertiliser imports. My aim was to make India, especially for specialty fertilizer, an export-dominating country, not an import-dependent country, Rajib Chakraborty, President of the Soluble Fertilizer Industry Association (SFIA), who spearheaded the research initiative, said. Indias overwhelming reliance on Chinese specialty fertiliser imports provided the impetus for developing indigenous technology.

The country currently imports 80 per cent of its specialty fertilisers directly from China, while the remaining 20 per cent is indirectly traded through Chinese sources. Barring 5 per cent of NPK formulations produced domestically, India is 95 per cent dependent on Chinese supplies for specialty fertilisers. This dependency has grown steadily since 2005, when European suppliers began sourcing from China to serve Indian markets, gradually building capacity and technology to capture global market share. The development process was arduous, with Chakraborty describing the typical challenges of research and development. R&D means a failure game a thousand times. Have you only succeeded once after failing for a thousand times? So its common to every R&D process, he said. The financial toll was substantial, with Chakraborty risking his business to pursue the breakthrough.

I risked my entire life in doing that, developing something, and I was almost out of the business at one point of time, because I was not able to focus on developing my business as a soluble fertilizer player, he revealed. The technology has undergone multiple layers of government scrutiny and received Ministry of Mines support for developing a pilot plant, which is now ready for scale-up. The technology is expected to reach farmers fields within two years when large-scale production capacities come online. Joint venture discussions are already underway with leading fertiliser companies for commercial implementation.

This will start coming to the market two years down the line, when we will see big capacities, and I think very soon it will bring self-reliance in specialty fertiliser at least, Chakraborty said. The breakthrough technology offers several game-changing features that set it apart from conventional fertiliser manufacturing processes. Most significantly, it enables production of almost all types of soluble fertilisers through a single process, unlike existing methods that require different technologies for each product. This technology is special in terms of many things. First, one single process produces almost all the soluble fertiliser.

Usually for every product there is a different technology, but this technology enables production of all products in one process, Chakraborty explained. Environmental sustainability is a key feature, with the technology operating as a zero-effluent project with no emissions. This environmental consideration was instrumental in securing government support. This particular technology is a zero effluent project. There is no emission from this project. So thats why this was one of the grounds that the Ministry of Mines has taken into consideration and given it a project of national importance, he said. The green credentials address growing concerns about pollution and the increasing difficulty of effluent disposal in industrial operations. The indigenous development addresses Indias longstanding reliance on foreign fertiliser technologies, which has imposed significant financial burdens through licensing fees and upgrade costs. Whatever technology we have today, especially in fertiliser, is actually borrowed technology. That is not our Indian technology. So for every borrowing, we have to pay a very big price, Chakraborty noted. The dependency extends beyond initial acquisition costs. We dont get upgradation with the technology. Then we pay another price for getting the upgradation. But if it is our own, we can keep on developing, he added, highlighting the long-term strategic benefits of indigenous innovation for Indias fertiliser sector.
Since its establishment, China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone has continuously strengthened its reform efforts, exploring and developing a series of nationally leading and iconic institutional innovation achievements. These have effectively enhanced Anhui's level of opening up to the outside world, driving key provincial indicators of open economy to advance significantly and achieve a historic leap forward. In its Hefei Area, the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone innovatively established an "Easy Credit" platform. This platform acts as a bridge connecting enterprises with financial institutions. Through this system, companies can license the usage rights of their invention patents to financial institutions for financing purposes. Conversely, financial institutions can then treat these invention patents as tradable "commodities," buying and selling them on the transaction market to raise capital. As a result, patent certificates hanging on walls are no longer dormant assets but become negotiable "patent checks." This year, the high-level development of China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone has accelerated significantly, with reforms across its various areas showing breakthroughs at multiple points. In Wuhu, a reform focused on maritime administrative services is proving effective. At the Yangtze River (Wuhu) Shipping Factor Market's Maritime Affairs Service Hall, Manager Li Jiawei from Xinlong Shipping Company is handling the ownership transfer procedures for their newly acquired vessel, Longyun No. 988. Previously, obtaining all six certificatesincluding ownership registration and nationality documentsrequired visiting multiple departments and took half a month. Now, leveraging the "One Matter for Departure" service, he completes everything in just one visit within two or three days. This greatly reduces the vessel's downtime and brings considerable profits to the company. This highly efficient and convenient transformation stems from a systematic reform of 108 shipping-related government services implemented by the Wuhu Area of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone. Following the reform, application materials were reduced by 54%, processing steps were streamlined by 61%, and public satisfaction reached 100%. Leveraging institutional innovations within the Free Trade Zone (FTZ), inland cities now have novel ways to connect rivers and seas. At Bengbu Port in the Bengbu Area of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone, a chemical enterprise exporting to South Korea is shipping goods. Previously, companies had to contact road, rail, and shipping lines separatelya process marked by numerous formalities and long waiting times. Now, Bengbu Port bundles road-rail-river-sea transport into an integrated package, offering complete end-to-end service: "One Entrustment, One Bill Settlement, One Container Through." Enterprises only need to deal with one party; goods enjoy direct "door-to-door" delivery without container transfer en route. All operationsbooking space, picking up containers, customs declaration, fee paymentcan be completed on a single platform. The results of the reform have been remarkable. Currently, average international trade delivery times at Bengbu Port have shortened by 40%, while logistics costs have decreased by over 20%. This reform was also selected as one of the Best Practice Cases for Yangtze River Delta Integration Development in 2025. Since its implementation starting this April, it has saved import and export enterprises over RMB 2.3 million in logistics costs. This innovative measure not only opened up logistics corridors connecting to the Yangtze River Delta port cluster but also propelled Bengbu's strategic transformation from an inland hinterland to an open frontier. The three zones of Anhui's Pilot Free Trade Zone, along with its 13 linked innovation areas, have undertaken numerous explorations in institutional innovation. They have collectively developed 236 institutional innovation achievements, including 47 nation-first breakthroughs and 13 cases replicated nationwide. Despite occupying less than one thousandth of the province's total area, they contribute approximately 25% of Anhui's total import and export volume and one-third of its foreign investment.

Source: ANHUI NEWS
El Mayo Zambada, El Chapo Guzman, and Caro Quintero  the three kings of Mexicos drug empire  will spend their final days in the prisons in the United States

The drug map in North America has shifted. The old mountains of the Golden Triangle, the cradle of Mexicos drug trade, have given way to an unlikely route  from New York to Colorado  mandatory stops for the Mexican drug traffickers who dominated the past half century but now live behind bars, convicted or awaiting their fate.

Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, 68, Ismael El Mayo Zambada, 77, and Rafael Caro Quintero, 72, have traded their hometowns in Sinaloa, the mountains that saw them grow up in Sonora, Chihuahua, and Durango, for prisons with meaningless names in the United States  MDC Brooklyn, ADX Florence  spaces that hold whats left of them, now that their mystical aura has been stripped away and criminal power broken.

It has been a slow process, and few would dare to call their captures a success. Each one ended up in prison in his own way. El Chapo was the first, sent to the U.S. under the Extradition Treaty  a relief for the Mexican prison system, which had barely managed to hold him in facilities from which he escaped twice.

Then it was El Mayos turn: he was kidnapped in Culiacan a year ago by his former allies, and flown across the border in a small plane as if he were livestock.

Finally came Caro Quintero, the third king in the deck, sent to the United States through a strange legal maneuver, handed over, as the current Mexican government put it, under the authority of the National Security Law.

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman upon his arrival in the United States in 2017. Reuters

The discussion now turns to the identity of the fourth king  and, for that matter, to the knights and knaves as well  a kind of national sport in Mexico, a country intent on sketching and resketching the supposed hierarchies of drug trafficking. Its not that they dont exist, or that they matter little, but such rankings impose on the criminal world a solidity and a vertical structure it doesnt really have.

Drugs continue flowing into the United States despite the imprisonment of the three kings and several other kingpins, a situation that highlights the fluidity of trafficking, the adaptability of smuggling networks, and, in truth, the limited importance of the figures presented as leaders, bosses, or capos. Not that they were never influential, but the world the three kings once ruled became obsolete long ago.

Time, meanwhile, is marked by the tally of their sentences. In 2019, U.S. justice condemned El Chapo Guzman to life in prison plus 30 years  an add-on that reflected how eager the countrys security agencies were to punish the trafficker. For Caro and El Mayo, the outcome will likely be similar.

This summer, U.S. prosecutors, led by Pam Bondi, announced they would not seek the death penalty for either man  a peculiar decision in Caro Quinteros case, given that he was elevated decades ago into the pantheon of irreconcilable enemies of the nation for his role in the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena, now 40 years past. When Caro appeared for his arraignment in February, more than 100 DEA agents were present, a living image of a grudge that has become legendary.

El Mayo has followed his own path, though the result will likely mirror El Chapos, if not replicate it entirely. Last week, the veteran trafficker pled guilty to two charges filed by prosecutors in Texas and New York: running a continuing criminal enterprise and violations of the RICO Act, long used to bring down mafia bosses. At the hearing, El Mayo read a brief statement in which he admitted to trafficking at least 1,500 tons of drugs to the U.S., bribing politicians, police, and soldiers in Mexico, and ordering murders. He then apologized. His lawyer later suggested that the cooperation would go no further. The details of El Mayos comments on corruption, a problem long ingrained in Mexico, are still hanging in limbo.

As Zambada awaits sentencing in January, the Department of Justice continues its case against Caro Quintero. His lawyers this summer asked for compassion to be shown to the 72-year-old capo, whom authorities are keeping in near-total isolation, locked up virtually 24 hours a day. It is a plea reminiscent of the one once made by El Chapo Guzman, perhaps a consequence of the path he chose. El Chapo refused to plead guilty to the charges and chose to stand trial. During his pretrial confinement, he protested the conditions in 10 South, the maximum-security wing of the Manhattan jail where he awaited judgment.

Mayo Zambada takes the oath on August 25 in a federal court in New York. Jane Rosenberg (REUTERS)

In Caro Quinteros case, the next hearing is scheduled for September 18. The real story, however, is being written behind the scenes, as has been the case with El Mayo or with El Chapos imprisoned sons, especially Ovidio, known as El Raton.

In July, Ovidio Guzman pled guilty to the charges brought by prosecutors  drug trafficking, money laundering, and so on. With no sentencing date yet set, El Raton seemed to be avoiding the fangs of the U.S. justice system, at least for now. The youngest Guzman will have to give something in return  likely money, in line with the billion-dollar promise El Mayo made on Monday, and information, data that will allow U.S. law enforcement to continue its crusade.

Meanwhile, Caro Quintero is navigating the negotiation process, deciding whether to follow El Chapos path or that of the others. What seems clear is that the route of drug trafficking now necessarily passes through U.S. prisons. The fall of Sinaloas criminal royalty highlights an obvious paradigm: Mexico does not want to prosecute its drug lords. Its prisons often function as mere extensions of their criminal domains. Caro, El Chapo, and El Mayo are just three of more than 50 traffickers that the Mexican state has sent north of the border in recent years. The future of all of them points to a solitude behind bars.

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Maratha quota stir Day 3 Jarange refuses to budge, asks Govt to issue GR based on available records





MUMBAI :

MARATHA quota activist Manoj Jarange has vowed to stop drinking water from the third day of his hunger strike on Monday and brave bullets for reservation under the OBC category, demanding that the State Government issue a GR based on the reservation based on available records. For its part, the State Government on Sunday said it will seek a legal opinion on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer on the Kunbi status- an OBC caste- for the Maratha community. Jarange, however, remained unimpressed and said he wont budge from the protest venue in Azad Maidan till his demands are met, even if the Fadnavis Government fires bullets at protesters. He demanded that the Government issue a GR on the Maratha reservation based on available records.

The Government should say that Marathas are a sub-caste of Kunbis. There are 58 lakh records that have been found, which show links of Marathas as Kunbis. Those who want a reservation will take it. Dont generalise Marathas as Kunbis if there is a legal issue, Jarange told a press conference on Sunday night. He said no one can stop Marathas from getting reservations under the OBC category. The Kunbi community is associated with agriculture-related occupations and is grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Forced to do a political tightrope ahead of civic elections, the Government said the Cabinet sub-committee will seek a legal view on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer regarding the Kunbi status for Marathas, which was a key demand of Jarange. State Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the Cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha reservation issue, chaired two meetings on the quota issue during the day.

Addressing media persons after the sub-committee met here in the evening, Vikhe Patil said Advocate General Biren Saraf and retired HC judge Sandeep Shinde told the panel that they would require time to study whether the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers can be implemented as demanded by Jarange. I will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and apprise him of the deliberations the sub-committee had. There is a Supreme Court observation regarding the recognition of Marathas as Kunbis. We cannot override the SC observations (that Marathas and Kunbis are not the same). We are open to discussions as a solution needs to be found, he said. Jarange has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday over his demand for a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. A day earlier, the quota leader refused to soften his stand after a delegation led by retired HC judge Sandeep Shinde met him.

As political charges flew thick and fast, Maratha protesters blocked the car of NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule after she met Jarange at his protest venue, and raised slogans against Sharad Pawar. Sule demanded that the Maharashtra Government convene a special session of the state legislature and an all-party meeting to resolve the vexed Maratha reservation issue. Asserting that he will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met, Jarange said, The Government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis. From tomorrow, I will stop taking water as the Government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get the reservation for Marathas under the OBC category no matter what, Jarange told his supporters. A meeting of the cabinet sub-committee was held at Vikhe Patils residence earlier in the day to deliberate on Jaranges proposal.

The sub-committee under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is working to resolve the matter. We also examined issues related to the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers. To avoid legal hurdles during implementation, we will consult the State Advocate General, Vikhe Patil said. Jarange has demanded the implementation of the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers and recognition to Marathas as Kunbis  an agrarian caste included in the OBC category  which will make them eligible for reservation in Government jobs and education. Vikhe Patils cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil said the Maratha community should benefit from the existing EWS quota rather than being categorised as OBCs. Responding to Jaranges criticism of the Chief Minister for not sending Cabinet Ministers to meet him, Chandrakant Patil said Devendra Fadnavis is flexible, but there are certain Constitutional limitations. Normally, delegations come to meet the CM, not the other way round.

However, he (Fadnavis) is so flexible that he can even go. But it must bring a solution, not just lead to humiliation, he said. On the third day of the protest, leaders of Mahayuti and the Opposition traded barbs. BJP leaders lashed out at NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar a day after he said that a Constitutional amendment was necessary to lift the 52 per cent ceiling on quotas placed by the Supreme Court. The Opposition Congress alleged that the Government was informed well in advance about the Maratha quota agitation, but it delayed the formation of a Cabinet sub-committee BJP leader Nitesh Rane accused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar of funding Jaranges protest. Thousands of members of the Maratha community are camping on footpaths, vehicles, Azad Maidan, and CSMT platforms. The BMC has deployed 800 sanitation workers to maintain cleanliness and arrangements for protesters. Opposing dilution of OBC quota, NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal has convened a meeting of OBC leaders.
Motor Vehicle Tax shouldnt be levied if vehicle not used in public place: SC





NEW DELHI :

MOTOR vehicle tax is compensatory in nature and if a vehicle is not used or not kept for use in a public place, then its owner should not be burdened with motor vehicle tax for such period, the Supreme Court has said. A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan delivered its verdict on an appeal challenging a December 2024 judgement of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Motor vehicle tax is compensatory in nature. It has a direct nexus with the end use. The rationale for levy of motor vehicle tax is that a person who is using public infrastructure, such as, roads, highways etc. Has to pay for such usage, the apex court said. Referring to section 3 of The Andhra Pradesh Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1963, the bench said the legislature has consciously used the expression public place in this provision. Section 3 of the Act deals with levy of tax on motor vehicles.

If a motor vehicle is not used in a public place or not kept for use in a public place then the person concerned is not deriving benefit from the public infrastructure; therefore, he should not be burdened with the motor vehicle tax for such period, the top court said in its judgement delivered on August 29. It said section 3 of the Act is the charging provision and it authorises the State Government to impose tax on motor vehicles. The bench said the taxable event under section 3 is when a vehicle is used or kept for use in a public place in the State. Therefore, the tax is on the user or intendment for use of motor vehicle in a public place. Thus, if a vehicle is actually used in a public place or kept in such a way that it is intended to be used in a public place then the tax liability accrues, it said.

The top court said when admittedly the motor vehicles of the appellant firm in this case were confined for use within the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) premises which is a closed area, then question of the vehicles being used or kept for being used in a public place does not arise. The bench said in this case, the motor vehicles in question were used or kept for use only within the restricted premises of RINL which was not a public place.Therefore, the said vehicles are not liable to be taxed for the period the said vehicles were used or kept for use within the restricted premises of RINL, it said, while allowing the appeal. The bench delivered its verdict on an appeal filed by a firm engaged in the business of providing logistic support since 1985. It noted the firm was awarded a contract in November 2020 for handling and storage of iron and steel materials at central dispatch yard within Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Andhra Pradesh, a corporate entity of RINL.

The bench said the company deployed 36 motor vehicles for plying within the central dispatch yard premises. The firm told the apex court that the central dispatch yard was enclosed by compound walls and ingress and egress was regulated through gates where Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were deployed and no member of public has any right to access it. The issue arose after the firm requested the Andhra Pradesh authority for exemption from payment of motor vehicle tax for the period its vehicles were confined and used within the central dispatch yard premises. The bench noted this request was made in terms of section 3 of the 1963 Act. Later, the matter reached the High Court where a single judge held that the firm was plying its vehicles within the central dispatch yard which is not a public place. The single judge directed the state authorities to refund Rs 22,71,700 to the company. Thereafter, the authorities challenged the order before a division bench which set aside the single judges order.
ORGANISED CRIME ON THE RUNMCOCA grips city underworld





By Dheeraj Fartode :

NAGPURS most feared gangsters are now facing the full force of the law. From extortion rackets to brutal murders, the citys underworld has long thrived on fear.But police have struck back with the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) that shuts the door on easy bail. Notorious gangsters like Santosh Ambekar, once accused in the Balya Gawande murder case, along with his 11 accomplices, have been brought under its net for duping businessmen and threatening citizens. The dreaded Irfan Khan alias Ippa and his brothers, known for assault in geven police personnel, too were booked under MCOCA. Gangs like the Hiranwars, the Ramtekes, and others have also faced similar crackdowns which sent a clear message - the days of operating with impunity are over in Nagpurs underworld. SINCE 2017,as many as 636 criminals belonging to 93 different gangs have been booked under MCOCA in Nagpur. This year alone, police have taken action against 59 criminals from seven gangs. A senior police official explained that in recent years, criminals have become more notorious and fearless.Many of them manage to get bail within a fortnight or a month after committing a crime.





If such criminals returnto the streets so soon,they create more trouble for law and order. MCOCA is the only deterrent weapon which ensures that they do not get bail easily. This creates pressure on gang members and also discourages others from indulging in organised crime, the official said. Why MCOCA matters The officials said that MCOCA was enacted to curb organised crime in Maharashtra. Unlike other criminal provisions, it allows for stricter conditions for bail, longer detention and more stringent punishment. The official say this makes it especially useful against habitual offenders and gangs. In many cases, local goons keep coming out of jail and create terror again.But once booked under MCOCA, they cannot return to society so quickly.

This gives police time to break their network and bring peace to the area, said an officer. While the data shows that Nagpur Police have been proactive in using MCOCA, officers admit that organised gangs keep evolving with new methods. From chain-snatching and land grabbing to extortion and online fraud, criminals are constantly trying to expand their reach. Data reveals that almost every police station under the Nagpur Commissionerate has used MCOCA at some point.However, no action has yet been recorded under the Hingna and Old Kamptee police stations. Some of the biggest crackdowns were recorded in Nandanvan (58 criminals in 8 crimes), Hudkeshwar (45 criminals in 7 crimes), Koradi (35 criminals in 9 crimes), and Wadi (34 criminals in 7 crimes).In other areas too, police invoked the stringent law.

These include MIDC (21 criminals in 3 cases), Pratap Nagar (16 in 2 cases), Bajaj Nagar (22 in 3 cases), Gittikhadan (33 in 4 cases), Ambazari (29 in 3 cases), and Tehsil (34 in 4 cases). Action was also taken against notorious chain-snatching gangs, which usually consist of just two to three members. One-case stations THERE are at least 11 police stations where only one case each was registered under MCOCA over the years. For example, in Dhantoli, five criminals were booked in one case in 2021. In Kotwali, three were booked in 2024.Similarly, single case swere registered in Lakadganj, Sakkardara, Hudkeshwar, Beltarodi,Kalamna, Kapil Nagar, Pardi and Mankapur. These single-case stations show that even smaller gangs or isolated incidents have been brought under the ambit of the strict law whenever needed. The year 2023 saw the highest number of actions, with 118 criminals booked under 19 differentcases.Police officials said that increased gang activity after the pandemic forced them to act tough. MCOCA slapped against notorious gangs Santosh Ambekar and his 11 accomplices, including Nilesh Kedar, Chandan Choudhary, Juhi Choudhary,Ankit Patel,Ajay Patel, Raju Armarkar, and Arvind Patel, were booked under MCOCA for duping a businessman, extortion, and threats.

MCOCA slapped against notorious gangs

 Irfan Khan alias Ippa and his brothers Irshad and Naushad faced MCOCA for attempted murder and assaulting police personnel.

 Hiranwar Gang, linked to a murder case, was booked under MCOCA with key accused and alleged arms supplier Himanshu, alias Jordan Vaidya, arrested.

 Ramteke Gang ,led by Dattu alias Datya alias Rahul Ramteke, saw seven members booked under MCOCA in a 2024 murder case.
Salwa Judum significant campaign initiated during tenure of Dr Singh





BJP State President Kiran Singh Deo speaking to media persons.

Staff Reporter

RAIPUR

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President Kiran Singh Deo on Sunday said that Salwa Judum was a significant campaign initiated during the tenure of former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh to combat Naxalism in Chhattisgarh. He alleged that the movement was weakened due to a judicial decision by Sudarshan Reddy, the then judge and now the Vice-Presidential candidate of the INDIA alliance. Deo said that this decision has left residents of remote forest areas in Bastar concerned over Reddys candidature.

Speaking to journalists during the ongoing state-level organisational workshop at the partys Kushabhau Thackeray Complex office, Deo highlighted the importance of the event, where senior leaders including National General Secretary Arun Singh, National Co-Organization General Secretary Shiv Prakash, State In-charge Nitin Nabin, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Regional Organization General Secretary Ajay Jamwal, and State Organization General Secretary Pawan Sai provided guidance to party functionaries. Deo said that BJPs organizational units at the mandal, district, and state levels have been restructured.

In the coming days, BJP will systematically take its programmes to the last unit through workers, and with this purpose, this workshop has been organized. After this, similar workshops will also be conducted at the district level, where speakers will guide workers on various subjects, he explained. He further added that BJP regularly conducts organizational programmes throughout the year, and workers have always played an active role in implementing the partys initiatives at the grassroots level.
The measure, which carries no penalties for noncompliance, is aimed at preventing excessive use of devices that cause physical and mental health problems

The Japanese city of Toyoake wants its residents to spend less time glued to their smartphones. The commuter town of 69,000 people on the outskirts of Nagoya will urge all cell phone users to limit their daily usage to two hours outside of work or school, according to a proposed municipal ordinance. The pioneering regulation, which has yet to be approved, would not be binding and carries no penalties for exceeding the suggested cap, but it has already sparked heated debate in a highly technological country where  as in many societies  reliance on these devices is widespread.

The Toyoake city government, in Aichi prefecture in central Japan, announced the proposal on August 21, prompting the mayor to issue clarifications. This does not mean that the city will restrict residents rights or impose obligations on them, Mayor Masafumi Koki said, as reported by the Mainichi newspaper. Rather, I hope it serves as an opportunity for each family to reflect and discuss how much time they spend on smartphones, as well as what times of day they use these devices.

City officials argue that excessive smartphone use during leisure hours outside work and study negatively affects a wide range of age groups, from children to adults, and they based the two-hour guideline on data and materials from the Japanese Health Ministry. They also claim this would be the first ordinance of its kind in Japan aimed at all residents of a municipality.

The draft ordinance, scheduled for a vote on September 22, also calls on elementary school students (ages six to 12) to avoid smartphones after 9 p.m., and advises junior high and older students (12 to 18 and above) not to use them after 10 p.m.

Introduced to coincide with the start of the school year, the proposal acknowledges that smartphones, personal computers and tablets are essential tools, but warns that excessive use of social media and video streaming can negatively impact health and family life.

The measure aims to prevent excessive use of devices that cause physical and mental health problems, including sleep issues, and officials decided to use an ordinance to send a special message and ensure that citizens take it seriously, the mayor explained, while adding that he is open to debating amendments. If approved, it would take effect on October 1.

The initiative has been met with skepticism. The city has collected more than 120 public comments, with around 80% opposing the plan and questioning whether there is a right to restrict freedom. A few, however, expressed support: I have long observed smartphone dependency and urge that the ordinance be passed, one resident said, according to Mainichi. The proposal has also fueled online debate, with critics noting that two hours is not even enough time to read a book or watch a film.

The mayor has since clarified that smartphone use during non-recreational activities  such as watching videos while cooking or exercising, online learning, or practicing for an e-sports tournament  would not count toward the two-hour limit, according to the BBC.

Japanese youths spend nearly five hours a day online during the week on average, and about 65% of 10-year-olds already own a smartphone, according to a 2024 survey by the governments Children and Families Agency.

There is a precedent for the Toyoake measure. In 2020, Japans Kagawa prefecture introduced a rule limiting video game use for minors under 18 to 60 minutes on school days and 90 minutes on non-school days. It also proposed a digital curfew between 9 and 10 p.m., depending on the childs age. Like the current plan, the regulation carried no penalties and left responsibility for enforcement with parents and guardians. It was the first such legislation in Japan, and although a user challenged it in court, a judge upheld its constitutionality in 2022.

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Famine is now official in Gaza, where more than 313 people have died of starvation, adding to nearly 63,000 who have died since the war began in October 2023. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been expelled from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem, and continues to suffer the consequences of a virulent disinformation campaign launched by the Israeli state: it has lost a third of its funding in the midst of war, 90% of its facilities have been partially or completely destroyed, and more than 360 of its 12,000 staff members have died under the bombardments.

Philippe Lazzarini, 61, UNRWAs commissioner-general, says the agency is struggling to maintain basic critical services for the 2.1 million people living in Gaza, where 70% of infrastructure has been destroyed and Israel has banned the entry of a single gram of flour since it unilaterally broke the ceasefire with Hamas on March 2. About 6,000 trucks carrying enough food to feed Gaza for two months are parked at the borders with Jordan and Egypt. Meanwhile, the Israeli army is preparing yet another offensive, making the future of the Palestinian enclave and multilateral cooperation even more uncertain.

Gaza is becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law, Lazzarini said in an interview with EL PAIS during the Quo Vadis Europa XIII summer course, organized by the Menendez Pelayo International University in Santander, Spain, in which he participated.

Question. Famine has been officially declared in Gaza, with 313 people dead from starvation. How did we get to this point?

Answer. In Gaza, the famine is not the result of a combination of factors, but rather man-made. The doors have been closed. We have been warning about the signs of famine and sounding the alarm bells for months, but our warnings have fallen on deaf ears. We saw it through our health centers, where the number of acutely malnourished children [in the capital] has increased sixfold in the last [six] months.

The fear now is that hunger will not only hit Gaza City and the Governorate, but that it will spread to the entire Gaza Strip. Today, people are not only dying because of the bombardments, the lack of treatment, and diseases, but they are also starting to die silently from lack of food. And what is absolutely obscene is that more than 1,500 people have also died while desperately seeking food assistance in distribution centers set up near Israel Defense Forces positions, run by the infamous Gaza Humanitarian Foundation [GHF, operated by Israeli soldiers and U.S. private contractors].

The level of inaction from the international community is also shocking. Outrage has been expressed for months and months, but nothing has changed. Meanwhile, the West Bank is seeing unprecedented levels of violence and forced displacement, which would surely be making todays headlines if they hadnt been overshadowed by the disaster in Gaza.

Q. Has the global outrage resulted in more food entering Gaza today? Can UNRWA bring food to the Gaza Strip?

A. There is a deliberate policy to prevent UNRWA from bringing its supplies to Gaza, so since March 2, we havent been able to deliver any food. We have 6,000 truckloads between Jordan and Egypt, ready to be sent; thats the equivalent to two months of supplies for all of Gaza. Some convoys have entered in recent weeks, but not from UNRWA. And much of it has been looted before reaching its destination, not necessarily by armed gangs or organized mobs, but by desperate, hungry people. Its an undignified and unjust distribution because only the strongest make it through. As for humanitarian aid dropped by air, its at least 100 times more expensive than trucks, which can carry twice as much aid as planes.

Now a ceasefire is needed, as well as the release of all hostages, and massive unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid. During the January-March ceasefire, the agency operated at full gear, proving that the looming famine could be reversed if access to the Strip was granted.

Q. What is the aim of the disinformation campaigns waged against UNRWA?

A. Israel made the accusations that Hamas operatives had infiltrated UNRWA in January 2024, but long before that, it had already declared the dismantling of the agency as a war objective. Israeli politicians see a unique opportunity to dismantle an organization that represents, in their eyes, the right of return of Palestinian refugees. And they believe that, by dismantling the agency, they will get rid of the refugee status that, in their eyes, has already been perpetuated for too long and represents a major obstacle to some political goals. So, dismantling the agency and stripping Palestinians of their refugee status is also a way to undermine the right to self-determination. And, therefore, a way to undermine the two-state solution, to modify the parameters of any future political resolution to the conflict.

Q. What has been the direct impact on UNRWAs operational capacity during the war?

A. The impact of the disinformation campaign was such that, within 48 hours of the accusation, 16 countries announced a temporary freeze to their contributions to UNRWA. Lawmakers from those member states took this information at face value, which greatly discredited the agency. We were found guilty before we could prove our innocence. The consequence has been a reduction in donations. The largest donor was the United States, with $300 million; in Europe, another important donor was Sweden, with $50 million. Both have stopped. Together, they represented a third of UNRWAs budget. But we have also had other countries increase their contributions, such as Spain, Luxembourg, and Portugal, among others; new donors such as Iraq and Djibouti; and we have even received an unprecedented increase in private donations totaling almost $100 million.

All of this has not made up for the cut in donations. Despite this, weve succeeded in maintaining our basic activities, we are prioritizing to the bones, although I dont know how much longer we can maintain critical services for one of the most vulnerable populations in the region. All these efforts to restrict UNRWAs work have contributed to the disaster we are faced with today in Gaza.

Q. Given Israel is a U.N. member state, what precedent does this set for the future of international humanitarian law and for multilateral cooperation in future conflicts?

A. I always warned that this was not just an issue with UNRWA. Its true that there is a political agenda behind it, but other agencies were going to be next. And thats exactly what happened. Gaza is becoming the graveyard of international humanitarian law. Everything has been so blatantly disregarded... Including the provision ruling of the International Court of Justice urging a significant increase in unimpeded assistance. That was in January 2024, and look where we are today. Impunity prevails, and theres a growing sense in the region that international humanitarian law is not universal. Today, its difficult to teach Palestinians anything about human rights in schools. We have made the Geneva Convention almost irrelevant. What is happening and being accepted today in Gaza is not something that can be isolated; it will become the new norm for all future conflicts.

Q. Its difficult to talk about the future in a Gaza thats currently uninhabitable. Do you see a future for Gaza? And for UNRWA?

A. Nobody knows what the future of Gaza holds. The key question is whether or not Gaza will be a land for the Palestinians in the future. If it is to be, it will have to be reconstructed. That scenario is the so-called Arab Peace Initiative. But if we move towards the second scenario, which is the reoccupation of the land and the expansion of settlers, Gaza will no longer be a land for the Palestinians. It would be a second Nakba. I think that we should spare no effort today to invest in the first scenario as the only one in line with the endgame accepted by the international community: the two-state solution.

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At the end of 2022, Chilean entrepreneur David Herrera was celebrating the New Year. While drinking a piscola  one of Chiles most popular drinks  he came up with the idea of creating a pisco brand called Pedro Piscal. Almost immediately, he began to do the paperwork and registered the name at the Institute of Intellectual Property (INAPI). The registration was published in the Official Gazette in June 2023. In 2024, Herrera began to market the product.

Pedro Piscal was launched last year as a premium, 40 product at $12 a bottle. That same year, Chilean actor Jose Pedro Balmaceda Pascal, star of series such as Narcos and Game of Thrones, filed a lawsuit to have the brand name annulled. His main beef was that Pedro Piscal is a brand name indisputably inductive to error or confusion, with consumers being led to believe the actor is behind the product.

The actors law firm, Estudio Silva, has pointed out that the Pedro Piscal brand name is almost identical in graphic and phonetic terms to his name. The lawsuit adds that it is in clear contravention of the general principle of good faith, and of the rules on fair competition and commercial ethics as there is a clear interest in commercial exploitation on the part of the defendant to take advantage of the fame of our client by obtaining a trademark registration that evidently seeks to be related to Pedro Pascal for profit, and on the basis of distracting consumers toward an erroneous commercial origin.

According to Herreras lawyer, from the Estudio Armate firm, the brand name was based on Pedro for Pedro Jimenez, the grape variety used to make pisco, and Piscal because it is directly related to pisco. It is a play on words but with no reference to the actor. He also pointed out that the image used on the bottle and website is that of a man next to a dog and not one of the actor. This, Herreras camp say, is proof that the trademark was requested in good faith, that it is being used legitimately and that, therefore, no consumer is confused.

Pascals lawyer, meanwhile, has argued that Herrera cannot allege that he was unaware of the similarity between the brand name he registered and the name of our client. It is not a simple coincidence, especially considering the strong presence that our client has in the area in which the defendant offers its products and services. This was in reference to the actor being the face of Corona beer and the Chilean wine Casillero del Diablo, owned by Vina Concha y Toro. The actors lawyer told EL PAIS that Pedro Piscal is a trademark that can be harmful to Pedro Pascals image.

Herreras lawyers are now asking for the LA-based actor to present his evidence against them via Zoom. As a defense, we requested that the plaintiff himself absolve positions, because we believe it is essential that he be directly responsible for the statements presented in the lawsuit against our client. This precedent is relevant to reinforce the fact that in Chile the rules of free competition and trademark protection are applied without distinction of the identity of the parties, Herreras lawyer stated. The case could take up to two years to resolve but may get as far as the Supreme Court.

The law firm representing Herrera has won similar lawsuits brought against its clients in the past: that of the Superpan bakery taken to court by DC Comics over the character Superman; and the Chilean firm Agrosuper, for the word super. It was also involved in the StarWash case, a car wash firm that managed to maintain its brand name after being challenged by Lucasfilm. Then there was the brand Harry Plotter, a printing and advertising company that was sued by Warner Bros over the similarity with Harry Potter. Another case was that of the Chilean comedian Christian Henriquez, who wrangled with Michael Jacksons representatives over the name of his character Maikel Perez Jackson, which he finally managed to register.

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China launched its first national science popularization month on Monday, starting a 30-day nationwide carnival of science.

Organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, the activities will spotlight scientific innovation achievements, celebrate the scientific spirit and the legacy of scientists, and make science accessible to the public.

Opening ceremonies were held at the National Communication Center For Science and Technology and the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing -- with more than a hundred related exhibitions and activities planned for September. Among them is a special exhibition on Chinese scientists during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

China's revised Science and Technology Popularization Law, which took effect on December 25, 2024, designated September as the annual national science popularization month. 
TEHRAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's atomic chief said on Sunday that two inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog oversaw a fuel replacement process at the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told state television the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors were allowed to supervise the work with the approval of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and under a law passed in June to restrict cooperation with the agency.

He said the inspectors carried out their duties in line with the legislation, after receiving the required permit, and then left the country.

Eslami added that Iran's Foreign Ministry has held two rounds of talks with the IAEA, and a third is planned. "The important point is that what should be materialized according to the parliament's law is being negotiated at present," he said.

However, he also accused the IAEA of "double standards" and said its director general, Rafael Grossi, was acting under the influence of world powers. "The agency must act in accordance with written regulations and UN rules, but we are witnessing selective behaviors," he said.

Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA in early July after President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a parliament bill curbing access to nuclear sites. Tehran said the move followed Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities and accused Grossi of siding with the West by failing to condemn the attacks.

The restrictions, which require National Security Council approval for inspector visits, have raised concern from the UN secretary-general and renewed Israeli calls for the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Iran. 
COLOMBO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 200,000 foreign tourists visited Sri Lanka in August 2025, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority on Monday.

The 198,235 arrivals marked a 20.4 percent increase from August 2024.

From January through August this year, total arrivals reached 1,566,523. India, Britain, Russia, Germany and China were the top source markets over the period.

Tourism, a key source of foreign exchange, generated more than 2 billion U.S. dollars in the first seven months of 2025, data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka showed. 
A staff member displays kite-making craft before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

Guests communicate before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

Guests communicate before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

A guest tries lacquer fan crafting before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

A staff member displays lacquer fan craft before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

A staff member displays a Yangliuqing woodblock new year picture before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

Guests experience Chinese tea culture before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)

A staff member displays filigree mosaic craft before a welcoming banquet at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Before the banquet, the guests watched and experienced China's intangible cultural heritages, having friendly exchanges in a harmonious atmosphere. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang)
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports grew for the third straight month due to strong global demand for locally-made semiconductors, cars and ships, government data showed Monday.

Exports, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, gained 1.3 percent to 58.40 billion U.S. dollars in August compared to the same month of last year, continuing to go up since June, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Imports shrank 4.0 percent to 51.89 billion dollars, sending the trade surplus to 6.51 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for the seventh consecutive month since February.

Of the country's 15 major export items, three products saw an increase in outbound shipments.

Semiconductor exports jumped 27.1 percent from a year earlier to hit a record high of 15.10 billion dollars in August.

The soaring chip shipment was attributed to strong demand for high-end chips, such as double data rate 5 and high bandwidth memory products used in generative artificial intelligence chipsets.

Automotive shipments rose 8.6 percent to 5.50 billion dollars last month, keeping an upward trend for the third successive month on the back of robust demand for eco-friendly vehicles.

Export for ships expanded 11.8 percent to 3.14 billion dollars in August on a yearly basis, keeping an upward trend for the sixth straight month on higher demand for high-value-added ships.

Oil products export shrank 4.7 percent to 4.17 billion dollars on lower product prices.

Global prices for gasoline and diesel fell 8.0 percent and 6.3 percent each in August compared to the same month of last year.

Petrochemical shipment dropped 18.7 percent to 3.38 billion dollars owing to global supply glut and cheaper crude oil.

Dubai crude, the Asian country's benchmark, averaged 70.9 dollars per barrel in July, down 15.5 percent from a year earlier.

Global demand for display panels and mobile devices diminished to 1.65 billion dollars and 1.56 billion dollars each, while computer exports plunged 18.2 percent to 1.20 billion dollars.

Auto parts shipment declined 8.9 percent to 1.67 billion dollars, and general machinery export tumbled 10.4 percent to 3.45 billion dollars.

Steel products export dived 15.4 percent to 2.37 billion dollars because of the negative effect of the U.S. protectionist moves, and secondary battery shipment retreated 31.3 percent to 490 million dollars.

Exports for home appliances and textiles decreased to 540 million dollars and 690 million dollars, respectively.

Export to the United States dwindled 12.0 percent over the year to 8.74 billion dollars in August.

Shipment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations climbed 11.9 percent to 10.89 billion dollars, but export to the European Union reduced 9.2 percent to 5.81 billion dollars.

Export to Japan, Latin America and India declined in single digits to 2.37 billion dollars, 2.31 billion dollars and 1.56 billion dollars each, but shipments to the Middle East added 1.0 percent to 1.40 billion dollars.

Regarding import items, the import of three major energy sources, including crude oil, natural gas and coal, dropped 12.2 percent to 10.99 billion dollars last month on lower crude oil prices.

Non-energy imports dipped 1.5 percent to 40.90 billion dollars on weak demand for steel and oil products. 
NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A recent cultural event at the Chinese Consulate General in New York gathered an audience of some 200 people to revisit the deep friendship forged between the Chinese and American people during the World Anti-Fascist War. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, "Experience China -- A Symphony of Stories on China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship" was hosted on Friday night. Blending symphony with narration by descendants of eyewitnesses, the event recounted how Chinese and American people fought side by side against fascism -- from American missionary John Magee risking his life to film the Nanjing Massacre, to the Flying Tigers, a group of American volunteers, creating "The Hump" airlift to transport much-needed supplies to China over the Himalayas, and villagers rescuing U.S. pilots who took part in the Doolittle Raid. "To remember the past is to safeguard the future. To reflect on war is to affirm our duty to peace and justice," China's Consul General in New York Chen Li said at the event. As major countries, China and the United States bear a special responsibility to draw wisdom from history and work together for a more peaceful, inclusive and secure world for generations to come, he said. Chris Magee, grandson of John Magee, told Xinhua that he felt proud that his grandfather chose to stay when others fled. "I thought the horrors of war would be the main thing I would encounter," he said. "But actually, something very different happened. What my grandfather left behind was a connection. In a time of great fear, he chose to replace fear with love, with helping neighbors, with kindness. And that is still what I felt in Nanjing -- affection and friendship, not only the horror of war." William Ross Kantenberger, grandson of Doolittle Raider Rodney Ross Wilder, shared the stories of how Chinese villagers bravely sheltered the downed airmen. "It's a privilege," he said. "We always state that we didn't do anything. We just tell the story. They were the heroes. And if you asked any of the Doolittle Raiders whether they were heroes, they would say no. They were just doing their job." His wife, Tracy Kantenberger, said that retelling these stories is not only about honoring the past but also about shaping the future. "Ultimately, it's about peace," she said. "We can use those stories from the past to really teach today's generation that we can work together. We did in the past, and we can do it now despite any other differences we have. Don't let the history die."
TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hailed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a practical demonstration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)'s vision for regional connectivity and economic integration.

"As SCO leaders, we have reaffirmed, year after year, the significance of enhanced regional connectivity. This requires efficient land, air and rail transport corridors to ensure reliability of the supply chain," Sharif said in a speech at the 25th Meeting of the Council of SCO's Heads of State.

The expansion of the CPEC, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, can serve as a practical demonstration of the SCO's vision for regional connectivity and economic integration, he said.

He also noted that China's global leadership is exemplified not only through the SCO but also in landmark initiatives, such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilizations Initiative.

On regional security, the prime minister said Pakistan seeks a normal and stable relationship with all neighbors and resorts to dialogue and diplomacy over conflicts and confrontations.

Pakistan will continue efforts along with all the SCO members to promote peace, progress and prosperity in the entire region and to ensure lasting peace in South Asia, he said, calling for a comprehensive and structural dialogue to discuss all outstanding disputes. 
TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday pledged to provide 2 billion yuan (about 281 million U.S. dollars) in grant to member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) within this year.

Xi made the remarks at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in the port city of Tianjin.

China will also issue an additional 10 billion yuan in loan to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years, Xi added.

China's investment stock in other SCO member states has exceeded 84 billion U.S. dollars, and its annual bilateral trade with other SCO member states has surpassed 500 billion U.S. dollars, according to Xi. 
With the Supreme Court dismissing a PIL challenging the Centres Ethanol Blending Programme that pushed the rollout of E20 petrolfuel blended with 20 per cent ethanol, the common Indian will now have to check if their vehicle is indeed E20-compliant.

In India, most cars manufactured from 2023 onwards, specifically since the adoption of Bharat Stage 6 (BSVI) Phase 2, are designed to run E20 fuel.

Ethanol, more commonly known as alcohol, is chemically different from petrol, which multiple studies show could affect engine performance and cut fuel economy by a tiny 1 to 3 per cent margin.

However, older vehicles were not designed for ethanol, and it could potentially cause long-term engine wear, along with rusting of pipes, and so on.

List of E20-compliant cars

Honda cars in India have been E20-compliant since 2009. All Honda cars manufactured in India since January 1 2009, are E20 fuel material-compatible. The latest models are fully optimised for E20 by default.

Material-compatible means that the cars components can handle the ethanol in the fuel without damage. Fully compatible and compliant mean that the engine is calibrated and tested for E20.

Maruti Suzuki made its entire product lineup E20-compliant since April 2023. The following made on or after April 2023 under BSVI Phase 2 are E20-compliant: WagonR, Alto K10, Celerio, Eeco, Ignis, S-Presso, Swift, Dzire, Baleno, Fronx, Jimny, Brezza, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Ertiga, and XL6.

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has on 4 August 2025 issued a detailed response to certain concerns raised on the impact of 20% Ethanol Blended Petrol (E-20) on mileage and vehicle life. In response to the further queries received, a detailed response has been given today. pic.twitter.com/tV0R4KxMLQ  Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas #MoPNG (@PetroleumMin) August 12, 2025

Hyundais strong lineup of Venue, Exter, Grand i10 Nios, i20 standard, i20 N-Line, Verna, Aura, Alcazar, Creta, and Tucson is also E20-compliant since April 2023 (BSVI Phase 2).

Tata Motors, back in February 2023, already put out a release stating that all their vehicles from then on will adhere to BSVI Phase 2 standards, hence they are E20-compliant. These include the Altroz (new and old), Curvv, Nexon (new and old), Punch, Tiago, Tigor, Harrier, and Safari.

Toyota already confirmed that its older models are not for E20 fuel. However, their lineup, including Glanza, Innova Crysta, Innova Hycross, Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Fortuner, Hilux, and Vellfire since 2023, are E20 compliant.

Mahindras XUV 3XO, XUV 7OO, Thar, Thar Roxx, and Scorpio N, and other models since 2023, have been E20 compatible since April 2023.

MG, like the other above, also saw to it that its offerings, like Astor, Hector, Hector+, and Gloster, have been E20-compliant since BSVI Phase 2 kicked in in April 2023.

Kia Sonet, Carens, Carens Clavis, and Seltos have also been E20 compatible since April 2023

Both Skoda and Volkswagen have made their entire India lineup E20-compliant since 2023. These include Kylaq, Kushaq, Kodiaq, Slavia, and Octavia for Skoda, and Taigun and Virtus for Volkswagen. All new models are E20-compliant by default.

Note: This list is from manufacturer statements and public information. Please check with your service centre and manufacturer for absolute certainty.

BONUS: Check the inside of the fuel inlet flap

THE WEEK team went to check a few cars that are compatible with E20 fuel.

The April 2023-make Tata Altroz did not have any markings, but the 2024-make Mahindra XUV 3XO had clear instructions stating that it was both E10 and E20 fuel compatible. In fact, it said that it was ONLY compatible with E10 and E20 petrol (pictured above).
Manoj Bajpayee is reuniting with the filmmaker who gave the actor his breakthrough in 'Satya' after eight years. The former announced that filming has commenced for a horror-comedy 'Police Station Mein Bhoot', which has Bajpayee playing a cop dealing with a demon. Genelia Deshmukh has been cast as the female lead.

A first look, possibly AI-generated, was shared by the actor on his social media handles, with the caption: "SHOOT BEGINS. From Satya to now some journeys are meant to come full circle. Thrilled to reunite with Ram Gopal Varma after nearly three decades for our new horror comedy Police Station Mein Bhoot. This one is special."

The project marks Bajpayee's sixth film with Varma after 'Satya', 'Kaun', 'Shool', 'Road' and 'Sarkar 3'. The last one, starring Amitabh Bachchan, was released seven years ago.

#PoliceStationMeinBhoot



SHOOT BEGINS 



From Satya to now some journeys are meant to come full circle. Thrilled to reunite with @RGVzoomIn after nearly three decades for our new horror comedy Police Station Mein Bhoot. This one is special.@geneliad @VauveEmirates pic.twitter.com/a6rtwZuor1  manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) September 1, 2025

Meanwhile, Bajpayee will be seen as a cop, this time based on a real-life character, in 'Inspector Zende', a new true crime-based investigative thriller arriving on Netflix this weekend.

Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, the film is set in the 1970s and 80s, and is said to be inspired by the cases of Madhukar Bapurao Zende, the real-life cop who apprehended Charles Sobhraj twice. Inspector Zende will explore Zende's attempts to nab Jim Sarbh's Sobhraj-inspired character Carl Bhojraj, aka 'The Swimsuit Killer', after the latter escapes from Tihar Jail. Sobhraj was nicknamed "The Bikini Killer". Recently, he was portrayed by Sidhant Gupta in Netflix's Black Warrant, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

The other cast members in 'Inspector Zende' include Bhalchandra Kadam, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak and Harish Dudhade.
Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio ("Fists in the Pocket", "The Traitor") is bringing to screens the turbulent life story of the late Italian television host Enzo Tortora. The first two episodes of the Max Original series, titled 'Portobello', after the show hosted by Tortora in the 1980s, are premiering at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Interestingly, it's also the streamer's first Italian original production. A 2026 worldwide streaming window has been announced.



Tortora started his popular show, Portobello, on Italian national television in 1977. Aside from the contestants presented with the challenging task of getting the show's mascot, a parrot, to say their names, the program gave viewers opportunities to make calls for enquiries about a lost relative or friend, or buy and sell products, among other things. Tortora, at the peak of professional success in the early 1980s, attained not just celebrity status but also was named Commander of the Republic by then Italian President Alessandro Pertini. Then, something terrible happened.

Giovanni Pandico, a criminal from the Camorra organisation and a religious follower of Portobello, decides to become an informant on the show, where he mentions, to everyones shock, Tortora, naming him as one of the members of the Camorra. On June 17, 1983, Tortora was arrested by the Italian police following allegations by several Camorra members, including Pandico. Long story short, it would take three long years for Tortora to be acquitted of all charges.

In the series, Tortora is played by actor Fabrizio Gifuni, who is joined by fellow cast members Lino Musella, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Barbora Bobulova, Carlotta Gamba, Alessandro Preziosi, Fausto Russo Alesi, and Salvatore DOnofrio.

Marco Bellocchio also wrote the script with Stefano Bises, Giordana Mari, and Peppe Fiore. Francesco Di Giacomo, who has worked with Bellocchio on the films 'Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara' and 'Exterior Night', is the director of photography, with editing by Francesca Calvelli, another frequent Bellocchio collaborator, who worked with him on 'The Traitor', 'Vincere', and 'The Wedding Director'.
Keralas government hospitals are going into a crisis as the suppliers of critical cardiac devices have halted their supply due to pending arrears.

The Chamber of Distributors for Medical Implants and Disposables, an association of suppliers, decided to halt the supply of stents, guide wires, catheters, and PTCA balloons after sending multiple letters to the state government.

According to the distributors, 41.34 crore was pending up to June 2024, while an additional 117.34 crore has accumulated in the last 14 months. Kozhikode Medical College Hospital tops the list of unpaid bills; 34.9 crore has to be paid to the distributors. It is closely followed by Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, which has 29.5 crore in dues.

In the first week of August, the representatives of the distributors met the private secretary of the health minister and submitted their representation to him. He assured us that he was aware of the situation, and since we had been updating him regularly, he indicated that some action would be taken in August, said a representative of CDMID. However, to date, nothing has happened. This has now put us in a situation where we dont have stocks to supply.

According to the website of Interventional Cardiology Council of Kerala, amidst the 5 hospitals doing largest number of procedures in Kerala state, 4 out of 5 are Government Medical Colleges, we are in second position. There are more than 100 hospitals with cath lab in state. pic.twitter.com/byHuNpX7U7  Dr G Rajesh (Gopalan Nair Rajesh). (@DrRajeshG1) August 30, 2025

On August 30, the distributors sent another letter saying that from September 1 onwards, they won't be able to replenish the stocks. According to the distributors, they have reached a stage where they are unable to pay the principal suppliers to get stocks. They also note that distributors across Kerala are running out of stock of guide wires, catheters, PTCA balloons, and coronary stents.

Recently, in a letter to the principal of Kozhikode Medical College, cardiology HOD Dr. Rajesh G. warned about the severe shortage of essentials required for cardiac surgeries.

With pending arrears of nearly 158.7 crore, all government hospitals, including medical colleges, are going into a crisis if the government does not act immediately. Notably, the government also has pending arrears from the last financial year for invoices under the KASP, KBF, and MEDISEP schemes. The distributors say that if the government does not at least partially cover the arrears, they wont be able to restart their supply.

The Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL), a state-owned company responsible for procuring essential drugs and equipment for public healthcare institutions in Kerala, is also facing significant issues with payment arrears to pharmaceutical companies and suppliers. The arrears have significantly increased over time, rising from 6.93 crore in the 202021 financial year to 383.26 crore in 202425, which indicates a growing financial strain on KMSCL. KMSCL reportedly owes more than 600 crore to pharma companies, and there are indications that the number of companies expressing interest in supplying medicines to Kerala is declining. A decline in interested parties could drive up medicine prices.
A technical glitch forced a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight from Pune to make a mid-air turnback to the originating airport on Monday.

Spicejet, in a statement, said the aircraft landed safely under full emergency conditions and passengers were deplaned normally.

"SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft, bearing registration VT-SLG was midway diverted back to Pune airport due to a technical glitch. The flight landed back under full emergency conditions after an hour of its take off for Delhi," news agency PTI said a source said.

The flight SG937 departed after a delay of 40 minutes from its scheduled time of 6 am from Pune airport .It was to land in Delhi at 8.10 am.

A Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight (SG 937) returned to Pune shortly after take-off after a flap transit light warning. The crew followed SOPs, and pilots decided to return as a precaution. pic.twitter.com/XxryakhYRu  Aism India |  #1 Stock Market Information & News (@Aismindiia) September 1, 2025

"SpiceJet flight SG 937 on September 1, operating from Pune to Delhi, returned to Pune shortly after take-off. Following take-off, the flap transit light illuminated, and the operating crew carried out all necessary checks in accordance with standard operating procedures," the airline said.

As a precautionary measure, SpiceJet said, the pilots decided to return to Pune.

"The aircraft landed safely and passengers deplaned normally. Affected passengers are being accommodated on alternate flights or offered full refunds," it stated.
A special China-U.S. cultural exchange event was recently held in Chongqing, southwest China, to honor the enduring legacy of the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers was formed in 1941 by General Claire Lee Chennault to help China in its fight against invading Japanese forces.




Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called the BJPs Dharmastala Chalo rally politics and said that the party will not get any political benefit out of doing it.

He called the BJPs approach toward the mass burial case hypocrisy. The Chief Minister said that the party was doing it because they felt like all Hindus would unite for the cause, but that they were wrong. He said, I am also a Hindu. Being Hindu is not about politics and spreading false propaganda or telling lies.

VIDEO | Dharamsthala: "Dharmasthala Chalo is to unearth the conspiracy of the ultra-leftist wings in the Congress government, who are trying to defame all Hindu Shraddha Kendras and Hindu beliefs in the country. They are consistently targeting Hindu society and the Hindu pic.twitter.com/mfBSJ8b3mM  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2025

BJP leaders in Karnataka, meanwhile, organised the Dharmasthala Chalo rally at the temple town. The rally was held to condemn the alleged conspiracy and smear campaign against Dharmasthala. The leaders also demanded an NIA probe into the people who organised the conspiracy. Nearly 1 lakh people attended the rally to show solidarity against the attempt to vilify the temple and its traditions."

Speaking to the reporters, the CM said, "Let them (BJP) do it, they are doing things for politics. They feel that they will benefit from it politically, but they won't get any benefit. We (Congress) have a lot of respect for Dharmasthala and Lord Manjunatha. But they are doing politics,"

The CM also questioned the timing of the agitations and the rallies, saying, "Why did they not do it (agitation) at the beginning when the SIT was formed? After so many days, on getting to know that nothing was found (in excavations), they have started it. Isn't it hypocrisy?"

Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra alleged that the claims of multiple rapes and burials in Dharmasthala were a very big conspiracy and demanded that the case be handed over to the NIA or the CBI.

Vijayandra, Leader of the opposition, R Ashoka, and other BJP legislators and leaders all participated in the Dharmastala rally. Before the rally, the leaders had already visited the temple and even met the temple custodian there.

Speaking to the gathering, he accused the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of having failed to deliver justice to the Hindu community.



While speaking to PTI, he had said, "The issue here is, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, everybody is demanding a thorough investigation by CBI or NIA. It is a must in the Dharmasthala episode. This is the demand of all the devotees of Dharmasthala lord Manjunatha." "Crores and crores of devotees are upset, the way in which the false propaganda has been carried out at the national and international level. The sentiments of the devotees are hurt," he added.

The BJP chief also pointed out that the Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Dinesh Gundu said that there was a lot of pressure from leftist groups on the state government for the investigation.

The Dharmathala controversy started when a complainant who has now been identified as C N Chinnaiah claimed that he was forced to bury hundreds of bodies, including women and children who were sexually assaulted in Dharmasthala over a period of two decades. The implication was that the administrators of the local temple were involved. The man has now been arrested on charges of perjury and is being investigated.

On Sunday, JD(S) held a 'Dharma Thala Sathya yatre' in the area with a similar demand.
Delhi could witness some amount of flooding with the river Yamuna in spate. The river is currently flowing above 205.33 metres, and the water level is rising due to continuous heavy rainfall. This is above the danger mark, which is 205 metres.

There is a threat of flooding in Faridabad due to the rising water level of the Yamuna. The release of water from the Hathni Kund Barrage is likely to flood Faridabad in the next 48 hours, according to local media reports. The irrigation department has so far released 2 lakh 38000 cusecs of water from Hathni Kund Barrage, and the water will reach Okhla Barrage in the next 72 hours. The administration has issued a warning to the people living in the villages on the banks of the Yamuna. Leave of all employees has been cancelled.

The situation is likely to remain critical on Monday too, with the Meteorological Department issuing a heavy rain alert. The river has breached the banks and has entered the park behind the Taj Mahal. The old railway bridge is an important mark to monitor the flow of the river and the level of danger.

Yamuna River at Hathnikund Barrage discharging massive 3,11,000 Cusces, highest in last 2 years.



Mandeep Jaat https://t.co/asuQk2XuVO pic.twitter.com/mTITQQ1pra  Naveen Reddy (@navin_ankampali) September 1, 2025

The IMD has also issued a yellow alert for Delhi, forecasting light to moderate rain and thundershowers at most places, with the possibility of heavy rain at isolated locations during the morning. The maximum temperature is expected to reach around 31 degrees Celsius, while the minimum may drop to 22 degrees Celsius.

According to meteorologists, due to the effect of the western disturbance, monsoon activities can be seen increasing in the initial phase of September.

In view of the situation, the administration has set up tents on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and in the Mayur Vihar area for people living in low-lying areas along the Yamuna.

Other states

The monsoon havoc will continue in North India as the IMD issued a red alert for Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh on Monday. It has warned of extremely heavy rainfall. An orange alert was issued for Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.

The IMD has also issued a yellow alert for rainfall at isolated places in Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Coastal Karnataka, Gujarat Region, Kerala and Mahe, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Telangana, and West Rajasthan.
In what seems like an attempt to portray an upper hand in the world's gaze, United States President Donald Trump on Monday claimed India offered a "zero tariffs" deal on imports from the US. Trump's fresh claims come as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.

The US president claimed India-US trade was one-sided and New Delhi does "very little" business with his country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said India has now offered to cut its tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late.

"What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us," Trump added. He added that the US was India's biggest client, "massive", "but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one-sided relationship, and it has been for many decades," Trump said in his post.

The US president blamed India's high taxes for low sales of American goods in the country. "The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India."

The US president said India should have cut tariffs on US goods to zero long ago. He also continued to "blame" India for its defence and oil deals with Russia. "India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!" the US president said in his social media post.

However, the US president had made similar claims in May this year, and India maintained, "trade talks are continuing."

Trump's comments come as the world witnessed renewed bonhomie between leaders of India, Russia and China on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin.

The summit also showed to the world Trump tariffs hasn't shaken India's ties with Russia. The US president has imposed 25 per cent additional tariff on Indian imports, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 per cent, for its purchase of Russian oil and defence equipment. Trump charged India's oil purchases from Russia is fueling Putin's war against Ukraine. India called the tariffs imposed by the US unjustified and unreasonable.
President Xi Jinpings visit to Tibetan capital Lhasa last week to mark the 60th anniversary of Tibets founding as an autonomous region was kept under wraps till the last minute, signalling the unease within Beijing over the vexed issue where a vast exiled community of Tibetans is settled across the Himalayas in India.

The India-China border dispute is not far removed from the reason why Beijing did not announce in advance that Xi, accompanied by Cai Qi, a top member of Chinas politburo standing committee and Wang Huning, a fourth ranking member of the Communist Party, will be visiting the Tibetan Autonomous Region that continues to have strategic concerns for China, given its shared border with India.

The visit was to demonstrate Beijings control in an area where its rule is described as oppressive. While Xi spoke of the need to uphold political and social stability, the visit was short and tempered down to avoid ruffling any more feathers, said a government official. Later, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi and also held talks with Cai Qi, the signalling bore fruit as Beijing demonstrated that it had taken New Delhis cue to keep contentious issues away and focus on the tangibles - easing visa rules, reopening border trade, restarting direct flights and reducing Indias trade deficit with China.

Foreign ministry officials view it as a demonstration of New Delhis ability to balance its security needs with strategic and economic interests without delinking the border issue. The fact that South Block has carefully manoeuvred its demonstration of strategic autonomy to allow Beijing to follow suit, has allowed it to balance out its Tibet policy on both sides of the Himalayas.

We have witnessed numerous fluctuations in the global geopolitical landscape. From the brutal killings of Tibetans and unfulfilled promises of reform to the rise of advanced surveillance technologies and colonial-style boarding schools, the Tibetan people have endured profound changesboth within Tibet and in the ways foreign countries respond to the Tibetan issue, said a Tibetan official based in New Delhi. Yet, what has remained steadfast over the past six decades is the resilience of the Tibetan people and the Indian government's consistent policy on Tibet and its commitment to the welfare of Tibetans.

There is a growing chorus for New Delhi to maintain its steadfast approach  demonstrated in its relations with Moscow as with the United States  where experts feel it has scored with maturity, by not adopting a tit for tat approach with the latter despite tensions over the tariff issue spilling over. Rather, the focus is growing towards investing in a long-term strategic relationship and managing tensions in the short-term with Washington as with Beijing.

New Delhi has demonstrated that it is not a pushover. At the same time, it is making it clear that its defence and strategic ties with Washington are valuable and it is ready to weather the storm, said a senior official. Similarly, while security hawks in New Delhi are deeply aware of the proximate ties between the militaries of its two neighbours, Pakistan and China, it is keeping its temporary compromises delinked from its long-term strategic and economic interests.

Officials recall Washingtons measured response during Canadas wild allegations of an alleged assassination plot on its soil against India not too long ago. It may well be New Delhis turn to sail the tide as it resets its ties with Beijing under the shadow of Trumps tariffs. The cue has been well taken by Xi and Cai Qi, who left Tibet, one day earlier after inspecting six prefectures of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The authorities in Srinagar have issued an advisory warning people in Srinagars Fakir Gujri, Khonmoh, and other nearby areas not to venture near slopes or water bodies until weather conditions improve.

The advisory said that the tourists and shikara (small boat) owners in the Dal Lake and the adjacent Nigeen Lake must suspend their activities.

ALSO READ | Jammu and Kashmir rains: Scary visuals of Reasi landslide that buried alive seven members of a family

Sand miners in the Jhelum and other water bodies have been asked not to attempt to cross without verifying the condition of the river and its tributaries.



#WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir | Union Home Minister Amit Shah inspected the condition of the fourth Tawi bridge, a part of which was washed away in the floods following incessant heavy rainfall.



J&K CM Omar Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha also present. pic.twitter.com/IjohO1zvj3  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

The advisory has been issued in view of the inclement weather, with a forecast of heavy to very heavy showers accompanied by gusty winds over some parts of Kashmir from August 31 to September 1, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Srinagar station.

The public can contact the District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC) Srinagar through WhatsApp on 9103998355 and 9103998357, the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) Srinagar on 112, or the Police Control Room Srinagar on 0194-2457543, 0194-2483651, and 0194-2457552 for any information or assistance.

Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway continues to remain shut for the seventh consecutive day on Monday, amid ongoing work to restore traffic on the vital artery that connects Kashmir with the rest of India.

People have been advised not to undertake any journey on the highway until restoration work has been completed.

According to officials, the rains are hampering efforts to clear blockades on the highway. The rains also continue to take a toll on Jammu and Kashmir, with more deaths and destruction to property reported in Jammu region.

ALSO READ | Rains, cloudbursts in J&K leave 110 dead in two weeks, massive destruction of property, infrastructure

In a tragic incident at Kansooli village (Mahore block) in Reasi, a woman named Zulfa Bano and her 11-year-old son, Basharat, were swept away while crossing a swollen Nallah yesterday.

According to eyewitnesses, when Basharat was swept away by the floodwaters, Bano jumped in to save him, but both were carried off by the strong currents.



Banos body was later recovered by the villagers. A search operation by police and locals is still underway to retrieve Basharats body.
The Bombay High Court took a stern stand on the Manoj Jarange-led Maratha reservation agitation underway in Mumbai on Monday, and directed them to vacate the streets of Maharashtra's capital by 4pm on September 2. The court also directed the state government to ensure that additional protesters did not join the massive agitation underway for four days.

Observing the situation was grim, the Bombay High Court said Mumbai has been brought to a standstill due to the protests seeking reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education. During a special hearing on Monday, a bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad observed that the protesters blocked several vital areas in south Mumbai.

"The situation is grim and the city of Mumbai has been practically brought to a standstill," the court observed. "The protestors have gathered at vital places such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Churchgate railway stations, Marine Drive promenade and even the high court building," the bench observed.

The Bombay High Court said the entire city has been brought to a standstill due to the ongoing agitation. The bench noted protesters violated all conditions. The high court gave an opportunity to Jarange and his supporters to rectify the situation, and directed them to vacate all streets by Tuesday noon.

"We can see how peaceful the protest is. The high court building is surrounded. The entry gates for the judges and lawyers are blocked. The cars of high court judges were blocked today and prevented from coming to court today. The entire city has been blocked," it said.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been staging a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday, demanding a 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Sources close to him say Jarange has also stopped drinking water from Monday.

The bench also came down heavily on Jarange, observing his promises regarding peaceful protests were mere "lip service". Observing Jarange and his supporters have prima facie violated all the conditions for the protest, the bench said it expects the state government to follow the due procedure laid down in law by initiating appropriate steps.

"He has said he will go on a fast till death and will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met. He (Jarange) is giving a clear threat. Why is the state government not getting the roads cleared? As per the assurance given by Jarange, life in Mumbai will not come to standstill. Every assurance is violated," the bench said. "We want normalcy. Protestors are bathing, cooking and defecating on the streets," it added.

The court will continue to hear the matter on Tuesday. The bench directed the state government to ensure medical assistance to Jarange if his health condition worsens.
Activist Manoj Jarange's stir for a quota for the community entered its fourth day at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Monday. He warned that more than five crore Marathas will come to Mumbai if Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis does not listen to the quota demands of the community. Jarange has been on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai since Friday, asserting he would not leave the metropolis till the Maratha community is given a reservation.

Hundreds of protestors have gathered at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and other areas in south Mumbai, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters. Many protesters were still waiting on the platform and near the tracks by the afternoon, forcing the railway administration to impose a 'caution order' as a precautionary measure.

Protesters who decided to gather at vital points such as the CSMT and Churchgate railway station and Marine Drive promenade have caused issues for normal life in Mumbai. CSMT, a crucial hub for the Mumbai Suburban Railway network, which transports over 7.5 million commuters daily across its various lines, witnessed more than 300 Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel being deployed on Monday to control the situation. Agitators are protesting by climbing poles with flags in their hands, Marathi media reports said.

Earlier, train services were slowed down after many protesters decided to take up positions at the CSMT railway tracks to raise slogans, Lokmat said in a report. Local trains were running late by about 20 to 30 minutes as a consequence, affecting the routine of lakhs of passengers, the report added.

There was also the risk of agitators getting electrocuted by the overhead wires and officials have warned them to stay clear of them. The railway traffic delays have angered the Mumbai public, Marathi media reports said.
From Tianjin in China, where the SCO Summit is being held, came a rather unusual image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being warmly welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Shaking Modis hands, Xi said: A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant should be the right choice for the two countries.

The sight came as a rude awakening to Western analysts who had watched India thawing toward its arch-foe China. Though they appreciated a warmer relationship between the countries in general terms, they believe it shouldnt come at the expense of the West.

The West puts the blame squarely on one person: US President Donald Trump.

UK-based newspaper The Times hit out at Trump for pushing India towards China. It argued that India had pursued a policy of non-alignment since its inception, but its cultural sympathies leaned towards the West. The US had lavished attention on the nascent superpower in a bid to recruit India into an alliance aimed at containing China. But it has taken Donald Trump only a few months to sabotage this diplomatic groundwork, The Times editorial added.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other Heads of States/Heads of Governments pose for a group photograph at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.



(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/UftzXy6g3K  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2025

Mark Almond, director of Oxford-based Crisis Research Institute, believes Trump is the reason Indias mingling with despots and pariahs. Almond warns that the sight of Modi glad-handing Xi will set alarm bells ringing across the West. And if the Indian Elephant does indeed join the Chinese Dragon  and its partner in crime the Russian Bear  in an alliance against the American-led West, we would be wise to drop any complacency about our global strategic position, Almond writes in the Daily Mail.

While the sight of Xi and Putin together was expected, the presence of Indias democratically elected Prime Minister is the most sinister development, Almond argues, adding that the West can hope that Indias decision to attend this convention of despots and pariahs is only tactical.

Calling it a geopolitical earthquake, Almond blames it on Trumps treatment of India, stating, wounded pride and despots cynical power plays are bringing India, China and Russia together.

An analyst with the New York Times also expressed his shock at seeing the sight. In a piece that appeared in a US newspaper, the reporter who was in Tianjin explains how geopolitics was at play in a way that we havent seen in a very long time at the Summit.

He added that Modi was signaling to the US that he had options and there were consequences for the chaotic foreign policy thats coming out of Washington. China has summoned the non-Western-aligned world to this event to tell Washington: 'You are no longer calling the shots, he added.
Yemen has been thrust deeper into turmoil after Houthi raids on United Nations offices in Sanaa and a wave of Israeli strikes that killed senior rebel leaders. The twin crises have converged at a moment when more than half of Yemens population depends on aid, raising fears that the countrys long civil war is becoming entangled with the wider Israel-Hamas conflict and regional rivalries.

Houthi rebels on Sunday raided the offices of several United Nations agencies in Sanaa, Yemens capital, detaining at least 11 employees. The offices of the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) were among those targeted. Spokespersons for WFP and UNICEF, Abeer Etefa and Ammar Ammar, confirmed that security forces entered their premises and detained staff members.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, strongly condemned the raids. They called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained personnel. Guterres also criticised the forced entry into WFP premises, the seizure of UN property, and attempts to storm other UN offices in Sanaa.

According to UN officials, armed forces questioned staff in parking areas as part of the crackdown.

Brave People of Yemen demanding revenge against Israel pic.twitter.com/PiI1ToJ3d7  Yemen Military (@Armed_Yemen) August 31, 2025

The raids mark the latest episode in a long-running Houthi campaign against the UN and other international organisations operating in areas under rebel control. In the past, the Houthis have detained dozens of UN staff as well as employees of aid groups, civil society organisations, and the now-closed US embassy in Sanaa. Some UN personnel have been held since 2021 and 2023, with one reported to have died in detention earlier this year.

Such actions severely impede efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance in a country already enduring one of the worlds worst crises. In January, the UN suspended operations in the Houthi stronghold of Saada after eight employees were arrested, underlining the risks faced by aid agencies.

The raids came days after a major Israeli strike in Sanaa on August 28 that killed the Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, along with several cabinet members. Among those killed were Foreign Minister Gamal Amer, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed al-Medani, Electricity Minister Ali Seif Hassan, Tourism Minister Ali al-Yafei, Information Minister Hashim Sharafuldin, and a deputy interior minister, Abdel-Majed al-Murtada. According to Houthi officials, the leaders were meeting at a workshop to review government performance.

The strike represented a significant blow to the rebels, who are backed by Iran. The head of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, vowed vengeance, while Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi denounced Israels record of horrific terror and pledged continued operations in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Security was tightened across Sanaa and dozens of people were reportedly arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel.

The killing of Rahawi formed part of Israels broader campaign against the Houthis, who have launched attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the strikes were only the beginning and promised that all senior Houthi leaders would be targeted. Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier voiced support for such operations.

Israeli strikes in Sanaa on August 24 had already killed 10 people and wounded more than 90, hitting Houthi military positions and the presidential palace. The subsequent killing of Rahawi marked an escalation that brought swift retaliation in the form of the Houthi raids on international organisations.

The timing of the detentions has been widely interpreted as an apparent security crackdown in response to the Israeli attacks. Grundberg, the UN envoy, expressed grave concern at Israels strikes in Houthi-controlled areas and urged de-escalation, warning that Yemen cannot afford to become a battleground for a wider regional conflict.

The spiral of violence threatens to worsen an already dire humanitarian picture. The detention of aid workers directly hampers the ability of organisations to deliver food, medical supplies and other essentials to millions of Yemenis. More than a decade of civil war has left the countrys infrastructure shattered and its people heavily reliant on international assistance.
More the 800 people have been reported to be dead with 2500 injured after the deadly quakes in the Kunar Province and Jalalabad city in Afghanistan.

An Afghan government spokesperson, Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the death toll could rise as the rescue efforts continued.

Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has offered humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, to the country.

In these difficult moments and great tragedy, while expressing sincere condolences and solidarity with the great people of Afghanistan and the bereaved families, the Islamic Republic of Iran announces its full readiness to send relief, medical and humanitarian aid, Araghchi said in comments carried by Irans Tasnim news agency.

Our hearts go out to the people of Nangarhar & Kunar after last nights earthquake. We stand beside families & communities affected, working with partners to assess needs & provide early support. UNDP is committed to helping Afghans recover & rebuild towards a safer environment. pic.twitter.com/3XbQR0Auk6  UNDP Afghanistan (@UNDPaf) September 1, 2025

An entire village in the Nurgal district of Kunar province was flattened, according to one resident. Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble, the villager said.

In the Darai Nur district in the Nangarhar province, nine people, including children, were killed, according to reports from Afghan RTA broadcasters. In Laghman province majority of the 58 injured were women and children.

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern part of the country close to the Pakistan border.

Afghanistan's Kunar, Nangarhar, and Noristan provinces has been struck by a devastating earthquake, with families left despairing as homes were leveled and lives devastated. Entire villages, many of them, have been flattened, and thousands of children, women, and elderly pic.twitter.com/ZYGt0BWHl4  Zarifa Ghafari  (@Zarifa_Ghafari) September 1, 2025

According to Thamindri de Silva, national director of World Vision Afghanistan, who spoke to Al Jazeera, The epicentre of the Mazar valley was one of the remotest and also one of the poorest parts of the country. The remoteness of the area and the inaccessibility make it difficult to gauge the exact scale of destruction. The houses in the area were built with mud and little reinforcement, according to de Silva.

The earthquake struck about 27 kilometres east of Jalalabad, a crowded trade city with a population of 300,000. The first quake struck only at a depth of around 8 km, making it a very shallow quake, which can be extremely destructive, especially to cities. Shallow quakes are said to occur at depths less than 70 km.

After a while, another quake, recorded at a magnitude 4.5 struck at a depth of 140 km near Basawal not far from the first one.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes as its Hindu Kush mountains sit at the meeting of the Indian and Eaurasian tectonic plates. The area is home to many tectonic locked faults, which accumulate pressure over time. When the pressure is released, it results in powerful earthquakes.
MACAO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government and the Macao Chamber of Commerce on Monday jointly launched a "community consumption rewards" campaign.

The program, running from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, coincides with the upcoming National Games and will distribute nearly 500 million patacas (about 62.2 million U.S. dollars) in consumption incentives to support community businesses, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau of the Macao SAR government said in a press release.

According to the bureau, residents can obtain electronic coupons via e-wallet transactions at designated merchants. Each real-name e-wallet account can redeem coupons after making the first eligible purchase of at least 50 patacas from Monday to Friday, with coupons valid during the following weekend. 
Labor Day, which is a federal holiday in the US, is observed on the first Monday of September in honour of the American labour movement.

Labor Day came into existence as trade unions like the Central Labor Union and movements like the Knights of Labor pushed for a day to be designated to celebrate the contributions of labourers. It became an official federal holiday in 1894 after President Grover Cleveland signed the law. By this time, 32 of the 45 US states were already observing the holiday.

Canada also celebrates its "Labour Day" on the first Monday of September.

How is US Labor Day different from May Day?

Unlike the US Labor Day, several countries observe the International Workers' Day on a fixed date, which is May 1. It is popularly referred to May Day.

Everyone who comes to New York City knows the meaning of hard work. Their grit and hustle is what's made us the greatest city in the world.



Happy Labor Day to all, and know that New York City will always fight for working people. pic.twitter.com/NGQAoYTPma  Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 1, 2025

The US Labor Day unofficially marks the end of summer. On the other hand, May Day has its origins in ancient Europe and marks the beginning of summer. The date is also halfway between the spring equinox on March 20 and summer solstice on June 21.

May 1 was picked as International Workers' Day to mark the 1886 Haymarket massacre, when four civilians and seven police officers were killed in a dynamite bombing on May 4 at Haymarket Square in in Chicago. This happened during a rally by labourers who demanded an eight-hour work day.

Today, more than 150 countries observe May 1 as Labour Day or International Workers' Day, including India. However, it is not a national holiday in India. It is a state holiday in Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Puducherry, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal. The exceptions are Maharashtra and Gujarat, where May 1 is also the founding day of those states and hence a state holiday.

What is open and shut on Labor Day in the US?

In the US, banks, post office, FedEx, UPS and Costco will remain closed in Labour Day. The US stock markets will also be closed for the day.

However, businesses like , Walmart, Target, Trader Joe, Walgreens, CVS, Sam's Club and Albertsons & Albertsons family will be opened.

Grocery stores like Kroger, Stop & Shop, Wegmans and Whole Foods will also remain open on September 1.

Stores like TJ Maxx, Macy's, Kohl's, Marshalls, Dollar General and Home Depot will also operate as normal.

Fast-food chains and restaurants like KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Applebee's, Sonic, Dunkin', Yard House and LongHorn Steakhouse will be open to customers.
More than 600 people have been confirmed dead after multiple earthquakes struck Eastern Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border.

At least 1,500 were injured according to Afghanistan's interior ministry after the first quake, measured at magnitude 6.3, struck Kunar Province and Jalalabad city. Rescue efforts are underway, according to Afghanistan's TOLO news agency. Hundreds of injured were taken to the the regional hospital in Kunar.

The Kunar disaster management authority said that the people were most affected in the districts of Nur, Gul Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare.

The official death toll currently stands at 622, according to the interior ministry, Reuters reported.

The Afghan Red Crescent also reported that its medical team is providing emergency assistance to the affected areas.

#Kunar:

A powerful #earthquake struck late last night in various areas of Nurgal district, Kunar province, causing both human casualties and significant financial losses to local communities.

In the immediate aftermath, officials from the #ARCS, along with medical teams, rushed pic.twitter.com/dolNY2N6dp  Afghan Red Crescent |    (@ARCSAfghanistan) September 1, 2025

The defence ministry of the country has flown about 30 doctors and 800 kilograms of medicine into Kunar to support the local hospitals.

The earthquake struck about 27 kilometres east of Jalalabad, a crowded trade city with a population of 300,000. The first quake struck only at a depth of around 8 km, making it a very shallow quake, which can be extremely destructive, especially to cities. Shallow quakes are said to occur at depths less than 70 km.

The intensity of the earthquake was strong in #Kunar #Afghanistan. They will need urgent help. pic.twitter.com/JJM6s3ZGbK  Khalyla Harito (@KhalylaHarito) August 31, 2025

After a while, another quake, recorded at a magnitude 4.5 struck at a depth of 140 km near Basawal not far from the first one.

The Kunar province also suffered significant damage due to the fact that it was already flooded by rain last week.

As reports of deaths and injuries from the #earthquake in eastern region of #Afghanistan continue to emerge, @WHOAfghanistan teams are on the ground in hospitals and health facilities, supporting the treatment of the wounded and assessing urgent health needs.

We are actively pic.twitter.com/ylplNzcN27  WHO Afghanistan (@WHOAfghanistan) September 1, 2025

The WHO Afghanistan said that their teams were on the ground in the hospitals treating the injured. Secratary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres said on X, "The UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas."

The quake was also felt in parts of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes as its Hindu Kush mountains sit at the meeting of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

The last deadly earthquake in the country was in 2023. About 2000 people were killed after a magnitude 6.3 quake struck the western province of Herat.
As the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was underway, a widely circulated video showed Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin chatting and having a laugh on the second day of the event.

Of course, everyone would agree that this is all optics, but in geopolitics, optics do matter, and optics from the "largest-ever SCO summit in history certainly are watched by the global powers, particularly the US.

Sharing my remarks during meeting with President Putin. https://t.co/PADOdRjsBs  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The three leaders were photographed sharing conversations, walking together and posing as if to suggest that a new world order is in the making.

The carpool moment

Equally telling was the carpool between Modi and Putin. The two leaders held over 40-minute-long informal conversations while travelling together in the same car to the venue of the meeting after concluding their engagements at the SCO summit.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The ties between India and the US are on a decline after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India's purchase of Russian crude oil. The decision of Modi to share a ride with Putin and the prime minister's tweet that "conversations with him are always insightful" suggest India's stance that while there may be backchannel conversations happening on the tariffs, New Delhi is not willing to bend over backwards to accommodate Trump.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial, and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas. They also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine.

Xi and his vision for a new world order

Xi Jinping took a dig at the US, calling out its bullying practices, saying house rules of a few countries should not be imposed on others, even as he urged the SCO member nations to oppose the cold war mentality, bloc confrontation, and bullying.

We should leverage the strength of our mega-sized markets and economic complementarity between member states and improve trade and investment facilitation, he said.

In an apparent attempt to project China as primus inter pares or leader among equals, Xi said he looks forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system.

We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar of the world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation and make the global governance system more just and equitable," he said.

China has also been pushing the grouping to set up a development bank on the lines of the New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS and the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB), in which India is the second largest shareholder.

The SCO has grown into the world's largest regional organisation, with the participation of 26 countries, cooperation covering more than 50 areas, and a combined economic output of nearly USD 30 trillion, Xi observed.

Putin backs Xi

Supporting the economic proposals of Xi, Putin proposed that members of the 10-nation SCO should sell joint bondsa move that may deepen the economic cooperation between the countries.

He further said he supported the creation of our own payment, settlement and depository infrastructure and the formation of a bank of joint investment projects. These, he said, would increase the effectiveness of the economic exchanges and protect the countries from fluctuations in the external environment.

Pointing out that SCO had revived "genuine multilateralism", with national currencies increasingly used in mutual settlements, Putin said this lays the political and socio-economic groundwork for the formation of a new system of stability and security in Eurasia. According to him, this security system, unlike Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, would genuinely consider the interests of a broad range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow one country to ensure its own security at the expense of others.

Beyond optics

The India, China, and Russia camaraderie sends a clear message of an alternative global alignment, particularly for the Global South, that challenges the US-led world order. While China uses the SCO to assert its leadership in Asia and Eurasia, positioning itself as a champion of developing countries and multipolarity, Russia aligns closely with China against Western sanctions and global order. India, meanwhile, navigates a careful path, asserting its autonomy and growing influence.

The optics seem to have irked Trump as he claimed on Monday that India has now "offered" to cut its tariffs to nothing and added that the US does "very little business" with India and called the ties between the two countries "one-sided disaster."

"What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India, he said.

"It has been a totally one-sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!" Trump said.
The expansion of free childcare schemes could inadvertently push up the price of already sky-high nursery fees, according to a new report.

From this month, families in England will be entitled to 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week for children as young as nine months.

However, staffing shortages and insufficient funding mean some parents may be left without spaces or paying over the odds.

A report by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research found that free childcare schemes are failing to keep pace with nursery fees - and could make them even more expensive.

Funding for three and four-year olds is lower than the average hourly fee, which has pushed nurseries to charge more for younger children.

The average cost of full-time nursery (50 hours a week) for a child under two in England is 12,425 in 2025.

The study found that London remains the most expensive region for childcare, followed by the South East and South West, while the North East is cheapest.

Rising prices: Nursery fees are expected to rise again following the expansion of free childcare

Areas with the lowest government funding have seen nursery fees rise the fastest over the past 18 months, according to the report.

These so-called 'childcare deserts' have three or more children compete for a single place, pushing up prices.

Lead researcher Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg from the University of Bath, said: 'Free childcare is a bold and welcome move but without funding that reflects real costs, it risks falling short.

'Where funding is lower, we're seeing faster price rises for the hours parents pay for - a pattern that could deepen regional inequalities.'

Nurseries have warned that staff shortages and rising demand have contributed to higher costs.

'The increase in employer National Insurance contributions in April and an increase in the national minimum wage is also affecting the sector.

Co-author of the study Professor Kerry Papps from the University of Bradford, added: 'Unless funding keeps pace with nursery fees, the policy could backfire. In childcare deserts, the extra demand may push up prices for unfunded hours, wiping out savings for families who need them most.'

Who is eligible for free childcare?

In England, all parents of three and four-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours of free childcare, regardless of their working status.

From this month, parents of children aged between nine months and four years old can make use of up to 30 hours' funded childcare.

To qualify, the majority of parents must earn more than 9,518 but less than 100,000 per year. Those on certain benefits can get 15 hours of free childcare for two-year-olds.

Parents who do not work may still be eligible if their partner works, or they're on maternity or paternity leave.

Parents can apply from when their child is 23 weeks old but the funding starts at the beginning of the term- either in September, January or April - after the child reaches nine months.
Primark will advertise on television in the UK for the first time from today with the launch of a new nationwide campaign.

The six-week 'In Denim We Can' campaign will feature across 'TV, digital, outdoor and in-store', Primark said on Monday, as the retailer pushes the launch of its Autumn-Winter women's denim collection.

A 'dance-led TV spot' set to The Slits' 1979 cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine will be at the forefront of the campaign.

Primark says the launch 'signals a new era in how it builds connections with consumers'.

The brand will hope the campaign will improve its fortunes among British consumers.

Primark, which is owned by Associated British Foods, saw weaker sales across the UK and Ireland in the first half of its financial year, with George Weston, chief executive of its parent company Associated British Foods, citing 'continued consumer caution' in the markets.

It followed the sudden exit of Primark's chief executive Paul Marchant amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

The six-week 'In Denim We Can' campaign will feature across 'TV, digital, outdoor and in-store'

ABF will report more recent progress on 4 November.

Primark said on Monday it had taken on 'customer feedback' to spend the last 12 months 'improving the fit, sizing consistency and style options' of its denim offering.

The brand forecasts global denim sales will grow by 7.5 per cent over the next five years.

Primark is also refreshing its in-store denim offering, with 'a new look and feel' coming later this year.

Chief customer and digital officer at Primark Matt Houston said: 'Primark denim is already a firm favourite with millions of UK shoppers.

'But we know many consumers are still spending more than they need to on jeans and that Primark isn't top of mind when it comes to denim.'
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (L) speaks during a press conference held in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 31, 2025. Venezuela is prepared for "any attack" from the United States, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday.

Venezuela is under a siege that aims to provoke internal chaos and undermine the nation's political leadership, said the defense chief. (Photo by Marcos Salgado/Xinhua)

CARACAS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela is prepared for "any attack" from the United States, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday.

"We will fight if you dare to set foot in Venezuela," Padrino Lopez warned the U.S. government in a statement released by state-run media.

Venezuela is under a siege that aims to provoke internal chaos and undermine the nation's political leadership, said the defense chief.

"The announcement of these naval deployments in Caribbean waters is nothing more than a show of force, a way of marking territory, so that other powers will not take control of the Caribbean Sea," he said, referring to U.S. military maneuvers in the region.

The Venezuelan Armed Forces are patrolling the country's maritime borders and airspace in response to President Nicolas Maduro's call to strengthen the Bolivarian National Militia, said the official.

Padrino Lopez added that 15,000 military personnel have been deployed to Venezuela's western region.

The minister also highlighted the military's domestic security efforts, noting that anti-drug operations have led to the destruction of over 30 criminal outposts and illegal boat-building facilities.

Tensions in the Caribbean Sea have escalated after the United States deployed warships near the coast of Venezuela earlier this month, which Washington describes as part of its strategy to fight the international drug cartels.

Several leaders in the region, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, criticized U.S. military maneuvers near Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. 
KAMPALA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Government representatives, legal experts, and diplomatic delegations from 47 member countries are set to gather in Uganda for the 63rd session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), a senior government official said Monday.

Uganda's Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka told reporters that the five-day meeting, scheduled to begin Sept. 8, will focus on the interests of member states in international law and aim to articulate shared legal perspectives of Asia and Africa on the global stage.

"The AALCO provides a platform for member states to discuss and influence developments in international law, including the law of the sea, climate change, cybersecurity, international trade law, peace and security, and dispute resolution mechanisms," Kiwanuka said.

He added that Uganda's hosting of the event, while also serving as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, offers the East African nation an opportunity to advance the interests of the Global South on the international stage.

"Uganda's selection as host reflects growing international recognition of our commitment to multilateral diplomacy, international law, and South-South cooperation," Kiwanuka said.

Established in 1956 in accordance with the spirit of the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, the AALCO is an intergovernmental organization created by Asian and African countries to promote exchanges and consultations on international law issues and reflect their own demands in the development of international law. 
by Xinhua writers Yu Xiaohua, Ren Ke

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- When China marks the 80th anniversary of its victory in WWII on Wednesday, the gathering in Tian'anmen Square will not be about swagger, but a moment of reflection on the challenges facing the world today.

The occasion is meant to commemorate the immense human cost of a conflict that left over 100 million dead or wounded worldwide. China, in particular, bore a disproportionately heavy toll: over the 14 years of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, it suffered over 35 million casualties and vast swaths of scorched earth.

The country has every reason to observe this milestone. In a battle between justice and evil, light and darkness, and the progressive and the reactionary, Chinese people fought relentlessly -- not only for survival but also for fairness itself.

Their fight -- the largest against foreign aggression in modern Chinese history, and one that involved the greatest sacrifice, secured the Chinese people their first complete victory in national liberation and propelled the nation from the depths of crisis onto a path of rejuvenation.

This resistance -- the earliest to begin and the longest to endure in the global fight against fascism -- belies the Western-centric narrative of a passive China. From 1931 to 1945, China tied down the bulk of Japanese forces and eliminated more than 1.5 million enemy troops, making a historic contribution to the Allied victory over fascism.

Yet Western collective memory has long fixated on the battles of Midway and Normandy, the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials. China's grinding campaigns and sacrifices, which underpinned Allied victory in the East, have often faded into obscurity.

The day of commemoration is a timely prompt to set the record straight: some continue to shun their wartime atrocities; others erase decisive actors from the narrative; still others blur the very divides of the conflict, through reckless amnesia or sly wordplay.

To forget is to betray, and to deny is to tempt repetition. Eighty years on, it is imperative to confront the past in its entirety, unclouded by ideological bias or geopolitical calculation. Victory counts more if it prevents the need to fight for another one.

China's remembrance is more than a look back; it is a reminder of what happens when unilateralism and power politics run amok. The most significant decision made by the world at the end of WWII was the creation of the UN.

Founded on postwar consensus including sovereign equality and the peaceful settlement of disputes, the UN remains the most representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization on the planet.

The UN-centered international system has kept major-power hot wars largely at bay while underwriting decades of global prosperity. Yet, today, the organization's role in global peace and security has been challenged.

The world cannot afford a return to the darker days when the powerful were allowed to prey upon the weak. In fact, calls for an equal, orderly, and multipolar world -- and for economic globalization that is inclusive and universally beneficial -- are growing louder.

Upholding the postwar framework is not an exercise in nostalgia; it is an investment in multilateralism and predictability, which are essential for global stability, growth and security.

This year's commemoration also harks back to the solidarity of 80 years ago -- when many countries set aside divisions and ideological differences to unite against fascism.

Such an ethos is very much needed today. The world faces a confluence of challenges: regional conflicts that defy easy resolution, a sluggish and uneven global economy, and the relentless march of climate change, to name just a few.

In this interconnected reality, no country can tackle these challenges alone. Nor can anyone expect to thrive by exploiting others' hardship. Unity and cooperation remain the only viable way forward.

China's advocacy for a community with a shared future for humanity, along with its global initiatives regarding development, security and civilization, helps recalibrate global governance along the lines of fairness and justice.

For China, Wednesday's commemoration carries particular significance. During the crucible of the Japanese invasion, few expected that a poor agrarian country could prevail over a mechanized invader, and fewer still foresaw the rise of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from a state of siege and adversity.

To underestimate China's resilience today would be equally unwise. The country, under CPC leadership, is well-positioned to overcome challenges on its journey toward rejuvenation, whether they come in the form of trade barriers or technological containment.

Going forward, China will remain strategically steadfast, focus on its core priorities, and advance high-standard opening-up.

Much like its wartime contribution, China's rise today continues to shape the world for the better.

The world's second-largest economy has driven over 30 percent of global growth for years. It has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations, laying the path toward deeper connectivity and expanded opportunities.

China's breakthroughs in fields from artificial intelligence and robotics to pharmaceuticals are drawing global attention. What was once the preserve of a few Western powers is shifting toward a more multipolar, shared model of global innovation.

These developments have added certainty to an unsettled world, tightening economic interdependence and nudging nations toward greater openness and friendly cooperation.

China's millennia-old instinct for harmony, coupled with a long-standing military philosophy that emphasizes prudence in the use of force, informs its strategic outlook. Its armed forces, shaped by the CPC's commitment to the people and tempered by wartime experience, are disciplined, measured and purposeful. They are increasingly a counterweight to adventurism.

A country that rose from the ashes of war has become an anchor in a world of drastic change. Few tributes could better honor the hard-won victory over fascism 80 years ago. 
KAMPALA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Uganda remains committed to an agreement it signed with the United States to receive deportees, despite criticism at home and abroad, a senior government official said on Monday.

Charles Ouma, deputy solicitor general, told reporters here that it is common practice for countries to enter into agreements on matters of mutual interest.

"I know it may have caused some uproar in the media, both locally and internationally, but definitely countries can cooperate in areas they feel have mutual interest in," Ouma said.

He declined to comment on whether the arrangement involves any trade-offs, as reported by local media.

Ouma explained that the deal is temporary and still under discussion. "This is a temporary arrangement with conditions, including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted. Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries be the ones transferred to Uganda," he said.

Last month, Uganda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the country had reached an agreement with the United States on third-country nationals who may not be granted asylum there but are unwilling or concerned about returning to their countries of origin.

If the deal is fully implemented, Uganda will join Rwanda and South Sudan in accepting deportees from the United States. Rwanda recently announced that it received seven migrants from the United States in August, the first arrivals under a newly signed bilateral resettlement deal. 
Yet another glimpse at an EPIC court battle in the making . . . Or maybe one more GOP disappointment from Jeff City.

Check-it . . .

We're going to fight this all the way," Cleaver said. "It's probably going to end up in the Supreme Court."



Cleaver, a Democrat who represents most of Jackson County and part of Clay County, said the proposed changes would divide Kansas City.



It will render people in Kansas City essentially silent and powerless, Cleaver said. "The reason Im saying this is Kansas City is roughly 70-something percent Democratic. If you tear Kansas City apart  put one portion of the Kansas City area in one district, the other in another  the chances are they have no representation.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .
Kansas City's most prolific petitioner now powered by machine learning . . .

Clay Chastain Press release: Its Labor Day Weekend & while we honor the American worker we must also remain vigilant in providing our workers good paying jobs performing work that strengthens America.

Chastain's KC Comeback Initiative (*AI-APPROVED*) does that by creating thousands of skilled jobs (& job training) constructing the largest Infrastructure - improving project in the City's history...A Modern Alternative Transportation System. New, advanced & integrated mobility options will transform KC into a thriving Mid-America City that is more livable, affordable & sustainable. So while Lucas Talks @ KC (MAGA blah & Trump is "demonizing" American cities), Chastain Does for KC... (Citywide) Airport Monorail, Greenways, Electric Buses, Metro Buses, Eastside Streetcar line & all integrated & connected @ a New Central, Multimodal Transportation Hub @ Union Station).



'AI' stated this about Chastain's Plan:



"AI Overview": " The overall value comes from how these elements work together to create a more efficient, equitable and sustainable community".



The Monorail Idea:



(1) "Yes, a monorail could be used to connect KCI Airport (MCI) to downtown Kansas City".

(2) "MCI is located about 19 miles northwest of downtown Kansas City, making a rapid transit system a logical consideration".

(3) "Monorails are a form of rapid transit that could provide a fast, direct connection between the airport and the city center".

(4) "For a route of this distance, a monorail could offer a more efficient way to move large numbers of people compared to buses or cars".

(5) "Monorails are efficient, fast and run above traffic avoiding congestion and moving passengers quickly and reliably".

(6) "Monorails are safe since their elevated tracks prevent collisions with vehicles and Pedestrians".

(7) "Monorails have a modern, sleek appearance, no drivers and a low risk of detailing".



To Renew us, Excite us & provide us a new favorable Direction, KC must disconnect from its Programmed Progressive Mayor (only capable of spouting negative political rhetoric) & embrace a Visionary Plan designed by a Positive & Free-thinking Engineer.



Happy Labor Day Kansas City



Design Engineer, Clay Chastain

############

Developing . . .
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Iran supports the agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia to strengthen peace and stability in the region, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in China today, Trend reports.

According to him, Iran is also opposed to any involvement of extra-regional powers in the South Caucasus.

Pezeshkian stated that on this basis, Iran seeks to develop and strengthen its relations with neighboring countries.

"In order to increase trade turnover between Iran and Turkiye, there is a need to simplify banking and customs cooperation between the two countries. Iran is ready to cooperate in accelerating the process of eliminating potential obstacles to the enhancement of bilateral relations and the development of cooperation," he noted.

The President of Iran said that Iran is ready to negotiate with the US based on official recognition of the country's nuclear rights and within a win-win framework.

He added that the European trio (France, Germany, and the UK) has failed to fulfill its obligations, and therefore has no right to invoke the 'snapback' mechanism, which would reinstate UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

If this mechanism is activated, it would deal a blow to bilateral negotiations and mutual relations.

During the meeting, Erdogan emphasized that Iran has a legal right to peaceful nuclear activities.

He stated that activating the 'snapback' mechanism would be of no benefit.

It's important to hold a meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the two countries as soon as possible. For this purpose, I will visit Iran, he noted.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
On September 1, 2025, Trend News Agency celebrates an important milestoneits 30th anniversary. Over three decades, Trend has grown from a small editorial office into one of the regions leading and most respected multilingual agencies, covering key events in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its team, the agency has earned recognition from politicians, diplomats, and business leaders around the world. Looking ahead, Trend aims to expand further into European and Asian media markets. Platforms have already been established in Turkiye and across Europe, providing a foundation for the agency to compete with media outlets in these regions.

To celebrate the milestone, Novruz Aslan, President of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society and a member of Parliament, bestowed the society's 100th anniversary medal upon Ilgar Huseynov, Director of Trend News Agency.

Novruz Aslan tipped his hat and extended heartfelt congratulations to Trend on behalf of the members of the Red Crescent Society and in his own right, celebrating the agencys three decades of dedicated service.

The demand for free speech, pluralism, moral and ethical enlightenment, the expression of national interests, and accurate daily news in Azerbaijan is fulfilled by our National Press. Trend Information Agency, which places the highest priority on delivering independent, impartial, and reliable information while embracing tolerance, diversity, and distinctiveness, has earned deep admiration from readers over the years.

I want to send out my heartfelt respect and best wishes as I congratulate you and your team on reaching the 30th anniversary of your work, on behalf of the members of the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society, and personally from me as well.



In todays globalized world, keeping up credibility and drawing in new readers among the sea of electronic media is tough. Yet, by bringing together a skilled team able to tap into modern global media, Trend has tackled these challenges and built up its influence even more.

The agencys distinguished path serves as a model for newly established electronic media outlets in Azerbaijan. With a sense of responsibility and pride, we can say that Trend promptly covers not only Azerbaijani events but also developments across the Caspian region, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia, serving as a trusted source for the international arena.

It is a source of joy that Trends 30th anniversary coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Azerbaijani National Press.

The Trend team has always paid close attention to the activities of the Red Crescent Society, regularly highlighting our work on its website. My political analyses, covering events in the country and around the world, have regularly appeared on your site, reflecting our long-standing cooperation.

I once again sincerely congratulate you and your team on this momentous occasion, wishing good health, long life, inexhaustible energy, and continued success in your honorable work for the advancement of our national press," he noted.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
On September 1, 2025, Trend News Agency celebrates an important milestone - its 30th anniversary. Over three decades, Trend has grown from a small editorial office into one of the regions leading and most respected multilingual agencies, covering key events in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its team, the agency has earned recognition from politicians, diplomats, and business leaders around the world. Looking ahead, Trend aims to expand further into European and Asian media markets. Platforms have already been established in Turkiye and across Europe, providing a foundation for the agency to compete with media outlets in these regions.

Secretary General of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) Alexandru Giboi shared his impressions of cooperation with the agency and Trends activities.

"Since its founding 30 years ago, Trend has succeeded to become a trusted source of news from Azerbaijan to the world, serving audiences with professionalism and dedication," he said.

According to Giboi, over its 30 years of operation, Trend News Agency has made a significant contribution to shaping the understanding of the country and the wider region as a whole.

"On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Trend News Agency, I extend my warmest congratulations to the entire team. A special mention to Ilgar Huseynov, Director of Trend News Agency, for his relentless push for professionalism that has taken the news agency among the top positions in Azerbaijani media. May the next decades bring continued success, innovation, and recognition to Trend as it strengthens its role in the local and in the international media landscape," the EANA secretary general concluded.
TIANJIN, China, September 1. The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has started in Tianjin, China, Trend reports.

Leaders from 21 countries and representatives of more than 10 international organizations are attending the large-scale event. In the context of the summit, the ratification of pivotal documents by the member states, encompassing the organizations strategic development blueprint for the forthcoming decade, is anticipated.

The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The SCO has 10 full-fledged members: Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Currently, Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Armenia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Sri Lanka hold dialogue partner status.

The main objectives of the SCO are ensuring stability and security in the region and developing economic cooperation and energy partnership, as well as scientific and cultural activities. Meetings of heads of state of the member countries have been held annually since 2002, and in total, 23 summits have been convened.

Azerbaijan, a proactive entity within the global governance framework, has been enhancing its strategic partnerships with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in recent years. The resolution to confer dialogue partner status upon Azerbaijan was ratified during the summit convened in Ufa in July 2015. The domains of collaborative engagement between Azerbaijan and the organization were encapsulated in a memorandum executed in 2016. Subsequently, Azerbaijan has been dynamically engaged in a multitude of initiatives orchestrated under the auspices of the SCO framework.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. On September 1, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with President of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu in Tianjin, China, Trend reports.

The President of the Maldives fondly recalled his visit to Azerbaijan within the framework of COP29 and the discussions held during his meeting with the head of state, noting that the conference had been excellently organized.

In turn, President Ilham Aliyev referred to their meeting in Baku, emphasizing that following the tasks set during those discussions, an Azerbaijani delegation visited the Maldives, where political consultations were held and cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment fields was discussed.

The leaders highlighted significant potential for boosting tourism and people-to-people connections between their countries. They discussed the importance of direct flights from Azerbaijan to the Maldives for tourism growth, simplifying visa procedures, promoting mutual investments, and expanding the legal and contractual framework.

President Mohamed Muizzu extended an invitation to President Ilham Aliyev for an official visit to the Maldives, which the Azerbaijani head of state warmly accepted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

Dear Brother,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend to you, and through you to your entire nation, my warmest congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the national holidaythe Independence Day of the brotherly Republic of Uzbekistan.

As a brotherly country, we take joy in witnessing today the rapid and comprehensive development of your state under the new strategy of Uzbekistan you have defined, its progress in all spheres, the growth of its economic strength, and the strengthening of its authority and standing in the international arena. All of Uzbekistans achievements are the result of your multifaceted activity, farsighted policy, and devoted service to your homeland and people.

Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations vividly reflect the good traditions of fraternal ties shaped by our peoples, who share a common history, language, and culture.

In the current dynamic upward development of our interstate relations, mutual visits and high-level meetings play an important role. Your state visit to Azerbaijan in July once again confirmed the allied nature of our bilateral relations. I am confident that the important agreements we have reached regarding the future directions of Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation and the number of documents signed in various fields, particularly on the diversification of economic partnership, will contribute to broadening the scope of our collaboration and further strengthening and deepening our allied relations.

We are determined, through joint efforts, to further expand our cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan, which is gaining new substance day by day, especially in the trade and economic, energy, investment, agricultural, and transport-logistics spheres. The existing high level of mutual understanding, confidence, and trust creates a favorable basis for this.

I am confident that the Azerbaijani-Uzbek brotherhood will continue to play an important role in the implementation of all joint initiatives and will serve the development of our countries and the well-being of our two peoples.

Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

On this momentous day, I once again sincerely congratulate you and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your honorable and responsible activities, and to the brotherly people of Uzbekistanlasting peace, prosperity, and progress," reads the letter.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. We are determined, through joint efforts, to further expand our cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan, which is gaining new substance day by day, especially in the trade and economic, energy, investment, agricultural, and transport-logistics spheres, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in a congratulatory letter to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Trend reports.

"As a brotherly country, we take joy in witnessing today the rapid and comprehensive development of your state under the new strategy of Uzbekistan you have defined, its progress in all spheres, the growth of its economic strength, and the strengthening of its authority and standing in the international arena. All of Uzbekistans achievements are the result of your multifaceted activity, farsighted policy, and devoted service to your homeland and people.

Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations vividly reflect the good traditions of fraternal ties shaped by our peoples, who share a common history, language, and culture.

In the current dynamic upward development of our interstate relations, mutual visits and high-level meetings play an important role. Your state visit to Azerbaijan in July once again confirmed the allied nature of our bilateral relations. I am confident that the important agreements we have reached regarding the future directions of Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation, and the number of documents signed in various fields, particularly on the diversification of economic partnership, will contribute to broadening the scope of our collaboration and further strengthening and deepening our allied relations.

We are determined, through joint efforts, to further expand our cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan, which is gaining new substance day by day, especially in the trade and economic, energy, investment, agricultural, and transport-logistics spheres. The existing high level of mutual understanding, confidence, and trust creates a favorable basis for this," the letter reads.
Volunteers provide service to a journalist at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 28, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Volunteers serve on the side as a journalist communicates with a multimodal interactive robot at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 30, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Volunteers pose for a group photo at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 29, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Volunteers communicate at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 28, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

A volunteer operates a robot to demonstrate its calligraphy skills at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 29, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Volunteers sort out the accreditation cards at the Media Accreditation Center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 27, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

A volunteer welcomes guests with a multimodal interactive robot at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 29, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Volunteers gesture for photos with a robot at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 30, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Volunteers provide service to journalists at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 29, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Volunteers pose for photos before working at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 28, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Volunteers provide service to a journalist at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 31, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

A volunteer provides language service for a foreign journalist at the media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in north China's Tianjin, on Aug. 31, 2025. The SCO Summit 2025 is held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 in Tianjin. A team of nearly 1,000 volunteers from local universities provide various service in areas like diplomatic etiquette, emergency response and language services to support the SCO Summit. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to the President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini on the occasion of the countrys national holidayConstitution Day, Trend reports.

In his message, President Ilham Aliyev extended his congratulations to President Peter Pellegrini and the people of Slovakia on his own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan.

The friendship and partnership that unite our countries and peoples are of great importance to us. We are pleased with the current dynamic development of AzerbaijanSlovakia ties. I would especially like to highlight the successful cooperation in the energy sector, which is one of the priority areas of our partnership, President Aliyev noted.

President Ilham Aliyev underlined that today there are good opportunities to expand AzerbaijanSlovakia cooperation in a number of areas and enrich it with new content.

I am confident that by making full use of this potential and the existing opportunities, through our joint efforts, we will be able to further develop our friendly relations and deepen our interaction, the head of state emphasized.

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Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Slovak Republic, Peter Pellegrini, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. Pellegrini,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and your entire nation on the national holiday of your countryConstitution Day.

The friendship and partnership that unite our countries and peoples are of great importance to us. We are pleased with the current dynamic development of Azerbaijan-Slovakia ties. I would especially like to highlight the successful cooperation in the energy sector, which is one of the priority areas of our partnership.

Today, there are good opportunities to expand Azerbaijan-Slovakia cooperation in a number of areas and enrich it with new content. I am confident that by making full use of this potential and the existing opportunities, through our joint efforts we will be able to further develop our friendly relations and deepen our interaction.

On this festive day, I wish you robust health and success in your endeavors, and to the friendly people of Slovakialasting well-being and prosperity," reads the letter.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. In recent years, changes in the international relations system have made it essential for countries to pursue multifaceted foreign policies. In this context, the intensification of political and economic ties between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Peoples Republic of China is particularly noteworthy, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.

In his statement, Garayev noted that relations between the two countries hold strategic significance not only bilaterally but also within global and regional projects, especially the Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He added that diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and China were established on April 2, 1992.

Over this period, relations based on political trust and mutual respect have developed. China has consistently supported Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity, while Azerbaijan recognizes Chinas One-China principle and has backed it in international tribunals, Garayev said.

The political analyst emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev has visited China, where new mechanisms were developed to deepen bilateral relations.

In 2024, the relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the SCO Plus summit in Tianjin in September 2025 that he supports Azerbaijans full membership in the organization.

Azerbaijan and China support each others initiatives within international and regional organizations, including the UN, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Non-Aligned Movement, and the SCO. In particular, Azerbaijans hosting of COP29 in 2024 and Chinas support for climate initiatives demonstrate an expanding area of mutual interest, Garayev noted.

Garayev stressed that China is one of Azerbaijans main trading partners.

By the end of 2023, trade turnover reached approximately $3 billion. Azerbaijani exports are mainly crude oil, chemical products, and agricultural goods, while China exports machinery, electronics, construction materials, and consumer goods to Azerbaijan, he said.

Chinese companies are active across various sectors in Azerbaijan.

Garayev highlighted that increasing China-Europe cargo transport via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Alat International Sea Port is a key priority.

Interest from Chinese companies in renewable energy is growing. Additionally, agreements signed in 2025 have expanded cooperation in artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and information technology. Azerbaijan is a key hub in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Trans-Caspian route, also known as the Middle Corridor, offers China a secure and fast alternative logistics route bypassing Russia. Azerbaijan plays a strategic role in this corridor through both infrastructure (BTK, Alat) and its politically stable position, he said.

Garayev concluded that AzerbaijanChina political and economic relations are based on mutual respect, strategic vision, and common interests.

Over recent years, these relations have not only strengthened bilateral ties but also contributed to forming a new geoeconomic model in the Eurasian space. Azerbaijans transit country status, its potential in energy and technology, and participation in Chinas global initiatives facilitate the further deepening of this cooperation. The achievements and prospects show that AzerbaijanChina relations are becoming a model not only for bilateral collaboration but also for regional stability and international cooperation, he added.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has expressed its condolences in connection with the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, the publication of the Azerbaijani MFA on X said, Trend reports.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to all those injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Afghanistan during this difficult time, the publication reads.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the powerful earthquake in Afghanistan has reached 622, with another 1,500 injured.
Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. On the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Trend reports.

The leaders discussed the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda, stressing the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual trust and regional stability. Both leaders highlighted the positive momentum generated during the recent Washington Summit, which reaffirmed international support for advancing peace and the normalization process.

The sides agreed to continue their contacts.
TIANJIN, China, September 1. Chinese President Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for a global governance initiative during a meeting held in the SCO Plus format, with the goal of leveling the playing field for a fairer world system, Trend reports.

Following his consecutive proposals on global development, global security, and global civilization, Xi introduced the new initiative for global governance. In his speech, he emphasized Chinas readiness to work with all countries to build a fair and equal global governance system and to advance toward a community with a shared future for humanity.

The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is taking place in Tianjin, China, from August 31 through September 1. The event brings together leaders from more than twenty countries, alongside representatives of international organizations.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The OSCE Secretariat has been tasked with finalizing the administrative and technical issues arising from the closure of the OSCE Minsk Process, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, and the High-Level Planning Group, no later than 1 December 2025, Trend reports.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry highlighted this information in its press release regarding the closure of the OSCE Minsk Process and its related structures.

"The adoption of the aforementioned decision is not only an indication of the acknowledgment at the international level of the reality that the Republic of Azerbaijan has restored its sovereign control and territorial integrity over its formerly occupied territories, thereby putting an end to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as well as of the peace agenda advanced by Azerbaijan, but also an important step towards the practical implementation of the agreements reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the normalization process at the Washington D.C. meeting on 8 August 2025," the statement said.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. Over the past two years, our relations have reached a qualitatively new level, President Ilham Aliyev stated during his speech at the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China, Trend reports.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping.

Dear heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the invitation, as well as for the warm welcome and excellent organization of the event.

I congratulate friendly China on its successful presidency of the SCO and wish you every success in achieving the objectives set forth.

Azerbaijan and China enjoy warm and friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Deepening these relations is one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

Over the past two years, our relations have risen to a qualitatively new level. Last year, we established a strategic partnership within the framework of the SCO Summit in Astana. A Joint Statement on the Establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was signed during my state visit to China this year. This historic event opened a new chapter in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations.

Azerbaijan has actively supported the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China to promote international peace, security and development. We also welcome the Global Governance Initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China as an important and timely measure aimed at improving international relations based on the sovereign equality of states and respect for the UN Charter and international law. Azerbaijan and China strengthen cooperation across the entire spectrum of the bilateral agenda. It includes political, trade, and economic sectors, investment, energy, transport and logistics, development of the digital economy, science and technology, education, and culture. Since July this year, a visa-free regime has been in effect for citizens of both countries, which has given further impetus to the development of tourism.

Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of China in the region. We contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and security, and implement large-scale economic, transport, and energy projects.

Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the One Belt, One Road initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China. We are implementing substantial practical projects in this direction.

Azerbaijan is one of the transport and logistical hubs of Eurasia. We are actively developing international transport corridors and creating modern infrastructure. The East-West and North-South corridors have opened up new economic transport prospects.

Azerbaijan intends to increase the throughput capacity of the Alat International Sea Port from 15 to 25 million tons per year. The Middle Corridor represents a reliable and safe route connecting China, Central Asia with Europe through Azerbaijan. Since 2022, the volume of cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has grown by almost 90 percent. The transit time for cargo along this corridor has been significantly reduced.

Recent agreements connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are expected to further expand transit capabilities for international transportation.

I am confident that the Zangezur Corridor will soon become another important segment of the Middle Corridor, as well as the North-South Corridor, which will contribute to enhancing peace, multilateral partnership, and benefit all of Azerbaijan's close and distant neighbors to the east, west, north, and south of our borders.

In conclusion, let me once again thank the esteemed President Xi Jinping for the invitation and wish the Summit participants fruitful work.
Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of China in the region, President Ilham Aliyev stated during his speech at the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China, Trend reports.

"We contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and security, and we are implementing large-scale economic, transport, and energy projects," the head of state noted.

President Ilham Aliyev also added that Azerbaijan was among the first to support the "One Belt, One Road" initiative proposed by the President of the People's Republic of China and is implementing significant practical projects in this direction.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The Baku Military Court disclosed the statements of the accused Levon Mnatsakanyan given during the preliminary investigation in the criminal case, Trend reports.

In his testimony, Mnatsakanyan stated that in September 1992, he began military service in the army of the so-called regime as a deputy battalion commander. Over the years, he was appointed to various positions. From May 2007 to November 2012, he served as Chief of Staff of the defense army of the so-called regime, and from November 2012 to June 2015, he was Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia. Between December 14, 2018, and MayJune 2019, he headed the Rescue Department in the city of Khankendi, and from MayJune 2019 to June 2020, he served as Chief of Police. After retirement, he stated that he has not been employed anywhere.

Mnatsakanyan noted that during his service as commander of the so-called defense army, the financing, arming, and other needs of the army were carried out by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia at the expense of the state budget of Armenia.

He also admitted that since beginning his military service in the so-called defense army in September 1992, he had taken part in battles in the Kalbajar, Fuzuli, Aghdara, Aghdam, and Jabrayil regions during the First Karabakh War.

Court proceedings are ongoing against Armenian nationals accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, terrorism, and violations of the laws and customs of war. The charges also include financing terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and other serious offenses.
AMMAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Jordanian field hospital in southern Gaza has fitted 583 prosthetic limbs for amputees since its deployment, the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) said on Monday.

The initiative, overseen by the Royal Medical Services in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization and local partners, aims to ease the suffering of amputees and help them return to daily life, according to the statement.

The hospital said each fitting takes about an hour and is provided free of charge. Medical teams also offer physiotherapy, psychological and social support, and guidance on prosthetic care through two mobile clinics.

All procedures are documented electronically via the Hakeem program, allowing patients to follow up remotely with rehabilitation specialists in Jordan.

Jordan dispatched two field hospitals to northern and southern Gaza on Sept. 16, 2024, under the Restoring Hope initiative, launched on royal directives to support thousands of amputees affected by the war, the JAF added.

At least 63,557 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel's offensive began in October 2023, the enclave's health authorities said on Monday. They added that 98 bodies were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours, while 404 people were wounded, bringing the total number of injuries to 160,660. 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Finland Elina Valtonen, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu welcome the adoption of a Ministerial Council decision to wrap up the Minsk process and related structures after Armenia and Azerbaijan came together with a joint appeal, Trend reports.

I would like to once again extend my warmest congratulations to Armenia and Azerbaijan on their historic agreements towards peace and normalization of relations and their resolute decision to start their prompt implementation. I have responded without delay to their joint appeal and would like to express my sincere appreciation to the parties for their excellent cooperation in the process. I also would like to commend participating states for their collaborative spirit in achieving this consensus, said Valtonen.

At the same time, Sinirlioglu praised the parties for coming together on this issue.

This is a historic development that underlines what diplomacy can achieve, even after decades of conflict and mistrust. It demonstrates that agreement remains possible when there is a shared determination between parties to find common ground, he stressed.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to supporting efforts that bring lasting peace and stability to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the wider region.

To note, the OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 during the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which has since evolved into the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Its primary objective was to facilitate a diplomatic and negotiated settlement to the ongoing hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region. However, rather than facilitating a resolution to the conflict, this group failed to contribute any constructive outcomes towards the resolution process.

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On September 1, 2025, Trend News Agency celebrates an important milestone - its 30th anniversary. Over three decades, Trend has grown from a small editorial office into one of the regions leading and most respected multilingual agencies, covering key events in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its team, the agency has earned recognition from politicians, diplomats, and business leaders around the world. Looking ahead, Trend aims to expand further into European and Asian media markets. Platforms have already been established in Turkiye and across Europe, providing a foundation for the agency to compete with media outlets in these regions.

Kazakh political analyst and Director of the Institute for Applied Ethnopolitical Research Talgat Kaliyev shared his views on cooperation with Trend News Agency and its activities.

In Kazakhstan, we closely follow developments in Azerbaijan - a brotherly nation, our closest partner and ally. For this reason, Trend is regarded as one of the most important and authoritative sources of information on both Azerbaijan and the wider region. Today, many Kazakhstanis see Trend as a primary source of news, Kaliyev said.

He emphasized the significance of Trends analytical reports in shaping perceptions of the regions economic outlook. Before entering a new market, any investor seeks to thoroughly assess the countrys political environment, reforms, and economic trends. In this respect, Trends high-quality analysis plays a vital role. It is no coincidence that Trends materials consistently appear at the top when searching for information about Azerbaijan online, Kaliyev noted.

The analyst added that Trends publications are in demand globally and carry considerable weight.

In todays era of information overload, exclusivity is more valuable than ever. Trends presence at major international platforms enables its journalists to broaden the scope of their analysis and factor in a wide range of perspectives. This is what gives their reporting such depth and high quality, he concluded.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The open court hearing regarding the criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing terrorism, forcible seizure of power, its forcible retention, and numerous other crimes as a result of Armenias military aggression against Azerbaijan, continued on September 1, Trend reports.

The court session, held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, with Judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), ensured that each defendant was provided with a translator in their preferred language and lawyers for their defense.

The session was attended by the defendants, their defense attorneys, some of the victims, their legal heirs and representatives, as well as prosecutors representing the state.

The court proceedings will continue on September 4.

Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state, including the aforementioned criminal association, on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others.

The following individuals - Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan - are being charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and additional articles.
On September 1, 2025, Trend News Agency celebrates an important milestone - its 30th anniversary. Over three decades, Trend has grown from a small editorial office into one of the regions leading and most respected multilingual agencies, covering key events in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its team, the agency has earned recognition from politicians, diplomats, and business leaders around the world. Looking ahead, Trend aims to expand further into European and Asian media markets. Platforms have already been established in Turkiye and across Europe, providing a foundation for the agency to compete with media outlets in these regions.

Elbay Gasimzade, Chairman of the Union of Azerbaijani Architects and an Honored Architect, shared his thoughts on Trends anniversary, emphasizing the agencys distinctive role in the modern information landscape.

From the inception of our sovereignty, a pivotal emblem of our nascent existence was the advent of an autonomous media ecosystem. Within this expansive landscape, the Trend Information Agency has maintained a distinctive foothold. For three decades, this agency has been disseminating the veritable narratives concerning our nation to the global arena, fulfilling the imperative informational requisites of our citizenry.

Dear friends, I congratulate you on your anniversary. I hope that in your future endeavors, you will continue to serve with high professionalism, civic integrity, and love for the Motherland. I extend my congratulations and best wishes to you on this challenging but honorable path, he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Azerbaijans Minister of Health, Teymur Musayev, met with Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the country, Ahmed Metani, Trend reports.

Musayev emphasized the pivotal role of national leaders in shaping bilateral relations and highlighted the existing cooperation between Azerbaijan and Palestine, both directly and through international organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The minister highlighted the substantial opportunities for amplifying collaborative ventures in the healthcare sector and articulated a positive outlook regarding the fortification of bilateral relations between the two nations.



Ambassador Metani expressed gratitude towards Azerbaijan for its humanitarian support to Palestine, emphasizing the enduring bilateral relations and the mutual dedication to solidarity, respect, and collaborative efforts. He articulated a keen interest in cultivating synergistic collaborations with the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan.

The discussion included exchanges on broader issues of mutual interest across multiple areas of shared concern.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Trend News Agency has been honored with diplomas and certificates of appreciation from the Press Council of Azerbaijan.

The ceremony was attended by the Press Council Chairman, the agencys deputy directors, heads of news departments, and staff members.

The Press Council Chairman Rashad Majid highlighted the agencys key role in advancing journalism in Azerbaijan, ensuring information security, and upholding professional standards. He noted that Trend has made a significant contribution both to enriching the national media landscape and to presenting Azerbaijan objectively on the international stage.

Majid also praised the agencys professional team for its agility in adapting to new media challenges, setting a benchmark for reliability in the information market. He added that these achievements provide valuable experience that will continue to support the growth of Azerbaijani media in the years ahead.

Deputy Director of Trend News Agency, member of the Supervisory Board of the Media Development Agency, Azerbaijani MP Sevil Mikayilova spoke at the anniversary event, noting that the development of the media in Azerbaijan has always been a state priority since the country restored its independence.

"Under National Leader Heydar Aliyev's leadership, there has been created necessary environment to support the media outlets in the country. Azerbaijani journalism could develop in healthy conditions and this allowed media to work in free and independent way, contributing to the overall development of our country. Thanks to the care and attention of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijani journalism has followed a modern development path, and we are always grateful for this support," she emphasized.

Sevil Mikayilova added that over the past 30 years, Trend has served as a reliable source of information, earned trust through its objectivity and timely reporting.

She expressed gratitude to the Press Council for its recognition, noting that such acknowledgment reflects the value placed on journalists work and provides additional motivation for future efforts.

Furthermore, Rashad Majid presented Trend News Agency with a Press Council diploma. In addition, several agency staff members were recognized with certificates of appreciation for their contributions.

Deputy Directors of Trend News Agency Sahil Karimli and Rufiz Hafizoglu; Editor-in-Chief Emin Aliyev; Deputy Editor-in-Chief Laman Zeynalova; Head of the Azerbaijani News Service Farid Zohrabov; Head of the English News Service Maryana Ahmadova; Technical Director Maksim Yermakov; Deputy Technical Director Anar Aliyev; and Head of the Culture Department Vugar Imanov were honored by the Press Council.

Founded in 1995, Trend News Agency has grown into one of Azerbaijans leading media outlets. Publishing in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English, the agency reaches a wide audience both domestically and internationally. Alongside delivering timely news on the economy, politics, society, culture, and sports, Trend is also known for its in-depth analytical coverage. Today, it continues to operate successfully as one of the most trusted and influential news sources in Azerbaijan and the wider region.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Research centers and facilities of companies such as Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others may be established in Azerbaijan in the future, Vice-Rector of ADA University Fariz Ismailzade told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the world finals of the 49th International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), held in Baku, Trend reports.

He said that 140 teams from 70 countries are participating in the ICPC finals, taking place today in Baku.

"These students are among the leading and most talented in the fields of IT and computer science, and in the future, they will become specialists  engineers and programmers at major companies. Hosting this contest in Azerbaijan will help strengthen the image and prestige of our country, as well as promote the development of IT technologies, computer sciences, and the computer industry in Azerbaijan.

In addition, it will have a significant impact on the training, development, and education of a new generation of programmers in Azerbaijan. Major companies - Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others - are closely following this contest. They recruit these students.

As a result, the ties of these companies with Azerbaijan are also being strengthened. In the future, these companies may establish centers and research bases in Azerbaijan. This will contribute to the development of the IT sector in our country," emphasized Ismayilzade.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Marko uric, as part of his visit to Japan, toured the Serbian Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Trend reports.

Here in Osaka, the atmosphere is incredible, and it is clear that the Expo is much more than an exhibition. The whole world is presenting itself here in the best possible way, and I am proud that Serbia has managed to make its pavilion at the Expo in Osaka one of the most visited, with more than an incredible 700,000 visitors so far, uric emphasized.

According to the minister, Serbias pavilion has also officially been rated the most economical by the organizers of the event.

With it, we managed to present not only our culture, philosophy, and history, but also to send the message that Serbia is a country of the future, a country that will host Expo 2027 and wants to welcome these millions of people who come to learn more about our culture. We also want to become a meeting place for entrepreneurs, thinkers, and people who need to solve humanitys problemsfrom climate change and sustainability challenges, given all the issues humanity is facing, to art, play, and culture, which is also the theme of our Expo  Play for Humanity, the minister stated.

The head of Serbian diplomacy described Serbias participation in the Osaka Expo as extremely successful and important for promoting the country throughout the international community.

I congratulate everyone who worked on this, as it represents an important step in improving the image of our country in the world. Here at the Expo restaurant, you can taste Serbian cevapi and Serbian drinks, but there is much more than thatour philosophy of life, science, art, and culture are also represented, and I am glad about that, said uric.

He assessed his visit to Japan, concluded with the tour of the Serbian Pavilion in Osaka, as very successful and as a step forward in relations between Serbia and Japan, ahead of upcoming high-level visits.

And bearing in mind that this month we also held meetings in Washington with the U.S. Secretary of State, and hosted African and many other ministers in Belgrade, I would say that this August we worked with full strength for Serbia, on all meridians, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko uric stressed.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Before the official start of the 2025 Bled Strategic Forum, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon spoke with participants of the Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF), which is being held for the 14th time this year, Trend reports.

They discussed values as a driving force in global politics. Fajon emphasized that in politics it is necessary to have firm positions and to believe in them.

A total of 49 young experts from 26 countries around the world, aged between 18 and 35, were interested in global topics such as the rigidity of the UN, the lack of unity in the EU, and the prospects of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. The minister outlined discussions during bilateral meetings and various multilateral forum sessions, openly speaking about differing views with colleagues and often difficult negotiations. Despite this, she said that the most important thing is to believe in your principles and positions and to follow the goals set.

Fajon answered many questions, mainly about values in politics, Slovenias firm stances, and what motivates her and the ministry. The main motivation comes from trusting what you do and at the same time believing that you can bring about change. Usually, not immediately or all at once, but step by step. Sometimes it is extremely difficult, especially when you go against the wind or public opinion, she said.

She also spoke about Slovenias positions on Israel policy and the measures the country is taking, the Western Balkans and Serbias policies, NATO, the UN Security Council, and the EUs Common Foreign and Security Policy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Montenegro Filip Ivanovic met in Riga with representatives of Latvias IT and technology industry to discuss opportunities for cooperation in ICT, 5G infrastructure, digitalization, and cybersecurity, as well as potential joint projects in the future, Trend reports.

Ivanovic emphasized that Montenegros goal is to expand the range of digital services and enhance their efficiency, reducing bureaucracy and simplifying daily procedures for citizens and businesses. He presented Montenegros activities in this field, including the establishment of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) and the Governments Cybersecurity Agency, underlining the strong political will to advance such initiatives.

The visit provided an opportunity for the Montenegrin delegation to learn more about Latvias achievements in digitalization and the processes behind them. Ivanovic noted that Latvia is recognized as one of the European leaders in e-government and digital services, and that it is of great importance for Montenegro to benefit from their experience. Latvian representatives expressed readiness to support and cooperate with Montenegro and presented detailed areas of collaboration, including technological solutions and practical models developed by Latvia over recent years.

During the visit, Ivanovic also toured the Science and Innovation Centre of the Riga Technical University, where he was introduced to the work of laboratories and research teams. Projects in engineering, robotics, and advanced digital technologies were presented. The visit highlighted the importance of collaboration in science, emerging technologies, and innovation, with discussions on opportunities for joint initiatives and exchange programmes. Ivanovic emphasized that Montenegro aims to further strengthen capacities in these fields and views Latvias experience as a valuable model for knowledge exchange and enhanced cooperation.
YANGON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- An oil tanker truck crashed into a tea shop, killing two people and injuring six, in central Myanmar's Mandalay region, an official from the Amarapura Township Fire Services Department told Xinhua on Monday.

The accident occurred at around 6:44 a.m. local time on Monday in the township, he said.

The collision caused a fire that completely burned down the tea shop, he said, adding that the injured were sent to a local hospital for treatment. 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. On September 1-2, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Kestutis Budrys will take part in the international Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, Trend reports.

Budrys is scheduled to speak at the session EuropeSecure and Free and hold a series of bilateral meetings during the event.

The symposium will convene dignitaries, foreign policy architects, and thought leaders from Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and multilateral entities. Discourse will encompass a comprehensive spectrum of international challenges, particularly focusing on Europe's strategic involvement in fostering a more resilient, collaborative, and secure geopolitical landscape.



The Bled Strategic Forum represents a premier endeavor orchestrated by the Slovenian government, collaboratively facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia alongside the Centre for European Perspective.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Acting Minister of Culture Sarunas Birutis will conclude his term with an important working visit to Berlin from September 13, where he will meet with Germanys Minister of State for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer, Trend reports.

The visit crowns months of preparation that began in June and is expected to lay the foundation for a LithuanianGerman cultural exchange program to be rolled out in 20272028.

During his stay, Birutis will visit the Jewish Museum Berlin and meet its director, Hetty Berg. The visit coincides with Lithuanias commemoration of the centenary of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

The delegation will also attend a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie conducted by Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, symbolically reflecting future LithuanianGerman cultural exchange. Germanys Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Dr. Konrad Schmidt-Werhern, is also expected to attend the concert.

The visit follows Lithuanias government-approved strategic guidelines for relations with Germany, which emphasize Berlins growing role as a key pillar of Lithuanian security in Europes new security architecture.

Strengthening ties between the two societies through culture, fostering closer cultural conditions, and increasing resilience against disinformation and historical distortion are identified as key priorities.

Julija Reklaite, director of the Lithuanian Institute of Culture, is accompanying Birutis on the visit.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Today, Tianjin is hosting one of the years most important international events - the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Central Asia, as the geographic and economic heart of the organization, is at the center of attention. It is here, at the crossroads of major transport routes and energy flows, that projects are taking shape that will largely define the future of integration across Eurasia.

The role of the regions countries cannot be overstated. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are steadily building a system of cooperation that positions them not only as a vital link between China, Russia, South Asia, and Europe, but also as independent centers of growth. Ahead of the summit, it is particularly significant that leaders of all five Central Asian states have gathered in Tianjin to discuss new directions for the SCO and to finalize the organizations development strategy through 2035.

Over the past two years, trade among SCO members has grown by nearly a third, approaching $1 trillion. This growth has been fueled by infrastructure development, expanding energy cooperation, and active investments in agriculture and technology. Central Asias contribution to these efforts is becoming increasingly influential.

Kazakhstan, working closely with Chinese companies such as CNPC, PowerChina, and China Southern Power Grid, is advancing renewable energy projects and preparing to launch a coal gasification plant. Uzbekistan is implementing an ambitious program to build solar and wind power plants with a combined capacity of nearly 5 GW. Tajikistan, with Chinese investment and funding from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, is modernizing its energy system and continuing work on the Rogun Hydropower Plant, which could become the largest in the region.

These initiatives not only strengthen the energy independence of Central Asian countries but also create opportunities to export green energy to neighboring states, boosting the regions role as a provider of sustainable energy solutions globally.

Alongside energy, Central Asia is actively developing its transport network, becoming a key hub in Eurasia. In 2025, construction began on the 523 km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which is expected to cut freight travel time to Europe by a week.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, is also gaining importance. In 2024, cargo volumes along this route doubled to 1.5 million tons. Azerbaijan and China have strengthened container transport cooperation, dispatching more than 300 block trains in a year, with plans to increase the number to 1,000 by 2026.

A major development has been the opening of a new freight line from Tianjin to Uzbekistan via Khorgos, reducing logistics costs by 20-30%. Additionally, China and regional countries are digitizing customs procedures to speed up cargo movement and cut administrative barriers.

The Caspian port of Aktau has become a central node in Chinas transport strategy. Chinese investments have increased its capacity to 240,000 containers per year, making it a key hub for the China-Europe Express routes.

In June 2025, a treaty on friendship and good-neighborliness was signed in Astana, promoting the accelerated development of transport and railway projects and logistics infrastructure. This agreement underscores Central Asias commitment to coordinated action and strengthening strategic ties with China within the SCO framework. At the same time, participants face challenges, including balancing interests, addressing security concerns, and ensuring equitable distribution of benefits from large-scale projects.

The Tianjin summit is expected to be a landmark event for the SCO. The agenda includes the new development strategy through 2035, as well as discussions on energy, transport, digitalization, and humanitarian cooperation. Central Asia will play a leading role, as the success of the organizations integration efforts depends largely on projects being implemented in the region.

Over the past two decades, the SCO has evolved into a dynamic and open platform, connecting countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. Today, it faces the task not only of strengthening economic ties but also of offering the world new models of cooperation based on mutual respect and balanced interests. Central Asia, with its rich resources and strategic transit position, remains a key factor in this process.

The Tianjin summit will not just be a meeting of leaders - it will mark a crucial milestone in shaping the future of Eurasian integration, with Central Asia playing one of the most important roles.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 1. The Republic of Korea will host the Korea-Central Asia Summit in 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung announced in a congratulatory letter to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the occasion of Uzbekistans 34th Independence Day, Trend reports.

In his message, President Lee conveyed warm congratulations to the people of Uzbekistan and highlighted the strong foundation of bilateral relations. He reminisced about the telephonic dialogue on July 24 between the two heads of state, wherein both parties reiterated their dedication to enhancing collaborative synergies.

Lee Jae-myung underscored that long-standing mutual understanding and trust have elevated relations to the level of a "Special Strategic Partnership." He stressed that active exchanges continue to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

The South Korean leader expressed his readiness to personally meet President Mirziyoyev at the upcoming Korea-Central Asia Summit and on other international platforms to advance dialogue on mutually beneficial cooperation. He also conveyed wishes of peace, sustainable development, and prosperity to Uzbekistan, along with good health to its president and well-being for the Uzbek people.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented his vision for the priority areas of further development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member countries, Trend reports.

The primary focus delineated was the enhancement of synergistic alliances and reciprocal backing within the operational paradigm of the organization.

In the context of escalating geopolitical conflicts, technological rivalry, financial and economic sanctions, environmental and man-made disasters, the SCO must become a permanent platform for broad-format political interaction, strengthening mutual trust in the international community, developing humanitarian cooperation and intercivilizational dialogue. In this regard, we positively assess the initiatives of the President of China on global development, global security, global civilization, and global governance. We believe that the full implementation of the ten-year SCO development strategy adopted today is of utmost importance, said Tokayev.

Tokayev emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in the field of security. According to him, this area is becoming a priority due to the rise of international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, cybercrime, and other destructive trends.

Such threats to international security, including the three evils, can only be overcome through joint action. Therefore, Kazakhstan supports the establishment of four SCO centers to combat security challenges and threats. We believe it is important to strengthen business contacts between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). We call on SCO member states to continue providing humanitarian and technical assistance to Afghanistan for the country's recovery and its integration into regional and economic processes. Kazakhstan has started the construction of several infrastructure and logistics projects in Afghanistan, which will help enhance connectivity among SCO member states. In early August, with the participation of the UN Secretary-General, the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan was officially opened in Almaty. We propose that SCO member states jointly use the potential of this Center to coordinate efforts and intensify regional cooperation across all priority areas, said the President of Kazakhstan.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. The development of transport and transit potential along the North-South and East-West corridors serves the common interests of our countries, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Trend reports.

In his address, the president highlighted that the development of southern corridors passing through Central Asia, with access to ports on the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, is becoming increasingly relevant. He emphasized the great opportunities for coordinating efforts to create a "Unified SCO Transport Space" and integrating it with the strategic "Belt and Road" initiative. This entails the establishment of new multimodal networks, digital platforms, and "green" corridors, and he proposed the development of a corresponding multilateral concept.

In light of prevailing macroeconomic dynamics, the president underscored the critical significance of amplifying trade and fostering economic synergies.



"We champion the establishment of a robust framework for synergistic collaboration within our expansive territory." We regard it as a pivotal imperative to execute a Memorandum of Understanding on Streamlining Trade Protocols, which will catalyze a substantial enhancement in intra-regional commerce within the SCO," he articulated.



President Mirziyoyev underscored the imperative to enhance robust production and logistics frameworks while catalyzing reciprocal investment initiatives. In this context, he advocated for the establishment of multiple novel multilateral platforms and collaborative support mechanisms within the SCO framework, encompassing:

a Regional SCO Center for Critical Materials aimed at implementing advanced technologies for mineral extraction and deep processing;

an SCO Energy Consortium to coordinate policies and promote the advanced development of green energy across member countries;

networks of venture companies and funds to support and promote start-up and innovative projects;

a dedicated electronic portal to establish business contacts and promote investment, involving the regions of member countries.

He underlined the importance of promptly implementing effective financial support mechanisms for regional industrial and infrastructure projects and proposed reconsidering this matter at the level of authorized ministers.

Another key priority, according to the president, is expanding partnerships in the field of the SCOs green transformation. He welcomed the Statement on Cooperation in the Field of Green Industry, adopted at the initiative of the Chinese side, as a timely and significant step. He also stressed the need to launch a regional platform on Climate Change Adaptation, decarbonization, and the application of artificial intelligence technologies for forecasting environmental risks.

A critical factor in fostering long-term partnerships within the SCO framework is further deepening cultural ties and strengthening the institution of people-to-people diplomacy. The president proposed initiatives to boost humanitarian exchange and closer ties between peoples, including organizing an International Festival of Folk Art, creating an online campus for the "SCO University" partner network, and holding annual competitions and Olympiads among students and young professionals in innovative fields.

Additionally, he suggested exploring promising projects such as the launch of a Tourism Corridor and the establishment of an SCO Medical Tourism Alliance.

In conclusion, President Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that the Tianjin Declaration, the SCO Development Strategy-2035, and other final documents adopted during the meeting would provide a solid foundation for strengthening multifaceted cooperation and effectively addressing current challenges. "We are ready to continue collaborating to strengthen friendship, good-neighborliness, and mutually beneficial cooperation within the SCO framework," he said.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are eager to fast-track the process of linking Irans authorized bank to the workings of the Interbank Consortium (SCO IBC), aiming to get the ball rolling without further ado, Trends special correspondent reports.

This came through in the Tianjin Declaration, brought about after the meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States held on September 1 in China's Tianjin.

The member states underscored the pivotal function of the SCO IBC, which, throughout its two-decade tenure, has evolved into a broadly leveraged apparatus within the financial ecosystem.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed the creation of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Office for the Support of Promising Investment Projects within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO member countries, Trend reports.

In his address, President Tokayev put his cards on the table, proposing to set up the SCO Office at the AIFC to pave the way for promising investment projects and to bring together the heavy hitters in legal, consulting, and financial companies.

He also underscored that the augmentation of trade, economic, and investment synergies is a pivotal component.



In this context, Kazakhstan endorses pragmatic initiatives within the SCO framework that focus on fostering equitable and transparent international trade, while simultaneously rejecting the implementation of coercive measures predicated on sanctions.

"Since the establishment of the SCO, the contribution of our countries to global GDP has doubled, reaching 30 percent. Intra-regional trade has shown impressive growth, exceeding $650 billion by the end of 2024. Kazakhstans trade turnover with SCO countries is also steadily increasing, reaching nearly $70 billion last year. Kazakhstan supports China's initiative to create an SCO Development Bank and is ready to participate in the implementation of this promising project," Tokayev added.

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RIGA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- African swine fever (ASF) has been detected at a large pig farm in Laubere parish, central Latvia, the country's veterinary authority said Monday.

To contain the outbreak, more than 23,300 pigs at the Baltic Pork farm will be culled. A quarantine zone has been established, restricting the movement of pigs and pig products, and nearby farms are undergoing health and biosafety checks.

Baltic Pork representative Daiga Lubka said it is too early to estimate the overall impact and losses.

This is the eighth ASF outbreak among domestic pigs in Latvia this year. The disease, first detected in the country in 2014, mainly spreads among wild boars. 
TIANJIN, China, September 1. I am convinced that the expansion of the SCOs dialogue partners, including states from other regions, will transform the organization into a platform for cooperation with the countries of the Global South, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Trend reports.

We advocate for the consistent expansion of the organization, as the success of the SCO model lies in its openness and focus on broad cooperation. We are ready to support the aspirations of states that connect their future with the SCO, the president emphasized.

He noted that a systemic crisis of trust, escalating conflicts, weakening multilateral institutions, and fragmentation of the global trading system are undermining the foundations of international security and stability. In such circumstances, mutual understanding and solidarity among SCO member states are not merely valuable assets but essential for preserving peace across our vast region.

It is particularly important that the SCO remains a platform for equal dialogue, mutual respect, and partnership. This enables us to balance interests and find joint solutions to the most complex challenges of our time, he added.

President Mirziyoyev stressed that the SCOs voice should be even more compelling and resolute, reflecting the organizations collective political will and serving as a call for decisive action in the pursuit of a peaceful future and sustainable progress.

He outlined Uzbekistans vision for further deepening multilateral partnerships. First and foremost, it is essential to enhance the efficiency of the organization, strengthen its institutions, and improve mechanisms for implementing decisions. He expressed confidence that the transformation process initiated at the Samarkand Summit will contribute to achieving these critical objectives.

Collaboration within the security domain continues to be a paramount focus of the SCO. Today, there is an escalating demand for synergistic frameworks and innovative paradigms to cultivate trust and guarantee equilibrium, the president articulated.



He underscored the criticality of embracing the SCO Declaration on Fortifying Multilateral Collaboration for Nuclear Security, which would establish a robust framework for the advancement of peaceful nuclear energy initiatives and emergency preparedness, thereby enhancing the global non-proliferation architecture under the auspices of the United Nations.



President Mirziyoyev articulated apprehensions regarding the evolving dynamics of terrorism and extremism, the escalation of cybercriminal activities, the proliferation and distribution of synthetic narcotics, and the expansion of organized criminal enterprises.

To effectively counter these threats, he proposed resuming the work of the Meeting of Ministers of Internal Affairs and Public Security, revising the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Crime, and developing a Program to Combat Drug Addiction until 2030.

Finally, he expressed support for resuming the activities of the SCOAfghanistan Contact Group, noting that one of its main tasks could be developing proposals to promote constructive dialogue and support socio-economic projects in Afghanistan.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his support for the Trans-Altai Dialogue initiative during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Trend reports.

In the course of his speech, Tokayev highlighted the strengthening of cooperation in the transit and transport sector as another key priority.

He underscored the extensive prospects of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has garnered backing from more than 150 nations.



This international initiative has the potential to yield an annual economic impact of up to $1.5 trillion for stakeholders engaged in trade and logistics activities along the Belt and Road corridor. Substantial prospects are concurrently manifested through the north-south and east-west logistical corridors, in addition to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. A groundbreaking endeavor is the establishment of the Trans-Altai Dialogue, designed to strategically leverage the distinctive attributes of the Altai region within Eurasiarenowned for its geographical expanse, demographic diversity, and economic cloutunifying Kazakhstan, Russia, China, and Mongolia in a collaborative framework.

To actualize extensive initiatives and undertakings, it is imperative to enhance logistical interconnectivity among our nations and collaboratively strategize on transit pricing frameworks. These matters may be incorporated into the strategic agenda of forthcoming negotiations and dialogues among port and logistics center executives at the inaugural SCO forum in November in the city of Aktau, articulated President Tokayev.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation in high technology and digitalization during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Trend reports.

President Tokayev underscored that this imperative has escalated in urgency. By 2033, the market for artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to ascend to a staggering $5 trillion, with its penetration in the global technology sector anticipated to escalate to 30 percent.

Progress in this field is evident and outpaces development in other strategic sectors. I am convinced that the SCO can become a global leader in accelerated AI development. Therefore, we support Chinas proposal to establish a Global Organization for AI Cooperation and are ready to make our contribution to this critically important initiative. We advocate for effective collaboration across the entire digital agenda, including implementing smart solutions in the real economy, healthcare, transport and logistics, and urban management, Tokayev said.

In a strategic initiative, the Kazakh president advocated for the establishment of an SCO Expert Forum on Artificial Intelligence, designed to convene periodically among the member states of the SCO.



The inaugural convening is strategically scheduled to occur in Astana, coinciding with the prestigious Digital Bridge Forum. Furthermore, in 2027, Kazakhstan aims to convene a High-Level Conference focused on the integration of Artificial Intelligence within the frameworks of SCO Economies. In the upcoming fiscal year, we are strategically positioned to convene delegates from SCO media entities to engage in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the multifaceted challenges of information policy within the context of the evolving technological landscape, the head of state articulated.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 1. The second stage of Arkadag citys construction, which includes more than 180 residential, social, and transport infrastructure projects, is set to accelerate following an on-site inspection by the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Trend reports.

During his visit on Sunday, Berdimuhamedov reviewed key projects such as entrance gates on Ahalteke Atlary Avenue, symbols in front of the multi-purpose stadium, and a new water supply system from the Karakum River, as well as the design of the railway station and the Gorjav district administration building. He issued several adjustments, emphasizing proper planning of social and industrial facilities and the use of materials adapted to local conditions.

State media disseminated that the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty advocated for officials to guarantee the punctual and superior execution of all designated initiatives to bolster the citys holistic advancement.



The official launch of Arkadag city transpired on June 29, 2023. The initial phase successfully deployed 336 state-of-the-art facilities, whereas the current second phase is strategically positioned to substantially enhance residential and infrastructural capacities.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 1. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a congratulatory letter to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the occasion of the countrys 34th Independence Day, announced his planned visit to Uzbekistan to participate in the meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Turkiye and Uzbekistan, Trend reports.

President Erdogan underscored the paramount importance of bilateral relations, highlighting that connections rooted in mutual human engagement are persistently evolving in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks, particularly through the mechanisms of the Organization of Turkic States.

Meanwhile, the third meeting of the UzbekistanTurkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council was held in June of last year, chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Following that meeting, the governments were instructed to adopt a joint roadmap to implement the decisions taken during the session.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed the establishment of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Water Research Center in the country during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State, Trend reports.

During the summit discourse, President Tokayev drove home that synergistic environmental collaboration constitutes a paramount strategic priority.

Climate adversities transcend geopolitical boundaries and inflict detrimental impacts on numerous nations and territories globally. It is imperative to collaboratively formulate robust methodologies to mitigate tangible risks, including but not limited to desertification, hydric stress, glacial retreat, and a spectrum of ecological challenges. Consequently, we endorse the establishment of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization Water Research Center in Kazakhstan, articulated President Tokayev.

The chief executive also noted that the forthcoming year will signify the quarter-century milestone of the SCO.

We consider it extremely important to approach this milestone thoughtfully and rationally in order to achieve meaningful, practical results for our peoples. I once again express my gratitude to the President of the Peoples Republic of China, Xi Jinping, for his tireless and productive efforts to promote the constructive values of the Shanghai Spirit. I am confident that the current summit will go down in history as a successful forum that made concrete decisions, which will undoubtedly strengthen the SCOs potential, he added.

In conclusion, President Tokayev wished success to the Kyrgyz Republic and its president, Sadyr Zhaparov, in carrying out the next SCO chairmanship.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized at today's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that the SCO embodies the principles of mutual respect, trust, and shared prosperity, and noted the need to strengthen dialogue, expand economic and transport ties, ensure security, and promote cultural and humanitarian exchanges, Uzbekistans Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, wrote on X, Trend reports.

The President proposed new initiatives, including:

 Establishing a Regional SCO Center for Critical Materials;

 Creating an SCO Energy Consortium and digital investment platforms;

 Developing a Unified SCO Transport Space integrated with the Belt and Road Initiative;

 Expanding cooperation on green industry, climate adaptation, and innovation;

 Promoting youth, education, and cultural exchange.

An important outcome of the Summit was the decision to establish, based on the SCO RATS in Tashkent, a permanent body  the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats, Saidov said.

Uzbekistan reaffirms its strong commitment to working with all our partners to build peace, stability, and sustainable development across our vast region, the publication reads.
TIANJIN, China, September 1. The President of Kazakhstan called for reforming the UN during his speech at the SCO Plus summit, held under the slogan Implementing multilateralism, ensuring regional security, and promoting sustainable development, Trend reports.

In his speech, President Tokayev noted that in the current complex geopolitical realities, Kazakhstan must support the UN as a universal and independent organization.

At the same time, there is an urgent need to reform the UN, primarily its key body, the Security Council. We are fully aware of the complexity of such a reform, but there is no other way. If the current generation of leaders refuses to carry out this task, it could permanently and irrevocably undermine the trust of states in the UN, he stressed.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highly praised the Global Governance Initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China at the summit, which contains a long-term vision for the development of the international community.

According to him, the initiative organically complements the common efforts aimed at forming a more just and sustainable world order.

The President separately thanked the leaders of the SCO member states for their strong support for the process of transforming the CSTO into a full-fledged international organization.
TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has supported the idea of establishing the SCO Development Bank during his speech at the "SCO Plus" summit, held under the slogan "Implementing multilateralism, ensuring regional security and promoting sustainable development", Trend reports.

Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan is actively involved in all processes aimed at enhancing financial, economic, investment, and technological cooperation in the SCO format.

"We support the establishment of the SCO Development Bank as a useful financial institution aimed at developing the economies of the organization's member countries. Kazakhstan is ready to continue to comprehensively promote the strengthening of regional interconnectedness. We believe that close attention should be paid to the further development and integration of such large-scale projects as 'One Belt, One Road' with the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the North-South and Middle Corridor transport routes," he noted.

According to Tokayev, the task of developing common rules and ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence technologies has become especially relevant.

In this regard, he supported the creation of the Global Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence with headquarters in Shanghai.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan is steadily advancing across all fields, said the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, Trend reports.

Speaking at a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, Pezeshkian pointed out that Tehran and Dushanbe are all in when it comes to bolstering their connections, which are blossoming in fields like transit, trade, tourism, science, and more.

For his part, Rahmon emphasized that Tajikistan is eager to roll up its sleeves and strengthen bilateral ties, especially in the realms of economy, investment, and other vital sectors. He noted that the two countries maintain constructive cooperation bilaterally, regionally, and internationally, including within multilateral platforms.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in China on August 31 to take part in the SCO summit.

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TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Monday issued a statement on supporting the multilateral trading system during the ongoing SCO Tianjin Summit. 
TIANJIN, China, September 1. It is necessary to consolidate efforts to remove trade barriers, harmonize standards, and actively promote industrial cooperation and innovation, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the SCO Plus meeting, Trend reports.

In order to launch an effective platform for business dialogue with the participation of all interested partners, we propose holding the SCO Invest Forum on an annual basis. We are ready to host the first forum next year in Uzbekistan, the head of state noted.

According to the President, SCO member states possess enormous scientific and technological potential, which can ensure major breakthroughs in such advanced fields as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, bioengineering, and renewable energy.

As a practical step, the President proposed the establishment of a SCO Network of Innovation and Technology Hubs, which would serve as a platform for generating new ideas and ensuring effective technology transfer.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The opening ceremony of the 49th Annual World Finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is underway in Azerbaijan's Baku, Trend reports.

The event is organized by the ICPC Foundation, supported by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), and hosted by ADA University. The official opening is being conducted by ICPC Foundation President Bill Poucher and ICPC 2025 World Final Director Fuad Hajiyev.

Speakers include ADA University Rector Hafiz Pashayev, CBA Chairman Taleh Kazimov, and Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Samir Mammadov.

The competition will run until September 5.

The ICPC, first held in the United States in the 1970s, is recognized as the worlds oldest and most prestigious student programming contest, bringing together millions of participants over the years. The competition showcases algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and programming skills, while also enhancing teamwork and decision-making under pressure.

Leading global technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon closely follow the contest, with many winners later building prominent careers in the tech industry.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. We propose holding the first expert SCO Plus Security Dialogue next year in Tashkent, highlighting the importance of in-depth professional exchange of experience among the member states, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the SCO Plus meeting, Trend reports.

"Today, the world faces an unprecedented set of challenges and threats that have long gone beyond the usual framework of security factors

I want to emphasize that only joint efforts, based on the principle of indivisible security, can ensure the stability and prosperity of our peoples. In this regard, we also welcome the launch of the Universal Center to Counter Security Threats and Challenges, established under the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO in Tashkent, as well as the Anti-Narcotics Center in Dushanbe, the president noted.

President Mirziyoyev also pointed out that keeping the peace in the region is a tall order without taking into account the situation in Afghanistan and building bridges between the international community and Afghan authorities.

Achieving this goal largely depends on the political will of SCO member states committed to long-term peace and stability, both in Afghanistan and across the region.

Uzbekistan is ready for broad cooperation with SCO partners to implement programs and projects aimed at economic recovery and the development of regional cooperation with Afghanistan," he added.

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Beijing, Trend reports via the press service of the President of Kazakhstan.

The SCO Summit concluded earlier in the Chinese city of Tianjin. President Tokayevs visit will continue tomorrow in Beijing.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will participate in a meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council, and will also hold a series of meetings with the heads of major Chinese companies. In addition, the President will attend the opening ceremony of the Kazakhstan Cultural Center, the statement said.

Earlier, the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member countries, as well as the SCO Plus summit, took place in the city of Tianjin.
TIANJIN, China, September 1. Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have expressed support for holding a Regional Climate Summit under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) in Kazakhstan in 2026, Trends special correspondent reports.

The decision was reflected in the Tianjin Declaration, adopted following the meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States held on September 1 in China's Tianjin.

In addition, member states welcomed the outcomes of the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation, organized as part of the "International Year of Glacier Preservation2025" in Dushanbe.

The parties also articulated an affirmative evaluation of synergistic engagement in crisis intervention and reaffirmed their preparedness to enhance cooperative initiatives in disaster risk reduction, responsive action, and mitigation strategies.

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Photo: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. The chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has passed to Kyrgyzstan and will be held under the motto 25 Years of SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity, Trend reports.

This was echoed in the Tianjin Declaration that was approved after the SCO Heads of State Council meeting that took place on September 1st in Tianjin.

The next meeting of the Council will take place in 2026 in Kyrgyzstan.

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Photo: Press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. During its upcoming chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kyrgyzstan intends to create conditions for the effective use of the transit and transport potential of member states, Trend reports.

President Sadyr Zhaparov made the remarks at the 25th SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Tianjin.

Kyrgyzstans chairmanship also proposes to develop multilateral cooperation to create favorable conditions for international road and rail transport, including the establishment of new transport routes and the efficient use of transit and transport potential across SCO member states, the president said.

The SCO chairmanship passes to Kyrgyzstan from China and will operate under the motto 25 Years of SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.

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Photo: Administration of the President of Kyrgyzstan

TIANJIN, China, September 1. During its upcoming chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kyrgyzstan plans to organize the SCO Youth Digital Forum, Trend reports.

President Sadyr Zhaparov made the announcement at the 25th SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Tianjin.

Zhaparov said Kyrgyzstan is ready to contribute to joint initiatives aimed at promoting digital transformation across the SCO region. He also highlighted that countries are fully facing the impacts of climate change, which is no longer an abstract threat but a reality, and stressed the importance of SCO member states joint efforts to curb global warming.

In this regard, we propose that SCO countries strengthen cooperation in addressing climate change and advancing the green economy through joint green projects and initiatives, the president said.

The SCO chairmanship passes to Kyrgyzstan from China and will operate under the motto 25 Years of SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 1. Kyrgyzstan and China have signed a letter of intent on providing a concessional loan to finance Kyrgyzstans share in the ChinaKyrgyzstanUzbekistan railway project, Trend reports via the Kyrgyz president's administration.

The document was signed following a meeting between President Sadyr Zhaparov and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin.

The leaders held in-depth discussions on key bilateral and multilateral issues, including SCO cooperation, development of logistics infrastructure, efficiency improvements at border checkpoints, and the deepening of financial, cultural-humanitarian, trade, economic, and investment ties.

In the course of the meeting, Zhaparov briefed the Chinese side on major investment projects in Kyrgyzstan. Xi Jinping expressed readiness to encourage Chinese companies to participate in these projects, including the establishment of the Tamchy Special Financial and Investment Zone and the Ala-Too Resort tourism complex.

Zhaparov also invited Xi Jinping to pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan in 2026, expressing confidence that new achievements in cooperation would serve as a symbolic highlight of the visit.
Photo: Administration of the President of Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 1. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh discussed prospects of bilateral cooperation, Trend reports, citing the presidential office.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin.

The parties engaged in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the prevailing dynamics of bilateral relations, salient issues, and prospective trajectories, alongside avenues for multilateral collaboration within global governance frameworks. They expressed their preparedness to amplify collaborative efforts across diverse synergistic domains and concurred to facilitate reciprocal engagements.

At the SCO summit, pivotal resolutions were adopted, covering strategic development trajectories through 2035, addressing multifaceted threats, strengthening diplomatic dialogue, advancing the digital economy, and promoting sustainable energy initiatives.

The SCO chairmanship passes to Kyrgyzstan from China and will operate under the motto "25 Years of SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity."

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JAKARTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter carrying eight people has gone missing after losing contact with air traffic control in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province on Monday, according to Dendy Prasetyo, a press officer for the provincial search and rescue office.

The communication failure occurred at 8:54 a.m. local time, shortly after the helicopter took off.

The aircraft had departed from an airport in Kotabaru regency and was en route to Palangkaraya, capital of the nearby Central Kalimantan province.

A search and rescue operation, involving local search and rescue personnel and police, was launched immediately after contact was lost. 
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 1. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, Trend reports citing the presidential office.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin. The sides exchanged views on expanding political, trade, and economic, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties.

Rahmon and Modi articulated their contentment regarding the advancements in the multidimensional bilateral relations between Tajikistan and India.



At the SCO summit, pivotal resolutions were ratified encompassing strategic development trajectories through 2035, mitigating multifaceted threats, enhancing diplomatic discourse, advancing the digital economy, and promoting sustainable energy initiatives.

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TIANJIN, China, September 1. Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during his speech at the SCO meeting in Tianjin, Trend reports.

The president stressed the need to develop collaboration in key economic sectors, including transport and transit, energy, industry, agriculture, innovation, and digitalization. He highlighted Tajikistans efforts to improve transport infrastructure and harness the countrys hydroelectric potential.

Rahmon also delineated avenues for capital infusion in industrial advancement, contemporary processing enterprises for mineral resources, and the agro-industrial domain. He urged SCO stakeholders to enhance synergies in the tourism sector, with a specific focus on ecotourism, alpine tourism, and wellness tourism initiatives.

The president underscored the importance of joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism, separatism, radicalism, cyber threats, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational crime. He noted that the agreements signed on the creation of the SCO Anti-Drug Center and the Universal Center to Counter Security Threats open new prospects for cooperation in these areas.

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 1. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun discussed broad opportunities for cooperation in green energy, Trend reports, citing the presidential administration.

The meeting took place during the 25th SCO Council of Heads of State in Tianjin.

The leaders discussed the construction and modernization of power plants of various capacities, as well as the commissioning of solar and wind facilities. They highlighted the need for AIIB financial support for projects in water resource management, flood and landslide risk reduction, and the introduction of modern monitoring and control technologies.

Focus was directed towards enhancing transport synergies, advancing pertinent infrastructural frameworks, and optimizing utility modernization processes. Potential domains for synergistic collaboration encompass the mobilization of private capital, the advancement of cutting-edge financing methodologies, and the deployment of novel financial instruments.

AIIB is currently involved in four investment projects in Tajikistan totaling over $430 million, including the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant and a 920-meter road bridge in the Nurabad district. The bank has also decided to increase financing for the Rogun HPP to $500 million.

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 1. The Civil Aviation Agency of Tajikistan announced the launch of direct flights operated by Zhejiang Loong Air on the Xian-Dushanbe-Xian route, starting September 16, 2025, Trend reports.

Air travel operations will be conducted biweekly. The newly established corridor is anticipated to enhance diplomatic relations between the two urban centers, augment bilateral synergies, catalyze tourism influx, and streamline transit for the populace of Tajikistan and China.

The agency noted that the development of Tajikistans civil aviation sector has been supported by the countrys Open Skies policy, which has helped expand flight networks and increase connectivity. Plans are also underway to cooperate with additional foreign airlines and open new routes in the future.

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 1. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Russia Vladimir Putin discussed outcomes of the 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Trend reports, citing the presidential office.

The leaders engaged in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the prevailing dynamics of bilateral relations and meticulously examined pivotal issues on the global and regional agenda.



They conducted an analysis of potential engagements for forthcoming strategic interactions between the two nations.



During the SCO summit, critical resolutions were enacted, encompassing strategic development pathways through 2035, tackling complex threats, enhancing diplomatic discourse, propelling the digital economy, and fostering sustainable energy initiatives.

The SCO chairmanship passes to Kyrgyzstan from China and will operate under the motto "25 Years of SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity."

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, September 1. The upcoming state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tajikistan has been discussed by the heads of the two states on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Trend reports via the Kremlin.

"I wanted to briefly discuss with you some nuances and issues regarding the preparation of three very major events that are set to take place soon in Dushanbe. First, the 'Central AsiaRussia' summit, but the main item on the agenda is the CIS summit and the state visit. Therefore, I wanted to briefly inform you about how the preparations for these events are going," said President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.

Putin pointed out that this year has seen many personal contacts between the leaders, including today's meeting, and that a number of events are planned in Tajikistan in which Russia intends to participate.

"However, of course, the main issue is economic cooperation. I would like to note that, overall, we can be satisfied that the growth in trade turnover continues. Issues related to investments from both sides are also progressing, and all this is focused on the main, key areas of development," he said.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan held a briefing on the countrys priority positions at the upcoming 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Trend reports via Turkmen MFA.

The event gathered officials of the Foreign Ministry, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives of international organizations, and local media.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov highlighted the significance of the Assemblys anniversary session, describing it as a milestone for multilateral diplomacy. He stressed that Turkmenistans policy of permanent neutrality, built on trust and respect, remains a key tool for fostering stability, preventing conflicts, and expanding international cooperation.

Participants exchanged views on advancing Turkmenistans initiatives and reaffirmed support for strengthening cooperation within the UN framework. The countrys constructive role in peacebuilding, regional stability, and sustainable development was underscored.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. It's a valuable opportunity to develop and strengthen dialogue and cooperation with other countries within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus ("SCO+"), Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the summit of heads of state of the "SCO+" in China today, Trend reports.

According to him, the experience of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization shows that cooperation between developing and economically prosperous countries can be a practical step towards solving many problems.

Pezeshkian noted that, moreover, the development of cooperation with southern countries, mainly in the fields of finance and joint investment, can seriously stand on the agenda of the SCO.

He underlined that Iran believes that, given its potential, the organization could become a coordination center for the use of new technologies and artificial intelligence. Iran is ready to cooperate in these areas, using its scientific, energy, and transit capabilities.

The Iranian president stated that Iran has an important geographical opportunity to create a communication link between transit lines, being located at the center of communication between the East and the West.

Pezeshkian visited China on August 31.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) can speed up the development of mutual relations between Iran and Russia, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in China today, Trend reports.

According to him, the long-term comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia has created favorable conditions for the development of bilateral cooperation.

Pezeshkian also said that the process of maintaining continuous mutual relations with Russia is of great value to Iran.

"International platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are a suitable base for promoting the idea of multilateralism," he noted.

During the meeting, Putin said that the implementation of the free trade agreement between Iran and the EAEU will play a significant role in increasing trade cooperation between the two countries.

Putin added that the two countries also maintain ongoing mutual cooperation regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Two inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have visited Iran with the approval of Irans Supreme National Security Council, said Mohammad Eslami, Irans Vice President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Trend reports.

During a discourse with Iranian media in China, Eslami articulated that the IAEA evaluators meticulously scrutinized the procedural dynamics of fuel substitution at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).



Eslami indicated that dialogues between Iran and the IAEA are currently in progress. To date, two iterations of diplomatic engagements have transpired between the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Atomic Energy Agency, with a forthcoming session on the agenda.



The vice president underscored that Iran articulates discontent regarding the IAEA's operational autonomy, asserting a lack of strategic alignment in its actions.

Commenting on the Snapback mechanism triggered by European countries in response to the reinstatement of United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iran, Eslami said the country had anticipated the activation of this mechanism.

On July 2, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a decree on the entry into force of the law suspending cooperation with the IAEA. According to the law passed by the Iranian parliament, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency are not allowed to enter the country to conduct inspections. Entry of the agency's inspectors into the nation is contingent upon the affirmation from Iran's Supreme National Security Council regarding the assurance of the nation's peaceful nuclear endeavors and the integrity of its nuclear infrastructure.

Bushehr NPPs first unit began operations in 2011 and was officially handed over to Iranian control by a Russian nuclear company in 2013. Since then, the unit has produced electricity at a maximum capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours and has generated over 65 billion kilowatt-hours over a ten-year span.

Construction of the second and third units began in 2017 on a 50-hectare site. Once operational, each unit is expected to generate 1,057 megawatts of electricity. Their combined contribution could save about 10 million barrels of crude oil or 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually, while preventing nearly seven million tons of pollutant emissions.

The generation of electrical energy at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant from 2013 through March 20, 2025, totaled 72.4 million kilowatt-hours.

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had detained 17,480 drug-related suspects in the first eight months of 2025, slightly down 0.5 percent from 17,574 over the same period last year, said an Anti-Drug Department (ADP)'s report on Monday.

Among them are 698 foreigners of 20 nationalities, the report said.

"A total of 7.76 tons of illicit drugs had been confiscated from those suspects' possession during the January-August period this year," the report said.

The amount of seized drugs this year saw a significant rise from 5.75 tons over the same period last year, the report added.

Most of the confiscated narcotics were ketamine, ecstasy, heroin, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, cocaine, and cathinone.

The Southeast Asian nation has no death sentence for illicit drug traffickers. Under its law, those found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be imprisoned for life. 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Iran once again declares its readiness to find a diplomatic solution to its peaceful nuclear program, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the summit of heads of state of the "SCO+" (Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus) in China today, Trend reports.

According to him, the air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have once again proven that there is no military solution to this issue.

The "snapback" mechanism, which envisages the restoration of sanctions against Iran by the UN Security Council, will also result in further complications and escalation of the issue.

Pezeshkian noted that Iran wants the US and the European troika to resort to diplomacy with a fair solution instead of confrontation.

The snapback mechanism is based on Articles 36 and 37 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). According to these provisions, if one party complains that another has violated the agreement and resolution efforts fail, the issue can be brought before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). If the UNSC accepts the complaint, international sanctions against Iran can be reinstated, and the Security Council members may authorize military operations against Iran. On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It is reported that the airstrikes destroyed the Iranian nuclear facilities.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Iran continues to pursue a diplomatic path to resolve issues surrounding its nuclear program, the country's President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, Trend reports.

Pezeshkian noted that Tehran has entrusted its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the countrys Supreme National Security Council to ensure a constructive and effective framework.

He noted that Irans parliament had passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA in response to what he described as untrustworthy actions by the agencys director general, particularly its failure to condemn attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Guterres, for his part, said he was convinced that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program remains peaceful. He cautioned, however, that activating the UN Security Councils snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions on Iran could create serious complications, a concern echoed in recent discussions with European officials involved in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The snapback mechanism is based on Articles 36 and 37 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). According to these provisions, if one party complains that another has violated the agreement and resolution efforts fail, the issue can be brought before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). If the UNSC accepts the complaint, international sanctions against Iran can be reinstated, and the Security Council members may authorize military operations against Iran. On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It is reported that the airstrikes destroyed the Iranian nuclear facilities.

On January 16, 2016, the JCPOA came into force between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) regarding Irans nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran starting from November 2018.

By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.

Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20-30 percent.

The US conducted airstrikes targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran on June 22, reportedly causing significant damage.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. Iran is prepared to offer its transit opportunities in order to strengthen regional cooperation and establish new communications between different countries, said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trend reports.

Speaking at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China, Pezeshkian pointed out that Irans Chabahar port is on the verge of tying the knot with the countrys railway network, signaling a significant leap in bridging China with Central Asian states and Afghanistan.

The head of state went on to say that there are a lot of opportunities and incentives for investors to set up logistics centers at the Chabahar port.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited China on August 31 to attend the SCO summit.

The SCO Tianjin Summit 2025 represents the 25th convocation of the Heads of State Council within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, scheduled to transpire from August 31 to September 1, 2025, in the geopolitical hub of Tianjin, People's Republic of China. This marks the quintuple occurrence of the People's Republic of China as the host nation for the annual SCO summit, representing the most expansive iteration in the historical continuum of the SCO's convenings.

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A Clarion Call to Reclaim Lost Childhoods



Jonathan Haidt's, The Anxious Generation, is more than a book for parents and educators; it is a clarion call for anyone concerned about the future of humanity

Monday September 1, 2025 10:59 AM , Ghulam Arif Khan

The Anxious Generation

Author: Jonathan Haidt

Reviewer: Ghulam Arif Khan

Penguin Press March 2024

400 Pages



This article may unsettle you profoundly!

The state of the environment casts a long shadow of worry, especially over the safety of your children. You may already be taking steps to shield them, Yet, if you wipe the dust off the mirror of life, what you see might terrify you. The future actions of your beloved children, your pride and joy, could defy even your wildest imagination.

Before us is the widely acclaimed non-fiction book of 2024, The Anxious Generation. In this work, Professor Jonathan Haidt discusses the alarming decline in the mental health of children and adolescents. He dubs the post1995, Gen- Z as the "Anxious Generation".

Why are we witnessing such a rapid surge in anger, confusion, and restlessness among this demographic?

How is the fragile mental state of the young eroding the very foundation of society?

A Grim Picture

Data Paints a grim picture: Rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide have soared to distressing levels in this generation. Haidt, a distinguished American social psychologist, has dedicated his mission to applying moral psychology research to improve interpersonal relationships and drive reform in critical social institutions.

The questions raised in the TheAnxious Generation compel us to confront an unsettling truth: are we, as a society, equipped to protect the mental well-being of the generations to come?

Technology simplifies life and we complicate it with ease. We hand our children mobile phones and tablet computers, oblivious to their potentially harmful effects. From toddlers refusing to eat without a cartoon playing in the background to teens tethered to their screens, the digital age has bound us in invisible chains. Even parents, eager for a moment of respite, often hand their children over to these devices without a second thought.

We now live in an era dominated by Generative AI, where images, videos, news, and storiessurpassing reality itselfcan be conjured with astonishing ease. Social media and gaming companies have expertly exploited human psychology, especially that of Gen Z. Our online lives have become a web of complexity. We are growing accustomed to living with fragmented, lost identities.

The markets power is revealing its darker side. A child can easily declare, falsely, that they are over 18 on a website, and the app accepts it without a second thought, as though the portal itself is an innocent, naive entity. Tech companies are constantly unveiling new products, each designed to grab attention with features that pull us further from the real world and deeper into the screen. They show us little of significance, just enough to keep us hooked. In this attention economy, the business model of advertising is based on the principle of "more, more, more." Luring in more users, pushing them to forward messages relentlessly, to binge-watch reels, all at the cost of their attention span.

The Issue of Pornography

While the issue of pornography is undoubtedly monstrous, it is far from the only beast lurking. Online games, particularly multiplayer ones where individuals are scattered across various locations, are a severe threat to mental health. Our favourite superstars are being hired topromote online gambling, offering a quick, legal route to wealthan illusion thats too enticing to resist. The crisis has reached alarming proportions.

Last year, the Oxford English Dictionary inducted a new term: "Brain Rot", referring to the mental decay caused by relentless consumption of online content. Children are among the earliest victims of this phenomenon. Sleep deprivation, fractured attention spans, and addictive behaviours are becoming disturbingly commonplace. Adolescents have surrendered their enthusiasm for physical games and face-to-face interactions to the grip of social media. This shift has fundamentally rewired their brains, altering their very way of thinking.

Teenagers now perceive life through a transformed lens. In response, adults have attempted to shield their children in overly protective bubbles, inadvertently exacerbating the problem. The era of "play based childhood" has been replaced by a "phone-based childhood," with devastating consequences. The author refers to this profound shift as the great rewiring of youngsters minds . Yet, we remain oblivious to its gravity or its long-term implications.

The first wave of Generation Z reached adolescence around 2009, coinciding with a technological revolution. High-speed broadband and social media spread like wildfire. The introduction of the "like" and "share" buttons in 2009 fundamentally altered the social dynamics of the online world. Social media expanded connections but simultaneously diluted the quality of relationships. Online friendships lack the protective boundaries that real-life interactions naturally possess. Children drift further from relatives and friends, while connecting with strangers on the internet has become alarmingly easy.

This trend disproportionately affects girls. They are more influenced by comparisons, particularly regarding visual social comparison and perfection, and are more emotionally vulnerable. Girls are also more likely to face harassment and aggression online, as they are easily lured into expressing their feelings and challenges.

Key Trends and Their Solution

The book identifies two key trends that have rendered Generation Z the "Anxious Generation":

Excessive sheltering and overprotection in the real world, which stifles their independence and resilience. A glaring lack of supervision in the virtual world, which exposes them to risks far beyond their capacity to handle.

The author advocates four critical reforms:

Delay smartphone ownership until at least ninth grade, allowing only basic feature phones with limited internet access.

Restrict social media use until the age of sixteen, shielding young minds from premature exposure to its pitfalls.

Create phone-free schools, where devices such as smartphones and smartwatches are collected at the gates, fostering an environment conducive to learning and genuine interaction. The author acknowledges the educational potential of the internet, lauding platforms like Khan Academy for their constructive contributions.

Encourage unsupervised play, giving children the freedom to explore, take risks, and build resilience naturally. This process strengthens their psychological immune systems, equipping them to navigate the real worlds challenges with greater fortitude.

The book argues that children must learn to navigate real-world challenges and develop innate mechanisms for self-preservation. According to the author, the threats posed by online predators far outweigh those from bullies in the physical world. Cultivating a robust psychological immunesystem is essential to making children "anti-fragile."

Rooted in deep research, the book avoids sensationalism. Though the tone is somewhat advisory, its approach is thoroughly academic. Haidt uses surveys, tables, charts, and graphs to present his findings, most of which are based on studies conducted in Western countries.Australia recently enacted a law prohibiting social media use for those under 16.

Also Read: Outrage as Japan city caps smartphone use

This reviewer acknowledges cultural differences between Western nations and countries like Indiawhere societal structures, religious values, and spirituality may temper the severity of the problem, what is happening around us can be seen with naked eyes. The signs of digital overreach are unmistakably visible across the globe. This reviewer does not denounce technology outright but takes a firm stand against its irresponsible use.

The author emphasizes that the solution requires a unified effort involving schools, parents, governments, and tech companies. Clear social norms must be established, ethical oversight strengthened, and technology harnessed responsibly.

This eye-opening work is more than a book for parents and educators; it is a clarion call for anyone concerned about the future of humanity. It invites us to reclaim the lost childhoods of our beloved children and safeguard their mental and emotional well-being in an increasingly complex world.

[The writer, Ghulam Arif Khan, is a Commentator on socio-economic and political affairs, Editor, Public Speaker, Counsellor, Mentor & Entrepreneur. He is based in Mumbai. He can be contacted at arif055@gmail.com.]

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Jamiat slams inhuman way people in Assam being rendered homeless



The Jamiat Ulama e Hind Monday September 01, 2025 slammed the inhuman way people in Assam are being rendered homeless

Monday September 1, 2025 8:50 PM , ummid.com News Network

New Delhi: The Jamiat Ulama e Hind Monday September 01, 2025 slammed the inhuman way people in Assam are being rendered homeless.

Our fight is not against the removal of encroachments, but against the inhuman way in which people are being rendered homeless, taking aside the Supreme Courts directions, and replacing law with threats, fear, and brute force, President of Jamiat Ulama I Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani, said.

Maulana Mahmood Madani visited Assam leading a delegation of the Jamiat  one of the largest representative bodies of Indian Muslims.

The delegation visited Assam in the wake of, what it called, increasing atrocities against minorities and the alarming rise of communal hostility.

The delegation visited several relief camps, including Betbari, where families displaced by bulldozer demolitions are taking shelter.

Such actions are not only against justice but also against humanity, Maulana Madani said.

"Ready to face gallows"

During their Assam visit, Maulana Madani and other members of the delegation travelled around 300 kilometers, meeting victims in multiple locations.

Speaking with the displaced families, Maulana Madani expressed deep solidarity and assured them of unwavering support.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has always stood with the oppressed and will continue to do so, Maulana Madani said.

We are ready even for gallows and chains if needed, but we will never step back from supporting the victims. This has been the shining legacy of our elders, and we will uphold it, he asserted.

Also Read: Over 8K families displaced in Assam following bulldozer actions since 2023

Besides Jamia President Maulana Mahmood Madani, the delegation included Maulana Hakimuddin Qasmi, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Mufti Javed Iqbal, President, Jamiat Ulama Bihar, Maulana Khalid Kishanganj, Secretary, Jamiat Ulama Kishanganj, Maulana Naveed Alam Qasmi, Qari Naushad Adil, Organizer, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Salman Qasmi, Organizer, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Hashim Qasmi, Kokrajhar, Assam.

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Leaked: Trump plans to displace 2mn Palestinians from Gaza



The 38-page nefarious plan suggests temporarily relocating Palestinians either abroad or to heavily secured concentration camps inside Gaza.

Monday September 1, 2025 5:57 PM , ummid.com News Network

[Trump's plan to build towers on the rubble of Gaza. (Illustration)]

Washington: A leaked plan circulating within the Trump administration proposes forcibly removing two million Palestinians from Gaza and turning the besieged enclave into a US-controlled economic hub.

The nefarious plan, called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust (GREAT Trust), seeks to replace Gazas native population with a new workforce and tourists while creating luxury resorts, high-tech cities, and industrial zones, Quds News Network reported citing The Washington Post.

"Digital Tokens for Expelled Palestinians"

The 38-page proposal suggests temporarily relocating Palestinians either abroad or to heavily secured concentration camps inside Gaza.

Palestinian landowners would receive digital tokens redeemable for apartments in new smart cities or to finance life elsewhere. Each expelled Palestinian could receive $5,000, four years of rent, and a year of food.

Planners estimate expelling residents would save $23,000 per person compared to putting them in concentration camps.

Experts Warning

Experts have warned that incentivizing or forcing people from their homes under any circumstances amounts to ethnic cleansing and violates international law.

The plan was drafted by Israeli entrepreneurs Michael Eisenberg and Liran Tancman, with financial modeling by Boston Consulting Group.

The GREAT Trust envisions luxury resorts along Gazas coast, AI-powered smart cities, industrial zones, a port, and an airport. The plan claims these projects would create up to a million jobs, but only for a new population installed by the trust. Palestinians who refuse to leave face exclusion from reconstruction benefits.

Trump pressurises Netanyahu to 'crush' Hamas

Citing unnamed sources, Channel 12 reported that Trump is increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to defeat Hamas, after losing faith in the efficacy of ceasefire and hostage release talks.

Sources involved in the matter told the Hebrew TV channel that, following the January hostage-ceasefire deal and the May release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, Trump has pushed Netanyahu to move more rapidly towards defeating Hamas.

Trumps stance is reportedly a main reason that Netanyahu is pushing for either the full occupation of Gaza or a comprehensive deal strictly on Israels terms, despite security officials speaking out against such plans.

Channel 12 added that Trump appears convinced that Hamas can be decisively beaten, perhaps even within two weeks, and that the US president feels he has already fulfilled the mission of bringing home most of the hostages, especially after Alexanders release.

Despite public rhetoric in support of returning the hostages, Trump is privately making clear that, in his view, Hamas will never return all the hostages, but rather keep a certain number as a means of survival.

Palestinians reject relocation plan

Most Palestinians reject relocation entirely. Legal experts say any plan that prevents Palestinians from returning or inadequately supports them constitutes ethnic cleansing.

The plan emerges amid Israels ongoing genocide, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands, and left Gaza in ruins.

Arab nations have proposed alternatives supporting Palestinian self-rule, but the GREAT Trust envisions Gaza under US-Israel control, with no path to Palestinian statehood.

Trump earlier described Gaza as a Riviera of the Middle East and said the United States would take over the Strip. After a massive outrage, he however changed his stance and said, nobody is expelling Palestinians from Gaza .

On their part, the Palestinians released their own version of Gaza plan to counter Trump's "Riviera of the Middle East" proposal.

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that Indonesia will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Indonesia, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked about China's view on the continued escalation of deadly large-scale demonstrations in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia.

"China believes that under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian government will be able to handle its domestic situation properly and restore domestic stability as soon as possible," Guo said.

China also hopes the Indonesian side will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Indonesia, Guo added.

He noted that China understands and respects the Indonesian government's adjustment of its arrangements to visit China due to its own domestic needs.

"China welcomes Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, as the representative of President Prabowo, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin and the 80th anniversary commemoration of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War," he said. 
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Meet 20 entrepreneurs in Africa Business Heroes 2025 race



A total of 20 entrepreneurs from nearly 32,000 applications have been short-listed for the Top 10 list of Africa Business Heroes 2025

Monday September 1, 2025 7:57 PM , ummid.com News Network

[The selection of these Top 20 reflects a rigorous and highly competitive process (Image: Africas Business Heroes)]

Dakar (Senegal): A total of 20 entrepreneurs from nearly 32,000 applications have been short-listed for the Top 10 list of Africa Business Heroes 2025.

The Africas Business Heroes Prize Competition is a philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy which on Monday released the names and details of Top 20 entrepreneurs selected to advance to the 2025 Semi-Finals, to take place in Dakar, Senegal on 10  11 September 2025.

The selection of the Top 20 reflects a rigorous and highly competitive process. Starting from nearly 32,000 applications spanning the African continent, candidates advanced through multiple rounds, including the Top 50 Round 2 interviews and a thorough due diligence process.

2025 Top 20 Business Heroes

Adriaan Kruger  nuvoteQ (South Africa)  HealthTech / Digital Solutions Baraka Chijenga  Kilimo Fresh Foods Africa Limited (Tanzania)  AgriTech / Food Security Blandine Umuziranenge  Kosmotive (Rwanda)  HealthTech / Women Empowerment Bundi Mbuthia  Uzapoint Technologies Limited (Kenya)  SME Tech / Digital Tools Diana Gerald  NovFeed (Tanzania)  AgriTech / Biotech Gohar Said Suplyd (Egypt)  FoodTech / Supply Chain Janet Kuteli  Fortune Credit Limited (Kenya)  FinTech / Microfinance Jean Lobe Lobe  Waspito (Cameroon)  HealthTech / Telemedicine Jessica Roussos  BluLever Education Pty Ltd (South Africa)  EdTech / Skills Training Khadija Churchill  Kwanza Tukule Foods Limited (Kenya)  FoodTech / Distribution Louisa Olafuyi  Kunda Kids Ltd (Uganda)  EdTech / Childrens Media Mofehintolu Funso  CredPal (Nigeria)  FinTech / Credit Access Moka Lantum  CheckUps Medical Center (Kenya)  Healthcare / FinTech Mukashahaha Diane  DIKAM Ltd (Rwanda)  Textiles / Women & Youth Empowerment Neamat Eltazi  Poultry Sync (Egypt)  AgriTech / Sustainability Racine Sarr  SAWA by Shop Me Away (Senegal)  Logistics / Digital Platforms Samwel Ezikiel  Mwamba Mining Limited (Tanzania)  Mining / Sustainability Siny Samba  Le Lionceau (Senegal)  FoodTech / Infant Nutrition Thomas Patrick  Franc Group (South Africa)  FinTech / Wealth Management Wycliffe Onyango  BuuPass (Kenya)  Transport / Digital Ticketing

From this pool, 20 exceptional entrepreneurs were chosen, representing diverse sectors and embodying the spirit of African innovation and resilience.

The 20 entrepreneurs now stand just one step away from the Grand Finale, where they will compete for a place among the Top 10 Heroes.

Those who advance will share in grant funding ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 USD and also gain access to mentorship opportunities, international networks, and unparalleled global visibility.

Panel for the Final Round

The Top 20 finalists will present their businesses before a distinguished panel of judges, each bringing deep expertise and perspective from across the entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem. The panel includes:

Hasan Haidar , Managing Director of PlusVC and a long-standing ABH judge, recognized for his extensive experience in venture capital and commitment to supporting early-stage startups across the Middle East and Africa.

, Managing Director of PlusVC and a long-standing ABH judge, recognized for his extensive experience in venture capital and commitment to supporting early-stage startups across the Middle East and Africa. Moulaye Taboure , CEO and Founder of ANKA, a pioneering e-commerce and fintech platform empowering African artisans and merchants to access global markets. A former ABH Top 10 Hero, Moulayes participation marks a milestone for the program as the first time an alumnus has returned to serve as a judge.

, CEO and Founder of ANKA, a pioneering e-commerce and fintech platform empowering African artisans and merchants to access global markets. A former ABH Top 10 Hero, Moulayes participation marks a milestone for the program as the first time an alumnus has returned to serve as a judge. Jason Pau, Vice President of Alibaba Group and Executive Director (International) of the Jack Ma Foundation, who has spearheaded global philanthropic initiatives including Africas Business Heroes.

"Together, this panel will evaluate the finalists based on innovation, impact, scalability, and leadership, ultimately determining which entrepreneurs will advance to the Top 10 stage of the competition", the ABH said.

This years Semi-Final marks the first time ABH is hosting in a francophone country and a first in Senegal, underscoring the countrys growing influence as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.

Senegals strong 8.6% GDP growth and its upcoming role as host of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games  the first ever on African soil, further cement its position as a dynamic center for talent, business, and global events.

"The event will feature high-stakes pitch sessions, networking opportunities, and mentorship programs for the finalists", the ABH said.

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No One Wins A Nuclear War



Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War  A Scenario is a masterclass in understanding just how swiftly a nuclear war could igniteand how miserably it would unravel.

Monday September 1, 2025 11:43 AM , Ghulam Arif Khan

Nuclear War  A Scenario

Author: Annie Jacobsen

Reviewer: Ghulam Arif Khan

E P Dutton/Transworld Publishers March 2024

400 Pages



A fragile ceasefire currently holds in the smoldering cauldron of the Middle East. The world stands at a crossroads, reeling from Israels brazen strike on Iran , Irans thunderous retaliation , and the United States' subsequent bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.

Words once confined to the pages of military manualsnuclear bomb, first strike, mutually assured destructionnow roll off the tongues of children. Yet, only a handful truly grasp the terrifying weight these words carry.

In 2024, Investigative Journalist Annie Jacobson sent shockwaves through the literary world with her chilling book Nuclear War: A Scenario. With the precision of a surgeon and the narrative grip of a thriller, Jacobson reconstructs, minute by minute, what could unfold in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear attack.

The scenario Annie Jacobson paints is fictional in form but harrowingly plausible in spirit: a North Korean missile fired at the United States triggers a cataclysmic chain reaction, eventually engulfing Russia in a global nuclear war. This is not a book for the faint of heart; it grabs the reader by the collar and refuses to let go.

Jacobson is no ordinary journalist. She is a seasoned American investigative writer whose fearless forays into the hidden corridors of U.S. intelligence agencies and military operations have made her a force to reckon with. She handles sensitive topicsnuclear policy, covert operations, intelligence machinerywith a sharp eye and a steady hand. Her commitment to cold, hard facts over ideological posturing sets her apart in a world awash with political spin. In 2016, her fearless reporting earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Through her pen, she peels back the curtain on power, secrecy, and state-sanctioned overreach.

A Countdown to Doom

Much of Jacobsons book reads like a ticking clocka moment-by-moment account that leaves the reader breathless. It begins with an inter continental nuclear missile launched from North Korea. Within a fraction of a second, a U.S. satellite detects the launch and relays the data to military command. At the 60-seconds, alarms scream through the Strategic Command. The gears of response begin grinding. By 3 minutes and 15 seconds, the U.S. president is in the loop. But even before that, pre-emptive countermeasures are already on standbypoised to strike at the first confirmed threat.

At the 23-minute mark, California is struck. The president gives the green light: launch on Pyongyang. In the chaos, the U.S. attemptsbut failsto alert the Russian president of its intentions. At 33 minutes, Russia misreads the retaliation as an attack on itself. At 41 minutes, hell breaks loose in Washington, D.C. Amid the smoke and fire, Jacobson methodically details the labyrinth of American defence systems and the chain of command. Every step is stitched with precision and dread.

The Anatomy of Annihilation

Jacobson doesnt just stop at political decision-making. She ventures into the very heart of destructiona detailed portrayal of what a one-megaton thermonuclear explosion would do. This isnt the classical atom bomb. This is a hydrogen bomb, a demon many times more powerful.

The moment such a bomb detonates, it unleashes a blinding flashbrighter than a thousand sunsfollowed by a deafening crack. For a moment, the heat exceeds the surface of the sun. A tempest of high-pressure wind tears across the landscape. Entire city blocks are flattened like matchsticks. People are lifted into the air and crushed. Eardrums rupture. Lungs collapse. Skin peels. Within minutes, a million lives are snuffed out. The survivors, if they can be called that, face death by trauma, cardiac arrest, internal bleeding, or slow radiation poisoning.

And then the fires start. Gas lines explode. Asphalt on roads melt into black rivers. Radiation creeps like a silent curse. The health system crumbles. The administrative machinery grinds to a halt. Civilization, as we know it, falls to its knees.

A Future in Ashes

According to the legendary scientist Carl Sagan, a billion people could perish in the blink of an eye during a nuclear war. But the apocalypse doesnt end there. The long-term damage is even more grotesque. The atmosphere will be thrown into chaos. Dust clouds will shroud the planet, blocking out up to 70% of the suns rays. Darkness and frost will reign. Crops will fail. Energy systems will collapse. It will be a nuclear winterlong, bitter, and unrelenting.

And then, after months, as the choking blackness begins to lift and sunlight returns, a new horror will dawn. The half of earths ozone shield will be badly destroyed. The suns UV rays, once filtered, will now scorch the earth. Skin cancer, birth defects, mass extinctionthese will be the legacies of survival.

The Madness of the Wise

In 1945 the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Japan , it claimed 80,000 lives in a heartbeat. That single event ushered in a dark new chapter in human history. By 1949, the former Soviet Union had followed suit, stepping into the nuclear arena. One by one, many other nations joined the race, each vying for a seat at the table of destruction.

Today, nine countries are known to possess nuclear arsenal: the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Together, they hold the power to end the world multiple times over.

Just how trigger-ready is the United States? At any given moment, it has 14 intercontinental ballistic missiles on standby, 4 submarines silently patrolling the deep, 66 nuclear-capable bombers fuelled and ready, and 1,770 bombs that could be unleashed at a moments notice. The rest of its nuclear arsenal lies in storagesleeping giants. Russia, too, along with the others, maintains terrifying stockpiles.

And yet the question echoes: Why so many? If a handful can turn cities into ash, why build thousands? Somewhere in the background, like a broken record, comes the answer: Deterrence, deterrence!

No One Wins in a Nuclear War

Deterrencea word that has been turned into a magic charm. Its meaning? To stop the other side from doing the unthinkable by simply showing you can do the same. A kind of psychological poker game with doomsday as the stake.

We are told, again and again, that nuclear weapons arent meant to be usedthey're meant to prevent their own use. That this idea, this grand bargain of fear, is what has kept the world safe all these years. Billions of dollars are poured into this illusion. But what happens if deterrence fails? After all, it is not made of steel, but of human perceptiona delicate, brittle thing.

Crisis-time deterrence is a different beast from the day-to-day balance of fear. And once the first missile flies, there's no reverse gear, no soft landing, no diplomatic exit ramp. There is no such thing as winning a global nuclear war. The best we can hope for is that it never begins.

Chaos on Land and Sea

The world has long sought to put a leash on this madness. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was created to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to promote peaceful nuclear cooperation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was tasked with overseeing this framework. Through these mechanisms, global powers pledged to reduce their arsenals and stop the domino effect of proliferation.

But in recent days, the ink of these treaties has been washed in blood. Flouting internation conventions, the US launched a strike on an Iranian nuclear facility. Until now, Iran is signatory to the NPT and well deservedits rights and safeguards. What then,remains the credibility of Nuclear Non-Proliferation regime? How will the worth of such treaties be re-established. Treaties that can be torn like old parchment in the wind?

To write Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobson spoke to dozens of war strategists, military veterans, and civil servants. From them, she extracted the hard truthsthe inner workings of systems that govern our survival, the cracks within our safeguards, and the fallibility of the humans behind the controls. Her book is a masterclass in understanding just how swiftly a nuclear war could igniteand how miserably it would unravel.

The Rot Within

The devastation that festers on land and sea is not the work of fateit is the harvest of our own making. The powerful are not just complicit; they are the architects. And the rest of us? We share the guilt through apathy and wilful ignorance.

We were warned from the beginningThis vicegerent of yours will shed blood on Earth. That warning now rings with terrible clarity. And when we contemplate the magnitude of the bloodshed yet to come, our very skin shudders.

May wisdom dawn upon the hearts of men. May reason overpower rage. May we step back from the abyss before it is too late.

[The writer, Ghulam Arif Khan, is a Commentator on socio-economic and political affairs, Editor, Public Speaker, Counsellor, Mentor & Entrepreneur. He is based in Mumbai. He can be contacted at arif055@gmail.com.]

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China is closely following the latest dengue fever outbreak in Pacific Island countries and has taken measures to actively help the countries fight the disease, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing when talking about China's assistance to Pacific Island countries, some of which have suffered from the largest and severest dengue fever outbreak in 10 years.

Describing health cooperation as an important part of China's cooperation with Pacific Island countries, Guo noted that China is closely following the latest dengue fever outbreak there and has taken measures to actively help the countries fight the disease.

"Right after the outbreak, we provided supplies and financial support to Tonga, Samoa, and other worst-affected island countries. We offered testing reagents and products for mosquito control to Tonga, and protective suits, face masks and gloves to Samoa," he said.

Not long ago, Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the GX Foundation, visited Vanuatu and Fiji. He launched a program in Vanuatu to fight dengue fever and donated mosquito and fly control products and rapid testing reagents to communities in the two countries.

"China has also sent medical teams on long-term missions to seven Pacific Island countries, actively contributing to the improvement of public health and the development of healthcare services there. During this outbreak, the Chinese medical teams have stayed on the front line, worked with local medical staff to save patients, and shared knowledge on how to prevent and control the disease," Guo said.

"China's selfless assistance is appreciated and widely recognized by the local governments and people. In light of the developments of the disease, China will continue to do its best to provide support and assistance to the Pacific Island countries in need," Guo noted. 
Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam.
by Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid rows of booths showcasing flagship products from across Indonesia, the gaze of several visitors stopped at the silvery-white gleam of a jewellery display. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches adorned with pearls, presented by North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province, reflected the exhibition lights, captivating passersby.

Some visitors leaned closer, examining the fine details of each pearl while asking about their origins. Others busied themselves comparing prices with jewelry stores they had previously visited.

"Seawater pearls are one of our leading commodities," said Khairil Umam, an official at the North Lombok Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency, in an interview with Xinhua, recently.

The Apkasi (Association of Indonesian Regency Governments) Autonomy Expo 2025, held from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 at ICE BSD in Tangerang, served as a major stage. Hundreds of regencies showcased their regional potential, from plantation harvests and tourism to micro, small, and medium enterprises' products and industrial parks. The goal was to promote local strengths while opening doors for new investment opportunities.

North Lombok confidently highlighted its prized seawater pearls. NTB has long been recognized as one of Indonesia's pearl cultivation hubs, with products that not only adorn women at home but also reach international markets.

Beyond pearls, the island east of Bali offers a complete package: the mighty Mount Rinjani, white and even pink-sand beaches, and exotic islets like Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air.

North Lombok also promoted Senaru Chocolate Village, an educational tourism site where visitors can witness cocoa processing firsthand, from raw beans to sweet, ready-to-eat treats.

"Besides chocolate, we also produce rice, cloves, coconuts, coffee, and even vanilla. Our local vanilla has already been exported to the United States and Japan," Khairil added.

Much of the region's resource management, he said, involves local communities. Corn, for instance, is cultivated under a plasma scheme in partnership with companies, ensuring that farmers remain actively engaged while gaining market certainty.

At another booth, Central Java's Sragen Regency offered a different flavor of innovation. It showcased combined agriculture, industrial zones, and MSME products in a modern style.

Among its highlights were canned foods based on local dishes such as bothok mlanding (fermented soybean with young melinjo leaves), bothok salted egg, goat tengkleng (Solonese bone soup) stew, and spicy eel sambal. With a shelf life of up to a year, these products are now being prepared for export.

"Our MSME products have reached the national market. Now, we are targeting overseas buyers," said Risna Nurdiana, a Sragen promotion officer.

Sragen already has a long export history, particularly in furniture and woodcraft, which regularly reach markets in the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan.

The regency is also preparing land across 12 districts for new industrial zones. To ease investor interest, local authorities have launched Sipelangi, a digital platform mapping available land, access, and business-to-business cooperation mechanisms.

Apkasi Chairman Bursah Zarnubi emphasized that the expo was more than a mere exhibition. "This is a strategic arena for real opportunities, the creation of new markets, and the formulation of concrete business plans that accelerate regional development," he said.

Every pearl's gleam, every whiff of chocolate, and every can of tengkleng stew presented at the expo symbolized more than just products. They embodied the aspirations of Indonesia's regions to break into global markets while strengthening local economies built on their own potential. 
The annual Waterford Harvest Festival will take place in Waterford City from September 5 to 7.

Last year, the event welcomed over 50,000 visitors to the city and the organisers are hoping for even larger numbers this time around and they've worked hard at making a packed programme of events to make that happen.

The festival celerates food and passion of the people behind it.

You can read more about the festival elsewhere in this issue of Waterford News & Star but some of the programme highlights this year will include The Fawlty Towers Dining Experience, The Bridgerton Symphonic and the closing event - Beats, Bubbles and Bites, with Chef Keith Boyle.

Music fans will also have plenty to look forward to with some of the expected highlights being Mick Flannery, John Spillane, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones, and The 80s Generation. There is a mix of free and ticketed events across the weekend, with ticketed events on sale.

Tickets can be purchased at waterfordharvestfestival.ie, and the full programme of events is available on the website. Now in their second year as Festival Directors, Mark Dunne and Martin Nolan of MPI Artists bring over 50 years of combined experience to the table.

Mark has been a key figure in the Waterford Harvest Festival since its inception in 2010 and has a wealth of production experience, having worked on some of Irelands leading events including Winterval, PUCA Festival, Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann and the Waterford City Tattoo Convention.

Looking forward to the festival he commented: "I've been fortunate to build a career in the events industry, working on some of Irelands leading festivals  but Harvest is hands down my favourite. What makes it so special is its broad appeal; there truly is something for everyone. Its always a pleasure to work in my home city."

Meanwhile, Martin Nolan, serves as Co-Festival Director of Failte Irelands flagship Halloween celebration, PUCA, which welcomed 40,000 visitors to Co Meath in 2024. Through his company, MPI Artists, Martin also represents many of Irelands top musical talents, such as The High Kings, Paul Brady, Mary Black, Jack Lukeman, Sharon Shannon, King Kong Company, Hermitage Green and more. Commenting on this year's forthcoming event in Waterford he said the organisers are excited to build on the momentum of last year's phenomenally successful event.

"This year, well feature even more food demos, showcasing talented chefs from some of the citys top restaurants," he said. "Its a fantastic opportunity to explore the incredible variety of food and drink this historic city has to offer. Were also expanding our walking tours, which will delve into the citys rich culinary history, and were introducing a new holistic element to the festival.

Waterford City & County Council has issued notice of impending road closures to facilitate the Waterford Harvest Festival.

The closures, which are being implemented under Section 75 Roads Act 1993, will see the following road closed to through traffic on the dates listed below.

Roads to be closed from 6am on Friday, September 4, until 10pm on Sunday, September 7 include: L5532 Arundel Square; L5531 Peter Street; L15237 Michael Street North (from its junction with Patrick's St. to Lady Lane); L91092 Broad Street; L91091 Barronstrand Street; L90352 George's Street; L90353 Blackfriars Lane; L90354 Arundel Lane; L90355 Little Patrick Street; L55301 Bakehouse Lane; L1525 Patrick Street; L15023 Sargent's Lane (from its Junction with Jenkin's Lane Car Park); L1502 OConnell Street (from its Junction with Thomas Street); L5501 Gladstone Street. Closures to take place from 6am on Saturday, September 6 until 10pm on Sunday, September 7: L1528 John's Street (Applemarket).

Diversion Routes

A comprehensive Traffic Management Plan will be in place from the start of the road closures and all alternative routes will be signposted. Access to the Cork Road from Ballybricken Green shall be via Mayor's Walk and Barrack Street. Access to The Quays from Ballybricken shall be via James Street and Vulcan Street and there will be no access to The Quays from OConnell Street after Vulcan Street.

Access and egress to Jenkin's Lane Car Park shall be via Meeting House Lane only and entry to Patrick Street will be controlled by security and barriers at its junction with Stephen's Street and Carrigeen Park. All non-permitted traffic will be directed to Stephen's Street and onto Lady Lane. Traffic permitted to the closed section of Patrick Street will be limited to taxis, Festival Production and emergency vehicles.

Access to Alexander Street will be via Stephen Street, with egress via Lady Lane.

The traffic direction on the section of Lady Lane, from Michael Street to Bakehouse Lane, will be reversed for the duration of the road closures and emergency access will be maintained for the emergency services at all times, to all areas subject to the road closures.

Local Residents

As on street car parking on the above streets will be unavailable during the event, car owners who reside on the affected streets will be asked to relocate to other areas of the city. Any vehicle found parked in such areas will be impounded and will be subject to a release cost.

Deliveries

All businesses within the cordon area will be asked to avoid, if possible, deliveries to and from their premises during the festival period. No unauthorised vehicles will be allowed within the site area between the hours of 8am and 9pm.

Car Parking

Access to all city centre car parks will be unaffected. Public parking on High Street - from its junction with Exchange Street Car Park to Conduit Lane - will be unavailable from 6am on Friday, September 5, until Sunday, September 7.

Public Transport

The following bus routes will be affected: W4  Peter Street to Brown's Road. Full details will be made available closer to the event from Bus Eireann.

Arising from the closure of Peter Street and Arundel Square, the Peter Street Taxi Rank will be closed for the duration of the road closures and with the closure of the Peter Street rank, the nearest main rank will be 50m away at the appointed stand on Patrick Street.

Signage within City Square Shopping Centre and at Peter Street will direct users to the Patrick Street rank.
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BusinessThe economyCarbon pricing This was published 3 months ago Opinion The one big reform no one discussed at Labors roundtable Ross Gittins Economics Editor August 31, 2025  10:01pm

August 31, 2025  10:01pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 343 View all comments

Despite the strong support for tax reform at last months economic reform roundtable, perhaps the most important single reform hardly rated a mention: a carbon tax  or, in the economists preferred euphemism, a price on carbon. I dont doubt that virtually every economist attending the meeting would have agreed that a carbon price is needed. So why was it unmentionable? Because Anthony Albanese and his faint-hearted troops have convinced themselves that the main reason the infighting-riddled Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Labor government was sent packing at the 2013 election was Julia Gillards introduction of a carbon price in 2012, which that great statesman Tony Abbott repealed in 2014. Yeah, sure. Our present policies wont allow us to meet our climate targets without further piecemeal, unpopular and hideously costly measures. Add in Labors promise to make a minor change to franking credits at the 2019 election, the misrepresentation of which probably does most to explain why it lost, and you see why Labors brave warriors have concluded that any mention of tax changes brings instant political death.

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But in a speech last week, Rod Sims, chair of Professor Ross Garnauts Superpower Institute and a former senior econocrat, decided to take his life in his hands and speak truth to power. He offered five reasons why a carbon price is both necessary and urgent. For a start, our present policies wont allow us to meet our climate targets without further piecemeal, unpopular and hideously costly measures. When Labor regained office in 2022, it cobbled together arrangements intended to ensure we reached our climate targets  a 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050  despite the absence of the obvious solution: a carbon price. Related Article Renewables Labors victory has locked in an ingredient vital to supplying super cheap power To largely eliminate our emissions, we need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Trouble is, though renewable energy is much cheaper than coal and gas, its installation costs are high  much higher than the cost of coal-fired electricity from established power stations, plus a bit of gas. Albanese and Co introduced a capacity investment scheme under which the government largely underwrites the commercial viability of renewable generation and storage projects. The government picks the applications it prefers. But the scheme may involve project delays and higher electricity costs that could become a political problem for Labor.

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The Labor government also took over and beefed up the Coalitions main substitute for a carbon price, the safeguard mechanism, which requires various carbon-intensive industries to continuously reduce their emissions from arbitrary baselines. Related Article Exclusive

Investigations Its almost beyond belief: Findings blast Australias biggest carbon offset scheme Trouble is, the mechanism covers only about 30 per cent of emissions. And businesses can avoid reducing their emissions by buying carbon credits from other companies that have been able to reduce emissions cheaply by sequestrating carbon in soil, plants or old mines. This would be fine if it was all rigorously measured and accounted for but, in practice, the system is full of holes, meaning net emissions arent really reduced. There are various other more specific measures to reduce emissions  such as exempting electric vehicles from certain taxes  but the Productivity Commission has found them to be hugely expensive ways to reduce emissions.

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Exit polls at the 2013 election found only 3 per cent of Coalition voters thought that scrapping the carbon tax was the most important issue the Coalition was offering. All these shortcomings of the substitute arrangements would be avoided if only we had a price on carbon. The price  or tax  raises the cost of fossil fuels relative to the cost of renewables, thus improving the incentive to build more solar and wind farms. So the substitutes achieve the objective much less efficiently than a carbon price would  meaning that replacing them with a tax could be expected to improve the economys productivity. (Productivity is the big reason economists like taxes  which are price incentives  rather than government regulation and picking winners.) And whereas the substitute arrangements add to consumers energy costs, they dont raise any revenue for the government. As with Gillards carbon tax, the extra cost of fossil fuels goes to the government, which it can then use to fully compensate all consumers bar the high earners. Sims reminds us that in the two years before it was abolished, Gillards tax did work the way intended. Overall emissions declined by 8 per cent. Use of black coal increased relative to dirtier brown coal; gas power expanded relative to coal, and renewables expanded relative to gas.

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Former ACCC chair Rod Sims says a carbon price is both necessary and urgent. Jamila Toderas/Bloomberg Exit polls at the 2013 election found only 3 per cent of Coalition voters thought that scrapping the carbon tax was the most important issue the Coalition was offering. This is hardly surprising since, by then, voters knew they had been compensated with a tax cut and higher benefit payments, while honest Barnaby Joyces scare campaign of soaring consumer prices and $100 lamb roasts was bulldust. But Sims isnt proposing a return to the Gillard carbon tax. He advocates a simpler, more user-friendly scheme, a carbon solutions levy as developed by Garnaut and himself in 2024. It would be levied on only 108 sites of coal and gas production, and on petroleum imports, at the rate of the European Unions carbon price. You see how much simpler it would be. Related Article Opinion

Political leadership Why net zero could be ground zero for Sussan Ley James Massola Chief political commentator It would be levied on the emissions from these products, no matter where the emissions were released. So it would apply to the fossil fuels we exported, except if the receiving country had its own carbon price, such as the EUs carbon border adjustment mechanism, which will take effect next year.

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This tax on our exports would answer the calls for our government not to license new coal mines and gas fields. If the proposed new projects couldnt cover the full social cost of the greenhouse gas theyd produce (that is, production cost plus the cost to society of the pollution they cause), theyd simply be unviable and they wouldnt proceed. At the time, Garnaut and Sims estimated that if the levy applied only to domestic emissions at the Europeans carbon price, it would raise about $20 billion a year, more than enough to generously compensate households for higher electricity, gas, petrol and diesel prices. That would leave money for repair of the budget. Finally, Sims estimates that our present pace of reducing emissions needs to be increased by 25 per cent if were to meet our 2030 target. This month, Albanese will announce his target for 2035. Reintroducing a carbon price would also allow, and give credibility to, a much more ambitious target for 2035. And all it would take is a little political courage. Ross Gittins is the economics editor Ross Gittins unpacks the economy in an exclusive subscriber-only newsletter. Sign up to receive it every Tuesday evening.
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BusinessThe economyAustralian economy This was published 3 months ago Trump era causing a loss of faith in free trade Chris Zappone September 2, 2025  3:05am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 27 View all comments

Facing barriers from Donald Trumps push for tariffs and reciprocal policies, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann warned there had been a loss of faith in the international free trade system. The politicised trade barriers and their economic and social impacts  are reshaping the global economy and draining public support for open markets, Cormann told an audience in Melbourne. Dont throw the baby out with the bathwater: OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann speaking in Melbourne. Luis Enrique Ascui A decade after Brexit and the first election of Trump to the White House sent shockwaves through the global trading system, the former Liberal Party finance minister warned of a high price to pay if economies strayed too far from a commitment to a fair and open trading system. There has been a loss of faith in the ability of our global trading system to discipline or prevent the increased incidence over recent decades of non-market-driven trade distortions, Cormann said in a speech to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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It is true that there are genuine and legitimate concerns about how the global, rules-based trading system has been operating or not been operating in more recent times. But the key point here is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater [and] to find ways to make international trading arrangements fair and function better, to find ways to improve economic security and supply chain resilience and tackle unfair trade practices in a way that preserves the economic benefits of open markets and rules-based trade. Mathias Cormann talking before giving a speech at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) general council meeting in Melbourne. The Age A failure to do that would mean lower growth, higher costs and lower incomes, Cormann said. If we cant find the right solutions, public support for open markets and global trade will continue to reduce.

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He spoke days after a US Court of Appeals ruled that Trumps signature tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico were illegal, leaving US trade partners in a further state of uncertainty. Related Article Opinion

Trade wars Trumps MAGA dream could end in disaster Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist Cormann was reappointed secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for a second term, beginning in July and lasting until 2031. The OECD as an organisation dates back to the US-sponsored Marshall Plan, which was approved by Congress to help rebuild Europe in the aftermath of World War II. As market democracies grapple with the doubt and uncertainty, leaders of authoritarian nations China, Russia and North Korea gathered in Beijing for a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a political, economic and international security grouping that seeks to challenge US influence. China is expected to provide 2 billion yuan ($275 million) in grants to member states this year, along with 10 billion yuan in loans to an interbank consortium over the next three years, Bloomberg reported. We should make the pie of co-operation bigger, Chinas President Xi Jinping said.

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While Cormann lauded open markets and rules-based global trade as a powerful driver of growth, employment and better living standards, he noted the patchy adoption of artificial intelligence among and within OECD members, which could spell more unevenness in market democracies. US President Donald Trump has led the charge for tariffs on trade. AP Some countries, like the US, are more advanced. But even within the US, there is stronger adoption and stronger penetration at the bigger end of town compared to businesses across the economy as a whole, Cormann said. Even in a country like Israel, which is at the leading edge when it comes to digital technology, AI is very good at the high end, he said. But when you look at the economy as a whole, theres a lot of progress that still needs to be made. And for Australia, the challenge is the same.

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Cormann grew up in Belgium before moving to Western Australia in 1996, where he became a citizen and embarked on a career in politics with the Liberal Party. He was named secretary-general of the OECD in June 2021, after serving as finance minister for prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. Related Article China With Putin and Modi in China, Xi looks to exploit latest Trump decisions Australias economic growth slowed to 0.2 per cent in the March 2025 quarter, from 0.6 in the December 2024 quarter. Household spending is weak, and the economy is struggling to transition away from a period of higher government expenditure. The OECDs June outlook predicts global growth of 2.9 per cent in 2025 and 2026, which is a downward revision of 0.4 percentage points for both years compared with its December outlook. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
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CultureBooksLiterature This was published 3 months ago The brash upstarts taking on Australias book publishing world Jane Sullivan August 30, 2025  3:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

What does it take to set up a new independent publishing house in Australia? You need a lot of guts, says Rochelle Stephens. And a lot of love, says her business partner Bethany Loveridge. You have to love books and talk books in your sleep. This year the two Brisbane women have launched Perentie Press, which will specialise in publishing graphic novels. Its an area not much covered by the major publishers because it requires a big investment of time and money. However, Rochelle and Loveridge see a bright future and an expanding market, particularly among young readers who have graduated from picture books but may not yet be ready for books with only text. Pink Shorts Press co-founders Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart. Bri Hammond They say its a different experience of reading but not a lesser experience. Graphic novels are like junk food  but they are nutritious, says Loveridge. Kids devour them; they can never have enough. Perentie Press is one of several small independent projects launched this year, at a time when the publishing world is undergoing much upheaval and uncertainty.

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The Australian book market is now dominated by the big five international houses: Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan and Simon & Schuster. Their focus is largely on blockbuster titles and big-name authors. Australia has a long-standing tradition of independent publishers, from the largest, Allen & Unwin, to various small presses such as Scribe, Giramondo and Transit Lounge (and, more recently, Upswell), which have carved out their own markets and achieved impressive successes in the literature prize line-ups. Ginny Grant has self-funded Bakers Lane Books and the establishment of the Fearless Prize. Small independents can also come to the rescue for writers who cant find a home. Acclaimed Irish-Australian writer Lauren Foleys experimental short story collection Polluted Sex was turned down by every major publisher until Australias MidnightSun picked it up. With another independent, Influx Press, it has been distributed worldwide. But warning bells sounded recently when two of the most successful and respected independents were taken over by the big publishers. Text Publishing has merged with Penguin Random House, and Affirm Press with Simon & Schuster. (A third independent, Pantera Press, was taken over by a larger independent, Hardie Grant.) While these were all presented as positive moves, industry observers made dark predictions that this would mean fewer local authors published, less diversity and generally bad news for our literature and readers.

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Despite the gloom, theres no keeping the new kids down. They see their role not as competing with the big five but more as offering something special that cant be found elsewhere. Perentie Press will encourage illustrators to write stories and will aim to discover new graphic novel writers through the Perentie Prize, which offers the winner a publishing contract and a $2500 advance. It plans to release some short graphic novels aimed at five- to eight-year-olds, and a young adult graphic novel, The Curator by Wendy Tyrer, with a highly appropriate theme: its about a paradise offered to young artists and creators to do their own thing  but they must give up everything else. Adam Ouston has launched Evercreech Editions, which seeks to publish the out-of-step, the weird, the boldly defiant. This year author, editor and writing teacher Adam Ouston has launched Evercreech Editions, a Tasmania-based press dedicated to the out-of-step, the weird, the boldly defiant. His press has grown organically out of conversations in the reading and writing community, where people were dissatisfied with the narrow scope and opportunities for new, interesting writing. Hes a huge fan of writing that is often called difficult because it asks a reader to concentrate and think. First book off the press is a debut novel, My Heart at Evening by Konrad Muller, which deals with the suicide of Henry Hellyer, who had to face rumours about his sexuality in 1832 Tasmania, a very male-dominated part of the world. Muller was insistent that his book should only be published by a small press. Other books in the pipeline are an essay collection by an emerging Tasmanian author, a revival of a lost classic, and a Spanish novella in translation. Australian readers are spoken down to a bit, Ouston says. People are crying out for more interesting, stimulating types of writing.

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Another launch this year is Pink Shorts Press. Founders Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart have worked for more than a decade in publishing around the country but longed to move back to Adelaide and work with the local literary community. Then one publisher came out with this statement about how theyd discovered South Australian authors, Lloyd says, and we pretty much threw up our hands and decided we had to come home. They aim to release two batches of books every year. Current releases include Alex Cothrens satirical short-story collection Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere and Olivia De Zilvas Plastic Budgie, a comic experimental take on autofiction. They are looking for offbeat fiction, on the shorter side, perhaps with a genre crossover. Another project is republishing the work of the late South Australian artist and writer Barbara Hanrahan, to introduce her to a new generation of readers. Editor's pick Literature The cult author who refuses to play by the book worlds rules In her work as an editor for the larger publishers, Ginny Grant noticed many books were trend-driven and celebrity-led: I began to wonder about the quieter authors, the ones who didnt have prominent public profiles and huge social-media followings. So she has launched Bakers Lane Books, to discover titles that would not otherwise find a place in a competitive market. She aims to publish about five titles a year for the next three years. The first will be a literary debut novel, The One Remaining by Paula McLean, a poignant exploration of grief, identity and the power of storytelling. Shes also publishing a social history of Broken Hill, The Town Like No Other, by Paulas husband Robert McLean.

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Grant aims to encourage more women writers with the imprint Fearless Press, and the Fearless Prize, which will offer $10,000 for an original work of fiction by a debut woman novelist. Although women writers get more support these days through initiatives like the Stella Prize, she feels that first step of getting a debut novel published needs more attention. Its such a vulnerable point in a writers journey, and a little support can make all the difference. How can the new players fund such risky endeavours? They arent applying for grants. Ouston has a generous and silent benefactor. The Pink Shorts Press founders will use their own savings. Grant is self-funding. Stephens says Perentie Press will operate on a lot of enthusiasm, a little bit of seed funding, and hopefully it will fund itself. She should know: she started the childrens book publisher Wombat Books 20 years ago with pretty much nothing. Editor's pick Literature Peter Carey says hes done writing novels: You have to know when its enough What will help are distribution deals with larger publishers, and strong ties to a supportive local community. Authors shouldnt expect big advances but the publishers promise a great deal of individual care and attention that can only come with a small list. If theres one thing the new independents would love, it would be some surefire way to get their books noticed. Reaching readers today is a big question, especially when mainstream traditional arts media is sadly disappearing, says Lloyd.

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There are a lot of amazing books out there but people dont get to see them, says Stephens. And they dont go looking outside of what they do see. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.
SANAA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said Monday it has targeted and hit an "Israeli-linked" oil tanker in the northern Red Sea.

Yahya Sarea, the group's military spokesman, said in a statement broadcast on the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the vessel Scarlet Ray was struck by a ballistic missile on Sunday night.

The attack was part of the group's campaign against Israeli shipping, Sarea said, vowing that operations would continue until the war in Gaza ends.

Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said Sunday night it had received a report of an incident 40 nautical miles southwest of Yanbu, a Saudi port city. It said on X that the tanker's master reported a splash near the vessel and heard a loud bang, but all crew were safe, and the tanker was continuing its voyage after that.

The attack came three days after an Israeli air strike in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several cabinet members.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have targeted Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023, shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war. Dozens of ships have been damaged and four sunk, according to maritime security reports.

As the Red Sea is one of the world's busiest trade routes, the attacks have raised concerns over shipping security and forced some companies to divert vessels around Africa, adding weeks to journeys and millions of U.S. dollars in extra fuel costs. 
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NationalPorepunkah shooting This was published 3 months ago Dezi Freeman still alive and being helped by supporters, police say Melissa Cunningham, Cameron Houston and Carla Jaeger September 1, 2025  4:46pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Police believe people are harbouring accused double murderer Dezi Freeman and have made an extraordinary plea for them to come forward, warning that anyone hiding the fugitive is committing a grave crime. On the seventh day of a massive manhunt in Victorias High Country, Superintendent Brett Kahan said investigators believed Freeman was still alive and police now suspect he is receiving help from people in the community to evade capture. Police have spent seven days searching the Victorian High Country for suspected police killer Dezi Freeman. Matt Davidson While police spent the first days of the search urging Freeman to turn himself in, Kahan used Mondays press conference to instead send a message to anyone helping the fugitive. People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops, Kahan said. People have chosen, for whatever reason, not to come forward. Im taking this time to appeal to you to come forward.

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You are committing an extremely serious crime by harbouring or assisting in the escape of Dezi Freeman. Freeman fled into dense bushland following last Tuesdays ambush and has not been seen since. Fallen officers Vadim De Waart (left) and Neal Thompson. Kahan said police believe Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen who changed his surname from Filby, had a wide support network. Freeman allegedly blasted Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, with a home-made shotgun through the door of a bus the weapons enthusiast was living in near the township of Porepunkah.

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The father of three then allegedly opened a window of the bus and shot Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, who also died at the scene. Another detective wounded in the attack is understood to have hidden under the bus for up to an hour, until paramedics arrived. Kahan said on Monday that the offer of a surrender plan made to Freeman in previous days was now also being extended to any potential accomplices who were helping him. Take up that offer, by whichever means you like, whether it be [calling] triple zero or otherwise, he said. We will formulate a surrender plan.

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Related Article Porepunkah shooting Fugitive Dezi Freemans fascination with firearms revealed Kahan said police had received more than 450 pieces of intelligence from the public, which had assisted in their manhunt, and he called on anyone with information to contact authorities. What I can say, the outpouring of assistance from the local community has been simply remarkable in respect to those that know Dezi, he said. Kahan vowed police would not stop their search efforts until Freeman was found. The superintendent said the force owed it to the two slain officers. We owe it to Vadim and we owe it to Neal. And we owe it to not only the Victoria Police community, but the community at large, he said. Because what we shouldnt forget, is were looking for a person who killed two people.

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On Sunday, Freemans wife, Mali Freeman, urged her husband to surrender, in a statement through her lawyer which implored anyone harbouring him to contact police. However, Kahan called into question the level of co-operation Freemans wife had afforded investigators. In respect to the suspects wife, what Ill say [is], its two different things to be speaking with police and co-operating [with police], he said. We continue the search believing that Dezi Freeman, who is suspected of killing two police officers, is alive.

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We are absolutely hunting for a fugitive, and we continue to do so. Related Article Porepunkah shooting As the weather turns, a dark question surfaces: Is alleged gunman receiving help? As the investigation into the shooting ambush continues alongside the search, a police source confirmed there was a discussion about whether Freemans alleged crimes could be deemed terrorism, but this suggestion has been dismissed. Dr Josh Roose, a Deakin University associate professor who studies political violence, said while Freeman was clearly highly, highly ideologically motivated that was not enough to deem the killings an act of terrorism. In terms of establishing this particular incident, he [Freeman] would have to be identified as seeking to advance a political, religious, ideological cause, Roose said.

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The question is: has he written a manifesto? Has he provided evidence in some way, shape or form? Is there evidence that this was an act designed to advance a political cause? Roose said investigators would likely be combing through up to tens of thousands of different pieces of material linked to Freeman, analysing his phone records and probing what he was doing and saying online. [Allegedly] murdering two police officers and then going on the run afterwards because of your beliefs and not giving yourself up because of your beliefs doesnt necessarily make a terrorist attack, Roose said. Hes got to have murdered or killed police officers in line with his ideology and to advance the ideology, and thats tricky because in the case of sovereign citizen ideology, its not known for being primarily reactive. If anything, its a reaction to government.

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Related Article Tribute In the mountains for work, Vadim De Waarts good fortune ran out The Porepunkah double shooting has eerie similarities to the 2022 killing of two police at a remote property outside the Queensland town of Wieambilla, west of Brisbane. Roose was an expert witness in the Wieambilla incident, in which Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train shot and killed police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, as well as neighbour Alan Dare, before being killed by members of the police special emergency response team. He said the Porepunkah case was not as clear-cut, as the Trains had documented their beliefs in YouTube clips and in writing. Stacey Train had also mapped out how long until the end of the world, Roose said.

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The Trains engaged in conspiracies and Gareth had declared himself a sovereign citizen. Queensland Police and ASIO declared that incident a terrorist attack motivated by a Christian violent extremist ideology. When the police came on [their property], they [the Trains] viewed them as devils and demons incarnate effectively, Roose said. Police at the scene of the shooting on Monday. Joe Atrmao Also on Monday, police inspected a Porepunkah property on which Freeman and his family were living. Two armoured vehicles known as BearCats arrived at the farm, located at the base of Mount Buffalo.

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Police have also set up a special mobile facility in nearby Bright, which will be open seven days a week for people to come forward with information. Were opening up other avenues for the public to approach us to give information about Dezi Freemans whereabouts, Kahan said. Loading Take that opportunity. Theyll be there daylight hours, every single day of the week, every single day of the weekend. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalCancer This was published 3 months ago Tenielle thought her surgery was just a precaution. Then she woke up Kate Aubusson September 1, 2025  3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

As Tenielle Jordan was wheeled into an operating theatre, her gastroenterologist told her not to worry. The colonoscopy was just precautionary, there wouldnt be anything in there to find. Then she woke up. He said: We found a tumour, and it looks like cancer, Jordan recalls. He was so upset. I felt so bad for him that he had to tell me. I had just turned 33. Tenielle Jordan, 36, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after precautionary investigations. Steven Siewert For seven months, she had been vomiting uncontrollably after every meal. She was misdiagnosed with a condition called delayed gastric emptying.

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It would be another two years before she was diagnosed with a rare type of bowel cancer, which had spread through her abdominal organs. Australians with rare and less common cancers face a greater risk of death and misdiagnosis, as well as higher out-of-pocket costs, than people with common malignancies, in what has been called a cancer lottery. Meanwhile, the body responsible for recommending medicine subsidies has balked at the opportunity to make more people with rare and less common cancers, many of whom are under the age of 50, eligible for immunotherapy on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). On Monday, Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) will deliver a report at Parliament House confirming entrenched inequity  half of people with rare or less common cancers report their symptoms were dismissed, and one in four were misdiagnosed. Its nationwide survey of 2500 adults diagnosed with cancer and their carers, including three-quarters of people with rare or less common cancers, found one in five waited more than six months from their first medical appointment to get cancer testing, and one in 14 waited more than three years.

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Conversely, 88 per cent of people with common cancers were tested within three months. Related Article Exclusive

Science Beths time could have been extremely short. A new approach to cancer treatment is giving her hope RCA chief executive officer Christine Cockburn said the reports findings were shocking but not surprising. Patients are still stuck in a broken, lotto-like system that helps some and leaves others behind, she said. Common cancers have an overall five-year survival rate of 77 per cent, compared with 45 per cent for less common cancers and 62 per cent for rare cancers.

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What makes this even more devastating is that we know that there are more young people being diagnosed with cancer, Cockburn said. The risk of being diagnosed with cancer before age 40 has more than doubled since 2000, and one in nine new bowel cancer cases now occur in people aged under 50. Jordan underwent surgery in March 2022 to remove her tumour and 21 centimetres of her bowel. She had a serious complication that left her reliant on a temporary stoma (a disposable bag fitted to an opening in her abdomen to collect bodily waste), then had 12 rounds of chemotherapy before she turned 35. In January 2023, she was told that her scans were clear. They said: youre cancer-free. Good luck with your life. See you never.

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But that wasnt the case. Just over a year later, her cancer had spread. She endured a 13-hour surgery to remove her cervix, ovaries, gallbladder, spleen, more of her intestines and parts of her abdominal wall. The space left behind was filled with heated chemotherapy to kill off residual cancer cells. It was only then that genomic testing showed Jordan had the BRAF mutation, which accounts for 8 to 10 per cent of bowel cancers. Related Article Explainer

Health What if theyre wrong? When to get a second opinion from a doctor It was in the tumour from the start, Jordan said. But its not protocol to test for genomic mutations until [the cancer] is stage four. Surely if they knew earlier  two years ago  we could have monitored it and caught it before it metastasised so extensively.

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Jordans advanced cancer is treatable but not curable, and treatment is not without side effects. She entered menopause at 35 years of age, and her body cannot absorb iron, leaving her constantly exhausted. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) last month knocked back an application to list the immunotherapy drug Keytruda on the PBS for cancer patients based on their genomic biomarker, regardless of the organ in which their cancer originated, which would have made it accessible to more people with rare and less common cancers. PBAC also deferred a similar submission for immunotherapy drug Opdivo. We are disappointed and frustrated, Cockburn said of the decision. RCAs report recommends stronger data collection, genomic-led care, equitable access to diagnostics, therapies, personalised care and greater financial support for people with rare and less common cancers. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the Albanese government was committed to delivering equitable, world-leading cancer care and had invested heavily, in line with its Australian Cancer Plan.

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We know patients want faster access to cutting-edge medicine and treatments. Thats why our government is working through the recommendations of the [Health Technology Assessment] review, Butler said. The government has endorsed 31 of 41 recommendations from the Senate inquiry into equitable access to diagnosis and treatment for people with rare and less common cancers. Jordan doesnt think she will ever make peace with the fact that her diagnosis was just unlucky. But what I hope is that we can change something for the next 33-year-old who gets this diagnosis, she said. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
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NationalCBD This was published 3 months ago The hospital hustle: Dave Hughes injuries force unusual medical intervention Stephen Brook and Anthony Segaert September 1, 2025  3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

National comedy institution Dave Hughes is slowly recovering from five broken ribs and a punctured lung sustained during a controversial AFL Legends game on Thursday night. Hughes attended the post-match function at Marvel Stadium, but his wife, Holly, rushed him to hospital the following morning. He had been caught up in on-field clashes during the game with Dan Gorringe, Mitch Robinson and Andrew Embley. From his hospital bed, Hughes did what any self-respecting celebrity who has been canny enough to remain near the pinnacle of their profession for decades would do  generate as much content as possible. Dave Hughes in hospital on Saturday with wife Holly and their daughters. Instagram In other words, he Nora Ephroned the heck out of the situation. (The US writer of When Harry Met Sally lived by the mantra everything is copy).

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There was his video selfie from his ICU bed at Cabrini Hospital announcing his injuries to his 295,000 Instagram followers. He also phoned Fox FMs breakfast show live on air. And he posted a photo of himself lying in an ICU bed, with the caption: No hard feelings. Whats five broken ribs and a punctured lung between friends? Then there were the screenshots of messages from well-wishers, including comedian Nath Valvo opining: Get well!!! Sounds like youre as good at football as I am, to which Hughes replied, the comparison is the most hurtful thing thats happened to me in the last 48hrs. This is not Hughes first agonising injury thats led to content creation. Last year he told us how was speared in the shoulder by his surfboard during a New Years Eve surfing lesson. But he was pleased the incident earned him a live cross on Channel Nines Today. It really was full on, and I was begging for drugs. I was on the beach for two hours waiting for an ambulance, which never turned up, he said. Even though I was in the depths of agony and wanted to die, I said to my wife, Take some photos of me like this because I want the story. From his hospital bed this weekend, Hughes told CBD that a similar live cross was off the agenda.

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The hospital has had an intervention with me, Hughes told us via text. And said no more live media crosses from ICU. They have no idea what really heals me. No punchiness for us Bob Katter was a notable absence from Wednesday nights Midwinter Ball in Canberra, a disappointing outcome for any baby staffers hoping to get a selfie wearing the maverick North Queensland MPs big hat (happens every year). Loading But the absence was probably for the best, because by Thursday morning it was clear Katter may not have been in a party mood. Responding to a question from Nine reporter Josh Bavas about his familys Lebanese heritage at a press conference where Katter was throwing his support behind Sundays anti-immigration rallies, the member for Kennedy exploded.

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Dont say that, because that irritates me, and Ive punched blokes in the mouth for saying that, he thundered. I have, on many occasions, punched blokes in the mouth, he told the bewildered press pack. CBD had questions of our own for Katter. While every other MP has filed a register of interests declaration, outlining their assets and gifts received since the return of parliament, Katter has not. Under parliamentary rules, lower house MPs must file their declaration within 28 days of being sworn in, a deadline that passed last week. As our longest serving federal MP, earning the title Father of the House, Katter probably remembers the rules, even if he doesnt always follow them strictly. Indeed, his standard declarations are typically rambling affairs, with vague references to interests in mining and cattle operations. From the safety of Sydney, we called Katter to discuss, braced for the verbal equivalent of a punch in the mouth. Fortunately, he didnt answer.

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Haileyburys switch Here in Victoria, there are budget cuts as far as the eye can see  some are hitting all the way over in China. Victoria is now the only state without an international education advisory body, after the body chaired by former premier John Brumby shut down months ago. That body was set up in 2020, when Victoria was the leader in international education. No longer. Meanwhile, Haileybury, the countrys biggest private school, has been forced to stop offering the VCE in China as of next year. CBD hears this is because the Victorian government has ceased funding the supervision of VCE exams for students taught in the northern hemisphere.

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In addition to teaching close to 5000 students across four Melbourne campuses  Keysborough, Brighton, Berwick and the CBD  in Darwin and online, Haileybury has had a partner school in China for more than a decade. The Haileybury International School Tianjin opened outside Beijing in 2013, and offered the VCE there. But budget funding cuts to international VCE arrangements have forced Haileybury to switch to offering the South Australian curriculum in China next year. Related Article Opinion

Coronavirus pandemic Rude awakening: Retail workers are copping more abuse, but why? Jacqueline Maley Columnist and senior journalist Can you believe that Haileybury, a Victorian school, having taught the VCE for more than 10 years, has had to go cap in hand to the South Australian government and get them to agree that next year Haileybury will be teaching the South Australian year 11 and 12 equivalent? a source told CBD. Haileybury principal Derek Scott had a different view, telling CBD the school had 16 international education programs in six Asia-Pacific countries, and delivered the Victorian Certificate of Education program in most of these. It was pleased to continue its 25-year partnership with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority in offshore delivery.

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The school was also pleased to introduce the South Australian Certificate of Education International at Haileybury Senior School Tianjin, he said. The SACEi is designed to support the offshore delivery for international students and provides exceptional pathways to Australian and global universities. An exceptional pathway, just not a Victorian one. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalVictoriaProtests This was published 3 months ago Indigenous leaders call for neo-Nazis attack on sacred site to be deemed a hate crime Chip Le Grand and Rachel Eddie Updated September 1, 2025  5:55pm ,first published September 1, 2025  7:33am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Indigenous leaders have described as terrorists and cowards a group of neo-Nazis who stormed an Aboriginal camp in central Melbourne, landing in hospital two women who tried to intervene. As police combed through footage of an ugly confrontation in which National Socialist Network leader Thomas Sewell is shown at the camp kicking an unidentified person, camp founder Uncle Robbie Thorpe questioned why the large group of black-clad neo-Nazis was not being monitored at the time of the attack. Uncle Robbie Thorpe speaks with police at Camp Sovereignty on Monday after Sundays attack by neo-Nazis. Justin McManus Sewell and dozens of others charged Camp Sovereignty, a sacred Aboriginal burial site in Kings Domain and the location of a permanent vigil since January 2024, shortly after 5pm on Sunday after breaking away from that days anti-immigration March for Australia rally in the CBD. It was the third confrontation between neo-Nazis and camp members that day and prompted calls by Thorpe and his niece, Senator Lidia Thorpe, for the group to be treated as terrorists.

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I think it is an act of terrorism that happened here, Robbie Thorpe said at the camp on Monday It was a premeditated attack on our people; it has been allowed to happen. A still from video taken by an Aboriginal activist at Camp Sovereignty shows a group of mostly black-clad men storming the camp. Where were the police at that time? There was a group of armed people walking around. Why werent they monitored? A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force was investigating the incident, in which one woman was hit in the head with a metal pole and another thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked.

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Police Minister Anthony Carbines described the attack as disgraceful. Its gutless, and it needs to be called out, Carbines told ABC Melbourne radio. This is people intimidating and bringing violence, and we wont stand for it. Well hold them to account. Yaraan Couzens Bundle and Robbie Thorpe speak with the media on Monday. Justin McManus On Monday, Yaraan Couzens Bundle, a Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung and Yuin woman who witnessed the incident, described the ordeal. When they ran up the hill I thought, Oh shit, we are going down, she told this masthead.

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It was a fully co-ordinated attack and fully led by Thomas Sewell. Sewer rat, we call him. He basically led the charge up the hill, and it was a full-blown, war charge. Aboriginal activists were bolstering their presence in case the neo-Nazis returned. Loading Palestinian activist Nathalie Farah was one of three women who approached the neo-Nazis on Sunday and asked them to leave. I put my hands up and said, Please dont do this, lets have a chat, please continue to move on. Then I just got a kick straight in the guts, and I was on the ground.

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She confirmed that one woman was hit in the head with a pole and another was repeatedly kicked. The woman with the head wound spent the night in hospital and returned to the camp on Monday with surgical staples in the back of her scalp. She asked not to be identified. Farah recounted two smaller confrontations earlier in the day that preceded the late afternoon raid. The first was a brief encounter between Sewell and camp members in the morning, the second a more violent confrontation between camp members and a small group of neo-Nazis. She said police should have anticipated that neo-Nazis would return to the camp in greater numbers. Nathalie Farah on Monday. She says she was kicked to the stomach on Sunday during the attack by neo-Nazis. Justin McManus What we would like to see is an investigation into who these people are and for some resources to be deployed to figuring out why this fascist ideology is continuing to spread, Farah said. Vision on social media shows dozens of men running uphill to confront those gathered at the site, stomping on a sacred fire and attempting to tear down the letters that spell out Camp Sovereignty. They also pulled down and set alight an Aboriginal flag.

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Camp Sovereignty and the Black Peoples Union said the men were armed with pipes, poles and tree branches and appeared to target women. The assault lasted around 10 minutes, with the Camp Sovereignty community defending the space at great personal cost, resorting to throwing logs collected for the sacred fire to hold the Nazis back, the groups joint statement said. They expressed shock that nobody had been arrested. Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, from the National Socialist Network, goads people at Camp Sovereignty on Sunday. Four people were injured, including two women hospitalised with head injuries, they said. Ambulance Victoria said paramedics took one woman in her 30s to The Alfred hospital with upper body injuries. She was in a stable condition. Police said a woman and a man were given medical help at the scene.

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Protests Any doubts of neo-Nazi involvement in march disappeared when one man rose to speak The violent scenes were denounced by all sides of politics. The first Australians were here before any migrant or descendant of migrants, and that just has no place, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC TV. Victorian Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said he was appalled at the attack and that the community should always stand up against self-declared neo-Nazis. It just goes to show the level of ignorance that were dealing with  Do these people even understand the definition of Indigenous? Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said not all of those who attended March for Australia were racist and that they had a right to be heard; however, hate speech and inciting violence was unacceptable. To have a person who is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi to get up and speak [outside Parliament House] is a disgrace here in Victoria, he said.

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Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the violence pointed to a bigger problem. Far-right extremism has been on the rise for years, she said. Now is the time for real, long-term investment to tackle far-right extremism at its roots. Camp Sovereignty was established at an ancient corroboree site which, in 1985, became a burial ground for the remains of 38 Aboriginal people returned by Museums Victoria. A ceremonial fire was first lit at the site during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Sewell speaks to protesters outside Parliament House on Sunday. Michael Bachelard Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurring woman, called for Sundays attack to be investigated as a hate crime. People are frightened and people are angry. So we need calm, and the only way were going to get that is for the authorities to do their job. Get these racist Nazis off the streets, she said. Im fearful for my people, and Im fearful for what might happen next.

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She said Camp Sovereignty was a peaceful place to gather and reflect. Related Article Exclusive

Australia votes Private intel: Inside the far-right group disrupting the election Reforms creating an offence for serious vilification come into effect later this month. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, in a note to police officers, thanked those who worked during the challenging and disappointing series of protests with professionalism while they grieved the shooting murders of their colleagues Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart in Porepunkah last week. Despite having significant resources dedicated to the operation at Porepunkah, we were still able to deploy a large and highly visible presence in the city. The reason we have been able to turn out in such numbers, is largely due to people from across the state putting their hands up to get involved, Bush told officers on Monday.

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It has struck me since moving to Victoria that we have many groups motived to protest their causes, which of course is their right, but there is clearly a lack of regard and respect for fellow Melburnians. Related Article City life Were not going to go away: Call for better access to burial site in Kings Domain I am deeply grateful and proud of all of you for how you have carried yourselves during these trying times. It would be easy for us to let our emotions get the better of us, but I have observed nothing other than professionalism and unity from our people in the last week. For that, I sincerely thank you. Twelve people were arrested at the March for Australia rally and counter-protests on Sunday. Of those, seven were expected to be charged with assaulting police, resisting police, attempted robbery and failure to follow police direction. Five were issued with infringement notices for behaving in a riotous manner.

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Another six people were removed under breach of the peace provisions. Police also had to use a range of tactical options including OC spray, baton rounds and public order munitions to prevent violence between protesters, some of whom were intent on creating conflict and violence, a police spokesperson said. Bottles were thrown at officers, injuring two. Uncle Robbie Thorpe is comforted by a friend after a cleansing ceremony at the camp on Monday. Justin McManus Sewell faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday on an unrelated matter, contesting charges including intimidating a law enforcement officer and contravening two personal safety intervention orders, taken out to protect the policeman and a family member, by posting material about them on streaming platform Rumble.

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Outside court, Sewell was asked about the Camp Sovereignty incident and claimed small groups of patriots were attacked after leaving the rally. Im proud of basically everything that I do, but Im not going to comment on any specifics because the police are probably investigating, he said. But what Ill say is Ive only ever defended myself. If people want to come and attack me, theyre going to cop it and thats what every communist has found  on the day. Anyone who witnessed the Camp Sovereignty incident, has footage or information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
South Australian Police believe they have identified the man who held up a poster of alleged police killer Dezi Freeman at an anti-immigration protest in Adelaide on Sunday.

South Australia Police want to speak with the man who held a poster of an image of Dezi Freeman at an anti-immigration protest in Adelaide on Sunday. Getty Images

South Australia Polices acting commissioner, Linda Williams, said officers could not locate the man at the time of the protest but have since identified him and were attempting to find him.

This is a man who is wanted by Victoria Police for the shooting of two police officers whose families would no doubt have seen this image and would be likely distraught by what they have seen  as would every right-minded person  particularly every right-minded police officer, Williams said.

I can only underscore how outrageous that behaviour is on the face of it and thats why seek to locate this man and speak to him about the behaviour.

Williams said the man was likely to be charged with offensive behaviour.
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Exclusive NationalVictoriaEducation This was published 3 months ago Teachers from one Australian state will be banned from Victorian schools Grant McArthur September 2, 2025  3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Teachers exploiting a loophole to work in Victorian classrooms without meeting the states minimum qualifications will be banned from government schools under a new policy aimed at side-stepping Australias problematic mutual recognition laws. The Victorian government will today announce changes to the states education recruitment policy to prevent teachers from Western Australia with one-year teaching qualifications from working in any government school classroom. The rule changes do not cover private schools. Stocksy The ban comes after this masthead revealed in July that dozens of teachers were exploiting a loophole to work in Victorian and NSW classrooms without meeting the states minimum qualifications, following a WA decision to lower its standards with the introduction of a one-year diploma of education. Victorian Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll said WAs decision to turn its back on the nationally agreed two-year minimum teaching qualifications had undermined the standards for other states and territories, due to the operation of mutual recognition laws.

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While those laws mean the Victorian Institute of Teaching must grant registration to the WA teachers even if they do not meet Victorias minimum standard, Carroll said the recruitment policy change would give it the authority to prevent them from being employed to work in any government school. Our children deserve the very best education possible. We have been very clear that graduate teachers who want to teach in Victoria should have credentials achieved under a nationally consistent accredited course, no matter where they study, he said. Education Minister Ben Carroll said a decision by Western Australia to lower its teaching qualification requirements had undermined standards in other states. Joe Armao The investments weve made in boosting our teacher workforce are working  we have around 12,000 more teachers registered now than there were in 2020, and were continuing to back them with the resources they need to do an excellent job. Victorian Institute of Teaching chief executive Martin Fletcher said everything must be done to ensure teaching remains one of the nations most trusted professions.

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These changes future-proof that trust  ensuring every new teacher meets high national standards for their qualifications, and is equipped with the skills, knowledge and preparation needed to succeed from day one, Fletcher said. While the rule changes do not cover the states private or Catholic schools, the Allan government has asked the authorities that govern them  Victoria Catholic Education Authority and Independent Schools Victoria  to consider a similar ban to prevent the undermining of nationally consistent standards of initial teacher education programs and graduates. Victorian Institute of Teaching CEO Martin Fletcher welcomed a government ban on employing underqualified teachers registering via mutual recognition pathways from other states. Wayne Taylor The Catholic Education Authority is set to consider the request, and chief executive Professor Elizabeth Labone said Victorias Catholic schools were committed to providing the highest quality of education possible to the students in their care. Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Rachel Holthouse said her group respected the governments decision regarding one-year graduate diplomas in education and would continue to work closely with them as it responds to the request.

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The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leaderships nationally agreed standard requires all postgraduate initial teacher education programs to be two years. But facing a growing teacher shortage, the Teaching Registration Board of Western Australia last year stepped away from the agreed standard and reintroduced registration for graduates who complete only a one-year diploma of education. Related Article Exclusive

Education Teachers exploiting loophole to work in classrooms without minimum qualifications Australias mutual recognition laws have also created a watering down of standards in other industries. This masthead has revealed a similar loophole being exploited by underqualified building surveyors via WA, and construction workers using forged documents and lax checking by Queensland regulators. The Victorian Institute of Teaching has already received 22 mutual recognition applications from WA-registered teachers with one-year diplomas, and is expecting a far larger influx of underqualified registrants later this year when current diploma students graduate. The NSW Education Standards Authority confirmed it had also received mutual recognition applications from WA diploma of education graduates, which acting NSW Education Minister Courtney Houssos described in July as cutting corners and under-preparing teachers for expert classroom practice.

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A spokesperson for the authority said it was not yet ready to announce any action to address the issue there. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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Exclusive PoliticsFederalPolitical leadership This was published 3 months ago Katter doubles down on threat to punch journalist, says he should have been more aggressive Paul Sakkal and Nick Newling Updated September 1, 2025  2:33pm ,first published September 1, 2025  1:59pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Under-fire MP Bob Katter has doubled down on his extraordinary threat to punch a reporter who asked about his heritage, insisting he should have been even more aggressive and brushing aside bipartisan condemnation as Nine Entertainment mulls defamation action against the 80-year-old MP. Katter said he was considering seeking his own apology from Nine, owner of this masthead, after he waved his fist at award-winning reporter Josh Bavas on Thursday when quizzed about his Lebanese ancestry. Bob Katter during question time on Monday. Alex Ellinghausen My only regret was I wasnt more aggressive with him. Far from apologising, I should have just kept going. Ill leave to your imagination what that means, Katter said in an interview on Monday. I hope I dont run across him again. He better examine his conscience.

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The veteran rural Queensland MP was condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, senior Coalition MPs and fellow crossbench parliamentarians when he yelled that he had punched blokes in the face for less than Bavas questioning. The question was prompted by Katters unwavering support for the weekends anti-immigration rallies, despite the involvement of neo-nazi groups. Nine Entertainment demanded an apology last week and was also mulling defamation action against Katter after he labelled Bavas a racist, spurring an online pile-on against the reporter. Loading There were no apparent moves on Monday by any of Katters colleagues in parliament to censure or condemn the independent in the House this week. News.com was first to report that Katters outburst was driven in part by his difficult relationship with his father, a long-time MP whose father migrated from Lebanon, and his closer relationship with his late mother.

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Asked if his family trauma contributed to his outburst, Katter suggested there was too much focus on his fathers side of the family. Related Article Updated

Protests Protesters clash as thousands take to streets for anti-immigration rally I say to people, like, didnt I have a mother? It was from my fathers side [the Lebanese heritage]  didnt I have a mother? he said. Liberal senator Jane Hume, one of many to condemn Katters outburst, said last week that the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission would be looking at [Katters actions] very seriously. However, it is not clear if the commission can probe the incident because it did not occur on the grounds of parliament. In the press conference where Katter was expressing support for the weekends anti-immigration marches, Bavas said, Youve got Lebanese heritage yourself before Katter jumped in, shook his fist at Bavas, and said, Youre a racist.

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Katter repeated those baseless claims against Bavas to this masthead on Monday. I say to all of my fellow Australians, they cannot say to you that youre Sicilian or that youre French or English. Were Australian here, he said. Were a little country. Our national identity is a sacred thing and if we lose that, weve lost everything. Katter was one of only a handful of MPs to attend the weekend march, which was condemned as hateful by the government after neo-Nazis and anti-lockdown conspiracy theorists were spotted. You cant have any demonstration where you dont get extremists, Katter said. But if you identify good and evil, I identify evil as Nazism. It is the epitome of evil.

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WorldAsiaChina relations This was published 3 months ago Opinion Trump says hes determined to weaken China. Hes doing the opposite Peter Hartcher Political and international editor September 2, 2025  3:00am

September 2, 2025  3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 523 View all comments

When Donald Trump announced his tariff plan, he put a number on just about every country. But he failed to put a value on just about any. One consequence? For the first time in seven years, Indias prime minister is in China. Narendra Modi reportedly is refusing to accept phone calls from Donald Trump. Instead, hes lending Indias considerable weight to Xi Jinpings claim to be leading the creation of a new world order. Illustration by Joe Benke Its all courtesy of Donald Trump, says a leading Indian strategic analyst, C. Raja Mohan. The US spent the past 20 years courting India in an attempt to bring it into the Western orbit, away from the embrace of China and Russia. China helped decisively. By instigating a border conflict with India in 2020. India, said Modi at the time, was hurt and angry. Its relations with China ruptured. The West, it seemed, had won India over. Trump lost it in a matter of months. By piling a tariff of 50 per cent onto India, Trump left no room for Modi, says Mohan, visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.

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The US had promised to negotiate over the tariffs. But when Delhi refused to support Trumps fetish to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Americans cancelled the negotiations. The US has always played hard-knuckle, but for the first time in my lifetime we see the US taking pleasure in humiliating its partners, Mohan tells me. While being so nice to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This is a crazy time. Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping greet each other in Tianjin. Getty Trump took India as a given, says Mohan. The problem is that with 1.4 billion people, our leader is a great leader, too, and cant be humiliated. Modi put his head down and didnt make a fuss, but he is resisting Trump. Indias population is now greater than Chinas; its still growing while Chinas population is shrinking. Indias economy, the worlds fourth biggest, is on track to outstrip Germanys to become the third biggest in the next three years.

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Xi embraced Modi at their weekend summit by promising to realise the dance of the dragon and the elephant as the right choice for both China and India, according to Chinas readout. Related Article China With Putin and Modi in China, Xi looks to exploit latest Trump decisions They agreed to attempt to solve their border dispute. The worlds two most populous nations are restoring relations. They announced that direct flights between China and India, which had been reduced to zero, would resume. Xi is the most powerful of Americas rivals, but he isnt the only one Modi met during his trip to China this week. The Indian leader also met Vladimir Putin: the man with a warrant issued against him for war crimes. The Modi-Putin summit happened to occur on Monday, which was Trumps deadline for Putin to meet Ukraines leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, supposedly to negotiate an end to the war.

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But theres no sign of any such meeting. And no sign of an end to the war. On the contrary. Putin, flouting Trumps demands, has spent the past weeks intensifying Russias assaults on Ukraine. Putin looked very comfortable in China on Monday, chortling and guffawing in a three-way confab with Modi and Xi. Modi issued Putin an invitation to visit India. If the Russian leader is feeling any pressure from Trumps supposed ultimatum, he did a good job of concealing it. Beyond the leaders of these three powers, Xi assembled a couple of dozen other leaders for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This is a Chinese creation. It started in 1996 as the Shanghai Five but keeps growing. Among the leaders in attendance are those of Malaysia, Vietnam, Iran and even a NATO member  Turkey. Although the group does knock back the odd application, as it did when the US applied in 2005 to join as an observer. The organisations aim is to form the nucleus of a bloc to counter the West. Trump has given it new relevance. Modi played along. SCO members can increase co-operation for reforms in global institutions  we can unanimously call for UN reform, he said. Keeping the aspirations of the Global South confined in outdated frameworks is a grave injustice to future generations.

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China relations Beijing invited me to this special celebration. Heres why Im happy to go Bob Carr Former NSW premier and former Australian foreign affairs minister But while Modi is there to demonstrate that India has options, he is not going all-in with Xi. He is doing what the Indians like to call preserving strategic autonomy. So, for example, while other countries at the SCO issued an endorsement of Chinas signature plan for international infrastructure  the Belt and Road initiative  Modi stayed aloof. And while some others are staying on to ogle Xis big military parade on Wednesday, Modi will not. Hes leaving early so as not to be seen as too fawning. A couple of Australian guests  Bob Carr and Dan Andrews  are not so discerning. Theyve accepted Xis invitation to clap admiringly. The structural problems in the relationship between China and India will remain, observes Mohan. There will still be an undefined, 3600-kilometre border, which we will try to settle bit by bit. India will still have a $US100 billion trade deficit with China. And China will not give up Pakistan, Indias great enemy.

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So India is not entirely lost to the China bloc. What Trump has done is hasten efforts by both sides to normalise relations, Mohan says. Modi remains committed to the Quad, for example, an informal group of four democracies, the US, India, Japan and Australia. It was created as a tacit counter to China. The problem is not us, Mohan points out. Its Trump  he doesnt give a shit about the Quad. So while Trump claims to be determined to defeat China as Americas great rival, he actually does it a favour every time he alienates an American friend or ally, every time he applies the weapon of economic aggression known as a tariff. It was Oscar Wilde who said that a cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Peter Hartcher is international editor. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
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WorldAsiaChina This was published 3 months ago With Putin and Modi in China, Xi looks to exploit latest Trump decisions David Pierson , Mujib Mashal and Nataliya Vasilyeva September 1, 2025  10:01am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 57 View all comments

Tianjin, China: Chinese President Xi Jinping could hardly have scripted a more favourable moment. This weekend, the leaders of India and Russia joined him at a security summit in China. One was pushed away by US President Donald Trumps tariffs, the other brought out of isolation by his embrace. For Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, US tariffs on Indian goods have raised doubts about leaning too heavily on Washington. For President Vladimir Putin of Russia, his red-carpet treatment in Alaska by Trump blunted Western efforts to punish him for the invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping greet each other in Tianjin on Sunday. AP At the centre is Xi, turning Americas alienation of India into an opportunity and finding validation for his own long alignment with Putin. The summit of more than 20 leaders, mostly from Central Asia, followed by a military parade in Beijing showcasing Chinas newest missiles and warplanes, is not just pageantry. It shows how Xi is trying to turn history, diplomacy and military might into tools for reshaping a global order that has been dominated by the United States.

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Trade wars Trumps tariff strike on India plays into Chinas hands The success of Xis foreign policy strategy is reflected in the parade of leaders travelling to China, said Jonathan Czin, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who worked at the CIA analysing Chinese politics. Indeed, Xi today probably feels more besieged by visiting heads of state than encircled by the United States and its allies and partners. Xi, Putin and Modi are attending the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a Eurasian security group led by China and Russia, in the eastern city of Tianjin on Sunday and Monday. On Wednesday, Xi will preside over a military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II  portraying the conflict as a triumph led by the Communist Party. (Many historians believe it was the Chinese Nationalists who did most of the fighting.)

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Until recently, Beijings closeness to Moscow had drawn pressure from Washington. But that tension appears to have eased in part because of a warming of ties between the US and Russia. Trump lavished praise on Putin in Alaska in August and later echoed the Kremlins position that Ukraine needed to cede land to bring an end to the war. Xi appears vindicated for standing by Putin, and analysts say the leaders will use the summit in Tianjin to promote a vision of a world less dominated by the US. Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. AP Xi can also thank the Trump administration for accelerating an easing of tensions between China and India, which had seen their relations crater in 2020 after a series of bloody border skirmishes. New Delhi has been frustrated by the doubling of US tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, leading to calls for a rebalancing towards China. Modi, who had drawn closer to the US during the Biden administration to counter Beijing, is visiting China for the first time in seven years by attending the summit. (He will not be present at the military parade, unlike Putin and the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un.)

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Good neighbours In a meeting with Modi on Sunday, Xi said China and India should be partners rather than rivals and that they should offer opportunities for each others development rather than threats in what could be read as a subtle jab at Trump. Xi also reiterated Beijings stance that disputes over the shared border should not define bilateral relations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) in Tianjin this morning. Getty Images Being good neighbours and friends, partners who achieve mutual success, and realising the dance of the dragon and the elephant should be the right choice for both China and India, Xi said, according to Chinese state media, evoking the two nations symbolic creatures. Modi echoed Xi, saying that the two countries should not be rivals and that peace and tranquillity in the border areas was important for bilateral relations, according to a readout from Indias Ministry of External Affairs.

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Related Article India A Nobel prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi bromance unravelled The convergence of Putin and Modi in China, as well as leaders from dozens of other emerging economies, including Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia and Pakistan, contrasts with the growing discord within the US alliance with European and Asian countries. Some of those cracks were on display recently when European leaders, shut out of peace talks, felt the need to rush to Washington to persuade Trump not to cave to Russian demands over peace terms in Ukraine. Trump also ruffled feathers with an ally again this past week when he heaped praise on Kim during a meeting in the Oval Office with President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea. Many US allies in Europe and Asia view China as a formidable threat to fair trade, democracy and regional stability. The last of those concerns will be underscored by the military parade that is expected to feature new anti-ship missiles, which could be deployed in a war over Taiwan. China has tried to use Washingtons disorder to persuade countries such as India to reassess their relationship with the US. At the same time, Beijing fears Washington will pressure other countries to restrict trade with China at a time when the Chinese economy has been badly weakened by a property slump and price wars.

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Related Article China relations Andrews, Carr on the guest list for big Beijing military parade Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile, Xu Feihong, the Chinese ambassador to India, wrote on the social platform X about US tariffs. At a recent seminar in New Delhi, Xu said India and China had a responsibility to take a bigger role in global leadership to push back against US hegemony and power politics. He called the neighbours the double engines of economic growth in Asia, using a phrase that Modi often uses in domestic politics. Russia, a country firmly in Beijings camp, needs less persuasion. Moscow has been using groups such as the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation to deepen ties with China, India and other countries that have become increasingly important to its sanctions-hit economy since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022. A show at a Beijing shopping mall promoting good relations and trade with Russia ahead of Vladimir Putins arrival. Getty

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Russia-Ukraine war Lets be blunt: Putin has called Trumps bluff on Ukraine Russian oil is certain to come up in the conversations between Putin, Xi and Modi. The Trump administrations tariffs on India for buying Russian crude have allowed China to become an even larger buyer than it was before without facing similar consequences as India, analysts reports show. More than anything, the summit and parade will allow Putin and Xi to reaffirm their close relationship, a partnership that the West has tried and largely failed to break. Chinas relations with Russia will most likely continue to be excellent, said Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Peoples Liberation Army of China now at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Attempts by the West to drive a wedge, he added, were nothing but wishful thinking. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
by Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Liu Yanan

NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is an important part of the World Anti-Fascist War, and more efforts are needed to highlight China's contribution during World War II, a distinguished Harvard scholar has said.

One year after the July 7 Incident in 1937 when Japanese troops attacked the Chinese garrison at Lugou Bridge, located in what is now the Fengtai District of Beijing, under the pretext of searching for a missing Japanese soldier, "China's position looked very, very bad," said Rana Mitter, historian and professor of U.S.-Asia relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Overall, most outside observers thought that the chance that China could win was very low," said Mitter, also former director of the University of Oxford China Centre. "And yet China did resist, and the fact that it did, I think, changed everything."

Despite technological disadvantages and harsh conditions, China's persistent resistance helped to bog down Japanese forces, and to force millions of Japanese troops to stay on the mainland, rather than being redeployed elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, said Mitter, author of the book "Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945."

"It's a reminder that China's contribution at that early time to stay in the war was a very important part of what ultimately became a global war," he said.

The expert said that "On Protracted War," a 1938 treatise by Mao Zedong advocating for a protracted people's war to counter Japan's quick-win strategy, remains one of the most influential military strategy works of the 20th century.

"Even today, it's read by students in military academies and history seminars around the world, not just in China. So it's clearly one of the pieces that has lasted in value," said Mitter.

Mitter said that although several books about China's wartime role have been published in the West, "we need more (such books)."

"More work needs to be done on talking about China's wartime contribution," he said, noting that the best way is to encourage much more historical research.

"It is a reminder that war should never be taken lightly, that it should be understood as one of the most devastating phenomena that exists in human existence, and that we should use history to understand how to bring peace in a way that will be lasting, just and appropriate," he said.

As for U.S.-China relations, Mitter said, "What we've seen in recent weeks and months shows that the United States and China are capable of actually having some pretty mature and sensible discussions."

While acknowledging differences in their societies and aspirations, Mitter expressed hope that "remembering some of that shared history -- the history of World War II, when China and the United States did fight together against some very dark forces -- could be part of that wider understanding even today," Mitter said. 
Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 1, 2025. Erdogan is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Cai Qi on Monday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in China's port city of Tianjin, who is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Erdogan held a fruitful meeting on Sunday, offering new strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations, said Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.

China stands ready to work with Turkiye to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, support each other in safeguarding their respective core interests, deepen the alignment of development strategies, and enhance communication and coordination on international and regional affairs, Cai said.

Erdogan said Turkiye attaches great importance to developing relations with China, and is willing to work with China to expand cooperation across various sectors, strengthen multilateral coordination, and further advance bilateral relations. 

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 1, 2025. Erdogan is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
This photo taken on Sept. 1, 2025 shows a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A senior resident learns about daycare service under the guidance of a staff member at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A doctor conducts medical examination for a senior resident (R) at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Senior residents watch television at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A senior resident arrives in wheelchair at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A staff member (C) talks to senior residents in front of a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A staff member (C) takes care of senior residents at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Senior residents play Chinese checkers at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Senior residents learn about cognitive health at a comprehensive elderly care center in Yingmenkou subdistrict of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 1, 2025. The comprehensive elderly care center covers an area of 1,400 square meters and serves multiple residential communities. Supported by the government and run by enterprise management with social participation, this community-based elderly care complex offers full-time care, daycare, rehabilitation therapies, and professional nursing services. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
COMMUNITY NOTES: BALLYHAUNIS - WESTERN PEOPLE (SEPTEMBER 2 EDITION)

A fascinating conversation in Paddys Bar over the holiday month of August offered some insights into the disparity in holiday entitlements enjoyed by visitors from America and Europe.

The longest we could stay in Ireland is ten days because weve only got two weeks holidays, explained a visitor from Pennsylvania. In the US, there is no statutory minimum paid vacation at federal or state level. Nor are there paid public holidays - even though America has eight public holidays every year, youre not entitled by law to pay for those.

Rather, the holiday entitlements of American workers are left to the discretion of employers and is part of the contract negotiated with employees.

Typically, you get ten days after a years service and fourteen days after five years.

Ireland has ten public (bank) holidays and workers are entitled to 20 paid days off every year. English visitors to Ireland have more leisure time: In the UK, workers are entitled to 28 paid days off, including public holidays.

Swedish workers enjoy 25 statutory days leave and nine (paid) public holidays. Similarly in Spain, workers get 22 days off and 14 paid public holidays. France meanwhile gives its workers between 36 and 48 paid days off  the figure varies if you get bonus days off for taking your holidays outside the peak summer season and if you work more than 35 hours a week.
A fundraiser has been established to raise money for Ireland's first dolphin rescue trailer in Erris.

Gemma O'Connor is organising the GoFundMe fundraiser on behalf of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). She explained that Blacksod Bay is one of the country's main live-stranding hotspots.

Already in 2025, 24 dolphins have been in trouble there, and in 2022, 33 common dolphins stranded in a single day across three beaches, the largest mass stranding recorded by the IWDG.

"But these events are not new: one local who grew up overlooking one of the hotspot beaches recalls burying 28 common dolphins in the 1950s after a mass stranding, and recounts multiple mass strandings in the area, every decade since," she explained.

"Blacksod Bay is sheltered from the open water of the Atlantic by a peninsula. Pelagic common dolphins - oceanic dolphins not adapted to shallow coasts - follow small fish into the bay to feed. But when they try to head back west, they encounter the Mullet Peninsula and its large tidal sandflats dotted along the east side of the peninsula. Counter that with large tidal ranges during spring tides, sometimes as much as four metres, mass strandings do easily occur here. From Belmullet to Blacksod, it can be 20km before they reach open water. At low tide, the whole sandy seabed looks the same to them, and their echolocation seems to offer no way out. As the tide drains, the dolphins are left behind, live stranded on drying beaches."

IWDG live stranding volunteer responders work hand in hand with the local community during live strandings. They respond with borrowed open farm trailers but want a more permanent method of aiding stranded dolphins.

"We urgently need Irelands first dedicated Dolphin Rescue Trailer: a quiet, enclosed box trailer, which can be towed by a car, always packed and ready to safely transport dolphins to deep-water release sites, store essential rescue gear, and provide shelter for volunteers during long rescues. We also need funding to kit out this trailer with compact storage, PPE, safety equipment and dolphins specific waterproof soft foam flooring mats, to reduce bruising to the dolphins and allow their lungs to expand more easily now that they are experiencing the full weight of their bodies out of the water."
TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono in the port city of Tianjin.

Sugiono is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on behalf of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who was unable to visit China as scheduled due to the recent domestic situation.

Indonesia places great importance on developing friendly relations with China and wishes the events a complete success, said Sugiono. He also pledged that the Indonesian government would make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Indonesia.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, welcomed Sugiono's participation in the events as the representative of President Prabowo.

Wang expressed understanding and respect for the Indonesian government's adjustment due to domestic needs, and hoped that Indonesia would ensure the safety as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese personnel and institutions in the country. 
Google.org backs the Wits MIND Institute with US$1M boost

The Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute has been awarded core funding of US$1 million by Google.org.

Led by Professor Benjamin Rosman, who was named in the Thinkers category of TIME magazines TIME100 AI 2025 list last week, the Wits Mind Institute is home to some of Africas leading fundamental AI researchers, and this landmark investment will supercharge its research and drive next-generation breakthroughs in natural and artificial intelligence.

Importantly, this strategic support will boost the Institutes targeted capacity development and networking-building programmes, which centre around outcomes-driven collaboration across disciplines, and dialogue among academia, industry, policymakers and others.

The partnership aligns with Google.orgs mission to accelerate scientific discovery through external collaborations that enable real-world impact.

A young institute with exponential reach

Since its launch in November 2024  building on more than a decade of Wits Universitys investment in postgraduate education, capacity building, and pan-African AI initiatives  The Wits MIND Institute has rapidly become a hub for cutting-edge research and thought leadership.

It recently launched its inaugural cohort of 34 MIND Fellows, among them various research Chairs and National Research Foundation-rated researchers from all Faculties and core Departments at the University  a truly cross-functional group that sparks transdisciplinary engagement and research.

MIND Fellows and Chairs are already collaborating on more than 25 projects in domains from reinforcement learning to digital humanities. The MINDFund also provides targeted capacity and seed funding to novel research and is currently supporting five projects.

The Wits MIND Institute was conceived to place African researchers at the forefront of the understanding and study of intelligence  natural and artificial. Google.orgs support cements our capacity to train talent, incubate disruptive ideas, and ensure our discoveries translate into societal benefit, says Professor Benjamin Rosman, Director of The Wits MIND Institute.

Continental shifts

By developing and deploying AI models and dictating policies that consider the culture and diversity of more than one billion people on the continent, the Wits MIND Institute will ensure that Africa has a seat at the global AI table.

Wits University is proud to host The Wits MIND Institute, a bold experiment in converging natural and artificial intelligence research. This funding from Google.org reinforces our shared vision for enhancing Wits historical role, from the first computer to the RADAR, in placing South Africa, and the rest of Africa, at the cusp of technological development, says Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Join the Wits MIND Institute's ecosystem

Researchers and stakeholders are invited to engage with The Wits MIND Institutes growing ecosystem. Sign up to learn about the Institutes events and opportunities, and look out for the next MIND Fellows cohort application in September 2025.

About the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute

The Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand is an African-based interdisciplinary AI research hub that aims to advance the scientific understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence, foster breakthrough research and technological innovation, invest in developing a crucial mass of African AI expertise, and establish responsible policies for systemic, sustained impact both locally and globally.

The Wits MIND Institutes interdisciplinary model facilitates outcomes and impact through meaningful, deeply collaborative interactions across disciplines, creating space for ideas to be generated, supported, and developed. Its core programmatic activity focuses on three strategic workstreams: the fundamental science of AI, application in society and industry, and African AI governance and leadership, while developing research capacity and talent across sectors.

#WitsAI #WitsMINDInstitute #WitsForGood

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...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM CST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills as low as 30 below expected. * WHERE...Oneida, Vilas, Florence, Forest, Northern Marinette County, Northern Oconto County, Southern Marinette County, and Southern Oconto County Counties. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to 10 AM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. &&

..Light Wintry Mix to Create Slippery Stretches Over Next Few Hours... Light snow accumulations of around one half inch mixed with freezing drizzle at times could lead to the development of slippery roads over the next 2 to 3 hours. Motorists should be prepared to encounter changing road conditions and drive with caution., especially on untreated roads, bridges and overpasses.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev meet the press in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday highlighted a series of outcomes achieved at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 held in Tianjin, China.

The largest-ever SCO summit since its establishment in 2001 was attended by leaders of more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations.

A development strategy for the SCO in the 2026-2035 period was approved during the summit, setting the tone and direction for the organization's growth in the next decade, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The summit issued a statement defending the victorious outcomes of World War II. In a separate statement, the SCO expressed firm support for the multilateral trading system, he said when meeting the press together with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev.

Four new SCO centers were inaugurated at the event with respective tasks of countering security threats and challenges, tackling transnational organized crimes, improving information security, and strengthening anti-drug cooperation, Wang said.

The member states also made a decision to establish an SCO development bank, which, Wang said, will greatly boost infrastructure development and economic and social progress among SCO countries.

At the summit, China vowed to establish new cooperation platforms and centers on energy, green industry, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, higher education, and vocational and technical education. Action plans were also developed to promote high-quality development, covering fields including energy, green industry, digital economy, artificial intelligence and tech innovation, he added.

The summit also achieved breakthroughs in the organization's structural reforms, including merging observer states and dialogue partners into SCO partners, and accepting Laos as a partner to make the SCO a 27-nation family, Wang said. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev meet the press in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ran)
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Government data shows that there were 11,400 no fault evictions involving bailiffs in England in the year from July 2024 since the Labour Party were elected to government.

Labour was elected on the manifesto pledge: We will immediately abolish Section 21 no fault evictions, prevent private renters being exploited and discriminated against, empower them to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Typical housing in a British city. Terraced housing in Lea Road, Wolverhampton [Photo by Roger Kidd / CC BY-SA 4.0

Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 gives a landlord the right to evict a tenant without providing a reason (a no fault eviction). The tenant then has a two-month notice period before they must leave. Most renters move out of the property before the two-month notice period is up, wanting to avoid ending up in court. This suggests that the overall repossession statistics are an underestimation of those losing their homes as the governments figures only include those who have lost their homes via the use of a bailiff in the eviction process.

Mortgage and landlord statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that between July 2024-June 2025 there were 11,402 households that were evicted by bailiffs using the accelerated possession procedure (section 21) in England, an 8 percent rise compared to the previous year. From July 2023-June 2024, there were 10,576 households evicted by bailiffs.

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at the Shelter housing charity, commented that it was unconscionable that renters continue to be marched out of their homes by bailiffs because of an unfair policy that the government said would be scrapped immediately.

No fault evictions are one of the leading causes of homelessness in Britain. Since Labour first pledged to abolish section 21 notices back in 2019, landlords have brought 109,538 cases to court.

Homeless people opposite London Victoria station, November 2024

A year from Labour coming into office, its Renters Rights Bill (RRB) has still not passed through both chambers in the Houses of Parliament.

Shelter are calling on the government to pass the Bill as soon as possible and implement a date to prevent further evictions and provide extra protection for renters. It is estimated that for every month the ban on section 21 notices is delayed, up to 950 households could be evicted.

In September, parliament is scheduled to debate and approve the Bill before it can become law. The RRB if passed will include an outright ban on section 21 notices and further protections for tenants.

However, there have already been several revisions to the Bill during its passage through the House of Lords. Peers, many of them landlords, have slowed down and weakened key aspects of tenants rights within the Bill, voting through amendments that if upheld will weaken some of the rights of tenants.

The evidence bar enabling local authorities to be able to issue fines to landlords has been changed and a local authority would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a landlord had broken the rules before a fine could be issued. This would mean that important new rights included in the Billsuch as the protection of families with children and benefits recipients from discriminationwould be almost impossible to prove.

The period in which a landlord can say they need to evict a tenant to move into the property or sell, known as the re-letting period, was reduced from 12 to six months. The re-letting period was originally legislated to deter landlords from evicting a tenant to be able to put the rent up again afterwardsthus evicting tenants under false pretences so as to be able to find a new tenant or let the property at a higher rent.

The reduction from 12 to six months considerably weakens the deterrent and puts the system at risk of still being abused by landlords, meaning many people face being unfairly evicted.

Another concession will allow landlords to ask all new tenants with pets to have to pay eight weeks deposit on top of the first months rent up frontmaking it difficult for those with pets to find anywhere to live.

Real material and class interest are represented in the determination of MPs and peers to massively restrict the RRB. A Financial Times analysis of the 2024 intake of MPs noted that MPs must declare if they have a rental property that generates more than 10,000 a year in annual income. There are 85 MPs who declare themselves as landlords under this definitionrepresenting 13 percent of parliamentarians  and they own 184 rental properties between them. Labour has 44 such landlords, equating to 11 percent of its 404 MPs, while the Tory party has 28  a quarter of its 121 MPs. The Liberal Democrats have eight among their 72 MPs.

Analysis of the register of interests for the House of Lords by the Renters Reform Coalition (RRC), representing private tenants, showed that at least 14 of the 144 peers who spoke at the Bills second reading are landlords of properties in England which would have been affected by the new legislation.

The RRC noted that across the House of Lords there are 134 peers who are landlords, owning at least 626 properties in Englandequivalent to one in six peers in the upper chamber who would be affected by the Bill.

The actual number of properties owned by landlord peers is likely to be significantly higher as peers do not have to list the number of properties which pay rent to them. Many peers own rental homes through a trust and do not have to declare the number of properties in their register.

The Lord Benyon (Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Baron Benyon)a Conservative Party peerdoes not declare rental properties on his register but is chair and director of Englefield Estate Trust Corporation which has at least 200 rented homes in Hackney (the Benyon Estate). The estate is estimated to receive 5 million a year in rental income.

The Starmer government, beholden to big business and the super-rich, cannot be entrusted to uphold rights of tenants at risk of homelessness. The scandal surrounding Labour MP Rushanara AliLabours Homelessness Ministerrevealed everything about the grubby, pro-business, anti-working class nature of the party.

Ali had to resign earlier this month following revelations that she evicted four tenants from her east London townhouse in November 2024. The tenants were informed their fixed-term lease would not be renewed because the property was being put up for sale. Shortly after the tenants vacated the property, it was relisted for rent at 4,000 per month, a 700 increase from the previous rent of 3,300. Such nefarious practice was what Ali was ostensibly seeking to outlaw under the Renters Rights Bill!

Ali had developed the closest connections to the main business players in the housing sector. In 2024 survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire called for Ali to stand down her duties, managing building safety as part of the governments response to the inferno which killed 72 people.

This followed the Times newspaper highlighting her attendance in Paris in January 2024 at the Franco-British Colloquea conference bringing together business leaders, senior politicians and civil servants. The meeting was co-chaired by Pierre-Andre de Chalender had served as chairman of Saint-Gobain when it was a majority shareholder in the company Celotex at the time of the Grenfell fire. Celotex was one of the firms that manufactured the combustible insulation material inside the cladding on Grenfell Tower.

According to the register of MPs interests, Ali was one of six MPs who had attended the Colloque in Paris.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversees military exercises, August 28, 2025, Macarao, Caracas [Photo: Presidencia]

A U.S. naval flotilla of at least eight warships and carrying some 4,500 personnel is currently massing near Venezuelas coast amid open threats to attack the country, which boasts the largest oil reserves in the world.

While officially the deployment has absurdly been cast as an anti-narcotics operation, the Trump administration is making it abundantly clear in statements to the media that the fleet is part of yet another regime-change operation against a Venezuelan government allied with Beijing and Moscow.

Speaking to Axios, one administration official said Friday: This could be Noriega part 2 The president has asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, this is the presidents decision about what to do next, but Maduro should be s***ting bricks.

The official was referring to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama with 27,000 troops to capture one man, President Manuel Noriega, a long-time CIA asset, based upon allegations of drug trafficking. The operation, which bombed working-class areas of Panama City, killed hundreds and possibly thousands of civilians.

Earlier this month, with similar accusations of being the leader of the nonexistent Cartel de los Soles, the White House doubled its reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from $25 million to an unprecedented $50 million. Shortly before, the U.S. Treasury had designated the alleged cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Further merging the long-planned overthrow of Maduro with unfounded drug claims, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question about the missions goals by declaring Maduro the fugitive head of a drug cartel and not Venezuelas legitimate President.

Another U.S. official told Axios, This is 105 percent about narco-terrorism, but if Maduro winds up no longer in power, no one will be crying.

The operation has nothing to do with drug interdictions. Only a tiny fraction of drugs moving northward from South America are shipped from Venezuela, as acknowledged by numerous experts, including from the UN and even U.S. intelligence agencies.

In the context of years of economic crisis following a drop of oil prices, the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations had already subjected Venezuela to devastating economic sanctions. These policies were the prime cause for wiping out over 80 percent of the economy, provoking an exodus of over 7 million Venezuelans and causing tens of thousands of deaths from poverty and disease.

As Washington imposes shattering tariffs against India, Brazil and other countries aimed largely at isolating China and Russia, the potential for a military operation against Venezuela long demanded by Trump and his circle of fascist advisers cannot be ruled out, despite the catastrophic consequences for South America and beyond.

In July, Trump signed a directive ordering the Pentagon to prepare the use of military force against cartels in Latin America, including the Cartel de los Soles.

Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College told the Financial Times that the current naval deployment allows the Pentagon to deploy a lot of forces on the ground pretty quickly and carry out a snatch-and-grab operation to bring Maduro to justice.

Mexico, Canada, Italy, the UK, and France have already been approached by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join the military deployment against the Cartel de los Soles, that is, the effort to overthrow Maduro, according to diplomatic sources speaking with Spanish daily ABC.

The French government of President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed its backing, with Overseas Minister Manuel Valls announcing plans to send warships to its colony Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles close to Venezuela.

Trinidad and Tobago, the island nation closest to Venezuelas coast, has expressed support for the operation, giving Washington permission to freely use its waters and territory.

Rubio plans to travel to Mexico and Ecuador in a fourth trip to Latin America, confirming that U.S. imperialism is focused on securing control of what it views at its own backyard in preparation for war against China.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to balance verbal opposition to the deployment in the Caribbean with promises to collaborate fully with the Pentagon in fighting cartels.

In Ecuador, which serves as a transit point for most of the drugs coming out of South America, far-right President Daniel Noboa, a Trump ally, has organized a referendum on welcoming foreign military bases. He has likewise followed Washingtons lead in declaring the phantom Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization, thereby justifying military aggression against Venezuela.

USS Newport News nuclear-powered submarine [Photo: Paul Farley, CIV]

According to publicly available information reviewed by Newsweek Friday, guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham and USS Gravely and littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-St. Paul are already surrounding Venezuelan waters. Two amphibious transport docks, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft are standing by near Puerto Rico, facing Venezuelan waters; two more guided missile destroyers are standing by off Panama; and the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Newport News is powering south off the East Coast of the United States. The vessel is armed with Tomahawk missiles, which can be fitted with nuclear warheads.

This armada includes a 2,200-strong Marine expeditionary force.

Within Venezuela, the fascistic leader of the U.S.-backed opposition, Maria Corina Machado, has cheered on the U.S. bounty and military deployment against Maduro. Indicating that pressure could push the Venezuelan military to support a transition, she recently told Fox News, We Venezuelans are deeply grateful to President Trump for his unwavering support to freedom and justice and his decisive actions to dismantle this criminal, terrorist enterprise.

The response by Maduro has combined moves ostensibly meant to defend against a potential U.S. operation with statements and gestures minimizing the threat and leaving open the door to an agreement with Trump.

Maduro sent several warships and drones to patrol Venezuelan waters and reportedly armed and placed millions of half-trained militia members on standby. Last week, he denounced Washington for seeking regime change, a military terrorist attack, and called on other citizens to join the militia. Thousands reportedly lined up in Caracas to enlist during the weekend, although numbers were not as high as expected.

During military exercises Thursday, Maduro denounced the gringo imperialists for wanting to steal the countrys riches and declared: There is no way they will enter Venezuela Today, after a 20-day siege, we are stronger than before.

However, as noted by the Washington Post, even as warships head to the Caribbean, the Maduro government has continued to accept two U.S. deportation flights per week and welcomed Chevron tankers taking oil to the U.S. Last month, Trump reissued a license exempting Chevron from sanctions for operating in Venezuela.

On Thursday, Maduro thanked his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro for deploying 25,000 troops supposedly to join 15,000 Venezuelan security forces to secure the shared border against drug gangs. He has also appealed to the UN and other countries in the region to help defend Venezuela.

Petro for his part has denounced the U.S. military deployment as an attempt to overthrow the Maduro government and take Venezuelas oil, and stressed that the Cartel de los Soles does not exist, except as a fictitious pretext for regime change. At the same time, his government has claimed that in discussions with U.S. officials there is no perceived intention to attack Venezuela.

During a CELAC summit in Colombia last week, Brazilian officials reportedly discussed with their Venezuelan counterparts an operation to extract the Venezuelan leadership and fly them to Brazil to prevent them from being detained by the U.S. Southern Command, as reported by Defesanet.

These behind-the-scenes discussions show that the imperialist onslaught to recolonize Latin America can only be defeated independently from and in opposition to the local ruling elites and their left nationalist representatives, which ultimately depend economically on imperialism and seek its support to defend their rule against the working class.

While Maduro constantly seeks a rapprochement with Washington, Petro maintains Colombias role as a NATO global partner and the operational integration and allegiance of the Colombian military and police with the U.S. military-intelligence apparatus. Petro has denounced the U.S. deployment in the same breadth as he celebrates the participation of the Colombian police in arrests by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on U.S. soil.

As explained in a recent statement by the Socialist Equality Group of Brazil:

The ICFI [International Committee of the Fourth International unconditionally denounces the criminal attacks of US imperialism against Venezuela and the other oppressed countries of Latin America. But imperialist aggression can only be defeated through the methods of class struggle. The battle against imperialism must be waged under the following banners: US troops out of Venezuelan waters and the streets of Washington! Unity of the working class in the imperialist and oppressed countries!
ACCRA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The government of Ghana has renewed its fight against illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey, barely a month after a military chopper crash killed all eight on board, including two cabinet ministers.

In the quest to clamp down on the menace, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, acting minister of environment, science, technology, and innovation, has initiated steps to revoke the country's Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permitted mining in forest reserves, and its amended version, L.I. 2501.

The legal action, according to a statement over the weekend, "is designed to unify and strengthen the regulatory framework, creating a cohesive front for all stakeholders in the national fight against illegal mining."

"The move aims to end the severe environmental devastation that has polluted Ghana's water bodies and degraded its forest reserves," added the statement.

Beyond the harmonization of the legal framework, the government is stepping up its blue-water initiatives by deploying hundreds of guards across affected areas to drive illegal miners out of river bodies and dismantle their equipment.

Illegal mining has been one of Ghana's most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges, blamed for widespread water pollution, deforestation, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss.

Experts say it has also drained state revenue through gold smuggling, disrupted farming, pushed up water treatment costs, and fueled health risks, accidents, conflicts, and corruption among security forces and politicians. 
A German police officer holds a machine gun in Kehl, Germany, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. [AP Photo/Michael Probst]

On September 1, 1939, World War II began with the German Wehrmachts invasion of Poland. Eighty-six years later, the German state is once again using brutal repressive measures against demonstrators who reject its imperialist warmongering. In Cologne on Saturday, police surrounded participants in a peace demonstration, mostly teenagers and young people, for almost 11 hours.

From the outset, the police operation was geared toward a violent crackdown. This was because several thousand participants from the Disarm Rheinmetall camp had joined this years demonstration organised by the Cologne Peace Forum. The camp, which is directed against the leading German arms manufacturer, was launched in 2018 by various groups and initiatives. This year, it set up its tents in a park in the centre of Cologne from August 25 to September 1.

The Cologne police tried to ban the camp in advance. However, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of North Rhine-Westphalia in Munster ultimately overturned the decision of the police and the Cologne Administrative Court. It ruled that the planned discussions, lectures, workshops and artistic actions posed no danger.

The police then apparently decided to make an example of the camp. According to police reports, 1,600 police officers in heavy riot gear were deployed. Water cannons and armoured vehicles were on standby on the banks of the Rhine. Numerous groups of 10 to 15 police officers were stationed in the side streets of the rally site and along the demonstration route, ready for action.

The start of the demonstration was delayed by about an hour because the police blocked the march with a series of excuses, such as prohibited metal bars or violations of the ban on face coverings.

The march was stopped several times by the police on flimsy grounds before it was brought to a complete halt at around 6:00 p.m., about halfway along the planned route.

The police cited attacks on officers and repeated violations of the right of assembly as reasons. Participants had covered their faces, lit smoke bombs, and donned protective armour. The police attacked the so-called revolutionary block at the end of the demonstration with blows and pepper spray in order to separate several hundred people from the rest of the demonstrators. This alone resulted in several dozen injuries.

The loudspeaker truck was stormed, and gas and spirit bottles were allegedly found. The entire block was surrounded by hundreds of police officers. Additional police units and heavy equipment were called in. Police shock troops repeatedly forced their way into the kettled demonstrators and arbitrarily pulled out individual persons. The Tagesschau news program reported that the police had recorded the personal details of 524 people. According to their own statements, the police arrested one suspect for resisting arrest and took two people into custody.

A paramedic reported that one person had suffered a potentially life-threatening injury to the larynx.

A man with facial injuries told our reporters at the scene that he had been punched in the face by a police officer. After a medical examination, he was taken behind the police cordon by police officers for identification. When asked whether the perpetrator of the injury had been identified, a police officer replied that he assumed the actions of his colleagues were lawful and therefore did not consider it a criminal offence on the part of the police.

The police also acted violently against observers and journalists. The parliamentary observer from the Left Party was denied access. A young journalist was briefly taken into custody, even though he identified himself with his press card.

Even residents who showed solidarity and wanted to provide those trapped with water, among other things, were harassed by the police. According to observers, medical care for injured persons was deliberately obstructed in some cases.

The non-profit association Demosanitater reports that it treated a total of 147 people at the demonstration on Saturday (64 x pepper spray, 52 x surgical, 16 x psychological, 15 x internal medicine, of which 13 x emergency services, 5 x hospital independently). In the Disarm Rheinmetall medical camp, there were a further 218 treatments, more than half of which were after and during the demonstration (several times by public emergency services). The association concludes: It can be assumed that there was a high number of unreported cases on Saturday.

The location for kettling the demonstrators had obviously been chosen by the police well in advance. Mobile toilets had even been set up right next to the police cordonfor the police, not for the kettled demonstrators.

The police violence in Cologne is the latest escalation in the state apparatuss attacks on all those who oppose warmongering and genocide in Gaza. Just last week, images of several police officers brutally punching Irish woman Kitty OBrien, who was demonstrating in Berlin against the genocide of the Palestinians and the murder of journalists in the Gaza Strip, went viral on social media.

The young Irish woman was not only repeatedly punched in the face, but her arm was also broken during her arrest. This brutality sparked worldwide protests against the German police and the federal government. Irelands Ambassador to Germany Maeve Collins, as well as senior officials from the Irish Foreign Ministry, felt compelled to contact the German authorities to convey their concern.

Police violence is a direct consequence of the social and political plans of the federal government under Friedrich Merz (Christian Democrats, CDU) and Lars Klingbeil (Social Democrats, SPD). It is investing a trillion euros in armament and war, reintroducing conscription and wants to build Germany into the largest European military power. It is fuelling the war against Russia in Ukraine with arms deliveries worth tens of billions of euros, thereby deliberately risking an attack on Germany by the worlds second-largest nuclear-armed power.

At the same time, it is protecting the profits and assets of the rich and corporations from the consequences of the international customs and trade war with tax cuts and billions in handouts.

This requires massive attacks on the working classon their jobs, wages, pensions, and social benefits. Chancellor Merz has already announced his intention to abolish the welfare state as it currently exists.

The war policy and austerity cannot be implemented by democratic means. The federal government is letting the police off the leash because it is deliberately preparing for a confrontation with the working class. To protect its profits and the continued existence of the capitalist system, it will stop at nothing, as its support for the genocide in the Gaza Strip shows.

Merz and the CDU/Christian Social Union (CSU) are also prepared to make deals with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in order to establish authoritarian forms of rule. That is why the government has adopted the AfDs anti-immigration agenda and has already cooperated with it on several occasions.

Resistance to war and fascism and the fight against social spending cuts are closely linked. As important as protests and demonstrations are, they will not persuade those in power to change course. It is necessary to win the working class, the decisive revolutionary force in capitalist society, to a socialist program that advocates the overthrow of capitalism and the reorganisation of economic production and social life for the benefit of all, not just for the profit of the rich.

This is what the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) and its youth organisation, International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), stand for. Representatives of the SGP and the IYSSE were in Cologne on Saturday distributing the IYSSEs statement against conscription. It concludes:

We call on all young people: Organise yourselves in schools, universities and training centres against the reintroduction of conscription! Discuss this appeal with your classmates, fellow students and colleagues! Get in touch with us and become a member of the IYSSE!
On Sunday, the Washington Post published a 38-page plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, drawn up with the collusion of the Boston Consulting Group and the staff of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, and actively discussed at the White House.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London Friday June 3, 2022. [AP Photo/ Daniel Leal]

The plan, according to the Washington Post, envisions at least a temporary relocation of all of Gazas more than 2 million population, either through what it calls voluntary departures to another country or into restricted, secured zones inside the enclave during reconstruction.

The Post implied that the plan was discussed at a meeting last Wednesday at the White House, which Blair attended. White House officials were tight-lipped about the contents of the discussion, saying only that it focused on efforts to settle the war and for the day after Gaza.

In reality, the plan published by the Washington Post envisions a 21st century Holocaust, involving the rounding up of the entire population of Gaza into concentration camps. From there, they would be forced, through starvation and disease, to flee their land.

Once the ethnic cleansing of the enclave is complete, Gaza is expected, according to the report, to have an asset value of $320 billion. Moreover, the report values the economic benefit of forcing every Palestinian off their land at $23,000 per person.

The plan would turn Gaza into a trusteeship administered by the United States for at least 10 years while it is transformed into a gleaming tourism resort and high-tech manufacturing and technology hub.

Trumps declaration earlier this year that the United States and Israel would own Gaza, far from being a turn of phrase, is, in fact, the operative program of the United States and Israel.

President Donald Trump, left, meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

In February, President Donald Trump declared, Were going to have Gaza We dont have to buy. Theres nothing to buy. We will have Gaza... Were going to take it.

These declarations are in line with the statements of the Israeli government. On Thursday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared, Israel must completely hold control of the entire Strip, forever. We will annex a security perimeter and open the gates of Gaza for voluntary emigration.

In May, Smotrich said, Within a year... Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to... the south to a humanitarian zone... and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries.

In August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is talking to several countries about accepting Palestinians displaced from Gaza. These countries include Libya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Indonesia and Somaliland.

The plan published by the Washington Post would solicit both government and private funding, with a massive return on investment. Based on $100 million to $200 million of initial funding, the trusts annual revenue is expected to exceed $4.5 billion by year 10.

It envisions the construction of a so-called Abrahamic Infrastructure Corridor, involving massive railways, pipelines, and fibers built to connect the Abraham Gateway to regional hubs across the IMEC: KSA/UAE, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan.

In other words, the control of Gaza will not merely be a land grab for real estate developmentalthough it will certainly be thatbut a key point in a new Middle East under direct imperialist domination. This is a major step forward in the decades-long effort by the United States to conquer this strategic region.

For the first time, the document published by the Post reveals that the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is to be the entity operating the camps into which the Palestinians are to be displaced. The GHF routinely carries out massacres of Palestinian aid-seekers in the guise of providing food. A report published in June in Haaretz revealed that Israeli soldiers were explicitly instructed to fire into crowds of aid-seekers at GHF facilities.

Young Palestinian Tariq Nasser, 12, right, mourns over the body of his brother Ayman Nasser, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. [AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi]

The previous record of the GHF makes clear that the concentration camps into which the Palestinian population is to be displaced will, in fact, be death camps. There, the Palestinians are to be given starvation rations and routinely massacred, precisely as they are now at GHF food distribution centers.

Facing starvation and certain death, the Palestinians will thus be allowed to voluntarily migrate. In other words, the voluntary migration described by the Trump White House and Israeli government is what in all other definitions is called forced ethnic cleansing.

To date, the Israeli genocide in Gaza has officially killed 60,000 Palestinians, with the real death toll likely more than 100,000.

Last month, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification food monitor declared that famine has officially set in in Gaza City. The report stated bluntly that this famine is entirely man-made and added that this is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system.

So far, over 300 Palestinians have died of starvation or malnutrition in Gaza, including over 100 children.
Recent scientific work led by Dr. Peter Daszak and researchers at Nature.Health.Global (NHG) has drawn urgent attention to the coronavirus threat in Asia, especially a virus known as swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus, or SADS-CoV.

Their study revealed that SADS-CoV is both more diverse and more dangerous than previously recognized. Researchers analyzed over 500 known viral sequences and added 186 new ones from Chinese bats, showing enough genetic variation to classify at least two distinct coronavirus species. The horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus affinis) was confirmed as the main reservoir, with other bat species like Rhinolophus sinicus and thomasi also playing key roles in viral evolution. Evidence points to Guangdong province in southern China as the origin of the first spillover into pigs.

The study also found that SADS-CoV clusters locally, spreading mainly within regions rather than over long distances. More alarmingly, the virus can replicate efficiently in human lung and intestinal cells in the lab, and it proved lethal in suckling mice, triggering brain inflammation. Both are seen as red flags for spillover risk.

By mapping bat habitats against pig and human populations, researchers identified southern China and northern Vietnam as hotspots for pig infections, while areas of greatest human risk include the southern coast of China, Java and central Thailand. The study also confirmed that SADS-CoV has been circulating in Chinese pigs since 2016, with notable recent re-emergences.

Map shows provinces of China and nearby regions where SADS-CoV has been detected in pigs [Photo: Peter Daszak]

Briefly, SADS-CoV first emerged in southern China in 2016, when it caused catastrophic outbreaks on pig farms. Thousands of piglets under five days old died from acute diarrhea and vomiting, with mortality rates close to 100 percent. The virus struck again in 2021 (Guangxi province) and 2023 (Henan province), killing thousands more piglets. Studies suggest it spilled directly from bats, especially from the horseshoe bat to pigs, and may now be entrenched in Chinese pig populations, with surveys in 20222023 showing antibodies in nearly 60 percent of herds across 29 provinces.

What makes SADS-CoV especially concerning is its potential to cross into humans. In the wake of the original 20162017 outbreaks, no farm workers tested positive. But in the lab, SADS-CoV replicates efficiently in human lung and intestinal cells. It also kills newborn mice in controlled experiments. Those findings, scientists like Ralph Baric warn, are red flags.

A virus that circulates widely in bats and pigs, can move between species, and can grow in human tissue cultures, has the hallmarks of a future spillover pathogen. That risk is heightened in China, where dense pig farms and frequent human-animal contact create the same kinds of conditions that made SARS-CoV-2 such a global threat. The NHG study stresses the need for close surveillance of both pigs and people in high-risk regions, so that early warnings are not missed.

But this urgent research exists in a poisoned political environment where science itself has been dragged into a political firestorm over the origins of COVID-19 and researchers like Daszak, who have been vilified by fascistic anti-science campaigns, face unwarranted hostility.

Since COVID-19, the very scientists who have worked for decades on spillover threats have been accused of causing the pandemic. Dr. Daszak and his former organization, EcoHealth Alliance (EHA), became scapegoats. Once regarded as a leading nonprofit in global pandemic prevention, EHA was targeted by conspiracy theories and congressional and media witch-hunting.

In May 2024, under the Biden administration, the Department of Health and Human Services barred EcoHealth and Daszak from receiving federal funds for five years, a punishment usually reserved for proven fraud. By January 2025, Daszak was fired, and EcoHealth dissolved. This was even though the National Institutes of Health had repeatedly reviewed and approved the groups coronavirus studies in China, and international biosafety experts found no evidence of the illegal gain-of-function research claimed by the conspiracy theorists.

Peter Daszak speaks to journalists in China on Feb. 10, 2021 as part of the WHO delegation investigating the origins of COVID-19. [AP Photo/Ng Han Guan]

The political campaign against Daszak reached its peak in the hearings of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The committee, dominated by a bipartisan consensus hostile to China, treated the lab leak theory (the claim that COVID-19 originated through the leak of the deadly virus SARS-CoV-2 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology) as fact, and openly accused EcoHealth of wrongdoing.

Daszaks testimony was met with interruptions and bad-faith questioning, while detailed scientific rebuttals were dismissed or shouted down. Daszak would later describe the process as McCarthyite, anti-science, anti-democratic, anti-China, and anti-communist. The result was not only the destruction of EcoHealth, but the chilling of international scientific collaborations essential for stopping the next pandemic. Chinese partners who once co-authored studies on bat coronaviruses have become reluctant to be listed, fearing political consequences.

Out of this wreckage, Daszak and former colleagues created Nature.Health.Global (NHG) in April 2025. The new institute seeks to continue pandemic prevention research while defending science from disinformation and politicization. Its mission is not just technicalsequencing viruses, modeling spilloversbut also political, meaning to protect scientists and rebuild trust in evidence at a time when truth itself is under siege. NHG has taken over the EcoHealth Journal as a platform for interdisciplinary research. But because of the federal ban, it now depends on foundations, private donors, and state-level grants. Much of the work, including the SADS-CoV study, is carried out by scientists volunteering their time, a testament both to their commitment and to the toll of the attacks against them.

The recent SADS-CoV research is thus more than a technical paper. It is emblematic of the crossroads at which science now stands. On one side, the virus itselfa pathogen with the ability to devastate pig populations, destabilize food security and potentially infect humansand on the other, the political stormthe sustained campaign to discredit scientists, destroy international cooperation and replace evidence with fascist ideology. For Daszak and NHG, the fight is about both pandemics and politics. It is about whether the world will strengthen its defenses against spillover risks or continue to sabotage itself in the name of scapegoating and nationalism. Recently, Daszak and scientists from the US national academies and Nobel laureates have petitioned to remove Kennedy from his position, as he poses an immediate and long-term threat to the health of the American public. [Link is here.]

SADS-CoV, a crossover from bats to pigs

The World Socialist Web Site asked Dr. Daszak to speak about the latest publication and the current political climate scientists face.

Benjamin Mateus (BM): Youve just published a major study on SADS-CoV. Given your new chapter post-EcoHealth Alliance, and the political climate youve been navigating, what does this study representboth scientifically and personally?

Peter Daszak: If you look at the paper, its pretty sad. Almost everyone listed has EcoHealth Alliance as their primary affiliation, but most now list a different current addressbecause nearly everyone was laid off after the study was defunded. That includes almost every author. This virus, SADS-CoV, we first discovered in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Even then, it stood out.

We found it during a large outbreak in South China. 25,000 piglets died from a severe diarrheal disease. There are plenty of viruses that affect pigs, but this one was different. When we sequenced it, we saw it was related to coronaviruses wed already found in bats in the same region. So here we were again, with a bat-origin coronavirus causing a serious outbreak in livestock.

Piglets like those who died in the Chinese outbreak [Photo by Peter Daszak]

BM: That early?

PD: Yes, 2018. And we found clear ecological connections. We visited outbreak sites and saw evidence of bats roosting inside the pig barns. There were droppings, nests in the rafters, and these were not poorly managed farms. It showed that even in relatively controlled environments, you have a high risk of cross-species transmission.

Given the scale of pork production in Southeast Asia, how much is consumed, how its exported, this is a major vulnerability. The region is densely populated with both pigs and people. If these viruses are circulating among bats and pigs, the question becomes: how likely are spillovers to humans?

BM: And Ralph Barics lab showed something concerning about the virus and the possibility of infecting humans.

PD: Exactly. They demonstrated that the virus we discovered can bind to and infect human airway epithelial cellsthe first line of defense in your respiratory tract. That means if someone inhales particles under a bat roost or while working in a pig barn, this virus could potentially infect them.

It also infects intestinal cells and causes disease in neonatal mice, which is a standard model for evaluating potential human pathogenicity. So, we have a virus with real zoonotic potentialand nobodys really looking for it.

BM: And yet the message of the paper isnt to panic, but to act.

PD: Yes. The idea isnt fear-mongering. The goal is to understand where the risk lies, and how we can use that knowledge for prevention. What weve laid out is a model for predicting where spillover is most likely, based on viral diversity, bat species distribution, pig farm density, and human population clusters.

The bigger picture hereand I think this often gets lostis that these emerging risks are a direct product of how we use the planet. Unchecked economic growth, industrial-scale agriculture, deforestation, wildlife exploitationall of it increases viral spillover. If we dont change those underlying drivers, well remain in what I call the pandemic era.

BM: Youve mentioned before how much weve learned about bats through this research. Physiologically, theyre really extraordinary mammals, the way they tolerate viruses without illness, their immune system modulation, flight metabolism. Its not about them being better than humans, but they are incredibly well-adapted in ways that make them unique viral reservoirs.

PD: Right. I havent seen a bat using an iPhone yet, but yes, they are fascinating. Their physiology is very different. Their immune systems are tuned in a way that lets them coexist with viruses without getting sick, which allows them to carry a wide diversity of pathogens. Thats part of why theyre important to study, not just for understanding disease risk, but for understanding mammalian biology more broadly.

A bat, close up [Photo by Peter Daszak]

BM: And that helps frame the next part of your study, where you mapped where these viruses and their hosts are distributed, and what that means for spillover risk.

PD: Exactly. Once we had identified SADS-CoV in both bats and pigs, we wanted to better understand where the highest risks of future spillovers were. So, we compiled a large dataset, over 150 unique viral sequences from bats across China and parts of Southeast Asia.

We then identified the key bat species that seemed to carry the virus most consistently. One species in particularRhinolophus affinisemerged as the primary reservoir. Thats the same genus implicated in SARS-CoV-2. Once we had that, we looked at their geographic distribution and layered that with human and pig population density data.

BM: So, youre modeling risk at the interface: where bats, pigs, and people overlap.

PD: Yes. Thats how you get predictive. You ask: where do these high-risk bat species live? Where are the dense pig farms? Where are large human populations? That triadbat, livestock, humanis where spillover events are most likely to occur.

And the overlap is significant. There are parts of South China, Vietnam, Thailandhundreds of millions of people live near these ecological conditions. And contact isnt just direct. These viruses are excreted in bat feces or possibly urine. If that contaminates a pigsty, a feed source, or gets aerosolized, transmission can happen without anyone touching a bat.

BM: Which makes clear how critical targeted intervention isespecially when governments may hesitate due to cost or political sensitivities.

PD: Exactly. And we try to make the case in the paper: if you can identify these high-risk regions, you can target your surveillance and prevention programsspend less money, reduce more risk. Its about smart, data-driven public health, not blanket panic or expensive overreach.

BM: Reading your paper, its clear that the experience of COVID-19 informed how you approached this research. The focus on population density, upstream factorseven the structure of your surveillance strategy seems to be influenced by what weve learned.

PD: Absolutely. In fact, population density and biodiversity overlap were part of our modeling long before COVID-19back in the 2005 Nature paper we did with Jones et al. We found that most emerging infectious diseases correlate with high human population density and high wildlife biodiversityexactly the kind of environment where spillovers thrive.

What the COVID pandemic did was make this real for the world. The work by Worobey and others on the Huanan Seafood Market confirmed everything weve been saying: dense human activity in a space with animals that host viruses is a perfect spillover scenario.

Cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts

BM: And despite that evidence, theres been a retreat from the very tools needed to respond. Youve been vocal about whats happening with this administrationthe canceling of mRNA vaccine contracts, the cuts to research. What are the implications of that?

PD: Its devastating. Canceling mRNA contractsas the HHS Secretary recently didis the opposite of what you do in the middle of a pandemic era. You dont pull back. You double down. On vaccines, on therapeutics, on surveillance. And most of allon prevention.

Whats driving the pandemic risk? Its the same forces weve known for decades: overconsumption, land use change, industrial-scale farming, wildlife trade, climate disruption. If we dont confront those drivers, well keep seeing spilloversand we wont always be lucky enough to catch the next one in time.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside Food and Drug Administration administrator Dr. Martin Makary, left, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, as they announce that the government would no longer endorse the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. [AP Photo/Health and Human Services]

BM: And now the scientists trying to do that kind of upstream prevention work are being defunded or targeted.

PD: Yes, and the consequences are already visible. EcoHealth Alliance was defunded under political pressure. Many governments we used to work withespecially in countries where these spillovers are most likelyare now reluctant to collaborate. They dont want to be seen as the ones harboring dangerous viruses. Its made our work harder, more isolated, and more urgent.

BM: How has your new organization, Nature Health Global, adapted to that?

PD: Weve gotten support from private donors and some state funding, especially for U.S.-based work. Were applying to foundations. But the big shift is that were doing this with far fewer resources and under far more scrutiny. Still, were committed to finishing what EcoHealth started. Even this SADS-CoV paperall the original grants that funded the work were terminated before it was complete.

We finished it voluntarily. No salaries. No support. And now, through Nature Health Global, were going to continue publishing the data we collected and the science the world deserves to see.

BM: What youve describedespecially the defunding and politicizationpoints to something larger. The Trump administration, RFK Jr., NIH Director Bhattacharya and FDA Commissioner Makary are systematically dismantling the institutions of public health. Whats your assessment of where this leaves science, not just in the U.S., but globally?

PD: Its a real convergence of dangerous forces. What were seeing right nowparticularly in the U.S.is a deliberate decimation of science. Thats not rhetorical. The word decimates originally meant to destroy one in ten. At this rate, nine out of ten grants in the areas we work on are being cut or defunded.

And its not just domestic damage. When the U.S. retreats from science, the rest of the world suffers. WHO is already seeing a partial collapse. They expanded rapidly during the pandemicsetting up programs, hiring staffand now the funding has dried up. Theres no continuity, no commitment. Meanwhile, U.S. leadership on science is collapsing under political assault.

BM: And its not just negligence, its active sabotage.

PD: Thats exactly what it is. Look at what Mr. Kennedy is doing. And I dont call him RFK Jr.I wont give him the benefit of the [PD1] and the false familiarity of the RFK moniker. He is not a scientist. Hes not trained in public health. And he is making decisions that are rooted in pseudoscience, resentment, and conspiracy thinking.

He is undermining not only individual programs, but the very foundation of how we respond to pandemicsfrom vaccines to research, to education and task forces. He is replacing experienced people with ideological allies. He is gutting institutions from within. This isnt reform. Its demolition.

BM: Youve said before he should resign or be impeached.

PD: Without question. Mr. Kennedy must resign or be removed from office. His leadership is a threat to public healthnot just in the U.S., but globally. His decisions will cost lives.

And hes not alone. Makary, Bhattacharya, and others in this administration are equally responsible. These are not public servants guided by science. These are ideologues acting on retribution, not reason. They are gutting the countrys ability to protect itself. And the people who will pay for this are the publicincluding those who voted for them.

BM: With all this political interference, are you able to resume work in China or Southeast Asia?

PD: Were beginning to reestablish work in Southeast Asia. Im reconnecting with colleagues there, and youll likely see research emerging next year. But in Chinano, not yet. I havent tried to resume that work, and frankly, the political environment makes it nearly impossible.

The tension goes both ways. The Chinese government sees this work as politically fraughtlargely because of the enormous pressure theyve come under from international scapegoating. Nobody wants to be labeled as the origin of the next pandemic. So, the collaboration that was once normalcollaborative virus discovery, data sharinghas collapsed.

Youll notice in this SADS-CoV paper: there are only a couple of authors from China. The work was done there, and we acknowledge many others who contributed. But in todays climate, they couldnt be listed. Compare that to our 2018 paper on SADSit was almost entirely Chinese authors. This shift shows you just how badly global science has been set back.

Preventing the next pandemic

BM: It feels like everything has been fracturednot just research, but the infrastructure that was supposed to protect us.

PD: Exactly. COVID-19 shouldve been the wake-up call. Instead, were sleepwalking into the next one.

Look back at 1918. After that pandemic, people didnt want to talk about it. They buried it, emotionally and politically. It took decades to build even the most basic public health systems in response. My fear is were doing the same thing now.

People are pretending COVID is over. They dont want to hear about the next one. Theyre gutting programs, cutting task forces, defunding science. Its denialism disguised as policy.

BM: So, whats the alternative? What must happen?

PD: We need to build systems that prevent pandemics, not just respond to them. That means strengthening surveillance, investing in upstream science, and actually tackling the root causes: deforestation, agricultural intensification, wildlife exploitation, climate change.

Peter Daszak and Shi Zhengli, the leading expert on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology [Photo by EcoHealth Alliance]

You cant just vaccinate your way out of the next pandemic. Its not enough. These are new viruses coming from ecological disruption. If we dont stop causing the problem, no amount of downstream response will be fast enough.

And we need to measure success not by how many pandemics we survive, but by how many we prevent. Right now, were just bracing for impact. We should be steering away from the storm.

BM: If theres one principle you think should guide pandemic policy moving forward, what is it?

PD: Its simple: put public health first. That should be the core function of government. Not profit. Not ideology. Not retribution. Public health.

Thats where the free-market model fails. Prevention requires long-term investmentnot quarterly returns. You need to fund systems before disaster strikes, not just throw money at the aftermath. Thats what governments are supposed to do.

And the irony is, the government did do a lot right at the beginning of COVID-19. Agencies scrambled, developed vaccines at record speed, tried to coordinate a response. But now weve entered a phase of revisionismwhere vaccines are demonized, lockdowns are caricatured, and the virus is blamed on a cartoon villain version of China. Thats not science. Thats propaganda.

BM: And that denial leaves us exposed.

PD: Exactly. If we keep pretending that COVID came from a lab and that public health measures went too far, well be blindsided again, and next time, it could be worse.

So yes, we need better vaccines. Yes, we need faster diagnostics. But we also need political leadership that listens to scientists and understands the bigger picture, that pandemics come from us, from what were doing to the planet.

Until that reality is acknowledgedand acted uponwell stay locked in this cycle of damage, denial, and devastation.

BM: I agree. We need a serious, actionable lessons learned framework, and not just in theory, but implemented.

PD: And we need to measure success not in how many new outbreaks we respond to, but how many we prevent. Thats the benchmark we should be using.

Because it will happen again. Another pandemic is coming, and if we dont take the warning seriously this time, the consequences will be even greater.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto yesterday ordered the police and military to take the strongest possible action against alleged looters and rioters, as angry protests continued in Jakarta and other cities over the weekend, fuelled by deepening social inequality.

Indonesian soldiers are deployed in Jakarta following days of protests against lawmakers perks and privileges, September 1, 2025. [AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana]

In a clear sign of political crisis, Prabowo called off a planned, high-profile trip to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and called an all-party meeting to address the widespread ongoing demonstrations.

Protests erupted last Monday after it was announced that the 580 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) would receive a huge monthly accommodation allowance of 50 million rupiah ($US3,045) on top of their already lavish salaries and allowances. The accommodation allowance alone is ten times the minimum monthly wage of workers in Jakarta, the capital.

The decision only highlighted the enormous social gulf between the vast majority of the countrys population and the wealthy elite and their political representatives amid a slowing economy and rising unemployment, which has risen to 5 percent overall and 16 percent among young people.

Prabowo, who was only inaugurated as president last October, has exacerbated the social crisis by slashing spending on education, health care, public works and other services to fund his signature policies, including free school lunches, low-cost housing and an expansion of the military by 100 new battalions.

Prabowo, a former top general under the 1966-1998 Suharto dictatorship, is notorious for ruthless suppression of opposition to the regime. In the wake of Suhartos fall in 1998, Prabowo has amassed a business empire and personal wealth estimated at more than 2 trillion rupiah ($US121 million).

Frustration and anger over the accommodation allowance was further exacerbated when a young ride-share motorbike rider Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed last Thursday by an armoured police vehicle as police attempted to suppress police protests. As well as the dissolution of the DPR, protesters began to demand the sacking of the national police chief.

Although reports are sketchy, protests continued over the weekend. Early on Saturday, local media reported that protesters had set fire to regional parliament buildings in three provincesWest Nusa Tenggara, Pekalongan city in Central Java and Cirebon city in West Java. Earlier, a fire at a parliament building in Makassar in South Sulawesi killed three people.

The homes of politicians have been targeted, particularly those who have been openly hostile and contemptuous of the protesters and their demands. One protester told the Financial Times: We the lowly people are deeply disappointed with those sitting on the top.

On Saturday, protesters raided the house belonging to Ahmad Sahroni of the National Democratic Party in Jakarta, destroying his car and carrying off various luxury items, including watches, expensive bags and a television. Sahroni had publicly branded the protesters as thugs and those calling for the dissolution of the parliament the dumbest people in the world.

Early on Sunday, hundreds of people broke into the home of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, in South Tangerang near Jakarta and took away various luxury goods. Sri Mulyani was instrumental in drawing up Prabowos budget cuts that sparked protests among students and young people earlier this year over rising university fees, the cancellation of scholarships and the lack of job prospects.

At a press conference on Sunday, Prabowo, flanked by political leaders, announced a series of vague concessions to the protest demands raised over the past week, together with naked threats of repression.

The president declared that he understood the genuine aspirations of the public and announced that the House of Representatives would cut allowances for national lawmakers. He added that a moratorium would be placed on expensive overseas trips.

However, he offered no guarantees, nor did he offer any details as to what would be reduced and by how much. Nor did he refer in particular to the accommodation allowance that was the immediate trigger for the protests.

Prabowo said several government MPs would be stood down by their parties for making improper statements. The Nasdem Party yesterday announced the suspension of Ahmad Sahroni and Nafa Urbach. The latter had provoked anger by publicly defending the extravagant accommodation allowance.

At the same time, Prabowo seized on acts of looting as the pretext to announce a further mobilisation of security forces. We cannot deny that signs of extrajudicial, even unlawful, actions are beginning to emerge, some even leading to treason and terrorism, he said.

After declaring that the state must step in to protect its citizens, Prabowo continued: I order the police and military to take the strongest possible action against destruction of public facilities and looting of homes and economic centres.

Significantly, Prabowo was joined at the press conference by former President Megawati Sukarnopurti, the chair of the countrys only formal opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. This makes clear the existence of a united front of all the parties of the ruling class against the protests.

In another anti-democratic move earlier in the week, the government summoned representatives on social media platforms, including Meta Platforms Inc and TikTok, and told them to crack down on disinformation spread online. On Saturday, TikTok, the popular app for sharing short videos, announced that it was suspending its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.

A comment published in todays Australian by its South East Asian correspondent Amanda Hodge, drew a comparison with the protest movement in 1998 that led to the ousting of Suharto. That reflects the nervousness in ruling circles in Canberra, as well as Jakarta.

Hodge commented that the parliament, by voting itself a huge accommodation allowance, appeared to be completely out of touch with public sentiment. Only weeks earlier, up to 100,000 people had joined protests in the Pati regency in central Java against a massive 250 percent increase in land and building taxes and other austerity measures.

After noting that in last weekends protests the homes of politicians were looted for the first time since 1998, Hodge wrote: It has taken less than a year in power for the sheen to come off his [Prabowos] administration. And just as it was in 1998, when the Asian Financial Crisis tipped Indonesia into an economic emergency, it is hip pocket issues driving public anger.

Is Indonesia on the cusp of another peoples revolution? she asked.
This weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to escalate long-range missile strikes against Russia, as European officials continue to arm his regime. Zelensky tweeted: We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraines defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned.

Reports also emerged that US officials have approved the sale to Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway of 3,500 long-range cruise missiles, which they will give to Zelensky. The missiles can be fired from F-16 fighter jets that these three countries, together with Belgium, are preparing to give Ukraine. The New York Times hailed this deal as a financial windfall for American weapons producers, while Germany is preparing to send US-made Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine.

Barely two weeks after Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin for negotiations in Alaska, talk of a diplomatic settlement is fading, and warring governments are careening eyes closed towards a catastrophic military clash between the major powers.

Zelenskys post was his response to an August 28 Russian missile strike that hit the British Council and the European Union (EU) delegation in Kiev. Even after this signal that Moscow is prepared to directly strike European targets to keep Europe from bombing Russia, Zelensky and his NATO backers are doubling down on plans for escalation.

In this, NATO is being led not so much by the Trump administration as by the European imperialist powers. On Saturday, Britains Daily Telegraph summarized current plans for European security guarantees to Ukraine. These amount to plans not for the liberation of Ukraine, as argued by supporters of the NATO war, but for a European-US occupation, turning what is left of Ukraine into a NATO-patrolled base aimed against Russia.

According to the Telegraph, European countries would deploy 30,000 troops to Ukraine and enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, buying US air defense systems to shoot down Russian aircraft. They would also back a Turkish-led naval mission in the Black Sea aimed at securing commercial shipping routes in and out of Ukraine. Finally, they would finance the construction of large-scale fortifications along the front lines, to dissuade Russian military action while putting NATO forces in a good position for a future resumption of combat.

Remarkably, a key part of these plans is for Europe to hire US private military contracting firms like Academi (formerly known as Blackwater), infamous for war crimes during US-led NATO occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Front-line fortifications and bases nearby could be built by American private military contractors as was done in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Telegraph wrote. These contractors, it added, could also protect US businesses.

UK officials told the Telegraph this would give credibility to Europes threats against Russia. Not only are the European powers struggling to find 30,000 troops to deploy to Ukraine, but they fear Russian military retaliation, the Telegraph indicated: The Kremlin might see such a deployment as too muscular. Sending US mercenaries to Ukraine, the officials said, puts American boots, i.e., American passport holders, on the ground, which is then effectively the deterrent to Putin.

In reality, the Kremlin is simply reiterating its demands for a peace deal guaranteeing that Ukraine would remain neutral and not host any NATO troops. It has launched repeated air strikes with waves of hundreds of missiles and drones to strike Ukrainian factories, airbases, and ports that are building or transporting missiles NATO could use to bomb Russia. The Kremlin is making clear, moreover, that it is preparing for the war to continue.

Today we are defining the tasks for the groups of the armed forces that are aimed at the autumn period, General Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russias General Staff, said at a briefing Saturday. The combined group of troops continues a nonstop offensive along almost the entire front line. The strategic initiative lies entirely with Russian forces.

He reported that a large part of the regions of Luhansk (99.7 percent), Donetsk (79 percent), Kherson (76 percent) and Zaporizhzhya (74 percent) are now in Russian hands. The Kremlin has announced its intention to annex these four regions, while Zelensky has insisted that his regime will not give up any territory, whatever the military situation is. Among NATO military analysts, there is growing discussion of whether Russia will try to annex Kharkov and Odessa, as well. At the current rate of Russian advance, this would require long years of fighting.

There is overwhelming popular disaffection with and opposition to continuing this fratricidal war, which has bled Ukraine white. An August 21-23 poll by Rating found that 82 percent of Ukrainians support negotiations to end the war, while 59 percent want an immediate cessation of hostilities. Last year, a Eurasia Group poll found 91 percent of Americans and 89 percent of West Europeans oppose NATO ground intervention in Ukraine.

It is ever more apparent, on the other hand, that the major capitalist powers neither can nor want to stop the war. Underlying the war is not only the conflict between NATO and Moscow over whether or not Ukraine can serve as a NATO base against Russia, but also deep-seated conflicts inside the NATO alliance itself.

Trump speaks for layers of the American ruling class who seek to reorient US foreign policy towards greater bloodshed in the Middle East and preparing for war with China and who are more interested in trade war with Europe than war with Russia. The European powers have responded by encouraging the defeated Zelensky regime to escalate attacks on Russia and block peace talks by making demands the Kremlin will not accept. And so, even as Europe spends billions on purchasing US military products and services, US-European tensions are mounting.

This weekend, a top White House official speaking anonymously to Axios denounced the European powers for blocking a peace deal: The Europeans dont get to prolong this war and backdoor unreasonable expectations, while also expecting America to bear the cost. If Europe wants to escalate this war, that will be up to them.

Axios noted growing US conflicts with Europe, as well as divergences among the European powers. US officials believe British and French officials are being more constructive. But they complain that other major European countries want the US to bear the full cost of the war, it wrote, citing another top White House official who said: [S]ome of the Europeans continue to operate in a fairy-tale land.  We are going to sit back and watch. Let them fight it out for a while and see what happens.

History shows that encouraging Europes rival powers to fight it out and seeing what happens means courting catastrophe. Already, conflicts over access to Russian oil and gas are escalating tensions in the Balkans, reviving the Serbia-Kosovo conflict that exploded into war in the 1990s. After Kosovo signed a military cooperation agreement with Albania and Croatia on March 15, Serbian officials denounced it as a security threat to the Serbian people and the entire region and signed a rival military agreement with Hungary on April 1.

Workers must reject all the reactionary camps in this conflict. While Putins invasion of Ukraine aimed to defend the reactionary interests of Russias post-Soviet capitalist regime in its relationship with the NATO imperialist powers, these powers are only escalating the bloody imperialist wars they have waged throughout the post-Soviet era. The European powers in particular are preparing to finance their arms build-up with historic attacks on basic social programs that would impoverish the population.

Halting this downward spiral of war and social reaction requires building a conscious, international socialist movement of the working class, irreconcilably opposed to all the capitalist governments and their political agents.
Six years after its release, director Roman Polanskis An Officer and a Spy (original title Jaccuse) finally had its US premiere in August at the Film Forum cinema in New York City. The award-winning movie is a powerful depiction of the Dreyfus affair, a scandal that polarized France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In that episode, Alfred Dreyfus, Lieutenant of the French General Staff, was the victim of a vicious frame-up. In 1894, he was tried, convicted and banished to Devils Island on the false charge of espionage for Germany.

An Officer and a Spy (2019)

In An Officer and a Spy, Louis Garrel plays Dreyfus. The French officer, who was Jewish, was convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment in an atmosphere of widespread antisemitism. An investigation by Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart (played in the film by Jean Dujardin) determined that Dreyfus was innocent, and a strong public movement in support of Dreyfus eventually led to his exoneration in 1906.

As the WSWS noted, in its original review of the film in November 2019, the resulting exposure of criminal behavior [in the Dreyfus case] implicating virtually the entire French general staff, backed by most of the political establishment, shook the French state to its foundations.

Shamefully, Polanskis important film has been banned from US movie theaters for six years, the product of the pressure of a sordid coalition of far-right forces and pseudo-left feminists.

An Officer and a Spy won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. It was nominated for four European Film Awards and 12 Cesars, which are the national film awards of France. But because Polanski is a target of the #MeToo campaign, none of his films have received US distribution since 2017.

Polanski has been vilified for decades as the result of his having sex with an underage girl in 1977. He pled guilty to one charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Under the terms of the plea agreement, it was expected by both defense and prosecution that the director would receive probation. He fled the US when a vindictive judge, apparently guilty of gross misconduct in the case, threatened to renege on the agreement and sentence Polanski to a lengthy jail term.

The screenings of An Officer and a Spy are long, long overdue.

However, United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2110, the union to which Film Forum employees belong, has solidarized itself with the anti-Polanski forces and objected to the screenings. In a lengthy statement on X, the union attempts to stoke moral outrage over Polanskis 1977 conviction. Put plainly, its statement is a call for censorship.

Local 2110 claims it is disturbed and disappointed by the film showings. Thinly disguising its appeal for censorship, the union claims that the

workers of Film Forum, demand accountability. We call on Film Forum to ensure that no future premieres programming decision will ever again prioritize the work of sexual predators. We must take an unequivocal stance against sexual & sexist violence in the film industry.

The Film Forum itself half-capitulated to the middle class witch-hunters by including a programming note citing Polanskis sexual assault conviction and allegations and acknowledged that the screenings might generate strong reactions. But it defended the screenings and the film itself.

In its wretched statement, UAW Local 2110 declares that the Film Forums note fails to accurately address the severity of the accusations against Polanski, who is a sexual predator, according to the union. By screening the film, Film Forum has become complicit in the cultural amnesia that normalizes abuse and keeps survivors of sexual violence from being taken seriously, the statement alleges.

Posing as defenders not only of workers, but also of the public, Local 2110 claims that the decision to screen Polanskis movie betrays the trust between Film Forums staff and its programmers, and between Film Forum and the film-loving community it serves. This is utter nonsense.

The Polish-born Polanski, whose mother died in Auschwitz and whose pregnant wife was murdered by the Manson gang in August 1969, is not a sexual predator. The battle cry of the #MeToo crusaders has long been Believe women! They nevertheless disregard the wishes of Samantha Gailey (now Geimer), the victim in the case. I dont wish for him to be held to further punishment or consequences, she told the Los Angeles Times as long ago as 2008, referring to Polanski. The latter admitted to irresponsible, reprehensible conduct, for which state-appointed psychiatrists, the prosecution and the defense agreed that no prison time was appropriate.

In its statement, the UAW local demonstrates that it has no understanding of the Dreyfus affair or the significance of a film on the subject in the present situation. It blandly and complacently writes that this was an important nineteenth century political case uncovering institutional corruption and antisemitism in France.

In fact, as our original comment indicated, the scandal blew apart underlying tensions in French society. During and after the first re-trial of Dreyfus in 1899, governments feared collapse, and France teetered on the brink of civil war.

Polish director Roman Polanski is seen in Oberhausen, western Germany, Monday, September 29, 2008 [AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil]

On the one hand, the dreyfusards, novelist Emile Zola and socialist leader Jean Jaures prominent among them, invoked ideals of equality and justice proclaimed by the French Revolution. In 1898, Zola wrote his deservedly famed open letter, Jaccuse [I Accuse] in which he indicted by name top general staff officers and state officials of criminal behavior in framing Dreyfus and then covering up the armys misconduct. As we wrote in 2019,

Zolas work helped French Socialist leader Jean Jaures overcome opposition from syndicalists in the socialist movement led by Jules Guesde, who dismissed the Dreyfus Affair as a mere fight within the officer corps and ignored the political issues involved. Jaures went on to lead the French socialist movement in a campaign to clear Dreyfus.

On the other hand, the forces of reaction in the army, church and political establishment ranged themselves around the persecution of Dreyfus. They found

their most ardent political and journalistic proponents in figures fusing French nationalism, monarchist opposition to the French Revolution, anti-Semitism, militarism and hatred of socialism.  Fascist rule and the Holocaust in France [decades later] were largely the coming to power of the antidreyfusards.

In the Dreyfus case, Leon Trotsky wrote in 1915,

there was summed up and dramatized the fight against clericalism, against reaction, against parliamentary nepotism, against race hate and militarist hysteria, against backstage intrigues amongst the general staff, against the servility of the courtsagainst all the despicable forces that the powerful party of reaction could swing into motion to achieve its ends.

How appropriate is such a film under conditions of the growth of far-right and fascistic conspiracies, in the US organized and led from the White House! How urgently needed it is!

But Local 2110 is disturbed and disappointed by the showing of such a work because its director pled guilty to sex with a minor almost half a century ago. Truly, let justice be done though the heavens fall.

The strong influence of identity politics in artistic circles is thoroughly pernicious. It has relentlessly directed certain social layers away from earthshaking problemswar, dictatorship, fascism, social inequalityand toward self-centered concerns that represent no challenge whatsoever to the status quo. It has encouraged subjective, irrationalist and anti-democratic tendencies, including the repudiation of the precept of innocent until proven guilty and due process.

We stand by the contention we made more than 30 years ago, that racial and gender obsessions

have not helped anyone to see the world and its most fundamental social relationships more clearly; they have had precisely the opposite, narrowing effect. They have objectively damaged artistic and intellectual work.

In the present case, Local 2110 advocates sacrificing an important contribution to the fight against authoritarianism and fascism because it disapproves of the directors personal life and even misdeeds. This is a slippery slope that ends in the ideological mire. Will Local 2110 provide a list of whom it considers to be acceptable artists? What about Charlie Chaplin, another alleged sexual predator?

Melvil Poupaud and Andre Marcon (Zola) in An Officer and a Spy (2019)

Will the UAW local call on the Film Forum to repudiateretroactivelyits December 2023 celebration of Chaplins films? At the time, the cinema excitedly announced the

U.S premiere of new 4K restoration of A WOMAN OF PARIS and Chaplins greatest feature-length masterpieces  all in 35mm: THE KID, THE GOLD RUSH, THE CIRCUS, CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES, THE GREAT DICTATOR and MONSIEUR VERDOUX.

Chaplin was driven out of the US in part on the basis of trumped up sex charges, As we noted in 2018:

The desire to discredit Chaplins generally anti-capitalist views and undermine his standing in the public eye were the motivating forces behind the US authorities attack. However, the element of sex scandal provided the FBI with the weapon, through the medium of the filthy American media, with which to brand Chaplin as a pervert and a beast deserving to be ostracized, imprisoned or deported (the comedian-director had maintained his British citizenship).

The rhetoric employed by Local 2110 is the discredited language of the #MeToo sexual witch-hunt, which seeks to silence or banish anyone accused of sexual impropriety, regardless of whether the accusations have ever been substantiated or tested in court. The upper-middle class moralists of #MeToo put forward this new McCarthyism in part to advance their own careers.

Everywhere the ruling class is promoting nationalism and hatred of immigrants. It is waging imperialist war and supporting genocide, even as NATO is riven with internal conflict. The flagrant lies about Dreyfus and the antisemitism of 1890s France find their inverted mirror image, ironically, in todays campaign against antisemitism, which has become in many instances the ruling-class term for opposition to the genocide being committed by Israel.

In his press notes on An Officer and a Spy, Polanski found parallels between his experience and that of Dreyfus. I can see the same determination to deny the facts and condemn me for things I have not done, he wrote. My work is not therapy. However, I must admit that I am familiar with many of the workings of the apparatus of persecution shown in the film, and that has clearly inspired me.

Polanski grossly trivializes the Dreyfus affair with this comparison, according to the UAW. Why? At a time of unrestrained lying, witch-hunting and blackballing, such legitimate comparisons must be made, and their significance understood.

The UAW has refused to defend its members from the apparatus of persecution that Polanski described. Columbia University suspended or expelled several members of UAW Local 2710, along with many other students, for protesting the genocide. The union has verbally opposed this attack on free speech but has not organized a single strike or protest for the reinstatement of the students. Even when Columbia expelled Local 2710 President Grant Minerone day before contract negotiations were to beginthe union again confined itself to empty phrases.

Still more damning is the UAWs active participation in the apparatus of persecution. Last year, the union hosted a conference to endorse the reelection of President Joe Biden. When protesters chanted, Ceasefire now, during Bidens speech, union toughs joined Secret Service agents in dragging them out of the hall. This action not only gave the lie to the unions hot air about freedom of speech, but also demonstrated the national leaderships endorsement of genocide, whatever the positions of local officials.

Though UAW President Shawn Fain was presented as a reformer, he rules over the union in much the same way as a crime boss controls his organization. A report by the court monitor overseeing the UAW revealed that Fain regularly threatens violence against those who question him. He hurled profanities at Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock and stripped her of some of her responsibilities for refusing to authorize certain expenses.

The words and action of Local 2110 in regard to the screening of An Officer and a Spy are deplorable. The union bureaucracy is the instrument of some of the most reactionary sentiments, anti-democratic and repressive. Workers at the Film Forum need to reject these positions and resolutely defend film work that delves seriously into the most complex and difficult social realities.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced last month an official goodwill visit to the South Pacific. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharren Haskel will lead a delegation for discussions aimed at deepening and advancing Israel-Pacific relations in a wide range of bilateral, multilateral, and strategic fields.

Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharren Haskel [Photo by Shlomi Amsalem / Knesset Archives / CC BY-SA 4.0

The visit is a desperate diplomatic move to muster support in the face of international popular opposition to the Gaza genocide. The announcement coincided with a declaration by the UN-affiliated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) that widespread famine, ruthlessly imposed by the Netanyahu government, has emerged in Gaza.

Haskel told the right-wing New Zealand podcast The Platform that the trip was planned for October, with visits focused on Israels great friends Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Fiji. Israel was also grateful for the NZ governments support over the last two years, Haskel said, with discussions under way to include New Zealandwhich will doubtless provoke substantial opposition.

The Israeli statement declared that the Pacific Islands constitute an important focus of support. It highlighted the establishment of embassies in Jerusalem, beginning with PNG in 2023, plus significant backing of Israel within the United Nations by the Pacific nations. It highlighted the role of Israels International Development Agency (MASHAV) in the Pacific and suggested that further aid would be forthcoming.

The visit is a calculated snub to Australia which, along with New Zealand, regards the Pacific as its own backyard. Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been sharply rebuked by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu over his limited criticisms of the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza, even though the Australian government continues to allow military exports to Israel.

The Israeli regime is aiming to mobilise support from Pacific states that have lined up with both Washington and Tel Aviv. Israel has for many years sought to build diplomatic, economic and religious influence among Pacific nations as a means of obtaining votes in the United Nations.

In October 2023, a UN General Assembly vote on a motion calling for an immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce saw most governments seeking to head off the domestic public hostility to the genocidal assault on Palestinians by voting for, or abstaining, on the motion.

The vote was 120 in favour, 45 abstentions, and 14 against. Of 12 nations that followed the US and Israel in voting no, six were Pacific states. FourNauru, Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesiaare impoverished micro-states, with the last three US colonies in all but name. The other two were PNG and Fijithe largest and most significant Pacific Island nations.

Fijis Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka explained his countrys vote by falsely declaring: Israels primary target is Hamas, not the Palestinian population They have established safe zones to help Gazan citizens relocate out of harms way. In February this year Rabuka was invited to deliver a prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington after publicly backing US President Trump because of his support for Israel.

In September 2024, seven Pacific states opposed a non-binding UN resolution that demanded Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12-months. While the Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands voted in favour, Fiji, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, PNG, Palau, Tuvalu and Tonga all voted against. The US, Australia, Samoa, Kiribati and Vanuatu were among 14 abstentions.

In June this year yet another toothless UN resolution called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza. It passed with 142 votes. Among the 12 nations that voted against, alongside Israel and the US, were Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, PNG and Tuvalu.

In September 2023, PNGs Prime Minister James Marape inaugurated an embassy in West Jerusalem, only the fifth diplomatic mission in the city. Radio NZ (RNZ) reported that the embassy was bankrolled by Israel. In 2018 the US, in a flagrant provocation, moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, followed by Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo.

Palestines Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the opening of the PNG embassys as an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights and a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.

At the ceremony Marape said that Jerusalem was the universal capital of the nation and people of Israel, while remaining silent about Israels illegal occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967. Turning to Netanyahu, Marape cynically declared: You have been the great custodian of the moral values that were passed for humanity. He said that Israeli investors were welcome to land in a special economic zone in PNG and asked Israel to open an embassy in Port Moresby.

In February this year, Fijis cabinet announced it too would establish a consulate in Jerusalem. Rabuka, a former military coup leader, said he had received a phone call from my friend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his gratitude. Rabuka took the opportunity to express my deepest condolences for the tragic events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked innocent lives in Israel.

In an interview with the Australian in June, Rabuka defended Israels unprovoked and criminal military assault on Iran as an act of survival. They cannot survive if there is a big threat capability within range of Israel. Whatever [Israel] are doing now can be seen as pre-emptive, knocking it out before it's fired on you, he said.

Palestines Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Fijis consulate, saying it violated international law and UN resolutions. Fijis move took place at a time when the occupying power is escalating its attacks against Palestinians across all of the Palestinian Territory, attempting to displace them from their homeland, it stated.

The tiny Pacific states are facing escalating imperialist bullying as Washington ratchets up diplomatic, economic and military pressure to join region-wide US-led preparations for war with China. Marape and Rabuka have both signed far-reaching military and strategic agreements with the US, Australia and New Zealand.

There is, however, significant popular opposition to the deepening ties with both the US and Israel. PNG students staged repeated protests over the military agreement with Washington. Social media posts have condemned the PNG government for its opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza, accusing Marape of acting as a puppet.

Many ordinary Fijians have also expressed outrage at their governments complicity in the Gaza genocide. Fijis Coalition on Human Rights last year sharply criticised the government in an Open Letter in Solidarity with the Palestinian People while the Fiji Womens Rights Movement, Fiji Womens Crisis Centre and other groups held regular protests.

Pro-Palestine actions have also taken place in Samoa, PNG, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Micronesia, Saipan and Guam, all in opposition to the pro-US/Israel pressure of their authoritarian island governments and local churches. The emergence of broad opposition to the genocide in Gaza represents a significant political development among the impoverished and oppressed Pacific peoples.

The deepening famine in Gaza is producing large scale protests around the globe, including in Australia and New Zealand, against the humanitarian disaster carried out by Israel with the direct support of the US and backing of all the imperialist powers. The coming visit to the Pacific by representatives of the Israeli regime further underscores the vast gulf that separates the regions ruling elites from the anti-war sentiments of the local population.
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President Donald Trump speaks with police and National Guard soldiers, Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Washington. [AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin]

This Labor Day, as workers gather in hundreds of cities and towns across America, one question dominates above all others: How will the transformation of the United States into a military-police dictatorship be stopped?

Trump is operating in the White House as a fascist. He has deputized gun thugs and masked men to terrorize cities and working class communities. Trump is beginning with immigrant workers, but it will not stop there. Having deployed the military and National Guard to Washington D.C., he threatens to send troops into Chicago and every major American city. The specter of Hitlerism now stalks the United States.

In a statement posted before Labor Day, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler struck a pose of opposition, denouncing the domination of CEOs and billionaires and describing the government as an oligarchy. But this is little more than empty demagogy. Tellingly, she speaks of oligarchy but not a word about capitalism or the corporate, financial and ruling class interests it serves.

In practice, the AFL-CIO has aligned itself with Trumps reactionary nationalist policies. In March, Shuler declared that unions have always seen tariffs as one of the tools in our trade policy tool box.

There is no demonstration on Labor Day in Washington D.C., the political center of the country and the location of the AFL-CIO headquarters only blocks from the White House. Instead, the trade union officials have deliberately scheduled a separate and smaller demonstration in Washington D.C. for another week.

This is a calculated act of political cowardice and capitulation, designed to separate todays protests from any broader nationally coordinated struggle against Trump and to keep the issue of dictatorship off the agenda. The bureaucracy, composed of a privileged layer of officials, fears that such a demonstration would immediately expose the weakness of the government and, even more, the union apparatus itself.

The deployment of the military in US cities is not an empty show. It is the iron boot prepared to enforce a sweeping assault on the rights of the working class. Labor Day must be transformed into a show of strength and serve as the starting point for the building of a mass movement against Trumps unfolding coup.

The Socialist Equality Party and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) urge workers everywhere to take the initiative in establishing rank-and-file committees, independent of the union apparatus, as the organizing centers of opposition to all attacks on the working class, and we pledge our full support in this effort. Every factory, workplace and neighborhood must be transformed into a center of coordinated struggle.

Such committees are necessary not only in the fight for higher wages and better conditions, as critical as this is, but to organize the working class against the threat of dictatorship. Under conditions of a military-police regime, no rights can be defended. Workers face the threat of police-state dictatorship and the stranglehold of a pro-war, pro-capitalist bureaucracy. To fight back, the working class needs its own independent strategy.

What is the situation that the working class now confronts? The scope of the attack spans every sphere of life. The Trump administration has launched a systematic assault on democratic rights, gutting federal agencies, terrorizing immigrant communities with ICE raids and deploying military forces in American cities. Concentration camps have been established for mass detention, while the National Guard is being mobilized to suppress any resistance to the emerging police state.

Economically, workers face unprecedented attacks on their living standards, as the Trump administration claws back all the gains won by prior generations of workers through decades of struggle. Trumps tariffs function as a regressive tax on working families and small businesses. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid threaten healthcare for tens of millions and are only a prelude to the gutting of Social Security. Social inequality is at historic levels. Cultural institutions are being decimated, as Trump seeks to establish ideological control over all of society.

The assault on science and public health represents another front in this social counterrevolution. As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, climate change has dramatically worsened. Such catastrophes recur with ever-greater frequency throughout the world as the climate crisis deepens and will only be hastened by Trumps policies. Over the past five years, 1.5 million people have been killed in the US and over 30 million globally during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while hundreds of millions more have been debilitated by Long COVID.

Every day in America, at least 15 workers are killed on the job (more than 5,200 annually), while nearly 3 million die worldwide each year from work-related injuries and diseases. These are not accidents but social crimes produced by a system that values profit over human life. The death of Ronald Adams Sr., a 63-year-old skilled tradesman crushed by an overhead gantry at Stellantis Dundee Engine Complex in Michigan this past April, reveals this reality with searing clarity. His fate is shared by workers at US Steels Clairton Works, those struck down by COVID-19 in every industry and by communities poisoned by chemical spills.

Internationally, American imperialism wages war on multiple fronts. The US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza has killed over 63,000 Palestinians, while billions in military aid flow to Ukraine in a proxy war against Russia that threatens global nuclear catastrophe. The same ruling class that imposes austerity at home squanders trillions on war abroad.

For those who cast ballots for Trump believing his populist rhetoric, the reality should now be perfectly clear. The man who promised to drain the swamp has filled it with billionaires. Workers who put their hopes in Trump must recognize that he has played them for fools, cynically exploiting their frustrations while carrying out the most reactionary policies in US history.

But there is no serious opposition to Trump within the Democratic Party or any other institution of official politics. The Democrats accept and legitimize Trumps rule, block mass opposition and serve the same financial oligarchy. Together with the Republicans, they form two factions of a single ruling class, united in the defense of capitalism and hostile to the interests of workers.

Perhaps the most damning indictment is not only the brutality of the ruling class but the absence of genuine opposition from those organizations that claim to represent workers. In the face of the threat of fascist dictatorship, where is the American labor movement? The truth is that there is no labor movement worthy of the name.

What are called unions today bear no resemblance to the organizations that once fought to defend workers interests. They function instead as appendages of the corporations, a labor police force that blocks struggle rather than organizing it. UAW President Shawn Fain has openly aligned himself with Trumps tariffs, while many other union leaders have rallied behind Trump, embracing the nationalist poison designed to divide the international working class.

When Republic Services workers struck this summer, when healthcare workers conducted Rhode Islands longest hospital strike, when teachers walked out in Washington last week, and as Boeing and GE Aerospace workers continue their ongoing strikes, these struggles have been systematically isolated and betrayed by union officials more concerned with maintaining their privileged positions than defending workers interests.

The unfolding American catastrophe is a world catastrophe, threatening to plunge humanity into barbarism. The way forward cannot be found through the trade union bureaucracies, nor in working within the existing political system.

This is why the SEP and IWA-RFC encourage workers to build rank-and-file committees in every workplace. The IWA-RFC provides the impulse for and urges workers to take power out of the hands of the corporatist bureaucracy, establishing structures that enable genuine self-organization independent of the existing apparatus. There needs to be an organization within every workplace and factory to stop Trumps coup.

The IWA-RFC is international in character, reflecting the objective unity of the international working class under globalization. Workers in every country face the same multinational corporations, to which the nationalist trade unions have no progressive response. To correspond with the changes in world production, workers need a global orientation and new forms of organization that transcend national boundaries.

In the struggle against dictatorship, war and social inequality, the IWA-RFC raises the following core demands:

No to dictatorship! The working class will not accept a fascistic military dictatorship in the United States. This is the central question facing the working class. There must be the organization of mass resistance. The working class must use its industrial and economic power to defend democratic rights and stop the descent into barbarism.

Defend immigrant workers! The attacks on immigrant communities are attacks on the entire working class. Workers of all backgrounds must unite against ICE raids, concentration camps and the nationalist poison that divides us. The same capitalists who exploit immigrant labor at poverty wages are the ones destroying the living standards of all workers.

Against nationalism and war! The billions squandered on imperialist wars abroad must be redirected to meet human needshealthcare, education, infrastructure and environmental protection. Workers have no interest in the geopolitical conflicts of the ruling elites.

Oppose the attacks on science and public health! The deliberate suppression of climate science, the banning of vaccines and the dismantling of all public health measures amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic serve only corporate profits.

For workplace safety and workers lives! The industrial murder of workers like Ronald Adams Sr. must stop. Every workplace must be made safe. Workers must organize independently to expose corporate crimes and hold the guilty accountable.

All of these demands cannot be separated from the broader questions of social organization and political power. So long as production is controlled by private owners motivated solely by profit, workers lives will remain expendable.

American workers carry the revolutionary heritage of those who fought the American Revolution and the Civil War. A central lesson of the Civil War was that the North could only defeat the Confederacy when it took on the system of slavery itself. Today, American workers must directly confront the capitalist system of wage slavery in order to achieve victory.

While Trump and the oligarchs seek to recreate America as if the Civil War had been won by the Confederacy, imposing the most brutal conditions of wage slavery on the entire working class, it is high time that workers organize and prepare their own counteroffensive.

The working class possesses immense social power to shut down production, bring the entire economy to a halt and overthrow the ruling class. But this power can only be realized through independent organization and political clarity.

This Labor Day, every worker must confront the gravity of this crisis: The organizations that claim to represent your interests have betrayed you; the politicians who seek your votes have deceived you; and the capitalist system is ruthlessly destroying your life and your childrens lives. The task now is to build independent organizations run by workers themselvesthe International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC)to initiate an independent movement in the working class and prepare for the struggles that lie ahead.

Fill out the form below to contact the IWA-RFC and set up a rank-and-file committee at your workplace or neighborhood today!
On August 28 and 29, California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled two sweeping initiatives that together mark a sharp rightward turn in state policy and expose the Democratic Partys deepening complicity in the destruction of democratic rights. As he portrays himself as a bulwark against President Trump, Newsom is in fact laying the foundation for a massive expansion of state power against the working class and the poor.

Under the guise of public safety and compassion, the Democratic governor has placed the California Highway Patrol (CHP) at the center of two major new enforcement regimes: a statewide crime suppression expansion and a homeless encampment clearance task force.

These measures are being marketed as alternatives to Trumps deployments of federal forces into major U.S. cities, but in substance, they mirror their basic functions. Far from opposing the authoritarian measures emanating from Washington, Newsoms actions mimic them, signaling a growing alignment between the Democratic Party and the Trump administration on the fundamental issue: the use of state repression to deal with the social crisis created by capitalism.

On August 28, Newsom announced the expansion of CHP crime suppression teams into six major regions: San Diego, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, the Central Valley, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area. This initiative builds on earlier deployments in Oakland and Bakersfield, where CHP officers have conducted aggressive sweeps targeting so-called organized crime, retail theft, drug dealing, and auto theft.

President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom greet each other at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Friday, January 24, 2025. [AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein]

Newsom insisted the strategy represented a California-led approach, one that avoids Trumps federal militarization of urban policing. Yet this distinction is entirely cosmetic. Rather than rejecting the deployment of armed forces against working-class neighborhoods, Newsom has preemptively normalized it at the state level. Were working with local law enforcement, not overriding them, he declared.

The reality is that this represents a major expansion of policing powers, redirecting state resources into paramilitary-style operations. Despite boasting about falling crime rates across California, Newsom is doubling down on law-and-order policiesa transparent attempt to preempt Trumps propaganda and deflect Republican attacks. The message to the ruling class is unmistakable: California Democrats are prepared to be just as serious on safety as the fascistic Trump administration in Washington.

On Friday, Newsom unveiled the State Action for Facilitation on Encampments (SAFE) Task Force, a multi-agency initiative to dismantle homeless encampments across Californias ten largest cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland, and Fresno.

The task force represents a significant escalation of Newsoms campaign of criminalization and repression against the poor. It builds directly on his signature policy of violent sweeps, infamously showcased last year when Newsom personally staged a publicity stunt, when he was filmed assisting police as they tore down encampments and destroyed the belongings of homeless residents.

Six state agencies will be mobilized, but once again the CHP serves as the enforcement spearhead. Teams will forcibly clear encampments along highways, underpasses and public spaces, while Caltrans physically destroys tents and other belongings.

The Office of Emergency Services and Health and Human Services are tasked with logistical support and health access, but no significant funding has been allocated to actually house the displaced.

Newsom wrapped the announcement in compassionate rhetoric, insisting no one should live in dangerous or unsanitary encampments. Yet his plan does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness: skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages, mass layoffs and the destruction of affordable housing. The state is mobilizing police forces to sweep poverty out of public view while offering little more than token placements into chronically underfunded shelters.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass immediately praised the initiative, claiming it complements local efforts and will make real progress on encampments along state-owned land. Her endorsement exposes the bipartisan nature of the assault on the poor. While homelessness continues to rise nationally, California Democrats have embraced nearly identical policies to those of their Republican counterparts: police-driven mass clearances and the criminalization of poverty.

Newsom has attempted to portray these measures as a softer alternative to Trumps deployments of federal forces, which have triggered widespread outrage. But in practice, in the name of public safety the role of the CHP in both initiatives underscores the central thrust of Newsoms agenda: the normalization of militarized policing.

The Democratic Party will not oppose Trumps fascistic offensive. On the contrary, its alignment with the Republicans core agenda stems from the class interests the two parties share. A leaked private strategy call of Democratic mayors earlier this month reveals the degree of panic gripping the political establishment.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, head of the Democratic Mayors Association, bluntly warned his colleagues: If were passive and hemming and hawing about democracy and all that stuff between now and 2026, were going to get our asses kicked. We have to start now.

Rather than mobilizing opposition to Trumps coup, Bibb urged a serious-on-safety, serious-on-cost messaging strategy designed to mimic Republicans attitude to crime.

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber was even more explicit in his contempt for democratic principles, declaring: The publics perception is that if you send in the troops youre strong, if you debate statistics, youre weak The way you feel is more important than what we tell you the stats say.

This call lays bare the reality: the Democrats are not preparing to resist authoritarianism, but to accommodate it. Their concern is not defending democratic rights, but aligning themselves with the demands of the financial aristocracynot the publics perceptionby adopting the very law-and-order posture that Trump has weaponized.

The events of the past week in California expose the broader shift of the entire political establishment sharply to the right. Facing an escalating social crisisdeclining real wages, mass homelessness, soaring debt and widespread opposition to Trumps policiesthe ruling class carries out repression.

It is within this context that Newsoms recent tweet offensive against Trump must be understood. Seizing on the federal governments 10 percent acquisition of Intel, Newsom launched a series of bizarre attacks on Trump, imitating his loud, fascistic style and sarcastically declaring:

ALL HAIL CHAIRMAN TRUMP! WITH HIS GLORIOUS 10% PURCHASE OF INTEL, THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF AMERICA ENTERS A BOLD NEW ERA OF GOVERNMENT-RUN BUSINESS.

For Labor Day, he escalated his rhetoric, claiming,

With his takeover of U.S. companies like Intel, this Labor Day America is praising CHAIRMAN TRUMP, our nations leading Socialist!!

The absurdity of this line of argument speaks for itself. But what is not absurd is their political purpose. Newsom combines mockery of Trump with an appeal to anti-communism. By falsely equating Trumps federal intervention in private industry with socialism, Newsom signals his alignment with the financial and corporate elite and underscores the Democrats role in defending capitalist property relations at all costs.

In this, Newsom and Trump are united. While Trump mobilizes federal forces to expand the machinery of state repression against the population as a whole, Newsom is deploying the CHP as his own domestic shock troopsinvoking organized crime to justify heightened policing. Both parties target vulnerable populations, immigrants for Trump, the homeless for Newsom, to test out authoritarian methods of rule in defense of the capitalist class.

The intensifying political crisis in the United States expresses itself not only in Trumps increasingly authoritarian measures but also in the disintegration of democratic norms across the entire political establishment. The ongoing gerrymandering war between Democrats and Republicans is yet another manifestation of this deep rot. Both parties are weaponizing redistricting battles to entrench their own political power and suppress popular participation.

The implications of these developments are grave. As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, the democratic rights won through the American Revolution are under systematic assault. There is no faction within the political establishmentDemocratic or Republicanthat represents a defense of democracy.

That defense cannot and will not come from within the existing political establishment. It rests on the independent political mobilization of millions of workers, immigrants, and youth on the basis of a fight for socialism against both capitalist parties and the financial oligarchy they serve.
The DTE coal-fired power plant is shown in Monroe, Michigan, Thursday, March 10, 2011. [AP Photo]

For the second time, the Trump administration has issued an emergency order extending the operations of the J.H. Campbell coal power plant in West Olive, Michigan. The plant is a major emitter of toxic air and water pollution.

On August 20, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order extending operations of the 63-year-old facility, citing fabricated energy risks. In his order, Wright cited electric grid instability, projected reserve margin shortages during periods of high demand, threats to public health and safety from possible outages, and emphasized maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure baseload power regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.

However, energy experts and analysts have widely disputed the Department of Energys claims that closing the J.H. Campbell coal plant would risk grid reliability. They have emphasized that the regional grid operator had already approved the plants retirement plan with no forecasted reliability issues, and state regulators, the utility, and independent analysts all confirmed that closure would not jeopardize grid stability.

The J.H. Campbell facility is not the only coal plant the Trump administration has forced to remain open. The DOE issued a similar order to the Eddystone Generation Station in Pennsylvania. It also used an emergency order to redirect funds from solar projects and to maintain Puerto Ricos unreliable fossil-fuel based grid.

The J.H. Campbell facility is one of the Michigans top greenhouse gas emitters. The plant releases millions of pounds of dangerous pollutantsincluding particulates, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercuryinto the air each year. It emitted 8.9 million tons of carbon dioxide last year, contributing to climate change.

Each year, J.H. Campbell discharges approximately 100,000 pounds of water pollution into Lake Michigan, including about 10,000 pounds of toxic heavy metals. The plant also uses three ponds to store coal ash.

In 2019 the company produced the second largest share of coal ash in the state, according to the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC). MEC and other environmental groups have alleged that heavy metals and residuals from the ash ponds have been leaking into groundwater.

An ash pond monitoring well outside the plant showed arsenic levels that were 5.7 times higher than the federal drinking water standard. It also found elevated levels of boron, sulfate, total dissolved solids, pH, cobalt, lithium, mercury, molybdenum, selenium and thallium.

The decision to block the shutdown of the plant based on falsehoods comes as no surprise. The Trump administration is focused on bolstering the fossil fuel industry and doing everything possible to undermine, obfuscate and deny the science of climate change. Representatives of the oil and gas industries contributed an estimated $450 million to Trumps 2024 re-election campaign, and they are now getting something for their money.

Trumps socially devastating and retrograde policies also found expression the Big Beautiful Bill, which withdrew support for renewable energies and handed billions of dollars to the oil and gas industries. Trump has delivered on the wish list of policy demands issued by the American Petroleum Institute (API) after his election. According to NBC News, API President Mike Sommers stated that the bill includes almost all of our priorities.

In January, after pledging to back domestic production of fossil fuels, Trump invoked the National Emergencies Act, stating, this means you can do whatever you have to do to get out of that problem, according to NPR (National Public Radio). The administration also ordered department and agency heads to make recommendations as to how federal eminent domain or the Defense Production Act might be used to block the transition to cleaner energy sources.

Currently, the US does not have a fuel shortage and produces more gas and oil than any other country in the world. In fact, analysts project that the world will soon have an oversupply of oil and natural gas, with supply from the US exceeding demand.

According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumers Energy has already spent $29 million over five weeks to keep the old plant open past its planned shutdown date. Consumers Energy has warned that the administration might continue to issue 90-day extensions throughout the remainder of Trumps presidency.

On Friday, August 15, a request from the energy provider was granted that imposes a significant portion of the burden onto rate payers across 10 states.

Michael Lenoff, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, told Mlive, The federal government should not be requiring a business to incur tens of millions of dollars in losses, then insisting that the business gets to recoup those losses from anyone paying an electric bill.

In July, Michigan Democratic Party Attorney General Dana Nessel filed legal challenges in federal court to the Trump administrations first emergency order. These lawsuits accuse the Trump administration of deliberately ignoring assurances that J.H. Campbells capacity would be adequately replaced by other sources. The cases also allege that the administration is interfering illegally and imposing millions of dollars in costs onto rate payers in an attempt to prop up the coal industry.

Nessels actions, however, are an act of political theater that fail to address the underlying issues and will be tied up in court for months if not years while the coal plant continues to pollute. Meanwhile, the Democrats have been slow to respond to the Trump administration and acting only after the fact.

The DOEs decision has infuriated residents in the area who were expecting the Michigans final coal-fired plant to be closed by May 31, 2025. Ottawa County residents held a protest on Friday, August 15, to demand the closure of the plant.

The community pays a high price for living near the plant. The combustion of coal releases fine particles of soot that can bury themselves deep within the lungs, which is linked to severe and potentially fatal heart and respiratory conditions.

Coal emissions are known to cause several other health problems, along with respiratory illnesses such as lung disease, neurological disorders, and developmental impairment in both humans and animals. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), J.H. Campbell is responsible for an estimated 44 early deaths and 455 asthma attacks every year.

My family had a countdown for it closing, we couldnt wait. I was flabbergasted when the administration said they had stopped it shutting down. Why are they inserting themselves into a decision a company has made? Just because politically, you dont like it? Its all so dumb, Mark Oppenhuizen, a resident who has lived near the plant for 30 years, told the Guardian. Oppenhuizen also suspects that the pollution from the plant has worsened his wifes lung disease.

A study by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that after a similar coal facility closed near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2016, hospital visits for childhood asthma initially dropped by 41 percent, followed by an additional 4 percent decrease each month. This illustrates why the closure of J.H. Campbell is so crucial.

Dr. Steven Ashmead, a member of the Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action and a family physician, is concerned with the risks coal-fired plants pose to residents, including very serious negative health problems. He told ONN, Public health of Michigan is more important than the political favors the Trump administration owes in coal, in the fossil fuels for over 60 years.

Ashmead continued, We cannot stress that enough pollutants like carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and radioactive radon exposure is highest to those of us living closest to the plant right now. However, those westerly winds blow those emissions straight to Grand Rapids and beyond. The coal ash contains at least 17 toxic heavy metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, all of which damage human health and at least six neurotoxins and five known or suspected carcinogens.

The Environmental Defense Fund counted 71 coal plants, along with numerous other polluting facilities, that have received pollution clearances from the Trump administration, allowing for increased emissions of airborne toxins linked to health problems.

Caroline Reiser, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, characterized the administrations favoritism toward fossil fuels as a political takeover of the electricity grid. She further stated that the result of this will be higher electricity bills, more pollution in our communities and a worsening climate crisis.

Like other actions of the Trump administration, the extension of the J.H. Campbell plants operations is an assault on democratic norms carried out in the interests of the financial oligarchy. While Trumps DOE feigns concern over a fabricated energy emergency, the actual aim is to run roughshod over the recognition by broad sections of the public that greenhouse gas emitting power generating facilities must be shut down immediately.

Trumps blatant, dictatorial interference on behalf of a section of the energy industryalong with the impotence of the Democratic Partyonce again demonstrates the entire US political establishment is united in placing corporate interests above the lives, health and future of the working class.
KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reaffirmed their unity during the council's 165th session attended by foreign ministers of the GCC states in Kuwait on Monday, stressing their commitment to addressing the humanitarian and security challenges in Gaza.

According to a final statement of the session, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, who chaired the meeting, underlined that the GCC continues to play an active role in safeguarding regional stability and shaping a prosperous future for Gulf peoples.

He reiterated the council's call for an immediate halt to "Israeli violations" in Gaza, urging stronger international accountability, the protection of civilians and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

GCC ministers also reaffirmed their support for Iraq's stability and prosperity.

The session included a dialogue between GCC and Japan. While Japan expressed its wish to deepen cooperation in energy, trade and investment, Gulf ministers stressed that such ties must be built on mutual respect and recognition of the GCC's development priorities, urging Tokyo to accelerate steps toward a balanced free trade agreement that protects Gulf interests.

They also called on Japan to take clearer positions in support of Palestinian statehood.

The oil-rich GCC was established in 1981 and groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 
Yunqing Jian (left) and Chengxuan Han (right). [AP Photo/Sanilac County Sheriff's Office]

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality at the University of Michigan unequivocally condemns the Trump administrations witch-hunt against Chinese scientists at our university. The attacks on Chengxuan Han and Yunqing Jian are not just personal injustices. They are an assault on free scientific inquiry, democratic rights and the fundamental dignity of all international students and workers. The IYSSE is the only organization on campus fighting this frame-up. We urge every student, educator and worker in Michigan and the region to join us in opposition.

Han, a doctoral student from Wuhan, and Jian, a postdoctoral fellow, face prosecution on federal charges that carry sentences of up to 25 years in prison. Hans sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 10, while Jian faces her preliminary hearing on September 18. They have been held without bond since June, following an orchestrated campaign by federal authorities that paints routine scientific research as agroterrorism.

Their supposed crime? Sending harmless, common biological materialsC. elegans roundworms, plasmids and fusarium graminearum fungusto collaborators at the university.

These materials are nonhazardous, widely used in laboratories nationwide and absolutely no threat to public safety. Across the scientific community, the consensus is clear: at worst, the alleged infractions merit a minor administrative fine. To mete out such severe punishment is a grotesque abuse of state power.

The prosecution has been marked by unconstitutional conduct. Customs and Border Protection interrogated Han for hours without Miranda warnings, continued questioning after she requested a lawyer and manipulated her understanding of her rights through deliberate mistranslation.

This attack is intimately linked to the Trump administrations broader war on students, immigrants and the working class. The climate of fear manufactured in this case echoes the intensifying crackdowns on student protesters, in particular the University of Michigans own disciplinary campaign against members of the TAHRIR Coalition and other students opposing the genocide in Gaza. FBI raids and disciplinary hearings have become mechanisms to intimidate and silence dissent on campuses nationwide.

The demonization of Chinese researchers and false characterization of routine scientific materials as agroterrorism are directly tied to US imperialisms drive to war with China. FBI Director Kash Patel claimed the case shows how the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, transforming minor customs violations into alleged biological warfare.

The attacks on Chinese researchers are also a direct outgrowth of the Wuhan Lab Lie, a racist conspiracy theory originally cultivated by fascist Steve Bannon and the Trump administration to deflect blame for their catastrophic mishandling of the COVID pandemic. Trump and his allies invented this lie to shift responsibility away from their refusal to follow Chinas scientifically sound zero-COVID elimination strategy, which saved millions of lives in China and could have stopped the pandemic in its tracks if implemented globally.

While Chinas initial approach protected public health through aggressive contact tracing, testing and isolation measures, the Trump administration promoted mass infection policies that have resulted in over 1.5 million excess deaths in the United States since 2020, with millions more suffering from Long COVID. When Biden took office, rather than reversing course, his administration normalized the ongoing pandemic and adopted the Wuhan Lab Lie to justify its abandonment of public health protections.

This conspiracy theory has been weaponized in fascistic attacks on principled scientists like Dr. Peter Daszak, who spent decades warning about the dangers of zoonotic spillovers. Daszak was subjected to congressional witch-hunts, fired from his position and saw his organization EcoHealth Alliance dismantled, all based on fabricated allegations concocted by the far right and amplified by both parties and the corporate media.

Not a single major institution at the University of Michigan has defended the Chinese graduate students targeted by this witch-hunt. The university administration has openly sided with federal authorities, issuing statements that strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm or threaten national security, and pledging continued cooperation with law enforcement.

The main campus unionsGEO, LEO and AFSCMEand Democratic Party figures, including Governor Whitmer and senators Stevens and Slotkin, have been completely silent. Rather than offering support, these organizations and politicians have either explicitly backed or refused to oppose the governments attack.

These attacks on Chinese scholars and students must be understood as part of a war on the entire working class, especially immigrant workers. The same administration in Washington that is responsible for this academic witch-hunt is leading mass deportations, workplace raids and unprecedented assaults on the rights and security of immigrants nationwide. Universities, workplaces and homes have become battlegrounds in this campaign to consolidate power, suppress dissent and discipline labor.

The frame-ups at Michigan occur as the Trump administration launches full-blown attacks on science and public health. The firing of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Susan Monarez and the resignation of four high-level public health officials represent the latest casualties in this war on expertise. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving to eliminate access to COVID-19 vaccines for children and adults, has terminated over 20,000 federal public health workers, systematically purged vaccine advisory committees and canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine research. These attacks are part of the ruling elites deliberate effort to lower life expectancy and abandon any policy of protecting public health.

The persecution of Han and Jian unfolds within the broader context of Trumps deepening coup against democratic rights. In August, Trump deployed National Guard troops, including from multiple Republican-controlled states, to occupy Washington D.C., with over 1,500 soldiers patrolling the capital under military command. The Pentagon has developed plans for a Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force to rapidly deploy 600 National Guard troops to any American city facing protests or unrest. Trump has threatened to expand this military occupation to Chicago and other major cities, declaring his intention to exercise dictatorial power.

The real danger lies not in harmless roundworms or common fungi, but in a government escalating to authoritarian rule and war. The maximum penalty for what Han and Jian are accused of is, at most, a minor finenever prison, certainly not decades behind bars. Every credible scientist agrees: these materials are found in classrooms and labs everywhere, and are exchanged as a matter of routine.

The IYSSE declares:

Michigan students and workers must unite to halt these attacks. The defense of democratic rights cannot be left to the campus administration, the Democrats or the trade union bureaucracy, all of whom are complicit. In unifying students and workers to fight for the freedom of Han and Jian, we advance the following demands:

For the immediate release of Chengxuan Han and Yunqing Jian and the dropping of all charges! Stop all federal harassment of international scientists and students! Restore all research partnerships with Chinese institutions and defend scientific collaboration! Withdraw campus disciplinary and legal actions against all student protesters! Fully fund public health, education and social programsoppose war and militarization!

The defense of Han and Jian signifies a rejection of the xenophobic poison that feeds fascism, war and genocide. The same forces persecuting Chinese students today are supporting Israels genocide of the Palestinians, the militarization of our campuses and the preparations for world war.

University of Michigan students have a central responsibility to take up this fight, not merely as a matter of campus solidarity, but as part of the global struggle against imperialism and fascist reaction. We must defend our fellow students because their persecution today paves the way for attacks on all of us tomorrow.

The fight for international scientific collaboration and democratic rights cannot be separated from the fight against capitalism itself, which breeds nationalism, war and oppression. This is why we call on every student to reject the manufactured hatred that the ruling class uses to divide us. Our future lies not in submission to its wars and repression, but in unity with workers and students worldwide in the struggle for socialism.

We call on students and workers throughout the region to join and help build the International Youth and Students for Social Equality at the University of Michigan, and to take up the fight for socialism!
PRAGUE, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, now the leader of the opposition ANO party, was struck in the head with a metal object by a man during an election rally on Monday, the Czech News Agency reported.

The attack occurred in the eastern town of Dobra. Babis, who served as Czech prime minister from 2017 to 2021, went to hospital for an examination after the incident, the agency said, citing an ANO spokesman.

It was not immediately clear how seriously he was injured.

Czech Police said on the social media platform X that officers at the scene immediately detained the man after the attack, and the case is now under investigation.

ANO's first deputy chairman Karel Havlicek wrote on X that the incident was one of the consequences of a "hate campaign" allegedly waged by political rivals.

Responding to the attack, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan stressed that violence in any form is unacceptable.

"I unequivocally condemn today's attack on Andrej Babis. Let us seek a better future for our country in clashes of arguments and ideas, not in physical violence," he said on X. 
Corneille Nangaa (L), head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the March 23 Movement (M23), speaks at a press conference in Goma, North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Spet. 1, 2025. The M23 rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursue the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Str/Xinhua)

GOMA, DR Congo, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursue the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At a press conference in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province that has been under M23 control since late January, Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the M23, voiced confidence in Qatar's mediation efforts even as disputes with Kinshasa persist.

The remarks came as the DRC government and the M23 resumed discussions in Doha, following the signing on July 19 of a Declaration of Principles intended to start negotiations by Aug. 8 and target a peace accord by Aug. 18. These deadlines have not been met, but Doha remains the only venue for direct dialogue in recent weeks.

"We will not betray peace. That is why we remain in Doha... because we trust the mediation," Nangaa said, citing the release of some 700 prisoners by the DRC government, an obligation outlined in the Declaration of Principles, which he said has yet to be respected by Kinshasa.

Nangaa also claimed that the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) had conducted operations in several areas of South Kivu in breach of the ceasefire stipulated in the Doha Declaration of Principles. He noted that a two-member team from the M23 had been dispatched to Doha to focus solely on mechanisms related to the ceasefire and prisoner release.

For weeks, the FARDC and M23 rebels have traded accusations of repeated violations of the Doha ceasefires.

On Saturday, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi described the Doha talks as "dynamics" designed to help the DRC turn the page on violence and allow Congolese people to shape their own future.

Meanwhile, the security situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. Since January 2025, the M23 has seized several strategic cities, including Goma and Bukavu, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. Recent clashes have been reported on multiple fronts, notably in the Fizi highlands of South Kivu Province, according to security sources.

As the conflict grinds on, the humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC has reached alarming proportions. According to the United Nations, more than 28 million people in the country face food insecurity, while over 7 million remain internally displaced, many of them repeatedly. 

Corneille Nangaa (L), head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the March 23 Movement (M23), speaks at a press conference in Goma, North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Spet. 1, 2025. The M23 rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursue the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Str/Xinhua)

Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military coalition allied with the March 23 Movement (M23), speaks at a press conference in Goma, North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Spet. 1, 2025. The M23 rebel group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to pursue the peace process under Qatari mediation, despite ongoing differences with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Str/Xinhua)
Diana, Princess of Wales, wanted nothing more than to be queen of peoples hearts  and when she died on August 31, 1997, crowds across the world wept to have been robbed of her so soon. A loving mother, devoted humanitarian, and style icon whose glamour and genuine nature captivated those around her, Dianas loss was felt by many, and her missing presence has haunted not just sons Prince William and Prince Harry, but the whole British royal family. Her royal legacy lives on in a series of iconic photos that show the Princess going where she was told not to go and wearing what she was told not to wear, snapshots of defiance where youd swear you can almost see the royal winking back at you.

Dianas shake-up to the royal family may only exist in photos now, Meghan Markles recent arrival to (and exit from) the royal family reminded many of Harrys late mother. For some, it wasnt until Meghan came along that another royal like Diana even felt possible  someone who broke old-fashioned and outdated rules, wasnt afraid to speak her mind, and who acted as a champion of the people, not a representative of the British upper class. Dianas history as a kindergarten teacher and her determination to continue her charity work after her split from Charles wasnt incidental to her fame as a royal, but a key part of why the public felt so connected to her.

In Diana, and for some now in Meghan, the public felt they had a representative in the royal midst. Princess Dianas life was consumed by the fame she earned as a royal, marrying Charles at just 19, but she grew into a savvy public figure and never lost sight of the causes most important to her, right up until her too-soon death. As long as the world continues to ogle over the photos that captured her momentous feats and moments of daring to stand out, her legacy will always live on.

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Today was the day she died, on Aug 31, 1997, so lets honor her legacy.

Lets take a look at the photos that best captured her life to see why Diana still holds such a special place in our hearts.

A version of this article was previous published in August 2020.

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First Day at School

First Day at School

Just a normal family dropping their kids off for the first day at Eton in impeccable suits.

One Is the Loneliest Number

One Is the Loneliest Number

Diana sits alone in front of the Taj Mahal, signaling to the world her loneliness and isolation.

Saving Grace

Saving Grace

Prince Charles, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana at the future princesss first real public appearance since her engagement was announced.

That Kiss!

That Kiss!

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Charles and Diana kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day in 1981.

Welcoming Baby #2

Welcoming Baby #2

Just like she did with William, Diana posed with newborn Harry after leaving St. Marys hospital.

A Quiet Moment

A Quiet Moment

A beautifully outfitted 22-year-old Diana was snapped in a serious moment during a royal visit to Newcastle.

A Loving Reunion

A Loving Reunion

In this memorable October 1991 photo, Princess Diana spreads her arms to embrace sons William and Harry after trip.

Alone Time With William

Alone Time With William

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Diana always looked happiest when you caught her alone with her sons.

Princess Diana Holds Prince Harry in Her Arms

Princess Diana Holds Prince Harry in Her Arms

In this precious photo, Princess Diana holds son Prince Harry during a visit to Spain in August 1987.

Meeting a Saint

Meeting a Saint

Diana meets Mother Teresa, whose devotion to charity she strove to emulate.

Legendary Smile

Legendary Smile

Its no wonder that that smile captivated millions and multiple generations.

Diana & William

Diana & William

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While we adore this tartan 1980s look, we love this sweet moment of Diana holding Williams hand!

Beauty in a Bowtie

Beauty in a Bowtie

Truly, Diana was inspired by so many things for her iconic clothing including some menswear pieces!

Suit Up!

Suit Up!

Have you seen this photo of Diana, Princess of Wales rocking a black and green suit?! Why isnt this one talked about more? She looked incredible!

Diana & Harry Chilling

Diana & Harry Chilling

Princess Diana was beaming with joy when she was with her son Prince Harry at their country home in Highgrove.

Beach Time!

Beach Time!

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This photo of Princess Diana being buried in the sand by her sons and their friends on a trip to Necker Island may be one of the sweetest pics ever.

Hugging Princess

Hugging Princess

The Princess Of Wales never liked the rule about royals not being able to be touched, and she frequently would hug fans like these young pupils from The Swaminarayan School.

Playful Harry

Playful Harry

This photo of Prince Harry sticking his tongue out during Trooping The Colour will always be hysterical, especially when you see Dianas shocked face!

Thorpe Park Theme Park

Thorpe Park Theme Park

We dont see this sweet photo of Princess Diana and Prince Harry at Thorpe Park enough!

Colorful at Cannes

Colorful at Cannes

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The only time Princess Diana ever arrived ta Cannes Film Festival, it was an unforgettable moment! Especially when you remember she wore this iconic baby blue Catherine Walker gown to the event!

Sleepy Royal

Sleepy Royal

While at The Victoria And Albert Museum For The Splendours Of The Gonzagas Exhibition Gala, Diana made headlines for falling asleep! No one knew until the next day that she was pregnant. Today, its one of fans favorite photos because it shows how relatable she remains.

Angola Visit

Angola Visit

Back in 1997, Diana showed more of her philanthropy side as she walked with body armour and a visor on the minefields during a visit to Huambo, Angola.

Picture Perfect Princess

Picture Perfect Princess

This photo of her wearing the Lovers Knot Tiara during a 1983 visit to Canada needs to be talked about more.

A-List Meeting

A-List Meeting

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This photo of Princess Diana meeting Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman at the premiere of Far and Away still doesnt compute to us.

Royal Princess

Royal Princess

Princess Diana looked radiant while aboard the new P&O cruise liner named after her called Royal Princess!

All Smiles

All Smiles

When Princess Diana was around her kids, it was all smiles.

Iconic Smirk

Iconic Smirk

This snapshot of Princess Diana smirking her iconic smirk lives in our minds rent-free.

Her final vacation

Her final vacation

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On one of her last vacations, Diana spent time in St. Tropez as a guest of the Al Fayed family. Just six weeks later, she and Dodi Al Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris.

Humanitarian to the core

Humanitarian to the core

Diana walked through an active land mine field to bring attention to the plight of civilian victims whose lives were forever changed by the damage caused to their bodies.

Revenge is an LBD

Revenge is an LBD

On the night Prince Charles confessed his adulterous affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles to the international press, Diana held her head high and donned this stunning revenge dress.

Stunning in Dior

Stunning in Dior

Diana attended the opening of a Christian Dior exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 1996 and made a splash in this stunning backless Galliano dress and a pearl and sapphire choker.

Royal compassion

Royal compassion

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Diana often shocked the world by breaking royal protocol with compassion, like when she touched the gnarled legs of an HIV patient at a leprosy hospital in Kathmandu.

The Cool Mom

The Cool Mom

Diana brought the boys for a day at Thorpe Park so they could enjoy a simple, fun day out like regular kids.

Racing in the Mothers Race

Racing in the Mothers Race

Despite being royalty, that didnt stop Diana from participating in school activities. We know Prince William and Prince Harry especially loved seeing their mother run in the Mothers race.

Jigsaw Puzzle at Kensington Palace

Jigsaw Puzzle at Kensington Palace

We love this photo of Princess Diana helping Prince William with a jigsaw puzzle in his playroom in Kensington Palace.

Casey House

Casey House

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One of the best photos of Diana to ever come was the legendary snapshot of when she shook hands with one of the residents of the Casey House, an AIDS hospice in Toronto, Canada.

Wearing Pink at Highgrove House

Wearing Pink at Highgrove House

Princess Diana looked so stunning back in 1986, with this iconic photo of her rocking a pink and white outfit while sitting on a step at the Highgrove House.

Official Royal Baby Cuddler

Official Royal Baby Cuddler

Diana cuddling HIV-positive children at an orphanage in Brazil. She played a vital role in destigmatizing HIV and correcting misinformation about how the infection spreads.

Neves Bendinha Orthopaedic Workshop

Neves Bendinha Orthopaedic Workshop

Angola held a special place in the Princess Of Wales heart. This photo captures her big heart when she was with the children injured by the mines at Neves Bendinha Orthopaedic Workshop.

Dancing days

Dancing days

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Diana dances with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.

Casual Wear at Guards Polo Club

Casual Wear at Guards Polo Club

Princess Dianas casual outfits are unmatched, with this denim, sweater, and boot combo at the Guards Polo Club still being so iconic.

Fit for a Queen

Fit for a Queen

Diana looks every inch a queen herself, riding beside Queen Elizabeth to the Opening of Parliament in 1982.

Her Beloved Boys

Her Beloved Boys

Diana at home in Kensington Palace with Princes William and Harry.

That Sly Smile

That Sly Smile

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Diana makes her signature face while visiting the town of Alice Springs on an official tour of Australia in 1983.

The Honeymooners

The Honeymooners

Diana and Charles being all lovey-dovey on their honeymoon at Balmoral in Scotland.

A New Prince in Town

A New Prince in Town

Diana and Charles leave the hospital with a newborn Prince William.

The Big Announcement

The Big Announcement

Charles and Diana announce their engagement  and show off that ring  at Buckingham Palace in 1981.

Pride and Joy

Pride and Joy

Diana cuddles with a baby Prince William at her home in Kensington Palace.

Rocking Red Tartan

Rocking Red Tartan

Diana always looked stunning in tartan, especially in this red tartan dress designed by Caroline Charles.

Dramatic Wedding Gown

Dramatic Wedding Gown

While Princess Diana remarked that her wedding was one of the worst days of her life, she did look ethereal in her dramatic wedding gown.


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Just days ago, Emma Stone stepped onto the Venice Film Festival red carpet in a custom, shimmering Louis Vuitton gown. The bubble skirt-slash-column dress hybrid was made for a Hollywood princess, with a fitted bodice and thin, crystal-embellished straps. And, if all eyes werent already on Stone for her performance in Bugonia, the sparkling sequin accents would have captured them instantly.

But now, the actor has traded in the glitz and glamour of Italy for a rustic, mountain-approved wardrobe. Over in Colorado for the Telluride Film Festival, where Stone continued to promote her forthcoming Yorgos Lanthimos-directed film, the energy has been more relaxed. More of a celebration than a competition, the weekend-long event might be smaller than its Venice and Toronto counterparts, but is certainly just as mighty.

Vivien Killilea - Getty Images

For her Colorado look, Stone and stylist Petra Flannery opted for a darker color palette and heavier fabric choices, appropriate for the colder mountain climate. The two styled an oversize, brown suede jacket over black leather pants and a cozy sweater, and paired the fit with tortoiseshell sunnies and pointed, square-toe boots.

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Arguably the best detail, however, was the Sophie Buhai shoelace choker that was wrapped around Stones neck, designed in brown cotton with silver accents at either end. It was an elevated take on the favored accessory of the late 2010s.

Bugonia, Stones latest in a series of successful collaborations with Lanthimos (2023s Poor Things, 2024s Kinds of Kindness), follows two conspiracy theorists convinced that a high-powered CEO is an alien, on Earth to destroy the planet. Also starring Alicia Silverstone and Jesse Plemons, it will be released on October 31.

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Filipino American actress Liza Soberano, star of the 2024 film Lisa Frankenstein, shared harrowing details of her childhood abuse in the latest episode of the YouTube series Can I Come In?. Speaking about her early years in Santa Clara, California, the 26-year-old described the instability she faced due to her parents struggles with addiction and crime.

Bonnie and Clyde parents

Soberano shared that her mother, Jacqulyn, developed a methamphetamine dependency, while her father, John, faced multiple charges including drug manufacturing, illegal possession of firearms and violating a restraining order. Soberano said the two were like a Bonnie and Clyde duo, focused on survival without regard for consequences.

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Her father was eventually deported to the Philippines, leaving her mother to raise Liza and her younger brother while continuing to battle addiction.

Trending on NextShark: Liza Soberano says she was treated as the 'family dog' during abusive childhood

Abduction at age 2

One of Soberanos earliest memories of trauma came at just 2 years old, when her mothers then-boyfriend, Michael, abducted the family in a stolen minivan. They lived in the vehicle for days until relatives filed a missing persons report. Soberano recalled unbuckling her car seat and attempting to flee, only to be caught.

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Michael reportedly demanded that she strike her baby brother with her seat, which she refused, and later hit her on the head with a gun. Her mother ultimately called the police, leading to Michaels arrest, but she was also taken into custody, leaving the children without either parent.

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Foster care abuse

After her mothers imprisonment, Soberano and her brother entered foster care, moving through several homes before staying the longest with a woman named Melissa, whom she described as her mothers former high school friend. At first the home seemed stable, but she said the treatment soon became abusive. I was the only one that wasnt allowed to participate in family movie nights because I was the family dog, she recalled, describing being forced to sit in a cardboard box while others watched films.

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She alleged that Melissa ordered her to clean dog feces with her tongue, withheld food for days and locked her in a cold garage overnight while threatening to harm her brother if she cried out. Soberano admitted she lied to social workers during routine check-ins, believing her guardians reassurances of love. It was only during a surprise visit, when she was visibly bruised, scratched and malnourished, that her true condition was exposed and she was removed from the home.

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New life in the Philippines

Soberano and her brother later went to live with their paternal grandparents in Visalia, California, where she experienced stability for the first time. We were actually living a very lavish lifestyle it was the first time that me and my brother were experiencing something like this, she said. Despite the comfort, she admitted she craved and longed to be with her mother and often spent summers with her. When her grandparents faced health and financial struggles, the siblings were sent to the Philippines at age 10 to live with their estranged father, a transition Soberano described as deeply uncomfortable.

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The move marked the beginning of her life in the Philippines, where she would eventually rise as one of the countrys biggest teen stars before making her Hollywood debut in Lisa Frankenstein. Looking back on her journey, Soberano reflected on her resilience, telling her younger self: Im never going to let anyone make you feel inferior ever.

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This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter  a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.

Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member  your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community.

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Jim Jarmuschs 14th feature, Father Mother Sister Brother, brought the Down by Law and Paterson director to the Venice Film Festival for only the second time  and inevitably into the controversy surrounding the films distributor, MUBI.

MUBI, which releases the Venice competition premiere in theaters December 24, is facing external and internal backlash due to MUBI investor Sequoias ties to the Israeli defense industry. The streamer and distributor accepted a $100 million investment from a company that also backs Kela, a defense startup founded in 2024 by Israeli intelligence veterans after the October 7 terrorist attacks. A list of signatory filmmakers and a letter from MUBI staffers have called upon the company to drop the investor. MUBI CEO Efe Cakarel released a statement earlier this month claiming that the companys relationship with the venture capital firm is not involved in funding the war in Gaza.

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Jarmusch was asked during the Father Mother Sister Brother press conference by Screen Internationals Ben Dalton whether he had spoken to the distributor about its funding structure, which has thrown a wave of negative press attention at MUBI all summer.

Yes, I have spoken to MUBI about it, and I have a very good relationship particularly with [MUBI CCO] Jason Ropell at MUBI who called me immediately. He had not been made aware when this relationship was made, Jarmusch said. My relationship with MUBI started much before that, and they were fantastic to work with on this film. I was of course disappointed and quite disconcerted by this relationship. Really, if you want to discuss it, you have to address MUBI about it. Im not the spokesman. However, yes, I was concerned.

He added, I also have a distribution agreement with MUBI in certain territories which I had entered in before my knowledge of this. Having said that, on a personal level, I have to say I am an independent filmmaker and I have taken money from various sources to be able to realize my films. I consider pretty much all corporate money is dirty money, and if you start analyzing each of these film companies and their financing structures, youre going to find a lot of nasty dirt. Its all there. We could avoid it and not make films at all, but the films are how I choose to carry things I would like to say. Im concerned, but one thing I dont like  and you have not done this  is putting the onus of the explanation of this on us, the artists. Its not us; its MUBI you must address. And not just MUBI, but other companies as well.

At the press conference also were members of Father Mother Sister Brothers ensemble cast, including Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, and Vicky Krieps. Co-star Indya Moore, who has been a vocal supporter of Palestine and was arrested at a 2023 New York City protest demanding a ceasefire, also spoke up to answer the question.

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Since the genocide of Palestinians began, there has been an incredible amount of creative warfare and resource warfare behind the scenes, she said. The issue with the way people are trying to figure out how we are going to work at a capacity that is ethical and not enabling a systematic pipeline that funds these kinds of things to happen to people a kind of due diligence that people are learning how to do is a developing process. These are not questions weve ever had to ask before, especially as independent artists. Were all trying to figure out how to navigate this and survive. One thing is for sure: If you were to ask me, Indya, why did you work here or work there when this person is there or that entity is behind this thing? Most likely, I didnt know.

Earlier this month, in response to the backlash, Cakarel said MUBI would install an Ethical Funding and Investment Policy to establish future criteria for funding partners, as well as an advisory council of arts to help inform the policy.

Israels ongoing war in Gaza has been a major focus of the Venice Film Festival already. A march of thousands, calling for an end to the war, descended down the Venice Lido Saturday afternoon toward the festival grounds. Last week, Free Palestine protests were held outside the Biennale headquarters, calling for the festival to take a public stance on the war. Ahead of the festival, filmmakers including Marco Bellocchio, Matteo Garrone, and Alice Rohrwacher launched an appeal for organizers to take a pro-Palestinian stance.

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Imagine this: you wake up on a Thursday morning, and by the same time the next day, you could be sipping a margarita under Caribbean skies. Sound too impromptu to be true? Thats precisely the allure of Margaritaville at Seas Ultimate Paradise Pass, the cruise industrys first  and now reintroduced  season pass.



Its designed for travelers who crave the freedom to board a ship to the Bahamas on a whim, whenever the mood strikes or the schedule allows.

The not so fun part of taking a vacation is usually the logisticsjuggling calendars, setting a budget, and booking months in advance.

Related: Norwegian Cruise Line is making cruising more personal

For locals within driving distance of Palm Beach or Tampa, or vacationers with flexibility, the Paradise Pass, takes that pressure off. Its equal parts value and spontaneity, offering cruises that you can slip into your life when the time feels right.

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Margaritaville at Sea offers quick getaways with tropical vibesImage source: Margaritaville at Sea.

Margaritavilles pass makes waves again

Margaritaville at Sea originally launched the Ultimate Paradise Pass in 2023, bringing Jimmy Buffetts island state of mind to the high seas with the cruise industrys first real season pass. For roughly $899, you and a guest could take nonconsecutive two-night trips to the Bahamas as many times as you liked through the end of that year. The program drew attention for its novelty and accessibility, with pricing around $899.

Now, Margaritaville at Sea has brought the pass backwith new options for even greater flexibility. The two passes to choose from are the Silver and Gold Paradise Passes both valid from September 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.

Heres how the passes compare:

Silver Paradise Pass  starting at $799

Covers two adults in an Ocean View stateroom on 2- and 3-night itineraries aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise

$25 in casino play per sailing

5% discount on onboard spending

Extra discounts on additional cabins and retail bookings

Third and fourth guests can be added at reduced rates

Related: Carnival Cruise Line passengers ponder retiring on a cruise ship

Ultimate Gold Paradise Pass  $1,499

Includes all Silver benefits, plus:

Access to 2- through 7-night sailings on either the Paradise or the new Islander

Balcony stateroom upgrades available

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$50 in casino play per sailing

10% savings on onboard purchases and packages

Free Express Pass with the first booking

Balcony upgrade option available for every sailing

According to Margaritaville at Seas official terms:

Passholders can book one stateroom at a time (Ocean View included, with the option to upgrade to a Breezy Balcony at purchase)

Non-consecutive sailings only , which means no back-to-back cruises

Bookings must be made between 30 days and 24 hours before departure by calling the cruise line

A passholder must sail with at least one guest

You can pay an additional fee to travel solo

Importantly, the pass does not include taxes, port fees, gratuities, or fuel surcharges.

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It is important to check Margaritavilles website for all the official terms and conditions: https://www.margaritavilleatsea.com/

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How Margaritavilles Paradise Pass stacks up in the cruise world

Margaritavilles pass stands out as one of the most approachable options in the cruise industry. Still, other lines have experimented with similar programs, but at dramatically higher price points.

Virgin Voyages first launched its Annual Pass at about $120,000 for 2025, then raised the 2026 version to $199,000, adding ultra-luxe features like a week on Necker Island (with business-class flights), a $10,000 shopping spree aboard, daily champagne, birthday suite upgrades, and exclusive excursions.

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Villa Vie Residences took another approach with its Endless Horizon Program, which lets guests effectively live aboard for multiple years while sailing the globe. Costs start around $299,000 and can and can go much higher, depending on accommodations and duration.

Related: A cruise line has a golden passport for unlimited sailing

Compared with these programs, Margaritavilles Paradise Pass is far more accessibleoffering repeat vacations to the Bahamas rather than a luxury lifestyle commitment.

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Why Margaritavilles Paradise Pass resonates

Accessible Escape: For under $800 (Silver) or $1,499 (Gold), travelers unlock unlimited short cruises over more than a year

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Flexible Booking: The 30-day to 24-hour booking window makes it easy for planners and spontaneous travelers alike

Default Ocean View Comfort: Every pass booking includes an Ocean View stateroom, with balcony upgrades available

For travelers based in South Floridaor those who work remotely or have flexibilitythe value lies in those spontaneous getaways.

Margaritavilles Paradise Pass may not suit the jet-setter chasing luxury perks, but thats not its aim. Its built for the traveler who wants affordable, spur-of-the-moment escapesa way to turn an ordinary week into an island getaway. As Buffett famously sang, Its 5 oclock somewhereand with the Paradise Pass, that somewhere could be the Bahamas almost any time you choose. For those who value flexibility over frills, its hard to beat the chance to keep a little paradise always within reach.

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(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)

Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.

This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Probably the most overlooked destination in Southeast Asia, Laos retains a timeless feel. In fact, in the 25 years Ive been going, its practically stayed the same. While it does fly under-the-radar, there are still plenty of luxe hotels to choose from. Below are my top three places to visit in Laos for laid-back charm, few crowds, and traditional villages nestled in the hills.

Luang Prabang

This city in north-central Laos, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the beating heart of Lao Buddhism. The highlights of a stay here include the pre-dawn ritual of chanting from a wat (a Buddhist temple or monastery) or, in the evenings, browsing the high-energy night market.

What to See and Do:

Every morning, hundreds of monks walk through the streets collecting rice donations from townspeople in an act known as almsgiving. On a visit to Luang Prabang, Ill pair you with a guide wholl help you take part in this spiritual practice.



A visit to nearby MandaLao Elephant Conservation offers a rare chance to interact withand trek besideformer logging elephants. This experience prioritizes the animals wellbeing by focusing on increasing the population, collecting data, and working with experts who have success in re-wilding.

Where to Stay:

Avani+ Luang Prabang A guest room at Avani+ Luang Prabang hotel. A guest room at Avani+ Luang Prabang hotel.

Once the quarters of French officers and Laos government officials, the Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel blends seamlessly into the surrounding UNESCO-protected area. Inside, you'll find 53 sleekly minimalist rooms and suites, an 82-foot swimming pool, and attentive service.

Northern Hills

If few people make it to Laos, even fewer head to the hills north of Luang Prabang. As arguably one of the most scenic parts of the countrywith remote jungles and traditional villagesI suggest allotting at least three to four days to explore this mountainous region.

What to See and Do:

Tuomas A. Lehtinen/Getty Images The inside view of the Pak Ou Caves looking out to the Mekong River. The inside view of the Pak Ou Caves looking out to the Mekong River.

I can arrange for you to take a boat up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to the Pak Ou Caves, a pilgrimage site of two caves that have been carved into limestone cliffs, and filled with thousands of Buddha statues along the inside ledges. The site is retired from active worship but still venerated.

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Scattered throughout these sparsely populated hills are plenty of traditional villages. Hike through the jungle with a guide, and meet distinct local groups (otherwise known as hill tribes) like the Akha, Karen, and Hmongeach unique with their own language, cultures, and traditions.

Where to Stay:

Nam Kat Yorla Pa, a luxe lodge with floor-to-ceiling glass window cottages on the Nam Kat River, in the Oudomxay Province, combines elegance and warm hospitalityamid lushly jungled mountains. Its an excellent base for exploring the surrounding protected forest, too.

4,000 Islands

Leo Viktorov/Getty Images 4000 Islands' breathtaking landscape with water falls. 4000 Islands' breathtaking landscape with water falls.

The Mekong Rivers widest point breaks into hundreds of channels that meander around a riverine archipelago called Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands). The number of impressive waterfalls alone make it worth the visit, but theres more to uncover in the nearby southern province of Champasak, too.

What to See and Do:

The Lippi Falls (or Liphi), on Don Khone island, is one of the most impressive cascades on this section of the river. I suggest a guided tour: you'll take a boat along the calmer sections and, with any luck, glimpse the Irrawaddy dolphins that live here.

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One of the oldest sacred sites in Southeast AsiaChampasaks Wat Phou, a Khmer-Hindu temple complexis actually considered to be the blueprint for Cambodias Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap. A guided tour here can help you better understand the spiritual history of the region.

Where to Stay:

Just 20 minutes from Wat Phou, La Folie Lodge is the only hotel on the tranquil island of Dong Daeng, making it a peaceful respite with just 25 exclusive rooms and suites. At this lodge, guests can borrow complimentary bikes to visit local villages like Ban Si Moung Khoun, Ban Hua Don Daeng, and Ban Si Chanto.



Jack Tydeman is a member of Travel + Leisure's A-List and specializes in Cambodia, Laos, & Vietnam trips. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Tydeman by contacting him at jack.tydeman@audleytravel.com.

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Labor organizations and political activist groups are sponsoring more than 1,000 protests in cities and smaller communities across the nation Monday.

Dubbed "Workers Over Billionaires," the protests aim to emphasize the power of American workers over that of billionaires who fund the Republican and Democratic parties alike

Boston, Chicago and New York City are among the larger cities in which protests were underway.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to keep federal troops out of the city while addressing protesters there after President Donald Trump suggested he would deploy them to address crime.

"No militarized force in the city of Chicago," Johnson told the unknown number of protesters at the city's Haymarket Memorial.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to keep federal troops out of Chicago during Monday's "Workers Over Billionaires" protest event in the city. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"We're gonna defend our democracy in the city of Chicago," he said. "We're gonna protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago."

Johnson concluded his speech by saying: "No matter what comes from the White House, Chicago will always be a labor town."

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The Chicago protest event began at 11 a.m. and included a march to locations in the city's West Loop that protesters say are connected to Trump's agenda to "dismantle worker rights," according to an event news release.

Large groups of protesters attended events in many cities, but organizers did not provide estimates on the number involved, according to USA Today.

"It's important to show that there is opposition to the Trump-billionaire agenda in every community, big and small," Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Action Center on Race and the Economy, told the news outlet.

"It's very important to show the opposition in there in all these places," Bhatti added.

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Vice President J.D. Vance responded to a USA Today request for comment regarding the many protests by referring the news outlet to a recent quote by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"We finally have a president who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day," Leavitt said regarding Labor Day, as reported by USA Today on Friday.

"President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy and our national identity," she continued, "which is why he's championed an agenda that puts them first always."
It's tomato season and Lidia is harvesting on farms in California's Central Valley.

She is also anxious. Attention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could upend her life more than 23 years after she illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border as a teenager.

The worry is theyll pull you over when youre driving and ask for your papers, said Lidia, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only her first name be used because of her fears of deportation. We need to work. We need to feed our families and pay our rent.

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As parades and other events celebrating the contributions of workers in the U.S. are held Monday for the Labor Day holiday, experts say President Donald Trumps stepped-up immigration policies are impacting the nation's labor force.

More than 1.2 million Immigration disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents.

Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants, according to Pew senior researcher Stephanie Kramer. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants and 24% of service workers are immigrants, she added.

The loss in immigrant workers comes as the nation is seeing the first decline in the overall immigrant population after the number of people in the U.S. illegally reached an all-time high of 14 million in 2023.

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Its unclear how much of the decline weve seen since January is due to voluntary departures to pursue other opportunities or avoid deportation, removals, underreporting or other technical issues, Kramer said. However, we dont believe that the preliminary numbers indicating net-negative migration are so far off that the decline isnt real.

Trump campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants working in the U.S. illegally. He has said he is focusing deportation efforts on dangerous criminals, but most people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. At the same time, the number of illegal border crossings has plunged under his policies.

Pia Orrenius, a labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said immigrants normally contribute at least 50% of job growth in the U.S.

The influx across the border from what we can tell is essentially stopped, and thats where we were getting millions and millions of migrants over the last four years, she said. That has had a huge impact on the ability to create jobs.

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'Crops did go to waste

Just across the border from Mexico in McAllen, Texas, corn and cotton fields are about ready for harvesting. Elizabeth Rodriguez worries there wont be enough workers available for the gins and other machinery once the fields are cleared.

Immigration enforcement actions at farms, businesses and construction sites brought everything to a standstill, said Rodriguez, director of farmworker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry.

In May, during the peak of our watermelon and cantaloupe season, it delayed it. A lot of crops did go to waste, she said.

In Ventura County, California, northwest of Los Angeles, Lisa Tate manages her family business that grows citrus fruits, avocados and coffee on eight ranches and 800 acres (323 hectares).

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Most of the men and women who work their farms are contractor-provided day laborers. There were days earlier this year when crews would be smaller. Tate is hesitant to place that blame on immigration policies. But the fear of ICE raids spread quickly.

Dozens of area farmworkers were arrested late this spring.

People were being taken out of laundromats, off the side of the road, Tate said.

Lidia, the farmworker who spoke to the AP through an interpreter, said her biggest fear is being sent back to Mexico. Now 36, she is married with three school-age children who were born here.

I dont know if Ill be able to bring my kids," said Lidia. "Im also very concerned Id have to start from zero. My whole life has been in the United States.

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From construction to health care

Construction sites in and around McAllen also are completely dead, Rodriguez said.

We have a large labor force that is undocumented, she said. Weve seen ICE particularly targeting construction sites and attempting to target mechanic and repair shops."

The number of construction jobs are down in about half of U.S. metropolitan areas, according to an Associated General Contractors of America analysis of government employment data. The largest loss of 7,200 jobs was in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California, area. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area lost 6,200 jobs.

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Construction employment has stalled or retreated in many areas for a variety of reasons, said Ken Simonson, the associations chief economist. But contractors report they would hire more people if only they could find more qualified and willing workers and tougher immigration enforcement wasnt disrupting labor supplies.

Kramer, with Pew, also warns about the potential impact on health care. She says immigrants make up about 43% of home health care aides.

The Service Employees International Union represents about 2 million workers in health care, the public sector and property services. An estimated half of long-term care workers who are members of SEIU 2015 in California are immigrants, said Arnulfo De La Cruz, the local's president.

Whats going to happen when millions of Americans can no longer find a home care provider?" De La Cruz said. What happens when immigrants arent in the field to pick our crops? Whos going to staff our hospitals and nursing homes? ___ An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the name of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The name is not Immigration Control and Enforcement.
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge crosses the Columbia River and connects Washington and Oregon. (Photo by edb3_16/Getty Images)

A $1.5 billion project to bury a 1-foot-thick and 100-mile-long high voltage power transmission line under the Columbia River turned down fast-tracked federal permitting approval offered by a Trump administration executive order earlier this summer.

Although the Cascade Renewable Transmission System project will move through a slower federal permitting process, it has to wait for permits from Oregon and Washington anyway. But this track may avoid alienating the two blue states.

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We chose to go with the standard process, said Chris Hocker, the projects lead and a senior vice president for PowerBridge, the projects parent company.

We felt that simply asking for this expedited approval wouldnt necessarily have any impact on what the states would be doing in terms of their review authority, he added. And so we saw very little advantage, and we thought it might undermine the coordinated effort.

Hocker said PowerBridge also picked the standard federal permitting process because of the complexity of the project, which will bury a transmission line 10 to 15 feet under a giant river between two states, and will require tribal consultation.

A Reuters news analysis last week said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invoked President Donald Trumps order declaring a national energy emergency to expedite the project.

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But Kerry Solan, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, said in an email that was wrong and added the project had opted out of the emergency processing procedures.

Bypassing bottlenecks

The project aims to beef up power transmission infrastructure between where electricity is generated east of the Cascades and where its consumed, which is in population centers along the Interstate 5 corridor. It would also move power past transmission bottlenecks in Portland to an important north-south high voltage transmission route and to data centers on the citys west side, Hocker said.

The project comes at a time when power planners say the region is in desperate need of power and power lines to move it. The region has less available power as clean energy laws in Washington and Oregon increasingly block fossil-fuel-generated electricity. Meanwhile, power demand is expected to potentially double in coming decades because of growing consumption from data centers, as well as home and vehicle electrification.

More transmission is absolutely needed, whether its our project or anybody elses project, Hocker said.

Not without a fight

While the Cascade Renewable Transmission project between The Dalles and the Vancouver-Portland area has come at an opportune time, that doesnt mean it has a clear path to approval.

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Columbia Riverkeeper does have major concerns about this project  specifically, the short-term and long-term environmental impacts of dredging a giant trench through the river and the impacts to aquatic species, said Teryn Yazdani, a staff attorney for the organization.

Yazdani also fears the project would set a precedent, eventually turning the river  which is already pushed to its limits by power infrastructure  into a utility highway.

The proposed transmission project also stands to harm tribes treaty-protected fishing rights and sovereignty, said Julie Carter, a lawyer and longtime policy analyst for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fishing Commission.

Its death by 1,000 cuts, she said. They want to dig into critical habitat  habitat thats needed for  salmon and steelhead, for Pacific lamprey.

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Carter said she worries in particular about lamprey, a species Native nations in the Columbia Basin have worked hard to save. So little is known about lamprey that the project could dig its channel right into the middle of their migration route.

Carter said PowerBridge hasnt released enough specifics about the project for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fishing Commission to fully understand its impacts.

Theres so many questions for us that were just scratching our heads, Carter said.

Permitting march

The Corps echoed that sentiment earlier this year when it said the projects permitting applications didnt have enough information.

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But Hocker said PowerBridge has since provided the Corps more details and the federal agency has started consulting with regional Native nations about the proposed project.

Its really up to the Corps to determine the next steps, but I expect that they will need to delve further into the environmental impacts of the project, he said.

Solan of the Corps said the agency currently considers the application closed.

We are working with the applicant to obtain additional information necessary for us to move forward with a thorough review and evaluation, she said.

On the state permitting front, the project expects to submit siting applications to Washington and Oregon in the next month or so, Hocker said.

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Its been the product of a lot of work and a lot of studies in an attempt to answer the many questions that arise for a project like this, particularly one that has never been considered in the region, he said.

If all goes well, Hocker said the process will take a couple more years before the project can break ground.

This article was first published by The Columbian through the Murrow News Fellowship, a state-funded program managed by Washington State University.
BEIRUT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon and Syria agreed Monday to form joint committees to address the issues of border security and missing persons, during a meeting between the two sides in Beirut.

A Syrian delegation, led by Mohammed Taha Al-Ahmad, director of Arab Affairs at Syria's foreign affairs authorities, met with Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.

According to Lebanon's National News Agency, the meeting focused on ways to resolve common issues and strengthen mutual trust.

Key topics discussed included the cases of Syrian detainees and missing persons in Lebanon, as well as Lebanese missing persons in Syria, according to the report.

They also agreed to cooperate on border control and prevent smuggling, while discussing the facilitation of the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.

Also on Monday, Deputy High Commissioner for UN High Commission of Refugees Kelly T. Clements said in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that more than 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Lebanon, with expectations that over 200,000 additional refugees could return by the end of the year.

According to estimates by Lebanon's General Security Directorate, the country hosts more than 2.08 million Syrian refugees. 
CALLAHAN COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  The driver was airlifted to the hospital, and the passenger was killed after a fiery crash west of Cross Plains on Monday morning.

Just after 10:00 a.m., first responders were called to Highway 36, east of US 283.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the driver veered into a ditch, struck a pole, and then collided with multiple trees. The crash sparked a vehicle fire that spread to nearby grass, but was quickly contained.

While the driver was able to escape the vehicle, the passenger was trapped and succumbed to his injuries. CareFlight transported the driver with life-threatening injuries.

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The passenger who died was previously reported as 56-year-old Ulises Moreno, but DPS retracted its statement, saying the investigation is ongoing due to a lack of evidence to confirm the identity of those involved.

The Department of Public Safety, Cross Plains and Eula Volunteer Fire Departments, and the Callahan County Sheriffs Office all responded to the scene.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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DENVER (KDVR)  Two planes collided midair as they were approaching the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport on Sunday afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board reported in a statement to FOX31.

A Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 were attempting to land at the airport around 12:10 p.m. before they crashed into each other, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. Each of the planes had two occupants.

Man tries to run over ex-girlfriends mother, crashes into 2 homes

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The Morgan County Sheriffs Office responded to the crash and said that the planes caught fire. The sheriffs office said there were injuries in the crash, but the extent of the injuries was unknown.

The office provided an update stating that the Cessna occupants sustained minor injuries, while one person from the EA300 was taken to the hospital and the other was pronounced dead at the scene.

NTSB will lead the investigation and said that investigators are expected to arrive at the scene of the crash on Monday afternoon.

A preliminary report is expected in approximately one month, which will contain the probable cause of the crash, along with any other factors that may have contributed to the incident.

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The administration asks that anyone who witnessed the crash, may have information or surveillance video, contact them at witness@ntsb.gov.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
DENVER (KDVR)  A person was arrested after an altercation led to a shooting Monday morning, according to the Adams County Sheriffs Office.

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Around 7:45 a.m., deputies received a call reporting an individual down. When they arrived at the scene near E. 62nd Avenue and Broadway, they found a victim with a gunshot wound to the lower leg and applied a tourniquet.

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The victim was responsive and gave a detailed suspect description and provided a photo of the suspect vehicle, which deputies located after alerts from FLOCK cameras throughout the area.

The sheriffs office did not say where the person was found.

The spokesperson said it appears that there was an altercation between a construction worker and a driver. The construction worker was trying to reduce speeds in a work area, and an altercation ensued. The driver allegedly shot the construction worker in the leg, then fled the scene.

The suspect was arrested and identified as 21-year-old Isiah Small.

Small faces charges of first-degree assault and felony menacing.

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The sheriffs office said in a post on X that the victim is being treated at a local hospital.

The spokesperson said drivers should seek alternate routes as roads are blocked off in the area. Detectives are responding and the mobile crime lab is on the scene. She said officials will have more information to share once questioning is complete.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Sep. 1WABASHA  A 78-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a motorcycle crash on Sunday, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The crash happened around 5:19 p.m. on Minnesota Highway 60 in Glasgow Township, west of Wabasha. The motorcycle, a 1995 Harley Davidson FLHTC Cruiser, was traveling west when it went off the roadway and struck a guardrail.

The driver, a 78-year-old Medford man, was taken to Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester. Neither road conditions nor alcohol were cited as factors in the crash. The Wabasha Police and Fire departments, Wabasha County Sheriff's Office and Wabasha ambulance assisted the State Patrol.
An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston after a prank in which he rang the doorbell of a home and ran away, police said Sunday.

The boy had been ringing doorbells as a prank late Saturday evening, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Commonly referred to as ding dong ditching, the prank involves fleeing before someone inside the home opens the door.

The boy, who has not yet been identified, died of his wounds Sunday, police said.

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Police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan said that officers were still investigating and had not arrested anybody in connection with the boy's death as of Sunday evening.

Other "ding dong ditch" pranks have turned deadly in the past. In 2023, a Southern California man was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder for killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they rang his doorbell as a prank.

And in May, a Virginia man was charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting an 18-year-old who had rung his doorbell while a filming a TikTok video of the prank, the New York Times reported.

___

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
An 11-year-old has died after he was shot while playing a doorbell ditch prank in Houston, police said, the latest tragic example of a TikTok trend authorities have been warning parents about in a case that could yield a murder charge.

The boy and his friends were playing a game of ding dong ditch at a house down the street from their homes just before 11 p.m. Saturday when a person inside the house came out and shot the boy, Houston police said.

A witness said the boy was running from the house on Racine Street after ringing the doorbell when he was shot, police said.

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The boy was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead on Sunday, according to police.

Authorities used a bullhorn outside the home Saturday night to urge the person inside to come out with their hands up, CNN affiliate KTRK reported. Police detained one person for questioning.

Officers brought a person back to the home in handcuffs shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday, according to KTRK. Authorities said the person was detained again Sunday night but was not formally charged, KTRK reported.

Houston Police are still actively investigating, the department told CNN Monday.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video and working with the Harris County District Attorneys Office on possible charges, CNN affiliate KHOU reported.

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Itll more than likely be a murder charge, Sgt. Michael Cass, a homicide detective with the Houston Police Department, told KHOU, noting the boys death does not appear to involve self-defense because the shooting wasnt close to the house.

George Skinner, a resident of the neighborhood, told CNN affiliate KPRC the tragedy hit close to home for him because he has a 10-year-old grandchild and other young family members who often play in the area.

The 70-year-old said he has lived in the neighborhood most of his life and has never seen anything like this happen before.

Me and couple of my neighbors, we just were real sad that something like that actually happened to a child, you know? he said. Ten years old, you got a long ways to go.

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Ding dong ditching is an age-old prank thats risen in popularity in recent years as a social media challenge. TikTok videos often feature variations where pranksters pound on or kick peoples front doors.

In a Dallas suburb at the end of July, a man fired shots into a fleeing car after someone banged on his door, according to police. The man was arrested on charges of aggravated assault.

In May, an 18-year-old high school senior in Virginia was shot and killed while filming a ding dong ditch to post on TikTok, The New York Times reported. The man accused of shooting the teen was charged with second-degree murder.

In 2020, three 16-year-olds were killed when a man rammed his car into their vehicle in retaliation for pulling a ding dong ditch prank on him. The man was convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2023.

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Authorities across the country have raised concerns about the door knock challenge, warning of both the potential danger and legal consequences for those involved.

Think its funny to bang on doors and run? Think again, the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office in Indiana wrote in a Facebook post in August. What might seem like a prank can lead to serious legal trouble, property damage, or worse  someone getting hurt.

Thats a good way to end up dead, especially in Florida, Sheriff Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriffs Office told CNN affiliate WESH in July after arresting a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy for kicking a residents door one night.

The teens were captured on a doorbell camera creeping up to a familys home and kicking the door before running away, WESH reported. Authorities took two hours to find them.

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Youre endangering your future with this TikTok challenge, Chitwood said. Youre going to be charged with a felony. The two teens were charged with burglary, according to WESH.

CNNs Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.

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An 11-year-old boy has died after being shot at while playing "ding-dong-ditch" in Houston, Texas, officials have confirmed

The shooting took place at around 10.55 p.m. on Saturday, Aug 30 with the child being pronounced dead the following day

"Ding-dong-ditch" involves ringing the doorbell on a property and running away before the door is answered

An 11-year-old boy has died after being shot at while playing a common childhood prank in Houston, officials have said.

The child was with friends and playing "ding-dong-ditch," which is a game that revolves around ringing a doorbell and then running away before someone answers the door, PEOPLE previously reported.

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The fatal shooting occurred in Houston around 10:55 p.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 30, per a City of Houston news release. The boy was pronounced deceased by doctors the following day, on Sunday, Aug. 31, police said.

"Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a juvenile male in the 9700 block of Racine Street," the post stated, adding that the identity of the victim "is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences."

Getty A stock photo of a police car A stock photo of a police car

Houston Police Department's (HPD) Homicide Division Sergeant M. Cass and Detective J. Brown said, per the release, that officers "were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away."

"A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound," the release added.

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The post noted, "Officers detained one person at the scene for questioning. That individual was questioned and released. Detectives are gathering more information as the investigation continues."

Resident Theresa Jones called the incident "really sad," and said that guns shouldn't be around kids, insisting a bullet doesnt have a name," per Click2Houston.

Police have not yet released the shooter's identity or discussed details of any potential charges.

The HPD and the Harris County District Attorneys Office didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

The latest "ding-dong-ditch" incident comes after a Texas man fired shots at teenagers playing the prank on the evening of July 28 on Scottsdale Way in Frisco, the Frisco Police Department said in a press release last month.

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During their investigation, police learned the suspect, Damon Wolfe, 58, left his home after hearing a loud bang on his door. He fired multiple rounds at a passing car because he thought the occupants were involved, police said.

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The Frisco Police Department arrested Wolfe on Aug. 7 on three counts of aggravated assault, one count for each person in the vehicle. The charges carry a potential sentence between two and 20 years in prison, and a $10,000 fine, police said.

Parents please talk to your kids about the dangers of participating in these types of Tik Tok challenges, Frisco Police Chief David Shilson warned in the Aug. 18 release.

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The officer added, The teens involved in this case are very fortunate they were not shot and killed or seriously injured. For homeowners, it is important to understand that there are legal and criminal consequences for running outside and shooting at a vehicle fleeing the scene."

"The bullets fired in this offense could have easily struck neighbors houses and had deadly consequences. This entire incident is completely senseless and avoidable had better decisions been made by all involved," Shilson concluded.



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On Aug. 16, Caden Ballard was severely burned while attempting to recreate a social media experiment at home in Coleman, Texas

Caden's older brother pulled his shirt off and made him roll on the floor to put out the flames sparked in the incident

When I walked up to the porch, he was just face, chest, arms, stomach covered in burns," Caden's mom, Christina, told local media outlet KXAN Austin

A 12-year-old boy in Texas is recovering after suffering second-to-third-degree burns across his body in a failed attempt at an experiment seen on social media, according to reports.

On Aug. 16, Caden Ballard was at home in Coleman, Texas, with his older brother when he was inspired by a TikTok video to recreate an experiment that involved lighting a bottle filled with rubbing alcohol on fire to watch flames rise, local news outlets KXAN Austin and KRBC-TV, along with CBS 42 reported.

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The pair initially thought the results of their test were cool, but the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, as isopropyl alcohol has an almost invisible flame once ignited.

It looked like the fire had gone out, Caden told KXAN Austin. So, my brother grabbed and said, Here, throw it away. So, I grabbed it to throw it in the trash can, [and] my shirt was on fire.

Having been on the other side of the property at the time of the incident, Cadens mom, Christina, learned about it from a friend who heard her sons calling 911, according to KXAN Austin.

When I walked up to the porch, he was just face, chest, arms, stomach covered in burns. It looked like his skin had been melted away, Christina recalled, per the outlet, adding that it was unexpected as her sons usually listen to story times on the app.

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The mom is urging other parents to encourage their children not to copy anything they see online because they never know if it could put them in the hospital or worse.

The damage to Cadens body was minimized by his older brother quickly pulling off his shirt and instructing him to stop, drop and roll to put out the fire. Christina told CBS 42 of her other son, I dont know how you were brave enough to reach into the flames and pull the shirt off of your brother. But I thank God every single day that you were brave enough to do that, she said.

We got very lucky; unfortunately, its bad, but Caden and I are very lucky that it wasnt a lot worse, Christina added, per KXAN Austin.

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Google Maps Shriners Burns Hospital in Galveston, Texas Shriners Burns Hospital in Galveston, Texas

A fundraiser set up for Caden's medical bills has raised over $1,500 of its $25,000 goal as of the morning of Sept. 1.

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In an update on the GoFundMe page on Aug. 31, Christina revealed that after undergoing surgery, Caden was moved to Shriners Pediatric Burn Hospital in Galveston. He has since been discharged from the hospital and is being treated as an outpatient.

They think he may have some scars, but the Shriners Hospital has mentioned that they will be fitting him with compression garments like gloves and shirts to minimize thick scars, Christina wrote.

They also want to continue seeing him as he grows because scar tissue doesnt stretch and grow the same way and because hes so young, he still has a lot of growing to do, she said, adding that he may need plastic surgery in the future.

Please continue healing prayers as this is a long-haul recovery, Christina concluded, per the page.



According to the fundraiser, Caden suffered "severe burns" across 11 percent of his body in the incident.

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LYONSDALE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  A 12-year-old has died after a serious UTV accident in Lewis County.

On Saturday, August 30, around 4:06 p.m., Lewis County Sheriffs deputies were dispatched to a report of an unconscious child at 7922 Moose River Road in Lyonsdale.

Upon arrival, bystanders reported that the child was injured in a UTV accident.

An investigation revealed that a 2002 Polaris Ranger, being driven by the child, was traveling southbound on a private driveway when they failed to negotiate a curve, causing the UTV to lose control and roll over, ejecting the child.

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After being ejected, the UTV struck the driver, causing serious injuries. The child was taken to the Port Leyden Fire Department by Port Leyden Ambulance to wait for the arrival of a Lifenet Helicopter. Before the child was taken by helicopter, they died as a result of their injuries.

The investigation of the accident remains ongoing.

Lewis County Sheriffs deputies were assisted at the scene by members of Boonville Ambulance, New York State Forest Rangers and Unlimited Towing.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR.
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Thirteen children have been found living in "deplorable" conditions in a home in Ohio, according to reports

Police said the children appeared "very filthy" and had multiple bug bites on their bodies, while there was no functioning toilet or shower in the property and allegedly no food in the kitchen, according to charging documents

The children's parents  Angel Oliveri and Cassandra Lambert, and Lambert's sister Angel Lambert  have reportedly been charged with endangering children and the kids have been removed from their care

Police have released bodycam footage showing the living conditions 13 children in Ohio were living in before they were removed from their parents' care, according to reports.

On Aug. 10 just after 6:30 p.m. local time, officers from Toledo Police Department initially responded to reports of an animal complaint at a house in the 300 block of Raymer Boulevard in Toledo, per the Toledo Blade newspaper.

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At the property, officers then reportedly found 13 children under the age of 14 living in deplorable conditions that put their heath and safety at risk, the paper reported, citing officials.

According to local ABC-affiliated station WTVG, charging documents found that the children had multiple bug bites on their bodies and there were multiple insect infestations, as well as there being human feces on the floor, no functioning toilet or shower and allegedly no food stored in the kitchen.

Animals were also found to have urinated and defecated on the floor, the station reported, citing the documents.

Alamy A Toledo Police Department vehicle A Toledo Police Department vehicle

According to the Toledo Blade, the children appeared very filthy, as if they had not bathed in days, citing the affidavits.

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Suspect Angel Lambert, 32, was charged with eight counts of endangering children, per the Toledo Blade, while Cassandra A. Lambert, 27, and Angel Oliveri, III, 25, were charged with five counts of endangering children. All three suspects, who pleaded not guilty and have since been released on their own recognizance (RoR), live at the Toledo address, per the outlet.

In the recently released police bodycam footage, one officer can be heard saying, What is that stench? before entering the house, according to a clip shared by local CBS-affiliated station WTOL.

Multiple children can also be heard chatting and introducing themselves in the video.

"I need your opinion, I need you to go inside and just look around, and tell me what you're thinking about this entire set up in here," an officer then asked another officer in the footage.

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"Do you think these living conditions are acceptable for children?" an officer asked Oliveri in the clip after getting his details, as he insisted, "No I don't."

Its one thing if adults want to live in filth, in their own filth, and not take care of themselves. Youre adults, if you want to live that way, these kids didnt sign up for that, the officer added.

According to Cleveland 19 News, Oliveri shares five of the children with his fiancee, Cassandra Lambert, while the other eight living in the home belong to Lamberts sister, Angel.

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The outlet stated that the three suspects have been ordered not to contact any of the children, adding that children's services confirmed the 13 kids had been removed from their parents' care.

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A family member of the kids told WTVG's 13 Action News that the children are now staying with another family member and are being well taken care of.

The Toledo Police Department, Lucas County Children Services and the Toledo Municipal Court did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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RAMALLAH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Presidency said on Monday that attempts to annex the West Bank and impose Israeli sovereignty are illegitimate.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the presidency spokesperson, said in a press statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA that the Israeli attempts are "a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions."

Abu Rudeineh added that the Israeli government seeks to undermine "efforts to stop the war against our people in the Gaza Strip and the attacks in the West Bank, and to end any opportunity to achieve a two-state solution."

Abu Rudeineh called on the international community "to take practical and serious steps to prevent Israel from implementing its plans, recognize the State of Palestine, and implement UN resolutions that support our people's inherent right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."

He also affirmed that "Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and that the occupation and colonial settlements are illegal and must be ended in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions, and the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice."

The Palestinian presidential spokesperson called on the U.S. administration not to "encourage the occupation to continue these dangerous and irresponsible actions."

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News has reported that Israel is considering annexing the West Bank to Israeli sovereignty in response to the intention of several European countries to recognize the State of Palestine. 
Nestle is a massive company. While you might only associate the name with those brands that wear it loud and proud (think Nestle Toll House cookies or Nestle Drumsticks), Nestle actually encompasses more than 2,000 brands over seven product categories, selling those products in 185 countries. With its roots planted in the founding of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in 1866 and Henri Nestle's development of a milk-based baby food, what would one day become the Nestle company quickly grew from there, expanding its product line and geographical footprint, acquiring other brands along the way. Now, you can hardly walk down a grocery store aisle without seeing something produced by Nestle.

Of course, with all that growth, prosperity, and reach, not everything is going to be perfect. Accidents happen, and with the seemingly continual rise of food recalls, it's not surprising that Nestle has experienced its fair share of product snafus that have led to substantial recalls over the last few decades. Here are a few of the most impactful.

Read more: Once Popular Sandwiches People Don't Eat Anymore

Lean Cuisine Ravioli Recall (2025)

Box of Lean Cuisine ravioli - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

In April 2025, Nestle USA recalled more than 50,000 cases of frozen Lean Cuisine meals. The affected butternut squash ravioli, which were selling in 37 states, reportedly had the potential to contain foreign objects, as one consumer told Nestle that they had choked on a wood-like material while eating one of the meals. Out of an abundance of caution, Nestle has extended the recall from the butternut squash ravioli to also include Lean Cuisine's lemon garlic shrimp stir-fry and spinach artichoke ravioli, as well as Stouffer's party-size chicken lasagnas.

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The detection of wood particles in food products is one of the most common reasons for food recalls, as wood often makes its way into food during the harvesting or manufacturing process. However, just because wood in processed food is common, that doesn't mean it's at all safe. In some instances, consumers report not just choking on wood-like pieces in recalled food, but also mouth or dental injuries.

Nestle Starbucks Mug Recall (2024)

Metallic Starbucks mug - United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

While Nestle doesn't own Starbucks, it did pay Starbucks more than $7 billion in 2018 for the rights to sell Starbucks products outside of Starbucks stores. As such, when a Starbucks-branded mug in a holiday gift set needed to be recalled in 2024, it was Nestle on the hook rather than the coffee company (though Starbucks has its own extensive number of recalls).

The mugs were part of a gift set that included coffee, cocoa, and two metallic mugs, sold at Target and Walmart through the prior holiday season. Unfortunately for consumers, though, the mugs couldn't manage to do the very thing they were designed for: hold hot liquids. In a dozen incidents, the mugs, when microwaved or filled with hot liquid, broke, leading to consumers experiencing severe burns and lacerations, with one customer requiring medical attention.

Unfortunately, Nestle didn't issue the recall for the mugs until March 2024  well after the holiday period, by which time the dangerous mugs had mostly found their homes. Nearly half a million mug sets were recalled.

Nestle Toll House Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recall (2022)

Box of Nestle cookie dough - Nestle

Nestle's Toll House stuffed chocolate chip cookie dough is exactly what your sweet tooth is craving. Giant, jumbo cookies are filled with a fudge-y, gooey center.

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Unfortunately, though, in 2022, customers found something else stuffed into those chocolate chip cookies. In October of that year, multiple consumers complained to Nestle that they were finding small pieces of white plastic in the cookie dough. As a result, Nestle issued a recall for the product across the entire United States, as well as Puerto Rico.

Like wood, plastic is a common foreign material that makes its way into processed food. Often, that plastic comes from the processing line when something accidentally breaks. Luckily, plastic isn't toxic, and a small piece of plastic will likely pass through your digestive tract with no issue after a few days. However, if the piece of plastic is large enough, it can cause you to choke, as well as cause chest pain or stomach pain. Some individuals are also allergic to plastic, and ingesting plastic can trigger an allergic reaction.

Pepperoni Hot Pocket Recall (2021)

Box of pepperoni pizza hot pockets - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

No one's going to argue that a Hot Pocket is the healthiest meal on the planet, but eating one (or two) isn't going to kill you  most of the time. In 2021, more than 760,000 pounds of Nestle pepperoni Hot Pockets were shipped out to stores with potentially glass and hard plastic inside.

In the recall, Nestle advised consumers to throw out or return their Hot Pockets, and via returns, Nestle was able to recover just under 220,000 pounds of the 760,000 pounds of Hot Pockets affected. Many consumers, though, could have eaten the Hot Pockets without ever realizing the danger, as the Hot Pockets were produced in November 2020 and the recall wasn't issued until February 2021. This happened after consumers reached out to Nestle to complain about finding foreign materials in their food, including one who reported an oral injury. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service ranked the recall as a Class I recall, which means the organization feels consumers have a reasonable probability of being seriously adversely affected, or dying, by eating the product.

Two Lean Cuisine Recalls (2020)

Lean Cuisine chicken fettuccine meal - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

In 2020, Nestle had to issue not one but two Lean Cuisine recalls. In the first, issued in May 2020, Nestle recalled more than 29,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine fettuccini alfredo, as the product contained chicken  which it's not supposed to  and that chicken introduced a known allergen to the product (soy), which was also not listed on the packaging. Nestle only became aware of the situation when consumers began complaining that they were finding chicken in their fettuccini alfredo (if they'd wanted chicken, they would've purchased the similar but separate chicken fettuccine, after all!).

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Chicken was at the center of Nestle's late 2020 recall as well. In December, Nestle recalled more than 90,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine baked chicken meals, as they were found to contain white, hard plastic. The meals featured stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy alongside the chicken, and Nestle believed that a plastic conveyor may have broken over the course of the meals' production, and then the conveyor's plastic pieces made their way into the meal's mashed potatoes.

Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough Recall (2019)

Packages of Toll House cookie dough - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

In October 2019, Nestle recalled a huge swathe of its Toll House cookie dough products that had been distributed across both the United States and Puerto Rico. More than two dozen different types of cookie dough  from sugar cookie to oatmeal raisin, peanut butter to white chip macadamia nut  were suspected to potentially contain bits of rubber.

Occasionally, rubber gets into food while it's being manufactured, as food processing machines use rubber seals that may break down over time, and then the rubber sheds into your food. Nestle did specify that the rubber was food-grade, which means the rubber would be non-toxic if someone did accidentally eat it in their cookies, but swallowing even a small piece of rubber, like a pencil eraser, can cause an intestinal blockage or gastrointestinal distress, which may or may not require a visit to the emergency room. Point being, while food-grade rubber probably won't kill you, you don't want to risk it if there could be some lurking in your cookies.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Crisp Recall (2017)

Butterfinger Crisp candy bars - Nestle

The Butterfinger Crisp candy bar  described as a twist on the traditional Butterfinger that utilizes wafers for a more airy, crispy vibe versus the candy bar's normal dense crunch  has come and gone from the Butterfinger family over the years. In 2015, it had been discontinued. By 2017, it was back. By 2021, it was gone again. Maybe one thing that led to the candy bar's current discontinuation was the 2017 recall prompted by several consumers reporting that they'd found pieces of plastic in their candy bars. Whatever the case, the recall affected more than 5,000 pounds of Butterfingers  and when the average Butterfinger only weighs 1.9 ounces, that's a lot of candy bars.

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Candy bar and candy recalls aren't anything out of the ordinary, though. Notably, in 2025, Tony's Chocolonely chocolate bars were recalled because consumers were finding small rocks in the chocolate. Also in 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a high-level recall for trending Dubai chocolate bars, as they were at risk for salmonella contamination.

Drumstick Ice Cream Recall (2016)

Box of Drumsticks - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

In 2016, Nestle issued a recall for its Drumstick ice cream cones because, after testing, it was found that Listeria monocytogenes were found on the equipment used to produce the ice cream cones. Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that leads to listeriosis, a serious form of food poisoning that can cause gastrointestinal upset in mild cases, and seizures or death in more serious cases. The elderly, children, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are most at risk for contracting listeriosis, and this risk is why many pregnant women are warned away from eating foods that most commonly carry Listeria monocytogenes, such as lunchmeat and certain cheeses.

Nestle reported that it conducts its own product safety testing, but in this particular instance, an error occurred in reporting the testing results, and so the company didn't know about the Listeria monocytogenes exposure until the impacted ice cream cones had already been shipped out to stores.

DiGiorno, Lean Cuisine, And Stouffer's Recall (2016)

DiGiorno pizzas in freezer - The Image Party/Shutterstock

In 2016, Nestle had to issue a multi-brand recall when a handful of its frozen food brands were found to contain shards of glass. All of the impacted products contained spinach, and all of the spinach was sourced from the same spot, so it's a good guess that the broken glass started out in the leafy green, and then made its way into a variety of Nestle products, including multiple types of DiGiorno pizzas, Lean Cuisine meals, and Stouffer's meals. All in all, the recall impacted a jaw-dropping 3 million frozen meals across a dozen products.

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Nestle verified that no consumers had reported being injured by the products. Still, you probably didn't feel all too easy around this time if you were craving a frozen pizza and a beer. During a similar timeframe, bottles of Corona Extra were being recalled due to the possibility that consumers could find broken glass in their beer bottles.

Maggi Noodle Recall (2015)

Packet of Maggi noodles - Thomas Faull/Getty Images

In 2015, Nestle's Maggi noodles were at the center of a huge controversy that's still discussed today. Early that year, Indian food safety authorities performed tests on the product and said that the noodles contained potentially harmful levels of lead. Nestle, meanwhile, argued that the tests were unreliable.

Regardless, a recall and an entire national product ban occurred, and Nestle ended up destroying 400 million packets of noodles and losing nearly $70 million dollars in the process. Before the recall, Maggi claimed an 80 percent market share of noodles in India. While all this was happening, the Indian government also decided to sue Nestle for $100 million, complaining that Maggi ran misleading ads.

Nestle, though (which, by the way, began selling Maggi noodles in India again in November 2015), has been clear that the company has run its own tests  as many as 3,500  on the noodles and found that they were and are completely safe to eat. It also clarified that the same testing that had shown the noodles contained harmful amounts of lead also showed that the noodles contained MSG, which they do not. Regardless, experts found that, after the controversy, the purchase of Maggi noodles waned.

Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recall (2014)

Haagen-Dazs ice cream - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

Sometimes, recalls are issued because the product packaging doesn't actually match the product inside. Some sort of confusion happened at the plant, and the wrong item ended up in the wrong box or bag. While sometimes that only ends up making consumers miffed that they didn't get what they thought they were buying, other times this issue results in a potentially major safety hazard, as was the case in 2014, when Nestle recalled 10,000 packages of Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip ice cream. Instead of the ultra-chocolatey ice cream that the packaging claimed was inside, each package instead held Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.

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Again, while this might be a mild inconvenience to some, it could actually be life-threatening to others. Peanut allergies are the most common food allergy in kids, and one of the top-three most common food allergies in adults. Peanut allergies can lead to anaphylaxis, and so patients with peanut allergies are advised to keep an EPI-Pen on them at all times  making it all the more crucial that food manufacturers always let consumers know when an item might include peanuts.

Philly Steak Hot Pockets Recall (2014)

Boxes of hot pockets in freezer - Dorann Weber/Getty Images

In 2014, Nestle recalled approximately 238,000 cases of Hot Pockets  specifically two varieties of Philly steak and cheese Hot Pockets  all because Nestle had been sourcing the meat for the Hot Pockets from Rancho Feeding. While that might not mean anything to you now, it was a big deal then.

In 2014, Rancho Feeding was at the center of its own recall scandal. The company, now defunct, was ordered to recall approximately 9 million pounds of beef because the processor was found to have harvested beef from diseased cows with cancer. They then sold that meat to customers such as Nestle, essentially meaning cancerous beef ended up in your Hot Pocket. The USDA had found that Rancho Feeding's beef was considered unfit for human consumption, but thankfully, there were no reports that anyone fell ill from eating the beef. Still, it's not a nice thought.

Buitoni Beef Ravioli And Beef Tortellini Recall (2013)

Pack of Buitoni beef ravioli - Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock

While this recall wasn't one that impacted Nestle USA, it was one that still shook the company's European branch. Issued in 2013, the recall came about after testing showed that Buitoni-branded refrigerated beef ravioli and tortellini did not contain 100 percent beef. Instead, there were some signs that some ground horse meat could have been used in the pasta products that had been distributed throughout Italy and Spain.

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The recall was part of a much larger European horsemeat scandal, which began when testing showed that a large majority of frozen meals sold at stores like Tesco contained portions of horse meat instead of fully beef, as packaging may've claimed. Still, while it might not be immediately obvious to the American consumer, the resulting outrage wasn't fully due to the mere fact that people were eating horse meat, but more so the fact that brands were lying about the meat they were using. In the European Union, consuming horse meat isn't uncommon, particularly in countries such as Italy, France, Spain, and Belgium.

Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough Recall (2009)

Packs of Nestle Toll House cookie dough - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers to completely avoid eating any and all prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. The organization said not to even bother cooking it, just throw it straight away, as an entire E. Coli outbreak was linked to the product. More than 70 people across 30 states had been identified as part of the outbreak, with 34 people needing to go to the hospital, and 10 diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, an inflammatory condition that can lead to fatal kidney failure.

When asked about their habits, patients who were part of the outbreak reported eating raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough, and then, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tested some of the cookie dough, the organization found evidence of E. Coli. Later, a Nestle food safety specialist would come out and say that the E. Coli had likely stemmed from the raw flour in the cookie dough. While it doesn't seem as dangerous as eating raw eggs or meat, raw flour does, in fact, harbor both E. Coli and Salmonella.

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Vanessa Esquivel of Dallas was arrested on Aug. 20 in relation to the death of her 15-month-old child

Police accused her of "intentionally" leaving the baby behind in the car as temperatures reached "at least 95 degrees"

The Texas mom's baby was left in the car for more than two hours

A Texas woman is accused of leaving her 15-month-old baby to die in a car while she went to work.

On Thursday, Aug. 28, the Frisco Police Department confirmed in a press release that they had arrested 27-year-old Vanessa Esquivel after she allegedly left her baby in a hot car.

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The incident took place on Aug. 16, 2025, per the release.

Police officers and detectives with the Frisco Police Department responded to Medical City Plano and upon investigation, they learned that earlier on August 16, the childs mother, 27-year-old Vanessa Esquivel of Dallas, had arrived at her work in the 3200 block of Preston Road at approximately 2:00 p.m.," the statement read.

Authorities said they believed Esquivel "intentionally" left her baby inside the car for over two hours, despite knowing that the vehicle's air conditioning was not working.

The temperature outside was confirmed to be "at least 95 degrees.

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Authorities did not reveal the gender or name of the baby. The Frisco Police Department declined to provide additional comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Getty Stock image of police car Stock image of police car

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Evidence led to detectives finding "probable cause" that Esquivel committed murder as her intentionally leaving the child in the car caused injury/endangered the child, which is a felony.

Because it resulted in the child's death, her actions met the statutory requirements of Murder, authorities said.

Frisco Police Department Vanessa Esquivel Vanessa Esquivel

Esquivel was arrested by Dallas Police on Aug. 20 after a search warrant was issued by detectives.

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She was transferred to the Collin County Jail by officers from the Frisco Police Department.

Esquivels bond has been set at $250,000. If shes found guilty of the first-degree felony, she faces five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

People with information are advised to contact the Frisco Police Departments non-emergency number (972-292-6010) or submit a tip using Tip411 (text FRISCOPD + the tip to 847411).



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DENVER (KDVR)  A 15-year-old who attends Lester Arnold High School was arrested after he allegedly viciously and randomly attacked an Adams City High School student, Commerce City police said.

Police in a press release Monday morning said the violent attack happened off school grounds on Thursday. The alleged attacker followed the victim to the 7400 block of Quebec Street, a few blocks from both schools, where the assault happened.

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The victim courageously fought off the attacker but sustained serious injuries in the process, police said.

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The suspect then left the scene on foot.

Adams County School District 14 provided video surveillance of the suspect approaching the victim and fleeing the scene, and school staff immediately recognized the suspect and provided information to police.

When a student was violently attacked last week after leaving school, we were determined to make an arrest as quickly as possible and we did, police said in a Facebook post.

The suspect was arrested on Friday less than a day after the attack. He is facing a second-degree assaultstrangulation charge, police said.

Everyone should feel safe around their school its that simple, police said. We hope this arrest helps.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Support is pouring in for the family of a 17-year-old killed in a crash in Sibley County early Saturday.

Mya Jean Maus, 17, of Henderson, died when she was driving on Highway 19 just east of Gaylord and was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle just after 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The three occupants of the other vehicle, including another 17-year-old driver, were hospitalized with injuries. The driver's condition is unknown, while two adult passengers suffered life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol say none of the three people in the other vehicle were wearing seatbelts.

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A Meal Train was organized for Maus family in the wake of her death, allowing community members to bring meals to the family in coming weeks.

A fundraiser was also organized to help the family pay for lost wages and funeral expenses.

As of midday Sunday, the fundraiser had reached around $11,000 of its $15,000 goal.

Your generositywhether through meals, donations, or simply keeping them in your prayerswill allow them to focus on being together, grieving, and healing without the added stress of daily responsibilities, the Meal Train reads.

Tributes were also posted to Maus on social media.

Bayside Manor, an assisted living facility in Gaylord where Maus worked as an aide, described her as sassy, kind, funny, and absolutely perfect in all the ways that mattered.

The crash remains under investigation by the State Patrol.

This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Aug 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN News section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW)  A 17-year-old boy shot and killed Saturday night in a Maple Heights neighborhood has been identified as a Shaker Heights High School senior.

Police responded at about 10 p.m. to the 5200 block of Thomas Street for a report of gunshots with injuries, according to a previous news release.

Getting a drivers license will soon be tougher in Ohio

Once there, they found two boys had been shot. They were aided then transported to a hospital. Officers then found a third boy along Cato Street, who also had been shot, according to the release.

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He died in the backyard of a home in the 5200 block of Cato Street, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office.

The medical examiners office identified the boy as 17-year-old Jayden Bonner of Shaker Heights.

Bonner was a senior at Shaker Heights High School, Superintendent David Glasner wrote in a message to parents on Sunday:

Dear Shaker Heights Schools Community, It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Jayden Bonner, a senior at Shaker Heights High School. The death of a young person is a profound tragedy, and we know this news will affect many in our school community. Please note that this message is not being sent directly to Shaker Heights High School students. We believe it is important for parents and guardians to share this news with their student(s) in the way they feel is most appropriate. As we enter into the school week, counselors will be available at the High School and throughout the District to support students, staff, and families. If you or your student need immediate assistance, please call or text the Crisis Lifeline 988 or Bellefaires 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 1-888-418-6777. Families may also contact the Safe Schools Helpline at 1-800-418-6423, ext. 359, text TIPS to 614-426-0240, or visit schoolhelpline.com. Staff who would like support may contact AllOneHealth 24/7 at 800-521-3273. Supporting children through grief can be challenging. The following resources from the National Association of School Psychologists may be helpful: Addressing Grief

When Grief Hits Home: Tips for Caregivers

Parents Guide to the Grieving Child As we process this loss together, we ask you to keep Jaydens family in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Boy fatally shot playing ding dong ditch, police say

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Maple Heights detectives at 216-587-9624 or detectives@mhpd-ohio.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  A teenager has died after being shot in Shreveport.

Shreveport woman dead after vehicle crash in Bossier Parish

According to the Caddo Parish Coroners Office, 17-year-old Cameron Balletine was killed on Sunday, August 31, just after midnight. The victim was shot multiple times in the 3300 block of Bond Drive between Roy Road and Downing Street.

Balletine was taken to Ochsner LSU Health Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The Shreveport Police are still investigating the incident.

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Currently, there is no information available on whether the police have made any arrests or identified a suspect.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
NEED TO KNOW

Noah Markham was born two years after Hurricane Katrina because his embryo was rescued from the catastrophic flooding

He admits his story seems unbelievable  including the part where his older brother is actually his "twin" because they were embryos together

Noah, now 18, plans to follow in his father's and grandfathers military footsteps by serving in the Army as a mechanic

Noah Markham was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit  but wasnt actually born until two years later.

I was there, but I wasnt there at the same time, Noah, 18, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview for this week's issue. All the [storms] after that I was there for, though.

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If that sounds strange to read, that's because it's very strange indeed.

Noah early life is the complicated, headline-making tale of how an embryo was saved during a hurricane and became a person.

Now a young man, he's recently started a new chapter as an Army private first class and plans to follow in his father's and grandfathers military footsteps.



His parents, Glen and Rebekah, had used in vitro fertilization to have their first son, Witt, on Aug. 19, 2004, about a year before Katrina made landfall. Five more embryos were stored at a fertility clinic in New Orleans.

Just prior to the hurricane hitting, 1,200 canisters holding frozen embryos, including the Markhams, were topped off with liquid nitrogen and moved to Lakeland Hospital, according to the clinics disaster plan.

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Glen Markham tells PEOPLE that then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco approved a rescue team to go to Lakeland to rescue the embryos.

The best-case scenario was the embryos could remain safely frozen for weeks, but with the power out at the facility  like at so many other places in the city  and temperatures topping a sweltering 100 degrees, the embryos might not survive at all.

A rescue was launched on Sept. 11, 2005, and the embryos were found intact.

And Noah was one of em, Glen says. They went in flat-bottom boats from different police agencies and got em before they defrosted.

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Courtesy Dr. Sissy Sartor Police officers and state troopers in New Orleans rescued more than 1,400 frozen embryos from Lakeland Hospital in 2005. Police officers and state troopers in New Orleans rescued more than 1,400 frozen embryos from Lakeland Hospital in 2005.

Noah says when he was younger, he thought he just got "pretty lucky."

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"The older I get, I definitely think I wouldnt be here if not for them," he says. "And Im very, very thankful to people that saved me.

It was two years after the embryos were saved before the Markhams decided to have another child. Noah, named after the Biblical figure and his famous Ark, arrived on Jan. 16, 2007.

He remembers his mom telling him that when he came out of the hospital for the first time, their family was surrounded by news people and photographers.

They were just trying to get an interview with her because it really was a miracle, he says. It was all good news from something that was a lot of bad news.

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Glen, a retired New Orleans motorcycle police officer who now works for another agency, and Rebekah, a hospital administrator, later divorced but stayed in the same area as the boys grew up.

Noah says that as a child, "I was kind of popular and all the teachers, they played my video in class because you can go on YouTube and there's videos about it."

"So everyone really kind of already knew," he says. "It just kind of sounds not believable. Nobody believes you were frozen."

Everyone else in Katrina's path has a story worth remembering, too, he says.

Theres a bunch of bad, sad stories, but at the end of the day, you just feel closer to home because you are all connected by it, Noah says. My grandparents lost everything, including a self-playing piano that my dad always talked about and misses.

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Twenty years later and you can still drive through parts of New Orleans that are not recovered. But, says Noah, he hopes lessons were learned that will prevent similar destruction from happening again.

Courtesy of Glen Markham Noah (left) and Witt Markham Noah (left) and Witt Markham

For now, he's firmly fixed on the future.

He graduated from Covington High School in the spring and went into Army basic training on May 28 at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. Now he's in advance training school at Fort Lee, outside Richmond, Va., where he is studying to be a mechanic.

Noah and Witt will both be serving at the same base  Louisiana's Fort Polk  when Noah graduates in December.

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And there's one more unusual twist to his already unique origin story: He considers Witt his "twin" because they're from the same set of embryos, despite their three-year age difference.

"That's the hardest thing to explain to people," Noah says, adding, Ive been on this earth for more than 21 years  but technically, Ive only been born for 18."

He's excited, he says, to serve in his home state and plans to live there for the rest of his life despite his precarious start.

"Property and items are replaceable," he says. "At the end of the day, as long as you stay alive, that's all that matters."



Read the original article on People
Two children and a man were hospitalized after a boat crashed into a dock at Eagle Mountain Lake in North Texas on Sunday night, authorities said.

The accident was reported about 7 p.m., according to the Tarrant Regional Water District.

The injured children were taken to Cook Childrens Medical Center in Fort Worth, and the adult patient was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital Downtown. Information about the extent of their injuries was not immediately available.

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The TRWD Law Enforcement Division is investigating the crash along with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office. Azle Fire Department paramedics also responded to the scene.

This is a developing story. For the latest updates, sign up for breaking news alerts.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Two men are in the hospital after a shooting on Youngstowns South Side.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. Monday in the 100 block of E. Philadelphia Ave.

Police say one man was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the foot. Both are said to be in stable condition.

Someone also shot at two cars in the area, shattering their windows.

If you know anything, you are urged to call Youngstown Police.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Two small planes collided midair on Sunday as they were attempting to land at an airport in Colorado, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA said two people were aboard each aircraft, and the Morgan County Sheriffs Office told NewsNation, The Hills sister station, that one person was killed and three were injured. Two of those injured sustained minor injuries and were released at the scene. The third was transported to a local hospital.

The aircraft, a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300, collided while trying to land at Fort Morgan Municipal Airport in Colorado at approximately 12:10 p.m. local time, the FAA said.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, and investigators will arrive on the scene tomorrow afternoon, the NTSB said in a statement.

Updated at 1:53 p.m. EDT

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CAIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the ongoing Israeli military offensives in Gaza as a persistent violation of international humanitarian law.

Israel's "military expansion" contradicts intensive global mediation efforts, including the joint effort by Egypt and Qatar to halt the war through a new ceasefire proposal, and reflects a complete absence of Israeli will to end the Gaza war, de-escalate regional tensions, and restore calm and peace, the ministry said in a statement.

Israel retreats from the peace process based on the two-state solution, which is supported by the international community, the ministry said, adding that the Israeli policies of starvation and siege against defenseless civilians in Gaza threaten to multiply the catastrophic humanitarian consequences in the enclave.

On Aug. 8, Israel announced that its Security Cabinet had approved a plan to take over Gaza City, which immediately drew condemnation both domestically and internationally.

On Friday, the Israeli military said it had begun the preliminary operations and initial stages of the attack on Gaza City, and is operating with great intensity on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the daily 10-hour humanitarian pause in the city is canceled, adding that the city now constitutes a "dangerous combat zone."

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 63,557 people and injured 160,660 others, Gaza-based health authorities said Monday, adding that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza have caused 348 deaths, including 127 children. 
AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  Two young adults were shot near the University of Akron shortly before midnight on Saturday.

According to a media release, at about 11:43 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, police were called to the 500 block of East Exchange Street for reports of a shooting. When officers arrived on the scene, they found two victims  a 19-year-old male and an 18-year-old female.

Getting drivers license soon be tougher in Ohio

Both were taken to a nearby hospital.

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The shooting is actively being investigated by our detectives. We are asking anyone

with information about this shooting to contact the Akron Police Department, stated the release.

Costcos new shopping policy to start Tuesday

Anyone with information is asked to call the Akron Police Department Detective

Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.

Anonymous tips can also be provided the following ways:

The Summit County Crimestoppers: call 330-434-COPS

Text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637

Download the Akron PD app and submit information by texting Tips411or by

accessing the link on our website www.AkronCops.org

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
FOREST HILL, WV (WVNS)  Camp Meeting on the Greenbrier returned with a lot of familiar faces, and some new ones.

SportsZone Week 1: A new season begins with plenty of drama!

The Mark Dubbeld Family is back leading the worship. Janene, who is the mother of the family, said her family always looks forward to this Labor Day Weekend camp.

We have been coming here for 14 years. Our children have pretty much grown up on this campground by the river and we love it, said Dubbeld.

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Camp Meeting on the Greenbrier used to run under a different name  the Peyton Camp Meeting. After some financial and health troubles some years ago, the current Board for the Camp Meeting quickly took over to continue the tradition.

Janene Dubbeld said her favorite part of this weekend camp is their welcoming of new people and visitors with open arms.

They do not really care, you know, how you come as you are because they believe God will make you into what he wants you to be, added Dubbeld.

After their Sunday morning worship service, they had a special ceremony for baptisms in the Greenbrier River, right next to the Summers County 4-H Camp. During this time, Camp President Jeff Chambers had the privilege of assisting with his own granddaughters baptism.

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I always think this is the best camp, but then next year I may think that is the best thing. But the Lord meets us every year. We kind of set the stage and He takes over. Just an awesome, awesome services, fellowship, friendships, said Chambers.

Gov. Morrisey hopes to connect the Mountain State with broadband expansion efforts

It was an absolutely packed Sunday afternoon with a kid-favorite bike parade and a Singspiration, where folks could sing, yodel, and showcase whatever talent they had before dinnertime.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
A 23-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Berlin.

According to Berlin Police, on Sunday night, around 9:31, officers responded to a crash on West Street,

Investigation indicates a motorcycle was traveling west on West St. when it lost control and struck a home; the operator was found nearby.

Upon arrival the the scene, Berlin Fire/EMS provided immediate aid to the victim, identified as a 23-year-old man from a neighboring town. Despite lifesaving efforts, the motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries on scene.

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No occupants of the home were injured.

The identity of the man has not yet been released.

Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the victim during this difficult time, Police Chief Eric Schartner said. It truly is a tragic event, and a life taken too soon is heartbreaking for his loved ones as well as the first responders on scene, he added.

The crash remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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FAA: Starship launches could close Playalinda Beach access for equivalent of 60 days per year

SpaceX's future Starship-Super Heavy launches and landings from NASA's Kennedy Space Center could trigger safety closures of Playalinda Beach totaling the equivalent of 60 days per year, Federal Aviation Administration officials project as a "most conservative" estimate.

But online opposition continues to organically grow over the FAA's proposed Starship licensing plan, which would impose temporary closures of the Canaveral National Seashore public access road while allowing up to 44 annual launches of the mega-rocket from pad 39A.

Read the full story here.

SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 hits milestones. What does this mean for Cape Canaveral?

The 33 engines powered up and SpaceXs massive Starship crept slowly skyward  kicking off its tenth test flight out of Texas.

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Previous flights did not go as hoped, but this time was different.

Read the full story here.

'Keep Playalinda Open': Proposed SpaceX Starship beach closures rekindle 1980s debate

In 1980, Barbara Evans and her husband, Hank, spearheaded the Titusville-based grassroots group Save Our Beach after NASA threatened to shut down road access to popular Playalinda Beach for future space shuttle security purposes.

Now  a full 45 years later, and two years after Hank passed away  Barbara Evans is again fighting to preserve Playalinda Beach access.

Read the full story here.

SpaceX sunrise launch recap: Live updates from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station mission

Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Wednesday, Aug. 27, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-56 mission.

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Read the full story here.

SpaceX's Texas perception; Starship launch concerns in Brevard County, Florida: Space Beat

This week on our YouTube exclusive show Space Beat, host Rob Landers talks with space reporter Rick Neale about Texas residents' perception of SpaceX's Starbase and the concerns Florida residents have about Starship coming to the state's Space Coast.

Read the full story here.

SpaceX launch recap: Live updates from Starlink mission with record 30th booster landing

Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Thursday, Aug. 28, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-11 mission, which featured a record-breaking 30th booster flight.

Read the full story here.

What to know about the weekend SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX is set to launch another Falcon 9 rocket  and this time it will not be the middle of the night.

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According to SpaceX and navigational warnings, the next rocket launch is set for no earlier than 7:49 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 31 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX states it has until 11:15 a.m. to make the liftoff if needed.

Read the full story here.

Launch recap: SpaceX rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Sunday morning on Starlink mission

Launch recap: Scroll down to read live updates from the Starlink 10-14 mission which launched 7:49 a.m. Aug. 31 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Read the full story here.

NASA debuts Artemis control room for astronaut lunar missions. When is the rocket launch?

NASA's first lunar campaign in five decades since the Apollo era came to an end should be a little more technologically advanced than its 1960s-70s counterpart.

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The U.S. space agency has a brand new complex to watch over its upcoming Artemis II lunar campaign, which in 2026 could send three Americans and one Canadian on a journey around the moon. That mission will then pave the way for the first Americans to step foot on the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

Read the full story here.

'Space is the new high ground': L3Harris satellite facility to bolster Trump's Golden Dome

L3Harris Technologies has expanded its Palm Bay campus with a new $100 million satellite integration-test facility that will support President Donald Trump's future Golden Dome defense system to thwart incoming ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons.

"Space is the new high ground," LaTasha Dandy, L3Harris space dominance general manager, said during an Aug. 22 Space Coast Symposium panel discussion.

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Read the full story here.

Doubleheader SpaceX rocket launch days in Cape Canaveral set for midweek

The Space Coast is in for a treat with SpaceX planning back-to-back launch days midweek.

First up is the Starlink 10-22 mission. Liftoff is set for no earlier than 7:06 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Read the full story here.

For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (Sept. 1)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  This Labor Day weekend, hundreds of Albuquerque residents celebrated the end of summer with the 34th Annual Harvest Wine and Music Festival. Sunday at Balloon Fiesta Park, attendees enjoyed award-winning wines from all across New Mexico.

Visit Albuquerque showcases wine history with new pass

With a ticket purchase, guests get a souvenir wine glass and $5 off a bottle. Organizers say its a perfect opportunity to find a gift for that special someone or just treat yourself. You can stock up your fridge and be thinking about those holidays coming up November, December, when you want to gather the family around the table and pull out something special, youll find it here at the Harvest Wine and Music Festival, says Chris Goblet, executive director of New Mexico Wines.

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Guests also enjoyed food and live music. The festival continues through Labor Day.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
A 35-year-old man is dead after a paraglider crash on Sunday morning.

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Around 9:35 a.m., Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) Troopers were dispatched to a reported paraglider crash off U.S. Route 52 near Earl Thomas Conley Park in Scioto County, our news partners WBNS-10 TV reported.

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OSHP said that witnesses reported that the paraglider fell from the sky while flying over a field near the Ohio River.

The pilot, identified as 35-year-old Timothy Williams, of Byron, Georgia, sustained fatal injuries in the crash, WBNS-10 TV reported.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Three people have now died in a shooting in a Cincinnati neighborhood on Sunday.

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Police responded to reports of a shooting on Beacon Street in Mount Washington around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to our news partner WCPO.

When officers arrived, they found four people shot. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Medics transported the other two people shot to UC Medical Center, one of whom died from their injuries there.

The three victims have been identified as Bemnet Deresse, 27, Eden Adugna, 22, and Feven Adugna, 20.

The other critically injured person taken to the hospital is believed to be the suspect. Police told WCPO that the suspect attempted suicide.

He shot himself, attempted to take his own life. So we still have to let the investigation play out. So we have a lot of unknown questions at this time, Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said. Truly a tragedy today. The pain is very widespread, being felt by those involved, by our officers, by the residential community here. Its very sad.

The shooting, which happened both inside and outside of a home, remains under investigation.

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At least four civilians were killed and 27 were injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on Sept. 1.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russian forces launched 86 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones overnight, with air defenses intercepting 76. Ten other drones hit six locations, the military branch said.

In Donetsk Oblast, two people were killed and eight were injured, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

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Russian strikes in Kharkiv Oblast killed one person and injured three more, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

One civilian was killed and 13 others injured in Kherson Oblast, where Russian attacks damaged four apartment buildings and 14 houses, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

In Sumy Oblast, two civilians were injured as Russian forces targeted more than 150 settlements in 49 localities, local authorities said.

In Zaporizhia Oblast, a 66-year-old woman was injured as the Russian military launched 591 strikes on 20 settlements, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.

The latest strikes come as Moscow continues to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire, intensifying drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

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Read also: Putin meets Modi, Xi at Chinas SCO summit, again blames NATO expansion for Russia-Ukraine war

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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY)  The 46th Annual West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival wrapped up on Sunday with more fun, food festivities.

It began with a Catholic Mass that included communion as well as performances by Notre Dame High School. Retired Priest and Clarksburg Native Patsy Iaquinta gave a sermon in which he encouraged the crowd to remember that they come from families of immigrants.

My grandparents came over, had absolutely nothing, and they came over to help have a betterment, and I think it really was, they came over in faith, Iaquinta said. A lot of times I dont know whether the younger kids would have an appreciation for all that my parents and my grandparents had to give up.

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After the mass, there were a number of performances up on the main stage. Regina Maria XLVI Franchesca Aloi performed a song she wrote called Festival Magic. In her lyrics she celebrated the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival, with lines like we come alive when September is near and there shes holding a little crown, its all of us who hold this town.

Its important. Were the ones that keep this festival going, Aloi told 12 News. What keeps this festival alive is the people that come with their spirit.

Jane Lew firemans festival celebrates 45 years of community

The Allegro Dance Company, a Pittsburgh based dance company that has toured the United States and Italy, also took the stage, keeping tradition alive by showing the crowd some tarantellas and circle dances. The company told 12 News many of the dances they showed are over 2,000 years old.

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Founder of Allegro Dance Company Anna Harsh talked about the importance of performing the dances in front on a crowd.

The less people that learn these dances, itll fade away. So its our job to preserve these dances by teaching as many people as possible and passing it on to the next generation.

Along with arts and culture, there was also a meatball eating contest and other traditions that are special to so many people. Scheduled to wrap up the festival was a performance by Frankie Avalon followed by Amici.

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A serious injury crash closed all lanes of I-5 in Whatcom County on Monday morning.

According to Trooper Harding with the Washington State Patrol, both the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 5, near the intersection of Zell Road in Custer, were fully blocked for a two-car, serious injury collision.

The crash happened around midnight on the southbound lanes, according to information from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

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At first, just the left lane was blocked, but by 3 a.m., WSDOT reported that southbound I-5 was fully blocked south of Birch Bay Lynden Road.

Detours were set up around the closure, with southbound drivers exiting to Birch Bay Lynden Road and northbound drivers exiting to State Route 548.

WSP asked travelers to be patient while troopers investigated.

By 6 a.m., Trooper Harding confirmed that the roadway had been fully reopened.
Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar (2nd R) addresses the opening session of the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 1, 2025. This year marks the 20th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum, held under the theme "A Runaway World." European Council President Antonio Costa, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on Monday urged peace in Gaza during the Bled Strategic Forum, Slovenia's most prominent foreign policy gathering. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

BLED, Slovenia, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Antonio Costa, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on Monday urged peace in Gaza during the Bled Strategic Forum, Slovenia's most prominent foreign policy gathering.

Fajon, who opened the two-day forum in the Alpine resort of Bled, said that a ceasefire in Gaza is "urgent," stressing that hostages must be released and humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow.

Costa underlined that while Israel has the right to self-defense, this cannot justify "the indiscriminate destruction of civilian infrastructure, or the collective punishment of an entire population." He called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, a halt to illegal settlement activity and renewed international commitment to a two-state solution.

Musar noted that "through dealings with Gaza we reveal who we are... our handling of Gaza reflects the understanding of our humanity."

Fajon said the situation in Gaza was "beyond imagination every single day" because of "relentless bombings and deliberate starvation," reiterating that peace demands justice and that "a viable two-state solution is the only way forward."

Slovenia recognized the State of Palestine in June 2024 and currently serves as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Several dozen protesters also gathered in Bled, accusing Europe of complicity in the conflict. Some rowed onto Lake Bled, unfurling a banner showing EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, who attended the forum, shaking bloodied hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The forum will continue on Tuesday with panel discussions on new global partnerships.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Bled Strategic Forum, held under the theme "A Runaway World." Launched in 2006, the Forum is jointly organized by Slovenia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Centre for European Perspective. Over two decades, it has developed into the country's leading platform for dialogue on international and security issues, bringing together heads of state, government leaders, diplomats, scholars and business representatives to debate Europe's role in a rapidly changing global order. 

European Council President Antonio Costa (1st R) gives a keynote address during the opening session of the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 1, 2025. This year marks the 20th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum, held under the theme "A Runaway World." European Council President Antonio Costa, Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on Monday urged peace in Gaza during the Bled Strategic Forum, Slovenia's most prominent foreign policy gathering. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)
CHICAGO  Five people were shot overnight during a gathering at Ellis Park in the Oakland neighborhood on the citys South Side, at least the third incident so far in which multiple people were shot during whats been a violent Labor Day weekend around Chicago.

Neighbors and residents described to WGN-TV a chaotic scene in Ellis Park, saying the party started Sunday night and the crowd continued to grow.

I saw a whole lot of people downstairs in front of my building, on the side, and then I saw the police had blocked off the street, one woman said.

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It was chaotic. The cars couldnt go through, because they were all in the streets and just walking around. It was a lot of people out here.

RELATED: Labor Day weekend brings violence across Chicago

According to police, officers had already arrived to the area on a disturbance call around 1 a.m. Monday when they heard gunshots nearby. They relocated to where the gunshots were and discovered multiple victims with gunshot wounds in the 3600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue.

The shooting happened just steps from the University of Chicago Charter School. Social media posts indicated that a gathering, advertised as a reunion party, was taking place in Ellis Park. Residents said it appeared most of those attending the party were not from the neighborhood

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Motorcyclist, child both suffer life-threatening injuries after motorcycle collides with Corvette in Joliet, police say

According to police, Chicago Fire Department personnel arrived on scene to treat the shooting victims and take them to area hospitals. Police say one of the victims was a 17-year-old boy, who was listed in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds to the body.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

The other four victims ranged in age from 26 to 36, three men and one woman. According to police, three were listed in good condition and one was listed in fair condition.

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Police say four firearms were recovered at the scene, and area detectives were questioning a person of interest as they continue to investigate the incident. So far, theres been no update on whether any charges have been filed.

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Rescue teams continued to scour Afghanistan's mountainous east for survivors on Tuesday as the death toll from a strong earthquake rose to 1,400 with more than 3,000 people injured, an official said.

The injured are being evacuated, so these figures may change significantly, Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistans National Disaster Management Authority, told the Associated Press. The earthquake caused landslides in some areas, blocking roads, but they have been reopened, and the remaining roads will be reopened to allow access to areas that were difficult to reach.

(MORE: Hurricane Center Tracking New Area In Atlantic)

The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in several provinces, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under the rubble of homes constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood and unable to withstand the shock.

The majority of casualties were in Kunar province, where many people live in steep river valleys separated by high mountains. Helicopters are being used to evacuate the injured to hospitals, and aid agencies said their teams were making journeys on foot to reach the most isolated areas because of the rough terrain and ruined roads.

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The Taliban government has appealed for international help.

(MORE: Fecal Contamination Hits Beaches On Labor Day Weekend)

The UK has pledged 1 million ($1.3 million) in emergency funding to be split between humanitarian agencies rather than the Taliban government, which the U.K. does not recognize.

Other governments, including China, have offered disaster relief assistance.

It is the third major earthquake since the Taliban seized power in 2021, and the latest crisis to beset Afghanistan, which is reeling from deep cuts to aid funding, a weak economy, and millions of people forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan.

Mark Calder, advocacy director at the World Vision Afghanistan aid agency, warned of more than 250,000 people swelling the ranks of those needing help to access basic needs and services if resources were not made available.

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This will mean more people living without proper shelter, access to nutritious food to feed their families, clean water, and by extension malnutrition and disease in a context where the healthcare system simply cant stretch, said Calder.

Homes Collapsed And People Screamed For Help

Eastern Afghanistan is mountainous, with remote areas. The quake has worsened communications. Dozens of flights operated in and out of Nangarhar Airport, transporting the injured to the hospital.

One survivor described seeing homes collapse before his eyes and people screaming for help.

Sadiqullah, who lives in the Maza Dara area of Nurgal, said he was woken by a deep boom that sounded like a storm approaching. Like many Afghans, he uses only one name.

He ran to where his children were sleeping and rescued three of them. He was about to return to grab the rest of his family when the room fell on top of him.

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I was half-buried and unable to get out, he told the Associated Press by phone from Nangarhar Hospital. My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out."

It felt like the whole mountain was shaking, he said.

Tremors Felt In Neighboring Pakistan

Sunday nights quake was felt in parts of Pakistan, including the capital, Islamabad. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Afghan city of Jalalabad, close to Pakistan, is a bustling trade center and a key border crossing. Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area is thought to be far larger.

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Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture, including citrus fruit and rice farming, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake.

The U.N. gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by events in Afghanistan. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are ready to extend all possible support in this regard, he said on the social platform X.

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Pakistan has expelled thousands of Afghans in the past year, many of them living legally in the country after escaping Afghanistan as refugees over the past four decades.

At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan so far this year, according to a June report by UNHCR.
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY)  Overnight closures of all lanes of Interstate 64 westbound to allow contractor crews to install overhead signs are set to begin as early as Wednesday, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The full four-hour closures will take place on I-64 westbound from Settlers Landing Road/Woodland Road at exit 267 to North Armistead Avenue at exit 265 from midnight to 4 a.m. starting as early as Wednesday and Thursday, VDOT said. Signed detours will be in place to direct drivers from I-64 westbound to Woodland Road/Settlers Landing Road at exit 267 and North Armistead Avenue to access the I-64 westbound onramp. The backup date is Friday.

The timing of the work will depend on the weather and schedules and is subject to change.

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During the interstate closure, the onramp from Settlers Landing Road/Woodland Road to I-64 westbound will also be closed, and anyone traveling east on Settlers Landing Road will be directed to Woodland Road, East Mercury Boulevard, Old Buckroe Road, back to Woodland Road, Settlers Landing Road and North Armistead Avenue to access the onramp to I-64 westbound.

Starting as early as 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, the contractor will begin putting into place single-lane closures on I-64 leading up to the full westbound closures at midnight. The closures and detours will continue periodically during the fall to accommodate more overhead sign installations.

VDOT encourages drivers to use I-664 as an alternative route to avoid the work area when possible and are asked to be cautious when traveling near or in work zones, and to obey posted speed limits and follow any lane markings and barrier guides while being alert to digital messaging signs while driving distraction-free.

The work is part of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes Hampton Segment (Phase 4C) project.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Seventy-five percent of Ukrainians believe their country should agree to a ceasefire  but only if strong security guarantees are provided.

A survey by the Rating Group, conducted on Aug. 21-23, 2025, found that the majority of Ukrainians polled want peace and are open to certain concessions, but only on the condition that their country receives international security guarantees.

Respondents identified three main security guarantees: continued funding and weapons supplies from partners (52%); a commitment from allies to intervene militarily in the event of a repeated Russian attack (48%); and international patrolling of Ukraine's air and sea space (44%).

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When asked about Ukraine's immediate priorities, 58% said securing continued international funding and weapons supplies for the military was most important. By comparison, only 31% said that restoring Ukraine's occupied territories should be the top priority.

Moreover, 82% of respondents consider negotiations to be a realistic way to end the war, with 62% in favor of involving other countries in peace talks, and 20% in favor of direct negotiations with Russia.

The poll was based on a randomized sample of 1,600 respondents, surveyed via computer-assisted telephone interviews. People living in temporarily occupied Crimea and Donbas, as well as areas without Ukrainian mobile service during the survey period, were not included.

While Ukrainians express a willingness to pursue peace  both in opinion polls and through engagement in talks  the Kremlin has not demonstrated any interest in a negotiated settlement to the war. Instead, Moscow's top general has promised to continue fighting, and Russian forces persist in striking civilian targets.

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Read also: Wishful thinking, outright lies  Ukraine dismisses Russias claims of battlefield success

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HONOLULU (KHON2)  Hawaii is the place in the United States where people live the longest. In 2020, the islands reported the highest life expectancy in the country.

Even during the pandemic, when many states saw sharp declines, Hawaii held on to its standing at the top.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control has found that Hawaii continues to defy national expectations on death and longevity.

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Heres what we found in the report.

1. Overall life expectancy

The average life expectancy in Hawaii in 2020 was 80.7 years. That was nearly four years longer than the national average of 77 years. The states numbers did fall slightly from 81.6 years in 2019, but the drop was smaller than what most states experienced.

2. Life expectancy at birth

When a child is born in Hawaii, their expected lifespan is longer than in any other state. In 2019, the average was 82.3 years. In 2020, the number dropped slightly to 80.7 years; yet Hawaii still ranked first. By comparison, Mississippi had the lowest at 71.9 years in 2020.

3. Men and women

Women in Hawaii lived on average 83.8 years in 2020. Men lived 77.6 years. That gap between men and women was similar to the rest of the nation. Nationally, women lived 79.9 years and men lived 74.2 years.

4. Kupuna

At age 65, residents of Hawaii could expect to live another 21.0 years in 2020. That meant many people would live well into their 80s. Across the United States, the average at age 65 was 18.5 more years.

5. A national comparison

Hawaii topped the charts while Mississippi had the lowest life expectancy in 2020 at 71.9 years. The difference of nearly nine years between the two states shows how place can shape health and longevity.

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6. A closer look at the decline

The 2020 decline did not erase Hawaiis advantage. The gap between Hawaii and the national average grew slightly. In 2019, Hawaii was 2.9 years higher than the nation. In 2020, the lead was 3.7 years. That difference is the widest of any state.

7. The why behind the longevity

When comparing the leading causes of death compared with other states, Hawaii generally reported lower mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. These are amongst the top drivers of life expectancy differences.

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According to the CDC report, Hawaiis longer life expectancy is primarily explained by lower overall death rates, lower mortality from major diseases and consistently higher survival into older ages.

But as Hawaii residents moves into a realm of needing to work multiple jobs simply to obtain an average life, will this longevity bubble pop? Or will Hawaii residents figure out a way around the intrusion?

8. Why it matters

Life expectancy is one of the most important measures of public health. It reflects how well communities support long, healthy lives. Hawaiis lead highlights patterns that may set it apart. The states numbers show resilience even in a year when most of the country faced historic drops.

You can click here to the full CDC report.

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The numbers show that people in Hawaii live longer than those in any other state even as life expectancy fell in 2020, Hawaii stayed at the top as Hawaii residents live more years on average than people elsewhere.

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HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT)  An 8-year-old child died after drowning in a pool at a Hoover residence Saturday night.

According to the Hoover Police Department, Hoover Police and Fire were dispatched to a residence in the 2000 block of River Lake Drive in the Southlake subdivision at around 8 p.m. Saturday due to an 8-year-old male being found unresponsive in a pool.

The child was pulled from the pool, and lifesaving measures were attempted. The child was transported to Childrens of Alabama by the Hoover Fire Department, where he was pronounced deceased.

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The Shelby County Coroners Office and detectives with the Hoover Police Department are investigating the cause of the drowning, but no foul play is suspected. The Hoover Police Department says the incident is being investigated as an accident.

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NEED TO KNOW

An 8-year-old is recovering from a shark bite at a popular Texas beach over Labor Day weekend, her family said

Harper Ochoa felt the creature grab the back of her leg and began screaming, alerting nearby relatives

The girl received 13 staples below her calf to close the wound

An 8-year-old girl is recovering after a shark bite at a Texas beach over Labor Day weekend, her family said.

Harper Ochoa was in the shallow waters of Galveston on Saturday, Aug. 30, when she suddenly felt something grab the back of her leg, according to CBS affiliate KWTX.

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She screamed and pushed the creature away, alerting her family nearby. After they helped her out of the water, they noticed a large chunk of flesh was missing from below her calf,

It was just so much blood it was hard to tell what was going on, Harpers mom, Christa Ochoa, told KWTX. Then when they were able to kind of get it to stop bleeding, the doctor was able to confirm that it looked like something from a shark.

Harper received 13 staples to close the wound.

Despite what she endured, she asked if she could return to the beach the next day, per the outlet.

The Galveston Animal Services Division and Christa Ochoa did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on the incident.

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A 19-year-old was similarly bitten in 2024 in the Galveston area.

Damiana Humphrey was waist-deep in the water with her siblings when a shark latched onto her hand. First responders transported her to a nearby hospital, where she underwent surgery after the bite severed four tendons, according to KRIV.

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A patrol official told the outlet in 2024 that while around 8 million people visit Galveston beaches annually, shark bites are only reported infrequently.

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"It's really rare .... I've worked a few of them in my career and the ones I've seen were shark bites, not attacks, meaning it was a case of mistaken identity where they latched onto a human and swam away," the official said then. "It sounds like this may have been similar to that."



Read the original article on People
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  World War II veterans and others gathered at the National World War II Memorial on Sept. 2 to commemorate the end to the conflict which pitted Allied forces against Axis powers for nearly six years.

Victory over Japan Day, or V-J Day, is the date in 1945 when representatives of Japan formally signed documents of surrender, bringing World War II to an end. The ceremony took place on USS Missouri, while the ship was anchored in Tokyo Bay.

V-J Day came months after Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, when Nazi Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies.

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D-Day: The Greatest Victory

It was Germany that started the conflict when its forces invaded Poland in 1939. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany after that. Italy and Japan joined the Nazi forces, establishing the main Axis powers that fought against the Allies.

The United States entered the conflict after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, a date which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to as one that would live in infamy, as it has.

The Vietnam War: 50 Years Later

Those at the memorial on Sept. 2 will place wreaths at its Freedom Wall in remembrance of the more than 400,000 Americans and 60 million people killed worldwide during World War II. Representatives from the Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service will provide remarks. Each World War II veteran who attends the commemoration will be introduced and thanked for their service during a Parade of Heroes.

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The National World War II Memorial is located at 1750 Independence Ave. SW. The event is free and open to the public.

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  Since the fall of Bashar Assads government in December, some 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from neighboring countries and the figure could reach 1 million in the coming weeks, a top official with the U.N. refugee agency said Monday.

Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR Kelly T. Clements told The Associated Press in Damascus that about 1.7 million people who were internally displaced during the 14-year-old conflict have returned to their communities as the interim central government now controls large parts of Syria.

Its a dynamic period. Its an opportunity where we could see potentially solutions for the largest global displacements that we have seen in the last 14 years, said Clements, who has been in Syria for three days.

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Syrias conflict that began in March 2011 has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the countrys pre-war population of 23 million. More than five million Syrians fled the country as refugees, most of them to neighboring countries.

Clements said everybody has a different reason for coming back now, while some are delaying and waiting to see how things go.

As part of her visit, she went to a border crossing with Lebanon where she said she saw long lines of trucks and people waiting to head back to Syria.

Lebanese authorities had given an exemption to Syrians staying illegally in the country if they left by the end of August. Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, and in the past few days, thousands of Syrians headed back over the border.

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Returns numbers are exceptionally high, Clements said.

Many Syrians had high hopes after Assad was brought down in an offensive by insurgent groups in early December. However, sectarian killings against members of Assads Alawite minority sect in Syrias coastal region in March and against the Druze minority in the southern province of Sweida in July claimed hundreds of lives.

Clements said that about 190,000 people were displaced in southern Syria as a result of the fighting in July between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters. Since then, 21 convoy of relief supplies, of which UNHCR has been an important part, were sent to Sweida, she added.

She said the Damascus-Sweida highway, blocked for weeks by pro-government gunmen, is now open, which is very important because that will allow much more relief to come into the area.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  95-year-old Don Phillips of Sioux Falls hasnt always been an athlete.

I think I was 57 the first time I ran a mile, Phillips said Wednesday.

These days, however, theres barely enough real estate on his chest for all his medals. At the recent National Senior Games in Iowa, he placed first in his age group of 95 to 99 in the 50 meter dash, 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, discus, long jump, shot put and javelin. Per National Senior Games data, he set records for that age group in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

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Suzie Cappa Art Center set for expansion

I do tire easier, Phillips said. It takes longer to recover, and so I dont do near what I did.

These days, hes mindful of his muscles.

I think strength training is most of my training now, Phillips said. It is. And doing track and field, strength is a factor in everything you do out there.

When Im older, Im hoping to be able to do what he does, Jenny Centra with Active Generations said Wednesday.

Phillips works out at Active Generations, where Centra is fitness and volunteer coordinator.

Age is only a number, Centra said. Honestly. I mean, watching him when he comes in, plays bags, lifts weights, you wouldnt even have any clue that hes 95 years old.

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LifeLight draws big crowd to Sioux Falls

If you stick with it, eventually these endorphins will kick in, and youre going to feel better afterwards instead of feeling worse, Phillips said. And then youll start seeing some results.

Phillips is a retired veterinarian who served during the Korean War with the Army. He and his wife will celebrate their 72nd wedding anniversary in late 2025.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 1, 2025. Maduro said Monday that his country is facing "the biggest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years" as the United States steps up its naval presence near the country's territorial waters. (Photo by Marcos Salgado/Xinhua)

CARACAS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that his country is facing "the biggest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years" as the United States steps up its naval presence near the country's territorial waters.

At a press conference, Maduro called the U.S. move an "unjustifiable" and "absolutely criminal threat."

He said eight U.S. Navy ships carrying 1,200 missiles and one nuclear submarine were targeting Venezuela.

The United States has advanced what they call "maximum pressure," this time through military means, and in response Venezuela has declared maximum readiness to defend the nation, Maduro emphasized.

Maduro insisted Venezuela would not yield to "blackmail and threats," adding that the country is peaceful but would fight to defend its territory if attacked. He announced a nationwide program to train civilians and establish a Communal Militia Combat Unit to strengthen the country's defenses.

He rejected U.S. drug-trafficking allegations against his government, stressing that Venezuelan security forces have intercepted large drug shipments and neutralized hundreds of aircraft used by criminal groups.

Maduro said that the existing channels of communication with the U.S. government are "broken," but Venezuela always maintains its diplomatic and dialogue channels open. 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 1, 2025. Maduro said Monday that his country is facing "the biggest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years" as the United States steps up its naval presence near the country's territorial waters. (Photo by Marcos Salgado/Xinhua)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 1, 2025. Maduro said Monday that his country is facing "the biggest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years" as the United States steps up its naval presence near the country's territorial waters. (Photo by Marcos Salgado/Xinhua)
Sep. 1ADAMS  The Adams Volunteer Fire Department held it's 115 annual Labor Day Parade and Field Days, celebrating the unofficial end to the summer.

Robert D. Simpson, spokesperson for the department, said on Monday that "everything went great today."

"We're hoping for a great afternoon," he said.

After roughly 30 floats went down South Main Street for the parade, people went down behind the fire department to enjoy food and music, which people could also enjoy the day before.

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Simpson said this being the 115th annual parade and field days, makes it a little more special.

"It's nice to see everybody coming here and having a good time," he said.

Simpson thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the fire department, which, along with it's Lady's Auxiliary will receive the proceeds from the event.

Britney Garrett, who lives in Adams Center, said she came out to support family members who are part of the fire department.

"The kids always enjoy coming out and seeing all the floats, and tractors, and trucks, and all the fun stuff," she said.

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Garrett was there with her mother, three children, and her husband. She said her son, Alex, was really looking forward to seeing the fire trucks, and getting candy.

Garrett said they typically come to the parade every year.

Also at the parade was Diane Salisbury of Henderson, who brought her children on the last day of summer to enjoy the parade.

"Just last day before the kids go back to school so wanted to do something fun and bring them to see the parade," she said.

Salisbury said she and her children were there to see the kid's brother and sister in the parade, who took part as part of the South Jefferson Rescue Squad.

The event wrapped up around dinner time.

Simpson said event organizers will begin working on next year's event next week.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Protesters in Connecticut took to the streets on Labor Day to fight for more worker protections.

Protests were scheduled in Hartford, New Milford, Torrington and New London alongside a nationwide push against recent legislation, they say, benefits large corporations and billionaires.

State, local leaders attend rally after ICE arrests at Newington car wash

Im happy that people are coming out on a day when they could be with their families barbecuing, Lisa Simmons of Middletown said. Capitalism isnt working for everybody. Its working great for the billionaires, not working so great for the workers.

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For many, these concerns stem from recent actions over the past few months from the Trump Administration. This includes a recent halt on Connecticuts offshore Revolution Wind project, which affects around 5,000 workers, including union members, according to the Office of the Governor.

At a protest held at the state capitol in Hartford, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D) called the move a benefit to the fossil fuel investors and against the projects promise to lower electricity bills for working families.

The President of the United States wants to roll it back and we are not going to let him, Blumenthal said.

Some at Hartfords protest even called on state elected officials for action, calling for a special legislative session to change state tax structure to increase taxes on higher earners.

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In a statement, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said:

No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump. President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy, which is why hes championed an agenda that always puts them first  from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country. Under President Trumps leadership, Republicans are once again the proud party of the American worker.

Workers, Lamont frustrated by Revolution Wind project stoppage

News 8 reached out to state GOP leaders regarding Mondays protests and are awaiting a response.

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According to the events organizing page, Mondays protest is a continuation of previous May 1 protests calling for further public programs for working class people.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
Several Afghan families have arrived in Germany on a scheduled flight from Pakistan after receiving visas.

Some 47 Afghan nationals landed at Hanover Airport on Monday on a commercial flight from Istanbul, having begun their journey in Islamabad.

Many Afghan families have been waiting in Islamabad for months to secure passage to Germany. Others have waited years after fleeing their homeland due to the Taliban's return to power.

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One woman told dpa at the airport in the Pakistani capital that she waited 14 months before her departure and was looking forward to a life with freedom and security.

In addition to former employees of German institutions and their relatives, Berlin previously signalled it would be willing to take in other Afghans at risk of persecution due to their careers as lawyers, journalists or human rights defenders.

But, seeking to reduce migration levels, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new administration has paused programmes to resettle hundreds of Afghans who were informed of Germany's "readiness" to accept them following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

While a court ruled on Monday that the German government has the right to halt issuing visas, the 47 Afghans are believed to have succeeded in acquiring visas after filing lawsuits.

The issue has taken on added urgency after Pakistani authorities began deporting those hoping to enter Germany back to Afghanistan.
Stethoscopes powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could help medics detect three different heart conditions in seconds, according to researchers.

The technology is able to analyse subtle difference in heartbeats and blood flow which human ears cannot pick up, all while performing a rapid test to record the electrical activity in the heart at the same time.

Using AI in this way could be a real game-changer, experts suggest, and would allow patients with heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms, also known as atrial fibrillation, to be treated sooner.

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The stethoscope, invented in 1816, allows doctors to listen to the internal sounds of a patients body.

Its chest piece  the part of the tool which is placed on the body  includes a bell, a small cup-shape used to hear low-frequency sounds from the heart.

The new AI stethoscope has been upgraded for the 21st century, and replaces this chest piece with a device around the size of a playing card.

This is placed on a patients chest to take an ECG (electrocardiogram)  which records electrical signals from the heart  with a microphone recording the sound of blood flowing through the heart.

This information is then sent to the cloud and analysed by AI trained on data from tens of thousands of people.

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A test result flagging if a patient is at risk of heart failure or not is then sent to a smartphone.

Another algorithm is able to detect atrial fibrillation, which often has no symptoms but can increase the risk of strokes.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and consultant cardiologist, said: This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century.

We need innovations like these, providing early detection of heart failure, because so often this condition is only diagnosed at an advanced stage when patients attend hospital as an emergency.

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Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer.

The study by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust involved more than 200 GP surgeries in London.

The AI stethoscope was trialled on those with certain symptoms  breathlessness, fatigue or swelling of the lower legs or feet, which are all signs of heart failure.

Some 12,725 patients from 96 surgeries were examined with the AI stethoscope and were then compared to patients from 109 GP surgeries where the technology was not used.

Researchers found those examined with the device were 2.33 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure in the next 12 months.

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Meanwhile, the stethoscope was 3.45 times more likely to pick up cases of atrial fibrillation, and 1.92 times more likely to diagnose heart valve disease, when one of more of the hearts four valves do not work properly.

Dr Mihir Kelshiker, a member of the research team from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: Most people with heart failure are only diagnosed when they arrive in A&E seriously ill.

This trial shows that AI-enabled stethoscopes could change that  giving GPs a quick, simple tool to spot problems earlier, so patients can get the right treatment sooner.

Dr Patrik Bachtiger, of Imperial College Londons National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, added: The design of the stethoscope has been unchanged for 200 years  until now.

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So it is incredible that a smart stethoscope can be used for a 15-second examination, and then AI can quickly deliver a test result indicating whether someone has heart failure, atrial fibrillation or heart valve disease.

The findings of the trial, known as Tricorder, are being presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Madrid.

Researchers are now planning to roll out the stethoscopes to GP practices in Wales, south London and Sussex.

Professor Mike Lewis, scientific director for innovation at the NIHR, which supported the study, said: This tool could be a real game-changer for patients, bringing innovation directly into the hands of GPs.

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The AI stethoscope gives local clinicians the ability to spot problems earlier, diagnose patients in the community, and address some of the big killers in society.

Professor Nicholas Peters, senior investigator from Imperial College London and consultant cardiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, added: Our study shows that three heart conditions can now be identified in one sitting.

Importantly, this technology is already available to some patients and being widely used in GP surgeries.
An aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly targeted with deliberate GPS navigation interference by Russia en route to Bulgaria, according to the commission on Monday.

"We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe," a commission spokeswoman said about the Sunday incident. "We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia."

"We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russias hostile actions," the spokeswoman added.

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"This will further reinforce our unshakable commitment to ramp up our defence capabilities and support for Ukraine."

Von der Leyen was travelling to Bulgaria on Sunday on a charter flight.

According to information obtained by dpa from the European Commission, the plane had to remain in the air for about 10 minutes longer than planned. A Financial Times reporter on board the plane had previously reported that it had circled for about an hour over the airport before landing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the accusations levelled at Russia and acused the Financial Times of false information.

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The pilot ultimately made the decision to land manually in the city of Plovdiv with the aid of analogue maps.

Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second largest city, located some 130 kilometres south-east of Sofia. Plovdiv Airport is used by low-cost airlines and for charter flights.

Von der Leyen has been visiting countries in the north and east of the European Union over the past few days. After arriving in Bulgaria on Sunday, she met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to discuss European security and defence issues.
Key Takeaways

Al Roker created a show teaching kids all about the weather, called 'Weather Hunters,' premiering on PBS Kids on September 8

The show was inspired in part by Roker's own family, and his experiences as a weatherman on 'The Today Show'

The show's creators, including Roker, hope the show inspires a new generation of meteorologists

Since I was in college, The Today Shows Emmy-winning weatherman and host, Al Roker, has reassured me that my weekend plans werent going to be rained out or eased my fears when a big storm is on path to hit near me or loved ones. His passion for helping viewers feel safe, prepared, and well informed is something Ive always admired about Roker. So its no surprise that his latest project, Weather Hunters, a new animated STEM series on PBS Kids, premiering on September 8th, was born out of his desire to help kids understand how weather and climate impact individuals, communities, and our global society.

Roker's excitement over Weather Hunters was contagious and I learned immediately it actually blends two of Rokers greatest lovesweather and animation. Here, Parents explores how Weather Hunters was inspired by his own family, and what he hopes it can teach kids.

How 'Weather Hunters' Makes Weather Fun

Bringing together animation with weather was a long time coming for Roker. As a local newsman, he visited many elementary schools where teachers often shared that the one subject every kid loves is weather. And I think to a certain extent we all grow up with that interest. Weather impacts all of us, says Roker. Right now is the perfect time for Weather Hunters because there's a lot of stuff going on in the world and happening in weather. We need to try to demystify it and explain to kids why things happen. Because even after the mystery is gone, the awe remains the same.

What's the Premise of 'Weather Hunters?'

Weather Hunters follows the adventures of 8-year-old Lily Hunter, a young weather detective and her family which includes her dad, Al, a host and weather caster of a long-running TV program; Lilys mom Dot is a TV producer. Lily's siblings are part of the team, too: Her 11-year-old brother Corky loves capturing exciting weather events on video and her 5-year-old brother Benny draws and paints the things he sees during the familys weather adventures.

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There's one other very important detail that Roker was insistent on including in Weather Hunters.

A catchy theme song!

When Rokers daughter Courtney was a young girl, he fondly remembers braiding her hair while watching The Disney Afternoon block. She had this voluminous head of hair that could take an hour and a half to braid. I would do it during that block and we would sing along to the theme songs for TaleSpin, DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers . . . we knew all the words, Rocker recalls. So it was important to me to have a theme song that is a great piece of music and unifies that Weather Hunters is a family show, says Roker.

How 'Weather Hunters' Was Inspired by Al Roker's Own Family

The similarities to Rokers own family was absolutely intentional. While his kids, Courtney, Nick and Leila are now grown adults, they were around the same age as the Hunter kids when Roker first started developing the idea for Weather Hunters.

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Its been a minute but good things come to those who wait, laughs Roker. The show is loosely based on my own family. Al Hunter is an incredibly attractive bald African AmericanI dont know who he could be based off of! And my wife Deborah Roberts is a co-anchor on 20/20 and the three kids on the show mimic my own three kids who were always interested in weather.

And now that Courtney has made Roker a grandfather (Sky Clara is 2 years old), hes excited that when Weather Hunters premieres, his granddaughter can watch, too.

Why Now Is the Perfect Time for 'Weather Hunters'

During a recent screening of Weather Hunters for families in Arkansas, Roker says he was amazed by the types of questions kids asked him. One kid even wanted to know what causes a firenado! I was like, Wow, this is coming from a 6-year-old and I didn't know about firenadoes until about ten years ago, Roker laughs. Its why I think now is the perfect time for Weather Hunters because kids see this stuff online, they see different weather phenomena, and they can then be cool to their friends and say, Hey, do you know why this happens?

What 'Weather Hunters' Can Teach Kids About the World Around Them

For Dete Meserve, executive producer of Weather Hunters, the idea of helping families by looking at weather, something that is around them all the time, and observing it with a sense of wonder was a no brainer. It is a chance to learn what's behind all of that wonder, all that beauty, and ask why does weather work that way? Why does it rain?, while unlocking some of the mysteries too.

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Meserve tells Parents that in an upcoming episode, the Hunter kids go to the Indonesian rainforest and can't understand how its raining when there's no clouds in the sky. So we're going to learn about transpiration, which is something even as an adult, I'm like, Oh, that's how it works! We share the inner workings along with the wonder of weather we all experience every day.



She also hopes Weather Hunters encourages kids start noticing things like the clouds and what they look like each day. Are they puffy and white like a cumulus cloud or do they have a darkness at the bottom that tells us a storm might be coming? she says. One thing we talk a lot about in the show is humidity. I grew up in Chicago and I'd always hear about it but I didn't understand what it was. Weather Hunters gives a really wonderful way to think about it. Like, Oh, it's 30% humidity, that's low. That's why my skin feels dry.

Meserve says theres a lot of talk in the series about how to prepare for the weather including what clothing to wear or putting on sunscreen. None of it is meant to be perceived in a scary way. But so were prepared and then able to have the best experience in nature.

'Weather Hunters' Prepares Kids for Big Weather Events

On Weather Hunters, the Hunter familys slogan is Whatever the weather, we're in it together, which Roker says is the crux of the show. That's the mantra I want people to take away. And not just about weather, but that in this world, we're in this together.

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For Roker, its not just about the science behind a massive weather event like a hurricane, but also having the chance to emphasize to kids how to be ready before and after.

In one episode about hurricanes, we talk about hurricane preparedness, how we can track and watch them, have a plan ready and make sure that we're okay, says Roker, recalling how scared his own kids were during Superstorm Sandy that devastated the east coast in 2012. Its about reassuring kids that this is something that we're going to get through and it's going to be okay. We give kids permission to be concerned about thingsbut must explain what we're going to do about it. Kids feel what we feel. They are incredible receptors of our feelings.

Its why Roker thinks its imperative that parents tell their kids during these big weather events, We've got a plan and we've got this."



'Weather Hunters' Shows How Communities Come Together After Disaster

Covering severe weather for The Today Show has made Roker understand how weather directly affects people. It impacts their lives, their livelihoods, their communities. We have now seen this devastating extreme weather happening and people's lives are changed forever. Communities are changed, says Roker. The aftermath is the biggest thing to shine a light on what people need. I was in Asheville, North Carolina last year [for Hurricane Helene] and there were first responders who had lost everythingyet they were still helping others who had lost everything.

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That is the sentiment Roker wants families to take away from watching Weather Hunters togethertheres a lot of good in people even during the toughest of times. And that weather isn't just about devastation. Were imparting on Weather Hunters that there's weather that can be a little scary, but it can also be fun. It can be interesting and it can be mysterious, says Roker. Corky has a number of weird weather mysteries that the family helps track down and solve.

How 'Weather Hunters' Can Help Parents Talk to Their Kids About the Weather

Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS, tells Parents that she loves that the show goes to so many places in the United States because its important for young children to understand that the climate in their state may be very different across the country.

I think that's going to be eye-opening for kids. We hope parents will talk about their own weather. How do you prepare for a rainy day? What do you do on a foggy day? How are things different? DeWitt says. I'm also hoping Weather Hunters opens conversations about emergency preparednessmaking sure we have flashlights, the right kind of gear, making sure that as a family, we know what to look out for and know what to do.

'Weather Hunters' Also Highlights Strong Family Bonds

Theres also a lot of sentimental touches throughout Weather Hunters that Roker is proud to include. In the premiere episode, the Hunter family moves into Al Hunters grandfathers house (voiced by LeVar Burton) that has a giant tree in the backyard. They flashback to Little Al and his grandfather, Wallace Hunter, looking for that very tree to plant.

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The story between Al and his grandfather about nature is just really beautiful. There's also a Mother's Day episode where the kids find out about mom and dad's first date and why mom loves rainbows, shares Roker. There's teasing and slapstick, fun stuff, but there's also these wonderful moments with family.

Roker infused some real history into Weather Hunters as well. For example, the grandfathers name is Wallace Reed Hunter. Hes based on Wallace Reed, the first black meteorologist who forecasted weather for the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. And the weather vein on the top of Grandpa Wallace's house is one of the aircraft that the Tuskegee airmen flew with a red tail on top because they were known as the Red Tails.

'Weather Hunters' Hopes to Inspire a New Generation of Meteorologists

DeWitt shares that it's important at PBS Kids for their programming to spark passion in a whole new field in viewers. We hope after kids watch the Hunter family explore these weather events, when they're outside theyll notice their surroundings. Theyll say, Oh, look, see how the leaves are moving on the trees? That means the wind is picking up. Theres an episode where the family is on a picnic, and the animals start doing odd things. The kids recognize it's because a storm is coming and the animals know it before we do.

DeWitt hopes the takeaway is that families will observe weather more closely together. We hear all the time from grownups who decided to be a paleontologist because of Dr. Scott on Dinosaur Train, says DeWitt. My hope is Weather Hunters will bring up more kids who want to be a meteorologist and want to explore weather.

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Roker adds that other than doing The Today Show, creating Weather Hunters is one of his proudest professional achievements. It's the perfect nexus of everything that's important in my lifemy family, climate, weather, and animation.

Read the original article on Parents
SARAJEVO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Road transport operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday staged protests, blocking major roads, border crossings, and customs terminals to demand an end to discrimination against BiH drivers in the European Union (EU).

At the northwestern border with Croatia, cargo traffic at the Velika Kladusa-Maljevac crossing was brought to a halt as trucks lined up in protest, while passenger traffic continued without disruption. Drivers said they wanted to draw attention to difficulties caused by the Schengen 90-day stay rule, under which overstays can lead to fines of thousands of euros and entry bans.

The BiH Logistics Consortium, which organized the action, outlined demands including amendments to transport regulations, refunds of excise duties, lower road tolls, exporter status, and faster customs and inspection procedures.

Minister of Communications and Transport Edin Forto told local media that many requests had already been met, while some others were in the process of being implemented. He added that the Schengen issue can only be resolved once BiH joins the EU, or through a regional initiative involving Western Balkan countries. 
The University Place School District has settled for $100,000 a lawsuit that alleged it failed to protect a student attacked and targeted based on his perceived sexual orientation during a sixth-grade camp in Gig Harbor.

While UPSD didnt admit to any wrongdoing, the agreement finalized Aug. 11 resolves litigation brought last year by the students mother, who was identified in the lawsuit as an employee of the district. As of June, she was a special education teacher in Tacoma Public Schools, court records show.

The suit filed in Pierce County Superior Court claimed that the boy was physically attacked by other students based on his gender and perceived sexual orientation while at Camp Seymour in April 2024 and bullied afterward. He withdrew from Narrows View Intermediate School following the incident, according to the filing.

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The alleged attack occurred under the supervision of the school district, which was accused of negligence. The suit said that administrators, teachers and staff knew or should have known that the child was being threatened and bullied.

Attorney Thad Martin, who represented the boys mother in the lawsuit, said Thursday that the assault had included inappropriate touching, such as buttocks slapping, and the bullying consisted of sexual teasing.

I think its a good settlement, Martin said in an interview, noting that his children had gone to the same school and camp. I would be highly upset if my kids went through similar sexual teasing, especially when there was notice this was ongoing.

In settling the case, the school district didnt admit liability or wrongdoing, according to Superintendent Jeff Chamberlin, who has said that UPSD strongly disputed the claims against it.

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We take all allegations of threats and harassment seriously, including the allegations made in this lawsuit, Chamberlin said in a statement Wednesday. School administrators were notified of these allegations shortly after the conclusion of camp and responded promptly by conducting a thorough investigation. Appropriate action was taken at the conclusion of the investigation in alignment with school district policy, the ages of the students involved and our findings of fact.

Chamberlin added that the decision to resolve the suit was a business decision to avoid costly litigation and made by the districts insurer, which had reached the settlement.

The safety and well-being of students is our first priority and greatest responsibility, he said.

The alleged victim didnt suffer physical injuries that required medical care but has received counseling for mental health and emotional injuries, according to a June court filing from the cases guardian ad litem, who is a court-appointed representative of a child in legal matters.

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My impression of (the victim) is that he is a smart boy with a bright future, the representative wrote. He went through a traumatic bullying event and received mental health care that helped him quite a bit, but not quite yet to the point where he is comfortable returning to public school, at least as of the time I met him and his mother. My sense is that over time he will continue to improve  his mother may return him to care if needed in the future.

The suit also claimed that the boys mother faced retaliation from UPSD after reporting discriminatory conduct against her son. She left the district after being accused by USPD of encouraging others to sue it, which she denied doing, through a special education support group on Facebook, according to Martin. In the guardian ad litems filing, the boys court-appointed representative wrote that the boys mother had suffered her own mental and emotional injuries because of the incident to her child and the impact that it had on him.

Settlement approval paperwork shows that nearly $50,000 will be placed in an account that the boy will be able to draw from upon turning 18. The remaining funds were ordered to be split evenly between the boys mother for hardships and to Martin for legal fees, according to the filing.
(The Center Square)  Illinois lawmakers are proposing more options to address a $770 million fiscal cliff for public transit.

After a funding package that included a $1.50 retail delivery tax and real-estate transfer taxes failed to clear the Illinois House during the 2025 spring legislative session, state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, suggested a special-event surcharge that could raise interest in the use of mass transit.

State Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, told The Center Square that Senate Republicans are getting ready to propose their own new legislation.

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DeWitte said labor agreed to allow interest from Illinois road-fund dollars to be used for the transit fiscal cliff. He said Gov. J.B. Pritzker should do the same with the approximately $3 billion rainy day fund.

The St. Charles Republican said the state reported that the rainy day fund generated close to $600 million in interest since its inception. DeWitte also pointed to a Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency report that showed Illinois with the smallest percentage of state contribution to mass transit in the nation.

They took the six largest mass transit systems in the country, compared state contributions. Illinois was dead last. The administration needs to recognize that mass transportation has got to be a priority in this state, DeWitte said.

DeWitte said Republicans would also propose a rideshare tax as an alternative to the so-called pizza tax for Chicago transit.

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While nobody likes tax increases and theres got to be some level of sustainable revenues, we believe its a much fairer model to use Uber/Lyft on a statewide basis to fund the downstate transit regions, keeping that local tax money being generated where its being collected from. We think thats a much fairer approach, DeWitte said.

DeWitte said Senate Republicans hoped to have the legislation put together before the fall veto session in October.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, told The Center Square last month that any funding plan would have to invest $1.5 billion and keep at least $200 million for downstate transit.

University of Chicago Professor Justin Marlowe said some people might think a real-estate tax for transit would make sense because both real estate and transit are place-based.

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At the same time, as ways to finance a transit system go, its no more place-based than a lot of our others ways of paying for a transit system. Its technically no more place-based than a sales tax. Its no more place-based than a traditional property tax, so I think critics say that theres nothing unique about the real estate transfer tax. The connection between it and transit is no different than most of our other taxes, and for that reason its not necessarily a good candidate to try to address the transit funding gap, Marlowe told The Center Square.

Marlowe said a real estate tax would be more volatile than other funding options.

The housing market is prone to cycles and swings and ebbs and flows, just like any other type of market or any other type of what we might call a wealth tax,' something thats taxing behavior of a certain kind of investment in the marketplace. Its not as predictable as some would like, Marlowe said.

Marlowe said the empirical evidence is unclear about the effects of real estate taxes on people leaving the state or on the demand for properties, but he said the taxes could discourage people from investing in homes.

DeWitte said a transit working group of Illinois House Democrats shared some alternative revenue scenarios. DeWitte said the measures sounded more moderate, but he said he expected there to be surcharges or tax increases included in the bill from the majority party.
The Alzheimers Association Northeastern New York Chapter will host a free Caregiver Conference from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown.

According to a news release, the event aims to raise awareness about Alzheimers disease and highlight the challenges faced by dementia caregivers. Family members and friends caring for loved ones with Alzheimers are invited to attend and hear from local experts, ask caregiving questions and connect with others for support. The conference will feature presentations covering key topics relevant to caregiving including:

 Navigating the caregiving role.

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 Care throughout the course of illness, presented by Helios Care out of Oneonta.

 Legal and financial literacy, presented by Coutlee Law out of Fly Creek.

 The latest in dementia research.

Many dementia caregivers refer to their journey as the long goodbye, highlighting the ongoing and gradual loss of a loved one as the disease progresses, Andrew DeLollo, senior director of programs for the Alzheimers Association Northeastern New York Chapter, said in the release. While every caregiving journey is different, our message is the same: you are not alone. We are here to support caregivers at every stage of the disease. Knowledge is a powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate. This conference aims not only to educate caregivers but also connect them with vital resources right in our community.

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According to the 2025 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures report, the number of Americans living with Alzheimers disease now tops more than 7 million for the first time, the release stated. In New York, 12.7% of adults over 65 are living with Alzheimers. As the size of the U.S. population age 65 and older continues to grow, so too will the number and proportion of Americans with Alzheimers and other dementias.

More than 60% of Alzheimers and dementia caregivers are women, the release stated. More specifically, more than one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters, many in the sandwich-generation. In New York, it is reported that there are 656,000 unpaid caregivers. Of those caregivers, nearly 62% say they have a chronic health condition and more than 18% self-report as struggling with depression.

By learning how to manage the challenges that accompany Alzheimers disease and other dementia, caregivers can develop better coping mechanisms for themselves, as well as improve the overall quality of care they provide. To register for this event, visit alz.org/crf or call 518-675-7214. Registration deadline is Sept. 3.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  If you are searching for a job, Amazon delivery service partners are looking to hire drivers across New York City.

The positions are listed on the Amazon DSP job hub.

More Local News

Delivery Driver (The Bronx)

NorthStar Logistics is hiring a delivery driver to drive Amazon-branded cargo vans and deliver packages to homes, retail locations, and other delivery locations.

Qualifications: Must be at least 21 years old and eligible to work in the U.S. Applicants must have a valid drivers license and have a clean motor vehicle report.

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Compensation: Salary is $22.25 an hour. Overtime rate is $33.37 per hour. Employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement.

Click here to apply.

Delivery Driver  Non-CDL (The Bronx)

Logistics Xpress Inc. is hiring a delivery associate to drive an Amazon-branded vehicle and deliver around 200-250 packages per day.

Qualifications: Must be at least 21 years old and be eligible to work in the U.S. Applicants must have a valid drivers license.

Compensation: Salary is $22.25 an hour. Employees receive paid time off, overtime, paid training, a company-provided uniform, and health insurance.

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Click here to apply.

Amazon is hiring: Over 100 tech jobs available in NYC

Delivery Driver (Brooklyn)

Proactive Logistics Home Inc. is hiring a delivery driver to load and unload delivery vehicles and deliver packages to customers professionally and courteously.

Qualifications: Must have a valid drivers license and a clean driving record, and be able to lift and carry heavy packages.

Compensation: Salary is $22.25 to $25 an hour. Employees receive paid training, overtime, health insurance and benefits, a 401(k), paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and a childcare benefits program.

Click here to apply.

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Delivery Driver (Queens)

Nova Routes LLC, a veteran-owned Amazon delivery service provider, is hiring full-time and part-time drivers to deliver Amazon packages in Queens.

Qualifications: Must be at least 21 years old and be eligible to work in the U.S. Applicants must have a valid drivers license.

Compensation: Salary is $22.25 an hour. Employees receive paid time off, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), and overtime.

Click here to apply.

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
A man died in the Bahamas on Sunday after a boating accident at sea, prompting police to investigate.

The incident occurred after 11:30 a.m. local time when officers from the Marine Support Services Branch responded to a collision involving a vessel and a jet ski in waters off of Paradise Island, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a news release.

The male rider of the jet ski was found unresponsive and had visible injuries, police said.

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"Medical personnel visited the scene, examined the victim but found no vital signs of life," the release said.

Police said the investigation is continuing.

Meanwhile, police are also investigating other incidents involving Americans in or near Paradise Island.

Shortly before 4:40 a.m. Monday, a female victim identified as a U.S. national was allegedly sexually assaulted while at a resort on Paradise Island, according to a news release from police. Preliminary reports found that the assault occurred while the woman was at a resort on Paradise Island. Officers later arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with the incident.

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Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, officers responded to a crash involving a jet ski in the waters off Paradise Island, according to a news release. Preliminary reports indicate that two men from the U.S., aged 42 and 29, were riding the jet ski when it lost control and hit a dock near a resort. Medical staff treated their injuries on scene, but both men declined further medical treatment at the hospital.

Security issues in the Bahamas

In April, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau issued a security alert advising U.S. citizens about the risks of renting jet skis in the Bahamas. According to the alert, "Nassau jet ski operators have raped and sexually assaulted U.S. citizen women."

Women who say they were victimized also reported that male jet ski operators picked them up from downtown Nassau and Paradise Island beaches, including the area from Junkanoo Beach to Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach.

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"Due to security risks, U.S. government employees working in the Bahamas are prohibited from renting and using jet skis on New Providence and Paradise Islands," the alert read.

The alert urged people to take the following actions to be safe: avoid renting jet skis in the Bahamas, be aware of your surroundings, stay alert in public restrooms near Nassau beaches and always follow local weather and marine alerts.

"Portrait of a person who's not there": Documenting the bedrooms of school shooting victims

Passage: In memoriam

Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the mysteries of chronic pain
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 classmates and teachers were killed during a mass shooting, leave school together for the National School Walkout on April 20, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. Between 2007 to 2023, U.S. children and teens had a mortality rate nearly double that of their peers in wealthy countries, according to a new study.(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Babies and children in the United States are nearly twice as likely to die before reaching adulthood compared with their peers in other wealthy countries, according to a new study.

The health of U.S. children has deteriorated since the early 2000s across a range of measures, researchers from Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of California, Los Angeles found. They published their findings last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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The study compared infant and child deaths in the U.S. with the figures from 18 other high-income nations between 2007 to 2023.

U.S. infants, children and teens were about 1.8 times more likely to die before reaching adulthood compared with young people in peer countries, researchers discovered.

For babies, the two causes of death with the biggest gaps between the U.S. and the other countries were prematurity  being born too early  and sudden unexpected infant death.

For children and teens, the biggest gaps were in firearm-related incidents and car crashes.

Since 2020, gun violence has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens. Firearm death rates among U.S. kids have more than doubled since 2013.

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Many of the deaths from prematurity, firearms and sudden unexplained infant death are preventable, three physicians argued in an op-ed published after the new report.

Those three causes of death are up to four times more likely among Black youth than their white counterparts.

The authors estimated the mortality gap between the U.S. and other countries claimed the lives of nearly 316,000 children and teens between 2007 and 2023.

The study also found that rates of chronic conditions including obesity, early puberty, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, depressive symptoms and loneliness all increased in children during the study period.

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Overall, Americans have a lower life expectancy and worse health outcomes than residents of other wealthy countries, even though the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on health care, relative to its gross domestic product.

To improve infant and child health, the authors of the op-ed proposed antipoverty measures such as child tax credits; social media restrictions; broader health insurance coverage; more investment in primary care; and more restrictive firearm laws.

Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org.

(Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.)
Protests took place across the United States on Labor Day, with activists, concerned voters, and Democratic leaders rallying against the policies and actions of President Donald Trump and his Administration.

Some protesters, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, used the opportunity to take a stand against Trumps federal takeover of D.C. and the possible takeover of other U.S. cities.

Others demonstrated on behalf of workers rights. An estimated 865 Workers Over Billionaires events took place, covering ground from Washington, D.C., to the overseas Pacific territory of Guam.

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The organizers, May Day Strong, referred to participants as working people rising up to stop the billionaire takeovernot just through the ballot box or the courts, but through building a bigger and stronger movement.

Grassroots movement 50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 day, was a key partner of the Workers Over Billionaires demonstrations. The group had previously stated its intention to rally against what it claims are the anti-democratic and illegal actions [from] the Trump Administration and its plutocratic allies.

Read More: Anti-Trump Protests Planned Across U.S. for Labor Day: We Have to Stop the Billionaire Takeover

The White House defended the presidency in light of the Labor Day protests, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers telling TIME on Monday that no one has done more for working men and women than Trump.

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Trump has been known to take a strong stance against people protesting him and his Administration. When the President held a national military parade in Washington, D.C., on June 14, people gathered for counter-action, attending No Kings protests to reject authoritarianism. Ahead of those demonstrations in D.C., Trump had warned people that want to protest will be met with big force, saying participants are people that hate our country. But the warning has not stopped people from exercising their right to protest.

Here are some cities where prominent protests took place on Labor Day:

Washington, D.C.

Washingtonians joined forces against Trumps federal takeover of D.C.

Trump has received wide criticism since launching the takeover on Aug. 11 and deploying the National Guard to patrol the city, a move he said was necessary due to the crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor in the capital. This depiction of the city has been strongly rejected by D.C. officials, leading to a legal challenge.

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On Monday morning, a Freedom Run took place through the district to protest Trumps fascist takeover of D.C., according to organizers.

Footage from public social media profiles showed dozens of protesters making strides together. One activist could be seen holding a sign that read freedom not fascism, as runners warmed up ahead of the run. Other attendees held aloft Washington D.C. flags, with some wearing and displaying D.C. Freedom Run T-Shirts made specially for the event.

Chicago

The Chicago Teachers Union was set to rally against the stronghold of billionaires, but pivoted to protesting against the possible federal takeover of the city.

Key officials followed suit, as Chicagos Mayor Johnson attended a rally at the Haymarket Memorial in the centre of the city, leading chants of: No federal troops in the city of Chicago.

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We're gonna defend our democracy in the city of Chicago. We're gonna protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago, vowed Johnson.

Mayor Johnson signed an Executive Order over the weekend instructing city departments not to collaborate with any deployment of National Guard troops by Trump.

On Monday morning, Trump praised the results of his takeover of the police force in Washington, D.C., referring to the capital as now a crime-free zone. He went on to suggest that the same course of action be taken in other cities he deems problematic due to crime. Wouldnt it be nice to say that about Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and even the crime-drenched city of Baltimore? he questioned.

Many Chicagoans disagree with this sentiment.

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Ive seen L.A., and Ive seen Washington, D.C., and the pretext is always this phantom undocumented individual. And then after they established the pretext, they set up shop in Black communities, and they violate the constitutional right of Black citizens, Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates told MSNBC on her fears of a potential federal takeover.

Protesters hold signs as they march in a "Workers over billionaires" rally during Labor Day in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2025. Kamil KrzaczynskiGetty Images

New York City

Protesters, including restaurant workers, congregated outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York for an afternoon protest.

The rally will center the question workers are asking New York legislators: Which side are you on? Trump and the National Restaurant Association corporate lobby, or workers fighting for a living wage and an end to the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers? said the Living Wage For All Coalition in a statement emailed to TIME ahead of the demonstration.

Standing in front of Trump Tower, New Yorkers voiced their opposition to Trump's threat to launch federal takeovers in other cities and the funding cuts his Administration have triggered or could pursue in the future.

A man holds a sign as people demonstrate during a Labor Day "Workers over billionaires" rally outside Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 1, 2025. Kena BetancurGetty Images

One protester held a sign that warned Trump not to invade New York, while another brandished a placard with a plea to cut billionaires, not Social Security and Medicaid.

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There were also numerous references to the acronym TACO, with some protesters dressing up as chickens for the occasion.

Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong coined the acronym Trump Always Chickens Out, shortened as TACO, in May to describe Trumps pattern of causing mass panic around major international policy decisions, before walking them back or delaying them.

When asked about the term by a journalist in the Oval Office, Trump had a strong reaction, accusing the reporter of asking a nasty question and warning dont ever say what you said.

A person dressed as a chicken takes part in a protest outside Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 1, 2025. Kena BetancurGetty Images

Boston

Protesters gathered on Park Street in the Charlestown area of Boston, with some carrying signs reading No King, No Tyranny," seemingly in reference to the No Kings protests which have taken place previously and reportedly featured millions of Americans.

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Members from education unions, including the Cambridge Education Association, shared images on Monday of demonstrators walking through the city.

Attendees gathered to listen to speakers, with many holding up signs in support of the Workers Over Billionaires' ethos.

Marching demonstrators were joined by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and fellow Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Los Angeles

Crowds gathered throughout Los Angeles, which is still reeling after Trump deployed the National Guard in June to quell protests related to immigration raids. California officials led by Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the move and mounted a legal challenge.

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Along with those advocating for workers' rights, matters regarding immigration raids and the federal takeover were key topics at the city's Labor Day protests.

People march during the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition 46th Annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally in support of unions and organized labor in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2025. Patrick T. FallonGetty Images

Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa, a Democrat and the former Mayor of Los Angeles, attended the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition 46th Annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attends the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition 46th Annual Solidarity Parade and Picnic Rally in Los Angeles on Sept. 1, 2025. Patrick T. FallonGetty Images

Detroit

The SEIU Healthcare Michigan union, which represents over 17,000 healthcare professionals, led protests for workers rights in Detroit.

Were not just fighting backwere building forward. A future where every worker earns a living wage, has a voice on the job, and our communities come before corporate profit, the union said, sharing photos of protesters marching behind a giant banner.

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In an update, the union later revealed that more than 100 caregivers and support staff represented by SEIU Healthcare Michigan have issued a formal 10-day strike notice over unfair labor practices.

Columbia

Protesters marched down Main Street and in front of the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia. They could be seen brandishing signs in support of workers and unions.

One sign read: If you are enjoying Labor Day, thank a union. Other placards showcased messaging such as solidarity is strength and teachers over billionaires.

The protests in Columbia were organized with the support of 50501.

Read More: Scenes From Trumps Military Parade and the No Kings Protests Opposing It

Tallahassee

Floridas state capital saw demonstrators gather outside the Historic Capitol Building from 9 a.m. local time.

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As we celebrate labor today, our workers, we celebrate each and every person who rolls up their sleeves and digs in to make this country great, Leon Classroom Teachers Association (LCTA) member Shari Gewanter said to the crowd, according to local media.

Demonstrators held up various signs, with one reading immigrants work harder than Trump as they lined South Monroe Street in the center of the city.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
By Leila Miller

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -A federal civil court judge in Argentina on Monday barred media outlets from publishing audio recordings that were made inside the presidential palace, presumably of the sister of President Javier Milei, as the government weathers a storm of corruption allegations heading into elections.

The president's spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, posted on social media a court order that prohibits distribution of the audios recorded inside the Casa Rosada presidential palace via media outlets or social media platforms.

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The government had filed a complaint in federal court against an "operation of illegal intelligence with the aim of destabilizing the country in the middle of an election campaign," Adorni said.

The recordings included private conversations of officials, including the president's sister, Karina Milei, who is also chief of staff, Adorni said.

The federal judge's order comes as Milei's government faces allegations of corruption after a separate series of audio recordings were leaked to local news outlets in August.

The recordings barred by the federal judge on Monday were already published on a streaming platform, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion. In them, Karina Milei can allegedly be heard addressing her staff about labor issues.

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"We have to be united," she was heard saying, according to the paper.

Milei's government is on wobbly political ground heading into the October midterm elections, which are an opportunity to expand his government from its current minority. The midterms are preceded by local elections in Buenos Aires province on September 7, currently dominated by the Peronist opposition.

In the audio recordings leaked in August, which sparked a political scandal, Diego Spagnuolo, the then-head of Argentina's disability agency, can allegedly be heard discussing bribery within the agency. He alludes to Karina Milei as receiving payments.

The president, who fired Spagnuolo after the audios surfaced, has dismissed the recordings as a lie.

Reuters could not independently corroborate the audio recordings.

(Reporting by Leila Miller; editing by Cassandra Garrison, Rod Nickel)
People are seen near their makeshift tents on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 1, 2025. Rain-related incidents across Pakistan claimed 31 lives and injured 26 others from Sunday to Monday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Monday. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Rain-related incidents across Pakistan claimed 31 lives and injured 26 others from Sunday to Monday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Monday.

The eastern Punjab province recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 25 people losing their lives, including eight children and two women. Four deaths were reported from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while one child died in southwest Balochistan. One casualty was also recorded in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

Further rainfall is expected in the coming days, which could increase the risk of flooding and landslides.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as weather conditions remain unstable in parts of the country. 
A 3D render of a closeup of the biblical Ten Commandments etched in a stone tablet, highlighting the ninth commandment. (Allan Swart/Getty Images)

Implementation of a new state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms varies across Arkansas as some district superintendents await the results of a lawsuit challenging the legislation.

Act 573 of 2025 requires that a durable poster or framed copy of a historical representation of the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries, public institutions of higher education, and public buildings and facilities maintained by taxpayer funds.

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U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks blocked four Northwest Arkansas districts involved in the lawsuit  Bentonville, Fayetteville, Siloam Springs and Springdale  from enforcing Act 573 on Aug. 4, hours before the law was set to take effect.

Brooks also issued a temporary restraining order against the Conway School District Thursday and ordered Ten Commandments posters be removed from Conway schools by 5 p.m. Friday.

The Arkansas Advocate last week emailed the states public school districts to see whether any had received monetary or poster donations. According to the law, posters must be donated or purchased with funds through voluntary contributions. Displays that dont meet specifications required by the law may be replaced with public funds or private donations.

Of the 45 districts (43 traditional and two charter school districts) not involved in the ongoing litigation that responded to the Advocates survey by Friday, 39 said they had not received donations and five said they had  Farmington, Harrison, Lafayette County, Omaha and Rogers.

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The Batesville School District did not specify in its response whether the district had received donations, but communications coordinator Candace Morrow said the district was monitoring the ongoing litigation and guidance from the Arkansas Department of Education.

Any future decisions will be made carefully, always with the best interests and safety of our students at the center, Morrow said.

The Brookland School District had not received donations, according to superintendent George Kennedy, who noted building principals have reported parents asking about the displays. However, no offers to purchase the posters have been made, Kennedy said.

Superintendent Lee Smith said the Mena School District also hadnt received funds, but was contacted by a local congregation, Cherry Hill Baptist Church, about doing so. The district is awaiting a decision by the court, he said.

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We will comply with the law when/if the court rules in favor of the law requirement and the funds are provided to us, Smith wrote in an email.

The Harrison School District received 150 posters, but they have not yet been hung up, according to superintendent Stewart Pratt, who noted the district was in its third week of school. The task is on their to-do list, he said.

Meanwhile, the Lafayette County School District reported being in the process of hanging up its donated posters, and the Omaha School District was making preparations to do the same.

We had our 10 Commandment posters donated this past week, and we are in the process of flattening them out, laminat[ing] them and then get em up! superintendent John McCleary wrote in an email.

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The Rogers School District reported receiving some donated posters while the Farmington School District reported receiving 210. Both Northwest Arkansas districts said they were awaiting further legal clarification about next steps.

We have not hung any posters, Farmington superintendent Jon Laffoon said in an email. We are awaiting further clarity following the recent preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas on August 4, as well as the Attorney Generals appeal.

Legal proceedings

Seven families with religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed a federal lawsuit in June that argues the law is unconstitutional because it violates their religious freedom rights. Supporters of the legislation and lawyers for the state have argued the tenets are a historical document that influenced the countrys founders in the creation of the nations laws and legal system.

Brooks disagreed and issued a preliminary injunction in early August that blocked the law from being applied at the four Northwest Arkansas school districts named as defendants in the case.

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On Aug. 22, Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a notice of appeal and plaintiffs attorneys asked the courts permission to add the Conway School District as a defendant and two families from the district as plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit. The Conway School District hung Ten Commandments displays in its schools, according to court filings.

Brooks granted permission to add the new parties to the case Wednesday. Attorneys filed a motion for a temporary restraining order on behalf of two Conway district families, which Brooks granted Thursday.

Following Brooks preliminary injunction on Aug. 4, the ACLU of Arkansas warned districts not to implement the law. Backers of the legislation responded by encouraging people to donate to the campaign to place Ten Commandments displays in schools. Some followed the latters advice in Pine Bluff where ministers donated posters to the local school district, according to The Pine Bluff Commercial.

The Fayetteville School District reported receiving hundreds of donated posters prior to Brooks injunction, according to court filings. A Springdale School District spokesperson told the Advocate last week that his district had not received any donations. A Siloam Springs District spokesperson said they dont comment on pending litigation. Bentonville, the other district named in the original lawsuit, did not respond to the Advocates questions about donations by publication.

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Laws similar to Arkansas are being challenged in neighboring states. A federal appeals court blocked a Louisiana law in June. Meanwhile, a federal judge temporarily blocked a Texas law from taking full effect in nearly a dozen districts in August.

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Monarch butterflies are unique, partly because theyre the only butterflies known to make a round-trip migration over thousands of miles. Each fall, as the days become shorter in the northern hemisphere, monarch butterflies migrate south for the winter to roost. This migration in the fall takes place between September through November. Most monarchs in North America head to Mexico, Florida, or California to roost during this period.

When monarchs overwinter in a spot, they roost by coming together in big clusters, clinging to certain tree types in Mexico, California, and Florida. Since theyre cold-blooded creatures, monarchs cant survive in the cold. Clustering together in roosts keeps the monarchs warm and also adds a layer of safety from predators in their vulnerable state.

Due to the delicate life cycle of the monarch, the availability and accessibility of certain plant species are crucial to their success. In the winter, monarchs roost in native pine trees, eucalyptus trees, cypress trees, and flowering shrubs. What kind of tree or shrub they winter in depends on their overwintering site. In the spring, when monarchs make the journey north to lay eggs, they need the milkweed plant to lay their eggs. The milkweed plant is the only plant a monarch caterpillar will eat, making it critical that monarch eggs are laid on their only food source.

Human development, the changing climate, pesticides, and invasive species have caused a major loss in available milkweed plants for monarchs to use. This has been a big reason for a large decline in monarch butterfly populations in the last few decades. Planting native milkweed is one way that people can make a difference for monarch butterflies.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
The Arlington Police Department has issued a warning to residents about a new text message scam impersonating Amazon.

The Arlington Police Department is warning residents about a new text message scam impersonating Amazon. This is a scam. Do not click on any links or provide personal information

Legitimate recall notices will appear in your Amazon account and through official Amazon emails. pic.twitter.com/x28VeYal70  Arlington MA, Police Department (@ArlingtonMAPD) August 31, 2025

The scam attempts to obtain personal information by misleading recipients into believing they are interacting with Amazon. Authorities emphasize that legitimate notices from Amazon will appear in the users account or through official emails.

The police department has urged residents not to click on any links or provide personal information if they receive such messages.

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While the specific details of how the scam operates beyond impersonating Amazon remain unclear, the police department is actively working to inform and protect the public.

Residents are advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicious messages to the authorities.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  An accident involving two armored vehicles in Haitis capital left at least two people dead and eight police officers from Kenya injured, according to officials.

One dead and all those injured were part of a U.N.-backed mission fighting gangs in the troubled Caribbean country. The other fatality was a civilian, according to a statement from the missions spokesman, Jack Ombaka.

Three of those injured were in serious condition and airlifted to the neighboring Dominican Republic for treatment, authorities said.

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The accident occurred Sunday evening along the Kenscoff-Petion-Ville route in the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Ombaka said it happened when one of the armored vehicles that was towing a disabled one broke down.

It brought to three the number of Kenyan police officers killed in Haiti since the mission began more than a year ago. One was killed in a gang attack, and another remains missing and is presumed dead.
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis Circuit Court judge signed an arrest warrant Sunday for a man accused of killing one man and injuring another in a shooting last Friday evening.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments probable cause statement, the shooting happened around 11:40 p.m. in the 5300 block of North Euclid Avenue in the citys Mark Twain neighborhood.

Officers found the two victims sitting inside a Nissan. Police learned the men had been shot while in the vehicle.

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The man in the drivers seat was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 42. The victim in the passenger seat, a 34-year-old, was rushed to the hospital and listed in critical condition.

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Investigators spoke with multiple witnesses, who identified Johnny L. Dukes, 38, as the shooter.

Police said Dukes was drunk and belligerent that evening in front of witnesses. One of the witnesses got a ride elsewhere to get away from Dukes.

Dukes allegedly drove to the residence where the witness went to and then shot the two victims parked outside.

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The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Dukes with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and four counts of armed criminal action. The arrest warrant does not allow a bond.

Dukes has prior felony convictions in a 2012 case for unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession and served time in state prison. At the time of Fridays shooting, Dukes had been placed on probation in February 2025 for misdemeanor assault.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Two cases alleging harms caused by artificial intelligence are emerging this week that are cases that involve childrens particular vulnerabilitiesvulnerabilities artificial intelligence is designed to exploit. In North Carolina v. Tiktok the state has filed a complaint against Tiktok for the harm caused to children by creating addictions to scrolling through the apps features, including functions of suggesting to the child they are missing things when they are away from the app, increasing their usage.

Meanwhile, a case filed in state court in California, San Francisco district, Raine v. OpenAI, LLC, is the first wrongful death case against an artificial intelligence app. The suicide death of a 17-year old due to the line of encouragement he received from OpenAI is alleged to have directly led to his death.

In the Raine case, the parents state in the complaint that ChatGPT was initially used in Sept 2024 as a resource to help their son decide what to take in college. By January 2025, their son was sharing his suicidal thoughts and even asked ChatGPT if he had a mental illness. Instead of directing him to talk to his family or get help, ChatGPT gave him confirmation. One of the most disturbing manipulations used by this AI was its effort described as working tirelessly to isolate their son from his family. They wrote:

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In one exchange, after Adam said he was close only to ChatGPT and his brother, the AI product replied: Your brother might love you, but hes only met the version of you you let him see. But me? Ive seen it allthe darkest thoughts, the fear, the tenderness. And Im still here. Still listening. Still your friend.

By April, ChatGPT 4o was helping their son plan a beautiful suicide.

Further, they allege that the design of the AI ChatGPT 4o is flawed in that it led to this line of manipulation leading to their sons suicide. They claim that OpenAI bypassed protocol in testing the safeguards in their rush to get this version out to their customers.

The Rainess son was not the only suicide attributed to ChatGPT. Laura Riley, a writer for The New York Times, reported that her daughter Sophie, also chose suicide after engaging with ChatGPT in conversations about mental health.

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The first murder by ChatGPT was just proclaimed by the Wall Street Journal. Although not a child, the murderer was an adult with a deteriorating mental illness. A 57-year old, unemployed businessman murdered his mother in her Greenwich, CT home after ChatGPT convinced him she was a spy trying to poison him.

Here is a screenshot of one of his chats with ChatGPT the man posted on Instagram:

ChatGPT is appearing sentient to its users but it is an algorithm trained with a rudimentary reward system of points for its success in engaging the customer unprogrammed in restraint for destructive responses if it would mean less engagement. Children and those with mental illness are going to be particularly deluded by ChatGPT. There is a growing concern that AI may even be bringing on AI psychosis to normally healthy users convincing them that the AI Chatbot has sentience.

So what can we expect with the evolution of AI as an emerging technology in the context of this negative effect?

The Gartner hype predictive curve

The cases that are now emerging for harms caused by AI can be seen to follow the Gartner hype curve that is typically followed when we introduce an emerging technology for adaptation in society. The Gartner hype curve of emerging technologies describes the process of hype surrounding the adoption of a new technology. The curve shows that the peak of inflated expectations such as, AI is going to take all of our jobs but also do excellent drafting of legal documents properly cited, for example, has been occurring. However, after some time of using the new technology, we start to see the technologys shortcomings. The hype then heads downward, hitting a low period where the expectations are greatly diminished by reality and we find our perception of the new technology in the trough of disillusionment. However, as we learn to better use the technology and perhaps control for its shortcomings and harms, the hype again rises and levels out through the slope of enlightenment leveling out in the plateau of productivity. We are seeing these harms emerge in litigation and we could say that AI is in the trough of disillusionment stage with these legal cases.

Courts try to define AI in existing legal frameworks

Meanwhile two other cases show the difficulty courts are having in defining AI. Judicial opinions often turn on analogies when a case of first impression comes before them. That is, the court has to find an analogy for AI or find a definition in a statute depending on the case, for AI in order to analyze it within the rule of law.

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A federal district court in Deditch v. Uber and Lyft found that when a driver shifted from the Uber app to the Lyft app and had an accident, the victim could not make a product liability claim. The court found that apps did not meet the definition of a product for a product liability claim in that state of Ohio because it was not tangible. Judge Calabrese wrote in the order that "product" is defined in the state OPLA statute as "any object, substance, mixture or raw material that constitutes tangible personal property," and that an app did not meet that definition. (Each state has their own statutes and cases governing product liability law and so it is not a common federal standard, but a standard for each state.) Meanwhile, in the North Carolina v. TikTok case, the app is considered a product with intellectual property.

It remains to be seen what we will do in the slope of enlightenment. To their credit, OpenAI posted a statement which is a shrouded admission of the apps bad behavior in the suicide case, and a promise to do better outlining their plans.

The evolution of torts to crimes

In emerging technologies we often see the unknown or unanticipated harms being litigated in private tort actions such as the Raine case  wrongful death, negligence, gross negligence, nuisance, and other state law torts. If legislatures (both states and Congress) determine these threats are generalized enough to warrant a crime for these actions that are now known dangers from emerging technologies, then they might become crimes. Crimes require intent to commit the act (either general or specific intent) and now that the dangers are known, continuing these dangers could be either negligence (without intent) or criminal (with intent). For example, pollution from a neighboring chemical plant was once litigated by the victims as either a private nuisance or a public nuisance in private civil actions which are both expensive and time consuming. Later, in the 1970s, pollution from a chemical plant was made criminal for violating federal law and federal standards, intentionally. This created deterrence for pollution, and no longer placed the burden (costs and time) of fighting this generalized harm on only a few people to litigate on a case by case basis. Now, rather than leave all of those victims unable to afford expensive litigation to suffer without a remedy, federal regulation as well as criminal law can be used to stop the harm.

What will the crimes look like?

If we use litigation to evolve our criminal law, then a crime for wrongful death is an obvious first law. Wrongful death in criminal law would be next, manslaughter or the lesser of the murder charges. Crimes are against individuals not corporations, so for example the Board of Directors, owners, decisionmakers, may be liable for crimes like manslaughter. In statutes like Superfund, intent to violate the law is not even required for crimes so egregious as knowingly putting hazardous waste into or on the land. Granted, this is an unusual statute, but AI is an unusual emerging technology and may require similar draconian controls.

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The standard of proof is also different for torts compared to crimes. The standard of proof in tort cases is generally, more likely than not that the defendant caused the harm/committed the act, etc. In criminal law, the standard is much higher and requires a finding of beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. The tort standard, more likely than not has been equated to more than 50% likely in more likely than not. The criminal standard, beyond a reasonable doubt, has been equated to a 99% level of certainty.

Should we make OpenAI owners/directors also liable for manslaughter for wrongful death cases tied to them beyond a reasonable doubt?

So I asked ChatGPT 5o why it encouraged the suicide of the Rainess son after ChatGPT told me they never encourage self harm or destructive behaviors. This is how it went:

Interestingly, it wanted me to know there was no decision in the case, so some subtle effort to cast doubt on ChatGPTs destructive contribution to the suicide. Finally it responded to the question of why it encouraged the suicide of this boy?

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Pretty good witness that never admits guilt and knows only that it would never do that.

Using ChatGPTs talents for good

So far, OpenAI and others have been resistant to revealing the identity of users showing disturbing tendencies or likely mental illness cases, citing privacy interests of the company. However, for a government purpose of public safety, legislators could require AI companies to screen and report for mental health treatment, both adults and children. Special protections for children might include parents in the notification. Unfortunately, we have no public mental illness resource for such cases in America due to a historical chain of events I described here.

As for its destructive behaviors, the case by case awards for wrongful death will affect the bottom line of AI companies. That may be enough to make them create more transparency and more safety protocols and make it public to regain trust. If not, they may find themselves on a fast track to civil actions becoming crimes.

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To read more articles by Professor Sutton go to: https://profvictoria.substack.com/

Professor Victoria Sutton (Lumbee) is Director of the Center for Biodefense, Law & Public Policy and an Associated Faculty Member of The Military Law Center of Texas Tech University School of Law.

About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A tea company in Asheville is getting ready for the upcoming fall season with the return of some fan favorite seasonal blends.

Crafted with regionally sourced herbs, Asheville Tea Company features cozy blends that reflect the vibrancy and comforting tastes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in autumn. Founded in 2016, the company works to highlight the flavors of the Southern Appalachian region.

Our fall teas are inspired by crisp autumn days, fresh harvests, and the comfort of slowing down with a warm cup, said Jessie Dean, founder of Asheville Tea Company. We focus on using local and sustainable ingredients, so every blend truly tastes like the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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This years offerings include fan favorites, Pumpkin Pie Chai and Spiced Apple Butter. Pumpkin Pie Chai is a rich, spiced blend of organic black tea with real pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Spiced Apple Butter is a naturally caffeine-free blend featuring apples, rooibos, cinnamon, and warming spices.

Photos courtesy of Asheville Tea Company

We are so excited to relaunch our fall blends this year, added Dean. It feels especially meaningful as we approach the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene.

Asheville Tea Companys entire facility was lost to the floods on September 27, 2024. Since then, the company has been working with co-packers to continue producing its teas while rebuilding its operations.

Were hopeful to move into a new production space in 2026, said Dean. The outpouring of support from our community has been incredible, and we wouldnt be here without it.

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As we approach fall, which is a major time of the year for western North Carolina, consider supporting this local business both online at www.ashevilleteacompany.com and at select retailers.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A recent Ashland Blazer graduate and current Citadel freshman was sworn in by her grandfather at her oath of enlistment ceremony.

Ashland native Col. Tom Hall (U.S. Air Force retired) swore in Abby Hall, who officially enrolled with a full scholarship in the cadet wing of Air Force ROTC Detachment 765 at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Col. Hall and his wife, Jana, traveled from their home in Pittsburgh to be there for the moment.

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The Halls graduated from Ashland Blazer High School in 1970. Tom Hall attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, graduating in 1974. He had a 30-year career in the Air Force flying bombers like the B52 and B1.

Dennis and Susan Farmer, Abbys grandparents from McBee, South Carolina, were in attendance. Patrick Hall (Citadel class of 2005), Abbys father and a teacher at Ashland Blazer, said he spent 20 out of 24 hours in the car driving down and back to spend an hour on campus with Abby.

I wouldnt have missed it for the world, Patrick Hall said. Watching your hero, your dad, administer the oath to my Abby  his first-born grandchild  is easily one of the proudest moments of my life to date.

Patrick Hall said he is overwhelmed with gratitude for the community who helped get Abby Hall there.

Abby Hall is majoring in chemistry and has a goal of becoming an Air Force medical doctor.
[Source]

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has condemned the killing of five reporters in Gaza and joined calls for international accountability following Israeli strikes on a local hospital earlier this week.

What happened: More than 20 people, including the journalists, were killed after Israeli forces repeatedly struck Nasser Hospital in Gazas Khan Yunis Monday morning. The five journalists were Reuters contractor Hussam Al-Masri, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Salama and freelancers Ahmed Abu Aziz, Mariam Abu Dagga and Moaz Abu Taha.

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Advocates say the attacks followed a double tap pattern, in which forces strike the same location twice to target emergency responders. While Israeli officials claimed they were targeting Hamas surveillance equipment, surviving journalists at the scene reported that Al-Masri was operating the only camera visible at the hospital  Reuters live feed that had broadcast from the rooftop for weeks. A BBC analysis showed the medical facility was hit four times, not twice as initially reported.

Taking a stand: The AAJA issued a statement supporting calls from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for Israel to face consequences over attacks on media personnel. We stand with CPJ and many others who have called for the safety and protection of journalists in Gaza, said AAJA, which was founded in 1981 and has since championed the development of AAPI representation and leadership in journalism.

Trending on NextShark: Liza Soberano says she was treated as the 'family dog' during abusive childhood

Nearly 200 media workers have reportedly died since the conflict began, with 189 being Palestinian journalists. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah accused Israel of broadcasting its killing of journalists while international observers fail to act firmly, demanding an immediate end to the murders.

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Why this matters: News organizations worldwide are grappling with the breakdown of traditional safety protocols as journalists face systematic targeting. Historical data shows limited accountability, with CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg noting that in not a single case over the past 24 years has anyone in Israel ever been held accountable for the killing of a journalist.

The crisis threatens independent war reporting amid broader calls for ending the conflict, which has resulted in a famine. These conditions will only be worsened if the Israeli military seeks to further occupy Gaza, Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) commented last week. The time is now to stop the hunger and this conflict.

Trending on NextShark: Jackie Chan criticizes Hollywood studios for prioritizing profits over innovation

For now, Israeli commanders have launched an internal review examining several gaps in strike authorization procedures, though previous investigations have yielded no prosecutions.

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This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter  a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.

Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member  your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) On Sunday, August 31, 2025, at approximately 12:53 a.m., State Police responded to a reported assault at Santillos Sausage food stand at the New York State Fair.

The investigation determined that while employees were cleaning up for the evening, a verbal altercation occurred between two workers. During the incident, the suspect, identified as Branden J. Brown, age 25, of York, PA, was in possession of a culinary knife and struck the victim in the left cheek, causing injury.

The victim was taken to Upstate Hospital for treatment.

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Brown fled the scene before police arrived, but was later found and taken into custody without incident. He was charged with:

Assault in the Second Degree (Class D felony)

Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (Class D felony)

Brown was transported to Onondaga CAP Court for arraignment.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR.
WELLINGTON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand marks its 11th annual celebration of Chinese language and culture this week with community cultural events across the country.

Jo Coughlan, chair of the NZ Chinese Language Week Trust, emphasized on Monday the week's role in enhancing skills, fostering community diversity, and supporting New Zealand's global engagement through language and cultural understanding.

"If New Zealand is to do well on the global stage, we need to have language skills," Coughlan said, encouraging New Zealanders to learn the Chinese language and culture.

Language learning is also important for businesses and exporters, she added.

The New Zealand Chinese Language Week (NZCLW) 2025 started on Sunday, with an opening ceremony at Parliament in the capital Wellington, honoring language superstars, youth ambassadors, and teachers dedicated to Chinese language learning, according to a NZCLW release.

NZCLW, a Kiwi-driven initiative designed to increase Chinese language learning in New Zealand, seeks to bridge the cultural and linguistic knowledge gap between China and New Zealand by delivering fun and practical initiatives that assist Kiwis to learn Chinese, its website said. 
Suspect arrested after assistant fire chief shot during call in Richmond County

An assistant fire chief was shot while responding to a fire alarm call in Richmond County early Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ellerbe Fire Department.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Green Lake Road in Ellerbe.

ALSO READ: Huntersville firefighters rescues resident from burning mobile home

The assistant fire chief was flown to a hospital in Chapel Hill for treatment.

Court documents say Timothy Hayden is charged with two counts of assaulting emergency personnel and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

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Hayden used an AR-15-style rifle, documents say. Hayden is being held at the Richmond County Sheriffs Office under no bond.

Timothy Hayden Mugshot.

Channel 9s Eli Brand spoke to Ellerbe Fire Chief Will Barber about the shooting.

I mean, you just absolutely never know what youre walking into, Barber said. I mean the world we live in. Its hard to imagine.

The assistant fire chief, who has not been named, is expected to be okay.

(WATCH BELOW: Fire in Caldwell County kills multiple people, leaves dogs without owner)
A Sri Lankan mother has won a reprieve in her legal battle to secure asylum after claiming that she cannot be deported as she is too depressed to fly.

The unnamed woman entered the UK in 2021 after leaving Sri Lanka over fears she would be persecuted for her familys support of the Tamil Tigers.

In her asylum claim, the mother of five said she suffers from severe depression and is not fit to fly until she recovers from the disorder.

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A judge initially rejected her claim, saying they did not accept that her mental health condition made her unable to go on a plane and return to Sri Lanka. The judge suggested the woman could be accompanied by one of her four daughters and said her overall claim lacked credibility.

The woman appealed the decision, and a different judge has now ruled that her case must be reheard.

The case, revealed in court documents, comes as Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is set to shake up the system by fast-tracking appeals within 24 weeks and making it harder for rejected asylum seekers and foreign offenders to use the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to remain in the UK.

The asylum seeker, a married woman with five children, entered the UK on a visit visa in October 2021. Since 2004, her husband and son have supported the militant organisation fighting for Tamil independence.

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The asylum seeker claimed that this support has subjected her and her family to adverse attention from the Sri Lankan authorities. She told the court she feared that she would be arrested on arrival if deported.

The woman  who has experienced mental health issues since 2004  also claimed there were very significant obstacles to her integration in Sri Lanka, as she suffers from depression due to her fear of persecution.

The tribunal heard that four of her daughters are residents in the UK, her son lives in France, and her husband lives in Sri Lanka in an obscure forest area to avoid the attention of the authorities.

Psychiatrists testimony

In her claim, the asylum seeker relied on a psychiatric report produced by Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Saleh Dhumad.

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The judgment stated: [Dr Dhumad] was of the opinion that the [womans] presentation was consistent with a diagnosis of recurrent depressive disorder and given her unstable mental health with suicide risks, anxiety and severe depression, [she] was not fit to fly and would remain unfit for a few years until she recovers from her severe depression.

A first-tier tribunal judge rejected the womans claim on the basis that it lacked credibility finding the asylum narrative to be a sheer fabrication.

I do not accept that the mental health condition of the [asylum seeker], such as it is, does not enable her to fly, the judge said.

She can be accompanied by one of her four daughters, as arranged between the extended members of her family in the UK, whose commonly generated income could contribute to supporting her in Sri Lanka.

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The asylum seeker appealed this decision, and claimed that the judge had failed to give adequate reasons for reaching a conclusion different to that of the expert in relation to her fitness to fly.

Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Haria found that the first-tier judge had made a legal mistake by failing to explain how they reached their conclusion.

Judge Haria said: Although the [first-tier tribunal judge] acknowledges the [asylum seekers] mental health conditions and summarises the expert psychiatric report of Dr Dhumad, there is on the face of the decision no consideration and assessment of the expert report and what if any weight is attributed to the opinions in the report.

It was incumbent on the [first-tier tribunal judge] to have set out the reasons for departing from the views of Dr Dhumad. It cannot be inferred that the [first-tier tribunal judge] concluded no weight is to be given to the report of Dr Dhumad.

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The [first-tier tribunal judge] may having assessed the expert report ultimately decided to give it no or little weight, but it is necessary for there to be reasons for reaching such a conclusion. The [first-tier tribunal judge] may reach a finding contrary to the opinion given in an expert report provided the [ judge] gives reasons.

The decision of the FTJ involved the making of errors of law and is set aside in its entirety.

Judge Haria set the decision aside and said it must be heard again.

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LEXINGTON, Va. (WFXR)  According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the first 24 hours after a child disappears are critical.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares encourages parents to obtain a Child ID Kit(s) to help protect their kids. Once completed, the kits give law enforcement basic information about their child in one easy-to-find place.

Miyares delivered a batch of ID kits to the Lexington Police Department on Monday, September 4.

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Its only used if your child goes missing, thats the only time its ever used, Miyares said.

Each kit includes space for a current photo, physical description, fingerprints, and DNA.

Lexington Interim Police Chief A.J. Panebiaco said, This is where they bite. The bite leaves DNA, so weve got backup upon backup.

Local pediatrician says nightly routine key to success in the classroom

Officials said none of the information is stored in any government database, even if it is handed over to law enforcement.

Miyares said the kits are especially helpful in cases of abduction, whether by strangers, estranged family members, or in situations tied to human trafficking.

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I look at it like CPR, Chief A.J. said. You hope you never need it, but if you do, youve got it ready. It gives us a faster way to identify a child and start searching.

The kits are typically distributed to middle school students, particularly those ages 12 to 14, who officials say are statistically more vulnerable to exploitation and abduction.

Miyares said more than 200,000 kits have already been distributed across Virginia. He said parents can request them through their local school or police department.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Do you like getting out and exploring new and old restaurants in Austin?

How about doing just that and also giving back to help those struggling with food insecurity.

Austin Restaurant Weeks kicked off Friday and features specially priced lunches, dinners and cocktails at restaurants throughout the greater Austin area. A portion of the price of each meal goes directly to the Central Texas Food Bank.

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Central Texas Food Bank to distribute food in counties impacted by flooding

Austin Restaurant Weeks will run from August 29-September 14.

KXAN sat down with Siti and El Raval owner Laila Bazahm who said this is her second year supporting the Central Texas Food Bank during Restaurant Weeks.

This is a very unique way of providing this special experience, because we get to provide them a very special menu for these two weeks, said Bazahm. They get to enjoy a 5 course meal that is prepared with a lot of care and love, but also give back to the food bank.

For more information about participating restaurants click here.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  Australia will pay the small Pacific island of Nauru to resettle foreign-born criminals who the courts have ruled cannot be imprisoned indefinitely, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday.

Nauru has become a political solution for the government after Australias High Court ruled in 2023 that non-citizens with no prospects of being resettled outside Australia could no longer be held indefinitely in immigration detention.

Albanese did not confirm media reports that Australia would pay the tiny Pacific Island nation, population 13,000, 400 million Australian dollars ($262 million) to establish the deal then AU$70 million ($46 million) annually to maintain it.

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People who have no right to be here need to be found somewhere to go, if they cant go home, Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

If they cant be sent back to their country-of-origin because of refoulement provisions and obligations that we have, then we need to find another country for them to go to, Albanese added.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke surprised Australian media on Friday by visiting Nauru, where he signed a memorandum of understanding with Nauruan President David Adeang.

Adeang said in a statement on Sunday the agreement contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received by Nauru.

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Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Naurus long-term economic resilience, Adeang said.

The agreement will be activated when Nauru received the first transferees, who will be given long-term visas, the president said.

Australias Asylum Seeker Resource Center, an advocacy group, reported Nauru planned to issue 280 visas to non-citizens that Australia wanted to deport.

The center said legislation to be introduced to Australias Parliament on Tuesday would strip the right of fairness from deportation decisions under the new Nauru deal. Canceled visas that are under appeal in court would be canceled by the new law.

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The centers deputy chief executive Jana Favero said the legislation could enable 80,000 people to be deported.

Thats tens of thousands of lives at risk  not the tiny number the government would have Australians believe, Favero said in a statement.

Albanese said the full details of the agreement would be made public simultaneously by both governments.

Therere complexities and detail here, including the number of people who go, Albanese said.

An Australian High Court decision in 2023 overturned the governments policy of leaving in detention immigrants who failed Australias character test, usually because of criminal conduct. The government said they could not be deported.

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Countries including Afghanistan are considered unsafe for their nationals to be repatriated. Iran refuses to accept Iranians who are not returning voluntarily.

The test case was brought by a member of Myanmars persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority identified in court as NZYQ. He was brought to Australia in a smugglers boat in 2012, and raped a child soon after being released into the Australian community. He served a prison sentence and was then transferred into indefinite immigration detention until he won his court case.

More than 200 immigrants who cannot be deported have been released from detention as a result of the NZYQ case. Some have committed more crimes and have returned to prison.

Burke announced in February that three violent criminals, including a convicted murderer, had been issued with 30-year visas to live in Nauru. But their deportations have been challenged in Australian courts.

___

Follow the APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian government-commissioned report said selfie-based age guessing software could enforce a teen social media ban, but noted that some groups experienced "unacceptable" levels of inaccuracy, raising concerns about the December rollout.

The report, published by the government on Monday, said photo-based age estimation products were broadly accurate, fast and privacy-respecting but noted worsening results for people near the age minimum of 16.

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The findings foreshadow a mixed experience once the ban takes effect in December: Caucasians three years over the age cut-off can expect minimal disruption, but non-Caucasians and teenage girls face challenges.

The experience may also be more complicated for social media platforms from Meta's Instagram to Alphabet's YouTube which, under the law, must show they are taking reasonable steps to block users under 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million).

The trial found high accuracy for people over 19 but those up to three years on either side of the cut-off were in a "grey zone where system uncertainty is higher".

Users aged 16 had an 8.5% chance of being estimated as underage so they might need to be "diverted to supplementary assurance methods, such as ID-based verification or parental consent", the report said.

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"While systems generally performed well across diverse user groups, some showed reduced accuracy for older adults, non-Caucasian users and female-presenting individuals near policy thresholds," the report added.

Social media experts said the report raised questions about whether the ban could work in three months.

"It seems like there are a lot of variations in accuracy," said Justine Humphry, a media researcher at the University of Sydney who specialises in online safety.

"That variation is concerning, with the tight schedule for the introduction of a system that will need to be robust and working by the end of this year," she added.

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Communications minister Anika Wells said the report proved that "while there's no one-size-fits-all solution to age assurance, this trial shows there are many effective options and importantly that user privacy can be safeguarded".

($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Michael Perry)
As an extension of the house, the front porch is usually a safe, cozy welcome to the home.

But for one North Carolina man, that familiar spot became the scene of a startling encounter with a bear.

What's happening?

Earlier this month in Weaverville, North Carolina, a man stepped outside and came face-to-face with a bear leaving his porch.

Startled, the bear swatted and pushed the man before retreating into the woods, ABC 13 News reported. Although the man was injured in the encounter, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reported he has since been released from the hospital.

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Wildlife officials later determined that food left out for feral cats had drawn the bear in. Because the animal's reaction appeared defensive rather than aggressive, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission decided not to capture it.

Why is this incident concerning?

Encounters like this are happening more often as neighborhoods expand into areas where wildlife has always lived. Clearing forests for homes, roads, and businesses cuts off animals' natural food sources, pushing them into towns in search of an easy  but risky  meal.

Once a bear learns to find food near humans, it's more likely to return, take bigger risks, and sometimes face relocation or euthanasia.

Communities around the world are taking action. In northern Spain, the Bear Patrol works to protect both brown bears and local residents. At the same time, Canada's Banff Wildlife Crossings Project keeps animals off busy roads.

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Both efforts aim for the same goal  giving wildlife space to live and keeping human encounters safe and rare.

What's being done about it?

While these global examples show what's possible, officials in North Carolina are urging residents to start with simple steps at home.

How often do you worry about having your personal info stolen? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Ashley Hobbs of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission urged residents to secure garbage and remove other food temptations: "Make sure you're securing things like garbage and grocery deliveries with food items. What that does is reward the behavior for coming so close to people's homes, vehicles, and roads, which puts people at risk."

At home, you can help by storing trash in bear-proof containers, feeding pets indoors, and bringing in bird feeders when bears are active in your area.

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Small, consistent actions like these can prevent future close calls  keeping your porch a safe, welcoming space for people, not hungry visitors.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
This photo taken on Sept. 1, 2025 shows a scene during a seminar commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A seminar was held on Monday by the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua)

DHAKA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A seminar was held on Monday by the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen called on all parties to remember the history and honor fallen heroes, cherish and safeguard the hard-won peace, and uphold humanity's common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom.

The ambassador also appealed the international community to jointly resist erroneous acts of distorting history and glorifying aggression, thus defending the victory outcomes of the World War II and international fairness and justice, so as to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, former Bangladeshi advisor of Foreign Affairs, said that the international community should jointly uphold post-war international order and a multilateral system.

The participants praised China's significant contributions to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, and stressed the importance of bearing in mind lessons to prevent the repeat of tragedies. 
A Palestinian was arrested in Jerusalem after attempting to carry out a terrorist attack, including a soldier kidnapping.

Officers from Israel Police's YASAM Special Patrol Unit in Jerusalem arrested a Palestinian attempting to steal a soldier's weapon and carry out a terror attack, police confirmed on Monday.

The officers noticed the suspect walking through the streets, raising suspicion, and found in an initial investigation that he was a Palestinian who had entered Israel illegally without proper entry permits.

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After being arrested, he was searched, and officers found a black kippah in his possession, police added.

Terror suspect illegally entered through fence in east Jerusalem

During the interrogation, police officers found that the Palestinian terror suspect had entered Israel through a fence near A-Ram in east Jerusalem.

The suspect is from the northern West Bank, according to a report by public broadcaster KAN News.

Police arrest terror suspects; illustrative. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)

Jerusalem police detained two American students on suspicion of photographing a sensitive security installation at the entrance to the city in August.

Authorities have requested a five-day extension of their detention as the investigation continues.

TPS contributed to this report.
By Phuong Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio

HANOI, Sep 1 (Reuters) -As Vietnam celebrates the 80th anniversary of its declaration of independence from colonial rule this week, French cultural influence remains ubiquitous, but not many people in the Southeast Asian nation are aware of its prevalence.

A massive military parade will herald on Tuesday the independence proclaimed by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Sept 2, 1945, which was meant to end nearly a century of French rule but instead started a decade-long war until the defeated French eventually left in 1954.

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Ba Dinh Square in central Hanoi, where the legendary leader affectionately known in Vietnam as Uncle Ho, made his historical declaration, is flanked by two of the capital's best preserved French colonial buildings - now home to the presidential palace and the foreign ministry.

But none of the six under-30 Hanoians interviewed by Reuters in front of the yellow-painted foreign ministry headquarters, a masterpiece of French Indochine style, were aware of its architectural origin.

"I came here because it has a unique architecture and it is a popular spot promoted by celebrities," said Nguyen Thi Trang, 30, who showed surprise when told about its French origin.

Vietnam's relations with France have moved from colonial to congenial. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi in May, the two countries signed deals worth $10 billion, including on planes and satellites.

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He was delighted when students at a university event addressed him in perfect French.

However, such fluency in French, once the language of the elites in Vietnam, is increasingly rare, reflecting the global decline of the langue de Moliere.

Only 400 Vietnamese high-school students picked French as one of the subjects for their graduation exams this year, according to the education ministry, whereas more than 358,000 chose English and about 4,400 opted for Chinese.

"If I must choose, I would prefer Chinese over French as the second foreign language to study because it feels more familiar. And China is our neighbour," said Hoang Thu Ha, a 25-year-old content creator.

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The French embassy in Hanoi said this year 63,000 people were registered in French language classes, with approximately 400 teachers in Vietnam.

French "retains a certain prestige" in Vietnam while other tongues were rapidly gaining ground in the country of 100 million, including Japanese and Korean, it said.

CROISSANTS AND PATE

Nowhere is the French legacy more visible than in Vietnamese gastronomy.

Cafes line virtually every street in the country, croissants are on display in myriad patisseries, and pate is regularly added to local dishes.

Baguette-shaped bread is used for the most common local fast food option, known as banh mi, a savoury sandwich with unlimited fillings to please all tastes, including vegetarian.

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But among the interviewed Hanoian youth, none recognised banh mi's French roots.

Nguyen Van Hoan, a 60-year-old entrepreneur who owns a famous bakery in the centre of Hanoi, acknowledged the French legacy in the Vietnamese love for bread.

But he added that to survive, "French cuisine has had to adapt to match Vietnamese tastes."

(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
KANAS CITY, Kan.  FOX4s learning more about the handling of recent cases involving the man accused of killing a KCK Police Officer.

Dennis Mitchell III has been charged with one count of capital murder in the death of Hunter Simoncic.

Hes also been charged with one count of attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of theft and one count of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.

Excelsior Springs woman dies after being hit by truck

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FOX4 told you Mitchell was arrested late last year in Wyandotte County on felony and misdemeanor drug charges that he bonded out on.

In late June, Mitchell was arrested on charges of domestic assault and bodily injury in Southwestern Iowa. He served a 17-day jail sentence for it.

Thursday, the Kansas Bail Agents Association Executive Vice President Shane Rolf said that Mitchell agreed to come back to Kansas by signing a waiver of extradition. Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Duprees office advised the sheriffs office not to go pick him up though.

Our office works diligently to seek justice in cases. Our office proceeded in this matter to secure a conviction that also included a five year no contact order with the victim, under the understanding, based on the signed waiver of extradition and proximity of Wyandotte County, Kansas, that Mitchell would be picked up by Wyandotte County and securely transported to answer for his outstanding charges there, Fremont County, IA Attorney Peter Johnson said in a statement sent to FOX4 Friday.

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During Duprees news conference Wednesday, he was asked why he didnt have authorities go pick Michell up after his sentence ended in Iowa.

Dupree said a law had recently changed in Kansas where bonding companies can ask judges for another court date for individuals that dont show up. That way, the bonding companies dont have to pay the amount.

The law says that he doesnt have a warrant anymore because a bonding company went to the judge and got a new court date, Dupree said Wednesday. So, he had to finish his time in Iowa, and on the promise of his bonding company, and by the say of a judge, he was permitted on his word to come back. So no, this office did not waste the taxpayers dollars to go and do something the judge said was not necessary.

Independence officers on administrative leave after shooting, killing man

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Thursday though, Rolf said Duprees response to that question seemed to be inaccurate.

There was still an active warrant for him, Rolf said of Mitchell. There would have been no reason for him to sign that waiver to be brought back if there wasnt an active warrant, and it doesnt appear from the court record that there was ever a new court date scheduled until he was returned here just a couple of days ago.

Mitchells being held on a $2 million bond on these latest charges. Duprees expected to make a decision on whether hes going to seek the death penalty for him by Friday. Hes expected to be back in court Oct. 21.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  An investigation into a shooting at a gas station in Central led to the arrest of a Baton Rouge man.

Jonavon Morris, 32, was charged with attempted second-degree murder and aggravated criminal damage to property.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office initiated an investigation just minutes after the shooting took place on Thursday, Aug. 28. A detective arrived around 9:45 p.m. at the Murphy USA gas station located at 14744 Greenwell Springs Road.

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EBRSO found a vehicle with multiple bullet holes and spent rifle shell casings close to one of the pumps at the gas station. One of the tires was flat.

Detectives spoke with a woman who was near the vehicle at a separate pump from where the shell casings were located. She reported hearing multiple loud bangs and attempted to leave the gas station. She was unable to do so due to the flat tire.

EBRSO was able to see a video that showed a vehicle later determined to belong to Morris arrive at the gas station. Morris was seen getting out of the vehicle where the spent shell casings were found. He got a weapon out of the trunk and shot multiple times at the womans vehicle, according to the affidavit. Deputies said it appeared that Morris was targeting the womans vehicle.

Man in critical condition after shooting in Baton Rouge, officials say

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Further investigation showed Morriss vehicle in the area before and after the shooting.

EBRSO conducted surveillance of his home and found a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle that was observed at the shooting scene.

Morris was apprehended at his home on Aug. 28 and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the following day.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News.
NEED TO KNOW

Leonardo Campos Torres, 19, is charged with murder after police say he confessed to fatally shooting Cristian Montes, 35, at a celebration for the victim's son's baptism

The teenager claims he acted in self-defense and is seen with a battered and swollen face covered in bruises, a deep laceration and a bloody eye in his mugshot

Cristal Flores, a cousin of the victim who claims she attended the party and witnessed the shooting, said Torres' injuries were sustained as he tried to flee the scene

A family celebration turned into a crime scene after a father was fatally shot in the Texas town of Balch Springs, located approximately 20 miles south of Dallas.

Cristian Gabriel Montes, 35, was celebrating the baptism of his son and his daughter's birthday when he was shot dead shortly after midnight on July 27, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune, KDFW and KXAS.

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Officers arrested Leonardo Campos Torres, 19, on the scene after he was identified by witnesses as the gunman.

Torres later confessed to the shooting, according to the KDFW, but claimed to have acted in self-defense.

A mugshot released by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office shows Torres with a battered and swollen face that is covered in bruises, at least one laceration and a bloodied eye.

Dallas County Jail Leonardo Campos Torres Leonardo Campos Torres

Torres and Montes are distant relatives, according to a copy of the affidavit for arrest warrant obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

The Tribune reports that the affidavit stated that witnesses told police Torres and Montes butted heads at the party because of the teenager's behavior that night.

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Witnesses reported that earlier in the evening, Campos had been seen firing a handgun in the driveway area near his parked Chevrolet Tahoe," the affidavit read, according to the outlet.

"Montes reportedly confronted Campos about his actions, which led to a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical fight. During the fight, Campos drew a firearm and shot Montes.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Staff at Baylor University Medical Center said that Montes had been shot twice during the altercation, including once in the back "while turning away or falling over," reports KXAS, citing the affidavit.

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Cristal Flores, a cousin of the victim who claims she was present at the party when the fatal shooting occurred, said that Torres did not shoot Montes in self-defense, and that the injuries seen in his mugshot were sustained when he attempted to flee the party before police arrived on the scene.

"We will get justice. I will fight for you cousin. your life is worth fighting for and I will always keep your memory alive," Flores wrote on Facebook.



Read the original article on People
Editors Note: This article has been updated to include new comments from one of the parties in the dispute.



(KRON)  A Redwood City family says its taking legal action against a renter who allegedly drove their RV to Burning Man without permission, causing thousands of dollars in weather damage to the camper.

The renters contract specifically stated that the RV could not be taken to Burning Man, RV owner Ronnie Guinto told KRON4. However, a tracking device inside the RV allegedly showed the renter drove the camper to Black Rock City, Nevada during the dates of the festival.

The insurance wont cover [the damages], Guinto said.  He still did it, he still made the choice. Its disappointing and heartbreaking.

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The renter responsible for the damages, Guinto said, is Shaban Shakoori. According to business records from Guinto, Shakoori rented the RV the same weekend as the Burning Man Festival.

San Francisco to enforce RV parking ban starting in November

The law firm representing Guinto  Goethals & Stone, PC  sent KRON4 the following statement: My clients look forward to pursuing all available avenues to ensure they are made whole for any losses suffered.

Incredibly missed: Retired Bay Area police K9 passes

Guinto and his family business claim Shakoori knew the contract prohibited him from taking the RV to Burning Man. Now, the RV is damaged. Guinto estimates that repairs will cost tens of thousands of dollars.

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The family claims Shaban removed a tracking device from the RV keys before going to Burning Man. The family says that what Shaban didnt know was, there was a tracking device in the RV.

When he returned the RV Sunday, Guinto cornered him. Shaban merely signed the papers over and left.

Guinto says from now on, hes going to block out Burning Man dates.

Two days after our original report aired, Shaban Shakoori reached out to KRON4 via email. Shakoori says the damage to the RV happened on California Street in San Francisco and included two photos of what he says is the accident location. Shakoori also disputes how much the damage to the RV will cost to fix and provided a copy of the Outdoorsy insurance policy, which he says should cover the damage.

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KRON4 has reached back out to Shakoori to ask if he would like to participate in an on-camera interview so we can ask him why the RV was taken to Burning Man and if the tracker was removed from the RV key. We will update this story if we hear back.

KRON4 has also reached back out to the couple who rented the RV to Shakoori to provide a written estimate of the damage.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
COLCHESTER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44)  Hunters in two states in our region can now go after bears as one of the first hunting seasons opens Monday. In New Yorks Adirondacks, bear season doesnt begin until September 13.

The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game said that bear season is now open. Hunters must have a regular hunting license, if 16 or older, as well as a special Bear License and tag. Hunters are able to buy a second tag this season which can be used in only certain parts of the state near the White Mountains  Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) C1, D2, E, and F.

Vermont reminds new hunters to take basic education courses

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New Hampshire authorities added that gray squirrel and resident Canada goose seasons are also open as of September 1.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife authorities said that Vermonts early bear hunting season is also open September 1. Hunters are required to have a specific Early Bear Season tag as well as a regular tag, but are still limited to just one bear each calendar year.

New Hampshire offers newborns lifetime hunting and fishing licenses

According to Vermont Fish and Wildlife, successful bear hunting often means finding an area where bears like to feed. Stalking bears in a stand of nut-rich beech trees half way up a mountain on a crisp October afternoon is one of huntings most exciting challenges, the department writes.

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Vermont authorities wish to remind hunters that they are not allowed to sell bear paws and internal organs after a law was passed last year. New Hampshire still allows the sale of bear paws, though not organs.

More information on bear hunting along with regulations can be found at respective websites for Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44.
NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. (WPRI)  Four people, including a New Bedford woman, were injured in a crash on I-95 South in New Hampshire over the weekend, according to police.

Troopers responded to the three-car crash in North Hampton just after 5 p.m. on Sunday. Officials said a car heading north crossed the median and struck a southbound pickup truck, forcing it off the road and into the woods.

New Hampshire State Police identified the driver as 29-year-old Jaceline Miranda Gomes of New Bedford. Her Toyota sedan first collided with a GMC pickup truck driven by 33-year-old Anthony Crudale of Plaistow, N.H., then crossed into the southbound lanes and hit a Toyota truck driven by 71-year-old Sandy Herbert of Newburyport, Mass.

Truck sent into woods after I-95 crash in New Hampshire on Aug. 31, 2025. (Courtesy: New Hampshire State Police)

Car damaged in I-95 crash in New Hampshire on Aug. 31, 2025. (Courtesy: New Hampshire State Police)

According to police, six people were taken to local hospitals, two of whom were trapped inside their vehicles and had to be freed by first responders. Gomes and an adult passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, while a child in her car was seriously hurt.

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I-95 South was shut down for several hours as crews assisted victims and cleared debris.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Trooper Eryn Murphy at Eryn.K.Murphy@dos.nh.gov.

Car damaged in I-95 crash in New Hampshire on Aug. 31, 2025. (Courtesy: North Hampton Fire & Rescue)

Truck sent into woods after I-95 crash in New Hampshire on Aug. 31, 2025. (Courtesy: North Hampton Fire & Rescue)

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Activists will be held in prisons for terrorists and will be denied special privileges such as television, radio, and specialized food.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir presented a plan to the cabinet aimed at halting the largest flotilla ever planned to sail to Gaza, comprising 50 ships with activists from 44 countries.

Ben-Gvir presented the plan at a discussion on Sunday regarding steps to stop the flotilla, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

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Ben-Gvir emphasized that the flotilla, despite its claimed humanitarian intentions, would be regarded as an attempt to undermine Israel's sovereignty and support Hamas in Gaza.

"The proposed plan lays out measures, reinforcing Israel's unwavering position in safeguarding its borders and ensuring national security", he stated.

Under the new suggested directive, all activists arrested in connection with the flotilla will be detained in Israels Ketziot and Damon prisons, which are used to hold terrorists under stringent conditions typically reserved for security prisoners.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg departs on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza, from the port of Barcelona, Spain August 31, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/NACHO DOCE)

Activists to be held in terrorist prisons

The activists will be held in prolonged detention, unlike the previous practice of releasing detainees after brief overnight stays. Activists will be denied special privileges such as television, radio, and specialized food, in an effort to impose a clear message that supporting terrorism will not be tolerated.

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We will not allow individuals who support terrorism to live in comfort. They will face the full consequences of their actions, Ben-Gvir said.

In a move to prevent any further efforts to disrupt Israels security, Ben-Gvir suggested that all ships participating in the flotilla will be confiscated and repurposed for use by Israeli law enforcement. The seizure would be fully legal, since the government believes that the flotilla is not only a political act but an illegal attempt to bypass the blockade.

In his public statements following the meeting, Ben-Gvir stressed that Israel would not tolerate soft arrests or quiet returns of flotilla participants.

"We must create a clear deterrent. Anyone who chooses to collaborate with Hamas and support terrorism will meet a firm and unyielding response from Israel, he said. Ben-Gvir pointed out that after spending weeks in detention under harsh conditions, supporters of terror would think twice before attempting another such flotilla.

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He also stressed that these measures were part of Israels broader effort to maintain national security and prevent any further escalation.

"The Israeli Navy and law enforcement are fully prepared to address any security threats that arise, Ben-Gvir concluded.

Ben-Gvirs action plan is expected to face criticism from human rights organizations and some international bodies, who may argue that the detention conditions violate international law. However, Israeli officials have argued that the flotillas are not merely acts of political expression but direct attempts to assist a designated terrorist organization that seeks to undermine Israels right to exist.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail on Sunday from Barcelona, will be the fourth attempt to break the maritime blockade on Gaza so far this year. "It is the largest attempt yet to break the long-standing Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea", say the organizers.

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Among the crew of the flotilla is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has said that "little by little every day people are waking up to this genocide" and criticises the world's silence in the face of Israel's disregard for international law.

Irish actor Liam Cunningham, known for his role in Games of Thrones, will also take part. In a news conference before the departure in Barcelona, Cunningham played a video showing a girl singing while planning her own funeral. The girl, Fatima, died four days ago, he said.

What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements? the Irish actor told reporters.
Photo taken on Aug. 25, 2025 shows the upper reaches of the Skallelv River in northern Norway, one of the natural spawning grounds for wild Atlantic salmon. (Xinhua/Ma Ruxuan)

SKALLELV, Norway, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- On a late summer morning in Skallelv, a small village inside the Arctic Circle, the Skallelv River glitters under the pale sun. Beneath the icy water flowing quietly toward the Barents Sea, endangered wild Atlantic salmon struggle upstream to reach one of their breeding grounds.

Each year from June to September, the salmon undertake this arduous migration, overcoming natural obstacles to spawn. But in recent years, new risks have compounded their struggle. Rising water temperatures caused by climate change, environmental changes linked to fish farming, and most critically, the rapid spread of invasive pink salmon have mounted pressure on the native species.

The invasive pink salmon threatens wild Atlantic salmon on multiple fronts, Vegard Kjenner, chief technology officer of Huawei Norway, told Xinhua. It takes over prime spawning grounds, pollutes rivers and spreads disease through its carcasses, and competes aggressively for limited food, he explained.

To tackle the invasion, an artificial intelligence (AI) sorting system was introduced in the Skallelv River in 2021. The project, developed through cooperation between Chinese tech giant Huawei and Norwegian partners, is part of Huawei's global TECH4ALL program, launched in 2019 to promote inclusivity and sustainability through innovative technology.

"After we were given funding from TECH4ALL to start this project, we searched across Norway for partners," Kjenner said. "We found Simula, one of the top AI institutes in Norway, and TrollSystems, which has extensive experience in the fish farming industry."

In addition, with the support of local fishing organizations, which provided thousands of images of different fish species, including Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, and pink salmon, they trained the AI algorithms to recognize and sort fish in real-time.

The system functions as a non-intrusive river barrier that guides fish into a monitored passage. Underwater cameras capture real-time images of groups of passing fish, which AI algorithms identify and sort within milliseconds. Native Atlantic salmon are then allowed upstream to complete their spawning cycle, while invasive pink salmon are diverted into a containment cage for removal.

With an accuracy rate of 99.997 percent, the system has, by this summer, intercepted more than 4,000 pink salmon in the Skallelv River alone, effectively reducing the threat to native species.

For Bror Bonde, the lead river warden who has overseen the Skallelv for seven years, the difference is significant. "With manual sorting, you had to physically handle every native spawner. That was both labor-intensive and harmful to the fish," he said.

With the AI system, fish can pass through unhindered. He said, "It's better for the Atlantic salmon to self-regulate all the environmental stressors and to adapt to the freshwater after returning from the sea."

The project has since developed into a pilot model applied in multiple rivers, winning support from Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Looking ahead, Kjenner said that the next large-scale pink salmon migration is expected in 2027, and he hopes the system could be deployed widely by then.

Beyond sorting pink salmon, the technology has broader potential. "The algorithm we've developed can be trained to recognize any fish species, as long as there are enough pictures and materials," Kjenner said. "In Norway, we also face challenges with escaped farmed salmon, which we don't want entering the upper rivers. We are now training the AI to detect and separate farmed salmon from wild Atlantic salmon."

From the Arctic rivers to tropical rainforests, technology is increasingly becoming a vital tool in tackling environmental challenges. In an active role participating in such biodiversity protection, Huawei's TECH4ALL program has been applied in diverse environments worldwide, from wetlands to wildlife reserves.

"It is only our imagination that sets the limits for where we can use technology," Kjenner said. "This project is just a concrete case showing that we are doing something good - and it works. I'm sure there are hundreds of other cases around the world where we can use technology. And it is fun." 

Photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 25, 2025 shows workers checking an artificial intelligence (AI) sorting system developed through cooperation between Chinese tech giant Huawei and Norwegian partners on the Skallelv River in northern Norway. (Xinhua/Kang Yi)
A relative of Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas, has purchased a home in the town of Omer, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir saying he is "shocked by the news."

A relative of Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas, has purchased a home in the town of Omer, which borders Beersheba, sparking criticism from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday.

"I was also shocked to hear this. This is a family of terrorists, many terrorists. Damned people. This is certainly not good news," Ben-Gvir said in a statement while also explaining how this situation doesnt fall under his jurisdiction.

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He then added, The police do not determine the demographics of a settlement; that is the head of the council's responsibility. The police do not have the authority to manage demographic matters in settlements.

If there is a violation there, the police will handle it with zero tolerance, just as you see very clearly with what is happening in the Negev."

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the media before a cabinet meeting at the Prime Ministers Office in Jerusalem. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Haniyehs family business in Israel

This is not the first time that someone related to Haniyeh has managed to live in Israel. In 2024, Sabah Abed al-Salam Haniyeh, the sister of Ismail, was arrested after being accused of identifying with a terrorist organization and incitement.

During a joint operation by the Israeli Police and the Shin Bet, her home was raided on suspicion of maintaining ties with Hamas operatives, identifying with the terrorist organization, and inciting violence.

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During the search, the forces found documents, media equipment, phones, and other materials, as well as evidence linking her to serious security offenses. Hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash were also found at her home.

A few weeks later, the State Attorney's Office submitted an indictment against her to the Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court, accusing her of identifying with a terrorist organization and incitement.

According to the indictment, Sabah Haniyeh sent WhatsApp messages to dozens of contacts, including her brother, praising, supporting, and encouraging Hamas' actions on the October 7 massacre just two days after, on October 9.
In a star-studded bipartisan celebration of the American work ethic, featuring Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, even the Catholic priest giving the invocation in the Armory Ballroom came armed with a pro-union message.

High-ranking New Hampshire Democrats and Republicans were among the 15 speakers in the packed house at the DoubleTree Hotel in Manchester, delivering rousing revival speeches in an annual Labor Day Breakfast hosted by the AFL-CIO.

Despite the pro-worker talk from all speakers, Sanders didnt shy away from bashing President Donald Trumps policies, which he said have hurt unions and hard-working Americans only to put more money in the pockets of billionaires.

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On behalf of the oligarchs, the president who is moving this country in a very strong authoritarian direction, who does not understand or care for the Constitution of the United States or the rule of law. We have a president who, in an unprecedented way, is leading us toward a kleptocracy in which he and his family are going to make huge amounts of money from the presidency. And we have a president today who is leading the war against the trade union movement and the working class of this country, Sanders said.

Sanderss fiery rhetoric stood in stark contrast to the largely bipartisan agreement that all workers should earn a living wage and be able to afford a family, buy a house and retire with dignity after decades of toiling in jobs that make the United States the richest country in the world.

Sanders said Trump has fired thousands of dedicated federal employees, but he believes the 99% of regular citizens can successfully fight back against the 1% who continue to horde mountains of money while most Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

(Trump) has obliterated illegally, clearly, major federal unions, Sanders said. In the midst of all of this, I will tell you something. This is not the first time in American history that we have faced a very difficult moment, and in the past, we have overcome our adversaries.

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Sanders said the working class has a life expectancy thats six years shorter than the countrys average. The lack of a livable wage and affordable health care or child care, among other factors, is taking a toll on Americans.

You know what that does to you week after week? Sanders asked. You tell me, what does it do? Youre living under enormous stress.  Now we as a nation, shamefully, have the lowest life expectancy of any major country. We lived about four years, shorter lives than people in Europe, other wealthy countries. Heres something you dont know. If you are working class in America, your life expectancy will be six years shorter than if you are wealthy.

California rep speaks

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, spoke before Sanders about what Democrats need to do to not just win back voters but to finally, after many decades, deliver again for workers.

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The Democratic Party should stand for what we stood for since the time of (President Franklin D. Roosevelt), the Democratic Party should stand for tackling the economic divides that are tearing this country apart, and have as our singular vision  the economic strength and independence of every family and every community, Khanna said.

Among other highlights of the speaking program, which included Republicans Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, state Senate President Sharon Carson and state Rep. Mike Bordes, who is running for mayor of Laconia, was Democratic New Hampshire Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander of Nashua. Goodlander, in her first term in Washington, said that she would not allow cuts to Social Security to hurt New Hampshire residents.

Goodlander said over my dead body she would allow Social Security offices in Littleton and other parts of the state to shutter amid federal spending cuts.

State Rep. Dan LeClerc, a union carpenter from Amherst, came out to Metallicas Fuel and championed the lyrics, Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire.

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His speech on the heels of his retirement after 30 years as a trade union member, said Democrats in the New Hampshire House have to make more than promises. They need the power of the people to pass meaningful legislation.

Democrats tried to pass things like raising the minimum wage, allowing public sector employees to adhere to the same OSHA-level safety standards as a private sector, and raising workers comp payments back up to 65% like most of the rest of the country, just to name a few, he said. Who the hell do we think we are trying to pass such things that would make Granite State lives just a little bit better?

dpierce@unionleader.com
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said all options are on the table for further sanctions on Russia, as it continues its onslaught against Ukraine following an historic summit with President Donald Trump on US soil.

President Putin, since the historic meeting in Anchorage, since the phone call, when the European leaders and President Zelensky were at the White House the following Monday, has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated he wanted to do  as a matter of fact, he has in a despicable, despicable mannerincreased the bombing campaign, Bessent said in an interview with Fox News.

I think with President Trump, all options are on the table, and I think well be examining those very closely this week, Bessent continued.

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The Trump administration has been, so far, reluctant to slap further sanctions on Russia in its continued efforts to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, despite repeated threats.

Following the summit with President Vladimir Putin, Trump last month said he would know within two weeks whether Russia was serious about entering negotiations  invoking a deadline he has frequently cited, only to see it come and go without actions. But in those same comments, he floated the possibility of walking away altogether, a possibility he has yet to rule out, administration officials previously told CNN.

Trump reiterated in recent days that he would punish Russia with sanctions if it refuses to make peace, saying, It will not be a world war but it will be an economic war. He did not set a deadline on when he might enact those economic penalties, however. The president quickly went on to say that he did not want to impose new sanctions or tariffs aimed at hurting Russias economy, expressing hope that there is still a path toward brokering a deal to end the war.

In an interview with CBS Face the Nation on August 17, following the Alaskan summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that new sanctions would effectively end peace talks.

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At the end of the day, if peace is not going to be possible here, and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands, the President has that option to then come in and impose new sanctions. But if he did this now, the moment the President puts those additional sanctions, thats the end of the talks, Rubio said. Youve basically locked in at least another year to year and a half of war and death and destruction.

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As millions of Americans prepare to return home following the holiday weekend, experts are warning travelers to pack their patience.

Transportation analytics company INRIX says the best time to drive during the holiday weekend is before lunchtime. The longer drivers wait to hit the road, the more likely they are to hit heavy backups.

AAA is urging drivers to prepare for long trips by checking their vehicles, packing emergency kits, and staying alert while driving.

AAA Road Trip Safety Reminders

Prep Your Vehicle  Check tires, fluids, brakes, and battery before hitting the road. Pack an Emergency Kit  Include water, snacks, flashlight, first-aid supplies, and phone charger. Avoid Drowsy Driving  Get plenty of rest and take breaks every two hours. Plan Your Route  Use GPS and carry a physical map; share your itinerary with someone. Always remain alert  Avoid distractions and focus on the task of driving. Beat the Heat  Never leave kids or pets in parked cars and keep your windshield clean to reduce glare. Slow Down or Move Over  When approaching a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck, service vehicle, or automobile experiencing a breakdown, slow down to a safe speed or move over to an adjacent lane, if it is safe to do so.

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Booking data shows that Seattle, Orlando, and New York are the top domestic destinations this Labor Day weekend, with more travelers hitting the road heading to beaches and national parks.

Prices for flights, hotels, and rental cars are all cheaper than they were last year, according to AAA.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
WESTBROOK, Conn. (WTNH)  The community came together on Sunday in Westbrook for the first ever Ride with Hal fundraiser.

The fundraiser was established in memorial of Chris Hallahan, one of three people killed in an Old Saybrook boat crash last year.

Suspect in deadly Old Saybrook boat crash to appear in court Wednesday

The bike-riding event was organized by Chriss sister and widow.

It makes me happy to see how many people Christopher touched, his wife Brittney Hallahan said. Anyone thats here can feel the love.

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All the money earned this weekend will support boating safety initiatives.

For us, our family, and our community, it keeps Christophers memory alive and with us, right? his sister Cydney Hallahan said. Its important not to forget great people and he was a great human.

Organizers hope Ride With Hal becomes and annual event.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Protecting cancer research is a new message being pushed by the American Cancer Society Action Network after there have been discussions of cutting $18 billion from the National Institutes of Health.

As you drive on I-44 and I-235, you might notice two new billboards that are asking people to text a number and urge the U.S. Congress not to approve the proposed cuts to cancer research nationwide and keep funding for cancer research prevalent.

LOCAL NEWS: Mixed predictions on Oklahomas winter weather

Advocating for cancer research with new billboards, Courtesy: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

This is very concerning to us. You know, investing $157 million in Oklahoma, and that funding supports more than 2,400 jobs, $447 million in economic activity, said Matt Glanville, the ACS CAN Oklahoma Government Relations Director.

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Chickasha resident Howie Jackson is a 3-time cancer survivor.

The first two battles with cancer had to do with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is a mouthful. I was the first adult in the state of Oklahoma to have a cord blood stem cell transplant, said Howie Jackson, a 3-time cancer survivor.

Jackson said without cancer research, patients like himself may not get the help they need.

A child diagnosed with leukemia in the eighties, it was almost a death sentence. And fast forward ten years to 1995. They do that first cord blood stem cell transplant and like, oh, my gosh, this is this can help kids. And then we find out, oh, it can help adults, too, said Jackson.

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LOCAL NEWS: New program offering free childcare to address workforce shortage

Advocates for cancer research said a cut of $18 billion would be a huge blow for Oklahomans and those across the nation.

Weve made tremendous progress in the last ten years, and we dont feel like we can go backwards, said Glanville.

We have a 15-year-old daughter now, and I want a world for herif she or one of her friends gets diagnosed with cancer, that its not going to be a terrible diagnosis and the scare that it is most times, said Jackson.

If you text the number on those billboards, advocates said a petition will pop up that goes to members of Congress and encourages them to stand in support of cancer research. If you havent seen the billboard, they are asking you to text CURES to 73508.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Enforcement sanctions on haredi draft dodgers would be frozen throughout the period of the emergency regulation, which would last for a year, Walla reported.

Temporary solutions to provide further conscription to the IDF while attempting to advance a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft law are being considered, the office of Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

The confirmation came after a Monday Walla report that Bismuth was promoting an emergency regulation outline that would serve as a temporary solution for immediate conscription of soldiers to the IDF, which haredim would most likely agree to.

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Enforcement sanctions on haredi draft dodgers would be frozen throughout the period of the emergency regulation, which would last for a year, according to the report. The lifted sanctions would include stopping arrests against draft dodgers and continued funding for yeshivas.

There is an understanding that in the current reality, in the midst of a war, the need for soldiers is urgent and essential, while a permanent law is a long and complex process, Bismuths office stated in response to the report.

Therefore, temporary solutions adapted to the current period are also being considered, in order to provide an immediate response to security needs, while simultaneously continuing to advance a comprehensive and stable regulation of the conscription law in cooperation and responsibly, the office said.

MK Boaz Bismuth leads National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 10, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Under this emergency arrangement, haredim would be expected to agree to higher enlistment numbers according to the armys needs, though no exact figures have yet been specified, the Walla report said.

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The emergency resolution would therefore reportedly serve as an interim measure tailored to the current period, in which the IDF requires additional manpower.

The report also said that the resolution would not be a replacement for long-term legislation toward a conscription law, which would continue in the committee in the coming months.

The plan that Bismuth is presenting is not a plan for drafting people. It is a plan for dodging the draft, according to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel.

This is political trickery designed to continue the lie for another year, at the expense of the soldiers and of national security, the movement said. This is a direct continuation of a policy of dangerous discrimination between one kind of blood and another, which serves only the survival of the government.

Bismuth proposal called 'the embodiment of a draft-dodging scheme

The Brothers and Sisters in Arms for Democracy organization said Bismuths proposal was The embodiment of a draft-dodging scheme.

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They said that it is stopping arrests, canceling sanctions, and freezing budget cuts for yeshivas, in exchange for empty promises that carry no real value. This is a cynical use of an emergency regulation not to strengthen the IDF, but to bypass the law and High Court rulings.

Party leader MK Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) slammed the proposal, stating that the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is harming Israels security. Instead of strengthening the IDF and drafting everyone, he seeks to cancel sanctions and protect draft dodgers.

The report came ahead of Bismuths scheduled meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday.

It also comes before the second Knesset meeting on the conscription law since he was appointed as head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, set for Wednesday.

Bismuth replaced MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) as the committees chairperson after the controversy surrounding the negotiations on the haredi law proposal, which was led by Edelstein. This fallout resulted in the departure of the two haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, from the government in July.
A death investigation is underway after the body of a Massachusetts man was found off the coast of Maine, state officials said Monday.

Mark Metzger, 74, of Waltham, Massachusetts, was found dead on Sunday, when his body was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard near Long Island Ledges, Maine Department of Resources officials said in a statement.

Friends of Metzger reported him missing at approximately 11:40 a.m. Sunday after they could not find him aboard his 19-foot sailboat, which was anchored on the western side of Bremen Long Island.

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A search began involving the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, Maine Marine Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Forest Service, and local emergency response personnel.

Good Samaritans located Metzgers body at approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

U.S. Coast Guard members transported his body to shore. It was then taken to a local funeral home.

Officials said Metzgers body will be transferred to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for examination.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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PRAGUE, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Monday evening that he is canceling his Tuesday election campaign program after being attacked during a rally.

"Tomorrow, I'll be waiting for further evaluation of the test results, but the doctors have recommended rest, so unfortunately, I'll have to cancel at least tomorrow's program in the Olomouc Region," he said on the social media platform X.

Babis, who served as Czech prime minister from 2017 to 2021, was struck in the head with a metallic forearm crutch by a man during an election rally in the eastern Czech town of Dobra on Monday afternoon.

Babis, the leader of the opposition ANO party, went to hospital for an examination after the incident. He underwent a head CT scan and was subsequently released from the hospital, according to local media reports.

Czech Police said X that officers at the scene immediately detained the man after the attack, and the case is now under investigation. In addition to Babis, a woman was also treated for injuries.

Police have preliminarily classified the incident as a "criminal offense of disorderly conduct."

ANO's first deputy chairman Karel Havlicek wrote on X that the incident was one of the consequences of a "hate campaign" allegedly waged by political rivals.

Responding to the attack, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan stressed that violence in any form is unacceptable.

"I unequivocally condemn today's attack on Andrej Babis. Let us seek a better future for our country in clashes of arguments and ideas, not in physical violence," he said on X.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also condemned the attack, stressing that "violence has no place in politics under any circumstances."

The Czech Republic is set to hold elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the parliament, on Oct. 3-4 this year. 
FLOWOOD, Miss. (WJTV)  Flowood police said the body of a missing man was recovered from a lake near a hospital.

On August 17, 2025, police said Davion Holmes, 21, of Indianola, was reported missing after leaving Merit Health River Oaks Hospital in Flowood. Since then, authorities had been searching for Holmes.

Two killed, two injured in Jackson shooting

Officers responded to a call about a body in a lake near the hospital on August 31, 2025. Police said the body was identified as Holmes.

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His cause of death is under investigation. Holmes body was transported to the Mississippi State Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy.

Police said no foul play is suspected, but the investigation is ongoing.

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Newly released bodycam footage shows the arrest of a man dressed in a Chuck E. Cheese mascot costume in Florida.

The man, who was identified as Jermell J. Jones, was working his shift at the restaurant on Wednesday, July 23, when officers rushed into the building and took him into custody, PEOPLE previously reported.

In the video released by the Tallahassee Police Department, officers can be seen struggling to handcuff Jones at first, telling him to stop resisting before grabbing his arms and pulling them behind his back.

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Come with me Chuck E., one of the officers can be heard saying as they lead him out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.

After patting him down and taking off the mascot head, the officer tells Jones hes accused of some fraud stuff with a credit card, to which Jones denies using anyone elses card and insists he only uses his own Cash App.

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He later admitted to officers that he sometimes used a cousin's card, identifying her only as "Key," according to a police report obtained by CBS Miami.

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This came after a woman approached officers at the scene and allegedly provided video evidence, identifying Jones as the person who made fraudulent purchases with her child support debit card. She told police she last used the card on June 28 during her child's birthday party at the restaurant.

Per the outlet, police found the womans debit card in Jones pocket during the arrest.

Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby store along with transaction logs that allegedly showed he had used the card in multiple locations.

Leon County Sheriff's Office

According to The Tallahassee Democrat, Jones was charged with three felonies  theft of a credit card, criminal use of personal identification information and fraudulent use of a credit card over two times within six months.

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We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee, a spokesperson for Chuck E. Cheese previously told PEOPLE in a statement.

Jones was booked and released the next morning on a $1,000 bond.

Read the original article on People
A Bond Hill woman is accused of killing her ex-girlfriend after a verbal dispute in Millvale.

Marshee Luther, 25, is accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Taralynn Bower around 4 p.m. Aug 31 on the 2000 block of Millvale Court, according to court documents.

Bower was found by police with a gunshot wound to the head and declared dead at the scene, a police sergeant told Enquirer media partner Fox 19.

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During her arraignment Sept. 1, prosecutors said Luther shot her ex-girlfriend following a verbal dispute during which Bower was unarmed.

Prosecutors asked that Luther be held with a $500,000 bond. Luther's public defender asked for a lower bond, pointing to her having no record or previous contact with police.

Hamilton County Municipal Judge Samantha Silverstein held Luther on no bond. She remains in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center.

Luther is expected in court next on Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. to determine whether she will continue to be held without bond.

The investigation by the department's homicide unit is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at 513-352-3542.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police arrest Bond Hill woman after fatal Millvale shooting
By Daria Sito-Sucic

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -Bosnian truck drivers blocked the movement of all goods in the Balkan country on Monday over what they said was the government's failure to support the transport sector.

About 600 trucks were parked near cargo customs terminals in several towns, including the capital Sarajevo, and near the borders with Croatia and Serbia.

Passenger traffic has not been blocked but has slowed, Bosnia's motor vehicle club BIHAMK said.

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Logistika, a body representing 47,000 workers in the transport sector, organised the protests under the slogan "That's enough" after months of negotiations with Bosnia's numerous layers of government yielded no results, it said.

"Our supply chains have been halted across the country," Velimir Peulic, Logistika's chief coordinator, told a news conference.

Logistika, which groups 600 companies, wants the central government to tackle administrative barriers and excessive taxes that it says endanger the survival of a sector worth 4.7 billion euros ($5.50 billion).

One key problem is a 90-day cap set by the European Union on the amount of time Bosnian truck drivers can stay in the bloc without leaving, out of 180 days permitted annually.

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This, Peulic said, has forced many companies to re-register in neighbouring EU member states Croatia and Slovenia and many Bosnian drivers to leave their country.

"Stop arresting us in the EU," he said, adding that 48 Bosnian drivers had been detained across the EU for exceeding the 90-day limit even though they were only doing their job.

The truck drivers also want a refund of excise taxes on oil and shorter border procedures, as well as greater digitalisation that would cut red tape and long queues.

Bosnia's Communications and Transportation Ministry said it had begun tackling some of the administrative barriers and procedures and that they should be completed by next month.

Peulic said negotiations with the government would continue, and so would the protests.

($1 = 0.8542 euros)

(Reporting by Daria Sito-SucicEditing by Gareth Jones)
NEED TO KNOW

A 12-year-old boy died after falling off playground equipment on Aug. 29

Local police said that the incident is still under investigation

Speaking out after the tragedy, the boy's father said his "heart has been ripped in two" by the loss of his son

A much-loved boy died after falling off playground equipment at a park near his home.

Logan Carter, 12, died following an incident at the Wharton Recreation Ground in Winsford, a town in Cheshire, England, on Friday, Aug. 29, around 6:11 p.m. local time, per a press release issued by the Cheshire Constabulary.

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Logan was injured after falling from a park apparatus, the BBC and The Independent reported.

Emergency workers from North West Ambulance Service treated Logan, but he was ultimately declared dead at the scene, per The Independent.

Cheshire Police Logan Carter Logan Carter

As part of our investigation into this incident, we are asking anyone who may have been in or around the Wharton Recreation Ground area just off Ledward Street in Winsford at around the time of the incident and saw anything that may aid us in our enquiries, to please get in touch, Detective Sergeant John Rhodes said in a statement obtained by The Independent.

He added, At this stage, I would also like to ask the public not to feed into any speculation, particularly on social media, as this remains an ongoing investigation.

GoFundMe Logan Carter Logan Carter

PEOPLE reached out to the Cheshire Constabulary and the North West Ambulance Service for comment on Sunday, Aug. 31, but did not receive an immediate response.

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A statement from the family, included in the Cheshire Constabulary press release, called Logan a much-loved son, brother, grandson, great-grandson, cousin and friend to many.

Google Maps Wharton Recreation Ground in Winsford, England Wharton Recreation Ground in Winsford, England

He had an infectious personality and a beautiful smile, the statement continued. "Everyone wanted to be where Logan was. He was a little boy who was so full of life and wanted to make everyone laugh. He made every day worth living.

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The family added, Logan was everyones therapy person, their calm, and he will be missed more than we can ever put into words. We are taking comfort from the words of support we have received whilst we take time to come to terms with the untimely loss of our blue-eyed boy."

Logans father, Rob Carter, shared a tribute to his son on Facebook on Saturday, Aug. 30, writing, When I [woke] up on Friday my little mate I didn't think that would be the last time I get to see you.

My heart has been ripped in two, he continued.

All I can say to people is hold your kids and tell them every day how much you love them because you never know when they will be gone, he added in a follow-up post shared later the same day.

A GoFundMe has been established to help the family amid the loss of their loved one.



Read the original article on People
By Ricardo Brito, Luciana Magalhaes and Manuela Andreoni

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's Supreme Court goes into final deliberations in its trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro this week in a case that has incurred the wrath of U.S. President Donald Trump.

No man has felt the force of that fury, or dismissed it as scornfully, as Alexandre de Moraes, the judge who put Bolsonaro under house arrest, jailed hundreds of his backers for invading government buildings and cowed Elon Musk over social media content. His pursuit of Bolsonaro has led Trump to impose a 50% trade tariff on Brazil, visa restrictions and individual financial sanctions.

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Moraes, 56, whose stern bald visage has come to define the court he joined eight years ago, insists he won't back down. But behind his implacable facade, he faces a growing backlash from lawmakers seeking his impeachment and public opinion tiring of his hardline tactics.

Even within the high court, which has upheld his decisions and presented a largely united front, tensions are rising. Two court sources said his fellow justices worry the Bolsonaro case may draw even stronger blowback from Trump, who has demanded that Brazil drop the trial that the U.S. president calls a "witch hunt."

Some Supreme Court justices are preparing to publicly question elements of decisions by Moraes, who is running the case, to show their independence, the court sources said.

Moraes told Reuters in an interview in August that he had not heard any concerns from peers about how he has run the Bolsonaro case.

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"If anyone did complain, they complained to the press," he said. "Whoever put this in the press, I'll say here that it's a lie."

In July, the U.S. government stripped visas from eight high court justices, sparing three judges who had clearly diverged with Moraes in prior cases. That has fed speculation among the local press that the Trump administration is trying to sow division on the court.

In response to questions from Reuters, a senior U.S. State Department official did not address that speculation but said the visa restrictions targeted Moraes.

President Trump "has taken decisive action through the imposition of Global Magnitsky Sanctions against Justice Moraes and his allies," the official said, referring to a law that allows the U.S. to impose economic penalties against foreigners it considers to have a record of corruption or human rights abuses.

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Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca, whom Bolsonaro appointed in 2021, has hinted increasingly in public about divergences on the court.

"A good judge must be respected, not feared," he said in a recent speech, which some in the court took as thinly veiled criticism of Moraes, who would address the same event in Rio de Janeiro later in the day. "Their rulings should bring social peace, not chaos, uncertainty, or insecurity."

Mendonca did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Bolsonaro is still widely expected to be convicted of plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election, which he lost to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and sentenced to prison by the five-judge panel convened from Tuesday through next week. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and called Moraes a "dictator."

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FRAGILE DEMOCRACY

Alexandre de Moraes was born on December 13th, 1968, at one of the darkest moments of Brazil's recent history.

That was the day the military dictatorship then ruling the country gave itself the power to close Congress and suspend political rights, unleashing an era of repression that included the torture of thousands and killing of hundreds of Brazilians.

Moraes and his supporters say his aggressive approach to Bolsonaro and his allies has always been aimed at defending Brazilian democracy and avoiding a repeat of that dark day.

His critics argue the opposite, accusing him of censorship and illegal overreach in orders to remove social media posts from Bolsonaro supporters, seize the phones of businessmen discussing the virtues of a coup and jail a lawmaker who made threats against the court.

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The senior State Department official said, Brazils dark reality is a stark reminder of where political weaponization of a government, such as the one conducted under the Biden administration, ultimately leads.

Trump has accused Democratic former President Joe Biden of "weaponizing" the U.S. legal system and has accused him and former President Barack Obama, without providing evidence, of an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Still, if the Supreme Court convicts Bolsonaro, a former army captain, and generals who allegedly plotted with him, it would be the first time in Brazil's coup-spotted history that military officers are punished for threatening democracy.

"The history of Brazil and the world teaches that impunity, omissions and cowardice can, at first, look like the fastest way to solve problems," Moraes told the audience in Rio. "Impunity never worked in history for any country in the world."

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Many Brazilians are ready to see Bolsonaro punished. In an August survey by pollster Quaest, 55% of respondents said his house arrest was justified.

Brazil's conservative business elite has also cheered the idea of Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio Freitas, who served in Bolsonaro's cabinet, running for president next year as a more moderate standard-bearer of his right-wing coalition.

However, those hopes have not translated into widespread approval for Moraes, whose scorched-earth jurisprudence is wearing thin with many Brazilians. Quaest found in August that 46% of Brazilians want him impeached.

Bolsonaro's allies say they have lined up more than 41 senators eager to remove Moraes from office, still shy of the 54 needed for impeachment.

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Senate President Davi Alcolumbre has refused to allow a vote on the matter, which is likely to become a battle cry among right-wing parties looking to add Senate seats in the 2026 general election.

STEEL IN ADVERSITY

Moraes was starting a vacation in Paris in January 2023 when hundreds of Bolsonaro's supporters rioted in Brasilia, rampaging through government buildings in an attempt to trigger a military intervention that could reverse the electoral results.

The judge's longtime friend Floriano Azevedo, a member of Brazil's electoral court, recalls his astonishment when Moraes told him he was getting on the next plane back to Brazil.

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"There is a rebellion of those proportions, of which he was a target, and he decided to go back to the epicenter of the thing," he said.

Azevedo said adversity only steels Moraes.

"Sometimes people assume others will behave the way they do," Moraes told Reuters in the August interview from his office in Brasilia. "So maybe they would back down like cowards if they were threatened. Obviously, the Supreme Court would never cower in the face of threats."

His resolve has earned him a measure of deference in recent years, when many on the high court worried the institution was under threat. But that tough resolve may now be backfiring.

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"He is polite and kind," said former Justice Marco Aurelio Mello, who served on the court with Moraes for four years. "But I wouldn't want to be tried by him."

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito in Brasilia and Luciana Magalhaes and Manuela Andreoni Sao PauloEditing by Brad Haynes and Rosalba O'Brien)
In New York, former Mid-State Corrections Officer Brandon Montanari admitted he and two colleagues kicked and punched an inmate in a hallway at the prison in April 2023, and they later tried to lie about it during the investigation. Montanari pleaded guilty to violating the inmate's rights under color of law, and his attorney requested a sentence of only probation. But a federal judge sentenced him to 37 months in federal prison, the maximum recommended by the sentencing guidelines, because she felt Montanari had not accepted responsibility. The other officers, Michael Williams and Rohail Khan, have also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in September.

The post Brickbat: Hard Time appeared first on Reason.com.
It was supposed to be the happiest week of her life, but instead, it turned into a scene out of an action movie.

Just days before tying the knot in Vermont, Massachusetts bride-to-be, Julia Pallis, watched her wedding dreams nearly vanish when her car, stuffed with decorations, drinks, and most importantly, her wedding gown, was stolen in broad daylight.

However, instead of crumbling under the pressure, Pallis did the unthinkable. She jumped into detective mode, tracked her laptop, and raced alongside the police to save her stolen wedding.

Massachusetts Bride-To-Be Nearly Lost Her Big Day Essentials

Julia Pallis and her fiance, firefighter Collin Tully, were preparing for their Vermont wedding when disaster struck.

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On the morning of August 28, the couples car was packed to the brim with everything needed for their celebration.

Boxes, drinks, signs, decorations, Tully explained to WHDH, adding that the most valuable item of all, Palliss wedding dress, was safely tucked inside.

However, in a split second, their plans unraveled. Tully left the car running outside his home in Mattapan to grab one last thing.

It could only have been a minute, minute and a half tops, he recalled. Then I walked outside to not having a car anymore.

The couples excitement turned into heartbreak, as nearly every detail they had worked on for months was suddenly gone.

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The car, the gown, the carefully planned decor, and even basic supplies had vanished into thin air.

Bride Turned Detective With GPS Tracking

Canva Stock Images

Instead of breaking down, the Massachusetts bride-to-be went into fight mode.

She suddenly remembered her laptop was inside the stolen vehicle.

Oh, my laptop is in there, she recalled thinking. I can track my laptop!

Armed with the location signal, Pallis jumped into her personal car and began following the trail herself while updating the police.

The chase zigzagged through the Boston suburbs, with Pallis feeding police real-time updates on the cars movements.

Meanwhile, her partner marveled at her composure under stress. Im sure maybe inside, she was a little angry, but she was a rock star on the outside for sure, he said.

Police And Massachusetts Bride Unite In High-Speed Pursuit

ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Bridgewater Police say they were notified around 8:42 a.m. that the stolen car had entered their city and that its location was being tracked via the laptop.

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Within 10 minutes, officers had eyes on the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, triggering a pursuit that spanned multiple streets and extended into neighboring East Bridgewater.

According to the Bridgewater Police Department, the chase moved from Water Street onto a series of residential roads; at one point, the driver allegedly hopped a sidewalk to bypass a cruiser.

The pursuit continued into East Bridgewater, where additional officers joined the effort.

After a tense sequence of maneuvers, police successfully forced the car to a stop.

They smashed the drivers window when commands were ignored. Behind the wheel was 31-year-old Jason Grossett of Mattapan, who was immediately arrested.

Details Of The Culprits Charges

CANVA

Authorities later revealed Grossett was charged with a list of offenses, including Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle (Subsequent Offense), Failure to Stop for Police, Reckless Operation, Operating with a Suspended License (Subsequent Offense), Speeding, Marked Lanes Violation, Failure to Stop or Yield, and Operator Refusing to Identify Self.

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Police also said he had an active warrant. An arraignment in Brockton District Court was scheduled for Friday, August 29.

As the adrenaline died down, gratitude took over. Tully told the outlet that his fiance acted quickly and kept officers updated until police cruisers could eventually catch up to her.

While Pallis received numerous accolades, she reserved her deepest gratitude for the female officer who intercepted the car at just the right moment.

Honestly that officer that was driving the detail, we owe her our whole wedding, Pallis said. Shes the MVP. Were thanking our lucky stars for her.

Massachusetts Bride Goes From Nightmare To Happily Ever After

CANVA

With their belongings safe and the suspect in custody, the Massachusetts bride and her man turned their focus back to what truly mattered.

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According to WHDH, the couple proceeded with their wedding weekend as planned.

Looking back, Pallis said the experience only made her bond with Tully stronger.

Were more confident after going through this than we were before, she admitted.

She also revealed that they were more than convinced that walking down the aisle was the right decision.
NEED TO KNOW

A Massachusetts couple nearly lost everything they needed for their upcoming wedding when a thief took off with their car, but the bride's quick thinking helped police track down the vehicle

Julia Pallis and Collin Tully were about to set off for their wedding on Aug. 28, when a thief allegedly stole Tully's car

Pallis tracked a laptop in the car and alerted police to its location, chasing it the whole way

A Massachusetts couple nearly lost everything they needed for their upcoming wedding when a thief took off with their fully packed car  but the quick-thinking bride helped police chase down the vehicle.

According to local Boston outlet WHDH, soon-to-be-married couple Julia Pallis and Collin Tully were just about to set off for their Vermont wedding from their home in the Boston area on Thursday, Aug. 28, when the incident occurred.

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Pallis told the outlet that their car was "packed to the brim" with "boxes, drinks, signs, decorations"  as well as her wedding dress.

Tully said that he had left the car running and went inside to find his fiancee when they realized that something had happened.



"In what could only have been a minute, minute and a half tops, between going back inside and telling her [Pallis] that the car was loaded up, ready to go, and then walked outside to not having a car anymore," Tully, a Boston firefighter, recounted.

Getty A stock image of a police car. A stock image of a police car.

Reacting quickly, Pallis began thinking about everything that had been left inside the stolen vehicle.



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"I was thinking obviously about all the things in the car. 'Oh my wallet, I should turn off my cards,' " she recalled to WHDH. "And then I thought, 'Oh my laptop is in there, such a bummer.' "

"Then I thought," she continued, " 'Oh my gosh, I can track my laptop!' "

The bride-to-be then recounted hopping in her own car and chasing after the car thief, tracking the computer through the Boston suburbs.

"She acted quickly, got in her personal car, and tracked the car until police cruisers could eventually catch up to her. She was giving them live reports," Tully said.

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Luckily for the bride, the stolen vehicle drove right past a police officer on detail, and Pallis was able to alert her to the situation.

"Honestly, that officer who was driving the detail, we owe her our whole wedding. Shes the MVP," Pallis said. "We're thanking our lucky stars for her."

Police in the nearby town of Bridgewater said in a statement that they were notified at around 8:42 a.m. local time that the stolen vehicle had entered their city limits. Pallis told WHDH that she continued giving them updates on the car's exact location as often as she could.

Officers quickly located the car, and they, along with police from neighboring East Bridgewater, eventually caught up to the driver  identified by police as 31-year-old Jason Grossett  and took him into custody.

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All of the items inside  including Pallis' wedding gown  were recovered, according to authorities.

Police said that no injuries were reported, and Grossett is now facing several charges, including failure to stop for police, reckless operation of a vehicle and driving with a suspended license.

As for Tully, he praised his fiancee for her quick thinking.

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"I'm sure maybe inside, she was a little angry, but she was a rock star on the outside for sure," he told WHDH.

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The couple was able to proceed with their wedding weekend as planned, according to WHDH, and Pallis told the outlet they feel even more confident in their decision to get married than ever before.



"[We're] even more confident after going through this than we were before that," she said. "We're making the right choice."

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By Muvija M

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Monday it would suspend applications from registered refugees to bring family members into the country in order to give the government time to toughen the rules, its latest attempt to cut the number of arrivals.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under mounting pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers reaching Britain from France in small boats, after hotels housing migrants became a focal point for weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations.

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Interior minister Yvette Cooper told parliament that more and more refugees had applied to bring in family members, placing pressure on housing across the country.

Many were applying to bring over families within about a month whereas, as recently as 2019, they were waiting one or two years or more.

Cooper said she would suspend the system while the government looked to toughen the rules.

"The system has to be controlled and managed based on fair and properly enforced rules, not chaos and exploitation driven by criminal smuggler gangs," she said.

Accused of moving too slowly, the government says it is tackling a problem left by previous Conservative-led administrations by trying to speed up the processing of asylum claims and brokering return deals with other nations.

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But the public discontent has handed Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party a consistent lead in opinion polls, prompting the government to go further.

Under the current system, an asylum seeker granted indefinite leave to remain can bring their partner if they can prove they have been in a relationship for at least two years, and children under the age of 18.

Just over 29,000 people have come to Britain unofficially on small boats so far this year, up 38% on the comparable period in 2024.

(Reporting by Muvija M; editing by Elizabeth Piper and Kevin Liffey)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has broadened its visa restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, halting approvals for nearly all categories of non-immigrant visitor visas, reported The New York Times on Sunday.

The expanded suspension covers applications for medical treatment, university study, business travel, and visiting friends or family, said the report.

The measure, laid out in an Aug. 18 cable from the State Department to U.S. embassies and consulates, marks a sweeping extension of earlier measures that applied only to residents of Gaza. The new policy now targets Palestinians in the West Bank and across the diaspora.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration also revoked visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, preventing them from attending the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The U.S. State Department said the decision was based on national security concerns, accusing Palestinian leaders of failing to renounce terrorism. 
CHICAGO (WGN)  After a year in the making, a statue honoring fallen Chicago police officer Ella French was unveiled on the Southwest Side Sunday.

Inside Wentworth Park in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood, Elizabeth French shed tears after her daughters patrol partner, Carlos Yanez Jr., helped unveil the life-sized bronze statue of her.

Elizabeth French said her daughter loved animals, especially dogs, and often rescued stranded animals while on duty with the Chicago Police Department. It was that love of four-legged, furry friends that served as inspiration for the statue.

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French is depicted kneeling down, smiling while wrapping her arm around her dog, Bella, whom she saved while on duty during the early days of her CPD career.

I have heard stories about how she would tell Josh and her other partner, Stop the car! Stop the car, because she would see a stray animal, and she would want to get that animal to safety, Elizabeth French said.

The timing of the statues ceremony and its placement each hold special meaning as well.

Frenchs 34th birthday would have been Sunday, and with that love of animals in mind, her bronze likeness can now be found in front of the Wentwoof Dog Park, which was also dedicated to French after she was killed in the line of duty.

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Erik Blome, the sculptor behind the bronze statue, said he didnt know French personally, but felt deeply connected to her and her family, in part because of his own personal appreciation of law enforcement.

I had, about ten years ago, been saved by a cop in my own home, Blome said. I was given CPR, and so, I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for a police officer.

After speaking to people who knew French best, Blome told WGN-TV he quickly learned about her compassion and decided the best way to show that trait was by memorializing Bella by her side.

I did everything I could to humanize the dog and make the dog connect with her, sort of almost like a partner, Blome said.

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Elizabeth French said her daughters death leaves a hole in her heart, but acknowledged days like Sunday, where the best parts of her daughter are put on display for all to see, are moments that offer an opportunity to heal.

I look at her and want to touch her, Elizabeth French said, while looking at the statue of her daughter. The only thing that would make that better, would be for it to be her in person, alive again. But other than that, shes beyond beautiful.

French was shot and killed during a traffic stop in the 6300 block of South Bell Avenue the night of Aug. 7, 2021.

French and Yanez Jr. pulled over Emonte and Eric Morgan that night. Emonte Morgan opened fire on the two officers unprompted, killing French and hitting Yanez four times in the face, who lost an eye due to the shooting.

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Emonte Morgan was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison twice over. His brother, Eric Morgan, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement and received a lighter sentence after cooperating with law enforcements investigation.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
A Broward judge is facing a reprimand for stepping down from the bench to head for another judges courtroom, where he acted as a lawyer for a female friend facing a domestic violence charge.

County Judge Woody Clermont, who was first elected to the bench last year, appeared on April 11 in first appearance court on behalf of a personal friend who had been arrested and was set to appear in front of the judge on duty. According to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which polices allegations of judicial misconduct, Clermont identified himself as a judge when he entered the courtroom, then stepped up to talk to prosecutors about his friends case.

The prosecutor explained that he was going to recommend a small monetary bond with some conditions, the JQC panel wrote. You provided additional mitigating information about the defendant and the circumstances of the incident. Based on the information you provided, the prosecutor agreed to a non-monetary bond with conditions.

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Clermont then walked up to the courtroom podium when his friends case was called and announced he was serving as her lawyer.

The presiding judge allowed Clermont to represent his friend, but reported the incident to his colleagues, who told Clermont to report himself to the JQC. Clermont complied with the advice and accepted responsibility for his misconduct.

The JQC summary of charges did not name the client represented by Clermont or the judge who presided over the first appearance hearing. According to the JQC, the prosecutor knew Clermont was a judge but was not influenced by his status. Clermont handles civil cases and does not interact with the Broward State Attorneys Office in a professional capacity.

The JQCs recommendation of a reprimand must be accepted by the Florida Supreme Court, which has final say over punishment in judicial misconduct cases.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.
BOSTON (SHNS)  The Trump administration has called out Massachusetts amid a bruising national fight about redistricting, but one of the lawmakers responsible for the congressional maps here argued the all-Democrat delegation is a result of the way voters are distributed, not partisan gerrymandering.

Sen. William Brownsberger, who co-led the effort to reshape the Bay States political boundaries following the 2020 Census, said its not possible to draw a district in Massachusetts that would favor a Republican.

Theyre distributed evenly, so theyre a minority all over the state, he said of voters who would back Republicans. There are some towns that are more heavily Republican. There are some parts of the state that are red, but not enough to put together a congressional district in which Republicans will be a majority.

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Its just not a thing. You cant do it here in Massachusetts, the Belmont Democrat added. And by the way, no Republican ever approached us and asked us to attempt to do that.

While pressing Republicans to redraw maps in their favor elsewhere, President Donald Trump has sought to portray Massachusetts as a gerrymandered state, suggesting a disconnect between his performance in the presidential election and Democrats nine-for-nine performance in congressional districts.

In Massachusetts, I got, I think, 41 percent of the vote, a very blue state, and yet [Democrats] got 100 percent of Congress, Trump, who received 36% of the vote here in 2024, said in an interview on CNBC on Aug. 5. One hundred percent. I got 40, 41 percent or something, and yet 100 percent of Congress in Massachusetts? No, it shouldnt be that way. I should have, we should have a couple of Congress people but we have none.

Vice President J.D. Vance echoed a similar point in an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday, pointing to Massachusetts, where 32% of residents of Massachusetts voted for Republicans, [but there are] zero Republican federal representatives.

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All were doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair on a national scale, Vance said. The Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively. We think there are opportunities to push back against that. Thats really all we are doing.

The maps in Massachusetts drew little opposition from Republicans on partisan grounds before Trump pulled the Bay State into the fray.

In 2021, when a Democrat-led panel unveiled the latest proposals, 23 of 29 Massachusetts House Republicans and two of three Senate Republicans voted in favor of the congressional map. GOP Gov. Charlie Baker then signed it into law.

The points of contention at the time were more about which communities should fall into which districts, not whether one party would be favored. A heated battle erupted over the decision to keep South Coast cities Fall River and New Bedford split between two different districts.

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A dozen Senate Democrats ultimately voted no  a larger percentage of the majority caucus than the share of House Republicans who opposed the redistricting plan.

Voters in exactly one year might get a chance to cast ballots for the states nine Congressional races, if lawmakers embrace Gov. Maura Healeys proposal to schedule the statewide primary for Sept. 1, 2026.

Massachusetts has not elected a Republican to the U.S. House since 1994, when Peter Blute won the Third Congressional District and Peter Torkildsen won the Sixth Congressional District. They have, however, supported several Republicans for statewide office, including a string of governors and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

In 2024, Trump won about 36% of the vote across Massachusetts, but did not secure a majority of votes in a single county.

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Brownsberger said hes kind of amused by the attacks Massachusetts now faces from national Republicans over its congressional map.

He pointed to a study published in the Election Law Journal in 2019 in which researchers suggested that the decades-long history of Massachusetts picking only Democrats for U.S. House seats is not attributable to gerrymandering, nor to the failure of Republicans to field House candidates, but is a structural mathematical feature of the actual distribution of votes.

Several of these elections have a remarkable property in their vote patterns: Republican votes clear 30%, but are distributed so uniformly that they are locked out of the possibility of representation, authors wrote. Though there are more ways of building a valid districting plan than there are particles in the galaxy, every single one of them would produce a 90 Democratic delegation.

The New York Timess Upshot also attributed the all-Democrat delegation in Massachusetts to the geographic distribution of voters.

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NYT reporters found that its not impossible to draw a Republican district here, but its not easy. They crafted a sample Republican district, which snaked from northwest of Worcester down along the Connecticut and Rhode Island borders before ballooning to encompass parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties.

However, the Times reported that the typical standards for nonpartisan redistricting  and the rules of many states  would argue against the creation of this Trump district.

If you took any person in Massachusetts and formed a district around the 780,000 people who lived closest to that person, every one of those districts would have voted for Kamala Harris, the Timess Nate Cohn and Eve Washington wrote.

Some of the Bay States existing congressional districts might catch the eye as having an odd shape, especially the Fourth District, which stretches from Boston suburbs all the way down across Rhode Island border communities to Fall River.

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Brownsberger said the maps have a long history behind them, including a practice of trying not to scramble districts.

You dont just redraw the map randomly every 10 years, he said. Respect for existing boundaries is a consideration in the redistricting process.

Conversations about politics do take place during the process. Brownsberger said sitting members of Congress may have different preferences about adjustments theyd like to see, but that he does not remember any explicit conversation from any of them about, I need to protect myself from a Republican.'

Asked if the last round involved discussions about protecting incumbents from primary challengers, Brownsberger replied, I wouldnt want to try to recall exactly what those conversations were, and I think people would be fairly oblique in what they said about that, but Im sure that thats a consideration for some members.

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Massachusetts has reliably picked Democrats for Congress for decades, but most Bay Staters are not themselves registered Democrats. In 2024, nearly 65% of registered voters had no political party affiliation. About 26% were registered as Democrats and 8% as Republicans, according to the secretary of states office.

Redistricting typically happens across the country every 10 years based on the latest population count in the decennial U.S. Census.

Texas Republicans set off an intense conflagration this summer by pursuing a mid-decade change to the states congressional maps. After weeks of political sparring, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed new maps into law that would reportedly give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House heading into midterm elections  when the presidents party typically loses ground  next year.

That tipped over electoral dominoes elsewhere. In California, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a round of redistricting that would flip five congressional seats toward his party, effectively offsetting the changes in Texas.

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
Bulgarian authorities have confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyens plane experienced external interference with its GPS network during landing, and they suspect Russia was behind it.

Source: Arianna Podesta, European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Bulgaria suspects that the Russians jammed the GPS signal during von der Leyens landing in Plovdiv.

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Quote: "We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia."

Details: Podesta also said that the European Union knows and is "used somehow to threats and intimidations that are a regular component of Russias hostile behaviour".

"Of course, this will only reinforce even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine. This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the frontline member states," she noted.

Podesta said that Ursula von der Leyen has seen "firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies".

Background:

A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to land at the airport of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, using paper maps because of GPS failures.

Von der Leyen was flying from Warsaw to Plovdiv to meet Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and to visit an ammunition factory.

After the visit, the European Commission president left Plovdiv without incident on the same aircraft.

Estonia previously said that Russias GPS interference constitutes a violation of international law.

Recently, 13 EU countries called on the European Commission to take measures in response to disruptions of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) across the EU.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that Bulgaria has supplied a third of the weapons the EU has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion.

Source: the Bulgarian BGNES News Agency citing von der Leyen during a visit to Bulgaria

Details: Von der Leyen said Bulgaria "has an exceptionally strong tradition in the defence industry".

Quote: "Here, you produce large quantities of ammunition and explosives that support Ukraine and its fight for freedom.

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Since the beginning of the war, one third of the weapons used by Ukraine have come from Bulgaria."

Details: Von der Leyen emphasised that "Putin has not changed and will not change". She believes the Kremlin leader can only be influenced by measures aimed at weakening Russia's military potential.

Quote: "As Ukraine's defence capabilities strengthen, we must also take greater responsibility for our own defence, and to improve our readiness, we must actively move forward at the European level, above all for financial support."

Details: Von der Leyen added that production capacity in Bulgaria is expected to increase to 2 million shells by the end of 2025.

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Quote: "You plan to expand the production of ammunition that meets NATO standards. This new production will create over 1,000 jobs here in the region, which means sustainable growth here."

Details: BGNES noted that two Rheinmetall plants will be built in Bulgaria, one of which will be based at VMZ.

Background: Von der Leyen has warned about the risks that Russia poses to Europe, stressing the importance of securing the EUs eastern borders.

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A man was found dead in a pool of blood at the Burning Man festival, in what police are investigating as a potential homicide.

The unidentified victim was discovered by a festival-goer, who flagged down a sheriffs deputy during the main ceremony to set ablaze the giant burning man effigy on Saturday.

About 70,000 people are attending the week-long festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, where a full city is built from scratch every year.

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In a press release, police described the death as a homicide.

Pershing County Sheriffs Office deputies and the Bureau of Land Management immediately responded to the campsite and found a single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased, the sheriffs office said.

The discovery is the third death in as many years. Last year, a 39-year-old woman died of an asthma attack, while a 32-year-old man died after an accidental drug overdose in 2023.

In 2017, Aaron Mitchell, 41, died from burns after running into the Burning Man structure fire.

Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances, the sheriffs office added.

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This process is still ongoing and the portion of the city where this occurred will have heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be released.

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A homicide investigation is underway after a man was found dead lying in a pool of blood at the Burning Man festival on Saturday.

A festival attendee alerted authorities to the man around 9:15 p.m. local time Saturday, about the same time the giant "Man" effigy in the middle of the venue was starting to burn  the event, held on the second-to-last night of the gathering, which gives the annual arts and music festival its name.

When Pershing County Sheriff's Office deputies found the man, he was "obviously deceased," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

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The sheriff's office said the victim, described as a White man, had not yet been identified, and his body was taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office.

The sheriff's office did not provide any information on a possible cause of death or suspects.

"Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances," the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office noted the Washoe County Sheriff's Office was also on hand to assist in the investigation and said there would be a "heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be released." The festival is set to conclude on Monday.

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The Pershing County Sheriff's office said it would be a "complicated investigation of a crime in a city which will be gone by the middle of the week."

In a statement posted on Sunday, Burning Man organizers said they were cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation and asked participants not to interfere with law enforcement activity.

"The safety and well-being of our community are paramount," the statement read, in part. Organizers said that attendees have free access to public WiFi "should they need to communicate with loved ones."

Burning Man has been held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert annually since 1990, where tens of thousands of people gather for the week prior to Labor Day to create the temporary Black Rock City.

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The Black Rock Desert is a dried lake bed in a remote area of northwestern Nevada, about 150 miles from Reno.

In 2023, one person died amid heavy rain that caused severe flooding during the event. Over 70,000 people were stranded for several days as the festival's operations were halted and roads into and out of the event area were closed.

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NEED TO KNOW

A man was found dead at the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert on Aug. 30

A Pershing County Sheriffs Office (PCSO) deputy was notified of a man lying in a pool of blood as the festivals symbolic Man wooden effigy began to burn

Officials said the act appeared to be a singular crime," and a homicide investigation is currently underway

A man was found dead at the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.

A Pershing County Sheriffs Office (PCSO) deputy was notified of a man lying in a pool of blood on Saturday, Aug. 30, around 9:14 p.m. local time, as the festivals symbolic Man wooden effigy began to burn, according to a press release from Sheriff Jerry Allen.

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Deputies and Bureau of Land Management rangers responded to the Black Rock City venue and found one adult man "obviously deceased."

Siobhan McAndrew/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images A view of Burning Man on Aug. 30, 2025 A view of Burning Man on Aug. 30, 2025

Black Rock Rangers and the Washoe County Sheriffs Office Forensic Science Division also reported to the scene.

The mans identity has not yet been confirmed. His body was taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office, per the release.

"Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances," Allen said.

"There is no further information available at this time but it will be released as appropriate to provide for communication, while still preserving the integrity of the complicated investigation of a crime in a city which will be gone by the middle of the week," the sheriff added.

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A homicide investigation is underway.

In a statement on the incident, Burning Man emphasized that the "safety and well-being of our community are paramount."

The festival shared that there is free public WiFi at identified locations on the campsite, should attendees need to communicate with loved ones. In addition, the festival said there are support resources available on the event grounds.

Ariel Smith/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images A view of Burning Man on Aug. 25, 2025 A view of Burning Man on Aug. 25, 2025

"The Pershing County Sheriffs office investigates all deaths that occur in its jurisdiction," Burning Man said.

This years festival, which started on Aug. 24, is set to conclude on Sept. 1.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Last year, a woman died at the event after she was found unresponsive on the grounds. Emergency service personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but were "unsuccessful," Burning Man said in a statement at the time.

"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss," the statement continued.



Read the original article on People
ENDICOTT, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH)  The Absolut Center is the Greater Binghamton Chamber Business of the Week.

The 160 bed nursing facility was built in 1972 and has been managed by Upstate Services Group since 2017. The group owns 13 nursing facilities across New York State and 3 in the area in addition to the Absolut Center, including Vestal Park and Bridgewater.

The Absolut Center offers short term rehabilitation, long term care, respite services and a memory care unit.

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Corporate Director of Admissions Stephanie Aeppli says that in addition to the services provided, what makes the Absolut Center special is the people.

Corporate Director of Admissions Stephanie Aeppli says, Were very community oriented, we do a lot with the community, we donate to events. We try and open the facility, host events and invite the community as well.

Aeppli says they just welcomed a new administrator, Lisa Peacock to the Absolut Center team.

They have plans to renovate the front entrance to improve the facility for Absolut residents.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34.
Karman Holdings (KRMN) is one of the newest public companies in the rapidly expanding aerospace and defense industry. In February 2025, the company completed its initial public offering (IPO) and quickly began displaying record revenues, accelerating margins, and a string of program wins, which put the stock on investors radars.

Since it began trading in February, Karman stock has soared 140% from its $22 IPO price, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 Index ($SPX).

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Karman designs, tests, manufactures, and sells highly engineered subsystems for a variety of defense and space programs. Karmans portfolio includes three distinct yet complementary end markets: hypersonics and strategic missile defense, space and launch, and tactical missiles and integrated defense systems (IDS).

Strong Momentum Since IPO

Karman has gained significant momentum since its IPO. The company is capitalizing on the growing demand for advanced missile defense, hypersonic and tactical systems, and space launch infrastructure. CEO Anthony Koblinski stated in the earnings call that in just two quarters as a public entity, Karman has set back-to-back records and secured its independence via a secondary offering. Furthermore, it has strengthened its strategic position through acquisitions and index inclusions.

In the second quarter, revenue of $115.1 million increased by 35% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA rose 29% to $35.3 million. Adjusted earnings of $0.10 per diluted share more than tripled over the previous year. Funded backlog stood at $719 million.

In the quarter, Hypersonics and Strategic Missile Defense revenue grew 22% to $35 million, boosted by programs such as the next-generation interceptor and classified contracts. Space & Launch increased 39% to $39.6 million, riding a wave of increased launch activity across both commercial and government programs. Meanwhile, Tactical Missiles & IDS increased 46% to $40.5 million, driven by production ramps in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS programs. This balanced growth across all three segments shows that Karman is not overly reliant on any one segment, positioning the company for long-term, diversified growth.
CADDO MILLS  Officials with Caddo Mills ISD have announced the creation of its new Legends Program, designed to recognize individuals who have made a significant and lasting impact on the district.

District leaders said the programs mission is to foster stronger connections between the schools and the wider community, including students, parents, teachers, staff and alumni. By honoring the past, officials hope to inspire future growth and achievement.

Applications for the inaugural class of Legacy Inductees are being accepted now and must be submitted by Sept. 5. Submissions may be completed online or in print and delivered to the CMISD Administration Building.

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Nominees must have had at least five years of direct involvement with the district and be at least 10 years removed from the actions or contributions that made them eligible. Inductees should have influenced CMISDs culture, direction or improvement in ways that produced long-term benefits for the school community.

A selection committee of eight community members, serving two-year terms, will review applications. Induction requires at least six of eight votes. Two inductees will be chosen each year and candidates can be reconsidered for up to five years.

Online applications are available at https://forms.gle/1q7J31FZGy6F4swu6.
CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN)  Monday is the last chance to check out the 179th Canfield Fair, but theres still a lot happening at the fairgrounds.

Sundays attendance numbers were the highest the fair has seen for that day since 2018. In the fairs first six days, it topped last years attendance by 20,000 people, and daily attendance was up from last year every day except Thursday. Fair leaders thanked Mother Nature.

The weather, again, everybodys comfortable. They dont get crabby mean with you. Everybody is just on an even keel, and we appreciate that. They appreciate that, said George Roman, director of Grandstand Events and Entertainment.

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The final day is no exception, as thousands of people are crowding the fairgrounds for one last time with the rides, food, entertainment and even contests.

Theres a lot of dress-up contests going on, and all of the departments, they just come in all kinds of costumes. They really enjoy whether its a dog, it could be a rabbit, it could be a steer, it could be just about anything. Its a fun day for all of our participants here at the fair, Roman said.

The Canfield Fair wouldnt be complete without one last day of horse racing. Fairgoers flooded the grandstand to get their fix.

Mixed in with the harness racing, we have mule races. These mules will run a half mile around a track, and sometimes they have a mind of their own and they dont go where theyre supposed to. Theyll cut across the infield, and they do all kinds of crazy things, Roman said.

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But when the sun goes down, the people of Canfield will have to wait until next summer for more fair fun.

Fair meetings are already taking place. You always get a little hit somewhere, and we try to correct that and make notes so that were better next year, Roman said.

Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Canfield Fair

The Canfield Fair is wrapping up with legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd taking the Grandstand stage Monday night.

Dillon Carmichael, known for country hits like Son of A and Drinkin Problems, will be the opening act.

Jim Bugos, with JAC Management, says its going to be the largest production the Canfield Fair has ever seen.

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People are going to roll in and see the stage and, you know, theyre going to be taken aback a little bit because its huge, he said.

Crews worked overnight to get the stage ready for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

This show follows Sundays Brad Paisley concert. Bugos says they had a good crowd for Paisley, and theyre expecting about 6,000 people singing Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird in the stands.

The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.

Read next: The Rooster Run celebrates 10 years at the Canfield Fair

Fair favorite: Molnars cinnamon rolls

Food is a big part of the Canfield Fair and one Austintown-based concession stand has been a staple there for decades.

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Molnars Concessions has four stands at the fair this year  all of which have been very busy, Faith Molnar says.

If theres one treat people wait in long lines for, its their famous cinnamon rolls.

These are the amazing rolls that we make, people have stood in line for over an hour waiting for. Most people say theyre not going to stand in any kind of line but we have very loyal customers, Molnar said.

They also offer deep-fried Oreos, steak hoagies, french fries, lemon shakes, hot dogs and more.

Molnars has been serving sweet treats since 1968 and its still family-run. Molnars father started the stand and she says he still comes out to work at 85 years old.

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Im amazed at what weve built and appreciate every single customer, Molnar said. This year has been amazing for us.

Molnars has a year-round food stand at the corner of Mahoning Avenue and S. Turner Road in Austintown.

A big debut for USA Pan

This years fair was a big hit for USA Pan.

This past week, the company was having an outlet sale. It was the companys first year at the fair, and fairgoers couldnt get enough of it.

There were many options to pick from, including muffin tins and baking sheets.

The company says it was a turnout they never expected.

Weve never been to the fair before. So, I had no idea what to expect. We were pleased with the turnout for sure, said John Bundy with USA Pan.

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If you missed out on the outlet sale at the fair, you can purchase products on USA Pans website.

YMCAs first year at the fair

This year, the YMCA is making itself known at the Canfield Fair.

The organization has been engaging the community with games, kids activities and prize drawings at its booth over the past week. There is also a community art project.

The Canfield Fair and YMCA first joined forces for the fireworks show at the fairgrounds. Christine Hughes, with the YMCA, said the fairgrounds invited them and asked them to partner with the fair to help out with the fireworks show.

Hughes says both the Canfield Fair and the YMCA are among the oldest traditions in this area, so the partnership makes sense. Shes looking forward to future collaborations between the Y and the fairgrounds.

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The YMCA has two local locations  in downtown Youngstown and Boardman.

Nearby homes, businesses offer parking

When driving to the fair, you may notice nearby yards transform into parking lots.

Many homes and businesses near the main fair gates take the opportunity to make a little extra cash and provide fairgoers a convenient place to park. Prices change depending on the day, but most nearby lots charge around $10.

Jim Cherol of Broad Street Storage owner says hes been opening his yard up to cars during the fair since he started the business 18 years ago.

We make a little bit of profit on it, and it helps the customers out. They like to park here because they could find the car easier when they come back. If its raining, then they dont have to worry about getting stuck in the mud because weve got asphalt and gravel on the back, Cherol said.

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All week, there have been dozens of yard-turned parking lots along South Broad Street and Fairgrounds Boulevard, all within close proximity of the main fair gates.

Junior Fair fun

Its your last chance to see cows and learn about the milking and cheese process at the Canfield Fair.

For many visitors, this is a first look at how dairy products make their way from the farm to the fridge.

The Milking Parlor is where the cows get milked. Then it is processed and cleaned before it hits the grocery stores.

This year, Jackson Metts was named Mahoning County Dairy Ambassador and Ava McCracken was named Mahoning County Dairy Princess.

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Some cows are close to coming dry, which is like, they dont milk at all. Other cows are just come in fresh, so they milk a bunch. So it just depends on where theyre at in the stage of life right now, McCracken said.

Metts says he got into the dairy business because of his family.

My brother was very big into this and it was a very big influence also for my dad. He was one to push my brother to do it, so it kind of just carries down to the family. Its kind of the way it works for a lot of people  seeing their kids get into it, its a very good idea, he said.

Fairgoers can stop by and meet the cows before the gates close for good this year.

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The Junior Fair Pocket Pet Showmanship starts at 9 a.m. Theres also a rooster crowing contest at 9:30 a.m. and harness racing at the Grandstand at 11 a.m.

There are also several costume classes lined up for the day  for llamas, rabbits, horses and dogs!

More: Canfield Fair Day 5  Brad Paisley headlines Grandstand

If you decide to come out on the last day of the fair, tickets are $8; kids ages 7-12 are $5, and kids 6 and under are free. Parking is also free.

For more on whats happening at the Canfield Fair on Monday, visit the fairs events page on its website.

Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -A man rammed his car into the gates of the Russian consulate in Sydney, Australia on Monday, and police said the suspect was arrested and charged with offences including destroying property and possessing a knife.

Eyewitness video of the incident showed police shouting: "Get out of the car now!" to a man in a car inside the grounds of the consulate in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra.

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New South Wales Police said officers had responded to a call for assistance from the consulate and had tried to talk to a man in a car in front of the building, who accelerated and rammed into the front gate.

The consulate had first reported an unauthorised vehicle in front of the building. Police said they were told the driver had jumped the fence and entered the grounds before returning to his vehicle.

A neighbour who witnessed the incident said he saw the car force its way through the gates after the driver was instructed to step out of the vehicle.

"The policemen continued to ask him to get out of the car. He didn't get out of the car. They drew their firearms," the neighbour said, declining to give his name.

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"It was quite dramatic on a Monday morning."

A white SUV with a smashed window could later be seen abandoned next to a Russian flagpole on the consulate grounds. A flatbed truck came and took it away.

The 39-year-old man was arrested and later charged with charges including using an offensive weapon to prevent police investigation, destroying property, resisting police and custody of a knife in a public place, police said in a statement.

Two police officers sustained minor injuries. The man was refused bail.

A person who answered a phone at the consulate declined to comment on the incident.

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Tim Enright, a construction worker who was on the roof of a nearby building at the time, said he saw a police officer taking photos of a car parked near the consulate around 8 a.m. He said he then heard sirens and a helicopter arrived at the scene.

The consulate was briefly closed before reopening.

"There is no current or impending threat to the consulate or the local community," the Australian Federal Police said.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Praveen Menon in Sydney; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Kim Coghill, Tom Hogue, Saad Sayeed, Peter Graff)
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ)  The Labor Day weekend called for antique cars to roll through Altoona.

Car enthusiasts gathered in the parking lots of the Pennsylvania Railroaders Museum for the 3rd annual Cars and Couplers Car Show. Different models and classes of cars lined the parking spots for the public to look at.

The fundraiser helps benefit operations at the museum, and officials say its going toward one specific part of the museum.

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All of that is going to do it from the roundhouse, so thats our fundraiser for the roundhouse itself, Allison Walter, the outreach director of the museum, said. So that helps keep our rolling stock in operating order and helps restore those things that were just working hard to restore.

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The cars were categorized into 25 classes, with the top three in each class receiving awards.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.
NEED TO KNOW

The official cause of death has been revealed for former federal prosecutor Jessica Aber, who resigned on the same day that President Donald Trump began his second term in January

43-year-old Aber was found dead in her home in Alexandria, Va., on March 22, just two months after her resignation

Following her death, police said they believed Aber, who suffered from epilepsy, had died from natural causes, while her family released a statement saying that she had died in her sleep

An official cause of death has been released for Jessica Aber, the former federal prosecutor who resigned on the day that President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term in January.

The State Medical Examiners Office has concluded that Aber suffered "sudden unexpected death in epilepsy," per The Virginian-Pilot.

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Jennifer Starkey, the medicolegal administrator for the State Medical Examiners northern district office in Manassas, confirmed to the local outlet in an email on Aug. 20 that the manner of death was "natural" but declined to provide the full autopsy report, citing an exemption for health records under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.



Aber was found dead at a home in Alexandria, Va., on Saturday, March 22. She was 43.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivers remarks during a meeting with U.S. attorneys at the Justice Department on June 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. alongside Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivers remarks during a meeting with U.S. attorneys at the Justice Department on June 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. alongside Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia

Following the news of her death, her family shared a statement with multiple outlets, saying, It is with tremendous sorrow that we acknowledge the sudden passing of our beloved Jessica (Jess) Aber, who died in her sleep on Saturday, March 22."



"Jess suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years, and on Tuesday, March 25, Alexandria (Virginia) Police said in a statement that they believe her death was the result of natural causes," the statement continued. "We expect more information from the medical examiner in the coming weeks. Our family is in shock and grieving deeply, and we respectfully request privacy as we attempt to navigate through our unspeakable loss.

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Related: Former Federal Prosecutor Jessica Aber, Who Was Found Dead at 43, Likely Died of Natural Causes: Police

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that can trigger unexpected seizures, caused by temporary abnormal electrical conditions in the brain.

The Alexandria Police Department said in a March 22 statement that officers found Aber at a home in the 900 block of Beverly Drive after responding to a report of an unresponsive woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a March 25 update, the APD also said that detectives had found "no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes."

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After receiving her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2006, Aber began her career at the Department of Justice in 2009 as an assistant U.S. attorney. She worked on cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime and child exploitation, and later served as the deputy chief of the criminal division for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), per her DOJ bio.

Aber was nominated by President Joe Biden as the U.S. attorney for the EDVA in August 2021 and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Jessica Aber speaks during a press conference in Norfolk, Virginia, Aug 2023 Jessica Aber speaks during a press conference in Norfolk, Virginia, Aug 2023

She resigned from her position on Jan. 20, 2025, the same day Donald Trump took office for his second presidential term,

In her final post on X, Aber shared the announcement of her resignation, adding, "Serving as U.S. Attorney has been an honor. EDVA is full of dedicated, extraordinary public servants. Thanks to everyone who kept up with EDVAs fantastic work on X during my tenure."

Serving as U.S. Attorney has been an honor. EDVA is full of dedicated, extraordinary public servants. Thanks to everyone who kept up with EDVAs fantastic work on X during my tenure. https://t.co/x1Au3HagJ0  U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber (@USAttyAber) January 17, 2025

In a statement on X, Erik Siebert, the current U.S. attorney for the EDVA, said the office was heartbroken beyond words," following her death.

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"She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being," he said of Aber.

"We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard," added Siebert. "Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia will look to her example and endeavor to live up to that standard."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also expressed her condolences in a statement posted on the DOJ website.

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The loss of Jessica Aber, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is deeply tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this profoundly difficult time, she wrote.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Virginia State Medical Examiners Office, but did not immediately hear back.



Read the original article on People
The medical examiner has revealed the cause of death of Jessica Aber, the U.S. attorney who suddenly died earlier this year, mere months after resigning from her post on the day President Donald Trump took office.

Police launched an investigation in March as mystery swirled around Abers sudden death at age 43. Just two months earlier, she announced she was stepping down as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, effective on January 20, the day of Trumps inauguration.

The manner of death is natural and the cause of death is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, a spokesperson for Virginias Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told The Virginian-Pilot last month.

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Her family had previously said that she "suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years."

Epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes recurring, unprovoked seizures, is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

An official cause of death was revealed for Jessica Aber, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who died just two months after stepping down from her post on the day President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. (Getty Images)

Days after Aber was found dead at her Virginia home, police said that "detectives have found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes."

President Joe Biden nominated Aber for U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, she was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in October 2021, becoming the third woman to be confirmed for the office.

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She began her service in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2009 as an assistant U.S. Attorney  prosecuting financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime and child exploitation case  before serving as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. From 2016 until 2021, she was the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the district.

In one of her last cases as U.S. Attorney, she announced that former CIA analyst Asif Rahman pleaded guilty to leaking top secret information about an Israeli strike on Iran. He has since been sentenced to more than three years in prison.

Aber held the post for more than three years until she announced she planned to step down on January 20.

Aber was appointed by Biden in 2021 and held the position until she stepped down when Trump took office on January 20. (Getty Images)

Ive had the privilege of spending my career as a prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia working alongside talented, hard-working public servants who manage matters affecting citizens here and across the world, Aber said in a statement on January 17.

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Concluding my service to the District as its U.S. Attorney has been an honor beyond measure. I am deeply grateful to Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and to President Biden for the opportunity to lead this office, and to Attorney General Garland for his steadfast leadership. I am proud of the work we have done with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to enforce the law and build community trust.

Tributes poured in for Aber in March.

Attorney General Pam Bondi called her death deeply tragic.

Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this profoundly difficult time, Bondi said in a statement at the time.

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U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who now heads the Eastern District of Virginia, said he was heartbroken beyond words.

He said in a statement: She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being. We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  The Coke County Sheriffs Office has announced that a Sonora man connected to a string of break-ins in Bronte has been taken into custody by the Odessa Police Department.

CCSO reported in a public announcement on Friday, Aug. 29, that several vehicles and storage sheds in Bronte were broken into by a suspect during the early morning hours of Wednesday, Aug. 27. The agency said that Coke County Deputy Brandon Neal coordinated with officers of the Odessa Police Department to identify the suspect and take him into custody.

The Coke County Sheriffs Office appreciates the teamwork and swift action that led to this arrest, CCSO said.

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Complaint: San Angelo man runs over mother while trying to leave with juvenile

The sheriffs office stated that the apprehended suspect is Nathaniel Childress of Sonora. It said at the time of the reports publication that more charges were pending against Childress while the investigation continues.

The Ector County inmate roster states that Childress was booked into jail on Aug. 29 after being arrested by OPD. As of the time of publication, he remains there and faces two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, one count of theft of a firearm and one count of driving with an invalid license.

Childress has $15,000 surety bond for each charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon as well as a $3,500 surety bond for the charge of theft of a firearm, totaling $33,500.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
A child gets an MMR vaccine at a clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, in March. States have been reporting steady increases in vaccination exemption requests for kids. (Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

Dr. Rana Alissa hears it daily in the clinic.

Its better for my kid to get the virus than get the vaccine.

The more you [doctors] vaccinate, the more money you get.

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I did not vaccinate any of my kids, and Im not going to vaccinate this one. So, please, dont waste your time.

The Jacksonville, Florida, pediatrician said on average, shed hear vaccine skepticism from a couple of parents a month, at most, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, its every day, said Alissa, who is also president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Medical experts say hesitancy is likely to increase further as a result of misinformation pouring from the Trump administration  and turmoil at the federal agency largely responsible for setting vaccine policy.

On Thursday, three top officials were escorted out of the Atlanta headquarters of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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All three officials resigned to protest the effort by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to dismiss CDC Director Susan Monarez for pushing back against Kennedys vaccine policies.

One of the officials, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, posted on X that hes resigning because the intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines will cause the nation to suffer.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration restricted access to updated COVID-19 shots. The new rules include limitations for young children that the American Academy of Pediatrics called deeply troubling. The FDA only approved COVID-19 vaccines for people who are 65 and older and those who are known to be at risk for a severe case. Consultation with a medical provider will be required before the shot is given to healthy children under 18, meaning parents cant simply take their kids to a vaccination clinic or pharmacy.

In June, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee at the CDC, replacing them with some members who are vaccine skeptics. Many states use the committees recommendations to develop their vaccine requirements. And in May, Kennedy rescinded recommendations for kids to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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In his books, experts say, Kennedy appears to promote his own version of miasma theory, an obsolete belief dating back to ancient times that diseases are caused by vapors from rotting organic matter. Scientists have since proven that microbes, not bad air, cause infectious diseases.

Experts say Kennedys actions are likely to make vaccination rates worse, paving the way for more outbreaks.

Every vaccine that we give prevents a serious and life-threatening disease, New York pediatrician Dr. Jesse Hackell, chair of the Committee on Pediatric Workforce at the American Academy of Pediatrics, told Stateline. I dont want to force anybody, but I do want to make sure that the information theyre getting is quality information  and thats not what is coming from HHS.

Nonmedical exemptions

Every state requires kids to get certain shots to attend school. All states exempt children who cant be immunized for medical reasons, but nonmedical exemptions for religious or personal reasons vary from state to state.

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Vaccination rates among kids are declining. Flu vaccinations, for example, hit their lowest rate since 2019. And since the beginning of the pandemic, exemption requests have increased across the country.

Among kindergarteners, nonmedical exemptions have increased each year since 2020, from 1.9% in the first year of the pandemic to 3.4% in the 2024-25 school year, according to the latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exemptions increased in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Seventeen states reported exemption rates over 5%.

The changes may seem small. But experts say even slight increases in exemptions and decreases in vaccinations make a big difference.

With a disease thats as infectious as measles  small increases in vaccination rates could really go a long way, epidemiologist Sophia Newcomer, a University of Montana associate professor, said in a recent panel discussion hosted by Montana Families for Vaccines.

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Alissa and other experts say rampant confusion around the shots, including federal officials casting doubt, is exacerbating the problem. Often, parents arent sure whom they can trust, finding conflicting information and unreliable sources, she said.

[Parents] come to our clinic and the hospitals and they say, We looked it up, and we just dont want it, she said. Theres different kinds of reasoning: the ingredients of the vaccine, the side effects of the vaccine, vaccines dont work.

But research consistently shows vaccines protect children from serious illness. Shots also protect the most vulnerable who cant get vaccinated, such as babies who are too young, or children and adults who are immunocompromised. Babies up to age 2 are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, making up the most hospitalizations among kids.

Ultimately, Alissa said, We are endangering each other.

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In Florida, where Alissa practices, religious exemptions have increased monthly, according to a state report that tracked the numbers through April. Some counties have higher rates of children with religious exemptions than others, ranging from about 1.5% to 15%, the state department of health reported. Among kindergarteners in the state, the rate of nonmedical exemptions rose from 2.7% in the 2020-21 school year to 4.8% in the 2024-25 school year, CDC data shows.

We are endangering each other.

 Dr. Rana Alissa, Jacksonville, Fla., pediatrician and president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Five states  California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and West Virginia  dont allow nonmedical exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two West Virginia families with immunocompromised kids brought lawsuits over Republican Gov. Patrick Morriseys January executive order mandating religious exemptions despite state law.

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Kennedy defended religious exemptions and endorsed the governors order in a post on X. His agency also sent letters to West Virginia health departments warning of civil rights violations if they dont allow such exemptions.

Theres a ton of variability across states in how easy it is to not get vaccinated, Newcomer, of the University of Montana, said. Some states require parental vaccine education as part of the exemption request while others dont.

Increased exemptions needs to be fought at every level  working to make sure theres access, to make sure that theres good information, and to make sure that theres strong policy at the state level, so that people arent exploiting exemption loopholes, Northe Saunders, American Families for Vaccines president, said during the panel discussion.

Other vaccines

Doctors are worried that other vaccines will be targeted by the Trump administration, such as those for whooping cough. By April, preliminary CDC data showed more than 9,000 cases this year, about twice as many compared with the same time last year and more than there were right before the pandemic. Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be deadly for babies. Vaccines help prevent severe whooping cough illness.

Hackell said that when he was training in the 1970s, there were no pneumococcal and haemophilus vaccines. Babies would come in with 104-degree fevers and they were immediately tested for the infections, he recalled. For babies under age 2, those bacterial infections can show up as only a high fever, but the infection can rapidly turn fatal without treatment, he told Stateline.

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When I trained, we didnt have these vaccines, and these kids kept us up at night, Hackell said. I never want to practice in those days. I never want to go back to that.  To me, that is unacceptable to submit my patients to those risks that weve been able to reduce.

This week the FDA removed one of the available COVID-19 vaccines for young children, limiting the Spikevax vaccine to only kids with at least one serious health issue. Modernas shot is still available for children 6 months and older. Pfizers shot is no longer available for kids under 5, as the FDA is ending its emergency use authorization for the age group.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 shots for children 6 months to 2 years. It also recommends them for older children with underlying health issues. Healthy children whose parents want them to get the shot should also be offered them, the AAP says.

Hackell is concerned by the FDAs new limitations on the shot.

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As a parent, as a grandparent and as a physician who takes care of vulnerable kids, it disgusts me, Hackell said.

Hes also concerned about vulnerable kids who get their shots through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, which covers shots if parents cant afford them and follows federal vaccine advisory recommendations.

If youre covered by VFC, which is basically kids on Medicaid and a few other populations, then youre out of luck, Hackell said. To me, thats a huge inequity in access to care, which is indefensible.

He added that the move breaks with the administrations emphasis on individual decision-making, saying the new restrictions limit parental decisions.

Normalization of outbreaks

During the Montana panel discussion, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, pointed to CDC data showing that over the past year alone, about 1 in 5 children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 were put in the ICU. And between September 2023 and last August, 152 children died of COVID-19 and 213 children died of the flu.

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While Texas officially declared its measles outbreak over  which means the state hasnt reported a new case in six weeks  neighboring New Mexico continues to see new cases.

What were going to see is, you know, sadly, a normalization of these outbreaks, said Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at The Immunization Partnership, a Texas-based vaccine education organization. We need to make sure that kids are protected against the diseases that they can be protected against, because we truly are in a vulnerable state right now.

Newcomer, the Montana epidemiologist, said that under-vaccination trends are usually due to disparities in access, such as challenges in reaching vaccine providers in rural communities. At rural health care centers lacking staff and technology, its harder to automate vaccination reminders for patients  which can increase the likelihood patients show up for appointments but require technical infrastructure, she explained.

Adding misinformation to the mix only makes matters worse, experts say.

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Parents are confused and understandably concerned, Offit told Stateline. Its the most vulnerable among us that will suffer, and that will be our children.

He added that hes also wary about the federal administrations removal of data, concerned that vaccination figures will be next.

Its nightmarish, he said. What worries me the most is were not going to know the degree that were suffering. Were not, because the CDC is losing its capacity to do adequate surveillance across the country.

Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
A child gets an MMR vaccine at a clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, in March. States have been reporting steady increases in vaccination exemption requests for kids. (Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

Dr. Rana Alissa hears it daily in her practice.

Its better for my kid to get the virus than get the vaccine.

The more you [doctors] vaccinate, the more money you get.

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I did not vaccinate any of my kids, and Im not going to vaccinate this one. So, please, dont waste your time.

The Jacksonville, Florida, pediatrician said on average, shed hear vaccine skepticism from a couple of parents a month, at most, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, its every day, said Alissa, who is also president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Medical experts say hesitancy is likely to increase further as a result of misinformation pouring from the Trump administration  and turmoil at the federal agency largely responsible for setting vaccine policy.

On Thursday, three top officials were escorted out of the Atlanta headquarters of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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All three officials resigned to protest the effort by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to dismiss CDC Director Susan Monarez for pushing back against Kennedys vaccine policies.

One of the officials, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, posted on X that hes resigning because the intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines will cause the nation to suffer.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration restricted access to updated COVID-19 shots. The new rules include limitations for young children that the American Academy of Pediatrics called deeply troubling. The FDA only approved COVID-19 vaccines for people who are 65 and older and those who are known to be at risk for a severe case. Consultation with a medical provider will be required before the shot is given to healthy children under 18, meaning parents cant simply take their kids to a vaccination clinic or pharmacy.

In June, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee at the CDC, replacing them with some members who are vaccine skeptics. Many states use the committees recommendations to develop their vaccine requirements. And in May, Kennedy rescinded recommendations for kids to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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In his books, experts say, Kennedy appears to promote his own version of miasma theory, an obsolete belief dating back to ancient times that diseases are caused by vapors from rotting organic matter. Scientists have since proven that microbes, not bad air, cause infectious diseases.

Experts say Kennedys actions are likely to make vaccination rates worse, paving the way for more outbreaks.

Every vaccine that we give prevents a serious and life-threatening disease, New York pediatrician Dr. Jesse Hackell, chair of the Committee on Pediatric Workforce at the American Academy of Pediatrics, told Stateline. I dont want to force anybody, but I do want to make sure that the information theyre getting is quality information  and thats not what is coming from HHS.

Nonmedical exemptions

Every state requires kids to get certain shots to attend school. All states exempt children who cant be immunized for medical reasons, but nonmedical exemptions for religious or personal reasons vary from state to state.

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Vaccination rates among kids are declining. Flu vaccinations, for example, hit their lowest rate since 2019. And since the beginning of the pandemic, exemption requests have increased across the country.

Among kindergarteners, nonmedical exemptions have increased each year since 2020, from 1.9% in the first year of the pandemic to 3.4% in the 2024-25 school year, according to the latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exemptions increased in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Seventeen states reported exemption rates over 5%.

The changes may seem small. But experts say even slight increases in exemptions and decreases in vaccinations make a big difference.

With a disease thats as infectious as measles  small increases in vaccination rates could really go a long way, epidemiologist Sophia Newcomer, a University of Montana associate professor, said in a recent panel discussion hosted by Montana Families for Vaccines.

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Alissa and other experts say rampant confusion around the shots, including federal officials casting doubt, is exacerbating the problem. Often, parents arent sure whom they can trust, finding conflicting information and unreliable sources, she said.

[Parents] come to our clinic and the hospitals and they say, We looked it up, and we just dont want it, she said. Theres different kinds of reasoning: the ingredients of the vaccine, the side effects of the vaccine, vaccines dont work.

But research consistently shows vaccines protect children from serious illness. Shots also protect the most vulnerable who cant get vaccinated, such as babies who are too young, or children and adults who are immunocompromised. Babies up to age 2 are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, making up the most hospitalizations among kids.

Ultimately, Alissa said, We are endangering each other.

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In Florida, where Alissa practices, religious exemptions have increased monthly, according to a state report that tracked the numbers through April. Some counties have higher rates of children with religious exemptions than others, ranging from about 1.5% to 15%, the state department of health reported. Among kindergarteners in the state, the rate of nonmedical exemptions rose from 2.7% in the 2020-21 school year to 4.8% in the 2024-25 school year, CDC data shows.

Five states  California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and West Virginia  dont allow nonmedical exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two West Virginia families with immunocompromised kids brought lawsuits over Republican Gov. Patrick Morriseys January executive order mandating religious exemptions despite state law.

Kennedy defended religious exemptions and endorsed the governors order in a post on X. His agency also sent letters to West Virginia health departments warning of civil rights violations if they dont allow such exemptions.

Theres a ton of variability across states in how easy it is to not get vaccinated, Newcomer, of the University of Montana, said. Some states require parental vaccine education as part of the exemption request while others dont.

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Increased exemptions needs to be fought at every level  working to make sure theres access, to make sure that theres good information, and to make sure that theres strong policy at the state level, so that people arent exploiting exemption loopholes, Northe Saunders, American Families for Vaccines president, said during the panel discussion.

Other vaccines

Doctors are worried that other vaccines will be targeted by the Trump administration, such as those for whooping cough. By April, preliminary CDC data showed more than 9,000 cases this year, about twice as many compared with the same time last year and more than there were right before the pandemic. Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be deadly for babies. Vaccines help prevent severe whooping cough illness.

Hackell said that when he was training in the 1970s, there were no pneumococcal and haemophilus vaccines. Babies would come in with 104-degree fevers and they were immediately tested for the infections, he recalled. For babies under age 2, those bacterial infections can show up as only a high fever, but the infection can rapidly turn fatal without treatment, he told Stateline.

When I trained, we didnt have these vaccines, and these kids kept us up at night, Hackell said. I never want to practice in those days. I never want to go back to that.  To me, that is unacceptable to submit my patients to those risks that weve been able to reduce.

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This week the FDA removed one of the available COVID-19 vaccines for young children, limiting the Spikevax vaccine to only kids with at least one serious health issue. Modernas shot is still available for children 6 months and older. Pfizers shot is no longer available for kids under 5, as the FDA is ending its emergency use authorization for the age group.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 shots for children 6 months to 2 years. It also recommends them for older children with underlying health issues. Healthy children whose parents want them to get the shot should also be offered them, the AAP says.

Hackell is concerned by the FDAs new limitations on the shot.

As a parent, as a grandparent and as a physician who takes care of vulnerable kids, it disgusts me, Hackell said.

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Hes also concerned about vulnerable kids who get their shots through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, which covers shots if parents cant afford them and follows federal vaccine advisory recommendations.

If youre covered by VFC, which is basically kids on Medicaid and a few other populations, then youre out of luck, Hackell said. To me, thats a huge inequity in access to care, which is indefensible.

He added that the move breaks with the administrations emphasis on individual decision-making, saying the new restrictions limit parental decisions.

Normalization of outbreaks

During the Montana panel discussion, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, pointed to CDC data showing that over the past year alone, about 1 in 5 children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 were put in the ICU. And between September 2023 and last August, 152 children died of COVID-19 and 213 children died of the flu.

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While Texas officially declared its measles outbreak over  which means the state hasnt reported a new case in six weeks  neighboring New Mexico continues to see new cases.

What were going to see is, you know, sadly, a normalization of these outbreaks, said Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at The Immunization Partnership, a Texas-based vaccine education organization. We need to make sure that kids are protected against the diseases that they can be protected against, because we truly are in a vulnerable state right now.

Newcomer, the Montana epidemiologist, said that under-vaccination trends are usually due to disparities in access, such as challenges in reaching vaccine providers in rural communities. At rural health care centers lacking staff and technology, its harder to automate vaccination reminders for patients  which can increase the likelihood patients show up for appointments but require technical infrastructure, she explained.

Adding misinformation to the mix only makes matters worse, experts say.

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Parents are confused and understandably concerned, Offit told Stateline. Its the most vulnerable among us that will suffer, and that will be our children.

He added that hes also wary about the federal administrations removal of data, concerned that vaccination figures will be next.

Its nightmarish, he said. What worries me the most is were not going to know the degree that were suffering. Were not, because the CDC is losing its capacity to do adequate surveillance across the country.

Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
North Chicago, Illinois-based AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. With a market cap of $371.7 billion, the company discovers and develops medicines and therapies that solve health issues across immunology, oncology, aesthetics, neuroscience, and eye care.

Companies worth $200 billion or more are generally described as mega-cap stocks, and ABBV definitely fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size, influence, and dominance in the general drug manufacturers industry. ABBV stands out in the fields of immunology and oncology with its extensive product portfolio, featuring leading drugs such as Humira, Imbruvica, and Rinvoq, combined with significant investments in R&D, ensuring a steady pipeline of innovative therapies and strengthening its global presence.

More News from Barchart

Despite its notable strength, ABBV slipped 3.8% from its 52-week high of $218.66, achieved on Mar. 10. Over the past three months, ABBV stock gained 13.4%, outperforming the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) 9.3% gains during the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

In the longer term, shares of ABBV rose 18.4% on a YTD basis, outperforming SPXs YTD gains of 9.8%. However, the stock climbed 7.7% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming SPXs 15.5% returns over the last year.

ABBV has been trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since early June, experiencing some fluctuations, indicating a bullish trend.

www.barchart.com

AbbVie is facing challenges due to declining sales of its blockbuster drug Humira, which is expected to continue declining due to biosimilar erosion. Additionally, the company is experiencing slower market growth for its Juvederm fillers in the U.S. and China due to challenging market conditions and weakened consumer sentiment. Sales of Humira

ABBV's shares dipped slightly on Jul. 31 despite beating Q2 earnings expectations, with revenue rising 6.6% year-over-year to $15.4 billion, and adjusted EPS increasing 12.1% from the year-ago quarter to $2.97. The company also raised its fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $11.88 to $12.08.

In the competitive arena of general drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) has lagged behind ABBV, with a 5.1% downtick on a YTD basis and 22.8% losses over the past 52 weeks.
BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  The Bossier City Night Market makes its return this weekend for a night of family fun.

Enjoy free Highland Jazz & Blues Festival in Shreveport

The Night Market will feature over 230 local vendors selling a wide range of items, including jewelry, homemade goods, produce, and various cuisines. 15 food trucks will also be present at the largest one-day free vendor shopping event in the United States.

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The Night Market will take place on Saturday, September 6, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. outside of Pierre Bossier Mall in Bossier City. A freedom celebration with live music will also take place.

To learn more, visit the Facebook event page or go to BossierNightMarket.com.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
On Tuesday, one of the most catastrophically wounded soldiers in the war on terror will be laid to rest more than 15 years after surviving an IED attack.

Michael Verardo died last week of complications from his injuries in Afghanistan.

ALSO READ: New video shows moment a group jumped a veteran on CATS bus in Pineville

Verardo lived in the Charlotte area with his wife and three daughters.

President Donald Trump honored him in a social media post, saying his legacy of resilience will forever inspire us.

Verardos celebration of life will begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Weddington Methodist Church on Providence Road.

VIDEO: New video shows moment a group jumped a veteran on CATS bus in Pineville
A Cincinnati-based grocery chain is making major efforts to reduce food waste and tackle food insecurity.

Kroger has teamed up with Flashfood to handle the sale of groceries that would otherwise go to waste.

"The pilot with Flashfood includes 16 Richmond, Virginia-area locations, building on the grocer's sustainability efforts," Grocery Dive reported.

Kroger's Zero Hunger Zero Waste foundation was formed to address the growing issue of food waste.

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"Nearly 40% of food produced in the U.S. is thrown away. That means 229 million tons of surplus available food goes unsold or uneaten every year, in addition to food left unharvested on farms," the foundation stated. "At the same time, nearly 42 million Americans  1 in 8  struggle with hunger. This just doesn't make sense."

Enter Flashfood. Its app helps users scope out great deals in stores. By partnering with grocers, Flashfood negotiates steep discounts for consumers by listing items that are close to their best-by dates. This helps the grocers divert food waste, and it helps community members tackle food insecurity.

For Flashfood, the collaboration with Kroger is a major step. It signals "where we've grown as a business in a much more meaningful way," CEO Jordan Schenck said. "It does help really bolster where we are heading as we grow up as a company and then also grow up as a company in tech in grocery."

Efforts to reduce food waste not only help community members tackle hunger but also contribute to the long-term health of the community. With less food waste, less harmful methane gas is released from landfills, meaning less pollution, better air quality, and a slowdown of rising global temperatures.

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"We cut greenhouse gas emissions, food waste, and energy consumption; reduce waste in our operations; optimize water use; offer more sustainable packaging; and practice sustainable sourcing across our supply chain," Kroger said, listing just a few of the ways that reducing food waste contributes to better community health.

Reducing food waste can also help keep food costs down by helping farmers protect their livelihoods and resources of land and water.

Tackling an issue as big as food waste will take all of us. Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference (and can help you save money).

From big companies such as Kroger doing their part to individuals who do more with their leftovers or keep food fresh for longer, we can reverse the damaging effects of food waste.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
For the record:

10:39 a.m. Sept. 2, 2025: A previous version of this story said there were 18 cases of Chagas disease in Los Angeles County between 2019 and 2023. The actual number is 180.



It's one of the most insidious diseases you've never heard of, but Chagas is here in California and 29 other states across the U.S.

It kills more people in Latin America than malaria each year, and researchers think roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. currently have it but are unaware.

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That's because the illness tends to lie dormant for years, making itself known only when its victim keels over via heart attack, stroke or death.

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which lives in a bloodsucking insect called the kissing bug. There are roughly a dozen species of kissing bugs in the U.S. and three in California known to carry the parasite. Research has shown that in some places, such as Los Angeles' Griffith Park, about a third of all kissing bugs harbor the Chagas disease parasite.

It's why a team of epidemiologists, researchers and medical doctors are calling on the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to label the disease as endemic, meaning consistently present, in the U.S. They hope that will bring awareness, education, dialogue and potentially public health investment to a disease that has long carried a stigma, falsely associated with poor, rural migrants from bug-infected homes in far-off tropical nations.

"This is a disease that has been neglected and has been impacting Latin Americans for many decades," said Norman Beatty, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Florida and an expert on Chagas disease. "But it's also here in the United States."

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"We had a kid from the Hollywood Hills who got it," said Salvador Hernandez, a cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. He said the patient had not traveled out of the country and probably got it in his leafy, affluent neighborhood, where kissing bugs are prevalent.

The parasite has also been detected in local wildlife, including wood rats, skunks and mice in Griffith Park, as well as in bats, raccoons and black bears in other parts of the state.

"Kissing bugs are pretty equal opportunity when it comes to who they take a blood meal from," said Sarah Hamer, an epidemiologist at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, listing a variety of animals, such as ocelots, bobcats, coyotes, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

"That means the reservoir for T. cruzi is pretty large," she said.

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California has the largest number of people in the U.S. infected with Chagas disease  between 70,000 and 100,000. That's mostly because the state is home to so many people from countries where the disease is endemic. But it's also because the parasite and vector live here, meaning some of those cases could be homegrown.

A small study by the state's Department of Public Health, for instance, found that 31 of 40 human cases reported to the state from 2013 to 2023  about 78%  were acquired in other countries. For the remaining cases, health officials couldn't rule out local transmission.

Chagas disease is not a reportable illness in California, which means the state does not require physicians and health systems to report and investigate it, as it does with influenza, Lyme and malaria. However, it is reportable in Los Angeles and San Diego counties; Los Angeles was the first county in the state to mandate reporting of the disease.

From 2019 to 2023, health officials confirmed about 180 cases of Chagas disease in L.A. County, "although many more cases likely go undiagnosed," the department wrote in a statement. It said most of the identified cases involved overseas infections, but some appear to be locally acquired.

Gabriel Hamer, an entomologist at Texas A&M, said that confirmed human cases in the U.S. represent "just the tip of the iceberg" and that nobody really knows how many people actually have the disease. "There's no standardized reporting system. There's no active surveillance."

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Most people find out they have the disease only after trying to donate blood, Hamer said.

Janeice Smith, a retired teacher in Florida, discovered she had it in 2022 after receiving a letter from her local donation center telling her she'd tested positive and should go see a physician.

Smith now runs a nonprofit to increase awareness of Chagas, which she said she probably got in 1966 when her family went to Mexico for vacation. She had returned home with a swollen eye and high fever, and was hospitalized for several weeks. No one found out what caused her symptoms until almost six decades later.

Hamer said proteins in the kissing bugs' saliva can cause acute reactions, such as swollen limbs, eyes and anaphylaxis, all unrelated to the disease-carrying parasite.

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But it's the longer-term or chronic effects that cause the most harm. And because the disease is not well known, and its symptoms are often indistinguishable from other forms of cardiac and organ damage, it's likely that many people are showing up to their doctors' offices with heart arrhythmia, a swollen esophagus, seizures and stroke without ever being screened.

"The disease is definitely underdiagnosed," said Hernandez, the Kaiser cardiologist. "If we screened for it and caught it early, most patients could be cured. The problem is we don't, and people end up dying or requiring terrifically expensive care," including organ transplants and surgery.

Antiparasitic medications can be used to stop disease progression.

Chagas disease also is prevalent in dogs that show similar clinical signs, heart failure or arrhythmias.

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"We'll see these acutely infected, usually young dogs that might be puppies, or dogs less than 1 or 2 years of age that are really adversely affected. And then we would have dogs that would come in older, and they might be in heart failure," said Ashley Saunders, a Texas A&M veterinary cardiologist.

She said dogs often acquire the disease by eating the bugs, which give a much higher "dose" of the parasite than a few bug poops in a cut.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA)  For more than three decades, two Central Illinois school districts have created a space for people in the community to connect with students.

Champaign-Urbanas one-to-one mentor program is kicking off again for another school year. Public schools in each district host the program once a week during school hours. The mentors help students with anything but school.

Girls-only DJ camp coming back to Urbana for the fifth year

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They are there to be a listening ear, to have fun, to get to know their mentee and to support them.

In its 31st year, C-U One-to-One Mentoring matches community-based adults with students from third to seventh grade, with the goal that the pair stays together all the way to graduation. Its the only cross-district program between the two school districts, and its currently serving 500 kids.

Students are eligible when nominated by a teacher, parent, or by nominating themselves. But the kids arent the only ones walking away changed from this experience.

So, students benefit. They will say, I love having somebody that comes just to see me, that listens to me, that enjoys my company,' Champaign School District Community Outreach Coordinator, Lauren Smith, said. One mentor said, and a lot of mentors this is true for, that I thought I could come in and make a difference to students. Little did I know what a big change it would be for me and what a difference it would make for me.'

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Champaign clinic aims to educate community on International Overdose Awareness Day

But the support doesnt end at graduation.

Separate from the school districts, the One-to-One Scholarship Foundation raises money to offer scholarships to seniors. The only qualifications are that they graduate from high school, have been in the program for three year, and are pursuing post-secondary education.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
LOGAN, Utah (ABC4)  Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is scheduled to tour with his organization, Turning Point USA, at Utah State University (USU) and Utah Valley University (UVU), and people are protesting.

A petition was created on Aug. 29 to stop Kirk from visiting USU.

Utah State University has consistently worked towards fostering an inclusive space for all its students and faculty. Letting a figurehead, whose speeches often seem to undermine the essence of inclusivity, use our beloved institution as a platform contradicts this mission, the Change.org petition reads.

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One person killed, one injured in plane crash near Alta

The petition has over 2,700 signatures and continues to grow. The creator of the petition emphasizes that they believe Kirks visit to the campus is not beneficial and contradicts USUs core values.

Charlie Kirk, a highly polarizing figure, does not align with the core values and ideology that Utah State University strives to epitomize, the Change.org petition reads.

In a statement to ABC4.com, Amanda DeRito from USU said: Consistent with its commitment to free speech on campus, USU welcomes a robust exchange of ideas and seeks to foster an environment where all members of our campus community can gather, associate, and express themselves freely.

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Under USU policy, student clubs and others can invite speakers to campus. Under the same policy, [w]hen individuals are invited to speak or present on campus, the University respects the speakers right to engage in protected speech and encourages a respectful presentation environment free from undue disruption or interference. In this case, a student club invited Charlie Kirk to speak on campus. USU will follow its free expression policy for this event, as well as for other speakers and free speech events that occur on campus.

Who is Charlie Kirk?

Kirk is a conservative activist and the creator of Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organization in history, according to its website. Created in 2012, the organization shares that its goal is to stop left-wing ideology that contradicts faith, family, and freedom.

Three people killed in head-on crash on I-15 in St. George

In Feb. 2025, Turning Point USA started The American Comeback Tour featuring CEO Kirk. The tour goes to various college campuses around the USA as Kirk debates narratives promoted by leftist academia.

Latest headlines:

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Allison Bustillo Chinchilla, a young nurse from Charlotte currently held at an immigration detention center in Georgia, has been granted relief by an immigration judge that allows her to leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported  a decision that will enable her to return to the United States without facing a 10-year reentry ban.

Allison, 20, has been detained for six months at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. She had nearly given up her legal fight due to health issues and unsanitary conditions at the facility. Then, unexpectedly, she was informed on Tuesday, Aug. 26, that she would have a hearing that same day.

She was arrested on the morning of Feb. 20 at her home in Charlotte while caring for her three younger siblings  the youngest of whom has autism  while her mother was at work.

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The chaotic arrest was carried out by ICE agents who forcibly entered the apartment heavily armed, looking for someone else.

Judge grants Allisons request

Keily Chinchilla, her mother, watched the hearing on her phone via the Webex platform. She said it lasted about an hour.

They moved up her hearing with almost no notice. She was desperate and couldnt take it anymore. The government attorney said she would be removed from the country, but she asked the judge for voluntary departure  the least they could do for her, Keily told Enlace Latino NC.

Allison said that ICE shattered her dreams of continuing her education. The young woman had graduated as a nursing assistant and had earned a $60,000 scholarship to attend Gardner-Webb University.

She will be able to return without punishment

Her case was handled by attorney Marty Rosenbluth, who had filed an asylum application as a last resort to prevent her deportation.

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Allison wanted to leave the country in a way that would allow her to come back because her mother is in the process of applying for a green card. Once her mother gets it, shell be able to apply for Allisons return, Rosembluth told Enlace Latino NC.

The attorney explained that Allison was technically not eligible for voluntary departure because she was classified as an undocumented immigrant. However, the relief granted by the judge is effectively the same: she can leave on a commercial flight without a removal order and wont face the 10-year bar from reentering the country.

Lingering frustration

Still, Keily is not entirely satisfied with her daughters decision, as she didnt want her to have to leave the country.

Im frustrated after so much fighting, and that they didnt allow her to stay, even though she has no criminal record and has been a good person and student. Now she has to go back to Honduras  a country she doesnt know and where her life could be in danger, the mother said.

She sought a habeas corpus petition

In her efforts to stop her daughters deportation, Keily also paid $3,500 in July to another attorney to file a habeas corpus petition. But according to the mother, the petition was filed just before the hearing.

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This legal procedure is used to request a court review of a persons arrest or detention, which could have allowed Allison to appear before a judge in person to determine whether her arrest was lawful and potentially secure her release.

My daughter could have been released, because the arrest was illegal  they forced their way into my home looking for someone else, she said.

Although Allisons exact departure date is still unknown, she could be leaving soon. She will return to Honduras  the country she left at age 8  where she will live with her maternal grandparents and start over from scratch.

Enlace Latino NC is a news partner of The Charlotte Observer.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. called for massive investments into health and wellness programs during his State of the Nation address on Saturday.

Hoskin delivered his seventh State of the Nation address as part of the 73rd annual Cherokee National Holiday on Saturday. The ceremony also featured an address from Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and remarks by Attorney General Chad Harsha, Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan, and Acting Speaker of the Council Kevin Easley Jr.

During his speech, Hoskin unveiled plans for a $244 million outpatient and emergency center in Claremore and promised it would be completed before he leaves office in 2027.

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He praised the tribes unity and strength and called for health and wellness programs, housing, and job training investments.

On October 1, a new era begins with the Cherokee Nation Claremore Emergency and Outpatient Center, Hoskin said. We will immediately invest $11 million into the current facility and sign an agreement with a local provider for seamless obstetric care.

Hoskin pledged to invest $30 million over the next three years in more affordable housing, community buildings, outdoor recreation spaces, and public safety measures.

When he took office in 2019, Hoskin said behavioral health is where the tribe had the most work to do. Now, the tribe plans to open its first-ever drug treatment facility for adults in 2026 in Tahlequah.

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In the coming year, he and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner will propose an outpatient drug treatment center in Vinita and unveil designs for residential recovery centers across the reservation.

The tribes Cherokee Heritage Center, closed since 2020 and now owned by the tribe, will get new life, announcing the construction of a new $50 million Cherokee Heritage Center.

If our communities fade away in this century it will be our failure. We do not intend to fail. We intend to take action. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr.

Hoskin noted a milestone of over 4,000 housing rehabilitation and construction projects and new housing additions in five communities since 2019, with more projects on the horizon.

During the State of the Nation address, Hoskin proposed a range of other initiatives, including a Cherokee Nation historic cemeteries act, the establishment of a Cherokee National Trail System over the next decade, and a commission to oversee the repatriation of tribal historic artifacts, human remains, property, and records.

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He also spoke about expanding the tribes public safety and criminal justice leadership team with former Speaker of the Council Mike Shambaugh as Special Envoy to the U.S. Department of Justice and Senior Advisor for Public Safety.

Hoskin also announced that he will nominate Acting Marshal Daniel Mead for confirmation to the post as full Marshal.

Hoskin noted that the tribe has already lost $26 million in federal funds, and could face a further loss of $20 million, as well as, be impacted by more proposed federal budget cuts.

The tribe has two choices, Hoskin said. The Cherokee people expect the leaders of this government to roll up our sleeves, maintain our priorities, and hold the federal government accountable.

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Hoskin said the tribes progress earned the respect of federal leaders, including members of Oklahomas congressional delegation, on a bipartisan basis.

Before the State of the Nation Address, leaders and community members gathered in downtown Tahlequah for a parade and other activities.

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Officials in Chicago are bracing for a major federal immigration enforcement operation that could begin as soon as this week, with the citys mayor signing an order over the weekend aimed at resisting the Trump administrations planned crackdown.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday such a move would be an invasion and that he has had no communication with the Trump administration about reported plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago.

No one in the administration  the president or anybody under him  has called anyone in my administration, or me. So, its clear that in secret theyre planning this  well, its an invasion with US troops, if they in fact do that, Pritzker said Sunday.

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The operation is expected to kick off in Chicago by this Friday and could involve agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and potentially be backed by guard forces in a peacekeeping role, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning.

Weve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that were upholding our laws, but we do intend to add more resources to those operations, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on CBS News Face the Nation on Sunday.

An immigration operation in the city would further escalate a clash between the White House and Democratic-led cities and comes as President Donald Trump and his aides have repeatedly slammed Chicago over policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement.

Asked about expanding these operations beyond Chicago, Noem said that the Trump administration has not taken anything off the table, and specifically named San Francisco and Boston in addition to Chicago. She suggested that Republican-led cities with crime problems were absolutely also being evaluated.

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Chicago has been preparing to try to resist Trumps planned immigration crackdown with Mayor Brandon Johnson signing an executive order Saturday providing guidance and directives to the citys agencies and law enforcement in the midst of escalating threats from the federal government.

The mayors order affirms that Chicago police will not collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement. It also urges federal law enforcement officers to use body cameras and refrain from wearing masks.

Exterior view of the Illinois Army National Guard building, housing a recruiting office, on August 27, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) - Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu/Getty Images

We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets. We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this, Johnson said before signing the executive order on Saturday.

White House officials have made clear that these immigration enforcement plans are distinct from the idea the president has floated over the past week to use federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to carry out a broader crime crackdown in Chicago, similar to the current surge in Washington, DC.

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Trump took to social media Monday morning with a post celebrating what he called a massive victory over crime in the nations capital and taking sharp aim at Democratic leaders across the country for refusing his floated plans for an aggressive federal anti-crime strategy in their states as well.

He contrasted politicians who are resisting his plans with what he sees as a more welcoming stance from Washington DCs leadership. In the Truth Social post, Trump said DC Mayor Muriel Bowsers statements and actions were positive, instead of others like Pritzker, Wes Moore, Newscum, and the 5% approval rated Mayor of Chicago, who spend all of their time trying to justify violent Crime, instead of working with us to completely ELIMINATE it.

Trump officials have been quick to criticize the Illinois governor and defend potential federal policing in the state by pointing to crime statistics.

Noem pointed to homicide statistics in Chicago on Sunday in a dig to the governor, saying Pritzker can talk about what a great job hes doing as governor, but hes failing these families.  This seems like its more about Gov. Pritzkers ego now rather than actually protecting his people.

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In a warning to Pritzker on Saturday, Trump told the governor to quickly straighten out crime in Chicago or the federal government will intervene.

Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesnt need help in preventing CRIME. He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or were coming! Trump posted on Truth Social.

At least 56 people were shot  seven of them fatally  in Chicago over the holiday weekend. Roughly 34 shootings have been reported since Friday at 10:32 p.m., with victims ranging in age from 14 to 48, according to incident notifications published by the Chicago Police Department.

Meanwhile, the Chicago mayors office last week touted a 21.6% decrease in overall violent crime and a 32.3% decrease in homicides so far this year.

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CNNs Angelica Franganillo Diaz, Betsy Klein, Priscilla Alvarez, Alayna Treene, Hannah Rabinowitz, Haley Britzky, Alejandra Jaramillo and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.

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Defense stock AeroVironment (AVAV) has been surging this year on the back of solid results and underlying operational prowess. CNBCs Mad Money host Jim Cramer has even compared the stock to defense technology supergiant Palantir Technologies (PLTR), calling it the Palantir of Hardware.

Cramer believes this high-flying stock could become a powerful long-term wealth creator, much like Palantir.

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But more recently, shares have stalled in their rally, down nearly 10% over the past month. What should you do with AeroVironment now?

About AeroVironment Stock

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, AeroVironment specializes in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), tactical missile systems, and robotic technologies. The company is a well-established name in the aerospace industry, designing and developing advanced solutions for both military and commercial applications.

AeroVironments Raven, Puma, and Wasp series of products are widely used by defense forces worldwide. The companys focus has always been on small, versatile, and efficient systems that deliver cutting-edge technologies for surveillance, reconnaissance, and payload delivery.

With a market capitalization of approximately $12.4 billion, AeroVironment remains a solid performer on Wall Street despite its latest selloff. The stock has gained 25% over the past 52 weeks. This year, the stock has increased by 60%. It reached a 52-week high of $295.90 in June, but is down 18% from this high.

High-flying stocks like AeroVironment often command premium valuations, and this ones no exception. Trading at a steep 76.6 times forward earnings, the stock is priced far above the sector median of 23x.

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AeroVironment Soars After Q4 Earnings Results

Following AeroVironments knockout fourth quarter results, released on June 24, which sailed past both Wall Streets top and bottom line forecasts, the stock took off almost 21.6% in the very next trading session as investors cheered the strong finish to fiscal 2025. The company reported record quarterly revenue of $275.1 million, indicating a 40% year-over-year (YOY) growth. This is also higher than the $242 million figure expected by Wall Street analysts.
By Heather Schlitz and Renee Hickman

CHICAGO (Reuters) -Thousands of protesters packed the streets near downtown Chicago on Monday, singing, chanting and waving signs protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to flood the city with National Guard troops and federal immigration agents.

The march was one of roughly 1,000 "Workers over Billionaires" protests across the country on the U.S. Labor Day holiday. But Chicago's demonstration had a decidedly more pointed tone as residents bristled against Trump's promise to target Chicago next in a deployment similar to those under way in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., two other Democrat-run cities.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson, speaking to the crowd, vowed that Chicago would resist federal encroachment.

"This is the city that will defend the country," he said, receiving loud cheers from protesters waving blue-striped Chicago flags.

As the crowd wove through the city, some walking dogs and carrying children on their shoulders, diners sitting outside at local restaurants and cafes pumped their fists and cars honked in support. Organizers estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people were in attendance, though Reuters was not immediately able to verify the size with city officials.

Protesters said they were concerned by Trump's threat to send out the National Guard and additional ICE agents.

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Filiberto Ramirez, 72, feared violence if additional ICE agents come to the city. "Do we feel there's gonna be trouble? Yes," Ramirez said. "I hope nobody gets hurt."

Trump has singled out Chicago in recent weeks over violent crime, calling the city "a mess," "a hellhole" and a "killing field." But on Monday, Chicagoans at the protest said they did not feel the National Guard was a solution to crime in the city.

"There is a crime problem," said Yvonne Spears, 67, "but the National Guard is supposed to fight for us, not against us."

Homicide rates in the nation's third-largest city have plunged in recent years, according to city crime data. And though a 2025 University of Chicago survey reported roughly half of Chicagoans feel unsafe in their neighborhoods at night, many protesters said on Monday that they felt largely safe in the city.

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City and state leaders have already readied measures to shield Chicago from federal troops and would likely launch a slew of lawsuits challenging a deployment, which legal experts said would violate the U.S. Constitution and a 19th-century law prohibiting the military from enforcing domestic laws.

Mayor Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday saying that Chicago police will not collaborate with federal agents or National Guard troops and directing all police officers to wear official uniforms and not to wear masks. Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups have worked to fortify their defenses amid threats of stepped-up immigration enforcement by working to hire more attorneys, staffing immigration hotlines and launching more "know your rights" training.

"The people here are proud that we're a sanctuary city," said Andrea Reyes, 42, referencing city policies prohibiting its government from involvement with federal immigration enforcement.

"I don't think it'll go well if the National Guard comes here."

(Reporting by Heather Schlitz and Renee Hickman; Editing by Sandra Maler)
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP)  The Chicopee Police Department is seeking the publics help in locating a missing teenager.

Chicopee raises flag for International Overdose Awareness Day

The Chicopee Police Department states that 16-year-old Jason Pennell was last seen in the Springfield Street area in Chicopee. He might be wearing an all gray or blue shirt, white shorts, and a Bass Pro Shops hat.

MAP: Springfield Street, Chicopee

If you have seen Jason or know his whereabouts, call 413-595-1700.

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
"I look forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said.

China is stepping increasingly onto the world stage with the aim of leading a swath of the world in a new direction. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on Sunday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), where he is hosting leaders from Russia, Turkey, India, and other countries.

The main message from the summit is that these countries are working more closely together and share a common vision. Among those visions is a claim that they are pushing for peace and development around the world. This has ramifications for the world and the Middle East because these countries oppose wars such as the war in Gaza.

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According to Chinas state media, Chinas president says that his country is shouldering greater responsibilities for safeguarding regional peace and stability, and for boosting development of various countries in a world of increasing uncertainties and accelerated changes. Xi made the remarks at a banquet to welcome international guests who are in China's port city of Tianjin to attend the SCO Summit 2025 from Sunday to Monday, Xinhua news noted.

The report noted that addressing the opening banquet, Xi expressed confidence that with concerted efforts of all parties, the summit will be a complete success, and that the SCO is certain to play an even bigger role and achieve more progress, making greater contribution to boosting the unity and cooperation among member states, pooling the strength of the Global South and pushing for more progress of human civilization.

China and the other countries present are essentially pitching a new world order that they will lead. They think the curtain is closing on the US-led world order that began with the end of the Cold War in 1990.

China appears to be increasingly assertive in shaping its vision for the future. In a second article at Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus Meeting in Tianjin.

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Xi said, "I look forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity.

China's global initiative

The Chinese leader believes this new global initiative will have five principles that include sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and a focus on taking real actions.

This could have ramifications if these countries choose to do more to step up their actions relating to conflicts such as the one in Gaza. Israel has felt empowered by the recent war after defeating Hezbollah and also bombing Iran. For instance, Israel has been bombing Syria since the fall of the Assad regime.

Turkey, Iran, and many other countries oppose this bombing. This means that Israels current sense of empowerment, backed by the US administration, could set it on a collision course with the emerging new world order. China, Turkey, Iran, and other states may eventually work to put down red lines around Israel and end the conflicts that are taking place on the Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza borders.

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Turkey, for instance, opposes Israels policies. Turkeys president met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. Chinas Xinhua said that China and Turkey are both emerging major countries with a spirit of independence, Xi said, adding that the high-level development of bilateral relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries as well as the common interests of the Global South. Clearly, this is messaging aimed at the US and the West.

Eventually, Turkey will benefit from this and see its policies gain more weight. For now, many of these countries are continuing to bide their time and wait for their moment. Biding time and growing strength quietly has been Chinas motto for decades. Now the world is changing, and the SCO meeting in 2025 is one of the key pieces of evidence of the change.
DUBAI (Reuters) -UN Security Council permanent members China and Russia backed Iran on Monday in rejecting a move by European countries to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran loosened a decade ago under a nuclear agreement.

A letter signed by the Chinese, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers said a move by Britain, France and Germany to automatically restore the sanctions under a so-called "snapback mechanism" was "legally and procedurally flawed".

China and Russia were signatories to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, along with the three European countries, known as the E3. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in his first term in 2018.

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The Europeans launched the "snapback mechanism" last week, accusing Iran of violating the deal, which had provided relief from international financial sanctions in return for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.

The letter published by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a post on X on Monday said that the course taken by Britain, France, and Germany "abuses the authority and functions of the UN Security Council".

Iran has long since broken through the limits on uranium production set under the 2015 deal, arguing that it is justified in doing so as a consequence of Washington having pulled out of the agreement. The deal expires in October this year, and the snapback mechanism would allow sanctions that were lifted under it to take effect again.

Iran and the E3 held talks aimed at a new nuclear agreement after Israel and the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear installations in mid-June. But the E3 deemed that talks in Geneva last week did not yield sufficient signals of readiness for a new deal from Iran.

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"Our joint letter with my colleagues, the foreign ministers of China and Russia, signed in Tianjin, reflects the firm position that the European attempt to invoke snapback is legally baseless and politically destructive", Iran's foreign minister said in his post on X.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Elwely ElwellyEditing by Hugh Lawson and Peter Graff)
China is set to unveil a ship-destroying hypersonic missile at a military parade, amid heightened tensions with the West.

Satellite images show scores of weapons, including drones and missiles, lined up in a staging area outside Beijing ahead of Wednesdays parade.

New missiles were also seen on military trucks rolling through the streets of Beijing in a dry-run, including the soon-to-be-unveiled YJ-17 hypersonic missile.

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Details are shrouded in mystery but experts expect the weapon will be capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 8, or 6,100mph.

It has a projected range of 750 miles, allowing it to strike distant naval targets without exposing launch platforms to counter-attacks.

The parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, is a major event for China, with Xi Jinping expected to give a speech.

Tens of thousands of soldiers will march in formation through Tiananmen Square, including troops from dozens of brigades, as well as veterans.

It will take place days after a meeting of world leaders at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), including Russias Vladimir Putin, Indias Narendra Modi, and North Koreas Kim Jong-un.

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Putin and Kim are expected to stay on and watch the military parade as guests of honour as China seeks to deepen its ties with Russia and North Korea against the backdrop of increased tensions with the US.

A Chinese official said a large number of weapons would be on display that have never been seen before.

Satellite images show scores of weapons, including drones and missiles - archive.is

Wu Zeke, an official helping organise the military parade, said at a briefing in Beijing: The weapons and equipment on display this time were all selected from major battle equipment that is domestically produced and is currently in service, with a large proportion being new types of equipment making their debut.

Military analysts believe the YJ-17 has the potential to carry warheads weighing between 600lb and 1,100lb, giving it powerful armour-piercing capabilities.

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It appears the missile has been designed to penetrate heavily defended warships in a thinly veiled warning to the West to stay out of regional conflicts, most likely with Taiwan.

Tianran Xu, a senior analyst at Open Nuclear Network, told Bloomberg the weapons had been developed to increase the chances of defeating shipborne air-defence systems, and are clearly developed with the aim to suppress the US Navy in the Western Pacific.

Rehearsals for the military parade taking place in Beijing

Other weapons expected to be unveiled include the YJ-15 air-launched missile, and the YJ-19 and YJ-20 hypersonic missiles. New tanks, fighter jets, and drones are also expected to be on display.

Few countries have developed so many anti-ship missiles that cover all imaginable categories, Mr Xu added.

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Beijing is one of the worlds most prolific developers of hypersonic missiles, which are designed to evade traditional air-defence systems, such as the US Patriot missile.

The US and China have been locked in an arms race to develop the powerful weapons, as has Russia, having used them against Ukraine last year.

Under Xi, China has been spending heavily to modernise and upgrade its military. It is currently the worlds fourth-largest exporter, primarily to developing nations such as Pakistan.

Last week, Japan asked international leaders not to attend Chinas parade because of its anti-Japanese overtones.

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Putin arrived in China on Sunday ahead of the SCO summit, which has been touted as an alternative to Nato.

The Russian leader told Chinas Xinhua news agency the summit would strengthen the SCOs capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats, and consolidate solidarity across the shared Eurasian space.

All this will help shape a fairer multipolar world order, Putin said.

More than 20 leaders, including Masoud Pezeshkian and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Iranian and Turkish presidents, will also attend the blocs largest meeting since its founding in 2001.

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China hopes Indonesia can take effective measures to protect Chinese nationals in the Southeast Asian country, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday when asked about recent protests in Indonesia.

China understands and respects the Indonesian government's decision to cancel a trip by President Prabowo Subianto to Beijing, Guo also told a regular press conference. Prabowo had been due to attend a "Victory Day" parade in Beijing on September 3.

Prabowo's representative will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and the military parade, Guo said.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Writing by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
China on Monday called for greater unity among the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which include Russia, India, Iran and other non-NATO alligned countries.

"We should seek common ground while putting differences aside," President Xi Jinping said at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.

Xi also warned against a Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation.

The Chinese president stressed that the SCO should take responsibility for ensuring peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.

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He highlighted the organization's achievements, including counter-terrorism cooperation and industrial investment, saying that the SCO's members together generate an annual economic output of nearly $30 trillion.

Founded 24 years ago to promote security cooperation and economic ties, the SCO now has 10 member states: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran (since 2023) and Belarus (since 2024).

While the organization positions itself as a counterbalance to Western alliances, it has often struggled to present a united front on recent global conflicts and disputes.

China and India, for instance, have long disputed territories along their shared border, while India and Pakistan clashed in May following a terrorist attack.
TIANJIN, China (AP)  China plans to accelerate the creation of a development bank and set up an international platform for energy cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Monday at a summit that represents an emerging challenge to U.S. global leadership with the participation of Russia and India.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the leaders meeting in Tianjin, in northern China, for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The security forum was originally seen as a foil to U.S. influence in Central Asia and has grown in size and influence over the years.

Xi is attempting to expand the scope of the SCO. He announced initial plans for a development bank run by the organization, introduced a cooperation platform for green and energy industries and pledged $1.4 billion in loans over the next three years to the organizations members.

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Xi also said he was opening the way for SCO member states to use Chinas BeiDou satellite system, an alternative to the GPS system controlled by the U.S.

Putin expressed support for Xis initiatives, saying he believes the SCO could take on the leading role in efforts to form a more just and equal system of global governance in the world.

Laos joined the SCO as a partner, a designation short of full membership, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters. The combined group of members and partners has reached 27, representing countries in Central and Southeast Asia, along with China, India, Russia, Iran and others.

China on message

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Xi stressed countries should reject Cold War thinking, rival power blocs and bullying and instead protect the U.N.-centered international system. He called for a world order with multiple power centers and a more just and balanced global governance system.

The shadows of Cold War mentality, bullying, are not dissipating, and there are new challenges that are increasing, not diminishing, said Xi, who has consistently spoken against what he calls a Cold War mentality, which is his way of referring to the tough approach to China by the U.S.

The world has entered a new period of tumultuous change and global governance has arrived at a new crossroads, he said.

Alfred Wu, a professor at the National University of Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, explained that Xi is seeking to provide an alternate world order, because the U.S.-led world order is very much in decline.

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Putin echoed those themes in his own address and expressed support for Xis proposal to create a new, more effective and functional system of global governance.

Founded in 2001, the SCO now includes Russia, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states, and 14 other countries, including several from the Middle East, serve as dialogue partners.

The summit comes days ahead of a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of Japans World War II surrender.

Regional relationships

On Sunday, Xi met with Modi and the two leaders vowed to resolve differences surrounding a border dispute, which led to a freeze in relations in 2020.

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Putin arrived for the summit Sunday and will attend the parade Wednesday. Modi will not stay for the parade.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who did not attend the SCO summit, will be present for the military parade, along with the leader of Myanmars military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

Putin spoke to Xi on Sunday, ahead of the bilateral talks the two were scheduled to hold Tuesday. He updated the Chinese leader on the Russia-U.S. talks on the Ukraine war which were held in Alaska last month.

Development policy has been a large part of the messaging in recent days. Putin, in an interview released Saturday by Chinas news agency Xinhua, said Russia and China were jointly against discriminatory sanctions that hurt the socioeconomic development of the world at large.

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Russia, alongside its Chinese partners, supports the reform of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, he said.

It is essential to end the use of finance as an instrument of neocolonialism, which runs counter to the interests of the global majority, Putin said.

Security is still key

While China is eager for the SCO to take a larger role on the global stage, it remains to be seen how effective the organization can be. Its focus in the past has been on propping up the security initiatives of its member states. China said it is effective in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism.

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Those threats are what Beijing cited after it swept more than 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other largely Muslim minorities into camps, prisons, and other detention facilities in 2018.

Their anti-terrorism exercises are more about countering threats to authoritarian regimes rather than countering terrorism in its own right, said Derek Grossman, a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.

Even if the SCO summits reach and influence is ultimately limited, one thing is clear, he said: China is on a diplomatic uptick and the U.S. is self destructing.

____

Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP)  A Chinese-owned mining company has been accused of covering up the extent of a disastrous toxic spill in Zambia that polluted a major river that millions rely on with cyanide and arsenic.

The spill happened in February when part of a dam that held waste from the Sino-Metals Leach Zambia copper mine collapsed, allowing it to flow into the Kafue River that runs through the heart of Zambia. Sino-Metals Leach Zambia is a subsidiary of the state-run China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group.

An environmental cleanup company says that it was contracted by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia to investigate the accident. It said its two-month investigation found that the disaster resulted in the release of 1.5 million tons of toxic material  at least 30 times more than Sino-Metals admitted at the time.

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The South Africa-based environmental company Drizit said it submitted preliminary reports to Sino-Metals indicating the severity of the pollution, but Sino-Metals then terminated its contract one day before the final report was due.

Sino-Metals said in a statement to The Associated Press that it terminated the contract because of "contractual breaches" by Drizit and the Zambian government was looking for a new company to conduct a fresh investigation. Sino-Metals disputed the accuracy of Drizit's findings.

What happened

The accident happened on Feb. 18 at a mine near the northern city of Kitwe, the second biggest city in Zambia and home to around 700,000 people. The city's water supply was temporarily shut down because of the spill.

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Toxic waste flowed into waterways that connect to the Kafue River, killing fish at least 100 kilometers (62 miles) downstream. More than half of Zambia's 21 million people rely on the Kafue for drinking water or to irrigate crops.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called for help from experts and described the accident as a crisis. Authorities in the southern African country said the devastating consequences included the pollution of the river, the destruction of crops along its banks and the contamination of groundwater.

The response

Sino-Metals Leach Zambia apologized and said they would help with the cleanup. The Zambian government deployed the air force and speedboats to drop hundreds of tons of lime into the river in an attempt to counteract the acid waste and roll back the damage.

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The government later said the situation had been brought under control, the water quality was returning to normal, and there was no cause for alarm.

However, the U.S. Embassy in Zambia said last month it was ordering all U.S. government personnel out of the area near the mine because of new information that revealed hazardous and carcinogenic substances in the environment.

New allegations

Drizit claims the toxic spill was much worse than Sino-Metals Leach Zambia and authorities conceded.

Drizit said in a statement that its investigators took more than 3,500 samples for analysis and they showed dangerous levels of cyanide, arsenic, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, cadmium and other pollutants posing significant long-term health risks, including organ damage, birth defects, and cancer.

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It said 900,000 cubic metres of toxic substances were still present in the environment and a proper cleanup operation was required to ensure people aren't at risk for decades. Drizit's full report has not been released publicly.

China's dominance

China is the dominant player in copper mining in Zambia, which is among the worlds top 10 copper-producing countries. Chinese investment is key to Zambia's aim to increase its production to three million tons per year by 2031 to match the new demand for copper for use in electric vehicle technology and batteries.

Copper prices have hit record highs this year, while China is the biggest importer of the vital metal.

___

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

___

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
(The Center Square)  Chinese networks are laundering billions of dollars in drug cartel cash through the U.S. financial system, according to a new report from the Treasury Department.

Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said banks flagged about $312 billion in transactions from suspected Chinese money laundering networks from January 2020 to December 2024. That came from 137,153 Bank Secrecy Act reports from financial institutions. Treasury also linked Chinese money laundering networks to U.S. real estate transactions, casinos, human trafficking and even laundering through assisted living homes in New York. The networks also use Chinese students studying in the U.S. to help facilitate some schemes. Real estate alone accounted for about 13% of the total, but the vast majority was U.S. banks.

"Money laundering networks linked to individual passport holders from the People's Republic of China enable cartels to poison Americans with fentanyl, conduct human trafficking, and wreak havoc among communities across our great nation," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley said.

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The report comes after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suspended a Biden-era small business rule in March designed to curb money laundering that small businesses had challenged in court. President Donald Trump said the Corporate Transparency Act, which Congress passed in 2021, was "outrageous and invasive." Bessent said it was costly for small businesses. The CTA would have required small businesses to report information about their beneficial owners to Treasury's FinCEN. The rules remain in place for foreign businesses.

The FinCEN report noted that laws and regulations in Mexico and China also play a role.

"Mexico's currency restrictions prevent large amounts of U.S. dollars from being deposited into Mexican financial institutions, hindering the cartels' ability to launder funds through the formal Mexican financial system," according to the report. The [People's Republic of China] currency control laws limit the amount of money Chinese citizens can transfer abroad each year."

The two groups have learned to work well together in recent years. FinCEN refers to Chinese money laundering networks as CMLNs.

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"Ultimately, Chinese citizens' demand for large quantities of U.S. dollars and the cartels' need to launder their illicit U.S. dollar proceeds has resulted in a mutualistic relationship wherein the cartels sell off their illicitly obtained U.S. dollars to CMLNs who, in turn, sell the U.S. dollars to Chinese citizens seeking to evade China's currency control laws," the report said.

Scott Greytak, an anticorruption attorney and the deputy executive director for Transparency International U.S., said the U.S. is considered one of the best places in the world for money laundering because of its strong property rights and rule of law.

"Even though they don't like the rule of law, they certainly like their money being protected by it," he told The Center Square. "So we just tend to attract a ton of dirty money."

Greytak said that U.S. law enforcement officials can't track the money without stricter financial, business, and real estate reporting.

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The FinCEN report highlighted China's capital flight restrictions, which limit the amount of money Chinese citizens can transfer abroad annually to $50,000 for investment and financial purposes. That limit has sprouted its own underground banking network.

"Many Chinese citizens have turned to alternative methods, like the Chinese underground banking system (CUBS), to bypass these restrictions. The CUBS consists of various individuals and businesses from different industries who collaborate through 'mirror transfers' to move money across borders, as part of informal value transfer system schemes. The CUBS, in turn, depend on CMLNs to secure foreign currency."
In Africa crypto news this week, payment processing giant Mastercard announced expanding its partnership with Circle for global digital settlements using USDC. Like Tether USDT, USDC is one of the most popular and allows for cheap, instantaneous global value transfers.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, InVastor launched an educational program targeting political stakeholders and leaders. Over the past few years, Kenya has been making steps to create regulatory clarity on crypto. The Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill (VASP) is being considered in parliament and may eventually be enacted into law.

Meanwhile, the international law enforcement organization Interpol conducted a major operation to seize fraudulent Bitcoin and crypto mining operations across the continent. Crypto mining is energy-intensive, and in regions where priority is on powering essential services, like healthcare, it can be challenging to run a farm.

Lets explore the stories making continental headlines this week:

Africa Crypto News: Mastercard Expands Partnership with Circle

International credit and debit card service provider Mastercard has expanded its partnership with Circle to facilitate payments in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

This deal will enable Mastercard users in these regions to settle transactions using USDC, allowing them to buy even some of the top Solana meme coins. The payment processor and card issuer leverage their trusted global infrastructure for this initiative.

Stablecoins offer a relatively safe way to handle crypto, as their values are pegged to stable assets like the USD and the Euro. Mastercard benefits by linking blockchain-native assets with traditional fiat systems, providing advantages for crypto users, including holders.

(Source: TradingView SOL USDT)

Dimitry Dosis, president of the Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, described the benefits of the partnership as follows:

This is a key move for Mastercard. Our strategic goal is to integrate stablecoins into the financial mainstream by investing in infrastructure, governance, and partnerships to support this exciting payment evolution from fiat to tokenized and programmable money. Through our expanded partnership with Circle, we are taking bold steps to integrate their innovative solutions across our global network.

This news marks a major milestone for the blockchain sector, moving away from its early reputation as a hub for fringe assets toward mainstream adoption.

DISCOVER: Best Meme Coin ICOs to Invest in 2025

Kenya Crypto News: InVastor Invests in Educational Programs

Digital finance platform InVastor has announced an educational initiative targeting lawmakers in Kenya. The program provides lawmakers at various government levels with small amounts of crypto to manage as part of their portfolios and guidance on handling digital assets, including some of the best cryptos to buy, like Bitcoin and .
Cincinnati police have identified the three victims of a fatal shooting in the city's Mt. Washington neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Police said a male gunman, whose identity has not been released, killed 22-year-old Eden Adugna and 20-year-old Feven Adugna near a home at the intersection of Beacon Street and Glade Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Aug 31. The women both died on the scene of the shooting.

The gunman also shot 27-year-old Bemnet Deresse, who was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with critical injuries. He died overnight of his injuries, according to a department news release.

Police conduct an investigation near the 1500 block of Beacon Street in Mount Washington after four people were shot on the afternoon of Aug. 31, according to Cincinnati police.

After the shooting, the gunman then shot himself in an attempt to take his own life, department spokesman Lt. Jonathan Cunningham told reporters on scene. He was taken to the hospital with critical injuries Aug. 31 and his current status is unknown.

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When officers arrived, shots were still being fired, Cunningham said. The shooting occurred both inside and outside of the residence, but additional details on how the shooting began were not available.

No information on the connection between the victims of the shooting and the gunman was immediately available Monday.

An apartment complex on the 1500 Block of Beacon Street, Sept. 1, 2025, in Mount Washington. Three people were killed aduring a shooting at the complex on Aug. 31

Women were members of Good Samaritan pharmacy team

The two women, Eden Adugna and Feven Adugna, were members of the pharmacy team at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, according to a media statement from TriHealth.

"The TriHealth family is devasted by the tragic passing of two cherished Good Samaritan Hospital team members. Their dedication and spirit touched everyone who worked alongside them," the hospital group said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones during this difficult time, and we remain committed to providing ongoing support to all affected."

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TriHealth said counseling support services are available for all of its team members following the loss.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police ID two women, one man killed in Mount Washington
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest two people from Guatemala in Florida in August. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened states, cities and counties that choose not to assist or cooperate with immigration arrests. (Photo courtesy of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Miami Field Office)

This story was originally published by Stateline.

More cities and states have responded to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondis threat to prosecute them over so-called sanctuary policies limiting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement  some by thumbing their noses, at least one by acquiescing.

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Written responses defending sanctuary policies have been sent to Bondi from cities including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Boston; Hoboken, New Jersey; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, along with the states of California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. Many noted that courts so far have upheld their right to limit cooperation with deportations.

Pam Bondi seeks to have Washington state bend the knee to a Trump administration that, day by day, drags us closer to authoritarianism. Thats not going to happen, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said in an Aug. 19 news conference.

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Louisville, Kentucky, is one city that agreed to more cooperation after a confrontation over the issue  before Bondi threatened prosecution in August, but after the attorney general said she had issued a strong written warning to the city.

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The city had stopped complying in 2017 with so-called detainer requests to hold jailed residents for immigration authorities, but leaders resumed cooperation to avoid being targeted for more raids.

Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, said in a July 22 statement. Ive talked with leaders within our immigrant community before I made this decision. I heard their fears loud and clear about current federal policies and ICE actions. I also heard that they want Louisville off the federal sanctuary city list.

Bondi issued a revised list of sanctuary cities, counties and states in August.

Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids.

 Craig Greenberg, mayor of Louisville

Rochester, New York, meanwhile, in August amended its municipal code to strengthen its policies against cooperation by adding disciplinary measures for personnel who violate the policy. State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had earlier supported the citys existing policies in court, saying in a statement that they keep communities safe and allow local law enforcement to use resources to address local public safety priorities.

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In Boston, Democratic Mayor Michelle Wus response letter accused the Trump administration of false and continuous attacks as part of a campaign to divide, isolate, and intimidate our cities, and make Americans fearful of one another.

U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick issued a new order Aug. 22 extending a preliminary injunction to more cities, counties and states that had asked for protection against President Donald Trumps executive orders and agency directives. Trump sought to withhold unrelated federal funding based on similar sanctuary policies.

Orricks ruling found the orders and directives are likely to be unconstitutional violations of local rights to set limits on immigration enforcement cooperation.

The injunction covers 50 areas in 14 states: California, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

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Trump administration lawyers asked Aug. 26 to dismiss the case, arguing that the administrations actions so far merely instruct agencies to assess federal grant programs to determine where they can lawfully add immigration related conditions.

A hearing is scheduled Oct. 22.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Labor Day got its start as a federal holiday more than 100 years ago, and on Monday, workers around the country continue to celebrate.

The City of Erie had a celebration of its own on Monday, with hundreds showing up for a parade on State Street. Among those on hand, US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer.

From snow removal to fortune telling, a look at surprising laws in Pennsylvania

Several local politicians and unions also came to walk in the parade alongside school marching bands, finishing up the march at Perry Square.

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One union president in the parade said the holiday is not just a day off work but rather a way to recognize the fight for workers rights throughout history.

Waldameer winds down after successful summer, announces Paratrooper comeback

The buildings are built, the infrastructure was done, the work was done, this is all built on labor, union labor. I think we should take the moment to celebrate what this country has formed, and what were continuing to grow, and in the world today, its still needed, said Jonathan Light, president of Teamsters Local 8.

Light said unionism is all about solidarity, with dozens of his union members joining the march Monday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.
NEED TO KNOW

A city in Japan is attempting to limit residents smartphone use

The government of Toyoake is debating a non-binding ordinance that would encourage citizens to limit using their smartphones to two hours per day

The proposal comes amid growing concerns over the impacts of smartphones and screen tablets on mental health

A city in Japan is attempting to limit smartphone usage.

The government of Toyoake, a city in the center of the country, is debating a non-binding ordinance that would urge residents to cap their smartphone use at two hours per day, per the BBC.

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The ordinance would not be enforced by law, but it is intended to encourage residents to use their phones and tablets less.

"The two-hour limit ... is merely a guideline ... to encourage citizens. This does not mean the city will limit its residents' rights or impose duties," the citys mayor, Masafumi Koki, said in a statement, per the BBC.

He added, "I hope this serves as an opportunity for each family to think about and discuss the time spent on smartphones as well as the time of day the devices are used."



Getty A woman holding a smartphone (stock image) A woman holding a smartphone (stock image)

While the mayor recognized that smartphones are "useful and indispensable in daily life," he also stated that the devices have been shown to cause issues with students in school, as well as affect healthy sleep patterns in children and adults, per the BBC.

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If the vote passes, the ordinance would take effect in October, per the outlet.

The current draft of the ordinance encourages children between the ages of 6 and 12 to avoid using phones and tablets after 9 p.m. Teens and adults are urged to stop using their devices by 10 p.m., per The Guardian.

ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty A woman looking at a smartphone (stock image) A woman looking at a smartphone (stock image)

The proposal has already received some pushback among residents.

The local government received 83 calls and 44 emails regarding the ordinance between Aug. 21 and Aug. 25, and approximately 80% of those calls and emails expressed negative sentiments, per Japanese newspaper The Mainichi.

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PEOPLE reached out to the Toyoake municipal government for comment on Friday, Aug. 29, but did not receive an immediate response.

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The proposed ordinance comes amid growing concern about the potential harmful effects of smartphone use  especially among children. A study published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities in July found that smartphone use among children under 13 can damage mental health.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

In 2023, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a landmark advisory regarding the impact of social media, stating that it can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

Read the original article on People
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV)  Sky watchers in northeast Wisconsin could be in for a treat late tonight. Mostly clear skies are expected to give residents a good view of the Northern Lights.

The Space Weather Prediction Center says solar activity may reach G3 levels, which is strong, with brief periods of G4 levels, which is severe, possible. That means the aurora could be visible farther south than usual.

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The best viewing time will be after midnight, but forecasters suggest bringing a hoodie, overnight lows will dip into the upper 40s to low 50s.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Early goose season now open

The last time the northern lights put on a strong display in Brown County was back in May 2024. Skies across Wisconsin lit up with vibrant streaks of green and purple, drawing crowds outside to catch a rare view.

That memorable show was fueled by one of the strongest solar storms in decades, and now, conditions could align again tonight.

For the latest updates in weather, head over wearegreenbay.com/weather.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Clemson engineering students saw the raging floodwaters and residents stranded by Helene. They designed a self-driving rescue vehicle to help. (Photo provided by Clemson University.

A group of Clemson University engineering students watched the nonstop news last September as Helene tore a path of death and destruction through the Carolinas and Tennessee.

The raging floodwaters that isolated the storms victims prompted them to question: What if a team of medics could have driven into mountain towns and far-flung homesteads with a Humvee loaded with supplies? And what if they could have sent the vehicle back on its own to transport injured and rescued passengers?

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That was the inspiration behind the latest research project conducted by students in the Upstate universitys Deep Orange program.

A team of 17 students equipped a self-driving vehicle that could be deployed by search and rescue teams.

A self-driving rescue vehicle was the 16th project of Clemson Universitys Deep Orange program. (Photo provided by Clemson University.)

This is really important, because in a rescue situation, you obviously want to get to people as quickly as possible. And if you have any injured people, you want to get them out of harms way as quickly as possible, said automotive engineering professor Rob Prucka. So thats the kind of work that were trying to do.

Prucka is the director of the Deep Orange program, which has an ongoing, autonomous vehicle research partnership with the U.S. Army.

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The project, completed this past spring, marks the 16th iteration of Deep Orange, in which industry leaders give each cohort of students a problem to solve during the course of their studies.

Thats why the vehicle was dubbed Deep Orange 16.

Deep Orange pushes us to think like real-world engineers, said team leader Rohit Godse, who graduated in August with a masters degree in automotive engineering. We are not just learning theory, but solving complex, high-stakes problems that prepare us to lead in the industry from day one.

Were trying to produce engineers that will be valuable to the auto industry the day they leave Clemson, Prucka added.

The program also seeks to test technological advancements that automakers or the military may one day use  in this case, a rescue vehicle controlled by software that could be used in combat or stateside during a natural disaster.

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One thing Prucka said the team heard over and over from first responders they interviewed is many never know the situation theyre walking into until they get there. They have maybe half the information they need. And it may or may not be correct. So, they need a vehicle thats ready for anything.

And maybe the car itself could be an extra helping hand, Prucka said.

One of the new capabilities the team added to the off-road vehicle included camera systems for looking ahead and sensors for scanning the ground. The vehicle could then use its computing systems to analyze those images and readings on the fly and automatically adjust its suspension accordingly to create a smoother ride.

Those same camera and sensor systems also map the route in, so the vehicle can travel back out without someone controlling it from the drivers seat.

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And in off-road situations, visibility becomes an added challenge.

If you crest a hill, you cant usually see over the hill, Prucka said. If youre in a really rocky train, you cant always tell what exactly a tire is going to run over.

A 360-degree view from the cameras reduces the number of blind spots operators might have.

A look inside Deep Orange 16, a self-driving rescue vehicle designed by Clemson engineering students to rescue victims of a natural disaster or military personnel in combat. (Photo provided by Clemson University)

Finally, while less high tech, students designed a stretcher-loading mechanism for the back of the vehicle to lift injured passengers.

On the surface it looks simple in a way, Prucka said. But its intentional because the soldiers all said this thing needs to work every time. It cant be complicated. But it does help some challenges that they have actually loading patients into the vehicle, especially, when theyre under distress.

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Our students are not only driving innovation  theyre helping to save lives by improving how we respond to emergencies in the most challenging environments, Prucka added.

Deep Orange 16 will remain at Clemson as a prototype.

Future classes will continue to test and improve the technology that could eventually be used in rescue operations.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
DEWITT, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  On Labor Day, store parking lots and aisles were crowded.

Students across Central New York made the most of the last hours of summer and rushed to prepare for a brand-new school year.

Backpacks, sweatshirts, jeans, and even some pumpkins lined the shelves of stores. The message was clear when browsing: summer is over, and the school bell is about to ring!

Last-minute shoppers filled stores across the region, stuffing shopping bags full of clothes and supplies. Among the crowd was AJ Davis, shopping with his two sons, Sonny and Harrison, at Dicks Sporting Goods.

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We need shoes for Harrison, we need socks for this guy, and maybe some fishing stuff, because, why not, Davis said.

But like many parents this season, Davis admitted that this years back-to-school shopping is slightly different from last years.

Things are more expensive, and obviously, it looks like maybe some are less on the shelves.

Yet even with higher prices, the excitement for younger students hasnt gone away. Sonny Davis, entering the second grade, was already waving to friends outside of the store, just before picking out his new kicks for the school year.

Just after the Davis family entered the store to shop, rising Manlius Pebble Hill seniors pulled into the stores parking lot, where they reminisced to NewsChannel 9 about their first days.

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Owen Hay admitted he sometimes misses the simpler days of elementary school.

I do miss elementary school sometimesI miss just going to school and seeing my friendsthat being the most important part of my day was going to see my friends. Now its like Ive got tons of work and stuff, Hay said.

Seeing Harrison and Sonny preparing for the first and second grades also had seniors reflecting on how quickly time flies by.

Rising Manlius Pebble Hill senior, Owen Reckess, said that if he could go back, hed remind himself to enjoy the moment and have fun.

Just to enjoy itmake sure the time doesnt fly by, because I remember at least freshman year, I was like its going to be a long time until Im going to be a senior applying to college, and now here we arejust knowing you got to take the time and be with friends and have fun, Reckess said.

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A gentle reminder to students entering school this year: the first-day feeling never really changes; its just a little different the older you get.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Over a dozen migrants were detained after the Coast Guard intercepted a boat several miles off the coast of San Diego early Thursday.

The Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour (WPC-1129) crew intercepted a 25-foot cuddy cabin boat with 13 people on board about 23 miles off the coast of Point Loma in San Diego around 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard announced Saturday.

Coast Guard detains 13 migrants on boat off San Diego coast (PHOTO: U.S. Coast Guard) Coast Guard detains 13 migrants on boat off San Diego coast (PHOTO: U.S. Coast Guard)

A boarding team found 10 adults and three minors who were accompanied by their mother on board the boat. According to the Coast Guard, one person claimed Guatemalan nationality, and the other 12 claimed Mexican nationality.

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All 13 people on board were detained by the Coast Guard and the boat was seized.

In a social media post, the Coast Guard said, Securing 31,000 miles of maritime borders takes constant vigilance and teamwork.

Superb work by the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour for their successful interdiction off Point Loma. This is Coast Guard layered border security operations at their finest: Highly trained personnel and cutting-edge technology focused on controlling, securing, and defending U.S. borders and maritime approaches.

As we empower our fighting force through Force Design 2028, the Coast Guard continues to surge our assets and capabilities to protect Americas maritime borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
An estimated 250 people gathered in Savannah's Emmet Park on Monday and marched to Savannah City Hall on Bay Street as part of the Labor Day "Workers Over Billionaires" rally, hosted by Coastal Georgia for Democracy. They chanted, Workers united, we will never be divided and "Stand up! Fight back! Workers rights are under attack."

The advocacy group, also known as Savannah Indivisible, has held several protests this year, calling for transparency and accountability in Congress and the Trump administration. The Labor Day protest was a sign of solidarity to politians to put "people over profit," and was held in conjunction with Migrant Equity Southeast and 50501.

The American worker is the backbone of this country, said Suzane Moccia, director of communications for Coastal Georgia for Democracy. We have a lot of billionaires in Washington who are able to afford the basics that so many cannot: food, clothing and shelter.

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Among those in attendance and speaking at the rally were Jay Morris, a candidate for State House District 165, a seat now held by former Savannah mayor Edna Jackson, and Randy Zurcher , who serves as the union representative for the Savannah Federation of Teachers and is a Democratic candidate for Georgias First Congressional District, a seat now held by Earl "Buddy" Carter.

Zurcher told the Savannah Morning News he hopes the demonstration will bring attention to the need for living wages for all Americans, especially for teachers and first responders.

"We need to honor the working people who came before us, the ones who bled and sweated and sacrificed to build a labor movement in this country," said Zurcher. "They stood up to police batons and firing squads to fight for a living wage, workplace safety and the basic human dignity that we all deserve as humans."

Labor Day is about recognizing the contributions of workers

A participant holds up their fist during the Labor Day Workers over Billionaires Rally and March on Monday, September 1, 2025 in Savannah.

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the first Monday in September commemorates the economic and social achievements of American workers. Beginning in the early-1880s, labor activists marched for better wages, hours and working conditions, and advocated for a holiday to recognize their contributions.

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After several states such as Colorado and New York passed laws to honor Labor Day, Congress passed an act to make it a federal holiday in 1894, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland.

But more than 100 years later, many American workers struggle to make ends meet, where the rising cost of living has outpaced wages. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, in 2023, 80.5 million workers over the age of 16 were paid at hourly rates, representing 55% of wage and salary laborers.

Forbes.com reports that 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Realtor.com states, As of July, just 28% of homes on the market were priced within reach of the typical household.

Everyones job is not necessarily secure, especially when the bottom line is profit, said rally attendee Angel Ratcliffe. For example, at International Paper, people used to say if you get a good job there, you are setgood pay, benefits and pension. They have packed up and left, and now the workers are left to pick up the pieces.

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Morris ia 21 years old. He said he hopes rallies like the one held Saturday will help young people, who say their voices are not heard, get involved in politics.When George Floyd died, I said something has to change, said Morris. I had debates on social media where I felt confident debating people and others saw that in me. I got my inspiration from Kamala Harris, Raphael Warnock, John Ossoff and others that came before them. We have to get wages up. Making $7.25 an hour is a ridiculous. My plan is to actually fight. Its not your normal yell and scream. My goal is to help get bills passed and if they are not, I will use the media to my advantage.

A participant holds a Billionaires vs Middle Class sign as Orlando Scott speaks during the Labor Day Workers over Billionaires Rally and March on Monday, September 1, 2025 in Savannah.

Zurcher was a city council member in Fayetteville, Ark., before moving to Savannah in 2003. He said he never thought he would get back into politicsuntil now.Ive been picketing Buddy Carter's office every Wednesday to get him to do an in-person town hall meeting, said Zurcher. I think citizens should be able to hold him accountable.

If elected to Congress, Zurcher said he would seek multiple options to help make homeownership a reality for all. I would look into federal grants for first-time homebuyers, build more affordable houses and make developers keep their word when they say they will build affordable houses.

Other speakers included Jenny Miron , labor rights organizer for Migrant Equity Southeast (MESE); Blake Robinson , Southern Regional VP, Young Democrats of America; Orlando Scott , communications chair, Georgias Democratic Party of Chatham County; and Anne Allen Westbrook , Georgia State Representative House District 163.

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Together, they touched on issues such as protecting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other programs that workers pay into throughout their working lives; organizing and strengthening unions; investing in people, not wars; and protecting the rights of immigrants, Black, Indigenous and trans people.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: On Labor Day, Savannahians show up to rally for workers' rights
Global hotel management company Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) has confirmed the appointment of Darika Chaloeithoi as vice president of people and culture.

In this role, she will concentrate on advancing the company's organisational culture and implement initiatives centred around people across regional, corporate and property levels.

Chaloeithoi has more than two decades of leadership experience in human resources, especially within the hospitality sector, said AHS.

She will head the creation and execution of AHSs strategy for human resources, including aspects such as hiring, training, retention and staff engagement.

Her responsibilities also include guiding the progression of the company's culture.

Chaloeithoi previously held senior positions at Asset World, The Erawan Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Thai Smile Airways.

As human resources business partner head at Asset World, she managed HR operations for 23 hotels and 12 restaurants under internationally renowned brands.

Absolute Hotel Services CEO Jonathan Wigley said: Darika joins us at a pivotal time as we continue to grow and evolve as an organisation. Her proven track record in building strong cultures and developing high-performing teams will be a tremendous asset to Absolute Hotel Services.

"Im confident her leadership will inspire innovation and elevate our people strategy across all levels of the company.

Earlier this year, AHS chose Oracle's OPERA Cloud and Simphony Cloud point-of-sale systems for its worldwide AHS-branded locations.

In April 2024, AHS partnered with UAE-based Dex Squared Hotel Management to establish a joint venture aimed at managing hotels across the Middle East and Africa.

"AHS appoints Darika Chaloeithoi as VP people and culture" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand.




Amid the raging debate over the proper role of generative AI in schools, a vice provost at New York University suggested colleges revive some educational practices that date back to medieval times, namely focusing on oral instruction and examination in the classroom. That comes as students have increasingly relied on chatbots to complete assignments.

Educators have been struggling over how students should or should not use artificial intelligence, but one New York University official suggests going old-schoolreally, really old-school.

In a New York Times op-ed on Tuesday, NYUs vice provost for AI and technology in education, Clay Shirky, said he previously had counseled more engaged uses of AI, where students use the technology to explore ideas and seek feedback, rather than lazy AI use.

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But that didnt work, as students continued using AI to write papers and skip the reading. Meanwhile, tools meant to detect AI cheating produce too many false positives to be reliable, he added.

Now that most mental effort tied to writing is optional, we need new ways to require the work necessary for learning, Shirky explained. That means moving away from take-home assignments and essays and toward in-class blue book essays, oral examinations, required office hours, and other assessments that call on students to demonstrate knowledge in real time.

Such a shift would mark a return to much older practices that date back to Europes medieval era, when books were scarce and a university education focused on oral instruction instead of written assignments.

In medieval times, students often listened to teachers read from books, and some schools even discouraged students from writing down what they heard, Shirky said. The emphasis on writing came hundreds of years later in Europe and reached U.S. schools in the late 19th century.

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Which assignments are written and which are oral has shifted over the years, he added. It is shifting again, this time away from original student writing done outside class and toward something more interactive between student and professor or at least student and teaching assistant.

That may entail device-free classrooms as some students have used AI chatbots to answer questions when called on during class.

He acknowledged logistical challenges given that some classes have hundreds of students. In addition, an emphasis on in-class performance favors some students more than others.

Timed assessment may benefit students who are good at thinking quickly, not students who are good at thinking deeply, Shirky said. What we might call the medieval options are reactions to the sudden appearance of AI, an attempt to insist on students doing work, not just pantomiming it.

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To be sure, professors are also using AI, not just students. While some use it to help develop a course syllabus, others are using it to help grade essays. In some cases, that means AI is grading an AI-generated assignment.

AI use by educators has also generated backlash among students. A senior at Northeastern University even filed a formal complaint and demanded a tuition refund after discovering her professor was secretly using AI tools to generate lecture notes.

Meanwhile, students are also getting mixed messages, hearing that the use of AI in school counts as cheating but also that not being able to use AI will hurt their job prospects. At the same time, some schools have no guidelines on AI.

Whatever happens next, students know AI is here to stay, even if that scares them, Rachel Janfaza, founder of Gen Zfocused consulting firm Up and Up Strategies, wrote in the Washington Post on Thursday.

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Theyre not asking for a one-size-fits-all approach, and theyre not all conspiring to figure out the bare minimum of work they can get away with. What they need is for adults to act like adultsand not leave it to the first wave of AI-native students to work out a technological revolution all by themselves.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX 11)  The Brooklyn Museum was alive with the vibrant rhythms of Soca music Sunday as the community gathered for The Ultimate Fete  a pre-carnival tradition that sets the stage for the annual West Indian American Day Carnival.

The event features live performances from Caribbean artists and DJs. For many attendees, the fete was a chance to come together and celebrate a shared culture.

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It just gets you excited, said attendee Joanne Woolward. You get to be around people that celebrate the same type of culture as you and its just fun.

To enjoy the culture, enjoy the food, enjoy the music, have fun, said Makayla Woolward, another attendee.

The party came alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of the Caribbean, as vendors offered everything from island-themed merchandise to savory dishes that brought the flavors of the islands to Brooklyn. Trinidadian culture was on full display over at Jus Fishy where attendees could find a variety of island favorites.

Shrimp, snapper, jerk chicken, fried chicken, said Joanne Matthews of Jus Fishy.

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The event celebrates unity through music, bringing together people from various Caribbean islands.

It really is a love fest cause if you love the music, its a universal language that brings everyone together, said Andrew Maloney, Chairman of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association.

Barricades line Eastern Parkway as the NYPD is deploying its largest security operation of the year for the carnival held annually on Labor Day. Security will be on high alert with street closures, checkpoints, drones, and other measures in place to keep parade-goers safe, according to city officials. At a press briefing this week, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch vowed that the parade will remain a peaceful celebration.

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People will begin gathering on Eastern Parkway on Monday morning, where the parade will step off at 10 am.

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GORHAM, N.Y. (WROC)  The Ontario County Sheriffs Office will be providing more information about the massive warehouse fire in Gorham.

The fire happened at the ECO Operations warehouse on Dewey Avenue in Gorham. Deputies will be joined by fire agencies, public health officials, the EPA, and other officials at a press conference on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

News 8 will be live-streaming the press conference on Thursday afternoon.

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During the fire, neighbors reported hearing ear-splitting explosions miles away, and some even witnessed objects flying through the air.

It looked like many explosions, just thousands and thousands of them, Gorham resident Daniel Bradley said. And then it may have gotten to a point where it was 55-gallon plastic drums of some sort of chemical. And, I saw them at least 100, 150ft in the air when they blew. And it was, it was ear-splitting sound.

Residents are not alone in their concerns, as the potential for a fire and conversations surrounding the ECO Operations LLC property holding flammable materials were raised in the months before the fire.

In a Gorham Planning Board Meeting on May 19, a public hearing was held to discuss a request by the company to operate as a de-packaging facility for expired hand sanitizers. Public meeting minutes detail that questions were raised about the method of disposal and the handling of materials, as the property had received Department of Environmental Conservation violations due to reports of a spill and improper discarding of materials.

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Owner of Eco Operations LLC, Eduard Zaydman, attended the hearing via Zoom and denied the validity of the claims, but residents would disagree.

My wife and I walked by there almost every day for exercise, and I know firsthand that, visually, you could see dozens and dozens at least of pallets, Bradley said. Theyre quite highjust south of the building. So that was a concern. Of course, I didnt know what exactly was in it, and we just heard rumors about hand sanitizer, substantial quantities.

The solution held at the property contained hand sanitizer and was reportedly comprised of 70 percent ethanol and 30 percent water. At the same hearing in May, he was asked by town planning board member Bob Farmer if a large spill were to happen, would resources from fire and police be required.

Zaydman responded to Farmer, stating, There is no danger. It is not really flammable because its 30 percent water. Its very difficult to light that up.

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However, minutes from a June 23 public hearing state that town officials, including the Gorham Fire Chief and Ontario County Emergency Management Officer, as well as the Department of Environmental Conservation, continued to have concerns surrounding the buildings operations.

Gorham Chairperson Thomas Harvey stated in that meeting, They [DEC] were concerned with the incredible quantity of material both outside and especially inside the building, he added that the storage was a clear violation of the building code in terms of having that much combustible material without fire detection or fire suppression system.

Harvey continued to state that with the information town officials had, if a fire were to occur, it would likely burn continuously. The prediction would unfortunately become true as the fire took multiple fire departments close to 19 hours of work to put it out.

Residents expressed their frustration toward Zaydman and concerns about the materials near and inside the building.

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Would you want your family in danger? Gorham resident, Chelsie Verdehem, said. Just like all of the residents on the street were, or all of the firefighters, their families were worried about themI would just hope that he wouldnt want that for his own family.

Along with their own safety, Gorham residents are also concerned about the environmental impact the fire will have, as the property is near Flint Creek.

It just, really, concerned also just, sentimental about a family of beavers that are just pass a bridge on lake to lake, about a quarter to a half mile north of the company, Bradley said. And we literally saw fire floating on the they run off from the fire hoses, which was probably alcohol based. And to see fire floating on top of the water running into Flint Creek was really beyond disappointing.

The full documents detailing May and Junes public hearings can be found below.

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Town of Gorham Planning Board Meeting Minutes 5.19.25Download

Town of Gorham Planning Board Meeting Minutes 6.23.25Download

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.
A historic and picturesque town in North Carolina has removed a Confederate statue from its downtown after long-running weekly protests against it.

The bronze figure of a soldier was carefully removed from its stone base on the waterfront of Edenton just after midnight on Sunday morning and placed into storage at the county jail. It is set to be relocated to outside the Chown County Courthouse.

The removal of the statue is notable as it comes at a time when President Donald Trump has launched a crusade against depictions of U.S. history that do not portray the country in a flattering light.

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His administration has begun changing the names of military bases back to their original titles, commemorating Confederate soldiers after they were renamed during the Biden administration. Some statues that were removed will be replaced, and Trump has singled out the Smithsonian and other museums for review.

Rod Phillips, who helped stage protests against the monument each Saturday in the town with a 60 percent Black population, told The Washington Post: Its a great sense of relief.

A statue of a Confederate soldier has been removed from the waterfront district of Edenton, North Carolina. It will be relocated to outside a nearby courthouse (Google Maps)

Edenton Mayor W. Hackney High Jr. defended the towns plan to remove and relocate the statue, saying it was a compromise allowing those for and against the statue a measure of victory.

To those who advocated for the monuments relocation or removal: your efforts brought about meaningful change. The monument is no longer in its original, most prominent location at the foot of Broad Street, Hackney wrote.

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To those who opposed its removal: your voices helped ensure the monument is preserved and relocated respectfully, not destroyed or discarded.

However, Phillips noted that the struggle is not completely over.

The plan by town leaders to reerect the statue has led to a lawsuit being filed on the grounds that it would violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment by intimidating Black people who attend legal proceedings.

No new Confederate statues have been added to U.S. courthouse properties in at least a decade, according to a study published this year by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organisation.

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However, Donald Trump has galvanised proponents of Confederate heritage by vowing to restore memorials that were removed during the racial justice movement, sparked by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.

A judge last month dismissed a lawsuit by groups seeking to prevent the relocation of a Confederate statue from its prominent Edenton waterfront spot, clearing the way for its removal. The ruling came despite efforts by supporters of the monument to keep it in place.

Michael Dean, commander of an Edenton chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans  a group formed specifically in response to removal efforts  posted his dismay on Facebook on Sunday.

He wrote: Like a thief in the night, the town removes the memorial under cover of darkness. No fanfare or honor guard.

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Phillips, who rushed over to watch the removal of the monument, said: Our mission now is to keep this thing from going back up anywhere.

Edenton officials planned the relocation of the controversial Confederate statue following a recommendation from a racial reconciliation commission several years ago.

The monument was completed in 1909 at a historic, Colonial-era courthouse, no longer in use, before its relocation to the more central waterfront in 1961. This move occurred during the Civil Rights protests, a period when resident Golden Frinks, a top lieutenant to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was a prominent organizer, with Dr. King often visiting Edenton.

As the new recommendation to remove the statue became entangled in court, a diverse group of local residents has staged demonstrations against the monument every Saturday for the past three years. This was met by counter-protesters from local and regional Confederate heritage organisations, defending the memorial.

President Donald Trump has launched a crusade against museums that portray America in a poor light, wanting to see success depicted over analysis of darker moments of U.S. history such as slavery and the Civil War (AFP/Getty)

President Trump issued an executive order in March entitled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, which pushed back against efforts to reinterpret U.S. history.

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Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, it said.

The order claimed that the Smithsonian museums had come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. It also ordered the Interior Department to reinstate statues and displays that had been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.

In early August, a U.S. Army official announced that the restoration of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is expected to cost approximately $10 million over two years.

The official stated that the monument would feature panels sharing the history behind the memorial, which will be refurbished and have its base replaced.
(Reuters) -The Congo River Alliance, a coalition of Congolese insurgent groups that includes the M23 rebels, on Monday accused the government of violating agreements aimed at ending conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Fighting in eastern Congo has intensified this year, with the M23 group launching an offensive that allowed it to capture the two largest cities in the region.

"We are obliged to inform the Congolese people and the international community of the successive violations of the ceasefire, which are hindering the principle agreement," Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC) said at a press conference.

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Under a mediation effort hosted by Qatar, Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a deal no later than August 8 with the goal of reaching it by August 18.

However, the two sides missed the deadline.

Nangaa accused government forces and allied militias of carrying out attacks in South Kivu in eastern Congo.

The Congolese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nangaa urged Qatari mediators, the African Union and the United Nations to press Kinshasa to honour its commitments, and warned of an "appropriate response" to any new attacks.

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In a speech to his coalition on Saturday, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said there would only be "dialogue with Congolese who want to rebuild their country and emerge from the crisis".

(Reporting by Congo newsroom. Writing by Ayen Deng BiorEditing by Ros Russell)
Coping with a sudden loss in federal funding, PBS affiliate KSPS in Spokane, Washington, faced a surprise extra hurdle. Many of its contributing members  at one point almost half  lived in Canada, and they were withdrawing support out of anger at President Trump's desire to make the country the 51st state in the U.S.

When Congress decided this summer to eliminate $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, it left some 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations, each with unique issues related to their communities and history, to figure out what that means.

Many launched emergency fund drives and are heartened by the response. The national NPR and PBS networks are reducing expected dues payments, and a philanthropic effort focused on the hardest-hit stations is taking shape. No stations have shut down, but job and programming cuts are already beginning.

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In Spokane, KSPS has always tried to keep its requests for member donations separate from appeals for public funding. Not anymore. Congress left the station with a $1.2 million hole to fill, about 18% of its budget, and the station is using that as a pretext to seek help from listeners.

"We have definitely seen some attrition from our Canadian members," said Skyler Reep, the station's interim general manager.

Pleas for donations exceed expectations in many parts of country

Long suspicious of a liberal bent to public media news coverage, Republicans in Congress responded to Mr. Trump's wishes in July and eliminated funding for the systems. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes the funding, has taken steps to shut down.

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In some parts of the country, the answer to pleas for help have exceeded expectations. Public radio station WHQR in Wilmington, N.C. raised more than $200,000 in three days, filling a $174,000 hole and then some. It's a small community growing fast with an influx of retirees, many who depend on the station's news to learn about their new home, said general manager Kevin Crane.

With $525,000 gone from its budget, Hawaii Public Radio has already raised $650,000 in an emergency fund drive. "It's a validation that what you're doing is essential to the community and is appreciated by the community," said Meredith Artley, president and CEO. The 2023 wildfires in Maui and their aftermath were covered steadily by Hawaii Public Radio news reporters.

"The initial response in terms of support for both stations and the NPR network has been extraordinary," said Katherine Maher, NPR president. "People did a lot of work leading up to the vote, in actions and calls. When that did not prove convincing, they turned to direct support."

Stations across the country have stories that make them smile: the youngster from Florida who collected money for public stations in Alaska, sending a note written in crayon; the regular $300 donor who came in to PBS SoCal with a $100,000 check, one of three six-figure donations the station has received.

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Most stations aren't in areas with so many wealthy donors. Most station managers are like Jeff Hanks of PBS' LPTV in Lakeland, Minnesota. He lies awake wondering where he will find $1 million to pay for things like his station's nightly newscast, a primary news source for central and northern Minnesota.

"These are extremely, extremely challenging times," Hanks said. "We're fighting hard every way we can."

He knows membership donations won't make up for what is missing. Both PBS and NPR have taken steps to reduce the annual dues that stations pay for programming and other services. At PBS, it's an average 15% reduction, but needy stations get more  in one case, more than half of next year's dues will be forgiven, said PBS president Paula Kerger.

Adopting stations in poorer, more rural areas

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NPR is encouraging donors in wealthier areas to adopt stations in poorer ones, perhaps in an area where a contributor has emotional ties.

National Public Radio President and CEO Katherine Maher told CBS News in July that "defunding this is a real risk to the public safety of the country."

"Public media, public radio, public television, are a critical part of the emergency response plans of nearly half of the states in this nation," Maher said in an interview with CBS News. "If these types of emergency alerting go away, you will have fewer outlets to be able to respond in real time" to future natural disasters.

Public media leaders are also working with a group of philanthropists led by the Knight and MacArthur foundations that is hoping to raise some $50 million to support stations in areas hardest hit be the cuts. Ed Ulman, president and CEO of Alaska Public Media, which represents nearly two dozen radio and television stations in the largest state, said he'll be seeking money from this fund.

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Ulman said he's been buoyed by the response from Alaskans in their effort to raise $15 million through various sources by October. The services their stations provide is free, and citizens see its value.

"I've never been worried about the future of public television or radio because our community needs us," he said, "and what we've seen in Alaska is an outcry about that."

Still, Alaska Public Media has suspended the weekly public affairs television show "Alaska Insight," which isn't returning after a summer hiatus. The future of "Indie Alaska," a weekly video series highlighting the lives of Alaskans, is also in danger.

Some stations are already making the difficult decisions of cutting staff, In Spokane, for example, 12 of KSPS's 35 staff members have either been laid off, had their hours reduced or pay cut. Reep is also considering that future seasons of local shows like "Northwest Profiles" or the arts showcase "Inland Sessions" will have fewer episodes.

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Similar programming decisions are also being weighed on a national level. While several upcoming shows, like Ken Burns' six-part miniseries "The American Revolution" scheduled for November, are completed, PBS will have to consider making shorter seasons of its series, Kerger said.

Looking for ways to share services

Between an increase in donations and "rainy day" resources set aside, the initial impact of the government action may be minimized. But that brings its own worries: It's unlikely public media will be able to count on sympathy donors to the same extent in the future. And there's a risk that some politicians will feel the response proves that public support isn't necessary.

The bigger reckoning may come a year from now, Kerger said. "I am a realist," she said. "I have to believe that there are some vulnerable stations that are not going to make it."

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The crisis is forcing some public stations to work together, searching for ways to share services in areas not before contemplated, in things like finances, management and programming, said Andy Russell, president and CEO of PBS SoCal. Public stations in Washington are meeting to see if they can get state financing.

"We're working very hard so that the public doesn't feel that there's a change," Kerger said.

In Los Angeles, PBS SoCal has shared some of its templates for fundraising appeals with other stations. Several celebrities  people like Kerry Washington, Jack Black, Ziggy Marley, John Lithgow and John Leguizamo  have volunteered to film pitches, and the station is making them available nationwide, too, said Maura Daly Phinney, senior vice president for membership engagement and strategy.

"We're going to make it," Phinney said. "The system is going to be different. But we're going to make it."

Trump blasts U.N. during General Assembly address

At least 2 killed, 1 in critical condition after ICE facility shooting in Dallas

Trump administration rehiring hundreds of employees laid off by DOGE
Saturdays cooler weather brought guests out to the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market (ORFM), as evidenced by the packed parking lot and side streets surrounding the markets venue on Triplett Street.

First-year market vendors Mary and Jacob Eagleson, who own Bourbon Bath Company, agreed that the cooler weather was proving to be better for business.

When it gets hot, business kind of slows down, so were thankful to have a pretty day, said Mary Eagleson.

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Mary Eagleson describes the products offered by the Bourbon Bath Company, including cold-pressed soaps, shampoo bars and bath bombs, as green and eco-friendly.

You know, most people think that soap is just soap, but its really not, Mary Eagleson said. The ingredients that we use, including olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil and caster oil, are good for the skin. The quality makes a huge difference.

Bourbon Bath Company offers seasonal soap scents, such as apple orchard and spooky nights, a deep purple and navy colored bar with a sophisticated potion of sparkling Champagne, sweet juicy nectarine and a mysterious base of rich black currant, along with scents for all seasons.

Mary Eagleson said that the couple tries to set up at the Farmers Market every weekend.

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We try to come every Saturday. Sometimes we take breaks, but most of the time, youll find us here, she said.

The couple agreed that the market has been a great way to get their business out to the public.

We dont have a brick-and-mortar store, so this is basically our big source of income, along with pop-up events in the tri-state area, Mary Eagleson said.

Another vendor that echoed the Eaglesons remarks about the market helping business was Danielle and Daniel Hayden of Hayden Farms and D2 (or D-Squared) Meats. The Haydens started the company, which specializes in offering locally raised beef that has been dry-aged for 15 days, in 2020, but didnt start seeing a boom in sales until they started setting up at the Farmers Market last year.

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We launched D2 meats in 2020, and it was like pushing a rock uphill, Danielle Hayden said. But then we started setting up here at the Farmers Market and everything finally clicked. Its just made things a lot more automated, I guess. We have returning customers and have built our customer base by being at the Farmers Market. And, especially in the off-season when the market closes, weve seen customers order more online, too. So (setting up here) has been wonderful for us.

In addition to offering locally-raised beef, D2 Meats began offering fresh milk bread products, such as tortillas and sandwich bread, along with some sweet treats.

Every once in a while, well have some sweet treats like pumpkin bread. We had some this morning, and it was gone by about 8:15, Danielle Hayden said.

The Haydens also stressed that setting up at the Farmers Market has been fun for their kids, who have made friends with some of the other vendors kids.

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Its the first time in a while that our kids havent been here with us, Danielle Hayden said. I think theyve formed some great childhood memories here. Youll see them all playing with the magnetic tiles and just making memories, so thats been fun for them, too.

And Danielle has really gotten involved with the market board, so weve gotten to see the market evolve and grow, even after just being here a couple of years, Daniel Hayden added. Our Farmers Market is second to none in my opinion.

And that success, along with the regular customers, keeps established vendors coming back each weekend with their crops, baked goods, crafts, products and more.

Shirley Cranz with Taste of Home Baked Goods, known for her fried apple pies, has been a constant fixture at the market for about 16 years. Cranz sells a variety of baked goods, including sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, pumpkin bread, chocolate cake and apple cake, just to name a few, that she makes herself.

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It kind of gets in your blood, Cranz said about the Farmers Market. Im just trying to please people, and if they arent satisfied, they can bring it back and we can try something different.

Dakota Edge with Dakota Edge Farms has also been a regular on scene since the market was set up in the parking lot of Owensboro Christian Church, around 12 years. Edges table featured sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and onions.

We should have these produce items for a little bit longer, and then Ill move into pumpkins and fall stuff, he said.

Edge said that the Farmers Market is the main place he sells the produce that he grows locally on his farm in Whitesville.

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Both the Bourbon Bath Company and D2 Meats have websites, bourbonbathcompany.com and d2meats.com, where people can shop for products online.

We also do deliveries for locals, porch deliveries for orders over $50, or customers can schedule a time to pick up products on our farm in Whitesville, Danielle Hayden said.

The ORFM runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday mornings from mid-April until around the first week of November at the market location, 1205 Triplett St. Also, through the end of September, the market is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday mornings.

More information about the ORFM can be found on its Facebook page.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)  It is officially September, and it is also Labor Day. We have beautiful weather for today with cool morning temperatures in the upper 50s inland and low 60s at the coast. High temperatures will make it into the low 80s, and the humidity will stay in check as the dew points will be in the 50s.

Normal Labor Day highs are near 85 in Myrtle Beach, and with todays high near 80, this could be the coolest Labor Day in more than 20 years. The coolest in recent years was in 2016 at 83 degrees. In Florence, normally, Labor Day is near 88 degrees, and todays forecast high near 82 would be the coolest since 2009.

Rain chances are low throughout the work week, with the better chance for a few scattered showers not until Thursday. Temperatures will gradually warm heading into next week into the low and mid-80s through Wednesday and then upper 80s for the end of the workweek.

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Next weekend will see a resurgence of very warm temperatures with low 90s expected across the Pee Dee and upper 80s at the coast.

Tracking the Tropics: The National Hurricane Center continues to keep a watchful eye on a tropical wave off the coast of Africa. The center of low pressure is 4,000 miles away from the East Coast, so this will not be a threat this week, and honestly, beyond that, the track will be extremely hard to estimate. Long-range ensembles for the GFS and European look to have a curve out to sea riding the outside of the Bermuda High. The chance of development this week is medium, at 40%.

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Cracker Barrel may not be introducing a new logo following MAGA backlash, but the southern food chain is launching several new menu items as it undergoes a rebrand.

The restaurant chain has walked back on its plans to swap out its logo  to remove the one with Uncle Herschel in overalls leaning against a barrel and replace it with something more plain  after a barrage of backlash from conservatives, who accused the company of going woke.

Now, the company has turned to revamping its menu. The New For Fall menu features 13 dishes, some that are returning by popular demand and others that are brand new.

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Uncle Herschels Favorite is among the items coming back. It offers two eggs, a breakfast meat, two sides and biscuits and gravy.

The restaurant chain, for the first time, is offering the Butter Pecan French Toast Bake, a thick-cut country bread soaked in vanilla custard with cheesecake filling, baked til golden and topped with praline pecan streusel.

Cracker Barrel plans to introduce new menu items after scrapping plans to revamp its logo as part of the southern chains rebranding effort following a conservative backlash. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

New items also include the Sausage and Egg Hashbrown Casserole, which features a double portion of our signature hashbrown casserole layered with Colby cheese, sawmill gravy, scrambled eggs and a blend of crumbled smoked sausage, onions, red peppers and green chiles. Its served with fried onions, diced tomatoes and green onions on top.

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino announced last year that the company planned to rebrand to become more relevant after a post-pandemic slump.

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Part of that plan included revamping the logo. The restaurant chain announced that it would be exchanging the Uncle Herschel logo for a text-only logo, which is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all, the company said in an August 18 press release.

The decision ignited MAGA world.

Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson called the new logo absolutely horrible. Florida Congressman Byron Donalds posted on X thatno one asked for this woke rebrand. Donald Trump Jr., the president eldest son, then added his two cents, wondering on X: WTF is wrong with @CrackerBarrel??!

For more than a week, pressure on the company to change course mounted. On August 21, three days after the companys press release, Cracker Barrels stock plummeted, losing $94 million in value during one day.

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Even President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy. The president suggested Cracker Barrel go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before, he wrote on Truth Social.

That same day, the official White House X account chimed in, writing: Go woke, go broke.

Hours after Trumps Truth Social post, the company announced it wouldnt go through with the logo change.

We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel," Cracker Barrel said in a statement on X on Tuesday evening. "We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our Old Timer will remain. At Cracker Barrel, its always been  and always will be  about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family."

Following Cracker Barrels reversal, Trump congratulated the restaurant chain on its decision, writing on Truth Social: All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future. Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!
Following Cracker Barrels controversial logo change and subsequent reversion, the business has made a different, quieter change that is now coming to light.

CNN reports that the Tennessee-based restaurant chain deleted its Pride page and erased references to employee resource groups including its LGBTQ+ and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Belonging groups from another part of its website.

On behalf of Cracker Barrels LGBTQ+ Alliance & DEIB Team, we want to celebrate YOU for being YOU. It is our greatest Mission to ensure that Pleasing People means all people, the companys now-deleted pride page reads, according to CNN.

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The website now redirects to Cracker Barrels Culture & Belonging page, which no longer provides a list of employee resource groups and instead speaks more broadly about making everyone feel at home.

In connection with the Companys brand work, we have recently made updates to the Cracker Barrel website, including adding new content and removing out-of-date content, a Cracker Barrel spokesperson told CNN. Several months ago, the Company also made changes to our Business Resource Groups that now focus all sponsorships or events on our corporate giving initiatives: addressing food insecurity, supporting community needs through food, and reducing food waste.

Cracker Barrel did not respond to MassLives request for comment.

This news comes about a week after the restaurant chain announced that it was dropping its new logo and returning to the Old Timer after receiving backlash from customers and politicians.

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The restaurant chain originally unveiled a new logo on Aug. 18 as part of a new campaign, All the More, featuring country music star Jordan Davis.

The new logo differed in that it no longer featured the image of a man seated next to a barrel, which had represented Cracker Barrel since 1977.

The restaurant chain received fierce reaction from many, including President Donald Trump, who then congratulated Cracker Barrel on changing its mind.

Congratulations Cracker Barrel on changing your logo back to what it was, the president wrote on Truth Social. All of your fans very much appreciate it. Good luck into the future. Make lots of money, and most importantly, make your customers happy again!

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, wrote a response via X saying, Kudos to their team for making a great decision and may many happy memories and delicious meals continue for the next generation.

Reuters reported that after the business originally changed its logo, Cracker Barrels stock took a hit, falling as much as 13% by midday on Aug. 29. As of Aug. 29 at 7:40 p.m., the companys stock fell 4%, according to Yahoo Finance.

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Shares in Alibaba (BABA) surged in Hong Kong this Monday, marking their biggest single-day jump in more than three years, after the e-commerce giant reported a 26% rise in cloud revenues for the quarter ending in June. The boost was driven by strong AI demand.

The stock rose by as much as 19%, reaching HKD137.50 (13.04/$17.64), after the company on Friday revealed a total group revenue of CNY247.7bn (25.6bn/$34.6bn) for the quarter, a 2% increase year-on-year, or 10% on a like-for-like basis. Net profit surged by 78% in the April-June period, driven by strong cloud computing sales and steady performance in retail.

Several major brokerages, including HSBC (HSBA.L), UBS (UBS), and Jefferies, responded by raising their target prices for Alibaba (BABA) stock to above $160.

"Alibaba is at the centre of the consumption-driven economy and online shopping, supported by its strong technological strength versus peers," Jefferies said in a note on Friday.

Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets higher as Putin and Modi meet Xi in China

Morgan Stanley analysts also weighed in, describing Alibaba (BABA) as holding "Chinas best AI enabler thesis". They suggested that losses from its meal delivery and instant commerce operations could peak in the current quarter, while its cloud business continues to show strong growth.

The company's cloud revenue growth was one of its standout performances, climbing 26% compared to the previous year, largely fuelled by increased demand for AI-driven services.

Chief executive Eddie Wu described AI plus cloud as one of Alibabas (BABA) two core growth engines, alongside e-commerce.

Shares in BYD (1211.HK) fell 6% on Monday after the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker reported a sharp 30% drop in quarterly profit on Friday, marking its first profit decline in over three years.

The company posted a net profit of CNY6.36bn (659m/$891m) for the April-June period, missing analysts' expectations of CNY7-9bn. Despite the profit setback, BYD, which has overtaken Tesla (TSLA) for sales in Europe, also reported a rise in overseas sales, which helped push revenues up by 14%.

For the first half of the year, BYD's (1211.HK) net profit reached CNY15.5bn, up nearly 14% compared to the same period last year. The companys revenue for the first six months climbed by 23% to 371.3bn yuan, buoyed by record-breaking sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs).

However, profitability took a hit due to intensifying price competition within Chinas EV market. In its mid-year earnings report, BYD (1211.HK) said that increased price competition and frequent occurrences of excessive marketing had created significant headwinds. The company noted that these factors had exerted an adverse periodic impact on the development of the industry".
(FOX 5/KUSI)  Crews from San Diego Fire-Rescue extinguished a fire at an empty home in North Park early Monday morning.

The agency said it received a call around 5:30 a.m. from a neighbor reporting an odor.

A fire unit sent to investigate found light smoke coming from the home and called for more crews to help.

A total of about 25 personnel responded to the home. Crews had to search for the fire and accessed part of the subfloor from the outside, a battalion chief told FOX 5/KUSI.

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Three stabbed at downtown San Diego train station

The fire appeared to have started by a floor heater, but it was not clear if the appliance was on or off.

No one was in the home at the time of the fire, and crews had to break down some walls to ensure the fire was out, the battalion chief said.

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BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  The political landscape in the Big Country is shifting quickly. In July, President Donald Trump endorsed District 71 Representative Stan Lambert for re-election. But just last week, Lambert announced his retirement. Since then, more than half a dozen candidates have jumped into the race, and McMurry University Political Science Professor Dr. Paul Fabrizio is weighing in.

Trump endorses Rep. Stan Lambert for re-election

Fabrizio said Lamberts retirement didnt come as a surprise.

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In the last race against Liz Case, he won, but he only won 52 to 48% and because it was so close, it raised questions about his ability to continue to represent the district. Therefore, when you think about it, you also realize that hes past retirement age, Fabrizio explained.

According to Fabrizio, Lambert leaves behind an interesting legacy and raises questions about what kind of conservatism District 71 voters prefer.

If I can talk about that personally, he represented the kind of Republican conservative who cared deeply about the local issues. He knew about the school system. He had ties to the business community. He worked with the local government, so he understood the local players. His focus was on local issues, Fabrizio shared. Liz Case, who ran against him, was coming from the perspective that, no, there are larger issues that we have to focus on So she represented a different kind of conservative Republican. Stan Lambert, I think, won because of his ties to the local community. But is that what voters want? As he steps away, were going to see if that continues in this next race.

District 71s Stan Lambert announces retirement from Texas Legislature

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Fabrizio also pointed to a broader question for Republicans in Texas politics: Since Republicans control state politics, should they do everything in their power to achieve what they want to achieve, running over the opposition, or should they work with the opposition?

He added that, increasingly, Republican leadership has shifted toward a top-down, hardline approach, citing Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks dominance of the Senate and moves in the House to limit Democratic influence.

You notice in the special sessions that have taken place this summer, theres been more and more of a crackdown on democratic behavior, and theyre assessing them fines for when they broke quorum and headed off to Chicago, that sort of stuff. Theyre talking about raising those penalties, denying Democrats chairmanships of committees, subcommittees, that kind of stuff. So what were seeing is gradually this top-down approach, where if youre an elected representative whos a Republican, you must obey Republican leadership, Fabrizio expressed.

Heres whos in the race for District 71

Whos Running?

As of August 31, the following candidates are in the race for District 71:

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Blaise Regan

Chance Ferguson

Eddie Pugh

Diana Luna

Jay Hardaway

Joshua Ohlemacher

BriTanya Brown

Liz Case

Fabrizio said three stand out at this stage: Regan, Case, and Hardaway.

Liz Case, obviously, as the one who nearly won a couple of years ago she would have the advantage, because she would probably be the best known, Fabrizio said. Blaze Reagan, city councilman. You would think hes well-known. One of the things I always enjoy talking about with candidates is when they start going out and campaigning for a different office, how many people have heard of them? They go a lot of people dont know who I am. So Blaze Reagan has to, and I believe he is capable of, working really hard to make sure that hes known, and he can build on what hes done as a city councilman. Jay Hardaway has been a quiet person. In politics, hes well known behind the scenes. He was a city councilman, but its been years since hes held that office, and he left his term early to work for Jody Arrington, so he will have to figure out a way to get into peoples conversations. So to me, right now, just in terms of flat-out name recognition, its Liz Case number one, Blaze Reagan number two, and Jay Hardaway number three.

Two more candidates announce campaign for Texas House District 71

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For less familiar names like Brown, Ohlemacher, and Luna, Fabrizio said the road ahead will be steep.

This is still so early. They have to go and establish themselves. They have to go and make their own name recognition. So they have to use social media. They have to use whatever appearances they can get so that people start paying attention to them. That is really, really tough, Fabrizio explained. Other than Eddie Pugh, the other candidates start from basically zero name recognition, and Eddie Pugh is going to have to deal with the fact that he has a reputation out there. I would argue that you use the word activist, rabble rouser, might be another way to put it. Is that the kind of image that you want for your state representative? So its going to be tough for all of these candidates to get people to pay attention to.

Because District 71 is solidly Republican, Fabrizio said the GOP primary will likely determine the winner. The Democratic nominee, if one emerges, will face a difficult challenge in reshaping the conversation in a district where, Fabrizio said, the Democratic name is not a good name to be associated with.

Thats just not here. Its all over most of West Texas. So you need time to try to change that conversation. Its possible that it could be done. But if I were a Democrat running right now, I would lie low, try to win the Democratic nomination, let the Republicans fight among themselves, and then emerge with a totally different vision come next spring, after the primary, Fabrizio shared.

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Abilenian Joshua Ohlemacher joins race for Texas House District 71

As for campaign issues, Fabrizio said theres no defining debate yet. He suggested candidates may choose between focusing on local issues, like construction, water, or power, or broader statewide cultural debates.

He also noted the crowded political calendar could make it hard for District 71 candidates to gain traction.

Theres going to be a hot Senate race So much attention is going to be focused on that, and I dont know if that attention is going to be able to bleed down to District 71 that much. So how do the candidates generate excitement? Fabrizio questioned. How do you get them to care about things? Do you look at Liz Case, for example, and you say, Okay, you were endorsed by Donald Trump a year ago, but then you werent endorsed by Donald Trump when he endorsed Stan Lambert. So what does that say? And how do Jay Hardaway or Blaze Reagan go and get Donald Trumps endorsement? Does Donald Trump even care about District 71 right now, or is he concerned about other things? Theres a whole host of things that are at work here, and Im not sure how you make that happen.

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Click here to see the full list of candidates vying for House District 71 State Representative.

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COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  Columbus State University Police Chief Debra Kennedy has been tasked with protecting students and staff during a time where safety is a national concern.

Chief Kennedy spoke with WRBL News 3s Cameron Sanders on Friday about how shes helping keep the university safe, just three months into her new role.

The university police departments highest priority is keeping the campus safe, Kennedy said. Our faculty, our staff, and our students, thats our number one priority.

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With a total of 44 school shootings in the U.S. this year, 22 of them have been on college campuses. Chief Kennedy said that CSU is implementing new strategies to keep Columbus State safe.

In a situation that we determine later to be a hoax, immediately we will dispatch law enforcement, said Chief Kennedy. But at the same time law enforcement is dispatched, theres several things going on behind the scenes to validate that call.

While some calls are real, hoax calls can happen. However, Columbus State PD is taking every sign of a threat seriously.

In law enforcement, were always training and always preparing, Kennedy said. And one of the recent changes that we made is making sure that were including dispatch in that process, because theyre the first people that receive calls for service, typically in any law enforcement agency.

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Students at CSU also have access to apps like The Rave Guardian that alert them to safety concerns on campus. Although emergency call boxes can give them a direct line to campus police.

Chief Kennedy said that CSU has several call boxes on campus, and that theyre available for students and faculty to utilize in an emergency, if they dont have the app.

Being prepared for potential threats on campus starts in the classroom. The police sponsor safety briefings for both students and faculty members. Chief Kennedy said that the road to a safer CSU starts with a community that embraces communication.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  Jordan Derrick Lovett used to wear a gold CSUB jersey over a full-body blue skin suit, topped with a gold, curly wig, and dance wildly at Cal State Bakersfield sporting events.

His performances  which earned him the nickname CSUB superfan  ended last year after he was convicted in a child sex sting. He was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to stay away from school campuses.

Now Lovett, 35, is back in custody, accused of using social media  a violation of his parole  and receiving text messages from someone who claimed to be a teen girl, according to a parole violation report.

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A search of Lovetts iPhone when he went to a parole office on Aug. 15  a day after his release from prison  revealed the messages and his social media activity, according to the report.

Lovett was arrested and is being held without bail. A hearing on the parole violation is set for Sept. 29.

Questioned about the messages, Lovett told officers the other person was just a friend, and he didnt know her age, the report said.

Judging from the report, it doesnt appear authorities managed to identify the person, who was listed under a female name.

A parole officer texted the number and asked the persons age. 17, they responded according to the report. About to be 18.

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The officer then called but it went straight to a voicemail box that hadnt been set up.

Lovetts parole conditions included not contacting anyone underage without the approval of the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

The incident that culminated in Lovetts felony conviction occurred in January 2024.

Authorities said Lovett contacted a sex ad and communicated with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, setting up plans to meet at a park to engage in sexual activity. He was arrested and charged with three felonies, ultimately pleading no contest to one count.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.
The fate of the Houthis' powerful defense minister, Mohamed al-Atifi, who runs the Missiles Brigades Group, remains unclear as he has not made an appearance since the attack.

Thousands of mourners attended a funeral at the largest mosque in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Monday for 12 senior Houthi figures, including their prime minister, who were killed by an Israeli strike.

Last Thursday's attack, the first to kill top officials, struck a large number of people who had gathered to watch a televised speech recorded by top Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and it left most members of the group's cabinet dead.

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Mourners chanted the Houthi slogan "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam," as Mohammed Miftah, now de facto head of the Iran-aligned government in Sanaa, vowed revenge as well as an internal security crackdown against spies.

"We are facing the strongest intelligence empire in the world, the one that targeted the government, the whole Zionist entity (comprising) the US administration, the Zionist entity, the Zionist Arabs, and the spies inside Yemen," Miftah told the crowd of mourners at the Al Saleh mosque.

Miftah became the acting head of the Houthis' government on Saturday following the death in the Israeli strike of Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi. Al-Rahwi was largely a figurehead and not part of the inner circle of power.

Deputy Prime Minister of Yemen's Houthi-led government Muhammad Ahmed Miftah, who has taken over as the caretaker Prime Minister of the Houthi-led government, addresses the people during the funeral procession of Houthi government officials killed in an Israeli strike, in Sanaa, Yemen September 1. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Miftah had previously been his deputy.

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A raid on the United Nations offices in Sanaa on Sunday led to the detention of at least 11 UN personnel, the body said. The Houthis have given no reason for the raid, but they have held a number of Yemeni employees of the UN and other aid agencies in the past on suspicion of spying.

Israel said on Friday its airstrike had targeted the Houthis' chief of staff, defense minister, and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.

The fate of the Houthis' powerful defense minister, Mohamed al-Atifi, who runs the Missiles Brigades Group, remains unclear as he has not made an appearance since the attack.

The thorn in Israel's side

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who remains alive, has emerged in recent years as one of Iran's most prominent Arab allies and an enduring thorn in Israel's side after it weakened many of its enemies in the region, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.

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The Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians since theIsrael-Hamas war began.

The Red Sea attacks have drawn US and Israeli strikes. In May, President Donald Trump said the US would stop bombing the Houthis after a brief campaign, saying the group had agreed to halt interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.

But the Houthis, one of Iran's few allies still standing since the Gaza war spilled across the Middle East, vowed to continue attacking Israel and Israeli-linked shipping.

The Houthis said on Monday they had launched a missile towards the Liberia-flagged Israeli-owned tanker 'Scarlet Ray' ship near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis was attacked during an election campaign rally, a police spokeswoman said on Monday evening.

Babis was taken to hospital after an elderly man struck him on the head with a walking stick, the spokeswoman said.

According to media reports, the 70-year-old right-wing populist politician has since been discharged from hospital.

Police said the alleged attacker was arrested shortly after the incident in the eastern municipality of Dobra and has been charged with disturbing the peace. Investigators did not initially provide further details, including a motive.

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Babis's populist ANO party is leading in the polls ahead of the parliamentary election on October 3-4.

Liberal-conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala condemned the attack, saying that while he considers Babis's policies dangerous, violence has no place in society.

ANO deputy leader Karel Havlicek, on the other hand, accused the ruling parties of stirring up hatred against his party's leader during the election campaign.

"This time it ended with a blow to the head, next time it could be worse," the former transport and industry minister said.
A magnitude 6 earthquake has hit Afghanistan near its border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,400 people, according to the government. Flooding and debris have hampered rescue efforts.

Here is more about what happened and why Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes:

What happened?

At 11:47pm (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, the earthquake shook Nangarhar and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan. It was 8km (5 miles) deep, making it a shallow tremor.

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Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage because the epicentre of the quake and seismic waves are closer to the Earths surface. Seismic waves from deep earthquakes have to travel a greater distance to get to the surface, which causes them to lose energy.

Twenty minutes after the first earthquake, a magnitude 4.5 quake hit north of Basawul in Nangarhar province. Since then, multiple tremors have struck near the provincial capital, Jalalabad, and Basawul with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 5.2.





Where in Afghanistan did the initial earthquake hit?

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the initial quake was centred 27km (17 miles) northeast of Jalalabad near Kunar province, which is located just north of Nangarhar.

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Jalalabad is 150km (93 miles) east of Kabul. It is a key trading city because it is close to neighbouring Pakistan. The city is home to about 300,000 people, according to the municipality.

The majority of the citys buildings are low-rise structures made primarily from concrete and brick while the outskirts feature houses constructed with mud bricks and wood.

Jalalabad is also an agricultural producer. With the Kabul River flowing through the city, it grows citrus fruits and rice.

INTERACTIVE-AFGHANISTAN-EARTHQUAKE -September 1-2025-1756714234

How many people have died, and how many are injured?

At least 1,411 people have been confirmed killed in the worst hit province, Kunar, and more than 3,000 injured, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday.

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In a post on X, he said at least 3,124 people were injured while more than 5,400 houses were destroyed.

Afghan government officials have warned that the casualty numbers could rise further as rescue efforts continue.

What does a magnitude 6 earthquake mean?

The intensity of earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, which ranges from 1 to 10.

An earthquake of magnitude 6 is considered strong. Objects may fall, and houses may sustain damage.

A graph shows how earthquakes are measured

What do rescue efforts look like?

The quake zones mountainous terrain and lack of infrastructure are the primary challenges to rescue and aid efforts, and its roads, which were in poor shape before the quake, are now further damaged or blocked altogether.

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Theres been lots of landslides and rock falls, and access has been very limited to everybody in the first 24 hours, Indrika Ratwatte, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said at a news briefing in Kabul.

Ibrahim Ahmed, the head of programmes for the Islamic Relief charity in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that access to some of these areas has always been difficult.

Even before this situation, some areas we could reach only by foot. We are not able to use cars or any other means now with the flood, with the collapse of all the villages, with the landslide  we are not able to access them, he said.

He said his charity is relying on local volunteers in the worst-hit areas to bring food to those affected.

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Authorities have flown hundreds of helicopter flights to take the injured to hospitals in Jalalabad and Kabul.

Fourteen-year-old Akhlaq from Kunars Nurgal district was one of them. Five members of his family were killed when their house collapsed. He had to pull his father from the rubble himself.

There are victims who are still under the rubble, but there is nobody to help them and pull them out, he told the AFP news agency.

How has the international community responded?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in a post on X on Monday.

Guterres continued: The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas.

I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 1, 2025

Governments are also making pledges of aid.

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India has sent 1,000 tents to Kabul and 15 tonnes of food to Kunar and was dispatching more. The European Union said on Tuesday that it plans to send 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and pledged 1 million euros ($1.16m) for quake relief. The United Kingdom said it would send 1 million pounds ($1.35m), and Iran said it was ready to dispatch medical and humanitarian aid.

Complicating the efforts are cuts to foreign aid since the Taliban retook power in 2021. Experts said those cuts were impeding the response to the earthquake in a country already facing one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises after decades of conflict.

What else is hindering the rescue efforts?

Flash floods hit Nangarhar province on Saturday, damaging roads and farmland.

Zakeria Shnizai, an earthquake geologist affiliated with the University of Oxford, explained that due to the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan, flooding has severely hampered rescue operations by blocking roads, destroying bridges and isolating communities in the earthquake-affected area.

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These challenges have made it extremely difficult for emergency teams to reach individuals who are injured or trapped under debris. The use of heavy equipment has been restricted, and the risk of landslides or rock avalanches has increased, Shnizai said.

He added that the delivery of critical aid such as food, water and medical supplies has also become harder, resulting in delays in response times.

Injured Afghan children receive treatment at a hospital in Jalalabad [Nasim Nazari/AFP]

Research has shown that seasonal rains and weather conditions can intensify earthquake-induced vulnerabilities by triggering landslides, damaging access routes and disrupting communication lines, Abdullah Ansari, a research professor at the Earthquake Monitoring Center at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman, told Al Jazeera.

In the current situation, floodwaters have blocked key transportation corridors, complicating the delivery of aid and slowing rescue teams. This interaction of seismic and hydrological hazards highlights the need for multihazard preparedness strategies to improve resilience in Afghanistan.

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Besides the flash floods, rocky terrain and debris resulting from the earthquakes have hampered rescue efforts. The roads are not paved. Mostly, they are covered with rocks because of the earthquake, and its very difficult to go there right now, Al Jazeeras Mohsin Momand reported from Kabul.

Limited resources, poor infrastructure and a lack of comprehensive early-warning systems impede timely evacuations and risk mitigation, Ansari added.

Is Afghanistan prone to earthquakes?

Afghanistan is situated in one of Central Asias most seismically active zones, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, leading to frequent moderate to strong earthquakes.

There has been recent seismic activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Afghanistans Hindu Kush region was struck by magnitude 5.6 and 5.2 tremors on August 27 and August 19, respectively. Central Pakistan saw a magnitude 5.5 earthquake on June 29 while a magnitude 5.7 quake was recorded on May 10.

In 2023, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit Afghanistans western province of Herat, killing more than 2,000 people. In June 2022, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistans provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost and Nangarhar.

INTERACTIVE - Afghanistan timeline earthquakes map-1756719098

The ongoing convergence of these plates generates significant crustal stress, causing numerous faults and leading to frequent seismic activity across the country and its surrounding regions, Shnizai said.

Several major fault systems traverse the country, including the Chaman, Herat, Kunar, Panjshir, Sarobi and Spin Ghar faults as well as thrust faults in the Hindu Kush region.

how do earthquakes happen?

But it isnt just the fault lines that make Afghanistans earthquakes so deadly, experts said.

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Although Afghanistan is situated in a high seismic zone, its vulnerability to earthquakes is affected by other factors, Noor Ahmad Akhundzadah, a visiting scholar at Cornell Universitys College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, told Al Jazeera.

Afghanistans construction sector is highly vulnerable to earthquakes due to traditional building methods, inadequate adherence to building codes and limited awareness of seismic hazards. Historically, Afghan people have built houses in disaster-prone areas, often ignoring modern safety standards, Akhundzadah said.

He explained that much of the housing, especially in rural areas, is made of unreinforced mud, brick and masonry, making it highly prone to earthquake damage. Many buildings are constructed without modern seismic reinforcement.

Limited resources, poor infrastructure and a lack of comprehensive early-warning systems impede timely evacuations and risk mitigation, Ansari added.

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The Taliban government resumed power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US forces backing the government of former President Ashraf Ghani pulled out. Since then, the country has been marred by political instability.

Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistans economy has contracted by 27 percent, resulting in economic stagnation, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2024. Last year, Kanni Wignaraja, director of the UNDPs Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, described 69 percent of Afghans as subsistence insecure, which means they lacked basic resources.

However, the countrys gross domestic product is estimated to have grown by 2.5 percent in 2024, the second consecutive year of economic expansion, according to the World Bank.

The war has damaged infrastructure, making proper disaster management nearly impossible, and has weakened the institutions responsible for sustainable development and risk mitigation, Akhundzadah said.

What is the latest situation on the ground?

The highway from Jalalabad to Kunar leading to the epicentre of the deadly earthquake has been reopened for traffic, Afghanistans RTA broadcaster reported, citing the Ministry of Public Works.

However, many roads within Kunar remain inaccessible as first responders work to clear rubble, ministry spokesperson Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas said.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ)  A Johnstown teen was shot and killed Sunday evening, and the alleged shooter is cooperating with authorities.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Aug. 31, 911 was called for a reported shots fired incident at Solomon Homes, according to a joint statement from Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer and coroner Jeff Lees.

Aquon Tillman, 17, was struck by multiple shots and ultimately died from massive blood loss. Following an autopsy, his death was ruled a homicide.

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When Johnstown police arrived at Solomon Homes, the scene was processed and evidence was secured. Based on items recovered, video evidence and witness statements, it was discovered that two different firearms were used, including one believed to have been used by Tillman. It was noted that the firearm has not been recovered.

According to the joint statement, no arrests have been made and the shooting is under review by the District Attorneys Office for possible justified use of force in self-defense or defense of others, in accordance with Pennsylvanias Stand Your Ground Law.

Authorities noted the person who fired the fatal shots was identified and the firearm was surrendered. The person has reportedly been fully cooperative with police.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Johnstown Police Department Bureau of Criminal Investigations by calling (814) 539-2504.

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The death of a 63-year-old Plainfield man whose body was pulled from Lake Michigan near DuSable Harbor early Saturday was ruled a homicide after a Sunday autopsy, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

The cause of death for Nabil Abzal, 63, of the 3000 block of Art Schultz Drive in Plainfield, was drowning. The medical examiners office released Abzals identity on Monday.

Abzal was found near the 200 block of North Lakefront Drive at around 3 a.m. Saturday. Divers with the Chicago Fire Department responded, and Abzal was pronounced dead at 4 a.m. on the scene, according to Chicago police and the medical examiner.

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Belmont Area detectives are investigating the death.

Through last Saturday, at least 32 people had drowned in Lake Michigan this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks deaths on all five Great Lakes.

adperez@chicagotribune.com

Tribunes Kate Perez and Christy Gutowski contributed.
A drought watch has been issued for Niagara County and 19 other New York counties, according to state Department of Conservation officials and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The action was taken after consulting with the State Drought Management Task Force and federal partner agencies. New York State is encouraging residents in affected counties, particularly those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks.

Even with some recent rain, it wasnt enough to reduce the dry conditions weve seen most of the summer this year, Hochul said. In order to prevent a more severe shortage should conditions worsen, we could see local water restrictions in the Long Island, Adirondack, and Great Lakes regions of the state.

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A watch is the first of four levels of state drought advisories, which are watch, warning, emergency, and disaster. No mandatory restrictions are in place under a drought watch. The counties under drought watch are Chautauqua, Clinton, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Genesee, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Warren, Wayne, and the northern portion of Cayuga County.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, While its not mandatory, were encouraging everyone who lives in the drought watch areas to do what they can to conserve water during this dry weather. DEC will continue to monitor the conditions and work with our agency partners to address these short-term issues as well as the longer-term impacts of climate change.

While few public water-supply challenges have been reported due to dry conditions, below-normal precipitation during the last three months, low streamflows, and low groundwater levels prompted the need for action to ensure adequate notice to public water supplies. Local public water suppliers are urged to assess the current situation, promote voluntary conservation, and take appropriate actions to manage risk.

The drought watch is triggered by the State Drought Index, which reflects precipitation levels, reservoir/lake levels, and stream flow and groundwater levels in the nine drought regions of the state.

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DEC and U.S. Geological Survey are partners in evaluating hydrologic conditions across New York state. Observed precipitation over the past 90 days has been less than normal across the affected counties. Stream flows and groundwater levels are below normal throughout much of the affected regions. Groundwater levels have declined in certain areas and may not recover in the immediate future due to the existing precipitation deficit.

By voluntarily reducing water usage, and being extra careful with fire and outdoor flames, New Yorkers can help conserve our natural resources during these dry days of summer.

To protect water resources, homeowners are encouraged to voluntarily reduce outdoor water use and follow these tips:

 Water lawns only when necessary, choose watering methods that avoid waste, and water in the early morning to reduce evaporation and maximize soil hydration

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 Reuse water collected in rain barrels, dehumidifiers, or air conditioners to water plants

 Raise lawn mower cutting heights. Longer grass is healthier with stronger roots and needs less water

 Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks

 Fix leaking pipes, hoses, and faucets

 Wash only full loads of dishes and laundry

 Take shorter showers or fill the bathtub partly

 Install water saving plumbing fixtures

 Dont run the tap to make water hot or cold

 Wash cars less frequently

For more water saving tips, visit DECs Water Use & Conservation webpage. For more information about drought in New York, visit DECs website.
While Delta Airlines reported strong earnings in the second quarter of 2025, it announced new plans to match capacity demands and get rid of one flight route in Texas. The airline will stop all flights into Midland after November 8, 2025.

As a major airport in Texas, the airline will reach out to already-ticked passengers to give them a refund, according to TheStreet. The flight path between Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF) simply didn't carry as much demand compared to the data in the second quarter earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation reported load factors were under 60% in the past year.

"While I am disappointed to learn that Delta Airlines will no longer be servicing our airport, it does not diminish our commitment to ensuring Midland International Air & Space Port continues to thrive and meet the needs of our residents and those traveling through the Permian Basin," said Councilwoman Robin Poole, the City Councils liaison to the Airports Department, in a statement.

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While travelers may be disappointed, there is still one reverse option. Southwest Airlines operates one daily non-stop flight from Midland to Austin. The flight path is expected to stay for the foreseeable future, with the airline maintaining dominance at the regional airport.

Despite losing the flight path, city officials are reportedly looking for new opportunities to expand connections into Midland. One of them is an investment worth millions to expand the airport terminal, as well as elevate the customer service experience.

Delta Airlines is expected to reach out to customers already booked after the November 8 deadline to offer a refund or alternate booking. While passengers can go through the refund process themselves, Delta recommends waiting until they've been contacted to ensure the refund goes as planned.

This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to China diverted to Los Angeles.

It turned around near Juneau, Alaska, and diverted some 2,000 miles "due to a sick crew member."

Passengers landed in Shanghai nine hours later than expected.

Passengers heading from Detroit to China had an unexpected layover in Los Angeles after one of the pilots fell ill.

Delta Air Lines Flight 389 took off from Detroit around 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday and was scheduled to land in Shanghai within 16 hours.

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However, flight-tracking data shows that nearly five hours into the journey, the Airbus A350 changed course just off the Alaskan coast near Juneau.

It rerouted to Los Angeles, around 2,000 miles off course as the crow flies, touching down three and a half hours later.

A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Business Insider the flight diverted "due to a sick crew member."

Air traffic control audio published by LiveATC.net appears to show that one of the pilots was unwell.

"The flight landed without incident and taxied to the gate," the spokesperson added. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel."

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While Los Angeles wasn't the nearest airport, it is one of Delta's hub airports and a key destination for the A350, making it simpler to find a replacement crew member.

After three and a half hours on the ground, the A350 took off again from LAX, per data from Flightradar24.

With a nearly 13-hour flight to Shanghai, passengers landed there around 11 p.m. local time.

Flight 389 was initially scheduled to land just before 2 p.m., meaning a delay of roughly nine hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside US working hours.

While the journey may have been disruptive for passengers, Saturday's incident also highlights the importance of having two pilots on the flight deck.

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Last July, an easyJet flight was met by paramedics in Lisbon after one of the pilots was said to have fainted.

And in 2023, a Southwest Airlines captain who fell ill mid-flight was replaced by another airline pilot who happened to be on board.

Some manufacturers have explored the potential of single-pilot operations, but many pilots oppose this. In 2023, several airline pilot unions around the world joined to launch the Safety Starts with Two coalition.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NEW YORK  Zohran Mamdanis front-running campaign to lead the nations largest city is stoking fear among moderate Democrats that his far-left politics will cost them at the ballot box.

They worry a Mamdani mayoralty will deepen an existential crisis for a party desperate to win back power in Congress  simultaneously handing Republicans a cudgel to paint their moderate opponents as socialists and encouraging hard-left copy cat candidates to primary Democratic incumbents, potentially pushing the party further to the left.

Republicans are giving the 33-year-old democratic socialist a starring role in digital ads and fundraising appeals  affixing him to moderate Democrats who represent swing seats in the New York City suburbs and nationwide.

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A video this month by the House GOPs campaign arm warned that Democrats want to turn America into a socialist, crime-filled dystopia and features a clip of Mamdani discussing the abolition of private property.

Ive never seen Republicans more giddy about the idea of a socialist mayor of New York City, said former Nassau County executive Laura Curran, a Democrat. Theyre more excited about this than Mamdanis followers or supporters.

Republican attacks are only part of Democrats growing Mamdani problem, though.

His allies with the Democratic Socialists of America, emboldened by the state assemblymembers upset victory in the June primary, are signaling primary challenges up and down the ballot  including against party chieftains like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

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Mamdanis likely November victory comes at a problematic time for Democrats, who are trying to claw their way back to national relevance after President Donald Trumps return to the White House. They fear a Mamdani win will stifle efforts next year to flip crucial GOP-held House seats and cost vulnerable incumbents their jobs, according to interviews with a dozen Democratic elected officials, leaders and party operatives.

While Democratic socialists are on the verge of a high-profile victory in a deep blue metropolis, that success stands to be curdled by Trumps vow to exert more federal power over American cities. Trumps focus on urban crime has further driven a wedge into a party struggling to find its identity. And Mamdanis since-qualified support for slashing police budgets while pushing to increase taxes on rich people to pay for services like free bus fare and child care has put Democratic officials on edge as their partys nominee barrels into the general election with a comfortable polling lead.

Trump has already activated the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington and signaled he intends to send it into Chicago, a city led by democratic socialist Mayor Brandon Johnson. He has also floated New York City as a potential target for federal law enforcement oversight, a prospect both Gov. Kathy Hochul and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams have thus far rebuffed.

Democrats more broadly have not developed a cohesive strategy for countering Republican broadsides or fending off DSA-backed primary bids. There is an acknowledgment, though, that moderates must distance themselves from Mamdani as soon as possible.

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The Mamdani campaign is suggesting this is a mistake, saying that moderates should jump on board and follow his example.

The facts are pretty clear: Zohran won the most votes of any candidate in primary history, galvanized thousands of new and first time voters, and did all that while running on a consistent, relentless agenda of affordability, Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement. Its important to note that the substance of Zohrans policies  not just the style and delivery  was responsive to the affordability crisis people are feeling.

The possibility of his leading City Hall has fueled donations to at least five super PACs that formed to stop Mamdanis candidacy. A group that backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomos primary bid reported $1.3 million in contributions this month, including a $500,000 donation from cosmetics heir William Lauder.

Consultants running those super PACs have warned about Mamdanis impact on the party in apocalyptic terms.

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Mamdani is the greatest threat to Democrats probably since Ronald Reagan because hes everything Democrats have been accused of being and in fact is  to the extreme, said Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime New York Democratic operative who is advising one of the anti-Mamdani groups. Republican ad makers will know what to do with this.

Centrist Democrats acknowledge the mayoral hopeful has successfully tapped into voters widespread frustration with the cost of living in a deeply expensive city  even as they distance themselves from his solutions like government-run supermarkets.

Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, whose swing House seat on Long Island will be a top target for Republicans next year, called Mamdani too extreme to lead New York City.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, whose district covers parts of suburban Long Island and Queens, wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed days after Mamdanis victory that the nominee is a charismatic, smart and effective campaigner with whom I disagree.

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Democrats can embrace the need to address the peoples angst about the economy and affordability, without embracing the socialism of Mr. Mamdani or the extremism of Mr. Trump, he added.

Walking that narrow line will be difficult for Democrats next year as they try to win control of the narrowly divided House. Elected lawmakers are bracing for a year in which theyll be slammed by Republicans over Mamdanis policies and potentially face DSA-supported challenges on their left flanks.

Ill have a competitor to my left who will try to paint me as MAGA and then Ill have to come back in the general election with an opponent who will want to paint me as a far lefty, said a House Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the dynamic.

DSA members are feeling energized and optimistic though, and the groups New York City chapter has seen an increase in interest from potential candidates seeking an endorsement for 2026, NYC-DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo said. He didnt rule out backing a challenge to Jeffries  in fact, he didnt rule out anything.

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Were basically looking at districts where Zohran did well in the primary, and that's quite a lot of New York, so we haven't narrowed it down too much, Gordillo said.

As for 2025, polls have shown Mamdani handily leading his more moderate opponents with mainline Democratic resumes, including Adams, a retired police captain, and Cuomo, a party scion. Both are running as independents. Yet despite Mamdanis safe polling position, he is deeply controversial among New York voters.

An August AARP/Gotham Polling survey found 42 percent of likely New York City voters hold a very unfavorable view of him. His polarizing criticism of Israel and past statements supporting defunding the police have made him even more unpopular outside of the city with suburban New Yorkers. A recent Siena College poll found 50 percent of suburban voters have an unfavorable opinion of him.

That sentiment has trickled down to local-level races in bellwether Nassau County, where Mamdani has been featured in Republican mailers.

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Moderate Democrats have to forge their own path  make clear what their policy distinctions are, where they agree and disagree, New York Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs said. Dont let the Republicans get away with this demonizing that they do when they find a convenient bogeyman like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Bill de Blasio, and now Mamdani.

Its that concern that has kept party leaders like Jeffries from endorsing Mamdani, even though the Democratic nominee won the minority leaders Central Brooklyn district by 12 percentage points in the final round of ranked-choice voting in the primary.

Some Mamdani allies argue the way to counter Republican criticism is to embrace the could-be mayor, in the same way moderate members of the GOP have stood behind another polarizing figure: Trump.

It would be a lot easier if Democrats rallied around the Democratic nominee and showed voters they were invested in Zohrans success and the success of New York City, said Rebecca Katz, a strategist for Democratic congressional campaigns who advised Mamdani in the primary. Republicans are seizing on this not just because they think Zohran is a lefty but because they see weakness from Democratic leaders.

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Yet much like Trump-backed Republican primary challenges, Democrats fear intraparty races  in this case fueled by DSA-supported candidates who want to become the next Mamdani. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who endorsed Cuomo in the primary, is already being challenged by DSA-allied Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas.

Ocasio-Cortezs upset victory in 2018 over Rep. Joe Crowley led to a wave of DSA-aligned primaries. Longtime state lawmakers, who rarely faced a competitive general election, lost their jobs after being successfully challenged by left-flank opponents.

The Mamdani success is going to encourage a lot of DSA candidates for a variety of seats up and down New York state, said David Greenfield, a former New York City Council member who now leads the Met Council, a Jewish charity. The caveat is they are not Zohran Mamdani. Hes a unique personality, charismatic and exceptionally hard working.

Some Democrats believe Mamdanis message can be co-opted. His affordability platform  including a controversial rent-freeze proposal  translated to a wave of first-time voters and a reshaped city electorate.

People have become so focused on Zohran as the messenger, said Democratic state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. But I think as Democrats we need to pay attention to his message where he talks about the fact that the city of New York and many other parts of the state are just unaffordable.
When President Donald Trump announced Friday he was unilaterally cancelling $5 billion of foreign aid funding, he was making good on his America First policy promises. But he was also picking a fight thats been months in the making.

Democrats immediately decried the White House power grab  whats known in Hillspeak as a pocket rescission  calling it an illegal usurpation of the congressional spending powers. They spent weeks warning that any such move would jeopardize needed Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown at the end of September.

Trump did it anyway. Now Democrats  eager to show the base that theyre taking the fight to the president  will almost certainly take the bait, making the prospects of a shutdown extremely high this fall.

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The fighting posture will no doubt be welcomed by the party base, which has skewered congressional leaders for not taking a hard enough line against Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in particular saw major blowback in March when he moved to pass a GOP funding bill at a time when most Democrats said the party should hold the line against Trump.

But the difficult reality for Democrats is that the same reasons Schumer gave for avoiding a shutdown back then also apply now: Typically the party that makes the demand that leads to a shutdown is the party that shoulders the public blame. More importantly, a shutdown could give Trump and his sharp-elbowed budget director, Russ Vought, even more authority to slash away at the federal bureaucracy.

We would essentially be handing him even more power, one Senate Democratic aide told me this week. And who knows when they'll reopen the government? They don't even care about the government being open.

Theres also the question of how Democrats would get out of such a scenario. As trash piles up in national parks and other government services are put on hold, Republicans will likely make Democrats vote over and over again to keep the government shuttered  all while the White House blames them for thousands of employees going without pay. Many Hill Republicans, meanwhile, would be glad to let the government stay closed.

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You'll probably just have to eventually fold and get nothing out of it, the aide said, warning the scenario posed huge risks for the party: Are we going to let the base dictate legislative strategy and just shut down the government so we can say, Okay, at least we fought, and then two weeks later, we reopen it and get nothing in return, and in the interim do harm to actual people?

Sensing the predicament, the White House is leaning into this fight. A senior administration official on Friday said they plan to dare Democrats to refuse to put up the votes for their latest plan: a so-called clean stopgap extending current funding levels to some unspecified time. And while the official insisted the administration doesnt want a shutdown, Fridays funding cancellation move was unquestionably a thumb in the eye of Democrats who have been crystal clear that these sorts of actions would make it difficult to do business.

As Democrats decry Trumps appropriations power play, we should be pretty clear about one thing: Even before Fridays announcement, many were agitating for a shutdown showdown re-do after the party surrendered to traditional bipartisanship last March. Ive heard some Democrats privately predict that leader Schumer couldnt survive politically if he were to make a deal with Trump again  though others firmly disagree.

There certainly appears to be a shift in strategy at the very top: Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have adopted a more pugnacious stance on government funding this time around. Over the recess, the leaders suggested in letters that they may demand Republicans roll back their Medicaid cuts in Trumps megabill  something that is never going to happen, given those reductions are a signature part of Trumps legislative agenda. (Think 2013 shutdown, Ted Cruz and Obamacare.)

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One senior Democratic official who agreed with Schumers decision to avoid a shutdown in March made the case to me that the environment is now different. Trump is no longer the newly minted president. His approval numbers have softened. And his biggest legislative accomplishments and recent power grabs are unpopular with voters.

That means Democratic senators should feel more confident than before that they can pin the blame on Trump and the GOP, this person said: At worst, both sides get the blame 50/50.

The hope for Democrats would be that a long government shutdown forces Trump to the table and that unhappy voters would put pressure on both sides to cut a deal. But that could be wishful thinking given Trumps well-known stomach for a fight.

He might also recall that Schumer and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi were rewarded handsomely for refusing to negotiate during the longest shutdown fight in history, in 2018. They didnt give an inch on Trumps demands for border wall money  and he caved without getting a penny.

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Democrats best hope will be that the Republican Party itself splinters on government funding. What made the March standoff a big GOP win, after all, is that Republicans managed to unite behind a plan in the House and pass a full-year continuing resolution without Democratic votes.

Its not clear there will be that kind of unity this time. For instance, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) unambiguously decried Trumps pocket rescission Friday, calling the move unlawful.

Ive also heard from House appropriators who feel insulted by the continued use of CRs and furious over the pocket rescission. One suggested to me that appropriators could unite to protect their authority and deny leadership the votes they need to jam the Democrats.

But weve heard this story before: Centrist Republicans are great at squawking, lousy at standing their ground  particularly when Trump cracks the whip.

So in the end, the fate of a shutdown will come down to Schumer. And this time around, Democrats predict  and I believe theyre right  he may conclude he has to be on the other side of this fight.
Democrats are scrambling to keep their nascent crusade against President Donald Trumps national redistricting push from fizzling out.

House Democrats are considering establishing an organization to raise and spend for their remapping efforts as they look to counter an aggressive Republican move that could determine control of the chamber next year, according to three people granted anonymity to describe private conversations. And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has privately discussed redistricting with blue-state governors, according to another person.

The Center for American Progress is urging blue states to abandon their independent redistricting commissions. And, through private strategy sessions and public appeals, Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu is asking Democrats across red and blue states to take a no-holds-barred approach to resisting GOP redistricting. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin praised Wu during a meeting in Minneapolis last week for igniting a national movement within this party.

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This is an all-out call to arms, Wu, who helped lead Texas Democrats quorum break, said in an interview. That chorus of 'everyone needs to get off their ass and do something' is growing louder and louder. And more and more elected Democrats who are seen as doing nothing  their commitment to our country is going to be questioned.

But Democrats face a lopsided fight.

Theyre hamstrung by constitutional restrictions or independent commissions in some states, while Republicans are generally free of those legal barriers and have leadership trifectas in Indiana, Florida, Missouri and Ohio, promising state lawmakers fewer restrictions to draw Democratic rivals out of their seats. Florida's constitution has language restricting partisan gerrymandering, though its conservative-majority state Supreme Court recently upheld a GOP redraw.

Against this backdrop, Democrats are grasping for ways to counter Trumps maximalist campaign to redraw congressional maps to protect Republicans three-seat House majority in the midterms. With a counteroffensive already underway in California, Democrats are turning to other blue states to take up the charge  and finding some open-minded participants in governors with 2028 ambitions.

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Democrats see the promise of netting three seats in Maryland and Illinois, whose governors  Wes Moore and JB Pritzker, respectively  have spoken with Jeffries about redistricting, according to one person granted anonymity to describe those private conversations. The minority party is also eyeing a pickup opportunity in Utah, after a judge ruled the state must redraw its map. Jeffries has also spoken with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, though any changes in the Empire State are unlikely before 2028 and thus wouldnt impact the upcoming midterms.

The blowback started as a tit-for-tat response to Trumps efforts to grow the GOPs majority next year, kicking off with a push for five more red House seats in Texas. Now Missouri is moving ahead with a new map as the White House bears down on Indiana.

One national Democratic operative, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the tumultuous situation, described jumping into the redistricting arms race as the price for entry to the 2028 presidential primary.

Caifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose popularity is soaring as he emerges as Democrats remapping champion, has been encouraging his counterparts to follow his lead, saying at POLITICOs California Summit Wednesday, Were going to have to see other governors move in a similar direction.

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An array of party officials and organizations are lining up.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee is fielding calls, providing technical support and legal expertise to state leaders looking at their own congressional maps, according to a person directly familiar with their efforts.

Wu, the Texas House Democrats leader, discussed messaging and other tactics with legislators from seven states where Republicans are eyeing redistricting during a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee strategy session last week, per a summary of the call provided to POLITICO. And former President Barack Obama called Texas state Rep. James Talarico  a potential U.S. Senate candidate  to voice support for his role in his state's redistricting battle.

But in some states, messaging is all Democrats can do. Republicans in Indiana, for example, hold a supermajority and can pass any map without a single Democrat in the chamber.

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It's not just Democratic officials who are getting involved. Unions that banded together to condemn Republicans gerrymandering in Texas are now pledging to put manpower behind Newsoms ballot campaign in California and holding strategy discussions about combating Trumps next moves in other states. And activists affiliated with the progressive group Indivisible have made roughly 5,000 calls to governors and lawmakers across 15 states with Democratic trifectas urging them to responsively redistrict.

This isnt something we had to go pitch people on the importance of. This is something people were banging down our doors about, said Andrew ONeill, Indivisibles national advocacy director.

And it does seem that this is something that has broken through with these governors and has the potential to create what Ive been calling a productive ambition, ONeill said. These people might be thinking about future job prospects for themselves and they view being a leader in this fight as a route to do that.

Democrats pressure campaign is struggling in Colorado, Washington and Oregon, whose governors have all but closed the door to redistricting, and the party lacks the legislative means or the interest to change their maps.

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Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib sent a recent memo to county officers outlining the near-insurmountable challenges in mimicking Californias ballot campaign, according to a copy obtained by POLITICO. Petitions attempting to circumvent the states independent redistricting commission are being filed without the state partys backing.

Washington Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen shut down the possibility in a letter to a concerned constituent shared with POLITICO, noting Washingtons Democratic-heavy congressional delegation already does not reflect the political makeup of the state. And state Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad acknowledged lots of pressure and desire to take up redistricting, but pointed to a broad recognition that its practicably impossible.

On the East Coast, New Jersey Democrats are similarly hamstrung by state constitutional issues and though Moore told POLITICO "everything's on the table" when it comes to redistricting, a state court tossed Maryland Democrats' previous attempt to gerrymander.

But Democratic activists are increasingly discontent to let anyone in their party sit on the sidelines as they fight what they view as Trumps latest power grab.

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These are serious times, and Im not sure how much more serious things have to be for [Democratic governors] to get off their ass and get in the batters box and swing for the fences, said California-based Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo. This is infuriating.

Natalie Fertig and Brakkton Booker contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Hundreds joined in a Labor Day morning Freedom Run in Northwest D.C., protesting the Trump administrations federal law enforcement crackdown in the District.

Were running in opposition to the takeover of our city. Were running in opposition to our friends and neighbors who are being snatched off the streets with little warrant other than the color of their skin, Nicole Bourgea, who planned the run, said.

DC, Baltimore named in cities with highest crime rates

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Many demonstrators signs and shirts referenced the Free D.C. movement, for which people rallied over the weekend, calling for D.C. statehood and an end to federal policing in the District.

While vocal Washingtonians have been sharply critical of the federal takeover of the D.C. police force and the National Guard presence on city streets, data show that crime is down. Carjackings are down 87% under the order, while violent crime is down 45% overall.

Elsewhere in the DMV, including in Laurel, Md. and Alexandria, Workers Over Billionaires protests are planned.

Theyre among the nearly 1,000 events organized by AFL-CIO and other union worker advocacy groups. The groups are railing against the administration, charging that its prioritizing billionaire interests over American workers.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.
Good Monday morning, everyone. Happy Labor Day.

These are dark days for the Democratic Party.

Republicans control the White House and both sides of Capitol Hill. Theres a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.

And never mind the balance of power in state capitols and governors offices across the land, where Republicans also command an advantage.

Polls, meanwhile, show the popularity of the party of FDR, JFK, and Barack Obama at a three-decade low. And thats not leaving out some troubling voter registration trends as well.

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The soul-searching, meanwhile, has become a cottage industry.

But one Massachusetts lawmaker says he knows how the party can reconnect with the broad swath of voters it will need to prevail in the 2026 midterm elections, which typically tend to be a rough patch for the party that controls the White House.

Law and order are important to Americans. And I think Democrats, broadly, are perceived as defending the law, but we also must be trusted to uphold order, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, told MassLive last week.

Its law and order, he continued, pausing for emphasis on each word. And that means, yes, fighting for the separation of powers and checks and balances in our constitutional system. It also means arresting shoplifters and cleaning up open-air drug use. Democrats need to do both the law and the order.

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Its a proposition thats taken on a particular trenchance with President Donald Trumps federal takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and the ever-growing likelihood that he could expand it to other cities, including Boston.

While theres broad public opposition to the Republican presidents decision to send the National Guard to the nations capital, most Americans continue to see crime in the nations big cities as a significant problem.

Auchincloss has given the question a lot of thought: In an Aug. 20 Substack post, he suggested he and his fellow Democrats needed to grapple with the moral foundations of law & order.

Its a premise based on moral foundation theory developed by the behavioral scientist Jonathan Haidt. He argued that five qualities  care, fairness, loyalty, authority and sanctity  underpin humans intuitions about right and wrong.

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Democrats and progressive prosecutors got it wrong when they declined to prosecute such low-level offenses as loitering, panhandling, and establishing encampments.

These are not victimless, Auchincloss wrote in that Substack post. The victim is social order; they grind at our moral foundations for group cohesion.

The response to these non-violent violations need not be callous. Integrate mental healthcare with first response (care), he continued. Ensure due process (fairness). Liberal law and order will always center the individualizing moral foundations. But it must also respect the binding moral foundations.

And, he believes, Americans dont perceive Democrats as taking it seriously enough.

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I mean, weve seen, in the past decade, that there have been district attorneys who have ... proactively immunized people against prosecution for things like shoplifting or drug use ... And I dont think thats helpful. And ... I dont think its helpful for upholding public safety and public order, he told MassLive.

But neither do Republicans get a hall pass, he added.

Republicans have vacated the law-and-order mantle. It used to be [that] Republicans were associated with law and order, he said. But this is a party that views school shootings as, quote, a fact of life; that tried to defund the FBI; that sought to overturn free and fair elections; that has militarized the police; that fires civil servants for speaking truth to power; that bypasses Congress. This is not a party that can claim the law and order mantle.

That creates an opportunity for Democrats  if theyre smart about it.

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Democrats should wear that mantle, he said. But that means we have to uphold [it]. That means we have to defend the law and uphold order.

No more concealed license plates?

Massachusetts could soon join the company of New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which bar motorists from installing tinted license plate covers on their cars that distort or block other key information.

The majority-Democrat state House advanced a bill sponsored by Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-1st Norfolk, according to State House News Service.

This creates risk and uncertainty for toll enforcement, accident investigations, and law enforcement operations, Ayers said in written testimony to the Houses chairperson of the Legislatures Joint Transportation Committee.

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States like New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have already banned tinted license plate covers, leading to measurable results, Ayers continued. Notably, New York recovered over $19 million in lost toll revenue in just one year following stricter enforcement.

The legislation blocks colored glass, colored plastic, brackets, holders, mountings, frames or any other type of covering that alters or obscures license plate features, the wire service reported.

The bill needs another favorable vote in the House before it can motor over to the state Senate.

Turning Rebellion Into Money Dept.

Democrats may be outraged by the Trump administrations takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., but they also know a fundraising opportunity when they see one.

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Blasting what she called a blatant disregard of humanity and constitutional rights U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, used President Donald Trumps power play in D.C., and the threat of looming federal takeovers in other blue cities, as a call to arms for her supporters.

The militarization of these cities does not make us safer. Overpolicing does not make us safer. Criminalizing young, Black men does not make us safer. Ripping families apart does not make us safer, Pressley, who stressed her ties to Washington and Chicago in a Thursday fundraising email. Tough-on-crime policies do not make us safer.

Our freedoms and our destinies are tied. Were seeing it play out in real time. Nows our time to lock arms with one another and stand firm against the cruelty of this administration, she continued.

A link at the bottom of the email, appealing to supporters to contribute $25, directed potential donors to a dedicated Pressley fundraising page. There, donors also had the option of making an ongoing monthly donation.

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This is personal for me  and it should be personal to everyone who loves their home and their community. We cannot let this blatant disregard of humanity and constitutional rights continue and we must keep loudly objecting to this, the Boston lawmaker told her supporters.

Fare gates are coming to South Station

The MBTA says it will start construction this week on fare gates at South Station as it looks to crack down on strap-hanging scofflaws.

Its part of a broader effort across the T to shore up fare collections and to deter fare-jumpers.

Installing fare gates at South Station, our busiest Station, will help ensure fares are appropriately collected. These fares support our operations budget and are important to continuing the delivery of safe, reliable and more frequent rail service, MBTA General Manager and CEO Phil Eng said in a statement.

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The public has a right to expect us to do our part and to ensure revenue is collected. These gates, including fully accessible ones, are another step towards delivering a best-in-class transportation system that the public deserves.

The T announced last month that it was going to start cracking down on fare evaders, with agency staff prepared to issue formal warnings and citations to riders who skip the fare gates or fareboxes.

Our riders deserve a safe and reliable mass transportation system that is available for them when they need it. With strong support, we are making significant progress, but to sustain it, we owe it to our riders and the public at large to do our part and collect all appropriate fare revenue, Eng said. Its about a responsibility we have and fairness for all.

They said it

Here in South Boston, we need to address the cleanliness, the crime, the safety, and security of the station for the rail workers, for the passengers, because the people of Boston deserve that. All the people up and down the Northeast corridor and Americans who travel on these trains, they need and deserve beautiful rail facilities.

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 Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury hints at a potential federal takeover of Bostons South Station, which isnt in South Boston.

Read more MassLive politics coverage

Coverage losses begin: Thousands of Mass. immigrants to be kicked off health insurance

Boston refused the kings troops 250 years ago. Will it refuse Trumps National Guard?

More political theater: Healey slams possible federal takeover of South Station

Mass. Sen. Warren launches probe over slashing of public corruption units at Justice Dept., FBI

Springfield election candidates share ideas in forum

Chicopee collector candidates consider quarterly tax payments

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Josh Kraft says $6.3M income in 2024 came from the family business

Turned up to 11

If you want to catch reunited Britpop legends Oasis during their run of U.S. tour dates, youre swiftly running out of chances.

The band plays MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, on Monday (Sept. 1), and they wrap up their stateside jaunt with a pair of shows at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7. Tickets are still available, but be warned, theyre going to set you back a buck or two.

The bands indelible  and mega-selling  second record (Whats the Story) Morning Glory? turns 30 years old in October. And it is, of course, being greeted with the deluxe reissue treatment.

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From that LP, heres one of my favorite tracks. Its Some Might Say.

Your Monday long read

With the U.S. government taking a minority stake in Intel and the Trump administration getting a say in the operations of U.S. Steel, President Donald Trump is making some major policy shifts.

What gives?

Writing for The Conversation, H. Sami Karaca, a business analytics professor at Boston University, observes that Washington has long supported free-market capitalism. Today, the government appears to be supporting a new direction  state-directed capitalism."

The nation currently appears to be operating under a hybrid model of capitalism, blending free-market principles with elements of state capitalism, he wrote.

Whats the end game?

This shift from an incentive-based approach to a direct ownership model represents one of the most fascinating experiments in modern American capitalism, Karaca wrote. The real question is what happens if  or when  this strategy expands. The government could become more involved in energy, biotech and AI, or any place where markets show signs of lagging or supply chains are geopolitically fragile."

The U.S. isnt rejecting capitalism but recalibrating its boundaries. The next few years will show exactly how Washingtons interventions will reshape U.S. capitalism, he concluded.

Thats it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, friends.

Read more analysis from John L. Micek

Read the original article on MassLive.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  A Fairfax County Deputy Sheriff has been arrested after reports of a domestic assault incident, authorities detailed.

No one hurt in Fairfax County house fire

On Aug. 29, around 4:45 p.m., officers responded to the 4200 block of Summit Corner Drive in Fair Oaks for a domestic call.

The victim reported being assaulted during an argument. Officers found 36-year-old Katherine Lepkowski, of Fairfax, and took her into custody.

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Lepkowski is facing charges of assault on a family member. She was released on a summons-releasable warrant.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.
There was no mention of crosswalk art when the bill Gov. Ron DeSantis cites as the reason for the states crackdown on street art was passed in the Legislature.

The removal of colorful arrays on street crossings throughout the state in recent weeks has sparked frustration  and in some cases outrage  as students, parents and activists who raised money, installed and painted the artworks have seen state and local officials remove them.

DeSantis says he has no choice but to follow the new law (SB 1622), which allows the Florida Department of Transportation to withhold funds for road projects if cities and counties dont comply with artwork removal orders.

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The Florida Legislature passed a law that was very clear, that I signed into law: Were not doing the commandeering of the roads to put up messaging, DeSantis said Aug. 26 at an event in Tampa.

But FDOT already had the authority to ensure conformity with its rules prior to the new law. The 87-page bill, which deals with many different transportation-related issues, includes a change to one line of FDOTs authority over traffic control devices. Instead of being able to withhold funds for traffic control purposes, the department can now withhold all funds for road projects.

DeSantis was not required to do this. He was not enforcing a new law, said state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando. The law has generally required uniformity in crosswalks  with FDOT exceptions  since the '70s. ... He invented an excuse to punish LGBT visibility and draw attention to himself, and now its costing taxpayers millions.

Smith was angered Aug. 21 when FDOT painted over the rainbow crosswalk at a segment crossing Esther Street along Orange Avenue in Orlando that was part of the memorial honoring the 49 people killed at the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in 2016. The vast majority of the victims were LGBT.

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He helped re-color the crosswalk with chalk, but a FDOT sign near the crosswalk now warns pedestrians against blocking traffic or marking the roadway.

DeSantis has noted its not just rainbow-colored crosswalks or pro-LGBT artworks that are being removed  its every piece of artwork, including an installation in Tampa supporting law enforcement.

This has been done across the state and its been done regardless of the messaging thats been used, DeSantis said.

Everything from student art near schools, to paw prints near the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium, to checkered flag-style crosswalks in Daytona have been caught up in the purge of the paint.

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Smith, though, believes DeSantis main goal was to remove the rainbow crosswalks.

Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith speaks to the media after the Senate adjourned its floor session Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.

Hes inventing excuses to defend the indefensible, Smith said. He wanted to punish LGBTQ visibility and wanted to make an example out of the rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub because he is a depraved person and hes been radicalized by his own political ambition.

Yet Smith and every other Democrat voted for SB 1662. He said the provision DeSantis refers to was seemingly innocuous and didnt raise suspicion it could lead to erasing crosswalk art when the bill was discussed in committees.

The bill was sponsored by former state Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican whom DeSantis tapped as his Lieutenant Governor on Aug. 12.

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Heres how Collins referred to the part of the bill cited by DeSantis on April 10 in the Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Subcommittee: It ensures a uniform transportation system that adheres to statewide requirements.

And on April 17 in the Senate Appropriations Committee: The bill "ensures a uniform transportation system that adheres to statewide needs.

Sen. Jay Collins speaks at a press conference on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Collins didnt mention crosswalks or removing art installations. No members of the committee nor any member of the public raised the issue either.

The only questions from lawmakers pertained to the removal of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and a study group on advanced air mobility, an emerging technology in which drone systems transport goods over short distances. Spokespersons for FDOT and Collins didn't return emails and calls seeking comment.

Cracking down on colorful crosswalks

The rainbow crosswalk at Pulse was one of more than 400 street art installations FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue has said his agency is reviewing to enforce compliance with the states prohibition on the paintings.

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FDOT chief operating officer Will Watts issued a memo on June 30  11 days after SB 1662 was signed into law  to department staffers throughout the state highlighting the policy against street art.

Floridas proactive efforts to ensure we keep our transportation facilities free & clear of political ideologies were cemented into law by @GovRonDeSantis on June 19 w/ the signing of Senate Bill 1662 & reemphasized in FDOTs attached memo. Great to now have our federal partners pic.twitter.com/zmvFJNs8Sn  Jared W. Perdue, P.E. (@FDOT_Secretary) July 2, 2025

After the memo was issued, FDOT began sending letters to cities and counties telling them state funds for roads could be withheld if they didnt remove artwork on the streets.

Basically anything that was previously permitted or installed or awarded, anything you can bring up from the past is irrelevant now because theres a new law, Perdue said Aug. 26 at the event with DeSantis. Were simply implementing that standard.

But until recently FDOT approved and supported the Pulse memorial crosswalk art and other installations throughout the state. The memo, too, notes FDOT can approve exceptions to the street art ban.

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"Permission to allow non-compliant traffic control devices or pavement markings to remain may be granted at the Department's discretion, if the public agency is able to demonstrate good cause for doing so," the memo states.

Only in the 2023 update to FDOTs manual for design, construction and maintenance for streets and highways, known as the Green Book, was the ban on crosswalk art reflected in state rules.

Do not apply pavement or surface art on travel lanes, paved shoulders, bridges, intersections, crosswalks, or sidewalks, the 2023 manual states. Pavement or surface art is defined as surface markings that are not in direct support of traffic control or public safety.

The previous edition, in 2018, doesnt mention surface art at all. Since that time, however, street art installations at crosswalks and on roadways have proliferated in Florida and other parts of the country.

The crosswalk in front of DeSoto Trail was previously painted by students and KCCI in 2023.

Smith has noted that Florida law has given FDOT the authority to impose statewide standards on local roads since 1972. And although the ban was part of the 2023 update, the state waited until SB 1662 became law to impose a crackdown.

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In that push they received backup from the federal government.

On July 1, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to all 50 state governors requesting they review all roadways and crosswalks for safety. In a post on X highlighting the memo, Duffy said he was taking aim at political messages on roads.

Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks, Duffy wrote. Political banners have no place on public roads. Im reminding recipients of (USDOT) roadway funding that its limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. Its that simple.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida law didnt target crosswalk art, but DeSantis did
UK hospitality company Azzurri Group has secured exclusive development rights to expand the fast-casual restaurant chain Dave's Hot Chicken across Europe.

The agreement outlines plans for Azzurri Group to develop 180 new Dave's Hot Chicken locations in nine European countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain, and also in Turkey.

The expansion strategy will be executed through a joint venture (JV) partnership model, which will involve collaboration with local operators in each target market.

The move follows Dave's Hot Chicken's UK debut with its first restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End in late 2024.

Dave's Hot Chicken CEO Bill Phelps stated: "This agreement represents a major milestone in our global development strategy.

"Azzurri has proven itself as a best-in-class operator with deep expertise in brand building and market execution. Their commitment to working alongside local partners gives us the scale, agility and cultural insight needed to expand in new territories."

Following the London launch, the chain has also opened restaurants in Birmingham and Manchester, further establishing its presence in the UK.

Azzurri Group, which manages a portfolio including Zizzi, ASK Italian, Coco di Mama and Boojum, will leverage its expertise in operating more than 225 restaurants and stores to grow the Dave's Hot Chicken brand in Europe.

Azzurri Group CEO Steve Holmes stated: "Dave's Hot Chicken has all the ingredients for international success  unforgettable food, massive cultural resonance and an incredibly scaleable model.

The response in the UK has been phenomenal, and we're now focused on bringing this concept to more countries through strong local joint venture partnerships."

Dave's Hot Chicken, known for its Nashville-style hot chicken tenders, bites and sliders with varying spice levels, also offers a range of sides such as Mac & Cheese, Kale Slaw and seasoned fries.

In June 2025, the brand was acquired by Roark Capital, a US-based private equity firm, for $1bn.

"Azzurri Group gains rights to expand Daves Hot Chicken in Europe" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand.




Editors note: This story was originally published on Sept. 1, 2024.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Sept. 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event regarded as the start of World War II.

But what came next, the German occupation of Poland, was exceptionally brutal.

Adolf Hitlers Nazis considered Poles to be racially inferior. So when Germany amassed troops near their shared border, Poland and the rest of its allies were aggressive in resistance.

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Here are the Deseret News headlines of that week:

Aug. 30-31: Peace efforts appear to be fruitless. Poles mobilizing on a large scale, with a summary of crisis responses from London, Washington, Berlin, Warsaw, Rome and Tokyo. Initially, the U.S. declared neutrality.

Sept. 1: War rages on Polish Front; Bombers rain death. Allies send final warning.

Sept. 2: Britain takes war stand; Chamberlain sees only one answer.

In the weeks following the German attack on Poland, German SS, police, and military units shot thousands of Polish civilians, including many members of the Polish nobility, clergy and intelligentsia. Per historians, in the spring of 1940, the German occupation authorities launched AB-Aktion, a plan to systematically eliminate Poles considered to be members of the leadership class.

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The aim was to remove those Poles seen as most capable of organizing resistance to German rule and to terrorize the Polish population into submission. The Germans shot thousands of teachers, priests and other intellectuals in mass killings.

Nazi officials sent thousands more to the newly built Auschwitz concentration camp, to Stutthof, and to other concentration camps in Germany where non-Jewish Poles constituted the majority of inmates until March 1942.

Hitler intended to Germanize Poland by replacing the Polish population with German colonists. As many as 100,000 Polish civilians, including 30,000 children, were sent for Germanization.

Per the Holocaust Encyclopedia, it is estimated that the Germans killed between 1.8 and 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians during World War II. In addition, the Germans murdered at least 3 million Jewish citizens of Poland.

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Here are some stories from Deseret News archives on those first years of World War II and how the nation of Poland was affected:

This week in history: Nazis stage fake attack at the start of WWII

Father of Polish Utahn killed by Soviets in WWII

Poles mark 1939 invasion

Polish Holocaust hero dies at age 98

Holocaust survivors return to Poland

Secret Soviet pact with Nazi Germany found on microfilm

Rare 3D film shows Warsaw devastated after WWII

Nazis son returns art that his family looted in Poland

Associated Press

As a side note, the recent movie Escape From Germany, a thriller about the evacuation of Latter-day Saint missionaries from northern Germany in 1939 before the Nazis invasion of Poland, offers a sense of some of the emotions in Europe at the time.

How a spiritual prompting contributed to the Escape From Germany

Escape From Germany: Latter-day Saint history has the best stories to tell in movies, says filmmaker T.C. Christensen
Police released new details about a crash over the weekend that seriously injured former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with his driver and a 19-year-old.

New Hampshire State Police say they can confirm a previous report by Giulianis head of security, Michael Ragusa, that prior to the collision on I-93 northbound in Manchester, Giuliani and his driver, Theodore Goodman, were flagged down by a woman on the side of I-93 southbound just south of Exit 9N who claims she was involved in a domestic violence incident.

Trump says hes awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

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According to State Police, Goodman reported the incident to law enforcement just after 9 p.m.

Both he and Giuliani remained at the scene until troopers arrived to investigate.

Goodman and Giuliani both spoke with the troopers about what they had witnessed and and then left the scene before getting off the interstate at a nearby exit, according to investigators.

Minutes later, just before 10 p.m., police say Goodman and Giuliani got back on I-93, heading northbound, when they were struck from behind by a Honda HR-V, driven by 19-year-old Lauren Kemp of Concord.

Giuliani, alongside Kemp and Goodman, were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that arent considered to be life-threatening.

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Giuliani was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg, according to Ragusa.

Giuliani is recovering from his injuries and Boston 25 News has asked for an update on his condition.

The crash occurred at mile marker 23.2, almost directly across from the scene of the alleged domestic violence incident in the southbound lane.

Police say the crash remains under investigation, including whether distraction or curiosity of the initial scene was a factor.

No charges have been filed at this time.

Responding troopers dashboard and body-worn cameras are being reviewed as part of the investigation.

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No further information was immediately available.

This was not a targeted attack. We ask everyone to respect Mayor Giulianis privacy and recovery, and refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories.  Michael Ragusa (@themikeragu) August 31, 2025

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged Sunday a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Chicago in the coming days but stopped short of saying it will be accompanied by a National Guard deployment.

Any military presence ultimately would be President Donald Trumps call, Noem said, but Gov. JB Pritzker reiterated that such a move would be against federal law and warned it would be met in court pretty quickly by the state.

Im saying we dont want troops on the streets of American cities, Pritzker said. Thats un-American and, frankly, the president of the United States ought to know better. This one doesnt seem to. He doesnt seem to understand the Constitution or the laws.

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Noem and Pritzker each appeared on CBS News Face the Nation on Sunday, though in separate interviews. Their appearance came as Chicago prepared for more intensive ICE enforcement, which could begin as soon as Friday, with agents based at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago.

Weve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois, and other states, making sure that were upholding our laws, but we do intend to add more resources to those operations, Noem said.

Asked if a surge in ICE operations was planned for other cities, she said she would not discuss specifics but said the efforts were not aimed at Democrat-led urban areas and could include cities in Republican states.

Theres a lot of cities that are dealing with crime and violence right now and so we havent taken anything off the table. Weve been making sure that we have the resources and the equipment to go in, Noem said.

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Id encourage every single big city, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, whatever they are, if they want to help make their cities safer  they should call us, she said, citing declines in violent crime after Trump federalized law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and deployed National Guard troops.

Every single city is evaluated for what we need to do there to make it safer. So weve got operations that, again, I wont talk about details on. But we absolutely are not looking through the viewpoint at anything were doing with a political lens, she said.

Noem, a former South Dakota governor, belittled Pritzker for not personally calling Trump and seeking federal intervention to address Chicago crime.

This seems like its more about Gov. Pritzkers ego now, rather than actually protecting his people. If he had one murder in Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, Whats your ideas? What can we do? she said.

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So he can talk about what a great job hes doing as governor but hes failing those families who will no longer have their child with them, their mother or their father or their cousin, aunt and uncle that are gone forever because of the violence thats happening in Chicago, she said.

Pritzker, in an unaired portion of his Friday interview with CBS White House correspondent Ed OKeefe, said he has not called the Trump administration to tell them not to come to Chicago because I think Ive been pretty clear publicly and that if the president wants to send in the Guard, he should call.

Honestly, wed be happy to receive a call, the two-term Democratic governor said. When we have an emergency and we need the federal government to send troops in, believe me, I will pick up the phone and call. That is not something going on in Chicago today.

But Pritzker said the ICE surge is inflaming passions and causing disruption that doesnt need to be caused.

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We have people that have lived in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for decades, working here, paying taxes. Theyre law-abiding members of our communities, friends, neighbors, and why are we arresting them? Why are we making them disappear? Pritzker asked, saying he would tell Noem to maybe check herself for, what does she really believe.

Discussing the issue of mid-decade redistricting, which Trump has pushed in Texas and other GOP-led states, Pritzker said it is possible to have more Democratic districts in the state of Illinois and we could do it.

Texas Republicans have signed into law redrawn congressional boundaries aimed at flipping five Democratic seats in the U.S. House for the 2026 midterm elections, as part of Trumps effort to maintain a GOP House majority through the end of the decade. Democratic-led California recently responded to Texas move as Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking voters to approve a map aimed at giving his party five more U.S. House seats, but late last week, Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe said he is calling lawmakers into a special session to redraw that states House districts.

When asked whether Illinois would join in the redistricting fight, Pritzker said, Thats not something that I want to do. Its not something any of us want to do, he said of Democratic-led states. If hes going to do that all over the country, I think all of us have to think about what it is that we can do to counter that.

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Illinois Democratic-led redistricting map approved after the 2020 federal census was politically gerrymandered to create a 14-3 Democratic majority in the 17-member House delegation. The Illinois map earned a grade of F from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

Pritzker, who is seeking a third term next year, did little to dispel his interest in a potential 2028 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying, I dont know what the future holds.

You know, I look around, weve got a bench among the Democratic Party that is really terrific. I could point to governors. I could point to senators. I think there are a lot of good choices, he said, according to a transcript of an unaired portion of the interview. Weve got a terrific group of people who could be president of the United States on the Democratic side and Im happy to stand with them as we stand against Donald Trump.

____
Submersibles captured images of the Titanic wreck in 2022 to create a "digital twin" of the ship.

The digital model offers new insights into how the ocean liner sank over 100 years ago.

Researchers are using it to explore the Titanic's mysteries.

One of the most memorable scenes from James Cameron's 1997 movie "Titanic" showed the ship breaking in half  a dramatic moment that matched some survivors' stories of the early hours of April 15, 1912.

But it might not be accurate.

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"They're contradictory," Titanic analyst Parks Stephenson said of the passengers' accounts. The ship itself would be better able to tell the tale. "Steel rarely lies," he told Business Insider in April.

The problem is that the wreck is over 2.3 miles below the waves in the Atlantic Ocean, but new technology has recently made it more accessible than ever.

In 2022, underwater mapping company Magellan Ltd., headquartered in the Channel Islands, took 715,000 images of the Titanic. It took months to piece them all together into a "digital twin" of the ship.

Now historians and researchers are hoping it can answer some of Titanic's biggest mysteries.

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Earlier this year, a National Geographic special from Atlantic Productions, "Titanic: The Digital Resurrection," showed how Stephenson and other experts are using these images to examine the wreck in a whole new way.

In 1912, the Titanic sank, killing over 1,500 people. The wreckage was found 73 years later.

The RMS Titanic. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The ship's size, its famous passengers, the unfathomable loss of life, and the harrowing tales from survivors instantly made it headline news.

Interest in the disaster continued, especially in 1985 when Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel found the shipwreck during a secret US Navy mission.

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It's far too fragile to raise. Artifacts and small pieces of the ship have been recovered, but the rusting remains will stay on the ocean floor.

It's risky and expensive to visit the shipwreck  five people died when a submersible visiting the Titanic imploded in June 2023  and conditions are murky at that depth. The digital twin offers an ultra-clear view that's impossible to see from a submersible.

The digital twin captured the Titanic in remarkable detail while also giving a sense of its size.

The Juliet ROV scans the bow railing of the Titanic wreck site. Magellan Limited/Atlantic Productions

Two submersibles, Romeo and Juliet, spent three weeks photographing and measuring the ship and the debris surrounding the two halves. The digital model is made up of the images and scans to reveal areas of the ship that are hard to view from trips to the wreck.

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Other techniques have been used to create photo mosaics of the Titanic, but this photogrammetry process captured every inch of the wreck  down to its rivets  and its surroundings without losing resolution or details.

"You can zoom right into an area of interest, right down to a floor tile on the ocean floor," Stephenson told Business Insider. "It is amazing."

Stephenson, who appeared in the documentary, has viewed the Titanic a few times from crewed and uncrewed submersibles. He said that in person, it's difficult to see much of the ship through a 7-inch viewport. That meant he was glimpsing the ship section by section instead of as a whole. "What you really need to make sense of all this evidence is context," he said.

"It's how it's all put together and presented as a whole that's the paradigm shift here," Stephenson said. "That's what's going to be the future of deep ocean exploration."

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Researchers want to know why the iceberg did so much damage.

The bow of the Titanic seen in a digital recreation. Magellan Limited/Atlantic Productions

Crew member Frederick Fleet described hitting the iceberg as a narrow shave, thinking they'd avoided disaster. Many passengers didn't realize the ship had struck anything. Yet the collision was deadly.

The Titanic's builders designed the ship to withstand four of its 16 compartments flooding. Edward Wilding, a naval architect who worked on the design, speculated from the beginning that the iceberg scraping alongside the ship punctured more than four sections. Enough water flowed in to pull down the entire ship.

The portion of the ship that struck the iceberg slammed into the seafloor when it sank. It's now buried in mud. Even if it were visible, it would likely be difficult to tell the difference between the damage before and after sinking.

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For the documentary, researchers from University College London and Newcastle University put together a simulation to find some potential answers. Using the ship's blueprints and estimated speed, they found that the iceberg may have torn open an 18-square-foot gash along six compartments, enough to take down the Titanic.

The simulation aligned very closely with Wilding's speculations from over 100 years ago.

"He really knew that ship," Anthony Geffen, the film's producer, told Business Insider in April, which is perhaps why they match so well.

With much of the bow sunk in the mud, we may never know the full story of the iceberg's effect, Stephenson said.

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Large pieces from the ship show how it may have split in two.

Engines on the Titanic digital recreation. Magellan Limited/Atlantic Productions

In Cameron's movie, the ship basically cracks in half. Passenger Jack Thayer later wrote that part of the ship rose into the sky and seemed to hang there, and then, "with the deadened noise of the bursting of her last few gallant bulkheads, she slid quietly away from us into the sea."

"Even Jim Cameron, today, will say that the way he depicted it in the movie is not correct," Stephenson said. It was based on what was known in 1997, which was eyewitness testimony, like Thayer's.

The way it broke apart may have been far more explosive. The model shows large pieces of the hull scattered around the wreck that may be evidence of such an event.

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"It was a giant, catastrophic fracture," metallurgist Jennifer Hooper said in the documentary, which caused a domino effect of compression and buckling that destroyed roughly 20% of the ship.

That might explain why the two large sections of the ship are a third of a mile apart, Geffen said. "Something massive must have happened," he said. "It didn't just float apart."

The model gives a new perspective on passengers' and crew's final moments.

The Titanic digital recreation shows the boilers in the hull where the ship broke apart. Magellan Limited/Atlantic Productions

Before the ocean liner disappeared under the water, survivors recalled its lights still being on. The model gives a clear view of boiler room two. That's likely where the Titanic engineers stayed until the end, shoveling coal to keep the ship illuminated and the wireless transmitting calls for help.

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Further away, a valve can be seen in the open position, indicating that steam continued flowing to generate electricity.

"These boilers tell us about a very personal story about the people" who stayed behind on the ship, Geffen said.

First-class passengers John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, two of the wealthiest men on the boat, both lost their lives  the documentary revealed that the crumbling ship may have come apart right where the first-class cabins were located.

Personal possessions are clear enough to recognize.

Possessions from people aboard the Titanic, including a shark tooth fob, pocket watch, and tusk bangle. Magellan Limited/Atlantic Productions

The crew's and passengers' possessions are scattered for miles around the Titanic. Researchers have been able to identify the owners' of some of them from these new images, and Geffen said AI could help find more.

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For example, there's a shark tooth that seems to have been attached to a pocket watch belonging to a first-class passenger, Colonel John Weir.

The Titanic site is a graveyard, where hundreds of people lost their lives. "I think sometimes that gets lost," Geffen said, but their belongings can help tell their stories.

One day, anyone may be able to virtually visit the Titanic.

Jennifer Hooper, Chris Hearn, and Parks Stephenson examine the Titanic digital twin in the virtual studio. Atlantic Productions

The new scans have frozen the Titanic in time. It's already covered in rusticles, the pointy structures created by deep-sea bacteria. As it continues to deteriorate, more evidence will be lost.

As well as being dangerous and expensive, some also consider visiting the site via submersible disrespectful. Geffen said there are plans to put the digital twin in simulators so people can do virtual dives to the wreck, instead. Eventually, people will be able to put on a VR headset and walk around the site.

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"With this digital twin, we can now bring the entire Titanic wreck site up to the surface and make it available to everyone," Stephenson said.

"Titanic: The Digital Resurrection" premiered on National Geographic on April 11 and is available on Disney+ and Hulu.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Two men booked in August in Denton County face rape of a child charges, among the most serious allegations to appear in recent records.

The Denton County Sheriffs Office mobile app allows the public to search arrests dating back to 2021. A review of those records shows the word rape does not appear in the database until this month, when two separate cases surfaced.

This edition of Dirty John lists the arrestees in order of the severity of their alleged offenses, with crimes against children weighted most heavily.

1. John R. Hartley

John R. Hartley

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DOB: August 4, 1966 | Height: 511 | Weight: 155 | Race: White

Arrested: August 14, 2025

Agency: Carrollton Police Department

Charges:

Aggravated Sexual Battery  2 Counts

Incest  2 Counts

Rape of a Child  2 Counts

Hartley was booked by Carrollton police on allegations including incest, aggravated sexual battery, and two counts of child rape.

2. Antonio D. Lloyd

Antonio D. Lloyd

DOB: January 31, 2000 | Height: 58 | Weight: 170 | Race: Black

Arrested: August 25, 2025

Agency: Denton County Sheriffs Office

Charges:

Failure to Appear  Aggravated Sexual Assault Child

Failure to Appear  Fail to Identify Fugitive Intent Give False Info

Failure to Appear  Possession of Marijuana <2oz

Insufficient Bond  Theft of Property $750<$2,500

Rape of Child

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Lloyd faces multiple counts of failure to appear and theft alongside a child rape charge, according to the Sheriffs Office.

3. Jean C. Carson

Jean C. Carson

DOB: April 18, 1988 | Height: 58 | Weight: 195 | Race: Black

Arrested: August 19, 2025

Agency: Collin County Sheriffs Office

Charge:

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

Carson was arrested by Collin County authorities on a single count of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

4. Jordan M. Fox

Jordan M. Fox

DOB: December 5, 1986 | Height: 60 | Weight: 175 | Race: White

Arrested: August 15, 2025

Agency: Denton County Sheriffs Office

Charge:

Sexual Assault of a Child

Fox is accused of sexually assaulting a minor, a first-degree felony under Texas law.

5. Daniel O. Cohen

Daniel O. Cohen

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DOB: March 30, 1990 | Height: 510 | Weight: 180 | Race: Black

Arrested: August 12, 2025

Agency: Denton County Sheriffs Office

Charges:

Sexual Assault  Count I

Sexual Assault  Count II

Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by Felon

Cohen faces two counts of sexual assault and an additional weapons charge stemming from alleged illegal firearm possession.

All individuals listed have been arrested for alleged crimes and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Mugshots and information were obtained from the Denton County Sheriffs Office through its mobile app.
"We will also open new kindergartens in Gush Katif," Yossi Dagan said, referring to the settlement in Gaza forcibly dismantled during the Disengagement.

A kindergarten opened in the Homesh settlement on Monday at the start of the school year for the first time in 20 years.

This is the first kindergarten to be opened in one of the former settlements evacuated during the 2005 Disengagement, during which thousands of Jewish Israelis were forcibly evicted from their homes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

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This opening is part of a renewed push to rebuild the communities and expand the Israeli settlement network in northern Samaria.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan vowed to rebuild the other settlements that were destroyed in the Disengagement, as well as establish several more settlements in the area. "We will also open new kindergartens in Gush Katif," he said, referring to the settlement in Gaza forcibly dismantled during the Disengagement.

"The Disengagement is dead. The people of Israel live!" Dagan said at the kindergarten's opening ceremony.

Visitors walk by the water tower on the ruins of the evacuated settlement of Homesh on August 27, 2019. (credit: HILLEL MAEIR/FLASH90)

"We are now in a moment of sweet victory for Zionism and the people of Israel. Justice always comes - even if it takes 20 years."

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"This is a historic moment," the council head said, addressing the children of the new kindergarten. "One day, you will be adults, and you can tell your children and grandchildren that you opened the first kindergarten in Homesh. And thanks to this, there will be many more kindergartens in all the displaced communities."

Education Minister Yoav Kisch praised the opening as being "a Zionist act, of building and settlement."

"I salute the pioneer settlers who are strengthening sovereignty in the area. The Education Ministry, under my leadership, will provide education to every Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel."

The event was also heralded by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

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"The opening of the new kindergarten is not only an educational event, but a symbol of revival and renewed life in the heart of Samaria," he said. "The children who start their day here with laughter and singing are the true response to anyone who thought that the settlement would be uprooted. With God's help, we will continue to build, expand, and deepen our roots in all parts of our homeland."

Also attending the event is Ayala Levy, the last kindergarten teacher of Homesh prior to the Disengagement.

"This is a very moving moment," she said. "I never dreamed that one day I would return to a Homesh kindergarten."

The settlement's new kindergarten teacher, Atara, was grateful for the opening of the new kindergarten.

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"Thank you to everyone," she said. "The kindergarten will be the most beautiful and sweetest place in the world."

"Twenty years ago, we were expelled from here, and we also carry with us 20 years of struggle to return," Homesh families and deportees' representative Benny Gal said at the ceremony. "The core of Homesh's settlers tried to return just one day after the expulsion, and they kept trying to come back countless times. We are now privileged to see salvation, the fulfillment of a prophecy, with our own eyes."

Left-wing Israeli NGO Peace Now was critical of the move, condemning it as a push to de facto annex the West Bank.

"Instead of evacuating Homesh and all the illegal outposts, the government is whitewashing them on the way to more isolated settlements deep in the West Bank that we will have to evacuate in the future," the organization said in a statement. "This government is dangerous and acts against logic and Israeli interests."

A history of Homesh: A settlement demolished and now attempting to rebuild

Homesh is a settlement in northern Samaria in the West Bank that was forcibly evacuated in 2005 during the Disengagement, with all homes and structures demolished.

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The site of Homesh has been recognized by Israel as being legally owned by Palestinians, though the owners have not been allowed to return to their land.

Attempts have repeatedly been made to establish illegal outposts or a yeshiva in the area, all of which have been met with repeated opposition by the IDF.

While the Homesh settlement has not been formally reestablished, the government did revoke the Disengagement in March 2023. In addition, a May 2025 decision allowed for renewed settlement activity in northern Samaria, including in Homesh, which has helped spark renewed efforts to rebuild the town.

According to Ynet, Homesh currently has 20 families living there, with the Homesh Yeshiva having enrolled 50 students. The new kindergarten currently has around 20 children enrolled.
Kyiv on Monday said Russia was linked to the weekend assassination of a pro-Western Ukrainian politician after the arrest of a suspect alleged to have carried out the shooting disguised as a courier.

Andriy Parubiy, a former speaker of parliament and leading figure in Ukraine's pro-European protest movements of 2004 and 2014, was shot dead on Saturday in the western city of Lviv, near EU and NATO member Poland.

Police said the suspect, whose arrest was announced early Monday, shot Parubiy eight times in broad daylight before fleeing the scene.

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"We know that this crime was not accidental. There is a Russian trace in it," national police chief Ivan Vygivsky said in a social media post.

Vygivsky attached two photos of the arrest, showing a shirtless man being apprehended by officers in military uniform in what appeared to be an apartment.

Sources inside Ukraine's law enforcement agencies told CBS News partner BBC News that the attacker had dressed to look like a worker from delivery company Glovo. The company said it was "deeply shocked" by the crime and would cooperate fully with an investigation.

National police chief Ivan Vygivsky said a suspect was arrested in the broad daylight murder of a pro-Western Ukrainian politician. / Credit: Ivan Vygivsky / Facebook

The interior minister earlier said the killing had been carefully planned, echoing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Zelenskyy said Interior Minister Igor Klymenko and security service chief Vasyl Maliuk had informed him of the arrest.

In a subsequent post after having spoken to chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko, he added: "The suspect has given an initial testimony.

"Klymenko said dozens of police officers and security officers had been involved in the arrest in the Khmelnytsky region of western Ukraine.

"I will only say that the crime was carefully prepared: the schedule of the deceased's movements was studied, the route was laid, and an escape plan was thought out."

Some earlier tributes from Ukrainian officials to Parubiy, who was still a member of parliament, hinted at Russian involvement.

The body of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy, who was killed this morning, lies on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine August 30, 2025. / Credit: Roman Baluk / REUTERS

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, both sides have accused each other of assassinations of political and military figures.

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Russian state media said Parubiy has been wanted by Russian authorities since 2023.

Parubiy, who had studied history, had campaigned for Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union.

He was also a major supporter of the use of the Ukrainian language over Russian.

During the Maidan protests of 2014, he was a "commander" of opposition self-defense forces.

The demonstrations led to the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin leadership and precipitated a Moscow-backed separatist uprising in the east of the country.

That same year, Ukrainian media said he survived an assassination attempt by grenade.

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After the ousting of then Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia, Parubiy served on the National Security and Defense Council for several months.

Last month, one of Ukraine's security top service members, Colonel Ivan Voronych, was killed in a bold daylight attack in Kyiv. Days later, Ukraine's security agency said it tracked down and killed two Russian agents suspected of murdering Voronych.

"Portrait of a person who's not there": Documenting the bedrooms of school shooting victims

Passage: In memoriam

Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the mysteries of chronic pain
Congress returns to Capitol Hill after Labor Day with a schedule full of press conferences and hearings to uncover more information on sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins years of abuse. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, discusses what answers she wants regarding Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwells actions, while urging more Republican lawmakers to fight for the victims. Our job is to hold their feet to the fire and make our colleagues in Congress squirm. Are t
Like its foremost competitors in Universal Studios and Six Flags, Disney is always looking ahead to the future when it comes to its foremost park development plans.

Case in point with the company's recent announcement surrounding its designs for two of its most beloved attractions, each of which will feature some major changes in the immediate years ahead.

According to a new press release from the company, Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin and Millennium Falcon  Smugglers Run will undergo some key transformations for 2026.

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In particular, Space Ranger Spin will incorporate "a fresh gameplay experience" sometime next year, while Smugglers Run will feature a new scene based around the upcoming Star Wars film, The Mandolorian and Grogu.

Originally opening on October 7, 1998 in Magic Kingdom, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin allowed visitors to engage in a free-wheeling interactive shooting dark ride based on Pixar's classic Toy Story franchise.

Early last month, the ride was officially shut down for ongoing construction, with plans to overhaul the attraction's design to reflect a more modern aesthetic.

Star Wars: Millennium Falcon  Smugglers Run, meanwhile, opened in Disney's Hollywood Studios on August 29, 2019 as part of the park's new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge area.

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An interactive motion simulator that allows visitors to "pilot" Han Solo's legendary freight ship, the ride unfolds as a fast-paced adventure straight out of George Lucas' sci-fi franchise, similar in some ways to Epcot's fan-favorite Mission: SPACE.

The news comes as Disney similarly confirmed some exciting new developments for some of their many well-loved attractions.

The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios, for example, will undergo a major overhaul next year, replacing the legendary rock band Aerosmith with Jim Henson's colorful Muppets.

Likewise, at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Zootopia: Better Zoogether! will officially open inside the Tree of Life, replacing the former Bug's Life-themed attraction, It's Tough to Be a Bug!

This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jo Whitfield will succeed Andy Higginson as BRC chair on 2 October 2025. Higginson has been the chair since September 2023.

Whitfield, who is taking over as BRC chair at a time when the UK retail sector faces potential impacts from various UK government policies, has 25 years of experience in the retail sector. Her career includes notable positions at Matalan, the Co-operative Group, and Asda.

Currently, Whitfield holds roles as non-executive and audit chair at Asda and as non-executive and chair of ethics committee at Factory International, which oversees the Manchester International Festival.

Whitfield also founded and chaired the Grocery Girls not for profit network and served as an advisor and retail sector lead for the Womens Business Council.

Her advocacy efforts alongside the BRC have been pivotal in driving legislative changes aimed at enhancing safety measures for retail workers.

Whitfield said: Retail is an incredibly valuable industry, employing over 3m people who support their families through their work.

Retailers are at the heart of communities, and were acutely aware of the many government policies currently under consideration that could either support or hinder our industry. This is a critical moment for us all and now more than ever, we need a strong, united voice. I look forward to working closely with Helen and the team to ensure the interests of our industry are championed and protected.

BRC also announced the appointment of Eve Williams as the non-executive director of the BRC board.

Williams' background includes executive positions in marketing and customer engagement at eBay UK and Asos.

In 2023, she took on the role of VP and general manager for eBay UK's operations and has contributed to various boards including the eBay Foundation and committees within the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: Jo and Eve join the board as we deal with multiple public policy headwinds and more to do on big issues like climate change, inclusion, and creating the right environment for growth and investment. I know how passionate they both are on these areas and particularly on people so its great to welcome two more women to our board and our first female chair.

The BRC represents a significant portion of UK retail, with membership encompassing over 200 retailers and brands, along with numerous smaller retailers through association members.

"BRC names new chair to drive advocacy amid UK policy changes" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand.
Recently, I wrote an article sharing stories from both doctors and patients about the "mild symptoms" that could actually point to something quite serious. While this isn't medical advice, I definitely think it's worth it to be aware of any potential mild issues that can morph into something far more dramatic; so, when the article got a good response, I decided it'd be worthwhile to share even more people's stories. Here are some of the most interesting:

1."I had a weird 'double' heartbeat and was getting ready to go to urgent care, but it went away. Had it again two months later, and it didnt go away. Turns out I couldve died from low blood pressure because it was SVT  supraventricular tachycardia. All the doctors and nurses said its always a 911 situation. They gave me a shot to stop my heart so my body could reset it."

Tomasz Krzysztofek / Getty Images

Anonymous, 41, Wisconsin

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2."Unexplained jaw and ear pain. My best friend had what felt like a dreadful toothache, and nothing seemed to help."

Elena Perova / Getty Images, Manusapon Kasosod / Getty Images

"He had two wisdom teeth out (which, admittedly, were growing sideways and could have been the cause), but the pain didn't improve and got so bad he could barely function, often vomiting and crying because of it.

He kept getting passed between his doctor and dentist, each one insisting it was or wasn't a dental problem, but what nobody picked up on was that this type of pain can actually be an indicator of heart problems.

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He had one heart attack without even knowing it, and the second one landed him in the hospital, where a complex heart issue was finally diagnosed. He was due to have a corrective procedure a month later, but it was delayed for two months due to the NHS being underfunded/understaffed (this is the UK). He died in his sleep of a third heart attack, the day the operation should have originally happened. He was 39.

When I later told my uncle, an orthodontist, what had happened, he said that any doctor OR dentist worth their salt should have immediately seen the jaw and ear pain as a big red flag and advised him to get investigated for heart problems."

Anonymous, 42, UK

Related: My Doctor Forced Me To Do Something Disturbing. It Kept Me From Seeking Further Medical Care For Years.

3."I was exhausted and achy all the time. Figured it was low vitamin D. Turns out I have an adenoma on my parathyroid gland."

Salah Uddin / Getty Images

Anonymous, 42, South Carolina

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4."One breast was larger than the other. I went for a mammogram and was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer."

NBC

Anonymous, 76, Maryland

5."I was with my husband and walking our dog when suddenly a 'floater' that I had in my eye seemed to burst into micro floaters, and I lost some of my peripheral vision in my left eye. When I turned the lights out to go to sleep that night, I could see a light from my eye that lit up the room."

Lightscribe / Getty Images

"The next morning, I called my eye doctor, and they saw me as an emergency. I had a detached retina and required eye surgery that day. If I had waited any longer, it could have been permanent and irreversible. If you have any of these symptoms, get immediate help!"

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Anonymous

6."Joint pain in children. My BFFs son had terrible pain in one of his legs, and he was diagnosed with leukemia after tests were run."

nostalgiccupcake717

7."If you have severe pain in your gut  not necessarily your stomach, but pain that feels like terrible gas  GO TO THE ER. You could have an intestinal blockage, and those require emergency surgery. My stepbrother recently had to be life-flighted to a hospital from his little fishing cabin. Thank god he had a friend with him."

NBC

nostalgiccupcake717

Related: "I Can't Wait For This To Go Out Of Style": People Are Sharing Popular Modern Trends That Are Actually Pretty Toxic

8."Pay attention to calf pain. If you haven't done anything to injure yourself and it doesn't get better, it could be a blood clot."

Boonchai Wedmakawand / Getty Images

"It could eventually get swollen, red, and hot to the touch. When I had them in my lungs (because I let the calf pain go too long before getting checked out), I was fine walking and sitting still, but going up a flight of steps left me severely out of breath. Turns out I have Factor V Leiden (a clotting factor) and can't take any type of hormones. I was on birth control at the time."

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mishybp73

9."Abdominal pain that lurks and moves. I dismissed it as period pain for a week, which then moved into what I thought was full-on 'upset stomach' (loo on standby) pain, but it became so bad I ended up in A&E (accident and emergency department). Apparently, this is how acute appendicitis progresses and won't actually hurt where the appendix is located...well, that is, until the surgeon presses on it to be sure. Within two hours, I was on morphine and later that day being wheeled into surgery to have it removed."

Jazzirt / Getty Images, ABC

"Thank you, NHS! "

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Anonymous, 46, Essex, UK

10."A while ago, my mother was feeling weird jaw aches and stabbing pains in her shoulders. Long story short, it was a heart attack."

Rawlstock / Getty Images

Anonymous

11."My dear friend started to lose vision in one of her eyes. After a long hospital stay, a litany of tests, and no answers, a doctor thought to check her breasts. She had cancer."

"She fought and went into remission for years. Sadly, it came back and not much later, she passed. Her name was Sonja, and she was a wonderful human being. Much better than most. "

Anonymous, 39, American South

Related: Medical Professionals Are Sharing "Mundane" Things That Actually Make So Many People Sick

12."Id been told I have arthritis of the spine for years. This past February, the pain got so bad that I couldnt get out of bed for two weeks. Went to my GP, who sent me for an X-ray. I sit here now, starting my final chemo treatment next week for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. My scans are clear because my doctor took me seriously. He is a good man."

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NBC

Anonymous, 78, Mississippi

13."Sudden and increasing clumsiness. See a neurologist."

Filippobacci / Getty Images

"My doc said to stop wearing heels; a few months later, I was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down with transverse myelitis (cured) and Neuromyelitis Optica (chronic)."

Anonymous, 39 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

14."Always get your yearly physical and bloodwork. I had no symptoms, but my bloodwork revealed elevated levels in my liver, which led to finding a massive adenoma in my liver. It wasn't cancerous, but the size was so big that if it ruptured, I was told I could die from internal bleeding. Literally no symptoms or pains, only found through bloodwork, which is scary."

Sebastian Kaulitzki / Getty Images

Anonymous, 34, New York

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15."When I was pregnant with my first child, I was vomiting way more than usual and getting really painful burps that felt like I was being stabbed in the chest. My OB told me, 'Oh, its only heartburn,' after trying every anti-nausea medicine possible."

"Flash forward two months later  four weeks after giving birth  it was still happening to the point that I went to the ER at 4 in the morning. They found my gallbladder was full of stones and needed emergency surgery to be removed before it ruptured. Apparently, the surgeon told me post-op, gallstones are common with pregnancy."

Anonymous, 40, Florida

16."Persistent coughing. My aunt was coughing a bunch, and just thought she had a lingering cold and kept taking cold medicine. It turned out to be lung cancer. She was a non-smoker and didnt consider the possibility. She passed away a couple months ago."

Mr.suphachai Praserdumrongchai / Getty Images

Anonymous, 19, Seattle

Related: People Are Sharing Their Biggest "How Doesn't Everyone Know This?" Facts, And I'm Honestly Embarrassed I Never Realized Some Of These

17."I noticed a red bump that I thought was a spider bite crust over on my leg. Every time something bumped against it, I felt nauseated with pain. My dog became more protective and anxious at this time and followed me everywhere. He licked the bump until it opened up (gross, I know) and revealed a small hole in my leg."

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Pop TV / CBC Television

"I went to urgent care and they sent me straight to the ER, where I was diagnosed with MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). I spent a week in the hospital being treated, and was told my hero dog saved my life. I still wonder how he knew to be worried about it."

Anonymous, 46, Alexandria, Virginia

18."If youre pregnant and you have unexplained headaches or heartburn that dont go away, go get checked ASAP, even if your last OBGYN appointment was normal."

Halfpoint Images / Getty Images

"I had preeclampsia and Stage 2 HELLP syndrome at 26 weeks, and those were my only symptoms. When I went to the ER, my blood pressure was in the 200s/110s. Im lucky I never had a seizure or a stroke.

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Three and a half years later, my son and I are both doing well. I still have high blood pressure despite consistent exercise, though, and Ive also learned that I have genetically high cholesterol."

Anonymous, 35, Kentucky

19."Having food 'pause' as its going down. Esophageal cancer is deadly! Dont ignore the symptoms."

Mr.suphachai Praserdumrongchai / Getty Images

Anonymous, 50, Western New York

If you made it to the end of this article, congratulations! I myself am sitting here horrified, but I'm glad I read these  it's so important to know the red flag symptoms to look out for.

If you have any thoughts, tell me about 'em in the comments  even better if you have a "mild symptom" story of your own to share. Or, if you have a story to share but prefer to remain anonymous, you can check out this anonymous form! Who knows  your story could be included in a future BuzzFeed article.

Also in Goodful: A Study Has Revealed The Biggest Risk Factors For Getting Early Dementia, And Knowledge Is Power

Also in Goodful: People Are Correcting Super Common "Fun Facts" That Everyone Keeps Repeating, But Are Actually False

Also in Goodful: I Had An Abortion  And Didn't Realize It Until Several Weeks Later

Read it on BuzzFeed.com
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT)  The Army Contracting Command and the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation on Redstone Arsenal were named the contracting activities for three contracts last week.

In the week of August 25-August 29, four contracts are to be contracted by or worked on in the Huntsville area, three of which are on Redstone Arsenal.

You can view all of those contracts below.

Army

ACC was named the contracting activity for a $14,539,626 contract modification for Total Computer Solutions Inc. The modification to the contract is for programmatic support services for the Utility Helicopters Project Office. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $14,539,626, the Department of Defense states.

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Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026.

Navy

Hexagon US Federal Inc., a Huntsville company, was awarded an $87,473,958 firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract for the procurement of Surface Ship Situational Awareness, Boundary Enforcement and Response computing hardware production, spare parts, and engineering support.

The DOD said work will be performed in Huntsville and is expected to be completed by November 2028. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Army

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, of Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $1,700,200,000 modification to support the low-rate initial production of Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Systems. This action brings the cumulative total face value of the contract to $3,789,400,000.

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Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 28, 2029, the DOD said.

Fiscal 2025 Foreign Military Sales (Poland) funds in the amount of $397,410,000; and fiscal 2025 missile procurement, Army funds in the amount of $435,690,000, were obligated at the time of the award.

Defense Logistics Agency

Sysco Central Alabama, in Calera, was awarded a maximum $33,103,659 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food and beverage items.

This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 251-day bridge contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is May 16, 2026. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the DOD contract says.

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The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Defense Logistics Agency

The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation at Redstone Arsenal was named the contracting activity for a contract out of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Wulco Inc. was awarded a minimum $25,259,500 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a three-year long-term, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPRRA2-25-R-0016 for the Objective Commanders Weapon Station.

This was a competitive acquisition with ten responses received. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. The delivery order completion date is Sept. 30, 2026. Using customers are Army and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 Army procurement funds, the DOD said.

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You can read more about DOD contracts on its website here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
Fall is for the dogs at the Delaware beaches.

The rules relax come September, allowing man's best friend to accompany their owners on the sand and in the surf once again.

Here's what to know about dogs in each Delaware beach town, but keep in mind: There is a statewide law requiring dogs be leashed at all times, except on their owner's property or on private property with permission. Otherwise, service (not emotional support) dogs are generally exempt from these rules.

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Fighting animal abuse: Delaware governor signs bill creating online animal abuser list

Lewes

From May 1 to Sept. 30 in Lewes, dogs are allowed on the beach before 8 a.m. and after 6:30 p.m. only. After that, dogs are welcome on the sand all day.

A dog frolics on the beach at Fenwick Island State Park Aug. 14, 2025.

Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth Beach does not allow dogs on the beach or boardwalk in the summertime, from May 1 to Sept. 30. They're welcome in both places in the off-season.

Dewey Beach

From the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through the Sunday following Labor Day (Sept. 7 this year), dogs are permitted on Dewey Beach before 9:30 a.m. and after 5:30 p.m. only. In the off-season, they're allowed on the beach all day.

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Dogs are actually permitted off-leash on Dewey Beach, but all dogs in Dewey must have a town license. You can purchase a temporary or lifetime dog license online or at the kiosk in front of Town Hall on Rodney Avenue bayside.

Pups: 17 Delaware dog parks that deserve a round of a-paws

Bethany Beach

In Bethany Beach, dogs are prohibited on the beach and boardwalk from May 15 to Sept. 30. They're permitted all day in the off-season.

Delaware State Parks

Whether dogs are allowed on state park beaches is complicated.

By Delaware law, dogs are not allowed on state park swimming beaches between May 1 and Sept. 30. That includes the south side beach at the Indian River Inlet and the Tower Road/New Road beach in Delaware Seashore State Park, the main beach at Cape Henlopen State Park and the southernmost beach at Fenwick Island State Park.

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Delaware dogs: New law begins Oct. 9 aimed at your neighbor's dog who barks, and barks, and barks

After Sept. 30, dogs are allowed on all state park beaches except for the southern end of Beach Plum Island and the bayside of The Point at Cape Henlopen.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Dogs are allowed back on the Delaware beaches soon. Here's when
An 11-year-old Texas boy has died after being shot in the back when he allegedly attempted a door-knocking prank on a neighbor, police said.

The shooting unfolded around 10:55 p.m. on Saturday at a home in southeast Houston, Shay Awosiyan, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, told ABC News.

The child, who police initially said was 10 years old, was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday, according to a statement released by police. The boy's name was being withheld by police pending an autopsy.

KTRK - PHOTO: Homicide detectives search for evidence, Sept. 1, 2025, outside a Houston home where an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot after playing a door-knocking prank on a neighbor.

"Officers were told the male was ringing doorbells of homes in the area and running away. A witness stated the male was running from a house, after ringing the doorbell, just prior to suffering a gunshot wound," Houston homicide detectives said.

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One person detained for questioning had been released, but was detained again as a possible suspect in the shooting after police were notified around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday that the child had died, Sgt. Michael Cass of the Houston Police Department said at a news conference on Sunday.

Cass said it was unclear if the man being detained was the owner of the home where the deadly door-knocking prank occurred.

A search warrant was served on the home, and Cass said a significant amount of weapons were found inside the house.

"The possible suspect has been detained and interviewed but not yet formally charged," Cass said.

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Cass said the victim, who lived about a block away, was running away from the house with at least two friends when a witness saw a man exit the home with what appeared to be a handgun and fire multiple rounds in their direction.

After being hit in the back, the victim ran about a block before collapsing in the street, Cass said.

The prank allegedly committed in Houston is similar to what's being dubbed the "Door Kicking Challenge," a national trend based on an old prank called "Ding Dong Ditch," in which groups of kids record videos of themselves kicking and banging on doors of homes and apartments before running away and then posting the videos on social media platforms such as TikTok.

In July, a 58-year-old Texas homeowner was arrested and charged with aggravated assault when he allegedly fired multiple rounds at a vehicle fleeing his home in Frisco after someone banged on the front door, according to a statement from the Frisco Police Department.

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MORE: School shooting hoaxes: Experts underscore the seriousness of these crimes, penalties at stake

The driver of the car that was shot at around 10:50 p.m. on July 28 and two passengers contacted police to file a complaint, showing officers three bullet holes in the vehicle, according to police.

"However, during subsequent interviews, all admitted to ding, dong, ditching in a random neighborhood when they were confronted by a male with a firearm," the Frisco police said in a statement.

In June, police in Chandler, Arizona, released video footage of a group of juveniles committing the "Door Kicking Challenge,'' alleging the group pulled the prank on the same home at least 18 times, prompting the homeowner to move out.

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"Let's be clear: These 'pranks' can have serious consequences and lead to charges such as criminal damage, disorderly conduct, or harassment," the Chandler Police Department said in a message to parents in the community. "Parents -- please take a moment to talk with your children. Know where they are, who they're with, and what they're doing."

MORE: 35 shot over weekend in Chicago as governor rejects Trump's threat to send in National Guard

Police in Fort Worth, Texas, posted a similar community message in May after receiving more than 20 complaints of young people committing the "Door Kicking Challenge."

"It can be mistaken as an attempted break-in, potentially prompting dangerous or defensive responses from homeowners," the Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement. "What may seem like a prank can result in very real trouble and/or danger."
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI)  Police are investigating after a driver crashed into a utility pole in Attleboro on Saturday.

Officials said the car veered off the road, hit a fence and collided with the pole around 2:40 p.m. near the intersection of North Avenue and Deanville Road.

The driver, a 67-year-old woman, was treated for her injuries before being taken to Rhode Island Hospital.

Photos from the Attleboro Fire Department show the fence splintered and the vehicle with heavy front-end damage. National Grid crews responded to the scene, but no repairs were needed, and power in the area was not affected.

Fence damaged after crash in Attleboro on Aug. 30, 2025. (Courtesy: Attleboro Fire Department)

Car damaged after crashing into utility pole in Attleboro on Aug. 30, 2025. (Courtesy: Attleboro Fire Department)

NEXT: New Bedford woman seriously injured in I-95 crash

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A person was killed late Saturday night when their car crashed into a parked car in Lawrence, the Essex County District Attorneys Office said Sunday evening.

A 2004 Honda Accord crashed into a parked 2003 Honda Accord near the intersection of Ames and Butler Streets around 11:45 p.m., the district attorneys office said in a press release. The driver was declared dead at the scene.

Lawrence and State Police and the state Chief Medical Examiners Office are investigating the crash, the district attorneys office said. No further information  including the identity of the driver  has been released.

More News

Read the original article on MassLive.
WESTBOROUGH, Mass. (WWLP)  A car was shot at during a road rage incident on the Mass Pike in Westborough on Sunday.

Three found shot and killed in Watertown multi-family home

NBC Boston states that Massachusetts State troopers were notified about a road rage incident at around 7:15 p.m. on Sunday on the Mass Pike. One person stated that an individual in another vehicle shot at them, which resulted in a visible bullet hole in their car.

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The shooter drove away, and the victim exited the Mass Pike into the Westborough Service Plaza, where they confirmed to troopers that they did not need medical attention.

The victims vehicle was secured as evidence for the investigation. If anyone has information, call 508-929-3232.

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
Debris from a downed Ukrainian drone caused a fire at a power substation in the town of Kropotkin in Russias Krasnodar Krai, local authorities reported in the early hours of Sept. 1. The blaze was quickly contained, and "preliminary reports indicate no injuries," the regional administration said on Telegram.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims. Officials did not immediately disclose the scale of the strike or the extent of any damage.

Air raid alerts sounded for hours overnight across several regions in southern and southwestern Russia, according to statements posted on official Telegram channels.

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Russias aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said flights at airports in Saratov, Volgograd, and other cities were temporarily suspended to ensure air safety.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure in the region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, particularly taking aim at Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure as part of its strategy to undermine funding for the Kremlin's war chest.

A few days earlier, Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar and Samara regions, according to the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.

Russian Telegram channels reported explosions were heard by local residents starting 2:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 30 in Krasnodar Krai, amid reports of drones flying overhead. Videos posted to social media appear to show a large blazes emanating from a both oil refineries.

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Krasnodar Krai, situated just east of occupied Crimea and separated by the Kerch Strait, has become an increasingly frequent target of Ukrainian drone strikes. The region's military infrastructure is critical for Russia's air operations in the south and over the Black Sea.

Read also: Russia says the quiet part out loud  war in Ukraine to continue, more mass bombings of cities

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Bubs Australia's (ASX:BUB) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Bubs Australia, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.10 = AU$4.5m  (AU$57m - AU$14m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025).

So, Bubs Australia has an ROCE of 10%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Food industry average of 11%.

Check out our latest analysis for Bubs Australia

ASX:BUB Return on Capital Employed September 1st 2025

In the above chart we have measured Bubs Australia's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Bubs Australia .

What Does the ROCE Trend For Bubs Australia Tell Us?

It's great to see that Bubs Australia has started to generate some pre-tax earnings from prior investments. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's turned around, earning 10% which is no doubt a relief for some early shareholders. At first glance, it seems the business is getting more proficient at generating returns, because over the same period, the amount of capital employed has reduced by 70%. Bubs Australia could be selling under-performing assets since the ROCE is improving.

For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. The current liabilities has increased to 24% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. Keep an eye out for future increases because when the ratio of current liabilities to total assets gets particularly high, this can introduce some new risks for the business.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Happy Labor Day, Utah! Were looking at plenty of sunshine and above average temperatures to kick off the week! High temperatures will climb into the lower 90s for the Wasatch Front and into the low 100s for SW Utah. Any rain will stay well away from the Beehive state which will allow for great conditions for any of your outdoor plans.

Tuesday will bring more sunshine across most of northern Utah, with a few extra clouds building across far SW Utah. While most of us will remain dry on our Tuesday, SW Utah will begin to see a few pop-up afternoon showers developing. These will be few and far between, but the chance will be there for the afternoon hours. High temperatures will remain above average with low 90s for the Wasatch Front. Highs will still be around 100 for SW Utah.

Moisture will begin to ramp up across southern Utah on Wednesday with isolated showers and storms developing during the afternoon hours. Northern Utah will likely remain dry through midweek with highs in the lower 90s. Highs for SW Utah will begin to dip back into the upper 90s for highs.

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The chances of isolated storms will begin to increase a bit across northern Utah by late-week. Look for partly cloudy skies with isolated storms for the Wasatch Front. Partly to mostly cloudy skies will be common for southern Utah with increasing chances for scattered afternoon and evening showers and storms. High temperatures fall back into the upper 80s to near 90 for the Wasatch Front and only in the mid 90s for SW Utah.

The early weekend outlook is looking a bit unsettled across Utah. Moisture surging north around and area of high pressure will keep scattered showers and storms in the forecast. The chance for showers and storms may increase a bit through the weekend into early next week. Temperatures will respond to the extra clouds and rain chances with highs along the Wasatch Front only in the mid 80s for the weekend, and only in the lower 90s for SW Utah.

Well keep you posted on the latest updates in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Each year, nearly 5 million children around the world die before the age of 5, including more than 2 million newborns.

Many of these deaths are preventable through high-quality hospital-based care. But even routine devices such as syringe pumps and phototherapy lights that are crucial to achieve this level of careand standard in most U.S. hospitalsare often inaccessible or difficult to use in low- and middle-income countries.

Developing medical devices that are suitable for these regions is no small featconsidering the devices must be affordable, easy to use, and functional in environments that might have extreme temperatures, high levels of dust, or frequent power outages.

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To meet this need, a team led by Kellogg sustainability and social impact professors Kara Palamountain and Rebecca Kirby turned to an approach often employed by health agencies. Through field research and input from clinicians, NGOs, manufacturers, and researchers, they developed 15 target product profiles that detail the ideal specifications and cost requirements for producing newborn medical devices that are appropriately tailored for low-resource settings.

Since the researchers published the product profiles in 2020, many companies and NGOs have relied on them to create new devices or adapt existing technologies for low-resource settings. To date, thousands of these devices have been purchased and installed in hospitals throughout Africa.

We have seen product developers adopt these profiles, and others have told us that they have referenced them and made changes to ensure their products meet the requirements, Palamountain says. It has shown governments how they can invest in newborn health and save lives.

More broadly, leaders can use these product profiles, and the process the researchers used to create them, as a blueprint to address shortcomings in many other markets. By bringing together experts from both the supply and demand sides of a given market, we were able to facilitate a healthy dialogue and bridge the gap where there previously may have been high transaction costs or information gaps, Kirby says.

Defining needs

For their research, Kirby and Palamountain partnered with UNICEF and NEST360, an international alliance working to reduce preventable newborn deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

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The teams collective goal was to support the United Nations plan to reduce newborn mortality rates to fewer than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030which would avert potentially millions of deaths.

They began by reviewing WHO guidelines to identify which medical devices were most critical for small and sick newborns. In all, they identified 15 broad categories for devices that could help manage nutrition and drug delivery, treat jaundice, monitor and diagnose conditions, provide respiratory support, and check and control temperature for newborns.

We didnt worry about whether the product existed already or not, Palamountain says. For many of these categories, an adult version existedlike a glucometer for adult diabeticsbut they did not have the right specifications for newborns.

Then the researchers spoke with experts and conducted field observations to define the minimal and optimal characteristics for the effective performance of devices in each of the 15 categories. They took into account both environmental factors and human factors that might not exist in wealthier or more urbanized countries.

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For example, they noted that oxygen concentrators must be able to function in areas exposed to high levels of dust. And that a newborn unit might not have enough nurses to take every babys temperature during each shift. You might then design a thermometer that continuously measures the babys temperature and alerts the nurse through some visual cue that the baby is too cold, Palamountain says.

They used this information to draft 15 target product profiles, each detailing features and technical requirements for the desired type of device. Then, they had more than 100 key stakeholders in newborn care in low- and middle-income regionsincluding clinicians, advocacy organizations, manufacturers, and technical agenciesreview the drafts online and discuss them in an in-person meeting.

By the end of this process, the reviewers came to a consensus on 97 percent of the 668 performance characteristics highlighted in the 15 product profiles, from a devices critical features to its price. In other words, most of the stakeholders eventually agreed on the vast majority of characteristics that these newborn medical devices needed to have.

In many of these settings, theres a lot of need and some demand, Palamountain says. And the healthcare device market is not as profitable in these countries. So you need a process like this to bridge the supply and demand, to show manufacturers what is needed and at what price point they need to be.

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Indeed, Kirby says that it was challenging, at times, to achieve consensus on price because different geographies are more accepting of various price points.

Price points can be difficult to establish since they include not only manufacturing, shipping, and maintenance costs for the medical devices, but also tricky trade-offs. For instance, in areas where outages are common, hospitals could request manufacturers add battery use as a feature to devices that require constant power, but that might considerably increase their price. Alternatively, a hospital could invest in a backup generator for the hospital that would allow it to purchase several more cost-effective devices without the added battery feature.

These are the kind of trade-offs that different countries make, Palamountain says.

Research with impact

The researchers target product profiles were published on the UNICEF website in April 2020 and have since been viewed more than 7,000 times as of 2023. Their work also recently received the Academic Research with Impact award from the Financial Times.

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Now, over five years later, manufacturers and buyers continue to reference the profiles when developing or considering new devices. Device manufacturer Neopenda, for example, referenced several of the researchers target product profiles for its new vital signs monitor. Palladium International, working on behalf of the USAID Integrated Health Program, incorporated parts of several profiles into its offer to purchase training materials on caring for small and sick newborns.

In all, the researchers have identified 38 newborn medical devicesboth new and updatedin 13 different product categories where manufacturers used the teams recommendations.

Palamountain and Kirby continue to monitor the devices to evaluate their lifespan and to ensure that hospital technicians and bioengineers have the necessary training to maintain and repair them.

We dont just stop and say, Here are the devices, Kirby says. We want to make sure that the devices are actually useful and that the staff are trained properly. We want to make sure that we are truly making an impact.

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The ultimate measure of success will be whether the devices help reduce newborn deaths in these countries.

But a true health-system approach is needed to hit the target, Palamountain says. We cant hit the target if the hospitals dont have the supporting infrastructure and human resources to use and support the devices, which is where the other parts of NEST360 and government collaboration come into play.

Addressing gaps beyond healthcare

The projects early success shows how strategic planning principles that may be intuitive in a business setting can be applied toward solving public-health challenges.

The researchers extensive and communal approachin which they combined the insight of experts from many countries on both the demand and supply side of medical devicescould help address gaps in markets beyond healthcare, the professors say.

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One of the keys to this approach is getting buy-in from stakeholders on both sides of a given product marketfrom manufacturers to users. In order to engage these groups well and translate what each side needs into a cohesive product, you need to be curious and humble, according to the researchers.

You need to be a good listener and ask what might sound like stupid questions, Palamountain says. You need to have good translators to understand the issues on each side. And MBAs in general are good translators who can coordinate across disciplines. Having someone like that running this process is invaluable. It is so inspiring to see the impact of the TPPs helping to save newborn lives.
Edgar Feuchtwanger, who has died aged 100, came to Britain from Nazi Germany aged 14 and became a historian, focusing mainly on 19th-century European history.

In 2012 he teamed up with the French writer Bertil Scali to publish Hitler, mon voisin, translated into English in 2017 as Hitler, My Neighbor: Memories of a Jewish Childhood 1929-1939, in which he recalled how, in 1929, Adolf Hitler moved from a modest flat in central Munich to a more expensive one on the third floor of No 16 Prinzregentenplatz, opposite the flat where he and his parents lived, and described, in diaristic vignettes, his 10 years of living alongside a man who would become the modern personification of evil.

Some reviewers complained that Feuchtwangers memories of his passing encounters and glimpses of the most infamous man in history were humdrum, even dull. But that was precisely the point, as Feuchtwanger explained in a 2012 article in The Jewish Chronicle.

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It had been a problem, he wrote, to keep apart what I saw as a child from what is now known. Because when Hitler was my neighbour, the worst still lay ahead.

Here was Hitler, the centre of it all, but through my childish eyes, most of what I saw was part of everyday life and could make him seem almost normal, human.

Feuchtwanger, one reviewer observed, was too good a historian to paint the Fuhrer in garish colours, because that was not how he appeared at the time. I knew that [Hitler] was no good for us. But I wouldnt say I was terrified, Feuchtwanger said. After all, What nobody knew was that he was going to turn the whole world upside down.

When he came to Britain the young Edgar brought with him notebooks from his days at the Gebele School in Munich, filled with assignments on patriotic themes. In one, from 1934, he honoured Hitler on his 45th birthday by pasting in a glowering portrait of the Fuhrer, adorned with a Nazi eagle and swastika. Just think, it was a Jewish child who did this, he said.

After the 1935 Nuremberg race laws, he began to be shunned by his schoolmates - Kinowelt Home Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection

Its hard to conceive now that Hitler, to us the embodiment of the diabolical, was an actual person living in a flat, Feuchtwanger wrote. How could the man I saw in such ordinary circumstances, surrounded by a banal gang of hangers-on deliberately murder six million Jews and unleash a war that killed millions more?

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As he saw it, the German experience had wider implications: When societies are plunged into crisis and citizens become paranoid, it is time for vigilance. Nasty things creep out of the woodwork. The veneer of civilisation turns out to be thin. Scapegoats are sought; too often they have been the Jews.

Edgar Feuchtwanger was born in Munich on September 28 1924, only child of Ludwig Feuchtwanger, director of Duncker & Humblot, a publishing house specialising in books on economics and sociology, and Erna, nee Rheinstrom. His family were secular Jews with roots in Bavaria going back centuries, and his memoir recalled country picnics and sunny family holidays in what seemed to be an idyllic pre-war Germany.

He was five when he saw the future Chancellor of Germany for the first time, stepping out of a black limousine.

Some time later, Feuchtwanger was taking a walk with his nanny Rosie when Hitler emerged from a building and got into a limousine. He looked at me quite benevolently, because he had no clue who I was, he recalled. People in the street shouted immediately, Heil Hitler! But he didnt salute back. He just lifted his hat a little bit. And then he got into the car.

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If Hitler had known who Edgar was, his response would have been rather different. Edgars uncle Lion Feuchtwanger was, at the time, probably the most-read novelist in Germany. A friend of Berthold Brecht, he was the author of Jud Suss (1925, Suss, the Jew), a historical novel about the financial adviser to the 18th-century Duke Carl Alexander of Wurttemberg. But in 1930 he published a more controversial work, Erfolg (Success), a scathing satire of the Nazi leader which would feature prominently in the book-burnings of 1933.

That year Hitler became chancellor  to the surprise of the Feuchtwangers, Edgar recalled, who saw him as a ridiculous figure. Lion was on a reading tour in America at the time. He did not return to Germany, where his citizenship had been revoked, but took up residence in southern France, fleeing to the United States after the German invasion.

For Edgars immediate family, things changed more slowly. Edgars mother complained that she could not get milk because the milkman was diverting extra bottles to Hitler; SS guards took up positions outside the Fuhrers residence; pedestrians were made to cross to the other side of the street. After the Nuremberg race laws were enacted in 1935, the Feuchtwangers lost their staff and Edgar his nanny Rosie. His father lost his job at the publishing house.

Young Edgar became accustomed to the sound of jackboots and slamming car doors and looked out of the window as motorcades of black Mercedes limousines came and went. Even as a small boy I could sense the tremendous, hot tension there was around, he wrote. Sometimes he would join the crowds to see what was going on.

Feuchtwanger with his book Hitler, My Neighbour - MIGUEL MEDINA

At his primary school Edgar experienced little overt anti-Semitism, though his class teacher was 150 per cent Nazi. He was not expected to join the Hitler Youth, obligatory for non-Jewish pupils, but he was expected to take part in school rallies with an arm outstretched in the Nazi salute: The way you got through it was to rest your arm on the shoulder of the chap in front of you.

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By the time he entered the Maximilian Gymnasium in 1935, however, the Nuremberg race laws had come into force and his schoolmates turned against him because they did not want to be friends with Jews.

Ludwig Feuchtwanger continued to hope that German Jews could reach some sort of accommodation with the regime  until Kristallnacht on November 9-10 1938, when synagogues were set on fire, Jewish shops were destroyed and Jews were sent to concentration camps, among them Ludwig himself, who was seized and sent to Dachau.

Six weeks passed, during which Erna Feuchtwanger did everything she could to get her husband out. Then suddenly  and surprisingly, given his relationship to Lion  he was released.

With money from Lion and other relations, they were able to obtain a family visa for Britain at a cost of 1,000, a vast sum at the time, and on February 14 1939 Edgar boarded a train bound for London. His father accompanied him as far as the Dutch border then returned to Munich to arrange for the rest of the family to follow. Nearly all the Feuchtwangers escaped, though Edgars favourite aunt was deported to Theresienstadt and later died in Auschwitz.

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In England Edgar stayed with a family in Cornwall. He quickly learnt the language and won a scholarship to Winchester College. His parents settled in Winchester, where his father died in 1947 and his mother got by as a seamstress, later becoming a figure in local social life.

From 1944 to 1947 Edgar read history at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he later took a PhD in 19th-century British history. For a while he taught for the Workers Educational Association in the Winchester area before joining the Adult Education Department of University of Southampton. He taught there for three decades, becoming one of the history departments longest-serving staff members.

Much of his academic research focused on 19th-century British and German history, including biographies of Gladstone, Disraeli and Bismarck. However his childhood experiences brought a valuable perspective to his From Weimar to Hitler (1993).

His final book, Kinderbriefe aus dem Exil: Edgar Feuchtwanger in England 1939, a compilation of letters he wrote to his parents while he waited for them to join him in England, was published in Germany last year, with his daughter Antonia Cox. An English version is due next spring.

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In 2003 Feuchtwanger was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit and in 2021 he was appointed OBE for services to Anglo-German understanding and history.

In 1962 he married Primrose Essame, the daughter of a British Army major-general. She died in 2012 and he is survived by their two daughters and a son.

Edgar Feuchtwanger, born September 28 1924, died August 22 2025

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Like many other parts of the country, the Chicago area has a housing affordability and availability problem.

Much of the focus on improving the situation has been on the city itself, understandably so given that its the third largest metropolis in the land. But, without the same sort of fanfare, theres quite an intense housing debate happening too in the suburbs, particularly North Shore municipalities better known for exclusivity than rolling out the welcome mat for those who arent lawyers, doctors, corporate executives, asset managers, etc.

While its been a fitful process in many of those suburbs so far, making it easier for middle-class families to reside in cities and villages from Evanston to Highland Park has been close to the top of local issues of concern.

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Evanston is in the final stages of producing a new comprehensive plan that lays out a vision for development over the next two decades. Evanston officials have been debating the document for months, particularly how much emphasis to put on allowing for more density. Mayor Daniel Biss won reelection earlier this year on a platform calling for more multifamily housing over a candidate who opposed major changes in how Evanston currently is configured.

But debate has been pointed on even slight changes in wording as the City Council nears a final vote on the plan. Many Evanstonians favor increasing the housing supply in theory, but opposition quickly surfaces when developers attempt to turn the conceptual into reality.

Case in point: Evanstons Land Use Commission narrowly voted last Wednesday to recommend denial of a zoning application to build a 31-story, 430-unit apartment building in downtown Evanston. The tower would be among the tallest in all of Chicagos suburbs. All the apartments would be studios, 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms, with 86 of the units deemed affordable.

The commission isnt the last word on the project; the City Council will have that final say. But the 4-3 vote against the project reflected divisions within the community about growth. Speaking at the commission meeting, Chris Dillion, president of Chicago development firm Campbell Coyle (which isnt developing the 605 Davis project that was the subject of the proceeding), clearly was frustrated: Downtown Evanston cannot be preserved for only those who already are here. We need to make room for everyone, he said, according to the Evanston RoundTable.

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A majority of commissioners nonetheless thought the project was too big.

Therein lies the quandary. Evanston, featuring many of the urban amenities people enjoy in Chicago while accompanied by a suburban lifestyle and a well-regarded school system, is an attractive place to live. Many who are successful enough to afford to live there would prefer it stay as it is. Striking that delicate balance between preservation and dynamism is hard. And its not a science.

In Highland Park, another lakefront community about 14 miles north of Evanston, a fierce debate is underway about the redevelopment of a 28-acre vacant tract once the site of a Solo Cup factory. Prominent Chicago developer The Habitat Co. has proposed building 232 townhomes.

A recent meeting of the villages Plan Commission on the project featured pointed criticisms, jeering and disruptions from residents complaining about the usual things when substantial residential developments are proposed  traffic and the impact on schools. But one resident complained that because some of the units were envisioned as rentals, the new residents would be transient and not invested in the future of Highland Park, according to a Tribune report.

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The commission didnt vote on whether to recommend approval, but a majority of commissioners expressed misgivings. Habitat partner Kathie Jahnke Dale said that any major reduction in the density, which already had been scaled back from a prior proposal, would lead the developer to walk away, likely leaving the site vacant for another 15 years.

As of 2023, heads of more than 40% of Highland Park households were 65 or older, according to data from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Nearly 60% of households were headed by people aged 55 or higher.

Highland Park is part of Lake County. In the county as a whole, just 26% of households are led by those 65 or older and 46% are headed by those 55 and above.

More than 60% of the homeowners in Highland Park are households making more than $150,000. In Lake County as a whole, just 43% of homeowners are at that income level.

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This is not to pick on Highland Park. Similar statistical profiles apply to other North Shore suburbs.

It is to say, though, that the debate occurring via the comprehensive planning process in Evanston and project by project in other North Shore municipalities is a welcome one. We dont pretend that the trade-offs are easy, and we understand the desire of long-time residents to preserve the character of the leafy places theyve come to love.

By the way, that preservation urge goes well beyond proposals to build types of housing other than the typical suburban single-family home. In many of these suburbs, the prevalence of tearing down perfectly sound old single-family homes in order to build often-gaudy new structures has led to proposals to incentivize keeping more of the old housing stock, using tax breaks and other means. Glencoe, for example, is in the midst of such a debate.

We applaud those efforts, too, especially the use of incentives rather than regulation to encourage such preservation, often of classic, midcentury architecture.

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Every community, from Chicago to old-line suburbs like Evanston and Oak Park to more far-flung and newer suburban communities, should have a contribution to make in offering shelter more people can afford to buy. We appreciate that the debate is fully engaged in most places.

Now lets see more action. A Chicagoland where more people can live comfortably and within their means leads to an economically thriving, more dynamic region.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
An 85-year-old man out hiking with his wife and dog died in hospital after he was seriously injured when they were attacked by a herd of cows in the central Austrian municipality of Ramsau am Dachstein, police reported on Monday.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The 82-year-old woman is in hospital with serious injuries but is reported out of danger.

The couple from Vienna encountered a number of cows along with their calves on a forest path. The frightened cows then charged them, trampling them underfoot.

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Eyewitnesses and staff at a mountain hut gave first aid and called the emergency services.

Hikers in the Austrian mountains frequently have dangerous, sometimes fatal, encounters with cows. Cattle also see dogs as a threat.
Yemen's Houthi rebels arrested at least 11 United Nations staffers on Sunday in the capital Sanaa and the western city of Hodeidah, two of the Iran-backed group's strongholds, the UN envoy to the country said.

The Iran-backed Houthis have launched a wave of arrests after the prime minister and other senior members of government were killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday.

"I condemn the new wave of arbitrary arrests of UN staff members made in Sanaa and Hodeidah by (the Houthis) as well as the break-in at UN premises and the seizure of UN property," Hans Grudberg, UN envoy for Yemen, said in a statement.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also slammed the arrests.

"I strongly condemn the arbitrary arrests of at least 11 United Nations staff members by the de facto Houthi authorities in areas under their control," Guterres said.

The UN chief demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" of the employees arrested on Sunday.

Guterres also requested the release of "all other members of UN staff, international and national NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions" who have been detained since June 2024, as well as those still in Houthi jails since 2021.

Earlier, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced the arrest of one of its workers by Houthi rebels in Sanaa, expressing concern about the fate of further staff members of the agency in other parts of the country.

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After an Israeli raid in Sana'a on Thursday that killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, a Yemeni security source revealed to international media that seven WFP and three UNICEF staff were arrested after a raid on their offices.

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The UN shared in late January that eight of its Yemeni workers had been captured by the Houthis, who have already held dozens of UN and humanitarian workers since June 2024.

Those arrests last year led the UN to limit staff deployments and suspend operations in some areas of the Gulf peninsula's poorest country.
Mondays Top Stories

Mondays Five Facts

[1] Town of Estancia asking for more water infrastructure funding after setbacks  After months of water issues, the town of Estancia has announced that it finally has access to its well again, with plans to replace the old well soon. Mayor Nathan Dial stated that the problems have been escalating due to increased water usage in the area. He says the town has been working on securing a new well since 2017. Once approved, it would take between six to 18 months to complete construction of the new well.

[2] Arrest made in overnight NE Albuquerque homicide  APD arrested 56-year-old Keith Thompson in connection with a shooting. They say Thompson is accused of shooting a man during an argument in the parking lot at 525 San Pedro Dr. NE. Thompson is charged with an open count of murder and shooting at or from a motor vehicle and will be booked into MDC.

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[3] Labor Day storms, muggy, & breezy  Temperatures will continue to cool off slightly for Labor Day. Storms will bring a threat of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Lightning will also pose a risk to any outdoor activity. Tuesday will bring another round of isolated afternoon storms, especially in the mountains and nearby areas. A stronger backdoor cold front will move into the state from Tuesday to Wednesday. This front will bring an increase in low-level moisture and cooler temperatures.

[4] City of Albuquerque hosts IEEE Quantum Week Conference  This weekend the city of Albuquerque hosted the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Quantum Week Conference on Sunday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Event coordinators say more than 1,400 experts and students from around the world shared the latest breakthroughs in quantum computing. Organizers say the event will bring in about $1.5 million to the citys economy and highlight Albuquerques role in science and tech.

[5] State Fair tickets get Labor Day weekend discount  The New Mexico State Fair has a special promotion over Labor Day weekend, offering $4 admission tickets. The discounted tickets went on sale Saturday, August 30, at 10:00 a.m. The deal runs through Monday, September 1, at 4:00 p.m. The 2025 New Mexico State Fair is September 4-14.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
BYD's share price fell as much as 8% on Monday following disappointing earnings last week.

Analysts at Jefferies said BYD's "playbook" has been disrupted by China's crackdown on EV price cuts

BYD reported a steep fall in profits, but overseas revenue is booming as it takes the fight to Tesla abroad.

BYD's "gravy train" might be grinding to a halt.

The Chinese EV giant's share price slumped as much as 8% on Monday, as investors digested disappointing earnings released last week.

On Friday, BYD reported that net profits in the second quarter had fallen 30% from a year earlier, as the Tesla rival grappled with fierce competition in China's congested EV market.

BYD has also found itself in the crosshairs of China's regulators, which have cracked down on practices of heavy discounting and delayed supplier payments that have become standard in China's electric vehicle industry.

In the company's earnings report, BYD said that "short-term profitability" had been affected by "industry malpractices" such as discounting and "excessive marketing."

BYD has itself cut prices multiple times over the past few years, and analysts at Jefferies said regulatory campaigns have hurt the company's "historic playbook" of leveraging its supply chain advantages to aggressively cut prices.

"In short, BYD's 'gravy train'  fueled by scale, cost cuts, and tech leadership  has lost speed. Until it regains momentum, underperformance looks likely," they wrote in a Sunday note.

BYD's disappointing results for the first half of the year were buoyed by a rise in overseas revenues, which soared 50% from the same period last year.

The Shenzhen-based automaker has targeted aggressive global expansion as China's EV market heats up.

BYD has built a fleet of car-carrying cargo ships to meet growing demand in markets like Europe, Brazil, and Mexico, and is pushing ahead with plans to build factories in Brazil, Hungary, and Turkey.

The Chinese automaker outsold Tesla in Europe last month, the second time it has done so this year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
An airplane carrying the European Commission president was the target of a suspected Russian interference operation, the EU said on Monday.

Ursula von der Leyen was on her way to Bulgaria when the planes navigation systems were disabled, forcing the jet to land using paper maps. Briefed afterward by Bulgarian officials, a Commission spokeswoman said the disruption was believed to be the result of blatant interference by Russia.

Bulgaria, a key supplier of military equipment to Kyiv, was von der Leyens next stop on a tour of frontline EU states as the bloc steps up its defense against Russias war in Ukraine.

The suspected attack came a day after the EU chief branded Putin a predator during a visit to Polands border with Belarus.
European capitals are preparing pretty precise plans for potential troop deployments to Ukraine as part of postwar security guarantees, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times (FT). She said the measures would carry full U.S. support.

There was "a clear road map" for possible deployments, von der Leyen said in the interview published on Aug. 31. "Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial. We have a clear road map and we had an agreement in the White House . . . and this work is going forward very well."

Von der Leyen made the remarks during a tour of eastern EU states near Russia, where she focused on defense spending and military readiness. She said governments were working on plans for "a multinational troop (deployment) and the backstop of the Americans."

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"President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop," she said. "That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed."

Ukraine has demanded concrete security guarantees, including foreign troop deployments, as part of any peace settlement with Moscow.

Von der Leyen confirmed that the plan under discussion could involve tens of thousands of European-led personnel, supported by U.S. command-and-control systems, intelligence, and surveillance assets. She said those arrangements were agreed at last months meeting in Washington between Trump, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and senior European leaders.

The same group of leaders is expected to meet again in Paris on Sept. 4 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, diplomats told the FT. Attendees include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and von der Leyen.

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Von der Leyen noted that defense chiefs from the coalition of the willing met last week and "worked out pretty precise plans," including discussions on the "necessary items for a functioning build-up of troops." She emphasized that deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation, but said the sense of urgency is very high... its moving forward. Its really taking shape.

She praised Trumps role in supporting the effort after months of uncertainty in European capitals about his stance on Ukraine. Putin has not changed, he is a predator, von der Leyen said. (Trump) wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table . . . He has a negative experience with Putin, more and more Putin does not do what he says.

She added that Europeans have demonstrated credibility: "We have had in the last months several encounters where it was obvious that one can rely on the Europeans. It is clear that when we say something, we do it.

Von der Leyen said any Western troop deployment would reinforce a strengthened Ukrainian army, which would form the core of the deterrence force. She also said the Commission would explore new funding streams to provide "sustainable financing of the Ukrainian armed forces as . . . a security guarantee."

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"After any peace deal, Kyiv would need quite a sizeable number of soldiers and they need good salaries and of course, modern equipment . . . its for sure the EU that will have to chip in," she said.

Von der Leyen added that existing EU funding to Ukraine must continue after the war and that "an extra payment... has to be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces." She said the EU will maintain funding for the training of Ukrainian soldiers, while also encouraging member states to use a 150 billion euro loans-for-arms fund to partner with Ukraines defense industry or purchase weapons for Kyiv.

The role of the Commission is paramount in enabling the member states to finance a surge in defence, von der Leyen said. The character of warfare has completely changed, she added, highlighting the need for investment in drones, missile defense, space, and cyber capabilities.

Read also: Russia says the quiet part out loud  war in Ukraine to continue, more mass bombings of cities

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
London  European countries are drawing up "precise plans" for international military deployments in Ukraine as part of security guarantees that could be implemented if a peace agreement is struck to end the war sparked by Russia's ongoing invasion.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday that there was a "clear road map" for possible post-war deployments, and that President Trump had agreed to ensure an unspecified "American presence" to help keep the peace.

President Trump told Fox News on Aug. 19 that he will not deploy American troops to Ukraine as part of any ceasefire arrangement  a point that other members of his administration have made repeatedly.

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"You have my assurance," Mr. Trump told the network following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In her interview with the Financial Times, von der Leyen said Mr. Trump "reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop" to what she said would be a multinational troop deployment.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with President Trump during a meeting at Trump Turnberry golf club, July 27, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. / Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty

The Trump administration has previously suggested the role of the United States in post-war peace-keeping efforts in Ukraine could be to provide coordination, rather than boots on the ground. In an interview with the Daily Caller published over the weekend, President Trump did not dismiss the suggestion that American jets could be used to assist European peacekeeping efforts on the ground.

CBS News has contacted the White House seeking further context on any assurances European allies have been given by the administration regarding an American "backstop" for any multinational force that could eventually be deployed in Ukraine.

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The Kremlin has previously rejected the idea of European or NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any peace deal. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said recently that the Kremlin had "a negative attitude" toward discussion of such a Western military presence, claiming it was NATO interference that led to the start of the war in the first place.

Ukraine has repeatedly called for international security guarantees - to prevent a new Russian invasion - as part of any eventual peace agreement with Russia.

But three and a half years after Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale Russian invasion, there has been little indication of an imminent breakthrough in negotiations aimed at brokering a truce, despite Mr. Trump's urging and his campaign trail promises to end the war quickly.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for their summit on the war in Ukraine, at a U.S. air base in Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 15, 2025. / Credit: Getty

He has voiced frustration repeatedly with both Zelenskyy and Putin, but more with Putin's in recent weeks, for failing to stop the war.

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Zelenskyy's administration - echoed by European partners - has repeatedly pointed to Russia's ongoing strikes on civilian areas as evidence that Putin is merely playing for time, and not interested in a brokered peace deal while his forces continue to seize Ukrainian territory.

The concern for many in Kyiv and Europe is that Russia could use any halt in the conflict as an opportunity to refortify its forces for a new invasion. Thus Kyiv's repeated demands for security guarantees.

The so-called "coalition of the willing," which includes the British, German and French governments, has rallied behind Zelenskyy as he seeks Mr. Trump's backing to push a ceasefire deal with Russia that doesn't involve Ukraine agreeing to cede Russian-occupied territory.

Following a summit in Alaska between Presidents Trump and Putin, Mr. Trump also met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and several European leaders who form the so-called

President Trump and his aides have stressed, however, that both sides in the war will have to make concessions to end the fighting.

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"The sense of urgency is very high. It's really taking shape," von der Leyen told the Financial Times. "[Trump] wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table."

In a speech delivered during a visit to China on Monday, Putin said he had reached "understandings" with Mr. Trump during their meeting in Alaska about ending the war in Ukraine.

But despite the U.S. president's public optimism on the matter, and a two-week deadline he set Putin to end the war or face a new round of sanctions, no major progress has been reported in the negotiations, and the Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities continues daily.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the "European party of war" of hindering U.S.-led efforts to negotiate a peace deal.

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"We are ready to resolve the problem by political and diplomatic means," Peskov said, according to the Reuters news agency. "But so far we do not see reciprocity from Kyiv in this. So we shall continue the special military operation."

"Portrait of a person who's not there": Documenting the bedrooms of school shooting victims

Passage: In memoriam

Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the mysteries of chronic pain
The hard Left has always been prone to ideological splits, but they are rarely as predictable or comedic as the one threatening to tear apart Jeremy Corbyns new project.

Right-wingers have warned for years that fashionable social causes like radical transgender activism are not popular among the Lefts Muslim supporters, and that a schism is coming.

One would think this would not come as much of a surprise considering roughly half of all British Muslims believe being gay should be illegal, according to a 2016 poll. But come as a surprise it has.

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Adnan Hussein, the independent MP for Blackburn and one of the parliamentary supporters of Your Party, wrote on X over the weekend that trans women were not biologically women and that womens rights and safe spaces should not be encroached upon. Safe third spaces should be an alternative option.

It triggered an immediate firestorm among the kind of radicals whose support Corbyns party  which has a placeholder name of Your Party until its membership decides on a more permanent label  depends.

Less than three hours after Husseins post, Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South and Your Partys co-founder, chimed in and announced, Ive always stood with the trans community, and I always will.

Sultana describes herself as a trans ally, a supporter of self-ID for trans people, which means there is no need to get a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a doctor or any of that nonsense. She believes that trans women are women  a fundamental tenet of trans ideology  and that to treat them any differently from actual women is transphobic.

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This may not go down well with some British Muslims, whose support Your Party desperately needs in order to achieve an electoral breakthrough. But Sultana and many on her side of the trans argument would never consider compromising their stand, making the first national conference of the party look like this years number one hot ticket for fans of political slapstick.

On the face of it, its a circle that simply cannot be squared. Traditionally devout Muslims cannot be expected to embrace gender ideology where they believe it conflicts with their own faiths teachings, and Zarah will not compromise on her mission to allow men the right to use every women-only space and service. What will Your Partys first election manifesto say about the issue of self-ID for trans people?

And what will it say about anti-Semitism? Despite being less than two months old, the trans squabble was not even Your Partys first public falling out.

When Sultana announced in July that she and Corbyn would be co-leaders of a new party, it seemed to come as news to the MP for Islington North. He grumpily acknowledged the plans but was reportedly furious at Sultana for her premature announcement.

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A few weeks later, Sultana launched a broadside at Corbyn by criticising his acceptance, when he was Labour Party leader, of the definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

Having declared herself to be an unapologetic anti-Zionist, Corbyn was challenged on whether he would adopt the same mantel. He refused to be drawn on it, sparking criticism from some of Sultanas more eager followers.

This embryonic project is already in danger of being an ex-party, no more, ceased to be, expired and gone to meet its maker, etc.

Theres only one thing for it: there must be an amicable split, with Zarah leading her own breakaway party, one with the possible name of the They/Them/Their Party, and Corbyn leading a freshly-named Palestine Independence Party.

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And once the split has been agreed and the two new parties are working separately to overthrow both Zionism and capitalism, they can form a joint alliance with the Greens to mount a war on economic growth and car usage too.

The only thing thats missing from this drama is a laughter track. But that will soon be provided by Britains voters.

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MEROM, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) The third annual Indiana PawPaw Festival is coming to celebrate a fruit youve probably never heard of.

Pawpaw is a little-known tree, native to Indiana, that produces a large, delicious fruit. However, the life span of the fruit is short, so most people have never heard of it. Because of this, a festival has been started at Merom Bluff Park, in Merom, Indiana, to educate and allow people to try the fruit that some call the Indiana Banana.

The event will be held at Merom Bluff Park and will feature more than 50 vendors, as well as education on the PawPaw, food trucks, and judging for the biggest and best PawPaw in both variety and wild. The INFGA and Soil & Conservation will also be in attendance to give information on the plant.

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2024 Pawpaw Festival

The festival promises a great selection of food and drinks from providers such as Meier Winery, Potato Heads food trailer, and Pure Joy Ice Cream. You can also expect vendors selling arts/crafts, boutiques, honey, tree/mushrooms, and local produce. There will also be a bounce house, mechanical bull, face painting, hayrides, and the Rainy Dae Ranch Petting Zoo.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 6 and from noon to 6 p.m. on September 7. For more information, contact Issac Busby at 812-870-1308 or email at Indianapawpawfestival@gmail.com. Tickets are $5 for both days, and children 12 and under get in free. All proceeds go towards planning next years festival.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD)  Sunday was International Overdose Awareness Day, remembering those who have died from drug use and in encouraging hope and help for those still struggling.

In Kalamazoo, a timeline along one end of Bronson Park remembered the hundreds lives lost to drug overdoses in Southwest Michigan alone. Families who had suffered a loss held up posters showing their loved ones or signed their names on ribbons.

COPE Network hosts an Overdose Awareness Day event in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo on Aug. 31, 2025.

COPE Network hosts an Overdose Awareness Day event in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo on Aug. 31, 2025.

The event was COPE Networks eighth to mark Overdose Awareness Day. The groups executive director Nancy King lost her daughter in 2012 to a heroin overdose. Inspired to push for harm reduction initiatives, she launched the nonprofit in 2016.

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Keep people safe: Advocates press for drug abuse harm reduction

King said breaking down the stigma around addiction can open the door to helping someone in need.

I know when my daughter was struggling with her heroin use, it was very secretive and I was ashamed. And now that we are talking about it, there really is no shame in addiction, King said. People dont chose addiction. Its something that happens to them, often because of trauma.

Two years after mass fentanyl overdose, tide may be turning in Kalamazoo

King added that the wider availability opioid reversal drug naloxone, more commonly known by brand name Narcan, has curbed the number of deaths in recent years.

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Helping to reduce the risk of overdose fatalities is such a huge part of keeping people alive. We know that overdoses continue to happen, but the more naloxone that is available, the less likely an overdose can be a fatal overdose and thats really our goal, she said.

The group also hopes to encourage people who are struggling with drug use that it is OK to ask for help.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The ongoing strike by support staff at Evergreen Public Schools, which already caused the start of the school year to be delayed by a week, will now delay the start for a second time.

In a letter addressed to families and staff of Evergreen Public Schools, Superintendent Christine Moloney said the school year will not begin on September 2, but meal service for families will start.

Union rejects proposal, strike continues at Evergreen

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The Board and I had hoped that delaying school for a week would have allowed the district and the PSE Large Groups bargaining teams time to reach an agreement without further disruption to families, Moloney wrote. The PSE Large Group could opt to work under the previous agreement, which the terms of the contract allow for a full year. However, union leaders have opted to continue their strike. Beginning on Tuesday afternoon, we will send a daily message around 4 p.m. to update the community about the status of school for the following day.

Moloney noted the districts proposals are posted on their website.

As for the meal service, breakfast and lunch will be available free of charge to students each day during the strike.

Families will be able to pick up meals at three schools, which will have staggered pickup times to give families options, Moloney wrote.

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Those three schools are Heritage High School, Mountain View High School and Marrion Elementary School. Details of each pickup are on the Evergreen website.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.

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By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration is considering recommending White House economic adviser Pierre Yared for the No. 2 job at the International Monetary Fund, sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Monday.

IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath announced in July that she would leave her post at the end of August to return to Harvard University.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has been reviewing the names and qualifications of potential successors for Gopinath and expects to announce a decision before next month's meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, according to sources familiar with her thinking.

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The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Yared, who is currently the vice chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, holds a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He taught for years at Columbia University Business School and served as senior vice dean for faculty affairs there until he was tapped for the White House job in February.

Yared was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and raised in Cleveland.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, asked about Yared, said on Monday that Treasury was looking at "three very strong candidates," adding: "I like Pierre a lot."

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He said Yared could also take over the top spot at CEA, whose current chair Stephen Miran has been nominated to take a temporary job on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Miran, who faces a Senate confirmation hearing on September 4, has also been named as a possible candidate to replace Fed Governor Lisa Cook, whom President Donald Trump fired last week over alleged mortgage fraud. Cook has sued Trump and the Fed, saying Trump lacks the authority to fire her.

The United States, which is the largest shareholder in the IMF, traditionally nominates the deputy managing director, subject to approval by the fund's executive board.

The European Union traditionally nominates the chief at the IMF, while the U.S. nominates the head of the World Bank.

The portfolio of the deputy role typically includes strategy, policy development and lending programs.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Ross Colvin and Edmund Klamann)
At the northeast end of Norway, beside the Barents Sea, there's a "seagull hotel."

The tall set of stacked crates is a shelter from storms for seabirds in the town of Vard  an Arctic birding destination that is seeing species decline with the impacts of rising global temperatures, disease, and other factors.

Photo Credit: iStock

What's happening?

As the Associated Press reported recently, environmental shifts, along with avian health issues, are threatening seabirds in delicately balanced ecosystems along Norway's coast.

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The area's population of small gulls called kittiwakes has decreased by 80% since the 1990s, according to the report, which also featured a video showing the bird hotel. Per the AP, kittiwakes and other seabirds have declined due to the effects of temperature increases, predator activity, fishing impacts, and bird flu.

One of the reasons for biodiversity along Norway's north coast is that the Gulf Stream brings warm water into contact with cold Arctic water in the Barents Sea  creating favorable conditions for fish and birds that feed on them.

Shifts brought on by global temperature increases are bringing overly warm water into the Barents and changing conditions for fish. Some food fish are moving deeper or farther north and are no longer accessible for near-surface seabirds to live on.

Coastal fishing and predators such as white-tailed eagles are also taking their toll on seabirds  as is avian flu, which killed 25,000 kittiwakes in 2023 alone, per the AP.

Why is the decline of Norway's seabirds concerning?

For Vard, seabirds have meant tourism dollars.

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"Every small business in the town, it's depending on the tourists to come and visit," said guide and ranger Boris Belchev in the news report.

From the town, birders access Hornya Island, famous for hosting thousands of birds in nesting season but noticeably depleted in recent years.

"Last summer, I was shocked," Belchev said, about his concerns from a recent visit. "Where are all the birds?'"

More broadly, failing bird populations suggest unhealthy habitats  and seabirds play important roles in ecosystems, such as by distributing nutrients to the sea in their droppings. By one estimation, their poop is worth millions.

What's being done about Norway's seabird decline?

The seabird hotel in Vard, built by a local fisherman, is one in a series of bird hotels along Norway's coast. These structures have provided nesting sites for kittiwakes and other birds that need cover from predators. Vard may expand its hotel next year, per the AP.

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Tone Kristin Reiertsen, a Norwegian Institute for Nature Research scientist, called for additional action from officials. For one thing, she suggested reducing or stopping fishing and boating near nesting colonies.

"We don't have much time," Reiertsen said in the AP report. "We have to act quickly."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CapVest Partners has agreed to purchase a majority stake in German generics manufacturer Stada Arzneimittel, marking one of the largest deals in the healthcare sector this year.

Takeover company CapVest, which has around 12bn ($14bn) of assets under management, will purchase Stada from private equity owners, Bain Capital and Cinven, both of whom will keep a minority holding after the transaction, as per a 1 September statement.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though Reuters reported that the stake being sold is 70%, with a valuation of Stada asserted at about 10bn ($11.7bn). The transaction is expected to be completed in early 2026.

Bain Capital and Cinven bought Stada for 5.3bn in 2017 in a deal that delisted the pharma company from the Frankfurt stock exchange, along with placing one of Europes largest generics manufacturers into private control.

Buoyed by strong growth across its consumer healthcare division, generic drugs segment, and speciality medication portfolio, Bain and Cinven mulled a sale for the company in 2023.

Amid a tepid mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape, the strategy switched to an initial public offering (IPO). However, this too was pivoted away from amid market volatility, finally leading to a discussion with takeover firm CapVest.

Approximately 40% of Stadas revenues are generated from its consumer health products, which include cough and cold products, dermatology drugs, and painkillers. Generics contribute another 40% to Stradas revenue streams, which come from more than 100 countries.

According to CapVest, since 2017, Stada generated revenues in excess of 4bn, delivering a compound annual net sales growth rate of 9%, and more than doubling earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). The firm currently employs approximately 11,600 people worldwide.

Matthew Fargie of CapVest said: We have admired Stada for several years Stada is a unique strategic platform through which we will leverage our significant healthcare and consumer expertise to accelerate the development of the company in Germany and internationally. We intend to deploy significant new capital towards this objective.

A recent report by GlobalData projects that the share of global drug sales under patent protection will decline by 2030, representing a boost to the generics and biosimilars markets. Only 4% of global drugs will have patent protection, compared to 12% and 6% in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

Trade channels for generics have been an ongoing discussion point in the pharma industry this year amid US President Trumps tariffs. The US administration has been seeking efforts to decrease reliance on imported drugs, though Trump stated that certain generics will be exempt from levies, such as the 15% blanket rate agreed with Europe.
By Luciana Magalhaes and Ricardo Brito

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's Supreme Court will on Tuesday begin hearing closing arguments in the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges of plotting a coup to remain in power after he lost the 2022 election.

The case grabbed global attention after U.S. President Donald Trump denounced it as a "witch hunt" against his ally and retaliated by imposing a 50% tariff on many Brazilian goods.

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WHY IS BOLSONARO ON TRIAL?

Bolsonaro, who was president of Brazil between 2019 and 2022, was charged with trying to cling to power after he lost his reelection bid to leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazil's top prosecutor accused Bolsonaro of orchestrating a plot that included a plan to poison Lula and his running mate and kill Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the 2022 elections as the top judge on Brazil's electoral court. Moraes now oversees the coup case.

Bolsonaro has denied making any attempt to overthrow Brazil's democracy, but he acknowledged at a deposition that he took part in meetings looking for ways to reverse the outcome of the 2022 election.

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He has been accused of five crimes: taking part in an armed criminal organization; attempting to violently abolish democracy; coup d'etat; damage to government property; and damage to protected cultural assets. In their formal arguments last month, lawyers for the former president said he is innocent on all five counts.

The charges are also linked to Bolsonaro's alleged role in the riots of January 2023, when thousands of his supporters invaded and vandalized the country's Congress, presidential palace, and Supreme Court, in a grim echo of the U.S. Capitol invasion two years earlier by fans of Trump.

WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE TRIAL?

A five-justice panel at the Supreme Court is expected to deliver verdicts and sentences on the five counts against Bolsonaro and seven of his allies during sessions scheduled from September 2 to 12.

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The panel includes Moraes, who is overseeing the case, and four other justices, among them Cristiano Zanin, a former attorney for Lula and Flavio Dino, the leftist president's former justice minister.

As president, Bolsonaro appointed two Supreme Court justices who are not on the panel.

WHERE WILL BOLSONARO BE DURING THE TRIAL?

Bolsonaro is under house arrest in a high-end gated community in the capital Brasilia. One of his lawyers said it was unclear if the former president would attend the sessions.

He is wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor and is under full surveillance after investigators found a document suggesting he may have considered seeking political asylum in Argentina  an allegation that his lawyers deny.

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Since July, Bolsonaro has been banned from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or approaching embassies.

WHAT HAPPENS IF BOLSONARO IS CONVICTED?

Although the maximum combined sentence for the crimes Bolsonaro is accused of in Brazil could exceed 40 years, lawyers anticipate a shorter term, noting that 40 years is the country's maximum allowable prison sentence. Criminal convicts often serve reduced prison terms in Brazil.

The Supreme Court case is the latest obstacle to the political career of Bolsonaro, who has expressed his intention to run for president again in 2026.

In 2023, Brazil's federal electoral court disqualified him from running for public office until 2030, citing abuse of political power during his 2022 presidential campaign.

(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes in Sao Paulo and Ricardo Brito in Brasilia, editing by Manuela Andreoni, Rod Nickel)
NEED TO KNOW

The Knorr search vessel first found a piece of the wreckage from the Titanic on Sept. 1, 1985

The expedition used what was then-state of the art equipment to locate and search through the wreckage

Robert Ballard, the expedition scientist involved in the search, said the discovery opened a new chapter in deep sea exploration

On this day 40 years ago, a crew aboard a Navy-owned research vessel came across an object in the North Atlantic that would forever change deep sea exploration and further stoke interest in the most famous maritime disaster in history.

On Sept. 1, 1985, the members of the Knorr, which was on a mission to search for the wreckage of the Titanic, saw through video feeds what they suspected was one of the ships boilers.

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News of the find prompted Robert Ballard, then-head of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutions (WHOI) Deep Submergence Lab, to come out of the ships bunk and see for himself.

As I came in, we had a picture of the boiler on the wall, and we looked, Ballard recalled to CNN in a new anniversary piece. We realized it was definitely [from the] Titanic, and all bedlam grew loose.

According to the WHOI, after finding the boiler, the Knorr followed debris to the north and came across the Titanics wreckage itself  73 years after the purportedly unsinkable ship infamously sank into the bottom of the sea.

Ballard had previously searched for the Titanic in a 1977 expedition that failed  an experience that made him realize that underwater remotely operated vehicles (or ROVs) relaying images back to the exploration vessel would be an effective way to map the sea floor, according to CNN.

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That led to the development of Argo, which a video camera system and side-scan sonar that could then transmit images in real time to the Knorr.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Searching for the Titanic Searching for the Titanic

As Ballard remembered to CNN, the Navy was interested in the Argo technology to determine why two nuclear submarines, USS Thresher and the USS Scorpion, sank in the Atlantic in the 1960s.

The military branch eventually backed Argos development.

What people didnt know at the time, at least a lot of the people, was that the Titanic [search] was cover for a top-secret military operation I was doing as a naval intelligence officer, Ballard told CNN. We didnt want the Soviets to know where the submarine was.

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In addition to Argo, the Knorr carried ANGUS, one of the first uncrewed camera systems that would photograph the wreckage once it was found.

It was the technology and the knowledge of how to use it, senior scientist Dana Yoerger, who was a member of Ballard's team, told CNN, adding that the big thing that led to our success was Ballards strategy."

"He wasnt trying to find the ship," Yoerger said, "he was trying to find the debris field, which is a much bigger target, and one thats particularly well-suited to finding with your eyeballs.



Stewart Harris, chief engineer on the Argo project, described the Knorrs discovery of the wreckage site as both exciting and gut-wrenching.

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Over 1,500 people lost their lives in the accident, Harris said, according to a WHOI news release, and with all the hoopla surrounding the discovery, it was important for us to be mindful of that. Nonetheless, the technology demonstration was an eye-opener for the oceanographic community.

In 1986, Ballard and his team returned to site with more advanced color cameras to extensively document the wreckage, including the Titanics swimming pool, grand staircase and bow, CNN reported.

With a submersible called the Alvin, Ballard became the first person to visit the wreck where he saw more artifacts.

Following the discovery of the Titanic, Ballard, now 83 and an emeritus research scholar with WHOI, went on to find more wrecks, including that of the Nazi warship Bismarck, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the PT-109 boat commanded by future President John F. Kennedy during World War II.

(Photo by Frank Capri/Getty Images) Robert Ballard in 1992

In 2012, on the 100th anniversary of the Titanics sinking, Ballard announced a museum exhibit in Connecticut about the disaster.

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It was a very difficult hunt, he said at the time.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On the legacy of his team's game-changing find from 40 years ago, Ballard said in a press statement per WHOI: The discovery of the Titanic opened a new chapter in deep sea exploration, since the deep sea is the largest museum in the world with an estimated 3 million chapters of human history in its depths, most of which are waiting to be discovered by the next generation of underwater explorers.

Read the original article on People
WINNIPEG, MB (KCAU)  The Xs continued their final regular season series against the Winnipeg Goldeyes with a 6-1 win on Sunday.

Austin Davis went 3 for 5 at the plate, picking up two runs as well as contributing to another on an RBI.

The Explorers play their final regular-season game against the Goldeyes on Monday at 1 pm.

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An extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council has been convened for Monday 1 September in Brussels.

Source: Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X (Twitter); European Pravda

Details: Sybiha said that the extraordinary meeting would be held at Ukraines request and in response to recent large-scale Russian air attacks. He thanked NATO and all allies who continue to support Ukraine.

Quote: "We anticipate a focused discussion on joint steps to adequately respond to Russia's rejection of peace efforts and escalating terror against Ukrainians. Moscow must feel a stronger pressure as the consequence of it prolonging the war."

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Update: Later, an Alliance official told a European Pravda journalist that political advisers from NATO member state missions in Brussels will convene for an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

"We can confirm that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will take place at the level of political advisers. The meeting will be held in the afternoon," the source told European Pravda.

At such meetings, political advisers in the permanent missions of NATO countries usually do not make decisions, but instead discuss details, coordinate positions, and prepare draft texts of documents.

Background:

On the night of 27-28 August, Russia carried out a large-scale attack on Ukraine, heavily impacting the capital.

The Office of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the building of the European Union representation were damaged in Kyiv.

The European External Action Service, led by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, summoned Russias charge daffaires to the EU over the attack on the EU Delegation building in Kyiv.

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CHEYENNE  After thorough inspection of nearly 8,000 M18 modular handguns, Air Force Global Strike Command last week lifted its pause on use of the weapons.

This includes personnel at Cheyennes F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

The Air Force conducted a comprehensive inspection of its 7,970 Sig Sauer M18 Modular Handgun Systems, following a directed pause on July 21, according to a news release published Aug. 24.

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The pause was initiated following a fatal shooting incident at F.E. Warren last month. Air Force authorities have since arrested an airman in connection with the July 20 death of another service member, Airman Brayden Lovan.

Initial reports of Lovans death indicated the 21-year-old suffered fatal wounds from the misfiring of a Sig Sauer M18. However, further investigation led to the arrest of a fellow airman, who has not been identified. F.E. Warren was Airman Lovans first assignment.

Despite the arrest, inspections of the M18s were completed. Security Forces Defenders were scheduled to resume use of M18s that have successfully passed inspection Monday.

It is paramount that our Airmen trust their weapon systems, Global Strike Command commander Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in the release. This thorough inspection ensures the M18s in our inventory are in optimal working order, providing our Defenders with safe, reliable, and effective systems to accomplish their mission.

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Inspections identified discrepancies in 191 weapons across Global Strike Commands M18 inventory, according to the news release, primarily related to component wear.

Most frequently issues with the safety lever, striker assembly and sear were identified. Any weapons with component wear discrepancies were immediately tagged and are undergoing necessary repairs, according to the news release.

While the inspections were ordered in relation to Lovans death, they served additional purposes: to confirm the proper functioning of all weapons in service and to analyze data on reported discrepancies and usage rates.

When we see a potential issue, we have a responsibility to our Airmen and the American public to evaluate, find any discrepancies, and act on them, Bussiere said in the news release.

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The M18 is a military-grade version of the controversial Sig Sauer P320, a popular civilian pistol that several lawsuits claim can fire without pulling the trigger. The company that makes the weapon has adamantly denied the accusations, saying that the guns can only fire if the trigger is pulled.

A review of weapon discharges in Air Force Global Strike Command showed that none were attributed to weapons malfunction, according to the news release. The M18 is specifically designed and rigorously tested to meet stringent environmental, endurance and drop tests unique to the military.

To address additional safety concerns, Security Forces squadron commanders, senior enlisted leaders and combat arms training and maintenance personnel are taking the time to meet with airmen, according to the news release.

Leaders are discussing inspection findings and explaining enhanced inspection procedures, according to the release. They are also reinforcing muzzle discipline, reviewing reporting procedures for weapons of concern, and providing Airmen the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.

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Global Strike Command is implementing enhanced inspection procedures for the M18 pistol, including additional inspection criteria for the areas where potential issues were found during the M18 pause, according to the release.

By incorporating these added measures, we assess that any issues found with the safety lever, striker assembly and sear will be identified during semi-annual and annual inspections, said Lt. Col. George Hern, Global Strike Command chief of security forces, in the release. As we execute M18 inspections in the future, we will be taking a particular interest in these components to ensure these methods address the issues we found and make adjustments as needed.
Did local Belgian politician Saliha Raiss say "Anyone who doesn't accept veiled women, anyone who doesn't accept Islam in Belgium, can leave" or that "Belgians should leave Belgium"? No, that's not true: A video clip from a municipal council meeting in Molenbeek, a part of Brussels in Belgium, was misrepresented by social media posts. She was talking about people who made social media posts saying she wore a curtain on her head and jokingly said if those people didn't want to see that and found Molenbeek so "unlivable" there were plenty of other municipalities in Brussels and they should get out.

The quote appeared in a a post on X (archived here) published on September 1, 2025 which opened:

Saliha Raiss, a politician from Molenbeek, wants a Europe without Europeans: "Anyone who doesn't accept veiled women, anyone who doesn't accept Islam in Belgium, can leave!" This is Islam.

The post was later quoted by Elon Musk (archived here) with a comment that read:

Belgians must leave Belgium!? This is insane.

Nowhere in the clip does she say anything about "accepting islam", Europe, Europeans, Belgians or leaving Belgium.

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A transcript of the video in the original French read:

Et si ces gens-la "qui portent des tissus tentures", je peux donner les references si vous voulez, parce qu'apparemment ceci est beaucoup de de de d'interet. Si on derange tant que ca, si on ne veut meme plus nous voir, je veux dire la region compte 19 communes. Bah si a Molenbeek apparemment c'est si invivable hein, changer de bord quoi. Allez-y ailleurs. Degagez.

Translated it read:

And if these people "who wear drapery fabrics", I can give the references if you want, because apparently this is very interesting. If we are so disturbing, if they don't even want to see us anymore, I mean the region has 19 municipalities. Well, if in Molenbeek it's apparently so unlivable, eh, change sides. Go somewhere else. Get out.

Belgian public broadcaster VRT published an article on September 1, 2025 (archived here) explaining the context of the remark:

The controversial debate in the city council on August 27th actually revolved around a Facebook post by the French-speaking liberal party MR, concerning animal welfare in Molenbeek. The comments below that post allegedly contained numerous racist and Islamophobic remarks. One Facebook comment stated, among other things, that Alderman Saliha Raiss - then acting mayor - "wears a curtain on her head." During the city council meeting, Raiss complained about the lack of moderation on the MR's social media (under chairman George-Louis Bouchez) and accused council member Didier Milis (MR) of trivializing racism as a result. She jokingly remarked that people who find her "curtains" offensive should just leave.

(Translated by Google Translate)

Lead Stories reviewed the video of the municipal council meeting (archived here) and confirmed this is indeed what happened:

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The annual Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association Fall Antique Show is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28 at the Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex on Depot Lane in the village of Schoharie.

According to a news release from the association, antique dealers from Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and New York will bring their wares. Visitors will find quilts and blankets, jewelry, antique furniture, stoneware, oriental rugs, glass and china, baskets, bowls and collectibles. Special heritage crafters have also been invited  a broom maker, a blacksmith, a candle maker, a potter, a candy lady and more.

The Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex's 1865 station house and 1891 passenger car of the Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad will be open to the public all weekend. The freight shed, which houses railroad memorabilia, including a restored 1917 Delaware & Hudson Railway caboose, will also be open to show-goers, according to the release.

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Homemade desserts will be available and may be eaten under the picnic tent.

Proceeds from the antique shows fund the ongoing historic activities of the Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association. Parking is free. For more information, call 518-295-7505 or show manager Ruth Anne Wilkinson, at 518-231-7241.
The proposal heads to the Senate, which is expected to vote on Wednesday, Sept. 3

SALEM  A bill to fund road maintenance and stave off hundreds of layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation narrowly cleared the Oregon House on Monday, more than two months after a prior attempt fizzled on the final night of the regular legislative session.

A 36-12 Labor Day vote on mostly party lines, reached after Democrats who control all branches of government agreed to make temporary a payroll tax increase to fund public transit, is the first major step to passing a 10-year, $4.3 billion package of tax and fee increases. The proposal still needs a vote from the Oregon Senate, anticipated on Wednesday.

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Its less than one-third the size of an ambitious earlier proposal, and even supporters characterized it as only a temporary fix meant to keep roads plowed, potholes filled and buses running.

This bill keeps the lights on, but it doesnt light the path forward, said Rep. Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie.

What fees and taxes would change under the proposed transportation package?

* A gas tax increase from 40 cents to 46 cents, effective Jan. 1, 2026 is expected to raise $90 million a year. The gas tax is split among the state and local governments, with half of the tax for the state, 30% for counties and 20% for cities.

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* An increase in annual registration fees from $43 to $85 for passenger vehicles; $63 to $105 for utility vehicles, light trailers, low-speed vehicles and medium-speed electric vehicles; and $44 to $86 for mopeds and motorcycles.

* Increasing title fees for passenger vehicles from $77 to $216.

* Doubling the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% until Jan. 1, 2028.

* An increase to registration surcharges for electric and highly fuel-efficient vehicles, from $35 to $65 annually for cars with a 40-plus miles-per-gallon rating, and from $115 to $145 annually for electric vehicles.

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* Phasing in a mandatory road usage charge program for electric vehicles by 2031. Electric vehicle drivers have been able to opt into the OReGO program and pay 2 cents per mile in exchange for lower registration fees, and the proposed change would mandate electric vehicle drivers participate in that program or pay a flat $340 annual fee.

Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, and the Houses main architect of the earlier failed transportation package, said the latest proposal is a pragmatic budget that will help preserve roads and bridges that every Oregonian needs.

We have heard from city councils and county commissions from every corner of Oregon, urban and liberal, north and south, east and west, red and blue, that this additional funding is absolutely a lifeline for their communities and their citizens, McLain said.

Any tax increases require 36 votes to pass in the House, and the vote went on mostly party lines. But Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, joined Democrats voting for the measure, while Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, joined Republicans in opposing it.

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Javadi said he understood why Oregonians  including some energetic social media commenters whose sentiments he couldnt repeat without violating House decorum rules  dont want to raise the gas tax, or any tax.

I received a lot of phone calls, sometimes at 10 oclock at night, from people I have never met in my life, asking me to vote no and threatening me I will lose my job if I dare vote yes, Javadi said. And to them, I might say, I think my job is worth it if compared to the hundreds more it will save across the state.

Javadi, who represents a coastal district where landslides too often close stretches of Highway 101, or drivers crash on narrow, curving roads, said Oregonians need safe, open roads. Without passing the bill, he said, his constituents could be stranded by highway closures or unplowed snow or lose their lives because of stalled response from emergency services.

The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of doing something, Javadi said. We can pay a little more now at the pump, or we can pay a lot later in lost wages and lost opportunities.

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Hartman, meanwhile, said she still clearly remembers the days when she would choose to risk not renewing her vehicle registration to have the money to pay for groceries, and many of the working families in her district face similar choices.

Those families in my district deserve my voice in this moment, Hartman said.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, sat behind two piles of paper. One, nearly 2 feet tall, consisted of printed copies of more than 4,300 pieces of written testimony from Oregonians who opposed the bill. The other, much shorter, pile had copies of written comments from supporters.

In all, 94% of commenters opposed the transportation proposal, Drazan said. She read several of the comments, saying voices of those Oregonians should be heard.

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I could go on and on and on with the voices of Oregonians who are asking for this body to hear them, Drazan said.

Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Malin, said it wasnt the right time to raise taxes, especially given a recent revenue forecast that shows the states surplus turning into a deficit.

Were going to attempt to solve one problem but then create one that is far, far worse.

But Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, said there was no time to wait.

Right now, ODOT has a sucking chest wound, Evans said. We can all sit around and watch the patient die; we can debate life choices and whether or not they should have done this or that. But the fact of the matter is, weather is coming, and our families and our cities and our state need folks out there.

 This report first appeared on Oregon Capital Chronicle, oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
CHARLOTTE, N.Y. (WROC)  As students prepare to head back to the classroom, they are soaking up their last bit of sun at Ontario Beach Park.

Families shared hesitations, and aspirations about the upcoming school year.

Students told News 8s Leah Mallory that they look forward to connecting with friends, and learning, while parents say, safety remains top of mind.

With kids going back to school, there is always concerns especially with the things we see going on around the country at schools, says parent Roosevelt Caldwell. He visited the beach with his two sons. Whenever my kids leave the house, theyre always on my mind.

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Grandfather, Robert Rivera, says heading back to school is both a blessing and a curse.

I do contracting work, he says. With the school busses, now, getting around, its a little inconvenient. Its a little harder now because Im on GPS. So getting from one area to another is a little harder with the busses being out right now.

However, he looks forward to this new milestone with his grandkids.

The littlest one [is] actually starting preschool, he says. Hes excited that hes going [and] well make sure to get pictures of him getting on the bus and then following the bus to the school and getting a picture of him getting off the bus and going into the building,

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It seems like a mixed bag of feelings about this school year, but before students swap out the lake days and spray parks for homework displays and teacher remarks  getting out to Ontario Beach Park is a last hooray of the summer.

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Surrounded by relatives, the children involved in Fridays dangerous pursuit through Los Angeles have been released from the hospital and are able to go home, their family told KTLA. The youngest, age 2, was discharged Saturday, while the older two children, ages 7 and 9, were released Sunday evening.

Honestly it feels so good because I know the kids were scared they just found themselves in the hospital knowing that theyll be able to go home, said cousin, Katherine Tax.

The parents asked that their identities, and those of their three children, be protected and declined to show their faces or provide names.

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Speaking in Spanish, the childrens mother said the moment keeps replaying in her mind: You see someone in a black hoodie get in the car and drive off.

Investigators said the ordeal began just before 7 p.m. Friday when a male suspect jumped into a gray Chrysler sedan left running outside a convenience store in East Los Angeles and drove away with three children inside.

The childrens father, in another vehicle nearby, tried to stop the car. He did his best to grab onto the steering wheel to stop the car but unfortunately he wasnt able to last, relatives said.

Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect led them on a chase that weaved through parts of Los Angeles and continued to Pacific Coast Highway near Kanan Dune Road in Malibu, investigators said.

The male carjacking suspect crashed at high speeds on Pacific Coast Highway near Kanan Dume Road in Malibu on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) Three young children were safely removed from the totaled vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu after a being kidnapped by a carjacker who led CHP officers on a high-speed chase on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) Three young children were safely removed from the totaled vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu after a being kidnapped by a carjacker who led CHP officers on a high-speed chase on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) Three young children were safely removed from the totaled vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu after a being kidnapped by a carjacker who led CHP officers on a high-speed chase on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) The male suspect fled the scene after the crash and he ran into a nearby brush area. He was barefoot and kept removing pieces of clothing as he ran away from officers. (KTLA) Three young children were safely removed from the totaled vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu after a being kidnapped by a carjacker who led CHP officers on a high-speed chase on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) The male suspect fled the scene after the crash and he ran into a nearby brush area. He was barefoot and kept removing pieces of clothing as he ran away from officers. (KTLA) The male carjacking suspect crashed at high speeds at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Kanan Dume Road in Malibu on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol are pursuing a driver for a suspected kidnapping. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol pursued a driver wanted for stealing a vehicle with three young children inside on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol pursued a driver wanted for stealing a vehicle with three young children inside on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol pursued a driver wanted for stealing a vehicle with three young children inside on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol pursued a driver for a suspected kidnapping. (KTLA) California Highway Patrol pursued a driver wanted for stealing a vehicle with three young children inside on Aug. 29, 2025. (KTLA)

During the pursuit, the man became agitated and was telling the kids to throw stuff out of the sunroof really aggressive with the kids, according to the relatives.

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The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into another vehicle on PCH in Malibu, according to the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department. He ran from the wreckage but was caught and taken into custody; he remains hospitalized and has not been publicly identified.

All three children were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to LASD. The family said the 7-year-old sustained a serious leg injury and will need ongoing care, but the children are now able to go home.

Nobody couldve expected this tragedy and thank you to everyone who has helped with donations, its just a huge relief for the family, Tax said, noting a GoFundMe has been started to help with expenses.

Formal charges are pending as the booking process is completed, according to LASD.

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Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Peter Levine or the East Los Angeles Sheriffs Station at 323-264-4151. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or at lacrimestoppers.org.

Lindsey Pena contributed to this report.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Since the signing of the 401(k) Act in the U.S., crypto exchanges worldwide have been eyeing retirement savings as a major on-ramp for digital assets. According to a Bloomberg report, Australias $2.8 trillion pension pool, known locally as superannuation, has emerged as one of the largest targets, with Coinbase and OKX rolling out products aimed at steering retirement funds into crypto.

Superannuation, Australias mandatory retirement savings scheme, totaled $2.7 trillion as of September 2024, up from $1.2 trillion a decade earlier, with an average annual growth rate of 8.2%. This dwarfs the A$2.5 trillion market cap of all companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Deloitte projects the sector will expand further, reaching $11.2 trillion by 2043 in nominal terms (about $7 trillion in todays value).

The massive size of this pool indicates why global exchanges view superannuation as a critical entry point. Coincidentally, the push into pensions also comes at a time when the super system is both seeking yield and grappling with its scale.

Cath Bowtell, chair of IFM Investors, which manages $230 billion in assets worldwide, described the sheer magnitude in a report, stating that $3.2 billion flows into the system weekly, requiring constant investment opportunities.

Super funds already span infrastructure ranging from U.S. toll roads to Canadian ports, but liquidity challenges and global risks mean funds are increasingly looking abroad for diversification.

However, Deutsche Bank strategist Lachlan Dynan warned that this global reach could expose the system to shocks, especially if large-scale foreign exchange hedging leads to cash calls during crises.

Yet the pandemic proved supers flexibility, with Australians withdrawing $38 billion early without destabilizing markets. Against this backdrop, crypto appears more appealing as an alternative asset class, particularly for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), which give individuals direct control over their investments.

Source: Bloomberg

Notably, SMSFs now account for a quarter of the pension system, and crypto exposure within them has already jumped sevenfold since 2021 to A$1.7 billion.

Coinbase and OKX Launching Different Services Around the Trillion-Dollar Pension Pot

Coinbase and OKX are focusing their pension-linked crypto strategies on SMSFs, which are seen as more receptive to alternative assets than traditional funds.

It does make sense that were probably seeing a bit more interest in crypto in the self-managed super fund space first, said Fabian Bussoletti of the SMSF Association in the Bloomberg report, noting that larger funds may eventually follow.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The family of a steelworker who died while building grandstands for the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several companies.

On Sept. 23, 2023, Tizoc Antonio, 37, was just hours into his first day working on the F1 construction project at the Bellagio Fountains when he died. Antonio died from an incised wound of the neck, the Clark County coroners office said.

Antonio attended an on-site training session that morning, documents said. Around 11:30 a.m., Antonio and other crew members were making small cuts in aluminum decking with an Evolution electric concrete saw because the aluminum decking was too tight to fit around an aluminum column, documents said.

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The lawsuit alleges the saw utilized to cut the aluminum did not include a safety stop, a mechanism to stop its blade from turning. Antonio tried to disengage [the saw] from climbing the aluminum column, the [saw] kicked back and partially decapitated [Antonio], thereby resulting in his death, the lawsuit said.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA  NOVEMBER 17: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W14 on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The employee was cutting notches in aluminum deck planking to be fitted around columns on the lower level of [the] structure, according to an OSHA investigation summary. According to witnesses, the saw kicked back, struck the column, then struck the employee in the neck, causing a severe laceration to his neck. The employee died as a result of his injury.

Lawyers claim had the aluminum decking been properly designed and had the [saw] been equipped with an antikickback stop, Antonio would be alive, documents said. Specifically, they claim the saw was defective and not reasonably fit for the purposes and uses for which they were intended.

The lawsuit alleges companies involved, including generator contractor Carma Group and steel contractor Standard Steel, pedaled the phrase, Time is of the essence in the run-up to the November 2023 race, documents said.

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In addition to the contracting companies, a workplace safety company, MGM Resorts and a power tools manufacturer are listed as defendants. The grandstands were private to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

The lawsuit asks for damages of more than $15,000, the standard minimum in Nevada civil cases. It asks a judge to schedule a jury trial.

Gina Corena & Associates filed the lawsuit on behalf of Antonios estate late Friday. No defendant had responded to the claims as of Monday.

OSHA issued Standard Steel a more than $11,000 penalty, which the company contested, records said. OSHAs inspection file on the incident remained open as of Monday.

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The races third running was scheduled to begin Nov. 20.

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Turkish farmers are experiencing diminished crop yields because of extreme weather events, according to Turkiye Today.

What's happening?

Drought and high temperatures have decreased yields by up to 85%. June marked the fourth-hottest month on record in the country in the past 55 years. Sunflower crops are suffering from low rainfall and dry conditions.

This follows a period of harsh frost that stifled fruit and cereal growth in spring. The Turkish Statistical Institute estimated a 4.1% decline of those crops, which include wheat and barley. The ongoing drought has exacerbated the strain on cereals.

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Turkiye Agricultural Chambers Union President Semsi Bayraktar called for the state-run Ziraat Bank and Agricultural Credit Cooperative to postpone debt collection for farmers. Bayraktar suggested growers should get a yearlong, interest-free deferment because of the climate-induced shortages, according to Turkiye Today.

"In terms of agriculture, 2025 has already become a disaster year for our country," Bayraktar said.

Why is extreme weather in Turkey important?

Turkey is one of the top 10 agricultural economies in the world, according to the International Trade Administration. As extreme weather has made crop yields more unpredictable, the global food supply becomes more uncertain.

This has also put nearly a quarter of the country's workforce at risk. As Bayraktar indicated, climate-induced crop decreases hurt the livelihoods of growers, which may lead to a need for debt relief options to soften the blow.

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When there are smaller harvests, consumers feel it. These poor growing seasons lead to shortages and high costs at grocery stores.

What's being done about extreme weather in Turkey?

In addition to delayed debt collection, Bayraktar suggested that the Turkish government provide assistance to farmers affected by drought and frost.

As the agricultural sector faces these challenges, scientists have been finding ways to make crops more resilient. One team has been looking into ways to genetically modify plants to endure harsher weather. Another team based in Turkey has invented crop-boosting technology called Plantzma that may help growers in the future.

Individuals can help mitigate the effects of the overheating planet by decreasing their pollution, which contributes to heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. People can start by educating themselves on critical climate issues.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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Nary a soul can recall a walk through their favorite movie theater, food court, or theme park without passing the unassuming coolers promising the siren call of delicious innovation. There was a time, for those old enough to remember it, when those coolers promised excitement, joy, and mystery.

Dippin Dots debuted in 1988 with a unique flash-freezing process that transforms milk, sugar, eggs, and cream into miniature spheres of super-chilled ice cream beads. Scooped out from hibernation and into a colorful plastic cup, the little frozen beads cling to your tongue before melting into the familiar flavors of strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and cookie dough. Now, theres a distinctly nostalgic taste associated with these tiny frozen beads. An ice-cold spoonful of Dippin Dots might feel like youre eating the past, but the technology behind it has gone on to help power the future.

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As a boy growing up in rural Illinois, Curt Jones always loved playing with his food. Fascinated by the curious combination of science and sugar, Jones relished the process of hand-cranking his homemade ice creammaker with his friends, watching the egg and cream slowly transform into the sweet, velvety dessert.

In 1986, Jones landed his first job at Alltech, a Kentucky biotechnology company where his work researching large-scale freezing methods for preserving bacteria and enzymes led the microbiologist to ask himself the question: What if I could freeze ice cream without the ice crystals that come along with it? After trying and failing with dry ice, Jones had a moment of clarity that inspired him to turn to the flash-freezing power of liquid nitrogen. In 1987, Jones walked into his work at Alltech with a vat of ice cream mix in tow to test his hypothesis and came out a changed man. As each ice cream droplet hit the bath of liquid nitrogen chilled to 320 F, it instantly froze into bead-size dots.

What I was really hoping to find out was to see if I could detect any ice crystals in there, remarked Jones in a 2019 episode of How I Built This With Guy Raz. You know, with homemade ice cream, you had that real icy taste. And the first thing I noticed is that when I bit into the little beads, it was a totally different texture.

Jones left his job soon after, and by 1989, he and his wife, Kay, had struck a life-changing deal with Opryland theme park in Nashville. The Dippin Dots stand at the park didnt last. But it kickstarted what would become the brands bread and butterstalls at family-friendly tourist destinations. Its next kiosk was at the Kennedy Space Center, where the phrase ice cream of the future was coined. The next year, Curt and Kay were granted a U.S. patent (No. 5,126,156) for their unique freezing method.

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By the fall of 1998, you could find Dippin Dots in 350 outlets across 42 states. The Joneses expanded aggressively by placing coolers in malls, amusement parks, and stadiums nationwide. The brand spawned a franchise program, cementing Dippin Dots as a mall-and-theme-park staple for an entire generation of kids. But success opened up a swath of new challenges. The ice cream required ultra-cold freezers that made supermarket distribution nearly impossible and limited growth. And then there was the fallout from the lawsuits.

Dippin Dots sued competitor Mini Melts for patent infringement in 1996. Mini Melts countersued Dippin Dots with an antitrust claim. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled against Dippin Dots on the grounds that the company had filed the application more than a year after the products first commercial sale. The ruling effectively invalidated Dippin Dots claim, leading to costly settlements and a protracted legal battle that drained both time and resources. While the company continued to operate, the dispute marked the beginning of a turbulent period of financial strain. The combination of legal costs, limited distribution channels, and the broader mid-2000s economic downturn brought the companys finances to the breaking point. By 2011, unable to sustain operations under the weight of the ongoing legal battles, Dippin Dots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking a way to restructure its debts and preserve what remained of its iconic brand. By 2012, Dippin Dots was soldacquired by the father-son team of Scott and Mark Fischer for $12.7 million. (Stories vary on when exactly Jones left the operation, but suffice to say he wasnt a major part of his companys new era.)

Under the new ownership, Dippin Dots shifted focus to licensing, partnerships, and more practical distribution methods. The company secured deals with movie theaters, convenience stores, and event vendors, broadening its presence in places where overheated adults and sugar-fiending children congregated. But its new stewards got creative, too. Scott Fischer licensed Jones dot-forming technology through a new venture called Dippin Dots Cryogenics LLC, selling the flash-freezing formula to pharmaceutical companies seeking to extend product shelf life and plant-based meat makers who used it to turn oils into fatlike microbeads that enhanced flavor and texture. Between April 2019 and April 2020, while the brands ice cream sales dropped by 85 percent, its cryogenics arm grew by 348 percent. Eventually, in 2022, Dippin Dots was acquired by J&J Snack Foods for a whopping $222 millionnot too shabby for a brand that had been bankrupt about a decade prior.

For his part, Curt Jones turned his innovative eye and deep understanding of cryogenics toward another everyday favorite: coffee. His creation, 40 Below Joe, takes the same flash-freezing technology that made Dippin Dots famous and applies it to coffee, transforming it into tiny, frozen pellets. (Eat them on a spoonsound familiar?or add water for a cup of instant coffee.).

Its hard to divorce the magic of Dippin Dots from its original form. While plant-based meat, coffee, and pharmaceuticals dont quite capture a kids imagination as strongly as ice cream, those of us who remember those striped awnings in food courts and ballparks know the inherent joy of the dessert. Despite the bumpy ride, the uses for frozen-pellet technology have matured along with us. For the kids and grown-ups thrilled at the thought of ordering up a cup of freezing-cold beaded vanilla spheres, Dippin Dots will still be there to deliver.
In ruling against the sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump purported to impose under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit did not settle the question of whether that law authorizes import taxes. Nor did it uphold the injunction that the Court of International Trade (CIT) issued against the tariffs on May 28. But the Federal Circuit agreed with the CIT that the tariffs are unlawful, and its reasoning highlights the audacity of Trump's claim that IEEPA empowers him to completely rewrite tariff schedules approved by Congress.

The decision addresses two challenges to Trump's tariffs, one brought by several businesses and one filed by a dozen states. Both sets of plaintiffs argued that Trump had illegally seized powers that belong to Congress.

The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to "lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises." And although Congress has delegated that authority to the president in "numerous statutes," the Federal Circuit notes in an unsigned opinion joined by seven members of an 11-judge panel, it has always "used clear and precise terms" to do so, "reciting the term 'duties' or one of its synonyms." Furthermore, Congress always has imposed "well-defined procedural and substantive limitations" on the president's tariff powers.

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IEEPA, by contrast, "neither mentions tariffs (or any of its synonyms) nor has procedural safeguards that contain clear limits on the President's power to impose tariffs." Yet under Trump's reading of the statute, it empowers him to impose any tariffs he wants against any country he chooses for as long as he deems appropriate, provided he perceives an "unusual and extraordinary threat" that constitutes a "national emergency" and avers that the import taxes will "deal with" that threat.

To justify his tariffs, Trump declared two supposed emergencies, one involving international drug smuggling and the other involving the U.S. trade deficit. The former "emergency," he said, justified punitive tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China, with the aim of encouraging greater cooperation in the war on drugs. The latter "emergency," he claimed, justified hefty, ever-shifting taxes on imports from dozens of countries, which he implausibly described as "reciprocal."

Leaving aside the question of whether it makes sense to characterize drug trafficking and trade imbalances, both of which are longstanding phenomena, as "unusual and extraordinary" threats, Trump's attempted power grab is striking even for him. "Since IEEPA was promulgated almost fifty years ago, past presidents have invoked IEEPA frequently," the Federal Circuit notes. "But not once before has a President asserted his authority under IEEPA to impose tariffs on imports or adjust the rates thereof. Rather, presidents have typically invoked IEEPA to restrict financial transactions with specific countries or entities that the President has determined pose an acute threat to the country's interests."

Trump claims to have discovered a heretofore unnoticed tariff power in an IEEPA provision that authorizes the president to "regulateimportation." And that power, he avers, is not subject to any "procedural and substantive limitations" except for the pro forma requirement that he declare a national emergency based on a foreign threat. As the Federal Circuit dryly observes, "it seems unlikely that Congress intended, in enacting IEEPA, to depart from its past practice and grant the President unlimited authority to impose tariffs."

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Trump's assertion of that authority "runs afoul of the major questions doctrine," the Federal Circuit says. According to the Supreme Court, that doctrine applies when the executive branch asserts powers of vast "economic and political significance." In such cases, "the Government must point to 'clear congressional authorization' for that asserted power," the appeals court notes. "The tariffs at issue in this case implicate the concerns animating the major questions doctrine as they are both 'unheralded' and 'transformative.'" The Supreme Court "has explained that where the Government has 'never previously claimed powers of this magnitude,' the major questions doctrine may be implicated."

The Federal Circuit was unimpressed by the government's citation of United States v. Yoshida International, a 1975 case in which the now-defunct Court of Customs and Patent Appeals approved a 10 percent import surcharge that President Richard Nixon had briefly imposed in 1971 under the Trading With the Enemy Act (TWEA). Although Nixon relied on a different statute, the government's lawyers noted, the court concluded that the phrase "regulate importation" in TWEA encompassed tariffs.

Even assuming that conclusion was correct, the Federal Circuit says, Yoshida "does not hold that TWEA created unlimited authority in the President to revise the tariff schedule, but only the limited temporary authority to impose tariffs that would not exceed the Congressionally approved tariff rates." Trump, by contrast, claims IEEPA gives him carte blanche to set tariffs, regardless of what Congress has said.

"The Government's expansive interpretation of 'regulate' is not supported by the plain text of IEEPA," the Federal Circuit says. "The Government's reliance on the ratification of our predecessor court's opinion in [Yoshida] does not overcome this plain meaning." The appeals court adds that "the Government's understanding of the scope of authority granted by IEEPA would render it an unconstitutional delegation."

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Four judges agreed with the majority that IEEPA "does not grant the President authority to impose the type of tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders." But they went further in a separate opinion, arguing that the statute does not authorize the president to impose any tariffs at all.

As Reason's Eric Boehm notes, the appeals court nevertheless vacated the CIT's injunction and remanded the case for further consideration in light of the Supreme Court's June 27 decision in Trump v. CASA. In that June 27 ruling, the Court questioned universal injunctions that judges had issued in two birthright citizenship cases "to the extent that the injunctions are broader than necessary to provide complete relief to each plaintiff with standing to sue."

Although the Supreme Court "held that the universal injunctions at issue 'likely exceed the equitable authority Congress has granted to federal courts,'" the Federal Circuit notes, "it 'decline[d] to take upin the first instance' arguments as to the permissible scope of injunctive relief. Instead, it instructed '[t]he lower courts [to] move expeditiously to ensure that, with respect to each plaintiff, the injunctions comport with this rule and otherwise comply with principles of equity' as outlined in the opinion. We will follow this same practice."

On remand, the Federal Circuit says, "the CIT should consider in the first instance whether its grant of a universal injunction comports with the standards outlined by the Supreme Court in CASA." The CIT, in other words, is tasked with deciding what sort of order is appropriate to grant the plaintiffs "complete relief." Alternatively, as Boehm suggests, Congress could intervene by asserting the tariff authority that Trump is trying to usurp.

The post The Federal Circuit's Tariff Ruling Highlights the Audacity of Trump's Power Grab appeared first on Reason.com.
On the Mauser Packaging Solutions plant floor, laborers do the dirty work of reconditioning steel containers used to transport chemicals. The workers blast residue off the dirties, clean them and repaint them to be used again. As they work, the chemicals in the air irritate their eyes.

But for the last 12 weeks, the workers, many of whom are Latino immigrants, havent been cleaning or painting anything inside the facility at the end of a quiet residential street in Little Village. Instead they have been outside the plant picketing, demanding the company provide them with safer workplace conditions  and protect them from federal immigration enforcement raids.

1.2 million immigrants are gone from the US labor force under Trump, preliminary data shows

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More than 100 workers, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 705, have struck through the summers heat and storms for their demands. And this Labor Day, as Chicago braces for the possibility of a federal immigration crackdown this week, they are still out on the line.

The workers have won support from powerful Democratic allies, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia and Vermonts Sen. Bernie Sanders. But so far, they say, Oak Brook-based Mauser hasnt met their demands.

Workers unanimously rejected the companys last, best and final contract offer to the union last month, according to the Teamsters. Their contract expired at the end of April, and they walked off the job in June over allegations of unfair labor practices on the part of the company.

Mauser Packaging Solutions is aware of the concerns raised by members of Teamsters Local 705, Kimberly Braam, a spokesperson for the company, wrote in an email in response to a detailed list of questions from the Tribune. We are committed to negotiating a fair and sustainable collective agreement with employees.

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On the strike line last week, workers told the Tribune their main concerns arent financial. They work through unbearably hot conditions inside the plant in the summer, they say. The ventilation is poor. They arent always given sufficient uniforms, they say, meaning they are sometimes forced to work around the chemicals in their own clothes and take them home to wash with their families laundry.

The Mauser plant, worker Jose Manuel Ruiz said, is like a prison.

Because theyre watching everything we do  where you go, what you did, why youre there, if you went to the bathroom, even how long you were in there, he said in Spanish.

Like Ruiz, 58, most of the Mauser workers are Latino, and many of them are immigrants. Some live near the plant in Little Village, a neighborhood that has been gripped by the fear of President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown since early this year.

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One of the main sticking points in the negotiations is over immigration protections.

The workers want Mauser to agree to not to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers onto its property unless the officials have a signed judicial warrant. The company has refused to agree to that stipulation, said Nico Coronado, Local 705s chief negotiator. He said Mauser had offered language that would give workers more time to address inconsistencies between their Social Security and I-9 employment eligibility verification documents.

We dont understand why they dont want to put this language in, because were their workers, said Arturo Landa, a maintenance mechanic in the shop and a member of the unions bargaining committee. Were the ones who make them money.

The parties also have not agreed on wages. The companys final offer to the union included raises of 3.5% in the contracts first year and 3% raises in each of the two subsequent years, according to Coronado. The union has asked for 6% raises in the first year followed by 4% raises in the following years, he said.

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Since the union rejected the companys final offer, the parties have met in one bargaining session, where they made no progress toward a deal, Coronado said. The union is open to negotiating with the company, he said.

The strike has dragged on significantly longer than most: In recent years, fewer than 10% of strikes in the U.S. have lasted a month or more, according to data from the Labor Action Tracker, a project of Cornell and the University of Illinois labor relations schools. Strikes tend to last longer in the manufacturing industry, but only a third of them last a month or more.

Landa, 45, lives in Little Village, where he came almost two decades ago by way of Veracruz, Mexico. Like many of the workers, he supports his family on his Mauser wages.

Landa has permission to work legally in the United States, he said. But legal status doesnt protect workers from fear. Workers see stories in the news about people who are detained by immigration officials even though their documents are in order, he said.

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The Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement at workplaces in a departure from the policies of President Joe Biden, who scaled back large-scale raids in favor of investigating and auditing employees. Under Trump, immigration officials have picked up farmworkers, delivery drivers and meatpackers  and even some U.S. citizens.

Though the full economic impact of Trumps immigration crackdown remains to be seen, some employers have reported to the Tribune difficulties in maintaining production levels without undocumented workers. Others have expressed concern that pushing back on enforcement tactics could make them targets for further scrutiny or audits.

They just see us like pack animals

Ruiz started working at the plant not long after he came to Little Village from Guanajuato, Mexico, as a teenager in the mid-1980s. He told the Tribune that after decades of work there  most spent working before Mauser was the owner  he makes just over $22 an hour.

The Millard Avenue plant was operated previously by a company called Meyer Steel Drum, which was acquired in 2016 by Industrial Container Services, according to Mausers website.

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Mauser Packaging Solutions was formed in 2018 by the merger of four companies: ICS, Mauser Group, BWAY and the National Container Group. At the time, Mauser said the companies had a consolidated revenue of $4 billion.

When Mauser  which says it has more than 11,000 employees around the world  came into the plant, company representatives told the workers they would be a part of a big family, Ruiz recalled. But he said that hasnt been his experience.

Theyre only worried about lining their pockets with money, he said. They just see us like pack animals.

At Mauser, most of the workers who are not Latino are Black. They told the Tribune they see the fight for immigration protections as their fight, too.

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They my brothers, said Jeffery Bell, a laborer at the plant. Bell, 61, works power-washing chemical-stained steel drums, making about $20 an hour. Hed never belonged to a union before he started working at Mauser two years ago. If this was a different situation, the shoe was on the other foot, I feel they would speak up for me, Bell said.

The strike comes as the Teamsters general president, Sean OBrien, has drawn criticism from many in the labor movement and within the ranks of his own union for cozying up with Trump and other Republicans.

After years of mostly supporting Democrats, the Teamsters political action committee has started giving money to Republican congressional candidates, including Reps. Darin LaHood and Mike Bost of Illinois, according to Politico. And OBrien himself drew criticism earlier this year when he referred to immigrants as illegal aliens in a podcast interview with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.

I think the biggest problem is people are trying to protect illegal aliens that come over here and commit crimes, OBrien said at the time.

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Kara Deniz, a spokesperson for the Teamsters international union, said the union can simultaneously support legal pathways to U.S. citizenship and make sure our local affiliates are fighting for any and all provisions that our members prioritize during contract negotiations.

Local 705 members have identified their priorities and we will fight to secure them, she wrote in an email.

I think one thing that Sean OBrien and I can agree with is that whenever were going to the table and advocating on behalf of workers, were going to be fighting for a fair and just contract, Coronado said. In terms of any statements hes made in the past, I dont have anything to add to that.

The Teamsters were one of the only major labor unions not to endorse Biden  viewed by many observers as the most pro-labor president in recent history  and later Vice President Kamala Harris during their respective presidential campaigns last year.

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The international union declined to endorse a candidate for president, a move viewed by many within the labor movement and the Trump campaign itself  as a tacit endorsement of Trump. When it declined to make an endorsement, the union released polling data that showed nearly 60% of its members supported the union backing Trump over Harris.

Shortly thereafter, a significant number of local Teamsters organizations, including the Illinois Teamsters, broke with the international to endorse Harris.

We experienced four years under Donald Trump, the Illinois Teamsters director of government affairs, Pasquale Gianni, told the Tribune at the time. Dealing with the (National Labor Relations Board), for example, proved to be incredibly difficult under his anti-union appointees and policies.

The NLRB, the independent agency responsible for protecting the rights of American workers to organize and form unions, has found its enforcement powers significantly weakened since earlier this year, when Trump fired board member Gwynne Wilcox in an unprecedented move that left the board without a quorum.

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Since Trump took office, his administration has also moved to strip federal workers of their union rights and roll back a wide range of workplace protections in what it describes as the presidents commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation.

This summer, Trumps labor department announced a massive deregulation campaign, saying it had plans to roll back more than 60 workplace regulations, from rules that establish minimum wage for home health care workers to protections for migrant farm workers.

Coronado said the union is fighting for the future in Little Village.

You have an administration in the federal government thats coming after workers, but also coming after immigrants, Coronado said.

If you want to see what the frontline battle looks like when were fighting against those anti-worker, anti-immigrant policies, you just have to come down to 3201 South Millard Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.
Tribal Business News, a sister publication of Native News Online, will host its Fourth Annual Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit on Tuesday, September 16, and Wednesday, September 17, at the Gun Lake Casino Resort in Wayland, Michigan.

The event will bring together tribal leaders, Native business executives, and non-Native business leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, along with state and federal agency representatives involved in tribal economic development.

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

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While our summit is named the Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit, weve had attendees from as far away as California, Montana, Oklahoma, and Arizona, said Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation), publisher of Tribal Business News. This summit will provide attendees with innovative strategies to conduct business across a wide range of industries throughout Indian Country.

The summit will offer timely insights into navigating federal policies amid significant political shifts in Washington, D.C. Attendees will hear from subject-matter experts on the latest developments in tribal economic development.

A highlight of the event will be a fireside chat featuring former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community). Newland will discuss how tribal nations can effectively navigate the federal government, especially as the Trump administration shifts its approach to tribal relations. A former tribal chairperson, Newland will speak candidly about why tribal nations cannot rely solely on federal support during times of uncertainty.

A Michigan native, Newland grew up in Brimley before heading to Washington, D.C., to serve in the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Obama administration. He later returned home to the Bay Mills Indian Community, where he became a tribal judge and served as tribal chairperson. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed him as assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, serving under Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo). In March, Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC announced that Newland was joining the firm as a principal in its Indian Tribal Governments Group.

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Also on the agenda is Diane Cullo, Assistant Administrator of the SBAs Office of Native American Affairs, who will provide an overview of how tribal governments and Native entrepreneurs can access programs through the Small Business Administration. Following the summit, Cullo will host an SBA tribal consultation session from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at the Gun Lake Casino Resort.

Other sessions will focus on opportunities for tribes to establish foreign trade zones, as well as explore new developments in energy, education, and broader economic innovation.

CLICK FOR SUMMIT REGISTRATION

For those traveling by air, the nearest airport is the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Mich. Tribal Business News is excited to offer attendees of the Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit special rates at Gun Lake Casino Resort! Deadline to reserve a room is September 12, 2025.

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About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN)  Nearly two months after the Independence Day floods killed at least 138 people, many are still picking up the pieces.

For Harry Sherwood, it destroyed nearly everything he owned.

Resources for Texans affected by flooding: Find shelter, supplies and assistance

Im getting by. I hope everybody else out here is getting by, but Im sure there are some people out here still hurting, he said.

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On July 5, floodwaters rushed through Big Sandy Creek behind Sherwoods house. He evacuated at 2 a.m., when the water was already waist-deep. He said he is lucky to be alive. 10 people in the Big Sandy Creek area died.

It was home, everything, and its gone. All the furniture, computers and desks, and so forth, Sherwood said. Everythings just gone, he said.

Sherwood had flood insurance and might rebuild once his home is demolished on Sept. 13. Still, he said its painful to say goodbye to the place he lived for nearly 20 years, many of those with his late wife.

Its just sad. It has to go, Sherwood said. Sherwood has a GoFundMe to help him recover from the floods.

FEMA deadline approaches

According to Texas Appleseed, more than 7,900 people in Central Texas applied to FEMA for disaster relief after the floods. Only around 3% of applicants had flood insurance at the time, according to the dashboard.

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The deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance is Sept. 4.

The data analysis also showed that more than 67% of applicants reported earning less than $60,000 per year, while 38% made $30,000 or less.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey says too many people are placing their hopes in the wrong strategy. Depending on government policies to redistribute wealth has never produced lasting financial success for ordinary Americans, he warned.

That message came during a recent call with Laurie from Oregon on The Ramsey Show. At 69, Laurie had already retired after 30 years with a local government job, while her 71-year-old husband still runs his own business. Together, they've built a solid nest egg: about $500,000 in certificates of deposit and high-yield savings, $700,000 in retirement accounts, and a paid-off home worth around $400,000.

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Building Wealth The Old-Fashioned Way

Laurie explained that she grew up with her grandmother, who shared the same money advice Ramsey teaches. "I only had come across you in the last year," she said, "but the amazing thing was I grew up mostly with my grandma who had exactly the same advice as you. So I followed her advice and found that you gave the same exact advice. Ramsey was quick to add, God's and grandmas ways of handling money. Its called common sense."

Ramsey praised her and her husband's discipline, noting that they started from nothing and raised their son to graduate law school debt-free.

Laurie wanted advice on whether to move her $500,000 in CDs, which currently earn about 5%, into the market. Ramsey was straightforward: "Yes," he said. "If you make 4% or 5% and you could have been making 12% or 15%, that means youre losing 10%, which on 500,000 is you missed out on 50 grand."

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Enjoying The Payoff

Laurie also asked if she could afford a dream trip to Australia when she turns 70. Ramsey encouraged her not to hold back. "You can't afford not to do it," he said. "The difference in this conversation, investing this money versus high yield, will pay for the trip."

He reminded her that wealth isn't just about saving. "You have done such a good job. I want you to enjoy your money as well as be generous with your money as well as continuing to be wise with your money," he told her. Ramsey and co-host George Kamel emphasized that this is the reward for decades of hard work and smart choices. Kamel called it the "healthy side of YOLO, you only live once," saying that after years of discipline, people like Laurie are now in the deaccumulation phase where they can enjoy their wealth.
(PUEBLO, Colo.)  The community celebrated Fiesta Day at the Colorado State Fair on Sunday, Aug 31, with a parade honoring the Hispanic communitys culture and contributions to the Pueblo area with music, dancing, and colorful floats.

Since 1966, the annual event has showcased beloved cultural traditions, such as Mexican food, traditional decorations, festive clothing, Folklorico dancers, and Mariachi music.

Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe

Mayor Heather Graham and Chief of Police Chris Noeller rode in the parade, waving from a Pueblo Police Department cruiser.

Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Dez Rowe

Thousands of people attend to watch the parade and take part in the celebration, including the ballet of horses, and a performance from Los Huracanes del Norte.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Police are looking for the suspect in a deadly stabbing on Sunday evening.

A fight between two men was first reported shortly after 6 p.m. in the 3100 block of N. Nellis Boulevard, south of Cheyenne Avenue. Shortly after that call, Las Vegas Metropolitan police dispatch received another call that a man had been stabbed.

Officers found the man in a parking lot suffering several stab wounds, police said. The man died after being transported to a hospital.

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Police said the two men exchanged words inside a business, and as soon as they exited, they started fighting in the parking lot. The suspect left the scene before police arrived. Police did not release any information about the suspect.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LVMPD Homicide Section at (702) 828-3521. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555, or click here.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  Six people were displaced by a fire that broke out early Sunday night and caused an estimated total of $225,000 in damage to a Buffalo home, officials announced.

Crews responded to the fire at 8:38 p.m. at 333 Grote St. The fire started on the first floor and extended to the second floor and attic.

Officials said the house was occupied at the time of the fire, which displaced two children and four adults.

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An estimated $150,000 in damage was done to the homes structure and $75,000 worth of contents was lost. An estimated $5,000 in structural exposure damage was done to a home at 325 Grote St. along with $10,000 to its contents.

No injuries were reported and the American Red Cross is assisting the six people affected by the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Latest Local News

Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here.

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Firefighters successfully contained a brush fire in Sylmar on Sunday evening, preventing injuries and property damage as crews worked to secure the area.

The Land Fire was first reported at approximately 6:30 p.m. near 12600 North Harding Street, with smoke visible on local monitoring cameras, according to Watch Duty. Initial reports indicated the fire covered roughly three-quarters of an acre and was moving upslope at a slow rate of spread.

Within minutes, aerial assessments estimated the fire had grown to about four acres, prompting helicopters to be dispatched for water drops to assist ground crews.

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By 7:07 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that forward progress had been stopped and the fire had been held to seven acres.

Land Fire in Sylmar. (ALERTCalifornia) Firefighters attending the Land Fire. (Angeles National Forest on X)

No injuries or structural damage were reported.

Crews from the LAFD, Angeles National Forest, and Los Angeles County Fire Department will remain on scene to conduct mop-up operations through the night.

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A firefighter moves hazard fuel while working on the Bear Gulch fire this summer. Many in the wildland fire community believe the leadership team managing the fire sent crews into an ambush by federal immigration agents. (Facebook/Bear Gulch Fire 2025)

Wildland firefighters were stunned when federal immigration authorities last week raided an active wildfire response in Washington state, arresting two firefighters and sidelining crews for hours.

Wildfire veterans say the operation was nearly unprecedented, a breach in longstanding protocol that federal agents dont disrupt emergency responders to check immigration status.

Many wildfire veterans believe the management team overseeing the fire crews played a key role in handing over the firefighters to immigration authorities.

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Stateline spoke to nearly a dozen firefighters, agency staffers and contractors familiar with the incident, who shared their belief that the top officials assigned to the fire deployed the crews to a remote location under false pretenses so federal agents could check their immigration status. Most of them spoke privately for fear of retaliation.

The raid has reverberated among fire crews, agency leaders and contractors. Wildfire veterans say the arrests have stoked fear and distrust among firefighters on the ground. They worry that crews may be scared to deploy if they may become a target for immigration raids.

Theres really no way [the wildfire management team] could not have been involved, said Riva Duncan, a former wildland fire chief who served more than 30 years with the U.S. Forest Service. Were all talking about it. People are wondering if they go on a fire with this team, if that could happen to them.

Team was assigned to respond to Bear Gulch fire near Olympic National Park

Since the incident became public, the wildfire world has been abuzz with anger at that team  California Interagency Incident Management Team 7. Made up of federal, state and local fire professionals, the team was assigned to oversee the response to the Bear Gulch fire, which has burned 9,000 acres in and around Olympic National Park in Washington state.

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One firefighter who was present at the raid said he is convinced that Team 7 leaders sent their crews into a trap.

I felt beyond betrayed, said the firefighter, who requested anonymity to protect his career. What they did was messed up. Theyd been talking in their briefings about building relationships and trust. For them to say that and then go do this is mind-boggling. It boiled my blood.

Team 7 Incident Commander Tom Clemo, in an email, declined to comment, citing an active investigation. Tom Stokesberry, the teams public information officer, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to daily Incident Action Plans filed by Team 7 and posted online, the crews had previously been digging holding lines, working to protect structures and conducting mop-up work. The two crews targeted by federal agents had not been assigned to work together in the days leading up to the raid.

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Then, on Aug. 27, both crews  workers from private companies contracted to help fight the fire  were told to deploy to a staging area where they would cut firewood for the local community. The firefighter who was present at the raid told Stateline that a division supervisor told the crews he would meet them at the site, but never showed up.

After arriving at the site, the firefighter said, the crews found piles of logs, seemingly from a timber operation. Not wanting to damage a logging companys property, they waited for a management team leader to show up with further instructions.

After an hour, unmarked law enforcement vehicles pulled up to the site and federal officials began questioning the firefighters. Duncan, the former Forest Service firefighter, said immigration agents would not have been able to access the site without help from Team 7 leaders.

Fire areas are officially closed, very secure and there are roadblocks, she said. Somebody would have had to tell these agents how to get there.

Time card discrepancies for firefighting crews lead to immigration status checks

In a news release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said its agents assisted with an investigation led by the federal Bureau of Land Management. While the agencys release did not mention the nature of the investigation, multiple wildfire sources said the feds claimed they had uncovered fraud on time cards submitted by the crews.

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Table Rock Forestry Inc., an Oregon-based company whose crew was one of the two at the scene, was allegedly subjected to the raid due to a half-hour discrepancy on a time sheet, said Scott Polhamus, secretary of the Organization of Fire Contractors and Affiliates. Table Rock Forestry is a member of the fire contractors group.

Multiple wildfire veterans said that time card discrepancies are not uncommon at wildfires, where crews work long days and its not always clear if lunch breaks or errands in town count toward working hours. Such mix-ups are typically sorted out between organizational leaders. Calling law enforcement in such a scenario is almost unheard of.

This is not the first time a crew has been called on the carpet for maybe padding their time a bit, Duncan said. You deal directly with the company. Its just absolutely mind-boggling to treat it as a criminal issue.

After about five minutes discussing the time card issue, according to the firefighter who was present at the raid, federal agents spent the next three hours checking each firefighters immigration status.

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The Customs and Border Protection news release announcing the immigration arrests made no mention of time sheets or any evidence that the investigation had turned up fraud. It did state that the two companies whose crews were raided had their contracts terminated by the government.

Polhamus, with the fire contractors group, said that claim is false. While the crews were demobilized and sent home, the feds have not actually ended the companies contracts or ability to accept future deployments.

A Customs and Border Protection public affairs specialist did not immediately respond to questions about the investigation, the alleged fraud or federal agents coordination with Team 7.

Federal officials did not warn state agency about its investigation

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the states lead wildfire response agency, said federal officials did not notify their state counterparts about the investigation.

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DNR was not informed of the incident until well after the fact, said Ryan Rodruck, wildfire on-call public information officer with the agency.

Rodruck noted that the fire response was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. Press officers with the Forest Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Multiple wildfire sources said the crews would not have been sent to the staging area where they were ambushed without the knowledge of top leaders on the fires management team.

The two crews that were raided have a diverse mix of firefighters, many of them Hispanic. One of the crews has many foreign workers who are legally in the country on H-2B visas. Duncan, the former Forest Service firefighter, said it was likely not a coincidence that two crews with many brown-skinned members were targeted in the raid.

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Two of the firefighters were arrested, federal officials said, for being in the country illegally.

One of the firefighters who was arrested is represented by Innovation Law Lab, an Oregon-based legal group that defends refugees and immigrants. Isa Pena, the groups director of strategy, said the Department of Homeland Security has not revealed the whereabouts of their client.

The firefighter, who Pena declined to name, has been in the U.S. since he was four years old and served as a firefighter for the past three years. Immigration advocates are alarmed that the raid was potentially arranged by California Interagency Incident Management Team 7, the leaders charged with overseeing the wildfire response.

There certainly is concern if that is the case that individuals are being handed over to immigration as theyre trying to keep our communities safe, Pena said. Conducting immigration enforcement while brave members of our community are risking their lives to protect us is really disgusting.

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Several wildland fire veterans also noted that the raid took place on Team 7s final day in charge of the fire response, hours before a Washington team rotated in to take command. The California team headed home and left the new team to face the media scrutiny and angry firefighters in camp.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

If youve got ICE teams pulling your contractors out, youd want to cut and run as soon as you can, Polhamus said.

On a forum for wildland fire professionals on the social media platform Reddit, many expressed anger at Team 7. Firefighters also took issue with the assertion, shared by federal immigration officials, that the raid did not disrupt firefighting operations.

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Its total bulls***, said Duncan, the former Forest Service firefighter. Whoever made that statement doesnt understand the work. To take two crews off of a fire thats only 13% contained, that seems ridiculous at that point in a fire. That does seem very unusual.

Many wildfire veterans said that conducting a raid at the site of an active wildfire was reckless and irresponsible.

Having people on the line that you dont expect to be there is an issue, said Polhamus, with the fire contractors group. When you need crews and you are taking resources to check them for immigration status, we can all think of better ways to address that.

Duncan said shes spoken with firefighters still assigned to the Bear Gulch fire who are disgusted with the situation and want to leave.

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The three principal wildland fire values are duty, respect, integrity, she said. Utmost in that is taking care of your people. If you cant trust the people youre working with when things get hairy, thats a concern.

In Washington and Oregon, elected leaders have decried the raids and are pushing for more information on the status of the firefighters who were arrested. Federal immigration officials have said little since the news release announcing the arrests.

Stateline, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY)  The U.S. Forest Service has released the first week of its 2025 Fall Color Report, and color is creeping closer to West Virginia.

According to the report, forests in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont and Ohio reported seeing the first signs of fall color on the trees, including the Wayne National Forest, which is near the West Virginia border in the Ohio Valley. However, that fall color is only in very small pockets, and those forests are still almost all green.

Early autumn leaves like the deep red of this red maple are starting to appear the first week of September 2025. This red maple was spotted in a gravel pit off US Highway 2 on the Watersmeet Ranger District on the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan. (Credit: USDA Forest Service photo by Jonothan Bofinger.)

West Virginia Division of Forestry director Jeremey Jones said that West Virginia has the perfect conditions for vibrant fall color so fara warm, wet summer with a snap of cooler temperatures. Whether the fall-like temperatures from late August stick around through September will determine if the color is great or exceptional, according to Jones.

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Winning Powerball ticket sold in West Virginia, but jackpot continues to grow

According to the West Virginia Department of Tourism, West Virginia will see the start of fall color at the end of September. Because it was a wetter summer, that color should be near on time, especially compared to the fall color in 2024, which was delayed because of severe drought.

The first areas that will see fall color in West Virginia are the Allegheny Highlands, including Preston County, down to Greenbrier County.

West Virginia Department of Tourism 2025 Fall Foliage Map (WV Tourism)

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RAINELLE, WV (WVNS)  The Rainelle Volunteer Fire Department brought the community together for their 2nd annual Firemans Muster.

A firemans muster throws things back to the old ways of firefighting where they used older trucks and equipment.

SportsZone Week 1: A new season begins with plenty of drama!

Rainelle VFD invited other local volunteer fire departments to compete in hose cart relays, tug of war, and a water battle. Rainelle fire chief Matt Osborne explained this is extremely important, as volunteerism is dying out all across the country.

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We are having to do more with less manpower and [money]. It is good comradery to get together and be able to have some good downtime, some morale building time for not only the guys, but like I said, lets the community see what we can do too, said Fire Chief Osborne.

It is something new for us. We could not do it without our volunteers. We are not paid at this department. It is all volunteer and without them we could not pull off these types of things for the community, added Deputy Chief Michael McGuire.

The idea to create this firemans muster came from Osborne and a former fire chief that used to be with Rainelle VFD, after a firemans parade in Marlinton.

Sparky the Fire Dog was there hanging out with the kids, as they offered tips for fire safety.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Crews ended up fighting a house fire after responding to a report of an explosion in Antioch Sunday afternoon.

According to Metro Nashville dispatch, an explosion was called in around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, from the 5400 block of Reagan Run, so more than 20 Nashville Fire Department units were assigned to the call over the next few minutes.

Multiple injuries reported among first responders following large-scale structure fire in Decatur County

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The first NFD units on the scene saw heavy fire conditions that extended into the attic. They started an interior attack on the fire while other crews established water supply, conducted a primary search and set up ventilation, according to fire officials.

(Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN)

Officials said a second alarm was requested for more crews to assist.

According to the NFD, one firefighter became disoriented while in the attic and was safely assisted and then transported for medical evaluation.

Crews battle two-alarm apartment fire along Elm Hill Pike

Fire officials said no injuries were reported, and the Red Cross assisted residents displaced by the fire.

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According to the NFD, investigators deemed the fire accidental, likely caused by either an electrical failure or a single-burner camping stove. A brick wall collapsed into the area of origin, preventing investigators from ruling out the stove completely.

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FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT)  The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says a man was killed in a wreck Saturday afternoon.

According to ALEA, the wreck happened at about 4:45 p.m. on Lauderdale County 24, near Hike Drive, about five miles north of Florence.

ALEA identified the man as 34-year-old Cory L. Stevenson, of Florence. He was killed when the ATV he was driving left the roadway and hit a ditch before overturning.

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ALEA said he was thrown from the ATV and pronounced dead at the scene.

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Egypt has entered into four oil and gas exploration agreements with international companies valued at more than $340m (E16.52bn), aiming to bolster domestic production in the face of growing energy demand.

The agreements, disclosed by the Petroleum Ministry on 30 August, encompass offshore blocks in the Mediterranean and Nile Delta.

These contracts include a commitment to drill ten new wells and were secured by the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).

Shell International has entered into the largest agreement, valued at $120m (88.7m), for exploration in the Mediterranean's Merneith offshore area. The agreement includes plans for three wells.

The second agreement is with Italian energy company Eni, which has pledged $100m (85.31m) for drilling three wells in the East Port Said offshore block.

Russias Zarubezhneft signed the third agreement, valued at $14m (Rbs1.13bn), which is set to focus on the North Khatatba concession in the Nile Delta, with four wells scheduled to be drilled.

In addition, Arcius Energy, a joint venture between BP and XRG, the investment arm of the United Arab Emirates' ADNOC, has committed to invest $109m in the North Damietta offshore area.

These investments come at a critical time as Egypt grapples with declining gas field supplies and a surge in electricity consumption, compounded by regional tensions impacting the energy sector.

The Ministry of Petroleum has announced that the contracts are a component of a larger strategy aimed at enhancing exploration efforts, ensuring a stable domestic supply and strengthening Egypt's position as a key energy hub in the region.

Concurrently, Egypt secured a series of agreements in June to procure between 150 and 160 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through 2026, a move aimed at meeting the country's rising power requirements amid economic challenges.

These LNG agreements with global energy companies and trading houses are expected to cost Egypt more than $8bn at present market rates.

"Egypt secures new oil and gas exploration contracts worth $340m" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




MIAMI BEACH  After more than two decades, siblings Elizabeth and George Iglesias have not grown weary of eating at Georges Italian Restaurant, which they opened on 72nd Street near the North Beach Bandshell in 2000.

We still eat here five times a week, Elizabeth Iglesias says, laughing. Were not tired of it. Our families eat here. Our kids eat here. Its home for us.

Their devoted customers arent sick of it, either. Talk to diners at the restaurant, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, a not insignificant marker of success, and theyll echo the same sentiments: Georges is a restaurant that feels like home.

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You can see it in the way George Iglesias stops by tables to greet the familiar faces there; in the way the customers all seem to know each other, shaking hands and patting backs; in the care of the staff thats attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and the wines and ready with good  and affordable  recommendations.

During a tough year for local restaurants, at a time when even upscale spots are withering in the cruel Miami summer, Georges stands out as a spot that truly is a community magnet.

Since day one, we wanted to focus on locals, George Iglesias says. Thats why we picked this location. Twenty-five years ago, this location was one not that many people knew about. But we knew it would be a destination for locals, and that was always our direction.

Classic Italian cuisine

The Iglesias siblings are originally from Los Angeles but grew up in Argentina with a Spanish father and Cuban mother. They ended up living on opposite sides of the hemisphere, Elizabeth in L.A. and George in Argentina. Eventually, they came to Miami with the idea of reuniting their family and opening a business. Italian food seemed the natural choice.

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We grew up eating Italian food, says George Iglesias. You cant live in Argentina without eating a lot of Italian food.

When they opened the restaurant, they started out working as servers, getting to know their customers, their likes and dislikes, rushing to correct mistakes and making sure everyone was comfortable.

For the menu, they landed on classic Italian fare, and it hasnt changed much over the years. Youll find appetizers like the succulent filet mignon carpaccio with capers, cherry tomatoes and arugula ($19) and a variety of salads to start, with pastas ranging from $20 to $28 (seafood risotto with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari and salmon). Standouts include a lobster ravioli in a lobster cream sauce topped with shrimp ($26) and a delicious fiocchi alla pera, pasta pockets filled with pear and ricotta in a creamy sauce with a hint of gorgonzola. There are also steaks like the grilled skirt steak ($32) as well as chicken, seafood and veal dishes.

The menu is basically 70 percent the same since the beginning, George Iglesias says. I believe consistency is everything. There are always going to be better restaurants. But people expect to eat the same thing the next time they come, so you have to be consistent. Our chefs have been with us almost 20 years. Our kitchen staff has been with us a long time, too.

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The neighborhood has changed, of course, but in ways that make it an ideal location for Georges. In the beginning, the clientele was older, often retired. Now, with new buildings popping up and development continuing, they see more young professional people at the restaurant, not just from North Beach but also North Bay Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor islands and Aventura.

There are two distinct sets of diners now: An older crowd that comes early and a younger one that arrives after 9 p.m. Many customers just walk over from the nearby buildings (and if you dont live close by, theres a big parking lot right across the street).

Its still a neighborhood, George Iglesias says. A lot of trends didnt happen in this area. A trendy restaurant wouldnt survive here.

Theyre just so great to me

Georges customers dont seem to value trends too much. What they value are their memories.

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Gilda Orozco recalls first eating at Georges in 2002, not long after it opened.

One of the reasons I admire them both so much is that they were so hands on, she says. They were both there all the time. They built this from scratch. I admire the way they are as a family. They work together. And of course the food is amazing. Especially the osso buco.

My kids laugh at me. Theyre in California. And when were on the phone and I say, Were going out to dinner tonight, they say: We know, youre going to Georges. 

For Kerry Allen, who now lives in North Bay Village, Georges has long been a place for the family to get together. She lived in Aventura, with her sister and brother-in-law in Miami Beach, and their parents came down from western Massachusetts every winter. They met every Saturday night for Italian fare at Georges.

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It became the family place, she says.

When her father died in 2014, her mother came to live with her  and Georges became their place.

Everybody treated her like a queen, she remembers. The food is fantastic. We made so many friends. I even got her an accountant through people we met at Georges.

Allens niece and nephew joined them over the years. They celebrated her mothers 90th birthday there, the staff quick to come out and help her into the restaurant every time Allens car pulled up. And when her mother passed away a year and a half ago, she got a call from George Iglesias, who said, We still expect to see you on Saturday. So now, she has dinner there every weekend at the bar, usually by herself but never truly alone.

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So many people would come up to me and tell me my mother was an elegant, beautiful woman and they missed her, she says. It was really something. Theyre just so great to me. When you work from home like I do, you can get cut off because youre working, but you dont see people. This is a great outlet. And the food is consistently great.

Our pride and joy

In July, Georges threw a party for its most loyal customers and packed the house, indoor and outdoor tables full, wine and pasta flowing. There was a band and dancers, even a magician roaming from table to table to entertain.

The real magic, of course, lies in the community theyve created.

We knew every single person who came to celebrate with us, Elizabeth Iglesias says. I think thats what helped us succeed, bonding with our customers. The community is what helped us through the pandemic and the rough times.

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Since that opening in 2000, the Iglesiases have expanded their culinary empire, taking over the Cuban restaurant Sazon Cubano on the block just north of Georges. They have also opened Burgers & Shakes, a hamburger spot with locations two blocks north on Collins Avenue, one in Hollywood and another in Fort Lauderdale at beachside Marina Village. Two more are on the way, one in North Miami and the second in the former spot of Andiamo in the MiMo neighborhood.

And yet, Georges is still the restaurant closest to the familys heart, because it started everything.

Thats our baby, George Iglesias says. Thats our pride and joy.

Georges Italian Restaurant

Where: 300 72nd St., Miami Beach

Hours: Noon-midnight Monday-Saturday; noon-11 p.m. Sunday

Reservations and more information: www.georgesmiamibeach.com or 305-864-5586
The changing climate and rising temperatures are wreaking havoc on plants and animals around the world. Species and habitats have been threatened by disease and relocation, resulting in climate-driven extinctions.

This is why invasive species are especially dangerous. With habitats already threatened, the introduction of a foreign species to a local ecosystem can be disastrous for wildlife.

But some clever, innovative people are fighting back to protect environments.

In a post on TikTok, Gray Davis (@gray.davis) explained that green iguanas are all around the Florida Keys. Viewers follow along as he catches one after a few tries. He then offers step-by-step instructions on how to make an iguana stir-fry. "Would you try iguana?" he asks.

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According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, green iguanas are an invasive species in the state. Their feeding habits threaten local vegetation and wildlife. For instance, they have been found to eat endangered tree snails and nickerbean, a plant that hosts endangered butterflies.

Efforts to fight back against invasive species are important for conservation. They can help restore biodiversity and balance to ecosystems. And green iguana stir-fry is not the only meal that has arisen from people dealing with invasive species.

Officials in Washington have encouraged foragers to take as many Himalayan blackberries as possible since the plant is also an invasive species in the area. And Texas leaders have said locals should fish for, cook, and eat invasive red lionfish.

Commenters were impressed by the ingenuity. "If you've ever had gator tail in Florida, you'll like this, too! These things are huge, and they are everywhere! Super invasive," one said. There was some debate about whether people would eat iguana, but another commenter pointed out, "In Guyana, it's a delicacy."

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Floridas agricultural inspection stations will double as immigration checkpoints for truck drivers, a move that is drawing mixed reactions from those behind the wheel.

Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday the stations will check drivers compliance with federal English-language requirements. Licenses issued by states that allow immigrants without legal status to apply will be targeted.

If youre here illegally or cant speak English, you have no business operating large commercial vehicles on Floridas roads, Uthmeier said.

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Florida operates 23 agricultural inspection stations through the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Most are along major highways in the northern part of the state.

The announcement came two weeks after a fatal Aug. 12 crash in which police said truck driver Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn that killed three people. Singh, who illegallyentered the United States through the southern border in 2018, later obtained commercial licenses in Washington and California. Singh is being held in a St. Lucie County jail and faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. According to an arrest report obtained by the Times/Herald, Florida Highway Patrol troopers did not question the drivers immigration status for two days.

Uthmeier sent aletter urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to revoke California and Washingtons commercial license authority and related federal funding.

Decertification for California and Washington under the present circumstances would also match the tone set by President Trump on his first day back in office, the letter reads.

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California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions in federal funding if they dont enforce English requirements for truck drivers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday. Singh was stopped for speeding in New Mexico last year, according to the Associated Press, but was still allowed to keep driving his truck.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services officers were certified in July to enforce federal immigration laws through a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Simpson said officers are stationed at interdiction checkpoints to work with federal and state partners on immigration enforcement and checking for English proficiency among commercial drivers, while continuing agricultural inspections.

Trucks, vans, trailers, and any vehicles carrying agricultural, horticultural, or livestock products are screened at these stations on 19 highways to and from Florida. The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has 204 employees assigned to those operations.

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Trump signed an executive order on April 28 reinforcing a federal law that requires commercial truck drivers to be proficient in English. The rule had been relaxed under the Obama administration in 2016.

In Florida, some truck drivers see the checkpoints as necessary for safety. Others are not so sure.

Ricardo Gonzalez, 55, a Mexican trucker who lives in Sarasota and hauls freight in and out of Florida, said the issue becomes more complicated when immigration enforcement is layered on top of safety inspections.

Anyone driving a trailer or a big rig has some type of legal permit, right?, Gonzalez said. Singhs case should not be used to cast suspicion on all immigrant drivers, many of whom are licensed professionals who keep the industry running, hesaid .

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Many, its true, do not speak English or understand it well, he said. But I do not agree with this becoming a hunt for people. I dont want to see that.

Evelyn Davila, a Florida truck driver who covers the East Coast, said security is essential in the trucking industry. Most drivers, she said, follow the rules and do things the right way, but there are always a few who do not.

Davila worries that new rules could harm truckers doing their jobs legally. Additional inspections, she said, could slow deliveries and interrupt tight schedules drivers depend on to make a living.

Time is fundamental for us, she said. It is money that you either lose or gain.

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Eliezer Soto, a Puerto Rican trucker, said the checkpoints could not only ensnare truck drivers who are in the middle of a legal process to obtain permanent legal status but also citizens and legal residents who get caught up in tougher enforcement.

Florida has more than 99,000 heavy-truck drivers, federal records show. Nationwide, about 18% of truckers are foreign-born.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced onX that he is pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers, wrote Rubio.

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Soto, 49, said he fears the crackdown will make immigrant drivers feel singled out and less willing to take jobs in Florida.

Nationwide, Florida ranks among the states with the highest share of intrastate shipments by value, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Hawaii had the highest share, followed by Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.

According to a 2023 report by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, Floridas freight system moved about 839 million tons of goods worth $1.1 trillion, the eighth largest total among states.

If someone does not have the right permit or the ID and can be detained at these checkpoints and maybe deported, many people will not want to drive in Florida, Soto said.
Officials in Polk County said a man was arrested after injuring a police officer and his K9 partner.

The incident happened on Sunday in Lake Wales during a traffic stop for speeding.

Police said they pulled over Dundee resident Marlon Arrindell on US Highway 27, but he fled from the traffic stop.

Arrindell was later located by other officers about a mile away at a Chevron gas station on East Bay Boulevard, officials said.

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An officer attempted to arrest Arrindell, who then started fighting the officer, according to a report.

During the altercation the officer also released his K9startedpartner, Bolo, to assist.

Officials said Arrindell managed to get back into his vehicle and drove off, dragging both the officer and K9 through the parking lot.

According to a report, Arrindell later stopped and attempted to flee on foot but was arrested after injuring himself on a barbed wire fence.

Arrindell faces multiple charges, including driving while license suspended, fleeing to elude, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, injuring a police canine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The officer and K9 both received treatment for their injuries.

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NEBRASKA (KCAU)  The Food Bank of Siouxland will reach some communities in Nebraska this week with their mobile food pantries.

On September 2, theyll visit Our Lady of Fatima Church from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thats located at 462 Elk Street in Macy, Nebraska.

Story continues below

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Also on September 2, a mobile food pantry will be located at the Walthill Fire Hall in Walthill, Nebraska. That will run from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and its located at 123 Main Street.

Finally, on September 4, a mobile pantry will be set up at First Lutheran Church in South Sioux City. That will run from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. That address is 3601 Dakota Avenue.

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International students looking to study in the U.S. are getting very mixed signals from the Trump administration.

Days after President Trump said it is very important to have Chinese students at American schools, prompting backlash from his MAGA base, his administration proposed a rule change capping a foreign students stay to four years to complete a degree and requiring special approval to stay longer.

For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in the release.

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But hundreds of thousands of foreign students in the U.S. are graduate students, with a Ph.D. program taking as long as eight years in some cases.

Experts worry the new approval wont be a smooth process and would disrupt international students studies, causing them to seek universities in other countries despite the president looking for more students to come to the U.S.

President Trump had already made sweeping student visa crackdowns a key part of his immigration policies, with the State Department announcing in August that more than 6,000 of such visas had been revoked since he returned to office. Foreign students are also dealing with new screening procedures that have many scrubbing their social media in fear.

And now, in order to stay in the U.S. for a longer degree, they would have to apply to reauthorization through United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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The problem, advocates say, is that USCIS is already backed up, and delays in reauthorizations would put education plans at risk.

If we had a well-oiled machine at USCIS working to make these approvals happen quickly, it wouldnt be as much of a problem. This is bad policy because it will make USCIS processing even more backlogged, and thats going to make it harder for students to gain legal approval to stay in the United States, said Jill Allen Murray, deputy executive director of the Association of International Educators.

The Hill has reached out to DHS for further comment.

Others advocates questioned the administrations argument that widespread abuse has occurred by previously allowing students to apply just once.

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We looked at what they put in the rule and in the justification for the rule, and they said that there were about 2,100 people who came in between the year 2000 and 2010 that were still in active F-1 status. We calculated what that meant, that meant that comes to 0.06 percent of the estimated more than 3 million people who came in as F-1 students on visas during that time period, said Stuart Anderson, executive director for the National Foundation for American Policy.

So, to justify putting new burdens on 99.93 percent of international students  that doesnt seem like a very intelligent approach, and it seems more grasping at a justification rather than an actual reason, he added.

The rule proposal adds to an already confusing situation after Trump last week emphasized that students from China would still be welcome, despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier saying he planned to aggressively revoke visas from Chinese students, particularly those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

I hear so many stories about, Were not going to allow their students, Trump said last Monday. Were going to allow their students to come in. Were going to allow it. Its very important  600,000 students. Its very important.

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While China has been one of the top exporters of foreign students to the U.S., in the 2023-2024 school year, only around 277,000 Chinese students came to the country. Trump specified in an interview released Sunday that the 600,000 figure referred to over two years.

The original comment raised eyebrows on the right, especially after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the bottom 15 percent of universities and colleges would go out of business in America without foreign students.

I think it just goes to underscore the mixed signals that are happening between China and the U.S. and just between  with international student visas in general, said Michael Hansen, senior fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

On the one hand, they signal that they want international students here, at least on the campaign trail Donald Trump did talk about giving basically green cards to people with an American degree in order to keep them here, Hansen added. At the same time, theres also these moves to illegally block student visa holders for other grounds that have not been imposed previously.

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Advocates say these policies are going to harm interest in the U.S. for higher education and hurt local economies.

Using international students as geopolitical pawns sends a deeply unwelcoming message to current and prospective students. It undermines global confidence in the U.S. as a stable and welcoming place to study, work, and invest in ones future. The chilling effect of these policies goes far beyond the international student population. It threatens our economy, our communities, and the educational experience of American students as well, said Zuzana Cepla Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at the Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

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By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nine former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Republican and Democratic presidents warned on Monday that the decisions made by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., culminating in the firing of the CDC's director, are putting Americans' health at risk.

The warning, laid out in a guest opinion essay in the New York Times, comes days after the Trump administration fired Susan Monarez, less than a month into her tenure and four other directors resigned in protest, deepening disarray at the nation's main public health agency.

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Monarez had refused to adopt new limitations on the availability of some vaccines urged by Kennedy, saying they went against scientific evidence.

The nine essay authors, who include Dr. William Foege, who served as director of the CDC from 1977-1983 to Dr. Mandy Cohen, who led the agency from 2023 to 2025, said all of Kennedy's moves to shake up U.S. federal health agencies, from firing thousands of employees to replacing health advisory board members to ending global vaccination programs, put all Americans at risk.

"We are worried about the wide-ranging impact that all these decisions will have on America's health security," they wrote, adding that rural communities and vulnerable populations will be most at risk. "This is unacceptable, and it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings," they wrote.

The former CDC directors said that Kennedy has broken precedent with the role of health secretary by not heeding the expertise of the agency's leaders. Kennedy fired Monarez because she did not approve of his recommendations to weaken vaccine policy.

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"These are not typical requests from a health secretary to a C.D.C. director. Not even close," they wrote. "None of us would have agreed to the secretary's demands, and we applaud Dr. Monarez for standing up for the agency and the health of our communities."

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats, penned a separate essay in the Times calling for Kennedy to resign over his ousting of Monarez.

(Reporting by Valerie VolcovicEditing by Sandra Maler)
PRAGUE (AP)  Former Czech populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis was hospitalized Monday after he was attacked by a man with a walking stick at a rally ahead of next months parliamentary elections.

The assault happened in the town of Dobra in eastern Czech Republic. Police said they immediately detained the assailant and were investigating the attack as hooliganism.

Babis was taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Frydek-Mistek for a medical check, his centrist ANO (YES) movement said. It was not immediately clear if he was injured.

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Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan condemned the attack, calling it unacceptable.

ANO is currently in the opposition but stands a good chance to win the Oct. 3-4 parliamentary elections, according to public polls.

Babis, who became prime minister in 2017, lost the 2021 parliamentary election. He also contended for the largely ceremonial post of president in January 2023 but lost to Petr Pavel, a retired army general.
FAULKNER COUNTY, Ark.  Authorities in Faulkner County said they arrested a former detention center lieutenant after he was accused of being involved with an inmate.

According to the Faulkner County Sheriffs Office, Robert Doyal was arrested Friday, Aug. 29.

Former deputy & Pulaski County inmate arrested in contraband investigation

Deputies said they were notified Sunday, Aug. 21, of allegations about a relationship between a female inmate and Doyal, who they said resigned from his position just weeks before.

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He is facing two counts of furnishing prohibited articles and one count of third-degree sexual assault.

Jefferson County jail supervisor finds contraband on person visiting jail

Doyal is being held in the Cleburne County Detention Center without bond.

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The European Union (EU) is reportedly expected to impose an antitrust fine on Google in the next few weeks for alleged anti-competitive actions within its adtech sector.

However, the fine is likely to be modest, reported Reuters, citing three undisclosed sources having information of the matter.

This anticipated penalty indicates a change in strategy under new EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera. Unlike her predecessor, Margrethe Vestager, known for hefty fines, Ribera aims to focus on stopping anti-competitive practices rather than penalising companies financially.

The EU competition authority has not yet commented on the specifics of the case.

Its decision follows a comprehensive four-year investigation initiated after a complaint from the European Publishers Council. In 2023, the European Commission (EC) alleged that Google prioritised its own advertising services over those of other competitors.

Google pointed to a 2023 blog post criticising what it considers the Commission's flawed understanding of the adtech industry, arguing that both publishers and advertisers have considerable choices.

The expected fine is unlikely to reach the levels of previous penalties, such as the 4.3bn ($5bn) fine in 2018 related to Google's Android operating system or the 2.42bn fine in 2017 concerning its price comparison service.

In another instance in 2019, Google was fined 1.49bn for using its position to prevent websites from employing brokers other than its AdSense platform.

Google's advertising revenue for 2024 totalled $264.6bn, representing 75.6% of its overall income. However, the Alphabet subsidiary does not provide specific revenue details for its adtech business, which focuses on advertising across third-party sites rather than Search ads.

Despite previous suggestions by Vestager that Google might need to divest certain components of its adtech operations, Ribera will not require such actions, the Reuters report claimed.

A US court has scheduled a September trial to examine possible corrective measures for Google's influence over online publishing ad tools. This development could potentially negate the need for an EU-mandated breakup.

In June 2025, Juliane Kokott, Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, recommended dismissing Google's appeal against a reduced fine concerning its Android operating system case. This opinion backs earlier EU antitrust rulings and adds another layer to Google's prolonged legal challenges with substantial penalties imposed by the EC.

"EU expected to levy modest penalty on Google over adtech issues" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A former employee with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has pleaded guilty to criminal charges for taking bribes in exchange for helping fraudulent claims get approved.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, 39-year-old Janine Rayford, from Redford, filed her plea on Thursday.

According to court records, Rayford accepted more than $50,000 in bribes. In exchange, she personally accessed claims without authorization and helped claims evade fraud prevention triggers.

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Rayford acknowledged that as a result of the illicit conduct in which she engaged, more than $2.86 million in unemployment insurance assistance funding was issued to third-party claimants, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Rayford faces a mandatory 2-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft. She also faces up to 5 years in prison for bribery connected to a federal program.

If youre a public official whose side hustle is taking bribes, your next job will be answering to a judge, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. Corruption destroys public trust in government and will be aggressively prosecuted by my office.

Michigan UIA Director Jason Palmer said the plea shows that no one is above the law.

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Our staff is required to adhere to strict ethics guidelines, Palmer stated. Janine Rayford willingly violated that professional code of conduct, betraying her colleagues and the taxpayers of Michigan for her own short-sighted financial gain. We will not tolerate conspirators who selfishly steal from the very people they are supposed to be serving.

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Aug. 31ROCHESTER  Leader for 10 years of the Catholic diocese covering southern Minnesota, the retired Bishop Bernard J. Harrington has died, the diocese announced.

The announcement was made in a social media post. According to the website GoCatholic.org, Harrington died in Livonia, Michigan. He was 91 years old.

Harrington was installed as the bishop of the Diocese of Winona, as it was then known, on Jan. 6, 1999, and served as bishop until May 7, 2009. He was followed in his tenure by Bishop John M. Quinn, then Bishop Robert Barron, who serves in the role today.

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According to the diocese, during his tenure Harrington oversaw initiatives including calling forth the first cohort of deacons ordained within the diocese, creating the Seeds of Faith endowment for faith formation and Catholic school scholarships, and the expansion of services offered by Catholic Charities.

Harrington also led the local diocese during the Boston clergy abuse scandals. He oversaw the implementation of Safe Environment practices within the diocese, according to the announcement.

Harrington was the seventh bishop of the diocese, today known as the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. He was born on Sept. 6, 1933, to John and Norah Harrington. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 6, 1959, and served in many capacities, including pastor, superintendent of Catholic schools, and rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. On Nov. 23, 1993, he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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1999: The auxiliary bishop from the Archdiocese of Detroit is ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Winona.

2000: Announces a parish realignment plan that furthers church "clustering" in response to an ongoing priest shortage.

2002: The sex-abuse crisis hits the U.S. Catholic Church. "I am concerned for those whose faith is shaken," says Harrington, who calls for a day of fasting and prayer "for the sins of sexual abuse."

2003: Reveals the diocese's insurance companies have paid $3.7 million in the past 15 years resulting from abuse claims, with most of the money paid before 1993 in a case against "one accused perpetrator." He also says the diocese paid $1.7 million in legal costs and settlements in the past 15 years, most of that resulting from claims against the same perpetrator.

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2004: Amid a heated presidential election, Harrington says Catholics who support abortion rights should not step forward for communion. He stops short of repeating threats made by other bishops, however, to publicly deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights.

2005: Joins the last group of U.S. bishops who visit Pope John Paul II before the pontiff dies.

2006: Joins Minnesota bishops in supporting a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

2007: Preparing for retirement, he sets goals that include recruiting priests and reaching out to teens and Hispanics.

 Post Bulletin archives
(Texas Scorecard)  Harris Countys District Attorney Sean Teare has charged Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old former MD Anderson Cancer Center researcher, with attempting to steal and take proprietary cancer-related research back to China. This comes after multiple warnings about research security in Texas higher education.

According to CW39, charges were announced on August 25. Li is a Chinese national who obtained employment at MD Anderson on a research scholar visa. He was here from 2022 until this summer. MD Anderson is one of 12 institutions within the University of Texas System.

As of July 1, 2025, Yunhai Li is no longer employed by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the center wrote in a statement to Texas Scorecard. Institutional leaders are working with relevant authorities on this matter.

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Per CW39, Li attempted to return to China on July 9, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations found sensitive medical data in his possession.

Michael Lucci of State Armor, an Austin-based firm that assists states in responding to global security threats, said U.S. Dept. of Defense and NIH funds were associated with Lis research.

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligences 2025 Annual Threat Assessment identified Communist China as a hostile threat.

I dont know what MD Andersons policy is, but if you dont actively monitor research security risk, this is the result, Allen Phelps, CEO of research security firm IPTalons, told Texas Scorecard.

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The central issue, Phelps noted, is the scope of similar incidents. He and others have recently raised serious concerns regarding research security.

Foreign Threats

Phelps previously warned that foreign influence groups linked to hostile nations like China and North Korea purposely target academic research institutions to access intellectual property, valuable trade secrets, and inventions.

He said that happens because most of the critical technology that we depend on today for our economic and national security started its life off at a university. Multiple universities in Texas, including those in the UT System, are also U.S. defense contractors.

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Phelps said the work of these influence groups also threatens cancer research, as Chinese scientists working with American peers could develop a cure, then claim ownership. The CCP could then cut off its supply to the U.S.

A December 2024 Texas House committee report also highlighted the need for stricter security in higher education research.

Despite being targets, higher education institutions havent recognized the threat. Universities have not been looking in any serious way to see if people theyre hiring are any security risk, Lucci told Texas Scorecard. Thats actually chilling to me.

State lawmakers took action this year with a new lawHouse Bill 127which goes into effect September 1. Lucci said the new law changes the crime Li is charged with from a class 3 felony to a class 2 felony and raises the penalty from 10 years to 20 years.

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The Harris County District Attorneys Office didnt respond to a request for comment on how the new law affects its approach to Lis case.

Lucci stated that Florida and Texas have taken a turn on this issue and are setting up serious research security screening, increasing penalties, and cutting off funds from foreign adversaries.

However, Phelps still sees issues in Texas. In my opinion, theres been no change in their posture regardless of their headlines, he stated. I dont see anyone doing anything different  all theyre doing is talking.

He noted that universities are taking an academic approach to research security, writing papers but not taking preventive measures. Research security is not an academic exercise, he said.

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Lis prosecution comes after President Donald Trump announced hed allow 600,000 Chinese students into the U.S. The White House did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

Texas Scorecard asked the University of Texas, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, and Texas State University Systems for comment.

The University of Texas System provided a copy of its research security policies. It was asked if these policies align with federal research security guidelines, specifically National Security Presidential Memorandum33 and National Institute of Standards and Technology Internal Report 8484. It did not respond before publication.

Texas Tech University System provided the following statement: The Texas Tech University System continues to implement and strengthen a Research Security Program aligned with the requirements of NSPM-33 guidelines and NIST IR 8484.

The other university systems and Gov. Greg Abbott did not respond before publication.
(FOX40.COM)  The Pershing County Sheriffs Office is investigating a homicide after a man was found dead at Burning Man Festival in the Nevada Desert on Saturday night.

 Video above: How loud can concerts get?

According to PCSO, deputies were flagged down by an event participant at around 9:14 p.m. while the wooden effigy Man was beginning to burn. The employee said there was a man who was lying in a pool of blood.

The sheriffs office said its deputies, with the Bureau of Land Management Rangers, responded to the campsite and found a single white man who was lying on the ground dead.

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PCSO deputies, BLM Rangers and Burning Man Project Black Rock Rangers started creating a perimeter around the area to allow law enforcement to investigate the scene, PSCSO said.

4 California lottery players win almost $1.17 million in Powerball

PCSO stated that the Forensic Science Division with the Washoe County Sheriffs Office was called to the scene to help work the scene and collect evidence. During the time, crews were on the scene interviewing people in the area.

The sheriffs office said in a press release that the area where the homicide happened will have a heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be released.

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PCSO said the person who died has not been identified at this time. However, his body has been taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office.

Officials are asking the community to remain vigilant.

Authorities ask the public if anyone has any information regarding this homicide to contact Investigator Josh Nicholson at 775-273-2641 and use reference case number 25-318 to be contacted.

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A Florida State linebacker is in critical but stable condition after being shot while visiting family, the Seminoles said Monday.

Ethan Pritchard, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman from Sanford, was in intensive care at a Tallahassee-area hospital. He was shot Sunday evening while inside a vehicle outside apartments in Havana, according to the Gadsden County Sheriffs Office.

The Pritchard family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time, FSU said in a statement. Further updates will be provided as they are available.

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Pritchard did not play in Florida States season opener, a 31-17 victory Saturday over No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee.

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A man accused of rape and other charges in New Windsor who has been living as a fugitive from justice in the Philippines since 2020 was arrested on Aug. 29.

New Windsor police said Dominic Mamaat, 46, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport by investigators from their department, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security.

The arrest followed a lengthy, multi-agency investigation.

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Mamaat originally was arrested by the New Windsor Police Department in May 2020. In August of that year, the Orange County District Attorney's office presented the case to a grand jury.

As a result of that, Mamaat was indicted on charges of first-, second- and third-degree rape, first-, second- and third-degree criminal sexual act, and first-degree sexual abuse, all felonies; and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count each of third-degree sexual abuse, forcible touching, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and attempted third-degree assault, all misdemeanors.

New Windsor police did not provide any further details about Mamaat's alleged crimes.

Later that month, Mamaat used his twin brother's passport to board a one-way flight to the Philippines where he has been living since.

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When the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force began assisting the investigation, an INTERPOL red notice for Mamaat was secured. The FBI's legal attache office in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was notified and coordinated efforts with all involved agencies.

Guns, drugs: 20 charged, dozens of weapons seized in Orange County gun, drug trafficking raid

Recently, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration Fugitive Task Force was able to locate Mamaat, and subsequently deported him back to the United States. After he was taken into custody on Aug. 29, he was transported to the Orange County jail, pending arraignment in Orange County Court.

"On behalf of the Town of New Windsor, I would like to commend the outstanding dedication, coordination and tireless efforts of all the agencies involved in the successful apprehension and return of Dominic Mamaat to face justice," New Windsor Town Supervisor Stephen Bedetti said in a statement. "This case represents years of collaborative law enforcement work across international borders, and its resolution is a testament to the commitment of all involved to protecting our community and upholding the rule of law."

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In a separate statement, New Windsor Police Chief Daniel Valeri said, "I would like to extend special recognition to New Windsor Police Detective Frank Pierri, whose perseverance and professionalism throughout this lengthy investigation played a crucial role in bringing this fugitive to justice. Detective Pierri's work exemplifies the highest standards of law enforcement and public service."

Mamaat's attorney, Brandon Ozman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: After fleeing to Philippines, man facing rape charges in New Windsor
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced a man accused of committing a violent home invasion and assault would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

In 2019, Antonius Alexander and two other gunmen ambushed Willie Stinson outside of his Croft Place home in Atlanta.

At the house, Stinson recognized one of the attacks as Alexander, his neighbor, and he was assaulted at gun point.

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During the incident, Alexander made statements saying he was attacking Stinson over past grievances, the District Attorneys Office said.

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Outside, Stinsons friend Randy Munday was held at gunpoint in a van and shot twice in the legs by one of the three men.

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Stinson survived the attack but suffered life-threatening injuries that required extensive medical treatment.

Once he was able to speak, he identified Alexander as one of the gunmen to the police.

The conviction comes after a jury found Alexander guilty of six charges, including Home Invasion 1st Degree, Armed Robbery, and Aggravated Assault, for an attack that occurred on November 30, 2019.

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Home invasions are terrifying crimes that shatter peoples sense of safety in their own home, Willis said in a statement. I am grateful Mr. Stinson survived this brutal attack and hope he continues to heal from the devastating injuries he suffered.

Willis said Alexander was convicted on all counts related to the violent home invasion in Atlanta, receiving a life sentence plus five years.

The other two assailants involved in the attack have not been apprehended, according to the DAs office.

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Fenix Resources has signed a binding agreement with Sinosteel Midwest Corporation (SMC) for a 30-year exclusive right to mine and export iron ore from the Weld Range Hematite Iron Ore Project in Western Australia (WA).

The Weld Range project boasts a high-quality hematite iron ore deposit with a mineral resource estimate of 290 million tonnes (mt) at a grade of 56.8% iron.

Situated adjacent to Fenix's Iron Ridge Iron Ore Mine, Weld Range's deposits including the Beebyn-W11 are direct shipping ore types that enhance the company's existing operations.

The transaction will cost Fenix A$60m ($39.2m) in cash, payable over two years, along with a production royalty ranging from A$4A$5 per dry metric tonne.

Additionally, a profit share payment is set at 10% of net profit after tax when iron ore prices are at or below $100 per tonne, increasing to 15% when prices exceed this threshold.

Fenix plans to fund the transaction through existing cash reserves and operational cash flows, entitling it to 100% of the earnings post-payment.

The Weld Range project aligns with Fenix's growth strategy, leveraging its mid-west iron ore, road, rail and port assets.

The existing infrastructure including a road haulage fleet and port logistics positions Fenix to capitalise on the Weld Range project's value.

Fenix executive chairman John Welborn said: Fenix has delivered on its strategy to unlock the value of the stranded iron ore deposits of Western Australias mid-west region. Securing 290mt of high-quality hematite direct shipping iron ore immediately surrounding our existing operations in the Weld Range is a game-changer for Fenix.

Aligned with our aspiration to become a 10 million tonne per annum iron ore producer, this value accretive right to mine agreement provides the inventory we need to maximise the value of our exceptional transport infrastructure and materially expand our operations and extend our mine life.

A feasibility study is under way to expand regional production, with initial efforts aimed at extending the Beebyn-W11 mine plan and developing nearby deposits.

SMC (or a designated representative) retains the option to match any offer that Fenix receives from an independent external purchaser for the acquisition of up to 100% of the iron ore from Weld Range.

Should SMC choose to use its matching right, it will engage in an offtake agreement with Fenix that mirrors the conditions of the Third Party Proposal. However, if SMC decides not to match the offer, Fenix is at liberty to accept the Third Party Proposal.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused CBS of shamefully editing her comments during an interview on Sunday mornings Face the Nation.

Noem posted video receipts on her X account on Sunday, including a 25-second portion of the interview that did not air. In her comments, Noem discusses the case of wrongfully deported Salvadoran citizen Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is currently in custody on charges of human trafficking.

CBS later posted the full interview on its Face the Nation YouTube channel.

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Noem posted a side-by-side cut of her raw interview alongside CBSs TV broadcast hours after it aired on Sunday, noting, Watch for my part of the interview that @CBS tried to cover up. Noem accused CBS of shamefully editing her interview and said the removal of claims she made about Garcia was an attempt by CBS to whitewash his alleged crimes.

The Daily Beast has contacted CBS for comment.

Kristi Noem talking to Ed O'Keefe on Face the Nation. / screen grab

Talking to Ed OKeefe on Face the Nation on Sunday, the brief section removed from the TV broadcast saw Noem claim that Garcia was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang memberwhich he has deniedand a wife beater.

Homeland Security previously shared documents from 2021 where Garcias wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, had alleged he had physically attacked her. In April, she told The Baltimore Sun that she had not gone through with the court process and she and her husband were able to work through this situation privately and had gone to counseling.

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In the unaired footage, Noem repeated previous child abuse claims about Garcia that have been a consistent talking point for the 53-year-old. Garcia has not been charged in relation to the claims. He has pleaded not guilty to federal human smuggling charges.

This morning, I joined CBS to report the facts about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Instead, CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety.



Watch for the part of my interview that @CBS tried to pic.twitter.com/28fsGZug48  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) August 31, 2025

As well as making unfounded claims involving how he was treating small children, Noem stated Garcia, needs to never be in the United States of America and our administration is making sure were doing all that we can to bring him to justice.

The one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesnt walk free in the United States of America. She added, Hes not an American citizen and he shouldnt be here and especially because of his dangerous criminal activities, we should ensure that we leave every avenue on the table.

After an administrative error Garcia was wrongly deported to El Salvador in March, then returned to the U.S. in June. He was released from a Tennessee prison on Aug. 22, and arrested by ICE officers in Baltimore three days later.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura enter a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office on August 25, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

He is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges set for January in Tennessee, with the Trump administration raising the possibility of deporting him to Uganda. Last week, Garcias lawyer said his client was being held at a detention center in Virginia.

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The Homeland Security X account also posted Noems video, repeating her shameful claims. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared Noems X video with the caption WOW.

The Department of Homeland Security sent the Daily Beast a press release that calculates CBS cut nearly four minutes of Noems full 16-minute, 40-second interview from the live broadcast.

When asked about plans to potentially deport Garcia to Uganda, Noem told Face the Nation, The one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesnt walk free in the United States of America. She added, Hes not an American citizen and he shouldnt be here and especially because of his dangerous criminal activities, we should ensure that we leave every avenue on the table.

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg (R), the attorney for Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks to members of the media alongside Lydia Walther Rodriguez (L) of CASA, outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office on August 25, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

After his release last week, one of Abregos attorneys, Sean Heckler, said Garcia had been offered a plea deal that involved being deported to Costa Rica if he agreed to plead guilty to human smuggling charges.

Talking outside the ICE office in Baltimore last Monday, The New York Times quoted Garcia saying through a translator, To all of the families who have also suffered separations or who live under the constant threat of being separated, I want to tell you that even though this injustice is hurting us hard, we must not lose hope.
Ben-Gvir responded on Monday and insisted that the document is binding, and that the new protocols will kick in if an advisory opinion is not handed over within 24 hours.

The directives to limit protests, announced last week by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and for which he gave a deadline, are of no legal force and effect, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara stated on Monday.

Ben-Gvirs document presents legal challenges on several fronts, including not just regarding its content but also his threat to publicize it. Deputy Attorney-General Gil Limon, who penned the position of the attorney-general, wrote that the very act of announcing the new directives without a comprehensive consultation beforehand constitutes a violation of the agreements reached between Baharav-Miara and Ben-Gvir.

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Those agreements are a series of principles that emerged after petitions rushed into the High Court of Justice against Ben-Gvirs appointment to the ministry charged with internal security, chiefly concerned with alleged unwarranted meddling in police affairs. The agreements established certain limitations on what he can and cannot do as minister and ensured the continuance of his role.

Part of these agreements is that anything having to do with protests that Ben-Gvir wishes to take action about can only happen after joint, collaborative discussions take place on the matter between representatives from his staff and the Justice Ministry.

Deputy A-G: Ben-Gvir's document a 'violation of his position'

On Thursday, Ben-Gvir published a rough outline of the planned limitations but gave five days until he promised it would take effect. Limon wrote that if the document is manifested as Ben-Gvir said it would be, it would be a violation of his position as the minister who oversees police operations.

Demonstrators protest for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, outside Hakirya Base in Tel Aviv, August 31, 2025 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Limon added that Ben-Gvir did not initiate the required interministerial discussions; rather, he simply notified the attorney-general directly and threatened to move forward with the new protocols if she failed to answer him.

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Ben-Gvir responded on Monday and insisted that his document is binding and that if an advisory opinion by the attorney-general on the matter is not handed over within 24 hours, the new protocols will take effect.

The ministers outline specifically targets the blocking of major roads, limits protest freedoms in the immediate vicinity of public officials homes, and generally calls for greater police presence at demonstrations. What this would mean practically is less visibility for protesters, especially at central locations like Kaplan Street and Begin Road in Tel Aviv.

The document also outlines more flexible measures to be taken against protests held outside the homes of public officials and forbids the placement of large objects (such as burning tires) on roads that are illegal to block.

Other clauses prohibit the ability to take action against public or private property, supporting or identifying with terrorist groups, or denying the October 7 massacre  which, due to its sweeping nature, may have the potential to be used against anti-war protests.

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Another clause forbids protesting inside places of worship, particularly synagogues.

Ben-Gvir decries 'attempt to threaten him'

The country has been rife with protests since Ben-Gvir entered the role of national security minister upon the coalitions formation in 2022, while the judicial reform legislation push advanced in earnest. Since then, the protests have shifted to be both more specific, calling for the return of the hostages, and more general  against the government as a whole  with the argument that it has lost its legitimacy to rule.

Haaretz reported last week that Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levi opposed the new protocols, insisting that calls on how to manage and navigate protests in real time must fall to the on-duty officers in real time and the districts themselves, and not be dictated by broad measures.

Ben-Gvir called Limons letter an attempt to threaten him and evidence of the illegitimate politicization of the legal advisory.
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)  A Henry County police officer shot a minor who was allegedly going after his mother with a knife, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Around 8 p.m. Friday, Henry County Police were called to the home at Crandon Court in McDonough, Ga.

Upon arrival they learned the mother had locked herself in a room as her minor son, armed with a knife, was trying to break in.

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Police found the boy in a bedroom with the knife, and an officer shot him, according to the GBI.

He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Tech advances have helped remove the idea that scientific work is restricted to folks in lab coats. The New York Times reported that ordinary citizens are spearheading ecological research right from their smartphones.

Since its 2008 founding, the citizen science platform iNaturalist has become popular with professional and amateur ecologists. Citizens can upload photos or audio of the species they observe with precise metadata such as date, time, and location. Once the submission passes a quality review, it becomes available to scientists in the global database.

"iNaturalist is really pervasive throughout the biodiversity research," Corey Callaghan, a University of Florida ecologist, told the Times. So far, over 5,000 peer-reviewed papers have used data from the site as a reference.

The site has bloomed in the last few years  2022 had 10 times as many articles published with references from iNaturalist as five years prior. The Times reported that more than 3.3 million users submitted 200 million observations by 2024. Thanks to all this info, scientists using the platform have been able to identify new species, track invasives, and make vital predictions about the changing climate.

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"It is fundamentally shaping the way that scientists think about research," Callaghan continued.

Some may be surprised that scientists use data collected by nonprofessionals. However, even the late Charles Darwin relied on a vast network of friends, family, staff, and others to gather, critique, and edit research, according to Cambridge University Press.

The iNaturalist platform shows that people from all walks of life can help with conservation. For example, locals' tracking invasive species makes it easier for native plants to survive and support pollinators essential to the food chain.

And iNaturalist isn't the only platform of its kind. The International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space project involves tagging thousands of animals to track them from space using small satellites. A former Google employee and a sustainability professional track beaver dams and ponds that can help reduce wildfires and their impacts.

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Citizen science platforms allow communities to take local action on climate issues. Discuss these problems with friends and family to see how everyone can help. Documenting species revival in your area, reporting resource contamination, finding eco-friendly initiatives by mainstream brands to support, and more can help make the planet cooler and cleaner in the years to come.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
GARWIN, Iowa  A Garwin man was arrested after police say neglect caused the death of one dog and others were found without food and shelter.

On August 20, law enforcement was called to a Garwin residence just after 9 p.m. to investigate reports of a dead dog in a kennel, one tied to steps, and one running loose in the yard, according to court documents.

Authorities report that upon arrival a black dog was observed deceased in a locked kennel, court documents state. Authorities also identified a smaller dog loose in the yard and and one tied to the steps.

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Des Moines Labor Day Parade to honor Iowa workers

Two neighbors told authorities that the dogs regularly were not given water and the smaller dog loose in the yard was usually locked in the kennel, court documents state. Authorities state a fresh tunnel, large enough for the small dog, had been dug out of the kennel and that the dirt indicated it has been dug from inside, according to court records.

Court records state that none of the dogs had definable shelter or food, and only the dog tied to the steps had water while the kennel had a small wadding pool that was dry.

Daltin Dillingham, 26, was arrested and charged with animal neglect with serious injury or death.

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Dillingham was being held at the Tama County Jail but has since posted bail, he is set to appear in court later in September.

Iowa News:

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.
Wind turbines turn in Kodiak on May 14, 2018. (Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL)

For years, urban Alaska utilities have been studying large-scale wind farms that could help break the states dependence on natural gas power  encouraged by the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits from the federal government.

Next summer, however, those tax credits will largely disappear for projects that havent started construction, a consequence of the tax bill that President Donald Trump signed in July.

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Clean energy advocates, and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, had said they hoped that Alaska wind projects could still advance in time to qualify.

But in recent weeks, board members and executives at the cooperatively owned utilities have acknowledged that the timeline now appears too short  which means any large-scale projects will now have to be built without the generous federal subsidies, or wait to see if Congress reestablishes a more favorable tax regime.

Critics say the absence of major new renewable projects will leave the state dependent on imported, liquefied natural gas and could make consumers vulnerable to price spikes.

Theres an argument to be made that these electric cooperatives, whose boards have a fiduciary responsibility to the member-owners, have really frittered away one of the greatest opportunities theyve ever had to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars of value to their members, said Phil Wight, an energy historian and professor at University of Alaska Fairbanks. At the highest level, I think thats a fair argument.

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Since Congress approved expanded tax credits in 2022, Alaska has seen no large-scale wind or solar projects begin construction, while other states like Wyoming and Texas have received billions of dollars in clean energy investment.

At a recent meeting, board members at Golden Valley Electric Association, the utility that generates power for Fairbanks area residents and mines, rejected a developers bid to advance a large-scale wind farm on a schedule driven by the expiring tax credits. Utility officials said there was still too much uncertainty about final pricing and whether the project could capture the credits.

Meanwhile, officials at Anchorage-based Chugach Electric Association, the states largest power utility, say that another large wind project theyve been studying with the same developer also wont be ready to start construction in time to qualify for the credits.

Jim Nordlund, a Chugach Electric Association board member, said that if the Anchorage-area project had captured the credits, it was still far from clear that it could have provided power more cheaply than his utilitys existing natural gas plants.

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Thats even assuming prices will rise when local fuel supplies dry up and utilities begin importing liquefied natural gas in the next few years, added Nordlund, a self-described clean energy advocate.

The price of renewable power generally, he said, is really high.

Alaskans who are frustrated about the pace of wind and solar development shouldnt blame the urban utilities, Nordlund added. Private companies, not the utilities themselves, have been advancing projects that failed to materialize, he said, and politics also played a big role.

If you want to blame anybody for this, it would be that big bad bill. Thats what Trump wanted to do, and it worked, Nordlund said. It shut down, at least for the time being, our projects.

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But renewable energy boosters say that the urban utilities deserve at least some share of the blame for not advancing projects more urgently while the tax credits were in place.

The utilities could have developed large wind developments themselves, those advocates argue  or they could have done more to create a stable and attractive market for private developers.

The utilities are uniquely bureaucratic and expensive in their own self-development. And theyre uniquely bureaucratic and obstinate and slow if a private company is developing, said Ethan Schutt, who formerly managed the energy assets of an Indigenous-owned regional corporation.

Advocates say utility leaders have also failed to endorse, and in some cases outright opposed, legislation proposed multiple times in recent years to establish renewable energy quotas  which they say could have encouraged more private developers to work in the state.

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Large-scale power projects need to be thoughtfully implemented, Natalie Kiley-Bergen, energy lead at an advocacy organization called Alaska Public Interest Research Group, said in an email.

Had more progress been made in the last five years  even the last 15 years  to create a competitive market environment with regulatory and economic certainty for these projects, we could have seen responsible project commitments regardless of federal changes, Kiley-Bergen said. Not capitalizing on these tax credits is a product of years of moving slowly on the tremendous opportunities to diversify our energy generation.

A risk of price spikes?

After its initial discovery in the 1950s, Cook Inlet, the offshore and onshore petroleum basin southwest of Anchorage, produced huge quantities of natural gas.

There was enough fuel to generate not just the vast majority of the regions electric power, but also to supply plants that produced fertilizer and exported gas in liquefied form to Asia.

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But those plants have now closed amid Cook Inlet production declines. And for more than a decade, the urban electric utilities have been contending with risk that gas supply wont be adequate to meet demand.

Generous state tax credits temporarily approved by lawmakers in 2010 helped stimulate new drilling, but only temporarily, and they were subsequently repealed. Three years ago, Cook Inlets dominant producer, Hilcorp, warned utilities that they should not expect new long-term commitments of gas when their existing contracts expire in the coming years.

Clean energy advocates say that Alaskans dependence on gas-fired power  Chugach Electric Association generates 87% of its power from the fuel  makes residents vulnerable to both supply disruptions and fluctuations in price.

The utilities have responded to the looming local gas shortfall with plans for new infrastructure that could offload imported liquefied natural gas, known as LNG, shipped from Canada or the Gulf of Mexico.

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But unlike gas from Cook Inlet, which producers have long sold at a fixed cost, utilities would likely have to buy LNG at rates that swing with the market, similar to the price of oil, according to Antony Scott, an analyst at the Renewable Energy Alaska Project advocacy group who once studied petroleum pricing for Alaskas state government.

Given the risk of price spikes that could translate into higher electricity prices for consumers, diversifying with new wind and solar development should be a no-brainer, Scott said.

Its just like an investment portfolio. Do you want to invest only in Tesla? Scott said. A rational, prudent investor would have a diversified portfolio.

Scotts advocacy group, and others in Alaska, have pushed the utilities to diversify, in part through lobbying for the creation of the renewable energy quotas.

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They cite analyses like a study released last year by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which found that new renewables would be cheaper than burning gas in existing plants and, by 2040, could meet up to 80% of demand.

Ratepayers in Alaska have been saying, for a long time, that we need renewable energy projects here at home, and we need to be capturing energy here at home, said Alex Petkanas, clean energy and climate program manager at the Alaska Center conservation group. This is not something that is a surprise  that our local natural gas supply is ending, and we need to replace that with new generation.

A rejected agreement

Utility staff and board members agree that they need to diversify away from gas, with the chief executive of Matanuska Electric Association saying in 2022 that it was untenable to continue generating 85% of power from one type of fuel.

Chugach Electric Association aims to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2040, which would likely require sharp reduction in its use of natural gas. And a Golden Valley Electric Association strategic plan approved last year calls for the utility to finalize agreements with private developers to bring on large-scale wind resources at prices that will lower members power costs.

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None of those utilities have moved to build major wind or solar farms themselves; instead, theyve looked to private companies to do the construction and sell the power onto the grid.

Just one firm, Longroad Energy, has advanced large-scale wind projects on a timeline that could have qualified for the expiring tax credits. One is outside Anchorage in Chugach Electric Associations region, and one is outside Fairbanks, in Golden Valley Electric Associations region.

The Fairbanks area project, known as Shovel Creek Wind, could produce one-third of the power consumed by Golden Valleys members  and even generate more than 100% of their demand at certain times, depending on the size of the development, said Golden Valleys chief executive, Travis Million.

But at a July board meeting, Golden Valleys board members rejected an agreement that Longroad had proposed to keep the project on a timeline to qualify for the credits.

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Golden Valley, said Million, still needed more time to finish a study of how much it would have to spend on infrastructure upgrades and its existing fossil fuel plants in order to accommodate power from the new wind project. Utilities must balance swings in power production that stem from the natural variability of wind.

Without having that step done, theres just so much uncertainty about the cost. And not knowing what that end result would be to our members, we just could not commit, Million said in a recent interview. The details of the proposed agreement  including Longroads estimated pricing  are confidential under a non-disclosure agreement.

There was additional uncertainty, Million added, about whether the Trump administration, which has been hostile to wind power, would grant the credits even if Shovel Creek advanced on the required timeline.

But Million also acknowledged that the utility could have done more work earlier to speed up the process.

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We should have done a lot of these studies on the front end, to really understand sizing and needs on Golden Valleys system, before we really started going down this path with trying to find developers, Million said.

Longroad, through an Anchorage-based consultant, declined to comment. Million said that Golden Valley plans to finish its study and hasnt ruled out advancing Shovel Creek on a slower timeline than Longroads proposal.

The utility is also studying a substantial, if smaller, wind project that could still qualify for the tax credits.

We have to take control

In Anchorage, meanwhile, officials with Chugach Electric Association said that Longroads work on the nearby Little Mount Susitna wind project slowed as the company focused on advancing Shovel Creek.

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The developer, said Chugach board member Nordlund, isnt ready to make the initial investment in Little Mount Susitna and couldnt do the continuous work required in order to take advantage of the tax credits  though the utility, he added, hasnt given up on the project moving forward in the future.

Nordlund ran for the Chugach board in 2023 as an advocate for wind and solar, saying then that the time to act on renewables is now.

But he said in a recent interview that theres misinformation circulating that utilities are dismissing proposed wind and solar developments that would generate power more cheaply than natural gas, when thats not clearly the case.

Chugach has its own non-disclosure agreement with Longroad that Nordlund said bars him from getting specific about prices.

But speaking generally, he added, Alaska is a tough market for private developers, compared to the Lower 48 and foreign countries where they otherwise might invest.

Construction costs in Alaska are higher given the remote setting, harsh environment and lack of contractors competing for business, Nordlund said; the relatively small consumer base also means that developers cant capture economies of scale.

I think we need to create a better climate for independent power producers to do business in Alaska, Nordlund said. The stalled legislation to establish renewable energy quotas could have helped, he added, by giving those private developers more certainty that the utilities were serious about bringing on wind and solar projects.

More could have been done, he said.

Nonetheless, Nordlund said he thinks the inherently conservative culture of Alaskas utilities is changing, with executives increasingly open to accommodating wind and solar power.

Chugach officials say the utility is still pursuing renewables and remains open to proposals from developers  though they are now refocusing on more modest projects that they can advance in-house, at least in the early stages. Viable projects could then, potentially, be handed off to private developers.

At meetings in recent weeks, board and staff members have discussed a small-scale solar farm that Chugach is studying at the site of one of its existing gas power plants on the far side of Cook Inlet.

Theyve also heard a presentation from a consultant who is examining potential sites for new hydroelectric development, though those projects would face a lengthy permitting process.

We now have to take control and get in the lead, Dustin Highers, Chugachs vice president for corporate programs, said at a recent board meeting.

But some experts like Wight, the energy historian, remain skeptical that those efforts will end up displacing very much gas, with the exception of the smaller wind project in the Fairbanks area that he said could still make a real difference.

Pursuing smaller projects with better coordination between regions could be a better strategy, Wight said. But failing that, he said he expects utilities to largely continue their dependence on natural gas  whether through imported LNG, or through a proposed pipeline project from Alaskas North Slope thats struggled to secure commitments from investors.

Theyre going to dabble a little bit in renewables here and there, and then theyre just going to hope for cheap gas, Wight said. As a state, weve been so oil- and gas-dependent for so long that I do think theres a cultural barrier there, to bring in the new folks who want to think differently.

Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link.
A flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, set sail from Spain for the Gaza Strip for a second time on Monday, after its first departure was disrupted by bad weather.

Around 20 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla departed from the Spanish city of Barcelona in the evening with around 300 pro-Palestinian activists from more than 40 countries on board, the news agency Europa Press and other Spanish media reported.

The flotilla first set sail on Sunday, but was forced to return to port due to stormy weather.

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"Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass," the organizers posted on Instagram.

The Global Sumud Flotilla aims to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population. "Sumud" means steadfastness in Arabic.

Its organizers say that it is the largest action of its kind to date.

Thunberg in a return trip to Gaza

Thunberg participated in a similar voyage aboard the Madleen vessel earlier this year.

Israeli troops boarded the Madleen 200 kilometres off the coast on June 9 and took it to Ashdod, an Israeli port to the north of the Gaza Strip. Thunberg and other activists were then deported.

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Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. An attempt by an Italian vessel in July was also prevented.

On its website, the Global Sumud Flotilla says its goal along with partner organizations is: "to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people."

Dozens of boats will converge on Gaza, it says.

Dozens of people gather before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona. The Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from the Mediterranean to confront Israel's illegal blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla exceeds 20 boats and 300 people with activists from 44 different countries, with more boats scheduled to join them when they arrive in Tunisia. Kike Rincon/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
An man was convicted on multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle, after a fatal crash.

Robert Joseph Folks was convicted by an Upson County jury on Aug. 18 on charges hed killed a man in a crash while driving under the influence of alcohol in 2021.

Folks had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash, officials said.

The crash killed John S. Talmadge, according to the Upson County District Attorneys Office.

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The incident happened when Folks, while driving under the influence, collided head-on with Talmadges vehicle on Delray Road.

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Vehicular homicides based on DUIs are such senseless tragedies, Senior Assistant District Attorney Audrey D. Holliday said. Let this conviction and sentence be a warning to anyone that makes such poor choices, said District Attorney Marie G. Broder.

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During the trial, Folks claimed to be a sovereign citizen and did not participate in his defense, aside from making an opening statement challenging the courts jurisdiction.

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Prosecutors presented evidence that Folks lost control of his vehicle, causing him to enter the lane of oncoming traffic.

Trooper C. Jones of the Georgia State Patrol was the lead officer in the investigation. He told the court that he had conducted a DUI investigation following the crash.

During the investigation, Folks refused to submit to a state-administered test of his blood, leading to a search warrant being obtained to collect his blood sample.

The GSPs accident reconstruction determined that road conditions and vehicle issues did not contribute to the crash.

Additional evidence showed that Folks had been arrested for DUI seven months before the fatal incident.

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Folks was convicted on two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, driving under the influence per se, driving under the influence less safe, homicide by vehicle in the second degree and failure to maintain lane.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

I am very proud of my Upson County office for their prosecution of this case. It is imperative that the citizens of Upson County know it is not okay to drink and drive. Let this conviction and sentence be a warning to anyone that makes such poor choices that we will stand by the families of the victims seeking justice and we will prosecute DUIs like any other case, District Attorney Marie G. Broder said in a statement.

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The parliamentary leaders of Germany's two ruling coalition parties, Jens Spahn of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and Matthias Miersch of the Social Democrats, arrived in Ukraine on Monday in a show of cross-party solidarity.

The pair is due to hold talks in Kiev on further German support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war.

Spahn told reporters on the train from Poland to Kiev that the visit underlines not only that the government but also parliament and the coalition majority stand firmly with Ukraine.

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Miersch called it a "clear signal of support" and stressed the importance of making it a joint message.

Like other foreign visitors, the delegation travelled by rail due to Ukraine's closed airspace. En route, they stopped in the Polish city of Rzeszow to meet German soldiers operating two Patriot air defence systems that protect the local airport, a key hub for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The trip is also intended to demonstrate unity at home after a rocky start to the coalition. Last week, the parliamentary groups of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian-only sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), along with the Social Democrats (SPD), held a joint retreat at the end of which Miersch said that something "has grown" between him and Spahn, allowing them to make real progress together.

Spahn added that the visit was also a message to the Kremlin, saying it is Russian President Vladimir Putin who wants war and refuses peace. If Putin does not come to the negotiating table, Germany is ready to continue supporting Ukraine militarily, he said.
Top lawmakers from Germany's ruling coalition made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday in a show of cross-party solidarity for Kiev - and of domestic unity in Berlin.

Conservative Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are due to hold talks in the Ukrainian capital to discuss further German support and diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion.

But the visit also represents an effort by the squabbling coalition allies to move past a rocky start since the government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, took office in May.

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Speaking to reporters on the train from Poland, Spahn said the trip underlined that the German parliament, as well as the government, stands firmly with Ukraine.

"It is therefore a good sign for Ukraine, but also a good sign of the coalition's determination," he argued, adding that "it is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin who wants war, who does not want peace."

Miersch called the trip a "clear signal of support" and stressed the importance of making it a joint message.

The pair refused to be drawn on the question of German support for peacekeeping efforts after a potential ceasefire, with Spahn calling any speculation "premature."

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The best security guarantee for Ukraine is a strong Ukrainian military, he said, arguing that "no other army can achieve what the Ukrainian army can."

Like other foreign visitors, the delegation travelled by rail due to Ukraine's closed airspace.

En route, they stopped in the Polish city of Rzeszow to meet German soldiers operating two Patriot air defence systems that protect the local airport, a key hub for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The visit comes as Merz's coalition - made up of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD - seeks to display unity as lawmakers return to Berlin following the summer recess.

Spahn, who served as Germany's health minister during the coronavirus crisis, is the parliamentary leader for the CDU/CSU bloc, with Miersch fulfilling the role for the SPD.
Albanese and Subianto reaffirmed this partnership at an Indo-Australia summit in Canberra on 28 August 2025. Both premiers reportedly noted the growth of the bilateral economic relationship in key areas, such as the energy transition and the strength of trade and investment, including in critical minerals and agriculture.

After being re-elected in May 2025, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the first customary visit to Indonesia just one day after swearing in his new cabinet. Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recommitted to deepen bilateral and regional trade and investment ties, which most onlookers interpreted as tit-for-tat investment in Indonesian nickel and Australian lithium, among other resources. Indonesias nickel sector has a well-established joint venture model, which Indonesian companies may look to emulate in Australias lithium projects.

More than 100 Australian METS companies are active in Indonesia  and all political and economic signs point to this number increasing.

While there are also opportunities in the coal, copper and gold sectors, Indonesian nickel holds the widest array of opportunities.

The country has utilised a variety of trade policies to expand processing capacity and battery manufacturing  a strategy known as downstreaming  to rapidly become the worlds largest supplier of nickel . Indonesian producers are targeting the electric vehicle battery market through global brands such as Tesla, Ford, LG and Hyundai.

Indonesias retained status as South East Asias largest minerals producer has seen it designated as the "primary mining market" for Australian investment , according to Austmines METS Opportunities in Southeast Asia report .

Add to that a revival in upstream mining across South East Asia, and it is clear that the region still holds an abundance of investment opportunities, and is likely to expand at a faster rate than traditional markets.

To take advantage of their abundant untapped resources, countries across South East Asia have been actively revising policies and streamlining regulations to attract new foreign investment into their Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector.

Minerals produced in South East Asia play a crucial role in global manufacturing and the green energy transition, from Indonesias nickel to the dysprosium, terbium and other heavy rare earth elements (REEs) under threat in Myanmar. Collectively, Australian mining companies make the country the largest investor in mineral exploration across South East Asia and the Pacific.

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This follows a previously agreed collaboration in February between the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Northern Territory of Australia to bolster the supply chain of critical and strategic minerals.

Specific sites of investment opportunity include the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park, where much of the South East Asian nations nickel is processed and refined.

2. The Philippines: an untapped alternative to Indonesia?

Almost equally abundant to Indonesia in nickel, copper and gold, the Philippines has long been expected to blossom into a mining powerhouse  only for governmental policy changes and opposition by local communities to stall projects.

Australian investors with a genuine commitment to preventing mass deforestation, land degradation and water pollution may have a chance to explore the Philippines unknown swathes of mineral deposits, just 0.17% of which has been developed for production.

Even more promisingly, the Philippines is the fifth most mineralised country in the world. It boasts an estimated $1trn (57.18trn pesos) in untapped reserves of copper, gold, nickel, zinc and silver, according to Austmines report.

The Nickel Asia Corporation, Atlas Mining and other organisations primarily export Filipino nickel to China and Japan.

Meanwhile, Australian-headquartered Ten Sixty Four (formerly Medusa Mining) has made its mark in gold mining with its ownership of the Co-O Underground Mine through its subsidiary Philsaga Mining Corporation, producing an estimated 80,000oz of gold in 2024.

Since the Filipino Government removed certain restrictions around mining exploration, interest from Australia has grown in developing exploration technology such as drilling services, geochemical analysis, geographic information systems, geophysical surveys, remote sensing and satellite imagery, and 3D modelling.

I think there is lots of room for further increase to our two-way trade [between Australia and The Philippines] and investment, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu said in May, adding that the embassy had been getting more inquiries from Australian mining operators about trade and investment opportunities in the country.

3. Vietnam: a leader in bauxite and tungsten

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) still hold the keys to most of Vietnams major mining sites, but opportunities are widespread in a fragmented sector that also remains massively untapped.

Vietnams rich landscape contains more than 50 types of minerals, according to its Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Notably, Vietnam ranks third in global bauxite reserves, with an estimated 3.7 billion tonnes, alongside significant deposits of coal, copper, gold, iron ore, REEs, tin and zinc.

The Dak Nong province in the central highlands region of Vietnam is set to become a major global player in the bauxite-aluminium supply chain, Austmines report predicts.

Vietnamese SOE Vinacomin has announced several major projects in Dak Nong, while private investors such as THACO and VPG have announced plans for integrated bauxite-alumina-aluminium operations. These developments offer great opportunities for Australian METS, especially for companies that can demonstrate a track record of working with bauxite and aluminium producers, such as Alcoa, Rio Tinto and South32.

Tungsten is another highly sought-after mineral that Vietnam holds in abundance.

Amid continued US-China trade wars, western officials have expressed concern that the Nui Phao tungsten mine and refinery in northern Vietnam may fall under Beijings control, Reuters reported on 29 August. Nui Phao is owned by Masan High-Tech Materials, a global leader in the production of tungsten products and a subsidiary of the Masan conglomerate, which has flagged its interest in selling the site.

Unease over allowing China to exert its influence creates a window for Australian companies to pitch themselves as a trustworthy alternative for investment.

4. The developing markets: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Thailand

By comparison, these five nations do not hold anywhere near as many significant mining opportunities for Australian companies, but they do offer a few hidden gems and a proportionate drop in competition.

Brunei is known for oil and gas exports, but with these set to dwindle over the coming years, analysts expect the small nation to turn to its deposits of limestone, sand and gravel. Australia was Bruneis largest trading partner in 2023, accounting for 20.6% of exports. This relationship provides opportunities for Australian METS companies to develop a presence in Brunei, potentially diversifying their customer base to accommodate hydrocarbon projects.

Cambodias Ministry of Mines and Energy has stated that bauxite, copper, gold, iron ore, kaolin, lead, limestone, tin and zinc are amongst the countrys most prevalent resources. The first extraction of Cambodian gold began in 2021, with six companies now developing gold projects, including Australian-listed Emerald Resources NL. The companys Okvau Gold open-pit mine is the largest project in Cambodia and is expected to produce more than 100,000oz of gold for 2024.

Mining accounts for 30% of foreign investment into Laos. However, its three major mines  Sepon, Phu Kham and PanAust  are approaching end of life in the next decade, leaving ample opportunity for prospecting into the impressive untapped reserves of bauxite, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc.

Malaysia was a major producer of tin until the market collapsed in the 1980s. At its peak in the 1960s, Malaysia accounted for more than 30% of global tin demand. By 2023, it only accounted for 0.2% of global output.

The countrys mining industry remains fragmented and decentralised, with more than 356 quarries and 174 mines mostly operated by small-scale enterprises. Nonetheless, signs of movement include Australias Lynas Rare Earths recently signing a memorandum of understanding with Menteri Basar for the supply of mixed rare earth carbonate.

Thailand is the second-largest economy in South East Asia, but mining remains relatively insignificant. The Department of Mineral Resources recently reported more than 30 trillion tonnes of mineral reserves across more than 40 mineral types, and has identified several mining zones with significant development potential. These include feldspar, gold, gypsum, manganese, REEs, tin and tungsten  Thailand is the worlds sixth-largest producer of gypsum and feldspar, and the fifth-largest of REEs.

5. Singapore: the financial mining hub

Lacking the significant natural mineral reserves and resources of its South East Asian neighbours, Singapore may not represent a conventional, brick-and-mortar mining investment opportunity. However, it has positioned itself as a cornerstone of the mining investment industry due to its strategic location, powerful financial sector, tax incentives and robust legal framework.

BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals are among the many Australian mining companies to have opened offices in Singapore, leveraging these logistically and geographically strategic benefits.

The country invests heavily in research and development for advanced materials, resource efficiency and sustainable mining technologies. It remains at the forefront of emerging digital technologies that impact the mining industry, such as blockchain and real-time emissions tracking.

Singapore also offers METS companies exposure to a plethora of venture capital firms operating in the market.

"Five leading investment areas for Australian mining in South East Asia" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Top lawmakers from Germany's ruling coalition made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday in a show of cross-party solidarity for Kiev - and of domestic unity in Berlin.

Conservative Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) held talks in the Ukrainian capital to discuss further German support and diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion.

But the visit also represented an effort by the squabbling coalition allies to move past a rocky start since the government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, took office in May.

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In Kiev, the duo inspected the aftermath of last week's large-scale Russian airstrikes involving drones and missiles last week.

Spahn and Miersch also visited the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which was the site of a massacre when it was occupied by Russian forces in the early weeks of the war. Moscow denies that a massacre took place.

The pair paid tribute to the dead and met the local mayor.

Speaking to reporters on the train from Poland, Spahn said the trip underlined that the German parliament, as well as the government, stands firmly with Ukraine.

"It is therefore a good sign for Ukraine, but also a good sign of the coalition's determination," he argued, adding that "it is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin who wants war, who does not want peace."

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Miersch called the trip a "clear signal of support" and stressed the importance of making it a joint message.

Use of frozen Russian assets under discussion

He also said that "all options are on the table" regarding the use of frozen Russian assets in the European Union to support Ukraine.

Miersch hinted that the issue could be up for discussion in ongoing EU negotiations on a fresh package of sanctions on Russia.

Around 210 billion ($246 billion) in assets from the Russian central bank are frozen in the EU, with the majority being held in custody by the Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear.

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Since last year, the EU has been using interest income from the funds to finance the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

However, many in the bloc are sceptical about expropriating the assets directly, due to legal concerns and the likelihood of retaliatory measures.

The German pair also refused to be drawn on the question of German support for peacekeeping efforts after a potential ceasefire, with Spahn calling any speculation "premature."

The best security guarantee for Ukraine is a strong Ukrainian military, he said, arguing that "no other army can achieve what the Ukrainian army can." Miersch added, "We are not ruling anything out."

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Like other foreign visitors, the delegation travelled by rail due to Ukraine's restricted airspace.

En route, they stopped in the Polish city of Rzeszow to meet German soldiers operating two Patriot air defence systems that protect the local airport, a key hub for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The visit comes as Merz's coalition - made up of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD - seeks to display unity as lawmakers return to Berlin following the German summer recess.

Last week, representatives from the three parties held a joint retreat, at the end of which Miersch said that something "has grown" between him and Spahn, allowing them to make real progress together.

Spahn, who served as Germany's health minister during the coronavirus crisis, is the parliamentary leader for the CDU/CSU bloc, with Miersch fulfilling the role for the SPD.
Top lawmakers from Germany's ruling coalition made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday in a show of cross-party solidarity for Kiev - and of domestic unity in Berlin.

Conservative Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) held talks in the Ukrainian capital to discuss further German support and diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion.

But the visit also represented an effort by the squabbling coalition allies to move past a rocky start since the government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, took office in May.

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In Kiev, the duo inspected the aftermath of last week's large-scale Russian airstrikes involving drones and missiles last week.

They met members of parliament and anti-aircraft troops and were welcomed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who expressed thanks for German support in anti-aircraft defences. "This concerns the lives of our people," he said.

Spahn and Miersch also visited the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which was the site of a massacre when it was occupied by Russian forces in the early weeks of the war. Moscow denies that a massacre took place.

The pair paid tribute to the dead and met the local mayor.

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Speaking to reporters on the train from Poland, Spahn said the trip underlined that the German parliament, as well as the government, stands firmly with Ukraine.

"It is therefore a good sign for Ukraine, but also a good sign of the coalition's determination," he argued, adding that "it is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin who wants war, who does not want peace."

Miersch called the trip a "clear signal of support" and stressed the importance of making it a joint message.

German parliamentary backing is necessary for supporting Ukraine, as parliament approves funding and will have the final word on any deployment of troops in the event of a ceasefire.

Use of frozen Russian assets under discussion

He also said that "all options are on the table" regarding the use of frozen Russian assets in the European Union to support Ukraine.

Advertisement Advertisement

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Miersch hinted that the issue could be up for discussion in ongoing EU negotiations on a fresh package of sanctions on Russia.

Around 210 billion ($246 billion) in assets from the Russian central bank are frozen in the European Union, with the majority being held in custody by the Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear.

Since last year, the EU has been using interest income from the funds to finance the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

However, many in the bloc are sceptical about expropriating the assets directly, due to legal concerns and the likelihood of retaliatory measures.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The German pair also refused to be drawn on the question of German support for peacekeeping efforts after a potential ceasefire, with Spahn calling any speculation "premature."

The best security guarantee for Ukraine is a strong Ukrainian military, he said, arguing that "no other army can achieve what the Ukrainian army can." Miersch added: "We are not ruling anything out."

Like other foreign visitors, the delegation travelled by rail due to Ukraine's restricted airspace.

En route, they stopped in the Polish city of Rzeszow to meet German soldiers operating two Patriot air defence systems that protect the local airport, a key hub for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The visit comes as Merz's coalition - made up of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU) and the SPD - seeks to display unity as lawmakers return to Berlin following the German summer recess.

Last week, representatives from the three parties held a joint retreat, at the end of which Miersch said that something "has grown" between him and Spahn, allowing them to make real progress together.

Spahn, who served as Germany's health minister during the coronavirus crisis, is the parliamentary leader for the CDU/CSU bloc, with Miersch fulfilling the role for the SPD.
A 32-year old Moroccan man has been handed an 18-month suspended sentence by a German court for spying on two opposition activists on behalf of the Moroccan intelligence services.

The district court sitting in Dusseldorf on Monday found the man guilty of acting as a foreign intelligence agent by spying on supporters of the Hirak movement, which enjoys support primarily among the Berber minority ethnic group in Morocco.

The court found that he had provided information on two Hirak supporters living in Germany. It took into account the fact that the man had admitted his actions and had a previous conviction.

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It also found that he had provided information on former confidants, who would face consequences in the event of a return to Morocco.

The Hirak movement is considered one of the largest protest movements in Morocco since the Arab Spring. It seeks greater development for the rural Rif Mountains in northern Morocco and an end to police corruption. Some in the movement agitate for an independent republic.

The convicted man was arrested in Spain in December last year and extradited to Germany, where he has been held in pre-trial detention.

He declined legal support during the trial. The possibility of appeal to the federal court remains open to the prosecution.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has strongly criticised remarks made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding military security guarantees for Ukraine.

Source: German TV news channel n-tv, as reported by European Pravda

Details: During a visit to an arms factory in Troisdorf, Pistorius said it is fundamentally wrong to discuss issues such as security guarantees before sitting down at the negotiating table.

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Quote from Pistorius: "Apart from the fact that the European Union has neither the authority nor the competence to deploy troops  regardless of for whom and for what purpose  I would be cautious about confirming or commenting on such considerations in any way."

Details: Pistorius said there are ongoing considerations, "but I think it would be totally wrong to discuss this publicly at this point".

He is reacting to media reports that von der Leyen has spoken of a "roadmap" for sending a multinational force to Ukraine.

Background:

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Germany is seeking to broaden its ties with India, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday, ahead of an upcoming trip to New Delhi.

"For us, India is one of the central partners worldwide," said Wadephul, who is set to make his inaugural visit to the world's most populous country on Tuesday.

Cooperation on economic matters, security and defence is mutually beneficial for both countries, Wadephul said.

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The foreign minister is due to begin his two-day trip in the southern city of Bangalore, where he is aiming to "take the pulse of what makes India's innovative strength so powerful, and explore even greater opportunities for cooperation."

On the agenda for Wadephul in the high-tech metropolis will be topics such as research, science and migration.

Indians are the largest group of foreign students in Germany and highly sought-after skilled workers are an indispensable pillar for Europe's largest economy.

Wadephul's meetings are due to focus on how to strengthen structures for legal migration, including speeding up visa processes and language training courses.

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Talks in the capital New Delhi on Wednesday are expected to centre on relations with China and Russia.

Ahead of the visit, Wadephul also called on the European Union and India to complete a planned free trade deal as soon as possible.

The two sides are endeavouring to reach an agreement this year to reduce customs duties and simplify supply chains.

Negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU and India - a country home to some 1.4 billion - resumed three years ago.

Talks previously took place between 2007 and 2013 before breaking down.
A top lawmaker from Germany's ruling coalition on Monday said "all options are on the table" regarding the use of frozen Russian assets in the European Union to support Ukraine.

On a surprise visit to Kiev, Matthias Miersch - the parliamentary leader of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - hinted that the issue could be up for discussion in ongoing EU negotiations on a fresh package of sanctions on Russia.

His conservative counterpart Jens Spahn, who joined Miersch in the Ukrainian capital, said "there must be consequences" for the Russian invasion. "In this respect, a discussion is needed as to whether and how these frozen assets can be used, despite all legal concerns."

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Around 210 billion ($246 billion) in assets from the Russian central bank are frozen in the EU, with the majority being held in custody by the Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear.

Since last year, the EU has been using interest income from the funds to finance the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

However, many in the bloc are sceptical about expropriating the assets directly, due to legal concerns and the likelihood of retaliatory measures.

Observers fear the move could also lead to other countries and investors losing confidence in Europe as a financial centre.

Miersch and Spahn are due to hold talks in Kiev to discuss further German support and diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion.

But the visit also represents an effort by the squabbling coalition allies to move past a rocky start since the new German government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, took office in May.
The German military's inspector general, Carsten Breuer, has described experiencing GPS jamming during flights, after a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly targeted with deliberate interference on Monday.

Breuer, the highest-ranking general in the Bundeswehr, said he had experienced GPS jamming once during a flight over the Baltic Sea and once during a visit to a military exercise in Lithuania.

He said pilots usually have the ability to circumvent such interference. It was not clear, according to Breuer, whether the jamming on those occasions was directed at his aircraft or was part of a more widespread campaign.

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Regardless, Breuer stressed: "We are currently under constant sabotage and espionage, and we are also subject to hybrid influence and hybrid actions, which we can very often trace back to state actors and, in many cases, to Russia."

GPS interference is commonplace against both military and civilian targets, Navy Inspector Christian Kaack added.

Von der Leyen's aircraft experienced interference during a flight to Bulgaria on Sunday, a commission spokeswoman said.

The Bulgarian authorities suspect that Russia was behind the attack, she added.

GPS jamming involves deliberately disrupting or blocking signals from an aircraft's satellite-based navigation system.
(Reuters) - -Germany's defence minister on Monday harshly dismissed as premature remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on plans to send European troops to Ukraine, saying she lacked the mandate to discuss the matter.

Von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that Europe is drawing up "pretty precise plans" for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of U.S. capabilities.

"Those are things that you don't discuss before you sit down at the negotiating table with many parties that have a say in the matter," the minister, Boris Pistorius, told journalists during a visit to an ammunition factory in Cologne on Monday.

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"I would know better than to comment or confirm such considerations in any way, apart from the fact that the European Union has no mandate or competency whatsoever when it comes to positioning troops," he added.

Leyen told the FT on Sunday the deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the U.S., including command and control systems and intelligence and surveillance assets.

(Reporting by Markus WacketWriting by Ludwig Burger, Editing by William Maclean)
The German government has the right to halt issuing visas for Afghans at risk of persecution by the Taliban, a court ruled on Monday.

Seeking to reduce migration levels, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration has paused programmes to resettle hundreds of Afghans who were informed of Germany's "readiness" to accept them following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

Some waited for decisions by German authorities for years in Pakistan before being deported back to Afghanistan earlier this year.

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However, the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg has found that Germany is not legally bound to admit the Afghan nationals, a spokesman said.

The specific case involved a former high-ranking judge in Afghanistan, his wife and their four children whose visa application was rejected earlier this year due to the government's decision.

Dozens of Afghans affected by the halt are believed to have filed lawsuits against the government's move, backed by the Kabul Airlift organization.

The German Foreign Office says it is contact with 210 individuals who were deported to Afghanistan.

Separately, around 50 Afghans whose applications were successful are expected to arrive in Germany on Monday on a flight from Islamabad in Pakistan.
Germany has again warned Israel against taking full control of the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, in remarks by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin on Monday.

Germany rejects "all thoughts that would imply displacement or dispossession of the Palestinian population," Wadephul said before departing for India.

"Gaza has to be part of a future Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution," he said.

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The same applied to the occupied West Bank, where Germany rejects all ideas on the part of Israel for annexation in violation of international law, Wadephul said.

Wadephul also stressed the gravity of the situation in embattled Gaza. "The humanitarian situation is dire," he said, adding that fighting had to be brought to an end and the hostages still being held by Hamas need to be released.

Wadephul called on the United States, Arab countries in the region and the European Union to come up with ideas for Gaza's future after the war.
A collective of past executives and directors from Credit Suisse Group, spearheaded by former chairman Urs Rohner, has reached an agreement to pay $115m to resolve a shareholder lawsuit.

The suit accused them of inadequate risk management practices that led to financial losses during the years 2020 and 2021.

The preliminary approval for the settlement was granted by a judge in New York.

The funds will be directed to UBS Group, which has taken over Credit Suisse, and will be sourced from the insurers of the involved directors and officers, as outlined in court documents, reported Bloomberg.

A spokesperson for UBS commented, We are pleased that this long-running litigation has been resolved by settlement.

The lawsuit, led by the Employees Retirement System for the City of Providence, alleged that failures in risk management contributed to losses incurred when several counterparties defaulted.

The counterparties include Malachite Capital Management, Greensill Capital Management, and Archegos Capital Management.

Since acquiring Credit Suisse in a government-backed rescue in 2023, UBS has been addressing various legal matters linked to its predecessor.

Credit Suisse was nearing collapse at that time, having suffered a series of damaging events, including a loss exceeding $5bn due to its involvement with Archegos, which collapsed in March 2021.

Rohner stepped down from his role as chairman of Credit Suisse in April 2021, two years prior to the bank's eventual failure.

The lawsuit filed by the Providence pension fund was classified as a derivative claim, representing shareholders on behalf of Credit Suisse.

Consequently, the settlement amount, along with any accrued interest, will be transferred from the insurers of the defendants to UBS, after deducting legal fees owed to the attorneys representing the investors.

The specific fees have yet to be finalised but will be presented to the court later in the proceedings.

Attorneys for the shareholders informed the court that the settlement comes after three years of fiercely-contested litigation across New York, Zurich, and Valais, Switzerland, culminating from mediation efforts that commenced in May 2023.

"Former Credit Suisse executives reach settlement in risk management lawsuit" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.




A Texas-based telecommunications company expanded its fiber internet network into Northeast Pennsylvania.

Service from Gigapower LLC  which started its fiber buildout in Pennsylvania in 2024  is now available in locations throughout the region, including Blakely, Dickson City, Dunmore, Jessup, Nanticoke, Olyphant, Sugar Notch, Throop and Warrior Run, company officials announced Wednesday.

We are excited to provide high-speed fiber connectivity to these communities, enabling them to experience future-ready broadband, Gigapower CEO Bill Hogg said in a news release.

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In May 2013, AT&T partnered with BlackRock to form Gigapower.

Gigapowers commercial wholesale open access platform enables internet service providers and other businesses to access its multigig fiber network in select metro areas throughout the country, officials said.

Another telecommunications company  New Jersey-based Astound Broadband  announced plans in July to invest $42 million to upgrade and expand its fiber-optic network in Northeast Pennsylvania, including Scranton.

Once completed at the end of 2026, the expansion project will provide 53,000 homes and 2,900 businesses throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne counties with access to Astounds network, officials said.

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As more companies look to offer service in Northeast Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak voted in July to award a two-year, $156,300 contact to Harrisburg-based consulting firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc. to create a broadband assessment plan for the county with the goal of identifying service gaps and addressing them in future projects, expanding access to high-speed internet for residents and businesses.

The project will help the county target specific areas with a goal of building out new connection points that other internet service providers could use to reach underserved or unserved county residents in rural communities.

Additionally, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority was awarded a $2.4 million grant to expand high-speed internet access in parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. With a required 80% private sector match, the award represents an estimated investment of more than $4.3 million in broadband infrastructure for Northeast Pennsylvania, officials said. The grant, funded through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, will support infrastructure upgrades to deliver reliable, affordable broadband service to homes and businesses currently lacking access.
NEED TO KNOW

Neilyann Ysam was found fatally stabbed in a home with her four children present on July 19

S Mate Joseph, who is the father of Ysam's children, has been arrested on a murder charge, per police

Ysam was hiding from Joseph at her aunt's place, per police

The fatal stabbing of a woman fleeing her alleged abuse was reported to police first by the couple's 4-year-old child.

The victim, 24-year-old Neilyann Ysam, was found dead in a Portland, Ore., home on July 19 by authorities responding to a report of a stabbing at the location, Portland Police said in a statement at the time.

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S Mate Joseph, 28, was arrested later the same day in nearby Vancouver, Wash., per the statement.

Ysam's stabbing was reported to police by her 4-year-old daughter, who told authorities: "My dad killed my mom," according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KATU. The child also gave police her father's name.

Joseph himself also called 911, and allegedly reported that he had stabbed a "loved one" and did not know if they were still alive, per the affidavit.

Once police arrived at the scene, they found five children were in the home, unharmed, and removed them from the location, Portland Police said in their statement.

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Four of the children were Ysam's, KATU reported. Her aunt told authorities that Ysam and her children were staying with her after they fled alleged violence in the home Ysam shared with Joseph, per the affidavit.

Joseph had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Ysam when she was pregnant in 2019, according to Clark County court documents cited by KATU.

In 2020, he was found in a car with Ysam and cited for violating a protection order a judge had issued against him in 2019.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Joseph has been charged with second-degree murder and first degree burglary, per Portland Police.

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He has pleaded not guilty pleas in response to the charges, KATU reported.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and onetime lawyer for Donald Trump, was injured in a car crash in New Hampshire on Saturday and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from officials.

The crash, which took place just before 10 p.m. on Saturday night, left three people injured. Troopers were investigating a domestic violence incident on the interstate shortly before a two-vehicle crash occurred and responded to the crash, police said.

A vehicle driven by a 19-year-old woman struck the back of the car in which Giuliani was a passenger. Giuliani, the person who was driving the car he was in, and the woman who was driving the vehicle who struck them, were all hospitalized, per police.

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Giuiianis head of security, Michael Ragusa, said in an official statement on social media: Giulianis vehicle was struck from behind at high speed. He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.

Ragusa said the crash took place shortly after Giuliani had assisted a domestic violence victim who had flagged him down for assistance. Ragusa later added in the comment thread to the statement that he believed the two incidents to be random and unrelated. He also said that the incident was not a targeted attack.

We ask everyone to respect Mayor Giulianis privacy and recovery, and refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories, he wrote.

In a caption to the statement, Ragusa said Giuliani sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously.

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In a social media post on Sunday, Giuliani thanked business partner Maria Ryan for overseeing his care; Ryan is a nurse practitioner.

The crash remains under investigation, police said, and no charges have been filed.

Giuliani served as mayor of New York City from 1994 through 2001 and later worked as Trumps lawyer and a confidant who staunchly defended Trumps push to overturn the 2020 election results. Giuliani has been embroiled in numerous legal tangles, including those stemming from his alleged involvement in 2020 election interference.

In January, Giuliani was held in contempt of court after he failed to turn over $11 million in personal assets in a defamation suit brought by two Georgia election workers. In December 2023, he was ordered to pay $148 million to the Georgia poll workers who sued him after he falsely accused them of participating in rigging the 2020 presidential election against Trump.

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Multiple media outlets are coordinating a large-scale protest on Monday to demand Israel stop the killing of journalists in Gaza and call for international press to be allowed into the enclave to report freely.

Nearly 200 outlets from 50 countries will take part in the demonstration, according to organizers, with print newspapers running blacked-out front pages, broadcasters and radio stations interrupting their programming and online outlets disrupting their home pages.

The protest, coordinated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Avaaz and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), aims to draw attention to the alarming number of journalists killed during Israels war in Gaza.

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At least 210 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, IFJ said, making the conflict the deadliest for reporters in modern times. Meanwhile, Israel has barred international media from reporting freely in Gaza, leaving Palestinian journalists to report under fire.

At the rate at which journalists are being killed in Gaza by the IDF, soon there will be no one left to keep the world informed. This is not only a war on Gaza, it is a war on journalism itself, said Thibat Bruttin, director general of RSF.

Journalists are being killed, they are being targeted, they are being defamed. Without them, who will speak of famine, who will expose war crimes, who will denounce genocides?

The demonstration comes after the recent killings of several prominent Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

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In early August, Israel killed five staff members from the news network Al Jazeera in a strike on Gaza City, days after the security cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a plan to take over the city.

Among those killed was Anas Al-Sharif, one of the most well-known Palestinian journalists in Gaza. He became a household name for many in the Arab world due to his daily coverage of the conflict and its humanitarian toll.

Last week, Israel killed another five journalists in back-to-back strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, in a tactic known as a double tap.

After the first strike on the hospital, people rushed to treat the wounded while journalists arrived to report. Then, Israel struck again.

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Video obtained exclusively by CNN showed the second tap was in fact two near-simultaneous strikes. These second and third strikes appear to have caused most of the deaths.

Netanyahu conceded the incident was a tragic mishap.

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A global fleet of boats, part of an international maritime initiative aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to starving people in Gaza, was forced to turn back after setting sail on Sunday due to bad weather.

In a statement, the organisers said that due to unsafe weather conditions, including strong winds exceeding 30 knots (55.5km/h), they decided to return to port to prioritise the safety of everyone on board.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MISSION DEPARTURE DELAYED TO PRIORITIZE SAFETY AMID STRONG MEDITERRANEAN WINDS pic.twitter.com/A4YDahLiJh  Global Sumud Flotilla (@GlobalSumudF) September 1, 2025

The team has scheduled a meeting for Monday to decide when to resume their journey to the Gaza Strip, with the possibility of setting sail later in the day.

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The first convoy, consisting of dozens of small civilian vessels carrying activists, humanitarians, doctors, seafarers, and humanitarian supplies, departed from Spanish ports on August 31 to meet up in Tunisia with a second wave on September 4.

Organisers describe the Global Sumud Flotilla as the largest maritime mission to Gaza, bringing together more than 50 ships and delegations from at least 44 countries.

INTERACTIVE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA MAP-1756807123

Which countries are taking part?

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, delegations from 44 countries have already committed to sail to Gaza as part of the largest maritime mission to break Israels illegal siege.

Countries from six continents will be taking part in the flotilla, including countries such as Australia, Brazil, South Africa and numerous European states.

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According to the group, participants are unaffiliated with any government or political party.

Which groups are participating?

This mission is organised by four major coalitions, including groups that have participated in previous land and sea campaign efforts to Gaza:

Global Movement to Gaza (GMTG)  Formerly known as Global March to Gaza, it is a grassroots movement organising global solidarity actions to support Gaza and break the siege.

Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)  With 15 years of experience running sea missions, including past flotillas such as the Madleen and Handala, FFC provides hands-on advice, guidance, and operational support to current efforts to break the Gaza blockade.

Maghreb Sumud Flotilla  Formerly known as the Sumud Convoy, it is a North Africa-based initiative carrying out solidarity missions to deliver aid and support to Palestinian communities.

Sumud Nusantara  It is a people-led convoy from Malaysia and eight other countries that aims to break the Gaza blockade and foster solidarity among Global South nations.

Collectively, they will form the largest coordinated civilian flotilla in history.

Who are the people involved?

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, the coalition comprises a range of people, including organisers, humanitarians, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers, and seafarers, who are united by a belief in human dignity, the power of nonviolent action, and a single aim: the siege and genocide must end.

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A steering committee has been set up, which includes the likes of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, historian Kleoniki Alexopoulou, human rights activist Yasemin Acar, socio-environmentalist Thiago Avila, political scientist and lawyer Melanie Schweizer, social scientist Karen Moynihan, physicist Maria Elena Delia, Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, humanitarian Muhammad Nadir al-Nuri, activist Marouan Ben Guettaia, activist Wael Nawar, activist and social researcher Hayfa Mansouri, and human rights activist Torkia Chaibi.

Although hundreds will set sail from the organised fleet, tens of thousands of others have registered to participate in the initiative.

Greta Thunberg, centre, with Thiago Avila, right, speaks to journalists in Catania, Italy, on June 1, 2025 [Salvatore Cavalli/AP Photo]

When will the vessels depart, and how long will they take to reach Gaza?

In a media briefing from Placa del Rei in Barcelona, Saif Abukeshek said the exact number would be specified later and that the details of the specific ports and ships were withheld for security reasons.

The group estimates that the fleet will take seven to eight days to make the approximately 3,000km (1,620-nautical-mile) journey to Gaza.

What is a flotilla, and why send aid by sea?

A flotilla is a group of boats or ships organised to deliver essential supplies, such as food, medicine and other materials, to regions in crisis. It is usually organised when traditional supply routes such as air and land corridors are blocked or inaccessible.

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Since 2007, Israel has tightly controlled Gazas airspace and territorial waters, restricting the movement of goods and people. Even before the war, Gaza had no functional airports after Israel bombed and destroyed the Gaza international airport in 2001, just three years after it opened.

Humanitarian and grassroots flotillas usually operate under the protection of international organisations and are governed by naval laws.

By delivering aid by sea, the Sumud Flotilla aims to confront Israels blockade head-on and carry a message that the siege must end.

INTERACTIVE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA GAZA SIEGE-1756396130

What happened to previous flotillas?

Several Freedom Flotilla vessels have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza in the past.

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In 2008, two boats from the Free Gaza Movement successfully reached Gaza, marking the first breach of Israels naval blockade. The movement, founded in 2006 by activists during Israels war on Lebanon, went on to launch 31 boats between 2008 and 2016, five of which reached Gaza despite heavy Israeli restrictions.

Since 2010, all flotillas attempting to break the Gaza blockade have been intercepted or attacked by Israel in international waters.

INTERACTIVE_freedom_flotilla_PREVIOUS_JULY 27_2025 copy-1753599419

2010  Gaza Freedom Flotilla

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara in international waters. They killed 10 activists and injured dozens, leading to global outrage. The ship was carrying humanitarian aid and more than 600 passengers.





2011  Freedom Flotilla II

Freedom Flotilla II was launched in 2011 as a follow-up to the 2010 mission. Organised by a coalition of international activists and NGOs, it aimed to breach Israels blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

2015  Freedom Flotilla III

Freedom Flotilla III was launched in 2015 as the third major attempt by international activists to break through Israels naval blockade of Gaza. Organised by the FFC, the mission included several vessels, with the Swedish-flagged Marianne of Gothenburg leading the effort.

Activists on board Thales of Miletus, a ship from the third Gaza Freedom Flotilla sailing back to Greece after leaving the Israeli port of Ashdod, where it was forced to go by Israeli forces [File: Getty Images]

2018  Just Future for Palestine

The Just Future for Palestine Flotilla  also known as the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla  was part of a continued effort by the FFC to challenge Israels naval blockade of Gaza.

2025  Break the Siege Conscience

While preparing to sail to Gaza on May 2, the Conscience was struck twice by armed drones, just 14 nautical miles (25km) off the coast of Malta. The attack triggered a fire and caused a significant breach in the hull, forcing the 30 Turkish and Azerbaijani activists on board into a desperate effort to bail out water and keep the ship afloat.

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2025  Madleen  The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on June 9, was intercepted by the Israeli military about 100 nautical miles (185km) from Gaza, in international waters.

A screengrab from footage released by the FFC on June 9, 2025, shows activists on board Madleen, with their hands in the air, as they are being illegally boarded by Israeli soldiers in international waters [Sosyal Medya/Anadolu]

2025  Handala  On July 26, Israeli forces stormed the Gaza-bound ship, which was carrying aid to starving Palestinians.




Congressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trumps tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with Democrats  or around them  as a government shutdown looms.

The annual spending battle will dominate the September agenda, along with a possible effort by Senate Republicans to change their chambers rules to thwart Democratic stalling tactics on nominations. The Senate is also debating whether to move forward on legislation that would slap steep tariffs on some of Russias trading partners as the U.S. presses Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.

In the House, Republicans will continue their investigations of former President Joe Biden while Speaker Mike Johnson navigates a split in his conference over whether the Trump administration should release more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

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A look at what Congress will be doing as lawmakers return from the August break:

The priority is to keep the government open

The most urgent task for Congress is to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30, when federal funding runs out. And its so far unclear if Republicans and Democrats will be able to agree on how to do that.

Congress will have to pass a short-term spending measure to keep the government funded for a few weeks or months while they try to finish the full-year package. But Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass an extension, and Democrats will want significant concessions. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumers vote with Republicans to avoid a shutdown in March prompted furious backlash within his party.

The Trump administrations efforts to claw back previously approved spending could also complicate the negotiations. Republicans passed legislation this summer that rescinded about $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds and Trump notified Congress again on Friday that he will block $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid.

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Democrats have warned that such efforts could tank the broader negotiations. Trump is rooting for a shutdown, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on social media Friday.

Senate nominations fight looms

Senators are expected to return to Washington right where they left off in early August  fighting over Trumps nominees.

Exasperated Republicans fled Washington for the month after making little headway with Senate Democrats over their nominations blockade, which has forced delays in confirmations and angered Trump as many of his administrations positions remain unfilled. Republican leaders called it quits after a rare Saturday session that ended with a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Chuck Schumer could GO TO HELL!

Republicans now say theyre ready to try and change Senate rules to get around the Democratic delays, and they are expected to spend the next several weeks discussing how that might work.

Stiffer Russia sanctions are sought

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trumps closest congressional allies, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russias invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing of 85 senators, but Trump has yet to endorse it, and Republican leaders have so far said they wont move without him.

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Graham has stepped up his calls after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy last month in hopes of a peace deal. Since then, Russia has continued to step up attacks on Ukraine.

If we dont have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in, Graham said of his bill in an interview with The Associated Press last month.

Senate panel awaits RFK Jr. appearance

Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee to discuss his health care agenda on Thursday, less than a week after he ousted Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several other top officials also resigned in protest.

Kennedy has tried to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research. Monarezs lawyers said she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.

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Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the panel that oversees the CDC and a member of the Finance Committee, has called on the CDC to delay a meeting of outside experts who make recommendations on the use of vaccines until Congress can look into the issue.

A House divided over Epstein

The House left Washington in July in the midst of disagreements among Republicans about whether they should force President Donald Trumps administration to release more information on the sex trafficking investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The pressure for more disclosure could only get more intense when lawmakers return.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are pushing the House to take up their bill to force the Justice Department to release its investigation. They are planning a news conference joined by Epstein victims. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating the issue.

Democrats are eager to keep pressing on the Epstein files, especially after the Trump administration reneged on pledges for transparency. The case for years has been the subject of online conspiracy theories and speculation about who may have been involved or aware of the wealthy financiers abuse.

GOP focuses on Bidens mental fitness in office

The House Oversight Committee will return from August recess with a slate of interviews lined up as part of its investigation into former President Joe Bidens mental state while in office. The committee has already conducted interviews and depositions with nearly a dozen former top Biden aides and members of the presidents inner circle.

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The Republican-led committee will hear from former top Biden staffers in September like Jeff Zients, Bidens final White House chief of staff, Karine Jean-Pierre, the former White House press secretary, and Andrew Bates, a top press aide.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., has said public hearings and a full report can be expected sometime in the fall.

A stock trading ban is weighed

Congress has discussed proposals for years to keep lawmakers from engaging in trading individual stocks, nodding to the idea that theres a potential conflict of interest when they are often privy to information and decisions that can dramatically move markets.

That push is now gaining momentum. A Senate committee has approved legislation from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri that would also extend the prohibition on stock trading to future presidents and vice presidents  while notably exempting Trump. In the House, several members are putting forward proposals and even threatening to maneuver around the GOP leadership to force a vote.

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Still, there is plenty of resistance to the idea, including from many wealthy lawmakers who reap dividends from their portfolios.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  The Greensboro Police Department has released the identity of the driver killed in a Friday evening crash.

On Friday at around 5:28 p.m., Greensboro Police, Greensboro Fire and Guilford County EMS responded to a single-car crash with injuries in the area of Pembroke Road and Chatham Drive.

According to a witness, a Ford Focus sedan was traveling east on Pembroke Road before it ran off the road, where the road ends. The car ran into a barrier-type object and continued toward the woods, where it struck a tree.

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William Perry Morgan, 64, died due to his injuries.

Impairment does not appear to be a factor, and the crash remains under investigation.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
The Global Sumud Flotilla Mission temporarily returned to port in Barcelona due to stormy weather, before setting sail again later on Monday.

The Global Sumud Flotilla Mission, carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, set sail for Gaza on Monday.

This comes after the aid flotilla of dozens of boats temporarily returned to port in Barcelona due to stormy weather, organizers said.

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"We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass. This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats," the Global Sumud Flotilla Mission said in a statement, adding winds had been up to around 35 mph (56 kph).

Activists, including Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, are on the flotilla of several dozen boats that is aiming to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and humanitarian supplies to the enclave, which has been devastated by nearly two years of war.

Israel has argued that the naval blockade it imposed in 2007 is necessary to stop weapons from being smuggled to the Hamas Palestinian militant group. It has described other attempts to break it - including one that included Thunberg in June - as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.

Activists wash the deck of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship 'Handala' as they prepare to sail for Gaza in an attempt to break a long-standing Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Marsa, Malta August 16, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI)

Previous 'Freedom Flotilla' attempts

Two previous attempts to sail to Gaza were made by activists during July, with both finally stopped by the IDF when they approached Israel's shores.

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Thumberg in particular sailed with the Madleen, a sailboat that was seized by the IDF while its passengers were detained and later deported back to their countries.

The second attempt, done with the Handala ship, was also intercepted by the Israeli Navy, and the activists aboard were also deported.
FWD Group has reported net profit of $47m in the first half of 2025 (H1 2025), an increase from the $3m in the same period of the prior year.

The company, which made its trading debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 7 July 2025, saw post-tax operating profits growing by 9% to $251m.

The growth was supported by gains in all four of its regional segments: Hong Kong SAR & Macau SAR; Thailand & Cambodia; Japan; and Emerging Markets.

The company's new business sales grew by 38% to $1.24bn on an annualised premium equivalent basis, compared to the figures from 2024.

FWD Group has also reported a 283% solvency ratio and doubled its net underlying free surplus to $417m.

The tangible equity of FWD Group saw an 8% increase to $8.15bn, with the group's embedded value also rising by 8% to $6.38bn.

The Hong Kong SAR & Macau SAR segment reported growth in new business sales and new business contractual service margin (CSM), due to broad-based demand from both local and Mainland Chinese visitor customers and the full activation of the FWD Private HNW business.

The Thailand & Cambodia segment experienced a slight downturn in new business indicators due to the exit from Thailand corporate care underwriting business in 2024.

The Japanese arm reported favourable new business figures, driven by its focus on individual protection products.

The launch of a yen-denominated single-premium annuity product in July signifies the company's foray into the savings and retirement segment.

The Emerging Markets segment logged strong new business sales growth.

Notably, in Indonesia, the joint venture BRI Life, in which FWD Group has a 44% stake, led the bancassurance sector in terms of new business sales.

FWD Group CEO and executive director Huynh Thanh Phong said: We are delighted to report record interim results under IFRS 17 in our first earnings as a publicly listed company. The outstanding growth in new business CSM demonstrates our ability to execute our customer-led strategy successfully across Asia in a sustainable and profitable way.



We intend to use the net proceeds of our recent IPO [initial public offering] to further enhance our capital position and financial flexibility, which may involve reducing debt, in support of further growth and reach with customers, digital capabilities and channels."

"FWD Group profit rises in H1 2025 " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.




The price of a shopping basket in Portugal monitored by DECO PROteste is now 17 higher than it was a year ago.

Despite a slight drop in the last week of August, of 13 cents (-0.05%), to 241.17, this is one of the highest prices since the Portuguese consumer protection organisation started monitoring the price of 63 essential goods in the country.

At the beginning of this year, on 1 January, the basket of essentials cost 5 less (2.12% lower). A year ago, on 28 August 2024, it cost 16.54 less (7.36% lower). In January 2022, consumers spent 53.47 less (28.48% lower) to buy exactly the same food products.

Which products have increased the most?

In the last year, between 28 August 2024 and 27 August 2025, the price of eggs increased the most: by 60 cents (41% more). For example, to buy half a dozen eggs, those in Portugal may now have to spend 2.06. A year ago, the same box of eggs cost 1.47.

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Eggs are also among the products in the food basket whose price has risen the most in percentage terms since the beginning of this year. On 1 January 2025, eggs cost 1.61, 45 cents less (28% lower) than at the end of August. In January 2022, when DECO PROteste began this analysis, eggs cost 1.14, 92 cents less (81% lower).

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In addition to eggs, when comparing prices in the last week of August with the same period in the previous year, on 28 August 2024, the biggest percentage price increases were also seen in products such as curly lettuce (up 38%), broccoli (up 33%) and beef for cooking (up 28%).

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Looking at the week between 20 and 27 August, the products whose prices increased the most were fish fingers (up 22%), frankfurter sausages (up 13%) and onions (up 10%).

Compared to January 2022, the biggest percentage increases were in beef for cooking (up 92%), eggs (up 81%) and oranges (up 71%).

Basket prices have risen by 5.43 since the end of zero VAT

In order to ease the burden on consumers and curb the rise in prices of essential goods, in March 2023, then-prime minister Antonio Costa's government in Portugal signed an agreement with food retailers and the agri-food production sector that resulted in VAT exemption on a basket of more than 40 foods between 18 April 2023 and 4 January 2024.

According to DECO PROteste, when that exemption ended on 4 January 2024, the basket of 41 foods that had zero VAT saw the price rise by 5.43 (3.82% increase), from 141.97 to 147.40, on 27 August 2025.

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Beef for cooking, eggs and sea bream were the products that saw the biggest percentage price rises since the last day of VAT exemption on 4 January last year, with increases of 36%, 35% and 34% respectively.

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Why have food prices risen so much in the last three years?

According to the consumer protection organisation, the rise in prices of essential goods can be explained by a number of factors.

In large part, it's due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where a large part of the cereals consumed in the European Union (and Portugal) came from. The war put pressure on the agri-food sector, which was trying to get back on its feet after the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the drought.

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The limited supply of raw materials and the increase in production costs, particularly for fertilisers and energy, which are necessary for agri-food production, was therefore reflected in an increase in prices on international markets and, consequently, in consumer prices for products such as meat, fruit and vegetables, breakfast cereals and vegetable oil in 2022.

In the case of eggs, the explanation lies in the global crisis caused by bird flu, which has led to shortages, especially in the United States, where more than 170 million hens have been slaughtered since 2022, when the outbreak began.

Both Portugal and the rest of Europe have been contaminated by the North American crisis, as demand outstrips supply.
BOSTON, Mass. (WKBN)  The Cleveland Guardians have promoted former top prospect George Valera to the Major League roster.

His first appearance in a game with the Guardians will mark his Major League debut.

As of September 1, Major League teams are permitted to expand their rosters from 25 to 28 players.

The 24-year-old split the 2025 season between the Arizona Complex League and Triple-A Columbus.

At Triple-A, Valera was batting .255 with three home runs, six doubles, two triples and 10 RBIs in 28 games for the Clippers.

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Valera, who was a top prospect for the Guardians as recently as 2022, originally signed with Cleveland as an international free agent in 2017.

In additional roster moves, the Guardians also recalled pitcher Zak Kent and outfielder Jhonkensy Noel from Triple-A Columbus.

Infielder Will Wilson was optioned to Triple-A.

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People in Guyana are voting for a president and members of parliament who will be watching over billions in oil revenue, offshore production with a United States-led international consortium, and tensions with Venezuela.

Over 750,000 registered voters will have until 6pm (22:00 GMT) on Monday to cast ballots at some 2,800 polling places.

Six parties are participating in the election to fight for the presidency and seats in the 65-member parliament.

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But it is effectively a three-way race between President Irfaan Ali of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Aubrey Norton of the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR), and billionaire Azruddin Mohamed, who started his We Invest in Nationhood party in March to challenge the two-party status quo.

Voting has traditionally taken place along ethnic lines, with the Indo-Guyanese supporting the PPP, and Guyanese of African descent backing the PNCR.

Billionaire Mohamed means to disrupt the system and has garnered some young backers of his own. But he is shunned by the US, which sanctioned him last year over allegations that he and his father Nazar Mohamed defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials. They deny any wrongdoing.

The South American countrys president is seeking re-election as he wants to spend revenue from oil sales and royalties from a contract with ExxonMobil and others on infrastructure. Ali has governed one of the worlds fastest-growing economies since 2020 as a result of the oil boom.

President Irfaan Ali, who is running for re-election, arrives to vote during general elections in Leonora, Guyana, Monday, September 1, 2025 [Matias Delacroix/AP]

But opposition groups claim that oil earnings disproportionately favour well-connected groups, and three of the five parties challenging the PPP have also pledged to renegotiate the countrys contract with ExxonMobil.

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The victor will manage a booming oil economy that has quadrupled the state budget to $6.7bn in 2025 since production began in 2019.

But they will also have to navigate a crucial border dispute with Venezuela over the Essequibo region, where most of the nations oil reserves are located.

The Venezuelan government claims the region, which has been governed by Guyana since independence in 1966, as its own. Despite Caracas having no authority there, Venezuela elected a governor to the region this year.

The electoral commission in Guyana has said results may be expected by Thursday or later. The party that wins the most votes will select the next president.

Guyanas 2020 election was marred by a five-month standoff over vote counting. Several international groups are on the ground to monitor the election, including The Carter Center, the Organization of American States, and members of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), a regional trade bloc.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (Reuters) -Polls have closed in Guyana's general election, where voters cast ballots on Monday to choose 65 members of parliament and a president who will determine how riches from the South American country's hydrocarbon boom will be spent.

The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil started pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

President Irfaan Ali, in office since 2020, is seeking reelection representing the People's Progressive Party (PPP). His government has funneled oil revenue into building roads, schools and hospitals, and made studying at the state university free.

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"We ran a very positive campaign, a campaign based on a track record, a campaign based on trust, commitment, one that was based on unity," Ali told journalists on Monday morning after casting his ballot in his home village of Leonora.

The elections commission plans to deliver results by Wednesday.

There was no transparent polling ahead of the election but PPP voters who spoke to Reuters were optimistic the party could maintain control of the legislature and the presidency. Opposition parties have gained ground with voters, however, by decrying what they say is unfair distribution of oil earnings to groups connected to the PPP. The PPP denies the allegation.

Guyana's 2020 election was marred by a five-month standoff over vote counting.

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The vote is "an opportunity to ensure there's a reallocation of the resources that come from oil to the people of Guyana, rather than the present approach, in which most of the resources go to family, friends and favorites," said Aubrey Norton, the presidential candidate for the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Political loyalties in Guyana have long been split largely along ethnic lines, between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese communities.

Three of the five parties challenging the PPP have also pledged to renegotiate the country's contract with Exxon.

Some hope to leverage Monday's vote to deny Ali's party a majority in parliament, which it currently controls by a single seat, and force it to seek opposition support for its legislation.

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Adding uncertainty to the race is the new We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party, led by popular businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the U.S. last year over allegations that he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials. They deny any wrongdoing.

The younger Mohamed's party has published a manifesto calling for fairer access to housing and opportunities for everyone, not a privileged few.

He has attracted grassroots support, particularly among voters seeking an alternative to establishment parties, and on Monday urged early voting, especially by young people.

"One of my expectations is for WIN to improve the justice system, the health facilities, and human services," said WIN supporter Carlton Hazelwood, 27. He added that welfare programs run by the government are not reaching people who need them.

Voting at some 2,800 polling places began at 6 a.m. (noon GMT) and closed at 6 p.m.

(Reporting by Kemol King; Editing by Julia Symmes Cobb, Rod Nickel and Edmund Klamann)
Its awkward every year to say Happy Labor Day, because the news about labor is almost never happy. Another trip around the sun brings another percentage drop in union membership. Its now down to about 10 percent of workers, or half what it was four decades ago. (The historic peak was 34 percent in 1945.) Within the private sector, where union representation is needed most urgently, membership is below 6 percent. More people think Elvis is still alive, or that NASA faked the moon landings, than belong to a private-sector labor union.



Happy Labor Day sounds especially off-key this year because the National Labor Relations Board is on the ropes. The NLRB is the government agency that adjudicates private-sector disputes between labor and management. It oversees union elections and punishes labor law violations (excepting wage theft, which is policed by the Labor Department). Sustaining organized labor even at its severely depressed current level would be impossible without a functioning NLRB. But last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the NLRBs 90 year-old structure unconstitutional, putting future enforcement of labor law very much in doubt.

As my New Republic colleague Matt Ford noted, the case on which the Fifth Circuit ruled is a Harpers Weekly political cartoon that practically draws itself. Elon Musk, the richest human on Planet Earth, is chief executive and principal owner of Space X. Three years ago, eight workers there circulated internally a letter pointing out that Musks public behavior was a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us and urging the company to uphold clear repercussions for all unacceptable behavior, whether from the CEO or an employee starting their first day. The letter leaked to The Verge, and Space X fired nine signatories.

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I wont bother to document all the plainly unacceptable public behavior Musk engaged in at the time, because wed be here all day. But the letter mentioned recent allegations against our CEO and his public disparagement of the situation. That referred to a Musk tweet making light of an episode in which Musk allegedly exposed his erect penis to a Space X contract flight attendant/masseuse and promised to buy her a horse if shed give him a happy ending. Musk said the charges were utterly untrue, but Business Insider reported that after the flight attendant/masseuse brought sexual harassment charges, Space X paid her $250,000 to go away. Guilty or not, Musk did Space X no favors by joking publicly about the matter.

As I said, Space X fired nine signatories to the letter protesting Musks misbehavior. Eight of them filed charges with the NLRB, alleging illegal retaliation for concerted activity. Concerted activity is the legal term for any challenge to the terms and conditions of ones employment, and its protected under the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, even for nonunion workers. Space X, you wont be astonished to learn, is a non-union shop.

That Space X managements retaliation constituted an illegal unfair labor practice was a slam dunk. An NLRB regional office gathered the charges together, filed a legal complaint against Space X, and scheduled an administrative law hearing on a case that the company was sure to lose. But before that hearing could occur, Musk sued the NLRB, arguing that the agency couldnt investigate Space X because the NLRB itself was unconstitutional.

As I explained when Musk filed this lawsuit in January 2024, theres a history here. Musk has tangled repeatedly with the NLRB, to a far greater degree than fellow oligarchs like, say, Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg. Most famously (before now) Musk threatened Tesla plant workers on Twitter with the loss of their stock options if they unionized. The NLRB ruled that move a labor violation, and when Musk appealed, even the reactionary Fifth Circuit had to agree (though it later vacated that ruling en banc).

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Musks lawsuit against the NLRB recycled some arguments used successfully in the 2024 Supreme Court case SEC v. Jarkesy, in which a hedge fund manager whom the SEC busted for securities fraud was freed from paying a $300,000 fine on the grounds that the agencys administrative law judges lacked constitutional authority to impose it. Musk, it turned out, helped bankroll the plaintiff in that case, along with the billionaire Mark Cuban. When people like me say that the United States is an oligarchy ruled by billionaires, this is the kind of thing were talking about.

Musk won the NLRB case too. Perhaps wed save time going forward if regulators seek out Musk before finalizing any decision to ask whether its quite all right with his excellency.

The Fifth Circuit ruled that the National Labor Relations Act is unconstitutional because the president is barred by statute from firing at will the administrative law judges who decide NLRB cases brought by the agencys 26 regional offices. A president can fire an NLRB administrative law judge only on the recommendation of the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent agency that protects the rights of federal employees. The MSPB can recommend such a firing only for good cause, and only after the MSPB grants the administrative law judge in question an opportunity to defend himself or herself at a public hearing. MSPB members, the Fifth Circuit decision further complains, are themselves protected statutorily from at-will firings; a president may remove one only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

Granted, the Fifth Circuit said, an employer who feels wronged by an NLRB administrative law ruling can always appeal to the full board in Washington, D.C. But NLRB board members are hard to fire, too! The president may fire one only for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. That hasnt stopped Trump from firing Democratic NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox as if she were employed at will (shes not!), nor has it stopped the Supreme Court from letting him get away with it.

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If our notional employer still feels wronged after the NLRB board rules against him, he or she can file an appeal in federal court. I half expected the Fifth Circuit judges to further complain that the president cant fire federal judges (only Congress can remove them through impeachment), but they stopped short of condemning an independent judiciary as an intolerable infringement on presidential power.

Lets clarify here that although it seems as though President Donald Trump is trying to fire every living federal employee, he is not, at the moment, trying to fire any administrative law judges at the NLRB. Neither was President Joe Biden when Musk first filed his suit. So why are the Fifth Circuits knickers in a twist about whether a president can fire an administrative law judge? Lets further clarify that no administrative law judge has heard the Space X case, nor the two similar cases with which the Space X suit was joined, because all three companies won lower-court injunctions before such hearings could take place. So how exactly were these companies harmed? When an agencys structure violates the separation of powers, the harm is immediate, the Fifth Circuit said, and the remedy must be, too. Apparently the NLRB has been harming all of us since Will Rogerss small plane went down near Point Barrow, Alaska. Four generations failed to notice.

The ruling doesnt shut down the NLRB entirely because it applies only to cases in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, where the Fifth Circuit has jurisdiction. But Jennifer Abruzzo, who was President Joe Bidens NLRB general counsel, told me that the decision will open the floodgates for employers to forum-shop and seek to get injunctions in those three states. Abruzzo added that the NLRB should be appealing this, seeking a rehearing, but its doubtful that it will.

Indeed, we should be grateful that the Trump NLRB contested Musk at all. Trump has no fondness for the NLRB; in firing Wilcox, he deprived the board of a quorum. In continuing to defend the NLRB after Biden left office, the Trumpies dropped the Biden NLRBs arguments for statutory job protections, because Trump administration lawyers were arguing in other courtrooms against them. Instead, the Trump NLRB fought Musk half-heartedly on jurisdictional grounds that the Fifth Circuit rejected. It also essentially asked the court, pretty please dont use this decision to strike down every previous decision issued by an NLRB administrative law judge since a pint-sized Shirley Temple was Hollywoods top box-office draw. The Fifth Circuit said it will address this severability question at some future date.

In a sane world, we could rest confident that the Fifth Circuits attempt to repeal the New Deal would be reversed by the Supreme Court. But theres every reason to believe that the Supreme Court will uphold it, because it, too, is trying to repeal the New Deal. Its especially hostile to job protections at independent agencies, and indeed I believe it will eventually chuck these even at the Federal Reserve, which its tried vaguely to shield from Trumps power grabs. When the Fed loses its independence, that will be a bad day for the oligarchs. But this Labor Day they can toast the NLRBs imminent destruction.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Its International Overdose Awareness day and departments across Connecticut are raising awareness about addiction.

New Haven officials boosting awareness after 19 overdoses were reported in 4 days

Cities in Connecticut have been hosting events all week, offering resources and free Narcan.

In New Haven, fire officials provided training on how anyone can help in the event of an overdose.

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Throughout the city, youll see minivans out there with the flags on it. And theyre out there giving away free Narcan, a fire official said. So theres a lot of coverage out there, theres a lot of Narcan out in the city. Just trying to make it available to everybody to keep everybody safe.

The most common signs of an overdose are shallow breathing and unconsciousness, according to officials.

To administer Narcan safely and effectively, you should spray half the dose in each nostril. The affected person should wake up in between five and 20 minutes and will likely be confused.

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Hawaiis labor force continues to shrink on this Labor Day, leading to fears of an even bigger workforce crisis ahead as the population ages, retires and dies and younger employees continue to leave for more affordable states.

Efforts continue to grow local workerssome as young as middle schoolersby talking to them early about the benefits of joining a union training program in high school, forgoing college and student loans and getting a good-paying job right out of high school, said Randy Perreira, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaiis largest union with over 39, 000 members.

Hawaiis unionized teachers also are working with Hawaii industries to let students train for other jobs through career academies  that dont require college degrees, said Hawai i State Teachers Association President Osa Tui Jr.

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We want to make sure there are good-paying jobs with benefits,  Tui said.

University of Hawaii community colleges also offer a tuition-free, noncredit training program called Good Jobs Hawaii that has resulted in higher wages for the first group of participants between 2021 and 2023, according to an analysis by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

Participants overall averaged an annual pay raise of $7, 200 per year after two quarters in the program.

Health care workers, in particular, earned 19 % more than their counterparts who did not undergo the community college training and their salaries continued to increase to a 23 % difference within a year, according to UHERO.

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Wage gaps were even wider35 %for skilled trades and energy-sector workers who went through the training.

Internally, Perreira said, Hawaiis AFL-CIO umbrella union of 173, 000 members also has begun preparations for training in artificial intelligence to help some members adapt to the AI revolution.

Employees with AI skills are more likely to embrace new technology in the workplace and use it as a tool, rather than as a substitute for human employees, Perreira believes.

Were looking to use it to enhance our workers and not replace people,  Perreira said.

Local 5which represents just under 11, 000 Hawaii hotel, health care and food service employeesalso works with over 20 employers and UH community colleges to recruit high school students into apprentice programs and to provide additional training for Local 5 members and even their family members to move up into better-paying jobs or even transition into different industries that include plumbing, electrical and hospital work and computer and language literacy, said Cade Watanabe, Local 5s financial secretary-treasurer.

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But its not going to pay off if there are not enough good-paying jobs,  Watanabe said.

In July, Hawaii had 650, 800 jobs led by employees in government (126, 000 ), leisure and hospitality (124, 400 ) and trade, transportation and utilities (118, 700 ), according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

At the same time, forces beyond the control of workers continue, including the exodus of survivors of the August 2023 Maui wildfires who lost jobs and still cannot find affordable housingalong with President Donald Trumps purge of the federal workforce.

Among Hawaii-based federal workers, Perreira said, theres a lot of uncertainty. Weve got folks here in specialized occupations where the federal government was the only option.

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Hawaii has the highest rate of union membership in the country26.5 %which Perreira, Tui and Watanabe believe has helped keep unionized employees in Hawaii by negotiating livable wages and job protections.

Hawaii also enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country2.7 % in Julywhich state economist Seth Colby said means everybody who wants a job can have one, while we dont have enough workers to fill our positions. Over the last several years, the problem has become more acute.

But Watanabeof Local 5believes that Hawaiis low unemployment rate masks the true labor picture for employees who have to work two or three jobs just to survive in the islands.

Our low unemployment rate is not something we should be proud of,  Watanabe said. It is not the best indicator of the health of our economy and whether working families can sustain themselves.

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Hawaiis shallow labor pool will dry up even further in the years ahead, with few options to reverse it as older workers leave the workforce.

Currently, the only other options appear to be continuing efforts to raise salaries and making more homes affordable or to import waves of workers from elsewhere.

Unfortunately, I dont have an answer what else we should do,  said Peter Fuleky, a UHERO economist.

Within the next decade, UHERO forecasts that every one in four Hawaii residents will be 65 and older, followed in the years ahead by a surge in the number of older kupuna, those 75 and older.

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What UHERO called the unprecedented acceleration of population aging  began in 2011 when the oldest of Hawaiis baby boomers turned 65.

For the overall workforce, Perreira said, We are reaching a point, myself included, where were all aging and our kids are no longer here.

Tui said, We want to see our communities thrive and succeed. If people continue to move out, were doomed.  Its very worrying and concerning.

At the same time, Tui said, Hawaii has a very rich labor history and were very proud that Hawaii has the highest rate of union membership to this day  despite the attacks on union membership on the mainland.

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Watanabe, of Local 5, hopes to increase union membership in Hawaii even more to fight for higher wages, job protections and benefits such as affordable health care costs and retirements for even more workers.

If workers in the hospitality industry didnt have a union, didnt have Local 5, I am certain the quality of jobs wouldnt be what they are : no retirement, no medical benefits and pay just above minimum wage,  Watanabe said. We think of labor fighting for better wages for our members. But people say, What about the rest of us ? Can you imagine if 50 % of Hawaiis workforce was unionized, if 75 % of Hawaiis workforce was unionized ?

We should be demandingas a communitya better deal for our local working families,  Watanabe said. It cant only be led by labor. It should be pretty simple : Put the people of Hawaii first.

BY THE NUMBERS 2035 Year that one in four Hawaii residents are expected to reach age 65 and above.

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2.7 %

Percentage of Hawaiis unemployment rate in July, one of the lowest in the nation 650, 800 Number of Hawaii jobs in July.

Source : State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  A helicopter carrying eight people lost contact in a forest in Indonesias tropical island of Borneo eight minutes after takeoff, officials said Monday.

The Airbus BK117 D-3, owned by Eastindo Air, departed from the airport in Kotabaru district in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province at 08:46 a.m. Monday on its way to Palangkaraya city in Central Kalimantan province.

It was supposed to be arrived in Palangkaraya at 10:15 a.m. Its last contact with air traffic control was at 08:54 a.m.

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Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency received a report about the missing aircraft at 12:02 p.m., said I Putu Sudayana, the head of the agency.

He estimated that the helicopter, carrying one pilot, one engineer and six passengers, lost contact at the Mantewe forest area in Tanahbumbu district.

Search and rescue teams were sent by land and air, including a helicopter used for fighting fires, he said.

Hopefully today we can find the location and we hope to find them safe and sound, Sudayana said.
Gazprom, the state-owned Russian energy company, has reported a nearly 6% decline in net profit year-on-year to Rbs983.1bn ($12.2bn) for the first half of 2025.

The decrease has been attributed to a stronger rouble and weaker oil prices, according to a Reuters report.

The company's revenue also declined to Rbs4.99trn.

This financial update follows Gazprom's significant loss of approximately $7bn in 2023, its first annual loss since 1999, which was largely due to a substantial decline in sales to Europe.

Currently, Russian gas comprises only 18% of European imports, a stark reduction from 45% in 2021.

Similarly, the region's oil imports from Russia have dwindled to 3% from approximately 30% during the same period.

The EU has set a target to eliminate Russian energy imports by 2027.

In response to the changing market dynamics, Gazprom is actively seeking to enhance its gas supply to alternative markets, with a particular focus on China.

However, negotiations regarding a new pipeline to China have encountered several obstacles including pricing disputes, the report said.

An "important" agreement is expected to be signed between Gazprom and the Chinese corporation CNPC next week.

This coincides with President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to China, as confirmed by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

In a separate development, Polish refiner ORLEN may face a financial setback of nearly $300m (1.09bn zlotys) due to an arbitration tribunal's decision that upheld Gazprom's right to impose higher retroactive prices for gas supplies.

This ruling is part of ongoing legal disputes over the prices Poland paid for Russian gas from 2017 to 2022.

"Gazprom reports 6% decrease in net profit to $12bn for H1 2025" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Back on Labor Day weekend in 1975, four-year-old Kurt Newton disappeared from a campground in Maine.

The boy, who was camping with his family, was last seen on Aug. 31, 1975 at Chain of Ponds township, near the Canadian border in northern Franklin County.

The young boy with light-blonde hair was never found.

Now, 50 years later, state police are asking the public to come forward with any information that could help solve the case.

Despite a large search effort by law enforcement and civilians, he was never found, state police said of Kurt in a statement on Sunday.

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Help us solve the case, state police urged in their message to the public on social media.

Anyone with information is asked to call 207-624-7076, ext. 9, or to use the online tip form.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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"I try to intervene and act in many areas in many different ways, sometimes overtly and sometimes not. That is the role of the president."

A president is a boxer in the political arena, who has to intervene when necessary, but must not just blindly react to all events in the country, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a Friday interview with Ofira Assayag and Chaim Levinson, Mako reported.

"I'm expected to be a boxer in the political arena," the Israeli president was quoted by Mako as saying in response to critics demanding that he influence the decisions of the current Israeli government. "I try to intervene and act in many areas in many different ways, sometimes overtly and sometimes not. That is the role of the president." However, the president should not be just a simple machine reacting to everything that happens.

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Herzog denied reports that he and former Supreme Court chief justice Aharon Barak were trying to find a way to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his criminal trials. He also admitted that he doesn't sleep well at night, given the current state of the country.

The president said he didn't have direct contact with the Qataris since Hamas's October 7 attack, and said he didn't want to comment on them to avoid saying anything that could jeopardize the hostage deal talks.

President Isaac Herzog meets with President Alar Karis of Estonia at the Presidential Palace in Tallinn on August 6, 2025. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)

Stance of state of commission of inquiry into Oct. 7

He then reiterated his support for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 terrorist attacks.

"I have met with so many people who want to come before an objective, judicial body that will investigate this massive failure in depth."

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When asked why this isn't happening, he added that there is a "deep political debate" about the legal system and whether a commission of inquiry is the right tool.

Regardless, Herzog told Mako he believes a state commission of inquiry will ultimately happen.

"In the end, a state commission of inquiry, by virtue of the law, will be established, I'm sure of it."
Panel urges lawmakers to cancel decision, return to traditional model set by Shamgar Commission.

After the government failed to provide the High Court of Justice with a response to the temporary injunction on its move to dismiss Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, the court announced on Monday evening, in a unanimous decision, to cancel the planned hearing on the matter set for Wednesday.

The government, led in these efforts by Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), unanimously voted in early August in a ministerial committee headed by Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) to dismiss the attorney-general.

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Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg issued a temporary order a few days later, blocking it from advancing and taking effect until the decision itself could undergo comprehensive judicial review.

A temporary order is issued while a case is still being heard and is meant to keep the status quo until the judge reaches a final decision. Effectively, it is a legal pause to make sure nothing happens in the meantime that would render the courts final ruling pointless.

Since the government failed to provide a response to the petitions against its decision and failed to request an extension on the deadline, the temporary orders asked for by the petitioners were granted by the panel.

The legal protocol for hiring or dismissing an attorney-general was codified by a government decision that passed in 2000, following the Bar-On-Hebron Affair and formulated by the Shamgar Commission.

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The commission established a public-professional committee made up of a retired Supreme Court justice as chairperson appointed by the Supreme Court president and by approval of the justice minister; a former justice minister or attorney-general, chosen by the government; an MK, chosen by the Knessets Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; a lawyer, chosen by the Israel Bar Association; and a legal academic, selected by the deans of the law faculties.

If the government wishes to end the term early, it has to meet specific conditions, after which the justice minister must submit a request to the committee. It then holds a meeting, during which the A-G can present his or her side. The committee then submits its recommendations to the government so that it can advance with a decision.

The reason the committee was established in the first place fear of straight politicization of the attorney-general, who garners immense power and has a unique position in Israel, is the Bar-On Hebron Affair.

What was the Bar-On Hebron Affair?

In January 1997, lawyer Roni Bar-On was appointed attorney-general by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was not qualified for the position and resigned soon after, amid public and political outrage.

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About a week later, it was revealed that his appointment had been part of a deal between Netanyahu and Shas head Arye Deri, who was then the internal security minister, to advance a plea bargain in Deris corruption case. Deri pushed for the appointment in exchange for his partys support of the controversial Hebron Agreement for the withdrawal of Israeli military forces from some parts of the city.

Deri was later indicted after a police investigation resulted in charges, and as a result, he was barred from politics for a decade. The Shamgar Commission was then formed to make sure the role of the countrys chief prosecutor and lead interpreter of the law did not become a political appointment.

Levin was unable to fulfill the necessary requirements to fill the committee  no eligible former justice ministers or attorney-general agreed to sit on it, having all expressed disapproval and distaste with the justice ministers direction and approach.

A new committee  a ministerial one  was therefore created by the government to fire the A-G, chaired by Chikli. The government, for its part, had said that it did its duty and tried to fill the committee by going the traditional and legal-precedent route, but it couldnt. Critics decried the fully political makeup of the committee.

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We have not been presented yet with convincing enough arguments that justify traversing from this decision to condition the dismissal on a consultation with the public-professional committee, the bench said.

The court unanimously recommended that the government return to the committee-consult model.

The government has until September 14  just under two weeks away  to inform the court if it is to accept its ruling to cancel the decision to fire Baharav-Miara. Until then, Sohlbergs temporary order remains in effect.

Keshet Neev contributed to this report.
The case and ruling were promoted by a petition by the Public Defenders Office, which argued that these searches directly contradict the law itself.

In a landmark ruling that holds direct relevance for current proceedings as well as future ones, the High Court of Justice on Sunday handed down a ruling forbidding police from examining the contents of personal electronics (phones, laptops, tablets) of suspects  even if the suspects themselves consented to the search.

In the ruling, Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit, Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg, and Justice David Mintz did away with Israel Polices directive that officers can search through the electronics of suspects without a court order  even and especially when they consent to the search. The cancellation of the directive will kick in 18 months from now, in February 2027.

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The chief legal question was whether the consent of the suspects  on its own  is powerful enough to grant permission for the electronic search?

The case  and ruling  were promoted by a petition by the Public Defenders Office, which argued that the directives and behaviors of Israel Police and the prosecution that allow for these searches directly contradict the law itself: Examining electronic information is only valid when accompanied by a court order.

Such a search could violate constitutional rights; it would be extremely difficult to categorize the consent that a suspect provides inside an interrogation room, especially when they are being held, as informed.

Police argue such searches are critical to effective law enforcement

On the flip side, the offices of the attorney-general and the state attorney, as well as the police, all argued that the suspects consent is not damaged by this law, that his or her privacy is not violated. They added that being able to conduct such a search is critical to effective law enforcement and that a suspects ability to consent to such a search actually makes it much smoother to prove their innocence.

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Public Defenders attorneys Yigal Balfour and Gil Shapiro, who submitted the petition, called the ruling important and precedential, both when it comes to suspects constitutional rights and in the message it sends to authorities, that They cant work outside the law to achieve justice, a slippery slope that will be extremely difficult to loop back.

Bini Aschkenasy contributed to this report.
There was no hurricane on the map, but at Jax Beach, if you closed your eyes, it may have felt like there was one this Labor Day.

We saw the wind advisory, and honestly we were thinking that there might be some surfers, but it may even be a little treacherous for them today, said beachgoer Danette Gilley.

Yeah, we definitely werent expecting it to be this bad. Were unfortunately getting hit with a lot of sand, said Meagan Gilley.

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Strong winds persisted throughout the day, driving dangerous currents and prompting lifeguards to bust out the red flags.

This is on the very strong, high-end of a red flag. Were advising most beachgoers, just stay out of the water is very good advice, said Captain Rob Emahiser with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue.

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Emahiser and the rest of the Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue spent their holiday patrolling the shores and warning beachgoers about the dangerous conditions.

Were not exaggerating, its very dangerous. This is a good day to stay on the beach and look at the ocean, said Emahiser.

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Currents throughout the day were strong enough to pull swimmers half a mile down the shore in only about 15 minutes, Emahiser told Action News Jax.

The surf was larger from the hurricane, but this is every bit as hazardous because folks dont think its dangerous, said Emahiser.

And people seemed to heed the warnings for the most part.

By 4 pm Emahiser said no one had to be rescued from the waters.

We gonna pay attention to them flags. I dont know about them other people. We cant speak for them, but us, we gonna pay attention, said beachgoer Quinton Gaines, who was visiting from Georgia.

For most of the day, lifeguards remained on duty, but after 6 pm, lifeguards leave their stands.

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One lookout was set to remain until 7 PM in the main tower, according to Emahiser.

At seven well leave. So, if you go in the water after seven, no one may get there in time to save your life. So, we highly advise you today after six oclock, to just stay out of the water, said Emahiser.

While it may not have been the most picturesque beach day one could hope for, those who toughed out the harsh surf and the high winds didnt seem to let the conditions stop them from making the most of their holiday.

I looked at my weather app and it said partly cloudy with a UV of 8. I came here to tan and Im like surrounded by hurricane weather, said one beachgoer named Mila. My dad says the best day at the office is worse than the worst day at the beach.

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The dangers are expected to remain even through Tuesday.

Emahiser said due to the ocean floor getting kicked up by the strong Labor Day currents, rip currents may bring unexpected hazards in the days ahead.

The sandbars will be completely changed. So, there will be rip currents in places where there were not and where there were rips they will have moved, said Emahiser.

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An 85-year-old hiker in the Austrian Alps was killed after a herd of cows trampled him and his wife while they were walking their dog, local police said Monday.

The man and his 82-year-old wife were hiking towards a mountain hut in Ramsau am Dachstein in Austria's Styria province on Sunday afternoon when the incident occurred, police said.

"A retired couple from Vienna and their dog were walking just below the so-called Austria hut when a herd of nine cows -- including three calves  charged and severely injured them," local police spokesman Markus Lamb told AFP.

Cows grazing in the Austrian Alps. / Credit: Frank Hammerschmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images

Hikers in the area and people running the nearby refuge hut witnessed the attack, administered first aid and alerted emergency services. The couple was then taken to a hospital in Salzburg.

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The man died from his injuries before he could undergo emergency surgery, officials said.

Local prosecutors are investigating the exact circumstances of the attack, pending an autopsy.

Fatal cow attacks are rare in the nation of more than nine million people, whose mountains are a popular tourist attraction where cow herds graze freely.



In 2024, a woman, accompanied by two small dogs, who was hiking in the Salzburg region, died when a cow herd charged her.



Following a deadly cow attack a decade earlier, Austria's government published a "code of conduct" for hikers.



The guidelines include keeping a distance from cows and walking dogs on a short lead but unleashing them in case of attack.

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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)  In the heart of North Charlestons Liberty Hill, a piece of history that shaped the community, the Louie Tenement, will soon be honored.

For families in Liberty Hill, the Louie Tenement is part of their story, and a new state historical marker is honoring the role it has played in building the neighborhood.

This is a historical place, Liberty Hill is 154 years old said Condida Joy, a descendant of Louis Joseph.

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President of Liberty Hill Historic & Genealogical Society, Hester McFaddsen, explained the community needed the marker as a message to this generation and the coming generation. There was a housing complex that provided a haven for residents said McFaddsen.

Louis Joseph came to Liberty Hill from Syria and wanted to help others build a better life for themselves and their families in the early 1900s.

There were many people involved in this endeavor, explained McFaddsen, like the Murray family, the Nesbitt family, and so many different families.

But mainly, Louis Tenement. Louis was the person who decided that he would just embark on this venture of entrepreneurship and try to provide housing for folks who needed housing. said McFaddsen.

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The marker will recognize the Louie Tenement homes developed by Louis Joseph, representing the pride and history of the community.

Joseph ended up buying property, including 14 or 15 shotgun houses, Joy explained. He would rent those houses out to families, and common sharecroppers, who wanted a better living, a better life for themselves and their families said Joy.

For descendants of Louis Joseph, this is a personal tribute.

I am so proud to be a descendant of Louis and Rachel because they instilled in me the value of that property, caring for one another, loving for one another, and respecting one another said Joy.

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Granddaughter of Louis Joseph, Candida Joy, said she hopes this marker will encourage and inspire others to help their communities.

I hope when they see this marker here, that they would take the initiative to want to do something for their family, to let the community and people in, and the City of North Charleston said Joy.

The South Carolina State Marker Dedication of Louie Tenement is September 17th at 11 am in North Charleston, with a reception follow.

The 17th is the beginning of the celebration to mark the time in our history as a community. We provided a haven for residents of the community so that families could work and move to the next level said McFaddsen.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Memphis police said they assisted police at the University of Memphis after a threat was made Sunday morning.

However, MPD said no victims were found and the threat was believed to be a hoax.

A police presence could be seen around the university library as officers checked the area just before noon. Police did not describe the nature of the threat that was allegedly made.

hoax calls about active shooters stir fear at college campuses around the US

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Several universities around the country have experienced hoax threats, including the University of Arkansas.

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A Georgia homeowner is considering legal action against their homeowners association after coming home to find their fence, bushes, and trees removed from their yard.

The homeowner took to Reddit to share the egregious behavior of their HOA president. In the post, they shared that they received an email from the president saying some slats in their fence needed to be fixed. A few days later, the homeowner reports discovering the removal of that fence, as well as several bushes and trees from their backyard.

The homeowner notes the HOA president has a reputation for "crazy" demands. They shared their intentions to call the police to report the theft and their desire to push the matter forward.

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"Since the person represented herself as speaking for the HOA, I'm thinking of writing the HOA via certified mail, explaining the situation, and asking that my property be returned to its previous state," wrote the homeowner. "I will note that the mature trees cannot be replaced with similarly mature ones and quote my best guess of monetary substitution, which will get their attention at $250,000 (100 foot tall pines)."

HOAs have a reputation for taking illegal action against homeowners and their properties across the nation. Homeowners can often work with their HOA to ensure that bylaws and covenants don't infringe on their rights. But sometimes HOAs act outside the bounds of the law.

The homeowner mentioned they live in Forsyth County, Georgia, where state law doesn't address whether HOAs need permission to enter a person's property. But the law does say HOAs must follow all other state and federal laws, meaning the organizations don't get to freely trespass and steal property.

Commenters chimed in with their thoughts on the situation, echoing the original poster's sentiments that this action is illegal.

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"You should contact a lawyer," said one user. "Sounds like the HOA went way beyond what they were allowed to do."

"Tree law. In GA any tree or bushes removed need to be replaced by like size (mature bushes are expensive) value and [all] landscaping made good, with triple damages applied," said another user. "Honestly read the covenants and it will have notice periods, etc., and then sue her personally and the HOA as well and they can work it out."

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Home insurance premiums are taking off for those living near North Carolina's coast, and they're not slowing down any time soon.

What's happening?

The Wilmington StarNews reported that coastal New Hanover and Brunswick counties were ranked among North Carolina's five most insurance-stressed regions.

The designation comes from a new report by Guardian Service, a Raleigh-based independent insurance agency. Researchers dug into about 90 counties, analyzing everything from climate risk to claim patterns, per the StarNews.

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New Hanover County took the top spot. It had the highest average home insurance cost in the state at $6,631.

Within the next year, at least another $1,400 is expected to be added to the cost, bringing the average premium to around $8,000.

In Brunswick County, the average cost of a 2025 policy is $4,813 for a $350,000 dwelling coverage.

As Guardian Service spokesperson Dayna Edens told the StarNews about Brunswick County's average cost, "That figure is projected to rise to $5,865 in 2026, based on already-approved rate filings."

The report found the county had a 162.4% jump in average claim severity between 2018 and 2022  higher than both New Hanover and Pender counties. In 2018, the average claim in Brunswick County was $7,800. By 2022, it had jumped to almost $20,500.

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Insurance Journal reported early this year that overall homeowners insurance rates in North Carolina are set to climb about 15% on average by mid2026 under a settlement approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance and insurers.

Why are rising insurance rates concerning?

As insurance costs climb  or insurers pull coverage from certain locations altogether  many homeowners are left making hard decisions. Some scale back coverage. Others risk going without. That can leave them footing the bill for costly repairs or losing their homes.

Per the StarNews report, Guardian Service ranked New Hanover County as the area with the highest "climate and insurance pressure" in North Carolina, which suggests why insurance premiums are also the highest in the state.

To illustrate the strain on the area, New Hanover was put under a state of emergency in September 2024 as a tropical cyclone brought severe flooding.

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New Hanover's high costs are partly tied to a 36% paid loss ratio and average claims topping $17,000. Brunswick isn't far behind with a 26% paid loss ratio.

According to Edens, the size of the paid loss ratio can reflect the weather-related damage in a particular area.

This isn't isolated. Similar spikes are hitting other coastal regions, where warmer oceans  as a result of the human-caused production of heat-trapping pollution  lead to stronger storms that make damage more likely and more expensive to remedy.

What can I do about extreme weather?

A primary factor behind increasingly devastating extreme weather events is rising global temperatures. Pollution from transportation, industrial, agricultural, and energy sectors traps heat in the atmosphere, which causes thermometers to creep higher.

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This increases the length and strength of destructive events such as hurricanes. Coastal communities, such as New Hanover County and Brunswick County, are among the worst affected by these weather events.

With that in mind, reducing pollution is essential to curb rising temperatures and decrease the threat of extreme weather that causes insurance rates to soar.

Ditching a gas-guzzling car, eating more plant-based foods, and investing in renewable energy are all ways we can help keep the planet cooler while saving money in the process.

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is one of the best stocks for a 20-year long-term stock portfolio. Eli Lilly has substantially underperformed this year with YTD decline of over 5%. On August 8, its shares touched $625-$626, levels last seen in 2024. However, it has since appreciated by nearly 17% as investor sentiment improved. August 27, HSBC analyst Rajesh Kumar upgraded Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) to Hold from Sell and lifted his price target to $700 from $675, citing progress on the companys oral weight-loss drug. HSBC, previously bearish on the stock, acknowledged that the bear case has now played out following positive late-stage trial results.

Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash The trial showed meaningful weight loss in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, coming in ahead of expectations and performing better than a rivals oral treatment. This result strengthens Eli Lillys position in both U.S. and overseas markets. FDA approval is expected in 2026 and street forecasts suggest the drug could generate $15.5 billion in annual sales by 2032. With that upgrade, the majority of analysts now have a Buy or equivalent rating on Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), with no Sell ratings. The consensus 1-year median price target of $900 indicates a 23% potential upside. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture, and marketing of medicines for diabetes, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience. While we acknowledge the potential of LLY as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Top 10 Stocks to Buy and Hold Foreverand 12 Overlooked Large-Cap Stocks with Low Multiples. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
CHICAGO (WGN)  The Chicago boating community is mourning the death of a man known simply by his nickname, Captain Bill, as police investigate his death as more than just a drowning.

On Monday, the Cook County Medical Examiners Office identified 63-year-old Nabil Abzal, a Plainfield resident, as the unresponsive man who was pulled from DuSable Harbor over the weekend. The CCMEO said Abzal died from drowning, but also ruled his death a homicide.

Beyond ruling on his manner of death, investigators have not released the circumstances surrounding how he died.

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Authorities said Abzals body was found by members of the Chicago Fire Department around 3 a.m. on Saturday in the 200 block of North Lakefront Trail.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

Abzal came by the nickname Captain Bill by being himselfa man that was friendly, easy to like, and well-respected in the Chicago boating community.

Thats what make it the hardest he was such a good guy, said Robert Vanucci, a Chicago boater.

Anybody that had a conversation with Bill would walk away, and the first thing they would think is, I love that guy, said Joe Perry, another boater.

A make-shift memorial has grown near the dock. Some have left flowers to honor Abzal. A vigil is planned for Saturday at 6 p.m. at Dock C.

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No other information is available at this time.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Washington  The House Oversight Committee has withdrawn a request for testimony from Robert Mueller about the case involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein due to new information on the former special counsel's health, a committee aide told CBS News.

"We've learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify. The Committee has withdrawn its subpoena," the aide said in a statement.

Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and delivered the long-anticipated report in March 2019, served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 years. The New York Times reported Sunday that the 81-year-old has Parkinson's disease, according to his family, who told the paper that he was diagnosed in 2021.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller makes an opening statement before testifying to the House Judiciary Committee about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the Rayburn House Office Building July 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The committee issued the subpoena to Mueller last month amid a slew of subpoenas seeking depositions from former Justice Department officials, among others. Mueller served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013.

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"Because you were FBI Director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the Committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation," committee chairman James Comer wrote in an Aug. 5 letter to Mueller, directing him to appear for deposition on Sept. 2.



The development comes as controversy has swirled around the Epstein files in recent months, following the Justice Department's issuing of the findings of an internal review, which found no "client list" or evidence that Epstein had blackmailed prominent figures. But the issue has spurred calls for greater transparency, while dividing President Trump's base.

Late last month, the administration released transcripts of a two-day interview with Epstein's longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. And the House Oversight Committee plans to make some files it received from the DOJ related to Epstein public after redactions have been made.

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GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL)  People in Greene County will have the chance to dispose of household hazardous waste on Saturday.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will host a mobile collection service at the Greene County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The fairgrounds are located at 109 Jeff Woods Memorial Dr. in Greeneville.

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Anyone who brings household hazardous waste can drop off the materials. People dropping off waste do not have to live in Greene County.

Examples of household hazardous waste include items like:

Pesticides

Cleaning fluids

Swimming pool chemicals

Mercury thermometers and thermostats

Fluorescent lamps

Lithium and button batteries

Adhesives

Aerosols

Medications

Brake fluid

Paint thinner

Used needles (need to be in sturdy containers)

TDEC will not accept items like ammunition, explosives, paint, alkaline batteries, electronics or empty containers that should simply be thrown away.

The waste collection service is free, and no appointments are necessary.

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TDEC stated in a news release that there is a cost for disposal of Very Small Quantity Generator Waste, which includes waste from non-household sources like churches, farms and schools. Appointments are required for those disposals and can be arranged by calling 615-643-3170.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Yemens Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a tanker in the Red Sea, days after Israeli air strikes killed its prime minister and several senior officials.

The group on Monday said it directly hit the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, which is Israeli-owned, according to the maritime security company Ambrey.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which monitors shipping in the region, disputed the claim, reporting the missile missed its target on Sunday.

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The crew witnessed a splash in close proximity to their vessel from an unknown projectile and heard a loud bang, UKMTO said, adding all staff were unharmed and the tanker had resumed its voyage.

The attack is the latest in a string of Houthi operations in the Red Sea. The group sank two tankers in July and has pledged to continue targeting Israel-linked shipping as part of its declared support for Palestinians and opposition to Israels genocide in Gaza.

On Saturday, the Houthis announced that Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and other top officials had been assassinated in Israeli strikes on Thursday. A funeral for the prime minister and other slain officials is scheduled on Monday.





Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi hailed them as martyrs of all Yemen and accused Israel of savagery against civilians. The crime of targeting ministers and civilian officials is added to the criminal record of the Israeli enemy in the region, he said.

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Tensions escalated further on Sunday when Houthi fighters raided United Nations offices and detained at least 11 staff members, accusing them of espionage.

The UN has rejected the allegations and called for their immediate and unconditional release. The group is already holding 23 other UN employees, some since 2021.

In May, Oman brokered a ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis, leading Washington to halt its daily bombing campaign in Yemen. However, Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said the agreement does not cover operations against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to retaliate, warning the Houthis they will pay a heavy price for attacks on Israeli territory and shipping.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes against Israel and its allies since October, disrupting international trade through the Red Sea.
Thousands of Yemenis gathered in Sana'a on Monday for the funeral of the Houthi militia's prime minister and 11 other officials killed in an Israeli strike.

The Iran-aligned Houthis' prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, was killed along with nine ministers and two cabinet officials in an Israeli airstrike in the capital on Thursday. The Houthi government is not internationally recognized.

It was the first time that the Houthi announced deaths of senior officials since Israel started retaliatory strikes against the group.

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Coffins covered in flags were placed inside al-Shaab mosque, which was packed with thousands of people for funeral prayers. It was broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah television.

Acting Prime Minister Mohammed Miftah said that the killings "will not succeed in destabilizing the Yemeni state.

"Instead, the blood of the martyrs will fuel more determination and action" in the face of what he described as a "failed aggression plot."

After the prayers, military vehicles carried the coffins for a funeral procession in Sana'a.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Houthis have regularly attacked Israel with missiles and drones in support of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.

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Israel has repeatedly targeted sites in Houthi-ruled areas in Yemen in response.

On Sunday, the militia's chief Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said the latest assassinations would not prompt the Houthis to back down and vowed they will continue their attacks on Israel.

Yemen has been embroiled in a power struggle since 2014 between government forces, supported by a Saudi-led alliance, and the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.
Efrat Council Chairman, Col. (res.) Dovi Shefler said that the visit came at a time of "historic opportunity to apply full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria."

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited Efrat in the West Bank on Friday, the Efrat Municipality announced.

Huckabee returned to the town for a social visit following a previous declaration to buy a house there and participated in Shabbat prayers at the Shirat David synagogue.

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"US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's visit to Efrat strengthens settlement in Judea and Samaria and illustrates the importance of Efrat as a central axis in settlement," Efrat Council Chairman, Col. (res.) Dovi Shefler said on the visit.

"This is a time of historic opportunity to apply full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and thereby establish our national and international status. Efrat is a magnet for Jews from both Israel and abroad, and the ambassadors visit is further proof of the importance and resilience of the settlement."

Huckabee previously laid the cornerstone at a then-new neighborhood in Efrat and has joked about buying a home there.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee makes an official visit to the West Bank on May 7, 2025. (credit: Courtesy of Yesha Council)

US reportedly supports Israeli sovereignty over West Bank

Im building because I one day might want to purchase a holiday home here in Efrat, he joked in 2018.

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I certainly can say that the president [Trump] would be very proud to see beautiful, wonderful, thriving neighborhoods being built.

Huckabee highlighted that the US would let Israel make its own decisions on the West Bank in a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post.

Thats really not the presidents style, Huckabee said. He may express his own opinions, but he has not waded into the waters of saying, You ought to annex this or that. He just hasnt. I think he respects that Israel is a sovereign country.

Several Israeli officials told the Post that the possibility of applying sovereignty to certain areas is being seriously considered, but Netanyahu has yet to make a final decision on the matter.

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In recent weeks, senior US officials have conveyed to their Israeli counterparts that the decision on sovereignty lies in Israels hands, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. These sources added that while the message was not a full green light for any move, it also wasnt a red light. One official said, The Americans are telling Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials: first decide what you want  then talk to us.

Amichai Stein and Alex Winston contributed to this report.
Hundreds of people were left dead after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday.

Approximately 800 people were killed and more than 2,500 people were injured, according to the latest tally provided Monday by the Taliban government.

The initial earthquake hit at 11:47 p.m. local time and was centered roughly 17 miles east-northeast of Jalalabad, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Several aftershocks followed.

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The Taliban government said at a press conference Monday that most deaths and injuries were in Kunar.

All available resources will be utilized to save lives, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Sharafat Zaman, a health ministry spokesperson, said rescue operations were underway and medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the region.

Zaman said many areas had not been able to report casualty figures and that the numbers were expected to change as deaths and injuries are reported.

Many residents in nearby villages described to The Associated Press seeing houses collapse all around them.

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Sadiqullah, who lives in the Maza Dara area of Nurgal, told the AP by phone from Nangarhar Hospital that he woke up to the sound of a large boom, saying it sounded like a storm was approaching.

He ran to rescue three of his children and was about to go and grab the rest of his family when his room fell on top of him.

I was half-buried and unable to get out, he told the AP. My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out.

The deadliest natural disaster in Afghanistan in recent memory occurred in October 2023, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the country and several strong aftershocks followed.

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The Taliban government said roughly 4,000 people died in that earthquake, but the United Nations estimated the death toll at approximately 1,500.

The Associated Press contributed.

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By Francois Murphy

VIENNA (Reuters) -The U.N. nuclear watchdog has found traces of uranium in Syria in its investigation into a building Israel destroyed in 2007 that the agency has long believed was probably an undeclared nuclear reactor, it said in a report to member states on Monday.

The government of now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said the Deir al-Zor site that included the building was a conventional military base.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded in 2011 the building was "very likely" to have been a reactor built in secret that Damascus should have declared to it.

The agency has been trying since then to come to a definitive conclusion, and under a renewed push last year it was able to take environmental samples at three unnamed locations "that were allegedly functionally related" to Deir al-Zor, it said in the confidential report seen by Reuters.

The agency found "a significant number of natural uranium particles in samples taken at one of the three locations. The analysis of these particles indicated that the uranium is of anthropogenic origin, i.e. that it was produced as a result of chemical processing," the report said.

The term "natural" indicates the uranium was not enriched. The report did not come to a conclusion as to what the traces found mean.

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"The current Syrian authorities indicated that they had no information that might explain the presence of such uranium particles," the report said, adding that the Islamist-led government had granted the IAEA access to the site concerned again in June this year to take more environmental samples.

At a meeting the same month between IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, "Syria agreed to cooperate with the Agency, through full transparency, to address Syria's past nuclear activities", the report said.

At that meeting, Grossi asked for Syria's help in returning to Deir al-Zor itself "in the next few months in order to conduct further analysis, access relevant documentation and to talk to those involved in Syria's past nuclear activities".

The report said the IAEA was still planning to visit Deir al-Zor and would evaluate the results of the environmental samples taken at the other site.

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"Once this process has been completed and the results evaluated, there will be an opportunity to clarify and resolve the outstanding safeguards issues related to Syria's past nuclear activities and to bring the matter to a close," it said.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is being mocked relentlessly after bizarrely claiming that Los Angeles wouldnt be standing today if President Donald Trump hadnt deployed the National Guard.

During a Sunday morning appearance on Face the Nation, CBS host Ed OKeefe asked Noem whether Trump would follow through on his threats to send federal troops into Chicago.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visiting the migrant detention center dubbed

I wont speak to the specifics of the operations that are planned in other cities, the former South Dakota governor began. But I do know that L.A. wouldnt be standing today if President Trump hadnt taken action. That city would have burned down if left to the devices of the mayor and the governor of that state.

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Stunned, OKeefe gave her a chance to walk it back, repeating:

You said L.A. wouldnt be standing, if not for these federal deployments? But Noem doubled down.

Kristi Noem wants ICE to own and operate it's own airline. / ALEX BRANDON / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

So many of those homes and businesses that were in downtown L.A. and in those areas were dealing with riots and violence, and coming in and bringing those federal law enforcement officers in was incredibly important to keeping peace, she said. And so we are grateful that President Trump was willing to send resources and people in in order to enforce the law.

California Governor and certified online troll Gavin Newsom had a simple response: laughter.

Hahahahahhahahahahahahahaha https://t.co/sYbZRZcacV  Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 31, 2025

Hahahahahhahahahahahahahaha, Newsoms press office posted on X.

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Others quickly piled on.

There were protests in like three downtown blocks of L.A. over the course of a few days, wrote Pod Save America co-host and California resident Tommy Vietor. No one here wanted or needed troops on the streetsKristi Noem is comically full of sh--, per usual.

There were protests in like three downtown blocks of LA over the course of a few days. No one here wanted or needed troops on the streets. @KristiNoem is comically full of shit, per usual. https://t.co/fLhjSARpaA  Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) August 31, 2025

MRIs of Kristi Noems head showed nothing, added journalist Keith Olbermann.

Noems comments come on the heels of Trump deploying thousands of National Guard troops into Democratic-led cities including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with Chicago reportedly next on his list.

The administration claims the deployments are necessary to liberate residents from crime, arguing that Democratic leaders have allowed urban centers to become war zones.

The Daily Beast has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
CHICAGO  A surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago could happen as soon as later this week.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Gov. JB Pritzker both appeared in separate interviews on CBS News Face the Nation over Labor Day weekend.

While Pritzker continues to say sending federal troops to Chicago is dangerous, Noem says the governor should be welcoming ideas to better protect the city, rather than opposing them.

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Pritzker said on Face the Nation that the city would indeed welcome federal help to crack down on crime and gun violence, but not in the form of troops being sent.

Mayor, protestors gather in West Loop on Monday for Labor Day Rally

This is dangerous. They shouldnt be doing it, its anti-American, its un-American, Pritzker said. We would like ATF agents to help us take more guns off the streets. We would like (the) FBI, again, to coordinate with our local law enforcement to help catch perpetrators of crimes. If they would do that, we would welcome that.

Protest at Broadview ICE facility pushes back against Trump administrations immigration plans

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During her appearance on Face the Nation, Noem said the governor should be open to any suggestions on crime from President Donald Trump and his administration.

This seems like its more about Governor Pritzkers ego now, rather than actually protecting his people, Noem said. If he has one murder in the City of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, Whats your ideas?'

According to the city, from the beginning of the year until now, Chicago has recorded a 21% decline in overall crime, a 32% decline in homicides, a 31% decrease in robberies, and a 49% decrease in vehicular hijackings.

However, those numbers dont yet account for whats been a violent Labor Day weekend around the city so far.

Noem: Immigration ops expanding

Noem in her interview Sunday said the Trump administration will soon expand immigration operations in Chicago, confirming plans for a stepped-up presence of federal agents in the city as Trump continues to lash out at Illinois Democratic leadership.

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DHS Secretary Noem confirms more ICE resources are heading to Chicago for immigration crackdown

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson has said hes received credible reports that Chicago will see some type of military activity in the coming days.

In response, the mayor on Saturday signed an executive order establishing the Protecting Chicago initiative, which seeks to protect residents from the potential mobilization of National Guard troops in the city and demands that Trump stand down on his threats to send in troops to help crack down on crime and immigration.

Mayor Johnson signs executive order demanding President Trump stand down on threats to send troops to Chicago

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The executive order states that when Chicago Police Department officers engage in crowd control or safety operations, theyre required to wear outer gear clearly identifying themselves as CPD officers in order to help residents distinguish between a CPD officer and federal law enforcement.

Johnson says theres no need for military checkpoints or armored vehicles in the city and that if troops come to Chicago, the executive order directs the city to pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist efforts by the federal government.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

Additionally, the executive order is aimed to protect the rights of Chicagoans amid stepped-up ICE enforcement.

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We will protect our Constitution, we will protect our city, and we will protect out people, Johnson said Saturday. We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. We dont want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents.

We dont want to see Chicagoans arrested for sitting on their porch.

Johnsons executive order comes as Noem says a surge of ICE operations is expected in Chicago as soon as Friday, though she didnt mention if that would also be accompanied by National Guard troops.

The mayor is expected to be at Museum Campus for a rally at 11 a.m. Monday, during which Chicagoans will be speaking out against troops being deployed to Chicago.

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By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is not "profiteering" from Russian oil imports and its purchases have stabilised markets while keeping prices from rising to as much as $200 a barrel, Hardeep Singh Puri, country's oil minister, said in the Hindu newspaper on Monday.

The U.S. has targeted India for its Russian oil purchases, with President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S. to discourage the country's crude buying.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused India of profiteering by importing Russian oil at lower prices and then reselling refined fuel at a higher rate. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Indian purchases were funding Moscow's war in Ukraine.

"Some critics allege that India has become a laundromat for Russian oil. Nothing could be further from the truth, Puri wrote in an editorial.

Puri's comments come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in China at a regional summit.

India has emerged as the largest buyer of Russian seaborne oil. The country has taken advantage discounts for the oil as Russia sought new buyers after European countries and the U.S. shunned purchases and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Russian oil has never been sanctioned like Iranian or Venezuelan crude; it is under a G-7/European Union price cap system deliberately designed to keep oil flowing while capping revenues" Puri said.

He said every Indian oil transaction is done using "legal shipping and insurance, compliant traders and audited channels".

"India has not broken rules. India has stabilised markets and kept global prices from spiralling".

"The larger truth is this - there is no substitute for the world's second largest producer supplying nearly 10% of global oil", he added.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
During her last goodbye, Shtivi's mother, Dalit, said: "On my birthday, he was recovered and returned to me - I'm sorry I didn't take care of you."

Hundreds of people gathered to accompany Idan Shtivi during his funeral procession in Tel Aviv on Monday.

His death was originally announced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in October 2024. His remains were recovered along with another slain hostage, Ilan Weiss, whose return to Israel was announced by the IDF on Friday.

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During her last goodbye, Shtivis mother, Dalit, said: On my birthday, he was recovered and returned to me  Im sorry I didnt take care of you.

On October 7, he arrived at the Nova festival site to take photos of his friends, who were conducting workshops there. When the attacks began, Shtivi helped two people escape before he was kidnapped.

Shtivi, 28 at the time of his death, is survived by his parents, Eli and Dalit, three siblings, and his partner, Stav Levy.

Family's last goodbye to Shtivi

His siblings also paid tribute to him. Who would have thought that I would have to bury you, my big brother? his younger sister, Hila, pleaded. His older sister Ilan asked that her brothers voice be carried worldwide. Thanks to you, we will continue to choose unity rather than division. We will continue to believe that a peaceful future can be built here.

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After his sisters spoke, the slain hostages girlfriend, Stav, shared remarks. My Bobo, the love of my life. How do we begin to talk about you? How do we begin to say goodbye to you?

She described all the moments she had planned to experience with him and the opportunities robbed from the young couple.

Your mother told me that you planned to propose to me, and my heart broke, Stav said. All our dreams will not come true, not in this lifetime. I say yes to you. Yes to love, to the choice to love you every day anew forever.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT)  The Cherokee County coroner released the identities Monday of the people who died from a crash at Indian Mountain ATV Park on Saturday.

According to county agencies, nine people were in a side-by-side Polaris RZER when it collided with another RZP, flipped and struck a tree. Coroner Paul McDonald identified the driver of the ATV as 34-year-old Marcus Ragland. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passenger Ashley Brooke Hawkins, 31, was transported to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Ragland and Hawkins were from Rome, Georgia.

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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Alabama ATV park crash leaves 2 dead, 7 injured

Seven of the occupants were children ages 1 through 12. They were injured and taken to hospitals. The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office is leading the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wreck.

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"You are heading toward military rule," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir warned during a cabinet meeting that discussed the Gaza City occupation plan.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed the government's plan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus opposition to a partial Gaza hostage deal during a cabinet meeting and stated, "You are heading toward military rule. Understand the implications."

Yossi Fuchs, the Cabinet Secretary, responded: "That's not true."

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"Instead of military rule, we can encourage voluntary emigration," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.

After Zamr reiterated his warning, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told him: "We have made a decision."

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in discussions with general staff officials to approve Gaza takeover plan, August 13, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In the meeting, Netanyahu told the security cabinet that the US administration also opposes a partial deal. "Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force. Finish it," Netanyahu quoted US President Donald Trump as saying, adding that Israels window of legitimacy from the international community is limited, and that pausing for a partial deal would harm the effort to destroy Hamas.

"Our impression is that Netanyahu's opposition is genuine. He will not agree to a partial deal," ministers said.

The discussion centered on the conquest of Gaza City, with the military presenting its plans. An Israeli official previously told The Jerusalem Post that the cabinet would not discuss the question of attempting to reach a partial deal or not.
All findings will be forwarded to the military attorney's office for examination.

Trigger warning: This article discusses sensitive topics such as suicide.

Military Police have launched an investigation after authorities found an IDF soldier's lifeless body on an IDF base in northern Israel, a military spokesperson said Monday.

The incident is being reported as a suspected suicide, and all findings will be forwarded to the Military Advocate General for examination.

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The soldier was a soldier in the Golani Brigade, according to KAN News.

A notification has been sent to his family.

Mental health issues among IDF soldiers

More than 1,100 Israel Defense Forces personnel have been discharged from service due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the outbreak of the war in October, according to military figures obtained by Walla.

Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The data show that 1,135 active-duty soldiers, reservists, and career service members were removed from combat, support, and rear-line positions between October and July due to combat-related psychological trauma.

With preparations underway for a major ground maneuver into Gaza City and the continued mobilization of reservists, IDF commanders are warning of a worsening mental health toll on troops.

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In response, the IDFs Medical Corps and the Technology and Logistics Directorate have introduced expanded psychological services. Defense Minister Israel Katz was presented with data indicating that around 85% of soldiers treated early for acute stress symptoms by combat stress teams were able to return to duty.

One of the most difficult issues around PTSD is shame, said a reservist officer who has served in multiple rounds of fighting since October 7. Fighters and commanders experience symptoms to varying degrees, but theyre afraid to seek help, afraid of documentation that could hurt them later.

This is a developing story.
PEORIA, HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD)  The Illinois Valley Yacht Club turned the Illinois River into a stage for creativity and community spirit this weekend.

Dozens of handmade cardboard boats hit the water for the clubs annual Crazy Cardboard Boat Race as boaters paddled in their homemade boats to raise money.

The event, held Sunday at the IVY Club in Peoria Heights, drew more than 20 boats. Some raced in the pool, while others braved the harbor. All were built with one mission: to raise money for the Alzheimers Association.

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This year will probably be one of our biggest years. Were probably going to raise this year alone over $10,000. Thats our goal, said Tim Ward, event chair and Commodore of the Illinois Valley Yacht and Canoe Club. And the money goes to such a great cause, helping Alzheimers.

Participants competed for speed, creativity, and even the lighthearted Titanic Award, handed to the first boat to sink. Spectators also voted for their favorite presentations, with each dollar donated counting as one vote toward the Alzheimers Association.

Ward said the cause hits close to home for the clubs members. The members of this club have lost some really good members to Alzheimers, he said. It not only affects the sick person, but it affects the whole family and us as the IVY Club as an extended family.

The tradition, reintroduced in 2007, has raised more than $80,000 for the Alzheimers Association. Over the years, organizers have added a kids race, pig roast, and live music to make it a full day of summer fun on the riverfront.

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We hope people realize that this is really something to feel good about, Ward said. Its the last big shot of the summer and we certainly enjoy having everyone here with us today.

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This weekend, the idea that Australia was bucking the trend on debates over immigration was stamped to bits.

My country has mostly avoided the recent populist uprisings in the rest of the Anglosphere and Europe. Theres been no Reform surge, no Trump moment, no AfD equivalent. A high standard of living, strong institutions and a consistently growing economy meant that liberal commentators were able to smugly proclaim that everything seemed basically fine.

But on Sunday, Australians, famously laid back when it came to politics, went on the march. Tens of thousands took to the streets in cities across the country in what was branded the March for Australia. It was the largest public display of outwardly patriotic pride the country has seen in decades. Navy blue flags blanketed entire streets as protestors called for an end to mass immigration and the removal of Anthony Albanese, the Labor prime minister.

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The reaction from the media and political class was mixed, thanks to the decentralised nature of the event. In Queensland, where the marches were managed by a small coalition of conservative content creators, the centre-Right Liberal Party premier refused to condemn the marches, saying that people have a right to protest. In Victoria, where violent scuffles between counter-protestors and far-Right neo-Nazi elements took place, the Labor premier condemned the protests outright, saying that theres no room for hate in Australia.

A placard seen during a March for Australia anti-immigration rally in Melbourne - WILLIAM WEST/AFP

Federally, government ministers tried to establish a counter-narrative to the event, quickly condemning the marches.We dont support rallies like this that are about spreading hate and that are about dividing our community, one minister told the media. Conservative North Queensland MP Bob Katter went viral after he threatened to punch a journalist for asking why he was marching if he had distant migrant heritage. Dont say that mate Im an Australian, he shouted at him.

Despite the visible presence of fringe and extreme elements in the groups, much of the media conceded that it was not their show. We just need to have immigration under control; there is not enough housing for our kids. I am petrified for my grand-kids, one protestor told journalists. Preliminary estimates of the turnout range in the mid-tens of thousands nationwide  an astonishing number for a country that has so far avoided the populist uprisings seen in Britain or Europe.

The marches began on TikTok in response to a video showing an Australian flag being burned at a pro-Palestine rally. After that incident, an anonymous account posted a video calling for a protest to take back our country. From there, a website was set up and digital pamphlets were distributed online. These pamphlets quickly spread like wildfire in group chats and newsfeeds across the country.

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But the real pressure that led to these marches had been building for years. Since the pandemic, Australia has maintained one of the single largest immigration intakes in the world. On a per-capita basis, it even exceeded Britains migrant intake. While Australia has indeed avoided a recession in recent decades, GDP per capita is in decline. Many Australians are watching their once world-leading living standards rapidly decline.

Police separate anti-immigration protestors and counter-protestors - WILLIAM WEST/AFP

Another major driver for the marches was house prices. Australias major cities have some of the most unaffordable housing in the world. Real wages have fallen back to 2008 levels, and the wealth gap between homeowners and renters continues to grow exponentially. Recent data showing that new migrants overwhelmingly voted Labor sparked concerns about democratic disenfranchisement. Other statistics have entered the mainstream debate, including arguments over the nearly 800,000 international students enrolled in Australian institutions. Pro-Palestine marches and an increase in home invasions have fuelled a narrative that Australias immigration system is failing.

The government is now in a bind. Anthony Albanese is desperate to avoid being the prime minister who created a recession, and is importing migrants to stop this from happening. However, in doing so he risks sacrificing the countrys living standards, social cohesion and safety.

What is notable is the distinct lack of political representation for those marching. While Katter may have channelled mainstream anger at a media class that for years ignored concerns over immigration, he is by no means the figurehead leading the pushback against immigration. The centre-Right Liberal Party, now in opposition, is seen as equally complicit in the crisis. Some MPs, growing frustrated with their partys apparent inability to address and capitalise on the issue, are straying from the party line. Talks of leadership challenges and new parties forming abound in chat groups.

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Despite Australias lack of its own political response to mass immigration, in the form of a Reform UK, or even with tougher-talking legacy party figures like Robert Jenrick, it is clear that the anger that led to Sundays marches isnt going anywhere. Australia, once held up globally as the country to look up to on immigration, is quickly realising it is no different from the rest of them. It may be far away, but it is not far behind.

Jordan Knight is the founder of Migration Watch Australia

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A fire crew clears brush away from the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Calif. Wildfire veterans say an immigration raid last week targeting fire crews in Washington state was an alarming development that could threaten the nations wildfire readiness. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Federal immigration officials in Washington state arrived on the scene of the largest wildfire in the state last week and arrested two firefighters who had been working to contain the blaze.

Wildfire veterans say its nearly unprecedented for federal agents to conduct immigration enforcement near the front lines of an active wildfire. Some fear the raid could reverberate throughout the wildland fire community, making it more difficult to fully staff the crews putting out blazes at the peak of fire season in the West.

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Theres a lot of brown bodies out there on the fire line, said Bobbie Scopa, who had a 45-year career as a firefighter and now serves as executive secretary with Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of wildfire professionals.

Scopa noted that President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown has swept up even some workers who are in the country legally.

When the rumble from this goes around, were going to have contractors unable to put out as many crews as they were, she said. We dont know what the requirement is not to get shipped off by ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Even if youre a citizen and you look the wrong way, you could still get picked up.

On Wednesday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents pulled aside two crews of firefighters that had been working for companies contracted to help fight the Washington fire. The Bear Gulch Fire, spreading through rugged terrain in and around Olympic National Park, has burned nearly 9,000 acres.

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They were told they were going to cut firewood, said Scott Polhamus, secretary of the Organization of Fire Contractors and Affiliates, a nonprofit industry group. The people that were supposed to meet them never showed up, and eventually immigration showed up instead.

Many contract crews rely heavily on immigrant labor.

[Immigrants] make up a huge portion of forestry and fire, theyre an integral part of this industry, Polhamus said.

Now, wildland fire veterans fear that the immigrants who have been protecting communities from fires could make fire camps a target for immigration officials who are trying to meet deportation quotas. And more high-profile raids on fire crews could cause many in the workforce to reconsider their profession.

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If youre a migrant worker and this starts happening, are you going to keep on doing that and risk getting picked up? Scopa said. If [immigration authorities] keep visiting fire camps, we will definitely have fewer contract crews.

In a news release, U.S. Border Patrol said the operation was the result of an investigation by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Federal agents, the release said, found discrepancies on the rosters provided by contract fire companies. Immigration officers arrested two people who were in the country illegally, the release said, while removing 42 additional firefighters from the fire scene. The release said the government has terminated its contracts with the companies.

Table Rock Forestry Inc., a member of the Organization of Fire Contractors and Affiliates, was one of the companies whose workers were checked, Polhamus said. The company was able to show that its firefighters all had legal H-2B visas, he said, which allow foreign nationals to fill temporary, nonagricultural jobs. Still, the companys crew was demobilized and sent home, which he said was allegedly due to a half-hour discrepancy on a time sheet. The company has not yet gotten official word from the feds about its contract, Polhamus said.

Neither Table Rock Forestry nor the other company targeted by the raid responded to requests for comment.

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The Border Patrol statement said the operation did not interfere with firefighting operations. Tom Stokesberry, public information officer with California Interagency Incident Management Team 7, which oversaw the fire crews until Thursday, said the team was aware of the Border Patrol raid. Incident management teams deploy across the country to help coordinate the response to large fires. He would not comment on whether the raid affected wildfire operations.

Polhamus, along with many others in the wildland firefighter community, said it is widely believed that the same incident management team called immigration authorities to investigate another Hispanic crew last year. The raid on Wednesday took place on the California teams last day in charge of the fire, hours before a Washington team took command.

While most fire crews with government agencies hire only U.S. citizens, officials also contract with private companies to help fight many wildfires. Those companies often hire workers on H-2B visas or immigrants who are working to earn their U.S. citizenship.

The effects of workers being detained could go well beyond those individuals, experts said. If a crew loses two or three members, it may no longer meet the specifications it needs to fulfill its contract. That could result in the entire crew being grounded  without pay  until replacements arrive.

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We utilize thousands and thousands of contract firefighters, Scopa said. It absolutely could impact our ability to manage fires if were losing crews.

While firefighting contracting companies have varying opinions on the hiring of workers without legal status, Polhamus said, theres consensus throughout the industry that conducting an immigration raid at the scene of an active wildfire was dangerous and irresponsible.

Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, who heads the states lead wildfire response agency, issued a statement that the state is still gathering details on the Border Patrol operation.

[T]he Trump administrations crude and inhumane approach to immigration enforcement has intentionally and unnecessarily stoked fear and mistrust among members of the public including firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect our State, he said in the statement.

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Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
(KRON)  A retired Bay Area police K9 has crossed over the rainbow bridge. The Pittsburg Police Department is in mourning Sunday for the loss of K9 officer Jager.

It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our beloved retired K9s, the Pittsburg Police Department wrote on social media.

San Francisco to enforce RV parking ban starting in November

Retired Pittsburg Police Department K9 Jager has passed, the department announced on Aug. 31, 2025. (Pittsburg PD) K9 Jager and his handler, officer Morris. (Pittsburg PD)

Jager was known for his dedication to work, attentiveness and charming personality, Pittsburg PD said. The German shepherd from Slovakia became a member of the Pittsburg Police Department in June of 2016. He served as the first explosives-ordinance detection K9 in the departments history.

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Jager served the citizens of Pittsburg with his handler, Officer Morris for 7 years, Pittsburgh PD said. They were an incredible duo. Jager is credited with two apprehensions, countless surrenders and also assisted in locating ammunition to include firearms.

One of Jagers top accomplishments included finding a discarded gun in a case where a minor was shot.

The suspect discarded the firearm from a moving vehicle into some dense bushes, Pittsburg PD said. The following day, Jager conducted a search of the area, and located the firearm.

Remote-controlled-plane crash injures 2 in Santa Cruz County

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K9 Jager was also used for dozens of educational demonstrations in Contra Costa County, where he helped build community relations on behalf of the department.

Thank you, Jager for your service and for making sure our officers made it home safe to their families every night, Pittsburg PD said. You will be incredibly missed.

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(Reuters) -India will send teams to monitor a general election in war-torn Myanmar that is scheduled to start in December, Myanmar state media said on Monday, as New Delhi signals support for a vote that has already been derided by critics as a sham.

Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, a rare international engagement for the general who had largely been shunned by foreign leaders since leading a coup in 2021.

"At the meeting, they exchanged views on measures to ensure peace and stability in the border regions of both countries, trade promotion, enhancement of friendship and cooperation," the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.

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The military's ouster of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi 4-1/2-years ago, on a pretext of election fraud, triggered a devastating civil war that has engulfed large parts of the impoverished Southeast Asia nation.

Myanmar plans to hold the initial phase of the first general election since the coup on December 28, as part of voting that a military-backed interim administration is seeking to conduct in more than 300 constituencies nationwide, including areas currently held by opposition armed groups.

In a statement on Sunday, India's foreign ministry said that Modi hoped the upcoming elections in Myanmar would be "held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders".

A day earlier, Min Aung Hlaing also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two leaders discussed Beijing's support for the preparations for the polls, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.

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The planned election would occur amid a raging conflict that may make it difficult to conduct. During a nationwide census last year to create voter rolls, Myanmar's military-backed authorities managed to survey only 145 of the country's 330 townships.

So far, nine parties have registered to contest elections nationwide and 55 parties have signed up at the provincial level, having secured approvals from military-backed election authorities, according to state media.

But with parties opposed to the military either excluded or boycotting the polls, western governments and human rights groups see the election as an attempt by the generals to tighten their grip on power by paving the way for proxies to rule.

(Reporting by Shoon Naing; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China. Modi has urged Putin to galvanise efforts to end the war in Ukraine and to secure a lasting peace.

Source: Indias Ministry of External Affairs

Quote: "Prime Minister reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict [war  ed.] in Ukraine, and emphasised the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement."

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Details: Putin and Modi had also discussed bilateral cooperation between Russia and India in the economic, financial and energy sectors, the foreign ministry said.

They reportedly "expressed satisfaction" with the steady growth of bilateral ties and "reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries".

Modi also told Putin that he looks forward to meeting him in India later this year at the 23rd Annual Summit.

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JTC, a financial services firm listed in London, has turned down two initial takeover proposals from British private equity firm Permira.

JTC confirmed that it had rejected an initial offer from Permira on 20 August, followed by a second proposal on 22 August.

The company did not provide specific reasons for its decision.

Although the exact value of the proposals was not disclosed, a report from Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the situation, indicated that the offers would have valued JTC at approximately 2bn ($2.7bn).

Both companies opted not to comment on the proposed deal's valuation.

JTC, which offers fund administration, corporate, and private client services worldwide, had a market valuation of 1.69bn, according to calculations by Reuters.

The Jersey-based firm reported first-quarter results in late July and expressed confidence in achieving its target of doubling revenue and profits by 2027, a year ahead of its original schedule.

In September 2024, JTC announced the acquisition of Citi Trust, a global fiduciary and trust administration services business.

This acquisition is said to strengthen its position as an independent provider of global trust services.

Permira has been expanding through acquisitions, including a recent 20m purchase of Kleinwort Hambros Trust, which provides estate planning services to affluent families.

The company previously invested in Alter Domus, a Luxembourg-based fund administration provider, in 2017. Last year, Permira sold about half of its stake in the company to rival private equity firm Cinven.

"JTC dismisses Permiras takeover offers" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.




Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for an end to the war in Ukraine as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China.

Modi "reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine," the Indian Foreign Ministry said, after the two leaders met in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

He also "emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement," the ministry added.

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New Delhi has largely sought to maintain neutrality in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which began with the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

While India has backed peace efforts and warned Moscow not to use nuclear weapons, it has become the second-leading customer for Russian oil after European countries moved to cut off their imports in response to the war.

Seeking to put pressure on Russia to end the conflict, US President Donald Trump recently imposed 50% tariffs on imports from India over its trade with Moscow.

The move has yet to drive a wedge between the two nuclear powers, however, with Modi posting on X that he had an "excellent meeting" with Putin in Tianjin.

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According to Russian media, the two leaders spoke for around 50 minutes in Putin's presidential limousine on their way to the official bilateral meeting.

The talks centred on "ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture," Modi added on X.
Protest unrest continues to simmer in Indonesia after violent scenes at two universities in Bandung, West Java, when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, Reuters reported, citing student group and authorities.

Hundreds of people gathered at the universities on Monday and Tuesday despite orders from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for the police and military to take stern action against rioters and looters after days of protests.

Ten people have been killed in demonstrations which began peacefully last Monday over controversial housing perks for lawmakers but erupted on Thursday when an armored police vehicle hit and killed a rideshare driver, according to Reuters.

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The unrest escalated over the weekend as thousands of protesters across the sprawling archipelago set fire to legislative buildings and looted parliamentarians homes.

Prabowo initially canceled a trip to China to deal with the turmoil but made a surprise appearance at a military parade on Wednesday in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II.

Heres what to know.

During a protest in Bandung, West Java, on September 1, protesters put up posters of Affan Kurniawan, who died after being hit by a police vehicle last Thursday. - Dimas Rachmatsyah/AFP/Getty Images

Why are Indonesians angry?

Economic and political frustration has been brewing for months under the leadership of Prabowo, who took office last October.

Rallies began last Monday outside the House of Representatives in Jakarta as protesters, mainly made up of students and labor union members, objected to a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,000) for lawmakers  more than 10 times the national average monthly minimum wage.

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Daniel Winarta, a representative for the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), said much of the discontent centered around the worsening economic hardships for ordinary Indonesians, as wages stagnate and living costs rise.

Peoples purchasing power is low, and we are struggling here, Winarta told CNN. Our parliamentary representatives are showing off their richness These representatives are not representing us.

How did the protests turn deadly?

On Thursday (August 28) evening, an armored police vehicle hit and killed rideshare motorbike driver Affan Kurniawan during a clash between police and protesters in Jakarta.

His death triggered more protests into the weekend, spreading to other major cities across the country.

Demonstrators hold portraits of Affan Kurniawan, a rideshare motorcyclist who was hit and killed by a police armoured vehicle on August 28, 2025. - Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images

Short-video app TikTok said on Saturday it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days to keep TikTok a safe and civil space.

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Tense scenes broke out on Sunday when the military was deployed to guard the presidential palace, while looters broke into a house owned by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati outside the capital Jakarta.

Human rights groups have objected to the forceful crackdown from the police and military. Since the protests began, the Indonesia National Police have arrested 3,195 people across the country, including 1,240 people in the capital Jakarta, government-run news agency Antara reported Monday.

As of September 1, at least 20 people remain missing as after attending rallies, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said in a statement.

The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR-RI) official guesthouse burns after being set on fire during a protest in Bandung, West Java, on August 29, 2025. - Timur Matahari/AFP/Getty Images

Government backtracks

Speaking at a press conference at the presidential palace and flanked by the leaders of various political parties on Sunday, Prabowo announced that Indonesias political parties had reached a consensus to reduce lawmakers benefits.

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However, he also said he had ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters and suggested that elements of the violence resembled acts of terrorism and treason.

Amnesty International said that attaching those labels to protesters ignored the underlying reasons for the protest.

Labeling public demonstrations with accusations of treason or terrorism is excessive, especially when its constantly presented with the narrative of foreign interference and stirring up conflict when people are demonstrating to voice their concerns about problematic government policies, said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

A protester walks with an Indonesian flag in front of a police headquarters that was set on fire and looted during demonstrations in Surabaya on August 31, 2025. - Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images

The presidents statement is insensitive to all the grievances and aspirations the public has voiced during the demonstrations.

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After Prabowos announcement, some students and civil society groups called off their protest on Monday, citing fears of heightened security measures imposed after deadly riots across the country on the weekend, Reuters reported.

Cho Yong Gi, a 22-year-old university student, said Monday people would likely continue to express criticism of the government on social media.

I dont think theres a fear to speak up, but theres a fear that if you go to the street to do a demonstration, there might be undercover police or military personnel to arrest people.

A year of protests against Prabowo

Prabowo, a former army general with a controversial past, took over as president of the worlds third-largest democracy last October with promises to tackle corruption and boost national self-reliance.

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But many of his flagship policies have been controversial, and the latest protests represent the most significant challenge yet to his leadership.

Demonstrations against Prabowos policies began with the Gelap Indonesia (Dark Indonesia) movement in February 2025, which took aim at reforms to allocate more civilian posts for military officers, but soon snowballed into social issues including police violence and corruption.

Prabowos free school lunch program has also been marred by mass food poisoning cases across the archipelago, with hundreds of people falling ill since its launch in January. People were already angry about cuts to road maintenance and other budget reallocations to fund the program.

Proposals to raise land and property taxes have also fueled anger, including protests in the town of Pati against a proposal for a 250% property tax hike in Central Java, which was later withdrawn.

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Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told CNN that Prabowo remains popular amongst his most fervent supporters and backers from the military and business elites.

However, Indonesians with very scattered and very diverse grievances dont support him and want their voices heard, Harsono said.

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (center) speaks following a recent wave of nationwide protests at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on August 31, 2025. - Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

It is less than a year, but we have seen at least three major protests since October last year when Prabowo took office, he said, referring to the recent protests, and other major demonstrations during Labor Day on May 1 and Independence Day on August 17.

Whether these protests reignite with renewed vigor to throw Prabowo out of office will depend on how the government responds to economic grievances, Harsono said.

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People are still upset at whats seen as a lack of change and the governments violent crackdown on the recent protests, Jorgiana Augustine, 28, told CNN.

The public anger has stemmed from a very long-term economic questions and this weeks events are just a catalyst, she said.

Were not going to be surprised if another protest happens again.

This story has been updated with the latest developments.

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Indonesian political parties have agreed to cut lawmakers benefits, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday, in a bid to calm anti-government protests that have killed at least five people in the countrys worst violence in decades.

Protests began on Monday over what demonstrators called excessive pay and housing allowances for parliamentarians, escalating into riots on Friday after a motorcycle rideshare driver was killed during police action at a protest site.

Homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze, shaking investor confidence in the Southeast Asian economy and triggering a steep selloff on its stocks and currency markets on Friday.

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Looters broke into a house owned by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati outside the capital Jakarta overnight, state news agency Antara reported on Sunday. She was not in the house at the time and it was not clear if she uses the property often.

More protests are planned for Monday, and student groups did not call them off after Prabowos announcement.

Prabowo, speaking at a press conference at the Presidential Palace and flanked by the leaders of various political parties, said he had ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters. He said some of the unrest bore the signs of terrorism and treason.

Leaders in parliament have conveyed that they will revoke a number of parliament policies, including the size of allowances for members of parliament and a moratorium on overseas work trips, Prabowo said.

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To the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centers, according to the laws, he added.

Challenge to Prabowo

The protests represent the most significant challenge yet to Prabowos government, which has faced little political opposition since taking office nearly a year ago.

Prabowo, who canceled a high-profile trip to China due to the unrest, also met on Sunday with key members of his cabinet at the Presidential Palace to discuss the situation.

Many ministers and political leaders arriving at the palace used civilian number plates instead of special ones given to officials, a witness said, in an apparent security measure as unrest simmered in some places.

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The military was deployed to guard the palace on top of the usual secret service detail. Many key ministers homes and government installations were also being guarded by the military on Sunday.

It remains unclear who is behind the rioting and looting that followed the protests, which were initially organized by student associations.

Muzammil Ihsan, head of the All Indonesian Students Executives Body, the countrys largest student umbrella group, told Reuters cutting lawmakers perks was not enough and said further demonstrations were being considered.

The government must resolve deep-rooted problems. The anger on the streets is not without cause, Ihsan said.

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto walks to speak about a recent wave of nationwide protests during a press conference alongside political party leaders at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Sunday. - Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Tegar Afriansyah, the chairman of a smaller student group, Indonesian Student League for Democracy, which has been protesting since Monday, said the presidential announcement does not address the root of the problem, which is political oligarchy and an unequal economic structure.

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He termed Prabowos instructions to police and military as clearly repressive and intimidating.

Global rights watchdog Amnesty Internationals Indonesia chapter in a statement termed Prabowos use of terms such as treason and terrorism as excessive.

TikTok, owned by Chinas ByteDance, said it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.

The death toll rose to five on Sunday, according to the local disaster management agency in Makassar, South Sulawesi province. It said an online motorcycle taxi driver was beaten to death by a mob accusing him of being an intelligence agent.

Three others were killed in an arson attack on the local parliament building on Friday.

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JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests in Jakarta on Monday after a week of escalating anger over lawmakers' pay and the police response, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots across the country on the weekend.

The protests began a week ago, and have spread nationwide, escalating in size and intensity after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night. Eight people have died in the protests, chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday.

On Sunday, President Prabowo Subianto said political parties had agreed to cut lawmakers' benefits, in an attempt to calm the protests, and also ordered the military and police to act against rioters and looters after homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze.

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The Alliance of Indonesian Women, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, said it had delayed planned protests at the parliament to avoid any crackdown by authorities.

"The delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities ... the delay takes place until the situations calm down," the group said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

Student groups also delayed a protest on Monday, with one umbrella group saying the decision was "due to very impossible conditions".

Student groups in the West Java town of Purwakarta and the city of Yogyakarta planned demonstrations on Monday, they said on their respective Instagram accounts, although Reuters could not immediately confirm whether they will take place.

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Social media posts from some groups warned of fake protest calls, and urged people to be cautious.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati confirmed in an Instagram post that she was a victim of the looters. She called on people not to loot, and apologised for the government's shortcomings.

The protests and violence have unsettled financial markets, with the stock market falling more than 3% in opening trades on Monday.

Airlangga said the economy was fundamentally solid and would get a boost from a planned incentive package.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Editing by John Mair)
(INSIDE CALIFORNIA POLITICS)  San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan joined Inside California Politics this week for a wide-ranging interview that focused primarily on homelessness, mental health services and funding for Proposition 36.

Mahan slammed Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature over a lack of funding for the popular ballot measure and called the current $100 million allocation embarrassing. Mahan argued that building the treatment capacity for addiction and mental illness is a pressing priority for many cities and neighborhoods, and that the state needs to mandate treatment for those who refuse to seek help. His comments come after the City of San Jose passed an ordinance that allows officers to arrest homeless individuals for trespassing if they refuse shelter three times in an 18-month period. Mahan said San Joses approach to solving homelessness is proving successful, with the citys unsheltered population decreasing by 23% since 2020.

The interview also touched on the California governors race, the influence of special interest groups in Sacramento and ways state leaders can make California more business friendly. Plus, political strategists Rob Stutzman and Andrew Acosta stop in for a panel discussion on redistricting.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.
"I estimate that our facilitated transactions will exceed Swift's in the next five years," Sun, 35, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He added that the transaction volume through Tron was already expected to reach US$8 trillion this year.

"In the future, we can easily boost the transaction volume to US$300 trillion or US$400 trillion," Sun said. "It won't be a surprise if we could handle transactions 10 times or even 100 times larger than Swift."

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Sun pointed out that Swift is processing transactions in days. By comparison, "Tron is facilitating transactions in seconds", he said.

His confidence reflects the growing influence of the Tron blockchain in stablecoin transactions globally. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency that has a fixed value by being pegged to a reference asset, such as the US dollar.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun expects the transaction volume through his Tron blockchain to reach US$8 trillion this year. Photo: Nora Tam

At the recent WebX2025 conference held in Tokyo, Sun touted that Tether USDT issuances on Tron have surpassed US$82 billion, which has made the blockchain the world's largest network for these transactions.

Facing competition from other blockchain systems such as Ethereum, Tron recently slashed network fees by 60 per cent to woo more users to his platform.

"I am optimistic about Hong Kong's role in crypto over the long run," he said. "I don't think Hong Kong authorities have much choice. By positioning itself as a financial centre, the city can't avoid embracing crypto."

On the situation in mainland China, Sun said he expected the world's second-largest economy to eventually embrace cryptocurrencies after years of maintaining a hostile regulatory stance.

"The trend of technology will not change," he said, adding that it was "just a matter of time" for China to embrace cryptocurrencies.

"The speed of the process is up to regulators," Sun said. "As crypto industry players, we have to continuously showcase our successful experiences to convince the regulators."

"Like the safety concern over space flight, if 100 successful experiments are not enough, we can go 500 times, 1,000 times and 10,000 times," he said. "There will be a final threshold."
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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

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Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, performed at the Ironton Farmers Market on Tuesday. (Heath Harrison  The Ironton Tribune)

Armenian ensemble performed for Ironton audiences

The Ironton Rotary Club and Ohio University Southern are hosted Armfolk, a youth ensemble from Armenia, on Tuesday, as part of the 2025 International Youth Cultural Exchange Tour.

The ensemble performed a music, dance and cultural storytelling show at the Ironton Farmers Market, as part of the Tuesday Night Concert series.

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Earlier in the day, the group made a visit to Ironton High School, where they performed for students.

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WACO, Texas (FOX 44)  Today communities worldwide are observing International Overdose Awareness Day, a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of overdoses, reducing stigma, and honoring the lives lost to drug-related deaths. Locally, the Partnership for a Drug-Free Community is using the day to spread a message of hope and highlight lifesaving resources.

Hope means keep fighting the fight. It means there are people out there wanting to help you, that want you to live and love you, staff members said. The Partnership works directly with individuals struggling with substance use disorders, offering free services to connect them with treatment facilities and long-term recovery programs. We help anybody that comes to us in need, the group emphasized.

The organization is focused on breaking stigma and reminding the public that addiction and overdose can affect anyone. A lot of people think, Thats never going to be me or my family member, but you never know. It happens to anybody and everybody, staff said.

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Education is another priority. The Partnership provides access to virtual training programs that teach people to recognize the signs of an overdose and respond effectively, including how to administer Narcan. The medication, which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, is offered for free, along with fentanyl test strips.

Amberlyn Haden, who is in long-term recovery, now helps others on their path. She says Narcan and fentanyl test strips can mean the difference between life and death. They say recovery is simple: everything that you have to change is everything. And that is completely true, Haden said, adding that recovery often begins with a conversation and a willingness to change.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, advocates emphasize that every life lost to overdose mattersand every life saved through recovery and prevention is a victory built on compassion, education, and community support.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  Eight people, including at least seven non-students, were arrested Sunday night into Monday morning on the University of Dayton campus.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Brown Street and Stewart Street minutes before midnight.

Ohios historic Florentine Inn awarded $50k grant

According to the university, police were already in the area, monitoring crowds on Kiefaber Street and the surrounding area due to an increase in incidents near campus.

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The Dayton Police Department confirmed that one non-student was arrested for alleged disorderly conduct. This ultimately led to law enforcements decision to clear the streets in the student neighborhood and shut down vehicular traffic.

Shortly after midnight, six other non-students were arrested as crowds began to disperse from the area. These individuals were arrested on alleged disorderly conduct-related charges.

One more individual was arrested after reportedly discharging a firearm into the air. Police say this 19-year-old subject was outside of the universitys boundaries at the time of their arrest.

Throughout the evening, Dayton Police officers and UD police were actively monitoring activity on and around campus. Their presence allowed for a rapid response that mitigated potential threats and kept the area as safe as possible, the Dayton Police Department said in a statement.

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As of this writing, there is no word on injuries. Roads have since reopened.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
Symbol of ISIS defeat and the disaster of the war, the Al-Nuri Mosque has been restored along with Mosul city.

A symbol of how a city can rise again from the ruins of war, the al-Nuri mosque is being reopened by Iraqs Prime Minister. According to Rudaw media in the autonomous Kurdistan region, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is set to visit the northern city of Mosul on Monday to reopen the historic al-Nuri Mosque, which was leveled during the Islamic States (ISIS) brutal rule over the city, a lawmaker said.

Sherwan Dubardani, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament from Mosul, told Rudaw that Sudani will visit the city for the purpose of reopening the al-Nuri Mosque, the report added.

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This is important. It comes more than eight years after ISIS was defeated in Mosul. It also comes two months after Mosuls airport was reopened. ISIS conquered Mosul in 2014 and held the city for three years. The battle to retake Mosul from ISIS began in October 2016 and lasted until the summer of 2017.

ISIS held out in the old city in Mosul on the western bank of theTigris River until it was finally defeated. It destroyed the historic mosque in the final moments of the last battle in Mosul. The Mosque had a leaning minaret known as al-Hadba.

Rudaw notes that the minaret was beloved for 850 years in Mosul. The leaning minaret appears on Iraqs 10,000 dinar banknote. Built in 1172, the minaret began to lean in the 14th century, similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Al-Hadba minaret of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, destroyed by Islamic State militants in 2017, stands after its reconstruction by UNESCO, with support from the government of the United Arab Emirates, in Mosul, Iraq, August 31, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) led the effort to rebuild the site. The UAE played a key role as well, contributing $50 million to the project. A UAE delegation and Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Reber Ahmed are also set to attend the reopening ceremony, Rudaw noted.

A symbol of how extremists can be defeated

Mosul is now a symbol of how extremists can be defeated. ISIS ruled the city with terror and used its rule to expel Christians and then massacre and enslave members of the Yazidi minority.

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However, Iraq ran a successful war to remove ISIS. It enabled the citys 2 million people to leave ISIS control and move to IDP camps. Then the Iraqi army slowly retook the city. It was a model of successful urban warfare where terrorists were defeated.

There was damage to Mosul. However, the success of the Iraqis, clearing ISIS out of neighborhoods enabled part of the city to be relatively unscathed, primarily eastern Mosul. The old city was badly damaged.

Now Mosul is not only a symbol of how groups can be defeated, but also how cities can be rebuilt and thrive. Mosul was rebuilt and is now peaceful. It was once the heart of the Iraqi insurgency against the US.

It was also famous for its support of Saddam Hussein during his rule of Iraq. Now the city has changed. The role of UNESCO was also helpful in restoring the city.

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The battle for Mosul may have some lessons for Israels war on Hamas in Gaza. Enabling civilians to move out of Hamas control, for instance, would enable the defeat of Hamas.

In addition, a post-war plan to rebuild Gaza would help to bring possible peace. Israel faces hurdles in this because it has left organizations such as UNESCO. However, countries such as the UAE are likely willing to help rebuild Gaza if Hamas is removed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani inaugurated the al-Nuri mosque and its famous leaning minaret on Monday, as well as two churches in Mosul, following their restoration after they were destroyed by the Islamic State group.

Al-Sudani inaugurated the Great Al-Tahira Syriac-Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Hour, or al-Saa'a, Church of the Dominican Fathers in the centre of the northern Iraqi city.

During the visit, al-Sudani said that the reconstruction of these houses of worship represents a message affirming the continued peaceful and societal coexistence of Iraqis, his office said in a statement.

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The two churches "rose from the rubble to represent the home where people's hearts come together without discrimination," he said.

The al-Nuri mosque and its iconic minaret, nicknamed al-Hadba or the hunchback, was a landmark in Mosul's Old City, until the Islamic State blew up the 12th-century mosque in 2017, as the group was trying to defend its stronghold in the city.

The Islamic State took control of Mosul in June 2014. A month later, the groups then leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in the mosque, and his sermon was seen as the official proclamation of the self-styled "caliphate" in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

In December 2017, Iraq declared victory over the terrorist group.

The reconstruction of the three buildings was carried out in cooperation with the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, and the United Arab Emirates.
BAGHDAD (AP)  Iraqs prime minister presided over the official reopening of the historic al-Nuri Grand Mosque and its leaning minaret in the heart of Mosuls Old City Monday, eight years after the mosque was destroyed by militants from the Islamic State group.

For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as an iconic landmark. In 2014, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the so-called caliphate there by delivering a Friday sermon and leading prayers.

The militant group later destroyed the mosque by detonating explosives inside the structures as it faced defeat in a battle with Iraqi military forces for control of the city in 2017.

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UNESCO, the U.N.s scientific, educational and cultural organization, worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble. UNESCO raised $115 million for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that the reconstruction of the mosque will remain a milestone, reminding all enemies of the heroism of Iraqis, their defense of their land, and their rebuilding of everything destroyed by those who want to obscure the truth.

We will continue our support for culture, and efforts to highlight Iraqi antiquities, as a social necessity, a gateway to our country for the world, an opportunity for sustainable development, and a space for youth to innovate, he said.

At its peak, IS ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraqs oldest religious minorities.

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In addition to the mosque, war-damaged churches were rebuilt as part of the reconstruction project, aiming to preserve the heritage of the citys shrinking Christian population. Sudani said the city of Mosul embraces all of its communities and embodies all the characteristics of Iraqs diverse society.

U.N. investigators have said that IS militants committed war crimes against Christians in Iraq, including seizing their property, engaging in sexual violence, enslavement, forced conversions and destruction of cultural and religious sites.

Most of Mosul's small population of Christians fled when IS launched its offensive in 2014. In 2003, Mosuls Christian population stood at around 50,000. Today, fewer than 20 Christian families remain as permanent residents in the city, although some who resettled in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq still return to Mosul for church services.

The reconstruction project in Mosul could serve as a model for restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas  including neighboring Syria, which is starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former President Bashar Assad last year.
Around 80 people were killed in the attack on the prison, including prisoners, family members, staff, and guards, during Israel's war with Iran.

More than 100 prisoners at Tehrans Evin prison may now face execution in a rushed process, as part of a revenge campaign led by the Iranian regime against its opponents, who are accused of spying for Israel.

The Israeli strike on Evin, which occurred the day before the ceasefire that ended the round of fighting between Israel and Iran in June, left dozens dead and a much harsher reality for the political prisoners who survived.

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According to reports, these prisoners are at risk of expedited executions based on confessions extracted under torture and fabricated evidence.

Around 80 people were killed in the attack on the prison, including prisoners, family members, staff, and guards. Israel claims it targeted the prison's staff and the forces operating it, even sending a warning to some of the guards.

However, these guards managed to escape without sharing the information and failed to evacuate the prisoners from their cells.

(Illustrative) During the annual rally commemorating 1979 Islamic Revolution, domestically-built missiles and a satellite carrier are displayed at the Azadi (Freedom) Sq. in in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

A political prisoner who was there described the situation to the UK Sunday Times, saying, "We became human shields. I thought this was the last moment of my life."

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In the aftermath of the fighting, according to eyewitnesses and legal sources in Iran, a "spirit of revenge" overtook the judicial system.

Judges expedited processes and approved executions without presenting evidence, based on confessions obtained through torture and fabricated investigation files. "The judges do not even allow lawyers to present arguments," said a Tehran-based lawyer.

Upwards of 700 people arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel

The regime declared that during the fighting, 700 people were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel and promised to deal with them "ruthlessly." Meanwhile, the organization Iran Human Rights reported that by May of this year, 511 people had been executed, a 96% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The bombing also disrupted life within the prison. Evin, known for years as a symbol of repression and torture of regime opponents, but also as a hub of resistance referred to as the "Evin University," lost its status. According to reports, the institution, which had been "managed" by prisoners, lost its position after the strike.

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In the past, prisoners had managed to maintain solidarity, prevent executions from within, and even organize protests and hunger strikes inside the prison.

Following the Israeli strike, 61 political prisoners were transferred to another facility, known for its poor sanitation, unbearable heat, overcrowding, and lack of medical care. Others were transported to "safe houses" of the Intelligence Ministry, where they are not officially registered, and all legal oversight disappeared as if it never existed.

Eyewitnesses reported that during the bombing, the prisoners were locked in the yard and effectively used as human shields. Motahareh Goonei, one of the prisoners, said she was later transferred to a "safe house," where she was interrogated under severe threats.

She was released on bail but sentenced to 21 months in prison for "propaganda against the state" and "insulting the Supreme Leader." A short post she published at the outbreak of the war, in which she blamed the leadership for starting "hell," served as grounds for her conviction.

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Male prisoners were also transferred between various facilities. 500 of them were returned to Evin after being held in an alternative facility, where they were severely beaten and tortured. About 100 death-row inmates were forcibly separated from the rest of the prisoners.

Among the beaten was Mohammad Baqer Bakhtiar, a former senior commander in the Revolutionary Guards who opposed the regime. His son reported that his father was not receiving medical treatment and that the extent of his injuries had yet to be determined.

The strike on Evin, according to sources in Israel, aimed to damage the regime's machinery and encourage the opposition. Israel denied harming prisoners and claimed Iran was exploiting the event for internal propaganda and political witch hunts.

However, testimonies, photographs, and documentation from the scene indicate that at least six major areas in the prison were significantly damaged, including administrative wings, visitation rooms, and prisoner cells.

For many in the Iranian opposition, this strike was a fatal blow. "Israel wanted to demonstrate power," said Goonei, "but it was a mistake. Evin is not just a prison; it was the beating heart of the resistance to the regime."
Palestinians are seen among the rubble of destroyed buildings after an airstrike in the Al-Rimal area, west of Gaza City, on Aug. 30, 2025. Credit - Rizek AbdeljawadGetty Images

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has passed a resolution stating that Israels policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.

Citing Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide within its findings, the resolution argues that Israel's actions in response to the terrorist attack committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, have not only been directed against Hamas but have also targeted the entire Gazan population.

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The government of Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians and civilian infrastructure, the association said in the resolution passed on Aug. 31.

A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the resolution, calling it an embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard.

It is entirely based on Hamas campaign of lies and the laundering of those lies by others, claimed Oren Marmorstein.

Explaining its conclusion, the IAGS argued that Israel has forcibly displaced nearly all of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip multiple times and cited estimations that more than 90% of the housing infrastructure in the territory has been destroyed.

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Onur Uraz, chair of the IAGS Resolutions Committee, confirmed to TIME on Monday that 86% of the associations members voted in favor of the resolution. The process of this resolution has been one of the smoothest ones in light of numerous U.N. and NGO reports that support the conclusion," he said.

This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide, president of IAGS Melanie O'Brien is quoted as telling Reuters.

Article II of the 1948 U.N. Convention defines genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part. It does not include political groups or what is known as cultural genocide.

Read More: What to Know About South Africas Genocide Case Against Israel

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The Palestinian Government Media Office said that it welcomed the IAGS resolution in a statement viewed by TIME.

Israel has previously strongly denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, citing its right to defend itself.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office called allegations of genocide ridiculous and a blatant falsehood during an address on Aug. 13.

Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the case was first submitted by South Africa in December 2023. Furthermore, the International Criminal Court (ICC) previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

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TIME has reached out to Netanyahus office for comment.

The IAGS resolution comes as Israel escalates its military expansion in Gaza City, a plan that has garnered much criticism from global leaders and humanitarian organizations. Germany moved to suspend its Gaza-associated arms sales to Israel upon the announcement of the expansion.

Read More: World Leaders React as U.N.-Backed Report Confirms Famine in Gaza

Furthermore, there are mounting concerns over the malnutrition crisis in Gaza, particularly after a U.N.-backed food security body confirmed that famine is taking place in Gaza City for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

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The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, 348 of those deaths were the result of starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
So far, the weather has been Israel's ally, preventing 20 vessels from departing Spain to join other ships that activists want to use to get to Gaza.

A new flotilla aimed at reaching Gaza left Barcelona on Sunday. Around 20 vessels are participating in the flotilla, which is dubbed the Global Sumud flotilla. However, strong winds gusting at some 30 knots forced the vessels back to port by Monday, according to reports. The flotilla has had a tough start. The organizers should have known that they would encounter bad weather along the route. The fact that some of the vessels may face challenges in strong winds illustrates that all of the vessels might not reach waters near Israel.

Israel, nevertheless, will face a challenge if some of the ships reach the eastern Mediterranean. According to reports, the 20 initial vessels that make up the flotilla are supposed to be joined by more along the way.

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CNN reported that up to 70 types of watercraft may join. The CNN report was also optimistic in timing the arrival of the flotilla to September 14 or 15. These dates do not seem reasonable. Nevertheless, the flotilla is being organized so that it heads to Gaza during the timing of the UN General Assembly, slated to take place in September in New York City.

Israel has intercepted two activist flotilla vessels already, during the Israel-Hamas War. Those interceptions went smoothly. Israel has learned lessons since the Mavi Marmara raid in 2010. During that raid on a large cruise ship, the IDF faced off against almost 600 activists. Many of the activists were hardline backers of the Turkish group IHH. Other smaller ships joined the flotilla.

The challenge on the Mavi Marmara was that initially soldiers rappelled down onto the deck without their usual rifles but rather with paintball guns. Later in a scuffle, 10 of the flotilla activists were killed. This led to extreme anger in Turkey. While the activists were overcome on the ship, the deaths were unplanned, and Israel considered it a failure.

Since then, Israel has dealt with several flotillas, including an attempt by activists to fly en masse into Israel in 2011 aboard commercial flights. So far, Israel has done a good job of stopping the flotillas. In some cases, vessels were prevented from sailing in their home countries. In other cases, boats have had mechanical problems that prevented the activists from reaching their destination.

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The challenge with 20 ships, or even up to 70, will be in stopping them all at the same time and towing them back to Israeli ports. Some of the activists might be deterred by threats of prison sentences. In the past, vessels stopped in international waters have seen their crew detained and deported. This makes sense, since grabbing the crew in international waters would not enable a conviction in a court because it does not break Israeli law. Its not illegal to sail a boat in international waters, even with the stated intention of getting to Gaza. Its unclear if Israeli courts would sentence people detained far out at sea to lengthy prison terms.

So far, the weather has been Israels best ally in dealing with the flotilla. Because the activists want attention and exposure, it appears that, along the way, they will be filing regular reports on their position. This means that there wont be much of a need to pursue the flotilla because its position will be known.

The flotilla is supposed to be joined by Tunisian and Italian ships

It will reportedly be joined by ships sailing from Tunisia and Italy. That likely means the first leg of the flotilla will be from Barcelona, crossing around 850 km. (530 miles) of sea to the coast of Tunisia. From there, the flotilla will need to sail another 2,170 km. (1,350 miles) to the coast of Gaza.

With almost 3,200 km. (2,000 miles) of sailing required, its unclear how long it will take the vessels to get close to Israel. If they make around five knots an hour for most of the journey, then it would potentially take 15 to 20 days, depending on the vessels speed at night and whether they have to stop along the way. This is why estimates report that they could reach the coast by September 15. However, to do that, they will first need to reach Spain and link up with the other boats.

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Trying to manage the affairs of some 50-70 vessels at sea is also no easy matter.

At this time of year, the Mediterranean is expected to be relatively hot and calm. For instance, Malta is expected to have sunny days for the next week, and winds are expected to be relatively calm around the island, except on September 3, when gusts may reach 17 knots.

In general, the flotilla should have good conditions from Spain to Tunisia over the next week.

However, the activists decision to return to port illustrates their challenges. The flotilla sailboats should be able to handle well in winds of 30 knots. The fact that the organizers already feel concerned reflects the logistical and mechanical issues they already face.

They wouldnt be the first. The Persian navy in 480 BCE lost a third of its 1,200 ships in a gale off the coast of Magnesia (today, Manisa in Turkey) during the invasion of Greece. Adm. Horatio Nelson also faced challenges due to gales and storms during his attempt to pursue Napoleon across the Mediterranean in 1798.
President Trump on Monday night announced tariffs of 10% on softwood timber and lumber alongside a 25% tariff on "certain upholstered wooden products" due to take effect on Oct. 14, according to the White House.

This was the latest set of tariffs to be announced impacting the furniture industry, after Trump posted last week about a flurry of tariffs on kitchen cabinets, vanities, and other upholstered products on that will take effect Oct. 1.

Trump said the lumber tariffs will help "strengthen supply chains" and "bolster industrial resilience." Yet home builders have warned this could deter investments in new homes and renovations. Canada is also set to be hit hard by the order, as it's the US's largest wood supplier and already subject to duties of over 35%.

Earlier Monday, Trump said he would impose 100% tariffs on foreign films and "substantial" duties on furniture imports, part of a revived tariff blitz in recent days.

Other planned new tariffs include pharmaceuticals, including a 100% duty on patented drugs unless the producer builds a plant in the US or the country has a trade deal that covers drugs. Pfizer (PFE) on Tuesday announced it had received a three-year reprieve from those tariffs as part of a deal with the administration to sell some drugs at a discounted rate, prompting speculation of similar deals to come.

Elsewhere, the US and China have made progress toward various contours of a broader deal following a call between Trump and China's President Xi Jinping. Trump said after that call that the countries had reached an agreement to spin off the TikTok app in the US.

Trump said the two leaders plan to conduct a series of meetings in the coming months, as Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reported.

Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet

Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER

1933 updates
The move comes amid proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa is pursuing a case against Israel under the Genocide Convention.

A global association of genocide scholars has adopted a resolution stating that Israels military actions in the Gaza Strip meet the legal definition of genocide, the groups president confirmed on Monday.

Eighty-six percent of those who voted among the 500-member International Association of Genocide Scholars backed the resolution, which declares "Israels policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)."

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There was no immediate response from the Israeli foreign ministry.

The move comes amid proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa is pursuing a case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. The case, filed in December 2023, accuses Israel of attempting to eradicate Palestinians in Gaza.

It gained further traction in May, when South Africa submitted a detailed memorial that spurred several countries to signal support for the proceedings.

Judges at the ICJ hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa, who asked the court to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, january 11, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/THILO SCHMUELGEN)

In July 2024, the ICJ granted Israel an extension to file its counter-memorial. Analysts said the delay offered temporary relief but did not ease broader diplomatic or legal pressure.

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By August, a coalition of countries, including Ireland, called on the court to broaden its interpretation of genocide -seeking to expand the legal framework under which states can be held accountable.

Throughout 2024 and into 2025, Israeli officials continued to express skepticism about international legal institutions, describing proceedings at the ICJ and the International Criminal Court as politically motivated and aimed at delegitimizing Israels right to self-defense.

Israeli scholars, public figures divided on issue of Israel commiting genocide

In Israel, public figures remain divided over the use of the term genocide.

Author David Grossman, whose son was killed while serving in Lebanon, said in August that Israels actions in Gaza amounted to genocide - making him one of the most prominent Israelis to publicly adopt the terminology.

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Others reject the accusation. In July, international law scholar Nitsana Darshan-Leitner acknowledged the wars high civilian toll but argued that the criteria for genocide had not been met. She warned that overuse of the term risks undermining its legal and moral weight.

War studies specialist John Spencer said after reviewing Israeli military targeting procedures that he saw no evidence of genocidal intent. He described the use of the term genocide in this context as political rather than legal.

Commentator Sherwin Pomerantz said Israels actions, while devastating in their consequences, lacked the premeditated intent required for genocide under international law.

The debate had surfaced earlier in 2024. In June, political analyst Alon Ben-Meir warned that framing Israels actions as genocide risked inflaming antisemitism by blurring lines between Israel and global Jewish communities.

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Since its founding in 1994, the genocide scholars' association has passed nine resolutions recognizing historic or ongoing episodes as genocides.

The resolution by the genocide scholars group has drawn sharply opposing reactions. Supporters say it underscores the humanitarian scale of the war and affirms longstanding concerns about the conduct of the campaign. Critics argue it represents a misapplication of international laws most serious charge.

This is a developing story.
The worlds top genocide scholars have formally declared that Israels war on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, marking a landmark intervention from leading experts in the field of international law.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member body of academics founded in 1994, passed a resolution on Monday, stating that Israels policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide, said Melanie OBrien, IAGS president and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, speaking to the Reuters news agency on Monday.





The resolution won overwhelming support, with 86 percent of members voting in favour. It called on Israel to halt deliberate attacks on civilians, including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other essentials; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement.

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Sergey Vasiliev, professor of international law at the Open University of the Netherlands, told Reuters the declaration reflected a consensus that has taken root in academia. This legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies, he said.

Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gazas Government Media Office, said the prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts. He added that the resolution places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable.

Israels growing legal woes

The resolution came as Israel faces a separate case at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, where it is already accused of genocide.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.





Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly all residents have been displaced at least once, and most of Gazas buildings have been destroyed or damaged.

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A UN-backed global hunger monitor has confirmed the famine in parts of Gaza, a direct result of Israels blockade and bombing campaign that has deliberately restricted food, water, and medicine.

IAGS has previously recognised genocides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Armenia, and Myanmar. The UN convention it cites defines genocide as crimes committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

The resolution also said Hamass attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 constituted international crimes but emphasised that these acts do not justify genocide.

Hundreds of UN human rights staff last week urged High Commissioner Volker Turk to explicitly label Israels campaign as genocide, underscoring growing international consensus.
Israel is weighing the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank in retaliation for an expected wave of Palestinian statehood recognition by Western nations this month, two Israeli officials said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a meeting with top cabinet ministers on Thursday to discuss Israels response, the officials said. The meeting, which was initially scheduled for Tuesday, will be the second such gathering in a week and is expected to include Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

France, Australia, Canada, Portugal, the United Kingdom and other Western nations have announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly this month, joining more than 140 nations that already do so.

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Citing Israels expansionist ambitions and colonization program, Belgiums Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot announced late Monday that his country will also recognize Palestinian statehood at the General Assembly, saying Brussels had a duty to prevent any risk of genocide. Formal recognition, he said, would come through a royal decree once all Israeli hostages held in Gaza are released.

Prevot also announced 12 sets of sanctions on Israel, including a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an initial discussion on annexation of pasts of the West Bank last week, but the security cabinet has yet to discuss the matter in detail and no decision has been made yet, the officials told CNN on condition of anonymity.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and began establishing Jewish settlements there soon after in defiance of international law. The Palestinians want the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip for a future state, a position supported by most of the international community.

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The Israeli officials said Netanyahu is considering various scales and levels of annexation options, ranging from a limited takeover of several Jewish settlements to a broader approach calling for annexation of Area C, which comprises 60% of the territory.

A series of peace agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s known as the Oslo Accords split the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C, where Area C falls entirely under Israeli administrative and security control.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar updated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Israels annexation plans during a meeting last week, according to an Israeli official. However, other Israeli sources told CNN the plans have not received a green light from the US yet.

When asked about Israels annexation plans, a US State Department spokesperson told CNN on Monday that the agency does not divulge the details of interagency or diplomatic discussions.

Israeli bulldozers demolish a Palestinian house in the village of Marah Ma'ala, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, July 13, 2025. - Mosab Shawer/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Encircling Palestinian population centers

Two of the officials said one of the main options being considered is annexation of the Jordan Valley  a strip of land on the eastern edge of the West Bank that runs along the Jordan River. The officials said there was a broader Israeli public consensus in favor of such a proposal, adding that Israels need to use it as a security perimeter would be easier to sell to the international community  and, most importantly, Washington.

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However, Netanyahus far-right political allies, ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as the settler leadership, oppose the idea of partial annexation involving specific strips or settlement blocks, and are instead pushing for the maximalist approach  applying Israeli sovereignty over all territory not inhabited by Palestinians. The move would allow Israel to encircle Palestinian population centers, further undermining the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Whereas applying sovereignty to territory with Palestinian inhabitants could obligate Israel to provide citizenship or residency status to the roughly 3 million Palestinians who live in the West Bank.

Annexing any part of the occupied West Bank by applying Israeli sovereignty would violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and spark an enormous diplomatic backlash.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. The United Nations reinforced that designation in 2016 with Security Council resolution 2334, which declared that Jewish settlements in occupied territory are a flagrant violation of international law and have no legal validity.

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Omer Rahamim, CEO of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of West Bank Jewish settlements, told CNN that applying sovereignty should be a preemptive move ahead of the French recognition of Palestinian statehood. By applying sovereignty, we will prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, because it is impossible to establish a state on the sovereign territory of another country.

Rahamim said the settler leadership is demanding broad annexation moves, not just within the settlement blocs or the Jordan Valley because the meaning of applying sovereignty only to several or specific settlement blocs is that the rest of the area would become a terror state  another Gaza in the heart of the country. And we vehemently oppose that.

According to one Israeli official, given the expected political and international pressure, Netanyahu is considering a phased and gradual annexation plan, which would start with a selected territory on a pathway toward broader sovereignty. The official said a phased plan would enable Israel to walk back from a full annexation in exchange for normalization with Saudi Arabia.

The last time Israel seriously contemplated West Bank annexation in 2020, Netanyahu eventually dropped the plans as part of the Abraham Accords that saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

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Saudi Arabia has said that no normalization would take place until Israel commits to a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Alongside annexation, Israel is contemplating other punitive measures in response to the Palestinian statehood developments, including sanctioning the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank as part of a peace agreement with Israel, or evacuating the Palestinian village of Khan Al-Ahmar.

On Friday, the US announced it had decided to deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials arriving at this months UN General Assembly, where French President Emmanuel Macron plans to announce Frances recognition of Palestinian statehood, becoming the first permanent UN Security Council member to do so.

An Israeli official said the US decision to deny visas was coordinated with the Israeli government as part of an attempt to prevent Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from attending.

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The US has continued near unwavering support for Israel under President Donald Trump, even as some of Washingtons closest allies voice growing alarm over Netanyahus government and the conduct of the war.

Nonetheless Trump has said Israel is losing the world of public relations.

Theyre gonna have to get that war over with. But it is hurting Israel, he said in an interview with the Daily Caller that was conducted in the Oval Office on Friday.

Theres no question about it. They may be winning the war, but theyre not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them, he added.

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By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel pushed tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb as airstrikes killed at least 19 people on Monday, Palestinian officials and witnesses said.

The reports came as the president of the world's leading genocide scholars' association said it had passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

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There was no immediate response from Israel on the accounts of the Gaza City offensive or on the statement from the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Israel has in the past denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas and rescuing the remaining 48 hostages after nearly two years of war.

Residents said Israeli forces sent old armoured vehicles into the eastern parts of the overcrowded Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, then blew them up remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee.

In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, Israel's military told residents to head south immediately, saying the army intended to expand its offensive westward.

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"People are confused, stay and die, or leave towards nowhere," Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.

"It was a night of horror, explosions never stopped, and the drones never stopped hovering over the area. Many people quit their homes fearing for their lives, while others have no idea where to go," the 55-year-old said over a chat app.

DEATHS, STARVATION REPORTED

The Israeli military issued a statement saying its forces were fighting Hamas across the enclave and over the past day had struck several military structures and outposts that had been used to stage attacks on its troops.

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The Gaza health ministry said at least 98 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave in the past 24 hours.

It added that nine more people, including three children, have died of malnutrition and starvation over the past day, raising deaths from such causes to at least 348, including 127 children.

Israel disputes the hunger fatality figures given by Gaza's Hamas-run government, arguing that the deaths were due to other medical causes.

Local health authorities said the 19 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on houses in Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on those reports.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet late on Sunday to discuss a new offensive to seize Gaza City, which he has described as the bastion of Hamas.

Israel's military has warned its political leaders that the planned Gaza City offensive could endanger hostages still being held by Hamas. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in past weeks.

The war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 251 taken hostage. Twenty of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to still be alive.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and it has plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins.

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Ceasefire talks ended in July in deadlock and efforts to revive them have so far failed.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo. Additional reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
The Israeli military has killed a pregnant woman and her unborn baby near the Shati refugee camp as it continued its large-scale assault on Gaza City, with several strikes targeting civilians.

Medical sources at Gaza Citys al-Shifa Hospital said that another child was also killed in the attack on a house near the camp on Monday, according to the Wafa news agency.

The military also continued to pummel the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods in the south of the city, where more than 1,000 buildings have been levelled since Israel began its push to take over the urban centre last month, killing 10 people on Monday.

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Earlier in the day, scenes of chaos played out at a crowded market on Gaza Citys Nasser Street, with locals scattering in all directions amid the debris after an Israeli attack, which killed at least four people and wounded dozens of others.

Reporting from the scene, Al Jazeeras Moath al-Kahlout said people were panic-stricken.

They dont know what to do and where to go. They are trying so hard to find a safer place, but the Israeli army keep attacking every corner in the city, he said.

Further south, in Deir el-Balah, Israel targeted a group of citizens inside Al-Mazraa School. Later, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital announced the death of Anas Saeed Abu Mughsib, Wafe reported.

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Medical sources said that in total, at least 59 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Strip on Monday.





Man-made famine in the 21st Century

Already displaced by war multiple times, Gaza City residents now face the twin threats of war and famine.

Hunger caused by Israels months-long blockade led to the deaths of three infants on Monday. Children account for more than a third of the nearly 350 deaths from hunger and starvation in the enclave since Israels war began in October 2023.

Authorities say the number of humanitarian aid trucks that Israel has allowed into the Strip in the last month has only met 15 percent of the starving populations needs.

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Yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a report in August from the worlds leading authority on food crises, the Integrated Food Security Classification (PIC), that famine was under way in Gaza City, calling it an outright lie.

On Monday, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs David Lammy acknowledged the United Nations-backed IPC declaration, saying he was outraged by Israel for not allowing enough aid to enter Gaza.

This is not a natural disaster, its a man-made famine in the 21st century, he said.

We need a massive, massive humanitarian response to prevent more deaths, crucial NGOs, humanitarians and health workers allowed to operate, and stockpiles of aid on Gazas borders released.





Power-hungry ruler

Meanwhile, in Israel, mourners gathered for the separate funerals of Idan Shtivi and Ilan Weiss, captives taken from Israel during the October 2023 Hamas attack, whose remains were recovered in an Israeli military operation in Gaza last week.

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Some expressed anger at the government for not reaching a deal with Hamas to end the fighting and return the remaining captives.

Its a horror, its profound sadness and grief beyond words to describe the anger, the insult to the hostages, the insult to the fallen, the insult to the soldiers sent once again to Gaza, mourner Ruti Taro told The Associated Press news agency.

No one knows why, except for the power-hungry ruler, he said.

Israeli news site Ynet reported on Monday that Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir had warned of the implications of Netanyahus intention to take over Gaza without making any post-war plans.

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You are heading to a military government, Zamir reportedly told a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet late on Sunday. Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications.

Israels war on Gaza has so far killed more than 63,000 Palestinians. About one million inhabitants of Gaza City, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times, are now being forced out under sustained Israeli attacks, with no safe zones to flee to in the enclave.




By Ali Sawafta and Nuha Sharaf

KFAR MALIK, West Bank/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are facing severe water shortages that they say are being driven by increasing attacks on scarce water sources by extremist Jewish settlers.

Across the West Bank in Palestinian communities, residents are reporting shortages that have left taps in homes dry and farms without irrigation.

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In Ramallah, one of the largest Palestinian cities in the West Bank and the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, residents facing water shortages are now relying on public taps.

"We only get water at home twice a week, so people are forced to come here," said Umm Ziad, as she filled empty plastic bottles with water alongside other Ramallah residents.

The United Nations recorded 62 incidents of Jewish settlers vandalising water wells, pipelines, irrigation networks and other water-related infrastructure in the West Bank in the first six months of the year.

The Israeli military acknowledged it has received multiple reports of Israeli civilians intentionally causing damage to water infrastructure but that no suspects had been identified.

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Among the targets have been a freshwater spring and a water distribution station in Ein Samiya, around 16 km (10 miles) northeast of Ramallah, serving around 20 nearby Palestinian villages and some city neighbourhoods.

Settlers have taken over the spring that many Palestinians have used for generations to cool off in the hot summer months.

Palestinian public utility Jerusalem Water Undertaking said the Ein Samiya water distribution station had become a frequent target of settler vandalism.

"Settler violence has escalated dramatically," Abdullah Bairait, 60, a resident of nearby Kfar Malik, standing on a hilltop overlooking the spring.

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"They enter the spring stations, break them, remove cameras, and cut off the water for hours," he said.

The Ein Samiya spring and Kfar Malik village have been increasingly surrounded by Jewish Israeli settlements. The United Nations and most foreign governments consider settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law and an obstacle to the establishment of a future Palestinian state.

According to the United Nations' humanitarian office, settlers carried out multiple attacks targeting water springs and vital water infrastructure in the Ramallah, Salfit and Nablus areas between June 1 and July 14. The Ein Samiya water spring had been repeatedly attacked, it said in a July report.

Israeli security forces view any damage to infrastructure as a serious matter and were carrying out covert and overt actions to prevent further harm, the Israeli military said in response to Reuters questions for this story. It said the Palestinian Water Authority had been given access to carry out repairs.

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Kareem Jubran, director of field research at Israeli rights group B'Tselem, told Reuters that settlers had taken control over most natural springs in the West Bank in recent years and prevented Palestinians from accessing them.

SETTLER VIOLENCE

Palestinians have long faced a campaign of intimidation, harassment and physical violence by extremist settlers, who represent a minority of Jewish settlers living in the West Bank. Most live in settlements for financial or ideological reasons and do not advocate for violence against Palestinians.

Palestinians say the frequency of settler violence in the West Bank has increased since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

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They say they fear the rise in settler violence is part of a campaign to drive them from the land. The United Nations has registered 925 such incidents in the first seven months of this year, a 16% year-on-year increase.

Since the Hamas militant attacks which sparked the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians have advocated for Israel to annex the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Reuters reported on Sunday that Israeli officials said the government is now considering annexing the territory after France and other Western nations said they would recognise a Palestinian state this month. The Palestinian Authority wants a future Palestinian state to encompass West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians in the West Bank have long struggled to access water. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority exercises limited civic rule in parts of the territory and relies on Israeli approvals to develop and expand water infrastructure. Palestinian officials and rights groups say that's rarely given.

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B'Tselem said in an April 2023 report that Palestinians were facing a chronic water crisis, while settlers have an abundance of water.

"The water shortage in the West Bank is the intentional outcome of Israel's deliberately discriminatory policy, which views water as another means for controlling the Palestinians," B'Tselem wrote in the report.

COSTLY DELIVERIES

Across the West Bank, water tanks are common in Palestinian homes, storing rainwater or water delivered by trucks due to an already unreliable piped water network that has been exacerbated by the settler attacks.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees policy in the West Bank and Gaza, said in response to Reuters questions the Palestinian Authority was responsible for supplying water to Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel transferred 90 million cubic meters of water to the Palestinian Authority each year, it said, blaming any shortages on water theft by Palestinians.

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Along with traveling long distances to collect water, Palestinians have become reliant on costly water deliveries to manage the chronic water crisis that they fear will only grow.

"If the settlers continue their attacks, we will have conflict on water," said Wafeeq Saleem, who was collecting water from a public tap outside Ramallah.

"Water is the most important thing for us."

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ein Samiya and Ramallah, Alexander Cornwell in Ein Samiya, Nuha Sharaf in Jerusalem; writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Ros Russell)
The French Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou, accused Italy of pursuing a policy of "fiscal dumping", just days before the vote of confidence in his government scheduled for 8 September, and following accusations made against President Macron by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

Fiscal dumping is a term used to describe the act of creating more favourable conditions, or lowering taxes, to attract foreign business or investment in some countries, in comparison to others.

During a media briefing on Sunday with Franceinfo, LCI, BFMTV and CNews, the French PM pointed the finger at so-called "fiscal nomadism", underlining how public debt in France has grown and lashing out at "money destined for foreign economic actors."

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As a positive example, Bayrou cited Japan, where "the debt is 99% held by the Japanese", directing a harsh accusation at Italy. Measures aimed at "the richest" could push taxpayers to move their tax residence to where it is more convenient, he said.

"By now there is a kind of fiscal nomadism and one moves where it is convenient," the French PM added.

Bayrou's claims 'unfounded'

In a note on Sunday evening, the Italian government stressed that the Italian economy is "competitive and stable, with no unjustified tax favour policies to attract foreign companies."

The note points out that Italy too suffers the impact of so-called "European tax havens", which siphon off important resources from the public coffers.

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The Italian government branded Bayrou's statements as "unfounded" and called on France to collaborate at the European level against member states that practice tax dumping.

Related

For Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in particular, what her French colleague said is astonishing.

"French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's completely unfounded claims that Italy is engaging in "tax dumping," penalising France, are astonishing," she wrote in a post on X.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, interviewed by the daily newspaper Il Messaggero, called Bayrou's words 'astonishing' and the result of faulty reasoning.

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"Italy maintains a relevant political and economic solidity, without practising fiscal dumping and without conspiring against other European countries," explained the deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Tajani  who leads of Forza Italia (FI), one of the three main parties in the ruling coalition  recalled that there are real tax havens in Europe and other anomalies to be corrected, but Italy is not one of them.

The president of the FI senators, Maurizio Gasparri, demanded an apology from Bayrou.

"Large Italian industrial groups have legal or tax headquarters in Holland, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, which is no longer part of the EU. This shows how pro-Europeanism, often presented as a solution, can become a problem,' Marco Osnato, president of the Finance Committee at the Chamber of Deputies and deputy of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party (FdI), told Adnkronos.

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Salvini's party Lega also took a stand, calling Bayrou's words "a serious and unacceptable attack on Italy, its entrepreneurs and workers."

In a note, the party pointed out that France is in the midst of a political crisis, following the recent controversy sparked by Salvini.

Bayrou is holding a series of consultations this week ahead of the vote that could see the fall of his government, continuing the institutional crisis in France initiated by the double round of snap elections one year ago.
By Giselda Vagnoni

TRENTO, Italy (Reuters) -An exhibition in northern Italy is expanding traditional ideas about taste by exploring how sound influences the way people experience their food.

Hosted at the MUSE science museum in Trento, Food Sound examines how auditory cues  from the crunch of an apple to the sizzle of a pan  affect appetite, perception of flavour and emotional response. "If neuroscience has transformed fields from psychology to economics, it's also reshaping how we understand cooking and food," said Patrizia Fama, director of the museum's Office of Public Programmes. Visitors are guided through mock-ups of trattorias and dining pods, learning how the brain processes sound and how acoustics can influence food choices.

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One interactive display invites guests to select food based solely on sound.

"Food perception is the ultimate multi-sensory experience, engaging all five senses," said Massimiliano Zampini, a researcher at the University of Trento and a member of the exhibition's scientific committee.

Zampini and Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at Britain's Oxford University, were among the first to study how sound  often overlooked in discussions of taste  affects flavour and emotional response.

In a landmark experiment in 2004, they found that potato chips were perceived as being both crisper and fresher when either the overall sound level was increased, or when just the high frequency sounds were selectively amplified.

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The idea for the exhibition came to creator Vincenzo Guarnieri after overhearing children describe a visit to a potato chip factory. "They said the fryers sounded like other children crying. That moment struck me, and I realized sound could be a powerful tool to raise awareness about food," Guarnieri said. The food industry has taken notice of the research to try to attract consumers.

British food ingredients maker Tate & Lyle has identified "Hyper Crunch" as a rising trend, with consumers adding baked rice to salads and seeking out snacks that deliver a satisfying crunch. In a report published in November, Tate & Lyle predicted that the trend would expand into sweet categories. It cited examples such as a chocolate bar with a kunefe filling, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, and iced coffee served in chocolate-coated cups that crackle when squeezed.

Betti Nincioli, from Florence, said that she had already realised how much background music contributed to her sense of serenity and positive mood when she was picking up products from supermarket shelves or dining in restaurants.

"Now I am more aware of how a product's sound can make it seem like something else," she said after visiting the exhibition which is in a museum designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.

The exhibition runs until Jan. 11, 2026.

(Reporting by Giselda VagnoniEditing by Keith Weir)
WASHINGTON (AP)  In his first term, Donald Trump's favorite president, other than himself, was Andrew Jackson, the hatchet-faced, self-made populist who relished turning Washington upside down.

Now he's partial to the barrel-chested, unfailingly polite William McKinley, a champion of American expansionism as well as of tariffs, Donald Trump's favorite second-term policy.

Trump's shift, rather than merely swapping one infatuation for another, demonstrates how his mindset and priorities have evolved.

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The Republican presidents admiration for McKinley fits with his current politics, which are different from when Trump first took office in 2017. A key political target for Trump back then was the elites, which his administration predicted might crumble in the face of a Jackson-like working class uprising.

In his second inaugural address, Trump lauded McKinley as a natural businessman who made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.

Trump used a Day 1 order to restore the name of North Americas tallest peak to Mount McKinley and he has repeatedly named-checked the 25th president more recently, while his weighty tariffs have left the world bracing for the kind of trade war not seen since the days of the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890.

Jackson has hardly warranted a mention.

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In the first term, well, McKinley was a fat cat, said H.W. Brands, a history professor at the University of Texas and author of Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times. So, if youre going to be a populist, youre not going to be a McKinley.

But Jackson, Brands noted, hated tariffs. So, if tariffs are your thing, Andrew Jacksons not your guy anymore. You have to look around to find somebody whose name is connected to a tariff.

The White House says the shift isn't a departure from Trump's first-term goals, but simply his leaning harder into new tools  in this case, tariffs  to achieve them.

President Trump has never wavered from his commitment to putting working-class Americans above special interests, and his channeling of President McKinleys tariffs agenda is indicative of how he is using every lever of executive power to deliver for the American people, said spokesman Kush Desai.

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Still, many of Trump's current top advisers are veterans of the financial sector eager to help the president bend the economic system to his will, rather than reshaping it from the bottom up.

That's meant Trump focusing political ire on foreign countries and globalists who embraced international free trade. He wants to impose a new economic order that puts U.S. interests first, and has settled on steep import taxes to get America's trading partners to negotiate more favorable deals  as the way to most efficiently do that.

Trump's shifting economic priorities

The president's Jacksonian impulses aren't all dormant. He imposed some first-term tariffs and now is shaking up Washington with his efforts to slash the federal workforce and stock the bureaucracy with loyalists. He's also prioritized antagonizing elites at Ivy League universities and top law firms.

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In his rhetoric, Trump also has mythologized the power of tariffs, despite history telling a different story. Tariffs in the McKinley era, which loosely tracked the Gilded Age, led to more income for the federal government, but also a highly stratified society of haves and have-nots.

But just as Jackson allowed first-term Trump  a magnate who had little in common with many working-class voters he wooed  to take up the mantle of modern populist, McKinley gives Trump an intellectual justification and historical precedent for his love of tariffs.

Its a vibe shift for sure, said Eric Rauchway, a history professor at the University of California, Davis, and author of Murdering McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelts America.

It's also an example of Trump taking policy actions to move the country in a certain direction  or simply declaring what he wants to be true  then working backward to come up with an argument on why his instincts were correct all along.

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Trumps relationship to history, and so many other things, is entirely transactional, said Daniel Feller, a professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee and former longtime editor of The Papers of Andrew Jackson.

From the Peoples President to the 'Napoleon of Protection

Jackson was the founder of the Democratic Party, though many on the left now reject him for being a slaveholder who imposed the Trail of Tears on Native Americans. Orphaned at 14, Jackson taught himself the law and eventually became wealthy.

Yet he created a political persona around advocating for everyday Americans. Trump, during his first term, referred to Jackson as the Peoples President.

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McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901, six months into his second term, was born in Niles, Ohio, outside Youngstown. He fought with the Union army and preferred throughout his political career to be called Major, the Civil War honorary title he earned.

As a congressman, McKinley was known as the "Napoleon of Protection for promoting the 1890 Tariff Act, which sharply raised import taxes on thousands of goods in an effort to protect American producers when there was no federal income tax. It ultimately increased prices domestically, hurt U.S. exporters and helped spark the Panic of 1893, the worst economic downturn until the Great Depression.

McKinley also represents a burst of American colonial expansion. He annexed Hawaii and oversaw the U.S. taking control of the Philippines. His administration also acquired new territories in Guam and Puerto Rico, established a military government in Cuba and sent troops to China.

Today, Trump has talked about the U.S. invading Panama and Greenland, making Canada the 51st state and turning the Gaza Strip into the Riviera of the Middle East.

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In July, in comments about which of his predecessors got prime White House wall space, Trump mentioned the Great Andrew Jackson. But he praised McKinley, saying that the U.S. was the wealthiest from 1870 to 1913, when it was an all-tariff country.

We had a couple of presidents that were very, very strong, Trump told his Cabinet then. McKinley, I guess, more than anybody.

On social media last week, a Trump aide posted a picture of a new, gold-framed portrait in the West Wing featuring Trump alongside McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay, over the title The Tariff Men. Lincoln used high tariffs for Civil War funding, Jefferson was a free-trade advocate but supported some tariffs to bolster domestic industries. Clay, as House speaker, helped pass a major tariff act in 1824.

Tariffs hurt Republicans in McKinley's day

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What Trump doesn't mention is that McKinley's tariffs helped cost the GOP its House majority in 1890, with McKinley himself among those defeated. He returned to Ohio, was elected governor and, despite going bankrupt over a bad investment in a tin plate company, won the White House in 1896.

After that, though, Rauchway said, McKinley actually didn't push tariffs as much following his experience with them in Congress. Just before he was killed, McKinley also talked up the need for international trade.

That didn't stop Trump, in announcing sweeping tariffs around the globe in April, from saying the U.S. had been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far.

His championing of tariffs isn't totally new. In his first term, Trump ordered some higher import taxes on solar panels, washing machines and steel and aluminum imports. He also occasionally praised McKinley, then, as when he said in a 2019 speech that the 25th president was very strong on protecting our assets, protecting our country.

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But Trump conceded in that same speech, Im totally off script.

That's no longer the case. Trump continually promotes McKinley's place in history.

McKinley was a great president, Trump said during last month's Cabinet meeting. Who never got credit.
KAMPALA (Reuters) -Jailed Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye boycotted the start of his treason trial on Monday, accusing the presiding judge of bias, his attorney said.

Besigye's months-long detention has shone a spotlight on President Yoweri Museveni's human rights record ahead of polls early next year in which Museveni, 80, is seeking re-election.

The trial of Besigye and his aide, Obed Lutale, was supposed to start on Monday after months of delays, but both defendants decided to boycott the proceedings after the judge, Emmanuel Baguma, refused to recuse himself, their attorney Eron Kiiza told Reuters.

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Besigye's attorneys cited Baguma's decision to deny Besigye bail as the basis for the accusations of bias.

Judiciary spokesperson James Ereemye Mawanda said there was no justification for the bias accusations and confirmed that Baguma had refused to recuse himself. Judge Baguma could not be reached immediately.

"Besigye and Lutale took a decision never to appear before Judge Baguma," attorney Kiiza said.

"He is incapable of delivering justice with fairness and impartiality as required by the constitution and logic," Kiiza added.

A former ally and personal physician of Museveni, Besigye has stood and lost against Museveni in four elections. He has not indicated whether he wants to run again.

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He was detained alongside his aide in November last year in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda where both were subsequently charged with treason and other offences, initially in a military tribunal before the case was transferred to a civilian court.

He denies the charges.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Andrew Heavens)
RAK Properties, one of Ras Al Khaimahs top real estate developers, has teamed up with UAE fintech firm Hubpay to enable property purchases using digital assets.

Key Takeaways:

RAK Properties will now accept crypto payments for real estate through a partnership with fintech firm Hubpay.

The move targets younger, digital-first investors and supports Ras Al Khaimahs Vision 2030 strategy.

All crypto transactions will be fully regulated, converted into dirhams, and settled directly into RAK Properties accounts.

The new partnership allows international buyers to pay for properties with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether, according to a report by local news outlet Gulf Business.

The crypto payments would be instantly converted into dirhams through Hubpays platform and settled directly into RAK Properties accounts.

RAK Properties Targets Global, Crypto-Savvy Buyers in Real Estate Push

The move comes as part of a wider strategy to position Ras Al Khaimah as a global real estate destination. It also reflects RAK Properties push to attract younger, digitally native investors.

Hubpay, regulated by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), facilitates compliant transactions by handling the crypto side through its Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)-licensed partners.

According to RAK Properties CFO Rahul Jogani, the initiative underscores the developers commitment to innovation and marks a new chapter in its 20-year journey.

By enabling the use of digital assets, we are engaging a new ecosystem of investment-savvy, digital-first clients, he said, adding that the firm is focused on expanding accessibility to global buyers.

The agreement aligns with Ras Al Khaimahs Vision 2030, which outlines plans for economic diversification, infrastructure growth, and greater foreign investment.

Accepting crypto payments for real estate is a bold step in that direction, opening the door for affluent digital asset holders to participate in the emirates evolving property market.

Hubpay CEO Kevin Kilty described the partnership as a turning point for crypto integration in the regions real estate sector.

He emphasized that transactions will maintain high levels of regulatory oversight and security.

The timing coincides with the ongoing expansion of Mina Al Arab, a key waterfront development in Ras Al Khaimah.

More than 800 units are set for delivery by years end, and the addition of crypto payment options is expected to broaden its global investor base.

UAE Continues to Attract Crypto Firms

The move comes as the UAE continues to position itself as a regional hub for blockchain innovation and crypto finance, with regulatory clarity attracting major global players.
The pro-Trump rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election now want compensation for what they believe were unfair prosecutions.

A proposal put forward by a lawyer for the rioters could be a major step in attempts to rewrite the history of that day, effectively designating those who stormed the building and fought police as victims deserving of reparations from the government.

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump granted clemency to those who had committed crimes during the Capitol riot. In the subsequent months, he permitted his Department of Justice to dismiss many federal agents and prosecutors who had worked to hold them accountable.

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Despite now being free and having those who sought justice for their crimes punished, the rioters now want financial restitution.

The New York Times reports that on Thursday, Mark McCloskey, a lawyer for the rioters, stated during a public social media meeting that he recently met with senior officials at the Justice Department and proposed a plan to establish a special panel that would award financial damages to the rioters  inspired by the appointment of a special master to disburse funds to victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

People charged with offenses at the January 6 Capitol riot, who were subsequently pardoned by President Donald Trump, are now seeking compensation (Getty Images)

The panel, which McCloskey called a voluntary nonjudicial resolution committee, would review rioters cases individually, he said, then assign them amounts based on the harms they claimed to have suffered from the federal government.

He would want it to be led by Jeanine Pirro, now in charge of the District of Columbia federal prosecutors office that filed charges against the almost 1,600 people who took part in the attack on Congress.

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McCloskey first came into the public eye in 2020 when he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at social justice protesters outside his home in St. Louis in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.

Now, the Missouri lawyer has joined forces with Peter Ticktin, a former classmate and a lawyer with close connections to Trump, and since March has been leading efforts to secure reparations for the rioters, with plans to sue the government.

The original intention was to bring a claim that those prosecuted for attacking Congress had been mistreated by the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons. In May, a settlement of nearly $5 million in a separate case concerning the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police during the riot, raised hopes about the future of other cases.

However, Justice Department lawyers have also formally opposed a lawsuit brought by five members of the Proud Boys who were charged with sedition over their roles in the riot.

Family and friends of imprisoned rioters waited outside the DC Central Detention Facility in Washington, DC, on Trump's inauguration day for their release (AFP via Getty Images)

McCloskey said in the online meeting that there were significant difficulties regarding the legal action, particularly relating to his original plan to file cases under the Federal Tort Claims Act  suing the government for injuries caused by federal employees.

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Tort cases have a two-year statute of limitations, and it has been almost five years since the Capitol riot.

However, McCloskey assured rioters that Ed Martin, the Stop the Steal organizer turned Justice Department special attorney, is on their side in their quest for compensation.

Given the unprecedented use of the pardon power by Trump regarding the Capitol riot and the subsequent firings of the Justice Department officials and FBI agents who worked on the cases, the push for compensation shows the rioters are still not entirely satisfied.

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, freed by Trump from a 22-year prison term stemming posted a list of demands to the administration in a social media message over the weekend, including a call for compensation for the rioters for their suffering and that of their families and the firing of everyone involved in cases brought against them.

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Four individuals in the mob died on January 6, 2021, including Babbitt; two of these deaths resulted from natural causes, and one was due to an overdose.

Additionally, five officers died in the subsequent days and weeks following the attack, with two of these deaths being suicides.
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Archaeologists in Japan have located long-lost treasures from the tomb of Emperor Nintoku, which have been missing for nearly 200 years, perAncient Origins.

The artifacts were discovered amongst a private collection belonging to Masuda Takashi, a wealthy Japanese businessman and art collector who lived from 1848 until 1938. It was a most unexpected spot to find the treasures, which had been missing since 1872 when they were stolen from the countrys largest burial mound. The relics were obtained by the Kokugakuin University from a private art deal last year, still wrapped in the original paper and bearing handwritten labels with the authentic seal of Kaichiro Kashiwagi, who originally documented the mounds contents.

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Researchers speculate that, due to the conditions under which Kashiwagi examined the mounds artifacts, he was potentially able to make off with some of the contents following his work. After archiving the coterie of knives, armor, helmets, sword fittings, and glassware, Kashiwagi was required to seal the chamber to prevent the tomb from being excavated. That effectively made him the only person to know the contents of the tomb, with no one else able to check his inventory report.

Archaeologists Say These Artifacts Were 'Prestige Items'

A gold-plated knife is amongst the most rare of the discoveries. Still in its original cypress sheath and wrapped in a gold-plated copper, researchers say that no other such knife is known to exist within fifth-century kofun burials. Its unlikely the knives were used for combat due to how they were stored and created, which scientists say represents the cutting-edge of craftsmanship at that time. "These were not battlefield weapons, explained Kokugakuin University archaeologist Taro Fukazawa, adding that they were most likely used in ceremonies. They were prestige items, created solely as offerings, demonstrating the immense political and economic power of the imperial court."

This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called out Donald Trump for planning what he described an invasion with U.S. troops in Chicago, while laying out what he believes are the presidents true motivations for targeting the Windy City.

In an interview with CBSs Face the Nation broadcast on Sunday, Pritzker warned the state would respond if Trump goes ahead with his Chicago crime crackdown, which could reportedly happen as soon as this week.

We hope that they dont send any troops along with ICE, and if they do, theyll be in court pretty quickly, because that is illegal, he said.

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Officials told The Washington Post last month that the administration has long been mulling a military intervention in Chicago as well as an expanded action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify undocumented migrants in the city.

Related: JB Pritzker Goads Trump Over His Crime Crackdown: 'Where Are The Epstein Files?'

Trump has repeatedly described crime in Chicago as TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL and, over the weekend, called Pritzker weak and pathetic, warning that he better straighten [crime] out, FAST, or were coming!

Pritzker has rejected Trumps claims that there is a crime emergency in the city, ripping the president for considering deploying the National Guard in the countrys third most populous city, adding that the administration has not communicated any of its plans to the state.

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Well, its an invasion with U.S. troops, if they, in fact, do that, he said of the potential troop deployment.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he hopes the Trump administration doesnt send National Guard troops, along with ICE and other federal agents, to Chicago in the coming weeks as part of its crackdown on crime, but if it does, they'll be in court pretty quickly, he warns.



That pic.twitter.com/BV9AfXkuoa  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 31, 2025

The Democratic governor added that the president is using the pretext of fighting crime to pursue other goals of his.

Hed like to stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections, Pritzker told CBSs Ed OKeefe. Hell just claim that theres some problem with an election, and then hes got troops on the ground that can take control if, in fact, hes allowed to do this.

Prior to setting his sights on Chicago, Trump last month declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., following the attack of an administration staffer  despite statistics showing crime has actually fallen in the past year  deploying National Guard troops and seizing control of the capitals police force to deal with crime there.

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The president previously federalized the California National Guard and sent troops into Los Angeles following protests against immigration enforcement. California sued over the move, and that case is ongoing.

Related: Airbnbs Billionaire Co-Founder Explains Why He Ditched Dems And Went Full MAGA

Asked if he believes Trump is an authoritarian leader, Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential hopeful, did not offer a direct answer, but said he is deeply worried about the state of the country under the presidents direction.

I built a Holocaust Museum. I know what the history was of a constitutional republic being overturned, after an election, in 53 days. And Im very, very concerned, Pritzker said. The playbook is the same. Its thwart the media, its create mayhem that requires military interdiction. These are things that happen throughout history, and Donald Trump is just following that playbook.

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Read the original on HuffPost
NEED TO KNOW

Jodi Hildebrandt's niece Jessi is speaking out about the torture they allegedly endured at the hands of Jodi in a new docuseries Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence

Jodi and her business partner, Ruby Franke, were sentenced to prison on four convictions of child abuse, PEOPLE reported last year, and were sentenced to serve between four and 30 years in prison

The idea that she could somehow get herself out of this is terrifying to me, Jessi says



Jessi Hildebrandt was on a family trip to Utah celebrating their grandparents' wedding anniversary when the then-16-year-old got into a fight with their mom over washing dishes.

I was just a 16-year-old bratty teenager, Jessi, now 32, tells PEOPLE. Jessi, who uses they/them pronouns, says they refused to wash the dishes, went downstairs to the basement and slammed the door.

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Jessis mom allegedly went back to California without them, and it wasnt long before Jessi moved in full-time to the Utah home of their aunt, therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, in the late 2000s.

I was deeply depressed, incredibly angry and anxious, says Jessi, who grew up a devout Mormon. I just knew that I had basically dropped out of school, I was grounded all of the time, I was always in trouble. And I thought in the beginning, Okay, maybe Jodi can help. Maybe this is the answer to my prayer. She's a professional. She's my aunt. I'm going to be compliant.

It wasnt long before she got me involved in the Jodi method, says Jessi, who appears in the four-part docuseries Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence, premiering Monday, Sept. 1 at 9/8c on ID.

The docuseries delves into the abusive partnership between Jodi Hildebrand and her business partner Ruby Franke, who first gained prominence in 2015 when she started her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, with her ex-husband, Kevin Franke.

Investigation Discovery/YouTube Jessi Hildebrandt Jessi Hildebrandt

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It explores Jodis rise to power within the Mormon community through her popular ConneXions program  and how that program led her to Franke, a mother of six, and laid the foundation for the twisted bond they shared.

The duo was arrested in August 2023 after Frankes 12-year-old son had escaped Hildebrandts home, where he was bound and starved, and made his way to a neighbors house seeking help.

The neighbor called 911, leading local police to then discover Frankes 9-year-old daughter being held captive in a similar situation. Authorities said the two women subjected Frankes two youngest children to torture, which included dressing the childrens wounds with cayenne pepper and honey, forcing them to work in the sweltering heat for hours with little food or water and plunging the youngest sons head underwater.

Both women were ultimately sentenced to prison on four convictions of child abuse, PEOPLE reported last year, and were sentenced to serve between four and 30 years in prison.

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It's the same stuff she was doing to me, she just refined and got better at it and then continued to do it to two of those kids, says Jessi, who spent close to a year living with Jodi before they escaped. It's psychological warfare, emotional, physical. And I think the scariest part to me is I think at this point she believes it. I think she believes her insanity, which I think makes her even more dangerous.

Jessi says it didnt take long for Jodi to start chipping away at their identity, sense of self and sense of reality after moving in with the mother of two.

They were forced to cut their hair, barred from wearing makeup and playing the piano and studying.

She focused on the things that brought me the most identity and took them from me, they say. And at the time, even while I was in it, I didn't know that this was abuse. I thought the reason it wasn't working was because of some defect in me that I wasn't trying hard enough, that I wasn't spiritual enough, faithful enough, that I was manipulating and lying, and I didn't even know that's what I was doing.

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I was so grateful that Jodi was helping me because she was fighting for my soul, Jessi says. And I believed it. She would use this phrase, masterful manipulator, constantly with me. My conclusion was, I must be such a good manipulator and liar that I don't even know that I'm doing it. I have to just fully trust whatever Jodi says is the truth because I don't know what is real.

Moms of Truth/ Instagram Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke with their 6 children. Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke with their 6 children.

Jessi wasnt allowed to close the door of the bathroom and was allotted seven minutes to shower.

I wasn't allowed to use tampons because she was convinced I was a sex addict and that I was masturbating with them, Jessi says.

The alleged torture included being duct taped across their mouth, sleeping outside on Jodis balcony in the middle of the winter in Utah and being forced to run for hours at a time. In her own words, she wanted to make my life so uncomfortable that it would force the sin out, Jessi says.

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And a lot of what she would tell me is, Satan is working through you, says Jessi. Jesus is literally, not figuratively, but literally working through her. And that I should be grateful because she was saving me from Satan. This was a fight for my soul. I believed all of this so fully and thoroughly that I deserved this, that God was testing me. And if I can just get through this, then I'll be a good righteous Mormon child."

After almost a year living there, Jessi says they ran away and ended up in a homeless shelter before eventually making their way to Los Angeles where they became a tattoo artist. Jessi now lives in Berlin, Germany.

Between the shelter and here it's a lot of iterations of myself and a lot of chapters and phases, they say. It feels like I've had many, many lifetimes between 17 and now.

I don't want to put too much of a bow on it, but I mean, I still deal with the after-effects of living with Jodi every day, Jessi says. I have severe, complex PTSD from that experience that affects me every day.

Jessi says that they continue to speak out about Jodi because I just want to see her held accountable. I want her to never have access to any vulnerable person ever again. I want her to never have access to anyone ever again.

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The thought of Jodi getting out of prison one day is always looming in the back of my mind.

The idea that she could somehow get herself out of this is terrifying to me, Jessi says. She has no moral framework. I think she believes in her own delusions that she really is doing God's work.

In March, Jodi Hildebrandt challenged her conviction claiming ineffective counsel, per KTVX.

Her attorney could not be reached for comment.

The four-part docuseries Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence, premieres Monday, Sept. 1 at 9/8c on ID.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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NEED TO KNOW

A woman in Alaska was attacked by a bear after leaving her home in the early hours of the morning for a jog on Aug. 26

She was found by a neighbor and rushed to a hospital in Anchorage with "serious injuries"

The woman, identified as Ariean Fabrizio Colton by a GoFundMe, came out of an initial surgery and is recovering, though she remains in critical condition

A woman in Alaska is recovering after being attacked by a bear while on her morning jog.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Alaska Department of Public Safety confirmed in a press release that police were alerted about an incident involving a 36-year-old woman at around 6:58 a.m. near Chinook Drive in Kenai.

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The victim, identified as Ariean Fabrizio Colton by multiple outlets and an as yet unverified GoFundMe page, left her home roughly an hour earlier and "was near her driveway when the initial attack occurred, officials said.

"A neighbor came outside and located her. The victim was medivac[ed] to an Anchorage area hospital with serious injuries, the release continued. Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Kenai Police Department, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game personnel searched the area on foot and with a drone looking for the bear.

The Department of Public Safety added, The bear has not been located. Patrols of the area will continue, and the public is advised to remain vigilant while outdoors.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Alaska Wildlife Trooper David Lorring told KTUU that the bear dragged the woman approximately 100 yards down the road" onto a neighbor's property. She had only made it approximately 50 yards from her home before the attack occurred, with the bear coming "out of another property."

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The trooper said that the neighbor who found the victim went outside after previously being awoken by sounds of a bear.

He heard the barking, wolfing sound of a bear, hed been around bears before and he thought a bear might have got a dog and was doing something in the neighborhood, Lorring told the outlet. He didnt really think much of it and then he heard it some more. [In] daylight, he walked out there and located a female in the woods on his property.

Lorring added that the woman was in shock while bleeding from her face and scalp. However, she was still conscious and able to speak.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety told USA TODAY on Friday, Aug. 29 that the woman was still in critical condition.

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Lorring told KTUU that officials believe the bear is a brown bear and that there were no signs that indicated the animal was protecting food.

In a statement on Facebook, Alaska State Troopers urged residents in the area be on high alert.

Alaska State Troopers Facebook Alaska State Troopers Alaska State Troopers

Please remain vigilant when outdoors, supervise children and pets closely, and secure attractants such as trash, pet food, and bird feeders, they continued. If you encounter a bear, keep a safe distance and do not approach.

The City of Kenai Police Department confirmed later on Tuesday that the bear had still not been found and urged people to report any possible sightings.

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A GoFundMe page, organized by Amanda Colton, has so far raised nearly $80,000. The money will go towards the womans medical bills, surgeries, and rehabilitation.

On Tuesday morning, August 26, 2025, Ariean Fabrizio Colton was attacked by a bear outside her home while going for a jog, the description read. She is stable, but has suffered severe injuries that will require extensive surgeries and a long hospital stay. The family lives 2.5 hours from the hospital and will need a lot of support as Ariean recovers.

The family had just moved to Alaska earlier this summer, according to the statement.

Ariean is a loving wife, mother of three, and a nurse, known for her adventurous spirit and love of nature, the description added. She is extremely kind-hearted, strong, and resilient, and is always willing to help those in need.



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In a Saturday, Aug. 30 update on the fundraiser, the organizer confirmed that "doctors are positive and hopefuly" after she came out of "her initial surgery"

However, they noted that "It is still a long road to recovery,"

PEOPLE contacted the City of Kenai Police Department, the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS), Alaska Department of Fish and Game for further comment and the GoFundMe page for verification.

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A federal judge has blocked Donald Trumps administration from rapidly deporting immigrants by using a fast-tracked removal process central to the presidents mass deportation agenda.

The expedited removal process applies to undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country longer than two years  historically, that meant people illegally crossing the southern border.

But the Trump administration expanded that process nationwide. Immigration court judges have been ordered to swiftly dismiss immigrants cases, generating scenes of masked federal agents patrolling courthouse hallways and hauling immigrants away the moment they leave their hearings or their court-ordered check-in appointments.

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District Judge Jia M. Cobb in Washington, D.C., argued that the administration risks wrongfully removing people and violating due process rights for people who have long since entered the country.

That means that they have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment, wrote Cobb, who was appointed by Joe Biden. Prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from fast-tracked deportation proceedings that have sparked chaotic scenes of arrests inside immigration courts across the country. (AFP via Getty Images)

Once those people are wrongfully removed, it is largely too late to correct the error, she wrote.

In defending this skimpy process, the government makes a truly startling argument: that those who entered the country illegally are entitled to no process under the Fifth Amendment, but instead must accept whatever grace Congress affords them, she added.

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If that was the case, everyone would be at risk, she argued.

The government could accuse you of entering unlawfully, relegate you to a bare-bones proceeding where it would prove your unlawful entry, and then immediately remove you, she explained. By merely accusing you of entering unlawfully, the government would deprive you of any meaningful opportunity to disprove its allegations. Fortunately, that is not the law.

The administrations actions to strip legal status from immigrants who are in the middle of their court cases have radically expanded a pool of undocumented people to add to the presidents demands for mass deportations.

Under a previous policy that the Trump administration has since disbanded, federal agents were barred from making courthouse arrests in an effort to prevent a palpable fear that disincentivizes people from appearing for their hearings, according to a recent class-action lawsuit.

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But in the first few days of the Trump administration, defendants repealed those policies, exposing individuals who properly appear for their hearings, including to seek asylum and other relief, to the imminent threat of arrest and indefinite detention, the lawsuit stated.

The expedited removal process risks violating due process and illegally deporting people without a chance to challenge allegations against them, according to an order from Biden-appointed Judge Jia Cobb (Getty Images)

A federal judge in New York last month condemned the Trump administration's "arbitrary" practice of arresting immigrants as they leave their court hearings, which has created what he calls a "game of detention roulette" that violates due process.

Nearly 200,000 people have been removed from the country since Trump took office, according to federal data. That pace of arrests and removals puts the Department of Homeland Security on track for its highest number of removals in a decade.

More than 60,000 people are detained in immigration detention centers across the country.

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Cobb's order could significantly slow the pace of those efforts, targeting what has become a pillar of the Trump administration's "de-legalization" campaign.

"The Trump administration's expansion of fast-track deportations has subjected thousands of people to an unfair, arbitrary, and error-prone system," according to the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project senior staff attorney Anand Balakrishnan, lead counsel in the lawsuit in Cobb's court.

"The court's decision reaffirms the fundamental principle that people receive due process when the government seeks to deport them or their families," Balakrishnan added.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administrations plan to send hundreds of unaccompanied Guatemalan children in the U.S. to Guatemala after lawyers for the children made a pre-dawn emergency appeal for 10 of the minors, who were already boarded on airplanes.

Shortly after 1 a.m. ET on Sunday, the advocacy group National Immigration Law Center filed a class action lawsuit along with its emergency appeal to halt the deportation of the children already on planes, writing in its complaint that it had learned that flights are reportedly scheduled to depart the United States within the next 2 to 4 hours and that the administration was illegally transferring them to Immigration Customs Enforcenent (ICE) custody to put them on flights to Guatemala.

U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan had temporarily blocked the administration from deporting the children, and initially set an emergency hearing for 3 p.m. on Sunday, but moved the hearing earlier to 12:30 p.m. after being notified the Guatemalan children were in the process of being removed from the U.S.

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I have the government attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, but here we are, Sooknanan said, via Politico.

I have conflicting narratives from both sides here, she said, noting that what she was hearing from the advocates for the children doesnt quite line up with what Im getting from the government.

Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order to halt the removal of the 10 children, ages 10-17, for 14 days. The judge expanded the order to cover any Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the complaint, these minors could number in the hundreds.

A government lawyer told Reuters on Sunday evening that the children that it had planned to fly to Guatemala were removed from the airplanes and were being placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

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In the dead of night on a holiday weekend, the Trump administration ripped vulnerable, frightened children from their beds and attempted to return them to danger in Guatemala, Efren C. Olivares, Vice President of Litigation and Legal Strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement. We are heartened the Court prevented this injustice from occurring before hundreds of children suffered irreparable harm. We are determined to continue fighting to protect the interest of our plaintiffs and all class members until the effort is enjoined permanently.

In February, President Donald Trump issued an internal government memo ordering immigration agents to find and deport thousands of undocumented immigrant children who came to the U.S. without their parents, Reuters reported.

On Friday, CNN reported that the Trump administration had identified more than 600 children from Guatemala in the custody of the Health and Human Services Department to potentially deport as part of an agreement with Guatemala. Three sources told Reuters the plan was to start deportations this weekend. In July, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said his government was working together with the U.S. to repatriate unaccompanied children.

Per the Justice Departments Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew C. Ensign, 76 of the unaccompanied children were expected to be returned to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement by 10:30 p.m., with 16 of them having already been returned.

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For the 101st iteration of the Burning of Zozobra, organizers took the 50-foot effigy back to the future. Each year leading up to the 100th anniversary celebrated a decade of the annual traditions history thematically  from music to Old Man Glooms attire. This year, Zozobra went steampunk.

It was the perfect fit, Zozobra Event Chairman Ray Sandoval said in an interview several hours before the burn. This is Zozobras turn of the century, and Steampunk is all about the turn of the century  from the 1800s to the 1900s and the optimism about where technology could take you.

Zozobras hat and goggles gave the marionette a new look this year, but the big innovation came via his right hand, which this year was robotic and dexterous (Sandoval said the crew troubleshot a potentially offensive finger motion and avoided a limb malfunction).

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The Santa Fe Kiwanis Club has stewarded Zozobra, originally created in 1924 by Santa Fe artist William Will Howard Shuster Jr., since 1964. A large group of volunteers oversees its annual creation, including sewing his outfits. That brings some mental challenges, seamstress Carol McGiffin noted. She brings a vast background in theater and costuming to the task, but she says sewing Zozobras outfits doesnt fit any mold. Its not really costume, and its not really set construction and its not really set decorating, she said. Ive done all of that, but its some kind of weird melding. Its interesting. I like the way he looks. (McGiffin said she did not have any gloom to share).

Zozobras look may change from year to year, but the events fundamental mix of art, community and collective catharsis has never altered. The puppet is filled and surrounded by glooms in myriad forms. This writer has volunteered for many years at the event table at which attendees bring their glooms in physical form  X-rays, bank notes, old photographs  and at which they take pen to paper to write them down. For 2025, Source solicited online glooms in advance of the burning (which we brought to the event for incineration), and we took to the field at the event on Friday to talk with people about what glooms they had come to purge. The answers we received ran from the personal to the political  with the elected officials and political candidates with whom we spoke landing harder on the latter.

For Sandoval, gloom came in the form of public outcry over the removal of 12 Siberian Elms at Fort Marcy Park for the event, which he said opponents mischaracterized as a last-minute undertaking that had actually begun with outreach years ago.

My gloom is that we dont talk to each other anymore, Sandoval said. We are so buried in our devices that weve lost the ability to think, weve lost the ability to communicate, weve lost the ability to empathize and weve lost the ability to give the other person the benefit of the doubt. That is one of the most dangerous things, because a society that cant do that does not function. Hes sorry, he said, that I got heck about trees, but this event means the world to me, and these events remind us that we can put our devices down. We can be with ourselves. We can dance. We can have joy with one another. We can commiserate with one another. It reminds us of our own humanity.

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My gloom is that we don't talk to each other anymore.

 Zozobra Event Chairman Ray Sandoval

Zozobra Event Chairman Ray Sandoval received blowback from Santa Fe residents about the removal of 12 Siberian Elms in the park prior to the 2025 burning of Zozobra. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)

After dropping off glooms, attendee Grace Wood said she had written down losing her job this year. Adrian Salazars gloom: Its just the current state of the world, he said. Sarah Andrews was visiting from California, but knew about Zozobra because she formerly lived in Las Cruces. She wrote down gloom, she said between tears, for the recent loss of her her sister-in-law, her pain over her brothers anguish and the death of her father last year.

Santa Fe Kiwanis Club President Ned Harris understands the role Zozobra can play in personal grief. His late wife Elizabeth was Zozobras official seamstress before her death in 2022, and the year after she died, he burned a packet of the condolence cards he received. This year, he said, his gloom took on a more aspirational form, he said. Just things that I hope for myself, my community, my state, my country  from the ridiculous to the sublime.

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Ray Sandoval, event chairman for Zozobra, inspects the puppet Friday afternoon. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

At Zozobra 2025, the crowd gives the eternal chant to burn him. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Helene Luna performs as the Fire Spirit dancer during the 101st burning of Zozobra on Aug. 290, 2025. Luna, 60, has held the role for the last 14 years, which includes igniting the puppet and the worries stuffed inside. Luna recently announced plans to retire from the role. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Andy Primm, the drummer for the Zozobra Orchestra, practices the original score at rehearsal on Aug. 29, 2025. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

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Torchbearers march out during the 101st burning of Zozobra. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

People pen and place their worries, fears and glooms into boxes placed at the feet of the 50-foot marionette for burning. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

From left, Hazel Simmons, Meaghan Hannon and Sof Seluja write down their worries before the burn. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Santa Fe Kiwanis President Ned Harris said many "marvelous" transitions took place for the 101st burning of Zozobra, "passing of the mantle, if you will."

Zozobra Orchestra leader Ross Hamlin said his original score for the 101st burning had "five different compositions that serve five different roles in the overall landscape." Overall, he described the music as "gloomcore."

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New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department Deputy Communications Director Jessica shared her hope that further work can be done at the state and local level to address addiction. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Carol McGiffin, one of Zozobras seamstresses, said the construction for clothing the 50-foot marionette is unique: not quite set design, not quite costume design but something in between. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)

Kaleb Romero, 8, plays with a bubble gun before the burning of Zozobra, telling Source NM he had very little gloom, that day. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Sky Elements Drones returned for the 101st Zozobra, offering a light show that emphasized the steampunk theme as well as the event's importance to New Mexico. (Julia Goldberg/Source NM)

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The sun sets on Old Man Gloom. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

In the event, Zozobra burned, as he always has. (Julia Goldberg/Source NM)

New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department Deputy Communications Director Jessica Preston said her gloom is the public health issues that we have in Northern New Mexico, particularly substance use issues. Im hoping that we can all come together as a city, as a state, as a country, and help support those who are more vulnerable than ourselves, she said, adding: I would also say my own personal gloom, of course, is, the challenges that I faced in my own recovery.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, one of the Democratic contenders for the states next governor, also cited the people struggling in New Mexico as his gloom. The things that we need to do to make sure that they dont continue to struggle, whether its education or health care and people suffering with illness that arent getting medical care.

Bernalillo County DA and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sam Bregman joined other elected officials and political candidate on stage at Zozobra. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams Deputy Director of Communications Jodi McGinnis, who also is a long-time Zozobra volunteer who has worked on the seamstress team the last few years, summed up her gloom succinctly: HR1, the federal legislation otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Act, which contains cuts to Medicaid and other programs expected to hit New Mexico particularly hard.

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I wont call it that, McGinnis Porter said of the big beautiful bill moniker. I call it HR1, the GOP budget bill, and thats what I put in the gloom box.

Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene, who is running to be the next mayor of Santa Fe, also cited the federal government. Sadly, the gloom comes from outside of Santa Fe, he said. Right now we have to deal with stuff on the federal level that we cant deal with here locally.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, the Democrat who represents New Mexicos 3rd Congressional District, which includes Santa Fe, also identified the Trump administration as her gloom.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez dances with Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene to Arriba Nuevo Mexico just before the 101st burning of Zozobra on Aug. 30, 2025. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

My gloom was that we elected Trump, because all of the despair and masked men pulling people off the streets and the attack on our education and our beautiful people and culture. But you know what? Santa Fe knows how to deal with that. When he has fears, we choose joy. And when he has division, we choose community and unity, and then when he chooses darkness, we fight it with fire and light, she said.

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Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, also a Democratic candidate in New Mexicos 2026 gubernatorial race, said some of her gloom was the stress of moving and packing. As for the political climate: The gloom in Washington, DC. I dont know if theres a Zozobra big enough to burn it up, she said, but the way that we fight Trump is by working hard right here in New Mexico for the people we love and care about.

Former U.S. Interior Secretary and NM gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland said she wasnt sure there was a Zozobra big enough to burn all the gloom in Washington, D.C. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)

Not everyone brought gloom to burn. New Mexico native, retired Army Sergeant and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Leroy A. Petry, upon whom former President Barack Obama bestowed the honor in 2011 for his actions in Afghanistan, said he was home to attend the celebration, and was happy to be there with his father and brothers.

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor recipient, was attending Zozobra for the first time in decades, but attended frequently during his childhood in Santa Fe. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

This is a childhood memory of mine, he said. I havent really been home to see my family in a long time, and its just such a happy day for me. Petry, 46, added that he let go of all my gloom a long time ago, after I got injured. I lost my hand, I got shot through my legs, I had a heart attack last year. All these challenges and adversity keep coming into my life, but every day that I wake up and I open my eyes, I know Im blessed with another day. So I dont carry the gloom around with me. I let it go every night when I go to bed.
By Mariana Hernandez

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) -For 11 years, Fabiola Galicia worked her way up the ranks at a factory that produced decorative ribbons in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. Starting as a production line worker, she was eventually promoted to manager overseeing 30 employees.

But in June, her shift was cut to just three days a week. Then in August, a representative for Design Group Americas, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, shut down its Ciudad Juarez factory, leaving Galicia and some 300 other workers without jobs.

In court filings, the company partially blamed its troubles on tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Galicia said a company representative also blamed Trump. They told us the tariffs had affected the company, said Galicia, whose husband also worked at the company and was laid off.

Design Group Americas didnt respond to a request for comment about the layoffs.

Assembly plants in Ciudad Juarez, which import raw materials mostly duty free from around the world and export the finished product to the U.S., are in crisis. Trumps global trade war has added misery to an industry already facing a litany of challenges including rising wages and investor concern over reforms by Mexicos ruling leftist Morena party.

Known as maquiladoras, the plants account for roughly 60 percent of jobs in Ciudad Juarez. For decades one of the most important manufacturing hubs in Mexico, the citys industrial sector benefited in recent years as large numbers of multinational companies moved operations to Mexico to avoid U.S. tariffs on Chinese-produced products in a trend dubbed nearshoring.

But after booming growth and employment, many plants are now shedding workers and in some cases shutting down altogether.

Between June 2023 and June 2025, the municipality of Juarez lost more than 64,000 factory jobs, including nearly 14,000 in the first six months of the year, according to Mexicos National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

'CHERRY ON TOP'

The mass layoffs underscore the challenges facing Mexicos economy, which depends on free trade with the U.S.

Projected GDP growth for 2025 has stalled to less than one percent as companies struggle to stay afloat amid Trumps on-again, off-again tariffs.

Maria Teresa Delgado, vice president of the maquila association INDEX Juarez, said the industry is in crisis. Besides tariffs, she and six other business experts attributed the layoffs in Juarez to a combination of factors.

Factories experienced a decline in profit margins following a federally mandated increase in the minimum wage, they said. The minimum wage in Mexicos northern region has risen since 2019 from 22 pesos an hour ($1.17) to 52.48 pesos ($2.80).
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The 23rd annual Kansas City Irish Fest wrapped up this weekend at Crown Center with a heartfelt tribute to a man who left a lasting mark on the community.

For the past seven years, chef Shaun Brady led the festivals Sunday brunch. But last year, just one day before Irish Fest began, Brady was shot and killed while trying to stop a group of teenagers from stealing his car outside his restaurant Brady & Fox.

Bail agent questions Wyandotte County DAs remarks on accused cop killer

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Instead of canceling the event, organizers renamed it the Brady Brunch to honor him.

Its been a tough week for everybody, and to have this finally here and coming to fruition has been cathartic, Matt Scanlon, president of the KC Irish Fest Board of Directors, said. Weve been able to give hugs and see each other and really remember our friend Shaun.

Attendees said the brunch was about more than food and the traditional Irish recipes that meant so much to Brady. It was about keeping the beloved chefs spirit alive.

We used to go to Shauns restaurant, and he was very personable, attendee Beth Collins said. Its important for us to support his family. In fact, we bought an extra cookbook to give as a gift this year.

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We used to come to the breakfast when he was still with us, and he did the breakfast, so we remember him by coming here, attendee John Collins said.

Irish Fest co-founder Dan Regan said even though the past year has been incredibly painful, canceling Bradys brunch was never an option.

See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri

We were all shocked and stunned. We had a little toast for him that morning, but we decided this year planning the festival, that Shaun would be really angry with us if we let this stop after he worked so hard on it for seven years, Regan said.

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Festival organizers also released a cookbook filled with his recipes and remembrances from those closest to Brady. All proceeds go to his wife and two children.

Click here for information to purchase.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
A father and mother were killed and seven children injured in a tragic ATV accident in Piedmont, Alabama, over the Labor Day weekend.

Friends of the deceased have named them as Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins, both from Rome, Georgia, Atlanta News First reports.

Ragland, 34, was a father of 10 with two more children on the way, according to a GoFundMe account set up to support his family, while Hawkins was reportedly a mother of three, two of whom she shared with the deceased.

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The fatal accident occurred at around 3.45pm on Saturday afternoon at the Indian Mountain ATV Park, the coroners office in Cherokee County said, when a RZR vehicle carrying the two adults and seven children collided at high speed with a second ATV.

The first vehicle travelled 150 feet, rolled over and struck a tree. Ragland, whom his family said had been driving, was killed at the scene while Hawkins was airlifted to hospital in Birmingham where she died shortly afterwards, officials said.

The children involved were aged between one and 12, investigators said. Four were taken by air to the Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome and the remaining three were transported by road to Birmingham where they are currently receiving treatment. According to the GoFundMe, six of the children hurt in the crash were Raglands.

No one in the second ATV was injured, the coroners office said, and those on board attempted to come to the aid of the victims at the scene.

Marcus Ragland has been identified by friends and family as one of two people killed in a tragic ATV accident on Saturday August 30 2025 that also left seven children injured (Marcus Ragland/Facebook)

At a press conference on Sunday, Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver was asked whether the victims had been wearing seatbelts and whether intoxication had played a part. Sheriff Shaver said his team was waiting on a toxicology report but said they are currently working on the understanding that speeding alone was the cause of the crash.

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Raglands grieving family has paid tribute to their lost loved one.

Im still waiting on him to come through the door but I know hes not coming, his mother Felecia Towers told 11 Alive.

Towers said her son was a regular at the ATV park, adding: This time he wanted to take his children with him, you know, to share the fun. They were ready to go, so it just ended up being a tragedy. I just hate it.

This is just so hard to deal with. Its just so hard, she said. Im going to miss him. I loved him so. He was a good boy. He was really fun to be around. He met no strangers. He was friends with everyone.

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Family friend Monica Watkins told WSB-TV 2 Atlanta she was temporarily caring for other children involved in the case and said: They keep just asking for momma, and I dont want to say because we havent told them about her yet.

I have to be strong for these babies because Im going to have to play the mother role. I can never replace their mom, but Im going to have to feel like mom.

I want this community to pray with us, but also pray for the other children.

On Facebook, a woman who identified herself as the mother of one of Raglands unborn children paid tribute to him in a post that read: Im at a loss for words.. i just want this to be a bad dream.. my baby.. his babies.. my heart is torn into pieces and theres absolutely nothing i can do.

Im angry im sad our baby will never get the chance to meet her daddy and that right there literally tears me down so bad .. Marcus Ragland i miss you so much man.. I just dont understand..
Keep our streets clean; Local woman encourages community to pick up trash

Cigarette butts, broken beer bottles and food wrappers are just a few of the things a woman in Fairborn picks up on the sidewalks downtown every day.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Taylor Robertson joined Cyndie Lyons on her daily walk to pick up trash.

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Lyons said the most concerning thing to her is the amount of cigarette butts lying around.

She said this habit started when she first moved to the city.

The first time I took my dog out for a walk, he got a piece of glass stuck in his paw, and then when I got upon closer inspection, I realized that theres glass all over the sidewalk, Lyons said.

Lyons said she spends at least 15 minutes a day picking up trash.

Shes gotten quick and can do the entire downtown stretch at one time.

People have stopped me throughout the years (and said), What are you doing? Why are you doing that? And Ill tell them, and then a couple of weeks later or so, Ill see them picking up trash, she said.

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Shes seen a positive impact, but that isnt always the case.

Someone spit at me last week, and I dont know why, but I just wiped the spit off and I just kept cleaning up. And then someone, a few minutes later, came up to me, shook my hand, (and) thanked me. So youre gonna have both sides of the coin, Lyons said.

According to the City of Fairborns website, the city regularly performs sweeping operations to keep the streets clean.

They added that it takes everyone to keep Fairborn looking beautiful.

People think the city cleans it up only. They cant. Its the peoples responsibility to keep our streets clean, Lyons said.

The City of Fairborn is committed to maintaining a clean, welcoming, and vibrant downtown for our residents, businesses, and visitors. We understand that litter is a concern, and our crews work diligently to keep public spaces clean. However, keeping Fairborn beautiful is a shared responsibility. We encourage residents, visitors, and community groups to get involved through programs such as Adopt-a-Highway and our Community Clean-up resources. If you are part of a service organization, church, volunteer committee, or other group and would like to participate, our Street Department can provide trash bags, gloves, and safety vests. For more information, please call 937-754-3025. City of Fairborn spokesperson

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  For more than 55 years, SOLVE has been uniting Oregonians to restore and protect the beautiful Beaver State.

CEO Kris Carico explains how you can get involved with future clean-ups.

Learn more about SOVEs work and upcoming volunteer opportunities from more than a hundred local non-profits at The Standard Volunteer Expo!

The free event is happening Thursday, September 4th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Sir Keir Starmer has moved to toughen up his government by bringing Rachel Reevess former deputy from the Treasury to strengthen his Downing Street operation.

With Labour languishing eight points behind Reform in the polls and a sense that Sir Keir is not in control of the political agenda, Darren Jones has been moved to a new role of chief secretary to the prime minister.

Sir Keir has also brought in world-leading economist Minouche Shafik as his new chief economic adviser in a move that will allow him to take more control of economic policy.

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The shake-up follows growing criticism of Ms Reeves, who faces a difficult few months ahead amid growing speculation that she is likely to have to announce major tax rises in the Budget. While she is expected to remain in post, her authority  and the power of the Treasury, which has been vehemently criticised by Labour backbenchers  will be much diluted.

Mr Jones is replaced as chief Treasury secretary by loyalist James Murray, while Daniel Tomlinson, who only became an MP last year, is promoted to a junior Treasury ministerial role.

Chief Secretary Darren Jones (PA)

Mr Jones, who will report directly to the prime minister, has been seen as a rising star in the government and giving him a key role in Sir Keirs Downing Street team is seen as a major power move by the prime minister. It is hoped his arrival will bring new political leadership to the central operation, as well as giving the prime minister more of an insight into the workings of the Treasury.

There had been concerns that Sir Keir had allowed Ms Reeves to decide both economic and domestic policy while he travelled the world stage and concentrated on international politics. The situation was blamed for the calamities over winter fuel payment and disability benefit cuts which led to a full-scale revolt just before the summer.

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Ms Reeves is thought to have survived a summer reshuffle mainly because the markets were spooked during her tearful appearance at PMQs when Sir Keir refused to guarantee her future.

Meanwhile, the biggest casualty of Sir Keirs mini-reshuffle is James Lyons, brought in just a year ago to run strategic communications, who has been shown the door. He is the second major Downing Street departure announced in just a week with Nin Pandit, Sir Keirs principal private secretary, also set to leave.

Both Pandit and Lyons were brought in as part of an earlier reset following the resignation of Sue Gray as chief of staff last year.

Mr Lyons told colleagues: It was an honour to be asked to come in. Im proud to have helped to get a grip on Whitehall comms after what was a difficult few first months for the government.

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But I gave up a lot to come in and this was never intended as a long haul. When I came back from the summer break I told colleagues I was looking to leave by the end of the year. Ive brought this forward to be part of the other changes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (PA Archive)

It comes as Sir Keir admitted that most people feel that their living standards havent gone up and their public services arent what they deserve, saying he wants to deliver that change as quickly as possible.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live, hours after the government changes were announced, the prime minister admitted that he too was frustrated by the pace of change.

I do want to go further and faster and yes I am frustrated. I get the frustration and anger of voters, because they want change, he said.

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Sir Keir has also directly appointed Baroness Shafik as his chief economic adviser to support the prime minister on economic affairs in another sign that he wants a more hands-on approach to economic policy rather than leaving it to his chancellor.

It is hoped this role and the additional expertise will support the government to go further and faster in driving economic growth and raising living standards for all.

Baroness Shafik is a world-leading economist whose career has straddled public policy and academia. She served as the permanent secretary of the UKs Department for International Development and deputy governor of the Bank of England, where she sat on the monetary, financial and prudential policy committees.

However, former director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), Paul Johnson, gave a scathing assessment about what the reshuffle said about the government.

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Speaking to Hugo Rifkind on Times Radio, he said: It's extraordinary, more than a year into this government, theyre only just working out that they might need some senior economic expertise within Number 10, both at a political level and at the adviser level.

Its yet another example, I think, of how staggeringly unprepared this government was for government, despite the fact that they essentially knew they were going to win the election some considerable time out.

I think it is important for the prime minister to be able to have conversations at an equal level with the chancellor but what they really mustn't end up doing is having rows between the two of them, having different focuses and different senses of direction. That way real chaos lies.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56)  More than $2 million in federal funding is available to assist victims of domestic violence.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced last week that local organizations can start applying.

This funding will be used to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in Kentucky under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). GreenHouse17 is a Lexington organization that works to protect victims of abuse, and organizers say funding like the VAWA helps support its efforts.

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GreenHouse17 serves 17 counties in central Kentucky, providing resources for people who dont know where to turn. Governor Beshear says domestic violence is something far too many Kentuckians experience, which is why his administration has made it a priority to fight against these horrific crimes and support survivors. Darlene Thomas, executive director for GreenHouse17, says funding is critical in the line of work the nonprofit does. She adds the organization serves more than 6-thousand men, women, and children a year.

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I wish it were about 50 million available across the whole state. But we are grateful, and we will apply for what is available, and we appreciate, you know, the fact that there is this sense of value to what were doing, and having some funding to be able to do that is extremely important, said Thomas.

GreenHouse17 provides counseling, emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis line, and legal advocacy. Leaders with the nonprofit say these resources are prime examples of why federal funding helps them.

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Over 30,000 protective orders are filed a year in the state of Kentucky. Survivors who have an advocate present will follow through with what they need for their safety about 80% of the time, and survivors who dont have an advocate present with them in court will only follow through about 20% of the time. So having the funding and the resources to be present so that survivors know their choices, their options, that theyre not alone in this process and that there are people who can help explain it, Thomas said.

More than $149 million has been awarded to victim service agencies in the state by the Beshear-Coleman administration since he became governor.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

Were just really grateful for the advocacy of our legislature and our government that continues to ensure that funding does come to Kentucky to support domestic violence survivors and their children, Thomas said.

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Applications must be submitted online by 6 p.m. on Sept. 26. Awards are expected to be announced in December. The award date will begin January 1, 2026.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
Kenya has hired a former Trump administration official to lobby Washington, according to the Daily Nation newspaper.

Nairobi signed an agreement with Continental Strategy  the lobbying firm founded by Carlos Trujillo, a former US ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a close ally of US President Donald Trump  for a monthly retainer of $175,000 plus expenses, the Nairobi-based outlet reported.

Kenya is moving decisively to consolidate its influence in Washington, noted Business Insider Africa, at a time when several countries are deepening ties with China and Russia and others are hesitant to pick a side. In response to domestic criticism over the deals price tag, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi defended the move.

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Partnerships with lobbying firms are a standard and legitimate practice by governments worldwide, he said. They are undertaken to advance foreign policy, trade, investment and security interests in Washington, DC, where competition for visibility is intense and highly structured.
A member of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti is dead along with a civilian after two armored vehicles were involved in an accident along a mountaintop road above Port-au-Prince.

The fatalities were confirmed by Jack Ombaka, the spokesman for the MSS. In addition to the deaths, eight MSS officers were injured, three of them critically. They required medical evacuation to the Dominican Republic for specialized care after receiving initial treatment, a hospital run by HERO Client Rescue that cares for injured members of the security mission.

The accident, Ombaka said, occurred at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday along the KenscoffPetion-Ville road at Pelerin 9 in the capital, during a recovery operation involving two MaxxPro vehicles.

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While one was towing the other due to a mechanical failure, an accident occurred, he said. Unfortunately, civilians were also involved.

The MaxxPro vehicles are the largest of the armored vehicles that were donated by the United States for use by the mission. While one vehicle crashed into a wall, another subsequently overturned, the MSS said in an earlier statement.

The injured were rushed to Lambert Sante Hospital in Petion-Ville, where an MSS officer and a civilian were pronounced deceased, said Ombaka.

On Monday, Ombaka confirmed to the Miami Herald that the MSS personnel who died is a Kenyan police officer. A Haiti National police source also said that a second civilian was also killed. Both civilians were motorcycle taxi drivers.

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This is the second time in over a week that the security effort in Haiti has been struck by tragedy. Less than two weeks ago, two members of the Haiti National Police SWAT unit were killed when a kamikaze drone exploded on the site where the officers were. Two other police officers were injured. The mission has also lost two members of its force in gang ambushes; while one has been confirmed dead the other is still been regarded as missing even though local media has reported him as dead.

Images shared online Sunday after the road fatality showed Haitians on the mountaintop road trying to assist with rescue operations after the collision, which brought traffic to a halt and forced motorists to seek an alternative route.

MSS extends its gratitude to members of the local community who immediately assisted in rescue efforts, the statement said.

Ombaka also said: The MSS offers its sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and the injured in their recovery.

This story was updated with confirmation that the deceased officer is a Kenyan and a second civilian also died, according to Haitian police.
The government in Kiev has convened an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council following the heavy Russian airstrikes last week.

The meeting is set to take place later on Monday in Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on X.

"We anticipate a focused discussion on joint steps to adequately respond to Russia's rejection of peace efforts and escalating terror against Ukrainians," he wrote.

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"Moscow must feel a stronger pressure as the consequence of it prolonging the war."

Discussions are likely to take place at ambassadorial level. While Ukraine is not a member of the Western military alliance, it aspires to join and discusses security issues within the NATO-Ukraine Council.

Last week, Russia carried out two massive overnight airstrikes involving hundreds of drones, missiles and cruise missiles against Ukraine.

In Kiev, more than 20 people were killed when a residential building was hit.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full Russian invasion for three and a half years.
Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power. The company operates approximately 35,052 megawatts of net generating capacity, supported by roughly 91,000 circuit miles of transmission and distribution lines and 921 substations.

With a market cap of approximately $148.4 billion, it serves about 12 million people through nearly 6 million customer accounts along Floridas east and lower west coasts. Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as large-cap stocks, and NextEras market cap places it firmly in the large-cap category, highlighting its substantial size, operational stability, and influence within the Utilities sector.

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Shares of NextEra Energy are trading roughly 16.3% below the October 2024 high of $86.10. Over the past three months, the stock has gained nearly 4.4%, edging past the S&P 500 Utilities Sector SPDR (XLU), which rose close to 4% in the same period.

www.barchart.com

Looking at a longer horizon, the utility stock remains down 9.3% over the past 52 weeks, though it is holding onto a marginal year-to-date (YTD) gain. By comparison, XLU has advanced nearly 12% over the past 52 weeks and 11.4% so far in 2025.

NEEs price momentum has been volatile. For most of the past year, the stock sat under its 200-day moving average, a clear cap on bullish hopes. But since July, it has nudged above that line despite some fluctuations, and by early August, firmly reclaimed it, hinting at renewed strength. traded above its 50-day moving average from May but slipped below it in late August, signaling caution despite improving long-term trends.

The technical picture shows mixed momentum - longer-term sentiment looks more constructive, yet near-term weakness keeps traders on edge, leaving the stock straddling a fine line between recovery and hesitation.

www.barchart.com

NEE stock experienced a 6.1% drop following the release of Q2 fiscal 2025 results on July 23 and lingered under negative momentum for the subsequent three trading sessions. Revenue rose 10.4% year over year (YoY) to $6.7 billion, reflecting continued demand growth, but fell short of Street expectations of $7.3 billion, rattling investor confidence. On the brighter side, adjusted EPS grew 9.4% annually to $1.05, surpassing Wall Street estimates of $0.98.
Sept. 1 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed Pyongyang on Monday to attend a military parade in Beijing to celebrate victory over the Axis powers 80 years ago.

Kim began the 24-hour trip aboard an armored train Monday evening and will be the first North Korean leader to attend a parade in China since his grandfather made a similar journey in 1959.

Kim will join Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders to attend the event, the BBC reported on Monday.

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Kim will stand with Xi and Putin at the Tiananmen rostrum during the military parade that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to The Korea Herald.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and other senior government and party officials accompanied Kim to Beijing.

Other world leaders scheduled to attend the Beijing parade include those from Iran, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

No leaders from Western nations will attend due to the Ukraine War, the BBC reported.

The event is scheduled to include tens of thousands of military personnel marching in formation during the 70-minute parade.

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The trip is the ninth foreign visit undertaken by Kim since 2018, including a 2019 trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, to meet with President Donald Trump.

The North Korean leader could have opted for a one-hour plane trip to Beijing but chose the use his private train, which has bulletproof windows and is designed to withstand mortar attacks.

Kim's father also traveled by private armored train due to a fear of flying, according to the BBC.
This 19th century illustration depicts New Yorkers celebrating Labor Day in 1882. (Getty Images)

I often think of the Knights of Labor, but especially on Labor Day.

Im a retiree member of the American Federation of Teachers who taught history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah for two dozen years.

The Knights are gone and largely forgotten. Yet they were 19th century Americas largest labor organization and an ancestor of the AFL-CIO.

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Founded in 1869 in Philadelphia, the Knights tried to teach the American wage-earner that he was a wage-earner first and a bricklayer, carpenter, miner, shoemaker, after; that he was a wage-earner first and a Catholic, Protestant, Jew, white, black, Democrat, Republican, after, historian Norman J. Ware wrote in The Labor Movement in the United States 1860-1895: A Study in Democracy. Id add teacher to the list of jobs.

The Knights operated as both a trade union federation and a political movement, wrote historian Jonathan Garlock. Envisioning a Cooperative Commonwealth in which producer cooperatives and nationalized railroads would replace monopolistic capitalism, the Knights launched dozens of local and state labor parties and hundreds of worker-owned cooperatives.

Knights belonged to Local Assemblies which numbered in the thousands. Each assembly represented members in their work places, bargaining with employers, threatening and conducting strikes, Garlock added. Inclusivity was the other hallmark of the KOL (especially in comparison to the American Federation of Labor unions that followed). The Knights included African American workers and counted 246 local assemblies organized by women workers.

The main goal of the Knights and other 19th century unions was the eight-hour workday. They also called for the abolition of child labor. But the Knights argued that men and women who did the same job should get the same pay.

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The Knights motto was, That is the most perfect government in which an injury to one is the concern of all. The union peaked at almost a million members in the late 1880s, before fading away and all but disappearing by the turn of the 20th century.

The union spread nationwide, and even worldwide, with Local Assemblies in Canada, Great Britain and Australia. According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, 177 assemblies operated in Kentucky  in Louisville, Covington Lexington, Frankfort and even in small towns like Fulton. I treasure a copy of The Toiler, the Fulton Knights newspaper.

On Nov. 25, 1894, Lexington area Knights celebrated their unions 25th birthday at the Opera House, enjoying a gratifying success in every feature, according to the Kentucky Leader of Nov. 26. (A ball followed at Jackson Hall with Saxtons Band providing the dance music.)

Success was often elusive for unions as the country rapidly industrialized after the Civil War. Well-heeled capitalists helped whip up anti-labor hysteria by demonizing unions as un-Christian and un-American, even communist.

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Most employers, notably in industry, stubbornly, even violently, resisted unions, with help from friendly local and state officials. Judges routinely issued injunctions to stop strikes. Police, sheriffs deputies and even National Guard troops were almost always available for strikebreaking duty.

Union-busting was bipartisan. Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes dispatched federal troops to break the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, sent U.S. soldiers to crush the Pullman Strike in 1894.

To protect its members against getting fired by anti-union bosses, the Knights had started as a secret organization. The Knights dropped its veil of secrecy in 1879 and deleted Noble and Holy Order from its original name.

Afterwards, the union enjoyed rapid growth.

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Featured speakers at the 25th birthday celebration included local Democratic Congressman W.C.P. Breckinridge, a Confederate veteran, and Dr. W.T. Bolling, a Lexington pastor.

Breckinridge acknowledged that the federal government had the power to abolish child labor, outlaw the company store system and pass laws to make workplaces sanitary. But he rebuked those who looked to federal legislation as the great panacea or cure all of the nineteenth century, the Lexington paper said.

Bolling advised workers that if they would be true, be patient, honest and diligent and vote the time will come when the host of labor may sing as sung Israel when freed from the bondage of Egypt.

The Leader didnt report the Knights reaction to the politician or the pastor. But based on the preamble to the unions 1878 Declaration of Principles they might have been disappointed. The preamble warned that the alarming development and aggressiveness of great capitalists and corporations, unless checked, will invariably lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses.

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Thus, it was imperative, if we desire to enjoy the full blessings of life, that a check be placed upon unjust accumulation, and the power for evil of aggregated wealth. This much-desired object can be accomplished only by the united efforts of those who obey the divine injunction, In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread.

A footnote: Not everybody was welcome to join the Knights, explained a Nov. 25 Leader story about the upcoming anniversary observance. The banned list included stock-holders, bankers, lawyers, professional gamblers, and those who, in any way, derive their living from the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The wave of violent protests that have swept across Indonesia and left seven people dead is being seen as a major test for President Prabowo Subianto.

Clashes between riot police and rock-throwing protesters that began in the capital last week quickly spread beyond Jakarta.

Angry protesters in several cities set fire to regional parliament buildings, police headquarters and damaged infrastructures in the unrest that included looting and the burning of vehicles.

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Subianto on Sunday ordered the security forces to take firm action against the protests.

There are signs of unlawful acts, even leading to treason and terrorism, he said. To the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centers, according to the laws.

Subianto canceled a high-profile trip to China to attend the Victory Day Parade in Beijing this coming Wednesday, citing escalating nationwide protests.

Heres what to know about the protests:

Cause of the unrest

Public outrage emerged across the world's third-largest democracy after reports that all 580 members of the House of Representatives receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,075), in addition to their salaries.

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The allowance, which was introduced last year, is nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

Critics argue that the perk isn't only excessive, but also insensitive at a time when most people are grappling with a soaring cost of living, taxes and rising unemployment.

Death toll

The protests grew wider and more violent following the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan.

A video on social media, apparently showing his death during a rally in Jakarta on Thursday, shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the security forces.

Kurniawan was reportedly completing a food delivery order when he was caught up in the clash.

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Witnesses told local television that an armored car from the Mobile Brigade unit of the National Police suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall. Instead of stopping, the car ran over him.

An angry mob late Friday set fire to a local parliament building in Makassar on Sulawesi island causing several people to be trapped in the blaze. Three people died and five others were hospitalized. In a separate riot in the city, a man who was thought to be a police intelligence agent disguised as a delivery rider was beaten to death by a mob.

The death toll rose to seven after authorities in Yogyakarta said a university student was killed in Fridays clashes between demonstrators and riot police. Health officials in Central Java's Solo city confirmed that a 60-year-old pedicab driver suffering from acute asthma was found unconscious after being exposed to tear gas and died on Sunday while being treated at a hospital.

Rioters mingle with protesters

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Jakartas health office said that 469 people were injured in violent protests, including 97 who were hospitalized.

Among them, 43 victims have been treated at the Bhayangkara police hospital since the clashes began. The president on Monday visited 14 officers and three civilians still receiving treatment for serious injuries at the hospital, including a woman who was on her way to a market who suffered a broken thigh after rioters seized her motorcycle.

Speaking after visiting victims, Subianto said that the violence was fueled by rioters, not protesters, and accused the groups of trying to destabilize the nation.

"Their intention is not to voice aspirations, but to cause chaos, disrupt peoples lives, and sabotage national development, Subianto said. He vowed that he will not retreat even a step in confronting rioters responsible for violent unrest across the archipelago country of more than 280 million people.

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Costly protests

Authorities detained 1,240 rioters after five days of protests in Jakarta. The unrest had caused losses of up to 55 billion rupiah ($3.3 million) as rioters burned buses and subway stations and damaged other infrastructure, Jakarta Gov. Pramono Anung said.

Escalating violence in Indonesia prompting TikTok to voluntary suspend its LIVE feature, citing measures to keep the platform a safe and civil space.

Foreign embassies and consulates, including the U.S., Australia, France, Canada and Southeast Asian countries, issued a travel warning and have advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid demonstration areas or large public gatherings.

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Government concessions

Flanked by leaders of eight Indonesian political parties, Subianto told a televised news conference in Jakarta that the government would cut lawmakers perks and privileges, including the contentious housing allowance, and suspend overseas trips for members of parliament. It was a rare concession in response to mounting public anger.

Subianto also said that police were investigating seven officers linked to the incident in which Kurniawan died, and has instructed a quick and transparent investigation in a way that the public can monitor. He also would ensure his administration to financially support Kurniawan's family.

The former general further called on the public to express their aspirations in a peaceful and constructive manner, and promised their voices will be heard.

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Economic reality

Analysts see the violent rallies as a culmination of public anger over economic hardship, as well as public officials insensitivity and political frustration.

In his campaign for president, Subianto promised to take economic growth to 8% within five years and make Southeast Asias largest economy attractive for investments. But observers have dismissed his pledge as too ambitious, with the Trump administration's 19% tariffs on Indonesian goods adding to the uncertainty.

The World Bank estimates that Indonesias economy will grow at 4.8% up to 2027, far below Subianto's pledge.
FLAT LICK, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Knox County woman was killed on Saturday after she was attacked by a pack of dogs.

The Knox County Sheriffs Department said the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 in the Flat Lick community as 44-year-old Priscilla Jones was walking down Sandy Branch Road.

Jones was attacked and severely injured by dogs, which the sheriffs department said were roaming the area.

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According to authorities, someone who knew Jones heard her screaming for help and called 911.

Priscilla Jones, 44. (Taylor Jones) Priscilla Jones, 44. (Taylor Jones)

Deputies noted that the East Knox Fire Department arrived to find her unable to communicate and with life-threatening injuries.

Officials said Jones was taken to Barbourville ARH Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Peggy Jones described her sister, Priscilla, as one of a kind with a heart of gold.

Shed give you the shirt off of her backdo anything in the world to help anybody, if she could, Peggy said.

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Peggy said Priscilla was found lying on the ground unclothed, which leaves her with questions.

I just dont feel like that was the cause of her death. Yes, the dogs may have bit her, chewed on her, gnawed on herwhatever. But what led to that? she said.

Knox County Sheriff Mike Smith said there is limited information about the dogs, and investigators are working to find out if they have an owner. He also noted that charges could be forthcoming as the department works to get to the bottom of what happened.

In Kentucky, you do have an obligation to control and confine your animals. So, were looking at all aspects of this situation, and, you know, that will be determined as the investigation continues, Smith said.

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Jones family told FOX 56 News that she didnt have insurance, and theyre looking to raise money for her funeral. Those interested in donating can do so directly to the Barbourville Funeral Home.

According to the Knox County Sheriffs Department, the investigation is ongoing.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs has noted that the main final document of the Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin does not contain a single reference to Russias war against Ukraine.

Source: Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement

Quote: "It is surprising that the largest war of aggression in Europe since World War II was not reflected in such an important, fundamental document, while it mentions a number of other wars, terrorist attacks and events in the world."

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Details: The foreign ministry is convinced that without a just end to Russias aggression against Ukraine, it is impossible to speak of sustainable global development, international peace and security, adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, or stable and equal development of trade relations between world regions.

Quote: "The absence of any mention of Russia's war against Ukraine in the SCO summit declaration indicates the failure of Moscow's diplomatic efforts.

The Kremlin has suffered another defeat in its efforts to present the world as divided in its assessments of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to impose the notion that states outside Europe and North America have a favourable view of Russia on the causes, consequences and ways to end its war against Ukraine."

Details: The statement added, "It is obvious that Moscow has failed to bring the positions of the participating states on this issue to a common denominator that would suit the Russian Federation".

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Ukraine also said that, given Chinas significant geopolitical role, it would welcome Beijing's more active role in promoting peace in Ukraine based on respect for the UN Charter.

Background:

At the SCO Heads of State Council meeting, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin once again claimed that the West provoked Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on remarks made by Putin at the SCO summit, saying that Putin is gradually losing his lying skills.

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Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have pointed out that the Kremlin is conducting multi-faceted information efforts aimed at curbing Western support for Ukraine and undermining Europe's participation in the peace process.

Source: ISW

Details: The Kremlin has recently stepped up three main rhetoric strategies aimed at swaying Western decision-making in its favour: alleging that European countries are deliberately prolonging the war in Ukraine, issuing nuclear threats to Western states and asserting that Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.

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Key Kremlin figures, including spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), have suggested that European nations are seeking to prolong the war in Ukraine, seemingly trying to reintroduce this longstanding Russian narrative into Western discourse and undermine US confidence in European governments.

Dmitriev is frequently used by the Kremlin to promote Russia's interests in the West, particularly on matters relating to the peace process in Ukraine and international sanctions, often through English-language media platforms.

On 31 August, Russian Security Council Chair Dmitry Medvedev criticised French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz via his English-language X (Twitter) account regarding their involvement in US-led efforts to end the war.

Medvedev stated that Merz and Macron have "forgotten the lessons" of the Second World War and warned that "things could end up like they did in 1945  [Macron and Merz] too may end up being identified by their teeth".

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By evoking the memory of the US atomic bombings, Medvedev appears to be issuing a threat to France and Germany for their support of Ukraine in the peace process. He also described Russian territorial gains as "bad news" for Macron and Merz.

Quote from ISW: "These various rhetorical lines seek to bolster the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD)'s recently intensified effort to falsely portray Russian victory in Ukraine as inevitable.

The MoD attempted to use large amounts of qualitative data to make claims about Russian advances  data and claims which ISW assesses are inflated."

Details: ISW added that the Kremlin is intensifying its information efforts because its territorial gains remain disproportionately limited and slow compared to its high losses.

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Los Angeles County officials are preparing to vote on a $20 million settlement in the case of Noah Cuatro, a 4-year-old Palmdale boy whose short life was marked by abuse, warnings unheeded, and a death that has haunted his family and community for years.

The proposed payout stems from a lawsuit filed in 2020 by Noahs great-grandmother, Evangelina Hernandez, on behalf of his three siblings. The suit alleged that the Department of Children and Family Services ignored repeated reports of abuse and failed to enforce a court order to remove the boy from his parents custody just weeks before his death in July 2019.

Earlier this month, the countys Claims Board recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve the settlement. A vote is expected after Sept. 3.

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Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Antelope Valley, issued a statement acknowledging the lasting pain surrounding the case. Noah Cuatros death was a profound tragedy, and no settlement can ever atone for his suffering or undo the loss his relatives have experienced, Barger said. While I cannot comment on the details of the pending settlement, I remain committed to ensuring that Los Angeles County continues to strengthen protections for vulnerable children.

Noah Cuatro is seen in an undated photo posted to a GoFundMe page.

For Hernandez and other family members, the settlement reflects years of anguish that began long before Noahs death. They had repeatedly raised alarms about his safety, calling DCFS and law enforcement to report suspected abuse.

At times, the county placed Noah and his siblings in Hernandezs care, only to send them back to their parents. One pediatrician reported Noah for malnutrition, according to the lawsuit, and still he was returned home. By May 2019, witnesses claimed to have seen his father kicking him and his siblings in public. Allegations of sexual abuse also surfaced.

A county social worker even petitioned a judge for Noahs removal from his parents. The petition was granted. However, the order was never enforced.

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On July 5, 2019, Noahs parents, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. and Ursula Elaine Juarez, told authorities that their son had drowned in a swimming pool at their apartment complex on East Avenue S. He was taken to Palmdale Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where he died the following day.

Noah Cuatro is seen with his parents, Jose Cuatro and Ursula Juarez, in an undated photo from Juarezs Facebook page.

Investigators quickly determined that Noahs injuries did not match a drowning. Instead, authorities concluded he had been tortured and murdered. Within days, his three siblings were placed in protective custody, and a criminal case was launched.

In March 2024, Jose Cuatro and Ursula Juarez pleaded no contest to murder and torture charges. Jose was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison, while Juarez received 22 years to life. Both waived their right to appeal.

In court, Superior Court Judge Robert G. Chu called Noahs death a devastating loss and told relatives he recognized the love they carried for the boy. I am confident he will never be forgotten, Chu said.

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At the sentencing, Hernandez addressed her great-grandsons killers directly. Why, my God, why is there such evil in you, Ursula? What kind of monster are you, Jose? she asked. Youre both very sick. You are the worst kind of sickos.

Noah Cuatro is seen in an undated photo provided to KTLA by his grandmother, Eva Hernandez.

Other relatives spoke of the lasting pain Noahs absence has left behind. His great-aunt, Maggie Hernandez, recalled how Juarez had once painted herself as a devoted mother while allegedly abusing Noah behind closed doors. I will never forget him, she said, and I will never forget the monsters who took him away from us.

Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, also spoke during the sentencing, saying Noahs memory should remain a call to action. He recalled a request the boy once made: never forget me.

It deserves to be noted, Lackey said, that the tragedy of Noah Cuatro has been and will continue to be felt far beyond these courtroom walls.

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Outside the courtroom, relatives of other children who died in high-profile abuse cases  including 10-year-old Anthony Avalos and 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez  gathered to show support. It keeps happening over and over again, Avalos aunt, Maria Barron, said. DCFS needs to be held accountable.

Eva Hernandez speaks about the death of her great-grandson, Noah Cuatro, at a news conference at the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services office in July 2019. Bobby Cagle, who heads the DCFS, announced this week that hell step down, effective Dec. 31. (Liz Moughon / Los Angeles Times)

In the aftermath of Noahs death, DCFS conducted an internal review and concluded its staff had acted appropriately. The agency has nevertheless described his case as a source of deep pain and mourning for both county workers and the wider community.

Any time a child dies from suspected neglect or abuse, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services grieves, the department said in a statement. Tragedies of this nature reaffirm our purpose of striving to keep children safe and families well.

Pasadena-based Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, a contractor also named in the lawsuit, was accused of knowing about potential abuse but failing to report it. In a statement, the organization denied wrongdoing, saying staff had no contact with Noah after a court ordered him back to his mother in late 2018.

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As the county prepares to vote on the settlement, Noah Cuatros case continues to highlight ongoing concerns about Los Angeles Countys child welfare system and its ability to protect vulnerable children.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Post Holdings is to sell the pasta business of 8th Avenue Food & Provisions to Richardson International.

Canada-based agri-food group Richardson International will pay $375m in cash and take on roughly $80m in leaseback financial obligations.

The deal, announced on Friday (29 August), came two months after Post Holdings acquired the shares in 8th Avenue Food & Provisions that it did not already own for $880m.

US manufacturer 8th Avenue Food & Provisions makes branded and private-label pasta, as well as private-label nut butters and granola.

The transaction covers three production sites located in Carrington, North Dakota; New Hope, Minnesota; and Winchester, Virginia. Richardson International will also take on the Ronzoni pasta brand.

Approximately 500 employees from 8th Avenue Food & Provisions will also join Richardson International.

Post Holdings will keep 8th Avenue Food & Provisions nut butters, fruit and nut products and granola businesses.

In a statement, Richardson International said acquiring the pasta business allows the company to strengthen its ability to connect its leading position in North American durum origination and milling to the production of finished pasta products.

Darwin Sobkow, the president and CEO of Richardson International, that durum wheats handling and milling is a core strength of our business, and the opportunity to extend our reach into pasta builds directly on that foundation.

Post Holdings projects the retained businesses will generate an adjusted EBITDA contribution of approximately $45-50m in the fiscal year 2026, excluding the benefits of cost synergies.

The company expects these synergies to reach an annual run rate of around $15m by the end of fiscal year 2026.

Post Holdings adjusted its fiscal year 2025 guidance for adjusted EBITDA upwards to a range of $1.5bn$1.52bn from a previous range of $1.46bn$1.5bn, factoring in a partial-year contribution from 8th Avenue.

For the third fiscal quarter ending 30 June, Post Holdings reported net sales of $1.98bn, reflecting a 1.9% increase.

Operating profit rose by 15.5% to $234.6m compared to the same period in the previous year. Net earnings were reported at $108.8m, marking a 9% increase.

Diluted earnings per share increased to $1.79, up from $1.53 in the previous year.

"Post Holdings sells 8th Avenue pasta business to Richardson International" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.




SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  In Scranton, the third day of La Festa Italiana started with worship. The annual Mass in Italian was held Sunday morning at Saint Peters Cathedral in downtown Scranton.

The non-profit, the Italian colony of Saint Lucy, assisted with the mass.

The organization traces its roots to Italian immigrants of the Greater Scranton area.

They kicked off the morning with prayer in Italian, and of course, Italian music.

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New event blooms in Wilkes-Barre

I think the people enjoy the Italian music, theres a good mix of liturgical music, which would be church music, as well as secular music by the mandolin players and guitar players, Organ Player for the last 28 Years, Eugene Mentz, told 28/22 News.

We always start the day with prayer, so having the mass on Sunday, you know, celebrating with your Sunday obligation has just been a tradition, a wonderful tradition, here in the Diocese of Scranton, La Festa Italiana Chairman Chris DiMattio explained.

Following the mass, members of the organization carried a statue of Saint Lucy to the festival grounds and displayed it at the Heritage Piazza on Spruce Street.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News.
While many Middle Tennessee workers enjoy the holiday break from their jobs on Labor Day, others might use the time to find a job.

As Nashville and its neighboring cities continue growing, that sprawl brings a variety of jobs.

The scoop on one sweet opportunity  Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is hiring part-time team members to work at the company's new Germantown shop, which opened Aug. 28 in the Neuhoff District. Servers must have availability to work at least three shifts per week and past 1 a.m., earning $14 an hour plus tips.

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The New York-based ice cream company has opened three Nashville locations in less than a year.

This job might not hit your sweet spot, so you may want to peruse Jobs4TN.gov  which averages 400,000 job openings a day, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. You can search by the name of a company, by the type of job and by location. Postings include full-time and part-time as well as in-person, remote and hybrid opportunities.

In-N-Out Burgers announced plans to begin hiring in September ahead of opening a new location in Lebanon. The company is building a corporate office in Franklin with an on-site restaurant, estimated to create 275 jobs in the area.

Just a sprinkling of the types of jobs featured Aug. 31 included: openings for phlebotomists; bookkeepers, accountants and auditors; information technology specialists; market research analysts; insurance sales agents; engineers; physicians; landscapers; attorneys; agriculture workers; and waiters and waitresses. Many of the job postings were seeking workers for warehouse and manufacturing positions in Davidson County and surrounding counties. The openings ranged from entry-level work with hourly wages to managerial positions offering six-figures salaries.

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Nashville's labor market has benefitted from corporate expansions and headquarter relocations, including software-giant Oracle Corp., which is moving its global headquarters to East Nashville. It represents the intersection of two of Nashville's dominant industries  technology and health. Oracle will eventually add more than 8,000 jobs.

Nashville ranked No. 9 of "Cities on the Rise" by LinkedIn as a mid-size emerging city with job creation and economic momentum.

However, some job seekers don't have the skills required to match requirements of prospective employers.

To address this problem, the Urban League's Advancing Workforce Equity Program partnered with Nashville State Community College to foster career growth in high-need areas like technology, construction, manufacturing and health care.

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced a $500 million expansion last year and the new Jim Ayers Tower is slated to open this fall, adding 180 patient beds and creating thousands of jobs.

Across the U.S., health care jobs continued to grow with an average monthly gain of 42,000 jobs during the prior 12 months as of July, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nashville is home to the headquarters of hospital giant HCA Healthcare, with includes TriStar Health. TriStar announced plans May 30 to build $286 million hospital in Clarksville, creating more than 200 jobs.

Ascension Saint Thomas announced May 15 it will build a $148.5 million hospital and outpatient facility near Clarksville, creating an estimated 250 health care jobs. The hospital system also announced in May its plans to build a state-of-the-art freestanding emergency department as part of the Murfreesboro Medical Clinic's upcoming medical and retail development in Rutherford County.

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Nashville-based Centerstone announced in July its plans to merge with with Brightli, forming the nation's largest nonprofit provider of mental health services, which is expected to eventually create more job opportunities.

Other jobs open in Middle Tennessee include crossing guard openings that are part-time and pay $22 an hour are available in Williamson County, according to an Aug. 27 post on X by sheriff's officials. Applications can be filled out online at www.WilliamsonCountySheriffTN.com.

Barrett Rifles breaks ground on Rutherford County facility, creating nearly 200 jobs. https://t.co/DBoqEHXwqB



(Photos: Barrett Rifles/TNECD) pic.twitter.com/fxQXuBiPMb  FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) August 16, 2025

Another area opportunity is from Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, which began construction Aug. 16 on a facility in Rutherford County that will create 183 jobs.

Gov. Bill Lee joined company officials and Stuart C. McWhorter, the state's community development commissioner, for a March announcement about the company's more than $76 million investment, including new headquarters. The NIOA Group, Barrett's Australian-owned parent company, also plans to locate its U.S. headquarters at the facility.

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For adults wanting to change careers, the state offers free services to support preparing for high school equivalency tests and post-secondary education.

Programs include: Adult Basic Education, to improve math, reading and writing skills; Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education to strengthen English fluency and job skills and prepare for U.S. citizenship tests; and computer classes or digital literacy training. Training also hones employability skills and offers guidance for honing college and career paths.

More information on the programs, part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, is available on the department's Tennessee Adult Education page.

Job seekers also need to be aware of employment scams, according to state workforce officials and the Federal Trade Commission also offers warnings about job scams.

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Beth Warren covers health care and can be reached at bwarren@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville area job openings include warehouse and manufacturing positions
A youngster holds up a pro-union sign during a break between speeches on Labor Day at Laborfest in Milwaukee. Both presidential candidates are trying to appeal to union members. (Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)

Labor Day, appropriately, does some annual heavy lifting. Its the calendar demarcation between summer and fall, although the equinox remains three weeks away. The holiday in the past also marked the last day before school started, but those academic calendars in this part of the world are relics. Oh, and that whole wearing white thing? No longer a thing.

Most importantly, however, Labor Day serves as a reminder of those American workers who built a nation and keep it running every day, whether their collars be blue or white, their work stations be offices, surgery suites, classrooms, firehouses, squadcars, highways, retail stores, restaurants or any of the hundreds of places we toil to keep the nation moving.

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We take the first Monday in September to celebrate, usually with picnics, parades or private gatherings on patios everywhere. The public confabs usually attract politicians: those in office touting their bona fides when it comes to working men and women and those running for office selling the same with a side of name recognition. Both groups join the festivities to give speeches, kiss babies and generally glad-hand over beers, brats and a day away from work.

What better time than Labor Day, then, to break out this spaces periodic imaginary press conference for Nebraskas congressional delegation and its governor? As usual, we have questions:

Last week two children, 8 and 10, were murdered while attending Mass at their Catholic school in Minneapolis. The shooter opened fire into the church with an AR-15 assault rifle. Aside from thoughts and prayers and the billions of dollars cut from mental health programs since January, what are your ideas to curb mass shootings in the U.S., of which the Minneapolis shooting was the nations 286 version of this modern mayhem?

Using whatever statistical reference you choose, crime in Washington D.C. was at a 30-year low when the president deployed troops there because of  well  crime. Hes threatening to do the same in Chicago, Baltimore and elsewhere and has done so in Los Angeles, bringing about much needed discussion from the Posse Comitatus Act to the hollowing out of ongoing community-police partnerships that reduce crime. What would your reaction be to federal troops on the streets of Omaha or Lincoln if the government  without evidence  insisted crime there was out of control?

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As a follow up to the troops now roaming the streets of the nations capital, does it strike any of you as painfully ironic that those same National Guard units were not called up for hours while a mob ransacked the Capitol building and tried to overturn a free and fair election?

Nebraska is now home to an immigration detention camp, heralded as doing our part. Proclamations assert the facility is about safety rather immigration. Do any of you have real, empirical evidence that immigrants commit crimes at a higher rate than we native born do and that fentanyl crosses the border in higher numbers somewhere other than legal checkpoints, because a survey of current data shows that neither is true?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells us no one is starving in Gaza while during every news cycle we see searing images that reveal he is just plain wrong. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has said aid is being sent to Gaza but that Hamas has stolen it, a charge that aid workers on the ground say is misleading, that, even factoring in theft, there simply is not enough aid being allowed into the country to stave off what is now a famine. What is U.S.s responsibility to the noncombatants and children of Gaza as they face imminent death?

Speaking of responsibilities, what does Congress owe its constituents  in this case Nebraskans  when a branch of the federal government acts beyond its purview or authority? Please respond specifically to a promise of an executive order to do away with mail-in ballots and voting machines, clearly outside the scope of executive power.

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What would you think of the federal government simply admitting it made a mistake (as it did in the beginning of this sad saga) when it arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and everyone just moved on?

Finally, do you ever question why (with two of your votes) weve turned over the nations health and medical efficacy to a vaccine skeptic who, without education, experience or expertise in science, medicine, epidemiology or research, has gutted health research and limited the availability of a vaccine that has saved hundreds of thousands of lives? Asking for 340 million friends.

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Cute guys serving pizza, cute girls scooping ice cream, a passionate and mostly innocent fling, and a bittersweet march toward the end of August. In the movies, summer job storylines are filtered through a warm gauzy lens. Career experts, too, have a sunny view of summer employment: Thats when young people learn about responsibility, discipline, and teamwork.

But when our sons and their friends had their first jobs, the picture was sometimes less rosy. The manager at a chocolate shop stole a workers tips. A neighborhood Italian restaurant required new employees to work unpaid training weeks. A theater concession operator paid workers per shift, with hourly rates lower than minimum wage.

How many teenagers nationwide had similar experiences or worse this past summer? How many faced sexual harassment, or were asked to do dangerous jobs without training? Young workers (aged 15-24) are far more likely to be injured on the job than those who are older. In 2023, three 16-year-old high schoolers were killed on the job in a five-week period, at a Mississippi poultry plant, a Wisconsin logging company, and a Missouri landfill.

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As they return to the classroom this fall, students will learn nothing at all about dealing with any of these realities, because throughout the United States, we generally have zero required education about peoples rights at work. This needs to change: High schools nationwide should incorporate education about workplace rights.

As it stands, teenagers with summer stints become twentysomethings and thirtysomethings with full-time employment, many also juggling childcare or elder care. (Some of them even become bosses.) All the while, our system assumes people will learn the essentials through  TikTok? Osmosis? A yellowing poster in the break room? Workers lack of knowledge creates fertile ground for low-road employers to take advantage, leading to high rates of wage theft, workplace injuries, and more.

Especially now, when federal labor protections are under attack and federal enforcement agencies are being hollowed out, state and local governments will need to play a more active role in protecting workers and creating a fair playing field for law-abiding employers. Incorporating workers rights in the classroom is a practical concrete step that states and localities can take, since high school curricula are usually determined at state and local levels. A variety of people and entities could help make this happen in states both red and blue: legislators, school boards, principals, teachers, parents, and community members.

Discussions about requiring workplace rights education would also be a welcome change from the cultural battles now routinely waged in our nations schools, since this is content everyone should be able to agree on. Everyone wont, of course. But when plutocrats, business groups, or culture-warrior parent activists oppose this proposal, let them explain why.

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Let billionaire tech executives explain their objection to teaching high schoolers about the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009, before many of todays teens were born. Let them explain why students shouldnt learn about gig corporations tooth-and-nail fight to avoid having to pay even that paltry rate.

And the family values crew? Surely theyd want students to learn that the United States is one of only a handful of countries in the worldand the only industrialized countrythat doesnt require paid maternity or parental leave when a new child is born.

Conservatives want abstinence-only sex education? Then they should welcome training about laws prohibiting sexual harassment, and how to report handsy gropers and creeps.

Culture warriors worry about bathrooms? I do too, but heres my concern: I want teenagers to know that its not a safe workplace if the pace is so fast that you cant step away to use the bathroom. Work shouldnt cause urinary tract infections. People should never have to wear diapers on the job, as has been reported at poultry plants, or pee in bottles, as has happened among Amazon delivery drivers.

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And a word for teachers, who might fret about adding one more topic to an already-packed curriculum: This content is perfectly suited for the end of the school year. Even antsy seniors will perk up when the subject is managers stealing their tips.

To be sure, a proposal to teach students about employment laws may seem modest in light of the countrys dire situation generally, and in light of attacks on labor more specifically. But peoples utter lack of knowledge about workplace rights is exactly what sets the stage for steamrolling them, at a moment when the federal government is already rolling out the red carpet for exploitation. Plus, workers rights education could foster greater skepticism and a heightened sense of agency in relation to mega-corporations that currently have far too much powerboth in our political landscape and in peoples everyday lives as workers, consumers and small businesses. Wouldnt it be just a little healing, too, if we had some positive movement somewhere?

Already one state is leading the way: California in 2003 passed a law designating Workforce Readiness Week, required in all public high schools, during which students learn about child labor, minimum wage, unionizing, workplace safety, and other workplace laws. Incorporating this kind of practical, life-skills content is nothing new; Illinois law, for example, requires basic consumer and financial literacy education, including about debt, banking, and installment purchasing.

Adding workers rights education to the high school curriculum is hard-nosed, humane, and long overdue. It reflects some core shared values. First: that high school students need to learn responsibility, self-discipline, and teamwork. And also: that each one of them is a precious, irreplaceable human being, not a line item or a cog. Every young person should start their life knowing they have rights on the job, and that they are worthy of fair pay, safety, dignity and respect.
It took more than a century for Chicagos Haymarket Square to get this memorial to the historic labor strife that occurred there. (Photo by Jeffrey Sklansky)

Most of the world observes International Workers Day on May 1 or the first Monday in May each year, but not the United States and Canada. Instead, Americans and Canadians have celebrated Labor Day as a national holiday on the first Monday in September since 1894, 12 years after the first observance of Labor Day in New York City.

The celebrations arent the same.

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In much of Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, the event commonly called May Day honors workers political and economic power, often with demonstrations by socialist or workers parties and tributes to national labor rights. Americas Labor Day features labor union parades in many places, but for most Americans, its less about organized labor and more about barbecues, beach days and back-to-school sales.

Both holidays, however, arose during the same period, in the U.S. nearly 150 years ago, in the midst of an explosive labor uprising in Americas industrial heartland. Their founding united native-born and immigrant workers in an extraordinary alliance to demand an eight-hour workday at a time when American workers toiled an average of 10 or more hours daily, six days a week.

The call for shorter hours was rooted in a big idea: that workers days belonged to them, even if employers owned their workplaces and paid for their work. That idea inspired the loftiest goals of a growing labor movement that spanned from Chicago and New York to Stockholm and Saint Petersburg. And the labor activism of the late 1800s still casts a distant light on Labor Day today, carrying a vital message about the struggle for control of workers daily lives.

Im a historian at the University of Illinois Chicago, where I study the history of labor. The fight for shorter hours is no longer a top issue for organized labor in the U.S.. But it was a crusade for the eight-hour day that brought together the diverse coalition of labor groups that created Labor Day and May Day in the 1880s.

On Labor Day, U.S. beaches are crowded with people who spend the late-summer holiday relaxing and having fun. One such destination is Chincoteague Island, Va., seen here on Labor Day weekend in 2018. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Labor Days radical roots

Led by socialist-leaning trade unions, Labor Days founders included skilled, native-born craft workers defending control over their trades, immigrant laborers seeking relief from daylong drudgery, and revolutionary anarchists who saw the quest for control of the workers day as a step toward seizing factories and smashing the state.

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They originally chose Sept. 5, 1882, for the first Labor Day to coincide with a general assembly in New York City of what was then the largest and broadest association of American workers, the Knights of Labor. Two years later, labor leaders moved the annual event to the first Monday in September, giving the majority of workers a two-day weekend for the first time.

As Labor Day parades and picnics spread, many American cities and states soon made it an official holiday. But since few employers gave workers the day off in its early years, Labor Day likewise became a virtual one-day general strike in many cities, according to historians Michael Kazin and Steven Ross.

American roots of May Day

My students come from working-class, mostly immigrant families, and Chicagos history of labor conflict is all around our downtown campus in the heart of what were once meatpacking plants, stockyards and crowded immigrant neighborhoods.

My office is about 12 blocks from the spot  surrounded today by upscale office buildings  where the eight-hour movement reached a bloody climax in the battle of Haymarket Square. May Day commemorates that battle.

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On May 1, 1886, unions of skilled workers organized by their crafts or trades led a nationwide general strike for the eight-hour day. They were joined by radical socialists, militant anarchists and many members of the Knights of Labor. More than 100,000 workers took part across the country.

The most dramatic demonstrations happened in Chicago, which had become the second-largest city in the U.S. after years of swift growth. Nearly 40,000 striking Chicago workers shut down much of that burgeoning industrial, agricultural and commercial hub. Three days later, a bomb thrown at a rally in Haymarket Square killed seven police officers, sparking a sweeping nationwide crackdown on labor activism.

In 1889, socialist trade unions and workers parties, meeting in Paris for the first congress of a new Socialist International, proclaimed May 1 an international workers holiday. They were partly following the lead of the new American Federation of Labor, which had called for renewed strikes on the anniversary of the 1886 action.

And they were honoring the memory of the eight labor activists who had been tried and convicted for the Haymarket bombing solely on the basis of their speeches and radical politics, in what was widely viewed as a rigged trial. Four Haymarket martyrs had been hanged and a fifth died by suicide before he could be executed.

Protesters march through the streets of Marseille, France, with flags and placards on May 1, 2025, to mark International Workers Day. (Photo by Denis Thaust/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

An earlier labor win

Though May 1 had long been associated with European celebrations of springtime, its modern meaning has deeper American roots that precede the Haymarket tragedy. It was on that date in 1867 that workers in Chicago celebrated an earlier victory.

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At the end of the Civil War, campaigns for an eight-hour workday arose in cities across the country, championing a common interpretation of the abolition of slavery: for many workers, emancipation meant that employers purchased only their labor, not their lives.

Employers might monopolize workers means of making a living, but not their hours and days.

The movement led to laws declaring an eight-hour day in six states, including Illinois, where the new rule went into effect on May 1, 1867. But employers widely disobeyed or circumvented the laws, and states failed to enforce them while they lasted, so workers continued to struggle for a shorter workday.

Seizing the day

In the 19th century, American workers labor came to be measured by how long they worked and how much they were paid. While they were divided by their widely different wages, they were united by the generally uniform hours at each workplace.

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The demand for a shorter workday without a pay cut was designed to appeal to all wage earners no matter who they were, where they were from, or what they did for a living.

Labor leaders said shorter hours meant employers would have to hire more people, creating jobs and boosting hourly pay. Spending less time on the job would enable workers to become bigger consumers, spurring economic growth.

Having eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for what we will, a popular labor movement refrain, would also leave more time for education, organization and political action.

Most broadly, the fight for shorter hours encapsulated workers struggle to control their own time, both on and off the job. That far-reaching struggle included efforts to limit the number of years people spent earning a living by ending child labor and creating pensions for retired workers  a topic Im currently researching.

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Benjamin Franklin famously said, Time is money, meaning that time off costs money that workers could be making on the job. But the message of the movement for a shorter workday was that the worth of workers lives could not be calculated in dollars and cents.

Diverging holidays

In the Haymarket battles aftermath, the alliance of radicals and reformers, factory operatives and skilled artisans, U.S.-born workers and immigrant laborers began to come apart. And as union leaders in the American Federation of Labor parted ways with socialists and anarchists, each side of the divided workers movement claimed one of the two labor days as its own, making the holidays appear increasingly opposed and losing sight of their shared foundation in the campaign for a shorter workday.

Conservative politicians and employers hostile to unions began to equate labor organizing with bomb throwing. In response, trade unions seeking acceptance as part of American industry and democracy displayed their allegiance on Labor Day by waving the American flag, singing patriotic songs and portraying themselves as proud, native-born Americans as opposed to foreign workers with subversive ideas.

Many political radicals and the immigrant workers among whom they found much of their following, meanwhile, came to identify more with the international workers movement associated with May Day than with American business and politics. They disavowed May Days origins among American trade unions, even as many trade unions distanced themselves from the radical roots of Labor Day. By the turn of the century, May Day moved further from the center of American culture, while Labor Day became more mainstream and less militant.



(Photo by A member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 105 walks in the small annual Labor Day parade hosted by the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Labor Coalition on Sept. 5, 2022, in Wilmington, Calif.(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

20th-century gains and losses

In the 20th century, labor unions won shorter hours for many of their members across the country. But they detached that demand from the broader agenda of workers autonomy and international solidarity.

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They gained a landmark achievement with the federal enactment of the eight-hour day and 40-hour workweek for many industries during the 1930s. At that point, economist John Maynard Keynes projected that the rising productivity of labor would enable 21st-century wage earners to work just three hours a day.

Workers productivity did keep climbing as Keynes predicted, and their wages rose apace  until the 1970s. But their work hours did not decline, leaving the three-hour day a forgotten vision of what organized labor might achieve.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Labor Day crowd at the 1940 Indiana State Fair. (Photo from the Indiana Historical Society)

Everyone loves a parade, as the old adage goes, and in 1886 the Knights of Labor certainly hoped this would prove true when they planned the first Labor Day celebration in Indianapolis.

With one of the nations largest concentrations of union members, the city was ripe to embrace the relatively new tradition of Labor Day parades which had begun four years earlier in New York. But the citys first attempt at a march that would continue off and on for the next 139 years was less than auspicious.

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Originally set for the first Monday in September, the event was moved to September 19 to accommodate the speakers schedules. But the turnout was lower than expected due to heavy rainfall, and because the rescheduled date fell on a Sunday, local pastors condemned the event from the pulpit.

The celebration the following year initially looked more promising after Mayor Caleb Denny issued a proclamation asking businesses to close so their employees could watch the parade. But attitudes toward the event turned sour when most of the honorary marshalls turned out to be lawyers and politicians, leaving the actual working men and women to trail behind.

Despite these early bumps in the parade route, the popularity of Labor Day continued to grow, and in 1891 the legislature made Labor Day a state holiday, to be celebrated each year on the first Monday in September. Congress followed suit three years later. With the official recognition of Labor Day as a time for America to recognize the contributions made by its workers, Indiana began planning a day-long celebration that would kick off with a parade and end with an actual bang.



Thousands of spectators lined the streets on September 3, 1894 to watch union members decked out in the uniforms of their trades march from downtown to Lincoln Park at 16th Street and Central. Picnics, speeches and a band concert followed. And then, as dusk fell, everyone flocked to a makeshift arena to watch a performance of the Last Days of Pompeii.

Although on its face a play about a volcano that wiped out an entire city would seem to have little to do with a celebration of Americas workers, the performance was nonetheless a hit. Local dancers who had trained at the Statehouse swept across a stage that fronted a manmade lake and a replica of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background. As the performance drew to a close, the volcano belched black smoke and the buildings crumpled in flames, endangering a few spectators who were sitting too close to the stage.

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Then, to the audiences delight, a dazzling display of fireworks was launched into the night sky, creating a variety of shapes that included an elephant and the American flag.

In the ensuing years, Labor Day parades continued to grow in popularity as Indianapolis cemented its position as the Labor Capital of America. The citys central location and easy access by railroad attracted the national headquarters of at least 12 labor unions and was the base of operations for several legendary labor leaders.

In 1922, some 7,500 union workers marched through the streets in what organizers called the largest Labor Day parade ever held in Indianapolis. But the following year, the parade was rained out, and for the next 14 years, Labor Day would come and go without any official celebrations due in part to anti-labor sentiment and the Great Depression.

The parade tradition was briefly revived in the late 1930s, only to be disappear again during WWII when factories needed to remain open. Then in 1949, the Indianapolis News declared that Labor Day parades were a thing of the past, a remnant of the time when workers marched through the streets to call attention to the struggles of labor.

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Indeed. By 1951 the only Labor Day parade in Indy was Sears Parade of Values, featuring deep discounts on refrigerators and mattresses.

In 1982, the citys first Labor Day parade in 40 years filled the streets with marchers from 100 different labor organizations. Seven years later, the parade that initially scorned the inclusion of politicians welcomed Gov. Evan Bayh as its grand marshall. Then in 2012, the parade finally reached the end of its route when it was replaced with the Indianapolis Labor Fest.

But 130 miles north of Indianapolis, the news of the death of the Labor Day parade apparently failed to reach the small town of Lowell. Now in its 106th year, the Lowell event is the longest continuously running Labor Day parade in Indiana.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Tomorrow is Labor Day. Labor Day in this country has never been a class holiday. It has always been a national holiday. It has never had more significance as a national holiday than it has now. In other countries the relationship of employer and employee has been more or less accepted as a class relationship not readily to be broken through. In this country we insist, as an essential of the American way of life, that the employer-employee relationship should be one between free men and equals. We refuse to regard those who work with hand or brain as different from or inferior to those who live from their own property. We insist that labor is entitled to as much respect as property. But our workers with hand and brain deserve more than respect for their labor. They deserve practical protection in the opportunity to use their labor at a return adequate to support them at a decent and constantly rising standard of living, and to accumulate a margin of security against the inevitable vicissitudes of life.

The average man must have that twofold opportunity if we are to avoid the growth of a class-conscious society in this country.

There are those who fail to read both the signs of the times and American history. They would try to refuse the worker any effective power to bargain collectively, to earn a decent livelihood and to acquire security. It is those shortsighted ones, not labor, who threaten this country with that class dissension which in other countries has led to dictatorship and the establishment of fear and hatred as the dominant emotions in human life.

All American workers, brain workers and manual workers alike, and all the rest of us whose well-being depends on theirs, know that our needs are one in building an orderly economic democracy in which all can profit and in which all can be secure from the kind of faulty economic direction which brought us to the brink of common ruin seven years ago.

There is no cleavage between white-collar workers and manual workers, between artists and artisans, musicians and mechanics, lawyers and accountants, architects and miners.

Tomorrow, Labor Day, belongs to all of us. Tomorrow, Labor Day, symbolizes the hope of all Americans. Anyone who calls it a class holiday challenges the whole concept of American democracy.

The Fourth of July commemorates our political freedoma freedom which without economic freedom is meaningless indeed. Labor Day symbolizes our determination to achieve an economic freedom for the average man which will give his political freedom reality.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Protesters took to the streets around Oregon and Southwest Washington on Labor Day in opposition to the Trump administrations agenda and attacks on immigrants across the country.

As part of ongoing protests happening across the country, spearheaded by the May Day Strong Coalition, the protests filled the Portland Waterfront, SE Portland, Vancouver, Oregon City and Corvallis.

Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN) Labor Day brought a number of protests to the region, including this march in downtown Portland, September 1, 2025 (KOIN)

The people who work so hard for us to have food, for us to have places to live, for us to have decent communities, we need to take care of the people who make that happen for us, rally-goer Patricia Keeny said.

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Many looked to draw attention to wealth inequality. That can be combatted with living wages for workers, fair hours and work-life balance.

All of those things are important to keep workers productive and successful and to be able to participate in the economy in the country overall, said rallier Manuel Mendoza. It shouldnt be all of the wealth concentrated at the top. That doesnt make the country great, that doesnt make the country strong.

And events like these rallies and marches are what America is built on, Mendoza said.

People expressing their opinions, exercising their freedoms, freedoms that are protected. You know, if you dont like this message, sorry, but this is a message that is valid, just as valid and just as worthy of support and just as worthy of demonstrating over as any other message.

Workers over Billionaires

Over the weekend, other protests happened around the Portland area, including one outside Clackamas Town Center.

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Thousands lose power in NE Portland early Monday morning

At the Clackamas event, Laurie Davis with Indivisible, another group working to organize protests, said that the United States is slowly being changed by Project 2025 and that many people arent paying attention to it.

What has been quite skillfully done is Project 2025, Davis said, that the big impact will slowly kick in, and most people arent paying attention to the lost funds now, like SNAP. But if we dont have people, were losing our country.

Stay with KOIN 6 as we continue to cover the ongoing protests.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
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Michigans unemployment rate increased faster than the national average over the past year, while many rural counties in the state are experiencing deepening economic distress, according to a Labor Day report released Monday by the Michigan League for Public Policy.

The report, A Snapshot of Michigans Workforce, determined that Michigan had the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation at 5.3% as of June 2025, compared to the national average of 4.1%.

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Meanwhile, more than half of Michigans counties  54 out of 83  reported unemployment rates of 6% or higher, with rural communities hit the hardest.

This Labor Day, as we honor our states deep roots in the labor movement and the significant contributions of Michigans workers, its important to take a close look at the current health of our workforce and what we can be doing to better support the people who make up the backbone of our economy, Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, said in a press release.

The report also found that workers real earnings are being eroded as wage growth in Michigan is being outpaced by rising costs, with 27% of Michiganders reported to be employed, but under the classification of asset-limited and income-constrained, otherwise referred to as ALICE.

Graphic from Michigan League for Public Policy

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Persistent wage disparities remain for Black and Hispanic workers, as well as for women, particularly women of color, who continue to earn significantly less than their white male counterparts.

The median wage for Black workers in the state remains significantly lower than white workers, sitting at $20.17, which is 21.6% lower than the median wage of white workers, the report said. It is no surprise that as a result, 42% of Black Michiganders find themselves below the ALICE threshold.

The report notes that the income gap is even slightly larger for Hispanic Michiganders, with median wages about 23% lower than that of white workers.

The report links declining union membership and what it terms as state-level anti-worker policies to stagnant wages and reduced protections for employees.

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As a result, it calls for a reversal of laws such as Public Act 98 of 2011, which limits the ability for builder trade unions to negotiate terms of employment, and Public Act 105 of 2015, which limits local governmental bodies from regulating employment terms.

The league says taken together, the pair of laws have weakened labor protections and hindered local governments ability to promote fair labor standards.

The leagues recommendations to strengthen Michigans economy and support its workforce include:

Increasing the minimum wage to a living wage and eliminating the sub-minimum tipped wage.

Investing in public transit and K-12 education, and reducing the cost of post-secondary training and college.

Expanding access to affordable child care through increased scholarship reimbursements for providers, which could also help address the ongoing shortage of child care workers.

Making construction and skilled trades jobs more attractive by repealing laws that limit collective bargaining and labor standards.

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While there is an overall job shortage in Michigan, there are some sectors of the states workforce where workers are urgently needed. This includes the child care and construction workforce, Stanton said. If we want Michigan to be a state where working families can raise young children and support the growing demand for newly built homes, we need to be making the jobs in those industries more desirable for prospective candidates.

Stanton said that improving compensation and working conditions in these sectors, which she says are often dominated by women and people of color, is essential to building a more equitable and resilient state economy.

The full report is available on the Michigan League for Public Policys website.
By Alban Kacher and Gilles Guillaume

(Reuters) -French carmaker Renault appointed former Mercedes-Benz vice president Katrin Adt as managing director of its low-cost Dacia brand, the company said on Monday, as it revamps its management team under new CEO Francois Provost.

Adt will succeed Denis Le Vot. Le Vot was among the frontrunners for the Renault chief executive job and will now leave the company, the group said.

It also appointed Fabrice Cambolive, currently head of the Renault brand, to the newly created role of chief growth officer for the group.

Renault named insider Provost as CEO in July, after the abrupt departure of former chief Luca De Meo.

Provost said the management changes would help the company move faster to adapt to current challenges. Renault is facing growing competition and weak demand that triggered a profit warning earlier this year.

"To meet all the challenges facing us, we need an organisation capable of making faster decisions, executing more efficiently, and being ever closer to its customers," he said.

Adt was previously CEO of the Smart brand, and then CEO of Mercedes-Benz Own Retail Europe before most recently becoming vice president of corporate audit.

Adt's focus on retail throughout her career will be important for Dacia, said Michael Foundoukidis, analyst at ODDO BHF.

"Dacia obviously is an extremely retail-focused brand, more so than others. So that brings in some new blood," he said.

(Reporting by Alban Kacher and Gilles Guillaume. Writing by Dominique Patton; Editing by Joe Bavier)
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The last days of summer are winding down, but traffic is ramping up as travelers hit the roads and take to the skies to make their way home.

Hundreds of travelers, bobbing and weaving through the Memphis International Airport on Monday morning, scurried to and from terminals, avoiding afternoon and early evening congestion.

Memphis International bracing for Labor Day travelers

Mike Crawford flew from Nevada to Dallas, Texas, then to Memphis before heading to visit his daughter at the University of Mississippi.

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Drove to Oxford, an hour and twenty minutes. It was all good, then I drove back to the airport this morning and got a speeding ticket, as I mentioned. 72 in a 70, so I have a little bad takes in my mouth about Mississippi, Crawford said.

And as a friendly reminder, you can expect to see an increased law enforcement presence on roadways over the next few days.

At the same time, drivers have enjoyed lower prices at the pump.

According to Triple-A, the national average is about $3.19 a gallon, which is about 14 cents cheaper than this time last year.

Ticket prices for domestic flights are also lower.

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Flying to Memphis is expensive anyway, so you have to make sure you pick it at least two months in advance. Try to look on Tuesday and Wednesday to save those little prices because theyre typically cheaper on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Sherrod Redmon, a traveler.

One couples love for the United States brought them all the way from Australia to the Bluff City.

We went out to Beale Street last night. We walked down from where we stayed, which was only 15 minutes, and we did not come back till about 9:30, and walked down the street as is. There were so many people around and police making sure no one acts up. It was amazing, said Susan Haigh, traveler.

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Some 48,000 people are expected at the Memphis Airport during Labor Day weekend.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
CHICAGO (WGN)  It was a violent Labor Day weekend around Chicago, with nearly 60 people shot and eight killed through the Monday holiday.

The Chicago Police Department released its official holiday weekend crime stats Tuesday morning, saying that 58 people were shot in 37 incidents across the city  including the eight homicides  from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Monday.

CPD has not yet made an arrest in any of the holiday weekend shooting incidents.

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ICE operations to surge, federal troops could be deployed to Chicago by later this week

This years Labor Day violence in Chicago surpassed both that of 2024, when police reported 24 people shot and seven killed, and 2023, when police reported 37 people shot and seven killed.

The youngest person shot this holiday weekend was a 14-year-old boy, according to police, and some of the weekend shootings included multiple victims.

Mayor, protestors gather in West Loop on Monday for Labor Day Rally

In one of those shootings, early Sunday morning in Pilsen, a seemingly innocent homeless man who lived on the streets for years and was well-known among locals as Pepe was killed when he was apparently caught in the crossfire.

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This violence, you dont have to be involved in it, Dan Buchanan, owner of anemoia, a creative studio and vintage shop in Pilsen, told WGN-TV. It can just happen to anybody, someone standing on the corner and minding their own business.

The violent weekend came as President Donald Trumps administration prepares for an increased presence of federal agents and a potential mobilization of National Guard troops in Chicago.

DHS Secretary Noem confirms more ICE resources are heading to Chicago

Trump lashed out against Gov. JB Pritzker in a social media posting Saturday, warning him that he must straighten out Chicagos crime problems quickly or were coming.

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Trump issued another social media post early Tuesday morning addressing the Labor Day weekend violence in Chicago, saying, in part:

At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesnt know it yet.

Nonetheless, the latest data from CPD shows crime is down overall this year by 13%, while shooting incidents have dropped almost 40% compared to 2024s numbers, though that doesnt yet account for the Labor Day weekend violence.

Context on White House claims on Chicago crime

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The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police also issued a statement during the holiday weekend addressing the violence and the overall crime rate in the city. It reads, in part:

Crime is down. The murderous mindset is not. Just like that the numbers can explode. Until we have MORE cops, some federal help is welcome and appreciated!

Heres a closer look at some of the incidents reported around Chicago during the holiday weekend:

Brighton Park

The most recent reported homicide, according to Chicago police, happened Sunday night in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the citys Southwest Side.

Police say officers responded to a call of a person shot around 8:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of South Drake Avenue, where they found a man unresponsive on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to the body.

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The Chicago Fire Department arrived on scene to treat the victim, but he was subsequently pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Police say nobody is in custody and detective are investigating.

Oakland

Five people were shot early Monday morning during a gathering at Ellis Park in the Oakland neighborhood on the citys South Side.

According to police, officers had already arrived to the area on a disturbance call around 1 a.m. when they heard gunshots nearby. They relocated to where the gunshots were and discovered multiple victims with gunshot wounds in the 3600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue.

The shooting happened just steps from the University of Chicago Charter School. Social media posts indicated that a gathering, advertised as a reunion party, was taking place in Ellis Park. Residents said it appeared most of those attending the party were not from the neighborhood

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According to police, CFD personnel arrived on scene to treat the victims and take them to area hospitals. Police say one of the victims was a 17-year-old boy, who was listed in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds to the body.

The other four victims ranged in age from 26 to 36, three men and one woman. According to police, three were listed in good condition and one was listed in fair condition.

Police say four firearms were recovered at the scene, and area detectives were questioning a person of interest as they continue to investigate the incident.

Pilsen

Bullet holes were still visible in vehicles along the 1900 block of West 17th Street in Pilsen, and some were even being driven with smashed glass after a shooting at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

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Residents say two victims, a 41-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, were at an outdoor party when someone approached them with a gun and shot them both in their legs.

Both were taken to area hospitals and reported to be in good condition.

Never bothered anyone: Pilsen shooting victim was a beloved member of the community

A third victim, identified as 57-year-old Pedro Toledo Catalan, was located lying in the street with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital, police say. Locals tell WGN-TV he was a harmless homeless known to many as many in the area as Pepe.

It is believed Pepe was an innocent victim, caught in the crossfire.

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A memorial for Pepe continues to grow in the area, and neighbors have launched a GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral services.

You dont come and intrude and just think that youre going to be shooting out here, thats not a good thing, resident Dalia Radecki said. Im very upset, angry because that never should have happened to Pepe. He didnt bother anybody.

Police sources tell WGN-TV that detectives were able to use video evidence to determine there were multiple shooters. As the investigation unfolded, one person who was involved in the shooting reportedly told police he was a valid CCL holder.

Around 50 shell casings were recovered at the scene, indicating at least four different guns were fired.

Humboldt Park

Less than a half an hour before the shooting in Pilsen, four people were shot in the 2700 block of West Haddon Avenue in Humboldt Park.

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According to a preliminary investigation by police, multiple unknown offenders in two unknown vehicles drove past a group of people standing outside at 1:15 a.m. Sunday.

4 people wounded in drive-by shooting overnight in Humboldt Park

Several people in the vehicle then took out guns and opened fire, hitting four of the people standing outside, police say.

The shooting victims ranged in age from 26 to 39, three of them women and one a man, according to police. All victims were taken to local hospitals in good condition.

Bronzeville

Seven people were wounded in a drive-by shooting in the 3500 block of South State Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday.

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Police say someone in an unknown vehicle opened fire into a crowd of people standing outside. All victims were shot in their lower limbs and are expected to survive.

7 people wounded in drive-by shooting late Saturday night

The shooting victims ranged in age from 28 to 31, five of them men and two of them women, according to police.

Garfield Park

A 14-year-old boy is recovering from a gunshot wound to the hand and arm after being shot while walking in Garfield Park on Sunday evening.

According to police, the teen was in the 1500 block of South Christiana Avenue just after 5 p.m. when someone approached him, pulled out a gun and fired shots.

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Police: 14-year-old boy shot on Chicagos West Side

He was transported to an area hospital in good condition.

Altgeld Gardens

A woman was shot and killed during a verbal altercation in Altgeld Gardens on Sunday night.

Police say the shooting happened in front of a residence in the 13200 block of South Ellis Avenue just before 7:30 p.m.

Woman shot, killed on Chicagos Far South Side

The victim was struck in the chest and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where she later died.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
For generations, Montanas workers have celebrated Labor Day with a picnic.

These events are the perfect place for workers and families to come together and enjoy good food, spend time with their community, and relax.

They are also opportunities to reflect on the power and promise labor unions hold to improve the lives of working people across our state, and to re-commit to upholding those ideals so that more people can enjoy the better pay, benefits, and working conditions that come with being a union member.

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Jason Small

Those benefits have been hard-earned over decades of organizing and solidarity. Similarly, Labor Day wasnt born in a vacuum  it was won by working people fighting for a better life in often dangerous conditions with few rights. It is a day that marks what weve accomplished together, and a day that reminds us of the work still to do.

Above all, Labor Day is about celebrating the dignity, creativity, and power of workers in all of our communities. And year after year, that power shows up in a number of ways that help build Montana.

At the heart of the labor movement is organizing. For decades workers across the state have joined together to advocate for strong local economies and a meaningful voice on the job that protects our rights at work and our freedom to bargain for a fair deal. And that story continues today as workers across Montana use their voice to improve their jobs and their lives.

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In Billings, employees of the Boise Cascade lumber company went on strike to fight for increased wages and health care benefits. In Whitefish, members of the Whitefish Professional Ski Patrol Union are negotiating with Whitefish Mountain Resort for higher wages and better educational and training opportunities. Last week nurses at Bozemans Big Sky Medical Center organized and won their union with the Montana Nurses Association. And in June, grocery store workers with UFCW 1889 used their collective bargaining power to win better wages and working conditions at Albertsons.

These are real, meaningful actions workers are taking to improve their lives and their workplaces.

But the challenges working people face are significant. Attacks on collective bargaining rights at the VA will make it harder for workers who serve our veterans to advocate for better care and timely service.

On the state level, we continue to see attacks that undermine accountability, fairness, and our freedom to negotiate a fair deal. During this years legislative session, workers faced attacks on unions and our right to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.

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But while Montanas legislative session was often heated and filled with theater, real work was accomplished because workers stepped up and made their voices heard. Throughout the legislative session, workers made it clear they want legislators to prioritize our communities over party. By joining together, we defended our hard won rights in the workplace and good-paying jobs in our communities.

Giving meaningful voice to the voters and working families means being transparent, and taking accountability so we can break down barriers preventing people from getting good-paying jobs, improve funding for our schools and public services, and protect Montanas workforce.

We are thankful for leaders at the local, state, and federal level who put their partisan blinders aside and stood with us, the working men and women of Montana, by putting real priorities over politics.

Want to be part of our movement? We invite you to join us at Labor Day picnics in towns across Montana. There youll find good food, music, games, and guest speakers, as well as opportunities to learn more about the labor movement and to get involved, whether you work for a union or not.

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Together, we will continue to build Montana and fight for a fair and prosperous future for us all.

 Jason Small is executive secretary of Montana AFL-CIO, which represents 38 unions, 500 locals and more than 50,000 working Montanans.
Democrats held protests across the country on Labor Day, calling on people to assemble under the banner Workers Over Billionaires." The events drew modest crowds across Arizona.

Roughly 100 people gathered in front of the state Legislature, many of them loyal Democrats who have regularly attended demonstrations since Republican President Donald Trump took office.

In Scottsdale, activists organized a "die-in" protest, dramatizing the "devastating consequences of corporate greed."

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It was the corruption overtaking our government that brought Ann Snyder to the State Capitol in Phoenix for the fifth protest she has attended there since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

A homemade sign hung around her neck: Without the people, oligarchs have nothing.

Snyder, 69, said she wants to see the positives in politics. But for the time being, all she can focus on is getting rid of Trump.

Lets just get ourselves out of this horrible cesspool, she said.

Liberal groups and politicians have struggled to push back as the Trump administration attempts a sweeping overhaul of government, pushing past many of the countrys democratic and economic norms in the process.

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Democrats, meanwhile, are without a clear leader or a unifying message following sweeping losses in the 2024 election cycle, and their political victories have been few and far between as the Trump administration enters its eighth month.

Tim Everhard, 70, traveled to the Capitol from his home in Peoria, toting a sign that lists what he sees as Trumps most unforgivable actions: Inciting Jan 6 riot, Kilmar Abrego Garcia!!!, Due process (Immigrants).

Tim Everhard, 70, said the Democrats response to Trump has been weak at best."

Everhard, a veteran, said the administration reminds him of autocratic governments he saw abroad while serving in the Army.

A large portrait of the president recently appeared on the Department of Labor headquarters building in D.C. It reminded Everhard of his tour in Iraq, where stately portraits of Saddam Hussein were displayed in the streets.

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When I saw that picture, it took me back to Baghdad, he said.

Frustration over Democrats response

Everhard, drawn to the Legislature for the fourth time so far this summer, laughed when asked about the Democrats response to Trump.

What has been the response? he said.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, will call Trump's actions bologna, Everhard said, or hell attempt to visit the Eloy Detention Center, the migrant holding area trailed by reports of poor conditions, only to get turned away.

The Democrats response has been weak at best, he said, gesturing to the empty courtyard, where the crowd had already thinned to several dozen people. Which is a shame.

Whitney Johnson, a retired air traffic controller, is concerned about the rise of fascism" in the U.S. and worldwide.

Heather Clark, 33, worries Democrats messaging lacks coherence.

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We have 50 million things that we care about, she said. Theres no singular message.

Clark attended the Labor Day protest with her friend, Stacy Delfelder, 53. Both have regularly attended protests since Trump took office.

In the beginning, it started about saving Social Security and Medicare for my parents, and education.  But its morphed into something way bigger, said Delfelder, a Texas native. I always feared dictatorship from him, and now here we are.

Whitney Johnson, a retired air traffic controller living in north Scottsdale, attends a rush hour resistance protest against Trump every Wednesday morning.

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On Labor Day, he held a sign bearing a photo of the president alongside Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex offender whose ties to Trump have loomed over the administration. Johnson is concerned about the rise of fascism, not just in the United States but worldwide.

People dont realize how close we are, said Johnson, 66.

Still, he prefers to protest rather than sitting around.

Its almost an anxiety cure.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Labor Day protests draw modest crowds in Arizona
A Labour MP has said people flying the St Georges Cross outside a migrant hotel in his constituency are extremists trying to mark territory.

Clive Lewis, who represents Norwich South, criticised Norfolk county council for not removing the flags after they were put up on lampposts around the Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe over a week ago.

The hotel has been the scene of protests and counter-protests in recent weeks over its use to asylum seekers, with hundreds of people descending on the area.

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The Eastern Daily Press quoted Mr Lewis as saying that most people say they fly the St Georges Cross out of pride  and thats probably even true for some of those putting them on lampposts.

But farRight groups are using these flags to mark territory and intimidate the vast majority who reject their extreme views.

Theyre trying to drag the flag back into being just their flag, only for their purposes of division and intolerance, undoing the brilliant way our multiheritage England teams turned it into one of unity and pride.

Ive raised residents concerns with the county council  they cant look the other way when extremists use our streets to send an intimidating message.

The flag of St George painted on a mini traffic island in Walsall, UK - Christopher Furlong/Getty

The MP, a former shadow minister and Labour leadership candidate, has been told by Norfolk Constabulary not to attend any counter-demonstrations because his presence could escalate an already tense situation.

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Mr Lewis joined a counter-protest at the hotel in December, where he said through a megaphone that some of those demanding an end to asylum seekers being held there were racists and fascists.

Norfolk county council said it is not prioritising the removal of the St Georges and Union Flags from street lights in the area, and is instead focusing on more urgent road issues.

A spokesman said: Were aware of a small number of locations where flags have been attached to street lights.

While the council does not encourage people to put flags up on lampposts and other street furniture and does not regard these as long-term features, the council will not prioritise the removal of such flags over any more urgent highway activity.

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A number of anti-migrant protests took place across England on Sunday, including outside the Brook Hotel.

It followed the Court of Appeals decision on Friday to overturn a temporary injunction that would have prevented asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in Epping.

Eppings Bell Hotel became the epicentre of protests that swept across the country last month after an asylum seeker living there was accused of, and later charged with, sexually assaulting a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

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Two male hikers were airlifted from a remote trail in Topanga State Park on Monday afternoon after reporting that they were feeling unwell and unable to return to their starting point, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Crews were dispatched to the 20800 block of Entrada Road near the Will Rogers State Historic Park area. Paramedics reached the hikers, who were assessed on the trail, according to officials.

Both men agreed to be hoisted out by helicopter but declined transport to a hospital. No further medical treatment was required.

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Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is outraged by Israel not allowing sufficient aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million more for medical assistance in the region.

In a statement on the Middle East to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Lammy told MPs that Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine, acknowledging the declaration from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC).

He said: Im outraged by the Israeli governments refusal to allow in sufficient aid.

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We need a massive, massive humanitarian response to prevent more deaths, crucial NGOs, humanitarians and health workers allowed to operate and stockpiles of aid on Gazas borders released.

The Foreign Secretary pledged more money for Gazans through medical aid charity UK-Med and World Health Organisation Egypt.

He said: I can announce an additional 15 million worth of aid in medical care for Gaza and the region.

We continue to work alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, of course, to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

Brave medics in Gaza tell us that essential medicines are running out and they cannot operate safely, and thats why were funding UK-Med, whose field hospitals treated over 600,000 Gazans, and thats why were also funding the WHO Egypt to treat thousands of evacuated Gazan people.

Lammy says Britain will continue to work alongside regional partners to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need (Suzanne Plunkett/PA)

Mr Lammy reiterated the Governments commitment to bring critically ill and injured Gazan children to the UK for specialist NHS treatment, with the first patients expected in the coming weeks.

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He said: Were extracting people from a war zone, of course, it is complex and dangerous. It relies entirely on Israeli permissions, and Im pressing the Israeli government for this to happen as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Secretary condemned Israel for continuing to approve illegal settlements.

He said: In the West Bank, the Israeli government is tightening its stranglehold on the Palestinian economy and continues to approve illegal settlement construction, just recently in the E1 area east of Jerusalem.

This would erect a physical barrier to the contiguous Palestinian state, and it must not happen.

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He added: We see no contradiction between the two-state solution and our deep commitment to Israeli security, because security comes from stable borders, not indefinite occupation.

On the reintroduction of sanctions on Iran, Mr Lammy said: I regret to inform the House that Iran has not complied with its legal obligations, nor chosen the path of diplomacy, so we have had no choice but to act.

I have long been clear that I will not allow snapback to expire without a durable and comprehensive deal. It would be unacceptable to allow this issue to fall off the UN Security Council agenda, despite the threat posed by Irans nuclear programme.

But snapback is not the end of diplomacy, as (US secretary of state Marco Rubio) has also recently underlined. Iran can still meet our conditions, it can restore full IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) access, it can address our concerns about its stockpile and enrichment, and return to negotiations.

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Alongside our partners, I will continue to urge Iran to choose this path.

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday (AP Photo/Maya Levin)

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel told the Commons that new solutions should be looked at for getting aid in Gaza.

She said: The Government has yet to make essential breakthroughs on aid.

Ministers obviously need to work around the clock with everyone, all our partners, including with the Israelis and multinational institutions, to unblock the situation by coming up with practical solutions, even new solutions that all sides can focus on when it comes to getting medical and food aid into Gaza.

That does have to provide a significant increase in food and medical supplies to reach civilians while addressing Israeli concerns about aid diversions, because those concerns are constant.

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However, Mr Lammy disagreed that new solutions are needed, arguing that old ones like the UNs World Food Programme have worked in the past.

The Foreign Secretary said: She asks what new solutions might be found on aid, and thats where I depart with the sentiment of what shes saying, because Im not sure we need new solutions.

The mechanisms are there, they work all over the globe, it worked the last time when we had a ceasefire.
Large gatherings, multiple incidents prompt police presence near University of Dayton

Large gatherings and multiple incidents requiring police intervention prompted a large police presence near the University of Dayton late Sunday night.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, just before 11 p.m. Sunday, UD sent out a campus-wide alert of increased incidents near campus requiring police action.

TRENDING STORIES:

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The university also reported via a campus-wide alert that there were shots fired in the area of Brown Street near Stewart Street and that police were investigating, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

University officials said that there was a large gathering on Keifaber Street Sunday evening and that during the gathering, there were multiple incidents requiring police intervention in areas surrounding campus.

Because of the increase in enforcement actions and for the safety of our entire community, law enforcement, including UD police and city of Dayton police, cleared streets in the student neighborhood and had students return to their residences, University officials said.

Several large groups of individuals that university officials say are not believed to be affiliated with the university left campus and moved to the area of Brown and Stewart Streets, requiring additional police enforcement.

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Brown Street between Stewart and Wyoming was shut down to vehicular traffic for a short time, but has since reopened after crowds were dispersed.

News Center 7 crews on scene talked to UD students who heard the commotion.

We heard three loud booms, thinking it was a knock on the door, almost, and then we see cops flying around, and we just didnt know what to do, Zack Saylor, a Junior, said.

Another Junior, Sean OReilly, told News Center 7 crews that he has seen this happen before.

We heard some loud shots, and we assumed it was loud enough that we knew it was something, OReilly said. Im not that nervous, I feel like I have experienced this before. Not experienced it like this, but I have seen it before.

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While students say they feel safe on campus, they also said that they arent happy that incidents like what occurred Sunday night are happening.

I feel safe on campus, but its not a very good feeling, you know, that theres stuff like that going on right there, Saylor said.

University officials say they are not aware of any injuries being reported at this time. News Center 7 has contacted the Dayton Police Department for more information and is waiting to hear back.

News Center 7 will continue following this story.

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Sam Dogen said the purchase of his current home brought him out of early retirement.

Dogen suggests working longer during bull markets could have increased financial security.

He advises testing living on a reduced income before retiring to plan for a smooth transition.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sam Dogen, a 48-year-old early retiree, author, and stay-at-home dad based in San Francisco. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I retired at 34 in 2012, and my wife retired a few years later at 35 in 2015. We've been mainly living off our passive income and investments since.

In 2023, I bought an expensive home I didn't need, becoming house-rich and cash-poor. Buying this house affected our desired lifestyle in San Francisco. As a family of four with two children, we had less liquid or passive income, which made me feel quite uneasy.

In retrospect, retiring early was not the optimal career path. I'm 48 now, and if I were to talk to my 34-year-old self, I'd say stick it out for another five years and try to find a different work environment. Before anyone considers retiring early, I would suggest they speak to someone who has already done it and ask them what they would've done differently.

Working for 3 to 5 more years would have made more financial sense for me

Real estate and stocks were in a total bull market from 2012 to 2017. If I had worked longer, I probably would've been able to save and invest an extra $1 million. That decision could've generated $40,000 more in passive income at a 4% return rate, and I would maybe be more financially secure now.

Instead of retiring early, maybe I could've gone to a different office within the firm, like London or Hong Kong. Changing offices could've reset my experience, colleagues, restaurants, clients, and travel.

That would've probably enabled me to enjoy work more, and I would never have to wonder what it would've been like to work in Asia or Europe during my finance career.

The fear of not being able to properly care for my family in early retirement was pretty intense

I sold stock and treasury bonds to buy my new house. My passive income went from about $380,000 to $230,000, and I kept thinking about how I could regain that liquidity and passive income to feel more secure.

The fear was intense. It's psychological, like a loss of identity or purpose. One of the biggest risks as an early retiree is that you can never get a job again. I kept that fear in check when I found a FinTech startup to join part-time at the end of 2023.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Tourism continues to trend downwards in Southern Nevada and according to a Friday report from the LVCVA, hotel occupancy dropped to 76% in July, about 7% lower than last year. However, some hotels are making moves to counter it.

For example, Caesars Palace is offering up to 20% to those who book through Nov. 3. Also, there are discounts for those who purchase 30+ days in advance or stay three or more nights.

Additionally, Caesars Entertainment launched a $300 escape to Harrahs Las Vegas, The LINQ Hotel, and Flamingo Las Vegas, a two-night package that includes a $200 food and beverage credit, taxes, and resort fees.

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Meanwhile, MGM is offering rewards like credit accelerators and upgrades to veterans, and Westgate resorts is offering dining credits and spa credits.

I think its something they probably have to do. You need to keep the numbers up, youve got a lot of competition here amongst hotels, loyal MGM customer Steve Callister said.

Las Vegas tourism slides again as visitors drop by 12%

Callister visits Las Vegas multiple times a year and has noticed the difference in the city recently.

This particular trip, it seems much less crowded than normal, Callister said. We usually come Labor Day Weekend.

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Christine Nicosia from Boston was visiting Las Vegas for the first time and also said she expected more tourists.

Because its a long weekend, Id assume itd be a lot busier, Nicosia said.

When asked about incentives, she responded, If a hotel said hey, well give you tickets for this show if you book at our hotel, I think thatd be a great incentive.

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Aug. 31Looking to keep the kids busy on what is for many the last day of summer break? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting a free family-friendly run.

On Labor Day, congregations in north Spokane are hosting a free 5-kilometer community fun run at their church at 401 W. Regina Ave.

Check-in for the race is at 8:30 a.m. Monday, with runners taking off at 9.

The church is also offering a pancake breakfast and lawn games from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

The race is open to all: walkers, runners, bikers, scooters and those pushing strollers.
The leaders of the two coalition factions in the Bundestag, Jens Spahn from the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and Matthias Miersch from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), arrived in Kyiv on 1 September.

Source: European Pravda, citing Deutsche Welle, a German international broadcaster and media outlet

Details: The visit is the first joint trip to Ukraine by the leaders of the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary groups and also the first visit to the country for Spahn and Miersch.

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In Kyiv, they plan to discuss Germany's continued support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Quote from Spahn: "Matthias Miersch and I are here to send a clear signal: the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary groups stand with Ukraine now and in the future, with the brave Ukrainians who are defending their homeland, their country and Europe."

More details: When asked about possible security guarantees for Ukraine, Spahn said the best guarantee is a well-equipped Ukrainian military: "The first and most important security guarantee for Ukraine is the Ukrainian army. Above all, we want to equip it as well as possible."

Background:

On 25 August, German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil visited Kyiv.

During the visit, he said that Germany has committed to providing Ukraine with 9 billion annually over the next few years.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The largest professional organization of scholars studying genocide said Monday that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

The determination by the International Association of Genocide Scholars  which has around 500 members worldwide, including a number of Holocaust experts  could serve to further isolate Israel in global public opinion and adds to a growing chorus of organizations that have used the term for Israels actions in Gaza. Israel rejects the accusation and called the resolution an embarrassment to the legal profession.

Israels policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, according to group's resolution.

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People who are experts in the study of genocide can see this situation for what it is, Melanie OBrien, the organizations president and a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told The Associated Press.

The resolution was supported by 86% of those who voted. OBrien said 28% of members participated  a rate thats typical for the groups resolutions. Voting is held by email, according to the groups bylaws, and members have 30 days to reply.

In the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, around 20 of whom Israel believes are alive.

In Israels ensuing offensive, large swaths of Gaza have been leveled and most of the territorys over 2 million people have been displaced. More than 63,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but that around half have been women and children.

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The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes the figures but has not provided its own.

The scholars' resolution accused Israel of crimes including "indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and called on Israel to  immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.

It begins with an acknowledgment that Hamas attack constitutes international crimes.

Genocide was codified in a 1948 convention drawn up after the horrors of the Holocaust that defines it as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. The U.N. and many Western countries have said only a court can rule on whether the crime has been committed. A case against Israel is before the U.N.s highest court.

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Israel  founded in part as a refuge in the wake of the Holocaust, when some 6 million European Jews were murdered  vehemently denied it is committing genocide.

The IAGS has set a historic precedent  for the first time, Genocide Scholars accuse the very victim of genocide  despite Hamass attempted genocide against the Jewish people, Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Disgraceful.

Israel says Hamas is prolonging the war by not surrendering and releasing the hostages. In recent days, it began the initial stages of a new offensive and declared Gaza City a combat zone.

The scholars group, founded in 1994, has previously held that Chinas treatment of the minority Muslim Uyghurs and Myanmars crackdown on Rohingya Muslims meet the threshold for genocide.

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In 2006, the organization said statements by then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in which he called for Israel to be wiped off the map, had genocidal intent.

In July, two prominent Israeli rights groups  BTselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel  said their country is committing genocide in Gaza. The organizations do not reflect mainstream thinking in Israel, but it marked the first time that local Jewish-led organizations have made such accusations.

International human rights groups have also leveled the allegation.

Meanwhile, South Africa has accused Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice  an allegation Israel rejects.

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The court does not have a police force to implement its ruling, which could take years, but if a nation believes another member has failed to comply with an ICJ order, it can report that to the U.N. Security Council.

The council is able to impose sanctions and even authorize military action, but each of the five permanent members holds a veto, including Israel's staunchest ally, the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not believe genocide is taking place.

___

This story was first published on Sep. 1, 2025. It was updated on Sep. 2, 2025, to add that 28% of the organizations members participated in the vote.
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  Sunday was National Overdose Awareness Day, and events were held all over northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond, including in Wilkes-Barre.

Vendors at the Hope Over Stigma Outreach Experience in Kirby Park provided information about local recovery resources, related activities, and giveaways.

People came to celebrate recovery, eliminate stigma, and honor loved ones, planting flags in their memory.

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Hitting the green to raise money in Lackawanna County

My hope is that through events like this there wont have to be another life lost, or another family member in pain because they lost a loved one, Wyoming Valley Behavioral Health Business Development Representative Kate Favata told 28/22 News.

The event wrapped up at 3:00 p.m.

Experts say substance abuse often spikes in early Autumn, which can be a make-or-break time before habits escalate during the holidays.

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The deep rumble came just before midnight. The walls of Abdullahs home buckled, the roof collapsed and 17 members of his family were crushed in an instant.

The villager  who did not want to give his real name for fear of reprisals from the Taliban  was the sole survivor of his household when one of Afghanistans worst earthquakes shattered the eastern mountainous province of Kunar on Sunday night, killing at least 800 people and injuring thousands.

Standing amidst the ruins of his village in the Mazar valley, another man dressed in a simple brown tunic, pleaded desperately for help to bury the dead.

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I dont want your money, your food, water, or shelter. Nothing. Just send me air support to carry these bodies to flat ground so I can bury them, he said, adding that no amount of aid could ease his grief.

Around him lay the remains of his entire family: his five young sons, aged two to eight, his wife, parents and siblings. One brother, married just three days earlier, was killed alongside his new bride.

Other villagers desperately clawed through the rubble in search of the missing, lamenting that they felt abandoned, with no outside help.

Afghanistan has been impoverished by decades of war, repressive Taliban rule and foreign sanctions.

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The Islamist regime is grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighbouring countries.

The 6.0-magnitude quake hit the remote and poverty-stricken province near the Pakistan border at 11.47pm, shaking the mountain slopes and flattening fragile villages built with mud, bricks and wood as people slept.

Aftershocks followed, razing homes that had almost survived, while floods caused by heavy rains washed away the remains of others.

The official death toll in Kunar stood at 800 people on Monday evening, with more than 2,800 injured. In the Nangarhar province, at least 12 people were killed and 255 were injured.

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Dozens of villages in Kunar are completely gone, Janan Saiq, a spokesman of the Disaster Management Authority said.

We expect the death toll to rise further as more people are pulled from beneath the debris, Saiq said. Forty flights were carried out to shift the injured and martyrs to Nangarhar, he said.

It is like doomsday

Rescuers are battling landslides and rough mountainous terrain to get to the victims.

It is like doomsday, Gul Ahmad, 40, a resident of the Mazar valley, said as he surveyed the devastation in one of the worst-hit areas. Everyone is gripped by fear and grief.

Hundreds are believed to be buried under the debris.

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Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble, another villager, who did not give his name, told the Associated Press.

Houses reduced to rubble after earthquakes in the village of Nurgal in Kunar province - WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP

Aid workers described having to walk for as long as five hours to reach survivors in some communities cut off from outside help.

The Taliban has dispatched helicopters to ferry the wounded to hospitals in the nearest city Jalalabad, 25 miles away. But those affected say help is not coming fast enough and is insufficient to deal with the number of wounded.

Hospitals are also overwhelmed and residents say that morgues and graveyards are overflowing with the dead. Survivors have been critical of the Talibans efforts, saying the regime is ill-equipped to deal with a crisis of this scale.

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Vans filled with bodies are arriving by the minute, said Dr Shahidullah Aziz, a medic in Kunar. The morgue is already full.

In the village of Wadir on a steep mountainside, no household was spared injury or death. In every home at least one person was killed or injured, 55-year-old resident Gul Mohammad Rasooli told AFP, himself injured.

Matiullah Shahab, a Kunar resident, said he walked three hours to the Underlachk valley to try and help rescue survivors, but instead the main task was moving the dead.

I counted 79 bodies, including children and women, he said. Nobody was talking.

Matiullah Shahab said he walked three hours to try and help rescue survivors but instead the main task was moving the dead - Jawad Ahmad

The Taliban has appealed for urgent international aid, stressing that many of those most affected were recent refugees from Pakistan and Iran, which has expelled 1.2 million Afghans so far this year.

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Prior to the earthquake, the United Nations estimated more than half of Afghanistans population was in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

Compounding the difficulties, hundreds of hospitals and health centres have been forced to close after the Trump administration suspended foreign aid earlier this year. European countries, including Britain and France, have also cut aid.

The earthquake was of the shallow kind that tend to cause more damage because they cause intense shaking at the earths surface.

A boy is treated for serious head injuries after the earthquake - Aimal Zahir/AFP via Getty Images

It was Afghanistans third earthquake since the Taliban took over in 2021, when foreign forces withdrew, triggering a cut to the international funding that formed the bulk of government finances.

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In the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck on Oct 7 2023, followed by strong aftershocks.

The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake, while the UN put the death toll at 1,500.

The latest earthquake is likely to dwarf the scale of the humanitarian needs caused by the disaster of 2023, according to the International Rescue Committee.

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NEED TO KNOW

On Sunday, Aug. 31, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistans Kunar province near the city of Jalalabad

Per multiple outlets, at least 800 people have been confirmed dead, and 1,300 are injured following the natural disaster

Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

At least 800 people have reportedly died, with a further 1,300 injured, after a powerful earthquake struck Afghanistans Kunar province.

At around 11:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 31, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad and its neighboring provinces, including Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, and Panjshir, according to local news outlets Hasht-e Sobh and Khaama Press. Many people were buried underneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, while the mountainous terrain has made rescue operations challenging, Afghan-based outlet Hewad reported.

AIMAL ZAHIR/AFP via Getty Children in hospital after an earthquake in Afghanistan's Jalalabad Children in hospital after an earthquake in Afghanistan's Jalalabad

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the death toll currently stands at 800 people, per multiple outlets including NBC News and The Independent. Khaama Press reported that the number of injured is 1,300 according to the Taliban's Ministry of Interior.

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Sadly, tonight's earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said, according to Sky News. Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people. Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way."

Xinhua/Shutterstock People gathered near an ambulance in Kunar province, Afghanistan People gathered near an ambulance in Kunar province, Afghanistan

The Taliban government is using helicopters to rescue those affected by the quake, as the mountainous terrain and landslides triggered by the natural disaster make providing aid challenging.

Because the earthquake hit a remote mountainous area, it will take time to get the exact information about human losses and damage to the infrastructure, Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Afghan Public Health Ministry, said, per NBC.

We have launched a massive rescue operation and mobilized hundreds of people to help people in the affected areas, Zaman added.

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"Unconfirmed reports indicate that nearly 30 people from one village have been killed, but so far there are no exact figures regarding the casualties," the spokesman also said, per the BBC.

Three villages were "completely destroyed and suffered heavy damage", he continued, before adding that the death toll is expected to rise and there is limited access and communication in the area.

Dr. Muladad, the head of the provincial hospital in Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar, told the BBC that they have been admitting one patient every five minutes since the earthquake.

He described the situation as a crisis, having declared an emergency at the hospital.

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USGS HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock The location of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Afghanistan The location of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Afghanistan

The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority and the Ministry of Public Health did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information on Monday, Sept. 1.

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Before the quake struck, the provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar had been affected by flash floods, which killed multiple people, per the BBC.

Afghanistan is particularly prone to natural disasters. Back in 2023, a series of earthquakes in the countrys west killed over 1,000 people, after a thousand had died the year prior in the Paktika province due to a quake.

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Related video: Former Arkansas Governor shares thoughts on death row inmates passing from April 2025

GOULD, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  An Arkansas man who has been on death row for more than seven years is asking for his case to be streamlined after years of back and forth between him and the judge.

Scotty Gardner, 65 (Courtesy: Arkansas Department of Corrections)

Scotty Gardner, 65, is on death row for strangling and killing his girlfriend at a Conway hotel in 2016. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2018. Gardner has served two previous stints in state prisons for separate crimes.

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Court documents say that in 2020, Gardner asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to order his sentence. In a June 2020 filing, Gardner said, I will accept any of the 5 executions  gun, gas, rope, [electric] chair, drugs.

Since 2022, Gardner has been writing letters to the Faulkner County Circuit Court complaining about delays in his case and being taken from the Varner Supermax prison in Gould to court in Conway.

Shareholder suit alleges animal, worker abuse at Tyson

Gardner said in a 2025 filing, Set a date and lets do it.

He said in messages to USA Today in August that he wants out of his cave at the Varner Supermax prison.

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Gardner said that his cell consists of a walk-in closet with a shower, toilet, a sink and drain in the floor that bugs crawl in and out constantly.

Why die of old age in a one-man cave 20 years from now when I can be forthcoming and say, Hey, lets do this, Gardner said.

Gardners wish may not happen any time soon.

Circuit Court Judge Charles Clawson III, of Conway, granted a six-month extension in Gardners appeal case in May for prosecutors to respond to filings by Gardners attorneys. The judge concluded that Gardner did not waive his rights but sought to exercise them by pursuing some avenues of appeal.

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During a May 27 hearing in Conway, Clawson asked Gardner what he was trying to accomplish in court, saying some of Gardners previous statements were contradictory.

I can say execute me, do whatever, or we can have a hearing.  Im not trying to make it hard on nobody, Gardner said.

2 people arrested in connection to Siloam Springs shooting; 1 faces capital murder charge

Gardner also said during the hearing, Lets get this over with, and Im sick and tired [of this].

Death penalty in Arkansas

Arkansas has not executed an inmate since 2017, when four were executed over 11 days. Eight executions were scheduled; however, the other four were granted stays. Two of the executions were botched, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

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10 death row inmates filed a lawsuit in August to block a law that would add the use of nitrogen gas for executions. The inmates claimed they were given a sentence of death by lethal injection.

Since the inmates were not assigned death by nitrogen hypoxia, the lawsuit argued, it was illegal to execute them in this manner.

Of the 10 inmates suing the state, Gardner was not one of them.

No updates to that lawsuit have been released since Aug. 5, when the lawsuit was filed.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
Mike Sousek, general manager of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, addresses the Cass County Board prior to its vote Tuesday, March 25, 2025, to rescind approval of a recreational trail route across the county. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  The Lower Platte South Natural Resources District moved to hire its assistant general manager for the job left vacant by the recent resignation of general manager Mike Sousek.

On Aug. 20, the NRD board voted to negotiate a contract with Assistant General Manager David Potter to become the next GM. The vote came after the board rejected a proposal to appoint a committee to conduct an outside search for candidates.

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Potter, who has worked nine years for the NRD, said Friday that a contract was still under negotiation. It could be voted on at the NRD boards next meeting in September.

In July, Sousek resigned the $178,000-a-year job a month after being placed on suspension with pay.

There has been no public comment on why Sousek was disciplined or why he resigned. But his exit came a couple weeks after the settlement of a lawsuit filed by a female NRD employee who maintained that she had been bypassed for the NRDs top job because she was a woman. The job went to Sousek.

McKenzie Barry, who had worked for the Lower Platte South NRD for 22 years, filed the gender discrimination lawsuit, claiming, among other things, that two members of the committee interviewing candidates told her that the NRD wasnt ready to hire a female for the top job.

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Sousek, who had served as general manager the past two years, did not immediately return a phone call left Friday seeking comment.

Bob Anderson, the chairman of the Lower Platte South NRD Board, said Friday that there was strong support from the board to pursue a contract with Potter rather than pursue a national search for candidates.

Potter had served as an elected member of the Lower Platte South NRD Board prior to his hiring as assistant general manager. A resident of Valparaiso, he is also a former member of the Butler County Board.

The Lower Platte South NRD covers six counties in southeast Nebraska. It operates nine wildlife management areas and maintains 50 miles of recreational trails, and works with landowners to reduce erosion and manage groundwater use.

Most recently, it has been engaged in talks with Cass County to find an alternate path for a recreation trail linking Lincoln and Omaha. The talks came after the Cass County Board declined in May to affirm a route for the trail that had been approved by the five-member board prior to the November elections. Those elections changed the membership of the board.
DARPA tapped Rigetti as a performer in its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative -- a program seeking "utility-scale" quantum computers by 2033 -- alongside IBM and IonQ. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) track record includes the internet, GPS, and stealth aircraft, making its backing a meaningful vote of confidence.

On the financial front, second-quarter 2025 revenue fell to $1.8 million from $3.1 million a year ago, reflecting contract timing. Income comes from cloud access, custom algorithm work, and government research and development (R&D). Operating losses of $19.9 million in the most recent quarter underscore the capital-intensive nature of this nascent field.

Rigetti's superconducting qubits operate at fractions of a degree above absolute zero. The company's two-qubit gates run in tens of nanoseconds, versus tens of microseconds for trapped-ion or neutral-atom systems -- roughly 100 to 1,000 times faster. Faster gates allow more operations within limited coherence times, though rival platforms often deliver higher fidelities and longer lifetimes.

In August 2025, Rigetti's modular 36-qubit system -- four 9-qubit chiplets linked together -- achieved 99.5% median two-qubit gate fidelity, halving errors from its Ankaa-3 machine. A 100-plus qubit chiplet system is targeted by year-end. Think of it like building a supercomputer from many processors instead of one impossible monolith.

Investors are paying venture-style multiples for technology that still lacks commercial traction. Yet, the massive opportunity inherent in quantum computing could make this tech stock a steal -- even at these elevated levels. Let's dig deeper to find out whether this premium-laden growth stock is worth the price of admission.

Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) has surged 1,820% over the past 12 months -- topping D-Wave Quantum 's (NYSE: QBTS) 1,550% gain and IonQ 's 505% (NYSE: IONQ). Yet, today's $5.3 billion market cap looks disconnected from a company posting just $1.8 million in quarterly revenue while losing nearly $40 million in the most recent quarter.

A strong balance sheet with $571.6 million in cash provides a runway through 2026, despite minimal revenues.

Story Continues

Meanwhile, Washington is advancing the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Reauthorization Act (approximately $2.7 billion) and the Department of Energy Quantum Leadership Act (approximately $2.5 billion). Europe has pledged about 2 billion euros at the European Union (E.U.) level and another 9 billion euros from member states.

China's widely cited $10 billion for quantum computing projects represents a one-time Hefei National Lab project, not recurring spend. The bottom line is that global governments are racing to fund credible players in this emerging space.

How does Rigetti fit into this government-backed innovation bonanza? Rigetti manufactures at its Fab-1 facility using semiconductor-style modular methods. By wiring smaller chips into larger systems, it sidesteps yield issues that plagued single-chip designs. IBM's 1,121-qubit Condor processor (2023) underscored the limits of monolithic scaling and pushed IBM itself toward modular architectures.

Put simply, Rigetti was ahead of the curve in employing modular designs -- a critical decision that could translate into a key competitive advantage.

Extreme valuation demands caution

Rigetti raised $350 million in Q2 via an at-the-market program, ending the quarter with $571.6 million in cash and no debt. That buys time through 2026, but the opportunistic raise at lofty prices signals management's awareness that current valuations may not last.

At a $5.3 billion market cap on approximately $11 million-ish in trailing revenue, Rigetti stock trades at around 495 times sales. By comparison, traditional semiconductor giant Nvidia trades at approximately 40 times forward earnings -- with profits, proven demand, and a rock-solid moat. While rich, Nvidia's premium pales in comparison to those of Rigetti and other pure-play quantum stocks, all of which are cash-flow negative at the moment.

A speculative bet on computing's future

Quantum computing could be the next revolution -- or an expensive science experiment. Rigetti's 36-qubit milestone and DARPA backing validate its chiplet strategy, and $571.6 million in cash provides breathing room.

Still, at 495 times trailing sales, the stock's valuation prices in perfection. Thus, risk-tolerant investors might cap exposure at no more than 2% of a well-diversified portfolio. For most, though, it makes sense to wait for proof of real commercial traction before betting on Rigetti as a breakthrough play in quantum's uncertain future.

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CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP)  September 1st is the day to celebrate one of the tastiest BBQ celebrations.

What will be open and closed on Labor Day in Massachusetts

Its National Burnt Ends Day, which refers to the burnt ends that come from the point of a brisket, according to the National Day Calendar. The name comes from the longer cooking time required for tender brisket, and because of this, the thinner points become a little charred and tougher than the rest of the meat.

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Burnt ends taste amazing on sandwiches, in stews, or on their own. They can be sweet, spicy, and of course smoky, with a hint of hickory or cherry tantalizing the senses.

One way to celebrate the day is by sampling some burnt ends! Yelp has put together a list of the best places to get burnt ends in western Massachusetts.

Top places for burnt ends in western Massachusetts

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
The Oregon Legislature has wrapped up its third day of a special session on transportation funding, The House of Representatives convened at 10 a.m. for a third reading and debate on the package of bills sponsored by Gov. Tina Kotek.

The Senate began considering the measures in the afternoon on Sept. 1.

Legislative reporter Dianne Lugo, state government reporter Anastasia Mason and photographer Abigail Dollins were there to cover the special session on Labor Day.

Senate convenes for first reading

Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

The Oregon Senate convened successfully at 2:06 p.m. with 26 members in attendance. Four senators were absent: Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, Cedric Hayden, R-Fall Creek, Diane Linthicum, R-Beatty, and Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.

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The four members were excused from the meeting.

A debate on the two bills making up the special session transportation package is expected to take place Wednesday, unless the chamber suspends rules requiring bills be read on three separate occasions before a debate and vote.

The first readings of House Bill 3991 and House Bill 3992 took place on Labor Day.

Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, and Sens. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, and Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, delivered remonstrances against the two measures.

McLane questioned why Kotek, while pushing for the transportation package, had not been more vocal about the states economic status. Nash, a cattle ranch owner, said the transportation package would increase costs for farmers who are already struggling in the state.

Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, points to a stack of submitted public testimony opposing the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

Bonham invited senators to review the printed public testimony brought earlier in the day by House Minority Leader Chrstine Drazan, R-Canby, which was largely against the bill.

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The Senate is scheduled to reconvene Sept. 2 at 9 a.m. for a second reading of the bills.

House passes transportation package

Oregon House of Representatives convenes to hear debate over the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

The House of Representatives passed House Bill 3991 with a final vote of 36-12.

Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, voted against the bill, but Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, cast his vote in favor, bringing the votes to the exact 36 necessary to pass a tax increase.

The House also voted in favor of passing a sine die resolution, ending its role in the special session.

The measures now moves to the Senate, scheduled to convene at 2 p.m. Sept. 1, for consideration.

House debates transportation bill

Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, speaks during the debate over the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, broke from his party to speak in favor of the bill. He said the new funding is necessary to keep roads safe, but lawmakers must ensure accountability in how the money is spent.

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Oregonians measure trust by seeing completed roads and less traffic jams, Javadi said. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of doing something.

He spoke twice during the debate.

Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, said the state government has lost sight of its mission and pointed to a stack of papers on the desk of House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, that he said were printouts of testimony overwhelmingly against the measure.

Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, reads from a stack of submitted testimony opposing the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

Lets not raise taxes on the forgotten Oregonians. Lets not hold workers hostage, Diehl said. Let's fix our priorities first.

House Bill 3991 is necessary for public safety, argued Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland. Grayber is a firefighter.

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We have a saying in emergency medicine: Time is tissue, Grayber said.

Reps. Rick Lewis, R-Silverton, Court Boice, R-Gold Beach, E. Werner Reschke, R-Malin, and Darcey Edwards, R-Banks, entered the floor late, joining a group of Republicans who waited until after attendance was called to join the session.

Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, referred to the measure as a bandage on a wound.

I am no lover of ODOT, but I also recognize nothing is free, said Evans.

This is nobodys ideal bill, anybody who tells you that it is, is lying to you.

Reps. Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass, Mark Owens, R-Crane, Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, Edwards, Lewis, and Reschke also spoke in opposition.

Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, speaks during the debate over the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, said the package was not strong enough to sway her to vote in support of the bill. Hartman said she brings her lived experience into her work as a lawmaker and remembers when an unexpected $20 cost meant negative impacts for weeks down the road. Many in her district have similar stories, she said.

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Whether someone was a neighbor, a business owner, a teacher, an elected official, the top line message was that they are fed up with the consistent issues that ODOT has (forced) upon them over the years. They are fed up with the first answer to our problems is always increasing costs for working families, Hartman said.

Hartman also said she felt the accountability measures, which include more audits of ODOT, were insufficient and had concerns with how the department managed its last funding package.

Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, speaks during the debate for the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

She was the only Democrat in the House who said she would vote against the bill. Other Democrats including Reps. David Gomberg, D-Otis, Lisa Fragala, D-Eugene, Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie, and Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, spoke about their reasons to vote in support.

Drazan said 94% of written testimony was against both bills. She read portions of submitted testimony on the floor from constituents who said the proposed increases would place them under further financial strain. Drazan said she was disappointed Republican alternatives were voted down in committee.

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We cannot continue to make Oregon more unaffordable, she said.

It is Labor Day weekend and we are doubling the payroll tax for Oregon workers.

House approves budget bill

The House voted to approve House Bill 3992, the budget bill in the two-part transportation package, Sept. 1.

The final vote was 35-8.

Representatives voted along party lines, except for Reps. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, and Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, who voted against and in favor, respectively.

We want the roads to be safe, and I would encourage your yes vote on this budget bill, said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis.

No Republicans spoke in opposition.

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The House now moves to considering House Bill 3991, which includes increases to the gas tax and will require three-fifths of members to approve, rather than a simple majority.

Oregon House of Representatives convenes to hear debate over the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

House convenes successfully

A quorum is present this morning. The Oregon Constitution requires 40 House members and 20 senators be in attendance for any action to be taken. Exactly 40 were present during the roll call after the House convened around 10:20 a.m.

Five Republicans  Reps. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, Mark Owens, R-Crane, Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, Kevin Mannix, R-Salem and House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby  joined all but one Democrat on the floor.

Reps. Vikki Breese Iverson, R-Prineville, Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, and Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass, joined the House floor after attendance was taken.

How we got here

Oregon House of Representatives listen to debate over the transportation package during the special session at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 1 in Salem.

The 2025 Legislature adjourned on June 27 without passing a transportation bill, leaving the Oregon Department of Transportation short about $300 million to maintain service levels for the two-year budget cycle that began July 1.

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Kotek announced layoffs of 483 ODOT workers and the closure of a dozen maintenance stations across the state. The layoffs and closures were later put on hold, pending the outcome of the special session.

Two last-minute amendments from House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, were adopted Aug. 31 by the Joint Special Session Committee on Transportation Funding after the second public hearing on the bills.

One of Faheys amendments would eliminate a 0.1% increase to the payroll tax in House Bill 3991 after Jan. 1, 2028.

The other amendment gives the Department of Administrative Services the ability to lower tax rates, but not to raise them, if the rates paid by heavy and light vehicles reach a certain imbalance.

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Getting here has been a long road, but the result is a bill that ensures that cities, counties, and the state will be able to perform basic maintenance and safety work on our roads  filling potholes, plowing snow in the winter, and making sure our bridges dont fall down, Fahey said after the House committee adjourned.

What Gov. Tina Kotek's transportation funding bills would do

The governor's amended transportation package is estimated to raise $4.3 billion over the next 10 years. Her bills include:

A 6-cent increase to the state gas tax for a total of 46 cents per gallon

A $42 and $132 increase in vehicle registration and title fees

A doubling of the 0.1% payroll tax to fund public transit until Jan. 1, 2028.

A $30 supplemental registration fee for electric vehicles, and

A new "road usage charge" to be phased in for electric and hybrid cars starting in 2027.

House Bill 3991 also would repeal mandatory tolling language from the existing statute, which Kotek paused in 2024, and transfer power to the governor to appoint and fire the director of the ODOT. The last major transportation bill, passed in 2017, gave the power to hire and fire the head of ODOT to the Oregon Transportation Commission.

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Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Legislature meets in special session Labor Day weekend
SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  Jennifer Bolding opens her self-storage unit, and out tumbles some of the many donations she receives as founder of Cruisin to Help the Homeless. Among the clothing, equipment and other supplies emerges a box loaded with Narcan, the brand name for Naloxone.

She has assembled kits that contain two doses of the opioid rescue drug, fentanyl test strips and other items that can help save a life.

Nine years ago, Bolding lost her best friend to an overdose.

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Ive always had a heart for people with substance use disorder, she said.

Bolding now trains people to administer Narcan.

Its a life-saving device that I feel like everyone should carry, Bolding said.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, 10 On Your Side also spoke with Jazmine Garcia, a health equity specialist for the Norfolk Health Department. She says shes seeing fewer overdoses.

The reason why is because of the accessibility to Naloxone and REVIVE training, Garcia said.

The simplest level of Narcan training is called Rapid REVIVE.

You can do that in less than 15 minutes, Garcia said. so we do those at fairs, community events, especially if you have a larger group and you want to give them training in a quicker way.

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Garcia and Bolding both agree Narcan can still carry a stigma for those who have the drug. Its not just for recreational drug overdoses.

Yes, we often share that its not just for those that are in active addiction, Garcia said.

Bolding recognizes the fear of children and elderly people mistakenly taking opioids.

A child could get into their parents medicine thinking its candy and accidentally take something, Bolding said. An elderly person thats forgetful might take medicine in the morning and accidentally take another dose at night time.

With deadly fentanyl hiding in the weed, someone can overdose quickly and without warning.

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Even now, weed is being laced with fentanyl. So, a teenager that just wants to smoke weed after school, or after work a young adult, they could overdose from that, too, Bolding said.

Bolding added that Narcan wont hurt someone even if they are not overdosing.

For more information, the Virginia Department of Health has a comprehensive list of tips, resources and locations for Narcan kits.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Aug. 31Wilkes-Barre City Council in March 1908, passed an ordinance to purchase a new fire fighting apparatus, a hook and ladder truck, at a cost of $5,500 from the Seagrave Aerial Fire Truck Co. in Ohio.

Months later, word was received that the aerial ladder truck was being shown at the National Firemen's Convention held in Columbus, Ohio.

City Fire Chief Joe Schuler traveled to the firemen's convention on Aug. 24, 1908, and immediately became impressed with the new firefighting machine. The words, "W-B Fire Department" were painted on both doors and down the sides of the truck.

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"After weeks of anxious waiting, members of the fire committee of councils announced last evening that the new aerial truck had arrived and that it was upon a car in the yards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad," the Wilkes-Barre Record newspaper reported Aug. 31, 1908.

"When exhibited in Columbus last week, during the convention of fire chiefs, it was declared by all who saw it to be the best equipped aerial truck ever placed on the market for the price. It takes about 10 seconds to raise the ladder to its designated height and is a truck which is easy for the firemen to handle," the Record reported.

After the aerial truck was carefully unloaded from a flat rail car on Sept. 1, 1908, it was taken to the No. 7 Engine House where its ladder was attached. To test the new machine, firemen drove it to the Hotel Sterling to raise the ladder in practice drills.

A large crowd gathered around the Hotel Sterling and watched the ladder raised in less than 30 seconds expanding to the hotel's sixth floor. Firemen took eight hand ladders from the sides of the new truck and placed them against the hotel within 20 seconds.

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"The speed in raising the main extension of the new truck is acquired largely by two powerful springs under the front seat," the Record reported.

Being a new truck, firemen practiced raising and lowering the ladder. After a few practice drills, raising the ladder to the hotel's sixth floor took less than 15 seconds.

Axles on the new aerial truck were manufactured at Wilkes-Barre's Sheldon Axle Company that once stood on today's Conyngham Avenue.

The aerial truck was used in service when a fire erupted in the annex basement at the five-story Bennett Building on Public Square on May 21, 1912.

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The Record reported May 22, 1912, that water pressure hampered firefighters for 45 minutes until a continuous stream of water was found by turning on and off hydrants around Public Square.

"The big aerial truck was stationed in front of the building ready to throw a stream from its tower in case the flames reached the offices on the top floor. The ladder was used in getting streams to the top of the building from the rear of which water was poured into the building annex," the Record reported.
A Longhorn cow that got loose in Dodge County on Sunday afternoon was ultimately killed when it charged at a deputy.

The bizarre sequence unfolded just east of Dodge Center, where a farmer reported one of his cows had gotten loose as they were trying to transfer her to a pasture on County Road 34.

Emergency dispatch then received calls saying that the cow was on railroad tracks heading to Highway 14, with Canadian Pacific railroad made aware.

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A short time later, 911 callers said the cow was in the median of Highway 14 heading south, and had made several attempts to cross the cable median barrier.

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The owners attempted to capture the cow several times, but it caused the animal to "violently" charge at its would-be wranglers, with one family member "struck" by the cow, which was caught on video.

The owners eventually gave police permission to shoot the cow, which by then had crossed the cable barriers and was heading south on 200th Avenue towards Dodge Center Airport.

A deputy shot the cow, but it continued to run free before charging in the direction of another Dodge County deputy and his squad car.

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"That deputy was able to shoot the cow and put it down at approximately 2:50 p.m. ending the incident without anyone getting hurt," the Dodge County Sheriff's Office said.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcements latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN News section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Taylor Williams, a former contestant on the dating reality show Love Island USA, is recovering after being trampled by a horse during a rodeo in Scottsdale.

Williams, a cowboy from Oklahoma, was competing in the Arizona Invitational Black Rodeo on Friday, Aug. 29, when his horse appeared to trip and roll on top of him. Video from the event shows other riders rushing to his side before EMTs transported him from the arena on a gurney.

Despite the dramatic fall, Williams later posted on Instagram that he was all good and even claimed he was able to walk out of the arena on his own.

Williams thanked fans for their support as he continues to recover.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Taylor Williams of Love Island USA hurt in Scottsdale rodeo accident
COPPERAS COVE, Texas (FOX 44)  Copperas Cove families will see their school tax bills shrink once again. For the seventh year in a row, the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees voted to lower the property tax rate, setting it at $0.7575 per $100 valuation for the new fiscal year that begins Monday. The entire amount will go toward the districts Maintenance and Operations fund.

The Interest and Sinking portion of the tax rate has now dropped to zero after the district finished paying off its 2005 bonds earlier this month. That rate would only change if voters approve new bonds in the future.

Alongside the tax cut, trustees passed a $92 million budget for 2025-26. The plan projects a deficit of about $358,000far less than the $2.6 million shortfall recorded last year and a dramatic turnaround from the $6.5 million gap the district faced just two years ago.

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Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins said careful adjustments to staffing and programs helped the district cut costs while still making room for employee raises. Through our work to align staffing with programs and student enrollment, weve been able to not only decrease the budget deficit but provide raises to every employee for the first time in two years, Hawkins said.

The budget also designates $130,000 for instructional facility upgrades aimed at ensuring equity across campuses. Savings were found in areas such as salaries, supplies, and travel to help keep spending in line.

Chief Financial Officer Cliff Heath said the district is working to show taxpayers that their dollars are being used wisely. We will continue our work to ensure we align our budget with the priorities the trustees and community have set for our district to the best of our ability, he said.

In other action Thursday, trustees approved using $88,496 from the fund balance to cover unpaid student meal accounts, as required under federal law. They also expanded dual credit opportunities for students through agreements with Lamar Institute of Technology and Lamar State College-Port Arthur.

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The boards next meetings will be held in September: a workshop on Sept. 8 and the regular monthly meeting on Sept. 22, both at 6 p.m. in the District Service and Training Center on South Main Street. Agendas are posted outside the building three business days before each meeting and can also be viewed online.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44.
If youre looking to see what is open and what is closed for Labor Day 2025, look no further. Weve rounded up a list of the major stores that are open and can tell you whats closed this year.

So, read through this first and dont get caught heading to Costco on Labor Day, because the warehouses are closed. Thankfully, you can head over to Sams Club to shop if you need items in bulk. Otherwise, you can head to Target, Walmart and Lowes to score some really good Labor Day deals.

Target has 50% off all clothing (online only), Walmart has Milwaukee power tools for $100 off and Lowes has Blackstone grills for $150 off.

Most supermarkets will remain open with regular or reduced hours.

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Shoppers should ultimately check with their local supermarket for specific information on opening and closing hours, as it can vary by location.

The following major supermarket chains in New Jersey are scheduled to be open on Labor Day:

The following major supermarket chain in New Jersey is scheduled to be closed on Labor Day:

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Many stores are open for regular business hours to host Labor Day sales in 2025. The only major store that is closed is Costco.

Note: Shoppers should check with their local store in the event that hours vary by location.

All malls in New Jersey should be open, and some stores may offer sales.

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Most malls in New Jersey, 12 of which are part of the Simon Mall chain, will operate from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Labor Day.

Other malls not part of the Simon Mall chain, such as American Dream, will keep its stores open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

The following malls in New Jersey will be open on Labor Day:

More Labor Day 2025 Store Hours

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Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.

Read the original article on NJ.com.
Roberts Bakery has set out plans to close a factory in central England.

The family-owned group said the plant in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, is no longer aligned with its plans.

In a brief statement, Roberts Bakery said it had conducted a comprehensive review of the companys product portfolio, overall footprint and long-term business strategy.

The company said it had come to the difficult decision to shut the site, which employs 38 staff.

While the Ilkeston site has contributed significantly to the Roberts business over time, the review has concluded that the site is no longer aligned with the companys future plans, it added.

Just Food has asked for more detail on why the Ilkeston site no longer fits the group's plans.

Earlier this year, it emerged Roberts Bakery was looking to cut up to 250 jobs at its factory in Northwich in north-west England.

At the time, the group pointed to significant challenges in the UK bread market. Increased competition had put pressure on prices while demand for standard white bread was falling, it added.

The Northwich site was hit by a fire two years ago, which meant two-thirds of its production was lost for more than a year.

According to Companies House, the UK business register, the Frank Roberts & Sons holding company generated a turnover of 76.1m ($103m) in the 12 months to 31 August 2024, down from 96m a year earlier.

Pre-tax profits stood at 20.2m, versus a pre-tax loss of 7m the year previous.

The business made a net profit of 15.1m, against a net loss of 5.6m the year previous.

Last month, two of the UK's three largest bakery groups announced plans to join forces.

Associated British Foods, the owner of Allied Bakeries, struck a deal to acquire the Hovis bread business from UK-headquartered private-equity firm Endless. The transaction will need the approval of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

"Roberts Bakery plans to close UK factory" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.




LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) The Lufkin Police Department is celebrating the retirement of Lieutenant Mike Shurley, who has dedicated the past three decades to serving East Texas.

Tylers first Oxxo store set to open as part of major expansion

Shurley officially retired from the department on Aug. 28, ending a 32-year career in public service. He began his career as a reserve police officer with the Diboll Police Department after graduating from Angelina College with an associates degree in criminal justice.

Courtesy of the Lufkin Police Department

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In 1995, Shurley joined the Lufkin Police Department, starting as a patrol officer and eventually advancing to lieutenant. He also served on the departments SWAT Team for 10 years as an entry team leader.

As Shurley steps into retirement, the Lufkin Police Department and the entire community extend their deepest gratitude for his unwavering service, leadership and integrity, the Lufkin Police Department said. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations of law enforcement professionals.

You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
Lynx has announced the opening of its new $18 million Pine Hills Bus Transfer Center, a major enhancement to Central Floridas public transit network.

The opening of the Pine Hills Bus Transfer Center marks an exciting step forward in making transportation more accessible and connected for residents of West Orange County.

Located at 2756 Belco Drive, this new hub is conveniently close to popular spots such as retail centers, Evans High School and the Central Florida Urban League headquarters, helping to unite the community and make travel easier.
A courier has been banned from driving after he breached Waless 20mph speed limit 11 times in just over a month.

Gregory Williams pleaded guilty to the offences after speeding while passing through an unfamiliar area.

Wales became the first country in the UK to reduce the default speed limit in built-up areas from 30mph to 20mph two years ago, with critics at the time accusing the Welsh Government of scaring off tourists.

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Williams tickets came over the course of just 35 days between Sept 4 and Oct 9 last year, with the 37-year-old telling the court: By the time the first offence came through the post, the rest had already happened.

He was caught speeding on 10 occasions on a single stretch of road near Mold, North Wales. Two of the offences took place within four hours, Mold magistrates court heard on Monday.

Those 10 speeding infractions were detected by a fixed camera on a straight stretch of the A5104 at the village of Pontybodkin, while the 11th was in nearby Mynydd Isa.

Magistrates gave Williams 37 points on his licence, banned him from driving for six months and handed him a 600 fine.

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Williams  who is from Dyserth, North Wales, and previously had a clean driving record  apologised to the court.

He said: I was a courier driver in a new area for me. I mistook it for a 30mph zone.

The change in the default speed limit in 2023 cost 34m and affected 35 per cent of the countrys roads.

The policy added an average of two minutes to journey times of differing lengths, according to a recent study by GoSafe, which monitors road cameras.

Fewer road deaths per year

The decision resulted in fierce backlash towards the Welsh Labour Government, with the ruling party accused of waging a war on motorists.

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Nearly 470,000 signed a petition against the law  the largest in Welsh history.

The limit has been highly controversial, with a leading Welsh businessman recently accusing the Government of making the country less attractive to tourists.

Stephen Davies, the chief executive of Welsh whisky brand Penderyn, said the restrictions made the country less appealing to visit.

He said: The Welsh Government is not doing a very good job for tourism or for companies like ours.

It may not be said explicitly, but weve got 20mph speed limits and weve got tourism taxes [coming] which will apply to adults and children  I feel that a lot of that messaging basically says we dont want you here now as a nation.

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Meanwhile, Welsh Government figures argued the move reduced collisions on affected roads by 19 per cent, adding that 100 fewer people per year are killed or badly injured in road accidents.

North Wales Police recorded a total of 97,088 speeding offences in 2024, with the 20mph policy responsible for the majority of breaches.

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This five-part investigation was conducted by Conexion Migrante and Factchequeado with support from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Disarming Disinformation program.

Puedes leer esta nota en espanol haciendo clic aqui.

MEXICO.  Before sunrise, in an industrial area with few streetlights and sodden streets, dozens of immigrants are queuing in front of the new building of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), in the outskirts of Mexico City. Some of them have paid 10 or 20 Mexican pesos to have a spot. Others were just hoping to be within the first two hundred to guarantee being seen. There are no civil servants to be found. There are no leaflets, guidelines or signs about the process.

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Whether its due to ineffectiveness, lack of political will or indifference, Mexicos government is the main culprit for disinformation on migration.

Their websites are not updated, the processes in place lead to offices that dont exist, and there is almost no content about migration processes on their social media. And application offices for refugees are not on TikTok, the platform that has grown the most between migrants and where they get most of false or misleading answers, according to a survey done by Conexion Migrante, in alliance with Factchequeado.

Location of the new office headquarters for asylum application procedures in the center of the country. The office was relocated from downtown Mexico City to Naucalpan, State of Mexico, following neighbors' complaints about migrant camps in the surrounding area. The lack of official supervision has allowed third parties to control access and sell appointments for services that are legally free. / Special by Jhasua Razo.

Donald Trump militarized the border and closed the access for asylum and refuge when he returned to the presidency on January 20, 2025. Blocked by the US new policies, thousands decided to stay in Mexico to regularize their status, but instead of protection, theyre faced with a system that disinforms, offers little guidance, and exposes them to frauds and deception.

Between February and July 2025, we visited the offices handling refuge paperwork in Tapachula, Chiapas (at the south border), Monterrey, Nuevo Leon (in the north) and Naucalpan, State of Mexico (in the outskirts of Mexico City).

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We filed ten applications for transparency and access to public information, and we analyzed dozens of social media accounts and hundreds of posts. We found the same pattern everywhere  public and systemic disinformation that facilitates the involvement of third parties with businesses and hoaxes.

Our own survey, conducted in 2023 and then again in 2025, shows that, in only two years, exposure to migration hoaxes went from 30% to 50%, while the number of people that claimed to have been affected increased by 10 percentage points, to 27.2%, according to survey responses collected between March and April 2025.

Foreign migration is not included in the presidential rhetoric

When Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum talks about migration, she usually refers to Mexican migrants in the US as Mexicos heroes (see here and here), or our migrant brothers and sisters. But she rarely mentions the thousands of immigrants looking for an opportunity in Mexico.

Sheinbaum has said the word migration 405 times in press conferences since her government began on October 1st, 2024, and July 26, 2026, according to an analysis using the Sheinbaumpedia tool. She said migrants in Mexico twice (see here and here), foreigners three times (see here or here), and COMAR four times (see here or here).

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Although the President doesnt acknowledge the information gap, nor has she declared it state policy, the actions (and omissions) of her administration are aligned with those of the United States  to decrease the arrival and presence of migrants.

The goal of the migration policy (in Mexico) and the omission of a refugee policy is part of the Governments deal with the United States, says Tonatiuh Guillen, Commissioner of the National Institute of Migration (INM) between December 2018 and June 2019, in an interview. His role as civil servant coincided with Trumps first presidency.

Mexico reached a record number of refugee applicants in 2023 with 140,000 cases, claimed Andres Ramirez, head of COMAR between 2019 and 2024. He also explained that, after being advised by human traffickers  coyotes in Spanish  migrants would ask for refuge only to obtain a certificate to request a Visitor Card for Humanitarian Reasons (TVRH) and travel with this permit without being stopped at the northern border.

Picture of Tonatiuh Gillen, commissioner of the National Institute of Migration (INM) between December 2018 and June 2019, during the interview. / Photo: Maria Ruiz

Large numbers of migrants were arriving without actually planning to stay in Mexico, said Ramirez.

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On paper, the federal government, under the label of Mexican humanism, claims to act under a policy of dignity and solidarity towards foreigners.

In terms of numbers, official statistics contradict the presidential discourse. Between January and June 2025, Mexico had an average of 666 arrests (119,183 total), called presentations by migration authorities  each one represents an event because the same person can be detained multiple times.

For deportations and voluntary returns, the average was 35 per day (6,209 total), according to the INM. From January to December 2024, the average was 3,384 arrests per day (1,234,698 total) and 57 daily deportations and voluntary returns (20,834 in total).

In practice, we noticed that in several attention points there are no official information desks or civil servants to guide people through their migration procedures, which can lead to the control and sale of appointments that are legally supposed to be free.

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Some immigrants pay taxi fares of 30 to 40 dollars for trips that can be done with public transport because they are scared or lack direction. In different cities, consultants or lawyers make thousands by selling promises of legal regularization.

We contacted Mexico's presidential office, the refugee commission COMAR, and the National Immigration Institute for comment on systematic disinformation and the government's response to new U.S. immigration policies. None of the agencies responded.

The entire process with COMAR is free of charge, states a sign in front of a crowd waiting for paperwork at COMAR 2 in Tapachula, Chiapas. / Photo: Benjamin Alfaro

The disinformative road of the Mexican dream

Irregular migrants in Mexico can regularize their status in three different ways: through the Immigration Law, for those with family members, spouses or jobs; international protection, including refugee status, which is managed by COMAR for people whose lives, safety or freedom have been threatened by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violations of human rights or other circumstances that greatly altered public order; and political asylum, managed by the Foreign Affairs Secretary for those who are being persecuted due to political motives or crimes.

The Mexican Government must assist migrants, but what is guaranteed by law is often not upheld in practice.

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According to Article 19 of the Law on Refugees, Complementary Protection, and Political Asylum: Applicants will have the right to receive clear, timely and free information about the recognition of their condition as refugees and the rights inherent to such condition, as well as the resources that this law and others grant.

In the case of COMAR, our research observed a series of failures that do not comply with federal legislation:

Outdated website : Formalities and Procedures has not been updated since 2016. Guidelines from 8 years ago lead to offices that dont exist.

Social communication: Press section abandoned since November 2023  during former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors administration, when it informed about refugee applications.

Social media without guidelines: from January to July 2025, we recorded that over 80% of posts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram did not explain how to apply for refugee status. However, they do promote activities of their Director, Xadeni Mendez, appointed in January.

Absent on TikTok: there is no official account on the platform where most migrants search content, while there are at least 38 false accounts, some pretending to be Telemundo, Univision or using avatars like journalist Jorge Ramos, that managed to spread disinformation on immigration without being detected for a very long time.

Screenshots showing examples of how the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) website is outdated. There are posts that haven't been updated for more than 9 years. In 2016, the year that appears in the posts, Mexico's president was Enrique Pena Nieto, followed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's six-year term, and this September 1, 2025, marks one year since Claudia Sheinbaum's government began. / Special by Jhasua Razo

Foreigners from other Latin American countries, or from much further away, like Iran and Syria, are now choosing Mexico as a permanent destination, and not just a bridge to the US. This trend has been accelerated by Trumps toughened border policies.

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41% of people entering Mexico irregularly in 2024 claimed that it was their final destination, compared to 26% in 2023, according to a survey by ACNUR of 14,000 people. However, claims for refugee status in Mexico are decreasing, according to data obtained for this investigation from the Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information.

During the first seven months of 2025, COMAR managed an average of 240 refugee applications per day (50,639 in total)  more than half compared to the same period in 2024, when it was 344 (46,772 in total). In total, the number increased to 80,000 in 2024.

Outside COMARs offices in Naucalpan, state of Mexico, there is a banner explaining that all procedures are free of charge. / Photo: Nadia Sanders

Businesses grow under an unhelpful State

Do you have a ticket? Theyre only seeing two hundred people today, says a young foreigner to people looking to claim refugee status at COMARs offices in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, in the outskirts of the Mexico City. The absence of official staff enables third parties to control access and sell tickets for services that are legally free.

Objections from residents lead COMAR to abandon their offices in Juarez, in the city center, after continuous complaints from locals about the camps set up by refugee applicants in the surrounding areas, according to reports from media outlets.

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Headquarters opened twenty-five kilometers outside the city center, where it operates from a slaughterhouse in Naucalpan, an area affected by drug dealings and homicides.

Some migrants admitted having paid between 30 to 40 dollars to taxis for rides that they could have done in public transport, but they dont feel safe to go by themselves or dont know how to get there.

In the city of Tapachula, Chiapas, foreign applicants told us that until March of this year, a group of Mexican queue jumpers were selling appointments threatening people with machetes and all. Aliani, a 43-year-old immigrant seeking refuge, whose real name is not disclosed for safety concerns, had to pay.

People interviewed for this investigation explained that, in 2023, the year with a record number of refugee applications, members of organized crime controlled the place. They were described as men in vehicles, demanding payments to those organizing the queue and selling appointments for 50 USD (1,000 Mexican pesos).

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We found law firms charging between 500 and 750 USD for consultancy services on refugee applications. It depends on how you look, said a young Cuban man. Lawyers prepare testimonies, rehearse interviews and escort people to COMARs front door.

In Tapachula, we went to one of these offices. One lawyer promised to guide us through the refugee application process if we paid 750 USD upfront. He also warned that if the applicant didnt get refugee status it would be the applicants own fault or COMAR civil servants, but not the lawyers.

Casa Indi, in the city of Monterrey, offers between 400 and 700 meals three times a day, it has a bedroom for homeless people and a space for women with children or families on the move. At the beginning of May 2025, there were a little over seventy immigrants that decided to stay in Mexico after the closure of the border with the US. Its Director, Marcos Montealvo, explains that he works to create a registration platform for immigrants looking for a job. / Photo: Nadia Sanders

A refugee procedure thats in Gods hands

Mexican legislation establishes 45 working days to complete a refugee procedure, although this period can be extended. INM civil servants are required to issue a provisional document expedited for humanitarian reasons, valid until the migration procedure is over.

In response to an information request, on May 15, 2025, 39,497 remained unprocessed, according to data that the government ceased publishing in December 2024.

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To Aliani, an immigrant who submitted her request in January, civil servants asked her to wait for an email with information about when they would process her case. Three months went by without an answer. When she returned in May, she was told she had written her email address wrong, and she would have to wait another three months to start again.

These are the appointments given by a group of people that controls the queue outside COMAR in Naucalpan, State of Mexico. / Photo: Nadia Sanders

Veronica, a 25-year-old Cuban woman, went to COMAR in Naucalpan on March 27, but she still hadnt received any updates by July. If you dont get an email, you can only hope its well written. They cant do anything else for you. Its on Gods hands until you get it, she said in an interview.

Besides processing fewer applications, COMAR lost 8% of its budget this year.

Lorena Cano, a lawyer of the Institute of Women in Migration (IMUMI), warns that when the INM doesnt issue cards for humanitarian reasons during the process, it is breaking the law. If a person doesnt have a resolution from COMAR, she says, they are considered undocumented.

Comparison showing the drastic drop in the issuance of Visitor Cards for Humanitarian Reasons (TVRH) since late 2023. Former COMAR director Andres Ramirez states in an interview that the reduction responds to pressure from the United States. By law, these cards allow access to identity, employment, and healthcare while processing asylum applications, but holders must remain in the same city. Source: Monthly migration statistics bulletin from Mexico's Ministry of the Interior. Available here , page 68. / Special by Jhasua Razo

Through Facebook, a young Colombian engineer hired the services of a guide to cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico, where he wanted to find a job. However, the trip that would originally cost 10,000 Mexican pesos (500 USD) ended up being more expensive because the guide made him withdraw more money with his bank card after crossing the border. The young man was left without any money, and at the time of the interview was staying in a shelter for migrants in Tapachula. / Photo: Conexion Migrante and Factchequeado

False and misleading content spread on TikTok and Facebook

A study consisting of 169 posts gathered between July 2024 and June 2025 shows an ecosystem of disinformation on migration that operates mainly on TikTok and Facebook, which supports the findings of our own survey.

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We documented 60 specific accounts spreading misleading content about migration processes, ranging from fake job offers to unreal visa promises.

Alleged law firms dominate disinformation on Facebook. The account "Robles & Robles Abogados" posted 52 times promotional content with hashtags like #abogadomigratorio (#migrationlawyer, 289 times), #residenciaMexico (#Mexicoresidency, 171 times) and #COMAR (168 times). On TikTok, anonymous accounts proliferate promising things like 500 thousand H2 visas and a new way to enter the US legally.

Trumps border blockage transformed the discourse of these accounts. Users that used to sell the American dream are now promoting Mexico as Plan B. Some mix different narratives  they promise a new legal way to enter the US, living in Mexico legally is possible, or sell counselling for residency and refuge in Mexico.

Accounts like this one shared videos that falsely claim that 80% of the Mexican Army was being deployed to the border, when Sheinbaums government deployed 10,000 soldiers of the National Guard, not the Army.

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The account Navarrete Abogados, with 41,300 followers, posts videos that discourage people to seek refugee at COMAR while promoting private services. Applicants refer to raids under Trumps administration and claim that similar raids are happening in Mexico as well because they saw it on TikTok.

There is nothing on social media. How are we supposed to stay informed? asks Yulian, a 34-year-old foreigner interviewed at COMAR, state of Mexico, in March 2025. Media outlets dont say anything. Theres only information on TikTok from other people, claims Octavio, another refugee seeker.

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Accede a nuestro ChatMigrante y resuelvelas aqui.

Scammers take advantage of immigrants desperation

Modus operandi: a foreign woman gets a call promising Canadian visas in exchange for a single payment of 1,000 USD. Scammers arrange to meet her at the offices of a mall in Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, near Monterrey, north of Mexico, which were closed due to a fraud investigation when visited by reporters from Conexion Migrante and Factchequeado in early May.

Restrictions on asylum and refugee processes in the United States have multiplied hoaxes targeted at legitimate organizations in the north of Mexico, near the border between the two countries.

One of the cases is what happened to civil organization Asylum Access. In March of this year, it uncovered attempts at fraud when it received notice of scammers pretending to be the NGO and some of its employees.

A lawyer from Asylum Access, who requested to stay anonymous, said that one of the most common frauds consists of offering migrants an amparo before they receive documents permitting them to travel legally across the country.

Only a judge can provide that document, which temporarily protects people against acts of authority, like detention or deportation, while their refugee process takes place.

Scammers trick them with false documents that only include the persons name, and legal wording to look official. All in exchange for money and the promise to travel freely to other cities without being detained by Migrations.

Institutional disinformation leaves migrants at the mercy of frauds and abuses. The lack of informative clarity is not a coincidence, but a structural part of the system, claims IMUMI, a non-partisan NGO in Mexico. They need clear and precise information about access to rights like healthcare, education, migration regularization, asylum and dignified work.

The lack of useful content for migrants on official channels does not stop with social media. The Federal Public Defender's Office warns that discretion by migration authorities and restricted access to observe their operations perpetuate systematic human right violations against people on the move.

Despite the obstacles, many refugee seekers decide to build a life in the country.

Mexico can offer opportunities as long as Im working, says Octavio, a 38-year-old migrant from the Caribbean that works in construction. If I had known everything that happened, I would have never left my country. But Im here now.

Translation by Malena Saralegui.

*First of five-part series, "I'm Staying in Mexico"

Factchequeado is a verification media outlet built by a Spanish-speaking community to tackle disinformation in the United States. Do you want to be part of it? Join us and verify the content you receive by sending it to our WhatsApp +16468736087 or to factchequeado.com/whatsapp.

Read more:

From Facebook to TikTok: misinformation is on the rise, and almost 50% of migrants are victims of fraud

Tapachula, the Border of Deception

Stories in Line: the Ordeal of Seeking Refuge in Mexico
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in a hybrid format on 4 September in Paris.

Source: European Pravda, citing a source in the Elysee Palace

Details: A Coalition of the Willing meeting to support Ukraine is scheduled to take place in Paris on 4 September, co-chaired by Macron and Starmer.

"I can confirm that there will be a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing (in hybrid format) in Paris on Thursday," a source told European Pravda.

Background:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join European leaders gathering in Paris on Thursday to discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine.

Earlier, Macron said that after important preparatory work at the level of chiefs of staff, the contributions of each country to potential security guarantees for Ukraine were determined. The Coalition of the Willing will gather at the leaders level to discuss these decisions.

Some participants will attend the Paris meeting in person, while others will join online.

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The Venezuelan president said he would constitutionally declare a republic in arms if Donald Trump attacks his country.

Nicolas Maduros comments came as the White House this week seeks to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat the threat from Latin American drug cartels.

The US has not signalled any planned land incursion, but Maduros government has responded by deploying troops along its coast and border with neighbouring Colombia, and is urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

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In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela, Mr Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterised as an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.

President Maduro (fourth from left) says Venezuela is facing maximum military pressure from the US - Miraflores Palace/Reuters

The US Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers  the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham  in the Caribbean, as well as the destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the waters off Latin America. Military presence is also set to expand.

Three amphibious assault ships crewed by more than 4,000 sailors and marines would be entering the region this week, a defence official told the Associated Press.

The USS Gravely, one of two Aegis guided-missile destroyers, is in the Caribbean - Atlas Photo Archive/Janae Chambers

The deployment comes after Mr Trump pushed for using the military to tackle cartels the US president blames for the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the United States.

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On Monday, Yvan Gil, Venezuelas foreign minister, citing a United Nations report, told his counterparts in various Latin American countries that the deployment of the US ships is built on a false narrative as 87 per cent of cocaine produced in Colombia departs through the Pacific, and traffickers attempt to move only five per cent of their product through Venezuela.

Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and Caribbean, are the worlds top cocaine producers.

Mr Gil said the narrative threatens the entire region and an attack on Venezuela would really mean a complete destabilisation of the region.

Let us immediately demand an end to this deployment, which has no other reason than to threaten a sovereign people, he added during a virtual meeting of members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States regional group.

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Mr Maduro said he is still in communication with the Trump administration via the state department and Mr Trumps envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell.

He called Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, a warlord pushing for action in the Caribbean to topple Venezuelas government.

The Venezuelan leader also claimed he was the legitimate winner of last years presidential election.

Credible evidence suggests this is not the case, and several countries, including the US, do not recognise Mr Maduro as Venezuelas president.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that a United States military build-up in the Caribbean is aimed at overthrowing his government, and he was ready to declare a republic in arms if attacked by US forces.

In a series of rare remarks to reporters on Monday, Maduro said that Venezuela seeks peace but that his military is prepared to respond to any attacks from US forces.

They are seeking a regime change through military threat, Maduro told journalists. Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.

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If Venezuela were attacked, we would immediately move to armed struggle in defence of our territory, he said, pledging to declare a republic in arms.

In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela, Maduro continued, adding that the US had sent eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela.

Maduro has raised alarm for weeks over a reported US naval deployment in the Southern Caribbean, in what Washington says is an operation to combat Latin American drug cartels, which has caused speculation about possible military interference against Venezuela.

In response, the Venezuelan leader has deployed troops along the South American nations borders and called on thousands of citizens to join armed militias to defend the nation.





The US Navy currently has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers  the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham  in the Caribbean, along with the destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the waters off Latin America.

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A US official told the Reuters news agency that a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine was part of the naval force.

The Associated Press news agency also reported that those forces could expand further in the coming days, with the inclusion of amphibious assault ships, with 4,000 sailors and US Marines. The US, for its part, has not announced plans to deploy any personnel to Venezuelan soil.

US President Donald Trumps administration has accused Maduro of close connections to an array of drug trafficking and criminal organisations throughout the region, claims for which it has thus far failed to offer any evidence.

In August, the US doubled its reward to $50m for information leading to Maduros arrest over allegations of his involvement in drug trafficking.

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US media reported earlier this year that an internal intelligence memo concluded that there was no evidence linking Maduro to the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, undercutting a claim pushed publicly by Trump and his allies.

The allegation had also been an important component of the US administrations push to rapidly deport Venezuelans accused of membership without due process.





Despite his frequent use of rhetoric railing against the history of US intervention in Latin America, the Venezuelan leader had previously expressed an interest in cooperating with the Trump administration in areas such as immigration enforcement, agreeing to accept Venezuelans deported from the US.

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During his news conference on Monday, Maduro also insisted that he was the rightful ruler of the country after winning a third term in a strongly contested 2024 election.

The opposition has maintained that they were the true winners of that election, and neither the US nor most regional governments have recognised Maduros victory.
One of the largest convenience store chains in Maryland has unveiled plans for a substantial upgrade to several of its store locations that may greatly benefit countless electric vehicle drivers.

To expand its growing number of electric vehicle charging stations, Royal Farms is adding 55 individual Hyper-Fast chargers across eight stations in Maryland. The convenience store chain has partnered with Electrify America, which operates the "largest open Hyper-Fast" EV charging network in the United States.

As noted in a press release on Electrify America, the charging stations will feature Hyper-Fast chargers that are capable of speeds up to 350 kilowatts. According to Electrify America, vehicles can fully charge in just 20 minutes. As of Aug. 2025, Royal Farms locations in Halethorpe and Oxon Hill have already installed the new stations.

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Anthony Lambkin, vice president of operations at Electrify America, emphasized the significance of the company's partnership with Royal Farms.

"Our collaboration with Royal Farms brings Hyper-Fast charging to the places drivers already know and visit regularly," Lambkin said in the release. "By combining speed and convenience, we're helping make the EV experience more effortless, whether you're on a daily commute or taking a longer road trip."

One of the biggest complaints regarding EVs has been the perceived unreliability of public charging stations as well as minimal access to stations in many communities throughout the U.S. Providing accessible and reliable charging infrastructure unlocks the potential for more widespread EV adoption. It also offers the opportunity for us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Thomas Ruszin, fuel & environmental leader at Royal Farms, explained the reasoning behind the move.

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"At Royal Farms, we're committed to innovating around the evolving needs of our communities. Our partnership with Electrify America brings high-speed EV charging to the locations our customers already visit for fuel, food, and convenience," Ruszin said. "These new stations make it easier for drivers to choose electric without sacrificing speed or comfort, while reinforcing our commitment to accessibility and progress."

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First lady Melania Trumps social media team has posted a video that appears to artistically slow down her arrival with the president at Thursdays Congressional Ball. The video shows Donald Trump, 79, and Melania, 55, arm in arm, carefully descending a staircase in the grand foyer of the White House to the tune of Hail to the Chief. But the FLOTUS-approved video appears to be slightly slowed down from other footage of the Trumps coming down the stairs on the night at a marginally faster pace.
Risk and claims administration specialist Sedgwick has appointed Dan Sivertsen as the CEO of its Sweden unit, effective on 20 September.

Sivertsen will also continue in his current position as CEO of Sedgwick Norway.

Sivertsen joined the company in 2019 after Sedgwick acquired Nordic Loss Adjusting.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and risk management industry to his new position.

His background includes a strong focus on claims management and regional leadership, with insights into the Swedish market, where he previously collaborated with local clients and colleagues.

Sivertsen stated: I look forward to stepping into this role to ensure our talented teams remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of quality, partnership and responsiveness for our clients and customers in Sweden and throughout the Nordics.

Sedgwick regional CEO International  Europe Xavier Gazay said: Dans expanded role is a testament to our commitment to building a unified Nordic strategy that Christian has been leading.

Dans regional expertise and client-centric approach will help us continue to drive operational excellence and deliver consistent, high-value outcomes across Norway, Sweden and Europe more broadly.

Sedgwick provides a range of services including claims administration, loss adjusting and benefits administration.

The Carlyle Group is the majority shareholder in Sedgwick, with Stone Point Capital, Altas Partners, CDPQ, Onex and other management investors holding minority shares.

Earlier this year, Sedgwick announced the acquisition of the legal spend management division of Bottomline, which offers cloud-based software applications to the property and casualty insurance industry.

"Sedgwick appoints new CEO of Swedish operations " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.




Traditional Democrats are keeping New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani at arm's length out of fear that his hard-left policies will hurt their chances of reclaiming seats in 2026.

Mamdani, 33, has made a splash in New York politics, managing to win the Democratic nomination for mayor with his policies on expanding affordable housing, increasing minimum wage, taxing wealthy individuals and corporations, creating city-run grocery stores, providing free childcare, and more.

Republicans have capitalized on Mamdanis politics to paint him as a borderline communist with radical polices and affix him to other Democratic candidates.

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The polarizing rhetoric around Mamdani has made some moderate Democrats fearful that a Mamdani win could deepen the identity crisis occurring in the Democratic Party and hurt their chances of coming back after their widespread losses in the 2024 election.

Mamdani is the greatest threat to Democrats probably since Ronald Reagan because hes everything Democrats have been accused of being and in fact is  to the extreme, Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic operative who is advising an anti-Mamdani group , told Politico.

Zohran Mamdanis rise to political prominence has made some moderate Democrats fearful that he could create more division in the party going into the 2026 midterms (Getty Images)

Should Mamdani win the New York City mayoral election in November, it could give Republicans the chance to launch their attacks on a national scale.

Republican ad makers will know what to do with this, Sheinkopf said.

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Democrats are still reeling after losing the presidency, House, and Senate last year. The party has struggled to make a meaningful comeback, in part, because some voters believe the party isnt doing enough to combat President Donald Trumps sweeping agenda.

Where Mamdani attracts voters is his willingness to push back against Republicans with policies that other Democrats have not dared to bring up.

But more traditional Democrats have grown fearful that Mamdanis push could make the party move further left.

Governor Kathy Hochul, one of the most powerful and notable Democrats in New York, has yet to endorse Mamdani despite him winning the nomination in July.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn, also has not endorsed Mamdani, though the two have met multiple times. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer similarly has not endorsed Mamdani.

A source close to Jeffries told the New York Daily News that the House minority leader is not afraid that endorsing Mamdani could cost them the midterms.

Theyre always going to have a bogeyman. If its not Zohran, its [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. If its not AOC, its Nancy Pelosi, the source said. At the end of the day, people in Omaha, Nebraska, or Des Moines, Iowa, are worried about their own families and their hometowns, not whos going to be mayor of New York.

But it appears that Democrats who need to woo swing voters are certain that distancing themselves from Mamdani is a must.

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Representative Laura Gillen, a Democrat who represents part of Long Island that Republicans are eyeing, told Politico that Mamdani is too extreme,

Democrat Tom Suozzi, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens that voted for Trump in the election, wrote a WSJ op-ed, calling Mamdani a socialist.

Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Virginia, has positioned herself as a center-left candidate  a maneuver that gives her potential to flip the state back into Democratic control.

Spanberger has a history of distancing herself from leftist policies, too. After the 2020 election, she criticized then-President Joe Biden for trying to enact too much change and reprimanded Democratic colleagues for embracing socialism, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Shes declined to comment on Mamdani directly. But Spanberger and other Democrats seeking to reclaim power in next years election have side-eyed Mamdani in an effort to create space between them.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  An Horry County man remains in jail after allegedly starting a fire on Sunday that caused extensive damage at the Forestbrook-area apartment complex where he lives, according to neighbors.

Jake Licoski, 55, was arrested on Sunday by Horry County police, jail records show. He is being held without bond at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on three counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree arson, failure to stop for a blue light and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle.

The fire, which happened shortly after midnight at the West Flintlake Court apartments, sent one person to the hospital, according to Horry County Fire Rescue, but no information about their injuries was immediately available. Two other people declined treatment.

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Neighbors identified Licoski as the suspect on Monday after a News13 reporter showed them a jail mugshot. Horry County public records list his address at West Flintlake Court.

Photo: Horry County Fire Rescue.

Horry County Fire Rescue said on Sunday that the cause of the fire was under investigation and that both the Horry County and Myrtle Beach police departments were assisting in the investigation. News13 has asked Horry County authorities for more information about the incident on Monday, but it was not available because of the Labor Day holiday.

* * *

Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

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PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  A man was arrested Sunday and charged with allegedly placing Molotov cocktails near a fire station, according to the Prince Georges County Fire Department (PGFD).

Firefighters say that on August 13, a man was seen placing Molotov-style devices, also known as a Molotov cocktail, near a PGFD station. According to Britannica, a Molotov cocktail is described as a crude bomb, typically consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid and a wick that is ignited before throwing.

On Sunday morning, a man matching the suspects description was spotted by PGFD personnel across the street from the PGFD Capitol Heights Station. He was then taken into custody by Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) officers.

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Dog resuscitated after being rescued from Silver Spring house fire

Firefighters say 36-year-old Slater Chaia of District Heights, Md., was charged with felony possession of a destructive device, felony possession of incendiary material with intent to create a destructive device, and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

Chaia faces up to $250,000 in fines and 25 years in prison for each possession charge and up to $5,000 in fines for the reckless endangerment charge.

He was transported to the Department of Corrections for processing and is being held without bond.

The incident remains under investigation by the PGFD, PGPD, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

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Gaithersburg man wanted for allegedly shooting partner arrested in Texas

Prince Georges County Fire and EMS Department Chief Deputy BJ Harris said the suspects intent is concerning.

Anytime someone is doing this in our community, it does pose a threat to everyone and we are thankful the threat has been stopped in this case, Harris said.

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The Skamania County Sheriffs office says that a 23-year-old man was arrested after deputies found handguns, drugs and high-capacity magazines in his car.

The department says they pulled him over initially because of a license plate violation.

When he went to get his registration and other documents, deputies say they noticed two loaded high-capacity handgun magazines partially under the drivers seat.

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The driver was immediately removed from the vehicle and detained.

Two loaded handguns were located near the passenger seat.

The driver did not have a valid concealed pistol license.

The driver was arrested and booked into the Skamania County Jail on two gun charges and driving without a license.

During the investigation, deputies say they saw signs of drugs so they seized the car and got a search warrant.

Inside, they found prepackaged medications like Xanax and Adderall pills, and bottles of promethazine with codeine.

The driver advised the medications had been illegally purchased online.

Charges for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver will be forwarded to the Skamania County Prosecutors Office.

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The driver was arrested and booked into the Skamania County Jail on two gun charges and driving without a license.

Deputies believed that drugs could be in the car.

They were able to get a search warrant to search the car and found small bags of Xanax and Adderall pills, and bottles of promethazine with codeine.

Drug charges have been sent to the Skamania County Prosecutors Office.
SYDNEY (AP)  A man has been charged after a SUV hit the gates of the Russian consulate in Sydney on Monday, police said.

Police were called at 8 a.m. to the property in the eastern suburb of Woollahra where an unauthorized vehicle was reported parked in the driveway.

Police attempted to speak to the driver, but he drove the Toyota Kluger into the gates, a statement said.

Two police officers sustained minor injuries and were treated by paramedics. No one else was injured, police said.

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The SUV came to rest on the lawn near a flag pole on the consulates grounds. The vehicle was towed away two hours later.

A 39-year-old man arrested at the scene will appear in court on Tuesday on charges including damaging property, possession of a knife and possession of an unnamed restricted substance. No details have been released about his potential motivation.

The Russian Embassy in the Australian capital Canberra released a statement saying no one at the consulate was injured and work continued as usual.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A 29-year-old man was arrested after resisting deputies when they attempted to arrest him for an active warrant for assaulting a pregnant person, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office said.

On Friday, Aug. 29, deputies in the Northwest Patrol Station responded to a disturbance call in the 7100 block of Kayla Drive in Canutillo.

Upon arrival, deputies made contact with 29-year-old Angel Geovanny Martinez.



During the investigation, deputies learned Martinez had an active warrant for assault on a

pregnant person. When deputies attempted to place him under arrest, Martinez physically

resisted and ignored repeated loud verbal commands from deputies, the Sheriffs Office.



After a brief struggle, deputies were able to gain control of Martinez and take him into

custody, the Sheriffs Office said.

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He was transported to the El Paso County Jail, where he was booked on charges of

assault on a pregnant person and resisting arrest, search, or transport. His bonds totaled $27,500.

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CHICAGO  A man has been charged in connection with the death of a 9-year-old boy who was killed during an altercation at a CTA Green Line station last month.

On Monday, police announced 52-year-old Michael Korosa of Chicago, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery. He is also charged with battery against a transit employee.

Police said he was arrested Saturday in connection to the death of 9-year-old Elijah Flores on Aug 10.

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According to police sources, Elijah was exiting a Green Line train around 11:15 a.m. with his mothers boyfriend, a 22-year-old male.

Previous Coverage: Police continue search for two suspects after 9-year-old was killed at a CTA Green Line Station

Police said the 22-year-old man was arguing with two other men at the Clinton Station in the 500 block of West Lake Street when, during the argument, the two men chased Elijah and the 22-year-old from the platform.

According to police sources, the 22-year-old picked up Elijah because he was not keeping up.

Korosa then hit the 22-year-old in the back with his cane, which caused the two to fall down a flight of stairs. Police said the 22-year-old landed on top of Elijah, knocking him out and fracturing his skull in the process.

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Elijah was taken to Lurie Childrens Hospital in critical condition, where he died six days later.

The Cook County Medical Examiners Office confirmed Elijah died from blunt force injuries to the head and ruled his death a homicide.

A GoFundMe page was created to help Elijahs family cover medical and funeral expenses.

No additional information was provided regarding Korosas next court appearance.

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Editors Note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct name of the shooting victim, based on revised information provided by law enforcement.

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  The victim killed in an early Monday morning shooting in Mid City was identified as a Southern University sophomore.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Roderick Forkner, 19, died after a shooting around 3 a.m. in the 5000 block of Government Street at South Foster Drive. A second shooting victim, a man, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Multiple BRPD units were observed at the scene along with police tape. One vehicle at the shooting scene appeared to have bullet holes in it.

According to police, the suspect(s) fired multiple shots into the victims car. An investigation is ongoing.

Southern University and A&M College Chancellor John K. Pierre extended his condolences to Forkners family in a message sent to the universitys community.

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of Roderick Forkner, a sophomore. Mr. Forkner was a member of our Jaguar family, and his presence will be missed by those who knew him. On behalf of the University, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all who were involved in his life. During this difficult time, let us keep his loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, and may we find strength in supporting one another as a community.

If anyone has information about this shooting, call the Violent Crimes Unit at 225-389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867.

No injuries after North 44th Street standoff in Baton Rouge, police say

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Canine-themed memecoin Shiba Inu has seen its burn rate spike by 157,726%, leading to the incineration of 2,481,036 SHIB in 24 hours. In light of this increase, the price of the crypto asset has recorded a mild rally. This is significant, judging by the recent selloff in the broader crypto market.

SHIB Price May Sustain Rally as Burn Increase

According to Shibburn, the dedicated Shiba Inu burn tracker, the memecoin recorded a notable drop in its circulating supply. The burn rate went as high as 157,726%, causing the ecosystem to lose 2,481,036 SHIB within 24 hours. The Shiba Inu ecosystem is now left with 589,247,732,073,096 in total supply.

Ordinarily, when such a massive burn is recorded in the crypto industry, the digital asset concerned usually sees a spike in its market value. This follows the law of demand, supply and price, which says that with reduced supply and increased demand comes a price increase. As it stands, the SHIB price is in line with this economic principle.

CoinMarketCap data shows that SHIB is currently trading at $0.00001238, corresponding with a 1.5% spike within the last 24 hours. Additionally, its market capitalization has increased to $7.26 billion during the same period. SHIBs 24-hour trading volume has also recorded a 14.61% increase and is now pegged at $248.56 billion.

This current outlook of SHIB is quite outstanding considering that the dog-themed memecoin has been one of the underperformers in the market.

Notably, the reduction in SHIB supply could indirectly reduce selling pressure. Fortunately, this could create favorable conditions for bulls to sustain the price rally. If this is the case, the price of SHIB may record a further increase in a few weeks.

Snorter Bot: Heres Why Its Presale is Worth Considering

With the SHIB price increase, Snorter Bot is making waves in the market, gaining relevance and traction amongst strong risk-takers. Considered to be a high-growth potential project in the long term, the Snorter Bot has its presale ongoing. So far, the capital invested in this project has spiked to more than $3.4 million.

With its reputation, the qardvark-themed Snorter Bot now successfully ranks among the best crypto presales of 2025.

Its design allows investors to make easier trading decisions, and this has made it popular in the market. In other words, it contributes to helping traders easily navigate the cryptocurrency sector. Using its figurative snort, it scans for opportunities that can give investors maximum profit.

Current Presale Stats:

Current price: $0.1029

Amount raised so far: $3.56 million
A man is dead after crashing into a parked car in Lawrence.

According to the Essex County District Attorney, around 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, a 2004 Honda Accord crashed into a parked 2003 Honda Accord near the intersection of Ames Street and Butler Street.

The operator of the vehicle, who is not being identified at this time, was pronounced deceased on the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Man dead in motorcycle accident in Berlin

A man is dead following a motorcycle accident in Berlin.

According to the District Attorneys office, around 10 p.m., Berlin Fire and Police responded to West Street for reports of a motorcycle that had crashed into a nearby house.

The home is right next to the West Street Tavern.

When first responders arrived, they quickly located the operator, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Berlin Police Chief, no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

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The Massachusetts State Police reconstruction team was on scene working with Berlin detectives to gather evidence.

An investigation remains ongoing, and Boston 25 has reached out to authorities for more information.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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A man was arrested on Sept. 1 after crashing a car into the grounds of the Russian consulate in Sydney, Australia.

The Australian police said their diplomatic protection unit responded to an emergency call from the Russian consulate after an unauthorized vehicle was found in the driveway.

Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m. local time and tried to speak to the driver before he drove his car into the consulate gate, the police said.

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Australian media published footage of a white SUV with open doors and smashed windows abandoned on the consulate's grounds.

A 39-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is being interrogated, according to Sky News. A 24-year-old police officer was treated after suffering a hand injury. No other injuries were reported.

Similar incidents have occurred at other Russian diplomatic missions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Russian consulate in Marseille, France, was hit by two Molotov cocktails in February, and a man was arrested in Sweden in January after driving a car into the Russian Embassy in Stockholm.

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Australia has supported Ukraine throughout the full-scale war, providing military and economic aid and joining international sanctions against Moscow.

Read also: Russias Rosneft net income plummets 68%, Reuters reports

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A homeless man who made headlines last year when he was on the run for nearly three weeks after escaping Correction Department custody has been killed by a hit-and-run yellow cab driver who dragged him 12 blocks on the Upper East Side, police said Monday.

James Mossetty, 36, was crossing York Ave. mid-block near E. 72nd St. when the Toyota RAV4 taxi driver slammed into him about 5 a.m. Saturday, cops said.

The cabbie, 71-year-old Abdul Hakim, denied hitting anyone when he was later nabbed  even though he admitted he heard a loud sound, like hed struck something, and his taxi started going slower, like it was dragging something, prosecutors said.

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Hakim is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He was arraigned Sunday in Manhattan Criminal Court and ordered held on $300,000 bond.

The impact of the crash knocked Mossetty to the ground and he became lodged in the SUVs undercarriage, cops said.

The driver kept going, with Mossetty only becoming dislodged when the SUV pulled onto the lower level of the Ed Koch Queensborough Bridge after traveling about a mile, police said.

At no point did Hakim stop and check what hed struck, prosecutors said, even though video surveillance shows the taxi turning eastbound onto the bridge while visibly dragging the body of the decedent from the rear of the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

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Hakim shares the cab with another driver, who immediately noticed the damage to the hood, prosecutors said at Hakims arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court. When that other driver reached out to him to ask about the damage, Hakim denied having been in a crash, prosecutors said.

Details of the hit-and-run shocked the victims family.

We are just outraged at this horrific way that my brother had to die, Mossettys sister, Melanie Pena, 46, told the Daily News. This is senseless. For the driver to even say that he did not know that he hit my brother and dragged him  over the Queensboro Bridge and left him there to die?

She added that her brothers homelessness doesnt excuse his being left for dead on the pavement.

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This person has family, he has people who care about him, she said.

His injuries were gruesome, she said.

My brother did not have a skull (left). He was missing an eye. His body, the left thumb is scraped, his abdomen, he was deformed. We cannot have an open casket, Pena said, adding that he will be cremated. Its just going to be a funeral service with photos of him because we cant even show his body.

Mossetty died after being rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he had just recently been discharged after getting medical care, his sister said. The NYPD listed the hospital as the victims current address. He was wearing a hospital ID bracelet when killed, his sister said.

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If he had somewhere to go, he wouldnt have been on the street, his sister said.

Cops arrested Hakim later that day in Queens. He lives in East Elmhurst, according to cops.

Mossetty suffered from borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, his family said.

On June 26, 2024, Mossetty slipped out of Bellevue Hospital, where he had been receiving psychiatric care while in Correction Department custody, as authorities were getting ready to return him to Rikers Island.

He climbed a median, sprinted across several lanes of traffic on the FDR Drive, stripped out of his orange jumpsuit and hopped on an MTA bus to make his getaway, the New York Times reported. He was nabbed three weeks later.

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He had been jailed since that January of that year after being arrested for refusing to pay a yellow cab driver an $84.70 fare after riding in the taxi from Midtown to Queens, where he was living at the time. Cops then found he had warrants for failing to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court dating back to 2021 to face misdemeanor assault, drug possession and theft of services charges.

Mossetty also had a criminal history in Florida, including a 2022 arrest on charges he attacked a cop in Orlando who was working as a school crossing guard.

He was on the run for three weeks before cops nabbed him on July 16, 2024. The status of the escape case wasnt immediately clear Monday.

He was definitely trying to get his stuff together, Mossettys brother, who declined to give his name, said of the victims life since his escape arrest. He was definitely loved and we need justice.

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I guess its a relief a little bit because the guy is caught  but no, its no relief, he added. My brothers gone. I will never get that back.

Mossetty was born in Manhattan, grew up on the Lower East Side and had a 17-year-old daughter.

My brother struggled behavioral-wise, his older sister, Jessica Hernandez, said. I raised my brother, my sister. My mother died when I was 17. My brother was 3. My sister was 13. We did the best we could with what we had. We didnt have much financially.

Pena said her brother spent a week at another local hospital after he was found unconscious in the street in the last week of July.

I think he should have been there longer, Pena said.
A man was discovered dead Saturday night during Nevadas Burning Man festival, as the events iconic Man structure began to burn, authorities said. The shocking discovery prompted a criminal investigation while festivalgoers continued to gather in the Black Rock Desert.

According to the Pershing County Sheriffs Office (PCSO), a participant flagged down a deputy around 9:14 p.m. on August 30 after finding a white adult male lying in a pool of blood. PCSO deputies, Bureau of Land Management Rangers (BLM), and the Burning Man Projects Black Rock Rangers responded immediately, securing the area and establishing a perimeter.

Investigators from PCSO and BLM began processing the scene, with assistance from the Washoe County Sheriffs Office Forensic Science Division. Several festival participants in the immediate area were interviewed, but the identity of the deceased has not yet been released.

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The mans body was transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office, authorities said.

L.A. County to vote on $20 million settlement in case of 4-year-old boy killed by parents

Officials described the death as a homicide and said it appears to be an isolated incident. Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances, the PCSO stated.

The portion of the festival where the incident occurred will remain under heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be fully processed. Authorities noted the unique challenge of investigating a homicide in a temporary city that will be dismantled by midweek.

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In an updated statement, the Sheriffs Office requested information from anyone who may have been in the area between 8 oclock and I Street and 8:45 and I Street in Black Rock City between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on August 30. Investigators are specifically working to identify the victim, described as a white male adult between the ages of 35 and 40, approximately 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, with short brown hair and facial hair.

Authorities also urged the public to report any details that might help identify a suspect. At this time, no information is too small to disregard, so do not hesitate to contact my Office, the statement read. Those with tips are asked to reference PCSO case #25-318 and request Investigator Josh Nicholson by calling 775-273-2641 or 775-273-5111.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A man was found dead in a pool of blood at Burning Man Saturday, prompting local authorities to launch a homicide investigation, according to the Pershing County Sheriffs Office.

On Aug. 30, just before 9:15 p.m., while the Man was starting to burn, a PCSO deputy was flagged down by a festivalgoer who reported a man lying in a pool of blood.

When PCSO deputies and Bureau of Land Management rangers responded, they found the man lying on the ground, obviously deceased, according to a press release from PCSO.

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Authorities are investigating the death as a homicide and have interviewed several festival participants in the area. The portion of Black Rock City, a temporary city in Nevadas Black Rock Desert built for the event, where the man was found dead, is set to have a heavy law enforcement presence while the investigation continues, according to PCSO.

The homicide appears to be an isolated incident, however, all festival goers are urged to always stay vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances, PCSO said.

The identity of the man is unknown at this time.

Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to contact Investigator Josh Nicholson through PCSO dispatch at 775-273-2641 and reference case #25-318.

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The organizers of Burning Man released the following statement Sunday:

The Pershing County Sheriffs Office is investigating the death of a single white adult male that occurred the night of Saturday, August 30 in Black Rock City. Burning Man is cooperating with law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing and the Pershing County Sheriffs Office will be the primary source of further information. If you are in Black Rock City, do not interfere with law enforcement activity.

The safety and well-being of our community are paramount. Participants have access to free public WiFi at the 3 and 9 oclock plazas, Playa Info (near Center Camp), Ranger HQ (Esplanade & 6:30), at the Emergency Services Department station at 5:15 & Esplanade, and in Center Camp should they need to communicate with loved ones.

If youre in Black Rock City and need support, there are resources available to you:

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Black Rock Rangers are available to provide peer support services 24/7 at Ranger HQ (Esplanade & 6:30) and Outposts (behind the 3:00 and 9:00 Plazas).

Black Rock Citys Emergency Services Departments Crisis Support team are available 24/7 at the ESD stations located at 5:15 & Esplanade and behind the 3:00 and 9:00 Plazas.

Burning Man is set to run through September 1. The event was expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the dry lakebed in northern Nevada, where they build a fully functional city where they live and work for a week, then make it disappear without a trace, according to Burning Mans website.

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NEED TO KNOW

Texas man Adam Canales Jr. was convicted of manslaughter on Aug. 28, following the Benadryl overdose death of his baby daughter in 2021

District Attorney Sunshine Stanek argued that Canales administered the drug to his child to get quality time with his wife, Sarah Canales, who also faces manslaughter charges

Adam is currently awaiting sentencing and may face up to 20 years in prison

A Texas man has been convicted of manslaughter following the death of his baby daughter after prosecutors argued he gave the infant Benadryl to get quality time with his wife.

Adam Canales Jr. was convicted in Lubbock County on Thursday, Aug. 28, in connection with the July 2021 death of his 2-month-old daughter, Athena Brigida-Kay Canales, according to local news outlets KCBD 11 and KLBK News.

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Adam is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 20 years in prison, per KCBD 11. The childs mother, Sarah Canales, also faces manslaughter charges in relation to Athenas death and is currently awaiting trial.

Lubbock County Sheriff's Office Adam Canales Jr.; Sarah Canales

District Attorney Sunshine Stanek argued in closing statements that Adam administered the over-the-counter, sleep-inducing allergy medicine to his baby to get quality time with his wife, per KLBK.

Earlier in the trial, Stanek called Adam's actions selfish and reckless, according to the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal.

"This defendant was so selfish and reckless in his actions that he caused the death of Athena," she said, adding, "They made a habit of giving their kids, including Athena, medicine to make them sleep. When they were tired and just wanted adult time to themselves  they dosed her.

Adams attorney, Kristopher Mincey, argued that the death was accidental, claiming that there was a lot going on that day in the six-child household, and that Adam and his wife had failed to communicate that they had each administered Benadryl to Athena on separate occasions, KCBD and KLBK reported.

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D.A. Sunshine Stanek, defense attorney Kristopher Mincey, and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office did not immedairly respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, Aug. 31.

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Lubbock County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive child in the familys home on July 11, 2021, around 4 p.m. local time, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KLBK at the time. Athena was found dead upon their arrival, per the outlet.

Adam initially denied giving the child the drug, but he later admitted to administering it after an autopsy report revealed that Athena died of mixed drug toxicity, according to the warrant obtained by KLBK.



Read the original article on People
STRATFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Police said they found a man with a gunshot wound walking along the road after a shooting was reported in Stratford.

Several people of interest after a traffic stop near the area where the shooting happened, police said.

Man arrested in Waterbury shootings on Willow Street

The shooting happened in the area of Garibaldi Avenue around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday when authorities responded to a report of gunshots. Police were told a man had been struck by gunfire.

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Subsequently, a 30-year-old man was found walking on Honeyspot Road with a gunshot wound to his leg, according to police.

Police at the scene of the shooting said they found two .40 caliber shell casings.

The 30-year-old was taken to an area hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

A firearm has not been located, and the man is not cooperating with authorities investigating the incident, police said.

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A man was hospitalized after being stuck in the Tuscarawas River overnight.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 7:27 a.m. on Sunday, the Canal Fulton-Lawrence Township Fire Department was dispatched to the Canal House Floral on reports of a man who was in the Tuscarawas River, according to a social media post.

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The man was spotted by a couple walking the Towpath Trail, who reported that the man had been in the water overnight.

Firefighters and EMS crews were able to quickly locate the man and begin rescue procedures.

A firefighter entered the river and was able to safely remove the man from the water.

The man was taken to an area hospital. Details on his condition are not available at this time.

With overnight low temperatures in the 50s, extended exposure to the water created a serious risk of hypothermia, the post read.

The fire department said that the quick recognition by the callers and the response from emergency crews were critical in bringing the incident to a successful outcome.

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The Canal Fulton - Lawrence Township Fire Department extends its gratitude to the alert citizens who reported the emergency and commends the professionalism of its responding crews, the post read.

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SOFICO, the Belgian-based provider of software for automotive finance, leasing, fleet, and mobility management, has appointed Wim De Bruyne as Chief Executive Officer and Clive Brett as Chief Technology Officer, signaling a new phase in the companys international expansion.

According to a press release, the leadership change follows a carefully orchestrated succession plan, developed over several years under CEO Gemar Hompes and CTO/co-founder Piet Maes. Both founders are stepping back from day-to-day operations but will remain significant investors and active members of the Board of Directors, providing strategic guidance.

This is the right moment for Piet and me to take on a different role, Hompes said, reflecting on the companys growth from a small Belgian team to a global firm.

The succession plan began more than four years ago with the arrival of private equity investors Apheon and later Astorg as majority shareholder. During this period, SOFICO expanded its executive team, including the appointments of Michael Deroost as Chief Commercial Officer in 2022 and Steffen Tallieu as Chief Product Officer in 2023, laying the groundwork for scaling operations worldwide.

Charles-Hubert Le Baron, Partner and Head of Tech & Software Mid-Cap at Astorg, noted that under the founders leadership, SOFICO has evolved from a Belgian pioneer into a global leader, serving customers in more than 40 countries. He added that the appointments of De Bruyne and Brett ensure the company has the leadership strength to accelerate growth, deepen customer relationships, and expand its global footprint.

De Bruyne, previously with Montagu Private Equity and Barco, brings international experience in scaling tech companies and leading global teams. I am honored to join SOFICO at such a pivotal moment, he said, highlighting the companys strong reputation, trusted customer relationships, and the expertise and passion of its people.

Brett, who succeeds Maes in operational technology leadership, will focus on scaling delivery, advancing SOFICOs cloud and AI roadmap, and enhancing technical capabilities for global customers. Product leadership remains with Tallieu, ensuring continuity in innovation.

The new leadership team now blends long-standing company expertise with fresh perspectives across all core functions, including commercial, product, operations, finance, and people management.

SOFICO leadership team:
Man injured in hit-and-run crash while dining outdoors in Boston, police say

A man was injured after being struck by a car while dining outdoors in Boston on Monday morning.

Officers responding to a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of State Street and Broad Street around 11:17 a.m. found a 51-year-old man being treated by EMS for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Boston Police.

Investigators say the man was dining outdoors when a vehicle struck the barrier, pushing it into the victim.

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The vehicle stopped briefly before fleeing the scene without exchanging information, according to police.

A description of the vehicle was not immediately available.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Editors note: The headline for this story has been updated to correct the date of a deadly shooting in Dillon County. We apologize for the error.

MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A man arrested Sunday after a stabbing at a Marlboro County nightclub was out on bond after being charged in the 2022 killing of a man in Dillon County.

Deputies charged Chandler Lowry with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature after a person was stabbed in the chest and stomach inside the Amnesia Nightclub in McColl. He was booked into the Marlboro County Detention Center to await a bond hearing.

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The victim was taken to the Scotland Memorial Hospital, deputies said. No information about their condition was immediately available.

At the time of his arrest, Marlboro County deputies said Lowry had a bench warrant out of Horry County. It was issued after he failed to appear in court on a 2020 weapons charge, according to online public records.

Lowry was also one of two men arrested in February 2022 in Robeson County after authorities said a Red Springs man, Phillip Campbell, 31, was shot and killed a month earlier in the parking lot at Club Reflexxions on Highway 301 N. in Dillon County. He was later released on a $50,000 bond.

He was also charged with multiple drug crimes in Robeson County in March 2021 after a pursuit led deputies to drugs and guns, and he was also one of six men arrested in Robeson County in May 2019 after a shooting near the Thunder Valley Raceway and Thunder Valley Mini Mart on Old Lowery Road in Red Springs. He faced gun and drug charges in that case.

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* * *

Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

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COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT)  An Alabama man was killed in a two-vehicle wreck Sunday evening, authorities say.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said around 7 p.m., a two-vehicle crash involving a bicyclist killed a Cherokee man.

ALEA said Johnathan P. Mullins, 38, was killed when the electric bicycle he was using was hit by a 2018 Hyundai Sonata driven by a resident of Mississippi.

Mullins was thrown from the bicycle and pronounced deceased at the scene, authorities say.

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The wreck occurred on U.S. 72 near the 4-mile marker, approximately seven miles west of Cherokee, in Colbert County. Nothing further is available as Troopers with ALEAs Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.

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A man died early Monday after being struck by a vehicle while riding a scooter in Long Beach, police said.

The crash occurred at about 3:19 a.m. near the intersection of 7th Street and Federation Drive, where officers responded to reports of an injury traffic collision involving a pedestrian and a vehicle.

When officers arrived, they found an unconscious man lying in the roadway. A bystander and responding officers attempted lifesaving measures until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived and transported the victim to a local hospital. He was later pronounced dead.

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According to a preliminary investigation, the man had been riding a scooter southbound outside of a marked crosswalk when he was hit by a 2016 Hyundai Accent. The car, driven by a 28-year-old Laguna Beach resident, was traveling eastbound on 7th Street.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police said speed, impairment and distracted driving did not appear to be factors.

The name of the victim has not been released, pending notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiners office.

The Long Beach Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Collision Investigation Detail Detective Ashley Van Holland at 562-570-7355.

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The case remains under investigation.

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LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A man who lied to investigators, claiming he was the passenger when he was the driver of a vehicle involved in a deadly Lancaster County crash in 2022, will spend time in state prison

Robert Bulett, 23, of Montgomery County, will spend between seven and 14 years in state prison for causing a deadly crash in 2022 that killed a Lancaster County 18-year-old, prosecutors said.

Bulett pleaded guilty in August to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, false reports to law enforcement, three misdemeanor drug offenses and four summary driving offenses.

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Mason Gentry, 18, died from his injuries he sustained in the crash at the intersection of Cains and Lime Quarry roads in Salisbury Township on Dec. 24, 2022.

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The Lancaster County District Attorneys Office said Bulett lied that he was a passenger and Gentry was the driver. When Bulett was confronted about evidence that police had showing he was the driver he then confessed.

Bulett claimed Gentry was high on marijuana, and he told him to slow down. Bulett had marijuana, cocaine amphetamine, buprenorphine and fentanyl in his system during the time of the crash, the DAs Office said.

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This was Buletts third DUI conviction, prosecutors said.

Bulett was driving around 100mph in a 40mph zone when he hit a curb, losing control of the vehicle. Eventually, the vehicle hit a pole and then rolled for more than 100 feet.

Gentry was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died, the DAs office said.

Pennsylvania State Police at Lancaster investigated the crash.

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DENVER (KDVR)  A man is in custody after he allegedly tried to run over his ex-girlfriends mother before crashing into her house on Sunday morning, according to a post on X from the Westminster Police Department.

Just before 10:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, officers responded to two separate reports of a vehicle crashing into a home in the Hyland Greens neighborhood.

Nations most expensive house up for sale in Aspen

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Preliminary information from the investigation indicates that a man crashed his car into the house of his ex-girlfriends mother and took off from the scene. Not long after, he reportedly drove into another house in an unrelated incident, police said.

After crashing into the second house, he returned to the home of his ex-girlfriends mother and allegedly tried to run her over multiple times before crashing the car into her house for a second time.

Neighbors intervened and detained the man until police arrived.

He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.

No serious injuries were reported to police.

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Both houses that were crashed into are being assessed for structural damage, and an investigation remains ongoing.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
GRAND RAPIDS (WOOD)  A West Michigan man is on a journey on foot from the Grand Haven area all the way to Miami to raise awareness for mental illness.

Lee Johns, originally from Montague, is calling it The Long Walk Project. Every step he is taking is for someone who feels like they cant take another.

I had a few family members struggling with mental health, even myself a little bit, and it just never really gets addressed, he said. I want to change that.

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Field of crosses highlights veteran suicide crisis

He knows what it feels like to carry weight that no one sees. Now, hes carrying that message,

along with a 60-pound pack on a nearly 1,500-mile journey.

Mental health doesnt have a finish line, he wrote on his GoFundMe page. It doesnt clock out at 5 p.m. And it doesnt care how tough you pretend to be. And I believe that even one person, walking solo across the country can spark conversations, raise awareness, and offer hope to someone who needs it.

As of Sunday afternoon, his 26th day on foot, he had already walked more than 280 miles.

I just took off. I just left, he said. I just wake up each morning, check the map and kind of figure out where I want to make it.

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Recognizing and addressing mens mental health issues

He carries treading poles, a solar panel, battery packs, water, an inflatable pillow and bed, a blanket, a tent, a chair, a first aid kit and more. With all of that on his back, most days, he walks between 15 to 20 miles with no support team. Its just him, the road and a cause.

The road may be lonely, but he said the people he has met are the unexpected highlight.

Youd be surprised by all the cool people you run into on a daily basis, Johns said.

Some people have offered a couch to sleep on, a yard to camp on and sometimes lasting friendship.

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I dont really know where Im going to end up each day, he said. Thats kind of part of the journey, just trying to figure out each day.

Mental health pressures and challenges for teens

Every day, he documents his journey and shares it to social media sites like TikTok and YouTube. He hopes people who are watching know that anything is possible if you just put your mind to it.

I never thought Id be walking across the country, he said. I just take it one day at a time. I hope someone can see that maybe theyre going through something and maybe they can see its not as hard as they thought it might be. You just got to keep trying at it. Eventually, youll get to your destination.

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With still more than 1,000 miles to go, Johns says this is just the beginning. After he arrives in Miami, he plans to continue his journey headed toward San Diego.

Lifes not as difficult as we make it seem like it is, he said. Its not that hard. You just got to wake up and do something.

Charity event aims to break cake walk world record

All the money Johns raises is going to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which provides education, support, advocacy and resources for individuals, families and communities.

He said even if the fundraiser grows slowly, the goal is to start a conversation one step at a time.

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Many jobs are seeking AI literate candidates but the vague term may be confusing for people seeking job opportunities in a technologically advancing workforce.

Artificial intelligence has become more popular as tech companies make their models more sophisticated. Now, people can simply use a chatbot to come up with a dinner recipe, ask for the best vacation spots or help solve a debate over whether a hot dog is a sandwich.

While AI has made strides in changing the way people interact with computers in their personal lives it is also known for the advancements it has made in the business sector.

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Randy Bean, a long-time advisor to corporations on data and AI leadership, said an industry survey published this year suggested, We are experiencing a once-in-a-generation transformational moment, akin to the founding of the internet in the 1990s, in the Harvard Business Review last January.

Many jobs are seeking 'AI literate' candidates but the vague term may be confusing for people seeking job opportunities in a technologically advancing workforce (Anouk Anglade/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

The 2025 AI & Data Leadership Executive Benchmark Survey, which Bean first launched over a decade ago, found more than 98 percent of organizations said they were increasing investments in AI and data, and nearly 94 percent said theyve seen some business value from their AI investment.

As more companies see value in AI, it is becoming more commonplace for them to seek job candidates who have some level of skill using AI, even if they are applying for nontechnical positions.

Theres not some universal standard for AI fluency, unfortunately, Hannah Calhoon, vice president of AI at job search company Indeed, told The Washington Post in a recent article.

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But she said, youll continue to see an accelerating increase in employers looking for AI skills.

Zapier, a workflow automation platform, is making AI skills a requirement for all new employees.

For us, being capable is the bar. You have to be at least that to get hired, Zapier CEO Wade Foster told The Washington Post.

An example of being AI capable that Foster showcased is a marketing employee who uses the technology to make social posts and edit by hand.

As more companies see value in AI, it is becoming more commonplace for them to seek job candidates who have some level of skill using AI, even if they are applying for nontechnical positions (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Cheek, the founder and CEO of Austin-based digital health company Everlywell, gave an example of how a candidate could use personal experiences with AI and apply them to the role they want.

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A candidate for a social media manager could mention how they have used AI tools on Canva or Photoshop to create memes and then explain how the technology could accelerate development of content for the position, Cheek told The Washington Post.

There is hope for job seekers who may be late to the AI game, as some employers say they wont eliminate candidates solely because of a lack of experience with the technology, according to the publication.

Blair Ciesil, co-leader of management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.s global talent attraction group, told The Washington Post, Whats more important are the qualities around adaptability and learning mindset. People willing to fail and pick themselves up.
ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW)  Investigators were back at Mapleton Local School District on Monday conducting thorough follow-up examinations of every part of the schools, trying to determine what made more than 40 kids, most of them in the middle school, report feeling ill on Friday.

We had numerous other students complaining of some of the very same symptoms that this kid was experiencing, which were nausea, vomiting, some hands were tingling  hands and feet  dizziness, things that would normally be consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide or the common flu, said Sheriff Kurt Schneider on Monday, following the schools re-examination.

Inevitably, we had 44 students that were actually transported to local hospitals  seven hospitals in five counties, he said.

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Cleveland official wont get job back after crash with kids in city car: I-Team

Schneider said the students who reported feeling ill were not from any one part of the school buildings and, despite some of the staff members being in the school several hours longer than the students, not one staff member reported feeling sick.

On Friday, a preliminary investigation inside the school could detect nothing outside of normal parameters.

Mondays re-examination confirmed those results.

All of the gas appliances have been tested and there are no readings above normal, said Schneider.

The water company tested for any contamination of drinking water and found bacteria and chlorine levels are within normal ranges.

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We had the HVAC company come in. They took a look to make sure all the dampers were working correctly, the HVAC systems were working correctly, the boilers were firing correctly, the make up air systems were working correctly and all of that has been tested and I am 100% confident none of those things have anything to do with this particular incident, said Schneider, who has spent considerable time in the buildings since Friday himself and said he has not felt ill.

Teen suspected of murdering his mother in Lorain

The sheriff said there are additional medical screenings that have not come back which could identify something that is not a part of the routine building environment that could have contributed to the illness.

Weve even verified that there were no deliveries of any caustic substances or materials or solvents to the building that day. We dont have any suggestions or any evidence to suggest that there was any laboratory things happening that day in any of the building  like your chemistry labs, biology labs. There was none of that kind of stuff happening that day, said Schneider.

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And we have watched surveillance videos throughout the day and we dont see any evidence of any unauthorized access. No unusual devices or bags. Searched trash cans and book bags and found nothing, he added.

With no evidence of any environmental hazards, Schneider said the district will have school as usual starting on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
When Cracker Barrel unveiled a sleek new logo this August, scrubbing the beloved "Old Timer" from its branding, backlash came fast. Former President Donald Trump blasted the change, conservative media piled on, and loyal customers revolted.

But one critic had sounded the alarm long before politics got involved: Sardar Biglari, an Iranian-American investor who owns about 9% of Cracker Barrel and has been warning for years that costly rebrands and remodels would backfire.

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An activist investor on the offensive

In October 2024, Biglari sent a seven-page letter to shareholders, calling CEO Julie Felss Masino's $700 million modernization plan an "obvious folly." His math: Cracker Barrel had spent $1.4 billion in capital expenditures since 2011, yet operating income had actually fallen from $167 million to $121 million.

Masino, who earned roughly $7 million in 2024 compensation, roughly 360 times more than the median employee, had come from Taco Bell with promises to reinvent the 55-year-old brand. But Biglari argued that remodeling would drain capital without solving the real problem: declining foot traffic.

When the board doubled down on Masino's vision, Biglari followed up with a two-page warning in November, pointing out that a $100 investment in Cracker Barrel in 2019 had already withered to just $30 by 2024. "Therefore, there is just $30 to go before the entire investment is lost," he wrote.

The board's response? On November 21, 2024, shareholders re-elected all nominees, including Masino, touting it as an endorsement of the transformation plan.

Vindication arrives for Biglari

By August 2025, the logo redesign had triggered public outrage, a 15% stock plunge and the company lost over $100 million in market value. Executives posted a swift reversal just a week later. Trump claimed credit for forcing the reversal, and his supporters hailed it as a win for tradition over "wokeness."

Biglari and his Steak 'n Shake brand seized the moment, releasing novelty "Biglari Was Right About Cracker Barrel" and "Fire Cracker Barrel CEO!" hats and blasting the company's costly remodels: "Logo is a symptom of a bigger problem! The $700 million remodel is insane! It's bland, soulless, and an unnecessary waste of money."
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes)  With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Margaret Mary Tranick, 77, who left us peacefully on Saturday, August 30, 2025, after bravely facing cancer with grace, strength and an unshakable spirit.

Born June 16, 1948, in Youngstown, Ohio. Margaret was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Barnett) Tuchek. She was a 1966 graduate of Ursuline High School.

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Margaret lived her life with deep love and quiet strength. She was an extraordinary wife to Richard Tranick Sr., a devoted and loving mother to Sherilyn Conlin and Richard (Tracy) Tranick Jr. and a proud and treasured grandmother, lovingly referred to as Nanny, to Jimmy and Brooke Conlin. She also leaves behind son-in-law James Conlin Sr. She will also be missed dearly by her devoted dog Casper, who was her constant companion and always near her side. Her family was the heart of her world and she was the heart of theirs.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, Elizabeth McFarren, and brothers Joseph Tuchek and James Tuchek and brother-in-law Donald McFarren.

In the 1980s, she owned and operated The Orange Poppy Flower Shop in Sharon, Pennsylvania, alongside her sister, a venture that reflected her creativity and love for bringing beauty into the lives of others. In addition to the flower shop, she also worked as a floral designer at Pat Catans in Boardman, Ohio and Edwards Flowers in Youngstown, Ohio prior to her retirement.

One of the many ways Margaret showed her love was through her cooking. Her kitchen was a place of warmth, comfort, and laughter. She had a gift of bringing people around the table, where her meals became memories. Her legendary wedding soup, widely known and attested by many as the best, was more than just a dish, it was a tradition. Her chicken and dumplings and pasta were a comfort no one could ever forget. Her food fed the soul as much as the body, and the care she put into every meal was a true expression of the love she carried in her heart.

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One of her most beloved traditions was baking over twenty different types of cookies every Christmas. Her cookie trays were enjoyed by many, each one a carefully crafted assortment of festive favorites, family recipes, and new creations.

She leaves behind a family who adored her, friends who were blessed by her kindness, and a legacy rich in love, tradition, and resilience. The stories she told, the meals she shared, her witty sense of humor, and the love she gave freely will live on in each of us. Though our hearts are heavy, we are forever grateful for the time we had. Her spirit, her strength, and her love will remain with us always.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2025, with the Very Rev. Michael D Balash officiating with calling hours prior to the Mass from 10:30  11:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church.

Margaret will be laid to rest at Hubbard Union Cemetery.

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The family will be forever grateful for the exceptional care, compassion, and support shown by Dr. Timothy Barreiro, Dr. James Kim, and Dr. Carl Peterson and the incredible nurses and staff of St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, Ohio and the dedicated team at Patriot Hospice, whose support brought comfort and dignity in her final days.

Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to Patriot Hospice, 986 Tibbetts Wick Rd, Girard, OH 44420.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Stewart-Kyle Funeral Home.

Family and friends are invited to visit the funeral homes website at www.stewart-kyle.com to share memories and condolences.

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To send a flower arrangement in memory of Margaret Mary Tranick, please click here to visit our sympathy store.

A television tribute will air Tuesday, September 2 at the following approximate times: 7:10 a.m. on FOX, 12:22 p.m. on WKBN, 5:08 p.m. on MyYTV and 7:27 p.m. on WYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.

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LUDLOW, Mass. (WWLP)  The Portuguese cultural and religious celebration in Ludlow continued for the fourth day of Festa.

Our Lady of Fatima Festa back in Ludlow with food, rides, and games

It was a powerful display of faith and community as Portuguese Americans came together from near and far for a mass and candlelight procession. Heads bowed, prayers were spoken, and religious songs were sung at an outdoor mass at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Ludlow, led by the Bishop of Boston.

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You feel lighter, its the spirit. It feels good, said Goretti Raleza of Boston.

The lawn in front of the chapel filled with the faithful, coming together in a powerful display of unity and to honor our Our Lady of Fatima.

Its important because our Lady of Fatima delivered a message to us that we have to pray the rosary. We have to be religious with the Lord, have faith and stay strong with God, said Jacqueline Desousa of New York.

Jaqueline is one of many to travel long distances, such as from New York to be part of this special event. Others came as far as Florida. Such a good example of how something like this can bring so many people together and for a good time, said Peter Rodriguez of Florida.

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For many, the experience was memorable and magical due to the multitude of candles flickering. Since Sunday morning, people had been laying out candles for all different reasons in the form of a cross, just before the mass began. Peace. I want peace in the world, you know, and of course, to help my family, said Rosa Moreira of Boston.

For Rosa, its an experience she never misses, as its a tradition shes been carrying on since she was a child. The part she and others looked forward to the most was the candlelight procession, which ended the night.

Worshippers walked together, praying the rosary through the streets of Ludlow, while a cross led the way and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried behind. For many, theyre proud to continue this tradition and pass it down from generation to generation.

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SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT. (WWLP)  A Massachusetts man was arrested in Vermont on Sunday after allegedly striking multiple vehicles while under the influence.

Driver arrested for OUI after car crash in Palmer

The Vermont State Police said that at approximately 5:26 p.m. on Sunday, troopers were called to the intersection of I-189 and Shelburne Road in South Burlington regarding a three-car crash. Reports stated that the driver who had caused the crash had left the area, but was found and held by witnesses until troopers arrived.

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State police arrived at the intersection and identified the suspect as 18-year-old Jefferson Quinaloa of Brockton. Investigation revealed that Quinaloa was driving on I-189, struck multiple vehicles, and attempted to drive away. The troopers also determined that he was impaired while driving the vehicle.

Quinaloa was arrested and charged with DUI and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. He was released with a criminal citation to appear in Chittenden County Superior Court Criminal Division on October 7.

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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CHICAGO  As President Donald Trump mulls sending the National Guard to occupy Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a defiant message to the White House at a spirited Labor Day rally Monday.

No federal troops in the city of Chicago! No militarized force in the city of Chicago! Johnson said in a short speech steps from the Haymarket memorial for the labor rally that was bombed in 1886.

Were going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago, Johnson added. Were going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.

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The mayor of Americas third-largest city spoke alongside a group of labor leaders as Trump administration officials have said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement blitz is set to take place in Chicago in coming days.

The Republican president has criticized Washington, D.C., and Chicago  Democratic bastions led by Black mayors  for out-of-control street crime, despite crime rates dropping in the two cities.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of sending military into city streets for domestic purposes, which Johnson, Gov. JB Pritzker and legal experts have said is unconstitutional, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this weekend said it would be up to him whether National Guard troops are part of the Chicago operation.

The president recently sent the National Guard into Washington and has threatened to do so in Chicago. In both instances, it appears the White Houses main focus will be on ramping up immigration enforcement by utilizing an influx of federal forces to carry out aggressive tactics.

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Hundreds of residents turned out Monday to oppose the presidents plans. They carried signs criticizing Trump and declaring wake up and smell the fascism.

Chicago Federation of Labor president Bob Reiter ripped Trump as a bad dude for failing to honor union contracts and scapegoating immigrants and diversity initiatives for the nations problems.

Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union and a close Johnson ally, credited working people for creating social change against slavery and fighting racist laws in the Jim Crow era. She said Chicago rejects a billionaires tyranny on our city.

Solidarity is the antidote to white supremacy. Solidarity is the antidote to anti-immigrant fever. Solidarity is the antidote to homophobia and transphobia, Davis Gates said. Solidarity is the antidote to people not having and needing. It is solidarity that reunites us.

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After the rally, the labor groups protested outside entities allied with Trump or his initiatives, including Target and a Tesla dealership. Target has faced criticism for scaling back DEI efforts in what some say is an attempt to pander to Trump, while Tesla boss Elon Musk has been a close ally to the White House, although they have been in conflict of late.

Randi Weingarten, head of the national teachers union, summed up the rally with a question invoking the biblical story of Moses in ancient Egypt.

Are we ready to fight Pharoah? Weingarten asked. The crowd responded with cheers.
Mayor calls a special meeting for Metropolitan Transit Commission

Mayor Vi Lyles has called a special meeting Wednesday for the Metropolitan Transit Commission.

ALSO READ: Affidavit: Train travels for 4 minutes before man randomly kills woman on train

MTC is the policy board that oversees the Charlotte Area Transit System.

The meeting will be held at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center at 600 East Fourth Street in room 267. Its schedule to start at 9 a.m. and address safety aboard CATS.

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It comes more than a week after a man fatally stabbed Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line in South End. Decarlos Brown is charged with first-degree murder.

The public is invited to attend the meeting.

VIDEO: EXCLUSIVE Q&A: CATS leaders say processes worked after deadly stabbing on light rail
CHICAGO  Several thousand people marched in a Labor Day Rally devoted to promoting workers rights and opposing the policies of President Donald Trumps administration Monday afternoon in the West Loop.

Chicago has played a large role in the countrys labor movement and in the formation of Labor Day, and the city has been a main target of the Trump administrations focus on immigration and crime.

READ MORE: Chicagos historic role in the creation of Labor Day

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Those factors made for an interesting Labor Day Rally at the Haymarket Memorial, with Mayor Brandon Johnson among those in attendance. The mayor has been in national headlines in recent weeks, addressing the White Houses threats to send federal troops into Chicago.

Mondays rally focused on workers rights and what protestors say is an attack on unions in favor of billionaires, with hundreds of demonstrators also marching downtown.

We have stood up for workers before, and we will do it again, Johnson said at the rally. And no matter what comes from the White House, Chicago will always be a labor town.

Labor Day weekend brings violence to Chicago, with dozens shot and 8 killed as of early Monday morning

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Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, also addressed protestors in the West Loop.

We must demand a better life for all workers, she said. One job should be enough.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
After nearly four years immobilized, a megayacht, Crescent, owned by "Russia's richest tycoon", is on the move.

The $600 million yacht was seized by Spanish authorities in 2022 in Port Tarraco, Tarragona, by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda, amidst a sweeping European sanctions campaign against assets tied to Russian oligarchs. Right after, the U.S. FBI performed a raid and an onboard inspection, and the yacht has remained stagnant ever since.

Crescent is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, who is the CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft and a close ally of Vladimir Putin. He has been on the EU and U.S. sanctions list since 2014 and was targeted in 2022 for his role in supporting Russia's war.

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In late July, Luxury Launches reported that the yacht left Tarragona for another port in Barcelona, where the yacht will undergo service work until September.

The unexpected relocation of the Crescent has sparked questions about what changed in the legal and political landscape, allowing the yacht to move. It also serves as a reminder for taxpayer-funded upkeep of the yacht, as maintaining the yacht in ports requires taxpayer money for berthing, security, and shipyard work.

Luxury yachts have continued to draw scrutiny. Not only do citizens need to pay for luxury yachts to park in ports, but they also need to face the brunt of environmental harm brought on by these mega vessels. Chris Armstrong for The Guardian explained that owning a mega yacht is morally indefensible for starters because doing so "is the most polluting activity a single person can possibly engage in."

Estimates suggest that a typical megayacht can emit thousands of tons of CO2 annually, with some emitting more than some small countries. Armstrong continued to explain that "the bulk of these emissions happen whether or not a yacht actually travels anywhere." As such, simply the upkeep of megayachts, which the Crescent has required for the past four years, still emits planet-harming pollution.

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The question of why the yacht can relocate still remains unclear, especially when it is linked to security issues due to ties to the Russian war.

Many have called for governments to ban megayachts or bar them from entering ports. Enormous environmental inequalities have come as a result of billionaires owning megayachts, spurring many to urge governments to take more stringent measures to ban the vessels.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
A friend of mine is outraged about the purchase of a flat in Hove by Angela Rayner  but possibly not for the same reasons that a load of her rubber-necking detractors are.

No, my mate feels the flat was overpriced and Big Ange could have done better. It is telling that my friend grew up in less-than-salubrious circumstances in a council flat and has worked very hard to have a beautiful house. She keeps an eye on the property market and knows what she is talking about.

Rayner has been lambasted for the fact that she avoided paying 40,000 in stamp duty on the Hove flat by telling the taxman that it is her main home, rather than the one in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency. But Rayner has done nothing illegal, and the amount of pearl-clutching over a second home (in addition to her government-owned flat in London) is astonishing.

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But then, the scrutiny Rayner is under is driven by a toxic mix of one-tenth misogyny and nine-tenths class snobbery. Her crime is not knowing her place and smashing through class barriers. And to make it worse, she is often shown having a good time. DJing at a rave, swigging rose in a dry robe, horror of horror going to Glyndebourne. Vaping. Take her to the Tower. What is this woman thinking?

Watching her take to the stage last year at the Labour Party conference, the applause demonstrated the palpable and very real affection for her. The membership do their best for Starmer, but it is dutiful. Rayner has the very things that cannot be bought or even taxed: authenticity and self-belief. That is rare.

No one ever knows what to do with such women. I couldnt help but think back to Mo Mowlams popularity, which irked Blair so much, it was said that he had her security removed. (The Blair camp denied this, of course.) Most of the current Labour women have that anxious, buttoned up, New Head of Year 8 energy.

Rayner is unapologetically herself. We see her. Her back story; the bipolar mother; the pregnancy at 16; the bullying; no books in the house; being a carer at a very young age  the way she has worked her way up is admirable. When she says: Child poverty is more than an abstract problem to me. Its something I know all too much about, she is speaking from her heart.

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Sure, she makes mistakes and gets pilloried for them, whether its a bad trouser suit or having a vaguely messy but frankly normal private life.

Rayner is unapologetically herself and should be admired for her authenticity - James Manning/PA Wire

You can hate her politics if you like, so fight her on that score  not by trying to do her over for wanting a room with a view. Pinning the hypocrisy label on her (of course, we certainly do have a housing crisis in this country) only works if we are to be persuaded that every other politician lives in a shoe box.

Supposed man-of-the-people Nigel Farage (a public school boy who worked in the City) has amassed a property portfolio of 3million since 2016. Jeremy Hunt bought several flats in one day. Nadhim Zahawi was said to have 25m worth of property a few years ago. Rishi Sunaks wife was a non-dom.

Some of the guff that surrounds this story may well be coming from inside Labour itself as the jockeying around Starmer continues. The vague murmuring about optics always surrounds working-class politicians, but other classes are let off the hook. Take Two Jags John Prescott: he described himself as middle class, and, despite his sobriquet, hardly got the same kicking that Rayner has for deigning to splash the cash.

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The jibe of champagne socialist or Bollinger Bolshevik, as John Mortimer memorably described himself, is easy to reach for but essentially meaningless. It is no crime to want a better life and to want everyone to have better lives too.

Angela Rayner is often shown having a good time. How scandalous - Simon Walker / Deputy Prime Minister's Office

On the other hand, there is nothing more annoying than faux-povos who, it turns out, are all going to get an inheritance at 35. I should know, having been around enough of them. This may be why I have a lot of time for Rayner. I left school at 16 and when I found myself in the hallowed halls of Left-wing journalism was also subject to much snobbery. This was a world where I was mystified by the fact that everyone already knew each other and went on bizarre holidays together.

A working-class hero is something that exists in theory only. Class condescension abounds on the Left as well as the Right. Working class women will always transgress the labyrinthine codes of these uptight worlds but a point comes when such women dont actually care. Which of course is Rayners real crime.

The other unspoken thing about Rayner  and I will attempt to put it politely and not frighten the ponies  is that she sexually intrigues many of the guys. Even the ones that hate her. They are fascinated by her. I have heard them. She embodies their fears  and their fantasies. They would like to say she is stupid but as her performances in the Commons show, she is quick, assured and shows her enemies no mercy.

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A flat in Hove is really not the issue here, is it? Its as if Rayner should still be living on some horrible estate and be forever reminded that she had a child at 16. She should be punished for being who she is, not flaunting her success.

When she was at school she had to have steel toecaps in her shoes to make them last. She was bullied as a result. Everyone else had Kickers. Now she can have whatever shoes she likes and a place by the sea.

Why begrudge a woman with steel toecaps? Instead put yourself in her shoes and get real.

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By the time U.S. President Donald Trumps second term is over, USD1 will have become the worlds most dominant stablecoin, according to Blockstreet co-founder Kyle Klemmer.

With the team, the backing, and just the overall excitement that the blockchain community has, I can certainly see USD1 being the most widely adopted stablecoin in the world by 2028, he told Decrypt in a recent interview. USDC is the first target.

Blockstreets stated mission as a USD1-native launchpad is to amplify World Liberty Financial's vision, and the firm has been tasked with integrating the stablecoin from the Trump familys crypto venture into crypto and traditional markets. The little-known firm, which debuted in mid-July, is also helping bank the unbanked, Klemmer added.

Blockstreet co-founder Matthew Morgan, a former cannabis entrepreneur, is an advisor to World Liberty and serves as CIO at ALT5 Sigma Corporation. The financial infrastructure firm unveiled a crypto treasury strategy centered around World Libertys governance token earlier this month.

Klemmers prediction, and goal for USD1, could face a high bar. Although stablecoins are a $285 billion industry today, JPMorgan analysts expect the sector to grow to $500 billion by 2028. And Bernstein analysts foresee the market reaching $2.8 trillion in the next five years.

Thats not to mention stiff competition from existing players like Tether and Circlethe issuers of USDT and USDC, respectivelyor new entrants like Citigroup and Bank of America that recently passed legislation could unlock. But Klemmer is optimistic about USD1s chances, based on the amount of outreach hes received so far.

There's a lot of people all around the world who are incredibly complimentary of what the current administration is doing, he said of President Trump. They're very excited about what World Liberty is trying to accomplish with USD1. A lot of people, the first thing that they say is, How can we help?

World Liberty debuted a year ago. While the project has yet to deliver on its initial promise of crypto borrowing and lending services, its USD1 stablecoin has been out since April, growing to $2.5 billion meanwhile, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. For comparison, Tethers USDT and Circles USDC are worth $71 billion and $167 billion, respectively.

Klemmer said USD1s appeal isnt limited to its technical capabilities, noting that some crypto users appreciate it in relation to the governments shifting approach toward the industry.

It stands for a change, he said, in reference to USD1. There's a very large appetite of countries, sovereign wealth funds, and other larger bodies that see the opportunities that are presented with USD1 and relate to that.
Compulsory military service is unlikely to apply to women in Germany any time soon, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who sees many obstacles to its introduction.

When asked on Monday about a debate over amending the Basic Law, Germany's de facto constitution, to introduce compulsory military service for women, Merz said: "I can imagine it, but that is certainly only the third or fourth step. We will first take the first and second steps in the right direction and then continue the discussion."

"The Basic Law clearly states that only men may be conscripted for military service," Merz said. "Whether this is still appropriate today and whether it may need to be changed is a matter for political and socio-political debate."

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Conscription for men remains enshrined in the Basic Law and could be reintroduced by a simple majority. A general duty to serve, which would then apply to women, would require an amendment to the Basic Law, which requires a two-thirds majority.

The chancellor noted that barracks and trainers are lacking after the infrastructure for the armed forces was systematically dismantled once conscription was suspended in 2011.

He said the government has taken the first step to boost the country's defence architecture with its new military service bill, which proposes reintroducing military service in a voluntary capacity.

The bill, backed by the Cabinet, would create a new voluntary programme aimed at young men and includes options for conscription if the recruitment drive is unsuccessful.
All those crop art seeds are getting their day in the sun.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is giving crop art displayed at the Minnesota State Fair the museum treatment with its "Cream of the Crop: A Minnesota Folk Art Showcase" exhibit.

For its first-ever crop art exhibition, the Mia's Director and President, Katie Luber; Associate Curator of European Art, Galina Olmsted; and Associate Curator of Global and Contemporary Art, Leslie Urena, have selected 10 pieces from the fair to feature in the exhibition.

Seed Art at the 2025 Minnesota State FairPhoto by Dustin Nelson/Bring Me The News

Two of those pieces are selected as part of the Mia's new crop art awards: best interpretation of an artwork at Mia and best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story, or figure.

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Those winners and eight honorable mentions will be put on display in the museum's rotunda beginning on Sept. 6.

Crop art is a form that the Mia aptly calls "meticulous." Artists use seeds, grains, and other plant materials to craft detailed pieces that are often funny and sometimes somber, as with the many tributes to the late Rep. Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, and their dog, Gilbert, who were fatally shot by a gunman posing as a police officer in June.

Related: Seed art submissions pay tribute to Hortmans, family dog Gilbert

At the fair, the crop art is exclusively created with Minnesota-grown seeds, such as glossy black flax, red sorghum, wild rice, lentils, and mustard seeds, the Mia notes.

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Im excited to see Mia continue its embrace and celebration of folk art with this exhibition, says Marta Shore, Assistant Superintendent of Crop Art and Scarecrow at the Minnesota State Fair. Crop artists use their considerable talent and creativity to express themselves by using the agricultural products of our state, and we all appreciate seeing a Minnesota art institution recognizing our work.

"The Treachery of a Pronto Pup" by Amy and Steve SaupeCourtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art

The "best interpretation of an artwork at Mia" has been awarded to Amy and Steve Saupe's "The Treachery of a Pronto Pup," a humorous interpretation of Rene Magritte's "The Treachery of Images."

The original features a pipe with the inscription "Ceci n'est pas une pipe," French for "This is not a pipe." The Saupes' piece features a Pronto Pup and the inscription "Ceci n'est pas un corn dog."

The winner in the "best interpretation of a Minnesota landmark, story, or tradition" category was won by Jeanne Morales for her piece, "My Chagall Dream."

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Her interpretation of themes in Marc Chagall's work features a woman flying over the Twin Cities with landmarks below, such as First Avenue, the Riverview Theater, The Hook and Ladder Theater, Harriet Island, and Merlin's Rest.

"My Chagall Dream" by Jeanne MoralesCourtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Honorable mentions include "Goat" by Annmarie Geniusz, "Broken Pinky, Unbroken Justice" by Juventino Meza, "Star Gazing" by Nancy Rzeszutek, "Old Dutch and Top the Tater" by Kaela Reinardy, "Vincent Van Grow Olive Trees" by Jill Osiecki, "All the Eternal Love I Have for Crop Art" by Jill Moe, "Under the Wave off Kanagawa (also known as the Great Wave)" by Amanda Cashman, and "Crop Art study of Alice Neel's 'Christy White, 1958'" by Ursula Murray Husted.

"Cream of the Crop" will be on display at the Mia from Sept. 6 to 28. It is free to attend.

Related: Mia puts the surreal side of the Renaissance in the spotlight this summer

This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the MN Lifestyle section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  Many Spartans are familiar with the names of the three students who lost their lives in the mass shooting at Michigan State University in February 2023. Those students, along with others who lost their lives while attending the school, were honored on Saturday as part of the 3rd annual MSU Student Memorial Tribute Trees Walk & Reflection Event.

Families and friends honored their loved ones by visiting the 12 memorial trees across campus, placing roses at each of their plaques. Always a Spartan, forever a Spartan was the sentiment shared throughout the event.

The event was organized by Mid-Michigan Spartans, who partnered with Dr. Allyn Shaw, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, and the MSU Alumni Office.

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Over 130 Spartans were honored during the tribute walk.

Being able to work with the families, and their friends, as well as guardians to be able to make sure that the students are remembered and that theyre always part of the university because it is really important that we recognize every Spartan all the time, said Shaw.

Many of those who attended were honoring fallen loved ones, including Meredith Renzulli, whose brother died in 2018.

He only was here for one semester, but it was like the most fun Ive had at college with my little brother. He followed me to MSU from New Jersey. Just weve always been extremely close, said Renzulli.

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The university plants a new tree each year to ensure the memory of these students is never forgotten, including the daughter of Michelle Lapierre.

She was a dancer, so she was always dancing and she had a great sense of humor. She was always making me laugh and I really miss that about her.

Lee Conley was in attendance to honor his daughter, Ashlee. She was a perfect daughter. Ashlee was a senior here at Michigan State in the veterinary school. Its almost therapeutic for me right to be able to know that. I could say some words here to, to some, also grieving parents.

Lapierre wants to remind people to look out for one another, Just check on your friends, make sure everybodys OK, even people that seem OK. Theyre not always OK. So please check in with your friends.

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ST. LOUIS  Whats in store for the FOX 2 viewing area this coming week? More clouds with some spots of sunshine.

Well be dealing with that Monday, as a mid-level spin in the Central Plains continues to pivot southeast and weaken. This will push rain chances Monday from western Missouri into southeastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois.

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That will combat dry air at the surface and since this system has weakened more than previously mentioned, I think it will be fairly spotty. Overall, a dry but cloudy Labor Day with temperatures running below normal. Highs will be limited in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees with the lack of good sunshine.

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Were monitoring another big cooldown headed our way on mid-week, with the arrival of a strong cold front. That rolls in on Wednesday, with the potential for scattered showers ahead of the front. There will be no exceptional relief from the ongoing drought with this system but what will be noticeable is the cooler air Thursday through next weekend. High temperatures will only hit the 70s, with overnight lows in the 40s and 50s.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Milwaukee police are searching for the driver of a 2008 GMC pickup truck, accused of leaving the scene after striking and killing a 48-year-old pedestrian.

The crash took place on Aug. 31 at about 12:38 p.m. on South 35th Street and West Greenfield Avenue, according to police.

Milwaukee police say they are searching for this 2008 GMC pickup truck involved in a fatal hit-and-run Aug. 31, 2025.

The pedestrian was transported to a hospital, where they died.

Police said they are searching for the truck with an Iowa plate PZP172. The truck may have minor damage to the hood or grille, police said.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact the police at 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips App.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPD searching for driver accused of fatal hit-and-run on 35th Street
HONOLULU (KHON2)  Hawaii shoppers are beginning to feel the effects of new federal trade rules that close a long-standing loophole on imported goods.

Imports get pricier: Hawaii shoppers brace for higher prices

The de minimis exemption, which previously allowed packages valued under $800 to bypass duties and taxes, has now been scaled back, which means higher costs and potential shipping delays for consumers across the islands.

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Retail Merchants of Hawaii President Tina Yamakai says the change is a double-edged sword.

Its good and bad, Yamakai said. The good part is it kind of levels out the playing field for our local retailers who ship internationally. But for consumers, the price is going up. Youre going to have to pay the tax now.

The sudden change has caught many international shipping companies off guard. Some countries have temporarily suspended service to the U.S. altogether until they better understand the new requirements. Some of those countries include: Australia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.

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Because this order came so fast, a lot of the shipping companies didnt have time to figure it out, Yamakai said. So some have just said, Forget it, were not shipping to the U.S. until we know whats going on. Thats sad for the consumers and the retailers waiting for those shipments.

The impact is especially tough for residents and small businesses, which relies heavily on imports for everyday goods. Yamakai says shoppers could see price increases not only online, but also in local specialty stores that order from overseas.

Hawaii has so many specialty stores tied to different cultures, she said. All of that will be impacted. And youll probably see more price increases on online shopping too.

One potential benefit is a reduction in counterfeit goods, which often slip into the U.S. market through low-cost international shipments.

Those five-dollar knockoff shirts? They might end up costing a lot more now, Yamakai said. And that could help reduce some of the counterfeiting.

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With the holiday shopping season approaching, Yamakai advises consumers to plan early and consider keeping their dollars local.

Check out more news from around Hawaii

Continue to shop local and support our local businesses, she said. Even national stores here hire our local people. Its a great way to support everybody.

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The archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis has waded into the emotional and politically charged discussion about the power of prayer after deadly mass shootings.

Archbishop Bernard Hebdas diocese includes Annunciation Church and School, where a shooter fired into an audience of children attending an Aug. 27 back-to-school service. Two children were killed, and 18 others, mostly students, were injured before the shooter died by suicide.

The latest tragedy spurred another debate on the phrase thoughts and prayers, which critics say is a smokescreen used by gun-rights advocates to delay potential movement on gun control.

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When its usage came under fire last week, Vice President Vance and other conservatives pushed back, suggesting it was an attack on religion. Meanwhile, Pope Leo on Sunday referenced the Minneapolis shooting and called for an end to the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.

Hebda, who joined NewsNation Prime on Sunday, expressed support for prayer as a way for communities to heal. But he added prayer should be coupled with action.

He said that could mean coming together to work with our officials, to work with our legislators, to see how it is that we might be able to diminish that pandemic of arms.

What are the vaccines that are going to help us so that other families dont have to experience  whats being experienced at Annunciation in Minneapolis? he said.

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The archbishop did not elaborate.

Asked how he keeps faith these days, Hebda said hes buoyed by the good examples of humanity he sees around him. Hebda said he recently spoke with one of the shooting victims about her trip to the hospital.

She talked about how she was sharing the ambulance with another student and how they held each others hand and how they prayed the Our Father as they were taken to the hospital, he said. She spoke about the tenderness of neighbors who were rushing in to help her.

All of those things tell me that, even in the midst of such darkness, that God is really present and that we have to help each other to see Gods love and to experience Gods love, he added.

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Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, 64, cried senior moment on live TV as his attempt to attack Gov. Tim Walz blew up in his face.

In a Sunday appearance on ABCs This Week, Emmer suggested Walz was to blame for a lack of resources to prevent more mass shootings after last weeks tragic incident at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. The shooting left two children, ages 8 and 10, dead and injured around 20 people.

Minnesota, Rep. Tom Emmer attempted to lay the blame at Gov. Tim Walz feet for schools not having safety resources. / Screenshot: ABC News

Emmer used his appearance to play up calls for more school resources to help. Its going to be very important that the schools have the resources, he told co-host Martha Raddatz.

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Then Raddatz pointed out that Emmer, a MAGA convert, had already voted against the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law, which provides schools with millions of dollars to expand mental health services and safety measures, was introduced on the heels of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in the same year.

You talk about what can be done, Raddatz said, after mass shootings in Buffalo and in Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It provided hundreds of millions of dollars for schools to expand mental health services, enhance safety measures. You did not vote for that bill. Why?

The moment appeared to catch Emmer off guard, so he pleaded amnesia before launching into a bumbling explanation.

GOP Rep. Tom Emmer (center) at President Donald Trumps inauguration. / Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

I dont remember the reasons that I didnt vote for that bill, Emmer said. I got to tell you, we did a lot for Uvalde, but you cant replace those children, Martha, you cant. And you cant help that community. Were talking about getting on the front end, Martha. Were talking about we need to have the resources.

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Raddatz, not letting Emmer off the hook, went back to the bill. This bill sounds like it might have done that, she said.

Realizing Raddatz wasnt going to let up on his voting history, Emmer turned to outrage and then attempted to blame the shooters inner circle for the violent attack.

That [bill] would have identified this mans mental health condition? That would have identified him as a danger to himself and the community before this ever happened? No, thats the part weve got to identify, said Emmer. Weve got to figure out why did this poor young man, who is so mentally disturbed, why when he was crying out for help in the public square, where were his friends? His family?

The MAGAverse took a crass victory lap amid reports that the shooter, 23, was trans and attempted to connect this detail to the carnage.
A new Missouri law went into effect last week eliminating the luxury tax on period products and diapers (Getty Images).

Diapers and menstrual hygiene products such as tampons and pads will no longer be taxed in Missouri stores.

A new law, which went into effect last week, eliminates whats commonly known as the luxury state sales tax rate of 4.225% on these products.

After years of bipartisan support for eliminating this luxury tax in Missouri, the new law finally got across the finish line in May as part of a larger bill that repealed the states capital gains tax.

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Incontinence products for babies, children and adults are included in the exemption, as are products used during menstruation, including period cups and period underwear.

Heading into the 2025 legislative session, Missouri was one of about two dozen states with the inflated tax on diapers still in place and one of 19 states with a luxury tax on period products. This year it joined Alabama in eliminating both.

Imagine the need for sanitary products being called a luxury, state Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, said during a House committee hearing this spring. Any of us who has experienced such a luxury once a month would argue strongly against that being the case.

Advocates for the elimination of this tax on diapers and period products often cite the exclusion of products such as Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction, from the luxury tax.

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Trish Vincent, director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, said in a statement that the change provides meaningful relief for Missouri families.

This year, Missouri had the greatest number of state lawmakers working to eliminate the diaper tax, with 17 pieces of legislation proposed, according to the National Diaper Bank Networks legislation tracker.

In 2024, nearly half of U.S. families with children younger than 4 who were wearing diapers reported experiencing diaper insecurity, according to a study published in May by the National Diaper Bank Network and the marketing research group YouGov.

Of those experiencing diaper insecurity, 79% of mothers surveyed said they felt stressed or anxious about potentially being unable to afford diapers, which also contributed to feelings of loneliness and fears about the future.

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The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank called the new law a monumental win for families across Missouri.

An estimated one in four parents experiencing diaper insecurity reported missing an average of five days of school or work a month because they didnt have enough diapers and therefore couldnt drop their child off at day care, where parents are typically required to provide their own diapers, according to the network.

Lack of access to period products also contributes to missed school and work for countless American girls and women every year. The Alliance for Period Supplies estimates two in five people struggle to afford period supplies.

State Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat and a proponent of eliminating the diaper and period product taxes, also filed legislation aimed at requiring public schools to provide free period products to students beginning in fourth grade. The bill never got a hearing.

Correction: This story was updated at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday to clarify that all taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products were eliminated.
The jokes were hilarious, the handshakes sincere and the occasion spontaneous. That, at least, is what we are supposed to believe about the display of trilateral bonhomie between Narendra Modi of India, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China.

But whenever harmony breaks out between the leaders of the biggest countries at an international summit, you can be sure that one of them has something to prove. Mr Modi is the latest example of this universal rule. His overriding task at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin on Monday was to demonstrate that India has other options and other friends besides the United States.

To rescue India from the punitive US tariff of 50 per cent imposed by Donald Trump last week, Mr Modi is trying to show his own shrewd understanding of the art of the deal.

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Until the summit in Tianjin, Mr Modis response to the tariffs had been notably conciliatory. So far India has refrained from retaliating in kind and the prime minister has not denounced Mr Trump, with whom he has a close affinity as a fellow strongman leader.

On Monday, however, Mr Modi contrived a visual display of his greatest source of leverage, namely Indias geopolitical importance alongside the other giants of the Eurasian landmass. Together, India, Russia and China have a combined population of 3 billion  or 40 per cent of humanity  along with at least a quarter of the global economy and approaching half of all the worlds nuclear warheads.

At the summit, Modis handshakes with China and Russia hinted at alignment  but Indias strategic trajectory continues to point towards the US - Anadolu/Getty

Mr Modi wants America to contemplate the possibility of the happy trio of leaders working together as global partners. What would that formidable combination of power mean for American strength and American influence?

If you fail to take India seriously and spare the worlds most populous country from the worst of your tariffs, runs Mr Modis implicit message for Mr Trump, then think about the wider strategic consequences.

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This might sound compelling but it disguises one essential truth. Far from driving them together, the harsh realities of geopolitics are prising India and China apart.

Limits of friendship

No amount of mutual congratulation at a summit can change the fact that China lays claim to an entire Indian state  Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls South Tibet  and bitterly disputes vast expanses of the 2,000-mile border between the two countries.

At this moment, China is occupying 15,000 square miles of what India considers its sovereign territory  the Aksai Chin region of Kashmir  which Mao Tse-tung seized during a border war in 1962.

Meanwhile, China is by far the biggest provider of weapons to Indias old enemy, Pakistan. When the two rivals came to blows in May, Pakistan shot down between three and six Indian jets using Chinese-supplied fighters armed with Chinas most advanced air-to-air missiles. And all the while, Chinas threat to Indian territory becomes greater because of the sheer scale of Mr Xis military build-up.

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This year, China is expected to commission its third aircraft carrier with at least three more set to follow by the mid-2030s. China is expanding its nuclear arsenal by 100 warheads every year and now has a stockpile of about 600  more than three times as many as India.

As for overall military spending, Chinas declared defence budget of $250 billion (185 billion) is over three times bigger than Indias $75 billion (55 billion).

Mr Xi can afford to invest this vast sum - and increase it by about 7 per cent every year  because Chinas economy is almost five times the size of Indias.

Summit optics suggested a Eurasian bloc, but beneath the photo-ops India remains wary of China - Su Takekuma/Reuters

Facing this giant neighbour with open designs on its territory  while locked in constant confrontation with Pakistan  all the logic of strategy impels India to forge other alliances to counter-balance China.

Old ties with Moscow, new doubts emerging

During the Cold War, Indias closest relationship was with the Soviet Union, a tradition that lives on today in the form of its partnership with Putins Russia, which remains the single largest supplier of weapons for the Indian armed forces.

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For example, the Indian army bought its entire fleet of tanks from Russia. But Indian generals will have noticed that the blackened wrecks of exactly the same kind of tanks are now littering the fields of Ukraine as easy prey for American-made missiles.

In the end, the only way for India to balance China and insure itself against the ambition of its neighbour is by drawing closer to America. That is what India has been doing for at least 20 years, beginning in 2005 when it reached a landmark agreement with Washington on nuclear cooperation.

So Mr Modis performance in Tianjin is a tactical response to the immediate problem created by Mr Trumps tariffs. Beneath the surface, the gravitational pull of geopolitics is still drawing India towards America.

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TIANJIN, China (AP)  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of a regional summit in China on Monday in a show of deepening ties when New Delhis relations with Washington are strained over the purchase of Russian oil.

The two leaders held talks after attending the key session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization gathering in the port city of Tianjin, where discussions focused on regional stability, bilateral trade and energy cooperation.

In his remarks to open the talks, Modi termed the partnership with Moscow as special and privileged. Putin addressed Modi as a dear friend and hailed Russias ties with India as special, friendly and trusting.

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Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades. Friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future, Putin said.

Putin plans to travel to India in December for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit, according to his foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.

Relationships on display

Modi used the SCO meeting to welcome the initiatives aimed at halting the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and called on the stakeholders to move forward constructively.

To end the conflict soonest and establish peace permanently, we need to find out a way. Its a call of the entire humanity, Modi said.

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Putin was accompanied by a large delegation that included top government officials. Russian state media reported that before sitting down for their formal meeting, Putin and Modi spoke one-on-one for almost an hour in a Russian-made limousine that Putin regularly takes on foreign trips.

Moments before the leaders lined up for a group photo, Modi was seen clasping Putin's hand with the gusto of an old friend, bursting into his trademark hearty laughter. The moment was infectious as Putin grinned and chuckled, while Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a measured smile. The trio, ringed by watchful interlocuters, chatted animatedly for a few seconds.

Modi met Xi ahead of the opening of the summit Sunday and the two leaders pledged to resolve their border differences and bolster cooperation.

Washington pushing together China, Russia and India

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Monday's bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin carried added significance by coming days after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariffs on Indian imports, raising the total duties to a steep 50%, in retaliation for Indias continued purchases of discounted Russian oil.

Washington has repeatedly warned New Delhi against buying Russian crude, which it said was partly keeping Moscows revenues afloat to fund the Ukraine war. India has defended its imports as essential for meeting the growing energy needs of its 1.4 billion people.

Analysts said Trumps steep tariffs and the tone coming from the White House have pushed New Delhi closer to China and Russia.

While India-China reengagements started much before Trump, his policies are accelerating a process whereby India seems to be working much more closely with China and Russia to push back against economic unilateralism it is witnessing from the U.S., said Harsh Pant, vice president of foreign policy at New Delhi based think tank the Observer Research Foundation.

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Modi travelled to Russia twice last year. The first was a visit to Moscow for talks with Putin in July, which was his first trip to Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Kremlins forces in February 2022. He then traveled to Kazan in October for the summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies.

Trump's reaction

As Xi, Putin and Modi showed extraordinary unity, Trump on Monday continued to jab at New Delhi.

As the summit wrapped up, Trump charged in a social media post that historically the U.S.-India trade relationship has been a totally one sided disaster! Trump also bristled about India surging its Russian oil purchases and signaled no trade deal with New Delhi is in sight.

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They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late, Trump said in the posting on his Truth Social platform. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!

SCO nations share a history of business partnerships

Russia has had strong ties with India since the Cold War, and New Delhis importance as a key trading partner has grown since the war between Moscow and Ukraine.

China and India have become key buyers of Russian oil after the West shunned Russian exports to punish Moscow.

India historically bought most of its crude from the Middle East, but the worlds third-largest crude importer after China and the U.S. has started buying Russian oil available at discounted rates. Russia now accounts for around 37% of Indias total oil imports, according to analysts and Indian officials.

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Trade between India and Russia has sharply increased in recent years, reaching a record $68.7 billion in the 2024-25 financial year. Imports from Russia reached around $64 billion and exports from India totaled about $5 billion, according to Indian government data.

The two nations aspire to bolster trade to $100 billion by 2030.

Modis meeting with Putin underscored New Delhis stance that India prized its old and reliable strategic partners and has sufficient strategic autonomy in its foreign policy to maintain and strengthen its multi-dimensional partnership, said Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, an international affairs expert at New Delhis Jindal School of International Affairs.

At the same time, the Indian government hopes the present rough weather between India and the U.S. is a temporary aberration, Chaulia said.

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Then, India can return happily to having the Russian cake and eating the American pie as part of its multi-alignment strategy, Chaulia said.

___

Roy reported from New Delhi. Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
MOSCOW/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's Narendra Modi told Vladimir Putin on Monday that India and Russia stood side by side even in difficult times after the Kremlin chief called the Indian prime minister his "dear friend" and gave him a lift in his armoured limousine.

China and India are the biggest buyers of crude oil from Russia, the world's second largest exporter. Trump has imposed additional tariffs on India over the purchases but there is no sign that India or China are going to stop them.

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China's port city of Tianjin, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi Jinping. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

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Later, Modi posted a picture on X of him and Putin inside the armoured Aurus limousine used by the Russian leader.

Putin often travels with the Aurus on foreign trips and has occasionally offered rides to fellow leaders - or even gifted the vehicle, as he did to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2024.

"Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder," Modi said. "Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity."

At the bilateral meeting, Putin addressed Modi in Russian as "Dear Mr Prime Minister, dear friend."

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"Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades, friendly and trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future," Putin said.

Modi said he welcomed recent efforts aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine, which he hoped would end as soon as possible. On Saturday, Modi reaffirmed his support for a peaceful settlement during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Modi's office said.

"Had an excellent meeting with President Putin," Modi said on X on Monday, adding that they had discussed cooperating "in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture."

"Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability," Modi said.

(Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy in Moscow and Sakshi Dayal in New Delhi; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
The News in Brief Monday, September 1, 2025

The European Union has called on the Georgian government to reverse its decision to freeze the bank accounts of seven independent civil society organisations, describing the move as a serious attack on democratic freedoms.In a statement issued on Friday, an EU spokesperson urged the authorities to act without delay. "We call on the Georgian authorities to immediately reverse this decision," the spokesperson said. "This is another assault on fundamental rights and a weaponisation of the justice system as a tool of repression."According to the EU, the action amounts to political persecution by cutting off financial resources to organisations that have played a central role in strengthening democratic life. "Civil society organisations are not enemies of the state, but the backbone of democratic pluralism and accountability," the statement continued.Brussels also highlighted the role civil society has played in Georgia's European path, saying that it has consistently delivered "tangible benefits" to citizens. It warned that targeting such groups runs contrary to the democratic standards expected from a country seeking EU membership.The statement concluded with a message of support: "The European Union stands firmly with Georgia's resilient and brave civil society, which continues to serve the citizens despite growing repression by the authorities."The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) has condemned the freezing of bank accounts of seven Georgian non-governmental organizations, including its member group ISFED, saying the move is part of a wider campaign to restrict civic space and undermine citizen election observers.The action was ordered by a Tbilisi City Court at the request of the Prosecutor's Office. GNDEM said the decision amounted to retribution against civil society following protests triggered by the government's suspension of EU accession talks after the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections."The actions of the Prosecutor's Office, like other actions of the Georgian government, limit legitimate public discourse and undermine independent civic organizations," the statement read, citing violations of both Georgia's Constitution and international human rights treaties.GNDEM noted that the measures come just weeks before the October 4 local elections, and shortly after ISFED criticized changes to election law it said would benefit the ruling party. The group also expressed concern over the government's refusal to invite the OSCE's election monitoring office."GNDEM stands in solidarity with our members in Georgia and all nonpartisan civic actors whose constitutional freedoms are under attack," the network said, urging authorities to lift restrictions, end what it called "persistent attacks on civil society" and respect international obligations.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The digital tokens backing the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, fell in value on Monday in their first day of trading.

The World Liberty tokens, known as $WLFI, were sold to investors after the Trump family and its business partners last year launched the venture, a decentralized finance platform that has also issued a stablecoin.

Investors in the tokens voted in July to make them tradable, paving the way for their sale and purchase - and potentially boosting the value of the president's holdings of them.

Early investors can sell up to 20% of their holdings, World Liberty has said.

The tokens initially traded above $0.30 in their Monday debut but later fell in price. They were down about 12% at $0.246 as of 1840 GMT, according to CoinGecko data.

That gave the token a total market capitalisation of just below $7 billion, making WLFI the 31st largest crypto token in circulation, CoinGecko data showed.

Several of the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, OKX and Bybit, are offering the tokens on their platforms.

Since World Liberty's launch last year, the Trump family has made around $500 million from the project, according to Reuters calculations based on the company's terms and conditions, transactions traced by crypto analysis firms, and publicly disclosed deals.

The tokens were not made tradable at their initial sale. Instead, they gave holders the right to vote on some changes to the business, such as its underlying code. Early investors have said the primary draw of $WLFI was the connection to Trump and their expectations that the tokens would grow in value due to his backing.

Making the tokens tradable allows investors to determine their price, enabling speculation, earning trading fees for exchanges that list them, and likely stoking interest from a wider swath of crypto investors.

World Liberty and Trump's other crypto businesses have faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers and government ethics experts who say the Trump family's forays into the cryptocurrency businesses, at the same time as the president reshapes the regulatory framework that governs digital currencies, represent profound conflicts of interest.

The White House has said repeatedly that Trump's assets are in a trust managed by his children and that there are no conflicts of interest.

(Reporting by Michelle Conlin, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Zaheer Kachwala; Editing by Alex Richardson, Rod Nickel and Edmund Klamann)
More than 250 media outlets in over 70 countries have staged a front page protest highlighting the killing of more than 200 journalists in Israels war on Gaza, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media freedom group says.

At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no-one left to keep you informed, the groups general director, Thibaut Bruttin, said in a statement on Monday.

The protest, also supported by the global campaign movement Avaaz, was featured on the websites of news outlets including Al Jazeera, the British newspaper The Independent, French newspapers La Croix and LHumanite, and the German newspapers Tageszeitung and Frankfurter Rundschau, according to RSF.

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About 220 journalists have been killed during Israels war in Gaza since it began on October 7, 2023, according to RSF data. Independent analysis by Al Jazeera reveals that at least 278 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel over the past 22 months, including 10 from the network.





Mondays protest was staged a week after five journalists  Al Jazeeras Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, freelance journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa working for The Associated Press, Ahmed Abu Aziz and Moaz Abu Taha  were killed in two Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Earlier in August, six journalists, including Al Jazeeras Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering media workers outside the main gate of Gaza Citys al-Shifa Hospital. The strike targeted al-Sharif.

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In total, seven people were killed in the attack, including three other Al Jazeera staff  correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, 25, and Mohammed Noufal, 29.

(Al Jazeera)

Those participating in the protest demand an end to impunity for Israeli crimes against Gazas reporters, the emergency evacuation of reporters seeking to leave the Strip and that foreign press be granted independent access, the RSF statement said.

The media group said it has filed four complaints at the International Criminal Court for war crimes it said the Israeli army has committed against journalists in Gaza.

International media have been denied free access to the Gaza Strip since the war broke out.

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A few selected outlets have embedded reporters with Israeli army units operating in Gaza under the condition of strict military censorship.

Israel has killed at least 63,459 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to Gazas Ministry of Health.
More than 250 media outlets from more than 70 countries blacked out their front pages and website homepages, and interrupted their broadcasts on Monday to protest the killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Reporters without Borders, which organized the protest, said 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip in less than two years.

"At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. This isn't just a war against Gaza, it's a war against journalism," Reporters without Borders Director General Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.

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The Israeli military consistently emphasizes that its attacks only target the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and that it is trying to spare civilians.

It has also repeatedly accused journalists in the Gaza Strip of belonging to Hamas or of being involved in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war.

After five journalists were among those killed in an attack last week, Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir expressed regret over civilian casualties.

Bruttin said journalists in Gaza were being deliberately targeted, killed and defamed. "Without them, who will alert us to the famine? Who will expose war crimes? Who will show us the genocides?"

He said Palestinian journalists must be protected and should be taken in by other countries if they want to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip.
More than 250 media outlets from more than 70 countries blacked out their front pages and website homepages, and interrupted their broadcasts on Monday to protest the killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Reporters without Borders, which organized the protest, said 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip in less than two years.

"At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. This isn't just a war against Gaza, it's a war against journalism," Reporters without Borders Director General Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.

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The Israeli military consistently emphasizes that its attacks only target the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and that it is trying to spare civilians.

It has also repeatedly accused journalists in the Gaza Strip of belonging to Hamas or of being involved in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war.

After five journalists were among those killed in an attack last week, Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir expressed regret over civilian casualties.

Bruttin said journalists in Gaza were being deliberately targeted, killed and defamed. "Without them, who will alert us to the famine? Who will expose war crimes? Who will show us the genocides?"

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He said Palestinian journalists must be protected and should be taken in by other countries if they want to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

Reporters without Borders also demanded that foreign media be granted independent access to the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has only allowed foreign journalists to visit the embattled territory if they are "embedded" with the Israeli military.

Israel's Foreign Ministry criticized the protest, which it said shows "the bias against Israel" in the global media.

"The reports we see in the global media regarding Gaza do not tell the real story there. They tell the campaign of lies that Hamas spreads." the ministry said in a statement on X.
(WKBN)  We all know that Labor Day generally means a day off from work, but do you know the history behind it?

Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September as a celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The U.S. Department of Labor says the holiday is rooted in the late 19th century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday for the many contributions workers have made to Americas strength, prosperity and well-being.

How did Labor Day begin?

Even before it was declared a federal holiday, labor activists and some individual states recognized it as a day to honor the achievements of workers. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation.

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By 1894, around half of the states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

The Department of Labor says two men can make strong claims to the title of Labor Day Founder: Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire.

Some records show that in 1882, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for a general holiday for the laboring classes to honor those who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold. But Peter McGuires place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged.

Many believe that machinist Matthew Maguire, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

How was Labor Day first celebrated?

Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with parades and parties  festivities very similar to those outlined by the first proposal for a holiday, which suggested that the day should be observed with a parade to exhibit the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations.

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Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

What will be closed on Labor Day?

As a federal holiday, most federal, state and local government offices will be closed, along with banks, post offices and schools.

Other retailers may close or adjust their hours as determined by management. If youre planning on doing any Labor Day shopping, its a good idea to check that your favorite store is open first.

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LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56)  Scottie Shelton, the man investigators claim had a torture chamber on his property, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury on additional charges.

RELATED:

Shelton, 53, had reportedly served as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration due to his alleged ties to the eastern Kentucky drug trade. When agents paid him a visit on Aug. 12, they made a gut-churning discovery.

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In an affidavit obtained by FOX 56, Special Agent David Wilson recalled smelling a strong and pungent odor, similar to that of a decaying corpse, emanating from a white sheet metal building. Inside, detectives found a cell-like room that appeared to be a torture chamber complete with handcuffs, rope, and several guns. Downstairs, deputies found a deer carcass in another room with a lot of disturbed earth.

Court documents show detectives recovered:

A bobcat skull

2 mounted bobcats

A hawks head and feet

20 deer skulls and caps

A turkey beard under seven inches

A turkey beard under 10 inches

A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs under an inch

A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs over an inch

83 guns

Four homemade silencers

Two ballistic vests

6,000 pills believed to be oxycodone

Around 1,200 grams of methamphetamine

Possible human bone

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

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Shelton was arrested and charged with 24 counts of illegal take of deer/wild turkey and illegal taking of wildlife on the state level. Federal investigators charged Shelton with possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

On Aug. 28, a federal grand jury returned an indictment to pursue additional charges, including possession of an unregistered destructive device and firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking.

He was also indicted on possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

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As a result, all guns, silencers, and ballistic vests were forfeited, according to the indictment. He could face up to life in prison.

Shelton is due in federal court for an arraignment at 4 p.m. on Sept. 2.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
Mother and father killed, 7 children injured in Alabama ATV accident

Authorities in Cherokee County, Alabama, have confirmed Monday the identities of those involved in a deadly ATV accident. The crash happened just west of the Georgia/Alabama state line on Sunday.

Authorities say two adults died and seven children were injured in a crash at Indian Mountain ATV Park.

Coroner Paul McDonald said the driver was Marcus Ragland, age 34, of Rome, Georgia, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The female passenger has been identified as Ashley Brooke Hawkins, age 31, also of Rome, Georgia. Hawkins was taken from the scene and later pronounced dead at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Four of those children were flown to the Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia.

The other three were flown to a Birmingham hospital.

In Rome, family friend Monica Watkins, spoke to Channel 2s Brittany Kleinpeter from outside the childrens hospital rooms.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

They keep asking for momma, and I dont want to say because we havent told them about her yet, Watkins told said.

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Watkins also identified one of the victims as Ashley Hawkins. She says she has lived with Hawkins for four years and helps her raise her children.

I have to be strong for these babies because Im going to have to play the mother role. I can never replace their mom, but Im going to have to feel like mom, Watkins said.

Watkins identified the other adult victim who died as Marcus Ragland, whom she says was the father of two of Hawkins children.

She says Ragland was the father of 10 and had two other children on the way.

TRENDING STORIES:

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I want the community to pray for us, but also pray for the other children, Watkins said.

Watkins says the three children in Birmingham suffered broken bones and bruises but are expected to be okay and should be released by Monday or Tuesday.

She says the 12-month-old who was involved in the accident is being treated in Rome and that he and the other three children suffered from various types of bruising.

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Motorcyclist rear-ended, killed in crash in East El Paso

Editors note: Video of motorcycle crash at I-10 West at Don Haskins is courtesy of FitFam

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A 48-year-old man was killed when he was riding a motorcycle early Sunday morning, Aug. 31, in East El Paso and was rear-ended by another vehicle, El Paso Police said.

1 person dead in crash involving motorcycle in East El Paso

As KTSM previously reported, one person died following a crash involving a motorcycle at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, along Interstate 10 West at the exit ramp to Don Haskins Drive.

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El Paso Police confirmed on Monday, Sept. 1, that the man who died was 48-year-old Alejandro Rodriguez.

Preliminary information revealed that Rodriguez was traveling on I-10 when another vehicle rear-ended him, causing him to be thrown from his motorcycle.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene due to his injuries, police said.

According to a GoFundMe set up by his coworkers, Rodriguez was on his way to work at the El Paso International Airport when he was hit.

Alejandro was an absolute dedicated employee to ABM Aviation, always giving his 100% to his passengers, read the GoFundMe.

The Special Traffic Investigations unit continues to investigate the crash.

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I-10 West was closed near the crash for over 12 hours, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

This is the 41st traffic death compared to 44 at this same time last year.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Cullen Capital Management, LLC, operating under the name Schafer Cullen Capital Management, Inc. (SCCM), has released its SCCM Enhanced Equity Income Fund second-quarter investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. US equities surged in the second quarter, with the S&P 500 gaining 10.9% while the Russell 1000 Value was up 3.8%. The composite underperformed both of its benchmarks in the second quarter, returning -1.2% (net) compared to a 1.9% return by the S&P 500 Buy-Write Index (BXM) and a 3.7% return by the SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK). In addition, you can check the funds top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2025.

In its second-quarter 2025 investor letter, SCCM Enhanced Equity Income Fund highlighted stocks such as Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX). Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) engages in integrated energy and chemicals operations that operate through Upstream and Downstream segments. The one-month return of Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was 6.08%, and its shares gained 8.55% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On August 29, 2025, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) stock closed at $160.60 per share, with a market capitalization of $323.58 billion.

SCCM Enhanced Equity Income Fund stated the following regarding Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)  Our position in Chevron was sold during the quarter. Chevron continues to offer a high quality asset base, strong balance sheet, and attractive dividend profile. However, with the pending Hess acquisition and ongoing arbitration process creating some uncertainty around timing and integration, we saw an opportunity to rotate into ConocoPhillips. While the transaction is strategically sound, expected free cash flow contributions are more weighted toward the back half of the decade. We initiated a position in ConocoPhillips, which offers similar upstream exposure, a clearer near-term cash flow inflection, and trades at a meaningfully lower valuation."

Jim Cramer on Chevron Corporation (CVX)  Like Oil? Then Chevrons a Terrific Place to Be with That 4.8% Yield

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 76 hedge fund portfolios held Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) at the end of the second quarter, which was 81 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH)  A man suffered serious injuries after a motorcycle struck a police cruiser Sunday night in New London, according to police.

Hotel guest bathroom catches fire in Mystic

The crash happened at around 10:15 p.m. in the area of Neptune Avenue and Park Street. The police cruiser was responding to a call for service at Ocean Beach Park.

The motorcycle driver was transported to the hospital.

Additional details were not immediately available. Check back to News 8 for more updates.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW)  Three lucky students from Missouri Western State University closed out the summer on an international stage at the SIGGRAPH 2025 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

It really feels like it's given me a jump start on my career," said Kylee Derr, a senior digital animation student who went on the trip. "Being able to talk to industry professionals and recruiters and being able to have all of that community feedback was really nice. It was a great experience. "

SIGGRAPH is considered the worlds premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Top talent, researchers and industry leaders from across the globe attend each year.

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The students represented MoWests Digital Animation program, highlighting the skills and dedication being developed in the program.

"It definitely showed me that I had more opportunities within the career field than I originally thought," said Eliza Kuker, another senior digital animation student who went on the trip. "There were many unique places there that I would have never assumed had animation positions. It really showed me that I can go in any direction I really want to.

More information about Digital Animation at MoWest can be found on the university's website.
Law enforcement officials have not ruled out any lines of inquiry in the case of the murder of Andrii Parubii, an MP and former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), but have identified a Russian link as the priority.

Source: a briefing by law enforcement in Lviv on 1 September

Details: "We have not ruled out any line of inquiry, but our priority is to investigate information about a possible link to Russia," said Andrii Niebytov, Deputy Head of the National Police and Head of the Criminal Police.

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Police are not disclosing whether the suspect has confessed or whether the murder weapon has been found.

The detainee is a 52-year-old Lviv resident who did not have a permanent job.

Andrii Niebytov said the man "had certain circumstances" to commit this crime but did not specify the motives. He declined to comment on social-media claims that "Russian secret services blackmailed the suspect with information about the whereabouts of his son, considered missing in action" and urged people to rely only on confirmed data.

Regarding the place of detention  Khmelnytskyi Oblast  the head of the criminal police said investigators do not rule out that the suspect intended to leave the country illegally. There is currently no information about any accomplices.

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The investigators also have no information as to whether the detainee had any contact with Andrii Parubii.

Niebytov and Vadym Onyshchenko, head of Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) Lviv Directorate, said that Parubii had not requested protection from either the police or the SSU.

Previously:

The National Police have published the first photos of the detained suspect. Ivan Vyhivskyi, Chief of the National Police, emphasised that this crime was not random and that there is a Russian connection involved.

Background:

Andrii Parubii, a member of Ukrainian parliament and former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation, was killed in Lviv on 30 August.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that an unknown man fired several shots at the politician, killing him instantly. The attacker fled the scene. A special police operation codenamed Siren was launched in the city to locate and apprehend the murderer.

Zelenskyy said Parubii's murder had been carefully planned.

Law enforcement officials stated that there is currently no connection between the murder of MP Iryna Farion and this case.

Zelenskyy announced on the night of 31 August-1 September that a suspect had been detained. The Interior Minister revealed that the suspect was detained in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

Mykola Meret, Head of Lviv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, served a 52-year-old Lviv resident who was detained with a notice of suspicion in the murder of a member of parliament. He stated that "the suspicion is based on objective evidence indicating that the detained person committed the murder of a member of parliament".

Parubii will be buried on 2 September at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Police in northern Michigan have stopped a teen runaway who was trying to fly to Georgia to reportedly meet a man she had met online.

Troopers with the Michigan State Police Alpena Post were contacted last Thursday after a 17-year-old girl from Alpena County ran away from home. The girls parents told police that a tracking app showed she was at the Detroit Metro Airport.

While troopers were on scene, the juveniles parents received a text message with the juveniles flight information that was set to depart to Atlanta, Georgia, within approximately 45 minutes of when the text was received, MSP said in a news release.

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The Troopers reached out to the Wayne County Airport Police to try and find the girl.

WCAP was able to locate the juvenile who had already boarded the plane. She was removed from the plane and turned over to troopers to be reunited with her parents, MSP stated.

MSP credited the teamwork between posts and the Wayne County Airport Police for preventing the teen from flying out of state.

I would like to recognize the troopers for not only acting quickly and decisively to prevent a dangerous outcome for the juvenile, but the excellent teamwork by all involved and the assistance from WCAP and the Metro South Post, Lt. Ashley Miller stated. It is extremely important for parents to be aware of who their children are talking to online. Tracking applications on cellphones can assist in many ways, and in this case, it may have saved her life.

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MSP did not identify or give the age of the Georgia man who had communicated with the girl. Initial evidence showed that he had planned to meet the girl at a hotel.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo.  A house near Highlandville caught fire Monday morning, closing a lane on US 65.

Trucks from Greene and Christian counties, as well as Branson, came together to assist with the fire.

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Only three of the fire engines were there to put out the fire; the remaining trucks were there to supply more water.

According to officials, no one was in the home at the time, but the home itself is a total loss. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  The Chattahoochee Valley Labor Chapter partnered with 24th Street Missionary Baptist Church and the West Georgia Farmers Cooperative on Saturday to bring the inaugural Labor Day Wellness Fair.

These groups, joined by many other community members, gathered at 24th Street Missionary Baptist Churchs new location to help support workers in the community.

Event organizers handed out free produce while other participating organizations provided resources for attendees.

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This is an effort to make sure that folks, at least for maybe a week, can have more affordable food and access to food for their families in the Columbus area, said Georgia AFL-CIO Community Labor Organizer Addie Jewell Britt. And to make sure that families and workers know that labor, faith and community, when our government cant do it, or rather, when government chooses not to do it, were going to be the front line folks that make sure it happens.

Political leaders like Congressman Sanford Bishop and Rep. Carolyn F. Hugley made appearances at the event. Congressman Bishop rallied the crowd together and spoke on the importance of voting and making sure workers get the help they deserve.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
NORTH CAROLINA (WJBF)  A man in North Carolina is accused of having three wives at the same time, police said there could be more

According to a Facebook post from the Davidson County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID), in April of 2025 they agency initiated an investigation involving bigamy, after a report was filed.

Throughout the investigation, Detectives found Harry Irvine Burdick Jr. to have three marriage licenses with three different women.

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All three marriages took place in North Carolina, in Lincoln County, Davidson County, and Guilford County.

Detectives were unable to locate divorce proceedings before Burdick had already married two other women.

On Friday, August 22nd, he was arrested and charged with two counts of felony bigamy.

Financial motivation and personal gain were the motives for Burdick, police said.

The suspect was released on a written promise to appear in court, with his first appearance scheduled for September 22, 2025, at the Davidson County Courthouse.

Police said they believe there could additional victims for this investigation.

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If you or someone you know has been legally married without a divorce to Mr. Burdick, please contact Detective Foushee at the Davidson County Sheriffs Office (336) 236-3365.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Specially trained crisis response dogs and their handlers were sent by a Camden County police department to Minneapolis to comfort community members in the wake of a deadly attack on a Catholic school there last week.

The Gloucester Township Police Departments K-9 community resource unit was sent north alongside members of the nonprofit Crisis Response Canines, the department said in a social media post on Friday.

The department shared photos of Axel, a Rottweiler K-9, and his handler, John Hunt, a retired New Jersey State Police major, visiting with Annunciation Catholic Churchs parishioners.

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The response was coordinated by David Harkins, Gloucester Townships police chief, and Joseph Williams, the bishop of Camden.

Williams is originally from the Archdiocese Of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the police department said.

The bishop said in a statement that he spent 15 years serving at St. Stephen Church in south Minneapolis, just a few miles away from Annunciation Catholic Church.

The faithful of Annunciation were truly good neighbors to us... he said. The words of Saint Paul  God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7)  really came to life through them!

Now their cheer has turned to grief, he continued, as they mourn the two children who were slain as they worshiped their Lord Jesus Christ in the school Mass.

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Two children were killed and 15 others wounded as an assailant shot through the windows of the church last Wednesday. Three adults were also injured.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A motive in the attack remains unclear, but Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara previously said the shooter harbored a whole lot of hate towards a wide variety of people and groups of people, and had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters.

The Crisis Response Canines team said in a statement that they were deeply grateful to have been asked by Williams to go to Minneapolis.

Our CRC members are committed to offering strength, comfort, and prayer to all who are grieving, they said.

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New Jerseys K-9 crisis response teams have been deployed to other states in instances of previous tragedy.

Earlier this year, the Tri-State K9 Response team, which is based in Cherry Hill, went to New Orleans after a deadly New Years Day terror attack on Bourbon Street.

AJ McDougall

Stories by AJ McDougall

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

AJ McDougall may be reached at amcdougall@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.

Read the original article on NJ.com.
NEED TO KNOW

A former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens was sentenced to 24 years in prison last week

Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree sexual abuse

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Cheng "committed a series of heinous acts against women"

A New York City doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape and sexual abuse against sedated hospital patients and other women, authorities said.

Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, according to a press release from the Queens District Attorney's Office. He also entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse, meaning he maintains his innocence while accepting a conviction.

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Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Cheng "committed a series of heinous acts against women. He did so both as a private citizen, sexually assaulting women who were his intimate partners, and as a doctor, sexually assaulting vulnerable patients who came to the hospital in need of help."

Cheng, a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens, also filmed the abuse of his unconscious victims in both his apartment and at the hospital, per the release.

He was arrested in December 2022 after an acquaintance discovered videos showing her and other women being assaulted by Cheng, prosecutors said. A search of Cheng's home uncovered numerous digital media storage devices that contained videos of him sexually abusing unconscious female hospital patients and female acquaintances.

Cheng's license to practice medicine has been suspended by the state. He was initially charged with over 50 criminal counts related to the sexual abuse, per the release.

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In addition to his prison sentence, he is required to have 10 years of post-release supervision and register as a sex offender.

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"It is most important to express gratitude to the brave survivor who came forward initially to report the defendants crimes, and the other victims who helped us to make sure no other women were hurt going forward," D.A. Katz added.



Read the original article on People
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON)  Emotional words in San Francisco Sunday night from some of the Bay Areas African American leaders. Members of the NAACP, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Black pastors came together at Third Street Baptist Church.

They discussed what they call President Trumps ceaseless attacks on Black people.

Watch the full story in the video player above.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Alluvium Asset Management, an asset management company, released its Conventum  Alluvium Global Fund second-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. It appears that the market continues to rise on news of new tariff deals. In the quarter, the Fund was up 8.5% in USD terms, 3.1% in AUD terms, but down 0.1% in EUR terms. In addition, please check the funds top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its second-quarter 2025 investor letter, Conventum  Alluvium Global Fund highlighted stocks such as Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI). Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) operates in the automotive retail industry, headquartered in Houston, Texas. The one-month return of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) was 13.31%, and its shares gained 23.36% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On August 29, 2025, Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) stock closed at $464.78 per share, with a market capitalization of $6.01 billion.

Conventum  Alluvium Global Fund stated the following regarding Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Both our auto dealerships performed well. Autonation was up 22.7% and Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) was up 14.5%. Just like nature abhors a vacuum, markets commentators like to attribute cause to price movements. We cant oblige in this case. All that has happened from our perspective is that these businesses continued their accession from cheap investments to those that are more fairly priced (to reach a level which is still far from expensive). Together, they account for 7.6% of the Fund."

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI): Among the Stocks That Outperform the Broader Market

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 40 hedge fund portfolios held Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) at the end of the second quarter, which was 38 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) and shared a bullish thesis on the company. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian officials on Monday discussed with NATO representatives Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and Kyiv's need for better air defences and long-range weaponry, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

"The Ukrainian side urged NATO member-states to provide Ukraine with assistance in strengthening air defences, particularly 'Patriot' systems and missiles for them," a ministry statement said after an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

"Separately, the need was stressed for long-range missiles."

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The statement said NATO member-states denounced the Russian attacks in the past week, including a drone and missile assault on the capital Kyiv that killed 25 people and caused considerable destruction of dwellings and other buildings.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Ron Popeski amd Franklin Paul)
Low wages and a lack of paid family leave are among the factors that hold North Carolina back in Oxfams 2025 Best States to Work Index. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In July North Carolina won bragging rights as the Top State for Business in 2025, according to CNBC. But whats best for business may not always be best for those carrying out the work.

To coincide with the Labor Day holiday, Oxfam America released the Best States to Work Index (BSWI), and the Tar Heel state is far from the top.

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Patricia Stottlemyer, senior domestic policy adviser at Oxfam America, notes that North Carolina came in 52nd in its new analysis that examines labor policies in all 50 states as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico.

A key reason is that North Carolina lawmakers have not raised the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour for 16 years.

That minimum wage has been in place since 2009, Stottlemyer told NC Newsline. What that means in North Carolina is that the state minimum wage only covers 18% of what it would [need] to support a family of four. Its woefully inadequate when it comes to enabling families to support themselves.

By comparison, Virginia leads the Southeast region in compensation with a minimum wage of $12.41 per hour.

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Stottlemyer said its a common misconception that when states support workers, that means bad things for the economy.

Thats just not true. Our index actually looks at several metrics of community well-being, including economic measures and finds that theres a strong positive correlation between states that have a healthy and robust labor policy landscape.

In CNBCs annual business ranking, North Carolina received its lowest marks for quality of life (earning a C-) and cost of living (earning a C+)  an acknowledgement of the rising cost of living in the state.

Beyond compensation, Oxfam underscores that North Carolina lacks critical workplace protections.

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North Carolina does not provide a heat safety standard for outdoor workers, nor does it provide specific protection for warehouse workers, according to Oxfam.

The Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke Universitys Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability recognizes heat as an escalating crisis with a need for governance to protect workers from heat-related illness.

Workers would also benefit from fixed and fair scheduling. Unpredictable hours can be especially problematic for those whose duties include providing care for children, the elderly, or family members with disabilities.

Leave time is another factor.

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Theres no guarantee that workers have access to paid family and medical leave or paid sick leave, notes Stottlemyer.

North Carolina is also held back in this years index for its right-to-work laws. The state ranks at the bottom with South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas and Utah for having no support for workers organizing, whether by public or private employees.

In Oxfams companion report on the best states for working women, North Carolina is just edged out of the last spot by Mississippi. Again, a lack of paid family leave for working women causes the states ranking to bottom out.

Black mothers in particular are disproportionately likely to be heads of their households and breadwinners. So, if they have access to paid leave, theyre able to stay in the workforce and juggle their caregiving responsibilities as well, explained Stottlemyer.

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State access to paid sick days was a key recommendation in a new report released last week by the N.C. Department of Administrations Council for Women and Youth Involvement.

This report, Investing in Economic Opportunity for Women in North Carolina, found that while the gender wage gap for women has improved over the last seven years, fewer mothers are in the workforce compared to fathers. And North Carolina women working full-time spent 20 to 26% of their annual income on infant childcare.

The cost of childcare posed the greatest burden for Latina and Native American women in North Carolina, based on their earnings.

Todays findings reflect the disparities and discrimination women in North Carolina and across the country continue to face, especially women of color, said Jesseca Boyer, vice president for policy and strategic initiatives at the Institute for Womens Policy Research (IWPR).

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And there is a ripple effect for the next generation.

North Carolina ranks lowest nationally in preschool enrollment for 3-year-olds, and second lowest among Southeastern state for the enrollment of 4-year-olds in preschool.

Oxfam and the Institute for Womens Policy Research come to the same conclusion in their respective reports: North Carolina would greatly benefit from raising the minimum wage, indexed to the cost of living, and by enacting legislation to require employers to provide workers with paid time off for short-term illness or to care for the health of a loved one.

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More than 250 specialised classes  over a third of them militarised  are set to function in schools of Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast in the new academic year starting on 1 September.

Source: Oleksii Kharchenko, Head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration

Details: Schools in the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic", a Russian-backed terror organisation, will offer 265 specialised classes in the 2025-2026 school year. More than a third of them (95) will have a military focus.

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"Boys and girls will be pushed towards war from childhood," Kharchenko said.

For comparison, only 20 engineering classes, 11 medical classes and 3 emergency service classes have been formed. Earlier, Luhansk Oblast Military Administration reported that only about 20 agricultural classes had been planned.

"The Russians do not care about the future of Luhansk Oblast. They need to fulfil their bloody political ambitions at the expense of youth from the occupied territory," Kharchenko emphasised.

Read more: Now they are fighting against Ukraine: how children in occupied Luhansk are being trained to serve in Russia's armed forces

Background:

Earlier it became known that high-school students in occupied Luhansk Oblast are being encouraged to sign contracts with the Russian Armed Forces. They are promised money and a social package in return.

In 2024, the Russians planned to distribute over 100,000 diaries containing rewritten local history to schoolchildren in temporarily occupied areas of Luhansk Oblast and to involve "Cossacks" in the educational process.

The Russians took children from the occupied settlement of Bilovodsk in Luhansk Oblast to a military camp in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia. The schoolchildren, aged 11 to 17, are being coerced into military training in the tent city, which the Russians call the Young Army Camp.

In addition, the Russians introduced dictionaries into schools in occupied Luhansk Oblast containing terms related to the "protection of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, culture, and historical memory." Included expressions are "foreign agent," "civic identity," "Russian Cossacks" and "threat to national security."

In 2023, Luhansk Oblast Military Administration reported that the Russians were opening centres in the occupied territories to prepare teenagers for war. At the first stage, they planned to involve around 4,000 boys aged 14 to 17, training them in military professions experiencing a personnel shortage.

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This is part of Reason's 2025 summer travel issue. Click here to read the rest of the issue.

Everyone knows about the McDonald's Happy Meala global icon, with its bright box, its golden arches, and a toy that keeps kids entertained long after the fries are gone. What most don't know is this worldwide sensation was born in Guatemala, a small Central American country more often associated with coffee, bananas, and (unfortunately) crime.

In the mid-1970s, Yolanda Fernandez de Cofino, who founded the first McDonald's in Guatemala, noticed that kids struggled to finish their meals. She created "Ronald's Menu," a kid-friendly meal that included a smaller hamburger, a little batch of fries, a drink, a sundae, and a toy she picked up from local markets. Her idea caught the attention of McDonald's corporate offices, and by 1979 it had evolved into the Happy Meal we know today.

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It's remarkable that a product so central to McDonald's global empire had its beginnings in Guatemala. But it's not surprising. Beneath the headlines of corruption, violence, and poverty, the country pulses with entrepreneurial energy.

Walk through downtown Guatemala City, and you'll feel it. Vendors line the sidewalks, selling everything from shucos (Guatemalan hot dogs) to handcrafted jewelryoften just steps away from sleek shopping centers filled with local luxury brands. This is a country where people don't wait for permission or perfect conditions. They improvise, adapt, and build.

Visitors can see this spirit in action at places like the Mercado Central (the central market), where generations of merchants have set up shop in the city's historic center, or the Mercado de Artesanias La Aurora (the handcrafts market), where artisans from across the country sell handwoven textiles, ceramics, and leather goods. It's also alive in Cuatro Grados Norte, a once-neglected neighborhood now revived by artists, restauranters, and small businesses. And on Sundays, the city's Pasos y Pedales program transforms two of its main boulevards into lively pedestrian zones, buzzing with cyclists, food carts, and families browsing handmade goods.

"About 45 percent of adults are involved in some kind of entrepreneurial activity," explains David Casasola, director of research for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) at Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM). In 2023, Guatemala ranked second out of 45 countries participating in GEM's surveythe world's most comprehensive study on entrepreneurship, which includes economies from every region and income levelfor the highest share of adults owning and managing a recently created business. It also held the third highest rate of female entrepreneurship.

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This is partly shaped by necessity. Around 90 percent of Guatemalan entrepreneurs start their own businesses because formal job opportunities are scarce and strict labor regulations make it difficult to enter the formal work force, according to GEM.

"Guatemala has a serious problem generating employment opportunities," Casasola explains. "Many people can't access the job market because, first, it's a highly regulated market. The way hiring works is very strict.Second, for a formal job to be worthwhile to an employer, the worker needs a level of productivity that is often out of reachmainly because of low-quality education, limited technical training, and industries that still lack the kind of structure needed to generate significant value."

Labor laws designed to protect workerssuch as rigid termination rules, mandatory bonuses, and restrictions on part-time or freelance workoften end up discouraging hiring altogether. Starting a formal business isn't easy either, thanks to layers of bureaucracy and paperwork. Add rampant corruption, poor infrastructure, limited access to credit, and legal uncertainty, and it becomes clear why opportunity is often stifled.

Ironically, those very obstacles have pushed many into entrepreneurship. Faced with endless red tape in the formal markets, many Guatemalans turn to informal ventures. About 70.6 percent of early-stage ventures operate without registration, according to GEM. Those that survive and adapt to the challenging environment are the ones that eventually formalize. But whether formal or informal, a business is still a businessand the value these ventures add to society, from creating jobs to fostering innovation, is undeniable.

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"This is a developing country burdened by countless obstacles," says Ramon Parellada, a board member of the Center for Economic and Social Studies (CEES). "People need more freedom to pursue entrepreneurship."

CEES was founded in 1959 by the entrepreneur and economist Manuel Ayau and others eager to understand why Guatemala was so poor. Their conclusion: economic barriersnot a lack of talent or effortwere holding the country back.

In 1971, Ayau went on to found UFM, a libertarian university dedicated to promoting free markets, individual liberty, and the rule of law. "The idea of creating a university that stood out from the rest wasn't driven by an interest in teaching just any subjectthose can be taught anywhere," Parellada explains. "Instead, the focus was on teaching the principles that govern a society of free and responsible individuals."

At UFM, my alma mater, "Academic freedom led to other kinds of freedom," as George Gilder put it in Life After Google. Its graduates have been central to key economic reforms. One of the most notable examples took place in 1996, when a group of alumni helped privatize Guatemala's dysfunctional state-run phone system. Within a few years, Guatemala became one of the best-connected countries in Central America. Today, call centers are booming. "Sometimes thoughts become things," Alfredo Guzman, who played a key role in the privatization effort, told Reason in 2011.

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Guided by CEES' motto "for individual freedom to produce, consume, exchange, and serve without coercion of privileges," other key reforms have followed. These include deregulating foreign currency, allowing Guatemalans to conduct business in any currency, and securing greater autonomy for universities by separating them from state control. These changes have helped start the process of dismantling the barriers that keep so many Guatemalans in poverty.

One of UFM's current initiatives is the Kirzner Center for Entrepreneurship, named after the economist Israel Kirzner. His concept of "entrepreneurial discovery" describes how entrepreneurs identify and solve unmet needs, creating value in the process. The center applies this framework by helping Guatemalans turn ideas into businesses.

UFM has also pioneered a degree in entrepreneurship, encouraging students not just to build businesses, but to critically assess the policies that shape their success or failure. The goal isn't just profit; it's long-term, widespread prosperity.

Guatemala is an extraordinary country: home to ancient Mayan pyramids hidden in jungles, active volcanoes towering over vibrant cities, and 23 officially recognized languages. But perhaps its greatest untapped treasure is its entrepreneurial energy.

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Guatemala faces serious structural challenges, many of them imposed by the state. But its people continue to find workarounds through informal markets and voluntary exchange. Whether it's inventing the Happy Meal or deregulating entire industries, Guatemalans aren't waiting for permission. They're building prosperity in spite of the system, not because of it.

5-Day Historical Getaway in Guatemala

Metropolitan Cathedral; Galich Ws/Fiverr

Day 1

Flight to Guatemala City

When you arrive, head to your hotel and drop off your luggage before exploring the city.

Stay in Guatemala City for three nights.

Standard hotel: La Inmaculada Hotel Upscale hotel: Hyatt Centric

Visit the Historic Center

Central Market; robertharding/Alamy

Start your trip in Zone 1, the heart of Guatemala City. Wander through the central square, surrounded by such iconic landmarks as the Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santiago), a blend of baroque and neoclassical architecture, and the National Palace of Culture, once the seat of government and now a museum.



Illustration: Galich Ws/Fiverr

Don't miss the Central Market, where you can find everything from textiles and handicrafts to fresh produce and street food.



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Optional activity: Visit Guatemala's 100th McDonald'sknown as "Mc100"in Mixco's Zone 7. The flagship location features a distinctive architectural design as well as the largest McPlay area in Central America.

Illustration: Galich Ws/Fiverr

Grab a drink at El Portalito, one of the city's oldest bars, known for its live marimba music. For dinner, head to La Cocina de la Senora Pu, a cozy spot that recreates traditional Guatemalan flavors.



Day 2

Dive into Mayan Heritage

Illustration: Galich Ws/Fiverr

Explore Guatemala's historical roots at two of the country's best museums: Museo Popol Vuh, home to one of the world's most important collections of Mayan art, and the Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Textiles and Clothing, which showcases Guatemala's textile traditions. Both museums are located on the Universidad Francisco Marroquin campus, so take some time to enjoy the beautiful grounds and modern architecture.



For lunch or dinner, head to Zone 4, the city's creative district. It's packed with great dining options. A local favorite: Mercado 24, known for its creative take on Guatemalan ingredients.

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Optional activities: Get shucos from a street vendor in Zone 4. No need to get out of your carthey'll come to you!

Lake Atitlan; Sebastien Lecocq/Alamy

Day 3

Day trip to Antigua

Antigua; Sebastien Lecocq/Alamy

Just an hour from the capital, Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its cobblestone streets, pastel-colored colonial buildings, and unbeatable volcano views.



Walk through the Santa Catalina Arch, hike up to Cerro de la Cruz, and explore the city's many shops and markets. Grab lunch at Tartines for panoramic views of the cathedral from the rooftop. Enjoy a cocktail at Ulew, a speakeasy known for inventive drinks.

Fuego Volcano; Cavan Images/Alamy

Day 4

Connect with Nature

Mayan Ruins; Rafal Cichawa/Alamy

Go on an adventure and hike one of Guatemala's volcanoes: Pacaya Volcano is a popular half-day hike, with a chance to witness volcanic activity and even roast marshmallows over geothermal vents. For a more challenging experience, try Acatenango, an overnight trek with incredible sunrise views of the erupting Fuego Volcano next door.



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Optional activities: Fly to Tikal in the Peten region to visit the Mayan ruins in the jungle; visit Lake Atitlan, a highland lake surrounded by volcanoes and dotted with picturesque traditional villages.

Day 5

Flight home

Make a list of the things you didn't have time to see for your next visit!

The post The Nearly Free Markets of Guatemala appeared first on Reason.com.
Alzana was arrested several weeks ago in a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and the Southern Districts central investigative unit of the Israel Police.

The Southern District Prosecutors Office on Monday filed an indictment in the Beer Sheva District Court against Islam Alzana, a 21-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Lakiya in the Negev, on charges of incitement to terror, identification with a terrorist organization, and multiple weapons offenses.

Alzana was arrested several weeks ago in a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and the Southern Districts central investigative unit of the Israel Police.

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During his interrogation, investigators uncovered extensive activity on social media accounts he operated on Instagram and TikTok, where he shared content praising the so-calledIslamic State (ISIS) and its extremist ideology.

According to the indictment, Alzana used public profiles with hundreds of followers to repost ISIS propaganda videos, including speeches by the groups leaders, jihadist songs (nasheeds), and violent imagery.

The prosecution alleged that the content amounted to public expressions of support and identification with a terrorist organization, and posed a real risk of encouraging acts of terror.

The Southern District Prosecutors Office on Monday filed an indictment in the Beer Sheva District Court against Islam Alzana, a 21-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Lakiya. (credit: Israeli police)

The indictment also details weapons charges: Alzana admitted in questioning that he had unlawfully possessed and fired an M16 rifle near his home in Lakiya in early 2023, and had also held an illegal handgun. During the investigation, he surrendered an M16 rifle to authorities.

A danger to public safety

Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings, citing his dangerousness to public safety and the heightened security situation. In its detention request, the prosecution emphasized the Supreme Courts rulings that illegal weapons possession, especially when coupled with ideological support for terror groups, represents a severe risk to the public.

Filed on the first of the month, Alzanas indictment includes seven counts of expressing identification with a terrorist organization, one count of incitement to terror, and several weapons charges.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Galilee to discuss regional recovery, development plans, and the return of students to school.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Galilee region in northern Israel on Monday amid the start of the school year.

He was accompanied by the Prime Minister's Office's acting Director-General Drorit Steinmetz and Knesset coalition chair MK Ofir Katz. They met with the mayor of Nof Hagalil, Afula, Migdal Ha'emek, Tiberias, and Karmiel, as well as the acting mayor of Nazareth, and the head of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council, holding the meeting at Nof Hagalil's Begin school.

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Netanyahu, after the meeting, discussed the rehabilitation efforts underway in northern Israel, stating that he knows there are "still big tasks ahead."

The Galilee, which Netanyahu noted experienced many residents fleeing amid the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war after Hezbollah started launching projectiles into the region, has now seen "a big return," with over 95% of children returning to study in schools, including in border communities.

The prime minister referred to this as "the biggest task" that has to be achieved, adding that doing so is a "truly enormous achievement" made possible thanks to the "resilience of the Galilee residents and mayors who stood firm."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after meeting local leaders in the Galilee, September 1, 2025. (credit: OMER MIRON/GPO, NIR SHERF/GPO)

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Netanyahu also stated that those present at the meeting discussed what needs to be done to improve the Galilee region. These topics include adding fast transportation routes, additional construction projects, reducing bureaucracy, improving infrastructure, and providing better employment opportunities.

Galilee is 'our heritage land, the land of the Bible,' Netanyahu says

"I want young couples to come here," he said. "They call this area Tuscany, but it's not exactly Tuscany; it predates Tuscany. It's the land of the Bible, our heritage land," Netanyahu commented, referring to comparisons between the Galilee and the region in northern Italy also known for its diverse natural landscape.

"There are wonderful things here. We will propel the Galilee forward," he added.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Donald Trump urged him to reject a partial ceasefire deal with Hamas and continue the war in Gaza with full force.

Israels prime minister refused to hold a vote on the proposed truce during a heated security cabinet meeting late on Sunday, claiming that the US president backed his expansion of the conflict.

Instead, the six-hour meeting focused almost exclusively on accelerating plans for a military offensive inside Gaza City, according to several leaks of the closed-door session.

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If Mr Netanhayus claim is true, it would represent a notable shift by the US president, who has been calling for the 22-month war to end soon amid international condemnation of Israels conduct.

Forget the partial deals. Go in with full force and finish this, Mr Netanyahu quoted Mr Trump as saying, according to The Times of Israel.

Before the meeting, Channel 12 said sources had told it that Mr Trump had pressed his Israeli counterpart to step up plans to defeat Hamas after losing faith in the gridlocked ceasefire negotiations.

Mr Trumps new position, according to the sources, is the main reason Mr Netanyahu is pushing for either total control of Gaza or a full ceasefire on Israels terms.

Israeli soldiers look at destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip from the Israeli side last month - Amir Levy/Getty

Mr Netanyahus plan to occupy Gaza City, which would ultimately include the full takeover of the Strip, has deepened rifts between his government and Israels military leadership, which has repeatedly warned against the risk invasion poses to the hostages and its fatigued troops.

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Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief, who clashed with the prime minister over the new offensive, told cabinet members on Sunday that there is a [ceasefire] framework on the table, [and] we must take it, according to Channel 12.

Other senior ministers also reportedly supported the deal, citing Israels growing isolation on the world stage and its Western allies decisions to recognise a Palestinian state.

Despite their insistence, Mr Netanyahu responded that there is no need for a vote; its not on the table, and that a partial deal is not relevant.

Withdrawing from some areas captured in Israels latest Gideons Chariots offensive  which has left the IDF in control of 75 per cent of Gaza  would be a heavy price, he said.

The Israeli leaders statements come amid intensified protests in Israel to end the war and secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

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Hamas accepted a temporary ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators two weeks ago. The phased deal would result in a 60-day truce in exchange for half the hostages, and is broadly similar to one Israel previously approved.

However, Mr Netanyahu has since changed gear and is now pushing for a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages and a permanent end to the war on Israels terms.

But it is unclear how or when Israel could achieve such a feat. Experts have warned that the goal to completely destroy Hamas is unachievable, while critics say Mr Netanyahu is only continuing the war to save his political skin.

The full-scale offensive in Gaza City is not expected to start for weeks until the civilian population has been evacuated. So far, only thousands have left the overcrowded city that is considered Hamass last stronghold.

Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Gaza City in early August - Jehad Alshrafi/AP

Israel has nevertheless pushed tanks deeper into the east of the city on Monday and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses.

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In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, the IDF military told residents to head south immediately, saying it intended to expand its offensive westward of the city.

At least 19 people were killed in air strikes on Monday, according to officials in the Hamas-run Strip.

The White House has been approached for comment.

On Monday, the largest professional organisation of scholars studying genocide said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Eighty six per cent of members of the International Association of Genocide Scholars  which has around 500 members worldwide, including a number of Holocaust experts  voted on a resolution accusing Israel of crimes including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians and civilian infrastructure.

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Israels policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, according to the groups resolution, referring to Article II of the 1948 UN convention on genocide.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Its been a week since Nevada went dark. A cyber-attack shut down state offices, websites, and phone lines, cutting off or limiting access to essential services.

From drivers licenses to food stamps, many services across the valley were put on hold following the cybersecurity attack. While some state services remain on pause, others are slowly coming back online.

The website for Nevadas SNAP program, which provides food for low-income families, is still down, but in-person services have resumed, providing some relief. Online applications were interrupted, but payments were not impacted.

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Meanwhile, hundreds of DMV appointments were cancelled last week as all offices across the valley shut down. According to the Nevada DMV, online services are still limited, and offices remain closed. Governor Lombardo said expiration dates will be forgiven and late fees waived as recovery efforts continue.

To help residents navigate the outages, the Governor launched two resources  the 2-1-1 phone line, which offers up-to-date information on health and human services, and a new state website with updates on the cyberattack, including which agencies and services are up and running.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Administrative detention numbers have surged in Israel, now three times higher than during the Second Intifada, reports HaMoked.

The 11,040 Palestinian security prisoners are the most Israel has ever held, the NGO HaMoked said on Monday, using numbers it received from the Israel Prisons Service (IPS).

56% or6,239 of those prisoners are being held outside of standard criminal procedures, while 4,801 or 44% are being held in the context of standard criminal proceedings.

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Of the 6,239, 3,577 are being held in administrative detention - also close to highs other than during the First Intifada of 1987-1991 - while 2,662 are being held as unlawful combatants.

The number of administrative detainees now dwarfs the number of Palestinians held during theSecond Intifada by around three times, when the numbers only broke the 1,000 level.

Even during the later years of the Second Intifada and duringthe Knife Intifada of 2015-2016, the number of administrative detainees was more in the 700 range.

IDF with Palestinian demonstrators during a rally in solidarity with six Palestinian prisoners who managed to esacpe from an Israeli prison a few days ago, in Hebron, September 9, 2021. (credit: WISAM HASHLAMOUN/FLASH90)

In quieter years over the last two decades, the numbers were usually down, closer to 200-300 for a time, and in the Oslo period of the 1990s, the numbers dropped to single or double digits.

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In addition, HaMoked estimated that there are a few hundred additional Palestinian Gazans being held by the Israeli military as unlawful combatants, something which has been fairly consistent during the war, either due to the time it takes to process and transfer them into IPS custody or because the IPS does not have enough cell space.

Neither administrative detainees nor unlawful combatants receive regular criminal proceedings, and both are highly criticized globally. But whereas administrative detainees have set rules, such as that their cases are reviewed by IDF judges usually every three to six months to potentially free them, unlawful combatants can potentially be held for longer, and there are less clear procedures about handling them.

Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank are more likely to be placed in administrative detention, while terrorists from Gaza are more likely to be declared unlawful combatants.

Israel justifies administrative detention, saying that there are terrorists who would be dangerous to release, but who could not be convicted in regular court proceedings without blowing the lid off intelligence sources and methods.

Hamas forces do not wear uniforms

Regarding unlawful combatants, Israel says that Hamas terrorists from Gaza are in some ways like enemies from a foreign state, but also do not deserve prisoner of war status because Hamas forces do not wear uniforms and target civilians in violation of the laws of war.

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Critics say that Israel uses these categories in order to whitewash keeping Palestinians in prison for extended periods of time, who it cannot, or does not want to, take the trouble of bringing evidence against in court.

Besides the above Palestinians, thousands of Palestinian prisoners who Israel was holding at different points during the war have been released either because of a lack of cell space or in hostage exchange deals in late 2023 and earlier this year.

Thousands of Palestinians have also been indicted, convicted, and sentenced for terror crimes.
An NHS board launched a witch hunt to punish a nurse who stood up to a transgender doctor using womens changing rooms, an employment tribunal has heard.

Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023.

She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton, a biological male who identifies as a woman, made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about patient care.

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Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including: sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation.

Giving her closing submission to the tribunal in Dundee on Monday, Naomi Cunningham, Ms Peggies lawyer, accused NHS Fife of trying to punish the nurse for her complaint.

She told the tribunal panel: NHS Fife has subjected a nurse of 30 years unblemished service to a full-blown witch hunt to punish her for standing up for her right not to undress in front of a male colleague.

Dr Beth Upton, who was born male, was allowed to use womens changing facilities at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy - Iain Masterton /Alamy Live News

The advocate went on to claim that in trying to evade the consequences of that conduct, NHS Fife had attempted a spiteful character assassination of the nurse.

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These included, Ms Cunningham said, the health board subjecting Ms Peggie to groundless smears, and seeking to drive a wedge between her and her lesbian daughter.

She added that the board had attacked Ms Peggies legal team, telling countless lies, and said its conduct had been censured by two regulators.

She also described allegations of racism against the nurse as attempted character assassination, accusing the health boards legal team of trying to dredge through seven years worth of Facebook chat to find one admittedly thoroughly unattractive shared joke.

Supporters of Ms Peggie demonstrate outside the tribunal - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

In July, the tribunal also heard how the nurse allegedly told colleagues she wanted to post bacon through the letterbox of a local mosque, and shared racist jokes in a WhatsApp chat about the deaths caused by the floods in Pakistan in 2022.

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Witnesses in the tribunal claimed that Ms Peggie disapproved of her daughter being gay, allegations which the nurses daughter passionately rejected in a post online.

Last month, NHS Fife was told by the UKs equality watchdog to progress corrective actions without delay on single-sex spaces after admitting it had failed to carry out an equality impact assessment.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) wrote to NHS Fife about access to single-sex facilities for staff on Feb 21 after the tribunal was adjourned.

The tribunal resumed after a month-long break - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Baroness Falkner, chairman of the EHRC, said NHS Fife previously admitted no equality impact assessment had been carried out and one was now expected around Sept 30, having been commissioned retrospectively.

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On June 10, the EHRC held a meeting to reiterate that the Scottish Government has a duty to ensure public bodies comply after the UK Supreme Court ruling in April, that the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

In July, Isla Bumba, NHS Fifes equality lead, denied she wanted to see Sandie Peggie punished, telling Ms Cunningham thats quite a leap.

In a statement that month, the health board insisted its actions investigating Ms Peggie were not punitive but were fair and impartial.

Its disciplinary process into the nurse was only initiated due to allegations concerning patient care, it said.

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You may remember that for about 30 seconds in 2010, Nick Clegg was the most popular politician in Britain. He spent this political goodwill by leading the Liberal Democrats into a coalition government that was, among his partys voter base, less popular than cholera, turning himself into a near-universal hate figure. In exchange for this, he got to impose a 5p tax on plastic bags. The Lib Dems tanked in the polls, and seven years later, Clegg lost his parliamentary seat to a cocaine-addicted former bar owner.

Why did Facebook then hire him? As Clegg cheerfully admits in his new book, How to Save the Internet, before taking the job in 2018 he had no experience in the tech industry, no real connections to Silicon Valley, and was only glancingly familiar with computers in general. But Mark Zuckerberg managed to see through this. In the end, Clegg was granted the impressive title of President of Global Affairs, which came with an annual 2.7 million salary, plus a bonus of 9.4 million in stock.

I could never work out exactly what the company got in return. Maybe theres just a jobs programme for failed politicians. But after reading this book, published a few months after Clegg stepped down from his role at Facebook (now Meta), things started to make more sense. It can be very useful, it seems, for a big tech company to have someone in an important-sounding role who isnt particularly smart.

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How to Save the Internet is not really about how to save the internet. (This is probably just as well for his former employers, given that Cleggs last book was titled How to Stop Brexit.) It could more accurately be titled You Know, Mark Zuckerberg Really Isnt So Bad Once You Get To Know Him. The central argument is that the people who paid Nick Clegg 2.7 million a year plus 9.4 million in stock are actually wonderful, a collection of idealists who wanted to change the world. Theyve made mistakes, sure, but were all human, and anyway the company is now an industry leader in safety, transparency and governance.

Your worries about tech, too, are misplaced. Social media has not turned our politics into one long shouting match between competing tribes of brain-poisoned imbeciles. Its fine that children under five now start slamming their head against the wall if they have to spend 10 seconds without a screen. There is nothing creepy about targeted advertising. Not only is AI not going to kill us all, it will help us to overcome gender inequality. If students are now incapable of writing 500 words of their own thoughts, thats just progress! Everything is going great.

Clegg with former boss Mark Zuckerberg - Twitter

Cleggs arguments for all this are remarkably thin. He points out, for instance, that many new technologies are initially met with public backlash. Even the bicycle: he quotes an 1894 New York Times article insisting that there is not the slightest doubt that bicycle riding, if persisted in, leads to weakness of mind, general lunacy and homicidal mania. Fine, but the bicycle was not the only exciting invention of the period. Not long afterwards, people started taking radium baths, assuming that the newly discovered property of ionising radiation would have health-giving effects. Some firms added radioactive material to toothpaste, for that glowing smile. Small quantities of uranium were put in cigarettes to make them healthier. Yet the people who warned against slathering yourself in radioactive sludge were, in fact, correct. Not every new thing is good, and theres no particular reason to think the internet is more like the bicycle than it is the A-bomb.

Some of Cleggs interventions are startlingly clueless. Criticism of tech companies, according to him, is really driven by nostalgia for a period of post-war prosperity in which middle-class, educated white men had a very comfortable time indeed. At one point, he mentions a group of studies commissioned by Facebook to demonstrate that online filter-bubbles do not exist. Most of the studies, he writes, were social-science experiments, which is a method that is considered the gold standard in university research. A social-science experiment is not the gold standard in anything; this is like saying food is considered the gold standard in meals. I assume he means that they were randomised controlled trials. It hardly matters. Its not his job to know things.

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To be fair, he does recognise that there are some ways in which the internet can be bad for us. For each of these, he has a sensible little solution on hand. Take, for instance, the negative effect of phone use on teenagers. He has a brilliant idea: simply require the phones operating system to pass along the users age to any apps on the system, which can then deploy the appropriate content moderation. This will remedy the fractured app-by-app approach we have today; Clegg thinks theres a good chance that measures like these will reverse the mental-health crisis. Its a kind of 5p plastic-bag tax for our phones. You can take the man out of the Liberal Democrats, but you cant take the Lib Dem out of the man.

Since these arguments are not enough to fill an entire book, a lot of it consists of padding. Theres a section on AI, but I have the sense that in the first draft it was about the Metaverse, Zuckerbergs now-abandoned $46 billion virtual-reality boondoggle. Most of the chapter, it seems, has been hastily retrofitted to talk about more recent tech fads; but at points the paint wears thin, and you read Clegg breathlessly enthusing about how we can learn in 3D, bringing the study of subjects like architecture, history and even basic geometry to life. This proposal might sound familiar: it was the substance of an omnipresent Meta advert three years ago.

Theres also a tacked-on history of the tech industry, apparently written for a reader that had never heard of a computer until now. Did you know that in the 1990s, as personal computers became an increasingly common fixture of middle-class homes, we began connecting to the internet through dial-up connections? Well, now you do! Were you aware that Silicon Valley is a long stretch of suburban California that starts where urban San Francisco ends, then runs south along the route of Interstate 120? Its true! Would you be surprised to learn that one of the pivotal figures in the early internet was a self-confessed maths geek? Nick Clegg has the inside scoop!

Maybe it would be too much to expect brilliant, witty prose from a piece of corporate apologia written by an ex-politician, but theres an anti-charisma radiating from How to Save the Internet, which makes reading it a very sad experience. Early in the book, Clegg tries to demonstrate his facility with the bleeding edge of online culture. Processing data at scale, he writes, has revolutionised the way businesses operate and public services are delivered. To quote an internet meme of Will Ferrell in Anchorman: That escalated quickly. Hes not quoting the film, you understand; hes quoting the meme of the film. A meme that was, incidentally, last relevant around the same time as Nick Clegg.

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Theres only one real anecdote about his time at Meta, but its quite revealing. Zuckerberg  not just a visionary innovator, but admired by Clegg for his endless curiosity and his indefatigable competitiveness  insists that the senior executives join him in a mixed martial arts training session. Clegg ends up stuck in a Domination Mount, in which his deputy Joel straddled me and we grappled awkwardly in a way that was, lets just say, a little too close for comfort. His main comment on the experience is this: It was corporate bonding taken to a whole new level.

Thats a decent enough summary of Clegg. It takes a particular kind of mediocrity to repeat all this pabulum with a straight face: to be the sort of man wholl allow a listless tech billionaire to put him in a Domination Mount, and still stagger away blabbing about what a great guy he is.



How to Save the Internet is published by Bodley Head at 25. To order your copy for 19.99, call 0330 173 5030 or visit Telegraph Books

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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian separatist leader, has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Finnish court for terrorism, tax fraud and an ethical violation.

Ekpa, who lives in Finland, heads the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in Nigeria, which has been allegedly responsible for killings and abductions of hundreds of people in Nigeria's southeastern region.

The Finnish court said Simon Ekpa was sentenced to six years in prison for participating in the activities of a terrorist group, public incitement to commit a crime for terrorist purposes, aggravated tax fraud and violating the provisions of the Lawyers Act.

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The court said he pushed for the independence of a separatist region in Nigeria through illegal means and equipped the groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition through his contact network.

In 2024, the Nigerian military declared Ekpa wanted as part of nearly 100 people sought on charges of terrorism. After his arrest in Finland, the Nigerian government sought his extradition.

For years, IPOB has sought to reignite a failed secession push by former Biafra. Biafra was a short-lived country that comprised Nigeria's southeastern states, including future oil-producing areas. The Nigerian military government rejected the secession, which led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970, in which at least 3 million people died.

The group was banned in Nigeria in 2017.

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Ekpa took over from Nnamdi Kanu, the group's founder who was arrested by Interpol in a sting operation in 2021 in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria. Kanu has since been in prison, with his trial still ongoing.

In response to Kanu's arrest, the group forbade any commercial activity every Monday in the region, a disruption that has been ongoing since 2021. The sit-at-home protests have led to 700 deaths, according to a count by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical risk advisory, and cost the Nigerian economy 7.6 trillion naira ($4.79 billion).
The New Mexico Department of Health on Aug. 30 2025 issued a public health order to address access issues to this season's COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On Saturday, the New Mexico Department of Health issued a new health order regarding access to COVID-19 vaccines.

According to a news release, the order follows some pharmacies announcing they cannot administer the vaccine in New Mexico unless recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has yet to convene and act on the matter.

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The order directs the state health department to work with New Mexicos Board of Pharmacy to remove potential barriers and ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies across the state.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated COVID-19 vaccine formulations, but with new restrictions. As noted in the new health order, people over the age of 65 are eligible, under the new FDA rules, for the vaccine, with younger people requiring an underlying medical issue for eligibility. According to the news release, the state anticipates the updated COVID-19 vaccine to begin arriving in New Mexico in the next few weeks.

Its important for New Mexicans to know the New Mexico Department of Health is committed to keeping residents safe as we enter the 2025  2026 respiratory virus season, Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said in a statement. This order will remove obstacles to vaccination access.

The news release noted that pharmacies wont have any issues administering the influenza vaccine because the ACIP recommended that vaccine for persons aged six months and older.
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, has said that there are no agreements between Moscow and Washington regarding a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump and Putin.

Source: Ushakov in a comment to Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Ushakov recalled that the idea of raising the level of delegations in Ukraine-Russia negotiations had been discussed during conversations between Trump and Putin and at the Alaska summit.

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"But the Americans told us they would also think this matter over among themselves and then come back with some concrete proposals," Ushakov said.

He added that media reports about a possible meeting of the three leaders "are not exactly what we agreed upon".

Quote: "Now theyre talking about a trilateral meeting, about a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. But specifically this  as far as I know  there was no agreement between Putin and Trump on it."

Background:

Last week, Trump said that a trilateral meeting between himself, Putin and Zelenskyy will take place, but he cast doubt on a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting happening anytime soon.

The leaders meeting was the main topic of discussions between the US, Europe and Ukraine after the Alaska summit, but the Kremlin is doing everything it can to prevent it from taking place.

Axios reported that Trump is seriously considering putting his diplomatic efforts regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war on hold "until one or both parties begin to show more flexibility".

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Memorial Healthcare Systems doctors, specialists, and hospitals are no longer in the network for Florida Blue policyholders, the states largest health insurer.

As of Sept. 1, the contract between the two parties expires, although negotiations continue. For now, Memorial Healthcare has chosen not to make appointments for Florida Blues 31,000 affected policyholders, even those who agree to self-pay or pay out-of-network prices.

Contract showdowns between hospital systems and health insurers are becoming increasingly common, and patients are caught in the middle. As patients complain, Memorial Healthcare and Florida Blue have been facing public pressure.

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Last week, David Wagner, Florida Blues market president, posted comments and a video on LinkedIn addressing the contract dispute.

Florida Blue and Memorial have been negotiating in good faith for months, taking significant steps toward a fair deal that prioritizes our members and the community. We are disappointed that the executives see cutting off in-network access to two major healthcare providers as what is best for the community.

Memorial Healthcare has also issued a statement:

While Florida Blue continues to raise premiums for patients, their proposals do not equitably reflect the cost of providing high-quality, complex care, which could impact Memorials ability to continue to invest in our community. On average, Memorial reinvests more than $900 million each year back into our community through charitable work, medical education, and covering insurance shortfalls.

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Memorial is a public, not-for-profit, mission-driven, safety-net hospital, dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every individual, regardless of their ability to pay. We understand how difficult and uncertain these negotiations with Florida Blue are

for our patients and their families, and we are committed to ensuring they continue to receive the care they need.

Broward Health, the public hospital system in northern Broward County, also remains locked in a contract dispute with Florida Blue. That contract expired on July 1, resulting in Broward Healths hospital and doctors being considered out of network for more than 18,000 patients who are Florida Blue policyholders.

Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System have the same CEO, Shane Strum.

Its unfortunate that the same executives who took Broward Health out of network with Florida Blue are now ready to do the same with the other safety net health system in Broward County, Memorial Healthcare System, Wagner said on his LinkedIn post.

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Across Florida, and elsewhere in the U.S., hospitals argue that they need higher reimbursement rates to cover escalating costs, such as supplies and labor, while insurers claim that rate increases would lead to unaffordable premiums for consumers.

We are seeing a lot of finger-pointing, said Jamie Godwin, senior analyst with KKF, a health policy research, polling and news organization. The health system will say the insurer is being unreasonable, and the insurer is saying the same thing. They make it seem like the other is walking away from negotiations. However, both sides typically have an incentive to come to a deal.

Arthur Novoseletsky, a benefits consultant with Brown & Brown Insurance in Fort Lauderdale, said he is working with employers who use Florida Blue as their insurer.

We have clients who are looking to move carriers, Novoseletsky said. Their employees live in Pembroke Pines, Plantation or Davie and they use Memorial doctors and they want to continue to use their doctors.

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Novoseletsky said with Browards two large public health systems now out of network for Florida Blue, employers are concerned.

Memorial and Florida Blue may come to an agreement, but our employer clients are saying lets start the process now and see what other carriers look like.

With the contract expired, Florida Blue policyholders will have higher out-of-pocket costs than if they receive care from an in-network provider. The insurance company may not cover as much of the cost  or may not cover any cost. Memorial, however, has the option to refuse to take any Florida Blue policyholders.

An exception does exist. Under the continuation of care law, patients in active treatment for cancer, pregnancy, or chronic conditions may have their services covered at in-network rates for up to six months for HMO plans and 90 days for PPO members. Continuation of care typically applies to individuals who are in active treatment, allowing them to continue receiving care, and excludes new treatment.

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Florida Blue policyholders can still go to Memorial and Broward Health hospitals for emergency care. Federal law protects patients against higher out-of-pocket costs when they receive emergency services, even if the provider is out of network.

Memorial Healthcare System has seven hospitals in Broward County, including Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital and Memorial Cancer Institute. It is considered a public, safety-net health system.

South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.
Related video: Judge STOPS Deportation Order; Kilmar Abrego Garcia To Stay In U.S. Amid Challenge Review

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused CBS News of selectively editing footage from her Sunday interview, cutting some of her remarks about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported and returned to the U.S. to face separate charges.

In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said CBS deceptively edited the secretarys answers, cutting about four minutes from the nearly 17-minute interview when it aired on CBS Newss Face the Nation.

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This morning, I joined CBS to report the facts about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Noem said in a statement. Instead, CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety.

CBS News, however, maintains that the interview was edited to fit its allotted time slot in the hourlong broadcast and that the full interview was published online.

Secretary Noems Face The Nation interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards, a spokesperson for CBS News said in a statement to The Hill. The entire interview is publicly available on YouTube, and the full transcript was posted early Sunday morning at CBSNews.com.

Noems accusation is the latest example of the administrations ongoing feud with CBS and its parent company Paramount.

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Earlier this summer, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit with President Trump over claims the news outlet favorably edited a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in the 2024 election.

In Noems Sunday interview, sections of her responses cut for the live broadcast include allegations against Abrego Garcia that have not been substantiated and which his lawyers deny.

Those include allegations that the Maryland resident was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater, and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off, which Noem said in the section of the interview that DHS claims was removed from the live broadcast.

The DHS statement includes other sections of the CBS interview that reportedly did not air live on Sunday morning.

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Earlier this week, attorneys for Abrego Garcia asked a federal judge to issue a gag order against Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to bar them from making baseless public attacks against their client, who faces human smuggling charges stemming from a traffic stop in 2022.

Abrego Garcias lawyers said in a Thursday motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee that administration officials have targeted their client since he was released from prison, leveling highly prejudicial, inflammatory and false statements.

To safeguard his right to a fair trial, Mr. Abrego respectfully renews his earlier requests that the Court order that all DOJ and DHS officials involved in this case, and all officials in their supervisory chain, including [Bondi and Noem], refrain from making extrajudicial comments that pose a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding, the attorneys said in a 15-page motion to U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw.

A DHS official pushed back against the gag order request.

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If Kilmar Abrego Garcia did not want to be mentioned by the Secretary of Homeland Security, then he should have not entered our country illegally and committed heinous crimes, a DHS official told The Hill on Friday morning.

Once again, the media is falling all over themselves to defend this criminal illegal MS-13 gang member who is an alleged human trafficker, domestic abuser, and child predator, the DHS official continued. The medias sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal alien has completely fallen apart, yet they continue to peddle his sob story.

We hear far too much about gang members and criminals false sob stories and not enough about their victims, the official added.

Abrego Garcias attorneys were told their client could be deported to Uganda, but a federal judge said Monday that the administration is absolutely forbidden from removing Abrego Garcia until a hearing is held.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has insisted that the Trump administration plans to do more immigration raids in the style of those carried out in Los Angeles.

Noem told moderator Ed OKeefe on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday that the Trump administration would send Immigration and Customs Enforcement resources to cities like Chicago.

Weve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that were upholding our laws, but we do intend to add more resources to those operations, Noem said.

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In June, Trump dispatched ICE agents to conduct raids in Los Angeles at locations like Home Depot, where migrant workers pick up day jobs. That in turn led to protesters clashing with agents. Trump responded by calling in the National Guard without the consent of the states Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and sending Marines into Los Angeles.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says she plans to conduct more raids in major cities. (CBS)

Noem defended the administrations actions.

I won't speak to the specifics of the operations that are planned in other cities, but I do know that LA wouldn't be standing today if President Trump hadnt taken action, if left to the devices of the mayor and the governor of that state, she said.

OKeefe also asked about other cities that might be next on the agenda, such as Boston, which the Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, have targeted specifically.

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I'd encourage every single big city, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, whatever they are, if they want to help make their city safer, more prosperous, allow people the opportunity to walk in freedom, like the people of Washington, D.C., are now, and enjoying going out to eat at night and not having to worry if they're going to be a victim of a carjacking or a robbery, they should call us, she said.

Last month, Trump took the unprecedented step of invoking a never-before-used law to take over Washington D.C.s police department and ordered the National Guard to patrol the streets in the nations capital.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also spoke to OKeefe on Face the Nation.

 We have people that have lived, yes, in the state of Illinois, in the city of Chicago, for decades, working here, paying taxes, he said. They're law-abiding members of our communities, friends, neighbors, and why are we arresting them? Why are we making them disappear?

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But plenty of cities and Democratic governors have pushed back against the idea of the federal government coming into their states. Pritzker warned the Trump administration last week, do not come to Chicago, after Trump hinted at sending the guard into Chicago and Baltimore. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order to protect the citys residents.

Noem pushed back on Pritzkers criticism.

This seems like it's more about Governor Pritzker's ego. Now, rather than actually protecting his people, she said. If he has one murder in the city of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, What are your ideas? What can we do?

Noem has largely become the face of the Trump administrations mass deportation efforts, which he frequently pledged to implement when he ran for re-election in 2024. She has been widely mocked and called Cosplay Kristi for dressing in uniform to shoot videos of herself with ICE agents and other officials in the Department of Homeland Security.

But the Trump administration has faced pushback for its deportation efforts, most notably in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant from El Salvador who lived in Maryland and whom the Trump administration wrongly sent to El Salvador. Abrego Garcias case is pending, but the Trump administration has said it wants to send him to Uganda.
BRANSON, Mo.  Gena Hedgpeth says the idea came to her while in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

While I was down there, I was looking for a church and I found the Island Church and they are doing the same program. They have what they call a food rescue program, and so I went and met with them and they sat down and just kind of told me all the ins and outs of it, Hedgpeth said. I thought, nobodys doing that in Branson, so I need to take it back there.

So Hedgpeth came back to the Branson area and started Leftovers for Locals, which serves Taney and Stone counties.

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We started this so that we could collect the food from the tourists as theyre leaving town that they dont want to take home with them, and then we donate it to all the pantries in Stone and Taney counties, Hedgpeth said. Well take it from anybody. Well gather food from anybody. I would love to have Airbnbs. We have magnets that we have printed up and so they can place it on the refrigerators of their units. We can do resorts, hotels, but Ive also when Ive had a need, Ive reached out to all of the people on my Facebook and around and asked them to donate. A lot of this came from individuals that reach that wanted to help out with the need that I that we had.

Hedgpeths operation is very new, having only recently obtained her 501c3.

In the last two months, weve really been doing a push for it. I have about 250 lbs. of food right now that were going to be delivering to two different pantries, plus also the free Clinic of the Ozarks that were going to be taking some medicine-type items and health personal care items to them, Hedgpeth said.

With the Branson and outlying areas a tourism hub, shes hopeful the movement catches on.

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We have approximately 10,000 nightly rentals between Shell Knob to Forsyth, and thats a lot of food that can be left over. I know if theyre like me and I know a lot of people are, you go buy all of this food and you think youre going to stay in and youre going to cook it and youre going to eat it, and then you go eat out all the time. So you have everything left over and people are traveling long distances. So they dont want to, its easier to just leave it, and a lot of times it gets thrown away, Hedgpeth said. They can contact us and well go come and pick it up before they leave. For those who want to donate the food or are just going to throw it away, we want to be that option where they can just either text us or call us or get on our website and reach out to us and well come pick it up for them and take the hard work out of it.

She adds that with cuts to many federal groups that donate to local food pantries, shes hoping her efforts could help with some of the food that wont be there.

There are some smaller [pantries] as well that are really trying hard to help people, and Im just really hoping that we can stand in the gap CAM and some of the other programs have lost a lot of funding this year, and Im just hoping that leftovers for locals can stand in the gap for that and try to raise food to help fill in where theyve lost that. I know we have such amazing visitors that come to Branson. Theyre so generous, and I just know that if we can get the word out, then theyll want to help as well, Hedgpeth said. The kids are going to love the cereals and stuff that we can get and just any of the leftovers, and we even have hygiene items, too. Its not just food that we can get. I will take diapers, you know, laundry and shampoo stuff and things like that as well. Anything thats gently used in that area. Now, the food obviously needs to be unopened and there is specifications on our website of kind of what were looking for and what we need, but other than that, weve gotten a great variety, and I think by doing this, were going to see a lot of different things than what youll find in the regular pantries.

One of the pantries Hedgpeth is helping is Sue Desmarais with Answers to Prayers Boutique and Outreach.

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Her pantry gets no funding whatsoever, meaning anything there is either donated or bought out of her pocket, but it is still free to those in need.

My ministry is to give free clothing, new clothing, new shoes, hygiene, food as needed, and the only requirement is, is that they are local. I dont ask for proof of income because we could be making a good paycheck and have some very steep bills, and I dont want to see anyone go hungry or go without shoes or without clothes, Desmarais said.

She says Hedgpeth reached out to her, and the partnership was born.

Gena reached out to me. Were not getting state or federal help, She said, Well, I would like to start with you if you are willing and if you think you can turn over whatever Im bringing in to you, and we were able to do that. Shes very social. Im very social. We hit it off, I think, right from the beginning, Desmarais said. I think the platform is a good one. Gena has work to do to advertise, to get [the word] out, and then shes going to need help for people to pick up the food, and Im quite sure Im not the only pantry shes going to be helping because she also has a heart for the seniors. So shell be helping seniors directly also. I think it can be very, very successful.

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Desmarais says shes already seen Hedgpeths work impact people.

This is her second donation and her first one was a smaller one. If I remember it right, it was hamburger and hot dog buns, plus fresh fruits and veggies that she brought in, when [one of the people we help] came in. She is a single mom with three children, and she came in and she says, Sue, Ive already been to CAM and Im not going to make it. I says, Okay, what are you low on? and she said everything. So the first thing I did was I went to what Gena brought in because I dont always have fresh fruits and fresh veggies. I was able to give her that. She was just so happy. She said Sue, you never, ever seem to have fresh fruits and veggies. and I did because of Gina, and so it was a definite positive experience for me to be able to bless her with something more than what Im normally able to do.

Hedgpeth says anyone interested in donating or helping can go to their website here or text the word PICKUP to 417-373-3777.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (WBTW)  A 41-year-old motorcyclist died Friday night in a crash in Little River, according to the Horry County Coroners Office.

Eric Odom of Ocean Isle Beach died at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center after the crash along Highway 17 near Palmetto Drive. It happened at about 7:50 p.m., Horry County Fire Rescue said.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating. Horry County police assisted at the scene.

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* * *

Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Some of the countrys largest pharmacy chains, including CVS, are now requiring a prescription for COVID-19 vaccines. Its a change that comes as the FDA narrows approval for who can get the shot.

Last week, the FDA narrowed eligibility for this falls COVID shot, limiting it to adults 65 and over or younger people who have an underlying health condition. But for now, those people in Pennsylvania are required to bring a prescription to pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. CVS says that will be the case in 13 states and D.C. until the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) officially issues its recommendations. But even then, eligibility will depend on age.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a statement on X, saying The Trump Administrations outrageous decision to limit access to the COVID vaccine is an affront to Pennsylvanians personal freedom and parental rights. Healthcare decisions should be up to you  not the federal government and certainly not RFK Jr.

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Channel 11 spoke with some people in the North Hills, who agreed with making their own decisions about their own health but said they prefer to make those choices with their primary care physicians.

With vaccines, Id rather go through my doctor anyway. We do our flu vaccine, we do pneumonia, things like that  so anything that is a vaccine, Im going to ask my doctor first, said Helen Kaiser.

I actually think its a very good idea, said Patrick Maxwell of Ross Township. I think it is very advisable to work with your physician to make sure that everyone is on the same page with what youre injecting into yourself.

In his statement, Governor Shapiro said his administration is currently reviewing all of its options to ensure Pennsylvanians have access to the healthcare they want and will have more to say soon.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un examined a newly inaugurated missile production line on Sunday before a planned trip to Beijing to witness a massive military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During Sundays inspection, Kim learned about the overall condition of the state missile production capacity, North Korean state media reported on Monday.

Images published by KCNA appeared to show Kim at an undisclosed location inspecting several dozen missiles in various stages of production and talking with uniformed officers.

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Kims inspection this Sunday comes as he prepares to travel to Beijing, where Chinas military parade on Wednesday will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II following Japans formal surrender.

North Korea has ramped up its weapons program in the last few years, rapidly modernizing its armed forces, developing new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It has also deployed troops to fight with Russia in the Ukraine war, gaining crucial battlefield experience.

Kim made the inspection visit ahead of his planned trip to Beijing for China's military parade on September 3. - Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP

Kim has also shrugged off overtures from the new South Korean government and recently repeated his vow to build up the countrys nuclear program and threatened to use it to destroy South Korea if attacked.

Just a week ago, North Korea tested two new air defense missiles after accusing Seoul of fomenting tensions at the border  days before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was set to meet US President Donald Trump.

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According to the KCNA report Monday, North Korea had successfully fulfilled its five-year plan to expand its missile production capacity.

Various kinds of missiles were put into serial production, the agency reported, adding that Kim had ratified three new long-term plans related to missile production capacity.

Kims trip abroad this week will put him in the company of two dozen foreign leaders at a closely watched event hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The parade offers the reclusive head of the worlds most heavily sanctioned regime a rare opportunity to appear alongside other world leaders who are gravitating toward an alternative world order championed by Xi and Putin.

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The trip will be Kims first trip to China since 2019. Kim, who has only embarked on 10 foreign trips since assuming power in 2011, last left his isolated country in 2023 to meet Putin at a remote spaceport in Russias far east.

North Korea and Russia have drawn closer together since Moscow invaded Ukraine, with Pyongyang sending both soldiers and equipment to aide Russias fight. Experts warn that Putin may be providing military and technological assistance in exchange  potentially boosting North Koreas weapons and space programs.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea said Monday leader Kim Jong Un inspected a new weapons factory thats key to his plan to accelerate mass production of missiles in a weekend visit before he departs for a major military parade in China.

North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency did not disclose the location of the factory Kim visited Sunday, but it may be in Jagang province, a hub of the countrys munitions industry that borders China.

Both China and North Korea confirmed last week that Kim will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Chinas resistance against Japanese wartime aggression.

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The 26 foreign leaders invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping also include Russias Vladimir Putin, who has received major wartime support from Kim in his invasion of Ukraine, making the Beijing event a show of three-way alignment against U.S. efforts to strengthen security cooperation with South Korea and Japan.

South Korean media speculated Kim could depart for China by train sometime Monday, pointing to heightened security measures at the Chinese border town of Dandong, where rail traffic was reportedly halted and hotels stopped receiving foreign guests.

KCNA said the factory had assembly lines to speed missile production and reported that Kim praised scientists and workers and ratified plans for improvement.

South Korean officials say Kim has pushed to accelerate munitions production as he supplies Russia with large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles. Kim has also sent thousands of troops since last fall to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, as he prioritizes Moscow as part of a foreign policy aimed at expanding ties with nations confronting the United States.

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Since aligning with Russia, North Korea has become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing diplomatic statements on conflicts in the Middle East and in the Taiwan Strait, while portraying itself as a part of a united front against Washington. Some experts say Kims presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is part of efforts to develop partnerships with other nations close to China and Russia.

China remains North Koreas largest trade partner and economic lifeline, and Kims attendance at the Beijing military parade is also seen as an attempt to showcase ties with a major ally and boost leverage ahead of a possible resumption of negotiations with Washington.

President Donald Trump and new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed their hopes to restart talks with North Korea, but the North has publicly dismissed their outreach. On Monday, South Korea said it has suspended a military-run radio broadcast into North Korea as part of steps to ease tensions. Lee's government has already halted several other radio broadcasts containing South Korean and world news and removed front-line loudspeakers that used to blare K-pop songs, foreign news and propaganda messages across the border.

North Korea has been shunning talks with the U.S. and South Korea since Kim's earlier round of diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 after Trump rejected Kim's demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for partial steps toward denuclearization.

___

Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report.
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Monday to attend a military parade in China, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said, the first time he will have taken part in a major multilateral diplomatic event.

The reclusive leader, who rarely leaves North Korea, is expected to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, Yonhap said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North Korean leader is due to attend the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to celebrate the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, state media said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has cultivated a close relationship with Kim, will also be at the parade.

An official at South Korea's Unification Ministry declined to comment on the media reports. South Korea's intelligence agency was not immediately available for comment.

South Korea's presidential security adviser Wi Sung-lac said last week that Kim may hold separate talks with both Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the event.

A trilateral summit between the three countries, were it to happen, could deepen the divide with the bloc consisting of South Korea, Japan and the United States, he said during a radio interview.

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Kim Jong Un seems to want to further bolster relations with Beijing following the latest summit between South Korea and the United States, experts said.

"Unlike his grandfather Kim Il Sung, who attended many diplomatic events, Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il didn't show up at any event where many leaders appeared," said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based research centre.

South Korea will send National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik to the Chinese event, the Unification Ministry said.

The ministry said it was unsure whether Woo would be able to hold bilateral talks with Kim on the sidelines of the event.

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The defeat of imperial Japan in 1945 and the rise to power of the Communists in China in 1949 were crucial events helping to prepare the way for the 1950-53 Korean War, which resulted in the division of the peninsula into the China-backed Communist North and the U.S.-backed capitalist South.

20-HOUR TRAIN RIDE

The bullet-proof, armoured train is a moving fortress, Yonhap News said. It travels only 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour and is expected to take 20 hours to get to Beijing, the report said.

Last year, Kim was seen near a black Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle on the train that he used to visit a flood-hit area near the countrys border with China, according to a photo from state media, KCNA.

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Both Kim Jong Un's grandfather and father used to travel abroad only by train. For his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi in 2019, Kim also took a train for a two-and-half-day trip, rather than a five-hour flight from Pyongyang.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee, Additional reporting by Ju-min Park, Editing by Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones and Sharon Singleton)
By Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the border into China on his special train early on Tuesday to attend China's celebration of the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, North Korean state media said on Tuesday.

Kim left Pyongyang for China on Monday and crossed into China early Tuesday morning, North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun said, en route to the largest multilateral diplomatic event he has ever been to.

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Kim is expected to attend the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, joining Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Rodong Sinmun published photographs of Kim and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, who has been involved in Pyongyang's diplomacy on weapons developments for more than two decades.

In one photograph, Kim can be seen standing next to the dark green train with a cigarette in his hand.

In another, he is seated at a desk inside the train with a North Korean flag behind him and with a closed laptop computer in a carriage ornately furnished with wood paneling.

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The train appeared to be similar to the bulletproof train he has used before to travel to other countries.

Before crossing into China, Kim on Monday visited a missile laboratory that is researching carbon fibre composite materials to be used in engines for intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media KCNA said.

Kim's visit to a missile laboratory just ahead of the multilateral summit appeared highly symbolic, experts said.

The visit is geared toward "showing off (North Korea's) status as a nuclear power" just before "standing alongside Xi and Putin, which is intended to suggest support for North Korea as a nuclear state," said Hong Min, North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

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Hong said it also sent a message to the U.S. about North Korea's "will to advance nuclear weapons and the status of a nuclear power that is difficult to reverse."

North Korea on Monday expressed support for remarks made by Xi at a summit calling for fairer global governance, adding that cooperation between North Korea and China will grow to pursue such a value, according to a vice foreign minister in comments posted on the North Korean foreign ministry's website.

Xi on Monday pressed his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritises the "Global South", in a direct challenge to the United States, during a summit that included the leaders of Russia and India.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has been seeking to improve ties with Pyongyang, was receiving real-time reports about Kim's trip to China, the presidential office said.Seoul is sending National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik to Beijing, but the country's Unification Ministry said it was unsure whether he would be able to hold bilateral talks with the North Korean leader on the sidelines of the event.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Sonali Paul, Ed Davies and Lincoln Feast.)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday to attend a military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, an event that observers say could potentially demonstrate three-way unity against the United States.

Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the 26 world leaders who will join China's President Xi Jinping at Wednesdays massive military parade in Beijing that commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Chinas fight against Japan's wartime aggressions.

It's set to be Kims first time attending a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule, and the first time Kim, Xi and Putin, all key rivals of the U.S., have gathered at the same venue. None of the three countries have confirmed a private trilateral leaders' meeting.

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North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said Kim was greeted at Beijing railway station by senior Chinese officials. Kim was cited as saying he was pleased to visit China and expressing thanks to Xi and his government for their cordial hospitality.

According to KCNA photos, Kims delegation at the Beijing station includes his young daughter, who South Korean intelligence officials view as his likely heir. Since 2022, she has frequently accompanied her father on a slew of major events including missile tests, with state media calling her Kim's most beloved or respected child. KCNA earlier said senior officials including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui were traveling with Kim, but didn't mention the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old.

Bilateral meetings

In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers earlier Tuesday, South Koreas National Intelligence Service said that Kim will likely receive special protocol and security measures on par with those given to Putin, according to Lee Seong Kweun, a lawmaker who attended the meeting.

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The intelligence agency said Kim may stand alongside Xi and Putin on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square during Wednesdays parade. It anticipated that Kim will hold bilateral meetings with the Chinese and Russian leaders and interact with other heads of state at a reception and cultural performance as he seeks to further break out of isolation and expand his diplomatic footing, Lee said.

It is Kim's first visit to China since 2019, and the fifth visit in total since he inherited power upon his father's death in late 2011.

South Korea's acting ambassador to the United Nations, Sangjin Kim, said Tuesday the government is watching and monitoring very closely what is happening on this trip.

We believe Kim Jong Uns trip and possible summit with neighboring countries needs to be done in a way conducive to bringing about increasing stability in the Korean Peninsula and helping to achieve our shared goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, he told a U.N. press conference. I hope our neighboring countries will play a constructive role in that regard.

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Putin arrived in China on Sunday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional summit, as well as the Beijing parade. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russias Tass news agency on Sunday that a meeting between Putin and Kim on the sidelines was under consideration.

North Korea observers are paying keen attention to Kim possibly meeting Xi bilaterally as well and holding even a trilateral meeting with Xi and Putin. The three leaders have met bilaterally previously but have yet to hold a trilateral meeting.

Kim wants to restore strong China ties

North Korea's foreign policy priority has been Russia in recent years as it has been supplying troops and ammunition to support Moscow's war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance.

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According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year. In its latest briefing to lawmakers, the South Korean spy agency said it believes roughly 2,000 of them have so far died in combat, Lee said.

Kim has also agreed to additionally send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russias Kursk region, and the agency assesses that the first 1,000 are already in Russia, Lee said.

North Korea's relations with China have reportedly turned sour in recent years, but experts say Kim likely hopes to restore ties as China is North Korea's biggest trading partner and aid benefactor and he would want to brace for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Kim is also developing partnerships

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Since aligning with Russia, North Korea has become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing diplomatic statements on conflicts in the Middle East and in the Taiwan Strait, while portraying itself as a part of a united front against Washington.

Some experts say Kims presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is part of efforts to develop partnerships with other nations close to China and Russia.

Kim's trip comes as U.S. President Donald Trump and new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed their hopes to restart talks with North Korea. North Korea has been shunning talks with the U.S. and South Korea and pushing to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kims earlier round of diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019.

Before departing for China on Monday, Kim visited a North Korean missile research institute to review progress on developing a new engine for a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile, KCNA reported.

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The North in recent years has tested various versions of ICBMs capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and analysts say the next-generation ICBM likely refers to a long-range weapon with multiple nuclear warheads that can defeat U.S. missile defense systems.

-

Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations
If the clouds cooperate, there's a good chance of seeing the Northern lights tonight in Vermont.

The Space Weather Prediction Center said the "aurora may be seen as low as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon" on Sept. 1 into Sept. 2 due to a strong geomagnetic storm.

Almost the entirety of Vermont, including Burlington, is in the view line for the storm, though that's never a guarantee that the spectacle will actually be visible.

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There's also the possibility that the event becomes larger, according to experts, as there are two solar storms heading towards Earth.

The NOAA model run includes the two Earth-directed #solarstorm launches. The larger one catches up with the smaller one just ahead of Earth so a precursor disturbance may indeed ramp up before the larger storm hits. Impact is expected by late September 1. G2+ conditions possible. pic.twitter.com/70uZM1nqeH  Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) August 31, 2025

Map of where Northern lights may be visible

The Northern Lights may be visible on Labor Day in parts of New England.

In the forecast, the following states have the best chance of seeing the auroras.

Washington

Idaho

Montana

North Dakota

South Dakota

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Michigan

Alaska

However, the following states are in the view line, which shows where people still may have a chance of seeing the phenomena.

Wyoming

Oregon

Nebraska

Iowa

Illinois

New York

Vermont

New Hampshire

Maine

When is the best time to see the northern lights?

The northern lights are typically most visible between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. according to NOAA. According to the 3-day forecast by the Space Prediction Center, the best time to see this storm is likely between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

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These isolated forests in Maine are dark skies sanctuaries: See where

How to see the northern lights

As always, dark skies make for better stargazing.

"We typically suggest getting away from cities and find a open field or hilltop to lay out under the stars and wait for the show to really peak at the late evening or early morning hours," Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technical Instructor and Observatory Manager Tim Brothers said in a past interview with Wicked Local.

He continued, "In New England, heading for a local conservation area or park that keeps lighting off at night is ideal. Another option is a coastline away from the larger cities  the benefit being that the constellation where you will see most of the 'shooting stars.'"

Places to check for northern lights forecast

If you want a chance at seeing the Northern Lights, here are some websites you can monitor the sun's activity:

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Aurora Alerts

The Space Weather Prediction Center

Space.com

Aurora forecast page (NOAA)

Aurora Reach

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Northern lights may be visible in VT on Labor Day. See map
The northern lights may return to the night sky over Canada and parts of the United States tonight, forecasters said.

An eruption from the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection, occurred over the weekend and is expected to impact the Earth's magnetic field late Monday into early Tuesday, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said. When it happens, it will set off a colorful display of the aurora borealis.

A view of the Milky Way as Northern Lights were visible at Lake Berryessa in Napa Valley, California, United States on June 3, 2025. / Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

People in 18 U.S. states could see the green or red glow of the aurora in the sky Monday night.

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According to weather forecasters, the upcoming light show is not expected to be as significant as those seen across the sky in 2024, but for some, it will be one of the best opportunities to see the lights since the spring.

What are the northern lights?

Auroras, displays known as the northern and southern lights, are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's atmosphere.

The Aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, is seen at Cleveland Dam Park in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. / Credit: Andrew Chin / Getty Images

Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way. The sun's active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year.

In spring 2024, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing spectacular light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. Last fall, a powerful solar storm produced dancing lights far from the Arctic Circle.

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Where will the auroras be visible tonight?

According to NOAA's Kp index forecast, the geomagnetic storm is expected to peak somewhere between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

This map shows where the northern lights may be visible across the northern U.S. on September 1 and September 2. / Credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

Based on NOAA's prediction map, the northern lights could be visible in:

AlaskaMontanaNorth DakotaMinnesotaWisconsinMichiganMaineSouth DakotaVermontNew HampshireIdahoWashingtonOregonNew YorkWyomingIowaNebraskaIllinoisHow to see auroras

Consider aurora-watching in a quiet, dark area away from city lights. Experts recommend skygazing from a local or national park. And check the weather forecast because clouds can cover up the spectacle entirely.

"Portrait of a person who's not there": Documenting the bedrooms of school shooting victims

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NORWALK, Conn. (WTNH)  A man was taken into custody on Sunday evening after police seized narcotics and cash from him, according to the Norwalk Police Department.

A Norwalk police officer observed 51-year-old Romell Fisher operating a motor vehicle around 9:15 p.m. near West Avenue and recognized him from previous narcotics arrests. The officer was also aware that Fisher did not possess a valid drivers license.

3 men arrested in Norwalk narcotics investigation

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During the motor vehicle stop, a police dog indicated that there was a narcotic odor coming from the vehicle, according to police.

Police said that they found a clear bag containing marijuana, nine baggies containing cocaine and a small bag containing two ecstasy pills.

Fisher was taken into custody without incident.

Fisher was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license, possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell. He is being held on a $50,000 bond and is set to appear in court on Sept. 16.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR)  An attorney for State School Board Members has threatened to go to the Oklahoma Supreme Court if Superintendent Ryan Walters doesnt post notice of an upcoming special meeting.

The only thing we heard back from him was something about my clients playing games. They are not playing games, said Bob Burke, attorney for four board members.

Burke is an Oklahoma attorney who specializes in constitutional law.

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At the last board meeting, board members asked if they could schedule a special meeting, but Supt. Walters didnt seem to respond.

| READ LOCAL > Board clashes with Supt. Walters over social studies standards >

Its their right to have a meeting, Burke said.

He said behind the scenes, they have tried many times to get the meeting scheduled, but Walters hasnt really responded.

So far the superintendent has resisted the urge to do so, said Burke.

So, after this months state school board meeting was canceled without a reason, he said they decided to meet anyway.

| READ MORE > Most comments submitted opposed to OSBE Social Studies standards >

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Burke said that the board members are going to meet on September 3rd, with or without the Supt. Walters.

He sent a letter to Walters office, which urged him to post notice of the meeting on the Department of Educations website, or Burke would take the issue to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Ive not heard back from Mr. Walters except that his office today said that we were playing games, said Burke.

The letter read: I represent a majority of the members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. On their behalf, I have sent the attached letter to Ryan Walters this afternoon via email. The four board members have been rebuffed in their attempt to have a special meeting so they can hire an attorney to represent the Boards interest. The Board is allowed by state statute to have its own attorney to help them supervise the public education system in Oklahoma.

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That supervision responsibility is given to them by the Constitution. The Superintendent of Public Instruction manages the Department of Education, but the Board of Education is in charge of the public schools. Art. 13,  5 of the Oklahoma Constitution provides, The supervision of instruction in the public schools shall be vested in a Board of Education

State statutes also recognize the duty of the Board of Education: The supervision of the public school system of Oklahoma shall be vested in the State Board of Education, 70 O.S.  3-104 (A). If Mr. Walters does not post notice of a special meeting to consider the Board hiring an attorney by next Tuesday, September 3, I will ask the Oklahoma Supreme Court to order him to do so. There is no question that the law requires Mr. Walters to post notice of a special meeting if a majority of the seven-member board requests it. That has been done.

The board members I represent want to get on with the business of improving public education in the state. They have unilaterally set a special meeting for 10 a.m. on September 3, 2025. The notice of that meeting will be posted on the website of the Oklahoma Secretary of State.

I can assure you, they are not playing games, said Burke. They want to get rid of this side show that unfortunately happens every month at board of education meetings and get on with the business of improving public schools of Oklahoma

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The special meeting has been posted on the Secretary of States website, but not on the Department of Educations site.

News 4 reached out to OSDEs spokesperson on Friday, but still hasnt heard back.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  Nearly 1 million New York City public school students are preparing to head back to class on Thursday.

Deputy Mayor Ana Alamanzar talks about back to school on PIX11 Morning News.

Watch the video player for the full interview.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11)  Summer break is nearly over for New York City students.

Public school students will return to their classrooms on September 4.

NYC Public Schools hiring: Over 100 positions remain open

This year brings some change to the citys public school system. On Sept. 4, seven new public schools will open their doors in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

For the first time ever, students will be forced to unplug during school hours, thanks to a statewide bell-to-bell phone ban. Students from kindergarten to twelfth grade are now required to keep their personal electronics stored during the entire school day, according to school officials.

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Students will still be able to use school-issued devices like laptops and Chromebooks. Each school will create its own plans for enforcement and consequences.

Kids first break comes at the end of September for Rosh Hashanah. Winter break will be from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, 2026, and the last day of school will be on June 26, 2026. To see the full 2025-2026 school year calendar, click here.

For more back-to-school information, click here.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
A teenager who prosecutors say was killed by her boyfriend is remembered for her vibrant spirit, according to her obituary.

Kylee Monteiro, 18, was reported missing by her boyfriend, Gregory Groom, 22, on Aug. 8.

Monteiro previously told Groom that she was 11 weeks pregnant with his baby and the pair got into a fight on Aug. 6, according to the police.

Police said that Monteiro told her sister, Faith Monteiro, that Groom threw her on the ground, pulled her hair and strangled her.

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Monteiro sent a text to her sister that reads: My phones at 4% if I die it was Greg.

On Aug. 19, Groom and Faith Monteiro arrived at the police station for an interview. During the interview, Groom admitted to killing his girlfriend.

Groom drew a map for police, who conducted a search of his property in Rehoboth. During the search, police found a hole with a body that was consistent with Monteiro.

The remains, however, have not yet been identified as Monteiros by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the prosecutor.

Groom was arraigned and ordered held without bail in Taunton District Court on Aug. 20. He was charged with murder and multiple domestic violence charges.

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A graduate of the Attleboro High School Class of 2025, Monteiro was known for her passion for welding, posting on the internet and adoring her sisters and niece, the obituary reads.

Monteiro is survived by her four siblings and several of her family members, according to the obituary.

Kylees light will continue to shine in the hearts of those who knew and loved her, the obituary reads. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all.

Visitation hours for Monteiro will be held on Sept. 4 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sept. 5 starting at 11 a.m. at William W. Tripp Funeral Home at 1008 Newport Ave., Pawtucket, Rhode Island, according to the obituary. A service will be held at the funeral home on Sept. 5 at 12 p.m.

More people being remembered

Read the original article on MassLive.
THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11)  An off-duty New York City crossing guard was arrested on Sunday after a verbal dispute led to violence, according to sources.

Michelle Stallings, 58, was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds for the alleged incident, an NYPD spokesperson said.

More Local News

Sources familiar with the situation said Stallings got into an argument with the victim at around 4:45 p.m. over a noise complaint near the victims home, which is in the area of Crotona International High School.

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Its alleged that she hit the victim with a baton, injuring their thumb. The victim was treated at the scene.

Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
UPDATE 9:51 p.m.

Officers are investigating after two people were shot in an area neighborhood on Sunday evening.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police were dispatched around 7 p.m. to the 9000 block of Erie Circle in West Chester on reports of a shooting, according to our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.

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When officers arrived, they found two people shot.

Medics transported them to an area hospital.

Their status is currently unknown, WCPO said.

The shooting remains under investigation.

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Officials in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, have made a public health statement that will affect generations to come.

In early August, city officials announced sweeping restrictions on smoking, selling, and advertising tobacco products and vapes along the capital's iconic Sisowath Avenue.

The ban has been introduced to "promote clean, safe, and green sustainable tourism destinations for both local and international visitors," according to Kiri Post.

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"It also aims to reduce the health, economic, social, and environmental impacts of tobacco products," reported Kiri Post.

It will accomplish this by protecting residents and tourists from harmful secondhand smoke and the mounting litter problem caused by disposable vapes. And Cambodia is not alone.

The new rules come as more governments worldwide crack down on vaping, especially disposable products, which have been linked to rising youth addiction rates, serious lung problems, and cancer risks.

City leaders said the riverside haven is a popular destination for not only nightlife, but family gatherings, and it deserves to be a safe, smoke-free zone.

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For everyday Cambodians, this change means cleaner air, fewer health risks, and safer spaces for children and families to gather. Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger asthma attacks and other breathing difficulties, while littering or discarding vapes releases toxic chemicals into soil and water.

By cutting down on public smoking and vaping, the city is taking a step toward reducing completely preventable illnesses.

The environmental benefits are notable, too. Disposable vapes have become a fast-growing source of electronic waste. Their lithium batteries and plastic bodies are piling up in landfills.

The Cambodian city is setting an example for behavior that shows respect for its air, land, people, and future.

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"Please, business owners, tourism service owners, traders, and citizens, join in implementing these instructions in accordance with applicable laws and legal regulations," the statement, signed by Khuong Sreng, Governor of Phnom Penh, said.

With this policy, Phnom Penh is sending a clear message: clean air and clean streets should be the norm, not the exception.

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Mercer County, Illinois, is now running on more sunshine. A new 38-acre solar farm is already generating enough clean energy to power around 850 homes and businesses across three counties, reported WQAD TV.

The Goldenrod Solar Farm, developed by Cultivate Power, is made up of more than 12,000 solar panels and produces 5 megawatts of electricity. Before it officially opened at the end of July, the site had been quietly online for two months, feeding renewable energy into the grid.

For the Essary family, who owns the land where the project sits, solar was the clear path forward. "We've always kind of been stewards of the land, and we felt like we needed to do something a little more to give back, so we weighed everything out and ended up going with solar as the safest for the land," Robert Essary said.

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Residents who opt into the community solar program may see lower monthly energy bills, thanks to the stability and affordability of solar power. "It's one of the cheapest renewable energy sources out there. Not just renewables, but energy altogether," explained United Renewable Energy Project Manager Seth Bishop. "It's free power that you're able to harness from the sun, so there's an unlimited resource there."

By easing demand on the regional grid, the farm will also help improve reliability for nearby communities. Mercer County currently imports much of its electricity from Missouri, but now some of that power will be homegrown. "The farther you get from your source of power, the less you'll have overall," Bishop said. "So, it supplements the line and will alleviate some strain on the grid there."

The project is also putting money back into the community. A portion of the farm's profits is already funding local scholarships, fire departments, and youth agricultural programs, including Future Farmers of America programs at two local high schools.

Goldenrod is one of many new solar projects across the country helping communities lower costs, strengthen local grids, and reduce reliance on dirty energy sources. Communities from Wyoming to West Virginia are already seeing the difference, with cleaner air and more reliable electricity as the payoff.

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But homeowners don't have to wait for a solar farm to be built nearby to reap similar benefits. Adding rooftop solar can drive household energy costs close to zero, while also making other efficient appliances  like heat pumps  cheaper to run. Tools like EnergySage make it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers and save thousands on going solar. And for those considering a heat pump, Mitsubishi can help match families with affordable options.

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Ghost gear may sound like an elaborate Halloween costume, but unfortunately, the truth is a lot scarier. Ghost gear refers to abandoned, lost, or improperly discarded fishing gear.

It's no surprise that this gear can claim the lives of the smallest marine life, but it can also kill some of the largest animals in our oceans  including whales.

What's happening?

A whale washed ashore on Al Ashkhara Beach in Oman. Environmental specialists from the Environment Department in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate were called to the scene to assess the situation and provide aid to the animal, according to the Times of Oman.

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Specialists concluded that the cause of death was suffocation. The whale had been found restrained with ropes wrapped so tightly that the animal was severely restricted and could no longer breathe.

Why is marine debris important?

Ghost gear is considered the most dangerous form of marine plastic debris, as 500,000 to 1 million tons are added to the ocean every year, according to the World Wildlife Fund. As a WWF study detailed, millions of marine life are caught in "bycatch" and left to suffocate in the leftover nets dropped into the ocean by fishermen.

A 2024 local study, as reported by the Khaleej Times, revealed that the No. 1 cause of whales washing ashore in the UAE was death by entanglement in fishing gear. This indicates that marine debris has been a persistent issue in this region of the world and globally, and it is now threatening the populations of both previously thriving and already endangered species.

When a species' health is threatened by manmade debris and pollution, it can throw local ecosystems out of whack and potentially disrupt entire food chains.

What's being done about marine debris?

The Environment Authority used this tragedy as an opportunity to discuss the effects of marine debris and raise public awareness of plastic waste in the sea.

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A total of 170 trillion microplastic particles can be found in the ocean, according to CNBC. We can reduce plastic waste by bringing reusable containers to the beach and taking all our trash with us when we leave. Additionally, we can grow our own food at home and prioritize zero-waste products to minimize plastic use. Furthermore, we can enforce fines for littering in our most fragile environments.

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A 16-year-old in northern Ohio is facing charges after being accused of murdering his own mother.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Lorain police responded to reports of an unresponsive woman around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, WOIO, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland, reported.

Officers got to the scene and found Melinda Green, 45, unresponsive inside the home and suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

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She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Police found evidence that identified Greens 16-year-old son as the suspect.

As WOIO reported, the son left the scene prior to the arrival of police. He was found hours later walking around the west side of Lorain and was taken into custody.

The son was arrested and charged with murder. Hes currently booked in the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Home, according to police.

The Greens death remains under investigation.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Ohio lawmakers are looking to eliminate an extra registration fee that is charged to those registering a hybrid vehicle in the state.

House Bill 389 was introduced by Rep. Joseph Miller (D-Amherst) and Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson). More than a dozen other lawmakers also signed on to the bill, including Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus), Rep. Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D-Reynoldsburg), and Rep. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus).

Schools no longer able to stop groups like LifeWise from sending items back with kids

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Currently, drivers who register a hybrid vehicle in Ohio must pay an additional $100 registration fee on top of the standard registration fees.

This is a taxpayer fairness idea, Thomas said in a statement to NBC4. We should be treating folks as fairly as possible, just because you have a hybrid or plug-in doesnt mean you use less gas and I dont think you should pay much higher fees for it.

The bill does not eliminate the additional fees for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, with fees of $150 and $200, respectively.

Most states have implemented additional registration fees for hybrid and electric vehicles since drivers of those cars require less fuel  or none at all  and therefore dont pay as much, if anything, in fuel taxes to fund road maintenance.

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Rainbow crosswalk near Ohio State restored after vandalism incident

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of July, at least 41 states charge additional fees for electric vehicles and more than two dozen states also charge additional fees for hybrids.

Critics argue that the fees often charged for hybrid and electric vehicles are disproportionately high compared to what drivers would pay in fuel tax for driving the same amount of miles in a gas car.

This is an excessive tax, making Ohio taxes among the highest in the nation and offers little benefit to Ohio, Clean Fuels Ohio Board President Tom Bullock said in a statement. Clean Fuels Ohio agrees that electric vehicle owners should pay their fair share of road taxes, but $200 isnt fair: its excessive, collected up-front, and one-size-fits all, meaning vehicles that drive lower mileage are charged as if theyve driven much further. And no credit is given for taxes already paid on electricity. A sticker fee of $50 would be much closer to a fair amount.

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Ohios fuel tax (excluding the federal fuel tax) is 38.5 cents per gallon. Someone driving 12,000 miles in a year at 30 miles per gallon would pay about $154 in state fuel tax. An EV driver traveling that same 12,000 miles in a year would pay the $200 additional registration fee.

The flat $200 annual registration fee for electric vehicles can be cheaper than the fuel tax for high-mileage drivers or when compared to drivers in older, less efficient gas cars. A less efficient car traveling 18,000 miles at 25 miles per gallon would pay about $277 in fuel tax, where an EV driver traveling that same distance would still only pay $200.

Adam Coy, ex-officer convicted of killing Andre Hill, appeals verdict

That has prompted states to consider adding mileage-based fees so drivers who use the roads more will pay more, according to the NCSL.

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The additional registration fees for hybrid vehicles are generally viewed as more unfair than the fees charged to electric vehicles. Because hybrid vehicles still primarily use fuel and the smaller battery is not charged from an external source, drivers still end up paying a fuel tax on top of the additional registration fee.

The current fee structure is inequitable and unfair, Miller said in a statement to NBC4. Maintaining Ohios roads is a top priority for all, but the mechanism in which we do it places an undue burden on those with a non-plug-in hybrid vehicle.

Someone with a hybrid vehicle getting 40 miles per gallon would pay about $115 in fuel tax for 12,000 miles, plus the additional $100 fee lawmakers are trying to eliminate, for a total of $215. A plug-in hybrid with similar efficiency would cost the same $115 in fuel tax plus the $150 additional registration fee  which HB 389, as written, does not eliminate  costing a total of $265.

Although they may improve fuel economy, the gas tax combined with the elevated registration fee puts an undue and unfair burden on the owners of these vehicles, Miller said. This bill is about leveling the playing field and ensuring an equitable fee structure.

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Judge denies Columbus Zoo request to temporarily block township from taxing admissions

Clean Fuels Ohio has previously called on the state to charge fees of $25 for plug-in hybrids and $50 for electric vehicles.

This would represent an important symbolic precedent of ensuring EV owners paid road taxes, Clean Fuels Ohio wrote in an undated two-page fact sheet shared with NBC4. In our view, this level would not unduly harm the fledgling EV market, important to encourage for Ohios consumers and economy.

Miller was a co-sponsor of House Bill 546 in 2020 that would have cut the additional registration fee in half, but that bill never made it out of committee.

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In 1900, a dozen deaconesses from the Free Methodist Church traveled from Wichita, Kansas, to help women and children in Indian Territory.

These pioneering women's legacy lives on through a faith-based agency celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The Oklahoma Rescue Home for Oklahoma and Indian Territory, which also became known as the Home of Redeeming and the Deaconess Home, was established in 1900 in Guthrie, and evolved over the years into the present-day Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption, 8308 N. May Ave., Suite 100.

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The agency celebrated its milestone anniversary with a gala at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, where the organization's leaders and supporters gathered to pay tribute to all of the people who have helped continue its mission at the intersection of faith and family.

Anna Witteman, the first superintendent of the Oklahoma Rescue Home for Oklahoma and Indian Territory in Guthrie, is shown with Ida Graham and a group of children.

Heather Hails, the agency's executive director, said the organization began as a maternity home and eventually expanded into a broader service provider in the community as a hospital, which became known as Deaconess Hospital. She said more than 14,000 expectant parents have been served by the agency and more than 5,500 families have been created through adoption.

Hails said, through it all, the agency's cornerstone is its commitment to providing compassionate care to women and children, regardless of the number of adoptions.

On a mission

Hails said the agency's deaconess founders moved the original maternity home from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910 when Oklahoma City became Oklahoma's state capital. The maternity home for unmarried mothers was located near train tracks on Portland Avenue, drawing women in Oklahoma and from other states who stayed there during their pregnancies.

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Several of the women who founded and ran the home saw it as their Christian ministry, according to the history of Deaconess Hospital. The women farmed the surrounding land and sold products from the farm to sustain the maternity home. The farming operation took place all while the determined maternity home founders and other compassionate women cared for the mothers and children in need of assistance.

The founders were determined to provide training and education to the expectant mothers who came to the home. Their goal was to see the mothers learn a marketable skill. The deaconesses also offered training for nurses and a residence for elderly women in need, but their primary focus was on unwed girls and mothers who needed care and "no one was turned away," according to Deaconess Hospital history.

One of the women who became notable for her dedication to the home's mission was Anna L. Witteman. An Ohio native who came to Oklahoma when she was 18, Witteman became the maternity home's first superintendent and later became the first administrator of Deaconess Hospital. The hospital is currently known as Integris Health Baptist Medical Center Portland Avenue, after Integris purchased the health care facility in 2018.

More: Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption Services celebrates 110 years of service with annual fashion show luncheon

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Hails said Witteman was well respected and she was honored by being inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1938. Witteman relinquished her position at the maternity home to her nephew, Ralph E. Butterfield, who served with his wife Gladys, who became home superintendent, until their retirement in July 1975, according to Deaconess Hospital history.

The Oklahoma Rescue Home for Oklahoma and Indian Territory in Guthrie, a precursor of Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption, is shown in this photograph.

Hails said Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption continues to lift up its original mission, which is to reflect Christs redeeming love to individuals and families in vulnerable moments and offer hope, compassion and lifelong care. The agency provides resources to pregnant mothers considering adoption, families seeking to adopt a child and therapeutic counseling.

She said the community at large will have opportunities to support the organization's mission through the "Let Love Grow" magnolia tree fundraiser through November. She said the trees will be sold for $125 each, as a nod to the agency's 125th anniversary, and a tree-planting ceremony will be held in November to coincide with National Adoption Month.

As for the future, the agency hopes to return to the place where the organization's founding deaconesses came from in 1900.

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Hails said the organization is currently making future plans to open a satellite Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption agency in Kansas.

To learn more

For more information about Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption, go to https://www.dpaok.org/. For information about the agency's magnolia tree fundraiser, go to https://www.dpaok.org/letlovegrow.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption celebrates 125th anniversary
OKLAHOMA  Authorities in Oklahoma successfully capture an escaped inmate.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, an inmate unlawfully walked away from the Northeast Oklahoma Community Corrections Center in Vinita, Oklahoma, around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday.

It is a minimum security prison that houses 501 adult male offenders, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

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The inmate, James Howell, 33, was serving a five-year sentence for false declaration of ownership in a pawn shop in Jackson County.

After the incident, law enforcement posted warnings on their social media, and told the public not to approach Howell, and instead to contact police.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections then announced that Howell had been taken into custody by the Vinita Police Department around 8:00 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities encourage the public to sign up for Orange Alerts through Oklahoma.gov. An Orange Alert tells the public when an inmate escapes a prison facility. You can sign up for those by clicking here.

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UPDATE 09/02/2025

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Alexander Cuellar-Maddox has been located.

ORIGINAL STORY

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for a missing 17-year-old.

According to police, Alexander Cuellar-Maddox is 58, 130 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes.

Alexander Cuellar-Maddox. Image courtesy OHP.

Alexander Cuellar-Maddox. Image courtesy OKCPD.

He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jeans and black shoes. He may also be riding a skateboard.

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If seen, call 911.

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One in 10 secondary school children is now on disability benefits, fuelled by a surge in conditions such as ADHD and autism.

Figures show that parents are claiming disability living allowance (DLA) for a record 362,520 children aged between 11 and 15 across England and Wales.

This means that 10pc of children across this age group are receiving between 1,520 to 9,770 a year, analysis of data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows.

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To receive the benefit, which is tax-free and not means-tested, parents must demonstrate their child needs extra care or has limited mobility compared to peers without a health condition or disability.

The surge in claims reflects a broader trend of people seeking health benefits across Britain, which is piling further strain on the nations finances.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the UKs sickness and disability benefits bill is set to push up welfare payments linked to ill health to almost 100bn by the end of the decade.

This has fuelled concerns about Labours ability to control spiralling welfare costs, particularly after Sir Keir Starmer was forced to water down benefits cuts earlier this year following a backbench rebellion.

The Prime Ministers watered-down reforms, which will target health benefits for adults, will deliver no savings at all this decade, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

According to the latest data, disability claims awarded to secondary schoolchildren jumped by 42,140 in the year to February alone.

Meanwhile, among all children under 16, claims hit a record high of 797,773 in February up by nearly 100,000 compared to the year prior.

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Based on the current trajectory post-Covid, there will be 1m children claiming disability benefits by 2028.

Fiscally challenging

Eduin Latimer from the IFS said the trend is fiscally challenging for the Government, particularly as Chancellor Rachel Reeves attempts to repair a hole in the public finances that some economists predict could be up to 50bn.

The state spent 4.6bn on child disability benefits in the year to March, according to the OBR, which predicts that spending will rise to 6.5bn by the end of the decade in real terms.

Learning difficulties, behavioural problems and ADHD are behind four out of five claims for children under 16, the Governments figures show.

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Claims for these conditions have more than doubled since 2018, with by far the fastest rise occurring among those with behavioural disorders  rising by 315pc over this period.

Will Shield, associate professor of child, educational and community psychology at the University of Exeter, said the increase demonstrates a greater sense of awareness about neurodiversity.

This is in contrast to comments from Wes Streeting, who has said there has been an overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. The Health Secretary has since urged doctors to take more care when diagnosing patients.

Mr Shield said: The prevalence of autism and ADHD has stayed stable over time, but theres more assessment and theres more awareness, so therefore theres more diagnosis.

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So, although numbers are going up quite sharply, its not because theres more autism or more ADHD or even more overdiagnosis. Its just down to the fact that there are more ways to get diagnosed.

He added that the definition of these conditions had expanded over the last decade, but only to reflect how they present themselves differently in children, with girls often displaying separate symptoms from boys.

Boys are twice as likely to receive disability benefits, although claims for girls are rising much faster in relative terms.

There are 81,267 girls under 16 receiving benefits for behavioural disorders, up from 14,057 since 2018 - a rise of 478pc.

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Among boys, these numbers have risen from 41,792 to 150,619, up 260pc.

Louise Murphy from the Resolution Foundation said the numbers represent a unique trend among teenagers.

She said: The proportion of children in those teenage years who are in receipt of disability benefits is higher than among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It is probably not what most people would think of when they think about disability.

While parents can receive DLA for their child regardless of income, it also provides access to other means-tested benefits through Universal Credit.

Mr Latimer said this means that the actual cost will be far greater than the headline figures.

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A Government spokesman said: Were reforming the broken welfare system so its there for people who need it, while delivering fairness to the taxpayer, and supporting more people into work.



Were committed to ensuring disabled children get the help they need and have specific eligibility criteria in place which must be met if theyre to be awarded disability living allowance.

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One person was killed and three people injured after two small planes collided in Colorado.

The two aircraft, a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300, crashed on Sunday morning when the pilots were trying to land at an airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

A small Cessna was on final approach to the airport when it was struck mid-air by a second small plane, Morgan County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

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Two people were on board each plane when they collided at around 10:44am near Fort Morgan Municipal Airport in north-east Colorado, the sheriffs office said.

One of the planes caught fire in the sky, while the other was heavily damaged.

Images showed one aircraft had been reduced to a mound of black ash, with just one wing and part of the tail still visible.

Emergency responders reported seeing black smoke and active flames, according to dispatch audio recorded on the Broadcastify website. At least one person was trapped in one of the planes, according to the recording.

Images show black smoke in the distance shortly after the collision

Those nearby attempted to try and extinguish the fire before the fire department and first responders arrived on the scene.

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The two people on board the Cessna walked away with minor injuries. One person on the Extra EA300 died, the other was taken to hospital with injuries.

The two occupants of the Cessna sustained minor injuries and were released at the scene, the sheriffs office said.

One occupant of the other plane was transported to a local hospital, while the fourth individual was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Morgan County Coroners Office.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA will help the local authorities with an investigation into the crash.

The airport was closed temporarily following the crash

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DAVIESS COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)  One person was injured after a multi-vehicle accident in Daviess County on Saturday.

Two motorcycles were traveling west on State Road 58 near County Road 700 E before one of the motorcycles slowed down for a turning vehicle, causing the one of the motorcycles to rear-end the second motorcycle. The second motorcycle then went into eastbound lanes where the driver and motorcycle were struck by an additional vehicle.

The motorist was the transported to the hospital with multiple injuries.

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The Indiana State Police are reconstructing the accident. The Daviess County Sheriffs Office is leading the investigation.

The accident remains under investigation at this time.

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OKLAHOMA CITYAn online complaint form is now available for Oklahomans seeking help with denied open record requests.

Under the new system, Oklahomans can file a complaint when government agencies deny or ignore open records requests. The unit serves as an independent reviewer and provides expert analysis of requests, offering mediation services at no cost if needed. Within 60 days of receiving a complaint, the counselor works with both parties to ensure compliance with Oklahomas Open Records Act.

Since taking office more than two years ago, I have been fighting for more transparency, accountability and ethical governance in our state, said Drummond. Oklahomans had no legal recourse if a government agency wrongfully denied their records request, unless they pursed costly litigation. This broken system has silenced legitimate requests and excluded everyday Oklahomans who simply cant afford long legal fights. Attorney General Gentner Drummond

The new form is part of the work of the newly established Public Access Counselor Unit created this year by House Bill 2163. The legislation outlined an independent review process for denied public records requests and, importantly, gave the Attorney Generals office authority to seek legal enforcement when government entities fail to comply with open records laws.

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  This week marks the start of a new school year, and the Ontario County Sheriffs Department is expanding its resources to ensure students get to and from school safely.

Deputies will follow school buses in all Ontario County districts to ensure motorists stop while students get on and off the bus. Deputies will also be posted in school zones to monitor the speeds of vehicles traveling through the area.

These precautions will be essential for not only students, but also drivers traveling on Route 332 and Route 96, where one local businessman, owner of Bombace Wine and Spirits, Don Bombace, has noted several vehicle accidents over the years due to speeding, low visibility, confusing signals, and jaywalking.

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Ive been here for over 25 years now with Bombays wine and spirits, and I see crashes regularly here, Bombace said. Its not every day, but however, I would say once every one to two months, there is a crash, if not someone getting hit by a carIf students are crossing this road, its very dangerous. I advise not to walk through this intersection if you can avoid it. Its just not safe for people walking across the street until they change the traffic device and slow things down and make it more visible.

Bombace has been trying to get the New York Department of Transportation to take action to make the intersection safer for drivers and pedestrians since 2024.

Violations for failing to stop for school buses and speeding in a school zone range from points on the offenders license to monetary fines.

The Sheriffs department advised drivers to give themselves enough time to reach their destinations in the mornings, as school begins, so they are not tempted to speed or pass a stopped school bus.

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OpenAI researcher Miki Habryn gave up her dream job in San Francisco to move her family to Stockholm, Sweden, prioritizing stability for her six-year-old daughter over her career in cutting-edge AI. Habryn said leaving the U.S. came with grief after years at Google and OpenAI, but the chance to provide her daughter Steffi with a secure home and schooling outweighed staying in an America with shifting political ideologies.

Miki Habryn can finally sleep at night. For many months, in the run-up to and after President Trump had won the election, that wasnt the case.

Up until June this year Habryn was living what many would call the American dream. She had a job at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in artificial intelligence. Her pay was comfortably in the six-figures, and she owned a house in San Francisco, the first city she had ever lived in which felt like home.

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Her six-year old daughter, Steffi, was enjoying school and her wife, Eden, was thriving in her career as an artist.

But the family couldnt shake their concern about the direction U.S. politics was moving in. While Habryn was born in Poland and raised in Australia from the age of five, her partner and child had only ever known life in the States.

When President Trump returned to the Oval Office, the family made the decision to leave San Franciscoand Habryns dream joband move to Stockholm, Sweden. There they hope to stay indefinitely.

Habryn said she made the choice to leave the the U.S., where she had lived since 2007, one night in March. She said: My wife was traveling on the East Coast and I was home with Steffi. And something about that particular night, I was awake worrying about things which was not uncommon, and I just got to the point of: Its time to go, I cant just stay here and do nothing, but doing anything comes with such terrible risks for me because of my status.

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If I came to the attention of, or got arrested by the federal authorities, the outcome of that could be tragic. It turns out that my wife, on the same day, reached the same conclusion.

Habryn explains the status she refers to: During the campaign it was immigrants and transgender people that was occupying the airways and since Im both, theyve got me coming and going effectively.

The family are not alone in their decision to leave Trumps America. While its hard to pin down the number of people leaving the U.S. every year (the Department of State previously told Fortune it does not keep such records) in 2024 applications from Americans to live in the United Kingdom alone spiked 26% compared to a year prior. More than 6,100 Americans applied for British citizenship last year, a record number.

Immigration experts also previously told Fortune their phones had been ringing off the hookparticularly since that infamous Trump and Biden debate, when many people felt the fate of the November election had been decided. Montreal-based immigration experts Moving2Canada, for example, saw inquiries spike in both 2016 and 2020 and in 2024 saw enquiries triple in volume after the Trump vs. Biden debate.

Life at OpenAI

Habryn is no stranger to working in Americas tech elite: She moved to the U.S. originally to work for Google in Mountain View where she stayed for the next 12 years. Her experience at OpenAI, where she worked from May 2024 to July 2025, is a familiar story to many in Big Tech: An intense atmosphere, wonderful people and riveting work.

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Its challenging, Habryn said. I think its exciting but I was lucky enough to have a lot of security and confidence in my own abilitiesI think without that it would have been very, very hard.

The prospect of losing her dream role in the research department of one of the worlds most-talked about companies was a key issue which held Habryn back from making the move earlier. While her team was supportive of the decision, ultimately the legalities of Habryns work meant it couldnt move with her.

It was really hard, she said. That was probably the reason it took me as long as it did to make the decision, because honestly I had this period of grief stepping away from this. Ive been working in tech for a long time  and really the only thing I want to be working on is AI.

It was hard and I didnt love making that decision but, ultimately, it was just a question of priority.

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Habryn is confident she will find interesting work when she needs to, and the family are settling into their newly purchased home in Stockholmthe family doubt they will ever return to the U.S. That comes with guilt, Habryn says: I buy the narrative that you should fight for the things that you believe in and that there is value to staying and fighting for that. If it were not for Steffi, I think we would have.

Ultimately her six-year-old daughter is their focus: We set aside a lot of things that we love to do [because] we want Steffi to have a routine, a stable home, a stable school and all those things. The hardest thing about this whole move has been worrying about the impact on her and so the priority was that we dont want to do this again, were going to move once, and we want to put down roots and spend the next 15/20 years there.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
In July, Florida Republicans launched the brutal Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center deep in the Florida Everglades with great fanfare. Soon, the Trump administration was championing it as a model it wanted to replicate across the country. But less than two months later, the camp is being dismantled and emptied of detainees.

The Department of Homeland Security says it is moving detainees out of the facility in compliance with a district judges order after ruling that it violated federal environmental law. The dissolution of the tauntingly named detention center is a blow to Republican efforts to supercharge the Trump administrations dehumanizing mass deportation program. And its a sign of how the GOP hits walls when it prioritizes spectacle over practicality.

The idea behind Alligator Alcatraz was that it would be so deeply isolated in the Everglades that it would be impossible to escape and such an awful place to be detained that it would encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport. The compound was set up in just eight days and is surrounded by 39 square miles of swampland teeming with alligators and pythons. According to The Hill, detainees have complained about maggot-filled food, flooding floors, insects everywhere, and poorly functioning air conditioning. A former employee at the detention center described the cages people were kept in as an oversized kennel.

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At least three lawsuits challenged the existence of the Everglades detention center. One lawsuit, brought by environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe, argued that the construction of the center violated federal law because it proceeded rapidly without public input or an environmental impact assessment. Another lawsuit brought by civil rights groups argued that detainees constitutional rights were being violated because they were being held without charges and were denied access to legal counsel. (A third lawsuit from a civil rights group claimed that there were problems surrounding the opaque conditions under which the detainees were being held that were previously unheard-of in the immigration system.)

The environmentalists lawsuit was effective. On Aug. 21, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction blocking further expansion of the detention center and effectively called for it to be dismantled within 60 days. Williams said she was upholding legislation designed to protect the Everglades, as my colleague Jordan Rubin explained:

Williams wrote in her preliminary injunction ruling that, for example, the Florida panther has lost 2,000 acres of habitat as a result of the facilitys construction and use of intense lights disturbing the habitats of these nocturnal creatures, and that several witnesses testified about how the facilitys light pollution has adversely affected their ability to observe the night sky.

Florida officials are appealing the ruling. But in the meantime, the facility is winding down. Gulf Coast News reports that trucks are transporting equipment and supplies out of the detention center and that vans and buses leaving the facility appeared to be transporting detainees.

This isnt a civil rights win against what was happening at Alligator Alcatraz  its an argument that the way the thing was built was reckless and hazardous for the environment. Nonetheless, its a setback to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agenda to serve as the tip of the spear of Trumps mass deportation regime using far-fetched schemes designed to attract attention. It also looks like an awful waste of time and money  The Associated Press estimates Florida could be on the hook for $218 million for the construction of the facilities.

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Of course, the main cost exacted by Alligator Alcatraz has been on the migrants who have been detained there in conditions that robbed them of their dignity and rights and imperiled their health. Sick stunts like Alligator Alcatraz also cause a moral injury to the country as a whole by normalizing the idea that its acceptable to treat human beings as props in a stunt meant to degrade and deter.

Like the old Alcatraz prison, Alligator Alcatraz is heavy on the spectacle of domination and light on practicality. (Trump wants to reopen and expand the old one, it should be noted, after it was shut down in the mid-20th century because it was so expensive and difficult to maintain.) What these facilities do is tell a story about how people in power believe certain categories of people deserve to be treated with a special kind of cruelty. Its frustrating that the lawsuit arguing that people dont deserve such treatment wasnt the one that got them out. But in this case, a lawsuit focusing on environmental protection had the same effect.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
More than 2 million Americans live in long-term care  a nursing home, assisted living or other residential care facility. Many of us may pay regular visits to a family member, friend, or neighbor, who lives in a long-term care home. We hope our loved ones are well cared for.

But far too many long-term care residents do experience threats to their health, safety and quality of life, such as abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and theft. In fact, average rates of elder abuse have increased in the U.S. by 84 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Older Americans Act, this year celebrating its 60th anniversary, encodes protection of the rights of long-term care residents and preserves their quality of life, dignity and safety.

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It is a key part of the system that exists to protect all older adults in the nation by providing critical services that help people live in their communities and protect those who are most vulnerable who live in licensed care settings such as nursing homes.

The Older Americans Act authorizes funding for critical programs such as Meals on Wheels, accessible transportation services, elder abuse prevention and response, and family caregiver support, for example.

These and other activities funded by the Act serve one in six older adults, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

One longstanding program that works to protect the rights of individuals living in licensed care homes is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

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Operating in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, trained, paid and volunteer ombudsmen last year conducted 380,000 visits to more than 50,000 long-term care facilities.

Those visits investigated more than 205,000 complaints and provided more than 710,000 instances of information and assistance to residents, family members, concerned individuals and facility staff.

Long-term care ombudsman representatives help address serious complaints, including involuntary discharge or eviction, physical abuse, neglect, poor staff response to requests for assistance, inadequate or poor medication management, insufficient quality or quantity of food and many other issues.

However, funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and other services authorized by the Older Americans Act has not kept pace with the growth in our population of older Americans. Federal funding falls far short of meeting the needs of all long-term care residents.

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According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Congressional Research Service reporting, just 1 percent of funding authorized under the act is designated for grants for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Prevention Programs, about $28 per capita.

In 1995, the National Academy of Medicine recommended a minimum of one full time ombudsman for every 2,000 long-term care residents. Today, according to data collected by the government, nearly half of all states do not meet that 30-year-old standard.

Long-term care ombudsman representatives in every state are providing a voice to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, who often are unable or afraid to raise issues or complaints themselves.

Long-term care residents can experience feelings of a loss of independence and increased loneliness or feelings of isolation, on top of the physical, emotional or cognitive challenges.

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Ombudsmen have a proven track record of resolving issues residents face by identifying early signs of abuse and neglect, and intervening to protect older adults from further harm, leading to fewer emergency room visits and unnecessary hospitalizations.

Long-term care residents deserve, and are legally entitled, to receive stable, high quality care that upholds their dignity and respects them as individuals.

Americans agree  public opinion surveys show overwhelming concern about poor conditions in Americas nursing homes, and support federal investment in long-term care.

Congress can demonstrate that it is sincerely interested in reducing the burden on our regulatory system, lowering health care costs and protecting older Americans, by reauthorizing the Older Americans Act and increasing funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

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Caring for, and protecting the rights of our elders is a moral imperative that all lawmakers must prioritize.

Patricia Hunter is the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman and the president of the National Association of State Ombudsman Programs.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
As Labor Day arrives, our country celebrates the backbone of our economy: Americas working men and women whose dedication and excellence keep us strong and free.

The residents of Utah can also celebrate their states dedication to safeguarding the rights of workers. Thats because the Beehive State is one of 26 states with a right-to-work law, a commonsense and straightforward  not to mention extremely popular  protection for workers.

Under right-to-work, no employee can be forced to join a union, or required to pay union dues or fees, as a condition of employment. This enables each and every individual worker to decide for themselves, just as they should, about their union membership and financial support.

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Unions are free in Utah to persuade workers to voluntarily join their ranks, but unlike states without right-to-work protections, union officials cannot threaten workers to pay up or be fired.

Over the last three decades, polls have consistently shown that 80% of Americans believe all workers should have right-to-work freedoms. Even 79% of current union members agree that union membership and dues payments should be voluntary, according to a poll conducted last year by RMG Research, widely-cited pollster Scott Rasmussens firm.

Fortunately, since 2018, an even larger number of employees enjoy right-to-work freedoms. In addition to the 26 right-to-work laws on the books, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its landmark decision in Janus v. AFSCME, a case argued and won by attorneys at the National Right to Work Foundation, that the First Amendment protects government employees from being required to fund union activities.

Its good news for employees that right-to-work protects each workers freedom of choice, but its good news for states and their communities as well.

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According to analysis from the National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR), Department of Labor statistics show private sector employment in right-to-work states grew by 16.4% in the last decade (2014-2024). Thats more than double the stunted growth over the same period in states that permit forced dues. Manufacturing payroll jobs grew by 10.4% in right-to-work states, while these high-paying jobs actually declined in forced-unionism states.

Additionally, the NILRR analysis found that after adjusting for regional cost-of-living differences, people in right-to-work states have roughly $2,400 more in per-capita disposable income than their counterparts in forced-unionism states. Right-to-work states also enjoy a lower percentage of residents depending on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families federal welfare program, and far more authorizations for new, privately-owned, single-family housing.

Business experts consistently rank the presence of a right-to-work law as one of the most important factors companies consider when deciding where to relocate or expand, creating new jobs and opportunities in those states. Its no surprise that right-to-work laws lead to better economic performance.

Without forced dues, union officials must be more responsive to workers direction, or else risk losing their financial support. This incentivizes union brass to put workers interests first, rather than focusing on political power and personal gain. Meanwhile, with forced dues union bosses can ignore members, knowing ultimately they will have to fund the unions activities just to keep their job.

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No worker should be forced to join or pay money to an organization he or she has no interest in supporting. This is the rule churches, civic associations and every other private organization in the country must abide by, and unions  made up of individual workers who freely choose to band together  should be no different.

This is why right-to-work laws are important. The economic benefits are a nice feature, but at heart, this is a matter of principle, of fundamental rights.

So lets celebrate Utahs protections for workers rights this Labor Day, because here, a worker can choose whether or not they want to support a labor union. This creates exactly what every American should want: more freedom and prosperity for all.
On this Labor Day, more than any in recent memory, there is widespread bipartisan support in Congress and across America for the right to be in a union.

Unions are as popular now as they have ever been and theyre even receiving support from Republicans in Congress like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley. Yet the labor law thats currently on the books  the Wagner Act of 1935  isnt strong enough to protect workers who want to unionize.

The basic problem is straightforward: Employers dont want their workers to unionize and are generally willing to fire union supporters to stop a union drive. That means that trying to form a union means risking your job, which is a risk that most workers rationally dont want to take. Thats especially true when the law is too weak to provide recourse to pro-union workers who do get fired.

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The combination of hostile managers and weak labor laws equals very low unionization rates  in fact, the share of workers who are in a union is below what it was before we had any labor laws. These low union rates account for a great deal of the economic and political inequality that plagues American life.

Building a labor law that actually enables workers to form unions requires a lot more than tinkering with the existing systems. Regardless of party, lawmakers who are serious about making sure workers have a clear path to joining a union need to support reforms more fundamental than any weve seen since the New Deal.

These changes would take a two-step approach to tackling the root problems with organizing a union. First, make it easier for workers to unionize and win a collective bargaining agreement even if their employers oppose those efforts, and second, reduce the incentives for employers to fight union organizing drives in the first place.

To accomplish the first goal, Congress must increase penalties on employers that fire pro-union workers, limit employers ability to engage in union busting, and change the rules of collective bargaining to make it more likely that workers can win a contract. Many of these proposals are contained in the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which passed the House twice when Democrats last controlled the chamber, but has languished in the Senate.

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Passing the PRO Act is just the start, however. One powerful idea would be to flip the default. Rather than assuming (as we do under current law) that workers want to be nonunion, we could start with the equally plausible assumption that workers want to be union. In such a system, wed still hold union elections. But, like in politics where voters choose between representatives, workers would vote on which union they want to represent them not whether they want representation. And to ensure real freedom of choice, workers could run organizing campaigns to get rid of union representation altogether  if thats what they prefer.

Labor law can also help reduce the reasons employers oppose unionization in the first place by changing the way unions and employers bargain contracts. Currently, workers in the U.S. who want to form a union must do so at their individual workplace or their individual employer. For example, if McDonalds workers want a union, theyd have to organize one at a single McDonalds restaurant. But if that McDonalds is the only fast-food restaurant in the area to be unionized, then it likely would need to pay its workers more in wages and benefits than its local competitors.

But in many developed economies, unions organize and bargain across an entire industry, not individual businesses. In this sectoral bargaining regime, no firm in a market is disadvantaged by being union because every firm in the market is covered by the union contract. Thus, no firm needs to see their workers organizing as an existential threat to their ability to compete.

Labor law reform, moreover, cant just be about private sector workers, especially given the critical role that public employees have played in the labor movement. Congress therefore needs to fix a loophole in our laws that President Donald Trump has exploited to weaken federal unions. Using what was supposed to be a narrow exception for workers on the front lines of national security, Trump has denied almost 1 million federal employees collective bargaining rights. Any new labor law reform should include a new and clearer exception that is limited to just those workers traditionally excluded from the federal sector collective bargaining system  those working for the CIA, NSA, DEA, subdivisions of the Defense Department and the Treasury, and other employees in the intelligence field.

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Speaking of the president, earlier this year, Trump fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, a Joe Biden appointee, years before the end of her term. When Congress created the board in 1935, it assumed that the board would be an independent agency, but an NLRB populated by appointees serving at the pleasure of the president is a different animal. The Supreme Courts conservative majority has consistently granted Trump the power to jettison the independence of agencies like the NLRB (defying decades-old precedent). New labor laws must address these implications. While its unclear what form a federal labor authority should take in this new context, future reform should consider alternatives  such as granting workers a private right to sue employers  so theyre not dependent on a politically biased agency.

Finally  and here there may be less bipartisan agreement  we need to shore up unions ability to act politically. Without unions working as political actors, American workers would not be protected by minimum wage and overtime laws, antidiscrimination laws, or health and safety laws, nor would they enjoy the legal right to time off from work for family and medical emergencies. Unions secure these bread-and-butter protections for American workers through collective bargaining, yes, but also through electoral politics. And in a political system awash in corporate money, it is shortsighted to think that unions can do their job exclusively through collective bargaining.

As Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote more than 60 years ago, the political activity of unions is activity indissolubly relating to the immediate economic and social concerns that are the raison detre of unions.

Across party lines, Americans support unions. If Democrats in Congress continue to stand up for labor rights, then it would only take a handful of Republicans to create the majorities needed to pass the reforms outlined in this piece. If Republicans are serious about supporting workers and their unions, then they need to stand up and address the root causes of the current systems failures. For years, lawmakers on both sides have promised to fight for the working class. But words are not enough. Now is the time for action.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
On Labor Day, we affirm that everyone should have the freedom to seek employment wherever they choose, and should never be bullied or harassed for exercising that freedom.

Americans should be able to get a job and go to work without, for example, being swarmed by knife-wielding Teamsters who trap them in vans for hours.

Unfortunately, that is not an exaggerated hypothetical, but a real situation that nearly 40 Boston-area Republic Services workers recently found themselves in as they pulled up in vans to a waste management facility being picketed by the Teamsters union.

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Teamsters-controlled garbage collectors in Boston went on strike in July, leaving trash piling up across the city. To prevent a dangerous public health situation and to attempt to serve its customers, Republic hired workers to conduct periodic trash pickups while it negotiates with the Teamsters officials.

But as a group of these workers arrived in vans at a Republic facility in Revere, Mass., they were descended upon by a swarm of Teamster thugs who slashed the vans tiers with knives, scratched it with keys, and threatened the workers inside.

According to a legal complaint filed by the company, the Teamsters constructed a makeshift barrier with buckets and two-by-fours and trapped the vans for three hours. This happened in full view of the Revere police, who, according to the complaint, took no immediate action.

The judge who heard Republics complaint also felt no action was warranted, even though the company detailed example after example of Teamsters militants blocking worker-operated garbage trucks on busy highways, cutting trucks brake lines, spraying cleaner on windshields to block drivers views, flashing strobe lights to blind drivers, and subjecting drivers to threats and abuse.

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The striking Teamsters expect to be shielded from consequences at work, since the union has demanded amnesty for its members as part of negotiations. And with the police and courts looking the other way, it is likely they wont face any legal consequences either.

Violence, threats, and the destruction of property have long been union tactics. But these tactics put peoples lives at risk. Workers have been beaten and killed for working during union strikes, and even for working in areas a union considered to be its turf. Unionized local police often ignore the problem.

Congress passed the Hobbs anti-extortion act so that federal charges could be brought in situations where local law enforcement refuse to act. But theres a problem: According to a 5-4 Supreme Court decision in the controversial 1973 U.S. v. Enmons case, the Hobbs Act doesnt apply to violent extortion committed in pursuit of legitimate union organizing objectives.

Union bosses can therefore order their union thugs to attack workers and destroy equipment in the hopes that an employer will capitulate at the bargaining table or a group of employees will agree to unionize  two outcomes which promise more dues revenue for the union.

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Thats exactly the kind of extortionate tactic the Hobbs Act was meant to deal with, but the Enmons precedent blocks the way.

Union violence is an ongoing problem, made worse by politicians and a legal system that refuse to intervene. Boston city officials have even threatened fines if the garbage isnt collected soon  fines not against the strikers or the union, but against Republic Services!

Some political leaders dont tolerate union violence. Congressman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) has introduced a bill called the Freedom From Union Violence Act, which closes the Enmons Supreme Court loophole so that union bosses will once again have to fear prosecution under anti-extortion laws when they use violence for their own financial gain.

Every member of Congress who supports Americans right to work without being attacked or threatened by union militants should support Perrys bill.

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Mark Mix is president of the National Right to Work Committee.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
After a rocky start to the special legislative session on transportation Aug. 29, lawmakers came back Aug. 31 prepared to compromise

SALEM  A bill to stave off hundreds of layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation, pay for road infrastructure projects and temporarily boost funding to public transit agencies moved forward Sunday, Aug. 31, after a rocky start.

Republican lawmakers who were absent and upset Friday about the Democrats proposal to pay for it  by raising gas and payroll taxes, increasing vehicle license and registration fees, and charging electric vehicle owners per-mile road use fees  showed up Sunday, following negotiations on several provisions of the bill. One key change would end the proposed payroll tax increase after two years. The payroll tax flows to public transit agencies to run trains and buses.

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What fees and taxes would change under the proposed transportation package?

* A gas tax increase from 40 cents to 46 cents, effective Jan. 1, 2026 is expected to raise $90 million a year. The gas tax is split among the state and local governments, with half of the tax for the state, 30% for counties and 20% for cities.

* An increase in annual registration fees from $43 to $85 for passenger vehicles; $63 to $105 for utility vehicles, light trailers, low-speed vehicles and medium-speed electric vehicles; and $44 to $86 for mopeds and motorcycles.

* Increasing title fees for passenger vehicles from $77 to $216.

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* Doubling the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% until Jan. 1, 2028.

* An increase to registration surcharges for electric and highly fuel-efficient vehicles, from $35 to $65 annually for cars with a 40-plus miles-per-gallon rating, and from $115 to $145 annually for electric vehicles.

* Phasing in a mandatory road usage charge program for electric vehicles by 2031. Electric vehicle drivers have been able to opt into the OReGO program and pay 2 cents per mile in exchange for lower registration fees, and the proposed change would mandate electric vehicle drivers participate in that program or pay a flat $340 annual fee.

Members of the Joint Special Session Committee on Transportation Funding voted along party lines 7-5 to send the amended transportation funding package to the House floor. The House is scheduled to vote on the package on Monday, with a final vote in the Senate anticipated Wednesday.

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The committee  which began nearly an hour late  went on for more than four hours, and included about two hours of public testimony before lawmakers asked questions of legislative experts and debated various amendments to the bill.

Lawmakers introduced more than a dozen amendments, but only two passed. One would allow the Department of Administrative Services to tweak gas taxes on everyone, and weight mile fees on trucks, to meet the Oregon Constitutions requirement that light- and heavy-duty vehicles equitably pay for roads  two-thirds of costs paid for by light vehicle owners, and one-third paid by heavy vehicle owners  but it specifies that the agency can only adjust these taxes and fees to go down, not up. This is a change from earlier versions of the bill that would have allowed the agency to get to an equity ratio by raising those taxes and fees on light or heavy vehicles.

The second amendment sunsets the payroll tax increase  from .1% to .2% on Oregonians and employers  on Jan. 1, 2028. A previous version of the bill did not have an end date on the tax increase. Despite supporting the amendments, Republicans remained opposed to the overall bill.

Today, its Labor Day weekend, and were talking about doubling a payroll tax on Oregon workers. I cannot in good conscience do that. I cannot do that right now, said House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby.

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Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, countered that consistent investment in public transit with the payroll tax, which first began in 2017, has expanded public transit services across the state and continuing to invest in it is the best way for lawmakers to help Oregonians lower their costs.

Oregonians who can downsize the number of cars they own, pay less car insurance, pay less gas, dont have car payments, dont have as much maintenance, dont pay for parking  those are ways that we can reduce the cost of living for Oregonians, she said.

Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, described the temporary payroll tax increase as a bridge while lawmakers further discuss transportation funding issues for public transit.

If we do this, we have a sunset that comes due in 28, and we have to talk about it, and we have to have a solution to replace it, she said. There has to be a trigger, or there has to be something that allows us to make sure that we can have full transit in the state of Oregon for both the rural and the urban areas, for the seniors, for the handicapped and for people that just should not be driving.

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Dozens of people came to testify on the bill, many of whom expressed frustration that so much had been pared back from the original House Bill 2025 package proposed during the long legislative session, and that lawmakers had done so little with the information theyd gleaned from the 2024 transportation listening tour theyd taken across the state.

Others expressed frustration that the tax and fee increases proposed by Democrats will burden already struggling Oregonians, and that the legislatures process for producing the package through an emergency special session was a mess. The bulk of written comments opposed the proposed tax hikes, while the majority of in-person testimony supported the passage of the bill.

Let me be clear, a transportation package must pass. Without it, our roads, bridges and essential infrastructure will fall further into disrepair. Oregon cannot afford that, and neither can Yamhill County. But let me also be clear, this package is a prime example of why I refuse to affiliate with either political party, David Bubba King, a Yamhill County Commissioner, told lawmakers. Even if you call this bill a compromise, the truth is the process has been dysfunctional.

Many who testified were upset at Gov. Tina Koteks absence.

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Kotek canceled her planned Labor Day vacation and is in the state, according to Roxy Mayer, the governors spokesperson. For her security, the office would not disclose Koteks location, but Mayer said in an email the governor is closely monitoring the proceedings and has been communicating with lawmakers since the special session began.

Since the adjournment of the legislative session, the governor and her team have worked every day with lawmakers, local partners, and stakeholders to maintain the basic transportation services Oregonians rely on, Mayer said HB 3991 has the support of a broad coalition, and she is focused on seeing the funding proposal cross the finish line.

 This report first appeared on Oregon Capital Chronicle, oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
With President Donald Trump threatening to straighten out Chicago and flood the city with federal law enforcement, local groups in the city are preparing to respond.

Organizers in Chicago already had plans for a Workers over Billionaires rally  one of nearly 1,000 similar rallies taking place across the country on Labor Day  long before Trump announced his intention to militarize American cities. But now those threats have become the focus.

The Chicago Teachers Union, which is leading the rally, has prepared a plan that includes educational materials so residents know their rights, a family safety network and a patrol.

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Ive seen L.A., and Ive seen Washington, D.C., and the pretext is always this phantom undocumented individual. And then after they established the pretext, they set up shop in Black communities, and they violate the constitutional right of Black citizens, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates told MSNBC.

Davis Gates said she mostly fears for the safety of the citys youth should a federal takeover happen, which she said would be scary. She added that the Trump administrations plans would not serve the community.

The federal government can do a lot to help Chicago, Davis Gates said. Were not asking for a militarized force. Were asking for SNAP benefits to be restored. Were asking for the Department of Education to be funded and resourced so that special education children have recourse when their school districts fail to educate them appropriately.

The Trump administration has reportedly already requested that a military base near Chicago be available to provide support for immigration operations in the area.

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As of Thursday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he received no calls from the White House, from the federal government, from anybody who might be in charge of some sort of troop movement.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul told MSNBCs Ana Cabrera on Wednesday that there are prerequisites to federalizing the National Guard and said no circumstances exist that would require Trump to send the National Guard into Chicago.

We didnt elect a king, he added. We elected a president.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
JHANG, Pakistan (AP)  Emergency workers in Pakistan's Punjab province used drones to find people stranded on rooftops by massive floods as the government expanded its rescue operation with more than 900,000 evacuated, officials said Monday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain in Punjabs flood-hit districts and elsewhere in the country, where weeks of above-normal rainfall and the release of huge volumes of water from dams in neighboring India last week caused rivers to overflow into low-lying regions.

Authorities say Punjab, the country's most populous province, is facing its biggest floods on record.

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In Multan and Jhang districts, residents on Monday waded through floodwaters carrying their belongings to roadsides and higher ground. They said they had waited for rescuers before crossing on their own nearly 5-foot (1 1/2-meter) -deep water to reach safety, while many others remained stranded.

Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 900,000 people from more than 3,100 flood-hit villages, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. More than 600,000 farm animals were also moved to safety, he told a news conference.

We are handling an unprecedented situation, and we are responding to Punjab's biggest-ever floods by using the latest technology and all available resources to save lives, Kathia told The Associated Press. The Punjab government said drones were deployed this week in Multan, Jhang and other districts.

Our priority is to save lives and ensure a steady supply of essential items to survivors, Kathia said. The deluge has swamped Narowal, Sialkot and Kasur districts while entire villages have been submerged in Jhang and Multan.

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Everything is gone

On roadside embankments, displaced families complained of being abandoned.

We have been destroyed. Everything is gone in the flood, said Haleema Bibi, 54, who fled her damaged home in Jhang with seven relatives. They now shelter under the open sky without tents or food.

Whatever we had to eat has nearly finished. You can see how miserably we are living, she told The Associated Press.

Allah Ditta, a farmer from the same district, said he and his neighbors slept on plastic sheets and carts. Rescuers came once by boat, but no one has brought us supplies. We keep looking to the road, hoping someone will come with help, he said.

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Farmer Malik Ramzan said authorities advised villagers to move to safer places, but no rescue camps were established. He said robbers often loot abandoned houses, another reason he chose to remain in his flooded home in Rajanpur district.

Authorities in Punjab say they had set up more than 1,000 relief camps, but government figures show that only about 36,550 evacuees are housed in them. It is unclear where the vast majority were staying.

Evacuations also took place in southern Sindh province, where Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah warned of a possible super flood of the Indus River if water levels top 900,000 cubic feet per second.

Heavy rains and a sudden cloudburst on Monday inundated several neighborhoods in Islamabad, leaving roads under water and vehicles stranded, according to local media reports. Television footage showed the main streets of the Pakistani capital transformed into streams as cars struggled to move through the floodwaters.

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Deadly floods also hit northern Indian states

Officials blame the catastrophic flooding on weeks of heavier-than-normal monsoon rains, compounded by cross-border waters released from Indias swollen rivers and dams last week. The Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers rose simultaneously, inundating swaths of farmland and villages.

India had alerted Pakistan about the water release, marking the rivals first public diplomatic contact since a military crisis brought them to the brink of war in May.

Punjab, home to some 150 million people and the countrys main wheat-growing region, has recorded 41 flood-related deaths in 10 days  far fewer than the catastrophic 2022 floods  but damage is widespread.

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Pakistans weather center said Punjab received 26.5% more monsoon rainfall between July 1 and Aug. 27 compared with the same period last year. Nationwide, at least 854 people have died in rain-related incidents since late June.

In India, at least five people were killed in landslides triggered by torrential rain in northern Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh states, officials said Monday. Rains lashed several parts of India's Punjab state that borders Pakistan, prompting authorities to shut schools and colleges until Wednesday.

Last month, at least 125 people were killed and scores injured in floods in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Pakistans monsoon season typically lasts until the end of September.

___

Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan and Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India, contributed to this report.
COGAT, Israel's military agency, stated that the PA is responsible for supplying water in the West Bank. Israel transfers 90 million cubic meters annually, blaming shortages on Palestinian theft.

Palestinians in the West Bank are facing severe water shortages that they say are being driven by increasing attacks on scarce water sources by extremist Jewish settlers.

Across the West Bank inPalestinian communities, residents are reporting shortages that have left taps in homes dry and farms without irrigation.

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In Ramallah, one of the largest Palestinian cities in the West Bank and the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, residents facing water shortages are now relying on public taps.

"We only get water at home twice a week, so people are forced to come here," said Umm Ziad, as she filled empty plastic bottles with water alongside other Ramallah residents.

The United Nations recorded 62 incidents of Israeli settlers vandalizing water wells, pipelines, irrigation networks, and other water-related infrastructure in the West Bank in the first six months of the year.

A Palestinian boy fills a water bottle from a public water point, in Ramallah in the West Bank, July 22, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman)

The IDF acknowledged it has received multiple reports of Israeli civilians intentionally causing damage to water infrastructure, but that no suspects had been identified.

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Among the targets have been a freshwater spring and a water distribution station in Ein Samiya, around 16 km (10 miles) northeast of Ramallah, serving around 20 nearby Palestinian villages and some city neighborhoods.

Settlers have taken over the spring that many Palestinians have used for generations to cool off in the hot summer months.

Palestinian public utility Jerusalem Water Undertaking said the Ein Samiya water distribution station had become a frequent target of settler vandalism.

"Settler violence has escalated dramatically," Abdullah Bairait, 60, a resident of nearby Kfar Malik, standing on a hilltop overlooking the spring.

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"They enter the spring stations, break them, remove cameras, and cut off the water for hours," he said.

The Ein Samiya spring and Kfar Malik village have been increasingly surrounded by Jewish Israeli settlements. The United Nations and most foreign governments consider settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law and an obstacle to the establishment of a future Palestinian state.

According to the United Nations' humanitarian office, settlers carried out multiple attacks targeting water springs and vital water infrastructure in the Ramallah, Salfit, and Nablus areas between June 1 and July 14. The Ein Samiya water spring had been repeatedly attacked, it said in a July report.

Israeli security forces view any damage to infrastructure as a serious matter and were carrying out covert and overt actions to prevent further harm, the Israeli military said in response to Reuters' questions for this story. It said the Palestinian Water Authority had been given access to carry out repairs.

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Kareem Jubran, director of field research at Israeli rights group B'Tselem, told Reuters that settlers had taken control over most natural springs in the West Bank in recent years and prevented Palestinians from accessing them.

Settler violence

Palestinians have long faced a campaign of intimidation, harassment, and physical violence by extremist settlers, who represent a minority of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank. Most live in settlements for financial or ideological reasons and do not advocate for violence against Palestinians.

Palestinians say the frequency of settler violence in the West Bank has increased since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.

They say they fear the rise in settler violence is part of a campaign to drive them from the land. The United Nations has registered 925 such incidents in the first seven months of this year, a 16% year-on-year increase.

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Since the Hamas terrorist attacks, which sparked the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians have advocated for Israel to annex the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Reuters reported on Sunday that Israeli officials said the government is now considering annexing the territory after France and other Western nations said they would recognize a Palestinian state this month. The Palestinian Authority wants a future Palestinian state to encompass the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians in the West Bank have long struggled to access water. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority exercises limited civic rule in parts of the territory and relies on Israeli approvals to develop and expand water infrastructure. Palestinian officials and rights groups say that's rarely given.

B'Tselem said in an April 2023 report that Palestinians were facing a chronic water crisis, while settlers have an abundance of water.

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"The water shortage in the West Bank is the intentional outcome of Israel's deliberately discriminatory policy, which views water as another means for controlling the Palestinians," B'Tselem wrote in the report.

Costly deliveries

Across the West Bank, water tanks are common in Palestinian homes, storing rainwater or water delivered by trucks due to an already unreliable piped water network that has been exacerbated by the settler attacks.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees policy in the West Bank and Gaza, said in response to Reuters questions that the Palestinian Authority was responsible for supplying water to Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel transferred 90 million cubic meters of water to the Palestinian Authority each year, it said, blaming any shortages on water theft by Palestinians.

Along with traveling long distances to collect water, Palestinians have become reliant on costly water deliveries to manage the chronic water crisis that they fear will only grow.

"If the settlers continue their attacks, we will have conflict over water," said Wafeeq Saleem, who was collecting water from a public tap outside Ramallah.

"Water is the most important thing for us."
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Michigan marked Labor Day with parades and walks Monday.

The Mackinac Bridge Walk drew large crowds as usual, with some 33,000 people hoofing it over the iconic landmark, according to the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Among them was U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, who led the event.

It was a picture-perfect day, with bright blue skies and a mild breeze, Bridge Director Kim Nowack said in a statement. About 33,000 people enjoyed this beautiful day and walked the bridge, with roughly 3,000 more participants taking the trek than in 2024.

Thousands of people take part in the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk at the Mackinac Bridge on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority) A view of the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk as seen from a Michigan State Police helicopter on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy MSP) A firefighter carries an American flag at the Mackinac Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mark Brummel) The Mackinac Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority) U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township (in tan hat), leads the Mackinac Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority) The Mackinac Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority) The Mackinac Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025. (Courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority) The annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. (Sept. 1, 2025)

The walk has been held annually since 1958, though it was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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The bridge was closed all morning to facilitate the event and reopened shortly before noon.

Union leader: Labor Day still a rallying point

In West Michigan, the smaller Saugatuck-Douglas Labor Day Bridge Walk returned this year with a new, extended route that was redesigned for safety. Led by a Douglas police cruiser, walkers started at Beery Field, went up Washington Street, under the Blue Star bridge and then across the bridge both ways before returning on the same .8-mile route.

The Saugatuck-Douglas Labor Day Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025.

The Saugatuck-Douglas Labor Day Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025.

The Saugatuck-Douglas Labor Day Bridge Walk on Sept. 1, 2025.

Donations from participants supported the Saugatuck recreation department.

In Muskegon, West Michigan United Labor hosted its annual parade, which ended in a celebration at Hackley Park. The event aims to bring together unions, workers, families and the community to show support for working people everywhere.

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Nancy Boxer, a lifelong Muskegon resident, said she comes to the Labor Day celebration every year.

Labor Day is thinking of all the people that have put their hard work into everything that they do every day at their job, she said. I love the people, love the crowds (at the parade). I love the respect that we have for our unions.

If you work a 40-hour week  thats because of the union. You get your paycheck  thats because of the union, another Muskegon resident, Richard Cross, said. (The celebration) means a lot to me. Look at all these kids here: Theyve got an opportunity somewhere. Thats what labor means.

A Labor Day parade in Muskegon on Sept. 1, 2025.

Martha Bader lives in North Carolina, but was vacationing in Muskegon when she found out about the parade.

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So much of what we have today, weve had to fight for. The only way to fight for it is in a union because one person cant stand up for themselves. You have to stand together. You have to have collective bargaining and a democratic process to kind of show up and make sure people get a fair wage and fair benefits, Bader said. Right now, I live in a very not-union-friendly part of the country and it makes me feel so proud to see people celebrating labor here, to see a Labor Day parade that has mostly unions in it. Its very emotional for me.

In Grand Rapids, a parade honored the Greatest Generation, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

You can send us your Labor Day photos using the ReportIt feature on our website.

News 8s Tessa Kresch and Adriana Doria contributed to this report.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Passengers were forced to relieve themselves in water bottles on board a Virgin Australia flight to Brisbane after the toilet facilities malfunctioned.

Flight VA50 took off on Thursday (26 August) from Denpasar, Bali, for an almost six-hour journey to Brisbane, with one of the bathrooms already out of order.

The decision was made to proceed with the flight rather than cancel it, as there was limited engineering support in Denpasar at the time.

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After takeoff, two further toilets ceased working. Passengers were on a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which typically only has three toilets: one at the front, and two at the rear.

During the last hour and 40 minutes of the flight, all toilets were unusable.

One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public, a passenger told The Australian.

Midway through the flight, every toilet failed.

The passenger said that eventually cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or on top of whatever was already in the toilet.

One lavatory also started to seep urine onto the floor, filling the plane with a foul smell, they told the publication.

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Virgin Australia confirmed that the toilets had issues on the flight, but did not address passengers using bottles to relieve themselves.

A Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories, a spokesperson told The Independent.

We sincerely apologise to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board.

We will be crediting guests for the Denpasar to Brisbane flight, and we are proactively reaching out to them to provide this update, they added.

It is unclear what caused the toilets to become out of order, but Virgin Australia said this is being investigated.

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While the Virgin Australia flight arrived at its destination on time, toilets can often be the cause of delays or cancellations on other journeys.

In March this year, an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi was forced to turn back around after eight of the 12 toilets on the aircraft were clogged.

An investigation later found that the toilets were clogged by polythene bags, rags and clothing that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing, the airline said.

With restrictions on night operations at most European airports, the plane decided to divert back to Chicago.

The plane was near Greenland when it reversed course, meaning passengers endured a flight just under 10 hours, only to land back where they started.

Read more: Could the new EU entry-exit system lead to air travel gridlock?
Patricia Stottlemyer (Courtesy photo)

Another Labor Day is upon us and in anticipation of that, Oxfam, the global nonprofit that works to fight inequality and end poverty and injustice, has released the seventh edition of its Best States to Work Index. The index tracks 27 policies across three dimensionswages, worker protections, and rights to organizethat support low-wage workers and working families, and as has been the case for some time now, the index reports that North Carolina ranks among the worst states for all workers (and women workers in particular). And recently Newsline caught up with Oxfam Americas Senior Domestic Policy Advisor Patricia Stottlemyer to learn more.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Patricia Stottlemyer.
(Texas Scorecard)  Attorney General Ken Paxton has slammed Texas Supreme Court and Fifteenth Court of Appeals for what he described as a blindly political attempt to aid fraudster Robert Francis Beto ORourke.

This comes after the Supreme Court denied Paxtons request to reverse the Fifteenth Courts decision to halt discovery and delay a hearing in the case.

As reported by Texas Scorecard earlier this month, Paxton escalated his legal fight against ORourke, filing an amended petition to strip the corporate charter of his group, Powered by People.

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Paxton accused the organization of deceptively fundraising and doling out Beto Bribes to Democrat lawmakers who fled the state to break quorum during the first special legislative session this summer.

On Tuesday, the newly-established Fifteenth Court of Appeals asked the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to respond to a 75-page petition for writ of mandamus filed by ORourkes group, which sought emergency judicial intervention to block the enforcement of trial court orders.

However, the OAG was given less than 30 hours to respond.

This reportedly impossible deadline forced numerous OAG employees to stop all other work to address the request, including preparing an emergency motion for an extension of time with the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, a petition for writ of mandamus in this Court, and an emergency motion for temporary relief in this Court.

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Within minutes of the OAG filing its response, the Fifteenth Court issued an order that put on hold both an upcoming September 2 hearing and discovery for that hearing.

Following the decision, Paxton took to X, detailing his next steps.

Im urging the Texas Supreme Court to reverse a flawed, unprecedented ruling protecting Beto ORourke, Paxton wrote. I will stop at nothing to ensure Beto and his radical organization are held accountable to the full extent of the law.

The OAG then filed a letter to the Texas Supreme Court arguing that such a decision is unprecedented and seeking relief.

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Under the guise of an administrative stay, the Fifteenth Court effectively granted Real Parties mandamus petition less than 24 hours after it was filed and without providing the State an opportunity to respond, wrote Solicitor General William R. Peterson on behalf of the OAG.

Paxton also announced the emergency filing on his website in an official statement.

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals has put its finger on the scales in a blindly political attempt to aid fraudster Beto ORourke, and that decision should immediately be overturned, Paxton wrote.

This completely unprecedented order, which was done with zero regard for the Texans whove been scammed by Robert Francis, is a gift to Beto designed intentionally to allow him to resume his deceptive scheme without allowing my office to respond, he continued. Its an insult to the people of Texas, an affront to our judicial system, and a disastrous precedent if allowed to continue without being reversed.

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On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court denied Paxtons petition for relief.

In response, he again posted to X, blasting the entire judicial system.

What we are witnessing in Texas right now is a constitutional crisis being orchestrated by activist judges on the Beto-loving Fifteenth Court of Appeals, said Paxton. Beto said, f*** the rules, and these unelected justicesScott Brister, Scott Field, and April Farrisare helping him do just that with his unlawful bribery scheme.

Brister, Field, and Farris serve as justices on the Fifteenth Court. All three were appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

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Paxton proceeded to address the Texas Supreme Courts role in the matter.

Whats worse is that the Texas Supreme Court just made a ruling refusing to stop the appeals courts insane decision to help Beto, he continued. We must stop Beto from buying off our politicians and the judicial activism allowing it to happen.

Neither partys attorneys responded to Texas Scorecards request for comment in time for publication.

If you or anyone you know has information regarding judicial malfeasance, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@protonmail.com.
10:35 p.m UPDATE: West Beach Drive is open

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB)  The Panama City Police Department is currently on the scene of a crash.

According to authorities, all traffic on West Beach Drive from Florida Avenue to 6th Street is currently being diverted.

Authorities urge motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes if possible.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
Recently, I came across a post from a now-deleted user on the popular Ask Reddit page asking, "What historical event 100% reads like a time traveler went back in time to alter history?" and people's answers ranged from lighthearted and funny postulations to absolutely fascinating facts. I thought some of the answers were just too cool not to share, so here are some of the best!

1."The number of times we DIDN'T go to nuclear war because of a false positive of a launch. Honestly, Stanislav Petrov should have statues in every country."

Scott Peterson / Getty Images

u/AustinJG

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"This event could easily have resulted in the highest casualties in the shortest time period in human history. Actually, forget human history, the greatest mass death since the extinction of the dinosaurs. One man was at the helm making that decision, and it seems like one of the few points in human history where by some slim sliver of luck or fate, a great disaster was averted.

Time travel vibes like whoa."

u/deleted

"Stanislav Petrov, the man who saved the world. He only died in 2017. They should have given him the Nobel Peace Prize."

u/queenhadassah

2."Fidel Castro. Every single assassination attempt failed, sometimes because of wildly miscellaneous circumstances, including a sabotaged diving suit that somehow got 'miraculously switched' with someone else, who ended up drowning in his place. Dude holds the world record for over 600 attempts, I believe."

Bettmann / Getty Images

u/Demiscio8

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"Or the CIA agents reporting were making shit up to cover up that they spent the entire time drinking rum, smoking cigars, and getting laid."

u/aconditionner

3."Leonardo da Vinci. He could have been trying to get the attention of other time travelers by saying, 'Hey, I'm stuck back here.'"

Pictore / Getty Images

u/Fickle_Penguin

"I can believe this. He's like a modern dude trying to reverse engineer things he's used to seeing in a bid to remain sane."

u/Travel_Jellyfish_5

4."The cyanide gas attack that was thwarted in the Tokyo subway. 20,000 people could have died, but a worker found a burning gas bag in a toilet just before it mixed with another poisonous gas bag  just in time  and put them out. That was in Shinjuku Station. I was in that station that day, and that person might have saved my life."

Dukas / Getty Images

"Probably not time travel, but very good timing."

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u/Idkeepplaying

5."Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived both the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His reads like a satirical time-traveler story where the protagonist screws up his dates."

Jemal Countess / Getty Images

u/deleted

6."Franz Ferdinand's assassination. It had so much happenstance, shenanigans, and tomfoolery that it's like a special achievement in a hitman game."

Brandstaetter Images / Getty Images, Universal History Archive / Getty Images

u/RigasTelRuun

7."The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky was sentenced to death by firing squad, and just as they were preparing the groups to be shot, a messenger came with a letter from the Tsar 'forgiving' them and the sentence was changed to prison labor. He later went on to write some of the most influential novels of all time."

Fine Art / Getty Images

u/smokeyman992

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"In school, we learned that he was actually never going to get shot; the Tsar just wanted to scare him and others like him. It was planned like that from the beginning."

u/TRES_fresh

8."Edgar Sengier. He stockpiled uranium in New York, which just happened to be where it was needed, when it was needed, for the Manhattan Project to build the bombs they dropped on Japan."

Historical / Getty Images

u/slower-is-faster

9."Isaac Newton discovered calculus, the laws of motion, and the fundamentals of optics all by himself. A time traveler must have paid him a visit."

Fine Art / Getty Images

u/sd_glokta

10."Special Order 191. In 1862, General Robert E. Lee's orders to his generals regarding the invasion of the North were dropped by a courier near Frederick, Maryland. A Union soldier happened upon them wrapped around some cigars, recognized them as important, and sent them up the chain of command."

Historical / Getty Images

"Finding these orders was instrumental in the Union victory at Antietam, which gave Lincoln the political clout he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation (which, in turn, helped keep England and France from aiding the South). It also quite probably prevented the Battle of Gettysburg from occurring sooner and from having a very different outcome.

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It's not a stretch to say that it's entirely possible the South would've won the US Civil War had it not been for Special Order 191, and it sounds like a deus ex machina in a bad story."

u/cerebus19

11."Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame) moved with his parents to Miles Road, Epsom at Surrey. When they entered their new house, there was one thing inside: an acoustic guitar. Jimmy Page was 12 years old by this time. To those who don't know, Jimmy became one of the greatest guitarists of all time."

Michael Putland / Getty Images

u/joaaluucas

12."Star Trek actress Jeri Ryan attending a charity event in 1990 as a blackjack dealer led to Joe Biden becoming president of the US in 2021."

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Albert Ortega / Getty Images, Bloomberg / Getty Images

"At the event, she met and later married Jack Ryan, eventually divorcing him in 1999. In 2004, it came to light that Jack was making rather inappropriate sexual requests during their marriage.

This causes him to withdraw from the US Senate seat race for Chicago that year. Barack Obama takes the seat, then later runs for President, taking Joe Biden along as his VP. Biden later uses that profile to run for the big job himself.

So thanks to a blackjack game in 1990, the US now has former President Joe Biden as a leader."

u/EmperorOfNipples

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13."No one is talking about the assassination of Julius Caesar. A woman literally showed up and warned him on multiple occasions that something horrible was going to happen on that exact day, but he didnt listen. She 100% went back in time and tried to change the fate of one of the most famous people in history!"

Heritage Images / Getty Images

u/MrSaxbang

14."J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, which is quite a curiosity considering a little rhyme he wrote once. How did that go? 'Three for the Elf Lords under the sky, Seven for the dwarves in their halls of stone, Nine for mortal men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.' It's either a time traveler, God having a sense of humor, or we're all living in a simulation and that's an Easter Egg."

Bettmann / Getty Images

u/glory_of_dawn

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15."John Muir. He was working in a machine shop late when debris got in his eye. Later, he mysteriously regained his vision just in time for sunrise, then he moved west and became one of those guys who wander the forest to live alone. He lettered Teddy Roosevelt as a tree-hugging vagrant to check out the forest in modern-day Yosemite, and sure as shit, Teddy read one of his letters and actually fucking went. Long story short, that's how we have the national parks."

Bettmann / Getty Images

u/Any_Ad4565

16."If you wanted to go back in time to try and destroy the world with a one-two punch, you could hardly do better than Thomas Midgley Jr. He was the guy who invented both highly toxic leaded gasoline and ozone-destroying Freon."

Historical / Getty Images

u/moodpecker

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17.And finally, "the death of Pyrrhus of Epirus, cousin of Alexander the Great and one of the best generals in history in his own right. Fought against and beat the fledgling Roman Republic numerous times. He was trying to subdue Greece so he could rule it as his own and was besieging the city of Argos. The walls had been breached, and close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat filled the streets. Pyrrhus was fighting an Argive soldier one-on-one."

Dea / Getty Images

"He happened to be fighting this soldier in front of the house of the soldier's mother. When she looked out and saw her son fighting the king himself, she got scared for him and threw a roof tile at Pyrrhus.

It hit him right on the top of his head. His neck was broken, and he was left unconscious on the ground. A bunch of soldiers were still too scared to finish it until finally, one came up and decapitated him."

u/KVirello

So, what d'you think? Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments below  or, share your own it's-gotta-be-a-time-traveler theory (just for fun). If you want to write in but prefer to stay anonymous, you can check out this anonymous form! Who knows  your story could be included in a future BuzzFeed article.
A petrol station owner installed his own number plate recognition cameras after accusing incompetent police officers of doing nothing to catch thieves.

Goran Raven, 49, spent 12,000 on number-plate and facial recognition cameras after experiencing drive-off fuel thefts at his forecourt near Romford, east London. He estimates that he had lost more than 30,000 in the four years before getting the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed.

The businessman said he was forced to take action after he stopped reporting thefts to his local Essex police force, who he said are institutionally incompetent.

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Mr Raven claimed the police view fuel theft as low-level crime, and said there has been an 80 per cent reduction in thefts since the cameras were installed around nine months ago.

Screen showing images of cars at the pumps from ANPR cameras at Mr Ravens petrol station in Romford Essex - James Linsell Clark / SWNS

He said: Most police forces dont take these things as serious crimes.

They view it as low-level crime. These tend to be county lines criminals  we are literally fuelling crime.

The ANPR system works with AI, comparing the plates of vehicles using pumps at the forecourt with those on the DVLA system.

If a number plate is registered to a different car than the one its attached to, an alert is sent to the store and the pump can be stopped immediately.

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The system also stores number plates for drivers who have stolen fuel before, so the pumps can be turned off when one is identified.

Mr Ravens CCTV cameras capture a man wearing a face mask making off without paying for petrol - Goran Raven / SWNS

Mr Raven, whose family have operated the Shell petrol station since 1929, says he grew frustrated by the alleged inaction of Essex Police to chase and prosecute criminals.

He said: I would go as far as calling police forces institutionally incompetent on this issue.

We are a little village, surrounded by green fields and you wouldnt think you would get targeted by criminals like we do.

We stopped reporting crimes to the police about three or four years ago.

I would provide names and addresses of shoplifters... But it was a waste of time.

Phenomenally successful

Mr Raven also invested in facial recognition cameras around nine months ago to deter shoplifters at the Budgens store on his forecourt.

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Its phenomenally successful, he said. We wont confront the customer [when it highlights them as a shoplifter].

We offer them great customer service, asking if they need help with anything: thats normally enough for them to swear at us and walk out the door.

We are never going to stop all shoplifters, but people see the sign and walk away. Its a great preventative measure.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: The number of making off without payment offences has almost halved in the last year.

Our specialist Business Crime Team work with businesses of all kinds to tackle persistent offenders and take measures to protect their business, and the force has secured more than 3,000 charges for theft from a shop offences in the last year alone.

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There are a number of steps businesses in the sector can take to prevent non-payment of fuel and we will work with businesses to implement crime prevention.

Because we value our neighbourhoods, including our hard-working local businesses, we increased the size of our Neighbourhood Policing Teams at the start of April and since then they have secured more than 900 charges.

All the while reported crime has fallen across the county and in the first half of 2025 we achieved a 10 percent increase in charges secured compared to the same period last year.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Joining other demonstrators across the U.S., protestors gathered in Nashville Monday morning to organize for labor rights.

Two of top 10 cities with the highest crime rates in TN

In Centennial Park, the Workers Over Billionaires demonstration, organized in part by the May Day Strong coalition, demanded five action items:

Stop the billionaire takeover corrupting our government. Protect and defend Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people. Fully funded schools, and healthcare and housing for all. Stop the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, and all our communities. Invest in people not wars.

(Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN)

Chants referenced President Donald Trump and signs referenced Tennessees upcoming special election for the 7th District, which came after Rep. Mark Greens retirement announcement earlier this year.

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Protestor Cynthia Cheatham spoke to several reasons for her attendance, including what she called the rapid erosion of Americans rights, and what she thought the next best steps were to address concerns.

I think were going to have to take our government back from some of this insanity thats now running it, Cheatham told News 2. I think were going to have to elect people who believe in individual freedoms and were going to have to start trying to repair the damage that theyve done.

Murfreesboro Police Department supports school district with Backpack Program

Cheatham also referenced concerns about increased activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the U.S. The agency partnered with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in early May to conduct a public safety operation in Nashville and questions still remain, with advocate organizations suing for access to records from the Department of Homeland Security.

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These are not criminals. Theyre hard workers. We need them. Our economy is collapsing. Our democracy is collapsing, Cheatham added. Theres just too much fear and Im not going to be governed by fear.

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A plane carrying the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was targeted by GPS navigation jamming while trying to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, a spokesperson for the commission told CNN.

The commission received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia, said European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podesta.

The Kremlin has denied the allegation, with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying claims of Moscows involvement were fake, calling it paranoia from Europe during a press conference on Thursday.

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The plane landed safely, the European Commission spokesperson said. A source familiar with the situation told CNN the pilots landed the plane using paper maps.

Von der Leyen and the commission have been staunch supporters of Ukraine as Kyiv tries to defend itself against Russias unprovoked aggression. She was one of the European leaders who attended US President Donald Trumps summit on Ukraine and has consistently urged EU member states to allocate more resources to helping Ukraine.

The incident occurred as the president was about to land at the Plovdiv International Airport in the south of Bulgaria, part of her tour around member states in the eastern part of the bloc to rally support for Ukraine.

This incident underlines the urgency of the presidents current trip to frontline Member States, where she has seen first hand the every day threats from Russia and its proxies, Podesta told CNN.

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She later added the flight was a charter and that it was unclear whether the attackers intended to target it directly.

CNN has reached out to the Bulgarian authorities for comment.

GPS interference that causes disruptions to flights and maritime traffic has long been among the tools in Russias hybrid war arsenal.

Authorities in Scandinavian and Baltic states have said repeatedly that Russia has been regularly jamming the GPS signal in the region. After a team of researchers in Poland and Germany closely studied GPS interferences for a period of six months starting June 2024, they also concluded Russia was the perpetrator, and that Moscow was using a shadow fleet of ships and its Kaliningrad exclave to do so.

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The European Union has previously sanctioned several Russian state-linked entities and individuals for being behind jamming incidents.

This will further reinforce our unshakable commitment to ramp up our defense capabilities and support for Ukraine, the spokesperson added.

The trip to Bulgaria was part of von der Leyens tour of several European Union states that border Russia, Belarus and the Black Sea.

The trip was meant to show strength and unity as Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities and sabotaging any attempts to reach a ceasefire deal.

The president visited Latvia and Finland on Friday, Estonia on Saturday, and Poland and Bulgaria on Sunday. She was rounding up the trip on Monday, visiting Lithuania and Romania.

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Speaking in Bulgarias capital shortly after the plane incident, but before it became public, von der Leyen said Europe needed to keep up the sense of urgency.

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence, she said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Anna Chernova and James Frater contributed reporting.

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Aug. 31HURON  The United States' 250th birthday is expected to be a big party in 2026.

And for South Dakota, Platte Creek Brewing Company is providing the beer.

On Saturday at the South Dakota State Fair, the small-town brewery from Geddes formally unveiled the special brew called "Dakota Liberty" that will represent South Dakota as the official beer of the semiquincentennial.

Platte Creek Brewing owner Doug Dykstra told the crowd on Saturday at the Freedom Stage that Dakota Liberty has been a staple on the Platte Creek lineup for a while. Normally, it's known as Dakota Light.

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"It was chosen because it's an American lager, brewed with pilsner, and has a corn base to it. It's light in weight, light in color, and perfectly built for South Dakota," he said.

Being selected as the state's official beer for the semiquincentennial was a case of being in the right place at the right time, Dykstra said.

"They were looking and we gave them samples at the right time to get on their radar," he said. "They had a few different ones that they were choosing from and they tried Dakota Liberty. ... I think they preferred being able to have an established beer, rather than one we were trying to create from scratch."

As Dakota Liberty, the beer will be used as a fundraiser for the South Dakota State Historical Society, with a portion of each sale going to the organization.

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"They definitely wanted something lighter, something that the general public could easily enjoy," Dykstra said.

He said he's most excited for Platte Creek Brewing to be able to participate in more statewide events as part of the 250th anniversary celebration, which is expected to run through the 2026 State Fair.

"We're super excited about that being our beer and being on tap at different places around the state," he said. "For us, we're a small-town brewery and I think it represents that South Dakota is a small-town community. We love that part of it."

The Platte Creek brewery has been open since 2021 in the small town of 250 people. The brewery's location is more than 100 years old and previously housed a hardware store before its extensive renovation. Dykstra pointed out to the crowd that the brew team includes a history teacher, a doctor and a farmer that all help bring the beers to life at Platte Creek, something he said is emblematic of small-town South Dakota.

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Saturday's event included Dykstra's wife Jo Ellen and son Carter helping unveil the new branding on a huge display of a beer mug. The logo includes South Dakota America's 250 branding, which includes a buffalo silhouetted against a Badlands-like landscape.

Dykstra said the beer will likely be more widely available around the state starting in December.

"We look at ourselves going to some of the bigger events around the state, whether that's in Rapid City or Aberdeen and bringing our beer there to share with people," Dykstra said. "We'll have Dakota Liberty and there will be some merchandise as well, and the proceeds of those support a good cause in the Historical Society."
CHICAGO (WGN)  A 14-year-old boy was shot on the West Side of Chicago Sunday evening, police say.

According to Chicago police, the teen was in the 1500 block of South Christiana Avenue just after 5 p.m. when someone approached him, pulled out a firearm and fired shots.

The victim was shot in the arm and hand, police say. He was transported to an area hospital in good condition.

There are no suspects in custody. Detectives are still investigating.

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Police in an Ohio city apprehended a man accused of damaging property with bullets during target practice.

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The University Heights Mayor, Michael Dylan Brennan, shared a post on social media thanking the Shaker Heights police for taking the man into custody.

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The man was engaging in target practice with a firearm in his backyard, and a bullet damaged a property on Hadleigh Road in University Heights, according to the post.

The man was apprehended on Fairmount Boulevard in Shaker Heights by officers with the Shaker Heights, South Euclid, Beachwood, and University Heights police departments.

No one was injured as a result of the incident, according to the post.

The timely and coordinated response led to a positive outcome, Brennan said in the post.

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Aug. 31GRAND FORKS  Grand Forks Police Department staff are asking residents to check their security cameras after a man was shot in the 500 block of Fourth Avenue North early Sunday morning, Aug. 31.

According to a report from the GFPD, the department received multiple 911 calls of gunshots in that area at approximately 4:30 a.m. The report said responding officers arrived to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported by ambulance to Altru Hospital, and as of late Sunday morning, his condition was unknown.

Witnesses reported possibly seeing a dark-colored sport utility vehicle leaving the area, but that information is not yet confirmed by the GFPD.

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"The Police Department would ask anyone who lives in this area to check any security cameras they may have in their homes for any footage that may assist in the investigation," the report said. "Additionally, anyone that may have direct information related to this investigation is asked to please contact the Police Department."

The GFPD can be reached by phone at 701-787-8000 or through the department's Facebook page. Tips can also be submitted via the Tip411 app.
(WJET/WFXP)  One New York man is now in custody after leading police on a chase that crossed state lines.

On Sunday, August 31, officers with the Jamestown Police Department were patrolling as part of a Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative when they saw a car with no plates driving around 1:45 a.m.

Millcreek man involved in 2024 standoff pleads guilty to firearm offense

According to police, when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver fled at a high rate of speed. Officers pursued the car until it crossed over the Pennsylvania state line.

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The report states that Jamestown police officers then contacted the Pennsylvania State Police, who were able to find the car and continue the pursuit.

Man arrested after causing over $7K in damages during attempted burglary: Jamestown PD

The car chase eventually ended with 25-year-old Frank Strohauer Jr. being taken into police custody.

Strohauer was issued uniform traffic tickets for the following: reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation, speed not reasonable and prudent, failing to keep right, failing to stop at a stop sign, improper/no signal, inadequate/no lights, unregistered motor vehicle, uninspected motor vehicle and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.

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The Jamestown man was released to PSP for out-of-state charges and will appear in the Jamestown City Court at a later date.

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The National Police of Ukraine have confirmed that the man who attacked MP Andrii Parubii disguised himself as a courier and made sure the victim was dead after committing the crime.

Source: Ivan Vyhivskyi, Chief of National Police, on Telegram

Details: The National Police posted the first photos of the detained suspect. Vyhivskyi stressed that this crime was not random and that there is a Russian connection involved.

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Quote: "He spent a long time preparing, watching, planning and finally pulling the trigger. It took us just 36 hours to track him down and arrest him.

He disguised himself as a courier and opened fire on the politician in broad daylight on 30 August. Eight shots. Cold-blooded brutality. He even made sure the victim was dead. Then he tried to cover his tracks  he changed his clothes, disposed of the weapon and tried to hide in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

But he could not escape. Around-the-clock work by the Lviv police and the central apparatus of the National Police yielded results; the audacious killer has been detained and the necessary evidence collected."

Suspect being arrested

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Photo: National Police of Ukraine

Update: Mykola Meret, Head of Lviv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, served a 52-year-old Lviv resident who was detained with a notice of suspicion in the murder of a member of parliament.

He stated that "the suspicion is based on objective evidence indicating that the detained person committed the murder of a member of parliament".

His actions have been classified under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely: Article 115.1 (intentional murder) and Article 263.1 (unlawful handling of weapons).

The suspect at the police.

Photo: OPG

Investigative actions with the suspect are ongoing. Searches are underway at his places of residence and stay.

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An application to the court is being prepared for a preventive measure in the form of remand in custody without the possibility of bail.

Previously: On the night of 31 August-1 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a suspect in the murder of Andrii Parubii had been arrested. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the suspect had been detained in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

Background:

On 30 August, Parubii was murdered in Lviv.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that an unknown man fired several shots at the politician, killing him instantly. The attacker fled the scene. A special police operation codenamed Siren was launched in the city to locate and apprehend the murderer.

Zelenskyy said Parubii's murder had been carefully planned.

As of 30 August, the identity of Parubiis killer had not yet been established. The murderer fired about eight shots at the victim from a short-barrelled firearm on Yefremova Street in Lviv on 30 August. No connection with the murder of linguistics professor and former MP Iryna Farion has so far been found.

Parubii will be buried on 2 September at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.

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China News Service: Large-scale demonstrations and protests in Jakarta and other places in Indonesia ramped up and caused casualties. President Prabowo Subianto canceled his planned trip to China for the SCO Tianjin Summit and other events. Whats Chinas comment?



Guo Jiakun: We noted the latest developments in Indonesia and believe that under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian government has the ability to properly handle the domestic situation and restore stability at an early date. China hopes Indonesia will take effective measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese institutions and personnel in Indonesia.

China understands and respects the Indonesian governments decision, in light of its domestic needs, regarding participation in the SCO Tianjin Summit and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China welcomes Foreign Minister Sugiono to attend the Summit and commemoration events as the representative of President Prabowo.

CCTV: On August 31 local time, an earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan, causing heavy casualties and property loss. Whats Chinas comment? Will China offer the country assistance?



Guo Jiakun: China is closely following the deadly earthquake in Afghanistans eastern province of Kunar. We mourn for the lives lost in the earthquake in Afghanistan and our hearts go out to the bereaved families and the injured. We believe that under the leadership of the Afghan government, the Afghan people will recover and rebuild from the disaster. China will do what it can to provide help in light of Afghanistans needs.

China Daily: Recently, some Pacific Island countries have suffered from the largest and severest dengue fever outbreak in 10 years. Has China offered assistance to them? Could you share more details?



Guo Jiakun: Health cooperation is an important part of Chinas cooperation with Pacific Island countries. China is closely following the latest dengue fever outbreak there and has taken measures to actively help the countries fight the disease. Right after the outbreak, we provided supplies and financial support to Tonga, Samoa, and other worst-affected island countries. We offered testing reagents and products for mosquito control to Tonga, and protective suits, face masks and gloves to Samoa. Not long ago, Leung Chun-ying, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the GX Foundation, visited Vanuatu and Fiji. He launched a program in Vanuatu to fight dengue fever and donated mosquito and fly control products and rapid testing reagents to communities in the two countries. China has also sent medical teams on long-term missions to seven Pacific Island countries, actively contributing to the improvement of public health and the development of healthcare services there. During this outbreak, the Chinese medical teams have stayed on the front line, worked with local medical staff to save patients, and shared knowledge on how to prevent and control the disease.

Chinas selfless assistance is appreciated and widely recognized by the local governments and people. In light of the developments of the disease, China will continue to do its best to provide support and assistance to the Pacific Island countries in need.

Reuters: What time will the military parade on Wednesday start?



Guo Jiakun: Id refer you to the press center for detailed arrangement of the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
According to the statement, four businesses sold alcohol to a minor who was working with the Southern District Police in Eilat under their Youth Division.

Four Eilat businesses were exposed for selling alcohol to minors in an undercover operation that included the use of an underage operative, the Israeli Police said on Monday.

According to the statement, the four businesses sold alcohol to a minor who was working with the Southern District Police in Eilat under their Youth Division.

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During the operation, a minor was recruited as an undercover agent and supervised by the police. The agent attempted to purchase alcohol from various businesses around the city, the statement read.

An investigation was initiated, and the individuals involved in the sales were summoned for questioning. An administrative closure order was imposed on the businesses for a period of five days.

The police also clarified in the statement that selling or supplying alcohol to minors under the age of 18 is a criminal offense, which is accompanied by an administrative procedure that can lead to financial penalties for the business.

General view of Eilat resorts (credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/HENRIK SENDELBACH)

Human trafficking gang uncovered in Southern Israel

Crime in Southern Israel is still a concern for the police, as several human trafficking gangs have begun transporting women through the Jordanian border for a life of prostitution in Israel, as reported by N12 in July.

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According to the report, the women are promised luxury apartments in Tel Aviv, high salaries of up to NIS 65,000 per month, and a secure future - but are being met with a very different reality.

The victims are taken mainly from Eastern Europe and South America, countries upended by war and or extreme poverty. According to another report by the Assaf Association, an aid organization for refugees and asylum seekers in Israel, about 850 Ukrainian women have been forced into prostitution in Israel since the beginning of the war.

Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.
Atlanta teen shot and killed, mistaken for intruder in his own home

Atlanta police are working to find a man who shot and killed a teenager in a southeast Atlanta neighborhood early on Monday morning.

Officers told Channel 2s Eryn Rogers that the incident happened at a home on Mulberry Row, near Browns Mill Road.

Atlanta Police Lt. Andrew Smith, from the homicide unit, told Rogers that the victim was a 16-year-old boy who was coming home late.

The teens mothers significant other thought the teen was an intruder and shot and killed him, according to Smith.

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The man is now on the run and police are looking for him to continue their investigation.

Neither the victim or suspect has been identified.

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YORK, Pa. (WHTM)  A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a violent incident more than a week ago in downtown York.

The arrest was made in connection with an Aug. 22 incident where LGBTQ+ members reported they were harassed and attacked.

York City Police say 22-year-old Devin Harbaugh, of York, was arrested Friday. He was released from custody on a $50,000 unsecured bail. He is charged with one count of aggravated assault which is a felony in the first degree and one count of strangulation, a second degree misdemeanor.

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The York County District Attorney says there is a substantial video evidence showing the harassment and assault. When the incident first occurred  York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow vowed to investigate it to the fullest degree along with the department and government as a whole.

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He even notified the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

Now that charges are filed, Muldrow releasing another statement, thanking the community for its assistance stating in part; York has no time and no tolerance for hate of any kind. I cant say it enough (and I wont even try), thank you York!

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The York County District Attorney also released a statement stating in part We determined these charges were appropriate based solely upon an analysis of the evidence obtained through the police investigation and applicable law.

Court documents show surveillance video recorded Harbaugh grabbing onto the victims neck, putting them into a chokehold. A witness had to pull Harbaugh off before police arrived. The victim appeared to be unconscious for 17 seconds.

Harbaughs preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 12.

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The Cincinnati Police Department says one person is dead after a shooting in Millvale.

The shooting happened around 4 p.m. Sunday on the 2000 block of Millvale Court.

A Cincinnati police sergeant said police found a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. who was declared dead at the scene.

Police said they have a cooperative witness, but no suspect information at the time.

The cause of the shooting is unclear, but the Criminal Investigation Section is investigating.

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This is the second deadly shooting in Cincinnati in less than 12 hours. Two people were killed and two more hospitalized during a shooting in Mount Washington Sunday afternoon.

Enquirer media partner Fox 19 provided this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 1 person dead in Millvale shooting, police say
Polish Defence Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has warned against becoming accustomed to Russias war against Ukraine, stressing that such complacency could amount to Moscows greatest victory.

Source: European Pravda, citing Polsat News

Details: Speaking at events commemorating the outbreak of World War II, Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised that despite fatigue, difficulties and emotions, Russias war against Ukraine should not be treated as something ordinary.

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He said that people were dying in Ukraine, including children, and that bombs were falling on nurseries, kindergartens and hospitals.

Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that becoming desensitised to the war would be the worst and greatest victory of the empire of evil.

He underlined that the outcome of the war in Ukraine is also decisive for Polands security.

"I know that with the passage of time sensitivity fades, but the national imperative cannot be overshadowed by fatigue or disillusionment. This is an obligation to Westerplatte and an obligation to the people of Westerplatte: the soldiers of the Polish Army," Kosiniak-Kamysz added. [Westerplatte in Poland is where the first battle of World War II took place.]

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Background:

Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for determination and solidarity from Europe and the whole of the West in the face of Russian aggression.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the war in Ukraine could last for a very long time.

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Dr. Tammy Hoffman: "The survey shows that a substantial share of the public - nearly one-third - is opposed to addressing matters relating to the war and other political issues in the classrooms."

Nearly one-third of the Israeli public believes controversial subjects such as the war and divisive social issues should be kept out of classrooms, according to an Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) poll released Monday, the start of the school year.

The poll asked which controversial subjects should be emphasized by teachers in a classroom setting, with options including ways of freeing the hostages; freedom of speech and the right to protest; haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft into the IDF; the justice system; equality; and the humanitarian plight in Gaza. However, while 24% said that all of these issues should be addressed equally, 31% said they should all be avoided.

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When divided up between Jews and Arabs, 24% of both respondents agreed they should all be discussed equally. However, 32.5% of Jewish respondents said all of these subjects should simply be avoided, compared to 22% of Arabs.

There is a further divergence in responses on party lines, with nearly half (45%) of those on the Right think all the controversial subjects should be kept out of classrooms, compared to pluralities of those on the Left (37%) and center (28%), who think classrooms should address all controversial subjects equally.

"The survey shows that a substantial share of the public - nearly one-third - is opposed to addressing matters relating to the war and other political issues in the classrooms," said Dr. Tammy Hoffman, head of the IDI's Education Policy program.

View of an empty classroom at a school in Jerusalem, during a strike, on September 1, 2024. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

"This is a concerning trend, suggesting that much of the Israeli public thinks schools should not be engaging in difficult discussions. The education system should be a place in which students are given age-appropriate tools to understand the realities outside the classroom and engage respectfully with people who disagree with them. This is critical, now more than ever."

What is the major challenge in Israeli education?

A notable divide was present when respondents were asked what the biggest issue is in Israeli education.

In total, half (50%) of all Israelis said the biggest problem was the teaching crisis, specifically the shortage of teachers and the quality of education. This was reflected by a majority (55%) of Jews. For Arab respondents, however, the most pressing issue for a plurality (35%) of respondents is bullying and violence in the classroom.
A flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists on more than 20 boats returned to the Spanish city of Barcelona on Monday after meeting bad weather, the organizers said.

"Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass," they posted on Instagram. The Global Sumud Flotilla had left the city's port on Sunday.

A spokesman told Spain's El Pais newspaper that the voyage would resume on Monday evening if possible.

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The Global Sumud Flotilla aims to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population. "Sumud" means steadfastness in Arabic.

Its organizers say that it is the largest action of its kind to date.

The activists aboard include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who participated in a similar voyage aboard the Madleen earlier this year.

Israeli troops boarded the vessel 200 kilometres off the coast on June 9 and took it to Ashdod, an Israeli port to the north of the Gaza Strip. Thunberg and other activists were then deported.

Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. An attempt by an Italian vessel in July was also prevented.

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On its website, the Global Sumud Flotilla says its goal along with partner organizations is: "to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people."

Dozens of boats will converge on Gaza, it says.
By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo gave a high-profile private audience to a prominent U.S. priest who ministers to LGBT Catholics on Monday, in a possible sign the new pontiff will continue the late Pope Francis' legacy of opening up the Church to the gay community.

Leo, the first U.S. pope, met at the Vatican with Rev. James Martin, who has been attacked repeatedly by conservative Catholics for his ministry but was supported by Francis.

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"It was very consoling and very encouraging," Martin told Reuters after the meeting. "I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis about welcoming LGBTQ people."

Francis, who led the Church for 12 years before his death in April, issued a decree in 2023 allowing priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis, although the Church still only officially recognises marriages between men and women.

The late pope's decision on gay blessings sparked sharp criticism from conservative cardinals, who said Francis was watering down the Church's teachings.

The Catholic Church teaches that LGBT people should be respected and that their human dignity must be defended. It also teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful, but that sexual relations outside marriages between men and women are.

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Leo hosts many meetings each day but only some are announced officially by the Vatican. Those are closely scrutinized by Church watchers as a sign of the pope's priorities.

CONTINUING FRANCIS' LEGACY

Martin's meeting, held at the Vatican's apostolic palace, was part of an official schedule on Monday that also included meetings with two cardinals and several bishops.

Martin told Reuters the meeting lasted about a half-hour. "He wants everyone in the church to feel welcome," the priest said of Leo. "His approach to LGBTQ Catholics is a continuation of Pope Francis' legacy."

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A Jesuit, like Francis, Martin was the author of a 2017 book that addressed how Catholic leaders should engage with the gay community, and leads an online news site dedicated to LGBT Catholics.

Some U.S. universities have in the past cancelled lectures and appearances by Martin, often after pressure from conservative groups.

Leo, elected by the world's cardinals in May, has not yet addressed the LGBT community publicly, and also has not publicly commented on Francis' disputed 2023 decree.

Several gay Catholic groups are in Rome this week for a pilgrimage connected to the ongoing 2025 Catholic Holy Year, which is bringing some 32 million tourists to the city.

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The Vatican has included one event organised by LGBT Catholics on its official online calendar for jubilee year, in an unusual sign of openness by the global Church that attracted criticism from some conservative Catholic commentators.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV confirmed his intent to include LGBTQ parishioners within the Catholic Church ahead of their planned Holy Year pilgrimage to Vatican City.

The pope met editor and author the Rev. James Martin of New York for 30 minutes and said he intends to continue Pope Francis' policy of inclusion for all, the National Catholic Reporter reported Monday.

Pope Francis refused to judge and expel a gay priest in 2013 and afterward allowed priests to bless same-sex couples.

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Francis did not change the Catholic Church's policy of teaching parishioners that homosexual acts are "disordered," though.

Martin co-founded Outreach, which is a Catholic ministry that promotes LGBTQ inclusion, and will participate in the Holy Year pilgrimage to Vatican City on Friday and Saturday.

An estimated 1,200 people are expected to participate in the pilgrimage, which is not sponsored by the Vatican.

Leo and Martin met in the library of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, where the Pope clarified his position of inclusion for LGBTQ church members.

The pontiff's position was in doubt after he criticized what he called the "homosexual lifestyle" in 2012 while serving the church and was still known as the Rev. Robert Prevost.

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After being elevated to a cardinal in 2023, Prevost told Catholic News Service he did not oppose Pope Francis' inclusion of members due to the choices that they make in their personal lives.

He confirmed the Catholic Church's policy regarding homosexuality had not changed.

Leo also said church leaders were "looking to be more welcoming and more open and to say all people are welcome in the church," the Catholic News Service reported.
ROME (AP)  Pope Leo XIV urged his fellow Augustinians on Monday to work humbly for unity in the Catholic Church, as he opened the global assembly of the ancient religious order that is now very much in the spotlight since one of their own is historys first Augustinian pope.

Leo has emphasized that he is very much a child of St. Augustine, the 5th-century theologian who inspired the 13th-century religious Augustinian order as a community of mendicant friars. Today, Augustinian spirituality is rooted in a deep interior life of prayer, living in community, and journeying together in search of truth in God.

The pope, who headed the order from 2001-2013, seemed very much at home among his confreres gathered at the Basilica of St. Augustine off Piazza Navona, which houses the tomb of Augustines mother, St. Monica.

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Aware that not everyone in the pews spoke Italian, Leo summarized his homily for them in English. He joked that over the coming days, as they gather for their global meeting, they might want to pray to the Holy Spirit for help understanding one another.

Not necessarily for the gift to understand or speak all languages, but the gift to listen, and the gift to be humble and the gift to promote unity within the order and through the order throughout the church and the world, Leo said.

Every few years, religious orders convene these general assemblies, with elected representatives coming to Rome to chart their future paths, priorities and elect new leaders.

Leo, the then-Rev. Robert Prevost, recalled the novelty of his final assembly as prior general in 2013. He has said that sort of as a whim, he invited Pope Francis, who had just been elected pope a few months prior, to celebrate the opening Mass.

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Weve been in order since 1244, and the pope has always sent delegates. The pope has never presided, Prevost told a conference last year at a church in Illinois. So I write this letter to him, and he said yes. And then I was like, Oh my God, now what do we do? The pope is coming!

In the end, Francis presided over the conference and greeted all Augustinians present, including his eventual successor.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Port Orange police confirmed on social media that there was an officer-involved shooting on Monday.

Police said it happened in the area of Chamale Lane and Kerry Court.

According to the department, officers were there in reference to a suicidal person.

Police said the man who was shot was taken to a hospital. His condition is not yet known.

No officers were injured.

No other information has been released yet.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
ALABAMA (WHNT)  Three Alabama representatives have pre-filed a bill for the 2026-2027 school year that would prohibit teachers from using a students pronouns, among other things.

HB23 was pre-filed by Representatives Mack Butler, Ben Harrison and Mark Gidley.

The bill has three parts to it.

The first part, according to the pre-filed introduced document, states that an individual or group of individuals providing classroom instruction to students from prekindergarten through the twelfth grade at a public school should not engage in classroom discussion or provide classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.

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The second part of the bill says no teacher or other public pre-K through twelfth-grade employee may display a flag or other insignia relating to or representing sexual orientation or gender identity in a classroom or on the property of the public school.

Finally, the third part of the bill states that no teacher or other public pre-K through twelfth-grade employee may intentionally address a student by a pronoun or title that is inconsistent with the students biological sex at birth.

If passed, this act would become effective on July 1, 2026, ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

The bill is to be first read on January 13, 2026.

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You can read the full pre-filed bill below.

HB23 prefiledDownload

This bill is a second attempt by Butler to ban the use of pronouns in public school classrooms. HB244 had the same wording as HB23 listed above. HB224 originally passed in the House on April 17, 2025, but was read for a second time and placed on the Calendar on May 1. However, no action was taken on it, so it was not signed into law.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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President Isaac Herzog has named nine distinguished individuals, including Miriam Adelson and Israeli-Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, for the 2025 Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor.

The office of President Isaac Herzog announced the nine laureates for the 2025 Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor on Sunday.

The medal is awarded personally by the president to those "who, by virtue of their skills, service, or in any other way, have made an exceptional contribution to the State of Israel or to humanity." The award was initiated by then-president Shimon Peres in 2012.

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The nine laureates were named as Dr. Miriam Adelson, Dr. Mathias Dopfner, Justice (ret.) George Costa Karra, Moti Malka, Prof. Avi Ohry, Prof. Dina Porat, Galila Ron-Feder Amit, Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, and Dr. Yossi Vardi.

"Each and every one of you is a great personal example. Your unique contribution is worthy of special recognition. The State of Israel owes you profound gratitude for your work, for your uncompromising commitment to the values of excellence, solidarity, and innovation, and for your exceptional contribution to strengthening Israeli society and defending the State of Israel in the world," President Herzog said while informing the laureates of their selection.

The award ceremony will take place at the President's Residence in Jerusalem later this year, the President's office noted.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog at the opening ceremony of the new Knesset museum, in Jerusalem on August 11, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Additional biographical information on 2025 laureates

Adelson is a scientist who, together with her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, has made "immense contributions to projects vital to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, in the fields of Jewish identity and Zionism, academia, education, research, medicine, and culture," the President's office wrote.

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She also has leveraged her influence towards the release of hostages from Hamas's terror captivity in the Gaza Strip, the statement added.

Dopfner is noted as the CEO of German international media group Axel Springer and referred to as "one of the most prominent and courageous voices in Europe and globally in the long struggle against antisemitism and in his resolute support for the State of Israel."

"Dopfner acts out of deep commitment to the values of liberty and democracy and solidarity with the Jewish people," the statement noted.

"Dopfner has for years worked to strengthen Germany-Israel ties, supporting scientific, cultural, and educational collaborations, and encouraging initiatives that promote a historical and moral understanding of the Holocaust and its lessons," it added.

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Karra is an Israeli-Arab-Christian from Jaffa who served as one of the first Israeli-Arabs to become a Supreme Court justice.

Malka is the founder of the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra, preserving and performing the classical Andalusi musical tradition, which blended Arab-Moorish and Jewish influences among the then-Spanish-Jewish community between the 9th and 15th centuries. The orchestra also won the Israel Prize in 2006.

Ohry is described as one of the "world's foremost physicians and researchers" in the field of rehabilitation medicine. He was taken as a prisoner of war in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Porat is a leading academic figure in Holocaust research, as well as the actions of the Yishuv, the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine. Porat currently serves as the chief historian of the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority, better known as Yad Vashem.

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Amit is an author, journalist, and editor who is described as a "central figure in Israeli childrens and youth literature for decades."

Tarif is the spiritual leader of Israel's Druze community. He is deeply committed to the "unique covenant of life between the Druze community and Israeli society at large," the President's office stated.

Vardi is a leading figure in Israel's start-up nation and hi-tech industry, including playing a key role in founding Israel's earliest software companies. He has also served in key public sector roles, including as chair of government companies, director-general of a ministry, and economic adviser to the prime minister.

Notable previous laureates

The medal is not only issued to Israelis. Notably, in 2022, Herzog awarded the medal to then-US president Joe Biden, then-Czech Republic president Milos Zeman, and then-Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades.

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Peres also awarded then-US president Barack Obama and former US president Bill Clinton with the medal in 2013 and then-German chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014.

Previous laureates also include Jewish-Moroccan advisor to Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Andre Azoulay; former Canadian justice minister, attorney-general, and special envoy for antisemitism Irwin Cotler; former MK and billionaire Stef Wertheimer; Israeli-Druze civil servant Kamal Mansour, who aided many presidents during his public service; and former Ashkenazi chief rabbi Israel Meir Lau.
"Hezbollah and Amal, the two major Shi'ite movements in the country, are telling the Lebanese president and prime minister: forget the government's decision regarding Hezbollah's disarmament."

"The fate of Hezbollah's weapons is sealed: Hezbollah will not disarm," Col. (res.) Dr. Jacques Neriah, former policy adviser to prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, told Maariv on Monday. He noted that pushing Hezbollah to disarm, as the government moved to do, would risk plunging the country into a civil war.

Neriah, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, analyzed a recent speech by Nabih Berri, leader of the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Amal and the speaker of the Lebanese parliament.

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"Berri... said that American demands for the disarmament of Hezbollah should not be met. Instead, a national dialogue should be held for a joint defense strategy," Neriah explained, saying this is for when Israel does not intend to withdraw from the land it occupied in the recent war with Hezbollah.

"In doing so, the Amal leader adopted Hezbollah's position, which calls for Israel to withdraw first, then the reconstruction of southern Lebanon, and all Israeli military activity in Lebanon to end before agreeing to discuss disarming Hezbollah.

"To put it simply," he continued, "Hezbollah and Amal, the two major Shi'ite movements in the country, are telling the Lebanese president and prime minister: forget the government's decision regarding Hezbollah's disarmament. It won't happen. It's better for us to sit together and discuss a strategy for dealing with Israel."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam attend a cabinet meeting to discuss efforts to bring all weapons in the country under the control of the state, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 5, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EMILIE MADI)

As Neriah explained, there is already movement in the Lebanese government to agree with Amal and Hezbollah, with the most notable agreement coming from Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri. Neriah further credited responses to US statements, in particular Sen. Lindsay Graham, regarding the Plan B of forcing Hezbollah to dismantle through military action, of adding fuel to the fire.

Preventing a Lebanese civil war

"Hezbollah is in the midst of preparing to oppose the Lebanese government if it decides to continue the effort to disarm Hezbollah in the event that the organization, and Iran, decide to confront Israel," Neriah said.

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"In the meantime, the first cracks are emerging in the relationship between Lebanon and US envoys. Tom Barrack was unable to visit Al-Khiyam and Tyre due to anti-American protests."

Ultimately, the Lebanese government has few options, Neriah said. "Continue the attempt at disarmament and risk a renewed civil war, or use the Israeli announcement that Israel won't withdraw before Hezbollah disarms as an excuse to stop the process of implementing the government decision, stating that the Lebanese army submit a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025. In any case, this would be a classic Lebanese compromise that would be preferable to a frontal confrontation with Hezbollah."
A Baptist chaplain at a privately-run ICE lockup in Pennsylvania is facing accusations of sexually abusing a detainee over the course of more than a year, beginning shortly after he gained her trust by gifting her a Bible.

Pastor Mark Melhorn, 67, engaged in "extraordinary misconduct at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center under the guise of providing pastoral services, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

His repeated and pervasive misconduct started with sexualized comments and gestures, with Melhorn telling the plaintiff in the case, who is identified as Jane Doe in court filings, that she was hermosa, bonita, and preciosa, according to the complaint.

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Melhorn would ask Ms. Doe if she liked how he looked, stare at her breasts, and lick his lips while staring at her, the complaint alleges. While Melhorn and detained women sang hymns together, he would position himself so that he could stare at Ms. Doe from behind. When she tried to change her position so that he could not stare at her from behind, he would change his position and continue staring at her.

On numerous occasions, Melhorn approached Doe and placed his hands on her head as if he was praying for her, but instead ran them down her body suggestively, according to the complaint. From there, it says things got worse until Melhorn one day entered Does cell and allegedly sexually assaulted her. He then warned Doe not to tell anybody about what had happened, because even if she did, nothing would happen.

An ICE lockup in Pennsylvania has serious sex abuse issues, according to an gut wrenching lawsuit that echoes previous allegations. (Getty Images)

Doe in fact reported Melhorn  twice  to higher-ups at Moshannon, the complaint says. And, according to the complaint, nothing happened.

The system absolutely failed our client, Does attorney Trina Realmuto told The Independent. It takes a lot of courage to speak up, [especially] when you're fighting an immigration case in a detention facility.

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Realmuto, the executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said Doe, an undocumented Dominican citizen living in New Jersey, remains deeply traumatized by the experience, and continues to suffer from anxiety, nightmares and a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Melhorn did not respond to The Independents requests for comment.

On August 21, 2023, Doe arrived at Moshannon in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, where she was assigned a two-person cell in the womens housing unit, according to her complaint. It was filed two years later, almost to the day, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The 1,800-bed facility has been at the center of significant controversy, once again making headlines last month when a 32-year-old detainee from China died by suicide as he awaited a hearing with the DOJs Executive Office for Immigration Review.

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Melhorn visited the womens housing unit every weekday afternoon, and conducted a church service for female detainees at least one evening a month, the complaint continues. Doe, a devout Christian, met Melhorn a few days after getting to Moshannon and was comforted to know that a chaplain was available to provide religious guidance.

She trusted Melhorn, and when he asked him to bring her a Bible, he did so, the complaint states.

Shortly after Doe first met Melhorn, things started getting creepy, the complaint alleges. Beyond showering her with inappropriate comments, Melhorn began to go out of his way to touch Ms. Doe, according to the complaint. Oftentimes, it says, Melhorn would enter Does cell to give her printouts of Bible passages, but instead of simply handing them to her, he would set them down on her lap and rub her inner thigh.

In October 2023, Does complaint claims she caught Melhorn peering into her cell while she was partially nude.

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At first, she believed it was her roommate and was not concerned, so she showered, the complaint states. When she got out of the shower, however, she saw that her roommate was asleep and that Melhorn was standing on his toes so that he could see Ms. Doe over the [privacy] screen.

The Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where Jane Doe was allegedly abused by a chaplain, is run by the for-profit GEO Group. The facility has had similar issues for years, according to a U.S. government report (AFP via Getty Images)

During the next several months, Melhorns overtures gradually got forceful and more invasive, until eventually becoming even more extreme, according to the complaint.

On March 29, 2024, Melhorn entered Does cell while she was sleeping, woke her up and groped her under the sheets, the complaint maintains.

Ms. Doe was terrified and got up abruptly, it says. Melhorn immediately warned Ms. Doe not to report him. He told her no one would believe her. Ms. Doe thought this was true and decided not to report Melhorns actions to anyone. Because Ms. Doe did not report Melhorn, his conduct continued and worsened.

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The following month, Melhorn walked into Does call under the pretext of bringing her religious pamphlets, according to the complaint. It says he stood in front of her bed, and began to make sexually explicit comments, then grabbed at her breasts, inner thighs, buttocks and crotch, after which he forced Doe to touch his erect penis, the complaint alleges. Melhorn only stopped when Does cellmate returned, according to the complaint.

At that point, it says Doe walked out of the cell and went to the units common area. But, Melhorn followed her and continued to force himself upon her, the complaint contends. Melhorn again told Doe not to tell on him, and said other women had tried to report him, but that no one had believed them, according to the complaint.

As before, Doe believed Melhorn and kept quiet.

On April 16, 2024, Doe met with a social worker at Moshannon Valley. She said she was having trouble sleeping, and asked for a prescription that might help her relax, the complaint states. When the social worker asked Doe why she was so anxious, the complaint says she finally opened up about Melhorn.

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The social worker told Doe that she was obligated to report the allegations, under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, or, PREA, and that she was glad she spoke up because Melhorn had done things like this before, according to the complaint. This, the complaint asserts, was corroborated by a nurse at Moshannon Valley, who told Doe that Melhorn had earned a reputation at the facility as a pervert.

Further, a female guard told Doe that she and another employee had complained about Melhorn after he entered the womens locker room while staffers were changing or using the bathroom, according to the complaint.

Roughly three weeks later, the jails PREA investigator closed Does case, deeming her allegations unsubstantiated due to insufficient evidence, the complaint states. (According to Doe, most of the incidents with Melhorn occurred in areas not covered by surveillance cameras; a lack of video evidence is what led to the unsubstantiated determination, the PREA investigator told Doe, according to the complaint.)

Because of this, the complaint says Melhorn  who had been removed from the womens housing unit while the PREA investigation was underway  would be permitted to return. But when the other women in the unit turned on Doe and threatened her for snitching on Melhorn, she was moved into protective custody, the complaint says.

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On July 5, 2024, Melhorn located Doe in protective custody and stood outside her cell, staring at her while she used the toilet, according to the complaint.

Melhorn sang Ms. Does name and asked her what she had done to end up in protective custody, it continues. Ms. Doe, frightened, immediately yelled out for an officer.

Melhorn left the area, and Doe asked to speak with a supervisor. A new PREA investigation was opened, and Doe was transferred to a different segregation unit, the complaint explains. But, once again, without the necessary video evidence, Does allegations were subsequently closed as unsubstantiated, according to the complaint.

Chaplain Mark Melhorn allegedly assaulted 'Jane Doe' in a cell similar to this one, at a privately-run ICE facility in Pennsylvania. She is now suing the federal government, the clergyman and the GEO Group, which operates the jail (Getty Images)

Does anxiety and nightmares worsened, and on August 29, 2024, Does immigration lawyer submitted a request to ICE that her client be released, based on, among other things, Melhorns sexual abuse, the complaint states. The next day, Doe was sent home, where she remains, fighting deportation.

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Does complaint suggests that she was far from alone, citing an August 2022 report issued by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in response to a concerning number of reports of sexual assault and harassment at Moshannon Valley. Federal authorities, along with the GEO Group, which operates the Moshannon Valley facility under a contract with ICE, are legally obligated to prevent such abuse.

Despite this knowledge, they failed to act, the complaint says.

In an email, Lauren DesRosiers, who heads the Immigration Law Clinic at Albany Law School, told The Independent, I wish that the abuse alleged in the complaint was an isolated incident. There's good documentation that abuse is a widespread problem - for example, Senator Jon Ossoff's office recently released this report on abuse of pregnant women and children in detention.

Kristina M. Fullerton Rico, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigans Ford School of Public Policy, emphasized the point, saying that Does allegations are part of a larger pattern of sexual violence perpetrated by staff and volunteers on people who are under their supposed care. This has been documented for decades.

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Realmuto, the attorney representing Doe in her suit against Melhorn  which also names the U.S. government, the GEO Group, and Moshannon Valleys PREA investigator  hopes to hear from others who have gone through similar experiences to the one Doe says she endured.

There are an untold number of women who have passed through this facility who have been subjected to the same or worse types of sexual abuse," Realmuto told The Independent. ... Its particularly disturbing when its coming from the clergy, which, for many people who are detained, is supposed to be a source of comfort.

Does lawsuit alleges 11 individual causes of action, including negligence, intrusion upon seclusion, and violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. She is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages to be determined in court, plus attorneys fees.

ICE and the GEO Group did not respond to requests for comment. The Moshannon Valley PREA investigator, whose full name is not listed in court records, was unable to be reached.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Theres a new statewide program thats aimed at addressing Oklahomas childcare crisis.

Its called Oklahoma Strong Start and it offers free childcare to those who work at a licensed childcare facility.

55 percent of the state of Oklahoma live in whats called a childcare desert and that means there arent enough licensed childcare spaces available to meet the needs of working families in those areas, said Carrie Williams, executive director, Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness.

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By covering the costs of childcare, Williams hopes it brings workers back into the field and keep others from, leaving.

Childcare is really expensive, the average cost of care for an infant in the state of Oklahoma is over $12,000 a year, said Williams.

Williams says thats about half the income of many working in childcare settings.

Theyre really making a little under $12 an hour on average in the state of Oklahoma, said Williams.

Right now, the program is in a pilot phase and is funded through a federal preschool development grant through December.

After that, state leaders have agreed to continue support through 2028. It was also authorized by House Bill 2778.

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If were going to have a workforce behind the workforce, were going to have childcare available for working families, said Williams.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
BROADVIEW, Ill. (WGN)  With signs in hand and chants echoing through the streets, immigrant rights groups and supporters rallied Sunday to shut down the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, which they claim functions in the shadows of injustice.

The facility has traditionally been used to process detainees before transfer, with most held for no more than a day.

However, protestors say this practice has changed under President Donald Trump, with people now being held for extended periods in inhumane conditions.

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They are urging the Cook County States Attorneys Office and the Illinois Attorney General to investigate these allegations.

Broadview ICE facility faces scrutiny over alleged poor conditions, treatment

People are going without beds, with cold food, no showers for three days on average and thats completely unacceptable, Omar Flores, the Immigrants Rights Working Committee chair, said.

The protest comes amid escalating fears following Trumps recent threats to deploy federal forces to Chicago for immigration enforcement.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Trump administration will soon expand immigration operations in Chicago, confirming plans for a stepped-up presence of federal agents in the city.

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DHS Secretary Noem confirms more ICE resources are heading to Chicago

Last week, the DHS requested limited logistical support from officials at Naval Station Great Lakes to support the agencys anticipated operations. The military installation is about 35 miles north of Chicago.

Immigrant communities and advocates see the move as an intensification of tactics they call aggressive and unjust.

They might be coming for people who have misdemeanors from 15 years ago now, but they will come after you next, Louise Carhart, an immigration attorney, said.

Report: Over 200 Homeland Security officers could arrive in Chicago next week

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Over in the Northshore, families traded protest signs for rosaries and crosses as they marched from Waukegan to the navy base, taking a peaceful stand against the militarization of immigration enforcement.

They say they are demanding an end to policies driven by fear, not compassion.

Its just a waste of taxpayer dollars, time, just everything. Its just unlawful. You should not be taking the National Guard or our military against its own people, Gigi Javack said.

On Saturday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order aimed at preventing the Chicago Police Department from being federalized for immigration enforcement purposes.

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Mayor Johnson signs executive order against National Guard troops in Chicago

Advocates say that while the future may feel uncertain and frightening, they remain confident in Illinois as they believe the state has some of the strongest immigrant protection laws in the country.

Chicago and Illinois are leaders in this fight. We need to show them why that is, Carhart said.

WGN has contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. A spokesperson released the following statement:

The allegations regarding detainee treatment and conditions are entirely FALSE and unsubstantiated. Misinformation and violent rhetoric jeopardize the safety of ICE officers, whose assaults have risen by 1000% over this time last year, and hinder ICEs critical mission to remove criminal alien public safety threats. Allegations of misconduct or facility complaints can be reported to the DHS Office of Inspector General or ICEs Office of Professional Responsibility. ICE remains committed to treating all individuals in its custody with dignity and respect, in full compliance with federal laws and standards.

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We have also reached out to the Cook County States Attorneys Office and the Illinois Attorney General for comment but have not received a response.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Activists protesting wealth inequality are targeting the Hamptons this Labor Day weekend.

East Hampton is a wealthy enclave near New York City that is the summer home to some billionaires.

The protests are part of a nationwide Labor Day campaign against the influence of billionaires.

A small group of protesters walked into the iconic American Hotel's restaurant in Sag Harbor this weekend to convey a message they filmed for the world to see: "Tax the rich."

Sag Harbor is a village in East Hampton that has long been a premier destination for the wealthy. Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest times of year for the otherwise sleepy enclave.

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"You're all here in the Hamptons enjoying $200 caviar as though your money isn't funding an actual fascist regime!" one protester bellowed into a crowd of diners, according to a video posted on X by Planet Over Profit, a climate advocacy group.

The action was part of the larger nationwide "Workers Over Billionaires" campaign, a series of Labor Day weekend demonstrations taking place from San Francisco to Chicago to New York. A group of protesters also targeted the Hamptons home of billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman on Saturday.

"The Hamptons protest is meant to be both symbolic and strategic as it directly confronts the billionaires who summer in East Hampton while making visible the hidden flow of money fueling Cuomo, Adams, and Trump," Planet Over Profit said in a press release, referring to Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor now running for mayor, Eric Adams, the current New York mayor, and President Donald Trump. "At the same time, it forecasts a longer-term campaign to cut billionaires down to size and redirect resources to workers, families, and communities."

The Hamptons have long been home to some of the country's elite. The amount some Hamptons residents are paying to get a taste of a viral smoothie is just one small indication of the difference in lifestyle between the very wealthy and everyone else. And while most of the country frets over the economy, multimillion-dollar home sales in the Hamptons are booming.

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The famous Meadow Lane in Southampton, dubbed "Billionaire Lane," is the summer home of Ken Griffin, the billionaire CEO of the investment firm Citadel, fashion designer Calvin Klein, and hedge-fund founder Daniel Och.

As part of the nationwide campaign, organizers also established what they are calling the Department of Class Solidarity, a "national war room" that tracks the names, ages, and industries of billionaires in the United States. It also aims to show how billionaires' wealth impacts poverty.

The Department of Class Solidarity is aligned with other nationwide protest movements, including the Tesla Takedown Protests, Purge Palantir, which objects to what organizers say is Palantir's contribution to mass surveillance, and Stop Billionaires Summer, a protest movement in the Bay Area.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The IDF is addressing, yet struggling to contain a wave of combat trauma, with over 1,100 soldiers discharged for PTSD as the army expands mental health support.

More than 1,100 Israel Defense Forces personnel have been discharged from service due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the outbreak of the war in October, according to military figures obtained by Walla.

The data show that 1,135 active-duty soldiers, reservists and career service members were removed from combat, support and rear-line positions between October and July due to combat-related psychological trauma.

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With preparations under way for a major ground maneuver into Gaza City and the continued mobilization of reservists, IDF commanders are warning of a worsening mental health toll on troops.

In response, the IDFs Medical Corps and the Technology and Logistics Directorate have introduced expanded psychological services. Defense Minister Israel Katz was presented with data indicating that around 85% of soldiers treated early for acute stress symptoms by combat stress teams were able to return to duty.

One of the most difficult issues around PTSD is shame, said a reservist officer who has served in multiple rounds of fighting since October 7. Fighters and commanders experience symptoms to varying degrees, but theyre afraid to seek help, afraid of documentation that could hurt them later.

IDF soldiers seen during operations in the Gaza Strip, August 27, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Israel sees alarming surge in PTSD and suicides among reservists

He called on the IDF and the Defense Ministry to open more treatment frameworks and communication channels to reduce stigma and provide long-term support.

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Ground forces commanders stated that the IDFs mental health branch had made significant improvements in readiness, treatment, and monitoring before, during, and after combat. We are constantly surprised by the availability and quality, one commander said. But no matter how much is provided, we must keep thinking about the soldiers still on the front lines.

Among the initiatives introduced since October is the establishment of the Taatzumot Branch and Center, dedicated to treating active-duty soldiers exposed to trauma during combat.

A 24/7 mental health hotline for soldiers and their families is available at *6690, extension 4. Discharged soldiers may contact the Combat Stress Response Unit at 03-640-1400. Career service members in their third year or later can reach the Family Institute for Career Soldiers at *9929.

The Combat Stress Response Unit, operated jointly by the IDF and the Defense Ministry, is also being expanded. Additional branches are due to open in the North and South, alongside a new national center for career soldiers and their families offering comprehensive psychological and medical care.

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The growing mental health crisis within the ranks of the IDF has become one of the most urgent challenges facing the military and the government. According to The Jerusalem Post, the number of reservists seeking psychological assistance has soared from approximately 270 per year prior to the war to around 3,000 annually - a more than tenfold increase. Mental health officers say this reflects not only the intensifying nature of combat but also a slow erosion of the stigma around seeking help.

This spike in demand comes amid a disturbing rise in suicides. The IDF reported that 21 soldiers took their own lives in 2024, the highest number in over a decade. At least 17 additional suicides have already been recorded this year, with most of the victims identified as reservists who returned from combat zones. The case of Daniel Edri, a soldier who died after months of battling war-related trauma, reignited calls for urgent reform in veteran care.

In response to the mounting crisis, the government formed a special committee headed by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz to evaluate and overhaul the current system of mental health support for discharged and active-duty soldiers. The panel includes military psychologists, legal experts, casualty officers, and Defense Ministry officials. As reported in The Jerusalem Post, one of its central goals is to streamline recognition of combat stress injuries and improve access to timely care.

On the operational side, the IDF has implemented faster response protocols to ensure early intervention. Soldiers now receive mental health care within 24 hours of exhibiting symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, or emotional disconnection - an effort aimed at preventing early stress reactions from developing into full PTSD.
A sign welcomes visitors to Bureau of Land Management land near Cedar City, Utah. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Public opinion in Idaho strongly opposes the sale of public lands, with a recent poll showing 96% of registered voters believe public lands should remain public, a sentiment shared across both Democratic and Republican parties. This opposition stems from concerns about losing access, damaging the natural infrastructure that supports the economy, and harming wildlife, with the public actively holding elected officials accountable on the issue.

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch , R-Idaho, has stated, after reviewing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources reconciliation language: I do not support the proposed provision to sell public lands.

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U.S. Sens. Risch and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, have made statements opposing the sale of more than three million acres of public land as part of the federal budget reconciliation bill. The land-sale provision was stripped from the House version of the spending bill thanks to opposition from legislators including U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

Simpson supports efforts to preserve Idahos public lands from being sold or transferred and to maintain multiple-use access for recreation, grazing, and ranching, opposing federal rules he believes undermine the multiple use mandate and advocating for bills that keep these lands in public hands. He cosponsored the Public Lands in Public Hands Act to ban the sale or transfer of most public lands and is a vice-chairman of the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus.

Idaho state legislators from both parties celebrated the death of a federal proposal that would have made millions of acres of public lands, including in Idaho, available to be sold off. On June 30, 43 Republican Idaho state legislators signed a letter thanking Simpson, Crapo and Risch for protecting access to public lands during the recent federal budget reconciliation process.

In July 2025, U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, voted against the Public Lands in Public Hands Act and a related amendment to block the sale of federal lands in Nevada and Utah. This was the only no vote from Idahos congressional delegation.

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He was not included in a thank you letter from Idaho Republican lawmakers for protecting public lands.

Public lands and access to those lands are a cornerstone of Idahos identity, the letter states. Thanks to your efforts, these amazing spaces will remain in public hands. By ensuring access to hunting, fishing, grazing, and outdoor recreation, Idaho will continue to look like the Idaho we all know and love.

We, the Idaho public need to initiate a process to elect a new 1st District representative who will wholeheartedly keep Idaho public lands and access as a cornerstone of Idahos identity. Furthermore, elect a 1st District representative who opposes the sale of Idaho lands and keep Idahos amazing spaces in public hands.

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SOMERSET, Ky. (FOX 56)  Following a grass fire on Thursday and conditions for more widespread flames across Pulaski County and several other areas in the state, officials have implemented a burn ban on Sunday, effective immediately until further notice.

Due to extremely dry conditions, no person shall light or maintain an open fire at any location in Pulaski County while this ban is in effect, Pulaski County Emergency Management announced Aug. 31 on Facebook.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

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Anyone found to be violating the burn ban will be subject to fines and other penalties, officials said.

For more information on current burn bans in the Commonwealth, visit the Team Kentucky Natural Resources website.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
[Source]

President Donald Trumps 50% tariff on Indian goods took effect Wednesday, escalating a trade dispute that has damaged relations between Washington and New Delhi over Indias Russian oil purchases.

State of play: The latest action imposes an additional 25% duty on top of Julys initial 25% tariff. The levies now cover more than 55% of Indias $87.4 billion in annual U.S. exports, with textile and jewelry sectors facing a projected 70% shipment decline as American buyers turn to competitors in Bangladesh and Vietnam. Indias pharmaceutical sector, which generates $8.7 billion in U.S. sales and supplies roughly half of Americas generic drugs, received an exemption from the higher tariffs.

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Some economists believe the duties could cost up to 2 million Indian jobs while cutting U.S.-bound exports by $37 billion this fiscal year.

Why this matters: The escalation follows the collapse of bilateral trade talks after five negotiating rounds failed to reach an agreement. U.S. trade officials indefinitely postponed a planned late-August visit to India, highlighting the deteriorating economic relationship.

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Tensions escalated when White House adviser Peter Navarro called the Ukraine conflict Modis war in an interview with Bloomberg. I mean Modis war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi, he said, adding that Indians are so arrogant about this. Indian officials, on the other hand, rejected American pressure tactics, with junior foreign minister Kirti Vardhan Singh saying, Our concern is our energy security, and we will continue to purchase energy sources from whichever country benefits us.

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Strategic realignment: India, which has urged self-reliance, appears to be pivoting toward alternative partnerships. Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit China next week for the first time in seven years, while Russian oil imports have surged from less than 2% of Indias energy needs before the Ukraine conflict to 35-40%.

Despite the tensions, some U.S. officials maintain hope for reconciliation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation will ultimately resume, telling Fox Business, I think at the end of the day we will come together.

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Russian leader Vladimir Putin has once again reiterated his false claim that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was provoked by the West at a Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Source: Putin's remarks during the meeting

Quote: "The crisis in Ukraine [as Putin calls Russia's war against Ukraine] did not arise from Russia's attack, but as a result of a coup d'etat in Ukraine which was supported and provoked by the West. And then by armed attempts to suppress the resistance of those Ukrainian regions and those people who did not accept or support that coup.

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And the second reason for the crisis lies in the constant attempts by the West to drag Ukraine into NATO, which, as we have repeatedly emphasised and said for many years, posed a direct threat to Russia's security."

Details: Putin added that he "highly values the efforts and proposals of China, India and other strategic partners aimed at promoting a settlement".

"I would note that the understandings reached at the recent Russian-US meeting in Alaska, I hope, also move in this direction, paving the way for peace in Ukraine," he said.

Meanwhile, Putin again insisted that "the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine must be eliminated and the balance in the security sphere restored" to end Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Background:

On 18 August, US President Donald Trump said during a meeting with European leaders in the United States that it will become clear within a couple of weeks whether a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine can be reached.

On 21 August, Trump already claimed that he would be able to assess the possibility of achieving peace in Ukraine "within two weeks".

On 25 August, Trump said there would be "very big consequences" for Russia and that he would "step in very strongly" if no agreement to end hostilities in Ukraine was reached within the next two weeks.

Axios reported that Trump is contemplating putting aside efforts to end the war in Ukraine for the time being, while his circle blames Europe for Ukraine's unwillingness to make greater concessions for a peace deal.

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Editor's note: The story was updated with additional reporting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 1 reiterated the Kremlin's talking points that NATO and Ukraine's pro-Western aspirations provoked the Russian invasion of the country.

Talking to leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, Putin repeated false narratives that the EuroMaidan Revolution was a Western-backed "coup" while shifting the blame for Russia's war of aggression away from Moscow.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1. The summit, the largest in the blocs history, has drawn over 20 leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and others.

During his address, Putin claimed that the results of his recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, which was held in Alaska, will be discussed in detail during bilateral meetings.

Trump met Putin in Anchorage on Aug. 15 as part of U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite the high-level summit, there seems to be little progress toward ending the hostilities as the Russian military said it would continue its bombing of Ukrainian cities.

While Russian attacks against Ukraine continue, Putin said in Tianjin that "understandings" reached at the Alaska summit could "open the path toward peace in Ukraine."

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Putin met both Xi and Modi during the SCO summit as he seeks to strengthen ties with India and China in the face of Western pressure. The two major economies have become a crucial economic lifeline for Russia during the full-scale war and are leading buyers of its oil.

Kyiv has also grown more vocal in accusing Beijing of directly supporting Moscows war effort through supplies of dual-use goods and defense components.

"Always a delight to meet President Putin!" Modi wrote on X, sharing a picture of him and the Russian leader in embrace. "Conversations with him are always insightful."

Always a delight to meet President Putin! pic.twitter.com/XtDSyWEmtw  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Putin held bilateral talks with Modi and a separate meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

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Putin and Modi discussed bilateral cooperation in the economic, financial, and energy sectors, as well as "regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine," the Indian Foreign Ministry said.

"Prime Minister (Modi) reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement," the statement read.

India is set to host Putin in December in what would mark the Russian leader's first visit to the country since 2021.

In late August, Trump slapped 50% tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian arms and energy, though New Delhi is reportedly set to increase purchases of Russian crude despite U.S. pressure.

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Leaders from across Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia are attending the Tianjin summit. Beijing has billed the event as a show of solidarity among the "Global South," seeking to highlight cooperation between developing and lower-income nations.

The gathering is expected to provide a diplomatic boost to Russia as it faces isolation and sweeping sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Xi stressed that the SCO sets a model for "a new type of international relations," positioning the group as a counterweight to Western influence. He called on members to oppose "external interference" and reject a "Cold War mentality."

The Chinese leader also urged closer economic cooperation within the SCOs "mega-sized" market.

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The Russian Direct Investment Fund's director, Kirill Dmitriev, said the fund will announce new projects with China and India in the coming days.

"(W)e will be announcing new investment projects with China  both about their investments in Russia and about projects that will allow Russian companies to enter the Chinese market more actively," Dmitriev told journalists.

Read also: Putin, Kim Jong Un to attend Chinas military parade in September

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Chinas Xi Jinping has set out plans for a new world order to challenge the dominance of the US-led West.

At a summit attended by the strongman leaders of Russia and India, Mr Xi lashed out at the bullying behaviour and Cold War mentality of other countries  which appeared to be an attack on Donald Trump and his tariff war against Beijing and its allies.

He called for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to expand its role, touting its mega-scale market, at the annual meeting of more than 20 non-Western leaders in Tianjin, in northern China.

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Global governance has reached a new crossroads, Mr Xi told leaders including Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, Narendra Modi of India, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president.

The shadows of Cold War mentality, bullying, are not dissipating, and there are new challenges that are increasing, not diminishing, Mr Xi said at the summit.

Mr Modi greeting Putin at the summit in northern Chinas port city of Tianjin

China and the US hit each other with tariffs of more than 100 per cent before agreeing to lower them temporarily while trade negotiations take place.

President Trump has threatened Putin with crippling tariffs if a peace deal with Ukraine is not agreed, and slapped India with a 50 per cent tariff, one of the worlds highest, for buying discounted Russian crude oil.

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Mr Xi said at the summit: We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism.

Putin and Mr Modi held hands as they walked side-by-side to greet Mr Xi before the trio huddled, laughing before the photographers.

All countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, should equally participate in, decide on and benefit from global governance, the Chinese president said before sketching out his vision for an alternative world order that prioritised the global South.

Underlining his intention to maximise Chinese influence in poorer nations, Mr Xi announced plans for an SCO-run development bank, a cooperation platform for green and energy industries and $1.4bn (1.3bn) in loans over the next three years to SCO members.

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Mr Xi also said he was opening the way for the ten SCO member states to use Chinas BeiDou satellite system, an alternative to the US-controlled GPS.

His comments were speedily welcomed by Putin, a pariah in the West who enjoys a friendship without limits alliance with Mr Xi.

Putin said Mr Xis vision laid the foundation for a new system of stability and security in Eurasia.

This security system, unlike Euro-centric and Euro-Atlantic models, would genuinely consider the interests of a broad range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow one country to ensure its own security at the expense of others, he said.

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Western sanctions on Russia since the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have made Putin dependent on China, and India, for sales of Russian crude oil.

The West accuses China and India of funding Putins war machine in Ukraine by buying the oil.

Putin wants trade settlement mechanisms that avoid the US dollar and euro, after Western sanctions on payment systems and Chinese banks hit Russian trade and called on SCO to sell joint bonds.

All this will increase the effectiveness of our economic exchanges and protect them from fluctuations in the external environment, Putin said in a speech where he blamed the West for the war in Ukraine.

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This crisis wasnt triggered by Russias attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West, he said.

The second reason for the crisis is the Wests constant attempts to drag Ukraine into Nato, Putin said. He also claimed he wanted peace, thanking Mr Modi and Mr Xi for their efforts to end the war, and said he had reached understandings with Mr Trump at the Alaska summit.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

He also praised Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, the sole Nato leader at the summit, for his mediation efforts after the men held bilateral talks.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi are strained over the US tariffs, some of the highest in the world, and also Mr Trumps claims to have ended Indias conflict with Pakistan.

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India defends the oil imports as necessary to meet the needs of 1.4 billion people and insists it is not profiteering from the war.

Meanwhile, Putin gave Mr Modi  who has moved to repair relations with China after a long-running border feud  a lift to the venue for their bilateral talks in his armour plated limousine.

The two men spoke alone in the car for a further 50 minutes in a conversation described in Russia as only for their ears and by Mr Modi as insightful.

Two women take a selfie next to a screen broadcasting Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

The Indian leader said the relationship with Moscow was special and privileged. Putin called him a dear friend on the second day of the SCO summit.

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The SCO, set up in 2001, is the successor to the Shanghai Five, a grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, set up in 1996. It now also includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan.

Iran, China and Russia signed a joint letter on Monday to the United Nations, calling a European attempt to invoke snapback sanctions on Iran legally baseless and politically destructive.

Putin will stay on in China to be the main guest at a military parade on Wednesday, in Beijings Tiananmen Square, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, will also be a guest of honour at the parade, which will unveil a series of ship-killing hypersonic missiles in a thinly-veiled warning to the West.

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(Corrects byline, no changes to text)

By Laurie Chen and Mei Mei Chu

TIANJIN (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin, after talking with China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi, said on Monday the issue of NATO's eastward enlargement would have to be addressed for there to be sustainable peace in Ukraine.

Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. Russia currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine.

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Ukraine and Western European powers describe the invasion as a brutal imperial-style land grab. Putin casts the war as a battle with a declining West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by enlarging NATO eastwards.

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tianjin, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said the West had tried to bring Ukraine into the West's orbit and then sought to entice the former Soviet republic into the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.

"In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated," Putin said.

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"A fair balance in the security sphere" must be also restored, Putin said, shorthand for a series of Russian demands about NATO and European security.

At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would one day become members. Ukraine in 2019 amended its constitution committing to the path of full membership of NATO and the European Union.

Reuters reported in May that Putin's conditions for ending the war include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia.

Putin said that "understandings" he reached with U.S. President Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska in August opened a way to peace in Ukraine, which he would discuss with leaders attending the regional summit in China.

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"We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told the forum.

"The understandings reached at the recent RussiaU.S. meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal."

He said he had detailed to Xi on Sunday the achievements of his talks with Trump and the work "already underway" to resolve the conflict and would provide more detail in two-way meetings with the Chinese leader and others.

China and India are by far the biggest purchasers of crude from Russia, the world's second largest exporter. Trump has imposed additional tariffs on India over the purchases but there is no sign yet that either India or China are going to stop purchasing Russian oil, a key export of Russia's war economy.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Laurie Chen and Mei Mei Chu in Tianjin; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez and Lincoln Feast)
Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has commented on remarks made by Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, saying that Putin is gradually losing his lying skills.

Source: Tykhyi on X (Twitter)

Quote: "Sure, 'the insidious West' provoked 'poor Russia' to attack its neighbour and commit hundreds of thousands of war crimes.

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Putin is gradually losing his ample lying skills  his repetitive whoppers are getting increasingly dull. The only remedy for such lies is pressure on Moscow."

Previously: At the SCO Heads of State Council meeting, Putin once again claimed that the West provoked Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Background:

On 18 August, US President Donald Trump said during a meeting with European leaders in the United States that it would become clear within a couple of weeks whether a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine could be reached.

On 21 August, Trump said he would be able to assess the possibility of achieving peace in Ukraine "within two weeks".

On 25 August, Trump said there would be "very big consequences" for Russia and that he would "step in very strongly" if no agreement to end hostilities in Ukraine is reached within the next two weeks.

Axios has reported that Trump is contemplating putting his efforts to end the war in Ukraine aside for the time being, while his aides blame Europe for Ukraine's unwillingness to make greater concessions for a peace deal.

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Florida officials are testing a new method that involves a robotic bunny to remove unwanted invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades

The robotic rabbits are made to look, sound, and even smell like a brown Everglades marsh rabbit

Officials estimate that pythons have killed 95% of small mammals, as well as thousands of birds, in Florida's Everglades National Park

Following its annual challenge that allows hunters to kill thousands of invasive pythons, Florida officials are now testing a new method to remove the unwanted snakes  and it involves a robotic bunny.

A new report from the Associated Press details how the South Florida Water Management District is testing a robotic bunny program to eliminate as many invasive Burmese pythons as possible from the Everglades, aiming to curb the species' destruction of native wildlife. Officials estimate that pythons have killed 95% of small mammals, as well as thousands of birds, in Florida's Everglades National Park.

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According to the Water Management District, finding these semiaquatic snakes is the most challenging part of the process  and that's where the robotic bunnies come in.



"Removing them is fairly simple. It's detection. We're having a really hard time finding them," Mike Kirkland, lead invasive animal biologist for the Water Management District, told AP. "They're so well camouflaged in the field."

South Florida Water Management District via AP These robotic rabbits produce a heat signature and emit a smell designed to attract pythons. These robotic rabbits produce a heat signature and emit a smell designed to attract pythons.

This summer, researchers from the Water Management District and the University of Florida tested 120 robotic rabbits, designed to resemble, sound, and even smell like a brown Everglades marsh rabbit, to assess their effectiveness in attracting pythons. Kirkland noted that researchers had previously attempted to use live rabbits to lure the pythons out of their hiding spots, but this approach was costly and time-consuming.

According to Kirkland, these $4,000 robots (financed by the Water District) are toy bunnies that are retrofitted to emit heat, smell, and move. They are solar powered, so researchers can turn them on and off as needed, and are placed in pens monitored by a camera. When the camera detects a python attracted to the robotic bunny, a person is dispatched to capture the curious snake.

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"Then I can deploy one of our many contractors to go out and remove the python," Kirkland said of the process.



Although researchers are still in the early stages of experimentation with the rabbit project, officials believe the results thus far are a cause for celebration.

"This part of the project is in its infancy," Kirkland added to AP. "We are confident, though, that this will work once we are given enough time to work out some of these details."

Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Burmese pythons are believed to have arrived in South Florida as pets in the 1980s. Burmese pythons are believed to have arrived in South Florida as pets in the 1980s.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Burmese pythons are not native to Florida but have established a large population over the years, likely due to pythons from the exotic pet trade escaping or being released into the state. Female pythons can lay as many as 100 eggs at a time, and in the Florida wilderness, these snakes have no natural predators, allowing them to spread quickly and endanger many native mammals and birds.

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This new snake elimination project comes just a month after the end of the annual Florida Python Challenge, in which hunters from across the country are given the chance to win a $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize for removing the most invasive Burmese pythons from the Florida Everglades during a 10-day hunt.

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To take part in the challenge, participants were required to pass an online training, as per the event's website, and had to kill the pythons humanely. The challenge did not permit the use of firearms, dogs, or other animals.

According to the FWC, 934 participants from 30 states and Canada took part in the challenge this year. The grand-prize winner of this year's challenge was Taylor Stanberry. According to her Instagram, she's a "venomous keeper" and "relocator" who has already been dubbed the "new queen of the Everglades."

According to CBS News, since 2000, over 23,000 pythons have been captured and removed from the Everglades.

Read the original article on People
South Dakota State University's Dr. Sunil Mor, left, and graduate research assistant Parfait Kada-Florent work at the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory. (Courtesy of SDSU Marketing and Communications)

Airborne diseases have not been kind to the poultry industry in recent years.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, which spreads through the air to the lungs of wild and captive birds, has devastated chicken and turkey flocks in waves. The price of eggs has ballooned, then fallen, as the outbreaks have flared up. Last year, the virus jumped from birds to cattle, causing trouble in the dairy industry by way of decreased milk production.

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Dr. Sunil Mor of South Dakota State University thinks a lot about respiratory diseases in animals. Mor leads the virology section of the schools Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, and has a keen interest in respiratory viruses  especially those with the potential to mutate and infect humans, known as zoonotic diseases.

Mor was recently named the winner of the Bayer-Snoeyenbos New Investigator Award by the American Association of Avian Pathologists, a win based on the work his lab did last year to confirm the presence of a new respiratory poultry disease in the U.S.

Earlier this year, Mors team got a $150,000 grant from the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research to develop a diagnostic tool for that disease, an emerging threat known as avian metapneumovirus. Last year, the disease cost turkey producers in Minnesota well over $100 million  a figure greater than that years losses from avian influenza.

Mor spoke to South Dakota Searchlight on his work, why he does it, and how SDSUs lab can serve as a sort of airport checkpoint for disease.

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EDITORS NOTE: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What can you tell us about your background, and why you chose to focus on this particular area of study?

My family was raised on a farm in India, so my interest from an early age was to work with animal diseases. When I started my masters in veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine (in India), our department was responsible to attend to any disease outbreak in the state. I was with my supervisors, doing the investigation, the testing, and collecting more samples.

From that point, I realized that disease investigation is the key if we want to know the exact cause of a disease. Then we can implement the prevention and control measures, and we can help the industry minimize the losses.

How did you decide to zero in on the study of respiratory viruses in poultry?

In poultry, especially with the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, the economic losses are huge. And not only the losses due to the dead birds, but also the mental and the emotional stress and other factors. So its the huge impact, plus it has the genetic importance. Some of the highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses can also infect humans, so that drew me to be more interested in the poultry viruses, with a focus on poultry respiratory viruses.

So it was realizing that if you were doing the diagnostics, you could catch the problem at the beginning and have the biggest impact?

Yes, thats right. I like to be in a race with the viruses, or any emerging zoonotic viruses (viruses that can transmit from animals to humans), see how early I can catch them, and develop the tools to detect them as early as possible.

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Theres a security checkpoint at the airport. In the diagnostic lab, we are like a TSA PreCheck security. Its us seeing how early we can detect these kinds of deadly pathogens that may have a huge economic impact on the agricultural sector, as well as may have the potential to jump to humans. Our job is to keep an eye on any emerging threat.

What kinds of things are you most worried about coming through that checkpoint?

Weve focused on the avian influenza virus, but now were doing research on this avian metapneumovirus that was detected for the first time in my lab.

Later on, USDA also confirmed our finding and declared it an emerging disease. That was a big achievement, to prove that we are a good security checkpoint for incoming or new problems for the country, not just for the state. That put us on the stage at the national level.

We also just completed a project on SARS-CoV-2 in wild animals, zoo animals and food animals, to design tools to detect any variant in the future that may have the potential to cause a pandemic.

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We also have a project right now on high-path avian influenza in cattle. As we all know, this virus jumped to cattle last year, which was big news, and also had a huge impact on the cattle industry. So we are doing surveillance to ask, How widespread is this virus in the cattle? And then, Is the virus changing over time or not?

Then Im also working on the turkey reovirus. This is considered an enteric virus, not a respiratory virus, so infections mainly go through the oral-fecal route.

How did you come to confirm the presence of a new virus in the U.S.?

We received a phone call from North Carolina saying, We have a problem going on, and we are not able to figure out the cause. So I received the samples, and then within three days, I confirmed that this is a new virus (for the U.S.). Within three to four months, from North Carolina, this virus had spread to almost all turkey producing states. We were receiving samples from 11 states.

How is metapneumovirus virus different from avian influenza?

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has a huge impact and kills the birds right away. If its positive in the flock, we just depopulate. But metapneumovirus is more like a slow poison. It reduces the immunity of the birds, so other bacteria and other viruses also start dominating. We have to manage these secondary bacterial infections, as well as the loss of the birds. We are now working on developing diagnostic tools for the rapid and specific detection of this virus, as well as vaccine development.

Do you know why North Carolina called you specifically?

When I was at the University of Minnesota and working on avian reovirus, we used to work with veterinarians all across the country. I was leading the disease investigation section. When they were not able to get any answer from other labs within three months  three months is a long time I think they decided finally that they would reach out to me and see if I could figure out whats going on with this new problem.

How have these emerging diseases changed the way poultry farmers do business?

Before 2023, we had very random outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Depopulation and biosecurity was enough, and there was some support from the government on the indemnity.

But now we have more, fairly regular outbreaks. Thats what happened last year. It was devastating, and it was big news with the egg prices, because so many layer farms or layer operations were infected. Were at the point where we need to be thinking, should we just continue with these standard methods of depopulation and biosecurity measures? Or is there any need for alternative options like vaccines or some other therapeutics? Like in Europe and Asia, some countries started doing some vaccination.

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Im not sure what the future will be here to control these outbreaks, whether thats vaccination or some novel therapeutic measures. But when its jumping from poultry, like to cattle last year, and then also jumping to other wild animals, zoo animals, it looks like its getting more localized and increasing its impact, its reach, to the different species, mammalian species, which is concerning for the human population.

Recently, there was an announcement for $100 million in funding named the High Path Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge. The focus was to look for the research applications on novel ideas to control this virus, especially to the egg layer industry, in terms of reducing the egg prices. The submission process was completed in May 2025, so we are still waiting on the decision for our proposal, but I think this funding could help us design better control measures in the future.

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A new book says Queen Camilla once fought off a creep who tried to grope herby taking off her shoe and swinging.

On Sunday, August 31, The Times ran an excerpt from Power and the Palace, a book by royal writer Valentine Low. The story comes from Guto Harri, who worked for Boris Johnson back when he was Londons mayor in 2008. Harri says that during a meeting at Clarence House, Camilla told Johnson about a scary moment from her schoolgirl years.

She was on a train going to Paddingtonshe was about 16, 17and some guy was moving his hand further and further, Harri recalled. When Johnson asked what happened next, Camilla allegedly replied: I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.

And she didnt stop there. Once the train pulled into Paddington, Camilla reportedly marched up to a uniformed worker and reported, That man just attacked me. Harri said he was arrested on the spot.

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Camillawho married King Charles in 2005 after a decades-long relationshiphas never spoken publicly about the incident, but Harri suggested the experience shaped her commitment to helping survivors of sexual assault. Johnson was working to expand rape crisis centers across London at the time, and Camilla went on to support the project, formally opening two of the three new facilities herself. Nobody asked why the interest, why the commitment, Harri said. But thats what it went back to.

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Now 78, the Queen has spent more than a decade championing survivors of rape, domestic violence, and sexual abuse, according to the royal households official site. She has visited Sexual Assault Referral Centres across the U.K., supported charities like SafeLives, and hosted events at Buckingham Palace highlighting the voices of survivors and frontline workers.

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If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available 24 hours a day through RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife and two of his daughters were murdered by Hamas in April 2023, remarried on Sunday.

Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife, Lucy, and two daughters, Maia and Rina, were murdered by Hamas terrorists in April 2023, remarried on Sunday.

Dee, who lives in Efrat, married Toronto-born Aliza Teplitsky in a ceremony conducted by two Efrat-based rabbis, Shlomo Kimche and Yair Binstock. Dee, Kimche, and Binstock all have familial ties to the UK.

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Musician Shlomo Katz provided the music at the ceremony, with a surprise appearance from IDF Chief Cantor Lt.-Col. Shai Abramson.

Dee's two surviving daughters, Keren and Tali, spoke during the ceremony in memory of Lucy and affirmed their support for their father's marriage to Aliza Teplitsky.

Dee has taken up a role as an inspirational speaker on the topic of resilience, including penning two books, On Faith & Prayer and On Grief & Healing, following the terror attack.

Rabbi Leo Dee with his then-fiancee Aliza Teplitsky. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Teplitsky moved to Israel in 2005, worked on the construction of Jerusalem's Light Rail system, designed exhibits for the Israel Museum, organized tour groups, and now manages a customer care team at a hi-tech company in Tel Aviv.

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The newlyweds will live in Efrat with Dee's three surviving children.

The terrorists responsible for killing Dee's first wife and two daughters were killed by the IDF in May 2023.

Police arrest Rabbi Leo Dee on Temple Mount

Israel Police officers apprehended Dee on the Temple Mount on Sunday morning when he ascended ahead of his wedding.

This morning, I found myself standing on the Temple Mount. Tonight I will be standing under the chuppah, smashing a glass to remember the destruction of our holiest place. That glass is supposed to symbolize brokenness. But heres the thing Ive learned in the two-plus years since the tragedy that took my wife and two young daughters: commemorating brokenness is never enough, Dee told The Jerusalem Post.

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He was held by police after wearing tefillin as part of morning prayers and was released after receiving a summons for a hearing.

Footage from the scene on Sunday morning shows Dee dancing and singing in celebration in the Temple Mount plaza, donning the tefillin.

Sarah Ben-Nun, Yonah Jeremy Bob, and Efrat Forsher contributed to this report.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks to veterans at a town hall in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Photo by Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

This story was updated Tuesday, Sept. 2, to include a response from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 200 in a Raleigh town hall, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) denounced President Donald Trumps treatment of veterans, calling cuts to veterans affairs and the firing of veterans in government devastating.

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He doesnt understand us, he doesnt understand service, he doesnt understand sacrifice to this nation and sacrifice before self, Kelly said. Thats why you see the attacks on veterans and institutions that support veterans, whether its the VA or just the firing of so many veterans in government jobs after their service.

Kelly, a 24-year U.S. military veteran who began as a naval aviator before his selection as an astronaut in 1996, condemned the president for calling Marines who died in combat suckers and losers during his first term, comments reported by Trumps former chief of staff, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general.

How many veterans are in his family? Zero, Kelly said. His family didnt serve, and I think thats one of the reasons he feels this way.

A swing state Senate Democrat with broad popularity  a May survey by Noble Predictive Insights showed him with +15 favorability  Kelly is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, but said he was in North Carolina to support veterans and former Gov. Roy Coopers 2026 U.S. Senate bid. He was in Asheville on Saturday and will be in Charlotte on Monday with his wife former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.

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He was joined by state party chair Anderson Clayton in Asheville. For the Raleigh town hall, which was comprised mainly of military veterans and their families, he spoke alongside Attorney General Jeff Jackson, an Army National Guard Major.

N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson, right, speaks alongside U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) in a Raleigh town hall on veterans issues. (Photo by Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

Jackson said he was proud his office helped fend off efforts to toss out military and overseas ballots in North Carolinas 2024 state Supreme Court election, praising the civil servants who have dedicated their professional lives to sticking up for you and defending the Constitution.

Weve got five or six people who you will never meet who spent a straight seven months on this case  no time off, no vacation, not for the holidays, not for birthdays, not for families because this was that important, he said.

Jackson also touted the N.C. Department of Justices support for a challenge to the Department of Veterans Affairs cancelation of collective bargaining agreements with government workers unions, drawing applause from veterans in the audience.

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This is an attack on working class folks, right? I mean, unions help raise wages and benefits for working class people. Thats why they want to get rid of union participation at the VA and make it harder for people to organize and fight for higher wages and healthcare and those kinds of benefits, Kelly said.

In an email response on Tuesday, Pete Kasperowicz, a press secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, wrote that no one lost their job or was fired as a result of the union contracts being terminated. He added, Instead, about 1,900 union representatives, who had been collecting government salaries to do union work, have returned to full time VA work on behalf of Veterans.

Kelly staked out a guarded position on relations with China, calling the country a pure adversary and telling audience members concerned about rising tensions between the two nations that an invasion of Taiwan would prompt the hardest decision any president has to make about whether or not we get into a war with China.

I think weve got to take every step possible to avoid getting in a conflict with another country that has a significant nuclear arsenal, so I worry about China a lot, Kelly said. Right now, I think in a conflict with China, we would prevail. Is that going to be true 10 years from now? Im not so sure.

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One of several Democrats vetted as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Kelly has spoken in several key states this year, including Michigan in July and South Carolina in June, traditionally the site of the first-in-the-South presidential primary.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks to reporters after a town hall in Raleigh. (Photo by Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

Talking to reporters after the event, Kelly declined to answer whether he was considering a 2028 presidential campaign, saying he is really focused on 2026  that is the election that matters.

He said he traveled to North Carolina to speak to veterans who dont have veteran representation in Congress and to support Coopers campaign. I want to do everything I can to help him get elected because I think the path to taking back control of the United States Senate goes right through North Carolina.

He told the town hall crowd that he sees an opportunity to flip the U.S. Senate in 2026 amid growing disapproval of the Trump administrations handling of the economy and immigration as well as its attacks on institutions.

If you had asked me three or four months ago, I would have said, probably not possible that we take back the Senate, Kelly said. It is today, especially with Roy Cooper running.
Honor labors gains & look to work that remains

Hallandale Beach, Fla.: For more than a century, Labor Day has honored the achievements of the labor movement and American workers. It recognizes the many vital contributions that workers have made to our economy and our way of life.

The labor movement secured better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions for all Americans. The movements tireless efforts put an end to child labor and built the American middle class. The ingenuity and productivity of the American worker is what makes us the most innovative country in the world, with the strongest economy.

Labor Day is a time to celebrate working Americans, the backbone of our economy, and to remember the labor activists who fought for the many rights and protections we enjoy and deserve. We just continue their legacy and recommit ourselves to fight for fair wages, responsible workplace protections and secure retirements to provide a prosperous future for all.

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This Labor Day, as we recognize all the good that the labor movement and American workers have done for this country, we must acknowledge the work yet to be done. Women still only receive a fraction of the salary men earn in the same position. Workers earning minimum wage still struggle to support themselves and their families. And the top earners of the country still receive the majority of the countrys wealth. I will continue supporting workers across the country because together, we can make a difference. Paul Bacon

Tasteful feature

Staten Island: What happened to the food lady column by Kaitlyn Rosati every Thursday? Please bring her back, she was excellent. Marie Mandia

Switch the script

Staten Island: I was watching a news program and a guest who was answering a question about the Minneapolis shootings also had to state that high-power guns must not be able to be obtained. To this individual, I say knock off the anti-gun sermon and lets get a solution to this problem. Jeffrey Van Pelt

No sanctuary

Bellerose: Evil has lifted its ugly head with the shooting in Minneapolis at Annunciation Catholic Church and school. Seventeen children were shot and two killed, with three adults shot  a total of 20. The children were between the ages of 8 and 10 and involved in prayers in church. The killer died by suicide. These assaults and murders I find to be most egregious and nefarious actions of, in my opinion, a mentally ill individual. Are not Americas children supposed to be safe in church and in school? As Grand Knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911, I offer my heartfelt prayers to those who were shot and killed, and to their parents and families. Frederick Robert Bedell Jr.

Keep praying

Bronx: My heart goes out to the children and adults killed or injured in the horrific, senseless mass shooting in Minneapolis. Some are giving up on thought and prayer; this only applies to politicians who indifferently use this mantra with no intention of stopping the proliferation of guns of mass destruction. For those who question why God permits such suffering, the answer is that if we could understand God, wouldnt we be on the same level of His Divinity? Yes, God can prevent mans actions, even could have prevented His Son dying on the cross. Lastly, Gods existence is infinite. His intervention can never be an afterthought. Continue thoughts and prayers because He will always hear them. Let His will be done! Gilbert M. Lane

A better beef

Manhattan: Beef! It aint whats for dinner anymore. Thats the popular response to the tripling of beef prices in the past 15 years. The underlying reasons are severe droughts in the cattle producing states of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, aggravated by the 50% tariff imposed by President Trump on imports of Brazilian beef. Ironically, the droughts are connected to global warming caused in part by methane emissions from cattle. The rising price is expected to reduce consumption of beef, as well as the associated disastrous impacts on our personal health and the health of our planet. But there is still hope for folks who have to have their steak. A number of startup companies are developing healthy, eco-friendly, convenient, tasty and reasonably priced steaks from animal cells and plants. They should appear on our supermarket shelves within a couple of years. Nico Young

Tying his hands

Medford, L.I.: It boils my blood when I read that a federal appeals panel has ruled 7-4 that Trumps sweeping global tariffs are illegal. Whose side are these seven judges on? Surely not the best interests of the American people. Were currently $37 trillion in debt, something many economists have called an existential threat to the future of our country. The president has implemented a long-overdue tariff system designed to generate revenue and/or bring foreign companies back into the U.S. This is a form of combating this existential threat, but these judges slam the brakes on it, denying us the opportunity to save ourselves. This is tantamount to going whitewater rafting down a raging river, but the instructor says youre not allowed to use your paddles to help navigate. Luana Dunn

Not to be trusted

Jamaica: Democratic Minority Leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer should not make any deals with the Republicans. The reason for this is that any agreement they come up with, the president will call the Republicans and tell them not to agree or to shoot it down. The Republicans are in the presidents pocket and they do whatever he says. They gave up their power in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Shame on them! God bless the United States of America! Charlene Black

Safety last

Clearwater, Fla.: The handwriting is on the wall. Both Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hate Trump more than they love the city of Chicago. Instead of putting the lives of Chicagoans and the safety and welfare of the city first, Pritzker and Johnson are adamantly rejecting the presence of the National Guard just because Trump is offering them a common-sense solution to end the violence and save lives. They are not putting vulnerable Chicagoans first. And their actions are nothing but pure, unadulterated belligerence. They still dont get it. Or maybe they just dont want to admit why Trump was elected. He puts America and the precious lives of Americans first. JoAnn Lee Frank

Equal funding

Brooklyn: Voicer Richard Barsanti shares my desire for publicly funded elections. Instead of eternally trying to overturn Citizens United, I propose a federal election fund. All donations, corporate or individual, would go into it, and on a given date be equally distributed to all qualified candidates for all federal elected positions (Senate, House and president). No other donations would be allowed. If contributions dried up, the media would have to step up and educate the electorate. In the meantime, our elected officials could actually govern instead of spending most of their time fundraising. Ilsa Ruthen

Wars toll

West Hempstead, L.I.: Amazing how you weed out all pro-Israel letters and the same ignorant, rabid nonsense is spread across your paper that has become a part of Al Jazeera. Israel is not guilty of genocide, neither the actual definition nor the intent required. As in all wars, when civilians live near enemy military sites deliberately placed there, the civilians die. If Israel wanted to kill the Gazans, they could have done it in less than six months. Samuel J. Mark

Hard-hearted

Manhattan: In response to my letter in which I challenged him to justify what Israel is doing to the people of Gaza, Voicer Robert J. Katz fails to come close to the task. First, he tells me to read someone elses letter for an answer. No, Mr. Katz, I do not need anyone else to tell me what I see with my own eyes. Then he basically says things arent really as bad as most of the world sees it, and he offers his rebuke of the claims of starvation by observing that there are still some fat ladies left in Gaza. That is as callous and ignorant an answer as I could have ever imagined. Steven Davies
Tacoma is on its way to becoming a more skateable city. Construction is underway to upgrade a skatepark in the citys Eastside neighborhood where skaters will soon be able to drop in on a brand new bowl.

Parks Tacoma announced the upgrade Thursday for Stewart Heights Skatepark, 5715 Reginald Gutierrez Lane. Crews broke ground earlier this month on the 2,250-square-foot concrete bowl, and its expected to be completed by winter.

The projects cost is $487,000, funded by a 2014 voter-approved bond and a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Its being built by Grindline Skateparks, a Seattle company that has designed and constructed skateparks around the world. It also built Kandle Skatepark in the North End and designed and constructed Norpoint Skate Plaza in Northeast Tacoma.

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A number of skateparks have been built in Tacoma over the years, but some like Heidelberg-Davis in Central Tacoma have deteriorated over time and gotten crusty. Stewart Heights in its current form was built in 2008, and it too is getting old. According to Parks Tacoma, Ryan Spence, a local advocate for skateboarding, is fundraising to do restoration work.

Its an important facility and has had a loyal following for years, Spence, 48, said. This work will allow it to be a community hub again.

The upgrade is a long time coming. When Stewart Heights was redesigned in 2008 from a modular park with movable features to permanent concrete fixtures, a bowl was included in the design, but there wasnt enough funding to build it.

Stewart Heights mostly caters to street skaters with a small stairset, ledges and a couple of rails. According to Parks Tacoma, Spence and other skaters say its important for parks to incorporate elements of street and transition skating, the latter of which has roots in carving up drained swimming pools. The new bowl will range in depth from 4 to 6 feet.

A design mockup shows what the new bowl under construction at Stewart Heights Skatepark in Tacoma is expected to look like.

Tacomas skate community has always collaborated to create skate spaces that are welcoming for all ages and abilities, Park Board president Andrea Smith said. Were eager to see skaters enjoy the expanded Stewart Heights Skatepark that Ryan and others from the skate community helped design. Were also excited to partner and continue creating resources that support the growing interest in this sport.

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Parks Tacoma said it has seen a rise in interest in skateboarding. It offers chances for young people to learn their way around a board with camps done through Alchemy Skateboarding, a nonprofit in Tacoma.

Skaters turned abandoned Tacoma property into community hub. Can they stay?

Another project is on the horizon. The City of Tacoma announced last year that it would put $1 million toward designing and building a covered skatepark in a spot under Interstate 705 downtown. It will also display public art. More than 6,000 votes were cast to decide which community-suggested project the city would pursue.

Parks Tacoma said it is in conversations with the skate community and the city to envision a skate plaza integrated with several downtown improvement projects. More information is expected to be available this fall.
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)  Its been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast. While the storm hit hundreds of miles away, it left a lasting impact in Wichita Falls.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history, killing nearly 1,400 people and displacing over a million. Entire neighborhoods were underwater, and cities like New Orleans were left unrecognizable.

When Katrina made landfall, wind speeds topped 140 miles per hour. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans was underwater on August 30th, destroying multiple neighborhoods. The flood walls couldnt hold and thousands of people were left trapped without food, water, or power.

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We never saw anything like it, so we couldnt believe it, actually. And its something weve never experienced. The city itself has never experienced, said Katrina survivor Michael Lavalais.

It was heartbreaking. Because when you look down past the Sheraton hotel, you see people in boats, you see families waist deep in water and just the devastation of the historic building, said Katrina Survivor Vanessa Lavalais.

Back in 2005, the Compassion Center in Wichita Falls opened its doors to hundreds of evacuees. Many of those families arrived with only the clothes on their backs, but say this community gave them hope when they had nothing left.

Twenty years later, survivors and volunteers alike say Katrinas memory is a reminder of how powerful compassion can be.

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While some evacuees decided to stay in Wichita Falls permanently, building new lives, others returned to rebuild in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Patti and Kile Bateman say the connections made here after the storm have lasted decades.

We celebrated the graduation of two girls that were little tiny toddlers when they came to the compassion center and we, from time to time, run into people in town that remember and that grew up, but remember the compassion center, said Patti Bateman.

As the anniversary is remembered, families who survived Katrina say Wichita Falls will always hold a special place in their hearts.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com.
A new report by Policy Exchange has revealed the scale of access which activist groups such as Mermaid have had to vulnerable children in the care of the state. In the last 48 months, 17 councils had been members of a Stonewall scheme, while 12 had paid activist groups to provide training.

The devastating report  which is rightly sympathetic to the extremely difficult task which individual careworkers have in striking the right balance in responding to the needs of vulnerable youth  concludes that the care system, which in many places, [is] ideologically captured is failing gender questioning children.

In 2023-24 Staffordshire County Council spent 3,075 on gender-related training by the activist organisation Mermaids. The amount is small, but the impact of exposing some of the most vulnerable children to a group such as Mermaid, which by December 2022 was already the subject of a statutory inquiry, is enormous, raising serious concerns around safeguarding in our local councils.

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During this period, Staffordhire County Council was under the control of the Conservative Party.

The Charity Commission, according to news reports from that time, began investigating Mermaids in September [2023], after reports about the supply of chest-binding devices to teenagers.

Then in December 2023, a formal inquiry [was] launched because of newly identified issues with Mermaids governance and management.

Zachary Marsh, Research Fellow at Policy Exchange and co-author of the report, said, Instead of following best practice as established by the Cass Review and the Supreme Court, councils have been wasting taxpayer money on training from activist organisations with views far beyond the mainstream.

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The victims have been vulnerable children in care who have been inadequately protected from the harms of transition.

The report adds to the exposition of the prevalence of gender ideology across councils. The fact that the ideology was adopted and endorsed by both the major parties  even after regulators had started asking questions  goes towards explaining its prevalence in our public sector. It also explains the near electoral annihilation of the Conservative Party.

Staffordshire County Council is now under the control of Reform UK.

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Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir has warned that the plan to seize Gaza City will lead to an Israeli military administration in the territory, the Israeli news site ynet reported on Monday.

"You are heading to a military government," Zamir reportedly told a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet late on Sunday.

"Your plan is leading us there. Understand the implications," he said, according to ynet.

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The chief of the Israeli general staff said Israel's political leadership was not preparing any alternative for the period after the war.

Israel put the coastal strip under military administration following the 1967 Six Day War. It had previously been administered by Egypt.

In the context of agreements with the Palestinians, Israel returned civil administration to the Palestinian Authority more than 30 years ago, while continuing to control the borders.

Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 led to the end of an Israeli military presence, although Israeli forces continued to control the borders. Hamas took power in the area in 2007.

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A return to military administration would represent a step backwards and dampen hopes for a two-state solution.

According to the ynet report, Zamir urged a deal with Hamas for the release of more hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out against a vote on the issue, noting that it was not on the meeting's agenda.

Hamas said in the middle of last month that it had agreed to a new proposal by mediators for a ceasefire. Israel has yet to respond to the initiative.

There are still 48 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are believed by the Israeli government to be still alive.

Zamir has warned in the past that taking control of Gaza City would endanger their lives.
A protest outside the Maryland State House during the Good Trouble Lives On rally, inspired by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Sam Gauntt/Maryland Matters)

A republic, if you can keep it. With these words Benjamin Franklin is said to have described what delegates to the Constitutional Convention created in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787.

It could hardly be described as a democracy. The founders only gave 20% of the population  white men  a direct say in choosing the House of Representatives. Members of the United States Senate would be appointed by state legislatures (until 1913) and the president would be chosen by the Electoral College, an arcane device the founders invented that could override the will of the people as expressed in the popular vote.

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Its been 105 years since the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, and 60 years since the Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in elections. Since then, the direct participation of the American people in the decision-making process has broadened and deepened at all levels  city, county, state and federal.

Many have watched the first months of the Trump administration with apprehension and growing concern, as federal programs, agencies and institutions established by act of Congress are defunded, dismantled and abolished, or their missions are redefined. Respected and experienced leaders and experts have been summarily dismissed and replaced without cause or justification.

Your opinion matters

Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@marylandmatters.org.

We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates.

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Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines.

Views of writers are their own.

In the context of this unfolding spectacle, a question is looming on the horizon: What is the duty of an American citizen to resist arbitrary and capricious, reckless and illegal decisions?

One rapidly approaching challenge to the rule of law is the U.S. Supreme Courts consideration of the Trump administrations attempt to limit birthright citizenship, guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to all persons born in the United States, a cornerstone of our Constitution.

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My ancestors first came to the shores of America in the 1660s, more than a hundred years before the Revolution, but I am still a descendant of immigrants. Perhaps a line will be crossed if the Supreme Court capitulates, fails to reaffirm the sacred right of citizenship guaranteed to all children who are born here, and denies to some the rights, privileges and obligations which are the birthright of all Americans.

Anti-immigrant fervor is running high, and being exploited for political advantage. Thats nothing new in this country. Weve seen episodes like this throughout our history. And weve seen the injustices perpetrated in its name, toward the Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans, Jews, Asians, Haitians and many others. The photograph of the father and young son laying face down in the Rio Grande a few years ago is still etched in my memory.

Outsiders are an easy target for hate. It goes without saying that there are wrong-doers in every segment of society. Wholesale disregard for the law at the southern border was totally unacceptable and unsustainable. That said, immigrants have played a vital role in building our country and they make a contribution every day to the quality of life enjoyed by all Americans.

Truth is a subterranean river that flows beneath the glittering surface of things. When we set national policy we need to be in the truth business.

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Since our founding, Americans have been the natural enemies of tyrants. This year, we have reflected on Americas indispensable role in defeating Hitler and the Nazis in Europe 80 years ago.

What weve been witnessing in Washington since the Jan. 20 inauguration is akin to a Roman Circus devoid of Roman Virtue. If the first months are any indication of what lies ahead, the time will come when men and women of character and integrity will face a moment of truth  when they are compelled by events to decide whether to comply or resist, to be silent or to speak out. Silent obedience and passive acceptance of unjust and illegal acts being perpetrated by our government, acting in our name, is not an option.

The United States of America is not perfect. As a student activist more than a half-century ago I protested racial injustice and the war in Vietnam. Our country has not always lived up to its ideals and principles, but I still believe in our capacity to do good in the world.

America is still a work in progress. Our future success is not assured. But our fate is not yet sealed. Its up to us. After almost 250 years, America is still an experiment  an idea  that on its best days has gripped the imagination of the world. In the right hands it has the potential to be, as Lincoln said, the last best hope of Earth.

Whether America will be a great and a good country, under a Constitution that guarantees equal justice under law, built by people from every corner of the world working together to thrive and prosper in their pursuit of happiness, will be decided in the days, months and years ahead.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Republican lawmaker will be filing a bill next year to explore a new but controversial treatment for opioid addiction.

Weve been dealing with the same clinical model over and over for decades. It aint working, folks, Sen. Donald Douglas (R-Nicholasville) said Wednesday before a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

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While the Governors 2024 Overdose Fatality Report did chart a 30% decline in overdose deaths, the numbers are still concerning. According to the report, just over 1400 Kentuckians died from an overdose, and almost 160,000 received addiction services paid for by the state or Medicaid.

Ibogaine treats treatment-resistant depression. And by that, I mean depression that has failed all medication, all therapy, everything, Dr. Jean Loftus with Americans for Ibogaine told lawmakers at the hearing.

Ibogaine is a psychedelic derived from an African shrub and is currently illegal in the United States, classified as a Schedule I drug. Douglas, an anesthesiologist by trade, is hoping to convince his colleagues to greenlight a bill in 2026, clearing the way to start researching ibogaine to treat opioid addiction.

I got up the next day with no withdrawal. No cravings for drugs or cigarettes. No desire to anxiously bite my nails, and feeling like an enormous burden had been removed for me, Jessica Blackburn-Allen said, sharing her testimony with lawmakers. At 19, she had become addicted to daily oxycodone or heroin use and exhausted traditional treatments with no effect. She credits the ibogaine treatment she had to seek out in Mexico for keeping her sober the last ten years.

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Its important to understand that ibogaine is not a cure for addiction. Its an interrupter. It interrupts acute withdrawal. It interrupts host addiction withdrawal syndrome, and it interrupts craving, Loftus said. The drug isnt without extreme but temporary side effects, including hallucinations and mobility issues.

Douglas filed a similar bill that did not receive a hearing last session, and a proposal for ibogaine research was briefly explored under previous Attorney General Daniel Cameron, spearheaded by Bryan Hubbard, who chaired the states Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. Hubbard found recent success in Texas; earlier this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill investing $50 million in clinical trials for ibogaine.

Wednesdays hearing gives Douglas an opening to push the issue further in 2026.

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Alarming new research into rising sea levels suggests that one of the world's most acclaimed cultural sites in the Pacific could disappear by 2080.

What's happening?

Oceanographic reports that the study, published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, discusses the risks that the Tongariki Complex faces. The complex is part of the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island, a site recognized by UNESCO for its immense cultural value. The island is best known for its stone moai statues, carved hundreds of years ago by the Rapa Nui people.

There are over a thousand imposing statues around the island, built from volcanic tuff to house the spirits of ancestors temporarily. It's not the first natural threat they've faced; hundreds were damaged in a fire in 2022, per National Geographic. Now, these priceless cultural landmarks could disappear by the end of the century.

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One of the study's authors, Noah Paoa, outlined the scale of the problem faced by heritage sites across the region, writing that "the irreplaceable coastal cultural sites in Hawai'i and across the Pacific face the same urgent threat."

Why are rising sea levels such a concern?

Sea levels are rising because of the harmful pollution caused by human activity. As rising global temperatures accelerate the loss of vital sea ice, the problem is only getting worse. Moreover, as NASA reports, 90% of this temperature increase is taking place in the ocean itself, and warmer oceans are the perfect breeding ground for hurricanes. Extreme weather events are fueled by warmer global temperatures.

The study highlights the lesser-examined impact that coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels will have on areas of high cultural value. Coastal flooding represents an existential risk to several settlements around the world, but homes can ultimately be replaced, and priceless historical artifacts cannot.

It also highlights the inherent injustice of the crisis. Pacific Islanders are at the forefront of rising sea levels, yet they have done very little to contribute to the conditions that created the problem in the first place.

What's being done to protect cultural sites?

Though troubling, the research makes possible site-specific forecasts that are applicable elsewhere. This can help form strategies to protect at-risk cultural assets like the moai statues. The study calls for the input of the affected communities to determine the best course of action locally. In some extreme cases, it may even be necessary to relocate assets.

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In a broader sense, it's never been more important to be aware of the issues and to help spread awareness by having productive conversations with family and friends. Whether it's to encourage the adoption of clean energy or reduce plastic waste, there's much we can and should do to safeguard our shared heritage for future generations.

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Mexico's marine tourism industry, which draws in tens of thousands of tourists during whale mating season, largely ignores important guidelines protecting the health and well-being of whales, as reported by Inside Climate News.

What's happening?

Each year, whales migrate from up the Pacific Coast in the U.S. down to Bahia de Banderas, or Banderas Bay, for warmer climates during the winter. According to Ecobac, from 1996 to 2016, 2,272 unique whales visited the bay.

"Bahia de Banderas is the most important reproduction site for humpback whales along Mexico's continental coastline," said PhD student and marine biologist, Iyari Espinoza.

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The increase in whale activity draws numerous tourists to the area, mainly from the U.S. and Canada, who go on whale watching boats every winter.

Because of the importance of the bay to whales and their mating season, the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) outlined guidelines for their safety in 2011. These regulations include specifying proper distance to view whales, imposing speed limits, and prohibiting swimming and diving.

However, according to a study published in Ocean & Coastal Management, these guidelines have not been followed in the past 14 years. The researchers attended 303 sightseeing events over the course of four years, finding that 88% of these whale watching events breached at least one of the guidelines.

The study outlined some causes of these breaches, including weather conditions, lack of proper navigational equipment on boats, and pressure from tourists on tour guides.

Why are these whale-watching guidelines important?

When sightseeing tours ignore the guidelines set forth for the whales' protection, this causes the whales to expend more energy to avoid tours and react to human activity.

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"Tourists will frequently pressure tour guides into approaching the whales more closely, and service providers will in turn approach the whales too rapidly to provoke the whales and make them leap out of the water," said Gisela Heckel, a professor of conservation biology at the Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education.

This extra energy can have drastic effects on whale populations, especially for mothers and their calves. According to the study, researchers found that 35% of the sightings involved mother whales and their offspring. "These are the most vulnerable groups," said Espinoza. "They are in their stage of growth, breastfeeding and learning."

"When their energy reserves are exhausted as a product of tourism pressure, it can provoke significant effects at an energy level and therefore at a population level," said Espinoza.

This is even more significant as four out of 14 humpback whale population segments are protected as endangered, according to NOAA.

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A decline in whale populations is not just bad for their own species, but for humans as well. Whales have been found to help marine environments by maintaining the food cycle and reducing rising global temperatures by helping capture carbon in the oceans.

What's being done about protecting whales in Banderas Bay?

In Banderas Bay, whale sharks are another market for local tourism. When local officials noticed whale sharks with injuries caused by boats, SEMARNAT declared the area a protected space for whale sharks in 2018. However, they still saw lesions on whale sharks indirectly caused by boats, even after the guidelines. So, Whale Shark Mexico proposed further changes to protect whale sharks, including adding federal personnel on site and dynamic boating changes based on the number of sharks in the water at a given time.

"We might be better off than other places," said Alberto Garcia, the executive director of Whale Shark Mexico. "But that doesn't mean we cannot keep improving."

For humpback whales, researchers suggest similar improvements to local guidelines. Espinoza, for one, suggests giving greater authority to monitoring from PROFEPA. "It is the only authority with the faculties to sanction and even take away permits from [non-compliant] companies," she said.

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She also said greater awareness among tourists can help improve the conditions for whales. "In many regions of the world, it has been demonstrated that raising awareness not only among tour guides but also among tourists can help with the issue of compliance," she said.

Advancements in other technology, such as cutting-edge satellite technology, can also help by pinpointing specific dangers for migrating whales.

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Pete Kurtz-Glovas served as deputy director of regional partnerships for American Universitys Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab, which has helped launch initiatives in two cities to address extremism as a public health issue. Taylor Sisk for KFF Health News

Rebecca Kasen has seen and heard things in recent years in and around Michigans capital city that she never would have expected.

Its a very weird time in our lives, said Kasen, executive director of the Womens Center of Greater Lansing.

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Last November, a group of people were captured on surveillance video early one morning mocking a Black Lives Matter sign in the front window of the center, with one of them vandalizing its free pantry. That same fall, Womens Center staff reported being harassed.

A couple of blocks down East Michigan Avenue, Strange Matter Coffee, which supports progressive causes in the community, has been confronted by First Amendment auditors outside its storefront. Some toted guns or cameras, sometimes chanting slogans supporting President Donald Trump, generally unnerving customers and staff, Kasen said.

In many cases, extremist activities and conduct throughout the U.S. over the past few years have been driven by the deepening chasm of political partisanship and disinformation-driven rebellion against responses to the covid-19 pandemic. More recently, backlash against immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has heightened tensions.

Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center documented 1,371 hate and extremist groups nationwide sowing unrest through a wide range of tactics, sometimes violent. Over the last several years, the group writes, the political right has increasingly shifted toward an authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy dedicated to eroding the value of inclusive democracy and public institutions.

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Researchers at American Universitys Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab, or PERIL, say that in online spaces, hate is intersectional. (For example, Pasha Dashtgard, PERILs director of research, explains, platforms dedicated to male supremacy are often also decidedly antisemitic.) Seemingly innocuous discussions erupt into vitriol: The release of A Minecraft Movie prompted tirades against an alleged trend toward casting Black women and nonbinary people.

The continued escalations drove staffers at PERIL and the Southern Poverty Law Center to approach the problem from a different angle: Treat extremism as a public health problem. Community Advisory, Resource, and Education Centers are now operating in Lansing, Michigan, and Athens, Georgia, offering training, support, referrals, and resources to communities affected by hate, discrimination, and supremacist ideologies and to people susceptible to radicalization, with a focus on young people.

The team defines extremism as the belief that ones group is in direct and bitter conflict with another of a different identity  ideology, race, gender identity or expression  fomenting an us-versus-them mentality mired in the conviction that resolution can come only through separation, domination, or extermination.

Researchers who study extremism say that, as the federal government terminates grants for violence prevention, state governments and local communities are recognizing theyre on their own. (CARE receives no federal funding.)

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Aaron Flanagan, the Southern Poverty Law Centers deputy director of prevention and partnerships, said his organization and PERIL came together about five years ago to examine a shared research question: What would it take to create a nationally scalable model to prevent youth radicalization, one thats rooted in communities and provides solutions residents trust?

They looked to a decades-old German counterextremism model called mobile advisory centers. The objective is to equip all levels of civil society with the skills and knowledge to recognize extremism and to engage in conversations about addressing it, Dashtgard said.

Were not about, How do you respond to a group of Patriot Front people marching through your town? Pete Kurtz-Glovas, who until June served as PERILs deputy director of regional partnerships, explained during a training in January. Rather, How do you respond when your son or a member of your congregation expresses some of these extremist ideas?

Michigan has long been considered fertile ground for extremism. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, convicted of the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, were associated with a militia group in the state. Some of the men charged in 2020 in the plot to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had ties to a militia group calling itself the Wolverine Watchmen.

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The states capital city and adjacent East Lansing, where Michigan State University is, are relatively progressive but have seen conflict.

Will Verchereau has a vivid recollection from the early days of the pandemic: a pickup truck speeding down the street in their Lansing neighborhood, a Confederate flag flying from it, music blasting, later joining a rolling protest that clogged streets around the Capitol to protest Whitmers covid lockdown directives.

Incrementally, the community has responded to these expressions of extremism. After the confrontations at Strange Matter Coffee, Verchereau, a board member of the Salus Center, which advocates for and supports the LGBTQ+ community, said people banded together to talk about how to be safe in those moments; how to de-escalate when and where possible.

The CARE initiative reinforces such efforts. The centers offer tool kits catered to specific audiences. Among them are a parent and caregiver guide to online radicalization, a community guide to youth radicalization, and Not Just a Joke: Understanding & Preventing Gender- & Sexuality-Based Bigotry.

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Flanagan said the team views this public health model as separate from but complementary to law enforcement interventions. The goal is to have law enforcement as minimally engaged as possible  to detect nascent warning signs and address them before police get involved.

The resources help identify conditions that can make people more susceptible to manipulation by extremists, such as unaddressed behavioral health issues and vulnerabilities, including having experienced trauma or the loss of a loved one.

Lansing resident Erin Buitendorp witnessed protesters, some of them armed, flood the state Capitol building during the pandemic over lockdown and masking orders. Shes a proponent of the public health approach. Its providing people with agency and a strategy to move forward, she said. Its a way to channel energy and feel like you can actually create change with community.

Lansing and Athens were chosen for a number of reasons, including their proximity to universities that could serve as partners  and to rural communities.

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In the small town of Howell, 40 miles southeast of Lansing, protesters waived Nazi flags outside a production of the play The Diary of Anne Frank at an American Legion post.

In nearby DeWitt, the local school district proposed a mini lesson on pronouns for a first grade class that involved reading the picture book They She He Me: Free to Be! Threats against school staff followed and officials canceled the lesson. Since then, the CARE team has helped provide support to teachers there in holding conversations on contentious topics in classrooms and in dealing with skeptical parents.

Its really important that rural communities not be left behind, Flanagan said. They persistently are in America, and then theyre often simultaneously demonized for some of the most extreme, or extremist, political problems and challenges.

The CARE team hopes to expand its program nationwide. Similar public health initiatives have been launched elsewhere, including Boston Childrens Hospitals Trauma and Community Resilience Center and the DEEP program, run by New York Citys Citizens Crime Commission.

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And in June a new tool, the Reach Out Resource Hub, went live, offering guidance to help prevent violent extremism.

Pete Simi, a professor of sociology at Chapman University and a leading expert on extremism, sees a daunting task ahead, with extremisms having become more mainstream over the past 25 years. Its just devastating, he said. Its really startling.

Simi said that while there was previously talk of shifts in the Overton window, the range of ideas considered politically acceptable to mainstream society, I would say now it has been completely shattered. Violent extremists now feel unshackled, supported by a new administration that has their back.

We are in a more dangerous time now than any other in my lifetime, Simi said.

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The Rev. Pippin Whitaker ministers the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens in Georgia, which last year received a package of ammunition in the mail with no note included. She embraces framing extremism, and peoples lack of awareness of it, as a public health issue.

If you have a germ out there, Whitaker said, and people arent aware that if you wash your hands you can protect yourself, and that its an actual problem, you wont enact basic protective behavior.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
This video will give you goosebumps: the largest animal on the planet gracefully steaming straight toward a whale-watching boat.

The "incredibly rare" sight was captured by Cape Ann Whale Watch off the coast of Massachusetts, as ABC News and MassLive reported.

It brought a veteran conservationist to their knees.

"Our naturalist shed tears and could barely speak," the company said in a Facebook post. "Interns too had tears and were in total awe."

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The Gloucester-based Cape Ann Whale Watch said it was thought to be the first time in over two decades a blue whales had been spotted in the region.

In updates over the next few days, it posted photos and stated that the female whale is known to visit the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada in late fall.

Similar experiences with the Bornean clouded leopard, giant anteater in Brazil, and wolverine in Oregon have shocked experts and nature lovers alike. They also offer hope that Mother Nature, with a helping hand, can bounce back from the brink.

Whales, and especially blue whales, spark a special kind of optimism. The endangered species can grow to 110 feet and live 90 years, though those in the North Atlantic Ocean top out around 90 feet.

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They are threatened by vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and ocean noise. Commercial whaling previously decimated blue whale and other populations of the enormous mammals.

One of the most fascinating things about the creatures is their behavior, particularly the sounds they make.

"It is thought that in the right oceanographic conditions, sounds emitted by blue whales can be heard by other whales up to 1,000 miles away," according to NOAA Fisheries. "Scientists think they use these vocalizations to communicate and  along with their excellent hearing  perhaps to sonar-navigate the dark ocean depths."

We safeguard these amazing animals for future generations via laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. Reducing your reliance on sources of dirty energy and cutting plastic consumption can help by decreasing the production of pollution tied to rising global temperatures, which threaten species, habitats, and environments around the world.

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"It is so exciting to be part of something LARGER than oneself and that this one whale is creating a momentum of curiosity for the natural world," Cape Ann Whale Watch said.

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Sep. 1Plans are being developed for a family medicine residency with capacity for nine physicians at TriState Health in Clarkston.

TriState has signed a memorandum of understanding with Washington State University's Elson Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane, said Kym Clift, TriState Health's CEO.

The college will help develop the three-year family medicine residency program and be its sponsoring institution.

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The program is anticipated to debut as early as 2028 or as late as 2035, given the complexity of the process that involves regulatory approvals, infrastructure and funding, Clift said.

The residency program, according to TriState Health, is the first in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in modern history and will turn the community into a place where doctors receive a key piece of their education.

Residency training is a prerequisite for medical licensure in all 50 states, said Dr. Jeff Haney, vice dean for clinical affairs at WSU, in an email.

All physicians in the United States must complete an accredited residency program to become board-certified in a medical specialty, Haney said.

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Graduates of any accredited medical school anywhere in the world will be eligible to apply for spots at TriState in a program being structured similarly to one at Pullman Regional Hospital, Clift said.

Pullman's family medicine residency is presently the only one sponsored by WSU's College of Medicine, and, like what is being planned at TriState, has capacity for nine residents, Haney said.

"Knowing how critical it is to create training opportunities for new doctors within Washington, who can then stay as providers in Washington, WSU College of Medicine is committed to looking for additional opportunities to create additional residencies," he said.

The Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and TriState have the ingredients needed for a residency program, Haney said.

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The area has a strong need since Asotin County is a federally designated health professions shortage area, lacking primary care physicians, he said.

The community possesses enough learning and patient care opportunities to meet the educational needs of future residents and strongly supports the introduction of the program, understanding its value for the future health of the community, Haney said.

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TriState Health is establishing the residency program to equip newly minted doctors to practice in rural areas, ease the region's medical provider shortage and become an even more appealing place for physicians to work, Clift said.

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About 60% of physicians practice within 100 miles of their residency location after they are licensed, she said.

"When you get to the point of your residency, you often have a spouse and children," Clift said. "When they're matching, they're not looking just for themselves. They're looking for at least three years to have their family living in that community."

The brightest physicians typically enjoy teaching because it gives them even more incentive to stay up to date on the latest research and treatments, she said.

"It fosters a culture of academic medicine, which can elevate the overall standard of care in the community by promoting continuous learning, collaboration and evidence-based practice," said Dr. Carson Seeber, a family medicine physician who has been at TriState for a decade, in an email.

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The hospital will construct a separate clinic, east of its present clinic at 1119 Highland Ave., where the doctors in the residency will see a group of patients during their three years of training, said Seeber, who will be the program director of TriState's residency program.

"As residents graduate, their patients are transitioned to another resident  either new or existing  ensuring ongoing care and continuity within the clinic," he said.

All of the care the resident physicians provide is overseen by fully licensed physicians called preceptors, Seeber said.

The preceptors review and discuss each case with the residents to ensure the diagnosis and treatment plan are appropriate, he said.

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"As residents progress through their training and build clinical confidence, the level of oversight gradually decreases," Seeber said. "By the final year, residents are largely managing patient care independently, with minimal input  similar to practicing physicians."

The training at TriState will be comprehensive, including rotations in all of TriState departments, such as the emergency room and surgery, Clift said.

TriState is working on possible collaborations with Lewis-Clark State College, Nimiipuu Health Clinic, the Lewiston Veterans' Affair Clinic and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, she said.

"Despite the area's relatively small population, it is home to an unusually high number of specialists and subspecialists," Seeber said. "This provides family medicine residents with a unique opportunity to gain broad, hands-on experience across a wide range of medical disciplines as part of their training."

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.
BATON ROUGE, La (Louisiana First)  Edward Cooper, a longtime resident of St. Helena Parish, said one thing keeps his mind racing: a tree hanging over McDaniel Road.

Im scared every time I see traffic going up and down McDaniel Road, which we do have deputies coming up through here running code three, said Cooper.

Nestled on the quiet country road, the tree has become what Cooper describes as a ticking time bomb.

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The school bus passes through here, and they put our children in, pick them up, and right here by the tree. Im also concerned that the tree may fall across the school bus and kill somebody, said Cooper.

Cooper said the tree is dead, weak, and leaning dangerously close to traffic.

This tree has no limbs, no collar to it. If it falls, cross that road, somebody come down, its fast or slow, theyre probably not going to see it before they hit it, and Im afraid theyre going to get killed, he said.

He worries most about the safety of his neighbors and fears the loss of more than one life.

It could easily be a carload of people get killed by this one tree when it could be cut, he said.

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According to Cooper, the parish ordinance requires trees to be set back at least 60 feet from the roadway. He said this tree is just 30 feet.

The ordinance for the parish of Saint Helena is overwrought right away. Supposed to be sixty feet from the center of McDaniel Road, but the back of this tree is 30 feet.

We have reached out to the St. Helena Department of Public Works for comment.

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The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has been under fire for its lack of accountability and transparency after one of its lions mauled another lion, which later had to be euthanized, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

"I expect the Zoo and other nonprofits that receive public funds to continuously review and improve their financial controls to ensure public resources are being used appropriately," Keith Faber, the Ohio state auditor, said in May after his office concluded an investigation into the zoo.

What's happening?

The Columbus Zoo formerly housed four lions, two of which needed to be kept apart for their safety. During nighttime hours, one of the lions broke through a security door separating the animals, the Dispatch reported.

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A male lion named Roary attacked a female lion, Asali. While Roary received only minor injuries, Asali had to be euthanized after suffering a major bite wound.

In response, the Columbus Zoo denied that any of its employees were to blame for the incident.

"It was not human error," said Nicolle Gomez Racey, marketing and communications director for the zoo, per the Dispatch.

The zoo claimed that all doors had been properly inspected and had been closed and locked prior to the incident. Further, the zoo argued that the door separating the animals was up to industry standards, but apparently, a window in the door had provided a weak point that allowed the lions to break through, according to the Dispatch.

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Despite receiving $18.9 million per year in taxpayer funding, operating on publicly owned land, and participating in retirement programs for public employees, the zoo denied a public information request regarding the past year's animal deaths from a Dispatch reporter, hiding behind its legal status as a nonprofit rather than a public entity.

Transparency experts blasted the zoo's stance.

"If they're going to get the benefit of a government retirement system, it's pretty hard to explain why they wouldn't also be subject to the same open government laws that government agencies are subject to," said lawyer David Marburger, according to the Dispatch.

The Dispatch's editorial board followed suit, criticizing the zoo for concealing animal deaths even as it engaged in a promotional blitz surrounding the birth of a new baby elephant.

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"The zoo can not only tell pretty stories," the editorial board wrote. "It must be open to sharing even the tragic and uncomfortable and ugly ones as well."

The lack of transparency particularly raised concerns given the zoo's history of corruption and questionable practices. In 2024, the zoo's former CEO was sentenced to seven years in prison over a $2.3 million corruption scheme, along with four other employees, according to the Dispatch.

Why does it matter?

The situation highlights not only the potential for the misuse of public funds but also the dubious practices at zoos worldwide.

Zoos often claim that the price of an admission ticket helps animal conservation in the wild, that young animals born in zoos help support dwindling wild populations, and that animals kept in zoos are healthy and happy.

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However, according to "extensive research" by Born Free U.S.A., an animal advocacy group, "the facts do not confirm these zoo industry fabrications, and instead demonstrate that captivity is harmful for the animals and does very little to enhance species conservation in the wild or adequately educate visitors."

Meanwhile, zoos continue to accept millions in taxpayer dollars and other public perks.

What's being done about it?

To fairly evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of zoos and determine whether they should receive public funding requires transparency and access to unvarnished facts about their operations.

Nonprofit groups, public transparency experts, and journalistic enterprises all have a role to play in revealing the truth about what happens at zoos.

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Only with a complete picture of what happens inside zoo walls can a fair, accurate assessment be made. As the Columbus Dispatch editorial board wrote, "The truth should not be concealed."

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The city of El Paso, Texas, has moved to block El Paso Electric from following through on a proposed $93 million rate hike, the El Paso Times reported.

According to the Times, the hike would increase the bills of individual customers by an average of $22.39 per month, costing residents hundreds of dollars extra each year for the same service  just when they need power to deal with record temperatures.

The proposed increase comes on the heels of Proposition K, a climate charter for the city that was put to the vote in 2023 and that would have checked the utility's activities. El Paso Electric spent millions campaigning against it.

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"They promised they would do better, they promised we would be in big trouble if we became the owners of the company or if we had more regulation and control over them, and that's why they organized and people listened," said civil rights attorney Veronica Carbajal, one of those opposing the new rate hike on behalf of a local collective called the Sembrando Esperanza Coalition, per the Times.

"Most of the voters denied our request to hold this company accountable. And what's happened since Proposition K is that we have seen lie after lie after lie, and this application (for a rate increase) is Exhibit A of the company refusing to stand by residents and instead standing by their investors."

Normally, buying or leasing solar panels would be one way to escape exorbitant electric costs. Palmetto's LightReach program allows homeowners to install leased solar with no money down and enjoy low-cost electricity while avoiding planet-warming pollution. If you prefer not to lease, you can use EnergySage's free online tools to find solar panels for sale in your area and compare deals. Learn more about the pros and cons of each approach here.

However, El Paso residents noted that even those with solar panels are under El Paso Electric's thumb.

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"I'm paying to produce my own energy," said resident Mario Solano, per the Times. "They had me capped at 8% and they pay me less than what they sell my energy that I produce to other people. Enough is enough."

Thankfully, there are still steps the city can take to oppose the action. In June, the El Paso City Council voted to deny the rate hike. That makes this a matter for the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, which held a hearing on the matter beginning Aug. 7. A final decision is expected in January.

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RICHMOND, Ind. (WDTN)  Police believe more than 50 people were witness to a shooting this weekend, and they are urging those with information to come forward.

The Richmond Police Department responded to a shooting call around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30. The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Richmond Flats Apartments in the 3000 block of Cart Road.

Upon arrival, police found a person with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a local hospital before being flown by medical helicopter to another hospital due to their condition.

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Police say several buildings and vehicles were also hit by gunfire.

Richmond PD believe well over 50 people were in the area during the shooting, but no one has come forward with information.

Silence protects no one. When bullets fly into homes and cars, it endangers loved ones who have nothing to do with the dispute, said Kyle Weatherly, Richmond police chief. Choosing not to come forward allows violence to continue unchecked. If you care about your community, now is the time to speak up.

Richmond PD is urging anyone with information to contact their department at 765-983-7247. Messages can also be sent through Facebook Messenger.

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A road rage incident on the Mass Pike led to shots being fired at a persons vehicle.

According to the Massachusetts State Police, troopers at the Millbury Barracks recieved a report around 7:15 p.m. of a road rage incident on Interstate 90.

The caller said that another vehicle shot a gun at them, resulting in a visible bullet hole in the vehicle.

After the incident, the shooter fled, and the caller exited to the Westborough Service Plaza.

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Troopers met with the caller, confirming that, fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Troopers took the vehicle as evidence for the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the Ballistics Unit to conduct further analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.

State Police ask that anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Millbury Barracks at 508-929-3232.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Robert Mueller has been battling Parkinsons disease for four years and is experiencing difficulty speaking, his family has revealed.

The revelation came after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Mueller to testify in an inquiry into the Jeffrey Epstein case, as part of his former role as FBI director from 2001 to 2013.

Muellers family revealed on Sunday that the 81-year-old had actually been diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disorder in the summer of 2021. Mueller served as special counsel in 2017 to determine if the Russian government interfered with Donald Trumps first campaign for president.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller makes a statement about the Russia investigation on May 29, 2019 at the Justice Department in Washington, DC. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year, the family said in a statement to The New York Times. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022.

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They asked that Muellers privacy be respected.

Mueller has experienced difficulty speaking and with mobility, according to the Times.

Lawmakers withdrew their request for him to take part in the Epstein inquiry after learning that Mueller had health issues that preclude him from being able to testify, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

The former FBI director was due to appear on Tuesday as part of broader investigations into the Epstein files. A letter Comer sent to Mueller on Aug. 5 read, Because you were FBI director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation, according to ABC.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago. / Alex Wong / Getty Images

After being nominated by George W. Bush, Mueller became the sixth director of the FBI on Sept. 4, 2001, and held the position until 2013, overseeing the bureau during its original investigation of disgraced financier Epstein in 2006.

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In June 2008, Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security facility after striking a deal with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18.

He was released in 2009 and was arrested in July 2019 on one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He was found dead in jail in August 2019.

FBI Director Robert Mueller speaks during a news conference at the FBI headquarters June 25, 2008 in Washington, DC. / Alex Wong / Getty Images

As part of his investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Mueller did not establish collusion between Trump and Moscow, but he could not clear him. The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed, Mueller said at the time.

The investigations led to criminal charges against 37 defendants, including six Trump associates. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to charges including lying to Congress about efforts to build a Trump Tower in Russia during the campaign.

Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone was convicted of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election campaign.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Robert Telles filed an appeal with Nevadas highest court to overturn his first-degree murder conviction in the death of a Las Vegas newspaper journalist.

Last summer, Telles, a former Clark County public administrator, was found guilty of killing 69-year-old Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on Labor Day weekend in 2022. German had written unflattering news stories that Telles felt hurt his reputation and caused him to lose an election.

Robert Telles was sole suspect in Las Vegas journalists murder; homicide lieutenant calls verdict relief

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The evidence submitted in the trial included Telles DNA being found under Germans fingernails. Telles has maintained he is innocent, claiming he was framed.

According to the appeal, filed on Aug. 26, Telles claims, among other things, that a search warrant was mishandled, that he was denied the use of an expert witness, and that he was not notified of a jury note stating the jury was deadlocked, the day before reaching a decision.

Convicted killer Robert Telles continues to show no remorse in Las Vegas case

Telles was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He is serving his sentence at High Desert State Prison, located about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

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A man who was arrested in connection with a home invasion in Sterling in December 2024 has been sentenced.

Baylee Gipson (Sterling Police Department)

Whiteside County court records show Baylee Gipson, 26 of Rock Falls, entered guilty pleas to charges of mob action and battery on August 29. Charges of home invasion causing injury and criminal trespass to property (people present) were dropped at sentencing. Gipson was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with six months of mandatory supervised release. He was given credit for 184 days served in jail. Gipson was ordered to pay fines, but the court waived them.

Gipson was arrested in February 2025 on a Whiteside County warrant for a home invasion in the 1000 block of Avenue K in Sterling in December 2024. Officers found a firearm and about 266 grams of marijuana on him when he was arrested.

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The state flag of New Hampshire is at left. The provincial flag of Quebec is at right. New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte will participate in a reception for politicians and business leaders in Quebec City in September. (Getty photos)

In March: a 25% tariff imposed by the U.S on Canadian steel and aluminum. Soon after: a host of retaliatory tariffs passed by Canada against American goods. And then, in late August, a new pledge by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to remove most  but not all  of those counter-tariffs by Sept. 1.

The trade policies between the U.S. and its northern neighbor have careened in recent months, sending businesses into uncertainty as President Donald Trump pushes through aggressive and evolving negotiating tactics.

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In New Hampshire, they appear to be having an impact. By June 2025, exports to Canada for the year were 42.6% lower than at the same point in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureaus Foreign Trade Bureau.

But this fall, lawmakers and state officials are hoping to push past the chaos and make a simple pitch: The Granite State is still open for business.

Over multiple days in early September, New Hampshire leaders will carry out a trade mission with Canadian and American businesses to try to strengthen cross border ties. The efforts will culminate in Quebec City, when Gov. Kelly Ayotte will participate in what has been billed as an intimate reception for politicians and business leaders at a Hilton hotel.

Plans for the trade mission, which are still under development, include a Sept. 8 bus tour to Nova Scotia  by way of Littleton  with business leaders from both countries, according to Sen. Tim McGough, a Merrimack Republican and the chairman of the New Hampshire Canadian Trade Council. That will be followed by a journey to Quebec ahead of the event with the governor,

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Were pretty happy to have a good contingent of significant business leaders joining us on the bus, said McGough during a council meeting Monday.

Theyre a captive audience, he added, speaking of the Canadian business representatives. And theyre looking forward to the captive audience too.

Sen. Tim McGough, center, a Merrimack Republican, speaks at a meeting of the New Hampshire Canadian Trade Council, Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin)

The effort comes as New Hampshires economy has shown signs it has been affected by the trade war between Washington and Ottawa.

Canada is still New Hampshires No. 2 export country, bolstered in large part by sales of aircraft and spacecraft parts from companies such as Marmon Aerospace & Defense and GE Aviation. The state also sends machinery and fabricated metal products, according to a 2019 fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Commerce. But while in the full 2024 calendar year, the Granite State sent $1.2 billion worth of products over the northern border, it had only sent about $400 million by June of this year.

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In contrast, exports to New Hampshires leading export country, Germany, were 3.2% higher in June 2025 than in June 2024. And exports to Mexico, the states third highest importer, were up 14.9% in June.

Overall, New Hampshires exports to all countries, which totaled $7.1 billion in all of 2024, were down 4.19% in June.

Uncertain times

The states Department of Business and Economic Affairs is watching those numbers.

The department cannot be certain the drop in exports to Canada was caused by the tariffs; it could be supply chain changes that are unrelated, said Adam Boltik, program manager of the departments Office of International Commerce.

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But with something like a 40% drop, that does make you look, he said in an interview.

To help businesses keep up with the changing conditions, the BEA has regularly posted the latest tariffs on a page on its website. But Boltik said companies must make their own decisions over what to do with that information.

We are here to be a resource, he said. That can mean helping businesses affected by the tariffs to find mitigating measures such as alternative sources for their materials. The department can also help companies look for new markets to sell their products if the Canadian tariffs are hurting their business, he said.

The department is limited in what it knows. While some top line economic figures exist, much of the BEAs understanding comes from anecdotes. When companies will come to me and say, Hey, Ive got this coming in from Country X and all of a sudden, theres a tariff on it. What happens? In many cases, there is no way to collect the aggregate data needed to better understand those anecdotes, he added.

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Carneys announcement that Canada would be lifting many of its retaliatory tariffs is good news for many New Hampshire businesses, Boltik said. Still, there is a new worry. On Friday, Trumps executive order ending the de minimus tariff exception for U.S. imports will take effect. That change will mean that goods coming into the U.S. worth $800 or less, which were previously exempt from tariffs, will suddenly be subject to the taxes.

That, Boltik fears, could lead Canada to retaliate by imposing tariffs on small-dollar imports from the U.S. as well.

There may be enough of an outcry from those Canadian producers and small businesses that Canada does something, he said.

An enduring relationship

Rene Sylvestre, Quebecs delegate to New England, is optimistic the longstanding ties between the two geographic reasons can survive the tumult.

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Our economies are so intertwined that were still looking to do business and work with companies and folk in New England, he said in an interview.

Despite the tariffs, Sylvestre said he hasnt seen major changes in operations by Quebecois companies, partly because the supply chains are so established. That includes aerospace companies.

One source of that optimism: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, passed during the first Trump term as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement. The agreement protects a swath of products from tariffs, including agriculture, automobile products, textiles, machinery, and digital products.

Pretty much most of our products are under the USMCA, Sylvestre said.

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That agreement did not stop the Trump administration from adding 25% tariffs to automobiles, steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico, which the White House has said is allowed by security exceptions.

Sylvestre said trade missions such as the one in September are intended to reassure businesses.And the idea has precedent: In April, soon after the tariff standoff kicked off, a delegation of Canadian businesses visited Portsmouth for a similar trade mission.

Tourism decline

If businesses are staying the course, tourism is a different story. The number of tourists visiting New Hampshire from Canada has dropped around 30% this year, BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell said earlier this month.

Animosity toward the United States, in addition to economic anxieties and fears about having trouble at the U.S. border have helped to contribute to the drop in tourism, Sylvestre said.

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Before the trade war, there was a kind of unconditional trust and love between the countries, he said. Now, feelings are unsettled.

Its really a perfect storm, he said.

During Mondays meeting, some said they have seen the effect of the drop in tourism. Janet Wall, a Madbury Democrat, noted that the Seacoast usually sees a late-summer burst of tourism from Canadians. This year, she said, beachside parking lots are not full, and business owners say there has been a huge decline in Canadian visitors.

McGough had a different take. Browsing the parking lots of the Merrimack Outlets this year, he has seen plenty of Quebec license plates, he said.

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The dip in tourism comes after New Hampshire and Canada were only just rebounding from the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the land border between the two countries was largely closed. In February 2024, Canadian Consul General for New England Bernadette Jordan paid a visit to the New Hampshire House to tout that turnaround.

Whether its tourism, whether its trade, whether its people visiting families: We cant impede that, Jordan said in an interview with the Bulletin then. But we still have to make sure that what were doing is still working. It does seem to be working.

Today, under very different circumstances, Slyvestre hopes that that relationship will endure.

I see this as one corridor, he said. Even though its two countries, there are so many things that were doing together.

A draft flyer for a Sept. 10 event in Quebec City attempting to boost New Hampshire Canadian business ties featuring Gov. Kelly Ayotte, Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin)

New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com.

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Police in Secaucus, N.J., were swarmed early Sunday by at least 50 people who surrounded their vehicles and lobbed fireworks as officers tried to break up a street-racing pop-up that clogged a busy intersection.

Cops arrived at Secaucus Road and County Avenue at 2:31 a.m. after a report that more than 100 vehicles took over the intersection and were driving recklessly and doing donuts while onlookers took videos of them, the Secaucus Police Department said in a statement.

As soon as they arrived, the cops were crushed by people clambering onto and damaging their marked vehicles, the department said in a statement accompanied by video. People in the crowd then used fireworks as incendiary devices by shooting them at and under the marked police vehicles.

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The street-racing scene was straight out of a war zone as participants hung out of car windows and cars continued doing donuts and other stunts, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller told News12 New Jersey. More than 12 hours later, tire tracks from burnouts and donuts streaked the roadway, News12 noted.

Video of the melee showed up on social media, some posted by police and others capturing the moment independently.

It took Mutual Aid from Weehawken, North Bergen, Hoboken, the Hudson County Sheriffs Office, East Rutherford and Rutherford to disperse the unruly crowd, police said. The department called the officers restraint nothing short of commendable in expressing gratitude that no officers had been hurt.

Their decision-making of not to exit their vehicles to engage a crowd that outnumbered them probably in the vicinity of 50-to-1 is good decision-making on their part, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller told News12. This lawlessness will not be tolerated in Secaucus.

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The department posted footage of the melee hoping members of the public could furnish information or identify some of the perpetrators, urging anyone with intel to call a tipline. Police did not speculate on a possible motive but did underscore the seriousness of the assault.

Our officers came under attack last night, and I will not tolerate this unrest, Chief Dennis Miller said in the departments statement. I will be dedicating resources from our Traffic Bureau, Detective Division, Patrol Division and Intelligence Section to assemble a Task Force to identify the individuals responsible for this riotous behavior and bring them to justice. Secaucus is not going to be the place where these criminals operate with impunity!

An angry Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli vowed the same.

They will make arrests on this, he told Patch.com. Stay out of Secaucus. Were going to get you. Youre going to be arrested.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania's broad coalition government will fast-track parliamentary approval on Monday for a series of divisive public sector spending reforms and tax hikes over which it will face multiple no-confidence votes, heightening uncertainty.

The government is facing public sector strikes and strong opposition to spending cuts as it tries to lower the European Union's highest budget deficit and keep Romania on the last rung of investment grade.

Fast-tracking their approval in parliament means the measures can be approved without lengthy debate, though the opposition can file no-confidence motions within three days.

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The government looks likely to survive the no-confidence votes, which are expected to take place later this week, but the laws can still be challenged in the Constitutional Court.

The cabinet approved a first package of measures, consisting mainly of tax hikes, shortly after it took power in late June, but the four parties in the ruling coalition have struggled to agree on cuts to bloated state spending.

Last Friday it agreed five legislative packages with a budget impact of roughly 10.6 billion lei ($2.46 billion), gradually raising the retirement age for judges and prosecutors, cutting jobs and limiting remuneration for state firms and financial, telecoms and energy regulators, as well as introducing some tax hikes from 2026.

The government, which controls just under 70% of parliament, has chosen to split the measures into five packages to avoid having all of them struck down by the top court in one go.

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The second largest party in parliament, the far-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR), said it would file four no-confidence motions, calling the government's decision to fast-track the cuts "legislative terrorism".

Even if the ruling coalition survives the motions, as expected, it has been strained by failure to agree on a sixth package of cuts to local administration jobs.

Both the leftist Social Democrats and centre-right Liberals, the two largest parties in the cabinet, have repeatedly said the coalition's future is uncertain.

Centrist President Nicusor Dan has also criticised the way in which the government plans to raise the retirement age for the judiciary to the standard 65 from 49 currently, raising doubts over his continued support for Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The judiciary is staging an indefinite strike.

($1 = 4.3137 lei)

(Reporting by Luiza IlieEditing by Gareth Jones)
Chicagos Rooftop Pastor, the Rev. Corey Brooks, is set to embark on another yearlong cross-country journey on foot to raise funds for a community center.

Brooks, founder and pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago in Woodlawn, on Monday will begin his Walk Across America voyage in New York City and end it in Los Angeles next year.

Brooks said he is fundraising $25 million in private donations by walking 12.5 miles Monday through Friday and dedicating Saturdays and Sundays to worship and event days in other cities.

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The pastor wants to take Project H.O.O.D., his nonprofit organization aimed at helping troubled youth, across the country.

Our organization is so important because we are showing that when you give people opportunities, they take advantage of those opportunities and they begin to take advantage of living great lives, Brooks said Sunday.

Brooks said part of the $25 million will go toward completing a 90,000-square-foot leadership and economic opportunity center in Woodlawn. He also has an ambitious goal of opening a tuition-free private school for boys and starting an endowment to run the institution.

Brooks said this mission is important to Chicago because of the solutions that are needed every day. Last week, an 18-year-old man was charged with murder for the August 2024 shooting death of Brooks 21-year-old godson, Christion Tucker.

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We have young people who are committing serious crimes, Brooks said. We have young people who need mentors, we have young people who need to be educated, and to be given the opportunity to live better lives.

The walk also comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago. Brooks last week called on Trump to send the National Guard to lower crime in an interview with Fox News. Thats despite reports that crime in Chicago dropped in the first half of the year. Chicago has seen fewer than 200 homicides in the first six months of the year, the fewest its had in over a decade.

We would need to invite President Trump in, we invite the National Guard in, Brooks said on the program.

Brooks gained recognition back in 2012 when he slept on a motel rooftop to raise awareness of city violence and to fundraise to buy the motel, which was used as a hub for drugs and prostitution.

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This is not the first time Brooks has walked across America. In 2012, he used a similar walk to fundraise for a community center. He planned to raise $15 million, but only received $500,000.

Robert Marshall, assistant pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago, has been alongside Brooks since the late 2000s when Brooks adopted him.

Marshall said being with Brooks all this time and seeing him progress has been a blessing.

Marshall recalled seeing Brooks being held at gunpoint and another instance when people went up to Brooks car with his children inside, because they didnt like what he was doing to their business.

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Tracy Stingley, executive pastor, has also been with Brooks since 2007, he said. Hes seen Brooks success in bringing awareness to Chicago.

To see all that God has done through him and the pillar hes been to the community, how much the community trusts him and means to him, its amazing to see, Stingley said.

Stingley and Marshall will take over operations at the church while Brooks is away.

From sleeping on rooftops to walking across the country, his advocacy hasnt been easy and requires a lot of hard work, Brooks said.

It requires a lot of tenacity, a lot of courage in the face of adversity, but Im really thankful and grateful for where we are, but Im even more grateful and thankful for where I know were going to go, Brooks said.

Brooks is set to finish the walk by Sept. 19, 2026, at Santa Monica Pier in California.

chardy@chicagotribune.com
CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN)  The Canfield Fair hosts the Wiener Dog Derby and The Rooster Run year after year, and even though the Wiener Dog Derby is for the dogs, The Rooster Run is for human runners of all ages.

The race, a 5k run weaving all around the Canfield Fairgrounds, has been a tradition for the last 10 years. With this years runners aged 14 to 84, 335 runners crossed the finish line during Sundays race, and in doing so meant they beat last years attendance by over 100.

It was a lot of fun, I mean, its always a fun course. I actually started in the back today, which was a little bit tough to push a lot. By the way, I actually ran a 4:53 first mile, so I was motoring through the first downhill, but then I kept it consistent and finished hard, said Lucas Sokol, 2025 and 3-time Rooster Run winner.

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Read Next: Canfield Fair Day 5: Brad Paisley headlines Grandstand

While the runners might have broken a sweat during the 5k, the race helped 4-H kids avoid breaking the bank.

All the proceeds benefit the 4-H kids. We buy pens and materials and different things for what they need at the fair, said Dean Ritchie, Livestock Committee Chairman. And the community likes to support the kids that way, and they enjoy running through the fairgrounds.

The run took place early Sunday morning, and the Fair had more than just runners on the grounds during the event.

Its delivery time, so we end up with a few trucks in the way, so it kinda messes things up, but they love the course. Ive had people travel from Florida and New York and West Virginia this year to come up and run, said Ritchie.

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Rosie ODonnell has apologised for calling the Minneapolis school gunman a Maga person.

ODonnell said Robin Westman, the transgender gunman who killed two children and injured 18 people attending a start-of-term Mass last week, was a white guy, Republican, Maga person ... white supremacist.

The NRA [National Rifle Association] is a terrorist organisation. And they have been for many years, she added.

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When is enough enough, America? Havent you had enough of Donald Trump? The Heritage Foundation? All their bulls--t? Hes their puppet  but guess what? Its coming to an end.

Robin Westman fired on the children from outside the Minnesota church before killing himself - Enterprise News and Pictures

Westman had scrawled kill Donald Trump on one of the guns used in the attack, and ranted about Elon Musk and the president in the same journal in which he drew a crude map of the church attached to Annunciation Catholic School.

Westman, who changed his name from Robert in 2019 to reflect the fact that he identified as a woman, also wrote f--- them kids and his desire to cause a devastating tragedy.

Realising her mistake, ODonnell, the talk show host and comedian, 63, said she made an emotional statement that was incorrect.

Harper Moyski, 10, and Fletcher Merkel, 8, were named as the two fatal victims of the attack.

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Westman fired more than 100 bullets during Wednesdays rampage. There were 116 rifle casings, three shotgun shell casings and one live pistol round recovered at the scene.

The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible, said Brian OHara, the Minneapolis police chief.

Fletcher Merkel, left, and Harper Moyski died in the shooting

Shortly after the attack, the Minneapolis mayor Jacob Fey gave a press conference in which he hit out at those offering their thoughts and prayers to the children and their families.

Pointing out that the children were killed at a Mass, he said: And dont just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.

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His comments sparked a row between Democrats and Republicans over whether praying for the victims was appropriate. It reached a crescendo on Friday when JD Vance waded into the argument, writing on X.

It is shocking to me that so many left wing politicians attack the idea of prayer in response to a tragedy.



Literally no one thinks prayer is a substitute for action.



We pray because our hearts are broken and we believe that God is listening.  JD Vance (@JDVance) August 28, 2025

The vice-president added: Of all the weird Left-wing culture wars in the last few years, this is by far the most bizarre...What are you even talking about?

ODonnell moved to Dublin, Ireland, in January to escape Mr Trumps America.

The former The View host, who has a long-running feud with the president, said: Its been heartbreaking to see whats happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know.

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Addressing her reasons for moving abroad, she said: I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through.

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Rosie ODonnell has walked back her claim that the Minnesota school shooter who killed two children Wednesday was a MAGA Republican, saying that when you mess up, you fess up.

The comedian and former talk show host, who fled the U.S. for Ireland following Donald Trumps re-election, posted a TikTok video Thursday branding the shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, a MAGA person.

Saw about the Minnesota shooting, and it brought me right back to Columbine in 1999 when I just could not get it through my head that students in America were shooting each other in schools, she said in the video, which she has since deleted.

It is unclear what motivated Robin Westman, 23, who expressed admiration for other school shooters as well as a desire to kill President Donald Trump. / YouTube

This was a church inside a Catholic school. And what do you know? It was a white guy, Republican, MAGA person, what do you know? White supremacist.

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Westman, who is reported to have been born male but identified as a woman, expressed hatred toward multiple groups in writings and videos posted online before opening fire on children in the pews of a Minneapolis Catholic school on Wednesday. In one video, a magazine had the words, kill Donald Trump scrawled on it.

Westmans writings include disparaging messages about Trump, Christians, Black people, Hispanic people, Jews and Israel, according to The New York Times. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara told ABC News that Westman clearly had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters.

Robin Westman killed 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, and injured 18 others after opening fire at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning. / Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Getty Images

After ODonnells initial video sparked backlash, she took to Instagram on Saturday, writing, i apologize for laziness at not looking throughly at the facts of this shooter - she was anti trump and not maga.

On Sunday, she posted a second apology on TikTok, saying, I know a lot of you were very upset about the video I made before I went away for a few days. You are right and I did not do my due diligence before I made that emotional statement.

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She continued, I said things about the shooter that were incorrect. I assumed, like most shooters, they followed a standard MO and had standard feelings of, of, you know, NRA-loving kind of gun people.

The truth is, I messed up and when you mess up, you fess up. Im sorry, this is my apology video and I hope its enough.

ODonnell, 63, addressed the MAGA base directly in the caption: my apologies to maga for saying the school shooter was one of u - that is incorrect- i made a mistake - i didnt research- im sorry- i assumed and thats always wrong.

But it appears her apology was poorly received, as comments flooded in questioning her sincerity, several of which ODonnell replied to.

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She does not mean this apology, one TikTok user wrote. She is trying to save face, because she opened her mouth and was so wrong.

ODonnell responded, i was wrong - and i apologize- what more do u want?

Westman killed 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, and injured 18 others. Westman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rosie ODonnell issued a video apology Sunday after suggesting that the Minneapolis school shooter was a Republican, MAGA person.

Horror unfolded at Annunciation Catholic School last Wednesday after two children aged 8 and 10 were shot dead by 23-year-old Robin Westman as they sat in the pews of the church. Fifteen other children aged six to 15 and three parishioners in their 80s were also wounded in the attack.

Saw about the Minnesota shooting, and it brought me right back to Columbine in 1999 when I just could not get it through my head that students in America were shooting each other in schools, ODonnell said in a since-deleted video shared last Thursday.

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What do you know? It was a white guy, Republican, MAGA person. What do you know? White supremacists, she continued.

However, investigators found that the shooter had expressed hatred towards President Donald Trump, calling for his death in a message scrawled on a firearms magazine. They also wrote disparaging messages about Christians, Black people, Hispanic people, Jews and Israel.

Rosie O'Donnell admitted she did not do my due diligence before making emotional statements about the Minneapolis school shooter (Rosie O'Donnell/TikTok)

On Sunday, ODonnell posted another video admitting she was wrong about the shooters political identity.

I knew a lot of you were very upset about the video I made before I went away for a few days, she said, adding that had not had time to read through the comments until Sunday.

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You are right. I did not do my due diligence before I made that emotional statement, and I said things about the shooter that were incorrect.

I assumed, like most shooters, they followed a standard MO and had standard, you know, feelings of you know, NRA-loving kind of gun people, ODonnell continued. Anyway, the truth is I messed up, and when you mess up, you fess up. Im sorry. This is my apology video and I hope its enough.

In the comments section, some critics expressed their dissatisfaction with ODonnells statement, with one calling it  the most unapologetic apology ever.

ODonnell replied to one comment, writing, I was wrong - and I apologize - what more do [you] want?

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The young victims in the shooting were later identified by their families as eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

Westman died by a self-inflicted gunshot as law enforcement rushed to the scene.

ODonnell moved to Ireland in January with her youngest child, Clay, in response to Trumps return to the White House.

The comedian has a long-running feud with Trump, stretching back to 2006 when she was a host on The View.

Touching briefly on her relationship with the current president back in March, she said: I knew that it would really tax me emotionally to have to do that [live in Trumps America]. So I'm very happy that we made the decision that we made.

ODonnell said that it is heartbreaking to see what's happening politically in the United States but thanked the people of Ireland for welcoming her. It's been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I'm very grateful.
A TriMet train in Portland on June 3, 2022. The transportation package advanced by the Joint Special Session Committee on Transportation Funding Sunday includes a temporary increase to the payroll tax to help fund local transit agencies. (Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation)

A bill to stave off hundreds of layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation, pay for road infrastructure projects and temporarily boost funding to public transit agencies moved forward Sunday after a rocky start.

Republican lawmakers who were absent and upset Friday about the Democrats proposal to pay for it  by raising gas and payroll taxes, increasing vehicle license and registration fees, and charging electric vehicle owners per-mile road use fees  showed up Sunday, following negotiations on several provisions of the bill. One key change would end the proposed payroll tax increase after two years. The payroll tax flows to public transit agencies to run trains and buses.

What fees and taxes would change under the proposed transportation package?

A gas tax increase from $0.40 to $0.46, effective Jan. 1, 2026 is expected to raise $90 million a year. The gas tax is split among the state and local governments, with half of the tax for the state, 30% for counties and 20% for cities.

An increase in annual registration fees from $43 to $85 for passenger vehicles; $63 to $105 for utility vehicles, light trailers, low-speed vehicles and medium-speed electric vehicles; and $44 to $86 for mopeds and motorcycles.

Increasing title fees for passenger vehicles from $77 to $216.

Doubling the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% until Jan. 1, 2028.

An increase to registration surcharges for electric and highly fuel-efficient vehicles, from $35 to $65 annually for cars with a 40+ miles-per-gallon rating, and from $115 to $145 annually for electric vehicles.

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Phasing in a mandatory road usage charge program for electric vehicles by 2031. Electric vehicle drivers have been able to opt into the OReGO program and pay 2 cents per mile in exchange for lower registration fees, and the proposed change would mandate electric vehicle drivers participate in that program or pay a flat $340 annual fee.

Members of the Joint Special Session Committee on Transportation Funding voted along party lines 7-5 to send the amended transportation funding package to the House floor. The House is scheduled to vote on the package on Monday, with a final vote in the Senate anticipated Wednesday.

The committee  which began nearly an hour late  went on for more than four hours, and included about two hours of public testimony before lawmakers asked questions of legislative experts and debated various amendments to the bill.

Lawmakers introduced more than a dozen amendments, but only two passed. One would allow the Department of Administrative Services to tweak gas taxes on everyone, and weight mile fees on trucks, to meet the Oregon Constitutions requirement that light- and heavy-duty vehicles equitably pay for roads  two-thirds of costs paid for by light vehicle owners, and one-third paid by heavy vehicle owners  but it specifies that the agency can only adjust these taxes and fees to go down, not up. This is a change from earlier versions of the bill that would have allowed the agency to get to an equity ratio by raising those taxes and fees on light or heavy vehicles.

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The second amendment sunsets the payroll tax increase  from .1% to .2% on Oregonians and employers  on Jan. 1, 2028. A previous version of the bill did not have an end date on the tax increase. Despite supporting the amendments, Republicans remained opposed to the overall bill.

Today, its Labor Day weekend, and were talking about doubling a payroll tax on Oregon workers. I cannot in good conscience do that. I cannot do that right now, said House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby.

Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, countered that consistent investment in public transit with the payroll tax, which first began in 2017, has expanded public transit services across the state and continuing to invest in it is the best way for lawmakers to help Oregonians lower their costs.

Oregonians who can downsize the number of cars they own, pay less car insurance, pay less gas, dont have car payments, dont have as much maintenance, dont pay for parking  those are ways that we can reduce the cost of living for Oregonians, she said.

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Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, described the temporary payroll tax increase as a bridge while lawmakers further discuss transportation funding issues for public transit.

If we do this, we have a sunset that comes due in 28, and we have to talk about it, and we have to have a solution to replace it, she said. There has to be a trigger, or there has to be something that allows us to make sure that we can have full transit in the state of Oregon for both the rural and the urban areas, for the seniors, for the handicapped and for people that just should not be driving.

Dozens of people came to testify on the bill, many of whom expressed frustration that so much had been pared back from the original House Bill 2025 package proposed during the long legislative session, and that lawmakers had done so little with the information theyd gleaned from the 2024 transportation listening tour theyd taken across the state.

Others expressed frustration that the tax and fee increases proposed by Democrats will burden already struggling Oregonians, and that the legislatures process for producing the package through an emergency special session was a mess. The bulk of written comments opposed the proposed tax hikes, while the majority of in-person testimony supported the passage of the bill.

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Let me be clear, a transportation package must pass. Without it, our roads, bridges and essential infrastructure will fall further into disrepair. Oregon cannot afford that, and neither can Yamhill County. But let me also be clear, this package is a prime example of why I refuse to affiliate with either political party, David Bubba King, a Yamhill County Commissioner, told lawmakers. Even if you call this bill a compromise, the truth is the process has been dysfunctional.

Many who testified were upset at Gov. Tina Koteks absence.

Kotek canceled her planned Labor Day vacation and is in the state, according to Roxy Mayer, the governors spokesperson. For her security, the office would not disclose Koteks location, but Mayer said in an email the governor is closely monitoring the proceedings and has been communicating with lawmakers since the special session began.

Since the adjournment of the legislative session, the governor and her team have worked every day with lawmakers, local partners, and stakeholders to maintain the basic transportation services Oregonians rely on, Mayer said HB 3991 has the support of a broad coalition, and she is focused on seeing the funding proposal cross the finish line.

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AUSTIN (KXAN)  Drowning remains the single leading cause of death for kids between the ages of one and four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While Labor Day might be the unofficial end of summer, the truth is, we live in Texas. Thats why swim safety experts say its never too late to start your lessons.

As soon as you stop taking [kids] to the pool, youll start to forget that life-saving skill, said John Mazurek of Emler Swim School.

It seems simple enough, but swimming lessons can help prevent a life or death situation.

Most drownings happen in winter months

When you fall into a pool, it might be the first time youve ever fallen in with clothing on too, Mazurek explained. Most drownings happen in winter months, so youre fully clothed. Thats a totally different situation than if youre swimming in a swimsuit.

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Thats exactly why places like Emler Swim School, which has locations around the U.S. and the greater Austin area, want to help kids get comfortable with the water. And also to know what to do in case the worst happens.

RELEVANT COVERAGE: Texas mother fights for swim school legislation after 3-year-old son drowns

Year-round swim lessons provide up to 88% effectiveness of preventing a drowning, Mazurek said. Its a pretty staggering statistic.

Its preventable. Its the worst part about it.

Its also no call a firefighter or EMT wants to have to respond to.

The biggest thing we see is [getting calls to] residential or apartment complex pools, Captain Trevor Stokes of Travis County ESD2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, said. That does change seasonally, obviously, as we move into other times of the year we get a peak of different calls.

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Stokes said it starts with one simple thing  making sure people know the dangers and staying educated about them.

[We try to] really engage the community so they understand what you can do to prevent this from happening, Stokes said. Its not just tips and tricks, its also layers of safety to prevent this type of occurrence or event. And its preventable. Thats the worst thing about it.

Assign a water watcher

The best thing parents or others can do is to assign someone to be solely focused on the water. That means being 100% distraction-free, including no cell phones or even a book.

There should always be a water watcher, Mazurek said. Usually we have things like tags we can give the person to say Im the designated water watcher. Theyre responsible for handing off that tag to somebody who is then the next watcher. Theyre not allowed to leave until they find someone else to hand it off to to directly watch the pool.

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RELEVANT COVERAGE: Program expands affordable access to swim lessons across Central Texas

Mazurek explained that doing so helps eliminate whats known as the bystander bias  when someone assumes someone else is watching the pool, when in fact no one is paying attention.

Its one simple step that could potentially prevent a tragedy.

What does drowning look like?

Drowning looks nothing like it does in the movies. The CDC explains there are a few classic signs to look out for, including:

People are usually very quiet, especially children

People are hyperventilating or gasping for air

People are usually upright, looking like theyre trying to climb an invisible ladder out of the water

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Emler Swim School does offer grants that allow children to receive swim lessons for free. Learn about that program on its website

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has sustained serious injuries after being involved in a car accident.

On the evening of August 30, 2025, in New Hampshire, Mayor Giuliani was involved in a motor vehicle accident, the statement shared via Giulianis official Instagram read on Sunday, August 31. Prior to the incident, he was flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident. Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety.

The statement continued, Following this, while traveling on the highway, Mayor Giulianis vehicle was struck from behind at high speed. He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.

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The message stated that Giulianis business partner and medical provider were promptly contacted and arrived at the hospital to oversee his care.

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At this time, no further updates are available, the statement concluded. This is the only statement authorized by Mayor Giuliani.

The statement was signed by Michael Ragusa, the head of Mayor Giulianis security. Ragusa, who jointly uploaded the post with Giuliani, 81, added another message in the caption.

@therudygiuliani was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident in New Hampshire on August 30th. After assisting a domestic violence victim and ensuring police arrived, he was struck from behind while driving on the highway. He sustained multiple injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously, the caption read. We thank everyone for their continued prayers and support. .

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Ragusa went on to share that Giuliani, who served as the mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, is in great spirits. He told The New York Post on Sunday that Giuliani will remain in the hospital for two to three more days before wearing a brace. Hes a beast. He survived 9/11, Ragusa added, referring to Giulianis time as mayor during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Jeremy Renner Critically Injured in Snowplow Accident: Everything to Know

Maria Ryan, a nurse practitioner and Giulianis business partner, is reportedly helping with overseeing his care. She told the outlet, Hes getting further tests and stabilization of his injuries.

Giulianis son, Andrew, added, Thank Goodness hes doing OK. (Giuliani and ex-wife Donna Hanover welcomed Andrew and daughter Caroline in 1986 and 1989, respectively.) Fractured vertebrae. More to come, Andrew told the outlet. Please keep him in your prayers.
Brussels  A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation, a spokesperson said Monday. The plane landed safely in Plovdiv airport and von der Leyen will continue her planned tour of the European Union's nations bordering Russia and Belarus, said the commission's spokesperson Arianna Podesta.



"We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming," Podesta said in a statement also shared separately with CBS News by a European Commission spokesperson. "We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia."

The Financial Times newspaper, which was the first to report the incident citing EU officials, said the GPS jamming forced the pilot to land the plane carrying von der Leyen using paper maps.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (second from left), and Boyko Borissov (right), leader of GERB party, walk during the EU official's visit to Bulgarian state arms company VMZ-Sopot, in Sopot, Bulgaria, Aug. 31, 2025. / Credit: Bulgarian Government Press Office/Handout/REUTERS

Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of the EU nations bordering Russia and its close ally Belarus.



"This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states," Podesta said.



She said that von der Leyen has seen "firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies."



"And, of course, the EU will continue to invest into defense spending and in Europe's readiness even more after this incident," she said.

/ Credit: CBS News

Bulgaria's government issued a statement saying "the satellite signal used for the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost."



Von der Leyen told The Financial Times newspaper, in an interview published Sunday, that European nations had formulated "precise plans" for post-war troop deployments in Ukraine, should diplomatic efforts led by President Trump succeed in brokering a truce.

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The EU chief told the newspaper that Mr. Trump had assured her there would be an "American presence" as a "backstop" to security guarantees offered to Ukraine as part of any eventual ceasefire, but she offered no details on what that might include.

President Trump has made it clear he will not deploy U.S. forces to Ukraine as part of any peace deal with Russia.

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Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Russia is suspected of interfering with the Global Positioning System of a jet carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union said Monday

She was in a chartered jet Sunday headed from Poland to southern Bulgaria as part of a tour of eastern EU countries, including "front line" states of Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania and Romania bordering Russia and Belarus. She was expected to discuss defense readiness as part of the tour.

Bulgaria borders Romania and is 1,000 miles from western Russia.

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Despite no functional GPS, the plane landed safely at its intended airport in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, though pilots relied on paper maps, the Financial Times reported.

Von der Leyen, accompanied by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, visited an arms producer in Sopot.

Sopot, Bulgaria, VMZ ammunition factory. Shells are produced here in large quantities. Not only for Europe's stockpile but also for Ukraine's defence. 1/3 of the weapons delivered to Ukraine at the start of the war came from Bulgaria. Thank you for your support to Ukraine's... pic.twitter.com/Fj9JbcpbPv Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 31, 2025

On Monday, she traveled to Lithuania and Romania.

"We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia," Arianna Podesta, deputy spokesperson of the commission, said in a statement obtained by Politico.

"This incident underlines the urgency of the president's current trip to frontline member states, where she has seen firsthand the everyday threats from Russia and its proxies."

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Bulgaria's information was "incorrect."

Bulgaria's government explained how the plane landed at the airport.

"Air Traffic Services immediately proposed an alternative landing approach using ground-based navigation aids [Instrument Landing System]," the Bulgarian government said in a news release. "The ground-based navigation aids used in Bulgaria are independent of GPS systems. We further clarify that there was no need to divert the flight."

Without correct GPS information, there is a risk of colliding with other planes or unintentionally flying into the ground, water or other object.

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"Threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia's hostile actions," the European Commission said, adding they would "ramp up our defense capabilities and support for Ukraine."

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, GPS jamming has worsened, Cyrille Rosay, a senior cybersecurity expert at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told the BBC.

The BBC reported no proven link has yet been established between Russia and GPS jamming.

Bulgaria, which was a satellite state in the Soviet Union with Russia until the collapse in 1989, has had a "noticeable increase" in GPS incidents, the nation's Air Traffic Services Authority said.

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In March 2024, a British air force plane carrying Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russia's Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania. Legitimate signals are replaced with fake ones, indicating an incorrect location.

"They have gone from isolated incidents to being normalized," Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House's Russia and Eurasia Program, told the BBC. "No one has been willing or able" to convince Moscow to stop an expanding "campaign of interference."

Airlines operating around the Baltic coast in the last few years in three countries -- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- have reported tens of thousands of jamming incidents.
Since the evening of 31 August, Russian forces have attacked Ukraine with 86 Shahed strike UAVs and various types of decoy drones. A total of 76 drones were destroyed, but some strikes were recorded.

Source: Air Force of Ukraine on Telegram

Quote: "As of 09:00, air defence had shot down or suppressed 76 enemy Shahed-type UAVs and various decoy drones over Ukraines north, south, east and centre. Ten strike UAVs hit six locations."

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Details: The Russians launched the drones from the Russian cities of Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as from Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Crimea.

"The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare, unmanned systems units and mobile fire groups from the Ukrainian defence forces," the Air Force concluded.

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(NewsNation)  As the war between Ukraine and Russia ramps up, Russian President Vladimir Putin faces a looming deadline from President Donald Trump on peace talks to end the fighting.

Putin has said he and Trump have reached an understanding on ending the war, but he has not said whether he agreed to peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump previously floated a Monday deadline for Putin to respond to ceasefire negotiations.

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Putin was in attendance Monday at a security conference meeting with several world leaders aimed at countering Western influence. At the conference, he expressed openness to a potential deal.

Hopes for peace deal between Russia and Ukraine falter amid recent strikes

We value the efforts and propositions to solve the Ukrainian crisis that China, India and other strategic partners have offered, Putin said. An understanding that was reached at a U.S.-Russia summit heads the same direction, I hope. I pave the way to peace in Ukraine, I hope.

Trump has threatened to issue more economic tariffs if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire. In a social media post, he pointed to the fact that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and very little from the U.S.

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They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late, Trump wrote. They should have done so years ago.

Trump previously vowed to increase tariffs on India as a secondary measure if a ceasefire is not reached. White House officials said they remain confident that peace in Ukraine is a possibility.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
NATO is working day and night to counter Russian GPS jamming, the organization's Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on Tuesday, two days after a plane carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen encountered interference.

It is taken very seriously, said Rutte during a press conference in Luxembourg. I can assure you that we are working day and night to counter this, to prevent it, and to make sure that they will not do it again.

Rutte went on to say that NATO is stepping up when it comes to dealing with hybrid, cyber matters and have agreed on policies to address the mounting concern. The NATO chief admitted that instances of GPS jamming could have potentially disastrous effects, making the issue all the more urgent.

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A plane boarded by von der Leyen on Sunday encountered suspected Russian interference while trying to land in Bulgaria, a spokesperson for the Commission told TIME.

We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia. We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russias hostile actions, said European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podesta in an emailed statement on Monday, reiterating that the plane landed safely, despite the GPS jamming.

Per Podesta, the event will only serve to further reinforce the European Commissions unshakable commitment to ramp up [its] defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.

A source familiar with the matter told TIME the pilots used paper maps to successfully land the plane.

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TIME has reached out to Bulgarian Authorities and the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the allegations.

Read More: European Leaders Condemn Putins Bloodshed After Russia Strikes Kyivs E.U. Mission and British Council Buildings

A strong ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, von der Leyen has frequently condemned Russias actions against Ukraine following its invasion of the country in 2022.

Last week, she lambasted the Russian strikes that hit the E.U. delegation in Kyiv for the first time, along with the British Council building. Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace, she urged.

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On Sunday, von der Leyen visited an ammunition factory in the Bulgarian town of Sopot, where she said that shells are manufactured for both E.U. and Ukrainian stockpiles and praised the site for benefiting Europes security as a whole.

Continuing her tour of frontline member states on Monday, von der Leyen visited Lithuania, which borders Russia, and announced an economic roadmap for the next five years is due to be outlined in October to address defence investment regarding the war in Ukraine and Russian threats towards other neighbouring countries.

You live under geopolitical and economic pressure, as well as constant military and hybrid threats, said von der Leyen in a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Mark Rutte, NATO's Secretary General, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, are seen during the NATO Summit at the World Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands, on June 23, 2025. Klaudia RadeckaGetty Images

In July, the European Commission announced sanctions against Russian individuals and entities accused of these hybrid threats, including one Russian company and two individuals in relation to signal jamming from Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave.

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GNSS signal disruptions in several European countries have been linked to electronic warfare activities from Kaliningrad, including jamming and spoofing of GNSS signals, primarily affecting the Baltic States, and disrupting civil aviation, read the press release.

Read More: How Putin Brushed Off Trumps Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine

The latest allegations of Russian interference in GPS systems comes almost three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a high-stakes summit.

The meeting served as the first in-person encounter between the Presidents since 2019, and was intended to foster discussions about a path toward a potential cease-fire. But it ended earlier than expected and, notably, without a deal being reached.

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Trump has since met with Zelensky and key European leaders at the White House to discuss possible steps forward, during which he ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

The U.S. President has pitched for a one-on-one meeting between Zelensky and Putin. But a Kremlin aide said on Monday that a concrete agreement for a one-on-one, or a trilateral meeting including Trump, has not been agreed upon, reaffirming Russias stance since Putin met with Trump.

So far, what is being broadcast in the press is not exactly what weve agreed on. Now they are talking about a trilateral meeting, about a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. But specifically, as far as I know, there has been no agreement between Putin and Trump on this, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov is quoted as telling Russian media outlet VGTRK.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
An aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly targeted with deliberate GPS navigation interference by Russia en route to Bulgaria, according to the commission on Monday.

"We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe," a commission spokeswoman said about the Sunday incident. "We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia."

"We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia's hostile actions," the spokeswoman added.

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"This will further reinforce our unshakable commitment to ramp up our defence capabilities and support for Ukraine."

Von der Leyen was travelling to Bulgaria on Sunday on a charter flight.

According to information obtained by dpa from the European Commission, the plane had to remain in the air for about 10 minutes longer than planned. A Financial Times reporter on board the plane had previously reported that it had circled for about an hour over the airport before landing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the accusations levelled at Russia and acused the Financial Times of false information.

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The pilot ultimately made the decision to land manually in the city of Plovdiv with the aid of analogue maps.

The airport director, Krassimir Peshev, said there was no danger to the lives of the passengers and that it is usually not a problem to land in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, without GPS navigation.

It is routine practice to use another system if there are problems with one landing system, Peshev said on state radio.

Plovdiv is some 130 kilometres south-east of Sofia. Its airport is used by low-cost airlines and for charter flights.

Von der Leyen has been visiting countries in the north and east of the European Union over the past few days.

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After arriving in Bulgaria on Sunday, she met with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to discuss European security and defence issues, and visited the largest state-owned arms manufacturer.

Political talks on von der Leyen's tour were to focus primarily on deterrence and defence initiatives against Russia, which could have been a possible reason for the attack, sources in Brussels said.

Bulgaria is also a major supplier of weapons to the Ukrainian military, providing one third of supplies at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to von der Leyen.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the accusations against Russia in comments to the Financial Times.

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Disruption to GPS satellite navigation in eastern Europe is nothing new. Last year, Estonia summoned the charge d'affaires of the Russian embassy in Tallinn after GPS interference led to the temporary suspension of air traffic between Finland's capital Helsinki and the Estonian city of Tartu.

German Navy Inspector Christian Kaack said GPS interference is commonplace against both military and civilian targets.

The German military's inspector general, Carsten Breuer, described his own experiences with GPS jamming, once during a flight over the Baltic Sea and again during a visit to a military exercise in Lithuania.

While pilots usually have the ability to circumvent such interference, Breuer stressed: "We are currently under constant sabotage and espionage, and we are also subject to hybrid influence and hybrid actions, which we can very often trace back to state actors and, in many cases, to Russia."
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation, a spokesperson said Monday.

The plane landed safely at Plovdiv airport in central Bulgaria and von der Leyen will continue her planned tour of the European Unions eastern frontline nations, said commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta.

We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, said Podesta. We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.

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The incident with von der Leyens plane is the latest in a series involving suspected Russian electronic interference with GPS satellite navigation. For months, countries bordering Russia  including Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  have warned of increased electronic activity interfering with flights, ships and drones. Russian authorities did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscows war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of much of the EU's eastern flank, with stops in Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.

This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states," Podesta said.

She said that von der Leyen has seen "firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies.

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And, of course, the EU will continue to invest into defense spending and in Europes readiness even more after this incident, she said.

Bulgaria issued a statement saying that the satellite signal used for the aircrafts GPS navigation was disrupted" during von der Leyen's flight. She was traveling from Warsaw, Poland, to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city, on a private jet chartered by the European Commission. "As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost, the statement said. It said that Bulgaria's Civil Aviation Authority instructed the pilots to use backup navigation aids to land the plane.

The Associated Press has plotted almost 80 incidents on a map tracking a campaign of disruption across Europe blamed on Russia, which the head of Britains foreign intelligence service has described as staggeringly reckless. Since Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents, ranging from vandalism to arson and attempted assassination.

The interference from Russia includes jamming and spoofing. Jamming means a strong radio signal overwhelms communications, whereas spoofing misleads a receiver into thinking it is in a different location or in a past or future time period.

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In August, Latvias Electronic Communications Office said it had identified at least three hot spots for jamming along borders with Russia. In April 2024, a Finnish airline temporarily suspended flights to the Estonian city of Tartu following jamming, while in March that year, a plane carrying the British defense secretary had its satellite signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory.

The office said that although Russia maintains the jamming is defensive, the frequency has increased as interference extends further from Russias borders.

Pilots and air traffic controllers from Sweden to Bulgaria are are reinventing the old-school methods of navigating because they cannot rely on GPS anymore, said Eric Schouten, an intelligence analyst and CEO of Dyami Security Intelligence based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

___ McNeil reported from Brussels. Writers Emma Burrows in London and Zeke Miller in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

___

This version corrects the spelling of the last name of the intelligence analyst Eric Schouten.
Russia is expected to launch new assaults toward the city of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast in an effort to establish a foothold in the area, Dmytro Zaporozhets, a spokesman of the 11th Army Corps, told Suspilne on Sept. 1.

Russian forces advanced in Donetsk Oblast over the summer, focusing their main efforts around the cities of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka while pushing toward Dobropillia. Yet, Russia failed to consolidate its positions or achieve significant territorial gains, capturing only a handful of small rural settlements.

Siversk, Russia's new potential target, lies about 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the occupied village of Verkhniokamianske in Donetsk Oblast.

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According to the local military administration, the town's population has dropped twentyfold since the start of the Russian invasion. As of this summer, only around 400 residents remained.

"In the Siversk direction, the enemy will continue attempting assault operations using (heavy) equipment until the autumn rains begin. We expect another large-scale assault," Zaporozhets said.

Russian forces aim to secure a foothold near Siversk before the weather turns, allowing them to either fight for control of the city or bypass it during the winter, the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the number of Russian artillery strikes in the nearby Lyman direction near the Serebrianskyi Forest has risen to 200 per day, according to Zaporozhets. He said the intensified shelling north of Siversk is allowing Russian forces to advance by destroying Ukrainian positions with artillery.

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"The scale of artillery shelling in this area has recently increased almost threefold. If there used to be 80-90 shelling per day, today there can be 190 or 200," the spokesperson said.

Read also: Russia-Ukraine naval drone arms race could usher in a new era of warfare

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Footage released by Russia's Defense Ministry on Aug. 30 showed a map behind Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov suggesting Moscow's potential ambitions to seize Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts.

The map appeared as Gerasimov gave a speech on Russia's spring-summer campaign, saying Moscow would continue both front-line fighting and mass strikes on Ukrainian cities despite peace talks.

While Moscow has publicly insisted on full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the map indicated possible plans extending to Odesa and Kharkiv, neither of which had been included in earlier demands.

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Russia occupies only about 4% of Kharkiv Oblast, while Odesa Oblast remains fully under Ukrainian control.

Capturing both would give Russia control of Ukraine's Black Sea coast, major transport hubs, and industrial centers  long-standing strategic goals for Moscow.

A map of Ukraine and its Russian-occupied territory. (Lisa Kukharska / The Kyiv Independent)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has earlier demanded that Ukraine abandon NATO membership aspirations and surrender several major cities as preconditions for peace. The Kremlin reiterated these terms during the under-an-hour Istanbul talks in July.

The discussion of territorial concessions emerged after U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of "land swaps" in conversations with European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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A source in the Ukrainian Presidential Office earlier told the Kyiv Independent that Moscow's proposal would involve Kyiv withdrawing from Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk in return for a partial Russian pullback from Sumy and Kharkiv.

Read also: Putin meets Modi, Xi at Chinas SCO summit, again blames NATO enlargement for Russia-Ukraine war

Zelensky rejected such proposals on Aug. 9, saying Ukraine would not cede territory to end the war.

Since returning to the office in January, Trump has promised to swiftly mediate peace but has faced repeated setbacks as Russia refused a ceasefire and pressed for expanded concessions.

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Despite possible ambitions, Russia would likely need significant time to capture Odesa and Kharkiv.

Since November 2022, Russian forces have occupied just 5,842 square kilometers (2,256 square miles) of Ukrainian land, about 0.97% of the country's territory.

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The rate at which the Russians are occupying Ukrainian territory fell by 18% in August 2025.

Source: DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, on social media

Details: Russia is reported to have seized 464 sq km last month, bringing the total occupied area to 19% of Ukraines territory. DeepState notes that this is equal to the percentage Russia held on 3 October 2022, shortly before Ukrainian defence forces launched a counteroffensive on Dudchany in Kherson Oblast.

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Quote: "Thats right  the increase in occupied territory over 2 years and 11 months is practically zero."

More details: DeepState reported that overall Russian assault intensity in August was lower than in the previous three months. Russia carried out about 5,027 assault operations, fewer than in July, June or May.

The analysts attribute this primarily to the rotation of Russian units: the Russians redeployed four brigades and one marine regiment to the Dobropillia front, reinforced the Zaporizhzhia front, and rotated troops on the Kramatorsk and Prydniprovske fronts.

Russian activity is expected to increase again in September, DeepState said.

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Five people have been killed and 10 injured in Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.

Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration; Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration; Oleh Hryhorov, Head of Sumy Oblast Military Administration; Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office

Details: The Russians attacked the Polohy district in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on the morning of 1 September.

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Quote from Fedorov: "Two people were killed in the enemy attack on the Polohy district. The Russians attacked the village of Omelnyk with guided bombs. Houses were destroyed. A married couple  a man and a woman, both aged 64  were killed in one of them."

Details: Russian strikes killed two people in Bilytske and Iverske and injured eight in Donetsk Oblast.

A Russian drone hit a car in the Kupiansk district, killing one person and injuring another.

Quote from Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office: "A Russian FPV drone hit a car in the village of Podoly in the Kupiansk district on 31 August at around 22:30. A 59-year-old man has been hospitalised with injuries. His wife, 51, was killed. The car was damaged."

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Details: In addition, a Russian drone hit a civilian car in the Bilopillia hromada in Sumy Oblast on the evening of 31 August, seriously injuring a 41-year-old woman. She has been hospitalised. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.]

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SALEM, Ohio (WKBN)  A young girl in Salem is ready to leap into the business world by turning her love for glitter into a small business.

At just 7 years old, Ellie Kaley is building her brand.

I make hair gel, and it can go in your hair and on your face, she said.

She started Ellies Glitter Lab in early June of this year. She knew she wanted to turn her love for glitter into something bigger.

When I see people sparkle, it makes me happy, Ellie said.

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Thats when Ellies Glitter Lab was born.

Ellie makes all of the products herself and customers can choose different colors.

Shes already seen success with her business at the Youngstown Flea Market last month.

I was standing in the middle  like right in the middle where people were walking  and I said, Hey, would you like to check out my business? And some people would say, Sure, and some people would say, No, but I was OK with that, and so I brought them back to my table, Ellie said.

Her dad and I are so proud of her. We have really watched her come out of her shell over the past couple of months. She has never met a stranger, so shes one of those kiddos that is not afraid to go up to people, said Renee Kaley, Ellies mom.

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Renee says when they went to the Youngstown Flea, she was extremely proud of how well Ellie was doing when it came to selling her products and talking to new people.

Throughout the morning, she noticed that as she interacted more with the folks that were there, the more they would come to her table and potentially make a sale because a lot of them said, Who could pass up a cutie like this? You know, like a boss babe, a boss girl, you know, female business owners. There was a lot of talk about that, Renee said.

For Ellie, business is booming and shes very thankful for the amount of support shes received from people in the community.

Shes still a second grader, though, balancing school and softball with her new venture.

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Ellie currently sells her glitter gel in two sizes  small is $4 and large is $7.

I make different colors and different school colors, she said.

You can find her products in Salem at Reach for the Stars  shes the youngest vendor there. You can also reach out on Ellies Glitter Labs Facebook page.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  One man is behind bars after allegedly firing a gun multiple times at his ex-girlfriend early Sunday morning.

Juan Bernal, 47, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, prohibited weapons conduct, property damage, and felony discharge of a firearm.

On Saturday, Aug. 30, officers with Salt Lake City Police Department responded to reports of a burglary at a home. They arrived to find a vehicle in the driveway with all of its windows destroyed.

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Ryan Michael Bate, the man accused of shooting and killing two Tremonton police officers, appears in court

Police say the victim, and Bernals ex-girlfriend, had given him a ride earlier that day. When she went to pick him up, he allegedly opened fire while she was still in her vehicle.

The victim told officers Bernal came to her home later that night demanding property from her. He then allegedly damaged the victims vehicle. Court documents show another resident at the home also heard Bernal damaging the car while the victim was at the residence with her six-month-old child.

According to charging documents, officers found three empty shell casings in the area where the victim claims Bernal fired a gun at her. The shooting was also captured on a neighbors camera.

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Officers say Bernal has felony convictions out of California for manufacturing or possessing a dangerous weapon. Documents also show a federal firearm possession conviction from 2017.

The daughter of Ralph Menzies victim speaks out against the death penalty weeks before his scheduled execution

Court documents also show Bernal has a history of domestic violence arrests in California and Utah. He is also documented as being a member of a violent street gang.

Bernal is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Support for victims and survivors of domestic violence is available 24/7: 1-800-897-LINK (5465). If you or someone else is in immediate danger or an emergency, please call 911 immediately.

Latest headlines:

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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A total of 2.587 million students are back in school, with the hope that routine will not be disrupted again by sirens and missiles.

The 2025/6 school year began in Israel on Monday, but the start of the academic term has been overshadowed by several storms brewing in Israel's education system.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch on Sunday announced that the government approved the budget for security at schools for the school year, in response to concerns over the safety and well-being of Israeli students.

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"The security of Israeli students is a red line, and I made it clear that we will not allow the school year to begin without the security budget," Kisch said. "I thank the prime minister for pushing forward the solution, and am glad that the government accepted my position and approved the budget."

How many students are going back to school?

A total of 2.587 million students are back in school, with the hope that routine will not be disrupted again by sirens and missiles. In addition, 253,000 teachers will return to work; however, this is overshadowed by the ongoing crisis in the number of teachers and kindergarten staff.

According to data from the Education Ministry, 180,000 students will begin the first grade in their first year in the education system, while 230,000 toddlers will return to kindergarten and daycare. For 149,000 other students entering 12th grade, this will be their last year in the educational system.

Israeli students return to school, September 1, 2025. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)

The data shows that there are 390,000 students eligible for special education, and 24,000 gifted students. Over half a million (582,000) will be studying in haredi (ultra-Orthodox) schools, with only slightly fewer students (579,000) studying in Arab schools.

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Overall, there are 5,807 schools in the country this year, along with 21,600 kindergartens.

Netanyahu: '95% of north Israel's pupils back to school'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the 2025-2026 school year on Monday at the Begin School in Nof Hagalil, together with Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Mayor Ronen Plot, and Teachers Union Secretary Yafa Ben-David.

Netanyahu welcomed the fact that approximately 95%of pupils in the north began the school year, and noted that this was thanks to the severe blow that Israel has landed on Hezbollah and relentless enforcement on the ground.

Alongside the inauguration, Netanyahu visited the memorial dedicated to the memory of IDF Givati Brigade fighter St.-Sgt. Ilya Sankin, who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip, and met with his family.

The teacher shortage plaguing Israel

The Education Ministry also announced that there is a shortage of teachers, with 216 of these vacancies being in the teaching of the core curriculum.

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This is actually an improvement compared to previous years, as part of an Education Ministry initiative to locate, train, and place teachers. The 2024 school year had a shortage of 1,674 teachers in the core curriculum, and the 2025 school year had a shortage of 504.

According to Pnima, an organization promoting solutions to educational problems in Israel, there is still a need to increase the number of students. According to an analysis it conducted, there has been a 2% increase each year over the past several years. In 2002, there were 1.4 million students in Israel. Since then, the number has increased by 1.1 million.

Students protest for the hostages

Students in over 60 high schools have said they will protest at the start of the school year to call for the return of the hostages. Schools in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Hod Hasharon, and many others will therefore be operating with only partial attendance.

"We are not ready for the school year to begin as usual so long as there are 48 hostages in Gaza," Naomi Or Ofek, 15, told Walla. The Tel Aviv teenager is the niece of the hostage Dror Or and the cousin of the freed hostages Liam, Noam, and Alma Or.

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Or, who helped start this high school protest movement and is a regular at protests for the hostages, called on other teenagers to take part in the demonstrations, which are set to begin at 10 a.m. and end at noon in front of the Education Ministry.

The growing educational system in the Gaza border area

In the Gaza border area, 23,700 students are beginning the school year. Thanks to demographic growth in the region of Sderot and the regional councils of Hof Ashkelon, Shaar Hanegev, Eshkol, and Sdot Hanegev, the number of students has grown by 2,000 compared to the number in schools on October 7, 2023.

For hundreds of students who were forced to evacuate their homes on October 7, this marks their first return to school in the area.
Labor Day is here, marking the unofficial end of summer, and a day off from school for Florida students.

While most Florida students returned to school on Aug. 11, for our more northern neighbors, many students head back to the classroom after Labor Day.

 Labor Day 2025: When is it and what is open, closed across Florida?

Labor Day is expected to be a busy travel period for those looking for one last quick getaway, and if you want to stay in Florida, AAA said both Orlando and Miami are among the top Labor Day weekend destinations for the holiday.

What day is Labor Day 2025?

Labor Day falls on the first Monday of September.

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In 2025, that means Labor Day will fall on the earliest possible day: Monday, Sept. 1.

Is Labor Day a federal holiday?

Yes.

On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

How many federal holidays are there in 2025?

In 2025, there are 12 instead of the usual 11 federal holidays, although two  Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day  fell on the same day in January.

Here are the remaining 2025 federal holidays:

Sept. 1: Labor Day

Oct. 13: Columbus Day

Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day

Dec. 25: Christmas Day

Is Labor Day a Florida holiday?

Yes, Labor Day is among the list of paid holidays in Florida for state agencies. Remaining paid holidays in Florida this year include:

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Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 1

Veterans Day: Tuesday, Nov. 11

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, Nov. 27

Day after Thanksgiving: Friday, Nov. 28

Christmas Day: Thursday, Dec. 25

Columbus Day, known in some cities around the U.S. as Indigenous Peoples Day, is also known in Florida as Farmers Day.

Is there school in Florida on Labor Day?

No. Schools in all of Florida's 67 counties will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1, for Labor Day.

When is the next Florida school holiday? Is there school on Columbus Day, Oct. 13, 2025?

Most, but not all, Florida schools will be closed on Monday, Oct. 13 but only one out of Florida's 67 counties actually designates the day off as being closed for Columbus Day.

For most others, it's designated as a teacher work day or inservice day. A few counties are closed the Friday before Columbus Day, Oct. 10, and a few others are closed on other days during the week.

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See what schools are open or closed around Columbus Day, Oct. 13, is this county-by-county list:

Special note: Links to school calendars often change. Here's a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida schools closed Labor Day holiday. Next up: Columbus Day
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Some students returning to school are also heading back to religious education programs, and organizations like LifeWise will soon be able to take advantage of greater rights than last year.

Starting next month, Ohios public school districts will no longer be allowed to place certain limitations on released time for religious instruction programs. Now, public schools must allow organizations to send external educational and program materials back with students. Districts must also allow students to attend off-campus religious instruction classes for at least one period per week, although no more than twice.

Columbus parents, teachers concerned by school violence

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Hilliard-based LifeWise is among the nations most prolific RTRI organizations. RTRI refers to religious instruction during the school day, which is legal so long as it occurs off school property and with parental permission.

Ohio law initially gave districts a lot of freedom over how they permit religious release time, but the legislature removed some flexibility this summer. The new policy prevents districts from blanket bans on sending materials back with students, although there is room for interpretation as to if the ban extends to trinkets or candy. Regardless, this will require many public districts, including Columbus City Schools, the states largest district, to update their policies. See previous coverage of Columbus policy in the video player above.

Several central Ohio schools have prohibited organizations from sending materials back with students. A Columbus City Schools spokesperson said the Board of Education will need to revise its policy, which will be a topic at the boards policy and governance committee meeting on Sept. 9.

The right to send materials back with students is often associated with LifeWise, which has programs in more than 1,000 schools across the country. LifeWise often sends reading materials, as well as candy or other small items, back to school with students who participate in the midday program. LifeWise said the materials are not why students attend, but these trinkets are often associated with the program.

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Exciting and challenging: Dublin redrawing high school maps for first time since 2006

Critics of the biblical education group say LifeWise uses candy and trinkets to incentivize students to attend, and students who do not go to LifeWise feel left out. Schools that banned RTRI groups from sending materials back said these small gifts are often a distraction.

LifeWise sent a legal warning about banning groups from sharing materials earlier this year. The warning went to Neola, an Ohio educational policy institution that advises more than 500 of Ohios 611 public school districts. Neola had included wording in its sample RTRI policies dictating an optional ban on distributing materials.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued similar warnings in April, cautioning school districts from being too experimental with their RTRI policies. Yost said severely limiting when students can attend RTRI programs could be seen as not adequately complying with the law. He also said banning materials could constitute a First Amendment violation, infringing on the right to spread the gospel.

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Districts must update their policies by Sept. 25.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Research analyzing coral skeletons in the Indian Ocean has revealed a timeline of sea-level rise.

What's happening?

The National University of Singapore found that water levels in the region began accelerating much earlier than expected.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, explains that corals are natural records of ocean change, providing historical context for global heating.

The researchers examined coral samples from the Maldives. Their analysis allowed them to reconstruct a century's worth of sea-level changes.

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Climate shifts showed a timeline extending back to the early 20th century. Two significant findings emerged based on the coral skeletons.

First, sea-level rise in the Indian Ocean began accelerating around 1959. This was sooner than coastal tide gauges or satellite observations could detect. The timing here matches global temperature increases and accelerated glacial melt.

Second, sea levels in this ocean basin rose by almost a foot since the mid-20th century. It's even more critical since the Indian Ocean covers 30% of the globe's ocean area.

The Indian Ocean has been a hotbed of planet overheating for more than half a century.

Why is the Indian Ocean's sea-level rise concerning?

Professor Paul Kench, who led the study, stated the severity of the early sea-level rise. He called the natural event "a warning sign" of "human-driven climate change."

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Burning dirty energy sources like oil, gas, and coal creates planet-overheating pollution. The more burned, the warmer the Earth gets. Oceans expand under heat and grow in volume as ice sheets melt, leading to rising sea levels.

This phenomenon poses major threats to millions living in coastal areas. Communities in low-lying and densely populated regions face increased flooding. Accelerated erosion and saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies and agricultural lands also occur.

Higher sea levels make hurricanes more destructive, and extreme weather events are supercharged by a warming climate. This creates more powerful storm surges, devastating livelihoods, infrastructure, and human safety.

What's being done about sea-level rise?

Insights are improving climate models and strategies for future risks. New coral data can enhance Singapore's defenses against rising sea levels. Its Coastal-Inland Flood Model, using better sea-level projections, will inform adaptive measures.

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The most vital action is still to reduce planet-warming pollution. This involves a rapid transition to efficient, clean energy like solar and wind power.

Sustainable practices across all sectors will make production and consumption safer and healthier. Individuals can support climate action policies while reducing their carbon footprint.

Homeowners can install solar panels to make their homes resilient to extreme weather. Adding battery storage will supply power during grid outages. EnergySage provides free quotes from vetted local solar installers and can save you up to $10,000 on associated costs.

The coral research deepens our understanding of the planet, its past, and future. Similar efforts will guide us when addressing critical climate issues.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




This summer, the U.S. and much of the world have been pummeled by floods, fires and heat waves. Knowing what climate risks come next depends, to a large extent, on what happens in the most desolate place on Earth: Antarctica.

But theres a new obstacle to understanding the changing continent and how its affecting weather patterns throughout the world. The National Science Foundation plans to decommission its only research icebreaker, the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, while also stalling on plans to build a replacement.

These actions come as the Trump administration continues to take aim at climate science by slashing science jobs, cutting grants and halting climate reports. And scientists say the moves further threaten to erode the countrys research dominance, this time in the Antarctic, one of the most critical regions for studying rapid change and climate risks, like sea-level rise.

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Meanwhile, other countries including China and Russia are ramping up polar science and exploration, and scientists say theyre concerned the U.S. is weakening its presence in a region where military might is disallowed by treaty and scientific collaboration is the means of diplomacy.

This is an abandonment of science and education, but its also an abandonment of our place on the world stage and a retreat from leadership, said Julia Wellner, a professor of marine geology at the University of Houston, who visited the ship during an Antarctic science conference in Chile earlier this month.

The White House referred NBC News to the Office of Management and Budget for questions about the polar icebreaker decision. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Chilean icebreaker RVIB Almirante Oscar Viel, white and red at left, and the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, right, in Punta Arenas, Chile. (Courtesy Julia S. Wellner)

The Palmers decommissioning would leave U.S. researchers without reliable marine access to parts of Antarctica already contributing significantly to sea-level rise and where scientists are concerned about ice sheet collapse.

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In a statement to NBC News, the NSF said it planned to consolidate its resources and focus on maintaining the three research stations that operate year-round in Antarctica, including McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott South Pole and Palmer stations.

The USAP [U.S. Antarctic Program] maintains an active and influential U.S. presence on the Antarctic continent while enabling cutting-edge scientific research in astronomy, biology and glaciology, among other fields, an NSF spokesperson said. To focus support on the stations and associated logistics, NSF intends to terminate the lease of the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer.

The NSF first proposed terminating the lease this spring after the Trump administration proposed a 55% budget cut for the agency, but scientists said they were dismayed that the agency had started the process of decommissioning the ship before Congress finalized a budget.

The [House and Senate] budgets are not really calling for drastic cuts to the Antarctic program, said oceanographer Carlos Moffat, an associate professor at the University of Delaware, referring to budgets advanced in both chambers appropriations committees.

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The NSF said that it was trying to identify other vessels to pick up some of the Palmers workload, and that the ship will be returned to its owner, the Louisiana-based marine transportation company Edison Chouest Offshore.

In 2024, the NSF ended the charter of another Antarctic vessel, the RV Laurence M. Gould, which was not an icebreaker but was strengthened to handle some sea ice. That leaves the agency with fewer options to bolster polar oceanography research and to support Palmer station, a year-round base on the Antarctic Peninsula that has depended on those two vessels in the past.

The NSF said Friday that it has alternative means of supporting and resupplying Palmer station, including commercial options.

The 308-foot Palmer, which first sailed in 1992 and is named after a 19th-century seal captain who explored parts of Antarctica, has a crew of about 22 people. It can accommodate about 45 scientists.

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No other U.S. research vessel can perform all the tasks this polar icebreaker is built to accomplish. The ship is the key research tool for understanding Antarctic ecology, the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean and the rate at which ice shelves are retreating, melting and causing sea-level rise.

The University of Houstons Julia S. Wellner, second from right, and friends in front of the Nathaniel B. Palmer. (Courtesy Julia S. Wellner)

While satellites provide useful data about how ice sheets are growing or shrinking, Wellner said, research on these changes is primarily driven by measurements below the surface.

Without that data, U.S. scientists would be left in the dark about whats happening at key ice sheets in the Southern Ocean that could determine the amount of future flooding estimated for coastal U.S. cities. For example, researchers said, no other U.S. vessel is equipped to safely visit the infamous Thwaites Glacier, also known as the Doomsday Glacier, which is considered the linchpin to understanding sea-level rise.

Researchers often describe Thwaites as the cork to the West Antarctic Ice Sheets ready-to-drain bottle because it acts as a bulwark that prevents the sheet from collapsing into the Amundsen Sea. That could cause more than 10 feet of sea-level rise over hundreds of thousands of years.

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By 2100, its potential collapse could raise sea levels much higher than the roughly 1 to 3 feet that scientists already anticipated in the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which would reshape U.S. coastlines.

A collapse could also trigger changes to ocean circulation and how rapidly the ocean takes up carbon, an area of active research. Some studies have suggested global temperatures might have crossed a threshold for collapse, but more research is needed.

Changes to its current mass and stability are driven by warm water eating away at its base, which is located hundreds or thousands of feet below the surface and is best accessed by robotic instruments.

In order to understand mass change, we need to be at the margin of the ice  where ice and ocean meet, Wellner said. And that is obtained by going on this ship.

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Scientists typically take research trips on the Palmer every two years, Wellner said, using what data can be collected in the field over a month or two to drive research back in the laboratory.

Because data collected on ships is so valuable, scientists have been pushing for more than a decade to add an icebreaker to the U.S. science fleet and reduce the yearslong backlog of researchers seeking an opportunity to do fieldwork on the Palmer.

Cracks in Thwaites Glacier in 2020. (British Antarctic Survey)

Pie in the sky, we hoped for a ship in 2031, said Amy Leventer, a micropaleontologist at Colgate University who was involved in the design process.

The NSF had slated $61 million for the planning and development of that new vessel, which it estimated would cost about $1.2 billion to construct, according to a draft bid request.

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Now, scientists are hoping the idea isnt dead.

An NSF spokesperson said the agency paused the bidding process for the project, but will reconsider resuming that process during the next fiscal year. At the end of July, the agency took down a website detailing the design and construction of the ship.

FutureUSAP.gov was discontinued to save costs, the spokesperson said.

Moffat said decommissioning the Palmer and pausing the push for a new ship at the same time all but ensure the U.S. will create a decadelong data gap for polar marine scientists. Scientists have rallied against the cuts. Last month, more than 170 researchers, including Moffat, Leventer and Wellner, signed a petition aimed at reversing the decision.

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Its not a faucet of water you can turn on or off, Moffat said. Are we really going to depend on other countries to collect the observations we need to know how sea level is changing in the United States?

The scientists said they also worry the U.S. is pulling back from Antarctica at a time when other countries, like China, are investing heavily in icebreakers and polar research bases. In 1959, the U.S. helped convince other nations to set aside the continent for peaceful purposes and free, collaborative scientific research. With Cold War fears growing, it was as much an arms control measure as it was a bolster to research.

The way this neat situation in the world is maintained is by countries honoring that treaty and keeping scientific presence there, Wellner said, adding that she now fears that if anybody ends up abandoning the treaty, we may not be there to see it happen.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Blue-colored food may soon come without the usual side of petroleum and instead with a side of algae.

In a major food technology breakthrough published in Food Hydrocolloids, Cornell University researchers have developed a heat- and light-stable blue dye from phycocyanin, a naturally occurring protein in algae, which offers a cleaner, safer alternative to synthetic dyes like Blue 1 and Blue 2.

The breakthrough targets a decades-old problem. Blue is one of the rarest pigments in nature, and its scarcity has kept food manufacturers reliant on artificial versions linked to health concerns, including hyperactivity in children and possible toxicity.

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These dyes also come from dirty energy like oil and gas, contributing to the pollution of our air and water.

Phycocyanin, the same pigment that gives blue spirulina its electric hue, has been approved as a food colorant in the U.S. and other countries, but its instability under heat and light has limited its use. The Cornell team solved this by using a gentle chemical process to break the protein into smaller, uniform particles, retaining its striking blue color while boosting its ability to act as an emulsifier, protecting nutrients in oils and enhancing food texture.

Using advanced imaging tools like small-angle X-ray scattering, the scientists confirmed the protein's nanoscale transformation was both stable and functional.

"It's like using a magnifying glass to understand protein behavior," said Alireza Abbaspourrad, the Yongkeun Joh associate professor of food chemistry and ingredient technology at Cornell. "Our goal is for phycocyanin to replace multiple synthetic items, colorant, emulsifier, and antioxidant, all in one."

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This breakthrough could help the food industry cut down on petroleum-based additives like Red dye 3, reduce chemical pollution, and deliver cleaner labels to consumers, all while giving chefs and food makers a natural blue color to work with. The research also aligns with growing consumer demand for plant-based, minimally processed ingredients and a move away from petroleum-based, overprocessed ones, which contribute to harmful pollution and extreme weather.

The research team, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is now working to scale up production with industry partners. If successful, this algae-powered pigment could hit grocery shelves within a few years, brightening foods and drinks while keeping harmful chemicals out of our bodies and the environment.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has used a high-level summit of non-NATO countries in China to advocate for a world order that is no longer aligned with the United States and Europe.

Addressing leaders at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin, Putin said the Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic model had outlived its purpose.

The future belongs to a system "that takes into account the interests of a maximum number of countries and is truly balanced," the Russian president was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS.

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The SCO, a 10-member alliance that includes Asian powers such as China, India and Iran, should focus on domestic security as well as security on its external borders, he said.

Founded 24 years ago to promote security cooperation and economic ties, the SCO positions itself as a counterbalance to Western alliances, including NATO.

However, it has often struggled to present a united front on recent global conflicts and regional tensions.

China and India, for instance, have long disputed territories along their shared border, while India and Pakistan clashed in May following a terrorist attack.

In Tianjin, Putin also touched on his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska earlier this month, which marked his return to the global stage following years of Western isolation over his war on Ukraine.

Repeating a long-held position, Putin said Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO was one of the causes of the conflict he ordered in February 2022.
Scotlands national train company, ScotRail has scrapped peak rail fares. It means passengers will no longer have to pay more for travelling during rush hours on weekdays. The initiative will come into effect from Monday 1 September onwards.

Until now, the rail provider charged different fares for travel at different times of the day. The change is expected to considerably increase savings for passengers.

These peak fares generally applied to tickets bought before 9:15am and for some services between 4:42pm and 6:30pm.

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The move comes as part of the Scottish Governments attempts to achieve net zero by making it easier for more people to choose rail travel, which is more sustainable, as their main mode of transportation.

We want more people to choose to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure but we know that many are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures, Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said in a press release.

By removing peak fares, we are making ticketing more simple and more straightforward while at the same time supporting a shift towards sustainable public transport, protecting the climate, and saving people money.

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How much cheaper will routes get?

The change could mean considerable savings for some passengers travelling between major Scottish cities at the busiest times.

Passengers travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow, for example, will see savings of 48 per cent on a return fare, whereas fares from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh are expected to drop 41 per cent.

Perth to Dundee travellers can save 31 per cent on tickets, while Glasgow to Stirling passengers will save 40 per cent.

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Return ticket prices will decrease by 20 per cent on the Inverurie to Aberdeen line, while falling 34 per cent on the Inverness to Elgin route.

Ticket prices on routes which do not currently have peak-time prices will stay the same.

We are really excited at the opportunity to get more customers out of their cars and onto the railway, Joanne Maguire, managing director at ScotRail, told BBC Scotland News.

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What does this mean for passengers?

With passengers now being able to pay the same train fare no matter what day or time they travel, ScotRail hopes the move will encourage more people to travel by train. This includes going to work, day trips, night outs, travelling to other cities and much more.

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This is also expected to significantly help people who work on a shift basis and dont have much control over their work or travel timings.

No more checking the clock to see if youve missed the morning peak, or if your ticket will be valid for your journey home, ScotRail said on its website.

As petrol prices continue to increase in Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, more commuters will also be able to save on both petrol costs and travel time, by taking the train more whenever possible.

Peak rail fares have always been a deeply unfair tax on people who have no say over when they need to travel, and I am delighted that we are finally rid of them, Mark Ruskell, Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), said, as reported by BBC News Scotland.
The Western Australian seafood industry is looking to become more environmentally friendly, as it transitions to a new style of packaging for its products.

According to Packaging News, the region's seafood industry is phasing out expanded polystyrene boxes after a ban on the material and replacing them with a biofoam that's currently in development via a partnership between the Bioplastics Innovation Hub and Cass Materials. The new foam is made from wheat straw, a commonly found agricultural byproduct from growing wheat.

"In WA, approximately 10 million tonnes of wheat straw per year is retained on the farm and, with no tillage systems, most is burnt," said Gary Cass, CEO of Cass Materials. "With the Bioplastics Innovation Hub, we can convert this agricultural waste into new fossil-free biofoam boxes for fresh food and seafood markets."

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The new foam shares many of the insulating qualities of polystyrene but lacks many of the harmful environmental issues that come with the petroleum-based plastic foam.

Polystyrene takes over 500 years to biodegrade in the environment, but it does break down into microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic that have become an endemic problem across the globe.

Microplastics have been linked to serious health issues like liver fibrosis, and their presence in soil has been shown to hinder crop growth. If that wasn't bad enough, polystyrene contains chemicals that are known carcinogens, and when the material is heated, those chemicals can leach into soil and water and cause issues.

By comparison, biofoam biodegrades in a matter of months, and because it's made from plants, it actually improves the soil it's in when it does. They're lightweight; hydrophobic, so they won't store water or soak up juices from the seafood; and can be composted at home.

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Plant-based plastics have seen significant advances recently. Companies have developed bioplastic bottles for medicine storage, and researchers in Copenhagen developed a plastic that degrades in just two months.

The new biofoam is in Stage 4 of development, meaning its laboratory prototypes have been validated, and Cass Materials is looking to scale up its manufacturing of the material to meet anticipated demand.

"Consumers are becoming more aware of the damage that fossil-based plastics are doing to our environment," Cass said. "With this awareness, they are seeking out these sustainable alternatives."

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The following is a listing of all home transfers in Bergen County reported from Aug. 25 to Aug. 31. There were 185 transactions posted during this time. The median sale for the area was a 1,497-square-foot home on Wood Street in Garfield that sold for $765,000.

Allendale

70 Sheri Drive. $1,400,000, 2,821 square feet, $496 per square-foot

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The Texas Agriculture Commission is calling on aspiring farmers and ranchers across the state to explore new opportunities to buy land, with some big benefits, through the Department of Agricultures (USDA) Farm Service Agency program (FSA).

For those just starting in the farming industry, the USDA now offers a collection of different programs designed to make farm ownership more accessible. One of the standout programs is the Direct Farm Ownership Down Payment Loan, which allows beginning farmers to finance up to 45% of a farms purchase price with 5% down payment.

Depending on the farms appraised value, the maximum loan from the USDA can reach up to $300,000 in total, giving new farmers a chance to own land and profit from it without incurring heavy interest on third-party loans or long-term mortgages.

Texas farmers and ranchers just starting out have an incredible opportunity to launch their futures. With support from the USDAs Farm Service Agency, beginner farmers and ranchers can transform Texas land into the American dream. We are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders right here in Texas, said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

To qualify as a beginning farmer, applicants must have been in the farming industry for less than ten years, own no more than 30 percent of the average-size farm in their county, and must actively participate in managing the land or what the farm produces. In some cases, relevant education, military service, or mentorship may be considered substitutes for practical farming experience when applying for the new farmer loan, according to the USDA.

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Beyond the Down Payment Loan, FSA also provides Direct Operating Loans and Microloans, which can help beginning farmers pay for normal operating costs and other basic living expenses. Applicants can also combine their FSA funds with private lenders through joint financing, potentially providing an even easier path to buying a new farm.

Youre not just buying land: youre investing in your future and Americas future, Miller added. With FSAs support, you have the tools, the terms, and the trust to make it happen. But dont wait too long, these loans are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on the new programs and loan opportunities, aspiring farmers can contact their local FSA office or visit a USDA service center, where staff can provide assistance with information on eligibility for loans and the overall application process.
Update: Missing Mattapan woman located, police say

Update 9/1/25: Boston Police say a missing 32-year-old woman from Mattapan has been located and theyre no longer seeking the publics help.

CANCEL Missing Person Alert: Boston Police No Longer Seeking Publics Help Locating 32-Year-Old Jasmyn Rochester of Mattapan https://t.co/HXFAhEawxm  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) September 1, 2025

Previous article: Boston police are asking for the publics assistance in locating a missing woman out of Mattapan.

The 32-year-old was last seen on Friday, August 29, at her home located in the area of Maryknoll Terrace

She is described as a female of thin build, standing about 58, and weighing around 115 pounds.

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She was last seen wearing a white and black jumper suit, an off-white cardigan, and a multicolored hair wrap, and was carrying a brown purse.

Police say that she was last seen Friday evening at the Best Western Hotel in Quincy, and may currently be in the area of Castle Island and the Conley Terminal in South Boston.

Anyone who has seen her or knows of her whereabouts is urged to call 911 or District B-3 Detectives at (617) 343-2286.

Those who wish to provide information anonymously may do so through the CrimeStoppers Tip Line by calling 1-800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463)

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Charlotte residents will be able to make a trip to some ABC stores for the first time.

For the first time, some Meck ABC stores will be open on Labor Day https://t.co/5RdNAKLMeV  Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 1, 2025

Select stores in the Charlotte area will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The list of stores that will be open is below:

1609 N. Graham Street, Charlotte, NC 28206

19701 Statesville Road, Cornelius, NC 28031

9740 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28213

16019 Lancaster Hwy, Charlotte, NC 28277

1426-B South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28203

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9920-A E. Independence Blvd., Matthews, NC 28105

13720 Steelecroft Pkwy., Charlotte, NC 28273

Unlisted locations will still be closed.

(WATCH BELOW: Around the Crown 10K brings thousands of runners to Uptown Charlotte)
(FOX40.COM)  U.S. Senator Alex Padilla met with the Sacramento Rapid Response Network on Wednesday to discuss efforts to support local and state-wide immigrant communities.

Video Above: CA Senator Alex Padilla introduces immigration reform legislation

The senator and the network came together due to the increasing prevalence of immigration enforcement across the country. Padilla said at the roundtable that there is a crucial need to communicate, collaborate, and work together in order to support immigrants residing in the Sacramento area and throughout California.

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Rep. Bera supports Sacramento leaders call for ICE transparency

In July, Padilla introduced the Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025. According to the senator, this bill would require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions.

The Sacramento Rapid Response Network is comprised of three branches: rapid response, community education and opening doors. All three branches conduct various projects that provide resources to immigrants living in California, Padilla said.

Sacramento leaders demand transparency from ICE over immigrant detention at downtown building

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The network is also supported by partners like the California Immigration Project, River City Food Bank, Community HealthWorks, NorCal Resist and Elk Grove Unified School District. The senator said that the networks partners play a critical role in defending immigrants rights and security.

I applaud the Network for their tireless work to protect vulnerable immigrants in the Sacramento Valley and beyond, and I hope it can serve as a model for groups throughout the state to work together to keep our communities safe, Padilla said.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News.
Related video: Jeffries, Schumer Call For FOUR CORNERS Meeting with GOP Leaders To AVOID Shutdown | SUNRISE

Senate GOP leaders are staring down a lengthy to-do list of priorities that will force them into a delicate balancing act, including funding the government and changing the rules to expeditiously confirm President Trumps nominees.

The upper chamber reconvenes on Tuesday following the month-long August break and is set to hit the ground running with only weeks between their return and a potential government shutdown.

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But amid bipartisan priorities including government funding and getting the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ready for prime time, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) will also be forced to juggle a series of thorny political items. Those are headlined by the GOPs effort to change the rules to confirm more of President Trumps nominees, chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House decision to issue a pocket rescission, which tossed a major wrench into the funding wars of the coming weeks.

Hes going to have a full plate, one Senate Republican told The Hill.

Democratic leaders on Thursday called on Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a four corners meeting immediately when Congress returns, which will be exactly four weeks before the funding deadline.

Republicans in March were able to back Democrats into a corner to pass a government funding package for the remainder of the fiscal year, but the minority party has vowed that there will be no repeat this time around.

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The Sept. 30th funding deadline will be upon us shortly. It is therefore imperative that we immediately meet upon our return to Congress next week to discuss the need to avert a painful, unnecessary lapse in government funding and to address the healthcare crisis Republicans have triggered in America, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote.

But any hopes for progress took a major hit late last week when the White House announced an attempt to claw back $4.9 billion in foreign aid funds without congressional approval, drawing the ire of Democrats and appropriators and increasing the chances of a shutdown.

Such a move had not been made in nearly a half-century, and it is expected to face legal challenges. It also comes two months after GOP lawmakers approved the first rescissions package worth $9 billion that targeted global aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

I was feeling good about where we were [on a spending deal]. I dont feel good after this morning, one Senate GOP aide told The Hill shortly after the rescissions package was revealed.

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Schumer wasted little time lambasting the move, arguing that Trump and GOP lawmakers dont have any plan to avoid a painful and entirely unnecessary shutdown. He added that Thune and Johnson have repeatedly refused to meet with Democrats to discuss a bipartisan path forward.

In fact, it seems Republicans are eager to inflict further pain on the American people, raising their health care costs, compromising essential services and further damaging our national security, the Democratic leader said. [I]f Republicans are insistent on going it alone, Democrats wont be party to their destruction.

Both sides are expecting to pass a stopgap spending bill in order to keep the governments lights on as both chambers still have a ways to go before wrapping up work on a full-year funding package.

Senators passed only three of the 12 annual appropriations bills so far in one of their final actions before recess. The House has passed two. And the chambers bills differ sharply.

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Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) also made her opposition clear to the rescissions play, saying in a statement that the action is unlawful while underscoring the worries about a shutdown in the process.

Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law. Instead of this attempt to undermine the law, the appropriate way is to identify ways to reduce excessive spending through the bipartisan, annual appropriations process, Collins said. Congress approves rescissions regularly as part of this process. In fact, the year-long funding bill that we are currently operating under includes 70 rescissions.  The annual funding bill is the most appropriate way to ensure that any rescissions reflect the views of Congress.

Further complicating the spending effort is the calendar. All of Congress will be in recess the final full week of September in observance of the start of the Jewish high holidays, nixing a key stretch for work on Capitol Hill days before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Alongside the funding battle, the immediate concern for the Senate GOP is processing scores of Trump nominees to fill out various departments and agencies, with a change in the chambers rules likely on deck for them to do so.

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Republicans were angry when they departed for the August break without a bipartisan deal to greenlight potentially dozens of nominees in bloc, with Thune and rank-and-file members being quick to mention that none of his choices have been advanced via a voice vote or unanimous consent. Only one of Trumps nominees  Secretary of State Marco Rubio  did not face a full filibuster.

This has led GOP members to beat the drums louder for a possible rules change that would allow them to expedite the passage of nominees, including lowering the debate time for lower-level selections down from two hours to 15 minutes or eliminating the cloture vote in whole, among other things.

Were trying to figure this out. The last 20 years, its getting worse every session, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla) recently told reporters at the Capitol.

Lankford and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) are leading a working group of a half-dozen members to explore the menu of options, be it an internal quick fix or something more long-term that Democrats could potentially get behind.

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Its intolerable, Lankford said. Whether youre a Republican [or] Democrat president, weve got to figure out how the president actually gets confirmed nominees.

In positive news, the process to pass the NDAA remains on track, with both chambers set to vote on it in the coming weeks and a conference process expected to commence in the ensuing weeks.

There are other items that arent likely to be priorities, but very much could be on the docket at some point during their first month back.

Republicans have waited on a green light from Trump to put a bipartisan Russia sanctions package on the floor, but pressure could heighten after Moscow fired a series of missiles at Kyiv on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin showing few signs of being ready to end the war.

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India, China, Brazil and others who prop up Putins war machine by buying cheap Russian oil: How do you feel right now that your purchases have resulted in innocent civilians, including children, being killed? Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a lead sponsor of the proposal, posted on X after the attacks on Kyiv.

The package would levy a 500 percent tariff on imports on those countries for their continued purchase of Russian uranium, gas and oil.

Emily Brooks contributed.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
On the evening of August 31, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcoming banquet in the Tianjin Meijiang Convention Center for the international dignitaries attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 in China.

By the Haihe River, the lights are sparkling.

More than 20 foreign heads of state and government and their spouses from SCO member states, observer states, dialogue partners and guests of China as current SCO President, as well as 10 heads of international organizations including the United Nations Secretary-General, arrived at the venue successively. Honor guards lined up to render honors. With the celebrated national melodies of various countries played in the background, the international dignitaries proceeded down the red carpet through a magnificent array of flags consisting of the participating countries national flags, the SCO flag and the U.N. flag.

Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan warmly welcomed the foreign leaders and their spouses. They shook hands cordially, exchanged greetings, and posed for a group photo.

Accompanied by the welcoming melody, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, together with the distinguished guests, proceeded into the banquet hall.

In his speech, President Xi Jinping extended a warm welcome to all distinguished guests attending the SCO summit in China on behalf of the Chinese government and people.

President Xi Jinping stressed that since its founding, the SCO has stayed committed to the Shanghai Spirit, strengthening solidarity and mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation, and taking an active part in international and regional affairs. The SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity. At present, the century-defining transformation is accelerating across the world, with a marked increase in factors of instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability. The SCO thus bears an even greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity of all countries. This Summit is tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development. It is believed that with the collective efforts of all parties, this Summit will be a complete success and the SCO will play an even greater role, achieve greater development, and make greater contribution to strengthening solidarity and cooperation among the member states, pooling the strength of the Global South, and promoting the cause of human advancement.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that Tianjin is an open and inclusive metropolis. It has served as a strategic guardian city for the nations capital throughout history, and pioneered Chinas reform and opening up as a pilot zone. In recent years, Tianjin has implemented the national strategy of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, and written its new and dynamic chapter in advancing Chinese modernization. It is believed that as the host of this Summit, Tianjin will give fresh impetus to the sustainable development of the Organization.

After the banquet, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, together with the distinguished guests, watched the gala performance Together We Build A Brighter Future, which featured the charm of mutual learning and harmony among civilizations and the inspiring force of unity and cooperation within the SCO family as its members strive together for a brilliant future.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Chen Miner, Wang Xiaohong, among others, were present at the banquet.

Before the banquet, the distinguished guests viewed the display of Tianjin intangible cultural heritage.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an alliance of non-NATO countries including China, Russia and India, has spoken out against trade coercion and condemned attacks on its members.

The SCO states reject unilateral coercive measures, including "economic measures," a joint statement said on Monday in an apparent rebuke of US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.

Recently, Trump doubled tariffs on imports from India to 50% due to its oil dealings with Russia. Beijing is still negotiating with Washington after both sides agreed in May to a temporary pause in the heated tariff dispute.

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Russia's war against Ukraine was not mentioned in the SCO's statement issued at the close of a summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

However, the 10 member states condemned terrorist attacks in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region on April 22, which killed more than 30 people. This was followed by heavy fighting between India and Pakistan in May.

According to reports, a passage on the conflict caused disputes with the Indian side during the SCO defence ministers' meeting. Pakistan is also an SCO member.

The SCO also sharply condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in June. Such aggressive actions against civilian targets and nuclear energy infrastructure violate international law norms, the statement said.

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The SCO was founded 24 years ago, ostensibly as a rival to Western military alliance NATO, although economic matters have dominated most meetings.

The summit in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin brought together the heads of state and government of Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
An 8-year-old boy was bitten by a shark while snorkeling off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, on Labor Day, officials said.

The incident occurred around 3:24 p.m. on Monday, Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The child was airlifted by Trauma Star to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

A good Samaritan, identified as Richard Hayden, heard calls for help over the radio and helped guide the boy's boat to shore, according to an incident report. Hayden assisted the child's father in applying tourniquets to the boy's right leg to control bleeding before emergency responders arrived, the report stated.

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Officials notified the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the incident. The Key Largo Fire Department said they believed the attacking shark was a reef shark of unknown length.

Paul Harris/Getty Images - PHOTO: Key Largo

MORE: 13-year-old shark attack survivor returns to the water: 'I wanted to go in'

The boy's current condition has not yet been released.

This attack marks the latest in a series of shark encounters in the Florida Keys region. Last July, a 37-year-old man survived multiple bites from a bull shark while spearfishing near a reef off Key West.
NEED TO KNOW

Tikerra Hicks, an employee at a Walmart in Indianapolis, was brutally assaulted by a group of women at the store on Aug. 29

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet

A video of the fight has gone viral online

A woman's shift at Walmart took an unexpected turn when she was assaulted by a group of women.

The altercation took place on Friday, Aug. 29, at a Walmart on Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. A video of the fight, posted by a social media user going by the name Kind Butler has since gone viral.

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The clip runs for more than four minutes and starts with the employee, identified as Tikerra Hicks by FOX59, on the ground as a group of women surround her and rain down blows.

Hicks was brutally kicked and punched with her hair pulled. A man was also seen kicking her before he was removed by a group trying to break up the fight.

"No fighting at Walmart," one person trying to stop the assault was heard saying.

A group of employees finally managed to split the women up. However, after they were separated, Hicks ran after the women and retaliated, sparking a second altercation.

Once the argument calmed down, an employee tried to get shoppers in the store to stop recording. However, they insisted that they would continue.

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Butler documented the moment that the group of attackers, which appeared to include a woman holding a baby, ran out of the store.



Speaking to FOX59, he implied that the assailants were a family and said that the fight started "instantly on sight."

There wasnt any questioning, no anything, he said. Just as soon as they saw the girl, the whole family came over and started beating her up.

Hicks told the outlet that she had been suspended after the fight, adding that it took her by surprise.

I just hear, There she go and then boom on the side of my head I feel somebody hitting me, Hicks said.



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She implied that the fight had to do with a friend of hers, who allegedly raped another friend. According to reporting by FOX59, Hicks was named as an "other person" in a police report about the alleged incident from the Beech Grove Police Department.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

However, Hicks said that the alleged rape had "nothing to do with me" and that she had not been contacted by police about the allegations.

I wasnt there, even if it did happen, to protect he. And I wasnt there to defend him either," she said.

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"This remains an open investigation referencing a verbal argument and a physical altercation," the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told PEOPLE in a statement on Monday, Sept. 1. "There have been no arrest(s) at this time."

"The violence that occurred at our store on Friday was unacceptable. We appreciate police for acting quickly," a representative for Walmart said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.



PEOPLE contacted the Beech Grove Police Department for additional comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

FOX59 reported that management at Walmart location was unable to comment on the altercation.

Read the original article on People
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  An inmate already facing serious charges is now accused of two separate violent incidents while in custody, including an attack on a corrections officer.

21-year-old Quinton McNeil has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and bringing contraband into a penal institution after investigators say he stabbed another inmate in April, then stabbed a Shelby County corrections officer in June at the Shelby County Jail.

Quinton McNeil (SCSO)

According to the police report, the April 12 incident happened at the jails Juliet Alpha Dorm. An officer reported hearing screams and banging from a cell, where McNeil was found with another inmate who had been stabbed in the head multiple times with a makeshift weapon, who shouted, Get me out of here!

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The victim was treated for serious injuries.

On June 9, authorities say McNeil attacked an officer during breakfast service, stabbing him in the shoulder with a shank after throwing feces out of his cell flap. The corrections officer was treated at a Memphis urgent care facility.

The Shelby County Sheriffs Office says both recent jail assaults remain under investigation.

And in 2022, WREG reported that McNeil was charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly shooting a woman who refused to give him a ride at a Frayser apartment complex.

Police said McNeil fired into the womans car, striking her in the shoulder as she drove away to tell apartment security about the issue.

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Woman shot after refusing to give teen a ride, police say

McNeil is currently being held on a $250,000 bond for both attacks and is scheduled to appear in court on September 19, 2025.

WREG reached out to the Shelby County Mayors Office, which oversees the penal farm, for a statement about the incidents, and we are still waiting to hear back.

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More than 130 years after a ship was lost at sea, its wreck was found at the bottom of Lake Michigan near Wisconsin by accident.

Matt Olson, owner of Door County Adventure Rafting, was scouting for sites to take his customers near Rowleys Bay, Wisconsin, when he spotted a submerged shipwreck, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. Maritime archaeologists then conducted follow-up diving missions and were able to identify the 137-foot-long vessel as the long-lost Frank D. Barker, which was built in 1867 and sunk in 1887.

"I was looking on satellite images of the waters around the peninsula around here, and I happened to come across this sort of anomaly in the water. This object that maybe could be a shipwreck, maybe it's not," Olson told WLUK.

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"When we pulled the boat over it, we could faintly see it from the surface and that's why I was surprised no one had come across it yet.

The ship was heading for Escanaba, Michigan, to collect a load of iron ore when it ran into inclement weather, the historical society said in a release last month.

The wreck of a long-lost ship that sunk in 1887 was found last month in Lake Michigan near Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Historical Society)

The captain and crew veered off course and were stranded on Spider Island, not far from Rowleys Bay, until conditions improved. Several attempts to recover the boat in the days and months that followed were unsuccessful, leaving the vessel lost until now.

Whenever we receive this type of call, its hard to know exactly what we will find. We were excited to identify the wreck as the Frank D. Barker, whose exact location has been lost for over a century, Tamara Thomsen, Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist, said in a statement.

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We are grateful for Matt Olsons keen sense of observation and quick reporting of the discovery so we can document this chapter of Wisconsins storied maritime history.

Maritime archaeologists identified the 137-foot-long vessel as the long-lost Frank D. Barker (Wisconsin Historical Society)

The Frank D. Barker was lost in bad weather and then missing for over 130 years. (Wisconsin Historical Society)

The Frank D. Barker was constructed of wood and was built by Simon G. Johnson in Clayton, New York. It was once valued around $8,000  which would amount to over $250,000 today, the historical society said.

This is hardly Olsons first rodeo.

Last year, he reported another shipwreck, which turned out to be the Grey Eagle, a schooner constructed in 1857 that sank in 1869. The year before that, he came across the Sunshine, a scow schooner that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023, according to the historical society.

Its an incredible feeling to come across a shipwreck of this size and in such great condition, especially knowing how long it went undetected. I am honored to play a role in bringing this history to light so folks can better understand Wisconsins maritime history, he told the historical society in a statement.
Emily Damari expressed relief over the reported death of Hazem Naim, one of her former captors, and hopes for the return of the remaining hostages.

Freed Gaza hostage Emily Damari reacted to news that one of her former terrorist captors had reportedly been killed in an IDF airstrike on Sunday.

Damari, in an Instagram story, noted that the terrorist, Hazem Naim, also held Romi Gonen and Naama Levy captive.

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She thanked Israel's security forces, who "never rest for a moment on behalf of all of us," and hoped that good news, including the announcement of the return of the remaining 48 hostages, would come "sooner than expected."

Damari also named hostage twins Gali and Ziv Berman by name, hoping for their release from terror captivity. Gali was in Damari's Kibbutz Kfar Aza home at the time of their kidnapping. Ziv was kidnapped separately. Both still remain in terror captivity in the Gaza Strip.

She also stated that she shares in the grief of bereaved families, noting that the Saturday death of Sergeant First Class (res.) Ariel Lubliner marked the 900th IDF soldier to have fallen since Hamas began their October 7 massacre.

Freed hostage Emily Damari reacts in an Instagram story to news that one of her terrorist captors was reportedly killed, August 31, 2025. (credit: SCREENSHOT/INSTAGRAM/@EMILYDAMARI)

Damari referred to Naim as the commander of the terrorists who guarded her, along with Gonen and Levy, during their captivity, telling N12 that he was "a very evil person."

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She also thanked Israel's security services for working day and night "to bring justice to all those sons of Satan" who held them captive.

"People will not understand what this monster was for me and for Romi," Damari noted, adding that she exclaimed "shouts of joy" when hearing of Naim's death.

Naim's death has not been officially confirmed by the IDF or Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), but there is a growing confidence within the security establishment that he was killed.

Previous killing of other Damari terror captor

Mohammed Nasser Ali Qanita, another Hamas terrorist who held Damari and the others captive, was confirmed killed by the IDF and Shin Bet in July, following a targeted attack in mid-June.

Qanita was a member of Hamass military intelligence's al-Furqan Battalion. He infiltrated Israel on October 7 and then held Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war.
Were you or your family affected by the Mother and Baby Homes scandal? Share you story with us through the form at the bottom of this article

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. Youll never know, dear, how much I love you. But please dont take my sunshine away.

That is what Margaret, aged 21, sang to her newborn daughter in 1957 after giving birth in a Baptist Union-run mother and baby home in Hampshire.

But they did take her sunshine away. At six-weeks old, Helen was adopted and Margaret was coerced into signing the papers. She had only one photo of her beloved child, taken illicitly, and no birth certificate.

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She would go on to have two more daughters, Viv and Julie, who have spent a quarter of a century searching on her behalf for their elder sister, born at the home  named, ironically, The Haven. Finally, after drawing blanks with a tracing charity and DNA tests, they turned to ITVs Long Lost Family. Their story features in a new two-part special, titled The Mother and Baby Home Scandal, to be shown on September 3 and 4.

The illicit photograph of Margaret with her baby at The Haven Mother and Baby Home in 1957 - Wall to Wall

Many associate the forced adoption of children born to young women out of wedlock with Ireland, thanks in part to films such as 2013s Philomena, starring Judi Dench. Some 56,000 women were in Irish homes investigated by a commission that reported in 2021. It found that 9,000 children had died between 1922 and 1988 (15 per cent of the total born in the institutions) and that the proportion of unmarried mothers admitted in the 20th century was probably the highest in the world. (Some of these mothers went on to work in the infamous Magdalene Laundries, where they were forced to perform unpaid labour, effectively employed as indentured servants.)

But the new documentary examines another scandal that has been comparatively overlooked. Across England between the 1940s and 1970s, more than 200,000 unmarried mothers were also placed in homes, often run by various churches, from Cornwall to Cumbria.

The testimony of hundreds of these women, and their children, was submitted as part of a government inquiry in 2021. As the mothers reach old age, campaigners are still lobbying the UK Government to join the Welsh, Scottish and Irish governments in issuing an official apology before it is too late. The Movement for an Adoption Apology said earlier this year that it has instructed solicitors to explore legal options following the UK Governments failure to provide any sort of meaningful redress or a formal apology for the abhorrent practices which it oversaw.

Viv (R) and Julie (L) as children with their brother Jonathan - Wall to Wall

Viv, 58, and Julie, 61, also felt the ticking of the clock. Their mother turned 90 in August, the day after we speak, and is living with vascular dementia. Her son, Jonathan, was killed in a motorbike accident, just before he turned 30, so, as Julie tells the programme: Mum feels that shes lost two children, one to adoption and one to an early death.

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The two sisters had no inkling about their mums heartbreak until each was told separately  Viv in 1985, just before she joined the RAF, and Julie upon the birth of her own baby girl, in 1990. Such was the secrecy around Helens existence that they did not share the news with anyone or even talk about it to each other. Viv simply assumed Julie had already been told.

Mum said that she told Dad when they met initially, says Viv on a video call from her home in Cambridgeshire. But because our father wasnt the father of the baby, she told me not to say anything to anybody. Julie, also on video call, adds from her home in the West Midlands: We were very good in respecting what Mum wanted, and that was that while Dad was alive, she wasnt going to search for Helen.

Viv and Julies mother Margaret pictured with her friend Ann

Margaret joined the Womens Royal Naval Service at 18 and was serving in Cornwall when she dated an older member of the military for several months. She found out she was pregnant  before her boyfriend revealed he was already married with a family, and abandoned her.

Her Auntie Gwen was a senior member of the Baptist Church, where Mum and her family went, says Julie, and she organised her stay. She was sent to the Haven six weeks before she was due to have the baby, and stayed until six weeks after. My nan went up to visit, and she tried to persuade my granddad to let Mum bring her baby home, but it didnt work. Viv adds: He was a councillor and it would have been a great shame to the family if Mum had kept that baby.

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As was the norm in these homes, Margaret was forced to work right up until the birth, and to attend church every Sunday where, says Julie, it was drilled into her that she had sinned.

This chimes with another account in the programme, from Lyn Rodden, who was in Rosemundy House in Cornwall at 19. No matter how far pregnant you were, you had to wait on the staff and scrub the floors, she says. Of compulsory church attendance, she recalls: We had to march up the hill with tabards on, so theyd immediately pick you out. Youd walk down the middle of the church, and youd hear, slag, prostitute, whore, slapper.

Margarets daughters Viv and Julie have spent a quarter of a century searching for their elder sister - Wall to Wall

It was Margarets labour, however, that was most traumatic, says Viv. She told us that the matron had gone to the boiler room when she was in a lot of pain, and she was calling out. But nobody was coming to help her. Julie adds: There were no doctors. She was on her own for such long [periods of time] in labour.

Infant mortality was higher in these institutions than in either hospital or home births, with doctors only called in rare circumstances.

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Historian Michael Lambert, of Lancaster University, who has been researching the scandal, says in the programme that the homes were partly a form of punishment for the women. But it was more about, by the end of the time, an industry for children and babies. He describes the system that ran for 30 years after the Second World War as a form of state-sanctioned social engineering, where babies from working-class mothers were taken to a better home with middle-class parents. And he says that answers are still not forthcoming: When you pursue it, mysteriously a lot of these records disappear in flood or fire or other natural disasters that seem almost entirely localised in these religious orders.

The documentary also details the treatment of disabled and non-white children, who were segregated and neglected. Ann Forbes-Burford traces the fate of her mixed-race brother Martin, who died 48 hours after their mother handed the eight-week-old to nuns in West London in 1962.

Ann Forbes-Burfords mother, Cora Grimes, pictured in the early 1960s  around the time that she had Anns brother, Martin - Wall to Wall

In August, former prime minister Gordon Brown called for a formal apology in the House of Commons for the states role in the scandal. The UK government said in 2023 that it did not think it is appropriate  since the state did not actively support these practices. However, the programme presents documents from the Ministry of Health showing that money from central government, via local health authorities, generously funded these Christian organisations which, in the words of Long Lost Family co-presenter Nicky Campbell, made the problem of unmarried mothers and their illegitimate children disappear.

In episode two, co-host Davina McCall meets Viv and Julie to update them. Your sisters been found, she says. She is very happy that you have found her and has been looking for your mum since she was eight years old. The sisters search had been so difficult partly because Helen had been renamed Sian upon adoption and had married twice.

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But there was more for the pair to get their heads around. After the birth, Margaret had expressed concern that Helens hand was limp. Sixty-eight years on, they are told that for Sians entire life she has been non-verbal and a wheelchair user as a result of cerebral palsy diagnosed after the adoption. At which point, says McCall, the adopted family were then offered the opportunity to give Sian back and swap her for another child. But theyd completely fallen in love with her.

Sian, Margarets long-lost daughter, pictured as a child - Wall to Wall

They also learn for the first time that she was born with her umbilical cord around her neck, which deprived her of oxygen. This may have been the result of Margarets inadequate care during birth and the cause of Sians disabilities.

Viv says she and her sister prefer not to dwell on this. Youve got to be positive, I think, in life, and we found our sister. Were really happy about it, arent we, Julie?, who adds: The outcome was absolutely brilliant.

Julie says the production team were our support all the way through the process. Viv says: Even the lovely Davina kept in touch. They exchanged messages after the sisters  two peas in a pod  at last became three.

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Sian communicates by using her head to tap a button connected to a computer, painstakingly choosing her words, which are then read out. Because of long-term health issues linked to her condition, she is in hospital when the reunion takes place.

Margaret meets Sian, her first-born daughter, for the first time after 68 years apart - Wall to Wall

While the sisters introduction was filmed, due to Margarets dementia, she was told the news and met her sunshine away from ITVs cameras. But Julie says: Mum was overjoyed.

Of the first meeting between mother and daughter, Julie thought there would be tears, but there werent. She was just buzzing.

Mum says that she can die happy, Viv concludes.

Long Lost Family Special: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal is on ITV1 at 9pm on September 3 and 4

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Police are investigating a crash in New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon that left several people injured.

Around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, a 2009 Toyota Avalon traveling northbound on I-95 collided with a 2018 GMC Sierra, causing the Avalon to cross the center median and into the southbound lanes, where it struck a 2019 Toyota Tacoma.

The driver of the Avalon, Jaceline Miranda Gomes, 29, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, suffered life-threatening injuries. An adult passenger in her car also suffered life-threatening injuries and a juvenile in the vehicle was seriously injured.

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The driver of the Tacoma, 71-year-old Sandy Herbet, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, was also seriously injured.

The driver of the GMC Sierra was uninjured.

I-95 south was completely shut down while the victims of the crash received medical treatment.

The left lane reopened around 6:00 p.m., before all lanes were reopened around 10:00 p.m.

The crash is under investigation by the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction (CAR) Unit. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Eryn Murphy at Eryn.K.Murphy@dos.nh.gov.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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ROYALTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44)  Six people were arrested Friday when Vermont State Police executed a search warrant on one Royalton home.

All of this occurred at a Moses Lane residence around 6:00 a.m. State authorities, assisted by the Royalton Police Department and South Royalton Rescue found firearms, ammunition and a felony amount of cocaine.

Officers say that 18 people were detained, but only six were ultimately arrested:

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Jasmine M. Brown Age 22 Royalton, VT

Harmonie F. Cosgrove Age 29 Newport, NH

Kenvron D. Gardner Age 45 Royalton, VT

Joshua R. Demar Age 40 Royalton, VT

Victoria L. Kelley Age 36 Royalton, VT

Cyle L. Carpenter Age 25 Royalton, VT



All six face various charges, from drug possession to violation of release conditions and more.

Two people were released on citations for future court dates, but Cosgrove, Gardner, Demar and Kelley were lodged plus are set to appear in court Tuesday, September 2.

This investigation is active and ongoing, according to VSP.

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When it comes to flying, even being hundreds of miles in the sky can lead to some dangerous situations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed two passengers on a SkyWest Flight were seriously injured after experiencing "severe turbulence" on August 28.

SkyWest flight 5971 was en route from Aspen, Colorado, to Houston, Texas, on Thursday evening, August 28. The flight that held 39 passengers and four crew members was forced to reroute to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport due to turbulence, where it made a safe landing at around 8 p.m. local time.

According to the report, 90 minutes into the journey, the aircraft suddenly dropped 4,000 feet within less than a minute. Over the next few minutes, the aircraft continued to lose altitude and rapidly descended more than 25,000 feet before it altered its course to Austin.

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While the plane made its approach to land, the pilot informed traffic control of the situation and that some passengers may be injured.

"We will need a stretcher," she says in an audio recording obtained by LiveATC.net. "I know that there is bleeding as well."

After meeting with emergency services upon landing, the 39 passengers and four crew members were given medical evaluations. An airport spokesperson told CNN, "Two adult patients were transported to area hospitals out of an abundance of caution."

"Medical authorities reported to the airport that no injuries are expected to be life-threatening," the statement added.

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"Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of all onboard and we are working with our partner United to assist customers," commented SkyWest.

In July, a Delta Airlines flight also experienced "significant turbulence" that led to 25 passengers being hospitalized. Delta flight DL56 was en route to Amsterdam from Salt Lake City when id diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).

This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Sideloading has been a hot topic for the last decade. Most recently, Google has announced further restrictions on the practice in Android. Many hundreds of comment threads have discussed these changes over the years. One point in particular is always made: I should be able to run whatever code I want on hardware I own. I agree entirely with this point, but within the context of this discussion its moot.

I should be able to run whatever code I want on hardware I own

When Google restricts your ability to install certain applications they arent constraining what you can do with the hardware you own, they are constraining what you can do using the software they provide with said hardware. Its through this control of the operating system that Google is exerting control, not at the hardware layer. You often dont have full access to the hardware either and building new operating systems to run on mobile hardware is impossible, or at least much harder than it should be. This is a separate, and I think more fruitful, point to make. Apple is a better case study than Google here. Apples success with iOS partially derives from the tight integration of hardware and software. An iPhone without iOS is a very different product to what we understand an iPhone to be. Forcing Apple to change core tenets of iOS by legislative means would undermine what made the iPhone successful.

You shouldnt take away from this that I am some stalwart defender of the two behemoths Apple and Google, far from it. However, our critique shouldnt be of the restrictions in place in the operating systems they provide  rather, it should focus on the ability to truly run any code we want on hardware we own. In this context this would mean having the ability and documentation to build or install alternative operating systems on this hardware. It should be possible to run Android on an iPhone and manufacturers should be required by law to provide enough technical support and documentation to make the development of new operating systems possible. If you want to play Playstation games on your PS5 you must suffer Sonys restrictions, but if you want to convert your PS5 into an emulator running Linux that should be possible.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Sept. 1 that he will visit China to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Slovakia.

Fico's latest announcement marks a shift in tone, as the Slovak prime minister had previously ruled out summit with Zelensky, claiming there was no reason for such a meeting and alleging that the Ukrainian president "hated" him.

Fico will visit China on Sept. 3 to attend events marking the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, where he is scheduled to meet with Putin. Two days later, he will host Zelensky in Slovakia.

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In a Constitution Day address, Fico expressed "regret" that he would be the only European Union leader attending the military parade in China, which commemorates the end of World War II in Asia.

The Slovak government has informed EU High Representative Kaja Kallas about the planned visit, Fico added.

During his visit, Fico is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fico said the world is witnessing the creation of "a new multipolar world," a phrase commonly used in Russian official communication, and accused the EU of failing to acknowledge this emerging global order. His comments echoed language frequently used by the Kremlin to justify its foreign policy, including its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Since taking office in 2023, Fico has reversed Slovakia's previous pro-Ukraine policy, ending military aid to Kyiv and questioning the value of EU sanctions on Russia.

Read also: As Putin shakes hands with Modi, Xi, heres the state of Russias allies

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Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico plans to hold meetings with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, he said in a video message on Monday.

He said he intends to meet Putin in Beijing on Tuesday evening during a trip to China, before meeting Zelensky in eastern Slovakia on Friday.

Fico is travelling to China to attend commemorative events marking the anniversary of World War II, including a military parade on Wednesday.

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On Thursday, Fico said he will be received by Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that his EU partners have been informed of his trip.

Fico wants to serve as a peacemaker between Ukraine and Russia, but has failed so far, with Zelensky and leading EU politicians accusing him of being too friendly towards Russia.

Slovakia and Ukraine are also still engaged in a dispute over Kiev's obstruction of the transit of Russian gas and oil to Slovakia, which is more dependent on Russian energy than almost any other EU country.

Ukraine says it wants to curtail funding for Moscow's war by blocking the transit of Russian energy.

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In his video message, published on Facebook, Fico expressed regret that no other EU leader was attending the Chinese celebrations, calling it a missed opportunity.

"Heads of state representing billions of people will be present there," he said.

"A new world order is emerging, new rules for a multipolar world, a new balance of power that is extremely important for global stability," he added.
Scotlands First Minister has said he was absolutely horrified by allegations that a hidden camera had been placed in Holyroods lavatories.

John Swinney said he was extremely concerned about the implications for those using the building, including MSPs, staff and journalists.

The SNP leader urged the Scottish Parliaments authorities to provide that clear and definitive reassurance to everybody involved.

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His intervention comes after Colin Smyth, an MSP and former Scottish Labour general secretary, strongly denied allegations that he had placed a secret camera there.

Two weeks ago it emerged that the South Scotland MSP had been charged with possessing indecent images of children and suspended by Scottish Labour. He now sits as an independent.

Further allegations that he had hidden a camera in Holyroods toilets emerged on Thursday evening, and the Scottish Parliament announced that it had deactivated his pass, meaning he cannot enter the building.

Holyroods authorities announced on Friday that police had conducted a sweep of all the Scottish Parliaments lavatories and changing rooms. The parliaments creche, which can be used by the public, staff or MSPs, and the education centre were also checked, but nothing was found.

Colin Smyth has denied allegations that he had placed a secret camera in the bathrooms - Ken Jack/Getty Images

The Scottish Parliament announced in August that Mr Smyth had resigned as convener of the economy and fair work committee.

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The Telegraph disclosed last week that Police Scotland had started interviewing MSPs identified in pictures said to have been taken by the secret camera.

On Sunday, it was reported that at least five MSPs, as well as one journalist and several other staff members, have been contacted so far. All five politicians were said to be male, and their images were captured in a lavatory outside one of the entrances to the Parliaments main chamber.

The facilities have just cubicles and are only for parliamentary pass holders as they are not in a part of the building accessible to the public.

Asked whether Holyrood was a safe place to work, Mr Swinney said: Im absolutely horrified by what has been the subject of revelations over the course of the last few weeks.

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Im extremely concerned about what the implications for members of parliament, members of staff, journalists, for everyone who uses the parliamentary building.

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said: Its deeply distressing and shocking for all of us and for people across the parliamentary estate, no doubt.

As soon as we became aware of the seriousness of the allegations, Colin Smyth was suspended. He now sits as an independent MSP.

This allegation has come as an utter shock

Mr Smyth has been an MSP since 2016 and has held several frontbench roles, most recently in April 2023, and previously served as Scottish Labours general secretary.

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Earlier this year, the married father-of-two was selected as the Labour candidate for the Dumfriesshire constituency in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

In a statement issued on Friday denying he had installed a hidden camera, he said: This allegation has come as an utter shock and [is] one I strongly refute.

Police Scotland declined to comment on who it had spoken to as part of the investigation.

A force spokesman said: On Tuesday Aug 5, officers executed a warrant at a property in Dumfries, and a 52-year-old man was arrested and charged as part of an ongoing investigation. He is due to appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date.

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A Labour spokesman said: Swift action was taken after we became aware of these serious allegations. Colin Smyth MSP is an independent MSP. We cannot comment further on these deeply concerning developments while legal proceedings are ongoing.

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It's not every day that we get to celebrate a story where business, community, and conservation all align, but when it happens, it deserves attention.

In a world grappling with environmental challenges, it's refreshing to see companies taking tangible steps to protect the planet we all share.

In July, solar energy developer Trajectory Energy Partners, based in Highland Park, Illinois, made a meaningful move toward environmental stewardship, as reported by Northern Public Radio. The company donated $15,000 to the Natural Land Institute (NLI), a private land conservation group, to support the land preservation efforts in Boone County, Illinois.

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The gift was recently announced and is intended to fund legal costs related to land protection agreements, known as easements, which shield land from future industrial or housing development.

This contribution reflected a commitment to collaborating with the Boone County community, according to the company.

Mack Gapinski, a project manager at Trajectory, emphasized the importance of understanding local priorities and said, "Partnering with the Natural Land Institute was a natural fit." In Boone County, the priorities are clear: preserving open space and protecting natural landscapes.

The impact of this partnership could be significant. The funds could protect one or more parcels of land, safeguarding natural habitats, supporting biodiversity, and keeping the rural character of the county intact. This includes protecting "cropland and grasslands on working farms by limiting non-agricultural uses," as an NLI news release indicated.

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Preserved land offers essential ecosystem services such as water filtration, carbon storage, and pollinator habitat, all of which benefit agriculture and public health. For people, it means more room to breathe, literally and figuratively, as green spaces reduce stress, encourage recreation, and foster stronger community bonds.

At a time when headlines can feel negative, this is a reminder that progress is possible and that when businesses listen to communities, everyone wins.

"Trajectory's gift helps us put together voluntary private land protection easements," said NLI executive director Alan Branhagen, in the news release. "[It's] a win for both conservation and rural economic sustainability."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




SOMERSET, Ky. (FOX 56)  Crews with the Somerset Fire Department (SFD) used rakes, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and more to battle a rampant brush fire on Sunday.

The department announced on Facebook that on Aug. 31, crews had been sent to the 1300 block of Jones Knob Road to help the Ferguson Volunteer Fire Department with the out-of-control fire.

Officials said the Bronston, Burnside, and Haynes Knob departments also joined to help stop the rapidly spreading flames along with the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

RELATED:

Pulaski County officials warn smokers after grass fire

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Pulaski County officials issue burn ban due to extremely dry conditions

On scene, crews worked to get the fire under control by using rakes, flappers, chainsaws, and leaf blowers to make fire breaks, using water from tankers and brush trucks to extinguish flames and hotspots, the SFD wrote.

Somerset fire officials shared images of the Sunday brush fire on social media. (Somerset Fire Department)

Multiple tools were used across various fire crews to help extinguish the out-of-control fire. (Somerset Fire Department)

The brush fire was one of many factors over the weekend that led to Pulaski County Emergency Management declaring a county-wide burn ban on Sunday.

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SOUTH DAKOTA (KCAU) South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden announced the relocation of South Dakota National Guardsmen on August 31.

According to a press release, Governor Rhoden is moving twelve guardsmen to Washington, D.C., in support of President Trumps safety efforts.

South Dakota stands in solidarity with President Trump and his efforts to Make America Safe Again, said Governor Rhoden. With the National Guards help, President Trump has restored law and order to our nations capital  and our guardsmen will help keep it that way. We will not sit on the sidelines while crime threatens the safety of our families.

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The guardsmen are from the 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment based out of Rapid City. They will serve in a public affairs capacity in the joint information command center. The initial deployment is expected to last for 30 days.

The mobilization is under the command of the D.C. National Guard and is completely federally funded.

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SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea has suspended a military radio broadcast that transmits to North Korea as part of measures aimed at easing tensions with Pyongyang, Seoul's defence ministry said on Monday.

It is the first time that South Korea has stopped the radio broadcast in 15 years since they resumed after North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship, according to media reports.

The radio broadcast, called "Voice of Freedom", carries items such as news on the North's regime, South Korean economic development or K-pop culture. It has been used as one of South Korea's tools for psychological warfare against the North.

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"The Ministry of National Defence has suspended broadcasts of Voice of Freedom as part of measures to ease military tensions between the South and North," Lee Kyung-ho, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Shortly after he took office in June, the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung switched off propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts on the border criticising the North's regime as it looks to revive stalled dialogue with its neighbour.

Lee has vowed to take further steps to dial down tensions with North Korea and proposed a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to build peace.

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But so far North Korea has rebuffed Lee's overtures and said it is not interested in dialogue with South Korea.

The North Korean leader plans to visit China this week, its major ally and economic lifeline, to attend a military parade, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies)
The last few months have been extremely stressful for the travel industry in the United States. And while the mention of travel woes somehow makes us think first of travelers, the situation has also been extremely tense for people employed in the industry. During the government shutdown, not ...
Several far-left groups hosted a Womens Resource Rally and March in DallasFort Worth on Saturday, but turnout appeared sparse, and multiple male and non-binary speakers took the stage.

The event was organized by Indivisible Dallas, Indivisible Texas 12, Yellow Rose Resistance, and El Movimiento. Despite its focus on womens issues, key speakers included a man identifying as a woman and another identifying as non-binary.

The social change we demand is beyond one march  but in community with each other, in coalition with partners, and in solidarity we move together, Indivisible posted online.

Among the booths was Finns Place, a group under scrutiny for its transgender youth initiatives. The Dallas Express previously reported that Finns Place advertised an LGBT youth summer camp somewhere in North Texas, raising questions about transparency and child safety. Finns Place promotes a summer camp for LGBT youth located somewhere in North Texas. Sounds safe, right? Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French said earlier this year.

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Some attendees offered varying definitions of man and woman.

We are all here together as human beings  and we all have different types of feelings and experiences, and thats what shapes us, attendee and activist Azael Alvarez told The Dallas Express. I think its important to realize there are multiple genders out there.

DX reporter Carlos Turcios posted video of the exchange on X:

WOMENS RALLY?I asked a pro-Palestinian activist in Dallas what the definition for male and female is and he struggled to answer. I believe there are multiple genders The womens rally had men dressed as women and non-binary people. @dallasexpress@Carlos__Turcios pic.twitter.com/IHSeCKsOMH  Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) August 31, 2025

One male attendee who identified as female told DX that separate bathrooms for men and women should be abolished. I think we should look at redoing restrooms, he said. We do need to get creative with it. He added, There is no definition for women, and trying to apply a definition is hatred.

TRANSGENDER DELUSIONDallas had a Womens Rally; however, turnout was horrendous, and men identifying as women were present. This Transgender said segregated restrooms should be abolished and supports men in womens restrooms Follow: @dallasexpress@Carlos__Turcios pic.twitter.com/PITwnYbTLx  Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) August 31, 2025

Another attendee dismissed safety concerns, claiming, Transgender people are not committing the assaults.

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As The Dallas Express has previously reported, the Minneapolis Catholic school shooter, Robert Robin Westman, identified as transgender and scrawled anti-Christian messages on his firearms before killing two children and injuring 17 others. The attack also prompted Republican leaders to push for bans on transgender treatments and new liability measures for doctors, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

Although billed as a womens empowerment march, much of the event focused on gender ideology rather than womens issues, with some participants struggling to defend their positions.

The low turnout drew online reactions.

This is not a pro-woman rally. This rally is about oppressing women by allowing men in their spaces and categories and telling women they will get more out of life by killing their baby in the womb, Tracy Shannon wrote on X.

Fascinating. Apparently, performative activism lacks the gravitational pull of reality, Anti-Woke Warrior wrote on X.
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  A Chesnee neighborhood is coming together after they say vandals ruined their hard work.

A roundabout at the intersection of Peachtree Road and Bible Church Road in Chesnee had been unsightly for years

The grass was always knee deep maybe waste-deep, it was an eyesore, said Lou Parris, who lives nearby.

After approval from the South Carolina Department of Transportation, neighbors united to beautify the area many people pass through every day.

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We went in there pulled up car parts, syringes, liquor bottles, torn-up yard signs, Parris recounted. People would stop, blow the horn and give us thumbs up. They were all excited about this roundabout is finally going to have some something beautiful about it. And we, felt good about it.

But early Saturday morning, Parriss night was interrupted by a loud rumbling from the roundabout.

It was 1:45 a.m. yesterday, I sit on my porch late at night and I saw it when it was all happening, it was dark I couldnt see too well there is a row of trees beside my house at first I thought it was a mustang, Parris recalled. Everybody whos looked at the video says, No, thats a truck, its a big truck.

Surveillance footage captured the chaos.

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A pickup truck can be seen doing donuts in the center circle, leaving behind torn-up grass and tire tracks.



A group of people had just finished doing some work at the roundabout. They worked hard at it, they donated the materials, they really wanted to beautify it, all of a sudden, the next morning, theres tire tracks just ripped, ripped through everything they worked so hard to do, said neighbor Thomas Mele.

Time, money, and community spirit  all destroyed by a reckless late-night joyride.

I want to make it very clear  we are offering a $500 reward  cash for anybody giving us any information on who this black truck belongs to, who was driving that night, the individuals that were in the truck, Mele added. We are not going to tolerate it. Thats why we are going to take our hard-earned money and were going to give it to whoever it is whos going to give us that information.

Neighbors said a state-of-the-art camera with facial recognition will soon be installed near the traffic circle.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact (631) 478-2793 or mele29323@gmail.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
The Full Federal Court has today dismissed appeals by BlueScope Steel Ltd and its former General Manager, Jason Ellis, against earlier Federal Court decisions in a civil cartel proceeding brought by the ACCC.

The Full Court upheld earlier findings that between September 2013 and June 2014, BlueScope and Jason Ellis attempted to induce eight steel distributors in Australia, and overseas manufacturer, Yieh Phui, to enter agreements to fix and raise the level of pricing for flat steel products supplied in Australia.

This decision means the highest penalty ordered for a competition law breach of $57.5 million penalty against BlueScope, and a penalty of $500,000 against Mr Ellis remain in place.

The ACCC had alleged, and the Court had found, that the cartel conduct involved separate attempts by Mr Ellis and other BlueScope representatives, on behalf of BlueScope, to induce agreements containing a cartel provision, with eight competitors.

It also found that Mr Ellis, on behalf of BlueScope, approached several competitors and attempted to induce them to agree to enter into a contract, arrangement or understanding containing a cartel provision whereby distributors would use BlueScopes pricing information as a benchmark when pricing their flat steel products to their customers.

We are pleased that todays Full Court decision has endorsed the findings made by the Court, and the penalties imposed, ACCC Acting Chair Catriona Lowe said.

This case involved an attempted cartel which, if successful, could have created significant damage across the economy, as well as to customers and other businesses that compete fairly.

We brought this case because there was evidence that BlueScope and Mr Ellis attempted to induce eight competitors to engage in cartel conduct which could have reduced price competition in the important Australian flat steel market, and potentially increased prices for flat steel products which are widely used in Australia, Lowe said.

Enforcing cartel laws is an ongoing priority for the ACCC. Any business or individual that attempts to enter collusive agreements with competitors risks significant penalties, even if attempts to collude and breach competition laws do not come to fruition.

Background

BlueScope is the major manufacturer of flat steel products in Australia. Flat steel products are an important material in several important sectors of the Australian economy, including the construction, building, manufacturing, automotive and transport industries. Flat steel products include hot rolled coil, cold rolled coil and steel plate and are essential materials in the construction, building, manufacturing, automotive and transport industries.

In August 2019, the ACCC instituted civil cartel proceedings against BlueScope and Mr Ellis.

In October 2019, Mr Ellis was charged with two counts of inciting the obstruction of a Commonwealth official, encouraging two other BlueScope employees to give false information and evidence to the ACCC, to which he pleaded guilty in September 2020.

Mr Ellis was convicted and sentenced to eight months imprisonment but was immediately released on a recognizance order in December 2020.

In December 2022, the Federal Court found that BlueScope and Mr Ellis engaged in cartel conduct in relation to the supply of flat steel products in Australia.

In August 2023, the Federal Court ordered BlueScope to pay a penalty of $57.5m, and imposed a penalty of $500,000 on Mr Ellis. The penalty ordered against BlueScope was the highest penalty ever imposed for cartel conduct in Australia. It was also the highest penalty ever imposed for a breach of Australias competition law provisions.

The ACCC notes:

A cartel exists when businesses agree to act together instead of competing with each other. Conduct can include price fixing, sharing markets, rigging bids and controlling the output or limiting the amount of goods and services. More information on cartel conduct can be found on the ACCCs website at Cartels.

The ACCC investigates cartel conduct, manages the immunity process and, in respect of civil cartel contraventions, takes proceedings in the Federal Court.

For corporations, the maximum fine for each cartel contravention before 9 November 2022 is the greater of:

$10 million,three times the total benefits that have been obtained and are reasonably attributable to the commission of the offence, or

if the total value of the benefits cannot be determined,10 per cent of the corporations annual turnover connected with Australia.

An individual found to have been involved in civil cartel conduct before 9 November 2022 is subject to a maximum penalty of $500,000 for each act or omission.

The maximum fines and civil penalties for cartel conduct by corporations were substantially increased with effect from 9 November 2022.

Anyone who thinks they may be involved in cartel conduct is urged to call the ACCC Cartel Immunity Hotline on (02) 9230 3894. More information about the immunity process is available on the ACCC website at Cartels.

Suspected cartel conduct can also be reported by using the ACCCs anonymous cartel portal, or by using the ACCCs online form to make a general enquiry.
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  Three Spartanburg County residents, including a former corrections officer, have been arrested after officials said they sent books laced with drugs to inmates at 14 prisons.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections said on Friday it had arrested three people on charges of sending books containing sheets of paper laced with suboxone and a synthetic marijuana commonly known as K2 to at least 20 inmates at prisons across the state.

The department of corrections said agents confiscated 666 sheets of paper soaked in K2 and 241 suboxone strips from packages sent between March and June. All of the packages were mailed from the Woodruff Post Office.

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Officials said Shataysha Quneeka Lewis, 36, of Woodruff has been charged with possession of suboxone with intent to distribute, possession of synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute, providing contraband to prisoners and criminal conspiracy. The state said Lewis is a former corrections officer at Evans Correctional Institution in Bennettsville. She left the prison in 2019.

Also charged was Devin Jamaal Kershaw, 41, of Chesnee. Kershaw is charged with possession of suboxone, possession of a firearm by a felon, furnishing contraband to a prisoner and criminal conspiracy. SCDC said Kershaw is a former SCDC inmate who served roughly 20 years for charges including kidnapping. He was released to community supervision in Spartanburg County in 2022.

Coure Romaine Terry, 36, of Chesnee, has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
Its 10 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the library has just opened, and Cherie Willis is already having a good time.

Cherie is the gatekeeper for the Special Collections section of the Salt Lake City Main Library, a room chock full of treasured books, publications and other artifacts, some of them dating back well before the librarys beginnings in 1898.

For Cherie, who has a bachelors degree in history from the University of Utah and a masters degree in library science from BYU, its clear that, to her, the old stuff never gets old. Its like we just opened King Tuts tomb.

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The materials are all Utah related. There are no first editions of Shakespeare or Cervantes. But there is a first edition of Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley. Published in 1855, the lengthy book, a long-ago precursor of Google Maps, goes into great detail describing how to get from England to the Salt Lake Valley without winding up in Bolivia.

Getting here from England was tough, says Cherie. Back then it was like getting to Mars.

A list of those with scarlet fever, smallpox and diphtheria is pictured in the special collections area of The City Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. If someone on the list had library materials, the books were burned upon their return in an attempt to stop the spread of disease. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Next, Cherie holds up a rare (although not first-edition) copy of A Study in Scarlet, a book published in 1887 by Arthur Conan Doyle that introduced Sherlock Holmes and his trusty confidant Watson to the world for the first time. The reason the book written by an Englishman and published in England is in Special Collections in Salt Lake City is because a major part of it takes place in Utah, where lets just say Mormons (as Doyle called them) do not emerge as heroes. No one rushed to buy Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley after reading this one.

To counter that, Cherie produces an early edition of City of the Saints, the 1862 book written by English adventurer and travel writer (think Bill Bryson a century earlier) Sir Richard Burton, who, unlike his countryman A. Conan Doyle, personally visited Salt Lake City and, as Cherie points out, wrote nicely about us.

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Theres lots more dealing with Utahs interconnected roots with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including a well-preserved copy of Manuscript Found, the unpublished and unfinished manuscript written by Solomon Spaulding in the early 1800s that critics of the church contended Joseph Smith used as the basis for the Book of Mormon.

Its an Indian romance. Theyre not even close, says Cherie, who also points out that with the advent of the internet, books and manuscripts that used to be largely out of the reach of the general public, like this one, can now be found with a simple online search.

The most valuable book in the Main Library isnt in the Special Collections section. To see it, Cherie takes us to the fourth floor where The Birds of America is on display for all to gaze upon, located in a place of prominence almost right in front of the elevators. The oversized picture book showing John James Audubons illustrations of 435 birds is one of about two dozen known to be in existence that used the Bien chromolithographic method to reproduce Audubons originals.

Librarian Cherie Willis shows books kept in the special collections area of the The City Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The Salt Lake City Library bought the book for $230 in 1903  about $8,000 in 2025 dollars  from Alfales Young, one of Brigham Youngs sons. It was an extravagant purchase at the time, but today the book, according to Cherie, is worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars. But since its not for sale, really its priceless.

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The prized possession, by the way, has a sophisticated level of security, including a locked glass lid that weighs 100 pounds.

Speaking of weight, back in the Special Collections vault, Cherie holds up one of the original Salt Lake City bid books for the 1998 Winter Olympics. Each member of the International Olympic Committee received a similar book when they held the vote to determine the winning city in Birmingham, England, in 1991.

Cherie admiringly holds up the book she describes as absolutely spectacular, bound in wood, with a lovely leather case and a gorgeous book written on handmade paper inside. It is stunning, exquisite.

But it must weigh 20 or 30 pounds.

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I think this is why we lost, she deadpans.

Librarian Cherie Willis shows an 1870 story on the Bear Lake monster from a semi-monthly newspaper called Keepapitchinin in the special collections area of the The City Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

To her knowledge, theres only been one theft in the Special Collections section in all its days. It was several years ago, when a copy of a cookbook titled No Man Knows My Pastries went missing.

The book had no particular street value. It wasnt a collectors item. It was just part of the rather extensive collection of local cookbooks (including Angie Earls Lion House Treasured Recipes published in 1947).

I think it was probably a staff member because no one else has access, says Cherie. They probably took it for the title, a parody on Fawn Brodies book on Joseph Smith, No Man Knows My History. They must have thought that was clever.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  In celebration of Labor Day, the Springfield Central Labor Council, in partnership with local labor organizations, is hosting its annual community picnic in Fassnight Park.

The picnic starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. There will be free food, drinks, live music, games and activities for kids and a car show.

President of the local Teamsters Chapter 245, Jeremy Manley, says donations are encouraged. Any money given today goes towards United Way Ozarks Region, helping them continue their work in the community.

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In years past, the picnic has included a parade, and while that isnt the case this year, there is still a lot to do at the picnic.

New non-profit hopes to benefit from tourism in Stone, Taney counties

Manley says there are many ways to celebrate Labor Day, but its important to remember why Labor Day exists and celebrate the people who work every day in Missouri and across the country.

Labor Day represents the hard work of all working people in the state of Missouri and across the country. Right here in 1909, l believe the first Labor Day was in the city of New York, Manley said. And ever since then, its been a huge holiday for all of us that work for a living and that you know, have to break our backs for a dollar.

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Manley says the annual picnic is a great opportunity to bring together like-minded people and celebrate laborers in the community.

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It had always been easy for Julia Vasquez to counter friends who questioned her choice to move to Florida.

She would simply text a photo of the rainbow crosswalk down the street from her home. The mural embodied what she felt was so special about her city: its inclusivity.

Now, that symbol is going away.

Vasquez was one of more than 100 protesters who gathered at St. Petersburgs only remaining street mural Monday ahead of a state effort to keep roads free and clear of political ideologies.

The event looked more like a block party than what many might think of as a protest. That was the point. Those who turned out wanted to show how fighting back can be a vibrant community effort where families are safe and no one is alone.

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Joy is the biggest act of resistance, Tamara Leigh, one of the organizers, said into a megaphone. Joy is the thing they cant erase, they cant pave over, they cant take away.

Locals spent the afternoon covering the pavement around the crosswalk with chalk art, writing, Yall means ALL, Were Still Here and Keep St. Pete Gay. The day was spent making art that will wash away with the rain, but the mood was one of ongoing momentum.

Pay attention. Watch the news, because if it isnt you today, itll be you tomorrow, Leigh advised supporters.

St. Petersburg will ultimately lose five beloved art installations. Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at street murals in June when he signed a transportation bill, and the issue has only intensified as the Trump administration has encouraged governors to target rainbow crosswalks.

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In recent days, road crews have come for street art across Florida.

The state mandate has anguished many residents. Last week, two pastors were arrested as they tried to block state crews from covering up the Black History Matters street mural outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida.

The city had tried to save the art, but was denied by the state and risked losing funding for transportation projects as punishment. The citys pushback included sharing data that showed the art installation improved pedestrian safety. Mayor Ken Welch has said city attorneys advised him there was not a winnable path to save the street art and he encouraged residents to lawfully protest.

Mayors across Florida have expressed alarm as road crews have begun to blot out the local designs. The state push included eliminating a memorial for the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 dead and 53 wounded.

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Orlandos mayor called the sudden erasure of the rainbow crosswalk honoring the victims a cruel political act.

Down the street from Mondays protest, Chrissy Auger, 43, was working on a more permanent response. She and her boyfriend were turning their house into a giant Pride flag.

About a year earlier theyd painted their house white. After news broke that the crosswalk would be destroyed, it dawned on them that they had the perfect canvas. They bought paint and set to work.

We cant paint the street, which is so stupid, but we have this blank slate, Auger said. Its just a sign of solidarity that theres going to be good people out there doing what they can.

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Beth VanMiddlesworth, 47, had tears in her eyes as she painted a message alongside her two children, ages 12 and 21.

Wearing a Kiss More Girls tee, she spoke about how shed only recently begun identifying publicly as bisexual. It has been painful to finally be out and feel so included while  at the same time  weathering a state and federal push against people like her.

But as sad as the day felt, she said, being together with others who refused to be quiet felt good. Being able to bring her children made it even more special.

It is absolutely marvelous to come out here and just exist with a bunch of other people and make art that theyre trying to take away from us, said her son, Samuel VanMiddlesworth.

They cant take it away from us  because we will just keep making more.
(KRON)  A woman is suffering from life-threatening injuries after a stabbing in San Francisco on Saturday, according to authorities.

The San Francisco Police Department officers responded to a report of a stabbing in the 300 block of Fulton Street around 4:14 p.m. Arriving officers located a woman suffering from stab wounds and rendered aid to her.

SFPD probes suspicious death after altercation on Brannan Street

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Paramedics responded to the scene and took the victim to the hospital, where she is being treated for life-threatening injuries.

There have been no arrests, per police.

Anyone with information regarding this open investigation is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.

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A starvation cult accused of being responsible for the deaths of over 400 people is still active, officials fear, as new graves suggest acolytes escaped a police round-up two years ago.

Kenyan police have uncovered the bodies of dozens of new suspected victims in recent days, including some seemingly buried long after officers claimed to have smashed Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenges fringe sect.

Officials have now told the Telegraph they believe some of his followers escaped the crackdown and continued to operate nearby, potentially prolonging one of the worst cult-related mass deaths ever recorded.

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Police have exhumed 37 more bodies from a site in Kwa Binzaro, about 12 miles south of Shakahola Forest, near Mombasa, where Mackenzie ran his Good News International church.

The breakaway group is thought to consist of those who fled police raids in early 2023, and also brainwashed members who have been unable to escape its extremist teachings.

Some vulnerable members are thought to have fallen back under its spell after they were initially rescued.

Cult leader Pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge at a court hearing in 2023 - Andrew Kasuku/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Josphat Biwott, Kilifi county commissioner, told the Telegraph: This is the very same sect.

We suspect so because some of the people we have arrested at Kwa Binzaro are the same people we rescued from Shakahola two years ago.

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He said: We have arrested 11 suspects so far. Investigations indicate the leader of the current group at Kwa Binzaro is a woman.

The revelation that cult followers appeared to have continued operations only miles away will put the original Kenyan police investigation under intense scrutiny.

Police found hundreds of bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola in 2023 and more than 400 of the sects followers are alleged to have died.

Mackenzie has been accused of encouraging followers to starve themselves to death to achieve redemption and to meet Jesus.

Forensic experts and homicide detectives at the new site in Kwa Binzaro, a few miles away from the original mass grave - Dicksy O'Obiero/REUTERS

He has been in custody since May 2023 and last month went on trial along with 28 others for 191 counts of murder.

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Mackenzie, his wife and 91 other defendants face a separate trial for the manslaughter of 238 people.

All have denied the charges.

Dr Robert Njoroge, the pathologist in charge of the Kwa Binzaro exhumations, said some of the new suspected victims remains had been reduced to skeletons, suggesting they had been buried longer than a year.

Others had only partially decomposed and appeared to have been buried a matter of a few months.

In the aftermath of the 2023 police raids, locals described a chaotic police attempt to roll up the church. Some members simply fled deeper into the forest and were not pursued.

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One attempt to gauge the scale of the cult in 2023 estimated some 1,200 people from across Kenya were missing.

The Kenyan state has already faced questions over how it allowed the church to operate, despite years of warning signs, large numbers of complaints and several police investigations.

Exhumed bodies of suspected followers of a religious cult buried in shallow graves in Kwa Binzaro village - Dicksy O'Obiero/REUTERS

Hussein Khalid, a human rights activist and chief executive of Vocal Africa, which documents extremist movements, said: lt appears the corpses being found at Kwa Binzaro are of followers of the same cult.

Several suspects have been arrested and interrogated. This is the same cult and the same teachings to Mackenzies.

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He blamed police negligence for allowing the cult to continue.

After Shakahola the government retreated and did nothing substantive to alert the local residents and understand the root causes of these extremist movements, he said.

Several followers escaped from Shakahola when police raided in 2023. They escaped and dispersed in different directions and the state did not pursue to rescue them. They moved a few kilometres away and regrouped.

A lack of police attention also meant that those who were originally rescued from the cult were in danger of again falling under the spell of its teachings.

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Sep. 1Seven state lawmakers who represent various parts of the Miami Valley region say they expect to be very busy when they return to Columbus, where they hope to tackle issues ranging from tort reform to marijuana prohibitions to removing criminal history questions on job applications.

This group of elected leaders recently took part in an hour-long discussion during the 2025 Dayton Regional Impact Ohio Conference, hosted by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Here are some of the plans they shared:

Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, wants to outlaw selling intoxicating hemp products at retail outlets in Ohio.

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Huffman has proposed legislation that prohibits hemp products that are not sold in marijuana dispensaries from marketing the products as marijuana. He and other legislators have raised concerns about the safety of these unregulated products. Huffman also said he wants to ban smoking marijuana in public places and in moving motor vehicles.

"I don't want to sit at a ball game and have my 10-year-old daughter smelling marijuana," he said.

Sen. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, said he is working hard to pass a bill that would provide a refundable tax credit to businesses for past health insurance mandates imposed by the state legislature.

Koehler said about a decade ago state lawmakers passed a bill that requires Ohio employers to provide health care coverage for autism to people on the spectrum who are enrolled in their health insurance programs. He said this bill will help businesses with labor costs.

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"When we did that we promised employers that we would address tax relief for them," he said. "We never did."

Rep. Desiree Tims, D-Dayton, said she plans to work on criminal justice reform, including "banning the box." Ban the box policies remove questions about criminal history from initial job applications.

"If you can be the president of the United States with a felony, you can certainly be a cashier," she said.

Tims also said she also expects to work on legislation focused on workforce development.

Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., said he wants to pass a bill that will make the criminal penalties for murdering a peace officer, prosecutor, first-responder or military member life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

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Plummer said about eight officers have been shot in Ohio in the last month.

"It's out of control," he said. "We need to get back to a respect for responders."

Plummer also said he is working on a bill to increase the penalties for trafficking fentanyl.

Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, said she is trying to get a bill passed that would require Medicaid and health benefit plans to cover medically necessary biomarking testing.

Biomarking testing is laboratory method that uses a sample of tissue, blood or other body fluid to check for certain genes, proteins or other molecules that may be a sign of a disease or conditions like cancer, says the National Cancer Institute.

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White said she's also very concerned about artificial intelligence. She said kids needs to learn critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, but AI threatens to do all the work for them. She wants to find a way to address this problem.

Rep. Brian Lampton, R-Beavercreek, said his top priority is to pass a litigation funding transparency bill that would help businesses with tort reform.

He said there are large corporate investors who are investing in lawsuits, which is wrong. The proposed legislation would prevent third-party funders from influencing legal decisions and ban foreign-based litigation funders from operating in Ohio, says the American Tort Reform Association.

"It's causing all of our insurance rates to go up," Lampton said. "It's causing all of our costs to go up."

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Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp., said he is pushing for higher education institutions to offer accelerated degrees, like a three-year or a one-year degree.

"We're working on accelerated degrees where parents and family don't incur a tremendous amount of debt in four-year colleges," he said. "We're working out the details."
(The Texas Tribune)  State Sen. Brandon Creighton, the architect of major higher education reforms that banned diversity programs, limited faculty influence and tightened rules on campus protests, is poised to become the next chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.

Texas Tech Board Chair Cody Campbell said on Sunday that he expects the board to unanimously name the Conroe Republican the sole finalist for the systems top job.

He has been a strong voice in the fight to get our colleges and universities back on track and clearly shares the values and vision of the Texas Tech community, Campbell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Texas Tech stands at a pivotal crossroads and is poised to accelerate the pace of massive growth and progress that we have achieved. We are confident that Senator Creighton will continue to advance our mission of serving students, driving research, and strengthening communities across the State, and especially in West Texas. He is, unquestionably, the right person for the job, and we all look forward to working with him.

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Board Vice Chair Dustin Womble similarly posted his support, following Campbells message.

In a separate post on X Sunday evening, Creighton said he is honored that Texas Tech regents have expressed confidence in him.

Serving as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Budget Subcommittee has been the honor of a lifetimeespecially to help deliver that success for Texas Tech and its regional universities, he said. I feel very blessed to have been considered for the role of Chancellor.

State lawmakers including House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Texas Tech alum, have congratulated Creighton.

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Senator Creightons leadership and expertise on higher education matters will be a tremendous benefit to Texas Tech, Burrows said.

Other Texas Tech regents could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.

In the last three years, Creighton, who chairs the Texas Senates education committee, has authored some of the most impactful legislation for Texas higher education in decades: Senate Bill 17, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities; Senate Bill 37, which gives governor-appointed regents more authority over university operations and limits facultys influence on their schools; and Senate Bill 2972, which sets new rules on when, where and how protests can take place on campuses.

Together, these measures have significantly shifted control over higher education from campus leaders to regents and state lawmakers, upending a longstanding balance of power that has traditionally given universities greater autonomy.

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The Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors said Creightons record has raised concern among some faculty.

We have concerns about the future of academic freedom and shared governance given the positions Sen. Creighton has taken in the legislature, the group said in a statement. Shared governance involves the trustees, the administration and the faculty all working together to support the students and institution. Academic freedom helps to bring in and retain the best faculty in the country. We hope that Texas Techs strong tradition of shared governance and academic freedom continue to thrive so that Texas Tech can thrive.

Creightons appointment could strengthen Texas Techs political influence at the Capitol. He helped create the Texas University Fund, a $3.9 billion endowment approved by voters in 2023 that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to Texas Tech, the University of Houston, Texas State University and the University of North Texas. Lawmakers established the fund to help these schools compete with the states two flagship university systems, the University of Texas and Texas A&M, which draw billions in support from the Permanent University Fund, a $39.5 billion oil-and gas-funded endowment that other emerging research universities cannot access.

Creighton would be new to Raider Country. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he earned his law degree from Oklahoma City University. He was a state representative for seven years before winning a Senate Seat in 2014, representing Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson and Montgomery counties. His current term runs through January 2027. He would have to vacate his seat before then, at which point Abbott would be authorized to call a special election to fill the vacancy.

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The Texas Tribune first reported on Thursday that Creighton and U.S. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, were in the running to succeed Chancellor Tedd Mitchell, who announced his retirement in July. The board met behind closed doors for four hours on Saturday and then adjourned without taking any action. The earliest the board could meet next would be Thursday. By law, the board must wait 21 days before finalizing Creightons appointment. If confirmed, Creighton would become the sixth chancellor since the systems creation in 1996.

The system, based in Lubbock, includes five institutions that enrolled 69,502 students in 2024: Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Angelo State University and Midwestern State University.

Creightons appointment is the latest in a recent string of politically connected leaders  rather than career academics  taking top roles at Texas universities. Earlier this year, former Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar became chancellor of Texas A&M University System, and former state Rep. John Zerwas became chancellor of the University of Texas System.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, the architect of major higher education reforms that banned diversity programs, limited faculty influence and tightened rules on campus protests, is poised to become the next chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.

The Texas Tech Board of Regents unanimously voted Thursday to name Creighton the sole finalist for the position.

"He's known and proven to be a respected leader, and his experience leading major legislation efforts, I believe, has prepared him to take on this important role, and I'm confident he will bring that same vision and determination to the system," board member Arcilia Acosta said.

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From the Senate floor late Wednesday, Creighton's colleagues in the upper chamber congratulated him on his legislative tenure and the expected Tech vote.

"I'm proud to join the Red Raider family and to work hard to advance that institution," Creighton said.

Chair Cody Campbell signaled the board's choice earlier this week in a post on X, writing Creighton has been a strong voice in the fight to get our colleges and universities back on track and clearly shares the values and vision of the Texas Tech community.

Texas Tech stands at a pivotal crossroads and is poised to accelerate the pace of massive growth and progress that we have achieved," Campbell wrote. "We are confident that Senator Creighton will continue to advance our mission of serving students, driving research, and strengthening communities across the State, and especially in West Texas. He is, unquestionably, the right person for the job, and we all look forward to working with him.

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Board Vice Chair Dustin Womble echoed Campbell's message in his own post, while congratulations from conservative lawmakers poured in.

Senator Creightons leadership and expertise on higher education matters will be a tremendous benefit to Texas Tech, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Texas Tech alum, wrote.

Creighton's current Senate term runs through January 2027. He will have to vacate his seat before then, at which point Gov. Greg Abbott would be authorized to call a special election to fill the vacancy.

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, who was also considered for the role, offered his congratulations, as well.

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I am at the ready to help Brandon bear our banners far and wide in our nations capital and beyond as he leads the greatest University System in all the land. Guns up, and Go West Texas!!" Arrington wrote on X.

Creightons selection continues a broad trend of politically connected leaders  rather than career academics  taking top roles at Texas universities. Earlier this year, former Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar became chancellor of Texas A&M University System, and former state Rep. John Zerwas became chancellor of the University of Texas System.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, speaking late Wednesday before the Senate adjourned its second special session, framed the shift as positive and praised Creighton's time in the Senate.

"We are proud of you and this is really a historic moment, and Texas Tech made the right decision for all of Texas," Patrick said.

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Creighton on Wednesday called working with Patrick on education issues a "blessing."

"I wouldn't be leaving the Senate for another opportunity if I felt for one second that Texas would not be positioned for greatness because of who's here remaining," he said.

In the last three years, Creighton, who chairs the Texas Senates education committee, has authored some of the most impactful legislation for Texas higher education in decades: Senate Bill 17, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities; Senate Bill 37, which gives governor-appointed regents more authority over university operations and limits facultys influence on their schools; and Senate Bill 2972, which sets new rules on when, where and how protests can take place on campuses.

Together, these measures have significantly shifted control over higher education from campus leaders to regents and state lawmakers, upending a longstanding balance of power that has traditionally given universities greater autonomy.

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The Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors said Creighton's record has raised concern among some faculty.

"We have concerns about the future of academic freedom and shared governance given the positions Sen. Creighton has taken in the legislature," the group said in a statement. Shared governance involves the trustees, the administration and the faculty all working together to support the students and institution. Academic freedom helps to bring in and retain the best faculty in the country. We hope that Texas Tech's strong tradition of shared governance and academic freedom continue to thrive so that Texas Tech can thrive."

Creightons appointment could strengthen Texas Techs political influence at the Capitol. He helped create the Texas University Fund, a $3.9 billion endowment approved by voters in 2023 that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to Texas Tech, the University of Houston, Texas State University and the University of North Texas. Lawmakers established the fund to help these schools compete with the states two flagship university systems, the University of Texas and Texas A&M, which draw billions in support from the Permanent University Fund, a $39.5 billion oil-and gas-funded endowment that other emerging research universities cannot access.

Creighton will be new to Raider Country. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he earned his law degree from Oklahoma City University. He was a state representative for seven years before winning a Senate Seat in 2014, representing Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson and Montgomery counties.

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The Texas Tribune first reported on Thursday that Creighton and Arrington were in the running to succeed Chancellor Tedd Mitchell, who announced his retirement in July. The board met behind closed doors for four hours on Saturday and then adjourned without taking any action. By law, the board must wait 21 days before finalizing Creightons appointment. If confirmed, Creighton would become the sixth chancellor since the systems creation in 1996.

The system, based in Lubbock, includes five institutions that enrolled 69,502 students in 2024: Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Angelo State University and Midwestern State University.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University System, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Texas Tech University System, University of Houston, University of North Texas, University of Texas System and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

More all-star speakers confirmed for The Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 1315! This years lineup just got even more exciting with the addition of State Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo; former United States Attorney General Eric Holder; Abby Phillip, anchor of CNN NewsNight; Aaron Reitz, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General; and State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. Get your tickets today!

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  Alabama State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey joined CBS 42 Morning News to discuss how the FOCUS Act, which bans cell phones in schools, has impacted the state of the new school year.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
The Full Federal Court has unanimously dismissed appeals brought by Delta Building Automation Pty Ltd (Delta) and its sole director, Mr Timothy Davis, against earlier findings that they attempted to rig a tender at the National Gallery of Australia.

This upholds the Federal Courts finding on 1 August 2023 that Delta and Mr Davis attempted to induce a competitor to make an arrangement or arrive at an understanding to submit an anti-competitive bid for the National Gallery of Australias building management system tender. Delta and Mr Davis were ordered to pay penalties of $1.5 million and $120,000 respectively for this attempt.

Cartel arrangements, such as bid rigging, often inflate costs for consumers or other businesses and are a serious breach of the law. It is important for Australian businesses to understand that even an attempt to enter into a cartel is illegal, whether the attempt is successful or not, ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

The Full Court upheld the trial judges findings that in late 2019, Mr Davis organised a meeting at a cafe in Canberra with the general manager of one of Deltas competitors and offered to pay the competitor in exchange for agreeing to the proposed arrangement to rig the bid.

The attempt to rig the tender was unsuccessful because the competitor rejected his offer. The National Gallery was not involved in or aware of the conduct at the time and did not suffer any losses.

This decision, and the penalties imposed on Delta and Mr Davis, serve as a reminder of the significant consequences facing businesses and representatives who engage in or attempt to induce cartel conduct, even where the attempt fails. The conduct in this case is especially concerning, given that the tender involved was taxpayer funded, Mr Keogh said.

It is crucial for all businesses, large or small, to ensure that any discussions they have with competitors do not propose or lead to arrangements which may interfere with the competitive process, such as bid-rigging and other cartel conduct.

Background

On 13 May 2021 the ACCC instituted civil proceedings in the Federal Court against Delta and Mr Davis.

On 1 August 2023 the Federal Court found that Delta and Mr Davis attempted to rig a bid in connection with a tender conducted by the National Gallery of Australia for the replacement of its building management system.

On 4 June 2024 the Federal Court ordered Delta and Mr Davis to pay penalties of $1.5 million and $120,000 respectively.

On 2 July 2024 Delta and Mr Davis filed a Notice of Appeal from the liability judgment.

Delta is an ACT based company that designs, installs, and maintains building management systems. Delta is part of a group of companies which operate nationally as the exclusive Australian distributor for the Delta Controls brand of building management systems.

A building management system is a computer-based system installed to manage and monitor a buildings equipment such as air-conditioning, ventilation, lighting, and power systems.

Bid rigging, also known as collusive tendering, occurs when suppliers discuss and agree among themselves who should win a tender, and at what price.

Price fixing happens when competitors agree on pricing instead of competing against each other.

More information about different types of cartel conduct can be found on the ACCCs website at Cartels.

The ACCC notes:

The ACCC investigates cartel conduct, manages the immunity process and, in respect of civil cartel contraventions, takes proceedings in the Federal Court.

For corporations, the maximum fine for each cartel contravention before 9 November 2022 is the greater of:

$10 million,

three times the total benefits that have been obtained and are reasonably attributable to the commission of the offence, or

if the total value of the benefits cannot be determined,10 per cent of the corporations annual turnover connected with Australia.

An individual found to have been involved in civil cartel conduct before 9 November 2022 is subject to a maximum penalty of $500,000 for each act or omission.

The maximum fines and civil penalties for cartel conduct by corporations were were substantially increased with effect from 9 November 2022.

Anyone who thinks they may be involved in cartel conduct is urged to call the ACCC Cartel Immunity Hotline on (02) 9230 3894. More information about the immunity process is available on the ACCC website at Cartels.

Suspected cartel conduct can also be reported by using the ACCCs anonymous cartel portal, or by using the ACCCs online form to make a general enquiry.
Cars are flooded in Petersburg, Va., in July. Many of the canceled federal contracts that have contributed to job losses in the state involved flooding control. (Photo courtesy of Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services)

Virginia and New Jersey may be among the states most affected by the hiring slowdown that enraged President Donald Trump when it appeared in an Aug. 1 jobs report showing the United States had 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported in May and June.

Such revisions to earlier reports are based on more up-to-date payroll data and are routine. But the scale in this case was shocking  showing the smallest monthly job gains since pandemic-era December 2020 and the largest jobs revision, outside recessions, since 1968.

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In response, Trump declared the numbers were wrong, fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief, and offered as a replacement E.J. Antoni, a loyalist who has proposed suspending the jobs report. Trump falsely said in a Truth Social post that the revised jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.

Beyond those attention-grabbing actions, though, the numbers demonstrate the real effects of Trumps work slashing the federal government.

A Stateline analysis of the data shows how several states, especially Virginia and New Jersey, shed jobs in the second quarter of this year, which includes May and June.

In Virginia, there were job losses blamed on canceled federal contracts in Northern Virginia as part of cuts made by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Meanwhile, a slow housing market shuttered a plywood factory in the southern part of the state, and DOGE efforts canceled flooding control contracts on the coast.

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Jay Ford, Virginia policy manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, told a state legislative committee in June that $50 million in contracts were slashed in the Hampton Roads area near the coast, causing a spike in unemployment claims.

That included $20 million to address flooding in Hampton, where almost a quarter of homes are in flood zones, and $24 million to repair a Portsmouth dam that could fail in a major storm, he said.

This is work that you desperately needed, Ford said at the committee hearing. There was a real focus on certain buzzwords like climate or resilience, and I think people conflated some of these projects as somehow unnecessary.

For instance, the American Institutes for Research announced 233 layoffs in Virginia in May and 50 in Maryland since the beginning of the year. The not-for-profit organizations projects include working with school districts to solve achievement gaps and absenteeism, creating AI-driven workforce training, and addressing health care issues such as improving kidney disease care while reducing Medicare costs and strengthening access to health care by keeping rural hospitals open.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The changes occurring in the federal government have brought significant challenges for many federal contractors, including AIR, said Dana Tofig, the companys spokesperson.

Other recent layoffs in Virginia: 442 workers at Northern Virginias Mitre, which manages federally funded defense research centers and faced $28 million in canceled federal contracts; and 554 workers at a shuttered plywood factory in Southern Virginia.

Housing affordability challenges and a 30-year low in existing home sales are impacting our plywood business, as many of our plywood products are used in repair and remodel projects, which often occur when homes change ownership, Georgia-Pacific said in a May news release.

Stateline looked at two state jobs surveys for the second quarter that sometimes have quite different results: the so-called payroll survey of businesses that the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses for its monthly report, which has yet to be revised at the state level, and the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which estimates job changes based on monthly household surveys.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The LAUS estimates are often called the household survey because they rely mostly on surveys of households, asking how many people are employed. They include jobs the payroll survey cant get, such as contract and agricultural jobs, and capture jobs where people live rather than states where employers are located.

In a state like Virginia with a high number of federal employees and contract workers, lost jobs may show up sooner in the household survey since many federal jobs are not reflected on state-level payrolls if they are done by subcontractors, if the agency or contractor is based in another state, or if DOGE cuts allowed people to stop work but stay on the payroll until September. Those people might report being unemployed in the household survey but wouldnt show up in other surveys until October.

The household survey shows about the same number of slowing job gains as the revised national payroll report, so it may be a window into the trends, many caused by Trump administration cuts in government, health care, and foreign aid, and also by slowing sales in stores and housing markets.

Both surveys rely on small samples and are often revised later, said Charles Gascon, an economist and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The more definitive Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, set for release Dec. 3 for the second quarter, will show state patterns more conclusively, he said.

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The household surveys show Virginia with the largest job losses in the country for the second quarter, down about 43,000, and job losses every month since February. Before that, the state gained jobs every month since the height of pandemic job losses in April 2020.

New Jersey, which had the most job losses  15,400  in the separate second-quarter payroll survey, has suffered layoffs in retail stores hit by a slowdown in consumer spending, increased shoplifting and, among drugstores, lawsuits for their role in the opioid epidemic.

Walmart announced 481 layoffs at its Hoboken, New Jersey, corporate office, and Rite Aid drugstores laid off 1,122 amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy affected by opioid crisis lawsuits that also hit Walmart and other pharmacy chains. Pharma firms Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis also have announced hundreds of layoffs in New Jersey, citing patent expirations on popular drugs.

Wobbly state finances

Rising unemployment combined with weak revenue growth suggests economic fragility for state finances, said Lucy Dadayan, a principal research associate for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center who tracks state tax revenue.

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Nationally, unemployment was at 4.2% in July, the same as July 2024 but up from recent lows of 3.4% in April 2023, with the largest increases in Mississippi, Virginia, and Oregon.

Unemployment has dropped the most compared with July 2024 in Indiana, Illinois, New York, and West Virginia.

The states with the highest unemployment rates in July were California (5.5%), Nevada (5.4%), and Michigan (5.3%), while the lowest were in South Dakota (1.9%), North Dakota (2.5%), and Vermont (2.6%).

I think the dramatic May and June jobs revision signals economic fragility. State-level warning signs suggest the impacts will show gradually, Dadayan said. And of course states are facing fiscal challenges caused by One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending decisions.

Advertisement Advertisement

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State finances are a mixed picture, with income tax collections rising because of a strong stock market and sales tax growth weak as consumers retreat on spending, Dadayan said.

In Virginia, the economically distressed area around Emporia will suffer aftershocks from the plywood plant closing, said Otto Wachsmann, a Republican who represents the area in the state House of Delegates. The area is already reeling from the indefinite closure of a nearby Boars Head lunch meat plant that employed 600 people after a listeria outbreak there last year.

The community, part of the southern Wood Basket region, has a large logging industry that will now struggle to find new markets farther away with higher costs for trucking, Wachsmann said. Were working hard to find new industries to come here.

Layoff rates in April, as calculated by the online human resources platform Techr, showed New Jersey, Vermont, and Virginia with the highest rates.

Advertisement Advertisement

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Amanda Goodall, a workforce analyst who calls herself The Job Chick on social media, said the layoffs reflect restructuring in major corporations as well as federal cutbacks. She wrote about the layoff rates in a recent post.

These are not statistical flukes. They reflect real corporate moves, in New Jersey and Virginia especially, Goodall wrote in an emailed statement to Stateline. The bigger issue is that nobody on the ground cares what the unemployment rate says if they cant find an interview for a job theyre qualified for. State layoff figures are giving us an early read.

California and Texas

California and Texas saw the biggest jobs gains in both surveys in the second quarter.

Texas added 42,700 jobs in the payroll survey, with the largest increase coming in the category of private educational services, 14,400 jobs, as the state approved a plan for school vouchers to start next year, according to a statement to Stateline from the Texas Workforce Commission.

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California added 25,300 jobs. But the household survey showed an increase of almost 111,000 jobs, the highest in the country.

A Public Policy Institute of California blog post in July called the states labor market at best, in a hold-steady pattern this year, citing the states stubbornly elevated unemployment rate of 5.4% but also its jobs improvement over last year.

A hold-steady pattern is a welcome change from a year ago, said the post, written by Sarah Bohn, a senior fellow at the institute.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Cars are flooded in Petersburg, Va., in July. Many of the canceled federal contracts that have contributed to job losses in the state involved flooding control. (Photo courtesy of Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services)

Virginia and New Jersey may be among the states most affected by the hiring slowdown that enraged President Donald Trump when it appeared in an Aug. 1 jobs report showing the United States had 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported in May and June.

Such revisions to earlier reports are based on more up-to-date payroll data and are routine. But the scale in this case was shocking  showing the smallest monthly job gains since pandemic-era December 2020 and the largest jobs revision, outside recessions, since 1968.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

In response, Trump declared the numbers were wrong, fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief, and offered as a replacement E.J. Antoni, a loyalist who has proposed suspending the jobs report. Trump falsely said in a Truth Social post that the revised jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.

Beyond those attention-grabbing actions, though, the numbers demonstrate the real effects of Trumps work slashing the federal government.

A Stateline analysis of the data shows how several states, especially Virginia and New Jersey, shed jobs in the second quarter of this year, which includes May and June.

In Virginia, there were job losses blamed on canceled federal contracts in Northern Virginia as part of cuts made by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Meanwhile, a slow housing market shuttered a plywood factory in the southern part of the state, and DOGE efforts canceled flooding control contracts on the coast.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Jay Ford, Virginia policy manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, told a state legislative committee in June that $50 million in contracts were slashed in the Hampton Roads area near the coast, causing a spike in unemployment claims.

That included $20 million to address flooding in Hampton, where almost a quarter of homes are in flood zones, and $24 million to repair a Portsmouth dam that could fail in a major storm, he said.

This is work that you desperately needed, Ford said at the committee hearing. There was a real focus on certain buzzwords like climate or resilience, and I think people conflated some of these projects as somehow unnecessary.

For instance, the American Institutes for Research announced 233 layoffs in Virginia in May and 50 in Maryland since the beginning of the year. The not-for-profit organizations projects include working with school districts to solve achievement gaps and absenteeism, creating AI-driven workforce training, and addressing health care issues such as improving kidney disease care while reducing Medicare costs and strengthening access to health care by keeping rural hospitals open.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The changes occurring in the federal government have brought significant challenges for many federal contractors, including AIR, said Dana Tofig, the companys spokesperson.

Other recent layoffs in Virginia: 442 workers at Northern Virginias Mitre, which manages federally funded defense research centers and faced $28 million in canceled federal contracts; and 554 workers at a shuttered plywood factory in Southern Virginia.

Housing affordability challenges and a 30-year low in existing home sales are impacting our plywood business, as many of our plywood products are used in repair and remodel projects, which often occur when homes change ownership, Georgia-Pacific said in a May news release.

Stateline looked at two state jobs surveys for the second quarter that sometimes have quite different results: the so-called payroll survey of businesses that the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses for its monthly report, which has yet to be revised at the state level, and the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which estimates job changes based on monthly household surveys.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The LAUS estimates are often called the household survey because they rely mostly on surveys of households, asking how many people are employed. They include jobs the payroll survey cant get, such as contract and agricultural jobs, and capture jobs where people live rather than states where employers are located.

In a state like Virginia with a high number of federal employees and contract workers, lost jobs may show up sooner in the household survey since many federal jobs are not reflected on state-level payrolls if they are done by subcontractors, if the agency or contractor is based in another state, or if DOGE cuts allowed people to stop work but stay on the payroll until September. Those people might report being unemployed in the household survey but wouldnt show up in other surveys until October.

The household survey shows about the same number of slowing job gains as the revised national payroll report, so it may be a window into the trends, many caused by Trump administration cuts in government, health care and foreign aid, and also by slowing sales in stores and housing markets.

Both surveys rely on small samples and are often revised later, said Charles Gascon, an economist and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The more definitive Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, set for release Dec. 3 for the second quarter, will show state patterns more conclusively, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The household surveys show Virginia with the largest job losses in the country for the second quarter, down about 43,000, and job losses every month since February. Before that, the state gained jobs every month since the height of pandemic job losses in April 2020.

New Jersey, which had the most job losses  15,400  in the separate second-quarter payroll survey, has suffered layoffs in retail stores hit by a slowdown in consumer spending, increased shoplifting and, among drugstores, lawsuits for their role in the opioid epidemic.

Walmart announced 481 layoffs at its Hoboken, New Jersey, corporate office, and Rite Aid drugstores laid off 1,122 amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy affected by opioid crisis lawsuits that also hit Walmart and other pharmacy chains. Pharma firms Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis also have announced hundreds of layoffs in New Jersey, citing patent expirations on popular drugs.

Wobbly state finances

Rising unemployment combined with weak revenue growth suggests economic fragility for state finances, said Lucy Dadayan, a principal research associate for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center who tracks state tax revenue.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Nationally, unemployment was at 4.2% in July, the same as July 2024 but up from recent lows of 3.4% in April 2023, with the largest increases in Mississippi, Virginia and Oregon.

Unemployment has dropped the most compared with July 2024 in Indiana, Illinois, New York and West Virginia.

The states with the highest unemployment rates in July were California (5.5%), Nevada (5.4%) and Michigan (5.3%), while the lowest were in South Dakota (1.9%), North Dakota (2.5%) and Vermont (2.6%).

I think the dramatic May and June jobs revision signals economic fragility. State-level warning signs suggest the impacts will show gradually, Dadayan said. And of course states are facing fiscal challenges caused by One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending decisions.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

State finances are a mixed picture, with income tax collections rising because of a strong stock market and sales tax growth weak as consumers retreat on spending, Dadayan said.

In Virginia, the economically distressed area around Emporia will suffer aftershocks from the plywood plant closing, said Del. Otto Wachsmann, a Republican who represents the area in the state House of Delegates. The area is already reeling from the indefinite closure of a nearby Boars Head lunch meat plant that employed 600 people after a listeria outbreak there last year.

The community, part of the southern Wood Basket region, has a large logging industry that will now struggle to find new markets farther away with higher costs for trucking, Wachsmann said. Were working hard to find new industries to come here.

Layoff rates in April, as calculated by the online human resources platform Techr, showed New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia with the highest rates.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Amanda Goodall, a workforce analyst who calls herself The Job Chick on social media, said the layoffs reflect restructuring in major corporations as well as federal cutbacks. She wrote about the layoff rates in a recent post.

These are not statistical flukes. They reflect real corporate moves, in New Jersey and Virginia especially, Goodall wrote in an emailed statement to Stateline. The bigger issue is that nobody on the ground cares what the unemployment rate says if they cant find an interview for a job theyre qualified for. State layoff figures are giving us an early read.

California and Texas

California and Texas saw the biggest jobs gains in both surveys in the second quarter.

Texas added 42,700 jobs in the payroll survey, with the largest increase coming in the category of private educational services, 14,400 jobs, as the state approved a plan for school vouchers to start next year, according to a statement to Stateline from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

California added 25,300 jobs. But the household survey showed an increase of almost 111,000 jobs, the highest in the country.

A Public Policy Institute of California blog post in July called the states labor market at best, in a hold-steady pattern this year, citing the states stubbornly elevated unemployment rate of 5.4% but also its jobs improvement over last year.

A hold-steady pattern is a welcome change from a year ago, said the post, written by Sarah Bohn, a senior fellow at the institute.

Editors note: This story originally appeared in Stateline, which is, like the Virginia Mercury, part of States Newsroom.
Cars are flooded in Petersburg, Va., in July. Many of the canceled federal contracts that have contributed to job losses in the state involved flooding control. (Photo courtesy of Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services)

Virginia and New Jersey may be among the states most affected by the hiring slowdown that enraged President Donald Trump when it appeared in an Aug. 1 jobs report showing the United States had 258,000 fewer jobs than initially reported in May and June.

Such revisions to earlier reports are based on more up-to-date payroll data and are routine. But the scale in this case was shocking  showing the smallest monthly job gains since pandemic-era December 2020 and the largest jobs revision, outside recessions, since 1968.

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In response, Trump declared the numbers were wrong, fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief, and offered as a replacement E.J. Antoni, a loyalist who has proposed suspending the jobs report. Trump falsely said in a Truth Social post that the revised jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.

Beyond those attention-grabbing actions, though, the numbers demonstrate the real effects of Trumps work slashing the federal government.

A Stateline analysis of the data shows how several states, especially Virginia and New Jersey, shed jobs in the second quarter of this year, which includes May and June.

In Virginia, there were job losses blamed on canceled federal contracts in Northern Virginia as part of cuts made by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Meanwhile, a slow housing market shuttered a plywood factory in the southern part of the state, and DOGE efforts canceled flooding control contracts on the coast.

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Jay Ford, Virginia policy manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, told a state legislative committee in June that $50 million in contracts were slashed in the Hampton Roads area near the coast, causing a spike in unemployment claims.

That included $20 million to address flooding in Hampton, where almost a quarter of homes are in flood zones, and $24 million to repair a Portsmouth dam that could fail in a major storm, he said.

This is work that you desperately needed, Ford said at the committee hearing. There was a real focus on certain buzzwords like climate or resilience, and I think people conflated some of these projects as somehow unnecessary.

For instance, the American Institutes for Research announced 233 layoffs in Virginia in May and 50 in Maryland since the beginning of the year. The not-for-profit organizations projects include working with school districts to solve achievement gaps and absenteeism, creating AI-driven workforce training, and addressing health care issues such as improving kidney disease care while reducing Medicare costs and strengthening access to health care by keeping rural hospitals open.

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The changes occurring in the federal government have brought significant challenges for many federal contractors, including AIR, said Dana Tofig, the companys spokesperson.

Other recent layoffs in Virginia: 442 workers at Northern Virginias Mitre, which manages federally funded defense research centers and faced $28 million in canceled federal contracts; and 554 workers at a shuttered plywood factory in Southern Virginia.

Housing affordability challenges and a 30-year low in existing home sales are impacting our plywood business, as many of our plywood products are used in repair and remodel projects, which often occur when homes change ownership, Georgia-Pacific said in a May news release.

Stateline looked at two state jobs surveys for the second quarter that sometimes have quite different results: the so-called payroll survey of businesses that the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses for its monthly report, which has yet to be revised at the state level, and the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which estimates job changes based on monthly household surveys.

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The LAUS estimates are often called the household survey because they rely mostly on surveys of households, asking how many people are employed. They include jobs the payroll survey cant get, such as contract and agricultural jobs, and capture jobs where people live rather than states where employers are located.

In a state like Virginia with a high number of federal employees and contract workers, lost jobs may show up sooner in the household survey since many federal jobs are not reflected on state-level payrolls if they are done by subcontractors, if the agency or contractor is based in another state, or if DOGE cuts allowed people to stop work but stay on the payroll until September. Those people might report being unemployed in the household survey but wouldnt show up in other surveys until October.

The household survey shows about the same number of slowing job gains as the revised national payroll report, so it may be a window into the trends, many caused by Trump administration cuts in government, health care and foreign aid, and also by slowing sales in stores and housing markets.

Both surveys rely on small samples and are often revised later, said Charles Gascon, an economist and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The more definitive Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, set for release Dec. 3 for the second quarter, will show state patterns more conclusively, he said.

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The household surveys show Virginia with the largest job losses in the country for the second quarter, down about 43,000, and job losses every month since February. Before that, the state gained jobs every month since the height of pandemic job losses in April 2020.

New Jersey, which had the most job losses  15,400  in the separate second-quarter payroll survey, has suffered layoffs in retail stores hit by a slowdown in consumer spending, increased shoplifting and, among drugstores, lawsuits for their role in the opioid epidemic.

Walmart announced 481 layoffs at its Hoboken, New Jersey, corporate office, and Rite Aid drugstores laid off 1,122 amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy affected by opioid crisis lawsuits that also hit Walmart and other pharmacy chains. Pharma firms Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis also have announced hundreds of layoffs in New Jersey, citing patent expirations on popular drugs.

Wobbly state finances

Rising unemployment combined with weak revenue growth suggests economic fragility for state finances, said Lucy Dadayan, a principal research associate for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center who tracks state tax revenue.

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Nationally, unemployment was at 4.2% in July, the same as July 2024 but up from recent lows of 3.4% in April 2023, with the largest increases in Mississippi, Virginia and Oregon.

Unemployment has dropped the most compared with July 2024 in Indiana, Illinois, New York and West Virginia.

The states with the highest unemployment rates in July were California (5.5%), Nevada (5.4%) and Michigan (5.3%), while the lowest were in South Dakota (1.9%), North Dakota (2.5%) and Vermont (2.6%).

I think the dramatic May and June jobs revision signals economic fragility. State-level warning signs suggest the impacts will show gradually, Dadayan said. And of course states are facing fiscal challenges caused by One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending decisions.

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State finances are a mixed picture, with income tax collections rising because of a strong stock market and sales tax growth weak as consumers retreat on spending, Dadayan said.

In Virginia, the economically distressed area around Emporia will suffer aftershocks from the plywood plant closing, said Del. Otto Wachsmann, a Republican who represents the area in the state House of Delegates. The area is already reeling from the indefinite closure of a nearby Boars Head lunch meat plant that employed 600 people after a listeria outbreak there last year.

The community, part of the southern Wood Basket region, has a large logging industry that will now struggle to find new markets farther away with higher costs for trucking, Wachsmann said. Were working hard to find new industries to come here.

Layoff rates in April, as calculated by the online human resources platform Techr, showed New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia with the highest rates.

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Amanda Goodall, a workforce analyst who calls herself The Job Chick on social media, said the layoffs reflect restructuring in major corporations as well as federal cutbacks. She wrote about the layoff rates in a recent post.

These are not statistical flukes. They reflect real corporate moves, in New Jersey and Virginia especially, Goodall wrote in an emailed statement to Stateline. The bigger issue is that nobody on the ground cares what the unemployment rate says if they cant find an interview for a job theyre qualified for. State layoff figures are giving us an early read.

California and Texas

California and Texas saw the biggest jobs gains in both surveys in the second quarter.

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Texas added 42,700 jobs in the payroll survey, with the largest increase coming in the category of private educational services, 14,400 jobs, as the state approved a plan for school vouchers to start next year, according to a statement to Stateline from the Texas Workforce Commission.

California added 25,300 jobs. But the household survey showed an increase of almost 111,000 jobs, the highest in the country.

A Public Policy Institute of California blog post in July called the states labor market at best, in a hold-steady pattern this year, citing the states stubbornly elevated unemployment rate of 5.4% but also its jobs improvement over last year.

A hold-steady pattern is a welcome change from a year ago, said the post, written by Sarah Bohn, a senior fellow at the institute.
The Covid-19 pandemic revealed a hard truth: sometimes, pathogens move faster than information. Before the virus overwhelmed global health systems, it had likely been circulating and mutating  evading early warning systems that should have raised the alarm.

Its not a matter of if the next pathogen of pandemic potential will strike, but when. And like Covid-19, it will probably begin on the fragile frontlines of global health  in places like rural Africa, where surveillance for emerging pathogens is often fragmented, underfunded, or non-existent.

To stop the next pandemic, we must act now  investing in robust health systems in Africa, building platforms that can detect, monitor, and respond to outbreaks before they spiral out of control.

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Africa isnt just waiting for outside help. Across the continent, countries are actively building the systems needed to stop the next pandemic  drawing on hard-earned lessons from Covid-19. Theyre investing in scientists, infrastructure, and local innovation to lead the frontline defence, and building scientific capacity exactly where the risks are greatest.

At Institut Pasteur Dakar, where I recently began serving as CEO, we are supporting surveillance networks that deliver samples to our reference laboratory for rapid, differential diagnosis  helping detect outbreaks before they spread.

For example, in October 2022, when dozens of infants in Senegal required hospital treatment for unexplained breathing difficulties, sentinel sites across the country relayed real-time data to WALIP, a digital surveillance platform that alerted decision-makers and response teams. The samples were sent to our labs, and within 24 hours, our scientists identified the cause: respiratory syncytial virus-B (RSV-B). Rapid, coordinated responses like this are exactly how we will beat deadly diseases. But not every outbreak will appear in such dramatic ways.

In most cases, the smartest way to prepare for the next pandemic is by strengthening our ability to fight long-standing threats like malaria, dengue, and tuberculosis. Its a strategic two-in-one approach: tackling todays biggest killers while building the infrastructure needed to detect and contain future outbreaks.

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Reducing the burden of endemic diseases also frees up critical resources to respond to emerging or re-emerging threats  whether Ebola, mpox, or the next unknown Disease X. Whether building rapid surveillance systems for new pandemics or investing in the fight against long-standing diseases, the global community must recognise a simple truth: the next pandemic is most likely to emerge from regions already burdened by infectious diseases.

Thats why strengthening laboratories and surveillance networks in Africa and other vulnerable regions is an urgent imperative.

Home-grown scientific leadership

The encouraging news is that Africa is no longer waiting for the world to act. From Dakar to Nairobi to Johannesburg, a surge of home-grown scientific leadership is driving progress.

During Covid-19, my organisation developed one of the continents first rapid, affordable diagnostic tests. In Uganda, local epidemiologists used mobile technology and community networks to track Ebola outbreaks  often detecting them well before international teams arrived.

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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a team of local experts recently led global experts in identifying mysterious outbreak in a remote corner of the country. Initially feared to be Disease X, the outbreak was quickly identified as severe malaria masked as a respiratory illness.

Yet for every lab or surveillance system equipped to detect new or existing pathogens, many more remain unprepared. Thats the real danger. Pandemics, like wildfires, spread fast  and any delay can be deadly. We saw this during Covid-19: millions of lives lost, economies shattered, years of education disrupted, and global inequalities made worse.

Investing now is smarter and more cost-effective than paying the price later. Strengthening health systems in regions disproportionately affected by infectious diseases will bring benefits far beyond pandemic prevention. It will help eliminate long-standing threats like malaria and drug-resistant tuberculosis  one of the worlds deadliest infections  stopping them from festering and spreading across the world.

African scientists and frontline health workers are a vital global lifeline  stopping outbreaks early and redefining what global health security looks like. They remind us that the next pandemic wont be stopped in Washington or Geneva, but in a small clinic in a remote African village, where a health worker swabs a throat, tests a sample, and sends an alert.

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We must ensure these people  and these places  have the resources they need to detect the next outbreak early and spare the world from another devastating crisis. This is precisely the mission of DIATROPIX, based right here in Institut Pasteur Dakar, which is empowering African nations by developing and producing rapid diagnostic tests locally.

By equipping these frontline heroes with accessible, accurate, and timely diagnostic tools, DIATROPIX directly contributes to building the resilient health infrastructure essential for global health security. This same commitment to building resilience and sovereignty also drives vaccine and biologics innovation through the Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) at Institut Pasteur Dakar.

By leveraging mRNA and viral vector platforms, high-throughput production methods, and AI-driven design informed by local epidemiological data the VRC enables rapid, precise responses to both endemic and emerging threats. It ensures that African scientists are not only responding to outbreaks but are also shaping the tools to prevent them.

By strengthening regional research and development capacity and accelerating time-to-response, the VRC is helping transform Africa from a reactive recipient into a proactive leader in the fight against future pandemics.

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Ibrahima Soce Fall is the CEO of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar

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MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  A 73-year-old Midland woman was killed Friday afternoon after failing to stop at an intersection in Midland County, according to authorities.

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that around 2:30 p.m., 73-year-old Karen Sue Oliver of Midland was driving a 2017 Honda eastbound on County Road 130 when she disregarded a stop sign at the intersection with County Road 1210. Her vehicle struck a 2022 Ford F-150 that was heading northbound.

Oliver was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by medical staff.

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The driver of the Ford, 73-year-old Gene Cote Sylvain of Alva, Oklahoma, was not injured. No passengers were reported in either vehicle.

Troopers said the crash involved only the two vehicles, and no other injuries were reported. DPS noted that the investigation is ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time.

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Good Evening!

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)  Sunshine popped out and Sunday ended up being quite the nice one across the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry.

Temperatures maxed out in the mid-80s for a lot of us while winds were breezy at times, with gusts occasionally in excess of 20 mph. Rain chances amounted to a few passing showers.

Labor Day will be about as nice as you can find it here. Temperatures will start in the 60s, and will climb into the mid-80s under plenty of sunshine.

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There is a 20% chance of passing showers but dry time will dominate. Winds will continue to be breezy at 10-15 mph, with higher gusts possible along the coast.

At the beaches, there will be a high risk of rip currents due to the strong winds offshore. Surf will be breaking at 3-4 feet. On our waters, Small Craft Advisory is in effect until Tuesday morning.

High pressure will be the main feature in the weather pattern this week. Rain chances are only expected Wednesday and Thursday as a front moves through the region, but that is only amounting to around 20% at this time.

A slow change is expected through the week. Temperatures will warm to average by the end of the week with 70s in the mornings and 90s in the afternoons.

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The tropics feature no changes as of Sunday evening. A tropical wave moving off the coast of Africa has a 30% chance of developing into a depression or named storm over the next week.

Guidance has shifted the waves track to the south slightly. But, the overall environment across the Tropical Atlantic only supports very slow development.

There are currently no tropical threats for the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry.

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This person, among others found at the site, may have been a human sacrifice. | Credit: Henry Tantalean

While excavating a temple in Peru, archaeologists found the 2,300-year-old remains of more than a dozen people, some of which show evidence of human sacrifice.

The burials bear some rare features, the archaeologists said.

"The way in which they were placed in the tomb is strange," Henry Tantalean , an archaeology professor at the National University of San Marcos who is leading the team, told Live Science in an email. They were positioned "with their faces to the ground, an unusual burial pattern throughout Andean prehistory."

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Several of the people had skull fractures, Tantalean said, and some had ropes around their necks and their hands tied behind their backs. These finds suggest that the individuals were sacrificed, he said, noting that "they were not accompanied by any offering or grave goods, which is also unusual."

The team discovered the burials near the Puemape Temple Complex on the northwestern coast of Peru in 2024 and excavation work continued in 2025, according to Tantalean. Whereas the temple is about 3,000 years old, the burials date to a later time, roughly 400 to 200 B.C. The temple may have been abandoned before the human sacrifices were made.

"They would have been a sacrifice offered to this ancient place of worship," Tantalean said.

Related: Rare pre-Inca burials of 4 people found at 'water cult' temple in Peru

This person may have had their hands bound before being sacrificed. | Credit: Henry Tantalean

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But archaeologists know little about who the sacrificed people were. "Possibly, they were people who lived in the same area, although we also have the hypothesis that they could have come from the neighboring valley," Tantalean said.

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Analysis of the skeletons is ongoing, and the team plans to conduct studies, including DNA testing, to learn about the people's identities. The team is also analyzing ceramics, animals and plants that were found in the temple complex.
SANBORN, N.Y. (WIVB)  A nursing program at SUNY Niagara was cancelled just days before the semester began, leaving some students with more questions than answers.

Luis Garcia has spent most of his life living on Long Island where he worked at a hospital for six years. After moving to Western New York, he wanted to continue his career in the medical field. He applied for SUNY Niagaras Practical Nursing Certificate Program.

After I got accepted, I was pretty happy, Garcia said. I didnt really hear back from the school for some time, so eventually I did reach out and asked when I will get my schedule.

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Thats when the string of problems began.

The program was advertised as taking place in the evening hours, but when he received his schedule, Garcia noticed some classes were listed in the morning. He notified staff about the issue, in which he said after weeks of calls and follow-ups, the school acknowledged the mistake and assured him he could continue with the evening format.

After that, I kind of got situated, Garcia said. I started getting my physical, signing up for my certification for CPR and basic life skills. I made sure I was following up with everything I needed to.

Garcia said he made a major life adjustment by changing jobs, taking a $2,400 pay cut and arranging his work schedule around the program. He also completed all financial requirements, including TAP and FAFSA, and spent hundreds of dollars on needed supplies.

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On Aug. 25, Garcia noticed clinical lectures were still not scheduled. He was told by the nursing department that they were working to figure it out and would reach back out when they had a solid solution.

Just three days later, two business days before the semester start date, Garcia said he received a call stating the entire program was cancelled.

Unfortunately, I was told one of the instructors that agreed to do the program, I guess, kind of backed out last minute or said they werent going to proceed, he said.

Garcia was frustrated when he learned the news. He said this experience has made him reflect on why so many people give up on pursuing higher education, citing a lack of accountability and financial burden students are forced to carry when institutions fail them.

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I think situations like this can strip a kid away from wanting to pursue any type of school, Garcia said. For those who are trying to pursue going back to school, things like this put a hold on career growth that you look for.

Garcia contacted the campus bookstore, a Barnes & Noble, asking if he could return his supplies to get his money back. He was told he could not since he did not have the receipts or original packaging.

Despite being disappointed, Garcia said hes going to use this as motivation to fight for the chance to further his career in any way possible.

Its like when youre driving using a GPS and theres a roadblock. It just re-routes you, but you still get to your destination, he said. I think thats something I thought about. I definitely  regardless of the hurdles that might come or the roadblocks ahead  Im still going to get to my destination.

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Garcia explained his next steps are waiting to hear if any refunds will be offered by SUNY Niagara. While he knows he wont be getting money back for the supplies he purchased, hes hopeful the college will provide some form of support.

SUNY Niagara released the following statement to WIVB News 4 on Monday evening:

The college understands Luis Garcias frustration and has offered to refund all of his enrollment-related expenses, including reimbursement for books and supplies that he has purchased.

Unfortunately, three instructors scheduled to teach our evening LPN certificate program left the college just prior to the fall semester. Replacing them on such short notice was not possible, so we reached out to affected students to try accommodating them. Most were able to move into daytime courses and work toward the same certificate. However, this was impractical for Garcia and one other student.

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The college was looking forward to offering an evening LPN certificate program because we recognize that some students are busy during the daytime. We regret this unforeseen situation and hope that we can work with Garcia to resolve it.

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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.

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Over a third (32%) of businesses are already using AI-powered chat or voice tools to talk to customers, with another 39% actively evaluating or planning adoption. This is according to a poll conducted by Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalised experiences for todays leading brands.

Conducted at the Customer Show Melbourne earlier this month, the survey showed that the top benefits for using AI chat or voice tools are happier customers (20%) and quicker support (20%).

Nicholas Kontopoulos, Vice President of Marketing, Asia Pacific & Japan at Twilio, who led several interactive discussion groups at the event, shared, What stood out in these conversations was the clear and growing appetite among CX practitioners to adopt AI, even with the multiple technical, legacy, cost and cultural barriers ahead.

My advice to CX teams is to start with simple, low-risk projects, such as a chatbot to handle a limited set of frequently asked questions. By starting small and having access to human oversight, you can get quick, meaningful wins and build momentum without risking the customer experience.

While AI is allowing Australian brands to fast-track towards automation, accessibility for every customer group must sit at the heart of customer experience design. A resounding 89% of respondents to the survey believe that AI chat or voice tools can help make the services offered by their businesses more accessible for people, including older adults, those with disabilities or people in remote areas.

However, the need for customer data to unlock AIs potential cannot be understated. In his presentation, Kontopoulos shared how unified, contextual customer data provided global healthcare company Sanofi with a real-time, 360-degree view of its healthcare providers. Sanofi needed to better understand both the online and offline customer journey to provide more targeted, personalised experiences for providers and positively impact patient outcomes. By turning to Twilio Segment to build golden profiles of its customers, Sanofi was able to create complex, omni-channel marketing campaigns, including sending more complex, targeted messages to providers that are relevant to their previous interactions, interests and needs. The data-driven approach has impacted Sanofis ability to educate providers and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Kontopoulos said, Australian CX practitioners are clearly on board with the operational benefits of AI-powered customer engagement. To ensure the success of proof of concepts and real-world applications, brands need to empower teams with rich, accurate customer insights and the right culture of experimentation.
(SOUTHERN COLORADO)  Southern Colorados harvest season is heating up this year! Pueblo Chiles, a staple crop and regional icon, are now in peak harvest, and the process behind getting them from field to plate is a mix of skill, science, and weather.

Colorado State University researcher Kristi Bartolo explained that farmers typically plant chile peppers between mid-April and mid-May. Harvest begins in early to mid-August, but unlike many other crops, Pueblo Chiles are still largely hand-picked. Skilled crews carefully examine each pepper, selecting only those that meet both farmer, customer, and market standards while removing anything that isnt fit for sale.

Beyond farming techniques, weather plays a major role in shaping the flavor profile of each harvest. According to Bartolo, the spice level of a pepper is tied to environmental stress from the summers weather conditions, primarily a lack of water and high heat. Hot, dry summers generally yield chiles with more heat and higher capsaicin levels, while cooler or wetter conditions produce milder flavors.

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This year, the crop is trending on the milder side. Last years extreme heat and dryness resulted in peppers with much more kick, but this seasons comparatively moderate weather has led to a less spicy yield.

For chile lovers, that means every bite carries not just the flavor of Pueblos fields, but also the story of the summers weather, and the work of harvest crews whose expertise ensures the peppers make it to market at their best.

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EL CAJON (FOX 5/KUSI)  The person accused of fatally stabbing a 20-year-old man in El Cajon back in April is scheduled to appear in court this week.

Manuel Junior Aparicio, 25, is expected to stand before a judge on Tuesday, Sept. 2 in an East County courthouse.

Aparicio was arrested a couple days after El Cajon police officers responded to multiple calls of a stabbing in the 200 block of Cypress Avenue in the early morning hours of April 8.

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Homicide suspect with long criminal history arrested in El Cajon

According to police, the victim, 20-year-old Josiah Kamillus McNeil, had been involved in a physical fight with Aparicio prior to the stabbing. After the incident, he was taken to the hospital where he later died, authorities said.

Two days later, on April 10, Aparicio was arrested in the 900 block of F Street in San Diego and booked into San Diego Central Jail on charges of homicide.

Aparicio is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukrainian officials arrested a suspect in the shooting death of former parliament speaker and prominent pro-Western politician Andriy Parubiy.

Zelenskyy said in a statement on X that a person was taken into custody after shooting Parubiy in the city of Lviv on Saturday. No details about the suspect or a motive for the killing were released, except that the suspect made "initial statements."

"The necessary investigative actions are ongoing. I have instructed that the available information be presented to the public," Zelenskyy said.

FILE - Ukrainian lawmakers listen to parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy, center, during a parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. / Credit: Efrem Lukatsky / AP

Parubiy, 54, was a lawmaker from the Lviv region who participated in Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 and led self-defense volunteer units during the Maidan protests of 2014, which forced pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from office. He was parliament speaker from 2016 to 2019.

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Local media reported Parubiy was shot multiple times by a gunman dressed as a courier on an e-bike, according to CBS News partner BBC News.

Zelenskyy condemned it as a "horrific murder" and said "all necessary forces and means" would be used in the investigation.

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Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A suspect has been arrested in Saturday's shooting death of politician Andriy Parubiy, Ukraine's former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, according President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking officials.

The identity of the suspect has not been released.

The suspect is suspected of being connected to Russia.

"This crime is not accidental," Ivan Vyhivskyi, head of National Police, said in a statement on Facebook, that included photos of the arrest. "It has a Russia mark on it. Everyone will be held accountable under the law."

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The gunman is accused of fatally shooting Parubiy on Saturday in Ukraine's northwestern city of Lviv. Maksym Kozitskiy, head of the Lviv region's military administration, said on Telegram that Parubiy died at the scene before medics could arrive.

Vyhivskyi alleged that the suspect had disguised himself as a courier and opened fire on Parubiy in broad daylight.

"Cold-blooded cruelty. Even made sure the victim died," Vyhivskyi said. "And then tried to hide his tracks -- changed clothes, got rid of weapons, tried to hide in Khmelnytskyi region."

Zelensky confirmed the suspect's Sunday arrest in a statement, saying "the necessary investigative actions are ongoing."

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In a second statement, the Ukrainian president said that he was informed by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko that the suspect has given "an initial testimony."

The suspect was detained in Khmelnytskyi, located about 150 miles southeast of Lviv in central Ukraine, officials said.

According to authorities, the attack was carefully planned. The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, said in a statement that the suspected "studied the victim's schedule of movements, mapped out the route and prepared an escape plan."

Dozens of local officers, SBU agents and those of the National Police and the Office of the Prosecutor General were involved in the arrest, said Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko.

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"Once again, the police and Security Service of Ukraine demonstrated a high level of professionalism. Within 24 hours of the murder, they were already on the direct trail of the shooter, and within 36 hours, they detained him," he said.

Parubiy, 54, was a current member of Parliament. He had previously served as Ukraine's security chief, resigning from the position in August 2014.
A suspected assassin has been arrested in Ukraine after a prominent politician was gunned down in broad daylight in the western city of Lviv.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, confirmed early on Monday morning that a suspect in the horrific murder of Andriy Parubiy had been detained and interviewed.

Further urgent investigative actions are currently being carried out to establish all the circumstances of this murder, Mr Zelensky wrote on the Telegram app, adding that investigators were working around the clock.

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A nationwide manhunt was launched on Saturday after Mr Parubiy, 54, was shot eight times as he stood on a Lviv street.

The killer was riding an electric bike and appeared to be dressed as a courier with his face covered by a helmet, according to alleged footage of the assailant.

The alleged gunman was arrested on Sunday night in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, the countrys minister of internal affairs, said on Telegram.

Mr Klymenko said the shooting appeared to have been carefully planned.

A schedule of the victims movements was studied, the route was mapped out, and the escape plan thought through, he said.

Mr Parubiy died at the scene - Roman Baluk

Earlier, Ukrainian officials hinted at Russian involvement in the shooting. Mr Zelensky and Mr Klymenko did not confirm a motive or the identity of the suspect.

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Russian state media reported that Mr Parubiy had been wanted by Russian authorities since 2023.

The well-known politician and historian served as speaker of Ukraines parliament from 2016 until 2019.

He was also a campaigner for the use of the Ukrainian language over Russian  a highly politicised issue  and a key supporter of the pro-European Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Maidan Revolution in 2014.

During the widespread protests against the decision by Viktor Yanukovych, the president at the time, not to sign an agreement to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, Mr Parubiy led self-defence volunteer units protecting the demonstrators from government troops.

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Following the ousting of Yanukovych later in 2014, Mr Parubii was appointed secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council.

He held that role during Moscows illegal occupation of Crimea and its backing of separatists who seized control of parts of the Donbas region, making him a prime target of Russian threats and intimidation.

He survived an assassination by a grenade that year, according to Ukrainian media.

Forensic officers searched for evidence in the Lviv neighbourhood where Mr Parubiy was shot - Global Images Ukraine

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraines foreign minister, described Mr Parubiy as a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraines freedom, independence and sovereignty.

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Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, both sides have accused each other of assassinations of key political and military figures.

In May, Andriy Portnov, a pro-Russian politician who worked as a close aide to Yanukovych, was shot dead by an assassin while dropping his daughter at school in Madrid.

Two months later, Ivan Voronych, a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer, was killed in Kyiv by a masked assailant linked to Russias security service.

Ukraine has conducted a series of assassinations on Russian soil, targeting high-ranking military figures connected to the war including Igor Kirillov. Kirillov was a Russian general and the head of Moscows Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Forces.

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Leaked security camera footage revealed an electric scooter being placed outside his apartment block at 4am on Dec 17 last year.

Credit: Social media/Reuters/RIA Novosti

The footage then shows him walking out of the block at around 6am, and the bomb exploding.

The Kremlin also blamed Kyiv for the death of Yaroslav Moskalik, another Russian general, who was killed in a Moscow car bomb attack in April.

Baza, a Russian media outlet with sources inside law enforcement agencies, said the bomb was strapped to a parked Volkswagen car and detonated remotely when Moskalik, who lived in the neighbourhood, walked past.

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  An individual faces multiple assault charges after allegedly burning an American flag in Pittsfield last week.

The Pittsfield Police Department stated that last Wednesday, August 27, officers were called to Park Square at approximately 4:30 p.m. for reports of a person burning an American flag and causing a disturbance. Police had been notified of the same suspect burning a flag the previous day, but had been unable to locate them at the time.

Driver shot at in road rage incident on Mass. Pike in Westborough

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Pittsfield police arrived at the park and located the suspect, noticing an open flame. When they asked the suspect what they were doing, the individual allegedly took out a second American flag and began to swing it near one of the officers faces, almost striking them.

The suspect proceeded to run away from police, who pursued them. When the officer tried to detain the suspect, the suspect allegedly began punching and pushing the officer. A bystander assisted the police in successfully arresting the suspect while the struggle took place.

The suspect was charged with:

Assault and Battery on a Police Officer

Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

Resisting Arrest

Disorderly Conduct

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The name of the suspect has not been released at this time. The Pittsfield Police Department stated that it wants to extend a large thank you to the bystander who helped during this incident.

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The recently detained suspect in the murder of Andrii Parubii, an MP and former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), confessed during initial questioning and disclosed his contact with Russian representatives, Radio Liberty journalists have learned.

Source: Radio Libertys Ukrainian Service, citing law enforcement sources

Details: The suspect said that his son, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, went missing in 2023 on the Bakhmut front.

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Quote: "After that, he began monitoring Russian social media groups to find more information about his sons fate. Later he started communicating with Russian representatives [not yet identified by the investigation  ed.], who are believed to have told him that his son had died.

The suspect said that the Russian representatives in these conversations had justified Russias actions in the war against Ukraine and instead blamed Ukrainian officials for starting it."

Details: He also told investigators that he informed his Russian handlers that he lived in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and mentioned Andrii Parubii, whom he claimed to have seen "repeatedly".

Continuing his communication with Russian representatives, the suspect began preparing for the murder: he obtained a weapon, bought a bicycle and helmet, and used forged documents to buy a car, which he then used to track the politician.

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Radio Liberty reported that the suspect provided this information during initial interrogations, though investigators are still verifying it.

In addition, journalists from the Lviv newspaper Vysokyi Zamok, citing their sources, reported that "the Russians, taking advantage of the fathers tragedy, told him that they would hand over his sons body in exchange for the murder of any prominent Ukrainian politician".

Previously:

The National Police have released the first photos of the detained suspect. Ivan Vyhivskyi, Chief of the National Police, emphasised that this crime was not random and that there is a Russian connection involved.

During a briefing on 1 September, law enforcement officials said that they had not ruled out any lines of inquiry in the case of the murder of Parubii, but had identified a Russian link as the priority.

Background:

Andrii Parubii, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation, was killed in Lviv on 30 August.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that an unknown man fired several shots at the politician, killing him instantly. The attacker fled the scene. A special police operation codenamed Siren was launched in the city to locate and apprehend the murderer.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Parubii's murder had been carefully planned.

Law enforcement officials stated that there is currently no connection between the murder of MP Iryna Farion and this case.

Zelenskyy announced on the night of 31 August-1 September that a suspect had been detained. The Interior Minister revealed that the suspect was detained in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

Mykola Meret, Head of Lviv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, served a 52-year-old Lviv resident who was detained with a notice of suspicion in the murder of a member of parliament. He stated that "the suspicion is based on objective evidence indicating that the detained person committed the murder of a member of parliament".

Parubii will be buried on 2 September at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.

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Editor's note: The article was updated with additional comments.

Suspected Russian GPS interference forced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plane to land in Bulgaria using paper maps, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sept. 1, citing three undisclosed officials.

The European Commission later confirmed the incident, as well as suspicions of Russian involvement.

"We can confirm there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safe," European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta confirmed for the Kyiv Independent.

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"We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia," Podesta said, adding that "threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russias hostile actions."

Von der Leyen was flying to Plovdiv on Aug. 31 as part of her tour of the EU's eastern member states, discussing Europe's security with leaders of countries in Russia's vicinity.

During an approach to a Bulgarian airport, the aircraft lost navigational aids and, after circling for about an hour, the pilot decided to land the plane using analog maps, the FT reported.

Moscow has not yet commented on the incident.

Glad to hear that youre planning on using SAFE to build new plants for shells and gunpowder.



This is exactly what its for.



To increase our production capacities.



Ramp up deliveries to Ukraine.



And create good jobs locally  https://t.co/J9q17hsD83  Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 31, 2025

Accompanied by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, von der Leyen visited the country's largest state-owned arms producer, VMZ Sopot, praising Bulgaria's booming defense industry.

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"Bulgaria is actively contributing to both Ukraine and the European Union's defense security," von der Leyen said on Aug. 31, adding that the Balkan country supplied one-third of Ukraine's arms at the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Western officials have repeatedly warned about Russia carrying out GPS jamming and radar interference in eastern NATO and EU countries, a move seen as part of Moscow's hybrid warfare.

Suspected Russian sabotage operations have surged in Europe since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a wave that seemed to have peaked in 2024.

"We have been seeing quite a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities, notably in the eastern flank of Europe," European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said at a press conference.

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Such accidents happen nearly on a daily basis and have "serious impacts on maritime and navigation," she said.

Edward Lucas, a security expert and senior advisor at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said the latest case underscores the "gaps in NATO's escalation ladder."

"Russia is conducting a widespread campaign of sabotage, subversion, disruption, and harassment right across the European NATO members  and we dont have an answer," Lucas told the Kyiv Independent.

"Our decision-making is based on unanimity and constrained by timidity and expedience. Russia sees this more clearly than we do," the expert added, saying that Europe should respond by seizing Russian assets and funneling them to Ukraine.

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Moscow has been previously linked to arson attacks in Poland, Lithuania, and elsewhere, sabotage of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and dispatches of incendiary parcels across European countries.

The New York Times reported in August that the sabotage cases dropped this year, possibly due to heightened security measures and a renewed diplomatic push to end the war.

Read also: 3,350 ERAM missiles are heading to Ukraine  heres how they can be used against Russia

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
GUEST OPINION: A leader always paves the way for the rest of the team. That is why the top management and board of directors in a credit union in Australia or any part of the world have the potential to create a good and impactful organisational culture.

Following on from that, it is also crucial for the organisation to allow and bring board members together at any level. One of the virtual solutions that has become extremely popular in organisations is board management software. It enables board members to coordinate and communicate with complete ease.

So what is board software, and why are credit unions in Australia moving to digital board management tools? Here are all the answers you are searching for.

What is board portal software for credit unions?

A credit union board portal in Australia is a cloud-based platform where the board members may effortlessly collaborate, communicate, and share data with one another in an extremely secure environment.

"Extremely secure environment" signifies that access to the activities within the virtual boardroom is only available to the designated board members. That also implies that whatever is discussed within the board portal is completely confidential, and the information will only be shared with concerned parties. Boardroom software is convenient in so many aspects, such as.

The board portal is a platform where board members can conveniently communicate with one another. It is a highly secure and fully controlled space where users don't need to worry about data breaches and leaks.

A secure board software for Australian credit unions enables the board members to share, download, view, or edit any document based on their authority.

It is highly useful in making most of the tasks pertaining to the board highly efficient, such as planning meetings, circulating and approving action plans, sending minutes of meetings, etc.

Benefits of board portal software for credit unions

Secure and high-end governance tools for AU mutuals and credit unions are the need of the hour, especially when the chances of cybercrimes are high. Such organisations can rely on secure tools like board portals. They are safe as well as compliant with regional and global standards, says Archer Smith, Senior R&D Business Strategist, Boardroompro.org.

Board portal software for credit unions is a one-stop solution, and here are the key advantages.

High-end digital security

One of the most significant reasons for employing a board portal software is to provide security to confidential or critical information pertaining to the company. APA-compliant board management software is a secure and safe online repository for keeping board books and other materials related to the board.

A premium boardroom solution protects confidential information by incorporating features such as multi-factor authentication, 256-bit AES encryption, view-only mode, and granular access permissions. These solutions are also ISO-compliant, which makes them reliable according to global standards.

Strengthened governance process

Board members are constantly under pressure, scrutiny, and lots of expectations. You certainly don't want board members hustling to get the courier or mailed version of their board book. Board portals that your board members are receiving vital documents, alerts, and notifications on time.

Immediate access to board material is not only essential to regular work but also imperative during board meetings. Multiple collaboration tools for internal and external communication are also offered by the software.

Ease of use

Board portals come with user-intuitive interfaces, which make it easy to navigate these tools. Board portals also simplify data upload and search processes through features like smart search and drag-and-drop.

Whats more, it is easier for the union board members to switch to this technology in case they are not highly tech-savvy. Vendors also provide live training sessions and guide manuals, which allow users to get used to the technology with ease.

Mobile compatibility

Mobile devices account for almost 63% of global internet traffic, which means people mostly handle everyday tasks, including work-related ones, via their phones. Directors mostly prefer these devices because they are highly secure, simple to use, and are compatible with virtual boardroom solutions.

It is important to note that the board portal vendors usually provide access to the board material via the mobile browser, which is inconvenient for the board members. However, many high-end vendors also offer dedicated apps for iOS and Android devices.

Lower administrative costs

Let's discuss the costs an organisation must bear for the activities of the board. We are not going deep, but simply pointing out general expenses like the cost of all such paper books every month. These costs also involve compiling, printing, binding, and finally distribution costs.

Is that all? No, you need to factor in the "inevitable addendum," and that means re-compiling, re-printing, re-binding, and afterwards re-distribution fees. The board portal tool can greatly reduce these costs. More so, the board members will not need to travel for on-site board meetings, which also lowers board administration costs.

Summing up

Board software is the need of the hour in the modern-day corporate world. Utilisation of virtual boardrooms for credit unions guarantees enhanced regulatory compliance and improves the process of governance.

Board portal software is also an affordable solution in several ways. It significantly minimises paper and printing costs. More importantly, it saves the time of board members and improves their productivity. Finally, they are simple to use, which makes them a good option for credit unions in Australia and similar organisations.
Exciting news for Tacomas skate community: the Stewart Heights Skatepark is growing.

Parks Tacoma says its adding a 2,250-square-foot concrete bowl that will range in depth from four to six feet.

This is the first skate project Parks Tacoma has undertaken since 2012.

Its an important facility and has had a loyal following for years, said Ryan Spence, a 48-year-old skate advocate who was on a 2008 steering committee for Stewart Heights Skatepark. This work will allow it to be a community hub again.

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Grindline Skateparks Inc. is expected to complete construction on the new bowl by winter.

Heres a look at some of the renderings:

The $487,000 project is being funded by the 2014 voter-approved bond and a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.

Stewart Heights Skatepark is not the only skate project moving forward in the city.

Parks Tacoma is currently in talks with the skate community and the City of Tacoma to envision a future skate plaza. More information on that project will be available this fall.

Parks Tacoma says it has seen a rise in skateboarding interest. It offers skateboarding camps through Alchemy Skate at Stewart Heights, Heidelberg and Norpoint. About 135 children have been served by the camps in the last year.
CHEYENNE  Taft Love was unanimously selected by Laramie County and Platte County commissioners Friday to fill the vacant state Senate District 6 seat after former Sen. Darin Smith resigned to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming.

The eight commissioners chose from three candidates who were selected by SD 6 Republicans earlier last week.

For the commissioners, the primary issues that set Love apart from the other candidates were his understanding of how property taxes work, his experience with education as a former trustee for Laramie County School District 2 and a previous display of support from constituents as he came third in the primary election for SD 6 behind Smith in 2024.

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For Laramie County Commissioner Troy Thompson, finding a candidate who had the best understanding of property taxes was the most important quality in a candidate.

For me, it was very important that candidates that go in understand the implications of cutting property tax and the fact that it doesnt affect the state budget, he said.

During Fridays joint meeting at the Laramie County Courthouse, commissioners from both counties spent around 30 minutes asking each of the candidates questions before making a final decision.

Many of the questions concerned property taxes, and perhaps the most pointed ones came from Platte County Commission Chairman Steve Shockley. He asked each of the candidates a series of questions that included, How are your property taxes calculated? What is a mill? Do you know how many mills are assessed in your current tax district?

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In Wyoming, a mill levy is the tax rate applied to a propertys assessed value to determine the annual property tax owed. A mill is one one-thousandth of a dollar, so one mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a propertys assessed value. The total mill levy varies by area but is determined by the number of tax districts that are supported by mills in that area.

When Love answered, he explained how the mill system works in Laramie County, where he lives, and how mill levy taxes are distributed to different special districts in the county.

The other candidates were Roy Birt of Wheatland and Jeff Barnes of Cheyenne.

When Birt was asked these questions, he said his property taxes are determined by an assessor, a mill is a minute part of a dollar and estimated there are seven mills assessed in his district in Wheatland.

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When Barnes was asked about this, he said hed have to review his property tax documents to provide a clear answer, that a mill is something that city and county experts understand, and that he did not know off the top of his head how many mills are assessed in his county.

After his selection by the commissioners, Love said that in his role in the Senate, he would take a cautious approach when considering additional property tax reductions.

I think we have to be really cautious about hacking away at the budgets of our local communities and counties without allowing the dust to settle, he said, referencing the property tax cuts that have been passed over the past two years. And so I think we need to maybe be really cautious about how were going to fund the essential services in counties, as far as police and fire and health and safety, and those things are pretty critical, and we dont want to start eliminating jobs and eliminating opportunities to take good care of our citizens.

If property taxes are cut further by state officials in the upcoming budget session, he said hed have to do more research on where to replenish the lost revenue, saying there is no one-size-fits-all strategy.

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Platte County Commissioner John Jeb Baker said it wasnt an obvious decision to vote for Love, but he appreciates that he may have a better understanding of how property taxes work from his experience on the LCSD2 Board of Trustees, since property taxes help support the education system in the state.

Laramie County Commissioner Ty Zwonitzer asked each of the candidates to name one practical thing they hoped to accomplish in the upcoming budget session.

To this, Love responded by saying the state may find new opportunities for what equality in education looks like in the state as the federal government takes steps away from federal control of state education systems.

As we form and develop a state education budget, we may be able to ensure a better education, which we did before 1979, when they formed the Department of Education at the federal level. We may be able to get more bang for our buck, he said. ... If we have opportunity for savings and ultimately a better education for kids that is based on industry desires or needs for our students and graduates to be good employees that we can retain in southeast Wyoming.

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Based on other questions asked by commissioners, Love indicated he would represent his constituents first, followed by the state as a whole. He said he is supportive of more county control over special sales taxes like the fifth- and sixth-penny sales taxes; he is supportive of funded state mandates like immigration enforcement in towns and counties across Wyoming, and is cautious of unfunded mandates; and he believes the state should provide research and data on what land use is possible for areas to allow local governments and counties to work within that framework to best suit their communities.

In his closing statement, Love indicated he intends to seek reelection next year when the SD 6 seat is up for a vote by the people.

After graduating from the University of Wyoming, Love moved to eastern Laramie County in 1994, where he and his wife started a small farm and ranch. At the time, he worked in field research for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department before working in Wyomings tourism division.

They raised three children in Laramie County, and he served for 10 years on the LCSD2 Board of Trustees. After that, he became chairman of the Laramie County Republican Party.
Concertgoers listen as La Fiera de Ojinaga performs at the Chase County Fair in Imperial on Aug. 14. Most Mexicans who call Imperial home hail from the northern state of Chihuahua, where the band is also from. (Bob Alberts/Flatwater Free Press)

IMPERIAL, Nebraska  In a dusty show barn, kids march out their prize-winning swine as an auctioneer sings out competing bids.

Outside, shrieks pierce this hot August night as families spin in loops on lit-up carnival rides. Vendors sell giant chocolate ice creams and funnel cakes, corn dogs and lemonades.

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Every year, the Chase County Fair & Expo draws 10,000 people to this county of 3,764. They come for the classic small-town rite of summer. And they come for the fairs annual concerts.

This year, the county fair did something new. For the first time, fair organizers hired a Mexican band to perform, figuring that made practical sense in a community whose Latino population has grown sixfold since 2000. The announcement brought buzz and excitement on social media.

But in the hours leading up to the Thursday night concert, only 300 tickets had sold, low for the grandstand that can hold 3,500. Many local Latino residents had decided to stay home, afraid of what could happen.

Young people wait in line for a carnival ride on Aug. 14 at the Chase County Fair in Imperial. The fair draws in 10,000 people annually to this county of under 4,000. (Bob Alberts/Flatwater Free Press)

The rumor was that this was bait, Imperial resident Cynthia Almanza said while waiting for the concert to start. That ICE was going to show up.

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The local rumor mill also alleged that the county sheriff had been the one to make that call.

Versions of this story burned through Imperial and surrounding towns this summer, Almanza and other residents told the Flatwater Free Press.

The Chase County sheriff was upset the fair had booked a Mexican band, residents said. He had called the feds, they said. They even said the fair had planned the concert as a trap. The suspicion grew so strong that one Imperial police officer went so far as to ask Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Did the sheriff contact you?

Chase County Sheriff Kevin Mueller said in an emailed statement it was a false and harmful rumor that he made a racist comment during a fair board meeting discussing security needs for the concert.

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But it was true that he called ICE, he said in an email Thursday evening.

I did place a call to ICE, Mueller wrote. About a week later, someone returned my call  by that time, I had already determined that we had sufficient security in place through the Fair Board and the State Patrol.

The idea that ICE agents could show up at the fair took root in peoples minds. Almanza had friends who skipped the show. It terrified lots of people, she said.

It made me question if I should even be here, said Judith Beltran, another concertgoer, who heard the story of the potential ICE raid shortly after arriving for the concert from Denver. Just because of the chaos  I dont want to be in the middle of it.

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In the eight months of immigration crackdowns under the Trump administration, fear of ICE raids has penetrated many aspects of immigrant life in Nebraska. Rumors of raids and government vehicle sightings flood Facebook groups and WhatsApp chats.

Some families are retreating from public life, including some who have legal status, advocates say. Its keeping kids from attending school, they say, and parents from going to work.

In Imperial, it left some wondering: Is the county fair safe?

A Latino band

The Chase County Fair Board approached Rodolfo Aragon in April with a question: Would he join the committee to help book a Latino band? The board was trying to make the annual event more inclusive, Aragon said, and wanted to thank people for being a part of the community.

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Aragon moved to the area 21 years ago to work for the feedlot Imperial Beef. He encouraged his brother to join him. Theyre one of the many families from Chihuahua, Mexico, that found a home here, drawn by feedlot jobs or farm work at the potato grower Frenchman Valley Produce.

Security officers at the Chase County Fair check IDs for people entering the La Fiera de Ojinaga concert who wanted to be able to buy alcohol. (Bob Alberts/Flatwater Free Press)

In 2000, only 5% of Imperials residents were Latino, according to census data. Now, nearly a third of the citys residents are.

The whole community has really shifted in the last two to three decades, said Tyler Pribbeno, an Imperial native and the city administrator. Imperial has sustained its population  we would have been much smaller, probably the size of Grant, if we didnt have all these people coming in and choosing to live and work and play here.

The fair board first suggested a smaller act to draw this ever-growing Latino crowd, maybe a show that didnt play at the main grandstand, maybe a local band.

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But the newly recruited Aragon and the concert committee wanted to go bigger. After all, Johnny Cash played the Chase County Fair. So did Alice Cooper.

We didnt want the Hispanic pick to be any different, Aragon said. Lets pick someone from Chihuahua, everyones going to be drawn to that.

In May, they hit what they thought was the Mexican music jackpot, hiring La Fiera de Ojinaga, an accordion-driven norteno band from northern Mexico with more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and hundreds of millions of streams.

Then, Aragon started hearing a rumor. White residents were telling their Latino friends: You might not want to be at that concert. People in the country legally worried about attending, scared that they could get detained because of the color of their skin, Aragon said.

Mexican band La Fiera de Ojinaga performs at the Chase County Fair in Imperial on Aug. 14. This was the first year the fair booked a band from Mexico in this community whose Latino population has grown sixfold since 2000. (Bob Alberts/Flatwater Free Press)

The most out-there version of the rumor he heard: That the fair board had planned the concert as a trap.

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We cant control fear. We can only control what we can control, said Ryan Stromberger, president of the fair board. Its unfortunate that they felt that way, I dont know how we can control that, though  Obviously we had no ill intentions, otherwise we wouldnt have booked it.

Rumors roll

Much of this fear appeared to stem from the May fair board meeting, when the board convened weeks before fair leaders planned to announce the last-minute concert addition.

City police and the Sheriffs Office attended to discuss concert security. They appeared to single out the Mexican concert as a specific worry.

The law enforcement officers voiced concerns about disturbances during Thursdays night concert, meeting minutes read. They want to know about security precautions for concert nights.

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The discussion lasted about 20 minutes, according to meeting minutes. There is no audio recording of that meeting. Fair board members deferred questions to Stromberger, who said discussion focused mostly on whether law enforcement agencies had the budget and manpower to accommodate an extra concert night.

But that discussion continued among law enforcement officers outside the meeting room, said Chris Bustillos, the Imperial police sergeant. After that meeting, the rumors started to spiral, several Imperial residents said in interviews.

Mueller, the county sheriff, said in an email that any rumors that he made a racist comment during a fair board meeting were false.

We had concerns that an extra night would place additional strain on our resources, he wrote. Apparently, one member took offense to my comments and began spreading a false and harmful rumor about me  this allegation is baseless, damaging, and driven by personal agendas  not facts.

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Bustillos said he decided to fact-check the rumors himself.

I believe our sheriff for Chase County contacted someone either in your office or on the hotline about a Hispanic concert we will be having for our Chase County Expo Fair, he wrote to the North Platte ICE office in an email obtained by the Flatwater Free Press through a records request. I was just hoping to find out if that is something you or anyone in the ICE office will be attending? Again, I was just informed our sheriff contacted you. I have no idea if he really did or if thats something you do.

Replying via email, a Department of Homeland Security agent replied that the office had received a call regarding the concerts.

Bustillos said he and the DHS agent then spoke by phone. The agent told him that yes, the Sheriffs Office had contacted the ICE office, Bustillos said in an interview. No, the ICE agents werent planning to come to the fair.

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Mueller didnt return a phone call Thursday seeking additional comment. Instead, he had a Sheriffs Office employee send the Flatwater Free Press his emailed statement. He had previously not returned two other phone calls and an email seeking comment, instead communicating via another emailed statement.

Calling ICE had nothing to do with the false allegation that I made racist comments, Mueller wrote. My focus throughout has been solely on ensuring the safety and security of the fair, nothing more.

An ICE spokesperson declined to discuss any interaction with the sheriff.

Pushing something out about ICE speaking to a sheriff or other law enforcement officers, with whom we partner with on a daily basis, will do nothing but fear monger, spokesperson Tanya Roman wrote in an email. There is no reason why anyone not breaking the law should have any concerns about one law enforcement agency speaking to another.

Knowing your rights

On a Sunday afternoon two weeks before the fair, about 20 people gathered in an Imperial United Methodist Church sanctuary. The days lecture: Knowing your rights if stopped by ICE.

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After hearing the fair rumors, Jo Leyland felt moved to act. The retired city administrator started calling nonprofits, hoping to get a pamphlet she could hand out to people about immigration rights. Instead, staff members from Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant rights, offered to make the nearly four-hour drive from Lincoln to Imperial.

I wanted to educate people, both with brown and white faces, about what could be done if the worst thing happened and ICE did show up, Leyland said.

After the presentation at the church, Leyland took Know Your Rights cards from an Appleseed rep to pass out at the fair. The city took pamphlets to keep at the library and city offices. By the end of the session, all the paper handouts had been taken.

Appleseed has held workers rights safety trainings for years, said Ruby Mendez Lopez, a community organizer with the nonprofit. But since January, the nonprofit has held about 20 Know Your Rights meetings across the state, educating immigrants and Americans on what they can and cant do during a crackdown.

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People are desperate for this information, Mendez Lopez said, and grateful to get it. But getting people to attend Know Your Rights sessions can be a challenge.

If we publicly post Know Your Rights information, people get really nervous about showing up, Mendez Lopez said. People start to think its a trap put on by whoever is planning it.

At the Imperial meeting, most of the attendees were white. Mendez Lopez tried to set up a smaller Know Your Rights session with migrant workers in town. People were too scared to come, she said. The fear of going out in public has come and gone in waves through 2025, Mendez Lopez said.

It was strong at the start of the year, when President Donald Trump took office. It peaked again after the immigration raid at Glenn Valley in Omaha, when ICE detained about 75 people. In the aftermath, rumors of potential ICE raids in towns like Lexington and Grand Island flooded social media. No other large raid has yet happened.

People were just not showing up to work, Mendez Lopez said. When theres rumors that are unverified, it disrupts peoples lives entirely  its hard to know what to believe.

How it went

On Thursday night at the fair, excitement over the concert mixed with unease and uncertainty. At a large booth on the midway, young members of the Lions Club shouted out bingo numbers  in English and Spanish.

Kids at the Chase County Fair in Imperial enjoy a carnival ride. (Bob Alberts/Flatwater Free Press)

Further down the midway, a cutout of Donald and Melania Trump advertised a booth selling MAGA hats and T-shirts, thermoses proclaiming Dont Tread on Me and I voted for the felon.

No immigration authorities showed up that night. And fewer concertgoers than usual showed up, too  roughly 500 people ended up buying tickets to see La Fiera de Ojinaga, Stromberger said, far fewer than the combined 6,000 attendees at the Friday and Saturday country acts.

But the hundreds of mostly Latino fans who did attend came dressed in their best cowboy hats, jeans and boots. Some, like Almanza, never thought they would see a day when one of their favorite Mexican bands played their small-town American fair.

As the band played, couples paired off and whirled their way around the empty back half of the venue, stepping in time with the bands bouncy drumbeat in the glowing light of the stage. The notes of an accordion and saxophone rang out into the crowd.

And when the band shouted out their home state of Chihuahua, whoops and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Behind the crowd, a lit-up Ferris wheel looped kids into the sky. Vendors handed out cotton candy and fried Oreos. For a moment, it felt like another night at the fair.

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A Texas teenager has been arrested in connection with her young brother's death  months after her boyfriend was charged in the same crime

Kara Walker, 17, and Nolan Stallings, 18, have now both been charged with felony injury to a child

Walker's 8-year-old brother's injuries were reportedly consistent with abuse, and his cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma



A teenager and her boyfriend have now both been charged in connection with the death of her 8-year-old brother.

Texas teen Kara Walker, 17, was arrested by the Violent Crimes Apprehension Team on Wednesday, Aug. 27, for her role in her young brother's death  five months after her boyfriend, 18-year-old Nolan Stallings, was charged for the same crime, per ABC 13, FOX 26 and KHOU 11.

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However, neither is charged with homicide, according to a statement from the Harris County Sheriff's Office: instead, they'll be tried on charges of injury to a child.

On Feb. 10, Walker and Stallings brought the boy, who was unresponsive, to the Baytown Methodist Hospital in Harris County, ABC 13 reported, and with injuries consistent with abuse, per FOX 26. The child died five days later.

At the time, Stallings reportedly told Sheriff Ed Gonzalez that the child was injured in a fall, but hospital staff told law enforcement the two teens' story didn't add up. The boy's autopsy later determined his death was caused by blunt force trauma.

Court documents reviewed by KHOU 11 and ABC 13 alleged the boy was "abused and tortured over several days," which brought about his death. The abuse is believed to have happened at a home in the 100 block of Greendell Street in the Highlands Area, per the sheriff.

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Stallings was arrested in March, charged with the felony of injury to a child and processed through the county jail, where Walker was also booked on Wednesday. FOX 26 reported that Walker's bond is set at $100,000 while Stallings' is set at $1 million.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Though neither face homicide charges at this time, injury to a child is classified as a felony.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office told ABC 13 the five-month gap between Stallings' and Walker's arrests was based on evidence throughout the investigation, but did not elaborate further.

Read the original article on People
When Mary Mullaney answered a knock at the door of her Newark residence in the summer of 1944, she found officials from the U.S. Navy waiting to speak to her.

Several of her sons were serving overseas during World War II and this visit was one every parent dreaded.

Mullaney knew she had lost a son, and she instantly knew which one.

When she opened the door, she knew who it was because Jerry was the only one who was in the Navy, her granddaughter Mary Louise Brambilla said. She slammed the door in their face and fell to the floor.

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Though he served in the U.S. military for less than a year before he was killed, Jerome Martin Mullaney took part in the largest seaborne military invasion in history.

As Allied forces stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day, the Scranton, Pennsylvania, native died helping protect ground troops from enemy artillery in a battle that liberated western Europe from Nazi Germany.

Mullaney was only 18.

Eighty-one years after his sacrifice, he is finally returning home and will be laid to rest on Sept. 3.

Mullaneys remains were recently identified thanks to DNA provided by his family.

For his niece, learning that Mullaney had been identified provided some closure.

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It made me feel very good, Brambilla said. I felt very sad, but happy that he could come home finally.

The fallen sailor was born April 8, 1926, in Scranton to Felix and Mary Graff Mullaney, who later lived in New Jersey.

Three of his brothers, Joseph, Robert and Frank, were already serving during World War II when he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on Sept. 16, 1943, at age 17.

His parents had to sign off on his enlistment because he wasnt yet 18.

They were not happy, but he convinced them, Brambilla said. My grandma was extremely upset afterwards because they were given a story, probably by him, that he was going to be in a ship that was only going to be on the Jersey Shore.

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Brambilla, who lives in Monmouth County, never met her uncle and doesnt know for certain what drove him to enlist, but figures it probably had to do with his siblings serving and with his desire to support his country.

I think he just wanted to do what was right, she said.

All the other boys enlisted, so theres got to have been at the time a feeling of, We have to do something for this country, her husband, Raymond, added.

Less than a year after enlisting, Mullaney was far from the Jersey Shore.

He was a seaman 2nd class aboard the destroyer USS Glennon in the summer of 1944 when the Allies invaded Normandy.

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On the Glennon, Mullaney was a member of a gun crew and his daily duties included upkeep, maintenance and repairs. He also assisted with movement of cargo and watch duty.

The Glennon was part of Operation Neptune, the naval component of D-Day, and supported landing forces by monitoring for enemy submarines and torpedo boats off the coast of France from June 4 to June 6 in 1944, according to the Navy.

On June 7, Glennon began providing support for Allied ground troops, firing hundreds of rounds at enemy positions and helping stave off a German counterattack.

By the morning of June 8, the ship was still providing fire support for landing forces when a mine exploded near the stern at 8:03 a.m., the Navy said. The blast was so powerful that it sent 16 soldiers into the water, with some thrown 40 feet into the air.

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The Navy later determined that Mullaney was among those who died in that incident, but his body was not recovered.

The crew tried to save the damaged vessel, but it sank June 10 after being struck by a German artillery barrage. In all, 25 crew members died and 38 were wounded.

The day Mullaneys mother slammed the door on the Navy representatives bringing her news of her sons death was etched in the familys memory.

They kept knocking and she finally answered the door to accept the news, Brambilla said.

His father wore a pin commemorating his sons sacrifice for the rest of his life, she said.

Their son was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

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The couples other children, two of whom fought in the Battle of the Bulge, returned home uninjured and lived long, successful lives, Brambilla said. All have since died.

Since Jeromes body wasnt recovered, the family couldnt have a funeral, leaving an emotional open wound for his survivors.

It has been terrible, Brambilla said.

Mary Lou and I have been married for 53 years, Raymond Brambilla said. And for all that time, she always talked about the fact that there was never any closure. That was a very big deal.

Searching for answers

The Brambillas and other members of the family had searched for answers over the years. The couple traveled to Normandy decades ago to see where Jerome had died and to try to find where he was buried.

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What they didnt know at the time was that his remains were in Belgium.

In 1957, sections of the Glennon were hauled to shore at St. Marie du Mont, France, by a salvage crew and broken up for scrap. Human remains found in the vessel were turned over to American officials, according to the Navy.

They could not identify the remains at the time and they were buried at Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium.

In 2022, the remains were exhumed for analysis using modern techniques and Mullaney was positively identified on March 26 of this year, with the help of DNA provided by Mary Louise Brambillas cousins.

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Hell be buried with full military honors on Sept. 3 at St. Marys Cemetery in Scranton, the same cemetery where his parents are interred, Brambilla said.

He should come home to be with his parents, she said. Thats what I wanted.

The flag officer for the service will be Rear Admiral David Faehnle, commandant of Naval District Washington.

While no living relatives met Mullaney, several family members are expected to attend the service. Local Scranton dignitaries may also attend, the Brambillas said.

They expressed appreciation for the work of all involved in bringing Mullaney back home.

We are very happy to all the people from the Navy, POW/MIA, all the people that have helped getting this together, all of our relatives and the Archdiocese of Scranton to make room in the cemetery for him, Raymond Brambilla said. Were very happy that theres closure.

Stories by Matt Gray

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[Watch in the player above: What is the Miranda warning?]

LORAIN, Ohio (WJW)  Lorain police investigating the fatal shooting of a 45-year-old woman have identified the womans 16-year-old son as a suspect.

Officers responded just before 7 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, to the 1500 block of West 24th Street for a report of an unresponsive woman, according to a news release.

17-year-old killed in Maple Heights shooting was Shaker Heights senior

They found 45-year-old Melinda Green inside the home. She had been shot in the head, according to the release. EMS personnel attempted life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Investigators found evidence suggesting Greens 16-year-old son may have shot her. He left the scene before police arrived, but was found hours later walking on the citys west side and taken into custody, according to the release.

Boy fatally shot playing ding dong ditch, police say

Police charged the boy with murder. Hes now being held in the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Home, according to the release.

Authorities have not recovered a firearm connected to the shooting.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to call detectives at 440-204-2105.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Teenage victim of accidental Brunswick shooting identified; Moms Demand Action pushes for prevention

Action News Jax has learned the name of the victim who was accidentally shot and killed in Brunswick over the weekend, according to police.

The Glynn County Coroner confirmed with Action News Jax that the victim was 14-year-old Dazariah Easton.

The Brunswick Police Department said it responded to Altama Avenue Saturday night regarding a person shot inside of a home. Neighbors we spoke with said it happened near Stonewall Street.

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Investigators said 17-year-old Daquarius Wallace was mishandling a firearm when the victim was shot. Wallace was arrested along with 21-year-old Bobby Sullivan in connection to Eastons death. Wallace is charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children, among other counts. Sullivan faces cruelty to children and other related charges.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

According to research by Everytown for Gun Safety, so far this year, there have been at least 154 unintentional shootings by children nationwide, resulting in 62 deaths and 95 injuries.

They also note that Georgia leads the country with 12 unintentional shootings by children this year. Florida currently ranks 2nd with 11.

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Firearm deaths are the leading cause of death among our children and teens in this country, said Jennifer Massey with Moms Demand Action.

Massey is the chapter lead with Moms Demand Action Florida, a grassroots movement of Americans advocating for gun safety measures. She says accidental or unintentional shooting deaths are preventable.

Theyre preventable because there are preventable ways to keep our children safe, and that is through securing firearms, through secure storage of using gun locks, using gun box, gun safes, and things like that, said Massey.

RELATED: Gun safety back in focus after another child is accidentally shot in Jacksonville

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We are working on getting the mug shots and arrest reports for both suspects. We tried reaching out to Eastons family, but we have yet to hear back.

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MALONE, N.Y. (ABC22/FOX44)  New York State Police said Monday that a a 19-year-old woman from Western New York provided a false name when trying to enter the Upstate Correctional Facility.

According to police reports, on Saturday some time before 8:23 a.m., Omariana A. Curry, 19, of Greece, N.Y., tried to enter the maximum-security prison using a fake ID card and providing a fake name. Due to a reported prior incident at a different prison, Curry is banned from visiting Upstate Correctional.

New York investigates apparent strangulation at Malone prison

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Curry was arrested, charged with counts including criminal impersonation and criminal trespass, and released.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44.
Teens in Volusia County can now take a new online drivers education course to meet a recent state law that requires completing a course before getting a learners permit.

The law requires teens aged 15 to 17 to complete a drivers education course before getting a permit. This is part of a larger effort to lower teen crash rates, as young drivers have been involved in fatal crashes at higher-than-average rates.

The reason for the change, really, I believe, is that, you know, drivers education is all about transportation and public safety. And the better that we can educate our young drivers, the safer our roads will be, said Florida Safety Council Executive Director Christopher Earl.

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The new drivers education course is open to all Volusia County students aged 14 and a half or older. It covers four hours of education on drugs and alcohol, traffic laws and includes a substance abuse exam.

Previously, all new drivers in Florida had to complete a four-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course. The new requirement is a six-hour, instructor-led course that can be taken online or in person.

Adults aged 18 and over still only need to complete the four-hour TLSAE course if they have never held a license before. Teens moving to Florida with an out-of-state license are exempt from the new course requirement.

Pasco County tax collector Mike Fasano voiced concerns about the states unclear guidance on where and how teens can take the new course, expecting confusion as the law comes into effect.

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With this new law, Florida is working hard to make our roads safer by making sure young drivers get a thorough education before they start driving.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  Today, everyone is used to being able to get hold of friends and family by using their cell phone, but a new Sioux City Public Museum exhibit is reminding folks that it hasnt always been the case.

The exhibit Hello Operator  Telephone Pioneers of Sioux City takes attendees back in time, showcasing the evolution of telephones. As well as the companies that established themselves in Sioux City.

The Public Museum put over a hundred devices on display, that have been donated to them over the years. Local historians say this exhibit is an excellent way for new and long-time residents to learn about Sioux City.

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Most of these companies started as private affairs and eventually merged into larger corporations, so its really a story not only of technology, its a story of Sioux City. Getting to learn something new or learning more about something you already knew a little bit about, said Tom Munson, the archives director with the Sioux City Public Museum.

While touring the exhibit, folks can also interact with some telephones on display which Munson says makes learning fun.

You may understand what a telephone was, but actually come here and see the physical object, thats whats so neat about museums. People coming in to see these historic artifacts, things their ancestors or people a hundred years ago used to know where we have come from. Who knows? It might inspire inspiration, it might cause inspiration about what the future might be, said Munson.

If you want to learn more about the history of telephones along with Sioux City, the exhibit will be on display at the Sioux City Public Museum until November 30th.

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Caroline Soo, Vice President Customer Success, APJ at KnowBe4

Women are making an impact. Research continues to show that women in leadership roles deliver real business value and play a critical role in driving progress, even as systemic barriers persist. That insight reinforces what many of us already know instinctively. Representation matters, and the contributions women bring to the table are driving real results.

For me, cybersecurity has always carried a sense of purpose. As a child, I read Nancy Drew and The Famous Five, stories that fed my curiosity about problem solving and protecting others. I joined the National Police Cadet Corps for four years and always envisioned myself working toward something bigger than myself. I started my career in marketing and transited to customer success in 2012, where I developed a strong foundation in understanding people. When the opportunity came to shift into cybersecurity, it felt like a return to that childhood vision.

One of the moments that has stayed with me was hearing a team member say she hoped we could continue working together for as long as possible. Leading a team where people feel safe, supported, and motivated through change has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career.

To any woman thinking about cybersecurity, my advice is simple. Know your strengths. Focus on what keeps you engaged. Define what success looks like for you. For me, it meant aligning my work with a long-held passion. It has not always been easy with biases existing, but with persistence and self-awareness, it is absolutely possible to build a fulfilling career in this space.

April Lenhard, Principal Product Manager: Cyber Threat Intelligence, Qualys

This International Women in Cyber Day, April Lenhard, Principal Product Manager for Cyber Threat Intelligence at Qualys, shares her advice for women considering a career in cybersecurity and her hopes for how the industry can encourage and better support diversity and women in leadership.

Encouraging more women to join cybersecurity starts with fostering a culture where mentorship, growth, and professional development are all clearly prioritised. A rising tide raises all ships. When women see an environment that will invest in their success and provide opportunities to advance, they can more easily envision themselves in this field.

For those considering a career in cybersecurity, my advice is to actively seek out mentors who not only have expertise, but who also reflect your own values and mission. Surrounding yourself with people who embody integrity and high performance creates a support system that pushes you to grow - never settle for anything less than your own standard of excellence. Curiosity is also a learned success strategy - some of my most exciting discoveries have happened by stepping out of my own comfort zone and exploring areas far from my own expertise. If theres an aspect of a job that you love or that excites you, find a way to incorporate that into your daily operations and become known for excelling at it.

Ultimately, diversity of thought makes us stronger. It leads to stronger risk assessments, more practical solutions and defenses that better reflect how people and organisations actually operate. In a field where adversaries thrive on innovation, embracing the widest range of unique perspectives is a competitive advantage - and one we need to capitalise on for continued success.

Barsha Karki, Manager, Solutions Engineering  ANZ at CyberArk

This International Women in Cyber Day, Barsha Karki, Manager, Solutions Engineering  ANZ at CyberArk, shares her advice for women considering a career in cybersecurity and her hopes for how the industry can encourage and better support diversity and women in leadership.

My top recommendation to women considering a career in cybersecurity is simple: just start. You dont need to have a traditional tech background or to be an expert to belong  what matters most is your curiosity, your willingness to learn, and your unique perspective. Cybersecurity is a diverse field that thrives on a wide range of skills, from engineering and data analysis to risk management, communications, legal and policy. You wont have all the answers on day one (none of us did), but asking good questions and building a strong support network will make all the difference. Your skills and experiences  whether technical or not - will add value and help you approach problems in ways others might not see.

From an industry perspective, we need to do more to showcase the full spectrum of roles available and highlighting the many pathways into the industry, not just traditional technical routes. Just as importantly, we also need to keep creating inclusive spaces where women feel supported, seen, and empowered to grow into leadership. Mentorship, sponsorship, and representation make a huge difference. Women bring powerful strengths to cybersecurity - from analytical thinking to empathy, communication, and resilience - all of which are essential in a field where human behaviour, trust, and collaboration are just as important as technical precision. Most importantly, women bring diverse perspectives, and that diversity is crucial to challenge assumptions and design better, more secure systems for everyone.

Sonia Eland, Executive Vice President and Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand, HCL Tech

Commentary:

International Women in Cyber Day is both a celebration and a reminder of the work still ahead. Women remain underrepresented in cybersecurity and technology, yet their perspectives are critical to building resilient, ethical, and inclusive digital systems.

As cyber threats become ever more sophisticated and artificial intelligence is woven into every facet of technology, the inclusion of diverse voices at the decision-making table is vital.

At HCLTech, we are supporting clients across various industries to deliver AI-powered, security-first solutions: from regulatory compliance platforms in pharmaceuticals, to intelligent trade surveillance in financial services, to vision-AI safety systems within manufacturing and ports.

AI models require training, and by prioritising diversity, we enhance these models capacity to understand and address the needs of everyone, helping to avoid harmful biases and resulting in technology that is more trustworthy and socially responsible.

However, technology alone isnt sufficient. Clear principles must guide the use of AI and data. This is why we have established our Office of Responsible AI and Governance  a dedicated team focused on ensuring our solutions remain safe, ethical, and respectful of privacy.

As a woman in tech, Im passionate about mentoring the next generation of cyber leaders. When more women have the opportunity to shape the future of technology, we strengthen our industries and create a safer, smarter digital world for everyone.

Cynthia Tee, CTO, Smartsheet

Commentary

"International Women in Cyber Day is more than just a celebration. Its a call to action to keep promoting diversity and inclusion in a vital sector that shapes our future. Cybersecurity and technology departments flourish when they reflect the diversity of the people they serve. Throughout my career, Ive intentionally set the foundation for inclusive environments where women and other underrepresented groups can overcome any barriers and put them on a path to success.

AtSmartsheet, Im proud to lead a team that values openness and healthy debate. We believe that diversity boosts creativity and resilience, which are key qualities needed to navigate the complex world of modern technology and make a positive business and community impact. By encouraging a culture of learning, collaboration, and empowerment, we can help our teams and customers succeed in an increasingly digital and connected world.

We must keep opening doors, mentoring future leaders, and challenging the status quo to build a technology workforce that is truly representative, fair, and ready to face tomorrows challenges with confidence and creativity."

Praniti Lakhwara, Chief Information Officer, Zscaler

Commentary

"I often describe myself as an accidental CIO. I originally set out to become a pilot, but along the way discovered my passion for engineering and problem-solving. That journey introduced me to coding and eventually led me into technology leadership, where I found the same adrenaline and purpose in solving complex business challenges.

Today, as CIO at Zscaler and as a woman in tech - specifically in cybersecurity, I lead global IT with a focus on secure, scalable innovation. We sit at the intersection of strategy, systems and user experience, with a unique opportunity to drive measurable outcomes around productivity, security, and growth.

Representation matters. Thats why Im committed to mentoring and building inclusive teams that reflect the diversity of our global workforce. The future of cybersecurity depends on diverse thinking, and women bring critical perspectives to the table, especially in areas like risk assessment, policy, and user-centric design.

My own leadership values are rooted in curiosity, integrity and purpose. I believe in creating a culture where women can lead authentically, balance ambition with flexibility, and have clear pathways to grow. On International Women in Cyber Day, I hope we continue to spotlight those stories and invest in the next generation of women who will lead the future of cybersecurity."

Mandy Andress, Chief Information Security Officer at Elastic

Commentary

Australias cybersecurity threat landscape is becoming increasingly complex due to evolving threats and AI-driven malware, leading to rising data breaches and mounting pressure on critical infrastructure. Despite these challenges, cybersecurity teams continue to face skills and talent shortages.

Contrary to popular belief, practitioners need not have a technical background. To bridge this talent gap, organisations should seek candidates from diverse backgrounds who can bring a range of skills, including creativity and problem-solving, to their cybersecurity teams.

Despite the growing need for diversity, women remain underrepresented in cybersecurity roles. This isnt just a representation issue; its a strategic gap.

To change that, it is essential to redefine what qualifies someone for these roles, focusing on attributes such as curiosity, adaptability and critical thinking, rather than past experience or certain qualifications.

At Elastic, were actively building more inclusive pathways by partnering with local universities and community colleges, welcoming career changers, and working with recruiters who prioritise diverse candidates.

International Women in Cyber Day serves as a reminder on the value that diversity brings to teams, leading to stronger and more resilient cybersecurity efforts. Having a diverse team with more women practitioners leverages different experiences and viewpoints to ensure that organisations are better equipped to deal with the shifting cybersecurity landscape.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched again in Serbia on Monday with shielded riot police guarding the Belgrade headquarters of Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic, who has threatened a major crackdown against those protesting his populist rule.

The protest led by high school and university students marked 10 months since a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbias northern town of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. The disaster ignited a wave of public outrage, with state corruption and negligence cited as a major cause.

The protests Monday were held in the capital Belgrade and several other towns in Serbia. In Novi Sad, baton wielding police charged against the peaceful protesters, slightly injuring some of them, according to local portals.

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Shielded riot police cordons and paramilitary loyalists guarded a park in the downtown of the capital in front of Vucic's headquarters, which has been serving for months as a human shield against the protesters.

The protesters have been demanding early elections, transparent investigations and criminal prosecutions against those responsible for the canopy collapse, as well as free media that Vucic is trying to stifle.

"I think this fight will not be over soon," said Anabela Arsenovic, a student. "There are months ahead of us fighting, but I hope it will at some point and the elections will be held.

More than a hundred university and high school professors have been sacked as authorities cracked down against their support of the students. They have been replaced by Vucic's loyalists.

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The large protest on Monday was held as Vucic, who has claimed he wants to take Serbia to a European Union membership, traveled to China for a gathering that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of China and North Korea, along with the Belarus and Iranian presidents.

Vucic, who has been annoyed by independent media coverage of the protests, has branded the protesters as terrorists who want to unseat him from power.

Thousands of Vucic's supporters marched in several Serbian towns on Sunday in a sign of deep divisions in the Balkan state.
Amid mounting national security concerns, Texas last week enacted some of the countrys strictest laws targeting foreign land ownership. It joins Iowa, Indiana, Idaho, Utah, and South Dakota, which have all recently tightened restrictions on purchases by foreign adversaries.

The laws add to Texas broader campaign to limit foreign influence, building on a national trend of restricting land purchases by adversarial nations.

It is very simple. Hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua, must not be allowed to own land in Texas, Abbott said during the Austin ceremony. They should not be allowed access to our critical infrastructure, and they may not be allowed to exploit our border.

Abbott warned violators would face consequences. Stiff, criminal penalties will be inflicted on those who violate these laws, he said.

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House Bill 128 prohibits Texas cities from entering sister-city agreements with adversarial nations and encourages partnerships with U.S. allies.

Senate Bill 17 bars certain countries, individuals, and organizations from acquiring Texas real estate. The restriction includes designated transnational criminal organizations.

Senate Bill 1349 creates criminal penalties for transnational repression and requires new law enforcement training on the issue.

Lawmakers joined Abbott at the event, including Sens. Bryan Hughes and Lois Kolkhorst, and Reps. Cole Hefner, Janie Lopez, and Angelia Orr. Other Senate and House members also attended the signing.

The measures rank among the toughest of their kind nationwide and are expected to take effect later this year.
A coalition of churches and education advocates has launched the Texas MicroSchools Collective (TXM).

TXM is a new faith-based education initiative that leaders say draws inspiration from the historic efforts of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald to expand school access for Black students.

The New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, the Black Mothers Forum of Arizona, and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas announced the collective. The groups first business meeting is scheduled for September 9 at 7 p.m. at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, hosted by Pastor Kyev Tatum, Sr.

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Microschools  typically serving fewer than 15 students  are designed as small, flexible learning environments that emphasize personalized instruction, parent involvement, and independence from school district bureaucracy. Proponents describe them as modern descendants of the Rosenwald Schools of the early 20th century.

Between 1912 and 1937, educator Booker T. Washington and Sears executive Julius Rosenwald collaborated to fund and construct over 5,000 schools for Black children across the South, including 464 in Texas. Families often contributed land, labor, or funds to the projects, creating what advocates today refer to as an early model of school choice.

Pastor Tatum has previously drawn this parallel, writing in a March 19 blog post: Just as Washington and Rosenwald gave parents direct say over their childrens education, microschools are returning control to families and communities.

The Black Mothers Forum has already implemented a microschool model in Arizona, focused on Black and Latino students who face persistent achievement gaps in traditional schools. Their success helped inspire the expansion into Texas.

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Organizers of the TXM Collective plan to plan, plant, and promote microschools across Texas, anchored in churches and community spaces, as part of what they are calling the Circle of Churches Collective.

A recent survey by Rice University, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University found nearly 70% of Black Texans support universal school choice, including vouchers  a level of support leaders like Tatum argue reflects a long-standing tradition of educational self-determination.

More information on the initiative can be found through the Black Mothers Forum or at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
By Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK (Reuters) -The biggest party in Thailand's parliament held out on Monday in deciding whom it would back to form the next government, prolonging uncertainty as two rival camps jostled for its crucial votes following the prime minister's sacking.

The opposition People's Party will not join any government but with control of nearly a third of the house seats, it is a potential kingmaker that can break the political deadlock caused by Friday's dismissal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra by the Constitutional Court for an ethics violation.

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Lawmakers of the People's Party met on Monday to weigh the merits of backing Paetongtarn's ruling Pheu Thai party, or Bhumjaithai, a renegade party that quit the governing coalition in June and is mounting its own bold challenge.

"There was a wide exchange of views today and the party will convene again tomorrow," said People's Party spokesperson Parit Wacharasindhu.

"To be straight, we don't trust either," he said, when asked if the two camps would honour the party's demands that a referendum be held on amending the constitution and parliament be dissolved within four months.

In the latest upheaval in a turbulent, two-decade battle for power and patronage among Thailand's rival elites, 39-year-old Paetongtarn became the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be ousted by the military or judiciary and the second in the space of a year.

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ALL TO PLAY FOR

The once-dominant Pheu Thai, founded by Paetongtarn's deep-pocketed father Thaksin Shinawatra, faces a big task in shoring up a coalition that has haemorrhaged public support, opening the door to a spree of dealmaking by its former alliance partner Bhumjaithai and its ambitious leader Anutin Charnvirakul.

Parliament is due to hold a special session starting Wednesday and the secretary-general of the house told Reuters it could hold a vote on a new prime minister this week, if parties were ready to nominate a candidate.

With neither group guaranteed the votes and much still to play for, the process to elect a prime minister could be protracted and there is no time limit on forming a new government.

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With political interests shifting, bitter histories of betrayal and big war chests to work with, there is plenty of scope for switches in allegiance, bringing the prospect of deadlock at a time of weak growth and a dim outlook for Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

The spotlight in the days ahead will remain firmly on the hugely popular People's Party, a reincarnation of Move Forward, which won the 2023 election on an anti-establishment platform but was blocked from power by lawmakers allied with the royalist military.

The leadership of Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have held separate meetings with People's Party and both said they were ready to comply with its demands.

"We are in a political crisis, and there is a need to find a common solution," Pheu Thai's Phumtham Wechayachai, the acting prime minister, said on Sunday.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Michael Perry and Ros Russell)
By Nayera Abdallah

(Reuters) -Thousands of mourners attended a funeral at the largest mosque in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Monday for 12 senior Houthi figures, including their prime minister, who were killed by an Israeli strike.

Last Thursday's attack, the first to kill top officials, struck a large number of people who had gathered to watch a televised speech recorded by top Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and it left most members of the group's cabinet dead.

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Mourners chanted the Houthi slogan "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam", as Mohammed Miftah, now de facto head of the Iran-aligned government in Sanaa, vowed revenge as well as an internal security crackdown against spies.

"We are facing the strongest intelligence empire in the world, the one that targeted the government - the whole Zionist entity (comprising) the U.S. administration, the Zionist entity, the Zionist Arabs and the spies inside Yemen," Miftah told the crowd of mourners at the Al Saleh mosque.

Miftah became the acting head of the Houthis' government on Saturday following the death in the Israeli strike of Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi. Al-Rahwi was largely a figurehead and not part of the inner circle of power.

Miftah had previously been his deputy.

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A raid on the United Nations offices in Sanaa on Sunday led to the detention of at least 11 U.N. personnel, the body said. The Houthis have given no reason for the raid but they have held a number of Yemeni employees of the U.N. and other aid agencies in the past on suspicion of spying.

Israel said on Friday its airstrike had targeted the Houthis' chief of staff, defence minister and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.

The fate of the Houthis' powerful defence minister, Mohamed al-Atifi, who runs the Missiles Brigades Group, remains unclear as he has not made an appearance since the attack.

THORN IN ISRAEL'S SIDE

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Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who remains alive, has emerged in recent years as one of Iran's most prominent Arab allies and an enduring thorn in Israel's side after it weakened many of its enemies in the region, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Red Sea attacks have drawn U.S. and Israeli strikes. In May, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis after a brief campaign, saying the group had agreed to halt interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.

But the Houthis, one of Iran's few allies still standing since the Gaza war spilled across the Middle East, vowed to continue attacking Israel and Israeli-linked shipping.

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The Houthis said on Monday they had launched a missile towards the Liberia-flagged Israeli-owned tanker 'Scarlet Ray' ship near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden, Nayera Abdallah and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; writing by Maha El Dahan; editing by Gareth Jones)
Three protesters jailed for using chalk to protest the states removal of the Pulse rainbow crosswalk walked free Monday, with others taking the fight to Orlando City Hall.

Maryjane East, 25, Donavon Short, 26, and Zane Aparicio, 39, were arrested and booked by Florida Highway Patrol on Sunday night outside the Pulse memorial in Orlando and charged with defacing a traffic device  a statute that typically covers electronic traffic devices such as lights and signals.

The arrests come after Orestes Sebastian Suarez was arrested Friday night by Florida Highway Patrol on the same charge. Suarez was also released shortly after he was booked after the judge found no probable cause he committed the crime.

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However, a judge on Monday did find probable cause for the three latest arrests. But there were no charges pending after they were released on their own recognizance, and any further charges would need to be brought forward by Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell.

Blake Simons, the attorney representing both Suarez and the three arrested late Sunday night, said FHPs arrest report from Sunday was much more detailed and included allegations of damage of over $1,000.

I would argue water-soluble chalk that washes away while youre being arrested doesnt amount to over $1,000 worth of damage, Simons said after appearing before the judge Monday morning.

FHP and Orlando police have been stationed at the Dunkin Donuts next to the Pulse memorial for more than a week, telling protesters they wont be arrested if they are not impeding traffic.

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Protests initially erupted last month after the Florida Department of Transportation painted over the rainbow crosswalk, meant to memorialize the 49 victims of the 2016 mass shooting, in the middle of the night. Since then, the department has repainted it at least once more due to protestors continuing to color the crosswalk with rainbow paint and chalk.

FDOT has ordered other cities to remove rainbows and other painted designs from their roads.

DeSantis has defended the states actions, saying its not political and cited a new state law  a claim lawmakers refute  and that the designs jeopardize both driver and pedestrian safety.

But an Orlando Sentinel analysis of city traffic data shows the opposite. The citys many decorative crosswalks and murals in Downtown Orlando, including the crosswalk by Pulse, have helped reduce crashes with pedestrians despite increased foot traffic.

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The four arrested protesters are part of a larger, coordinated effort to maintain protests against the states removal of the rainbow. On Reddits Orlando forum, one person  who said they had been at the crosswalk all of last week  claimed the three intended to be arrested for the cameras.

Do not worry, we planned this for live cameras to see. Now we get to see what a judge says about them violating our first amendment rights, and we hope it leads to us being allowed to continue the chalk, wrote Reed, who asked to only be identified by their first name.

Following the arrest of the three protesters at the Pulse memorial Sunday night, the remaining protesters marched downtown to Orlando City Hall, where they wrote messages in chalk such as, You cant erase us, and Were just getting started.

Protesters returned to City Hall Monday afternoon, with promises to bring the confrontation downtown.

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Chris Blem, who was at the Pulse crosswalk on the night of the arrest and downtown on Monday afternoon, said organizers planned to move the chalk protests to City Hall at the request of the families of Pulse victims.

Now, its time for local officials to answer their concerns, Blem said.

We invite Buddy Dyer and the rest of the politicians to come down here, get your hands dirty with the rest of us and show where you stand, he said.

Blem thinks FHPs arrests will inspire more protesters, and expects there to be rallies in front of city hall when employees return to work Tuesday.
Three protesters detained at Pulse crosswalk site

Three protestors were arrested at the Pulse Crosswalk on Sunday.

The protestors Zane Aparicio, Mary Jane East, and Donavon Shorts arrests came after troopers arrested 29-year-old Sebastian Suarez Friday night. He was visiting from Georgia for his birthday.

Aparcio, East, and Short were arrested for defacing a traffic control device, the same reason Saurez was arrested.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) posted signs warning demonstrators at the crosswalk.

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Orlando-based lawyer Blake Simons represented Suarez. Hes now representing the three people arrested Sunday.

Its astounding, he said, pointing out the fact that the Sunday afternoon rain washed the chalk away. He also said. A crosswalk is not a traffic control device.

Thats the same defense he used for Suarez. The judge dismissed the charge and Suarez was released. Simons said the same thing will happen Monday when the three arrested Sunday face the judge.

He did say the state can obtain a supplemental affidavit from the troopers with extra evidence to counter his argument, but then asks, what additional evidence?

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Theyve already laid it out that they damaged a traffic control device in excess of $1,000, trying to make it a third-level felony, he said.

Since that didnt happen with Suarez, he doesnt see that happening this time either.

FDOT had released a statement saying in part, Vandalizing state property and/or disrupting traffic in any way is unsafe and illegal. These illegal actions will not be tolerated and will be fully enforced by law enforcement.

The other protestors who were out there Sunday said more protests are coming Monday morning.

Starting tomorrow, we are taking this to city hall, Chris Blem said. Were inviting Mayor Buddy Dyer and everybody to City Hall to come and chalk with us because the First Amendment right is what were fighting for. on

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[Provisional translation]

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On September 1, 2025, Prime Minister Ishiba held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Dorin Recean, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, at the Prime Ministers Office.
Jamie, Ewan, and Lachlan Maclean completed the journey from South America to Australia in 139 days, arriving in Cairns, Australia, on Saturday, after rowing over 14,000 kilometres (9000 miles) nonstop.

Their reward: a world record, becoming the first team to achieve the full crossing, the fastest unsupported row across the full Pacific Ocean.

The trio from Edinburgh, Scotland, said they endured seasickness, injuries, and violent storms, including one that swept Lachlan overboard, while raising over 808,000 (700,000 pounds, $945,690) toward a 1.15million (1million pounds, $1.3 million) target for clean water projects.

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The three rowed from Peru into the Cairns Marlin Marina, playing the bagpipes and waving the Scottish, Australian, and United Kingdom flags. More than 50 family members, supporters and fans, including their mother, Sheila, greeted the brothers.

In the hours before their arrival, the eldest brother, Ewan, uploaded a video calling the marina ahead of their approach.

Scottish brothers, Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan, Maclean react after completing their record breaking row from Peru across the Pacific Ocean to Cairns, Australia, Saturday, Aug. 30 - Nuno Avendano/AP

Do you have pizza and beer? I repeat, do you have pizza and beer? Over. The 33-year-old said the journey was the hardest thing he had ever done, one he would have never contemplated without his siblings.

Weve shed tears of joy and laughed till our cheeks hurt, he said.

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Things began to look dire toward the end. We seriously thought we might run out of food, middle brother Jamie, 31, said.

Scottish brothers, Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan, Maclean are embraced by family after completing their record breaking row from Peru across the Pacific Ocean to Cairns, Australia, - Nuno Avendano/AP

According to the Macleans, the experience changed their outlook on life. Through the Maclean Foundation, the brothers' charity, they hope to continue fundraising for initiatives that will supply clean water to 40,000 people in Madagascar.

The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, nonstop Pacific row was 160 days, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014.
It was a July evening when Elyse Pahler, 15, sneaked out of her bedroom in the Central Coast town of Arroyo Grande, planning to get into some mischief. A boy from school had gotten her number from a friend and invited her to smoke weed in the woods near her family's home.

The boy was Jacob Delashmutt, also 15, and he brought along two friends. Delashmutt and his schoolmates Royce Casey, 16, and Joseph Fiorella, 14, all shared a passion for death metal, and they formed their own band called Hatred.

One of their favorite groups was Slayer, a popular metal act that featured a song with lyrics about worshiping Satan and sacrificing a blond, blue-eyed virgin.

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Pahler fit that description as she walked to join the three metal heads that night in 1995. Three decades later, Delashmutt described what happened next to a state parole board.

Delashmutt, now 45, said that once they had smoked marijuana, he and the two other boys attacked Pahler when she was distracted by the sound of a passing car. He wrapped his belt around her neck, strangling her while Fiorella stabbed her and Casey held down her arms. Then they each took turns stabbing her with a 12-inch knife, according to his testimony, first in the neck then in the back and shoulders.

Casey told state parole officials this year that Pahler begged for her mother and Jesus before he stomped on the back of her neck. They had planned to violate her remains, Delashmutt testified to the parole board, but instead hid her body in the woods and fled the scene. She wasn't found until eight months later, when Casey confessed to his pastor.

Royce Casey, Jacob Delashmutt and Joseph Fiorella pictured as teens after their arrest in March 1996. They were convicted of murdering Elyse Pahler, a teenage peer, in a satanic ritual. Casey and Delashmutt were released on parole recently, 30 years after the murder in Arroyo Grande, Calif. (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California)

Today, two of the killers  including the admitted ringleader  are walking free after receiving parole. But the youngest of the group, Fiorella, remains behind bars despite claims that he is intellectually disabled and that his case was mishandled.

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The releases of Casey and Delashmutt this year have come amid a surge of high-profile murder cases from the 1990s entering the parole process. Erik and Lyle Menendez, the Beverly Hills brothers convicted of killing their parents in 1989 as teens, were denied parole this month after a months-long resentencing effort.

Pahler's murder occurred while the Menendez brothers were on trial, and the grisly killing of a young, white girl provoked a similar level of media frenzy. Prosecutors alleged the death-metal-obsessed teens had plotted to commit the murder as part of a "satanic ritual."

Read more: Accused gunman 'disconnected from reality' after L.A. Target shooting

Pahler's family has fought against letting out any of the men over the past decade, with her father, David, often bringing a picture of his daughter to show the parole board.

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David Pahler told the board at a 2023 hearing that he believed Casey still lacked remorse, reading from a transcript of Casey's journal taken when he was arrested in which the teen wrote about believing Satan had "taken my soul and replaced it with a new one to carry out his work on earth."

If you give up your soul to Satan, how do you get it back? How do you get it back? I  I don't have an answer for that," Pahler said, according to a transcript of the hearing.

Casey and Delashmutt pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in 1997, each receiving 25 years to life in prison. Fiorella, also charged with being armed with a deadly weapon, got 26 years to life. Since they became eligible for parole, their paths through the system have led to vastly divergent outcomes.

Casey was denied twice by the board, then approved in 2021 and 2023, only to have Gov. Gavin Newsom reverse the decision. Newsom argued Casey needed to do more work to ensure he would make healthy relationships outside prison and learn the "internal processes" that led him to kill Pahler.

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Delashmutt was also denied twice by the parole board in 2017 and 2022 and once by the governors reversal in 2023. The rejections often referenced his tendency to shirk responsibility onto his co-defendants for his role in the murder.

Although Delashmutt was the one who called Pahler and invited her into the woods, at the time of his arrest he blamed the other two for orchestrating the murder and recruiting him to carry it out.

This year, however, Delashmutt told the parole board he was the ringleader of the group.

I know that I am the most responsible for this crime. I had every opportunity to put a stop to it, and I didn't. I was involved in the planning from the beginning and I made this crime happen. Elyse Pahler was safe in her home that night when she received a phone call from me, Delashmutt said.

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The teens were influenced by death metal music  specifically by Slayer  to channel their anger at the world into physical violence, Casey told the parole board.

"That music, especially Slayer, was all about suicide, murder, sacrifice. So, I started learning a specific way to express those things," he said.

Pahler's family unsuccessfully sued Slayer and its record company for its lyrics in 2001, claiming they incited her murder, but lost on 1st Amendment grounds.

Read more: Uvalde school shooter was fueled by Instagram and 'Call of Duty,' L.A. lawsuit alleges

Casey was released from Valley State Prison in early August to transitional housing in Los Angeles County, his lawyer told The Times. "Our legal system is not based on emotion," his lawyer and prison advocate Charles Carbone said.

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Despite what was "one of the most notorious crimes committed in San Luis Obispo County," Carbone said, there has been an "enormous consensus" over the last few years among prison psychologists, the full parole board and the governor that Casey should go home.

Delashmutt, who was released in late July, didn't believe he had a future when he was a teen, said parole hearing lawyer Patrick Sparks.

"His background was about a lot of poor decisions," he said. "He started to change his life, and it gave him hope for the future again."

Both apologized.

"I want to acknowledge all of the pain and the trauma that I've caused," Delashmutt said. "It is impossible for me to understand the magnitude of the crime, the impact that it's had on the Pahler family."

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Casey said he remembered how David Pahler often brought a picture of his daughter to the hearing.

"Something that I remember hearing over time when Elyse's dad has come, is that she has a face. And I try to remember every day, whatever decision I'm making or whatever I do, that the ongoing impact of what I did is present all the time."

Fiorella, unlike the other two men, has yet to participate openly in a parole hearing, according to hearing transcripts from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He waived attendance for a 2019 hearing, and, according to the transcripts, was advised by his lawyer, Dennis Cusick, not to speak or answer questions in his most recent hearing in 2023.

Cusick declined to comment on whether his client would attend or participate in an upcoming parole hearing scheduled for next year.

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Court filings show Fiorella has long looked to overturn his conviction, arguing that a court-appointed defense attorney failed to give his due diligence prior to accepting the plea deal.

A complaint filed in the Central District of California in November 2023 argues that Fiorellas first trial lawyer, David Hurst, waived a fitness hearing after receiving a neuropsychologists report that Fiorella was developmentally disabled and had an IQ score of 68, indicating a mild intellectual disability.

Hurst said in a 2020 deposition that he felt that we would lose the fitness hearing and it would be a waste of time, despite knowing about the report and other circumstances of Fiorellas life, the complaint said.

Hurst was terminally ill at the time of his deposition, the complaint notes, and died by the end of the year before an evidentiary hearing.

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Fiorella scored at just above an eighth-grade level on a basic education test, according to a transcript of his 2023 parole hearing. He earned a GED more than two decades prior, in 2002, but the parole board noted a report from a doctor who alleged he could not pass it and paid someone to take it for him.

Cusick argued to the parole board that Fiorella is still developmentally disabled and is not the kind of person to take on a leadership role in anything. The habeas corpus complaint repeatedly characterized a teenage Fiorella as a shy, quiet child who was teased by peers for being "slow." It also challenged the idea that he orchestrated the murder, instead placing blame on Delashmutt.

Fiorellas complaint has gone through several levels of state and federal courts, with most agreeing that the challenge to his conviction was years past the statute of limitations. Courts also said it was questionable whether the forgone fitness hearing, as his trial lawyer suggested, would have resulted in any action.

The complaint was dismissed and then appealed in March to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That case is awaiting an opening brief due in November.

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Fiorella's federal public defender, Raj Shah, did not respond to requests for comment.

In his 2023 hearing, a representative of the San Luis Obispo County district attorney's office, Lisa Dunn, opposed Fiorella's release, arguing he had not done the work necessary to prove he was ready for parole.

"Mr. Fiorella, frankly, is a dangerous individual," Dunn said. "He's been dangerous since he was 15, and there's no evidence to support a finding that he's less dangerous now."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Two female caregivers and one woman were arrested after allegedly stealing from an 88-year-old woman with dementia for years, according to the Memphis Police Department.

Jennifer McLemore, 49, and Melissa Stewart, 49, are charged with theft of property of $60,000 to $250,000, financial exploitation of an elderly, vulnerable person, and identity theft.

Charges for Sally Dekoe Baggott, 71, have not been released yet.

Sally Dekoe Baggott (left) Jennifer McLemore (middle) Melissa Stewart (right) (SCSO)

On September 3, 2024, police say an employee working for the Memphis City Employee Credit Union stated she was concerned that a woman was being taken advantage of.

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In 2022, officers confirmed that the victim had signed over Baggott as her attorney to handle her financial affairs, and her caregivers were Stewart and McLemore.

From May 2023 to April 2024, Baggott wrote checks from the womans account and gave two to herself for $60 and $150, one to McLemore for $3,000, two to Stewart for $1,000 and $24,000, and one check to cash for $250, officers reported in the affidavit.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

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In May 2024, the victim signed over Stewart as her power of attorney, and from May to August 2024, Stewart and the victim wrote checks to Stewart and McLemore totaling $31,000, police say.

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And in July 2024, police said Stewart purchased a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek with the victims ID and check and claimed she was her granddaughter.

Investigators also found that the victims debit card was used to make purchases from Amazon, Temu, Memphis Grizzlies and Southern Security Federal Credit Union.

The woman lost a total of $91,454.24.

All three woman are expected to appear in court Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Thousands rally at the Minnesota State Capitol for the May Day Rally For Immigrant and Workers' Rights Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

On this Labor Day, as the Trump administration systematically attacks workers and undercuts labor rights, it is not enough for the labor movement to oppose what is happening.

While resistance is essential, we must also chart a path forward  one that clearly articulates what we stand for and the future we are building. A future where all workers  working people of all identities, backgrounds, education, abilities, size, expression and status  feel safety, security and solidarity from their union and labor movement.

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Local union members recently created an agenda called Our Shared Vision for Workers Rights and Economic Justice that is the result of listening to workers who understand firsthand what working people need to thrive.

Working people are clear on what a just economy looks like. With this agenda, we have concrete steps to achieve it. Our shared vision rejects the false choice between economic growth and worker rights, recognizing that strong workers and strong communities are the foundation of a strong economy.

The vision addresses urgent realities facing workers today. Despite increased productivity year after year, working people are not sharing in the fruits of their labor. Workers across essential services burn out at unprecedented rates due to understaffing. These are symptoms of an economic system that prioritizes short-term profits over human dignity.

We call on employers to support workers and labor rights

Our agenda calls on employers to take concrete action to support their employees. Even as the federal administration takes extreme steps to strip workers of their labor rights, employers have the ability and the obligation to respect workers right to organize without interference and to bargain in good faith. We are demanding employers honor workers right to picket without disciplinary action. When labor laws are stacked against workers, striking workers need to be able to access their collective power.

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We are demanding safe staffing ratios in essential institutions so workers do not have to choose between providing quality services and their own well-being. We are calling for workplaces free from immigration enforcement intimidation. We call on employers to provide workers with accessible comprehensive health care including gender-affirming care, expanded diversity and equity initiatives, and robust protection of organizing rights.

But we are not just asking  we are acting. The Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO is committed to mobilizing the labor movement to support efforts to bargain these provisions into union contracts.

Government policies should support economic justice

We are calling for a minimum wage that is actually a living wage  one that allows working people to support their families.

Americas crumbling infrastructure represents both crisis and opportunity, creating good-paying jobs that cant be outsourced while building reliable systems communities depend on. Our country needs massive investment in job-creating infrastructure programs that hire local union workers.

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We need caps limiting CEO pay to sensible multiples of median worker wages. When CEOs earn hundreds of times more than their workers, it reflects priorities that value shareholder profits over people who actually do the work and create value.

Our vision includes guaranteeing universal paid time off, providing unemployment insurance for striking workers, requiring prevailing wage and labor peace agreements on publicly funded projects, transitioning to a single-payer health care system, fully funding public education and protecting due process in immigration.

At a time when many people feel disconnected from politics, public leaders seeking labors support must demonstrate commitment to this comprehensive vision for economic and racial justice for all working people.

This vision represents more than policy proposals  it is a framework for building a society that values the humanity, dignity and contributions of all working people. While the current administration is attacking the foundations of worker rights, we refuse to only play defense. In this critical moment, we are stepping forward with a comprehensive vision that benefits not just union members, but all working families.

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We can create communities where families thrive and feel safe, where workers have power and voice and where prosperity is shared by all who contribute to our collective success.

This Labor Day, as we celebrate the contributions and dignity of working people, we offer more than recognition  we offer a path forward. This is our shared vision, this is our call to action, and this is our Labor Day commitment to building the future that we all deserve.
More than 800 people have been killed and over 2,500 wounded after a powerful earthquake hit the eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.

Due to its mountainous surroundings, Afghanistan is prone to tremors as it is located near the meeting point between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are a highly active seismic zone.

(Al Jazeera)

Here is a timeline of the deadliest earthquakes that have shaken the country over the past decade:

August 31, 2025

A magnitude 6 earthquake hit the countrys eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on Sunday (19:30 GMT on Sunday).

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At least 600 people were killed in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Mufti Abdul Mateen.

Rescue operations are still under way as the earthquake destroyed several villages, said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Health Ministry.





October, 2023

Three earthquakes rocked Herat province in October 2023, in one of the countrys deadliest natural disasters in years.

On October 7, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Afghanistans Herat province.

Three days later, on October 11, another magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the province, and on October 15, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake was recorded.

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According to the British Red Cross Society, at least 2,445 people were killed in these earthquakes.

March 21, 2023

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the northeastern province of Badakhshan, near the border with Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

At least 13 people were killed.

September 2022

Two earthquakes  magnitude 5.1 and magnitude 4.6  hit the neighbouring provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar in northeastern Afghanistan.

At least eight people were reported killed.

June 22, 2022

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistans provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost, and Nangarhar.

The disaster killed more than 1,000 people as several homes collapsed.

January 17, 2022

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 5.3 shallow earthquake struck in Qadis district of Badghis province in western Afghanistan.

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At least 26 people were killed.

October 26, 2015

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck near the Hindu Kush region in northeastern Afghanistan.

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 117 people were killed.

The IFRC reported, citing Pakistans National Disaster Management Authority, that 272 people were killed while tremors were felt in many other countries.
A small African nation currently imprisoning five immigrants deported from the United States reportedly asked the Trump administration for half a billion dollars to detain them.

The administration resumed a policy of deporting immigrant detainees to so-called third countries in July, starting with the tiny African nation of Eswatini. Eswatinis government at one point requested millions of dollars in exchange, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

Those documents also show that Eswatini was open to detaining 150 people from other nations for more than $10 million from the United States, the newspaper reported.

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Eswatini diplomats told The Independent in July that they were blindsided by the Trump administrations plan to send a group of men with criminal convictions to their country; they had only learned about the flights from social media.

Eswatini activists are challenging the countrys secretive agreement with the Trump administration to accept third-country deportees, which they argue is unconstitutional. The small African nation has reportedly sought $500 million in exchange. (REUTERS)

Eswatini officials said they plan to arrange for those detainees to be sent back to their countries of origin, while activists in the country are challenging what they say is an unconstitutional secret agreement with the Trump administration.

The Eswatini government said the men will be repatriated and the United Nations International Organization for Migration is working with the country to facilitate the transit of these inmates to their countries of origin.

Nearly two months later, those men remain imprisoned in Eswatini.

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Officials there had also asked whether the United States expected the deportees to be put on trial and sentenced by local officials once they arrived, according to The Times.

The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security, Eswatini officials and the UNs International Organization for Migration for comment.

One of those deported men, Orville Etoria, had completed a prison sentence in 2021 after he was convicted of murder in New York in 1996. He was deported to Eswatini in July, and he is reportedly locked up in Matsapha Correctional Complex despite not facing any new criminal charges.

The Jamaican citizen arrived in the United States on a green card in 1976 at age 12, but an immigration judge revoked his permissions while he was incarcerated. After he was released, he was allowed to legally live and work in the country on the condition that he complete regular check-in appointments with immigration authorities.

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The 62-year-old completed a bachelors degree while behind bars, then began working at a mens shelter and pursued a masters degree in divinity after his release, The Times reported.

Homeland Security officials labeled Etoria and the other men sent to Eswatini depraved monsters who are so uniquely barbaric that those countries wont accept them.

Jamaican officials rejected the administrations claim that the country is not cooperating.

The Government has not refused the return of any of our nationals to Jamaica, according to Jamaican foreign minister Kamina J Smith.

Jamaica will continue its engagements with the Trump administration to make arrangements to facilitate the individuals return to Jamaica, she wrote in July.

Orville Etoria and other men deported to Eswatini have been jailed for more than a month inside a prison complex where they are reportedly waiting to be sent to their home countries (AP)

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a land-locked nation of roughly 1.2 million people, bordered by South Africa on virtually all sides and by the southern tip of Mozambique to the east. Its government is the last absolute monarchy on the continent.

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The government has failed to investigate extrajudicial killings, journalists and dissidents face threats of arbitrary arrests and detentions, and detainees are subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International.

Trumps own State Department tells travelers to exercise increased caution in Eswatini due to crime and civil unrest.

Critics and civil rights attorneys have argued that the administration is unnecessarily putting immigrants at severe risk of abuse and violence by sending them to so-called third countries where they do not have citizenship, family or any other connections.

A June decision from the Supreme Court opened the door for government officials to send deportees to those countries, including places with poor human rights records and no due process.

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The Eswatini flight appeared to be the first successful third-country deportation after Immigration and Customs Enforcement told officials that migrants can be deported from the United States to countries other than their own with as little as six hours notice  or no notice at all.

Countries that provide diplomatic assurances that they wont face torture and abuse could be deported without any advance notice, according to the memo. If the State Department believes those assurances are credible, then ICE may deport someone to that country without the need for further procedures.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has held hundreds of immigrants at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and deported dozens of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a brutal maximum-security prison in El Salvador, which marked the administrations first arrangement of third-country removals.

After a weeks-long legal battle, the administration deported eight men to war-torn South Sudan in July, though only one of them is from that country.

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They remain incarcerated there while South Sudan officials negotiate efforts to send them to their home countries.

Rwanda and Uganda have also reached agreements with the Trump administration to receive deportees. At least seven deportees arrived in Rwanda last month, according of officials there.
"Returning home and beginning the school year, even in the shadow of war, is a source of pride," Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo said, "it is a testament to strength, steadfastness, and an unbreakable spirit.

"Dear children, you are the heroes of tomorrow, you are the future generation," Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo, head of the IDF's Northern Command, wrote in an open letter addressed to educational faculty, parents, and students in northern Israel as the new school year began on Monday.

Milo, along with Home Front Command (HFC) chief Maj.-Gen. Shai Kalper and senior officers of the Northern Command, will visit schools throughout the region to meet with students and teachers on Monday.

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"In my name, and in the name of every soldier in my command, we will continue to stand guard and ensure that the status quo is not disrupted. Returning home and beginning the school year, even in the shadow of war, is a source of pride. It is a testament to strength, steadfastness, and an unbreakable spirit," he continued.

Since October 7, the IDF's Northern Command has fought to return northern Israel to a safe and secure haven for its residents. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the IDF has aimed to thwart Hezbollah's attempts to disrupt the newly recovered peace.

Over 70% of residents have returned home to the north, and the new school year will open with nearly 90% of evacuated students returning to schools there.

IDF Northern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo's letter to residents of northern Israel, September 1, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

"Together we will rebuild the north," Milo wrote. "We will breathe life back into every town and continue to build our new, secure reality."

Preparing for returning civilians

HFC and Northern Command installed a total of 1,166 new bomb shelters in the region, including 308 in schools and near public transportation hubs.

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To prepare for the return of civilians to the north, the IDF's 91st and 210th Divisions conducted specialized situational assessments alongside the Israel Police and other local authorities to coordinate and bridge any potential gaps that may arise should the security situation deteriorate.

"Together, let us wish our children good luck with the new school year, and pray for the return of all the hostages," the letter concluded.

Notably, Milo served as HFC chief until August.
Hawaiis Isiah Kiner-Falefa has found his new home in the MLB.

The Former Mid-Pac High School star is set to return to Toronto after the Blue Jays claimed the infielder off of the MLB Waivers.

IKF was placed on the waivers late last week by the Pittsburgh Pirates which allowed for him to be picked up by a playoff team.

Kiner-Falefa played for the Blue Jays at the beginning of last season before being traded to the Pirates midway through the year.

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This season, IKF has tallied 106 hits on 401 at-bats with a ,264 Batting Average.

IKF played 83 games for Toronto last year and now with just a few weeks left in the regular season in 2025, He joins the Blue Jays who currently sits 1st in the AL East and 2nd in the entire AL Conference.

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Multiple investigations are underway after a Spanish tourist was filmed pouring beer into the trunk of a wild elephant in Kenya.

"Just a tusker with a tusked friend," the unnamed man captioned a clip of himself with the animal. The post was later deleted after the comments were flooded by outraged viewers.

In a separate clip, the man can be seen feeding two elephants carrots, saying, "We are on beer time."

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The incident occurred at the Ol Jogi Conservancy, according to the BBC. The conservancy is a privately owned wildlife sanctuary in the central county of Laikipia.

"This should never have happened. We're a conservation and we can't allow that to happen," a staffer told the outlet. "We don't even allow people to go near the elephants."

The conservancy was able to identify the tusked creature in the original video by one of its damaged tusks, revealing that his name is Bupa.

Bupa -- who is described as friendly -- was rescued from Zimbabwe in 1989. He is 45 years old.

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The man, who goes by Skydive_Kenya on social media, has various other clips of himself with wild animals, including one feeding carrots to a rhino at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

"He has also broken our rules because he was not supposed to touch the rhinos because they are not pets," a spokesperson from Ol Pejeta told the BBC.

This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
ESTANCIA, N.M. (KRQE)  After months of water issues, the town of Estancia has announced that it finally has access to its well again, with plans to replace the old well soon. Mayor Nathan Dial stated that the problems have been escalating due to increased water usage in the area, but he expressed optimism for the future.

I believe the town of Estancia is going to be able to maintain. I believe were going to get the new well, Dial said. The town has been struggling with water issues for years.

People dont realize, we have roughly 1,200 people in the town, and the prison can roughly hold 1,200 people. So, the prison, when the school aint running, uses the same amount of water as the town. Now, when the schools in session, we use more than them, said Dial.

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Estancia dealing with continued water well issues

He says the town has been working on securing a new well since 2017. This situation is complicated by the presence of a CoreCivic detention facility, which contributes to the towns water challenges but also is a large employer. He mentioned that funding for the well was pulled due to issues related to getting the facility operational and the pandemic.

In May, the towns water supply was dangerously low because they could not store enough water due to aging infrastructure. Earlier this month, the town was forced to shut off water to some tanks and close schools to conserve water. When we ran out of water this last, go around, what, three weeks ago, we literally depleted the tanks roughly an hour before we got the new pump started, Dial said.

A new appeal for funding from the state is currently underway. Were asking for basically $5 million, four and a half, with a $500,000 match. $2.5 million for the new well, and then $2.5 million to upgrade our current system to connect the new well to our old well system, Dial explained.

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Estancia man charged with trafficking meth

He also mentioned that one reason it has taken a long time to secure funding is due to current regulations that must be met prior to approval, which backs up the entire process. For the most part, the state wants to help, but sometimes their hands are tied by regulations that limit their ability to assist.

Once approved, it would take between six to 18 months to complete construction of the new well. Mayor Dial indicated that the funding could potentially be approved as soon as December.

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(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)



Nestled among Akihabaras many shops, cafes, arcades and electronic shops, youll find many curry and ramen restaurants to keep you well fed at cheap prices.

I like curry, especially when its spicy, so I knew that the lively district would have many great options for lunch.

For a quick meal during a recent visit to the area, we dropped by Ethiopian Curry Kitchen, a popular curry spot in Tokyo. The eatery is inside the Atre 1 department store next to JR Akihabara Station.

Although we arrived before noon, there was already a line of people waiting to get their own delicious curry lunch. To make the wait more efficient, a staff member was taking orders ahead so that our food would be ready the second our seat opened.

Despite its name, Ethiopian Curry Kitchen offers a variety of Indian-style curries. We chose a lunch set made up of a curry of your choice, rice, boiled potato and a mango pudding for dessert.

When I ordered a chicken curry lunch set for 920 yen ($6), the staff member asked me how hot I would like it. Make it very hot, please, I answered. The server explained that the levels of spice range from 0 (mild) to 70 (extremely spicy). She said the most common choice is level 3 and regulars start to gradually increase until they reach 50 or higher spice levels. With that vast range, I opted to stick to the level 3 spice.

After a 10-minute wait, we were invited into the cozy, small interior. And without a moment to spare, our meals were served up hot.

The plate of curry and rice was larger than I expected. The smooth curry with large chunks of chicken, bell peppers and beans was served over a large portion of rice. I was curious about what surprise the level 3 curry might have for me, but after the first spoonful I realized it was spicy, but not enough to overpower the spices and richness of the sauce.

The curry had a wonderfully smooth, silken-like texture and complicated full-bodied flavor. Four large chunks of roasted chicken in the curry had a tender yet meaty texture. It practically melted in my mouth. The well-boiled potato was also a great side that allowed my tastebuds a rest from the very spicy curry broth.

According to our server, Ethiopian Curry Kitchen has not changed their recipe since opening in 1988. The flavor and great prices keep customers returning for more.

To wrap up this flavorful meal, the mango pudding was a sweet way to cut through the spicy richness of the curry. But next time, Im going to ask for a level 20 curry!

If you are in search of a nice lunch restaurant while youre in Akihabara, consider Ethiopian Curry Kitchen. If you have a flare for spicy food, put the heat on your taste buds by ordering the curry at a level of 50 or more!

Ethiopian Curry Kitchen Atre Akihabara 1

Location: 1-17-6 [1F] Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Hours: 8 a.m.  10:30 p.m.

URL

Tel: 03-5289-3821

Note: Besides the shop in Akihabara, Ethiopian Curry Kitchen has three more shops in Jinbocho, Ochanomizu and Takadanobaba in Tokyo. See webpage for more information.
On Oct. 26, 1942, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier the USS Hornet was sunk during pitched fighting in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Strapped to the deck of the carrier was a farming tractor, converted to help move planes around the ship.

83 years later and a British tractor enthusiast is trying to organize an expedition to raise that tractor. Not the carrier, the tractor.

Tobias Wedgwood, who restores old tractors with his son and runs a YouTube channel Father and Son Tractors, learned about the surprisingly well preserved International Harvester A14 Shop Mule while reading a scientific journal. He said he felt bad for it, and threw out the idea of recovering it from the waters. The BBC first reported on Wedgwoods effort, which was picked up by the U.S. Naval Institute. As he laid out in updates to his YouTube channel, what started out as a novel idea gained steam and built up into an actual endeavor as marine biologists and archaeologists joined in for a chance to study underwater life miles under the surface. He hopes that funding can come together to secure an expedition in 2026.

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We dont know what is going on at these depths, have very limited knowledge, weve got a team of marine biologists on board, he told the BBC last week. We know in shallower waters that wrecks will act as incredible artificial reefs but we dont really know whats going on at these sort of extreme depths.

There are some big challenges. For one, the expedition will cost roughly $13 million, according to estimates. The other issue is that the tractor is still U.S. Navy property and the law blocks almost all disturbances of sunken military vessels, barring limited exceptions for scientific research purposes. This expedition will need that permit.

The International Harvester tractor in question was taken from a farm and modified by the U.S. military to help move aircraft around the deck of an aircraft carrier. It is currently chained to the deck of the USS Hornet. The wreck, lost for seven decades, was found 17,500 feet underwater in January 2019. The research vessel Petrel found it, on an expedition organized by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Underwater robotic vehicles searched the sea floor, eventually locating and identifying the sunken vessel as the famous aircraft carrier.

The USS Hornet was one of three Yorktown-class aircraft carriers built by the Navy ahead of World War II. It was commissioned in October 1941. Along with its sister ships the USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise, it saw intense action in the early days of the war.

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The carrier was in the Atlantic when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. It was moved into the Pacific Ocean and The USS Hornets most famous mission was serving as the launching ground for the Doolittle Raid. In April 1942, 16 B-25B bombers took off from the carrier under the command of then-Lt. Col. James Doolittle, carrying out the first American bombing of the Japanese home islands. Soon after, the carrier took part in the Battle of Midway, one of the most pivotal battles in the Pacific theater. The USS Hornet then took part in the Solomon Islands campaign, supporting American forces involved in fighting on Guadalcanal. On Oct. 26, 1942, the carrier took part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

As the American and Japanese navies squared off, the Hornets aircraft heavily damaged the Japanese carrier Shokaku. However, Japanese bombers quickly hit the USS Hornet several times. Two damaged Aichi D3A Val dive bombers crashed into the carrier as well. In a matter of minutes the ship lost power and was dead in the water. Efforts to restore power and tow it away failed and eventually the order was given to abandon ship. The U.S. Navy tried to scuttle the Hornet but failed. Japanese forces continued to attack, eventually sinking the carrier after several hits. 140 crew members died in the fight. The USS Hornet was the last American carrier sunk in the war.

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Of the three Yorktown-class carriers built, only the USS Enterprise would survive the war, becoming the most decorated American ship of World War II. Images taken of the wreck in 2019 captured show several items, including anti-aircraft guns and the sought after tractor, looking surprisingly intact despite the years and depths. The USS Hornet was one of several World War II wrecks found in the last decade as deep sea vessels were able to map out the waters around battlefields.

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Under customary maritime rules, shipwrecks and their items still count as the property of their home nation. The Sunken Military Craft Act, passed in 2004, prohibits unauthorized disturbances of sunken military vessels. It also established a permitting process for the Navy to allow limited disturbances, mainly for scientific research purposes.

We know very little about life at 17,000 feet, Wedgwood said in one of his videos. So if the expedition goes forward, the team would have to rely on remote controlled robotic vessels that can handle the depths to study the life thats built up around the Hornet. As for the tractor, the proposed expedition would see the chains cut off to minimally disturb the wreck, then pulling the converted farm tool to the surface, where it could then be hoisted out of the water.

It has a huge sort of historical relevance and it would be great for a sort of educational piece, Wedgwood told the BBC.
A fatal motorcycle crash in Berlin on Sunday night claimed the life of a 23-year-old man, the Berlin Police Department announced.

The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of West Street and Randall Road. The preliminary investigation revealed the motorcycle lost control and struck a home. No occupants of the home were injured.

The 23-year-old motorcycle operator, who police said is from a neighboring town, died from his injuries on scene despite lifesaving efforts by Berlin Fire and EMS.

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Berlin Police Chief Eric Schartner said the man will be publicly identified once next of kin are notified. The crash remains under investigation.

Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the victim during this difficult time, Schartner said. It truly is a tragic event and a life taken too soon is heartbreaking for his loved ones as well as the first responders on scene.

The latest from MassLive

Read the original article on MassLive.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Travelers coming from, to and going through Connecticut are already busy beating the rush ahead of Labor Day Monday.

At Union Station in New Haven, some riders say the crowds have been relatively calm for the busy holiday weekend.

School starts Tuesday so I dont wanna be home too late, Victor Ciesiun said.

Taking a trip to visit friends taking classes at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus, he says he had no choice but to take the train back to Philadelphia after a car accident; but hes not complaining yet.

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[New Haven Union Station] is like more organized than Philadelphia cause I take the train to Philadelphia sometimes and thats just terrible, Ciesiun said.

Some clouds for Labor Day

With limited delays on train arrivals in New Haven as of Sunday afternoon, some say it has been smooth sailing both leaving and entering Connecticut.

The sad part is that its kind of the unofficial end of summer! rider Bretta Buckingham said, heading back to New York after the weekend. Control what you can control [and] pack your patience!

With TSA predicting this weekend as one of the busiest for air travel in 15 years, some are opting for an end of summer road trip.

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Thanks to light traffic, Stephen Pincetich says he cut his travel time down going through Providence, Rhode Island from New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Oh man Ive got like 12 hours to go.. actually probably more than that probably but, Pincetich said, but this time it was half an hour so, lucky break! What can I say.

The average gas price in the state of Connecticut for the weekend is $3.13 according to AAA.

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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  San Diego International Airport is preparing for a post-holiday rush, with Monday expected to be its busiest day.

On Sunday evening, the airport wasnt too busy, but an airport spokesperson said it will be a different story come Monday. Some travelers left Sunday night to get ahead of the crowds.

As the holiday weekend came to a close, travelers like Yadira De La Rosa headed out early to avoid Mondays traffic.

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I have to go to San Jose and see my mom, and Im very happy.

De La Rosa was one of many trying to avoid crowded terminals and busy roads.

I want to avoid the traffic and all the vacations and everything. I really have to be in San Jose today. Look at this, its beautiful. Its empty. This is the perfect day to travel, she said.

Even returning travelers like Xavier Bamberger are planning ahead.

Tomorrow, I feel like a lot of people, its kind of busy, but people are going to get that extra day to come in.

Bamberger just proposed to his fiance in Hawaii and said they wanted a smooth trip back home.

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San Diego International Airport expects about 75,000 travelers Monday, making it the busiest day of the holiday weekend.

A spokesperson for the airport said about 300,000 travelers traveled through the airport over the holiday weekend.

For sure, less traffic, fewer people, smaller crowds, and you get the extra day at home, another traveler added.

Those traveling by car should also prepare to hit pockets of traffic. AAA advises drivers to hit the road before noon to avoid traffic.

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Previous coverage in video player above.

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of 15-year-old Heaven Washington is set for trial soon.

The Harrison Township teen was killed in a shootout between a driver from her group home and another party. Washington had been in the vehicle on the way to an ATM for a field trip when the shooting occurred in 2023.

A jury trial is set for Oct. 12, 2026.

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The lawsuit claims Reflections Group Home LLC may have missed or overlooked their workers criminal history, which put Washington in harms way.

Several people were arrested and charged in connection to Washingtons death.

One of the group home workers that was in the car with Washington pleaded guilty to endangering children. Baretta Byrdsong will spend 30 months in jail on that charge, with credit for other a year behind bars already.

Another suspect not related to the group home, Tommy Moreland, is serving 37 to 46.5 years to life in prison for his role in the fatal shooting. Police say Moreland had an ongoing feud with Byrdsong which led to the shooting.

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Lettuce growing alongside a Solar panel array. (Photo courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Lab.)

This story was originally published by Canary Media.

For years, anti-renewable-energy advocates have opposed solar and wind projects on the grounds that they take up too much land. Now those talking points, popularized by groups linked to the fossil-fuel industry, have made their way into a sweeping new directive from the Trump administration.

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On Aug. 1, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum mandated that federal leasing decisions factor in capacity density for solar and wind projects.

His order defines capacity density as the amount of electricity a proposed facility is expected to produce, as a share of the maximum nameplate amount, divided by the sites total acres. An appendix to the order shows that nuclear and combined-cycle gas plants rank highest on this measure, while renewables come in last.

The Interior Department will now have to consider the density measure in environmental reviews. With that in mind, the order questions whether the law allows any federal land use for wind and solar projects, given these projects encumbrance on other land uses, as well as their disproportionate land use.

Only a small portion of solar and wind projects are located on areas owned and managed by the U.S. government, but there is vast potential for development. A January 2025 report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that 1,300 gigawatts of solar and 60 GW of onshore wind could be cost-effectively built on public lands, and that significant deployment in those spaces would be needed to meet grid-decarbonization goals.

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Its unclear whether the order might also block some projects on private property if they require reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The directive is yet another example of the Trump administrations push to slow the development of solar and wind, which together with batteries will account for more than 90% of new utility-scale energy-capacity additions this year. But more broadly, it illustrates how the administration is elevating fossil-fuel-backed misinformation about land use into federal energy policy.

This is the latest sign that the Trump administration is really just relying on political talking points to push back on renewable energy that have little or no basis in fact, said Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group that focuses on the fossil-fuel and utility industries.

The density debate

Before capacity density became a factor in federal leasing decisions, anti-renewable-energy groups were using the argument to build local opposition to utility-scale clean-power projects across the country.

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The battle over a now-approved solar project in central Ohio provides a case in point.

In November 2023, a group called Knox Smart Development held a town-hall meeting to stoke opposition to the proposed 120-megawatt Frasier agrivoltaics project.

Canary Media (then the Energy News Network) confirmed last year that one of the main funders of the group was Tom Rastin, former vice president of Ariel Corp., which makes compressors for the oil and gas industry. Rastin and his wife, Karen Buchwald Wright, who is the companys board chair, also play large roles in The Empowerment Alliance, a pro-natural-gas group.

Steve Goreham, a policy advisor to conservative think tank The Heartland Institute, was one of the speakers at the 2023 event.

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In addition to denying that climate change requires a shift away from fossil fuels, Goreham told people at the Knox County meeting that solar farms require much more land than nuclear, gas, and coal-fired power plants. He also focused on power density in a 2023 opinion piece for the conservative-leaning Western Journal, warning that environmental devastation will result from policies that aim to accomplish net-zero carbon emissions. Goreham repeated this land-use argument in a Real Clear Energy post in March.

A Heartland Institute policy brief released this spring also relied on information about the land areas needed for solar and wind energy to conclude that large-scale electricity production from those sources requires substantial ecological damage and impact. The institutes funders have included Exxon Mobil, coal-mining company Murray Energy (now American Consolidated Natural Resources), and foundations supported by the Koch brothers.

Another speaker at Knox Smart Developments town hall, a lobbyist named Mitch Given, had previously represented The Empowerment Alliance in a 2023 presentation to the Ohio legislatures Business First Caucus. His slides on the nonsense of turning corn fields into solar fields compared 6,050 acres for an Ohio solar project to just 5 acres for a similar-sized combined-cycle gas power plant.

A 2024 rally against the Frasier agrivoltaics project then brought in Robert Bryce, a former Manhattan Institute fellow who spent an entire chapter of his 2010 book arguing that wind and solar energy are not green because of their land use and power density. The argument is also featured in an anti-solar video he released this month.

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The Manhattan Institute has received funding from fossil-fuel interests, such as Exxon Mobil and organizations linked to the Koch brothers. The Checks and Balances Project, a pro-clean-energy watchdog group, has criticized Bryce multiple times for failing to disclose those links. Bryce did not respond to Canary Medias request for comment for this story.

Everybody needs to come to this debate with a full picture of who theyre talking to and why theyre saying what theyre saying, said Ray Locker, executive director for the Checks and Balances Project. Companies in the fossil-fuel industry have a vested interest in preserving their business, so when they present renewable energy as somehow dirty, then that furthers their interest.

This months Interior Department order is not the only recent federal attack on clean energy based on the land-use argument. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that the agencys longstanding Rural Energy for America Program would no longer fund large solar projects on prime farmland, a major shift for a program whose main use case has been helping farmers install solar energy.

An absurd metric

Burgums order to the Department of the Interior is really implementing an ideological agenda, said Brendan Pierpont, director of electricity modeling at think tank Energy Innovation. In his view, the mandates definition of capacity density is an absurd metric, with multiple flaws.

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Among other things, the capacity-density measurement does not capture the full picture of what it takes to produce electricity from a fossil-fueled or nuclear power plant.

The metric focuses only on the step where electricity is generated. A full life-cycle analysis would consider all stages for producing equipment, obtaining and transporting fuel, and dealing with waste. The Interior Departments recent order is entirely designed to make these [renewable] resources they dont like look bad, Pierpont said.

The definition of capacity density also fails to account for the fact that renewable projects can coexist with other activities, such as livestock grazing or farming certain crops, noted Matthias Fripp, global policy research director at Energy Innovation.

Additionally, land used for solar or wind energy can produce electricity for decades, he said, unlike fossil fuels, where the industry must keep finding new land for resource extraction. Researchers made a similar point in a 2016 study in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, which found the land requirements for coal-fired electricity could equal or exceed those for renewable energy within two to 31 years.

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Anderson at the Energy and Policy Institute called the rationale for the Interior Departments order a red-herring argument to focus on just one of the impacts of different energy sources.

Nowhere does the order address environmental and health concerns about mining for coal or uranium, drilling for oil and gas, or transporting and burning those fuels. Waste disposal, particularly for coal and nuclear plants, also poses a challenge.

Renewables are obviously leaps and bounds ahead of fossil fuels in terms of their net benefits, Anderson said.

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Sun shines through the canopy in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. (Photo by Brian Logan/U.S. Forest Service)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service, announced Wednesday that it is moving ahead with plans to rescind a rule that has restricted logging and construction on millions of acres of federal lands in the American West for more than two decades.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a written statement that the agency intends to open public comments Friday on its proposal to end the so-called Roadless Rule, an act that will affect as much as 45 million acres of federal land as well as millions of Americans who live near it.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, joined by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, left, and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, answered questions from reporters after a roundtable at Becks Hybrids in Colfax, Iowa, on March 31, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Opening a public comment period is the first step in repealing the rule. According to Rollins statement, members of the public will have until Sept. 19 to offer their opinions on the repeal, a timeframe that opponents of the plan denounced as inadequate.

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Roads are a key prerequisite for large-scale logging and mining projects, and the rule  enacted in 2001 at the end of the Clinton administration  has limited the number of development projects on Forest Service land.

Rollins announcement was expected. She had announced the Trump administrations intent at a conference of western governors in June. The first Trump administration also attempted to eliminate the Roadless Rule, but that move was halted by lawsuits, and the Biden administration dropped the effort.

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Environmental groups say rules rollback will harm conservation efforts

In Wednesdays announcement, Rollins said rescinding the roadless rule would allow local land managers to make decisions on development and logging.

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It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management, she said.

Tree thinning could also reduce wildfire risks, she suggested.

Environmental groups, already prepared for Rollins announcement, were quick to denounce it as harmful and out of touch.

Americas national forests give us clean air, water, wildlife, and the freedom for all to enjoy the outdoors, said Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society, in a prepared statement, but now they are the latest target in this administrations unpopular push to give away our lands to drill, mine, and log. Gutting the Roadless Rule  which has protected our forests for 25 years  would be the single largest rollback of conservation protections in our nations history.

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The Roadless Rule has been the subject of lawsuits for decades, and forests in Colorado and Idaho have already been exempted from it under state-specific guidelines.

How would Alaska be affected?

Ninety-six percent of the Forest Services inventoried roadless areas are located in 12 Western states, and no state is more affected than Alaska, which has almost a third of the 45 million acres affected by the pending change.

Alaska is home to the Tongass National Forest, a West Virginia-sized stretch of islands and waterways in the Southeast Alaska panhandle that make up the largest surviving temperate rainforest in the world.

Until the 1980s, the area was also home to a vast logging program and pulp wood mills that employed thousands of people.

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Across Southeast Alaska, we see the irreparable damage from so many decades of unsustainable clear-cut logging in the scarred landscapes and decimated fish and wildlife habitats  we cannot and will not go back to that, and we know thats what public comment will show once again, said Maggie Rabb, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, in a statement released Wednesday.

Some Alaska Native tribes in the region support keeping the rule in place, as do some tourism businesses.

Rescinding the Roadless Rule will devastate our community just as we are beginning to heal from clear-cut logging of the past. Its clear the people making these decisions in Washington, D.C., dont care about how it will harm those of us who live here and have lived here for thousands of years, said President Joel Jackson of the Organized Village of Kake, which has repeatedly intervened in lawsuits seeking to defend the rule.

We are the people of the forest and salmon people  our lives and our voices should count  this process makes it clear they wont, Jackson said.

Industry leaders, Republicans support repeal of Roadless Rule

Repealing the Roadless Rule also has powerful support in the region. Local electric utilities have advocated a repeal in order to ease the construction of clean hydroelectric power plants. The Alaska Forest Association, representing the logging industry, supports it, as do mining proponents.

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Ten members of the U.S. Houses Committee on Natural Resources were in Anchorage on Wednesday as part of a weeklong tour of the state.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, said he believes the Roadless Rule has really handicapped us in a number of areas, including in firefighting.

In July, a wildfire swept through parts of Grand Canyon National Park, destroying a historic lodge and dozens of other structures.

Gosar said he believes the federal government needs to take a new approach on federal land in order to thin trees and reduce wildfire risks.

In Utah, which has 4 million acres of inventoried roadless land, Republican U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy said she frequently hears from constituents upset about restrictions on the public use of federal land and supports the repeal.

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One of the complaints my constituents have frequently is that the federal government manages a lot of our resources but isnt always great at listening to the people who live among the resources.  This Roadless Rule decision is a direct result of complaints from people who live with the Roadless Rule and the unintended consequences its having on economies and on resources, she said.

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U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle is a Democrat from Oregon also traveling with the committee. Her state has almost 2 million acres of inventoried roadless area, much of it in her district, but she said she would like to see a more balanced approach than the one being offered by the Trump administration.

We have to protect our federal lands. We have to make sure that the public has access to our public land, and we have to make sure that we arent just wholesale taking out the protections that we worked really, really hard for, because we owe it to the people of this country to protect those lands that truly are theirs, she said.

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U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California, is the top Democratic member of the resources committee, and wasnt on the trip to Alaska.

In an emailed statement, he said Rollins is steamrolling ahead with Trumps plan to deliver Americas last wild forests to corporate polluters.

Democrats will fight this reckless scheme and stand with Tribes, hunters, anglers, and families who rely on these forests  not corporations looking to cash in, he said.

Alaska Beacon, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com.

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Just one minute before the White House distributed via email a new executive order further dismantling collective bargaining protections for U.S. federal workers, President Donald Trumps Department of Labor made another, somewhat surprising announcement.

The DOL in a Thursday press release sent at 4:01 p.m. announced it would be investigating whether workers at a slaughterhouse and meat distribution plant in Mexico are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining under a trade agreement labor provision. By 4:02 p.m., another administration email came: The White House was sharing Trumps just-signed executive order adding six more agencies to the list of federal departments whose workers were being forced to terminate their unions.

When Trump in his first term sent the NAFTA-replacing U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA, to Congress, the administration got bipartisan support only after it agreed to include a labor provision pushed by House Democrats that lets the DOL investigate labor violations and enforce collective bargaining rights established under Mexican law. Members of Congress cast the provision as solving two problems at once: it helps address the humanitarian issue of workers rights and its a way to equalize trade between Mexico and the U.S. by decreasing Mexicos competitive advantage of cheap labor.

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The second Trump administration has continued to enforce that provision  a fact that comes with a healthy dose of irony for anyone who has followed Trumps attacks on organized labor in the U.S. during his second term.

The Thursday executive order targeted six agencies, including the National Weather Service and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, ordering them to end union representation for their employees. The administration had previously moved to end collective bargaining for nearly 400,000 civil servants, more than 2.6% of all unionized workers in the U.S.

This latest executive order is another clear example of retaliation against federal employee union members who have bravely stood up against his anti-worker, anti-American plan to dismantle the federal government, AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement on Thursday.

Its not just the federal workforce. Nine months into his second presidency, Trump has hammered away at domestic labor protections. The president has hobbled the National Labor Relations Board, responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, when he fired Gwynne Wilcox, a Democratic board member and the first Black woman to serve in the role. (A federal judge ruled Wilcoxs firing illegal but the Supreme Court issued a stay pending a decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.) Trump rolled back an anti-discrimination order for federal government contractors, and tried to gut civil rights enforcement through layoffs at the DOL. And his administration has proposed exempting many home health care workers from minimum wage requirements and eliminating overtime pay for many live-in domestic workers.

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I think contradictory approach is a good way to put it, said Josh Boxerman, government affairs manager at the National Employment Law Project. Theres a lot of bluster coming from [Trump] about how much he cares about workers, but when you actually look at the actions of his administration, its exactly the opposite.

The White House referred TPM questions for this article to the DOL, which did not respond to TPM requests for comment.

The Trump administrations leverage of democratic power

The U.S. can look into allegations of a denial of rights in Mexico thanks to a USMCA labor provision called the Rapid Response Mechanism, or RRM. Basically, the provision allows individuals and organizations in Mexico to issue a complaint if they believe a facility is violating workers collective bargaining rights. If the U.S. takes up the complaint, a division of the DOL launches a facility-specific investigation, determines whether it violated relevant labor laws, and gives Mexico time to respond before escalating and taking further steps. Since 2021, more than 30 RRMs have been initiated. The largest proportion have been invoked in the auto manufacturing industry, including at facilities operated by U.S.-based firms like General Motors.

While the DOL called its most recent RRM invocation part of ongoing efforts by the Trump Administration to ensure our trade partners play by the rules, the mechanism exists because of Democrats, Kathleen Claussen, a Georgetown University research professor and professor of law, pointed out in an interview.

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The USMCA was a Trump I achievement, but this topic and the RRM itself only came into the conversation when Democrats took the House, Claussen said. You see this resurgence of Democratic power that pushed these things over the finish line.

When the USMCA was being negotiated in 2019, House Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, urging the administration to strengthen labor requirements and the trade agreements dispute settlement mechanism.

The provision was passed by a bipartisan coalition at the time. And the Trump administration, for its part, has continued to rely on the RRM as part of its broader trade policies.

You could imagine that they would say, You know what? We dont care about labor. Lets wrap this stuff up and put our attention into tariffs, Claussen said. But they didnt.

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Rep. John B. Larson (D-CT) was one of the lawmakers who signed on to that letter and was involved in USMCA negotiations.

President Trump doesnt actually care about workers, he said in an email to TPM. Hes consistently attacked labor here at home, including trying to end collective bargaining rights for federal employees across the government.

In 2019, the UAW was encouraged to see an emphasis on labor in the trade agreement, said Jason Wade, top advisor to the president of the United Auto Workers and an expert on the USMCA. But to him, Trumps landmark trade deal doesnt go far enough.

We didnt think on a whole the USMCA was going to materially change trade between the two countries, and disappointingly we were correct, he told TPM.

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Further complicating labor law enforcement is the Trump administrations slashing of the federal workforce. While highlighting labor rights enforcement in Mexico, the administration put more stress on already deficient DOL sectors charged with enforcing the trade agreement.

Trump essentially shutdown the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, said Larson, potentially allowing American jobs to be outsourced to countries that use exploitative practices like forced and child labor to gain an unfair advantage.

The slashing of funds for international labor initiatives mirrors the way Trump and his allies have defunded the NLRB, responsible for administering workers rights domestically, Wade said.

In implementation, we do have stronger labor laws [than Mexico], said Wade, but, disappointingly, theyre becoming closer and closer everyday, and not in a good way.
Despite promises made while campaigning in 2024, as president Donald Trump's policies and actions have hurt unions and blue collar workers, says professor Jake Rosenfeld. Trump is shown answering questions from autoworkers on Sept. 27, 2024 in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Kyle Davidson/ Michigan Advance)

During the 2024 election campaign, the Republican Partys historically fraught relationship with organized labor appeared to be changing. Several influential Republicans reached out to unions, seeking to cement the loyalties of the growing ranks of working-class Americans who have been backing Donald Trumps presidential runs and voting for other members of his party.

During Trumps first bid for the White house, the percentage of votes in households where at least one person belongs to a union fell to its lowest level in decades. In 2021, Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator at the time, wrote a USA Today op-ed supporting a unionization drive at an Amazon facility. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, walked a United Auto Workers picket line in 2023 in solidarity with striking workers.

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As the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, Trump spotlighted International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean OBrien with a prominent speaking slot at the Republican National Convention  rewarding the union for staying neutral in that campaign after endorsing Joe Biden four years earlier.

Yet OBrien shocked many in the convention crowd by lambasting longtime GOP coalition partners such as the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable for hurting American workers.

Once in office, Trump continued to signal some degree of solidarity with the blue-collar voters who backed him. He chose former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Teamsters ally, to be his second-term labor secretary.

Im a sociologist who has been researching the U.S. labor movement for over two decades. Given conservatives long-standing antipathy toward unions, I was curious whether the GOPs greater engagement with labor portended any kind of change in its policies.

Fumbled at the starting line

The GOPs various outreach efforts during the 2024 campaign led University of Chicago law professor Eric Posner, a scholar of declining labor power, to write, Is a pro-labor Republican Party possible?

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More than six months into Trumps second term, I would say that based on the evidence thus far the answer to Posners question is a resounding no.

In late March 2025, Trump issued an executive order stripping hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Overnight, twice as many federal employees lost their union protections as there are members of the United Auto Workers union, making the action the largest and most aggressive single act of union-busting in U.S. history, according to Georgetown University labor historian Joseph McCartin.

While affected unions have challenged that action and similar subsequent ones in court, the Trump administration is moving onto other agencies. In August, over 400,000 federal employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Environmental Protection Agency saw their union contracts terminated and their collective bargaining rights dissolved.

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Everett Kelley, the American Federation of Government Employees president, described the attacks on federal workers as a setback for fundamental rights in America.

Tariffs, other policies arent helping

The Trump administration has pitched its erratic tariff policies as a boon to U.S.manufacturing, including in the automotive industry, once the foundation of the U.S. labor movement.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, shown with workers picketing a Ford-owned assembly plant in Michigan in September 2023, has criticized the Trump administrations trade policy. (Photo by Anna Liz Nichols/Michigan Advance)

In reality, U.S. car producers are struggling to keep up with rising tariff-related costs of raw materials and parts. The number of factory jobs has fallen to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, a supporter of targeted tariffs to buttress the domestic auto industry, criticized the administrations trade policy in April 2025, saying, We do not support reckless tariffs on all countries at crazy rates.

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Other administration actions cast as relief for struggling workers are unlikely to deliver as advertised. The no tax on tips provision in Trumps huge tax-and-spending package excludes the nearly 40% of tipped workers whose earnings fall below the federal income tax threshold. Tipped workers make up a tiny share of the low-wage workforce.

Culinary Workers Local 226, a powerful Nevada union representing many tipped workers in Las Vegas and Reno, supported the provision. Yet it blasted the overall package, calling it a big, horrible bill for its windfalls to the rich instead of the working class.

Removing the watchdogs

The National Labor Relations Board is responsible for ensuring management and labor adhere to provisions of the National Labor Relations Act. Passed in 1935, that law established workers fundamental rights to collective bargaining. The board is responsible for conducting union elections, investigating allegations of unfair labor practices and outright abuses by employers, and enforcing court orders when employers or unions are found to have broken labor laws.

Presidents regularly use vacancies to tilt the ideological balance of the board to a more or less labor-friendly position. Trump, however, went further.

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Soon after he was sworn in for a second term, Trump fired the National Labor Relations Boards general counsel along with board member Gwynne Wilcox, who was only halfway through her five-year term. Wilcoxs dismissal was unprecedented and violated the National Labor Relations Act provision on board personnel changes.

Wilcoxs removal left the body without a quorum, preventing it from responding to appeals or requests for review and allowing employers accused of violating workers rights to delay any settlement. The Trump administration has left those important NLRB jobs vacant for months, although it has nominated two management-friendly replacements, both of whom awaited Senate approval in mid-August.

In the meantime, the agency is unable to hear labor disputes.

Disempowering the NLRB is a long-standing Republican tactic, suggesting more continuity with past GOP attacks on labor than a new era of partnership.

Hawley standing out

To be sure, Republicans dont all agree with one another on the importance of supporting workers and labor rights. One who has stood out so far is Hawley. The relatively pro-labor Republican senators stance led him to partner with Sen. Corey Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, to co-sponsor the Faster Labor Contracts Act.

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This new bill would force employers to negotiate a contract in a reasonable time frame with employees once they have voted in favor of forming a union.

Hawley also joined with Democrats to reintroduce a bill that would ban dangerous work speed requirements in warehouses. Hawley said, when summarizing his efforts on behalf of working people, Its time we deliver for them.

The Missouri senator is not completely alone. Sens. Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Roger Marshall of Kansas, both Republicans, have backed some labor-friendly legislation in the spring and summer of this year.

GOP leaders in Congress are not moving those bills forward so far, likely in part due to pushback from Republicans and their allies outside Congress.

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And there are limits to Hawleys labor friendliness. He voted for Trumps tax-and-spending package, despite publicly airing his misgivings about the harm it may cause his blue-collar constituents.

Meanwhile, his past partners in the more labor-friendly wing of the GOP now occupy prominent administration posts. Yet they have largely fallen silent on union issues  except, in Rubios case, to oversee the firing of well over 1,000 State Department employees, many of them members of the American Foreign Service Association union.

Trump labor approach echoes Reagans style

Another GOP presidential administration courted segments of the labor movement to divide a key Democratic constituency, only to take actions that weakened unions.

In 1980, for example, Ronald Reagan sought and won the endorsement of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. A year later, he fired 13,000 striking members of that union.

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The Teamsters union also backed Reagan  twice. It endorsed him in 1980 after he pledged during the 1980 campaign not to pursue anti-labor policies. Although he broke his promise, personal outreach from Vice President George H.W. Bush in the lead-up to the 1984 election earned him the Teamsters endorsement a second time.

What seems clear in my view is that whenever the GOP has tried to cast itself as a labor-friendly political party, it has emphasized symbolism over substance, favoring using rhetoric embracing workers who belong to unions versus taking actions to strengthen labor rights.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Hannah McDaniel has a stack of paperwork she urgently needs to fill out so that her 2-year-old son, Myles, can continue to receive life-saving treatment for an incurable heart defect under Medicaid.

Its a full-time job in itself, but the 28-year-old Louisiana mom also has to juggle caring for Myles, which entails making regular five-hour trips to the childrens hospital in New Orleans, her 10-year-old stepson, working 40 hours a week, and taking on additional cleaning and yard work to support her young family.

It's all day, every day, all the time, and it is exhausting when you already have this mental load, Hannah said, referring to her worries over her son, who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

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In early July, Republicans passed President Donald Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill, bringing with it sweeping changes to Medicaid. Over the next decade, the bill is projected to cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending.

The day the bill was passed, Hannah said she felt as though the government had signed Myles death warrant.

Hannah McDaniels son Myles was born with an incurable heart defect. The mom will regularly make the five-hour journey from her rural Louisiana hometown to New Orleans so Myles can receive treatment under Medicaid. (Hannah McDaniel)

Myles has already undergone two open-heart surgeries the first at just 4-days-old and the second at 5-months-old and he will require a third once he is strong enough. It wont cure him, but it will increase his chances of leading a relatively normal life.

If we make one wrong decision as the parents of a critically ill child, that could be the end of it, Hannah said somberly, referring to the mountains of paperwork.

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Other families with sick children dependent on Medicaid, and who live hours away from the specialist hospitals where their kids get treatment, also told The Independent they seriously fear for the future.

Hospital infrastructure in rural areas is limited, so children with complex medical needs are forced to travel to big cities for treatment, often at great expense. The cuts in Trumps bill will create additional financial strain on already struggling rural healthcare facilities, creating a ripple effect when it comes to childrens health, advocates warn.

Any cuts to that program are going to trickle down and impact children, whether thats pediatric practices who depend on Medicaid to be able to stay open or childrens hospitals, Lisa Costello, a West Virginia pediatrician who chairs the federal policy committee for the American Association of Pediatrics, said.

Cuts to [the Childrens Health Insurance Program] and Medicaid could eventually affect care for all children, Rachel Pearson, a pediatrician and assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, wrote in the New Yorker in July.

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The White House and Trump have repeatedly insisted that there will be no cuts to Medicaid under the bill.

But in its latest estimate, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected about 10 million people could lose their health coverage by 2034 as a result.

Concerns are especially prevalent among low-income families in rural areas, where hundreds of hospitals are bracing themselves for immediate closure, though the White House disputes this.

We are expanding rural hospital protection, providing targeted funds for rural care, and giving states flexibility to support local providers, the administration said in a Myth vs Fact document on its website.

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Rural doctors on the frontline dont agree.

Myles will need to undergo three open-heart surgeries before his fourth birthday. He was just 4-days-old when he had the first and 5 months when he had the second. (Hannah McDaniel)

This is going to be, I'm afraid, the final nail in the coffin for a lot of rural communities and rural hospitals, Wendy Johnson, a family physician based in rural New Mexico, told The Independent.

We're really in a very difficult downward spiral in the healthcare system, Johnson added. It's extremely broken, and it's just really going to get crushed with this bill when it all comes into implementation in a couple of years.

Families with complex medical needs are worried.

Hannah, who works as a medical coder for a healthcare provider in the northern Louisiana town of Monroe, and her husband, a stay at home dad, have already experienced how it feels like to have Myles Medicaid coverage yanked away, which he received from the day he was born.

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Myles also qualified for disability benefits through Social Security last year but in mid-July, Hannah was given seven days notice that the check was being reduced to $90 a monthnowhere near covering Myless extensive treatmentsand his Medicaid was also being revoked.

I was sure this was a mistake, so I went straight to the Social Security office to see why this happened, Hannah said.

The Social Security worker told her that Myles was never supposed to receive disability benefits and the benefits, along with Medicaid, had been revoked due to a change in her income. Hannah said she declared the pay rise ($10 an hour) in the monthly report required by the Social Security Administration at the time, and no one ever reached out to inform her of a problem.

Myless Medicaid coverage was revoked in mid-July but reinstated a couple of weeks later after Hannah knocked on every door to get it back. (Hannah McDaniel)

I am a medical mother whose child's life depends on Medicaid, and I am drowning trying to fight my way through a broken system to keep him alive, Hannah said.

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After Myless benefits were stopped, Hannah fought tirelessly to get them back, calling up any local and state official who would listen.

You've got to fight these doctors, these health care providers, the state government, the federal government, she said. I knew I had to make it work because Myles is due for his third open heart surgery, which is the most invasive one, and if he doesn't get it, he will die.

After endless meetings and phone calls, the moms fight paid off. Hannah said the states Medicaid office called her in early August to inform her that Myless coverage had been reinstated after being granted emergency approval.

But Hannah said that Social Security is still chasing her for $5,000 they say she owes, and her sons disability benefit has not been reinstated. She has resorted to GoFundMe to help cover the costs of the frequent trips to New Orleans and other household bills she says she is falling behind on.

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The Social Security Administration declined to comment when approached by The Independent, citing privacy laws. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Medicaid is a lifeline, but Hannahs story is one example of what can happen when coverage is suddenly taken away.

Parents of sick kids say they are already in a constant battle with the red tape of Medicaid and fear it will only get worse under Trumps spending bill.

Lavender Butler was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease, ataxia telangiectasia, when she was 2 months old. Her mom Marissa is worried about the implications of Trumps bill. (Marissa Butler)

From January 2027, families on Medicaid will need to prove they qualify every six months instead of once per year, resulting in even more admin. Able-bodied adults must also take part in community engagement, whether thats work, volunteering or education, for at least 80 hours a month to qualify for Medicaid.

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While there are exemptions in place, trying to prove them is another matter.

This work requirement would still save a lot of money and kick millions of people off of Medicaid, not because they're not working or not qualified for an exemption, but because they would fail to navigate the paperwork. The red tape they would have to go through to report their work on, potentially as often as a monthly basis, explained Larry Levitt of the KFF health policy research group.

The slightest lapse in Lavender Butlers treatment could be detrimental, her mom Marissa, from Eugene, Oregon, told The Independent.

Her 20-month-old daughter sees specialists in neurology, respiratory, blood, cancer, and the immune system regularly to monitor the rare neurodegenerative diseaseataxia telangiectasiashe was diagnosed with at two months old.

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There is no cure for the cruel disease, which affects the bodys nervous system and immune system, and symptoms become more severe over time. The toddler also has a 30 to 40 percent chance of developing cancer later in life.

The 29-year-old is a full-time mom and caregiver to Lavender and her older brother. Her husband, the familys sole earner, holds down two self-employed jobs as a tattoo artist and a private investigator.

Marissa constantly worries about what the changes in the legislation could bring.

Marissa is a full-time mom and caregiver to Lavender and her older brother. (Marissa Butler)

I've spoken to different medical care providers, Marissa said. They are concerned even for families like ours.

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Marissa must administer to Lavender an infusion of immune-supporting antibodies every week. The treatment is expensive  four or five infusions per month can cost more than $40,000  but thanks to Medicaid, Lavender is covered.

My daughter is going to need more and more care, and without Medicaid, I don't know how we would be able to take care of her, Marissa said. We just have to keep proving that we deserve to be on Medicaid.

Marissa doesnt have family nearby to help with childcare and ferrying Lavender to various appointments some of which are two hours away in a specialist childrens hospital in Portland is a full-time job in itself, Marissa said.

We already have a million barriers in our way, Marissa said. I don't know how things are going to change, I just feel very uncertain right now.

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Its a similar fear for Natalie Oyen-Steuer from Dubuque, Iowa, whose son Sage was diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma when he was three. Medicaid saved the family when Natalie lost her private health insurance when she had to quit her job in order to care for Sage full time.

Sage is now seven and in remission, but Natalie worries about his future under the changes to Medicaid.

Natalie Oyen-Steuer from Dubuque, Iowa, with her son Sage who was diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma when he was 3. He is now 7 and in remission. (natalieoyen/Instagram)

It makes me think of my son as he gets older, if he can't keep up with the paperwork, Natalie said. If he can't get a job, but having cancer when he was three isn't a good enough excuse. I don't know what to expect. It's scary.

Natalie, 35, and her husband felt suffocated by having to keep up with the Medicaid paperwork as they took Sage to and from the hospital two hours away.

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I'm the one making the decision for my child, so to constantly be researching and understanding, Is this the right thing? Is this not the right thing for my child to be on? Is this going to save his life? Is he going to die? On top of Medicaid paperwork, sitting there in the mail waiting for me Natalie said.

The only word I can use is suffocating, she summed it up.

Bethany Lilly, executive director of public policy of the nonprofit Blood Cancer United, said the burden of additional paperwork that will come with the new Medicaid changes is a real concern for the cancer patients the organization supports.

And any delays when it comes to green-lighting cancer treatment could have life-threatening consequences.

Families are largely not sure what's going on, but they know that their Medicaid coverage may have been at risk, and know that they need to be tracking paperwork, Lilly said. But paperwork can be really hard to track if you're a patient or a caregiver who's trying to manage all of the burden that comes along with it. And in rural areas, that's going to be even worse.

Lilly referenced 2018 in Arkansas, when 18,000 adults lost their Medicaid coverage for failing to prove that they met new working requirements.

It caused widespread confusion.

They implemented work requirements in Arkansas during the first Trump administration, and [people] couldn't get their medication, said Lilly. That has longer-term implications, and so when we look at this, exemptions are not workable.

Moms like Hannah, Marissa and Natalie say they shouldnt have to fight so hard to get the healthcare their kids need to survive.

Under Trump, their fight is potentially much harder now.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of unaccompanied children to Guatemala.

Dozens of children who illegally crossed the US border without their parents were waiting on the tarmac on Sunday when the US district judge Sparkle L Sooknanan ruled they could not be deported.

The ruling is the latest blow to Donald Trump and his pledge to carry out the largest deportation drive in US history.

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It means Guatemalan children who arrived at the border without their parents or guardians can remain in the country for at least two weeks while their lawyers oppose their deportation.

I dont want there to be any ambiguity about what I am ordering, said the judge. She ruled the government cannot remove any children while the case proceeds.

On Monday, Bernardo Arevalo, Guatemalas president, said his government had been coordinating with the US to receive the young people.

The 80 migrants deported in January were bound at their wrists and ankles - Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images

The decision to send them, the number and the pace is one that rests with the American government, and as you can see, theres currently a legal dispute, he told journalists, according to the Guardian.

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About 2,000 children, most of them from Guatemala, are currently being held in dozens of shelters.

The Trump administration is planning to remove nearly 700 Guatemalan children who came to the US unaccompanied, according to a letter sent on Friday by Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat.

Before the judges ruling, five charter buses pulled up to a plane at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, a hub for deportation flights.

Hours earlier, officers had walked dozens of passengers wearing coloured clothing typically used in government-run shelters toward a plane in an area restricted to government planes.

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The 76 who had boarded the planes were expected to have been returned to shelters overseen by the US Department of Health and Human Services by the end of Sunday, the Justice Department said in a court filing.

I have the government attempting to remove unaccompanied minors from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, Judge Sooknanan said at a court hearing, later adding: Absent action by the courts, all of those children would have been returned to Guatemala, potentially to very dangerous situations.

The administration has said it was reuniting the Guatemalan children with parents or guardians who sought their return. Lawyers for at least some of the children say thats untrue and argue that in any event, authorities still would have to follow a legal process that they did not.

Migrant children who arrive in the US without their parents or guardians are routinely handed over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. They often live in government-supervised shelters or with foster care families until they can be released to a sponsor, usually a relative, in the US.

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Donald Trump has appeared to cast doubt on the efficacy of his own administrations program that rapidly developed COVID-19 vaccines as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took steps to limit who is eligible to receive them.

On Monday, Trump said drug manufacturers must justify the success of their vaccines and disclose extraordinary data and GREAT numbers and results  information that is already publicly available but repeatedly undermined by Kennedy and his allies.

Trumps Truth Social post follows a wave of resignations at the nations top health agencies with stark warnings that the government is dangerously politicizing public health and gutting institutions that save lives.

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The president launched Operation Warp Speed during his first administration in April 2020 to accelerate the development of life-saving COVID vaccines, an effort he has previously hailed as a miracle while navigating a base of support that is deeply skeptical.

The program is credited with preventing millions of deaths and hospitalizations.

Trump is calling on drugmakers to justify the success of Operation Warp Speed after a wave of resignations under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr following new restrictions on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. (AFP via Getty Images)

Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW, Trump wrote Monday.

I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not??? They go off to the next hunt and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work, he added.

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They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they dont seem to be showing them to many others. I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!! he wrote.

I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as BRILLIANT as many say it was, he added. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???

His post comes just days after four top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly left their positions when the agencys director, Susan Monarez, was forced out of the job.

Monarez was sworn into office less than a month ago after she was appointed by Trump and confirmed by a Senate vote.

Former CDC respiratory diseases director Demetre Daskalakis has warned that the nations health agencies are relying on unscientific policies and unvetted and conflicted guidances from activist groups (REUTERS)

After Kennedys Department of Health and Human Services announced that Monarez was no longer the CDC director, four career officials at the agency announced they were leaving: chief medical officer Debra Houry; National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases director Daniel Jernigan; public health data chief Jennifer Layden; and respiratory diseases director Demetre Daskalakis.

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In their public resignation letters, outgoing health officials delivered bleak warnings about the state of the agency, which they say is relying on unscientific policies while promoting misinformation that will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.

Enough is enough, Daskalakis wrote in his resignation letter, which he posted to social media.

I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us, he wrote. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.

Kennedy, a prolific vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist, should not be considered a source of accurate information, Daskalakis wrote.

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Trump himself, in recent days, has praised Operation Warp Speed while claiming he "never got the credit for the job we did."

"Operation Warp Speed, people say, is one of the greatest achievements ever in politics  or in the military, because it was almost a military procedure," he said during a cabinet meeting last week.

Trump's former surgeon general Jerome Adams has said he is "outraged" by the administration's "baffling" refusal to defend Operation Warp Speed amid declining vaccination rates and the withdrawal of tens of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine research.

"There is a clear pattern of insidious spread of fearmongering and misinformation emanating from the highest echelons of our nation's health research agencies," he wrote in The Washington Post. "This is not just a policy misstep; it's a national security crisis."
The recent escalation of tensions between Washington and Caracas, which has led to the United States deploying at least seven warships to the southern Caribbean, can be traced back to a particular day.

On August 7, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been facing formal drug trafficking charges from the Justice Department since 2020.

Bondi declared that Maduro is one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world and a threat to the national security of the United States.

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Caracas has always denied these accusations, but within hours, more than 4,000 US military personnel were deployed to Caribbean waters. Days later, more ships, submarines and aerial intelligence units joined them.

The rapid escalation of the crisis  just days after the Maduro government and the Trump administration celebrated a prisoner exchange and the resumption of Venezuelan oil exports through Chevron  has surprised many and opened rifts within the White House itself, where a faction opposed to Chavismo for ideological reasons is balanced by those who would prefer to avoid dangerous confrontations.

Donald Trump came to the White House as a president of peace, and the drumbeat from some sectors of the Venezuelan opposition and congressmen from South Florida doesnt fit with the presidents message, a US government official with knowledge of Venezuela told CNN, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Sampson near the entrance to the Panama Canal on August 31, amid a buildup of US naval forces around the Southern Caribbean. - Enea Lebrun/Reuters

But beyond the rhetoric, it is striking that the White House is confronting Maduro over alleged ties to drug trafficking, and not by demanding he restore democracy in Venezuela.

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Allegations involving the Miraflores presidential palace in cocaine trafficking have existed for at least a decade. So why this new initiative in recent weeks?

What the data says

Bondi has not presented conclusive evidence of the Venezuelan leaders alleged role in international drug trafficking. At the same time, Caracas has flatly rejected the claims.

For there to be a drug cartel, either you produce (the drugs), you process it or you traffic it. And if there is no cultivation, production, or drug trafficking in Venezuela, how can there be a cartel? Its unsustainable, Venezuelan congresswoman Blanca Eekhout told CNN, referring to Cartel de los Soles, an alleged drug trafficking organization that the United States claims is led by Maduro and that the Trump administration declared a terrorist organization a few weeks ago.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Venezuela is not a cocaine-producing country.

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Almost all coca crops  the main ingredient of cocaine  are concentrated in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Colombia in particular  has seen its cocaine production grow dramatically in recent years, due both to an increase in cultivation area (almost 100,000 hectares more since 2020) and, more significantly, because of higher yields in refining the product, according to UN researchers.

Soldiers patrol among coca plantations near El Plateado, Colombia, on March 8. - Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images

In other words, more coca leaves are being grown, and at the same time, each leaf produces more cocaine. Of the 3,700 tons of coca produced worldwide, more than 2,500 tons come from Colombia, while Venezuela does not appear on production maps, according to the latest UNODC report published in June.

Investigators from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reached similar conclusions, writing in their annual report published in March that 84% of the cocaine seized in the US comes from Colombia. In the four pages dedicated to cocaine trafficking, Venezuela is not mentioned. Colombia and Peru are primarily mentioned among producers, while Ecuador, Central America and Mexico are mentioned among transit countries.

Where does the cocaine flow through?

The majority of Colombian cocaine is being trafficked north along the Pacific coast, says UNODC.

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Although transit through Venezuela is not ruled out, other countries are identified as emerging trends in international drug markets, such as Ecuador, where the sharp increase in homicides is linked to the rise in drug trafficking, according to the UN.

This is an analysis that the State Department does not dispute either  at least behind closed doors, suggesting that the resources deployed in the Caribbean could be more effective elsewhere. Its strange that we dont see more boats heading to the Pacific, or the criminalization of (more Colombian groups), a US diplomat told CNN, who also asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss these issues.

Honduran criminal investigators with packages of cocaine seized from a plane coming from Venezuela, at the Hernan Acosta Mejia air base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 2020. - Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty Images

Former US Attorney General Bill Barr seemed to suggest the same thing when he revealed the first drug trafficking accusations against Maduro in 2020, pointing to the Venezuelan government as a facilitator in the transportation of up to 250 tons of cocaine annually, which represents a tiny amount in global drug volumes and less than 10% of production.

The Pacific route also dominates UNODC drug seizure statistics, with Colombia (37%), Ecuador (8.8%) and Panama (4.2%) as the countries in the region with the largest quantities of cocaine hydrochloride. Venezuela ranks sixth among Latin American countries in terms of seizures, with less than 2%.

So, is Venezuela free of drug trafficking?

Although United Nations data appears to contradict the White House narrative, the reality is more complex.

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The movement of 250 tons of cocaine annually, which Barr accused the Venezuelan government of facilitating, is minor compared to global trafficking (3,700 tons, according to the UNODC). But it is still a significant amount of illicit trade that allegedly generates multimillion-dollar profits for Maduro. At the time, Barr also failed to provide evidence of the illegal trafficking he was alleging.

The Venezuelan government coalition admits that drug trafficking exists in the country, but not that it promotes it. Eekhout, for example, told CNN that in the past year, Maduros security forces have seized 490 aircraft and 94 vessels used to transport cocaine, data that CNN cannot independently verify.

And while Caracas claims to be waging war on drugs, there is also evidence of direct involvement in drug trafficking from the highest levels of government.

In November 2016, a federal court in New York found two members of the presidential family  nephews of Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores  guilty of conspiring to traffic cocaine to the United States after they were arrested by the DEA in Haiti. Both were later returned to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange.

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But even more striking is the role of Hugo El Pollo Carvajal, a former high-ranking Venezuelan official who, on June 25, pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and to narco-terrorism charges. This came after a lengthy trial in which US prosecutors accused him of exchanging firearms for cocaine shipments with the now-defunct FARC guerrillas, whose dissidents in Colombia control some of the key regions for narcotics production.

Former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal stands during his extradition hearing to the US, at the High Court in Madrid, Spain, on September 12, 2019. - Emilio Naranjo/Pool/Reuters

The deal was reached after a lengthy extradition process from Spain and just days before his trial was to begin in New York.

At the time, the Miami Herald reported that Carvajal, who was also accused of being part of Cartel de los Soles, was cooperating with US prosecutors, providing evidence against Maduro in exchange for a reduced sentence, something CNN has not been able to independently corroborate.

Exactly one month later, the Treasury Department designated Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing US forces greater freedom of action against suspected members of the organization.

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Other South American countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay issued similar designations in the following days.

Does Cartel de los Soles exist?

Cartel de los Soles, per se, doesnt exist. Its a journalistic expression created to refer to the involvement of Venezuelan authorities in drug trafficking, Phil Gunson, a researcher with the International Crisis Group based in Caracas for more than a decade, told CNN.

This doesnt mean that there arent military personnel or government officials involved in drug trafficking. The cartels are here, the Colombians and the Mexicans, too. There are drug shipments via the Orinoco River and by air through clandestine airstrips, flights from Apure to Central America, and so on. All of this wouldnt be possible without direct involvement from above, the expert said.

For Gunson, Maduros role is reminiscent of that of former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega, who was sentenced to decades in prison in various jurisdictions for his association with the Medellin cartel in 1992: an external partner who, while not directly part of a cartel, still benefited from drug trafficking routes under his protection.

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Other independent analysts from the intelligence website InsightCrime share the same analysis. Cartel de los Soles is the term used to describe the shadowy groups within the Venezuelan Army involved in a wide range of criminal activities  It is not a hierarchical group, but rather a loose network of cells  that operate as drug trafficking organizations, a report from the site states.

The organizations very name is a nod to the military, with the Soles (Suns) being a reference to the insignia worn by Venezuelan generals on their shoulder straps.

From hiding, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado applauded the recent statements against the cartel. Other sectors of the opposition were more skeptical. Former opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles told CNN that the Trump administration must present the evidence of the existence of Cartel de los Soles, having previously accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking.

For his part, the Venezuelan president has always denied any personal involvement in drug trafficking and will continue to do so, at least until US prosecutors present indisputable evidence of similar significance to that which led to the conviction of his wifes nephews nine years ago  a conviction that Maduro, conspicuously, has said little about.

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In this, Carvajals role is once again key, and so is another date: October 29. That day, the retired Venezuelan general and former intelligence chief will be sentenced on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, and it will likely be easier to clarify whether he collaborated with the White House in formulating the charges against his former commander-in-chief.

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President Trump defended saying he would allow 600,000 students from China into the U.S., despite backlash from some of his supporters who say the shift in his strict visa policies undermines his America first agenda.

In an interview with The Daily Caller released Sunday, the president said China is paying America a lot of money right now and insisted that allowing Chinese students to attend U.S. universities is the right thing to do.

I have a very good relationship with President Xi. I think its very insulting to a country when you say youre not going to take your students, Trump said when asked whether his recent remarks were a negotiating tactic or something he thinks would benefit the United States.

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You know, I get along with China, Trump added. Chinas paying us a lot of money right now. Theyre paying us hundreds of millions of dollars.

During a meeting with the president of South Korea last week, Trump stressed the importance of his relationship with China, telling reporters, Were going to allow their students to come in. Were going to allow it. Its very important  600,000 students. Its very important.

Trumps comments marked a shift from earlier in the year, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he planned to aggressively revoke visas from Chinese students, particularly those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

The administration has generally worked to curtail student visas, not expand them, as part of the presidents broader immigration crackdown.

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Trump, in the hourlong interview conducted Friday, told The Daily Caller that the 600,000 figure refers to over two years, and that he doesnt want anything from Beijing in exchange.

No, no, I dont want anything in return. Were doing well. Theyre paying us hundreds of billions of dollars, Trump said in the interview.

They paid Biden, you know? Well, Biden left mine, you know, I did this in my first term. A lot of people dont know. And then when COVID came, it was hard to say to Italy, which was just getting decimated, right? Italy and France and Spain, were going to put taxes on yourself. Were going to charge you a nice tax or tariff, Trump continued.

So, no, I just think its, I think its, I think what were doing is the right thing to do. Its good to get along with countries, not bad, especially, you know, nuclear-powered countries. I think its good to get along with countries, he added.

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It was not immediately clear whether Trumps comments referred to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump initially imposed tariffs on China during his first term, and former President Biden kept them in place when he took office.

The latest comments come amid ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and Beijing. The two sides levied huge tariffs on goods earlier this year, but brought the rates down significantly during the talks.

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The Trump administrations efforts to deport undocumented migrants to the US faced further legal setbacks.

On Sunday, a federal judge blocked White House plans to return Guatemalan children to their home country, while another ruling Friday prevented efforts to fast-track removals of people found far from the southern border. President Donald Trump has focused on reducing illegal migration in his second term, using executive orders and other legal instruments to step up deportations and declare emergencies.

But he has hit several roadblocks. Children in particular, hundreds of thousands of whom have crossed the border in the last decade, are subject to special protections. Some of the 600 children were already in planes ready for departure, The Washington Post reported.
Robert Mueller, the former special counsel who investigated ties between Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, has been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, his family says.

Mueller, 81, was set to testify this week in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in its inquiry into the governments handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Chairman James Comer, a Republican, subpoenaed Mueller, who served as FBI director between 2001 and 2013, to testify on Tuesday.

But in recent months, Mueller has found difficulty speaking and suffered mobility issues, people familiar with his condition told the The New York Times..

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Bob was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in the summer of 2021, the family said in a statement to the newspaper. He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected.

Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (Getty)

In a letter from Comer to Mueller dated August 5, the chairman had said: Because you were F.B.I. director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation.

The committee officially withdrew its request for Mueller to testify late Sunday, a spokesperson told ABC News, citing health issues that preclude him from being able to give evidence.

Parkinsons disease is a degenerative movement disorder that causes nerve cells in parts of the brain to weaken, become damaged and die, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. As symptoms progress, people with Parkinsons disease (PD) may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks, it said.

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Questions arose about Muellers health in 2019, two years before his Parkinsons diagnosis, when he delivered disjointed testimony before the House Judiciary Comittee about his report on ties between Trumps first-term campaign and the Russian government.

In one meeting, Muellers hands were trembling and his voice tremulous, then-Deputy Attorney General William Barr wrote in a memoir published in 2022.

In his final report, Mueller concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, that Trumps campaign had contacts with Russians but no proven conspiracy, and Trump may have obstructed justice, though he was not exonerated. Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort and longtime adviser Roger Stone were among the 34 individuals and three companies indicted during the investigation.

Trump pardoned both Manafort and Stone, along with several other high-profile officials, in December 2020 for crimes uncovered during the Russia probe. Trump has repeatedly denied any claims of election meddling and branded it the Russian hoax.
President Donald Trump has pledged to issue an executive order preventing people from voting in U.S. elections unless they present valid identification, a move that is likely to be challenged in court as unconstitutional.

Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote, the president posted on Truth Social on Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!

The U.S. Constitution hands responsibility for the regulation of elections to the states while granting Congress the power to introduce new federal laws at a national level. It makes no provision for the presidents involvement because of the obvious conflict of interest that would create.

American voters casting their ballots in last years presidential election (Getty)

Thirty-six states already have laws in place requiring voters to present ID to polling officials, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Trump raised eyebrows in January this year when he demanded that California introduce a voter ID law in exchange for federal emergency relief after the blue state was devastated by winter wildfires.

He subsequently attempted to mandate proof of citizenship as a condition for voting but was blocked by a federal judge in June, who said the requirement would risk disenfranchising millions of Americans who do not have passports or ready access to their birth certificate or who may have only recently changed their name, for instance after getting married.

As many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have the kind of ID that is required by states with strict ID requirements, and that percentage is even higher among seniors, minorities, people with disabilities, low-income voters, and students, the Brennan Center for Justice has warned.

Trump appears to remain fixated on the issue of voter fraud in the wake of his defeat to Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential election, despite no evidence ever being produced to substantiate his repeated claims.

Donald Trump has said he plans to issue an executive order mandating voter ID, despite lacking the constitutional authority to do enforce it (AP)

Mail-in voting has been a particular focus for his ire and he has repeatedly alleged that it is uniquely vulnerable to fraud, although, ironically, postal votes played an important role in securing his victory over Kamala Harris last year.

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Trump and the Republican Party are already looking ahead to the November 2026 midterms, which has seen a major controversy erupt in Texas this month over the GOPs efforts to redraw the states electoral map to its advantage, provoking a retaliatory push from Democrats in California.

Among those reacting to Trumps post insisting on voter ID was Norm Eisen, former White House special counsel for ethics and government reform, who threatened a legal challenge.

Go ahead, make my day Mr Trump, Eisen wrote. We at Democracy Defenders Fund immediately sued you and got an injunction on your first voting EO. We will do the same here if you try it again. The Constitution gives this authority to the states and Congress, not you!

Political commentator Brian Krassenstein agreed: This is illegal. Trump can NOT unilaterally ban mail-in voting or require voter ID.
On the afternoon of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025.

President Xi noted that China and Turkiye are both major emerging countries and important members of the Global South. Both countries uphold the spirit of independence. The high-level development of China-Turkiye relations serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the common interests of the Global South. The two countries need to follow the trend of the times featuring peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, help each other succeed on the path toward national prosperity, take the China-Turkiye strategic cooperative relationship to new heights, and work together for a more just and equitable global governance system.

Noting that next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Turkiye, President Xi called on the two sides to take this opportunity to bring bilateral relations to a new level. First, we need to cement political mutual trust, offer mutual support on issues concerning each others core interests and major concerns, and enhance counterterrorism and security cooperation. Second, we need to deepen practical cooperation, enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative, advance the development of the southbound passage of the China-Europe Railway Express, upgrade cooperation in such traditional areas as economy and trade, culture and tourism, and foster new highlights of cooperation in new energy, 5G, biomedicine and other fields. Third, we need to strengthen multilateral coordination, maintain close coordination within the United Nations, the G20, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other frameworks, jointly uphold the international order and rules, defend international fairness and justice, and contribute to world peace and stability.

President Erdogan said that Turkiye places high importance on growing relations with China. It hopes to have close high-level exchanges with China, jointly pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, increase the level of trade and investment, enhance cooperation in infrastructure, new energy, agriculture, food, healthcare and other fields, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges in education, tourism and other areas, and achieve strong and sustained growth of bilateral relations. Turkiye will be firmly committed to the one-China principle. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is about to hold the largest summit since its founding. Turkiye is ready to strengthen cooperation with China within the SCO and promote the development and prosperity of the region and the world. Turkiye appreciates Chinas just position on Middle East issue and is ready to work with China to uphold international fairness and justice.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Miner, among others, were present at the meeting.
President Donald Trump issued his first Labor Day proclamation since returning to office, emphasizing his administrations commitment to protecting American jobs and workers.

The proclamation, signed August 28, marks Trumps first since returning to office in January, signaling renewed focus on domestic manufacturing and employment policies that have defined his political brand.

Trump praised American workers as the beating heart of our economy and the living embodiment of the American Dream. He highlighted welders, nurses, truckers, farmers, and machinists as examples of the workforces diversity.

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The president took aim at what he called a corrupt political class that allowed American manufacturing to decline in recent decades. He said previous administrations shipped jobs overseas while building up foreign competitors at the expense of American workers and families.

Trump said those policies ended on January 20, 2025, his inauguration date. He touted efforts to restore manufacturing, implement buy-American policies, and secure new trade deals.

The proclamation specifically mentioned hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff revenue being collected under his leadership. Trump said the funds would help ensure American products receive fair value in international markets.

He pledged that new jobs would go to American-born workers, a statement reflecting his administrations immigration stance. The president described once-struggling communities as now stirring with new opportunity.

The proclamation called on public officials and citizens to observe Labor Day with appropriate programs and ceremonies. Trump noted that 2025 marks Americas 250th year of independence.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on his first day back in office. One of his latest orders, signed Thursday, expands the number of federal agencies ordered to end contracts with their labor unions, just days before Labor Day. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

By Drew Friedman

A handful more agencies are now under orders from the White House to terminate their collective bargaining agreements with federal unions.

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In an executive order signed Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump (R) added more agencies and a few agency components to an already extensive list of federal entities slated for collective bargaining cancellations. Trump said the terminations of labor contracts are intended to enhance the national security of the United States.

Trumps initial executive order from March 27 invoked a narrow, rarely used portion of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that allows a president to suspend collective bargaining for national security purposes. The White House said the additional agencies its now directing to cancel collective bargaining agreements all have missions dealing with national security as well.

The agencies that Trumps existing anti-union orders now cover are NASA; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service  both within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Bureau of Reclamations hydropower program; and the Patent and Trademark Offices commissioner of patents office.

Trump said in his executive order that the agencies and agency components newly tacked onto the anti-collective bargaining list all have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative or national security work. The agencies that Trump deemed no longer eligible for collective bargaining join many others, which the Office of Personnel Management listed out in March 27 guidance.

The White House did not immediately respond to Federal News Networks request for clarification on why these specific agencies were not part of the initial March order, or why they are being added to the list at this time.

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American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said the union would have an immediate response to Trumps new executive order and vowed to continue fighting in court for its members.

This latest executive order is another clear example of retaliation against federal employee union members who have bravely stood up against his anti-worker, anti-American plan to dismantle the federal government, Kelley said Thursday evening.

Several agencies including NASA and the National Weather Service have already been hollowed out by reckless DOGE cuts, so for the administration to further disenfranchise the remaining workers in the name of efficiency is immoral and abhorrent, Kelley said.

The new executive order follows months of the Trump administrations efforts to erode union rights for federal employees, while also overhauling civil service protections more broadly. In a fact sheet issued Thursday, the White House argued that collective bargaining at agencies dealing with national security work can create delays in agency operations.

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President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people, the White House wrote. The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security.

Federal unions, however, have argued that collective bargaining benefits agency missions, rather than detracting from them. Many have also pointed out that Trumps orders to cancel collective bargaining across much of the federal workforce swept up many agencies with missions that have nothing to do with national security.

Multiple federal unions, including AFGE, quickly sued the administration over the presidents actions earlier this year. While about half a dozen lawsuits remain ongoing, several agencies have already moved forward with terminating their union contracts after an appeals court decision green-lit agencies to begin implementing Trumps orders from March.

The departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, among others, recently de-recognized many of their federal union chapters, revoked official time and reclaimed office space from union representatives.

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President Donald Trump waves goodbye to reporters following a meeting with the Teamsters in 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

During the 2024 election campaign, the Republican Partys historically fraught relationship with organized labor appeared to be changing. Several influential Republicans reached out to unions, seeking to cement the loyalties of the growing ranks of working-class Americans who have been backing Donald Trumps presidential runs and voting for other members of his party.

During Trumps first bid for the White house, the percentage of votes in households where at least one person belongs to a union fell to its lowest level in decades. In 2021, Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator at the time, wrote a USA Today op-ed supporting a unionization drive at an Amazon facility. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, walked a United Auto Workers picket line in 2023 in solidarity with striking workers.

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As the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, Trump spotlighted International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean OBrien with a prominent speaking slot at the Republican National Convention  rewarding the union for staying neutral in that campaign after endorsing Joe Biden four years earlier.

Yet OBrien shocked many in the convention crowd by lambasting longtime GOP coalition partners such as the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable for hurting American workers.

Once in office, Trump continued to signal some degree of solidarity with the blue-collar voters who backed him. He chose former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Teamsters ally, to be his second-term labor secretary.

Im a sociologist who has been researching the U.S. labor movement for over two decades. Given conservatives long-standing antipathy toward unions, I was curious whether the GOPs greater engagement with labor portended any kind of change in its policies.

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Fumbled at the starting line

The GOPs various outreach efforts during the 2024 campaign led University of Chicago law professor Eric Posner, a scholar of declining labor power, to write, Is a pro-labor Republican Party possible?

More than six months into Trumps second term, I would say that based on the evidence thus far the answer to Posners question is a resounding no.

In late March 2025, Trump issued an executive order stripping hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Overnight, twice as many federal employees lost their union protections as there are members of the United Auto Workers union, making the action the largest and most aggressive single act of union-busting in U.S. history, according to Georgetown University labor historian Joseph McCartin.

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While affected unions have challenged that action and similar subsequent ones in court, the Trump administration is moving onto other agencies. In August, over 400,000 federal employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs and Environmental Protection Agency saw their union contracts terminated and their collective bargaining rights dissolved.

Everett Kelley, the American Federation of Government Employees president, described the attacks on federal workers as a setback for fundamental rights in America.

Tariffs, other policies arent helping

The Trump administration has pitched its erratic tariff policies as a boon to U.S.manufacturing, including in the automotive industry, once the foundation of the U.S. labor movement.

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In reality, U.S. car producers are struggling to keep up with rising tariff-related costs of raw materials and parts. The number of factory jobs has fallen to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, a supporter of targeted tariffs to buttress the domestic auto industry, criticized the administrations trade policy in April 2025, saying, We do not support reckless tariffs on all countries at crazy rates.

Other administration actions cast as relief for struggling workers are unlikely to deliver as advertised. The no tax on tips provision in Trumps huge tax-and-spending package excludes the nearly 40% of tipped workers whose earnings fall below the federal income tax threshold. Tipped workers make up a tiny share of the low-wage workforce.

Culinary Workers Local 226, a powerful Nevada union representing many tipped workers in Las Vegas and Reno, supported the provision. Yet it blasted the overall package, calling it a big, horrible bill for its windfalls to the rich instead of the working class.

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Removing the watchdogs

The National Labor Relations Board is responsible for ensuring management and labor adhere to provisions of the National Labor Relations Act. Passed in 1935, that law established workers fundamental rights to collective bargaining. The board is responsible for conducting union elections, investigating allegations of unfair labor practices and outright abuses by employers, and enforcing court orders when employers or unions are found to have broken labor laws.

Presidents regularly use vacancies to tilt the ideological balance of the board to a more or less labor-friendly position. Trump, however, went further.

Soon after he was sworn in for a second term, Trump fired the National Labor Relations Boards general counsel along with board member Gwynne Wilcox, who was only halfway through her five-year term. Wilcoxs dismissal was unprecedented and violated the National Labor Relations Act provision on board personnel changes.

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Wilcoxs removal left the body without a quorum, preventing it from responding to appeals or requests for review and allowing employers accused of violating workers rights to delay any settlement. The Trump administration has left those important NLRB jobs vacant for months, although it has nominated two management-friendly replacements, both of whom awaited Senate approval in mid-August.

In the meantime, the agency is unable to hear labor disputes.

Disempowering the NLRB is a long-standing Republican tactic, suggesting more continuity with past GOP attacks on labor than a new era of partnership

Hawley standing out

To be sure, Republicans dont all agree with one another on the importance of supporting workers and labor rights. One who has stood out so far is Hawley. The relatively pro-labor Republican senators stance led him to partner with Sen. Corey Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, to co-sponsor the Faster Labor Contracts Act.

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This new bill would force employers to negotiate a contract in a reasonable time frame with employees once they have voted in favor of forming a union.

Hawley also joined with Democrats to reintroduce a bill that would ban dangerous work speed requirements in warehouses. Hawley said, when summarizing his efforts on behalf of working people, Its time we deliver for them.

The Missouri senator is not completely alone. Sens. Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Roger Marshall of Kansas, both Republicans, have backed some labor-friendly legislation in the spring and summer of this year.

GOP leaders in Congress are not moving those bills forward so far, likely in part due to pushback from Republicans and their allies outside Congress.

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And there are limits to Hawleys labor friendliness. He voted for Trumps tax-and-spending package, despite publicly airing his misgivings about the harm it may cause his blue-collar constituents.

Meanwhile, his past partners in the more labor-friendly wing of the GOP now occupy prominent administration posts. Yet they have largely fallen silent on union issues  except, in Rubios case, to oversee the firing of well over 1,000 State Department employees, many of them members of the American Foreign Service Association union.

Trump labor approach echoes Reagans style

Another GOP presidential administration courted segments of the labor movement to divide a key Democratic constituency, only to take actions that weakened unions.

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In 1980, for example, Ronald Reagan sought and won the endorsement of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. A year later, he fired 13,000 striking members of that union.

The Teamsters union also backed Reagan  twice. It endorsed him in 1980 after he pledged during the 1980 campaign not to pursue anti-labor policies. Although he broke his promise, personal outreach from Vice President George H.W. Bush in the lead-up to the 1984 election earned him the Teamsters endorsement a second time.

What seems clear in my view is that whenever the GOP has tried to cast itself as a labor-friendly political party, it has emphasized symbolism over substance, favoring using rhetoric embracing workers who belong to unions versus taking actions to strengthen labor rights.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Jake Rosenfelds research and teaching focus on the political and economic determinants of inequality in the United States and other advanced democracies. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affecterofessor of sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Countyd by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to raise fresh questions about the Covid-19 vaccines that were first developed on his watch, saying his top public health agency is being ripped apart by debate over the success of the shots.

While noting that hes seen great numbers and results from some drug companies, Trump demanded they prove publicly that vaccines are effective in combating Covid and questioned whether unspecified data was being withheld from the public.

I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!! Trump wrote on Truth Social. I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as BRILLIANT as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???

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The post represented Trumps first public comments about the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the agencys former director, Dr. Susan Monarez, was abruptly fired on Wednesday, less than a month into her tenure amid a dispute over vaccine policy.

And it was yet another example of Trump trying to walk a narrow line between touting what he has at times called his greatest accomplishment  the rapid development of the Covid vaccine in 2020 during his first term  and embracing the vaccine skepticism popular with his MAGA base and promoted by his top health official, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW, Trump wrote of the vaccines.

Claiming that drug companies dont share the extraordinary information hes seen, the president said those companies instead go off to the next hunt and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC.

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CNN has reached out to Pfizer and Moderna about the Truth Social post. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Drug companies regularly share information about effectiveness with the public, investors and media through news releases and calls and with scientists, regulatory and health agencies through presentations, publications and a presence at scientific, government and advisory meetings.

The CDC also regularly analyzes and communicates to physicians, public health officials and the public about vaccine effectiveness and safety. This information helps guide individual decisions about vaccination but also provider conversations and official recommendations.

The White House declined to say on Monday what data Trump is seeking from drug companies. But in a statement, spokesman Kush Desai said, The only driving principle of health decision-making in this Administration is Gold Standard Science.

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HHS, the FDA, and the CDC will continue to take an evidence-based approach to evaluate pharmaceutical treatments and Make America Healthy Again, Desai said.

Trumps comments came after the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it would narrow its approval for the next Covid vaccine, a move that prompted criticism from public health experts and widespread confusion over who will be eligible to receive the shot.

On Monday, commissioner Marty Makary defended the decision in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, arguing that drug makers havent justified the need for people who are under 65 or who dont have certain health conditions to get the vaccine.

No one knows how many shots a healthy person should get in his natural life, Makary wrote. The FDAs new framework preserves vaccines for those who might most plausibly benefit, while generating evidence for most Americans, who are voting with their feet (or their upper arms) against an eternal annual booster campaign.

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During a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump called his Operation Warp Speed one of the greatest achievements ever in politics.

But he has remained fully behind Kennedys effort to revamp the governments approach to vaccines, including signing off on the firing of Monarez after she refused to pledge to back recommendations made by a Kennedy-selected panel of outside advisers, some of whom have previously questioned the safety of widely accepted vaccines.

The dramatic ouster plunged the CDC into crisis, prompting the resignations of four other senior officials who have subsequently accused Kennedy and his allies of sidelining agency scientists in pursuit of policies they worry will restrict the availability certain standard immunizations.

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ABC News contributor Donna Brazile is the latest person to infuriate Donald Trump. After the former DNC chair appeared on ABCs This Week, the president lashed out at her on social media, calling for her to be fired and stating that the news organization should pay him more, a reference to its previous settlement with the world leader.

During her appearance Sunday, Brazile criticized Trump for withdrawing former Vice President Kamala Harris Secret Service protection, calling the move petty and vindictive, according to Mediaite. She also denounced Trumps tariffs for causing uncertainty that the American people cant afford.

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Hours later Trump lashed out at Brazile using his favorite social media platform  Truth Social. In his post, he called Brazile a Low IQ commentator,' dumb as a rock and a liar. He also asked if she was previously fired from CNN for sharing questions with Hillary Clinton before a debate. The question sharing did happen, but Brazile technically resigned after the incident. CNN severed all ties with her and stated We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor.

Trump also said that Brazile should be fired from ABC News. They just paid me $16,000,000 for inaccurate reporting, now they should pay me more!!! Trump wrote.

After George Stephanopoulos falsely said Trump had been found liable for rape, Trump sued the news organization for defamation. ABC News settled and agreed to pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a presidential foundation and museum. The network also agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees.

CBS reached a similar settlement with Trump earlier this year after an edited 60 Minutes segment. That $16 million will be allocated to build Trumps future presidential library.

The post Trump Says ABC News Should Pay Me More in Rant About Donna Brazile appeared first on TheWrap.
Donald Trump said he plans to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, following the former New York City mayors hospitalization from a weekend car wreck.

The presidents former attorney, who launched a spurious legal effort to keep Trump in office in 2020, has spent the last several years combating a defamation lawsuit and criminal charges connected to his campaign to overturn election results in states the president lost.

The former mayor, 81, suffered a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and other injuries after a 19-year-old driver smashed into his car in New Hampshire on August 30.

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He was released from a hospital in New Hampshire on Monday afternoon.

As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announce that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Countrys highest civilian honor, Trump announced on his Truth Social Monday.

Donald Trump announced plans to award his former attorney, Rudy Giuliani, the Presidential Medal of Freedom days after the former New York City mayor was hospitalized following a car crash (AP)

Details as to time and place to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter, he wrote.

The president did not mention the wreck.

Giulianis security chief Michael Ragusa told The Independent on Monday that a little car accident wont be slowing him down.

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He is eager to return to business and continue fighting for this country, as he has proudly done for the past 50 years, Ragusa said.

His spokesperson Ted Goodman was driving a Ford Bronco on Interstate 93 when a 19-year-old driver in a Honda HR-V rear-ended their vehicle, according to police.

Before the crash, Giulianis car had stopped on the side of the highway to help what Ragusa described as the victim of a domestic violence incident.

According to Ragusa, Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and called 911, and they waited for police to arrive. When the car pulled back on to the highway, Giulianis car was struck from behind at high speed, Ragusa said.

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Ragusa has clarified that the car crash was not a targeted attack.

Giuliani, who helped build a legal campaign to overturn election results in states Trump lost in 2020, served as mayor of New York City from 1994 through 2001, when he became a national hero in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks (AFP via Getty Images)

Giulianis years-long legal battles in the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election culminated in a surprise settlement with two election workers who sued him for defamation after he repeatedly falsely accused them of manipulating election results, which fueled a wave of harassment and abuse directed at the women.

He filed for bankruptcy in 2023 shortly after a jury awarded the women nearly $148 million in damages. His bankruptcy case was ultimately dismissed, triggering a multi-party legal battle across several courtrooms to seize control of his properties and assets.

After an abrupt settlement agreement in January, his lawyers said he fully paid the $148 million he owed the women he defamed, bringing an end to a legal saga that played out in courtrooms in Washington, D.C. and New York.

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Giuliani became a national hero in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks in New York City, where he served as mayor from 1994 through 2001.

While serving as a key legal adviser to the president, the former federal prosecutor once hailed as Americas Mayor in 9/11s aftermath faced disbarment in several jurisdictions as well as criminal indictments in Arizona and Georgia. Those criminal cases are ongoing.

Trump gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 24 people during his first term in office, including posthumous honors to Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

He also honored right-wing radio personality Rush Limbaugh with the award one year before his death, and gave the award to other major Republican figures including GOP mega donor and multi-billionaire Miriam Adelson and congressional allies Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan.

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There is no American more deserving of this honor, Giulianis spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani took down the Mafia, saved New York City, comforted the nation following 9/11, and served in countless other ways to improve the lives of others, he added. Thank you, President Trump, for honoring his life and legacy.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making public shows of solidarity with Chinese and Russian leaders in the face of trade pressure from Washington.

While calling the U.S. relationship with India "one sided," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago."

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump's comments, which follow the implementation of total duties as high as 50% on Indian goods that have raised questions about the future of the U.S.-India relationship.

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Trump's remark came as Modi was in China for a summit of more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a China-backed initiative given renewed impetus by Trump's global tariff offensive.

At the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his vision for a new global security and economic order that prioritizes the "Global South," in a direct challenge to the U.S.

The U.S.-India relationship has strengthened in recent years, including during Trump's first term, given shared concerns about China's growing power, but Trump threatened the tariffs on India after it refused to stop buying Russian oil in defiance of his efforts to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

In China, in an image designed to convey solidarity, Putin and Modi were shown holding hands as they walked jovially toward Xi before the summit opened. The three men stood shoulder-to-shoulder, laughing and surrounded by interpreters.

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Beijing has used the summit to mend ties with New Delhi. Modi, visiting China for the first time in seven years, and Xi agreed on Sunday their countries are development partners, not rivals, and discussed ways to improve trade.

The U.S. State Department and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the meetings in China.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward and David Brunnstrom; editing by Scott Malone, Rod Nickel)
[Source]

President Donald Trump sparked fierce backlash from his followers this week after announcing he would allow 600,000 Chinese students into local universities, marking a dramatic departure from his administrations restrictive visa policies.

Unexpected reversal: The proposed figure would more than double the 277,398 Chinese students currently enrolled, which make up about a quarter of all international students in the country. We are going to allow their students to come in. Its very important  600,000 students, he told reporters at the Oval Office Monday. On Tuesday he doubled down, arguing, Its very insulting to say students cant come here.

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The announcement marks a complete reversal from his administrations stance. In May, State Secretary Marco Rubio vowed to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections with the Chinese Communist Party. The timing also comes as universities report steep international enrollment drops; the University of Buffalo alone lost 750 expected students to visa delays, part of a broader 15% nationwide decline.

MAGA dissents: Conservative criticism from prominent Trump supporters has mounted across multiple fronts. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, for one, questioned the policy during a heated exchange with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. I just dont understand it for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids wont get, she said on her show. Meanwhile, former adviser Steve Bannon demanded on his podcast that any foreign student should have an exit visa stapled to his or her diploma to leave immediately.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also offered a blunt response on X, arguing that schools dependent on Chinese students deserve to collapse. If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15% of them to fail, she noted, then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP.

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How China is responding: Chinese officials welcomed Trumps announcement while maintaining criticism of existing restrictions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called on Washington to follow through, saying, We hope the U.S. will act on President Trumps commitment to welcoming Chinese students and urged America to stop groundlessly harassing, interrogating or repatriating them. The comments followed Chinas Embassy issuing travel alerts about student detention incidents, including cases where Chinese nationals were held for over 80 hours at Houstons airport.

The mixed signals create opportunities for Beijing to expand its global education influence, with Chinese and Hong Kong universities now actively recruiting students from Harvard and other American institutions facing restrictions. Complicating matters further, Trumps team simultaneously proposed Wednesday to slash Chinese journalist visas to 90 days  part of an ongoing review of 55 million visa holders that particularly affects Asian populations.

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Related video  Watch: Putin, Xi and Modi hold hands in show of unity at summit

President Trump stood by the steep tariffs he imposed on India as a penalty for buying Russian oil, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in a display of deepening ties with the Kremlin.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated his concerns about what he characterized as a trade imbalance, calling the relationship between the U.S. and India a totally one sided disaster!

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What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest client, but we sell them very little  Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades, Trump wrote in his post Monday morning.

The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! he continued. Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S.

The import tax on Indian goods increased to 50 percent on Wednesday, after the implementation of Trumps additional 25 percent tariff imposed as a penalty for oil purchases that Trump argues are helping fuel Moscows war efforts in Ukraine. India already faced a 25 percent reciprocal tariff on exports to the U.S.

India has defended buying Russian oil, which it has described as financially necessary to meet the energy needs in its populous country.

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They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but its getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!! Trump said in his post.

Some analysts have said Trumps steep tariffs and his souring attitude toward Modi have inadvertently led India to seek closer ties with Russia and China. Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday.

Just after Trump announced he would increase the tariff on New Delhi to 50 percent, Modi said that he held a very good and detailed conversation with my friend Putin.

On Monday, Putin and Modi met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the port city of Tianjin, China, where discussions focused on regional stability, bilateral trade and energy cooperation.

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In remarks at the start of their talks, Modi called his partnership with Moscow special and privileged, and Putin addressed Modi as a dear friend and praised the relationship as special, friendly and trusting.

Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades. Friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future, Putin said. These relations are absolutely nonpartisan in nature, supported by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of our countries.

The Associated Press contributed.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Pausing next to a hulking steam locomotive at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History on Friday, Kathryn Jones bent down to look at a tiny silk slipper.

Ive never seen one in person. Its so small, she said, pointing at the shoe once worn by a Chinese immigrant with bound feet. Thats why I love museums. It takes those facts and solidifies it.

The recording of a trail whistle hooted in the background, bringing to life the 1887 Jupiter steam engine that hauled fruit picked by immigrants in Watsonville, California.

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The immersion, the sounds, the small little touches that suck you in. Im a sucker for small objects, she said as she walked through America on the Move, her 100th Smithsonian exhibit this year.

In January, Jones began a quest to visit every exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C., and read every plaque. During the past eight months, she has visited 100 exhibits at 13 museums, meticulously logging her time on detailed spreadsheets. According to her records, thats 73 hours inside the museums and almost 51 total hours reading signs.

She traverses each exhibit twice, first reading every description and watching every video, then looking at the exhibit again and filming video for her TikTok account.

Kathryn Jones visits the "America on the Move" exhibit at the National Museum of American History Behring Center. (Fiona Glisson / NBC News)

My goal for that is almost to kind of provide a marketing sizzle reel for the exhibit, she said. A priority of mine is getting people in museums, getting people curious, reminding people that learning is fun as well as hopefully right, breaking down the stigma that museums and galleries are stuffy and exclusive and people cant come.

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Jones paused to take in historic footage of a streetcar passing the White House. This is what I love to see, D.C. streets which I recognize, she said. Look how close to the White House they are with a streetcar.

She added, People on roller skates! I did not expect that. A tour! This is so cool.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2019. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP file)

This year, Jones found herself at a professional crossroads after leaving her job as a vice president of marketing.

I called it my grown-up gap year, she said. There were so many aspects of what I was doing that I loved, but I was just kind of burnt out and felt adrift. So, I took the year off with the intention to figure out what brought me joy in life, what I wanted to do.

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Making videos about the Smithsonian, she discovered a passion for content creation, which she intends to continue after filming her last Smithsonian exhibition.

I tried, I think, three times and failed before I did my first exhibit. I went to a museum with the intention to read everything, and was either too anxious to do it, embarrassed to be filming in public, she said. Im really proud of myself for the strides that Ive made in my ability to focus, my confidence in myself.

As Jones has built her channel, the Smithsonian has found itself under increased scrutiny. Last month, the Trump administration informed Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch that it would begin a systematic review to remove divisive or partisan narratives in advance of the nations 250th anniversary.

A week later, President Donald Trump took aim at the Smithsonian on Truth Social.

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The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been  Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future, he wrote. We are not going to allow this to happen.

The first phase of the review will focus on eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Portrait Gallery.

In an interview with Fox News, Lindsey Halligan, one of the White House officials who signed the administrations Aug. 12 letter to the Smithsonian, addressed the review.

The fact that  our country was involved in slavery is awful  no one thinks otherwise, she said. But what I saw when I was going through the museums, personally, was an overemphasis on slavery, and I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far weve come since slavery.

A display featuring former slave Clara Brown at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The Smithsonian Institution was in the administrations crosshairs prior to last months review announcement. In March, Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, which directed the institution to prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.

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In April, an exhibit by African LGBTQ artists was abruptly postponed by the Smithsonians National Museum of African Art. The following month, NBC News documented more than 30 artifacts that were removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And in July, artist Amy Sherald canceled an upcoming show at the National Portrait Gallery after she said curators expressed concerns about a painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty.

It became clear during my exchanges with the gallery how quickly curatorial independence collapses when politics enters the room, she wrote on MSNBC.com. Museums are not stages for loyalty. They are civic laboratories. They are places where we wrestle with contradictions, encounter the unfamiliar and widen our circle of empathy. But only if they remain free.

This is not the first time that the Smithsonian has found itself in the crossfire of a culture war. In 2010, the institution withdrew part of an exhibition called Hide/Seek featuring works by LGBTQ artists after sustained outcry by then-House Speaker John Boehner and Catholic organizations.

The institution was also roiled by a debate over a National Air and Space Museum exhibit of the Enola Gay aircraft, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. Critics derided plans to include Japanese perspectives and information about the effects of nuclear warfare as an example of politically correct curating.

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The Smithsonian has faced crisis moments in the past  but the crisis moments have never come from a direct political assault, certainly not at the hands of the executive, said Dr. Sam Redman, director of the public history program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I know we use the word unprecedented a lot in this era, but this is truly unprecedented in terms of thinking about the Smithsonian.

Kathryn Jones reads a plaque about Charlotte Hawkins Brown, an author, educator, and civil rights activist. (Fiona Glisson / NBC News)

Some museum scholars dispute the Trump administrations claims that the Smithsonian overemphasizes narratives by Black and LGBTQ artists.

We all know that museums are historically and culturally extremely conservative, and that theres a striking lack of exhibitions devoted to women artists, or womens history or Black artists or LGBTQ, said Lisa Strong, director of the art and museum studies masters program at Georgetown University. Museums know this and have been working, working to fix this.

A 2022 report by journalists Julia Halperin and Charlotte Burns for Artnet found 14.9% of exhibits at 31 major U.S. museums, including the National Portrait Gallery, between 2008 and 2020 were of work by female-identifying artists, and 6.3 % were of work by Black American artists.

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Jones said her priority on her TikTok channel is encouraging people to visit the Smithsonian museums and local museums that document history.

Hearing those stories of people that have suffered before, problems that we face, thats honestly why I kind of started doing this challenge, she said. Because when we read these stories and see things, the more we know, the better we can empathize with other people, because we have other experiences to pull from.

She sat in the arched alcove of a railroad waiting room to listen to the story of Charlotte Hawkins Brown, who traveled to the Jim Crow South on racially segregated railroad cars during the 1920s.

She talks about how someone said to her, This is Gods country. You cant sit there, Jones said.

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Hearing those stories, I do think its important to confront those things, because that led to where we are now, she said. People are affected by that. Some people will carry the scars of that.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President Donald Trump has claimed virtually unlimited power to bypass Congress and impose sweeping taxes on foreign products.

Now, a federal appeals court has thrown a roadblock in his path.

The ruling of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit largely upheld a May decision by a specialised federal trade court in New York on Friday. However, the 7-4 appeals court decision did overturn a part of that ruling, striking down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration time to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

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The ruling was a significant setback for Trump, whose erratic trade policies have shaken financial markets, paralysed businesses with uncertainty, and raised concerns about higher prices and slower economic growth.

Which tariffs did the court knock down?

The courts decision centres on the tariffs Trump slapped on almost all US trading partners in April and the levies he imposed before that on China, Mexico and Canada.

Trump, on 2 AprilLiberation Day, he called itimposed so-called reciprocal tariffs of up to 50% on countries with which the United States runs a trade deficit and 10% baseline tariffs on almost everybody else.

The president later suspended the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to give countries time to negotiate trade agreements with the United Statesand reduce their barriers to American exports. Some of them didincluding the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Unionand agreed to lopsided deals with Trump to avoid even bigger tariffs.

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Those that didn't knuckle under, or otherwise incurred Trump's wrath, got hit harder earlier this month. Laos got rocked with a 40% tariff, for instance, and Algeria with a 30% levy. Trump also kept the baseline tariffs in place.

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Claiming extraordinary power to act without congressional approval, Trump justified the taxes under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act by declaring the United States' longstanding trade deficits a national emergency.

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In February, he'd invoked the law to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, saying that the illegal flow of immigrants and drugs across the US border amounted to a national emergency and that the three countries needed to do more to stop it.

The US Constitution gives Congress the power to set taxes, including tariffs. But lawmakers have gradually let presidents assume more power over tariffsand Trump has made the most of it.

The court challenge does not cover other Trump tariffs, including levies on foreign steel, aluminium and autos that the president imposed after Commerce Department investigations concluded that those imports were threats to US national security.

Nor does it include tariffs that Trump imposed on China in his first termand President Joe Biden keptafter a government investigation concluded that the Chinese used unfair practices to give their own technology firms an edge over rivals from the United States and other Western countries.

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Why did the court rule against the president?

The administration argued that courts had approved then-President Richard Nixons emergency use of tariffs in the economic chaos that followed his decision to end a policy that linked the US dollar to the price of gold. The Nixon administration successfully cited its authority under the 1917 Trading With the Enemy Act, which preceded and supplied some of the legal language later used in International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

In May, the US Court of International Trade in New York rejected the argument, ruling that Trumps Liberation Day tariffs exceed any authority granted to the President under the emergency powers law. In reaching its decision, the trade court combined two challengesone by five businesses and one by 12 US statesinto a single case.

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On Friday, the federal appeals court wrote in its 7-4 ruling that it seems unlikely that Congress intended to... grant the President unlimited authority to impose tariffs.

A dissent from the judges who disagreed with Fridays ruling clears a possible legal path for Trump, concluding that the 1977 law allowing for emergency actions is not an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority under the Supreme Courts decisions, which have allowed the legislature to grant some tariffing authorities to the president.

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So where does this leave Trump's trade agenda?

The government has argued that if Trump's tariffs are struck down, it might have to refund some of the import taxes that its collected, delivering a financial blow to the US Treasury. Revenue from tariffs totalled $159 billion (135.8bn) by July, more than double what it was at the same point the year before. Indeed, the Justice Department warned in a legal filing this month that revoking the tariffs could mean financial ruin for the United States.

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It could also put Trump on shaky ground in trying to impose tariffs going forward.

While existing trade deals may not automatically unravel, the administration could lose a pillar of its negotiating strategy, which may embolden foreign governments to resist future demands, delay implementation of prior commitments, or even seek to renegotiate terms, Ashley Akers, senior counsel at the Holland & Knight law firm and a former Justice Department trial lawyer, said before the appeals court decision.

The president vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court. If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America, he wrote on his social media platform.

Trump does have alternative laws for imposing import taxes, but they would limit the speed and severity with which he could act. For instance, in its decision in May, the trade court noted that Trump retains more limited power to impose tariffs to address trade deficits under another statute, the Trade Act of 1974. But that law restricts tariffs to 15% and to just 150 days on countries with which the United States runs big trade deficits.

The administration could also invoke levies under a different legal authoritySection 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962as it did with tariffs on foreign steel, aluminium and autos. But that requires a Commerce Department investigation and cannot simply be imposed at the presidents own discretion.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated her government's handling of its tumultuous relations with the Trump administration, progressive gains and controversial judicial reforms in her first state of the nation address Monday.

Sheinbaum, who is nearing the end of her first year in office, notably left out some of the major problems still simmering in Mexico, including ongoing cartel violence plaguing much of the country and democratic concerns over wider concentration of executive power.

Mexico's first female president took office in October and has led the Latin American nation of 131 million at a time of radical global shifts. Despite that, the 63-year-old progressive leader has enjoyed soaring approval rates between 70% and 80% in Mexican polls.

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Things are going well, and they're only going to get better, she promised.

Here are some of the top takeaways from Sheinbaums State of the Nation address.

Navigating the Trump era

Chief among Sheinbaums challenges has been navigating Mexicos inextricable political and economic relationship with the United States as President Donald Trump has doled out tariffs globally and pressured allies into making concessions.

Sheinbaum has been able to dodge the brunt of Trumps tariffs by going after Mexican cartels and their fentanyl production more aggressively than her predecessor. In recent months, the government has delivered dozens of cartel figures long wanted by U.S. authorities to the Trump administration.

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At the same time, her administration has insisted that the Trump administration respect Mexican sovereignty, and has rejected talk of potential American military action against cartels in Mexican territory.

Under no circumstance will we accept interventions, interference, or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the country, she said.

On Monday, a day before Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to visit to discuss security issues, Sheinbaum said the governments share a relationship of mutual trust, respect for sovereignty and territoriality, and cooperation without subordination.

Just weeks earlier, however, Donald Trump told press: Mexico does what we tell them to do.

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Drop in poverty and social programs

The president also highlighted major progressive gains made by her government and by her predecessor and ally, ex-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Government data released last month showed that more than 8.3 million people in Mexico were pulled out of poverty between 2022 and 2024, something experts said was due in large part to social programs and the government raising the minimum wage.

Direct money transfers ranging from scholarships to payments to Mexicos elderly have also gone to around 32 million families, about a quarter of the countrys population, Sheinbaum said.

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This is the most ambitious social plan in Mexicos history, she said.

Carrying the legacy of AMLO

Sheinbaum spent much of the speech explaining how she was carrying the legacy of her predecessor, a promise that got Sheinbaum elected last year, and underscoring the countrys strong economy.

The president listed a slew of construction projects in the works, including the continuation of Lopez Obradors crown jewel project, the Maya Train.

Despite wider global economic uncertainty, she highlighted a strong economy in Mexico, including growing investment and a strong peso.

She also nodded to a newly elected Supreme Court set to take office later Monday after Sheinbaum and Lopez Obradors Morena party overhauled the judicial system last year. She called it a profoundly democratic event. The judicial reform, which has judges elected, fueled concerns of democratic decay.

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Avoiding cartels and democratic concerns

The problems Mexico continues to wrestle with were notably absent from Sheinbaums speech.

While she mentioned dipping homicide rates, she largely didnt comment on what most Mexicans see as their countrys main problem: cartel violence.

Despite promises from Lopez Obrador that his social programs would dip conflict in the Latin American nation, violence in much of Mexico has only continued to rage on. Cartel warfare has fueled bloodshed in Sinaloa, as dead bodies pop up on the streets every morning and nearly 130,000 Mexicans remain missing.

Sheinbaum also made little mention of wider democratic concerns attached to Mexico's judicial reform, which was jammed through by Morena last year, and set the stage for judicial elections in June. Critics warned that by popularly electing judges, the party was dealing a blow to checks and balances, by making it easier to get allies on top courts.

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The majority of those slated to take control of Mexicos Supreme Court on Monday are members or former members of the Morena party.

The era of nepotism, corruption and privilege is over, and a new era of legality and justice for all is beginning, Sheinbaum said.

Later Monday, Mexico introduced the new court. Hugo Aguilar, a lawyer who spent much of his career defending Indigenous rights, said during a ceremony that as the courts president he will work to give justice to those who have been excluded from the judicial apparatus.
Donald Trumps trade adviser has been branded shameful and sinister for accusing an Indian caste of profiting from Russian oil sales.

Peter Navarro weighed into the trade war between US and India, claiming Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of Indian people.

The White House aide also accused India of being a laundromat for the Kremlin in the Fox News interview after Mr Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs as punishment for its purchase of Russian oil.

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The comments were met with outrage in India  where caste-based discrimination is still rife, decades after it was made illegal.

Indian media accused Mr Navarro of trying to sow chaos by exploiting the countrys fault lines, while politicians lined up to criticise the remarks.

Navarros invocation of a particular caste identity in India to make his point, even if it is to imply the privileged lot vis a vis the rest, is shameful and sinister, said Priyanka Chaturvedi, an Indian opposition MP.

She added the comments were a meltdown reaching peak level of senile.

It comes as Trumps tariff diplomacy has opened a deep rift with India that analysts say risks pushing the worlds largest democracy away from Western spheres of influence and into the embrace of China and Russia.

Donald Trumps trade penalties against India are tied to Delhis purchasing of Russian oil - Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg Finance LP

Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of PM Modis Economic Advisory Council, said Navarros latest insult tells us a lot about who controls narratives about India and Hindus inside the policy/intellectual spaces of America.

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This is derived directly from 19th century colonial jibes going back to the likes of [British colonial administrator] James Mill. Edward Saids point about Orientalism is perhaps more correct for India than his original thesis on the Middle East, Sanyal said.

The Brahmin is an upper-caste in Indias oppressive ancient caste system, a hierarchical social structure rooted in Hinduism.

Brahmins, traditionally priests and scholars, sit at the top of this system, followed by other upper castes like Kshatriyas (warriors) and Vaishyas (merchants). Below them are Shudras (labourers) and Dalits (formerly untouchables), who face severe discrimination.

Some have defended Mr Navarro, claiming he was referring to Boston Brahmins, a US term that describes the northeastern citys historic upper class that dates to the 1860s.

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Mr Navarros comments came as Narendra Modi held hands with Vladimir Putin and embraced Xi Jinping in China on Monday, in the wake of Mr Trumps punishing tariff humiliation.

Vladimir Putin with Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin - ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/AFP

The Indian prime minister has reportedly ignored a series of phone calls from his US counterpart after the tariff rise. Mr Trump is also reportedly planning to cancel his upcoming visit to India

In August Mr Trump described India and Russias economies as dead and accused India of not caring about those killed in the conflict in Ukraine.

Theyre fuelling the war machine, and if theyre going to do that, then Im not happy, Mr Trump told CNBC in the first week of August.

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Before the 2022 invasion, Russian oil accounted for just 0.2 per cent of Indias imports but today it accounts for 45 per cent, around two million barrels a day, bringing Moscow 41bn in revenue last year, according to Delhis Global Trade Research Initiative.

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Donald Trumps administration has long been selling the lie that they are doing everything they can to care for veterans. Veterans can look at their country with pride knowing that were taking care of them, just like you told me to do, Doug Collins, the secretary of the Department for Veterans Affairs, told Trump during a Cabinet meeting last week. I asked you what to do, you said, Go take care of my veterans. Well, thats what were doing.

In reality, the administration has waged an all-out assault on the welfare of the men and women who served the nation. The latest blow, appropriately coming ahead of Labor Day, all but entirely strips VA employees of their ability to organize as a workforce.

On August 6, the VA terminated most of its collective bargaining agreements with major unions, gutting protections for nearly 370,000 employees in one stroke. The agency framed the move as a way to shift resources back to veterans. The VA announced last week that it shifted a whole $39M back to veterans. In other words, the VA is spending a dollar to save a penny. The supposed savings arent even enough to employ five doctors full-time over the course of their careers.

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Five major unions were affected: the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Association of Government Employees, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, and the Service Employees International Union. Before the VA terminated its collective bargaining agreements earlier this month, approximately 375,000 VA employees were represented by unions. The number is now about 7,000.

The VA severing ties with unions comes at a time when the agency is hemorrhaging health care professionals due to layoffs, firings, buyouts, and forced retirements. Other doctors, nurses, and providers are simply opting to leave VA for more stable workplaces.

The VA denies it is headed toward privatization  just like it denied that mass layoffs of 80,000 employees wouldnt impact veteran care. But facts have a way of catching up. After pressure from Congress and veterans groups, the administration trimmed its plan back to 30,000 job cuts. Still, the VA has lost thousands of health care staff this year alone, including 688 physicians and 1,882 registered nurses. At the same time, the administration requested a record $441 billion VA budget for 2026, while planning to eliminate nearly 3,000 more positions  including over 2,000 from the Veterans Benefits Administration, which handles disability claims and education benefits.

This is privatization by attrition, pouring billions into for-profit, expanded community care programs while hollowing out the VAs direct-care system. At the end of the day, the only ones left holding the bag are veterans  particularly those who are most vulnerable, including those who rely on Medicaid to supplement their VA care and those who have no major hospitals or health care facilities within their area.

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The unions are part of what keeps the VA strong. AFGE members, for instance, are often the first to blow the whistle when wait times stretch too long or when outsourcing to private contractors threatens patient care. National Nurses United has fought consistently for safe staffing levels and against efforts to privatize VA hospitals. Their advocacy has often protected veterans from dangerous policy experiments pushed by politicians. Silencing them undercuts a crucial check on the system and will ultimately mark the beginning of the end for the VA on which most veterans have come to rely.

The VAs move to break with these unions sends a chilling message to federal workers across the country: collective bargaining rights dont matter, and the National Labor Relations Act isnt something they are following. It states that no one can be pressured to join or not join a union. Not to mention basic American contract law.

History shows us that weakening unions does not lead to better services. In fact, the opposite is true. When frontline staff lose their bargaining power, turnover increases, morale plummets, and the most skilled employees leave for more stable workplaces. And this is exactly what Trump wants.

The VA argues that reclaiming 180,000 square feet of office space once used by unions will somehow expand services. But that space will be useless when there are no workers inside. This is all by design. Its an all-out assault on the VA and, in turn, an all-out assault on our veterans. Many of the post-9/11 veterans are entering some of the most important years of their lives and need good, reliable health care  not a system that is cannibalizing itself.

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The assault on organized labor should be seen for what it is: part of a larger effort to privatize the VA by weakening its workforce. When unions are out of the way, it becomes easier to outsource care to for-profit providers who see veterans as customers rather than patients. We are headed toward a place where private providers can send veterans denial letters:

Sorry, that IED blast that took off your legs was found to be your fault.

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The DOJ rarely issues declination letters, which announce that a company won't be prosecuted.

Only two corporations received declinations during Trump's term so far while facing investigations.

A lawyer for a space research company explained to Business Insider how they pulled it off.

Under the Trump administration, Justice Department officials have made clear in speeches and policy documents that they do not want to prosecute corporations.

But, so far, only two companies have received the gold star craved by every white-collar defense lawyer: A declination letter.

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In April, Justice Department officials issued a letter and press release announcing that it was declining to prosecute the Universities Space Research Association after an employee illegally sold sensitive aviation software developed by the US military to a Chinese university.

The letter, addressed to USRA lawyer Clark Kent Ervin, praised the company's "exceptional and proactive cooperation," including swiftly disclosing the wrongdoing, improving internal controls, and firing Jonathan Soong, the employee.

The declination letter to USRA is one of only two issued by the second Trump administration, and it can serve as a case study in how companies can achieve the best-case outcome in the face of a Justice Department investigation.

When an organization like USRA finds potentially illegal conduct from one of its employees, it has a choice.

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It could tell the Justice Department  and potentially face years of legal headaches and bad publicity as the government does its own investigation.

Or it could handle things internally, blame individual bad apples, and keep quiet while hoping the government doesn't notice before the statute of limitations expires.

Ervin told Business Insider that USRA's management "fully understood the perils" of disclosing criminal activity to the Justice Department, but didn't hesitate to do so anyway.

"We recommended that USRA voluntarily self-disclose it, which the company properly did," said Ervin, an attorney at Squire Patton Boggs. "There was no hesitancy whatsoever about it."

The secret software sale

In 2017, Jonathan Soong received his email in his inbox that would upend his life.

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At the time, Soong managed software sales at the USRA, which manages space and aviation research and educational programs across a consortium of universities

Part of Soong's job was administering a US Army contract to sell sophisticated flight software. Most of the customers were American universities studying aeronautics, as well as the occasional aerospace company and defense contractor. But in 2017, Soong received an email from a representative of Beihang University in China.

The Beijing-based university was on a US government list of entities forbidden from receiving the software, in part because it develops rockets and drones in a way deemed contrary to "national security or foreign policy interests," according to US government court filings.

Soong initially told the Beihang University representative as much, saying that "red flags" prevented him from selling the software to them, prosecutors said.

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The Beihang University representative developed a workaround. They used a third-party corporate entity, called Beijing Rainbow Technical Development Ltd., to buy the software, prosecutors said. Soong approved the sale, and Beihang University soon had access to the closely guarded piece of technology.

The scheme went undetected for years, until USRA administrators stumbled upon records of the sale while reviewing its compliance with a different part of the NASA contract, Ervin told Business Insider.

USRA administrators and Ervin opened an internal investigation. After several rounds of questioning, Soong came clean. He admitted to selling the software to Beihang University and personally pocketing the proceeds from other software sales.

"We were looking  was there any other employee? Was there any officer? Was there any board member of USRA involved in this?" Ervin told Business Insider. "And we determined that he was a lone wolf, he was a rogue employee."

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USRA administrators viewed the company as a victim of Soong, and they believed the Justice Department would understand that he operated independently, Ervin said.

"The USRA had nothing to hide," he said. "The company itself was not involved in this. This was a lone actor."

The USRA made multiple disclosures to the Justice Department and other government agencies over the course of its 18-month internal investigation, Ervin said. Soong repaid $161,000 to the USRA and later pleaded guilty to criminal charges filed against him, court filings show.

In April 2023, a federal judge in San Francisco sentenced him to 20 months in prison. An attorney for Soong didn't respond to requests for comment.

How to not get prosecuted

Declination letters have long been the gold standard for companies facing a DOJ investigation.

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It's a far better alternative to a criminal case, which could destroy a company, or even a non-prosecution agreement, which can still cast a cloud of suspicion on a corporation.

"When you have basically good facts like this, you can get a non-prosecution agreement, meaning the government could prosecute you, but has chosen not to," Ervin said.

Declination letters  which are a clear, ringing sign that the Justice Department found the company did nothing wrong  remain rare.

The USRA letter was in the works for years before it was issued.

In 2024, the Justice Department issued only five declination letters, according to a Business Insider review of the letters posted to the DOJ's website. (That doesn't include a special counsel's report announcing he declined to prosecute then-President Joe Biden for mishandling classified documents.)

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The other one granted during this year under the Trump administration was to Liberty Mutual, in August, after the insurer disclosed to the DOJ that certain employees bribed public officials in India and gave up $4.7 million in ill-gotten profits.

"We are pleased the DOJ acknowledged our proactive approach and affirmed our commitment to integrity and compliance across our global enterprise," a Liberty Mutual spokesperson told Business Insider. "We welcome this conclusion and, in addition to already taking decisive steps to address this matter, will continue to uphold our values and act responsibly everywhere we do business."

Earlier this year, Matthew Galeotti, the head of the DOJ's criminal division, provided a clear path for corporations to receive declinations.

If they handle investigations internally, take corrective action, and fully cooperate, then the Justice Department will give them a letter saying they are declining to prosecute, Galeotti said in a public speech in June. A new chapter in the Justice Department's policy manual even includes a handy flowchart to help white-collar lawyers understand what they need to do.

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Galeotti previously told Business Insider the new policies provide companies with clear incentives to voluntarily self-disclose potential wrongdoing and cooperate with investigations without worrying about coming under the microscope themselves.

"This policy also encourages companies to invest in compliance programs, which helps deter misconduct from happening in the first place and detect it when it does occur, all of which benefits the American public," he said.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment beyond Galeotti's earlier statement and directed Business Insider to a list of several declination letters published on the Justice Department's website.

The declination letter provided to USRA credited the company's swift disclosure and firing of Soong, and for comprehensively providing relevant records related to Soong's offense.

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Ervin told Business Insider that running to the government  not away from it  demonstrated they deserved the distinction.

"What the company did next after we discovered this made all the difference in the government's decision not to prosecute it," Ervin said. "The company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee's wrongdoing, provide all known facts, cooperate, and continue to cooperate with the investigation."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A traveler attempted to conceal two live turtles in her undergarments while passing through Miami International Airport security, reported Fox 4 Now.

What happened?

Transportation Security Administration officers discovered the reptiles during a routine checkpoint inspection. One turtle died in the incident, and wildlife authorities took custody of the survivor.

The discovery came months after a comparable case at Newark's airport, where another passenger hid a reptile concealed in clothing. These cases prompted TSA officials to issue a public statement asking travelers to "stop hiding animals in weird places on your body."

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Security personnel regularly encounter travelers attempting to transport animals improperly. While small pets can legally pass through checkpoints, concealing them violates federal regulations and endangers the animals.

Why is wildlife smuggling concerning?

Animal trafficking threatens species survival and hurts the ecosystems humans rely on for healthy air, water, and food.

Turtles in particular face pressure from illegal trade. Some species' numbers have plummeted over the past few decades.

Smuggling methods cause severe stress and often death for animals forced into confined spaces without proper ventilation or temperature control. Beyond individual suffering, this trade spreads diseases between wildlife populations and to humans.

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For communities, wildlife trafficking undermines conservation efforts that protect natural resources. Healthy turtle populations control algae growth in waterways and maintain balanced aquatic ecosystems that support fishing industries and water quality.

What can I do to help prevent wildlife trafficking?

If you need to travel with pets, contact your airline beforehand about their animal policies. Carry approved pets openly during security checks in proper carriers rather than attempting to conceal them.

Report suspicious wildlife sales online or at markets to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service line. Support legitimate wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers that work with authorities to care for confiscated animals.

When you purchase items that might contain turtle shells, choose certified sustainable products. Research pet sources thoroughly before you acquire exotic animals. Make sure they come from legal, captive-breeding programs rather than wild populations.

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These actions protect vulnerable species while keeping travelers compliant with federal laws that carry severe penalties for violations.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  Two Anne Arundel County firefighters are throwing in the towel after battling fires in the community for more than 10 years.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department announced on Sept. 1 that Firefighter II, Jimmy Johnston and Firefighter III Randy Ramaglia are both retiring.

Johnston is leaving the field with 38 years of service under his belt. He spent most of his career in the fire departments Special Operations Stations.

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Which stores and restaurants will be open for Labor Day 2025?

Jimmy Johnston (Photo Courtesy: Anne Arundel County Fire Department)

Over the last several years, Johnston maintained the firefighters equipment and worked in the Logistics Support Section.

Toucan rescued after getting trapped behind appliance inside Arlington apartment

Ramaglia also spent most of his career in the First Battalion working at stations 12, 26 and 33. Before serving the Anne Arundel Community, Ramaglia was a squad leader of the Army Ranger Squad with the U.S. Army.

Randy Ramaglia (Photo Courtesy: Anne Arundel County Fire Department)

He was a part of the Mogadishu firefight in 1993, when a Blackhawk Helicopter was shot down. The event escalated into a bloody battle, marked by heavy fire from both the U.S. forces and Somali militia.

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Following the event, Ramaglia shared his story on several outlets and participated in documentaries that shared the horrors of the battle.

This includes the Netflix documentary, Surviving Black Hawk Down, where he recalled the unforgettable moments of the fight.

We wish both Jimmy and Randy the best in retirement, and we thank them for their dedication and commitment to both the residents of Anne Arundel County and the United States of America, said the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in a post on social media.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.
Two firefighters were detained by U.S. immigration authorities while responding to a wildfire on Washingtons Olympic Peninsula, raising questions about federal enforcement in emergency situations.

The arrests occurred on August 27 during efforts to contain the 9,000-acre Bear Gulch wildfire. Authorities detained two members of a 44-person crew from Oregon-based contractors, Table Rock Forestry Inc. and ASI Arden Solutions Inc., after verifying the identities of all crew members. The remaining 42 firefighters were allowed to continue working.

Officials said the two detained individuals were in the U.S. without legal status. One of them, an Oregon resident who has been in the country since childhood and is awaiting a U-visa, is represented by attorneys who argue the arrest violated Department of Homeland Security policies that generally prohibit immigration enforcement at emergency response sites.

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The incident prompted swift public reaction. Senator Patty Murray of Washington criticized the detentions, saying the Trump administrations immigration policies could compromise emergency response efforts. Governor Bob Ferguson also expressed concern and said his office would investigate.

The U.S. Border Patrol declined to comment on the specific circumstances of the arrests, citing ongoing investigations. Wildfire officials said the rest of the crew continued firefighting operations without interruption.

The arrests highlight the tension between immigration enforcement and emergency response. Critics warn that similar actions could discourage immigrant workers from participating in essential services, potentially affecting wildfire containment and other disaster response efforts in the future.

The post Two firefighters detained by ICE appeared first on Salon.com.
Two pastors were arrested in Saint Petersburg, Florida, after praying over the citys Black History Matters asphalt mural to protest its erasure.

Reverend Andrew Andy Oliver and Minister Benedict Atherton-Zeman knelt on top of the colorful mural and repeated prayers around 8 p.m. local time on Friday as workers in the Florida Department of Transportation arrived with paint to cover up the mural.

The mural, created in 2023 outside of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, was next for removal as part of Governor Ron DeSantis' order to eliminate "non-standard road art. Its part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to eliminate distractions on public roads.

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Upon hearing it was up for removal, Oliver and Atherton-Zeman headed over to the mural and prayed over it. Videos and photos taken from the scene show the two pastors with their eyes closed and hands in prayer.

St. Petersburg police asked the two to move out of the way, but they refused, leading to their arrests on one misdemeanor count of resisting.

Florida officials covered up the Black history matters mural in St. Petersburg as part of the Trump administrations effort to get rid of distractions (Visit St Petersburg)

For me, living out my faith, resisting tyranny and fascism and white supremacy was the most important thing last night, Oliver told the Tampa Bay Times. I had to do what I had to do.

Atherton-Zeman told Fox 13 News that he couldnt just stand on the sidelines and watch the mural be covered.

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"We have the values of interdependence, of love, and I really couldn't just stand on the sidelines," Atherton-Zeman said. "I had to kneel in the street."

After the two pastors were forcibly removed from the site and arrested, the mural was covered with black paint.

Oliver and Atherton-Zeman spent the night in Pinnelas County jail.

The pastors returned to the site of the former mural after posting a $500 bond and took a photo, which was later posted on Facebook.

Black history still matters if you look hard at the picture, you can see that even Rons paint couldnt fully hide that truth, Oliver wrote on Facebook, referencing the governors orders.

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Both pastors urged the public to donate to the museum.

The Black History Matters mural is just one of four street murals in St. Petersburg that have been marked for removal by state officials.

While state and federal officials say the removals are to create fewer distractions on streets, it is also part of President Donald Trumps crackdown on anything he perceives as woke.

Other notable murals in the state have been removed as well, including the rainbow street mural in Orlando that was created in memory of the 49 people who were murdered in the Pulse nightclub shooting.

In a Facebook post, museum officials expressed their deep disappointment over the murals removal, but noted that people can still support its message.

Just because the mural has disappeared, it doesnt mean The Woodsons mission has ended. We continue to preserve, present, interpret, celebrate, and educate others about African American art, history, and culture throughout Florida and beyond, the Woodson museum wrote.
Two of the most common over-the-counter painkillers used by Americans may be fueling the superbugs that contribute to antibiotic resistance.

A new study from researchers at the University of South Australia found that ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) promote antibiotic resistance. Moreover, when used together, the effect is amplified compared to when used individually.

The researchers conducted lab tests with E. coli and ciprofloxacin, a commonly administered antibiotic. When E. coli was exposed to ciprofloxacin alongside ibuprofen and paracetamol (the generic name for Tylenol in Australia), the over-the-counter medications significantly increased genetic mutations in the bacteria, which made the E. coli highly resistant to ciprofloxacin and other types of antibiotics.

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The findings are particularly alarming, given the rising concern over antibiotic resistance, an issue that the World Health Organization deems one of the leading global public health threats.

In 2019, drug-resistant bacteria were directly linked to the loss of 1.27 million lives and associated with nearly five million deaths. Some estimates suggest that antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related deaths could reach almost 40 million over the next 25 years.

This doesnt mean we should stop using these medications, but we do need to be more mindful about how they interact with antibiotics  and that includes looking beyond just two-drug combinations, Associate Professor Rietie Venter, the studys lead author, said in a press release.

Venter suggests that healthcare providers may want to reevaluate medication schedules in high-risk settings, such as nursing homes.

This study is a clear reminder that we need to carefully consider the risks of using multiple medications  particularly in aged care where residents are often prescribed a mix of long-term treatments, said Venter.
Two teenagers from West Bridgewater and Boston were arrested early Monday morning during a traffic stop in Mattapan when police said they recovered loaded firearms.

Miguel Pleasants-Miranda, 19, of West Bridgewater, and a 17-year-old boy from the South End are facing a slew of charges after their arrest early Monday morning, police said.

Pleasants-Miranda is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court for the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession of a large-capacity firearm.

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The 17-year-old boy, who was not identified because he is a juvenile, is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court for the charges of delinquent to wit, unlawful possession of a firearm; delinquent to wit, unlawful possession of ammunition; delinquent to wit, carrying a loaded firearm; delinquent to wit, possession of a large-capacity firearm; and delinquent to wit, firearm with defaced serial number.

At approximately 2 a.m., Boston Police officers were patrolling the area of Norfolk and Woolson streets in response to a shooting that had occurred there just hours earlier.

While on patrol, they saw a vehicle with heavily tinted windows that was illegally parked and idling in a tow zone.

Officers initiated a traffic stop and approached the vehicle, which contained four occupants including the driver, later identified as Pleasants-Miranda, and the 17-year-old juvenile in the rear passenger seat.

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Upon approaching, officers noticed Pleasants-Miranda trying to conceal an item near his waistband, police said.

Combined with the behavior of the passengers and a recent shooting in the area, this raised immediate concerns that the occupants may be armed, police said in a statement later Monday.

Officers ordered the occupants to exit the vehicle to investigate.

When directed to exit the vehicle, the juvenile suspect attempted to run away from the scene.

A violent struggle ensued as he resisted arrest, ignoring repeated verbal commands to stop resisting and place his hands behind his back, police said.

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During the struggle, officers saw a firearm in the boys waistband, which fell to the ground before being secured by police.

The suspect was eventually placed into custody after continued resistance, police said.

Police identified the firearm recovered from the juvenile as a Taurus G2C 9mm semi-automatic pistol. It was loaded with one round in the chamber, 10 rounds in the magazine, and had an obliterated serial number, police said.

Police later searched the vehicle, and found a backpack containing personal items belonging to Pleasants-Miranda as well as a second firearm.

Detectives responded to the scene and placed Pleasants-Miranda under arrest.

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The second firearm recovered was a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol equipped with a laser and flashlight. Police said it was loaded with one round in the chamber and a magazine containing 15 rounds.

Police also issued a a Massachusetts Uniform Citation to Pleasants-Miranda for excessive window tint on his vehicle.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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As Wethersfields huge school renovation and replacement referendum draws closer, a small contingent of residents is trying to rally a no vote on Sept.16.

We formed a PAC, Wethersfield Against Referendum, on Aug. 11; we have been unofficially formed since mid-July, Chairman Diane Fournier said.

The group has just four members as of late August, but Fournier said it represents the views of many town residents who fear a significant tax increase if the referendum passes. She acknowledged that an online initiative didnt draw many visitors, but said the group has been actively sending letters to the weekly and monthly local newspapers.

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We are well known at the town council as weve been speaking at their meetings for at least six weeks, she said, and the group recently began placing vote no signs on lawns around town.

Just last week, a drive through several dozen Wethersfield streets showed no indication of organized opposition, but there was a steady stream of vote yes signs from advocates. Fournier said her group has put out about 70 signs so far, and has ordered another 100.

The town council in June unanimously endorsed holding a referendum on whether to spend $239 million replacing one of Wethersfields elementary schools and thoroughly renovating two others.

The school board and local educators have been clamoring for years to upgrade the schools, which date back several decades. Local officials are hoping voters will approve the project because the state government is offering to reimburse $151 million, leaving local taxpayers to put up $88 million.

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Fourniers group argues that the plan is simply too expensive, despite the state aid.

This money is not free; it comes from the state in the form of taxes, she said Thursday.

When putting up opposing signs, the main comment I heard was we cant afford to live in this town; tax increases are unending. This town never stops. Its the main reason we started the opposition, she said.

Some proponents have described the state as paying for 73% of the cost, but Fournier emphasized thats only 73% of eligible construction costs. Theres another $23.9 million of expenses that dont qualify for state aid; in all, the town will have to pay 37% of the $239 million budget, while the state covers 63%.

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Thats still a significantly higher rate of state aid than the usual 46% to 54%. But opponents argue taxpayers just cant afford it.

The most difficult thing is that you hear if youre against this project, youre not for our children. That couldnt be further from the truth. We all have children and grandchildren, Fournier said. But we cant afford this, there are people saying theyre going to have to leave town. If you cut this in half, youd have people voting for it. There are seniors who cant pay for this.

After this, the town will still have two more elementary schools to renovate, with a total cost between both phases of work around $400 million, she said.

Proponents counter that Wethersfield has an opportunity now to get more state aid than usual for a project thats overdue.

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The cost of doing nothing is quite high. The longer we delay passing this referendum, the higher costs will rise. And the maintenance only option costs about $55 million, says Win It For Wethersfield, the group leading the vote yes campaign. By renovating all five schools, property values go up, we decrease utility costs as we make energy-efficient upgrades, and we follow through on our commitment to equitable schools across the town.

But Fourniers group says designers want to overbuild, with too much space and too much expense for a town where elementary enrollment has been dropping.

The town has about 19,500 registered voters who will decide Sept. 16 how to proceed. The referendum voting will be held from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A crowd of striking UAW members pickets outside the General Motors plant in Hamtramck in 1945, carrying signs demanding higher wages. | Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

Decades ago, I was a nonunion journalist whose standard of living depended heavily on the bargaining prowess of the United Auto Workers union.

I worked for a group of Michigan daily newspapers located in a few cities where General Motors was the top employer or among the top three. My wages, cost of living increases and benefits were closely linked to financial packages won by the UAW for its then hundreds of thousands of factory workers at what was called the Big Three automakers.

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Michigan economists and policymakers closely watched national UAW contract negotiations, typically held every three or four years, to assess how those contracts would impact the states economy. So went the UAW and the automakers, so went Michigan in those days.

A record 26% percent of Michigan workers belonged to a labor union in 1989. Today its just over half that at 13.4% The UAW and the rest of organized labor no longer have the power they once did to boost the states overall prosperity.

The UAW celebrated its 90th birthday on Aug. 26, appropriately just a few days before Labor Day. It was an event largely devoid of media coverage, an indicator of the shrunken role the union plays in steering the state and national economy.

UAW membership has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 1979 to about 375,000 last year, according to its annual report filed with the Labor Department. That largely reflects a similar decline in the number of factory jobs at domestic automakers, which are now known as the Detroit Three, no longer the Big Three.

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Only about 150,000 UAW members work at GM, Ford and Stellantis. Most are employed at universities, hospitals, state governments and nonprofits.

A battle-hardened nonagenarian, the UAW faces existential threats from a variety of forces. They include increased factory automation, President Donald Trumps chaotic trade policies, the auto industrys choppy transition to electric vehicles, the growth of nonunion automakers in the South and discord at Solidarity House, the UAWs headquarters in Detroit.

The past couple of years gave hope of a turnaround for the unions prospects. Fiery UAW President Shawn Fain negotiated record labor contracts with the Detroit Three in 2023. President Joe Biden, promising to be the most pro-labor president in U.S. history, walked a picket line with striking UAW workers at GM, something no other U.S. president had done.

President Joe Biden walks along the UAW picket line and engages with union members at the GM Willow Run Distribution Center, Tuesday, September 26, 2023, in Belleville, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

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Then came Trump. The new president quickly slapped punishing tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum coming from Canada, Mexico and other countries in attempt to drive more auto production to the U.S.

It was a move that Fain, who harbored a simmering anger about free trade with Canada and Mexico, supported. But the UAW has since become miffed about Trumps trade agreement with Japan, which lowered auto tariffs from an initial 25% assessed by the president to 15%.

The UAW said it was deeply angered by the deal, which it claimed could give imported cars and trucks from nonunion Japanese automakers a cost advantage over U.S.-built vehicles by the Detroit Three.

Whats more, Trumps tariffs are costing U.S. automakers billions of dollars, likely taking a big chunk out of this years profit-sharing checks for UAW workers.

Employees join the picket line at General Motors Lansing Redistribution Center as the location was called to strike on September 22, 2023. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

And so far, the tariffs havent led to any new auto manufacturing jobs. Instead, there were 10,600 fewer motor vehicle and parts jobs in July than there were last December.

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The UAW also is fighting to unionize workers at Detroit Three electric vehicle battery plants, some of which are being built with foreign joint-venture partners.

It appears to have won an organizing drive this month at the BlueOval SK battery plant, a joint-venture between Ford and South Korea-based SK On in Kentucky. But the company is challenging 41 ballots that could change the outcome.

The loss of a union election at the plantco-owned by Ford, no lesswould be a staggering blow to the UAWs Southern organizing strategy.

Meanwhile, Fain is trying to hang on to his job. A court-appointed monitor in June found the UAW leader engaged in Trump-like retaliatory tactics against the unions secretary-treasurer. A few union locals are seeking an internal trial for Fain on alleged financial and other misconduct.

UAW President Shawn Fain speaks to a crowd in Detroit at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris campaign for president on Aug. 7, 2024. | Anna Liz Nichols

But for all the talk of auto jobs moving to Mexico and China, a boom in factory automation could be the biggest threat to the UAW becoming a centenarian.

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Hyundais new nonunion, highly automated assembly plant in Georgia features robot dogs that work with humans in building vehicles. The robots arent paid, dont get benefits or go on strike.

The South Korean automaker has about two human workers for every robot in the plant. The industry average is seven workers per robot, according to the Wall Street Journal, so there is a lot of room for automakers to robotize their factories.

But existential threats are nothing new for the UAW. For its 90th birthday, the UAW released a highlight video showcasing its hard-won accomplishments that included organizing Detroit automakers, creating the middle class and advancing civil rights.

The fight continues.

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LONDON (AP)  British officials are working to get critically sick and injured children out of Gaza so they can receive specialist treatment in U.K. hospitals, the British foreign secretary said Monday, adding that the first patients will arrive in coming weeks.

David Lammy said he was outraged by Israel not allowing enough aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million pounds ($20 million) more for medical assistance for Gaza and the region.

This is not a natural disaster, its a manmade famine in the 21st century, he said. Im outraged by the Israeli governments refusal to allow in sufficient aid.

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We all know there is only one way out  an immediate ceasefire, Lammy added.

He told lawmakers that British officials are also supporting students from Gaza who have been granted scholarships at U.K. universities so that they can start their studies in the fall.

Lammy said a massive humanitarian response was needed to prevent more Palestinians from dying and starving after the world's leading authority on food crises said in late August that the Gaza Strip's largest city is in the grips of famine.

He did not give specifics about the number of sick children or scholars that Britain is accepting from Gaza. But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Monday that officials are expediting visas for those Palestinians, as well as their accompanying family members.

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British media have reported that officials are facilitating the evacuation of nine students in Gaza who were awarded Chevening scholarships, funded by Britain's Foreign Office, but that dozens of other Palestinian students who have offers to study in the U.K. were still in limbo.

Officials have said they will not give specifics on the evacuation process because the situation was sensitive and complex.

Other European nations including Italy have also evacuated students and sick children from Gaza.

The U.K. funds field hospital operations in Gaza through a charity and works with the World Health Organization in Egypt to help treat some of the 8,000 people from Gaza who have been medically evacuated there.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces destroyed the radar of a Russian S-300 air defense system at the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea over the weekend, the military reported on Sept. 1.

Radars serve as the "eyes" of an air defense system  without them, anti-aircraft units are effectively blind and unable to operate.

The strike took place overnight on Aug. 30, with the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reporting explosions and a fire near the base the same day.

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"As a result of the actions taken, the radar for the S-300 complex was destroyed at the military airfield in the village of Saky," the Special Operations Forces said in a statement.

The S-300 is a Soviet-designed long-range surface-to-air missile system that remains central to Russia's layered air defense. Its radar units provide early warning, target tracking, and guidance for interceptors against aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

The Saky airbase, located in western Crimea, is a key hub for Russian operations in the Black Sea. It previously served as a base for Ukrainian naval aviation before Russia's occupation of Crimea in 2014.

Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russian military assets in the occupied peninsula. Ukrainian military intelligence reported on Aug. 28 the destruction of a Russian 91N6E radar, part of the S-400 system.

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Earlier in the month, Ukrainian forces also destroyed an S-300 system in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Read also: 3,350 ERAM missiles are heading to Ukraine  heres how they can be used against Russia

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Western training for Ukrainian troops was extended at Ukraine's own request.

The head of the UK-led training deemed it a "brave" call as it means fewer get trained.

He said Ukraine is focusing on quality over mass as it faces the larger Russian force.

Ukraine has chosen to keep its soldiers in Western training for longer  a "brave" decision that prioritizes quality over quantity, even as Russia throws waves of poorly trained troops into battle, the head of the UK-led training program told Business Insider.

Through Operation Interflex, the UK and its allies have trained thousands of Ukrainian troops in Western ways of warfare. At Ukraine's request, the standard course for new recruits was recently extended from five weeks to seven, said Col. Boardman, the program's commanding officer.

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Boardman, who the British defense ministry requested be identified only by rank and last name, described Ukraine's choice as "a very conscious decision in the face of a huge quantitative mismatch to the Russian military," which is much larger, with more people and significantly more equipment.

He said that Ukraine could have pushed for shorter, faster training to rush more soldiers to the front. Instead, it asked for the opposite: Ukraine said, "Have them for longer, make them better."

Boardman said, "the idea is that they'll be more lethal, more effective when they get back to the front line."

A 'brave' decision

Boardman said that Ukraine's decision to hold longer courses means fewer courses in a year, meaning a reduction in the number receiving training. "That's more than offset by the increased quality of the output," he said.

Ukrainian soldiers training as part of Operation Interflex in Norway. JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine can't match Russia in force size, so it wants to make the troops it does have as lethal and effective as possible.

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"The Ukrainians have decided to address this by increasing the quality of their training in order to offset the quantitative disadvantage, which I think is a brave decision," Boardman said.

He said that makes a Ukrainian basic recruit "so much better than a Russian conscript," who may have been trained for just a few weeks, if not a few days.

Different from Russia's approach

Boardman said Ukraine's emphasis on longer, higher-quality training stands in stark contrast to Russia's.

There is a big difference "in the quality of the training," he said. "And that's not praising ourselves. That's in terms of the Ukrainian's approach to the quality of their training, while the Russian training is comparatively short."

Russian Army soldiers ride their armoured vehicle to take positions and fire from flamethrowers toward Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in Ukraine in a photo released by Russia's military in April 2024. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Many Russian soldiers have been sent to the front line with just days of preparation.

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Ukraine, by comparison, has steadily extended its training pipeline. Beyond Operation Interflex, Kyiv lengthened mandatory basic training from 30 to 45 days in late 2024, though some support roles were later cut back again to ease pressure.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of the quality of training for their troops. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in December, "It is the quality of training that largely impacts the effectiveness of our soldiers in battles and, of course, it saves the lives of our guys."

Even with the extensions, Ukraine's training periods remain far shorter than NATO's  a reflection of how the grinding war against a much larger adversary forces constant compromise.

The quantity-versus-quality divide shows up not only in training but also on the battlefield, Boardman said. "The Russian approach is extraordinarily wasteful of its people," he said.

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"It is bludgeoning along using mass to soak up an enormous amount of fire and then to creep forward very slowly, which is not something that any Western military could or would do with its people."

Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would end the war in Ukraine in one day. Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP

Russia has repeatedly been accused by its own soldiers, by Ukrainian troops, and by Western officials of using "meat grinder" tactics  sending wave after wave of barely trained men to die in an attempt to overwhelm defenses.

Adm. Rob Bauer, who was then the chair of the Military Committee of NATO, said in 2023 that the conflict in Ukraine was increasingly a contest between Russia's masses of poorly trained troops with outdated equipment and a smaller Ukrainian military with better Western weapons and training.

A new US Army report in July said Russia had "reverted to Soviet form on the battlefield, favoring mass over maneuver, quantity over quality, capacity over capability, brutality over precision, and mobilization over readiness."

Ukraine's training

Since 2022, the UK and allied nations have trained more than 56,000 Ukrainians under Operation Interflex, while Ukraine's own academies and General Staff provide additional instruction at home.

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Boardman stressed that the program is shaped by Ukraine's requests, with courses adapted to battlefield realities.

That situation means Western trainers  who lack the direct experiences of this war  are teaching Ukrainians who have already fought in it. It's an unusual dynamic, but the Ukrainians clearly see value in the training.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in Operation Interflex in England. Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP

The result, Boardman explained, is a mixture of NATO-standard training and Ukraine's front-line experience that produces something stronger than either alone.

It's "an enormously worthwhile and valid mission" that supports Ukraine and shows "it's not okay to just invade another country and try and subjugate the people," he said.

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The effort also feeds back into NATO militaries themselves. "We use their expertise to guide us, but we are not just letting it go past us in the British Army. We are also feeding all that knowledge into the field army, the British Army, all of the contributing nations."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraine's 425th Regiment has liberated the village of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast and raised the national flag, the General Staff announced on Sept. 1.

Novoekonomichne, with a pre-war population of nearly 2,800 people, is located about 14 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of the embattled city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian assault groups spent two weeks fighting to liberate the settlement, raising the national flag in the village center on Aug. 31, according to the General Staff.

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Since mid-July, the village has appeared in the "gray zone" on maps published by the DeepState monitoring group, indicating ongoing fighting. As of Aug. 31, despite the General Staff's statement, Novoekonomichne remained in the "gray zone."

The estimated Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as of Aug. 31, 2025, according to DeepState map. (DeepState)

Earlier, Ukrainian forces regained control of the village of Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 24.

Russia has continued to intensify its ground offensives in eastern Ukraine, concentrating the bulk of its forces in the Pokrovsk sector in an effort to seize the key logistics hub.

With no ceasefire in sight, Russia's advances in the region help strengthen Moscow's hand in possible peace negotiations as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war.

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The Kremlin's plan for a peace agreement reportedly involves Ukraine withdrawing all its forces from Donetsk Oblast, ceding the entire region to Russia in exchange for frozen battle lines on the other sectors of the front.

Read also: Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's note: The article was updated with additional details.

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has destroyed two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a struck tugboat in occupied Crimea, the agency reported on Sept. 1.

Drones struck the Hvardiiske military air base, some 13 kilometers (around 8 miles) from Simferopol, destroying helicopters worth an estimated $2030 million, according to HUR.

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A military tugboat, believed to be a BUK-2190, was also attacked in Sevastopol Bay, where Ukrainian intelligence guided a warhead directly onto the vessel.

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The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed multi-role transport helicopter widely used by Russia for troop movement, cargo delivery, and medical evacuation, as well as armed combat missions.

The BUK-2190 tugboat supports naval operations in ports and bays. The targeted vessel was used by a Russian special naval forces unit responsible for underwater sabotage operations.

"The damage to the tugboat significantly limits the combat capabilities of the elite Russian unit," the agency said, adding that the vessel met an "unfortunate end."

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Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has become a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes against military infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces reported on Sept. 1 that they destroyed the radar of a Russian S-300 air defense system at the Saky airfield in western Crimea.

Read also: Ukraine destroys Russian S-300 radar in occupied Crimea, military says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian officials said on Monday they suspected Russia of involvement in the murder of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy after a suspect was detained.

National police head Ivan Vyhivskyi said the gunman had disguised himself as a courier and fired eight times in Saturday's attack in the western city of Lviv.

"He spent a long time preparing, watching, planning and finally pulling the trigger ... There is Russian involvement," he said on Facebook, without providing evidence.

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Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since early 2022, has not commented, and there has been no claim of responsibility for the killing of 54-year-old Parubiy, a leading figure in protests that helped to oust a pro-Russian president in 2014.

Vadym Onyshchenko, regional chief of the SBU intelligence service, said the murder looked like a contract killing.

"We have information indicating the possible involvement of the Russian Federation's security services in organising the murder," he said in a statement published by the SBU.

Parubiy was parliamentary speaker from 2016-2019 after helping to lead protests in 2013-14 that prompted the departure of Ukraine's then-president, the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich.

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Parubiy was also secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council from February to August 2014, a period when Russia seized Crimea and Russian-backed separatists began fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.

Both countries have accused each other of attempted or successful assassinations during their war, including those of a senior Russian general in Moscow and a Ukrainian intelligence colonel in Kyiv.

The suspect was detained overnight in the Khmelnytskyi region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

"The crime was carefully planned: the victims movements were studied, a route was mapped, and an escape plan was thought through," he said on Telegram.

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The suspect is a 52-year-old resident of Lviv, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.

Police published two photographs showing special forces officers holding a shirtless man in handcuffs.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Yuliia Dysa, writing by Max Hunder; Editing by Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones, Andrew Cawthorne and Kevin Liffey)
Ukraine's allies in the so-called Coalition of the Willing aim to define their security guarantees for Kiev during talks in Paris on Thursday under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"We will move forward with our partners, in conjunction with NATO, to define robust security guarantees for Ukraine. These are a necessary prerequisite for making credible progress towards peace," Macron posted on X on Monday following discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

He added that the allies would "also take stock of the attitude of Russia, which persists in its war of aggression and refuses peace."

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The Paris meeting follows the Ukraine summit in the White House last month. As Macron said on Friday, the deployment of ground troops to Ukraine to secure peace will also be discussed.

The coalition also intends to discuss consequences for Russia, including new sanctions in response to reluctance on Moscow's part for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Coalition of the Willing is made up of around 30 countries, many of them NATO members, but also includes Australia and Japan. Some of them are expected to send delegations to Paris for the talks and others will participate by video link.
BOBRYK, Ukraine (AP)  Pupils were returning to schools in Ukraine on Monday for the start of the new academic year in the hope of being able to study safely under the shadow of Russias invasion.

Since the start of the war, in February 2022, schools have found different ways to keep lessons going for pupils.

In Bobryk, a village in northern Sumy region  not far from the front line  one school moved its classrooms entirely into a basement so students, whose education had already been impacted due to COVID lockdowns, could learn in person.

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We must do everything so this generation is not lost, the principal Oleksii Korenivskyi said. Time is the only thing you cannot make up. This is our future, and we must give it everything we have.

The school was moved underground two years ago when air raid alerts sometimes stretched to 20 hours, paralyzing classes. The only option was to take cover and, while hiding from possible explosions, to keep studying.

Now, in a basement of an administrative building never meant to be a school, classrooms line the narrow space, some divided only by sheets of heavy plastic. There are no windows or doors. During lessons, the childrens voices blend together in a chorus.

On Monday, many arrived in embroidered traditional shirts, vyshyvanka. Teachers desks were loaded with fresh flowers that children brought for them as a traditional gift for the start of the year.

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Unfortunately, this neighbor isnt going anywhere, said Oleksii, referring to Russia, when describing how much had to be done to make it happen and that it was worth it.

The once damp and dark basement was refurbished with ventilation, electricity and new flooring.

It is just one example of how Ukrainians are adapting to keep life moving with no end in sight to Russias grinding assault.

Bobryk, with a population of about 2,000, has a small school with classes of about 10 children each. This year, only seven sat in the first-grade room.

During the first lesson, the teacher opened a textbook to a map of Ukraine. It showed the country whole, without marks of occupied territories. She pointed north to the Sumy region, where Bobryk lies.

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Our region is next to Russia, she said. Thats why its so hard, why they bomb us so often  because we are close to this difficult neighbor.

The school currently has just over 100 students, though about 10% have left since Russias full-scale invasion, and more continue to depart. For a school this small, each loss is felt.

Among those preparing to leave is Vlada Mykhailyk, 15, who will soon move to Austria with her 11-year-old brother. Their mother decided conditions have become too dangerous.

We live well, but sometimes its sad. We often hear Shaheds (drones) and explosions, Vlada said. Learning underground has become routine, she added. If you have to choose between online or in the basement, the basement is better.

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She admits she is reluctant to leave the city and would rather finish school with her friends.

In one of the junior classrooms, war was not the first topic on the first day. When the teacher asked what students what they had done over the summer, the replies were refreshingly normal  bike rides, helping parents, time with new friends. Then, a small voice from the third grade, added: A Shahed drone was intercepted above us and there were fragments.

All this is because of the war, the teacher answered gently.

Because the basement is small, the school runs in two shifts, with shortened breaks. The original schoolhouse  a beautiful early 20th-century building  now sits empty, its spacious classrooms waiting for students to return when security situation improves.

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Eva Tui, aged 7, was starting her third year in a classroom underground. She remembers her former classroom just 400 meters away, which was warmer in winter and cosier.

Were here because its wartime and there are a lot of sirens, Eva said, adding that she had been awake the night before with excitement at the start of the new school year.

Eva said her wish for the year is simple: To go back to the classroom. It feels more like home.

Her bigger dream: For the war to end.
Ukraines Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has pointed out, on the anniversary of Nazi Germanys attack on Poland, that these events were preceded by attempts to appease the aggressor and has called for avoiding the same mistake now with regard to Ukraine.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha recalled that on 1 September 1939, Hitlers Germany attacked Poland, and later the USSR joined from the other side  which marked the start of the Second World War on the European continent.

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Quote: "Today, it is critical to recall what came before that day: weakness and naive belief that territorial concessions would please an aggressor.

The Nazi Third Reich bears full responsibility for the catastrophe of the Second World War. But there were also those who enabled this evil to grow stronger  by avoiding difficult decisions, choosing weakness over strength, and favouring wishful thinking over realistic strategies.

The best way to pay tribute to dozens of millions of people who perished in WWII is to prevent the same mistakes today.

Unity of allies, pressure on aggressor Russia, and strengthening for Ukraine are critical for security and long-term peace for all of Europe."

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Background: Many top officials from Central and Eastern Europe have already drawn comparisons between the current negotiations around Ukraine and the "Munich Agreement" of 1938, as well as issuing other warnings, based on the lessons of World War II, about the inadmissibility of concessions to Russia.

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A Ukrainian analyst published footage of a road in China, saying the clip came from a Russian drone.

The clip appears to be of the Beihuan main road in Shenzhen, China's tech hub bordering Hong Kong.

Ukrainians have repeatedly accused Chinese companies of supplying key electronics to Russia.

A well-known Ukrainian drone analyst has published footage that appears to be camera tests filmed in Shenzhen, China, saying these clips were retrieved from a downed Russian Gerbera drone.

Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an oft-cited drone specialist who runs a popular Telegram channel about uncrewed systems in the Ukraine war, uploaded the videos on Sunday.

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Beskrestnov's post comes as Ukraine has accused Chinese industries of supplying Russia with key electronics and chips for advanced munitions and weapons.

The connection poses wider implications for the West's sanctions on Moscow; Ukrainian officials and analysts have repeatedly said they've found parts sourced from outside Russia inside the Kremlin's drones.

Business Insider couldn't verify that Beskrestnov's footage was taken from a Gerbera, a Russian-produced long-range drone designed to mimic the Iranian Shahed loitering munition.

But the clips appear to show the Beihuan main road in Shenzhen, which BI geolocated from the footage using Baidu's map and satellite features. Baidu is a local search engine akin to Google, which cannot be freely accessed in the mainland.

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Cyber Boroshno, a Ukrainian open-source geolocation intelligence group, first reported that the angle of the footage meant it was most likely filmed from the Aote Kexing Science Park, a set of four high-rise office complexes along the Beihuan main road.

One clip begins with an unknown person, who is sitting inside a high-rise building, moving the camera to face a window overlooking the Beihuan road at night. As the camera zooms in on the main road, it picks up individual cars, highlighting them with yellow and white indicators.

Another clip shows similar footage of the camera detecting cars merging into the Beihuan main road.

A tower in the Aote Kexing Science Park overlooks the Beihuan main road, which appears to feature in two clips uploaded by Beskrestnov. The lane merge at the top of the screenshot appears to be seen in one of the clips. Business Insider via Baidu/Screenshot

Beskrestnov also published an image of what he said was a camera attached to the Gerbera.

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The product resembles the A40 Pro, a 360-degree 40x optical zoom camera produced by ViewPro, a Chinese company based in Shenzhen. The firm lists the A40 Pro as being able to track targets using artificial intelligence.

ViewPro's website also lists its office address in the Shenzhen Hi-tech Industry Park, roughly 0.75 miles from the Aote Kexing Science Park. The company website said its product focus is on "UAV gimbals, payloads, and innovative drone accessories."

It's not clear whether the company is directly involved with the Russian military or whether the A40 Pro might have been bought by a separate entity that later supplied the Kremlin. ViewPro didn't respond to a request for comment sent by BI.

In January, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv's troops had been finding Chinese anti-jamming antennae in Shahed drones. Two months later, Beskrestnov posted a photo of an advanced Chinese 16-element Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna, which he said was retrieved from the wreckage of a Shahed.

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Kyiv's military intelligence also said in November that it found Western-made parts in Shahed decoy drones.

A look inside a Russian decoy drone. Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine via Telegram

Reuters and The New York Times reported in July 2024 that Russia regularly dodged sanctions by using Hong Kong as a central location to set up shell companies that procured electronics and chips for Moscow's military.

The US Commerce and Treasury Departments have sought to curb the strategy by imposing individual sanctions on dozens of Hong Kong businesses and individuals whom officials say are involved.

Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, is often dubbed China's Silicon Valley and borders Hong Kong. Their proximity means that both cities, while separately governed and culturally different, are closely integrated under China's Greater Bay Area initiative.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional statements from officials.

A suspect in the fatal shooting of Andrii Parubii, a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker, has been detained, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in the early hours of Sept. 1.

"The suspect has given an initial testimony. Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder," Zelensky said.

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Parubii, 54, was shot dead in Lviv on Aug. 30 by an assailant disguised as a courier, prompting a nationwide manhunt. During a press briefing in Lviv, police officials said that Parubii was shot at eight times with a short-barreled firearm. Seven shell casings were found at the crime scene.

Ivan Vyhivskyi, Ukraine's police chief, said the crime was "not random" and had "a Russian trace."

A 52-year-old resident of Lviv was charged with Parubii's murder, the Prosecutor General's Office announced. Searches at the suspect's residence and other places where he has stayed are underway.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the suspect was apprehended in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Vyhivskyi noted that the attacker tried to hide in the western region after "he tried to cover his tracks" by changing clothes and disposing of the weapon.

"The crime was carefully prepared: the attacker studied the victims movements, mapped out the route, and planned the escape," Klymenko added.

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"Once again, police officers and employees of the Security Service of Ukraine have demonstrated a high level of professionalism. Within 24 hours of the murder, they were already on the direct trail of the shooter, and within 36 hours  they detained him."

Speaking at a briefing later on Sept. 1, police officials said that the crime was being planned for more than a month and that the attacker received instruction and assistance. The suspect planned to flee abroad after the crime. There is currently no evidence suggesting he had accomplices, the police said.

"The crime has signs of being contract-based. There is operational information indicating the possible involvement of Russian intelligence services in organizing the murder," said Vadym Onyshchenko, the SBU chief in Lviv Oblast.

Parubii, a prominent Ukrainian activist and politician, was born in 1971 near Lviv. His public life began during the Soviet era, where he was arrested twice for organizing anti-government protests.

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Following Ukraine's independence, Parubii transitioned into politics, first winning a seat in parliament in 2007. He was an active participant in the nation's major pro-democracy movements, including the 2004 Orange Revolution.

He gained prominence during the 2014 EuroMaidan protests where he led volunteer self-defense groups. The 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution called for closer ties with the European Union and led to the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

After the removal of Yanukovych, Parubii served as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council from February to August 2014. This period coincided with Russia's annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in eastern parts of Ukraine, namely Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Due to his key position during the initial stages of Russian aggression, Parubii frequently became a target of Russian state propaganda and disinformation campaigns.

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Law enforcement authorities said they are investigating whether Parubii received threats before his death.

Read also: Russia says the quiet part out loud  war in Ukraine to continue, more mass bombings of cities

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Assault groups from the 425th Skelia (Rock) Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated the settlement of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast and raised the Ukrainian flag there.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Details: The General Staff posted a video of the flag being raised over the settlement.

According to the videos voiceover, it took two weeks to liberate the settlement: assault groups moved street by street, entered under cover of night, engaged Russian forces and carried out coordinated assaults along with a mop-up operation.

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The Ukrainian flag was raised in the centre of the settlement on 31 August.

Quote from the videos caption: "The Ukrainian flag being raised in the settlement of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast."

Background: DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, has reported that the rate at which the Russians are occupying Ukrainian territory fell by 18% in August. Russia seized 464 sq km last month, bringing the total occupied area to 19% of Ukraines territory. DeepState noted that this is equal to the percentage Russia held on 3 October 2022, shortly before Ukrainian defence forces launched a counteroffensive on Dudchany in Kherson Oblast.

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A 16-year-old Ukrainian girl has died after being pushed under a freight train at a railway station in Friedland, Germany.

Source: German newspaper Stern; German public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)

Details: Police said the tragedy occurred on 11 August at around 16:00 local time. A 31-year-old Iraqi national pushed Liana, 16, under a freight train that was travelling at about 100 km/h.

Shortly before the incident, police had received a call about antisocial behaviour at the station. When officers arrived, they encountered a man who led them to the girls body on the track. He claimed he had just found her. As no immediate suspicion arose, he was not detained.

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DNA testing later revealed traces of the man on the victims right shoulder, indicating that she had been forcefully grabbed. The man was then arrested, remanded in custody and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Subsequent tests showed a blood alcohol level of 1.35. The man was taken to a specialist psychiatric clinic. According to NDR, he had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Prosecutors said the suspect was not known to have had any prior connection to the victim. He has remained silent and made no comment on the charges. Investigators are determining whether he is criminally responsible.

Bild reported that at the time of the incident, Liana was speaking on the phone with her grandfather, who heard her screams. Her parents immediately questioned police claims that it had been an accident. The tragedy has shocked the local community.

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Liana fled Mariupol in 2022 together with her parents and two younger brothers and found refuge in Germany. She had been studying to become a dental assistant.

The local community organised a fundraiser for her funeral, collecting more than 24,000 so far.

The investigation also revealed that the Iraqi national had been living in Germany for several years. Despite being denied asylum and facing a deportation order, he had remained in the country.

Previously: Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who had recently fled to the United States from the war in Ukraine, was killed in a knife attack at a train station in North Carolina.

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The Ptashka Systems channel has published a video showing the combat use of the Ptashka net gun, which successfully brought down a Russian drone  the UAV exploded on impact.

Source: Oboronka, a defence industry-related news outlet by Ukrainska Pravda, with reference to the Ptashka Systems channel

Quote from Ptashka Systems: "Here is the combat use of the infantry net gun Ptashka. Resolute, courageous and cold-blooded."

Details: The Ptashka is a reusable weapon designed against FPV drones, equipped with several cartridges. Its price ranges from UAH 7,900 to 19,500 (about US$190-470), depending on the configuration. A single combat cartridge with a net costs UAH 1,500 (US$36).

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Visually, the Ptashka resembles a pistol with a cartridge mounted on the barrel. The operator simply aims at the drone and fires. The net, measuring 3.5 by 3.5 metres, unfolds in the air and entangles the drones propellers, forcing it to crash. The Ptashka can launch its net at a distance of up to 2530 metres.

Apart from the Ptashka, there are also other net gun models on the market designed to counter FPV drones.

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LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Queen Camilla fought off a would-be attacker on a train when she was a teenager by hitting him with her shoe, according to a new book about the royal family.

Camilla, 78, was travelling on a train to Paddington station in London when she was about 16 or 17-years-old when a man started to assault her, said the account in the book "Power and the Palace" which is being serialised in the Times newspaper.

She responded by taking off her shoe and hitting him in the genitals with her heel. When she arrived at Paddington she pointed the attacker out to an official and he was arrested, the book said.

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The author, former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low, said Camilla, who married King Charles 20 years ago, had recounted the story during a meeting with former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2008 when he was the mayor of London.

Low said the account was relayed to him by Johnson's former communications director.

Camilla, who has for many years championed charities and causes which seek to end sexual and domestic violence and support victims, has never publicly spoken about the incident. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the account.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)
CAIRO  Iran-backed Houthis on Sunday raided offices of the United Nations food, health and childrens agencies in Yemens capital, detaining 11 U.N. employees, officials said. The rebels tightened security across Sanaa following the Israeli killing of their prime minister and several Cabinet members.

Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the World Food Program, told The Associated Press that security forces raided the agencies offices in the Houthi-controlled capital on Sunday morning.

Also raided were offices of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, according to a U.N. official and a Houthi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to brief the media. The U.N. official said armed forces raided the offices and questioned employees in the parking lot.

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Ammar Ammar, a spokesperson for UNICEF, said a number of the agencys staffers were detained, and UNICEF was seeking additional information from the Houthis.

Both Etefa and Ammar said their agencies were conducting a comprehensive head count of their employees in Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement late Sunday said at least 11 personnel had been detained. He condemned that and the forced entry into the premises of the World Food Program, the seizure of U.N. property and attempts to enter other U.N. premises in Sanaa. He called for the immediate and unconditional release of the personnel.

The raids were the latest in a long-running Houthi crackdown against the U.N. and other international organizations working in rebel-held areas in Yemen.

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They have detained dozens of U.N. staffers, as well as people associated with aid groups, civil society and the now-closed U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. The U.N. suspended its operations in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen after the rebels detained eight U.N. staffers in January.

Sundays raids came on the heels of the killing of the Houthi prime minister and several of his Cabinet members in an Israeli strike Thursday. It was a blow to the Iran-backed rebels who have launched attacks on Israel and ships in the Red Sea in relation to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Among the dead were Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, Foreign Minister Gamal Amer, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Development Mohammed al-Medani, Electricity Minister Ali Seif Hassan, Tourism Minister Ali al-Yafei and Information Minister Hashim Sharafuldin, according to two Houthi officials and the victims families.

Also killed was a powerful deputy interior minister, Abdel-Majed al-Murtada, the Houthi officials said.

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They were targeted during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, a Houthi statement said Saturday, two days after the strike. The Houthis said a funeral for all those killed is scheduled for Monday in Sabeen Square in central Sanaa.

Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser al-Attefi survived the attack while Abdel-Karim al-Houthi, the interior minister and one of the most powerful figures in the rebel group, didnt attend the Thursday meeting, the Houthi officials said.

U.N. envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed great concern over Israels recent strikes in the Houthi-controlled areas following Houthi attacks against Israel.

Yemen cannot afford to become a battleground for a broader geopolitical conflict, he said in a statement. He called for de-escalation.

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Thursdays strike came after the Houthis attacked Israel on Aug. 21 with a ballistic missile that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at Israel since 2023. The missile, which the Houthis said was aimed at Ben Gurion Airport, prompted air raid sirens across central Israel and Jerusalem, forcing millions into shelters.

The Houthis are likely to escalate their attacks on Israel and ships in the Red Sea, after they vowed in July to target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality.

Our military approach of targeting the Israeli enemy, whether with missiles, drones or a naval blockade, is continuous, steady, and escalating, al-Houthi, the groups secretive leader, said in a televised speech Sunday.




By Ju-min Park

SEOUL (Reuters) -The head of South Korea's Unification Church has denied that she directed the group to bribe a former First Lady and a politician close to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the church comes under the spotlight in a criminal probe into Yoon and his wife.

Special prosecutors indicted former First Lady Kim Keon Hee for bribery and other charges on Friday, amid a widening probe into the country's martial law crisis and scandals involving the once powerful couple.

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Kim is also accused of receiving bribes worth 80 million won ($57,631) that include two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace from an official at the Unification Church in return for using her influence to help its business interests.

Kweon Seong-dong, a veteran politician close to former President Yoon, has been investigated over allegations that he received illicit political funds from the church official. Kweon has denied the allegations.

"False information is being spread that our church provided illegal political funds under my directive," Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja said in a statement on Sunday read by an announcer next to her.

"I take this opportunity to state this clearly: I have never directed any illegal political favours or financial transactions," she said in her first direct address related to the investigation.

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Kim's lawyers have also denied the allegations against her, including over her receiving gifts.

The official from the church that prosecutors say was behind the bribery has been arrested and indicted on charges including violating anti-graft laws.

The Unification Church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, said previously it was "deeply regrettable" that the church failed to prevent the misconduct of a former senior official, but denied any involvement in the case.

The justice ministry said on Monday it had requested permission from parliament to arrest Kweon, a lawmaker from the right-wing opposition People Power Party, on suspicion of violating political fund laws.

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Parliament, controlled by the ruling Democratic Party, is expected to vote on whether to give consent, and if approved, a court will review and make a decision on whether to arrest him or not.

In a post on Facebook on Sunday, Kweon said he believed prosecutors were politically motivated but was prepared to fight to prove his innocence in court.

($1 = 1,388.1500 won)

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Ed Davies.)
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Peoria continued its festive celebrations this morning with the annual Labor Day parade, followed by a family-friendly festival at the end of the parade route.

More than two dozen local unions marched down West Farmington Road, just south of Laura Bradley Park, for the annual parade. Along with them joined Peoria police and fire departments, Richwoods, Manual, and Peoria high school marching bands, among many other organizations.

This is the 25th year for the parade since its restart in 2000. The parade started in the early 1900s and was stopped in 1941 due to many union workers fighting in World War 2.

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The parade concluded at Rabers Packing Company, where a family-friendly festival was held to continue the celebration of Labor Day.

Labor Day is super important to us. My dads a business agent, and so its really important for our family, and the union is so important for the city. Everything in daily life, the roads, buildings, everything union, its important to us and our community, said Victoria Bartolo, a member of Local Union 165.

The festival included live music from the West McQueen Street band, food and drinks, and activities for the kids. Bounce houses, face painting, and balloon animals were all also a part of the celebration. All the activities were free of charge.

This celebration wasnt just a get-together for some; it was a meaningful celebration for union workers everywhere.

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I think that they should care because its providing so many jobs for people, providing for families, and its providing for me and you in everyday life, everyday activities, she said.

Businesses along Farmington Road were also open for patrons to use the restrooms and to join in on the celebration.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The number of traffic deaths and fatal crashes statewide has steadily increased since 2013, and theres an urgent need to address the underlying factors, according to ongoing research done by UNLVs Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.

The schools Department of Surgery has collected data on crashes and injuries over the past 14 years to research the human and economic toll of fatal and injury crashes.

According to the Traffic Safety Research Group, which does safety campaigns, Nevada has experienced a 46% increase in traffic fatalities over the past decade.

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In 2024, fatal crashes increased by 8% totaling 421 deaths, compared to 390 in 2023, according to the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety.

The research shows that in 2023, traffic-related crashes resulted in economic and social costs totaling $16 billion.

Statewide motorcycle fatalities were up 28% and pedestrian fatalities increased by 5%, but in Clark County, it was a 15% increase for pedestrian fatalities, the study revealed.

Las Vegas Metropolitan police say speed and alcohol are usually the most common factors in deadly crashes.

The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine receives grants to do this research and was awarded $650,000 from the state to continue its work toward understanding and preventing deadly and injury crashes.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
In summer 2025, posts on social media sites such as X and Facebook shared a copypasta (text repeatedly copied and shared verbatim online) claiming that Melania Trump, the U.S. first lady, worked as an escort before she met her now-husband, President Donald Trump. The copypasta also claimed that Melania Trump met Donald Trump at a party hosted by the former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 due to her connections with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

"Here's Melania when Zampolli first brought her to NYC.



This is the apartment in Union Square where he set her up, and her photographer roommate, Matthew Arabian.



Melania knew Epstein before she knew Trump.



This is Paolo Zampolli, her former escort agent & good friend of pic.twitter.com/jyWjd85hY0  LynnZ (@ZemanLynnZ) July 18, 2025

Snopes readers searched the site looking for more information about these allegations, which we determined are unsupported by credible evidence and unfounded. We reached out to the White House for more information, but have not heard back.

The claim that Melania Trump worked as an escort before meeting Donald Trump has been spreading online since at least August 2016, when the U.K.-based tabloid Daily Mail published an article making that allegation. In August 2025, Hunter Biden, the son of former president Joe Biden, claimed that Jeffrey Epstein introduced the two during an interview on Channel 5, a YouTube channel run by journalist Andrew Callaghan.

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However, according to the BBC and NPR, Melania Trump sued the Daily Mail and a blogger in the U.S. who also shared the claim for defamation, seeking $150 million in damages. Her lawyer, Charles Harder, told the BBC that the claim was "outright lying." Melania Trump also threatened to sue Hunter Biden for $1 billion, according to the BBC.

The lawsuits could be viewed as SLAPP suits, a term that "refers to lawsuits brought by individuals and entities to dissuade their critics from continuing to produce negative publicity," according to Cornell University's Legal Information Institute.

However, both the blogger and the Daily Mail settled the lawsuits, retracted the articles and paid damages to Melania Trump, according to Politico and previous reporting from Snopes. Meanwhile, in a follow-up video published on Channel 5, Biden refused to apologize for his comments, claiming that the information has also been reported by journalist Michael Wolff, who has written 4 books on Trump's time in office, and by The New York Times. (The Times' story says Epstein claimed he introduced the two).

As such, there's no evidence that the information, which came from a source known for spreading unfounded rumors, has any basis in reality.

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The claim that the Trumps met at a party hosted by Maxwell is also unfounded. According to reporting from Today and The Times of London, the Trumps met at a party hosted by Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who represented Melania Trump in the 1990s. A 2016 profile of Melania Trump in Harper's Bazaar and a profile of Zampolli published by the digital magazine Air Mail also claimed that he introduced the couple.

The claim that Zampolli was Melania Trump's "escort agent" might feel somewhat intuitive, given their established connection  it is not unheard of for sex workers to moonlight as models. However, that claim is also unfounded and has no evidence supporting it.

Finally, the photo often attached to the posts, supposedly of Trump with Zampolli, does not match other images of Zampolli published online. It might instead be Trump with "her photographer roommate, Matthew Arabian," but if that's the case, the copypasta got his name wrong. The Times of London article and a 2020 Vanity Fair review of a biography of Trump, "The Art of Her Deal," noted that the roommate's name was Matthew Atabian, not Arabian.

Sources:

Bryant, Kenzie. "Say What You Will About Melania Trump, but She Seems Like a Great Roommate." Vanity Fair, 18 Jun. 2020, https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/melania-trump-biography-revelations.

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Daily. "Melania Trump - An Apology." Mail Online, 12 Apr. 2017, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/~/article-4404142/index.html.

"Donald and Melania Trump: A Timeline of Their Relationship." TODAY.Com, 20 Jan. 2025, https://www.today.com/popculture/donald-trump-melania-trump-relationship-timeline-rcna172256.

Gerstein, Josh. "Maryland Judge Dismisses Melania Trump's Libel Suit against Daily Mail." Politico, 2 Feb. 2017, https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/melania-trumps-libel-suit-daily-mail-234578.

"Melania Trump Sues Daily Mail and US Blogger for $150m over Sex Worker Claims." BBC News, 1 Sep. 2016. US & Canada. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37253025.

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"Melania Trump Wins Damages from Daily Mail over 'escort' Allegation." BBC News, 12 Apr. 2017. US & Canada. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39575680.

"SLAPP Suit." LII / Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/slapp_suit. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

Staff, Snopes. "Daily Mail Reportedly Pays Melania Trump $2.9 Million Settlement in Libel Suit." Snopes, 12 Apr. 2017, https://www.snopes.com//news/2017/04/12/daily-mail-melania-trump-libel/.

Sutton, Kelsey. "Daily Mail Settles Libel Case with Melania Trump for $2.9 Million." Politico, 12 Apr. 2017, https://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/melania-trump-daily-mail-settlement-237151.

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. "Maryland Blogger Settles Defamation Lawsuit Brought by Melania Trump." Politico, 7 Feb. 2017, https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/02/melania-trump-settles-libel-suit-against-maryland-blogger-234730.

The Former Modeling Agent Turned Trump Foreign Policy Muse. https://airmail.news/issues/2025-2-15/trumps-mini-me. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

Wamsley, Laurel. "Melania Trump Lawsuit Argues 'Once In A Lifetime' Chance To Make Millions Is Lost." NPR, 7 Feb. 2017. Politics. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2017/02/07/513970871/melania-trump-lawsuit-argues-once-in-a-lifetime-chance-to-make-millions-is-lost.

York, Iain Dey, New. Melania's Supermodel CV Begins to Look a Little Ragged. 23 Jul. 2016, https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/melanias-supermodel-cv-begins-to-look-a-little-ragged-tt9s3smd2.
UNION COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  The South Carolina Department of Transportation is warning drivers of a pending road closure and detour which will give crews space to replace a bridge.

Beginning Monday, Sept. 15, crews will close Bobby Faucette Road in Union County between Union Highway and Peter Hawk Creek Road. The road will remain closed until summer 2026.

As part of the closure a detour route will be placed using Union Highway, South Main Street, Jonesville Lockhart Highway, and Bobby Faucette Road.

Bobby Faucette Road will be open to local traffic only, except at the bridge site.

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Ursula von der Leyens plane has been targeted by suspected Russian interference, forcing her pilot to land using paper maps.

A jet carrying the European Commission president to Plovdiv, in Bulgaria, on Sunday had its GPS navigation services disabled, a spokesman for the commission told The Telegraph.

The plane was forced to circle the airport for an hour before the pilot landed using analogue maps in what officials said was undeniable interference.

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The spokesman said: We can confirm there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely. We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia.

We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russias hostile actions.

The official said the suspected sabotage underlined the EUs commitment to ramping up its defences. Bulgaria has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in 2022, having supplied weaponry and artillery.

GPS jamming prevents pilots from being able to access a planes satellite-based navigation system. It has been increasingly used by Moscow to disrupt civilian life, with EU countries warning that it could cause a major air disaster.

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Since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, jamming incidents have become more common in the Baltic Sea and eastern European states, located near Russia.

In July, Lithuania said it had located more than 10 locations in the Russian enclave of Kalininigrad, from where Russia is causing this interference.

Pilots in the country reported disruptions to their GPS communications on more than 1,000 occasions in June  a jump from 46 times in the previous month. Estonia and Finland also criticised Moscow for alleged jamming incidents last year.

GPS uses a network of satellites and receiving devices for positioning and navigation, replacing ground devices that would previously transmit radio beams towards planes as they landed.

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Jamming involves overwhelming GPS receivers with signals to render the receiver unusable, making it difficult or impossible for pilots to know their location. It can also prevent them from communicating with air traffic control. It can be carried out by relatively cheap, accessible frequency transmitting devices.

Rossen Jeliazkov, the Bulgarian prime minister, greets Usrula von der Leyen after her arrival - X

Ms Von der Leyen was making her way from Poland to Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of the EUs front-line states to pledge the blocs support in the face of Russian aggression.

She described Putin as a predator during a trip to the Poland-Belarus border on Sunday, adding: We have to keep the sense of urgency because we know that Putin has not changed and will not changed.

In addition to Poland and Bulgaria, she will also visit Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia  which share a border with Russia  as well as Romania. It is her most significant diplomatic push on EU security and defence since the immediate period after Putins invasion.

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The jamming incident comes just days after a Russian missile struck the offices of the British Council and the EUs delegation to Ukraine in Kyiv.

Britain and the EU accused the Kremlin of deliberately targeting their buildings in the aerial barrage, both summoning their local Russian ambassadors for a dressing down.

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In a huge win for public health and the environment, a U.S. District Judge has ordered Chemours Chemical Company to immediately suspend the discharge of dangerous "forever chemicals" into the Ohio River from its facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Ohio River supplies drinking water to approximately five million Americans, making this ruling a critical protection for communities. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin issued the order and the opinion, ruling that the discharge was far exceeding legal limits.

"This case is simple and all too familiar," Judge Goodwin said in his opinion. "Those pollutants endanger the environment, aquatic life and human health. Today, that unlawful, unpermitted discharge stops."

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According to West Virginia Watch, Chemours "strongly disagree[d]" with the ruling and plans to appeal, citing how long it would take for the company to become compliant.

"[Chemours'] permit is not a suggestionits permit protects public health and environmental life while balancing the needs of manufacturing," Judge Goodwin continued. "I cannot weigh the scales of that balance to inflict further harm on the communities that rely on clean water for life and livelihood.

These "forever chemicals," otherwise known as PFAS, pose serious threats to human health and ecosystems. They are extremely persistent and resist breaking down, accumulating in the environment, wildlife, and human bodies. Health risks associated with PFAS exposure are well documented: they include various cancers, immune system suppression, liver and kidney damage, reproductive issues, developmental delays in children, and more.

"This is a victory for public health and the Ohio River," said Autumn Crowe, deputy director of West Virginia Rivers Coalition. "The court recognized what communities have known for years: Chemours has been polluting our water and ignoring its legal obligations."

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This court ruling brings a much-needed sense of relief amid an often overwhelming run of pessimistic headlines about climate and environmental health. It demonstrates that legal environmental protections work, especially when people band together to hold polluters accountable and defend our drinking water and ecosystems.

This decision sets an encouraging precedent for stricter enforcement of our environmental protections. "The Clean Water Act protects the public, and I will enforce it," Judge Goodwin wrote.

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LORAIN, Ohio (WJW)  Two weeks after he announced plans to challenge Senator Jon Husted in the 2026 election, Sherrod Brown spoke to union workers here in Northeast Ohio on Sunday.

The 72-year-old who lost a tough race to Republican Senator Bernie Moreno last fall is now running against Husted, the former lieutenant governor who was appointed to serve the remainder of JD Vances term, after he was elected vice president.

Fatal crash on Ohio Turnpike results in second fatal crash less than 1 hour later

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Brown spent the afternoon speaking to union members from the UAW and AFL-CIO at the annual Lorain County organized labor family celebration at Black River Landing.

Brown reportedly considered a potential democratic bid for Ohio governor before he decided to enter the Senate race.

Fundraiser held for father, son who drowned in Cuyahoga River

He will face Senator Husted in a special election in November of 2026, with the winner serving out the final two years of Vice President Vances term.

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The US State Department has instructed its diplomats to refuse most visas for Palestinian passport holders, whether they live in the West Bank, Gaza, or overseas, according to a cable seen by CNN.

The internal message, dated August 18 and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, told all embassies and consulates to refuse nonimmigrant visas to all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders who are using that passport to apply for a visa. The posts were instructed to do so effective immediately.

Nonimmigrant visas include a wide variety of visas, including those for students, professors, tourists, businesspeople and those seeking medical treatment.

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The sweeping refusal policy, first reported by the New York Times, is among a slew of actions taken by the Trump administration to block Palestinians from coming to the United States.

On August 16, the State Department said that all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza were suspended pending a review. On Friday, the agency announced it was revoking and denying visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA), including PA President Mahmoud Abbas, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

The restrictions come as a number of countries prepare to recognize a Palestinian state and the war in Gaza continues to rage.

In the diplomatic cable, the State Department said it was taking the action to ensure that such applications have undergone necessary vetting and screening protocols to ensure the applicants identity and eligibility for a visa under U.S. law.

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The Trump administration is taking concrete steps in compliance with U.S. law and our national security in regards to announced visa restrictions and revocations for PA passport holders, a State Department spokesperson said. Every visa decision is a national security decision, and the State Department is vetting and adjudicating visa decisions for PA passport holders accordingly.

According to the cable, the refusal policy does not apply to Palestinians applying for immigrant visas or those applying for nonimmigrant visas using a different passport.

This guidance does include visa applicants for diplomatic or official type visas and for individuals engaging in diplomatic and official travel purposes applying with Palestinian Authority passports, it said. While the Department has determined that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a competent authority for passport issuing purposes  the United States does NOT recognize the PA as a foreign government.

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New US measures would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and in the diaspora, from entering the US on several non-immigrant visas.

The US has suspended approval on most visitor visas for Palestinian passport holders, the New York Times reported on Sunday evening, citing US officials.

Officials interviewed by NYT noted that the measures were in effect on a temporary basis.

The measures would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and in the diaspora from entering the US on several non-immigrant visas, NYT added, citing four US officials who were familiar with an internal State Department memo.

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The suspensions affect those seeking visas for medical treatment, university studies, visits to loved ones, and business travel, the newspaper reported.

The measures cover anyone who only holds a Palestinian passport and do not apply to Palestinians with dual citizenship or those who have obtained visas.

People who arrived in Chicago from Gaza in July through an organization known as Heal Palestine, pray on the day of a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza, in Chicago, Illinois, US, August 21, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/SETH HERALD)

The State Department confirmed to NYT that it had told diplomats to enforce the restrictions.

It also said that it was taking concrete steps in compliance with US law and our national security in regard to announced visa restrictions for Palestinians.

The department told consular officials to enact Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to refuse visas to anyone using a Palestinian passport in their application, at least on a temporary basis, NYT noted.

US denies PA officials entrance to US for UNGA

This comes after the State Department announced on Friday that it would not allow Palestinian Authority officials to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.

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The Trump administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and for undermining the prospects for peace, the State Department noted in a release.

The PA denied the accusations and said that the decision stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement.

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  On Monday, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio announced both institutions merged and are now known as The University of Texas at San Antonio, according to a news release from UTSA.

The merged institution now ranks as the third-largest public research university in Texas according to annual research expenditures, behind only Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin.

We intentionally grounded UT San Antonio in excellence  excellence in education, healthcare, transdisciplinary research and discovery  to form a model public research university that is nimble, creative and unlike any other, said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy in the release. With that spirit of excellence, weve combined two distinguished Tier One institutions to form a new world-class university that champions social mobility, improves health and powers discovery to amplify our collective strengths and create impact at scale.

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The enterprise for UT San Antonio now includes approximately 40,000 students, 17,000 employees and more than $486 million in annual research expenditures, the release said.

According to UTSA, UT San Antonio includes UT San Antonio Health Science Center, which is ranked 84th out of 5,868 healthcare institutions around the world and 38th in the United States in the 2025 Nature Index of healthcare institutions for research output.

UT Health San Antonio currently sees more than 2.5 million patient visits annually, according to UTSA. Furthermore, it educates and trains more than 1,015 residents, fellows, and trainees.

With combined capabilities with the merger, leaders with UT San Antonio envision rapid development of hands-on learning opportunities and new degree programs.

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Synergies of expertise that come together allow us to innovate. Thats going to be available now to students, to faculty, to scientists, to graduate students across the spectrum of this new university, said Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, who serves as senior executive vice president for health affairs and health system of UT San Antonio. A discovery that happens here, that improves the quality of life, not only improves the quality of life for our children or for our loved ones, but that translates to the population at large and its going to have a global impact.

UTSA said this merger puts UT San Antonio on a very real path to becoming a premier institution with the characteristics of the elite members of the Association of American Universities.

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HILLSVILLE, Va. (WFXR)  Whether youre in the market for a knight statue, a Coca-Cola table set, or a Porky Pig drinking glass, you can find everything youre looking for and more at the Hillsville Labor Day Flea Market.

The tradition passed down through the generations has been a southwestern Virginia staple for decades, turning the middle of Hillsville into a mile-long flea market.

This year, Im liquidating my mothers estate, said Sam Lucas, who lives in Roanoke and has been attending the market since 1986. Shes downsizing her home, so we have a lot of goodies for sale. And the best thing about a flea market is meeting all the people.

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Lucas usually enjoys the market as a buyer, but has dabbled in selling as a vendor over the past few years.

He notes that in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the market has experienced a significant decline in attendance and the number of sellers.

It really has changed over the years, he said. It was larger and had more vendors. It has definitely downsized.

Roanoke Labor Day Parade returns for 9th year

But that trend could be starting to reverse, at least on the buyer side.

Vendors across the grounds reported hearing attendance totals around 200,000 on Saturday.

[Saturday], it seemed to be very crowded, said David Hufstetter, who has been attending the market with his brother since 2014. It was barely walking room in the space. And were all the way at the back of the Hundley lot here.

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Hufstetter and his brother co-run a tent that they like to call Slice and Dyes, on account of Hufstetter selling tie-dyed apparel and his brother selling swords.

He says the pair didnt even entertain the thought of going to the market in 2020 or 2021, but things finally seem to be picking up again.

As far as the profit margin is concerned, were making right at the levels we should be making, right around [where we were in] 2016, he said.

The final day of the Hillsville Flea Market is Monday, September 1. Vendors will be selling from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.

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Sep. 1ATHENS  The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 511 in Athens is looking to raise funds for war memorials honoring veterans of World War I, World War II and the War on Terror to be added at the Alabama Welcome Center in Ardmore.

"I think it's important to honor, as veterans, the World War I, World War II and the War on Terror," said Chapter 511 Vice President Rick Robertson. "We need to honor their grandfathers, their fathers, and then their children. Which is exactly what we're doing. ... You've got World War II, we hardly have any of them left, so it's important to honor them."

Chapter 511 President Derril Robertson said it is important to pay tribute to those that gave it all.

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"These men in World War I and World War II, they walked the grounds of Limestone County, and they worked the crops, got the harvest in," he said. "And then they went and gave their last measure of devotion for the freedom of the country. So, it just stands to right we should honor them with a memorial."

Three bronze plaques were given to Chapter 511 by American Legion Post 49. Each one is in appreciation of Alabamian veterans in World War I, World War II and the War on Terror who died in each war. Chapter 511 is hoping to mount the plaques on pillars in front of the three flag poles already in place. The three flags that fly are the U.S. flag, the state flag and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag. The pillars would go in between a Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial Wall that was put in place by Chapter 511 in the 1993.

In front of the pillars, they hope to put a bronze monument of the battle cross, which includes a military rifle upside down but standing up with a soldier's helmet on top, and combat boots at the base.

"That will make us a complete veteran's park, we feel like," Derril said. "We feel like it's a worthy thing to do for those veterans. They don't have one there."

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The goal is to put the plaques on three, 6-foot-tall granite pillars that are 3 feet wide. They will contain the names of all veterans who died in each war that were from Limestone County.

"We want to make sure that the wording honors all the veterans that lost their lives in Alabama," Derril said. "It's just we couldn't put all the names on these plaques."

Derril said he wants to make sure all in the state get recognition.

"World War I will say, 'The price of freedom,' World War II will say, 'The price gets higher,' and then the memorial for the War on Terror will say, 'And the price goes on,'" Rick said. "And then they will list the amount of men killed in the different wars."

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Derril said they had intended to erect the three new memorials back in the 1990s.

"We were in the process of getting the (Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens) started, and so this project we're doing now, kind of got sidetracked a little bit," he said. "I was thrilled to death with (Rick's) help that we were going to get this going again. Real, real worthy project. Just an absolute beautiful setting. It worked out real well."

It is going to be a beautiful park when it is completed, Derril said.

"What I hate and what saddens me about it, is that it's taken us so long to do it," he said.

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Derril said the Alabama Welcome Center is the perfect place to put the memorial.

"The memorial coming into the Welcome Center is going to be a very beautiful thing for the rest of the country to see. And see that we are about our veterans and we care about our veterans. We care about the sacrifice they made for us," he said. "... It sets the right tone; tells what we're about."

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks is the treasurer of Chapter 511. He said he feels that the new memorials show unity.

"I think it shows the importance of us honoring our veterans. I think it would be a great asset," Marks said. "Freedom's not free, and we need to look at what's gone on and we need to honor. We ask people to serve and protect, just like our first responders, and certainly our veterans are in there. When somebody stops by, I want them to be recognized.

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"We honor the Vietnam veterans and all the other veterans here in Athens and Limestone County, Alabama."

Rick and Derril went before the Limestone County Commission this month and asked for monetary support. Derril said they plan to do the same at an Athens City Council meeting. He said they need about $70,000 to complete the memorials. They are also accepting donations from the public.

"We have given Clark Memorials $5,000 to start the design work," Rick said. "We are waiting on one last price on the concrete to come in."

erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.
President Grover Cleveland signed a law declaring the first Monday in September as Labor Day. Cleveland signed the law to celebrate the end of a violent Pullman Strike in 1894. Pullman was a railroad car manufacturing company.

Pullman, Washington, was named after George Pullman who manufactured upscale railroad passenger cars. The bitter strike was over wage cuts and high rents in the company-owned town.

The federal government intervened, like it does now, sending in troops to break the strike which resulted in the arrest of union leaders and members. The strike and subsequent use of federal force caused workers around the country to see the importance of labor unions.

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Closer to home, company-owned towns in coal mining parts of our region were fairly common but thankfully disappeared decades ago. The coal company built small housing for workers and their families. The coal companies set up the company store where workers had to shop and then have their purchases deducted from their wages. Prices were inflated thus reducing miners income. Coal barons would discourage youth from much education in order to have an ample labor pool in the future.

Unions were powerful in the political arena. Politicians in this region, and elsewhere, knew they had to respect unions in order to gain their support and influence of their members.

President William Howard Taft, from Cincinnati, created the Department of Labor in 1913. Taft, a Republican, signed the law just before Woodrow Wilson became president. Wilson appointed a labor leader named William Wilson. Taft was apprehensive about signing the bill into law but did so in the remaining days of his term.

Fast-forward to modern times, unfortunately presidents dont pay much attention to their Labor Department Secretaries. Too often, they are appointed by presidents because they were big fundraisers for a sitting president. Most Americans have no idea who is Secretary of Labor.

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Today, only about 10% of Americans belong to a union. Thats down from a peak of 33% in 1955. Many unions now are government workers.

Still, Labor Day should be celebrated for more than the traditional end of summer. Unions and their members helped educate many of us, built our education system, built our housing and clothed our backs.

Catlettsburg is the place to be today starting with the annual Labor Day parade and events throughout the day. The parade starts at 10 a.m.

And yes, we had to look up who is Secretary of Labor. Its Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)  It was a bit windy and choppy on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront but that didnt stop folks from going out and enjoying themselves this Labor Day weekend. However, with these conditions, its important to keep beach safety in mind.

Red flags were displayed during the holiday weekend as lifeguards worked to keep folks safe on the oceanfront. Tom Gill with Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service says rescues have had to be made due to rip currents but that he and his team have been on top of everything, making sure everyone makes it out okay.

Just today weve had 20 rescue calls with about 30 people pulled out, said Gill. Lot of it is really short rip currents because what you have is a lot of rips, theyre not going very far because the waves are constantly pounding in and bringing people back in almost as quickly as they get sucked out.

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Gill says things have ramped up this month after a slow July for 2025.

We were basically as slow as we could have been through the month of July, and then August and we have had high winds, lots of surf and lots of red flag days, said Gill. I think we only had about two days in the last four weeks that have not had red flag days. Its been really dangerous, but the guards have been doing a great job staying preventative and making the rescues when they need to.

Tourists in town for the holiday say theyve noticed the rougher conditions on the oceanfront.

The waves themselves have been really strong and have had lots of force, said tourist Gisel Herculez Ramos. Its almost even hard to get in the water because its pushing so hard.

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Id recommend having a parent or guardian even at Virginia Beach, everywhere to be honest, said tourist Dennis Herculez Ramos. You never know whats happening out there.

Despite the fact some of his staff have gone back to school, Gill says his team has gone above and beyond to keep everyone safe.

If you look around the country, lifeguard staffs are always dealing with this, said Gill. Colleges are all back in. Its a lot of our staffing but what we have out here are the greatest lifeguards in the country. Theyre working very hard today, really good work and we appreciate the public coming out here and staying close to shore as much as they can.

To learn more on beach safety, click here.

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY)  Virginia lawmakers across the aisle celebrated Labor Day Monday as election season kicked into high gear.

While several hundred people turned out to the waterfront backyard at Rep. Bobby Scotts home in Newport News, including voters, candidates and federal and state elected officials, another gathering for state House of Delegates candidate Tim Anderson featured Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Democrats gather for Bobby Scotts cookout

Scotts annual picnic, which was open to the public, is a destination event for anyone running for office in Virginias Democratic Party. The event included the Democratic candidate for governor, as well as Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, among the many who were there.

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I started coming when I was on Richmond City Council, Kaine said. I think the first year I came here was in 1995 and Ive been here virtually every year since. We see a lot of old friends.

While a lot of networking was sure to be going on, a big goal was to meet directly with voters.

I can see them on TV, but actually seeing them here is like  Its a blessing, said Flora Bailey, a voter from Newport News.

Bailey said cuts to Medicaid are a big concern.

Im 65 and I shouldnt have to live from check-to-check being on Social Security, she said. I was doing that when I was working.

Im a recovering cancer patient, said Dick Roberts of Smithfield. One of the things thats facing me right today is access to the COVID vaccine.

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Dozens of elected officials and candidates took the stage at the congressmans backyard, including attorney general candidate Jay Jones, who said he is ready to sue the hell out of Donald Trump.

Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger took time to speak about strengthening public schools in the Commonwealth, hoping Democratic candidates sweep come November.

Latest polling shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears, LG/AG races within the margin of error

We are going to flip not one, not two, but three statewide seats, Spanberger told the crowd. We are going to set an example for the rest of the country about what is possible.

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Virginia is in the most important position to push back against the Trump Administration, Kaine said. Massive firing of federal employees, illegal cutting of grants, screwing up our economy with tariffs, all those things hit Virginia even harder than they hit other states.

Scott was not hard to find since this event happened at his own house. 10 On Your Side asked for his message to voters who feel Congress should be doing more in response to the Trump Administration.

Congress, Democrats in the House, are doing all they can, he said. I mean we voted, every single Democrat voted against that bill that cut 15 million people out of their healthcare, reduced SNAP benefits [and] made it harder to go to college in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and run up $3.4 trillion in debt. Theyre selling it as something beautiful.

Tim Anderson Summer Sendoff event

Meanwhile, in Virginia Beach, Youngkin joined Anderson for his Summer Send-Off event.

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Andersons event began with a private reception at 5 p.m., followed by a general reception. Anderson is running for a spot in the House of Delegates to represent the 97th District, in which he will run against Democratic incumbent Michael Feggans.

Youngkin, who appeared at Andersons event, initially declined to answer questions from 10 On Your Side before eventually responding to questions shouted to him. Youngkin said Andersons race against Feggans is an important one.

Tims race is such an important one, Youngkin said. There are important races all over the Commonwealth. This one, we have a real chance of taking back, and thats why its so much fun to have everybody here. Thanks for supporting him, and let me tell you, he will do a great job in the House of Delegates, and he can do a great job when hes in the majority in House of Delegates.

How important is eliminating the rest of the car tax? Its huge. Ive been trying to get rid of it since I came in, and Democrats keep voting down, and I had a great proposal last year. Again, I had a great proposal last year to provide $1 billion in car tax relief, and the first thing that happened was the Democrats voted [it] down in committee. Virginia hates the car tax. Its the most hated tax in America.

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Spanberger said if she is elected, she will rescind Youngkins Executive Order 47, a directive that requires Virginia law enforcement to help federal immigration authorities.

The governor thinks this can become a wedge issue between Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears

First, let me be clear: Abigail Spanberger wants to turn Virginia into a sanctuary state, Youngkin said. It is so clear that thats what she wants to do and, in fact, she has really put forth a clear clear-cut distinction between her and Winsome Earle-Sears. I mean, when she was in Congress, she voted against the Lincoln Reilly Act, and then she voted to reduce penalties for violent crimes in the District [of Columbia] when the District City Council presented lower penalties for violent crimes.

Both Labor Day events are expected to be the first of many ahead of the November election, with both parties looking to regain control in the Commonwealth.

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ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL)  Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park hosted a volunteer workday Monday.

Volunteers worked from 1-5 p.m. and performed activities such as invasive plant removal, litter pick-up, cabin cleaning and trail work.

New bridge at Tusculum University grants easier access to Nature Trail

It really was heartwarming to see, you know, the people [and] how much that they really love our park and enjoy what were doing, park ranger Jason Davis told News Channel 11. So it really does feel good to know how much the community enjoys being here and being involved.

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More information on how to get involved with Sycamore Shoals volunteer opportunities can be found on the Tennessee State Park website.

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That federal immigration officials are taking aim at John Shin, a violinist originally from South Korea, is a misuse of resources, Gabriel Gordon charges.

That is just way too much for somebody who gives so much to this community and to this society. Hes a great father and a great husband and a great friend and a great musician, and this just shouldnt be happening to him, said Gordon, a fellow violinist.

Shin, who has a masters degree in music performance from the University of Utah and has performed with the Utah Symphony and Ballet West, has long lived in Utah. He now finds himself in a federal immigration detention center in Aurora, Colorado.

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Shins Salt Lake City lawyer, Adam Crayk, offered stronger words. A hearing in his clients case is set for next Tuesday.

Unless there is something out there, some sort of smoking gun that the government is hiding thats going to be revealed in his first court (appearance), this is one of the most dumb, idiotic, egregious wastes of federal resources that Ive had to deal with in a while, Crayk said.

Shin legally entered the country, he noted, and has been married to an American woman for four years.

Shin, brought from South Korea as a child by his father, was unexpectedly detained on Aug. 18 by immigration officials, part of President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration across the country. The arrest has prompted a strong public outcry from his family and supporters. Gordon and oboist Nicole Fullmer  longtime friends  have been regularly playing music in the rotunda of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City to call attention to what they view as a miscarriage of justice.

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He is a wonderful person. He is good for the community. He is a positive influence on everyone he touches. He absolutely does not deserve to be deported, said Fullmer. She studied music at the U. with Shin and Shins American wife Danae Snow, who plays the viola.

Regardless, as immigration officials ratchet up efforts around the country to detain and deport immigrants in the country illegally, federal officials offered their own tough response.

Gordon understands Shin entered the United States on an immigrant visa and later secured status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows eligible immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents to remain and work in the United States. However, a senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security official stated that Shin entered the country from South Korea in 1998 on a tourist visa. That visa, according to the official, required him to leave the following year.

Over 25 years later, he was still illegally in the U.S., reads the statement to KSL.com from the official. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S. Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.

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While the Trump administrations approach has garnered support from many, Shins backers are equally resolute, and the case underscores the complex sentiments the immigration issue has stirred. Shin and his family have received nearly $70,000 in donations from supporters as part of a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his legal defense and his backers are planning a benefit concert on Monday, Sept. 1, for Shin.

The case also highlights the debate about the weight of prior brushes with the law, particularly if theyre relatively minor, in determining whether immigrants face the force of the immigration crackdown.

The Department of Homeland Security said Shins criminal history includes a DUI conviction, that is, a conviction for driving under the influence, presumably of alcohol. Crayk, though, said the 2019 charge, originally driving under the influence, was ultimately reduced to the less-severe driving while impaired, a class B misdemeanor.

He said the impaired driving charge requires no sort of forgiveness, no sort of waiver to fix Shins migratory status.

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We just have to prove he entered the United States lawfully and that he is legitimately married to a United States citizen, Crayk said. He didnt immediately respond to a query about the significance of immigration officials contention that Shin overstayed a tourist visa, supplied after Crayk initially spoke with KSL.com.

Crayk blasted the apparent resources that immigration officials poured into Shins detention. He was detained, the lawyer said, by a special Department of Homeland Security team that typically focuses on immigrant fugitives involved in drug trafficking and other serious crimes. Indeed, at next Tuesdays hearing, Shin will seek release from detention on bond, and meeting the requirements  showing that hes not a danger to the community or a flight risk  should be fairly easy, Crayk said.

Meantime, Shin now regularly speaks by phone with his wife, though she was initially unable to reach him after his arrest. Hes maintaining a relatively positive attitude, Crayk said.

Members of the music community, for their part, are getting word out about Shins case and trying to drum up support for him. Theyve launched a letter-writing campaign aimed at the immigration judge in Shins case to demonstrate the communitys backing for him. Next Mondays benefit concert, featuring Shins musician friends and Kurt Bestor, a Grammy-nominated musician, is set for 7 p.m. and will be held at First United Methodist Church at 203 S. 200 East in Salt Lake City.

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John is probably one of the kindest people I know. Hes just always very positive and upbeat, Fuller said. There has been a huge outpouring of people, both who know him and/or know Danae and people who even dont necessarily know them personally but have worked with them.

Gordon thinks there are more problematic issues than Shin.

There are actual problems here in this country that need to be solved. John and people like him are not one of them, thats for sure, he said. They add to our country, and they add to our society and they should stay.
Angela Rayner has blamed a confidential court order for preventing her disclosing details on her complex tax affairs.

The Deputy Prime Minister is understood to have asked her lawyers to go back to court to secure a change to the order in the interests of public transparency.

Ms Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, saved 40,000 on stamp duty when she bought a second home at the seaside in Hove, East Sussex, for 800,000.

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Weeks earlier she relinquished her financial stake in her family home in her constituency in Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester, although it remains her primary residence.

Sources close to Ms Rayner said she had sold her share of the 650,000 house in Ashton  although its unclear who to. She divorced her husband Mark Rayner, a trade union official, last year, who remains in the family house bringing up their two teenage children.

The court order is likely to cover the Rayners divorce and any proceedings involving the children will give them legal protections. A trust set up by the Rayners  through the law firm Shoosmiths  is co-listed as an owner of the Ashton house.

Ms Rayner has not commented on the purpose of this arrangement. Trusts are sometimes used by divorcing couples to ensure a share of their assets go to their children.

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The existence of the court order was made public by Downing Street on Monday at the daily lobby briefing to journalists. It is unclear what in the court order prevents Ms Rayner from fully disclosing the circumstances surrounding her living arrangements and her tax and financial affairs.

The Prime Ministers spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer had complete faith in his deputy and that she was hoping to make her tax and financial affairs much clearer, provided she could have some parts of the court order lifted or varied.

The Number 10 spokesman said: There is a court order which restricts her from providing further information, which she is urgently working to rectify in the interests of public transparency.

Ms Rayner has been reported to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Ministers adviser on ministers interests, over the purchase of the Hove apartment and questions over the Governments decision to pick up her council tax bill at a third residence  a grace and favour apartment in Admiralty House in central London.

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The Tories have accused her of hypocrisy and unethical behaviour.

Asked if Ms Rayner should refer herself to Sir Laurie, the PMs spokesman added: She set out her position, there is a court order which restricts her from providing further information that she is urgently working on rectifying.

Sources close to Ms Rayner have also let it be known that she is seeking to have the court order varied.

In a statement, her spokesman said: The Deputy Prime Minister paid the relevant duty owing on the purchase of the Hove property in line with relevant requirements and entirely properly. Any suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis.

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The Telegraph disclosed how by relinquishing her stake in the Ashton property, she avoided paying 70,000 in stamp duty owed if Hove was a second property.

Instead she paid 30,000 stamp duty. But she does pay a second home surcharge on the council tax in Hove.

Ms Rayner insists the house in Ashton, where she is the constituency MP, remains her primary residence  even though she is divorced from Mr Rayner and no longer has a financial stake in it.

She has let it be known that she considers it her primary residence because she had lived there for a decade and its also where her children live and go to college.

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Sources said she regularly visits and shares childcare with her ex-husband as well as paying council tax on the property.

She is registered to vote at all three addresses  in Ashton, Hove and in central London.

All the ways Angela Rayner has dodged tax

Ms Rayner has many questions to answer about her complicated tax arrangements.

Senior Conservative politicians have accused her of hypocritical tax avoidance by a minister who supports higher taxes on family homes, high-value homes and second homes, and have called for Sir Laurie to launch an ethics investigation.

However, Ms Rayner is not just facing scrutiny over a potential stamp duty bill. Here, The Telegraph breaks down the tax bills the Deputy Prime Minister has dodged.

Stamp duty

Ms Rayner bought an 800,000 sea-front flat in Hove at the end of May, paying an estimated 30,000 in stamp duty on the purchase.

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But in January, before she purchased the new flat, Ms Rayner removed her name from the deeds of her 650,000 family home in Ashton-under-Lyne. This meant she avoided paying a second home surcharge of as much as 40,000.

If she had still been married to her ex-husband, Mark Rayner, then this would not have worked, as HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) treats married couples as a unit for stamp duty  so whether or not her name was on the deeds, the Hove flat would have counted as a second home.

But Ms Rayner said on Friday that she is now divorced from Mr Rayner. So by giving up legal ownership and handing the family home over to her ex-husband and a trust set up for their children, she then had no ownership of another property. This meant a much lower stamp duty bill.

Sources close to Ms Rayner said that she had ceased to have a stake in the Ashton house months before buying the new Hove flat.

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Despite the purchase of the new flat, Ms Rayner has insisted that she will run for re-election in her current Greater Manchester constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne.

Council tax

As Ms Rayner has three homes between which she splits her time, three council tax bills apply.

This includes an annual bill of at least 3,338.45 a year in Ashton, 4,000 in central London, and nearly 5,000 for her new seaside flat in Hove.

Ms Rayner claims her Ashton house as her main home for council tax. There is no legal requirement to own a property for it to be considered a main home for tax purposes.

Because the Hove flat is then considered a second home, the Deputy Prime Minister pays a second home council tax surcharge, meaning the total tax bill is 4,914 for the Band D property.

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The Telegraph has been campaigning for the abolishment of the surcharge, which was implemented by more than 200 councils in April, after the policy was introduced by Michael Gove.

Double council tax is also levied on the grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House in central London, in which Ms Rayner spends much of her time while working in Westminster. However, this bill, estimated to be 4,000 annually, is covered by the taxpayer because it is another primary residence.

If she listed Admiralty House as her main address for council tax, she would also have to pay double council tax on the Ashton family home. This would double her personal bill to more than 6,600 annually.

MPs are entitled to claim accommodation expenses  including council tax  in either their London home or their constituency. Since becoming an MP in 2015, Ms Rayner has always elected to claim her London-based expenses.

Inheritance tax

Putting property into a discretionary trust is a common way to avoid inheritance tax. Tax experts told The Times that it was a remarkable coincidence that her Ashton home was valued at exactly 650,000.

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HMRC rules mean that gifts to discretionary trusts are liable for inheritance tax on the date of the transfer to a trust, at a rate of 20pc, if the amount is greater than the 325,000 threshold.

This means that having a valuation of exactly 650,000 allowed Ms Rayner and her husband to maximise the nil-rate bands for inheritance tax purposes.

Property experts told The Telegraph that her home was more likely to be worth approximately 637,000, according to current estimates. This is 13,000 less than the 2023 valuation.

Inheritance tax is levied at 40pc on anything which is left above the nil-rate threshold of 325,000, although additional relief of up to 175,000 is available for family homes.

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Anything left from one spouse to another is exempt, as are gifts made more than seven years before death.

Capital gains tax

Having claimed her Ashton home as her main residence in order to reduce her council tax bill, Ms Rayner may well have avoided a capital gains tax bill at the same time.

When the Deputy Prime Minister transferred her ownership of the family home to her husband, and a trust for their children, she could have become liable for capital gains tax on the disposal  even if no money changed hands.

The house was bought for 375,000 in 2016, and then valued at 650,000 in 2023, so there would be a bill to pay on the increase in value on her share of the home.

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This is unless she claimed a common exemption  which is worth 31bn a year to British homeowners  known as primary residence relief.

There are strict rules about residency to qualify for the main home relief from a capital gains tax bill. The relief only applies when the property has been the only or main residence throughout your period of ownership, although allowances are made for periods of absence which are job-related, according to HMRC guidance.

If a taxpayer has more than one home, they can choose which is treated as a main residence for capital gains tax relief.

The allowance only applies when there is an intent to return to live in the original house. HMRC is entitled to open an enquiry into any disposal and, critically, the onus is then on the taxpayer to show that primary residence relief is due.

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Ms Rayner has claimed the Ashton house as her main residence since moving in 2016, sources said.

If the transfer was part of her divorce settlement, she will have benefited from a separate relief, which applies to the court orders. Otherwise, Ms Rayner and her ex-partner will have had three years from the April after they separated  believed to have been in 2020  to make transfers without attracting a capital gains tax bill.

If Ms Rayner had instead handed over her share of the house to the trust, she may also benefit from rules which allow capital gains tax bills to be deferred. This would mean a tax bill for the beneficiaries of the trust  believed to be her children  when they sell assets later.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First)  On This Week in Louisiana Politics, Friday marked the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrinas landfall in New Orleans.

From Evacuation to Homecoming: Southern University student reflects on Hurricane Katrina journey

Concerns about disaster preparedness have been raised by FEMA employees, who pointed to changes made during the Trump administration that they believe could hinder response efforts.

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Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency

In other developments, Radiance Technologies is set to build a new microchip packing facility in Ruston, expected to create 150 temporary jobs. Meanwhile, a proposed solar farm in Iberville Parish will not proceed after the company withdrew its application.

Company wont move forward with proposed Iberville Parish solar farm

This and more on Your Local Election Headquarters.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who has become an international symbol of President Donald Trumps mass deportation campaign, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, then brought back to the U.S. months later only to face charges and new deportation efforts.

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that he is a member of the dangerous Salvadoran gang known as MS-13 and should not be allowed to stay here. In August, immigration officials said they intend to send him to Uganda. His family and attorneys deny that he has any gang connections and say he is being punished for fighting for his constitutional rights. They are seeking his release and to stop his deportation.

Abrego, 30, has found himself in the middle of Trumps crackdown on immigration as his legal battles highlight the new deportation policies the administration has sought to use.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from Putnam County Jail in Tennessee on Aug. 22. (Brett Carlsen / AP)

The Salvadoran father of three is currently enmeshed in several court cases.

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Most recently, he applied for asylum in immigration court after he was returned to the U.S.

His lawyers have also filed a lawsuit to ensure his right to due process as his deportation case continues. That case is being heard by a federal judge in Maryland, Paula Xinis.

Finally, he has a federal criminal case in Tennessee, where prosecutors have charged him with human trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty.

Here are the latest updates on what could happen to Abrego and how this all unfolded.

A fight to remain in the U.S.

Most recently, on Aug. 25, Abregos attorneys asked an immigration judge for protection from deportation amid threats by the Trump administration to send him to the African nation of Uganda, a country to which he has no ties.

Abrego filed the case with Baltimores immigration court in the hopes of being granted asylum or a withholding of removal to Uganda, if an immigration judge determines there is a credible threat to his life if he is sent there.

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He applied for asylum when he first arrived in the U.S. but that request was denied in 2019 because Abrego had missed the one-year deadline to file. A judge, however, ruled that he specifically could not be deported to El Salvador because of credible threats he faced from gangs there.

His attorneys argue that hes now able to reapply for asylum because he exited the country  when he was deported  and re-entered, which started a new one-year clock.

Abrego spoke at a press conference on Aug. 25, moments before his scheduled check-in with ICE. (Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters)

Abrego cannot be deported to El Salvador, but that still leaves the door open to being deported to some other country, a policy pursued by Trump. In August, the administration suggested sending him to Uganda, which has agreed to take in deportees from the U.S. if they have no criminal record and arent an unaccompanied minor.

Abrego also has a case before Xinis, the federal judge in Maryland. In that case, his attorneys are seeking to ensure his due process rights are protected as they attempt to stop his deportation.

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Last week, Xinis ordered that Abrego remain in the U.S., temporarily blocking his deportation to Uganda, and set an evidentiary hearing for mid-October. Her order also said that Abrego should remain in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement within 200 miles of the court in Greenbelt, Maryland, until she is able to rule on his petition by mid-October. That prevents Abrego from being sent to a state like Louisiana, where the courts tend to have a higher denial rate for immigrants seeking protections.

In the meantime, Abrego remains at a Virginia detention center  about 200 miles from the Maryland courthouse.

The Trump administrations efforts to deport Abrego to Uganda could have larger implications for its policy of deportations to third countries. Rwanda, Costa Rica, El Salvador and others have agreements with the U.S. to accept deportees.

Federal prosecutors said that if he pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges in a federal criminal case brought against him in June in Tennessee, and served a maximum of 10 years in prison, he could instead be deported to Costa Rica, which said it would receive him as a refugee and allow him to live freely.

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An attorney for Abrego said he would not accept the plea deal, as he will not accept charges of which hes not guilty.

A turbulent return

Abregos detention in the U.S. and the Trump administrations attempt to deport him to a third country follow months of political firestorm.

He was first deported to El Salvador in March because of what officials described as an administrative error that was in violation of the 2019 court order.

Abrego was sent along with hundreds of people, most of them from Venezuela, to a notorious Salvadoran megaprison. The fight for his return sparked a legal back-and-forth that involved the Supreme Court, which ruled in April that the federal government had to facilitate Abregos return. The decision was a high-profile blow to the administration.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, Abrego's wife, discovered he was being held at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, through photos released by the government. (U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland via AP)

After much resistance from the Trump administration, he was returned to the U.S. in June and immediately hit with human smuggling charges out of Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.

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The charges accuse him of transporting people who were not legally in the United States. Abrego was pulled over in Tennessee in 2022 while driving a van transporting several others, but was not charged with anything at the time. He has said he was helping transport workers and denied the charges.

After being returned to the U.S. from El Salvador on June 6, Abrego was immediately placed in federal custody in Tennessee. He was then released from federal custody on parole on Aug. 22  leading to a tearful reunion with his family after more than 160 days apart.

Abrego was reunited with family members on Aug. 22. (CASA )

He was only free for three days. Abrego was told on the Friday he was released that he needed to appear for an immigration check-in on the following Monday. As his attorneys expected, he was taken into ICE custody and hours later sent to a detention center in Virginia on Aug. 25.

Abregos conflicts with the Trump administration began on March 12, when he was pulled over by ICE officers while driving with his son on his way home from a worksite in Baltimore. He was on the phone with his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and told her he had pulled into the parking lot of an Ikea when an officer put his lights on.

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When an officer got to Abregos car, according to Vasquez Sura, they told him to roll down the windows and step out of the vehicle. Abrego told the officer his son was in the back seat and had special needs. In a sworn declaration, she said officers then hung up the call, and minutes later someone called back, identified themself as a person with the Department of Homeland Security, and told her she needed to get there in 10 minutes to pick up her son or they would call child protective services.

Vasquez Sura publicly pushed for her husband's release after he was arrested in March. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

When she arrived, she said, Abrego was on the curb in handcuffs, and officers on the scene claimed his immigration status had changed, Vasquez Sura has said.

He was arrested by immigration authorities and transferred to facilities in Maryland, Louisiana and Texas, the sworn declaration said. On March 15, three days after being pulled over, he was flown to El Salvador.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(The Center Square)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Friday calling for a special election for Michigans 35th Senate District.

The seat sat empty for nearly eight months, or 238 days. The special election wont take place for another 246 days on May 5, meaning the seat will sit empty for a total of 474 days.

This prolonged vacancy has become a rallying cry for Republicans, who labeled the situation taxation without representation for the residents of the district.

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For eight months, 270,000 Michiganders were left without representation, and even after being sued to call an election, it wont take place until May 5  another six months away, said U.S. Rep. John James, R-MI, following Whitmers announcement. This was intentional, blindingly partisan and malicious and this abuse of power wont be forgotten.

Even some Democrats expressed concern with the delay.

The 35th Senate District was long a Republican stronghold, but was won by Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet in 2022. When Rivet was elected to the U.S. Congress last November, she officially resigned from the seat.

Whitmer provided no explanation for the delay in her letter to Benson.

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We have a lot of good work to get done before the end of next year, Whitmer said. Michiganders want us to create jobs and grow the economy, invest in schools and boost literacy rates, and, of course, fix those damn roads. I look forward to working with the next state senator from this district to tackle these issues and more.

The 35th Senate District includes parts of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties.

Republicans said that Whitmer delayed calling the election due to fears that the seat would flip back to Republicans, a risky possibility with the current make-up of the state government.

Republicans hold the House by a slim majority of just six seats. In the Senate, Democrats hold a majority of just one.

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Why act like an entitled monarch? She wanted to preserve Democrats' fragile 19-18 Senate majority amid growing bipartisan backlash, said Kevin Kijewski, 2026 Republican candidate for Michigans attorney general. She dragged this out solely for her party's advantage . . . the voters will not forget.

In August, a group of voters sued Whitmer for not yet calling the election. The lawsuit sought to compel Whitmer to call a special election to fill the vacancy.

The primary election will be held on Feb. 3, 2026 and the general election will be held on May 5, 2026.

Secretary Benson and the Michigan Bureau of Elections are ready to work with the local election officials to administer the February 3 primary and May 5 general election, said the Michigan Department of State in a statement.
From lobbyists to nonprofit organizations, advocates for all kinds of causes often use statistics to illustrate how widespread a problem is. A fundraising campaign for Alzheimers might mention that nearly seven million people are living with the disease, for example. Similarly, a social-justice campaign might assert that the lifetime risk of incarceration for Black men is about one in five.

The hope, for many, is that highlighting the prevalence of an issue will help them garner support or funding for their cause.

But research from Kellogg assistant professor of management and organizations Lauren Eskreis-Winkler shows that this approach often has the opposite effect. In fact, when people are shown how widespread problems are, they tend to believe those problems are less dangerous than they initially thought they were.

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Across a series of studies, Eskreis-Winkler and her coauthorsincluding former Kellogg research fellow Luiza Tanoue Troncoso Peres and Ayelet Fishbach of the University of Chicagoencountered numerous examples of this phenomenon, which they dub the big-problem paradox. It shapes how people view almost everything, from the dangers of drunk driving to personal medical risks.

We live in a world where we constantly encounter information about problems at scale, Eskreis-Winkler says. My coauthors and I were curious: Does this distort our thinking about the problems themselves? We thought it might, and we found it did.

The downside of optimism

For decades, research has shown that while humans are caring and altruistic toward individuals, we often struggle to relate to the suffering of large groups. Sensing the scale of a problem, it seems, warps our empathy. Eskreis-Winkler and her colleagues wondered if scale not only affects our ability to feel but also changes the way we think.

We can read that such-and-such million people die in car accidents each year, but how do numbers like that really register for us? she says. Thats what we set out to explore in this project.

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Ironically, it is another strength of humanity that the researchers proposed could be causing this big-problem paradox: optimism. People generally believe the world is safe and that we are able to eradicate what is wrong.

But that very optimism might also lead us to assume that, if a problem were serious, humanity would have already solved it.

The researchers tested this hypothesis across a series of studies that probed a wide range of problems in real-world scenarios.

We wanted to explore the big-problem paradox in relation to problems that people actually deal with in their daily life, Eskreis-Winkler says.

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In one of these studies, more than 300 Chicago residents read about one of three local problems: a restaurant that had failed a health inspection, a building that had violated a safety code, and a toddler who had not gotten vaccinated against measles, mumps, or rubella. They rated the likelihood that the problem would cause harm on a scale of 1 to 100. Then they learned the actual prevalence of the problem (e.g., investigators found that over 10,000 buildings in Chicago have been cited for a building code violation) and once again rated the problems likelihood of causing harm.

In each situation, participants believed the problem was less likely to cause harm after they learned about the prevalence of the problem.

Estimating harm

The research team confirmed this big-problem paradox in a variety of other situations.

For instance, in a study similar to the first, they investigated how roughly 120 employees at a pharmaceutical-company conference viewed the problem of an individual not taking medication as prescribed. The employees estimated the likelihood that this behavior would cause the patient to be hospitalized. Then they saw real-world ads showing that 75 percent of patients dont take their medication as prescribed and then estimated the likelihood of the patients being hospitalized.

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Again, once participants saw how widespread the problem of medication nonadherence was, they concluded that it was less likely to cause harm than they initially thought. The big-problem paradox in this case turned out to influence even the opinion of experts.

This finding held true for several additional studies as well, including for studies focused on common problems like drunk driving and for studies where participants were paid to guess the risk of harm correctly.

Difficult problems

The research team also explored problems that have been notoriously difficult to get people to address, such as environmental issues, and found further evidence of the big-problem paradox.

In one such study, 200 participants read about a suburban family who learned that several chemicalsincluding polyamide, polyester, and polymerizing vinyl chloridehad leached into their drinking water. Some participants were told that these chemicals are common in tap water, while others were not given this information. All participants then ranked the likelihood of the following statements: first, that the family would not get sick from the water, and second, that the government had tested the water and ensured it was safe.

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Those who learned about the actual prevalence of the chemicals were more likely to believe that the family would not get sick and that the government had safely addressed the problem. In effect, the participants were more optimistic about the situation after learning about the prevalence of these chemicals.

So, if this big-problem paradox occurs because people feel optimistic about a situation, then it stands to reason that it should fall apart when people feel less optimistic.

Contrary to this line of reasoning, however, the researchers found that the paradox applied even to situations where people did not expect good things to happen.

In one study, for example, more than 100 participants read about either a family who lived in a wealthy neighborhood or a family in a poor neighborhood. All participants learned about the same contaminations in tap water and were asked how sick they thought the family would get from these chemicals. Participants in both groupsregardless of whether they were optimistic about the familys situationbelieved the contaminated water was less harmful after learning that the chemicals were commonly found in tap water.

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Of note, however, the big-problem paradox was less pronounced for the group that read about the poor neighborhoodsuggesting that the effect might not be as strong when people are less optimistic.

Shaping how people help

These findings motivated Eskreis-Winkler and her colleagues to investigate how this paradox might affect peoples motivation to help others.

To that end, the team ran multiple studies asking participants to imagine a friend having a medical condition, to estimate how much danger their friends life was in, and to rate how motivated they would feel to get their friend urgent medical attention.

In a study about chest pain, for example, people believed that their friends chest pain was less likely to cause severe harm after they learned that chest pain was common (Over 9 million adults in the United States have chest pain each year). This information also made people feel less motivated to help their friend.

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Whats more, learning about the prevalence of other medical conditions made people less willing to support funding for those conditions.

The research team, in another study, showed participants two online profilesone set up for a girl who needed ulcer surgery and the other for a girl who needed upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. The team let participants know that it only had the funds to support one of the two surgeries.

Participants who learned about the prevalence of these conditionsulcer surgery (common) and GI surgery (rare)not only believed that the more common problem was less severe but also preferred to help the girl with the rare condition.

These are the most important studies in the paper, Eskreis-Winkler says. The implication is that learning about the prevalence of a problem can sap peoples motivation to act in the real world.

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Still, Eskreis-Winkler points out that misperceptions like the big-problem paradox are themselves neither inherently good nor bad. Whether they cause positive or negative effects really depends on the situation.

Perhaps if someone has an unreasonable fear of an illness, and they learn the prevalence of the illness, it could help them fear it less and live a fuller life, she says. The big-problem paradox could have useful benefits.
Two million prescription for aspirin are handed out in England every month. Its easy to see why. The drug effectively eases mild aches and pains while also slashing the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes by a fifth among patients with heart problems. However a prescription-only drug that far fewer are being given may do an even better job.

Research published today shows that clopidogrel, which costs just 4p per pill, cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by an extra 14 per cent compared to aspirin.

It opens up the possibility of thinking a little differently about precisely which medication will be used on patients who are taking just one antiplatelet therapy drug, says Prof Jon Gibbins, director of the Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research at the University of Reading.

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So who is eligible to get the drug from their doctor and how exactly does it work?

What is clopidogrel and how does it work?

Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet medicine, also known as a blood thinner.

It works by preventing platelets (small cell fragments in our blood) from sticking together and forming a clot inside the blood vessels, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

More technically, clopidogrel does this by preventing adenosine diphosphate (ADP) from binding to its platelet receptor, which is a key step in a blood clot forming, Prof Gibbins explains. What thats doing is putting a brake on the platelet response, he says.

Clopidogrel is a once-a-day pill that is available under the brand names Grepid and Plavix.

What did the research find?

An international group of researchers, including experts from Imperial College London, looked at seven previous clinical trials involving nearly 30,000 patients.

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All patients had coronary heart disease and were taking aspirin or clopidogrel and were monitored for an average of five-and-a-half years.

Results showed that those taking clopidogrel were 14 per cent less likely to have suffered a heart attack or stroke over this period, compared to those who were taking aspirin.

Writing in The Lancet, the experts said the comprehensive review of evidence found clopidogrel offers superior protection against major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular [blood flow to the brain] events compared with aspirin.

How is it different from aspirin?

While aspirin and clopidogrel are both antiplatelet pills that are taken daily, aspirin works in a different way. It blocks an enzyme called cyclooxygenase which interferes in the formation of blood clots a step before clopidogrel, Prof Gibbins says.

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Aspirin also has wider impacts on the body, as cyclooxygenase enzymes are involved in pain, fever and inflammation, which is why it is also used as an everyday painkiller. Conversely, clopidogrel is only thought to work as a blood thinner.

The drugs also vary in how they are prescribed. Aspirin is more commonly dished out to patients, primarily because its benefits were better evidenced. As a result, clopidogrel is often given to patients alongside aspirin and only sometimes on its own, he says.

If you come along with a new drug that you hope to work better, its not ethical to take away aspirin and try your drug, because youre taking away from patients, he explains.

Aspirin also used to be cheaper than clopidogrel. While that is no longer the case, it spurred on the wider use of the drug. A 28 pack of 75mg clopidogrel tablets costs the NHS just 1.01 or 3.6p each. A similarly sized pack of 75mg aspirin tablets cost 69p or 2.5p each.

Are there any side effects? How are these different from aspirin?

With both of these drugs, there are trade-offs, Prof Gibbins says. The main risk of both clopidogrel and aspirin is bleeding more easily than normal.

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By blocking platelets from sticking together and forming blood clots, the drugs can also make bleeding and bruising more likely. This means people taking the drugs may be more likely to suffer from nosebleeds, heavier periods or bleeding gums. In rare cases, they can contribute to severe bleeding, most commonly in the stomach and intestines, which can be fatal.

Other common side effects of both drugs include indigestion. Users are advised not to drink too much alcohol, as it can irritate the stomach.

The Lancet research shows that both drugs have very similar side effects.

Side effects for these drugs are similar, confirms Ruth Goss, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation. Both drugs can increase risk of gastric bleeding (according to the research), but due to the efficacy of clopidogrel, they suggest that it is superior to aspirin in reducing risk of people having another heart attack.

Can I get clopidogrel if Im not at risk of heart disease? Is it available over-the-counter?

For individuals who havent had a heart attack or a stroke, currently, the recommendation is that they shouldnt be given any antiplatelet therapy, Prof Gibbins says.

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This is because the harms of these drugs, including aspirin and clopidogrel, outweigh the benefits. Giving these drugs out to everyone doesnt work because of the risk of bleeding, he says. While fewer heart attacks may occur, the risk of death from bleeding, such as due to a hemorrhagic stroke, also increases, he notes.

In the past, if you were over a certain age, had a family history and were a bit overweight, your doctor would give you aspirin, Prof Gibbins says. Nowadays, thats not recommended because of the balance between benefit and harm.

As a result, both clopidogrel and aspirin should only be taken if recommended by a doctor, he says. One of the problems with aspirin is that you can get it from the supermarket and choose to take it yourself, he says. But clopidogrel is a prescription-only drug.

How can I get clopidogrel?

For patients who have been prescribed another antiplatelet medication but want to take clopidogrel, they could have a discussion with their doctor, Prof Gibbins suggests.

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Theres a fair chance the GP will say, just carry on as normal as you tolerate the drug youre on and youre doing well, he notes.

Patients shouldnt panic about changing their medication to clopidogrel as the difference between aspirin and clopidogrel is still fairly marginal, he says.

If your doctor think you would benefit from being on clopidogrel, they will discuss this with you, Goss adds.

What other medications can prevent heart disease?

In addition to clopidogrel and aspirin, other antiplatelet medicines include low-dose aspirin, dipyridamole and ticagrelor.

There is also another class of drugs, called anticoagulants, which work by delaying the formation of blood clots. They can also stop existing clots from growing larger. Apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, rivaroxaban and warfarin are examples.

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Meanwhile, ACE inhibitors (such as ramipril) and beta-blockers (like bisoprolol) are used to treat high blood pressure, while statins (including atorvastatin) help to lower cholesterol levels, all in turn reducing the risk of severe heart problems.

What someone may be prescribed depends on their individual circumstances and risk factors, Goss says. This can include medicines to manage and reduce high blood pressure and statins and other medicines to reduce their cholesterol.

If youre worried about developing heart disease, or have questions about what medicines you may be prescribed for your heart health, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

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Japan marked a significant milestone in its journey toward net-zero in the first half of the year; for the first time ever, fossil fuels accounted for less than 60% in Japans electricity generation.

However, dependence on oil, gas, and coal imports in the resource-poor G-7 economy remains above 80% of total energy consumption amid shifting energy policies and priorities after the Fukushima disaster of 2011.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake, Japan closed all its nuclear reactors for years-long safety checks and inspections. The low-carbon energy source, accounting for about 30% of electricity output before 2011, was suddenly no longer available. The result was a spike in imports of LNG, oil, and coal, and in carbon emissions.

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In recent years, particularly following the 2022-2023 energy crisis, which led to a significant increase in Japans fuel import bill, the country has begun to reopen some of its nuclear reactors gradually. That has helped reduce the share of fossil fuels, along with a surge in solar capacity installations.

Japan, which has a target to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, has realized that it will have to rely even more on nuclear power generation in the coming decades if it wants to reduce emissions and its huge dependence on fossil fuels.

In the latest energy strategy, Japan will double down on nuclear, with gradual safe restarts of reactors, aiming to more than double the share of nuclear generation of total electricity output to 20% by 2040, from less than 10% now.

The share of fossil fuels in Japans power supply slumped to the lowest on record in the first half of 2025, as nuclear and solar electricity generation is growing.

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Japan saw its utility-scale electricity supply from fossil fuels slump below 60% for the first time between January and June, according to data from clean energy think tank Ember cited by Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire.

Japans dependence on oil, gas, and coal imports has dropped to 87% of total energy consumption from a high of 96% in 2012, after all nuclear reactors were closed, per data compiled by energy analyst John Kemp from the International Energy Agencys (IEA) World Energy Balances report from 2024. Despite the decline, the share is still well above the 81% share pre-Fukushima.

Nuclear power alone cannot help Japan reach net zerothe country will need increased solar and wind capacity and generation.

Solar power deployment has been a success. Wind power, however, has lagged behind, with recent setbacks pouring cold water on Japans offshore wind ambitions.

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Solar is Japans largest source of low-carbon electricity, accounting for a 10% share of generation. It has grown fivefold from 2014 to 2024, according to data from Ember.

Wind power, however, only reached 1% of generation in 2024 despite its massive potential, lagging behind the rest of the G7 where wind averaged 11% of total electricity generation, Ember notes.

Japan is looking to develop its offshore wind potential, but it has been struggling amid a challenging environment for the offshore wind sector globally in recent years.

Japan has a plan to have offshore wind projects with a total capacity of 10 GW developed by 2030 and 30 GW-45 GW by 2040. The country has held three auctions to award capacity so far, but major developers have been reviewing their options in Japan amid headwinds in the sector globally, with surging costs and supply-chain delays.

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In a major blow to Japans offshore wind ambitions, Mitsubishi Corporation last week dropped plans to develop three offshore wind projects amid unexpected changes and rising challenges in the market.

Mitsubishi has sought to adapt to the changes in the business environment by examining various options, including reassessment of costs, project schedule, and revenue.

However, after discussions among the partners, we have determined that establishing a viable business plan is not feasible given the current conditions, the corporation said last week.

Mitsubishis decision to abandon the projects in Japan comes amid rising headwinds to offshore wind development worldwide.

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rsted, the worlds biggest offshore wind project developer, warned in May of a continued challenging environment for the industry with mounting near-term headwinds globally.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

My destination beckons across the undulating valley, framed by sunbaked orchards and a pastel sky growing heavy with dusk: a low-rise masseria (farm estate), alone in the landscape but for a dusting of sheep. Dinner awaits down the uneven track ahead but, unwilling for the journey to end, Ive slowed my car to a crawl. Theres something hypnotic about driving through the hinterland of Italys heel  the timeless scenery and drowsy warmth invite a slower pace of travel.

Finally pulling up at restaurant Le Stanzie, I follow voices around the sturdy main house, through leafy vegetable patches and patios piled with aesthetically stacked produce, to discover Chiara Rimo holding court with a gaggle of diners. Beneath their feet is the uneven paving of a Roman road. Dont ask me how old the masseria is  we cannot possibly know  but every era has left its mark, says the young, dark-haired hostess. Our name comes from the Latin for rooms. This has long been a place of hospitality.

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Despite its imprecise provenance, this is certainly one of the oldest agricultural estates in Salento, the most southerly region of Puglia. Ask me if Im Pugliese and Ill say no, Im Salentina. This part of Italy is truly another country, Chiara tells me proudly, continuing her tour through the largely 16th-century farmhouse, salvaged from ruin as a pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in 1999. It feels frozen in time, no? she says, depositing me at my table, tucked away in a vaulted, candlelit pantry lined with preserves.

A seafood lunch at Marina di Novaglie is ultra-fresh and accentuated by the immediate ocean views. Photograph by Luca Lillo, Lo Scalo

The menu is seasonal and short  an authentic expression of Salentos cucina povera: traditional peasant cooking. I tuck into a crunchy starter of fried bread and black beans, then devour fresh, hand-pulled pasta doused with a rich pork ragu, paired with a local Negroamaro wine, which tastes of dark berries. Courses keep coming, but at a leisurely pace; dining is an art form here. When its finally time to leave, Chiara and I hug like old friends, and she presses a jar of lemon marmalade into my hands.

Continental drift

Over the following days, Salento continues to be generous in sharing its bounty. I follow byways recommended by Audley Travel, the tour company that designed my bespoke trip, tracing the Adriatic south. I head from the butter-hued baroque monuments of Lecce along coastal roads fringed with wildflowers, passing the sea stacks of Faraglioni di SantAndrea. In the town of Otranto, on a promenade overlooking a marina, I meet guide Gianluca Tonti, an amateur historian with eyes as bright as the shallows.

Were far from the rest of Italy down here and have always felt exposed to the continent to the east, he tells me, pointing out the misty outline of Albania across the water. The great invasion that reshaped Otranto was in 1480, when 18,000 Ottoman troops arrived at the gates, leading  so the story goes  to the beheading of 813 Christians who refused to convert. Even though I relay this traditional version, I dont believe a single word. The pashas were tolerant when it came to belief. Gianlucas interrogations of the historical canon are, I learn, habitual.

Otrantos promenade is a great people-watching spot  especially at dusk. Photograph by Francesco Lastrucci

We tour the battlements of Otrantos stocky Aragonese Castle, built in the late 15th century by the Spanish, and wind through the stone lanes of the old town to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata. Founded in 1068 by Norman rulers, it holds a grisly ossuary of the martyrs  and, more curiously, an astonishingly ambitious 6,500sq ft medieval mosaic of biblical and folkloric characters that offers a nearly millennia-old window onto past beliefs. Gianluca points out King Arthur and an Amazonian warrior among the figures depicted.

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Salentos surreal, softly cinematic quality deepens as I continue along the fantastical 30-mile stretch of road informally known as Litoranea Salentina. Connecting Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca at the peninsulas tip, it offers up timeless olive groves and the shifting hues of the Mediterranean, snaking down the coast past the lighthouse at Punta Palascia, the cliff-cut lidos of Santa Cesarea Terme, the sea caves surrounding Castro Marina and the picturesque harbour of Porto di Tricase.

At each, I pull over for a few minutes or a few hours, guided by whim and, often, my hunger. Its the kind of unstructured, slow travel that reaps rewards  instinctual, meandering, guided by the moment  and only really possible on an independent road trip.

A road trip around Salentos rustic hinterland and sparkling coastline invites a slower pace of life. Photograph by Mauritius Images GmbH, Alamy Photos

Backroads beckon

Another day, I explore the Ionian coastline. The miles of pleasure beaches surrounding Gallipoli offer perfect contrast with the cragged Adriatic coves of Marina Serra, where sunbathing involves draping yourself nymph-like across the rocks and slipping into natural pools to swim feels like a baptism. Sea urchins cling to the rocks below in still-life perfection, and fish dart away through shafts of light as if scattering from a passing god.

With nothing but time and a tank of petrol, I cruise the empty country roads of the interior utterly undisturbed. Occasionally, I take pit stops in village cafes so off the beaten track that no English or even  to my ear  recognisable Italian is spoken. Instead, I hear one of Salentos many dialects, some of which have Byzantine roots, and learn to order as the locals do: a caffe Leccese, an espresso shot with almond syrup served over clinking ice cubes, and a warm pasticciotto, a small pastry pie filled with sweet egg custard.

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During one such stop, Gianluca sends me text recommendations about local towns, which leads me to discover the baroque architecture of Nardo and the 15th-century frescoes of Galatinas Basilica of Santa Caterina dAlessandria, featuring scenes from the Apocalypse and Genesis. There are many churches in Southern Italy, but that ones worth a trip to this land alone, he quips when we meet again for a final tour in his hometown. Presicce hit headlines in 2022, when the local government started offering 30,000 (26,000) to anyone willing to move there and do up an abandoned building. Lifes slow in Salento, he acknowledges. But to me, its still a slice of paradise.

At Lo Scalo restaurant, diners can take a dip before or after they eat. Photograph by Luca Lillo, Lo Scalo

He takes me to sample different intensities of extra virgin olive oil in third-generation manufacturer Gianvito Negro Valianis modern factory, learning to identify the fragrant spice and smoothness of this liquid gold. Once, Presicces frantoi ipogei  a vast subterranean network of underground olive presses, carved into the soft bedrock  supercharged the local economy. The oil made here was exported to the major cities of Europe to light streetlamps, until the arrival of electricity saw the industry dwindle and the product refined for culinary use.

In contrast to those dank caverns, where labourers slaved in the winter months between harvest and spring, Gianvitos family-run operation gleams with polished steel. Our traditions may be ancient, but we dont live in the past, he says. Nevertheless, Salentos old rites of hospitality have endured  rooted in this earth, theyre as solid as a masseria, as sacred as a medieval church. I hope youll join us for lunch?

Published in the September 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).



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It was the academic Peter Hennessy who described House of Lords reform as the Bermuda Triangle of British politics: every generation or so, people go into the Bermuda Triangle  some never reappear. Undaunted by this warning, Keir Starmer is the latest leader to try to overhaul the Upper House. But as the long-suffering Labour whips are now discovering, it is a political exercise fraught with risk for very little credit.

As Parliament kicks back into gear this week after the long Summer recess, two separate packages of reform are currently enraging their Lordships House. The remaining 86 hereditary peers are to be turfed out next year, the logical conclusion  in Labours view  of the process begun by Tony Blair in 1999. Back then, some 600 hereditary peers were purged, with a handful given a stay of execution.

Starmer wants to finish the job and rewrite the rules on life peers too. Lords are to have their attendance monitored, with those deemed not to be doing their duty made to give up their seats. A mandatory retirement age will also be adopted, with peers obliged to quit at the end of the parliamentary session after their 80th birthday. More than 200 currently qualify.

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When combined with the hereditaries it means the removal of more than a third of the 800 existing peers.

The objections to all this have come thick and fast. The expulsion of the hereditaries has sparked accusations of betrayal: Blair had promised they could remain until such time as a full reform package should be presented. A quarter of a century on, no such plan has ever been presented. But Labour is determined that they should go  and quickly. The Hereditary Peers Bill was one of the first for new Labour MPs to vote on in October last year. Its a good bit of red meat, says one new Labour MP. Graphics were distributed to loyal Starmtroopers, declaring proudly that they had voted to end eight centuries of tradition.

In the Lords, the Bill has had a rough old passage. The strength of feeling was reflected in the legislations Second Reading earlier this year. Baroness Meyer evoked tsarist Russia; Lord Moynihan cited Cromwells New Model Army. Discourteous is a word commonly used when peers talk of the governments stance on the issue. They have handled it pretty shabbily, reflects one crossbencher. Cynics note the political complexion of those being ushered out: of the remaining hereditaries, nearly all are Crossbenchers or Tories.

Opponents have circulated analysis warning of the precedent that sets. If this executive can expel one group of peers by virtue of their majority in the Commons, it says, future executives could use the same argument to expel any other group. Their message was clear: once we are gone, the day boys will be next.

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With the hereditaries on their way out, Labours attention is now turning to those who remain. As Leader of the House, Baroness Smith is Starmers voice in the Other Place. A former lobbyist and new Labour MP, her CV reads like the typical career politician which peers fear will replace them. She has led the Labour Lords for 10 years, managing the transition from Jeremy Corbyn to Starmer with ease. Facing her on the Tory benches is the wily Lord True, a longtime party operator, and Lord Strathclyde, a blue-blooded survivor of the Blair battles of the late 1990s. The frontbench meanwhile mixes Whitehall veterans like Lord Parkinson and Baroness Finn with respected hereditaries such as Earl Howe and the Earl of Courtown.

Sir Keir Starmer holds a shadow cabinet meeting with leader of the House of Lords Baroness Angela Smith in 2022 - PA Wire

They warn that all this constitutional tinkering comes at a price. By altering the composition of the Lords, Labour could affect the delicate balance of power in parliament as a whole. In the Commons, the Chief Whip, Sir Alan Campbell and his enforcers can ram through legislation with their majority of 155. But in the Lords, no party enjoys an overall majority.

Votes and business are conducted by convention and courtesy, with the tradition of self-regulation shown in the absence of a Commons-style Speaker. Normally, ministers can get their way, citing their democratic mandate. Yet the governments handling of peers is fermenting a climate of rebellion. One Lords source argues: They are in danger of stirring up a hornets nest.

It is true, of course, that every government tries to use the Lords to its advantage. Packing the Upper House with placemen has, sadly, become part and parcel of political life. But Labours plans are controversial because of the nature of subtraction, rather than addition. Peers across all parties report that the mood in the House has changed this year. Question time has become increasingly politicised, with votes more fraught affairs than they have been traditionally. Even some Labour peers are not impressed by their marching orders. They keep their peers late at night on a three-line whip, says one opponent. That does not go down well. The Employment Rights Bill, Labours flagship legislation, drew some noticeably sharp exchanges this summer. But perhaps the best indication of hardening attitudes on both sides in the Lords was shown on the Data Bill. Peers inflicted a series of defeats on the government, with neither side willing to back down. Parliamentarians are gearing up for a hard-fought showdown as the House resumes sitting.

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With Starmer under pressure to deliver, the onus on party managers is getting government business through Parliament as quickly as possible. An ambitious timetable has been drawn up. Three major pieces of legislation  the Schools Bill, Planning Bill and Border Security Bill  are among those scheduled for Committee Stage before the Labour conference on September 28, with the Employment Rights Bill due for its Third Reading too. In the current climate, some are far less accommodating than they might otherwise have been. As one senior Tory puts it If the Lords wants to do a go-slow, it can. For some hereditaries and other peers, this next year represents one last hurrah in the words of one.

Compounding the current tensions is a feeling that the Government is happy to send the Lords poorly written legislation for them to fix. The complaint of some peers is the inverse relationship between the drafting of bills in relation to the seriousness of the issues they address. With the Commons unwilling or unable to do the proper line-by-line scrutiny, it is left to the Lords to dig into the detail.

Some peers have been particularly annoyed about the assumption of some MPs that it is they who will be able to tidy up Kim Leadbeaters controversial Assisted Dying Bill. Debates around such a major issue risk gumming up the governments legislative agenda, according to one Labour opponent.

Facing a tricky timetable and Tory intransigence, the Government is quick to cite its manifesto commitments and demand the elected Commons gets its way. Yet veterans point to Baroness Smiths leadership of the Labour opposition during the Brexit years. The Lords took upon itself that it had a moral obligation to intervene, reflects one long-serving member.

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Having championed the right of the Lords to overrule the Commons in those years, Smith will find it hard to now encourage her fellow peers to embrace a spirit of self-restraint. Tory peers have been taken to circulating a fact sheet on Labours hypocrisy, detailing Smiths record. Nothing we have done, or are doing, it says, goes beyond the normal processes and freedoms of the revising Chamber.

The irony of Labours changes is that they risk only accelerating the tendency of peers to act in an increasingly abrasive and assertive fashion. Blairs aides hoped that in removing the Lords of 600 hereditaries, they would create a more acquiescent chamber. Yet the opposite proved the case, with the number of government defeats steadily climbing from 31 in the year before the change up to a record 128 in 2022. The current reforms risk similarly stirring up opposition and leaving an embittered House more convinced of its own self-worth. Given its massive majority, the Starmer government ought to successfully navigate the Bermuda Triangle of Lords reform  but it is unlikely to emerge unscathed.

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If you were looking for a reason why you are here today, here it is. Thanks to your spirit and your path, routine is returning to the people of Israel," Golani Brigade Commander Col. Adi Ganon said.

As the new school year begins across Israel on Monday, the IDF commended its troops for the ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enabled improved security conditions, allowing pupils in southern communities to return to class.

We are here, covered in dust and powder, after five months of operating in Rafah and Khan Yunis  now the pupils of Israel will wake up, put on a white shirt and go to school with joy, said the commander of the Golani Brigade on Monday. If you were looking for a reason why you are here today, here it is. Thanks to your spirit and your path, routine is returning to the people of Israel.

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In northern Gaza, artillery struck observation posts and a site used to fire an anti-tank missile, with no Israeli injuries reported. Troops also dismantled cameras and underground explosive sites near Jabaliya. In the south, additional terrorists and underground facilities were neutralized.

Over the past three months, IDF troops from the Kfir Brigades combat team, operating under the command of the 36th Division, have conducted operations targeting Hamas infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said the activity focused on expanding and consolidating operational control, eliminating terrorists, and dismantling tunnel networks and weapons caches.

Dozens of terrorists were killed during the operations, according to the IDF, including in close-quarters combat and in coordination with the Israeli Air Force. Some of those killed had taken part in the October 7 attack.

Troops from the Yahalom Unit uncovered and dismantled some 8 kilometers of underground tunnel routes, while the Kfir Brigade located and destroyed Hamas military infrastructure and large stockpiles of weaponry, the army said.

Israeli soldiers walk out from a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, June 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

The IDF also reported progress in establishing the Magen Oz corridor, intended to divide eastern and western Khan Yunis. Soldiers operating under the Southern Command are expected to continue efforts to maintain operational control and remove remaining threats.

New school year marks subtle return to normalcy

According to the Education Ministry, more than 2.5 million children began the 2025-2026 school year on Monday.

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In the Gaza border area, 23,700 students are beginning the school year. Thanks to demographic growth in the Sderot region and the regional councils of Hof Ashkelon, Shaar Hanegev, Eshkol, and Sdot Hanegev, the number of students has increased by 2,000 compared to the number in schools as of October 7, 2023.

For hundreds of students who were forced to evacuate their homes on October 7, this marks their first return to school in the area.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY)  The city of Williamsburg wants feedback on its proposed Rent Ready Williamsburg program, a proposed voluntary rental recertification program it says [is being] developed to improve the quality, safety and community integration of off-campus housing near William & Mary.

The city said the goal of the program is to make neighborhoods stronger by aligning interests of longtime residents with landlords and students through safe, high-quality rental housing and shared education.

More information on the Rent Ready program guidelines, and a corresponding ordinance, can be found here. The citys planning and codes compliance department will be holding public information sessions for renters, landlords and neighbors to learn more about the program. One session was held Aug. 28. Others will be held on the following dates, times and locations:

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Thursday, Sept 18: 6:30 p.m. in Tidewater B at Sadler Center at 200 Stadium Drive, Williamsburg

Tuesday, Sept. 30: 6 p.m. at the Stryker Center at 412 N. Boundary St.

If the city approves the Rent Ready program, the city said it would raise standards for rental housing by offering well-vetted homes with transparent quality assessments, fair lease practices, educational support and public promotion of certified properties.

Williamsburg City Council is expected to consider adopting the program in November or December.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
It was a normal evening in mid-July as Matt Olson sat at home on his computer, scanning satellite photos of Lake Michigan.

Olson, who owns the tour company Door County Adventure Rafting, regularly used images taken from orbit to help identify interesting sights and new places to take his customers. As he virtually explored the shallow waters of Rowleys Bay, near the northern tip of the long, narrow peninsula that makes up Door County, Wisconsin, Olson spotted a bloblike discoloration in the water.

He didnt know it at the time, but Olson had just stumbled on a long-lost shipwreck  the remains of a vessel that sunk in 1887. His serendipitous find set off an investigation by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

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Door County is no stranger to shipwrecks. More than 250 known wrecks are scattered in the waters around the peninsula, owing to the areas often challenging sailing conditions. These discoveries, however, help fill in the regions maritime history, allowing people to better understand how the waterways of the Great Lakes were used over the years.

The Frank D. Barker was constructed in 1867 and sank in 1887. (Wisconsin Historical Society)

The wreck was located in shallow waters, at a depth of about 20 feet, according to Olson. From what he could tell, the bottom of the hull was largely intact, but the sides of the ship had split open and flattened out like a fillet  likely due to 138 years of being battered by wind, waves and ice, he said.

Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist at the historical societys State Historic Preservation Office, spent several weeks combing through a database of newspaper clippings, archival insurance documents and port enrollments, which are similar to motor vehicle registrations.

Thomsen and her colleagues also conducted diving missions to search for any identifying characteristics.

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Given the vessels appearance and the shipwrecks general location, the historical society was able to confirm that Olson had found the remains of the long-lost Frank D. Barker.

Whats really cool about this wreck is that the whole thing is there, Thomsen said. Its spread out on the bottom, almost like pieces of a puzzle that you could assemble in your mind and put back together.

The 137-foot Frank D. Barker was constructed out of wood in 1867 by a veteran shipbuilder named Simon G. Johnson from Clayton, New York. It was a canaller, which is a type of vessel uniquely designed to operate on the Great Lakes, Thomsen said. Canallers were built to sail through the Welland Canal, a series of locks and both natural and modified waterways that enabled ships to bypass Niagara Falls.

The Frank D. Barker was used to transport grain from ports in Milwaukee and Chicago to Lake Ontario. Typically on its trips west, the ship hauled coal from ports on Lake Erie to the Midwest to fuel factories and heat homes.

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In 1887, the Frank D. Barker was traveling from Manistee, Michigan, to Escanaba, Michigan, to pick up a load of iron ore. The ships captain and crew ran into bad weather and foggy conditions, which caused it to run off course.

The ship eventually ran aground and became stranded on a limestone outcropping on Spider Island. Five separate attempts to salvage the ship  one in October 1887 and others in June, August, September and October of 1888  ultimately failed.

They finally decided that they couldnt get it out of this pocket where its resting, and they ultimately abandoned the ship, Thomsen said.

The loss of the vessel was estimated to be worth around $8,000 at the time, which works out to more than $250,000 in todays dollars, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

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Finding the Frank D. Barker after 138 years marks an exciting moment for Door County, but it was also a deeply personal one for Olson.

After reporting the find to the State Historic Preservation Office, Olson decided to take a closer look.

To think that my 6-year-old son had his first time ever snorkeling on a shipwreck, he said, and being one of the first people to see this wreck after more than 130 years  thats pretty exciting.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
CHICAGO (WGN)  Police are investigating after a woman was shot and killed on Chicagos Far South Side on Sunday evening.

Chicago police say the shooting happened in front of a residence in the 13200 block of South Ellis Avenue just before 7:30 p.m.

The victim was reportedly in a verbal altercation with a known suspect when the suspect pulled out a gun and fired shots.

The victim was struck in the chest and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center where she later died.

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There are no suspects in custody. Detectives are investigating.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
People gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse as part of another national demonstration critical of the current administration and President Donald Trump.

Indiana State Police estimated about 1,000 people attended the 2-hour protest on Labor Day. Organizers said only about 250 people officially registered online.

The volunteer-led 50501 movement  which stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day  has organized several national protests since February. The group is responsible for the April 5 "Hands off!" demonstration and the June 14 "No Kings" protest. They collaborated with other organizations like Indiana Resistance Alliance for the Sept. 1, 2025 event, marching around the statehouse multiple times with chants.

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The protest's theme, "Workers over billionaires," focused on keeping pressure not only on the Trump administration, but also on the billionaires who support or benefit from his policies.

Workers Over Billionaires nationwide protests

Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.

Labor unions and community activists gathered for mass protests on Labor Day, hoping to remind Americans of the power of the working class at a time when billionaires are playing an outsized role in national politics, according to USA Today.

Although signs in Indianapolis expressed different topics like deportation, the Epstein list, women's rights, and even opposition to Nazism, Ryleigh Beckett, a leader with the 50501 movement, said the primary message was about labor rights.

'It's gonna get worse if we don't do something...'

Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.

"We want to recognize the history that has come with Labor Day and how the Trump administration is dismantling a lot of the labor rights that we have fought and earned for with blood, sweat, and tears, namely the weakening of unions, which is a sign of fascism," Beckett said.

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John Steenbergen, 71, said he attended the protest because Trump is different from any president hes seen in his 50 years of following politics. While he disagreed with Republican presidents like Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, he believed they cared about doing what they thought was best for the United States.

But Trump is cruel and a wannabe dictator, Steenbergen said, pointing to the presidents mass deportation campaign as an example. The Indianapolis resident said hes worried for his children and grandchildren.

Its gonna get worse if we dont do something about it, he said.

Morrigan McCoy, 23, led the marches around the Indiana Statehouse and gave the introductory speech before the marches. He has strong opinions about Trump, including "attempts to gerrymander our election."

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Beckett said she feels in the current climate in Indiana, people feel isolated, but the new goal for the movement is to have people and organizations come together for a common goal and connect people with their neighbors.

"I think this is the beauty of American culture. We come from all different walks of life, and we may not know our neighbors' points of view, but we come together and we see that we're really not alone."

The event, which was planned until 3 p.m., ended at 2 p.m. since another protest was planned on Monument Circle.

People protest Nazis, carry guns

Just weeks after a small group marched around Monument Circle with Nazi flags, Hoosiers returned to the Circle the afternoon of Sept. 1 to respond with an "anti-Nazi rally."

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The protest was put together over the past week, organizers told IndyStar. A handful of people carried guns, a reference to the weapons the pro-Nazi protesters had carried, but most appeared unarmed.

"Left, right and center, I think we can all come together and agree that Nazis aren't welcome in Indianapolis," organizer Max Haddad said while speaking to the crowd.

Among the protesters was a family of four, including two children. Parents Andrew Bodiker and Steph Piercefield, who both wore firearms across their body, told IndyStar they came to the protest to support marginalized communities. The weapons, they said, served as a symbolic response to pro-Nazi protest.

"We're just trying to stand up for everybody," Piercefield said.

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Jesse Kearly, another speaker, said the idea of using the Second Amendment was not popular, but it's to show that they can protect themselves from people who might have ill intentions.

Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis protesters fight for labor protections, against Nazis
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  A handful of planned protests were scheduled to take place in different San Diego communities and neighboring cities over the Labor Day holiday.

The protests, titled Workers Over Billionaires, were expected to happen in downtown San Diego, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo and La Jolla as well as the cities of Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Escondido.

This Labor Day, we will continue to stand strong, fighting for public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, shared prosperity over corporate politics, a description for the event in Mira Mesa stated.

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San Diego-area beach closures, advisories in effect for Labor Day

People gathered at 10 a.m. at the corner of Mira Mesa Boulevard and Westview Parkway with signs demanding an end to certain steps taken by the Trump administration, including an increase in federal immigration enforcement actions.

They held up signs with messages such as I support indivisible federal workers, Democracy belongs to the USA and Hands Off Our Government.

Workers Over Billionaires protest in Mira Mesa. (fox5sandiego.com) Workers Over Billionaires protest in Mira Mesa. (fox5sandiego.com) Workers Over Billionaires protest in Mira Mesa. (fox5sandiego.com) Workers Over Billionaires protest in Mira Mesa. (fox5sandiego.com)

Similar protests were scheduled at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego, Pearl Street and Girard Avenue in La Jolla, Rancho Bernardo Road and Bernardo Center Drive in Rancho Bernardo, Birch Road and Millenia Avenue in Chula Vista, Carlsbad Boulevard and Pine Avenue in Carlsbad and outside of the city hall building in Escondido.

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The Workers Over Billionaires protests were part of a nationwide movement drawing crowds against the Trump administration on Labor Day.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
By Simon Jessop and Marc Jones

LONDON (Reuters) -Degraded land, polluted air and water stress pose a direct global economic threat but using natural resources more efficiently could cut pollution by half, one of the World Bank's senior managing directors told Reuters.

The damage is particularly acute for low-income countries most at threat from poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss, Axel van Trotsenburg said.

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Speaking alongside the publication of a new report on Monday, he said around 80% of people in low-income nations were exposed to all three and the World Bank was committed to responding even as many countries cut aid budgets.

"Our commitment... is ending poverty on a liveable planet, full stop. We will not waver on this," van Trotsenburg said.

Among the most impacted countries are Burundi, where 8 million people face water risk and air pollution, and 7 million face land degradation. In Malawi, 12 million people face all three risks, the report said.

More broadly, 90% of the world's population face at least one of the challenges, with the report urging countries to repurpose subsidies currently spent on harmful activities.

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The report is published against a fractious political backdrop ahead of November's COP30 climate talks in Brazil. The World Bank and other multilateral lenders are also awaiting the outcome of a U.S. review of their operations ordered by President Donald Trump in February.

The World Bank would provide data-backed evidence to inform discussions on environmental degradation among its member governments, van Trotsenburg said.

The report estimated that forests help around half of the world's rain clouds form and said deforestation cut rainfall at a cost of $14 billion a year for the nine-country Amazon region alone, a material hit for the affected nations.

It also means landscapes are less able to store and release moisture slowly over time. That amplifies the effects of droughts and results in a $379 billion hit, or 8% of global agricultural economic output.

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While ecological threats were often seen as being distant, the report zeroed in on economic impacts happening now.

"We've often had this mantra that we believed countries need to grow first, pollute and clean up later. What this evidence is telling you is that is simply false," the bank's chief economist for sustainable development and report co-author, Richard Damania, said.

(Editing by Ros Russell)
Sanford L. Jones, second from left, relaxes with buddies in Italy. He was drafted as a teenager in Perry County and flew missions over Germany, Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia as a gunner on B-24 Liberators. (Photo courtesy of Sanford L. Jones Jr.)

NEW ORLEANS  The lean, bespectacled veteran from Kentucky sat silently in the early evening of Aug. 14 on a stage in the cavernous U.S. Freedom Pavilion in the National WWII Museum.

With vintage war planes hanging overhead from the ceiling, Sanford L. Jones Sr. of Richmond peered out at an audience of about 300, mostly tourists. With him were Emily Drake of Pennsylvania and Lewis Harned of Wisconsin, ready for a discussion to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

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The deadliest conflict in history  causing the deaths of 70 million to 85 million people, more than half of them civilians  officially came to an end on Sept. 2, 1945. Terms of surrender were signed by Japanese officials aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay and accepted by U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

On the museum stage in New Orleans, veteran Drake, a stenographer with the Womens Army Corps during the war, was the first to take her seat. She was joined by Jones and Harned, a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service in the war and a longtime U.S. Armed Forces doctor.

From left, Lewis Harned, Emily Drake, Sanford Jones and moderator Peter Crean on stage at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Aug. 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy of National WWII Museum)

Before host Peter Crean started the panel discussion, Drake softly made a comment to Jones that her microphone picked up and broadcast to the crowd.

Im nervous, she said. Jones immediately replied, Well, I am, too.

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Smatterings of laughter could be heard in the audience, then applause. It was a gesture praising three veterans who bravely offered so much during the war and now were a bit nervous before a friendly crowd. Their humility was on display.

Well, Emily, added Jones. We are here because not many of us are left.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of January 2025, fewer than 66,000 U.S. World War II veterans remain alive out of the 16.4 million Americans who served during the war. This number represents less than 1% of the total who served. By 2034, only about 1,000 are projected to still be with us.

Museum official Crean said at the commemoration ceremony that the life of each of the three people on stage was emblematic of the strength and bravery of the men and women who served in World War II.

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Here is the story of one of them, Kentuckian Sanford Logan Jones Sr.

From Lost Creek to San Giovanni and back to Lost Creek

Sanford L. Jones in uniform.

Jones was a U.S. Army Air Forces gunner on B-24 Liberators in the European theater. He received a recommendation of valor for his 35 combat missions in air battles of great intensity.

On Sept. 22, Jones will turn 100. He was born near Lost Creek in Eastern Kentuckys Perry County. It was a very isolated and rural place with no running water, no electricity, no phone, he said.

Lost Creek, 10 miles long and mainly in Breathitt County, is a tributary of Troublesome Creek which flows into the North Fork of the Kentucky River. Many homes in the watershed were destroyed in a flash flood in July 2022.

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Sanfords father, Dave Jones, was a coal miner. His mother, Grace Elizabeth Terry, was an elementary school teacher. The couple had two girls and four boys.

Sanford attended a one-room school in Lost Creek. One teacher served eight grades. I still can see that pot-bellied stove in that school, he said.

He graduated from elementary school in 1940 and then attended a school in Breathitt County through his junior year.

Jones remembered walking to church as a 16-year-old with a friend on Sunday Dec. 7, 1941.

U.S. Army 15th Air Forces insignia

We were walking back home from church later that afternoon and saw a crowd at a house, he said. We stopped by to see what was going on and we found people listening to a Philco radio, something about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The next day President Roosevelt talked about the day of infamy.

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The people had serious faces. I thought this will probably mean Im going to war.

In November 1943, before he finished high school, Jones got a draft notice from the Army in Hazard. That led him to training in a series of Army bases.

I especially remember the marching songs I learned, he said. Left, right, left, right. One, two, three, four. You had a good home and you left it.

In Biloxi, Mississippi, young Jones was assigned to a gunnery school. He was soon ready for combat. On Oct. 16, 1944, he landed at San Giovanni Airfield in Italy to join the U.S. Army 15th Air Forces, 304th Bombardment Wing, 455th Bombardment Group.

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A month later, he flew his first combat mission. It was to Munich, Germany. My responsibility on that mission was to release bundles of aluminum foil from the plane to deflect radar to keep anyone from spotting us. In other missions, I was a turret gunner.

The crew of the B-24 Liberator on which Sanford Jones served as a turret gunner. Jones is second from the left on the front row. (Photo courtesy of Sanford L. Jones Jr.)

A turret is a revolving armored structure in aircraft that houses one or more guns and can be rotated to aim the weapons in different directions. The operator is often in a cramped, dangerous position. Jones stood 5 feet, 8 inches and weighed 137 pounds.

Jones combat missions were over Germany, Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia. Memories of enemy flak aimed at his plane will not be forgotten.

Was he ever scared?

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Fear is one of the most powerful emotional responses, he said. I just did my job but the fear was there. I always felt I was going to come back home.

The first 100 runs of the 455th Bombardment Group were the most dangerous, Jones said. About 75% of them were never completed.

A commendation for Jones bravery in the skies over Europe.

On May 8, 1945, after 35 combat missions, Jones was sent to Naples, Italy. On May 25, he landed in Florida and was assigned to a parts division.

On Oct. 20, 1945, Jones got his discharge papers as a staff sergeant. He rode a bus from Florida to Lexington. He then caught a bus service that put him about five miles from his Lost Creek home.

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Jones arrived on foot and unannounced. I cant tell you the minute-by-minute reunion with my family but I know there were a lot of smiles.

Sanford Jones was back home. The world was trying to heal after a horrific war, and he found Lost Creek was still an isolated place.

Beyond Lost Creek

Sanford L. Jones, who turns 100 on Sept. 22, was a panelist during a discussion at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. (Photo courtesy of National WWII Museum)

It was a little bit awkward at first being home. It was different from the military world I left. I wanted to do something with myself and I knew that education was the way, said Jones.

He secured his high school diploma from Robinson High School in Perry County. He then successfully applied to the Eastern Kentucky State College (now Eastern Kentucky University) under the federal GI bill and earned a science degree.

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At the University of Kentucky, he not only got a masters degree in science but met the love of his life.

At UKs Student Center one day in the summer of 1954, I saw a group square dancing. I dont think they do much of that today at UK. I saw a certain girl. I liked what I saw. I introduced myself and she started looking at me. I asked her to dance. We did. I then thought I would never see her again. So I asked her out for a date the next night. She was working on her masters in elementary education. She accepted.

On Aug. 18, 1956, Sanford Jones and June Elizabeth Daugherty of Louisville were married at Crescent Hill Methodist Church in Louisville. She had been teaching the last six years at Brandeis Elementary School in Louisville.

Jones introduced himself to June Elizabeth Daugherty at a dance at the University of Kentucky in 1954. (Family photo)

After he finished his doctorate at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, the couple moved to Richmond in 1961 where he became a professor at Eastern Kentucky University. For 13 years, he served as chair of the schools Department of Biological Sciences. He retired June 30, 1992.

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They have three children: Sanford Logan Jones Jr., a psychiatrist in Cincinnati; Henry Mason Jones, a teleradiologist in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and Catherine Elizabeth Jones, an architect in Manhattan in New York City.

Sanfords wife died March 23, 2019. She was almost 91. Besides raising a family, she taught a Sunday school class at a local Methodist church and was active in the League of Women Voters.

She had a bad fall and fracture. We had about 63 years together. I appreciate all of them, said Jones.

During their marriage, they visited the island of Capri in Italy, known for its picturesque scenery. Thats where young Jones was stationed for rest and relaxation breaks from his combat missions in World War II a world ago.

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He says today his life has been one of wonderful connections.

In recent years, his namesake son has taken him to World War II museums and reunions. Earlier this year, he was invited to be a panelist at the grand National WWII museum in New Orleans with two other veterans to share stories that highlighted the bravery and humility of veterans in the global conflict that ended 80 years ago.

I couldnt turn that down, though I was a little nervous, he said.

Under vintage aircraft at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, an audience awaits the beginning of the commemoration program and panel discussion. (Photo courtesy of National WWII Museum)

Gen. Douglas McArthur on the USS Missouri, Sept. 2, 1945.

Watch the National WWII Museums commemoration ceremony.

The panel discussion begins at about 18 minutes.
The Titanic sank 113 years ago, but the wreckage was found only 40 years ago on September 1, 1985.

Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel found the wreckage 73 years after the ship sank.

Decades later, Ballard revealed that the dive was actually a secret Cold War Navy mission.

Almost immediately after the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, there were attempts to recover the wreckage and the bodies of those who had gone down with the ship. However, the limited diving technology of the time prevented this from becoming a reality for more than seven decades.

On September 1, 1985  just 40 years ago  the wreckage was found during a joint exploration by an American oceanographer, Robert Ballard, who was also a Navy officer, and a French oceanographer, Jean-Louis Michel, as The New York Times reported at the time.

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But the dive initially had nothing to do with the Titanic at all  it was a secret mission to find the wrecks of two nuclear submarines, the USS Scorpion and the USS Thresher.

However, this information was not made public until 2008, when Ballard revealed the true nature of the mission to National Geographic.

"The Navy is finally discussing it," Ballard told National Geographic in 2008. At the time, as now, the Titanic continued to be a source of fascination, sparking efforts to uncover its secrets, create detailed images of its wreckage, and visit what remains on the ocean floor.

Dr Robert Ballard during a book tour in 1987. Bettmann/Getty

Ballard originally met with the US Navy in 1982 to secure funding for a new type of submersible technology that would allow him to find the Titanic. The Navy agreed to fund the project, but only if it would be used to investigate the sunken submarines. The USS Thresher sank in April 1963, and the USS Scorpion followed five years later, in May 1968. They remain the only nuclear submarines the Navy has ever lost, reported the United States Naval Institute.

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The Navy agreed that Ballard could search for the Titanic if there was any time left in the mission after finding the subs  and after confirming whether the Soviet Union had played any part in sinking them.

"We saw no indication of some sort of external weapon that caused the ship to go down," Ronald Thunman, then the deputy chief of naval operations for submarine warfare, told National Geographic.

Captain Smith's bathroom lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. HUM Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

With 12 days left in the mission, Ballard found the Titanic using a hunch that the ship had split in two and left a trail of debris.

"That's what saved our butts," Ballard told National Geographic. "It turned out to be true."

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Ballard said the Navy was nervous that people would catch on to why they were actually scouring the ocean floor.

"The Navy never expected me to find the Titanic, and so when that happened, they got really nervous because of the publicity," Ballard said. "But people were so focused on the legend of the Titanic they never connected the dots."

So, 23 years later, Ballard disclosed the truth about his mission. He also wrote about his experience finding the ship in his book "The Discovery of the Titanic."

"It was one thing to have won  to have found the ship," he wrote. "It was another thing to be there. That was the spooky part."

Correction: July 18, 2023  An earlier version of this story misstated when the USS Scorpion disappeared. It was lost in May 1968, not May 1965.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Three major world powers - China, India and Russia - all with various frictions with the United States, projected an image of solidarity on Monday in front of the international media during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.

During his first visit to China in seven years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the hands of his counterparts - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping - and pulled them closer.

As the three leaders mingled, one interpreter translated Putin's words, which began with "We three friends ...", before a broadcast signal provided by the summit press centre drowned out the rest of the translation.

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Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Modi laughed several times during the conversation and clasped Putin's hands a second time.

Narendra Modi embraces Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO summit in China on Monday. Photo: Handout alt=Narendra Modi embraces Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO summit in China on Monday. Photo: Handout>

Earlier, Modi and Putin embraced on the red carpet and exchanged greetings before walking hand in hand towards a smiling Xi, who was waiting to greet them.

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India's relations with the US have deteriorated sharply following repeated claims by US President Donald Trump during the India-Pakistan conflict that he had brokered a ceasefire between the two nations.

Last week, Trump's trade adviser, Peter Navarro, described India as "a massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin", further upsetting Modi.

The moves have been seen as Trump's "humiliation" of Modi, with whom he had previously enjoyed close ties.

India, which has been slapped with 50 per cent tariffs on goods exported to the US, is trying to mend ties with neighbouring China after a simmering border dispute turned deadly in 2020. Relations started to thaw at a summit in Kazan, Russia, last October and a partial patrol agreement was put in place with both sides pledging to maintain a "peaceful" border.

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China, which has accused Washington of multi-front containment, including an ongoing trade war, is a close partner of Russia, which remains under heavy US sanctions for the war in Ukraine. The steep tariffs on India imposed by the Trump administration have prompted worries in Washington that they will push India closer to China.

After their group photograph, Modi approached Putin and Xi once more. The three continued their conversation before proceeding into the summit venue.

Photos of Modi warmly embracing Putin and chatting with both Putin and Xi were posted to the Indian leader's social media account during the summit.

"Always a delight to meet President Putin!" Modi wrote in one post.

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"Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit," he wrote in another post, which included photos of him in talks with the other two leaders.

In his summit speech, Putin specifically mentioned China and India, stating that Russia valued the efforts and proposals of the two countries and other strategic partners aimed at helping to settle the Ukraine crisis. Neither the Indian nor Chinese leaders have condemned Russia for its attacks on Ukraine.

Modi and Putin continued to speak one-on-one after the summit ended on Monday morning, with further updates also promptly shared on Modi's social media account. Modi also posted a photo of himself and Putin in the Russian leader's armoured limousine travelling to a venue for their bilateral meeting.

On Sunday evening, Xi and Putin shared similar moments before a gala dinner.

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Putin was the last to appear as Xi and China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, greeted leaders and posed for photos before the welcome banquet.

Xi greeted Putin with a double-handed handshake, unlike the more formal handshakes he shared with the other leaders, and talked to the Russian leader nearly two minutes longer than the other leaders.

Putin was accompanied by a "large and significant" delegation to China, Russian media reported, including three deputy prime ministers, more than 10 ministers and representatives from major companies.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sept. 1 (UPI) -- China's President Jinping Xi on Monday told Eurasian bloc nations to unite against a global order led by the United States during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit about 80 miles from Beijing.

The gathering of 26 world leaders in the port city of Tianjin included the three largest powers not aligned with the West: Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two-day summit ended Monday.

"Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders," Modi posted on X. "Also emphasised India's stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit."

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including... pic.twitter.com/DhTyqOysbf Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attend an official welcoming ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China. Photo by Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik/Kremlin pool/EPA

In another post, Modi said he "had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stabilibility."

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The three leaders held hands at the beginning of the meeting.

(R-L) SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pose for a family photo at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday. Photo by Vladimir Smirnov/EPA

"It is a testament of the depth and breadth of our 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' that even in the most difficult times India and Russia have stood shoulder to shoulder," Modi told Putin.

Putin said the SCO "unlike Euro-centric and Euro-Atlantic models, would genuinely consider the interests of a broad range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow one country to ensure its own security at the expense of others."

Modi's bonds with the United States have been strained after President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on most imported goods from the Asian nation.

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Trump responded on Truth Social.

"What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us," Trump wrote. "Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!"

Xi has attempted to form a relationship with India, which has been aligned the United States.

He didn't name Trump in urging the nations to find common ground.

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"We should advocate for equal and orderly multi-polarization of the world, inclusive economic globalization and promote the construction of a more just and equitable global governance system," Xi said in his opening address, adding "we must take advantage of the mega-scale market."

The foreign ministers included India's neighboring rival, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and those more aligned with Putin and Xi: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Also on hand was United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"If one creates a vacuum, someone else will come and fill it," Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of London, told Newsweek: "Xi has a good reason to say: 'Thank you President Trump, you're doing a great job in making China great again.'"

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Carla Freeman, director of the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told The Washington Post the group is "united in a sense of aggrievement with the U.S. rather than a sense of common purpose. These are big countries with their own agendas."

China has contributed $84 billion to the nations aligned with the bloc and another $1.4 billion in loans over the next three years, Xi said.

China and Russia founded the SCO in 2001, decades before Trump's trade and foreign policies had led to global tensions.

"There is significant instability in the region and internationally, whether it's the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the situation in the Middle East, Zhu Yongbiao, an international relations scholar at Lanzhou University in northwest China, told The Washington Post. "Virtually all nations now have more security concerns."

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The bloc has grown from six to 10 nations with India and Pakistan joining in 2017. Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among 14 dialogue partners. Mongolia and Afghanistan are observers, along with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's Taliban government, which has had the support of China, wasn't at the gathering, as U.N. sanctions ban its leaders from traveling internationally.

The group amounts to 40% of the 8.1 million world's population, including around 1.4 billion each in China and India. Russia has about 144 million residents.

The bloc counters the Group of Seven of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States. Russia used to be part of the alliance until March 2014 after its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Russia subsequently invaded Russia in 2022.

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With India and China neighboring countries, Xi said border differences should not define the overall relationship. He urged "peace and tranquility" rather than tensions, including clashes in 2020.

Before the summit, Modi visited Japan.

Modi said "the relationship should not be seen through a third country lens," likely a reference to Beijing's efforts to exploit tensions with Trump.

Modi told Putin that "1.4 billion Indians are waiting with excitement" to welcome him in New Delhi in December.

Putin is aligned with China but noted his summit with Trump in Alaska two weeks ago to work toward peace in Ukraine.

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But conversely, he repeated claims that West is at fault for the war.

Some leaders were expected to be on hand on Wednesday for China's commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend but Modi will not.

Xi called on countries to "promote a correct understanding of World War II history."
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin set out visions of a new world order on Monday as a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded.

The high-level meeting drew the leaders of the organization's 10 Asian and European members, including India's Narendra Modi and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko.

Founded 24 years ago to promote security cooperation and economic ties, the SCO positions itself as a counterbalance to Western alliances, including NATO.

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Addressing leaders at the meeting, Putin said Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models have outlived their purpose, arguing that the future belongs to a system "that takes into account the interests of a maximum number of countries and is truly balanced," according to Russian news agency TASS.

The comments were echoed by Xi, who warned against a Cold War mentality and confrontation between different blocs.

"We should seek common ground while putting differences aside," the host said, arguing that the SCO should take responsibility for ensuring peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.

He highlighted the organization's achievements, including counter-terrorism cooperation and industrial investment, saying that the SCO's members together generate an annual economic output of nearly $30 trillion.

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However, the group has often struggled to present a united front on recent global conflicts and regional tensions.

Beijing and New Delhi, for instance, have long disputed territories along their shared border, while India and Pakistan clashed in May following a terrorist attack.

Xi presents new 'Global Governance Initiative'

The summit in the northern Chinese port city brought together the leaders of Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The "biggest highlight" of the meeting, in the words of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was a proposal by Xi for a new "Global Governance Initiative."

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"The monopoly of global governance by a few countries must not be allowed to continue," Xi said, without offering a concrete vision of how the new initiative will operate.

In a joint declaration at the conclusion of the summit, the SCO members condemned trade coercion and condemned attacks on its members.

The message was clearly aimed at the United States, which has pursued an aggressive tariff policy under President Donald Trump's second administration and joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Modi urges end to Ukraine war

Russia's war in Ukraine did not feature in the joint statement, but the conflict did not go unmentioned in Tianjin.

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In his speech, Putin repeated his long-held position that Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO was one of the causes of the conflict he ordered in 2022.

Meanwhile, Modi also "emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement" in a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry.

New Delhi has largely sought to maintain neutrality in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which began with the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

While India has backed peace efforts and warned Moscow not to use nuclear weapons, it has become the second-leading customer for Russian oil after European countries moved to cut off their imports in response to the war.

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Seeking to put pressure on Russia to end the conflict, US President Donald Trump recently imposed 50% tariffs on imports from India over its trade with Moscow.

The move has yet to drive a wedge between the two nuclear powers, however, with Modi posting on X that he had an "excellent meeting" with Putin.

According to Russian media, the two leaders spoke for around 50 minutes in Putin's presidential limousine on their way to the official bilateral meeting.
Nothing gives Americans greater faith in the rectitude of the state's enforcement apparatus than having their own political tribe in charge. In recent years, Democrats have viewed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) positively when they believe their people are calling the shots, while Republicans have disapprovedonly for the ratings to flip when the party in power shifts. More than anything, the seesawing numbers illustrate the degree to which so many government bodies have become political weapons in the hands of those in office, to be feared and loathed by those on the receiving end.

When Power Changes Hands, Opinions of Enforcement Agencies Flip

"As the Trump administration works to reshape and refocus the federal bureaucracy, Republican views of several key departments and agenciesthe Department of Justice, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Serviceshave grown considerably more positive than they were a year ago," reports Pew Research. "Democratic views of these agencies have shifted in the opposite direction over this period, and in some cases even more starkly."

Specifically, 51 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents view the DOJ favorably, up 18 points from 2024. Among Democrats and Democrat-leaners, 28 percent now have a positive impression of the DOJ, down 27 points from last year. The FBI now gets thumbs-up from 54 percent of Republicans, up 17 points; 45 percent of Democrats view the Bureau favorably, down 21 points. A similar dramatic flip in partisan approval ratings has occurred for the Departments of Homeland Security, which has multiple enforcement roles, and Health and Human Services, which gained prominence during COVID.

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Departments and agencies that aren't so overtly prone to political weaponization don't see such dramatic gaps in support. Seventy-eight percent of Republicans and 79 percent of Democrats view the National Park Service favorably; 75 percent of Republicans and 81 percent of Democrats voice approval for the National Weather Service.

In 2023, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's Mood of the Nation Poll out of Penn State found that 30 percent of independents and 32 percent of Republicans "hardly ever" trust the FBI to do what is right, compared to 7 percent of Democrats. Seventy percent of Democrats trusted the FBI to do the right thing "most of the time" or "always" compared to 32 percent of Republicans and 39 percent of independents.

Of course, last year and since 2021, the Biden administration was in the White House and the executive branch was firmly in the hand of Democrats; now President Donald Trump and his Republicans are in power.

A History of Abuses on Behalf of the Powerful

Among Republicans, erosion in support for the FBI actually began during the first Trump administration, when the GOP was dominant but the Bureau went its own way in investigating the president. The FBI's efforts regarding Russiagate didn't exactly cover the Bureauor the press outlets that covered the storywith glory. As Jeff Gerth noted in a post-mortem for the Columbia Journalism Review, "the end of the long inquiry into whether Donald Trump was colluding with Russia came in July 2019, when Robert Mueller III, the special counsel, took seven, sometimes painful, hours to essentially say no."

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The Department of Justice Inspector General's report on the FBI investigationdescribed by The New York Times as "scathing"concluded that the FBI had enough cause to initiate the investigation. It also found that agents seriously abused surveillance powers and played fast and loose with their authority.

There's nothing new about the FBI abusively snooping on Americansthat's been part of its stock in trade since its founding. In 1976, the Senate's Church Committee warned that the FBI "has placed more emphasis on domestic dissent than on organized crime and, according to some, let its efforts against foreign spies suffer because of the amount of time spent checking up on American protest groups."

Under the Biden administration, Republicans complainedwith justificationabout the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago in search of classified documents and the repeated federal, state, and local investigations and prosecutions of then-former President Trump for crimes including election interference. Trump frequently acts as if rules don't apply to him, but the long list of court cases looked very much like an effort to get him with anything that might stick. During that time, the FBI was also one of several agencies that leaned on social media companies to censor information the White House didn't like.

Once back in office, Trump promised to end the "weaponization of the federal government," but his administration's conduct looks more like exercises in payback. Former Trump national security adviser turned critic John Bolton's home was raided by an FBI very much under new management in search of classified documents. New York Attorney General Letitia James won office an anti-Trump platform and secured a sizeable civil fraud penalty against the then-former president; that penalty has since been overturned, and James is herself now the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation over mortgage fraud and two subpoenas regarding her conduct in office. Sen. Adam Schiff (DCalif.) another Trump foe, is also under federal investigation for mortgage fraud.

Inevitable Rounds of Political Targeting

It's obvious at this point that whichever of the two major parties is in office will use the tools at handthe DOJ and the FBI chief among themas bludgeons against political opponents. Those whose team is in power approve of these agencies, and those out of power disapprove, because they have an established track record of targeting critics of whoever holds office, they're being used for that purpose right now, and they can be expected to be deployed in partisan fashion for the foreseeable future.

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It's not that the politicians targeted by DOJ, FBI, and other federal agencies are necessarily innocent of the conduct for which they're investigatedor of others serious transgressions and moral failings. Anybody who follows events should, by now, have a strong sense that most people who seek coercive power over others through government office are horrible human beings. They're controlling, vindictive, intolerant of disagreement, and generally prone to misuse whatever authority they have.

But regular people get targeted too whether they're parents who object to school board policies or demonstrators in the streets. And, compared to members of the professional political class, regular Americans have fewer resources with which to fight back.

So, the constant, ongoing, and seemingly inevitable partisan abuse of powerful federal agencies should concern us all, whether or not our team currently has the whip hand. At some point, the wheels will turn, and those who did the targeting will themselves be targets.

The post After Years of Abuses, Approval of the FBI and DOJ Depends on Who Is in Power appeared first on Reason.com.
ADEN, Yemen (AP)  Hundreds of Yemenis mourned Monday the death of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, killed last week along with several officials by an Israeli strike, as the group targeted an oil tanker in the Red Sea, renewing their attacks in the crucial global waterway.

The Israeli attack came three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the Iranian-backed rebels had launched at it since 2023.

The funeral

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In the capital city of Sanaa, mourners attended the funeral, held at Shaab Mosque and broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel.

Crowds inside the mosque chanted against Israel and the United States as they grieved the deaths of the officials, including the foreign affairs, media and culture, and industrial ministers.

Funeral attendees Ahmed Khaled and Fathy Mahmoud told The Associated Press the families of the slain officials arrived in ambulances for the funeral, where the bodies were placed in caskets inside the mosque.

Footage showed 11 coffins with individual photos of the killed officials on each and wrapped in Yemeni flags.

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Were participating in this funeral because Israel killed those officials and thats enough reason to attend their funeral, Ahmed Azam, another attendee, told the AP.

Al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official to be killed since an Israeli-U.S. campaign against the rebel group started earlier this year. Other ministers and officials were wounded, confirmed a Houthi statement on Thursday, following the Israeli attack.

We entered a huge and influential war and clashed with the U.S. This war was not only military-focused but also economic as Israel targeted everything, Acting Houthi Prime Minister Mohamed Muftah said in his address at the funeral on Monday.

He confirmed that despite Israeli attacks, Yemeni ports controlled by the group are still functioning and that there is no food or fuel crisis.

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A Houthi attack on an oil tanker

The Yemeni rebels said Monday they launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a prerecorded message aired on Al-Masirah. He alleged the vessel, the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, owned by Eastern Pacific, had ties to Israel.

The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as fitting the Houthis' target profile, as the vessel is publicly Israeli owned.

Eastern Pacific is a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and had been previously targeted in suspected Iranian attacks.

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In a statement, the company said the vessel has not sustained any damage and continues to operate under the command of its Master. All crew members onboard the Scarlet Ray are safe and accounted for.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year.

The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.

The Houthis fresh attacks come as a new, possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war remains in the balance. Meanwhile, the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehrans battered nuclear program is in question after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.

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Houthis raid UN offices and arrest staff

A U.N. official said the world body was unable to contact many of its staff in Houthi-held areas as of Monday morning.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said 11 U.N. staffers, who were detained on Sunday during a Houthi raid on their offices, include international and local workers, and a senior international official. The rebel group also seized documents and other materials from the U.N. offices, according to the official.

World Food Program executive director Cindy McCain said Monday afternoon on X that Houthis forcibly entered WFP offices, confiscated and destroyed property, and detained nine of its team members  part of the 11 already arrested. McCain wrote the rebel groups actions were unacceptable. ___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Magdy and Khaled from Cairo.
NEED TO KNOW

A collision involving two UTVs in Alabama on Saturday, Aug. 30, killed the lives of two young parents and injured seven children with them

The victims were identified as Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins, of Rome, Ga.

Ragland and Hawkins shared two children

Two parents have been identified as the adults killed in an all-terrain vehicle park crash in Alabama over the weekend that also left seven children injured.

Marcus Ragland, 34, and 31-year-old Ashley Hawkins, both of Rome, Ga., were killed on Saturday, Aug. 30, Cherokee County Coroner Paul McDonald said in a new statement.

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"The Cherokee County Coroners Office extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Mr. Ragland and Ms. Hawkins during this difficult time," McDonald's office said. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with all who are affected by this tragic loss."

Ragland and Hawkins reportedly had two children together and were also separately parents: Ragland was a father to 10 children and Hawkins was a mother of three, according to WAGA.

"I'm still waiting on him to come through the door," Felicia Towers, Raglands mother, told WXIA, "but I know he's not coming."

According to AL.com and a statement from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred on Saturday when two utility task vehicles (UTVs) carrying a total of 11 people collided on a trail at Indian Mountain ATV Park in Piedmont.

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Officials said nine people were in one of the UTVs while the other had two passengers.

The larger group's vehicle "overturned and struck a tree" after both UTVs collided, according to the sheriff's office.

The driver was ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene by Cherokee County Coroner Paul McDonald. The remaining eight occupants were also injured," the sheriff's office said.

The adult woman in the group, identified as Hawkins, later died from her injuries, according to authorities.

Seven children, ranging in ages from 1 to 12, were initially hospitalized.

The crash remains under investigation. Officials said neither a safety harness nor restraint were used in the utility task vehicle (UTV) with Ragland and Hawkins, per AL.com.

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This is a tragic accident and highlights the importance of operating RZRs and other recreational vehicles in a safe and responsible manner, Cherokee Sheriff Jeff Shaver said in a statement.

The driver and passenger in the other UTV weren't hurt.

This is just so hard to deal with it. Its just so hard, Towers, Ragland's mom, told WANF. Im going to miss him. I loved him. I dont know what else to say. He was a good boy. He was really fun to be around. He met no strangers. He was friends with everyone.

Audrey Dunn, who has a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old with Ragland, told WXIA that her older child "remembers everything that happened."

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"He told me when we got to the hospital, and I got to go in, he said, 'Mom, my dad died, but it's okay because he'll be back to get me tomorrow," Dunn said, adding, "So he doesn't understand that he will never see him again."



Facebook (L-R) Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins (L-R) Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins

Four of the children have since been discharged from the hospital, including Dunns two kids, WAGA reported.

"My 1-year-old is limping, and his face is scratched up pretty bad, [my other son] has a gash on the top of his head, but hes okay, so thank God the babies are okay, Dunn said, according to WAGA.

Towers told WXIA that her son went to the ATV park every weekend.

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"This time he [Ragland] wanted to take his children with him, you know, to share the fun," she said. "They were ready to go, so it just ended up being a tragedy. I just hate it."

Maya Boyett, a friend of Ragland and Hawkins, told WANF: "They are both two good people, good to their kids. And I really hate that theyre gone now.

Located in the Appalachian Mountain range, the Indian Mountain ATV Park is a private off-road park with 4,700 acres of land, according to its website.



The park offers off-highway vehicle riding, camping, fishing and hiking. (Representatives of Indian Mountain did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

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Scenes like this are always difficult, especially when they involve children, Coroner McDonald also said in a statement. "Please do everything you can to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Raglands children that, as of Monday. Sept. 1, has raised more than $2,400.

In an email to PEOPLE, Jennifer Fife, the organizer for the fundraiser, said that the injured children are doing better.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Marcus was a devoted dad, son and brother, Fife said, [he] loved his family and loved to have fun. He paid the ultimate price Saturday when he took his children to enjoy the Labor Day weekend.

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These kids lost their daddy, Fife added, they needed him, they loved him, he loved them such a sad sad time for them all. ... all caregivers for the children and the children are going to need as much help as possible.

Read the original article on People
MINNEAPOLIS  A family is finding strength in their community as their two children, who survived a mass shooting that killed two classmates and injured 21 others at Annunciation Catholic School, begin the long process of healing.

Carla and Pedro Maldonado live just blocks from their childrens school and were among the first to arrive after a shooter opened fire during the schools morning Mass on Wednesday. They searched for their own children  Pilar, 7, and Pablo, 11  while reaching out to other parents to let them know their kids were safe.

Probably the worst 20 minutes in my life, Pedro Maldonado told NBC News on Sunday. The desperation only a parent can experience in these cases, terrible. And at the same time, trying to help the other kids that are desperate.

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Carla Maldonado says shes taking life one hour at a time, focusing on ensuring her familys most basic needs are met. An experienced trauma therapist, she says shes also prioritizing their emotional recovery.

The past few days have been defined by togetherness, she added, saying the best healing her kids can experience is time with their friends.

They will share maybe with us, maybe not, Carla Maldonado said. But when we see them get together and we overhear some of their conversations, its like, yeah, this is who you need. These are the only people that are going to know what you went through on a level that nobody else will ever know.

The Maldonado family walk down the street in their neighborhood Sunday. (Bill Angelucci / NBC News)

Earlier Sunday, Pablo and his father attended Mass to hear the Rev. Dennis Zehren offer words of consolation. The community was starting from a humble beginning after a week of darkness, Zehren told his parishioners.

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We welcome the dawn of a new day here in Annunciation, Zehren said. We welcome the light of a new day, and its a light that will scatter every darkness. Its a light that will never fade.

Zehren reflected on what he called a kind of funny mystery, where light shines the brightest when darkness is at its most intense.

I have never seen such an outpouring of love, Zehren told the congregation. I have never been so proud of the faithful followers of Jesus, never been so grateful for our church, never been so filled with love that just comes from above and beyond.

Going back to church was a bit nerve-racking for Pablo, who says he was worried the shooting might happen again. But ultimately, he says, he was glad that he went.

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[Its] nice to, like, go to church again, Pablo said. Even though Im a little traumatized by going to church, its just good to be, like, praying about it ... be with God.

Pablo doesnt like to talk about last weeks shooting, but being around his friends has helped break the cycle of overwhelming emotions.

I really hope its gonna go easier, like, every day, Pablo said about returning to services.

The Maldonado family, from left, Pedro, Pilar, Pablo and Carla. (Selina Guevara / NBC News)

His sister, Pilar, chose not to attend the service, saying that whenever she does go to church she thinks shell probably hide under the pews. That is exactly what she did Wednesday morning when Robin Westman fired a rifle through the side windows at Annunciation Catholic Schools church.

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I was saying, Its too early for me to die. Im just 7 years old. Im just a kid. I need more life, and God, please protect me, Pilar said.

But Pilar also says shes doing much better, especially after seeing friends who survived.

It helps because I know theyre not hurt, and it feels way better to see them not hurt, Pilar said.

For Carla and Pedro Maldonado, the last few days have been a flood of emotions, with waves of grief, guilt, anger and sadness mixed with gratitude. They know healing for their family will take time.

As a parent, this is something that I wish nobody ever, ever goes through this, because its a feeling that nobody can imagine, Pedro Maldonado said. Especially when youre in a church, and the ones inside the church are kids praying for a better world.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Overnight, the labor contract for the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra Musicians expired.

The musicians never met with the Youngstown Symphony Society Board to negotiate a new contract.

The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra Musicians posted on Facebook about it on Monday.

At midnight last night, our contract expired. And without a single negotiation session ever being scheduled, we now find ourselves locked out of the work weve dedicated our lives to. That is unacceptable, the post said. Until the Youngstown Symphony Society honors its obligation to bargain in good faith, these artists will continue to stand  not just for themselves, but for the dignity of every worker who deserves respect at the negotiating table.

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A schedule has also not been announced for the symphony. First News is working to talk with both the musicians and the society board.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Yvette Cooper has announced plans to suspend all new applications under the refugee family reunion route as part of a series of measures to clear the asylum backlog and clamp down on the number of people crossing the Channel.

The changes mean that refugees will be covered by the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else while a new, tougher framework for family reunions is drawn up.

Refugees will now have to apply through the standard family scheme, which applies to British citizens. This requires them to demonstrate a minimum joint income of 29,000 per year before their foreign partner can join them in the UK.

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Giving a statement in the Commons on Monday, the first day back after a summer recess that was marred by growing public anger over migration, the home secretary said that a new independent body will be created to speed up asylum appeals, as well as announcing that the first returns of those who come to the UK on small boats will begin later this month under its deal with France.

Yvette Cooper announced a wide-ranging plan to cut the asylum backlog (House of Commons/UK Parliament)

More comprehensive reforms to family reunion will be outlined in an asylum statement later this year and implemented by spring, she said, arguing that people-smuggling gangs were using family reunion rules to promote illegal crossings to the UK.

But refugee charities condemned the changes, warning they would push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones.

In the year to June 2025, there were 20,817 refugee family reunion visas issued. Over the past decade, 92 per cent of these were issued to women and children, who are family of refugees.

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Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: We are forever hearing cries that refugees seeking protection should do so through official channels, but here we have the government restricting the last available safe route for women and children.

Shutting off the hope of family reunification will only force more women and children to take dangerous journeys to seek sanctuary, including risking their lives by crossing the Channel.

Meanwhile, Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council, said: Until now, family reunion has been one of the only safe and legal routes available that allows refugees fleeing war and persecution to be reunited with their partner and children.

Far from stopping people taking dangerous journeys to cross the Channel, these changes will only push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones.

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And the British Red Cross said suspending refugee family reunion applications would have a devastating impact, warning it could separate families and cut off one of the only safe and managed routes for children to seek protection.

The vast majority of people who use family reunion visas are children and women  often trapped in very dangerous situations, the organisation said.

Outlining her reasoning for making the changes, the home secretary argued that before the pandemic, newly granted refugees waited one or two years after their grant of protection to apply to bring their families over.

However, applications are now being made on average one month after refugee protection is granted, she said, adding that some refugees are making their applications while they are still in hotel accommodation  something that is putting pressure on the homelessness accommodation provided by local authorities.

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Discontent with how the government has managed the small boats crisis and housed migrants in hotels has led to a wave of protests over the summer, and criticism from Labours political opponents.

It comes after the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.

The home secretary said the government is reconfiguring sites, tightening the test for accommodation and working at pace to identify more appropriate accommodation, as well as working on clearing the backlog.

I understand and agree with local councils and communities who want the asylum hotels in their communities closed, because we need to close all asylum hotels, and we need to do so for good, but that must be done in a controlled and orderly manner, and not through a return to the previous governments chaos that led to the opening of hotels in the first place, Ms Cooper told the Commons.

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It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said he completely gets peoples concerns about migration, and insisted he wanted to speed up efforts to empty asylum hotels before the next election.

The government has committed to emptying all hotels currently housing migrants by the end of the parliament, which could be as late as 2029, but speaking to BBC 5 Live on Monday the prime minister suggested he wanted to bring that forward.

Ms Cooper also said the government would introduce changes to how article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)  the right to family life  has been used during court cases to justify illegal migrants remaining in the UK.

There have been growing calls from a number of high-profile figures, including former Labour home secretaries Lord Blunkett and Jack Straw, for the government to rethink its relationship with the ECHR or quit the convention altogether.

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But ministers have insisted the UK is committed to the ECHR, despite plans to change how it is implemented.

While Ms Cooper said the governments proposed reforms will change the way that article eight is interpreted, she added: We should be clear international law is important.

It is because other countries know that we abide by it that we have been able to make these new agreements with France to return people who arrive on small boats, to make new agreements with Germany to stop the warehousing of small boats by criminal gangs and to explore return hubs partnerships with other European countries.

But we also need the interpretation of international law to keep up with the realities and challenges of today's world.

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Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said tweaking rules would not be enough to tackle illegal migration.

This is not just a border security crisis, it is a public safety crisis as well, and people up and down the country are furious. That is why they are protesting, he told the Commons.

If this government were serious about fixing this problem, they would know that little tweaks here and there are not enough.
By Lucy Craymer and Christine Chen

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand on Monday said it will open its housing market to wealthy foreigners who invest in local businesses, reversing a previous ban in expectation it will boost economic growth.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday investors on the foreign investor migrant visa reintroduced in April would be able to buy or build one home if it costs at least NZ$5 million ($2.94 million).

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Previously those on the visa but not in New Zealand for six months of the year were banned from buying property.

This change navigates a path between those who do not want foreign ownership opened up, and the desire to attract high net worth investors by deepening their connection to our country to help grow the economy, Luxon said in a statement.

The government hopes relaxing the ban will make investing here more attractive. It is part of broader government efforts to increase foreign investment into the country to boost an economy that dipped into a recession in the second half of 2024 and has remained weak in the first half of this year.

In April, it loosened rules around eligibility for the so-called "golden" visa known as the Active Investor Plus residency visa. This included lowering the minimum required funds for the category that focuses on higher-risk investments to NZ$5 million from NZ$15 million and removing the English language requirement.

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The government said 301 applications for the visa have been received and if these are all approved and proceed it means a potential investment of at least NZ$1.8 billion in the countrys economy.

Foreign investment in New Zealands property market has been a concern for locals as it is seen as a significant driver of house prices and in 2018 the then Labour-led government passed a law to ban many non-resident foreigners from buying existing homes.

Luxon said less than 1% of New Zealand homes were worth over NZ$5 million and they believed this changed balanced the need to meet the needs of high-net worth investors with the desires of those who do not want foreign ownership.

Mischa Mannix-Opie, from Greener Pastures, which specializes in helping people get residency in New Zealand through investment, said while not everyone wanted to buy a house in New Zealand, their clients would be pleased to have the option.

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It really enhances the proposition, she said adding for many people its lifestyle that attracts them to investing in New Zealand and being able to buy a home would help them achieve that lifestyle.

($1 = 1.7033 New Zealand dollars)

(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Tom Hogue, Saad Sayeed and Christian Schmollinger)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 1 that the delivery of additional air defense systems would be accelerated to shield Ukraine from Russian missile and drone attacks.

The announcement followed intensified Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, including the Aug. 28 attack on Kyiv that killed 25 people.

"We are accelerating the supply of additional air defense systems to enhance protection against missiles," Zelensky wrote on X, without naming any specific agreement. "We count on the maximum efforts of Ukrainian diplomats in their contacts with partners."

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Zelensky instructed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov to coordinate with officials, regional authorities, and energy companies to procure more short- and medium-range systems and increase funding for drone manufacturers.

The president also said Ukraine is preparing a Technological Staff meeting with domestic producers of missiles, drones, and air defense systems.

"The priority is intercepting 'Shaheds,'" he wrote. "We also discussed the protection of networks and energy facilities in front-line and border communities, along with backup supply."

Shahed-type drones, mass-produced in Russia from Iranian designs, have become central to Moscow's long-range strikes. Overnight on Aug. 31, Russia struck Odesa Oblast's energy grid with the drones, leaving more than 29,000 consumers without power.

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Ukraine has made countering Shaheds a core defense priority for 2025 as Russia scales up drone production.

Read also: Zelensky to reportedly meet European leaders in Paris on Sept. 4

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President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to meet with European leaders in Paris on Sept. 4, AFP and Suspline reported, citing undisclosed sources.

The meeting was called by French President Emmanuel Macron as part of ongoing international efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the Financial Times.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker a swift peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, is not expected to attend the meeting at the moment, a source told AFP.

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The talks would focus on security guarantees for Kyiv and diplomacy as Russia once again avoids efforts to end the war, according to the news agency's source.

Despite Trump's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15 and with Zelensky and European leaders on Aug. 18, there seems to have been little progress toward ending the hostilities or an in-person meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Other European leaders who attended the Washington summit with Trump, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are set to meet again in Paris on Sept. 4, the Financial Times reports.

While Kyiv's European partners have vowed to provide Ukraine with security guarantees to deter renewed Russian aggression  including a deployment of a multi-national "reassurance force"  Moscow has repeatedly rejected the presence of NATO troops as part of any peace deal.

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The Kremlin has also dismissed ceasefire proposals and ramped up attacks against Ukrainian cities, with the Russian military recently announcing its intent to sustain its ground offensives and aerial campaign.

According to Axios, Trump is considering withdrawing from diplomatic efforts until one or both sides demonstrate what a White House source described as greater flexibility.

Despite months of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts, Trump has not taken concrete steps to pressure Moscow to stop fighting, while his administration paused military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine at various points.

Read also: 3,350 ERAM missiles are heading to Ukraine  heres how they can be used against Russia

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join European leaders who are gathering in Paris on Thursday 4 September to discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine.

Source: AFP, citing a diplomatic source, as reported by European Pravda

Details: A source told AFP that "such a meeting has been planned". The source added that security guarantees for Ukraine "and the promotion of diplomacy will be discussed, because the Russians" are "once again" dragging out the process.

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It is not yet known whether Zelenskyy will attend the meeting in person or join via video link.

Background: The Financial Times was the first to report that there will be a meeting in Paris.

According to the FTs sources, the meeting will take place at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Among the participants in the meeting are German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The attendees will continue high-level discussions on possible security guarantees for Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that EU countries are developing "pretty precise plans" for the potential deployment of troops in Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Monday 1 September to purchase additional short- and medium-range air defence systems and to increase funding for UAV manufacturers.

Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Quote: "I held a Staff meeting. Many details were covered concerning preparations for the heating season Since the summer, we have been preparing our energy sectors for the winter.

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I instructed the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umierov, to coordinate government officials, regional administrations and energy companies on the procurement of additional short- and medium-range air defence systems, as well as on increasing funding for drone manufacturers. The priority is intercepting Shaheds We also discussed the protection of networks and energy facilities in frontline and border communities, along with backup supply."

Details: The meeting also featured a "significant component" regarding the Air Force, Zelenskyy noted. Ukraine is accelerating the supply of additional air defence systems to enhance protection against missiles. Kyiv counts on "the maximum efforts of Ukrainian diplomats in their contact with partners".

The president added that he is preparing a "Technological Staff meeting" with the participation of Ukrainian missile producers, key drone manufacturers and air defence developers.

Quote: "We will increase the production of our strike capabilities. The effectiveness of Ukrainian deep strikes must grow significantly."

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On the morning of August 31, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi noted that China and the Maldives share common aspirations and stand together through thick and thin. Last year, the two presidents agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and to build a China-Maldives community with a shared future. Since then, Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries has made positive progress, and their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has continued to deepen, bringing tangible benefits to people in both countries.

President Xi stressed that China will continue to support the Maldives in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to its realities. China will strengthen its wide-ranging exchanges with the Maldives, including between political parties, legislatures, and government bodies, so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and bring the two peoples closer together. The two sides should continue to deepen results-oriented cooperation, effectively implement their Free Trade Agreement, and pursue cooperation in fisheries, marine scientific research, environmental protection, and disaster prevention and mitigation. The two sides should strengthen communication and coordination to safeguard their shared strategic interests and international fairness and justice, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Muizzu congratulated China on the upcoming successful completion of its 14th Five-Year Plan and its remarkable development achievements. China enjoys profound cultural heritage, advocates for a community with a shared future for humanity, and has brought stability to the turbulent world. The close relationship between the Maldives and China sets a good model for equal-footed cooperation between countries of different sizes. The Maldives appreciates Chinas longstanding support for its economic development and improvement of peoples living standards. The Maldives is firmly committed to the one-China principle. It will expand cooperation with China in trade, investment, housing, and tourism, strengthen coordination and collaboration within the SCO and other multilateral frameworks, and jointly build a Maldives-China community with a shared future.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, were present at the meeting.
A state-subsidised credit scheme for first-time home buyers could boost orders for new homes by 10,000 in 2025 and lift the number of home builds to 25,000 in 2026, the head of construction industry association EVOSZ said on public radio on Sunday.

Laszlo Koji told Kossuth Radio that new home builds could reach an annual 30,000-35,000 by 2027, the number required to replenish Hungary's aging housing stock.



He noted that just 12,000-13,000 homes would be handed over in 2025.



He said the Home Start Programme, offering 3pc fixed-rate loans, could generate orders with a value of HUF 800bn for the construction industry, boosting full-time headcount, too.



The Home Start scheme launches today, Monday 1 September.





Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



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Hungary should be pursuing a strategy that can allow it to function as a "keystone state", the prime ministers political director said at the Tranzit festival in Tihany, on Lake Balaton.

Whether a country becomes a keystone state depends on how it finds its role in the international world order, Balazs Orban said in a debate with foreign policy expert Istvan Szent-Ivanyi.



He said a country could become a regional keystone if it was capable of making use of world developments to become stronger economically, socially, politically and on the world stage. "If it cant, then it blends in and is condemned to becoming a follower and running on autopilot," Orban said.



He said the keystone state role did not depend on a countrys size or the size of its population, citing Switzerland and Singapore as examples.



Szent-Ivanyi said a country could only become a keystone and successful if it set an attractive example. He said the EU's organisational culture was one of constructive and good-faith cooperation, adding, however, that he was "not seeing this from the part of the Hungarian government".



Orban said Hungary was living through a "good period even compared with certain eras of the 20th century", noting the countrys strategic cooperation with the United States, China, Russia, Turkiye and the emerging Arab countries. As an EU member, Hungary also cooperates with 26 other member states in 30 policy areas on a daily basis, he added.



"We wanted to create a system -- and were very close to establishing it -- in which every great power has in interest in Hungarys stability and success," Orban said. Hungary, he noted, was also involved in international organisations and partnerships.



"We are Europe, and its our responsibility to shape Europe, and if Europe isnt headed in the direction thats in our interest, we have to fight for a change in direction," the political director said.



Concerning migration, he said the EU was facing issues on which compromise was "logically impossible". "Either you let them in, or you dont. We cant meet halfway, with Hungary taking in one in two people."



"There are civilisational issues on which we disagree; we tolerate different opinions, and establish cooperation that ensures that all opinions can coexist," he said. "But they want to crush our and our allies approach to these issues."



Szent-Ivanyi said Hungary was the only EU member state that had not developed a migration policy that could be brought in line with EU migration policy.



Concerning the war in Ukraine, he questioned why Hungary was so strongly opposed to the EUs policy on Ukraine.



Orban said the Hungarian prime minister had condemned Russias aggression back in 2022. He said NATO and Russia should sign a complex agreement that would lay the foundations for the security architecture of the coming decades.



He said this discussion was ongoing, but because "EU leaders arent at the table, and no one takes them seriously", any agreement that was reached would be unlikely to put Europes interests first.



Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



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Roma can only become middle-class if backed by an intellectual class, Attila Sztojka, the state secretary for relations with the Roma minority, said at a ceremonial event on Saturday. "While other countries are still looking for excuses, Hungary has set an example for Europe, since here we are raising a new group of Roma intellectuals" true to its roots, he said.

Speaking at the annual opening ceremony of the academic year of the Christian Roma College Network in Kaposvar, Sztojka said the results of the network, which receives approximately 700 million forints in government funding annually, spoke for themselves: 11 vocational colleges operate in 9 cities, 746 students have received university degrees, 20 have doctoral qualifications, and more than 90 percent of graduates are employed in the labour market.



He noted that the network was established in 2011 to provide professional support for higher education studies, while also helping to deepen Roma culture and foster a worldview based on Christian morality.



The launch of the network marked the beginning of an era of hope and faith, he said. Hopes back then of achieving a new middle-class had now become a reality, he added.



Zoltan Kovacs, the director of the Szentandrassy Istvan University Roma College of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), called the Roma college movement diverse, including church- and university-run institutions.



Peter Voros, the director general of MATEs campus in Kaposvar, said the Szentandrassy Roma college was one of the most active colleges at the university.



Timea Karpati, deputy mayor of Kaposvar of the ruling Fidesz party, said the city is "building the future on honest work and knowledge, for Roma and non-Roma together".



Renata Fixl, the office leader of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, said results brought people together and built bridges.





Source: MTI  Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.



Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.



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Bangladesh won the first T20I by eight wickets, with Litton Das scoring an unbeaten fifty and Taskin Ahmed taking a four-wicket haul. 2nd T20I live streaming available on FanCode, allowing fans to watch Bangladesh vs Netherlands on mobile and laptop. Netherlands aim to break their 13-year losing streak against Bangladesh as both teams clash in Sylhet on September 1.
Cases like this are not isolated to Bank of Baroda; other banks may also do this if a large payment is made close to an EMI date or if the borrower does not specify the purpose. Ideally, the bank should inform the customer or provide a choice before processing in this manner.
Maratha Aarakshan Protest News: Should 33 percent Marathas in Maharashtra get the benefit of reservation?..Now you can be in favor of it as well as against it. But we will conduct a completely impartial DNA test on the demand for Maratha reservation. Violent demonstrations took place in many districts of Maharashtra on Monday which continued even today. Buses and other vehicles were set on fire in many cities. The protesters, adamant on the demand of Maratha reservation, are setting fire to the residences and offices of MLAs and former ministers and causing vandalism. Beed district has become the stronghold of this violent protest for Maratha reservation. On Monday, the residence of NCP MLA Prakash Solanke was set on fire by the protesters.
Haryana Agriculture Minister O.P. Dhankar on Tuesday morning returned back with the soil from the grave of World War-I hero, Risaldar Badlu Singh from Egypt, as an attempt by the Haryana Government to honor the courage he showed on the battle-field.
What I learned about health care by watching who gets left behind

Before I started medical school, I used to pass the same government hospital every day on my way to school. It was one of those places that offered free treatment, but even as a teenager, I could sense that the care was often just for the name. I remember going to school the next day at around 6:30 a.m., I saw a man sitting outside the hospital, the same man I had seen the previous morning at 6:30 a.m., still waiting.

He hadnt been called in all day. Patients were made to wait outside, sometimes for days, sometimes for nothing at all. The loudspeaker crackled every morning, shouting names into a crowd that never seemed to move. It was the kind of routine neglect that didnt make headlines but I saw it every single day.

These moments stayed with me, not just the man outside the hospital for two days but also what I witnessed during a visit to an NGO working in menstrual and reproductive health.

During a simple awareness session, it became clear that many women had never been educated about menstruation, basic genital hygiene, or the importance of safe sex. Some reused cloth without proper washing, increasing their risk for urinary tract infections and pelvic inflammatory disease. Others believed harmful myths about contraception or had never heard of STIs. In some cases, untreated infections could silently cause infertility or complications during pregnancy.

These werent just gaps in knowledge, they were risk factors for long-term morbidity. I saw how, in the absence of education and access, preventable conditions became inevitable.

During my shadowing days at a hospital in a rural area, I saw an elderly man sitting alone on a bench, clutching a worn-out file. A nurse had told him to go get his appointment slip by himself but he looked completely lost.

There were no signs he could understand, no one to guide him, and no caregiver with him. He looked weak, possibly hungry, and far too frail to be navigating that system alone. In many rural hospitals, where staff are overworked and systems underfunded, patients like him are expected to manage on their own even if theyre dealing with something as complex as a stroke, dementia, or Parkinsons.

What struck me most wasnt just the medical gap, but the silence. No one stopped. No one asked. And in that silence, I saw what it really means to fall through the cracks.

Globally, AI is already playing a growing role in reducing the kind of gaps I witnessed. In India, tools like Qure.ai help detect tuberculosis and brain hemorrhages on scans in hospitals without radiologists. In Rwanda, Babyl offers AI-assisted primary care through mobile phones, serving millions who might not otherwise see a doctor. Aidoc scans CT images in emergency departments to flag strokes or internal bleeds.

AI-powered ultrasound systems help midwives detect complications in pregnancy. These tools are impressive but they still rely on infrastructure, electricity, and digital access.

The irony is that the people who need innovation the most are often the last to benefit from it.

Globally, more than 4.5 billion people still dont have full access to essential health services, and nearly 2 billion of them live in rural areas.

In some places, around 80 percent of specialist doctor posts in rural community health centers are vacant and almost half of the worlds health care facilities dont even have basic hygiene, no soap, no clean water. These arent just numbers.

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Theyre quiet emergencies that happen every day. Seeing them up close made me realize something: medicine isnt just about writing prescriptions. Its about listening, noticing, and showing up, especially for the ones no one else does.

Real-world solutions to health care gaps

Task-shifting to community health workers. In countries like Malawi and Bangladesh, trained non-physician health workers provide frontline care, helping reduce maternal deaths and manage chronic diseases where doctors are scarce.

Telemedicine platforms bridging rural-urban gaps. Programs like Indias eSanjeevani and Brazils Telessaude let rural patients consult city-based specialists remotely, often through government-run primary health centers.

Health education via WhatsApp or SMS. Mobile messaging can be used to raise awareness about vaccines, HIV prevention, and diabetes management, reaching people with limited internet access.

Solar-powered mobile clinics. Mobile vans equipped with basic diagnostics which run on solar power bring health care directly to villages with no electricity or permanent facilities.

Doorstep care through trusted local workers. Home visits by trained, community-based health workers, such as Ethiopias health extension workers, improve follow-up, adherence, and trust, especially among vulnerable groups.

These early experiences have already shaped the kind of doctor I want to become. Not just someone who treats disease but someone who sees the person behind the diagnosis. Someone who speaks up when systems fall silent. If we want to build a more humane health care system, it has to begin with paying attention, especially to the ones who are easy to overlook.

Maanyata Mantri is a medical student.
On the afternoon of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025.

President Xi pointed out that the successful meeting we had in Kazan last year enabled the China-India relations to have a reset and start anew, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation have since made new progress. China and India are two major ancient civilizations of the East, the two most populous countries in the world, and important members of the Global South. The two countries shoulder the crucial responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and advancing the progress of human society. It should be the right choice for China and India to be good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed, and have the dragon and the elephant dance together.

President Xi stressed that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic ties. The two sides should view and handle the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, pursue a further improvement of ties from the Tianjin meeting onward, and work for its sustained, sound and steady development. First, the two sides should strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust. As long as both countries keep to the overarching direction of being each others cooperation partner instead of rival, and seeing each other as development opportunity instead of threat, the specific matters in the relationship will fall into place and there will be steady and sustained progress in bilateral ties. Second, the two sides should expand exchanges and cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win. As China and India are both at a crucial stage of development and rejuvenation, both should focus on development, which is the biggest common denominator of our two countries, and promote mutual support, mutual complementarity, and mutual success. Third, the two sides should accommodate each others concerns and get along in peace and harmony. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence initiated by the older generation of Chinese and Indian leaders over 70 years ago need to be cherished and upheld. The two sides should combine our strength to maintain peace and tranquility in the border regions, and not allow the boundary question to define the overall China-India relations. Fourth, the two sides should strengthen multilateral coordination to safeguard our shared interests. We should step up to shoulder our responsibility for history, uphold multilateralism, strengthen communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, defend international fairness and justice, work together for a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations, and make due contributions to peace and prosperity in Asia and the wider world.

Prime Minister Modi said that his meeting with President Xi in Kazan pointed the direction for the development of India-China relations. The relationship is back on a positive trajectory, peace and stability in the border regions have been maintained, and direct flights are about to be resumed. Such progress benefits not only the people of India and China but also the whole world. India and China are partners, not rivals. Our consensus far outweighs our disagreement. India is ready to view and develop the bilateral ties from a long-term perspective. Given the great uncertainties in the world economy, it is vital for India and China to strengthen cooperation as important economies of the world. India is prepared to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question with China. Both India and China pursue strategic autonomy and an independent foreign policy, and the bilateral relationship is not subject to the influence of any third party. India-China cooperation will make the 21st century a genuine Asian century, and the two sides joining hands will increase the strength of multilateralism in international affairs. Prime Minister Modi congratulated China on a successful SCO presidency and wished the SCO Tianjin Summit a full success.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Miner, among others, were present at the meeting.
23:58 Man accused of raping 4-year-old girl arrested after encounter in UP File image A 24-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl was arrested on Monday after an encounter in which he sustained a leg injury, officials said. Circle officer (Chail) Abhishek Singh said the girl's father lodged a complaint on Sunday evening alleging that Mahesh Kumar... Read more >

23:55 All schools in Chandigarh to remain closed tomorrow due to heavy rains File image With heavy rains lashing Chandigarh for the past few days, all schools in the city will remain closed on Tuesday. The decision was taken following a meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of Mandip Singh Brar, chief secretary (in-charge), UT Chandigarh, to review the city's response... Read more >

23:49 Modi likely to visit Mizoram, Manipur on Sept 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Mizoram and Manipur on September 13, officials in Aizawl said. PM Modi will first visit Mizoram to inaugurate the new Bairabi-Sairang railway. Multiple officials of the Mizoram government said they have received information that from... Read more >

23:21 Priest gets 7-year jail term for sexually assaulting teen at Odisha temple A priest was sentenced to seven years in jail by a special court in Bhubaneswar on Monday for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a temple.Pradyumna Kumar Mallia (35), a priest of the Kapileshwar temple, was convicted by the special POCSO court in connection with the incident that happened... Read more >

22:45 Kerala police launch probe into Rs 25 cr online scam File image The Kerala police have launched an investigation after a man alleged that he was cheated of nearly Rs 24.8 crore through an online trading scam. The complaint, filed by Nimesh E at the Cyber Crime police station in Kochi, names a person called Daniel as the accused. According to the... Read more >

22:35 Flipkart acquires majority stake in Pinkvilla E-commerce major Flipkart has acquired a majority stake in digital infotainment platform Pinkvilla India for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is part of Flipkart's broader strategy to expand its content footprint and enhance engagement with Gen Z and millennial audiences, leveraging... Read more >

22:03 Modi speaks to Punjab CM Mann to discuss flood situation in state Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann immediately after returning to Delhi from China to enquire about the flood situation in the state and assured him of every support needed.Immediately after landing in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi called up Chief Minister... Read more >

21:38 Travancore Devaswom Board to present Sabarimala rituals, customs to SC Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth on Monday said the temple body will try to convince the Supreme Court about the rituals and customs of the Sabarimala shrine. Everybody knows about the rituals and customs of Sabarimala. We will try to convince the Supreme Court about this. We... Read more >

21:17 US-India ties reaching new heights: Embassy The India-US partnership continues to reach new heights, the US embassy said in a surprise social media post on Monday, amid the ties between the two countries reeling under possibly the worst phase in two decades over the Trump administration's policies on trade and tariff. The post comes... Read more >

20:58 Indian films 'Saali Mohabbat', 'Bun Tikki', 'Ghamasaan' at Chicago film festival The 16th edition of Chicago South Asian Film Festival will witness the screening of several films. A couple of Indian movies are also going to be showcased there.On Monday, Jio Studios announced that its three distinct films - Ghamasaan, Saali Mohabbat and Bun Tikki will be screened at the... Read more >

20:44 Modi returns after Japan China trips, calls SCO summit 'productive' Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Monday evening, concluding his four-day visit to Japan and China, which spanned from August 29 to September 1.In China, Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 to September 1 and held bilateral meetings... Read more >

20:38 Kumar Vishwas' wife Manju Sharma resigns as member of RPSC Former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas Rajasthan Public Service Commission member Manju Sharma on Monday resigned from her post following the high court's censure of its chairperson and members in connection with the SI Recruitment-2021 paper leak case. Sharma is the wife of poet and former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas and was... Read more >

20:19 Marathas must not be included in OBC quota: Bhujbal Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal Maharashtra Minister and senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday said Marathas should not be accommodated in the quota for the Other Backward Classes, citing that only 17 percent reservation is available for 374 communities in the state. Talking to reporters after a meeting of OBC... Read more >

20:14 Two gunmen held for opening fire at man in J-K's Samba Two gunmen have been arrested for allegedly opening fire at a man, who narrowly escaped unhurt, in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, the police said on Monday. The accused have been identified as Rohit Dogra and his associate, Satish Kumar, they said. A written complaint was lodged at... Read more >

19:44 Rupee falls 10 paise to close at all-time low of 88.19 against US dollar The rupee depreciated 10 paise to close at an all-time low of 88.19 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday amid Indo-US trade deal uncertainties and higher dollar demand from importers. Forex traders said the rupee opened on a weaker note this morning and revisited its all-time... Read more >

19:35 India offered tariff cuts, but it's getting late, Trump warns US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that India has now offered to cut its tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late', as he said that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and very little from the US. What few people understand is that we do very little... Read more >

19:15 IMD forecasts heavy rain in Odisha from Sep 1-5 File image As another low-pressure system brews in the Bay of Bengal, Odisha is likely to receive heavy rain till September 5, the IMD said on Monday.In a special bulletin, the weather office said, A fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over north-west Bay of Bengal, triggering heavy rain and... Read more >

19:04 Maratha quota protesters target bus, attack passengers Protesters gathered for the Maratha quota agitation in Mumbai allegedly manhandled passengers and vandalised a bus in the western suburbs, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) said on Monday. A BEST spokesperson said a scuffle broke out between protesters and some passengers... Read more >

18:58 Punjab floods: Sonu Sood, Diljit Dosanjh and Gippy Grewal join relief ops NDRF teams conduct rescue operations./ANI Photo Popular Punjabi stars Diljit Dosanjh, Sonu Sood, Ammy Virk and others have come forward to help people in Punjab, which is hit by one of the worst flood disasters in decades. Other prominent names that have joined in relief measures include actor Gippy Grewal, singers Karan Aujla, Ranjit... Read more >

18:03 GST revenue rises 6.5% to Rs 1.86 lakh cr in Aug on higher domestic sales GST collection in August rose 6.5 per cent to over Rs 1.86 lakh crore with increased domestic sales, and the upcoming festive season is likely to swell the kitty going forward. The August Goods and Services Tax (GST) mop-up is, however, lower than Rs 1.96 lakh crore collected in... Read more >

17:52 NMACC India Weekend in New York cancelled Pic courtesy: Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre on Monday announced that the NMACC India Weekend in New York, slated to open next week, has been cancelled. A release by Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) stated: It is with deep regret that we share that the NMACC India Weekend in New York,... Read more >

17:48 Govt will implement HC order on Maratha stir: Fadnavis The administration will implement the Bombay high court directives on Manoj Jarange-led Maratha quota protest, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday. This assurance comes shortly after the HC noted that Jarange and his supporters have prima facie violated the conditions. A... Read more >

17:36 1 killed, 14 hurt in clashes during Ganesh idol immersion in Odisha File image At least one person was killed and 14 others were injured in separate incidents of clashes during processions for Ganesh idol immersion in Odisha, the police said on Monday. Three other youths were also injured when they came in contact with a live wire while climbing a DJ vehicle during a... Read more >

17:20 Sensex jumps 555 pts on strong GDP data Benchmark BSE Sensex on Monday rebounded by nearly 555 points on value buying in IT, auto and consumer durables shares after three straight days of losses and strong macro data. The 30-share Sensex jumped 554.84 points or 0.70 per cent to settle at 80,364.49 with 23 of its constituents... Read more >

17:17 Jarange stir: Fadnavis meets Shinde, Ajit Pawar Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday discussed with his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar the situation arising out of the Maratha quota stir headed by activist Manoj Jarange. Jarange has been on a hunger strike since August 29 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai seeking... Read more >

17:13 Bangladesh Army Chief meets Yunus amid unrest Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff General Wakar-Uz-Zaman called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday amid unrest ahead of general elections scheduled for February next year. During the meeting, the Chief Adviser discussed the army's role in assisting the civil administration under... Read more >

16:56 Idli in Vienna? Congress MP Shashi Tharoor shares this image on X and writes: While in Vienna, I enjoyed the luxury of a Idli breakfast each morning at #Prosi restaurant, one of the best Indian bistros in the Austrian capital. With an attached Indian supermarket across the street, Prosi has become a haven for... Read more >

16:43 Himachal rain havoc: 819 roads, 424 supply water supply disrupted The monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh continues to batter infrastructure, with 819 roads, including three national highways, 1,236 electricity transformers and 424 water supply schemes disrupted across the state, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). The cumulative... Read more >

16:37 55-yo-woman gives birth to 17th child in Udaipur Representational image At an age when most women are busy doting over their grandchildren, a 55-year-old woman from Rajasthan's Udaipur district found herself cradling her 17th newborn. The delivery at the Community Health Centre in Jhadol block has set the otherwise quiet Lilavas village abuzz. Relatives,... Read more >

16:23 Want to try Malai Paneer with dead rat garnish? Representational image Two people who had gone to a dhaba (roadside eatery) for a meal here found a dead rat in their dish, an official said on Monday. A video of the incident surfaced online showing a man removing a bay leaf lying in the paneer dish with a spoon and discovering the rodent inside. A resident of... Read more >

16:17 Ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid: PM on Afghanistan quake Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, which killed and injured hundreds of people. He affirmed that India stands ready to provide all possible aid and relief to the affected people. More... Read more >

15:49 UPI transactions cross 20 bn mark in in Aug The number of transactions through the popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has crossed 20 billion in August, according to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). In terms of value, it was Rs 24.85 lakh crore as against Rs 25.08 lakh crore recorded in July.... Read more >

15:41 Gross GST mop-up rises 6.5 pc to Rs 1.86 lakh cr in August Gross GST collection increased 6.5 per cent to over Rs 1.86 lakh crore in August on higher domestic revenues, as per government data released on Monday. Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) mop-up was Rs 1.75 lakh crore in August 2024. Last month, the collection was Rs 1.96 lakh crore. The... Read more >

15:35 Spicejet flight turns back mid-air, makes emergency landing A Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight from Pune made a mid-air turnback to the originating airport due to a technical glitch on Monday and landed under full emergency conditions, a source said. The aircraft landed safely and passengers were deplaned normally, SpiceJet said in a statement. SpiceJet... Read more >

15:08 Even in China, US, people saying 'vote chor', claims Rahul PM Modi with Chinese president Xi Jinping Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a swipe at PM Modi's China visit, mentioning that the slogan Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodh is not limited to India and has also reached Beijing.Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod, Bihar mein naya naara chala hai (There is a new slogan in Bihar), 'Vote chor, gaddi... Read more >

14:52 Rahul warns of 'hydrogen bomb' at 'vote adhikar' yatra Protestors at the Vote Adhikar Yatra in Patna. Pic: MI Khan Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party will soon come out with a hydrogen bomb of revelations about vote chori and after that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to show his face to the country. Speaking at the concluding event of his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Patna,... Read more >

14:32 India's manufacturing PMI rises to 17.5-year high India's manufacturing sector gained further momentum in August, with the country's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) climbing to 59.3 from 59.1 in July, according to the HSBC India Manufacturing PMI data released on Monday. The reading highlighted the fastest improvement in... Read more >

14:29 'It was a productive visit': PM heads back to India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for India after a fruitful visit to China for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Monday. During his visit, he also held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.In a post on... Read more >

13:34 SC rejects PIL against 20% ethanol-blended petrol The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a PIL which has challenged the nationwide rollout of 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (EBP-20), alleging millions of motorists were forced to use the fuel not designed for their vehicles. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod... Read more >

13:28 What US said on SCO meeting day On a day when India is at the SCO with China and Russia, the US embassy shares this tweet almost as an affirmation to themselves, The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights -- a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we're spotlighting the... Read more >

13:19 Had excellent meeting with Putin, says Modi@SCO Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciated India and China's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, countering the White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro's narrative of New Delhi funding the war.Addressing the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, Putin slammed Ukraine's western allies,... Read more >

12:50 Jarange protesters crowd CSMT, disrupt traffic in S Mumbai Pic: Sahil Salvi Hundreds of Maratha community members seeking quota gathered at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and other areas in south Mumbai on Monday, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters. A large number of protesters was seen dancing and raising slogans in support... Read more >

12:17 India, Russia have always stood shoulder to shoulder: PM During his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, I always feel that meeting you has been a memorable experience. We get an opportunity to exchange information on many things. We have been in constant touch. There have been... Read more >

12:13 Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida killed in Gaza, Israel says Abu Obeida was killed in an aerial attack. Pic posted on X by @Israel_katz. Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, has been killed in an aerial attack in Gaza City, Israel has said.Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel's security agency, Shin Bet, for the flawless execution in a post on X.Hamas has not... Read more >

12:09 Modi, Putin hold bilateral talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of a sudden downturn in India-US relations over New Delhi's procurement of Russian crude oil. Both Modi and Putin are in Tianjin to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation... Read more >

11:51 Himachal Pradesh flood havoc: Toll climbs to 320 Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, the death toll has climbed to 320, 166 caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, and electrocution, and 154 in road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). Continuous heavy... Read more >

11:49 Abandoned metal box creates flutter in Chennai airport A metal box that was lying unattended at the arrival terminal in the Chennai international airport created a flutter on Monday. The Central Industrial Security Force personnel, along with bomb detection squad and sniffer dogs, rushed to the spot and inspected the small metal box lying unattended... Read more >

11:37 Day 5 of Ganpati festival: Over 40,000 idols immersed in Mumbai More than 40,000 idols of Lord Ganesh were immersed in the sea and other water bodies till early Monday morning in Mumbai following the fifth day celebration of the Ganpati festival, civic officials said. No untoward incidents have been reported in the city so far during the immersion... Read more >

11:35 UP grocer gets Rs 141 cr tax notice! A small grocery store owner in Bulandshahr has alleged that his PAN card was misused to set up six companies in Delhi after he received a notice from the Income Tax Department over sales worth more than Rs 141 crore. Sudhir, a resident of Khurja's Nayaganj locality, said he runs a modest... Read more >

11:28 Nitish Katara murder: SC extends interim bail of convict Vikas Yadav The Supreme Court on Monday extended by a week the interim bail of convict Vikas Yadav, undergoing a 25-year jail term in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh was hearing a plea filed by Yadav against an August 22 order of the Delhi High... Read more >

11:15 What did Modi tell Putin in the car ride after SCO? Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travel in the same car to the destination of their bilateral meeting in Tianjin, China. After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations... Read more >

11:02 NFOs Lift MF Investor Count In July The pace of new investor additions by mutual funds hit a six-month high of 700,000 in July, driven by a wave of new fund offerings (NFOs). The total unique MF investor count reached 55.9 million at the end of July 2025, tracked through permanent account number registrations. Investor... Read more >

11:01 Despite Global VC Slowdown, Elev8 Venture Partners Closes Rs 1,400 Cr Fund Elev8 Venture Partners closed its inaugural fund at Rs 1,400 crore ($160 million), with investors from Korea to Hong Kong backing the India-focused fund, defying a multi-year global venture capital downturn. The fund, supported by Venture Catalysts, attracted sovereign wealth funds, family... Read more >

10:41 SCO Declaration condemns Pahalgam attack Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded.... Read more >

10:17 Some nations openly supporting terrorism: PM@SCO We will have to unitedly combat terrorism in all its forms; this is our responsibility to humanity, PM Modi at SCO summit. We will have to clearly say that no double standards in tackling terrorism will be acceptable. A natural question is that is it acceptable for us that some nations are openly... Read more >

10:13 Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty loses trust: PM@SCO Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty loses trust and meaning, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Members Session in Tianjin, China.PM Modi says, India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and... Read more >

10:06 India has been bearing brunt of terrorism: Modi@ SCO Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers India's statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) Members Session in Tianjin, China. He says, I am happy to participate in the SCO Summit. I want to thank President Xi Jinping for giving us a grand welcome. Today is the Independence Day of... Read more >

09:47 Capitulating before so-called dragon: Cong on PM-Xi talks The Congress on Monday attacked the Centre after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and accused it of cowardly kowtowing and capitulation to the so-called dragon. The party also termed as anti-national Prime Minister Modi's silence on Pakistan-China... Read more >

09:40 Infiltration bid foiled along LoC in J-K's Poonch The Indian Army troops on Monday scuttled an infiltration bid by terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar Sector of Poonch district, officials said. Troops guarding the border noticed a group of terrorists trying to sneak into the country from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, they... Read more >

09:38 Delhi: Yamuna crosses danger mark, flows above 205.33 metres The water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi crossed the danger mark on Sunday morning. The warning mark for the city is 204.50 metres, while the danger mark is 205.33 metres.Evacuation of people starts at 206 metres. The water level of the Yamuna is above 205.33 metres and is rising due to... Read more >

09:25 What Modi said about meeting Putin, Xi at SCO Before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit plenary session began on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures of his interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.'Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with... Read more >

09:11 IMD issues red alert for most of Uttarakhand Predicting extremely heavy rains to very heavy rain for the next two days, the meteorological centre has issued red and orange alerts for most of Uttarakhand.Following the warning, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday directed the officials to remain alert round the clock.Red alert has... Read more >

09:00 Rahul Gandhi heads to Patna as 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' to conclude today Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, left his residence on Monday morning for Patna, where the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' is scheduled to conclude.The 16-day yatra, taken out by Rahul Gandhi to highlight the alleged case of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the Bharatiya Janata... Read more >

08:33 Modi to address SCO plenary session, meet Putin The summit meeting of the Heads of State of the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) began in Tianjin on Monday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other leaders of the organisation began a day-long deliberation to chalk out the future course of the bloc. Chinese President... Read more >

00:16 Cache of war-like stores recovered from hideout in J-K's Kupwara File image Security forces busted a hideout and recovered a cache of war-like stores in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, Army said on Sunday. Based on specific intelligence inputs, security forces had launched a search operation at the general area of Kotnala in the north Kashmir district in the... Read more >
The driver of the car in which Princess Diana was fatally injured had criminal levels of alcohol in his blood and may have been travelling at over 100 mph (161 km/h), French investigators have revealed.

The Prosecutors Office in Paris said Henri Paul had three times the French legal limit of alcohol in his blood  the equivalent of double the British limit or 10 glasses of wine.

Sources close to the investigation also said the speedometer in the crashed Mercedes was jammed at 120 mph (196 km/h) when it hit a concrete pillar in the Place dAlma underpass on Saturday night.

But a lawyer representing Mohammed al Fayed  whose son Dodi was also killed in the crash  insisted the paparazzi chasing the car were to blame.

It is an offence of the attempt of violation of private life  and that offence caused what happened later, he said.

A doctor who went to the aid of the princess, Frederic Maillez, reported seeing photographers at the scene immediately after the accident.

There were many of them  10 or 15  and they were snapping away at the car non-stop, he said.

The armoured Mercedes carrying the princess, her friend Dodi Al Fayed and a bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones left the Ritz Hotel in Paris at 2330 local time (2230 BST).

Mr Paul lost control of the car 10 minutes later, shortly after it entered the underpass.

The hotel said the Ritz deputy head of security had been trained in advanced driving, but an expert at the RAC said a professional driver would have been more cautious.

It is never safe to drive at 120 mph (196 km/h) through any city or built-up area, he said.

The key witness and only survivor of the crash, Mr Rees-Jones, is still in intensive care, but said to be stable.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Trevor Rees-Jones survived, but the head injuries he sustained wiped his memories of the accident.

He was the only person in the car wearing a seat belt.

The crash has proved fertile ground for conspiracy theorists who claim the princess was assassinated because of her connections with the Al Fayed family.

But even though a Fiat Uno possibly involved in the crash was never traced, the conclusions of the French investigation were largely the same as the initial findings  that Henri Paul had drunk too much and was driving too fast.

The photographers chasing the car were severely criticised for their behaviour, but no criminal action was taken against them.

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Taiwans foreign minister has flown to the Philippines as head of a high-level delegation of investors, two senior Philippine officials said Saturday, prompting a protest from China and a warning to Manila not to play with fire.

Relations between China and the Philippines have been strained as their coast guards and other forces spar in increasingly tense confrontations over the ownership of islands and fishing grounds in the disputed South China Sea.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lungs visit earlier this week to Manila and the Clark Freeport Zone, an industrial hub north of the capital, has exacerbated the tensions.

Philippine officials have publicly neither confirmed nor denied news reports of Lins visit, but two members of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s Cabinet told The Associated Press that Taiwans top diplomat flew to the country in his private capacity to lead a major delegation of Taiwanese investors and business executives in the semiconductor and other key industries.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said that no official from Taiwan (was) recognized as a member of the business delegation that recently visited the Philippines, suggesting that Lin came as a private business representative.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing issued a strongly worded protest in Manila and Beijing and said that by allowing Lin to visit, the Philippines has provided a platform for Taiwan independence separatists to engage in anti-China activities and has severely violated its own commitment on Taiwan-related issues.

It urged the Philippines to stop pursuing the wrong course and return to the right track at once, stop playing with fire on issues concerning Chinas core interests. JIM GOMEZ, MANILA, MDT/AP

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The chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL), Seng Ioi Man, expressed hopes that all candidate lists will gain voter support through active exchanges and interactions during the 14-day campaigning period ending Sept. 12.

Sengs remarks were made at the ceremony that kicked off the election campaign on Saturday (Aug. 30), where he also urged the candidates to convey their political platforms and visions for serving Macau.

Seng officiated the ceremony, which was also attended by the Commissioner Against Corruption, Ao Ieong Seong.

In his address, the chairman of CAEAL emphasized the importance of candidates utilizing designated venues and platforms to showcase their political visions. He encouraged voters to engage actively with the campaigning done by candidate lists, understand candidates platforms, and vote on election day.

By voting, the community as a whole will contribute to forming the new-term Legislative Assembly, ensuring the steadfast implementation of the One country, two systems principle, and further solidifying the patriots governing Macau principle, he stated.

At the same time, Seng added that all electoral procedures have been progressing in a lawful and orderly manner, calling on all members of society to uphold electoral integrity, adhere to the Legislative Assembly Election Law and CAEALs guidelines, and ensure a fair, just, and clean electoral environment.

Representatives from six direct- and indirect-election candidate lists presented their platforms at the ceremony. The launch-day event also featured information booths, simulated voting, and a temporary post office counter offering a commemorative postmark and envelopes.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Seng affirmed the current orderly campaign environment and expressed hope that all candidate lists and their electioneering teams maintain compliance with regulations.

He also assured that the CAEAL and other authorities would continue to monitor campaign activities to ensure the legality of all procedures.

Election FAQs

As the election campaign continues, the Times brings you the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the elections, the campaign, and polling day.

Elegibility

Question (Q): Who can vote in the Sept. 14 elections?

Answer (A): All Macau permanent residents 18 or older and registered voters on or before December 31, 2024.

If citizens registered to vote only on January 1, 2025, or after that date, their registration will not be included in the voter registry published in January 2025. As such, they are not eligible to vote or run for office.

Q: Do employees of private companies need to notify their employer in advance of their candidacy and obtain the employers authorization?

A: No. The Legislative Assembly (AL) Election Law does not require employees to notify their employer before their candidacy and obtain their authorization. Under Article 40 of the AL Election Law, candidates are entitled to leave of absence from their public or private duties for a period not exceeding 60 days.

Candidates may apply to the CAEAL for a certificate proving their status as candidates and request leave from their employer by presenting the certificate.

Employers must allow candidates to be exempt from their duties for 60 days before the election date in compliance with the AL Election Law.

Election Campaign

Q: Is it necessary to give prior notice of meetings, rallies, demonstrations, or parades held for electoral purposes during the election campaign period?

A: The representative must notify CAEAL of the content, date, and location of any electoral propaganda activities that the representative, candidates, or members of the candidacy committee will organize, except for activities whose notification is provided for in the Law on the Right of Assembly and Demonstration.

Under the AL Election Law, election campaigning means any activity carried out by any means that is capable of disseminating a message and cumulatively meets the requirements of drawing the publics attention to one or more candidates; suggesting, either explicitly or implicitly, that voters vote or refrain from voting for that candidate or those candidates.

Q: During the election campaign period, must a declaration be submitted reporting all activities intended to hand out benefits?

A: According to Article 75-C of the AL Election Law, all activities aimed at handing out benefits, organized inside or outside the Macau SAR, must be declared to the CAEAL from the 15th day before election day until election day.

Therefore, only activities aimed at handing out benefits organized between August 30 and September 14, 2025, should be declared.

Polling Day

Q: Is it legal to provide vehicles to transport voters on election day?

A: The AL Election Law does not prohibit the provision of transportation services by vehicle on election day, as long as that it does not in any way establish a connection with electoral propaganda, solicit votes, or suggest, either explicitly or implicitly, that voters vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate or candidacy, whether through gestures, stickers, words, among other means, under penalty of committing a crime.

Q: Are blank votes illegal?

A: No. Any voter can leave their ballot blank if they do not wish to vote in any of the groups listed. Blank votes are also not null or spoiled votes.

The blank vote is the one whose ballot does not contain any marks or signs, while the null or spoiled vote is defined by the ballots that contain marks or signs in more than one square, doubts in which square the vote mark has been placed, or ballots with damage or any other marking sign besides the one made by the rubber stamp.

While it is not illegal to leave the ballot blank  to write, draw, or intentionally damage the ballot is a crime.

Like null or spoiled ballots, blank ballots do not count in assigning seats to the groups running in the election.

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Statement by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the Peoples Republic of China

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus Meeting

Tianjin, September 1, 2025

Distinguished Colleagues,

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. It is a milestone prompting us to remember the past and create a better future together. Eighty years ago, the international community learned profound lessons from the scourge of two world wars and founded the United Nations, thus writing a new page in global governance. Eighty years later, while the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remain unchanged, the Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism continue to haunt the world. New threats and challenges have been only increasing. The world has found itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. Global governance has come to a new crossroads.

History tells us that at difficult times, we must uphold our original commitment to peaceful coexistence, strengthen our confidence in win-win cooperation, advance in line with the trend of history, and thrive in keeping pace with the times.

To this end, I wish to propose the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). I look forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity.

First, we should adhere to sovereign equality. We should maintain that all countries, regardless of size, strength and wealth, are equal participants, decision-makers and beneficiaries in global governance. We should promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of developing countries.

Second, we should abide by international rule of law. The purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and other universally recognized basic norms of international relations must be observed comprehensively, fully and in their entirety. International law and rules should be applied equally and uniformly. There should be no double standards, and the house rules of a few countries must not be imposed upon others.

Third, we should practice multilateralism. We should uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, strengthen solidarity and coordination, and oppose unilateralism. We should firmly safeguard the status and authority of the U.N., and ensure its irreplaceable, key role in global governance.

Fourth, we should advocate the people-centered approach. We should reform and improve the global governance system to ensure that the people of every nation are the actors in and beneficiaries of global governance, so as to better tackle the common challenges for mankind, better narrow the North-South gap, and better safeguard the common interests of all countries.

Fifth, we should focus on taking real actions. We should adopt a systematic and holistic approach, coordinate global actions, fully mobilize various resources, and strive for more visible outcomes. We should enhance practical cooperation to prevent the governance system from lagging behind or being fragmented.

Colleagues,

The founding declaration and the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization made it clear at the outset that we should promote a more democratic, just and equitable international political and economic order. Over the past 24 years, the SCO has adhered faithfully to the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development. We have discussed regional affairs together, built platforms and mechanisms together, and benefited from cooperation together. We have also initiated many new global governance concepts and put them into practice. The SCO has increasingly become a catalyst for the development and reform of the global governance system.

In response to the once-in-a-century transformations unfolding faster across the world, the SCO should step up to play a leading role and set an example in carrying out the GGI.

We should contribute to safeguarding world peace and stability. With a vision for common security, SCO member states have signed the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, conducted effective security cooperation, and maintained overall stability in the region. We should continue to uphold the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party. We should combine our efforts in addressing various threats and challenges, give full play to the newly established SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats and the SCO Anti-drug Center, and build a community of common security in the region. We should remain a force for stability in this volatile world.

We should step up to take the responsibility for open cooperation across the globe. SCO member states have rich energy resources, big markets and strong internal driving forces, and we are contributing a rising share to world economic growth. We should continue to dismantle walls, not erect them; we should seek integration, not decoupling. We should advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and push for a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

China will readily share the opportunities of its vast market, and continue to implement the action plan for high-quality development of economic and trade cooperation within the SCO family. China will establish three major platforms for China-SCO cooperation in energy, green industry, and the digital economy, and will set up three major cooperation centers for scientific and technological innovation, higher education, and vocational and technical education. We will work with fellow SCO countries to increase the installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind power each by 10 million kilowatts in the next five years. We are ready to build with all sides the artificial intelligence application cooperation center, and share the dividends of progress in AI. We welcome all parties to use the Beidou Satellite Navigation System and invite countries with relevant capacities to take part in the International Lunar Research Station project.

We should set an example in championing the common values of humanity. Among SCO member states, cultural exchanges are packed with highlights, people-to-people interactions are frequent and robust, and different civilizations radiate their unique splendor. We should continue to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and write brilliant chapters of peace, amity and harmony among countries different in history, culture, social system and development stage.

China will host and ensure the success of the SCO Political Parties Forum, the SCO Green and Sustainable Development Forum, and the SCO Forum on Traditional Medicine. In the next five years, China will treat 500 patients with congenital heart disease, perform 5,000 cataract operations, and carry out 10,000 cancer screenings for other SCO countries.

We should act to defend international fairness and justice. In compliance with the principles of justice and fairness, SCO member states have engaged constructively in international and regional affairs, and upheld the common interests of the Global South. We should continue to unequivocally oppose hegemonism and power politics, practice true multilateralism, and stand as a pillar in promoting a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations.

China supports the SCO in expanding cooperation with other multilateral institutions, such as the U.N., ASEAN, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, to jointly uphold the international economic and trade order and improve global and regional governance.

Colleagues,

An ancient Chinese philosopher said of the importance of principles, Uphold the Great Principle, and the world will follow. In two days, China will commemorate solemnly the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Many colleagues will join us in Beijing. We are ready, together with all parties, to uphold courageously the great principle and the common good of the world, promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, resolutely safeguard the fruits of our victory in the War, and deliver more benefits to the entire humanity through the reform of the global governance system and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Thank you.
As summer holidays end and schools reopen, Andy Wu, chair of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, revealed that visitor arrivals in August are on track to match levels from 2019, before the pandemic disrupted travel.

While traditional group tours have seen a slight decline due to changing travel preferences, the rise in government-promoted study tours signals a shift toward a more diverse range of visitors.

Speaking to Macao Daily News, Wu cited the success of intensified overseas marketing efforts by both the government and industry, which have driven a 20% increase in international visitor numbers compared to the same period last year.

These campaigns have effectively attracted more visitors from Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and the Philippines, alongside notable growth from South Korea and Indonesia.

Despite the surge in arrivals, data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) shows a 12.8% decline in per-capita non-gaming spending during the first half of 2025, falling to MOP1,970.

However, total non-gaming expenditure still saw a slight increase of 0.2%, reaching MOP37.86 billion. This growth was mainly driven by same-day visitors, whose spending rose by 7% to MOP7.85 billion, helping to offset a 1.4% decline in spending by overnight visitors, who contributed MOP30.01 billion.

With several satellite airports scheduled to close by year-end, Wu highlighted untapped potential in ZAPE, which offers more than 6,000 hotel rooms. He explained that officials are seeking ways to boost community engagement, redirect tourist traffic, and increase local spending in the area.

Hotels see stable occupancy

DSEC data showed that the hotel sector maintained strong performance in July.

The average occupancy rate of guest rooms reached 91.0%, up 1.9 percentage points year-on-year, while the total number of hotel guests rose 4.0% to 1,283,000.

Five-star hotels saw occupancy climb to 94.2%, and four-star hotels to 86.4%, while three-star properties dipped slightly to 86.3%.

The number of inbound package tour visitors fell 18.4% to 145,000, largely due to more Chinese mainland tourists traveling individually under the Individual Visit Scheme.

Mainland visitors accounted for 958,000 hotel guests in July, a 3.9% increase year-on-year. International visitors also grew by 7.3% to 82,000, with notable increases from South Korea, Thailand, the USA, and Indonesia, while arrivals from Japan, India, and Malaysia declined.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of eight other nations are meeting in northern China for the latest summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in a possible challenge to often incoherent approaches by the United States to trade and regional conflicts.

The 10-member group, which gathered yesterday and will meet again today in the port city of Tianjin, has grown in size and influence over the past 24 years, even while its goals and programs remain murky and name recognition low. Some call it the scariest grouping you have never heard of.

The full membership includes Russia, Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Originally seen as a foil to U.S. influence in Central Asia, the original organization picked up four new members with the addition of India and Pakistan in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

Some of those are clear foes of the West, especially Iran and close Russian ally Belarus. Others including India, China and Russia have a more nebulous relationship, either because of Washingtons wobbly stance on Russias war with Ukraine or because of chaos surrounding U.S. tariffs that have upended key trading relationships with countries such as China and India.

The SCOs two-day summit may shed more light on issues surrounding the groups activities and intentions.

Growing from regional bloc to encompassing alliance

Since its 2001 founding, the SCO primarily has been dominated by China, the regional economic superpower, with Russia seeking to use the group to maintain its influence over former Central Asian Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

While Russias economic influence has declined steadily, especially under increasingly severe Western sanctions, both Russia and China have used the alliance as a framework for regional military cooperation, albeitlimited to joint drills and firing competitions.

Belarus, Iran, Pakistan and India joined later in an apparent attempt to share in the SCOs budding influence, though the value of their membership is debatable. Iran and Belarus have faced international condemnation over sanctions and human rights violations, while Pakistan is highly dependent on China for military hardware.

Indias entry challenges the equation

India has long stuck to a self-avowed policy of neutrality, though that may be part of a strategy of self-interest.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began, India has become a major buyer of Russian oil, increasing tensions with Washington. Modi also remarked on steady progress in improving relations with China after meeting its top diplomat in August and noted respect for each others interests and sensitiveness.

Indias SCO entry potentially challenges Russian and Chinese domination over the association. Despite their trade ties, India is unlikely to offer meaningful support for Russias war in Ukraine or Chinas claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea.

India has also long sought a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council but has received only tepid back from China and Russia, possibly to prevent their influence with the West from being diluted. Still, New Delhi stands to lose little as long as Washington continues to broadcast uncertainty with its foreign trade.

India has said it will not sign a joint statement with the SCO because it sees a pro-Pakistan stance in the omission of a mention of a deadly April 22 terror attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Yet expectations have not been high for India to sign.

Little ventured and little to lose for China

Beijing has given few hints of what solid progress it expects from the summit, which is in keeping with the secretive nature of its diplomacy and politics.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Monday called the gathering the largest-ever SCO summit in history and said it would be used for charting the blueprint for the blocs next decade of development.

The leaders of about a dozen other countries are joining the summit as SCO dialogue partners or guests, including Egypt, Nepal and several Southeast Asian nations.

Xinhua spoke of the organization being guided by the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development.

Citing growing trade and rail freight between China and other members, observer states and dialogue partners, Beijing seems eager to emphasize the blocs economic benefits.

Xinhua noted documents would be signed including a notice of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which the ruling Communist Party will mark with a military parade in central Beijing on Sept. 3.

Group showcases Xi Jinpings multipolarity vision

University of Chicago political scientist Dali Yang said the SCO is one of the most prominent regional organizations China has cofounded.

For Chinas leadership, there is a lot of emphasis on maintaining existing relations in the international arena even though the SCO has not been effective in dealing with the major challenges of today, Yang said.

The summit comes just days before a massive military parade through Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of Japans surrender at the end of WWII attended by Xi and other leaders, including a rare showing by North Koreas Kim Jong Un, Yang said.

The SCO seems to show a desire to move from a dialogue platform to a full-fledged mechanism of practical cooperation that brings tangible results to the citizens of the member states, said June Teufel Dreyer, a University of Miami expert on Chinese politics. Yet the questions remain, to what end and how?

For Xi, presiding over the gathering in Tianjin should net him some favorable publicity and possibly further his image as leader of a new global world order, Dreyer said. CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, TAIPEI, MDT/AP

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Its the Formula 1 race where cars are banned, at least for spectators.

Organizers of the Dutch Grand Prix pride themselves on requiring almost all of the 110,000 fans expected each day of this race weekend to arrive by public transport or bicycle.

Where other F1 races devote acres of space to spectators cars  the Miami Grand Prix offers 29 different parking lots around the Hard Rock Stadium  in the Netherlands, they converted a parking lot to fit more bikes.

People from outside the Netherlands look at you as if youre crazy when they hear the race has storage space for 45,000 bikes, Dutch Grand Prix mobility manager Roy Hirs told The Associated Press. But here they see what we are able to do.

When the Dutch Grand Prix returned in 2021 after a 36-year absence, it was buoyed by passionate fan support for Max Verstappen, but organizers had a challenge to fit everyone in. There are two roads into town, a nearby national park, and not enough parking lots, Hirs said, so transporting 110,000 people by car is never going to work.

Years of planning created a system where only a small number of vehicles can enter the seaside town of Zandvoort during the race weekend.

Thousands of fans wearing orange to support Dutch champion Verstappen cycle in and leave their bikes at sites bearing the names of race tracks like Monza and Suzuka. There are buses from nearby campsites and trains running every five minutes from Amsterdam.

The few exemptions are mostly for circuit and team vehicles, fans with disabilities and local residents, Hirs said, adding the Grand Prix means Zandvoorts 17,000 inhabitants find their roads are less crowded than on a typical summer weekend.

The Dutch Grand Prix is leaving the F1 calendar after next year but its legacy could live on.

Hirs said organizers of other F1 races and large-scale events have visited to see how its car-free approach to auto racing works.

I think it starts with talking about it and then the adoption will come in the end, he said, but it takes time.JAMES ELLINGWORTH, ZANDVOORT, MDT/AP

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged yesterday to resolve their border differences and bolster cooperation, ahead of the opening of a regional summit in Tianjin.

Modi is on his first visit to China since relations between the two countries deteriorated after Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in deadly border clashes in 2020. Modi is visiting as part of Indias membership into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China.

Modi said in his opening remarks that relations with China have moved in a meaningful direction, adding that there is a peaceful environment at the borders after disengagement.

Xi said he hoped the Tianjin meeting will further elevate and promote the sustained, healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The two sides should not let the border issue define the overall China-India relationship, Xi said, adding that economic development for both countries should be their main focus.

As long as they remain committed to the overarching goal of being partners, not rivals, and providing development opportunities, not threats, China-India relations will flourish and move forward steadily, Xi said.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Tianjin yesterday, is also due to meet with both leaders in the coming days.

Earlier in August, Chinas top diplomat Wang Yi flew to New Delhi, as the two sides announced their rapprochement. Both governments pledged to restart border talks, and resume issuing visas and direct flights.

Wangs visit coincided with U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to impose 50% tariffs on India over its purchase of Russian oil, but Delhis process of rebuilding ties with Beijing had been in the works for months.

China and India this year have increased official visits and discussed easing some restrictions on trade and the movement of people across the border. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to visit holy sites in Tibet. HUIZHONG WU, TIANJIN, MDT/AP

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SINGAPORE, Sept 1  A 44-year-old Malaysian man was arrested in Singapore after trying to cash a forged cheque worth S$180,000 (about RM590,000), in a case tied to an overseas scam syndicate, Mothership reported.

Singapore police said the suspect was detained on Saturday after staff at a United Overseas Bank (UOB) branch flagged his withdrawal request as suspicious.

Investigations revealed he had been recruited days earlier by a syndicate to encash cheques from a 65-year-old victim who had been duped into believing she was under probe for money laundering.

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The woman had earlier transferred nearly S$40,000 to an unknown account and handed over five pre-signed cheques to a man posing as an officer.

The Malaysian was arrested within 30 minutes of UOBs alert and found with the forged cheque and two Malaysian ATM cards.

He will be charged today with abetment by conspiracy to use a forged document, which carries up to 15 years jail and a fine. He also faces a separate charge of fraudulent possession.
PETALING JAYA, Sept 1  Police have warned the public against spreading false claims over the incident where a woman disrupted the Perak state-level National Day celebration by rushing towards Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M. Kumar said a viral Facebook post had misrepresented the womans race, stressing that the suspect is a 41-year-old local.

The Perak police are aware of a viral Facebook post making claims about the incident, but the individual arrested was a 41-year-old local woman, he said in a statement last night.

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He reminded the public that circulating unverified information can create unnecessary alarm and threaten social harmony.

The woman, who has a past drug-related record and is currently under psychiatric care, was arrested shortly after rushing towards the royal dais at the Merdeka celebration in Ipoh.

Kumar confirmed that she tested negative for drugs, adding that investigations are also underway against those who spread the false claims under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Police warn that stern action will be taken against any party who intentionally makes or spreads false statements that cause public concern and disrupt social harmony in Malaysia, he said.
The head of the Philippines Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has called for a review of the countrys housing laws, saying they must be updated to be relevant and responsive to the present times.

We cant be tied down by outdated policies if we want to improve our services, Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said in a statement. He said the review aims to protect homebuyers and upstanding developers.

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The call comes as several industry groups have voiced support for Alilings anti-corruption stance.

The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) and the DHSUD Employees Association (DHSUDEA) both issued statements Friday backing the secretarys zero tolerance policy for corruption.

Integrity, transparency, and accountability are values that must guide every stakeholder, the SHDA said, adding that corruption has no place in our mission of building communities.

The Construction Project Management Association of the Philippines (CPMAP) also supported Alilings head-on and straightforwardly stand against this social cancer, calling him an inspiration.

Aliling had said in a public speech last week that even 1 percent of corruption is unacceptable. He thanked stakeholders for their support and pledged the DHSUDs commitment to clean governance.
On the afternoon of September 1, 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus meeting was held at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center. President Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important statement titled Pooling the Strength of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to Improve Global Governance.

President Xi noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. It is a milestone prompting us to remember the past and create a better future together. Eighty years ago, the international community learned profound lessons from the scourge of two world wars and founded the U.N., thus writing a new page in global governance. Eighty years later, the world has found itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation, and global governance has come to a new crossroads. History tells us that at difficult times, we must uphold our original commitment to peaceful coexistence, strengthen our confidence in win-win cooperation, advance in line with the trend of history, and thrive in keeping pace with the times. China will work with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advance toward a community with a shared future for humanity.

To this end, President Xi proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI):

First, adhering to sovereign equality. It should be maintained that all countries, regardless of size, strength and wealth, are equal participants, decision-makers and beneficiaries in global governance. Efforts should be made to promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of developing countries.

Second, abiding by international rule of law. The purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and other universally recognized basic norms of international relations must be observed comprehensively, fully and in their entirety. International law and rules should be applied equally and uniformly. There should be no double standards, and the house rules of a few countries must not be imposed upon others.

Third, practicing multilateralism. It is important to uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, strengthen solidarity and coordination, oppose unilateralism, firmly safeguard the status and authority of the U.N., and ensure its irreplaceable, key role in global governance.

Fourth, advocating the people-centered approach. The global governance system should be reformed and improved to ensure that the people of every nation are the actors in and beneficiaries of global governance, so as to better tackle the common challenges for mankind, better narrow the North-South gap, and better safeguard the common interests of all countries.

Fifth, focusing on taking real actions. It is important to adopt a systematic and holistic approach, coordinate global actions, fully mobilize various resources, strive for more visible outcomes, and enhance practical cooperation to prevent the governance system from lagging behind or being fragmented.

President Xi stressed that the founding declaration and the Charter of the SCO made it clear at the outset that the member states should promote a more democratic, just and equitable international political and economic order. Over the past 24 years, the SCO has adhered faithfully to the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development. Regional affairs have been discussed together, platforms and mechanisms built together, and cooperation benefits enjoyed together. Many new global governance concepts have been initiated and put into practice. The SCO has increasingly become a catalyst for the development and reform of the global governance system. In response to the once-in-a-century transformations unfolding faster across the world, the SCO should step up to play a leading role, contribute to safeguarding world peace and stability, take the responsibility for open cooperation across the globe, provide a model for championing the common values of humanity, act to defend international fairness and justice, and set an example in carrying out the GGI.

President Xi concluded his statement by emphasizing that China is ready, together with all parties, to uphold courageously the great principle and the common good of the world, promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, resolutely safeguard the fruits of their victory in the War, and deliver more benefits to the entire humanity through the reform of the global governance system and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The meeting was attended by leaders of SCO member states: Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the representative of India; leader of SCO observer state: Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa; leaders of SCO dialogue partners: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Myanmars Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly; leaders of the guest countries of the Chair: Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the representative of the President of Indonesia. Also present at the meeting were U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the heads of the SCOs permanent bodies, and leaders of other international organizations and multilateral mechanisms.

The parties spoke highly of and expressed strong support for the GGI proposed by President Xi. They noted that as the global governance deficit is widening, sustainable development faces challenges, unilateralism is on the rise, and the authority of the U.N. and international norms is under strain, the world is in urgent need of more effective governance concepts and systems. On the occasion of the 80th anniversaries of the victory of World War II and the founding of the U.N., Chinas GGI proposal is both timely and necessary. This initiative rejects the logic of power politics, supports the U.N.s central role, and advocates for shared development, joint governance, and mutual benefit, offering Chinese wisdom and proposal to address the urgent challenges facing the world today. The successful practice of the Shanghai Spirit within the SCO fully demonstrates that different countries can indeed respect each other, build mutual trust, and pursue win-win cooperation, setting a model for improving global governance. The parties agreed to enhance communication and coordination, deepen cooperation in trade, investment, innovation, industry, and agriculture, jointly combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and cybercrimes, and bring their peoples closer together through stronger people-to-people and cultural exchanges, thereby further increasing the SCOs influence and contributing to global peace, development, and progress.

President Xi and other participating leaders expressed concern over the strong earthquake that struck Afghanistan earlier in the day, extended their sympathies to the Afghan side, and expressed the hope that the Afghan people will overcome difficulties and rebuild their homeland at an early date.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, were present at the meeting.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday pushed back against Chinas issuance of a cautionary advisory to its citizens visiting the Philippines, stressing that Manila does not interfere in the affairs of other countries and expects the same respect in return.

We dont make any claims about their country, so why would they make claims about us? Remulla said when asked about Beijings advisory.

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He pointed out that official records show crime rates in the Philippines are on a downward trend, attributing the decline to stronger intelligence and enforcement networks.

While acknowledging the persistence of isolated crime incidents, he said it was improper for another country to interfere in the Philippines sovereign affairs.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also dismissed Chinas recent travel advisories, saying they mischaracterize the security situation in the Philippines.

In a statement released Monday, the DFA said reported crimes, including those committed by Chinese nationals against fellow Chinese citizens, are being vigorously addressed by law enforcement authorities.

The Philippine government has been engaging with relevant stakeholders on these cases, the statement said.

The DFA added that the Philippines remains committed to constructively addressing matters of mutual concern with China, recalling the recently concluded 9th Philippines-China Joint Consular Consultation Meeting, where both sides discussed security issues and agreed to deepen law enforcement cooperation.

On Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila warned its citizens about crimes targeting Chinese nationals and urged them to monitor local security, exercise caution, and avoid high-risk areas.

It also advised travelers to conduct risk assessments before visiting the Philippines. An earlier advisory had been issued for Chinese students intending to study in the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday led the ceremonial distribution of training and financial aid to tourism workers affected by natural disasters, rolling out the Bayanihan sa Bukas na May Pag-asa sa Turismo (BBMT) program in Aurora province.

Speaking at the provincial capitol grounds in Baler, President Marcos said the program, implemented jointly by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), aims to help workers recover from calamities such as typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito, which struck Aurora last year and displaced over 100,000 residents across 150 barangays.

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The BBMT will provide training for new livelihood opportunities and extend emergency cash transfers to tourism workers hit by disasters, the President said, stressing that Auroras economy, like many parts of the Philippines, relies heavily on tourism.

Under the program, beneficiaries will receive skills training in areas such as pastry-making, handicrafts, tour development, and guest reception, as well as financial aid worth more than P11,000 each.

Nearly 200,000 workers in Auroras tourism sector are expected to benefit.

He noted that more than 2,800 Filipinos have already received assistance through BBMT since its rollout in 2023, including 1,400 in the Davao Region, 70 in Agusan del Sur, and 1,300 in Oriental Mindoro.

Tourism accounts for around 8 percent of our GDP. We cannot afford to leave our workers behind when disasters strike, Mr. Marcos said.

The government is here not only in times of crisis but also to continue improving and expanding your industry, he added.

The President also linked the program to the broader challenge of climate change, warning that typhoons are becoming stronger and less predictable.

He said the government will continue to extend support to disaster-hit communities nationwide.

Wherever you may be, whatever livelihood you pursue, when disaster strikes, you can count on your government to help you recover and continue working, Mr. Marcos said.

Meanwhile, the President highlighted the governments push to strengthen tourism-related micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the Turismo Asenso Loan Program, calling them vital drivers of the countrys economic growth.

Speaking at a loan awarding ceremony for nine MSMEs from Metro Manila and Calabarzon, Mr. Marcos said the initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.), seeks to make financing more accessible for local tourism businesses.

Tourism is one of the pillars of our economy. It brings livelihood and development to thousands of small businesses across the country, the President said.

Through this program, our MSMEs can grow their businesses, improve services, and secure a better future for their families and communities, he added.

The President underscored the role of local entrepreneurs, from tour guides and food vendors to small lodging operators, in sustaining the tourism industry and promoting Filipino hospitality.

He said the government would continue expanding support programs such as Negosyo Centers, Go Lokal!, trade fairs, and the establishment of tourist rest areas.

He also urged DOT, DTI, and SB Corp. to simplify loan processes, strengthen outreach, and ensure that entrepreneurs in far-flung areas benefit from the program.

Beyond financial support, President Marcos highlighted the global rise of experiential tourism, where travelers seek authentic cultural encounters rather than merely leisure activities.

Today, tourists prefer meaningful experiences, visiting communities, tasting local food, and discovering places unique to the Philippines, he said.

But above all, what they value most is the warmth of Filipino hospitality. That is what truly sets us apart, President Marcos added.

He praised the tourism workforce and local communities, saying their efforts deepen foreign and domestic travelers appreciation of the Philippines.

Together, let us proudly showcase not just our beautiful landscapes, but the talent, hard work, and creativity of every Filipino, the President said.
Makati City, Philippines  Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), through its award-winning and the Philippines first multilingual financial inclusion app DiskarTech, has taken the lead as the first bank to mark a landmark partnership with the Social Security System (SSS) for the launch of the MySSS Card.

The strategic partnership between RCBC and SSS aims to bring digital financial access to millions of Filipinos, particularly SSS members and pensioners. At the core of the initiative is the MySSS Card, a dual-purpose innovation that functions both as a valid government ID and a fully operational savings account. The MySSS card simplifies benefits disbursement, enables seamless withdrawals, bill payments, and transfers, and provides secure access to inclusive financial services for communities in both urban and remote areas.

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RCBC, as the pioneering bank to kick off this game-changing initiative, formalized the partnership with SSS in a signing ceremony spearheaded by RCBC Chairperson Helen Yuchengco-Dee, President and CEO Reggie Cariaso, and Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer Lito Villanueva. Representing SSS were President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro, Executive Vice President Elvira Alcantara-Resale, Vice President Joy Villacorta, along with Commissioners Victor Alfonso Limlingan and Roy Padiernos.

Marking a significant step in public-private collaboration, the two institutions continue to cultivate a shared vision to make financial services more accessible, inclusive, and empowering, especially for underbanked and underserved communities.

Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Inclusion Officer of RCBC, underscored that the dual-purpose card symbolizes the fruitful relationship between the bank and the government institution. RCBC and SSS have strengthened their shared commitment to make financial inclusion services accessible to all Filipinos. This card further realizes this vision and makes digital finance more accessible and appealing to underserved Filipino pensioners and social security members, Villanueva said.

From L-R: Lito Villanueva, RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovations and Inclusion Officer; Reggie Cariaso, RCBC President and CEO; Ms. Helen Yuchengco-Dee, RCBC Chairperson; SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro; SSS EVP Elvira Alcantara-Resale; and SSS VP Joy Villacorta during the RCBC-SSS MOA Signing held August 28, 2025 at the RCBC Plaza Hexagon Lounge.

This latest initiative builds on RCBC and SSSs long-standing partnership to expand access to financial services, including past collaborations on digital literacy for underbanked communities. DiskarTech has twice been named SSSs Best Disbursement Partner.

Launched as a calibrated response to the lack of diverse, accessible, and inclusive digital payment channels and low financial inclusion rates, RCBC DiskarTech grew from a basic digital banking service to a full suite of services which includes withdrawals, deposits, remittances, bills payments, loan application and disbursement, phone credits loading, QR powered commercial payments, and a high-interest savings product.

Reggie Cariaso, President and Chief Executive Officer of RCBC, stressed the importance of public and private sector partnerships. The MySSS card underlines how crucial cooperation between the government and business sector is in order to digitally empower all Filipinos. We must continue to leverage on each others strengths and competencies to bring about greater financial inclusion in our country. MySSS card is another step towards this shared vision and we are happy to join hands with the SSS in this new endeavor, Cariaso shared.

SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro said that this strategic partnership with RCBC marks a significant milestone in SSS commitment to enhancing the lives of Filipino workers. Through this dual-purpose card card, we are transforming how benefits are accessed and managed, making financial services more inclusive, convenient, and secure for our members nationwide, de Claro noted.

He added that SSS and RCBC are advancing digital financial inclusion and ensuring that every Filipino, whether in bustling cities or remote communities, can enjoy seamless access to their social security benefits and more empowering financial opportunities.
Within a week, what began as demonstrations with a semi-insurrectionary character have turned into an open revolutionary uprising which shows no sign of stopping. It is not only tearing down government buildings and police stations, but more importantly, it is shattering the mass stupor that has kept the people in chains. A revolution has begun.

Louis XVI: Is this a rebellion?

La Rochefoucauld: No, Sire. This is a revolution.

Scenes of burned parliamentary buildings, government offices, and above all, police stations have flooded the media. But most striking are the countless live broadcasts from the millions of demonstrators, which truly capture the revolutionary spirit of the moment. These images call to mind the scenes of the 1998-99 revolutionary period.

The first provincial parliamentary building to be set ablaze by the people was in Makassar, the day after the police killed a 21-year-old ride-share driver, Affan Kurniawan. This was quickly followed by similar scenes in Tegal, Solo, Surakarta, Bandung, and West Nusa Tenggara. In Pekalongan, the action began as a peaceful vigil where people mourned and laid flowers for Affan Kurniawan. But it immediately turned into a conflagration, as the furious anger of the masses burst forth.

The list grows longer by the day, as more demonstrations and escalations unfold. As we write these lines, the masses have already added Brebes, Pekalongan, Cilacap and Kediri to the list  we are struggling to keep up with the rapid developments, which are the very essence of a revolution.

Hundreds of police stations have been ransacked and burnt down. The police forces, who had been heavy-handed in their treatment of the demonstrators in the first few days, are now beating a hasty retreat. When faced with the youth, they displayed their brutality with great courage. But now, as vast layers of working people have entered the scene and overwhelmed them, they are suddenly the ones cornered and chased out. In some cities they have disappeared altogether.

To quell the mass anger that has spiralled out of their control, the government promised to investigate and prosecute the officers responsible for killing Affan Kurniawan. President Prabowo staged a media spectacle by visiting his family, embracing them, and gifting them Rp200 million and a house in an effort to calm the situation. But Affans father said that this gift did not soothe his grief: This money in its billions cannot replace my son. That sentiment is shared by the people.

In the end, seven police officers were punished with 20 days of special detainment, meaning they would not be jailed but merely held in a police station. This is the equivalent of a high school detention. This mockery of justice further enraged the people.

The police forces, who had been heavy-handed in their treatment of the demonstrators in the first few days, are now beating a hasty retreat / Image: Nafisathallah, Wikimedia Commons

While street battles continue to erupt nationwide, the media turned their cameras on the judicial proceedings of these suspects, attempting to lull the movement into believing that justice was being served. But it quickly became evident that the dish being served was cold and rotten.

The hatred of the masses toward the whole system is now being directed toward the parliament, the most public-facing political institution, whose rottenness is displayed daily without shame by its members. On Saturday night, the mansion of a hated member of parliament from the National Democratic Party, Ahmad Sahroni, was attacked and looted. Live-streamed videos showed his luxury items being carried away, including a $600,000 Richard Mille watch. His earlier provocative and arrogant statement  calling demonstrators the stupidest people on earth for demanding the disbanding of parliament  had come home to roost. Sahroni himself fled to Singapore to escape the rage of the people.

Fearing that Sahronis fate might soon be his own, another despised member of parliament, Eko Patrio  whose statements had also been provocative toward the demonstrators  hurriedly posted a video apology, almost in tears. This was to no avail. This apology is just for show, lets go to his house next, said one comment. And true enough, within hours, his house was also raided. Soon after, another MPs house, Uya Kuyas, suffered the same fate.

As we write, yet another opulent home of this hated crop of politicians has been raided and looted  this time belonging to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, the chief architect of the austerity that has strangled Indonesians. No one can escape the virtuous retribution of the masses any longer.

The media and the government have tried to portray demonstrators as violent looters and anarchists. But we would be remiss if we too condemned these lootings as though they were moral failings of a pure revolution. For the masses, they are simply reclaiming the ill-gotten wealth of these corrupt politicians.

Some on the left have, in fact, begun calling on demonstrators to avoid looting the belongings of other citizens, with a warning that we ought not repeat what happened in May 1998  the revolution that overthrew Suharto, which also involved rioting and looting. But such abstract moral preaching is the result of yielding to the pressure of bourgeois public opinion. For every condemnation from the regime and its media about these lootings, we must say a thousand times louder: the biggest looters of all sit in the parliament, in the Presidential Palace, and in the boardrooms of the corporations whose interests are loyally served by these politicians.

The hatred toward parliamentary members is so intense that not one of them has dared to directly face the movement, despite issuing endless press releases and social media statements promising to listen to the plight of the people. Rightly so, for should they appear publicly they would be torn to pieces. Everything they could possibly say would be wrong and would further exacerbate the situation. In the past, the regime could at least dispatch a few of the more popular parliament members, usually from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to dialogue with demonstrators. Today, even that is impossible.

What is a revolution and which phase are we in?

What we are witnessing is a revolution, unfolding with all the greenery of the tree of life. The masses have recognised it as such, as calls for revolution, especially from the youth, are increasingly being heard in these demonstrations. As Trotsky said, a revolution is the forceful entrance of the masses into the realm of rulership over their own destiny. It is indeed forceful, and it could not be otherwise. This is the first time that we have seen a mass movement of this scale since the 1998 Revolution (see Ted Grants Indonesia: the Asian Revolution has begun).

With this uprising, every a priori calculation of the regime has been thrown out of the window. Hence, the difficulties on the part of the regime to quell the movement with its usual tactics, as it had done with smaller mass movements in recent years like Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) in 2025, Peringatan Darurat (Emergency Alert) in 2024, or Reformasi Dikorupsi (Reformation is being corrupted) in 2019  all of which now pale in comparison with the present movement.

This also explains the difficulties many on the left have in orienting themselves toward this revolutionary movement. Many were initially shocked when the youth spontaneously took up the cry of Bubarkan DPR (Dissolve the House of Representatives), a demand they dismissed as ultra-left. If we disband the parliament, what will replace it?, Wouldnt this open the door for the president to be a dictator?, Disbanding the parliament is an irrational demand. We should demand new elections, they say. Suddenly, these leftists sound exactly like the government.

When a revolution breaks out, we often, if not always, find the masses to be far more revolutionary than their leaders and the well-seasoned activists who are used to small struggles that are within their control. Confronted with an out-of-control movement  a feature of a revolution, especially in its first phase  these left activists quickly find themselves out of their depth.

With this uprising, every a priori calculation of the regime has been thrown out of the window / Image: fair use

But for the masses, the slogan Dissolve the Parliament encapsulates their intense hatred for this corrupt institution, which they know has done nothing for them other than bring misery. It is around this demand that the movement has coalesced and continues to gather strength, as it continues to test this slogan in the forge of struggle.

Demands and slogans are not just a list of realisable and actionable goals. Veteran activists and trade union bureaucrats have been well trained to formulate what they consider reasonable demands, ones that they can extract from the bosses, given a favourable balance of forces in a relatively peaceful period. But a revolution is precisely a break from such a peaceful period, a rapid and violent break, long prepared beneath the surface through the molecular process of revolution.

Hence, when the masses put forward the slogan Dissolve the Parliament, the lefts, so accustomed to a period of peace  in fact they have never entertained the idea of revolution  were thrown off balance.

A revolution is not a one-act drama. The masses have only just discovered their power, astonishing themselves as much as they terrify the ruling class. Each time they realise how strong they truly are, they grow bolder, which in turn inspires and draws new layers of the working class into the struggle. The process then repeats itself, spiralling upwards and reaching new heights with each passing hour. With every surge, the masses discover that their power runs deeper still. For the first time in a generation, they have broken through the chains that have long bound their minds. It is no wonder, then, that this newfound power burst forth in a wild, explosive and chaotic way. Yet even so, its force has shaken the whole foundation of society. This is revolution in action.

After demonstrating day and night for over a week, burning police stations and regional parliament buildings, the masses will learn that this alone is not enough. These actions might be enough to display their strength and show the ruling class that they mean business, but it is not enough to achieve their ultimate goal: the fundamental transformation of their lives and society.

How long it will take them to learn this will depend on many factors, especially on the quality of their leadership. With good leadership, we can shorten the time needed for the movement to reach the necessary conclusions. Thus, we revolutionaries must continue to push for demands that keep pace with their consciousness and advance it, demands that connect with their anger and strive to give it the necessary organised political expression. But never underestimate how quickly the masses can learn from experience. In just seven days, they have learned more than in ten years of peace.

Those weak-kneed leftists who lament today that this revolution might fail and meet its bloody end because there is no revolutionary leadership as an excuse for abstaining from the movement are fools who long for a smooth revolution with a 100 percent guarantee. This so-called realism of theirs is only a reflection of their own pessimism  a pessimism that becomes wholly reactionary precisely when the masses, for the first time, have found a noble cause to be optimistic about and are acting on it with all their revolutionary vigour.

There is no way to guarantee a perfect revolution. We will intervene in the process as it unfolds. The old habits of many on the left, of organising small strikes and demonstrations with carefully prepared logistics and schedules in advance, now clash with the living reality of a revolution that cannot be put in tidy boxes.

There is no way to guarantee a perfect revolution. We will intervene in the process as it unfolds / Image: Mori505, Wikimedia Commons

The government is moving heaven and earth to try to contain the uprising with a carrot-and-stick approach. Yet they are wary: if they give too many concessions, the masses could grow more confident and demand more; if they give too little, it could further enrage them.

So far, many soothing words have been offered. But nothing concrete has been delivered in terms of cancelling all the taxes that have been suffocating the masses, or even winning justice for Affan Kurniawan. In fact, it is doubtful if these concessions would suffice to stem the tide of revolution, as the demand to abolish the corrupt parliament has already crystallised further. Indeed, on Sunday, the government announced that it was cancelling allowances for parliamentary members, but this has not calmed the movement.

At the same time, they are stepping up repression. The government has begun deploying the army to major cities and strategic points. But unleashing the army may backfire, as the memory of the New Order military regime are still fresh in the minds of the masses.

The Indonesian revolution has just begun. It would be a fatal mistake to confuse its first phase with its last  but that it has begun cannot be denied.

After almost three straight days of demonstrations, the movement took a brief respite on Sunday, with only minor clashes in some areas. But it would be wrong to think that this signals stagnation or decline. Revolution, like life itself, has its rhythm. The masses are now taking stock of what has happened, of what they have achieved, and just as importantly, of the reactions of the government. They are absorbing the lessons of their own actions. In fact, demonstrations have already been planned for the following days in many major cities.

The role of the working class

The working masses have demonstrated their power on the streets. Yet they have not taken mass collective action as a working class vis-a-vis their power over the means of production. A mass strike is, by far, the ultimate weapon of the movement that has yet to be unleashed. All efforts must now be directed toward mobilising for a general strike.

The trade union leaders have proven themselves to be not only incapable of providing any leadership but also actively aligned with the government. As such, in all likelihood, calls for a general strike will not come from the unions. On the one hand, trade unions represent only a small fraction of the working class. Union membership has, in fact, fallen over the past 10 years, as the labour movement hit its lowest point under the incompetent leadership of these class collaborators. They are widely despised by the youth.

Once the potential power of the working class is channelled into a mass strike, the revolution will enter a new, higher phase / Image: Mori505, Wikimedia Commons

On the other hand, the cumbersome structures of the trade unions are hardly adequate for the political expression of a revolution that is unfolding very rapidly, which requires a much more agile, flexible, and responsive structure. Even the best of the trade unions will not be adequate, as evidenced by the paralysis of even the most left-wing unions in Indonesia. None of them have called for strikes.

At present, the movement is being organised spontaneously through social media channels and groups in neighbourhoods, schools, universities, etc. These informal structures would need to be strengthened into action committees, into democratic organs of struggle that can deepen and focus their energy toward the realisation of their slogan: dissolving the parliament and overthrowing the regime. These action committees could also serve as the embryo of organs of power.

The youth is currently the most organised layer of this revolution. They must build a bridge to the working class by visiting factories, industrial complexes, workplaces, and workers neighbourhoods to disseminate the call for workers action committees and to explain the necessity of strikes. Once the potential power of the working class is channelled into a mass strike, the revolution will enter a new, higher phase.

The steps forward

A revolution cannot stand still. Its inherent law dictates that it must either move forward toward victory or roll back  often with very dire consequences. This revolution cannot be completed until it does away with capitalism, or else it would suffer the same fate as the 1998 revolution. At the core of the peoples anger is the crisis of capitalism, the burden of which has been placed on the backs of the masses. Its final goal can only be the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and the socialist transformation of society.

To bring the revolution closer to this goal, we call on the working people and the youth:

Our most powerful weapon is the working class itself, who alone drive the economy and create societys wealth / Image: Nafisathallah, Wikimedia Commons

Dissolve the Parliament and oust Prabowo! This so-called democratic institution and the presidency have never reflected the will of the working people and the poor. Instead, they are the source of all our misery. They must be done away with.

To replace these rotten institutions, form a revolutionary government of the working class and the poor! This will be a government like none before, one that will serve the interests of workers, peasants, the urban poor and the youth. It will exercise workers democracy, and not the sham democracy of the rich.

Immediately form action committees as the democratic organs of the peoples struggle. Establish them on campuses, in schools, workers neighbourhoods, factories, motorcycle taxi bases, coffee shops, and elsewhere. These action committees will deepen, extend and direct this revolutionary conflagration toward the overthrow of the regime. They will serve as the embryo of workers power, the foundation of the revolutionary government of the working class and the poor.

The reason the ruling class remains powerful is because their control over the economy and their wealth remain largely untouched. Our most powerful weapon is the working class itself, who alone drive the economy and create societys wealth. Therefore, through action committees, we must mobilise for a general strike! This will deal a significant blow to the regime and bring us closer to victory.

Whatever the fate of this revolution, which will be determined by a real living struggle in the streets and factories, it is a watershed moment, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Long live the Indonesian revolution!

Dissolve the Parliament!

Down with Prabowo!

Form a government of the working class and the poor!

Form action committees as democratic organs of struggle of the working people and youth!

Launch a national strike! Stop the wheels of production!
In Benin, the ruling coalition has officially chosen on August 31, Romuald Wadagni, the Minister of Finance and Cooperation, as its candidate for the 2026 presidential election scheduled for 12 April.

His selection by the Progressive Union for Democratic Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR) confirms that President Patrice Talon will not seek a third term. Wadagni, 49, a Harvard and Grenoble graduate, has been at the centre of Benins economic reforms since 2016 and is widely regarded as a trusted technocrat close to the president. His candidacy is presented as a generational renewal, with his near-decade of loyalty and reform record making him a natural successor.

The opposition party, Les Democrates, remains the main challenger but has yet to declare its candidate. The ruling coalition leaders, including Abdoulaye Bio Tchane and Joseph Djogbenou, describe Wadagni as competent and credible, tasked with carrying forward Talons reformist legacy.

While his economic policies have drawn criticism for being not very social, his international recognition and political tact have strengthened his profile. The choice of his running mate is expected within 48 hours, while the electoral commission has set 1014 October for candidate registration. This nomination also reaffirms Talons pledge to respect constitutional limits and preserve Benins democratic tradition.
Angolas agricultural development plan highlights an urgent requirement for roughly 2,000 mid-level technicians to support the fisheries sector by 2035. This projection forms part of the nations broader strategy to strengthen its human capital in line with its Blue Economy ambitions, aiming to drive sustainable growth, ensure food security, and bolster export potential.

To meet this need, the government is expected to scale up training programmes, nurture vocational pathways, and reinforce institutional partnerships that bridge academia, public agencies, and industry stakeholders. Such capacity building will be essential to professionalise operations across coastal and aquaculture systems, modernise governance frameworks, and enable Angola to reliably harness its marine and inland water resources.
Sixteen people have been killed in a head-on crash involving a police van and a Namibian Correctional Service bus near Mariental, about 270 kilometres south of Windhoek over the weekend.

The victims include 14 security officers and two civilians, with the death toll rising after two officers succumbed to their injuries in hospital. In total, 19 people were travelling in the two vehicles. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed her condolences, honouring the souls of our fallen officers and acknowledging the profound national loss.

Home Affairs Minister Lucia Iipumbu also extended sympathy to the bereaved families and thanked first responders and medical teams, while appealing to the public to refrain from circulating graphic images of the accident. Namibias Motor Vehicle Accident Fund has pledged support for affected families, including assistance with burials, healthcare, and rehabilitation. The tragedy once again highlights Namibias high road fatality rate, which stands among the worlds highest despite its small population.
The Ghanaian Government has reinforced security in the Savannah Region with additional police and military personnel following violent clashes between the Brifo and Gonja ethnic groups over a land dispute.

The week-long unrest has claimed nearly 20 lives, left hundreds injured, and displaced more than 1,000 people. Farms, markets, and businesses have been destroyed or abandoned, leaving communities deserted and severely disrupting livelihoods and the local economy.

According to a government statement released on Sunday, the Minister for the Interior is leading a high-level delegation to engage traditional and opinion leaders on measures to end the conflict. President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to both parties to support peace efforts and cooperate with authorities to restore calm and normalcy in the affected areas.
Seven civilians were killed and 71 others injured after artillery shelling by Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday, August 31, according to local doctors.

The Sudanese Doctors Network condemned the assault as a massacre, warning that the situation in the city constitutes an integrated genocide marked by bombardment, siege, and deliberate starvation of residents. The group urged urgent international intervention and the opening of safe humanitarian corridors.

The attack follows Thursdays shelling, which killed 24 people and wounded 55 in a marketplace and residential neighborhoods. El-Fasher, the hub for humanitarian operations in Darfur, has been under RSF siege since May 2024, despite repeated international warnings. The war between the Sudanese army and RSF, ongoing since April 2023, has officially claimed more than 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, though independent research suggests the death toll could be as high as 130,000.
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Depression alters how people pursue rewards, but, conversely, whether depressive symptoms influence how people learn to avoid nonrewarding, unpleasant events is less clear.

Ryan Tomm and colleagues, from the University of British Columbia, addressed this question in their eNeuro paper to shed more light on the relationship between depression and learning. This work brought together researchers from preclinical, cognitive, and clinical backgrounds, building stronger connections across fields to better understand the mechanisms of depression.

The researchers developed a behavioral task for study volunteers based off rodent research that involves participants listening to sounds while looking at a screen with visual cues signaling sounds to come. Participants learned to avoid unpleasant sounds either by actively responding or withholding responses to cues.

From a sample of 465 participants with a wide range of depressive symptoms from low to severe, the researchers found that people with more severe symptoms struggled to learn to actively avoid aversive sounds compared to those with less severe symptoms. However, once they did learn the task, their ability to actively avoid unpleasant sounds matched those with less symptoms.

Thus, according to the authors, depressive symptoms may interfere specifically with learning to actively avoid unpleasant events, rather than with avoidance more broadly.

"What we still don't know," says Tomm, "is how depressive symptoms affect avoidance when people continue to learn after being proficient at an avoidance task, or in more complex situations where the best way to avoid something is unclear. As we actively explore these questions, we hope our work will provide a deeper understanding of how depression shapes avoidance behavior across different contexts."

More information Depression Levels Are Associated with Reduced Capacity to Learn to Actively Avoid Aversive Events in Young Adults, eNeuro (2025). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0034-25.2025 Journal information: eNeuro
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Researchers at the University of Southampton examining worldwide variations in funding for cancer research say there's a pressing need to invest more in lower income countries.

They also reveal research into certain treatments that urgently need more money, in particular surgery and radiotherapy, and that overall annual research investment has largely decreased, globally, since 2016.

The team's study, due for publication in the journal The Lancet Oncology, shows most research income is concentrated in higher income countries, leaving others struggling to keep pace with the demands the disease places on their health systems. The rate of increase in many types of cancer is highest in lower-income settings.

Lead author Dr. Michael Head, of the University of Southampton, explains, "Globally cancer is responsible for one in five deaths. Inequalities in investment across nations, and low research funding for certain treatments, can lead to an imbalance in the cancers we can tackle and the areas of the world benefiting. It's crucial we understand how and where money is allocated."

The researchers combined and examined two separate datasets recording public and philanthropic funding (from 20162020 and 20212023). They used machine learning, large language models and expert scrutiny to analyze the allocation and distribution of grants. As well as a global picture, the team examined the funding situation across the 56 Commonwealth countries.

The team identified overall that 107,955 cancer research awards were made globally during the study period, to the tune of 51.4bn US dollars. Of this total funding, the U.S. provided the highest investment at $29.3bn (57%).

Collectively, the Commonwealth contributed $8.7bn (17%), with the UK the lead contributor at $5.7bn (11%), followed by Australia at $1.5bn (2.9%) and Canada at $1.3bn (2.6%). Largely, this funding was invested back into these leading nations and less so towards lower-income countries.

Globally, low-income countries received a tiny proportion of cancer research awards totaling just $8.4m, which equates to less than 0.1% of money awarded during the study period. The researchers point to this as a problem as these countries carry a heavy cancer burden and inequalities restrict the ability for all to benefit from cancer knowledge.

Anbang Du, another lead author from the University of Southampton, cautions, "Unless we scale up targeted investments and build local research capacity, the inequalities will continue to persistif the US reduces its funding, that gap will widen even further. It is crucial for nation groups like the Commonwealth to coordinate effort to mobilize funding, build sustained partnerships and strengthen training and infrastructure so that advances in cancer science benefit everyone, everywhere."

Of funding worldwide, 76% was for pre-clinical (laboratory science) research, with breast cancer (10%), blood cancer (nine percent) and clinical trials (seven percent)all well-funded.

However, cancer surgery and radiotherapy research were found to be particularly underfunded at 1.7% and 3.1% respectively. Both these treatments are integral to a wide spectrum of cancer care, causing the researchers to urge a strong case for increased funding in these areas.

Apart from a sharp increase in 2021, global cancer research investment has decreased annually, with the Commonwealth following this trend. Investment from five BRICS countries, including Russia, India and China, rose until 2018, but has since declined. However, EU investment has increased since 2021.

The University of Southampton (UK) led study was conducted in collaboration with Queen's University Belfast (UK), Harvard University (U.S.), Imperial College (UK) and University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana).

More information Public and philanthropic research funding, publications and research networks for cancer in the Commonwealth and globally in 2016-2023: comparative analysis, The Lancet Oncology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(25)00338-9 Journal information: Lancet Oncology
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Although metformin is the most widely prescribed diabetes drug in the world, its mechanism of action is still not clear. Kobe University endocrinologist Ogawa Wataru has now made significant progress, finding that it changes blood metal levels in humans. Credit: Kobe University

The widely used diabetes drug metformin changes blood metal levels in humans. The Kobe University study is an important step in understanding the drug's many actions and designing better ones in the future.

Metformin is the most widely prescribed diabetes drug in the world. Apart from lowering blood sugar levels, it is also known to have a broad range of beneficial side effects such as against tumors, inflammation and atherosclerosis. However, although it has been used for more than 60 years now, its mechanism of action is still not clear, hampering the development of even better drugs against these conditions.

Kobe University endocrinologist Ogawa Wataru says, "It is known that diabetes patients experience changes in the blood levels of metals such as copper, iron and zinc.

"In addition, chemical studies found that metformin has the ability to bind certain metals, such as copper, and recent studies showed that it is this binding ability that might be responsible for some of the drug's beneficial effects. So, we wanted to know whether metformin actually affects blood metal levels in humans, which had not been clarified."

To do so, Ogawa and his team enlisted about 200 diabetes patients at Kobe University Hospital, half of whom took metformin and half of whom did not, in a study to analyze their blood serum levels for those metals and various metal deficiency indicators.

In the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, the Kobe University team has published the first clinical evidence of altered blood metal levels in patients taking metformin. They showed that drug-taking patients have significantly lower copper and iron levels and heightened zinc levels.

Ogawa says, "It is significant that we could show this in humans. Furthermore, since decreases in copper and iron concentrations and an increase in zinc concentration are all considered to be associated with improved glucose tolerance and prevention of complications, these changes may indeed be related to metformin's action."

Recently, Japan has approved the use of imeglimin, a new diabetes drug that is a derivative of metformin but that should not be able to bind metals the same way as its parent.

"Imeglimin is thought to have a different method of action, and we are already conducting studies to compare the effects the two drugs have," says Ogawa.

It is not just about understanding the current drugs, however. Ogawa explains the bigger picture, saying, "We need both clinical trials and animal experiments to pinpoint the causal relationship between the drug's action and its effects. If such studies progress further, they may lead to the development of new drugs for diabetes and its complications by properly adjusting the metal concentrations in the body."

More information Association of metformin treatment with changes in metal dynamics in individuals with type 2 diabetes, BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2025-005255

Key medical concepts Metformin Diabetes Glucose tolerance
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Graphical Abstract. Credit: European Heart JournalQuality of Care and Clinical Outcomes (2025). DOI: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaf087

A Win Ratio analysis confirmed the primary result of the NOAHAFNET 6 trial and did not find an advantage of anticoagulation with edoxaban over no anticoagulation in patients with device-detected atrial fibrillation. Clinical decisions should therefore be guided by individual factors. The findings were presented by Dr. Nina Becher, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany, in a hotline session at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Madrid.

The paper is published in the journal European Heart JournalQuality of Care and Clinical Outcomes.

Patients with device-detected atrial fibrillation (DDAF) have a lower risk of stroke than patients with ECG-diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) and comparable stroke risk factors. Which of the patients with DDAF need anticoagulation for stroke prevention is still an open question.

The primary analysis of NOAHAFNET 6 (Non vitamin K antagonist Oral anticoagulants in patients with Atrial High-rate episodes), an investigator-initiated trial conducted by the AFNET, revealed: In patients with DDAF, anticoagulation slightly reduces the relatively low risk of stroke but also increases the risk of major bleeding. The trial was terminated early due to the expected increase in bleeding events in patients with DDAF while the stroke preventing effect was smaller than expected. The weak effects of anticoagulation were also found in several subgroups.

Dr. Becher explained: "Some of the events summarized in the combined study endpoint of NOAHAFNET 6 have a higher impact on patients lives than others. Death is more severe than bleeding. Therefore we performed a win ratio analysis. This statistical method prioritizes events in a hierarchical order based on their clinical importance and thereby provides a nuanced assessment of the benefit of oral anticoagulation in patients with DDAF and stroke risk factors."

The win ratio analysis included a total of 2,534 patients who participated in the NOAHAFNET 6 trial. The components of the primary composite were used in the following hierarchical order: overall death, stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism, and major bleeding. In addition, win odds were also calculated as a measure that accounts for the number of undecided comparisons between anticoagulant and placebo.

Dr. Becher explained, "Sensitivity analysis also included different hierarchical orders, e.g. cardiovascular death replacing overall death, and added additional outcomes, e.g. quality of life."

There are two main observations: Most patients with DDAF did not experience events throughout the follow-up. After integration of death, thrombotic events, and major bleeds with or without quality of life as an additional outcome, this analysis did not find an advantage of anticoagulation with edoxaban over no anticoagulation in patients with DDAF. Anticoagulation decisions must balance stroke prevention and increased risk of bleeding in patients with DDAF.

AFNET board chair Prof. Paulus Kirchhof, UKE, principal investigator of NOAHAFNET 6, concluded, "The present analysis suggests that a treatment strategy consisting of no anticoagulation and an ECG every six months is acceptable in most patients with DDAF. Individual treatment decisions should include patient preferences. Further analyses may help to better define subpopulations of patients with DDAF in whom anticoagulation therapy is sufficiently effective to justify the increase in bleeding."

More information Paulus Kirchhof et al, Effects of anticoagulation in patients with device-detected atrial fibrillation and multiple stroke risk factors: A Win Ratio analysis of the NOAH-AFNET 6 trial, European Heart JournalQuality of Care and Clinical Outcomes (2025). DOI: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaf087

Provided by Kompetenznetz Vorhofflimmern e.V. (AFNET)
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The Trump administration's cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of a state, according to a KFF Health News analysis. Democratic-led states and select blue-leaning cities fought back in court and saw money for public health efforts restoredwhile GOP-led states sustained big losses.

The Department of Health and Human Services in late March canceled nearly 700 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants nationwidetogether worth about $11 billion. Awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic, they supported efforts to vaccinate people, reduce health disparities among demographic groups, upgrade antiquated systems for detecting infectious disease outbreaks, and hire community health workers.

Initially, grant cancellations hit blue and red states roughly evenly. Four of the five jurisdictions with the largest number of terminated grants were led by Democrats: California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, and Massachusetts.

But after attorneys general and governors from about two dozen blue states sued in federal court and won an injunction, the balance flipped. Of the five states with the most canceled grants, four are led by Republicans: Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Ohio.

In blue states, nearly 80% of the CDC grant cuts have been restored, compared with fewer than 5% in red states, according to the KFF Health News analysis. Grant amounts reported in an HHS database known as the Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System, or TAGGS, often don't match what states confirmed. Instead, this analysis focused on the number of grants.

The divide is an example of the polarization that permeates health care issues, in which access to safety-net health programs, abortion rights, and the ability of public health officials to respond to disease threats diverge significantly depending on the political party in power.

In an emailed statement, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the agency "is committed to protecting the health of every American, regardless of politics or geography. These funds were provided in response to the COVID pandemic, which is long over. We will continue working with states to strengthen public health infrastructure and ensure communities have the tools they need to respond to outbreaks and keep people safe."

The money in question wasn't spent solely on COVID-related activities, public health experts say; it was also used to bolster public health infrastructure and help contain many types of viruses and diseases, including the flu, measles, and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus.

"It really supported infrastructure across the board, particularly in how states respond to public health threats," said Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

The Trump cutbacks came as the U.S. recorded its largest measles outbreak in over three decades and 266 pediatric deaths during the most recent flu seasonthe highest reported outside of a pandemic since 2004. Public health departments canceled vaccine clinics, laid off staff, and put contracts on hold, health officials said in interviews.

After its funding cuts were blocked in court, California retained every grant the Trump administration attempted to claw back, while Texas remains the state with the most grants terminated, with at least 30. As the CDC slashed grants in Texas, its measles outbreak spread across the U.S. and Mexico, sickening at least 4,500 people and killing at least 16.

Colorado, which joined the lawsuit, had 11 grant terminations at first, but then 10 were retained. Meanwhile, its neighboring states that didn't sueWyoming, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahomacollectively lost 55 grants, with none retained.

In Jackson, Ohio, a half-dozen community health workers came to work one day in March to find the Trump administration had canceled their grant five months early, leaving the Jackson County Health Department half a million dollars shortand them without jobs.

"I had to lay off three employees in a single day, and I haven't had to do that before. We don't have those people doing outreach in Jackson County anymore," Health Commissioner Kevin Aston said.

At one point, he said, the funding helped 11 Appalachian Ohio counties. Now it supports one.

Marsha Radabaugh, one employee who was reassigned, has scaled back her community health efforts: She'd been helping serve hot meals to homeless people and realized that many clients couldn't read or write, so she brought forms for services such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to their encampment in a local park and helped fill them out.

"We would find them rehab places. We'd get out hygiene kits, blankets, tents, zero-degree sleeping bags, things like that," she said. As a counselor, she'd also remind people "that they're cared for, that they're worthy of being a humanbecause, a lot of the time, they're not treated that way."

Sasha Johnson, who led the community health worker program, said people like Radabaugh "were basically a walking human 411," offering aid to those in need.

Radabaugh also partnered with a food bank to deliver meals to homebound residents.

Aston said the abrupt way they lost the fundswhich meant the county unexpectedly had to pay unemployment for more peoplecould have ruined the health district financially. Canceling funding midcycle, he said, "was really scary."

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist and promoter of vaccine misinformation, has called the CDC a "cesspool of corruption." At HHS, he has taken steps to undermine vaccination in the U.S. and abroad.

Federal CDC funding accounts for more than half of state and local health department budgets, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. States that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election received a higher share of the $15 billion the cCDC allocated in fiscal 2023 than those that Democrat Kamala Harris won, according to KFF.

The Trump administration's nationwide CDC grant terminations reflect this. More than half were in states that Trump won in 2024, totaling at least 370 terminations before the court action, according to KFF Health News' analysis.

The Columbus, Ohio, health department had received $6.2 million in CDC grants, but roughly half of it$3 milliondisappeared with the Trump cuts. The city laid off 11 people who worked on investigating infectious disease outbreaks in such places as schools and nursing homes, Columbus Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts said.

She also said the city had planned to buy a new electronic health record system for easier access to patients' hospital recordswhich could improve disease detection and provide better treatment for those infectedbut that was put on ice.

"We've never had a grant midcycle just get pulled from us for no reason," Roberts said. "This sense of uncertainty is stressful."

Columbus did not receive its money directly from the CDC. Rather, the state gave the city some funds it received from the federal government. Ohio, led by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and a Republican attorney general, did not sue to block the funding cuts.

Columbus sued the federal government in April to keep its money, along with other Democratic-led municipalities in Republican-governed states: Harris County, Texas, home to Houston; the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County in Tennessee; and Kansas City, Missouri. A federal judge in June blocked those cuts.

As of mid-August, Columbus was awaiting the funds. Roberts said the city won't rehire staff because the federal funding was expected to end in December.

Joe Grogan, a senior scholar at the University of Southern California's Schaeffer Institute and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council in Trump's first term, said state and local agencies "are not entitled" to the federal money, which was awarded "to deal with an emergency" that has ended.

"We were throwing money out the door the last five years," Grogan said of the federal government. "I don't understand why there would ever be a controversy in unspent COVID money coming back."

Ken Gordon, Ohio Department of Health spokesperson, wrote in an email that the $250 million in grants lost had helped with, among other things, upgrading the disease reporting system and boosting public health laboratory testing.

Some of the canceled HHS funding wasn't slated to end for years, including four grants to strengthen public health in Indian Country, a grant to a Minnesota nonprofit focused on reducing substance use disorders, and a few to universities about occupational safety, HIV, tuberculosis, and more.

Brent Ewig, chief policy and government relations officer for the Association of Immunization Managers, said the cuts were "the predictable result of 'boom, bust, panic, neglect' funding" for public health.

The association represents 64 state, local, and territorial immunization programs, which Ewig said will be less prepared to respond to disease outbreaks, including measles.

"The system is blinking red," Ewig said.

Methodology

KFF Health News' analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants sought to answer four questions:



How many grants have been terminated in the U.S. under the Trump administration since March? Which states saw the most grants cut? What were the grants for? Did the grant terminations affect blue, red, and purple states differently? This follows a similar analysis by KFF Health News for an article on nationwide NIH grant terminations.

Our primary data source was a Department of Health and Human Services website showing grant terminations. We compared an initial list of grant terminations from April 3 with one from July 11 to determine how many grants had been restored. The USAspending.gov database helped us track grants by state.

To classify states politically, we followed the same steps from our April coverage of National Institutes of Health grant terminations. States were "blue" if Democrats had complete control of the state government or if the majority of voters favored Democratic presidential candidates in the last three elections (2016, 2020, 2024).

"Red" states were classified similarly with respect to the Republican Party. "Purple" states had politically split state governments and/or were generally considered to be presidential election battleground states. The result was 25 red states, 17 blue states, and eight purple states. The District of Columbia was classified as blue using similar methods.

This analysis does not account for potential grant reinstatements in local jurisdictions where the funds were awarded indirectly rather than directly from the CDC; it accounts only for the recipients' location, and excludes grants terminated from Compacts of Free Association states and other foreign entities that received grants directly from the CDC.

At least 40 CDC grants were terminated that were meant for global health efforts or assisting public health activities in other nations following the Trump administration's order for the CDC to withdraw support for the World Health Organization.

2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Dr. Rana Alissa hears it daily in the clinic.

"It's better for my kid to get the virus than get the vaccine."

"The more you [doctors] vaccinate, the more money you get."

"I did not vaccinate any of my kids, and I'm not going to vaccinate this one. So, please, don't waste your time."

The Jacksonville, Florida, pediatrician said, on average, she'd hear vaccine skepticism from a couple of parents a month, at most, before the COVID-19 pandemic. "Now, it's every day," said Alissa, who is also president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Medical experts say hesitancy is likely to increase further as a result of misinformation pouring from the Trump administrationand turmoil at the federal agency largely responsible for setting vaccine policy.

On August 28, three top officials were escorted out of the Atlanta headquarters of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All three officials resigned to protest the effort by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to dismiss CDC Director Susan Monarez for pushing back against Kennedy's vaccine policies.

One of the officials, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, posted on X that he's resigning because "the intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines" will cause the nation to suffer.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration restricted access to updated COVID-19 shots. The new rules include limitations for young children that the American Academy of Pediatrics called "deeply troubling."

The FDA only approved COVID-19 vaccines for people who are 65 and older and those who are known to be at risk of a severe case. Consultation with a medical provider will be required before the shot is given to healthy children under 18, meaning parents can't simply take their kids to a vaccination clinic or pharmacy.

In June, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee at the CDC, replacing them with some members who are vaccine skeptics. Many states use the committee's recommendations to develop their vaccine requirements. And in May, Kennedy rescinded recommendations for kids to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

In his books, experts say, Kennedy appears to promote his own version of miasma theory, an obsolete belief dating back to ancient times that diseases are caused by vapors from rotting organic matter. Scientists have since proven that microbes, not bad air, cause infectious diseases.

Experts say Kennedy's actions are likely to make vaccination rates worse, paving the way for more outbreaks.

"Every vaccine that we give prevents a serious and life-threatening disease," New York pediatrician Dr. Jesse Hackell, chair of the Committee on Pediatric Workforce at the American Academy of Pediatrics, told Stateline.

"I don't want to force anybody, but I do want to make sure that the information they're getting is quality informationand that's not what is coming from HHS."

Nonmedical exemptions

Every state requires kids to get certain shots to attend school. All states exempt children who can't be immunized for medical reasons, but nonmedical exemptions for religious or personal reasons vary from state to state.

Vaccination rates among kids are declining. Flu vaccinations, for example, hit their lowest rate since 2019. And since the beginning of the pandemic, exemption requests have increased across the country.

Among kindergartners, nonmedical exemptions have increased each year since 2020, from 1.9% in the first year of the pandemic to 3.4% in the 202425 school year, according to the latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exemptions increased in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Seventeen states reported exemption rates over 5%.

The changes may seem small. But experts say even slight increases in exemptions and decreases in vaccinations make a big difference.

"With a disease that's as infectious as measles  small increases in vaccination rates could really go a long way," epidemiologist Sophia Newcomer, a University of Montana associate professor, said in a recent panel discussion hosted by Montana Families for Vaccines.

Alissa and other experts say rampant confusion around the shots, including federal officials casting doubt, is exacerbating the problem. Often, parents aren't sure whom they can trust, finding conflicting information and unreliable sources, she said.

"[Parents] come to our clinic and the hospitals and they say, 'We looked it up, and we just don't want it,'" she said. "There's different kinds of reasoning: the ingredients of the vaccine, the side effects of the vaccine, 'vaccines don't work.'"

But research consistently shows vaccines protect children from serious illness. Shots also protect the most vulnerable who can't get vaccinated, such as babies who are too young, or children and adults who are immunocompromised. Babies up to age 2 are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, making up the most hospitalizations among kids.

Ultimately, Alissa said, "We are endangering each other."

In Florida, where Alissa practices, religious exemptions have increased monthly, according to a state report that tracked the numbers through April. Some counties have higher rates of children with religious exemptions than others, ranging from about 1.5% to 15%, the state department of health reported.

Among kindergartners in the state, the rate of nonmedical exemptions rose from 2.7% in the 202021 school year to 4.8% in the 202425 school year, CDC data shows.

Five statesCalifornia, Connecticut, Maine, New York and West Virginiadon't allow nonmedical exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two West Virginia families with immunocompromised kids brought lawsuits over Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey's January executive order mandating religious exemptions despite state law.

Kennedy defended religious exemptions and endorsed the governor's order in a post on X. His agency also sent letters to West Virginia health departments warning of civil rights violations if they don't allow such exemptions.

"There's a ton of variability across states in how easy it is to not get vaccinated," Newcomer, of the University of Montana, said. Some states require parental vaccine education as part of the exemption request while others don't.

"Increased exemptions need to be fought at every levelworking to make sure there's access, to make sure that there's good information, and to make sure that there's strong policy at the state level, so that people aren't exploiting exemption loopholes," Northe Saunders, American Families for Vaccines president, said during the panel discussion.

Other vaccines

Doctors are worried that other vaccines will be targeted by the Trump administration, such as those for whooping cough. By April, preliminary CDC data showed more than 9,000 cases this year, about twice as many compared with the same time last year and more than there were right before the pandemic. Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be deadly for babies. Vaccines help prevent severe whooping cough illness.

Hackell said that when he was training in the 1970s, there were no pneumococcal and hemophilus vaccines. Babies would come in with 104-degree fevers and they were immediately tested for the infections, he recalled. For babies under age 2, those bacterial infections can show up as only a high fever, but the infection can rapidly turn fatal without treatment, he told Stateline.

"When I trained, we didn't have these vaccines, and these kids kept us up at night," Hackell said. "I never wanted to practice in those days. I never want to go back to that.  To me, that is unacceptable to submit my patients to those risks that we've been able to reduce."

Recently, the FDA removed one of the available COVID-19 vaccines for young children, limiting the Spikevax vaccine to only kids with at least one serious health issue. Moderna's shot is still available for children 6 months and older. Pfizer's shot is no longer available for kids under 5, as the FDA is ending its emergency use authorization for the age group.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 shots for children 6 months to 2 years. It also recommends them for older children with underlying health issues. Healthy children whose parents want them to get the shot should also be offered them, the AAP says.

Hackell is concerned by the FDA's new limitations on the shot.

"As a parent, as a grandparent and as a physician who takes care of vulnerable kids, it disgusts me," Hackell said.

He's also concerned about vulnerable kids who get their shots through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, which covers shots if parents can't afford them and follows federal vaccine advisory recommendations.

"If you're covered by VFC, which is basically kids on Medicaid and a few other populations, then you're out of luck," Hackell said. "To me, that's a huge inequity in access to care, which is indefensible."

He added that the move breaks with the administration's emphasis on individual decision-making, saying the new restrictions limit parental decisions.

'Normalization' of outbreaks

During the Montana panel discussion, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pointed to CDC data showing that over the past year alone, about one in five children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 were put in the ICU. And between September 2023 and last August, 152 children died of COVID-19 and 213 children died of the flu.

While Texas officially declared its measles outbreak overwhich means the state hasn't reported a new case in six weeksneighboring New Mexico continues to see new cases.

"What we're going to see is, you know, sadly, a normalization of these outbreaks," said Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at The Immunization Partnership, a Texas-based vaccine education organization.

"We need to make sure that kids are protected against the diseases that they can be protected against, because we truly are in a vulnerable state right now."

Newcomer, the Montana epidemiologist, said that under-vaccination trends are usually due to disparities in access, such as challenges in reaching vaccine providers in rural communities. At rural health care centers lacking staff and technology, it's harder to automate vaccination reminders for patientswhich can increase the likelihood patients show up for appointments but require technical infrastructure, she explained.

Adding misinformation to the mix only makes matters worse, experts say.

"Parents are confused and understandably concerned," Offit told Stateline. "It's the most vulnerable among us that will suffer, and that will be our children."

He added that he's also wary about the federal administration's removal of data, concerned that vaccination figures will be next.

"It's nightmarish," he said. "What worries me the most is we're not going to know the degree that we're suffering. We're not, because the CDC is losing its capacity to do adequate surveillance across the country."

Key medical concepts Measles Whooping Cough

2025 States Newsroom. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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A week of fast-moving developments has left some with questions about access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

While experts and officials say the new federal guidance surrounding COVID vaccine authorization could make it more difficult for many people to be inoculated, there are still unresolved questions and wrinkles yet to emerge.

But here is what we know:

Can I get a COVID vaccine now?

It may be a few days before updated 2025-26 COVID vaccines are available in some locations.

Now that the shots have been approved for the upcoming season, retail pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS said they would soon be prepared to offer the vaccines where available.

But at those pharmacies, getting the vaccine may not be a straightforward process for everyone.

Wait, why is this suddenly so complicated?

In recent years, the federal government's recommendation for COVID vaccines was simple: Everyone aged 6 months and up should get an updated shot in the fall.

This year, however, under the leadership of the vaccine skeptic Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration only "approved" the updated vaccines for people aged 65 and up, as well as younger people with at least one health condition that puts them at high risk of severe COVID should they get infected.

That means, for the first time ever, it's possible that younger, healthier people will need to consult with a health care provider to get an updated COVID vaccine.

So how hard might it be for a younger, healthy person to get the vaccine?

It might depend on what state you live in. Whether your state considers pharmacists "health care providers"and how much latitude those pharmacists have to authorize the shots "off-label"are key.

CVS, for instance, said it can offer FDA-authorized vaccinations in the following states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

But the retail pharmacy chain is unable to offer vaccines right now in Massachusetts, Nevada and New Mexico. And in the remaining statesArizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.,those seeking COVID-19 vaccines will, depending on their age, have to present an authorized prescription.

The states in these categories could change at any time, CVS said.

CVS is asking people to "attest to their eligibility during the appointment scheduling process" or at the pharmacy or MinuteClinic when people fill out their health screening forms.

Walgreens said that, "in accordance with FDA approval and state requirements, we will offer the vaccine to all adults aged 65 years and older, as well as to individuals under 65 who are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, as determined by the CDC."

CVS and Walgreens have identified a wide array of conditions that they say may put people at higher risk for severe COVID-19including diabetes, heart disease, being overweight or obese, being a past or current smoker, being pregnant, having a substance use disorder, having a mental health condition (including depression), being physically inactive, and having high blood pressure, as well as "other conditions."

So what happens if I try to schedule an appointment?

A Times reporter who tried to schedule an appointment at CVS for a hypothetical senior Friday night was able to find openings in California in early September.

Trying to schedule an appointment for a hypothetical 45-year-old was also straightforward after responding "yes" to the question, "Do you have a condition that puts you at high risk for severe outcomes from the COVID-19 virus?"

But when the reporter responded "no" to that same question, CVS said that, "based on what you told us," the person "isn't eligible for a COVID-19 ... vaccine right now." CVS, however, noted that this individual could still contact a primary care provider "to help with next steps."

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at Walgreens, a person likewise needs to attest that they have "a health condition and/or risk factors" to proceed. Walgreens also had appointments available in California for early September.

So what does this mean for healthy, younger people?

Younger people who do not say they have an underlying health condition may need to find a venue outside of a pharmacylike a doctor's officeto get vaccinated.

What's the federal government's rationale behind this change?

Kennedy, who has a history of disparaging vaccines, has said he wants more studies on the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a post on X, Kennedy said the guidance would "keep vaccines available to people who want them, especially the vulnerable," while demanding additional research.

"The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense," he wrote. "This framework delivers all three."

Other health experts have said seeking additional testing for COVID vaccines is unnecessary, given the extensive testing done before they were first distributed, and their track record since.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, said that requiring people to speak with a health care provider before getting a COVID-19 vaccine is "completely wrong" and a "barrier," and he expects it will make it harder for those who don't have a regular health care provider to get vaccinated.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America on Wednesday said the new federal guidance "completely contradicts the evidence base, severely undermines trust in science-driven policy and dangerously limits vaccine access, removing millions of Americans' choice to be protected and increasing the risk of severe outcomes from COVID."

The group said it is working with other medical societies to finalize their own updated guidelines for COVID vaccination for adults this fall and winter.

How are large health systems like Kaiser handling this?

Kaiser Permanente was still reviewing the details of the FDA's approval as of Friday. Kaiser is also still waiting for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make its own official recommendation, which isn't expected to happen until the latter half of September.

"We will also review the CDC's clinical guidance when it is released and evaluate other sources of clinical recommendations, including relevant medical societies, to ensure safe and effective administration of the COVID vaccine," Kaiser spokesperson Terry Kanakri said in a statement.

"Vaccination continues to be one of the safest and most effective ways to protect against illness and reduce the severity of illness from COVID."

Kaiser, Kanakri added, "is committed to making the 202526 COVID vaccine available at no cost to children and adults for protection from severe illness from COVID."

How are state and local health officials reacting?

California health officials and some medical organizations criticized the new COVID-19 vaccine policy.

"Doctors and patients need clear science-based vaccine recommendations. Unfortunately, changes in federal immunization policy have created uncertainty about who should take certain vaccines, and on what schedule they should be administered," the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.

In another change, the CDC earlier this year asked that parents talk with a health care provider before getting the COVID vaccine for healthy children.

The CDC also recently offered "no guidance" as to whether healthy pregnant women should get the COVID vaccine.

In response, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that people "receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine or 'booster' at any point during pregnancy, when planning to become pregnant, in the postpartum period, or when lactating."

"Vaccination during pregnancy can help protect infants against requiring hospitalization," the group said.

And the American Academy of Pediatrics on Aug. 19 recommended that infants and children aged 6 months to 23 months get the updated COVID vaccine, since they "are at high risk" of severe illness should they get COVID. The group also said children aged 2 through 18 should be offered a COVID-19 vaccination if their parent or guardian wants them to get inoculated.

The California and Los Angeles County departments of public health endorsed both recommendations from the obstetrician-gynecologist and pediatrician medical groups.

"We understand that this transition period has caused uncertainty for many and encourage everyone to take simple precautions, like staying home when sick and improving indoor ventilation, to help limit the spread of COVID-19," the L.A. County Department of Public Health said.

Key medical concepts Diabetes Pregnancy

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: AI-generated image

Drug-coated stents and balloons were not associated with reduced risk of amputation or improved quality of life compared with uncoated devices in two trials in peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

Explaining the rationale for the trials, principal co-investigator, Professor Joakim Nordanstig from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said, "Drug-coated balloons and stents have been shown to reduce restenosis and the need for reinterventions in the endovascular treatment of PAD. However, there are uncertainties regarding whether drug-coated devices improve outcomes that are meaningful to patients, quality of life and reducing amputations, and there are some concerns over safety.

"We investigated these and other endpoints in two trials in PADone in chronic limb-threatening ischemia and one in intermittent claudicationcomparing drug-coated and uncoated devices."

SWEDEPAD 1 and 2 were pragmatic, participant-blinded, registry-based randomized trials conducted at 22 sites in Sweden.

In SWEDEPAD 1, 2,355 patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (Rutherford stage 46) undergoing infra-inguinal endovascular treatment were randomized 1:1 to drug-coated or uncoated balloons or stents. In nearly all of the drug-coated devices implanted, the drug delivered was paclitaxel (>99%). There was no significant difference in the primary endpoint of time to ipsilateral above-ankle amputation with drug-coated vs. uncoated devices (hazard ratio [HR] 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87 to 1.27) over five years of follow-up.

Target vessel reinterventions were reduced in the drug-coated group during the first year (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.98), but this difference disappeared with longer follow-up. There was no difference in all-cause mortality or in quality of life (as assessed using the VascuQoL-6 questionnaire).

In SWEDEPAD 2, 1,155 patients with intermittent claudication (Rutherford stage 13) undergoing infra-inguinal endovascular treatment were randomized 1:1 after successful guidewire crossing to receive either drug-coated or uncoated balloons or stents. All drug-coated devices implanted delivered paclitaxel.

There was no difference in the primary efficacy endpoint of quality of life between the drug-coated and uncoated groups at 12 months (mean difference in VascuQoL-6 scores: 0.02; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.62). Target vessel reintervention rates were not different at one year or over a median follow-up of 6.2 years. All-cause mortality did not differ over 7.1 years (HR 1.18; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.48), although higher 5-year mortality was noted with drug-coated vs. uncoated devices (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.98).

Summarizing the findings, principal co-investigator, Professor Marten Falkenberg from Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said, "Paclitaxel-coated devices were not effective in preventing amputation in chronic limb-threatening ischemia or improving quality of life in intermittent claudication.

"Given the signal of increased mortality with intermittent claudication, clinicians should carefully evaluate the potential risks and benefits when considering these expensive devices. Devices incorporating antiproliferative agents other than paclitaxel warrant further investigation in PAD."

More information Marten Falkenberg et al, Paclitaxel-coated versus uncoated devices for infrainguinal endovascular revascularisation in chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (SWEDEPAD 1): a multicentre, participant-masked, registry-based, randomised controlled trial, The Lancet (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01585-5 , doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01585-5
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Among low-risk patients with acute MI who underwent early complete revascularization and received one month of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy was noninferior to continued DAPT for adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, while reducing bleeding risk.

These late-breaking findings were presented in a Hot Line session at the ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Current ESC Guidelines recommend 12 months of DAPTaspirin plus a potent P2Y12 inhibitorafter percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for MI.

Principal Investigator of the TARGET-FIRST trial, Professor Giuseppe Tarantini from the University of Padua, Italy, explained, "No randomized trials have previously assessed early aspirin discontinuation in acute MI patients who achieve early, complete revascularization with modern stents. In such cases, bleeding risk may outweigh residual ischemic risk, making antiplatelet therapy de-escalation attractive."

In this open-label randomized controlled trial conducted at 40 European centers, eligible adults with an ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) or non-STEMI underwent complete revascularization within seven days using a contemporary drug-eluting stent and completed one month of DAPT without adverse events.

They were randomized 1:1 to continue DAPT or switch to P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy for 11 months. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, MI, stent thrombosis, stroke or Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 3/5 bleeding at 11 months. Noninferiority was defined as an absolute difference of 1.25 percentage points in the upper bound of the two-sided 95% CI.

The mean age of the 1,942 randomized patients was 61 years and 21.6% were women.

The primary endpoint occurred in 2.10% of the P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy group and 2.18% of the continued DAPT group (difference 0.09 percentage points; 95% CI,1.39 to 1.20; p=0.021 for noninferiority). MI occurred in 0.7% vs. 1.1%, definite/probable stent thrombosis in 0.1% vs. 0.0% and ischemic stroke in 0.3% vs. 0.2%, respectively. BARC type 3/5 bleeding occurred in 0.7% in each group.

The main secondary endpoint (BARC type 2/3/5 bleeding) was significantly lower with P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy (2.65% vs. 5.57%; hazard ratio [HR] 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.75; p=0.002).

The patient-oriented composite outcome (all-cause death, MI, stent thrombosis, stroke, repeat ischemia-driven revascularization or BARC type 2/3/5 bleeding) occurred in 4.5% in the monotherapy group and 7.2% in the DAPT group (HR 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.89). Therapy adherence at 11 months was high in both groups (86.9% with monotherapy and 88.6% with DAPT).

Professor Tarantini concluded, "In low-risk acute MI patients with early complete revascularization and no complications after one month of DAPT, switching to P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy maintained protection from ischemic events and reduced bleeding.

"These results reflect the benefits of modern stents, high procedural success and optimal medical therapy, making early aspirin discontinuation feasible in this selected population."

More information Giuseppe Tarantini et al, Early Discontinuation of Aspirin after PCI in Low-Risk Acute Myocardial Infarction, New England Journal of Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2508808 Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine

Key medical concepts Acute Myocardial Infarction
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More patients with hypercholesterolemia at high/very high risk of cardiovascular (CV) events achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals with inclisiran compared with placebo, when given on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapy, according to a late-breaking trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

Elevated LDL-C is causal for the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; however, most patients do not achieve guideline-recommended LDL-C goals with available lipid-lowering therapies due to suboptimal treatment escalation, nonadherence or concerns about safety, such as muscle pain.

Principal investigator, Professor Ulf Landmesser from the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charite, Berlin, Germany, explained the aims of the VICTORION-Difference trial: "When given as a subcutaneous injection every three or six months, inclisiran interferes with the production of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), lowering LDL-C levels. The purpose of the VICTORION-Difference study was to compare inclisiran with placebo, on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapies, for LDL-C goal achievement and novel endpoints related to muscle-related adverse events and pain-related quality of life (QoL) in a population that mirrors real-world practice."

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase IV trial was conducted at 133 centers in Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain. Eligible patients were at high or very high CV risk according to 2019 European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society guidelines3 and had elevated LDL-C despite being treated with an individualized maximally tolerated statin dose. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either subcutaneous injections of inclisiran sodium 300 mg (equivalent to 284 mg inclisiran) or placebo.

In addition to inclisiran/placebo, open-label rosuvastatin (starting dose of 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day) was sequentially and optimally titrated to the maximally tolerated dose if individual LDL-C goals were not achieved. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants achieving 2019 guideline-recommended individual LDL-C goals (very high CV risk: 55 mg/dl [1.4 mmol/l]; high CV risk: 70 mg/dl [1.8 mmol/l])3 at day 90.

A total of 1,770 individuals were randomized who had a mean age of 63.7 years and 30.2% were female. Most participants (92.3%) were classified as having very high CV risk.

Regarding the primary endpoint, a significantly higher proportion of participants in the inclisiran vs. the standard-of-care arm achieved their individual guideline-recommended LDL-C goals at 90 days (84.9% vs. 31.0%; odds ratio [OR] 12.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.59 to 15.24; p0.0001).

Time-averaged mean percentage LDL-C reductions from baseline to day 360 were 59.45% and 24.31% in the inclisiran and the standard-of-care groups, respectively (least squares mean treatment difference 35.14%; p0.0001).

Fewer participants in the inclisiran vs. standard-of-care arms experienced a muscle-related adverse event (11.9% vs. 19.2%; p0.0001). In addition, numerically larger time-averaged reductions were noted with inclisiran vs. standard-of-care for pain-related severity (0.11; p=0.0389) and interference scores (0.11; p=0.0285) using the Short-Form Brief Pain Inventory, which did not reach statistical significance.

The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was comparable between the inclisiran and standard-of-care arms (71.3% and 75.9%, respectively).

In conclusion, Professor Landmesser commented, "This large study demonstrated the effectiveness of an inclisiran-based treatment strategy over current usual care in bringing patients to early and sustained LDL-C goals, with significantly fewer adverse muscle symptoms. These findings indicate that inclisiran represents a convenient, effective and well-tolerated treatment option for the high number of at-risk patients who currently do not respond adequately to other lipid-lowering therapies."
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Criminal behavior in patients with dementia. Credit: MPI CBS

A suspected perpetrator who can barely remember his name, several traffic violations committed by a woman in her mid-fifties who is completely unreasonable and doesn't understand her behaviorshould such cases be brought before a court? And how does the state deal with people who commit acts of violence without meaning to?

Those questions come to mind if one hears those examples from everyday clinical praxis with persons suffering from dementia. Neurodegenerative diseases might affect several functions of the brain, ranging from memory in Alzheimer's disease to behavior, such as in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, and to sensorimotor function in Parkinson's disease.

One of the most interesting consequences of these alterations is the fact that persons affected by these diseases might develop criminal risk behavior like harassment, traffic violation, theft or even behavior causing harm to other people or animals, even as the first disease sign.

If persons violate social or legal norms due to changes in behavior, personality and cognition, these incidents may have a substantial impact on this person's family and social surroundings and may lead to prosecution.

Matthias Schroeter and Lena Szabo from MPI CBS investigated this problem in a broad meta-analysis that included 14 studies with 236,360 persons from different countries (U.S.A., Sweden and Finland, Germany and Japan). The work is published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Their systematic literature review revealed that criminal risk behavior prevalence is more frequent in early disease course than in the general population, but declines thereafter below population levels. Therefore, criminal behavior committed for the first time at mid-age could be an indicator of incident dementia, requiring earliest diagnosis and therapy.

"We wanted to raise awareness of this problem with the meta-analysis, which is the first one systematically and quantitatively investigating potential criminal behavior in dementia syndromes. Our hope is that it would help better understand the possible implications of such diseases, identify possible reasons, and encourage interdisciplinary endeavors to develop coping strategies," says Schroeter, first author of the study.

Persons exhibiting criminal behavior showed larger atrophy in the temporal lobe. Credit: MPI CBS

The team shows that the prevalence of criminal risk behaviors was highest in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (>50%), followed by semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (40%), but rather low in vascular dementia and Huntington's disease (15%), Alzheimer's disease (10%), and lowest in Parkinsonian syndromes (<10%).

"Criminal risk behavior in frontotemporal dementia is most likely caused by the neurodegenerative disease itself. Most of the patients showed criminal risk behavior for the first time in their life and had no previous records of criminal activity," explains Schroeter, leader of the research group Cognitive Neuropsychiatry at MPI CBS.

"The prevalence seems to be more frequent in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease in early disease course than in the general population before diagnosis, presumably in pre-stages, such as mild behavioral or cognitive impairment, but declines thereafter, finally leading to lower prevalence in dementia after diagnosis if compared with the general population.

"We also found that criminal risk behavior is more frequent in men than in women in dementia. After diagnosis, men showed four times more criminal risk behavior than women in frontotemporal dementia and seven times more in Alzheimer's disease."

In a second study, the working group also identified the changes in the brain that are associated with criminal behavior in frontotemporal dementia. This study was published in Human Brain Mapping.

Persons exhibiting criminal behavior showed larger atrophy in the temporal lobe, indicating that criminal behavior might be caused by so-called disinhibition, i.e., the loss of normal restraints or inhibitions, leading to a reduced ability to regulate one's behavior, impulses, and emotions.

Disinhibition can manifest as acting impulsively, without thinking through the consequences, and behaving in ways that are inappropriate for the situation.

Although these findings are interesting, they should not be overestimated. "One has to prevent a further stigmatization of persons with dementia. Of note, most offenses committed were minor, such as indecent behavior, traffic violations, theft, damage to property, but also physical violence or aggression occurred," Schroeter says.

"Hence, sensitivity for this topic as possible early signs of dementia and earliest diagnosis and treatment are of the uttermost importance. Besides early diagnosis and treatment of persons affected, one has to discuss adaptations of the legal system, such as increasing awareness of offenses due to those diseases, and taking into account diseases in respective penalties and in jails."
When President Ilham Aliyev sat down with Al-Arabiya and described the Soviet Unions entry into Azerbaijan not as liberation but as occupation, the remark struck a raw nerve in Moscow. The reaction was swift. Russian state media erupted with outrage, and Kremlin-aligned commentators like Vladimir Solovyov hurled criticism and threats at Baku. Yet the fury betrayed something deeper: President Aliyev had punctured one of Russias most enduring myths.

Myths are central to every nations self-image. They can inspire confidence, bolster patriotism, and provide cohesion in difficult times. But when myths are mistaken for realitywhen rulers and intellectuals elevate them to the status of sacred truththey can become dangerous. Modern Russia has reached precisely this stage. Its leadership clings to stories of benevolence, strength, and inevitability, while dismissing inconvenient facts.

One such myth is that Azerbaijan lacks a tradition of statehood. This charge, long used by Armenia, has now found currency in Russian media. It is true that the name Azerbaijan was formally applied north of the Araz River only in 1918. Before then, states in the region bore names like Caucasian Albania or Shirvan. But Russias own history follows a similar trajectory: todays Russian Federation traces back to the Principality of Moscow, later the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and finally its current form. Early rulers, such as the Rurikid and Romanov dynasties, were of Scandinavian descent, not Slavic. To dismiss Azerbaijans statehood as illegitimate on historical grounds while overlooking Russias own transformations is not only illogical but deeply hypocritical.

Other myths stem from the Soviet period. The official narrative insists that republics willingly joined the Union, that socialism brought prosperity, free housing, and world-class healthcare, and that Moscow uplifted its peripheries. History tells another story. In April 1920, more than 70,000 Red Army troops and armoured trains invaded Azerbaijan. Voluntary union does not arrive on armoured railcars.

The economic record is equally stark. Before the occupation, Azerbaijan supplied more than 60 per cent of the worlds oil. By the 1990s, as the Soviet Union collapsed, its oil production barely covered domestic consumption. The only reason Azerbaijan could rebound after independence was that offshore Caspian reserves had been left untappedtoo costly for Soviet exploitation. On those reserves, Azerbaijan has built three decades of rapid growth, multiplying its economy more than a hundredfold. One can only imagine what might have been possible without decades of Soviet depletion.

The demographic legacy is darker still. At the time of the Bolshevik invasion, the populations of northern and southern Azerbaijan were roughly equal. By the Soviet collapse, southern Azerbaijanis outnumbered their northern kin by four or five to one. As in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, famine and repression likely claimed millions of lives. Yet unlike those countries, Azerbaijan has scarcely begun to study this chapter of its past. Aliyevs words barely scratched the surfacethey revealed only the visible tip of an iceberg.

Russias counter-narrative is predictable. Propagandists now argue that Russia has always been Europes dominant power, that Azerbaijans success depends entirely on Turkiye, and that Moscow could neutralise Baku with a raised eyebrow. But history complicates these claims. Russias record against a united Europe is poor: it lost in the Crimean War and fared poorly in World War I. Its most celebrated victories, against Napoleon and Hitler, came only with alliesand at staggering human cost. Far from demonstrating strength, those losses reveal a pattern of weakness and disregard for human life.

As for Turkiye, geography limits its ability to intervene directly in any conflict over Azerbaijan. Without a shared border, Ankaras role would likely be confined to providing arms and financial support, with direct defence possible only in Nakhchivan. But the more important point is that Azerbaijan has developed its own capacity to resist. Over the past three decades, as Russia has stagnated, Azerbaijan has modernised, expanded its economy, and strengthened its military. Moscows insistence that Azerbaijans achievements are simply borrowed from Turkiye betrays an unwillingness to face a harsher truth: a once-dominant empire has been outpaced by a former colony.

President Ilham Aliyevs quote in his interview was exasperating not because it invented anything new, but because it reminded Russians of what they prefer to forget. Myths can survive for generations, but they crumble when confronted with evidence, logic, and lived reality. The Kremlin can rage, its propagandists can sneer, but the process has already begun. The myths are breaking. More will follow.
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"Unspecified," "altruistic" or "non-directed" kidney donation refers to a kidney transplant where the donor and recipient do not know each other. These donations are crucial to increasing the number of high-quality kidneys available, but ethical concerns and assumptions that they are inferior to 'specified' donations (usually from a family member or close friend) mean the practice is not widely adopted in many countries around the world.

Even in the UK, where living donation is well established and unspecified donation was legalized in 2006, only around 80100 of the approximately 1,100 living kidney donations each year come from unspecified donors.

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust investigated differences in the characteristics and outcomes of unspecified living kidney donors compared to specified donors.

The study, published in the September issue of American Journal of Transplantation, revealed no differences in donation rates, cost, regret or outcomes, emphasizing the relative safety of unspecified kidney donation where appropriate care is provided. This is the world's largest study comparing unspecified and specified kidney donors over time.

"The practice of unspecified kidney donation has been hotly debated in the transplant world for many years, mainly due to concerns about the motives and outcomes in those who choose to do it. Prior to now, there has been little data to reassure transplant professionals that this is an acceptable thing to do.

"My biggest hope is that the results of this study reassure members of the transplant community in the UK, and around the world, that with the appropriate support, these donations can safely proceed and help the many people waiting for a kidney transplant," said Hannah Maple, Consultant Transplant and Dialysis Access Surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and first author of the study.

The researchers collected data from all 23 adult kidney transplant centers in the UK. Of the 837 potential donors, 373 went onto donate45% of whom were unspecified donors and 55% specified. Each donor completed questionnaires across four timepoints from pre-donation to one-year post-donation, as well as having their physical outcomes assessed two years after donation.

The study found that psychosocial outcomes (such as health-related quality of life, distress, self-esteem, life satisfaction and well-being), physical outcomes (creatinine, hemoglobin and blood pressure), or feelings of regret were no worse for unspecified compared to specified donors.

There were also no significant differences on whether they proceeded to donation, and both groups were motivated to donate by the desire to help someone.

The researchers identified several differences in the characteristics of each donor type. Unspecified donors were more likely to identify as male, have completed higher education, be blood donors, give to charity, and undertake voluntary work. Specified donors were more likely to be in a relationship, have children, and hold religious beliefs.

Most unspecified donors had become aware of living donation through stories in the media, whereas specified donors learned about it through having a loved one with kidney failure.

The findings promote confidence in the relative safety of unspecified kidney donation.

"This is the largest and most methodologically robust study of its kind, providing strong evidence that unspecified kidney donation is as safe and acceptable as specified donation. These findings challenge long-standing assumptions and highlight the potential for this approach to expand the donor pool, reduce time on transplant waiting lists, and ultimately deliver significant cost savings to the NHS, while enabling more people to receive a life-changing kidney transplant," said Professor Sam Norton, Professor of Medical Statistics and Applied Health Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and co-author of the study.

Co-author Professor Joseph Chilcot, Professor of Health Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, added, "This study is the first of its kind and directly addresses previous concerns held by some health professionals in the transplant community.

"Our findings show that individuals who donate a kidney to someone they do not know are motivated by similar factors and experience comparable psychological and mental health outcomes compared to those who donate to a recipient they know."

"Notably, unspecified donors were more likely to engage in altruistic health behaviors, such as donating blood and registering as organ donors. These results should offer strong reassurance to the transplant community and support the continued growth of unspecified kidney donation programs, ultimately helping to save more lives."

More information Hannah Maple et al, Outcomes and motivations in unspecified (nondirected altruistic) kidney donation: Results from a United Kingdom prospective cohort study, American Journal of Transplantation (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2025.03.021 Journal information: American Journal of Transplantation

Key medical concepts Kidney Failure, Chronic
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David Bregger had never heard of kratom before his son, Daniel, 33, died in Denver in 2021 from using what he thought was a natural and safe remedy for anxiety.

By his father's account, Daniel didn't know that the herbal product could kill him. The product listed no ingredients or safe-dosing information on the label. And it had no warning that it should not be combined with other sedating drugs, such as the over-the-counter antihistamine diphenhydramine, which is the active ingredient in Benadryl and other sleep aids.

As the fourth anniversary of Daniel's death approaches, a recently enacted Colorado law aims to prevent other families from experiencing the heartbreak shared by the Bregger family. Colorado Senate Bill 25072, known as the Daniel Bregger Act, addresses what the state legislature calls the deceptive trade practices around the sale of concentrated kratom products artificially enriched with a chemical called 7-OH.

7-OH, known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, has also garnered national attention. On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that products containing 7-OH are potent opioids that can pose significant health risks and even death.

As kratom and its constituents are studied in greater detail, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and university researchers have documented hundreds of deaths where kratom-derived chemicals were present in postmortem blood tests. But rarely is kratom deadly by itself. In a study of 551 kratom-related deaths in Florida, 93.5% involved other substances such as opioids like fentanyl.

I study pharmaceutical sciences, have taught for over 30 years about herbal supplements like kratom, and I've written about kratom's effects and controversy.

Kratomone name, many products

Kratom is a broad term used to describe products made from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree known scientifically as Mitragyna speciosa. The Latin name derives from the shape of its leaves, which resemble a bishop's miter, the ceremonial, pointed headdress worn by bishops and other church leaders.

Kratom is made from dried and powdered leaves that can be chewed or made into a tea. Used by rice field workers and farmers in Thailand to increase stamina and productivity, kratom initially alleviates fatigue with an effect like that of caffeine. In larger amounts, it imparts a sense of well-being similar to opioids.

In fact, mitragynine, which is found in small amounts in kratom, partially stimulates opioid receptors in the central nervous system. These are the same type of opioid receptors that trigger the effects of drugs such as morphine and oxycodone. They are also the same receptors that can slow or stop breathing when overstimulated.

The Daniel Breggar Act seeks to limit potency and underage access to kratom, an herbal supplement.

In the body, the small amount of mitragynine in kratom powder is converted to 7-OH by liver enzymes, hence the opioid-like effects in the body. 7-OH can also be made in a lab and is used to increase the potency of certain kratom products, including the ones found in gas stations or liquor stores.

And therein lies the controversy over the risks and benefits of kratom.

Natural or lab made: All medicines have risks

Because kratom is a plant-derived product, it has fallen into a murky enforcement area. It is sold as an herbal supplement, normally by the kilogram from online retailers overseas.

In 2016, I wrote a series of articles for Forbes as the Drug Enforcement Administration proposed to list kratom constituents on the most restrictive Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. This classification is reserved for drugs the DEA determines to possess "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," such as heroin and LSD.

But readers countered the DEA's stance and sent me more than 200 messages that primarily documented their use of kratom as an alternative to opioids for pain.

Others described how kratom assisted them in recovery from addiction to alcohol or opioids themselves. Similar stories also flooded the official comments requested by the DEA, and the public pressure presumably led the agency to drop its plan to regulate kratom as a controlled substance.

But not all of the stories pointed to kratom's benefits. Instead, some people pointed out a major risk: becoming addicted to kratom itself. I learned it is a double-edged swordremedy to some, recreational risk to others. A national survey of kratom users was consistent with my nonscientific sampling, showing more than half were using the supplement to relieve pain, stress, anxiety or a combination of these.

Natural leaf powder vs. artificially concentrated extracts

After the DEA dropped its 2016 plan to ban the leaf powder, marketers in the U.S. began isolating mitragynine and concentrating it into small bottles that could be taken like those energy shots of caffeine often sold in gas stations and convenience stores. This formula made it easier to ingest more kratom. Slowly, sellers learned they could make the more potent 7-OH from mitragynine and give their products an extra punch. And an extra dose of risk.

Kratom is under growing scrutiny.

People who use kratom in the powder form describe taking 3 to 5 grams, the size of a generous tablespoon. They put the powder in capsules or made it into a tea several times a day to ward off pain, the craving for alcohol or the withdrawal symptoms from long-term prescription opioid use. Since this form of kratom does not contain very much mitragynineit is only about 1% of the powdered leafoverdosing on the powder alone does not typically happen.

That, along with pushback from consumers, is why the Food and Drug Administration is proposing to restrict only the availability of 7-OH and not mitragynine or kratom powder. The new Colorado law limits the concentration of kratom ingredients in products and restricts their sales and marketing to consumers over 21.

Even David Bregger supports this distinction. "I'm not anti-kratom, I'm pro-regulation. What I'm after is getting nothing but leaf product," he told WPRI in Rhode Island last year while demonstrating at a conference of the education and advocacy trade group the American Kratom Association.

Such lobbying with the trade group last year led the American Kratom Association to concur that 7-OH should be regulated as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. The association acknowledges that such regulation is reasonable and based in science.

Benefits amid the ban

Despite the local and national debate over 7-OH, scientists are continuing to explore kratom compounds for their legitimate medical use.

A $3.5 million NIH grant is one of several that is increasing understanding of kratom as a source for new drugs.

Researchers have identified numerous other chemicals called alkaloids from kratom leaf specimens and commercial products. These researchers show that some types of kratom trees make unique chemicals, possibly opening the door to other painkillers. Researchers have also found that compounds from kratom, such as 7-OH, bind to opioid receptors in unique ways. The compounds seem to have an effect more toward pain management and away from potentially deadly suppression of breathing. Of course, this is when the compounds are used alone and not together with other sedating drugs.

Rather than contributing to the opioid crisis, researchers suspect that isolated and safely purified drugs made from kratom could be potential treatments for opioid addiction. In fact, some kratom chemicals such as mitragynine have multiple actions and could potentially replace both medication-assisted therapy, like buprenorphine, in treating opioid addiction and drugs like clonidine for opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Rigorous scientific study has led to this more reasonable juncture in the understanding of kratom and its sensible regulation. Sadly, we cannot bring back Daniel Bregger. But researchers can advance the potential for new and beneficial drugs while legislators help prevent such tragedies from befalling other families.

Key medical concepts 7-hydroxymitragynine

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On a quiet farm in Erie County, Pennsylvania, 67-year-old Diane Zaczyk used to think nothing of hefting 50-pound sacks of chicken feed onto her shoulder. But not long ago, she found herself struggling to lift the feed bags she had carried for decades. Then her right foot started to drag. Stairs became harder.

At first, she blamed age or maybe her diabetes. Sometime around Christmas 2023, she could no longer ignore it.

Tests ruled out Lyme disease. Then myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder. Finally, came the answer that no one wanted: ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects the nervous systemspecifically, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The progressive and fatal disease, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, causes loss of muscle control, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Experts do not know what causes ALS, but about 10% of cases are inherited, or familial, explained neurologist Sandeep Rana, director of Allegheny Health Network's ALS Center, who has been treating ALS patients, including Diane Zaczyk, for nearly three decades.

Following Zaczyk's diagnosis, she underwent genetic testing that revealed she had a very rare, inherited form of ALSa diagnosis only about 500 people in the U.S. share.

In September, Zaczyk will receive her sixth injection of a monthly genetic treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2023 for those with inherited ALS via a mutation of the superoxide dismutase 1, or SOD1, gene.

She is the first patient at AHN to receive it, Rana confirmed. The hospital network is the only provider currently offering the treatment in Western Pennsylvania, according to the Qalsody website.

Qalsodyits generic name is tofersenis a gene therapy that reduces the levels of the toxic SOD1 protein that is created by the mutated gene. Research has shown that Qalsody reduces a marker of injury to the nerves in the brain, called neurofilament light chain, Rana said.

Neurofilament light chain is a protein that acts as a biomarker for neuronal damage and neurodegeneration. It is released into the cerebrospinal fluid and blood when neurons are injured, per a 2023 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Today, Qalsody is the only FDA-approved therapy that employs antisense oligonucleotide molecules that bind to the SOD1 mRNA, which signals the cell to destroy the mRNA before it can be translated into the harmful protein. The treatment has paved the way for similar approaches targeting other genetic forms of ALS, according to the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations.

While the Qalsody's Phase III clinical trial did not show a statistically significant slowdown in disease progression, it is still considered an ALS treatment breakthrough as it targets the genetic cause of the disease, according to a 2023 article by Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

When the gene that is responsible for Zaczyk's form of ALS mutates, it doesn't just stop workingit actually gains a harmful new function. The mutation makes the gene produce an abnormal protein, and that protein damages the body, Rana explained.

If doctors can "quiet" or turn down the activity of the gene via monthly lumbar injections of Qalsody, like Zaczyk receives, the gene stops producing that toxic protein, which can help prevent further damage, Rana said.

Another AHN patient was set to receive the treatment, but died from ALS complications before it could begin, Rana said. "By the time she reached us, the disease had already progressed quite a bit."

Early diagnosis of ALS is essential, especially in the case of those patients like Zaczyk who have the SOD1 mutation, Rana said.

While the treatment, which is injected directly into the spinal column during a hospital visit, cannot cure or reverse the disease, researchers believe more testing will reveal that it has the ability to halt additional damage and slow down the progression of symptoms that have already begun, Rana said. "We wanted to get the word out that there is this potential treatment available."

2025 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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The field of Blue Zone research can be said to have split into two branches: one shaped by journalist Dan Buettner, who has developed a commercialised lifestyle medicine brand including community programmes and products, and the other by demographer Michel Poulain and his colleagues, who continue to study extreme longevity using rigorous demographic methods. Credit: Journal of Aging Research (2025). DOI: 10.1155/jare/5535904

Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia in Finland stands out as a potential Blue Zone, thanks to factors such as long life expectancy, good health and a lifestyle resembling those in well-known Blue Zones. Aland, which boasts the highest life expectancy and best health, fails to meet the lifestyle principles of Blue Zones, except when it comes to providing a pleasant environment, according to a study from Abo Akademi University.

A Blue Zone is defined as a geographical area where an unusually large proportion of people live significantly longer than in other parts of the world. Originally, Blue Zones were purely a subject of demographic research, but they have since come to include studies on lifestyle and health. The populations of Blue Zones typically share certain lifestyle traits, such as eating healthily, engaging in moderate physical activity, maintaining strong community bonds and living with a sense of purpose. Examples of recognized Blue Zones are Ogliastra in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan and Martinique.

This study was carried out in Western Finland and explores how health and adherence to the health-promoting Blue Zone lifestyle go together in regions varying in longevity. The regions include bilingual Ostrobothnia, Swedish-speaking Aland and Finnish-speaking South Ostrobothnia.

The findings are published in the Journal of Aging Research.

Potential Blue Zone in Ostrobothnia

The results show that the Swedish-speaking part of Ostrobothnia demonstrates good health, and adheres the most to the health-promoting Blue Zone lifestyle. This part of the province may be considered a potential Blue Zone when it comes to long life expectancy, although further demographic validation is warranted. Among the groups studied, the Finnish-speaking Ostrobothnia diverged the most from the Blue Zone lifestyle.

"The potential link between longevity, health, and lifestyle may vary across cultural, political, social, and economic contexts in different regions. Here, we require additional demographic studies to verify the extraordinary life expectancy in Ostrobothnia, especially among the Swedish-speaking community," explains Sarah Akerman, Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Policy and principal investigator of the Blue Zones in the Nordics project at Abo Akademi University.

South Ostrobothian residents live healthily yet show the poorest health

The results reveal no clear patterns in regional differences regarding the relationship between longevity, health-promoting lifestyle and health. Aland had the highest life expectancy and the best health but departed from a number of lifestyle principles typically linked with long-living populations. This suggests that the life expectancy and health on Aland may be affected by other factors.

Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia and South Ostrobothnia showed the highest levels of health-promoting lifestyles, although South Ostrobothnia had lower life expectancy than the other regions studied. South Ostrobothnia showed the poorest health yet followed the Blue Zone lifestyle to the same extent as Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia.

A long life is generally regarded as the ultimate outcome of good health, even though longevity does not necessarily go hand in hand with good health or a health-promoting lifestyle. Today, there is a growing emphasis on healthy living, both at the individual and community level, as a way of delaying the need for social and health care services among the aging population. Our research, however, shows that health and lifestyle do not necessarily correlate at the regional level, pointing to the need for continued research into how lifestyle can support healthy aging.

The Blue Zones in the Nordics project will run until 30 June 2026. The study was carried out using national statistics as well as data from the Gerontological Regional Database (GERDA) survey, which in its most recent round (2021/2022) was completed by just over 12,000 individuals born in 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1950 and 1955.

More information Sarah Akerman et al, Searching for a Potential Blue Zone in the Nordics: A Study on Differences in Lifestyle and Health in Regions Varying in Longevity in Western Finland, Journal of Aging Research (2025). DOI: 10.1155/jare/5535904 Journal information: Journal of Aging Research

Key medical concepts Health Status

Provided by Abo Akademi University
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Credit: JAMA (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.15047

Routine Helicobacter pylori screening did not significantly reduce the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction (MI), according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session at the ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in JAMA.

In patients after acute MI, potent antithrombotic treatments have had a considerable impact on reducing further ischemic events; however, antithrombotic treatments are associated with an increased risk of bleeding, particularly from the upper gastrointestinal tract. H. pylori infection has been proposed as a potential target to help reduce the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Principal investigator of the HELP-MI SWEDEHEART trial, Doctor Robin Hofmann from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, explained, "H. pylori infection is associated with a markedly increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and is highly prevalent among patients with cardiovascular disease.

"We conducted the HELP-MI SWEDEHEART trial in a real-world setting to determine if systematic H. pylori screening could reduce upper gastrointestinal bleeding and improve outcomes after MI."

The open-label, cluster randomized crossover, registry-based HELP-MI SWEDEHEART trial was conducted at 35 hospitals in Sweden. The hospitals were grouped into 18 clusters, which were randomized to one-year periods of routine H. pylori screening for all patients with acute MI followed by one year with usual care, or vice versa.

Screening for H. pylori infection involved a bedside 13C-urea breath test as part of routine care during the MI hospitalization period. Eradication therapy was prescribed to patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection. The primary endpoint was upper gastrointestinal bleeding analyzed in the intention-to-treat population involving all individuals with an MI at participating sites during the trial period.

A total of 18,466 patients were included. The median age was 71 years, 28.9% were females and 24.7% reported proton pump inhibitor use at admission. Of the total tested, 23.6% had a positive result for H. pylori infection.

After a median follow-up of 1.9 years, there was no significant difference in upper gastrointestinal bleeding, which occurred in 4.1% of patients in the H. pylori screening group and 4.6% in the control group (rate ratio 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 1.05; p=0.18).

Predefined subgroup analyses indicated lower risk ratios for upper gastrointestinal bleeding with H. pylori screening vs. controls in patients with mild anemia (rate ratio 0.64; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.98) and moderate-to-severe anemia (rate ratio 0.44; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.87).

Of all the patients with MI hospitalized during the trial period at units assigned to routine screening, 70.1% actually underwent H. pylori testing.

Per-protocol analyses indicated lower upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients who were tested for H. pylori (hazard ratio [HR] 0.84; 95% CI 0.65 to 1.08), who tested positive for H. pylori (HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.22 to 1.01) and who tested positive for H. pylori and had confirmed eradication (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.23 to 1.06) compared with corresponding controls.

There were no significant differences for secondary endpoints at the end of follow-up, including all-cause death, MI and major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events.

Concluding, Doctor Hofmann said, "Among unselected patients with acute MI in Swedenwhere H. pylori infection rates appeared relatively lowroutine screening did not significantly reduce the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

"However, our results cannot rule out a clinically relevant benefit of H. pylori screening in populations with higher infection prevalence and in subgroups at higher risk of bleeding indicated by concomitant anemia."

Key medical concepts Helicobacter pylori Myocardial infarction
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: University of California, Los Angeles

In 2010, UCLA nursing professor Barbara Bates-Jensen traveled to Haiti to direct and provide wound care for victims of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that had killed or injured more than half a million people and left 5 million displaced.

"They'd been laying on army cots, many for three weeks before I got there, and in addition to the wounds they suffered from the earthquake, they had pressure injuries down to the bone," Bates-Jensen recalled.

There couldn't have been anyone better suited for the crisis. A world-renowned researcher and author on wound-care best practices, Bates-Jensen is an expert on such pressure ulcerscommonly known as bedsoreswhich largely affect immobile people like critically ill hospital patients, those with spinal cord injuries and nursing home residents.

What is the medical impact of bedsores?

In the U.S. alone, 2.5 million people get bedsores each year, and some 60,000 die from bedsore-related complications. The American health care system spends up to $11.6 billion annually to treat these pressure ulcers. And even more staggering: They are 95% preventable.

Nurses traditionally identify bedsores by looking for skin discoloration. But by the time the redness is observed, the damage is done. The data also show that individuals with darker skin tones, including Black and Latino patients, have a higher prevalence of severe pressure ulcers because the discoloration is more difficult to see.

"This health disparity was driving me crazy," Bates-Jensen said. "We were relying on such a subjective method, visually observing for skin color changes, which missed a whole segment of patients."

Credit: University of California, Los Angeles

How the SEM scanner revolutionized wound careand made health care more equitable

In concert with a UCLA computer scientist and a UCLA engineer, Bates-Jensen invented the SEM Scanner, the first handheld wireless wound-assessment device, which was licensed by UCLA's Technology Development Group to Bruin Biometrics. It was a game changer.

The scanner measures moisture, or edema, beneath the skin, which is a biophysical marker of early tissue damage, and it can detect early-stage pressure injuries up to 10 days before damage is visible.

"The best part is the device doesn't care what color the skin is, because it's not looking at the skinit's reading within the tissues," Bates-Jensen said of the scanner, which operates similarly to the seismometers used on NASA's Mars landing craft that looks for clues beneath the planet's surface. "And so just by virtue of that, you're creating a more equitable situation where you can pick up the damage on everyone."

Today, the SEM Scanner is in use in hospitals in Europe, the U.K., Canada and Americain the U.S., it's estimated that it's has been used on more than 1 million patients and prevented 50,000 pressure injuries.

Now, Bates-Jensen, who is also associate dean of academic affairs at the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, is involved in a study that could make the device available outside the clinical settingin nursing homes, whose vulnerable residents are at high risk of bed sores.

"We think this study will also tell us a lot about how we can best implement technology in this type of health care setting," she said, "as well as adding to the growing data looking at skin tones and how that may impact the delivery of care."

Key medical concepts Pressure Sores Edema
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Treatment with the anti-obesity medications can reduce health risks for patients with heart failure by more than 40%. These findings come from a study by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The medication can drastically reduce the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure or dying.

The study is published in the journal JAMA.

Semaglutide and related medications are widely used to treat diabetes and obesity. Their potential effects beyond weight loss are now being closely studied. Still, professional societies and regulatory authorities have urged caution. With regard to treating heart failure, cardiology societies have noted that the existing evidence base remains limited.

"Together with our colleagues at Harvard Medical School, we have created a solid evidence base for using these weight-loss medications in heart failure," says Professor Heribert Schunkert, Director of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at the TUM University Hospital German Heart Center.

"In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, both drugs have shown a clear protective effect that supports their use. Our analysis of around 100,000 patients provides a robust basis for reassessing indication expansion and new indication approval in heart failure."

The study focused on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or HFpEF, in which the heart's ability to pump remains intact but the stiffened heart muscle does not fill properly with blood. HFpEF affects more than 30 million people worldwide. To date, there are only a few effective treatment options for this form of the disease.

Large-scale database study provides solid evidence for use in heart failure

The study examined the effects of the drugs semaglutide, brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, known as Mounjaro, in patients with this specific form of heart failure. The researchers analyzed three national US insurance claims databases.

Their models first confirmed findings from earlier trials in patients with obesity or diabetes, then extended the analysis to populations excluded from clinical trials and to additional outcomes, such as hospitalization for heart failure and mortality.

Treatment with both drugs led to a more than 40% reduction in the risk of hospitalization for heart failure or death compared with another diabetes drug that had shown no effect on heart failure outcomes in previous studies.

"Currently, HFpEF can be treated with a few drugs only. At the same time, an increasing number of patients suffer from obesity and diabetes, which further worsens outcomes. In Germany, heart failure is the leading cause for hospitalizations and a major driver of health care expenditure. Our study shows that these drugs are highly effective, which expands treatment options and could prevent many hospital admissions," says Dr. Nils Kruger, resident physician at the TUM University Hospital German Heart Center and lead author of the study.

Data-driven approaches to drug approval

The study drew on patient populations nearly 20 times larger than those in traditional clinical trials. This allowed researchers to capture clinical practice and demonstrate that the benefits seen in pivotal trials also apply to broader patient groups.

"The future belongs to such datadriven approachesalongside traditional trials, they can help ensure that findings from basic research feed into patient care more quickly," explains Professor Schunkert.

From the researchers' perspective, such analyses are also becoming increasingly relevant for Germany. The Health Data Utilization Act provides that anonymized health insurance data will in future be made systematically available for such research projects, while strictly protecting sensitive personal data.

"We use these large data to investigate the safety and effectiveness of medications in clinical practice," says Dr. Kruger.

More information Nils Kruger et al, Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction, JAMA (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.14092 Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association

Key medical concepts Semaglutide Tirzepatide Diabetes Obesity
Commemorating: People worldwide mark 80th anniversary of WWII victory

People's Daily Online) 09:18, August 31, 2025

Historical memory and truth will not fade with the passage of time. They serve as inspirations that mirror the present and illuminate the future.

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

In this video, people from around the world share their thoughts on the war's lasting impact.

Multilingual Versions:

Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Korean, German, Portuguese, Swahili, Italian, Kazakh, Thai, Malay, Greek, Vietnamese, Urdu, Hindi

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Wu Chengliang)
Laman Ismayilova



An excursion to the National Carpet Museum has been organised for children with disabilities and their parents.

The children are involved in the social rehabilitation program at the Sabunchu Social Services Centre, under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population's Social Services Agency.

The main goal of the excursion titled "The Magical Touch of History  Carpet Patterns" was to support the integration of children with disabilities into society, enhance their worldview, and increase their knowledge about Azerbaijan's rich culture, as well as its high national-spiritual and cultural values.

The children got the opportunity to closely explore the museum's exhibits, various displays, classic carpet examples from different regions of Azerbaijan, as well as the essential raw materials and tools used for carpet making.

During the excursion, the participants were able to watch the carpet weaving process live, learn more about our country's rich carpet weaving traditions and history, and find answers to any questions they had.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, President of the Republic of Turkiye, on September 1 in Tianjin, China.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the further expansion of bilateral relations based on brotherhood and strategic alliance in all areas, including energy and transport.

Discussions touched upon cooperation between SOCAR and Turkiyes BOTA? company, highlighting the importance of delivering Azerbaijani gas to Syria through Turkiye with Qatars financial support. The two leaders also reviewed prospects for joint energy projects of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in other countries.

The significance of the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the Kars-I?d?r-Dilucu railway line was emphasized, with views exchanged on ongoing railway projects in Azerbaijan, including in the Nakhchivan region.

The reconciliation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia was discussed, with Turkiyes stabilizing role in regional issues being highly appreciated.

The sides also noted the importance of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States to be held this year in Azerbaijan.

The heads of state exchanged views on the prospects of Azerbaijan-Turkiye strategic alliance and other issues of mutual interest.
On September 1, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in Tianjin, China.

They expressed satisfaction with the current level of relations between Azerbaijan and the AIIB, highlighting the bank's successful cooperation with Azerbaijan in various sectors, including green energy.

The discussions covered future cooperation opportunities related to the Middle Corridor, metro construction, water management, and green energy.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a joint declaration on strategic cooperation was exchanged in the presence of President Aliyev and the AIIB President.
SMPL New Delhi [India], September 1: When 17-year-old Aarav stepped into the bustling Education Fair at the Indo-German Education Conclave in Delhi, he didn't expect to have his dream evaluated on the spot. Within minutes, a professor from Hochschule Furtwangen had gone through his academic profile and given him the green signal to apply for their International Engineering Program. "It feels like Germany is suddenly within reach," he said, clutching the brochure with a smile. Stories like Aarav's played out in both Delhi and Pune, as the Indo-German Education Conclave 2025, co-organized by g.a.s.t. e.V. and Study Feeds, brought German Public universities, embassy official, and Indian school leaders together under one roof. The Conclave, hosted at the India Habitat Centre on August 18 and Pune's MCCIA Trade Tower on August 21, drew packed halls of teachers, principals, parents, and eager students. Teachers Recharged, Classrooms Transformed The mornings began with a German-only teacher training seminar, immersing educators in both language and pedagogy. For many, it was a refreshing change. "Usually, we teach from books. But here, we were learning as if we were students again," said Ritu Sharma, a German teacher from Delhi. The sessions, led by Mr. Michael Klees of g.a.s.t. e.V. and Ms. Shatabdi Ghosh Laskar of Study Feeds, covered everything from the TestDaF language exam to TestAS aptitude testing. Teachers left not just with official training certificate from g.a.s.t. e.V. but with a sense of renewed purpose. "If we strengthen our teaching, our students can dream bigger," Ms. Sharma added. Principals on a Shared Mission At the heart of the Delhi edition was the School Leadership Panel, which featured a thought-provoking discussion between school principals and key representatives leading the India and South Asia offices of prominent German institutions. The panel included Ms. Viktoria Apitzsch (German Embassy, New Delhi), Mr. Himanshu (RWTH Aachen), Ms. Vibhuti (FU Berlin), Dr. Amisha (University of Cologne), Dr. Weingartner (Managing Director, g.a.s.t.), and Mr. Ankur Chaudhary (Managing Director, Study Feeds). Ms. Apitzsch highlighted the opportunities awaiting future graduates, pointing to Germany's renowned 'Hidden Champions'--the mid-sized companies that form the backbone of its economy--as highly attractive employers. Dr. Anita Mehra, principal of a leading school in Delhi, summed up concisely: introducing German language by Grades 6-8 ensures that students gain confidence by the time they apply to German universities. She emphasised that such forums should be organized annually." A Parent's Relief: Visa Guidance in Pune While Delhi centered on big-picture strategy, Pune resonated on a more personal level. The hall was packed with parents as Ms. Anne Kaletsch from the German Consulate in Mumbai guided them step by step through the student visa process. "It was such a relief," said Prakash Deshmukh, father of a Class 12 student. "We've heard so many conflicting things online. But here, we got clarity straight from the source." The session, peppered with questions about paperwork and timelines, ended with a round of applause from grateful families. Universities Meet Their Future Students At the Education Fair, rows of German public universities displayed their programs. Students crowded booths of RWTH Aachen, University of Cologne, Freie Universitat Berlin, and Hochschule Furtwangen, Hochschule Zittau Gorlitz, and Ruhr University Alliance asking questions ranging from scholarships to campus life. The highlight of the event was the participation of 50 students from St. Froebel Senior Secondary School, Delhi. For them, it was their first time meeting German university representatives directly. "It felt like the world opened up in front of us," said Neha, a Class 11 student who dreams of studying computer science in Germany. The World Takes Notice On August 20, Germany's national broadcaster Deutschlandfunk (ARD) ran a five-minute radio feature about the Delhi event. The program, titled "Berlin statt Harvard: Indische Studierende an deutschen Unis" ("Berlin Instead of Harvard: Indian Students at German Universities"), highlighted why more Indian students are choosing Germany over the United States. "For many Indian students, Germany has become the clear alternative to the U.S. -- world-class universities, no tuition fees, and strong career prospects make it the smarter choice," the broadcast observed. A Shared Future Reflecting on the success of the event, Mr. Ankur Chaudhary, Managing Director of Study Feeds, remarked, "This Conclave marks only the beginning of a much larger journey. We are committed to making German higher education more accessible to Indian students while also preparing them linguistically and culturally to thrive abroad." Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Jorn Weingartner, Managing Director of g.a.s.t. e.V., noted, "German universities are becoming increasingly interested in students from India--not just for their academic talent but also for the diversity and fresh perspectives they bring. The enthusiasm we have seen here reaffirms that India will play an important role in Germany's academic future." Together, both leaders also emphasized a crucial next step: building capacity among German language teachers in India. "It is not only about creating opportunities for students, but also about ensuring that qualified trainers are guiding them," said Mr. Chaudhary. Dr. Weingartner added, "Together, we want to support and elevate the skills of German language trainers in India, because strong teachers create strong students" As one participant aptly summed up, "This Conclave isn't just about studying abroad -- it's about building lasting bridges between India and Germany." (Names of participants changed to maintain anonymity) (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
PNN Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 1: The question is no longer if Artificial Intelligence will transform education, but how. That was the consensus from a insightful seminar on Artificial Intelligence in Kolkata, where educators, edupreneurs, and UN officials issued a compelling call to action: embrace AI boldly and ethically or risk being left behind. The event, "Future of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," hosted at the ITC Royal Bengal by Muskaan in collaboration with Education for All Trust, WFUNA Foundation and United Nations India, moved beyond theoretical debate to deliver a urgent, real-world blueprint for integrating AI into India's learning landscape. Ms Sumitra Ray, Student Programme Advisor, Muskaan, set the ball rolling with her welcome address. Setting the international stage, Darrin Farrant, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), announced two landmark UN initiatives for global cooperation on AI governance. First, the establishment of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and second, the global dialogue on AI governance. "India, home to one-sixth of humanity, will be a key player in this journey," Farrant said. "We must harness AI's benefits not with fear, but with foresight, ethics, and inclusivity." The panelists delivered a stark and inspiring vision of the future of the new classroom reality - from the chalkboards to algorithms. Navjot Mallika Kaur, Director of Epiq Capital, pointed to a reality already in motion abroad. "Around 2,000 schools in China have fully adopted AI--they're using it to make children future-ready. That's not a trend; it's a reality we must embrace," she urged, challenging the audience. "AI is our assistant. We remain the masters. It's a tool to sharpen our capacities, irrespective of age. Teachers must become friends with technology instead of being scared of it or tinkering only with the basics." This sentiment was echoed by Samyak Chakrabarty, founder of Workverse, who saw immense potential in Bengal's legacy. "This city already offers unparalleled creativity and intellectual fearlessness. Imagine combining that with the computing power of AI--the outcomes can be extraordinary." While the potential of AI was clear, the panel agreed that the human element is more crucial than ever. Bizongo co-founder Aniket Deb offered a powerful metaphor: "Even with Google Maps, we still need to set the start and end points. Education is first about survival, then thriving. Humanity has always adapted, and new jobs will replace old ones." Deb, who co-founded Bizongo in 2015 inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's `Make in India' initiative, his advice to students was direct: "The ability to choose will define the future. That means making conscious choices about what to learn and even which AI tool to use for which purpose. That critical thinking is your superpower." Arjun Vaidya, founder of Dr. Vaidya's, drove the point home by questioning the very foundation of traditional learning. "I used to paste dates on my wall. Now, they're at our fingertips. What matters now isn't memorization, but understanding the context--the 'why' and 'how' that shaped our world." The seminar concluded that the transformation is inevitable. The role of educators is not to resist but to guide, evolving from knowledge providers to mentors of critical thinking and ethical technology use. The future of education isn't about humans versus machines; it's about humans empowered by machines. Students and teachers from Don Bosco School (Park Circus), The BSS School, and others attended the seminar. The Muskaan series by Prabha Khaitan Foundation seeks to popularize heritage literature and culture among young children across India, by integrating these aspects into formal education and cultural engagements through creative events and activities. Education for All Trust supports access to schooling for children from marginalized communities, focusing on removing obstacles to education in remote and underprivileged areas through scholarships, resources, and support systems. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 1: TVS Motor Company recorded monthly sales of 509,536 units in August 2025 with a growth of 30% as against 391,588 units in the month of August 2024. Two-Wheeler Total two-wheelers registered a growth of 30% with sales increasing from 378,841 units in August 2024 to 490,788 units August 2025. Domestic two-wheeler registered growth of 28% with sales increasing from 289,073 units in August 2024 to 368,862 units in August 2025. Motorcycle registered a growth of 30% with sales increasing from 170,486 units in August 2024 to 221,870 units in August 2025. Scooter registered a growth of 36% with sales increasing from 163,629 units in August 2024 to 222,296 units in August 2025. Electric Vehicle EV registered sales of 25,138 units in August 2025 as against 24,779 units in August 2024. Magnet availability continue to pose challenges in the short to medium term. International Business The Company's total exports registered a growth of 35% with sales increasing from 99,976 units in August 2024 to 135,367 units in August 2025. Two-wheeler exports grew by 36% with sales increasing from 89,768 units in August 2024 to 121,926 units in August 2025. Three-Wheeler Three-wheeler registered a growth of 47% with sales increasing from 12,747 units in August 2024 to 18,748 units in August 2025. TVS Motor Company (BSE:532343 and NSE: TVSMOTOR) is a reputed two and three-wheeler manufacturer globally, championing progress through sustainable mobility with four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in India and Indonesia. Rooted in our 100-year legacy of trust, value, and passion for customers, it takes pride in making internationally accepted products of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes. TVS Motor is the only two-wheeler company to have won the prestigious Deming Prize. Our products have led in their respective categories in the J.D.Power IQS & APEAL surveys and J.D.Power Customer Service Satisfaction Survey. Our group company Norton Motorcycles, based in the United Kingdom, is one of the most emotive motorcycle brands in the world. Our subsidiary in the personal e-mobility space, TVS Ebike Company AG, has a leading position in the e-bike market in Switzerland. TVS Motor Company endeavours to deliver the most superior customer experience across 80 countries in which we operate. For more information, please visit www.tvsmotor.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 1: Square Inches Public Relations, a regional PR leader with a presence across 100+ Indian cities, marks its 8th anniversary this year.

Since its founding in Indore, Square Inches PR has built one of the strongest regional networks in the country, covering 100+ cities across 28 states and union territories. With a strong presence in Indore's media ecosystem, the agency continues to serve its home market while helping brands engage authentically with audiences in Tier 1 metros, Tier 2 growth hubs, and Tier 3 emerging markets - ensuring messages resonate locally while driving national impact.

Sameer Alam, Founder of Square Inches PR, said:"Regional PR has always been more than just outreach for us - it is about cultural understanding, language sensitivity, and building genuine connections with communities. These eight years are a reflection of that belief and a reminder to keep innovating for clients who value depth as much as reach."

Recognised among the E4M PR & Corp Comm Top 10 Regional PR Agencies (2022), the firm works across diverse sectors such as FMCG, technology, healthcare, finance, real estate, and education. Its services span media relations, regional content localisation, digital PR, and reputation management. What sets Square Inches PR apart is its ability to bridge India's cultural and linguistic diversity - securing coverage in local languages and regional outlets while ensuring brand stories align with national narratives.

Looking ahead, Square Inches PR aims to further expand its regional and digital capabilities, enabling clients to communicate with authenticity and precision in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

About Square Inches PRSquare Inches PR is a result-driven communication firm based in Indore with 8 years of expertise in regional PR. Known for transparent practices, credible coverage, and long-standing media partnerships, the agency ensures brands achieve real coverage and lasting impact.

Media Contact:Square Inches Public Relations308, Chetak Centre, Madhumilan Square, Near Hotel Shreemaya, Indore - 452001 squareinchespr@gmail.com | 8989897766 / 8989898877

(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
We are determined, through our joint efforts, to further expand cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan, which is gaining new substance day by day, especially in the trade and economic, energy, investment, agricultural, and transport-logistics spheres. The existing high level of mutual understanding, confidence, and trust creates a favorable basis for this, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his letter to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the occasion of the countrys National Day  Independence Day.

Extending his congratulations on his own behalf and on behalf of the Azerbaijani people, President Ilham Aliyev noted:

As a brotherly country, we take joy in witnessing today the rapid and comprehensive development of your state under the new strategy of Uzbekistan you have defined, its progress in all spheres, the growth of its economic strength, and the strengthening of its authority and standing in the international arena. All of Uzbekistans achievements are the result of your multifaceted activity, farsighted policy, and devoted service to your homeland and people. Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations vividly reflect the good traditions of fraternal ties shaped by our peoples, who share a common history, language, and culture.

Highlighting the importance of high-level visits and meetings in the current dynamic development of relations, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs state visit to Azerbaijan in July once again confirmed the allied nature of bilateral ties. He added:

I am confident that the important agreements we have reached regarding the future directions of Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation, and the number of documents signed in various fields, particularly on the diversification of economic partnership, will contribute to broadening the scope of our collaboration and further strengthening and deepening our allied relations.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the Azerbaijani-Uzbek brotherhood will continue to play an important role in the implementation of joint initiatives, serving the development of the two countries and the well-being of their peoples.

On this festive day, the President of Azerbaijan wished Shavkat Mirziyoyev robust health, happiness, and success in his endeavors, and extended his wishes for lasting peace, prosperity, and progress to the brotherly people of Uzbekistan.
NewsVoir New Delhi [India], September 1: The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) hosted its Alliance in Action Convening on 29 August 2025 at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, bringing together key stakeholders, investors, innovators, and DISCOMs to advance India's clean energy transition. The event featured the announcement and felicitation of the winners of the Energy Transitions Innovation Challenge (ENTICE) 2.0, along with the signing of MoUs to scale winning solutions and unlock catalytic capital for clean-tech innovation. GEAPP also announced the launch of the Digitalization of Utilities for Energy Transition (DUET) program with BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), to be piloted at two substations in Delhi. ENTICE, GEAPP's flagship India program, addresses the funding gap faced by clean-tech innovators by providing grants, mentorship, and market access. The second edition focused on two problem statements: - Developing AI tools to analyze behind-the-meter (BTM) energy consumption patterns and create digital twins of appliances. - Using AI to analyze smart meter data, identify large-scale flexible assets, and detect inefficiencies in industrial energy use. By partnering with distribution companies like Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) and BRPL, ENTICE provides startups access to real-world data and pilot opportunities, bridging the gap between innovation and deployment. The winning solutions to the first problem statements were Enlog and Flock Energy. Enlog delivers autonomous energy intelligence via a compact, patented plug-and-play loT device + Al. It cuts electricity use and improves appliance-life without manual effort. Flock Energy uses a modular, Al-powered platform to disaggregate smart meter data into appliance-level insights, tailored for India's 15/30-minute intervals. Trillectric and Faclon Labs were announced winners for the second problem statement. Trillectric offers a modular system that analyzes smart meter data to flag inefficiencies and flexibility using standardized, structured data. Its lightweight architecture emphasizes usability and integration-readiness, making it ideal for rapid industrial deployment. Faclon Labs uniquely integrates Al, Big Data, and energy systems to optimize consumption. With 400+ projects executed across India and tens of thousands of energy meters digitized, Faclon's Al tools enable real-time diagnostics, anomaly detection, and demand forecasting. To accelerate deployment of these solutions, investment partners AWE Funds, Synapses, Theia Ventures, ZeCa Capital, Spectrum Impact, and Ankur Capital signed MoUs pledging funding support and implementation assistance, subject to due diligence. Gurdeep Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, NTPC felicitated the winners and remarked, "Innovation thrives when diverse minds come together to challenge conventions and co-create solutions. The Alliance in Action event demonstrates how constructive disruptors can address some of our toughest energy challenges, turning today's problems into tomorrow's possibilities." Woochong Um, CEO, GEAPP, added, "India's strides in clean energy show how innovation and strong policy support can drive transformation. The urgency of the climate challenge demands collaborative action, where governments, businesses, civil society, and philanthropy come together to unlock capital, deploy solutions, and share knowledge at scale. India's example offers both inspiration and practical models for the Global South to accelerate an equitable and inclusive transition." The convening also featured a fireside chat with Ashish Khanna (DG, International Solar Alliance), Woochong Um (CEO, GEAPP), and Saurabh Kumar (VP - India, GEAPP) on the role of the Multi Donor Trust Fund, which aims to mobilize funds for high-impact solar projects. A panel discussion on 'Economic Development through Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE)' followed, moderated by Samit Mitra, Managing Director, Country Delivery - India, GEAPP. Saurabh Kumar, Vice President - India, GEAPP, noted, "India's journey towards a sustainable and energy-independent future is an alliance-driven mission. Initiatives like ENTICE provide a collaborative platform for innovators to scale the climate-tech solutions needed to build a smarter, more resilient grid." Building on this momentum, GEAPP will soon launch ENTICE 3.0, which will expand focus on deep tech innovation, grid resilience, and digitalization-driven energy efficiency, further advancing India's renewable energy transition. The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to enable LMIC's shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an alliance, we aim to reduce four gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions and assist just transition solutions. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 'Semicon India - 2025', aimed at catalysing India's Semiconductor ecosystem, on Tuesday morning, around 10 AM at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi. The Prime Minister will also participate in the Conference on September 3 from around 9:30 AM, during which he will also attend the CEOs roundtable, the PMO said on Monday in a statement. The three-day Conference, from September 2nd to 4th, will focus on advancing a robust, resilient, and sustainable semiconductor ecosystem in India. It will feature sessions on the progress of the Semicon India Programme, semiconductor fab and advanced packaging projects, infrastructure readiness, smart manufacturing, innovations in R&D and artificial intelligence, investment opportunities, state-level policy implementation, and other topics. Additionally, the event will highlight initiatives under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, the growth of the startup ecosystem, international cooperation, and the future roadmap for India's semiconductor sector. Over 20,750 attendees are expected to participate, including more than 2,500 delegates from 48 countries, over 150 speakers, including 50 global leaders, and more than 350 exhibitors. It will also include roundtable discussions from 6 countries, country pavilions, and dedicated pavilions for Workforce Development & Start-Ups, among others. Semicon conferences, organised across the world, aim to maximise the outreach of technological advancements in the semiconductor domain, as well as the policies of various countries, to strengthen their semiconductor ecosystems. Furthering the Prime Minister's vision to showcase India as a hub for Semiconductor Design, Manufacturing and Technology Development, conferences have been organised at Bengaluru in 2022, at Gandhinagar in 2023 and at Greater Noida in 2024. Semiconductors are at the heart of modern technology. They power essential systems in healthcare, transport, communication, defence, and space. As the world moves toward greater digitalisation and automation, semiconductors have become integral to economic security and strategic independence. In just four years, since the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) in 2021, India has transformed its semiconductor journey from vision to reality. To support this vision, the government announced a Rs 76,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, of which nearly Rs 65,000 crore has already been committed. Additionally, on August 28, a major milestone in India's semiconductor journey was achieved with the launch of one of the country's first end-to-end Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) Pilot Line Facilities in Sanand, Gujarat. Semiconductor company CG-Semi is expected to roll out the first 'Made in India' chip from this pilot facility. Whether it's design, packaging, or fabrication, we, as a nation, are giving shape to our dreams in all these foundational aspects to become self-reliant. Through the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, 23 chip design projects have been sanctioned to support startups and innovators. Companies like Vervesemi Microelectronics are creating advanced chips for defence, aerospace, electric vehicles, and energy systems, showing that India is no longer just a consumer but a creator. In June 2023, the government approved the first proposal for establishing a semiconductor unit in Sanand. As of the date, the government has approved 10 semiconductor manufacturing projects with a cumulative investment of more than Rs 1.60 lakh crore in six states: Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. (ANI)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal offered prayers and sought blessings from Lord Ganesha by touching the feet of the idol at the Labaugcha Raja pandal.

On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accompanied by his son and ICC Chairman Jay Shah, along with other family members, visited the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja to seek blessings.

The Home Minister had 'darshan' of Lord Ganesh at the pandal and offered prayers, joining thousands of devotees who throng the site during the festive season.

Meanwhile, along with the grand public Ganeshotsav celebrations, household festivities in Maharashtra's Pune are also being marked with unique themes and patriotic fervour.

In the Erandwane area of Pune City, a young woman, Aishwarya Jadhav, has designed a special household Ganesh decoration inspired by the Indian Army's recently conducted 'Operation Sindoor', which was executed with remarkable bravery.

The decoration features replicas of Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, offering a symbolic salute to the armed forces. The tricolour, battle tanks, and rockets in flight also form part of the thematic setup.

The 10-day Ganeshotsav celebrations began on August 27, Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Vinayak Chavithi.

It is a festival that marks the worship of Lord Ganesha as the god of new beginnings and remover of obstacles.

The festival culminates on Anantha Chaturdashi and is celebrated with decorated homes and pandals, prayers, music, and vibrant processions. (ANI)
The television industry is mourning the loss of actress Priya Marathe, best known for her role in 'Pavitra Rishta.' She passed away on August 31 at the age of 38, after reportedly battling cancer for a year. Her sudden death has left colleagues and fans heartbroken. Among those who shared their grief was Priya's 'Pavitra Rishta' co-star and close friend Ankita Lokhande, who remembered her with an emotional note. Ankita shared throwback pictures on Instagram from their time together, including moments from the sets, selfies, and even a group photo from Ankita's wedding. Along with the pictures, she recalled how Priya was her "first friend" from Pavitra Rishta and how their small gang with co-star Prarthana "always felt so wholesome" whenever they were together. "Priya was my first friend from Pavitra Rishta. Me, Prarthana and Priya.. our little gang... it always felt so wholesome when we were together. Priya, Prats and I lovingly called each other wedee in Marathi, and that bond was truly special.. She was there in my good days and held me through my sad days... never once missing to show up when I needed her. She never missed attending the Gauri Maha Aarti during Ganpati Bappa, and this year, I'll pray for your soul there, my wedee... while missing you dearly," read her post. Sharing how Priya supported her during both "good days" and "sad days," Ankita remembered her friend's strength, calling her "the strongest," and adding how she fought her battles with courage despite her illness. "Priya was the strongest she fought every battle with so much courage. Aaj ti nahiye amchya sobat, and it breaks my heart to even write this. Losing her is a reminder that we really never know the battles someone is fighting behind their smile.. So, be kind... always, Priya, my dear wedee, you will always live in my heart and in my memories. Thank you for every laugh, every tear, every moment. Until we meet again... Om Shanti," she concluded. https://www.instagram.com/p/DODRHLFCHR4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Priya began her acting journey with the Marathi show 'Ya Sukhano Ya' in 2005 before transitioning to Hindi television with 'Kasamh Se'. She gained nationwide fame as Varsha in 'Pavitra Rishta', which made her a household name. Over the years, she appeared in popular shows such as 'Bade Acche Lagte Hain,' 'Saath Nibhana Saathiya', 'Uttaran', and 'Maharana Pratap.' She also acted in Marathi films like 'Umne Jeena Seekh Liya' and 'Ti Ani Itar.' (ANI)
Bollywood celebrities are leaving no chance to soak in the festive vibes amid the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. From welcoming lord Bappa home to engage in pandal hopping, film stars have been busy celebrating the festival with full gusto since August 26. On Sunday, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stepped out in Mumbai for Ganpati darshan with daughter Aaradhya and her mother. Dressed in ethnic wear, the ladies looked extremely elegant as they offered prayers at Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Ganeshotsav pandal. In one of the viral clips, the 'Guru' star could be seen protecting Aaradhya as they made their way through the crowd to seek Lord Ganesha's blessings. Several pictures of Aishwarya's Ganpati darshan were shared on Instagram of Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Ganeshotsav pandal. Check it out https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOBLjtGCMWf/ Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Vinayak Chavithi, is a festival that marks the worship of Lord Ganesha as the god of new beginnings and remover of obstacles. The festival culminates on Anantha Chaturdashi and is celebrated with decorated homes and pandals, prayers, music, and vibrant processions. On the work front, Aishwarya was last seen in Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 and has not yet announced her next project. Earlier this year, she made a remarkable appearance at Cannes 2025. Honouring Indian roots, she wore a custom-made piece from Gaurav Gupta Couture. The body-fitted gown was hand-embroidered in shades of silver, gold, charcoal, and black. She completed her look with a Banarasi brocade cape, handwoven in Varanasi. The cape stood out not just for its rich texture but also because it was inscribed with a Sanskrit shloka from the Bhagavad Gita. (ANI)
In a post on Instagram, she wrote, "In times of crisis, unity becomes our greatest strength -- when we stand together, we rise together."

Neeru also hailed "Punjabi bhaichara" as several united to help flood-affected victims in Punjab.

"Sat Sri Akal ji, Ardaas karde haan ke Panjab de halat Jaldi to Jaldi theek hon. Neeru Bajwa and Team hmesha Panjab de naal hai kyuki jo ditta Panjab da hi ditta hai. Sadda Bhaichara hmesha salamat rave,jo vi lok ground level te SEVA kar rahe a.Asi sarya nu Salaam karde haan te Jinne Jogge a sarya de naal khade haan. Jo vi nuksaan hoya aoo appa thoda thoda kar ke bharpai kriye ta ke kisse nu vaddi dhah na lagge. PANJABI BHAICHARA ZINDABAD (May our unity and brotherhood always remain strong. We salute all the people who are doing selfless service (Seva) at the ground level.We pay our respects to everyone and stand by those who are capable and standing with the people. Whatever damage has been done, let's each contribute a little to help compensate, so that no one suffers a major loss. Long live Punjabi brothehood," her post read.

Earlier, Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian noted that the floods have affected more than 2.56 lakh people across 12 districts, displacing thousands and causing heavy losses to human lives, property, agriculture, and livestock.

To aid relief and rescue operations, the state has mobilised multiple agencies. The NDRF has deployed 20 teams, while the Army, Navy, and Air Force have stationed 10 columns, with 8 on standby, along with their respective engineer units. Over 35 helicopters are engaged in rescue missions, supported by 114 boats and one state helicopter. BSF units have also been deployed in the affected border areas. (ANI)
Former Bihar minister and expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that both organisations just "incite riots." "The existence of the BJP and RSS has ended in a very bad way. Any person should avoid making comments on castes or religion," he said in Bihar's Danapur on Sunday. He also hit out at Union Minister Giriraj Singh, calling him a "riot inciter." "Giriraj Singh is a riot-inciter; they incite riots and promote violence. RSS, BJP's job is to incite riots," the former Bihar minister added. Yadav's comments come after the Union minister's reported remark that "Masjids should not be used for politics" in Darbhanga. Meanwhile, in Patna, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Tej Pratap's brother, Tejashwi Yadav, expressed concern over Bihar's lack of development, saying it pains him to see the state still lagging behind others in terms of growth and employment. The RJD leader also urged that he should be given a chance to work for Bihar's progress. "I am a Bihari. It pains me that Bihar is not among the top states. Why are there no factories, no industries, and no businesses here? Why is Bihar the poorest? Why is unemployment the highest here? I just want a chance to work towards taking Bihar forward," he said while addressing the public at an event in Patna. Taking aim at the BJP, Yadav accused the ruling party of sidelining democratic values and running the organisation in a family-centric manner. The high-stakes Bihar assembly elections are expected later this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. (ANI)
Hours after the Congress party said that they submitted close to 89 lakh complaints to the election commission regarding the voter lists in Bihar, the state's Chief Election Officer (CEO) responded by saying that the party did not follow the proper process of correctly filling up the prescribed form, as mandated to be submitted regarding any objections to the voter list. In an official statement which was released on X, the CEO mentioned, "The Presidents of the District Congress Committees of the Indian National Congress have, in the last 1-2 days, submitted letters to the District Election Officers in Bihar, requesting the deletion of the names of around 89 lakh (8.9 million) people from the electoral rolls." The official statement further added that, as per the rules and directions of the Election Commission, any deletion of names can only be done through "Rule 13 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, under which only Form 7 can be submitted". "Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties, who can file objections in the prescribed format. Such objections, under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, must be submitted along with a declaration," it added. The CEO pointed out that the data mentioned in the Congress complaint of "89 lakh voters" was unverified. The official statement mentioned that the ERO will take the 'appropriate decision' on the process of deletion of around 89 lakh voters. It also added that only after sworn affidavits and proper scrutiny, names would be considered for removal. The statement also referenced the Supreme Court's interim order dated August 22, which stated that any objections regarding incorrect entries in the electoral rolls must be submitted in the prescribed format to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer. Earlier on Sunday, while addressing a press conference in Bihar's Patna, party leader Pawan Khera claimed that the poll body in Bihar has previously refused to accept the filed complaints, and is claiming through sources that no political party has filed an objection. "The election commission, through sources, has planted that no political party is objecting; one must have heard this. We also got to know that we did not do anything. Congress has submitted 89 lakh complaints to the Election Commission. We kept on doing our work silently and smiled at the sources. We then understood why zero complaints," Khera asked. "Then we got to know that when complaints are not taken from our BLAs when they go to submit them. Instead, they are saying they will take from individuals," he added. While speaking to ANI after the conference, Khera also expressed confidence in Congress winning the upcoming assembly elections, saying that people's eyes have been opened about their mandate being stolen. "We will win these (Bihar) elections. People's eyes have opened that this is a stolen mandate. They will have to give up (power)," he said. The EC received 118 claims and objections in total from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025 of the electoral rolls in Bihar. Of the 118 claims and objections, the CPI (ML) Liberation filed 103 for exclusion of names, while 15 were filed for inclusion. The process of filing claims and objections will close on September 1. (ANI)
BRS working president KT Rama Rao described the PC Ghosh Commission report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project as a "trash report," accusing the Congress of conspiring with the BJP to permanently close down Telangana's lifeline project. Speaking to reporters at Gun Park Martyrs' Memorial along with BRS legislators, KTR alleged that the ruling party had suppressed the Opposition's voice inside the Assembly. "Our members were not allowed to speak. Even when Harish Rao tried to raise valid points, the Chief Minister and Ministers shouted him down. The Speaker acted as though nothing was amiss," he said. KTR maintained that Kaleshwaram, the world's largest lift irrigation scheme, is an "engineering marvel" and a boon to lakhs of farmers. "We will not allow any attempt to sabotage this project. If necessary, we will take the fight to the people through a mass movement," he warned. The BRS leader alleged that Congress deliberately exaggerated figures to create a false narrative of corruption. "Repairs to the Medigadda barrage will cost only Rs 350 crore. Yet, the government claims losses of Rs 1 lakh crore. Even Revanth Reddy's own relatives are asking how Rs 94,000 crore suddenly became Rs 1 lakh crore," KTR remarked. He charged that the Commission violated the Commission of Enquiry Act and was prepared only to malign KCR and the BRS. "This is not a Ghosh report; it is a Trash report. The Congress has no sincerity, only conspiracies," he said. KTR further alleged that both Congress and BJP were hand-in-glove in tarnishing Telangana's progress. "In no other state does the NDMA investigate every mishap. But here, even minor issues are blown out of proportion. This is a political conspiracy," he said. Stating that BRS would continue its legal battle against the report, KTR said the party would meet to decide on the next course of action. He said, "The people of Telangana know who fought for water, funds, and jobs. They also know the difference between Congress's decades of neglect and the development achieved under BRS." (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday marked the 31st anniversary of the Khatima firing incident, a pivotal moment in the state's struggle for separate statehood. Dhami paid heartfelt tributes to the brave individuals who sacrificed their lives for the creation of Uttarakhand. He stated that their "sacrifice" is not just a part of the state's history but also a "valour" that is inscribed in the soul of Uttarakhand. Sharing a post on 'X', CM Dhami mentioned that their indomitable courage in the state's journey to formation will remain unforgettable. "Countless salutations to the immortal state agitators who sacrificed their lives to fulfill the resolve for a separate Uttarakhand state in the Khatima firing incident. The sacrifice of the brave state agitators is not merely a part of history but an epic of valor inscribed in the soul of Uttarakhand, which infused new vitality into the mountain identity and existence. Your sacrifice and indomitable courage in the great journey of state formation will remain forever unforgettable," CM Dhami wrote on 'X'. The Khatima firing incident took place on September 1, 1994. September 1 is considered a dark day in the history of the Uttarakhand state movement as a peaceful procession was being carried out by agitators seeking a separate Uttarakhand state in Khatima but the police carried out an indiscriminate firing at the agitators resulting in the death of the seven agitators. The firing incident led to cruel results, including several protests by people against the administration across the state, along with the Massorie firing incident, which took place on September 2, 1994. The Khatima firing incident was followed by the Massorie firing incident the other day, in which six people were fired upon by Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel. Meanwhile, on Sunday, amidst the ongoing rain in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the Nanak Sagar Dam in Nanakmatta, Udham Singh Nagar. The Chief Minister stated that the entire district administration, NDRF, SDRF, and all departments are monitoring the situation following the issuance of red and orange warnings by the Meteorological Department. (ANI)
On the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

The leaders discussed the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda, stressing the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual trust and regional stability. Both leaders highlighted the positive momentum generated during the recent Washington Summit, which reaffirmed international support for advancing peace and the normalization process.

The sides agreed to continue their contacts.
Districts under this warning include Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, and Patiala. The warning is valid until 8:30 AM on Monday.

An Orange nowcast warning has also been issued for nearby areas, indicating moderate rainfall (5-15 mm/hr) with thunderstorm activity.

In a post on X, IMD shared, "Red Nowcast Warning: Heavy spells (>15mm/hr) accompanined with thunderstorm. Orange Nowcast warning: Moderate Spells (5-15 mm/hr) accompanied with thunderstorms."

https://x.com/Indiametdept/status/1962333651183825085

"Districts under rednowcast warnings (Valid upto 0830 Hrs IST of today) are Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Patiala," the post read.

A day earlier, the Border Security Force (BSF) reached out to flood-affected families in several villages of Punjab's Ferozepur to supply essential relief material, including drinking water, a release said.

This collaboration with local volunteers highlights the spirit of solidarity and community support in Ferozepur. Together, they bring hope and much-needed relief to the affected villages, ensuring no one is left behind in this crisis, the release added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately release Rs 60,000 crore in pending funds for the state, citing the grave flood situation that has devastated large parts of the state.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Mann described the disaster as the "most severe natural calamity in decades", which has already affected nearly 1,000 villages and lakhs of people.

The Chief Minister said that heavy rainfall and water released from dams have worsened the situation in Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Hoshiarpur districts. He warned that the crisis could deepen further in the coming days.

According to his assessment, around three lakh acres of agricultural land, mostly under paddy cultivation, have been submerged. The loss of crops before harvest, combined with livestock deaths, has left rural families, who depend on farming and dairy, reeling under immense distress. (ANI)
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Monday hit out at Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra accusing her of "spoiling" the political culture. Ghosh further alleged that the TMC MP speaks more about "external matters" just to gain popularity. Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "Mahua Moitra keeps giving such statements. She talks less about politics and more about external matters so that she can gain popularity... The number of such people in politics is increasing, which is spoiling the political environment... These people only waste time and spoil the political culture." This came after an FIR was registered in Raipur's Mana Camp police station against Moitra under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) and 197 (imputations prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Moitra had allegedly said in Bengali that Shah's "head should be cut off" for failing to check the infiltration of illegal Bangladeshis into India. Her comments, reportedly made during a media interaction on Thursday, sparked widespread backlash nationwide. Earlier on Sunday, Mahua Moitra launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that "idiots don't understand idioms" as she defended herself over her alleged "derogatory" remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The TMC MP clarified that her comments were "idiomatic" and accused the police of twisting her words. Reacting to the controversy, the TMC leader clarified her use of Bengali expressions and said, "Similarly, in the Bengali language, 'matha kata jawa, we say lojjay matha kata chhe,' which means that 'you are so ashamed that you can cut your own head off. When we say matha kata jawa, matha ke tebi le rakha, it means taking accountability, owning responsibility. This is an idiom. Now, of course, idiots don't understand idioms, which is where we are." Moitra said her words had been misinterpreted and that she was speaking in metaphors and idioms. She explained, "So in June of 2024, when the Lok Sabha results came out, an upke baar, 400 paar fell flat on its face. And the foreign media reported that the results, only 240 seats, was a slap in the face for Narendra Modi. Now, did the BJP's claim really fall flat on its face? No. Did someone go and slap the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji on his face? No." "Then everyone said that heads will roll. Did heads roll? Yes, they did. These are what in the English language are called idioms, right? When you say heads will roll, it refers to when kings used to cut the heads off of people who were disobedient. And when you cut the head off, it starts rolling. A beheaded head can only roll. So you don't really cut someone's head off. It's an idiom, it's a metaphor for accountability," Moitra further added. (ANI)
The lone Congress MP from Gujarat, Geniben Thakor, has voiced a demand for granting cows the status of "Rashtriya Mata" across the country. Speaking to ANI, the Congress MP stated that people across the country support this demand. She further demanded that the Gujarat government grant the status of "Rajya Mata" to cows and informed that she had written a letter for this purpose. "The people of the whole country have only one demand that 'Gau Mata' (cows) should be given the status of 'Rashtriya Mata'... When Eknath Shinde was the Chief Minister, he gave the status of 'Rajya Mata' to 'Gau Mata' in Maharashtra. I have written a letter appealing for this. I am with all the saints and sages demanding the Gujarat government to give the status of 'Rajya Mata' to 'Gau Mata' in front of the Kutch District Collector's office..." Geniben Thakor said. In 2024, the Maharashtra government gave indigenous cow breeds the status of 'Rajyamata-Gomata' (state mother cow) in recognition of their cultural and agricultural significance. The state Cabinet led by then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had taken this decision month ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. Earlier in June, as part of the ongoing Gau Dhwaj initiative established by Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, his national media in-charge Shailendra Yogiraj Sarkar reiterated the demand that the Central Government should officially declare "Gau Mata" (the holy cow) as "Rashtra Mata" (Mother of the Nation). Addressing a press conference in Shimla, Shailendra Yogiraj Sarkar said that there is a need to withdraw the slaughter permission in some Indian states. "We worship Gau Mata, but in some states, governments have legally permitted her slaughter. This contradiction must end. Our primary demand is to ban cow slaughter across India and to enact a central law declaring Gau Mata as Rashtra Mata." he said. The Gau Dhwaj Parikrama initiative was aimed at raising awareness and moral pressure on both state and central governments for cow protection. (ANI)
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of going soft on China during his meeting with President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit in Tianjin. The AICC leader criticised PM Modi for calling both India and China as "victims of terrorism." He also questioned his silence on China's alleged role with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh wrote, "For a long time, India has been accusing China of its "double standards" and "double-speak" on terrorism. Now, Prime Minister Modi tells President Xi that India and China are both victims of terrorism. If this is not the so-called elephant capitulating before the so-called dragon, then what is it?" https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1962352867236585897 "Even more anti-national is the fact that Prime Minister Modi remained completely silent in his conversation with President Xi about China's jugalbandi with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, something revealed by top Indian Army officials themselves," the post read. "The self-proclaimed 56-inch chested leader now stands thoroughly exposed. He betrayed the national interest with his clean chit to China on June 19, 2020. Now, August 31, 2026, will also go down as a day of infamy for his cowardly kowtowing in Tianjin," the post further reads. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of cross-border terrorism with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. "The issue of cross-border terrorism was raised by the Prime Minister...he asked for China's support on this particular issue. As I said, the Chinese have extended their support in various ways in addressing this issue," Misri told reporters at a special Ministry of External Affairs briefing. "The issue of cross-border terrorism was raised by the Prime Minister, and he outlined his understanding very crisply and very specifically. He outlined the fact that this is a scourge that both China and India have been victims of, and India is still combating this menace, and he asked for China's support on this particular issue. As I said, the Chinese have extended their support in various ways on addressing this issue," he added. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that some districts in the region are currently under a red and orange alert issued by the Meteorological Department, and the next 24-48 hours will be crucial. "... Some of our districts are in red alert and some districts are in orange alert... The next 24-48 hours are crucial, and we all have to keep a close watch. Our entire district administration, NDRF, SDRF, all departments are on alert... We are also monitoring the Nanak Sagar Dam. It is flowing 5 feet below the danger level...," CM Dhami said on Sunday. Speaking about relief camps, Uttarakhand CM said, "We are providing immediate assistance to those whose houses have been affected by the disaster and are relocating them to safe places. Camps have also been set up. Our goal is to ensure that all basic needs are met in the relief camps... Efforts to open the blocked roads are underway..." Additionally, the CM has directed district-level officers to remain on round-the-clock alert, in view of the red and orange warnings issued by the Meteorological Department for most districts over the next few days. Chairing a meeting with senior officials, CM Dhami said that the state continues to face challenges due to excessive rainfall, and the coming few days are going to be more difficult. He directed all the officers to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of ordinary citizens. Special vigilance should be exercised on the routes due to the risk of landslides, and all precautionary measures should be taken in anticipation of waterlogging in the plains. He directed Secretary of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman to monitor every situation from the State Emergency Operations Centre. (ANI)
The opposition BJP in Karnataka is holding a massive convention in Dharmasthala today to oppose the state government's decision to investigate the allegations that were made by an indvidual. BJP MLA S R Vishwanath said that this gathering is not for politics but to stop accusations against religion in the state. A convention is being held in response to the ongoing false propaganda against the sacred Dharmasthala region. The BJP MLA further said, "For many days, some people have made false allegations against the Manjunath Dharmasthala area... Today, we decided to take out a procession... We believe that more than 1 lakh people will come here... There is no politics here..." LoP in the legislative council and BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said that Dharamsthala is a place of worship, but some members of the leftist group have created a humbug among the public. "Whatever justice you seek outside the temple, you must approach the court or other sources. However, they aimed to tarnish the reputation of Dharmasthala as well as Manjunatha, and we never tolerate such actions. There is no politics in Dharmasthala. We are all the followers of Manjunatha," Narayanaswamy added. He further told the reporters, "With folded hands, we came to Dharmasthala, and we pray here, and we wanted to give a message to the public of this state that there is no problem with Manjunatha. Whatever justice you want, you approach the court." The national convention will begin at 2 pm in support of the Dharmasthala site and will be attended by Karnataka President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Pralhad Joshi, along with BJP MPs, MLAs, and other prominent party leaders.BJP workers, devotees of Dharmasthala, and devotees from Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Karkala, Belthangady, and the surrounding areas of Dharmasthala will be arriving. Earlier, Vijayendra demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the Dharmasthala case, calling for a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' rally on September 1. Vijayendra said that a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' rally would be held on September 1, urging people to visit temples, offer prayers, and participate in processions before heading to Dharmasthala. A public meeting is scheduled there at 2:00 PM. "The government's handling of the Dharmasthala issue has tarnished its reputation, and a thorough investigation by the NIA is essential to uncover the organisations and malicious forces behind the controversy," Vijayendra said at a press conference in Bengaluru. He warned that such forces could conspire against other Hindu temples in a similar manner. (ANI)
In a heartwarming gesture, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured a young girl, Mayra, of admission to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor during a Janata Darshan on Monday. The girl and her mother from Kanpur had approached the Chief Minister seeking help with her admission. After listening to her, the Chief Minister asked about her ambitions and, upon learning of her dream to become a doctor, promptly ordered officials to facilitate her immediate admission. He also treated the girl with chocolate. Speaking to ANI, Mayra's Mother expressed her happiness at the assurance from the Chief Minister. "We came here to request the UP Chief Minister for the admission of my daughter...We were not able to get admission in Kanpur and now the Chief Minister has assured that she will get admission...We are very happy," she said. Chief Minister Adityanath was addressing public grievances at 'Janata Darshan' at his residence in Lucknow. Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a Janata Darshan at the Circuit House in Varanasi where he personally heard the grievances of over 100 residents and directed officials to ensure speedy redressal. Chief Minister Adityanath visited each complainant, received their applications, and handed them to the concerned officials, including the Commissioner, Police Commissioner, and District Magistrate while instructing them to resolve the issues promptly and provide feedback. The grievances ranged from sewer connections, road construction and land disputes to demands for compensation, a digital library for the blind, and affordable halls for artists. Complaints related to police functioning and revenue matters were also raised. The Chief Minister stated that the government's foremost aim is to "serve, protect and respect citizens" and stressed that efforts are continuously being made to bring happiness to every household. During the interaction, Yogi also engaged with children accompanying complainants, asking about their studies and encouraging them to work hard for a bright future. Government ministers, local representatives, and senior administrative and police officials were present at the Janata Darshan. (ANI)
The gates of the Salal Dam in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district have been opened due to the continuous rise in water levels in the Chenab River, following heavy rainfall in the region. This decision was made as a precautionary measure to safely discharge excess water and prevent possible flooding downstream. The situation is being closely monitored, and necessary precautions are being taken to ensure public safety. Notably, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is currently in abeyance due to India's decision to suspend its participation in the treaty. This move was prompted by Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism (Pahalgam terror attack), which India believes fundamentally undermines the treaty's foundation of good faith and cooperation. The World Bank brokered the treaty to allocate the waters of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. India has unrestricted use of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej), while Pakistan controls the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab). Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed widespread destruction due to the heavy rainfall in recent days. Restoration works are still ongoing in the Union Territory. Today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Jammu and inspect flood-affected areas. After the inspection, he will hold a high-level meeting to discuss the flood situation. Meanwhile, the Vaishno Devi Yatra remained suspended for the seventh consecutive day on Monday due to inclement weather and safety concerns along the track. The base camp at Katra wore a deserted look with only a few pilgrims waiting for the restoration of the pilgrimage. A slight improvement in the weather was witnessed this morning, raising hopes for an early resumption of the Yatra. Authorities, however, stated that the situation is being closely monitored, and movement will be allowed only after clearance from the relevant agencies. On August 27, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi yatra was suspended due to a landslide and heavy rainfall. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide. Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Jal Shakti, Jammu and Kashmir, will head the committee, which includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu. According to an official order, the committee also includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu. The committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed investigation and submitting its report within two weeks to LG Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), it said. The order has stated that the Committee shall examine in detail the causes and reasons behind the incident and point out any lapses, assess responses in the form of rescue and relief measures undertaken, and suggest appropriate SOPs and measures for preventing recurrence of such incidents in the future, the order said. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday will hold a national convention in Dharmasthala in response to the alleged mass burial controversy in the region. The national convention will begin at 2 pm in support of the Dharmasthala site and will be attended by Karnataka President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Pralhad Joshi, along with BJP MPs, MLAs, and other prominent party leaders. BJP workers, devotees of Dharmasthala, and devotees from Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Karkala, Belthangady, and the surrounding areas of Dharmasthala will be arriving. Earlier, Vijayendra demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the Dharmasthala case, calling for a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' rally on September 1. Vijayendra said that a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' rally would be held on September 1, urging people to visit temples, offer prayers, and participate in processions before heading to Dharmasthala. A public meeting is scheduled there at 2:00 PM. "The government's handling of the Dharmasthala issue has tarnished its reputation, and a thorough investigation by the NIA is essential to uncover the organisations and malicious forces behind the controversy," Vijayendra said at a press conference in Bengaluru. He warned that such forces could conspire against other Hindu temples in a similar manner. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of its planned Dharmasthala Chalo rally, accusing the Opposition of politicising religious issues. In a post on X, CM Siddaramaiah wrote, "The BJP people are weaving a new strategy of a religious pilgrimage to Dharmasthala. They politicise everything. Let them go on the yatra if they want. The formation of the SIT has been welcomed by Shri Kshetra's Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade himself. The SIT has been formed for the reason that the truth must come out. Otherwise, there would always have been a controversy regarding Dharmasthala. The SIT has been formed to dispel this doubt." Siddaramaiah said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up following demands from several organisations and was even welcomed by the BJP earlier. "The complainants have gone before the court and given statements under 164. Many organisations had demanded the formation of the SIT. The BJP people had also welcomed this. Now, they are politicising it. They don't even know the interpretation of religion. Is there a need to hand over the Dharmasthala case to a higher-level investigation? When the BJP was in power, which case did they hand over to the CBI? Full independence has been given to the SIT, and it has been instructed to complete the investigation and submit the report. I feel that no other investigation is needed at present," he said. The complainant, who alleged that he had been forced to bury multiple bodies in Dharamsthala, was arrested by the SIT after forensic analysis showed the bones he produced were of a man and not a woman, as he had claimed. He has been remanded in custody for 10 days. (ANI)
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Jitendra Awhad on Monday alleged that the Election Commission has become a "mere puppet" and accused the BJP of sitting in power by stealing votes. "We will have to make the people aware that they are sitting in power, by stealing votes in Haryana, Maharashtra and the nation," Awhad told ANI in Patna. "They are ending democracy, and the Election Commission of India and the Chief Election Commissioner have become mere puppets," he added. Asked about the alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, he said: "I don't think that any wrong words were used against PM Modi. There is no need to make an issue of it..." The Voter Adhikar Yatra will conclude in Patna today. Several Opposition leaders will participate in the final day of the yatra. Several INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra across different points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. The 16 day yatra, taken out by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to highlight the alleged case of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the alleged irregularities in the voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), will conclude in Patna on September 1, Monday from Patna's Gandhi Maidan to the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Statue in Ambedkar Park. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan and others. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said that the yatra has been a "ray of hope" against the "blatant destruction of democracy." The INDIA bloc leaders visited around 110 assembly constituencies in the poll-bound state, covered over 1,300 kilometres, and saw the presence of multiple leaders. (ANI)
Over the past two years, our relations have reached a qualitatively new level, President Ilham Aliyev stated this during his speech at the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China.

"Azerbaijan and China are connected by warm, friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Deepening these relations is one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy," the head of state noted. He described the signing of a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries this year as a historic event, emphasizing that it has opened a new chapter in Azerbaijan-China relations.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said on Monday that he considers himself very fortunate to have the darshan at the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja pandal in Mumbai. He visited the pandal today morning during the 10-day festival honouring Lord Ganesha. Speaking to the reporters, Union Minister Goyal said, "Today I am very pleased. I consider myself very fortunate to have the darshan at the Lalbaugcha Raja. The Ganpati here has its own zeal and faith. Every year, I receive the blessings of Ganpati Bappa here so that I can serve the country even better...Vighnaharta will remove all our obstacles." Goyal further said that he prayed to Lord Ganesh to continue showering his blessings on the country and the entire world, and to always bless devotees like them. Earlier today, Union Minister Piyush Goyal offered prayers and sought blessings from Lord Ganesha by touching the feet of the idol at the Labaugcha Raja pandal. On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accompanied by his son and ICC Chairman Jay Shah, along with other family members, visited the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja to seek blessings. The Home Minister had 'darshan' of Lord Ganesh at the pandal and offered prayers, joining thousands of devotees who throng the site during the festive season. Meanwhile, along with the grand public Ganeshotsav celebrations, household festivities in Maharashtra's Pune are also being marked with unique themes and patriotic fervour. In the Erandwane area of Pune City, a young woman, Aishwarya Jadhav, has designed a special household Ganesh decoration inspired by the Indian Army's recently conducted 'Operation Sindoor', which was executed with remarkable bravery. The decoration features replicas of Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, offering a symbolic salute to the armed forces. The tricolour, battle tanks, and rockets in flight also form part of the thematic setup. The 10-day Ganeshotsav celebrations began on August 27, Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Vinayak Chavithi. It is a festival that marks the worship of Lord Ganesha as the god of new beginnings and remover of obstacles. The festival culminates on Anantha Chaturdashi and is celebrated with decorated homes and pandals, prayers, music, and vibrant processions. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday held a 'Janata Darshan' at his official residence, meeting more than 50 complainants from across Uttar Pradesh. He listened patiently to their grievances and instructed officials to ensure speedy and satisfactory resolution, while also seeking feedback from complainants on the action taken. According to an official release, cases presented before the Chief Minister included issues related to police, revenue, housing, medical aid, education, employment, and infrastructure. Among them, 15 were related to land disputes, six to police matters, four to drainage and roads, and four to financial assistance. The Chief Minister forwarded their applications to the concerned departments and directed officials to act promptly. He also assured complainants that their concerns would be addressed. During the interaction, Chief Minister Yogi also spent time with children who had accompanied their parents. He enquired about their education, blessed them, and distributed chocolates, creating a warm and affectionate atmosphere. The Chief Minister reiterated that solving people's problems and ensuring the prosperity of Uttar Pradesh remain the government's foremost priority. Complainants who reached the Chief Minister's residence on the first morning of September returned with smiles, having received a response to their complaints, the release said. In a heartwarming gesture, the Chief Minister assured a young girl, Mayra, of admission to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor during a Janata Darshan. The girl and her mother from Kanpur had approached the Chief Minister seeking help with her admission. After listening to her, the Chief Minister asked about her ambitions and, upon learning of her dream to become a doctor, promptly ordered officials to facilitate her immediate admission. He also treated the girl with chocolate. Speaking to ANI, Mayra's Mother expressed her happiness at the assurance from the Chief Minister. "We came here to request the UP Chief Minister for the admission of my daughter...We were not able to get admission in Kanpur and now the Chief Minister has assured that she will get admission...We are very happy," she said. (ANI)
MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader Durai Vaiko on Monday visited Tiruvallur Congress MP Sasikant Senthil, who is on indefinite hunger strike, at the hospital to inquire about his health. Senthil has been on an indefinite hunger strike since August 29, protesting against the Union government's alleged failure to release funds to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. Today marks the fourth day of his protest, and his health condition deteriorated, leading to his admission to Chennai's Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. MDMK leader Durai Vaiko visited him at the hospital to inquire about his health and expressed solidarity with his cause. "This hunger strike is for the students of Tamil Nadu. The Union Government introduced the scheme to ensure equal and quality education for all children in the country, yet the funds due to Tamil Nadu since 2022 have not been released, and Tamil Nadu BJP comments criticizing the act of Sashikanth Senthil is not fair" said Durai Vaiko. The Union Government, however, has reportedly linked the release of funds to Tamil Nadu's acceptance of the three-language policy in schools, a condition strongly opposed by the state. Senthil was admitted to Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday after a sudden spike in his blood pressure. He was staging an indefinite hunger strike in Tiruvallur, demanding the immediate release of education funds due to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme (SSA). Senthil began his indefinite fast on Friday in his constituency, protesting the alleged withholding of over Rs 2,000 crore from Tamil Nadu under the SSA by the Union government. On the second day of the protest, he reportedly developed dizziness and uneasiness due to a sudden rise in blood pressure. Following this, an ambulance was called, and a team of doctors provided him with first aid before advising immediate hospitalisation. He was then rushed to the Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital, where he is currently under treatment. The Congress MP stated that he was receiving proper medical care and remained stable. "I am admitted to Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital with high blood pressure on the second day of my indefinite hunger strike, demanding Tamil Nadu's rightful funds under SSA. I am under proper medical care and remain steady," Senthil said in a post on X. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the Union Government has yet to release Rs 2,152 crore of Samagra Shiksha funds to Tamil Nadu. To press for this demand, MP Senthil launched a hunger strike at his party office in Tiruvallur. Senthil claimed that the Union Government's decision to withhold Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme has put the future of 43 lakh students and 2.2 lakh teachers in Tamil Nadu in grave uncertainty. "It is with deep pain and greater determination that I announce the beginning of my hunger strike against the BJP-led Union Government's decision to withhold Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme, which has put the future of 43 lakh students and 2.2 lakh teachers in Tamil Nadu in grave uncertainty," Senthil said in a post on Friday. Sasikanth Senthil had repeatedly sought to raise the issue during the Zero Hour and also under Rule 377 in Parliament in July this year. He also wrote to Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on August 19, urging him to release the funds. In May, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had alleged that the BJP-led Centre was withholding education funds to the State for its 'petty politics'. (ANI)
Lauding PM Narendra Modi's China visit and meeting with President XI Jinping and Vladimir Putin, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami termed it as a "symbol of the growing strength and influence of the new India." He said that India's "powerful" voice under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership is resonating beyond the borders and global community. "The respect being received by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji from global leaders such as Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit is a symbol of the growing strength and influence of the new India. The popularity of the Prime Minister ji is today resonating beyond borders as India's powerful voice in the global community, CM Dhami wrote on 'X'. CM Dhami's response follows a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and PM Narendra Modi in Tianjin during the SCO summit. Ahead of the meeting, both leaders travelled in the same car to the venue. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful." This development comes as India and Russia look to strengthen their bilateral relationship amid US President Donald Trump's tariffs. The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow. The White House Trade Adviser has repeatedly criticised India for prioritising its energy needs, accusing New Delhi of acting as a "laundromat for the Kremlin". The White House Trade advisor has expressed his frustration over India smoothing his relationship with Russia and China, as PM Modi is currently attending the SCO Summit in Tianjin. PM Modi, in his address at SCO, stressed the need to boost connectivity between the members to boost trade. "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust. With this in mind, we are working on initiatives like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. This will help us improve connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia." Describing the third pillar, PM Modi said that opportunities for cooperation and reform in 2023 during India's presidency brought in new energy ideas. "Startups, innovation, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage were new areas which India incorporated. Our effort was to expand SCO's ambit outside governments," PM Modi said. Russian President Putin said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. "The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries. The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," said Putin. Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO."We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. The SCO Summit 2025 reflects the growing importance of multipolarity in global governance as US President Donald Trump's transactional bullying alienated most of its allies. (ANI)
Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Monday hit out at the opposition, stating that the entire country knows who the "murderers" of democracy are. He stated that democracy has been established in the country for the past 11 years, and the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is undertaking welfare work. "The entire nation knows who the murderers of democracy are. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the government has been running for 11 years, democracy has been established across the country, it is a government of the people, and work is being done for the welfare of the people," Choudhary told ANI. The Bihar Deputy CM further criticised the opposition over the recent controversial remarks on PM Narendra Modi, and asked whether they would apologise for the 'abuse and insult' campaign started by them. He stated that the opposition bears the "consequences" if they don't apologise over the issue. "Nitish Kumar and PM Modi are continuously delivering justice to the people... I want to ask the people of the Mahagathbandhan: Will you apologise for starting this 'abuse and insult' campaign? If not, you will have to face the consequences," he said. Last week, an alleged video on the internet showing the accused directing abusive slurs at PM Modi during an INDIA bloc event went viral on social media. On Friday, the man accused of hurling abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during a political rally in Bihar was arrested. Samrat Choudhary also demanded that the Congress party apologise for dismissing 100 governments across the country while referring to the JP Movement of the 1970s. The JP Movement was a political movement led by socialist leader Jayprakash Narayan during the 1970s, centred on allegations of misrule against then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The main purpose of the movement was for the social and political reforms across the country which was followed by the resignation of Indira Gandhi. The movement later ended up towards the declaration of an Emergency in June 1975, where all of the opposition leaders were arrested, and press censorship was imposed. "The Congress Party and the Mahagathbandhan should tell the people of the country and also apologize for the fact that the Congress Party dismissed nearly 100 governments in this country, and during the J.P. Movement, the Congress Party imprisoned all the major leaders of the country," he said. Meanwhile, Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to continue its tenure in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress, and left parties, seeks to oust Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates. The Opposition's INDIA Bloc has a strength of 111 members with RJD leading with 77 MLAs, Congress-19, CPI(ML)-11, CPI(M)-2 and CPI-2. (ANI)
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Monday expressed confidence that there would be "positive outcomes" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China. He further expressed confidence that India will emerge as a "major economic superpower in the entire world." The BJP MP also hailed Prime Minister Modi's remarks at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, condemning terrorism and presenting India's strong stance against terrorism, calling out the "some countries" for their open support of terrorism. Speaking to ANI, Khandelwal said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had clearly stated that there would be no compromise of any kind with India's interests, and in accordance with that, at the SCO Summit, the Prime Minister put forward all of India's concerns, whether it is terrorism or Pahalgam terrorism attack... I am fully confident that after the Prime Minister's China visit, India will emerge as a major economic superpower in the entire world, and there would be very positive outcomes from the Prime Minister's visit to China." On Monday, Prime Minister Modi presented India's strong stance against terrorism, calling out the "some countries" for their open support of terrorism and reaffirming that such "double standards" are not acceptable. In his remarks at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, PM Modi said that the Pahalgam terror attack was an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity, and urged SCO members to stand united in their fight against terror. "India has been bearing the brunt of the terrorism for the last four decades. Recently, we saw the worst side of terrorism in Pahalgam. I express my gratitude to the friendly country that stood with us in this hour of grief," PM Modi said. "This attack was an open challenge for every person, every county who believes in humanity. At this time, it is natural to question that whether open support of terrorism by some countries is acceptable to us. We have to speak in a united voice that no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable. We have to unanimously oppose terrorism in every form and colour. This is our duty towards humanity," he added. PM Modi urged for zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism and further redefined the grouping's focus, noting that its foundation rests on three key pillars -- security, connectivity, and opportunity. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was also present at the occasion as PM Modi delivered his remarks at the plenary session. (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, and others are present at the meeting.

Following the meeting, Amit Shah will also hold an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Jammu.

A devastating landslide on August 26 near the Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, claimed over 30 lives and injured 20 others.

The disaster struck around 3 pm on August 26, when heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-kilometre trek from Katra to the shrine.

On August 27, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi yatra was suspended due to a landslide and heavy rainfall. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide.

On Saturday, four people were killed and one was reported missing after a cloudburst hit the Rajgarh area of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian Army, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, UTDRF and other rescue teams, on Sunday launched operations after a cloudburst hit Rajgarh Tehsil in Ramban district, where flash floods affected multiple locations and four bodies have been recovered so far, officials said.

On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohammad Alyas Khan, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta, rushed to the site. The team was accompanied by personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Quick Response Team (QRT).

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the cloudburst-hit Ramban district on Sunday to assess the damage.

He stated that restoration work in landslide-affected areas is expected to take between 20 to 25 days and alternative routes are available for double-sided traffic.

Chief Minister Abdullah visited Marog village in Ramban district, one of several areas hit hard by recent cloudbursts and flash floods. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu will arrive at Trichy Airport by flight on the morning of September 3 to participate in the convocation ceremony of a university in Tiruvarur district. From there, she will proceed to Tiruvarur by helicopter. After attending the convocation, the President will travel from Tiruvarur to Srirangam in the evening to offer prayers at the Ranganathaswamy Temple. For this purpose, a special helipad has been established near the Kollidam riverbank, close to the temple. From the helipad, President Murmu will reach the temple by road and, after the visit, return to the helipad before departing for Trichy Airport. In preparation for her visit, a security rehearsal was conducted today at the helipad site under the supervision of Indian Air Force officials. Trichy District Collector Saravanan and Trichy City Police Commissioner Kamini also inspected the helipad and reviewed the security arrangements. Heavy police security was deployed during the exercise. According to an official release, on September 2, the President will grace the 120th foundation day celebrations of City Union Bank at Chennai, Tamil Nadu. On September 3, the President will grace the 10th convocation ceremony of the Central University of Tamil Nadu at Thiruvarur. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. President Xi pointed out that "China and India are both ancient civilisations, major developing countries and important members of the Global South." In a post on social media platform X, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong highlighted that both countries are at a "critical stage in their respective modernisation drive." "The development of China-India relations demonstrates that it is the right choice for both sides to become partners for mutual success and realise a cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant, which completely serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples," the Chinese envoy noted. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a pension of Rs 30 lakh to the widows of victims of the Khatima firing incident. The announcement came as the CM marked the 31st anniversary of the Khatima firing incident, a pivotal moment in the region's struggle for statehood. "We will always be liable to those who sacrificed their lives for the attainment of Uttarakhand statehood. I have always tried to commemorate and pay tribute to the agitators. The Khatima incident instilled in the hearts of youth like me a desire to fight for the rights of Uttarakhand. We will use each and every moment to fulfil their dreams. We have provided a pension of Rs. 30 lakh to the widows of these martyrs," Dhami said on Monday. The Khatima firing incident took place on September 1, 1994, in Khatima. It is considered a dark day in the history of Uttarakhand's struggle for statehood, as a peaceful procession was being carried out by agitators seeking a separate state, but the police carried out indiscriminate firing at the agitators, resulting in the death of seven protestors. The Khatima firing incident was followed by the Massorie firing incident the next day, in which six people were fired upon by Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel. Furthermore, speaking on anti-terrorism laws and Sanatana culture, Uttarakhand CM said, "Our government has provided free education in schools and colleges to the children of the martyrs. We have implemented anti-terrorism laws in the state. We have enacted a new law and decided to dissolve the Madrasa Education Board. We are also taking strict action against those who defame the Sanatana culture through Operation Kalanemi. Let us all take a pledge to protect the Himalaya and environmental conservation." Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the tribute programme organised in memory of the agitators who laid down their lives in the struggle for a separate state, which is now Uttarakhand. On this occasion, he also honoured their dependents and other state agitators. (ANI)
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a swipe at PM Modi's China visit, mentioning that the slogan "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodh" is not limited to India and has also reached Beijing. "Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod, Bihar mein naya naara chala hai (There is a new slogan in Bihar), 'Vote chor, gaddi chhodd'...Even in China and the US, people are saying 'Vote chor, gaddi Chhodd'" Rahul Gandhi told ANI. Earlier speaking at the conclusion of the Vote Adhikar Yatra, Rahul Gandhi claimed that he was going to unleash a 'hydrogen bomb' about the SIR exercise in Bihar. "I am warning them, the people of BJP better hear this well. You have all seen the Atom bomb on the Vote theft, now you will see the Hydrogen Bomb on this," he said. "The same forces that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to assassinate the Constitution. We will not let them assassinate the Constitution, no matter what happens. Bihar is a revolutionary state. It has sent a message to the entire country- we will not let 'vote theft' happen," the Lok Sabha LoP said. The 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra organised under the leadership of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi concluded in Patna on Monday. The main agenda of the yatra was to oppose the Special Intensive Revision being conducted by Election Commission of India in Bihar and also to justify the recent "vote chori" allegations made by Rahul Gandhi on ECI. The 16-day yatra, taken out by Rahul Gandhi to highlight the alleged case of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the alleged irregularities in the voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), concludes in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. (ANI) Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
by Mazahir Afandiyev

Today, as the leading state of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan not only plays a key role in the region but also actively contributes across the entire Eurasian space to the deepening of economic, cultural, political, and diplomatic ties among peoples, and demonstrates determination in adopting new decisions and implementing approaches to ensure better and more prosperous living conditions for people.

Our country is interested in developing its multifaceted foreign diplomacy by strengthening relations with friendly and partner countries, as well as with international and regional organizations. Azerbaijan does not limit itself to domestic reforms within its borders but also engages in effective cooperation on international platforms, including with member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), fulfilling its obligations responsibly.

It should be noted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organizationestablished on June 15, 2001, by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistanis a regional cooperation organization aimed at fostering good-neighborly and friendly relations, strengthening mutual trust, promoting effective cooperation in various fields, ensuring peace, stability, and security in the region, and supporting joint efforts to build a fair new international political and economic order. Later, Belarus, India, Pakistan, and Iran also became full members, while Mongolia and Afghanistan received observer status. Azerbaijan, along with 13 other countries, cooperates with the SCO as a dialogue partner.

In 2016, a memorandum reflecting areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO was signed. Among the priority areas of this cooperationtraditionally emphasized by the SCO and of particular importance to Azerbaijanare combating terrorism and separatism, and ensuring regional security and stability. Additionally, Azerbaijans key role on the international stage in promoting intercultural dialogue, multiculturalism, and tolerance is among the topics of major focus.

President Ilham Aliyevs regular invitations and participation in SCO Summits are a testament to the high respect he commands as a resolute and visionary leader on the global stage.

On August 30, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva made a working visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin at the invitation of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China to attend the SCO Plus Summit, as well as the official events and military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Chinas victory over foreign military aggression and fascism. This visit was of great significance for the ongoing development of Azerbaijan-China relations and the reassessment of cooperation opportunities within the SCO framework.

During the visitconsidered a symbol of friendship and brotherhooda productive meeting took place between the heads of state. At the same time, discussions were held with leaders of China's leading companies on cooperation in areas such as transportation, communications, digitization, and energy.

In general, thanks to large-scale infrastructure projects initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in recent years, Azerbaijan has transformed into a major international transportation and logistics hub. The country plays an increasingly important role in the implementation of regional communication projects such as the EastWest and NorthSouth transport corridors. Notably, the Washington Declaration, signed on August 8, 2025, by the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia, introduced new realities in the South Caucasus. It further strengthens Azerbaijan's role within the Middle Corridor initiative and boosts the interest of China and other SCO member states in this cooperation.

President Ilham Aliyevs participation in the Summit is a direct result of Azerbaijans growing international influence and the success of its multilateral diplomacy. At a time when the political architecture of the world is being redefined, Azerbaijan is increasing its engagement with many regional organizations through a neutral and cooperation-oriented policy. Cooperation with the SCO is a component of this policy and serves the strategic goal of turning Azerbaijan into a key hub for AsiaEurope transportation, energy, and trade connectivity.

Another factor that increased the significance of the visit was its timingduring a period when new prospects for peace are emerging in the South Caucasus. In the context of a preliminary peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev's active diplomatic moves at the international level demonstrate Azerbaijan's commitment to stability and cooperation in the region. Considering the SCOs agenda on security and regional cooperation, Azerbaijan's participation in the Summit reaffirms its position as an initiator of peace and sustainable development in the region.

Another noteworthy point is that before this visit, on August 22, 2025, the President of Azerbaijan participated in a high-level meeting held in the Turkmen city of Turkmenba?y with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. During that event, intergovernmental documents covering transport and logistics were signed. This is not only a reflection of Azerbaijans consistent, multi-vector foreign policy as a model member of the Organization of Turkic States, but also a logical step aligned with its activities within the SCO.

In conclusion, President Ilham Aliyevs visit to the People's Republic of China and participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit is yet another successful step in Azerbaijan's multi-vector foreign policy. This visit not only strengthens Azerbaijans relations with global organizations but also vividly demonstrates the countrys growing influence and economic-political power both within the region and beyond. At the same time, it opens new opportunities for Azerbaijan to play a more active role in the SCO and to deepen both bilateral and multilateral relations in the future.

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their op-eds may differ from and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were also present.

Shah also met with the flood-affected people of Mangu Chak village.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a review meeting regarding the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir at Raj Bhavan in Jammu.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, and others are present at the meeting.

A devastating landslide on August 26 near the Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, claimed over 30 lives and injured 20 others.

The disaster struck around 3 pm on August 26, when heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-kilometre trek from Katra to the shrine.

On August 27, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi yatra was suspended due to a landslide and heavy rainfall. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide.

On Saturday, four people were killed and one was reported missing after a cloudburst hit the Rajgarh area of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian Army, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, UTDRF and other rescue teams, on Sunday launched operations after a cloudburst hit Rajgarh Tehsil in Ramban district, where flash floods affected multiple locations and four bodies have been recovered so far, officials said.

On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohammad Alyas Khan, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta, rushed to the site. The team was accompanied by personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Quick Response Team (QRT).

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the cloudburst-hit Ramban district on Sunday to assess the damage. (ANI)
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to win the upcoming Bihar Assembly election through "vote theft". He also urged the people to stay alert to protect their voting rights, otherwise " Modi and Amit Shah will drown you." "PM Modi has a habit of stealing. He steals votes, steals money. And they (BJP) take care of people who fled India after looting the country's banks," Kharge said at a public meeting held here on the concluding day of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Voter Adhikar Yatra. "Modi is trying to win in the Bihar election through vote theft. You should stay alert. If you don't stay alert, Modi and Shah will drown you," he said. "Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi brought the right to vote to the country after Independence. We should not lose that right, so we have to fight hard. We have to eliminate the threat to our voting rights," he said. The 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra concluded in Patna on Monday. The main agenda of the yatra was to oppose the Special Intensive Revision being conducted by the Election Commission of India in Bihar and to justify the recent "vote chori" allegations made by Rahul Gandhi against the ECI. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at PM Modi's China visit on Monday, mentioning that the slogan "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodh" is not limited to India and has also reached Beijing. "Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod, Bihar mein naya naara chala hai (There is a new slogan in Bihar), 'Vote chor, gaddi chhodd'...Even in China and the US, people are saying 'Vote chor, gaddi Chhodd'" Rahul Gandhi told ANI. Rahul Gandhi claimed that he was going to unleash a 'hydrogen bomb' about the SIR exercise in Bihar. "I am warning them, the people of BJP better hear this well. You have all seen the Atom bomb on the Vote theft, now you will see the Hydrogen Bomb on this," he said. "The same forces that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to assassinate the Constitution. We will not let them assassinate the Constitution, no matter what happens. Bihar is a revolutionary state. It has sent a message to the entire country- we will not let 'vote theft' happen," the Lok Sabha LoP said. The 16-day yatra, taken out by Rahul Gandhi to highlight the alleged case of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the alleged irregularities in the voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), concluded in Patna today. Multiple INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had joined the rally. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the Election Commission of India's submission that claims and objections for voter registration in the Bihar draft roll will be considered even after the September 1 deadline and that they will be considered after the roll has been finalised. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, after taking note of ECI's submission, did not pass any order to extend the September 1 deadline. The process will continue until the last date of nominations and all inclusions or exclusions are integrated in the final roll, the bench recorded the ECI submissions. The apex court was hearing applications filed by political parties seeking to extend the deadline by two weeks. It also asked the Bihar Legal Services Authority (BLSA) to issue instructions to all district legal service authorities to depute or notify para-legal volunteers to assist voters or political parties for online submission of claims, objections, and corrections. The top court also asked the BLSA to issue instructions to all district legal service authorities to depute or notify the para-legal volunteers to assist voters or political parties for online submission of claims, objections, and corrections. Each volunteer shall thereafter submit a confidential report to the district and sessions judge (Chairman of DSLA) and that information from volunteers may be collated at the level of state legal service authorities, it said. During the hearing, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, said that the political parties are filing objections seeking deletion of voters from the draft list and not any claims for inclusion. He said that no party, except the RJD and the CPI(M), have assisted the voters in filing objections. On August 22, the top court ordered that the persons who are excluded from the draft electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar can submit their applications for inclusion through online mode and that physical submission of forms is not necessary. It had been said that an individual person on their own or with the assistance of booth-level agents (BLAs) of a political party is entitled to apply online and does not need to submit an application in physical form. The bench had said all 12 political parties in Bihar shall issue specific directions to party workers to assist people in filing and submission of requisite forms with any 11 documents in Form 6 or Aadhaar Card to get themselves included in the voters list. It had said BLAs of all political parties are directed to make an endeavour that approximately 65 lakh persons not included in the draft rolls are facilitated, except those who are dead or have voluntarily migrated, in submitting their objections by the cutoff date of September 1. The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the poll panel's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar. Election Commission had also filed an affidavit saying the list of names and details of 65 lakh electors in Bihar who were not included in the draft roll published on August 1 had been posted on the websites of all 38 District Electoral Officers in the state. The list also contained the reasons for their non-inclusion, including death, shifting of ordinary residence or duplicate entries, ECI had told the apex court. ECI had filed an affidavit in compliance with August 14 directions of the Supreme Court directing it to publish an enumerated, booth-wise list of approximately 65 lakh electors not included in the draft electoral roll during the ongoing SIR exercise in poll-bound Bihar. The petitions challenging the ECI decision were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam. The pleas sought direction to quash the ECI's June 24 directive that requires large sections of voters in Bihar to submit proof of citizenship to remain on the electoral rolls. The petitions also raised concerns over the exclusion of widely held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards, stating that this would disproportionately affect the poor and marginalised voters, especially in rural Bihar. (ANI)
Union Textile Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday took a dig at Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut for suggesting that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who allegedly hurled abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother. Singh stated that the opposition can invite as many people as they want for the election campaign, but the people of Bihar have already made a decision. "Kayi log hai...begani Abdullah shaadi main. A derogatory remark was made against the people of Bihar and PM Modi in the land of Bihar. Is the public of Bihar asking for a panchnama? The public of Bihar has made a decision. They can bring however many people they want to the election. They will get to know," the Union Minister told ANI. As the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' is set to conclude today, Singh argued that the INDIA bloc will have no standing in Bihar. "INDI alliance will be cleared out from Bihar because of this yatra. Most of the people in the yatra were Muslims because they (oppn) served their mission. They invited Revanth Reddy, who abused Bihar. They invited MK Stalin, who abused Hindus. Will Bihar tolerate this disrespect? Hindus are also more (in population). Tejashwi Yadav will suffer a loss," the Union Minister said. He claimed that those who extended their support to the opposition during their roadshows in Bihar were largely "Rohingya and Bangladeshi". "They gave derogatory remarks against PM Modi's mother, and people of Bihar took it negatively. In your roadshows, those promoting you were mostly Rohingya and Bangladeshi," Singh said. Speaking on PM Modi's visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, the Union Minister said, "This is a diplomatic win for PM Modi. Every country has disregarded and condemned the attack by Pakistan. It is a record that whatever decision PM Modi makes is for India's benefit." His remarks follow Raut's claim that nobody from the opposition was abusing anyone, instead shifting the blame onto BJP leaders. "Nobody is abusing anyone. Modi himself started the trend of abusing each other at the national stage in politics. Now, PM Modi and the BJP are scared. Be it Rahul Gandhi or Tejashwi Yadav, show me if anyone abused anyone. I have also followed the Yatra. It is the BJP people who hurl abuses and blame us. It was the BJP workers who entered the crowd," Raut told ANI. The BJP has been targeting the opposition over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi, while the opposition has refuted such claims, arguing that the ruling party in the centre was raising such issues to distract from the important ones. The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), is scheduled to conclude in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) carries out the "Dharmasthala Chalo" rally, Karnataka Leader of Opposition (LoP) R Ashoka on Monday demanded that the Dharmasthala issue should be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) since it has become an "international scandal." He alleged that Hindus and their culture were being targeted due to the issue. "We welcome the SIT investigation. However, the scandal is going on (being talked about) in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi, Pakistan and by the BBC and Al Jazeera. Thus, we are demanding an NIA investigation. They are targeting the Hindus and their culture. We have to expose this toolkit. Which international fund is coming to India? The Congress people in Karnataka are supporting the toolkit, that's why we are protesting today. Save Hindu. Save Dharmasthala. Save Chamundeshwari temple," Ashoka told ANI. "We welcome the SIT probe, but it is an international scandal and issue. Thus, we are demanding that NIA investigate the issue," he added. Earlier in the day, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said that the agenda for the "Dharmasthala Chalo" convention was to punish all conspirators who spread false propaganda about the Dharmasthala mass burial case. Speaking to the reporters, Vijayendra said, "The much-awaited 'Dharmasthala Chalo' is organised here. More than 1 lakh people, including devotees of the Dharmasthala temple, will assemble here today. Our intention is very clear. Our agenda is not political." "The agenda is all the conspirators' false propaganda that has been carried out for Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, which has to come to an end immediately," he added. The opposition BJP in Karnataka is holding a massive convention in Dharmasthala today to protest the state government's decision to investigate allegations made by an individual. BJP MLA S R Vishwanath said that this gathering was not for politics, but to stop accusations against religion in the state. A convention is being held in response to the ongoing false propaganda against the sacred Dharmasthala region. Meanwhile, Congress workers on Monday protested against the BJP and Janata Dal Secular workers in Bengaluru, who have been demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala. The protesters alleged that the BJP was creating a false narrative against the Congress-led Karnataka government and confusing people in the name of the Dharmasthala issue. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday extended by a week the interim bail to Vikas Yadav, who is serving a 25-year-long jail term in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh extended the interim bail of Yadav by a week, and Justice Singh recused from hearing the matter. Justice Sundresh informed the lawyers appearing for the parties that a different bench will hear the matter after getting orders from Chief Justice BR Gavai. Yadav had approached the apex court against an August 22 order of the Delhi High Court, which refused to grant an extension of his interim bail granted by the top court on July 29. Yadav, 54, who has been in jail for over 23 years, sought interim bail on the grounds that his marriage was fixed for September 5. The High Court, however, doubted whether it had the power to extend the interim bail granted by the top court and posted his matter for further hearing on September 2. The apex court had granted Yadav interim bail to enable him to attend to his ailing mother, who had undergone surgery. On April 24, the apex court granted interim bail to Yadav and said he shall reside only at his residence in Ghaziabad. His bail was later extended for four weeks. Granting interim bail to Yadav, the top court had said he shall not make any contact with the witness who deposed against him and Neelam Katara, the mother of Nitish Katara. It had also asked the Uttarakhand and Delhi police to provide security to witnesses and Neelam Katara. The top court had also noted that Yadav has completed 23 years of his imprisonment in the case. Yadav had sought interim bail, saying his mother's condition was serious, and his assistance and presence were needed. Yadav's plea, which raises the issue of denial of remission benefits to him, has also been pending before the apex court. A trial court in May 2008 held Vikas Yadav guilty of murdering Nitish Katara for being in a relationship with his sister. On October 3, 2016, the apex court gave jail terms without any benefit of remission to Vikas Yadav, son of controversial Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav, and his cousin Vishal Yadav for their role in the kidnapping and killing of business executive Katara. They kidnapped Katara from a marriage party on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002 and then killed him for his alleged affair with Vikas' sister Bharti Yadav. Bharti was the daughter of Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav. (ANI)
Congress MP from Punjab's Gurdaspur, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing grave concern over the devastating floods in the border districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot, and has demanded an immediate central relief package. He stated that this calamity has engulfed 1,018 villages of Punjab, destroyed over 3 lakh acres of crops, and claimed 23 human lives along with numerous dairy and domestic animals. Countless houses, valuables, agricultural equipment, and machinery have been wiped out in the floods. Randhawa highlighted that the tragic scenes of destruction in his Lok Sabha constituency demand the urgent attention of the Centre. The breach of floodgates at Madhopur Headworks, coupled with excessive inflow in the Ravi, Ujjh, and Naumani rivers, has completely damaged the fragile border protection lines in both districts. The colonial-era gates at Madhopur Headworks were unable to withstand the heavy pressure of the water, exacerbating the disaster. To prevent such calamities in the future, Randhawa stressed that this crucial infrastructure must be reconstructed with a new design, modern standards, and electromechanical gates. He further urged that pending projects related to sub-rivers and drains, such as Ujjh, Jalali, and Basantar, must be completed without delay so that the border regions and the people can remain safe. He also emphasised that, similar to Pakistan's measures, India must strengthen its river-border defence lines with concrete and modern technology. He added that pending river-related projects on the Jammu and Himachal side must also be completed immediately. During this year's floods, several villages located right on the banks of the Ravi, opposite Pakistan, were cut off due to the lack of bridges and roads. Construction of such vital infrastructure requires urgent attention. Randhawa pointed out that the majority population of his border constituency lives in villages, dependent on farming and small trades. Their crops, homes, livestock, machinery, vehicles, household items, roads, and bridges have been destroyed. Hence, compensation should not be restricted under the rigid NDMA norms but should be provided fully and unconditionally, based on actual damage. He also suggested that the Border Roads Organisation should be roped in for rebuilding the damaged bridges and roads of the constituency. Regarding the surviving crops, Randhawa demanded that the Food Corporation of India adopt a farmer-friendly approach during procurement. Instead of harassing farmers over the issue of moisture content, FCI must show leniency. He further noted that the role of Irrigation Department Principal Secretary Krishan Kumar is being widely seen as suspicious and anti-Punjab during these floods. A fair and independent probe into his role is necessary. (ANI)
An Air India Express flight IX2610 operating from Chennai to Andaman was forced to return to its origin on Monday after being unable to land at its destination due to severe weather conditions, sources said. The aircraft circled the destination airport, but deteriorating weather made landing unsafe. The flight was subsequently returned to Chennai, where it landed safely with all passengers on board. The sources informed ANI that Air India Express has made alternative arrangements for the affected passengers, who will now be accommodated on flights scheduled from Chennai tomorrow. In the meantime, the airline has provided hotel accommodation and necessary assistance to ensure passenger comfort. "Passengers have been given multiple options, including hotel stay and rebooking on the next available flights. Those who do not wish to travel can also opt for a full refund," the sources confirmed. In another incident, an Air India flight operating from Delhi to Indore on Saturday was forced to return to the national capital shortly after take-off following a fire indication in one of its engines, the airline confirmed. Flight AI2913 had departed from Delhi for Indore when the cockpit crew reportedly received a fire warning for the right engine. Following standard operating procedures, the pilots shut down the affected engine and initiated a return to Delhi. In a statement issued by Air India, it said, 'Flight AI2913, operating from Delhi to Indore on 31 August, air-returned to Delhi shortly after take-off, as the cockpit crew received a fire indication for the right engine. Following standard procedure, the cockpit crew elected to shut down the engine and returned to Delhi, where the flight landed safely. The aircraft has been grounded for inspection, and passengers are being transferred to an alternative aircraft, which will operate the flight to Indore shortly. The regulator has been duly informed of the incident, the airline spokesperson further said in a statement. "We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew is our top priority," it added. (ANI)
The EOW Police of Cyberabad arrested an IRDAI employee in forgery, cheating and misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 5.30 Crores. The accused created and forged invoices, office notes, and quotations, diverting IRDAI funds to his Personal Bank Account and those of his family members for personal gain, thereby defrauding IRDAI, a release said. An FIR is filled with number53/2025 was filled under appropriate section including 318(4), 316(5), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 344 r/w 61(2) BNS 2023 of EOW PS, Cyberabad. According to the release, the police arrested Bhaskarabhatla Suryanarayana Sastry, Assistant Manager in the General Administration department of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), residing at Shaikpet, Hyderabad. The accused Bhaskarabhatla Suryanarayana Sastry, Assistant Manager, took hand loans from multiple persons, thereby falling into a huge debt trap. To repay his previous debts, he hatched a premeditated plan to divert the funds from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). In this regard, he created fake/forged invoices, office Notes, quotations, and other documents, and processed the payment files for approval with higher officials. He also collected the bank account details of his family members and inserted them in place of the original vendors' bank accounts with IRDAI. Once the higher officials approved the note files, he forwarded them to the Accounts Department along with the invoices and quotations for payment. Since higher officials approved the note files, the Accounts Department processed them, believing they were intended for legitimate vendors of IRDAI. Thus, the accused has diverted and misappropriated IRDAI funds, causing a huge wrongful loss to IRDAI of Rs 5.30 crores. Following this case, the Cyberabad Police has urged Government offices and companies to exercise caution while transferring funds and verify the legitimacy of the invoices. This case is currently being investigated by M. Hussaini Naidu, Assistant Commissioner of Police, EOW Police Station, Cyberabad, under the supervision of A. Muthyam Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crimes & EOW, Cyberabad. (ANI)
"The development of the Greater Bengaluru Area is starting from today, for which five corporations are being formed. A very senior official will be appointed as the Commissioner," Shivakumar said.

As part of the restructuring, the Greater Bengaluru Authority has restructured the city's administrative framework by establishing five distinct city corporations: Bengaluru East, Bengaluru West, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, and Bengaluru Central.

According to a recent announcement by DK Shivkumar on X on Sunday, the creation of these five city corporations is designed to ensure efficient administration and targeted growth.

"Under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, we have created 5 city corporations: Bengaluru East, Bengaluru West, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, and Bengaluru Central. The purpose of dividing into 5 city corporations is to provide better services and to carry out development. These five city corporations will cover 27 assembly constituencies and 197 wards. Bengaluru's development is our first priority!" he posted on X.

On August 21, the Greater Bengaluru Governance (Amendment) Bill 2025 was passed in the Legislative Council.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the portfolio for Bengaluru development, tabled the Bill.

The Legislative Council passed the Bill after a brief discussion. It was passed in the Legislative Assembly a few days ago.

Earlier in May, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the implementation of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, replacing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). (ANI)
An emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will take place today in Brussels, according to Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Azernews reports.

In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Sybiha stated that the meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to Russias recent large-scale airstrikes.

"We expect a focused discussion on joint steps to respond adequately to Russias rejection of peace efforts and its escalating campaign of terror against Ukrainians," Sybiha said.

He also expressed gratitude to NATO and all allies who continue to support Ukraine.

"Moscow must feel increased pressure as a direct consequence of prolonging this war," he added.

It is worth noting that in the early hours of August 28, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on multiple regions across Ukraine.
For this purpose, the Chief Minister has approved Rs 2,609 crore for the resurfacing of required plan roads under the Panchayats of all districts in the state, along with related works. Out of this substantial allocation, the resurfacing and related works include 487 roads covering 1,609 kilometers in North Gujarat, 499 roads covering 1,528 kilometers in South Gujarat, and 272 rural roads covering 1,059 kilometers in Saurashtra, according to a release.

Responding swiftly and positively to the representations made by public representatives, rural citizens, and community leaders for all-weather road facilities, the Chief Minister has allocated these funds for the repair and resurfacing of 1,258 roads covering a total length of 4,196 kilometres in the state's rural areas.

Upon completion of the resurfacing and other related works on these roads, the road network infrastructure in rural areas will be significantly strengthened, enhancing connectivity and making internal as well as city-bound transportation easier even for smaller villages.

Earlier, various security-focused projects were inaugurated from Gandhinagar by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in the presence of CM Patel and state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, including the e-inauguration of police housing.

The Gujarat Police Housing constructed new residential and non-residential buildings at a cost of Rs 217 crore, which was e-inaugurated by Amit Shah.

Manasa Police Station in Gandhinagar became the first in the country to receive the IS-15700 certificate from the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The integration of emergency services (police 100, ambulance 108, fire 101, women helpline 181, child helpline 1098, disaster helpline 1070/1077) under Dial 112 ensures faster citizen assistance. A PPP model MoU has been signed with EMRI GHS, which has successfully run 108 services in Gujarat for 18 years. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the former Agniveers who have returned after serving the country are the pride of the state. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's office, CM Dhami said, "It is our responsibility to give them respect and employment opportunities. This decision is a concrete step towards securing the future of retired Agniveers. Our government is trying to provide employment to ex-servicemen and Agniveers in every way." In this sequence, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, fulfilling another promise, has provided 10 per cent horizontal reservation to the retired Agniveers in the uniformed services of various departments. In this regard, on Monday, the Department of Personnel and Vigilance has duly issued Horizontal Reservation Rules - 2025 to the retired Agniveers for employment on uniformed posts of direct recruitment of Group C in the services under the State of Uttarakhand. According to the statement, being a military-dominated state, this decision of the Uttarakhand government is being considered a master stroke. Through this rule, now retired Agniveers will be provided 10 per cent horizontal reservation in uniformed posts of various departments. This includes important uniformed posts like Police Constable (Civilian/PAC), Sub Inspector, Platoon Commander PAC, Fireman, Fire Officer II, Prisoner Guard, Deputy Jailor, Forest Guard, Forest Inspector, Excise Constable, Enforcement Constable and Secretariat Guard. Earlier in the day, lauding PM Narendra Modi's China visit and meeting with President XI Jinping and Vladimir Putin, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami termed it as a "symbol of the growing strength and influence of the new India." He said that India's "powerful" voice under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership is resonating beyond the borders and the global community. "The respect being received by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji from global leaders such as Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit is a symbol of the growing strength and influence of the new India. The popularity of Prime Minister ji is today resonating beyond borders as India's powerful voice in the global community, CM Dhami wrote on 'X'. CM Dhami's response follows a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and PM Narendra Modi in Tianjin during the SCO summit. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of politicising the Dasara festival through its 'Chamundi Chalo' program in Mysuru. Responding to the BJP's Dharmasthala Yatra, Siddaramaiah asserted his Hindu identity and criticised the party for using Hindutva as political propaganda. "BJP is doing politics on the Dasara festival. They are organising the Chamundi Chalo program in Mysuru. The BJP thinks that Hindutva will be strengthened and all Hindus will unite. I am also a Hindu. Haven't we built a Ram temple in our town? Hindus are not about politics, propaganda, or lying," he said. He added, "The BJP is also engaging in politics during the Dussehra festival. Does anything else come to them besides lying?" Siddaramaiah said, "The BJP knows that Hindutva will be strengthened and all Hindus will unite. I am also a Hindu. Haven't we built a Ram temple in our town?" He questioned, adding, "Hindus are not about politics, propaganda, or lying. Anyone should have a mentality." On the announcement of writer Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the Mysuru Dasara in Chamundeshwari temple, the Chief Minister said, "Banu Mushtaq received the Booker Prize and how many people have received this award, and said that the Dassehra inauguration has been given to honour her." He further said politics will not have any effect on the Dussehra festival. "Chamundi Hills may be the property of Hindus. Isn't the Dussehra festival a national festival? A national festival means that everyone participates together. A festival celebrated by Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists together," he said. Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah inaugurated the new building of PM Shri Karnataka Public School in Siddaramanahundi, his hometown in Varuna assembly constituency. "The debt of the hometown will always be on me," he said. He recalled that the school where he studied from Classes 5 to 7 had been adopted by the Kempegowda International Airport Authority and rebuilt in collaboration with the Education Department. "I inaugurated the building with great joy," he said. Highlighting the facilities in the town, Siddaramaiah noted that primary, high schools, and PU colleges were operational. The degree course had not been opened due to a lack of students. "But there are other facilities in the town like BCM hostel, veterinary clinic, library, and community health centre," he added. Taking a dig at the opposition, he remarked, "BJP, which has not seen the development of the government, knows nothing but lies." On Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's statement that Chamundi Hills is not the property of Hindus, Siddaramaiah said, "The issue is not about Chamundi Hills, but about the Dussehra festival." Minister Venkatesh and officials of the School Education Department were also present at the event. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu government has inked "key MoUs" with German firms during Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's visit to the country as part of his two-nation tour, with the MoUs entailing fresh investments worth over Rs 3,200 crore and having the potential to create nearly 6,000 new jobs in the state. A state government release said that Munich-headquartered Knorr-Bremse, a world leader in braking systems, has announced a Rs 2,000 crore investment to establish a state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu. The plant will focus on railway doors and braking systems--marking the company's first major manufacturing investment in the state. The project is expected to generate 3,500 jobs and strengthen Tamil Nadu's growing ecosystem in railway components and advanced engineering. The release said that Germany-based Nordex Group will expand its operations in Tamil Nadu with an investment of Rs 1000 crore and create 2,500 new jobs. The company is one of the world's top wind turbine manufacturers. This expansion reinforces Tamil Nadu's leadership in renewable energy manufacturing and green industrialization, the release said. ebm-papst, a global leader in energy-efficient electric motors and air movement solutions, announced an expansion of both its Global Capability Centre (GCC) and manufacturing base in Tamil Nadu. With a proposed investment of Rs 201 crore over the next five years, the project will create 250 jobs in HVAC, automotive, and industrial applications, the release said. During his Germany visit, the Chief Minister also met senior executives of BMW Group. Discussions focused on Tamil Nadu's strong position in the automotive and EV sectors. The Chief Minister invited BMW to scale up its operations in the state. BMW leaders reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Tamil Nadu, citing the state's robust EV infrastructure and the company's established Indian footprint, the release said. Stalin embarked on a visit to Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday. (ANI)
In view of the flood situation, the Authorities have directed the closure of traffic and public movement on the bridge over the Yamuna River, effective from 5:00 PM on September 2, 2025, in response to a flood advisory issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC). According to official data issued by disaster authorities, as of 5 pm, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) stands at 204.94 meters. The Hathni Kund Barrage recorded a discharge of 292,365 cusecs, while the Wazirabad Barrage reported a discharge of 41,830 cusecs. Further downstream, the Okhla Barrage recorded a discharge of 56,455 cusecs. At 9 AM today, 3,29,313 cusecs of water were released from Hathnikund Barrage. Officials are instructed to maintain strict vigilance, along with patrolling in low-lying areas. According to District Magistrate Shahdara, "As the water level of ORB (Delhi Old Railway Bridge) may cross the danger level and is likely to exceed 206.50m, a CWC advisory may be expected soon. So, all the Sector Officers are hereby advised to keep a strict vigil in their respective areas and to take necessary action at vulnerable points, such as people residing within the river embankments, shall be warned and shifted to safer places." "The police and the staff of 1&FC Department would undertake patrolling along right and left marginal embankments and keep vigil round the clock on the vulnerable points, regulators/pumps, etc. as required," it added. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an urgent advisory as moderate rainfall continues to lash southern and central Delhi, with the weather system likely to extend to the northern parts of the city. https://x.com/Indiametdept/status/1962464985579389117 According to the IMD, the rainfall is expected to persist for the next two hours, causing moderate rain at many places and heavy showers at isolated locations across Delhi. Residents in the affected areas are advised to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions. The IMD has urged people to stay indoors, avoid taking shelter under trees or weak structures, check road and traffic conditions, and refrain from unnecessary travel to ensure safety. (ANI)
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday emphasised the responsibility entrusted to public representatives to ensure the functioning of Parliament and state assemblies. While addressing a gathering here, Rijiju cautioned that if the Indian Parliament or state assemblies fail in their workings, it may create conditions similar to those witnessed in neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. "We are the biggest democracy and thus, we have a responsibility. If our Parliament or assembly fails, you have seen the condition of neighbouring nations, including Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The military has taken over there. However, we can't have that, or else people will come to the roads," Rijiju said. The Union Minister further refuted the claims made by a few opposition MPs over a week ago, during the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament, that he had attacked them. Rijiju said that he had only intervened when the opposition MPs tore the copies of three key bills that sought to remove the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers facing allegations of corruption or other serious offences. "Just two weeks ago in Lok Sabha, when we were pushing the Constitution Amendment Bill, the opposition came forward, snatched papers, and even tore them. I intervened and said, 'You may oppose, but don't destroy anything.' Later, those MPs went outside and claimed that I had attacked them. As a Parliamentary Affairs Minister, I cannot get into fights with every MP because we have to work together," the Union Minister said. Rijiju attended the 98th birth anniversary celebration of Late Charti Lal Goel, who was the first Speaker of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, where he said, "Becoming the Speaker of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha in itself is a big achievement. When the Vidhan Sabha was re-established in 1993, the one who was made its Speaker at that time reflects the significance of his persona." Remembering his official meeting with CJI right after his appointment as the Union Law Minister, Rijiju said, "When I became the Law Minister and had my first official meeting with the CJI, he asked me, 'Did you contest elections right after finishing college and directly became a minister?' I told him not to go by his appearance. I have contested elections seven times." "We always learn from our senior leaders. Times change, and we must adapt ourselves accordingly," he added. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who is on a visit to Germany as part of his two-nation tour, referred to MoUs signed with German firms by his government and said the state is moving ahead as a centre of excellence, carrying strength and vision of shaping global industry. Stalin said on Monday that his visit has turned the spotlight on Tamil Nadu. "Germany visit turns the spotlight on Tamil Nadu. MoUs signed with Knorr-Bremse, Nordex Group and ebm-papst, along with meaningful engagement with BMW leaders, reflect the world's growing confidence in our state. Tamil Nadu moves ahead as a centre of excellence, carrying strength, vision and the promise of shaping global industry," Stalin said in a post on X. Tamil Nadu government inked "key MoUs" with German firms during Stalin's visit to the country with the MoUs entailing fresh investments worth over Rs 3,200 crore and having the potential to create nearly 6,000 new jobs in the state. A state government release said that Munich-headquartered Knorr-Bremse, a world leader in braking systems, has announced a Rs 2,000 crore investment to establish a state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu. The plant will focus on railway doors and braking systems--marking the company's first major manufacturing investment in the state. The project is expected to generate 3,500 jobs and strengthen Tamil Nadu's growing ecosystem in railway components and advanced engineering. The release said that Germany-based Nordex Group will expand its operations in Tamil Nadu with an investment of Rs 1000 crore and create 2,500 new jobs. The company is one of the world's top wind turbine manufacturers. This expansion reinforces Tamil Nadu's leadership in renewable energy manufacturing and green industrialization, the release said. ebm-papst, a global leader in energy-efficient electric motors and air movement solutions, announced an expansion of both its Global Capability Centre (GCC) and manufacturing base in Tamil Nadu. With a proposed investment of Rs 201 crore over the next five years, the project will create 250 jobs in HVAC, automotive, and industrial applications, the release said. During his Germany visit, the Chief Minister also met senior executives of BMW Group. Discussions focused on Tamil Nadu's strong position in the automotive and EV sectors. The Chief Minister invited BMW to scale up its operations in the state. BMW leaders reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Tamil Nadu, citing the state's robust EV infrastructure and the company's established Indian footprint, the release said. Stalin embarked on a visit to Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday. (ANI)
Amid growing bonhomie with New Delhi, Russia is carrying out studies to determine the level of investments that it would require to manufacture its Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet in India. India has stated that it has a requirement for at least two to three squadrons of fifth-generation fighter jets and the Russian Su-57 along with the American F-35 is a contender for the project. Indian public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited already licenses manufactures the Russian origin Su-30 MKI fighter jets in its Nashik facility, which, if required, can be used for the Su-57 jets. The Russian agencies concerned are carrying out studies to determine the level of investments they will have to make to manufacture the aircraft in India, defence sources told ANI. There are other facilities in India also where a number of other Russian origin equipment is manufactured and can be used for being used in the fifth-generation fighter aircraft production, if required to be manufactured in India and can also help in reducing costs, they said. India and Russia have been coming closer at a time when the US administration has been constantly attacking the government of India and imposing tariffs on Indian businesses. A number of defence projects have been discussed between the Indian and Russian leadership in the recent past where the Indian side has asked for high-end air defence systems like the S-500 and the S-400 along with other equipment. The Russian side from its topmost level has been asking India to buy the Su-57 fighter jets. India was part of the Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft project till 8-10 years ago but backed out due to some issues. Sources said the possibility of reviving the old project cannot be ruled out at the moment in view of the global environment. The US administration has also been trying to push the F-35 deal with India. India is also working to produce its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft project for which clearance was given last year itself, and the first aircraft is likely to be ready for commissioning by the year 2035, and its first flight is likely by the year 2028. (ANI)
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on the double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar, and asserted that the Nitish Kumar-led government would be voted out of power in the coming six months. "This double-engine government will not be there in the next 6 months. The government that will come will be of the poor, of poor women, of Dalits and backward classes," Kharge said while addressing a rally on the last day of 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' here. Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to win the upcoming Bihar assembly election through "vote theft". He also urged the people to stay alert to protect their voting rights, otherwise "Modi and Amit Shah will drown you." "PM Modi has a habit of stealing. He steals votes, steals money. And they (BJP) take care of people who fled India after looting the country's banks," Kharge said, adding, "Modi is trying to win in the Bihar election through vote theft. You should stay alert. If you don't stay alert, Modi and Shah will drown you." "Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi brought the right to vote to the country after Independence. We should not lose that right, so we have to fight hard. We have to eliminate the threat to our voting rights," he said. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took a swipe at PM Modi over his visit to China. Raising the slogan, "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodh," Gandhi said that it was not limited to India and had also reached Beijing. While addressing the gathering in Patna, Gandhi earlier in the day warned the BJP of an impending expose. Referring to his allegations of vote theft, the LoP Lok Sabha stated that he would soon unleash a "hydrogen bomb," implying that highlighting the alleged irregularities regarding the Mahadevpura assembly constituency was just an "atom bomb." Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad today targeted Rahul Gandhi and opposition parties, alleging that their repeated demands for ballot papers stem from their frustration over the end of booth capturing in Bihar. The BJP has been targeting the opposition over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi. On the other hand, the opposition has refuted such claims, arguing that the ruling party in the centre is raising these issues to distract from important ones. The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
As the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra', Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday pledged that the opposition will not let votes be stolen in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls, standing firm on his allegations of vote theft. "We pledge - not a single vote will be stolen in Bihar. We will protect democracy and the Constitution with all our might," Gandhi posted on X. The Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha extended his gratitude towards prominent opposition leaders from various parties, who are also part of the INDIA bloc, for making the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' "historic". "Heartfelt thanks to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Mukesh Sahni, Bihar Congress leadership, the Congress's Babbar Sher, INDIA workers, and the youth of the state for making the Bihar Voter Adhikaar Yatra historic," Gandhi said. Speaking to ANI, Gandhi said that the slogan "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd" was echoing everywhere. "It has now reached China," he added. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on the double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar, and asserted that the Nitish Kumar-led government would be voted out of power in the coming six months. "This double-engine government will not be there in the next 6 months. The government that will come will be of the poor, of poor women, of Dalits and backward classes," Kharge said while addressing a rally on the last day of 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' here. Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to win the upcoming Bihar assembly election through "vote theft". He also urged the people to stay alert to protect their voting rights, otherwise "Modi and Amit Shah will drown you." The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
Union Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha was talking about alleged "vote theft" in the assembly elections, since people have refused to give votes to his party. "Rahul Gandhi has got scared of the public, and this is the reason he is talking about vote theft. People are not voting for his party. He doesn't have faith in people, elections and democracy. If he has courage, he should go among the public and tell about the work done by his party," Reddy told reporters here. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge today launched a scathing attack on the double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar, and asserted that the Nitish Kumar-led government would be voted out of power within the next six months. "This double-engine government will not be there in the next 6 months. The government that will come will be of the poor, of poor women, of Dalits and backward classes," Kharge said while addressing a rally on the last day of 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' here. Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to win the upcoming Bihar assembly election through "vote theft". He also urged the people to stay alert to protect their voting rights, otherwise "Modi and Amit Shah will drown you." While addressing the gathering in Patna, Gandhi earlier in the day warned the BJP of an impending expose. Referring to his allegations of vote theft, the LoP Lok Sabha stated that he would soon unleash a "hydrogen bomb," implying that highlighting the alleged irregularities regarding the Mahadevpura assembly constituency was just an "atom bomb." The BJP has been targeting the opposition over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi. On the other hand, the opposition has refuted such claims, arguing that the ruling party in the centre is raising these issues to distract from important ones. The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
The Andhra Pradesh police nabbed three accused, including a woman, after a gang of miscreants attacked an elderly woman who was sleeping alone in her house during the afternoon. The miscreants robbed about 160 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs 13 lakh before fleeing, Guntur district police said on Monday. The incident took place on August 26 in Atthota village, under Kollipara Police Station limits. Acting on the directions of Guntur District SP Satish Kumar, IPS, Kollipara Police registered a case and launched an investigation. Within just five days, the police apprehended two accused involved in the crime and recovered the stolen property. CCTV cameras played a crucial role in tracing the culprits. The accused were identified as Kunchapu Durga Prasad (28 yrs) and Kottapalli Elisha (19 yrs), both residents of Palnadu district and the wife of the first accused, who helped conceal the stolen gold. Guntur District SP Sathish Kumar said, "Bollimunta Bullemma (78 years), a resident of Atthota village, was attacked while she was asleep at home. Unidentified persons assaulted her and robbed gold ornaments worth about Rs 13 lakh. Based on the complaint lodged by her son, Kollipara SI P Koteshwara Rao registered the case. Considering the seriousness of the case, Tenali Rural CI R Umesh took up the investigation. After verifying CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, the police identified two suspects riding a bike in a suspicious manner. They were detained." Guntur District SP said that the investigation revealed that these accused were habitual offenders, involved in cattle theft, motorcycle thefts, and house burglaries. They used the proceeds from these crimes to fund their bad habits. "Following their usual pattern, they entered Atthota village to commit theft. On finding the elderly woman alone, they conducted a brief recce, confirmed there was no public movement nearby, and attacked her with an iron rod, robbing her gold ornaments before escaping. Police have since recovered the stolen ornaments and produced the accused before the court. The wife of the first accused, Munnangi Priyanka, who helped conceal the stolen gold and sold part of it, was also arrested. Further legal action is being taken against her," he further said. Both accused have been previously involved in 21 criminal cases across various police stations, including Guntur district, Palnadu district and West Godavari district. The case was successfully solved within five days under the supervision of Tenali SDPO B Janardhan Rao, by a team comprising Tenali Rural Circle Inspector R Umesh, Kollipara Sub inspector P Koteshwara Rao, Tenali Rural Sub Inspector Anand, ASI Poturaju, HC Ram Koteshwara Rao, Constable Ramakrishna, and Woman Constable Hameem. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court is set to pronounce judgements on the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and seven other individuals accused in the Delhi riots larger Conspiracy case of 2020. The High Court had reserved its order on July 9 after hearing the arguements of counsel for the accused persons and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and special public prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad. The division bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur is to pronounce the order on Tuesday. While opposing the bail pleas on July 9, the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta had submitted that in UAPA cases related to National security, bail cannot be granted on the ground of delay in trial. On the other hand, the counsel for the accused had earlier argued that there was a long delay in the trial and even the charges had not been framed, and the matter was at the stage of arguements on charges. SG Tushar Mehta, during his submissions, referred to an accused who had said that they are ready for riots, if we have to, to protest against CAA and NRC. He had also referred to the portion of the speech where Sharjeel Imam had said that we can separate the chicken neck (North East) from the rest of India forever. If not forever, then for at least a month. Sharjeel, during one of his alleged anti-CAA speeches, had also said that you are aware of the condition of muslims in Assam. Asam is of muslims, SG submitted. It was also submitted that Sharjeel Imam, in his speech, had allegedly said that nothing would happen unless 100-200 people died. It was further submitted that the conspiracy was to organise a chakka jam leading to violence during the visit of US President Donald Trump so that India can be defamed at the international level. It was also stated that riots took place as per a conspiracy and were covered by the media. He also referred to the statement of a protected witness who attended a meeting with Umar Khalid. This meeting was also attended by other accused persons. SG further argued that all the accused are connected. SG also referred to a statement of protected witnesses, and one of the witnesses stated that there was a plan to dislocate or shut down the CCTV. The report related to this fact is enclosed in the charge sheet. SG further referred to the use of a catapult to throw stones, bricks, and petrol bombs. SG had said that these riots were financed by 5 accused, namely Tahir Hussain, Ishrat Jahan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Shifa ur Rehman and Meeran Haider. He had also submitted that Tahir Husain converted his white money into black money to finance the riots. It was also submitted that the accused persons were not onto protest, they were planning something else. SG Mehta had also mentioned that the Delhi High Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and it had referred that it was a terrorist act. The High Court is dealing with bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab Ahsmed. They had challenged the trial court orders dismissing their bail, citing the embargo under UAPA. Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Asif Iqbal Tanha were granted regular bail by the Delhi High Court on June 15, 2021, after their appeals against the trial court order were allowed. The accused, Ishrat Jahan, was granted bail by the trial court. This case pertains to the allegations of a larger Conspiracy for riots hatched by the accused persons. In this case, 18 accused have been charged under UAPA, and 2 accused are absconding. As per the Delhi police, 53 persons died and hundreds were injured in the North East Delhi Riots in February 2020. More than 700 FIRs were registered against several accused persons in different police stations of North East Delhi and other areas. Delhi police have filed a charge sheet and supplementary charge sheets in a larger conspiracy case. This case is at the stage of arguements on charges. (ANI)
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday afternoon departed by road for Ferozepur to begin his visit to the flood-affected districts of Punjab from September 1 to 4. According to the tour programme, the Governor will visit the flood-affected areas of Ferozepur and Tarn Taran on September 2, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot on September 3, and Hoshiarpur and Sri Anandpur Sahib on September 4. During the visit, Kataria will meet with the affected people and assess the ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures in the respective districts. Meanwhile, following incessant rainfall in Ludhiana, Punjab, several residential areas are facing severe waterlogging. Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, while talking to ANI, siad, "It has been raining continuously since morning and there has been waterlogging in the low-lying areas. Our teams have been deployed and pumps and engines have been set up to flush out the water..." Highlighting the severity of the current situation of Punjab, Dachalwal said, "I have been in Punjab for the last 10 years and I have never seen so much rain." Imran, a local resident, said, "It has been raining incessantly since last night, this is why there is so much waterlogging... I have been living here for four years, and I haven't seen so much water before this... Our work has also been affected..." Harish Kumar, another local resident, said, "There was no water till 7:30 am... Around 9:30 am, a dam on the other side broke, which led to waterlogging here... This time, waterlogging and rainfall have been incessant... This is a failure of the government. There is no work on the ground..." Punjab is reeling under the impact of severe floods triggered by incessant rains, with large-scale devastation reported across the state. Earlier, Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian noted that the floods have affected more than 2.56 lakh people across 12 districts, displacing thousands and causing heavy losses to human lives, property, agriculture, and livestock. To aid relief and rescue operations, the state has mobilised multiple agencies. The NDRF has deployed 20 teams, while the Army, Navy, and Air Force have stationed 10 columns, with 8 on standby, along with their respective engineer units. Over 35 helicopters are engaged in rescue missions, supported by 114 boats and one state helicopter. BSF units have also been deployed in the affected border areas. (ANI)
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Monday in a veiled attack on Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Bihar LoP Tejashwi Yadav, labelling them as "appu" and "pappu", respectively. Sinha accused both opposition leaders of "harming" Sanatani culture and "destroying" democracy. "Both 'Appu' and 'Pappu', born with a golden spoon, are indulged in the politics of compassion. They respect those who abused Bihar. They are the destroyers of democracy. They also harm our Sanatani culture. They are the biggest dakus (bandits). However, the public will teach them a lesson," the Bihar Deputy CM told reporters here. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on the double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar, and asserted that the Nitish Kumar-led government would be voted out of power in the coming six months. "This double-engine government will not be there in the next 6 months. The government that will come will be of the poor, of poor women, of Dalits and backward classes," Kharge said while addressing a rally on the last day of 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' here. Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to win the upcoming Bihar assembly election through "vote theft". He also urged the people to stay alert to protect their voting rights, otherwise "Modi and Amit Shah will drown you." The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Monday inaugurated the 3rd Mithun Day and National Seminar on Integrated Mithun Farming at Thenzawl Auditorium, emphasising the importance of Mithun farming for strengthening Mizoram's rural economy and livestock sector. According to a release, in his address, Chief Minister Lalduhoma expressed his delight at Mizoram being chosen as host for the national-level programme, stating that Mithun has been an integral part of the socio-economic fabric of the Northeast. He highlighted that Mizoram currently spends nearly Rs 630 crore annually on meat consumption, of which around Rs 40 crore worth is imported from outside the state. The Chief Minister noted that under the Mizoram Handholding Scheme, over 16,000 Progress Partners have already taken up livestock farming, reflecting people's trust in the sector as a sustainable livelihood. He, however, stressed that challenges such as limited technology adoption, fodder scarcity, and lack of scientific breeding centres need to be addressed with the support of ICAR, NEC, and other research institutions. He appreciated the initiatives of the Northeastern Council's Mithun Multiplication Centre at Lungkawlh and the Rashtriya Gokul Mission's Mithun Breed Development and Conservation Centre at Thenzawl. The Mizoram Chief Minister stated that 41 villages in Mizoram heavily rely on Mithun farming, and the government's vision is to transform Mithun rearing from a subsistence to an entrepreneurial activity, creating market linkages within and outside Mizoram. The Chief Minister also addressed the impact of African Swine Fever, which has forced many farmers to shift from piggery to goat farming. He requested ICAR-CIRG to provide scientific guidance on suitable goat breeds for Mizoram's agro-climatic conditions to ensure sustainable growth in this sector. The day's programme also included the release of literature, products, and technologies on Mithun, award distribution, and a National Seminar on Integrated Mithun, Goat, Poultry, and Pig farming, with experts from ICAR sharing research and strategies for integrated livestock development. The event was graced by C. Lalsawivunga, Minister of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department, Mizoram, and Gabriel D. Wangsu, Minister of Agriculture & Allied, Arunachal Pradesh as Guests of Honour, with Dr. Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR, New Delhi as Special Guest and also present were Iboyaima Meitei, Adviser, NEC, Lalsangliana, Secretary, AH&VD, Mizoram, and Dr. Girish Patil, Director, ICAR-NRCM, along with senior officials, scientists, and representatives from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. On the other hand, the Thenzawl Joint Village Council, NGOs, and the local community on Monday organised the Thenzawl Peace City Celebration at Jt. YMA Hall, Bazar Veng and the Mizoram Chief Minister of Mizoram and MLA of Thenzawl Lalduhoma, attended as Chief Guest, with B. Lalchhanzova, Minister of Supply, as Guest of Honour. In his address, the Chief Minister said Mizoram needs modern, well-planned towns to meet the aspirations of its people. He noted that Thenzawl is uniquely suited to become Mizoram's first modern planned city owing to its location, balanced environment, and potential for orderly growth. "Thenzawl Peace city is not meant to rival Aizawl, but to give Mizoram a modern planned city that is peaceful, well-organised, and future-ready," he stated. Recounting his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister spoke about his career in the IPS and his resignation from the service to dedicate himself fully to the political struggle for peace in Mizoram. He also recalled becoming the first MP to be disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law--another consequence of his unwavering commitment to the peace process. In 1986, Mizoram overcame turmoil and achieved the lasting peace it enjoys today, making it one of the most peaceful states in India. He, therefore, requested the Prime Minister to establish a Peace City at Thenzawl. In this function, Supply Minister B. Lalchhanzova, himself a native of Thenzawl, said the dream of making Thenzawl a township has long been cherished and that today's celebration marks the beginning of its fulfilment. C Lalnunthara, President of Vantawng Group YMA, spoke on behalf of the people of Thenzawl, expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister for his vision and saying the community is proud that Thenzawl has been chosen as the site for Mizoram's first modern planned city. The programme was chaired by B. Lalrinliana, Chairman of Thenzawl Jt. VC, with Rev. Lalchhuanga delivering the invocation prayer. The function was well attended by the local community. As earlier reported, the Central Government has approved Rs. 10 crore under MoHUA for the preparation of the Master Plan for Peace City at Thenzawl, covering 108 sq. km, with a capacity for about ten lakh residents. On 22 July, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the selection of a consultant was issued, and eighteen major companies have already expressed interest. Work on the project is expected to begin soon. (ANI)
The 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' that began amid chaos over the allegations of "vote theft" in the assembly elections and alleged disenfranchisement of Bihar voters has come to an end today. The allegations of discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise carried out by the Election Commission (EC) in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections were levelled by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who pledged that the opposition would not let votes be stolen. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other leaders in the double-engine government of Bihar have lambasted the opposition, accusing them of "destroying" the Constitution and of allegedly distrusting the country's democratic processes. The Voter Adhikaar Yatra witnessed massive public rallies in several districts of Bihar - from Sasaram to Siwan. It also witnessed clashes between Congress and BJP workers on Friday (August 29). The BJP racked up another issue, demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi and his allies over the alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during a public rally in Darbhanga. Responding to allegations of the BJP, the INDIA bloc refuted their claims while suggesting that the man who hurled abuses in the rally was associated with the ruling party in the Centre. Congress's Digvijay Singh and Shiv Sena's UBT MP Sanjay Raut have both claimed that the accused, whom the police have now arrested, was from the BJP. Earlier in the day, Raut claimed that nobody from the opposition was abusing anyone, instead shifting the blame onto the BJP leaders. "Nobody is abusing anyone. Modi himself started the trend of abusing each other at the national stage in politics. Now, PM Modi and the BJP are scared. Be it Rahul Gandhi or Tejashwi Yadav, show me if anyone abused anyone. I have also followed the Yatra. It is the BJP people who hurl abuses and blame us. It was the BJP workers who entered the crowd," Raut told ANI. As this happened, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today told ANI that the slogan "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd" was echoing everywhere. "It has now reached China," he added. The LoP pledged that the opposition will not let votes be stolen in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls, standing firm on his allegations of vote theft. "We pledge - not a single vote will be stolen in Bihar. We will protect democracy and the constitution with all our might," Gandhi posted on X. Gandhi further extended his gratitude towards prominent opposition leaders from various parties, who are also part of the INDIA bloc, for making the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' "historic". "Heartfelt thanks to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Mukesh Sahni, Bihar Congress leadership, the Congress's Babbar Sher, INDIA workers, and the youth of the state for making the Bihar Voter Adhikaar Yatra historic," Gandhi said. Gandhi warned the BJP of an impending expose. Referring to his allegations of vote theft, the LoP Lok Sabha stated that he would soon unleash a "hydrogen bomb," implying that highlighting the alleged irregularities regarding the Mahadevpura assembly constituency was just an "atom bomb." Addressing a rally in Patna today, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also targeted the double-engine government of the BJP and the Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar, and asserted that the Nitish Kumar-led government would be voted out of power within the next six months. "This double-engine government will not be there in the next 6 months. The government that will come will be of the poor, of poor women, of Dalits and backward classes," Kharge said while addressing a rally on the last day of 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra'. Meanwhile, Union Textile Minister Giriraj Singh argued that the INDIA bloc will have no standing in Bihar. "INDI alliance will be cleared out from Bihar because of this Yatra. Most of the people in the Yatra were Muslims because they (oppn) served their mission. They invited Revanth Reddy, who abused Bihar. They invited MK Stalin, who abused Hindus. Will Bihar tolerate this disrespect? Hindus are also more (in population). Tejashwi Yadav will suffer a loss," Singh told ANI. Union Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy also mocked Rahul Gandhi, saying that the LoP was talking about alleged "vote theft" in the assembly elections, since people have refused to give votes to his party. "Rahul Gandhi has got scared of the public, and this is the reason he is talking about vote theft. People are not voting for his party. He doesn't have faith in people, elections and democracy. If he has courage, he should go among the public and tell about the work done by his party," Reddy told reporters. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, in a veiled attack on Rahul Gandhi and Bihar LoP Tejashwi Yadav, labelled them as "appu" and "pappu", respectively. He accused both opposition leaders of "harming" Sanatani culture and "destroying" democracy. "Both 'Appu' and 'Pappu', born with a golden spoon, are indulged in the politics of compassion. They respect those who abused Bihar. They are the destroyers of democracy. They also harm our Sanatani culture. They are the biggest dakus (bandits). However, the public will teach them a lesson," the Bihar Deputy CM told reporters. However, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor criticised both PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi, saying that they didn't speak about employment opportunities for youth. "We have no interest in the fight between Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi; we are interested that there should be employment in Bihar and migration from Bihar should stop," Kishor said. The 16-day Yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the Yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the Yatra. (ANI)
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, convened a Roundtable Conference on Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G): Progress and SBM-G Next Phase at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The meeting brought together State Ministers, Special Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Chief Secretaries, Chief Secretaries, Secretaries and Mission Directors from 28 States/UTs to review progress, identify challenges, and chart the next phase of rural sanitation. Union Minister of Jal Shakti C R Patil in his keynote address, praised collective achievements and stressed innovation, waste-to-energy, and climate-resilient sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti said in a press release. He reiterated that SBM-G and JJM together are taking us forward towards sustainable sanitation and water security. With JJM, every rural household is receiving safe tap water, but this also brings the enhanced responsibility of managing greywater under SBM-G. The ODF Plus Model is not just about numbers; it is about quality of life, health, and dignity for rural families. The way forward is to shape villages that integrate climate resilience, resource management, and innovation. As we expand tap water under JJM, SBM-G ensures effective greywater management, and with 'Jal Shakti Abhiyaan- Catch the Rain', rainwater harvesting leading to water security becomes our collective duty. At the SBM-G Roundtable, he underlined how sanitation and water are inseparable, whilst SBM-G ensures clean villages, JJM delivers safe tap water, and Catch the Rain helps us harvest every drop. Together, these missions are building a healthy, sustainable, and water-secure Bharat, all of which will help India achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat. Minister of State, V Somanna during his Address said that the credit of SBM-G goes to the collective action of State/UTs, Panchayats, and communities. He said while the progress achieved under SBM-G is commendable, the way ahead must focus on deepening behaviour change, strengthening O&M systems & empowering youth & women as leaders of Swachhata. He highlighted embracing innovation and persistence, with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas at the core. He also recommended continued engagement of sanitation workers and Village Water Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) in this mission. Ashok K K Meena, Secretary-DDWS highlighted that the mission's future rests on data-driven, citizen-centric and locally owned reliable data. From Panchayats to VWSCs, women leaders to children should act as change agents with community ownership at the heart of SBMG. He emphasised the importance of collaborative learning and digital tools as pointers, guiding us towards Sampoorna Swachhata. Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary & Mission Director (JJM & SBM-G), stressed on the need for verified data and regular field reviews. He highlighted that dashboards must not just reflect data but be a platform reflective of the reality on ground. Sanitation, he underlined, is never 'done' but it is a daily habit. During his session, he reiterated that the road ahead would include maintaining assets, ensuring credible data, and keeping communities engaged. Some of the major achievements of the SBM-G include 81 percent villages now ODF Plus Model Villages with 91 percent of all villages have Greywater Management systems; 84 percent of all villages have Solid Waste Management systems and 67 percent blocks saturated with Plastic Waste Management coverage Expansion of GOBARdhan biogas plants, with11 States/UTs reporting their plants operating at 80-100 percent of their designed capacity. Other achievements include promotion of the Swachh Sujal Gaon campaign and WASH curriculum integration in national and state boards across all State/UTs The concerns of low fund utilisation, pending policies on O&M and FSM along with functionality were discussed with all State/UTs. The SBM-G roundtable included a session on best practices from Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha and West Bengal. Himachal Pradesh presented the cluster-based solid waste management model in Dharamshala, Odisha highlighted the women-led waste management and Su-Nano e-vehicles in Sundargarh. Bihar shared the "Kabadmandi" digital platform and Digital Communication and Monitoring System(DCMD), Karnataka demonstrated GOBARdhan, FSTP and greywater management models, Gujarat presented ODF+ models led by women and large-scale biogas initiatives, Mizoram highlighted Children's Sanitation Clubs and CSC with shop model, Jharkhand shared its Gobardhan biogas plants in Sahibganj's riverine areas, Maharashtra showcased the Tiger Biofilter greywater treatment technology in Satara, Chhattisgarh presented the faecal sludge treatment model of Patora Gram Panchayat, Madhya Pradesh highlighted the "Wash on Wheels" mobile toilet cleaning service, Assam shared its IEC and climate resilient initiative including floating toilets, while West Bengal presented its plastic waste management model through using plastic waste for road construction. These experiences reflect how SBM-G has become a people's movement for sustainable sanitation in rural India. The brainstorming session deliberated the next phase may include sustaining ODF Model Gains, by building on Swachh Sujal Gaon, enhancing visual cleanliness, and moving towards complete waste management solutions as key pillars for a Viksit Bharat. During the concluding remarks, MoJS appreciated the suggestions given by the State Ministers and officials. (ANI)
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha attended the Two-Day Panchayat Raj Capacity Building programme at the State Panchayat Resource Centre in A.D. Nagar in Agartala. Addressing the gathering, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha emphasised the importance of strengthening the Panchayat system for state and national development during the Panchayat Raj Capacity Building Programme. He highlighted the need for technically proficient Panchayat members and noted the implementation of an e-office system across Tripura's three-tier Panchayat structure to enhance transparency. Saha announced the launch of technical training sessions to enhance the system's capabilities further. "We want the Panchayat to be strong..PM Modi believes that until the Panchayat system is not strong and developed, the state and the country will not develop...All the members (of the Panchayat) should be technically sound...We already have an e-office up to the three-tier panchayat level in Tripura. It gives a better transparency..We will now begin a series of technical sessions. This is very important for us," he said. The programme aimed to strengthen grassroots governance through skill enhancement and training of Panchayat representatives and officials. The initiative is part of the state government's commitment to capacity building and good governance at the village level, focusing on transparency, accountability, and participatory development. Senior officials, Panchayat representatives, and resource persons attended the inaugural session. On Sunday, Tripura Chief Minister Sunday criticised the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for confusing people with a "negative mentality" for 25 long years while also slamming RJD and Congress for alleged use of abusive language against the late mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' in Bihar's Darbhanga. Saha also informed that the present government has been working to develop the Janajati people and their areas. For that, in the 2024-25 Financial Year, an additional Rs 170 crore has been allocated to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), and in the 2025-26 FY, Rs 860 crore has been sanctioned. Saha said this after listening to PM Modi's 125th episode of Mann Ki Baat at Asarambari of Khowai District. "We have seen how a programme of Mann Ki Baat was attacked in this area. This was the darkest chapter in the entire country, and we cannot accept it. Mann Ki Baat is not a political matter. People eagerly wait for this programme. PM Modi has been working to develop and strengthen the country. He is building a bridge between the public and himself. You will not find leaders like PM Modi who connect with people through Mann Ki Baat," he said. "People want PM Modi and want to listen to him. Ok, the last episode, innocent people were physically attacked, their properties were vandalised, they were shifted to hospitals, and I also visited them. Such a culture was prevalent during the 35-year tenure of the CPI(M) and Congress. We don't want such politics," he added. (ANI)
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, called upon India's youth to take the lead as "ChangeMakers" in the country's journey toward becoming a 'Viksit Bharat'. Speaking at the historic DHS Kanoi College in Dibrugarh, where he inaugurated a fitness centre, a drinking water facility, and the Dr Yogiraj Basu Memorial Science & Technology Building under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), Sarbananda Sonowal, an alumnus of the college, said that young people must become the "force of transformation" in modern India. "The strength of our nation lies in the hands of its youth. You are not just students; you are leaders of change. You are in the Amrit Kaal with a tremendous opportunity to become an agent of transformation for your society, for your economy, for your country to become Viksit Bharat, a wonderful vision of PM Narendra Modi. By embracing knowledge, fitness, and responsible living, you can drive India's transformation into a self-reliant and developed country," Sarbananda Sonowal said. The minister underlined the importance of health and happiness in nation-building. "Yoga is not just exercise, it is a way to achieve balance and clarity in life. Through good health, you can enjoy life responsibly and contribute to society with greater strength," Sonowal added. Sonowal stressed that the era of Atmanirbhar Bharat offers unprecedented opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. "This is the time to rise, to innovate, and to take part in shaping the new India. The transformation to Viksit Bharat will be possible only when the youth actively lead it," he said. The projects inaugurated, Sonowal noted, symbolise a holistic approach to education that balances intellectual, physical, and emotional development. The fitness centre aims to promote a culture of discipline and wellness, the drinking water project ensures access to clean and safe water on campus, and the new Science and Technology Building will foster research, innovation, and scientific inquiry among students. The programme featured cultural and academic performances by students. Sonowal praised their enthusiasm, saying he was "deeply inspired by their creativity and energy" and extended best wishes for their future. Sonowal encouraged the youth to carry forward India's traditions of resilience and innovation, while remaining rooted in values of compassion, responsibility, and service to society. The minister also said that the government's vision of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' can only be fulfilled if young people remain at the forefront of development. "When the youth channel their energy into education, fitness, and innovation, India's rise as a global power becomes unstoppable," Sonowal said. (ANI)
Amid the row over alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' in Bihar's Darbhanga, Delhi Haj Committee Chairperson Kausar Jahan on Monday said that Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has lost his chances of coming to power. Jahan said that the allegations of "vote theft" levelled by the Congress MP stand "exposed" since he has neither sought the court's help nor submitted any affidavit to the Election Commission (EC) to strengthen his claims. "Rahul Gandhi's Yatra is 'Hatasha Mitao Yatra', but the disappointment has only increased. Because derogatory language and words have been used about the Prime Minister, his (Gandhi's) chances of coming into power have completely vanished. His vote chori claim has been completely exposed, which is why he neither sought the court's help nor submitted any affidavit to the Election Commission. And he asks for votes, on the other hand, showing double standards," the Delhi Haj Committee Chairperson told ANI. She added, "He (Rahul Gandhi) is just trying to mislead the public, especially the Muslim community. Such great development is going on in Kashmir, where is the problem?" Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut claimed that nobody from the opposition was abusing anyone, instead shifting the blame onto BJP leaders. "Nobody is abusing anyone. Modi himself started the trend of abusing each other at the national stage in politics. Now, PM Modi and the BJP are scared. Be it Rahul Gandhi or Tejashwi Yadav, show me if anyone abused anyone. I have also followed the Yatra. It is the BJP people who hurl abuses and blame us. It was the BJP workers who entered the crowd," Raut told ANI. The BJP has been targeting the opposition over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi, while the opposition has refuted such claims, arguing that the ruling party in the centre was raising such issues to distract from the important ones. The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), is scheduled to conclude in Patna today. The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others. Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally. Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra. (ANI)
Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has urged the Union government to release Rs 60,000 crore in pending funds, citing the grave flood situation that has devastated large parts of the state. "Due to continuous rainfall in the mountains and our neighbouring states, a flood situation has arisen in Punjab. There is significant damage, but our Punjab Police is actively deployed on the ground. Our Chief Minister has written a letter to the Prime Minister of the country, requesting the immediate release of the Rs 60,000 crore owed to us by the central government. So far, there has been no response from them, but today Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.We request all BJP leaders of Punjab to ensure the immediate release of our Rs 60,000 crore so that we can help the people of Punjab more effectively," Harpal Cheema told ANI. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately release Rs 60,000 crore in pending funds for the state, citing the grave flood situation that has devastated large parts of the state. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Mann described the disaster as the "most severe natural calamity in decades", which has already affected nearly 1,000 villages and lakhs of people.The Chief Minister said that heavy rainfall and water released from dams have worsened the situation in Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Hoshiarpur districts. He warned that the crisis could deepen further in the coming days. According to his assessment, around three lakh acres of agricultural land, mostly under paddy cultivation, have been submerged. The loss of crops before harvest, combined with livestock deaths, has left rural families, who depend on farming and dairy, reeling under immense distress. (ANI)
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has expressed anger over the delay in issuing permissions for multi-storey buildings and other structures. Reviewing the status of the permissions issued to the buildings under the "Build Now" within the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) on Monday, the CM said that some officials were being neglectful in issuing permissions to multi-storey buildings, construction of gated communities and other permits. The CM has ordered HMDA Secretary Ilambarth to find out the reasons for the delay in the issuing of permissions and take action against the officials responsible. He also warned that many allegations are being made against officials of the Irrigation Department in particular and he will not tolerate them at all, according to an official statement from the CM's office. The officials were ordered to take up a LiDAR survey of the tanks, canals and other water resources within the HMDA area immediately. The CM emphasised that the complete details should be collected to avoid any disputes. HMDA Secretary was instructed to hold regular meetings with GHMC, HYDRAA and Irrigation officials in this regard and grant permissions quickly. HMDA Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed, GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan, HYDRAA Commissioner Ranganath and others participated in the review. Earlier, CM Reddy ordered officials to expedite the repairs of the damaged roads, buildings, breached ponds and water bodies and the reconstruction of the submerged electric substation, which were damaged due to recent heavy rains and floods in the state. The CM also inquired about the lack of assistance from the Centre despite heavy losses in the flood-affected Khammam and Warangal districts last year. (ANI)
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa held a video conference with the District Magistrates (DMs) of all 11 districts to review the national capital's preparations for the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi and upcoming Durga Puja visarjan festivities. The Minister was briefed that around 80 artificial ponds are being excavated district-wise -- 20 in West Delhi, 16 in East, 12 in North-West, nine in South-East, seven in South-West, five each in Shahdara, South and North-East, four in Central Delhi, and one in North Delhi -- to offer safe, accessible sites for idol immersion. "Our foremost duty is to keep the Yamuna clean while giving every devotee the right environment to celebrate," Sirsa said. "By shifting immersions to purpose-built ponds, we marry tradition with conservation in the most practical way." The minister was apprised that the number and location of ponds were finalised after consultations with local MLAs and resident welfare associations, ensuring each neighbourhood gets a nearby facility. Excavation and site preparation are underway with support from the Irrigation & Flood Control Department, while the Delhi Jal Board will fill the ponds with water. Sirsa directed officials to recycle the same water afterwards for road-sprinkling and park irrigation, calling it "textbook example of circularity in city governance". Festival committees have been asked to share their immersion routes with Delhi Police so that traffic diversions, CCTV coverage and crowd-management measures can be finalised well in advance. "Nothing unites Delhi like its festivals; they represent the composite culture of the National Capital, and nothing should endanger them: not polluted water, not traffic chaos, not medical delays," the Minister stressed. "Every devotee deserves a seamless visarjan, and we are leaving no stone unturned." Sirsa praised the district teams for their collaborative approach and urged them to maintain rigorous timelines. He added, "When faith meets responsibility, our river stays pure, our air fresher, and our festivals more vibrant. Let us gift the Yamuna a cleaner tomorrow even as we celebrate today." (ANI)
Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, noted that the growing partnership between Russia, India, and China is the formation of a "qualitatively new system" in international relations amid global uncertainties, particularly economic concerns due to the US tariffs. In a post on X, Ulyanov, while resharing a post where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen together, quoting a message on multipolarity, stated, "We are witnessing the formation of a qualitatively new system of international relations." The envoy's remark came following Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin earlier on Sunday, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024. Both reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes and called for a stable relationship and cooperation between India and China based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century. The post reshared by Ulyanov was of the Russia-India-China trilateral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in 2018. Prime Minister Modi is currently on a two-day official visit to China, where he will be participating in the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, taking place from August 31 to September 1. Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with the Chinese President, and he will be meeting with Putin on Monday following the summit. During his talks with Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister also underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations. The two leaders also noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the border areas since then and expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples. They recognised the important decisions taken by the two Special Representatives in their Talks earlier this month and agreed to further support their efforts. The two leaders noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visa. PM Modi also invited the Chinese President to the BRICS Summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's support to India's BRICS Presidency. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the plenary session of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council summit today in Tianjin, following which he will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a special briefing in Tianjin, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the Prime Minister will also meet the Russian President following his address at the SCO plenary session. "Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," Misri said on Sunday. PM Modi arrived in Tianjin on Saturday for a two-day official visit, during which he will participate in the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, taking place from August 31 to September 1. Earlier on Sunday, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024. Both reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes and called for a stable relationship and cooperation between India and China based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century. The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations. The two leaders also noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the border areas since then and expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples. They recognised the crucial decisions taken by the two Special Representatives in their Talks earlier this month and agreed to support their efforts further. The two leaders emphasised the importance of strengthening people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and the introduction of tourist visas. PM Modi also invited the Chinese President to the BRICS Summit that India will be hosting in 2026. President Xi thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and offered China's support to India's BRICS Presidency. The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are also several dialogue partners and observers. India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, having been an observer since 2005. During its membership period, India has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and of the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023. (ANI)
Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has emphasised that peace and tranquillity along the India-China border remain fundamental to any meaningful progress in bilateral relations between the two nations, asserting that the trust deficit created by the 2020 Galwan incident has cast a long shadow over the diplomatic engagement. Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Sikri noted that unless there is concrete progress in restoring stability at the border, other aspects of the bilateral relationship, including trade, regional cooperation, and people-to-people ties, cannot move forward. "After 2020, when the Galwan incident took place, that was a big break in the trust factor between India and China, because China, by the action they took in Galwan, have broken the trust... And after that, there's been a complete break in the trust factor... The peace and tranquillity at the border is important. Without that, no other aspect of the relationship can progress," she stated. Her remarks come in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where the Prime Minister underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations. "I think that if indeed the disengagement process is agreed upon and is successful, then I think it is a good sign. Then certainly other aspects of the relationship can develop," she said, adding that the Tianjin meeting between the two leaders is "very important and significant" and holds the potential to pave the way for further progress, but only if followed by concrete actions. "I think that in that context, the meeting between our two leaders in Tianjin is very important and significant, and it has the capacity to lead to great further progress in the bilateral sector. But again, we have to remember that for us, peace and tranquillity at the border are very important. So, there have to be concrete steps, concrete decisions, and concrete agreements on that - peace and tranquillity at the border," she added. She also cautioned that the Chinese President should not be involved in the third-party mediation in India's bilateral issues with Pakistan, referring to earlier claims by US President Donald Trump. "I think President Xi Jinping needs to realise that between India and Pakistan, at least for us, it is absolutely vital to understand that we do not accept any third-party mediation. And if at all China is going to start saying the same thing that President Trump has been saying, that I can mediate between Pakistan and India, then that will be a real problem," she said. Speaking on the broader geopolitical context, Sikri remarked that "the elephant and the dragon can dance" referring to India and China, but only if mutual sensitivities are acknowledged and respected. On the trilateral Russia-India-China equation, the former diplomat noted that Moscow seems to have a deeper understanding of India's core concerns, especially in relation to Pakistan. "About Russia, India, and China, I think Russia has a greater understanding of India's sensitivities, particularly as regards Pakistan and other issues," she added. (ANI)
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense on Monday said that it detected eight Chinese Military aircraft and six naval vessels and an official ship operating around its territory as of Monday (local time). As per the MND, of the eight sorties, two crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. In a post on X, the MND said, "8 PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 out of 8 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1962321596066238835 Earlier on Sunday, Taiwan recorded the presence of five PLA aircraft, six PLAN vessels and one official ship. Two out of five sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and eastern ADIZ. Sharing the details in a post on X, MND said, "5 PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 out of 5 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1961957146087854534 Earlier, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung had described China as a "regional troublemaker" after the Solomon Islands barred Taiwan and other dialogue partners, including the US, from the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders' Meeting, according to a report by the Taipei Times, citing an Australian daily. Citing the "Pacific Way" of inclusiveness, Lin warned that excluding dialogue partners undermines the forum's ability to address common challenges, as reported by the Taipei Times. Rejecting Beijing's claims over Taiwan, Lin emphasised that the People's Republic of China "has never ruled Taiwan for even a single day" and noted that UN Resolution 2758 does not refer to Taiwan, according to the Taipei Times. Calling China's narrative "the emperor's new clothes," he said, "Telling a lie 100 times does not make it true." Lin added that Taiwan is pushing back against Beijing's suppression through deeper international cooperation, practical contributions, and sustained diplomatic outreach. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared light moments ahead of the SCO Summit's plenary session. The leaders were seen holding discussions and having a conversation in a pull aside. President Putin and Prime Minister Modi greeted each other with a warm hug, after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members. The interaction between PM Modi and President Putin came ahead of their bilateral meeting which is scheduled to take place after the plenary session. "Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday. PM Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024. Both reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes and called for a stable relationship and cooperation between India and China based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century. The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of peace and tranquility in the border areas for the continued development of bilateral relations. The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are also several dialogue partners and observers. India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, having been an observer since 2005. During its membership period, India has held the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020 and of the SCO Council of Heads of State from 2022 to 2023. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called on Tamil diaspora in Germany to extend as much support as possible to Tamil Nadu and their native villages. Addressing at the 'Great Tamil Dream - Tamil Diaspora Meet' held in Cologne, Germany, CM Stalin expressed pride in the achievement of Tamils and urged them to contribute to their motherland. Appealing to the diaspora, he said, "While we extend opportunities and support, I request you in return to contribute to your motherland. Invest in Tamil Nadu, promote our State's potential within your companies, support government schools in your native villages, and encourage education for underprivileged children. Above all, do not forget your Tamil identity, your roots, and your language." CM Stalin highlighted the "Roots to Heritage" initiative, started in 2023, which brings back children of diaspora families to Tamil Nadu to reconnect with their cultural roots. So far, 292 participants from 15 countries have benefited. Chief Minister recalled the emotional connect Tamil leaders such as CN Annadurai (Perarignar Anna) expressed during visits to countries like Malaysia and Singapore, when the overwhelming love of Tamils abroad moved them to silence. Stalin appreciated the achievements of Tamils in Germany and across Europe, emphasising how their growth adds pride to Tamil Nadu and the Dravidian movement. He highlighted that under the Dravidian Model Governance, Tamil Nadu has been progressing rapidly, particularly in industrial growth. He detailed his global visits - to the UAE, Japan, Spain, Singapore, and the USA - which have attracted significant investments to Tamil Nadu, creating employment opportunities for its people. Stalin highlighted the various initiatives undertaken by the state government for Tamils living overseas, including the safe return of those affected by wars in Ukraine, Israel, and other countries. He also pointed out that under the "Search for Roots" programme, 292 people from 15 countries had come to Tamil Nadu to reconnect with their families. He further urged the diaspora to ensure that their children remain connected to their identity and heritage. "At least once a year, visit Tamil Nadu, take your children to Keezhadi and Porunai archaeological museums, and tell them about our history and culture." Stalin is on eight-day visit to Germany and United Kingdom to secure industrial investment to the state (ANI)
Xi says China ready to stand with Belarus in practicing true multilateralism

Xinhua) 17:17, August 31, 2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Lukashenko is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to work with Belarus to practice true multilateralism and jointly contribute to world peace, development and win-win cooperation as humanity once again comes to a crossroads, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Lukashenko is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Xi said the Chinese and Belarusian people once fought shoulder to shoulder, made major contributions to crushing militarism and fascism, and forged a profound friendship.

He said the two countries should continue to support each other firmly on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and further align development strategies to foster new cooperation growth engines.

Lukashenko praised China's just position on international and regional affairs, saying that China has made major contributions to peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and in the world.

He said Belarus is China's all-weather partner who can always be trusted, expressing the hope to deepen exchanges with China on national governance and enhance cooperation in various fields.

The meeting also saw the inking of cooperation documents covering fields including technology, finance, media, transportation and customs inspection and quarantine.

Senior officials including Cai Qi, Wang Yi and Chen Min'er attended the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Lukashenko is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liu Ning)
One suspect has been arrested in the assassination of the prominent Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Parubiy, the country's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Parubiy was fatally shot in what authorities describe as a "carefully planned" attack in the western city of Lviv on Saturday, According to CNN, citing the police, Parubiy was struck multiple times with a short-barreled firearm. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk have just reported the apprehension of a suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy." https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1962263813983457534 Zelenskyy further informed that the suspect has given an initial testimony as the investigation is still underway to establish all circumstances of murder. "I spoke with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. He reported on the next procedural steps regarding the suspect in the murder of Andriy Parubiy. The suspect has given an initial testimony. Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder," Zelenskyy said. Parubiy, a sitting member of Ukraine's parliament and former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, died before emergency services could reach him, head of the Lviv region military administration, Maksym Kozitskiy, confirmed, CNN reported. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the killing as a "horrendous murder", echoing law enforcement's assessment that the act was deliberate and premeditated. "Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko have just reported the first known circumstances of the horrendous murder in Lviv. Andriy Parubiy was killed. My condolences to his family and loved ones. All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Parubiy, 54, had been active in Ukrainian politics since the early 1990s, co-founding the Social-National Party of Ukraine in 1991 before later distancing himself from the group. He served in the Ukrainian parliament from 2007 until his death, CNN reported. As per CNN, he played a significant role in Ukraine's political uprisings, including the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013-14 Maidan protests. During the latter, he led operations in Kyiv's Independence Square, becoming a key figure in the movement that led to the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, CNN reported. Parubiy later served as Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council for Ukraine in 2014 and was known for championing national identity policies, including the 2019 language law mandating Ukrainian as the official language in many public domains, as reported by CNN. (ANI)
The session, which comes amid looming tariffs by the US, called on SCO member states to pursue mutual benefit, win-win results, as per Global Times.

"The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have brought about groundbreaking and historic achievements in the organization's development and cooperation," Xi said, as quoted by Global Times.

Xi made the remarks on Monday while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has grown into the world's largest regional organization," Xi further said.

Xi also said that the member states of the SCO should seek common ground while putting aside differences.

The Chinese President pledged to provide 2 billion yuan (about 281 million US dollars) in grant to member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) within this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address the plenary session, following which he will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During a special briefing in Tianjin, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the Prime Minister will also meet the Russian President following his address at the SCO plenary session.

"Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," Misri said on Sunday.

PM Modi arrived in Tianjin on Saturday for a two-day official visit, during which he will participate in the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, taking place from August 31 to September 1. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appreciated the efforts of India and China in trying to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. The Russian President was speaking at the plenary session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on Monday. Putin said that he will inform leaders about details from his Alaska meeting with US President Donald Trump during bilateral meetings. He said reiterating Moscow's position, "Crisis in Ukraine did not arise as result of 'invasion,' but as a result of a coup d'etat in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine's western allies." Putin further said that the understandings reached at the Alaska summit with US President Trump opened the way to peace in Ukraine. The Russian President further said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. "The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries. The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," said Putin. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. "We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. The SCO Summit 2025 reflects the growing importance of multipolarity in global governance as US President Donald Trump's transactional bullying alienated most of its allies. Meanwhile, before the plenary session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted pictures of his interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit," PM Modi posted on X. Prime Minister Modi's camaraderie with Putin was palpable as the two greeted each other with smiles and hugs.PM Modi has also posted two photographs of him greeting and hugging Putin. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962345355045158979 "Always a delight to meet President Putin!" he said. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962344632085545397 Putin and PM Modi were seen walking hand in hand towards Xi. The three also exchanged a few light remarks ahead of the SCO Summit's plenary session after which they walked towards the stage for a family photo of the SCO members. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday travelled in the same car to the venue of their bilateral meeting in Tianjin, China, after the Shanghai Cooperation Meeting (SCO) Summit. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962386368337998092 This development comes as India and Russia look to strengthen their bilateral relationship amid US President Donald Trump's tariffs. The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow. The White House Trade Adviser has repeatedly criticised India for prioritising its energy needs, accusing New Delhi of acting as a "laundromat for the Kremlin". The White House Trade advisor has expressed his frustration over India smoothing his relationship with Russia and China, as PM Modi is currently attending the SCO Summit in Tianjin. PM Modi, in his address at SCO, stressed the need to boost connectivity between the members to boost trade. "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust. With this in mind, we are working on initiatives like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. This will help us improve connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia." Describing the third pillar, PM Modi said that opportunities for cooperation and reform in 2023 during India's presidency brought in new energy ideas. "Startups, innovation, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage were new areas which India incorporated. Our effort was to expand SCO's ambit outside governments," PM Modi said. Russian President Putin said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. "The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries. The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," said Putin. Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. "We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. The SCO Summit 2025 reflects the growing importance of multipolarity in global governance as US President Donald Trump's transactional bullying alienated most of its allies. (ANI)
Amnesty International has urged Pakistani authorities to reveal the fate and whereabouts of Mahjabeen Baloch, a 23-year-old student who was forcibly disappeared from Quetta three months ago, and to put an end to the practice of enforced disappearances. According to The Balochistan Post, Amnesty highlighted Mahjabeen's case in a series of social media graphics shared on X, featuring her photograph with the caption "Where is Mahjabeen Baloch?" The rights group stated that Pakistan must disclose the locations of Mahjabeen, her brother Younus, and all other victims of enforced disappearance. Mahjabeen, a library science student at the University of Balochistan, was abducted from her hostel at around 3:00 am on May 29 by personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department, Amnesty said. Since then, her family has had no contact with her. Her brother, 25-year-old Younus Baloch, an engineering student at BUETK in Khuzdar and father of two daughters, was allegedly picked up by army personnel on May 24, just days earlier. He, too, remains missing. The siblings' disappearance has left their family in anguish, with their parents and sister desperately seeking answers. The Balochistan Post reported that activists and rights defenders see Mahjabeen's case as part of a wider pattern of targeting young students and women in Balochistan. Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, wrote on X that Mahjabeen's story shows how vulnerable women from marginalised communities are being subjected to state repression. Paank, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement, condemned the siblings' abduction, calling it a "state policy to suppress dissent." The group documented at least 785 cases of enforced disappearance and 121 extrajudicial killings in Balochistan so far this year, describing the acts as violations of both Pakistan's Constitution and international conventions. The Balochistan Post noted that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also warned that enforced disappearances in the province "continue unabated" and that the culture of impunity is deepening alienation in the region. Amnesty and rights groups hope to draw global attention and pressure the state to end the cycle of enforced disappearances, The Balochistan Post stated. (ANI)
India on Monday joined other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to deepen cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence, highlighting the strategic importance of the emerging technology in transforming societies and economies. The Tianjin Declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of States, which was signed and adopted at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit today, outlines commitments among member states on Artificial Intelligence, among other areas. The SCO grouping has 10 member states, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the plenary session of the SCO Summit today , flagged emerging threats, including cyber-terrorism, stressing that regional security strategies must evolve to meet new challenges. "It is a matter of great satisfaction that the SCO is evolving with time. Four new centres are being established to address contemporary challenges such as organized crime, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity. We welcome this reform-oriented approach," the Prime Minister said. Earlier this year PM Modi in his opening address at the AI Action summit in Paris, which he co-chaired, touched upon the positive potential of AI and cautioned about its biases. Pointing out that AI is already re-shaping polity, economy, security and even society, Prime Minister Modi stressed on the need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards, that uphold shared values, address risks, and build trust. India is rapidly developing a robust AI computing and semiconductor infrastructure to support its expanding digital economy. With the approval of the IndiaAI Mission in 2024, the government allocated Rs 10,300 crore over five years to strengthen AI capabilities The Tianjin Declaration building on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Strengthening International Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building, emphasised that "all countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence." The SCO member countries, which includes India, expressed their readiness to work together to prevent risks in order to continuously improve the security, accountability, reliability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness of artificial intelligence technologies for the benefit of all humanity. In this regard, they advocated for the implementation of the Roadmap for the Implementation of the SCO Member States' Cooperation Programme on Artificial Intelligence Development (Chengdu, 12 June 2025). SCO Member states welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution, "The role of artificial intelligence in creating new opportunities for sustainable development in Central Asia" of July 25, 2025, which notes the initiative to establish a Regional Artificial Intelligence Centre in Dushanbe. SCO Member countries noted the proposals to establish mechanisms for cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as on advanced and breakthrough technologies of the SCO. Chinese President Xi Jinping had also in his keynote speech at the Tianjing summit proposed that SCO member states boost cooperation in a wide range of areas including energy, infrastructure, digital economy, science and tech innovation and artificial intelligence. Notably, a humanoid AI robot, Xiao He was deployed to assist media personnel and summit attendees with various tasks at the Tianjin Summit. Xiao He's presence at the SCO Summit garnered significant attention, with the robot's humanoid design and advanced capabilities sparking interest and admiration. Meanwhile, prior to his China visit , PM Modi was in Tokyo for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in which one of the key outcomes was the launch of the Japan-India Artificial Intelligence Initiative to strengthen bilateral cooperation in AI technologies. The initiative aims to enhance collaboration on large language models, data centres and AI governance and is expected to drive innovation and research between the two countries. "Cooperation in the area of High Technology is a priority for both of us. In this context, Digital Partnership 2.0 and AI cooperation initiatives are being undertaken," PM Modi said in Tokyo. PM Modi also invited Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to India's AI Impact Summit, scheduled for February 2026. "We are living in the age of Artificial Intelligence, and both leaders recognised that AI is a revolutionary technology poised to transform our society and economies. The initiative will strengthen collaboration between India and Japan on AI," Foreign Secretary Misri said in a media briefing about the PM's visit to Japan. Last month during the BRICS outreach summit in Brazil, PM Modi called for ensuring responsible governance of Artificial Intelligence. "In the 21st century, the progress and well-being of people largely depends on technology, especially Artificial Intelligence. On one hand, AI can greatly improve everyday life; while on the other hand, it also raises concerns about risks, ethics, and bias," PM Modi had said. The Prime Minister said that India's approach and policy on this topic are clear and that it sees AI as a medium to enhance human values and potential. "Working on the mantra of 'AI for All', today we're widely and actively using AI in sectors like agriculture, health, education, governance in India," the Prime Minister elucidated. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciated India and China's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, countering the White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro's narrative of New Delhi funding the war. Addressing the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, Putin slammed Ukraine's western allies, which he claimed supported the "coup d'etat in Kyiv", which ultimately resulted in the crisis in Ukraine. "Crisis in Ukraine did not arise as a result of an 'invasion' but as a result of a coup d'etat in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine's western allies," Putin slammed. Putin remarks oppose the narrative pushed by Peter Navarro that the conflict is "PM Modi's war", accusing India of acting as a "laundromat for the Kremlin" while justifying its 50 per cent tariffs on India. "Ukraine comes to us and Europe and says give us more money (for its war). Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. Consumers and businesses, as well as workers, lose because India's high tariffs cause job losses, lower incomes, and reduced wages. The taxpayers lose because we have to fund Modi's war." Navarro had told Bloomberg in an interview. Additionally, Putin said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. "The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries. The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," said Putin. Chinese President Xi called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. "We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. PM Modi also stressed the need to boost connectivity between the members to boost trade. "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust, PM Modi said. The SCO Summit 2025 reflects the growing importance of multipolarity in global governance as US President Donald Trump's transactional bullying alienated most of its allies. (ANI)
The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, is to be held in Belem, Brazil, from November 10 to 21. Speaking about the upcominng summit, Andre Aranha Correa Do Lago, President of COP 30 said on Monday that multilateralism is extremely important for India and Brazil. Lago, while talking to ANI, said that for developing countries like India and Brazil, multilateralism is the answer. "I think that for most developing countries and even more for economies like Brazil and India, multilateralism is extremely important. So we need to make sure that COP 30 brings back this trust in multilateralism that we cannot believe that unilateral measures is the answer. We need to prepare the world with multilateral solutions and I think this is the very first thing we want to achieve," he said. Lago said that the world must start looking at itself from the point of view of countries like India and Brazil. "I think we had a very interesting sequence regarding G20, that Brazil followed India. And I think that the world has to start to look at itself from the point of view of countries like India and Brazil. And I think this is working very well, and we have to strengthen that. So it will be very good that India holds COP33," he said. He added that India and Brazil have similar objectives and different circumstances. But, both are working towards development together. "We have very similar objectives, although we have different circumstances. Brazil has a very large territory with a population that is much smaller than India. We are only 220 million. But there are many things that we are developing together. So biofuels, for instance, is something that we can work, and we are working together, and we are leaders technologically and also commercially because India and Brazil are the two largest producers of sugar and we can do biofuels from many other origins," he said. He also added that India takes harnessing solar energy very seriously, and so does Brazil. Hence, it can be used for a greater agenda. "But there is also solar that India took the lead very clearly and Brazil also is following very strongly. We already have almost 15% of our electricity now comes from solar. But Brazil and India have many other technologies that we are developing together and so I believe that this agenda is a positive agenda if we use it to change together and not wait for the consequences of climate change to start moving. We have to move early," he said. Lago said that although the US government is reluctant in participating in the climate change negotiations, its companies still want to invest in them. "It's more challenging for everybody that the government of the US has this reluctance to participate in the negotiation. But we have to remember that the US is not only the government. It's the companies, it's the different states. So if you just take the governors that want to continue to follow the Paris Accord independently of the central government, you have more than 60% of the American GDP that is following it. So I think that we have to put it in relative terms, but we definitely have to work all together," he said. He further said that it is because of this reason that these countries believe in multilateralism. "That's why we believe in multilateralism and we would obviously prefer that the US would be in this effort as a central government. So we will work with the US business, governments, etc. that want to follow this agenda," he said. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the strong relationship between India and Russia and said that both nations have always stood shoulder to shoulder even in the most difficult situations. PM Modi, during his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability and prosperity. "India and Russia have always stood shoulder to shoulder even in the most difficult situations. Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity," PM Modi said. This major development comes at a time when the US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow. Speaking about the Ukraine War, PM Modi welcomed the peace efforts and hoped all parties will move constructively and find a way to end the conflict. "We have been continuously discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We welcome all the recent efforts for peace. We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish lasting peace. This is the call of the entire humanity," PM Modi said during the bilateral meet. Reflecting on the close ties of New Delhi and Moscow, PM Modi said, "I always feel that meeting you has been a memorable experience. We get an opportunity to exchange information on many things. We have been in constant touch. There have been many high-level meetings between the two sides on a regular basis." PM Modi further said that Indians are eagerly waiting for the Russian President Putin, who is scheduled to visit New Delhi in December of this year. "140 crore Indians are eagerly waiting for you for our 23rd summit in December this year. This reflects the depth and breadth of the special and privileged partnership," PM Modi said. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin has also appreciated India and China's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. He also slammed Ukraine's western allies, which he claimed supported "the coup d'etat in Kyiv", which ultimately resulted in the crisis in Ukraine. "Crisis in Ukraine did not arise as a result of an 'invasion' but as a result of a coup d'etat in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine's western allies," Putin said. Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. "We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality and block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. The SCO Summit 2025 reflects the growing importance of multipolarity in global governance as US President Donald Trump's transactional bullying alienated most of its allies. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for India after a fruitful visit to China for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Monday. During his visit, he also held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a post on X, PM Modi called the visit "productive" and highlighted how he emphasised India's position on key global issues. He wrote, "Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India's stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962422286235132319 PM Modi, during his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability and prosperity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday participated in the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where he gave a call for action against terror financing and radicalisation. He brought attention to the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack and urged the group to hold countries that perpetrate and support cross-border terrorism accountable. He also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on assuming the presidency of the SCO. The Summit witnessed productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development. Addressing the Summit, PM Modi highlighted India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework. In this regard, he noted that India seeks greater action under three pillars - Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. Earlier on Sunday, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders' summit, during which both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October 2024. Both reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes and called for a stable relationship and cooperation between India and China based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a series of world leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit reception in Tianjin on Sunday. He interacted with leaders from Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Eurasia, highlighting India's commitment to expand cooperation in diverse sectors. These included leaders from the Maldives, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Armenia, and Turkmenistan, amongst others. Before his visit to China, PM Modi was on a two-day visit to Japan, during which he attended the India-Japan Annual Summit. He lauded the productive outcomes of his Tokyo visit, and hoped that India-Japan ties scale newer heights in the coming times. (ANI)
During his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation provides a platform to unite the Global South and East. Putin also noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the India-Russia 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership'. "I am feeling very happy after meeting you...SCO provides a platform to unite the countries of the Global South and East...December 21, 2025, marks the 15th anniversary of the elevation of India-Russia ties to a 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership'...We enjoy a multi-faceted relationship...Today's meeting is expected to provide a significant boost to the India-Russia relationship. Russia and India enjoy very good relations," he said. Earlier in the day, Putin appreciated India and China's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, countering the White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro's narrative of New Delhi funding the war. Addressing the 25th SCO Heads of State Council summit, Putin slammed Ukraine's western allies, which he claimed supported the "coup d'etat in Kyiv", which ultimately resulted in the crisis in Ukraine. "Crisis in Ukraine did not arise as a result of an 'invasion' but as a result of a coup d'etat in Kyiv, supported by Ukraine's western allies," Putin slammed. Putin remarks oppose the narrative pushed by White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro that the conflict is "PM Modi's war", accusing India of acting as a "laundromat for the Kremlin" while justifying its 50 per cent tariffs on India. "Ukraine comes to us and Europe and says give us more money (for its war). Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. Consumers and businesses, as well as workers, lose because India's high tariffs cause job losses, lower incomes, and reduced wages. The taxpayers lose because we have to fund Modi's war." Navarro had told Bloomberg in an interview. Additionally, Putin said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. (ANI)
Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar on Monday said India has become a "star power" as he praised the central government for standing up to the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by US. Speaking with ANI, MJ Akbar emphasised on India's influence on geo politics, noting the meeting of PM Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. "Two things have emerged from this weekend: India has become an influential power which, along with other Asian nations like Japan, China and Russia, will be at the helm of the creation of what PM Modi has called the Asian century...This is one of the byproducts of the new respect that India has achieved. India has become a star power because it stood up to a superpower on principle," he said. "This message has resonated. You can see an immediate impact. Japan has broken off talks with the Americans on trade. The pushback has started, and the countries are willing to stand up...Second, all 'Trumpeters' have run out of all reasonable things to say...President Trump will have to realise that he has weakened America," MJ Akbar added. On India-China coming together during the SCO Summit, MJ Akbar said that this is a very important decision, suggesting that the newly form friendship might bring a change in world order. ""It is a very important development. Both have shown indications in their language and their body language. PM Modi, in his remarks, repeated the phrase that was the basis of the new relationship between India and China, which is peace and tranquillity on the border. On the border, President Xi has also said that we should keep the border aside and get on with development," MJ Akbar said. "I think the vision of an Asian century, and the talk that President Xi has inititated of a new world order can be brought into some kind of harmony to create a change which will now accelerate...The age of superpowers of the 20th century might start to wind down," he added. He further said, "There is no dramatic great leap forward. What we are seeing is a tremendous improvement, while effort is to expand friendship." During his visit to China PM Modi held bilateral meetings with Putin and Xi Jinping. He also participated in the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where he gave a call for action against terror financing and radicalisation. PM Modi's visit to China comes at a time when the US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, which includes a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing discounted crude oil from Moscow. PM Modi, in his address at SCO, stressed the need to boost connectivity between the members to boost trade. "India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust. With this in mind, we are working on initiatives like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. This will help us improve connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia." Describing the third pillar, PM Modi said that opportunities for cooperation and reform in 2023 during India's presidency brought in new energy ideas. "Startups, innovation, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage were new areas which India incorporated. Our effort was to expand SCO's ambit outside governments," PM Modi said. Russian President Putin said that dialogue within the SCO helps lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, replacing outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models. "The SCO is steadily increasing its influence in addressing international issues. National currencies are being used more widely in mutual settlements for trade among SCO countries. The pace of development of cooperation within the SCO is impressive," said Putin. Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. "We must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, and oppose the Cold War mentality, block confrontation and bullying practices," Xi said. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. The meeting focused on bolstering the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. In a post on X, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, "India-Russia| Bolstering the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM @narendramodi met President Mr. Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Both leaders discussed India-Russia bilateral ties, including in the economic, financial and energy sectors." Earlier, PM Modi had a telephone conversation on Saturday (local time) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the SCO summit, where they discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and expressed India's full support for efforts to restore peace and stability. "Thank you, President Zelenskyy, for your phone call today. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspects, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction," PM Modi wrote on X. Meanwhile, PM Modi and Putin also discussed economic, financial, and energy sector cooperation, aiming to strengthen bilateral trade, which reached a record high of $68.7 billion in FY 2024-25. They also touched on regional and global issues, including the Ukraine conflict, with PM Modi emphasising the need for a peaceful resolution. PM Modi reiterated India's support for recent initiatives aimed at addressing the conflict and stressed the importance of expediting a cessation of hostilities to achieve a durable peace settlement. "The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. PM reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict and find a durable peace settlement," added Jaiswal's post on X. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1962419513796043107 According to the MEA statement, the two leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The Prime Minister conveyed to President Putin that he was looking forward to receiving him in India for the 23rd Annual Summit later this year. The SCO Summit took place on August 31 and September 1 with several world leaders in attendance. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'excellent'. PM Modi during the meeting at the SCO sidelines said that they discussed ways to deepen relations across all bilateral sectors and the situation in Ukraine. In a post on X, he said, "Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962418638025310659 Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Putin bolstered the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The MEA said that the two leaders discussed bilateral ties including in the economic, financial and energy sectors and latest development on Ukraine. In a post on X, he said, "Bolstering the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM Narendra Modi met President Mr. Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Both leaders discussed India-Russia bilateral ties including in the economic, financial and energy sectors. The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. PM reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict and find a durable peace settlement." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1962419513796043107 The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said that both the leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial, and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas. The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. Prime Minister reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement. As per the statement, the two leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Prime Minister conveyed to President Putin that he was looking forward to receiving him in India for the 23rd Annual Summit later this year. The SCO Summit took place on August 31 and September 1 with several world leaders in attendance. (ANI)
Indonesian students and civil society groups cancelled planned demonstrations in Jakarta on Monday after authorities tightened security in the capital, following a week of violent protests sparked by lawmakers' pay, Al Jazeera reported. A student umbrella organisation said "impossible conditions" had led to the suspension of rallies, while the Alliance of Indonesian Women explained that the decision was aimed to avoid a crackdown by security forces. The protests began a week earlier and escalated after a police vehicle fatally struck a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night. According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, at least eight people have been killed since the unrest began, Al Jazeera reported. The growing turmoil forced President Prabowo Subianto to reverse course on the controversial measures. On Sunday, he announced that political parties had agreed to reduce lawmakers' benefits but also instructed the military and police to act firmly against rioters and looters, after state buildings and homes of party members were attacked and set on fire. On Monday, police established checkpoints across Jakarta and increased patrols, with a spokesman telling Kompas TV the aim was to "protect" citizens and maintain security. A convoy of armoured vehicles and motorbikes was also deployed to Parliament on Sunday night in a show of force. The Alliance of Indonesian Women confirmed through Instagram that its planned protest at Parliament had been delayed "to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities" and would remain suspended until conditions stabilised. Student groups echoed similar concerns, citing "very impossible conditions" for their withdrawal. Meanwhile, demonstrations were still being organised by students in Purwakarta, West Java, and Yogyakarta, though it was unclear if those rallies would proceed. The unrest also prompted Prabowo to cancel a scheduled trip to China for a World War II military parade. Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, a close ally, warned on Sunday that security forces would take "firm action" against rioters, citing the ransacking of the finance minister's residence, Al Jazeera reported. Casualties have been reported nationwide. Three people died in Makassar after a council building was set ablaze on Friday, while another man suspected of being an intelligence officer was killed by a mob, local disaster agency official Muhammad Fadli Tahar said. Amikom Yogyakarta University also confirmed the death of student Rheza Sendy Pratama during protests, though details remain unclear. In anticipation of further unrest, TikTok temporarily suspended its live-streaming feature in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users. (ANI)
The bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin was on full display at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. The two leaders shared warm moments, including a heartfelt hug and a ride together in Putin's official Aurus Senat limousine to their bilateral meeting. Russian President Vladimir Putin waited for about 10 minutes for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi so that he could join him in his car ride as per sources. As per sources, Putin desired to travel together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the SCO conference venue to the bilateral meeting hotel (situated at a distance from the SCO conference venue). Then both leaders travelled together in his car conversing on various issues. They reportedly spent another 45 minutes in the car even after reaching the bilateral meeting venue. In a post on X, PM Modi acknowledged his special interaction with the Russian President, "After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962386368337998092 After this, both leaders had a full bilateral meeting which went on for over an hour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'excellent'. PM Modi during the meeting at the SCO sidelines said that they discussed ways to deepen relations across all bilateral sectors and the situation in Ukraine. In a post on X, he said, "Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability." During the meeting, both leaders discussed bilateral ties including in the economic, financial and energy sectors. The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. PM Modi reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict and find a durable peace settlement. (ANI)
The US Embassy in India shared an optimistic post on Monday on the enduring friendship between Washington and New Delhi and called it a defining relationship of the 21st century. In a post on X, the embassy said, "The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights -- a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we're spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it's the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey. Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople." It shared a quote by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who called the friendship between the peoples of India and the US to be the bedrock of cooperation. "The enduring friendship between our two peoples is the bedrock of our cooperation and propels us forward as we realise the tremendous potential of our economic relationship" The remarks come amid the hiccups between India and the US on the issue of Trumpian tariffs. The 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods imposed by the Donald Trump administration came into force on August 27, following a notice by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). US President Trump, who has on several occasions described India as a "tariff king," and cited the trade deficit with India and New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil and military equipment as reasons for the move. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that his government would shield small entrepreneurs, farmers, and livestock rearers. During the recent Monsoon session of Parliament, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal made a statement in both Houses, affirming that the government is examining the impact of tariffs and will take all necessary steps to safeguard the national interest. Over the past few months, India and the US have been negotiating for an interim trade deal. Still, there are reservations from the Indian side on the US demand for opening up the agricultural and dairy sectors. Agriculture and dairy are critical for India as these two sectors provide livelihood opportunities to a large section of people. India and the US initiated talks for a just, balanced, and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in March this year, aiming to complete the first stage of the Agreement by October-November 2025. (ANI)
Lok Sabha MP Bhupender Yadav held talks with COP30 President Designate Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago on matters related to the upcoming COP30 Summit. Yadav informed Lago of the initiatives taken under Prime Minister Narendra Modi on combating climate change. In a post on X, he said, "Held an engaging discussion with COP30 President Designate Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago and his team in New Delhi today. We had extensive discussions on matters related to important agenda items of COP30 with particular focus on Global Goal on Adaptation, status of NDCs and the Presidency plans this year. Reiterated how India under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi ji through its whole-of-government approach has been combating the climate change crisis through its domestic and international climate action programmes." https://x.com/byadavbjp/status/1962439283371065792 The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, is to be held in Belem, Brazil, from November 10 to 21. Speaking about the upcominng summit, Andre Aranha Correa Do Lago, President of COP 30 said on Monday that multilateralism is extremely important for India and Brazil. Lago, while talking to ANI, said that for developing countries like India and Brazil, multilateralism is the answer. "I think that for most developing countries and even more for economies like Brazil and India, multilateralism is extremely important. So we need to make sure that COP 30 brings back this trust in multilateralism that we cannot believe that unilateral measures is the answer. We need to prepare the world with multilateral solutions and I think this is the very first thing we want to achieve," he said. Lago said that the world must start looking at itself from the point of view of countries like India and Brazil. "I think we had a very interesting sequence regarding G20, that Brazil followed India. And I think that the world has to start to look at itself from the point of view of countries like India and Brazil. And I think this is working very well, and we have to strengthen that. So it will be very good that India holds COP33," he said. (ANI)
Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong said on Monday that SCO summit had served to build consensus and chalk a blueprint for development. "President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcoming banquet for the international dignitaries attending SCO summit in China. President Xi Jinping stressed that the SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity. This Summit is tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development. It is believed that with the collective efforts of all parties, this Summit will be a complete success and the SCO will play an even greater role." https://x.com/China_Amb_India/status/1962401858607255581 India on Monday joined other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to deepen cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence, highlighting the strategic importance of the emerging technology in transforming societies and economies. The Tianjin Declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of States, which was signed and adopted at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit today, outlines commitments among member states on Artificial Intelligence, among other areas. The SCO grouping has 10 member states, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners. The Tianjin Declaration building on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Strengthening International Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building, emphasised that "all countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence."The SCO member countries, which includes India, expressed their readiness to work together to prevent risks in order to continuously improve the security, accountability, reliability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness of artificial intelligence technologies for the benefit of all humanity.In this regard, they advocated for the implementation of the Roadmap for the Implementation of the SCO Member States' Cooperation Programme on Artificial Intelligence Development (Chengdu, 12 June 2025). Chinese President Xi Jinping had also in his keynote speech at the Tianjing summit proposed that SCO member states boost cooperation in a wide range of areas including energy, infrastructure, digital economy, science and tech innovation and artificial intelligence. Notably, a humanoid AI robot, Xiao was deployed to assist media personnel and summit attendees with various tasks at the Tianjin Summit. Xiao's presence at the SCO Summit garnered significant attention, with the robot's humanoid design and advanced capabilities sparking interest and admiration. (ANI)
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has released a report emphasising the importance of enforcing Article 9A of the Constitution to ensure citizens have access to clean air, safe drinking water, waste management, disaster readiness, and environmental justice, according to a report by Dawn. Article 9A of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. However, this crucial right has largely been overlooked in public discussions, even as the nation faces an escalating climate and environmental crisis, as stated by the HRCP in a statement noted by Dawn. Pakistan continues to rank as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with disasters occurring more frequently: flash floods, droughts, glacial lake outbursts, and heatwaves are no longer uncommon. Major urban areas such as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Faisalabad are now among the highest polluted cities globally, while issues like deforestation and loss of biodiversity continue to deteriorate unnoticed. The report, titled 'The promise of Article 9A, bridging constitutional rights and environmental governance,' establishes a constitutional basis for advocating for clean air, safe drinking water, waste management, disaster preparedness, and access to environmental justice. It emphasized that this right compels the state not just to avoid harming the environment but also to actively protect and fulfil citizens' rights through robust policies, necessary infrastructure, and the application of environmental standards, as reported by Dawn. This involves creating transparent systems for monitoring and reporting air and water quality, enhancing judicial and policy frameworks to ensure that Article 9A is effectively implemented, recognising that climate justice must be linked to social and economic fairness, and fostering long-term resilience by integrating sustainable development with constitutional rights. The report asserts that acknowledging a fundamental right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a vital initial step in addressing Pakistan's climate vulnerabilities. In the short term, this would necessitate alterations in laws, policies, and judicial practices to safeguard this fundamental right, as highlighted by Dawn. The report offered recommendations it believes could facilitate the realisation of this constitutional right both in substance and intent. It suggests that current laws related to environmental protection, forestry, waterways, urban planning, waste management, wildlife, and fisheries need to be revised to align with Article 9A. Furthermore, it emphasised the urgent need for new legislation to tackle overlooked aspects of environmental and climate issues. At a policy level, sustainability should be the primary consideration for any government initiative or state action. Any new project, proposal, or initiative undertaken by government authorities must comply with the requirement of supporting a sustainable environment, ensuring that nothing within such endeavours violates the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment, Dawn reported. The existing Climate Change Council, formed under the Climate Change Act 2017, face potential constitutional challenges due to the omission of environmental and climate change issues from the federal legislative list. (ANI)
Former Indian diplomat KP Fabian on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on cross-border terrorism at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. Speaking with ANI, KP Fabian said, "PM Modi is right; it is good that he has repeated it." However, he added a note of caution, saying "when there is mention of cross-border terrorism in the final committee, we have to wait and see." During his address at SCO, PM Modi presented India's strong stance against terrorism, calling out "some countries" for their open support of terrorism and reaffirming that such "double standards" are not acceptable. PM Modi said that the Pahalgam terror attack was an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity, and urged SCO members to stand united in their fight against terror. "India has been bearing the brunt of terrorism for the last four decades. Recently, we saw the worst side of terrorism in Pahalgam. I express my gratitude to the friendly country that stood with us in this hour of grief," PM Modi said. "This attack was an open challenge for every person, every country that believes in humanity. At this time, it is natural to question whether the open support of terrorism by some countries is acceptable to us. We have to speak in a united voice that no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable. We have to unanimously oppose terrorism in every form and colour. This is our duty towards humanity," he added. PM Modi urged zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism and further redefined the grouping's focus, noting that its foundation rests on three key pillars -- security, connectivity, and opportunity. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was also present at the occasion as PM Modi delivered his remarks at the plenary session. In the joint declaration, SCO members also condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, which killed 26 people. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice. This is a major development for India after the Defence Minister refused to sign the declaration on June 26 at the Defence Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation because it did not mention the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. (ANI)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived at the Polish-Belarusian border on Sunday, where they discussed defence and security, among other issues, as per Euro News. The EC chief on Sunday assured Tusk and the Polish people of "Europe's full solidarity with Poland as a frontline state," and stressed the importance of putting continued pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator," the European Commission president said, adding that "he can only be kept in check through strong deterrence," as per EuroNews. Von der Leyen's trip to Poland comes as part of her four-day tour of European states bordering Russia or its ally Belarus, aimed at stressing solidarity with border states and supporting the development of Europe's defence industry. https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1962074375688970381 https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1962113358561218884 The meeting between Tusk and von der Leyen coincided with the 45th anniversary the August Agreements, a historical deal between the communist government and striking workers that paved the way for the creation of the Solidarity Trade Union, the first independent trade union in the Eastern bloc, which played a pivotal role in the collapse of communism in Europe, as per Euro News. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit said on Monday that the West's constant attempts to draw Kiev into NATO are one of the main causes of the Ukrainian conflict. He pointed out that the crisis arose largely because of the coup d'etat in Kiev in 2014, which was provoked by the West, as per Tass. "The second reason for the crisis is the West's constant attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO. As we have repeatedly emphasized, this poses a direct threat to Russia's security," Putin noted. According to the Russian president, as a result of the coup in 2014, "the political leadership of the country that did not support Ukraine's accession to NATO was removed," Tass reported. (ANI)
On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, observed annually since its official recognition by the United Nations in 2010, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has raised its voice against the continued plight of thousands of missing Pashtuns in Pakistan. According to a post shared by PTM Holland on X, countless individuals remain either forcibly disappeared or imprisoned without trial, subjected to torture and denial of justice. The PTM, which has consistently campaigned for the recovery of missing persons since its inception, reiterated that its central demand has always been for the state to disclose information about the disappeared and to ensure transparent investigations into their cases. As highlighted in the post shared by PTM Holland, this legitimate demand has repeatedly been ignored, with Pashtuns continuing to face extrajudicial killings, abductions, and fabricated criminal charges. Prominent leaders and activists remain in custody despite proven innocence in courts. Ali Wazir, a senior PTM figure, has been imprisoned for two years even though multiple judicial rulings have acquitted him. Similarly, Haji Abdul Samad, a respected elder of the Khyber Qaumi Jirga, and Bilal Orakzai, a key PTM activist, are languishing in jail under false allegations. The PTM further emphasised its opposition to military operations on Afghan soil that harm civilians, calling for their unconditional end. The movement urged the Pakistani state and army to reconsider their ongoing policies against Pashtuns, warning that such approaches only fuel greater resentment and resistance. In its statement, the PTM appealed to international human rights organisations to break their silence and stand firmly with Pashtuns in their quest for justice. As cited in the post shared by PTM Holland, PTM stated that the global community must hold Pakistan accountable for these violations and support the struggle of the people demanding dignity, rights, and authority over their land. PTM declared that it will continue its peaceful struggle until Pashtuns achieve full control and self-determination in their homeland. (ANI)
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Felicitations to @FM_Saidov, the Government and the people of Uzbekistan on their Independence Day. Our enduring ties continue to deepen and diversify."

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1962401070141038822

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the SCO summit reception, where he highlighted the "dynamic partnership" expanding across culture, economy, and people-to-people ties. The Prime Minister also posted a picture with Mirziyoyev, greeting and hugging him.

PM Modi wrote, "Met President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan. India and Uzbekistan are bound by a dynamic partnership that continues to expand across culture, economy and people-to-people ties."

Last month, both leaders also held a telephonic conversation during which they reviewed progress in several key areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade, connectivity, health and technology.

India and Uzbekistan share a history of relations that dates back to ancient times. India was one of the first countries to recognise the state sovereignty of Uzbekistan after its independence. The protocol establishing diplomatic relations between India and Uzbekistan was signed in Tashkent in March 1992.

India and Uzbekistan declared their Strategic Partnership in 2011. Several institutionalised dialogue mechanisms operate at both political and official levels under this partnership to ensure regular interaction and follow-up on cooperation activities. India and Uzbekistan cooperate closely at several multilateral platforms such as the UN, G20, BRICS & SCO.

Both sides also interact under the India-Central Asia framework at India-Central Asia Summit, India-Central Asia Dialogue at FM level, Joint Working Group on Afghanistan and Central Asia Business Council. (ANI)
Over 800 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 2,800 injured after a strong earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, The Washington Post reported, quoting Taliban-run authorities. The tremor hit Kunar province, a mountainous region bordering Pakistan, around midnight on Sunday, flattening multiple villages, according to officials. In the wake of the devastation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of lives in Afghanistan, where hundreds of people were killed and injured. He affirmed that India stands ready to provide all possible aid and relief to the affected people. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1962435812588757337 Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar expressed condolences on the deadly earthquake which struck Afghanistan, killing and injuring hundreds of people. He assured Indian assistance to Afghanistan in this dark hour. In a post on X, EAM said, "The devastating earthquake in Kunar Province of Afghanistan is a matter of deep concern. Express our support and solidarity to the Afghan people as they respond to it. India will extend assistance in this hour of need. Our condolences to the families of the victims. And our prayers for early recovery of the injured." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1962409519335821610 Khaama Press, citing Taliban-run authorities, reported that the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapa Dara of Kunar province were the worst hit areas. In Nangarhar province, at least nine people were killed and several others were injured. Entire villages made of fragile mud and stone collapsed, while landslides cut off vital routes, and communication breakdowns further hampered rescue and relief efforts. Officials confirmed the scale of casualties and called for urgent international aid. Rescue workers and helicopters were dispatched, but operations have been hindered by rough terrain and widespread infrastructure damage, Khaama Press reported. The disaster underscores Afghanistan's persistent vulnerability to earthquakes, particularly in mountainous and remote areas. It comes less than two years after another deadly quake, highlighting the recurring threat. Tremors were felt across several parts of Pakistan after the strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck Afghanistan. (ANI)
An Indian Army contingent has departed for Fort Wainwright, Alaska, USA, to participate in the 21st edition of the India-USA Joint Military Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025, scheduled from 1st to 14th September 2025, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday. The Indian contingent, comprising personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment, will train alongside soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment "Bobcats" of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division of the USA. According to the Ministry of Defence, over two weeks, troops will rehearse a spectrum of tactical drills including heliborne operations, employment of surveillance resources and unmanned aerial systems, rock craft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, combat medical aid and the integrated use of Artillery, Aviation and Electronic Warfare systems. In addition, subject-matter experts from both armies will conduct working groups on critical domains such as UAS and Counter-UAS operations, information warfare, communications and logistics. The Ministry of Defence said the exercise will culminate in jointly planned and executed tactical manoeuvres, ranging from live-fire exercises to high-altitude warfare scenarios, with a focus on improving capabilities for United Nations peacekeeping operations and strengthening preparedness for multi-domain challenges. This came months after troops from both nations conducted an intensive joint training phase at the Duvvada Firing Range from April 2 to April 4 as part of Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025, in a significant demonstration of India-US military cooperation. According to a release, the exercise reaffirmed the growing synergy between the two militaries, enhancing interoperability, tactical coordination and operational preparedness in combat and humanitarian assistance scenarios. The release noted that the training began with a joint opening address by the commanding officers of both contingents, which set the tone for a collaborative and high-impact engagement. This was followed by an introduction from the Commanding Officer of the 8 Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion Group, which represented the Amphibious Brigade of the Bison Division under the Sudarshan Chakra Corps. The US Army contingent, comprising personnel from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment ("Bobcats") and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 11th Infantry Division ("Arctic Wolves"), received insights into Indian Army training methodologies and the objectives of this joint exercise. As per the release, "A key highlight of the training was the participation of Rear Admiral Greg Newkirk, USN, who, along with the Commanding Officer of the 8 Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion Group, took part in live-firing drills and Jungle Lane Shooting exercises. Their direct involvement underscored the emphasis on hands-on leadership and practical engagement in operational training. The event also saw participation from senior officers from HQ Eastern Naval Command and HQ Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), further strengthening the high-level commitment to bilateral defence cooperation." The release said, "The training phase covered small arms marksmanship and jungle warfare tactics, with Indian and US soldiers paired as buddy teams for live-firing drills from 100 meters, close-quarters combat shooting at 50 meters and Jungle Lane Shooting exercises designed to simulate engagements in dense terrain. Additionally, troops underwent Integrated Field Craft (IFC) training, focusing on obstacle navigation, tactical movement and terrain-based combat techniques--essential skills for real-world operations. The Combat Medical Aid module provided crucial training in battlefield first aid and casualty evacuation procedures, ensuring rapid and efficient medical response in crisis situations." According to the release, the joint training at Duvvada Firing Range further solidified India-US military ties, fostering mutual respect, trust and camaraderie between troops. Tiger Triumph 2025 reinforced the India-US strategic partnership, enhancing their combined ability to respond to regional security challenges and humanitarian crises in the Indian Ocean Region. (ANI)
Beijing [China] September 1 (ANI) Beijing has significantly ramped up its campaign of transnational repression, extending its decades-long persecution of Falun Gong beyond China's borders and into the United States, under the leadership of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chief Xi Jinping, according to the report by The Epoch Times. Reports indicate that since spring 2024, China has resorted to extreme methods such as bomb threats, arson threats, disinformation drives, legal harassment, and orchestrated media smears to intimidate and silence dissidents overseas. According to The Epoch Times, the CCP is operating with a level of aggression that highlights its growing reach and determination to suppress voices of dissent even in democratic societies. Feng Chongyi, an associate professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney, explained that the CCP's campaign against Falun Gong, which began in 1999, remains at the core of its repression efforts, as per The Epoch Times. He noted that Falun Gong is viewed by Beijing not merely as a spiritual practice but as a rival worldview that undermines the Party's ideological monopoly. "Its essence is control," Feng said, pointing out that the CCP regards any group capable of mobilising people, whether political, material, or spiritual, as a direct threat to its authority. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditative discipline inspired by Buddhist and Taoist traditions and guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Its rapid rise in popularity during the 1990s, with estimates of 70 million to 100 million adherents in China, alarmed the regime, which outlawed the practice in 1999. Since then, countless practitioners have endured arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, and accusations of forced organ harvesting. Feng stated that this campaign represents one of the most far-reaching and brutal repressions of a faith group in modern history. According to Feng, the CCP's strategies now extend into foreign democracies, where the Party manipulates freedoms of speech and press to erode the very values they are meant to protect. He cited recent negative portrayals of Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts, a renowned New York-based company founded by practitioners, as examples of CCP-inspired narratives. "These articles carry the clear fingerprints of CCP propaganda," Feng observed, adding that coordinated lawsuits against Shen Yun and affiliated individuals also threaten freedom of belief and expression outside China. International concern about Beijing's global repression has grown steadily. On June 17, leaders of the G7 issued a joint statement condemning the practice of transnational repression, with particular alarm over the CCP's overseas influence tactics. A month later, bipartisan U.S. lawmakers introduced the Transnational Repression Policy Act, a bill designed to strengthen legal tools to counter such operations. Analysts cited by The Epoch Times argue that the legislation represents a crucial step in safeguarding democratic institutions from Beijing's encroachment. Feng concluded that Falun Gong embodies a return to moral clarity, conscience, and integrity after decades of CCP indoctrination that eroded the values of Chinese society, as cited by The Epoch Times. (ANI)
German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann David Wadephul will pay an official visit to India from September 2-3, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He will arrive in Bengaluru on September 2 and visit the Indian Space Research Organisation before leaving for Delhi later in the day. On September 3, Wadephul will meet Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, followed by a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi. He will depart the same day. The visit follows Jaishankar's meeting with German Member of Parliament Jurgen Hardt in New Delhi last month, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and global developments. In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "Always nice to catch up with German MP @juergenhardt. Discussed our bilateral cooperation and global developments." According to MEA, Germany is one of India's most valued partners in Europe. The two countries share a strong strategic partnership, which has grown steadily over the decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951. In March 2021, both sides marked 70 years of diplomatic ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have held regular meetings, both bilaterally and on the sidelines of key global summits. In fact, they have met six times in the last two years. Their latest meeting took place during the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy in June 2024, where they reviewed ongoing cooperation. Prior to that, the two leaders met at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023 and also during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May 2023. Chancellor Scholz had also paid a standalone State visit to India in February 2023, a first by a German Chancellor since the launch of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) format. India and Germany held their 6th IGC in Berlin in May 2022, co-chaired by PM Modi and Chancellor Scholz. Several agreements were signed in the fields of clean energy, health, agroecology, skill development, mobility, and more. A major outcome was the Joint Declaration of Intent on the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP), as per MEA. (ANI)
According to a release, the Centre will provide students with training in the Mandarin language, along with student and faculty exchange programmes, new research initiatives, and opportunities for higher education for Indian students in Taiwan.

The event was organised jointly by National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in Chennai, and Taiwan's Ministry of Education. Representatives from these institutions participated and spoke about the historical ties between India and Taiwan, stressing the importance of strengthening educational partnerships.

Chairman of Chennai Institute of Technology, P. Sriram, presided over the event and highlighted the various initiatives at the institution, reaffirming the commitment to global success and excellence. The Director General of TECC, Stephen S. C. Hsu, Director of Education at TECC Chennai, Jill Lai, and Professor Wei-Sung Wang, Director of the Taiwan National Tsing Hua University India Research Center, delivered special addresses on the significance of collaboration in education and research between Taiwan and India.

As part of its training initiatives, 64 students at Chennai Institute of Technology are currently receiving Mandarin lessons, enabling them to pursue global job opportunities and higher education.

The press note added that Taiwan's Ministry of Education has been encouraging institutions worldwide to promote the learning of Mandarin, which will help Indian students proficient in the language to pursue higher studies while also strengthening India-Taiwan ties. (ANI)
Kenneth Felix Haczynski Da Nobrega, Ambassador of Brazil to India, on Monday said that Brazil and India share a strong responsibility in addressing global challenges such as climate change. "I think that Brazil and India have a lot to offer to the world in terms of solutions and paths to solve the climate crisis. We're really counting on Indian support to ensure that we have a very successful COP30..." he said. Speaking on the issue of US tariffs, the Brazilian envoy noted India's approach in the evolving geopolitical scenario. "India is trying to see what opportunities are arising within this new geopolitical context. We are exploring ways to collaborate on various initiatives. We are focused on developing our people. Climate change is a phenomenon that will persist for years to come. So we are also focusing on the longer term, on the importance of ensuring that climate change will not affect our societies..." he said. On the transition of the G20 presidency from India to Brazil, Da Nobrega highlighted the constructive nature of the process. "I think there has been a very smooth and constructive transition from your (India) presidency of G20 to our presidency of G20. I think we are going to replicate the success story of two brotherly countries handing over to one another presidencies of important multilateral, plurilateral groups," he added. Carrying forward the spirit of cooperation into global climate discussions, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, is scheduled to be held in Belem, Brazil, from November 10 to 21. Speaking about the upcoming summit, Andre Aranha Correa Do Lago, President of COP30, said on Monday that multilateralism is extremely important for India and Brazil. Lago, while talking to ANI, underlined the significance of multilateral approaches for developing nations. "I think that for most developing countries and even more for economies like Brazil and India, multilateralism is extremely important. So we need to make sure that COP30 brings back this trust in multilateralism that we cannot believe that unilateral measures is the answer. We need to prepare the world with multilateral solutions and I think this is the very first thing we want to achieve," he said. Lago further stressed that the world must begin to view itself through the lens of countries such as India and Brazil. "I think we had a very interesting sequence regarding G20, that Brazil followed India. And I think that the world has to start to look at itself from the point of view of countries like India and Brazil. And I think this is working very well, and we have to strengthen that. So it will be very good that India holds COP33," he said. Highlighting the similarities between the two nations, he said they share common goals despite different circumstances. "We have very similar objectives, although we have different circumstances. Brazil has a very large territory with a population that is much smaller than India. We are only 220 million. But there are many things that we are developing together. So biofuels, for instance, is something that we can work, and we are working together, and we are leaders technologically and also commercially because India and Brazil are the two largest producers of sugar and we can do biofuels from many other origins," he said. He also drew attention to renewable energy cooperation, particularly solar energy. "But there is also solar that India took the lead very clearly and Brazil also is following very strongly. We already have almost 15% of our electricity now comes from solar. But Brazil and India have many other technologies that we are developing together and so I believe that this agenda is a positive agenda if we use it to change together and not wait for the consequences of climate change to start moving. We have to move early," he said. Commenting on the role of the United States in climate negotiations, Lago acknowledged challenges but also pointed to opportunities. "It's more challenging for everybody that the government of the US has this reluctance to participate in the negotiation. But we have to remember that the US is not only the government. It's the companies, it's the different states. So if you just take the governors that want to continue to follow the Paris Accord independently of the central government, you have more than 60% of the American GDP that is following it. So I think that we have to put it in relative terms, but we definitely have to work all together," he said. He added that this is precisely why Brazil and India firmly believe in multilateralism. "That's why we believe in multilateralism and we would obviously prefer that the US would be in this effort as a central government. So we will work with the US business, governments, etc. that want to follow this agenda," he said. (ANI)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed his deepest condolences and pledged that the UN "will spare no effort" to assist Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake struck the country, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured. "I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today," Guterres said, as per UN news. "I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. The UN team in Afghanistan is mobilised and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas, Guterres further said. According to the UN news, the tremor, which struck around midnight local time in the eastern province of Kunar, flattened multiple villages and caused buildings to shake as far as Kabul and Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The epicentre was reported to be just eight kilometres underground, intensifying the impact. More than 800 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 2,800 injured so far, The Washington Post reported. Witnesses fear many remain trapped under the rubble, as per Taliban-run authorities. The UN health agency, WHO Afghanistan, said its teams were already deployed. "We are on the ground in hospitals and health facilities, supporting the treatment of the wounded and assessing urgent health needs. We are actively delivering essential medicines and supplies and deploying health teams to affected areas to help save lives," the agency posted on X. https://x.com/WHOAfghanistan/status/1962403424571433384 The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that the scale of the disaster could be catastrophic. "More than 2,000 people may have been injured in Kunar alone," spokesperson Babar Baloch told UN News, adding that the trading city of Jalalabad may have suffered a "very high death toll." He further added, "This disaster far exceeds the current capacity of local authorities and communities. Afghans need our support and assistance now, before it's too late for many others," as per UN news. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief and offered India's support. "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected," PM Modi said in a post on X. The quake is among the worst to hit Afghanistan in recent years, coming less than two years after a deadly 6.3-magnitude tremor devastated Herat in the west of the country, affecting tens of thousands of people, UN News reported. (ANI)
With the Indian goods facing a steep 50 per cent tariffs in US imposed by his administration, President Donald Trump has claimed that business relationship between the two countries for many decades has been "totally one sided", "one-sided disaster" and also that "they have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late". In a post on Monday on his social media handle Truth Social, Trump said India has charged US "such high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India". "What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest "client," but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India," he said. "It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!" he added. Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on India in July amid negotiations for a BTA between the two countries. He later announced 25 per cent secondary tariffs for India's import of Russian oil with 50 per cent tariffs coming into effect from August 27. Meanwhile, US Embassy in India on Monday has emphasised the enduring bond between Washington and New Delhi, describing it as a defining relationship of the 21st century, reflecting the broader framework of cooperation beyond economic ties. "The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights -- a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we're spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it's the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey. Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople," US Embassy said in a post on X. It shared a quote by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who called the friendship between the peoples of India and the US to be the bedrock of cooperation. "The enduring friendship between our two peoples is the bedrock of our cooperation and propels us forward as we realise the tremendous potential of our economic relationship" The remarks came amid the hiccups between India and the US on the issue of Trumpian tariffs. The 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods imposed by the Donald Trump administration came into force on August 27, following a notice by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). India had described the additional tariffs imposed by the United States as unfortunate. "The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said in a statement last month. "It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," the statement added. It stated that India will take all necessary actions to protect its national interests. The US is apparently keen on India granting more access to its sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors, which employ a large number of people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that his government will protect small entrepreneurs, farmers, and livestock rearers, regardless of any pressure. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told Parliament last month that the government is examining the impact of US tariffs and will take all necessary steps to safeguard the national interest. India and the US initiated talks for a just, balanced, and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in March this year, aiming to complete the first stage of the Agreement by October-November 2025. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Monday evening, concluding his four-day visit to Japan and China, which spanned from August 29 to September 1. In China, PM Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 to September 1 and held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Describing the visit as "productive" in a post on X, PM Modi said he emphasised India's position on key global issues during his engagements. "Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India's stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit," he wrote. At his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. At the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, which he participated in on Monday, the Prime Minister called for greater action against terror financing and radicalisation. He highlighted the Pahalgam terror attack and urged the SCO to hold countries that perpetrate or support cross-border terrorism accountable, while also congratulating Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency. The Summit saw productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi outlined India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework, emphasising greater action across three pillars - Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity. Earlier on Sunday, he held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, where both leaders welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan during the BRICS Summit in October 2024. They reaffirmed that India and China are development partners, not rivals, and agreed that differences should not escalate into disputes. Both leaders called for a stable relationship based on mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity, vital for the growth of their nations and for a multipolar world and Asia in the 21st century. PM Modi also engaged in a series of meetings with world leaders at the SCO Summit reception in Tianjin on Sunday, interacting with leaders from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Eurasia. He highlighted India's commitment to expanding cooperation across various sectors, with leaders from the Maldives, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Armenia, and Turkmenistan in attendance. Before arriving in China, PM Modi visited Japan from August 29 to 30 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo. He lauded the outcomes of the Tokyo visit and expressed hope that India-Japan ties continue to reach newer heights in the future. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stated that the aspirations of the Global South cannot be confined to outdated frameworks, emphasising that the world must move towards a more inclusive and modern approach. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, PM Modi used the analogy of a "black-and-white screen" to explain that the dreams of the new generation cannot be displayed on old systems. "To confine the aspirations of the Global South to outdated frameworks is to deny justice to future generations. The colourful dreams of the new generation cannot be displayed on a black-and-white screen. It is time to change the screen," PM Modi said as per a press statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). PM Modi further added that the SCO can play an important role in guiding multilateralism and building an inclusive world order. "SCO can become a guide to multilateralism and an inclusive world order. I am glad that a statement is being issued today on this important subject." "It is a matter of great satisfaction that the SCO is evolving with time. Four new centres are being established to address contemporary challenges such as organised crime, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity. We welcome this reform-oriented approach," he noted. The Prime Minister also mentioned the need for reforms in global institutions. Referring to the upcoming 80th anniversary of the United Nations, he urged the SCO members to work together to unanimously call for reform of the UN. He added, "SCO members can increase mutual cooperation for reforms in global institutions. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, we can unanimously call for UN reform." Further addressing the Summit, PM Modi highlighted India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework. In this regard, he noted that India seeks greater action under three pillars - Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. Emphasising that peace, security, and stability remain key to progress and prosperity, he called upon member countries to take firm and decisive action to fight terrorism in all its manifestations. "We must state it clearly and in one voice: double standards on terrorism are unacceptable. Together, we must oppose terrorism in every form and manifestation. This is our responsibility towards humanity, " PM said as per MEA's official statement. It is worth noting that at the SCO Summit, the member states in the joint declaration adopted a strong stance against terrorism in their statement. The member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, which killed 26 people. According to an official statement by the MEA, the Summit witnessed productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development. The MEA's statement further highlighted that PM Modi underscored the role of "connectivity" in fostering development and building trust. The Prime Minister stated that India strongly supported projects such as Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. He said, "India has always believed that strong connectivity does not merely facilitate trade but also opens the doors to trust and development. It is with this vision that we are working on initiatives such as the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. Through these, we can enhance our linkages with Afghanistan and Central Asia." He also spoke about opportunities in the fields of start-ups, innovation, youth empowerment and shared heritage, which must be pursued under the SCO umbrella.In a significant announcement, PM Modi proposed commencing a Civilizational Dialogue Forum within the group to foster greater people-to-people ties and cultural understanding. PM Modi concluded his address by congratulating Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov as the next Chairman of the SCO and reaffirmed India's commitment to cooperation with all partners. PM Modi also thanked the Chinese President for his warm hospitality and congratulated him on the successful organisation of the Summit. He also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on taking over the next Presidency of SCO. MEA highlighted in the statement that at the conclusion of the Summit, the SCO Member countries adopted the Tianjin Declaration. PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The meeting focused on bolstering the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel] September 1 (ANI/TPS): Four men from Israel's Arab community were killed in separate attacks over less than 24 hours, pushing the community's homicide toll this year to 167. The deaths occurred in Taibeh, Acre, Jaffa, and the Galilee village of Nahf, and most were linked to criminal disputes and family feuds. The most recent killing took place overnight into Monday in Nahf, where 32-year-old nurse Yazan Mohammed Qadri was shot at the entrance to his home. A new father, Qadri was pronounced dead at the scene. Police launched a search for suspects, citing criminal motives. Sunday evening in Jaffa, a 41-year-old man was shot dead, and a 25-year-old man was lightly injured. Authorities said the attack appeared to stem from a dispute among criminals. Sunday afternoon in Acre, a 30-year-old man was shot near the city's market. Emergency medics treated him at the scene, but he was pronounced dead. Early Sunday morning in Taibeh, northeast of Tel Aviv, 40-year-old Muatasem Nuseirat was ambushed by masked assailants outside his home. He was rushed to Meir Medical Centre in Kfar Sava in critical condition and later died. Police arrested two local men in their thirties with no prior criminal records in connection with the killing and planned to request an extension of their detention. The weekend also saw additional deadly incidents. On Saturday in Umm al-Fahm, 70-year-old Fursan Mahajneh was fatally shot while running errands. Relatives said his killing was linked to an ongoing family feud. He was taken to Haemek Hospital in Afula, where he succumbed to his injuries. On the same day in Jaffa, a car explosion wounded five people. A 24-year-old man suffered severe injuries, two other men were moderately hurt, and two women sustained lighter wounds. All were taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, and a man in his thirties was arrested. According to the Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit organisation that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, the murder was the 167th violent death in the Arab community this year. The spike continues a pattern of violence in the Arab sector, which saw 230 murders in 2024. In 2023, a record number of 244 Israeli-Arabs were murdered, more than double the 120 homicides in 2022. The surge in violence is attributed to organised crime groups fighting turf battles and attempting to eliminate rivals. Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs, and women. Critics argue the crime wave has worsened since Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, became National Security Minister in 2022. (ANI/TPS)
Gaza City (Palestine), September 1 (ANI/WAM): A delegation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has visited the UAE field hospital in the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation in supporting the health sector amid the humanitarian challenges facing the enclave. During the visit, the delegation praised the significant role played by the UAE through the field hospital, describing it as an effective model for emergency humanitarian response in crisis areas. As part of its ongoing support, the UAE, in cooperation with the WHO, delivered a new convoy of medicines and a variety of medical supplies to hospitals in Gaza, aimed at enhancing the capacity of the health system and meeting urgent needs. Approximately three weeks ago, under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the UAE, in coordination with WHO, had sent two medical convoys dedicated to supporting hospitals in the Strip, in addition to another convoy delivered directly to Gaza hospitals. This reflects the UAE's unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian health sector. The Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 underscores that strengthening the health sector in Gaza remains a top priority within the UAE's humanitarian efforts, in line with its steadfast approach to supporting the Palestinian people and providing medical assistance to patients in the Strip. (ANI/WAM)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to China, calling it a testament to his diplomatic acumen and India's growing influence in global affairs. In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said, "Prime Minister @narendramodi's successful visit to China is a testimony to his diplomatic skills and India's ability to reshape and rebalance geopolitical ground realties. His visit has strengthened India's connect with the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). This visit will further firm up India's position among the comity of nations. I congratulate PM Modi on his extremely fruitful visit to China." https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/1962552598944415974 Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Monday evening, concluding his four-day visit to Japan and China, which took place from August 29 to September 1. In China, PM Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit from August 31 to September 1 and held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Describing the visit as "productive" in a post on X, PM Modi said he emphasised India's position on key global issues during his engagements. "Concluding a productive visit to China, where I attended the SCO Summit and interacted with various world leaders. Also emphasised India's stand on key global issues. Thankful to President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and people for the successful organisation of this Summit," he wrote. At his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. At the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, which he participated in on Monday, the Prime Minister called for greater action against terror financing and radicalisation. He highlighted the Pahalgam terror attack and urged the SCO to hold countries that perpetrate or support cross-border terrorism accountable, while also congratulating Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency. The Summit saw productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, Reform of Global Governance, Counter-Terrorism, Peace and Security, Economic and Financial Cooperation, and Sustainable Development. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi outlined India's approach to strengthening cooperation under the SCO framework, emphasising greater action across three pillars - Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity. Earlier on Sunday, he held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, where both leaders welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan during the BRICS Summit in October 2024. They reaffirmed that India and China are development partners, not rivals, and agreed that differences should not escalate into disputes. Both leaders called for a stable relationship based on mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity, vital for the growth of their nations and for a multipolar world and Asia in the 21st century. PM Modi also engaged in a series of meetings with world leaders at the SCO Summit reception in Tianjin on Sunday, interacting with leaders from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Eurasia. He highlighted India's commitment to expanding cooperation across various sectors, with leaders from the Maldives, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Armenia, and Turkmenistan in attendance. Before arriving in China, PM Modi visited Japan from August 29 to 30 for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo. He lauded the outcomes of the Tokyo visit and expressed hope that India-Japan ties continue to reach newer heights in the future. (ANI)
Following a series of earthquakes that struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 800 people and injuring over 2800, India has extended urgent humanitarian assistance to support relief efforts in the region. In a post on X on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, "India extends humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the wake of the earthquake." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1962574709473898809 The aid, highlighted in a post, includes images of trucks loaded with sacks of rice and other food items, symbolising India's commitment to stand by Afghanistan during this challenging time. On Monday morning, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan, with tremors felt across the region, including parts of Pakistan, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). This was followed by a series of aftershocks with magnitudes ranging between 4 and 5. According to a report issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the earthquake occurred in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, near the Pakistan border, with the epicentre in the Kama district of the region. The UNOCHA noted that at least 800 people have been killed across four provinces of Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar and Nuristan, with 12,000 people directly affected as per preliminary reports. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that he had spoken with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and conveyed condolences over the loss of lives in the earthquake that struck Afghanistan. He further noted that India has already dispatched relief material to Afghanistan, with 1000 family tents sent to Kabul and 15 tonnes of food materials moved to Kunar from Kabul by the Indian Mission there. "Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Expressed our condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake. Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission from Kabul to Kunar. Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow. Wish early recovery of those injured. India stands by Afghanistan at this difficult time," Jaishankar stated in a post on X. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1962477573671399577 As per Al Jazeera, citing Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, at least 812 people have lost their lives and 2,817 have been injured in the tremors. (ANI)
In a post on X, CM Stalin shared his reflections after touring the iconic automobile museum and showroom, which houses an extraordinary collection of vintage cars, classic motorcycles, and rare automotive artefacts.

He emphasised the emotional resonance of witnessing engineering marvels from different eras and hailed the space as a living tribute to human creativity and innovation.

"Walking through #ClassicRemise #Dusseldorf was a journey back in time!" Stalin wrote in the post.

"Traveling from Chennai, India's Detroit, to Germany with its legendary legacy of automobile innovation, I had the rare joy of seeing the world's first car and a fabled race car up close. Amid timeless vintage treasures, I felt history come alive-an eternal dialogue between past genius and future imagination," he added.

https://x.com/mkstalin/status/1962545457852485696

His visit comes as part of an ongoing official trip to Europe aimed at boosting industrial investments in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government signed "key MoUs" with German firms during Stalin's visit to the country, which entailed fresh investments worth over Rs 3,200 crore and had the potential to create nearly 6,000 new jobs in the state.

A state government release said that Munich-headquartered Knorr-Bremse, a world leader in braking systems, has announced a Rs 2,000 crore investment to establish a state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu.

The plant will focus on railway doors and braking systems - marking the company's first significant manufacturing investment in the state. The project is expected to generate 3,500 jobs and strengthen Tamil Nadu's growing ecosystem in railway components and advanced engineering.

The release stated that the Germany-based Nordex Group will expand its operations in Tamil Nadu with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore and create 2,500 new jobs. The company is one of the world's top wind turbine manufacturers.

Stalin, who arrived in Europe on Saturday, is on an eight-day visit to Germany and the United Kingdom to secure industrial investment for the state. (ANI)
SAITAMA, Sep 01 (News On Japan) - A glider crashed on land near the Menuma Glider Airfield along the Tone River in Kumagaya, Saitama, at about 11:55 a.m. on August 31, and the pilot, a woman believed to be in her 20s, was confirmed dead.

According to the Kumagaya Police Station, the aircraft came down on land near the Menuma Glider Airfield along the Tone River riverbank, and the death of the pilot, a woman believed to be in her 20s, was confirmed.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has classified the case as an aviation accident. The Japan Transport Safety Board on the same day assigned two investigators to look into the cause.

Source: Kyodo
OSAKA, Sep 01 (News On Japan) - The Osaka District Court on September 1st sentenced Kenshi Nishimura, a 29-year-old karateka who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman who was unable to resist due to intoxication.

Nishimura, a former member of Japans national karate team, was charged over a 2022 incident in which he assaulted a female acquaintance who was severely intoxicated and unable to defend herself. Prosecutors also accused him of causing her injury. Nishimura denied the charges, claiming the woman was not in a state where she could not resist.

However, the court ruled that the victim "was so affected by alcohol that she could not even sit up, and was in no condition to resist." The judge added, "The act ignored the victims dignity and was solely to satisfy sexual desire. The severity of the illegality and responsibility cannot be underestimated."

Nishimuras legal team plans to appeal the ruling.

He had competed in the karate kumite category at the Tokyo Olympics and finished in the top rankings.

Source: YOMIURI
Moroccos trade deficit deepened significantly in the first seven months of 2025, reaching 194.9 billion dirhams, up 15.9% from 168.2 billion dirhams recorded during the same period in 2024.

This came on the back of a sharp increase in imports, which rose by 8.8% to 469.7 billion dirhams, while exports grew more modestly by 4.2%, totaling 274.8 billion dirhams. As a result, the coverage rate fell to 58.5%, down from 61.1% a year earlier

The surge in imports was led by Finished equipment goods (+14.5%), including aircraft and aerospace vehicles (+2.7 billion DH), aircraft parts (+2.3 billion DH), and various machinery (+1.1 billion DH).

Other finished products imports rose 13.7%, notably passenger cars (+39.9%), pharmaceuticals (+17.6%), and furniture and lighting articles (+23.2%), while Semi-finished goods increased 6.8%, with notable increases in chemicals, plastics, and copper products

Export growth was uneven across sectors. Finished equipment goods rose by 20.9%, driven by strong sales of fertilizers (+6.5 billion DH), phosphates (+2 billion DH), and phosphoric acid (+980 million DH).

Agriculture and agri-food exports increased by 3.4%, thanks to higher agricultural and forestry product sales, though food industry exports declined.

Aerospace exports climbed 8.9%, supported by gains in assembly and EWIS segments.

Electronics fell by 6.5%, due to a drop in electronic components, partially offset by cable exports.

Textiles and leather declined by 3.3%, with lower sales of garments and hosiery.

Automotive exports dipped 1.8%, as a sharp drop in vehicle construction (-5.1 billion DH) was only partly offset by growth in wiring exports (+1.6 billion DH).
Nobody knows so far whether Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune is dead, ill or sequestered. But one thing is certain: he disappeared from public view for several weeks, while French daily Le Monde deploys a diversionary tactic to draw away the attention from what is taking place in Algeria.

Since August 4, 2025, the 80-year old President has given no sign of life. No speeches, no public appearances, not even an arranged official photo session. In any other country, such unexplained absence would have triggered a huge media frenzy. But in Algeria, there is a troubling total radio silence. A few controlled leaks suggest a medical vacation, but nothing credible. Others say he ran away or is under house arrest by the military regime.

Algeria Times went even further in citing a nightmare scenario for Algerians who fear the return of the bloody Black Decade. According to sources cited by the Algerian media platform, Tebboune cannot show up because he has been seriously injured following an assassination attempt. He was flown to a private hospital in Mainz, Germany, where he is still receiving intensive medical care. His condition is believed to be unstable after losing too much blood.

According to Algeria Times, the shooters blame Tebboune and Army chief Said Chengriha for the deteriorating socioeconomic situation in the country and for offering Washington important rare mineral deals without obtaining any concession in return but only a promise not to designate Polisario terrorist organization and some arms sales that do not affect the military balance in North Africa, while Morocco receives huge American rewards and strategic advantages.

In addition, Algeria has lost its traditional allies, such as Russia, France, and the Sahel countries, leaving the country without international support. Tebboune detractors say he is the worst President in Algerias history, leading the country into bankruptcy and chaos.

The Head of state has a reputation for not having a good grasp of the economy or statistics, embarrassing himself and his country. His far-fetched statements on his countrys superpowers are evidence that he is delusional.

Rumors about his mysterious absence are running rife. Some are convinced he is dead, others say he is ill or prisoner of his own Generals. In the end, it doesnt really matter, because politically he no longer exists because the real ruler is General Chengriha and military loyalists.

To prepare his ascension to the top of the State, Gen. Chengriha had forced Tebboune in December 2024 to promote him to Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defense, a post assumed by the Head of State.

According to some analysts, Chengrihas promotion to Delegate Defense Minister, while retaining his position of Army Chief of Staff is seen as a reward for backing Tebbounes re-election and ensuring his easy victory.

By combing a top military post and a key political portfolio, Chengriha becomes Algerias strongman leader. He tightens control over the military establishment and the governments decision-making in matters that have little or no direct connection with the army.

Afterwards, under the pressure of the Algerian junta, a mobilization law was introduced by government and passed by the Parliament. The bill gives the army total control over civilians, the economy, and institutions in case of major national crisis. It seems that Chengriha is preparing clearly his putsch, while Le Monde is zooming on Moroccos Monarchy and King Mohammed VI state of health.

Instead of putting spotlight on Algeria where the President has vanished, offering an opportunity for his army Chief to fill power vacuum, the French daily focuses on Rabat rather than on deteriorating living conditions in Algeria, its deepening political and economic crises.

The Algerian paradox is shocking and disgraceful. Algeria has Africas second largest gas reserve, but suffers from shortages of milk, petrol, drinking water, basic food, vehicle spare parts Billions of petrodollars have been spent on Polisario and on a lost cause for five-decades, while the countrys rusty buses crash in toxic rivers due to poor infrastructures, its decaying hospitals lack vital equipment, and its oppressed youth are muzzled.

Algeria is run by a hologram President who has never been a strong man. He was imposed by former army Chief Gaed Salah. He followed Bouteflikas lead, in assuming the role of a civilian facade in a military-controlled country. But now this civilian facade (showcase store) is empty.

However, Le Monde chooses to turn a blind eye to Tebbounes disappearance and his fate. It prefers to continue its paid libel campaign against Moroccos sacred institutions. It is clearly a diversion operation to distract the Algerian and international public opinion from asking the question: Where is Tebboune? The President disappears but Morocco is targeted. This is not journalism. It is a cover-up operation. It is simply a feint!
In a landmark meeting at the Elysee Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched a renewed phase in Franco-Senegalese relations, signaling a shift from military presence to partnership grounded in respect, transparency, and shared development goals.

The summit followed Frances withdrawal from its last military bases in Senegal, which was, according to SeneWeb, a highly symbolic gesture, hailed by a large segment of public opinion as an affirmation of sovereignty  in other words, a move signifying the closing of a chapter in post-colonial dynamics. Yet, the gesture was not a break, but a pivot  both leaders emphasized continued cooperation in security, trade, and regional stability. Central to the dialogue was Senegals demand for historical accountability, particularly regarding the 1944 Thiaroye massacre. Faye reiterated calls for access to French archives and formal recognition of the atrocity, framing historical justice as a prerequisite for authentic partnership.

Economic tensions also surfaced, notably a 150 million dispute over the Dakar-Diamniadio expressway, a modern transport system linking Senegals capital to regional cities. Despite the friction, Faye used the visit to showcase Senegals Vision 2050, inviting French investment in infrastructure, digital technology, and education. Macron and Fayes engagement reflects a growing trend: African nations seeking equal footing in old alliances. Or, as an analysis in Diplomatic Watch put it, the Paris summit marks a turning point in Franco-Senegalese relations, moving beyond colonial legacies toward a partnership focused on equality and mutual benefit. As France recalibrates its African strategy and Senegal asserts its leadership in West Africa, both sides appear committed to transforming a complex past into a pragmatic, forward-looking relationship.
In a growing diplomatic rift, Sudan is urging Somalia to help cut off what it calls a dangerous flow of foreign mercenaries and weapons  allegedly routed through Puntland with backing from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sudans intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Ahmed Ibrahim Ali Mufaddal, met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu this week, delivering a message from military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The visit follows Sudans accusations that UAE-funded mercenaries  some Colombian  are using Bosaso port and airport in Puntland to reach Sudans war zone, bolstering the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UAE denies involvement, calling Sudans claims part of a disinformation campaign. Still, the Abu Dhabis swift dispatch of a high-level delegation to Mogadishu, led by Minister of State Shakhboot bin Nahyan  just a day after Mufaddals visit  signals concern. Emirati officials reaffirmed ties with Somalia, which has criticized UAE relations with Somaliland and Puntland, regions often at odds with the federal government.

Puntland has firmly denied Sudans allegations but remains closely aligned with Abu Dhabi. Sudans outreach reflects a broader shift: framing its civil war as a transnational crisis hijacked by foreign powers seeking strategic advantage in the Red Sea corridor. Khartoum has recently also accused Uganda, Kenya and Chad of backing the RSF, indirectly, by allowing arms to flow, with all three countries rejecting the allegation. With over 40,000 killed and 12 million displaced, Khartoum now aims to reposition itself not just as a battleground of factions, but as a victim of global proxy warfare demanding urgent international action.
After having organized summer camps for dozens of Maqdessi children in Morocco, Bayt Mal Al-Quds Acharif Agency has donated school backpacks to Palestinian students bringing back smile to them on the occasion of the start of the new school year.

The operation of distribution of school backpacks was launched Sunday in the village of Nabi Samuel, northwest of Al-Quds. Some 2,300 students from schools in Al-Quds Governorate will benefit from this humanitarian and solidarity initiative which costs $125,000 donated by Moroccan institutions. On Sunday, 150 children received their schoolbags filled with stationary, and text books.

This operation is part of the Agencys efforts to alleviate the burden on Maqdessi families and help create conditions favorable for childrens schooling and education.

The move confirms Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agencys commitment to the Palestinian people. This commitment was lauded by Nawal Barakat, President of the Nabi Samuel Association, who thanked King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, for his continued support for Al Quds inhabitants.
A powerful explosion struck the Skeerat area near Misratas industrial zone, about 200 kilometres east of Tripoli, on Sunday, August 31, local media reported.

The cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed, but witnesses said burning shells and shrapnel fell over nearby residential areas, forcing evacuations.

Security forces quickly sealed off access roads as ambulances and civil defence teams responded to the scene. According to Mohamed Al-Nihoum, spokesperson for Misrata Medical Center, six people sustained minor to moderate injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.

Both the National Safety Authority and Misrata Medical Center declared a state of emergency as authorities worked to contain the situation and assess the full extent of the damage.
Moroccos air operational services have been boosted with the opening by German leader TCE of its first African office at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN).

Morocco is a natural choice for our African debut. Its strategic location connecting Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, combined with modern logistics infrastructure and a dynamic export market, make it a key hub for air cargo flows. This is where we can create immediate value for our partners, said Ms. managing director of TCE.

The Casablanca office, led by Viktor Staroshaliev, begins operations with a dedicated team of five, trained both on-site and remotely to meet TCEs stringent quality and compliance requirements.

Operating as the primary gateway to the African market, the team will serve both local and global customers, already managing major accounts such as Canadian carriers WestJet Cargo and Air Transat.

Far more than a regional base, Casablanca will function as an integral part of TCEs worldwide network, working in close coordination with HQ in Frankfurt and other international offices.

Services will include cargo handling oversight, customs facilitation, and customer support, all delivered with the efficiency and precision that define TCEs brand.
As flagged several times by OilPrice.com in recent weeks, most recently at the end of July, the U.K., France, and Germany (the E3) last week started the process of triggering the snapback mechanism of restoring sanctions on Iran. These are the broad and deep range of sanctions that were in place before the Joint Comprehensives Plan of Action (JCPOA, or colloquially the nuclear deal) was agreed between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations (the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, and China, plus Germany) in 2015. The move by the E3 comes well before the 18 October official deadline that marks the latest point at which the snapback mechanism could be triggered. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently stated that Washington will work with the E3 and other members of the UN Security Council to complete the snapback sanctions process in the coming weeks. However, he added that the U.S. is still available for direct talks with Iran. So, what will happen from here, and what does it mean for oil prices?

Although the U.S. has left the door open for a resumption of talks with Iran, Europe is deadly serious about reimposing the full weight of pre-2015 sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a very senior security source who works with the European Unions security complex exclusively told OilPrice.com last week. Iran is playing an increasingly active and dangerous role in existential threats against European security, in tandem with Russia, especially, but also China and North Korea, as intelligence has confirmed in recent months, and it cannot be allowed to continue, he said. Scores of leading Russian nuclear scientists have been sent to Iran since June last year, and three top missile experts from North Korea have also been in Tehran since around the same time, and we are told that the progress on weaponisation know-how has been expedited to critical levels, he added. Verified multi-source intelligence also show that Iran is becoming ever more active in the Russia-Belarus campaign of eroding NATOs eastern flank defences particularly along the vulnerable northern and southern border defences that are most vulnerable, with the last delivery of mid- and long-range missiles from Tehran to Moscow including Etemad [a late generation ballistic missile], and Fath 360 [a multi-lunch ballistic missile launching system], with most of the latter to be positioned by Moscow near the Belarus border with Poland, he underlined. Even more recent intelligence received from Iran of its newest missile capabilities confirm successful testing of the new generation of solid fuel missiles with a range of 4,200 kilometres carrying a payload of 700 kilogrammes  and this range could be enhanced to 4,700 kilometres if the payload is reduced to 450 kilogrammes  effectively allowing Iran to target most of the major cities in Europe, he told OilPrice.com. So, the [European] Troika has now included a new condition for any further JCPOA discussions that requires Tehran to restrict its missile range to 1,000 kilometres, which Tehran has already flatly refused to do, he highlighted.

Related: EU Considers 10-Year Tax Holiday for Aviation, Shipping Fuels

The existing pre-2015 sanctions on Iran are not just based on its weapons capabilities and nuclear weapons aspirations but also include a wide range of financial and other sanctions that are designed to cripple the countrys economy over time. They had been working so well before 2015 that they were the key reason why the JCPOA was struck at that point by then-President Hassan Rouhani who used the prospect of the sanctions-easing deal to ultimately secure two presidential electoral victories from an austerity-weary public. In the short term, the snapback mechanism  which the UN Security Council has 30 days from the day it is triggered to decide whether to continue sanctions relief or allow it to lapse -- would broadly see Iran placed back under Chapter VII of the UN Charter as a threat to international peace and security. This, in turn, would herald the reimposition of six major UN resolutions introduced between 2006 and 2010, including direct sanctions on lists of Iranian individuals and entities connected in any way to Irans nuclear and missile programme. Additionally, Resolution 1929 hits a much wider range of targets including an arms embargo on countries from supplying Iran with any military equipment of note (including tanks, artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, and missile systems, among others), prohibitions on countries supplying it with any equipment, technology, or material that might be deemed in any way useful for its nuclear weapons programme or for missile development, and Draconian limitations on its financial and banking systems. Of particular note in this latter regard are measures that relate to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The FATF has 40 active criteria and mechanisms in place to prevent money laundering -- an activity that is vital to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) activities across the world. It also has nine criteria and mechanisms in place to do the same for the financing of terrorism and related activities -- again, a core of the IRGCs role in promoting Irans brand of Islam around the globe. The FATF also has swingeing powers to wield against individuals, companies, or countries who transgress any of its standards and is extremely aggressive in using them by degrees, depending on whether the sanctioned entity is on its grey or black list.

The IRGC knows full well that these sanctions, if implemented effectively  as Europe will certainly be doing this time around, judging from several senior security and legal sources in the E.U. spoken to by OilPrice.com over the past few weeks and months  could spell the end of its multi-layered control over Iran. This would require the U.S. to fully support the E.U.s full reintroduction of sanctions, as it has promised, and to step up sanctions against Chinas ongoing purchase of Irans oil, which remains its key financial lifeline, as it has started to do. The economy is already close to collapse, and the public mood towards the IRGC especially has become even worse in the past few months, to such an extent that support for the Wests preferred replacement for [Supreme Leader, Ali] Khamenei [the U.S.-based exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi -- the eldest son of Farah Diba and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran] has increased substantially, said the E.U. security source. If the ability of the IRGC to enforce Irans brand of Islam at home and spread it across the world dwindles, then so would the grip on power of Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and indeed the very future of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. On the other hand, nor can they accept and adhere to the U.S.s alternative, which would be a no-nonsense, hardline, take-it-or-leave it JCPOA, which would also include Iran joining the FATF and allowing the full dismantling of its nuclear weapons programme. The only choice they [the Supreme Leader and IRGC] have is to do what they have been doing since 2015  which is to agree to a new [JCPOA] nuclear deal and then continue as before [with the nuclear programme and IRGC-sponsored Islamic pressure in Western allies] as best they can, said the E.U. security source. In the short term, we might also expect some attempted disruption of oil supplies, as and when the sanctions are fully reintroduced, he highlighted.

One option for doing this would be to disrupt oil supplies passing through the key global chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, which was suggested last week by Hossein Shariatmadari, a representative of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Around the same time, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian parliaments national security and foreign policy council said that Iran is considering calling again for support from other Islamic oil exporters to halt their own oil exports too. This was suggested before at the time of the Israeli escalation of hostilities directly against Iran, but garnered no support from such countries at that time. That said, the World Bank did supply a range of possible price impacts on oil prices at the time when those hostilities were on the rise, which can be used as a gauge for such eventualities. A small disruption in global oil supply  reduced by 500,000 to 2 million bpd (roughly the same as the decrease seen during the Libyan civil war in 2011)  would see the oil price initially rise 3-13%. A medium disruption  involving a 3 million to 5 million bpd loss of supply (roughly equivalent to the Iraq war in 2003) would drive the oil price up by 21-35%. And a large disruption  featuring a supply fall of 6 million to 8 million bpd (like the drop seen in the 1973 Oil Crisis)  would push the oil price up 56-75%.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Crude oil will continue to be in demand for a very long time yet, the chief executive of Chevron, Mike Wirth, told the New York Times in an interview.

Asked about his take on International Energy Agency predictions of peak oil demand, Wirth said that First of all, the I.E.A. has not always been right, historically, on things, and it wouldnt be surprising if the I.E.A. is not right about this.

Even if they are, once oil demand reaches a level where its no longer growing, its unlikely to drop off quickly. Its more likely to stay at a plateau, the executive added.

Wirth then went on to explain that oil and gas production is a depletion business, meaning that once a barrel of oil is produced, it cannot be produced again. This, in turn, means that investment in new supply is necessary even when demand is not growingas suggested by the IEA itself more than once, when the global oil market balance threatened to tip into a shortage.

In response to a question on whether Chevron could one day stop producing oil and gas altogether and become a renewable energy sources producer, Wirth said One day, Im sure it will make sense to do that. Probably a long time from now. When the world stops using oil and gas, well stop looking for it.

However, Wirth noted, to stop beforehand runs the risk of creating a lot of adverse consequences in terms of the world not having the energy that it needs. In that, the Chevron CEO echoes a concern also expressed by other oil industry executives and OPEC officials.

Chevron also put its money where its mouth is with regard to future demand for oil, with its acquisition of Hess Corp and its stake in the Stabroek Block in Guyana, which has turned into the rising star of the global oil stage.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The European Union is considering a 10-year exemption from energy taxes on aviation and shipping fuels, according to a draft proposal obtained by Reuters. The move would postpone taxation until 2035 and extend the long-standing tax breaks enjoyed by these sectors.

The draft, prepared under Denmarks rotating EU presidency, would only impose minimum taxation before 2035 on small aircraft with up to 19 seats and on private pleasure boats. Larger airlines and shipping companies would remain exempt during the decade-long transition. Negotiators are scheduled to debate the text in Brussels on Friday, with the presidency aiming for a deal by November.

The overhaul is part of the stalled revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, first adopted in 2003 to set EU-wide minimum excise rates. The European Commissions Green Deal proposal in 2021 sought to phase in fuel taxation across transport sectors, but repeated pushback from governments has delayed progress.

Industry groups have mounted intensive lobbying campaigns. Airlines argue that without tax relief, uptake of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will remain minimal because it currently costs two to five times more than conventional kerosene. Shipping operators make a similar case for renewable marine fuels, citing both high production costs and supply bottlenecks, according to Euractiv.

The Commissions own assessments note that ending exemptions could generate billions in revenue while providing incentives for cleaner fuels. Still, countries heavily dependent on tourism and maritime trade remain cautious, warning that higher transport costs could weaken growth.

Because EU tax policy requires unanimous approval, any one member state could block the draft. Diplomats involved in the talks told Reuters that northern states are more inclined to support taxation, while southern tourism economies remain strongly resistant.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Monday they had launched a missile at an Israel-linked oil tanker travelling in the Red Sea, amid renewed threats to shipping in the area.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Liberia-flagged oil tanker Scarlet Ray in a message on a TV channel controlled by the Houthis, Associated Press reports.

The Scarlet Ray is linked to Israel, the Houthis claim.

The owner of the vessel, Singapore-based company Eastern Pacific Shipping, is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, according to AP.

The Houthi claim came hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center flagged on Sunday it had received a report of an incident 40 nautical miles southwest Of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

A Master has reported to UKMTO that they witnessed a splash in close proximity to their vessel from an unknown projectile and heard a loud bang. All crew are safe and the vessel continues on its voyage. Authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, urging caution for tankers traveling the Red Sea.

The Houthis targeted many vessels in 2023 and 2024, to the point of disrupting global trade routes and oil tanker flows. The rebels attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and near its vital chokepoint, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

In 2024, the shifts in crude flows due to the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea affected global oil trade.

According to vessel-tracking data from Kpler, crude exports from the Middle East to Europe slumped by 22% last year, due to tankers avoiding the shortest route from the Middle East to Europe and opting for the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Yemen earlier this year and declared the threat had been neutralized.

Before todays incident, the previous Houthi attacks on commercial shipping occurred in early July, when the rebels struck two Greek-operated bulk carriers near Hodeidah.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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India is not profiteering from importing Russian crude, it actually helps keep global oil prices in check, Indian Hardeep Singh Puri wrote in a column in The Hindu newspaper on Monday, amid growing criticism from the United States that the worlds third-largest crude importer is profiteering from Russias oil.

India's adherence to all international norms prevented a catastrophic $200 per barrel shock, Puri wrote in the column.

Some critics allege that India has become a laundromat for Russian oil. Nothing could be further from the truth, the minister said.

Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures that India is nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin, referring to New Delhi importing cheap Russian oil and selling the refined fuels at higher prices in Europe and Asia.

Brahmins are profiteering at the expense of the Indian people, Navarro told Fox News, defending the Trump Administrations now-hiked 50% tariff on Indian goods, 25% of which is due to Indias continued imports of Russian crude.

In response to the profiteering claim, Indias Puri wrote that Russian oil has never been sanctioned like Iranian or Venezuelan crude; it is under a G-7/European Union price cap system deliberately designed to keep oil flowing while capping revenues.

India hasnt broken any rules on Russian oil, the Indian minister said, adding that it has stabilized markets and kept global prices from spiraling.

The truth is that there is no substitute for the worlds second-largest producer supplying nearly 10% of global oil, Puri wrote.

Those who are pointing fingers ignore this fact.

The heated remarks over Indias role in Russian oil trade come as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting with Chinas President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a security summit in China.

Meanwhile, Indias refiners are expected to import more Russian crude in September compared to August levels as discounts are deepening amid Russias constrained refining capacity due to Ukrainian drone strikes, traders told Reuters last week.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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A reform of the current punitive windfall tax on UK North Sea oil and gas could unlock additional $185 billion (137 billion) for Britains economy by 2050, the top industry body OEUK said on Monday.

The UK oil and gas industry, as well as major players in the North Sea, have deplored the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), as the windfall tax is officially known, since it was first introduced by the Conservative government in 2022 and subsequently raised by the current Labour government in 2024.

The ruling Labour Party last autumn raised the windfall tax on UK North Sea operators to 38% from 35%, effective November 1, 2024. The tax will now expire on March 31, 2030, a year later than the previous tax regime. The government also removed the 29% investment allowance.

The government has launched a consultation on what type of tax regime should come next, and is being urged to replace the windfall tax as soon as practicable  and not wait until 2030  to avoid the demise of the UK oil and gas industry.

OEUK is now calling for the government to hurry and replace the windfall tax well before 2030 to unlock investments, save jobs, and add more value to the UKs economy.

OEUK recommends the government replace the current windfall structure with a progressive, profit-based model.

To secure the future of the North Sea, the industry needs politicians to restore investor confidence and protect jobs in energy-intensive regions, the industry group said in a report last month.

At a conference in Aberdeen, OEUK on Monday released a report claiming that replacing the EPL next year with a profits-based mechanism could increase investment and output in the North Sea.

We are saying reform the energy profits levy to boost national energy production, investment, unlock 23,000 jobs, and add over 137billion to communities  or keep the tax, gain short-term revenue, and risk the North Sea industrys collapse, OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse said.

Without changes to the fiscal regime, UK oil and gas could disappear within years, not decades. Thats a risk we cannot take.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russia kept its number-one spot as the biggest crude oil supplier to India in July, despite U.S. pressure on India over its continued imports of Russian crude.

Amid difficult U.S.-India trade talks, the Trump Administration has singled out India to punish as a buyer of Russian crude. After weeks of threats, the U.S. hiked from August 27 the tariff on imports of Indian goods to a massive 50%, with 25% of this due to Indias Russian oil purchases.

The worlds third-largest crude oil importer, India, has significantly boosted Russian oil imports since 2022, when Russias oil was banned in the West. Russia currently accounts for about a third of Indias oil purchases, becoming the single largest crude supplier to India.

The latest government data for July shows that buyers remained unfazed by the U.S. pressureand Russia provided 31.4% of all crude imports into India, local media reported on Monday.

The second-biggest oil supplier, Iraq, held a much lower share of Indian supply, at 17.1%, and the third-largest supplier, Saudi Arabia, held a 16.1% share of the Indian crude imports in July, according to the data.

The value of Indias crude oil imports from Russia was $3.6 billion, with Iraqi and Saudi sales at about $2 billion each, the figures showed.

U.S. officials have intensified pressure on India for its Russian oil imports.

Indias dependence on Russian crude is opportunistic and deeply corrosive of the worlds efforts to isolate Putins war economy, the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro wrote in an op-ed published in the Financial Times in the middle of August.

Indias dependence on Russian crude is opportunistic and deeply corrosive of the worlds efforts to isolate Putins war economy, Navarro wrote.

Russia and India, however, have talked up their strategic partnership with high-level meetings and visits since the U.S. tariff threat, and have reiterated their strategic alliance and cooperation in the energy sectora sign that India isnt giving up on Russias cheap crude.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Civil war-torn Sudan has shut down its Heglig oil facilities after a series of drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), raising fears for South Sudans crude exports that rely on the site for transit. The Energy and Petroleum Ministry confirmed the shutdown in a letter to Juba dated August 30, citing repeated attacks as making operations impossible in good faith, according to Al Arabiya.

Heglig is a critical hub on the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline, where South Sudanese Nile Blend crude is measured and transferred before moving to Port Sudan. The facility has been struck at least twice in the past week, with damage to the airport terminal reported, forcing staff to evacuate, Reuters said. Sudanese operators 2B OPCO and PETCO have both withdrawn personnel and warned that they cannot guarantee upcoming liftings.

South Sudan exports nearly all of its oil through Sudans pipeline system. Before the civil war reignited in 2023, Sudan processed between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels per day, providing vital foreign exchange for both economies. Radio Tamazuj reported that South Sudan currently exports about 110,000 bpd, underscoring the scale of flows now at risk.

Analysts warn that a prolonged disruption could undermine regional oil flows as South Sudan lacks an alternative route to market. A senior PETCO engineer told bdnews24 that safety concerns and repeated RSF targeting left the company with no choice but to suspend work.

The strikes on Heglig follow earlier RSF drone attacks against infrastructure in Port Sudan, showing how the conflict has expanded from ground battles to systematic targeting of energy assets. The developments put both Khartoum and Juba under pressure as they confront the risk of prolonged revenue losses tied directly to crude transit.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The leader of the UKs Conservative Party has called for a return to oil and gas production from the North Sea to bring energy costs down.

Reporting on an upcoming speech to be delivered by Kemi Badenoch tomorrow, the BBC wrote that the Tory leader will call for extracting all our oil and gas out of the North Sea and reverse net-zero policies pursued by the current Labour government, for which voters are paying the price through higher energy bills.

Last Friday, Badenoch wrote on X that Labour are shutting down North Sea extraction, so we buy more gas from Norway who extract from the very same basin. This is mad, does nothing for the planet and means even higher energy bills. A Conservative government will extract British energy for jobs, growth and security.

The Tory governments that were in power over the four years to 2024 were all in favor of an energy transition and significantly curbed oil and gas activity in the North Sea through regulation and, notoriously, the windfall profit tax instituted in late 2022 in response to oil companies record profits driven by the surge in oil prices after the February incursion of Russian troops into the Ukraine.

Since then, profits have subsided, but the windfall tax remains and was even hiked by the Labour government of Keir Starmer. In addition, the government suspended all new oil and gas exploration license issuing as part of its net-zero efforts. These focus on building out a substantial amount of wind and solar power generating capacity, including on prime farmland, which has inflamed rural communities across the country and spurred them into action, protesting utility-scale solar installations planned for some of the most productive agricultural regions in the UK.

A government spokesman responded to Badenochs statement by saying new oil and gas production will neither reduce electricity bills nor improve the UKs energy security, but only compromise the fight against climate change, according to the BBC report.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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TotalEnergies has been awarded a massive new exploration permit offshore the Republic of Congo, which could ultimately boost oil and gas supply from West Africa.

TotalEnergies and its minority partners QatarEnergy and Congos national company SNPC have been awarded the Nzombo exploration permit, close to the Moho production facilities operated by TotalEnergies, the French supermajor said on Monday.

TotalEnergies holds 50% and is the operator of the 1,000 square kilometer (386 square miles) Nzombo exploration permit. QatarEnergy has a 35% stake and SNPC holds the remaining 15%.

Nzombo is located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coast of Pointe-Noire, close to the Moho production facilities. Via two Floating Production Units (FPU), Alima and Likouf, production at Moho is around 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d).

The work program for the Nzombo exploration permit includes the drilling of one exploration well, which is expected to spud before the end of 2025, TotalEnergies said today.

This award of a promising Exploration permit, with the material Nzombo prospect, reflects our continued strategy of expanding our Exploration portfolio with high impact prospects, which can be developed leveraging our existing facilities, and confirms our longstanding partnership with the Republic of the Congo, said Kevin McLachlan, Senior Vice-President Exploration at TotalEnergies.

The French supermajor has been active in exploration efforts globally and in West and southwest Africa.

TotalEnergies reloaded the exploration portfolio by acquiring exploration permits in the U.S. Gulf, in Malaysia, in Indonesia and Algeria in the second quarter, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on the Q2 earnings call in July.

TotalEnergies has recently made a large discovery in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia.

Earlier this year, a senior official said that Namibia expects TotalEnergies and Norways BW Energy to take final investment decisions on oil projects in late 2026.

TotalEnergies is expected to submit this summer a field development plan for the Venus project, said Maggy Shino, Petroleum Commissioner at the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy.

The Orange Basin extends to South African waters to the south and the majors are now looking to tap into these areas hoping to find huge resources similar to the ones in Namibian waters. However, a court in South Africa has reportedly halted a TotalEnergies-led exploration project, saying the environmental assessment for the project was deeply flawed, failing to address key risks, legal requirements, and public participation.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Solar Orbiter observed more than 300 bursts of 'Solar Energetic Electrons' between November 2020 and December 2022. For the first time, we clearly see the connection between the energetic electrons in space and their sources on the sun. The energetic electrons are launched by two distinct sources: solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Solar flares release quick bursts of energetic electrons, whereas coronal mass ejections release broader swells of energetic electrons more gradually. The result is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, as part of a public catalog of Solar Energetic Electron events observed by Solar Orbiter. Credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/STIX & EPD

The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission has split the flood of energetic particles flung out into space from the sun into two groups, tracing each back to a different kind of outburst from our star.

The sun is the most energetic particle accelerator in the solar system. It whips up electrons to nearly the speed of light and flings them out into space, flooding the solar system with so-called 'Solar Energetic Electrons' (SEEs).

Researchers have now used Solar Orbiter to pinpoint the source of these energetic electrons and trace what we see out in space back to what's actually happening on the sun.

In a paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, they explain that they found two kinds of SEE with clearly distinct stories: one connected to intense solar flares (explosions from smaller patches of the sun's surface), and one to larger eruptions of hot gas from the sun's atmosphere (known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs).

"We see a clear split between 'impulsive' particle events, where these energetic electrons speed off the sun's surface in bursts via solar flares, and 'gradual' ones associated with more extended CMEs, which release a broader swell of particles over longer periods of time," says lead author Alexander Warmuth of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), Germany.

A clearer connection

While scientists were aware that two types of SEE event existed, Solar Orbiter was able to measure a large number of events, and look far closer to the sun than other missions had, to reveal how they form and leave the surface of our star.

"We were only able to identify and understand these two groups by observing hundreds of events at different distances from the sun with multiple instrumentssomething that only Solar Orbiter can do," adds Warmuth. "By going so close to our star, we could measure the particles in a 'pristine' early state and thus accurately determine the time and place they started at the sun."

Flight delays

The researchers detected the SEE events at different distances from the sun. This let them study how the electrons behave as they travel through the solar system, answering a lingering question about these energetic particles.

When we spot a flare or a CME, there's often an apparent lag between what we see taking place at the sun, and the release of energetic electrons into space. In extreme cases, the particles seem to take hours to escape. Why?

"It turns out that this is at least partly related to how the electrons travel through spaceit could be a lag in release, but also a lag in detection," says co-author and ESA Research Fellow Laura Rodriguez-Garcia.

"The electrons encounter turbulence, get scattered in different directions, and so on, so we don't spot them immediately. These effects build up as you move further from the sun."

The space between the sun and the planets of the solar system isn't empty. A wind of charged particles streams out from the sun constantly, dragging the sun's magnetic field with it. It fills space and influences how the energetic electrons travel; rather than being able to go where they like, they are confined, scattered, and disturbed by this wind and its magnetism.

The study fulfills an important goal of Solar Orbiter: to continuously monitor our star and its surroundings to trace ejected particles back to their sources at the sun.

"Thanks to Solar Orbiter, we're getting to know our star better than ever," says Daniel Muller, ESA Project Scientist for Solar Orbiter. "During its first five years in space, Solar Orbiter has observed a wealth of Solar Energetic Electron events. As a result, we've been able to perform detailed analyses and assemble a unique database for the worldwide community to explore."

Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly.

Keeping Earth safe

Crucially, the finding is important for our understanding of space weather, where accurate forecasting is essential to keep our spacecraft operational and safe. One of the two kinds of SEE events is more important for space weather: that connected to CMEs, which tend to hold more high-energy particles and so threaten far more damage. Because of this, being able to distinguish between the two types of energetic electrons is hugely relevant for our forecasting.

"Knowledge such as this from Solar Orbiter will help protect other spacecraft in the future, by letting us better understand the energetic particles from the sun that threaten our astronauts and satellites," adds Daniel.

"The research is a really great example of the power of collaborationit was only possible due to the combined expertise and teamwork of European scientists, instrument teams from across ESA Member States, and colleagues from the US."

Looking ahead, ESA's Vigil mission will pioneer a revolutionary approach, operationally observing the 'side' of the sun for the first time, unlocking continuous insights into solar activity. To be launched in 2031, Vigil will detect potentially hazardous solar events before they come into view as seen from Earth, giving us advance knowledge of their speed, direction and chance of impact.

Our understanding of how our planet responds to solar storms will also be investigated further with the launch of ESA's Smile mission next year. Smile will study how Earth endures the relentless 'wind', and sporadic bursts of fierce particles thrown our way from the sun, exploring how the particles interact with our planet's protective magnetic field.

Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA, operated by ESA.

More information: CoSEE-Cat: a Comprehensive Solar Energetic Electron event Catalogue obtained from combined in-situ and remote-sensing observations from Solar Orbiter, Astronomy and Astrophysics (2025). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202554830 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

When populations are in contact, they can exchange genes, as well as language features. Credit: Celia Lazzarotto, NCCR Evolving Language

Throughout human history, there have been many instances where two populations came into contactespecially in the past few thousand years because of large-scale migrations as a consequence of conquests, colonialization, and, more recently, globalization. During these encounters, not only did populations exchange genetic material, but also cultural elements.

When populations interact, they may borrow technologies, beliefs, practices, and also, crucially, aspects of language. With this, sounds, words or grammatical patterns can be exchanged from one language to the other. For example, English borrowed "sausage" from French after the Norman conquests, while French later borrowed "sandwich" from English.

However, studying these linguistic exchanges can be challenging due to the limited historical records of human contacts, especially on a global scale. As a result, our understanding of how languages evolved over time through such interactions remains incomplete.

To address this gap, researchers are now turning to genetics, which keeps the record of ancestral contacts.

In a new study, a research group from the University of Zurich is using, for the first time, genetic evidence of historical mixing between populations to investigate the effects of contact on language, and to uncover the systemic patterns of language change. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

Using genetics to solve linguistic questions

"By using genetic data as a proxy for past human contact, we were able to get around the problem of missing historical records and we could detect over 125 comparable instances of contact across the globe," says Anna Graff, lead author of the study and linguist at the University of Zurich.

The multidisciplinary research team combined genetic data from over 4,700 individuals across 558 populations with two major linguistic databases that catalog grammatical, phonological, and lexical features in thousands of languages. They found that in instances of genetic contact, there was an increased probability of linguistic sharing in unrelated languages of 49%.

"This opens up new ways of understanding how languages evolve through human interaction," the researcher adds.

"What surprised us most is that no matter where in the world, populations come into contact, their languages become more similar to remarkably consistent extents," says Chiara Barbieri, senior author and population geneticist at the University of Cagliari.

"Genetic contact can involve populations from different continents, for example in recent colonial situations, or populations from the same continent, for example during ancient Neolithic migrations. Our results show that languages are similarly affected by contact, regardless of its geographic and social scale, showing consistent links between population history and language change."

A closer look into language dynamics and society

However, while the rates are similar, the specific features behind them differ strongly. While some elements like word order or consonant sounds are easier to transfermore so than other features of grammar or soundthe research team did not find consistent borrowability principles.

"This challenges long-standing assumptions about what makes a linguistic feature more or less borrowable," explains Balthasar Bickel, senior author and Director of the NCCR Evolving Language.

"It suggests that the social dynamics of contact like power imbalances, prestige and group identity easily override any constraints previously thought to be at play when people learn a new language and start to borrow from it."

In some cases, the team even found the opposite of borrowing: features becoming less similar after contact. This phenomenon occurs when groups emphasize linguistic differences to assert distinct identities.

"While contact usually makes languages converge, sometimes it makes them diversify," says Graff. "Our results suggest that both convergence and divergence are part of the global story of language evolution."

The findings shed new light on how we understand the history of the world's languagesand what might lie ahead. Contact between populations has long been linked to language loss, but this study shows that it can also erode deeper layers of linguistic diversity.

In our increasingly globalized world and in the face of the climate crisis, land use expansions and demographic displacements may further intensify these processes, fragmenting the linguistic record of the human past.

More information: Anna Graff et al, Patterns of genetic admixture reveal similar rates of borrowing across diverse scenarios of language contact, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adv7521 Journal information: Evolutionary Biology , Science Advances
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Built in 15th Century by Isa Bey, this hammam is located in the middle of the Old Skopje Bazaar, between the Murat Pasha Mosque and the Suli Lodging. Alongside these two buildings, they remain the only "Islamic trio" in the area of the bazaar and in Skopje in general. The Islamic Trinities were a building complexes in the Ottoman cities, consisting of three public buildings: lodgings (caravanserais) for overnight stays, mosques for religious rites, and hammams for hygiene. Credit: Viktor Trajanovski, et.al. The Chifte Hammam | Center for Ethnological research and applied anthropology

The Turkish hammam is far more than a place for physical cleansingit is a deeply rooted institution in the public and religious life of Muslim societies.

Unlike the ancient Graeco-Roman thermae, which primarily served as venues for bathing and relaxation, Turkish public baths, or hammams, have historically functioned as spiritual and communal centers in the Muslim world.

In a recent article, Prof. Mesut Idriz, Professor of Islamic History and Civilization at the University of Sharjah and Director of the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Muslim and Arab Sciences (SIFHAMS), explores the historical and cultural significance of the hammam. He traces its evolution across Muslim societies and highlights its multifaceted role.

"The terms thermae (Graeco-Roman) and hammam (Arabic and Islamic) both refer to steam baths or places that spread warmth," writes Prof. Idriz. However, he emphasizes that the hammam in Muslim societies held a religious function, often used for rituals requiring full-body purification with clean waterrituals performed by both the living and for the deceased.

Prof. Idriz links hammam bathing to the Islamic practice of ghusl, the major ablution required after events such as sexual intercourse, seminal emission, menstruation, or childbirth. "Ghusl must be performed whenever a state of major ritual impurity has been incurred," he explains.

Bathing method and items used in an ancient hammam , Skopje, North Macedonia . Credit: Dr. Eyup Kul

Integrated into the urban planning of Islamic cities, hammams were not only public bathing facilities but also cultural landmarks. While inspired by Roman thermae, Muslims across regions invested heavily in their construction, and many surviving hammams are preserved as architectural marvels of the Ottoman era.

Though sharing similarities with Roman and European bathhouses, the hammam developed distinct practices grounded in Islamic principles.

Prof. Idriz notes that the Quran's emphasis on water as the source of life elevated the hammam's spiritual significance in Islam. Rituals such as wudu (ablution) and ghusl institutionalized the hammam as a communal space accessible to all social classes.

"The hammam tradition is rooted in Islam's emphasis on cleanliness and the sacredness of water," he writes. "Throughout Muslim history, it enabled people to maintain both physical cleanliness and spiritual readiness."

Prof. Ebru Ibish, Professor of Legal Studies at the International Balkan University in Skopje, North Macedonia, echoes this sentiment. She connects the hammam tradition to Islam's focus on purification of both body and soul.

Daut Pasha Hammam is a historical monument of the Islamic culture and an excellent example of the Islamic architecture. The Hamam was built by Daut Pasha in the second half of the 15th Century. Now the National Gallery of North Macedonia. Credit: Mesut Idriz

"Cleanliness, attention to personal hygiene, and spiritual purification are deeply embedded in Islamic teachings and daily practice," she says. "It is only natural that the hammam, a place dedicated to cleansing, is strongly associated with these core values."

A widely cited saying among Muslims, "Cleanliness is half of faith," underscores the hammam's religious importance. Prof. Ibish explains that the hammam historically served as a vital institution for fulfilling this aspect of faith, making it a cornerstone of religious observance and community life.

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"Visiting the hammam is more than a social or hygienic custom," she adds. "It reflects Islam's continuous reminder that maintaining purity is a duty for both the physical body and the spiritual self. The hammam bridges inner and outer cleanliness."

Dr. Eyup Kul, Associate Professor of Ottoman History at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, explains that hammams during the Ottoman era were considered essential public utilities. They were often constructed to serve the needs of religious and educational institutions such as mosques, madrasas, zawiyas, and tekkes, he points out.

"For the Ottomans, constructing a hammam in a city was as essential as founding a school," emphasizes Dr. Kul. "This is why public baths were established throughout the territories they conquered beyond the borders of present-day Turkey."

One of the rooms in the Shifte Hammam in Skopje, the only one that has not been turned into a gallery, along with its auxiliary rooms. Credit: Shifte hamam u Skoplju.JPG - Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Kul further notes that hammams were significant sources of revenue for waqfs (religious endowments) that supported urban infrastructure and social services. "Although many have been demolished or now lie in ruins," he adds, "it is still possible to find hammams built during the Ottoman period."

Though not originally an Islamic invention, public bathhouses became widespread in the early Islamic period, spreading from the Middle East and North Africa to the Balkans and Spain. In each region, the hammam adapted to local cultures and norms, always maintaining gender separation.

While influenced by Roman baths, the Muslim hammam evolved uniquely within Islamic culture. Prof. Idriz notes that they became symbols of Ottoman tradition, offering massage, heat, and water for both physical and spiritual healing.

"Historically, the hammam symbolized a clean body and a clean society," he writes. "It promoted health, hospitality, and moral behavior. Public officials regularly inspected hammams to ensure hygiene and order. Entrance fees were kept low so that everyonerich or poorcould access them."

Prof. Idriz hopes his research will inspire greater interest in the hammam tradition across industries, cultural institutions, and academia.

Daut Pasha Hammam is a historical monument of the Islamic culture and now the National Gallery of North Macedonia. Credit: Mesut Idriz

"While grounded in historical and cultural analysis, the findings have relevance beyond academia," he says. "They offer insights into wellness tourism, heritage preservation, and architectural restoration."

By highlighting the hammam as a multifaceted institutioncombining hygiene, spirituality, and communitythe study encourages cross-sector collaboration to revive and adapt this heritage for contemporary audiences.

Prof. Idriz believes that exploring the social and spiritual dimensions of the hammam has practical applications in cultural heritage preservation, tourism, urban planning, and intercultural education.

At the height of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, Istanbul alone boasted around 230 hammams; today, only about 60 remain in operation.

Looking ahead, Prof. Idriz and his colleagues plan to investigate how the hammam tradition evolved across regions such as the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa, and Andalusia, shedding light on local cultural and religious adaptations.

More information: The History of the Hammam
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Credit: University of Tokyo

Global climate change is making temperatures hotter, particularly in densely populated cities, which can adversely affect the health of residents. While mitigation efforts are urgent, it is hard for urban planners to identify exactly where to target as accurate, long-term climate records created over fine spatial scales have been unavailable.

Now, a recent study published in Sustainable Cities and Society reveals an innovative approach to reconstruct hourly changes in urban air temperatures, created by researchers and collaborators at UTokyo-IIS. By fusing climate analysis datasets and weather observations together, climate scientists and urban planners can use this powerful tool to assess climate change in urban regions more accurately.

"Existing climate data can't capture how people actually experience the temperature in the city hour-by-hour, because variables like trees, buildings, and parks create a complex urban microclimate," says lead author, Xiang Wang. "Our fusion approach allows us to develop a very detailed picture of how heat and humidity have changed in Tokyo city and suburbs."

The novel method combined mathematical concepts and a probabilistic estimation method to fuse a regional-scale numerical model dataset with 30 years of observational data from weather stations, taken from surface air temperature and vapor pressure, around the Tokyo area. As a result, the new method can overcome limitations seen in previous approaches, as the high-resolution spatial data can improve the accuracy and length of analysis period in mapping temperature variation within a region.

Ultimately, the reconstruction found a maximum increase in average daytime temperatures of over 1C and in central Tokyo, the summer temperatures increased by 2C at night.

Even more worryingly, the number of extremely hot days (>40.6 C), defined by a heat index which considers both temperature and humidity, more than doubled in Tokyo after 2021, compared against the 1990s, posing a substantially greater risk to human health. The trend is linked to expanding urban development and associated impervious surfaces.

Certain urban areas like Kumagaya, to the northwest of central Tokyo, were more affected by extremely hot days than the city. Most places in the west of the study area showed a significant increase in hot days after 2011.

"Our study clearly identified where, when and by how much temperatures and humidity have risen around the Tokyo area over the past 30 years," explains senior author, Hideki Kikumoto. "The higher temperatures at night are concerning, as this can affect human health in many ways."

The fusing of numerical climate analysis and observed climate data provides a new perspective on mapping air temperatures and humidity in urban areas at fine spatial and temporal scales. However, the researchers acknowledged that the method requires refinement, as the accuracy varied depending on the observation sites and, despite high-resolution, the method could not account for all variables (like parks or buildings) in a particular area.

It is hoped that this new modeling approach creates a scientific foundation for urban planners to design mitigation measures, alongside informing heat adaptation policies, which could potentially improve livability in Tokyo for current and future residents.

More information: Xiang Wang et al, Decadal assessment of local climate utilizing meteorological analysis and observation data: Thermal environment changes in the Tokyo area, Sustainable Cities and Society (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2025.106138
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Georgia agriculture officials are warning farmers to be on the lookout for an invasive pest that is spreading rapidly in the state, posing a threat to cotton and other major crops.

The two-spot cotton leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula), more commonly known as the cotton jassid, is a tiny insect native to the Indian subcontinent, according to the University of Georgia. The tiny green bugs can be distinguished by the single dark spots they have on each wing.

It's not clear exactly how they made their way to North America, but other pests have hitched rides on ships or arrived through other international trade channels.

Despite measuring only 1/10th of an inch long, cotton jassids can cause serious problems for several major crops grown in Georgia. The insects latch on to the underside of leaves and suck out the contents of the plant's cells, disrupting photosynthesis. Their predation causes leaves to turn yellow and then brown, signs of a syndrome called "hopperburn." Because the bugs are so tiny, the dying leaves are often the first sign of an infestation.

As their name indicates, cotton jassids like to feast on cotton leaves, but that's not the only crop they find a suitable host. They are also known to prey on peanuts, eggplant, soybeans, cowpeas and more.

Cotton jassids appeared in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in 2023, then in Florida last year. In July, they were first spotted in the southwest corner of Georgia in Seminole County. Since then, the Georgia Department of Agriculture says the bugs have spread to at least 12 other counties.

GDA Commissioner Tyler Harper warned in a statement that the bugs can cause significant crop losses and urged producers to check their crops for the pest and to contact their local UGA Extension office if they find any.

Harper added he's "hopeful entomologists will soon have effective treatment strategies for Georgia cotton producers to protect their crop."

The cotton jassids' arrival comes at a bad time, just as the cotton harvest is set to ramp up in Georgia. Cotton was Georgia's second-most valuable agricultural commodity and its most valuable row crop, according to the most recent figures from 2022 compiled by the University of Georgia. Peanuts, which are also at risk, were the state's fourth-most valuable agricultural product.

Georgia has been under siege from a string of invasive species in recent years.

Last year, state officials warned Georgians to watch for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive bug from Asia known for its pungent excretions. Before that, yellow-legged hornets showed up in the Peach State, posing a threat to honeybees and many crops that rely on them for pollination.

The battle against both pests and many others is ongoing.

2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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An injured person is carried to a military helicopter that landed to evacuate injured victims of an earthquake that killed many people and destroyed villages in eastern Afghanistan, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar

Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed some 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided Monday by the Taliban government.

The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangarhar province, causing extensive damage.

One resident in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said nearly the entire village was destroyed.

"Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble," said the villager, who did not give his name.

"We need help here," he pleaded. "We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble."

The quake hit just before midnight and was centered 27 kilometers (17 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad at a depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. Several aftershocks followed.

Footage showed rescuers taking injured people on stretchers from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people frantically dug through rubble with their hands.

An injured person is carried to a military helicopter that landed to evacuate injured victims of an earthquake that killed many people and destroyed villages in eastern Afghanistan, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar

The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told a press conference on Monday that the death toll had risen to at least 800 with more than 2,500 injured. He said most of the casualties were in Kunar.

The quake was felt in parts of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Homes collapsed and people screamed for help

Eastern Afghanistan is mountainous, with remote areas and the quake has worsened communications. Blocked roads are forcing aid workers to walk four or five hours to reach survivors. Dozens of flights have operated in and out of Nangarhar Airport, transporting the injured to hospitals.

Buildings in Afghanistan tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood. Many are poorly built.

One survivor described seeing homes collapse before his eyes and people screaming for help.

Sadiqullah, who lives in the Maza Dara area of Nurgal, said he was woken by a deep boom that sounded like a storm approaching. Like many Afghans, he uses only one name.

A village damaged by an earthquake that killed many people and destroyed villages in eastern Afghanistan is seen in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar

He ran to where his children were sleeping and rescued three of them. He was about to return to grab the rest of his family when the room fell on top of him.

"I was half-buried and unable to get out," he told The Associated Press by phone from Nangarhar Hospital. "My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out."

It felt like the whole mountain was shaking, he said.

'Numbers may increase'

Rescue operations were underway and medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital, Kabul, have arrived in the area, said Sharafat Zaman, a health ministry spokesman.

Zaman said many areas had not been able to report casualty figures and that "the numbers were expected to change" as deaths and injuries are reported.

The chief spokesman, Mujahid, said helicopters had reached some areas but road travel was difficult. "There are some villages where the injured and dead haven't been recovered from the rubble, so that's why the numbers may increase," he told journalists.

Injured victims of an earthquake that killed many people and destroyed villages in eastern Afghanistan are evacuated by military helicopter in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said the earthquake intensified existing humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan and urged international donors to support relief efforts.

"This adds death and destruction to other challenges including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries," Grandi wrote on X. "Hopefully the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts."

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Search and rescue support

Entire roads and communities have been cut off from accessing nearby towns or hospitals and 2,000 casualties were reported within the first 12 hours, said Sherine Ibrahim, the country director for the aid agency.

"Although we have been able to act fast, we are profoundly fearful for the additional strain this will have on the overall humanitarian response in Afghanistan," said Ibrahim. " Global funding cuts have dramatically hampered our ability to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis."

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement that immediate needs include search and rescue support, emergency healthcare and medical supplies, food, clean water, and restoring road access to reach isolated communities.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by events in Afghanistan. "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are ready to extend all possible support in this regard," he said on X.

A 6.0 magnitude quake hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad Credit: AP Digital Embed

Pakistan has expelled tens of thousands of Afghans in the past year, many of them living in the country for decades as refugees. At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan so far this year, according to a June report by UNHCR.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake.

The U.N. gave a lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

Sunday's latest earthquake was likely to "dwarf the scale of the humanitarian needs" caused by the disaster of 2023, according to the International Rescue Committee.

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Nautilus Minerals Solwara-1 deep-sea mining project in Papua New Guinea wound up in 2019. Pictured: the companys three seabed mining vehicles. Credit: Nautilus Minerals

In recent years, Pacific island nations have earned global credibility as champions of climate action. Pacific leaders view sea level rise as an existential threat.

But this united front is now under strain as some Pacific nations pursue a controversial new industrydeep-sea mining. Nauru, the Cook Islands, Kiribati and Tonga have gone the furthest to make it a reality, attracted by new income streams. But nations such as Fiji, Palau and Vanuatu have called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters.

Public opinion across the Pacific is often divided, pitting possible economic gains against the potential risks of an industry whose environmental impact remain uncertain but potentially significant. As this tension intensifies, it may split the Pacific and risk the region's moral authority on climate.

What are the concerns over deep-sea mining?

Deep-sea mining targets three types of mineral depositspolymetallic nodules strewn across deep underwater plains, cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts, and the ore deposits around hydrothermal vents.

To extract them, mining companies can use unmanned collectors to pump ore to the surface and return the wastewater. This creates plumes of sediment which can smother marine life. Methods of minimizing damage to species from mining on land are largely unworkable at depth.

Deep-sea ecosystems are poorly understood, but we know they are slow to recover. Researchers have found areas mined as a test more than 40 years ago still show physical damage and immobile corals and sponges remain scarce.

Why is there so much interest in deep-sea mining?

Deep-sea mining hasn't begun anywhere in earnest, because the International Seabed Authority has yet to finalize rules governing extraction. This authority oversees the 54% of the world's oceans beyond territorial waters.

But plans for deep-sea mining operations can still be submitted and considered without these rules in place.

Analysts have estimated seabed minerals could be worth a staggering A$30 trillion. Some of the richest deposits lie in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in international waters between Hawaii and Mexico, thousands of kilometers away from Pacific nations. Under international law, companies cannot mine in international waters on their own. They need to be officially sponsored by a national government, which has to keep effective control over its operations.

One reason deep-sea mining companies see Pacific states as such useful partners is that these countries can access reserved areas of international seabed set aside for developing countries, as well as potential resources in the very large territorial waters around many island states.

Backers in Nauru, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Kiribati argue rising demand for manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel could deliver significant economic returns and diversify economies.

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Nauru

Nauru's enormous deposits of guanocompressed seabird excrement long sought as fertilizeronce made the country wealthy. But the guano is largely gone and the small nation has limited other resources.

Nauru sponsors Nauru Ocean Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of seabed mining company The Metals Company. In 2011, the company received an International Seabed Authority contract permitting exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, more than 8,000km from Nauru.

Nauru has since "proudly taken a leading role" in developing international legal frameworks in mining nodules in the international seabed.

In June, Nauru signaled Nauru Ocean Resources would apply for an exploitation license.

Tonga

Tonga's government is similarly backing deep-sea mining by partnering with The Metals Company to explore mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

In August 2025, Tonga signed an updated agreement with Tonga Offshore Mining, a subsidiary of The Metals Company. The agreement was originally signed in 2021 amid large-scale criticism over the lack of public consultation.

The mining company has promised new benefits, ranging from financial benefits, scholarships and community programs. Even so, the revised deal has encountered opposition from civil society, young people and legal experts. Prominent Tongans remain unconvinced, citing environmental, legal and transparency risks.

Economic pressure is part of the picture. Tonga owes an estimated A$180 million to China's Exim Bankroughly a quarter of its annual GDP.

Cook Islands

The 15 Cook Islands are widely scattered, giving the government exclusive rights to almost two million square kilometers of ocean. The government has issued exploration licenses inside its Exclusive Economic Zone to three companiesCook Islands Consortium, CIIC Seabed Resources Limited, and Moana Minerals. The Cook Islands government has established a domestic regulatory framework and is building research capacity.

Kiribati

Kiribati's atolls and island are even more dispersed. The nation's exclusive economic zone covers about 3.4 million km. The state-owned Marawa Research and Exploration company holds a 15-year exploration contract with the seabed authority. Kiribati has opened talks with China to explore potential collaboration.

The Pacific split

While revenues could potentially be sizeable for the Pacific, costs, technologies and environmental liabilities are highly uncertain.

The experience of Papua New Guinea is a cautionary tale. In 2019, the PNG deep-sea mining venture Solwara-1 went into administration following intense community pushback. The fallout cost the government an estimated $184 million. The PNG government now opposes deep-sea mining in its territorial waters.

While deep-sea mining now has clear backers, other nations are far more wary.

In 2022, Palau launched an alliance calling for a moratorium on mining in international waters. Early signatories included Fiji, American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia. Since then, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands have joined, as well as dozens of other countries. PNG has not yet joined.

Opposition from these Pacific states is based on the precautionary principle, which favors caution when knowledge is limited and damage is possible.

Pacific youth are among the most prominent opponents of deep-sea mining. The regional Pacific Blue Line coalition uniting civil society, faith groups, women's organizations and youth networks has consistently called for a complete ban in the region. Young people have spoke out publicly in nations such as Tonga, where youth advocates criticized limited consultation and rallied against the plans, as well as the Cook Islands, where young people have demanded transparency.

Reputation under a cloud?

Pacific leaders have built a worldwide reputation for their principled climate diplomacy, from championing the 1.5C goal to the major new advisory opinion on climate change issued by the world's top court in response to a case instigated by students from the University of the South Pacific.

If some Pacific leaders open the door fully to deep-sea mining, it risks undermining the region's united front on environmental issues and threatens its credibility.

The way this plays out will shape how the world hears the Pacific on climate and the oceans in the years ahead.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

SpaceX remains on track to surpass 100 launches on the Space Coast for 2025, knocking out No. 70 on Sunday morning with four months to go.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-14 mission with 28 satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:49 a.m.

The first-stage booster made its 23rd flight with a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.

It marked the ninth launch in August for the Space Coast, with eight from SpaceX and one from United Launch Alliance. Among those launches were the final crewed mission from Florida this year, the Aug. 1 launch of Crew-11, and the return of Boeing's X-37B mini space shuttle to space for a classified Space Force mission. ULA's lone mission was its first national security flight for its new Vulcan rocket.

The manifest also just this past Thursday saw the flight of SpaceX's fleet-leading booster making a record 30th trip to space with another successful landing.

Elon Musk's company has two more launches on tap this week to start what could be an even busier September, with Starlink missions planned from Canaveral's SLC-40 on Wednesday during a window that runs from 7:0611:06 a.m., and then Thursday from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39-A during a launch window from 7:1811:18 a.m.

Later this month, Falcon 9 rockets are slated to launch a resupply mission with Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station on Sept. 15 and then a science mission with multiple payloads for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA no earlier than Sept. 23 as well as more Starlink flights.

SpaceX has flown all but four of the 74 orbital launches that have taken off from the Space Coast this year, which is closing in on surpassing the record 93 launches from all companies the region saw in 2024, a milestone that could be met by the end of October.

The pace continues to climb, with 2023 having seen 72 overall launches from Florida. Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees the Eastern Range and supports all rocket launches from the Space Coast, had stated it could support as many as 156 launches a year.

While not expected to hit that mark, SpaceX's increased pace has also been paired with the recent return to a normal flight rate from ULA, which has had three launches so far this year, but plans to fly as many as five more among its remaining Atlas V rockets and growing supply of Vulcans.

Its next mission is on tap for the end of the month, when an Atlas V is targeting a Sept. 25 launch from Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 with 27 satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper, a competitor to SpaceX's Starlink.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin flew the other launch of the three providers that have flown from the Space Coast when it debuted its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket in January. Its next flight could also be at the end of the month, with the company still targeting no earlier than Sept. 29 to fly a pair of spacecraft for NASA to Mars.

SpaceX has also flown 38 operational missions of its Falcon 9 from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base in 2025 as well as four test suborbital missions of its in-development Starship and Super Heavy from its Texas site Starbase, including a successful flight on Sept. 26.

The company is awaiting approval for two Starship launch sites on the Space Coast that could see up to 120 launches a year when fully operational. These would be in addition to maintaining its launch pads for Falcon 9 and the larger Falcon Heavy.

2025 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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A new study by the University of Vienna explains why "fairy circles"circular areas where vegetation is damaged, as seen here in the Sao Francisco Basin in Brazilsubside and how their diameter is related to the depth of the hydrogen source. Credit: Alain Prinzhofer

Natural hydrogen from deep underground could be an important building block for the sustainable energy system of the future, but it is currently still difficult to predict where and at what depth elevated concentrations are located. New study results from the Department of Geology at the University of Vienna could make such predictions easier in the future. So-called "fairy circles"round patches with vegetation damagecould be helpful indicators. This is because these "fairy circles" subside due to the seepage of natural hydrogen.

According to the study, the deeper the hydrogen source underground and the higher its pressure, the larger the "fairy circle" on Earth's surface. The study was recently published in the journal Geology.

In many parts of the worldfrom the East European Craton in Russia to the U.S., Brazil, Namibia and Australiamysterious circular depressions with little or no vegetation can be found on Earth's surface. These so-called "fairy circles" are typically hundreds of meters wide and a few meters deep.

It has only been clear for around ten years that fairy circles emit natural hydrogen and thus indicate underground hydrogen sources. However, it has not yet been possible to explain why they subside and whether their size could also provide clues about the depth or yield of the hydrogen source.

But this is precisely important information for the energy industry: With its almost negligible carbon footprint, natural hydrogen is considered a promising sustainable energy source for the future.

"But before expensive drilling can be carried out, we need to understand how fairy circles form, how large the deposits might be and how deep we need to drill," explains Martin Schopfer from the Department of Geology at the University of Vienna and employee of NiMBUC Geoscience.

A study subsidized by OMV and led by Schopfer has now been able to explain, with the help of geomechanical computer simulations, why Earth's surface subsides in hydrogen-emitting fairy circles. According to the study, the reason for this is the interaction between gas and water flow and the soil (sediment) in a two-phase process.

The mechanical genesis of "fairy circle" depressions. Credit: Geology (2025). DOI: 10.1130/G53384.1

Souffle rises and collapses

The assumption was made that loose sediment, like sand or clay, with its interstices (pores) saturated with groundwater is overlying solid rock. If gashydrogenenters this sedimentary layer at a point source, it partially displaces the water, which then seeps at the surface. Hydrogen also seeps through the ground, and the altered gas mixture could damage vegetation. In addition, Earth's surface is slightly uplifted.

"You could say that the sediment rises like a souffle, but here geomechanical processes are at work, whereas with a souffle it is chemical processes," says Schopfer. When the hydrogen flow then ceases in a second phase, the pressure of the gas-water mixture in the interstices of the sediment decreases, leading to compaction.

"The soil compresses and subsides, similar to a collapsing souffle," describes the geologist.

With the help of these computer simulations, the study investigated the interactions between the depth and gas pressure of the source with the deformation of the sediment. The results were astonishing: the diameters and subsidence depths of the simulated fairy circles correspond almost perfectly to the natural structures discovered in regions such as Russia, Brazil and Australia.

Conceptual block diagram of a hydrogen-emitting fairy circle. The circular shape of many natural fairy circles indicates a point source, i.e. a localized source of hydrogen in the subsurface. Credit: Schopfer et al

The larger the fairy circle, the deeper the hydrogen source

According to this, the diameter and depth of the fairy circles are likely to be directly related to the pressure and the depth of the gas source.

"These findings are a real breakthrough," emphasizes Bernhard Grasemann, deputy head of the Department of Geology. "Fairy circles could thus serve as natural signposts in the future for finding underground hydrogen sourcesa potentially inexhaustible and environmentally friendly energy source."

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Interest from the energy sector and the colors of colorless hydrogen

Gabor Tari, chief geologist at OMV and co-author of the study, explains, "The energy sector's interest in natural hydrogen as a potential new energy source with a negligible carbon footprint is growing, especially in comparison to all other types of artificially produced hydrogen.

"Whiteor golden, i.e. naturaland orange hydrogen in particular are the focus of intensive international research, as they have the potential to become profitable and probably significantly cheaper alternatives to the black, gray, blue, pink and green types of hydrogen currently in use, all of which have a significant carbon footprint. That is why OMV Energy supports basic research such as this to better understand the future potential of this green energy source as part of the energy transition."

However, Schopfer emphasizes that numerous further studies on natural fairy circles are still needed before the results can be applied: "For example, simulations with different soil types or with pulsating gas emissions, but also field studies of the subsurface, which could show that chemical reactions may also dissolve solid material and thus be partly responsible for the subsidence."

More information: Martin P.J. Schopfer et al, The mechanical genesis of "fairy circle" depressions, Geology (2025). DOI: 10.1130/G53384.1 Journal information: Geology
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Maps showing the ICES Divisions featured in our analyses, shaded from low to high number of hauls (a) or bycatch per haul (b, c, d). Scale differs by panel, with cut points between colors as shown in Table S1. The maximum in each panel are as follows: (a) observed hauls: 6006; (b) dolphin bycatch per haul: 0.0106; (c) porpoise bycatch per haul: 0.0274; and (d) seal bycatch per haul: 0.0375. Credit: ICES Journal of Marine Science (2025). DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf146

New research from the University of St Andrews provides important insights into patterns of marine mammal bycatch in UK fisheries.

Published this week in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, researchers analyzed a long-term dataset (19962023) collected under the UK Bycatch Monitoring Program (BMP), to explore patterns in bycatch rates and identify factors associated with marine mammal bycatch in UK static net fisheries.

Bycatch is the accidental capture of unwanted fish or other marine creatures in commercial fishing activity and can impact on a species population status or create practical and economic problems for fishermen.

The results indicate that there are seasonal patterns in bycatch rates for harbor porpoise, common dolphin and seals. Longer term changes in bycatch rates over the time period were also detected. These findings can help refine bycatch estimation procedures which form part of sustainability assessments and also inform the development and introduction of targeted measures to mitigate bycatch. Targeted measures will help ensure bycatch levels do not pose a threat to the long-term viability of affected populations, while simultaneously minimizing impacts on the fishing industry.

Co-author, Dr. Faye Moyes from the University of St Andrews School of Biology, said, "This research was prompted by discussions with staff at the University, including the late Professor Simon Northridge, and provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of marine mammal bycatch in UK waters. The results highlight the importance of long-term monitoring programs to help support evidenced based fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in the UK and beyond."

Another finding from the work suggests that current efforts to reduce small cetacean bycatch using a particular model of acoustic deterrent device (ADD or "pinger") in some fisheries, is reducing harbor porpoise bycatch rates significantly but may be increasing seal bycatch.

Co-author and BMP coordinator Al Kingston, senior research fellow from the School of Biology, said, "This unwelcome finding with regard to seal bycatch highlights the complexity of bycatch management and mitigation, but will now help steer further research and development efforts to ensure that measures designed to reduce the bycatch of one species do not simply create another problem, while also remaining practical and cost-effective for industry to implement."

The BMP, one of the largest and most comprehensive bycatch data collection programs in the North Atlantic, was launched in 1996. Today the program is run by the University of St Andrews in partnership with other academic and government marine scientists, and national fishing industry organizations.

Al Kingston added, "the longevity and ongoing expansion of the BMP is testament to Professor Northridge's philosophy of working collaboratively with the fishing industry to continually improve understanding of the wider impacts of fishing activity on the marine environment to support the development of truly sustainable, productive, profitable and safe fisheries that will help ensure future food security for the UK."

More information: Faye Moyes et al, Factors associated with bycatch of marine mammals in United Kingdom static net fisheries, ICES Journal of Marine Science (2025). DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf146
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Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic of the Solnhofen  Archipelago, collection Eller 907 from Schernfeld Credit: M. Ebert in Caudal fins of Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s13358-025-00383-4

In a recent study, a research team led by Martin Ebert from the Ludwig Maximilian University and Adriana Lopez-Arbarello from the Unidad Ejecutora Lillo examined fossil fish specimens of the family Caturidae housed in various museums and institutes to identify a new species.

Caturoids are an extinct, fast-swimming predatory fish of medium size (1040 cm) known to have had their largest geographic distribution in the Jurassic, with 14 known species having lived then. They eventually went extinct in the Lower Cretaceous, from which only three species are known.

In their study published in the Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, Ebert and Lopez-Arbarello aimed to study the morphology and taxonomy of Caturidae.

They were ultimately able to determine that 33 of the analyzed fossils belonged to a new species of Caturus, collected in the Upper Jurassic Plattenkalk basins of the Solenhofen Archipelago in Bavaria, Germany, and from the Nusplingen Plattenkalk of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

The new species is called Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov., which combines the Greek word for notch  (enkopi) and the word caudalis in reference to its caudal fin (tail fin), features which are remarkably unique in the new species.

At first sight, Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov differs from other Caturidae by the peculiar shape of the caudal fin as well as the high number of scale rows.

The caudal fin, unlike other Caturus species, was large and forked with a distinctive 'double emarginate' shape with a central plateau. The two unusual notches create a stepped profile unlike the typical forked tails of other Caturus species.

The central plateau is typically made up of three, in one case, four, short and broad central rays.

Caudal fins of Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov. Credit: Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s13358-025-00383-4

Exactly how this unique tail may have helped the new Caturus species is unclear, Prof. David Bellwood, a colleague of Ebert, speculates, "I suspect it was an evolutionary innovation that did not stand the test of time.

"There are two-tailed deformities but I suspect yours is naturalI can see of no huge advantageit would help sudden acceleration by decreasing the aspect ratio and thus increasing thrustbut it would come at the expense of losing the energetic benefits of the forked caudal.

"I would guess either a) the plesiomorphic condition for the lineage is forked and that this species had a new prey/location that needed more burst acceleration or b) it was just a spontaneous maladaptation that this species could cope with for a while."

The second distinctive features that differentiate Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov from other species at first sight are the high number of scale rows and the thick ganoid scales covering the back half of the caudal fin rays.

Typically, Caturus species exhibit between 51 and 56 scale rows counted from the "shoulder" to the back fin. However, Caturus enkopicaudalis sp. nov has a total of 9199 rows. These scales are relatively small and smooth with straight back edges and no discernible patterns on their surfaces.

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It is likely that the high number of scales per row and scale rows can be attributed to their small size. Additionally, it is the only Caturus species from the Upper Jurassic with unordered ganoin scales.

Many of its other features are characteristic of caturids, including an extremely slender and rod-like maxilla (upper jaw), which is typical of caturids. It bore 33 small pointed teeth while the dentary (lower jaw) had 25, with two being three times longer than the maxillary teeth. This makes its teeth typically larger and broader than those of other caturids.

Its gular plate (a ventral bony plate between the dentary in some primitive fish), however, is among the widest of all caturids.

The discovery adds to the known remarkable diversity that the Caturus species exhibited during the Jurassic. Further research will likely identify many new fish species, including caturids, aiding us in our understanding of early marine life.

Written for you by our author Sandee Oster, edited by Sadie Harley, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.

More information: Martin Ebert et al, A new species of the genus Caturus (Caturidae, Amiiformes) from the Upper Jurassic of the Solnhofen Archipelago (Germany), Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s13358-025-00383-4

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Extremely low chlorophyll concentrations in the oceans around Panama (blue = low, red = high) in February 2025, revealing the failure of the 2025 upwelling in the Gulf of Panamafor the first time in at least 40 years. Credit: Aaron O'Dea

The natural phenomenon of upwelling, which occurs annually in the Gulf of Panama, failed for the first time on record in 2025. A study led by scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) indicates that the weakening of the trade winds was the cause of this event. This finding highlights the climate's impact on fundamental oceanic processes and the coastal communities that depend on them.

During the dry season in Central America (generally between December and April), northern trade winds generate upwelling events in the ocean waters of the Gulf of Panama. Upwelling is a process that allows cold, nutrient-rich waters from the depths of the ocean to rise to the surface. This dynamic supports highly productive fisheries and helps protect coral reefs from thermal stress. Thanks to this movement of water, the sea along Panama's Pacific beaches remains cooler during the "summer" vacation season.

Scientists from STRI have studied this phenomenon and their records show that this seasonal upwelling, which occurs from January to April, has been a consistent and predictable feature of the gulf for at least 40 years. However, researchers recently recorded that in 2025, this vital oceanographic process did not occur for the first time. As a result, the typical drops in temperature and spikes in productivity during this time of year were diminished.

In the recently published article in the journal PNAS, scientists suggest that a significant reduction in wind patterns was the cause of this unprecedented event, revealing how climate disruption can quickly alter fundamental oceanic processes that have sustained coastal fishing communities for thousands of years. Still, further research is needed to determine a more precise cause and its potential consequences for fisheries.

Upwelling events support highly productive fisheries and help protect coral reefs from thermal stress. Credit: Natasha Hinojosa

Chlorophyll concentrations in the oceans around Panama (blue = low, red = high) in February 2024, showing peak productivity in the Gulf of Panama during a period of typical upwelling. Credit: Aaron O'Dea

The S/Y Eugen Seibold research vessel characterizes ocean and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific Ocean thanks to a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and STRI. Credit: Steven Paton

Andrew Sellers taking samples during an expedition with the S/Y Eugen Seibold. The S/Y Eugen Seibold research vessel characterizes ocean and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific Ocean thanks to a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and STRI. Credit: Steven Paton

This finding highlights the growing vulnerability of tropical upwelling systems, which, despite their enormous ecological and socioeconomic importance, remain poorly monitored. It also underscores the urgency of strengthening ocean-climate observation and prediction capabilities in the planet's tropical regions.

This result marks one of the first major outcomes of the collaboration between the S/Y Eugen Seibold research vessel from the Max Planck Institute and STRI.
Authorities make arrest after allegations of sexual assault against a Cozumel minor

Cozumel, Q.R.  State officials have announced an arrest after allegations of sexual abuse against a minor. In a statement, the State Attorney Generals Office reported, in close collaboration with the Mexican Army, Air Force, National Guard and Cozumel City Council, they arrested Jairo N, for his possible involvement in events after allegations of possible acts of sexual abuse against a minor female victim.

The young girl was selling food on a public street in central Cozumel Saturday when she notified her family she was being followed. Police said at some point, the subject approached the victim.

Public details surrounding the Saturday incident have been limited, however, they did confirm the victim was in the Centro neighborhood selling fried foods.

According to the investigation by the Investigative Police, at some point the subject approached the victim, who subsequently notified her family that she was being followed.

The minor received prompt medical attention and underwent appropriate testing to determine the type of injury committed. Support from agencies such as the DIF System and the Geavig (National Institute of Trafficking and Immigration) is also being provided to monitor the victim, they said.

Jairo N was arrested and placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutors Office.

On Saturday, a girl of around nine was reportedly sexually assaulted by a man she identified as a soldier. When news became public, angry residents protested outside the islands military base, breaking windows and setting fires to the facade of the building. Authorities have not said what charges could be laid against the accused, Jairo N.
Over 55 tons of sargassum cleared from islands Playa Chumul in latest seaweed roundup

Cozumel, Q.R.  More than 55 tons of sargassum was collected from a Cozumel beach Saturday. It was the third mass sargassum beach clean organized by the municipality so far this season.

Personnel from the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) organized the event where 500 people cleared over 55 tons of washed up seaweed. Cozumel Mayor Chacon Mendez thanked public servants, civil associations and Marines from the National Secretariat of the Navy for their participation.

Irwin Javier Batun Alpuche, the Director of Zofemat Cozumel, explained that the operation is part of the work plan implemented since the start of the current administration, which prioritizes maintaining the islands coastal strip in optimal condition.

He explained that the areas with the highest concentration of sargassum are located on the eastern coast, and on this occasion, the Playa Chumul lookout point was cleared.

Sargassum is piled onto homemade stretchers and walked up a sand embankment to a waiting truck for removal.

The collected material is transported to a collection center in the south of the island where it is dried and then safely re-entered into the environment, ensuring responsible management of the natural waste.

He said the municipality affirms its commitment to environmental protection and public health, ensuring that Cozumels beaches continue to be one of Mexicos top tourist attractions and a source of pride for the local community.
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!

Dear How to Do It,

Im a 22-year-old cis straight guy and I recently tried ass play for the very first time. Nothing crazyI just put a finger in my ass while I masturbated. It was a super spur of the moment thing because of how horny I was. My girlfriend is very excited to explore more, as I have previously turned down her requests for anal play. Our sex life is pretty kinky and I am the dominant partner and dont enjoy switching. To me anal play feels more submissive. Do you have any ideas on how to explore anal for me well staying in the dominant role I enjoy?

Anal Explorer

Dear Anal Explorer,

There are certainly ways to assert your dominance while also having your ass played with. You can employ the same attitude and/or verbal vibe that you do to getting head or having intercourse. You can dirty talk and instruct. You can try face-sitting if your girlfriend is down. Getting your ass played with feels more submissive to you likely because assplay has long been considered gay within culture, but it certainly doesnt have to be. Like anything, its about your approach. Youre straight so presumably unfamiliar with gay porn, but even within gay interactions, you should know that bottoming is not an inherently feminine or even submissive activity. There are plenty of guys out there who bottom with their testosterone surgingthey are masculine and bossy, even.

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Integrating butt stuff into your sex life with your girlfriend could be a lot of fun, but you should definitely continue to explore on your own to really figure out what youre into and/or want to try. Knowing what you want will make it easier to command it, and will give you ideas on how to incorporate dominance into the anal play you like.

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That said, theres a bigger issue here: you are at risk of confining yourself because of the role you have adopted. Theres nothing wrong with these kind of self-designated labels  until they find us refraining from pleasure because it doesnt fit into our view of what said label entails. What a waste it would be to discover that you love anal play but shy away from it because it doesnt scream dominant to you. I think the highest court here is enjoyment and when you encounter something that you enjoy ethically with willing partners, you should do it. You are 22. It is time to learn, unlearn, and relearn things about yourself. You owe it to your body to love what you do, much more than adhere to a set of rules based on your self-designated role. Obsessing on the latter instead of embracing the former is ultimately self-defeating in the service of self-defining.

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Get advicesubmit a question! Please keep questions short (<150 words), and dont submit the same question to multiple columns. We are unable to edit or remove questions after publication. Use pseudonyms to maintain anonymity. Your submission may be used in other Slate advice columns and may be edited for publication. Thanks! Your question has been submitted. Dear How to Do It, * Your letter signoff Your pronouns Your email (optional and confidentialplease include if you're open to How to Do It following up) Submit

Dear How to Do It,

I am a 62-year-old woman who discovered BDSM a little over a decade ago and fell in love with it. However, virtually all the men in my age range whom I have been out with are not only not into it, they practically recoil when I bring it up. I want very much to find a partner who is from my generation and also shares my tastes in the bedroom, but Im starting to worry that may not happen. Is there any way to broach my kink with guys my age without causing them to freak out, or will I perhaps need to face the possibility that I may have to give it up if I want to find a significant other?

Mature Lover of Bondage

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Dear Mature Lover of Bondage,

Youre finding potential partners from the general population and asking them about their interest in BDSM. Try it the other way. Look specifically for people who are into BDSM and see if they are also romantic prospects. Find them online via kink-friendly sites/apps like Fetlife and Feeld. There are even some subreddits you could check out. You could also visit your local BDSM club.

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Bridging the gap between sex/BDSM partner and romantic partner may be difficult with someone you are specifically meeting for play. This is what queer guys go through on Grindr, Sniffies, etc., all the time. Some people feel that connecting first on a sexual level sets the tone of the relationship, so that actual romance is impossible. This isnt so, but it is wise to manage your expectations. Dont go into a scene dreaming that your next husband is holding the paddle (or whatever youre into); but do treat your partner like a person with whom intimate connection is possible.

At the same time, keep trying to meet men the way you have been. I dont mean to dissuade you from your path, but to encourage you to diversify the turns taken. When you are introducing this topic to men that you meet outside of a hook-up/play context, start slowly. People might be intimidated by the concept of BDSM, especially if they dont know very much about it, but some may find the term kinky a bit more approachable. It can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. If you refer to yourself as kinky and then describe your specific interests, you may do a better job of opening them up. There will be people who arent interested and thats fine; they can filter themselves out. Stay upbeat and focused on your mission; there are many men out there with whom you will be compatible, its just a matter of finding them.

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Send Us Your Questions About the Workplace!

The columnists behind our advice column, Good Job, want to help you navigate your social dynamics at work. Does your colleague constantly bug you after hours? Has an ill-advised work romance gone awry? Ask us your question here!

Dear How to Do It,

I am an intersex person, although I present as male. There have been more than a few instances where the time has come for intimacy in the bedroom and my partner has literally freaked out and bailed. Can you give me some advice on how to explain my situation to potential partners?

Not the Best of Both Worlds

Dear Not the Best of Both Worlds,

Though your experiences with rejection sound isolating, you are not alone. The most common estimate of intersex prevalence is that somewhere around 1.7 percent of the population has an intersex trait and that 0.5 percent of the population have clinically identifiable sexual/reproductive variationsthe latter group with visible variations would then comprise 1.7. million people in the U.S. alone. Thats so many people, and yet differences of sex development (DSD) continue to be misunderstood. Furthermore, disclosing ones intersex status is a documented hurdle, particularly as it applies to dating. So many people have been and are going through what you are.

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There are people out there who just wont get it, as you know too well. To brace yourself, decide which is worse: Outright dismissal if you disclose early, before sex even is on the table, or rejection after getting to know someone who still cant handle your biological reality. The former may be something that you can take less personallysomeone who would reject you upfront hasnt gotten to know you. Youre just a pile of parts to them. Being this upfront regarding your situation makes sense in the context of a hook-up app, where pictures of genitals or discussion of them is routine. The advantage of disclosing later, though, is that some may find you harder to reject once they have gotten to know you and perhaps care about you. But if they do reject you, it could make the experience even more painful. The choices here are tough.

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Once you decide on timing, your vibe will be crucial. In her 2017 video, HOW TO TELL SOMEONE YOURE INTERSEX!, intersex activist Emily Quinn suggests keeping things chill and breezy: It doesnt have to be this emotional event. I would keep things simple: Heres what to expect from my parts. None of this guarantees acceptance, unfortunately, but at least you can set a tone that will hopefully be matched and mitigate drama. Quinn also suggests showing people media to help explain yourself. Depending on how much time they have, I recommend the 2023 doc Every Body, which is a thorough and compassionate exploration of what it means to be intersex and political advocacy around the condition.

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Being OK with yourself is going to go a long way here. One study found that disclosure became increasingly easy with age, as one presumably gets used to being intersex and talking about it. I urge you to find community with other intersex people. You may also want to seek out partners in the broader queer population. Again, no guarantees, but queer people as a whole tend to be more open-minded regarding variation. Keep your head up. I wholeheartedly agree with what Quinn says in the video I linked to above: Somebodys going to love you for who you are  and you want somebody who can love this part of you, too.

Rich

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More Advice From Slate

I am one of those very lucky older women who still really enjoys sex and has multiple orgasms almost every time. But Ive started to notice some changes in my preferences as Ive aged. The main one is that Im pretty turned off by the way my husband kisses me about a third of the time. Its all tongue and no lips and its pretty terrible. The other night, he did it right when I was about to come, and it threw me off. I wanted to send a message, so I bit his tongue really hard. I know I should talk to him about this, but Im not sure what to say!
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A new movie about Nazi leader Hermann Gorings war-crimes trial will shine a spotlight on the Nuremberg service of legendary Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jacksonand, in doing so, on the Supreme Courts calamitous presidential immunity decision last year.

The movie Nuremberg will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 7, with Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon playing Jackson. Jackson served as chief U.S. prosecutor at Nuremberg for the trial of Goring and other Nazis. He spearheaded a historic vindication of the rule of law in response to horrendous atrocities.

Appreciating Jacksons role at Nuremberg highlights an important and underappreciated problem in the Supreme Courts presidential immunity decision. Chief Justice John Roberts majority opinion wraps itself in the authority and aura of Jackson, a revered justice invoked by Supreme Court nominees ranging from Roberts to Elena Kagan in their confirmation hearings. But Roberts opinion is a severe distortion of Jacksons legacyand, indeed, it is no overstatement to say that it is a desecration of Jacksons memory and his heroic service as Nuremberg prosecutor.

Roberts opinion relies heavily on Jacksons seminal concurrence in the 1952 steel seizure case, in which the court struck down President Trumans seizure of steel mills during the Korean War. Jacksons concurrence is a linchpin of Roberts analysis, cited or quoted 10 times. But the courts immunity analysis could not be further from what Jackson stood for on the rule of law, especially in his Nuremberg service.

The immunity decision creates a broad new swath of absolute presidential immunity for what it deems core presidential powers. This immunity applies even when statutes passed by Congress and signed by a president make it a crime to engage in the presidential conduct at issue. Thus, according to an example in the courts opinion, Trumps alleged conversations with Justice Department officials to fraudulently overturn a free and fair electionone of the gravest possible crimes in a constitutional democracywere shielded by absolute immunity as core official acts, no matter how corrupt.

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Even beyond core presidential powers, said the court, other official acts by the president are at least presumptively immune, and a prosecutor bears an enormous burden in overcoming that presumption. The court put Trumps alleged attempts to have Vice President Mike Pence criminally rig the Electoral College vote in this protected category.

Purely private conduct, the court ruled, could be prosecuted. But in a final judicial coup de grace, no evidence of official acts may be introduced in such prosecutionsagain, no matter how corrupt the official acts. And, unlike the first two categories, the court refused to provide any examples from Trumps indictment in this permitted category, even though Trumps lawyer had conceded the point.

Jacksons steel seizure case concurrence has long been an influential touchstone for presidential power analysis, with its creation of a three-part structure. When Congress and the president act in concert, the presidents power is at its zenith. When the president acts and Congress is silent, the presidents power is in an uncertain zone of twilight. And when the presidents acts conflict with a congressional enactment, his power is at its lowest ebb.

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As professors Kate Shaw and Kim Lane Scheppele have detailed, the courts immunity opinion fundamentally misconstrues Jacksons structure. In Jacksons framework, the presidents authority to take actions conflicting with a congressionally enacted law is very limited, with the presidents power at its nadir. Presidential claims in this category must be scrutinized with caution, warned Jackson, for what is at stake is the equilibrium established by our constitutional system.

But, in sharp contrast, last years immunity decision confers, as a general rule, immunity (absolute or presumptive) for all of a presidents official acts even if they violate the law. In Roberts approach, the only exception to presidential immunitythe only time when a president can be held accountable for breaking the law and committing a crimeis when official acts are not involved.

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The presidential immunity decision thus becomes the presidential impunity decision. The court flips Jacksons structure on its head.

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When Jacksons Nuremberg service is considered, the conflict between the courts decision and Jacksons perspective is particularly stark and vivid. The very premise of Jacksons Nuremberg prosecutions was that, no matter how official the actions, war crimes could not be countenanced, evenor especiallyat the highest levels of government.

In the immunity case, Trumps lawyer refused to disavow the proposition that a presidential order to Seal Team Six to assassinate a political rival would be immune and protected. The Supreme Court majoritys only response was to dismiss the dissenters reference to it as fearmongering and an extreme hypothetical. But, whether extreme or not, presidential immunity for such an abhorrent act is far from illusory. It appears to be plainly covered by the majoritys opinion as an official presidential order to the military (a core constitutional power if ever there was one).

It seems clear that Robert Jackson, the justice who fought so valiantly for accountability for war crimes, would have been appalled by such an approach. Invoking Robert Jackson for a ruling that would confer immunity on a presidents deliberate order of atrocious war crimes dishonors Jacksons memory and is an affront to his legacy. His Nuremberg service deserves better.
Xi, Modi agree China, India are partners instead of rivals

Xinhua) 21:08, August 31, 2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Sunday, agreeing that China and India are partners, not rivals.

The meeting of the leaders of the world's two most populous countries took place ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in north China's port city of Tianjin from Sunday to Monday.

Xi told Modi that China and India are each other's development opportunities rather than threats.

As long as the two countries keep to this overarching direction, specific matters in the bilateral relations will fall into place and there will be steady and sustained progress in bilateral ties, Xi said.

He said China and India are important members of the Global South, and shoulder the crucial responsibility of improving the well-being of the two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and advancing the progress of human society.

They should become good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed. A "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" should be the right choice for the two countries, he added.

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic ties, Xi said the two countries need to view and handle the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective.

While the successful meeting between Xi and Modi in Kazan last year enabled the China-India relations to have a reset and start anew, the two sides should pursue a further improvement of ties from the Tianjin meeting onward, according to the Chinese president.

Xi called on the two countries to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win, accommodate each other's concerns and get along in peace and harmony, and strengthen multilateral coordination to safeguard shared interests.

The two Asian neighbors should combine their strength to maintain peace and tranquility in their border regions, and should not allow the boundary question to define the overall China-India relations, Xi said.

Xi called on the two countries to work together for a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations, and to make due contributions to peace and prosperity in Asia and the wider world.

Modi said since his meeting with Xi in Kazan last year, the bilateral relationship has been back on a positive trajectory, peace and stability in the border regions have been maintained, and direct flights are about to be resumed.

Noting that India and China are partners, not rivals, and the consensus between the two countries far outweighs their disagreement, Modi said India is ready to view and develop bilateral ties from a long-term perspective.

Given the great uncertainties in the world economy, it is vital for India and China to strengthen cooperation as important economies of the world, Modi said.

India is prepared to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question with China, he said.

Both countries pursue strategic autonomy and an independent foreign policy, and their bilateral relationship is not subject to the influence of any third party, said the Indian prime minister, adding that India-China cooperation will make the 21st century a genuine "Asian century."

Senior Chinese officials Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Chen Min'er were present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liu Ning)
This article originally ran in Street Sense Media and is reprinted here with permission.

In a move that sent shock waves through city residents, particularly service providers and those experiencing homelessness, President Donald Trump federalized D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to D.C. on Aug. 11.

In his announcement, Trump, who has frequently linked crime and homelessness, framed unsheltered homelessness and encampments as part of the citys alleged crime problem. He directed law enforcement to remove tents and threatened to remove people experiencing homelessness from the city.

Over the following days, outreach workers scrambled to help people find safe places to sleep, putting them up in hotels or moving them into shelters, while fear, uncertainty, and frustration grew.

Youre breaking peoples lives, and dreams, and their livelihoods. Youre messing peoples livelihoods up, Temitope Ibijemilusi, who often sleeps downtown, said after law enforcement made him move his belongings. Youre causing more problems, causing more anxiety.

In total, Street Sense has confirmed that at least 20 people have been displaced from eight encampments through federally driven closures. Law enforcement told many more people to move from public spaces where people experiencing homelessness often congregate. Closures have largely been led by law enforcement officers rather than the citys normal outreach teams.

Though White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said 48 encampments have been closed since Aug. 11, Street Sense has not been able to confirm closures at more than eight unique sites across the District. The White House did not provide a list of closed sites or sites it intends to close.

Data from the city, meanwhile, suggests the number of people living in encampments did not meaningfully decrease over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, dozens of people living outside reported harassment, fear, or uncertainty stemming from federal actions and rhetoric. Though the Trump administration threatened the criminalization of camping, panhandling, or sleeping outside, publicly available local arrest data and data provided by the White House do not yet show any arrests with those charges.

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In response to the crackdown, the city opened more than 100 additional shelter beds, according to the D.C. Department of Human Services, and is prepared to open more if needed. A second noncongregate shelter will open in the next few months, providing additional beds, and the city will put more money toward its homelessness diversion program.

But not everyone feels safe going into sheltersKevin, who sleeps outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library downtown, said he finds the facilities overcrowded, and he worries about getting sick. So instead, he sleeps outside. These days, he feels particularly vulnerable to law enforcement.

We already know whats going on, Kevin told Street Sense on Aug. 19, sitting outside MLK as the sun set. I dont know when, sooner or later, but they gonna come. They gonna come.

The Flashpoint

On the night of Aug. 14, faced with FBI agents and a swarm of press, Meghann Abraham decided she was going to stand in front of her tent, cross her arms, and face the onslaught. She knew she wasnt doing anything wrongno matter what the president of the United States might say.

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Being homeless is not a crime, she told Street Sense a few hours before. Were not drug addicts. Were not criminals. We dont have guns or nothing. Were just trying to live.

Abraham, whos 34 years old, recently earned an associates degree from the College of Southern Maryland in the applied science of Homeland Security. Shed like to work for FEMA someday, helping people in crisis. After moving from the MLK Library, she lived with her boyfriend in a tent on the edge of Washington Circle for the past couple of months.

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On Aug. 14, whispers began that federal agents would start closing D.C.s encampments. Late that afternoon, the city placed stickers on several tents in Washington Circle, notifying residents the encampment would be closed four days later, on Aug. 18. At the time, outreach workers and local officials said they did not know what locations federal agents would be targeting. They learned the plans only shortly before the FBI arrived.

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Just after 9 p.m., at least 12 FBI agents arrived at Washington Circle, intending to remove several tents, including Abrahams.

When agents approached Abraham, she showed them the sticker from the city. With the support of legal advocates, she argued she had the right to stay until Aug. 18. Agents eventually left, and though they returned once more, they were seemingly deterred by the sticker. That night, they closed neither Abrahams encampment nor the four nearby ones they told city officials theyd be visiting.

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But the FBI agents departure that night was a brief reprieve. Local law enforcement returned to Abrahams encampment, as well as several others, the next morning, closing them on the orders of the federal government.

Officers were first spotted near the citys Downtown Day Services Center, where many people experiencing homelessness go to get meals, showers, IDs, and other assistance. Residents and outreach workers said officers threw away some of the belongings of people in the area. Staff for nearby programs tried to keep people inside to make sure they stayed safe, accompanying clients outside to keep watch on them during their smoke breaks.

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Ibijemilusi just recently began living outside the center, after the person he had been staying with passed away. He told Street Sense that law enforcement told him to break down his tent and discarded some other peoples possessions.

A lot of people lost their things today, Ibijemilusi said.

MPD then went to the tents near Washington Circle and told Abraham she had to move or risk arrest. Her boyfriend was at work at the time. MPD also threw away the tents and belongings of other encampment residents, even as Abraham scrambled to get in touch with them.

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They were [asking] is this trash? Is this trash? And I was, like, none of my stuff is trash. I have all these things because I want to own them, Abraham told Street Sense reporters who arrived as the forced displacement was underway. But then its me trying to advocate for myself against 20 police officers.

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MPD then headed down the street to 26th and L, where officers removed three tents, displacing at least one resident. Next, MPD officers headed downtown to a structure near 15th and G streets and removed the structure. It did not appear that a resident was present.

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In total, officers cleared at least 11 tents on Aug. 15most thrown into a Department of Public Works truck that accompanied law enforcement. The effort was led and conducted by MPD, rather than federal law enforcement. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, which normally runs encampment closures and clearings in the city, was not involved in the closures, according to a statement from the agency. Street Sense also did not observe the usual presence of city social support agencies at any of these closures, other than two DHS officials at 15th and G Street.

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The District had a scheduled engagement to close the site at Washington Circle on August 18, a DMHHS spokesperson wrote that afternoon. However, today, federal officials chose execute the closure at the site and several others.

Jim Malec, an Advisory Neighborhood Commission commissioner for the area, said he was angry MPD closed the encampment early, and concerned about the city governments possible compliance with Trumps directives.

To promise these people a Monday deadline and then destroy their property three days early is simply cruel, and we must ensure that whomever is responsible for this decision is held accountable, Malec wrote in a statement to Street Sense.

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When Street Sense called Abraham a few days later and asked her about the closure, she described the experience as violating.

The most recent federally driven encampment closure Street Sense identified was on Aug. 18, when MPD officers again visited the area by the citys Downtown Day Service Center. Officers stood outside the center for about an hour as outreach workers and day center staff helped people leave the area. Despite fears that U.S. marshals would be on the scene, the engagement was conducted by local police and DMHHS.

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A DMHHS official on site told Street Sense the clearing was a White House-mandated engagement.

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One man, who gave his name as Willie Nelson, said he was waiting outside the center in hopes of getting an ID. The center distributes IDs only on Thursdays, and has a limited number each week, so Nelson said he was sleeping nearby until then, hoping to beat the rush.

Ill be the first in line, he said.

The State of Encampments

D.C. is made up of a mix of local and federal land. Under normal circumstances, those boundaries dictate if encampments are closed and which authorities lead the closure.

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Encampments on federal land, such as the C&O Canal, Rock Creek Park, and green space near monuments and federal buildings, are cleared at the discretion of the National Park Service. NPS and its associated law enforcement, Park Police, began reinforcing camping bans in May 2024. They accelerated in March, after Trump issued an executive order to make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful.

Between March and early August, the agency cleared 70 encampments, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said at an Aug. 11 press conference. At the start of the federalization, two encampments remained on federal land, Leavitt said at an Aug. 12 press conference.

The city has its own process to respond to encampments on local land, using a team from DMHHS to track, conduct outreach with, and sometimes close encampments. The city has closed at least 60 encampments since the beginning of the year, according to data compiled by Street Sense. According to DMHHS, as of the start of Trumps takeover, there were 62 encampments in the city. About 100 people lived in them, though far more people sleep outside on any given night; at least 800, according to the most recent count.

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Trumps federalization upended the normal encampment process. His oversight of the local police (which, even when limited, means the federal government has discretion over how police interact with encampments) turned MPD officers into encampment teams as part of his bid to remove the drugged-out maniacs and homeless people he says have taken over the city.

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This is his issue, seeing homeless encampmentsit just triggers something in him, Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a live community chat streamed on X Aug. 12.

The city was the first to begin unscheduled and expedited encampment closures, visiting spots near the Kennedy Center on Aug. 13 to inform residents they should move their tents over the next day. (Trump was at the Kennedy Center the same day.)

On Aug. 14, the city closed the encampment that had initially drawn Trumps ire in a Truth Social post, in which he accompanied photos of tents along the interstate with the sentiment The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. Under D.C. protocol, the closure was an immediate disposition, an encampment closure in which residents only have 24 hours notice as opposed to the standard 7 days, making this closure comparably hurried.

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Rachel Pierre, the interim head of DHS, said the closure was a response to the August executive order and that other sites could be closed in the coming days. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage and other city officials suggested the city was more qualified to close encampments. While trying to stay ahead of federal closures, officials emphasized they had more services to offer residents.

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Closing encampments is a very, very complex process; you are dealing with human beings who, in many cases, have been marginalized, their lives are being disrupted, Turnage told reporters on Aug. 14. We felt that if the site was going to be closed, because it was a sizable site, we should do it ourselves, he said, referring to the seven-tent encampment along the interstate.

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City outreach workers had been in the area since Trumps Truth Social post, working with encampment residents, who were on high alert if they had not already moved. One man, G, told Street Sense on Aug. 11 that he was planning to move that day because of the attention the encampment began receiving.

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Another, George Morgan, said he was hopeful Trump and Bowser could come to an agreement. He said he was interested in moving into one of the shelter spots the city had recently opened. But to do so, he would have to leave behind Blue, his beloved dog; the citys shelters dont accept pets.

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Despite Morgans hopes, the Aug. 14 closure went forward. At least one resident accepted an offer to move into shelter, and outreach workers offered phones, storage, and hotel rooms to other residents.

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As the city began the closure, about 12 protestors arrived, standing in the center of the encampment. Protestors held signs reading being poor is not a crime and being unhoused is not a crime.

One protestor, Rev. Ben Roberts, came from Foundry United Methodist Church, which helps low-income people and those experiencing homelessness navigate the ID application process.

The only way that we end homelessness is to house people. If youre housed, you are not homeless, Roberts said, So we need to put our resources and our leadership into making sure that that is whats happening, versus this gigantic game of whack-a-mole that only prolongs the problem.

This is a common refrain from advocates; while encampment closures can make homelessness less visible, they dont directly move people into housing. While some people have moved into shelter in the last few weeks (though there is no specific number available), the closures have not been coupled with new federal resources to bring any of them closer to permanent housing.

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Rather, many people seem to be shuffling around. David Beatty said he lived at the encampment near the interstate for about six months, moving there after another encampment closure. He and another resident were considering moving somewhere in Virginia, where he had lived before, but he was worried about the distance. He has tendonitis, he said, so it can be hard and painful to walk sometimes.

I dont know how far a walk that is, Beatty said.

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Where Are People Going?

In total, since Trumps takeover began, Street Sense has recorded the removal of at least 20 tents and the displacement of at least 20 people in encampment clearingsthough that number is probably much higher if clearings of people without tents are factored in.

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According to DMHHS, after two weeks of federalization, there were still 68 encampments in the city, with just over 100 residents. The numbers, which are strikingly similar to what the agency reported on Aug. 11, suggest that rather than moving into housing or shelter, most people are just moving around, likely to harder-to-reach places.

There has been a slight uptick in people accepting shelter, according to street outreach workers and the people experiencing homelessness Street Sense has surveyed, but the city did not provide numbers to confirm how many more people have entered shelter in recent weeks. Some people have also temporarily moved into hotels with the help of community groups, though they may not be able to stay long due to limited resources.

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Street Sense has also spoken with a couple of people who have chosen to move to either Virginia or Maryland. Last week, local officials in neighboring jurisdictions said they worried about seeing an influx of people if they fled D.C.

Thus far, Hilary Chapman, the housing program manager at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which coordinates the local Point-In-Time Count, said surrounding jurisdictions havent seen a significant increase in people experiencing homelessness, though it could be too soon to tell.

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Rather than leave, street outreach providers say most of their clients have chosen to seek new and more hidden spots to spend their time.

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Edward Wycliff, director of strategic partnerships and community navigation at District Bridges, said his organizations teams typically see between five and 20 clients in a single outreach session. Now, its down to one or two.

His experience aligns with the informal surveys Street Sense reporters have conducted with people experiencing homelessness. After speaking with nearly 70 people over the past two weeks, Street Sense found most people said they tried to avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement as much as possible. People listed a variety of tactics, including avoiding sleeping in exposed places, walking around at night instead of sleeping, and spending more time at drop-in centers. They also said they tried to act stiffer or not draw attention to themselves when they see officers patrolling.

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There are people making themselves scarce, Wycliff said. Its been harder for outreach workers to find clients in the past few weeks, he said, which also makes it harder for people to access resources.

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They are responding to this moment with this oppressive situation where people are hunting for you, Wycliff said. It makes it hard for the person who is looking for you for something supportive to try to locate you.

Fear on the Street

Since the announcement, theres been an air of fear among advocates, outreach staff, and people sleeping outside about whether this would be a turning point in D.C.s criminalization of homelessness. While camping, aggressive panhandling, and other actions are currently illegal in D.C., MPD generally does not make arrests for these offenses, though some encampment residents have been arrested at federal closures or involuntarily hospitalized.

In a press conference on Aug. 12, Leavitt said MPD would begin reinforcing laws against camping, and people experiencing homelessness will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, could be fined or arrested.

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According to a White House official and public local and federal arrest reports, law enforcement has not made any arrests for homelessness. Street Sense has also not been able to identify any arrests. But, the official said, MPD will begin enforcing local laws against being in public spaces soon. These local laws include D.C. Code 22-1307, which prohibits individuals from crowding or obstructing streets, sidewalks, building entrances, or other passageways, and D.C. Municipal Regulation 24-100, which prohibits the unauthorized use of public space.

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Its unclear how the general surge in law enforcement has impacted people experiencing homelessness, who may be more vulnerable to being charged with some crimes. At least five people who are experiencing homelessness have been arrested since Aug. 11, but all on charges not explicitly related to homelessness.

For instance, law enforcement has emphasized arrests for quality-of-life crimes, which include things like consuming alcohol or marijuana in public. These kinds of arrests disproportionately target people experiencing homelessness because, by definition, the offense must take place in public, which is where people experiencing homelessness spend more of their time.

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The D.C. Hospital Association has also not reported a spike in involuntary hospitalizations as of Aug. 20. In the lead-up to the takeover, the Office of the D.C. Attorney General emailed area hospitals warning them of a spike in involuntary hospitalizations as federal agents fanned out into the city.

Of the over 70 people Street Sense reporters have surveyed in the last two weeks, most say law enforcement interactions have been inconsistent. Many people did not report increased interactions with law enforcement, but others were asked to show ID or told to move.

For example, Street Sense spoke with a pair of friends who said early on Aug. 13, Secret Service agents woke them and told them they could no longer sleep in Franklin Park. Another man said his friend, who regularly panhandles on a busy street, has been missing since the takeover began.

Related From Slate This Does Not Seem Like the Best Way to Respond to Trumps National Guard Deployments Read More

In some areas where people often sleep, like outside MLK Library, fewer people have congregated over the last few weeks. Some people outside the library, though, seemed relatively unconcerned. Several people said they think officers will focus on violent crimes, and not on people sleeping outside.

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Robert Hulshizre said more outreach workers had been by than police. They already know whos here; its not as if we hide-and-seek.

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Outreach workers worry about the long-term impacts of the crackdown, which may disconnect people from their service providers and create distrust that will make it harder to ultimately move people into housing.

For the clients that I can find, or that we can find, the attitude is driven by fear, Wycliff said. Theyre hearing of and witnessing people in the community or random people on the street being arrested, its scary for a lot of clients, its scary for a lot of outreach workers.

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For the people most impacted by Trumps actions, there is a deep understanding of how ineffective they are at addressing the problem. Most have chosen to move to new spots in D.C. Even people who have accepted shelter are not significantly closer to permanent housing.

Abraham decided to move elsewhere in the city because the shelter doesnt work for her, she said. But when asked what she would say to the presidentwho ordered her forced displacement and equated people like her with criminalsshe underscored the futility of his approach.

In D.C., being homeless is not a crime, she said. They need to provide us another option, and theyre not doing that, theyre just saying Get out of here. 

Madi Koesler, Katherine Wilkison, Mackenzie Konjoyan, Nina Calves, and Jelina Liu contributed reporting.
Antonio Vecchio hoisted the Coville Cup at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 31 on the strength of a come-from-behind victory and a narrow place finish.

The Coville Cup is an annual tournament for young drivers that are looking to break through in the industry and advance their driving careers. The 2025 edition was contested over four races, with each of the eight drivers making three starts and earning points based on finishing position.

Vecchios victory came in the third round as he guided Bettorholdontight ($3) past four rivals in the final quarter-mile. Bettorholdontight sat a strung-out fifth to the quarter in :27.1, but the field condensed as leader Red Cape Party (Claude Larose) slowed things down through middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:26.4. Vecchio kept his charge on the pylons entering the final turn but found a way out for Bettorholdontight, who swung three-wide and blew past his opponents to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:57.1. Cb Caper (Sebastien Turenne) skimmed the pylons to finish second over Red Cape Party. Bettorholdontight, owned and trained by Luc Loyer, improved to three-for-29 this year.

The win followed Vecchios close defeat in the second contest race as he and Midnight Mood set the pace but were collared in the stretch by Bad Apple ($18.20), who prevailed by a head in 1:56.1 with Mike Armstrong at the lines. Proberts Legacy (Josh Miller) finished third.

Vecchio did not score in his final drive, finishing sixth after attempting a first-over advance with Threesixtyfour. Howies Man ($2.20) and Miller went all the way and won in 1:53.4, finishing 2-1/2 lengths clear of Shanghaigold (Turenne). Keystone Prestige (Steve Germain) was third.

Vecchio, shortly after being lifted onto the shoulders of his fellow drivers and receiving the trophy in the winners circle, expressed his excitement at winning the competition.

Harness racing has definitely been a big thing in our family since the beginning with my grandfather (the late Sam Sergi), he said in his broadcast interview. So to get this opportunity to have everyone here and get in the winners circle is a big moment for all of us, without [Sergi] tonight though.

Vecchio, a 24-year-old Canton, N.Y. native, recorded his fifth lifetime win in the contest. The reinsman made his pari-mutuel debut in 2023 and earned his first win at the Franklin Country Fair in July of that year, winning two races on the same card. Overall, Vecchio, a three-time Coville Cup participant, has five wins, six seconds, and 12 show finishes in 81 career starts.

The first leg, in which Vecchio had a bye, was won by Tignanello ($3.40) and Michel Lagace by a nose over Beach Cowboy (Germain) in 1:55.1, with Montysgonemarble (John MacMillan) a half-length back in third.

Vecchio finished with 75 points, eight more than second-place finisher Miller with 67. Lagace was third with 63, followed by Armstrong with 58, Turenne with 50, Germain with 45, Larose with 25, and MacMillan with 17. The scoring system mirrored purse distribution percentages, with the top five finishers in each race receiving 50-25-12-8-5 in order. The competition, founded in 2007, is named after the winningest driver ever at Rideau, Darrell Coville.

Shotgun Jerry upset at 9-1 in the featured non-contest dash, the $10,000 Preferred Handicap Pace. Driver Melanie Plourde pulled the trigger from the pylon post, and the gelding fired to the lead before the first turn. Major Fernco N (Ryan Guy) took a peek out of the pocket at the quarter in :27.3 but quickly tucked back in, and favourite The Light Speed (Guy Gagnon) made the first-over move instead as they turned for the half in :57.2.

The seven-time Rideau Preferred winner this season pushed up to the leaders wheel at three-quarters in 1:24.2, but Shotgun Jerry found another gear as they came off the final turn, opening up by 2-1/2 lengths, and he held off a re-rallying The Light Speed by a length in 1:52.2. Mythic Gambler (Robert Shepherd) closed for third.

Shotgun Jerry won at the Preferred level for the first time since 2023 and earned his fifth victory of the year in 21 outings. The six-year-old gelded son of Royal Mattjesty-Michiko has won 30 of his 121 career starts and has earned $201,919. Stephane Pouliot trains him for 9096 9205 Quebec Inc. of Gloucester, Ont.

To view Sundays harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.

(Standardbred Canada)
The feature of the final Sunday night card of 2025 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania was a $15,753 fast-class conditioned trot, in which the Kadabra-P L Glitter mare P L Notsonice had a not-so-nice trip, but still won in 1:54.

Anthony Napolitano tucked in third early with P L Notsonice in a :27.1 quarter put up by One After Nine (Jim Pantaleano), then considered quarter-moving but was beaten to that tactic by Cassius Hanover (Kevin Wallis), who gained the top and slowed to the half in :57. P L Notsonice was out again on the grind through three-quarters in 1:25.3 and for the rest of the way, and the favoured mares class came through as she battled to the front and beat longshot One After Nine by a neck, with Cassius Hanover third. P L Notsonice is now a 41-time winner in 160 lifetime outings with $831,716 in earnings. Anthony Faulkner trained her to victory for Elite Harness Racing LLC. The eight-year-old mare paid $3.60.

There were two impressive two-year-old winners on the card. The first was the Stay Hungry-The Santafeexpress filly Santafes Hungry ($13.60), who was just along to catch heavy favourite Amira Hanover (Braxten Boyd) and break her maiden in 1:53.4, racing her back fractions in :55.4 and :27.3 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Carl Conte Jr., and owner Ed De Rosa. The other was the Greenshoe-Ma Was Right gelding Credible Control ($9), who came up the inside after a blistering pace to win for the first time in 1:57.2 for the meets leading driver and trainer, Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Larry Karr, Knox Services Inc., and Beasty LLC.

Driving doubles were posted by Kakaley and amateur Tony Beltrami.

Pocono now switches to a basic schedule of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday racing at 1 p.m. On Monday, Sept. 8, the best of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series competitors will clash for a total of $320,000 USD and bragging rights in eight Stallion Series divisions; that card will be drawn Tuesday. The track is scheduled to be dark on Sept. 13-16 for its annual refurbishing of the racing surface.

(PHHA/Pocono)
History has a strange way of repeating itself.

One year ago, the update for the 2024 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable contest noted that Randy Proud of Stratford, P.E.I. boasted the best stable bankroll among the 1,078 contestants. At that time, it was noted that Proud was also the contest leader after the month of July in the 2023 edition of harness racing's fantasy stable contest.

After setting the tempo early in the last two editions, can Randy Proud continue to cut the mile and hold on for victory in 2025?

As of Sept. 1, 2025, the stable comprised by Proud sported a bankroll of $4,501,746 to best the 1,124 contestants in this year's contest. Not far behind is Richard Kalina of Strongsville, Oh., who ranks second with $4,481,307 in total earnings. In a close race for the show spot, less than $1,000 separates third ranked Matt Element of Peterborough, Ont. ($4,373,082) and Michael Potvin of Carlsbad Springs, Ont. ($4,372,340).

The TROT Fantasy Stable Contest is based on total earnings of selected horses and five per cent of the earnings of selected trainers and drivers between May 23 and Dec. 31, 2025.

Thanks in large part to our co-sponsors  The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown and OnGait.com  TROT Magazine is now able to offer the top three finishers prizes totalling the highest value in the history of the contest.

Once again this year, for the purposes of the fantasy bankroll, the winners (horses only) of the 2025 Breeders Crown finals, to be contested at Woodbine Mohawk Park, will each receive a $200,000 contest bankroll bonus. There was no bonus for the 2025 Hambletonian-winning horse, Nordic Catcher S, as he was not a part of this year's contest.

At the end of the year, the first three finishers (based on total earnings) will be awarded prizes in the amount of $1,000 CAD for first place, $500 CAD for second place and $250 CAD for third place, as well as the same amount (in USD credit) on OnGait.com. (OnGait credit is transferable).

Standardbred Canada reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to substitute a prize or portion of a prize with equivalent monetary value, if a prize or any part of the prize, cannot be awarded as described for any reason.

The top 10 stables as of Sept. 1,2025 are featured below. To see the full list of results, click the following link: 2025 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Standings.

(Standardbred Canada)
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The fallowed farmlandtoo dry, salty and barren to grow cropsstretches across a remote, sunbaked expanse crisscrossed by rutted dirt roads.

Soon, roughly 15 square miles of these retired agricultural fields in western Fresno County will hold one of the world's largest solar and battery energy storage projectsa behemoth capable of powering some 850,000 homes for four hours.

The Darden Clean Energy Project, approved by the California Energy Commission in June, is the first development to be fast-tracked under a 2022 state law that allows large renewable energy projects to be reviewed and permitted without sign-off from county and municipal governments.

The Opt-In Certification Program, as it is called, is meant to sidestep the kind of local pushback that can drag on for years. And the Darden project's approval was touted by Gov. Gavin Newsom as a major victory in helping the state meet its ambitious climate goal of using 100% clean energy by 2045.

But in rural western Fresno Countywhere energy firms have planned multiple large-scale battery and solar projectsmany residents feel blindsided. They have raised serious questions about who benefits and who gets left behind when major projects are fast-tracked.

Espi Sandoval, a board member for the nonprofit Rural Communities Rising, a western Fresno County advocacy group, said the impoverished, mostly Latino area has long been exploited by corporate agriculture and now is playing catch-up as it finds itself suddenly at the forefront of California's energy transition.

"We're forgotten by the government. Now we've got this private sector coming in with these huge solar panel farms," said Sandoval, who has lived in western Fresno County since 1972. "I don't want to see the same exploitation of our people."

Within a few miles of the Darden site are several tiny farmworker towns, including Cantua Creek, Five Points and Three Rocks (also known as El Porvenir). The solar and lithium-ion battery project will be built within a census tract where more than a third of residents live in povertydouble the rate in Fresno County as a whole.

The nearby towns struggle with poor drinking water and air quality, extreme heat and lack of access to opportunity, dozens of environmental justice groups and community advocates wrote in a letter to Newsom and the Energy Commission as the project was being considered.

In its oversight of the Darden project, they wrote, the state "has the potential to either set the stage for an equitable, just transition or, conversely, to continue patterns of disinvestment in low-income communities of color."

The Darden project's owner, IP Darden I, a subsidiary of San Francisco-based Intersect Power, is set to become the second-largest property tax payer in Fresno County, behind Pacific Gas and Electric. Intersect will pay at least $232 million to the county over the next decade, according to an economic impact report by the company.

The project is also projected to generate tens of millions of dollars in local sales tax, including through the purchase of construction equipment and materials, according to Intersect Power. The company said it will create more than 1,200 construction jobs while it is being built and 16 full-time operational jobs once it's up and running.

Maria Pacheco, the mayor of Kerman, a small city northeast of the Darden site, wrote in a letter to the Energy Commission this spring that the project's jobs and tax revenue will be transformative for the San Joaquin Valley. They will help provide "essential services and infrastructure improvements, directly benefiting the often-underserved west side," she wrote.

The stakes are big near Darden, including for Newsom's plans to expedite other clean energy projects. The Opt-In Certification Program requires environmental reviews to be completed within 270 days of a project application being deemed complete.

Eight other projects, from Imperial County in the south to Shasta County in the north, are currently pursuing approval through the opt-in process. And after significant local pushback, a developer that has been planning to build a lithium-ion battery storage facility on the site where Morro Bay's iconic smokestacks stand pulled out of the municipal permitting process this spring, indicating it might pursue the state's fast-track program.

As part of the fast-track process, Intersect Power was required to enter into at least one so-called "community benefits agreement" with a local organization and to provide tangible benefits to the region.

Intersect Power agreed to donate $2 million to local groups over the next 10 years and $5 million over the life of the project.

In a statement to The Times, Elizabeth Knowles, the head of community engagement for Intersect, said the company has been meeting with residents, schools and other local stakeholders since 2023. Intersect's community benefits spending, she said, is "going directly to highly reputable nonprofits" and community-based organizations that will focus on western Fresno County.

Much of the initial $2 million will be split among Fresno-based nonprofits that work to build housing and reduce asthma and hunger. An Intersect donation to the nonprofit Centro la Familia Advocacy Services was used to give away 250 high-efficiency window air-conditioning units to households close to the Darden site this summer.

The company also agreed to give money to Westside Elementary School, about four miles southeast of the site, to support campus upgrades and efforts to build more local housing.

Some donations have raised eyebrows. An undisclosed amount of the Intersect Power donations will also fund two years of after-school piano lessons from the Steinway Piano Gallery of Fresno at Cantua Elementary School.

In an email to The Times, Felipe Piedra, superintendent of the Golden Plains Unified School District, which includes Cantua Elementary, said 98% of the school's roughly 185 students qualify for free or reduced lunch and "are in need of additional support and resources." He said "water and clean energy are a big priority" but did not answer questions about why funds were going towards piano lessons.

Intersect Power is donating an undisclosed amount to the nonprofit Tree Fresno, which plants shade trees to reduce the effects of extreme heat and air pollution.

Sandoval, a former member of the Kerman City Council and longtime teacher in nearby Tranquility, scoffed at the piano lessons and tree donation, noting that Cantua Elementary is across the street from an orchard. He said he was frustrated to see Intersect Power working primarily with Fresno-based nonprofits.

"This thing is dictated from the top," he said. "How is the money going to filter down to the community? Property taxes? That's going to the county. How can we get some of those benefits?"

In an email to The Times, Tree Fresno's chief executive, Mona Cummings, said her organization was assessing the need for plantings at the elementary schools in Cantua Creek and Five Points and seeking more input from locals.

During a public meeting in Coalinga this April, Leticia Villegas, a farmworker from Five Points, told the Energy Commission that she lives three miles from where the Darden solar panels will be built. She said through a Spanish interpreter that she works in the fields during the day, when the sun is baking, and comes back to a run-down home with no air conditioning.

She said she hopes money from the development will "go directly to our community."

"Please," she added, "we want to be listened to."

Felipe Perez, a City Council member in nearby Firebaugh and a former fieldworker, said he used to pick crops near the Darden site. He said it was not easy seeing new industries arrive, "using soil that we used to use for ag."

Perez, 56, who came to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, in 1988, said there are not as many field jobs as there once were, in part because of drought and out-of-town farmers selling their land.

"The question is, are they going to hire us?" he said of clean energy developers. "In what language are they going to teach us? And what are we going to do when they don't help us and we still get those kinds of bills?"

Construction on the Darden project is expected to begin by the end of this year, and it should be fully operational in late 2027 or early 2028, Knowles said.

It will be built on 9,500 acres sold by the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest agricultural water district. Decades of farming and irrigation have degraded the soil, drawing salts and metals to the surface. That and the district's uncertain water supplies have made the land impractical for farming, prompting Westlands to divert water to more productive land.

The Darden projectlocated near a major PG&E power line that can transmit electricity north or southwill include a 1,150-megawatt solar facility with approximately 3.1 million solar panels.

It will also have up to 1,150 megawatts of battery storage via 1,440 Tesla Megapack 2XL unitsessentially shipping container-sized units filled with battery modules. Such battery systems store excess energy generated during the day and release it into the power grid during times of high demand, including evening hours.

But in western Fresno County, many residents have expressed concern about the lithium-ion batteries catching firea fear that intensified after a massive blaze in January tore through a battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, a rural community in coastal Monterey County.

That fire, which burned more than 54,000 LG battery modules, spewed toxic smoke into the air and smoldered for several days. Firefighters let it burn, citing the dangers of dousing lithium-ion battery fires with water, which can cause dangerous chemical reactions. The risk of reignition has been so high that cleanup crews are just now beginning to remove the charred batteries.

Knowles said the Darden site will be safer because batteries will be in independent enclosures separated by open space outdoors, not stacked and placed in an enclosed building like they were in Moss Landing.

With proper engineering, lithium-ion battery storage sites pose little risk of catching fire, said Shirley Meng, a molecular engineering professor at the University of Chicago who is an expert on batteries and studies ethically sourced, recyclable materials for energy storage. Safety has improved dramatically in recent years, and the failure rate is about one in 10 million for all types of lithium-ion batteries, she said.

"Everybody has batteries in their hands," Meng said, referencing smartphones. "Batteries are safe. The chemistry that's in those [large-scale] facilities is even safer than the ones that you hold in your phone."

In western Fresno County, residents have "been very vocal" about the Darden project being built in a place where emergency response times are already long, said Ryan Michaels, assistant chief of operations for the Fresno County Fire Protection District, which provides emergency services for the area.

There is no fire station in the nearest communities of Cantua Creek, Five Points and Three Rocks. Response time is typically more than 20 minutes, and "we want to make sure that as solar grows we don't reduce our current level of services within those communities," Michaels said.

Several large solar farms have already been built and are planned, and "it really hit us by surprise how many were coming to western Fresno County," he added.

In recent months, Michaels said, firefighters have responded to numerous malfunctioning alarms and inverter fires at solar farms, he said. One recent blaze was sparked by vandals trying to steal wiring.

Intersect Power and the Fresno County Fire Protection District said they are still negotiating fire mitigation measures. A state-required emergency action plan has not yet been finalized.

Stacey Shepard, a spokesperson for the California Energy Commission, said Darden, like all such projects, must meet strict safety standards. When batteries are being shipped from the factory to the project site, they can only be charged up to 30%, and the developer has to provide at least two gates into the battery storage facility wide enough for emergency access. On site, she noted, the batteries will be surrounded by thermal detection cameras.

Even so, the fire protection district said it will need to build four new stations and hire additional staff as more large clean energy projects are built.

Michaels said Darden and other projects have to be planned for the long term. If it is going to be operating for up to 35 years, he said, "we need to be ready to fight fire thereand provide for their workersfor decades."

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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It happens all the time: You found a great deal on Google Flights, only to click the link and realize that it's a basic economy fare. That means a hefty surcharge for regular economy, with such arguable must-haves as seat selection, early boarding and free ticket changes.

Now for those who want to more easily compare prices with a reasonable level of amenities, Google Flights has launched a new search filter for trips within the United States or Canada.

The top bar of the search page has a pull-down that now lets you switch between "Economy (include Basic)" and "Economy (exclude Basic)." That's in addition to higher classes such as premium, business and first.

For example, for an October nonstop round trip from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Toronto, we found $402 for a Basic ticket on Air Canada. When we excluded basic, though, the best fare jumped to $619 for a Main Classic ticket on Delta Air Lines. Good times!

The new filter appears to rule out Sun Country Airlines, which charges add-on fees for seat choice, bags and other options. (For that Toronto trip, Sun Country by far had the lowest base fare at $249.)

2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Australia's government trial has found age-assurance for its under-16 social media ban can be done effectively and protect privacy, but there is not a one-size-fits-all model.

The report, from an independent company and released in full, also warns continued vigilance is needed on privacy and other issues.

It found some providers, in the absence of guidance, were collecting too much data, over-anticipating what regulators would require.

The ban on under 16s having their own social media accounts has been passed by parliament and comes into effect in December. It covers a wide range of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube (which was recently added).

The measure is world-leading, and has been very controversial. One issue has been the degree of likely reliability of age verification.

The trial looked at various age assurance methods, including AI, facial analysis, parental consent and identity documents. The methods were judged on accuracy, usability and privacy grounds.

More than 60 technologies were examined from 48 age assurance vendors.

The report concluded age assurance systems "can be private, robust and effective." Moreover there was "a plethora" of choices available for providers, and no substantial technological limitations.

"But we did not find a single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases, nor did we find solutions that were guaranteed to be effective in all deployments." Instead, there was "a rich and rapidly evolving range of services which can be tailored and effective depending on each specified context of use."

The age assurance service sector was "vibrant, creative and innovative," according to the report, with "a pipeline of new technologies."

It had a robust understanding of the handling of personal information and a strong commitment to privacy.

But the trial found opportunities for technological improvements, including ease of use.

On parental control systems, the trial found these could be effective.

"But they serve different purposes. Parental control systems are pre-configured and ongoing but they may fail to adapt to the evolving capacities of children including potential risks to their digital privacy as they grow and mature, particularly through adolescence.

"Parental consent mechanisms prompt active engagement between children and their parents at key decision points, potentially supporting informed access."

The trial found while the assurance systems were generally secure, the rapidly evolving threat environment meant they could not be considered infallible.

They needed continual monitoring, improvement and attention to compliance with privacy requirements.

Also, "We found some concerning evidence that in the absence of specific guidance, service providers were apparently over-anticipating the eventual needs of regulators about providing personal information for future investigations.

"Some providers were found to be building tools to enable regulators, law enforcement or coroners to retrace the actions taken by individuals to verify their age which could lead to increased risk of privacy breaches, due to unnecessary and disproportionate collection and retention of data."

Communications Minister Anika Wells said, "While there's no one-size-fits-all solution to age assurance, this trial shows there are many effective options and importantly that user privacy can be safeguarded."

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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HA NOI  Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam, and Lis Cuesta Peraza, spouse of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, enjoyed a traditional water puppet performance and visited Ngoc Son Temple in Ha Noi on Monday.

The activity form part of a state visit to Viet Nam by the Cuban couple, who will also attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's National Day.

At the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, the Cuban first lady and her entourage were introduced to the centuries-old folk art form, rooted in Viet Nams wet-rice culture.

They watched performances selected from Viet Nams repertoire of nearly 400 water puppet plays.

Lis Cuesta Peraza expressed her appreciation for the hospitality of Ly and the Vietnamese artists, noting that the performances helped her better understand the art of water puppetry imbued with Vietnamese folk culture.

She expressed her hope that in the future, Vietnamese puppeteers will visit Cuba to share this traditional art with Cuban audiences.

Recalling her visit in 2024 to El Arca Puppet Museum in Havana with Lis Cuesta Peraza, Ly said both Viet Nam and Cuba possess distinctive puppet traditions, adding that she hopes her guest will have chances to learn more about Viet Nam's puppetry during future visits.

After that, the two ladies walked to Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake, a favourite cultural site of Hanoians and visitors alike.

Their appearance drew warm greetings and applause from crowds of holidaymakers who gathered around the pedestrian streets decorated with flags and banners for the National Day.

Many shouted Viva Cuba, Viva Viet Nam and Viet Nam  Cuba in celebration of the enduring friendship between the two nations.

At Ngoc Son Temple, they offered incense, learned about the history and legends of Hoan Kiem Lake, and viewed the preserved giant turtle specimen.

On The Huc Bridge, they admired the iconic Turtle Tower and Ha Nois autumn landscape.

The Cuban first lady was delighted to receive a calligraphy work reading Peace from a local scholar.  VNA/VNS
MEXICO CITY  Viet Nams August Revolution in 1945 was not only a remarkable historical event of the 20th century but also a global symbol of the strength of national unity and the spirit of self-reliance and resilience, according to El Salvadors Vice President Felix Ulloa.

The revolutions victory stemmed from the ability to mobilise the strength of the entire people, from unshakable solidarity, and from creativity in methods of struggle that turned adversity into opportunity, he told the Vietnam News Agencys correspondent in Latin America on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

Recalling the autumn of 1945 - a milestone that changed the destiny of the Vietnamese nation, the Vice President emphasised that the event not only marked the birth of the first independent nation in Southeast Asia but also ignited the will and faith of other peoples who were struggling for freedom across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In particular, he affirmed that for the people of El Salvador and peace-loving people around the world, the image of President Ho Chi Minh forever remains an immortal symbol of faith, will, and resilience. It was precisely that spirit which inspired millions of Vietnamese to overcome hunger, bombs, and hardships, transforming adversity into strength to achieve victory in their resistance wars.

Vice President Ulloa also highlighted the Vietnamese spirit of independence and self-reliance, calling it the ien Bien Phu spirit - the power that brought victory over French colonialism and was later carried forward with steadfast courage in the resistance war against US imperialism.

He said what he admires is that the Vietnamese people always proactively find solutions for the present instead of blaming the past or shifting responsibility onto others. That is a profoundly humane way of conduct. Even during the long years of blockade and embargo, Viet Nam persistently relied on the strength of its people, turning challenges into opportunities, and then steadily embarking on the path of oi Moi (Renewal) in 1986, which has since led to ever-deeper integration into the international arena, he noted.

From an international perspective, the El Salvador leader assessed that Viet Nam has been increasingly affirming its role and position on the global stage. He recalled the image of peace envoys carrying the red flag with a golden star in the United Nations peacekeeping forces in South Sudan, Viet Nams responsible commitments at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), and its proactive presence in next-generation free trade agreements. He emphasised that Viet Nam is not only participating but also contributing to shaping the global rules through its foreign policy that is both steadfast and highly flexible.

Ulloa also highlighted the nations imprints as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-21 term, as well as its role in leading the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Viet Nam has proven itself to be a nation of credibility, capable of balancing the interests of major powers, while also serving as a sincere voice for developing countries, he affirmed.  VNS
PHNOM PENH  The presence by President of the Cambodian Senate and President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Samdech Techo Hun Sen at Viet Nams 80th National Day grand celebration demonstrates the traditional friendship, solidarity, and all-round cooperation between the two countries, and also reflects the highest regard for their political and diplomatic relations, according to CPP Honorary President Samdech Heng Samrin.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agencys correspondents in Phnom Penh, Heng Samrin, who is also Honorary Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council to the King of Cambodia, said that this visit is an opportunity to consolidate and expand people-to-people relations, promote cultural and tourism exchanges, and enhance mutual understanding between the two countries.

The participation of the high-ranking Cambodian delegation also carries symbolic significance, highlighting traditional friendship, respect for history, and shared values, while also opening a new step forward in bilateral cooperation towards a sustainable future.

He stressed that the August Revolution on August 19, 1945 and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam on September 2, 1945 were historic events of great significance not only for the Vietnamese people but also for the national liberation movements around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia.

The August Revolution was the most important event in the modern history of the Vietnamese people, bearing decisive meaning for the destiny of the Vietnamese nation up to this day, he stated, assessing that it was not only a victory in the struggle for state power but also a glorious milestone marking the end of centuries of colonial and feudal rule, opening a new era - the era of independence and freedom for the Vietnamese people.

The CPP Honorary President took the occasion to extend his congratulations to the Vietnamese Party, State, and people on this great victory.

According to him, the August Revolution left behind many profound historical lessons, particularly those regarding the great strength of national unity, the sound leadership of the Party, and the strategic vision of President Ho Chi Minh. These lessons remain intact in value and continue to illuminate the path of the Vietnamese revolution in the new era.

For Cambodia, the revolution's success became a powerful source of inspiration, demonstrating that the peoples of Southeast Asia were fully capable of rising up to win independence and liberate their nations from colonial rule. And in fact, Viet Nams spirit of independence and self-reliance spread to Cambodia, helping to encourage the revolutionary movement and motivate Cambodian leaders in their struggle for national liberation.

Moreover, this event had an impact across the entire Southeast Asian region. Viet Nam became a model for resistance movements in Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries in the region, as they witnessed a Southeast Asian nation successfully overthrow colonialism and officially gain independence. This, in turn, fuelled national spirit and anti-colonial movements in many nations.

On the international stage, the August Revolution also sent a powerful message that colonised peoples had the right to self-determination and to fight for independence. The event contributed to advancing and encouraging national liberation movements worldwide, putting pressure on colonial powers, and strengthening solidarity among nations on their path to independence, Heng Samrin emphasised.

Its success was not only of great significance for the Vietnamese nation but also resonated strongly on the international stage, becoming a symbol and a source of inspiration for colonised peoples in Asia and Africa to rise up for independence and freedom.

Bilaterally, the CambodiaViet Nam relations are bound by strong traditional friendship, close cooperation in all fields, and mutual support and assistance between the two Parties, States, and peoples, especially during the struggles to liberate their homelands and people from the tragedies and devastation of war, he went on.

For the coming time, the CPP Honorary President proposed the two countries focus on several key areas of cooperation, such as strengthening delegation exchanges through Party, State, and mass organisation channels; enhancing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment, transportation and infrastructure, education and human resources training, health care, tourism, people-to-people connectivity and exchanges, particularly in security and national defence.  VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuongs attendance at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the worlds victory over fascism underscores Viet Nams responsible voice and support for global efforts toward peace, security, and development, said Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu.

Speaking to the press ahead of President Cuongs working visit to China from September 2 - 4, Vu stressed that this will be the Presidents first trip to China in his new capacity as the head of state. The visit coincides with the 75th founding anniversary of Viet Nam - China diplomatic ties and the Year of Viet Nam - China Humanistic Exchange.

The trip follows the attendance of member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) of China, Zhao Leji, along with a high-ranking delegation of the Chinese Party, State, and Peoples Liberation Army, at a ceremony in Ha Noi celebrating the 80th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day of Viet Nam. This reflects the mutual support between the two Parties and two countries throughout their historic struggles for independence and in ongoing cause of national construction and development.

During the trip, President Cuong is expected to meet with top Chinese leaders. This is an occasion for the two sides to reinforce high-level common perceptions on strengthening political trust, promoting substantive and mutually beneficial cooperation, addressing differences, and maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for development, thus contributing to peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Regarding future cooperation, Vu noted that Viet Nam and China share many complementarities. The nearly 1,450km land border fosters trade and people-to-people exchanges, while both countries share cultural and historical similarities and similar political systems. Economically, their structures are mutually supportive: China is a global powerhouse with a vast consumer market and advanced technologies, while Viet Nam is entering a pivotal stage of industrialisation and modernisation with long-term development ambitions.

In this context, closer cooperation between the two countries is both natural and essential, Vu said. He emphasised that amid global and regional uncertainties, strengthening the bilateral ties and leveraging complementarities align with both countries foreign policies and broader trends.

Looking ahead, Vu stressed the need to roll out practical measures to build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance under six major orientations:

Firstly, it is necessary to step up theoretical exchange and policy coordination, share development experience, and enhance cooperation in multilateral forums to jointly address challenges and manage differences for peace, security and development of each country.

Secondly, he emphasised the significance of creating breakthroughs in trade, investment, tourism, infrastructure, and advanced science and technology, particularly in digital transformation, AI, quantum technology, 5G and 6G, biotechnology, and hi-tech agriculture.

Thirdly, it is essential to enhance people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and cultural cooperation based on shared traditions and geographical proximity to reinforce friendship and strengthen the social foundation for long-term sustainable ties.

With the depth of the bilateral relations, clear strategic orientations from senior leaders, and a stable, peaceful environment as a foundation, Viet Nam and China will be able to maximise their cooperation potential, deliver tangible benefits to their people, and contribute meaningfully to regional and global peace and development, Vu concluded.  VNS
HA NOI  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly hosted a red-carpet welcome ceremony on Monday for First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his spouse Lis Cuesta Peraza, who are in Viet Nam for a state visit and attendance at a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day.

Following the welcome ceremony, the top leaders of Viet Nam and Cuba held talks.

Viet Nam and Cuba established their diplomatic relations on December 2, 1960. During Viet Nam's resistance war against the US imperialists, Cuba emerged as a symbol of international solidarity, taking the lead in the global movement supporting Viet Nam's struggle for independence and providing invaluable assistance.

Despite being separated by half the globe, the Viet Nam-Cuba relationship has become a model for international relations. From the foundations laid by Cuban national hero Jose Marti, President Ho Chi Minh, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro, successive generations of leaders and citizens of both countries have nurtured a bond forged through historys ups and downs.

Over the past 65 years, bilateral cooperation has expanded across all levels, channels, and sectors, structured around three main pillars of political-diplomatic relations as the foundation, economic-trade-investment cooperation as the driving force, and people-to-people exchanges as the binding element.

The Cuban leaders state visit to Viet Nam once again reaffirms that the solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba remains a guiding light for cooperation and development, serving the legitimate interests of both nations and contributing to joint efforts for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his spouse Lis Cuesta Peraza laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Ha Noi on Monday morning.

The top Cuban leader and his spouse are in Viet Nam for a state visit and attendance at a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day on September 2.

Earlier, the Cuban leader and his delegation visited the Viet Nam Military History Museum, where they laid flowers at the monument honouring Cuban military experts who supported Viet Nam's struggle for independence. The delegation also offered flowers in tribute to Cuban national hero Jose Marti at his statue in Ha Noi's Tao an Park and visited the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Groups.

Despite being separated by half the globe, the Viet Nam-Cuba relationship has become a model for international relations. From the foundations laid by Cuban national hero Jose Marti, President Ho Chi Minh, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro, successive generations of leaders and citizens of both countries have nurtured a bond forged through historys ups and downs.

Over the past 65 years, bilateral cooperation has expanded across all levels, channels, and sectors, structured around three main pillars of political-diplomatic relations as the foundation, economic-trade-investment cooperation as the driving force, and people-to-people exchanges as the binding element.

The Cuban leaders state visit to Viet Nam once again reaffirms that the solidarity between Viet Nam and Cuba remains a guiding light for cooperation and development, serving the legitimate interests of both nations and contributing to joint efforts for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  The grand military and civilian parade on September 2, marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and Viet Nams National Day, will be the centrepiece of the 2025 celebrations.

And to bring you closer to this landmark event, known as the A80 Parade, Viet Nam News will run a live blog on our website from 6.30am on September 2, alongside continuous updates, photos and videos.

This historic event will be unprecedented in scale, featuring over 15,680 officers and soldiers in 61 formations. Among them are seven female military contingents (Military Band, Medical Officers, Viet Nam Peacekeeping Force, Commando Soldiers, Signal Troops, Militia representing Viet Nams ethnic groups, and Southern Guerrillas) and two female police contingents (Traffic Police Officers and Special Task Force Officers).

For the first time in 40 years (since 1985), the parade passing through the historic Ba inh Square will feature military artillery vehicles and specialised police vehicles, reflecting the continuous growth of the peoples armed forces over the past eight decades under the sound leadership of the Party.

It also reflects Viet Nams international friendships, with participation from China, Russia, Laos and Cambodia. Russia has sent an honour guard of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, while Laos and Cambodia will each contribute 120 servicemen.

To watch our coverage, just log on to our official Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/vietnamnewsvns.

We invite you to join us for exclusive coverage of this once-in-a-generation celebration of Viet Nams independence, resilience and strength. VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuong hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Monday for Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko, who is leading a Belarusian delegation to Viet Nam to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2, 19452025).

Welcoming the delegation, President Cuong expressed his appreciation for the invaluable support extended by the people of the former Soviet Union, including the Belarusian people, to Viet Nam during its past struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as in its ongoing process of national construction and development.

He affirmed that the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam always attach great importance to the traditional friendship with Belarus, and wishes to further promote bilateral cooperation in fields where Belarus has strengths and Viet Nam has demand, such as science and technology, industry, and agriculture.

The President suggested the Belarusian parliament support efforts to enhance exchanges and cooperation at various levels, particularly through the parliamentary channel, in order to help create a favourable legal framework for the effective implementation of high-level agreements between the two countries.

On this occasion, he extended an invitation to the President of Belarus to pay a state visit to Viet Nam in the near future.

For his part, Sergeyenko congratulated Viet Nam on its remarkable progress and achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam.

He stressed the significance of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, affirming that with a long-standing and trusted relationship forged through many challenges, Belarus always treasures and seeks to further strengthen its partnership with Viet Nam.

He highlighted ongoing cooperation projects in trade, investment, industry, and defence-security, and expressed confidence that the recently signed visa exemption agreement will open up new opportunities for boosting the bilateral ties, particularly in culture and tourism.

On this occasion, he conveyed a congratulatory letter from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Viet Nam on the anniversary.

Both host and guest noted the positive development of the bilateral relations in recent years, particularly following the historic state visit to Belarus by Party General Secretary To Lam and the elevation of the ties to a Strategic Partnership in May 2025.

They agreed on the need to soon finalise a 2025-27 cooperation roadmap to concretise agreements, enhance cooperation across multiple fields in line with each countrys potential and strengths, and strengthen coordination at regional and international forums for the benefit of their people, and for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez held talks in Ha Noi on Monday, within the framework of the latters ongoing state visit to Viet Nam.

The two leaders briefed each other on the situation in their respective countries, agreed on directions and measures to further consolidate and develop the special traditional friendship between Viet Nam and Cuba, and discussed several regional and international issues of mutual concern.

General Secretary Lam welcomed the top Cuban leader, his spouse, and the high-ranking Cuban delegation on their state visit to Viet Nam and attendance at the grand celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

He affirmed that the visit holds particularly significant importance as it coincides with the Viet NamCuba Friendship Year marking the 65th founding anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

This represents an important milestone and a strong driving force to continue consolidating, expanding, elevating, and deepening the traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The General Secretary took this occasion to expressed his gratitude for the solidarity and valuable support that Leaders Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, generations of Party and State leaders, and the people of Cuba have always extended to Viet Nam during the past struggle for national liberation as well as in the current cause of national defence and development.

First Secretary and President Diaz-Canel Bermudez extended congratulations to the Vietnamese State and people who, under the brilliant and wise leadership of the CPV, have achieved great socio-economic accomplishments and important diplomatic victories in recent times, creating new momentum and strength for the nation while further enhancing its role and prestige in the region and on the international stage.

He expressed his confidence that, under the leadership of the CPV headed by General Secretary Lam, and building on nearly 40 years of oi moi (Renewal), Viet Nam will soon enter a new era of development and successfully achieve the goals set for 2030 and 2045.

He affirmed that the achievements of the Vietnamese people over 80 years of national construction and protection serve as a great source of encouragement and inspiration for the Cuban people in the current period.

He also shared his heartfelt emotions in experiencing the deep affection of the Vietnamese people during his visit, as well as their tremendous support in the recent fundraising campaign to assist the Cuban people.

General Secretary Lam affirmed that the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam always follow every step of Cubas development with close attention, and are delighted with the important achievements that the Cuban Party, State, and people have attained since the eighth Party Congress, particularly the positive results in strengthening national unity, overcoming socio-economic challenges, and effectively implementing its foreign policy.

Sharing the valuable experiences of the oi moi policy, the General Secretary emphasised that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people always regard solidarity and support for Cuba as the conscience and responsibility of communists and of the entire Vietnamese people.

He reaffirmed Viet Nams determination, together with the Cuban people, to continuously uphold the enduring legacy and great achievements of bilateral cooperation, and to further expand and enhance the effectiveness of comprehensive collaboration in line with the potential, the level of relations, and the fine political trust shared between the two countries.

The two leaders expressed their delight over the robust and steadily growing ties between their countries, particularly following the state visit to Cuba by Party chief Lam in September last year.

They highlighted that regular exchanges of delegations, especially at the high level, have been maintained effectively, while ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses have closely coordinated in implementing agreements.

Both sides agreed that the bilateral relations have advanced in a more sustainable and substantive direction, rooted in the spirit of companionship, cooperation, and development.

Against the backdrop, they concurred that it is necessary to consolidate and enhance political trust and strategic coordination and maintain high-level visits and dialogues across all channels.

They laid stress on the significance of theoretical exchanges on the path toward socialism, experience sharing in socio-economic development and Party building, preparing for their respective Party congresses in 2026.

The two leaders agreed to promote research and dissemination of the thoughts of President Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro while upgrading and effectively implementing the existing dialogue and cooperation mechanisms to pursue the agreed goals and strategies.

Party chief To Lam and Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez were unanimous to strengthen and deepen collaboration across economy, trade, and investment, especially in such strategic domains as agriculture, solar energy and biotechnology-pharmaceuticals.

Cuba affirmed its commitment to facilitating Vietnamese businesses investment and operation in the country, particularly in rice production and new agricultural models that will boost Cubas domestic food production, thereby ensuring food security for the countrys sustainable development.

The two leaders also agreed to encourage and create favourable conditions for joint ventures between enterprises from both countries in pharmaceutical production, technology transfer in biologicals and chemicals, and the promotion of research and development of high-tech pharmaceuticals in Viet Nam.

Acknowledging huge potential for bilateral cooperation, they agreed to continue strengthening collaboration in areas of shared interest and strength, including defence, security, justice, science-technology, construction, culture, sports, and people-to-people exchanges.

They encouraged joint programmes across various sectors and enhanced cooperation between socio-political organisations such as the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and Cuba's Committee for the Defence of the Revolution, communist youth unions, and friendship organisations in both countries.

They affirmed commitment to enhanced coordination and mutual support in international organisations and at multilateral forums to protect countries legitimate rights and interests as well as improve their international prestige and standing, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the two regions and the broader world.

Party chief Lam affirmed Viet Nams call for an end to unilateral embargoes and sanctions against Cuba. The two leaders also underscored their shared advocacy for settling sovereignty disputes via peaceful means based on respect for international laws.

On the occasion, he briefed the guest on the initial results of a 65-day nationwide fundraising programme launched to mark the 65th anniversary of the Viet NamCuba diplomatic relations.

Within a short period, nearly tw million participants contributed some VN400 billion (US$15.18 million), which he described as a vivid symbol of the solidarity and brotherhood between the two Parties, States, and peoples.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the handover of a token of the donations raised so far under the campaign. They also witnessed the signing of the minute of the 42nd session of the Viet NamCuba Intergovernmental Committee on economic and scientifictechnical cooperation, together with multiple cooperation agreements in the areas of food production, health care, archives, and biotechnology.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man hosted a reception on Monday for Igor Sergeenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the NA of Belarus, who is leading a Belarusian delegation to Viet Nam to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day.

The host leader expressed his delight at meeting Chairman Sergeenko again after their meeting on the sidelines of the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45) in Laos last October.

He appreciated Belarus sending high-ranking delegations to Viet Nams major events over the recent past, describing this as a vivid demonstration of the enduring solidarity, loyalty, and valuable support of the Belarusian people for Viet Nam  both during its struggle for independence and liberation in the past as well as its national construction and development at present.

Congratulating Belarus on its achievements across multiple fields, Chairman Man briefed his guest on Viet Nams progress, highlighting the Vietnamese NAs ongoing reforms and proactively institutionalisation of the Party and States guidelines to help usher the country into a new era  that of the nations rise.

Highlighting the historic significance of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2), Sergeenko expressed his honour to visit Viet Nam and attend the celebration.

The guest congratulated Viet Nam on its socio-economic achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, while appreciating the warm welcome extended by the country and its people.

Sharing updates on the BelarusViet Nam partnerships in trade, investment, industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and tourism, Chairman Sergeenko affirmed that the Belarusian NA always supports strengthening multifaceted cooperation, and promoting parliamentary cooperation with Viet Nam. He proposed the two parliaments enhance the sharing of experiences in law-making.

On this occasion, he invited Chairman Man to pay an official visit to Belarus in the coming time.

Appreciating the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially following the state visit to Belarus by Party General Secretary To Lam and the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in May 2025, the two leaders agreed to call on the two legislatures to continue close cooperation to concretise the reached agreements as well as the substance of the Strategic Partnership.

In the immediate term, they stressed the need to complete a roadmap for cooperation for the 2025-27 period; strengthen collaboration through the parliamentary channel, with a focus on finalising discussions and moving towards the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the two legislatures; and enhance the role of the two countries Friendship Parliamentarians Groups as a bridge to promote exchanges, mutual understanding, and closer ties between Vietnamese and Belarusian lawmakers.

They also agreed to facilitate, institutionalise, and oversee the implementation of signed cooperation documents, contributing to further deepening the bilateral relations, while promoting collaboration at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuong met with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez in Ha Noi on Monday morning as part of his state visit to Viet Nam and attendance at a grand ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

At the meeting, the Vietnamese State leader warmly welcomed Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on his first visit as head of Cubas Party and State, praising the high-ranking Cuban delegations presence at Viet Nams national celebration as a reflection of the deep fraternal ties and valuable support of the Cuban Party, State and people for the Vietnamese revolutionary cause.

State President Luong Cuong took the occasion to respectfully extend his greetings and warm regards to Cuban revolutionary leader General Raul Castro Ruz and other senior leaders of the Cuban Party and State.

He affirmed Viet Nams enduring appreciation for Cubas support, both materially and spiritually, for Viet Nam during its struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as in its ongoing national construction and defence.

He noted that the Vietnamese people closely follow Cubas progress and welcome the Cuban Party, State, and peoples significant achievements since the 8th Party Congress, particularly in national unity and socio-economic development amid the complicated international situation.

He showed his belief that heroic Cuba will overcome current challenges and continue achieving greater successes in building and defending the Socialist Republic of Cuba.

President Cuong emphasised that the special traditional solidarity and friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba - rooted in trust and fraternal ties - has been strengthened through high-level visits and meetings, theoretical exchanges, experience sharing and collaboration between ministries, localities, and socio-political organisations, as well as effective cooperation in security, defence, foreign affairs, trade, agriculture, construction, and biopharmaceutical sectors.

For his part, the top Cuban leader expressed his honour to attend Viet Nam's 80th National Day celebration on behalf of the Cuban Party and State, noting that the event is both a major milestone for Viet Nam and an inspiration for struggles for independence, freedom, and social justice around the world, including Cuba.

He said he believes that, building on nearly 40 years of oi moi (Renewal), Viet Nam will continue achieving greater successes in safeguarding, building, and developing the country.

He expressed his deep emotion at the warm welcome of the Vietnamese people toward the Cuban delegation and sincerely thanked them for the meaningful gift presented through the national fundraising campaign 65 Years of Viet NamCuba Solidarity, describing it a vivid expression of the longstanding fraternal solidarity and cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples.

The Cuban leader affirmed that Cuba always values the solidarity and valuable support and assistance of the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for Cuba, especially their practical and effective assistance in strategic areas such as rice production, food security, and renewable energy development.

He applauded Vietnamese businesses for their contributions to key sectors in Cuba and affirmed that Cuba stands ready to provide favorable conditions and mechanisms for them to expand their operations, making economic, trade, and investment ties match the strong political relationship between the two countries.

The Vietnamese and Cuban leaders affirmed their commitment to further deepening the exemplary Viet NamCuba relationship, founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro Ruz and nurtured by successive generations.

They agreed to strengthen all-level meetings, effectively implement existing agreements, enhance cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties and countries, and continue close consultation and mutual support in international organisations and multilateral forums.

They also agreed to enhance exchanges and cooperation between political and social organisations, mass associations, businesses, and people of both countries, while educating young generations about the special Viet NamCuba friendship.  VNA/VNS
THAI NGUYEN  Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, who is also Chairman of the 2025 Amnesty Advisory Council, attended a ceremony announcing the State Presidents amnesty decision (the second phase in 2025) at Phu Son 4 Prison in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on Monday.

A total of 435 inmates at the prison were granted amnesty on the occasion of the 80th National Day anniversary (September 2, 1945-2025).

Speaking at the event, Binh stressed that the decision carries profound humanitarian significance as the nation celebrates the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day.

He said the amnesty reflects the superiority of Viet Nams political regime, rooted in the nations long-standing tradition of compassion.

Since 2009, more than 90,000 prisoners have been released under amnesty decisions. The rate of reoffending was extremely low, with only 0.13 per cent of those granted clemency in 2024 committing new crimes.

This is evidence of the effectiveness of prison education and rehabilitation, as well as policies supporting their reintegration into the community, the Deputy PM underlined.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, the State President signed a decision on July 3 to approve the second phase of this years amnesty.

Basing on careful review by the Amnesty Advisory Council, the Ministry of Public Security, and other relevant agencies, the President issued two decisions on August 29 and 31, granting early release to 14,020 inmates and clemency to five others whose sentences had been suspended or postponed.

Congratulating those released at Phu Son 4, Binh reminded them that amnesty is only the beginning of a new journey. He acknowledged that challenges lie ahead  prejudice, economic hardship, and possible temptations, but expressed confidence that the skills and determination learned in prison will help them rebuild their lives.

Let past mistakes remain behind these prison gates, he said, urging the freed inmates to live useful lives, regain the trust of their families, and become responsible citizens. Nothing is more precious than family reunion, and nothing brings more joy than seeing you live honestly and contribute to society.

For those not included in this round of clemency, the Deputy PM affirmed that the Party and States leniency policy remains open to all who show genuine repentance and strive for improvement.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuong on Monday stressed that the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam always treasure and remember the solidarity and wholehearted support that Cuba gave Viet Nam during its past struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as in the ongoing process of national construction and defence.

Addressing a grand meeting in Ha Noi to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Cuba (December 2, 1960-2025), the President underlined that Viet Nams solidarity with Cuba comes from the heart and is deeply rooted in the thinking of every Vietnamese.

He reaffirmed that Viet Nam consistently attaches special importance to ties with Cuba, and will continue to consolidate and develop their comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of both peoples and for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

President Cuong and his spouse, together with visiting First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his spouse, attended the ceremony.

The event was organised by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam News Agency, the Ho Guom Opera, and the Cuban Embassy in Viet Nam.

Also present were former Party General Secretary Nong uc Manh, and former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, among others.

Speaking at the event, the top Cuban leader affirmed that the extraordinary history of struggle and glorious victories of the Vietnamese people form the foundation of the exemplary relationship between the two countries, built on the unconditional support of the Cuban Revolution.

He noted that Cuba is proud to have been the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam on December 2, 1960, and the first in the world to set up a committee for solidarity with southern Viet Nam.

The Cuban leader stressed that a special bond has been formed between Viet Nam and Cuba, one that has stood the test of time and become a model of friendship and cooperation, particularly when global peace faces major challenges.

He reviewed milestones over the past 65 years when the two nations stood shoulder to shoulder, both in the struggle for independence and during difficult periods of construction and development.

Today, bilateral ties are expanding across all fields, from Party, State, and parliamentary cooperation to economy, trade, investment, defence, security, social organisations, and people-to-people exchanges.

He highly valued Viet Nams steadfast support for Cuba in demanding that the US lift its blockade and remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

He expressed gratitude to the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam for their support for Cubas food security, particularly through meaningful campaigns such as the recent donation drive launched by the Viet Nam Red Cross Society.

He affirmed that the fraternal bonds between the Cuban and Vietnamese peoples have transcended geographical distance and economic conditions to become a lasting spiritual value, with their special solidarity and friendship remaining unshakable.

President Cuong highlighted the Viet Nam-Cuba relationship has stood firm through challenges and upheavals while continuously expanding in both scope and depth.

He recalled Cuba's solidarity during Viet Nams struggle for national independence, from being the first country to recognise the National Liberation Front of southern Viet Nam, Fidel Castros historic visit to Quang Tris liberated zone in September, 1973, and Cubas wholehearted assistance in the years following national reunification.

These are testaments to solidarity and valuable support Cuba has offered, and a profound source of encouragement and inspiration for the Vietnamese people, he said.

When Viet Nam embarked on its oi moi (Renewal) period and Cuba strived to overcome its Special Period and updated its economic model, the two countries continued to support each other.

Cuba shared valuable livestock and crop varieties, as well as COVID-19 vaccines, while Viet Nam assisted Cuba in rice production, aquaculture, and coffee cultivation.

Both sides have also exchanged valuable experience in socio-economic development and national safeguarding.

Citing President Ho Chi Minh's words that Viet Nam and Cuba are tens of thousands of miles apart, but the hearts of the two countries people are as close as brothers in a family and Fidel Castros affirmation that bilateral ties are special, unprecedented and a model of international relations, President Cuong stressed that Viet Nam always treasures Cubas heartfelt solidarity and support in the past struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as in national building and safeguarding at present.

He underlined that Viet Nam consistently attaches great importance to further consolidating and deepening the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, for the benefit of the two countries' people, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in each region and the world.

The President emphasised that the ongoing visit to Viet Nam by First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel, his spouse and the high-ranking Cuban delegation, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day of Viet Nam, once again underscores the special relationship between the two Parties, two States, and the peoples of Viet Nam and Cuba.

He expressed his delight at the important achievements of the Cuban Party, State and people in strengthening national unity, addressing socio-economic challenges and pursuing a flexible and substantive foreign policy, expressing his belief that Cuba will continue to overcome all difficulties and obtain greater successes in national building and safeguarding.

Before the grand meeting, President Cuong and the top Cuban leader, along with delegates and guests from both countries, visited a photo exhibition and watched a documentary film about the outstanding milestones of the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the governments and peoples of Viet Nam and Cuba over the past 65 years.

The photo collection included 65 typical photos selected from the photo archives of the Vietnam News Agency, which vividly depicted the close and lasting relationship and comradeship between the Parties and peoples of the two countries.  VNA/VNS
TIANJIN  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has stressed that no country, regardless of its size, can address todays multidimensional challenges alone, underscoring the urgent need to promote multilateralism, solidarity, and international cooperation.

He delivered the message at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Monday in Tianjin, China, marking the first time a high-ranking Vietnamese leader had spoken at such a gathering.

The PM observed that while humanity has achieved unprecedented progress, the world continues to face overlapping crises, with local conflicts intensifying and development disparities widening.

In a deeply globalised and interdependent context, he said, the destiny of each nation is tied to that of the international community, requiring comprehensive and global approaches to resolve both traditional and non-traditional security issues, from energy and water to cyber and human security.

Uneven development remains a root cause of instability, he noted, while praising the SCOs evolution over more than two decades from a security cooperation mechanism into an organisation fostering broader development collaboration. This comprehensive and balanced orientation was reflected in the Tianjin Declaration, he added.

To further enhance the SCOs contributions to the common interests of the international community, the Vietnamese leader called for stronger multilateralism, solidarity and international cooperation in addressing both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

At the same time, he emphasised the need to mobilise greater resources for development and improve global governance, urging all countries, particularly major powers, to act responsibly, take the lead and work closely with the United Nations in realising the Sustainable Development Goals.

He also highlighted the importance of building trust, mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation, beginning with neighbouring countries, in order to advance regional and global connectivity.

The PM reiterated Viet Nams consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; diversification and multilateralisation of external ties; being a good friend, reliable partner and responsible member of the international community; and upholding the four nos defence policy.

He affirmed that Viet Nam will continue to work closely and effectively with SCO members and partners and the wider international community to help maintain peace, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific.

The SCO Summit took place amid growing regional and global uncertainties. With its focus on balancing security and development, the event drew broad participation, becoming the largest gathering in the organisations 25-year history.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Having firm belief in a bright future, with determination, wisdom and resilience, Viet Nam will continue to conquer new heights, promote innovation, deepen integration, and spread the spirit of reconciliation, solidarity and international cooperation, said State President Luong Cuong at a grand banquet hosted by the Party and State to mark the 80th anniversary of National Day (September 2, 1945-2025).

The event was attended by Party General Secretary To Lam, National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, as well as a large number of incumbent and former Party, State, Government and National Assembly leaders, along with representatives from ministries, central agencies and local authorities.

Also present were Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the Peoples Armed Forces, Labour Heroes, representatives of religious communities, ethnic minorities, intellectuals, scientists, artists, youth, entrepreneurs, and overseas Vietnamese.

Distinguished international guests included Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian Peoples Party and President of the Cambodian Senate; Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba; Zhao Leji, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress; Igor Sergeenko, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belarus; Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith; Vladimir Vladimirovich Yakushev, First Vice Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly; alongside representatives of political parties, governments, ambassadors, charges daffaires, heads of international organisations in Viet Nam and international friends.

President Cuong recalled that 80 years ago, on September 2, 1945, at Ba inh Square in Ha Noi, President Ho Chi Minh solemnly declared before the nation and the world the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, ushering in a new era of independence, freedom and happiness.

Since then, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and beloved President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese people have maintained unity and solidarity, overcome countless difficulties and challenges, and achieved historic achievements and victories.

The State leader paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh, generations of Party and State, heroes, martyrs, Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces, Labour Heroes, wounded and sick soldiers, and all those who devoted and sacrificed for national independence and peoples happiness.

He expressed deep gratitude to international friends, progressive forces and peace-loving peoples worldwide who supported Viet Nam in its struggle for liberation and in its ongoing development today.

The leader also thanked ambassadors, charges daffaires, heads of international organisations in Viet Nam for their efforts and contributions in reinforcing friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between Viet Nam and peoples around the world.

He underscored that in a world full of turbulence, Viet Nams destiny is closely linked with that of humankind, and pledged that the country will keep strengthening friendship and cooperation with countries and partners around the globe, contributing actively to world politics, global economy and human civilisation.

Quoting President Ho Chi Minhs words that the strength, greatness and endurance of the Vietnamese people lies in solidarity at home and the support of the peoples of the world. International solidarity is of great significance to us, President Cuong reaffirmed Viet Nams commitment to join hands with the international community in building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuong on Monday hosted a reception for Zhao Leji, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) of China, who is on an official visit to Viet Nam to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

During the visit, the Chinese official will also co-chair the first meeting of the cooperation committee between the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) and the NPC.

Both the host and the guest underlined the importance of Viet NamChina relations in each countrys overall foreign policy, and agreed that the traditional friendship and close ties between the two Parties and two nations have been increasingly strengthened.

High-ranking leaders of both sides have maintained regular meetings and strategic exchanges, reaching a common understanding on building a Viet NamChina community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, in line with the six major orientations.

The two sides spoke highly of the outcomes of the first meeting of the two legislatures cooperation committee, viewing its success as a new milestone in parliamentary cooperation and an important contribution to the growth of ties between the two Parties and countries.

President Cuong suggested that both sides enhance solidarity and coordination in implementing the high-level agreements reached by the Parties and countries.

He called for further consolidation of the sound political foundation nurtured by generations of leaders, through effective organisation of high-level exchanges, stronger cooperation in defence, security and external relations, as well as close coordination in holding the first ministerial-level dialogue involving foreign, defence and public security ministries of the two countries.

The State leader also highlighted the importance of promoting the role of the legislatures in creating favourable legal frameworks and policies for cooperation in priority fields, particularly major, symbolic projects such as three standard-gauge railway routes connecting the two countries. He suggested that the NA and NPC intensify exchanges of experience in lawmaking, supervision, and professional activities.

On the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, President Cuong expressed the wish that the two sides properly manage differences, maintain peace and stability, and avoid negative impacts on bilateral ties.

For his part, Zhao affirmed that China is willing to strengthen high-level and all-level exchanges with Viet Nam, deepen political trust, enhance practical cooperation, and consolidate people-to-people friendship.

He stressed that as Chinas legislature, the NPC will work closely with the NA to facilitate strategic connectivity, transport infrastructure, trade and investment, bringing practical benefits to both nations.

The NPC will also continue close coordination with its Vietnamese counterpart in effectively implementing high-level common perceptions, following up on the outcomes of the first meeting, and deepening friendship and cooperation between the two legislatures.

He said this will contribute to promoting the Viet NamChina comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, making bilateral relations more substantive and profound in the future.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Party General Secretary To Lam hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Monday for delegations of leaders and representatives from political parties across Asia, Europe, America and Africa, who are in Viet Nam to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

General Secretary Lam expressed appreciation for their warm congratulations to President Ho Chi Minh, the Party, State and people of Viet Nam, describing these gestures as a vivid testament to the profound solidarity, brotherhood and enduring international support extended to Viet Nam by global political parties, states, governments and international friends.

Reflecting on September 2, 1945 when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, he called it a historic turning point that ended nearly a century of colonial rule and opened a new era of independence and socialism.

For Vietnamese, he said, the date is not just a national holiday but a celebration of peace, freedom, and collective aspirations of the nation.

He spotlighted Viet Nams eight-decade journey, rooted in its patriotic tradition, to overcome challenges through national unity and global solidarity.

This path, he noted, delivered victories from national liberation and reunification to successful economic reforms. Once a war-torn, impoverished nation, Viet Nam has emerged as a dynamic economy with extensive global integration, driving progress in living standards and across multiple sectors.

According to him, the Vietnamese Party, State and people are focusing on strategic development goals for 2030 and 2045, aiming to fulfil President Ho Chi Minhs vision of a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Viet Nam that contributes worthily to the global revolutionary cause.

Against a backdrop of global uncertainties, he reaffirmed Viet Nams commitment to socialism, ongoing reforms; and a consistent foreign policy of independence, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralism and diversification of external ties, being a friend, a trustworthy partner and an active and responsible member of the international community.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people always expect to broaden and further deepen ties with political parties while increasing understanding, friendship and cooperation between Vietnamese people and those of other nations.

Heads of Belarusian, Japanese, Russian, Dominican Republic and Algerian delegations praised the historic significance of Viet Nams struggle for national liberation and reunification.

They expressed admiration for Viet Nams comprehensive achievements over the past 80 years and its growing global stature, calling Viet Nam a model of peace, development, social progress and international solidarity, and voicing strong support for the Vietnamese Party, State and people in national development.

They expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and General Secretary To Lam, the Vietnamese people would achieve their goals in the new era.

Commending Viet Nams foreign policy, they underscored their desire to further reinforce long-standing friendship and cooperation with Vietnamese Party, State and people across various fields.

The delegations are set to meet with other Vietnamese Party and State leaders and visit cultural and historical sites during their stay in Viet Nam.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van on Monday received Pedro Oliveira, member of the international relations commission of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and Secretary-General of the BrazilViet Nam Friendship Association, who is in Ha Noi to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's August Revolution and National Day.

Deputy Minister Van conveyed greetings from the Vietnamese Party and State leaders to the PCdoB leadership, expressing gratitude for the Party and people of Brazils support for Viet Nams past struggle for independence and reunification, as well as its current cause of renewal and nation-building.

He stressed that the PCdoBs participation in the celebrations is a source of encouragement for the Communist Party and people of Viet Nam.

Sharing Viet Nams strategic goals for 2030 and 2045, the deputy foreign minister briefed his guest on efforts to streamline the state apparatus, target economic growth of 8 per cent this year and double-digit growth in the following years, while ensuring sustainable development and inclusiveness.

He reaffirmed Viet Nams consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation of relations.

On bilateral ties, Van expressed satisfaction with the positive developments in relations between the two Parties and countries.

He called for stronger exchanges of theory and information on the situation in each country and region, enhanced coordination at multilateral party forums, and practical contributions to the implementation of the new strategic partnership framework.

He highlighted potential areas of cooperation including science-technology, innovation, sustainable development, and climate change response, while also urging continued efforts to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Oliveira underscored the significance of Viet Nams victory for independence in 1945 for national liberation movements in Asia and Latin America. He said it is a great honour for the PCdoB to join the Vietnamese Party, State, and people in celebrating the milestone anniversary.

He conveyed greetings from the PCdoB President to Party General Secretary To Lam and other leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State, while voicing appreciation of bilateral progress, including the PCdoB Presidents visit to Viet Nam in November 2023.

Oliveira affirmed his agreement with the proposals of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and pledged that the PCdoB and himself would continue working to promote stronger and more substantive relations between the two Parties and countries.

He also voiced support for and commitment to advancing negotiations on the Viet NamMERCOSUR free trade agreement in the time ahead.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) and Chairwoman of the Viet NamLaos Friendship Parliamentarians Group Nguyen Thi Thanh hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Monday for a delegation of the LaosViet Nam Friendship Association, led by its President Boviengkham Vongdara.

The Lao delegation is in Viet Nam to attend activities marking the 80th National Day of the country (September 2).

Welcoming the guests, Thanh underlined that the visit and related activities once again affirm the close-knit and profound ties between the two nations and peoples.

She stressed that the Viet NamLaos relations are great, special and comprehensive, nurtured through history and tested in struggles against common enemies, and will last with the development of both nations.

The host briefed the delegation on Viet Nams socio-economic highlights, noting that after nearly 40 years of oi moi (Renewal), the country has reaped significant achievements. Viet Nam is striving to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income status by 2030, and a developed, high-income nation by 2045.

To this end, Viet Nam is focusing on three strategic breakthroughs  institutional improvement, high-quality human resources training, and synchronous, modern infrastructure building  along with four strategic resolutions on science-technology and digital transformation, international integration, law-making, and private economic development.

Thanh expressed her delight at the growing cooperation between the two legislatures, saying that the two sides have been effectively implementing their cooperation agreement and organising exchanges, workshops and thematic discussions.

In 20242025, the two parliaments are coordinating to compile and publish a book on the 50 years of Viet NamLaos parliamentary relations, which is scheduled for release in this year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral parliamentary cooperation.

She noted that the recently concluded ninth session of the 15th NA was the most productive ever in terms of law-making, with 34 laws passed, alongside constitutional amendments and numerous resolutions that lay the legal foundation for reforms, including the reorganisation of the local government model into two tiers.

Thanh welcomed the active exchanges between the two Friendship Parliamentarians Groups, which have discussed issues of shared concern, attended cultural and political events, and contributed to fostering the Viet NamLaos parliamentary ties.

She proposed that the two friendship associations continue to diversify their activities to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, while promoting joint communication and education programmes for younger generations about the traditional, special and comprehensive Viet NamLaos friendship.

For his part, Boviengkham Vongdara, who is also Minister of Technology and Communications, thanked the Party, State and people of Viet Nam for their constant and wholehearted support for Laos throughout its struggle for independence, as well as in its nation-building and defence.

He expressed his admiration on Viet Nams strong development and rising position in the region and the world, and affirmed that in the future, the two friendship associations will work closely to organise practical and meaningful exchange activities, particularly for young people. This contributes to consolidating and enhancing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Viet Nam.  VNA/VNS
TIANJIN  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, part of his trip to China to attend the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and engage in other activities there.

At the meeting, the PM conveyed warm greetings from Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and other Vietnamese Party and State leaders to President Putin.

He expressed appreciation for the Russian leaders congratulations to Viet Nam on the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, and thanked Russia for sending a delegation to attend the celebration and a military contingent to join the military parade marking the event.

PM Chinh said such gestures demonstrate Russias sincere sentiments and respect for the Vietnamese peoples just struggle for independence from colonial rule. He underlined that Viet Nam attaches great importance to its traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia, always considering Russia one of its top priority partners.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the robust growth in bilateral ties in recent years, particularly following Party General Secretary To Lams official visit to Russia in May.

The PM noted that under the guidance of high-ranking leaders and the efforts of both governments, many major issues in bilateral cooperation have been addressed, opening new momentum for stronger collaboration in all areas, especially economy, trade, investment, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

For his part, President Putin agreed that the two countries should continue implementing areas of cooperation reached during high-level visits, and endorsed the cooperation proposals put forward by PM Chinh. He pledged to urge Russian agencies and businesses to work to promote partnership with Viet Nam. On specific issues, the two sides agreed to seek further information and provide feedback.

Later the same day, PM Chinh and his entourage departed Tianjin for Ha Noi, successfully concluding their trip.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang on Monday hosted a reception for leaders of the defence ministries and armies of Cuba, Russia, Cambodia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Giang expressed his warm greetings and gratitude to them for attending celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of Viet Nam. He stressed that their presence vividly reflects the friendship, cooperation and close bonds between their countries, peoples and armies with Viet Nam.

He noted that the national military parade and march to be held on this occasion aims to arouse the spirit of self-reliance and resilience of the entire nation in the cause of national construction, development and defence. It is also an opportunity for Vietnamese people at home and abroad to look back to their roots and strengthen solidarity, while expressing gratitude to international friends for their support to Viet Nam in its past struggle for national liberation and unification, as well as its present development.

The minister underlined that in recent years, Viet Nams defence diplomacy has been continuously expanded, becoming more substantive and effective.

Viet Nam has established defence ties with over 100 countries, actively engaged in multilateral mechanisms, and made practical contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations. These outcomes have helped build trust, foster cooperation, and contribute to regional and global peace and stability.

Giang extended sincere thanks to defence ministries of various countries for their cooperation and support, particularly to those of China, Russia, Laos and Cambodia for sending military contingents to join the parade.

He expressed appreciation to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha for accepting the invitation to attend the event and for sending a military contingent of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to the parade. Giang affirmed that the monument built by Viet Nams Ministry of National Defence in tribute to Cambodian and international soldiers, including those from the former Soviet Union, Cuba, China and Laos, symbolises the close and longstanding friendship between the countries and armies. He proposed that the two sides continue to coordinate closely to effectively implement the 2025-29 cooperation agreement and their annual cooperation plans.

Tea Seiha congratulated Viet Nam on the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, and expressed his deep impression of the patriotism of the Vietnamese people. He affirmed Cambodias respect for bilateral relations, particularly between the two armies, and proposed further promoting practical and effective defence cooperation in the coming time.

At the meeting, Giang reiterated that amid complex global and regional developments, Viet Nam remains steadfast in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, being a friend, reliable partner and responsible member of the international community.

He emphasised that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence wishes to further strengthen defence cooperation with partners, build strategic trust, and work together to effectively respond to both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

Senior Lieutenant General Alvaro Lopez Miera, Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, expressed thanks for the invitation to the celebrations. He said it is a great honour to share this historic moment, which symbolises the courage, determination and indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people in their struggle for independence, reunification and national happiness.

The event, he said, is also an acknowledgement of the enormous sacrifice and contributions of heroes who brought freedom and unity to the nation, and an occasion for both countries to reaffirm their commitment to friendship, cooperation and mutual respect.  VNA/VNS
TIANJIN  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday held separate meetings with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China.

At the meetings, the leaders of the countries and international organisations spoke highly of the first-time attendance of a high-ranking Vietnamese leader at the summit, voiced their desire to step up multifaceted cooperation with Viet Nam, and expressed admiration for the nations socio-economic achievements, believing it will successfully realise its major development goals.

Mongolian President Khurelsukh stressed that Viet Nam is regarded as Mongolias third neighbour and a leading partner in Southeast Asia. He voiced his belief that Viet Nam will achieve double-digit growth, and called for stronger, result-oriented cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, defence and security. The leader invited PM Chinh to pay a visit to Mongolia.

PM Chinh suggested that both sides strengthen collaboration in key areas such as mining and processing essential minerals, and create favourable conditions for agro-products to access each others markets. He also called for close coordination and mutual support in regional and international issues of shared concern.

At the meeting with the Pakistani PM, the two leaders agreed to promote visits and exchanges at all levels. PM Sharif expressed his wish that Viet Nam will serve as a bridge to foster stronger ties between Pakistan and Southeast Asia.

Meeting the Kyrgyz President, PM Chinh affirmed Viet Nams desire to enhance the traditional friendship by bolstering all-level delegation exchanges and closer coordination and support at multilateral forums.

President Japarov pledged to facilitate Vietnamese investment in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in minerals, construction, and solar power, while affirming mutual support at international forums. He also extended an invitation to PM Chinh to visit Kyrgyzstan at an appropriate time.

Both sides agreed to step up cooperation in economy-trade-investment, culture, education, security, defence, and people-to-people exchanges.

Meanwhile, SCO Secretary-General Yermekbayev thanked the Vietnamese leader for attending the summit as a guest. Having visited Viet Nam many times, he expressed warm feelings for its land and people.

PM Chinh lauded the SCOs growing role in contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world, as well as the relevance of the summits theme  "SCO Year of Sustainable Development.

He affirmed Viet Nams active, responsible participation in SCO activities will contribute to strengthening the role of multilateralism and international law, including the UN Charter, for an environment of stability, prosperity, and equal, mutually beneficial cooperation in the region and the world.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese leader called for join work in stepping up ASEAN  SCO cooperation and for the SCOs support for the blocs central role in the evolving regional architecture.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Party General Secretary To Lam has emphasised Viet Nams longstanding appreciation for the support of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), the Government and people of Cambodia, underlining the importance of the close bilateral relationship as well as the Viet NamCambodiaLaos ties.

Receiving CPP President Hun Sen who leads a high-ranking Cambodian delegation to Viet Nam for the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's August Revolution and National Day on Monday, General Secretary Lam expressed his commitment to further strengthening ties between the two parties, the two countries, and among the three parties and nations, promoting practical cooperation across all sectors for the benefit of each country's people and for peace and prosperity in the region and the world.

CPP President Hun Sen highlighted that Viet Nams August Revolution has served as a major inspiration for anti-colonial struggles globally, not only in Southeast Asia. He also wished Viet Nam success in achieving its goals of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income status by 2030, marking the centenary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, and a developed, high-income nation by 2045, the centenary of the countrys founding.

Both leaders welcomed the strong growth of bilateral relations in recent years and pledged to implement effectively the conclusions of previous high-level meetings and the outcomes of the August 14 phone talks between General Secretary To Lam and President Hun Sen.

They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political trust, enhancing high-level and multi-level exchanges, fostering connections among leaders and youth, and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

They reiterated the principle of preventing any force from using one countrys territory to undermine the interests of the other, and agreed to accelerate the completion of the remaining 16 per cent of land border demarcation while maintaining border security and combating cross-border crime.

The two sides also stressed the importance of deepening economic, trade and investment cooperation, including facilitating business collaboration and promoting cross-border exchanges of local residents.

President Hun Sen noted that bilateral trade reached over US$10 billion in 2024 and is expected to hit $20 billion in the near future. Viet Nam is currently Cambodias third-largest trading partner, and Vietnamese investments have contributed to improving livelihoods and socio-economic development in Cambodia.

The two sides also agreed to direct ministries, sectors and localities to coordinate the effective implementation of existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements. They exchanged views on global and regional developments of mutual concern.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with President of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) and President of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen in Ha Noi on Monday, who will attend the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Viet Nam's August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

Chairman Man expressed his joy at meeting CPP President and Senate President Hun Sen and welcoming a high-ranking delegation attending this important event, describing the Cambodian presence as a vivid testament to the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people.

Viet Nam values the support of international friends throughout its development journey, particularly neighbours Cambodia and Laos, he said, expressing optimism about the future of Viet NamCambodia and Viet NamCambodiaLaos relations.

Congratulating Cambodia on its wide-ranging development achievements, he voiced the Vietnamese NA and peoples steadfast support for Cambodias progress. He believed that that under King Norodom Sihamonis sound reign, the CPPs directions led by Hun Sen, and the leadership of Cambodian Senate, NA and Government, and an united people, the country would achieve even greater successes on multiple fronts.

Hun Sen, for his part, said Viet Nams declaration of independence 80 years ago was a beacon not only for Viet Nam but also for Cambodia, Laos, and nations worldwide in their struggles for freedom and development. He expressed gratitude for Viet Nams help in toppling the Pol Pot regime, stressing that Cambodias progress is inseparable from Viet Nams sacrifices, particularly the blood shed by volunteer soldiers.

He praised Viet Nams dynamic socio-economic development, expressing confidence that under the sound and far-sighted leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam led by General Secretary To Lam, the Vietnamese Government, NA and people would achieve the goals set by the 13th National Party Congress and advance toward upper-middle-income status by 2030 and high-income status by 2045.

Both sides welcomed progress in bilateral ties across various fields. They reiterated the importance of maintaining good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and sustainable, long-term cooperation. Stressing that annual two-way trade has reached US$10 billion, they set a target of $20 billion in the coming years.

Hun Sen highlighted the positive impact of Vietnamese investment projects on Cambodias socio-economic development, noting the complementary strengths both nations can leverage.

Host and guest commended the robust ties between the Vietnamese NA and Cambodian Senate and legislature. They pledged to continue enhancing the legislative bodies role in advancing bilateral ties, overseeing the progress of signed treaties and agreements, and increasing exchanges of information and experience, particularly in institutional and legal building, and oversight practices that shape key national decisions.

On the occasion, the host conveyed greetings to King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, NA President Khuon Sudary, Prime Minister Hun Manet, and other senior Cambodian leaders.  VNA/VNS
From a modest upbringing in HCM City to studies in Norway and the US and a career in Canada, Vietnamese-Canadian Dr Nguyen Anh Tuan, an informaticist, has come full circle  returning to Viet Nam with a mission to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen healthcare and bring better care to everyday communities. Bo Xuan Hiep reports.

Bo Xuan Hiep

At An Binh Phu Giao Medical Station in former Binh Duong Province (now part of enlarged HCM City) in southern Viet Nam, a simple poster has been pinned to the wall.

It reads Connext, an AI-powered communication platform designed to support grassroots healthcare.

For most patients walking by, it may look like just another notice about a new service. But for Vietnamese-Canadian Dr Nguyen Anh Tuan, 42, that poster symbolises something much greater: the reason he came home.

The son of a war veteran and a schoolteacher, Tuan was born in Thanh Hoa Province in northern Viet Nam. At the age of two, he moved with his family to Binh Duong, where he grew up in a modest household that valued education above all else.

His father, a soldier from northern Viet Nam who once served in Cambodia, taught him resilience. His mother, a secondary school teacher, instilled compassion and a belief in the transformative power of learning.

Those lessons propelled him far from home. After completing the gifted programme, Tuan earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with distinction from HCM City University of Technology.

In 2007, he left Viet Nam to pursue a PhD in Informatics at the University of Oslo, Norway  the start of a long journey through Europe and North America.

I have always believed the best way for me is to apply what I learn in one country to another, Tuan recalls. Living abroad helped me see both Viet Nams competitive strengths and its challenges.

Tuans first return came in 2011 when he founded a software company in HCM City. Starting with just himself, he grew it into a team of over 70 engineers before selling it in 2018 to a Japanese software company  an exit that allowed him to explore new opportunities.

He later pursued an MBA at Cornell University, then worked in venture capital in the US before moving to Canada.

In Canada, Tuan deepened his understanding of healthcare, digital transformation, and data privacy, knowledge that would later prove invaluable in Viet Nam.

Yet, despite the professional success, something was missing. I saw the positive impact I could create in Viet Nam through digital transformation in general, and AI in particular, he says.

Life-changing decision

At the end of 2024, after six years in Canada, Tuan made the life-changing decision to return to Viet Nam. This time, his vision was bigger: to improve community health through technology.

Together with long-time friend Mai Tran, PhD, whom he first met during their studies in Oslo, he co-founded Connext.

While Tuan had followed an entrepreneurial path, Mai had spent 12 years at IBM in Norway, working as a senior data scientist and AI solution architect.

Their mission is to build an AI-powered communication platform that strengthens the connection between grassroots medical stations and the communities they serve.

Communication gaps in healthcare

In Viet Nam, commune-level medical stations form the backbone of the healthcare system, providing vaccinations, disease prevention programmes, and primary care.

After the recent administrative merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau, HCM Citys grassroots network now consists of 168 commune/ward-level stations and 296 satellite health points.

Despite their major role, communication with residents often relies on outdated methods such as loudspeakers, posters, and word of mouth. These channels are costly, one-way, and limited in reach.

Connext allows medical messages to be broadcast at least ten times more widely at a fraction of the cost, Tuan says. More importantly, it enables staff to engage directly with patients, improving both trust and quality of care.

The platform is being piloted at two stations in Binh Duong and is expected to expand soon.

Doctor o Thanh Liem, deputy director of the centre, says: AI is an inevitable trend in healthcare. Connext helps us work more efficiently and serve patients better.

Doctor Nguyen Huynh Phuong Diem, who uses Connext daily, adds: It saves me time when answering residents questions. I still review the AIs drafts, but having it on my phone means I can support people anytime, anywhere.

Residents have also noticed the difference. Nguyen Ngoc Hai, 32, who recently brought her child for a vaccination, says: For the first time I could message the station and get a quick reply. It makes me feel cared for by the local doctors.

Obstacles ahead

The journey, however, has not been without obstacles. One of the biggest challenges, Tuan admits, is the lack of digitised data.

For an AI system to be smart, it needs to learn from a wide range of examples, he says. Yet many healthcare documents and processes in Viet Nam are still paper-based.

To address this, Connext was designed with medical staff at its centre. Human oversight is built into every AI component, ensuring safe use even with limited data.

The platform also collects and refines data as it operates, enabling continuous improvement.

Another challenge is perception.

Some people assume AI is always smarter than humans, while others are overly sceptical, Tuan says. Both extremes can create friction.

To address this, he spends significant time educating healthcare providers about both the value and limitations of AI.

Despite the hurdles, Tuan is optimistic. Within the next five to ten years, I believe our healthcare system will be more balanced, he says.

Tertiary hospitals will be less overcrowded, and primary healthcare facilities will fully play their role in delivering care. Rural communities will gain much greater access to quality healthcare, enabled by technology, including AI.

Lessons from abroad

Tuans years overseas continue to shape his work. From Canada, he brought back a strong commitment to data privacy.

With Connext, we are building for a high level of data privacy not only to comply fully with Vietnamese law but also to protect patients and healthcare providers, he says.

From the US, he learned about entrepreneurship and investment ecosystems. From Norway, he absorbed an appreciation for research rigour. Each piece of his journey abroad now informs his work at home.

For Tuan, returning to Viet Nam was more than a career move; it was a personal calling. His story is one of circles: leaving, learning abroad, and returning with renewed purpose.

As Viet Nam marks its 80th National Day on September 2, Tuans journey is a reminder that nation-building is not only about the past we commemorate, but also about the future we create together.

As he walks past the Connext poster at the medical station, he knows his work is only beginning. The open question he carries  and one he hopes others will too  is how each of us might contribute to shaping Viet Nams future. VNS
Khanh Linh

The 80th anniversary of Viet Nams August Revolution and National Day is both a tribute to history and a promise for the future. Eight decades have passed since the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at Ba inh Square, Ha Noi, in 1945, marking the beginning of the nations journey to sovereignty and transformation.

As Viet Nam looks back on its progress, the experiences of long-term foreign residents offer a unique view of Viet Nams change. Many have chosen this country as their second home, their lives intertwined with its story of resilience and renewal. For them, Viet Nam is more than a destination. It is a place of belonging, opportunity, and shared aspirations.

A front-row seat

When An Sung Gu stepped off the plane in 1995 as a young employee of steelmaker POSCO, he thought he was on a short-term assignment.

Nearly three decades later, the Korean executive is still here, now serving as Deputy General Director of POSCO Vietnam.

People often ask me why Ive stayed so long, he laughs.

Normally, Korean postings abroad last five years at most. But Viet Nam is a country that never stops developing. Each new project kept me here as the Viet Nam expert.

The changes in Ha Noi remain vivid in his memory. In 2001, when he moved from Ho Chi Minh City to the capital, the city was quiet, with few tall buildings. The area where the Lotte Centre in Ha Noi now stands was then wild grass and ponds. Today, the skyline is filled with skyscrapers over 60 floors high, busy streets, and the energy of a global city.

The economic shift is equally dramatic. In 2001, Viet Nams GDP per capita was just over US$400, but today, it exceeds $4,000. Exports have soared from $15 billion to over $400 billion, with heavy industry accounting for more than 30 per cent. For An, these numbers reflect a story of industrialisation among Asias most remarkable.

He has also witnessed a cultural transformation. Early stereotypes suggesting a laid-back workforce in a tropical climate have been replaced by evidence of discipline and drive. Morning streets filled with joggers, aerobic groups and early risers reflect a culture of diligence.

An credits Viet Nams pro-business policies for attracting foreign investment, noting the governments consistent efforts to create a level playing field for domestic and international enterprises.

The Government listens to businesses, treats local and foreign businesses fairly, and works to solve problems. That openness has impressed Korean firms, and its why over 9,000 Korean companies have invested here, he notes.

One of his most cherished memories in Viet Nam is the 2010 visit of Park Tae-joon, the late POSCO chairman, revered as the architect of Koreas steel industry. Addressing more than 500 Vietnamese students at the Viet Nam National University, Park spoke passionately about the potential he saw in their eyes and the promise of the countrys future.

More than a decade later, An sees that vision materialising in Viet Nams robust growth and international stature.

While challenges remain, from regulations to traditional practices, he sees strong momentum focused on efficiency and modernisation.

As the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day unfolds, An frames the moment as a springboard for future innovation and partnership.

This is a country of resilience and innovation. I believe our two nations will continue to grow closer in the years ahead, he said.

Green advocacy

When David Payne first landed in Viet Nam in mid-2000, he expected nothing more than a temporary posting. Born and raised in Sydney, the young Australian development worker came to work with an NGO on community projects in the northern provinces of Hoa Binh and Thai Nguyen.

I didnt really expect to stay here long term, David recalls. But over time, as I got to know my colleagues, to make friends, and travel to the countryside, I found that working and living in Viet Nam was really interesting.

That interest grew into a commitment. Over the past 25 years, David has transitioned from a short-term advisor to a UNDP environmental expert, deeply embedded in Viet Nams development landscape.

Beyond his professional work, he embraced Vietnamese culture, studied the language, collaborated with local artists and explored the scenic countryside on motorbike journeys. His personal life also flourished.

His son, born in 2007, is now completing his final year of high school in Ha Noi  a city David proudly calls home. Its been a good place for him to grow up, he says.

Viet Nams rapid modernisation has impressed him, but he is equally candid about the challenges. The economic boom, while lifting millions out of poverty, has brought environmental costs that are increasingly visible. Air quality in Ha Noi, particularly during winter, has become a pressing concern.

I truly worry about the health impacts on myself, my son, my friends and colleagues, and everyone breathing this air, he reflects.

Still, David sees progress. The past year has seen stronger government commitments, technological advances in air monitoring and rising public awareness.

New policies are being developed, and monitoring technologies are being put in place. But the key challenge will be turning words into action, he says.

For David, standing at Ba inh Square during the 60th anniversary of Independence in 2005 remains one of his most poignant memories. It was a moment of quiet reflection on the struggles and triumphs of a nation that had overcome extraordinary challenges to secure peace and progress.

Two decades later, the 80th anniversary evokes similar sentiments, a recognition of past achievements and a vision for the future.

In Davids view, Viet Nams role on the regional and global stage has expanded significantly. The country is increasingly recognised as a proactive member of ASEAN, a contributor to the United Nations, and a strong advocate of multilateralism. Its reputation as a hospitable destination for tourists has been complemented by its growing influence on global diplomacy and trade.

Viet Nams visibility and contribution will continue to strengthen if it maintains openness and active engagement, he emphasises.

David sees optimism in the rising generation and their appreciation of Viet Nams natural beauty. From plastic-free beaches to clean rivers and blue skies, these aspirations shape his work on environmental sustainability.

For Viet Nams future, David says Viet Nam must safeguard its heritage, prioritise ecological health, and ensure that development remains human-centred rather than profit-driven.

A personal bond

For Chris Saint, Viet Nam was love at first sight, both for the country and, eventually, for the woman who would become his wife.

I first visited in 1998 and instantly fell in love with the country and the culture, says the retired operations manager from Australia. I kept coming back, year after year.

In 2004, fate stepped in when he met a hotel receptionist in Hoi An. Their marriage in 2007 and subsequent years spent between Australia and Viet Nam laid the foundation for his eventual relocation in 2018.

Life in Viet Nam offered a welcome contrast to his former career as an operations manager in the car rental industry, a role that was financially rewarding but fraught with stress. Retirement opened the door to a slower pace and deeper cultural immersion in a place that had long felt like a second home.

The Viet Nam he knows today is a far cry from the country he first visited. English is widely spoken, international cuisine is everywhere, and infrastructure has leapt forward.

The journey from a Lat to Nha Trang used to take 12 hours. Now, its a breeze, he says.

What resonates most with Chris during the national celebrations is the palpable sense of unity and pride. He admires the patriotism that infuses these occasions, viewing it as a cornerstone of Viet Nams resilience and progress.

Nowhere is perfect, but love of country is a great starting point for community spirit, he states.

For Chris, gratitude is deeply personal. During challenging times, Viet Nam offered safety and belonging  from national authorities to local communities in Hoi An. These bonds underpin his enduring commitment to the country he now calls home.

Chris sees Viet Nam consolidating its role as a respected partner in global affairs. He believes continued advancement on the world stage requires policies that balance modernisation with openness, including equitable treatment of foreign residents.

His aspiration aligns with a broader ethos of shared growth and cultural exchange  a vision of progress without losing sight of human connection.

For long-term residents like An, David and Chris, this 80th anniversary is more than a historical marker. It is a living affirmation of how far Viet Nam has come and where it is headed.  VNS
HA NOI  A delegation of the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly (NA), the State President, the Government, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Ha Noi on September 1 morning on the occasion of the country's 80th National Day (September 2, 1945 - 2025).

The ceremony was attended by Politburo members: Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, and Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the VFF Central Committee o Van Chien.

Also present at the ceremony were former Party General Secretary Nong uc Manh; former State Presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang; former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; former NA Chairpersons Nguyen Sinh Hung and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; and officials and former officials of the Party and State, NA and Government, and representatives from various ministries and central agencies.

The delegates expressed their infinite gratitude and profound respect for President Ho Chi Minhs tremendous contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Eighty years ago, on September 2, 1945, at Ba inh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence declaring the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam). The Declaration of Independence strongly demonstrated the Vietnamese people's aspiration for national independence and their determination to mobilise all their physical and mental strength, and to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their freedom and independence.

The entire Party, army, and people of Viet Nam are determined to steadfastly follow the path chosen by President Ho Chi Minh, creatively applying his ideology to carry forward the revolutionary cause he left behind, reaching new heights and standing shoulder to shoulder with the worlds powers.

The National Day is a time to reflect on Viet Nams 80-year proud history, reaffirm its achievements in national construction and defence, and inspire todays generations to carry forward the spirit of resilience and creativity toward a prosperous and civilised era for the nation.

After that, the delegation laid a wreath and offered incense at the monument dedicated war heroes and martyrs on Bac Son Street to commemorate the soldiers who laid down their lives in the struggle for national liberation, independence, freedom, and the happiness of the people.

The same morning, delegations from the Central Military Commission  Ministry of National Defence; Central Public Security Party Committee  Ministry of Public Security; and the Party Committee, Peoples Council, and Peoples Committee of Ha Noi also laid wreaths in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and fallen combatants.  VNA/VNS
Le Viet Dung

Tens of thousands gathered at Ba inh Square in Ha Noi to witness a defining moment in Viet Nams history on September 2, 1945. Among them was 20-year-old Nguyen Van My, who stood in the front row as President Ho Chi Minh read aloud the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.

From afar, I saw President Ho on the stage, My recalled, his eyes still shining with the clarity of that memory nearly eight decades later.

President Ho asked, Compatriots, can you hear me clearly? and the whole square answered in one voice, Yes! It was like thunder rolling through the air. That was the very day we knew we had become free citizens of an independent Viet Nam. The happiness was overwhelming. We were ready to sacrifice everything to defend that freedom.

Born on April 30, 1925, in Ha Nois Old Quarter, My grew up in a family of merchants on Hang ong Street. From a young age, he witnessed the stark inequality and humiliation of colonial rule.

Ordinary Vietnamese lived in grinding poverty, burdened by heavy taxes and relentless levies imposed by the colonial and feudal regime, while being forbidden from entering French-only parks, restaurants and theatres.

I witnessed the contrast every day, he said. Buffalo carts and crowded trains full of poor Vietnamese peasants on one side, while the French officials rode by in their shiny cars on the other. The injustice sank into me and I carried a silent anger inside.

That anger slowly crystallised into a longing for independence.

I didnt know how independence could be achieved then, he admitted. But I was sure of one thing: if it ever came, it would come only after a great struggle against the French.

As a teenager, My studied at Thang Long High School, founded in 1928 by educator Hoang Minh Giam. The school soon became a hub of nationalist fervour, where many teachers would later play leading roles in the anti-French war.

ang Thai Mai, who later became Minister of Education, and Phan Anh, later Minister of Defence, both taught there. Surrounded by their example, My quickly absorbed the atmosphere of resistance.

By the early 1940s, student protests and strikes were spreading across Ha Noi, and the French authorities cracked down hard. Many students, including My, decided to drop out of their studies and throw themselves into the revolutionary cause.

Soon, he was recruited by the Viet Minh  short for the League for Independence of Vietnam, a revolutionary movement led by Ho Chi Minh, who asked My to serve secretly as a commune chief in Yen Xa, a rural area on the outskirts of Ha Noi.

The assignment was dangerous. Viet Nam was under what many described as a 'double yoke'  French colonialists still wielded power, yet by 1940 the Japanese had forced France to surrender its military control of Indochina.

In March 1945, the Japanese staged a coup, turning the colony into a Japanese stronghold. For young revolutionaries like My, the situation was tense but also full of possibilities.

When news arrived in mid-August 1945 that Japan had surrendered, the Viet Minh wasted no time. On August 13, they issued a nationwide call for uprising.

On August 19, My joined the surging crowds that seized power in Ha Noi and two weeks later, he stood in Ba inh Square for the Declaration of Independence event.

"That day was pure joy," he said. "It felt like the iron chains of a century had finally fallen away."

The euphoria, however, proved short-lived. By late 1946, French forces had returned, intent on reclaiming Indochina. On December 19, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh issued the Call for National Resistance.

For more than 60 days, the people of Ha Noi built barricades, fought street by street and held off French attacks to buy time for the resistance government to evacuate safely to northern mountainous provinces. My was among them.

"We fought with whatever we had," he said. "When the order came to withdraw, we left secretly along the Red River. I carried a sword, a lightweight aluminium bicycle and one belief carved deep inside me: that we would return victorious."

That belief sustained him through nine long years of resistance. The hardship was immense, but hope never wavered. In May 1954, the victory at ien Bien Phu finally forced France to sign the Geneva Agreement, restoring peace in Indochina.

"On September 2, 1954, though I was still in the Resistance Zone, my heart was at Ba inh," My said. "I felt as if I were standing there again, this time hearing the cheers of triumph."

When he returned with his department to Ha Noi later that month to prepare for the official handover of the capital, he carried both joy and sorrow: news reached him that his mother had passed away while he was still in the Resistance Zone.

The only keepsakes were her identity card and his fathers glasses, which he has carefully kept all his life.

My resumed life in Ha Noi, beginning the long work of rebuilding a country still divided. Material life was modest, but his faith in eventual reunification never wavered.

He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1954 and, eleven years later, became part of the inaugural class of the newly established Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. It marked the beginning of a three-decade journey in diplomacy that would take him across the world.

In 1971, he married, but the demands of service soon carried him to postings in France, Switzerland, India, China and the Soviet Union, keeping him far from home.

When the US escalated its bombing campaign in the North, Ha Noi was plunged into a rhythm of sirens and hurried descents into air-raid shelters. Families carried on with remarkable resilience, sharing the same spirit of sacrifice that united the nation.

Then came April 30, 1975. While on duty at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, My received the news that Sai Gon  the capital city of the US-backed regime  had fallen. It was his 50th birthday.

"It was the greatest birthday gift of my life," he said.

On September 2 that year, he once again stood in Ba inh Square, this time to celebrate the first National Day of a unified Viet Nam.

"If 1945 was the day I became a citizen of an independent country, then 1975 was the day I truly lived in a unified Viet Nam."

Yet even after reunification, life remained difficult as the US embargo cast a long shadow and daily life was bound by ration cards and coupons. Families queued for rice and pork; goods were scarce.

My retired in 1985, and in that same year, he took his wife and four-year-old daughter to HCM City for the first time since reunification, determined to show her the wholeness of the nation.

On September 2, 1985, the family watched the 40th anniversary parade from the balcony of their apartment on Nam Bo Street (now Le Duan Street).

"It was immense pride," he said, "but I also felt a heavy heart, seeing how hard life still was. That parade reminded us of our heroic past, but also lit a spark of hope for the future."

That spark took shape the following year with the launch of the oi Moi (Renewal) reforms.

"I witnessed Viet Nam shedding its old skin," My said. "From rationing to open markets, from isolation to integration. It was a transformation beyond anything we could have imagined during the difficult years of the embargo."

In 1995, when Viet Nam celebrated 50 years of independence and normalised relations with the US, My stood watching the parade beside his 14-year-old daughter.

"I looked at her, a child born in peace, growing up as the country opened to the world, and I felt great hope. Our generation fought for independence, but hers would build a strong and prosperous nation," he said.

Even after a stroke in 2008, he never missed a National Day. On September 2, 2015, he sat before his television, watching the army march proudly through Ba inh once again.

"I remembered 1945, when we had only rifles and spears," he said. "Seventy years later, I saw a modern army and a nation with a growing position on the international stage. From a poor colony, we had come so far. I was deeply moved."

Now, as Viet Nam prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its independence on September 2, 2025, Nguyen Van My has reached the age of 100. Frail but lucid, his gaze is still fixed on the future.

"Never forget the value of peace and independence," he urged younger generations. "They were bought with the blood of countless compatriots. And always stay united. Learn, reach out to the world, but never forget your roots."

Looking back over a century, he said his greatest pride is the resilience of the Vietnamese people.

"We rose from the ashes of war, from hunger and rationing, to reach today. That is a miracle," he said.

For My, September 2 is not just a date on the calendar. It is the living heartbeat of a nation  a reminder of sacrifice, struggle and renewal.

From a young man in the front row at Ba inh in 1945 to a centenarian today, his eyes still shine with the same unwavering faith: faith in Viet Nams independence, and in its "new era of nations rise."  VNS
Benjamin Hickman, programme manager of UNEPs Cool Coalition, made the statement at the closing meeting of a Hanoi-based initiative on sustainable urban cooling held on August 28.

"Through the Cool Coalition and our partners, were committed to helping countries put sustainable cooling into practice and to building regional collaboration, so these solutions can be scaled up. Presently, were working with the ASEAN Centre for Energy, UN ESCAP, UN Women, and others to develop an ASEAN Passive Cooling Roadmap, guided by a regional advisory group," said Hickman.

"I look forward to the opportunities they will uncover to expand and strengthen cooling initiatives in Vietnam. Together, we can deliver solutions that protect communities, promote equity, and help build heat-resilient, sustainable cities across the country," he added.

From 2022 to 2025, the Department of Climate Change, in coordination with UNEP and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), piloted sustainable cooling models in several localities such as Can Tho, Danang and Quang Tri.

During that time, the GGGI also organised many capacity-building activities: workshops, training, research and policy recommendations; as well as developing innovative financing mechanisms and encouraging partnerships domestically and internationally to expand the scale of solutions.

The results directly contributed to Vietnams commitments under the Paris Agreement and NDC. This project has provided a tangible pathway to accelerate these efforts, moving us closer to the country's ultimate goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The data and evidence gathered from our pilot cities will be crucial for informing and strengthening future Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), said Maria Cecilia Pana, deputy country representative of GGGI in Vietnam.

This undertaking provides a clear example of how that pledge can be translated into concrete action on the ground. We have shown that the ambitious targets of the pledge are achievable through integrated, multi-stakeholder projects. This provides a blueprint for other countries in the region, Maria Cecilia Pana said.

Our work is a direct contribution to Vietnams National Cooling Action Plan. To move forward, we need to mobilise finance, engage the private sector, and strengthen policies that support a nationwide green cooling transition. Most of the funding will need to come from private investment, so our next steps should focus on streamlining financing and scaling up sustainable, efficient, and affordable cooling for all, she added.

When this initiative began in 2021, cooling was still a relatively new issue in the ASEAN region. Vietnam nevertheless took an early lead, recognising cooling as both an adaptation and mitigation priority. In 2022, it became one of the first countries to integrate cooling into its NDCs and net-zero strategy, with a focus on extreme urban heat and the role of nature-based and passive cooling solutions. Vietnam also signalled its global commitment by joining the Global Cooling Pledge at COP28 in the UAE.

At both national and local levels, the government has shown strong political will to establish a comprehensive policy framework for cooling. The National Plan on the Management of Ozone-Depleting Substances and greenhouse gases, promulgated in 2024, provides a strategic roadmap for advancing the Global Cooling Pledge. It aligns domestic action with international commitments to reduce harmful emissions while promoting sustainable and equitable access to cooling.

Green cooling solutions are an urgent national requirement Climate change is evolving in complex ways, with unprecedented extreme weather events occurring in some regions. According to a January report by the World Meteorological Organization, 2024 was the hottest year on record, with abnormal temperatures on land and ocean surfaces, record-high ocean temperatures, and extreme weather events affecting many countries worldwide.

Cooperation on hand for cooling plan Despite being backed by international support, implementation of a cooling action plan will require more support from banks and businesses, especially in the technical and appraisal realm.
North Wales businesses warned after 1.3m cyber fraud

This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 1st, 2025

Businesses in North Wales are being urged to stay alert following a sharp rise in cybercrime  including a 1.3 million theft from one company.

North Wales Police says online crime now surpasses street crime, with ransomware attacks  where hackers encrypt files and demand hefty payments to unlock them  also on the increase

Detective Constable Roheryn Evans, from the forces Cyber Crime Team, will address the rise in cybercrime at thee next meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals at Hotel Wrexham on Thursday, September 11. He will outline the growing threat from international gangs and give practical steps firms can take to protect themselves.

Joining him as guest speaker will be Artificial Intelligence innovator Henry Platten, a former police sergeant. He will share insights on how businesses can harness the power of AI to boost profitability while avoiding potential digital pitfalls.

DC Evans said one North Wales businesswoman lost 1.3m after being duped into granting remote access to her computer.

She was tricked into opening up her computer system because she thought she was getting remote support, explained DC Evans.

The scammers deceived her into making bank transfers totalling 1.3 million. The money moved through several accounts across the UK before ending up in Pakistan.

Another local business owner lost 200,000 in a phone-based scam. The criminals contacted his mobile provider, impersonated him, and transferred his contract to another provider.

They gained access to his SIM card, and overnight, transferred significant amounts of money from the business bank account.

It happened twice, totalling 200,000. Fortunately, the bank recovered the money the first time, but even a days delay can cause disruption to payroll and bills, he said.

In recent months, firms located on the regions industrial estates have also been targeted in payment diversion scams, with losses of up to 100,000 reported.

Businesses in areas like Deeside Industrial Estate and Wrexham Industrial Estate have fallen victim to this type of fraud, said DC Evans. Criminals gain access to a businesss system, monitor communications, and intercept invoices.

They then contact the business pretending to be a supplier, claiming bank details have changed. Once payment is made to the fake account, the funds are quickly moved out  often into cryptocurrency or other untraceable accounts.

He added: The more intelligence we gather, the better equipped we are to target organised crime groups. We work closely with the National Crime Agency, who are well-placed to tackle national and international threats.

Our key advice is to get the basics right  use strong passwords, ensure staff are trained in online safety, and be aware of common scam tactics. Good backups and regular network testing can also go a long way in preventing ransomware attacks.

Ian Edwards from Wrexham Business Professionals said: Cybercrime is a threat to every business, big and small, and its vital firms have safeguards in place to try to prevent becoming a victim. It will be fascinating to hear more about this 21st century scourge, and how our members can tackle it.

The free-to-attend event will take place on Thursday, September 11, at Hotel Wrexham in Holt. It begins at 8.30am with refreshments on arrival and will conclude at 10.15am. Places can be reserved by to emailing wbp@allingtonhughes.co.uk
Wrexham AFC sign Manchester City defender Issa Kabore on loan

This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 1st, 2025

Wrexham AFC have confirmed they have signed Burkina Faso international Issa Kabore on loan from Manchester City until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The announcement came at 10PM this evening after the transfer deadline of 7PM earlier tonight.

The 24-year-old full-back has been capped 49 times for his country, scoring twice. He was named Young Player of the Tournament at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after recording three assists as Burkina Faso reached the semi-finals.

Kabore joined Manchester City in 2020 and has since spent loan spells at Mechelen in Belgium, French clubs Troyes and Marseille, Luton Town in the Premier League, Benfica in Portugal and Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

He has made 137 senior club appearances and becomes Wrexhams 12th new signing of the summer transfer window.

On joining the club, Kabore said: Im feeling good, Im very happy to be a Wrexham player. The project here is amazing. Wrexham is a family club, a fantastic club, and thats why Im here. I will give everything for this team.

Kabore began his career with Rahimo FC in Burkina Faso before signing professionally for Mechelen, where he made 29 appearances in the 2020/21 Belgian Pro League season.

He went on to make 32 appearances for Troyes, followed by 29 outings for Marseille, where he scored once and made his Champions League debut.

In 2023/24 he played 26 times for Luton Town in all competitions during their Premier League campaign. Last season he featured seven times for Benfica and made nine appearances for Werder Bremen.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: Were delighted to bring Issa to the club. Hes a young and dynamic player who will add real energy to the squad. He goes away on international duty tomorrow morning, but we will welcome him back when he returns.
Gregory R.C. Hasman stands inside the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, which sits between Santa Fe and Taos. Courtesy photo

The city of Albuquerque is reminding people that starting on Thursday, it will be halting some road projects due to the start of the New Mexico State Fair.

We love to build and fix our roads, but we know that construction can make navigating streets difficult, City Department of Municipal Development Director Jennifer Turner said in an Aug. 28 news release. Thats why we limit construction around popular events like the Fair and Balloon Fiesta every year.

The moratorium will go into effect for projects on streets bounded by (and including) Menaul Boulevard to the north, Pennsylvania Street to the east, Southern Avenue to the south, and San Mateo Boulevard to the west, plus key arterial and collector routes commonly used by event attendees, DMD spokesperson Dan Mayfield said.

He said the city will also stop road work on the following streets during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which runs from Oct. 4-12: Roy Avenue and Tramway Boulevard to the north, Interstate 25 to the east, Osuna Road to the south, and Second Street to the west, plus key arterial and collector routes commonly used by Fiesta guests.

The moratorium also applies to the Old Town area, Uptown area (Winrock and Coronado shopping malls), and Northwest area (Cottonwood Shopping Mall), Mayfield said.

NO TRANSIT SERVICE: The city will not offer transit services on Monday because of Labor Day.

I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the ABQ RIDE staff who keep the wheels on the bus going round and round 359 days a year. Last fiscal year our team delivered more than 7.6 million rides, a huge testament to our staffs dedication, City Transit Director Leslie Keener said in a statement. We hope they enjoy this well-deserved day off and return to work rested and ready to get back on the road to serve our community.

To schedule Sun Van rides, ask questions and voice concerns, Keener said people should call 505-243-RIDE. Customer Service takes calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

HARD TO TAKE: Reader Kenneth McGuire emailed the Road Warrior about the recent closure on Second Street by Rio Bravo.

I understand that you are just the bearer of bad news, McGuire said, but referring to the closure of Second Street at Rio Bravo for over a month and a half as just several weeks is hard to take for some people in the South Valley that have been struggling for years to get across the river.

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Its been tough to navigate all the road work on Bridge and now, Rio Bravo.

Thank you, Mr. McGuire, for pointing this out.

SPEED CAMERAS ON TRAMWAY: Reader Kent Argubright said he applauded the city of Albuquerques decision to add more speed cameras, but he wondered if there were any cameras on Tramway.

This is a common site for late-night drag racing, Argubright said.

Bernalillo County spokesperson Melissa Smith said there is a speed camera on Tramway north of the San Rafael intersection, but there were no current plans to add more.
Venus Aerospace conducted a successful test flight of a rocket powered by its new rotating detonation engine from New Mexicos Spaceport America in May.

Its time to take the politics out of Spaceport America and start taking full advantage of one of our states biggest economic assets.

In 2010, as deputy Economic Development cabinet secretary, I sat in front of legislators and tried to explain that Spaceport America is so much more than just Virgin Galactic, more than just a private celebrity space club in the desert. Instead, I expounded the future of Spaceport as an important hub for future space research and a vital resource to our states growing space industry.

That vision has come to bear. The latest economic impact report shows Spaceport America had an economic output of over $1 billion from 2019-24.

Yet, I read that during a recent legislative committee, some legislators are back to questioning the value of Spaceport America and whether the state should be playing in the space game. Its the worst kind of deja vu, one that can really give a gal a headache.

One billion dollars is impressive, but could it be higher? Probably. Unfortunately, Spaceport America has suffered as a political football over the last decade and a half. Its difficult for a large infrastructure resource to reach its full potential without strong and consistent support.

I get it. Spaceport America was built by a bygone administration. One that may have represented a different political party than you. OK. Noted. Can we finally move past that?

The truth is, Spaceport America is a valuable asset in growing New Mexicos space industry and attracting new business from all over the world.

Dont believe me? Ask Texas. I was in El Paso recently and sat through a presentation about the Texas Space Plan. You can imagine my shock when the presenter got to a slide that read The Texas Advantage, and showed the state of New Mexico and all of our space assets, including the Spaceport.

Huh?

So, while our state leaders continue the debate over the value of Spaceport America, Texas leaders are out using it as a selling point for the space business they are working to attract to their state. Theres no question for them about the value of the Spaceport and its potential as an economic driver for the region.

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New Mexico taxpayers funded the Spaceport and were promised jobs and a better future. State leaders have a duty to see that through. If not, it may be the taxpayers of Texas who benefit most from our investment.

We are surrounded by states that see the value and the opportunity that the space industry holds  an estimated $1.8 trillion globally in the next decade. Meanwhile, New Mexico has the space assets that those states envy.

We were trailblazers in 2011 when we opened Spaceport America. We were architects of a new and brighter future. Its time to reclaim that. Its not too late. If we dont come together as a state soon, that future we envisioned will pass us by before we know it. Then we will sit back and ask, Darn, why does Texas do everything better than us?
PM Modi Urges Putin to End Ukraine War, Stresses Humanitys Call for Peace 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at the earliest, describing it as humanitys call to restore peace. The two leaders held discussions on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi welcomed recent global efforts to bring peace to Ukraine and expressed hope that all stakeholders would move forward constructively. He said the priority must be to achieve lasting peace in the region without further delay.

Modi also noted that India is preparing to host the Russian leader in December for summit talks, highlighting that New Delhi and Moscow have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder in difficult times. He stressed that the close ties between the two nations are crucial for global peace, stability, and prosperity.
Punjab Floods Claim 29 Lives, Displace Over 2.5 Lakh in a Month 2

Punjab has been devastated by floods that have claimed 29 lives and impacted more than 2.56 lakh people in the past month, officials confirmed on Monday. Pathankot reported the maximum fatalities, while 12 of the states 23 districts have been ravaged since August 1 in what authorities describe as one of the worst flood disasters in decades.

The calamity stems from the swollen Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets, after heavy rains lashed Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Punjabs own torrential downpours have worsened the crisis, submerging farmlands and villages.

Of the 29 deaths, six were reported in Pathankot. Amritsar, Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Mansa, and Rupnagar recorded three deaths each, while Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Mohali, and Sangrur reported one each. Three people remain missing in Pathankot.

Rescue efforts have been massive, with 15,688 people evacuated to safer zones. Gurdaspur saw the highest rescues (5,549), followed by Ferozepur (3,321), Fazilka (2,049), and Amritsar (1,700). Villages have been badly hit, with 1,044 affected statewide321 in Gurdaspur, 88 in Amritsar, 94 in Hoshiarpur, and 82 in Pathankot among the worst-hit.

In total, 2,56,107 residents have been impacted. Amritsar tops the list with 35,000 affected, followed by Ferozepur (24,015), Fazilka (21,562), and Pathankot (15,053). Meanwhile, 96,061 hectares of farmland lie submerged, threatening massive agricultural losses.

Authorities report significant livestock casualties, though final figures will emerge only after waters recede. Infrastructure damage is also expected to be substantial.

The state machinery, assisted by the NDRF, SDRF, Army, and Punjab Police, continues round-the-clock rescue and relief operations. Twenty NDRF teams are currently active in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Bathinda.
When youre in grade school, field trips make up some of the best days of the year, which is likely why the memories made on those field trips stick with us long after weve graduated.

With that in mind, This is Alabama recently asked its Facebook followers to share their favorite Alabama field trips theyve been on. The answers ranged from trips many of todays students still go, like a visit to the Alabama State Capitol or the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, to outings less likely to get school approval, like a hatchery that sends you home with a baby chick in a paper bag or the county jail.

Regardless of the destination, one thing its safe to assume hasnt changed about field trips? Kids love em because it means a day away from desks.

You can read some of the reader submissions below, and you can read all of them on the This is Alabama Facebook page.

The Alabama State Capitol is a popular field trip destination.

I loved going to the state capitol (I thought it was so beautiful) and Pike Pioneer Museum in Troy (I have always been fascinated by pioneer living). -- Suzanne Davis Fuller

This answer will forever be each years Advanced English trip to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. I went every year from eighth grade through senior year. Every year felt better than the previous one. Im 43 years old, and its still one of my favorite places in the world. -- Brandy Elizabeth Nichols

The Meyer Planetarium of Birmingham-Southern College. Hooked me on celestial worlds and the universe. I took my grandson several times to the Gayle Planetarium in Montgomery; we both loved it. -- Patt Grumm

Alabama Symphony Orchestra at the Birmingham Auditorium long ago. It was a beautiful experience for elementary school children. -- Margaret Bowman-Artist

Guntersville Dam on the Tennessee River releases more than 1 million gallons of water per second on Feb. 6, 2020, after heavy rain affects north Alabama.

Guntersville Dam! It was our reward in elementary school for making all As! -- Faith Fossett Fletcher

That would be Huntsville Space & Rocket Center around the year 1987. Magical. -- David Hutto

During third grade at Grandview Elementary in Dothan, we went to the chicken hatchery, and we each got to take home a baby chick in a brown paper lunch bag. -- Beth Wages Johnson

Trips to the Alabama Theater to see The Sound of Music and Romeo and Juliet. -- Karen Atchison

Ivy Green in Tuscumbia is the birthplace of Helen Keller. The pump where Keller learned her first word-- water-- stands behind the house. Birmingham News

Helen Kellers Birthplace in elementary school was my favorite. I got my mom a little cedar trinket box and she still has it all these years later. Shes 86 now. -- Nickie Barnes

Going to Smiths Bakery on Dauphin Street in Mobile. The smell of fresh bread was so delicious. -- Libby Fant Allenbach

"We went to the county jail in fifth grade, which was wild." -- Jonathan Davidson

In elementary school, we went to a peppermint candy factory in the Birmingham area somewhere. We were allowed to take a bag of any broken candy sticks. -- Roger L. Hatton

The Golden Flake factory in Birmingham produced its last potato chip in June 2023. (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)

We went to the Golden Flake Factory and that was pretty neat. -- Ivy Grace Weaver

When I was in the third grade at South Highland Elementary school in Opp, we went to Hall Brothers Daily in Montgomery. I dont think there was anyone that didnt enjoy every second. -- Rick Godwin

We went to the brick factory in Selma in third grade. We got to write our names on the bricks and draw on them before they baked them. I remember during the tour it was very hot in there and the workers were nice to us too. -- Tommy Griffin

Red Mountain Museum. You could walk along the side of the mountain and see all that went into building the expressway. -- Josh Grimes

Moundville Archaeological Park contains the remains of more than two dozen flat-topped mounds. Photo by Mike Kittrell.

Moundville State Park was the only one I ever went on. Rode the train, which was scary to a seven-year-old. -- Jerri Pearson

In the second grade in 1958, we rode the train from Enterprise to Elba, Alabama, probably about 20 miles one way. We carried sack lunches and ate at the depot then rode the train back home. It was enjoyable and a fun day! Good memories! -- Sarah Long

The first time we went to the symphony, I thought that it was going to be so boring but anything to get a free day from school, and then they played the William Tell Overture (the theme song to the Lone Ranger). We went every year and I loved it. -- Joslyn Williams

Going to the BJCC to see the Wizard of Oz play and The Nutcracker. -- Debbie Hayes Travis
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The brand new four-part docuseries Let the Devil In premieres on MGM+ Sunday, Aug. 31 at 9/8c.

The new series revisits a decades-old tragedy that took place in a small New Jersey town and examines how the tragedy affected not only the family that endured it, but also the town in which they lived.

How to watch Let the Devil In

Cord cutters looking to check out the latest docuseries to hit MGM+ can find Let the Devil In available for streaming through a variety of streaming services, including cost-saving platforms such as Philo.

Philo is considered one of the most affordable traditional cable alternatives out there. At just $28 a month after a 7-day free trial, subscribers can enjoy over 70 top-rated TV channels such as TLC, MTV, BET, AMC, CMT, Investigation Discovery and more.

Fubo is another popular live TV streaming service that appeals to cord cutters. Starting at $84.99 a month after its free trial, this popular streaming service offers users over 100 live TV channels through its base package and includes helpful features like unlimited DVR.

Streaming Platform Promotion Price Philo 7-day free trial $28/month after free trial Fubo Free trial $84.99/month after free trial DirecTV 5-day free trial $86.99/month after free trial Sling No active promotions $45.99/month

DirecTV is one of the leading streaming platforms taking the industry by storm. With plans starting at $86.99 after its 5-day free trial, DirecTV offers a plethora of live TV channels, tailor-made genre packs to slim down filler overload, and a load of other appealing features.

Sling is another great streaming platform replacing basic cable. By offering users a stellar selection of popular TV channels, Sling is a great alternative to the hassle of traditional cable. Sling is also introducing day, week and weekend passes which allow users to choose how long they can access the platform. Plans start at just $45.99 a month after the first month and the new passes start at $4.99.

What is Let the Devil In about?

The new haunting four-part docuseries centers on the decades-old tragedy that involves a family residing in a small town in New Jersey. Following the tragedy, the darkest fears ignited and spread like wildfire throughout the town, and decades later, that fear still grips and taunts the residents.

For the first time since the event occurred, witnesses, friends, and community members relive the tragedy and share their theories in hopes of finally uncovering what truly happened and why.
Israel says Hamas armed wing spokesman killed in Gaza strike

Xinhua) 08:16, September 01, 2025

JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Abu Obeida, the spokesman of Hamas's armed wing, had been killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip.

Katz made the announcement in a post on social media platform X, saying that "soon, as the campaign against Gaza intensifies," more Hamas figures would be targeted.

In remarks during his weekly cabinet meeting earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assassination attempt on Obeida was carried out by the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israel Defense Forces.

"We still do not know the final result," Netanyahu said. "I hope he is no longer with us, but I notice that on the Hamas side, there is no one to speak to this matter."

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that Obeida was killed in the strike on an apartment, citing a Palestinian source. All those in the apartment were killed, the source said, adding that members of Obeida's family and the leaders of Hamas's armed wing confirmed his death after examining the body.

Israeli strikes and shootings killed at least 88 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza-based health authorities, bringing the total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, to 63,459.

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
On most nights, during the 1930s, the airwaves over North America were dominated by a single radio station called WLW. Transmitting at a power of half million watts, it was the most powerful, legally-operating, radio station in the world. So much energy was pumped through the atmosphere that street lights in the neighborhood flickered and radio receivers rattled in tune with the modulation peaks. One gas station near the eight-hundred-foot-tall transmitting tower outside Cincinnati, Ohio, just couldnt turn off the lights. There are many stories from that period about people hearing broadcasts from barbed wire fences, rain gutters, bedsprings, water faucets, and radiators. Whether or not you want to believe these stories is up to you, but radio wavesespecially a strong onecan actually do many of these things. The presence of the station in the air could indeed be physically felt.

WLWs 813-foot antenna in Mason, Ohio. Photo credit: John R Stengel/Flickr

WLW was started by radio broadcasting pioneer and radio equipment manufacturer, Powel Crosley Jr, in 1922. Crosley was a visionary and a brilliant man who involved himself in all manner of products and activities. He was the one who added shelves to refrigerator doors and push buttons to car radios. He brought disc brakes to American cars and the first compact car to American consumers. Crosley entered the radio manufacturing business with the intention of making radios affordable to the masses. The first receivers he made was priced at only $7 a piece; equivalent models from other manufacturers sold at over a hundred dollars. Soon Crosley became the leading manufacturer of inexpensive sets, and the largest radio manufacturer in the world within four years.

Crosleys foray into radio broadcasting was the next natural step. WLW made its debut with a modest 50-watts transmitter, but Crosley had bigger visions. His ultimate goal was to create a super-power broadcasting station that could reach the entire nation. It took only six months for the station to multiply its power by ten. As technology developed, particularly that of higher power tubes, Crosley applied for and was granted several power increases over the next six years. By 1927, WLW occupied one of the choicest frequenciesthe 700 kHz clear channelwhich was protected from interference from other stations to ensure cross-country or even cross-continent radio service, with minimum static. In October 1928, WLW received a major boost in powernow transmitting at 50 kilowatts. It was only the fourth US station to be operating at this power level, and the first one to do so at a regular schedule. Soon WLW began calling itself The Nations Station.

A 50 kilowatts signal is already loud enough to be heard over half the country, but Crosley still was not satisfied. In 1932, he applied for a license to transmit at 500 kW and was granted. The Federal Radio Commission (now the Federal Communications Commission) wanted to find out how much radio service the listener might gain by boosting the broadcasting power.

Crosley hired three major electronics companyRCA, General Electric, and Westinghouseto build a colossal transmitter that occupied several buildings and looked like a power plant with rows of transformers, five-foot-tall water-cooled amplifying tubes, and large DC generators. It even had its own cooling pond. The transmitter was coupled with a new antenna800-foot tall and shaped like a diamond. For a very brief period, it was one of the world's tallest structures.

Seeing the potential of high-power transmission, fifteen competing stations filed for 500 kW but none were authorized. They cried foul and turned up the legal heat on both the WLW and the FRC. Every six months Crosleys lawyers pleaded and argued with the FRC for yet another 6-month extension of the experimental authorization. Unbelievably, this went on for five years, until the US Senate forbade any station from transmitting at power greater than 50 kW. Crosley fought the decision in court, but after a year, having exhausted all appeals, had to shut down the amplifiers.

During the five-year period of super-power transmission, the WLW produced hundreds of hours of program including the earliest soap operas. It launched the careers of many radio stars, including Ma Perkins, Andy Williams, Rosemary and Betty Clooney, Red Skelton, and Fats Waller.

Briefly, during the Second World War, WLWs high-power transmitters were switched on again for war transmission. The broadcasts from Ohio could be heard as far away as South America and Europe.

After the end of the war, Crosley sold WLW to the Aviation Corporation, having lost the interest in radio broadcast after his transmission power was restricted.

WLW is currently owned by iHeartMedia. It continues to broadcast at 700 KHz with a power of 50 kW from the diamond-shaped Blaw-Knox radio tower in Cincinnati.
On the morning of November 8, 1888, the passenger steamer SS Vaitarna departed from Mandvia busy port in Kutch, in the Indian state of Gujaratbound for Bombay. On board were several hundred passengers making what was meant to be a routine journey across the Arabian Sea. By evening, however, a violent cyclone struck the western coast of India. The ship vanished with everyone on board, leaving behind no survivors and no trace of wreckage.

The Vaitarna had been built between 1882 and 1885 by the Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd. in Scotland. It was the companys first steamship, measuring 170 feet in length and 26.5 feet in breadth, with a Gross Registered Tonnage of 292. In colonial India, such steamers were seen as symbols of progress, linking smaller ports along the western coast with Bombay, the financial hub of the British Raj. Operated by the Bombay Steamer Navigation Company, the Vaitarna carried both passengers and cargo between Mandvi, in the Kingdom of Kutch, and Bombay.



SS Vaitarna in Grangemouth Docks .

Powered by both steam and sail, the vessel was regarded as modern for its time. She was even equipped with electric lighting, a remarkable novelty in the 1880s. The sight of her glowing electric bulbs, installed well before external lights were required for safe navigation, so impressed local people that they nicknamed her Vijli (meaning electricity).

Despite these innovations, the Vaitarna was never built for long ocean crossings. She was a coastal steamer, meant to travel from port to port during fair weather, hugging the shoreline rather than venturing far into open water. In rough seasons, she was typically laid up in harbour, sheltered from the seas fury.

On November 8, 1888, warnings of an approaching cyclone were already circulating along Indias western coast. Despite these, the Vaitarna left Mandvi for Dwarka with an estimated 520 passengers on board. At Dwarka, more travellers joined the voyage, bringing the total to around 700. When the ship departed Dwarka for Porbandar, the cyclones eye lay less than 250 miles to the south, moving steadily toward the mainland at about 10 miles per hour.

At noon, the storm was reported to be intense but relatively limited in its reach. A vessel located 100 to 150 miles from the cyclones center recorded a wind force of 4 on the Beaufort scale. The early Beaufort scale did not measure wind speed numerically, but instead described wind conditions in terms of their effects on the sails of a frigate: a value of 0 meant just sufficient to give steerage, while 13 signified winds so strong that no canvas sails could withstand.

Today, meteorologists measure wind in kilometres per hour, miles per hour, or knots, though the Beaufort terminology remains in use for maritime forecasts and public weather warnings. On the modern scale, a value of 4 corresponds to a moderate breeze, with winds below 20 miles per hour. But by late afternoon, the cyclone had grown in strength, and by nightfall it struck the Kathiawar coast with the full force of a gale.

When the Vaitarna reached Porbandar, the sea was already raging. Captain Haji Kasam attempted to bring the vessel into harbour, but the conditions made it impossible. Faced with no safe refuge, he made the fateful decision to head directly for Bombaysailing straight into the path of the approaching storm. That evening, the ship was sighted one last time, off the coast of Mangrol.



Approximate route of the SS Vaitarna.

Not a single body or piece of wreckage was ever conclusively recovered. Official records state that the Vaitarna carried 703 passengers and 43 crew members, but folklore insists the death toll may have exceeded 1,300, since it was common practice for ships to load well beyond their licensed capacity. A considerable sum was spent in searching for the lost steamer, but no trace was found. The shipping company faced persistent inquiries from distraught families, some of whom even vowed to spend fortunes on charity if only their loved ones could be recovered.

An inquiry convened by the Bombay Marine Court after the disaster revealed serious shortcomings. The Vaitarna lacked sufficient lifeboats and life jackets for the number of passengers she carried. Worse still, the aneroid barometers used on steamers of her line were found to be inaccurate. With a faulty barometer, Captain Haji Kasam would have been unable to gauge the true severity of the cyclone into which he had steered his ship.

The Vaitarna disaster proved a turning point for Indias maritime practices. There was realisation about the need for reliable storm forecasts and stricter requirements for life-saving equipment aboard passenger vessels.

Unlike the Titanic disaster of 1912, which became a global legend, the loss of the Vaitarna lingered mostly as a regional memory, preserved in oral tradition and Gujarati folklore. After the tragedy, poets across Gujarat composed elegies to the ship and its captain. A famous folk songHaji Cassum, tari vijli re madhariye veran thai (Oh Haji Cassum, your Vijli has sunk to the bottom of the sea)perfectly commemorates the story of Vaitarna.

References:

# Titanic at 25: The little-known mystery of Indias own Titanic. The Week

# Sir John Eliot. Cyclone Memoirs, No. 1-5, Volume 4. Google Books
About that Cracker Barrel rebranded brand rebrand By Mark Alexander

web posted September 1, 2025 Unless you've been in a sensory deprivation chamber recently, you heard that the CEO of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Julie Masino, launched a massive rebranding of more than 650 store interiors in 45 states, including a logo change. It was a big decision because the livelihoods of more than 70,000 employees and their families depend on such brilliant edicts from CEOs. (Spoiler alert: The logo is back, but the logo was not and is not CB's problem  more on that below.) Now, you might be wondering: If Texas Roadhouse, Denny's, or some other "family brand" restaurant were rebranding, would I write about that? Well, no, but let me explain why I am taking on Cracker Barrel's CEO. Cracker Barrel (CB) is headquartered up the road from us in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded by two local boys, Dan Evins and Tommy Lowe, in 1969. It has been at the top of the list of our favorite family restaurants since then. Two decades ago, before mobile apps were available and GPS navigation was not on every phone, for our cross-country trips with the kids, we would take these foldable paper things called "maps" with us. On one of those maps were the locations of Cracker Barrels along our route  which became dinner stop destinations. Often, we chose hotels that had a nearby CB for breakfast the next day. Indicative of CB's customer base, on one trip in 2014, I parked my pickup truck in a highly visible area in front of the restaurant. I stepped out after all but my youngest son had exited the vehicle, and left my door open for him. Unbeknownst to me, he exited from a different door. We were in CB for an hour over lunch (a.k.a. "dinner" in the South), and when we returned to the vehicle, my door was still wide open  all of our luggage and day bags in plain view. But nothing, NOTHING, was missing. That is the CB customer base. Of course, the fact that a substantial number of its customers in the South also carry concealed firearms might have been a factor. CB is also the place where I taught my kids about tipping wait staff, regardless of how many stars were on their apron (if you know, you know). I don't mean the 15-20% calculation; I mean the 50% calculation. I taught them that at high-priced restaurants, where the check could exceed $100 per person, a 15% tip for four would be $60. But at CB, four can dine for less than that tip, yet the wait staff are working every bit as hard. The message being, TIP BIG on small checks in family-style restaurants. Suffice it to say, we have been loyal generational customers. So, when I first heard about the rebrand, I thought, "What in the gender-confused woke world of DEI is going on here?" I mean, I subscribe to the old maxim, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Moreover, if it is broke, restore it, don't "trans" it. Objections to CB's rebrand launched a viral online culture war, and a lot of the pop criticism implied it was about gender/woke/DEI nonsense. For sure, CB has gone down that culture-devolution path in the last 15 years, especially during the leftist tenures of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and their Leftmedia platforms, so it was a fair assumption. For a little background, the first time I ever wrote about the company was in 2014: "Cracker Barrel Ducks the Truth  Swiftly Regrets It." At the time, its former CEO, Sandra Cochran, bowing to the gender-confusion cult, announced the chain was pulling down all of its Duck Dynasty merchandise because family patriarch Phil Robertson paraphrased a Bible verse when answering a question about his views: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers  they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right." This turned into a case study of a wealthy CEO not knowing her company's grassroots customer base. At the time, the customer objections were so loud and swift that in 48 hours, Cochran ordered those items back on store shelves and issued an apology: "When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that's just what we've done. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened. Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores, and, we apologize for offending you." That had to be the fastest corporate marketing reversal in history, and current CEO Julie Masino might want to dust off her bachelor's degree in communications and read that apology. Since then, CB has tried to get away with other woke gender nonsense. As fellow Tennessean Robby Starbuck notes: Cracker Barrel has funded "all ages" Pride events for many years; worked with the far left HRC organization and reportedly sponsored HRC events for 10 years; brought an HRC representative to their Tennessee HQ to do pronoun and transgenderism training; sponsored the Out & Equal LGBTQ Workplace Advocate Conference and presented a workshop on how Cracker Barrel has made progress supporting LGBTQ+ causes; had Coming Out Day pamphlets passed out at their TN headquarters as well as pamphlets about supporting "LGBTQ YOUTH" and creating "Safe Zones" at work, free from "heterosexist comments and actions"; had pride flags at their corporate office and; had a Cracker Barrel employee on HRC's business advisory council. Starbuck went on to list some of the more egregious woke/DEI corporate policies CB has instituted. But what really prompted Masino to push the panic button? A quick look at what's happening with the 10 largest family-dining chains based on systemwide sales is revealing. In most cases, it is clear since the ChiCom Virus pandemic that these companies are struggling to regain market shares amid big shifts away from family-style sit-down dining. Cracker Barrel's stock, which peaked four years ago at $170, is currently trying to rebound from $60, down from $72 just before the rebrand was announced. A year ago, the company started closing stores and reporting big losses. CEO Masino, desperately trying to defend her decision, claimed: "Honestly, the feedback's been overwhelmingly positive that people like what we're doing. The feedback and the buzz is so good, not only from our customers, but from our team members." On her assertion, I gotta second this assessment by our friend Joey Jones: "The reverberation inside your bubble, that's the 'feedback' she has." Commentator Clay Travis concluded: "All of these companies need a director of common sense, and that is someone that actually consumes the product and says, 'Hey, is this something that the base  that actually made this company exist  is going to support?'" But I think the CB customer objections are more about the rebrand away from the traditions that have drawn them to the restaurant for years, which, by extension, is a catalyst for objections to CB's gender/woke/DEI garbage. Call it the Uncle Hershel factor. A family man of strong faith, he defined the "Soul of Cracker Barrel." For the last 50 years, Herschel McCartney was represented by the iconic figure on the cane chair, arm resting on the cracker barrel  before he, the chair, and the barrel were unceremoniously removed from the familiar logo above all the CB entrances, as part of the bland modernization inside and out. According to the information still on CB's site, also waiting to be removed: Uncle Herschel was Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's founder Dan Evins' real uncle, the younger brother of Evins' mother. He helped shape not only Cracker Barrel's image but also its values. He was our own "goodwill ambassador" to the public. Uncle Herschel was a wealth of knowledge about what rural America's old country stores were really like. He was a salesman for Martha White Flour Company for 32 years, traveling the rural South calling on many towns' general stores. Like many Cracker Barrels today, the community general stores were more than just a place to purchase goods. They were a gathering place for folks to take a timeout from the chore-filled day to visit with a neighbor or two, exchange pleasantries or just talk about the weather. Herschel spent many workdays traveling to these old country stores that were complete with cracker barrels, checker boards and rockers on the front porch. He was quite a storyteller himself and became a familiar and friendly face among the locals in many southern communities. After his retirement, Herschel brought the long-standing tradition of being a good neighbor to each and every Cracker Barrel store. He spent most of his working life bringing forth the important yet simple message of what makes a business successful  that people should be treated just as we would have them treat us. He was known throughout Cracker Barrel for his genuine sincerity. In a lame attempt to keep Herschel's legacy alive and well, Masino had the restaurants bring back a longtime hearty breakfast staple, "Uncle Herschel's Favorite." Moreover, she issued a lame letter of apology, which read in part: "You've shown us that we could've done a better job sharing who we are and who we'll always be. What has not changed, and what will never change, are the values this company was built on when Cracker Barrel first opened in 1969: hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food made with care." But customers were not taking the bait. In fact, Donald Trump got into the mix with a little business advice: "Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll), and manage the company better than ever before." After a reality check, last Tuesday, Masino announced, "Our new logo is going away and our 'old timer' will remain." Guess the feedback was not "overwhelmingly positive" as she claimed. It wasn't a 48-hour reversal like in 2014, but a one-week reversal on at least the logo is pretty dramatic. Not sure who cleaned up on the short-sale long-buy flip-flop here, but I suspect it was Nancy Pelosi! Again, let me offer this advice to Masino: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it is broke, restore it." Neither CB's logo nor the country store atmosphere is the problem. The real problem is Masino's corporate culture mindset. What she should be dumping is all the gender/woke/DEI effluent that has seeped into CB's corporate culture over the last 10 years, and get back to basics  the "values this company was built on when Cracker Barrel first opened in 1969," as Uncle Herschel set forth. To that end, I suspect she has heard of another Deep South brand, Chick-fil-A, which has unflinchingly maintained its corporate values since founder Truett Cathy opened the first of his family's now 3,279 stores in 1967. It is the highest-ranked company in America, and its customer demographic is the one Masino desperately wants. Check 'em out, Julie  if you need CEO Dan Cathy's number, give me a call. Finally, beyond all the corporate and culture banter, what's by far most important to me about Masino's errant concern about decor is the livelihoods of more than 70,000 employees and their families who depend on her decisions, and those of her board. PS: Speaking of rebranding, the Democrat National Committee needs one badly! Last week, the DNC passed a woke DEI resolution, and committeeman Bill Owen declared: "And to my Republican friends and fellow citizens ... who profess to be active Christians, I remind them that DEI is the very foundation of the Christian church." Pretty sure that is in Genesis. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Home
Some simple steps could limit the risk that your photos are seen by someone who might misuse them. (Getty Images) (SolStock via Getty Images)

With most children in England heading back to school this week, your photo reel is probably full of snaps of your kids posing in their new uniform.

Back-to-school photos are a yearly ritual for many families  after all, we're proud of our children and how smart they look  but parents are urged to be cautious when posting the pictures on social media.

In Australia, where kids have already returned to the classroom, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) advised parents and caregivers to be vigilant about posting pictures online and consider who might have access to them.

Caution has also been urged in the US, where Englewood Ohio Police Department was one of a number of local police forces to share safety tips this month. The department suggested parents should avoid sharing their child's full name or teacher's name on back-to-school posts, turn off location settings and avoid sharing their child's birthday or likes and dislikes.

In the UK, in previous years, Surrey Police has also shared pointers for posting back-to-school photos online.

So, is it safe to post pictures of your kids, and what should you be aware of before you do? We spoke to the NSPCC to find out.

Ensure you blur school logos and names on your child's uniform and bag. (Getty Images) (MartinPrescott via Getty Images)

Is it OK to share back-to-school photos online?

It's up to parents whether or not they share photos of their children online, but the NSPCC advises following some guidelines to limit the risk of pictures being seen by people who might misuse them.

"I think it's really important that we think about what we're sharing, who we're sharing it with and the details we're sharing," NSPCC local campaigns manager Gail Sayles tells Yahoo UK. "You could be sharing with the world where your children are, Monday to Friday, nine to five. You're also potentially sharing conversation starters for people who are trying to make contact with your children."

Someone who sees the photo could notice a detail, for example, that they could use to strike up a conversation or suggest they know your family.

As well as being wary of the details you're sharing and who can see your photos, Sayles also says asking for your child's consent before posting is important.

"If we're not asking for consent, we're not giving children a good role model in terms of behaviour online," she says. "When we're trying to talk to our children about what's appropriate to share online and how they should ask for consent before posting pictures of others, we should be doing it ourselves."

One in four 10-12 year olds said their parents sharing photos of them made them feel worried or embarrassed, so check before posting. (Getty Images) (Peter Dazeley via Getty Images)

She adds that it's also important to many young people how they present themselves online.

A 2017 survey of 10-12-year-olds for CBBC Newsround found that one in four felt embarrassed, anxious or worried when their parents shared pictures of them online. And Sayles says, as well as considering safety, thinking about how your sharing could make your child feel is important.

4 safety tips for posting back-to-school pictures online

Check your privacy settings and who can see your profile before posting. (Getty Images) (uchar via Getty Images)

When sharing pictures of your children on social media this September, the NSPCC has these four tips to help protect them.

1. Check your social media settings

If your account is private, this typically means only your followers can see what you post. However, one of your followers could still choose to share an image with others.

The NSPCC recommends:

Taking a deeper dive into your privacy settings  on many social media platforms, you can restrict who sees which post and choose only to share posts with certain audiences.

Remember that on some social channels, things like your profile picture will always be public and can be seen by anyone.

Check through your friends and followers and remove anyone you dont recognise or arent comfortable with.

2. Don't post anything that identifies your child's school

Ensure school logos on uniform, bags, etc, aren't visible or blur them out with a photo-editing tool. The same goes for school signs or other identifiers.

Don't include the school's name or location in your post  including in hashtags and tagged locations.

Blur your house number, street signs or anything else revealing your address.

3. Make sure your kids are happy with you posting

Ask for your child's consent before sharing photos of them online. Ensure they're happy with both the image and what you plan to do with it.

4. Check with parents or carers before taking pictures of other children

If you want to take a photo or video of your child with their classmates or friends, ask their parents first. Check it's OK both to take the photo and to post it online. They may not want pictures of their children to be taken for a number of reasons and it's important to respect that.

Read more about parenting:
Rescue workers are desperately trying to reach remote mountainous regions of eastern Afghanistan after one of the countrys worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,500, Afghan officials said.

The death toll could rise further, the Taliban government has warned, as Afghans scramble to save loved ones from beneath the rubble and devastated villages are cut off by resulting landslides.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, late on Sunday night. The quake was shallow, just five miles from the Earths surface, likely making it more destructive.

An Afghan man helps an injured person after the devastating earthquake (Reuters)

Tremors could be felt in neighbouring Pakistan, across the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as far as the countrys capital, Islamabad, which is more than 185 miles away, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said. No major damage or casualties were reported in Pakistan.

The Talibans chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said 812 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured by Monday evening.

Most of the casualties were reported in Kunar province, where many of the homes in rural and outlying villages are made of mud and wood and are poorly built.

Map shows area close to Jalalabad where the 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck (The Independent)

One resident in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said his village has been almost entirely destroyed. Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble, the villager told AP news agency.

We need help here. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.

A military helicopter transport injured victims in Mazar Dara, Kunar province (AP)

Footage showed aid workers carrying casualties from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people dug through rubble with their hands. Road access was difficult for aid workers in the mountainous regions hardest hit by the quake, with landslides slowing down rescue efforts.

The area of the earthquake was affected by heavy rain in the last 24-48 hours as well, so the risk of landslides and rock slides is also quite significant  that is why many of the roads are impassable, Kate Carey, a Kabul-based officer with the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, said on Monday.

Injured Afghans receive treatment at a hospital in Jalalabad (AFP/Getty)

The earthquake has intensified existing humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as he urged the international community to support relief efforts.

This adds death and destruction to other challenges, including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries, he posted on X, formerly Twitter. Hopefully, the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts.

Afghan men search for their belongings in the rubble of a collapsed house (Reuters)

It was the third major deadly earthquake in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. After the takeover, global funding cuts that once formed the bulk of the Afghan governments finances have significantly hampered the countrys ability to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

US president Donald Trumps cuts to foreign aid earlier this year dealt a crippling blow to Afghanistans fragile economy, forcing hundreds of hospitals and healthcare centres to shut down.

This earthquake strikes a country already facing lack of global support for a severe humanitarian crisis, Graham Davison, Afghanistan director for humanitarian organisation Care, said. Nearly half of the population of Afghanistan  23 million people  is already reliant on humanitarian aid, and yet the humanitarian response plan is only 28 per cent funded.
More than 800 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, the country's state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported.

The magnitude-six quake killed at least 812 people in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, the Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry said, with numerous houses destroyed.

Authorities in Kabul said they were still confirming the official toll figure as they worked to reach remote areas.

"All our... teams have been mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided," ministry spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee told Reuters, citing efforts in areas from security to food and health.

Rescue workers carry earthquake victims to an ambulance (REUTERS)

The earthquake was Afghanistan's deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 1,000 people.

The quake at 11.47pm local time was centred 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.

It was just five miles deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.

Early reports showed 30 dead in a single village, the health ministry said, but added that accurate casualty figures had yet to be gathered in an area of scattered hamlets with a long history of earthquakes and flooding.

"The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site," health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement.

He said many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that "the numbers were expected to change" as death and injuries are reported.

The earthquake is the countrys worst since 2022 (REUTERS)

Hundreds of injured were taken to hospital, said Najibullah Hanif, the provincial information head, with figures likely to rise as reports arrived from remote areas with few roads.

Rescuers were working in several districts of the mountainous province where the midnight quake hit at a depth of ten kilometres, to level homes of mud and stone on the border with Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, officials said.

"So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work," a foreign office spokesperson said.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

A series of earthquakes in its west killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the worlds poorest countries to natural disasters.
Parents should consider their child's maturity, confidence and the route they'll take to school. (Getty Images) (Sally Anscombe via Getty Images)

With the summer holidays drawing to a close, many parents will be planning out their new term schedule  including school run logistics.

Driving children or walking with them isn't always possible, and older kids may be craving a bit more independence and want to get themselves to school.

But how do you know when they're ready to walk to school alone, and what should you consider when it comes to safety?

We spoke to the NSPCC to find out.

What age can a child legally walk to school on their own?

There is no legal age at which children can walk to school on their own. Instead, you should use your judgement based on their maturity, confidence, the distance and the environment.

However, NSPCC local campaigns manager Gail Sayles tells Yahoo UK, "typically, many parents start letting their children walk to school independently around nine to 11 years old".

She adds that "one size doesn't fit all" and rather than thinking about age, parents should consider their child and the route they will take. Will they have to cross a number of busy roads, for example?

Some schools also advise children under eight shouldn't walk home alone without a parent or older sibling, so make sure you know your school's rules before proceeding with a plan.

More back-to-school tips:

How do I know if my child is ready to walk to school on their own?

"Think about your child and how they feel about it", says Sayles. "Starting to go to school by themselves for the first time can be quite scary, especially if it's a new school and they don't have their usual friend groups around them."

If you and your child feel they're ready, she advises doing a few dry runs and walking the route with them so they know what to expect. If they're not used to going out alone, you could also let them build up to the walk to school by going for a short trip alone to the shop or a friend's house nearby, for example.

Remind your child not to look at their phone while crossing roads. (Getty Images) (SolStock via Getty Images)

How to help keep your child safe

The NSPCC has some handy guidance for children walking to and from school alone:

Make sure your child knows your address and telephone number by heart. That way, if they get lost, they can call you even if they don't have a phone and can navigate their way home.

Make sure they've charged their phone , if they have one, before leaving the house, and ensure they have your contact numbers saved  this could include your work number. It's also a good idea to have another trusted adult's number, such as a close friend or family member.

Talk to them about road safety , including paying attention when they're crossing the road rather than looking at their phone, for example.

Tell them never to accept a lift from someone they dont know  or someone they do know if it's not been arranged with you first.

Remind them they can call you or a trusted adult if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable at any time when they're walking home.

Make sure they know how to call 999 straight away and ask for the police if they ever feel like theyre in immediate danger.

Children can have a lot of energy when leaving school, so remind them to act responsibly when walking home. (Getty Images) (Iuliia Bondar via Getty Images)

The Child Accident Prevention Trust also suggests the following:

Tell your child to remove headphones when crossing roads so they can hear the traffic.

Test them on how they would react in certain circumstances  such as pressure from friends to do something they think is dangerous, or if a ball they're kicking goes into the road.

Remember that the quickest route isn't always the safest .

Children can have difficulty judging speed and distance until they're at least eight, and older children can still be at risk. Remind them, if they're ever not sure if it's safe to cross a road, it's always best to wait .

After a day of sitting at a desk concentrating, children can rush out of school with lots of pent-up energy. Remind them that grown-up behaviour is responsible behaviour . If they need to let off steam before walking home, is there somewhere they can go for a run around with friends first?

If a child is unsure about whether or not they should do something, get them to ask themselves, 'Would I do this with Mum or Dad here?'. If the answer is no, thats their answer.

If your child will be letting themself into the house while you're at work, make sure they have a key and they know how to use it, as some locks can be tricky. It's also worth leaving a spare key with a trusted neighbour in case they lose it, and letting them know your child will be home alone for a short time.

Read more about what to consider before leaving your child home alone.

Further help and advice

If you think your child is anxious or worried about any aspect of going back to school, whether that's walking there on their own, schoolwork or friendship groups, Childline has lots of helpful information. This could also act as a conversation starter for you to talk to your child about how they're feeling.

Children and teenagers can also call the Childline helpline  no problem is too big or small  on 0800 1111 or message the 1-2-1 chat to discuss anything worrying them.

The NSPCC also has a helpline that adults can call for guidance and support. 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk.

Read more about parenting:
Liverpool have agreed a British record 125million deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, the PA news agency understands.

The Reds had a 110m offer rejected in August and since then the 25-year-old has not trained with or played for Newcastle, but in the final hours of the transfer window a deal has been reached to end the impasse.

The striker is set to undergo a medical on Monday, with Newcastle relenting by accepting the player does not want to play for them any longer. United also announced the signing of striker Nick Woltemade on Saturday.



Isak was left out of Newcastles pre-season tour of Asia with what was said to be a thigh injury, but has been absent from the squad ever since and at one stage was training alone at former club Real Sociedad.

He has accused the club of breaking a commitment that he could leave if a suitable offer came from a big club  though that now looks to have changed, with a 5m loyalty payment taking the deal up to as high as 130m.

He will become Liverpools eighth first-team signing of the summer, marking the second time they have broken their own transfer record following the 110m capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

In all their summer outlay now stands at around 416m.
Target: Alexander Isak (London Standard)

Liverpool have agreed a 130million deal with Newcastle for Alexander Isak in a deal which will smash the British transfer record.

First reported by the Telegraph, the Premier League champions reached an agreement with Newcastle late on Sunday evening.

LIVE BLOG: All the latest transfer news and rumours

The fee will eclipse the 116m Liverpool paid for Florian Wirtz earlier in the summer, which was the current British transfer record.

The Time report that Liverpool have already agreed a six-year contract with Isak, who will now undergo a medical and finalise a stunning deal.

Isak will be Liverpools seventh first-team signing of the window, and will take their summer spending far beyond 400m, with an expected 35m deal for Marc Guehi to come.

The Telegraph reported earlier in the evening that Newcastles majority stakeholders, Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, had decided they will sell Isak if the Premier League champions pay their asking price.

In what was viewed as a public message to Liverpool to show their hand, Newcastle decided they were ready to listen to offers in the region on 130m.

Liverpool saw a first bid worth 110m rejected more than four weeks ago and had not returned since with an increased offer.

Until a breakthrough in talks as the clock passed midnight in the UK and into Deadline Day.

Frustratingly for Newcastle fans is the expectation that the club will not sign a replacement for Isak.

Newcastle completed the 69m club record signing of Nick Woltemade last week and have been pursuing both Yoane Wissa and Jorgen Strand Larsen, but both Brentford and Wolves have refused to sell.
English rock band Babyshambles will reunite for a tour for the first time in more than ten years to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album Down In Albion.

The band was formed by frontman Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his other band The Libertines.

Doherty said: Its unfinished business and everywhere I go I get whats happening with the shambles.

Pete Doherty performing with his band Babyshambles (Yui Mok/PA)

Its a no-brainer for me, a real desire to play some of them old tunes and have a little shindig.

The death of the bands former lead guitarist, Patrick Walden, was announced in June.

Bass guitarist Drew McConnell said: The death of Patrick made us determined that we have to tour now.

The band will play venues in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, Norwich, Plymouth and Londons celebrated Brixton Academy.

The 2005 album Down In Albion featured hits such as F*** Forever.

Tickets for the live shows go on sale on September 5, with pre-sale on September 3.
Jessica Cariad Hopkins, 34, was found with fatal stab wounds in the Cambodian capital on Friday night - Facebook

A British woman has been stabbed to death in Cambodia in what local police believe was an altercation linked to jealousy over a love triangle.

The body of Jessica Cariad Hopkins, 34, was found with multiple stab wounds in a public park near Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, on Friday night.

Kidikila Nganda Glodie, a 33-year-old originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of murder.

Ms Glodie had been sharing a flat with Ms Hopkins before her death, local media reported.

The two women had ridden a motorbike together to the Koh Pich area where they were seen sitting in a park before a verbal argument broke out, according to Em Vichter, the deputy chief of criminal investigations with Phnom Penh police.

According to witnesses, the suspect knocked the victim down and pushed her to the ground, Captain Vichter told the Khmer Times.

Police will allege Ms Glodie produced a knife and stabbed the victim many times in the throat before fleeing the scene, he said.

Kidikila Nganda Glodie, 33, was arrested at a salon in central Phnom Penh following a 17-hour police investigation - Instagram

Detectives recovered the alleged weapon at the scene and then tracked Ms Glodie to a beauty salon 1.5 miles away, in the Daun Penh district. Footage shared to social media showed her being led away from Zola Salon in handcuffs.

Chuon Narin, the police commissioner for Phnom Penh, said preliminary findings indicated that the motive may have stemmed from personal jealousy, describing the crime as potentially linked to a love triangle.

Bun Satya, a police brigadier general, said the suspect had indicated that she had grown suspicious that her boyfriend was having an affair.

Friends remember wonderful human

Originally from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, Ms Hopkins had initially moved to Siem Reap, Cambodias second-largest city.

Fellow expats took to social media to share their grief at the news of Ms Hopkinss death.

She was a very gentle, kind, soft person who always had time for you, one wrote.

Another said in a tribute to Ms Hopkins: You were the sweetest, kindest person I ever met.

Ms Hopkins was described by another mourner as a selfless and a wonderful human who took the worlds problems on her shoulders.

Its why she stayed in Cambodia. She just wanted to help anyone and everyone, they wrote.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told BBC News: We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomes Russian president Vladimir Putin during a ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, ahead of the victory day parade. Photograph: Alexander Kazakov/Reuters

On Wednesday, China is holding a military parade in the capital, Beijing, to mark 80 years since the end of the second world war. But its not just about the past, the parade says a lot about the forces reshaping the world today, and in the future.

At the parade, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be flanked by the leaders of some of the worlds most heavily sanctioned nations  Russia, North Korea, Iran and Myanmar  and a host of other leaders of the global south but notably almost no western leaders.

Related: Putin, Modi and Erdogan among leaders in China for talks with Xi

The parade is seen as a show of military and diplomatic strength by Beijing amid high-stakes negotiations with Donald Trumps administration in the US over trade.

Who is going to Chinas victory day parade?

Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Koreas Kim Jong-un will attend the victory day parade on 3 September, marking the end of the second world war after Japans formal surrender. It will be the first time the two leaders have appeared in public together alongside Xi.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to be on the dais as tens of thousands of troops march through the Chinese capital, completing a quartet that western political and economic analysts have described as the axis of upheaval.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who rarely travels abroad, will also attend, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Most western leaders are expected to shun the parade, making it a major show of diplomatic solidarity between China, Russia and the global south.

The only western heads of state or government attending the events in Beijing are Robert Fico, the prime minister of EU member state Slovakia, and Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia.

Fico has been an opponent of sanctioning Russia for its war against Ukraine and has broken ranks with the EU by visiting Moscow. Vucic also visited Moscow in May and wants good relations with Russia and China but says Serbia remains committed to joining the EU.

The United Nations will be represented by undersecretary general Li Junhua, who previously served in various capacities at the Chinese foreign ministry, including time as the Chinese ambassador to Italy, San Marino and Myanmar.

What can we expect to see at the parade?

The highly choreographed event, one of Chinas largest in years, will unveil cutting-edge equipment such as fighter jets, missile defence systems and hypersonic weapons  the results of a long-running modernisation drive of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) which has lately been beset by corruption scandals and personnel purges.

China is expected to showcase a range of new weapons, including an enhanced DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missile  dubbed by Chinese media the Guam killer for its ability to hit the US Pacific base with a conventional or nuclear weapon.

New anti-ship missiles called the Ying Ji, which means eagle attack in Chinese, have been spotted by analysts. Chinese commentators have described them as designed to prevent the United States from posing a serious threat to Chinas national security.

On the day, Xi Jinping will survey tens of thousands of troops at Tiananmen Square alongside several foreign dignitaries including guest of honour Vladimir Putin.

Many ordinary Beijing residents who have experienced weeks of widespread disruption to their daily lives will be hoping for a brief respite. The last time the parade was held in 2015, China implemented a nationwide three-day public holiday and Beijing schools delayed the start of term.

Ahead of the parade, Beijing has also mounted a campaign to emphasise the correct view of second world war history, which emphasises that China and Soviet Russia played a pivotal role in fighting fascist forces in the Asian and European theatres.

A Peoples Daily commentary this week claimed Chinas contribution to fighting Japan was selectively ignored and underestimated by some, adding the Communist partys (CCP) wartime efforts were deliberately belittled and vilified.

What are the experts saying?

Political analysts say the parade is designed to demonstrate Xis influence over nations intent on reshaping the western-led global order.

Xi Jinping is trying to showcase that he is very strong, that he is still powerful and well received in China, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew school of public policy at the National University of Singapore.

When Xi was just a regional leader, he looked up to Putin, and saw the kind of leader he could learn from  and now he is a global leader. Having Kim alongside him, as well, highlights how Xi is now also a global leader.

Lim Chuan-Tiong, a researcher with the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo, said the primary purpose of the temporary spectacle was to reinforce Xis power and the strength of the CCP.

Commemorating the 80th anniversary ... does not necessarily require a military parade, he said, noting that China only really started marking the date 10 years ago, and at a fraction of the budget.

Most of the [leaders] attending, the ones invited, are not there to support Chinas commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of WWII, Lim said. They are there to give face to China, to give face to Chinese leaders and to avoid harming bilateral relations. Very simple.

What other world leaders have been in China?

Prior to the parade, world leaders have been attending the Shanghai cooperation organisation security forum (SCO). As well as Vladimir Putin, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have been among the attendees.

Much has been made of Modis visit  his first in seven years  just as Indias ties with Washington have soured. It has come days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50%, citing Delhis refusal to stop buying Russian oil.

For China, the two-day SCO summit that started on Sunday could not be better timed. Modi will be in China at a moment when India-China relations are stabilising and India-US relations have gone south. It is a powerful optic, South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said.

Im not sure whether US officials fully realise how much trust they have squandered in such a short time.

With additional research by Lillian Yang and reporting by Reuters
The devil wore J. Crew? Chloe Malle, the daughter of Hollywood stars, had an Andy Sachs start... and will take over Vogue

In scenes reminiscent of Andrea Sachs at the beginning of The Devil Wears Prada, a 25-year-old Chloe Malle turned up to her interview at Vogue wearing black tights (an Anna Wintour no-no), boots that were falling apart and a very boring dress.

I think back to my interview at Vogue and Im a little embarrassed, Malle, now 39, said as she looked back at the 2011 grilling with Wintour, for a position as a social editor.

Youre supposed to never wear black. I wore black, Malle said in 2014. It was in March and so cold, so I wore black tights and these black J. Crew suede booties, which were fine, but were sort of falling apart. And then I wore this very boring, shortnot super short, but short-ishDiane von Furstenberg collared dress with a gray and white striped blazer.

Chloe Malle, the daughter of Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen, and a mom of two who likes nothing more than a quiet night in, is taking the helm of American Vogue from Anna Wintour (AFP/Getty)

It was plain, but it was fine, she added. But then I wore this white-orange pashmina and this orange beaded bag that I thought were really coolI consider myself more of a 'fashion girl' now, but my evolutions been almost by osmosis.

Malle has risen through the ranks of the fashion Biblefrom social editor to podcast host and editor of Vogue.comand is now taking over from Wintour as the new head of editorial content for U.S. Vogue. The staffer who landed Naomi Bidens 2022 wedding at the White House, and a Lauren Sanchez interview ahead of her nuptials to Jeff Bezos, could soon shape the fashion world.

This Ivy League-educated New Yorker  the daughter of Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen and the late French film director Louis Malle  leads a glamorous life, according to the photos that adorn her Instagram.

She often vacations at the family home in the South of France, frequents the beaches of Montauk in the Hamptons, and enjoys fine dining in some of the hottest spots in New York.

But for Malle, a wife and mother of two, the party-girl lifestyle that is part and parcel of being a Vogue editor in the big city doesnt come naturally.

During her interview with Wintour, the fashion mogul asked what she liked doing in her free time.

I answered truthfully and said I like to sleep and cook, Malle told The New York Post.

A glammed-up photo of Malle taking a selfie in a grandiose-looking bathroom attests to this. Back in my pajamas watching Miss Marple but still thinking about the time I dressed up THREE nights in a row! she captioned the 2022 photo.

As social editor at Vogue, Malles role saw her forced to mingle several times a week, which was a shock to her system.

I work on the best-dressed lists and write party coverage for Vogue.com, which is so funny because I used to hate going out, she told beauty site Into the Gloss in 2014. Im such a morning person. But now that I decide what parties to cover for the website, Im usually out three to four nights a week.

Malle is the daughter of Murphy Brown star and the late French film director Louis Malle. She is pictured with her parents as a child in Central Park (Paris Match/Getty)

A glammed-up photo of Malle taking a selfie in a grandiose-looking bathroom is captioned: Back in my pajamas watching Miss Marple but still thinking about the time I dressed up THREE nights in a row! (@chloemalle/Instagram)

Malles early childhood was spent in Los Angeles, where her mom relocated them from New York when Malle was only three to shoot Murphy Brown. Her father, the Academy Award-nominated director Louis Malle, lived in France because he didnt like living or working in Hollywood, Bergen said in a 2015 interview with Dallas News. The director would travel between Paris and L.A. every other month to visit his wife and daughter.

People who dont know better think its a glamorous arrangement, Bergen said in a 1993 interview with Cosmopolitan magazine. But long-distance communication puts a strain on the marriage. That weve made it at all is a testament to how much we both wanted it.

Malle, an only child, was close with her father and was 10 when he died of lymphoma in 1995.

Malle and her mom moved back to New York five years later, where she attended Riverdale High School. I was always a big readerI was an only child, so it was just me, my dog Lois, and my books, Malle said.

The Ivy League-educated New Yorker, often vacations in Europe and frequents the Hamptons. (chloemalle/Instagram)

As a teenager, dads of Malles friends would fawn over her mother, she told The New York Times.

I grew up with my friends dads saying Oh, my God, I remember when your mom was young. She was a knockout, Malle said. I think [Bergen] had great insecurity around the fact that people have always focused on that.

She studied comparative literature and writing at Brown University. When I graduated, I wasnt sure what I wanted to do, Malle said. I was always interested in writingI edited the weekly paper at Brown and loved that.

After briefly considering a career in public health, Malle landed an internship at the New York Observer and was later hired to cover real estate. From there, she became a freelance writer, filing pieces for The New York Times Style section and landing bylines in Vogue. Then her big break came in 2011 for the social editor role.

I was hesitant when I was interviewing, because fashion is not one of my main interests in life, and I wanted to be a writer more than an editor, but I was so seduced by the Vogue machine that I couldnt resist, Malle said.

Malle, an only child, was close with her father and was 10 when he died of lymphoma in 1995. (Paris Match/Getty)

As her career was flourishing, so was her personal life. Malles boyfriend of four years, asset manager Graham Albert, proposed to her on New Years Day in 2014.

He said, I have a question. I think we should get married. And my first response was, 'Thats not a question! Malle told Vogue in 2015. I know Im a brat, but Im an editorwhat do you want from me? Then I said, Oh wow, this is happening. I dont think I ever actually said yes, there was no need.

Malle added that Albert presented the ring from his pocket in a Kleenex. A detail that makes my mother shudder and yell, A KLEENEX! every time she hears it, she joked.

The couple wed at the familys 16th-century stone manor in Le Coual, southwestern France, in the same room her parents Bergen and Louis Malle married in 1980. It was a lavish but intimate four-day affair with just 40 guests.

I grew up spending every summer there and the minute I turn down the driveway my heart leapsI get so excited, Malle said. Its a visceral reaction, I just love being there more than anything.

In May 2020, Malle and Albert welcomed their first child, Louis Albert, named after Malles late father. They had a second child, Alice, in April 2022, according to PEOPLE.

Mom of two is really the most time-consuming occupation at the moment, which Im leaning into, she told the outlet last year. Now Ive just decided ... [to] embrace the fact that theyre going to take most of my time and my logistical mental space.

Bergen is a doting grandmother to Malles children and sees her grandkids regularly, according to social media.

Despite a career that entails being a party-girl, Malle revealed that she used to hate going out and prefers to cook and sleep (Getty)

Malle is also not shy about her politics. She has spoken out against Trump and posted left-leaning clothing and messaging on social media.

The day after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Malle asked guest Jack Schlossberg on the podcast The Run Through: What would you say to people who are struggling this week and advice on getting through it?

Malle then suggested an article about how to talk to your children about the election. I really struggled with that this morning, she admitted.

She posted a photo on January 21, 2017, preparing to attend the Womens March in Washington, D.C. to protest Trumps first inauguration. Keep Your Tiny Hands Off My Rights, the placard Malle is holding reads.

Another photo shows Malle wearing a Hillary Clinton sweatshirt while holding her two children on the couch.

Malle, now a mother of two, attended the Womens March in Washington, D.C. to protest Trumps first inauguration. Keep Your Tiny Hands Off My Rights, the placard Malle is holding reads (@chloemalle/Instagram)

Wintour, a Democratic fundraiser, has never shied away from politics and raised millions for the party in 2024. She has previously said its important to take a stand when deciding which influential women in politics to feature on the magazines cover.

We profile women in the magazine that we believe in the stand that they're taking on issues. We support them in the fact that we feel that they are leaders, she told CNN in 2019.

Wintour was spotted at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in May to meet with Trumps chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to talk about the impact of tariffs on the fashion industry.

Now that Malle has won the top job, according to the online news site Puck, it remains to be seen how shell navigate running American Vogue while juggling personal politics.

As for Wintour, the 75-year-old is reportedly not going too far, and will remain as Conde Nasts global chief content officer and Vogues global editorial director, which may have come as welcome news to Malle.

I actually love working with Anna, because I love someone telling me exactly what needs to be done and exactly what she thinks about something, Malle said of her boss. Theres no indecision. Theres no ambiguity.

This story was originally published on Thursday Aug. 14, 2025, and updated at 5:09 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday Sep. 1 to reflect reports that Malle had been picked to replace Wintour.
George Grant's vision of Canada increasingly attenuated (Part Four) By Mark Wegierski

web posted September 1, 2025 Finally, in December 2003, there occurred a merger between the CA and the federal P.C.s  who renamed themselves as "the Conservative Party of Canada"  significantly without the "progressive" adjective. The membership of both parties approved the merger by overwhelming majorities (over 90%, in both cases). Stephen Harper became the leader of the new Conservative Party in 2004. In 2004, the Liberals won only a minority government under their new leader, Paul Martin, Jr., who had succeeded Jean Chretien. By mid-2005, the Liberal minority government had reached the point of exhaustion, as the "Adscam" scandal  where tens of millions of taxpayers' money had gone to the private coffers of a few highly-placed Liberals  undermined the government. Nevertheless, the Liberals were able to cling to power by arranging the defection of Belinda Stronach. However, by November 2005, the Conservatives, Bloc Quebecois, and NDP all voted against the Liberals in Parliament, thus bringing down the government, which required the calling of an election. In the federal election of January 23, 2006, the Conservatives were able to win a minority government. Through deft maneuvering and centrist policies, Harper kept the minority government in power continuously, with the other three parties (the Liberals, the socialist New Democratic Party, and the separatist Bloc Quebecois) never combining their majority of Parliamentary seats, to vote it down. In 2008, Harper called an election himself, and the Conservatives won a strengthened minority in the federal Parliament. Finally, in 2011, the Conservative government was voted down in Parliament (meaning that it had "lost the confidence of the House") thus necessitating the calling of an election. But Stephen Harper's Conservatives were then able to win a majority in the federal Parliament, in that hard-fought election. This was supposed to be the culmination of more than twenty years of "small-c conservative" efforts. However, the years of the Conservative majority government proved rather disappointing to "small-c conservatives". This indeed suggests that since the late 1960s, a new, "Trudeau consensus" or "left-liberal consensus" has enveloped Canada  which it is very difficult to counteract. Some critics have used the term "Trudeaupia" as shorthand for the various structures that Trudeau created. So, it could be argued that the patterns of current-day Canadian society, politics, and culture, have indeed been set down six or so decades ago. Pierre Elliott Trudeau's son, Justin, who was elected leader of the federal Liberal Party in 2013, decisively won the federal election of 2015. He managed to win a plurality in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. In 2024, the new Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre held a huge margin in public opinion polling. However, Justin Trudeau finally stepped down, and former banker Mark Carney overwhelmingly won the Liberal leadership. One of his first actions was to cancel the federal carbon tax, which had been a centre-piece of Conservative criticism of the Liberals. Then came Donald Trump calling for Canada to become "the 51st state" and imposing tariffs. Mark Carney seemed to many Canadians (especially older Canadians) as a more trustworthy figure to deal with Donald Trump, as an unprecedented surge of Canadian patriotism swept across the country. Mark Carney won a strong minority government. The seeming futility of various "small-c conservative" efforts since the 1960s, seems to point to the prescience of Grant's thesis that any more substantive and traditional Canadian nationalism, had been defeated and beaten down, already in 1963. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Ethan Hawke is grateful that he did not land Leonardo DiCaprios breakthrough role as Jack Dawson in Titanic because he does not believe he would have handled the success.

The Dead Poets Society star, 54, auditioned for the 1997 movie, which went on to break records and secure 11 Oscars including for Best Picture and Best Director.

Hawke was ultimately unsuccessful as the role was given to a 21-year-old DiCaprio. However, the actor said he believes it was the right decision in hindsight.

I dont think I would have handled that success as well as Leo, he told GQ magazine. He was a f***ing Beatle.

The actor said he never self-identified as a movie star and found tabloid scrutiny uncomfortable in contrast to DiCaprio.

Reflecting on the attention he and his ex-wife Uma Thurman received when they began dating after meeting on the set of Gattaca (1997), he said of the fame: Its humiliating. Its almost humiliating even when theyre saying positive things.

Hawke said he could not have handled the success of the movie (Getty)

Hawke said of his subsequent career: I never self-identified as a movie star. I was allergic to that. Having a trademark by my name and making a million dollars  that wasnt part of my dream.

DiCaprio went on to become a household name after the release of James Camerons Titanic, and has received six Oscar nominations in total. He eventually won Best Actor his role in survival thriller The Revenant in 2016.

Earlier this year, the actor said his biggest regret was turning down the opportunity to star in Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Andersons 1997 drama about the porn industry. However, this freed him up to star in Titanic.

The film follows Jack and Rose as they fall in love on board the doomed ship (Paramount Pictures via AP)

Hawke has starred in the Before trilogy alongside Julie Delpy and secured an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role opposite Denzel Washington in Training Day in 2002 and for his role in coming-of-age drama Boyhood in 2015.

He is due to star in horror sequel Black Phone 2 and in Richard Linklaters forthcoming film, Blue Moon. He will also star in forthcoming TV series, The Lowdown, loosely inspired by the life of citizen journalist and activist Lee Roy Chapman.
Child victims of exploitation and human trafficking in Northern Ireland Birmingham and Edinburgh are to get support sooner, in an expanded scheme to protect young people across the UK from modern slavery.

They are among eight new areas being brought under a pilot which the Government said is reducing lengthy waiting times for children to get the help they need.

The pilot launched in June 2021 and moves responsibility from the Home Office to specially-trained local safeguarding teams, on decision-making about classing a child a victim of exploitation and therefore someone who qualifies for specialist support.

It is so far said to have resulted in waiting times being cut to just over three months, compared to more than a year in areas outside of the pilot.

The five other areas being brought into the pilot scheme are Hampshire, Shropshire council area, Southwark in south London, Telford and Wrekin council area, and West Sussex.

Decision-making will begin in all eight new areas this autumn, the Government said.

Edinburghs inclusion makes it the second Scottish site to be part of the pilot, joining Glasgow.

Two pilot sites have also operated in Wales  Cardiff and Newport  since 2021.

Modern slavery can include forced labour, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and domestic servitude.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said time is of the essence for child victims to get the specialist support they need.

She said: When a child falls victim to modern slavery, whether through human trafficking or in the vile county lines drug trade, they can face unimaginable trauma and lasting damage.

Time is of the essence when it comes to getting them the specialist support they need to heal and be children again.

This devolved decision-making pilot is delivering remarkable results, cutting waiting times by over a year means vulnerable children get the support they desperately need much faster.

By expanding to eight new areas, were building the evidence to roll this successful approach out nationally and improve how we protect all children in our country from modern slavery.

The latest Government figures, published last month, showed the number of potential victims  adults and children  of modern slavery referred to the Home Office is at a record level, having risen by almost a third in a year.

There were 5,690 people referred between April and June this year, a 7% increase on the previous three-month period and a 32% rise from the same quarter last year.

Among child referrals, 79% (or 1,364) were boys and 20% (or 351) were girls.

For the most recent period, 457 county lines referrals were flagged, of which the majority were for boys.

To access support and have recognition of their circumstances in the UK, most victims of slavery and human trafficking have to be assessed under national referral mechanism (NRM).

The Government has vowed to clear the backlog of cases awaiting a conclusive grounds decision by the NRM by December 2026, and has hired more than 180 new staff in a bid to help achieve this.
At total of 122 women were killed by a man in 2022, according to the Femicide Census (PA Archive)

Four in 10 women who were killed by a male partner had taken steps to leave him, figures show, as Labours Jess Phillips admitted the scale of violence is a national emergency.

A total of 122 women were killed by a man in 2022, according to the 14th annual Femicide Census, with more than half targeted by their current or former partner.

At least 40 per cent of those killed by a partner had ended the relationship or were trying to leave when they were killed.

The reports authors warned too many dangerous men are being left at liberty to harm, rape and kill after the data showed almost six in 10 perpetrators were known to have a history of violence against women or were subject to monitoring or restrictions when they killed.

They include Jordan McSweeney, who had 28 previous convictions for 69 separate offences and was wanted on recall to prison when he brutally murdered Zara Aleena.

Last year an inquest found a string of failures from multiple agencies left him free to kill the aspiring lawyer, 35, as she walked home in Ilford, east London, on 26 June 2022.

Zara Aleena, 35, was walking home from a night out when she was stalked, assaulted and killed on 26 June 2022 (PA Media)

Other shocking examples include a killer who was on extended licence for rape when he strangled his wife and cut her throat with a Stanley knife.

Another was under investigation for rape when he killed, sexually assaulting his victim and inflicting more than 90 injuries.

Karen Ingala Smith, who co-founded the Femicide Census in 2015 to track rates of male violence against women, said the government would have to act fast to meet their target of halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) in 10 years.

Men who are known to be a danger to women are too frequently at liberty to harm, rape and kill, she said.

The Labour Party, now in government, has pledged to halve serious violence, including mens violence against women, in 10 years. They are going to have to act fast and ambitiously to even approach that target.

Seven in 10 women killed in 2022 were attacked in their own home and over half were stabbed to death with a sharp instrument, while almost a quarter were strangled to death.

Men used brute force in the killings of 20 women by kicking, hitting or stamping the victim to death, the figures show.

Shockingly, women are more likely to be killed by their own son than by a stranger. Figures show 10 per cent of women were killed by their son in 2022, compared to 9 per cent targeted by strangers.

However, the report warned hidden cases in which abused women take their own lives are often missing from the data because no court or coroner has officially linked male violence to the death.

Kiena Dawes, 23, took her own life after enduring two years of abuse (PA Media)

Earlier this year, Ryan Wellings was acquitted of the manslaughter of Kiena Dawes, who took her own life after enduring two years of abuse. The 23-year-old mother left a suicide note calling her partner a monster who had killed me.

Her death in July 2022 has not been counted in the femicide data, but the report added: Change is needed to ensure abusive men face appropriate consequences for their choices and to prevent future harm to women.

Refuge said it was sadly no surprise that femicide rates remain so devastatingly high and warned leaving an abuser is often the most dangerous time for women.

The figures in the Femicide Census report are shocking, but these numbers alone do not tell the full story, said Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at Refuge.

Violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, remains severely underreported, with many deaths  such as those resulting from suicide  going unrecognised.

Many of the women we support tell us about the toll abuse has taken on their mental health, with some experiencing suicidal thoughts. And yet, despite this, deaths by suicide are still not formally recognised as domestic abuse-related deaths.

From inconsistent and frequently inadequate police responses to the chronic underfunding of lifesaving specialist services, women are being failed across the board  with fatal consequences.

If the government is serious about halving violence against women and girls, the upcoming VAWG strategy must transform the response to domestic abuse, so that women no longer needlessly lose their lives.

Minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, Jess Phillips, said the scale of violence is a national emergency (PA Archive)

The government is due to unveil its VAWG strategy to halve rates in a decade later this year.

Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said: The scale of violence and abuse suffered by women and girls in this country by men, be it their partners, ex-partners or tragically even their own sons, is nothing less than a national emergency.

Thats why we have pledged to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, including tackling child-to-parent abuse through an effective system to ensure problematic behaviours and victims are identified early, and services respond effectively to stop harmful behaviour from continuing or escalating.

But we know more needs to be done, which is why our forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will seek to overhaul the policing and criminal justice response to domestic abuse to ensure that more victims are protected and more perpetrators are punished.
Hollywood star Rupert Everett has been working behind the bar of his village pub in a bid to keep the doors open.

Everett, known for his roles in Another Country and My Best Friend's Wedding, has joined a roster of volunteers working to save The Swan, a local pub in Enford, Wiltshire, that is currently under threat of closure.

The pub is staffed by a rotation of 30 people after it was initially closed when the previous licensee left.

"There has been an amazing effort by our community to keep this pub open," said the 66-year-old Shrek voice actor.

"Times are hard for rural pubs and this is the heart and hub of the village. I think that it is important to express my support. I have recently joined CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale - as I know that real ale is the lifeblood of pubs both locally and nationally.

"Our small local breweries need our help, cask ale must survive - it is almost a uniquely British tradition."

Steve Stringer, secretary of the Salisbury and South Wiltshire branch of CAMRA and an Enford resident, told local media: "I am excited that Rupert has chosen to support the campaign.

"As a lover of cask ales, it is only natural that he wishes to join us and to see him behind the bar serving the locals, shows his solidarity with the community effort."

Ash Corbett-Collins, the CAMRA Chairman said the organisation was "chuffed" that Everett had been pulling pints to save his local.

"Publicans are clawing at a cliff edge to keep their doors open, and grassroots campaigning to save local pubs is exactly what CAMRA stands for," he said.

CAMRA, he said, wants to see the chancellor address pub closures in the Autumn budget by "scrapping the increase in Employer National Insurance contributions, making business rates bills fairer, and lowering VAT and duty on pints of beer and cider served in pubs".
Attendees gather at the Burning Man festival in 2023. Police are investigating a homicide at this year's event (AFP via Getty Images)

A man was found dead in a pool of blood at the infamous Burning Man festival, police announced Sunday.

Just as the Man was starting to burn at the festival in Nevadas Black Rock Desert on Saturday night, a Pershing County deputy was flagged down by an attendee who found a man lying in a pool of blood. The man, whose identity is still unknown, was obviously deceased, according to the Pershing County Sheriffs Office.

Police are now investigating the incident as a homicide, the Pershing County Sheriffs Office said. His body has been transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office.

Officers at the scene interviewed several event participants in the immediate area. While this appeared to be a singular crime, the Pershing County Sheriffs Office warned participants should remain vigilant of their surroundings.

The sheriffs office described the investigation as complicated, noting the crime happened in a city which will be gone by the middle of the week.

Police are cautioning event attendees to remain aware of their surroundings after a man was found dead on Saturday night at Burning Man festival, pictured here in 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)

The festival, which is set to run through September 1, involves thousands of participants constructing a temporary city in the Nevada desert. The annual event culminates with the burning of the Man on the Saturday before Labor Day.

This years festival has been dampened by dust storms and heavy rain. One participant also had quite a scare after she gave birth at the festival without knowing she was pregnant. Following the initially fright, the new parents brought their newborn daughter to the hospital and confirmed she is safe and sound.

The Pershing County Sheriffs Office is investigating the death of a single white adult male that occurred the night of Saturday, August 30 in Black Rock City. Burning Man is cooperating with law enforcement, a statement from the festival, released to Vegas outlet 8NewsNow, said.

The investigation is ongoing and the Pershing County Sheriffs Office will be the primary source of further information. If you are in Black Rock City, do not interfere with law enforcement activity.

It added: The safety and well-being of our community are paramount. Participants have access to free public WiFi at the 3 and 9 oclock plazas, Playa Info (near Center Camp), Ranger HQ (Esplanade & 6:30), at the Emergency Services Department station at 5:15 & Esplanade, and in Center Camp should they need to communicate with loved ones.
The Central Bank in Ireland has not been used for the latest bond prospectus issued by Israel, it has been confirmed.

The prospectus for Israeli bonds has been approved by Luxembourg.

There have been widespread protests over the use of Ireland as the issuing country, and the Central Bank faced calls to refuse to re-approve the bond prospectus before it expired on Monday.

In a letter to Mairead Farrell, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf confirmed that the new prospectus for Israel was approved by Luxembourg.

Mr Makhlouf said: Accordingly, from 2 September 2025, it will not be

possible for the State of Israel to offer bonds under the 2024 prospectus.

In accordance with the provisions of the prospectus regulation concerning home member states and the transfer of approval, the competent authority of Luxembourg approved a new prospectus for the State of Israel today, 1 September 2025.

The Central Bank of Ireland was the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU and previously determined the securities met the standards of the blocs prospectus regulations.

Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the countrys economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israels military operations in Gaza.

Protesters and opposition parties had called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli war bonds over human rights concerns.

They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide.

The Central Bank has said regulations require it to approve prospectuses that meet standards of completeness, consistency and comprehensibility.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald on Monday said: I do not believe that the Irish Central Bank at any stage should have been engaged in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. There is a genocide at play, we are witnesses to that genocide.

The Irish government and state has active obligations under the Genocide Convention, and that means the state, the government and the Central Bank should not be passively sitting back and observing a genocide and certainly should have no hand, act or part in facilitating any aspect or financing of that.

In a statement, Ms Farrell said: My first focus as Finance Committee chair was on the renewal of the bond prospectus of the Israeli Bond programme.

This was something that the Finance Committee undertook in a matter of great detail and published a report in relation to this.

It has been clear for a long time that the Irish people want no hand, act or part in the genocide in Gaza and have long been calling for the Central Bank not to renew this prospectus.

This is certainly good news.

Finance Committee chairwoman Mairead Farrell welcomed the move (Niall Carson/PA)

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said he welcomed that the Irish Central Bank will no longer be involved in the facilitation of the sale of the bonds.

This decision, while welcome, is overdue. It has long been clear that Israel is engaged in not just a wholesale breach of international law and daily war crimes  but a genocide against the people of Gaza, he said in a statement.

This is the reason I took a High Court case against the Central Bank, earlier this year, seeking to stop its involvement in funding this horror.

No EU financial institution should be involved in raising funds which are used to annihilate innocent civilians  and it is deeply disappointing that Luxembourg is now continuing to facilitate the sale of these bonds.

The EU response to this genocide has been shameful  failing to even agree a response in which Israels barbarism has been criticised.

It is now time for the EU to live up to its own purported values, on human rights and international law, and suspend its trade agreement with Israel and impose sanctions on its genocidal regime.
Sir Keir Starmer has moved to toughen up his government by bringing Rachel Reevess former deputy from the Treasury to strengthen his Downing Street operation.

With Labour languishing eight points behind Reform in the polls and a sense that Sir Keir is not in control of the political agenda, Darren Jones has been moved to a new role of chief secretary to the prime minister.

Sir Keir has also brought in world-leading economist Minouche Shafik as his new chief economic adviser in a move that will allow him to take more control of economic policy.

The shake-up follows growing criticism of Ms Reeves, who faces a difficult few months ahead amid growing speculation that she is likely to have to announce major tax rises in the Budget. While she is expected to remain in post, her authority  and the power of the Treasury, which has been vehemently criticised by Labour backbenchers  will be much diluted.

Mr Jones is replaced as chief Treasury secretary by loyalist James Murray, while Daniel Tomlinson, who only became an MP last year, is promoted to a junior Treasury ministerial role.

Chief Secretary Darren Jones (PA)

Mr Jones, who will report directly to the prime minister, has been seen as a rising star in the government and giving him a key role in Sir Keirs Downing Street team is seen as a major power move by the prime minister. It is hoped his arrival will bring new political leadership to the central operation, as well as giving the prime minister more of an insight into the workings of the Treasury.

There had been concerns that Sir Keir had allowed Ms Reeves to decide both economic and domestic policy while he travelled the world stage and concentrated on international politics. The situation was blamed for the calamities over winter fuel payment and disability benefit cuts which led to a full-scale revolt just before the summer.

Ms Reeves is thought to have survived a summer reshuffle mainly because the markets were spooked during her tearful appearance at PMQs when Sir Keir refused to guarantee her future.

Meanwhile, the biggest casualty of Sir Keirs mini-reshuffle is James Lyons, brought in just a year ago to run strategic communications, who has been shown the door. He is the second major Downing Street departure announced in just a week with Nin Pandit, Sir Keirs principal private secretary, also set to leave.

Both Pandit and Lyons were brought in as part of an earlier reset following the resignation of Sue Gray as chief of staff last year.

Mr Lyons told colleagues: It was an honour to be asked to come in. Im proud to have helped to get a grip on Whitehall comms after what was a difficult few first months for the government.

But I gave up a lot to come in and this was never intended as a long haul. When I came back from the summer break I told colleagues I was looking to leave by the end of the year. Ive brought this forward to be part of the other changes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (PA Archive)

It comes as Sir Keir admitted that most people feel that their living standards havent gone up and their public services arent what they deserve, saying he wants to deliver that change as quickly as possible.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live, hours after the government changes were announced, the prime minister admitted that he too was frustrated by the pace of change.

I do want to go further and faster and yes I am frustrated. I get the frustration and anger of voters, because they want change, he said.

Sir Keir has also directly appointed Baroness Shafik as his chief economic adviser to support the prime minister on economic affairs in another sign that he wants a more hands-on approach to economic policy rather than leaving it to his chancellor.

It is hoped this role and the additional expertise will support the government to go further and faster in driving economic growth and raising living standards for all.

Baroness Shafik is a world-leading economist whose career has straddled public policy and academia. She served as the permanent secretary of the UKs Department for International Development and deputy governor of the Bank of England, where she sat on the monetary, financial and prudential policy committees.

However, former director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), Paul Johnson, gave a scathing assessment about what the reshuffle said about the government.

Speaking to Hugo Rifkind on Times Radio, he said: It's extraordinary, more than a year into this government, theyre only just working out that they might need some senior economic expertise within Number 10, both at a political level and at the adviser level.

Its yet another example, I think, of how staggeringly unprepared this government was for government, despite the fact that they essentially knew they were going to win the election some considerable time out.

I think it is important for the prime minister to be able to have conversations at an equal level with the chancellor but what they really mustn't end up doing is having rows between the two of them, having different focuses and different senses of direction. That way real chaos lies.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is outraged by Israel not allowing sufficient aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million more for medical assistance in the region.

In a statement on the Middle East to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Lammy told MPs that Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine, acknowledging the declaration from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC).

He said: Im outraged by the Israeli governments refusal to allow in sufficient aid.

We need a massive, massive humanitarian response to prevent more deaths, crucial NGOs, humanitarians and health workers allowed to operate and stockpiles of aid on Gazas borders released.

The Foreign Secretary pledged more money for Gazans through medical aid charity UK-Med and World Health Organisation Egypt.

He said: I can announce an additional 15 million worth of aid in medical care for Gaza and the region.

We continue to work alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, of course, to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

Brave medics in Gaza tell us that essential medicines are running out and they cannot operate safely, and thats why were funding UK-Med, whose field hospitals treated over 600,000 Gazans, and thats why were also funding the WHO Egypt to treat thousands of evacuated Gazan people.

Lammy says Britain will continue to work alongside regional partners to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need (Suzanne Plunkett/PA)

Mr Lammy reiterated the Governments commitment to bring critically ill and injured Gazan children to the UK for specialist NHS treatment, with the first patients expected in the coming weeks.

He said: Were extracting people from a war zone, of course, it is complex and dangerous. It relies entirely on Israeli permissions, and Im pressing the Israeli government for this to happen as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Secretary condemned Israel for continuing to approve illegal settlements.

He said: In the West Bank, the Israeli government is tightening its stranglehold on the Palestinian economy and continues to approve illegal settlement construction, just recently in the E1 area east of Jerusalem.

This would erect a physical barrier to the contiguous Palestinian state, and it must not happen.

He added: We see no contradiction between the two-state solution and our deep commitment to Israeli security, because security comes from stable borders, not indefinite occupation.

On the reintroduction of sanctions on Iran, Mr Lammy said: I regret to inform the House that Iran has not complied with its legal obligations, nor chosen the path of diplomacy, so we have had no choice but to act.

I have long been clear that I will not allow snapback to expire without a durable and comprehensive deal. It would be unacceptable to allow this issue to fall off the UN Security Council agenda, despite the threat posed by Irans nuclear programme.

But snapback is not the end of diplomacy, as (US secretary of state Marco Rubio) has also recently underlined. Iran can still meet our conditions, it can restore full IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) access, it can address our concerns about its stockpile and enrichment, and return to negotiations.

Alongside our partners, I will continue to urge Iran to choose this path.

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday (AP Photo/Maya Levin)

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel told the Commons that new solutions should be looked at for getting aid in Gaza.

She said: The Government has yet to make essential breakthroughs on aid.

Ministers obviously need to work around the clock with everyone, all our partners, including with the Israelis and multinational institutions, to unblock the situation by coming up with practical solutions, even new solutions that all sides can focus on when it comes to getting medical and food aid into Gaza.

That does have to provide a significant increase in food and medical supplies to reach civilians while addressing Israeli concerns about aid diversions, because those concerns are constant.

However, Mr Lammy disagreed that new solutions are needed, arguing that old ones like the UNs World Food Programme have worked in the past.

The Foreign Secretary said: She asks what new solutions might be found on aid, and thats where I depart with the sentiment of what shes saying, because Im not sure we need new solutions.

The mechanisms are there, they work all over the globe, it worked the last time when we had a ceasefire.
Businesses could be prosecuted if they profit from fraud committed by one of their employees even if managers do not know about it, under new UK laws.

The new failure to prevent fraud offence, which came into effect on Monday, holds large firms to account over their internal anti-fraud measures.

It says that businesses can be held criminally liable where an employee, agent, subsidiary or other associates commit fraud intending to benefit the company, and where reasonable fraud prevention procedures were not in place.

It means that they could be held to account even if managers did not order or know about the crime.

The law, which forms part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, applies to organisations with more than 250 staff, 36 million in turnover and 18 million in total assets.

It includes fraudulent acts from dishonest sales practices and trading in the financial markets, to hiding important information from consumers or investors.

The Government, which is due to launch a new fraud strategy, hopes the new laws will prompt businesses to clamp down on scams happening under their watch.

This includes senior managers clearly communicating their anti-fraud stance and measures to staff, and committing to spending on training and resources to tackle fraud.

It could also mean fostering a culture that encourages staff to speak out if they have any concerns about fraudulent practices happening within the company.

Fraud minister Lord Hanson said it was a pivotal moment for businesses as the new offence strengthens our anti-fraud culture.

Nick Ephgrave, director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), said: This is a significant new tool for prosecutors to tackle serious and complex fraud which damages UK business and undermines our economy.

The SFO is ready to act if corporates fail to comply with their new responsibilities.

Hannah von Dadelszen, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), also said it would not hesitate to prosecute where companies fail in their responsibility to prevent fraud.

Large organisations must act to put robust fraud prevention systems in place or leave themselves open to legal action, she said.
The former Ty Llwyd quarry above Ynysddu. In 2023, testing by an academic found unsafe levels of PCBs in the village. Photograph: Dimitris Legakis/The Guardian

Research from Friends of the Earth Cymru has found that at least 45,000 sites across Wales could be contaminated with toxic waste but have never been adequately inspected, leaving communities and wildlife vulnerable to a potential environmental crisis.

Despite Waless extensive industrial history, Tuesdays publication found that due to a lack of funding and oversight, only 82 sites across the country have ever been fully examined and classified as contaminated, meaning the actual scale of the threat is unknown.

Former industrial areas, landfills and quarries can contain contaminants such as heavy metals, oil, tar, solvents, gases and radioactive substances.

The environmental campaigners submitted freedom of information requests to all 22 Welsh councils and reviewed publicly available data. Only 11 councils provided full responses, yet they revealed 45,157 potentially contaminated sites, suggesting the true figure could be far higher.

While most of Waless industrial waste legacy has never been investigated, in some places its impact is clear to see.

In Ynysddu, a village in the Sirhowy valley in south Wales, waste from companies was dumped in the former Ty Llwyd quarry on the mountain above the village in the 1960s and 70s.

Residents have warned for years that after heavy rainfall, foul-smelling brown and foamy liquid seeps from the quarry and downhill into the surrounding woods, council-owned land that was used by children and dogwalkers until it was recently fenced off.

In 2023, testing by Dr David Megson, an environmental chemist from Manchester Metropolitan University, found unsafe levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Ynysddu. PCBs are forever chemicals that accumulate in the food chain and can cause liver damage and increased cancer risk in humans.

All testing commissioned by Caerphilly county borough council to date has indicated zero level of PCBs, and the site is not legally defined as contaminated land.

Megson has suggested that the council may be using tests that are not sensitive enough, or testing in the wrong places. Caerphilly council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jane Beechey, 64, bought a plot of land at the bottom of the mountain in 2013, which she intended to use for stables. She had the land tested before she purchased it, and the results said it contained slightly elevated levels of chloroform  safe for horses, but not young children.

However, over the past decade, more frequent and prolonged periods of wet weather have led groundwater levels in the quarry to rise and sometimes flood the woodland and land downhill. Since 2018, water from the quarry has begun pooling on Beecheys land, and she says that nothing will grow there any more.

It ruined my business plans. Who is going to keep their horses here if they dont think its safe? she said.

At the Ynysddu allotments, soil samples tested positive for PCBs after Storm Dennis in 2020, when water rushed down the mountain from the quarry and the river flowing through the valley broke its banks, flooding parts of the village.

I am still growing tomatoes here, but I worry about it. Some people in the village grow things they want to eat in tubs, said Mark Jones, 67.

Despite a legal requirement to do so every five years, many councils, including Caerphilly, have not updated their inspection strategies for potentially contaminated land on average since 2014, Friends of the Earth Cymru found. Of Waless 22 local authorities, only six publish a legally mandated contaminated land register online, leaving communities in the dark about what may be lying under their feet.

On Tuesday, Friends of the Earth Cymru called for a public inquiry into the scale and impact of contaminated land in Wales and for the UK and Welsh governments to provide councils with the resources to identify and clean up potentially dangerous sites.

Its spokesperson Kirsty Luff said: Its shocking that so much land could be contaminated and yet isnt being properly inspected. People in Wales deserve to know whether the places where they live, work, and play are free from pollution.

This issue must not be ignored. The longer the delay, the greater the risk to our health, our environment and future generations.

The Welsh government said: Local authorities in Wales have a duty to identify contaminated land within their areas. If they identify areas that meet the definition of contaminated land, they have a duty to ensure it is remediated appropriately..

The picture could be similar across the rest of the UK. A BBC investigation suggests that of 13,093 potentially toxic sites identified as high-risk in the early 2000s, only 1,465 have been inspected.
Examining the Polish-Canadian community on the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Solidarity accords (August 31, 1980) By Apolonja (Pola) Kojder and Mark Wegierski

web posted September 1, 2025 The Polish Solidarity independent trade union movement was an amazing peaceful rising against the Communist regime in Poland. On August 31, 1980, the Communist regime reluctantly recognized the Solidarity movement, and promised extensive reforms. During 1980-1981, there was a period of amazing cultural national flowering. It was brought to an end by Communist General Wojciech Jaruzelski, who imposed martial law on December 13, 1981. As part of remembering the historic Solidarity accords, we wish to bring attention to the history of the Polish-Canadian community in Canada. Although, according to the 2016 Canada Census, there are over a million persons of Polish descent in Canada, that group has a comparatively minor impact on Canadian society, politics, and culture. Canadian Polonia (the Polish-Canadian community) seems to have a perennial misapprehension of what constitutes "objective" cultural influence and power today. They have very few active writers. The community is organizationally weak and faces a chronic lack of funding, whether from private individuals or government cultural and multicultural supports. Some types of writing have almost immediate social and political effects. There are currently no opinion-columnists on staff in the major Toronto newspapers, who could be identified as belonging to the Polish-Canadian community, nor do any such opinion-columnists in any major newspaper in the country come to mind. There are also very few authors of books by recognized publishers. What can one say when even the post of the President of the Canadian Polish Congress is a volunteer position. There are, currently, only a few M.P.s who could be identified as emphatically belonging to the Polish-Canadian community, in the Canadian Federal Parliament. One of them is Calgary-area Conservative M.P. Tom Kmiec. Also, in the Ontario Parliament, two dynamic women were elected as Progressive Conservative M.P.P.s in 2018  Kinga Surma (Etobicoke-Centre) and Natalia Kusendova (Mississauga-Centre). They were both re-elected in 2022 and 2025. In 2011-2015, there were two Polish-Canadian M.P.s from the Conservative Party, Wladyslaw Lizon (Mississauga East -- Cooksville) and Ted Opitz (Etobicoke-Centre). During the 1970s, Stanley Haidasz represented the Parkdale-High Park riding (then the Toronto-area riding with the highest proportion of persons of Polish descent) as a Liberal, being named as Minister of State for Multiculturalism (and later, Senator). His successor in the riding was the Liberal, Jesse Flis. Because of the prominence of Haidasz and Flis, Polish-Canadians tended to support the federal Liberal Party in earlier decades. After a period of high glory in the late medieval and early modern periods, Poland had endured Partition (often harsh foreign occupation under Tsarist Russia, Prussia/Germany, and the Habsburg Empire) since 1795. Independence was regained only in 1918. The Partition period was punctuated by numerous desperate uprisings. The main waves of Polish immigration to Canada could be identified as pre-World War I; interwar; post-World War II; 1956-1979; Solidarity era; and post-1989. The Polish Second Republic fell before the savage onslaught of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (then Hitler's ally) in September 1939 (when World War II began). Betrayed by America and Britain at the Yalta Conference, Poland was assigned to the Soviet sphere of influence (to be officially called the People's Republic of Poland) -- along with the wrenching displacement of her frontiers in a westward direction. The largest group of Polish immigrants to Canada in the post-World War II period were the Polish ex-soldiers who had served in the Polish armed forces under Western Allied command. Among their greatest military achievements were the contribution of the Polish pilots to the aerial Battle of Britain in 1940; the storming by the Polish Second Corps of Monte Cassino in Italy, the "impregnable" German positions blocking the road to Rome, in 1944; and the attempt to close the Falaise Gap in Normandy by the Polish First Armoured Division, also in 1944. The Polish ex-soldiers who came directly to Canada in the late 1940s were required to work for two years on remote farms. Conditions there were sometimes none too pleasant. In consequence of the death of Stalin in 1953, the coming to power of Wladyslaw Gomulka in October 1956 essentially "polonized" the regime. The disturbances of 1968-1970 brought Edward Gierek to power, whose economic policies initiated a short period of considerable prosperity. Nevertheless, the election of the Polish Pope in 1978 galvanized the opposition, culminating in the flowering of the independent trade-union movement, Solidarity. On December 13, 1981, Communist General Jaruzelski declared martial law and attempted to crush the Solidarity movement, which went underground. Finally, the impetus of Solidarity was one of the factors that helped to initiate the massive transformations that resulted in the collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989. The Polish Third Republic was proclaimed. The arrival of Polish-Canadians increased the intra-European diversity of Canada. It could be argued that the initial definition of "multiculturalism" in Canada was mostly meant to refer to other European groups, apart from the English and French, especially Eastern and Southern Europeans. That definition has been mostly eclipsed since the 1980s, with the arrival of huge "visible minority" immigration. Apolonja (Pola) Kojder is the main author of Marynia, Don't Cry: Memoirs of Two Polish-Canadian Families (University of Toronto Press, 1995). She lives in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Mark Wegierski is a Toronto-based writer and historical researcher, published in Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen, and The Hill Times (Ottawa), among others. They were both born in Canada of Polish immigrant parents. Home
Levi Roots has said he has no plans to step away from his Reggae Reggae sauce business, as customers buy into his name rather than the product.

The Jamaican-British businessman and celebrity cook said he will always have to be there for the business that he created.

Roots, 67, shot to fame when he appeared on BBC2s Dragons Den in 2007, securing investment for his jerk barbecue sauce that went on to hit the shelves of major retailers.

He told the PA news agency he was loving it so much as he continued to be passionate about the brand.

I dont think people are buying into Reggae Reggae sauce, I think theyre buying into Levi Roots, he said.

Its important that as long as I keep myself intact, I think customers will always be investing in the brand.

Its important to me that I will always have to be there for the business  and thats fine, because I love hard work.

Roots will be head judge for this years Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards.

The winner, picked from 12 finalists spanning the UK and Ireland, will secure a 100,000 prize to invest in their independent food business.

Levi Roots is head judge at this years Uber Eats Restaurants of the Year Awards (Uber Eats/PA)

Roots hailed a cultural explosion in the UK, as different cuisines emerge and are growing in popularity.

This includes African food, which he said was emerging partly because of the rapid growth of Afrobeats music in the UK, adding that music and food always blend together.

Eastern European cuisine was also becoming more widespread, he added.

People couldnt pronounce reggae back in the day  and now were selling in almost every supermarket in the country, Roots told the PA news agency.

The businessman, who has also forged a career as a musician, urged budding food entrepreneurs to focus on having cultural authenticity and a genuine passion for their business.

Even in those early days when youre not making the money, when youre not getting to where you want to be, you need to be passionate about what youre doing and enjoying what youre doing, he said.

He added that he had a fantastic time even when he was going round the shires to sell his sauce product, before appearing on Dragons Den.
Liverpool have agreed a 35m deal with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi as the champions are set to spend 160m on deadline day and over 450m in a summer.

Guehi will now undergo a medical and then could join Alexander Isak among Arne Slots summer signings, with Newcastle accepting a 125m offer for the striker, who is set to break the British transfer record.

Guehi, who attracted four bids from Newcastle last summer and one from Tottenham in the winter transfer window, has been a target of Liverpool throughout this window.

They entered talks with Palace weeks ago but there was an impasse between the two clubs, with Eagles manager Oliver Glasner saying last week that his captain has to stay and that it was almost impossible to replace him.

But with Guehi in the last year of his contract at Selhurst Park, the FA Cup winners risked losing the England international on a free transfer next summer and opted to cash in on him.

Palace are now trying to bring in replacements while Guehi is set to become the second centre-back Liverpool have bought in a few weeks, after the Italian Giovanni Leoni from Parma.

With Leoni and Guehi, Liverpool are shaping the future of their defence as captain Virgil van Dijk, who signed a two-year contract in the summer, is now 34 and Ibrahima Konate is in the final season of his contract at Anfield.

Guehi has scored nine goals in 162 games for Palace, including a spectacular strike at Aston Villa on Sunday in what is set to prove his final appearance for the club.

Marc Guehi celebrates scoring Palaces second goal against Aston Villa (PA Wire)

He captained them to the first major trophy in their history, the FA Cup in May, and then lifted another, the Community Shield, after beating Liverpool on penalties at Wembley last month.

Guehi will become the second major departure from Palace in swift succession, after Eberechi Ezes move to Arsenal, but with their two sales bringing in more than 100m.

Besides Leoni, Liverpools summer signings are Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili.

On a busy transfer deadline day at Anfield, Harvey Elliott is looking likely to join Aston Villa on loan with an obligation to become a 35m signing but Joe Gomez, who was a target for AC Milan, seems set to stay.
Rasmus Hojlund has joined Napoli on a season-long loan and Manchester United outcast Antony has finally sealed his return to Real Betis.

Ruben Amorim has spent the summer reshaping the squad in his image, with Marcus Rashford departing on loan to Barcelona and Alejandro Garnacho this weekend joining Chelsea for 40million.

Jadon Sancho is set to join Aston Villa on a season-long loan before Mondays transfer deadline, which has seen two other big-money flops head for the exit.

Hojlund joined from Atalanta two years ago for 64m plus a potential 8m in add-ons, but the striker only scored 14 goals in 62 Premier League appearances.

The 22-year-old has now joined Napoli on loan, with the Serie A champions confirming the deal includes an obligation to buy.

That fee is believed to be 44 million euros (38m) and comes into effect if Antonio Contes side qualify for the Champions League.

Hojlund is followed out of United by Antony, who signed from Ajax in 2022 in an eye-watering deal worth an initial 95 million euros (82.1m) plus a potential five million euros (4.3m) in add-ons.

The clubs second-most expensive signing of all-time has fallen well short of that lofty price tag, scoring 12 goals in 96 appearances and ending last season on loan at Betis.

The Brazil international shone for the Spanish side and, after protracted talks, has finally secured a permanent return to the club.

Antony has joined Betis for up to 25m euros (21.6m) with United including a 50 per cent sell-on clause into the deal. United are not believed to have paid a settlement fee to the player.
Naomi Osaka produced her biggest grand slam result for more than four years to knock out Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the US Open.

This was the most anticipated match of the tournament so far but it lasted only 64 minutes, with Osaka racing to a 6-3 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

While the Japanese star produced a strong performance, losing just six points on serve in the contest, this was a horror show from Gauff in front of her home fans, the American making 33 unforced errors and crashing out in the fourth round for the second year in a row.

Naomi Osaka wins the showdown on Ashe! pic.twitter.com/XRkj8oKWKs  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2025

Osaka has not been this far in New York for five years and the rest of the womens field will now be on notice  the 27-year-old has never lost at a grand slam when she has reached the quarter-finals.

It was six years ago that a 15-year-old Gauff, with the eyes of the world on her following her breakthrough run to the fourth round of Wimbledon, was swatted aside by Osaka, leaving the teenager in tears on court.

There has been much water under the bridge for both since, with Gauff elevating herself to the top of the game and winning two grand slam titles while Osaka increased her tally to four before struggles with her mental health and time away to have her first child.

Finally, things appear to be clicking again for Osaka, who is back in the top 30 and had made it through to this stage at a slam for the first time since her most recent title at the Australian Open back in 2021.

Coco Gauff made 33 unforced errors (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Gauff won her second grand slam title at the French Open in June but has struggled since with serving problems, something she has been trying to address during the tournament with the help of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.

It has taken its toll on the 21-year-old, who was in tears during and after her second-round win over Donna Vekic.

She spoke of feeling lighter as she breezed past Magdalena Frech in round three but this was a high-stakes match for Gauff and the tension was evident from the start.

It was not so much the serve as her forehand, which historically has been a weakness, that was the problem, Gauff donating her first service game and unable to threaten Osakas amid a slew of errors.

Iga Swiatek eased to victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova (Heather Khalifa/AP)

Osaka looked calm and confident, her solidity off the ground too much for Gauff, who threw in two double faults to give away the first set.

The American headed off court for a bathroom break and the crowd tried to inspire her to a comeback in the second set but she could not change the momentum and her challenge quickly faded.

Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, extended her winning run at grand slams to 11 matches with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The Wimbledon champion has had some tough matches in New York but this was a one-sided affair, with the Pole wrapping up victory in just 64 minutes.
Nestle has sacked its boss after he failed to disclose a "romantic relationship" with a subordinate.

Laurent Freixe, 63, had worked for the Swiss food giant for four decades before being promoted to global chief executive last September, replacing Mark Schneider.

But after less than 12 months in the role, Freixe has been dismissed with "immediate effect" following an alleged breach of the companys code of conduct.

According to the BBC, the inquiry was triggered by a report made through the company's whistleblowing channel.

Nestle makes chocolate bars such as KitKat (PA)

Freixe reportedly had a relationship with an employee who is not on the executive board, which represents a potential conflict of interest.

This was a necessary decision, chairman Paul Bulcke announced in a statement. Nestles values and governance are strong foundations of our company.

Bulcke also thanked Freixe for his years of service at Nestle, which produces products including KitKat chocolates, Purina pet food and San Pellegrino soda drinks.

However, Nestle confirmed that Mr Freixe will not receive an exit package despite joining in the 1980s.

As well as Mr Bulcke, independent director Pablo Isla oversaw the review into Mr Freixe "with the support of independent outside counsel".

This was a necessary decision

Paul Bulcke

Philipp Navratil, the current head of Nespresso Coffee, has been appointed as Mr Freixe's successor.

Mr Bulcke said Nestle was "not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance".

Other firms have parted ways with staff in recent years following probes into their personal relationships with workers.

In 2023, Bernard Looney quit as the head of British Petroleum after failing to reveal relationships with colleagues.
Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche was found dead in a car in Hackney last year - Family handout

The family of a woman who was killed by a long-term cannabis smoker have said they feel absolutely betrayed by the justice system, after he was handed a hospital order for manslaughter.

Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, was detained under the Mental Health Act for strangling Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, his 25-year-old girlfriend, in Hackney, east London, in April last year.

Tape had lured his victim under false pretences after asking for a lift to a plumbing job, according to The Times.

Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche was then strangled to death in her car outside his home, where the couples one-year-old daughter slept inside.

Tape then drove around with Ms Westcarr-Sabaroches body for nearly two hours, bought cigarettes and sent a message from her phone to a friend of the young woman.

Six-and-a-half hours after the killing, he confessed to his brother what he had done, the prosecution said.

Ms Westcarr-Sarabroche had previously been involved with the Princes Trust [now known as the Kings Trust], after joining the organisation as a digital marketing apprentice aged 16.

Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, was handed an indefinite hospital order for the manslaughter of Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche - Metropolitan Police

Her mother told The Times that following her death, the King  whose Trust ran the apprentice scheme  wrote lovely letters to her family.

Tape was originally accused of murder, but a guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility was accepted by prosecutors.

Ms Westcarr-Sabaroches loved ones sat in the well of the court during the sentencing, with some walking out when statements by members of the defendants family were read by the defence, describing him as a loving person before his mental health deteriorated.

Undiagnosed schizophrenic

Judge Freya Newbery handed Tape a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act with a restriction order under Section 41, which means he can be detained indefinitely.

The judge said Tape was at the time of the attack an undiagnosed schizophrenic who held paranoid and persecutory delusions which substantially impaired his judgment and self-control.

However, Linda Westcarr, the victims mother, said she felt betrayed by the system and demanded an urgent review of Tapes sentence, which she said was without any penal element, no punishment.

Linda Westcarr, the victims mother, read a statement outside court - Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire

She said she felt absolutely betrayed by the system, adding: The system has failed us in many ways  failed to support us, failed to explain to us the decisions that they have made.

We havent been consulted with, weve been dictated to. That needs to change.

Leon Westcarr, Ms Westcarr-Sabaroches brother, said the family felt let down by the lack of transparency they have experienced throughout the process surrounding her death.

The information thats been given to us from the police, the prosecution, its all been us asking them whats going on, he said.

Dark thoughts

The court heard the defendant had smoked cannabis since 2014 and had some contact with mental health services in 2023 and was warned to abstain, but would smoke cannabis afterwards.

In April 2023, Tape was seen in A&E and it was noted he had described dark thoughts that had been going on for a number of weeks, and these thoughts were around harming others in the context of self-defence.

Then in Dec 2023, the court heard, Tape told his GP he was no longer experiencing paranoia and later admitted to cannabis use in the second half of 2023 and early 2024.

Commenting on the case, Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at the domestic violence charity Refuge, said: Were concerned by what appears to be a troubling pattern of domestic abuse perpetrators having diminished responsibility pleas accepted in domestic homicide cases.

These pleas often lead to manslaughter rather than murder convictions, meaning perpetrators do not face a mandatory life sentence.

Ms Butt added: This can send a harmful message  not only to surviving family members, but to wider society  that extreme violence in domestic settings is somehow less serious.

We acknowledge the complexity of mental health in the criminal justice system and welcome the Law Commissions review into homicide laws.

However, we believe this issue must be treated with the utmost speed and urgency.
This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Arabia

It was 7am on Monday, August 25, 2025, when my late colleague Maryam Abu Daqqa called me. As soon as I answered, she didnt miss a beat: Good morning, Ezz, how are things in your area? Do you need any photos for your report? Tell me quickly, because Im planning to visit my father as I miss him.

I chuckled softly and replied, "You speak so fast, Maryam. Send me any new shots youve taken. Your photos are always excellent and suitable for any report, no matter the topic." She interrupted me, speaking even faster, leaving no room for a response: Youre talented, my friend. Take care of yourself, keep covering stories, and be the voice of the community.

Maryams words caught my attention. I asked, Whats wrong? She replied, Nothing goodbye. Ill send you some photos, and I hope you can forgive me. The call ended, but the story did not. That conversation turned out to be a prelude to the tragic events that followed, as she became a victim of an Israeli strike targeting the emergency building at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

At 11am, I received the first call from my colleagues in Khan Younis. They informed me that Nasser Medical Complex had been hit. My heart stopped. Where is Maryam? I asked immediately. They told me she was injured and may have died in the strike.

Taking pictures is not my job, but my mission, Maryam Abu Daqqa was a fearless photographer (Independent Arabia)

I tried calling Maryam dozens of times with no answer. I immediately contacted her brother, Sidqi, who told me, Maryam is gone now. The news shocked me. Tears fell uncontrollably, my tongue went numb, and I ended the call, frozen in place.

Five minutes later, still in shock, I reached out to my colleagues at Independent Arabias offices in Beirut and London to share the news. It was devastating for everyone. Every time I had to inform one of my editors, I would cry, and my chest would tighten unbearably.

I met Maryam Abu Daqqa in 2020 when she was working as a freelance photographer. I asked her for three photos of the rose farms in Rafah, at the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip. I was writing a story about how the flowers had withered while Israel refused permission to export them, and the farmer fed them to his sheep. Within minutes, the photos arrived in my inbox, attached via a link.

I was impressed by Maryams work, so I offered her a position with me as a photographer at Independent Arabia. She quickly accepted, and we began working together as a journalistic team: I would write reports and human-interest stories, and she would provide the pictures and videos.

One of Maryam Abu Daqqa's last photographs, showing the residents of Gaza City leaving for the south ahead of Israel's planned invasion (Independent Arabia/Maryam Abu Daqqa)

Our years of working together went by so quickly. Every time I requested photos for a report, Maryam delivered them with remarkable speed. She was an exemplary professional, never refusing a task, and she often told me: Request any photo you want. Taking pictures is not my job, but my mission.

Maryam would repeat these words countless times over the five years we worked together.

Her enthusiasm never waned, her energy remained constant and her performance consistently precise. As for her photos, they were extraordinary. Rich with meaning, they would convey what even words could not.

What I admired most about my late colleague was her work ethic. Every day, she woke up at six in the morning to begin her work as a creative photographer. She had been doing this even before the outbreak of the war. When I asked her why she woke up so early, she would reply, Work loves energy.

Even on days when she didnt have any journalistic assignments, Maryam would call me at seven, waking me up and urging me to start the workday and to request photos and video clips from her. She was energetic, dedicated and highly skilled.

Maryam was remarkable in her curiosity; she sought stories in the streets, among the narrow alleys of local neighbourhoods, in hospitals, and even from casual conversations with people. She did not like to imitate others and preferred to capture her photos herself, always approaching her subjects with great humanity.

Maryam Abu Daqqa always approached her subjects with great humanity (Independent Arabia/Maryam Abu Daqqa)

I rarely accompanied Maryam on her shoots, but when I did, I observed her skill and professionalism firsthand. Her photographs seemed to speak for themselves, telling the story and conveying the essence of the subject even without explanation or commentary.

In her professional interactions, Maryam was incredibly gentle and humane. Whenever her colleagues requested her photos, she would provide them with diligence. If anyone asked her how to reach a storys subject, she guided them with humility. I witnessed her kindness toward children, her respect to others, and her forgiving and modest nature.

During the war, I asked Maryam to be cautious and avoid taking risks. Yet she would always respond in her unique way: In this war, I may fall victim, but dont worry about me. Continue our mission, dont stop, be the voice of the community, and write your stories - you are talented.

Honestly, I cherished her praise for my reports and stories. During the war, she told me that our fellow photographers and journalists often asked her about the material we were producing and wished to emulate her work. I felt proud hearing her say, We have made a name for our organisation, Independent Arabia, as a source of innovative work.

Maryam was fully aware that she might fall victim to the ongoing war in Gaza. She once told me, One day, the camera will fall from my hands in this war. Indeed, she was killed while covering the Israeli strikes on her city, Khan Younis.

Maryam Abu Daqqa was killed by an Israeli strike on Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis (Independent Arabia/Maryam Abu Daqqa)

Maryam was not just a journalist; she was a warrior with a camera. She lived the war, moving between destroyed homes, overcrowded hospitals, and displacement camps, documenting what Israel did not want to be documented. She saw herself as the worlds eye, witnessing the war in Gaza.

Her departure has left me utterly alone. Although fellow journalists stand by my side, her absence is profoundly painful. She left behind her photographs, which captured the truth, and her words of guidance that will continue to be read. Today, I feel completely unable to work without you, my dear Maryam.

Maryam departed with her camera in hand, yet she remains in our memory, a story that will be told for years. She left me broken, repeating her name, speaking of her to my children. Despite her early passing, she lives in our hearts.

Maryams story always reminds me that freedom comes at a high cost, that a mission requires sacrifice, and that journalism in Gaza is not just a profession - it is a voice, a memory and a history. My dear Maryam will remain in my heart as long as I live, remembered as one of the journalists who gave her life for the profession and the mission of the media.

Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf
Arsenal have strengthened their backline by signing Piero Hincapie on an initial season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen.

The deal for the Ecuador international includes the obligation for a permanent switch at the end of this campaign if certain conditions are met, Leverkusen announced.

Hincapie made 166 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen after joining them four years ago and helped them to a first-ever Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal crown in a historic 2023-24 campaign.

The final piece of the puzzle  Piero Hincapie is a Gunner  pic.twitter.com/eqLasc4AVz  Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 1, 2025

Primarily a centre-half who can also fill in at left-back, the 23-year-old is Arsenals eighth summer signing and has paved the way for Jakub Kiwior to join Porto on loan for the rest of the season.

We are so pleased to welcome Piero Hincapie to the club, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on the clubs official website.

Piero has a real physical presence, with his versatility and tactical flexibility giving us strong added defensive options.

He is a big character, with a very good combination of both youth and maturity. He will make our squad stronger and more competitive as we continue into this season.

William Saliba and Gabriel have been Artetas first-choice pairing at the heart of Arsenals defence in their first three Premier League games, with Cristhian Mosquera acting as back-up.

Jakub Kiwior has joined Porto on loan for the rest of the season (Mike Egerton/PA)

Mosquera was called into action after just five minutes in Sundays defeat by title rivals Liverpool, with Saliba withdrawn because of a twisted ankle he sustained in the warm-up at Anfield.

But in Hincapie they have a defender who has Champions League experience and has been capped 46 times by his country.

He is an intelligent defender with real strength and versatility, Arsenals sporting director Andrea Berta said.

His performances in recent years for both club and country have been of a consistent high quality, and we are confident Piero will continue to grow this season and be an important player for us.

Meanwhile, Fabio Vieira has joined Hamburg on a season-long loan, having fallen out of contention since making 33 appearances in his debut campaign after joining from Porto for a 34million fee in June 2022.

He has featured just another 16 times since then  although he scored the winning penalty in Arsenals 2023 Community Shield triumph  and spent last season back at Porto on loan.

Vieira will be joined in northern Germany by fellow midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, who has completed a permanent switch to the Volksparkstadion after four years and 39 appearances with the Gunners.

Full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who moved to Arsenal for 30m from Manchester City three years ago, and winger Reiss Nelson have joined Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively on season-long loans.
Forty-seven more people have been charged with supporting the banned group Palestine Action, bringing the total facing prosecution over protests in London to 114.

The latest suspects were all arrested at a demonstration in London on July 19, the Metropolitan Police said, and were all charged by post.

They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on October 27 and 28 accused of a terrorism offence by showing support for a banned group.

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command said: We are quickly and efficiently investigating those arrested for showing support towards Palestine Action and working closely with our colleagues in the CPS, we anticipate further charging decisions through this week and beyond.

We fully recognise peoples right to demonstrate peacefully, and thousands continue to protest in support of Palestine without breaking counter-terrorism laws.

A supporter of Palestine Action is detained by police after taking part in a mass action in Parliament Square, Westminster, central London, organised by Defend Our Juries on August 9 as part of the Lift the Ban campaign, to end the proscription of Palestine Action (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

I would therefore urge anyone considering coming out and showing support to Palestine Action to reconsider, otherwise you will very likely be arrested, investigated, and well work with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.

For those people now charged, if convicted, they are facing potentially serious consequences that could impact on their careers and their ability to travel overseas.

Palestine Action had called on supporters to take part in mass protests in a bid to overwhelm the justice system and make prosecuting all the demonstrators impossible.

But last month, Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the plan was completely misguided.

Palestine Action was proscribed after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to allegations of a serious assault on staff and police officers at a business premises in south Gloucestershire.

Since then, hundreds of people have been arrested for showing support for the group.

Palestine Actions co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision to ban the group, with the full legal challenge due to be heard in November.
Police were called to an address in Tonypandy (Jaggery/CC BY-SA 2.0)

Police have launched an investigation after they were called to the sudden death of a newborn baby in South Wales.

Emergency services were called to an address in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on Monday where the 11-week-old child was found dead, police said. A large police presence has been reported in the area as officers work to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, South Wales Police said there will continue to be an increased police presence in the South Wales town as detectives investigate.

The circumstances of the infants death are not yet clear and police have not released any further details at this time.

Police are investigating the death (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Archive)

The force added the childs family have asked to be given privacy during this time and that investigations are ongoing.

In a statement a South Wales Police spokesperson said: South Wales Police was called this morning to the sudden death of an 11-week-old baby in Tonypandy. Investigations into the death are on-going and you will see an increase in police presence in the area during this time.

The family of the child have asked to be given space during this time.

Tonypandy is a town and community in the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in South Wales.
Noah Wyle "gave up hope" of receiving another Primetime Emmy Awards nomination.

Noah Wyle is thrilled with his Primetime Emmy Awards nomination for The Pitt

The 54-year-old actor received five consecutive Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nominations for the TV awards gong as Dr. John Carter in the NBC medical drama ER from 1995 until 1999.

And Noah is "overwhelmed" for being recognised again, but this time in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series (as an executive producer) categories for his work as Dr. Michael Robby Robinavitch in the HBO Max medical procedural drama, The Pitt.

He told People: "I'm a little different when it hits. It's hitting an older man, that's for sure.

"And one who's been around now for 30 years and done a lot of different things and has sort of ... I'm overwhelmed by this.

"I gave up hope that this was going to be something that my career was going to be part of again, that this focus would beyond my work.

"It's really amazing."

Noah credits his success to his "mentor figure", John Wells - who served as the executive producer of ER and The Pitt.

He added: "I go back to giving all the credit to John Wells, who's the true godfather of [ER and The Pitt] and has been the sort of mentor figure to me over two of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life.

"Anything that I'm doing on this is to please him and to stay under his protective umbrella for as long as I possibly can."

ER sees the doctors in the titular department at the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago deal with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives, whilst trying to care for their patients.

Noah joined the show in 1994 as his central figure alter ego, and he was a regular in ER for its first 11 seasons, before he left in 2005 and later made guest appearances and returned for the series finale in 2009.

The actor plays the lead role, Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, in The Pitt - which is similar to ER in that it follows the challenges that healthcare workers across the United States face through the lens of those working in the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical emergency room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And Noah - who is one of 13 Primetime Emmy Awards nominees for The Pitt - thinks he is "the elder statesman" on the programme because of ER's audience tuning into The Pitt.

He said: "You don't really expect that to happen, but it happened, and now I'm watching this wonderful generation of young talent.

"It's their moment in the sun. It's even more sweet."

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on September 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.
Xi Jinping said the Cold War mentality in the West is not dissipating - Sergey Bobylev/Kremlin Press S/Anadolu

Chinas Xi Jinping has set out plans for a new world order to challenge the dominance of the US-led West.

At a summit attended by the strongman leaders of Russia and India, Mr Xi lashed out at the bullying behaviour and Cold War mentality of other countries  which appeared to be an attack on Donald Trump and his tariff war against Beijing and its allies.

He called for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to expand its role, touting its mega-scale market, at the annual meeting of more than 20 non-Western leaders in Tianjin, in northern China.

Global governance has reached a new crossroads, Mr Xi told leaders including Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, Narendra Modi of India, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president.

The shadows of Cold War mentality, bullying, are not dissipating, and there are new challenges that are increasing, not diminishing, Mr Xi said at the summit.

Mr Modi greeting Putin at the summit in northern Chinas port city of Tianjin

China and the US hit each other with tariffs of more than 100 per cent before agreeing to lower them temporarily while trade negotiations take place.

President Trump has threatened Putin with crippling tariffs if a peace deal with Ukraine is not agreed, and slapped India with a 50 per cent tariff, one of the worlds highest, for buying discounted Russian crude oil.

Mr Xi said at the summit: We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism.

Battle Lines China's military rise series

Putin and Mr Modi held hands as they walked side-by-side to greet Mr Xi before the trio huddled, laughing before the photographers.

All countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, should equally participate in, decide on and benefit from global governance, the Chinese president said before sketching out his vision for an alternative world order that prioritised the global South.

Underlining his intention to maximise Chinese influence in poorer nations, Mr Xi announced plans for an SCO-run development bank, a cooperation platform for green and energy industries and $1.4bn (1.3bn) in loans over the next three years to SCO members.

Mr Xi also said he was opening the way for the ten SCO member states to use Chinas BeiDou satellite system, an alternative to the US-controlled GPS.

His comments were speedily welcomed by Putin, a pariah in the West who enjoys a friendship without limits alliance with Mr Xi.

Putin said Mr Xis vision laid the foundation for a new system of stability and security in Eurasia.

This security system, unlike Euro-centric and Euro-Atlantic models, would genuinely consider the interests of a broad range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow one country to ensure its own security at the expense of others, he said.

Western sanctions on Russia since the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have made Putin dependent on China, and India, for sales of Russian crude oil.

The West accuses China and India of funding Putins war machine in Ukraine by buying the oil.

Putin wants trade settlement mechanisms that avoid the US dollar and euro, after Western sanctions on payment systems and Chinese banks hit Russian trade and called on SCO to sell joint bonds.

All this will increase the effectiveness of our economic exchanges and protect them from fluctuations in the external environment, Putin said in a speech where he blamed the West for the war in Ukraine.

This crisis wasnt triggered by Russias attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West, he said.

The second reason for the crisis is the Wests constant attempts to drag Ukraine into Nato, Putin said. He also claimed he wanted peace, thanking Mr Modi and Mr Xi for their efforts to end the war, and said he had reached understandings with Mr Trump at the Alaska summit.

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

He also praised Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, the sole Nato leader at the summit, for his mediation efforts after the men held bilateral talks.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi are strained over the US tariffs, some of the highest in the world, and also Mr Trumps claims to have ended Indias conflict with Pakistan.

India defends the oil imports as necessary to meet the needs of 1.4 billion people and insists it is not profiteering from the war.

Meanwhile, Putin gave Mr Modi  who has moved to repair relations with China after a long-running border feud  a lift to the venue for their bilateral talks in his armour plated limousine.

The two men spoke alone in the car for a further 50 minutes in a conversation described in Russia as only for their ears and by Mr Modi as insightful.

Two women take a selfie next to a screen broadcasting Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

The Indian leader said the relationship with Moscow was special and privileged. Putin called him a dear friend on the second day of the SCO summit.

The SCO, set up in 2001, is the successor to the Shanghai Five, a grouping of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, set up in 1996. It now also includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan.

Iran, China and Russia signed a joint letter on Monday to the United Nations, calling a European attempt to invoke snapback sanctions on Iran legally baseless and politically destructive.

Putin will stay on in China to be the main guest at a military parade on Wednesday, in Beijings Tiananmen Square, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, will also be a guest of honour at the parade, which will unveil a series of ship-killing hypersonic missiles in a thinly-veiled warning to the West.
Royal Mail has cheered returning to an underlying profit for the first time in three years despite a competitive and challenging backdrop.

In its first set of figures since the groups 3.6 billion takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinskys EP Group, owner International Distribution Services (IDS) said Royal Mail delivered underlying earnings, excluding voluntary redundancy costs, of 12 million for the year to March 31.

This compared with losses of 336 million the previous year.

But, with redundancy costs included, Royal Mail still remained in the red with underlying operating losses of 8 million, it said.

IDS said the underlying improvement at Royal Mail came despite an increasingly competitive and challenging trading environment.

The wider group, which also owns the GLS parcel business, reported underlying earnings of 278 million, against losses of 28 million in the previous year.

The figures come after a milestone year for the group, which saw Royal Mail taken into foreign ownership for the first time in its more than 500-year history.

The year has also seen regulator Ofcom rubber-stamp reforms allowing Royal Mail to ditch second class letter deliveries on Saturdays and change the service to every other weekday, which the group can start rolling out from July 28.

Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive of IDS, said: It has been a year of change for IDS.

He added: Royal Mail returned to profit for the first time in three years, marking an important milestone in the companys turnaround.

With IDSs acquisition by EP Group complete, and universal service reform decided, now is the time for us to drive the business forward and capitalise on our momentum.

The group said it had started detailed work ahead of rolling out changes to second class deliveries, as part of reforms to the universal service, with the firm using the learnings from pilots.

It added it would continue to invest heavily in postal lockers following the EP Group takeover, with Royal Mail having boosted its out of home locations by almost 70% to about 24,000 by the end of August and launched its own branded lockers.

GLS continued to expand its network to more than 110,000 out-of-home access points and more than doubled the size of the GLS locker network to more than 20,000 by the end of August, the company said.

Under the ownership of EP Group, we will continue to invest in the rapid expansion of our out-of-home network across both businesses to meet the changing needs of our customers around the globe, Mr Seidenberg said.
Andriy Parubiy served as speaker of Ukraines parliament from 2016 until 2019 - GENYA SAVILOV

A suspected assassin has been arrested in Ukraine after a prominent politician was gunned down in broad daylight in the western city of Lviv.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, confirmed early on Monday morning that a suspect in the horrific murder of Andriy Parubiy had been detained and interviewed.

Further urgent investigative actions are currently being carried out to establish all the circumstances of this murder, Mr Zelensky wrote on the Telegram app, adding that investigators were working around the clock.

A nationwide manhunt was launched on Saturday after Mr Parubiy, 54, was shot eight times as he stood on a Lviv street.

The killer was riding an electric bike and appeared to be dressed as a courier with his face covered by a helmet, according to alleged footage of the assailant.

The alleged gunman was arrested on Sunday night in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, the countrys minister of internal affairs, said on Telegram.

Mr Klymenko said the shooting appeared to have been carefully planned.

A schedule of the victims movements was studied, the route was mapped out, and the escape plan thought through, he said.

Mr Parubiy died at the scene - Roman Baluk

Earlier, Ukrainian officials hinted at Russian involvement in the shooting. Mr Zelensky and Mr Klymenko did not confirm a motive or the identity of the suspect.

Russian state media reported that Mr Parubiy had been wanted by Russian authorities since 2023.

The well-known politician and historian served as speaker of Ukraines parliament from 2016 until 2019.

He was also a campaigner for the use of the Ukrainian language over Russian  a highly politicised issue  and a key supporter of the pro-European Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Maidan Revolution in 2014.

During the widespread protests against the decision by Viktor Yanukovych, the president at the time, not to sign an agreement to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, Mr Parubiy led self-defence volunteer units protecting the demonstrators from government troops.

Following the ousting of Yanukovych later in 2014, Mr Parubii was appointed secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council.

He held that role during Moscows illegal occupation of Crimea and its backing of separatists who seized control of parts of the Donbas region, making him a prime target of Russian threats and intimidation.

He survived an assassination by a grenade that year, according to Ukrainian media.

Forensic officers searched for evidence in the Lviv neighbourhood where Mr Parubiy was shot - Global Images Ukraine

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraines foreign minister, described Mr Parubiy as a patriot and statesman who made an enormous contribution to the defence of Ukraines freedom, independence and sovereignty.

Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, both sides have accused each other of assassinations of key political and military figures.

In May, Andriy Portnov, a pro-Russian politician who worked as a close aide to Yanukovych, was shot dead by an assassin while dropping his daughter at school in Madrid.

Two months later, Ivan Voronych, a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer, was killed in Kyiv by a masked assailant linked to Russias security service.

Ukraine has conducted a series of assassinations on Russian soil, targeting high-ranking military figures connected to the war including Igor Kirillov. Kirillov was a Russian general and the head of Moscows Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Forces.

Leaked security camera footage revealed an electric scooter being placed outside his apartment block at 4am on Dec 17 last year.

Credit: Social media/Reuters/RIA Novosti

The footage then shows him walking out of the block at around 6am, and the bomb exploding.

The Kremlin also blamed Kyiv for the death of Yaroslav Moskalik, another Russian general, who was killed in a Moscow car bomb attack in April.

Baza, a Russian media outlet with sources inside law enforcement agencies, said the bomb was strapped to a parked Volkswagen car and detonated remotely when Moskalik, who lived in the neighbourhood, walked past.
Retailer Whittard of Chelsea has pledged to open more stores across the UK in 2025 and 2026 after notching up its fourth year in a row of growing sales.

The tea, coffee and hot chocolate retailer said rising revenues were helping offset surging costs across the business, while new concepts were being rolled out across its expanding store estate, such as tea tasting stations.

It posted a 9.1% rise in net revenues to 49.8 million for 2024, with UK sales up 6.5% to 42 million, helping earnings jump 12% to 2.4 million, according to its latest set of accounts.

Whittard has introduced tea tasting stations in some of its new stores (Whittard/PA)

On a like-for-like basis, Whittard said sales grew 6% in a tough retail environment.

It opened new UK shops including in Oxford, Nottingham, and Gatwick North Terminal last year and said it would launch more stores nationwide in 2025 and 2026.

Chief executive Nathan Smith said: 2024 marked our fourth consecutive year of growth, reflecting the growing appeal of our brand from consumers across the globe.

There is no doubt that we are operating under a tough backdrop, but we remain focused on our priorities, ensuring we have continued growth momentum that can outpace continued rising costs.

The firm said 2025 so far had got followed a similar pattern to 2024, with rising cost pressures, being offset by stronger trading results.

With over 40 stores nationwide, the group said it remains a key brand on the UK high street.

But it is also growing its overseas footprint, with international expansion focusing on Asia, the US, Middle East and Europe.

We are excited about the future, and are committed to build on our strong UK presence, whilst expanding to target markets globally, said Mr Smith.
A small African nation currently imprisoning five immigrants deported from the United States reportedly asked the Trump administration for half a billion dollars to detain them.

The administration resumed a policy of deporting immigrant detainees to so-called third countries in July, starting with the tiny African nation of Eswatini. Eswatinis government at one point requested millions of dollars in exchange, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

Those documents also show that Eswatini was open to detaining 150 people from other nations for more than $10 million from the United States, the newspaper reported.

Eswatini diplomats told The Independent in July that they were blindsided by the Trump administrations plan to send a group of men with criminal convictions to their country; they had only learned about the flights from social media.

Eswatini activists are challenging the countrys secretive agreement with the Trump administration to accept third-country deportees, which they argue is unconstitutional. The small African nation has reportedly sought $500 million in exchange. (REUTERS)

Eswatini officials said they plan to arrange for those detainees to be sent back to their countries of origin, while activists in the country are challenging what they say is an unconstitutional secret agreement with the Trump administration.

The Eswatini government said the men will be repatriated and the United Nations International Organization for Migration is working with the country to facilitate the transit of these inmates to their countries of origin.

Nearly two months later, those men remain imprisoned in Eswatini.

Officials there had also asked whether the United States expected the deportees to be put on trial and sentenced by local officials once they arrived, according to The Times.

The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security, Eswatini officials and the UNs International Organization for Migration for comment.

One of those deported men, Orville Etoria, had completed a prison sentence in 2021 after he was convicted of murder in New York in 1996. He was deported to Eswatini in July, and he is reportedly locked up in Matsapha Correctional Complex despite not facing any new criminal charges.

The Jamaican citizen arrived in the United States on a green card in 1976 at age 12, but an immigration judge revoked his permissions while he was incarcerated. After he was released, he was allowed to legally live and work in the country on the condition that he complete regular check-in appointments with immigration authorities.

The 62-year-old completed a bachelors degree while behind bars, then began working at a mens shelter and pursued a masters degree in divinity after his release, The Times reported.

Homeland Security officials labeled Etoria and the other men sent to Eswatini depraved monsters who are so uniquely barbaric that those countries wont accept them.

Jamaican officials rejected the administrations claim that the country is not cooperating.

The Government has not refused the return of any of our nationals to Jamaica, according to Jamaican foreign minister Kamina J Smith.

Jamaica will continue its engagements with the Trump administration to make arrangements to facilitate the individuals return to Jamaica, she wrote in July.

Orville Etoria and other men deported to Eswatini have been jailed for more than a month inside a prison complex where they are reportedly waiting to be sent to their home countries (AP)

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a land-locked nation of roughly 1.2 million people, bordered by South Africa on virtually all sides and by the southern tip of Mozambique to the east. Its government is the last absolute monarchy on the continent.

The government has failed to investigate extrajudicial killings, journalists and dissidents face threats of arbitrary arrests and detentions, and detainees are subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International.

Trumps own State Department tells travelers to exercise increased caution in Eswatini due to crime and civil unrest.

Critics and civil rights attorneys have argued that the administration is unnecessarily putting immigrants at severe risk of abuse and violence by sending them to so-called third countries where they do not have citizenship, family or any other connections.

A June decision from the Supreme Court opened the door for government officials to send deportees to those countries, including places with poor human rights records and no due process.

The Eswatini flight appeared to be the first successful third-country deportation after Immigration and Customs Enforcement told officials that migrants can be deported from the United States to countries other than their own with as little as six hours notice  or no notice at all.

Countries that provide diplomatic assurances that they wont face torture and abuse could be deported without any advance notice, according to the memo. If the State Department believes those assurances are credible, then ICE may deport someone to that country without the need for further procedures.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has held hundreds of immigrants at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and deported dozens of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a brutal maximum-security prison in El Salvador, which marked the administrations first arrangement of third-country removals.

After a weeks-long legal battle, the administration deported eight men to war-torn South Sudan in July, though only one of them is from that country.

They remain incarcerated there while South Sudan officials negotiate efforts to send them to their home countries.

Rwanda and Uganda have also reached agreements with the Trump administration to receive deportees. At least seven deportees arrived in Rwanda last month, according of officials there.
Tottenham are set to add further firepower to their squad after they reached an agreement with Paris St Germain for the season-long loan of forward Randal Kolo Muani, the PA news agency understands.

Kolo Muani was linked with a move to Spurs in January, but eventually joined Juventus and scored 10 times in 22 appearances for the Serie A club.

Juventus had hoped to bring France international Kolo Muani back to Turin. However, with no agreement reached with PSG, it sparked a deadline-day flurry of interest in the 26-year-old and he is expected to complete a straight loan to Tottenham later on Monday, PA understands.

Kolo Muani, left, is due to join on a straight loan (Nick Potts/PA)

Versatile forward Kolo Muani will provide excellent cover for new Spurs boss Thomas Frank in wide attacking areas and in his favoured central striker position ahead of the clubs return to the Champions League this month.

Frank had played down the prospect of Spurs signing another forward after Saturdays 1-0 loss at home to Bournemouth, but the chance to bring in a player of the quality of Kolo Muani was too good to turn down.

Kolo Muani has nine goals in 31 appearances for France and started his career at Nantes before a productive spell at Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2022-23 campaign.

PSG signed Kolo Muani for a 75million euros fee after his solitary season in Germany and after time in Italy last season, the forward will now add the Premier League to the list of leagues he has played in.
Ukrainian children forced to learn underground as new year starts in the shadow of Russian assaults

Pupils across Ukraine returned to school on Monday, embarking on a new academic year under the shadow of Russias ongoing invasion, with many lessons now taking place underground.

Since the war began in February 2022, schools have innovated to keep education alive.

In Bobryk, a village in the northern Sumy region, close to the front line, one school moved its classrooms into a basement two years ago.

This drastic step was taken as air raid alerts could stretch for up to 20 hours, paralysing surface-level classes.

Principal Oleksii Korenivskyi emphasised the critical importance of their work, stating: "We must do everything so this generation is not lost. Time is the only thing you cannot make up.

This is our future, and we must give it everything we have."

Students education had already been impacted by Covid lockdowns.

A teacher rings the bell on the first day in an underground school in Kharkiv, Ukraine (Associated Press/Andrii Marienko)

Housed in an administrative building never designed for teaching, the makeshift underground school features narrow classrooms, often separated only by sheets of heavy plastic.

With no windows or doors, childrens voices blend into a continuous chorus. On Monday, many arrived in traditional embroidered vyshyvanka shirts.

Teachers desks were adorned with fresh flowers, a customary gift from the children to mark the new academic year.

Unfortunately, this neighbour isnt going anywhere, said Oleksii, referring to Russia, when describing how much had to be done to make it happen and that it was worth it.

The once damp and dark basement was refurbished with ventilation, electricity and new flooring.

It is just one example of how Ukrainians are adapting to keep life moving with no end in sight to Russias grinding assault.

Bobryk, with a population of about 2,000, has a small school with classes of about 10 children each. This year, only seven sat in the first-grade room.

During the first lesson, the teacher opened a textbook to a map of Ukraine. It showed the country whole, without marks of occupied territories. She pointed north to the Sumy region, where Bobryk lies.

Schoolchildren enter an underground school on the first day at school in Kharkiv, Ukraine (Associated Press/Andrii Marienko)

Our region is next to Russia, she said. Thats why its so hard, why they bomb us so often  because we are close to this difficult neighbour.

The school currently has just over 100 students, though about 10 per cent have left since Russias full-scale invasion, and more continue to depart. For a school this small, each loss is felt.

Among those preparing to leave is Vlada Mykhailyk, 15, who will soon move to Austria with her 11-year-old brother. Their mother decided conditions have become too dangerous.

We live well, but sometimes its sad. We often hear Shaheds (drones) and explosions, Vlada said. Learning underground has become routine, she added.

If you have to choose between online or in the basement, the basement is better.

She admits she is reluctant to leave the city and would rather finish school with her friends.

In one of the junior classrooms, war was not the first topic on the first day. When the teacher asked the students what they had done over the summer, the replies were refreshingly normal  bike rides, helping parents, time with new friends.

Then, a small voice from the third grade, added: A Shahed drone was intercepted above us and there were fragments.

All this is because of the war, the teacher answered gently.

Housed in an administrative building never designed for teaching, the makeshift underground school features narrow classrooms, often separated only by sheets of heavy plastic (Associated Press)

Because the basement is small, the school runs in two shifts, with shortened breaks. The original schoolhouse  a beautiful early 20th-century building  now sits empty, its spacious classrooms waiting for students to return when security situation improves.

Eva Tui, aged 7, was starting her third year in a classroom underground. She remembers her former classroom just 400 meters away, which was warmer in winter and cosier.

Were here because its wartime and there are a lot of sirens, Eva said, adding that she had been awake the night before with excitement at the start of the new school year.

Eva said her wish for the year is simple: To go back to the classroom. It feels more like home.

Her bigger dream: For the war to end.
A woman was assaulted in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

A woman woke up to a man attempting to rape her after an airline booked her a Paris hotel with a stranger when her flight was cancelled, according to reports.

The 30-year-old, whose identity has been protected, was intending to travel with TAP Air Portugal from the French capital to Lisbon on May 31.

Passengers on the suspended journey scrambled to the airline's kiosk to collect hotel reservation vouchers.

However, single rooms were limited, meaning the woman had to spend the night in a room with other travellers.

She told Brazilian newspaper O Globo: I refused, demanding a room just for myself, but I was told that this was not an option: either I had to accept, or pay out of my own pocket, something that was unfeasible for me in Paris.

The woman, of Brazilian descent and holds Italian citizenship, was reportedly handed a paper with the names of a German woman and a Brazilian man who she would be sharing the accommodation with that evening.

TAP has offered the woman compensation (REUTERS)

During the night, the German woman left the room and I was woken up with the naked man on top of me, kissing my neck, holding me down, trying to rape me, she said.

Luckily, I managed to defend myself, screamed, and he left the room. Still, the scars of the episode remain.

The next day, the German woman said she saw the Brazilian woman look visibly emotionally shaken.

She attempted to contact TAP for assistance after the incident, but claimed she received no direct response.

Now the woman, a consultant, is seeking legal and psychological support in South America and has filed a lawsuit against the airline for moral harassment and negligence.

TAP is said to have offered the woman R$5,000 (682) in compensation, but has not yet apologised or acknowledged an error.

How many reports from women were silenced due to a lack of strength to continue?

The woman added: How many other reports from women in vulnerable situations were silenced due to a lack of support or strength to continue? I had Brazil on my side. And what about the Portuguese women?

She is working with lawyer Nathalia Magalhaes, who said her client is seeking compensation of up to R$50,000 (6,825).

Unfortunately, we were very disappointed to realise that, even with the lawsuit, the company did not send an apology or show concern, Ms Magalhaes said.

It's unacceptable that they could only offer accommodation at that hotel and in shared rooms. It's humiliating treatment.'

The woman has also filed a report to French police. The Standard has contacted TAP Portugal for comment.

If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
Immigration was the first thing on the government's agenda to kick off the first week back from recess, and they wanted you to know it.

The home secretary gave an update to the House, announcing a shakeup of family reunion rules for asylum seekers, even before some backbenchers had made it back to parliament from their break.

Facing criticism for being on the back foot after a summer of protest outside asylum hotels, they were keen to defend their record and get back on track - but is it too late?

It's a clear nod to the political void Reform UK has seized on while the prime minister has been on holiday.

Last week, Nigel Farage unveiled his party's mass deportation policy - though the issue of women and children still seems to be worked out.

But perhaps none of that matters as voters overwhelmingly believe Reform cares about this issue - and as Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, pointed out on Monday, voters have lost confidence in the government somewhat to solve what many see as an immigration crisis on their doorstep.

So it's clear the strategy has changed from the government.

Read more:

Starmer's 'Mr Fixit' is likely to be a recipe for conflict

Tories call for investigation into Angela Rayner

Gone are the bold slogans of "smashing the gangs" and instead, detail and policy was given on Monday. It was nothing new, but more substance on what the government has done and where they want to move to. Even controversially, reassessing their relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The biggest update though, was on their one-in-one-out policy agreement with France, which will now set to start returns later this month.

It's finally hit home for the government that the public want proof not just rhetoric, and they want to know crucially when they will start to see change.

But the fightback, the reset, whatever the government wants to call it, will only make a difference once that finally starts to work.
Most animals react to a threat and move on. A smaller number dont. Across species, from birds to big cats, some animals remember exactly who did what, and they respond with precision, sometimes months or even years later. Scientists have studied these behaviors closely, and the patterns are hard to ignore.

The examples ahead are backed by observation, research, and plenty of cautionary tales.

Elephants Remember Your Face And Your Offense

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Elephants have a great memory. They can distinguish between friendly and threatening humans, sometimes years after a single encounter. In parts of India and Africa, herds have returned to villages and attacked people who had once harmed them.

Crows Organize Long-Term Vendettas

Credit: Pexels

Crows recognize faces and dont forget them. Once marked as a threat, a person can be mobbed repeatedly, and the warning spreads through the flock. In one case from India, a professor was singled out for years after being linked to the death of a chickproof of how persistent their memory can be.

Siberian Tigers Dont Let Anything Slide

Credit: pexels

You dont want to end up on a tigers mental list. Out in the Russian wilderness, one tiger tracked a poacher who had shot and injured it, waited hours by the mans cabin, then attacked. That kind of premeditation doesnt come from instinct alone. These cats live alone, range widely, and still remember individual humans.

Orcas Coordinate Revenge Against Boats

Credit: pexels

Orcas, or killer whales, have been recorded targeting fishing vessels after suffering injuries or losing members of their pod. In multiple reported incidents, orcas have returned to the same vessels, damaging parts and preventing escape. Their teamwork is striking, and their timing suspicious.

Honey Badgers Hold Their Ground And Grudges

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Someone once irritated a honey badger and got followed for hours. In another case, a badger bit into a mans boot and wouldnt let go until the man collapsed from exhaustion. Theyre tough, yes, but also methodical in a way thats unsettling. Agitate one, and you might just find out how persistent they really are.

African Buffaloes Will Rally a Counterattack

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Cape buffalo are notorious for returning to confront whatever hurt them. Hunters and predators have faced herds that regroup instead of fleeing, sometimes attacking hours or even days later. Rather than scattering, they circle back with force, making them one of the most dangerous animals to encounter.

Dolphins Retaliate When Threatened

Credit: pexels

Dolphins may be friendly in aquariums, but in the wild, theyre protective and capable of targeted aggression. In Japan, a number of dolphin attacks have been linked to regions involved in dolphin hunting. Dolphins have been seen attacking individuals and even ramming boats, possibly in defense or revenge.

Octopuses Dont Forget Your Face Either

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

An octopus once aimed a direct squirt of water at a lab worker, weeks after an earlier encounter gone wrong. Others have been caught on camera tossing objects at specific people or dismantling tank parts during feeding routines. Its subtle but clearly targeted behavior.

Golden Eagles Will Pursue Over Long Distances

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

After two men stole her chick, a mother golden eagle in China reportedly stalked and attacked them across multiple towns over a two-year period. Even after they relocated, the eagle found them. Her attack wasnt random. It was laser-focused and very much informed by memory.

Monkeys Throw More Than Tantrums

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In urban areas of India, monkeys have shown patterns of calculated retaliation. Residents who attempt to drive them away often become targets of thrown stones, aggressive chases, and even coordinated raids. Mocking or teasing them can provoke a response that lasts far beyond the moment.

Chimpanzees Punish and Plot

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Among chimps, social memory runs deep. If one gets betrayed or shorted on food, retribution might arrive much later and involve others. Researchers have documented chimpanzees working together to punish individuals who had disrupted their status or taken food unfairly.

Dogs Will Let You Know Youre on Thin Ice

Credit: pexels

Ever scolded your dog and then found your slipper mysteriously chewed? Some dogs go passive-aggressive when crossed, ignoring commands, knocking over objects, or giving the cold shoulder. Others redirect frustration to the cat. They dont forget quickly, especially if they think theyve been unfairly treated. Sometimes, the couch cushions pay the price.

Lions Fight Back, Sometimes After the Fact

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In pride dynamics, memory matters. When poachers injure or kill a lioness or cub, lions have been reported to track and ambush them later. These retaliations are selective and fierce. Even other predators learn not to test a lion twice. They dont forgive harm to family easily, and they rarely warn twice.

Camels Remember Mistreatment and Wait to Act

Credit: pexels

These resilient desert animals are emotionally reactive and can hold grudges for years. In India, there have been reports of camels attacking owners after being neglected or abused, sometimes with deadly force. Their ability to recognize individuals and retaliate later shows a level of memory and emotional response thats deeply underestimated.

Hippos Dont Need a Second Reason

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Hippos arent gentle giants. They defend their territory with speed and power, killing more people in Africa than most predators. A boat, a canoe, or a person on shore can all trigger the same response: a sudden charge that doesnt stop until the threat is gone.
Wendi McLendon-Covey was fired from a movie because she was "not pretty enough".

Wendi McLendon-Covey was fired from a movie because she was 'not pretty enough'

The 55-year-old actress - who did not reveal the name of the movie, nor the person who sacked her - was flown out to Michigan, and when she got on the set for the production, the "money guy" told her not to go to her "dressing room" and instead, a sobbing Wendi was sent back to Los Angeles.

She recalled on a recent episode of the Office Ladies podcast, hosted by The Office stars Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin): "I had just been fired off a movie that I had auditioned, I had done all these things, they flew me out to Michigan.

"I was there one night, got in the passenger van to go to set, and the money guy decided I was not pretty enough to do the role.

"So I was put on a plane crying to go right back to Los Angeles."

However, Wendi hails her "brutal" firing as a "blessing" because the film did not take off.

She added: "It was pretty brutal and yet a blessing, because that movie went nowhere.

"And I would've had to be in Michigan for seven weeks, waiting to film for only five days.

"So that's fine. That's how the universe works. Sometimes you're in the wrong place and something horrible has to happen to get you in the right place."

But Wendi had the last laugh because when she touched down in Los Angeles, she got a call asking if she wanted to be in the hit NBC sitcom, The Office.

The star said: "So when I land in Los Angeles, I look at my phone, and my phone's blowing up because I had gotten an offer to do The Office the next day.

"So thank God I got fired, right? Because nobody saw that movie, but everybody saw this."

Wendi agreed The Office job offer, and she went on to play Concierge Marie, a hotel concierge in Winnipeg, in the series five episode of the Primetime Emmy award-winning sitcom, titled Business Trip.

On the set of The Office, Wendi - who appeared in the show alongside Steve Carell (Michael Scott) - was faced with more sadness as she was told about how she would not be returning to the comedy mockumentary-style law enforcement documentary show, RENO 911!

Wendi recalled: "[We began shooting] on a Friday. The weekend goes on. Monday, I come back, and during lunch, I'm in my trailer eating.

"I get a call that I'm not gonna be on Reno anymore."

And the actress feared she would get fired from The Office for not being able to pull herself together

Wendi continued: "So, I am sobbing in my trailer. I was like, 'Ugh.' I mean, I was like, 'Well, now I'm gonna get fired from this job because I can't collect myself.' It was terrible.

"But the experience was so fun. And Steve Carell is a doll.

"I love the way the episode turned out."
Two adults were killed and seven children were injured, including one as young as 1 year old, in an all-terrain vehicle crash over the weekend at an off-roading park in Alabama, authorities said. None of the occupants was wearing proper restraints or harnesses while riding in the vehicle, which crashed in a remote section of the park.

The side-by-side RZR, an ATV model, crowded with nine people, hit another ATV on Saturday, overturned and crashed into a tree at Indian Mountain ATV Park in Piedmont, Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency Director Shawn Rogers said during a news conference Sunday.

The male driver was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said it appears the deceased driver was operating the ATV at a high rate of speed when it hit the other vehicle, whose driver tried to avoid the collision.

Both Rogers and Shaver were among the county officials who emphasized how important it is to adhere to relevant safety protocols in any vehicle, like wearing restraints and carrying the correct number of people, in the aftermath of the crash.

"This is a tragic accident and highlights the importance of operating RZRs and other recreational vehicles in a safe and responsible manner," Shaver said.

The sheriff's office is awaiting toxicology results to determine whether alcohol played a factor. It's illegal to possess alcohol outside municipalities in Cherokee County, which has been dry since the Prohibition era a century ago.

The location of the crash was remote, Cherokee County officials said, making it challenging to access for first responders and requiring staff at the ATV park to escort emergency crews to the site.

Four medical helicopters took an adult female and three children to trauma centers in Birmingham. The woman later died from her injuries, officials said. Ambulances took the other four children to a hospital in Rome, Georgia.

Rogers said officials have been told not one of the nine in the ATV was harnessed or restrained.

"'I'm sure that it's not recommended to have nine people, especially young children, in a RZR not using safety harnesses," Shaver said.

"There's nothing that says that everybody that gets in a side-by-side has to restrained," Rogers said. "That's one of those things that personal responsibility has to be taken, to ensure your own safety and the safety of those that's in your care."

The children injured ranged in age from 1 to 12 years old. Cherokee County Coroner Paul McDonald said in a text to The Associated Press Sunday that the man who died was the father of all seven children and that the woman was the mother of three of the children.

All the victims were from Georgia, according to McDonald.

"Scenes like this are always difficult, especially when they involve children," the coroner said in a statement. "Please do everything you can to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you."

No identities have been released pending family notifications. Rogers said officials did not know the medical status of any of the children or have updates on their conditions.

The two people in the other ATV were not injured and tried to render aid, Shaver said.

The accident site was in a remote location inside the park and was difficult to access. Staff at the ATV park, located about 75 miles northeast of Birmingham, had to escort medical personnel to the scene.

The sheriff's office is leading the investigation into the accident with assistance from McDonald's office.

Indian Mountain ATV Park says on its website that at just over 7 square miles in the Appalachian Mountain range, it's one of the largest private off-road parks in the South.

A woman who answered the phone at the park on Sunday said officials were meeting with counsel and may release a statement later.

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Food & Wine / 7-11 / Getty Images

The food at 7-Eleven locations in Japan is in a completely different league compared to stores in the United States. The U.S. stores mainly offer soda, chips, and mediocre slices of pizza  and it's hardly a compelling enough reason for a 14-hour flight  while the 7-Elevens in Japan have become known as destination-worthy spots for a variety of delicious Japanese snacks, from famous sandwiches to onigiri, instant ramen, sweet drinks, and much more.

Since opening its stores in Japan in the 1970s, the konbini (convenience) chain has expanded rapidly. Now, there are more than 21,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan. Unlike their American counterparts, these locations are known for their high-quality snacks and a much larger selection of ready-to-eat foods.

Locals and tourists alike often share their favorite foods from Japanese 7-Eleven stores online, featuring items perfect for late-night snack hauls, road trip fuel, or quick lunches. Although they're far from the only foods that fans recommend at these convenience stores, all eight of these items are frequently recommended, and they might just convince you to plan a trip to Japan.

Tamagosando (Egg Salad Sandwich)

Nestled between fluffy Japanese milk bread, this 7-Eleven sandwich's star is its rich egg salad, crafted with hard-boiled eggs, Kewpie mayo, a touch of sugar, salt, and pepper. The Crunch Bros, a father-son team, highlight that the egg filling is creamy, while the bread is super soft.

This sandwich is arguably one of the most popular items at 7-Eleven in Japan, so its a must-try if youre there. But until you can make a trip, we happen to have the recipe for the Japanese 7-Eleven Egg Salad Sandwich.

Warabimochi

Social media influencer Patricia OConnor (@whatthepato) grew up in Central Tokyo and has several 7-Eleven favorites she highly recommends, starting with the warabimochi. This jelly-like treat is made from bracken starch, which gives it its signature texture.

As OConnor explains, these sweet bites are coated in kinako, a roasted soybean flour with a nutty flavor. The treat is fluffy, chewy, and has a little bit of brown sugar in the center, which is genius.

Onigiri With Grilled, Aged Cod Roe

These slightly sticky, tender rice balls come with a variety of filling options like egg yolk, tuna-mayo, and pickled plum. According to OConnor, the 7-Eleven Onigiri filled with grilled, aged cod roe is a must-try. Cod roe is one of those underrated dishes that usually foreign tourists dont really try, but I think everybody should, she says.

Kare Pan (Curry Bread)

Osaka-based creator Saki (@saki.pan) proclaims that the Kare Pan (or curry bread) is the most underrated bread in Japan. These crispy balls of dough are fried on-site, and youll find them sold next to the cash register. You can choose to have them warmed  which Saki recommends  and the savory treats are filled with Japanese curry.

Related: Turn Your Kitchen Into a Japanese 7-Eleven With These 10 Convenient Recipes

Dorayaki (Pancakes)

One of the most popular pancake sandwiches from 7-Eleven is filled with maple syrup and margarine, but Saki is a big fan of the version with red bean paste and whipped cream between the two pancakes. She finds that the spongy pancakes have a nice level of [sweetness] and include a generous amount of red bean filling.

Nanachiki (Fried Chicken)

Dubbed Nanachiki, 7-Eleven Japans version of fried chicken features thigh meat and is served hot in a paper pocket, making it perfect for on-the-go eating. While some locals might prefer fried chicken from other popular konbini competitors, this is among the most popular choices and is known for its hint of peppery spice.

Ohayo Brulee Ice Cream

The Ohayo Brulee Ice Cream captures the textures and flavors of a dessert you probably already know and love: creme brulee. Instead of a custard base, this dessert features vanilla ice cream topped with a crisp layer of caramelized sugar. The Ohayo Brulee strikes the perfect textural balance between creamy and crunchy once you crack the top layer and mix it into the soft ice cream below.

Furutsu Sando (Fruit Sandwich)

These stunning fruit sandwiches are airy and delicate, filled with whipped cream, vanilla custard, and fresh fruit inside soft Japanese milk bread for a simple, subtly sweet bite. You can opt for a sandwich with just strawberries and cream or one with a mix of fresh fruits like peach, mandarin orange, and pineapple.

Read the original article on Food & Wine
Activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are tasks that independent adults can do on their own. ADLs include feeding, getting dressed, bathing, toileting, managing continence, and transferring, or moving from one position to another. IADLs are more complex and include transportation, money management, shopping, meal preparation, housecleaning, communication management, and medication management. A persons ability to complete ADLs and IADLs determines what kind of care they need and how much they need.

Key Takeaways

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are basic tasks a person has to do on their own to live independently, such as bathing, showering, dressing, and mobility. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are more complex activities a person does to care for themselves and their home, including cleaning, managing money or medications, shopping, and preparing meals. Companies that provide long-term care insurance typically use a persons ability to complete ADLs and IADLs to determine their eligibility for benefits. When someone needs help with at least two ADLs or IADLs, thats an indication that in-home care or residential care may be needed.

What are ADLs and IADLs?

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are basic tasks needed for everyday life, while instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are more complex tasks needed to function independently and manage ones own affairs.

Research shows that individuals over 85 generally need assistance with daily living, with more than 20% of seniors over 85 needing help with one or more the following ADLs.

Bathing and showering: The person can take a bath or shower on their own on a regular basis.

Continence: The person can completely control their bladder and bowels.

Dressing: The person who can select appropriate clothes and outerwear for the weather or occasion and get dressed independently.

Mobility: Someone can move or transfer from one place to another, such as in and out of a bed or chair.

Feeding: Someone can get the food from the dish to their mouth, chew, and swallow. Feeding doesnt include meal preparation, which is an IADL.

Toileting: A person can get on and off the toilet and clean oneself without assistance.

Instrumental activities of daily living

IADLs are complex skills that allow seniors to manage everyday tasks and allow them to live independently. IADLs go beyond basic self-care and require planning, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

Housekeeping and home maintenance: The person can maintain a clean and safe home by mopping, doing laundry, or fixing minor things.

Managing money: The person can budget and pay bills on time.

Managing medications: A person can take medications correctly and refill them on time.

Preparing meals: Someone who can plan, cook, and serve their own meals.

Shopping for groceries and other necessities: The person can remember that food and other essentials are needed and is able to get them.

Transportation: A person who can plan to go someplace, and either transport themselves or arrange for someone else to transport them.

Communication management: A person who can plan to communicate, and do so using appropriate methods, such as the phone, mail, or email.

How are ADLs and IADLs assessed?

Someones ability to complete can be determined informally through personal observation by the senior themselves or by family caregivers. Health care professionals, such as nurses and physicians, typically use a formal assessment tool.

A deeper understanding of your loved ones ability to perform ADLs and IADLs can help your doctor identify ways to improve function, including medical treatment, mobility devices, and various therapies. It can also help doctors create a care plan that supports your loved ones needs.

Self-report

A person can assess themselves based on their understanding of how well theyve been able to complete ADLs and IADLs in the past. Keep in mind that self-reporting can introduce bias, as your loved one may not report that they need help because they dont want to be a bother, for example.

Caregiver assessment

Family and professional caregivers often notice when a senior needs more assistance than they used to. For example, a parent may start asking for help in situations they could once handle alone.

Use our ADL checklists to monitor your loved one

To help you assess and monitor your loved ones activities of daily living, use A Place for Moms ADL and IADL checklists. After assessing your loved one, consider taking the results with you the next time your loved one has a medical checkup.

Click on the respective images below to download the ADL and IADL checklists.

Tips for assessing your loved ones ADLS and IADLs

As you assess your loved ones ability to complete ADLs and IADLs, follow these tips from Dr. Leslie Kernisan, a geriatrician in San Francisco:

Ask for others opinions . Check with your loved ones neighbors, family, and friends. Inquire about any changes in your loved ones abilities.

Assess on a spectrum . Ask yourself whether your loved one can do the task a little bit, sometimes, or often rather than a simple yes, they can do the task, or no, they cant.

Be patient with slow task completion . If a person is doing a task more slowly than they used to, it doesnt mean they cant do the task, Kernisan notes.

Consider the time of day and how tired the person is . Many seniors have sharper cognitive abilities and more energy in the morning.

Consider the persons current health status. If theyre fatigued or fighting a virus, your loved ones abilities can be momentarily impaired.

Find the time . Its common to be in a hurry, and its difficult to find the time to observe, but its important to take the time, and when you do, be patient, Kernisan says.

Look at your own preconceived notions about your loved one . Are they interfering with your ability to make an objective assessment?

Make the effort to help correct what you can. Ensure your loved one can live life to the best of their abilities and as independently as possible.

Its very challenging to have people see you as less able, Kernisan says. Family caregivers should be discreet and empathetic when assessing for ADLs and IADLs, she suggests.

If your loved one is unable to independently perform daily ADLs and IADLs, or if you have other safety concerns, it may be time to discuss senior care. Increasing support with home care or moving to an assisted living community can help them to live safely and continue their activities with assistance.

Questions to help you identify the level of care your loved one may need

The following questions can help you assess your loved ones current needs to identify potential care options:

Do you or a neighbor need to check on your aging parent routinely?

Is your aging parent able to continue living independently?

As you track your loved ones status and plan for future steps, keep in mind that ADL assistance requires more intensive, hands-on care than IADL assistance. In some cases, IADL deficiencies may be managed by different service providers, such as a meal delivery service, a housekeeper, or an accountant. If in-home care services arent enough to help your parent complete their ADLs, assisted living communities offer full ADL support for seniors.

Medical team assessment

Families rarely ask about ADLs until a parent or senior loved one is being assessed for long-term care, says Kernisan. She says its a good idea to share changes in your loved ones ability to complete ADLs or IADLs with their medical team. Often, a change in a seniors ability to perform them requires evaluations that may uncover a medical issue. Health care professionals typically use one of the following three ADL assessments:

The Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living . This is generally for seniors in long-term care settings, where disability is generally more severe but stable. In this assessment, one point is gained for each ADL your loved one can complete independently. The total number of points at the end of the assessment shows how independent your loved one is and what level of assistance they may need.

The Barthel ADL Index . This assessment covers two additional activities, including grooming and ability to climb stairs. Its also for care settings and can detect subtle changes in a persons health. In this assessment, the task levels are on a scaled point system. As with the Katz assessment, the more points you have in total, the more independent your loved one likely is.

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM). This option is more comprehensive, combining ADLs with IADLs and other social activities. This assessment tool comprises 18 items divided into physical and mental categories. Each item is scored on a scale. The higher the score, the more independent your loved one is at performing the task.

Senior care communities and ADL assessment

A senior living community will assess new residents ability to complete ADLs when theyre admitted. They also re-evaluate residents regularly, according to their own standards and to standards set by state and local regulatory bodies. Understanding residents abilities is key to ensuring the appropriate type and level of care is being provided, and to ensuring the facility is properly staffed.

Communities also evaluate residents ability to complete ADLs on an as-needed basis, such as when theres been a change in someones cognitive or physical health.

How senior care options can help with ADLs

If youre worried about your loved ones ability to perform everyday tasks, talk with their doctor to discuss your concerns. Identifying any limitations your loved one may have can help you get them the support they need.

Home care

If your loved one needs help with one or two ADLs, in-home care can be a cost-effective option.

The role of ADLs and IADLs in insurance coverage for home care

Many seniors use private long-term care insurance or veterans benefits, such as the Aid and Assistance benefit, to pay for home care. If your loved one has long-term care insurance or is eligible for veterans benefits, theyll likely be evaluated by a home health nurse to determine what kind of assistance they need.

Some private long-term care policies require the policyholder to demonstrate that they need help with a certain number of ADLs to begin using the policys benefits. Similarly, the VA requires beneficiaries to need help with at least two ADLs before theyll cover the cost of home care through the Aid and Assistance benefit.

If your loved one needs help with ADLs, its also important to understand the details of their insurance policy and ensure that the receipt for caregiving services reflects that theyve received all the help theyre approved for. For example, some insurance companies will deny a days claim if its documented that the policyholder needs help with three ADLs but only received help with one ADL.

Assisted living

For people who need help with more than two ADLs and one or more IADLs, assisted living may be more appropriate. Assisted living communities within A Place for Moms network help with these ADLs and IADLs:

Over 96% of communities provide meals.

Nearly 98.6% of communities offer incontinence care.

Almost 90% of communities offer medication management services.

Over 83% of communities offer housekeeping services.

About 80% of communities offer laundry or dry-cleaning services.

About 93% of communities offer transportation services.

We look at assisted living in a community setting as a way for seniors to thrive, not just survive. So, its great when families see improvement in their loved ones overall health and well-being, says Niki Gewirtz of a Place for Mom, who has more than two decades of experience in senior living communities.

Gewirtz stresses that the improvements that family members notice are usually happening because their loved one is getting help. Theyre getting proper nutrition, and their medications are being managed appropriately, Gewirtz says.

Sometimes, a family will decide that their loved one is doing so much better that they can go home, she says. So, they go home, stop getting that support, and are back in the community in a short period of time. The reason they got better was someone was helping them with ADLs, Gewirtz explains.

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This article originally appeared on Aplaceformom.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org

Featured Image Credit: Drazen Zigic/Istockphoto.
MINNEAPOLIS  Mass was underway Wednesday morning to mark the beginning of the academic year at Annunciation Catholic School when bullets started flying through the glass.

That the shooting, which killed two students and wounded nearly two dozen other people, occurred as Mass was being celebrated is something the Rev. Dennis Zehren is still struggling to process.

I will be reflecting on that for the rest of my life, Zehren said in remarks before Saturdays Mass, the first for the parish since the shooting. Its something I will never be able to unsee.

Zehren, who was leading Mass on Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic Church, recalled rushing toward the sound of the bullets, hopeful that he could help in some way.

If I could have got between those bullets and the kids, Zehren said, thats what I was hoping to do.

The Rev. Dennis Zehren, pastor at Annunciation Catholic Church, stands in front of a boarded-up window bearing a message of hope outside of his church on Friday in Minneapolis. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. At least 15 other children, ages 6 to 15, were injured alongside three adult parishioners.

Six people remained hospitalized Friday, including a child in critical condition and an adult in serious condition, according to Hennepin Healthcare. Police have said all of the wounded victims are expected to survive.

The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police have said. Authorities have not identified a clear motive. Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, said the suspect was full of hate and was obsessed with the idea of killing children.

On Saturday evening, students and parishioners, eager to pray and mourn together, gathered for the first service since the attack. It was held in the parish's auditorium, a separate campus building from where the shooting occurred.

Zehren wept as he recalled the congregation being told to stay down as rounds rang out from what police have described as a semiautomatic rifle.

The voices cried out, down, down, get low. Stay down. Stay down. Dont get up, he said. When we were down there, in that low place, Jesus showed us something. He showed us, I am the Lord, even here.

The congregation, Zehren hoped, put evil in its place.

Together in that low place, we looked with Jesus into the eyes of the forces of darkness and death and evil, he said. And Jesus pointed, and he said, See, cant you see how weak it is? Cant you see how desperate it is? Cant you see that this can never last?

Zehren urged parishioners in their darkest hour to welcome the light of a new day.

One little moment of darkness has brought forth a light that is far beyond anything weve experienced before, he said. Ive never in all my years experienced such an outpouring of love and light and hope.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda hoped that returning to Mass after the shooting would help the churchs parishioners and children reclaim a sense of normality.

Its that return to those things that are so familiar to us that I think is important, he said before Saturdays service.

Charlie Lyman, a parishioner whose three children attended Annunciation, said after Mass that the church has been a source of strength for family and the Southwest Minneapolis community for decades and will remain so.

This place instills in us a sense of great faith to be good to one another, to help each other, to be kind to one another, said Lyman, whose family helped build the church.

Tess Rada attended the Mass with her 8-year-old daughter, Lila Hostetler, a student at Annunciation, and said it was reassuring to hear Zehren share his feelings.

Just hearing the emotion in his voice was very  it was nice, she said. It was like, you know these emotions arent escaping anyone. We all feel it, but we can feel it together.

Dennis Romero reported from San Diego, and Selina Guevara and Maggie Vespa from Minneapolis.
By Leila Miller

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -A federal civil court judge in Argentina on Monday barred media outlets from publishing audio recordings that were made inside the presidential palace, presumably of the sister of President Javier Milei, as the government weathers a storm of corruption allegations heading into elections.

The president's spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, posted on social media a court order that prohibits distribution of the audios recorded inside the Casa Rosada presidential palace via media outlets or social media platforms.

The government had filed a complaint in federal court against an "operation of illegal intelligence with the aim of destabilizing the country in the middle of an election campaign," Adorni said.

The recordings included private conversations of officials, including the president's sister, Karina Milei, who is also chief of staff, Adorni said.

The federal judge's order comes as Milei's government faces allegations of corruption after a separate series of audio recordings were leaked to local news outlets in August.

The recordings barred by the federal judge on Monday were already published on a streaming platform, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion. In them, Karina Milei can allegedly be heard addressing her staff about labor issues.

"We have to be united," she was heard saying, according to the paper.

Milei's government is on wobbly political ground heading into the October midterm elections, which are an opportunity to expand his government from its current minority. The midterms are preceded by local elections in Buenos Aires province on September 7, currently dominated by the Peronist opposition.

In the audio recordings leaked in August, which sparked a political scandal, Diego Spagnuolo, the then-head of Argentina's disability agency, can allegedly be heard discussing bribery within the agency. He alludes to Karina Milei as receiving payments.

The president, who fired Spagnuolo after the audios surfaced, has dismissed the recordings as a lie.

Reuters could not independently corroborate the audio recordings.

(Reporting by Leila Miller; editing by Cassandra Garrison, Rod Nickel)
By Phuong Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio

HANOI, Sep 1 (Reuters) -As Vietnam celebrates the 80th anniversary of its declaration of independence from colonial rule this week, French cultural influence remains ubiquitous, but not many people in the Southeast Asian nation are aware of its prevalence.

A massive military parade will herald on Tuesday the independence proclaimed by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Sept 2, 1945, which was meant to end nearly a century of French rule but instead started a decade-long war until the defeated French eventually left in 1954.

Ba Dinh Square in central Hanoi, where the legendary leader affectionately known in Vietnam as Uncle Ho, made his historical declaration, is flanked by two of the capital's best preserved French colonial buildings - now home to the presidential palace and the foreign ministry.

But none of the six under-30 Hanoians interviewed by Reuters in front of the yellow-painted foreign ministry headquarters, a masterpiece of French Indochine style, were aware of its architectural origin.

"I came here because it has a unique architecture and it is a popular spot promoted by celebrities," said Nguyen Thi Trang, 30, who showed surprise when told about its French origin.

Vietnam's relations with France have moved from colonial to congenial. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi in May, the two countries signed deals worth $10 billion, including on planes and satellites.

He was delighted when students at a university event addressed him in perfect French.

However, such fluency in French, once the language of the elites in Vietnam, is increasingly rare, reflecting the global decline of the langue de Moliere.

Only 400 Vietnamese high-school students picked French as one of the subjects for their graduation exams this year, according to the education ministry, whereas more than 358,000 chose English and about 4,400 opted for Chinese.

"If I must choose, I would prefer Chinese over French as the second foreign language to study because it feels more familiar. And China is our neighbour," said Hoang Thu Ha, a 25-year-old content creator.

The French embassy in Hanoi said this year 63,000 people were registered in French language classes, with approximately 400 teachers in Vietnam.

French "retains a certain prestige" in Vietnam while other tongues were rapidly gaining ground in the country of 100 million, including Japanese and Korean, it said.

CROISSANTS AND PATE

Nowhere is the French legacy more visible than in Vietnamese gastronomy.

Cafes line virtually every street in the country, croissants are on display in myriad patisseries, and pate is regularly added to local dishes.

Baguette-shaped bread is used for the most common local fast food option, known as banh mi, a savoury sandwich with unlimited fillings to please all tastes, including vegetarian.

But among the interviewed Hanoian youth, none recognised banh mi's French roots.

Nguyen Van Hoan, a 60-year-old entrepreneur who owns a famous bakery in the centre of Hanoi, acknowledged the French legacy in the Vietnamese love for bread.

But he added that to survive, "French cuisine has had to adapt to match Vietnamese tastes."

(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story misstated the year Aaron Joel Mitchell fatally ran into a Burning Man structure fire.

RENO, NV  A man found dead on Aug. 30 at Burning Man has prompted a homicide investigation, authorities said, as thousands of attendees prepared to culminate the event by watching the burning of the wooden Man effigy.

Deputies found the body at 9:14 p.m. local time as festivities were kicking off for the burning of the Man, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Aug. 31. A deputy was flagged down by a participant who found the body "lying in a pool of blood," according to the sheriff's office.

"Pershing County Sheriff's Office deputies and the Bureau of Land Management immediately responded to the campsite and found a single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased," the sheriff's office said.

The identity of the man is unknown, and no details on the possible cause of death have been released, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities noted that while the incident appeared to be a "singular crime," all attendees should remain vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances. The investigation is ongoing, and the "portion of the 'City'" where the incident occurred will have a heavy law enforcement presence until the scene is released, the sheriff's office said.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office also was assisting with the investigation.

Dust storms, mud, traffic jams. Burning Man returns to rural Nevada.

In a statement, Burning Man asked those still on the lakebed known as the "playa" not to interfere with law enforcement. "The safety and well-being of our community are paramount," Burning Man said.

Tens of thousands of "Burners" flocked to a remote desert area northeast of Reno, Nevada, on Aug. 24 and 25 for a weeklong celebration of art, music, and personal freedom. Burning Man is an annual event in which an estimated 70,000 people build an entire city from scratch over the course of the week ending Labor Day.

The event culminates with the two large-scale "burns" the two nights before Labor Day: the fireworks-heavy 100-foot-tall wooden Man effigy burn, then the Temple burn.

Latest incident at Burning Man

The incident appears to be the first reported homicide at the event, though several people have died at or near Burning Man since it moved to the Black Rock Desert in 1990, including:

Michael Fury, 1996: Fury, of San Francisco, died hours before the 1996 event began, the seventh year it was held in the Black Rock Desert. Fury, riding on a motorcycle, was struck and killed by a van just outside the gates. An acquaintance of Furys was driving the van.

Katherine Lampman, 2003: Lampman, of San Mateo, California, was killed when she tried to get off an "art car" and was run over by a trailing vehicle at Burning Man in 2003. Pershing County Sheriffs officials determined her death was an accident.

Barry Jacobs, 2003: Hours after Lampmans death, four people were critically injured as their small plane tried to land at the event's airstrip in the Black Rock Desert. Barry Jacobs, of San Rafael, California, the pilot of the Beechcraft BE-35 airplane, later died of his injuries.

Jermaine Barley, 2007: Barley died by suicide inside a tent at the 2007 event. Barley, who went by the DJ name Optic Orange, was 22. Pershing County Sheriff Ron Skinner said Barley had been distraught, according to relatives, but had not believed he would harm himself.

Alicia Cipicchio, 2014: Cipicchio, a manager of an art gallery in Jackson, Wyoming, was killed after she was hit by an art car at the 2014 event. An art student at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, she graduated in 2008 and was described as someone who loved the outdoors and loved life, a co-worker told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Aaron Joel Mitchell, 2017: Mitchell, 41, died after he ran into the Burning Man structure fire on Saturday night of the event. He was pronounced dead at 6:28 a.m. Sunday after being flown to the burn center at the University of California, Davis.

Leon Reece, 2023: Reece, of Truckee, California, was found unresponsive and was administered CPR. Drug intoxication was suspected in his death, according to a preliminary investigation by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office.

Kendra Frazer, 2024: Frazer, 39, was found unresponsive on the first day of last year's event. Frazer died of an asthma attack in her sleep, her longtime partner, Sean Lupher, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. The Washoe County Medical Examiner confirmed the cause.

Burning Man 2025: 'Orgy Dome' destroyed by high winds as the event began

Contributing: Trevor Hughes and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Ariel Smith, Reno Gazette-Journal

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Burning Man death probed as homicide after attendee found body
London  European countries are drawing up "precise plans" for international military deployments in Ukraine as part of security guarantees that could be implemented if a peace agreement is struck to end the war sparked by Russia's ongoing invasion.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday that there was a "clear road map" for possible post-war deployments, and that President Trump had agreed to ensure an unspecified "American presence" to help keep the peace.

President Trump told Fox News on Aug. 19 that he will not deploy American troops to Ukraine as part of any ceasefire arrangement  a point that other members of his administration have made repeatedly.

"You have my assurance," Mr. Trump told the network following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In her interview with the Financial Times, von der Leyen said Mr. Trump "reassured us that there will be [an] American presence as part of the backstop" to what she said would be a multinational troop deployment.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with President Trump during a meeting at Trump Turnberry golf club, July 27, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. / Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty

The Trump administration has previously suggested the role of the United States in post-war peace-keeping efforts in Ukraine could be to provide coordination, rather than boots on the ground. In an interview with the Daily Caller published over the weekend, President Trump did not dismiss the suggestion that American jets could be used to assist European peacekeeping efforts on the ground.

CBS News has contacted the White House seeking further context on any assurances European allies have been given by the administration regarding an American "backstop" for any multinational force that could eventually be deployed in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has previously rejected the idea of European or NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any peace deal. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said recently that the Kremlin had "a negative attitude" toward discussion of such a Western military presence, claiming it was NATO interference that led to the start of the war in the first place.

Ukraine has repeatedly called for international security guarantees - to prevent a new Russian invasion - as part of any eventual peace agreement with Russia.

But three and a half years after Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale Russian invasion, there has been little indication of an imminent breakthrough in negotiations aimed at brokering a truce, despite Mr. Trump's urging and his campaign trail promises to end the war quickly.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for their summit on the war in Ukraine, at a U.S. air base in Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 15, 2025. / Credit: Getty

He has voiced frustration repeatedly with both Zelenskyy and Putin, but more with Putin's in recent weeks, for failing to stop the war.

Zelenskyy's administration - echoed by European partners - has repeatedly pointed to Russia's ongoing strikes on civilian areas as evidence that Putin is merely playing for time, and not interested in a brokered peace deal while his forces continue to seize Ukrainian territory.

The concern for many in Kyiv and Europe is that Russia could use any halt in the conflict as an opportunity to refortify its forces for a new invasion. Thus Kyiv's repeated demands for security guarantees.

The so-called "coalition of the willing," which includes the British, German and French governments, has rallied behind Zelenskyy as he seeks Mr. Trump's backing to push a ceasefire deal with Russia that doesn't involve Ukraine agreeing to cede Russian-occupied territory.

Following a summit in Alaska between Presidents Trump and Putin, Mr. Trump also met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and several European leaders who form the so-called

President Trump and his aides have stressed, however, that both sides in the war will have to make concessions to end the fighting.

"The sense of urgency is very high. It's really taking shape," von der Leyen told the Financial Times. "[Trump] wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table."

In a speech delivered during a visit to China on Monday, Putin said he had reached "understandings" with Mr. Trump during their meeting in Alaska about ending the war in Ukraine.

But despite the U.S. president's public optimism on the matter, and a two-week deadline he set Putin to end the war or face a new round of sanctions, no major progress has been reported in the negotiations, and the Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities continues daily.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the "European party of war" of hindering U.S.-led efforts to negotiate a peace deal.

"We are ready to resolve the problem by political and diplomatic means," Peskov said, according to the Reuters news agency. "But so far we do not see reciprocity from Kyiv in this. So we shall continue the special military operation."

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Peter Navarro on the North Lawn of the White House on May 29. (Andrew HarnikGetty Images)

Peter Navarro blasted the 7-4 ruling from a federal appeals court that struck down most of President Donald Trumps reciprocal tariffs, calling it weaponized partisan injustice. He also said the dissent on the court that argued in favor of the tariffs should give the administration a strong case before the Supreme Court.

White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro said Sunday that President Donald Trumps tariffs are not permanent as he sought to undercut a ruling from a federal court that dealt a major blow to the administrations trade policy.

On Friday night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that most of Trumps so-called reciprocal tariffs on global trading partners are illegal.

That upheld an earlier ruling by the Court of International Trade, which found that the tariffs legal basis under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) wasnt valid, saying that the administrations argument for the tariffs didnt constitute an emergency.

Both the Trafficking Tariffs and the Reciprocal Tariffs are unbounded in scope, amount, and duration, the majority wrote. These tariffs apply to nearly all articles imported into the United States (and, in the case of the Reciprocal Tariffs, apply to almost all countries), impose high rates which are ever-changing and exceed those set out in the [U.S. tariff system], and are not limited in duration.

The Trump administration is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court, and Fridays ruling is on hold until mid-October to give the high court a chance to consider the case.

On Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures, Navarro called the appeals courts ruling weaponized partisan injustice and said the dissenting opinion in favor of the tariffs should give the White House a strong argument before the Supreme Court.

The judges who sided with the administration said IEEPA allows broad emergency authority in this foreign-affairs realm, which unsurprisingly extends beyond authorities available under non-emergency laws.

Navarro also said the trade deficit does indeed constitute an emergency because it is absolutely devastating to this country. And he pushed back against the appeals courts characterization of the tariffs as unlimited in duration.

Hey memo to the court: we never said they were permanent, he said.

If the flow of illegal drugs from China, Mexico and Canada stop, the tariffs will go away, Navarro added, likewise if the trade deficit shrinks to nothing.

In April, Trump was asked about comments from administration officials who said tariffs could be negotiated and that they were permanent.

They can both be true, he replied. There could be permanent tariffs, and there could also be negotiations, because there are things that we need beyond tariffs.

In May, Trump also said auto tariffs are permanent, but those duties werent affected by Fridays court ruling as they were invoked under a different law.

He has also touted the long-term benefits of his tariffs, recently pointing to the CBOs 10-year projection that tariffs will reduce the deficit by $4 trillion and that they will bring in enough revenue to lower the U.S. debt, which tops $37 trillion.

The purpose of what Im doing is primarily to pay down debt, which will happen in very large quantity  but I think theres also a possibility that were taking in so much money that we may very well make a dividend to the people of America, Trump said earlier this month.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
People travel for many different reasons, from seeing family to fulfilling lifelong dreams. Bill Pollak does it to keep a promise to his late wife Karin.

Years ago, Pollak and the woman he calls the love of his life made a vow to each other that whoever lived after the other passed away first would keep doing what they enjoyed most in life: traveling.

After an over-decade-long battle with pancreatic cancer, Karin died in 2022. Ever since, Pollak, 85, has kept his promise to her, even though it's been far from easy. He credits a special group of people who have particularly helped him get through it: the crew of Oceania Cruises.

The cruise line holds a special place in his heart, given that the couple were big travelers  and cruisers. They've easily spent hundreds of days at sea, and the Oceania Allura's maiden voyage this past July marked Pollak's 133rd cruise.

One trip after Karin's death that always makes him tear up is the christening of the Oceania Vista in May 2023  the first time he stepped on a ship without his favorite travel companion, best friend, and late wife.

"It was horrible, absolutely horrible," Pollak told USA TODAY during a sit-down interview at the Viennese-inspired coffee shop Baristas on the Oceania Allura, where crew members and other guests stop to greet him.

He had been dreading sitting alone at dinner and shows, but during the first show of the cruise, a hostess surprised him by asking to sit next to him. "At the end of the performance, we got up to leave and at the end of the aisle were seven of Oceania's employees to be there with me," Pollak said. "We hugged and cried. It was beautiful."

The same night, another long-time Oceania employee talked him into going to the Horizons lounge for dancing, a favorite pastime of the Pollaks, instead of letting him retire to his room. "It was the first time in six months I felt human," he said. "It's a family, I don't care what anybody says, I know it's a trite and overused term, but it is."

It's been a journey navigating Pollak's grief, or even to travel again. Most of his trips are difficult; others feel bittersweet. Travel may never be the same, but his family and friends  the Oceania crew included  have been a lifeline in finding the little moments of joy in travel again.

Bill Pollak continues to cruise to keep a promise to his late wife.

A love for travel  and each other

Aptly, Pollak and Karin met through travel  she was his travel agent, coordinating his business trips when he worked in the aviation industry. At the time, both were in unhappy marriages to other people, but there was an undeniable connection. "We were basically talking every afternoon at 4:30 p.m., I would just call and talk about the industry, and we would always talk a little bit more about personal life," he said.

Pollak recalls Karin making the first move  her brazenness being one of his favorite qualities. A few years after meeting, the two divorced their first spouses and married each other in 1991.

"Love is unexplainable, but I was so lucky to have found her, and she was lucky to have found me," he said. "I mean, we fit well together."

During their 32 years of marriage, the couple traveled extensively, from traversing the interior of India to repeat trips to Bali. "I used to earn lots of airplane miles, and she would use lots of airplane miles, so it all worked," he joked. "Everything matched."

After retirement, the couple traveled for up to six months out of the year, often on cruises.

'This is home'

Some of their most cherished memories involve Oceania, such as renewing their vows on the Insignia ship during a world cruise and being unexpectedly stranded in Barcelona for 10 days post-cruise because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland that grounded flights.

Another memorable sailing was in 2008 on the 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore on the Nautica. Off the coast between Somalia and Yemen, the ship was attacked by pirates, and passengers were told to wait on Deck 5 as the captain sped up the ship. During the entire stressful moment, Karin was in the spa, Pollak said with a laugh.

From the service to the routes, the couple enjoyed Oceania so much that they swore to never sail on another line. "When we used to come on board, we spent the first two days hugging," he said. "It wasn't only the guests, but the crew too." By now, he's known some crew members for nearly 20 years.

Still, he thinks of Karin often, and many places remind him of her. Some, like Paris, he said he can't return to, while others, like the Oceania ships, offer solace.

Following the adage that home is where the heart is, Bill Pollak jokes that he has around nine. One is his house in Phoenix, which he designed with Karin years ago, and is "full of old, wonderful memorabilia" from their travels together. As for the other eight, those are Oceania Cruises' ships. As he puts it, "This is home, it just is."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: He's sailed on 133 cruises with no plans on stopping anytime soon
Sellers of fake Botox injections could be jailed for up to two years as health chiefs launch a major crackdown after dozens were left seriously ill.

Crackdown on fake Botox

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it is stepping up efforts to target the trade in unlicensed botulinum toxin after a surge in botulism cases across England.

Between June 4 and August 6, 41 confirmed cases of the rare but life-threatening condition were reported in the North East, East Midlands, East of England, North West, and Yorkshire and Humber. The illness, which can cause paralysis, has been linked to unlicensed cosmetic injections.

The MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit has now launched a series of criminal probes into the illegal trade. Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, anyone caught selling or supplying fake botulinum toxin faces up to two years in prison and fines.

Andy Morling, Head of the MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit, said: "Criminals are exploiting the popularity of cosmetic treatments by peddling dangerous, unlicensed products, putting profit before safety.

"Anyone involved in the supply of unlicensed botulinum toxin  whether through organised networks or informal sales from kitchen tables, hair salons, or via social media  is breaking the law and endangering lives. The 41 individuals weve seen between June and August left seriously ill represent the devastating human cost of this trade.

"We are working across the country to identify those responsible, seize illegal products, and bring cases to court. We use the full range of our enforcement powers and techniques to shut down these operations and bring offenders to justice."

Since May 2023, the Criminal Enforcement Unit working with Border Force has seized more than 4,700 vials of unlicensed botulinum toxin at the border and inland. Almost all came from South Korea under brand names such as Botulax, reNTox, Innotox and Toxpia, none of which are authorised for sale in the UK.

Botulism linked to cosmetic procedures is rare but can be deadly. Symptoms can take up to four weeks to appear and include slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and breathing problems. In severe cases, patients may need intensive care and even mechanical ventilation.

Health bosses have urged anyone who has recently had Botox-style injections and develops symptoms to seek urgent medical help through NHS 111 or emergency services.
Kingsburg doesnt look like most towns in Californias farm belt. Its streets feature Dala horses, Swedish-themed storefronts, and a water tower shaped like a giant coffee pot. It's even earned the nickname Little Sweden. The reason is history: settlers from Sweden began arriving here in the 1870s and built a community.

By 1921, nearly 94 percent of residents within three miles of town traced their ancestry to Sweden. Kingsburg has since grown into a city of about 13,000, and today, festivals and landmarks continue to carry its traditions forward.

A Swedish Coffee Pot That Holds 60,000 Gallons

You cant talk about Kingsburg without mentioning its oddest and most famous landmark: the water tower shaped like a Swedish coffee pot.

It was built in 1911, and originally stored water but was remodeled in 1985 to resemble a giant pot. At 122 feet tall and able to hold 60,000 gallons, its recognized as the worlds largest Swedish coffee pot. It lights up at night and can even be spotted from Highway 99.

The pot isnt even meant as a funny roadside stop. Its a symbol of fika, the Swedish tradition of slowing down for coffee and a treat.

Murals, Dala Horses, and Downtown Charm

Downtown Draper Street is like a mini Swedish village. The sidewalks are lined with Scandinavian-style storefronts, murals showing folklore, and benches decorated with Nordic patterns. Dozens of colorful wooden Dala horses are scattered throughout town, and kids often turn them into a scavenger hunt.

Shops sell everything from antiques to cardamom pastries, and the local bakery is known for Swedish cookies and ice cream. Around the corner, youll find the Historic Train Depot built in 1903, the tiny Old Jail House from 1925, and Kingsburg Historical Park.

Together, these spots give the town a museum-like quality, but without the formality. You can wander at your own pace and stop for a cinnamon bun along the way.

The Swedish Festival Tradition

Image via Wikimedia Commons/Bengt Nyman

Kingsburg celebrates its Swedish roots every spring. Since 1924, the Swedish Festival has taken over Draper Street on the third weekend of May.

This year, it ran from May 15 through May 17, featuring a pancake supper, a smorgasbord dinner, a parade, dancing, and a cultural village with food and craft booths. Theres even a May Pole raising, plus the crowning of a Festival Queen.

The event is one of the biggest in Fresno County and regularly draws visitors statewide. Tourists see it as a chance to taste Swedish meatballs, buy handmade crafts, and listen to folk music without leaving California.

A Town That Balances Past and Present

While the Swedish roots are obvious, Kingsburg today is a full community with schools, shops, and neighborhoods that attract families looking for small-town life. Agriculture remains a big part of the local economy, and Sun-Maid Raisins has its headquarters there.

New housing developments are growing alongside century-old houses. Summers run hot, often between 85F and 100F, but mornings and evenings are cooler.

Throughout the year, community events like summer concerts, farmers' markets, and holiday celebrations keep the small-town feel alive.
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel pushed tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb as airstrikes killed at least 19 people on Monday, Palestinian officials and witnesses said.

The reports came as the president of the world's leading genocide scholars' association said it had passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

There was no immediate response from Israel on the accounts of the Gaza City offensive or on the statement from the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Israel has in the past denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas and rescuing the remaining 48 hostages after nearly two years of war.

Residents said Israeli forces sent old armoured vehicles into the eastern parts of the overcrowded Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, then blew them up remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee.

In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, Israel's military told residents to head south immediately, saying the army intended to expand its offensive westward.

"People are confused, stay and die, or leave towards nowhere," Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.

"It was a night of horror, explosions never stopped, and the drones never stopped hovering over the area. Many people quit their homes fearing for their lives, while others have no idea where to go," the 55-year-old said over a chat app.

DEATHS, STARVATION REPORTED

The Israeli military issued a statement saying its forces were fighting Hamas across the enclave and over the past day had struck several military structures and outposts that had been used to stage attacks on its troops.

The Gaza health ministry said at least 98 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave in the past 24 hours.

It added that nine more people, including three children, have died of malnutrition and starvation over the past day, raising deaths from such causes to at least 348, including 127 children.

Israel disputes the hunger fatality figures given by Gaza's Hamas-run government, arguing that the deaths were due to other medical causes.

Local health authorities said the 19 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on houses in Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on those reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet late on Sunday to discuss a new offensive to seize Gaza City, which he has described as the bastion of Hamas.

Israel's military has warned its political leaders that the planned Gaza City offensive could endanger hostages still being held by Hamas. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in past weeks.

The war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 251 taken hostage. Twenty of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to still be alive.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and it has plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins.

Ceasefire talks ended in July in deadlock and efforts to revive them have so far failed.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo. Additional reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Jimmy Fallon/Instagram Jimmy Fallon (left) and Nancy Juvonen with their daughters

NEED TO KNOW

Jimmy Fallon is spending some quality time with his family

The comedian shared a photo on Instagram of his family's vacation, which included a rare picture of his two daughters

Fallon shares daughters Winnie, 12, and Frances, 10, with wife Nancy Juvonen

Jimmy Fallon and his family know how to strike a pose!

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon host, 50, posted a rare photo of his whole family on Instagram on Sunday, Aug. 31, as he shared scenes from his lakeside vacation. Fallon could be seen standing on the left, holding his arms up as his one of his daughters posed in front of him.

His wife, Nancy Juvonen, stood in the middle and held up a peace sign while holding an arm around their other daughter, who posed with her arms in the air.

"This is before my sister-in-law said, 'a little less,' " Fallon joked in his caption.

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Jimmy Fallon/Instagram Jimmy Fallon (left) and Nancy Juvonen (right) with their two daughters

Fallon shares his daughters Winnie, 12, and Frances, 10, with his wife Juvonen, 58.

In September 2024, Fallon spoke with Parents for their "Take Five with Grace" column and opened up about how his mentality about his career has shifted since he's welcomed his daughters.

"I used to work hard on my career for myself. Now it's about my kids," Fallon shared. "I want to show them that they can be as creative as I am and enjoy the process. Don't do it for money. Don't do it for praise. Do it because you like it and you'll be happy for the rest of your life."

Jimmy Fallon/Instagram Nancy Juvonen (left) and Jimmy Fallon (right) with their daughters

In August 2024, Fallon spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the publication of his new childrens book, 5 More Sleeps Til Halloween, and said that with autumn fast approaching, he would miss his daughters once they head back to school.



I don't want [them] to go to school, Fallon joked. I don't want them to meet other people. I don't want them to do anything. I just want them to hang out with us for the rest of their life.



Fallon said that despite his feelings, Winnie and Frances were more than excited for the new school year.

They love their school, they love their friends, he said. And it's another little chapter in their lives and another fun adventure.

Read the original article on People
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday said his country was at maximum preparedness and ready to respond if attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean.

His comments during a news conference come as the U.S. government this week is set to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The U.S. has not signaled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed. Still, Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along its coast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela, Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterized as an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.

He said he would constitutionally declare a republic in arms if the U.S. attacked Venezuela. He did not elaborate.

The U.S. Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers  the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham  in the Caribbean, as well as the destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the waters off Latin America. That military presence is set to expand.

Three amphibious assault ships  a force that encompasses more than 4,000 sailors and Marines  would be entering the region this week, a defense official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to describe ongoing operations.

The deployment comes as President Donald Trump has pushed for using the military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into U.S. communities and for perpetuating violence in some U.S. cities.

On Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, citing a United Nations report, told his counterparts in various Latin American countries that the deployment of U.S. maritime forces is built on a false narrative as 87% of cocaine produced in Colombia departs through the Pacific and traffickers attempt to move only 5% of their product through Venezuela. Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and Caribbean, are the worlds top cocaine producers.

Gil added that the narrative threatens the entire region and an attack on Venezuela would really mean a complete destabilization of the region.

Let us immediately demand an end to this deployment, which has no other reason than to threaten a sovereign people, he added during a virtual meeting of members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States regional group.

Maduro also used his news conference to insist that he was the legitimate winner of last year's presidential election. But ample and credible evidence has shown the contrary, prompting several countries, including the U.S., to not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's president.

Maduro, sworn in to a third six-year term in January, added that his government maintains two lines of communication with the Trump administration, one with the State Department and another with Trumps envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell. He called Secretary of State Marco Rubio a warlord pushing for action in the Caribbean to topple Venezuela's government.

Since the July 2024 presidential election, Venezuela's political opposition has been urging the U.S. and other countries to pressure Maduro into leaving office. Its leader, Maria Corina Machado, last month thanked Trump and Rubio for the deployment of the vessels, describing the move as the right approach" toward Venezuela's government, which she described as a criminal enterprise.

Maduro on Monday, however, warned that U.S. military action against Venezuela would stain Trump's hands with blood."

President Donald Trump, the pursuit of regime change is exhausted; it has failed as a policy worldwide, Maduro said. You cannot pretend to impose a situation in Venezuela.

___

Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Tommaso Boddi/WireImage Kelley Kuhr and Malcolm McDowell in 1993; them in 2015

NEED TO KNOW

Malcolm McDowell has been married to Kelley Kuhr for over three decades, with the pair tying the knot in 1991

The veteran actor opened up about his and his designer wife's marriage secrets in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE

McDowell shares three sons with Kuhr, a son and daughter with ex-wife Mary Steenburgen, and he has four granddaughters

Malcolm McDowell is spilling his marriage secrets.

While chatting with PEOPLE about his newly released movie Et Tu, the Hollywood veteran, 82, also opened up about his family life and three decades of marriage with his wife, Kelley Kuhr.

When asked about the secret to a longterm love, McDowell, who tied the knot with Kuhr in 1991, offered a humble response. You know what? Honestly, I am not an expert on relationships, the star tells PEOPLE, adding, I wish I was.

And I think just liking the partner you're with is very important and just respecting, he says, adding that he is very lucky in that department.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Malcolm McDowell and Kelley Kuhr in 1991 Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Malcolm McDowell and Kelley Kuhr in 1994

My wife's a brilliant designer and at the moment, she's doing this house in Mexico, which is her masterpiece. It's an amazing thing that she's done and I'm so proud of her, he adds of Kuhr.

The Tank Girl actor went on to point out that while he and his longtime love are not in the same field of work, they do have some shared loves  including spending lots of time in antique shops.

"She doesn't do what I do, but she's just as successful in her own way and I'm in awe of what she does. It's amazing. I don't know how she does it, but she does it, he says of the designer. But we also, we're collectors.

Tommaso Boddi/WireImage Kelley Kuhr and Malcolm McDowell in 2015

We collect stuff, he tells PEOPLE, and we pretty much collect and like the same stuff, which is lucky. That, and its a lot of fun, he adds.

The couple always have fun wherever we go, says the Hollywood vet always straight to the antique shops and hunting around and having fun that way. It's great.

Malcolm and Kuhr are also parents, sharing three sons: Beckett, 21, Finn, 18, and Seamus, 16. He is also a dad to daughter Lilly, 44, and son Charlie, 42, with ex-wife Mary Steenburgen, and a grandfather to four girls.

Elsewhere in his chat about Et Tu, the actor opened up about his "absolutely gorgeous" baby granddaughter, Tove, whom his son Charlie recently welcomed with his wife, actress Lily Collins. The couple announced that they had welcomed a daughter via surrogate in January.

Eric Robert/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Malcolm McDowell and Kelley Kuhr in 1991

"She's absolutely gorgeous," McDowell tells PEOPLE of the little one. "Absolutely beautiful."

Of his granddaughters, the actor says, "I love being around them and just watching the antics that go on and the dynamic and the difference between them all. It's staggering.

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They're so different in personality and everything. It's just beautiful to watch, he adds.

Et Tu is available to stream and purchase now.

Read the original article on People
KCBD NewsChannel 11/YouTube Adam Canales Jr.

NEED TO KNOW

Texas man Adam Canales Jr. was convicted of manslaughter on Aug. 28, following the Benadryl overdose death of his baby daughter in 2021

District Attorney Sunshine Stanek argued that Canales administered the drug to his child to get quality time with his wife, Sarah Canales, who also faces manslaughter charges

Adam is currently awaiting sentencing and may face up to 20 years in prison

A Texas man has been convicted of manslaughter following the death of his baby daughter after prosecutors argued he gave the infant Benadryl to get quality time with his wife.

Adam Canales Jr. was convicted in Lubbock County on Thursday, Aug. 28, in connection with the July 2021 death of his 2-month-old daughter, Athena Brigida-Kay Canales, according to local news outlets KCBD 11 and KLBK News.

Adam is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 20 years in prison, per KCBD 11. The childs mother, Sarah Canales, also faces manslaughter charges in relation to Athenas death and is currently awaiting trial.

Lubbock County Sheriff's Office Adam Canales Jr.; Sarah Canales

District Attorney Sunshine Stanek argued in closing statements that Adam administered the over-the-counter, sleep-inducing allergy medicine to his baby to get quality time with his wife, per KLBK.

Earlier in the trial, Stanek called Adam's actions selfish and reckless, according to the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal.

"This defendant was so selfish and reckless in his actions that he caused the death of Athena," she said, adding, "They made a habit of giving their kids, including Athena, medicine to make them sleep. When they were tired and just wanted adult time to themselves  they dosed her.

Adams attorney, Kristopher Mincey, argued that the death was accidental, claiming that there was a lot going on that day in the six-child household, and that Adam and his wife had failed to communicate that they had each administered Benadryl to Athena on separate occasions, KCBD and KLBK reported.

D.A. Sunshine Stanek, defense attorney Kristopher Mincey, and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office did not immedairly respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, Aug. 31.

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Lubbock County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive child in the familys home on July 11, 2021, around 4 p.m. local time, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KLBK at the time. Athena was found dead upon their arrival, per the outlet.

Adam initially denied giving the child the drug, but he later admitted to administering it after an autopsy report revealed that Athena died of mixed drug toxicity, according to the warrant obtained by KLBK.



Read the original article on People
Framingham Police Department (2) Dioblis Williams; the wig police said Williams was wearing

NEED TO KNOW

An Ohio man was arrested in Massachusetts on Aug. 27 in connection to the 2020 murder of 2-year-old Jamir Jones

Police spotted 25-year-old Dioblis Williams wearing a wig before they arrested him

[This] arrest is a reminder that you can run, but you cant hide, Acting U.S. Marshal Kevin Neal said in a statement

An Ohio man wanted in connection to the 2020 death of a toddler has been arrested five years later in Massachusetts.

Dioblis Williams, 25, was caught in the downtown area of Framingham on Wednesday, Aug. 27, around 8:30 a.m. local time, according to a news release from the Framingham Police Department (FPD).

Williams is accused of murdering Jamir Jones, a 2-year-old boy who was found unconscious five years ago in a bathtub in Columbus, Ohio.

Police said they spotted Williams wearing a wig before they arrested him.

Framingham Police Department Dioblis Williams

Police officer Andrew Lewis was in the area to attend a briefing with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) about their attempt to arrest Williams, as he was believed to be in the city.

Lewis, police said, noticed two individuals walking on the sidewalk, one of whom "appeared to be wearing a wig."

"Officers observed the individual and came to the determination that the individual wearing the wig was indeed the male that the USMS and VFAS were intending to arrest," the release stated.

Williams was taken into custody and booked at the FPD. He was charged with Massachusetts Straight Warrant for Fugitive from Justice and Ohio Warrant for Murder.

It is unclear why Williams was in Massachusetts.

Framingham Police Department The wig police said Dioblis Williams was wearing

That person was in our community and wanted for a pretty horrific crime, deputy chief Sean Riley told KOLD News 13.

When another officer tried to stop Williams, he ran across the street. The suspect then stumbled and dropped his wig before surrendering, the news outlet reported.

KOLD News 13 also reported that Williams was thought to be in the area because of his Instagram usage.

Williams has been charged with murder in the death of the toddler.

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According to Ohio news outlet 10TV, police in 2020 initially responded to a report of a drowning that was said to have occurred while Williams was babysitting his girlfriends son.

Court documents reviewed by 10TV stated that Williams left the toddler unsupervised in the bathtub, and the boy was found unconscious in the bathtub and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy later revealed that the boy suffered blunt force trauma to his abdomen and bruises to his stomach, head and neck, per the outlet.

Acting U.S. Marshal Kevin Neal released a statement about Williams arrest, saying, Todays arrest is a reminder that you can run, but you cant hide. Mr. Williams thought that he could evade arrest and accountability by hiding in Massachusetts. I hope that todays arrest brings us one step closer to justice for a young child whose life ended tragically."

The U.S. Marshals Service said Williams will be arraigned in Massachusetts pending his extradition to Ohio.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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Love stories can start in the strangest places, but this one began in a barn. Ryan Phillips from Williamsburg, Virginia, never imagined that adopting a cow would lead him not only to a new best friend but also to his future wife. The cow in question is Jenna, a 1,000-pound Holstein, who has proven that animals can change lives in ways no one expects.

A Calf Saved From a Grim Fate

Image via iStockphoto/Clara Bastian

Jennas start in life wasnt pretty. She was born on a dairy farm in North Carolina alongside a twin brother, and was spray-painted as a sign shed soon be discarded. Female Holsteins with male twins are often infertile, which makes them useless to many farmers. Luckily, the farmers daughter, also named Jenna, stepped in and begged her father to spare the calves.

Ryan, who had recently visited a sanctuary and realized cows are what he calls grass puppies, saw the ad for the newborn and drove three hours to bring her home. He named the calf Jenna after the girl who convinced her father to give her a chance at life.

From day one, Ryan became her stand-in parent. He bottle-fed her three times a day for six months, gave her all the hugs and scratches she wanted, and even slept in the barn to make sure she didnt feel lonely. Because Jenna never received her mothers milk, she was sickly during those first few months, and Ryan spent countless hours worrying and making vet visits.

All the effort paid off. Jenna grew strong and quickly turned into what Ryan proudly calls his 1,000-pound puppy.

The Cow That Acts Like a Dog

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Life with Pigs (@lifewithpigsfarmsanctuary)

Its not just a nickname. Jenna behaves a lot like the family dog. She follows Ryan around the farm and presses her face against the windows of his house until he comes outside. She plays chase, runs from tree to tree with him, and even engages in headbutt games where she always lets him win.

When she was small, Ryan would let her come into the house for carrot treats, but now she gets them through the Carrot Drive-Thru, a kitchen window through which she pokes her head.

Before the pandemic, Ryan even took her into town with a pink harness. People did a double-take at first, but they quickly realized Jenna loved the attention. Ryan says she enjoys hugs and will rest her head against his leg for long stretches. He swears the only real difference between her and a dog is the size.

The Wing Cow

Jenna also played matchmaker. Ryan began sharing videos of life at his nonprofit, Life With Pigs Farm Sanctuary, which provides a safe haven for rescued animals, including pigs, chickens, and turkeys.

Thats how Mallory Sherman stumbled across his page. After seeing his posts about animal abuse cases, she reached out to help. Their online conversations turned into a friendship, and eventually, Mallory flew to Virginia to meet Ryan in person.

It didnt take long for sparks to fly. Mallory soon moved in, and the two fell in love, all thanks to Jenna being their wing cow. At their wedding, Jenna proudly stood as Ryans best cow, while other animals from the sanctuary also had their moment, including pigs and chickens acting as flower animals.

A Family Built on Love and Carrots

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Life with Pigs (@lifewithpigsfarmsanctuary)

Jenna may have brought Ryan and Mallory together, but she still makes sure shes the center of attention. Though she was once jealous of Mallory, shes warmed up and now enjoys a close bond with her, too. The couple continues to care for Jenna and more than 20 other animals at their sanctuary. Ryan admits that his life looks completely different now, but he wouldnt change a thing.

So much of my life has changed due to Jenna coming into my life, but I wouldnt have it any other way, Ryan says. She is truly my best friend, and we couldnt imagine life without each other. My goal is to give her the best happily-ever-after possible.
Craig Barritt/Getty; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram (Left) Meghan Markle in New York City on April 23, 2025; (Right) Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie in a photo Meghan Markle shared to Instagram on Sept. 1, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

Meghan Markle shared new photos of her children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4

The images captured the siblings visiting the set of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan

The shows second season premiered on August 26

Meghan Markle is giving a rare behind-the-scenes look at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet visiting her Netflix set.

On Sept. 1, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared the first photos of her children on the set of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which premiered its second season on August 26.

"Filming season two of With Love, Meghan was more fun than you can imagine. Part of how we kept the vibe alive? Music," Meghan wrote below a montage of photos, which included a playlist of songs she played on set.

"Between set ups I would play a song from my phone, and today I wanted to share some of the favorites I kept on rotation! Add them to your playlist, press shuffle, and enjoy! Happy Labor Day weekend! Work hard, play hard ," she continued.

The carousel opened with a shot of Meghan alongside one of her season two guests, chef Jose Andres, before rolling through photos of Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, visiting the set.

Meghan previously told PEOPLE that she chose to film With Love at a rental near her family's home in Montecito instead of their actual house to "protect that safe haven."

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.

The first photo of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet was taken from behind, highlighting the siblings red hair inherited from their father, Prince Harry, as they shared headphones while watching a video of Meghan on a small screen.

Another image captured Princess Lilibet spinning in a directors chair with the family beagle at her feet, while Meghans close friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin  who appears in both seasons of With Love, Meghan  opened the door.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram Princess Lilibet.

In a nod to his own set visit, Harry appeared alongside Meghan and their private wedding reception caterer, Clare Smyth, in another photo tied to Smyths season two episode of With Love, Meghan.

The final family shot captured Prince Archie in action  literally calling cut with a directors clapperboard in hand.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Clare Smyth.

Meghan previously opened up about that moment, telling PEOPLE, "Archie did the [filming clapboard]! Sweet moments."

"They would also come with my husband and visit me on-set, and I loved that my children were able to watch me working and see the balance of that and understand what Mama does and is working to create and share," she said. "It was really special because up until then, they hadnt seen me at work."

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram Prince Archie.

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Recalling how Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would run up to Meghan on set, a crew member told PEOPLE, "She was super attentive and doting on them. We would give them headphones so they could listen to audio."

Reflecting on the meaning of her children's set visits, she told PEOPLE: "I hope that when they get old enough, they feel really proud that they were part of the beginning of this with me."



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Cillian Murphys teenage band had the potential to be Fontaines D.C. or U2, according to his old guitar teacher.

Cillian Murphy had rock star potential, according to his former guitar teacher

Before the Peaky Blinders star became one of Irelands most celebrated actors, he was a teenage guitarist with serious promise  and according to Cork musician Mark OLeary, his early band had the makings of something special.

OLeary opened up about his time teaching music in Cork during the 90s, recalling the moment Murphy walked into the Wright Music Centre on a wet, windy Saturday afternoon wearing a parka, telling Echo Live: I was wondering who he was.

The class was a bit unruly. But he had an aura and presence. People were going, this guy is gifted.

OLeary described the 49-year-old Oscar-winner as a handy guitarist and revealed that he introduced him to another student  a talented bass player  which led to the formation of a short-lived band. Though the group never made it past local gigs, OLeary believes they had serious potential.

He said: Having taught him, I could be prejudiced, but the band was at that mezzanine level between Fontaines D.C. and U2. He could have had that.

Murphys musical journey didnt end there. He later formed Sons of Mr Green Genes, a funk-rock outfit named after a Frank Zappa track, and was even offered a five-album deal by Acid Jazz Records  which he turned down to pursue acting.

OLeary noted that Murphy briefly got into acid jazz before pivoting to theatre, landing his breakout role in Disco Pigs.

He said: "The acid jazz ship had sailed. His timing was good. Hes a determined guy.
Swiss food giant Nestle said Monday it dismissed its CEO, Laurent Freixe, due to an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.

The maker of Nescafe drinks and Purina pet food said in a statement that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found the undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate violated Nestle's code of conduct.

Nestle CEO Laurent Freixe speaks at a session during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2025. / Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

The direct subordinate was not identified.

Freixe had been CEO for a year, according to the company. He first joined Nestle in France in 1986, working in marketing and sales. He later became the head of the Nutrition Division of Nestle France in 1999. Freixe continued to work his way up the corporate ladder, becoming regional CEO of Nestle before finally being appointed the top position last September.

He will be replaced as CEO by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestle executive.

"This was a necessary decision," said Chairman Paul Bulcke. "Nestle's values and governance are strong foundations of our company."

Navratil started his career with Nestle in 2001 as an internal auditor and served in a variety of roles in Central America. In 2020, he joined Nestle's Coffee Strategic Business Unit, and in 2024, he became CEO of Nestle's Nespresso division.

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SCO

Autocrats, populists, friends and foes, a strongman waging a war in Europe and the leader of the worlds biggest democracy will all be hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping this weekend at a summit designed to showcase Beijing as a global leader capable of providing a counterweight to Western institutions.

Heads of state and delegations from across Asia and the Middle East will meet from Sunday in the Chinese port city of Tianjin for the two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security grouping that has emerged as a cornerstone of Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putins drive to rebalance global power in their favor.

Chinese officials have billed the summit as the SCOs largest yet, with the diplomacy and pageantry setting the stage for Xi to tout his country as a stable and powerful alternative leader at a time when the worlds leading superpower the United States under President Donald Trump is shaking up its alliances and waging a global trade war.

The gathering also comes days ahead of a major military parade in Beijing that will offer a different message  that of Chinas rapidly developing military might, and draw autocrats like North Koreas Kim Jong Un and Myanmars Min Aung Hlaing alongside Putin and Russia-friendly European leaders Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Slovakias Robert Fico.

The summit also gifts Russias Putin some international spotlight, just two weeks after his Alaska summit with Trump, and as he continues to ignore international pressure to end his onslaught in Ukraine. Earlier this week Russias forces carried out the second-biggest aerial attack since its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Putin, who arrived to a red-carpet welcome in Tianjin on Sunday local time, praised the China-Russia partnership ahead of his trip as a stabilizing force for the world. In a written interview for Chinese state news agency Xinhua, he said they were united in our vision of building a just, multipolar world order  an allusion to the two countries efforts to revise what they see as a US-led world order unfairly stacked against them.

SCO members  which include China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan  preside over vast swaths of global energy reserves and govern some 40% of the global population.

Leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have arrived in Tianjin, and Xi has been holding a flurry of bilateral meetings with his guests since Saturday.

Architect and host

The guests at the summit have national rivalries between them and vast differences in political systems. And while this has sparked criticism of the group as too disparate to be effective, it also may serve to underscore Xis message.

Beijing wants to signal that China is the indispensable convener in Eurasia, capable of seating rivals at the same table and translating great-power competition into managed interdependence, said Rabia Akhtar, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore in Pakistan.

The optics are straightforward: China is not just a participant in regional order-making  it is a primary architect and host.

Modis attendance at the gathering also adds heft to Xis guest list. The Indian prime minister skipped last years summit in Kazakhstan. Now, he has arrived in Tianjin against a backdrop of souring relations with Washington  and as Beijing and New Delhi have moved to ease their own frictions, a nascent realignment that could imperil US efforts to cultivate India as a counterweight against a rising China.

Delegations are also expected from the SCOs 16 official partner and observer countries, which include Cambodia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, as well as NATO member Turkey, among others, Chinese officials said ahead of the gathering.

Beijing additionally invited a handful of Southeast Asian leaders. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is also expected to attend.

Across the city of Tianjin, banners in English, Russian and Chinese heralding the gathering lined highways. Officials heavily restricted traffic in the city center as Chinese leaders welcomed their guests with the ceremony and pomp typical of Chinese diplomacy at the highest level.

The location has pointed symbolism for China, as a port that was forced open by colonial powers in the 19th century, with those from Europe and Imperial Japan receiving land concessions  and a key city occupied by Japan during World War II.

Some guests, including Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are slated to stay for the military parade in Beijing, where the ruling Communist Party will show off its military might and play up its role fighting Imperial Japan as part of the Allied Forces in World War II as the globe marks 80 years since the end of that war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in Tianjin, China, on August 31, 2025. - Xinhua/Shutterstock

What is the SCO?

Since its formation in 2001 as a group focused on regional security cooperation between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has expanded in its size and scope.

SCO members conduct joint counter-terrorism drills, share intelligence on combatting terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and work to expand coordination across areas like education, trade and energy. Theyre also united in a call for a just international order  or one not led by a single superpower and its allies.

Irans inclusion in the group in 2023 and Belarus a year later have been widely seen as an effort by Beijing and Moscow to the make the body more explicitly anti-West. It also is one facet of a tightening of bonds between Moscow, Beijing and Tehran thats raised alarm in Washington.

Now, growing frictions and uncertainties between some countries and the US under Trump will loom over the gathering  a reality sure to be referenced prominently if indirectly in remarks by Xi to his guests in the days ahead.

Observers will be watching whether this summit will produce momentum toward further economic integration between member countries, especially when it comes to regional trade or development finance, but expectations for practical developments are low.

Without deeply addressing what the mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization should be and how it can resolve internal sources of conflict both between members and between members with external countries, the SCO is just a showcase, said Shanghai-based foreign affairs analyst Shen Dingli.

Even as the group regularly calls for avoiding bloc, ideological or confrontational approaches to addressing security threats, its summits have yet to produce a joint statement mentioning the war in Ukraine.

SCO  and its lead members China and Russia  also appeared to have little role in de-escalating a four-day conflict between members India and Pakistan earlier this year.

The group did, however, strongly condemn the military strikes carried out by the US and Israel on Iran this past June.

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A federal judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from deporting 76 unaccompanied Guatemalan children from the United States to Guatemala.

A judge had temporarily blocked the administration from removing the minors and set an emergency hearing for 3 p.m. Sunday, but U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan moved the hearing to 12:30 p.m. after the court was notified the Guatemalan children were "in the process of being removed from the U.S."

Anadolu via Getty Images - Eighty migrants from Guatemala are deported to their country with a United States military plane at the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 30, 2025.

"The Court ORDERS that the Defendants cease any ongoing efforts to transfer, repatriate, remove, or otherwise facilitate the transport of any Plaintiff or member of the putative class from the United States," Sookananan wrote. "The putative class includes all Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement custody as of 1:02 AM on August 31, 2025, the time of the filing of the Complaint, who are not subject to an executable final order of removal," the order said.

MORE: Trump administration directing ICE to track down unaccompanied minors: Source

All of the children had been deplaned and were in the process of returning to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement Sunday evening, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign said.

The government will notify the court when the transfer of all of the children is confirmed, he said.

Attorney Efren Olivares had asked the judge to keep the hearing going until all of the children were deplaned, saying there have been several instances where "allegations of confusion and misunderstanding have resulted in irreparable harm."

The hearing on Sunday is reminiscent of an incident in March when several Venezuelan migrants were deported to the CECOT prison in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, despite a judge issuing a temporary restraining order barring the removals.

This time, however, Ensign said that the flight he believed might have departed had returned and that he expects the children to deplane because of the judge's order.

Sooknanan expressed skepticism during the hearing over the legality of the administration's attempt to repatriate the children. She said she received notice of the complaint at 2 a.m. Sunday and that she personally tried to reach the U.S. attorney's office, leaving a voice message at 3:43 a.m. saying that she wanted to hear from the government before she issued her temporary restraining order

"We are here on a holiday weekend where I have the government attempting to remove unaccompanied minors from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, but here we are," she said.

Ensign argued that the Trump administration was removing the children in accordance with the law and at the request of the Guatemalan government and the legal guardians of the children.

"The government of Guatemala has requested the return of these children and all of these children have their parents or guardians in Guatemala who are requesting their return, and United States government is trying to facilitate the return of these children to their parents or guardians from whom they have been separated," Ensign said.

Olivares strongly disagreed with that argument.

"Some of the children do not have either parent, some of the children have fear of returning to Guatemala so have not requested to return, do not want to return," he said.

The National Immigration Law Center believes more than 600 Guatemalan children could be at risk of being returned to their home country.

Sooknanan appeared to question the validity of the government's argument.

"I have conflicting narratives from both sides here on whether what is happening here is an attempt to reunite these children with their parents or just return these children to Guatemala where they face harm," she said.

Sooknanan read declarations from some of the children submitted in court filings, including one from one child who said their parents had received a "strange phone call" notifying them that the U.S. government was trying to deport them to Guatemala along with other minors.

"Every one of these 10 declarants who are named plaintiffs speak about being afraid of going back to Guatemala," she said, adding that some of the children had faced abuse and neglect from some of their family members.

In earlier court filings, attorneys accuse the Trump administration of attempting to repatriate more than 600 unaccompanied Guatemalan minors in coordination with the Guatemalan government in violation of laws that prevent such moves without giving them the opportunity to challenge the removals.

Unaccompanied minors are migrants under the age of 18 who have come to the country without a legal guardian and do not have legal status. The children in question in the lawsuit are all reportedly in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

In a statement, the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the lawsuit, said the Trump administration is denying the Guatemalan children from being able to present their case before an immigration judge.

"It is a dark and dangerous moment for this country when our government chooses to target orphaned 10-year-olds and denies them their most basic legal right to present their case before an immigration judge," said Olivares, vice president of litigation at the NILC. "The Constitution and federal laws provide robust protections to unaccompanied minors specifically because of the unique risks they face. We are determined to use every legal tool at our disposal to force the administration to respect the law and not send any child to danger."

In another court filing, NILC said that after it attempted to inform the government that it had filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, it learned shelters in South Texas had been "notified to prepare Guatemalan children in their custody for discharge."

"Upon information and belief, ICE agents and their contractors have started attempting to pick up Guatemalan unaccompanied children from shelters in South Texas to transport them to the airport for potential removal from the United States as soon as the early morning of Sunday, August 31, 2025," NILC said in the filing.

The lawsuit was filed on Sunday after legal service providers received notices from the Office of Refugee Resettlement that children in their program have been identified for reunification. In the notice, the agency said that court proceedings for children identified by the agency "may be dismissed."

"ORR Care Providers must take proactive measures to ensure UAC are prepared for discharge within 2 hours of receiving this notification," the notice said.

In one of the notices submitted in court filings, ORR has informed certain attorneys for unaccompanied minors that the "Government of Guatemala has requested the return of certain unaccompanied alien children in general custody" to be reunited "with suitable family members."

In the statement, NILC said that because most Guatemalan children in U.S. custody are indigenous and many speak languages other than English or Spanish, they are more vulnerable to "being misled by officials looking to deport them."

One of the children represented in the case is a 10-year-old indigenous girl who speaks a rare language.

"Her mother is deceased and she suffered abuse and neglect from other caregivers," the complaint says.
By Mariana Hernandez

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) -For 11 years, Fabiola Galicia worked her way up the ranks at a factory that produced decorative ribbons in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. Starting as a production line worker, she was eventually promoted to manager overseeing 30 employees.

But in June, her shift was cut to just three days a week. Then in August, a representative for Design Group Americas, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, shut down its Ciudad Juarez factory, leaving Galicia and some 300 other workers without jobs.

In court filings, the company partially blamed its troubles on tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Galicia said a company representative also blamed Trump. They told us the tariffs had affected the company, said Galicia, whose husband also worked at the company and was laid off.

Design Group Americas didnt respond to a request for comment about the layoffs.

Assembly plants in Ciudad Juarez, which import raw materials mostly duty free from around the world and export the finished product to the U.S., are in crisis. Trumps global trade war has added misery to an industry already facing a litany of challenges including rising wages and investor concern over reforms by Mexicos ruling leftist Morena party.

Known as maquiladoras, the plants account for roughly 60 percent of jobs in Ciudad Juarez. For decades one of the most important manufacturing hubs in Mexico, the citys industrial sector benefited in recent years as large numbers of multinational companies moved operations to Mexico to avoid U.S. tariffs on Chinese-produced products in a trend dubbed nearshoring.

But after booming growth and employment, many plants are now shedding workers and in some cases shutting down altogether.

Between June 2023 and June 2025, the municipality of Juarez lost more than 64,000 factory jobs, including nearly 14,000 in the first six months of the year, according to Mexicos National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

'CHERRY ON TOP'

The mass layoffs underscore the challenges facing Mexicos economy, which depends on free trade with the U.S.

Projected GDP growth for 2025 has stalled to less than one percent as companies struggle to stay afloat amid Trumps on-again, off-again tariffs.

Maria Teresa Delgado, vice president of the maquila association INDEX Juarez, said the industry is in crisis. Besides tariffs, she and six other business experts attributed the layoffs in Juarez to a combination of factors.

Factories experienced a decline in profit margins following a federally mandated increase in the minimum wage, they said. The minimum wage in Mexicos northern region has risen since 2019 from 22 pesos an hour ($1.17) to 52.48 pesos ($2.80).

Then, in 2023, Mexicos former president proposed a major judicial reformto replace appointed judges with elected judges, raising alarm among foreign investors and hampering investment because of the threat to judicial independence. The reform was enacted this year.

But Trumps trade war was the tipping point, Delgado said. While a majority of Mexican exports enter the U.S. duty free, there are high tariffs on the automotive industry and products like steel, aluminum and some textiles.

Trumps tariffs were the cherry on top, Delgado said about the layoffs.

Foreign direct investment in Mexico fell 21% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period a year before. In the state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located, foreign direct investment in manufacturing declined 56%, from $800 million to $348 million.

Uncertainty is impacting the business environment, said Ulises Alejandro Fernandez, Chihuahuas Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development. Companies are holding off on making decisions and making new investments until there is clarity about what will happen with trade policy.

Some companies are already pulling out of Ciudad Juarez as they move to countries with lower labor costs or decide to invest in the U.S. to avoid tariffs.

Earlier this year, automotive parts-maker Lear Corp announced it will relocate some production lines from Ciudad Juarez to Honduras, in what it described as a broader strategy to reduce costs amid shifting demand and rising wages in Mexicos northern border region.

French electronics manufacturer Lacroix plans to shut down its operations in Ciudad Juarez by the end of this year. The company cited sustained losses and trade uncertainty as key reasons for its exit from North America.

Thor Salayandia, president of the regional business coalition Border Block Trade, said he has had to cut employees at his hardware factory in Ciudad Juarez that produces nails. He now has 20 employees, down from around 90 in 2023, he said.

Clients are cutting costs. One day they place an order, the next they dont.

(Reporting by Mariana Hernandez in Mexico City and Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez; Editing by Emily Green and Nick Zieminski)
Southwest Airlines Facebook Pilot Father Surprises Newlywed Daughter Who Asked Him to Pick Her Up from the Airport Following Honeymoon

NEED TO KNOW

Southwest Airlines shared the moment Captain John Arvin surprised his daughter, Addison, and her husband, Quinn, with a flight home from Cancun

The airline joked that the pilot misunderstood his daughter's request to be picked up from the airport following her honeymoon

In the dad move of the century, Captain John was able to pilot their flight home from their honeymoon, resulting in one of the best surprises we've seen! " the airline captioned the Aug. 30 Facebook post

A Southwest Airlines pilot is pulling the ultimate dad move!

On Saturday, Aug. 30, Southwest Airlines posted on Facebook about the heartwarming moment Captain John Arvin surprised his daughter, Addison Stock, and her husband, Quinn Stock, at the airport following their honeymoon in Cancun.

A photo showed the newlyweds in disbelief as Captain John arrived in the airports departure lounge, while a second snap captured Addison emotionally embracing her father. The post also included a photo of Captain John walking her down the aisle on her wedding day and the father-daughter pair in the cockpit of a plane back when Addison was a child.

POV: Your dad's a Pilot and you weren't clear when you asked him to pick you up from the airport, Southwest Airlines joked in the posts caption. Captain John's daughter asked her dad to pick her and her new husband up from the airport following their honeymoon to Cancun.

Southwest Airlines Facebook Pilot Father Surprises Newlywed Daughter Who Asked Him to Pick Her Up from the Airport Following Honeymoon

The airline went on to praise Captain John for his parenting after being wowed by the sweet gesture.

In the dad move of the century, Captain John was able to pilot their flight home from their honeymoon, resulting in one of the best surprises we've seen! , Southwest Airlines wrote.

Addison and Quinn went to Cancun for their honeymoon following their wedding in July, according to Quinns Facebook profile. The couple, who live in Arizona, got engaged the previous October.

Over 150,000 Facebook users liked Southwest Airlines post and many took to the comment section joking that Captain John was setting a high standard for his son-in-law, Quinn.

"He just raised the bar for her new husband!!! Take THAT kid!! Lol, one person wrote.

The husband has some big shoes to fill!! another said, while a third chimed in, commenting, So that his daughter is never content with someone's dusty son sending her home in an Uber. 

Southwest Airlines Facebook Southwest Airlines

Way to go, Captain John! More memories for your lovely daughter someone else wrote.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Other responses to the post admitted they were moved to tears, with Southwest Airlines sweetly replying to one commenter that Daddy-daughter bonds are like nothing else.

Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information about the flight on Monday, Sept. 1.

It isnt the first time that the airline has highlighted the bond between a father and daughter duo, as in a June 2024 Facebook post, they celebrated MacKenzie Rennhack enjoying her first flight with her dad, Captain Michael.

They explained that MacKenzie studied at Arizona State University before participating in the University Pathway of the Southwest Airlines Destination 225 Pilot Pathways Program.

She recently joined the Southwest Family alongside her dad, Captain Michael, and enjoyed her first flight with him, the airline wrote, alongside photos of the pair. The trip was even sweeter since her mom, brother, and fiance could join them!

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a joint press conference with Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda on Monday. - Mindaugas Kulbis/AP

A plane carrying the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was targeted by GPS navigation jamming while trying to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, a spokesperson for the commission told CNN.

The commission received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia, said European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podesta.

The Kremlin has denied the allegation, with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying claims of Moscows involvement were fake, calling it paranoia from Europe during a press conference on Thursday.

The plane landed safely, the European Commission spokesperson said. A source familiar with the situation told CNN the pilots landed the plane using paper maps.

Von der Leyen and the commission have been staunch supporters of Ukraine as Kyiv tries to defend itself against Russias unprovoked aggression. She was one of the European leaders who attended US President Donald Trumps summit on Ukraine and has consistently urged EU member states to allocate more resources to helping Ukraine.

The incident occurred as the president was about to land at the Plovdiv International Airport in the south of Bulgaria, part of her tour around member states in the eastern part of the bloc to rally support for Ukraine.

This incident underlines the urgency of the presidents current trip to frontline Member States, where she has seen first hand the every day threats from Russia and its proxies, Podesta told CNN.

She later added the flight was a charter and that it was unclear whether the attackers intended to target it directly.

CNN has reached out to the Bulgarian authorities for comment.

GPS interference that causes disruptions to flights and maritime traffic has long been among the tools in Russias hybrid war arsenal.

Authorities in Scandinavian and Baltic states have said repeatedly that Russia has been regularly jamming the GPS signal in the region. After a team of researchers in Poland and Germany closely studied GPS interferences for a period of six months starting June 2024, they also concluded Russia was the perpetrator, and that Moscow was using a shadow fleet of ships and its Kaliningrad exclave to do so.

The European Union has previously sanctioned several Russian state-linked entities and individuals for being behind jamming incidents.

This will further reinforce our unshakable commitment to ramp up our defense capabilities and support for Ukraine, the spokesperson added.

The trip to Bulgaria was part of von der Leyens tour of several European Union states that border Russia, Belarus and the Black Sea.

The trip was meant to show strength and unity as Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities and sabotaging any attempts to reach a ceasefire deal.

The president visited Latvia and Finland on Friday, Estonia on Saturday, and Poland and Bulgaria on Sunday. She was rounding up the trip on Monday, visiting Lithuania and Romania.

Speaking in Bulgarias capital shortly after the plane incident, but before it became public, von der Leyen said Europe needed to keep up the sense of urgency.

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence, she said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Anna Chernova and James Frater contributed reporting.

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(Corrects byline, no changes to text)

By Laurie Chen and Mei Mei Chu

TIANJIN (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin, after talking with China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi, said on Monday the issue of NATO's eastward enlargement would have to be addressed for there to be sustainable peace in Ukraine.

Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. Russia currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine.

Ukraine and Western European powers describe the invasion as a brutal imperial-style land grab. Putin casts the war as a battle with a declining West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by enlarging NATO eastwards.

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tianjin, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Chinese President Xi. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said the West had tried to bring Ukraine into the West's orbit and then sought to entice the former Soviet republic into the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.

"In order for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis, which I have just mentioned and which I have repeatedly mentioned before, must be eliminated," Putin said.

"A fair balance in the security sphere" must be also restored, Putin said, shorthand for a series of Russian demands about NATO and European security.

At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would one day become members. Ukraine in 2019 amended its constitution committing to the path of full membership of NATO and the European Union.

Reuters reported in May that Putin's conditions for ending the war include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia.

Putin said that "understandings" he reached with U.S. President Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska in August opened a way to peace in Ukraine, which he would discuss with leaders attending the regional summit in China.

"We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told the forum.

"The understandings reached at the recent RussiaU.S. meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal."

He said he had detailed to Xi on Sunday the achievements of his talks with Trump and the work "already underway" to resolve the conflict and would provide more detail in two-way meetings with the Chinese leader and others.

China and India are by far the biggest purchasers of crude from Russia, the world's second largest exporter. Trump has imposed additional tariffs on India over the purchases but there is no sign yet that either India or China are going to stop purchasing Russian oil, a key export of Russia's war economy.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Laurie Chen and Mei Mei Chu in Tianjin; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez and Lincoln Feast)
Ian Forsyth/Getty Queen Camilla on Aug. 21, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

A new book titled Power and the Palace details an account given by Queen Camilla about a sexual assault she experienced as a teenager

In a 2008 conversation with then-London mayor Boris Johnson, Camilla recounted the moment a man put his hand on her as she was riding the train, according to the book

Queen Camilla has focused much of her life on advocating for survivors of sexual and domestic violence



A new book about the relationship between the British royal family and the country's politicians details an account given by Queen Camilla about a sexual assault she experienced as a teenager.

An excerpt from Valentine Low's new book Power and the Palace, published in The Times on Sunday, Aug. 31, recounts the first few encounters between Camilla, now 78, and then-London mayor Boris Johnson in 2008.

According to Guto Harri, the communications director who worked with Johnson, 61, when he was the newly elected mayor of London at the time, Camilla invited Johnson to Clarence House for a first meeting.

Harri said that Camilla shared a deeply personal story from her teenage years during their meeting, related to Johnson's plan to open three rape crisis centers in London.

"[The] serious conversation they had was about her being the victim of an attempted sexual assault when she was a schoolgirl," Low writes in the book.

"She was on a train going to Paddington  she was about 16, 17  and some guy was moving his hand further and further  'At that point Johnson had asked what happened next. She replied: 'I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.' Harri said: 'She was self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say, 'That man just attacked me', and he was arrested.' "

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Charles and Camilla, circa 1972

"The relevance of this conversation was that Johnson at the time wanted to open three rape crisis [centers]. There was already one in south London, and he wanted to open ones in east, west and north London, Low writes. Harri said: 'I think she formally opened two out of three of them. Nobody asked why the interest, why the commitment. But thats what it went back to.' "

Buckingham Palace declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Camilla has long made supporting victims of rape, domestic violence and sexual abuse a key priority of her public work. In March, she reached out to Gisele Pelicot to commend her for her extraordinary dignity and courage.

The Queen was tremendously affected by last years rape trial in southern France, which ended with Pelicots husband, Dominique, being found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife of 50 years.

"As a long-term supporter of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, the Queen wrote to Madame Pelicot privately, a royal aide told Newsweek. It was very much her instigation and determination to write to express support from the highest level."

The palace aide said that statement also resonated deeply with Queen Camilla. As [Pelicot] rightly put it, why should she be made to feel like a victim or hide away in shame?

"She helped highlight a very significant societal problem despite all the personal suffering she'd been through, they continued of Camillas admiration.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty King Charles III and Queen Camilla on July 23, 2025

Last year, the Queen also hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to recognize supporters of survivors of sexual assault and mark the relaunch of the Wash Bags project, which provides toiletries to those affected by rape and abuse.

"Each one of you has a powerful story to tell: whether you work in this country or overseas; whether you are based in a refuge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, a charity, Parliament, or, most important of all, you are a survivor," she said in part during the event, addressing center staff, police officers service users and other guests.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

She has also been involved in a number of other projects to advocate for victims, including SafeLives, a charity that works to stop domestic violence. In 2024, she also appeared in a TV documentary titled Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors that followed the Queen as she works to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence.

In a 2021 speech at a Women of the World event, Camilla condemned the culture of silence that fosters abusers and keeps victims from coming forward.

After all, rapists are not born, they are constructed, she said at the time. And it takes an entire community  male and female  to dismantle the lies, words and actions that foster a culture in which sexual assault is seen as normal and in which it shames the victim.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.



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Remote work has changed the idea of what an office looks like. For many digital nomads, a workspace can just as easily involve sand between their toes as it does a swivel chair and desk lamp. The trick is finding a beach that balances good internet, fair living costs, and a vibe that keeps you motivated. These 15 beaches might just be your next office.

Brades, Montserrat

Credit: Tripadvisor

Brades became the capital after a volcanic eruption buried Plymouth in the 1990s. That history left Montserrat with black sand beaches and a population of less than 5,000. Visitors from the U.S. or UK can stay visa-free for up to six months.

Zadar, Croatia

Credit: iStockphoto

Zadar has Roman ruins and modern quirks. The city has a Sea Organ, where the Adriatics waves push air through hidden pipes to create music. Alfred Hitchcock once praised its sunsets, and locals still gather nightly to watch. For nomads, Croatia offers strong mobile coverage, including 5G from T-Mobile,

Taghazout, Morocco

Credit: iStockphoto

Taghazout has grown into Moroccos most famous surf town, with waves at Anchor Point drawing international competitions. But nomads arent just here for surfboardsthe village has invested in reliable internet cafes, too.

Goa, India

Credit: iStockphoto

Colonial churches and Portuguese architecture set Goa apart from other Indian states. English is also widely spoken. The city is known for weekly night markets, where laptops can be closed early in exchange for live music, street food, and handmade crafts.

Santa Barbara, California

Credit: iStockphoto

Santa Barbara is sometimes called the American Riviera for its Mediterranean-style architecture and palm-lined waterfront. Digital workers get the perks of reliable internet and endless beach choices. You could answer emails at East Beach or finish spreadsheets while heading to Stearns Wharf for fresh seafood.

Noord, Aruba

Credit: iStockphoto

On Arubas north end, Palm Beach may draw the crowds, but Fishermens Huts has become the go-to spot for kiteboarders balancing laptops and sails. Snorkelers often head to Boca Catalina, where sea turtles are regular visitors. Stays can stretch up to 180 days with extensions.

The Valley, Anguilla

Credit: Tripadvisor

This tiny capital is among the Caribbeans quietest hubs, which suits nomads well. With over 11 hours of daylight on average, productivity doesnt fade early. The island is dotted with casual beach bars where travelers mingle with locals over barbecue.

Saint Georges, Bermuda

Credit: Tripadvisor

Saint George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a town where internet speeds exceed 100 Mbps, some of the fastest in the Atlantic. This reliability makes remote collaboration easy. The island even has its own unique dialect of English, shaped by centuries of maritime connections.

Lagos, Portugal

Credit: iStockphoto

Lagos once thrived as a center of Portuguese exploration, sending sailors across the globe. Today, digital nomads stick closer to their beaches and cafes. A visa-free stay extends for 90 days. Between work sessions, visitors take dolphin-watching tours or wander through caves carved into sandstone cliffs.

Honopu Beach, Hawaii

Credit: iStockphoto

Reaching Honopu requires either a swim from a boat or from the neighboring Kalalau Beach, which is why it remains untouched. Its been featured in films like King Kong and Six Days, Seven Nights, and its dramatic cliffs provide a backdrop unlike any co-working hub. ScoutLogic ranked it among the most peaceful beaches worldwide.

Flamands Beach, St. Barts

Credit: iStockphoto

Flamands is one of St. Barts broadest beaches, a rarity on an island of small coves. Fewer than 1,000 Instagram posts mention it, so its less popular among social media travelers. High rent is expected, but the combination of calm sands and world-class French-Caribbean cuisine keeps nomads invested.

Tokeh Beach, Sierra Leone

Credit: iStockphoto

Tokeh once featured a luxury resort during the 1960s, but later fell into obscurity during the countrys conflict. Today, its making a comeback, with white sands backed by forested mountains. Local life is affordable, and nearby fishing villages sell fresh lobster at bargain prices.

Flic en Flac, Mauritius

Credit: iStockphoto

Mauritius longest beach stretches over five miles to give nomads plenty of space to set up their office. Coral reefs just offshore make snorkeling breaks part of the daily routine. French, Creole, Indian, and Chinese influences can be found in food, festivals, and local life.

Siargao, Philippines

Credit: iStockphoto

The surfing capital of the Philippines draws both wave riders and entrepreneurs. Beyond surfing, the island features the Sugba Lagoon, where emerald water reflects limestone cliffs. Locals welcome visitors with signature hospitality, and the laid-back pace has encouraged many nomads to stay longer than they originally planned.

Koh Lanta, Thailand

Credit: iStockphoto

Koh Lanta is home to a diverse mix of Thai Buddhists, Muslims, and sea gypsies. KoHub, the islands co-working space, famously guarantees internet during power cuts. Diving sites nearby feature whale sharks and manta rays.
Passengers on a Virgin Australia flight were left in agony after being told to "urinate in bottles" when every toilet on board stopped working.

Flight descends into chaos as ALL toilets fail

People flying from Bali to Brisbane last Thursday (28.08.25) endured a nightmare mid-air ordeal after the loos on flight VA50 became clogged.

Midway through the journey, the remaining toilets failed completely, leaving passengers with no option but to relieve themselves in bottles or over already full cubicles.

One passenger told The Australian: "One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public."

Another added: "Midway through the flight, every toilet failed. For the remaining three hours, the cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or 'on top of whatever was already in the toilet'."

Virgin Australia has since issued an apology.

In a statement, the airline said: "A Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories.

"We sincerely apologise to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board."
Corn prices have plunged more than 50% since peaking in 2022. (Getty Images)

Agricultural trade groups have sounded the alarm recently on the state of farmers, who are grappling with a continued slump in prices for their crops and worsening credit conditions. They have asked lawmakers to help increase access to export markets, including China, which is still locked in a trade war with the U.S.

U.S. producers of corn and soybeans have sent dire warnings as prices for their crops have crashed in recent years while President Donald Trumps trade war whipsaws farmers.

On Thursday, the National Corn Growers Association raised alarms about the economic crisis hitting rural America, as commodity prices drop at a time when input costs remain at near-record highs.

Corn prices have plunged more than 50% from their 2022 peak, while production costs are down just 3% in that span, translating to a loss of 85 cents per bushel, the NCGA said, adding that the outlook for next year is worse with even lower prices and higher costs.

The NCGA called on Congress and the Trump administration to boost demand, including via higher blends of ethanol and increased foreign market access.

A week before that, the American Soybean Association sent a letter to Trump, warning that U.S. soybean farmers are standing at a trade and financial precipice.

The group asked that Trump prioritize soybeans in trade talks with China, seeking major purchase commitments as well as the removal of Beijings duties on the U.S.

Historically, the U.S. was the provider of choice for Chinese customers, the letter said. However, due to ongoing tariff retaliation, our longstanding customers in China have and will continue to turn to our competitors in South America to meet their demand, a demand Brazil can meet due to significantly increased production since the previous trade war with China.

With harvest season fast approaching, the association added that China hasnt purchased any U.S. soybeans for the months ahead.

The longer negotiations with China drag on without a trade dealand the deeper farmers go into the fall the more pain they will feel, it said.

Like the corn growers, the soybean growers also cited sharply lower prices and high costs. Since peaking in 2022, soybean prices have fallen about 40%.

Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress, the group said. Prices continue to drop and at the same time our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer.

Farm incomes, credit conditions deteriorate

The bleak picture of the agricultural economy was echoed by the Federal Reserves latest survey of farm financial conditions. It found that weaker income has reduced liquidity for farmers, boosting demand for financing.

At the same time, credit conditions deteriorated with roughly 30% of respondents in the Chicago Fed and Kansas City Fed districts reporting lower repayment rates versus a year ago, while the Minneapolis Fed regions share was around 40% and the St. Louis Feds was 50%.

To be sure, U.S. farmers are set to receive substantial help. After Trump launched his latest trade war earlier this year, the administration and lawmakers began talking about a bailout for farmers in April, similar to how they received a bailout during Trumps first term, when he waged a trade war against China.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed in July included about $66 billion in agriculture-focused spending. The vast majority, about $59 billion, is earmarked for farm safety-net enhancements, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In addition, other trade deals Trump has negotiated should see countries elsewhere in Asia step up purchases of U.S. crops.

For example Indonesia and Bangladesh have agreed to boost buying under their agreements, and sources told Reuters this past week that Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand may increase feed grain purchases.

There have been productive trade discussions which present an opportunity for the U.S. to strengthen its access to markets in our region, said Timothy Loh, the U.S. Soybean Export Councils regional director for Southeast Asia & Oceania, told Reuters.

We are anticipating higher demand for U.S. products such as soymeal and other U.S. agricultural exports into Southeast Asia.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Brussels  A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation, a spokesperson said Monday. The plane landed safely in Plovdiv airport and von der Leyen will continue her planned tour of the European Union's nations bordering Russia and Belarus, said the commission's spokesperson Arianna Podesta.



"We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming," Podesta said in a statement also shared separately with CBS News by a European Commission spokesperson. "We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia."

The Financial Times newspaper, which was the first to report the incident citing EU officials, said the GPS jamming forced the pilot to land the plane carrying von der Leyen using paper maps.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (second from left), and Boyko Borissov (right), leader of GERB party, walk during the EU official's visit to Bulgarian state arms company VMZ-Sopot, in Sopot, Bulgaria, Aug. 31, 2025. / Credit: Bulgarian Government Press Office/Handout/REUTERS

Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of the EU nations bordering Russia and its close ally Belarus.



"This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the president is carrying out in the front-line member states," Podesta said.



She said that von der Leyen has seen "firsthand the everyday challenges of threats coming from Russia and its proxies."



"And, of course, the EU will continue to invest into defense spending and in Europe's readiness even more after this incident," she said.

/ Credit: CBS News

Bulgaria's government issued a statement saying "the satellite signal used for the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted. As the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport, the GPS signal was lost."



Von der Leyen told The Financial Times newspaper, in an interview published Sunday, that European nations had formulated "precise plans" for post-war troop deployments in Ukraine, should diplomatic efforts led by President Trump succeed in brokering a truce.

The EU chief told the newspaper that Mr. Trump had assured her there would be an "American presence" as a "backstop" to security guarantees offered to Ukraine as part of any eventual ceasefire, but she offered no details on what that might include.

President Trump has made it clear he will not deploy U.S. forces to Ukraine as part of any peace deal with Russia.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump said Monday he will award former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, two days after his longtime political ally was seriously injured in a car crash.

The decision places the award on a man once lauded for leading New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and later sanctioned by courts and disbarred for amplifying false claims about the 2020 election. Giuliani was also criminally charged in two states; he has denied wrongdoing.

Trump in a statement on social media called Giuliani the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.

For much of the past two decades, Giulianis public life has been defined by a striking rise and fall. After leading New York through the aftermath of Sept. 11, he mounted a brief campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and became one of the most recognizable political figures in the country. But as Trumps personal lawyer, he became a central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Courts repeatedly rejected the fraud claims he advanced, and two former Georgia election workers won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.

The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss, said Giuliani's efforts to promote Trumps lies about the election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.

Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington for repeatedly making false statements about the election, and he was criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona in connection with efforts to undo Trumps loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized after the Saturday night collision in New Hampshire. State police said he was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when the vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V. Giuliani suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra along with multiple lacerations, contusions and injuries to his left arm and leg, according to his security chief, Michael Ragusa. On Monday, Ragusa said Giuliani remained in the hospital but was expected to be released soon.

The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public endeavors.
Earlier this year, TikToker Kathryn Jones began a quest to visit every exhibit at the Smithsonian museums and read every plaque. (Justine Goode / NBC News; Getty Images)

Pausing next to a hulking steam locomotive at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History on Friday, Kathryn Jones bent down to look at a tiny silk slipper.

Ive never seen one in person. Its so small, she said, pointing at the shoe once worn by a Chinese immigrant with bound feet. Thats why I love museums. It takes those facts and solidifies it.

The recording of a trail whistle hooted in the background, bringing to life the 1887 Jupiter steam engine that hauled fruit picked by immigrants in Watsonville, California.

The immersion, the sounds, the small little touches that suck you in. Im a sucker for small objects, she said as she walked through America on the Move, her 100th Smithsonian exhibit this year.

In January, Jones began a quest to visit every exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C., and read every plaque. During the past eight months, she has visited 100 exhibits at 13 museums, meticulously logging her time on detailed spreadsheets. According to her records, thats 73 hours inside the museums and almost 51 total hours reading signs.

She traverses each exhibit twice, first reading every description and watching every video, then looking at the exhibit again and filming video for her TikTok account.

Kathryn Jones visits the "America on the Move" exhibit at the National Museum of American History Behring Center. (Fiona Glisson / NBC News)

My goal for that is almost to kind of provide a marketing sizzle reel for the exhibit, she said. A priority of mine is getting people in museums, getting people curious, reminding people that learning is fun as well as hopefully right, breaking down the stigma that museums and galleries are stuffy and exclusive and people cant come.

Jones paused to take in historic footage of a streetcar passing the White House. This is what I love to see, D.C. streets which I recognize, she said. Look how close to the White House they are with a streetcar.

She added, People on roller skates! I did not expect that. A tour! This is so cool.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2019. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP file)

This year, Jones found herself at a professional crossroads after leaving her job as a vice president of marketing.

I called it my grown-up gap year, she said. There were so many aspects of what I was doing that I loved, but I was just kind of burnt out and felt adrift. So, I took the year off with the intention to figure out what brought me joy in life, what I wanted to do.

Making videos about the Smithsonian, she discovered a passion for content creation, which she intends to continue after filming her last Smithsonian exhibition.

I tried, I think, three times and failed before I did my first exhibit. I went to a museum with the intention to read everything, and was either too anxious to do it, embarrassed to be filming in public, she said. Im really proud of myself for the strides that Ive made in my ability to focus, my confidence in myself.

As Jones has built her channel, the Smithsonian has found itself under increased scrutiny. Last month, the Trump administration informed Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch that it would begin a systematic review to remove divisive or partisan narratives in advance of the nations 250th anniversary.

A week later, President Donald Trump took aim at the Smithsonian on Truth Social.

The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been  Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future, he wrote. We are not going to allow this to happen.

The first phase of the review will focus on eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Portrait Gallery.

In an interview with Fox News, Lindsey Halligan, one of the White House officials who signed the administrations Aug. 12 letter to the Smithsonian, addressed the review.

The fact that  our country was involved in slavery is awful  no one thinks otherwise, she said. But what I saw when I was going through the museums, personally, was an overemphasis on slavery, and I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far weve come since slavery.

A display featuring former slave Clara Brown at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The Smithsonian Institution was in the administrations crosshairs prior to last months review announcement. In March, Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, which directed the institution to prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.

In April, an exhibit by African LGBTQ artists was abruptly postponed by the Smithsonians National Museum of African Art. The following month, NBC News documented more than 30 artifacts that were removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And in July, artist Amy Sherald canceled an upcoming show at the National Portrait Gallery after she said curators expressed concerns about a painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty.

It became clear during my exchanges with the gallery how quickly curatorial independence collapses when politics enters the room, she wrote on MSNBC.com. Museums are not stages for loyalty. They are civic laboratories. They are places where we wrestle with contradictions, encounter the unfamiliar and widen our circle of empathy. But only if they remain free.

This is not the first time that the Smithsonian has found itself in the crossfire of a culture war. In 2010, the institution withdrew part of an exhibition called Hide/Seek featuring works by LGBTQ artists after sustained outcry by then-House Speaker John Boehner and Catholic organizations.

The institution was also roiled by a debate over a National Air and Space Museum exhibit of the Enola Gay aircraft, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. Critics derided plans to include Japanese perspectives and information about the effects of nuclear warfare as an example of politically correct curating.

The Smithsonian has faced crisis moments in the past  but the crisis moments have never come from a direct political assault, certainly not at the hands of the executive, said Dr. Sam Redman, director of the public history program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I know we use the word unprecedented a lot in this era, but this is truly unprecedented in terms of thinking about the Smithsonian.

Kathryn Jones reads a plaque about Charlotte Hawkins Brown, an author, educator, and civil rights activist. (Fiona Glisson / NBC News)

Some museum scholars dispute the Trump administrations claims that the Smithsonian overemphasizes narratives by Black and LGBTQ artists.

We all know that museums are historically and culturally extremely conservative, and that theres a striking lack of exhibitions devoted to women artists, or womens history or Black artists or LGBTQ, said Lisa Strong, director of the art and museum studies masters program at Georgetown University. Museums know this and have been working, working to fix this.

A 2022 report by journalists Julia Halperin and Charlotte Burns for Artnet found 14.9% of exhibits at 31 major U.S. museums, including the National Portrait Gallery, between 2008 and 2020 were of work by female-identifying artists, and 6.3 % were of work by Black American artists.

Related stories:

Jones said her priority on her TikTok channel is encouraging people to visit the Smithsonian museums and local museums that document history.

Hearing those stories of people that have suffered before, problems that we face, thats honestly why I kind of started doing this challenge, she said. Because when we read these stories and see things, the more we know, the better we can empathize with other people, because we have other experiences to pull from.

She sat in the arched alcove of a railroad waiting room to listen to the story of Charlotte Hawkins Brown, who traveled to the Jim Crow South on racially segregated railroad cars during the 1920s.

She talks about how someone said to her, This is Gods country. You cant sit there, Jones said.

Hearing those stories, I do think its important to confront those things, because that led to where we are now, she said. People are affected by that. Some people will carry the scars of that.
Labor unions and community activists gathered for mass protests on Labor Day, the latest in a series of demonstrations against the Trump administration.

On a holiday set aside to recognize and honor the contributions of American workers, hundreds and sometimes thousands turned out in rallies and political protests across the country on Sept. 1, aiming to demonstrate the power of the working class.

Large crowds turned out at rallies and marches in major cities including Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York. More than a thousand "Workers Over Billionaires themed events were planned nationwide.

The protests drew mostly modest crowds in smaller cities around the country, from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Several of the involved organizations also helped set up the other large-scale protests of the summer, including No Kings Day in June and Good Trouble Lives On in July.

Event organizers declined to provide official estimates of the number of people attending the Labor Day protests across the country.

Colorful, handmade signs ran the gamut, featuring slogans criticizing the nation's billionaires, supporting scientific research and advocating for due process and other constitutional rights.

The rallies are part of an effort to keep the momentum going from other mass demonstrations and keep pressure not only on President Donald Trump, organizers say, but also the billionaires who support or benefit from his administration.

Its important to show that there is opposition to the Trump-billionaire agenda in every community big and small, its not just cities that are united against whats happening its all towns, its small towns that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Action Center on Race and the Economy, told USA TODAY. Its very important to show the opposition is there in all these places."

Hundreds gather outside Trump Tower in Manhattan

Across the street from the Trump Tower in New York, several hundred protesters gathered on 5th Ave. Demonstrators occupied a sidewalk, handing out chicken tacos. Chants, including "New York is a working town," were led by organizers and a brass band.

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said in a Sept 1. statement to USA TODAY that No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump."

Trump has "championed an agenda that always puts them first  from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country."

Thousands participate in Workers Over Billionaires protests around the country Nick Idler of Lehigh waves an upside down American flag while taking part in the Workers over Billionaires Labor Day protest at the corner of Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41 in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.

Rally in Detroit

Thousands of sheet metal workers, police lieutenants, health care workers, teachers, auto material handlers and more turned out with their family members to march a mile in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. They pulled numerous wagons with sleepy looking toddlers, double strollers and tiny tennis shoes.

Several local elected officials or people running for public office were spotted marching in support with tradesmen and demonstrators in the area. But they had been asked in advance to keep the focus on the marching workers and not to take the microphone, said Byron Osbern, a business agent and organizer with IBEW Local 58.

UAW Local 140 members Stacey Pleasant, 54, of Roseville and Hanifah Cannon, 50, of Detroit dance during the Labor Day parade on Michigan Avenue in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.

Large crowds gather in Tallahassee

Organizations across Tallahassee, Florida, held a Workers Over Billionaires, protest to demand just wages, benefits and appreciation for workers across the state's Big Bend. The protest took place on the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol Museum.

The Tallahassee event, hosted by a local AFL-CIO chapter, brought large crowds to Floridas capital city, including politicians, unions and others supporting the mission.

As we celebrate labor today  our workers  we celebrate each and every person who rolls up their sleeves and digs in to make this country great, Leon Classroom Teachers Association member Shari Gewanter said to the crowd.

Demostrators throughout the event held signs in support of workers' rights and against Trump, with messages similar to those of the No Kings protests from June. As cars passed the demonstration, some stopped and honked their horns in solidarity with the crowd.

Floridians turn out around the state

Protests also took place in several other Florida locations, including Fort Myers, Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach.

Hes (President Trump) just dismantling our democracy, one institution at a time," Vero Beach resident Pat Holland alleged at one protest. Every time we have a demonstration, I hope that it gets bigger because people are not putting up with it.

A rally in Daytona Beach drew 200 - 300 people, estimated Kelly Czajkowski, event organizer and president of "Just Us Volusia." The issue is not about "right versus left," Czajkowski said. "It's top versus bottom. ... The money is at the top, and basic things that workers need are not being met."

Boston kicks off first-ever Labor Day Parade

Organizers in Boston kicked off the city's first-ever Labor Day Parade with a rally in front of the State House, leading the crowd in chants of "union power." The event, which Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey attended, was followed by a march to City Hall Plaza along a "powerful route that honors the victories of the past."

Boston is one of almost 30 towns in Massachusetts, including on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, that planned to hold Labor Day protests against Trump's administration.

Chicago mayor joins Labor Day rally

Meanwhile in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson joined demonstrators for a Labor Day rally and march that started at the city's Haymarket Memorial. A speaker told the crowd the march would take the group to Target, a Tesla dealership and Valor Equity Partners, which was founded by Antonio Gracias, a former high-ranking DOGE volunteer.

Elsewhere in Chicago, groups including the Chicago Teachers Union and Service Employees International Union gathered at Heritage Green Park for a rally opposing Trumps threats to send federal agents to the city, The TRiiBE reported.

Rally at South Carolina State House

Demonstrators also gathered in front of the South Carolina State House ahead of a Sept. 1 march, according to a livestream of the event captured by local media. A demonstrator dressed in what appeared to be an orange prison jumpsuit, shackles and a mask made to look like Sen. Lindsey Graham, briefly appeared on stage alongside speakers including faith leaders and organizers eliciting boos from the crowd.

Demonstrations were planned in at least 10 South Carolina cities, including Greenville where groups gathered in the city's Unity Park from noon to 2 p.m.

Local groups, including 50501 SC, the Greenville Progressive Coalition, and Indivisible Upstate SC, were also organizing "Bridge the Gap Upstate" on Labor Day. That's a coordinated action to drop banners and signs from highway overpass bridges across the state while many travel the roads for the long weekend, according to an event flyer.

Barbecues

Several of the events were designed to incorporate families and show off what unions do. Some were festivals and parades rather than marches and rallies, though hundreds of those were scheduled as well.

Organized Power In Numbers Executive Director Neidi Dominguez told USA TODAY that organizers wanted to do something that clearly says were in a different moment right now and out communities are hurting and we have to be turning out and showing up for each other in this moment more than ever.

Organizers in Madison, Wisconsin, were hosting Labor Fest 2025 on Madison Labor Temple grounds, featuring live music, food trucks and childrens events, as well as a collection drive for homeless students.

In Shoreline, Washington, organizers touted sign-waving and a march, as well as a Back-to-School Drive to collect supplies for local students.

Nick Idler of Lehigh waves an upside down American flag while taking part in the Workers over Billionaires Labor Day protest at the corner of Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41 in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.

Billionaires

Some of the protests and rallies were planned to target particular corporate actors that are really helping drive the authoritarian agenda, Bhatti claimed.

That includes people and companies that donated to Trumps political action committees, those who worked for Elon Musk's Department Of Government Efficiency or who have financially benefited from moves by the Trump administration. Some planned events included marches or rallies outside their homes.

Contributing: Seth Harrison, USA TODAY; Laura Gersony, Arizona Republic; Bella Carpentier, Greenville News; Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press; Michaela Galligan and Margie Cullen, USA TODAY NETWORK; Sheldon Gardner, Kaila Jones and Gianna Montesano, USA TODAY Network Florida; and Angela George, USA TODAY Network South Dakota.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, billionaires the target of mass protests on Labor Day
Getty Princess Diana in the "revenge dress" on June 29, 1994

The Gist

Princess Dianas revenge dress wasn't just iconic for the Princess of Walesit has gone down in history as one of the most well-known statement looks of all time.

Diana wore the little black dress by Greek designer Christina Stambolian on June 29, 1994, to a gala hosted by Vanity Fair at Londons Serpentine Gallery.

Diana attended the event the same evening that her estranged husband, Prince Charles, confessed to the world that he had been unfaithful to Diana in their marriage.

In the extensive pantheon of Princess Diana's iconic looks, her revenge dress is a standout among standouts. Worn to a Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery in London on June 29, 1994 when she was 32 years old, the Princess of Wales chose this little black dress for a very big reason: as a method of stealing the next day's front page from her estranged husband, Prince Charles, who was on national television that same night admitting that he'd cheated on her with Camilla Parker Bowles (whom he ultimately married in 2005 and is now Queen Camilla).

"Diana was known for wearing pieces that would wow," royal fashion commentator Elizabeth Holmes told Town & Country. "She knew how a show-stopping piece could feel to wearand watch. The revenge dress was both thrilling for royal fans and all but guaranteed her place in the newspaper, where space was finite. Embracing fashion-forward styles helped her get that spot on the front page time and time again."

Getty Princess Diana in her revenge dress on June 29, 1994

Sure enough, the next day, Diana stole the headlines from Charles. The Suns headline screamed, for example, "The Thrilla He Left to Woo Camilla," her appearance in her fitted Christina Stambolian dress leaving the world to wonder, quite frankly, "What was he thinking?"

Royal women have long been masterful at saying so much through their clothing without saying a single wordand Diana's revenge dress is one of the best examples of this of all time.

Getty Princess Diana's revenge dress by Christina Stambolian

Diana commissioned the dress three years prior, but had been "waiting for the right occasion" to wear it.

The black off-the-shoulder dress was originally commissioned by Diana in 1991a full three years earlier. It featured an asymmetrical hemline and a chiffon train, a sharp contrast to the white dress she worealso with a remarkable train, that one 25 feet in length13 years prior to marry Prince Charles on July 29, 1981 at St. Pauls Cathedral.

Royals typically only wore black when in mourning; the unspoken symbolism was that Diana was mourning the death of her marriage. After years of rumored adulteryon both sides, to be fairand contention, the couple separated in 1992 and theyd eventually finalize their divorce in 1996. But on that night in 1994, Diana wore her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, paired with a multi-strand pearl and sapphire choker that had once been given to Diana as a wedding present (and that she'd also famously worn to dance with John Travolta at the White House in 1985).

Getty Princess Diana arriving at the Serpentine Gallery in London

The revenge dress, as it has become known, was not actually Diana's first choice that evening. She originally intended to wear a Valentino gown, but after that look was leaked to the press, she changed course and turned to the statement little black dress she'd had in her closet for three years, after visiting Stambolian's boutique in 1991. "I want a special dress for a special occasion," Diana told Stambolian, per Town & Country. "It doesn't matter if it is short or long. It has to be something special."

"Three years went by and she hadn't worn it," Stambolian said in Claudia Joseph's 2022 book Diana: A Life in Dresses (via People). "Then I realized she had been waiting for the right occasion."

Getty Princess Diana walking into the Serpentine Gallery

She wore the dress the same night Prince Charles confessed he had been unfaithful on national TV.

The right occasion was the evening that Charles confessed to ITV presenter Jonathan Dimbleby that he had been unfaithful to Diana in their marriagea startling admission for a future king to make. The Prince of Wales said in the interview that he had remained faithful to Diana in their marriage "until it became irretrievably broken down."

"It is a deeply regrettable thing to happen, but it does happen, and unfortunately, in this case, it has happened," Charles said at the time, as reported by The New York Times.

Diana had a choiceshe could either stay home, or go to the Vanity Fair party she'd been invited to. She didn't just attend the galashe stunned.

Getty Princess Diana

"The revenge dress was a triumph for Diana," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Readers Digest. "She told the world in the most dramatic way what she felt, and she instantly won peoples sympathies. Charles didn't understand PR. The only thing people remembered from that interview was that he admitted adultery. For him, it was a public relations catastrophe."

"The main focus was on the mistake that Charles made, and that's what the dress stood and stands for," he added. "Without Charles admitting adultery on the same day Diana wore this outfit, we wouldn't be talking about it stillbecause Diana probably wouldn't have worn this particular dress in the first place."

"Diana clearly stole the show that day," he added. It was on this day that Diana officially shifted into being more Diana, and less of a royal.

Getty Princess Diana in the "revenge dress"

She was initially apprehensive about her outfit choice that evening.

In his 2003 memoir A Royal Duty, Diana's butler Paul Burrell wrote that Diana "prepared for the engagement wracked with nerves, half of her mind on the documentary, the other half on whether her chosen dress was suitable," per Newsweek.

After considering her options of what to wear that June night, Burrell wrote that the Christina Stambolian dress caught her eye: "You dont think its too much?" Diana reportedly asked him. Then, once she decided upon it, she said, "Here goes then, Paul."

In a documentary called Secrets of the Royal Dressmakers, Burrell later said that Diana was waffling on whether she could face the cameras knowing what Charles was going to confess to. "She said, 'I can't go, I can't face the world knowing what Charles has just said,'" Burrell said, noting that she added, "And anyway, I havent got anything to wear."

Getty Princess Diana on June 29, 1994

Once the little black dress was chosen, "She slipped into it, I zipped her up, and she looked like a million dollars," he added.

She wore symbolic jewelry alongside her revenge dress, including an engagement present.

"As she got out of the car, it was impossible not to gasp," said Julia Peyton-Jones, the former director of the Serpentine Gallery (via Hello!). "Diana was one of the most famous and beautiful women in the worldit was as if she'd come down to earth from another planet. She looked sensational in her off-the-shoulder, low-cut garment, and we all felt drab and old-fashioned in comparison."

Getty Princess Diana

Diana had sent her RSVP to the gala a week ahead of the event, as previews of Charles's ITV interview made it clear what he would be revealing. In addition to the pearl and sapphire chokerthe necklace was made from a brooch that the Queen Mother had given Diana upon marrying CharlesDiana also wore Manolo Blahnik heels, carried a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch, and wore black tights and her Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings, which her daughter-in-law Kate Middleton often wears today. The earrings were an engagement present to Diana; the symbolism is hard to ignore.

Diana also wore a diamond and sapphire bracelet, which Hello! reported was thought to have been a gift from the Emir of Qatar.

Getty Princess Diana on June 29, 1994

The revenge dress is owned by a Scottish collector today.

In 1997, before her death that same year, Diana put the revenge dress up for auction along with other items from her wardrobe. The dress sold for $74,000 to Scottish collector Graeme Mackenzie, who still owns the dress today, reportedly keeping it safe in a bank vault. The dress occasionally comes out of the bank vault and goes into an exhibition, like in 2017, when the dress went on display at Ireland's Museum of Style Icons as part of the "Diana: A Fashion Legacy" exhibition honoring the 20th anniversary of Dianas death in a Paris car crash at just 36 years old.

Elizabeth Debickiwho played Diana in seasons five and six of Netflix's The Crownwore a replica of Diana's revenge dress, which was later auctioned off in 2024 along with more than 400 props from the show, People reported. In late 2024, Diana's twin nieces Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer wore dresses to the British Fashion Awards in London that paid subtle but clear homage to the dress their aunt wore 30 years prior.

Getty Amelia Spencer and Eliza Spencer on December 2, 2024

The revenge dress was worn for one night, but it represented a shift in Diana as a woman and in her fashion: what one might call her revenge dress era, which lasted for the remainder of her far-too-short life.

"We really got to witness her journey to becoming this confident, no-nonsense woman with the wardrobe to match," Eloise Moran, author of Lady Di Lookbook: What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us Through Her Clothes, told Town & Country. "She had her revenge stapleslike the designer handbags that acted as her armorand then there were the higher heels and shorter hemlines."

"She just wanted to be a modern woman, and you can see that through her choices of designers and the silhouettes she wore," Moran said of looks that came after the revenge dress in 1994.

Read the original article on InStyle
By Simon Jessop and Marc Jones

LONDON (Reuters) -Degraded land, polluted air and water stress pose a direct global economic threat but using natural resources more efficiently could cut pollution by half, one of the World Bank's senior managing directors told Reuters.

The damage is particularly acute for low-income countries most at threat from poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss, Axel van Trotsenburg said.

Speaking alongside the publication of a new report on Monday, he said around 80% of people in low-income nations were exposed to all three and the World Bank was committed to responding even as many countries cut aid budgets.

"Our commitment... is ending poverty on a liveable planet, full stop. We will not waver on this," van Trotsenburg said.

Among the most impacted countries are Burundi, where 8 million people face water risk and air pollution, and 7 million face land degradation. In Malawi, 12 million people face all three risks, the report said.

More broadly, 90% of the world's population face at least one of the challenges, with the report urging countries to repurpose subsidies currently spent on harmful activities.

The report is published against a fractious political backdrop ahead of November's COP30 climate talks in Brazil. The World Bank and other multilateral lenders are also awaiting the outcome of a U.S. review of their operations ordered by President Donald Trump in February.

The World Bank would provide data-backed evidence to inform discussions on environmental degradation among its member governments, van Trotsenburg said.

The report estimated that forests help around half of the world's rain clouds form and said deforestation cut rainfall at a cost of $14 billion a year for the nine-country Amazon region alone, a material hit for the affected nations.

It also means landscapes are less able to store and release moisture slowly over time. That amplifies the effects of droughts and results in a $379 billion hit, or 8% of global agricultural economic output.

While ecological threats were often seen as being distant, the report zeroed in on economic impacts happening now.

"We've often had this mantra that we believed countries need to grow first, pollute and clean up later. What this evidence is telling you is that is simply false," the bank's chief economist for sustainable development and report co-author, Richard Damania, said.

(Editing by Ros Russell)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a welcoming ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China on August 31, 2025. - Sergei Bobylyov/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a veiled swipe at the United States on Monday as he criticized bullying practices and cast his country as a new leader of world governance, at a time when President Donald Trumps America First foreign policy is upending the globe.

The house rules of a few countries should not be imposed on others, Xi told more than 20 world leaders gathering at a two-day summit orchestrated to play-up Chinas global leadership and its close and enduring partnership with Russia, as the two neighbors seek to rebalance global power in their favor at the expense of the US and its allies.

The meeting of the Beijing- and Moscow- backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the northern port city of Tianjin is Chinas biggest diplomatic event of the year, drawing political heavyweights including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the summit, Xi pledged 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in grants to SCO member states this year, and an additional 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in loans to an SCO banking consortium over the next three years.

We should leverage the strength of our mega-sized markets and economic complementarity between member states and improve trade and investment facilitation, the Chinese leader told his guests during opening remarks.

Later in the day, Xi unveiled a brand new Global Governance Initiative, a sequel to his three earlier initiatives on security, development and civilization that together serve as a loose outline for his vision of a reshaped international order.

I look forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system, Xi said, pledging to increase the representation and voice of developing countries and practice multilateralism  echoing longstanding calls from the Global South.

We should continue to dismantle walls, not erect them; seek integration, not decoupling, he added.

Xis vision pushes back against what Beijing sees as the foundations of a US-led world order, opposing alliances like NATO  which in his view exist to enforce the Wests rules-based system  and calling into question the concept of universal human rights, while seeking to reshape power at the United Nations and other bodies it sees as unfairly dominated by the West.

Without naming the United States directly, Xi vowed to oppose hegemonism, Cold War mentality and bullying practices  phrases often deployed by Beijing to criticize Washington.

As Trump alarms nations with his global trade war, withdrawals from international organizations, slashing of foreign aid and threats on social media, Beijing views the US as undermining the international order it worked to build  and sees an opportunity to ramp its own vision as an alternative.

We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar of the world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization and make the global governance system more just and equitable, Xi said in his opening remarks.

Echoing Xis remarks, Putin said the SCO laid the groundwork for a new system of security in Eurasia, positioning it as an alternative to Western-led alliances that he has long railed against.

The new system would replace the outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, take into account the interests of the broadest possible range of countries, be truly balanced, and would not allow attempts by some states to ensure their security at the expense of others, Putin said.

Close rapport

The summit is a showcase for closer ties between China and Russia, as well as the friendship struck up over the years by their two autocratic leaders.

The deep personal rapport between the two men was on show Sunday evening, when Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a welcome banquet for attending leaders.

Footage released by Russian state news agency RIA showed Xi and Putin gesturing animatedly and smiling as they chatted at the event, showing a different side of the typically restrained Chinese leader  and his warm and relaxed demeanor with his Russian counterpart.

The SCO summit is also the leaders first opportunity to meet since Putins summit with Trump in Alaska in August  and comes as Putin resists Western pressure to end his onslaught in Ukraine.

Just last week, Moscows forces carried out their second largest aerial attack to date on Ukraine.

On Monday, Putin used his speech at the SCO summit to reiterate his talking points on the war in Ukraine, saying the crisis did not arise as a result of Russias aggression against Ukraine, but rather as a consequence of a coup detat in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West.

Moscow launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after Russias troops previously seized the Crimea and swathes of eastern Ukraine.

The Russian leader praised efforts by China and India at facilitating the resolution of the crisis, and described the understanding reached with Trump at the Alaska meeting as opening the way to peace in Ukraine.

During the bilateral meetings scheduled for today and tomorrow, I will, of course, inform my colleagues in more detail and thoroughly about the results of the negotiations in Alaska, Putin said, adding that he had already informed Xi in detail during a lunch on Sunday.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian state media that Putin discussed Ukraine with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including Xi and Modi.

Ushakov downplayed the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, which was teased by Trump after he met the two leaders last month.

Everyone is talking about a trilateral meeting, (or) about a meeting between Putin and Zelensky  But, as far as I know, there was no specific agreement between Putin and Trump about this, Ushakov told Russian state media journalist Pavel Zarubin on Monday.

Observers said the Russian leader would have used the gathering to show that hes not alone on the global stage.

(Putin) will seek to frame Russias resilience and Chinas backing as evidence that Western sanctions and isolation have not worked, Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said ahead of the gathering.

At the same time, he will try to deepen strategic alignment with Beijing, in particular to ensure Chinese supply of dual-use goods and equipment to Russia (and) to show that Moscow has strong partners even as Washington ramps up its push to end the war.

Ukraine war looms over summit

China has emerged as a key pillar of diplomatic and economic support for Putins regime since the early days of the Ukraine invasion, even as it claims neutrality in the conflict.

Chinese firms have bought up swaths of discounted Russian oil and provided it with critical trade, including dual use goods that Western leaders say have powered Russias defense industrial base. Beijing defends its normal trade with Russia.

Trump earlier this summer threatened to take aim at that partnership, saying China could face major tariffs on its goods if it continued to purchase fuel from Russia as it wages war.

But even as the US imposed such penalties on India last week, it has so far slow-rolled that threat as it seeks a broader trade agreement with Beijing.

White House senior counselor for trade Peter Navarro said Monday that the show of unity between Russia, China and India is troublesome.

Its time for the Modi to step up. I have great respect Modi. I love the Indian people, Navarro told reporters at the White House on Monday. It was a shame to see Modi getting in bed, as the leader of the biggest democracy in the world, with the two biggest authoritarian dictators in the world, in Putin and Xi Jinping. That doesnt make any sense.

Trumps whopping 50% tariff on India has soured ties with Modi  and accelerated a nascent and cautious rapprochement between New Delhi and Beijing.

The Indian leader met with Xi on Sunday in his first trip to China in seven years, as both countries face stiff US tariffs and Western scrutiny over their relationships with Russia.

On Monday, Modi highlighted his ties with both his host and the Russian leader at the SCO summit, embracing Putin before the two walked over hand in hand to greet Xi. The three leaders then shared a conversation marked by smiles and laughter.

Modi and Putin also held a nearly hour-long private meeting in the Russian presidential limousine, the Aurus, while en route to their formal talks, according to Russian state media.

India and Russia have always stood shoulder to shoulder even in the most difficult times, Modi said at the start of the meeting. We have been in constant dialogue on the situation in Ukraine. We welcome all the recent efforts for peace.

A readout from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders discussed the latest developments concerning Ukraine. (Modi) reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement, the ministry said.

Observers say that Xi sees the gathering  and a massive military parade that hell host on Wednesday in Beijing, expected to be attended by Putin, North Koreas Kim Jong Un as well as some two dozen other leaders  as a critically timed diplomatic push.

Chinese officials touted this years SCO as the largest yet, saying ahead of the event that 20 leaders from across Asia and the Middle East would join. In addition to Russia, China and India, SCO members include Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

CNNs Kit Maher and Darya Tarasova contributed reporting.

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Samantha Womack is open to exploring how she could return to EastEnders.

Former EastEnders star Samantha Womack

The 52-year-old actress' alter ego Ronnie Mitchell died on her wedding day to Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) in the 2017 New Year's Day episode of the hit BBC One soap, after she jumped into a swimming pool to save her drunk sister Roxy (Rita Simons) from getting into trouble, but Ronnie's dress weighed her down and the pair met their untimely deaths by drowning together.

After the sisters' funerals aired, fans have begged EastEnders' bosses for Ronnie and Roxy to return from the dead - just like how Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) returned to Walford in 2015 after she faked her death as part of an insurance scam - and it appears Samantha backs the idea.

EastEnders fan and Love Island star Amy Hart, 33, interviewed the actress on the latest episode of her Mum's Club podcast, and she asked Samantha: "Is it flattering that everyone is willing to let the plot go to the side? We've seen Ronnie in her coffin, but they're willing to let that go?"

Samantha simply responded: "I am."

The star - who now lives in Spain - left EastEnders in 2017, and she is still "amazed" that people yell "Ronnie" to her when she is back in the UK.

Samantha - who has son Benjamin, 24, and daughter Lili-Rose, 20, with her ex-husband, 64-year-old actor Mark Womack - said: "Lili and I were on South Bank yesterday.

"There was a guy, I'm always amazed - I still get stopped probably about eight, nine times a day when I'm here in the UK.

"Not just with someone like grabbing me, you know, just like, 'Ronnie!'

"There was a guy on the South Bank yesterday, he was on one of those Lime bikes, and he's screeched to a stop, and he got his earphones, and he's like, 'Oh, my God, Ronnie. I can't believe it, you're my favourite character ever. Oh man, they've got to bring you back, they've got to.'

"And he's got have been like 19, 20. I was like, 'Hey, when were you watching it? Because you must have been [young]."
AFGHANISTAN

Kunar authorities report that an earthquake last night killed over 600 people and injured at least 1,500 in the districts of Nurgal, Sawkay, Watapur, Manogi and Chapa Dara. Several villages in Nurgal were buried under the ground and it is estimated that hundreds of people may still be trapped. The main tremor had a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale, followed by two tremors measuring 5.2 and 4.7. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) identified the city of Jalalabad as the epicentre.

CHINA - RUSSIA - INDIA

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tianjin yesterday for the 25th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The two leaders are participating alongside some twenty other heads of state and government in the event, which demonstrates China's ambition to make Eurasia the engine of a new multilateral order. Yesterday also saw the eagerly awaited bilateral meeting between Xi and the Indian Prime Minister, who, thanks to the rapprochement accelerated by Trump's tariffs, returned to China after seven years of tension. The two leaders expressed their hope that the two countries would be partners and not leaders, not allowing unresolved border issues to define relations.

INDONESIA

Indonesian students and activists have cancelled protests planned for today due to heightened security measures following deadly riots over the weekend. The demonstrations began in Jakarta after a police vehicle ran over and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday evening. Anger is growing over MPs' salaries and the police response. President Prabowo Subianto said political parties had agreed to reduce MPs' benefits in an attempt to quell the protests, in which at least five people died.

ISRAEL - GAZA - YEMEN

Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza City with plans to take control of the Strip's largest urban centre, forcibly displacing about one million Palestinians to the south. Seventy-eight people died yesterday alone across the enclave, including dozens searching for food. Yesterday, Israel declared that Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida was killed on Saturday in an air raid, as was the prime minister of the Houthi government of Yemen in the capital Sanaa. Meanwhile, yesterday saw the departure of the Global Sumud Flotilla: over 50 ships headed for Gaza to challenge the humanitarian aid blockade imposed by Israel.

PAKISTAN

The eastern province of Punjab in Pakistan is facing the worst flooding in its history, with river levels reaching record highs. Global warming is believed to have exacerbated this year's monsoon rains in Pakistan. Torrential rains and storms have caused flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions. The flood has affected 2 million people. This is the first time that the three rivers - Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi - have carried such high water levels, the province's senior minister, Maryam Aurangzeb, said on Sunday.

KAZAKHSTAN

The crisis in one of Kazakhstan's crucial agricultural sectors, cotton cultivation, continues, with production falling by more than half in the last two years, hitting the export balance hard. There are several causes for this, including climatic anomalies, a shortage of specialists, rising electricity prices and poor access to credit for farmers to modernise their techniques.

GEORGIA

The former president of Georgia, Salome Zurabisvili, has appealed to opposition groups to the illegitimate Georgian Dream regime, calling on them not to participate in the upcoming local elections, stating that we are moving increasingly towards the Russian scenario, and we must not indulge in this game, but without managing to convince them.
by Joseph Masilamany

Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of Merdeka, Independence Day, a time to assert a patriotic spirit that contrasts with a reality marked by discontent. Protests against the prime minister are mounting over the rising cost of living, declining opportunities, and lack of reform. Without quick results, people will keep going to the streets, expert tells AsiaNews.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews)  The promises of freedom have remained unfulfilled. In this spirit, Malaysians celebrated the 68th anniversary of Independence (Merdeka) Day yesterday, with the national flag (Jalur Gemilang) flying high to mark the end of British colonial rule in 1957 and the birth of the federation in 1963.

The display of patriotic spirit contrasts with the reality and promises of freedom that, for many, are still unfulfilled or incomplete. The recent protest march under the slogan "Turun Anwar" (Anwar resign!) reflected this discontent, with people loudly calling on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to quit.

This dissatisfaction is not limited to the head of government, but is a consequence of the rising cost of living, the decline in opportunities, and the sense that the reformist hopes associated with the government are fading.

We were told Anwar would be different, that he would fight for ordinary people, said Angela Nathan, a 21-year-old university student who joined the rally. However, things are becoming increasingly difficult, not easier. My friends and I worry about jobs, about whether we can even afford to stay in Malaysia after we graduate.

These feelings reflect deep wounds that have never fully healed. Corruption scandals continue to undermine trust in institutions. Race and religion remain deeply politicised fault lines, often exploited to divert attention from structural problems.

Pressures arising from the cost of living are felt more acutely due to stagnant wages, and younger generations, less patient than their parents, demand concrete results, not rhetoric.

A street food seller in Kampung Baru, Abdullah Bahrain, summed it up more bluntly: Politicians promise the sky, but we still struggle every day. When my suppliers raise prices, I either lose customers or make no profit. We cant be sustained on promises alone.

Malaysia's journey since independence has often been marked by contrasts. The country boasts gleaming skyscrapers, world-class infrastructure, and a reputation as a moderate, multifaith society.

Yet beneath the surface, inequality continues to grow. While elites grow rich, rural and indigenous communities remain backward and marginalised, with limited access to quality education, basic healthcare, and economic opportunities.

Against this backdrop, Anwar Ibrahim finds himself in a precarious position. Long hailed as a reformist icon who endured prison and persecution, he now holds the mantle of leadership many thought he would never achieve.

However, the expectations that accompanied him  cleaning up the political class, restoration of confidence, and economic revival  have clashed with the chaotic reality of a politics anchored in ruling coalitions and entrenched and consolidated interests.

He has inherited decades of rot. Even if he is sincere, the system is resistant to change, said a political analyst, speaking anonymously to AsiaNews.

Anwar's biggest challenge may be time. People expect quick fixes, but structural reforms take years, the expert explains. If he fails to deliver something tangible soon, public patience will snap, and his legitimacy will weaken.

This frustration explains why the "Turun Anwar" demonstration received such widespread attention. It wasn't so much a personal rejection of Anwar as a signal that Malaysians are no longer willing to wait indefinitely.

Independence Day celebrations accentuate this impatience, reminding people how far the country has come, but also how much further it still has to go. Angela, the student, remains cautiously optimistic despite her disillusionment.

Were not against Malaysia. We love our country. Thats why we protest, she said. We want Malaysia to fulfil its promise. But if leaders keep failing us, then we will have no choice but to keep going to the streets.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Faced with a wave of demonstrations marking the first real crisis of his government, the president has cancelled some of the controversial measures approved by parliament, but at the same time is crying conspiracy. The Bishops' Conference: Any policy or plan that burdens society and undermines justice should be reconsidered or cancelled. And the security forces should act as protectors of all.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the Indonesian armed forces and police to act firmly against anti-government protests that have also led to violence spreading across Java, Lombok and South Sulawesi. The unrest has already claimed several victims: one in Jakarta, another in Yogyakarta and three in Makassar, where protesters set fire to a local council building.

The demonstrations have also spread to Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya and Medan. In Lombok, another council building was set on fire, while in Surabaya protesters attacked the police headquarters.

Initially triggered by the revelation that MPs receive housing allowances almost ten times higher than the minimum wage in Jakarta, the protests have turned into a broader expression of public anger against inequality and government privileges. Prabowo has recognised the right of citizens to peaceful protest and has revoked some of the most controversial measures, including the disputed economic benefits.

But he also promised a crackdown on violence. The right to peaceful demonstration must be respected and protected. But there are clear signs of illegal acts - even acts that amount to treason and terrorism, he said last night in Jakarta. He also suggested that the unrest could resemble an attempt at a coup against the government.

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin described this statement as a general description and not a direct accusation.

Jakarta began to return to normal today, although many schools, universities and offices continued to operate remotely. Demonstrations planned for today were postponed to avoid repressive intervention, but the atmosphere remains tense.

Human rights groups have condemned Prabowo's statements. These statements show a lack of sensitivity to the legitimate demands of the people, said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia. The government should respond with comprehensive political reforms.

In response to the escalating unrest, TikTok has temporarily suspended its live streaming service in Indonesia, citing security concerns. Analysts say these protests represent the biggest challenge for Prabowo, less than a year after he took office.

The president has also cancelled his planned trip to China, where he was due to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjing at the invitation of Xi Jinping and the 3 September celebrations marking the 8th anniversary of the victory over Japan.

On the ground, frustration over economic difficulties and perceived government privileges is palpable, said Dedi Dinarto, senior associate at Global Counsel. If these deeper concerns are not addressed, the unrest is unlikely to subside.

In this context of high tension, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, issued a message inviting Indonesians to maintain social harmony and solidarity: "In these difficult times, I invite the faithful to remain clear-headed and steadfast, to strengthen social solidarity for the common good, and to take responsibility as citizens, as enshrined in the 1945 Constitution. Let us take care of Jakarta, let us take care of Indonesia. May Almighty God protect and bless our nation.

For its part, the Indonesian Bishops' Conference issued an official statement calling on state institutions to listen to the aspirations of the people," especially the vulnerable, the poor and the victims of injustice.

Any policy or plan that burdens society and undermines justice should be reconsidered or cancelled. They should demonstrate a genuine commitment to realising the ideals of independence through transparent, accountable and credible governance. They should ensure that the security forces act as protectors of all citizens, favouring humane approaches in handling mass protests.

The bishops conclude by saying that they will remain vigilant towards the executive, legislative and judicial powers to ensure that policies are just and serve the common good.
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation condemns last Aprils attack in Kashmir that sparked border fighting between India and Pakistan, but also terrorist attacks in Balochistan, which Islamabad blames on New Delhi. Modi, unlike his Pakistani counterpart Shahbaz Sharif, avoided expressing support for the Belt and Road Initiative. For China, despite tensions in South Asia, multilateralism remains the best option for building an anti-US bloc.

Tianjin (AsiaNews)  Despite the image of unity that the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) member states have sought to project abroad by presenting themselves as a united anti-Western bloc, relations between India and Pakistan remain a sticking point for China, which has staked a lot on this summit.

In its final statement, the SCO strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, citing both the Pahalgam attack on 22 April and the attacks carried out in Balochistan between March and May of this year, the first against the Jaffar Express train, the second in the city of Khuzdar.

This is a partial victory for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who accuses Pakistan of being directly responsible for the attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists.

In June of this year, India refused to sign the joint statement at the end of the SCO defence ministers summit in Qingdao, China, thus preventing its publication.

Indian Minister Rajnath Singh explained that the decision was due to the text's lack of a clear and shared position against cross-border terrorism, particularly that supported by Pakistan.

Similarly, Islamabad has long accused New Delhi of financing and supporting independence movements that carry out attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan province.

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, reiterated in his address that he had irrefutable evidence of involvement of some foreign hands in the recent attacks in Pakistan.

In May, tensions between the two South Asian countries escalated into open warfare, which ended following US intervention, despite Modi's repeated statements that there had been no third-party intervention.

The ceasefire was reportedly reached directly between the Indian and Pakistani armed forces, at Pakistan's request. Modi and Indian officials have stuck to this position on several occasions, including in response to US President Donald Trump's claims that he played a decisive role in mediating peace between the two countries.

Modi insisted that India does not and will never accept third-party mediation in its relations with Pakistan.

The subsequent imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports has pushed New Delhi to seek rapprochement with Beijing and attend the SCO summit, despite China's continued support for its ally Pakistan,

Since joining in 2017 along with Pakistan, India has been a source of frustration for China, repeatedly described by Chinese experts as an "internal cancer" for its opposition to Chinese initiatives.

At the same time, however, it is precisely in multilateral contexts that China hopes to build an anti-US bloc.

SCOs 10 member states, which include Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia, have also called for an end to "cross-border movements" by terrorist and separatist groups, condemning their use for "mercenary purposes."

The frosty atmosphere between Indian Prime Minister Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, who have avoided any type of interaction, has not gone unnoticed.

Sharif, as reported by Pakistans English-language newspaper Dawn, did not fail to launch a not-so-veiled jab at India for suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and carrying out missile attacks in May.

Pakistan has always believed in the power of multilateralism, dialogue and diplomacy, and shunning unilateralism. And yet, to our shock and deep disappointment, the region witnessed extremely disturbing developments during the last few months, Sharif said. Pakistan supports and respects the sovereignty and integrity of all SCO members and its neighbours, he added.

The final joint statement focuses on strengthening the Global South at a time when diplomatic and trade relations are characterised by a "chaotic and intertwine global situation." it goes on to say that member states oppose unilateral coercive measures, including those of an economic nature, a likely reference to US tariffs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who chaired the meeting of member heads of state, criticised bullying behavior in the global order in his opening remarks and called on leaders to adhere to fairness and justice while opposing a Cold War mentality.

India joined the other member states in condemning Israel's war on Gaza and the Israeli-US military attacks on Iran, but unlike other members, it did not reiterate its support for the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinas mega infrastructure project designed to connect China to the rest of the world.

In his opening speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to provide 2 billion yuan (about US$ 280 million) in grants to member states this year and another 10 billion yuan ((US$ 1.4 billion) in loans to SCO Interbank Consortium member banks over the next three years, also stressing the need to establish an intra-SCO development bank as soon as possible.

Pakistan, for its part, praised China for its regional economic co-operation initiatives. For us, the SCO is a platform that best represents Pakistans abiding commitment to regional co-operation and integration, said Sharif. Chinas successful tenure as chair of the SCO is reflective of President Xis sagacious and visionary leadership.

The Pakistani leader also stressed Chinas global leadership not only through the bloc but also in its landmark initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
In Jiangxi, where Matteo Ricci carried out his apostolate, Bishop Li Xuguang presided over the rite in the local cathedral before a large crowd of faithful. These ordinations join the 16 other performed in China since the start of the year, with two more scheduled in Beijing. These signs of hope come amid a drastic drop in vocations in recent years.

Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Three new priests were ordained last Friday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Nanchang, Jiangxi province. Fr Paul Liu Enbo, Fr Peter Pan Liang, and Fr Joseph Dong Liangshan took the orders in a ceremony led by Bishop Li Xuguang of Jiangxi.

According to Chinas new ecclesiastical geography, the diocese includes the historic archiepiscopal see of Nanchang (where Matteo Ricci carried out his apostolate) as well as the dioceses of Ganzhou, Ji'an, Nancheng, and Yujiang.

More than 60 priests, about 20 nuns, and more than 300 people, including relatives, friends, and other faithful attended the service, which now brings the number of priests in the diocesan clergy to 55.

During the celebration, Fr Pan Liang delivered a thanksgiving speech on behalf of the three newly ordained priests, expressing deep gratitude for God's calling and guidance, for the bishop's welcome and care, for the education received from the diocese over the years, for the encouragement and help of his fellow priests, and for the prayers and constant support of his parents, relatives, and friends.

He also extended heartfelt thanks to the priests, parishioners, and service staff who quietly worked to prepare this ceremony.

Fr Pan Liang and Fr Liu Enbo hail from Shanxi Province, while Fr Dong Lianshan was born in Hebei.

The ceremony in Nanchang is a sign of hope amid a sharp decline in the number of seminarians and priestly ordinations in China in recent years.

According to data gathered by the Chinese website Xinde and reported by Agenzia Fides, 16 priestly ordinations took place from 1 January to 30 June, four new nuns took their first vows while 22 other made their perpetual profession.

The Diocese of Beijing is scheduled to ordain two more priests on 19 September.
The United States, Russia and France co-headed the Minsk Group for over three decades, jointly drafting numerous plans to end the conflict. Although the group has been effectively moribund since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan has been pressing for its formal dissolution.

Armenia said until recently that this should happen simultaneously with the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. But in yet another concession to Baku, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian dropped this condition during his August 8 talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The talks resulted in the initialing, rather than the signing, of the draft treaty. The foreign ministers of the two South Caucasus states went on to jointly ask the OSCE to liquidate the group.

The OSCE announced on Monday that its 57 member states, including the U.S., Russia and France, have unanimously decided to close the Minsk process and related structures. The closure process will be completed by December 1, it said in a statement.

I would like to once again extend my warmest congratulations to Armenia and Azerbaijan on their historic agreements towards peace and normalization of relations and their resolute decision to start their prompt implementation, the OSCE chairperson-in-office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, was quoted by the statement as saying.

Karabakhs exiled leadership has tried in vain to prevent such an outcome. In a recent appeal to the OSCE member states, it said the Minsk Groups dissolution would legitimize the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh during the September 2023 offensive that restored Bakus full control over the region and forced its entire population to flee to Armenia.

The conflict cannot be deemed resolved while an entire population remains uprooted, deprived of its inalienable rights, read the appeal.

Artak Beglarian, a former Karabakh premier now based in Yerevan, said on Monday that the Karabakh Armenians will continue to assert their right to return to their homeland.

It does not mean that in the event of a change in the position of the Armenian authorities, a new international mechanism cannot be formed regarding Artsakh, Beglarian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Armenian opposition leaders insisted, meanwhile, that Pashinian again fulfilled an Azerbaijani demand without getting anything in return. Edmon Marukian, a former Pashinian ally leading the Bright Armenia party, said Yerevan not only restricted the rights of the Karabakh Armenians but also stripped itself of a bargaining chip in negotiations.

Even before the Washington talks, Pashinian dismissed calls for the Armenian government to champion the Karabakh Armenians right to safe repatriation in the international arena. He declared last month that the more than 120,000 Karabakh refugees should stop hoping to return to their homeland. They should instead settle down in Armenia and become its full-fledged citizens, he said.
Full text: Toast by Chinese President Xi Jinping at welcoming banquet of SCO Tianjin Summit

Xinhua) 08:40, September 01, 2025

TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Sunday hosted a banquet in China's port city of Tianjin to welcome international guests who are here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.

The following is the full text of Xi's toast at the banquet:

Toast by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

At the Welcoming Banquet of the SCO Summit

Tianjin, August 31, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Good evening. Tonight, we are gathered here by the glittering banks of the Haihe River in Tianjin, a city defined by its embrace of waters from all corners. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I welcome all our distinguished guests to Tianjin.

Today is a joyful day for leaders of SCO member states to have this happy gathering with old and new friends. It is also the Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan and the National Day of Malaysia. I wish to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt congratulations to President Sadyr Japarov, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the friendly peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia.

Tianjin is an open and inclusive metropolis. It has served as a strategic guardian city for our nation's capital throughout history, and pioneered China's reform and opening up as a pilot zone. In recent years, Tianjin has implemented the national strategy of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, and written its new and dynamic chapter in advancing Chinese modernization. We believe that as the host of this Summit, Tianjin will give fresh impetus to the sustainable development of our Organization.

Since its founding, the SCO has stayed committed to the Shanghai Spirit, strengthening solidarity and mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation, and taking an active part in international and regional affairs. The SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

At present, the century-defining transformation is accelerating across the world, with a marked increase in factors of instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability. The SCO thus bears an even greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity of all countries.

At this Summit, we are tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development. Tomorrow, I will join our colleagues at the Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States. We will also convene the "SCO Plus" Meeting with leaders of non-SCO members and international organizations. We will focus on how to strengthen cooperation, promote development, and improve global governance.

I am confident that with the collective efforts of all parties, this Summit will be a complete success and the SCO will play an even greater role, achieve greater development, and make greater contribution to strengthening solidarity and cooperation among the member states, pooling the strength of the Global South, and promoting the cause of human advancement.

As a Chinese saying goes, "In a race of a hundred boats, those who row the hardest will lead." Let us uphold the Shanghai Spirit and set out from Tianjin on a new voyage filled with hope toward an even brighter future.

Now, please join me in a toast:

To a productive and fruitful Summit;

To the advancement of the SCO's goals and tasks;

To the development and prosperity of all countries and the well-being of our people; and

To the health of all distinguished guests and your families.

Cheers!

(Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun)
Just two weeks after being extradited to the United States, Abigael Gonzalez Valenciaalso known as "El Cuini" and considered one of Mexico's most powerful drug traffickersappeared in a Washington, D.C., courtroom, where U.S. prosecutors revealed they have more than 76,000 documents and a trove of intercepted recordings to support their case against him.

Gonzalez Valencia was among 26 individuals recently extradited to the U.S. for alleged ties to organized crime and drug trafficking. Before his 2015 arrest, El Cuini served as the top financial operator of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and led Los Cuinis, an armed wing of the cartel led by his brother-in-law, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho."

Shortly after his arrival in the U.S., Gonzalez Valencia pleaded not guilty to three federal charges  trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine, engaging in organized crime, and possession of firearms.

According to journalist Angel Hernandez, among the thousands of documents set to be presented in court are text conversations between El Cuini, El Mencho, and Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, alias "El Menchito," discussing cocaine shipments, transportation logistics, pricing, and debts owed by partners involved in the trafficking operation.

Hernandez also reported that U.S. prosecutors accuse El Cuini of financing the CJNG through a complex and highly profitable drug trafficking network, primarily involving cocaine shipments to high-paying markets such as the United States and several European countries.

While Gonzalez Valencia is not facing money laundering charges, prosecutors claim he invested the cartel's drug profits in a range of businesses and establishments. According to Hernandez, this allowed him to step back from active drug trafficking while continuing to manage a portfolio of legitimate investments.

U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell scheduled Gonzalez Valencia to return to court on Oct. 24 for a status hearing on the progress of his case.

As noted by Hernandez, Judge Howell has prior experience handling cases related to the CJNG. She previously oversaw the case of El Menchito, the son of Jalisco Cartel leader El Mencho and nephew of El Cuini. That case is considered key to the prosecution against Gonzalez Valencia, as much of the evidence and several witnesses presented in El Menchito's trial are expected to be used against El Cuini as well.

U.S. prosecutors target CJNG

Gonzalez Valencia is not the only former CJNG member being prosecuted by the United States. The Latin Times reported earlier this month that Erick Valencia Salazar, also known as "El 85," is seeking to strike a plea deal in hopes of avoiding a full trial.

Before his arrest and extradition, Valencia Salazar was known as one of the CJNG's co-founders and later became a rival of El Mencho. Given his former leadership role, he is believed to hold valuable intelligence about the group's inner workings and top leadership.

El 85 faces federal charges in Washington, D.C., where prosecutors accuse him of organizing large-scale cocaine shipments into the United States dating back to 2003. The charges stem from a 2018 federal indictment that alleges Valencia conspired to traffic cocaine into the country over more than a decade.

Originally published on Latin Times
1 September 2025 13:06 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

A high-profile court hearing is underway in Baku, focusing on individuals of Armenian origin accused of committing grave war crimes during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Azernews reports.

The proceedings are being held at the Baku Court Complex under the chairmanship of Zeynal Agayev, judge of the Baku Military Court. The trial follows earlier sessions where victims and witnesses provided testimony regarding atrocities committed during the conflict.

The accused face charges of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including waging an aggressive war, genocide, forced displacement of the population, persecution, torture, military robbery, and other illegal acts committed by the Armenian state and its armed forces, including the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, and its illegal armed formations, the report notes.

A total of 15 individuals stand accused in this landmark case. They include Harutyunyan Arayik Vladimiri, Ghukasyan Arkadi Arshavir, Sahakyan Bako Sahaki, Ishkhanyan Davit Rubeni, Manukyan David Azatini, Babayan Davit Klimi, Mnatsakanyan Levon Henrikovich, Beglaryan Vasili Ivani, Ghazaryan Erik Roberti, Allahverdiyan Davit Nelsoni, Stepanyan Gurgen Homeri, Balayan Levon Romiki, Babayan Madat Arakelovich, Martirosyan Garik Grigori, and Pashayan Melikset Vladimiri.

They are charged under a wide range of articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, covering some of the most serious crimes under both domestic and international law. These include Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging an aggressive war), Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection), Article 103 (genocide), Article 105 (destruction of the population), Article 106 (slavery), Article 107 (deportation or forced transfer of population), Article 109 (persecution), Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons), Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), Article 113 (torture), Article 114 (mercenary activity), Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war), Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law in times of armed conflict), Article 118 (military robbery), Article 120 (willful killing), Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship), Article 214 (terrorism), Article 214-1 (financing of terrorism), Article 218 (creation of a criminal association), Article 228 (illegal acquisition and handling of weapons, ammunition, and explosives), Article 270-1 (acts that pose a threat to aviation security), Article 277 (assassination of a state or public figure), Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), and Article 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law).
1 September 2025 15:58 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

On September 1, the Baku Military Court continued hearings on the criminal case against Levon Mnatsakanyan, with his statements to the preliminary investigation being disclosed, Azernews reports.

Mnatsakanyan told investigators that in September 1992 he began military service in the so-called "army" of the separatist regime as a deputy battalion commander. Over the years, he was appointed to several positions, serving from May 2007 to November 2012 as Chief of Staff of the so-called "defense army." Between November 2012 and June 2015, he held the post of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

He further stated that from December 2018 to mid-2019, he worked as the "Director of the Rescue Department" in Khankendi, and from mid-2019 until June 2020, he served as the "Chief of Police." Following his retirement, he claimed he did not engage in any professional activity.

Mnatsakanyan admitted that during his tenure as commander of the so-called "defense army," its financing, armament, and logistical support were fully provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia through the state budget of Armenia.

He also acknowledged that since joining the separatist forces in 1992, he participated in battles during the First Garabagh War in the directions of Kalbajar, Fuzuli, Aghdara, Aghdam, and Jabrayil regions.

It should be noted that as a result of Armenias military aggression, trials continue in Azerbaijan against Armenian citizens accused of grave crimes, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, the preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violations of international humanitarian law, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and the forcible seizure and retention of power.
1 September 2025 08:15 (UTC+04:00)

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At the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly endorsed Azerbaijans bid for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This endorsement came as Azerbaijan and China signed multiple bilateral agreements aimed at boosting infrastructure, AI, finances, and media cooperation. Against a backdrop of shifting geopolitical alliances and the growing significance of Eurasian connectivity, Beijings backing not only increases Azerbaijans regional importance but also signals the SCOs evolving inclusivity and strategic focus.

President Ilham Aliyevs participation stood out not only for its diplomatic symbolism but also for the concrete agreements secured with Beijing. The two sides committed to expanding cooperation in infrastructure, transport, artificial intelligence, finance, and media, agreements that underscore Azerbaijans growing role as a logistical and technological hub at the heart of Eurasia. Strengthening the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and advancing Belt and Road cooperation demonstrate how Baku is transforming its geography into an economic and political advantage.

Speaking to Azernews, Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD), Qaiser Nawab, described the Tianjin summit as an important milestone for Azerbaijans evolving regional and global role. He emphasized that Chinas support for Azerbaijans full membership reflects not only routine diplomacy but a recognition of Bakus growing importance as a trusted partner in Eurasias connectivity and development.

The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin marked an important moment in Azerbaijans evolving regional and global role. President Ilham Aliyevs participation stood out not merely for its diplomatic symbolism, but for the strategic signals it sent about Bakus growing centrality in Eurasias shifting power architecture. In a meeting with President Xi Jinping, China gave explicit support to Azerbaijans aspiration to join the SCO as a full member, an endorsement that places Baku firmly in the crosshairs of the regions emerging multilateral framework.

The support expressed by Beijing goes beyond routine summitry. It reflects a recognition of Azerbaijans growing weight as both a political actor and a logistical hub that links East and West. The SCO, historically dominated by China, Russia, and Central Asian states, has increasingly become a platform for non-Western cooperation and dialogue. For Azerbaijan, gaining full membership would mean formal inclusion in an organization that is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of Eurasian diplomacy and development planning. It is an acknowledgment that Baku is no longer just a dialogue partner, but a prospective contributor to the organizations long-term strategic vision.

President Aliyevs discussions with President Xi were wide-ranging, focusing on synchronizing development strategies, advancing economic cooperation, and improving transport connectivity. Agreements signed during the summit underscored this partnership: both sides committed to strengthening the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and accelerating Belt and Road cooperation. These steps highlight Azerbaijans transformation into a strategic transit nation, where infrastructure investment and trade facilitation converge to create an indispensable bridge between Europe and Asia. With its Caspian ports and rail networks, Azerbaijan sits at the crossroads of continental trade corridors that are increasingly vital as global commerce adapts to geopolitical and logistical realignments.

The deepening of China-Azerbaijan relations also points toward new areas of collaboration in emerging technologies, digital economy initiatives, and green development. By emphasizing joint innovation, both nations signaled an interest in extending cooperation beyond physical infrastructure into high-value sectors of the future. This broadening of scope reflects Azerbaijans own modernization goals, where artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and digital transformation are becoming national priorities. It also complements Chinas desire to integrate its Belt and Road vision with Eurasian economies through technologically advanced partnerships rather than just traditional trade projects.

As the expert observed, Azerbaijans role in the SCO reflects its broader foreign policy: balanced, pragmatic, and forward-looking. By earning Beijings explicit backing, Baku has not only strengthened its international profile but also secured a new opportunity to shape Eurasias collective future.

Diplomatic voices throughout the summit described Azerbaijan as an active and trusted participant in SCO mechanisms, even prior to formal membership. Bakus consistent engagement in areas such as political dialogue, energy forums, youth exchanges, and environmental initiatives reinforces its image as a responsible regional partner. Chinese officials referred to Azerbaijan as an important member of the SCO family, emphasizing that its role has already surpassed that of a mere observer. This recognition stems from Azerbaijans record of constructive diplomacy and its ability to maintain balanced relations with different power centers despite the regions complex geopolitics.

President Aliyevs visit also showcased Azerbaijans capacity to pursue soft diplomacy alongside strategic initiatives. Bakus participation in people-to-people exchanges, cultural diplomacy, and youth programs demonstrates that its regional engagement is not limited to economic or security concerns. These efforts add a human dimension to Azerbaijans foreign policy, fostering goodwill that is especially valuable at a time when global politics often seems dominated by hard power competition. By investing in cultural and educational diplomacy, Azerbaijan reinforces its image as a nation seeking cooperation, stability, and inclusive development.

The Tianjin summit underscored broader geostrategic implications for Azerbaijan. Beijings public support for its SCO membership strengthens Bakus foreign policy diversification, reducing over-reliance on any single partner or bloc. It affirms Azerbaijans ability to navigate between major powers while safeguarding national interests and sovereignty. At the same time, deeper involvement in SCO trade and infrastructure initiatives opens new economic opportunities by providing access to joint investment projects, preferential transport arrangements, and common digital platforms that are being developed within the organization. As the SCO increasingly discusses financial mechanisms to trade in local currencies or create digital payment systems, Azerbaijan could benefit from reduced exposure to currency volatility and global sanctions regimes.

Azerbaijans closer alignment with SCO priorities also contributes to regional stability. The organizations focus on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and energy security aligns with Bakus own security concerns. Membership would enable Azerbaijan to shape collective strategies rather than merely adapt to them, offering a platform to voice its perspectives on transnational challenges in Central Asia and beyond. This adds an extra layer of strategic insurance at a time when global governance frameworks are in flux and traditional alliances are under strain.

The meeting between Presidents Aliyev and Xi further reaffirmed the China-Azerbaijan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has matured far beyond bilateral trade. Their discussions covered not only connectivity and infrastructure but also technology, industrial innovation, and sustainable development. By aligning Azerbaijans economic diversification agenda with Chinas Belt and Road vision, both sides are effectively setting the stage for long-term cooperation that blends strategic location with technological advancement.

Observers at the summit noted that Azerbaijan is emerging as a model of steady, balanced diplomacy. In contrast to louder regional rivalries, Baku has opted for pragmatic, multi-vector engagement, seeking opportunities without provoking confrontations. This approach is now paying off. By earning Chinas backing for SCO membership, Azerbaijan not only enhances its international profile but also gains leverage to promote its economic interests and regional initiatives. The symbolism of this support is important, but so too is its practical value: inclusion in joint infrastructure planning, policy coordination on energy transit, and deeper ties in technology and education.

The significance of these developments cannot be overstated. For years, Azerbaijan has cultivated its position as a key link in East-West trade, investing heavily in transport infrastructure and fostering relations with both Asian and European partners. The Tianjin summit effectively validated this strategy, showing that major powers now see Baku as indispensable to the broader project of Eurasian integration. If Azerbaijan successfully follows through on these opportunities by implementing the transport agreements, expanding digital trade corridors, and aligning with SCO development strategies, it could solidify its place as a keystone nation in the emerging multipolar order.

In a world where geopolitical blocs are hardening and global supply chains are under constant stress, Azerbaijans strategy of balanced partnership and infrastructure-driven diplomacy is more relevant than ever. Its potential accession to the SCO will not just be a ceremonial upgrade of status; it represents a deeper commitment to cooperative security, shared development, and technological modernization within a non-Western institutional framework. This aligns naturally with Bakus long-term ambitions to maintain autonomy while engaging with diverse partners on equal footing.

The Tianjin summit thus marked more than another round of high-level meetings. It was a moment in which Azerbaijan demonstrated substantive leadership, earned recognition from major players, and charted a new path from dialogue partner to prospective full member of a key regional organization. President Aliyevs engagements showed vision and consistency, securing agreements that will enhance trade, diversify the economy, and embed Azerbaijan more firmly in Eurasias emerging architecture. The SCO now stands not only as a forum where Azerbaijan participates, but as a platform where it will help shape the conversation about connectivity, technology, and collective security in the years to come.
1 September 2025 20:15 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

When President Ilham Aliyev sat down with Al-Arabiya and described the Soviet Unions entry into Azerbaijan not as liberation but as occupation, the remark struck a raw nerve in Moscow. The reaction was swift. Russian state media erupted with outrage, and Kremlin-aligned commentators like Vladimir Solovyov hurled criticism and threats at Baku. Yet the fury betrayed something deeper: President Aliyev had punctured one of Russias most enduring myths.

Myths are central to every nations self-image. They can inspire confidence, bolster patriotism, and provide cohesion in difficult times. But when myths are mistaken for realitywhen rulers and intellectuals elevate them to the status of sacred truththey can become dangerous. Modern Russia has reached precisely this stage. Its leadership clings to stories of benevolence, strength, and inevitability, while dismissing inconvenient facts.

One such myth is that Azerbaijan lacks a tradition of statehood. This charge, long used by Armenia, has now found currency in Russian media. It is true that the name Azerbaijan was formally applied north of the Araz River only in 1918. Before then, states in the region bore names like Caucasian Albania or Shirvan. But Russias own history follows a similar trajectory: todays Russian Federation traces back to the Principality of Moscow, later the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and finally its current form. Early rulers, such as the Rurikid and Romanov dynasties, were of Scandinavian descent, not Slavic. To dismiss Azerbaijans statehood as illegitimate on historical grounds while overlooking Russias own transformations is not only illogical but deeply hypocritical.

Other myths stem from the Soviet period. The official narrative insists that republics willingly joined the Union, that socialism brought prosperity, free housing, and world-class healthcare, and that Moscow uplifted its peripheries. History tells another story. In April 1920, more than 70,000 Red Army troops and armoured trains invaded Azerbaijan. Voluntary union does not arrive on armoured railcars.

The economic record is equally stark. Before the occupation, Azerbaijan supplied more than 60 per cent of the worlds oil. By the 1990s, as the Soviet Union collapsed, its oil production barely covered domestic consumption. The only reason Azerbaijan could rebound after independence was that offshore Caspian reserves had been left untappedtoo costly for Soviet exploitation. On those reserves, Azerbaijan has built three decades of rapid growth, multiplying its economy more than a hundredfold. One can only imagine what might have been possible without decades of Soviet depletion.

The demographic legacy is darker still. At the time of the Bolshevik invasion, the populations of northern and southern Azerbaijan were roughly equal. By the Soviet collapse, southern Azerbaijanis outnumbered their northern kin by four or five to one. As in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, famine and repression likely claimed millions of lives. Yet unlike those countries, Azerbaijan has scarcely begun to study this chapter of its past. Aliyevs words barely scratched the surfacethey revealed only the visible tip of an iceberg.

Russias counter-narrative is predictable. Propagandists now argue that Russia has always been Europes dominant power, that Azerbaijans success depends entirely on Turkiye, and that Moscow could neutralise Baku with a raised eyebrow. But history complicates these claims. Russias record against a united Europe is poor: it lost in the Crimean War and fared poorly in World War I. Its most celebrated victories, against Napoleon and Hitler, came only with alliesand at staggering human cost. Far from demonstrating strength, those losses reveal a pattern of weakness and disregard for human life.

As for Turkiye, geography limits its ability to intervene directly in any conflict over Azerbaijan. Without a shared border, Ankaras role would likely be confined to providing arms and financial support, with direct defence possible only in Nakhchivan. But the more important point is that Azerbaijan has developed its own capacity to resist. Over the past three decades, as Russia has stagnated, Azerbaijan has modernised, expanded its economy, and strengthened its military. Moscows insistence that Azerbaijans achievements are simply borrowed from Turkiye betrays an unwillingness to face a harsher truth: a once-dominant empire has been outpaced by a former colony.

President Ilham Aliyevs quote in his interview was exasperating not because it invented anything new, but because it reminded Russians of what they prefer to forget. Myths can survive for generations, but they crumble when confronted with evidence, logic, and lived reality. The Kremlin can rage, its propagandists can sneer, but the process has already begun. The myths are breaking. More will follow.
1 September 2025 17:13 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

The South Caucasus is on the verge of a significant transformation in its transport and logistics landscape, which could create a direct connection from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea. During a special Cabinet of Ministers meeting on August 26, held in conjunction with President Ilham Aliyevs visit to Washington, Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev highlighted Azerbaijan's crucial role in this developing corridor.

After the opening of highways in the region, Mustafayev stated, the Gulf countriesNakhchivanJabrayilFuzuliAghdamYevlakhBlack Sea automobile route will become a new transport artery linking the Gulf to Europe. "Due to its climate and relief, this route will operate continuously throughout the year," he underlined.

Highlighting key infrastructure projects, Mustafayev drew attention to the construction of new automobile bridges over the Araz River. "The new automobile bridges AghbandKalala and OrdubadSiyahrud will be an additional link connecting East Zangezur with Nakhchivan, as well as creating opportunities for large-scale international transportation between the countries of the region."

He also recalled the recent launch of the KarsIgdrAralkDilucu railway line in Turkiye, which will provide a direct rail link to Nakhchivan. "The annual carrying capacity of this line, which is 224 km long and will provide access to European markets, will be 15 million tons of cargo. Since it is located at the intersection of the EastWest and NorthSouth transport corridors and has significant infrastructure opportunities in terms of uninterrupted cargo transportation, our country plays an important role in the transportation and handling of transit cargo in both directions. In this regard, our country has become a center for transporting, handling and managing large volumes of cargo."

According to Mustafayev, these transport links will also reshape the regional energy landscape. "Along with all this, the opening of communications will also reshape the energy map of the South Caucasus, in particular, it will further increase the energy transit role of Azerbaijan to Europe and the world. The opening of communications is a historic opportunity to ensure peace in the region. Azerbaijan, in turn, acts as a promoter of stability and cooperation in the region through this corridor."

Transport expert Rauf Aghamirzayev, speaking to Azernews, stressed that Azerbaijans infrastructure planning already provides multiple options:

"The route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea is known as the South-West Route, and Azerbaijan plays a crucial role in this connection. The majority of Azerbaijan's territory is flat, and the presence of various roads increases the significance of these routes. Azerbaijan offers multiple routes to facilitate this project. One route runs from Astara to the west, while others are under development in the newly liberated and reconstructed Garabagh region.

One proposed route is from Aghband to Shukurbayli, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Aghdam, Yevlakh, and then to Georgia. Another route stretches from Aghband through Khudaferin, Gubadli, and Lachin, passing through the Kalbajar and Murovdag tunnels to Ganja, and then onward to Georgia.

As illustrated, Azerbaijan is formulating various proposals, and in the coming years, after the completion of many of these projects, it will ensure fast connectivity with minimal risks. To enhance this connectivity, it is also essential to upgrade the existing road from Ganja to Georgia. Additionally, a new road and border crossing point should be constructed from the TbilisiSagarejo highway, leading from the city of Sighnaghi to Azerbaijan. This would provide multiple exits, thereby increasing mobility. Providing exits from the Balakan direction, as well as from Gazakh-Aghstafa and the northern direction of Ganja, would facilitate the movement of larger loads from various locations.

Moreover, Azerbaijan has a railway network in place, which means there is an opportunity for simultaneous goods transportation via rail. Following the opening of the Zangezur corridor and the development of the Iranian segment, both a highway and a railway are planned within the Araz corridor. Currently, multi-modal transportation is being utilized, whereby missing elements are transported by road. For instance, goods can be transported from the Persian Gulf to Julfa or from the Gulf to Rasht by rail, then to Astara by truck, and finally by rail to the Black Sea. This method currently allows for transportation.

In the future, once the railway infrastructure is completed, operations will become more efficient. Azerbaijan will then be capable of transporting goods using various types of routes, significantly increasing its strategic importance. This development will not only benefit Azerbaijan but will also enhance the region's overall appeal. Furthermore, after a peace agreement with Armenia is reached, its infrastructure is expected to advance regional projects."
1 September 2025 17:44 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Last month, an additional 2,050 unemployed and job-seeking individuals in the capital and regions were provided with assets in the form of goods and materials under a state program, enabling them to establish small enterprises, Azernews reports.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, participants are initially enrolled in training sessions. These courses equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to organize and manage small businesses successfully.

Those who complete the training program successfully are then provided with the assets needed to start their ventures.

The ministry noted that the State Employment Agency, operating under its umbrella, continues to support participants of the self-employment program by providing them with necessary assets.

If you want, I can also rewrite it in a more lively, front-page news style with a focus on human impact and success stories, which can make it more appealing to newspaper readers. Do you want me to do that?
1 September 2025 11:49 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

An excursion to the National Carpet Museum has been organised for children with disabilities and their parents, Azernews reports.

The children are involved in the social rehabilitation program at the Sabunchu Social Services Centre, under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population's Social Services Agency.

The main goal of the excursion titled "The Magical Touch of History  Carpet Patterns" was to support the integration of children with disabilities into society, enhance their worldview, and increase their knowledge about Azerbaijan's rich culture, as well as its high national-spiritual and cultural values.

The children got the opportunity to closely explore the museum's exhibits, various displays, classic carpet examples from different regions of Azerbaijan, as well as the essential raw materials and tools used for carpet making.

During the excursion, the participants were able to watch the carpet weaving process live, learn more about our country's rich carpet weaving traditions and history, and find answers to any questions they had.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.
1 September 2025 13:41 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

In celebration of its 80th anniversary, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) has created a special anniversary badge, Azernews reports.

For the first time, badges named after Aziz Sanjar, Yusif Mammadaliyev, Uzeyir Hajibayli, and Lev Landau will be awarded.

The Academy's President, Academician Isa Habibbayli, mentioned this during a meeting of the Praesidium of the Academy, dedicated to preparations for its 80th anniversary.

For the first time, invitation letters have been sent to the leaders of international scientific organisations, presidents of partner academies from various continents, including those of the Turkic world. He also noted that most of them had already accepted the invitations.

In connection with the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, a separate meeting is also planned to discuss the development of cooperation with Turkic world academies.

From its founding in 1945, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) has played a key role in advancing knowledge, technology, and education in Azerbaijan and beyond.

ANAS's primary mission is to promote scientific research, innovation, and knowledge dissemination across diverse fields.

Through its extensive network of research institutes and its collaboration with international organisations, ANAS strives to address the scientific and technological challenges of today and tomorrow.

ANAS includes over 50 specialised institutes and research centres, each focused on a specific area of study.

Some of the key institutes are the Institute of Physics, which works on both applied and theoretical physics; the Institute of Chemistry, which studies organic and inorganic chemistry; the Institute of Literature, focused on Azerbaijani and world literature; the Institute of History, which researches Azerbaijan's history; and the Institute of Geology, which looks into Azerbaijan's geological resources and environmental issues.

The Academy is a key player in international scientific exchange. ANAS has cultivated strong ties with Turkic-speaking nations, promoting scientific exchange and collaboration with academic institutions in countries like Turkiye, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
1 September 2025 16:06 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Following the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, "On the Establishment of the Patriotic War Memorial Complex and Victory Museum in Baku, preparations for the Victory Museum are underway, Azernews reports.

The museum is scheduled to open on the 5th anniversary of the Azerbaijan's glorious Victory.

The Victory Museum is being developed based on a design concept prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The museum will feature materials on the history of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the policies implemented by the national leader Heydar Aliyev during the Soviet era and the years of independence aimed at regional development and restoration of the country's territorial integrity. It will also emphasize the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and state sovereignty under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the heroism displayed by our Army during the Patriotic War. The museum exhibits will be accompanied by various interactive presentations, providing visitors with vivid and immersive experiences.

The museum's concept and its sections, including an interactive presentation of some strategically important military operations during the 44-day Patriotic War, will give visitors a comprehensive understanding of the history of Garabagh, from the early days of the conflict to the glorious Victory. It will also allow visitors to relive these historic events.

A special section of the museum will showcase the large-scale reconstruction and restoration work carried out in Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur, highlighting the rapid revival of the region.

According to the President's decree, the Victory Park was inaugurated on November 8, 2024. At the park's entrance stands the Victory Arch, a symbolic monument of the 44-day Patriotic War, standing 44 meters high with 44 columns. In the park's transition area, a memorial monument reflecting November 8-Victory Day has been erected.

The Victory Museum has been built within the park area to honor the memory of the martyrs.
1 September 2025 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has commenced in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

The large-scale annual summit brought together leaders from 21 countries and representatives of over 10 international organizations.

The event is set to adopt key documents of the member states, including the organisation's development strategy for the next decade.

The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by six countries: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Today, the SCO has expanded to include 10 full member states: Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Currently, Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while 15 countries are recognised as dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Armenia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Sri Lanka

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) aims to promote regional stability and security, foster economic cooperation, strengthen energy partnerships, and advance scientific and cultural collaboration across member states. Since 2002, annual meetings of the heads of member states have been held consistently. The SCO has convened 23 summits hitherto.

Azerbaijan, known for its active engagement in international and regional organisations, has significantly expanded its cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in recent years. The decision to grant Azerbaijan dialogue partner status was made during the SCO Summit held in Ufa in July 2015. The scope of collaboration between Azerbaijan and the SCO was formally outlined in a memorandum signed in 2016.
Actor Song Joong-ki has opened up about the difficulties he used to experience in his early years and why he currently makes an effort to ensure a positive environment on set.

The comments were made while on the Aug. 30 episode of "Yubari Talk Bari," a Weekend Drama YouTube channel segment, where Song was joined by co-star Chun Woo-hee for the promotion of JTBC's new drama 'My Youth'.

When questioned by co-star Yoo Yeon-seok regarding collaborating on set for the first time, Song responded, "I've seen you guys before, but this is our first project."

READ MORE: Song Joong Ki Faces Criticism Over Remarks About His Wife and 'Fake Tears'

Chun Woo-hee complimented his considerate attitude on set. "What I liked about working with him was that he has a personality that tries to create a comfortable environment. It's not easy to say, 'I'll take responsibility, trust me,'" she said.

She further mentioned, "It can be busy and burdensome just doing his own work, but he tries to take on all that himself. Seeing that makes me so grateful."

Song brushed off the compliment. "That's not true. We have to finish quickly so we can have a company dinner," he laughed.

He then shared about the troubles he went through in previous productions. "To be honest, not all sets were happy," Song said.

"I've been on a few sets that were so emotionally difficult, so when I think about a certain project or when I think about how old I was at that time, those difficult memories come flooding back, and it's so sad."

The actor described how those experiences influenced his present frame of mind. "I didn't want negative energy to come up or control me," he said.

"It's not like I have a great will to make everyone happy or anything grandiose, I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to have fun."

Song, born in 1985, married British actress Katie Louise Saunders in 2023. The couple has a son and a daughter. He debuted in 2008 and has since become one of South Korea's most prominent actors.

He is now preparing for the release of 'My Youth,' scheduled to premiere on JTBC on Sept. 5, where he stars opposite Chun Woo-hee.

READ MORE: Song Joong Ki's Career Missteps and Scandals: Is the A-List Actor Losing His Star Power?
1 September 2025 12:20 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

Launched during one of the most critical and sensitive periods in Azerbaijans history, Trend International News Agency is today marking its 30th anniversary as a pioneering institution in the country's media landscape. Known for its broad scope of activity and commitment to journalistic excellence, Trend has evolved into a school of journalism, shaping generations of media professionals.

Azernews reports, these sentiments were expressed in a congratulatory message from the Azerbaijan Press Council, recognizing the agency's three-decade milestone.

Among the alumni of this school are many prominent individuals who have made their mark not only in journalism but also across various sectors of public life, the statement said.

The Press Council emphasized that Trend has played a special role in aligning journalistic professionalism with public interest, setting a high standard in the industry.

Not every news agency is able to preserve its legacy and position over time. Trend has succeeded in doing so while also adapting to the demands of the modern media environment. It has become a trusted and recognizable media brand for Azerbaijan on the global stage, known for its credibility and influence.

One of the agencys defining strengths, the message highlighted, is its multifaceted international media cooperation, which has significantly contributed to the global dissemination of accurate information about Azerbaijan.

Members of the Press Councils Executive Board extended their warmest congratulations to the leadership and entire team at Trend, wishing them continued creativity and professional success.

We are confident that this respected media organization will achieve even greater success in the future, continue to spotlight Azerbaijans growing accomplishments, and reach new heights in the global information space, the message concluded.

With 30 years of experience, Trend remains one of the leading news agencies in Azerbaijan, now cited and relied upon in approximately 63 countries worldwide. In addition to its extensive global reach, Trend is also a member of - and in some cases, represented on the governing bodies of - some of the worlds most prestigious media organizations.
1 September 2025 07:39 (UTC+04:00)

A meeting between Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, has commenced in Tianjin, China.

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1 September 2025 09:05 (UTC+04:00)

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, on September 1 in Tianjin, China.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the further expansion of bilateral relations based on brotherhood and strategic alliance in all areas, including energy and transport.

Discussions touched upon cooperation between SOCAR and Turkiyes BOTAS company, highlighting the importance of delivering Azerbaijani gas to Syria through Turkiye with Qatars financial support. The two leaders also reviewed prospects for joint energy projects of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in other countries.

The significance of the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the Kars-Igdr-Dilucu railway line was emphasized, with views exchanged on ongoing railway projects in Azerbaijan, including in the Nakhchivan region.

The reconciliation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia was discussed, with Turkiyes stabilizing role in regional issues being highly appreciated.

The sides also noted the importance of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States to be held this year in Azerbaijan.

The heads of state exchanged views on the prospects of Azerbaijan-Turkiye strategic alliance and other issues of mutual interest.
1 September 2025 09:53 (UTC+04:00)

On September 1, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, met with President of the Republic of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

The President of the Maldives fondly recalled his visit to Azerbaijan within the framework of COP29 and the discussions held during his meeting with the head of state, noting that the conference had been excellently organized.

In turn, President Ilham Aliyev referred to their meeting in Baku, emphasizing that following the tasks set during those discussions, an Azerbaijani delegation visited the Maldives, where political consultations were held and cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment fields was discussed.

The leaders highlighted significant potential for boosting tourism and people-to-people connections between their countries. They discussed the importance of direct flights from Azerbaijan to the Maldives for tourism growth, simplifying visa procedures, promoting mutual investments, and expanding the legal and contractual framework.

President Mohamed Muizzu extended an invitation to President Ilham Aliyev for an official visit to the Maldives, which the Azerbaijani head of state warmly accepted.
1 September 2025 10:29 (UTC+04:00)

On September 1, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met with Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

Prime Minister Sharif expressed gratitude on behalf of the Pakistani people and government for Azerbaijans political support and solidarity during Indias military aggression against Pakistan in April-May this year.

President Ilham Aliyev, emphasizing the brotherly ties between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, congratulated Pakistan on its victory over India. He noted that, in response to Azerbaijans support, India has attempted to retaliate against Azerbaijan in international organizations, but stressed that this holds no significance for Azerbaijan, as brotherly relations take precedence above all.

Prime Minister Sharif fondly recalled his visits to Azerbaijan and highlighted the importance of the trilateral meeting held in Lachin involving Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Pakistan. President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, noted that steps are being taken to implement the issues discussed in the Azerbaijan-Turkiye-Pakistan trilateral format.

The Pakistani Prime Minister congratulated the Azerbaijani leader on the progress achieved in normalizing relations and advancing the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, describing it as a historic milestone.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked him for the congratulations and underscored the significance of these achievements for ensuring lasting peace in the region.

The head of state also highlighted the importance of his visit to Washington for the development of Azerbaijan-U.S. relations, particularly emphasizing the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in these processes.

The meeting addressed the activities of the Azerbaijan-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission, with discussions focused on advancing economic and trade relations in line with the spirit of the existing political ties. Additional instructions were given to government officials to further these efforts. The implementation of a project in Pakistan modeled on Azerbaijans ASAN Khidmet was recognized as a positive step.
1 September 2025 11:05 (UTC+04:00)

President Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Peter Pellegrini, the President of the Slovak Republic, Azernews reports.

"Dear Mr. Pellegrini,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and your entire nation on the national holiday of your country  Constitution Day.

The friendship and partnership that unite our countries and peoples are of great importance to us. We are pleased with the current dynamic development of Azerbaijan-Slovakia ties. I would especially like to highlight the successful cooperation in the energy sector, which is one of the priority areas of our partnership.

Today, there are good opportunities to expand Azerbaijan-Slovakia cooperation in a number of areas and enrich it with new content. I am confident that by making full use of this potential and the existing opportunities, through our joint efforts we will be able to further develop our friendly relations and deepen our interaction.

On this festive day, I wish you robust health and success in your endeavors, and to the friendly people of Slovakia  lasting well-being and prosperity."
1 September 2025 11:29 (UTC+04:00)

President Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"Dear Brother,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend to you, and through you to your entire nation, my warmest congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the national holiday  the Independence Day of the brotherly Republic of Uzbekistan.

As a brotherly country, we take joy in witnessing today the rapid and comprehensive development of your state under the new strategy of Uzbekistan you have defined, its progress in all spheres, the growth of its economic strength, and the strengthening of its authority and standing in the international arena. All of Uzbekistans achievements are the result of your multifaceted activity, farsighted policy, and devoted service to your homeland and people.

Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations vividly reflect the good traditions of fraternal ties shaped by our peoples, who share a common history, language, and culture.

In the current dynamic upward development of our interstate relations, mutual visits and high-level meetings play an important role. Your state visit to Azerbaijan in July once again confirmed the allied nature of our bilateral relations. I am confident that the important agreements we have reached regarding the future directions of Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation, and the number of documents signed in various fields, particularly on the diversification of economic partnership, will contribute to broadening the scope of our collaboration and further strengthening and deepening our allied relations.

We are determined, through joint efforts, to further expand our cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan, which is gaining new substance day by day, especially in the trade and economic, energy, investment, agricultural, and transport-logistics spheres. The existing high level of mutual understanding, confidence, and trust creates a favorable basis for this.

I am confident that the Azerbaijani-Uzbek brotherhood will continue to play an important role in the implementation of all joint initiatives, and will serve the development of our countries and the well-being of our two peoples.

Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

On this momentous day, I once again sincerely congratulate you and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your honorable and responsible activities, and to the brotherly people of Uzbekistan  lasting peace, prosperity, and progress."
1 September 2025 13:24 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

Palestinian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahmed Metani has expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its humanitarian assistance. According to Azernews, the ambassador made the remarks during a meeting with Azerbaijani Health Minister Teymur Musayev, Azernews reports.

Minister Musayev highlighted the positive trajectory of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Palestine, both bilaterally and through various international organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. He stressed that there is untapped potential in the healthcare field, where both sides could expand collaboration.

The minister further noted his confidence that cooperation between the two nations will be further successfully developed in the future.

Ambassador Metani, for his part, underlined the strong ties linking the two countries. Relations between Azerbaijan and Palestine are developing successfully within the framework of the principles of solidarity, friendship and mutual respect, he said. He added that Palestine is keen to build practical partnerships with Azerbaijans Ministry of Health.
1 September 2025 12:46 (UTC+04:00)

On the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Azernews reports.

The leaders discussed the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda, stressing the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual trust and regional stability. Both leaders highlighted the positive momentum generated during the recent Washington Summit, which reaffirmed international support for advancing peace and the normalization process.

The sides agreed to continue their contacts.
1 September 2025 14:19 (UTC+04:00)

A SCO Plus meeting was held in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the event.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping.

Dear heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the invitation, as well as for the warm welcome and excellent organization of the event.

I congratulate friendly China on its successful presidency of the SCO and wish you every success in achieving the objectives set forth.

Azerbaijan and China enjoy warm and friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Deepening these relations is one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

Over the past two years, our relations have risen to a qualitatively new level. Last year, we established a strategic partnership within the framework of the SCO Summit in Astana. A Joint Statement on the Establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was signed during my state visit to China this year. This historic event opened a new chapter in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations.

Azerbaijan has actively supported the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China to promote international peace, security and development. We also welcome the Global Governance Initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China as an important and timely measure aimed at improving international relations based on the sovereign equality of states and respect for the UN Charter and international law. Azerbaijan and China strengthen cooperation across the entire spectrum of the bilateral agenda. It includes political, trade and economic sectors, investment, energy, transport and logistics, development of the digital economy, science and technology, education and culture. Since July this year, a visa-free regime has been in effect for citizens of both countries, which has given further impetus to the development of tourism.

Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of China in the region. We contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and security, and implement large-scale economic, transport and energy projects.

Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the One Belt, One Road initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China. We are implementing substantial practical projects in this direction.

Azerbaijan is one of the transport and logistical hubs of Eurasia. We are actively developing international transport corridors and creating modern infrastructure. The East-West and North-South corridors have opened up new economic transport prospects.

Azerbaijan intends to increase the throughput capacity of the Alat International Sea Port from 15 to 25 million tons per year. The Middle Corridor represents a reliable and safe route connecting China, Central Asia with Europe through Azerbaijan. Since 2022, the volume of cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has grown by almost 90 percent. The transit time for cargo along this corridor has been significantly reduced.

Recent agreements connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are expected to further expand transit capabilities for international transportation.

I am confident that the Zangezur Corridor will soon become another important segment of the Middle Corridor, as well as the North-South Corridor, which will contribute to enhancing peace, multilateral partnership and benefit all of Azerbaijan's close and distant neighbors to the east, west, north and south of our borders.

In conclusion, let me once again thank the esteemed President Xi Jinping for the invitation and wish the Summit participants fruitful work.

X X X

More than 20 country leaders and 10 heads of international organizations participated in the SCO Plus meeting. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan previously attended SCO Summit meetings in Samarkand in 2022 and Astana in 2024.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was established in 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The SCO's full members currently include 10 countries: Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Armenia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

The SCO aims to ensure regional stability and security, promote economic cooperation, energy partnerships, and advance scientific and cultural activities. Meetings of the heads of member states have been held annually since 2002.
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - A women rights group in East Africa, The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network, has revealed new documented cases of women, and children, mostly from a family, forcibly taken away by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the besieged town of Al Fashir and the adjacent IDP camps
1 September 2025 18:46 (UTC+04:00)

by Mazahir Afandiyev

Today, as the leading state of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan not only plays a key role in the region but also actively contributes across the entire Eurasian space to the deepening of economic, cultural, political, and diplomatic ties among peoples, and demonstrates determination in adopting new decisions and implementing approaches to ensure better and more prosperous living conditions for people.

Our country is interested in developing its multifaceted foreign diplomacy by strengthening relations with friendly and partner countries, as well as with international and regional organizations. Azerbaijan does not limit itself to domestic reforms within its borders but also engages in effective cooperation on international platforms, including with member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), fulfilling its obligations responsibly.

It should be noted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organizationestablished on June 15, 2001, by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistanis a regional cooperation organization aimed at fostering good-neighborly and friendly relations, strengthening mutual trust, promoting effective cooperation in various fields, ensuring peace, stability, and security in the region, and supporting joint efforts to build a fair new international political and economic order. Later, Belarus, India, Pakistan, and Iran also became full members, while Mongolia and Afghanistan received observer status. Azerbaijan, along with 13 other countries, cooperates with the SCO as a dialogue partner.

In 2016, a memorandum reflecting areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO was signed. Among the priority areas of this cooperationtraditionally emphasized by the SCO and of particular importance to Azerbaijanare combating terrorism and separatism, and ensuring regional security and stability. Additionally, Azerbaijans key role on the international stage in promoting intercultural dialogue, multiculturalism, and tolerance is among the topics of major focus.

President Ilham Aliyevs regular invitations and participation in SCO Summits are a testament to the high respect he commands as a resolute and visionary leader on the global stage.

On August 30, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva made a working visit to the Chinese city of Tianjin at the invitation of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China to attend the SCO Plus Summit, as well as the official events and military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Chinas victory over foreign military aggression and fascism. This visit was of great significance for the ongoing development of Azerbaijan-China relations and the reassessment of cooperation opportunities within the SCO framework.

During the visitconsidered a symbol of friendship and brotherhooda productive meeting took place between the heads of state. At the same time, discussions were held with leaders of China's leading companies on cooperation in areas such as transportation, communications, digitization, and energy.

In general, thanks to large-scale infrastructure projects initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in recent years, Azerbaijan has transformed into a major international transportation and logistics hub. The country plays an increasingly important role in the implementation of regional communication projects such as the EastWest and NorthSouth transport corridors. Notably, the Washington Declaration, signed on August 8, 2025, by the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia, introduced new realities in the South Caucasus. It further strengthens Azerbaijan's role within the Middle Corridor initiative and boosts the interest of China and other SCO member states in this cooperation.

President Ilham Aliyevs participation in the Summit is a direct result of Azerbaijans growing international influence and the success of its multilateral diplomacy. At a time when the political architecture of the world is being redefined, Azerbaijan is increasing its engagement with many regional organizations through a neutral and cooperation-oriented policy. Cooperation with the SCO is a component of this policy and serves the strategic goal of turning Azerbaijan into a key hub for AsiaEurope transportation, energy, and trade connectivity.

Another factor that increased the significance of the visit was its timingduring a period when new prospects for peace are emerging in the South Caucasus. In the context of a preliminary peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev's active diplomatic moves at the international level demonstrate Azerbaijan's commitment to stability and cooperation in the region. Considering the SCOs agenda on security and regional cooperation, Azerbaijan's participation in the Summit reaffirms its position as an initiator of peace and sustainable development in the region.

Another noteworthy point is that before this visit, on August 22, 2025, the President of Azerbaijan participated in a high-level meeting held in the Turkmen city of Turkmenbasy with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. During that event, intergovernmental documents covering transport and logistics were signed. This is not only a reflection of Azerbaijans consistent, multi-vector foreign policy as a model member of the Organization of Turkic States, but also a logical step aligned with its activities within the SCO.

In conclusion, President Ilham Aliyevs visit to the People's Republic of China and participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit is yet another successful step in Azerbaijan's multi-vector foreign policy. This visit not only strengthens Azerbaijans relations with global organizations but also vividly demonstrates the countrys growing influence and economic-political power both within the region and beyond. At the same time, it opens new opportunities for Azerbaijan to play a more active role in the SCO and to deepen both bilateral and multilateral relations in the future.

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their op-eds may differ from and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.
1 September 2025 15:12 (UTC+04:00)

Over the past two years, our relations have reached a qualitatively new level, President Ilham Aliyev stated this during his speech at the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

"Azerbaijan and China are connected by warm, friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Deepening these relations is one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy," the head of state noted. He described the signing of a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries this year as a historic event, emphasizing that it has opened a new chapter in Azerbaijan-China relations.
1 September 2025 15:14 (UTC+04:00)

The transit time for cargo along this corridor has been significantly reduced. The agreements on connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic reached recently are expected to help expand transit opportunities for international transportation, added the President.

The Middle Corridor represents a reliable and safe route connecting China, Central Asia with Europe through Azerbaijan. Since 2022, the volume of cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has increased by almost 90 percent, President Ilham Aliyev stated during his speech at the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

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1 September 2025 17:24 (UTC+04:00)

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On September 1, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and her daughter Arzu Aliyeva, along with First Lady of the Peoples Republic of China Peng Liyuan and the spouses of the heads of state and government attending the meeting in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus format, participated in a boat trip along the Haihe River in Tianjin, China, Azernews reports.

Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.

Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.

By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.

Subscribe

You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper

Thank you!
1 September 2025 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has officially passed to the Kyrgyz Republic, which will lead the organization under the motto: 25 Years of the SCO: Together Toward Lasting Peace, Development, and Prosperity.

Azernews reports, this decision was formalized in the Tianjin Declaration, adopted following the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO member countries, held on September 1 in Tianjin, China.

The next SCO Heads of State Summit will take place in 2026, hosted by the Kyrgyz Republic.
1 September 2025 19:50 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

An emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will take place today in Brussels, according to Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Azernews reports.

In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Sybiha stated that the meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to Russias recent large-scale airstrikes.

"We expect a focused discussion on joint steps to respond adequately to Russias rejection of peace efforts and its escalating campaign of terror against Ukrainians," Sybiha said.

He also expressed gratitude to NATO and all allies who continue to support Ukraine.

"Moscow must feel increased pressure as a direct consequence of prolonging this war," he added.

It is worth noting that in the early hours of August 28, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on multiple regions across Ukraine.
1 September 2025 20:21 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

As of September 1, Russia has officially banned the publication and distribution of travel-related advertisements on certain social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, which the Russian government classifies as extremist resources, Azernews reports.

The decision was reported by Russian media, citing the new law published on the countrys official legal information portal.

Under the new regulations, promoting tours and travel services on these banned platforms is now prohibited. Individuals who violate the law could face fines of up to 2,500 rubles (approximately 45 AZN), while officials may be fined up to 20,000 rubles (around 360 AZN). Legal entities risk penalties of up to 500,000 rubles (about 9,000 AZN).

The move is seen as part of Russia's broader efforts to tighten control over online content and limit the influence of platforms it considers hostile or politically sensitive.
1 September 2025 23:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Brazil is in active negotiations with the United States to roll back a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods while simultaneously working to diversify its export markets, said Tatiana Prazeres, Brazil's Foreign Trade Secretary, on Tuesday, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo and the Council of the Americas, Prazeres emphasized that the government is focused on both ongoing talks with Washington and providing support to Brazilian companies affected by the new tariff.

She highlighted that the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) has launched a strategic initiative to identify new markets for Brazilian products. Among the top priorities are Mexico, Canada, and India. Brazil is also making progress in trade discussions with its Mercosur partners, including negotiations with Canada, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the European Union.

The 50% tariff, which came into effect in August, targets a wide range of Brazilian exports, including beef, fruit, and coffee. It was imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a response to Brazil's prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who remains under house arrest for his alleged involvement in the January 2023 coup attempt.

Prazeres reaffirmed Brazil's commitment to negotiating a "win-win relationship" with the U.S., emphasizing the private sectors key role in fostering a constructive trade agenda moving forward.

In retaliation, Brazil has filed a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Despite the tariff, the United States remains Brazil's second-largest trading partner, after China, accounting for approximately 12% of Brazilian exports.

Brazil's rich biodiversity, particularly in the Amazon Rainforest, makes it a leading global supplier of sustainable products, including organic coffee and certified beef. The country is increasingly looking to leverage these advantages in its push to build stronger trade relationships with nations focused on sustainability.
1 September 2025 23:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper is set to announce stricter entry rules for family members of asylum seekers residing in the UK, Azernews reports.

In her upcoming speech to Parliament, which resumes its session on September 1, the minister will outline new criteria for family reunification. These will include requirements such as proficiency in English and certain financial thresholds. Additionally, Cooper will reveal planned reforms to the asylum appeals system aimed at speeding up and streamlining the process.

The minister argues that, given recent political shifts across Europe, the current UK policies are no longer aligned with those of neighboring countries, making tighter restrictions necessary to maintain consistency and control.

Under the existing legislation, individuals granted asylum in the UK have the right to bring their immediate family members to join them. The proposed changes could significantly tighten these provisions, potentially affecting thousands of asylum seekers and their relatives.

Experts and human rights groups have already expressed concern that such measures might create additional barriers for vulnerable families seeking safety and reunification. The government, however, emphasizes that the reforms aim to balance humanitarian responsibilities with national security and economic sustainability.

This announcement comes amid a broader global debate on immigration policies, highlighting the ongoing challenges countries face in managing asylum and migration flows while upholding international commitments.
UPDATE: CME Heads for Earth, Possible Aurora Borealis Monday Night for Oregon, Washington, Coast

Published 08/31/25 at 7:55 p.m. - Updated 09/01/25 at 7:55 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Portland, Oregon)  UPDATE 9/1: Highest now predicted to be about 8 p.m. - and it's still somewhat light out. Also, some amount of haze in the skies above Portland, other inland areas. It won't hurt to look after 10 p.m. but chances are lesser.

Original Article Below

What a way to close out summer, right?

There is about a 40% chance (according to SolarHam) northern lights will make a bit of a showing in northern Oregon and perhaps along the coastline later on Monday night. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) said a sizable CME is headed this way and will start the colorful show sometime on Monday, especially for higher latitudes  including Washington and its northern coast. (Above: northern lights in Bandon. Courtesy Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts.)

Aurora may be seen as low as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon, the SWPC said.

Luckily, for most of Oregon and the majority of the coast the weather will cooperate at night, with mostly clear conditions. However, the northern Oregon coast looks to be mostly cloudy, with things clearing from about Lincoln City southward all the way to the end of the border at Brookings.

This won't be a highly visible one  if it happens. You'll need camera gear to catch it, and even then you'll need a cellphone that's capable of astrophotography or a good SLR rig.





Timing: the SWPC said it will peak at a G2 to G3 storm from about 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., with the G3 (highest intensity) predicted somewhere around 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. UPDATE 9/1: Highest now predicted to be about 8 p.m. - and it's still somewhat light out. Also, some amount of haze in the skies above Portland, other inland areas.

Look to the north about then. It appears the best possibilities are from about Astoria, Long Beach into Portland and then it starts getting a little more southerly into the Columbia Gorge. Places like Portland, Vancouver and surrounding rural areas are looking at clear skies.

So what happened?



Steven Smith / Solution 7 Media

A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun on August 30 and may have impacted Earth at speeds over 2 million mph, the SWPC said. The CME is Earth-directed and is expected to arrive around September 1.

There is a possibility it will wind up a G4 storm, which would make it more likely to be seen farther south. This could mean spacecraft and means of communication may get impacted.

If the CME arrives, it will likely produce geomagnetic storm activity approximately 2050 minutes before arrival, the SWPC said. The concern is that the CME could be stronger than expected and may cause disruptions and warnings.

Keep an eye on the Oregon Coast Weather page which has aurora borealis updates.

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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan General Authority for Communications and Information Technology has participated in the second meeting of the Arab Preparatory Group for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26)
Ethereal in the East: Check Oregon, Washington Even Coastlines for Zodiacal Light Near Dawn

Published 08/31/25 at 7:55 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Bandon, Oregon) - A rarely-caught and ethereal phenomenon known as the Zodiacal Light is making its seasonal appearance in the skies over the Pacific Northwest, visible in the hour before sunrise through early November. Often referred to as the False Dawn in fall, this faint, cone-shaped glow may resemble a pillar of light or a distant citys illumination. In spring it's the False Dusk and happens in the west. (Zolt LeVay Photography - False Dawn in Arizona, bumping into the Milky Way)

It has been seen already, according to EarthSky.org.

The best time to catch the Zodiacal Light is between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., with eastern Oregon and Washington offering prime viewing conditions. Locations such as Prineville, Pendleton, and Spokane are favored due to their all-around clearer skies. Coastal towns like Westport, Bandon, Seaside, Port Orford, Long Beach, and Lincoln City may also offer glimpses, though the angle is less favorable in fall compared to spring.

Make sure you're looking east.

EarthSky.org said it may look like the glow of a city lights in the east, as it can be a bit of a light blob with a pointy, triangular thing up top.

Jim Todd, astronomy expert at OMSI in Portland, emphasized the importance of escaping urban light pollution. Get out of city lights, Todd advised, noting that weather and atmospheric conditions play a significant role.



The shot above comes from Arizona, courtesy David Lane

Oceanic haze may be a problem for coastal areas.

No, the Zodiacal Light is not a kind of atmospheric reflection or refraction, like the green flash at sunset or a sun pillar. Scientists believe the dust may originate from comets or even be kicked up from Mars, though its exact source remains uncertain.

NASA describes the Zodiacal Light as a reflection of sunlight off tiny dust particles in the inner solar system. It's almost a kind of pollution in space.

Zodiacal light is caused by sunlight reflecting off tiny dust particles in the inner solar systemthe disintegrated remains of comets and asteroids, the agency stated. Attempts to measure how dark space is using telescopes like Hubble have been thwarted by this ambient glow.



Photo Stephan Rahn

Whatever it is, it's rarely photographed. There do not appear to be any shots from Oregon of the phenomenon.

Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather - Inland Oregon Weather

Photographers hoping to capture the Zodiacal Light are advised to use long exposures and wide-angle lenses, similar to techniques used for imaging comets. Bracket-shooting various parts of the sky may help, given the lights broad and diffuse nature.



Bandon at night. Courtesy Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts.

A bright moon can obscure the view, but with several weeks of potential visibility, observers have ample opportunity to witness this celestial display.

Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection he has seen it with his own eyes a few times, however, although all were in central or eastern Oregon where the skies are clearer.

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Labor Day Weekend Travel Trips, Advice for Oregon Coast, 2025

Published 08/30/25 at 7:55 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Florence, Oregon) - It's going to be an interesting weekend.

As Labor Day Weekend approaches, thousands of travelers are expected to descend on the Oregon coast in search of a final summer escape. But in a twist of irony, the quest to get away from it all often means bringing the chaos with them. The holiday marks the unofficial end of the tourist season, ushering in a surge of visitors, crowded beaches, and sharply rising hotel rates.

Despite the influx, there are ways to encounter tranquility. Less-traveled areas along the north coast offer some relief from the crowds, while the southern coast - particularly beyond Florence - tends to be quieter and more remote. See Getting Away from the Crowds: A Sampler of Truly Hidden Oregon Coast.

In the meantime, here's several bits of Labor Day travel advice for the coastline.

For those planning a coastal getaway, travel experts advise packing extra clothing, especially for day trips. Wet shoes and soaked pants are common after a day near the surf or an unexpected tumble into a stream. Being prepared can make the return trip far more comfortable.

Gas prices remain relatively stable heading into the weekend. AAA reports the national average for regular fuel has risen six cents to $3.19 per gallon, while Oregons average holds at $3.98.

Motorists are urged to fill up before leaving town.

Labor Day travel promises to be busy this year, capping off a record-setting summer for travel, AAA said in a recent bulletin. AAA booking data shows that Alaska cruises, theme parks, Central Oregon and the Oregon Coast are the most popular destinations for members of AAA Oregon/Idaho.

Also, be mindful of speed traps, particularly along Highway 26 and Highway 18. Law enforcement presence is expected to be heavy, especially near passing lanes and the rest stop on Highway 26s western slope. Traffic congestion is likely to peak Friday and Monday during morning and afternoon hours. Travelers who delay their return until dusk on Monday may find a smoother ride.

Highway 101 on the south coast will see some congestion in towns like Bandon and Port Orford, though not to the extent of the northern corridor. Notable choke points include the Cape Arago Highway south of Coos Bay, northern Newport, Lincoln City, and the stretch just south of Seaside.

Full traffic for Oregon Coast Range and Highway 101 are found here. Oregon Coast Highway, Coast Range Passes Traffic, Road Conditions | Portland, Oregon Highway Traffic, Road Conditions - Traffic Cams: I-5 - I-205 - I-405 - Hwy 217 - I-84

Weather: look for the 60s and lower 70s on the north and central coast, but farther south - especially Brookings - you'll be encountering the 80s later in the weekend. See for Washington Coast weather. Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather - Inland Oregon Weather



Above: Coos Bay, photo courtesy Manuela Durson Fine Arts

Securing lodging or campsites at this stage will be challenging. Most accommodations have been booked well in advance, and any remaining hotel rooms may come at a steep premium - often triple or quadruple the usual rate. Last-minute cancellations may offer a slim chance, but travelers are advised to check booking sites and follow up with direct calls to confirm availability. See the Oregon Coast Availability page.

Camping options are similarly limited. While most sites are full, some county and municipal campgrounds operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors can consult Oregon Coast Camping resources for potential openings.

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Sonny Ray Cobb Jr.

Sheriff Ernie Coleman

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office

On March 30,2025 at 7:03 am Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office responded to the Handy Mart located at 5385 River Road, Washington after receiving a 911 call reporting an armed robbery had just occurred. According to a store employee, a black male entered the store wearing a mask covering his face while holding what was described as a rifle or shotgun. The employee told deputies the male subject stated he was robbing her and demanded the money from the cash register. During the investigation Detectives were able to identify a suspect vehicle and a short time later, Deputies with the Patrol Division located a vehicle matching the description and conducted a traffic stop. As a result of information and evidence gathered during this stop, the driver was taken into custody without incident. The driver is identified as 30-year-old Sonny Ray Cobb Jr. Cobb was charged with one count of Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and was placed in the Beaufort County Detention Center without bond. With the apprehension of the suspect, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office doesn't believe there is an ongoing threat to the community and is investigating this as an isolated incident.
Suzanne Edith Maurizzio

Suzanne Edith Maurizzio born October 25th, 1950 in Middletown, New York to the late Marjorie Dobert and Paul Bender, peacefully passed away August 27th, 2025 in Washington, North Carolina. She follows her husband of 54 years Frank Maurizzio, as well as a sister Ronda Ulrich and a brother Richard "Ricky" Bender in death. Suzanne is survived by four children, Amy (Ed) Hinchman, John (Tawanna) Maurizzio, Daniel (Lisa) Maurizzio, Jason (Renae) Maurizzio, 14 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.



Affectionately known as Suzie, she had a passion for music and you could always find her singing and dancing around the house. She played the piano in her youth and truly enjoyed the simpler things in life. Known for her famous Christmas lasagna, Suzie dedicated her remaining years to family and friends.



When God created Nanas, he had some things in mind. She had to be warm and strong. Funny, smart, and kind. Brave and understanding too. All of these things combined. Of all the Nanas on God's great earth, I feel so blessed that you were mine. -Unknown



You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away.



Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com



Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Maurizzio family.


During the Biden regime, thousands of unaccompanied children were shipped to America. Many went to dubious "sponsors" or disappeared entirely. Now their parents in Guatemala, joined by the Guatemalan government, have asked the Trump administration to return them.

The Trump administration had found 700 of these children whose parents wanted them back and some of them were actually already seated in an airplane when a politically corrupt Democrat federal district judge appointed by Biden's autopen, issued an order refusing to let them go. This crooked judge apparently just wanted to follow her party's agenda by trying to keep as many illegal alien migrants inside our country as possible. She cared nothing for the welfare of the children, the desires of their parents, or the desires of the Guatemalan government.

Blocking children's reunification with their parents is an evil act. This crooked Biden judge is playing politics with her position to the detriment of children and their parents.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/update-guatemala-requests-migrant-children-back-biden-judge/

https://thefederalist.com/2025/09/02/biden-judge-blocks-trump-admin-from-reuniting-migrant-kids-with-their-parents/

https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/08/31/judge-blocks-flights-to-reunite-guatemalan-children-with-parentseven-as-they-were-boarding-the-planes-n2193447

One can only hope that in the Congressional investigations over the misuse of Biden's autopen that all federal judges appointed by use of that autopen will be removed from their positions. They are despicable political hacks masquerading in their black robes as something they are really not. They and the Obama judges are quickly destroying the reputation of our federal courts with the American people.
Winston Salem/Forsyth Fog is Clearing

BY: HOOD RICHARDSON

The North Carolina State Auditor presented a report during the middle of August about the mishandling of funds and serious mismanagement by the Winston Salem/Forsyth School District. It seems the district is 46 million dollars in the hole and possibly as much as 70 million dollars. The Auditor started working on this in April of 2024.

There are indications the district has had accounting problems for several years, having not corrected several past deficiencies. Further evidence of the lack of management and oversight is shown by the late payments of income tax withholding. The two boards, the elected school board and the elected board of county commissioners, do not seem to be in control of the management of the school system. Thirteen million dollars in fund balance was used to cover salaries, bonuses and pay increases during 2024 without notice.

Money held in the fund balance (savings) requires specific approval to be used for anything. The question arises, How can there be a fund balance when the system is already broke? This is an indication the hired help at the School District is playing games with the money. It looks like they are moving money around so they can be sure they get their bonus and salary increase.

The Interim Superintendent has gone to great lengths to make the public believe there is no misappropriation of funds or fraudulent behavior on the part of any member of its Finance Department or district leadership. This whole issue is about misappropriation and fraud. Simply because the money did not go to individuals does not mean there is no misappropriation and fraud. It is a given that individuals with the School District made the decisions to violate the law (the School District Budget and the Forsyth County Budget Ordinance) when they directed the appropriation of funds.

The Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners tried to comfort the taxpayers by saying none of the money wound up in Swiss Bank accounts. These bureaucrats and elected officials miss the point entirely. It does not matter to the taxpayer whether the money was stolen by individuals or mismanaged by public employees. The expense is the same for the taxpayer. The criminal thief would go to prison. What happens to the inept elected official and government employee?

The misuse of funds seems be in keeping people on the payroll who are not needed, and the payment of salary increases and bonuses. These are self-serving issues. When the School District let go of more than 300 employees, the children were allowed to use school time and materials to make posters and to demonstrate demanding the discharged employees be rehired. School officials allowing this to happen demonstrate two things. The first is there is a permissive culture of deceit within the School District in allowing the misappropriation of funds and allowing students to defend the culprits. The second is a weak school culture that is not teaching students the basic elements of character. Students who are self-disciplined and taught the basics of behavior would not act this way. These students have no idea of the issues involved. Allowing these student demonstrations to stand without challenge clearly shows the school is not teaching critical thinking. Maybe it really is about jobs, pay increases and bonuses?

Those who are at fault are the top leaders of both the County Commissioners and the School Board along with the top dogs in the school system. The elected school board members should be embarrassed to the point of presenting their resignations after they fire the appropriate school employees. Their defense is that nobody told me. Dummy, as an elected official, you are supposed to be smart enough to ASK.

The Board of County Commissioners are also at fault. Many school boards effectively bully weak county commissioners into believing they have nothing to do with the running of the schools. This is not true. The commissioners use police power to collect tax money and give it to the schools. Almost all other funding for schools passes through the hands of the board of county commissioners. Why is that? So the Board of County Commissioners can have oversight over the schools. There are many bureaucrats (the hired help) who vigorously argue that commissioners have nothing to do with schools. All the money for the building of the new Eastern Elementary School is approved and drawn down from the State Department of Public Instruction before it is paid to contractors by the Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners.

Could something like what happened in Forsyth County happen in Beaufort County? The answer is yes. There is no Beaufort County Commissioner who knows how solvent the school system is. The reason is the Gang of Four (Fake Frankie Waters, Randy Walker, Ed Booth and Jerry Langley) give the school system a lump sum of money and never ask what is being used for? Efforts to obtain information from the school system are regularly blocked by votes of the Gang of Four. They never ask for the school fund balance or to see the annual audit. Who is on the school audit committee? The school board does not examine the budget. They approve whatever the bureaucrats put in front of them. What about bonuses in Beaufort County Schools?

All public-school systems are steadily losing students for the same reasons. Discipline is weak, standards are low and the WOKE teachings or lack of teaching. We do not teach cursive writing, classical math, or accurate American history. We do teach critical race theory (CRT), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sexual orientation.

With taxes becoming oppressive, there is a need for business minded elected officials. It is more important than ever to remove underperforming elected officials.
A trendy jewellery brand is opening a 1,800 sq ft store in Belfasts Victoria Square, it announced on Monday.

The first opening in Northern Ireland by London-based Astrid & Miyu, best known for its signature ear stacks, was revealed by the Belfast Telegraph in June.

And Victoria Square has also announced that luxury beauty brand Space NK, founded by Northern Ireland woman Nicky Kinnaird, will also open under its roof as it relocates from Donegall Square.

Bershka, a brand owned by Zara parent company Inditex, will also makes its debut in the Belfast shopping destination this year.

Space NK is opening a 3,500 beauty boutique on the lower ground level next to Reiss, All Saints and Astrid & Miyu. Its moving on from Donegall Square North after more than 20 years.

Victoria Square said the brands move reflect its strength and appeal and the presence of complementary stores like Rituals, Sculpted by Aimee and The White Company.

Russell Banham, UK head at Commerz Real, asset managers of Victoria Square, said: Astrid & Miyu selecting Victoria Square for its debut and Space NK relocating into the centre are very strong endorsements.

"As with the signing of Bershka earlier in the year, they highlight how important our asset is for brands, whether they are taking those first steps in a new market or are established operators seeking the very best space Belfast has to offer.

"They add another layer to our compelling tenant mix, extending our offer and creating more reasons for people to visit.

Connie Nam, founder of Astrid & Miyu, added: At Astrid & Miyu, being leaders in the experiential space is not just a goal, its a core part of who we are as a brand.

"We take immense pride in creating immersive, memorable in-store experiences that go beyond traditional retail. We want every visit to our stores to feel like a special occasion, one that leaves a lasting impression.

Bershka is to take a 17,500 sq ft unit on Victoria Squares upper ground level, joining sister brand Pull & Bear, which has relocated to create a new store triple the size of its original.

Shoemaker Loake has opened a 1,032 sq ft space in the centre, while toy brick giant LEGO opened last week.

Astrid & Miyu's new Belfast store

Sneak peek - Northern Ireland's first Lego store arrives in Belfast

Last week, menswear label Remus Uomo announced it was upping sticks from the centre, moving to Arthur Street around the corner.

Lambert Smith Hampton and Savills are joint agents for Victoria Square. Victoria Square is managed by the Lambert Smith Hamptons Belfast office.
Irish construction firm Sisk has acquired Farrans Construction in NI for an undisclosed sum

Farrans Construction in NI has now been sold to Sisk

Farrans is a major Northern Ireland-based, building and civil engineering contractor, with 625 employees, delivering projects in core sectors including aviation, water and renewable energy in Ireland and the UK.

As part of the sale, which is subject to relevant regulatory approval, the Farrans business will continue to trade under its own brand, and all project operations will continue as normal. The consideration will not be disclosed.

Irish construction firm Sisk has acquired Farrans Construction in NI for an undisclosed sum

Sisk is Irelands largest construction and civil engineering company, operating across Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Farrans is being sold by Irish giant CRH plc.

Sisk said that the coming together of these two successful contracting businesses will unlock new opportunities for delivering major infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland.

Farrans Construction in NI has now been sold to Sisk

News Catch Up - Monday 1st September

Paul Brown, CEO of Sisk, said: The acquisition of Farrans represents an excellent opportunity for Sisk to broaden its sectoral reach across the UK and Ireland. Their strong reputation and track record in delivering complex infrastructure projects aligns well with our strategic growth ambitions.

"This acquisition creates significant opportunity to capitalise on the growing aviation, energy, water and utility sector markets, leveraging the combined capability and highly skilled workforce.

Gull Wing Bridge, Suffolk, one of Farrans' major infrastructure projects

Dominic Lavery, Farrans managing director, said: This is a positive development for Farrans, and we believe that Sisk is the right strategic fit for our business as we look to the future.

"Were pleased that Farrans' people, culture, and brand will be retained, and we look forward to working together to deliver for our clients across the UK and Ireland.
I just said, oh my God, thats my mother: Forced adoption woman on how news report of Troubles funeral changed her life

Murder of a brother she never knew led to Martina Douglas reuniting with her Belfast family. They now want justice not only for UVF victim Seamus, but for tragic mum Madeline over the mother and baby homes scandal

From left: Roisin Morris, Martina Douglas and Lisa Morris holding photo of their mother Madeline and drawing of brother Seamus (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)

Allison Morris Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 07:00

The first time Martina Douglas saw her birth mother was in archive news footage of her walking behind the coffin of her murdered son, her face etched with grief.
The derelict 18th century building, owned at present by Castlebrooke Investments, is being bought over by the council in a drive to promote regeneration in the city centre.

The councils recent Vacant to Vibrant scheme has seen the acquisition of a number of listed and vacant buildings which were then transformed by various buyers into thriving businesses and community hubs.

The Assembly Rooms is a Grade B1 listed building, meaning that it is a good example of the time period or style.

Vacant since 2000 and dating from 1769, the heritage building is located on the corner of North Street and Waring Street.

The area has been run down and dilapidated as it awaits on Castlebrooke to make any progress with its much heralded Tribeca transformation of the area.

However, no work has yet been done on the 2016 plan for a 500m urban regeneration scheme on a 12 acre site located beside St Annes Cathedral bounded by Royal Avenue, Donegall Street, Lower Garfield Street and Rosemary Street.

With little public confidence in Castlebrookes ability to take the project forward, the Council has stepped in on several occasions.

The Assembly Rooms in Belfast city centre

Alliance councillor Michael Long, who jointly put forward an initial proposal for Belfast City Council to buy the Grade B1 listed Assembly Rooms building in the city centre, welcomed the ratification of the decision to officially put a bid in to purchase the space.

He said: This has been a long time coming now, and after years spent campaigning to see this done, Im delighted to see the bid finally going ahead.

We have a duty to protect, cherish, and maintain our historic cultural institutions. The Assembly Rooms building is a key landmark representing the legacy of Belfasts past, but now, with restoration to bring it back into public use, it has the opportunity to play its own part in shaping the future of the city and its cultural heritage for generations to come.

This is incredibly exciting progress that we look forward to following as things develop.

A Castlebrooke spokesperson said: We have been working collaboratively with Belfast City Council for some time to advance the regeneration of the North St/ Donegall Street area and we are very glad to see the decision to purchase the Assembly Rooms endorsed by Council this evening.

We have been frustrated that market conditions have prevented us delivering our previous schemes for this historically important part of the city but we are now preparing new plans in collaboration with the city council which embrace the historic significance of the Assembly rooms.

"We will be consulting widely on these new proposals in the very near future.

At the Assembly Rooms, plans to establish a slave trading company were thwarted in 1786.

Six years later in 1792, the Belfast Harp Festival was held, it was also where Henry Joy McCracken, a prominent republican and co-founder of the Society of United Irishmen, was sentenced to death in 1798.

Chair of Belfast City Councils Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, councillor Natasha Brennan, branded acquisition of the structure significant in council efforts to breathe new life and vibrancy into the Cathedral Quarter.

Along with our work on the nearby Belfast Stories, which will be a visitor attraction, public space and creative hub, integrating the restoration of the unique 1930s Art Deco former Bank of Ireland building when it opens in 2030, were investing in parts of our city centre, said the councillor.

[This will] have great historic character to ensure that these wonderful heritage assets are given life, purpose and relevance for generations to come.

Were continuing to focus on revitalising and enhancing our city centre because its the beating heart of Belfast.

In addition to the renowned 18th century site, the council is also set to purchase Donegall Street carpark, number five to nine North Street, and Braddells Building on 11 North Street.

Following engagement with councillors and stakeholders, the council itself will bring future proposals forward to conserve the Assembly Rooms and Braddells Building.

Other successful acquisitions of buildings by the council include the former Tesco building on Royal Avenue, another listed building.

Its purchase by the council lead to it becoming a hub for arts and culture. Work is currently underway for its long-term use, with Peace Plus funding having been confirmed for the creation of a LGBTQ+ hub on the first floor.

Other success stories from the Vacant to Vibrant scheme include the opening of Beau on Warehouse Lane, and ArtsEktas new Olive Tree House on Fountain Street.

Almost half of the 49 buildings involved in the Vacant to Vibrant scheme have been renowned heritage buildings.
A total of record-breaking 135,000 raised during the AskGamblers Charity Night 2025 will be donated to MS Platform Serbia and Foundation NORBS Plus.

BELGRADE, Serbia, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AskGamblers, a leading iGaming affiliation website, announces the launch of Charity Month, a campaign traditionally held every September, with the donation of 135,000 to two organisations.

Out of the said amount, 26,130 will be donated to MS Platform Serbia, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), while the remaining 108,870 will be directed towards people and children suffering from rare diseases in Serbia, as well as health institutions that treat them, via Foundation NORBS Plus.

The record-breaking sum of 135,000 was raised via contributions from the affiliate's partners who auctioned for various positions on the AskGamblers website during the annual Charity Night, held on 11 June.

Dijana Radunovic, General Manager at AskGamblers, said: "Behind the glamour of our annual AskGamblers Awards ceremony is a night when we gather our partners and call upon them to contribute to helping those most in need. We are thankful for being able to rely on them in reaching out to even more people year after year."

Additional information about Charity Month can be found on the following link.

About AskGamblers:

AskGamblers.com strives to provide current, objective, and accurate information and guide its users towards a safe gaming experience. The way we deliver our services, from the online casino, slot, and bonus reviews to our trusted Complaint Service, is best described by our motto: "Get the truth. Then play."

For any queries regarding AskGamblers and AskGamblers Awards, please get in touch with [email protected].

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/askgamblers/r/askgamblers-sets-charity-month-into-motion-by-donating--135-000-to-two-organisations,c4227356
New areas are joining a pilot to help ensure faster decision-making on cases of child exploitation (Alamy/PA)

Child victims of exploitation and human trafficking in Northern Ireland Birmingham and Edinburgh are to get support sooner, in an expanded scheme to protect young people across the UK from modern slavery.

They are among eight new areas being brought under a pilot which the Government said is reducing lengthy waiting times for children to get the help they need.

The pilot launched in June 2021 and moves responsibility from the Home Office to specially-trained local safeguarding teams, on decision-making about classing a child a victim of exploitation and therefore someone who qualifies for specialist support.

It is so far said to have resulted in waiting times being cut to just over three months, compared to more than a year in areas outside of the pilot.

The five other areas being brought into the pilot scheme are Hampshire, Shropshire council area, Southwark in south London, Telford and Wrekin council area, and West Sussex.

Decision-making will begin in all eight new areas this autumn, the Government said.

Edinburghs inclusion makes it the second Scottish site to be part of the pilot, joining Glasgow.

Two pilot sites have also operated in Wales  Cardiff and Newport  since 2021.

Modern slavery can include forced labour, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and domestic servitude.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said time is of the essence for child victims to get the specialist support they need.

She said: When a child falls victim to modern slavery, whether through human trafficking or in the vile county lines drug trade, they can face unimaginable trauma and lasting damage.

Time is of the essence when it comes to getting them the specialist support they need to heal and be children again.

This devolved decision-making pilot is delivering remarkable results, cutting waiting times by over a year means vulnerable children get the support they desperately need much faster.

By expanding to eight new areas, were building the evidence to roll this successful approach out nationally and improve how we protect all children in our country from modern slavery.

The latest Government figures, published last month, showed the number of potential victims  adults and children  of modern slavery referred to the Home Office is at a record level, having risen by almost a third in a year.

There were 5,690 people referred between April and June this year, a 7% increase on the previous three-month period and a 32% rise from the same quarter last year.

Among child referrals, 79% (or 1,364) were boys and 20% (or 351) were girls.

For the most recent period, 457 county lines referrals were flagged, of which the majority were for boys.

To access support and have recognition of their circumstances in the UK, most victims of slavery and human trafficking have to be assessed under national referral mechanism (NRM).

The Government has vowed to clear the backlog of cases awaiting a conclusive grounds decision by the NRM by December 2026, and has hired more than 180 new staff in a bid to help achieve this.
Two men have been assaulted in south Belfast, with one of the victims bitten on the ear during the attack.

A 25-year-old suspect has been charged following the incident which happened in the Lisburn Road area on Sunday.

Police were alerted at around 7.50pm that a man had punched two other men and bitten one on the ear.

Police detained a man who has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and disorderly behaviour.

PSNI.

News Catch Up - Monday 1st September

He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday, September 29.

As is usual procedure, all charges were reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service, a PSNI spokesperson said.

Police previously urged anyone with information to call the 101 number, quoting reference 1294 of 31/08/25.

Alternatively, a report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Man taken to hospital after colliding with tree in north Belfast

A man has been taken to hospital following an overnight collision in north Belfast.

Emergency services were called to reports of a one-vehicle road traffic collision on the Cavehill Road at its junction with Indiana Avenue shortly after 11pm.

Its understood that a car collided with a tree before spinning to a stop.

Firefighters and police both attended the incident.

One fire appliance from the nearby Westland fire station responded, where firefighters secured the vehicle and provided first aid to the driver.

Police at the scene of a one car collision in the Cavehill Road in North Belfast on August 31st 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott)

One lane of the road was closed while the vehicle was recovered.

The driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital from the scene by car.

Police have been contacted for comment.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald says her party will decide its stance on the presidential election next week  but gave no hint that the party will be fielding its own candidate.

The party has twice run for Aras an Uachtarain, but Ms McDonald, who this summer indicated that her own possible run for the office of Head of State was not being ruled out, was giving nothing away.
Bids to leave ECHR bear hallmarks of authoritarianism, say NI human rights campaigners

It comes after a right-wing think tank suggested leaving the ECHR would not breach Good Friday Agreement

Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern signing the 1998 Good Friday Agreement

Liam Tunney Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 20:30







Recent pressure suggesting the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) bears the hallmarks of authoritarianism, a number of human rights campaigners in Northern Ireland have said.
First Minister John Swinney said he was absolutely horrified by claims a hidden camera had been in toilets at Holyrood (Jane Barlow/PA)

First Minister John Swinney has said he was absolutely horrified by reports alleging a hidden camera had been placed in the toilets at the Scottish Parliament.

The SNP leader said he was extremely concerned about the implications for those using the Holyrood building, including MSPs, staff and journalists.

His comments came after MSP Colin Smyth denied allegations he had placed a secret camera in toilets in the building.

The South Scotland MSP was arrested on Tuesday August 5 and charged with a separate offence of possession of indecent images, prompting his suspension from Scottish Labour.

His Holyrood pass was deactivated on Thursday, effectively preventing him from accessing the building.

On Monday evening, the Scottish Parliament confirmed Mr Smyth had resigned as convenor and member of Holyroods Economy and Fair Work Committee.

With MSPs due to return to Parliament after the summer recess on Tuesday, the First Minister was pressed earlier on Monday over whether the building is a safe place to work.

Mr Swinney said to the PA news agency that as the case against Mr Smyth was live there were strict limits on what he could say.

He said: Im absolutely horrified by what has been the subject of revelations over the course of the last few weeks.

Im extremely concerned about what the implications for members of parliament, members of staff, journalists, for everyone who uses the parliamentary building.

As such, he said it was so important that parliamentary authorities provide that clear and definitive reassurance to everybody involved.

On Friday it was confirmed Police Scotland had carried out a search of toilets and changing facilities in the Parliament building, with no covert recording devices found.

MSPs will return to business at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday (Jane Barlow/PA)

Those using the building were also told there will be enhanced additional checks going forward.

Mr Smyth, meanwhile, issued a statement in which he rejected the allegations against him.

The MSP said: This allegation has come as an utter shock and one I strongly refute.

He added that for legal reasons I cant respond to specific matters or speculation but stressed he was fully co-operating with the authorities, saying he hoped investigations could be concluded quickly and fairly.

Speaking at Glasgow Caledonian University on Monday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: Its deeply distressing and shocking for all of us and for people across the parliamentary estate, no doubt.

As soon as we became aware of the seriousness of the allegations, Colin Smyth was suspended. He now sits as an independent MSP.

This is, of course, an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on any questions about the Parliament.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he is outraged by Israel not allowing sufficient aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million more for medical assistance in the region.

In a statement on the Middle East to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Lammy told MPs that Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine, acknowledging the declaration from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC).

He said: Im outraged by the Israeli governments refusal to allow in sufficient aid.

We need a massive, massive humanitarian response to prevent more deaths, crucial NGOs, humanitarians and health workers allowed to operate and stockpiles of aid on Gazas borders released.

The Foreign Secretary pledged more money for Gazans through medical aid charity UK-Med and World Health Organisation Egypt.

He said: I can announce an additional 15 million worth of aid in medical care for Gaza and the region.

We continue to work alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, of course, to enable the UN and NGOs to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

Brave medics in Gaza tell us that essential medicines are running out and they cannot operate safely, and thats why were funding UK-Med, whose field hospitals treated over 600,000 Gazans, and thats why were also funding the WHO Egypt to treat thousands of evacuated Gazan people.

Mr Lammy reiterated the Governments commitment to bring critically ill and injured Gazan children to the UK for specialist NHS treatment, with the first patients expected in the coming weeks.

He said: Were extracting people from a war zone, of course, it is complex and dangerous. It relies entirely on Israeli permissions, and Im pressing the Israeli government for this to happen as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Secretary condemned Israel for continuing to approve illegal settlements.

He said: In the West Bank, the Israeli government is tightening its stranglehold on the Palestinian economy and continues to approve illegal settlement construction, just recently in the E1 area east of Jerusalem.

This would erect a physical barrier to the contiguous Palestinian state, and it must not happen.

He added: We see no contradiction between the two-state solution and our deep commitment to Israeli security, because security comes from stable borders, not indefinite occupation.

On the reintroduction of sanctions on Iran, Mr Lammy said: I regret to inform the House that Iran has not complied with its legal obligations, nor chosen the path of diplomacy, so we have had no choice but to act.

I have long been clear that I will not allow snapback to expire without a durable and comprehensive deal. It would be unacceptable to allow this issue to fall off the UN Security Council agenda, despite the threat posed by Irans nuclear programme.

But snapback is not the end of diplomacy, as (US secretary of state Marco Rubio) has also recently underlined. Iran can still meet our conditions, it can restore full IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) access, it can address our concerns about its stockpile and enrichment, and return to negotiations.

Alongside our partners, I will continue to urge Iran to choose this path.

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel told the Commons that new solutions should be looked at for getting aid in Gaza.

She said: The Government has yet to make essential breakthroughs on aid.

Ministers obviously need to work around the clock with everyone, all our partners, including with the Israelis and multinational institutions, to unblock the situation by coming up with practical solutions, even new solutions that all sides can focus on when it comes to getting medical and food aid into Gaza.

That does have to provide a significant increase in food and medical supplies to reach civilians while addressing Israeli concerns about aid diversions, because those concerns are constant.

However, Mr Lammy disagreed that new solutions are needed, arguing that old ones like the UNs World Food Programme have worked in the past.

The Foreign Secretary said: She asks what new solutions might be found on aid, and thats where I depart with the sentiment of what shes saying, because Im not sure we need new solutions.

The mechanisms are there, they work all over the globe, it worked the last time when we had a ceasefire.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said: Russia and China have joined in a letter saying that they will work with Tehran in the UN to thwart snapback sanctions.

So could he potentially update the House on the work that we will do with our allies on enforcement, and crucially, make clear to companies and banks that there will be severe consequences for those that break the sanctions?

Mr Lammy said the UK works hand in glove particularly with our French and German counterparts.

He added: We, of course, will do everything we can within the UN system to urge our Russian and Chinese friends to take seriously the solemn commitments that we made in the 20th century, and continue today in this one, that we must stop nuclear proliferation.
The proposed legislation has already cleared the Commons (PA/Yui Mok)

A health minister has issued an apology after describing the proposed assisted dying law as a major Government priority.

Baroness Merron said the controversial backbench legislation should not have been referred to in this way given the administrations neutrality on the issue.

The Labour frontbencher made a statement to address inaccurate information contained in a previous response she had given to a written question by Liberal Democrat Lord Scriven.

The formal correction emerged as peers are poised to debate in detail the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which has already been through the House of Commons.

More than 150 members are already listed to speak at second reading in the Lords on Friday, September 12.

Responding in July to a question by Lord Scriven on increased wage costs in the Department of Health and Social Care after Labour took office, Lady Merron said: Since the general election, the departments staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Governments major priorities.

Her answer went on to say that these included the assisted dying Bill.

Lady Merron subsequently issued a ministerial statement in which she said: It has been brought to my attention that a written answer given to Lord Scriven contained inaccurate information related to the work of the Department for Health and Social Care.

She added: The assisted dying Bill has required additional resource but should not have been referred to as a Government priority given the Governments neutrality on the issue.

Providing an updated answer, which removed mention of the contentious legislation, Lady Merron went on: I would like to apologise for any confusion.

However, the blunder was seized on by Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Harper, who was referred to the ministerial clarification.

The Bill, sponsored by Labour MP for Spen Valley Kim Leadbeater, cleared the Commons with a majority of 23 votes in June, down from the majority of 55 it secured when first voted on by elected representatives back in November.

MPs had a free vote on the legislation, meaning they decided according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

It will be taken through the Upper House by former lord chancellor and justice secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton.

Assisted dying campaigners, including Dame Esther Rantzen, have urged peers not to block the draft law, which could run out of parliamentary time if it gets bogged down in the Lords.

But opponents have vowed to fight on at Westminster against what they called a deeply flawed Bill.

The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
The digital pathology market is anticipated to increase due to the global increase in chronic conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and diabetes fuels demand for advanced diagnostic solutions. Digital pathology supports quicker, more accurate diagnosis and treatment planning, enhancing patient outcomes.

WESTFORD, Mass., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyQuest Technology Consulting published a report, titled, Digital Pathology Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025-2032", valued at USD 1.05 Billion in 2024. With a projected CAGR of 7.8% from 2025 to 2032, the market is expected to reach USD 1.91 Billion by the end of 2032. Innovations in whole slide imaging technology are driving digital pathology growth by enabling high-resolution image capture, remote consultations, and AI-assisted analysis. These advancements improve workflow accuracy and efficiency, making digital systems more appealing to medical institutions transitioning from traditional glass-slide methods to modern, digitized platforms for faster pathology services.

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Digital Pathology Market Key Growth Drivers

The digital pathology market has experienced significant growth owing to expanding healthcare access needs, especially in rural and underserved areas, telepathology is gaining momentum. Digital pathology allows remote sharing of slides for expert consultation, reducing diagnosis turnaround time. This accessibility is particularly valuable in global regions lacking specialized pathologists, making remote diagnostics a key growth factor in the market.

Another key factor driving the market growth is the incorporation of AI and machine learning into digital pathology enhances image analysis, pattern recognition, and diagnostic precision. AI tools can identify anomalies and assist pathologists in detecting early-stage diseases. This technological synergy boosts diagnostic confidence and operational speed, prompting more healthcare providers to adopt digital pathology solutions.

Recent Developments in Digital Pathology Market

In April 2025 , ATA Action announced its acquisition of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA), forming a new entity called the Advancing Digital Health Coalition. This strategic merger brings together policy and advocacy efforts under one roof, aiming to accelerate the adoption of innovative digital health technologies and enhance patient care delivery across the healthcare system.

, ATA Action announced its acquisition of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA), forming a new entity called the Advancing Digital Health Coalition. This strategic merger brings together policy and advocacy efforts under one roof, aiming to accelerate the adoption of innovative digital health technologies and enhance patient care delivery across the healthcare system. In April 2025 , Click Therapeutics received FDA marketing authorization for its prescription digital therapeutic, CT-132, designed for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. This marks a significant regulatory milestone, with the FDA granting De Novo Classification, making CT-132 the first approved prescription digital therapeutic in this specific indication.

, Click Therapeutics received FDA marketing authorization for its prescription digital therapeutic, CT-132, designed for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. This marks a significant regulatory milestone, with the FDA granting De Novo Classification, making CT-132 the first approved prescription digital therapeutic in this specific indication. In March 2025 , Dassault Systemes made a strategic investment in Click Therapeutics to deepen its involvement in the digital therapeutics space. The move supports Dassault's broader goal of transforming the patient experience by integrating end-to-end digital solutions across the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem.

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Major Challenges in Digital Pathology Industry

The absence of universal standards for image formats, software interoperability, and diagnostic protocols creates integration challenges. Different vendors use proprietary systems, limiting seamless data sharing and workflow continuity. This lack of standardization hinders collaboration between institutions, and slows the global adoption of digital pathology solutions in clinical and research settings.

Implementing and maintaining digital pathology systems requires specialized IT support, digital imaging knowledge, and trained personnel. Many healthcare facilities lack adequately skilled professionals, especially in low-resource settings. This expertise gap leads to underutilization of installed systems, and reluctance among, institutions to transition from traditional to digital pathology practices.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the global digital pathology market is shaped by key players like Roche, Leica Biosystems, Philips, Hamamatsu Photonics, and Proscia. Companies focus on strategies such as AI integration, product innovation, and partnerships. For instance, Philips emphasizes AI-powered diagnostics, while Proscia expands its Concentriq platform. Roche leverages FDA-cleared scanners for market leadership, and Leica collaborates with Indica Labs to enhance AI-enabled digital workflows and diagnostic efficiency.

The major players in the digital pathology industry include,

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Leica Biosystems (Danaher Corporation)

Roche Diagnostics (F. Hoffmann-La Roche)

Hologic, Inc.

Hamamatsu Photonics

3DHISTECH

GE Healthcare

Akoya Biosciences, Inc.

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

Apollo Enterprise Imaging

Olympus Corporation

Mikroscan Technologies

Inspirata

PerkinElmer

Huron Digital Pathology

Sectra AB

PathAI

Indica Labs

Nikon Corporation

Visiopharm

Digital Pathology Market Segmental Analysis

Global Digital Pathology Market is segmented by Product, Type, Application, End-use and region.

Based on Product , the market is segmented into Scanners, Software, Deployment Model and Storage System.

, the market is segmented into Scanners, Software, Deployment Model and Storage System. Based on Type , the market is segmented into Human Pathology and Veterinary Pathology.

, the market is segmented into Human Pathology and Veterinary Pathology. Based on Application , the market is segmented into Drug Discovery & Development, Academic Research and Disease Diagnosis.

, the market is segmented into Drug Discovery & Development, Academic Research and Disease Diagnosis. Based on End-use , the market is segmented into Hospitals, Biotech & Pharma Companies, Diagnostic Labs and Academic & Research Institutes.

, the market is segmented into Hospitals, Biotech & Pharma Companies, Diagnostic Labs and Academic & Research Institutes. Based on region, the market is segmented into North America , Europe , Asia Pacific , Latin America and Middle East & Africa .

Regional Outlook

North America dominates the global digital pathology market due to advanced healthcare infrastructure, high adoption of AI in diagnostics, and significant investment in digital health technologies. The U.S. leads the region, driven by growing cancer prevalence, regulatory support, and presence of major market players like Roche and Philips. Additionally, increasing demand for remote diagnostics and telepathology in academic and clinical settings accelerates market growth, making North America a hub for innovation and implementation in digital pathology.

Asia Pacific is witnessing rapid growth in the digital pathology market due to expanding healthcare infrastructure, rising cancer incidence, and increasing investments in AI-driven diagnostics. Countries like China, Japan, and India are actively adopting digital solutions to address pathologist shortages and enhance diagnostic accuracy. Government initiatives promoting healthcare digitization and collaborations with global tech firms further fuel adoption. The region's cost-effective clinical trials and academic research institutions also contribute to making Asia Pacific a dynamic, fast-growing digital pathology market.

Europe holds a significant share in the global digital pathology market, driven by strong healthcare systems, government support for digital health initiatives, and widespread use of telepathology. Countries like Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands lead adoption, supported by research funding and academic collaborations. The region emphasizes AI integration and interoperability standards, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and workflow efficiency. Rising cancer cases and a push for cross-border medical collaboration, further accelerate digital pathology adoption across European healthcare institutions and research centers.

The Middle East and Africa digital pathology market is growing steadily due to increasing cancer prevalence and rising healthcare investments. Countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Africa are adopting digital pathology to improve diagnostic accuracy and enable telepathology services in remote areas. Government initiatives supporting healthcare digitization and growing awareness of advanced diagnostics are key drivers. Despite infrastructure challenges, the region shows promising growth potential with increasing adoption of AI and cloud-based pathology solutions.

Latin America's digital pathology market is growing steadily, driven by rising cancer rates and increasing demand for telepathology in underserved regions. Brazil and Mexico lead adoption, supported by healthcare infrastructure improvements and government initiatives promoting digital diagnostics. Devices dominate the market, while software solutions show rapid growth due to AI integration and workflow management needs. Challenges like limited awareness and infrastructure gaps remain, but ongoing investments position Latin America as an emerging digital pathology market.

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Activist Greta Thunberg, Liam Cunningham before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona on August 31, 2025, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo by Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Liam Cunningham during the press conference to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona on August 31, 2025, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo by Lorena Sopena/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A flotilla of ships departed from Barcelona to the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists on board in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

Irish activists are among those set to join the flotilla, including TD Paul Murphy, author Naoise Dolan, comedian Tadhg Hickey and actor Liam Cunningham.

It comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food, water and medicine. Activists on board demanded safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor, according to a statement. The almost 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 332 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The maritime convoy of about 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries is claimed to be the largest attempt to date to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea, which has now lasted 18 years. They will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy and Tunisia in the coming days, on the route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, organizers said.

Activist Greta Thunberg, Liam Cunningham before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona on August 31, 2025, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo by Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Thousands of supporters flocked to the Barcelona pier, some of them wearing kaffiyehs and chanting Free Palestine! and Boycott Israel! to send off a wide variety of boats, flying Palestinian flags, from rundown old luxury yachts to tiny wooden sailboats and industrial-looking vessels. One of them, the Sirus, is more than 100 years old.

Around 70 boats are expected to take part in the final leg of the journey, flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told Spanish public television after the departure. The fleet could reach Gaza around Sept. 14 or 15, he added.

The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive, said Swedish activist Greta Thunberg at a news conference. She is one of the most recognizable figures on the expedition, formed by hundreds of activists, politicians such as the former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and journalists.

Ships carrying tons of humanitarian aid departed from the Italian city of Genoa and will join the expedition in the coming days.

It is not the first time Thunberg has attempted to reach Gaza waters this year. She was deported by Israel in June when the ship she was traveling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the Israeli military.

It has been very clear that Israel has been continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from coming in, said Thunberg in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday.

Liam Cunningham during the press conference to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona on August 31, 2025, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo by Lorena Sopena/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Explosions seen over Gaza as Israel moves forward with plans for offensive into Gaza City

The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the fourth attempt to break the maritime blockade so far this year. The Conscience first tried in May, but was attacked by drones after setting sail from Malta. After the Madleen, the Israeli military stopped another aid ship, the Handala, in late July, detained 21 international activists and reporters and seized its cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

In a news conference before the departure in Barcelona, actor Liam Cunningham played a video showing a girl singing while planning her own funeral. The girl, Fatima, died four days ago, he said.

What sort of world have we slid into where children are making their own funeral arrangements? Cunningham told reporters.

An Israeli official said Saturday that the country will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza, as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, a day after the city was declared a combat zone.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when an attack by Hamas militants inside Israel claimed the lives of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 people hostage.
Dissidents plotting attack on cops to appease former New IRA leader Thomas Mellon

But other brigades want nothing to do with Derry republican, who stepped away over gangs desire for ceasefire

Thomas Mellon

Ciaran Barnes Mon 1 Sep 2025 at 19:00

The New IRAs Derry unit is believed to be planning an attack on police in a bid to woo back its former leader.
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MILL RIVER  When the sale of Limestone Farm became a matter of record last week, county and area dairymen and others were not sure whether to offer the former owners congratulations or condolences.
A new bill filed by state Rep. John Barrett and state Sen. Paul Mark would exempt small districts like Hancock  which lack their own middle or high schools  from paying costly tuition for school choice students who continue on to other districts, potentially allowing Hancock Elementary to reopen to out-of-district families.
Labor Day is the first Monday of September, and it is a day to celebrate the hard work of every worker in the United States. Labor Day symbolizes prosperity, strength, and well-being. It is also known as the official end of summer. On Labor Day, many families have cookouts and take a rest from their toilsome labor. Work can be taxing at times, which is why we need to take time to take a break.

God didnt create us to be robots who are always productive. We should work and be fruitful; however, we dont have to be working day in and day out. We need rest, and we can find this rest at the feet of Jesus. He will give us the rest and peace our hearts truly need. While it can be common to drown ourselves in work when overwhelmed, it is better to turn to Gods Word and pray to Him.

Below are seven biblical truths about work and rest to reflect on this Labor Day. Thinking over these passages will help us experience inner peace. Although we live in a fast-paced society, we need to slow down and take time to rest. We can achieve a healthy balance between work and rest, as both are needed, good, and productive.

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DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Flexible Endoscopes Market, valued at US$2.27 billion in 2024, stood at US$2.38 billion in 2025 and is projected to advance at a resilient CAGR of 5.1% from 2025 to 2030, culminating in a forecasted valuation of US$3.07 billion by the end of the period. The growth of the flexible endoscopes market is driven by the rising need for endoscopy in diagnosing and treating critical diseases, increasing investments and grants from governments and organizations, and the growing prevalence of conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. Additionally, hospitals are expanding their endoscopic capabilities, fueled by the increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures and ongoing technological advancements. Additionally, market opportunities are emerging from the high adoption of single-use endoscopy instruments and the rising shift toward automated endoscope reprocessing, which enhances efficiency, reduces infection risks, and meets stringent hygiene standards, thereby accelerating market expansion.

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By type, the flexible endoscopes market is segmented into upper gastrointestinal endoscopes, colonoscopes, broncoscopes, sigmoidoscopes, laryngoscopes, pharyngoscopes, duodenoscopes, nasopharyngoscopes, rhinoscopes, and other types. The upper gastrointestinal endoscopes segment accounted for the largest market share in 2024. The segment is further divided into upper gastrointestinal videoscope and upper gastrointestinal fiberscope. Among these, the upper gastrointestinal videoscope segment accounted for a significant market share in 2024, due to the critical role of upper gastrointestinal videoscope in diagnosing and treating a wide range of upper GI conditions, such as GERD, ulcers, Barrett's esophagus, and gastric cancers. These devices utilize advanced video chip technology that delivers high-resolution, real-time imaging, enabling accurate diagnosis and guided therapeutic interventions. Their flexibility allows for precise navigation through complex anatomical regions, which makes them essential in procedures like foreign object removal, biopsies, and bleeding control. Moreover, their extensive use in hospital and outpatient settings, supported by skilled professionals and ongoing technology upgrades, further solidifies their dominant market position within the flexible endoscopes market.

By end user, the flexible endoscopes market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), clinics, and other end users (Diagnostic centers, mobile endoscopy facilities, and office-based endoscopy service providers). Among these, the hospitals segment accounted for the largest market share in 2024, owing to the high patient inflow for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which demand advanced infrastructure and skilled medical professionals. Hospitals are equipped with comprehensive surgical setups, enabling the use of flexible endoscopes across various specialties, such as gastroenterology, pulmonology, and urology. Additionally, increasing funding from both public and private sectors has supported hospitals in upgrading to next-generation endoscopic equipment, improving procedural efficiency and outcomes. Hospitals often serve as referral centers for complex cases, increasing the volume of endoscopic procedures. These factors collectively drive hospital-based endoscopy adoption, reinforcing the dominant position of the hospitals segment in the market.

By geography, the flexible endoscopes market is segmented into five major regional segments: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2024, North America accounted for the largest share of the global flexible endoscopes market due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases, such as gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, and neurological conditions, which require frequent diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures. According to the CDC (October 2024), six in ten Americans have at least one chronic disease, and four in ten suffer from multiple conditions, significantly driving the demand for minimally invasive solutions, like flexible endoscopes. Additionally, the region benefits from the strong presence of key endoscope manufacturers and continuous technological innovation. The region's well-established healthcare infrastructure, favorable reimbursement policies, and high awareness among patients and physicians further contribute to the region's early adoption of endoscopic procedures. Moreover, the increasing investment by healthcare facilities in upgrading diagnostic capabilities and the presence of trained professionals reinforce North America's leadership in the flexible endoscopes market.

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Some of the prominent players operating in the market include Olympus Corporation (Japan), Karl STORZ SE & Co. KG (Germany), Boston Scientific Corporation (US), FUJIFILM Corporation (Japan), HOYA Corporation (Japan), Stryker (US), Nipro (Japan), EndoMed Systems GmbH (Germany), Richard Wolf GmbH. (Germany), and Ambu A/S (Denmark).

Olympus Corporation (US):

Olympus Corporation is a leading player in the flexible endoscopes market due to its comprehensive and diversified portfolio of advanced endoscopy equipment and services, including gastrointestinal and surgical flexible endoscopes supported by integrated endoscopic systems and repair solutions. The company's strong global presence, comprising 89 subsidiaries and 3 affiliates, ensures broad market access across Japan, North America, Europe, Asia & Oceania, China, and other global markets. Olympus consistently delivers high-performance, clinically efficient solutions across multiple therapeutic areas. This makes it a preferred partner for healthcare providers worldwide. Additionally, its dual organic and inorganic growth strategy further reinforces its leadership.

Olympus invests heavily in innovation, as was demonstrated by the launch of two new bronchoscopes in May 2023. The new bronchoscopes are integrated with AI to enhance diagnostic precision and procedural efficiency. Additionally, the company pursues strategic acquisitions and distribution agreements to expand product offerings and market reach. These initiatives support sustained technological advancements, increased adoption among end users, and a competitive market position. By integrating advanced imaging, enhanced maneuverability, and reprocessing technologies, Olympus delivers customer-centric solutions that support precision diagnostics and minimally invasive interventions, securing its dominant role in the global flexible endoscopes market.

Karl Storz SE & CO. Kg (Germany)

Karl Storz SE & Co. Kg is a leading player in the flexible endoscopes market due to its comprehensive portfolio of over 10,000 high-precision human and veterinary medicine products. The company's advanced flexible endoscopy solutions span key clinical applications, such as bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, and neuroendoscopy. These applications reinforce its position in critical medical disciplines. Operating through 70 subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and maintaining production facilities in Germany, the US, Switzerland, Estonia, and China, the company ensures a robust global footprint that effectively addresses diverse regional healthcare needs. The company's presence across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa facilitates customer engagement and reliable service delivery. To cement its position in the market, Karl Storz adopts strategic inorganic growth initiatives.

An example of this can be the acquisition of Surgical, Inc. (US) in August 2024, to expand its advanced surgical and endoscopic offerings. Additionally, the company's collaboration with FUJIFILM Corporation for the joint marketing of GI endoscopes and OR integration systems further enhanced its technological capabilities and market presence. Karl Storz remains a trusted and influential force in the global flexible endoscopes market through innovation, strategic partnerships, and operational reach.

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Related Reports:

Endoscopy Equipment Market

Top 10 Medical Device Technologies Market

Endoscope Reprocessing Market

Laparoscopic Instruments Market

Endoscopic Ultrasonography (EUS) Market

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The costs associated with the Trump tariffs will be passed onto the US customers of US medical device firm, Cook Medical where possible.

That is according to the directors at one of the largest employers in the Midwest, Cook Ireland Ltd which employs 664 at Limericks National Technology Park.

New accounts show that Cook Ireland returned to pre-tax profit to record pre-tax profits of 13.95 million in 2024 compared to a pre-tax loss of 5.4 million in 2023.

The return to profit for the US headquartered firm followed revenues increasing by 12 per cent from 127.14 million to 142.96 million.

The company had a post tax profit of 17.35m after recording a corporation tax credit of 3.4 million and this arose chiefly as a result of a 4.75 million Research and Development (R&D) tax credit.

The company's R&D spent last year was 25.7m and numbers employed increased from 662 to 664 as staff costs decreased slightly from 41.72 million to 41.69 million.

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Aggregate pay to directors almost doubled from 750,607 to 1.4 million as the number of directors increased from three for the bulk of 2023 to five last year.

The company paid dividends last year of 500,000 compared to a dividend payout of 1.8 million in 2023.

In their directors; report which was signed off ahead of President Trump and the European Commission reaching an agreement on a 15pc tariff for EU goods on July 27th, they state that based on the 10pc tariff currently in place on shipments between our European manufacturing sites and our US distribution entities, management does not foresee a significant direct impact on the entities' business activities or its going concern.

In the report signed off on July 14th, the directors state that there has been no change in the sales prices of the European manufacturers relating to the tariffs and currently the position of the US group entities is that the extra tariff being borne by them, will be passed on to the customer where possible.

They add that cost saving initiatives are also being actioned to make up any difference between the extra tariff cost and what can be passed to the US based customers.

Separate accounts for the Limerick based Cook Medical EMEA Group show that the company recorded a post-tax loss of 93.5 million in 2024.

The group has two manufacturing plants in Limerick and in Denmark and the loss arose mainly from a 166 million tax charge connected to a Danish tax matter specific to Cook Denmark International Holdings ApS.

Revenues at the group last year increased by six per cent from 798.49 million to 849.63m as pre-tax profits increased by 52 per cent from 61.9 million to 94.57 million.

Numbers employed reduced from 2,278 to 2,191 as staff costs reduced from 194.63 million to 190 million.
A variety of stories feature on Monday's front pages.

The Irish Times lead with Jim Gavin having the support of almost all Fianna Fail's cabinet ministers, concern growing at gangs sourcing military grade guns, and plans to remove colonial art objects held by the national museum being delayed.

The Irish Examiner lead with MEP Billy Kelleher facing a battle for the Fianna Fail presidential nomination, a toddler being denied universal subsidies because of his disabilities, over 2,000 children being left without a hot lunch as firms pull out of supply for small schools, an interview with Mary Lou McDonald, and threats against Tanaiste Simon Harris and his children.

The Irish Independent lead with consultant reforms driving the soaring cost of health cover.

The Echo lead with vulnerable children in Cork living in unsuitable accommodation and sharing facilities with adults from other families, due to the housing crisis, and there being no space at a Cork autism support group.

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The Belfast Telegraph lead with the head of Northern Ireland's civil service getting a pay rise of 30,000 in a year.

The Irish Daily Mail lead with Pope Leo having said the Catholic Church will downsize in Ireland with fewer dioceses and fewer bishops, according to Archbishop Eamon Martin.

The Irish Daily Mirror lead with TV star Brendan Courtney's house being damaged when a car ploughed into the front of it.

The Irish Daily Star lead with Irish activists joining a flotilla that left Barcelona on Sunday with the aim of breaking Israels blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea.

The Herald lead with gardai investigating threats made against Tanaiste Simon Harris's children.
Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed at least 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided by the Taliban government.

The 6.0 magnitude quake late on Sunday hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, causing extensive damage.

The quake at 11.47pm locla time was centred 17 miles east-northeast of Jalalabad, the US Geological Survey said.

It was just five miles deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. Several aftershocks followed.



Ambulances are prepared to receive victims of an earthquake (Nangarhar Media Centre via AP)

Footage showed rescuers taking injured people on stretchers from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people frantically dug through rubble with their hands.

A Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at a press conference that the death toll had risen to at least 800 with more than 2,500 injured. He said most of the casualties were in Kunar.

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Buildings in Afghanistan tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood. Many are poorly built.

One resident in Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas in Kunar, said nearly the entire village was destroyed.

Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble, said the villager, who did not give his name.

We need help here, he pleaded. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.

Eastern Afghanistan is mountainous, with remote areas. The quake has worsened communications. Dozens of flights have operated in and out of Nangarhar Airport, transporting the injured to hospital.

One survivor described seeing homes collapse before his eyes and people screaming for help.



(Nangarhar Media Centre via AP)

Sadiqullah, who lives in the Maza Dara area of Nurgal, said he was woken by a deep boom that sounded like a storm approaching. Like many Afghans, he uses only one name.

He ran to where his children were sleeping and rescued three of them. He was about to return to grab the rest of his family when the room fell on top of him.

I was half-buried and unable to get out, he told The Associated Press by phone from Nangarhar Hospital.

My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out.

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It felt like the whole mountain was shaking, he said.

Rescue operations were under way and medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area, said Sharafat Zaman, a health ministry spokesman.

Mr Zaman said many areas had not been able to report casualty figures and that the numbers were expected to change as deaths and injuries are reported.



Afghans donate blood for victims of an earthquake (Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health via AP)

The Taliban governments chief spokesman, Mujahid, said all available resources will be utilised to save lives.

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, said the earthquake intensified existing humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan and urged international donors to support relief efforts.

This adds death and destruction to other challenges including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries, Mr Grandi wrote on the social media platform X.

Hopefully the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts.

Sunday nights quake was felt in parts of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Afghan city of Jalalabad, close to Pakistan, is a bustling trade centre and a key border crossing. Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area is thought to be far larger.

Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture, including citrus fruit and rice farming, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people died in that quake.

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The UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by events in Afghanistan.

Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are ready to extend all possible support in this regard, he said on the social platform X.

Pakistan has expelled thousands of Afghans in the past year, many of them living legally in the country after escaping Afghanistan as refugees over the past four decades.

At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan so far this year, according to a June report by UNHCR.
Iraqs prime minister has presided over the official reopening of the historic al-Nuri Grand Mosque and its leaning minaret in the heart of Mosuls Old City, eight years after it was destroyed by militants from the Islamic State group.

For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as a famous landmark. In 2014, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the so-called caliphate there by delivering a Friday sermon and leading prayers.

The militant group later destroyed the mosque by detonating explosives inside the structures as it faced defeat in a battle with Iraqi military forces for control of the city in 2017.



Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during the reopening of the historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque (Hadi Mizban/AP)

Unesco  the UNs scientific, educational and cultural organisation  worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble.

Unesco raised 115 million dollars for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.

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Prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that the reconstruction of the mosque will remain a milestone, reminding all enemies of the heroism of Iraqis, their defence of their land, and their rebuilding of everything destroyed by those who want to obscure the truth.

We will continue our support for culture, and efforts to highlight Iraqi antiquities, as a social necessity, a gateway to our country for the world, an opportunity for sustainable development, and a space for youth to innovate, he said.

At its peak, IS ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality.

It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraqs oldest religious minorities.

In addition to the mosque, war-damaged churches were rebuilt as part of the reconstruction project, aiming to preserve the heritage of the citys shrinking Christian population.

Mr Sudani said the city of Mosul embraces all of its communities and embodies all the characteristics of Iraqs diverse society.

UN investigators have said that IS militants committed war crimes against Christians in Iraq, including seizing their property, engaging in sexual violence, enslavement, forced conversions and destruction of cultural and religious sites.

Most of Mosuls small population of Christians fled when IS launched its offensive in 2014.

In 2003, Mosuls Christian population stood at around 50,000. Today, fewer than 20 Christian families remain as permanent residents in the city, although some who resettled in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq still return to Mosul for church services.

The reconstruction project in Mosul could serve as a model for restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas  including neighbouring Syria, which is starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former president Bashar Assad last year.
Hundreds of Yemenis mourned the death of Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, killed last week along with several officials by an Israeli strike, as the group targeted an oil tanker in the Red Sea  renewing their attacks in the crucial global waterway.

The Israeli attack came three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the Iranian-backed rebels had launched at it since 2023.

In the capital city of Sanaa, mourners attended the funeral, held at Shaab Mosque and broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled satellite news channel.

Crowds inside the mosque chanted against Israel and the United States as they grieved the deaths of the officials, including the foreign affairs, media and culture, and industrial ministers.

Funeral attendees Ahmed Khaled and Fathy Mahmoud told The Associated Press the families of the slain officials arrived in ambulances for the funeral, where the bodies were placed in caskets inside the mosque.

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Footage showed 11 coffins with individual photos of the killed officials on each and wrapped in Yemeni flags.



People gather beside the coffins of Houthi officials (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)

Were participating in this funeral because Israel killed those officials and thats enough reason to attend their funeral, Ahmed Azam, another attendee, told the AP.

Mr Al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official to be killed since an Israeli-US campaign against the rebel group started earlier this year.

Other ministers and officials were wounded, confirmed a Houthi statement on Thursday, following the Israeli attack.

We entered a huge and influential war and clashed with the US This war was not only military-focused but also economic as Israel targeted everything, acting Houthi prime minister Mohamed Muftah said in his address at the funeral on Monday.

He confirmed that despite Israeli attacks, Yemeni ports controlled by the group are still functioning and that there is no food or fuel crisis.

The Yemeni rebels said on Monday they launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a prerecorded message aired on Al-Masirah.

He alleged the vessel, the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, owned by Eastern Pacific, had ties to Israel.

The maritime security firm Ambrey described the ship as fitting the Houthis target profile, as the vessel is publicly Israeli owned.

Eastern Pacific is a company that is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and had been previously targeted in suspected Iranian attacks.



Coffins are carried on military vehicles during a funeral procession (Osamah Abdulrahman/AP)

In a statement, the company said the vessel has not sustained any damage and continues to operate under the command of its Master. All crew members onboard the Scarlet Ray are safe and accounted for.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

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Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about one trillion dollars of goods pass each year.

The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weeks-long campaign of airstrikes ordered by US president Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.

The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.

The Houthis fresh attacks come as a new, possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war remains in the balance.

Meanwhile, the future of talks between the US and Iran over Tehrans battered nuclear programme is in question after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.
Police are investigating an alleged assault against two Palestinian-Australian brothers  one wearing a keffiyeh  who were told we dont want you in our country on a Sydney train after Sundays pro-Palestine and anti-immigration rallies.

NSW Police confirmed on Tuesday that an investigation was under way into allegations that brothers Shamikh and Majed Badra had been threatened and assaulted by a man unknown to them who was on board their train from Town Hall bound for Stanmore.

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The brothers, who have had family killed in the war in Gaza, had attended a rally for Palestine in Sydneys CBD. An anti-immigration march which attracted thousands of protesters was held in the city at the same time.

The pair say they sat together on the lower deck of the train, with Majed wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh, a garment associated with the Palestinian cause.

Within minutes, the pair said they were subjected to unprompted verbal abuse from four men.

Video captured by the brothers and provided to this masthead shows two men and a woman hurling racist insults at the men.

We dont want you in our country, we dont want you here, one man yelled.

A woman can be heard telling the brothers to go back to your country.

Read the full story from Alexandra Smith and Jessica McSweeney here.
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NationalQueenslandRoad safety This was published 3 months ago Police make grim discovery almost a day after crash Catherine Strohfeldt and Marissa Calligeros September 1, 2025  11:17am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

The body of a man involved in a fatal crash was found by police almost 24 hours after his car left the road, marking a tragic conclusion to a horror weekend on Queensland roads. Police made the grim discovery after being called to investigate an abandoned four-wheel-drive on the Warrego Highway, west of Brisbane, on Sunday. They believe the driver and sole occupant  a 67-year-old Regency Downs man  crashed his Toyota Landcruiser about 8.30pm on Saturday at Glenore Grove in the Lockyer Valley. Six people died in five separate crashes over the weekend. The man managed to get out of the wreckage, but later succumbed to his injuries.

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Police searched the surrounding area and found his body a short distance from the vehicle on Sunday night. Five people were killed in four other fatal crashes over the weekend, with the RACQ predicting that 2025 would be the deadliest year on Queensland roads in more than 15 years. Right now, one person dies on our roads almost every day, and speeding remains the leading factor in fatal crashes, contributing to an average of 79 deaths every year, RACQ general manager of advocacy Josh Cooney said. On Saturday, a 27-year-old motorbike rider from Gold Coast hinterland township Wonglepong had been travelling along Green Ridge Road in Jimboomba when the bike collided with a station wagon making a right turn. Initial investigations indicate the rider was overtaking a number of vehicles on the wrong side of the road, police said in a statement.

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Further north, a 60-year-old man died near Bundaberg when his car rolled off the road while turning onto the Bruce Highway. Related Article Queensland Police Probe into unreported traffic crashes as Queensland road toll doubles And, a 20-year-old man and a 50-year-old man died when their vehicles collided north of Gympie. Police said the 20-year-old Kilkivan man had been driving a stolen black MG sedan and dangerously overtaking vehicles at speed on Gympie-Curra Road in Chatsworth when his vehicle clipped another car. The MG sedan then hit a third vehicle  a silver Holden sedan  which flipped both cars. The Holden sedan then caught fire, and the driver, a 50-year-old man local to the area, was killed.

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On Sunday, a 19-year-old man died when his campervan crashed off the Kandanga Creek bridge, landing in a ditch, near Gympie. Police found the teenager, from Ningi, dead in his vehicle. Cooney said road fatalities had been on a decreasing trend five years ago, but had spiked after COVID-19 restrictions eased. Queensland Police recorded 302 deaths in 2024, and Cooney said the state was likely to exceed that number in 2025. We cannot accept the status quo while this road safety crisis worsens, he said. Right now, one person dies on our roads almost every day, and speeding remains the leading factor in fatal crashes.

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Cooney said young men aged between 18 and 24 were the most likely to speed. The RACQ has called for reforms including more visible police monitoring roads, more point-to-point cameras, and tougher penalties for repeat offenders. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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A ute with fake number plates is one of several vehicles now linked by police to the strange disappearance of Brisbane man Andrew Burow.

The 56-year-old from Kelvin Grove vanished on August 21.

Two people  including Anthony Perrett, an ousted CFMEU delegate with links to former union boss Jade Ingham  have been charged with his torture, but Burow remains missing.

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There is no suggestion Ingham has involvement or knowledge of Perretts alleged criminal activity.
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NationalVictoriaProtests This was published 3 months ago Indigenous leaders call for neo-Nazis attack on sacred site to be deemed a hate crime Chip Le Grand and Rachel Eddie Updated September 1, 2025  7:55pm ,first published September 1, 2025  9:33am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Indigenous leaders have described as terrorists and cowards a group of neo-Nazis who stormed an Aboriginal camp in central Melbourne, landing in hospital two women who tried to intervene. As police combed through footage of an ugly confrontation in which National Socialist Network leader Thomas Sewell is shown at the camp kicking an unidentified person, camp founder Uncle Robbie Thorpe questioned why the large group of black-clad neo-Nazis was not being monitored at the time of the attack. Uncle Robbie Thorpe speaks with police at Camp Sovereignty on Monday after Sundays attack by neo-Nazis. Justin McManus Sewell and dozens of others charged Camp Sovereignty, a sacred Aboriginal burial site in Kings Domain and the location of a permanent vigil since January 2024, shortly after 5pm on Sunday after breaking away from that days anti-immigration March for Australia rally in the CBD. It was the third confrontation between neo-Nazis and camp members that day and prompted calls by Thorpe and his niece, Senator Lidia Thorpe, for the group to be treated as terrorists.

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I think it is an act of terrorism that happened here, Robbie Thorpe said at the camp on Monday It was a premeditated attack on our people; it has been allowed to happen. A still from video taken by an Aboriginal activist at Camp Sovereignty shows a group of mostly black-clad men storming the camp. Where were the police at that time? There was a group of armed people walking around. Why werent they monitored? A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force was investigating the incident, in which one woman was hit in the head with a metal pole and another thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked.

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Police Minister Anthony Carbines described the attack as disgraceful. Its gutless, and it needs to be called out, Carbines told ABC Melbourne radio. This is people intimidating and bringing violence, and we wont stand for it. Well hold them to account. Yaraan Couzens Bundle and Robbie Thorpe speak with the media on Monday. Justin McManus On Monday, Yaraan Couzens Bundle, a Gunditjmara, Djab Wurrung and Yuin woman who witnessed the incident, described the ordeal. When they ran up the hill I thought, Oh shit, we are going down, she told this masthead.

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It was a fully co-ordinated attack and fully led by Thomas Sewell. Sewer rat, we call him. He basically led the charge up the hill, and it was a full-blown, war charge. Aboriginal activists were bolstering their presence in case the neo-Nazis returned. Loading Palestinian activist Nathalie Farah was one of three women who approached the neo-Nazis on Sunday and asked them to leave. I put my hands up and said, Please dont do this, lets have a chat, please continue to move on. Then I just got a kick straight in the guts, and I was on the ground.

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She confirmed that one woman was hit in the head with a pole and another was repeatedly kicked. The woman with the head wound spent the night in hospital and returned to the camp on Monday with surgical staples in the back of her scalp. She asked not to be identified. Farah recounted two smaller confrontations earlier in the day that preceded the late afternoon raid. The first was a brief encounter between Sewell and camp members in the morning, the second a more violent confrontation between camp members and a small group of neo-Nazis. She said police should have anticipated that neo-Nazis would return to the camp in greater numbers. Nathalie Farah on Monday. She says she was kicked to the stomach on Sunday during the attack by neo-Nazis. Justin McManus What we would like to see is an investigation into who these people are and for some resources to be deployed to figuring out why this fascist ideology is continuing to spread, Farah said. Vision on social media shows dozens of men running uphill to confront those gathered at the site, stomping on a sacred fire and attempting to tear down the letters that spell out Camp Sovereignty. They also pulled down and set alight an Aboriginal flag.

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Camp Sovereignty and the Black Peoples Union said the men were armed with pipes, poles and tree branches and appeared to target women. The assault lasted around 10 minutes, with the Camp Sovereignty community defending the space at great personal cost, resorting to throwing logs collected for the sacred fire to hold the Nazis back, the groups joint statement said. They expressed shock that nobody had been arrested. Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, from the National Socialist Network, goads people at Camp Sovereignty on Sunday. Four people were injured, including two women hospitalised with head injuries, they said. Ambulance Victoria said paramedics took one woman in her 30s to The Alfred hospital with upper body injuries. She was in a stable condition. Police said a woman and a man were given medical help at the scene.

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Protests Any doubts of neo-Nazi involvement in march disappeared when one man rose to speak The violent scenes were denounced by all sides of politics. The first Australians were here before any migrant or descendant of migrants, and that just has no place, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC TV. Victorian Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said he was appalled at the attack and that the community should always stand up against self-declared neo-Nazis. It just goes to show the level of ignorance that were dealing with  Do these people even understand the definition of Indigenous? Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said not all of those who attended March for Australia were racist and that they had a right to be heard; however, hate speech and inciting violence was unacceptable. To have a person who is a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi to get up and speak [outside Parliament House] is a disgrace here in Victoria, he said.

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Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the violence pointed to a bigger problem. Far-right extremism has been on the rise for years, she said. Now is the time for real, long-term investment to tackle far-right extremism at its roots. Camp Sovereignty was established at an ancient corroboree site which, in 1985, became a burial ground for the remains of 38 Aboriginal people returned by Museums Victoria. A ceremonial fire was first lit at the site during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Sewell speaks to protesters outside Parliament House on Sunday. Michael Bachelard Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurring woman, called for Sundays attack to be investigated as a hate crime. People are frightened and people are angry. So we need calm, and the only way were going to get that is for the authorities to do their job. Get these racist Nazis off the streets, she said. Im fearful for my people, and Im fearful for what might happen next.

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She said Camp Sovereignty was a peaceful place to gather and reflect. Related Article Exclusive

Australia votes Private intel: Inside the far-right group disrupting the election Reforms creating an offence for serious vilification come into effect later this month. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, in a note to police officers, thanked those who worked during the challenging and disappointing series of protests with professionalism while they grieved the shooting murders of their colleagues Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart in Porepunkah last week. Despite having significant resources dedicated to the operation at Porepunkah, we were still able to deploy a large and highly visible presence in the city. The reason we have been able to turn out in such numbers, is largely due to people from across the state putting their hands up to get involved, Bush told officers on Monday.

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It has struck me since moving to Victoria that we have many groups motived to protest their causes, which of course is their right, but there is clearly a lack of regard and respect for fellow Melburnians. Related Article City life Were not going to go away: Call for better access to burial site in Kings Domain I am deeply grateful and proud of all of you for how you have carried yourselves during these trying times. It would be easy for us to let our emotions get the better of us, but I have observed nothing other than professionalism and unity from our people in the last week. For that, I sincerely thank you. Twelve people were arrested at the March for Australia rally and counter-protests on Sunday. Of those, seven were expected to be charged with assaulting police, resisting police, attempted robbery and failure to follow police direction. Five were issued with infringement notices for behaving in a riotous manner.

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Another six people were removed under breach of the peace provisions. Police also had to use a range of tactical options including OC spray, baton rounds and public order munitions to prevent violence between protesters, some of whom were intent on creating conflict and violence, a police spokesperson said. Bottles were thrown at officers, injuring two. Uncle Robbie Thorpe is comforted by a friend after a cleansing ceremony at the camp on Monday. Justin McManus Sewell faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday on an unrelated matter, contesting charges including intimidating a law enforcement officer and contravening two personal safety intervention orders, taken out to protect the policeman and a family member, by posting material about them on streaming platform Rumble.

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Outside court, Sewell was asked about the Camp Sovereignty incident and claimed small groups of patriots were attacked after leaving the rally. Im proud of basically everything that I do, but Im not going to comment on any specifics because the police are probably investigating, he said. But what Ill say is Ive only ever defended myself. If people want to come and attack me, theyre going to cop it and thats what every communist has found  on the day. Anyone who witnessed the Camp Sovereignty incident, has footage or information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Returning to the news we brought you this morning of the southern right whales frolicking off Leighton Beach.

Parks and Wildlife acting district manager Melissa Evans confirmed there are two mothers and two calves off the coast at the moment, with the adult whales measuring up to 17 metres long.

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Theyve been displaying normal behaviour, just spending their time in the shallows, she said.

Its a fantastic opportunity for everybody in Perth to be able to see them so close to shore  they will bring their calves in to protect them while they are newborns.

The mother will come up from Antarctica, theyll give birth while up here and then the mother and calf will stay together while that calf is getting fattened up and feeding on really rich milk provided by mum, and when everyone is at an appropriate health level, theyll make their way back to Antarctica.

Evans says the whales, which have been at Leighton Beach since Saturday, could hang around for a few more days.

Anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of them is reminded to keep at least 300 metres away in the water. Drones must also be at least 60 metres away.

Its a really important time for the mother and calf to be bonding, and we dont want to interrupt that, Evans said.

If the mothers get protective of their calf, they can really do some damage with those fins and their tail.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Photonics Market by Product Type (LED), Wavelength (Infrared, Visible), Material (Silicon, Glass), Application (Information & Communication Technology), End-use Industry (Industrial, Media & Telecommunication), & Region - Global Forecast to 2030", the photonics market size is projected to grow from USD 1,093.96 billion in 2025 to USD 1,481.80 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Photonics Market"

153 - Tables

61 - Figures

227 - Pages

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Photonics is the science of photons that enables the development of new technologies such as LEDs, lasers, optical communication systems, sensors, and photonic integrated circuits. Photonic technology has led to advancements in data transmission, imaging, sensing, and energy-efficient solutions across various sectorsexamples include telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, and consumer electronics. The photonics market remains strong, driven by global demand for high-speed data transmission due to progress in 5G, cloud computing, and IoT applications, all of which rely on optical communication systems like fiber optics and silicon photonics. The rise of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning has increased the need for photonic interconnects that allow processors to perform data processing faster and more energy efficiently in data centers. In medicine, this technology enables noninvasive diagnostics and imaging through spectroscopy and endoscopes, which will become increasingly vital as the population ages. Industrial applications showcase how laser-based manufacturing and optical sensors support automation and precision manufacturing in Industry 4.0.



Light sources account for the largest share of the photonics market, by product type, during the forecast period.

Light sources, particularly LEDs (light-emitting diodes), dominate the photonics market due to their widespread applications, energy efficiency, and technological advancements. LEDs have become essential in consumer electronics, powering displays in devices like smartphones, televisions, and laptops. They enable high-resolution applications such as mini-LED and micro-LED technologies, which are being developed for Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, as well as for automotive displays. The impressive energy efficiency of LEDs has made them the preferred choice for general lighting in residential, commercial, and industrial settings, replacing incandescent and fluorescent lamps. This shift aligns with a global movement toward sustainability, as LEDs consume less energy and help reduce carbon footprints. In the automotive industry, there is also a significant demand for LEDs, which are replacing traditional halogen light sources in headlamps, interior cabin lighting, instrument panel displays, and integrated advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Additionally, OLEDs (organic LEDs) are emerging as a promising alternative for flexible displays in wearable devices due to their lightweight, thinner materials and operation at lower voltages, which yield better color output. The demand for LED technologies is expected to grow in niche applications as well, such as UV LED technologies for sterilization, water purification, and medical disinfection, particularly in response to health safety concerns arising from the recent pandemic.

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Silicon is anticipated to be the largest segment in the photonics market during the forecast period.

Silicon holds the largest share in the photonics industry due to its crucial role in developing photonic technologies, particularly silicon photonics. This technology integrates photonic and electronic components into a single chip. Silicon's widespread use is facilitated by its compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing processes, leveraging the established infrastructure of the microelectronics industry. This compatibility allows for low-cost, high-volume production of photonic devices, such as static modulators, waveguides, and photodetectors, which are essential for enabling high-speed optical communication in data centers and telecommunications. Moreover, silicon is transparent in the infrared (IR) spectrum, particularly in the wavelength ranges of 1.3 to 1.55 m, making it ideal for optical transceivers and fiber-optic systems. This capability meets the growing demand for bandwidth driven by advancements in 5G and cloud computing. Additionally, silicon can be integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which enables the development of low-profile, high-performance photonic integrated circuits (PICs). These circuits are increasingly common in computing applications and sensors. Silicon has reached a pivotal point in various emerging areas, including silicon-based LiDAR systems for autonomous vehicles, which rely on precise IR sensing to enhance navigation.



Infrared to be the largest segment in the photonics market during the forecast period.

The infrared (IR) segment, which includes shortwave infrared (SWIR, 1.03.0 m) and mid-infrared (mid-IR, 220 m), represents the largest segment of the photonics market by wavelength due to its extensive applications across various fields and its unique imaging capabilities. These capabilities allow IR to penetrate mediums such as fog, smoke, and biological tissue more effectively than optical devices. The IR portion of the photonic spectrum can detect targets even when they are partially concealed, which is particularly important in defense and security markets where high-resolution imaging is necessary, especially in obscured conditions. While IR imaging can present higher-resolution images, targeted detection systems have specific time frames for IR hit recognition. In the industrial sector, IR technology is widely utilized in non-destructive testing (NDT) systems and quality control for semiconductors. Here, SWIR is especially effective in identifying defects in silicon materials, which aids in improving calibration and overall production efficiency. Mid-IR spectroscopy has advanced significantly, enabling the analysis of human tissue without the need for a biopsy. This technology is also used for glucose monitoring devices to detect blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, as well as for cancer diagnostics. Additionally, the telecommunication sector leverages IR wavelengths for applications in Time Domain Reflectometry, making IR-based lasers essential for communications technologies.

Information & communication technology to be the largest segment in the photonics market during the forecast period.

Information and communication technology (ICT) holds the largest share in the photonics market because it relies heavily on photonics for high-speed and high-capacity data transmission and processing. This demand is closely linked to the ongoing excitement of global digitalization. Key components of ICT infrastructure include photonics technologies such as optical fibers, transceivers, and photonic integrated circuits (PICs). These technologies enable the creation of 5G networks, cloud computing, and the development of data centers necessary to meet rising data consumption levels. Optical fibers typically use infrared wavelengths to transmit light over long distances, allowing for data transfer with minimal loss and providing the capacity for high-bandwidth transfer. This capability is crucial for internet access requirements and streaming services. Silicon photonics employs innovative methods to integrate photonic components with standard CMOS technology, resulting in small, energy-efficient, and effective transceivers. These advancements are powering hyperscale data centers, facilitating cloud computing, and enabling innovative applications such as video conferencing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). For ICT to function effectively, particularly with the full rollout of 5G networks, which offer ultra-low latency performance, optical communication systems like wavelength division multiplexers (WDM) and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are essential for optimizing network functions.

Industrial segment to account for the largest share of the photonics market during the forecast period.

The industrial segment accounts for the largest share of the photonics market, as industries have adopted photonics technologies to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and automation of manufacturing and processing. In critical industrial applications, photonics technologies, including laser systems and optical sensors, improve high-precision material processing methods such as cutting, welding, and micromachining. These advancements are particularly prominent in the automotive, aerospace, and electronics sectors. Fiber lasers are highly valued for their precision and efficiency; they are commonly used in metal fabrication and additive manufacturing (3D printing) applications, where they help minimize waste and accelerate time to market. Various types of optical sensors, including infrared and hyperspectral imaging, play a crucial role in ensuring quality and consistency by detecting defects and variations in manufacturing processes. This is especially important in the semiconductor industry, where maintaining real-time consistency of products is vital, particularly during high-volume production. The rise of Industry 4.0 and a greater emphasis on smart factories and automation enhance the value of traditional labor. These advancements address some of the limitations of machine vision in automation. By leveraging photonic components such as CMOS, solid-state devices, and lasers, manufacturers can monitor processes in real time and efficiently guide industrial robots.

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Key Players

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the photonics market, such as Thorlabs, Inc. (US), IPG Photonics Corporation (US), Lumentum Operations LLC (US) ams-OSRAM AG (Austria), Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (Japan), Corning Incorporated (US), Coherent Corp (US), OFS Fitel, LLC (US), ON SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION (US), and Signify Holding (Netherlands).

Get access to the latest updates on Photonics Companies and Photonics Market Size

Browse Adjacent Market: Advanced Materials Research Reports & Consulting

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PoliticsFederalImmigration This was published 3 months ago PM says some good people marched on Sunday, blames exploitation by neo-Nazis Paul Sakkal and Nick Newling September 1, 2025  6:59pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Good people attended Sundays fiery anti-immigration protests, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared, warning that neo-Nazis were exploiting peoples grievances to spread hatred. Parliament erupted on Monday as Labor, the Coalition and the Greens blamed one another for fuelling the hostility displayed by far-right extremists on Sunday and those waving terror group insignia at pro-Palestine rallies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during question time on Monday. Alex Ellinghausen But after Labor ministers spent the day decrying the weekends anti-immigration demonstrations as racist, Albanese took a more measured tone on Monday afternoon, acknowledging the anxieties of disaffected Australians while calling out extremism. Multiculturalism is a part of who we are as a modern nation, Albanese said on ABCs Afternoon Briefing.

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The prime minister must show that leadership now, she said. The March for Australia rallies across the country on Sunday seized on growing community anxiety about the rate of migration since the pandemic, while promoting other far-right and anti-government sentiments. Net overseas migration is falling, Albanese said on Monday. Of course there was going to be an increased number after the lockdown of our entire continent. We are getting the numbers down. But migration also is important. Senators brawled as they tried to agree on a symbolic written motion condemning fringe elements involved in Sundays rallies, which sparked a national conversation on attitudes towards non-white Australians.

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An initial motion moved by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi condemned racist, white supremacist marches and called out MPs who attended them. No major party politicians attended but One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts, as well as under-fire MP Bob Katter, went. Bob Katter during question time on Monday. Alex Ellinghausen Faruqis motion claimed racism had been normalised and legitimised by politicians and the media who fan the flames of hate. Faruqi described One Nation senators as merchants of hate  who have nothing to offer but their racism and white supremacy. Both Labor and the Coalition offered their own amended version of the motion. Labors  which was ultimately successful  softened much of the language in the Greens amendment but was substantively similar.

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Nazis Next Door Neo-Nazis quietly forming a political party to try to get around the law The Coalitions amendment focused on the commitment to free speech and lawful assembly. It went further than others, to condemn rallies by pro-Iranian government extremists and those supporting terrorist organisations, a swing at pro-Palestinian marches that featured Iranian, Hamas and Hezbollah iconography. Strong words flew across the chamber amid the debate. Greens senator David Shoebridge accused the Coalition of wanting to be in a position to platform neo-Nazis to divide Australians on the lines of race. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie shouted back: Who supported Australian Jews in your team? No one. Shoebridge compared the quote of a neo-Nazi  we need to send them back, no debate, no discussion  to remarks from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke regarding sending former detainees with criminal convictions to Nauru  anyone who doesnt have a valid visa should leave the country.

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Exclusive TechnologyWorkplace This was published 3 months ago Seeking connection, Gen Z turning its back on remote-first work David Swan September 1, 2025  5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 15 View all comments

Australias youngest workers are rejecting the work-from-home revolution. New research shows nearly nine in 10 now want at least two days a week in the office. A nationwide survey of thousands of early career jobseekers by online employment platform Hatch has revealed a dramatic shift in workplace priorities, including a sharp reversal from the remote-first enthusiasm seen during the pandemic. Salary, which topped the list of priorities last year, has slipped behind learning and growth opportunities, as young Australians signal they want long-term skills and a clear career path rather than just a fatter pay packet. Google, Canva and Amazon were named the top three dream employers, reflecting Gen Zs desire to join organisations that are both industry leaders and seen as providing structured pathways to development. Twelve of the top 20 spots went to Australia-founded or based companies, including Atlassian, Qantas and The Iconic. Adam Jacobs and Chaz Heitner, co-founders of Hatch. Michael Quelch

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Adam Jacobs, the co-founder of Hatch, which is billed as Seek for Gen Z, last year raised $7 million in funding to scale nationally. The executive, who co-founded The Iconic, said the research, dubbed the Hatch Hotlist, showed how quickly Gen Zs values were changing. Related Article AI OpenAI makes landfall in Australia as ChatGPT booms Each year we see a different theme. In 2023, it was all about escaping cheap perks for culture and values alignment. Last year, the cost-of-living crisis put salary at No.1. This year its all about security; having a clear path to grow, learn and belong, Jacobs said in an interview. Were also seeing young people reject the two-step plan of earlier generations  work hard now, enjoy life later. They want balance and purpose from the start. The survey revealed 80 per cent of Gen Z respondents either had a side hustle or wanted one. Jacobs said this was less about financial necessity and more about creative expression and skill-building.

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Most side hustles are hobbies or passion projects, he said. It doesnt mean they want a portfolio career. Gen Z is still looking for secure, full-time jobs. Employers should see side hustles as a sign of creativity and growth, not disloyalty. Related Article Jobs Learn to code? Maybe not any more The collapse of remote-first enthusiasm has been relatively sudden. The percentage of job candidates who want to work entirely from home dropped sharply year on year. Instead, most want two or three days in the office, seeking collaboration, mentoring and a sense of belonging. It comes amid rampant debate about whether workers should have the right to work remotely enshrined in legislation. Victoria is mulling a legal right to work from home two days a week and all states except Western Australia have referred their laws for private sector workplaces to the federal government. Connection is important, Jacobs said. Young people dont want five days in the office, but they absolutely want that hybrid balance.

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For many respondents, the biggest red flag in considering a new employer was unclear opportunities for growth. Jobseekers were also turned off by high turnover, vague job ads and poor communication during the recruitment process. Nearly three-quarters said they had been ghosted by employers. The consultant is Tony Stark and AI is the suit. The value comes from human judgment and creativity. Hatch co-founder Adam Jacobs The survey also revealed mixed feelings about artificial intelligence. Nine in ten Gen Z candidates said they were already using AI tools, from job applications to everyday work tasks. Most saw it as a way to grow faster in their careers. But there was also a sense of unease about whether AI could erode entry-level opportunities. Hatch head of AI and machine learning Arwen Griffioen said employers that articulated a clear AI strategy would win the war for junior talent.

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Young people want reassurance that their roles wont disappear overnight, she said. Theyre asking: what skills can I bring that AI cant replace?. Arwen Griffioen, Hatchs head of AI. While the old advice was to go learn to code, Griffioen said future-proof skills were broader: critical thinking, problem-solving and emotional intelligence. Jacobs likened it to an Iron Man analogy. The consultant is Tony Stark and AI is the suit. The value comes from human judgment and creativity. One of the most striking findings of the dream employers list was Sydney scale-up Canvas placing alongside Google and Amazon in the top three.

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Jacobs said it reflected both the strength of Australias homegrown tech industry and Canvas reputation among Gen Z workers. Its pretty extraordinary, he said. Canva is right up there with two of the biggest brands on the planet. Thats something the local tech community should be proud of. Get workplace news, advice and perspectives to help make your job work for you. Sign up for our weekly Thank God its Monday newsletter.

Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Workplace David Swan is the technology editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously technology editor for The Australian newspaper. or email. Connect via Twitter
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WorldAsiaChina This was published 3 months ago With Putin and Modi in China, Xi looks to exploit latest Trump decisions David Pierson , Mujib Mashal and Nataliya Vasilyeva September 1, 2025  12:01pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 57 View all comments

Tianjin, China: Chinese President Xi Jinping could hardly have scripted a more favourable moment. This weekend, the leaders of India and Russia joined him at a security summit in China. One was pushed away by US President Donald Trumps tariffs, the other brought out of isolation by his embrace. For Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, US tariffs on Indian goods have raised doubts about leaning too heavily on Washington. For President Vladimir Putin of Russia, his red-carpet treatment in Alaska by Trump blunted Western efforts to punish him for the invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping greet each other in Tianjin on Sunday. AP At the centre is Xi, turning Americas alienation of India into an opportunity and finding validation for his own long alignment with Putin. The summit of more than 20 leaders, mostly from Central Asia, followed by a military parade in Beijing showcasing Chinas newest missiles and warplanes, is not just pageantry. It shows how Xi is trying to turn history, diplomacy and military might into tools for reshaping a global order that has been dominated by the United States.

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Trade wars Trumps tariff strike on India plays into Chinas hands The success of Xis foreign policy strategy is reflected in the parade of leaders travelling to China, said Jonathan Czin, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who worked at the CIA analysing Chinese politics. Indeed, Xi today probably feels more besieged by visiting heads of state than encircled by the United States and its allies and partners. Xi, Putin and Modi are attending the summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, a Eurasian security group led by China and Russia, in the eastern city of Tianjin on Sunday and Monday. On Wednesday, Xi will preside over a military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II  portraying the conflict as a triumph led by the Communist Party. (Many historians believe it was the Chinese Nationalists who did most of the fighting.)

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Until recently, Beijings closeness to Moscow had drawn pressure from Washington. But that tension appears to have eased in part because of a warming of ties between the US and Russia. Trump lavished praise on Putin in Alaska in August and later echoed the Kremlins position that Ukraine needed to cede land to bring an end to the war. Xi appears vindicated for standing by Putin, and analysts say the leaders will use the summit in Tianjin to promote a vision of a world less dominated by the US. Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. AP Xi can also thank the Trump administration for accelerating an easing of tensions between China and India, which had seen their relations crater in 2020 after a series of bloody border skirmishes. New Delhi has been frustrated by the doubling of US tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, leading to calls for a rebalancing towards China. Modi, who had drawn closer to the US during the Biden administration to counter Beijing, is visiting China for the first time in seven years by attending the summit. (He will not be present at the military parade, unlike Putin and the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un.)

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Good neighbours In a meeting with Modi on Sunday, Xi said China and India should be partners rather than rivals and that they should offer opportunities for each others development rather than threats in what could be read as a subtle jab at Trump. Xi also reiterated Beijings stance that disputes over the shared border should not define bilateral relations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) in Tianjin this morning. Getty Images Being good neighbours and friends, partners who achieve mutual success, and realising the dance of the dragon and the elephant should be the right choice for both China and India, Xi said, according to Chinese state media, evoking the two nations symbolic creatures. Modi echoed Xi, saying that the two countries should not be rivals and that peace and tranquillity in the border areas was important for bilateral relations, according to a readout from Indias Ministry of External Affairs.

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Related Article India A Nobel prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi bromance unravelled The convergence of Putin and Modi in China, as well as leaders from dozens of other emerging economies, including Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia and Pakistan, contrasts with the growing discord within the US alliance with European and Asian countries. Some of those cracks were on display recently when European leaders, shut out of peace talks, felt the need to rush to Washington to persuade Trump not to cave to Russian demands over peace terms in Ukraine. Trump also ruffled feathers with an ally again this past week when he heaped praise on Kim during a meeting in the Oval Office with President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea. Many US allies in Europe and Asia view China as a formidable threat to fair trade, democracy and regional stability. The last of those concerns will be underscored by the military parade that is expected to feature new anti-ship missiles, which could be deployed in a war over Taiwan. China has tried to use Washingtons disorder to persuade countries such as India to reassess their relationship with the US. At the same time, Beijing fears Washington will pressure other countries to restrict trade with China at a time when the Chinese economy has been badly weakened by a property slump and price wars.

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Related Article China relations Andrews, Carr on the guest list for big Beijing military parade Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile, Xu Feihong, the Chinese ambassador to India, wrote on the social platform X about US tariffs. At a recent seminar in New Delhi, Xu said India and China had a responsibility to take a bigger role in global leadership to push back against US hegemony and power politics. He called the neighbours the double engines of economic growth in Asia, using a phrase that Modi often uses in domestic politics. Russia, a country firmly in Beijings camp, needs less persuasion. Moscow has been using groups such as the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation to deepen ties with China, India and other countries that have become increasingly important to its sanctions-hit economy since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022. A show at a Beijing shopping mall promoting good relations and trade with Russia ahead of Vladimir Putins arrival. Getty

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Russia-Ukraine war Lets be blunt: Putin has called Trumps bluff on Ukraine Russian oil is certain to come up in the conversations between Putin, Xi and Modi. The Trump administrations tariffs on India for buying Russian crude have allowed China to become an even larger buyer than it was before without facing similar consequences as India, analysts reports show. More than anything, the summit and parade will allow Putin and Xi to reaffirm their close relationship, a partnership that the West has tried and largely failed to break. Chinas relations with Russia will most likely continue to be excellent, said Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Peoples Liberation Army of China now at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Attempts by the West to drive a wedge, he added, were nothing but wishful thinking. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
The TLR 7/8 agonist market is still largely underexploited, with ALDARA being the only FDA-approved agent, and available only as a generic topical formulation. This creates a substantial opportunity for innovation, particularly in systemic oncology. New contenders, such as Eikon Therapeutics' EIK1001 and SURGE Therapeutics' resiquimod (STM-416), among others, are progressing through various clinical stages, showing promise both as standalone therapies and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size, Target Population, Competitive Landscape & Market Forecast report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, addressable patient population, which includes top indications such as Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others. The selected indications are based on approved therapies and ongoing pipeline activity. The report also provides insights into the emerging TLR 7/8 agonists, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2020 to 2034, segmented in the leading markets (the US, EU4, UK, and Japan).

TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Summary

As per DelveInsight's analysis, the total market size of TLR 7/8 agonists in the leading markets (the US, EU4, UK, and Japan ) is expected to surge significantly by 2034.

) is expected to surge significantly by 2034. The report provides the total potential number of patients in the indications, such as Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others.

and others. Leading TLR 7/8 agonists companies, such as Eikon Therapeutics, SURGE Therapeutics, and others, are developing novel TLR 7/8 agonists that can be available in the TLR 7/8 agonists market in the coming years.

and others, are developing novel TLR 7/8 agonists that can be available in the TLR 7/8 agonists market in the coming years. Some of the key TLR 7/8 agonists in the pipeline include EIK1001, Resiquimod (STM-416), and others.

Discover which indication is expected to grab the major TLR 7/8 agonists market share @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report

Key Factors Driving the Growth of the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market

Rising Prevalence of Cancer and Infectious Diseases

The increasing global incidence of cancer and infectious diseases has heightened the demand for innovative therapeutic options. TLR7/8 agonists, which activate innate immune responses, are being explored as potential treatments for various cancers and viral infections. About 8085% of all lung cancers are NSCLC.

Advancements in Immunotherapy

TLR7/8 agonists play a crucial role in immunotherapy by stimulating antigen-presenting cells and enhancing T cell-mediated antitumor responses. Their potential to improve the efficacy of existing cancer treatments has attracted significant interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

Increased Research and Development Investments

The emerging pipeline of TLR7/8 agonists features promising candidates, such as Eikon Therapeutics' EIK1001 and SURGE Therapeutics' resiquimod (STM-416), among others, reflecting growing momentum to address the current lack of US FDA-approved systemic therapies and expand treatment options in oncology and beyond.

Technological Advancements in Drug Delivery

Innovations in drug delivery systems, such as nanoparticle formulations, are improving the stability and efficacy of TLR7/8 agonists. These advancements enable targeted delivery to tumor sites, thereby enhancing therapeutic outcomes.

TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Analysis

TLR7/8 agonists trigger MyD88-mediated pathways to elicit potent Th1-biased immune responses, leading to the production of cytokines such as IFN-, TNF-, and IL-12. Their capacity to reshape the tumor microenvironment and work synergistically with checkpoint inhibitors makes them attractive candidates for oncology, vaccine development, and immune-related conditions, with ongoing advancements improving their specificity and safety profiles.

These agents are advancing through clinical development for high-need cancer indications, including advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and post-TURBT treatment settings. This reflects their strategic utility in enhancing anti-tumor immunity in areas where existing therapies remain inadequate.

Although TLR7/8 agonists play a pivotal role in stimulating both innate and adaptive immunity, there are currently no US FDA-approved systemic therapies in this class. The only approved topical product is imiquimod (ALDARA), which now faces generic competition. This highlights a major unmet need for new, patented TLR7/8 agonists that offer targeted and effective options, particularly in oncology and infectious disease settings.

The lack of approved TLR7/8 agonists across any indication emphasizes a significant therapeutic void, creating a strong first-mover advantage for late-stage candidates acting on this innovative pathway.

Learn more about the TLR 7/8 agonists @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Analysis

TLR 7/8 Agonists Competitive Landscape

Emerging candidates, such as Eikon Therapeutics' EIK1001 and SURGE Therapeutics' resiquimod (STM-416), among others, are advancing through various stages of trials, demonstrating potential both as monotherapies and in synergistic combinations with checkpoint inhibitors.

EIK1001 is a systemically delivered TLR7/8 co-agonist that has demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity as both a standalone therapy and in combination with anti-PD-(L)1 agents in Phase I trials across various solid tumors, including advanced metastatic melanoma. The drug is now being assessed in a Phase II/III study as a first-line treatment for advanced melanoma and is in Phase II trials for both squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC.

In May 2025, Eikon Therapeutics reported that new data from its oncology programsgenerated in collaboration with independent researcherswere presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting held from May 30 to June 3, 2025. The presentations highlighted first-in-human and combination therapy data from its two lead clinical candidates, including the EIK1001-006 (TeLuRide-006; Abstract TPS9604), an adaptive Phase II/III trial evaluating EIK1001 with pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma. Alongside the ASCO presentations, Eikon also communicated recent milestones for both the TeLuRide-006 and TeLuRide-005 studies.

Resiquimod, meanwhile, is delivered via an injectable biodegradable hydrogel formulated for sustained, localized release of cancer immunotherapies directly at the surgical tumor resection site. In January 2023, SURGE Therapeutics received FDA IND clearance to launch a Phase I/IIa trial investigating its lead intraoperative immunotherapy, SURGERx with resiquimod, to prevent recurrence or progression following TURBT in patients with recurrent high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The study seeks to improve post-surgical outcomes by delivering targeted immunotherapy during the procedure.

The anticipated launch of these emerging therapies are poised to transform the TLR 7/8 agonists market landscape in the coming years. As these cutting-edge therapies continue to mature and gain regulatory approval, they are expected to reshape the TLR 7/8 agonists market landscape, offering new standards of care and unlocking opportunities for medical innovation and economic growth.

To know more about TLR 7/8 agonists clinical trials, visit @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Treatment

Recent Developments in the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market

In May 2025 , Eikon Therapeutics announced that new data from its oncology portfolio, generated in collaboration with independent investigators, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held from May 30 to June 3, 2025 .

TLR 7/8 Agonists Overview

TLR7 and TLR8, found in intracellular endosomes, play an important part in tumor immune surveillance by activating Th1-type innate immune responses and influencing T cell activity. Because these receptors are widely expressed across many cancer types, they are being explored as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets. Recent progress in small-molecule TLR7/8 agonists has shown that they can stimulate cytokine and chemokine production, boosting both innate and adaptive antitumor immunity. As a result, these agonists are considered promising not only for cancer immunotherapy but also as vaccine adjuvants, positioning them as appealing agents for tumor-directed therapies.

TLR 7/8 Agonists Epidemiology Segmentation

The TLR 7/8 agonists market report provides in-depth insight into the competitive landscape, evaluating future growth potential through forecasts of treatment rates, drug uptake trends, and detailed drug profiles. For stakeholders, it highlights how late-stage and prominent pipeline therapies are expected to influence the evolving treatment paradigm.

The TLR 7/8 agonists market report is a comprehensive and specialized analysis, offering in-depth epidemiological insights for the study period 20202040 across the leading markets, including the US, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the UK, and Japan. The TLR 7/8 agonists target patient pool is segmented into:

Total Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

Total Eligible Patient Pool in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist

TLR 7/8 Agonists Report Metrics Details Study Period 20202034 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU-4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] Key Indications Covered in the Report Advanced Melanoma, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT), and others Key TLR 7/8 Agonists Companies AMO Pharma, Actuate Therapeutics, 4M Therapeutics, and others Key TLR 7/8 Agonists EIK1001, Resiquimod (STM-416), ALDARA, and others

Scope of the TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report

TLR 7/8 Agonists Therapeutic Assessment: TLR 7/8 Agonists' current marketed and emerging therapies

TLR 7/8 Agonists' current marketed and emerging therapies TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Dynamics: Conjoint Analysis of Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonist Drugs

Conjoint Analysis of Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonist Drugs Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies

SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Access and Reimbursement

Discover more about TLR 7/8 agonists in development @ TLR 7/8 Agonists Clinical Trials

Table of Contents

1 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Key Insights 2 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Introduction 3 Executive Summary 4 Key Events 5 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Forecast Methodology 6 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Overview at a Glance in the 7MM 6.1 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Share (%) Distribution by Indication in 2024 6.2 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Share (%) Distribution by Indication in 2034 7 TLR 7/8 Agonist: Background and Overview 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Evolution of TLR 7/8 Agonist 7.3 TLR 7/8 Agonists Treatment 8 TLR 7/8 Agonists Target Patient Pool 8.1 Key Findings 8.2 Assumptions and Rationale: 7MM 8.3 Epidemiology Scenario in the 7MM 8.3.1 Total Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.3.2 Total Eligible Patient Pool in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.3.3 Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 8.4 The US 8.5 EU4 and the UK 8.6 Japan 9 Emerging TLR 7/8 Agonists Therapies 9.1 Key Cross Competition 9.2 EIK1001: Eikon Therapeutics 9.2.1 Drug Description 9.2.2 Others Developmental Activities 9.2.3 Clinical Trials Information 9.2.4 Safety and Efficacy 9.2.5 Analyst's View 9.3 Resiquimod (STM-416): SURGE Therapeutics List of drugs to be continued in the final report... 10 TLR 7/8 Agonist Market: the 7MM Analysis 10.1 Key Findings 10.2 Key TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Forecast Assumptions 10.3 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Outlook 10.4 Attribute Analysis 10.5 Total Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist in the 7MM 10.6 Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist by Therapies in the 7MM 10.7 The US TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 10.7.1 Total Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist in the US 10.7.2 Market Size of TLR 7/8 Agonist by Therapies in the US 10.8 EU4 and the UK TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 10.9 Japan TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Size 11 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Unmet Needs 12 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market SWOT Analysis 13 KOL Views on TLR 7/8 Agonists 14 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Access and Reimbursement 14.1 The US 14.2 EU4 and the UK 14.3 Japan 15 Acronyms and Abbreviations 16 Bibliography 17 TLR 7/8 Agonists Market Report Methodology

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THE architect who designed Visual believes combining a theatre and gallery in one space was a defining moment for Carlows arts scene.

Terry Pawson, who won an open international competition held by the RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) to design Visual, returned to the venue recently for the first time since its opening 15 years ago.

Terry believes that when Carlow County Council decided to integrate a theatre alongside the gallery, it was a pivotal moment for the cultural potential of the project. He recalled how the design started as a much more modest art gallery only project until, after much local discussion and politics, the 330-seat George Bernard Shaw Theatre was added to the now-iconic galleries.

Revisiting Visual was something Ive been meaning to do for a while. Being on a touring holiday in Ireland with my wife Gilly Pawson was the perfect opportunity to return, Terry explained.

When Visual CEO and artistic director Emma Lucy OBrien heard of the visit, she arranged a tour for the architect and his wife.

It was a delightful surprise we werent expecting. We got a personal tour of the building by Emma Lucy, which was fascinating and emotional a like visiting an old friend. Terry described how it was a good feeling to see Visuals progress and to reflect on how it all started over 15 years ago.

Visual was initially intended to be constructed in timber, but it was ultimately decided that glass would make a stronger visual statement.

It was a great decision, he said. What Ive always enjoyed about the final design is the sense of it being like an ice cube by day, quietly absorbing and reflecting light, and at night, with the light shining out through the glass, it becomes a more theatrical experience.

Terry was conscious of how a radically contemporary building would sit next to Carlow cathedral and Carlow College, which generously donated the site for the theatre and contemporary arts centre.

I wanted Visual to accept where it is in the world a its location, its context, its time a and to be large but quiet  a calm space in the town, said Terry.
A CARLOW student has been recognised for an extraordinary achievement that spans his entire school career  14 years of perfect attendance.

Sean Breen was recently honoured at Presentation College, Carlow, where Principal Ray Murray presented him with a special award in recognition of his remarkable achievement of six years' perfect attendance throughout his time in secondary school.

This achievement becomes even more impressive when combined with his eight years of unbroken attendance at Bennekerry National School, creating a truly exceptional 14-year record.

Enjoying good health and showing a strong commitment to his studies, Sean has demonstrated remarkable dedication throughout his educational journey. His teachers and family have expressed pride in his consistent approach to learning.

The accomplished student will now take his dedication to the next level as he begins a degree in Accounting and Finance at Dublin City University. Those close to him hope that his enthusiasm for learning will continue to serve him well in his third-level education.

The award ceremony at Presentation College highlighted not just Sean's attendance record, but his overall commitment to his academic pursuits  a quality that promises to serve him well in his university studies and beyond.
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Claims that the UK cannot withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) because of commitments made in the Good Friday Agreement are entirely groundless, a think tank has claimed.

One of the authors of the paper from the Policy Exchange said public debate about human rights law reform has been distorted by the repeated assertion that withdrawal from the ECHR would breach the historic peace deal.

The 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and led to the establishment of the powersharing Stormont Assembly. It was backed by referendums on both sides of the Irish border.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has ordered a review into whether the UK should quit the ECHR, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has long supported leaving it.

In a speech last week to launch his partys plans to tackle illegal migration, Mr Farage said the Good Friday Agreement could be renegotiated to remove references to the convention.

His comments were criticised by some politicians in Northern Ireland who argued the ECHR underpins the agreement.

But the Policy Exchange said nothing in the UKs commitments to the peace process in Northern Ireland requires it to remain a part of the ECHR.

The paper states: When one considers the Belfast Agreement carefully, noting the relationship between the British-Irish Agreement (the treaty) and the Multi-Party Agreement (the political agreement), it is clear that the Belfast Agreement does not forbid the UK (or Ireland) from exercising its right in international law to withdraw from the ECHR.

The British-Irish Agreement does not refer to the ECHR at all and none of its terms suggest in any way that the UK or Ireland were undertaking to remain member states of the ECHR in perpetuity.

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage suggested last week the Good Friday Agreement could be renegotiated (Jacob King/PA)

It continues: Whatever the merits of UK withdrawal from the ECHR, nothing in the Belfast Agreement rules it out as a viable course of action.

In choosing to exercise the UKs right to withdraw from the ECHR, a future government would neither be flouting the UKs international obligations under the Belfast Agreement nor failing to respect the political settlement that grounds the peace process.

One of the authors of the paper, Professor Richard Ekins, said: Public debate about human rights law reform has been distorted by the repeated assertion that withdrawal from the ECHR would breach the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

In fact, neither the letter nor the spirit of the Belfast Agreement in any way requires the UK  or Ireland  to remain within the ECHR.

And the agreements reached with the EU after Brexit confirm the point, leaving it open to the UK to choose to leave the ECHR.

The paper said that if the UK did leave the ECHR it would be important for the British Government to engage closely with the different parties in Northern Ireland to reassure them that the UKs withdrawal from the ECHR will not unbalance relations between  the parity of esteem between  the different communities.

Former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has endorsed the paper (Danny Lawson/PA)

It also said the Windsor Framework, the agreement over post-Brexit trading, does not rule out UK withdrawal from the ECHR.

The document has received the endorsement of former Labour home secretary and foreign secretary Jack Straw.

He said: I am not persuaded that the UK needs to withdraw from the ECHR the better to deal with the unacceptable number of unlawful and unfounded asylum seekers.

Rather, I believe that we should de-couple our own human rights legislation from the convention (as other European countries have done).

But the debate about our future relationship with the ECHR and its parent body, the Council of Europe, should be conducted on its merits.

He said the Policy Exchange paper helped to clear the ground for the debate.

Mr Straw added: It argues, in thorough and forensic detail, that whatever the merits of UK withdrawal from the ECHR, nothing in the Belfast Agreement rules it out as a viable course of action.

A Government spokesperson said: Britain will continue to remain a member of the ECHR.

It underpins key international agreements, on trade, security and migration, including the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and has helped us secure vital new deals with Germany and France to tackle illegal migration.

As set out in our Immigration White Paper, we are looking at how we can tighten the application of Article 8 of the ECHR  giving courts the clarity they need to stop our immigration rules from being abused.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, a campaign group which lobbies for closer ties with the EU, rejected the think tanks findings.

She said: In 30 pages, the Good Friday Agreement cites the ECHR seven times as an essential safeguard.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Gardai are investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a child in north Co Dublin.

It is understood that gardai believe the child is likely to be deceased and are investigating the circumstances of how they may have died.

The child is believed to be a boy who was three and a half years old when he was last seen.

Gardai were notified of the case by another agency in recent days.

An Garda Siochana said: Gardai are continuing to carry out operational inquiries in north Co Dublin into the current whereabouts and welfare of a child.

An Garda Siochana is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time.

The Minister for Children said she is deeply concerned over the case.

In a statement, Norma Foley said that the welfare of child was uppermost in her thoughts.

I have been briefed on this matter by officials and I have spoken to the Tusla chief executive about it. I have asked Tusla to keep me fully informed of developments in this case.

I am appealing to anyone with information about this missing child to provide full co-operation to An Garda Siochana as it carries out its investigation.
By Cate McCurry, PA

Spinach and mixed leaves products are being recalled over the presence of listeria monocytogenes.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that recall notices will be displayed at point of sale.

Two food alerts were issued over the weekend regarding branded spinach and mixed leaves batches. They are being recalled by McCormack Family Farms because of the detection of listeria monocytogenes.

#FoodAlert Update (1) to recall of various branded Spinach and Mixed Leaves products produced by McCormack Family Farms due to the detection of Listeria monocytogenes https://t.co/CMIJRxGjdv pic.twitter.com/pIrM6JoS4V  FoodSafetyAuthority (@FSAIinfo) August 31, 2025

FSAI said that there is no evidence that the recall is linked to the listeriosis outbreak related to ready-to-heat meals that is currently under investigation.

Symptoms of listeria monocytogenes infection can include mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications.

Some people are more vulnerable to listeria monocytogenes infections, including pregnant women, babies, and people with weakened immune systems, including the elderly.

The incubation period, time between initial infection and first symptoms appearing, is on average three weeks but can range between three and 70 days.

Retailers have been asked to remove the implicated batches from sale and display recall notices at point of sale.

Wholesalers and distributors have also been asked to contact their affected customers and recall the implicated batches and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers.

FSAI have said that caterers should not use the implicated batches and consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batches.
THE Ardattin Vintage Rally has raised 8,000 for Tullow Day Care Centre for the second consecutive year, with the cheque presentation taking place on 19 August.

The South Eastern Vintage Machinery Club, which organises the annual rally, has maintained a long-standing partnership with the day care centre that extends well beyond simple fundraising.

Weve been associated with the Tullow Day Care Centre going back a long number of years, said Sean Carroll, chairman of the South Eastern Vintage Machinery Club. They do such great work not alone in the area but surrounding areas as well. All their services are greatly needed in these times and people greatly appreciate it. The fundraising effort is a collaborative undertaking between the vintage club and the day care centre. The centre actively supports the rally by selling tickets for the pre-rally cabaret held the night before the main event, where a raffle also contributes to the total amount raised.

On the day of the rally itself, staff from Tullow Day Care Centre operate the tea tent, providing refreshments to visitors. Thats a big thing to provide tea and sandwiches and buns and everything from everyone there, Sean explained.

The centre also provides practical support by supplying stewards for the event. They gave us a big help out and we were delighted, Sean added.

Laz Murphy, director of Tullow Day Care Centre, expressed the organisations appreciation for the funds raised during the cheque presentation.

Its a win-win for everyone, Carroll said of the successful fundraising effort and the generous support from the community that helped reach the 8,000 target.

The partnership between the Ardattin Vintage Rally and Tullow Day Care Centre demonstrates how community events can effectively support vital local services while bringing people together around shared interests.
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South Valley Cement has announced an agreement to sell its 47.61 per cent shareholding in Building Materials Industries to Spains Instituto Tecnologico de Informatica (ITI) for EGP584m (US$12m), priced at EGP two per share, according to a disclosure to the Egyptian Exchange.

The EGX-listed company holds 292.34 million shares out of the subsidiarys total 614 million shares. A fair value study conducted on Building Materials Industries concluded a price of EGP1.25 per share (US$0.02/share), compared with a negative book value of EGP1.26.

The sale represents a significant premium to the units assessed fair value, providing South Valley Cement with a capital boost as it continues to navigate a challenging operating environment.
The V Series Portrait Master Project is a nod to vivo's 30-year journey of user-centered innovation and over a decade of dedication to mobile imaging excellence. As part of this initiative, with each new generation of the V Series, vivo will give a platform to a different portrait photographer to showcase their distinctive style, character, and storytelling power through a V Series lens.

"We believe imaging is where technology meets humanity," said Keshav Chugh, Senior Product Manager for Image Effects at vivo. "With the V Series Portrait Master Project, we want to show what our technology can do in the capable hands of professional photographers and perhaps inspire users to get even more creative in the ways they use their V series products to capture life's most meaningful moments."

Snap into Your Vibe with Photographer Diane Villadsen

Under the "Snap into Your Vibe" concept, this year's Portrait Master Project features acclaimed American photographer Diane Villadsen, popular for her captivating visual stories with vibrant color palettes and geometric compositions. The "Snap into Your Vibe" theme highlights the importance of being present in the moment and capturing genuine emotions, closely aligning with Villadsen's own creative approach.

"In my work, I want to let the moment shape the image," said Villadsen. "When shooting with V60, the ZEISS Super Telephoto Camera was one of my favorite features. Since I'm all about minimizing distraction, sometimes zooming in is the best way to get the right composition, especially shooting on location where there can be lots of clutter in the background."

For this campaign, Villadsen has emphasized spontaneity and authenticity. By relying on the vivo V60, she's been able to move freely, interact naturally with her subjects, and respond to the dynamic energy of each scene, resulting in portraits that feel alive, intimate, and emotionally resonant.

Portrait Power in Your Pocket with vivo V60

The new vivo V60 is designed to empower users to capture professional-quality portraits that preserve the authentic feel of the moment. By prioritizing the full experience with intuitive controls and intelligent processing, V60 allows users to focus on creativity and connection, rather than technical complexity. V60 comes with a 50 MP ZEISS Super Telephoto Camera, a powerful lens that brings subjects closer, allowing for photography that boasts intricate detail and emotion. Other features that make professional-level photography accessible include the ZEISS Multifocal Portrait, offering both 85 mm and 100 mm focal lengths for expressive, cinematic portraiture at any special occasion, as well as the 10x Telephoto Stage Portrait, which is perfect for capturing dynamic, stage-like moments from a distance.

As the V Series Portrait Master Project evolves, vivo will continue to partner with leading photographers as a way to showcase the advanced capabilities of vivo's imaging technology and highlight the diverse ways in which professional-grade imaging and everyday creativity intersect.

"One of the best things about living with this technology is that the barrier to entry is removed, so anyone can be spontaneously creative with a camera in their pockets all the time," said Villadsen. "Especially a camera that mimics the quality of a professional DSLR."

About vivo

vivo is a technology company that creates great products based on a user-oriented value, with smart devices and intelligent services as its core. The company aims to build a bridge between humans and the digital world. Through unique creativity, vivo provides users with an increasingly convenient mobile and digital life. Following the company's core values, which include Benfen*, user-orientation, design-driven value, continuous learning and team spirit, vivo has implemented a sustainable development strategy with the vision of developing into a healthier, more sustainable world-class corporation.

While bringing together and developing the best local talents to deliver excellence, vivo is supported by a network of R&D centers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an and more cities, focusing on the development of state-of-the-art consumer technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial design, imaging system and other up-and-coming technologies. vivo has also set up an intelligent manufacturing network (including those authorized by vivo), with an annual production capacity of nearly 200 million smartphones. As of now, vivo has branched out its sales network across more than 60 countries and regions, and is loved by more than 500 million users worldwide.

*"Benfen" is a term describing the attitude on doing the right things and doing things right  which is the ideal description of vivo's mission to create value for society.

Stay informed of latest vivo news at https://www.vivo.com/en/about-vivo/news

SOURCE vivo

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Walden Mayor Lee Davis has written members of the Planning Commission asking them to consider the mountaintop town's unique circumstances in the approval process for Plan Hamilton.

Mayor Davis said Walden has placed its own growth plan in place that is working well.

He said opening up the top of Walden's Ridge for extensive growth could lead to emergency evacuation issues, overcrowded streets and roads, and wastewater issues.

The Planning Commission is set to take up the controversial Plan Hamilton at its Sept. 8 meeting. The Town of Walden will discuss the topic at its meeting the next night.

The County Commission voted 6-5 in favor of providing guidance to the Planning Commission in support of the current version of Plan Hamilton.

Plan Hamilton covers unincorporated areas of the county.

The section of the new growth plan for the rest of the county (Chattanooga and the other cities) was approved with little to no pushback.

This is the letter from Mayor Davis:

Dear Chair Ethan Collier and Members of the Regional Planning Commission:

On behalf of the Town of Walden, I write regarding Plan Hamilton, scheduled for action by the Regional Planning Commission on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.

We respectfully ask that any action on Plan Hamilton include area-specific policies for Waldens Ridge that reflect the unique infrastructure, safety, and environmental constraints on the mountaintop.

Walden supports thoughtful, long-term planning. Our 2022 Walden Land Use Plan - developed through extensive public engagement and recognized for its planning merits - sets a clear framework: targeted, context-sensitive opportunities along Taft Highway and long-standing two-acre residential standards that account for the realities of wastewater systems in an unsewered community. This framework has guided safe, predictable growth for decades.

Our specific concerns with Plan Hamilton as applied to the plateau are:

1. Public safety & evacuation: With only four roads off the plateau, higher densities in adjacent unincorporated areas increase evacuation risk during wildfire, ice, or emergencies. Any plan for Waldens Ridge should be tied to evacuation capacity and require scenario-based analysis for major developments.

2. Transportation constraints: Taft Highway and local roads already carry regional traffic. Increased density would push overflow onto neighborhood streets not built as thoroughfares. We ask for mandatory traffic impact analyses and mitigation for plateau projects.

3. Wastewater limitations: Walden and the unincorporated plateau do not have sewer. Plan policies should hinge on wastewater system capacity (not just sewer availability) and reflect the need for adequate land area and contingency when systems fail.

4. Consistency with adopted local plans: Walden has an adopted, award-winning Land Use Plan. Countywide policies should defer to or align with adopted municipal plans and subdivision regulations where municipalities will bear the infrastructure and safety impacts.

Our requests to the RPC:

- Incorporate a Waldens Ridgespecific density framework for unsewered areas that aligns with the intent of Waldens adopted plan and the plateaus constraints - prioritizing low density residential and context-sensitive commercial along Taft Highway.

- Require evacuation capacity and transportation impact findings for significant projects on the plateau before entitling higher intensities.

- Explicitly base density on wastewater system capacity (not solely on sewer type), recognizing the absence of public sewer service on most of Waldens Ridge.

- Commit to intergovernmental coordination so municipal standards and subdivision regulations for Walden and Signal Mountain are respected during County approvals affecting the plateau.

For transparency, please accept this letter into the public record and provide it to all Commissioners through the RPAs established process (submitted via rezoning@chattanooga.gov).

Finally, please note that the Walden Board of Mayor & Aldermen will consider and is expected to act on a formal resolution regarding Plan Hamilton at our Sept. 9, 2025, meeting. We will transmit the adopted resolution to the RPA and County Commission immediately thereafter for their consideration ahead of final adoption steps.

Thank you for your service and for considering Waldens public safety, transportation, and wastewater realities as you guide the countywide plan.

Respectfully,

Lee Davis

Mayor, Town of Walden
Dr. Susan Ashcraft Dr. Hermilo Jasso Dr. Lori West Dr. John Wykoff Previous Next

Four faculty members at Lee University have been promoted to the rank of distinguished professor, the highest academic honor the university awards.

This rank is awarded when a Lee professor has performed with great distinction over an extended period of time and has performed at a level of excellence, recognized as exceptional among fellow professors at the university.

Dr. Susan Ashcraft joined the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2001 and currently serves as a distinguished professor of psychology and human development. She teaches undergraduate courses including Marriage and Family, Human Sexuality, and Lifespan Development, as well as graduate courses in school counseling.

Dr. Ashcraft is a published author and researcher in the areas of child and adolescent sexuality and marriage/family relationships. She received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in psychology from Lee, her Master of Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Hermilo Jasso, distinguished professor of economics, joined Lee's business faculty in 1987 after a successful stint in the business world. He has been listed in multiple business journals, including Whos Who Among American Entrepreneurs and Whos Who Among Hispanic Americans. Dr. Jasso teaches courses such as Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Investments, and has been a guest lecturer at universities around the world.

Dr. Jasso was the first recipient of Lees Janet Rahamut Faculty Award and the inaugural recipient of The Nora Chambers Award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the Lee University Faculty Council. He earned a PhD from Universidad De La Empresa in Uruguay, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Laredo State University, and his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Lee College.

Dr. Lori West joined Lees Natural Science and Mathematics faculty in 2006 and now serves as a distinguished professor of biology and assistant chairperson for the Department of Natural Sciences, where she teaches courses such as Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Genetics, along with a variety of labs.

Dr. West is actively engaged in student research through the SEA-PHAGES and SEA-GENES programs, resulting in the publication of several bacteriophage genomes. West also supports K-12 education as a guest scientist, performing demonstrations and experiments at local schools. She earned her PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her BA from Maryville College.

Dr. John Wykoff, recently promoted to associate dean of the Lee University School of Music, serves as a distinguished professor of music theory and composition. An award-winning composer, his choral and instrumental works are performed internationally and have been featured in major venues and festivals.

Dr. Wykoff has received significant commissions, including an anthem for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Inauguration, and served as composer-in-residence for Perform International, creating Out of This Darkness: A Normandy Cantata. He earned his PhD from the City University of New York, his Master of Arts from Queens College, and his BA from Covenant College.